sick mama sick baby

Well Blake's cold finally got to us. Major boo! Olive and I both woke up Saturday with stuffy noses. While I wanted to curl up and die she never slowed down. Besides some snot and red eyes it was hard to tell she sick. Luckily the weather was beautiful and we were able to hang outside pretty much the whole day. So we made the best of it. Blake was home which made it easier. He got some house stuff done and we watched a ton of movies so it wasn't a major loss. We had planned to go to knott's with our new season passes but we'll have to wait till next weekend. We are staying home today and trying to get better. Well I am, Olive is unaffected by the sick and hopefully tomorrow all the snot will be gone and we will be ok to leave the house. I don't want to infect anyone with our sick so we'll keep inside as long as we need to. I've been able to take advil cold and sinus which has been a lifesaver especially with today since Blake had to go to work. I'm really weird about taking medicine cause everything makes me feel loopy but this works and I can semi manage which is lovely.

Before we had the sick we went to the beach Friday with some friends and it was another beautiful January day. It was hard to keep Olive away from the water which got a little annoying but luckily Blake was able to get off work early and help wrangle her. She played with her friends and I got some mom time so it was pretty nice.

Also in random news I'm 99% sure Olive said "I wuv you." My mom has been trying to get her to say it every time she visits and she repeats it over and over. Olive studies her like she just knows but nothing ever comes out of her mouth, till today. I was putting her down for a nap and I said I love you a few times and I swear she said it back. I told her to repeat it but of course she didn't. Some days she talks so much and others nothing really at all. She has learned to shake her head yes and say "ya" which has been really helpful since she is so damn opinionated now. Even in the last few days I've watched her repeat more words and really watch me when I talk. Lots of Olive at 16 months news to catch up on but I'll save that for another post when my head isn't all stuffy.

Hugs.

I have a feeling this will be a very naked summer.

Sickies.

Lentil burger, yogurt dill sauce, pita, and grapes deconstructed by Olive's hand.

tickle.

fart smellers

If you like the smell of your own farts then you will probably agree with this article. In short it's about a couple that finally revealed their kids gender at the age of 5  (it's a boy) because they wanted to avoid all stereotyping. While I am a huge fan of letting your kids be who they want to be I think this family is bat shit crazy. This kid doesn't have a change at all. Like ZERO percent chance of being normal. And when I say normal I mean being part of society like all humans need to be to survive. The parents are the biggest hypocrites alive. They allow him to wear pink sparkly bathing suits (which is fine) but they won't let him play with barbie. They also don't let him him wear  "hyper-masculine outfits like skull-print shirts and cargo pants". You know cause skull prints are the reason for this crazy world we live in. PLEASE!!! Um does anyone else see that everything is wrong about this?? I get if they want to let him choose, that's awesome but that means everything should be fair game. And really, is Barbie the problem? I am so annoyed with parents bullying Barbie and putting this huge ban on it like she is responsible for your children being fucked up and having eating disorders. She is a plastic doll with big tits. If you grow up in orange county all you see is plastic faces and big tits so should you ban kids from Southern California?? I mean come on. It's the parents job to teach kids that Barbie is a doll to be imaginative with her not want to be her. Some of my best childhood memories were playing with my Barbie dolls and dressing them up. My mom never forced them on me, it was what I wanted. I never wanted big fake boobs and blond hair. It was just a toy and I'm pretty sure to most kids that is the only thing it is. It's our job as parents to explain things to our children. I mean the world is full or worse things than Barbie. Ok I know the article wasn't really about Barbie but since it was mentioned I went on my rant. I'm a huge fan of letting boys get in touch with their feminine side too. I can remember countless times putting my brother in dresses, painting his nails, and doing his hair. It was awesome and I know he loved it, we still joke about it today. After his nails dried he would go back in his room and play with his ninja turtles and dinosaurs. So ya I totally get that everything should be explored.

In all honesty I feel sad for this kid because as much as I think it's ok to blur the lines between girl and boy you also have to have something to identify with. It doesn't have to be forced or what society says but there is nothing wrong with having an identity and being proud of who or what you are. I mean I think it's important that we are confident with ourselves and maybe in order to do that you don't have to know "what" you are but I think it helps. I mean for me I feel like my femininity, my curves, and all the things that make me a women give me confidence. I identify with other women, not because I have to but because I actually do. I think if you lack that then maybe it could make you insecure and confused.

