Flashback thanks to Google

I recently posted about the amazing world of website statistics albeit brief. I just wanted to expound on this incredible new discovery of mine by letting you know the most common reason random people find my site.

Through Google people can type in the following words either in the main search engine or the image engine: cute bunny, fluffy bunny, or hemorroid. Yes folks, that's right. I said hemorroid! (there were other combinations of those words and others, but I think you get the gist)

And what really makes this terrific is that all of those searches find the same entry.

My Fitness Challenge

I've started a journal specifically dedicated to my fitness journey. I figure if I use all of you to stay accountable I might have more success. I'm starting the Couch to 5K program from www.coolrunning.com.

Please feel free to comment, cheer, jeer and whatever else you want!

I know it's late but DUDE!!

So I'm sitting here with a sleeping baby on my lap, eating too many chocolate covered coffee beans and checking up on my blog stats. Nobody reads my blog (at least that's what my tshirt says), so I don't really care about how many hits I get. (cough cough)

But I was checking my stats on a map, and really looking at exactly who might be checking out my site. I found someone in Buffalo, NY found my site from doing a search for "toddler calls everything dada". I was like #6 in the search engine.

I'm just boggled by someone finding my little baby-brag site through such a specific search. Super cool!

Am I too excited by this? Maybe it's the coffee beans at 1 AM?

Jr's New Wheels

Our arms are aching from holding this kid upright for so long. He really is the most content baby I've ever seen. But he's never more content than when you hold him standing up on your lap. He would do that forever (if he wasn't so fat and got tired). So I broke down and decided that hanging my child by the crotch was a great idea.

More Christmas Video

Christmas Overview

We had a great day. Booger got up and immediately bonded with her new girly kitchen. Yes, I am trying to create a post-war era child, who is subservient, barefoot, and likes to cook. HA HA! Sorry. I couldn't contain myself. Actually, she LOVES Rachael Ray, so we figured we should encourage any imagination that she shows.

Speaking of Food Network, Hubby got me the coolest grill/griddle that lays on both burners. I have been wanting one, and have almost bought one a hundred times, but the one I wanted was a Lodge Castiron one. GUESS WHAT! I got it! YAY!

I got hubby a kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker. He was very excited.

We also got incredibly cheesy matching disney tshirts and slippers. We've spent the last 12 hours eating incredibly fattening sugar filled food, napping and watching movies. IFC (Independent Film Channel) is playing all great movies all day long. So we're in the middle of one of my favorite movies: Moulin Rouge.

Tomorrow I'm heading out early to scour the shelves of Joann's and Lowes for cute Christmas stuff. And maybe...maybe I'll stop somewhere else and see what I can find for fun. ;)

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!

Merry Christmas!

In Quarantine

Warning: This post will contain large amounts of whining, bitching, and moaning. Please be advised it may not be suitable for the most sympathetic of people.

I think it probably all started with Booger barfing in my hands. That was just over a week ago. Fun stuff. Then I got a cold. I felt it slowly creep in and it's taking it's time slothing out. I hate being sick. I'm a terrible sick person. I've been pretty good this time, until a few hours ago when the terrible-toddler-whine pushed me over the edge and I just wanted to curl into a ball on another planet.

Even Junior is acting fussy - I think he's teething too. fun.

Then this morning hubby got sick and was in bed ALL DAY! I'm not complaining that he was in bed - I felt really really bad for him. But it still sucked that we were all sick. And that even if I had felt good enough to get out and go to the store, the snow was so crazy that I wasn't going to chance it.

On top of bodily complaints, hubby's car busted this week. Thankfully his sis was awesome enough to let us borrow her truck while she dances around Italy. But we've discovered that Saab shops are strange and annoying. They very obviously don't have enough competition to do the standard phone call when they have an estimate. Or let you know that they're working on it, even though you haven't said it was okay. Or acting as if it was annoying when called and asked "So...how much is this going to cost? When is it going to be done?"

There's a mountain of other things, but luckily I pay someone by the hour to deal with that crazy shit!

OH! And one more thing: The adorable heffalump and roo that hubby found on ebay still hasn't gotten here! Christmas might be ruined!!! AAAHHHH!!!

New Obsession

I like to do research about new things. I get hooked into an idea and I'll sit at the computer for hours researching everything about it. I almost never follow through with actually DOING whatever I was researching, but at least I'm smarter when all is said and done, right? Lately I've found myself looking for motivation at the gym. It's already easy enough to use my kids as then excuse not to go, so I need a program.

I used to do the Couch to 5K program and have made good progress the few times I've done it, but due to makin' babies I've had to stop numerous times. I love the program, but am tired of trying. So I went onto iTunes and was looking around. Niki has these new podcasts with music tracks that are specifically for training puposes. Of course, they're 9.99 a pop, but if it gets me in the gym then I'm all for it!

