Monthly Archives: June 2012

What a way to beat the heat! #iPPP

Posted in #BloomWhereYourePlanted, #iPPP by

Sunday brought triple-digit temps to Kansas City for the first time this year, taxing our air conditioning system and sending us in search of cool waters.

Sure, we could have hit the neighborhood pool, or even the sprinklers in the back yard. But those options pale in comparison when you live practically next door to a water park!

This year marks my first visit to Oceans of Fun, and after seeing the variety of attractions for all ages I know I’ll be back. This place is definitely worth a season pass.

We skipped the swim-up bar this time around, seeing as we had three kids in tow and all, but I made a mental note to find the time to enjoy a few cold drinks here with my husband in the near future.

The Caribbean Cooler, a “lazy river,” was a family favorite, and we floated around several times, Monkey included. He was too, too cute in his life jacket. Once he got used to the current, he wanted nothing to do with his dad or me. Instead he chose to float in the arms of his big cousin, whom he now calls “Collie.”

The big boys stood in line to ride the towering slides while I soaked up the sunshine. Even with the high temps, the trees and light breeze made the afternoon more than bearable.

Monkey approached his first time on a water slide with a bit of trepidation, but once he figured out we’d always be there to catch him, he threw himself down each slide with abandon.

Oceans of Fun has several pools and lagoons and we had an awesome time as we tried out most of them. I have to say though, my favorite moment was right at the beginning of the day.

I had asked the big boys to stand in front of a sign to pose for a picture, knowing that soon, a large bucket would tip over and soak everyone standing nearby. They were clueless, and I only felt a teensy bit evil as I waited for the perfect shot.

And I totally got it.

Best summer photo EVER.

How are your summer photos turning out? Link up and share them with us!

Mamamash
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mamamash.com" title="Mamamash"><img src="http://mamamash.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/ippp-polaroid-125-x-125.jpg" alt="Mamamash" style="border:none;" /></a></div>



#iPPP: Dog days of summer

Posted in #BloomWhereYourePlanted, #iPPP, Monkey by

We’ve got our nephews visiting again for the summer, something we look forward to every year because it gives us an excuse to turn our place into a junior frat house. (Think more junk food, dirty socks and farts, less alcohol. And by less I mean none, of course.)

On the long, long list of activities we have planned is a tour of all the parks Kansas City has to offer. This morning we checked one off the list as hubs and The Posh completed a hard run and The Gamer and I walked with Monkey.

After we finished our exercise, we went to load up the car and ran into a lovely gentlemen walking his puppy. His very tall puppy. His very tall puppy that was not done growing.

Meet Finley, the Irish Wolfhound. Yeah, we’re so getting one. As soon as we build on an extra wing in the house. That sucker is HUGE.

And HEY! Guess what?! It’s iPhone Photo Phun time! Link up your favorite camera phone pics from this week. More about this here.

Mamamash
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mamamash.com" title="Mamamash"><img src="http://mamamash.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/ippp-polaroid-125-x-125.jpg" alt="Mamamash" style="border:none;" /></a></div>



Traveling everywhere, and never leaving home

Posted in #BloomWhereYourePlanted, Marriage, Seasons by

Usually when I make my trek to and from Texas, I renew my low-altitude pilot’s license and take a straight shot south through Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. I can push through the 730 miles in less than 13 hours. I’ve done it so many times over the last three and a half years that the curves in the road are as familiar as the lines in my palms.

This time, for my return trip to Kansas City I had different plans. Three days. Three cities. An aquarium, a slumber party with a great friends and a steak sandwich or two. Houston. Dallas. Oklahoma City.

My own little tour.

I began on a Thursday, packing my son and nephews along with our luggage into my little car and hauling ass through a summer storm to downtown Houston. We left the vehicle and its collection of laundry and toys to spend a few hours visiting the underwater worlds of the Downtown Aquarium.

That night we stayed with our Aunt Jan, who got in one last good night of spoiling before we headed north. She fed us, entertained us and even helped my oldest nephew make a Father’s Day card for my husband. (One day I’ll talk her into selling her cards – they’re amazing. Until then, I just patiently wait for special occasions to see her handiwork.)

Friday morning we set out for Dallas to meet my friends Rach and Brian and their little Donut. Rach writes Life Ever Since, and has been my friend ever since I began blogging last year.

Even though they were in the middle of this huge move to the most magical house full of endless surprises, Rach and her husband warmly welcomed us into their mostly-packed away condo. I meant to get all sorts of pictures of us together, but I don’t think we stopped talking long enough to really do that. Also, I had three boys with me.

Thank goodness for mom juice.

Also, thank goodness for Brian. He took the big boys to the pool while my kid suffered a meltdown of epic proportions at bedtime. For that, I am eternally grateful. I teetered on the edge of sanity for a moment, but thanks to his quick thinking (and Rach’s excellent bedtime treats later) I managed to not lose my shit in the middle of everything.

