Photogenic

So, Holden notoriously does not give me his best work when I try to take a picture of him.  We've seen lots of evidence of that on this blog.

Professionally photographers typically have had better luck.  He's been known to ham it up big time in that department as seen here

and here

and of course here.

Either our lucky streak has ended or Holden was unimpressed with school pictures, because this photographer got more of the half smile/half grimace usually reserved for when mom's taking pictures.

At this rate I fear we are a mere couple of years away from a full out Chandler smile.

Good thing he's pretty much ridiculously adorable no matter what the expression.

So Close

We told him if he still couldn't sleep at 10:00, he could come sleep on our floor.

He tried so hard.

True Motherly Love

If Holden ever questions my love for him, please remind him that when he was four, he needed shoes for summer, and I let him buy these.

I hate Croc type shoes under the best of circumstances, but I do acknowledge their convenience.
These shoes, my friends, are NOT the best of circumstances.  They are so far from the best of circumstances you can't even SEE the best of circumstances.

But he fell in love with these shoes, so he got these shoes....On the condition they never, under any circumstances be worn anywhere further than the mailbox.

.....They've already been to swim lessons twice.  I'm willing to bet you will see him rocking these babies at Target by the end of the summer.  The convenience, people!  It will not be ignored!

It's May

and it's FREEZING.  My poor heart just can't handle the Hawaii pictures at center stage on my blog anymore.

In unrelated news, I think from now on all my dinners will be made in mini muffin tins.  Because why shouldn't dinner be adorable?  Next time we're making pizza ones... Iowa Girl Eats is my new best friend.



and because I just can't stand to have Hawaii archived for good...

Seriously, you guys just died a little from the cuteness, didn't you?

86 Percent

Sigh....Let's get this 30 by 30 thing done with already, shall we?  Considering I was completely bored with half the things on my list by the time I finished writing it (what can I say, I'm fickle!)  completing 86 percent of it is pretty good.  The four left uncompleted places me solidly in "B" territory, and I have always been a "good enough" kind of girl.  So really this 86 percent just sums up my entire life.    Here's what we still need to cover.

7.  Read a "classic" book...One I haven't already read.  Again, I am open to suggestions if you have any you liked.

I'll give you a hint as to how this one went.   When I started the book it looked like this outside---

And when I finished it, it looked a lot more like this---

I'm just going to have to say it.  I might not be a Jane Austen girl...Please still be my friend.  It just took me a long time to get into it.  Like 300 or 400 pages.  But when I was finished,  I rewarded myself by watching my favorite movie (inspired by this very book).  

#7 definitely wins for taking the longest time to complete.

9.  Make 72 hour kits for my family.

Done and done!  The biggest thing keeping me from it all this time was the logistics of it all.  So once I gave up on that things went pretty smoothly.  If I have to get out of dodge on foot I am pretty much out of luck. But, let's face it, with two little ones, if I had to get out of dodge on foot I would be pretty much out of luck anyways.  All this junk now resides in our garage.  Except the food, which resides under our bed.

10.  Learn how to properly clean a bathtub.  This is one household chore that continues to best me time after time.

Pinterest taught me this one.  That dish scrubber is filled with dish soap and vinegar.  Between that and a little  magic eraser action I think I finally have it figured out.  Although, still looking for advice on how to complete this chore without getting soaking wet.

11.  Stay at least 50 dollars under my grocery budget one month.  Right now I pretty much go over every month, so heaven help me with this.

You guys, I killed this one.  Here's how.  I switched Harper to the Costco formula and kept my sorry behind out of Target.  Boom.  Problem solved.  That 83 dollars saved was in addition to the $50 I was trying to stay under.

13.  Make my passwords more secure.  I am currently probably asking to get hacked...Dear Internet creepers, I am doing this one soon, so don't get any ideas.  Thanks.

Hopefully I actually deterred the internet creepers from hacking me, because despite what I claimed, this one was almost the last one to be completed.  No pictures of this, because, well,  you know...

14.  Finish organizing my photos.  I got a good start earlier this year, and then gave up halfway through.

Hands down the most time consuming (completed) thing on my list.  Those black books now hold all the photos we own..  Don't judge the empty spots on the bookshelf.  The photos have been done for a while, the shelf holding them all is new and still in need of tchotchkes.  

