Daydreaming

I am mentally planning a fabulous vacation for next year.  At this point, all I know is that I am going.  Mark can tag along if he wants, but I am definitely going.  I just don't know where.  Right now a relaxing, lazy vacation sounds heavenly, but come next August-November, I may be back to some what of a normal life and may feel like running all around some great city checking everything out.  

I can't decide where I (we) should go:  back to Paris (LOVE it there!), another beach resort (went to Aruba a few years back), a cruise (this time Northern Europe), or somewhere totally new?  

Help!!  What are your favourite vacation spots; relaxing or exploring.  Just keep in mind I am not a camping, run around in the jungle type person.  So a hike in the Amazon is probably not somewhere I want to go!

There are just too many places to randomly type into www.kayak.com to see how much airfare costs!  Throw some ideas out there for me of places I must go before I die, or go years and years without another vacation!

Over My Head?

Awhile back, Mark decided he wanted to get into watching Mad Men.  He had heard all the rave reviews and thought he should jump on the bandwagon.  I am the opposite.  If I don't like something on my own before the hype starts, I am not about to jump aboard.  That's why I have never picked up Harry Potter and never will.  I had no interest in it to begin with and now it's just crazy.  I'm just stubborn like that.

Anyway, so Mark started watching it, and since it's on about the time I am feeding the little one, I watch it with Mark.  Following last night's season finale (don't worry no spoilers here), I am stuck with the same feelings I had after the first few shows we watched;  I don't get it.  I get the story line/plot, but I just don't get the hype.  It's a fine show, if you like shows that depict alcoholism, rampant infidelity, chauvinism, poor parenting, etc., but there are plenty of other shows out there I enjoy more.  Perhaps I am more easily entertained and the more "intelligent", deep thought shows are beyond my grasp, but I am just not getting the hype.  Can someone explain why it gets all of the accolades it does?

I need to find a replacement for my TV obsession now that LOST is gone.  Not sure The Event will cut it.  At least L&O CI is coming back for a final 8 episodes with Goren and Eames.  I will have to live on that for now.

Anyone have any suggestions of shows that are can't miss?

A Day in the Life

It seems as we get older birthdays just don't seem as exciting as they did when we were little.  That's kind of sad, but I guess if we ran around telling strangers "it's my birthday today!" people might think we were a little off.

Well, yesterday was Mark's birthday and he never tells anyone.  So we decided that we would let people know instead!  Off to the balloon store we went!

We got a bunch of helium balloons, drove to the train station and tied some on his car.  When we got home we tied one more to the mailbox.  And of course we had the rest tied to the birthday chair.

He told us when he got off the train, everyone who walked by asked if it was his birthday and all wished him Happy Birthday!  Mission Accomplished.

I think, even though we're now "old", he had a good birthday.  Workers took him out to lunch, then he played hooky and went to a movie, came home, went out for steaks, back home for presents and cake.  I realized as I made the cake, that it was almost identical to the cake I made him last year, but I suppose when all you want is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting...they are bound to be similar! Then he capped the night off watching the Vikings lose...I guess you can't have everything.

Hope you had a great day!  We love you!

Help!

OK, this goes out to anyone who has ever cooked before.  I need some assistance.

Dinner time around here has been less than exciting ever since July.  With the exception of a week of meals being brought into us, of course.  Once on my own though...a completely different story.  

Last week, I even planned out an entire week's worth of dinners, AND bought the necessary ingredients!!

Sadly, none of those meals were ever made thanks to a certain cranky pants.  

So, I need some ideas for dinners that take 30 minutes MAX!  Some days 30 minutes of hands free time is pushing it.  Or some fabulous crock pot ideas that I can throw together in the morning and not touch again until dinner time.

I would be tickled pink if I could get a decent dinner made one night that wasn't bought at Costco (don't get me wrong, I love dinners bought at Costco, the orange chicken and Mongolian beef dinners are great!).  I would be even more tickled pink if I could get an hour of hands free happy time from this kid, but we are working on that!

Thanks for your help!

Life Lessons

How do you explain stealing to a two year old?  No, my two year old didn't steal, she got something stolen from her.  I'm not sure what is worse; that something was stolen or that it was allowed.

Here's what happened.  

We went to the Doctor's office for the two month check up.  Big T insisted on bringing her sunglasses, stuffed duck and her boy named Sue (a Pinocchio toy from some happy meal or something, you can thank her Dad for her naming him Sue!).  We got all checked in and sat down to fill out the info sheet, I asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom before we went back to see the Doctor and she did, so we went.  When we came out the nurse was waiting for us, so we went right back.  We got into the room, answered a couple of questions, got the little guy undressed for his weight check and that's when I realized we didn't have any of her stuff with us.  The nurse asked what we were missing and went on a hunt for it.  She came back with Sue and the sunglasses but there was no duck to be found.  The entire office staff looked for that duck including our Doctor.  Nothing.  As we left the building we checked at the main reception desk, but no one had turned anything in.  She took my name and number just in case, but we all know we won't be getting a phone call.

The ride home was filled with this conversation" "Where did my duck go?", "I don't know sweetie, I think someone took it", "Those boys?" (there had been some boys in the waiting room), "I don't know, it may have been those boys or someone else", "OK, and then they send my duck back to me?", "Maybe, but I don't think so, they don't know where you live".  It went on for a bit and then I think she sort of got it because she would say, "Those boys took my duck". And when we got home it was full on tears, a stolen duck coupled with no nap and a flu shot....she was not a happy camper.

Here is my beef.  This duck was not an inexpensive duck, $5 from Kohl's, and it's not even a beef with the kids (I assume a child took it), I can understand a little kid seeing a cool little stuffed animal just sitting there and wanting to play with it or take it.  What I don't get is what kind of parent, upon seeing their child with a toy that they obviously didn't leave the house with, lets that child keep that toy?? I would have marched that kid back in and made him/her give it back or take it to the lost and found because you know there is some kid out there missing it.  It made me quite angry at that parent, that they would not insist the child return it.  Now of course I am assuming the parent saw the duck, knew it didn't belong to their kid...maybe not, but I know I would notice my child carrying a large stuffed duck that didn't belong to her!

Thankfully there is a light in this story.  When we got home, I got a phone call from a friend who needed to stop by to use the bathroom because their water was turned off due to some repairs, and she asked what the crying was for.  I told her, and a few hours later we had a knock on our door.  It was two of her kids with a stuffed duck!  It wasn't the same stuffed duck, but Miss T was so excited! It was such a thoughtful gesture to do that for her, she was very happy and her new little duck quickly became a new friend.

So, while there are definitely parents out there who need to open their eyes, there are parents out there who go above and beyond, even for small things.  Thank you!