So I begged hubby to buy it (I don't remember the last time I paid $ for a cd) and he grudgingly supported my new obsession. While I looked through the podcasts to see which one I wanted to get I somehow found myself browsing a whole new section of amazingness! That's right - AMAZINGNESS (when webster puts that in the dictionary, you'll know where you saw it)! I found FREE podcasts that normal everyday folk put on itunes that are actually good.

The last time I tried to browse the podcasts they were pathetic, and mostly people broadcasting their political or social agenda via podcast - ick. But this was platinum baby! I found a podcast by Robert Ullrey called Podcasts for Running: Couch to 5K! YEAH! I KNOW! I could have cried.

He plays some basic techno workout type music and tells you when to speed up and slow down. No more watching the clock, or timer or anything. I just do what he tells me to do until I'm done. It was so exhausting to have to run and counting every 90 or 60 seconds - and frustrating. I'm just so excited!

So, if you aren't a runner (or are) and are aspiring to become so THIS is the way to do it. I figure when I make it to the 5K that I'll be the slowest 5K on the planet, but hopefully by then there will be another podcast and it will all be about speed and the half marathon! If not, then I'll do my own! WAHOO!

Booger in Butterflies

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Originally uploaded by alaskanmama.

I had just gotten her ready for church in the most darling green outfit with little green butterfly barrettes and a beautiful green dress. She's not so easy to get dressed these days.

What happened?

I've fought it long enough. I have to say it! Where did time go? What happened to waiting to get older and not having enough patience to wait? Why is life an actual cliche of "time flies". UGH!

My son is four months old. I can't believe it. I can hardly believe that Booger is two and a half. But the last four months have gone by so incredibly fast that I'm still not sure I have a second child. I know he's here, and it feels like he's always been here, but at the same time - where did this kid come from?

He's getting so big - starting to try to roll over (even though that's like trying to roll over a beached beluga), and he laughs when you play peekaboo. He's the happiest, most content baby I've ever seen. Always smiling, or drooling and just happy to be around. He sleeps really well and he's very alert and talkative, even though his cheeks overtake his face!

I am also finding myself surprised to be excited about a little boy. I was too embarrassed to fully admit that I wasn't super excited about having a boy. Booger was just so much fun to dress up and parade around, and boys never seemed to be that interesting to me. NOW they're the cutest things ever! I can't get enough of the little dump truck t-shirts, fireman sleepers, and dinosaur layettes. I can't wait until he starts getting mobile and DIRTY! (I'll regret that statement later)

I'm also anticipating the fun the two of them will have together as they get older. I have a feeling that booger isn't as girly as we think she is. She's going to tomboy out I imagine. She's so active and loves to try new things. There's not much shy about this girl. And Junior adores her! Even at four months old he gets so excited when she's around. It's so flippin' cute!

okay...I'm done gushing now.

State Farm loves me

Last night, Hubby stepped outside our front door to get something out of my car. He stepped back inside and asked, "Honey, why did you park where you did?"

"Uh, because that's where I always park!" I replied (insert eye roll)

"Really? Are you sure? Would you come and check."

So I sigh loudly, drag myself up off of the floor, stomp slowly over to the front door, and poke my head out of the front door.

Where is my car?

My eyes start where my car should be and slowly go DOWN the driveway and across the street where it has nicely parked itself up on the neighbors snowy lawn. Yes folks, the daughter of a mechanic (who really tried to pass on his mechanical genes and know how) has been stupid enough to let her car roll across the street, in traffic, in the dark. Thankfully there were no cars parked there. There's one there now, and there was one there this morning. I was very lucky.)

The really sad part of all of this is how many arguements Hubby and I have gotten into about this. He never leaves the car in gear and I always do, so everytime the car jerks because he didn't check it, he gets mad at me. Well, used to. This was an old overdone arguement until last night.

So for all of you out there who are unsure what to do about your parking brake, here's what I have learned (and it turns out we both we wrong!!!):

It is recommended that you use 1st gear or Reverse when parking your car, however if it is not extremely cold then you should use your parking/emergency brake. If it IS cold, which is the case here, you could risk freezing your brake and not being able to move your car. The solution is to leave it in gear and apply the brake partially. Just enough to slow or almost stop the car if it leaves gear but also with enough movement left in it that if it froze you could move the mechanism to break it free from it's icy trap.

Yes, my car now has the brake one. Thanks for asking.

Sleepytime

I should SO be asleep right now. Besides the 2 cups of coffee after six PM (lol) I can't quite figure out why sleep is evading me. I keep chasing it and it's bolting from my grasp.

