Hiphopcracy

The Rob Base "It Takes Two" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IBRbzf3Fws song came on TV today, morphed into, I believe, an insurance jingle. I ran with it though and spit some mad lyrics at my 4 year old who covered his ears and said "That's too loud!" Kids these days.

So, I think I might be a hypocrite. I have high standards of parents and how we should teach our kids to enjoy the simple things in life, the things that matter. We should also emphasize to them the importance of fresh, healthy, organic meals. We should never let a television be a substitute for quality time spent with human beings. All that stuff. Well, here's Willie on our way to school this morning:




Yes, that's Starbucks. And yes, that's a DVD player he's staring at. Ahem. In my defense I told them HALF THE CHOCOLATE in his hot chocolate; and he's watching a National Geographic DVD. Do I get partial credit?

Progress

Studies show people that spend more than 6 hours a day at a desk are 65% more likely to be overweight. Great. And here I sit eating scones on top of the eggs and bacon and grits I had before I left the house. Great. Here I sit with my behind in agony from a little half hour walk I took on Monday. Oh boy, not boding well for my fitness. I must change my habits, I will change my habits...tomorrow.

In happier news, the wash test worked wonderfully with the ink I heat set properly - imagine that! So night before last I got up the nerve to put my angel wing design on one of the official shirts. I chose a short sleeve smoke blue one and it looks FANTASTIC! I'm so super duper excited. I was going to put the text on the front last night but had the brains to pull out a 0-3 month size and see if the text fit it...surprise! It doesn't. So I made up a new screen with smaller text. Hopefully it will be dry by tonight and I can print the front.

Next step is make a couple of other screens for two other designs and test them out. I'm also progressing fabulously with the new pants design I'm learning. Short rows had me intimidated, but thanks to a great tutorial on ravelry.com I am no longer afraid. They are super simple. I think it will be the same with the crotch gusset. I'm almost to where I start that. So I'm making leaps and bounds in the craft world. Have to iron out details, and am hoping to stock my store by the first or second week of March!

In the parenting department I might be lacking - my son told me last night that I would not be invited to his birthday party at Chucky Cheese's. I told him to have fun without me 'cause who would make the cake. This morning I also told him to tell another kid at school to get bent. Maybe not the best motherly advice? Well, the kid was telling him he had to bring toys for him and some other older boy and to me that just seems a bit bossy and I won't have any bossy older boys taking advantage of my little perfect boy. Then I started thinking how that bossy boy is poor and probably doesn't have any toys and that maybe we should bring toys for ALL the kids. Then I started to think how this toy obsession is ridiculous and that boy is better off without these lame modern day toys because maybe he will learn the fun that can be had with a stick and his own imagination, and then I started thinking about where in the world did my kid come up with the idea of a CHUCKY CHEESE'S birthday party?

Thank you Presidents!

The Man gave us a day off for President's day!!!! I'm thrilled beyond words with it, so this post will be mostly pictures. I had a wonderful dream last night where I sat on the bluffs over the ocean with good friends, drinking some good beer and having a steak and salmon bbq. We all watched and laughed as a huge group of sea lions splashed around in the waves below, snatching fish that were jumping from the waves. I woke up to sunny skies and fresh air - it felt like spring! So I went outside to say hello to our critters I've hardly seen since November. Here they are:

This is Steven, our

French Alpine goat. We've had him

since he was just a few months old.

Behind him you can see Mindy. She's shy, but

she's the brains behind our goat operation. Before she came along, Steven had no idea he could climb up on top of his house. She's a tiny pigmy, and on day one she just leapt up there.

We call her Mindy the Flying Goat

Here she is:

Mindy The Flying Goat lives for Ritz crackers. This morning we didn't have any. I offered whole wheat Saltines. This is the look she gave me. Steven ate the crackers.

Rowdy let the chickens free range yesterday and this morning. Where we live out here in the desert, that doesn't mean much in the way of

nutrition. It's a pretty barren landscape

But it means covering some new ground I guess. Anyway, the chickens always make me feel quite popular, following me around like I'm the messiah, bringer of all kitchen scraps. I try not to disappoint. Boy, do these ladies know how to dress.

Look at that spectacular

plumage!

And then there's Fat Baxter. I threw out a beet for the chickens

and Baxter dragged it off. If he eats it, I'll post

a picture of his red face later. He tries to be tough and scare

the chickens, but it doesn't really work:

Poor Fat Baxter. He's a softie and about 13# over weight. There's no hope.

Now we are going for a family walk in the desert. Rowdy is laughing at Willie because it's taken him so long to get dressed this morning that he's had to go potty three times since he started. Willie is hollering that he doesn't like people

laughing at him. Which made me laugh at him.

Boonie is watching the world around him happily, saying

"ah" "aah".

This is the face that greeted me when I woke up this morning:

Now you just really can't go wrong waking up to a face like that, can you?