Christmas gifts

I have always loved Ikea. I am always overwhelmed at Ikea but I have always loved it. We don't live in an Ikea house but many many key pieces have been purchased at the blue and yellow box. Which is funny because I abhor the other blue box. (you know who you are)

Looking ahead toward Christmas with a one year old and wanting to get him something but not wanting the house to turn into a plastic jungle has me already looking. Leave it to Ikea to save the day.

There are three of these little guys each cuter than the next and at $7.99 an affordable wooden toy.

On the higher end you have...

Wild Flower Organics and their unbelievably gorgeous push toy. Also a beautiful toy that does not have the potential for lead poisoning. I don't know how I feel about my house being upstaged by a toy though.

Then I found Fat Brain Toys. Very affordable toys that would interest any future hybrid driving, plastic bag nixing, organic baby/toddler. I am especially fond of the pound and roll as Little bean loves to hit things. I sure am hoping he outgrows that soon.

Nickname Conundrum

When Luca was just a mere bumb Bluetooth and I loved to harrass family and friends by calling him salamander. We kept the name a secret because we didn't have a clue what his name would really be and messing with people is quite probably my favorite thing to do in the whole world.

Now that he is here I want to have a nickname for him. Bluetooth is sometimes called jelly bean, cute and I was sometimes just called Tosh, not so cute or creative. Score 1 for the Vallejo family.

I do not want Luca to be called Luc although Luc looks better the Luke. Sometimes I will call him Bugaboo but the irony of using a highly branded name on my child is not lost on me. That word is great fun to say. Try it, three times really really fast. At times I will compromise and call him bug which is cute in a maybe sort of way.

The whole post then is:
1) That I need ideas for a nickname.
2) Can a nickname just be given or do you have to earn it?
3) What was your favorite nickname?

Valentine to the Earth

While Bluetooth and I contemplate a move we are looking at a radically different lifestyle. That is what we essentially have to decide. Do we want to be able to have the ability to walk out the door and enjoy multi-cultural events, excitement of the urban city or do we want to move to a city that we understand and are comfortable in because we grew up that way.

I don't generally believe in all of that astrology stuff but sometimes I feel I have to lend credence to the fact that I am a Gemini. The whole twin thing. Because in thinking about moving I am thinking about what sort of house do we want. I can equally go for the cement block with white walls and touches of natural sustainable wood but not a single thing in sight or the huge country house with clutter and knick knacks, a stable, cutting garden, herb garden and private forest. Really isn't that what every girl wants. Now bluetooth is a bit scared because if we get any sort of land he pretty much can't leave me alone. I will order:
1) Chinese weeding geese, please someone get the geese already.
2) Miniature ponies. Because aren't they adorable.
3) Already convinced the brother-in-law to get bees. Yep, I'm a bee charmer.
4) A way to make my own wine, cheese, liquor. Pretty much anything that isn't done right and might kill you I will try and make.
5) And of course, the HUGE maze. That Bluettooth will have to take care of by hand.

Now if any one knows me they know that I will start all of this stuff and Bluetooth will have to take care of all of this stuff. So...he has decided no land. Pretty smart. But every situation all house's have some amount of land. And the number one thing that gets me about city living is the stupid front yard with the stupid postage size stamp of lawn. What are you going to do on that lawn? Nothing. So I love this http://www.chelseagreen.com/2006/items/foodnotlawns idea.

We should all do this. For the earth.

Happy Valentine's day everyone.

Busy Weekend

Wow! We should have been keeping track of our hours on the road in the past year. Little bugaboo has become quite the road warrior.

Late Thursday night we took off and stayed with Bluetooth's little sister and her husband and visited with Justin who had flown in from Fort Collins, CO. A big congratulations to Jake and Amy who are now, affianced.

Friday we left to make a well child visit for Bugaboo. Four more shots for this little boy and he did not like it! Bluetooth was even able to catch him in the act of, um, doing what little boys seem to do when naked on a cold scale. The nurse had a good laugh so no harm. Dr. said that everything looks good.

We then continued on the journey to meet up with Bluetooth's family to enjoy seem pizza in Moses Lake. We then turned around to stay at my little brother's new house in Quincy.

I am so proud of my brothers. My little bro bought this fixer upper and it is going to be quite nice. The things that he is capable of doing are amazing. Of course, being a boy, the first thing that he chose to finish was finishing the basement and making it an amazing media room with a bar, complete with kegerator. It is nice and made quite possibly the coolest Super Bowl party ever.

We then helped Bluetooth's parental units move from one house in Moses Lake to another. Love the new house.

Spent time with my sisters, Jo is expecting twins and looks AMAZING. I can't believe that there are going to be two little girls here soon. Watched my sister Rachelle coach basketball and her team flirt with Bugaboo and he flirted back. Good grief.

Through all of this Bugaboo did exceedingly well. Poor guy, every time he went to sleep he woke up somewhere different and with different people.

Long busy weekend. Fun to see people get excited about seeing Bugaboo, catching up with relatives from distant places and spending time with family.

