Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Questiones for YOUUUUU

I'm going to be the bold one and propose a question of my cousins and siblings right now...


What if we plan a trip for adults. If I do remember correctly, our mothers/fathers were cruisin around Waikiki at our age, wearing crazy shirts around, golfing with André the Giant hair and eating like champions on black volcanic beaches. Or in Mexico meeting Brad Hafen...either way. Whatever.

SO...when are we going. And where are we going?

Discuss.

Monday, February 26, 2007

For You, My Family...With Much Love. That Is All.

For Your Monday - Some news and delight!

When we moved down here, I found out I got the job during Christmas Break, then I started on January 8th down here in California right? Ok so I had a lease with my house in Vegas til March first, so we've been paying double rent. So we went up this weekend to clean out the house for good and last night we weren't done. Stuff for 7 people is a LOT OF STUFF! Ok, so last night I got in my Uhaul (the second one so far. yeah, sweet huh?) and drove home alone in gusty winds and fog til 3 am, then got up 2 hours later for work. Now I'm dying to death. Anyone want to call in an emergency to my boss so I can go home and sleep? I'll buy you a slurpee...

Also, my hands are bananas. Enjoy:

So Cal vs. The North West

Dude.


Anyway, I was just thinking. Since I moved back from Seattle, I've all but abandoned my "faux hippy" speak. I don't even say "far out, Man" or anything like that anymore. It feels good, and that's what leads me to my next issue. Since I'm here in So Cal now, do I have to adopt "faux gangsta"? This could be fun.

I'mma hafta try it out, biatches!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Oh Harper, Just Take A Nap Already!!!

So Harper is now officially diagnosed the biggest social butterfly in California. He talks to EVERYONE....EVERYWHERE we go. Non stop. Its hilarious. When we're watching tv or talking amongst the other 6 of us and he'll scream like a banshee til we pay attention to him, then he lights up. I realize that all babies like attention, blah blah blah but let me tell you...this kid is high maintenance. His first pediatrician said that he thought he was a high need baby. This fit until he started to maul Taylor's baby Dylan. He sees that kid and has to have him. When he hears us all laughing, he sqeals...not that "cute" baby squeal but the piercing kind of screech that breaks glass. Foreedo!

Here's Harper, trying to eat Dylan. Notice Dylan is in fear of his life, and Harper's got the look like "if you just let me hold you, I'll just love you til you're in my belly!"

Poor Dylan.













Also, when our chihuahua's saw Casey's new robot birthday bike, they barked at it for 30 minutes, no less. They hate robots apparently.

Friday, February 16, 2007

About Alli -

1. What is your occupation? A full time: personal assistant for a totally rockin dude, but my office resides in Fontana California in one of his many businesses – Schroeder Iron Corp, wife of Michael, artiste and crazy person, mother of FIVE, donkey kicker on the weekends.


2. What color are your socks right now? I wear no socks, I don’t believe in socks, they’re firmly against my principles and everything I stand for.



3. What are you listening to right now?
My phone ringing off the hook.



4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Edamame with gray sea salt. Mmmm. Thank you Trader Joe’s Frozen Food Section!


5. Can you drive a stick shift? Like a fox!

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Razzmatazz

7. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
Amanda, my girlfriend from work, she was calling from Jamba Juice to see if I wanted breakfast. I politely declined…Weight Watchers hates fruity juice drinks.


8. Who sent this to you? I stealed it from Taylor, the brother.

9. How old are you today?
ancient

10. Favorite drink?
Crunch Ice from AM/PM

11. What is your favorite sport to watch?
College Football and Rebels Basketball. (same as tay, go REBS!)

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Have I ever NOT dyed my hair?

13. Pets? Yes, Bernard and Mama, the chihuahuas

14. Favorite food? Right now? Japanese anything oh my.

15. What was the last movie you watched? Pan’s Labyrinth. Absolutely visually stunning and so beautiful I could tattoo it all over my face.

16. Favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve (what, are we siblings or something Tay? Me too)

17. What do you do to vent anger? Clinch my teeth and sit in silence (Ok, same as Tay again, this is spooky…heh)

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My mom’s piano room was a huge room with a grand piano in it and nothing else, so we’d go in there and play restaurant, or lounge singers, or dance extravaganza…so as a child my favorite toys were things like microphone stands and music stands and boxes we’d write soda names on to pretend they were soda fountains. We were dorks.

19. What is your favorite Fall or Spring? Fall for the sweaters and scarves and smell of Halloween and I could go on forever.

20. Hugs or kisses? Long kisses in the rain (good answer Tay, I’ll steal it and add – on the beach)

21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry anything. Or grape! Grape is favorite too!

22. Do you want your friends to email you back? Post it on your blogs

25. Living arrangements? Renting a house in Yucaipa California, 5 bedrooms, huge grassy yard, play house in the back, and we all eat there. How’s that for livin?

26. When was the last time you cried? Two days ago when Mike gave me my Valentines present.

27. What is on the floor of your closet? Luggage and books.

28. What did you do last night? Watched the Office and Earl and bathed the baby and then passed the heck out.


30. Favorite smell? Pirates of the Caribbean, the ride not the DVD, and desert rain in the summer, sugar cookies baking, fresh bread, new born baby’s breath.

31. What/Who inspires you? Michael, my parents, my siblings, music, art, nature.

33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? I prefer chicken sandwiches, unless it’s a western bacon cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr. or In-and-Out.