19.  Cook a ham

It was edible.  It might take a few more tries to make it delicious.  I may or may not ever try that hard.

25.  Learn how to cook an artichoke.  Those little poke-y vegetables intimidate me to no end.

While we're discussing food related tasks...
I'm adding artichokes to the "more trouble than they are worth" category of food.  This category includes, but is not limited to, seeded watermelon and corn on the cob.  And now artichokes.

26.  Complete this 30 day Mom Challenge. 

This little list helped me survive some of the toughest months of Holden being three.  I plan on pulling it back out every time I need a little perspective.

28.  Put aside enough money for a car rental/gas for our Hawaii trip.  (Probably around $500).

Done. And booked!  In case the creepers are still reading I won't disclose when this delightful event will be taking place, but you better believe you will be hearing about it after the fact.

30.  Set up a chore system for Holden.  Besides me begging him to help me pick up and him saying  "I will just watch you do it."

Simple concept.  He looks at his chore cards.  He finishes his chores.  He gets a punch.  He fills his punch card, he gets a prize from the bucket.  (All crafty related items purchased on Etsy, and not at all made by me.)  Some punch cards are completed more frequently than others (neither of us are big fans of afternoon chores), but overall the system is working well!

 

 

We even threw in a bonus card for good measure.  It also has a hit or miss track record.

Ok.  Let's quickly gloss over the failures:
12.  Buy a good pair of jeans.-- I couldn't commit.  For reals.  Those things are pricey and I didn't want to risk getting a dud.  I'm still open to completing this one though, any fave brands?
17.  Complete a Couch to 5K program.  Given my current situation and my overall laziness, this is probably the most unrealistic goal on the list.--  See?  I knew it even back then. I'm having some weird foot problems that made this tricky, and also I hate running.  I did lose all my baby weight anyways, though, so if I cared about stuff like half credit, I would totally give myself half credit for this one.
18.  Fix the giant hole in the bumper of my car.--Sad story.  A series of unfortunate events (ie a hit and run, Holden taking a sharp rock to our window tint, and the ever encroaching demise of Reo's car) has made us determine that keeping my car nice is a pipe dream, and the money for fixing the giant hole is being squirreled away in the new car fund.  Because quite frankly, the giant hole is the least of my poor car's problems at this point.
22.  Get CPR/First Aid certified. No excuses.  It was expensive.  I am lazy.  The dummies freak me out.

Aaaaand there concludes the (hopefully) most narcissistic post I will ever write.  Let's just all forget this 30 by 30 thing even happened.  And while we're at it, we can all just go ahead and forget that I'm 30.  Thanks tons.

Public Service Announcement

Please head to your local Target at your earliest convenience and pick up this delightful treat.  

It has the festiveness of eggnog, and the deliciousness of a cross between a melted milkshake and cold hot chocolate.
I cannot vouch for the Red Velvet flavor, but that's because Red Velvet and I don't always get along so well, so we didn't try it.

Not necessarily at the same time (unless you want to, I'm not here to judge), please also make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

It has the ease of the famous spice cake mix/can of pumpkin recipe, with a little extra oomph.  And it makes a million cookies.

That is all.  Have a nice day.

Present And Accounted For

There is something so satisfying about having all the binkies in the house in one spot. Probably because it's kinda miraculous around these parts.  

Also, tell me the truth...Is the ponytail not quite ready for public appearances yet?  Sometimes I think we are golden and other times I worry it's trying just a little too hard.  And since there is no one's opinion I trust more than the internet, I'm just putting it out there.

The Trickiest Part of Parenting my 3 Year Old

All of the sudden, the kid is on to me when I try to throw his stuff away.  You know, important stuff, like his coloring pages, broken toys, half eaten apples...Stuff like that.   He seems to have a sixth sense about when one of these "treasures" has made it into the trash and gives me the third degree about why I could have possibly thought it was a good idea to throw away what was apparently his most prized possession.  It's like the garbage police live here. 

