BareBooks

Do you know about Bare books? If you don't, you should. They are awesome. My best friend, KP, told me about them a few years ago. They're super cheap, high quality empty books for kids to fill up with their stories and artwork. Certainly, the idea isn't original, but they are at such a fair price, like $1.50, they stand out as a favorite in our house. They also sell game boards you can customize, Francis has been on me about ordering one, so I'll post it when I do. Can't wait to see what game she comes up with. She is hilariously all about the rules. Don't ever play Chutes and Ladders with that girl... it takes FOREVER. I don't mean to say that I like to cheat, but people... when you land at the top of the slide for the 8th time...can't we just pretend it didn't happen? Nope. Not in this house.

Here are the front and back of the ocean themed books:

And the farm books:


I think my favorites are the completely blank books, but Francis likes the ones with the covers she can color. She likes having a "theme" for her books. She has a Farm animal book that she draws farm animals in and writes facts about them, etc. and George, well, he doesn't discriminate. He'll draw whatever, wherever. He's my free spirit. He doesn't need a themed cover...

Thrifting Today

The boys and I went thrifting this morning. I wanted to find some old sewing stuff - maybe some zippers or velcro, but had zero luck. Instead, we came home with a patchwork pillow (that looks quite nice with my other weird pillows) and three beany babies. George carefully picked one out for each kid. He chose a Koala (he later named "Mel") for himself, a hot pink bear for his big sis and a sneaky little fox for baby Sam. All three in great, tag-still-on, not creepy dirty condition. Overall, a successful trip. Total cost $5.

Cheap Treat

I am not a fan of fast food. I can't say I've officially banned it from my life, but unless a mom's group is meeting there or unless I'm on a road trip - you will never find me eating there. Wait, Chick-fil-a doesn't count, right? Okay, so like I said, it's not a hard and fast rule in my house, but you won't see me breakin' down any doors... until that is, I found out about this silly little key fob at Wendy's.

Wendy's has a frosty key fob that costs $1. With it, you get a free Jr. Frosty with every purchase you make there until the end of 2010. My kids always appreciate a special treat (especially with this Texas heat) and getting ice cream nowadays costs a ton. You can easily walk out of Braums having spent $7+ on ice cream that is: a) way too much to spend and b) way too much for your kid to eat. Half of it goes uneaten and I can't help but always feeling like it was a waste. Enter, the Jr. Frosty deal. Buy one, get one free and it only costs $1 plus tax. It's the size of a Dixie cup and I found out that if you ask for whipped cream on top, they add it for free. Perfect.

My kids think I rule... and I don't hate myself for wasting money.

Sure, sure... it's not in the healthy treat category, but you gotta live it up sometimes. ;)

Things That Make Me Smile.

For some reason, while I was watching this today, I found myself wondering who this reminded me of... who was it...(scratching head)...hmm. I continued watching, giggling and smiling. I know! It's my best friend's daughter... Rosa Jane! Why, who knows? I think it must be because it makes she makes me smile and giggle.

**Here's hoping that only a best friend can handle her BFF comparing her daughter to a snail shell with shoes. ;) Enjoy KBR... I love you two more than life itself. Can't wait to see you at Squam!

Finding Friends in a new place is hard.

It's hard to say I'm lonely when I'm surrounded by my favorite people all day, but here I am, in a new place, looking for a kindred spirit. Making new friends as an adult with small children can be such a hilariously awkward and painful experience. You have so little time between naps, snacks and pickup times. And assuming you do find that precious few minutes, you'll be lucky not to be interrupted by a polite little request to help wipe your sweet little one's booty. It's a wonderful thing, really, when they poop in the actual pot, but wiping the booty, well... oh, who I am kidding? I'll miss wiping their little butts when they're all grown up.

It's just one of those grass is always greener things, I think. While their young, you wish you had more time and when they grow up and you do have more time, you miss them. So, maybe the lesson is just to live in the now and not worry about the friends part. They will come... like in Field of Dreams, I'll build my happy little Fort Worth version of home and the pals will come. Right?

And in the meantime, being alone isn't so bad. There's more time for introspection and catching up on laundry.

Canon 7D vs. Barbie

There's really not much to add. This just cracks me up...especially given my great desire to own the new Canon 5D. Maybe Barbie will have to do in the meantime. Hmm...

Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl from Brandon Bloch on Vimeo.

Love.

Sitting on my couch surfing etsy, I came across String Theory's shop. I love, love, love these. They are a bit pricey, but think about it. You would have these for a lifetime and what beautiful work...