Consumption

I was a very good consumer this weekend. We went to North Face, REI, and Title NIne and stocked up on sporty stuff we don't really need (rash guards for me and the kids, hats for the kids, Tevas for the kids, large silly bikinis for me, shoes for Ben-- okay, some of that stuff was necessary). I bought super cute rash guards from Title Nine and super cheap swimsuits from Target with padded bikini tops that conveniently come with boobs already in them. I tried everything on at home and didn't totally hate it, so I am going to take that as a win. Yay summer!


We went to a cupcake bakery last night for dessert. Jack was saying the whole way there that he hoped they had pink ones.

Harry was delighted with chocolate chocolate chip.


He almost fell asleep in the car today, and as he nodded off, he said, "I wish we lived closer to a cupcakery." Indeed. (Also? It's like 5 miles from our front door).

Pool Blues

We joined a pool today, and not the lovely awesome pool we joined last summer. That pool was PERFECT in every way but one: it was right by campus, and we are not right by campus. I have been pool shopping for weeks now, and I finally picked one that is 3 miles away from home. But it just doesn't look as *nice* as the one we loved last year. I know I need to quit freaking whining because there are much bigger problems to have. I get that. I do. But I am about to go from cutely pregnant to totally fucking huge and I would like a nice body of water to float in everyday when the temperature reaches 80 degrees, you know? So the pool thing seems really important to me is what I am saying.

Okay, so pool-- check. (And it offers evening swim lessons, which is great for us because the boys are in preschool all summer. And there's brunch every Sunday which sounds pretty cute or gross like those scenes in Deuce Bigelow when the pimp eats ice cream and burgers in the hot tub. Either way-- I'll try it).

Now I need to know what to wear to the pool. Last summer, despite tube after over-priced tube of not-so-toxic suncreen, I got TAN. Like seriously tan. Like fruit leather skin in my future tan. So this summer, I am thinking about buying 2 or 3 of these:

and a few pairs of these

and some giant hats.

All from Athleta, by the way, which I love.


The thing is, I don't want to look like a total idiot, but I also don't want scary moles. What do you guys think? Will I look like I am trying to hide my size (because I am not-- I actually usually wear a bikini when giantly pregnant because I have so shame)? Or just like I want to be sun safe?

Harry and Jack wore long-sleeved rash guards all summer and hats and sunscreen and barely got any color at all-- but I was "brown as a berry" as my grandma Betty used to say.

Jack: many faces

OMFG. Swim Lessons.

Last week, when I let Harry's swim teacher just sort of toss Jack in the water?

Bad call.

This week, he spent the entire lesson clinging to my chest and sobbing, fully clothed.

He even had a nightmare about swimming last night-- we was yelling no, no and crying in his sleep. When I asked him this morning if he has any bad dreams, he said, "No me go in the water."

In conclusion, I get to go in the water next week. Jack said "We be partners."

Freezing T-Ball

Freaking Wisconsin. Here it is May 3, and we had to wear our winter coats to tee-ball. Which? Very cute, I think. I didn't get to really concentrate because I was sitting on the world's coldest bleachers. Everyone else was wrapped in quilts and fleece blankets. They must have lived here longer than me because I was unprepared for such wretched tee-ball weather. I didn't take any pictures of the actual playing because I was too freaking cold and using my camera would require me to take my hands out of my pockets, which I had to do a few times anyway to wipe Jack's runny nose-- the kid always gets a runny nose when it's cold-- while he sat in the dirt happily playing super hero squad with a collection of plastic figures he referred to as "squadies." Can't join this tee-ball league until you're 4. Which sucks because by the time Jack's 4, Harry will have moved on to coach pitch, and I will have to freeze my ass off for 2 separate spring training sessions and entertain an 8-month-old.

Ben went on a field trip to a farm with Jack's class today. It sounded like a major hassle-- he had to install Jack's car seat and the car seat of the other little kid he had to watch on the bus. Ben hates installing car seats in the first place, which means I usually have to do it, but I am usually just a little too stupid to do it right, so then we both have to do it with lots of cussing. He took lots of pictures, but I think he wants to blog about it himself, so I'll hold off.

I have reached that time in the semester when I am waiting for shit to grade. Thursday, I get 17 10-15-page research papers, and then next Friday on my birthday, I get 17 10-page take-home exams. But right now is the calm before the storm, so I prepped my summer class today. Big fun. I remember when I was a TA and had 80 students a semester. How the hell did I DO that? Now I have one class capped at 20, and I am always bitching about grading.

Harry would prefer to be called Rocket when he plays tee-ball, by the way.

Here are a few random pictures of the kiddos at the park after practice IN WINTER COATS and one of Harry at the mall where we went after practice because they wanted ice cream, which seems like a logical post-ball treat, but it was so freaking cold. The best I could do for them was Potbelly shakes and some window shopping.

About last night

Oh my god, you guys. Last night, Ben and I were minding our own business, casually perusing the internet and watching Amazing Race on DVR. Ben looked up from his computer (because he usually trolls news sites while I am all about shopping or asking Facebook friends to join me on a random month of blogging) and said Hey, the president is addressing country in a half an hour.

On a Sunday?

Ben looked really freaked out and started furiously clicking between windows. My fingers started tingling and I thought of that scene in Titanic where the people are reading to their kids in bed as the boat sinks.

I, of course, assumed that a giant asteroid was hurtling toward the earth. I mean, duh-- it was the only logical conclusion. At least we bought lots of water this week to clean the fish tank was my first totally stupid thought.

My friend Sarah said she also thought asteroid.

In conclusion, I am a little on edge about 2012 and need to lay off the 90s-era disaster movies. Maybe should get some Xanax.

The end.

NaBloPoMo: May Edition

So far, I have been a craptastic blogger this year. In retrospect, my spring semester was super busy.

SO, to jump start myself, I am doing National Blog Posting Month. The theme this month is "Maybe," and since I am feeling, um, pregnant with potential, I thought I'd maybe give it a shot. (Half-assed incorporation of the monthly theme? Check.)

Come on, who's with me??

I am more than maybe sure I'll whip this out for future meet-the-parents dates when the boys are old enough to be embarrassed:


(Sorry this post is so distracted. I planned to explore the theme in greater depth, but freaking Ben got Harry all hyped up about seeing Yogi Bear and Jellystone Park this summer, and before I kew it, he booked a "vacation" to a cabin without a bathroom in the Wisconsin Dells for when I am 7 months pregnant. WTF, man? So, I am busy being pissed.)