Sorry kid, our house is on the market.  Only the necessities make it out alive.  If I can live without a microwave, you can live without the hair covered gooey hand you got out of the quarter machine at the grocery store.  

He's cute though, right?

Items Of Business

1.  Figure out how to double our clothing budget.

2.  Figure out how to obtain infinite more closet space.

3.  Buy this dress from Baby Gap as soon as it goes on a decent sale.

4.  Accept the fact that Baby Girl Manning will definitely not have a name until birth...if not her first birthday.  If you have any suggestions, send them our way, PLEASE.  Reo is in full out veto mode, so maybe if the names come from someone other than me he won't be so quick to reject them.

I Haven't Been Blogging

But we are still alive, doing all the same fun and not as much fun things that I typically like to blog about. I have just felt zero need to document these things.  I am hoping this post will put me squarely back on the wagon.  Here is an adorable Holden picture to tide you over.

Being Secure in Your Manhood is....

Not being afraid to always need to have your tea set close by.

Even when you are playing video games.

In case you were wondering--
Yes, my son's current favorite toy is a tea set.  Judge if you feel the need, but as long as it continues to buy me a solid 45 minutes of play every day the tea set is a friend of mine.
Yes, he is playing some sort of Nintendo gaming system circa 2005.  I found it in a drawer, and again, friend of mine.
Yes, Holden is having a particularly heinous hair day.  That one is my fault.  His baby chick texture hair continues to best me day after day.

You Know The Drill

Good news, everyone. Christmas cards are a go. I know, right? What a relief. Just don't judge the picture too harshly and remember that in real life he is about the cutest thing that ever lived.

Not actual Christmas card photo

True to last year's promise, I only need your address if one of the following applies to you:

a. You have moved and haven't given me your new address.
b. We weren't friends last year, but we are now.
c. You didn't want a card last year, but have found the error in your thinking and changed your ways.

If any of those are you, please email your address to juliana.manning@gmail.com. And don't be shy, Costco sells their Christmas cards in packs of 50, and unfortunately I am almost sure I have far fewer than 50 friends.

Also, cards will go out on or before December 10th, so don't delay! Merry Christmas!

Favorite Things...Oprah Style

Yesterday was the Oprah's Favorite Things episode. Watching that episode inspired me to blog about some of my favorite things, which you surely care about, or you wouldn't be reading my blog, right? Also, just to be clear, I am not giving you any of things. I'M not Oprah. But feel free to check them out yourselves!

Modern Family: Clearly I am not the only person who watches this show, it's a pretty big deal. But it is probably my very favorite sitcom since the dearly departed Friends, so I have been waiting a long time for this!

Crazy 8: Affordable children's clothing where the boy clothes are often as cute, if not cuter, than the girl clothes. Because of this, you will often see Holden looking like a walking advertisement for this store.

Steel Cut Oats: Holden and I eat this for breakfast probably like 3 times a week, and Holden probably eats more of it than I do. It is delightful stuff. Now, truthfully, I am an oatmeal lover in general, so I may be biased, but trust me on this. And put maple syrup on it. You won't be sorry.

Redken All Soft Line: Reo has been super busy with school and work these days, which means that I didn't exactly have tons of afternoons free to get my haircut sans child. As a result of this, my hair got unreasonable long and slightly out of control. Switching to this conditioner made it so I could actually comb through my hair again and made me one happy camper. And now that my hair is a little less Big Love-esque, the good conditioner is a just a really nice bonus.

McDonalds Drive Through: I feel like it may be fate that McDonalds made all their drinks $1.00 right around the time I had a baby and it would be super inconvenient to get out of the car to get my Diet Coke fix. Kharma and I must be on pretty good terms right now.

The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog: I have now tried a bunch of recipes from her blog, and not one has disappointed me yet. Click on the button below if you want to go to there.

Pumpkin Bars: These delightful little treats are waiting to be shoved in my mouth right now, making my house smell like pumpkiny goodness...Well, not THESE exact pumpkin bars. Mine are still cooling and therefore are lacking frosting, but I fully intend for mine to look like this in a few short hours. Minus the super cute cake stand, because, well, I don't have one of those.

