Leopard Spots

Vacation

I got my MacBook back yesterday. 

The call came while I was at work yesterday. I picked it up during my lunch break and since I closed I didn't use it until this morning. 

The first thing I did this morning was buy plane tickets to San Francisco for this July. This time I'm taking the little leopards and I'm about a million times more excited for this trip than my birthday trip in February. I also have an April one planned as well. 

For those of you keeping count. That's three times out to San Francisco in five months. 

And that's the thing. While I love the internet for finding long lost family and keeping in touch with them. I'm kind of done with the whole living connected via the interwebs. 

I didn't jump back on the internet to blog. I bought plane tickets, wrote a couple of emails, Facebook messaged a couple of people, Twittered and caught up on the news. 

I don't really want to blog. Not right now. Perhaps not for awhile. 

And so I say, "Farewell." At least for now. 

I'm sure I will be back. Eventually, but I'm going to hang out in the real world for the spring, summer and maybe fall...

Sick Mac

I was all about to begin blogging about the Chicago trip. I turned on my Mac the screen lit up, but there was NO display!

I brought it to the MOA Apple Genuid Bar and it's a hardware problem. Luckily it's still under warranty so I took it home to back it up and today my Mac is on the way to be repaired.

So only a little blogging for the next week. We'll see how brave I am, maybe I'll turn on my PC!

If you must know what is going on in my life I'll be Twittering as always! See y'all in a week!

Happy Third Birthday Stinka!

When I picture sunshine, it's my baby. My three year old baby. The one I can't seem to stop calling "The Baby." 

And so my baby turns three today. I asked her to stay two forever, but as everything moves forward so Kitten turns another year older. 

Kitten, with a personality as wild as her hair, started celebrating her birthday this weekend with a trip to Chicago (a post coming soon). She has stuffed her face with lots of cheesecake and wants more, more cheesecake! Please! 

Happy birthday my Stinker McGee! And I promise I'm only a little heartbroken...

At the Shedd Aquarium...it's blurry because I followed the rules and didn't use a flash!

My Favorite Photo

I have shared with you all most of my photos from San Francisco but I have saved my favorite for last. 

Amazing? I think so. 

This is a photo that I wanted to do something with. I couldn't just let it sit in my MacBook while I figured out what to do with it. I've always wanted to get a photo on canvas. I've spent so much time scouring the interwebs for places that print photos on canvas and they all have one thing in common.

They are expensive! With prices starting at around $50 for an 8x10, it just wasn't gonna happen. At least for awhile. But then, thanks to my amazing Twitter network, I love my Twitter friends! I found @photocanvas and all he does are canvas prints and for half the price of those other places!

My 8x10 just arrived in the mail...and it was amazing! I immediately put the print in a place I will look everyday, in my room amongst all the photos of my little leopards. 

This photo can't do it justice. The flash washed out the vibrancy of the colors, the sharpness of the print. If you want to know what it looks like, just take a look at first photo posted above. Fabulous. 

The best part is that their prices start at just $25 for an 8x10 canvas print. And on top of that they are amazing photographers. The care and attention to detail that is put into your print will far exceed the care that is put into in a one of those other photo "factories." So if you have that really special photo that you've just been waiting to do something with. Order a canvas print! And the best part is, they come ready to hang, so you don't even have to search for a matte and frame! 

On moms and cooperation...

As competitive as we moms are, we are just as, if not more cooperative. And I love that. 

Sunday night I was in the throes of dealing with uber-sick Kitten. This child has taken "The Plague" to another level this time around and it's been a little scary and a whole lot exhausting to say the least. But I was invited to a show a Bryant Lake Bowl by a radio station I had never heard of before and needing to get out, my mom demanded to baby-sit (she does that a lot). So off this single mom and I went. She is one of my best friends, but because we are both single moms we rarely get to see each other. 

Her daughter also plays hockey and Cub wants to play hockey. So now Cub has a hockey mentor and a connection for hockey gear, because anyone who pays even a little bit of attention to hockey knows how expensive it is. So both of our daughters are crazy excited to get to skate together. I was also given an overview to the world of hockey moms and what my experience would most likely be as single hockey mom. 

It was a great time on Sunday night we are even planning on trying to go to Boston together in the fall. It's always fun to share those experiences especially when we're single moms!

-----

But Kitten is still sick. She has an ear infection. This is her second one this year and by this year I mean since the beginning of 2009. The last time I had an ear infection, well, I was too young to remember. There is a ton I don't know about ear infections and I don't know what Kitten is feeling and what I can do to make her feel better. 

Thankfully, I know the Queen of Ear Infections (yes, that is a proper title). Kellyn over at Fritz Facts has had a ton to deal with and so I knew she would know exactly what to do. And I was able to help Kitten out a bit more. She has been crying for the past few mornings, but this morning she wasn't so uncomfortable she was screaming. Yeah, she slept till ten and is more bouncy than she has been (by more bouncy, I mean aided by the bed she refuses to leave today). 

Now I just have to get over whatever tertiary illness Kitten was kind enough to pass along by Friday, because we are going to Chicago this weekend!!!! Woohoo!

Kitten's Crazy Night

When it comes to being sick Cub has been a pretty easy kid. Aside from one hospitalization when she was a month old, the run of the mill illnesses have been pretty easy on me. Especially during the night. 

Perhaps Kitten was trying to warn me when I had "morning" sickness every day for the duration of my pregnancy. 

Cause her thing is turning out to be the "sickness" in the middle of the night.

I was going to write an unrelated post about the fact that she has been spending almost every night in my bed for last week or so. I know she hasn't been feeling her best so I've allowed it. Actually it's a lot easier than her waking me up in the middle of the night to crawl into my bed. 