34. Favorite car? 1985 Toyota Minivan AKA the silver bullet that I would joy ride in til I was almost dead from happiness.

35. Favorite dog breed? Poms, Chihuahua’s and golden retrievers.

36. Number of keys on your key ring? 2352352352311fbfe6, only 3 mean anything too.

37. How many years at your current job? Only 2 months at this one, 1.5 years at the one previous, and 15 at the mother/wife thing.

38. Favorite day of the week? Friday

39. How many states have you lived in? Nevada, Utah, California, Washington State

40. Favorite holiday? Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving in that order

41. Have you ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? Yes, a motorcycle, 3 and 4 wheeler, scooter, moped, dunebuggies.

42. If you had a 7 day fully paid for vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you go? Stockholm to see Leslie, the UK to see Jonathan’s family, the Great Pyramid in Egypt, Brazil, Amsterdam, Ireland, Greece!, Italy…gosh, where wouldn’t I go?

I Love Yucaipa

I think I am in love with this school district. The kids' schools are cooooovered in gardens, they've got amazing teachers who adore them, there's free tutoring...need I say more? Ok I will.

Jonah, for free, went on this yesterday morning, and he doesn't get back til tonight. For free. With his class. In PUBLIC SCHOOL! Holy, I will never leave. Mark my words.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Oh Crunch Ice, How I Adore Thee

This morning, we woke up to a misty kind of air. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7:39 am, and wanted to punch myself in the face for not being able to sleep in on weekends!!!! What has work done for me? On my first real weekend with no traveling to do, I couldn't even sleep past 8. Nice. Anyway, I stood up and looked out my bedroom window and saw Kenzie, Jonah and Casey dancing in the grass in the rain. You'd think these people hadn't ever seen rain in their lives the way they were celebrating.

Harper thinks its hilarious that he has siblings who laugh at him, so he laughs when he sees them, which in turn makes them laugh that he's laughing at them, and the cycle continues til everyone is laughing hysterically. It's so cute! We'll have to put up some videos.

So Eliza and Curtis and their respective chitlins are coming down here in a month and we can hardly contain ourselves. We're going to make a paper chain, not unlike the one Mr. Taylor and Mandy made last fall. (See exhibit A below)



I am also obsessed lately with AM/PM's "Crunch" ice. They have new machines at all/most of the stores around here that have the left side showing a sign for "Crunch" and the right side facilitating a "Cube" variety. The cube ice is just what they say, cubes of frozen water but the crunch side, which by the way I feel should be "Crunchy" because only asians say "you want crunch ice?" So soddy, mother in law, but I can't agree with this. Anyway, the glory of the crunch ice that I fondly call "rabbit poop" ice is enough for me to overlook the signage and invest in a 64 oz cup which they so generously let you refill for $.35. This is a huge savings for me, as I typically get myself a diet C0ke at the store daily for work as to appease my caffeine fix, while the rest of my co-workers slam huge mugs of Starbucks down their gullets all day long. I'm very happy with our move to California so far, let me list the reasons to you now in bullet form:

  • Crunch ice, for reasons previously discussed above.
  • 70 degree Februarys
  • Disneyland within 35 miles of our front door
  • IKEA
  • A new start and a chance to relax and be kids for the children in the house. We don't have to answer the phone when offensive parties call. Simple!
  • Disneyland within 35 miles of our front door
  • IKEA
  • The beach an hour or less (depending on traffic, holy crap traffic in Orange County is like death upon my soul) (Also, the traffic here makes me have tourettes, not unlike my recent bout with Christmas Tourettes)
  • Crunch Ice
I capitalized the "I" in ice on that last one because it deserved it.

Now I'm off to make funeral/cheesey potatoes and ham and fresh green beans for the family, and then to make a cake for Casey's birthday dinner. It's sunday, but if you're so inclined, bring me some Crunch Ice...my ox is in the meyer.

Friday, February 9, 2007

All My Comments Are Gone

and all my old posts, ever since I switched to New Blogger. Sweet. Live it up now, New Blogger, I'm coming after you...

the new job and some corn

The new job. The neeeeeeeeewwwwwwww jooooooooooooooooooooobbbbb...

that's all I can say about my highly stressful, 1.75 hour commuting, crazy town Fontana occupying, did I mention highly stressful (?) job.

I love it. Its fanTAStic, as Nacho would say. Then he'd say "get that corn outta my face".

Ew, corn with mayo, what the crap?

over.

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Oh The Humanity!!!

My children, they eat everything I ask them not to. My 8 year old, Casey...he decided to eat my new Cottage Cheese Doubles this morning when I specifically expressed to him personally on Saturday that he gets Pringles/M&M's/grapes/apples etc. whenever he asks for them politely, but that I, his Mother, am only snacking on things like cottage cheese, fresh basil, hot house tomatoes and pineapple.

He looked up at me with his ginormous blue eyes and proceeded to flop (in slow motion/matrix style) onto my feet whilst weeping in inaudible gurgling noises of terror that when translated by my super kid ears said:

"I need cottage cheese. Need it! I can't sleep at night because of my need for more cottage cheese! I hate Pringles/M&M's/grapes/apples etc. and your cruelty will not be tolerated, Mother. Listen to me when I say it! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS INSOLENCE!"

I pulled a rootbeer popcicle out of the freezer, on a whim, and what to my wondering eyes did appear? A very happy child who suddenly forgot all about the tragedy that is his deprived life. Poor child, he'll starve...I just know it. One cannot live on 7 meals alone!

..........trés sigh.