So there you have it, my very favorites as of November 2010. All rights to mind changing reserved. Anything to add?

In Other News

I know it appeared that last weekend was all Holden's birthday, all the time, but that actually wasn't the case. It was a big weekend for other reasons as well.

1. We went to a rockin' 30th birthday bash for my sister, where we dressed up in our best 80's attire, played Tetris, and sang 80's karaoke.

Holden was trying on the Terrible Twos for size that night, so I tried to bribe him into being in a good mood with endless Fun Dip...It almost worked.

2. My brother came home from his LDS mission. He spoke in church, and we had a little shindig at my parent's house afterwards. I didn't take pictures of the event (what else is new), but here is a sa-weet picture of him before he left sporting his pre-mission 'stache.

3. One of my very favorite shows started again! As far as I'm concerned, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team is the only good thing to come out of football season.

First Day Of Fall

and we're already on our second bag of candy corn this year. Life is good.

Odd

You know how parents are always lamenting about why they even bother buying toys when their kid just picks random stuff to play with? Well, Holden is no exception. He has always preferred real phones to toy phones, real remotes to toy remotes, etc. But this one threw me for a loop....

Yup...A plastic spoon and a lime. He has carried these around the house with him non stop for the last 3 days. I have to beg him to leave them behind when we go anywhere (you know, to avoid the inevitable weird looks we would get). Hopefully he gets over this obsession before the lime starts to go bad, or things could get ugly.

All Blogged Out

Serves me right for blogging six, yes SIX, times in April. Because of my blogging overload I was bled dry of blogging material for May. My two and a half week old post just sat there, mocking me, until I couldn't take it anymore. Rather than doing the logical thing, and waiting it out until something blog worthy came along, I decided I must fill the void with something. This is something.

Reo is in love with the morning radio show on X96. And I mean in L.O.V.E. For future reference, if you are ever talking with Reo and he tells you that "they" said something, he means the people on the radio. Kerry, Bill and Gina are BFFs of the Mannings. Anyway, on this particular radio show, they have a segment called "Things that Must Go," where they discuss things that are especially irritating, or that "must go." I thought about doing a Things That Must Go list, but decided I was feeling entirely too positive to do such a negative post, and thought my positive energy would be better directed towards a list of "Things That Must Come Back." You know, those things that have gone away for whatever reason, and your life has never quite been the same. Being me, my list is mostly television and/or food related. That's how I roll.

Things That Must Come Back

1. Grape Bubblegum ice cream from Magie Moos. I had it the first time I tried Maggie Moos, and fell in love. I kept going back to try it again, but they never had that particular flavor. Finally, I looked on Maggie Moos website only to find that my beloved grape bubblegum flavor had been DISCONTINUED. I have (embarassingly) sent more than one email to Maggie herself, trying to get it brought back, but to no avail....I am thinking the next step is to organize some sort of letter writing campaign. Who's in? Anyone? Anyone??2. Road Rules. Because I am sick of seeing Real World people fight over nothing. I would rather see 6 people with no money in a sicko 600 sqare foot RV fight over impossible challenges. Now THAT was television!

3. Pretty much anything that I have ever truly loved from Einstein Bros Bagels, including, but not limited to, salt bagels and the yummiest chicken salad ever. You leave those pumpkin bagels alone Einstein's, do you hear me?

4. Oreo O's. Yummiest dessert ever. The End.

5. Pushing Daisies. Gone too soon. So soon that I didn't even see an episode of it before it was already off the air. Except for the one that was on in the background of my hospital room while I was gearing up for my C-section. I don't count that one. Charlotte's wardrobe was so beautiful I want to cry just thinking about it. RIP.

6. Zuka Juice. Because no matter what Reo tries to tell me, it is NOT the same as Jamba juice, plus it doesn't have the sentimental value.

7. Lauren Conrad on The Hills. Because apparently she was the voice of reason that kept everyone from going insane. Seriously, insane. Has anyone else been watching this show? It is madness!

There you have it. My list of Things That Must Come Back. Feel free to add your own in the comments, or, if you are in need of blog to blog recuscitation, do a Things That Must Come Back post of your own. I am telling you, I feel more blog inspired already.