So last night she woke my up with the sickness. Yes, put two and two together and you know where she was! 

Things I learned last night/this morning.

Adrenaline at 2:30 in the morning rocks. I so felt like I had a good night's rest. 

That hair of Kitten's and the sickness do not get along. At all.

Two year olds do not understand the concept of a barf bucket. 

When you get two hours sleep on a night like this, really, it's just preparation for the grand finale. 

Grossed out yet?

You're all moms. You shouldn't be :-)

After bringing Cub to school, Kitten and I slept until 11 am. But we're both still dragging. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to buy a four pack of sugarfree Rockstar at Target yesterday.

If you're a single mom, seriously check this out. Way better than Mountain Dew! And perfect for days like this. 

Yes, that's her smiling and holding a cracker. I'm a brave one! 

Also, I have another leopard. She's very busy, but a more Cub oriented post is coming soon! 

Kitten's Dora Blanket

You know those no-tie polar fleece blankets. 

I hate them. Ugh, the tie things just annoy me. So instead I sewed the edges of my children's fleece blankets. By hand. Because that's really the only way.

And while the fleece is pretty hard core. Meaning it will never wear out, except the thread does. 

Kitten's Dora blanket over the last few weeks has slowly become two pieces. Today, she finally guilted me into sewing it back together. As fast as my little MommaMac hands could go. She started snuggling up to the ends that were sown together. Inspecting the finished pieces so that she could confirm that Dora was no longer broken.

Tough supervisor, that Kitten is. 

Oh, my. 

But finally, Dora is fixed.

Thankfully.

Because it is nap time!

Yes, those are beads and a hula skirt. Doesn't everyone dress up for nap time?

magic

I have a confession to make.

I am an absolute moron when it comes to grocery shopping. I have no idea where anything is. At all. Telling you how long it took to find graham crackers yesterday would probably get my mom license revoked. 

The little leopards and I made s'mores yesterday. There was a fire in the fire place and we ran out and got the chocolate, strawberry marshmallows (because regular ones just won't do) and the evasive graham crackers. 

I love spending quality time with my babies and I always feel like I don't spend enough time with them. 

Even though since Thursday I've had more time than usual. We had an eye appointment, everything is the same, but we're watching the eyes a little bit, because if they turn in this would be the time it happens. Then I took them out to lunch, because Cub was missing lunch anyways since I had to pull her out of school for the appointment. On Friday, and perhaps this is a statement to how I have in some ways lost my mind, we ran errands I took the little leopards out to eat again. It was a school release day for Cub and it was a perfect day to kind of run around at a mildly lazy pace. But then I get to so used to it. Feeling their weight in my arms. Preparing for the running and slamming hugs (because regular ones would just be too boring).

And on Sunday at work, I had to leave early, I hadn't spent much time with my leopards since Friday morning and my arms ached. Physically ached because I yearned to much for them. Walking through the door two hours early when your children don't except you is about the coolest thing in the world. Okay, IT IS the coolest thing in the world. 

We watched a movie and cuddled and made dinner and s'mores. It was one of those afternoons I never want to end. They fight a little harder when bedtime comes, and I give in, but just a little because it is a school night. 

And the energy still holds in the air. Those are the best nights, going to sleep still feeling the magic of the day. 

On The Amazon Kindle for iPhone

So I'm reading Jodi Picoult's latest novel. 

I didn't pay the hardcover price.

And I can't remember the last time I walked into a library. 

I bought it on Amazon.com.

All y'all can discuss an intervention some other time. I'm as happy as a clam. 

I'm sure everyone had heard about the Kindle 2. And I've secretly always wanted one. Until I found out they were $359. Yeah, I'm good thanks. 

However a new iPhone app just came out. The Kindle books can now be read on an iPhone. And the application is free. I am so all over that!

 

So I ordered "Handle with Care." I'm a sucker for a Jodi Picoult book and figured I would somehow be able to get through this book even it turned out I hated the application. 

The story is great I can't stop reading. 

Except I always have my iPhone with me. Standing in line? Whip out my phone and read a little bit of the book (and I don't even have to flip to the bookmarked page it just opens up). Wake up in the middle of the night? Oh, it's so bad...

I turned the brightness all the way down on my phone so I can read without the harsh backlight. And it saves a ton of battery power so I solved two problems with that one. 

However, I can't turn pages. Or feel pages. There won't be any food or drink stuck in random places when I'm done with the book. The bottom of the book will never be wet from reading in the pool. And I can't give it to anyone when I'm done. 

As much fun and as convenient as it is to always have my latest read with me I truly miss the organic experience of reading. The experience of lending books and getting books from my friends. The feel of a worn page in my hand. The cover of a book that not only holds a preview of within but also tells the tale of who has read it. 

I'm sure I will use this from time to time, but it doesn't replace the book for me. And now I know I will never ever want a Kindle. 

My apologies to amazon. But you guys already get enough of my money! 

I'm spent...

This week has been crazy. 

CRAZY!

Catching up at work from my trip. Lots of great changes there. BUT. Totally thrown into craziness. 

Cub has been kind of under the weather this week.

Kitten has been extra clingy. 

I have a ton of laundry to wash, fold and put away. 

Urg.

I know you all want to hear the tale of Friday night.

It was great.

But. 

You will all have to wait. 

Until then another photo.

That my brother may or may not like. I'm not sure. 

How have I missed out on 24 years of harassing my big brother?

Enjoy. Except you, Uncle Flying Monkey. You can't enjoy!

I'll be back tomorrow with some random tale of something. And let you in on my daylight savings spring forward plan. 

Ahh, MommaMac, always up to something!