new yorker

Only one month and counting left until I start back.

gross, grosser, grossest

as i write this i sit here giggling. so i just made dinner for ez and myself and it could be the absolute worst thing anyone has ever made ever in the history of dinners. it started off fine with cut up chicken breast, onions, green pepper, and celery all sauteed together. then i went and added chicken stock to cook it all in, except it was expired which i thought would be fine. then i saw on rachael ray she added balsamic vinegar to something similar. i didn't have straight balsamic vinegar but i has light balsamic vinaigrette dressing for salads, so i added that. after cooking for a while it started to smell funky so i added mustard then it looked like puke so i added honey. that's when it happened, it not only looked like puke but it smelled like it too. i made rice to go with it and then told ez dinner was ready. he comes in and looks at it and cringes, i told him to try it he might like it. he takes a little bit and starts gaging (maybe i have cruel intentions but it was funny!) he runs to the sink and spits it out repeating "it taste like throw up, it taste like throw up" to be honest i tasted it too and it taste EXACTLY like throw up. i didn't know such a thing could be recreated but it can. to get the taste out i split an apple with ez, ate some watermelon, and some crackers and cheese, but guess what i still taste it in the back of my throat like bile. so to all you out there if you ever ask us over for a potluck have me bring dessert!

cheap and fun

9 Nearly Free Ways to Entertain at Home (from Sound Money Matters)

As I said yesterday, summer is a time for throwing parties. But, with all your money going into your gas tank, you might not have anything left for entertaining. Or you might just be bored and need something to do now that there’s nothing to watch on TV. Here are 9 nearly free ways to entertain yourself, your family, and your friends at home.

Host a Game Night
Drag out all those old board games (or fire up the Wii if you have one), and invite everyone over for a game night. Ask your friends to bring snacks and drinks. Use your regular plates, cups, and utensils to avoid buying them. You can also do this with the family. Rather than a full dinner, make nachos and then play a game together. (UNO ANYONE???)

Open that Bottle Night
The theory is that everyone has a bottle of wine they never opened. Maybe they were saving it for a special occasion that never came or they just forgot about. Invite all your friends over to open those bottles. Even if some are crap, you’ll still have plenty left. Serve veggies, finger foods, cheese, etc. Since your friends are bringing wine they already have, they can bring snacks, too. (OH WAIT MY BEST FRIENDS LIVE IN AZ)

Open the Freezer Night
This is a great one for barbecue season. Ask everyone to dig a grillable out of the freezer, thaw it, and bring it to the party to share. Assign the buns, side dishes, and drinks to the guests and you’ll have an instant party for little cost. (MIGHT BE HARD WITHOUT A GRILL.)

Silly Movie Night
Each family member or friend picks a DVD they love (the sillier the better). Put them all in a bag and draw one. That’s the one you watch with lots of popcorn and other junk food. (YEAH JUNK FOOD!!!)

Have a Treasure Hunt
Write names on dollar store goodies and hide them in the yard, then send your kids or friends out to hunt for them. The challenge is that they have to find their own name, and can’t help anyone else. If you hide them well, this could fill hours. (DO YOU THINK THE NEIGHBORS WILL CARE IF I USE THEIR YARD???)

Play Obstacle Croquet
This one’s good for a weekend day. You probably know someone with a croquet set. Borrow it and set it up in your backyard or a nearby park. Up the ante by introducing obstacles like a wooden bridge (just two small planks leaned over another piece of wood), or a tough root to get around. In my epic set-up, my friends had to hit the ball up a seam in the concrete, up a grate, across the deck, down a gravel path, across the lawn, over a bridge, through a tunnel, and then go through all the wickets. The winner got the glory. (I'LL TRY THIS IN THE APT. WITH GOLF CLUBS!)

Play Farmer’s Market Bonanza
Take the whole family to the farmer’s market and have each person choose one ingredient. Then you all have to figure out how to combine them into a delicious meal that you cook together. (UMMMM CAN TWO INGREDIENTS MAKE SOMETHING?)

Tapas Potluck
Ask your friends to bring hors d’oeuvres, preferably in bite-sized pieces. If it’s you and the family, plan a dinner of appetizers while you play a game or cards. (AHHHHH MY FAVORITE THINGS ANYTHING ON A STICK!)

Backyard S’mores
S’mores don’t have to be a camping food! Get out the supplies and roast them over the BBQ. Use a gas burner if you don’t have a BBQ. Sit around whatever flame device you have eating s’mores and telling ghost stories. (MY STOVE COUNTS RIGHT?)

I can now never say "I have nothing to do" or "we can't because we don't have any money". I can't wait to try every single one of these, I might be alone but what they hay. You In?

losing it

coupons, coupons, COUPONS! i can't get enough of them. i clip them, i search for them, i blog for them, i am OBSESSED! today i spent two hours online looking for coupons. sure it payed off i went grocery shopping and spent $72 and saved $56. but now i am looking to keep outdoing myself. i want to have a grocery trip where i save more money than i spend. i need it. some people like to play competitive sports i like to play competitive saving. anyone else like me or am i just CRAZY????

I blame you M for this!!!!

kids

Funny thing about kids...they say the darnedest things! Tonight I'm babysitting and the boy is telling me about his overnight camp experience. Get this... he says that "one night we had to have boy/girl intercourse" I started giggling and he looks at me like I'm crazy. I ask him to explain what this intercourse thing is and he tells me its when the boys have to go meet the girls and mingle. He then proceeds to tell me that one of the counselors was explaining a game they had to play and that there had to be both sexes on a team. The boy tells me "don't you think he had a bad choice of words?" All I could think of was well the counselor was fine, it was you that we need to inform. But his comment made my night. Kids are the real world comedians and they don't even know it!

bow wow wow

somedays I just want a dog soooooo bad. i see them running down the street all happy and it makes me want to break my lease and get one. for as much as i want a baby i sometimes think i want a dog more. i already have their names picked out, first is farley our lovable english bulldog and then there is his best friend wally our homely basset hound. if i could have 50 dogs i would, and not in a puppy mills sort of way. i just love love love them! i'd let them sleep next to me in bed and i'd play ball with them and teach them tricks, i'd also make doggie treats for them and bake them a cake on their birthdays. but i would NEVER dress them in stupid outfits. i like them just how they are!