Hubby doesn't "snore" but kind makes this noise like a distant chainsaw. It's not in your face, but it starts to feel like chinese water torture after a few minutes. It's only then that I realize that my throat has a certain dryness to it, and that I should have made my grocery list when I was still awake. And shoot, I meant to load the dishwasher, change out the laundry, return that important phone call, pick up booger's toys, take my vitamins, take a bubble bath, drink a glass of red wine, and why is it so hot in here? And even though we now have a king size bed, I still have moments of feeling like I can't move because I'm stuck between hubby and junior and I don't sleep well when I'm touching other people. (I think that has come since becoming a mother and never having any alone time)

So here I sit, in my undies, doing nothing on my list at 12:15 in the morning. WAHOO! I love being a grownup!

My Linkin Park Epiphany

As I'm leaving Costco (buying mountains of meat) I start groovin' along to a song that I'm pretty sure I know all of the words to, but have never really paid attention. To do this I am imagining I am Jay-Z. Yes, I know it's a stretch, buy stick with me here.

I am rockin' OUT! The music is loud enough that you can't hear me sing over it.

What the hell are you waiting for?

Who me? What am I waiting for? I'm waiting for Jay-Z to rock out some more. Oh and that punk Jewish kid.

(warning - this is about to get incredibly cliche and sappy)

Then I realized what this song is about. I quit singing and starting crying. It was so sad. Me losing my enjoyment of rock meets rap and instead I got to hyperfocus on my own pain.

I gotta quit paying attention. Messes up all of my fun!

Nothing like a little drama...

...to make you lose your appetite. I can't wait to get on the scale on Sunday and see if I lost any. Probably not, but it sure would make this week feel a little bit brighter. and lighter. HA Ha ha...h...not so funny, eh?

It's so sad when you're happy to lose weight after you're sick or you've had your heart broken. I remember the first time I was dumped. I don't know that I ate much for three days. And that says A LOT about me. I can't go 2 hours without shoving food in my mouth. (I was going to say shoving "things" in my mouth but I know you all have dirty little minds. You sickos!)

The guy was a loser too. What was wrong with me? He had this smile that was all gums. blech! And he was so vain and self-absorbed. Of course he thought he was ghandi. I remember sitting on a rock goofing around on a hiking trip once and I sat cross-legged with my fingers in the yoga position that represents holding the sun and the moon in your hands and he called me self-righteous. HA! Mr. creatine-eating-nerd-boy-who-could-never-say-the-name-of-a-movie-right-when-buying-tickets-cause-he-thought-it-was-witty-to-rename-it. ok, so that name was too long. How about doofus?

Permission

I find myself very much in the same state as Pissy, where the stuff in my life is so MUCH that I can't really write about it. So I sit here trying to find something else to entertain and I'm feeling particularly witty or entertaining. And my brain is constantly on other things.

I CAN say that I am slowly sinking into nerdville. I don't know how many of you watch Heroes but I'm completely obsessed. I go to bed thinking about what just happened and trying to tear it apart so that I can make sure I KNOW what's going to happen in the next episode.

My husband is doing a little nerd happy dance right now. He's been trying to get me to read his star trek books since before we got married, and I refuse. I just can't do it. He can't MAKE ME! But see, he's sneaky. He gets me all excited about a show that he knows is cool, but still nerdy. Then when I try to analyze it with him he says, "I don't know. I'll get online and ask the nerds. They'll know honey."

Ha.

Ha.

Great. I'm a nerd.

(between you and me, I already knew I was a nerd. I just didn't want to admit it to anyone else)

So many things....

Everyday I think about something I want to blog about. Something BIG something INTERESTING. and then I find the two seconds I have to sit down and not only can I not remember those big interesting things, but if I do, they're too involved to write about for two seconds.

I'm done with my mini-rant now.

Last night I was searching for pictures on our computer and I was looking through pictures of booger. It's not that I've forgotten about those pictures or what she looked like, but I really didn't connect with the memories of her at that age. "That age" was only one year ago. And she was a totally different being. A baby still. She was still nursing. She wasn't really talking. She was still signing "banana" when she was hungry.

Yesterday we were standing in line at Wal-Mart (I loath that place!) and she said very matter-of-fact as she pointed at the McDonalds, "Mama, I need to go over there and have lunch now." She knew what it was, what she wanted, and knew the best way to ask. It was freaky.

On the other hand, she still requires 10 minutes of rituals before she'll go to sleep. There's the protest cry where she won't say goodnight. Then she hits acceptance and wants kisses and hugs from everyone. Then if she doesn't throw a fit in bed and start the previous processes over she gets fluffed (tucked in), gets her baby dolls, her binky, twinkle star sung to her and a Princess Booger story.

Sometimes that process works, but if you deviate from it at all you will fail.

Gotta go make sausage now, or I might have a tantrum on my hands. And Junior is so sensitive that he cries every time booger cries. sigh....