Although Olive isn't even 2 I've watched her take on little roles of being a girl and none of them were forced. She has all kinds of toys and most of them are pretty neutral. Lately she has been way more interested in pushing around her shopping cart, putting on bracelets, and digging through her wallet. Before I even gave her bracelets she was putting things on her wrists and using her buckets and anything she could like a purse. No one showed her she just did it. She also has trucks that she pushes around and makes car noises. She has dolls but like everything in her playroom she has the choice of what to play with. I don't force the doll on her. It's sitting in the corner of her room and usually a few times a day she grabs it and holds it or puts it in her shopping cart. She also loves to give it hugs. I do think some things are just built in. I will never tell Olive she can't do anything or deprive her of something because it isn't appropriate for her gender but I do think there is a line ya know??

I'd be willing to bet if they went back and interviewed this kid in 10 years it would be pretty interesting.

Super kids

Have you ever heard of Music with Marnie??  I've been meaning to write about the magical powers of the album "Super Kids." When Olive was little and we went on car rides she was pretty satisfied with the Pandora Raffi station or even my music. A little after she was a year old she started getting really antsy and car rides were pretty miserable. But then I discovered Marnie. While I kinda want to punch her in the face cause I can't get one of her songs out of my head I also LOVE this women. Not that I've done it but I could probably play the album over and over for 8 hours and Olive wouldn't make a peep. It's bizarre. You know on that movie Josie and the Pussycat where the evil record label people hid messages in the songs for people to shop or something (totally can't remember what but it was something along those lines) I think Music with Marnie does this but in a good way. A few days ago after a long car ride and on the verge of a mental breakdown from too much Marnie I downloaded another album and she hated it. She screamed when I put it on and wasn't happy till I put Super Kids back on. I'm telling you it's really strange. The songs are really cute, simple and actually pretty fun. The most important part is Olive loves it and I'm guaranteed a happy car ride as soon as I put it on. Today after the zoo I even sat in the car for 15 min checking emails while she listened and didn't make a sound so score for me! I swore I would never be that mom bumping 5 little monkeys but I am.......

Speaking of monkeys we went to the zoo today with Katie and Kylie. Olive and Kylie are only a few days apart. So cute to see them together as they are exactly the same size. They both have endless amounts of energy so most of the day was spent chasing them. We saw a few animals and rode the carousel. Katie and Kylie had to head home for a nap but we ended up sticking around and playing on the playground for a bit and having the most amazingly greasy grilled cheese ever. Of course Olive only took a few bites and was more interested in the oranges that came with it. One day she will learn grilled cheese is quite possibly the worlds most perfect food. She is getting so independent on the playground. Usually I follow her up the stairs and to the slide. I'm totally freaked out she will lean over and fall down on one of the openings. Lately she has been really good about staying away from the edges and just exploring. I even took a seat on the benches while she moved sand around and watched the other kids. Pretty crazy watching her become a little human.

The grilled cheese.

Kisses (stolen from Katie)

High Five (stolen from Katie)

She wanted Katie to hold her hand too.

rain and sun

The weather has been a bit all over the place as we spent Monday inside all day due to a crazy rain storm but yesterday was spent at the zoo in the warm sunny weather. And tomorrow will be in the 80's. Crazy. Here are the last few days....

I wanted to watch the Never ending Story but Netflix failed on that one.

A little break in the rain.

Watching Gabba naked is way more fun.

Vegan Chili with sweet potato fries.

Deer watching at the zoo.

This is my usual view these days.

We don't walk we RUN everywhere.