Mrs. Frybottom

Hey frybottom I saw this and thought of you! Because out of all the people I know, your the only one that knows what I mean to say. THaNks!

skirball

Ez and I went to the Skirball Museum last Thursday to see their Bob Dylan exhibit. While I could have cared less, Ez loved it and I love him. Although it is always crazy to see history. So those of you that like Bob, you'll like this exhibit.

uggggh

Today I went with my husband to his friend’s house so he could finish recording his music and I could finish our laundry. (He is out of town and told us to come over and use the pool and whatever else we wanted) Ha ha yeah right! First off the washing machine doesn’t spin so everything came out soaking wet, then the dryer turns off ever ten minutes. What the hell. This is a dude who makes $350,+ a year and he can’t have a washer and dryer that works. On top of that he has no toilet paper, who has no toilet paper in their house? So I looked for paper towel, of course none of that either. Luckily I carry around lots of extra tissue. But come on if you invite people over for fuck sake have the essentials. I should have known though, he is a single male in Los Angeles. Who for some unkown reason "gets" lots of girls. What kind of gross girls would get on his gross STD infected penis?

On the other hand it is the first time I have heard Ez do his thing on the mic. He is actually pretty good, and not just because he is my husband. I am perpetually in awe of his words. I always tell him he is the smartest person I know even though he never went to college, it wasn’t his thing. I half think I went and got my Masters Degree because I want to be as knowledgeable as he is. It didn’t work. I tell him all the time he should be a writer because words come so easily to him whether its conversation or written. My whole life so far I’ve never felt I was meant to do something, but with all my heart I know he was born to write. I just wish he felt it as deeply as I do, I am afraid he is throwing it out the window because he is not doing anything with it. A good analogy to me and this is for you Ez. Imagine if Michael Jordan dabbled in basketball and thought I like and I think I’m okay but I don’t know what to do next so I’ll just stay at my job at UPS since its safe. I love you, JUST DO IT!

painting

Last night I couldn't sleep, got only about 3 hours. All I could think about was how I had to paint our bins in the kindergarten yard at school. I was trying to decide what to do. A jungle theme or underwater adventure... I chose both.
I get to school and there is a huge line outside and down the block, I had forgotten about kindergarten registration for next year. I slowly make my way to the kindergarten yard through the way of the auditorium where I carefully eye the students I might have this coming year. They looked teeny tiny, and some had attitude already at four and half. Then there was one with some excellent high frequency skills, he knew all his four letter words and a few three letter words. Of course his mom said he has never said those words before...hummm wonder where he learned them!
Finally made it to the yard and holy pooper scooper it was hot outside. I decided the first four bins that are together in the corner would be the jungle or "green" theme. They turned out cute then the two bins on the other side I decided upon the ocean theme. The jellyfish on them are my favorites. I'll include pictures soon.
After I was finished they were having pizza in the auditorium for everyone that came today to help with the kindergarten registration. The principal asked me to stay, there were about 12-15 of us. I love our school but sometimes I feel awkward at certain times. Everyone was speaking Spanish, and I don't know a lick of Spanish. (Even though I took two years in high school) I tried learning and I want to learn but for some reason it doesn't seem to sink in. My husband just got me the "learn Spanish on CD", so hopefully they will help. Back to school: I feel that speaking a language in front of someone who doesn't know it is rude. Especially when they all speak English too. Then again those are just my thoughts on the topic. Anyways Monday it is back to school for me to work on a project with the Principal, here is to crossing my fingers that I know what ever it is I am suppose to do and she likes it.

friends

Can I just tell everyone that I have the VERY best friends in the world. Even though they are far from me they couldn't be closer to my heart. To all of you and you know who you are, I think about you guys everyday and wish we lived closer. You are all amazing and I wish you nothing but the very best that life has to offer. I can't wait to see you all very very soon! To my friend A make sure you are staying in bed the secret camera I put in your house will tell me the truth. And to my friend frybottom kiss that cute kid of yours for me I miss him and you terribly.

Here it is the first one!

Well really what can I say except I am doing this out of the pure fact that I can not sit still! I never thought that I would ever want to write a blog. Then again I never wanted to go back to school to get my Masters but I did that too. I have always thought of myself as the person who loves to do nothing. I always think about how great it would be to lounge around on the couch all day and watch TV or movies, and just have absolutely nothing to do. But now that I am able to do that... I CAN'T. This is the first time in years that I have had a few days to myself to do nothing and I can't do nothing. What is wrong with me? I feel restless. I am a teacher and school ended on Tuesday, and already I'm planning for the next school year. Wednesday I went to Education Station to look around and get ideas. Thursday I researched new fun and exciting science activities I could teach my kindergartners. Then today I planned out my bulletin boards for the new year. (By the way I am always looking for ideas, so if you have any ideas please send them along! )My husband thinks I am crazy for already getting started. I would love to relax and not think of it, but my brain is on overload. Is there anyone else like this? I think in order to relax I need to be outside of my home, but a vacation is just not feasible right now. To my friends in AZ I'll relax once I get there I know it! Thanks for reading and hopefully I can keep my blah blahs going!