And Donut. Oh my gosh. I’ve never met a more friendly little girl in my life. She was all smiles and coy glances, flirting madly with my nephews and just charming me into a pile of gooey squish. If I hadn’t packed every square centimeter of my car with stuff already, I’d have figured a way to smuggle her back home with me, where we would share a bag of Spinach and Kale Pirate’s Booty and watch Sex & The City.

Oh, stop gasping. The TBS version, of course.

We bid this fun, generous family a bittersweet farewell the next morning, sad to be leaving such great company but excited to be on the final leg of our trip. We inched our way north again, stopping just outside of Oklahoma City to take care of a few things for my husband.

After finding the nearest Wal-mart, something I’m really good at even without the help of GPS (Where do I put that on my resume?) we flew down several country roads to visit my husband’s grandparents’ graves, leave flowers on those that were without, and point out sites of interest like the church where my husband and I were married and Toby Keith’s house. (My nephew wanted to know if he had horses there, and if they were indeed given beer.)

After our back road adventures, we stopped at a tiny, somewhat-suspicious smelling restaurant for the best steak sandwiches on the planet. Not even exaggerating.

If you find yourself ‘round the OKC area in place called Moore, do yourself a lard-fried favor and check out Del Rancho. Order the steak supreme and a coke and enjoy every last artery-clogging bite.

Finally it was time for the hardest part of the journey for me: Five and a half hours of highway, most of it turnpike, with nothing but fields as far as the eye could see. It’s hypnotic, the constant green sea, and makes every minute seem like a decade. Cruise control, Christian music and an audio copy of Catching Fire were my saviors.

Several years ago, when my life with my husband was just beginning, we had taken this road to Kansas City to visit for the first time together. My now-husband-then-boyfriend’s car broke down several times during that August drive, but even with the heat and frustration we never got pissy with each other. It was on that trip, standing in the Starbuck’s parking lot in Emporia, Kansas next to a dying car tucked into a corner parking spot, that I realized I loved this guy and was probably going to marry him.

When I stopped at the Emporia McDonald’s with the kids on Saturday for dinner, I stole a fond glance at that Starbucks. We were still a couple of hours from home just then, but I realized right there that this was where I had been standing when I realized where home would be four years ago.

It’s not north, and it’s not south. And even if I do have to choose between those two physical places, it doesn’t matter. Home will always be within my husband’s heart. Enveloped in his arms. Caught in his glance. I can drive all over this country, trek every highway, and still be home.

Visiting Yeah Write…the Challenge board. Because I finally did something other than vomit words upon a page.

#TreatItFwd: A #giveaway and a good cause

Posted in Product Reviews & Giveaways by

My two wild, wonderful weeks in Texas are drawing to a close and I’m on my way back to Kansas City this weekend, just in time to celebrate Father’s Day with my husband. I’m bringing some precious cargo with me – our son and our two oldest nephews, who will be staying for the rest of the month.

Our nephews are loved and doted on by all of us, and have been raised by a tight-knit clan who have always been there for them. There is a much different reality for so many kids out there. This weekend, we can help change that.

Now through Father’s Day, anyone can help children in foster care find permanent, loving homes. Continuing its Father’s Day Frosty Weekend tradition for the sixth year in a row, Wendy’s is inviting customers to help raise money for Wendy’s Wonderful Kids. This signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is dedicated to finding permanent adoptive families for children in foster care.

During Father’s Day weekend (June 16 & 17) 50 cents from each Frosty purchase will be donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. These donations will be used to benefit the cause of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which is a program that helps foster children in need find great homes.

There are three ways to donate:

1. Buy any Frosty product: On Saturday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17, for each Frosty product purchased, participating Wendy’s will donate 50 cents to Wendy’s Wonderful Kids. (includes the original, parfaits, shakes and floats).

2. Use a mobile-friendly website to check in at Wendy’s: Wendy’s will donate 50-cents for every customer that checks in at Wendy’s restaurants during Father’s Day Weekend (June 16 and 17 only) using Wendy’s special mobile-friendly website found at www.wendys.com/treatitforward.

3. Re-tweet: Now through Father’s Day, re-tweet one of @Wendys special Twitter posts with the hashtag #TreatItFwd—and Wendy’s will make a 50-cent donation. You can even follow @Wendys on Twitter.

Here’s what I’m doing: I’m giving away a $10 Wendy’s Gift Card so you can go get a Frosty for dad. (Or yourself, whatever. I won’t tell him.) To enter, just leave a comment answering this very important question:

Dipping French fries in a Frosty: Yes or No?

You can earn an extra entry by Tweeting one of the following tweets. Be sure to leave another comment with the Tweet URL.

- Hey! @Wendys Father’s Day Frosty Weekend is almost here! RT if you are excited and to donate 50¢ to the @DTFA #TreatItFwd

-#TreatItFwd this weekend when you stop by @Wendys – buy a Frosty to help children in foster care find loving adoptive homes.

The giveaway will remain open until 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 17th. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced the next day.

UPDATE: The winner is…

#3, Katie! Congratulations, and thanks all for supporting a worthy cause!

