Things that bug me today

One of the reasons I chose to make my blog private is because I always felt like I had to censor my words. After all, who knew who could stumble across my blog? Now I can talk shit about anyone and anything I want. And since I have been feeling especially cranky lately, this is the perfect place to vent and get it all off my chest. Usually I choose to do it on the treadmill but since my sinuses have decided to close up and fill my head with enough pressure to get the Hindenburg off the ground I won't be making any trips to the gym today. So here goes:

My husband. It costs us over $80 to fill up the tank in the Yukon. It gets about 12 mpg. So please explain to me why he needs to use it to drive Declan to preschool 10 miles away, then come back to Savage to go to the gym and then BACK to Blmgtn (10 miles away) to pick him up. Doesn't it make more sense to take the GAS EFFICIENT vehicle, go to the gym IN BLOOMINGTON and then pick Declan up instead of driving all over MN just because he prefers the gym near our house and doesn't like having to to use the gas in his car because he'd rather save his money for beer. Petulant teenager what?

My sister-in-law. Easily the most passive aggressive person I know. It seems every other day I am getting a new email from her about the wonderful new parenting book she is reading filled with all sorts of statistics and doctor approved child-rearing advice on how to be THE BEST MOTHER EVER and have the most WELL BEHAVED children ever. Considering she doesn't even have kids of her own yet, and given the fact that she has made it pretty clear she thinks my kids are undisciplined brats who I can't be bothered to contain this makes me giggle. Why? Because someday she IS going to have kids of her own and she's going to learn that those books have taught her fuck-all about being a mom. So haha. Jokes on her.

That is all for now.

Colorado in pictures

Hey! Let's take a toddler, a preschooler, an unruly dog and go for a hike!

Up this hill and into these mountains!

I'll even carry the 30 lb toddler some of the way.

We'll get some great pics and maybe the kids will even look at the camera at the same time. Or not.

They'll probably complain most of the way about how tired they are.....

And they'll insist they are strong enough to hold onto the dog leash, which in fact, proves to be false and we'll lose Unlce Brians dog in the wilderness for an hour......

And Eva will stop and smell EVERY wildflower along the way but we'll have fun anyway!

After our hike we'll drive to the middle of nowhere and set up camp. We'll cook some burgers, drink some beer and the battery in the car will die. We'll drink more beer, cross our fingers and wait for strangers with jumper cables to drive by.

I'm OK with that because we have beer and a beautiful campsite.

And Uncle Brian who knows how to make fire and cook meat.

Look how cute my kids are.

And dirty.

This is my happy place. On a boat, on the water, in the mountains. With a cocktail. I want to spend the rest of my life here.

Kumbaya

Lake Dillon

I am my mother's daughter.

Declan happy

Declan mad

Summer Vacay

Just returned from a fabulous vacation in Colorado. My parents have a timeshare in Avon (near Vail/Beaver Creek) and me and the kids were invited to come along (Thomas had to work).  I made the risky decision to tag along on the car ride, along with both kids (because I like to live on the edge) and we got to spend a week enjoying the Rocky Mountains. How lucky are we?

Surprisingly, the car ride went "well". And by "well", I mean that I didn't pull over and leave the kids somewhere along I-80 in NE. The trick is to keep feeding them junkfood, frequent stops and several viewings of "Meet the Robinson's". Declan's favorite movie.

Did your parents ever threaten to pull over the car and leave you to walk home? I have officially become my mother. Of course she will deny it but tis true.

The week was fabulous. We did some hiking, boating, BBQing, playing at the park, visiting with friends and lots of eating and drinking. Lots of it.

My dad and I brought the kids on a hike and I am happy to report that Eva hiked almost a mile and a half! Which is impressive considering she's 2 ft tall. Of course, she had to stop and smell every wildflower along the way. And we somehow managed to lose my brother's dog Daisy, but fortunately a good samaritan found her wandering the highway and called Brian. Oops. In my defense however, I can hardly be expected to get a toddler, a preschooler and an almost senior citizen up a mountain PLUS a dog who either pulls on the leash or chases every squirrel he sees. We all have our limits.

Proof that men are incapable of taking flattering pics of women

This is the closest I will ever get to BOTH my kids looking at the camera

Leaving Colorado always leaves me feeling melancholy. While it's nice to be home, I sure do miss those mountains and crisp mountain air. Someday I WILL have that house in Vail! Stay potsed. More pictures to come!