Side by Side by Side

Bluetooth and I have been lucky enough to receive our baby books from our moms. Now the baby books are great for two things. To look back in absolute wonder that at one time we were both this young and to make me feel guilty about how poor bugaboo's baby book is. Sure, I put the facts on the line where the question is asked but sadly I'm terrible at the anecdotes in the margins. The funny stories that mean so much. The cute girl/mom thing that I am supposed to do. Luckily I have two people in my family that scrapbook and will hopefully help me to hide this woefully inadequate gene of mine.

Bluetooth at 2 and 3/4 months weighed 13 lbs and was 23 inches. This is what bugaboo was at 6 weeks. But at 4 weeks Bluetooth was the exact same weight and length as Bugaboo at birth.

I started out bigger then Bluetooth but smaller than Bugaboo but at 3 and 1/2 months I weighed 13 lbs and was 25 1/2 inches. I guess we know who the big eaters are in the family.

At 3 months my mom wrote that by 6 weeks I slept throughout the night almost consistently and by 3 months always slept throughout the night but was an alarm clock at 6 a.m.. Meaning Bugaboo is behind and I'm still an early riser.

Bluetooth's mom wrote at 3 months, started rolling from tummy to back at 3 and 1/2 weeks and continued to do so. Very active and alert and awake much of the time. enjoys lying on the floor and playing. By 2 months followed daddy, Justin and mommy with eyes. coos, smiles and laughs at 2 months and loves to "converse". By 2 and 1/2 months can really scream if wanting attention. Basically a happy baby with quite a will of his own.

Bugaboo is much the same. He did not roll as soon as his dad but he likes to sleep like his mom. He loves to eat and when it is time it is time. He will yell at me like an angry little monkey if I am not fast enough. Sometimes, I'm afraid to say, I find it funny to make him wait. He just looks right at me and gives me the riot act in his little chatter. From day one Bugaboo followed people with his eyes and has always been very alert. Mostly a happy baby but not a patient baby. Wonder where he got that from?

He is an absolute joy and we are the luckiest parents in the world.

Easy as Pie

Bluetooth loved the pop tarts from yesterday. Well, maybe love is too strong of a word. He liked them but had suggestions. The suggestion that I am going to try is putting eggs, bacon and cheese in them. Then freezing them so that I can get up even later in the morning, anything for an extra minute of sleep.

I applied for a job at my Alma mater around two weeks ago and I haven't heard anything back. The tragic irony of the situation is that my degree is exactly in the job that I applied for but my job career so far has not been. The irony is if my education isn't good enough to get me a job at the school I attended who is going to view my education as worthwhile. Does that make sense?

Also, in reflection on yesterday's post I thought that I could post a link that I go to that donates for clicks. Care2 is an easy way to help. I think that your click is worth .000005% of a penny but if enough of us do it we may save a blade of grass. A blade of grass.

So much going on but I haven't found the courage to actually talk about my life. Still negotiating the blogger thing.

Friend or Foe

The Wal-Martarticle insanity of today.

Where is a person to turn if they want to leave a small footprint on the earth? In Canada it may as well be law that you have to recycle. At every turn there is a recycle barrel, which is great. However, they don't come with instructions. I don't know what I can throw away or can't. Which color barrel does this coffee cup go in? I must not be the only person confused because in downtown Vancouver they have special garbage cans where you leave your coffee cups around the rim of the garbage can to be recycled.

It is great but daunting. In our own home I try to buy things in bulk. Everything. Bluetooth laughs but hates it. When we go to the store I love the bulk section. I get everything from rice, chocolate chips to chicken bouillon. I then come home and put it all into empty washed out mayonnaise jars or jam jars. The result being that I do all of the cooking because bluetooth does not know what is what.

I'm also into googling everything. Yesterday I told bluetooth I was going to google how to make penicillin because I have a little cold coming on. I was only half joking. If I wasn't the only life source for bugaboo I'm sure I would have done it.

I compromised and made my own poptarts instead.

What steps should a sane and logical person take to leaving a small footprint. Not saying that I'm not logical and sane but...


Homemade Poptarts

4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
16 tablespoons jam , divided

Cut flour and shortening together with pastry blender or two butter knives,
until completely blended (mixture will resemble crumbs). Add sugar, baking
powder, salt, egg, vinegar and cold water. Mix with hands until mixture
forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide
dough into fourths, refrigerating the portions you are not working with yet.
Take first 1/4 of dough and roll out onto a floured surface. Cut into
rectangles using a sharp knife. It is helpful to make a template the size
you wish your poptarts to be, from cardboard or heavy plastic, so they will
be a uniform size. Spread on tbsp. jam on one half of the rectangles,
leaving a half inch or so on the edges without jam. Cover with the other
half of the rectangles. Crimp edges with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees F. for
12 - 15 minutes or until the pie dough is evenly browned and cooked through.
Cool completely and place into zip baggies for storage until you are ready
to eat them. Repeat with remaining dough and jam until it is all completed.
Variation: Glaze poptarts with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, milk
and vanilla extract. Be sure to let glaze dry hard before placing poptarts
into storage baggies.