I received a Wendy’s Gift Card as compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. As if you doubted that.

You down with #iPPP? Yeah, you know me.

Posted in #iPPP, Wordless Wednesday by

So I’m still in Texas (What? Is that girl ever going home?) but I wanted to take a second to tell you about the coolest thing that’s happening - I’m co-hosting a weekly camera phone photo link up beginning next Wednesday!

Über blogging mavens Liz and KLZ had unofficially retired the iPhone Photo Phun Linky and my best gal pal Greta asked if we could maybe take over and keep it going. We got the go ahead and let me tell you, I am pumped.

Now, I’m the proud-but-frequently-overwhelmed owner of one of those fancy DSLR thingies, but when you’re juggling kids and pets and food, sometimes hauling out the big black beast can be a real pain. With camera phones nowadays packing some serious megapixels (and Instagram giving us that little extra oomph) quick snapshots of life are sometimes best captured with that slim rectangle I carry in my pocket or purse.

So here’s the deal. Beginning next Wednesday, June 20th, The Funk and I will co-host #iPPP. You can link up your photos here or there and it will show up both places. Your photos can be part of a larger story or just a Wordless Wednesday. If you want, you can grab that button over there on the side as well.

A couple of things:

One, your phone does not have to be an iPhone. We just want to give the DSLRs a rest and show off the fun stuff that happens when you catch a moment with a camera phone. Any camera phone.

And:

Two, your photo does not have to be particularly artistic. We’d like to share in some real moments in your life. Maybe something that might have flown by in our Twitter feed or gotten overlooked on Instagram. That great meal you just made. That moment your toddler stole your phone and took seven pictures of himself picking his nose. That ridiculous piece of political campaign material you saw at breakfast this morning.

So remember, next Wednesday, June 20th, The Phun is back. We’re looking phorward to sharing phunny phone photos with you!

Mamamash

I honestly think the heat is affecting my brain

Posted in How was YOUR day?, Monkey by

I don’t know even know where to start about the last couple of weeks. Somewhere in the previous fourteen days of poignance and dumbassery there is a blog post, but it’s mostly snippets like, “and then my kid dropped to the floor and began swimming across the tiles like a beached carp.”

If memory serves me correctly, my husband had a birthday, we ate lots of Arthur Bryant’s BBQ and we bought him a new toy with a piece of half-chewed fruit on the front of it. I mean that my husband got the new toy, not Arthur Bryant, because really, why would a dead guy need an iPad? I’m pretty sure FaceTime does not extend into the afterlife. Yet.

The next day I packed up my kid, said goodbye to the husband and his new electronic best friend and we drove down to Texas to spend a few weeks with the family. (Well no, I did all the driving. Monkey sat in the back and threw goldfish at the back of my head.)

Texas has been OMGCRAZY and OMGHOT all week long, what with family stuff and my nephew’s second birthday party and relentless, oppressive heat and humidity (“Air you can wear” they call it) that finally broke yesterday as the clouds took pity on us and splattered a few raindrops down on the boiling asphalt.

I’m in Houston at the moment, an hour-and-a-half drive from my family’s “compound” in the swamp, where I am being spoiled rotten by my aunt and uncle. Earlier today my aunt and I took my son to the children’s museum where the highlight of my visit was this magical moment.

What? What’s even happening in this photo? What’s happening is that my cute little tyke is being transformed into the most adorable scientist ever. Are you ready for this?

BAM. Oh, the cute.

If you’re in Houston and you get a chance to visit the Children’s Museum of Houston, DO IT. There are activities, experiments and crafts for all ages, and you can go upstairs with your little ones and play in the TotSpot while your big kids scale the Power Tower.

After about an hour of nonstop mental stimulation, my son’s brain began to short circuit and for a moment he must have thought himself a fish, because he wriggled out of my grasp, threw himself onto the ground into what I thought was going to be an almost-two-year-old tantrum and instead began to stroke with his arms like he was swimming, all while grunting like a rhinoceros and stretching his toes through his flip flops to propel himself forward.

He did this for about 15 feet, until my aunt and I began to notice that people were staring so we scooped him up and headed home.

That moment alone was enough for today to leave an indelible mark on the pages of my life, but this gets even better. Tonight my aunt smoked some salmon and served it with lemon butter and crab and there are no pictures because I was too busy eating it. I mean, I photograph my oatmeal in the morning before I take a bite so obviously this stuff was divinely delectable.

The food was in fact so good that I did not care about my dinner table conversation faux pas where, when my uncle cracked to my son that microwaves weren’t for toddlers, they were for gerbils, I said “That’s not what Richard Gere says” and the whole table dropped their forks and looked at me like I’d just popped a squat and taken a dump on the linoleum and I thought “Oh shit, apparently that story has made the rounds and they totally got that joke and I thought it was just gonna be my own private haha with myself and they were all going to think I was just weird but now they think I’m a total perv…”

So, that? Didn’t even phase me because SMOKED SALMON, y’all.

WITH CRABMEAT.