She got to the top and put her foot over. Great....

bitches gonna be bitches

This mommy blog world is funny. While I am a mom that blogs I am not a mom blogger. I don't have sponsors and I'm not really concerned with who reads this. Lately I feel like a lot of mom bloggers have been tearing each other apart. I mean isn't this our own personal space to do whatever the fuck we want?? I mean if you don't like me or what I write then why would you waste your time right??  Lately I've read a few blogs that bitch about other bloggers and their grammar. While they weren't talking about me as I'm not even on their radar I was offended. I mean I know my grammar and spelling SUCKS. It's my weakness. I was terrible in English. Just not my thing. I try to proofread if I have time and spell check but sometimes I don't see all the wrongs. I mean this blog isn't supposed to be a well written novel, it's my thoughts no matter how all over the place they are. I guess it's not my strong point and I'm assuming it isn't for other mom's that blog. Should I poke fun at people's photos and how they compose them or how shitty the lighting is?? Hell no I would NEVER in a million years nor would that thought even cross my mind. We all have weaknesses and strengths. I'm just sick of all these high and mighty assholes making people feel insecure, especially mom's that have awesome blogs and are super honest and sincere but happen to be crappy writers. If they happened to read these mean posts don't you think they would feel insecure?? It takes a lot to put yourself out there and talk about private matters on the internet and shouldn't we support anyone who wants to do that even if they aren't perfect?? Not that any of them read my blog but screw them. If you can't stand a blog that has shitty writing I have an idea, DON'T READ IT! Instead of tearing each other apart just ignore and move on.

Obviously the grammar thing is just one small "issue" that has been bitched about but since it hit home with me I had to vent like crazy. These people make lists of shit they hate about these bloggers and what they do with their personal blogs. I imagine all these moms were the mean girls in high school or the really fat ones that everyone hated. Not cause they were fat but because they were mean and grumpy and bitter. And now they have a voice so they just ruin people. Not nice not nice at all.
Ya of course there are blogs I read and I roll my eyes at what they write, how glamorized they make their life, how perfect their kids are, how perfect their husbands are but you know what WHO THE FUCK CARES?? I am smart enough to know that nothing is perfect and I'm not going to feel guilty or shitty about myself. The thing about blogs is with a click of a button they can be gone.


There are plenty of things to talk shit about and I'm not saying I don't make fun of things all the time. I DO! I am not perfect and I can be a total bitch but I wouldn't knock someone down who was putting themselves out there. That is just cruel.

This post was all over the place but I had to say something. The PMS made me do it.......

rainy day

Since its a lovely rainy day here it totally make me think about rainy days in elementary school. Since I grew up in southern California we maybe had like 2 rainy days a year but they always had the same feeling and smell. I know weird but I can remember the feeling like it was yesterday. Lunch time all the rooms were opened up so you could walk indoors all around. It was the only time you could really explore like that. There was always a game of heads up 7up that we played after we were done eating. And of course a movie. They would wheel those big ass tvs on the tray in. I'm sure we watched different movies but all I can remember is the Never Ending Story. Isn't is funny the things that just kinda stick out in your childhood? Hmm I wonder if I can get Olive to sit through a movie.

The weekend was pretty mellow and we actually didn't do much. We were supposed to go to a birthday party on Saturday but it got canceled due to a sick little birthday girl. We ended up getting invited over to a friends house for dinner so it all worked out. Olive was a total trooper and ended up staying up till past 9:30 partying right along with us. Then she hit that wall of get me the hell out of here and so we did. The night was so fun and the food was so delicious so sometimes an unexpected get together with friends is the perfect thing. Sunday we had planned on a bike ride but Blake started feeling sick. Turns out he has a cold. Major boo. Let's just hope we can stay well. Today is pj's and watching the rain. Olive doesn't understand why she can't play in the backyard and she is not happy about it. Let's see if I can figure out how to entertain her for the next 7 hours till Blake gets home.

I've been so excited and motivated about kickboxing. So hoping I don't get sick!!

Chocolate chocolate cookies. Yum!

Look we hung the mirror!

Shitty pic but we made silhouette art. This is the perfect thing to do if you are bored with walls and can't afford new art.

Olive the party animal.

Lauren and Olive.

Wearing the oven mit on her foot.

Dave and Olive. Seriously this box was the best form of entertainment.

Dave just happened to have some fireworks. Olive is a huge fan!

Olive making phone calls on Adam's phone.

We're really into layering our bathing suits over things.

Creepy doll.

Setting up her new table.

More boxes.