From Green Crackers to Super Bowl Champs - Thata Baby, Pack!!!

 When our middle monkey boy was two, he called the Green Bay Packers the Green Crackers.

Music Man's parents were born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  They remember when the Packers used to play in the high school football stadium.

Being a Packer fan is not an option in this family.  You are born a fan, it's in the genetics. Period.

In this family, you are also genetically pre-disposed to loving cheese, lots of it.  Oh, and bratwurst, lots of it.  Burp.

Yep, we are Cheese Heads.  The whole lot of us.  From the itty bitty babies to...

the tumbly, bumbly toddlers to...

The Old Gultachuser. (click to read more)

And I think that I speak for us all when I quote the rally cry of my dear father-in-law...

"Thata Baby, Pack!!!"

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave When We Throw Our Baubles With Our Beads! - The Finished Product

When we left off yesterday, my jewelry drawer looked like this...

What a wreck!

But then, some neurons in my mind fired and I had an idea that involved this ancient table base from my college days gone by.  You can read about its history here.

Today, I pulled everything out of my jewelry drawer, untangled it all (without losing my mind too much), and I arranged it on my new/used jewelry stand.

The necklaces hang elegantly over the arms. 

Chunky bracelets now have a home of their own.

 Even earrings have a nice little niche.

And finally, here is the finished product.  I like it, I do!

And now since I can actually find my jewelry, maybe, just maybe, I will be less fashioned impaired in the future.  There is hope.

Hugs, 

Melissa 

"Do Fun Stuff!"- A Gift Idea Revisited

Back at Christmas time, I featured a unique gift idea that has been a huge hit with our family.  Today, I want to revisit that idea.

With Valentines' Day around the corner, maybe you would like to show someone or several someones how much you love them with the gift of music. 


Read on to find out more...

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

I am not really too into retail.  Shopping is just not my bag.  But it's Christmas time and a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.  So, I shop.  And for the next twelve days, I want to share with you some of my favorite finds for this festive season.

Day 1's gift idea is geared toward all the kiddos in my life, especially the littlest ones (and there are quite a few).  Since we are major music maniacs around here, I thought it fitting to feature this charming children's album:

Do Fun Stuff is a super cute collection of kid songs (put together by a local dad) that will tickle the ears of the littlest people in your life.  It's easy on the parents' ears too. My monkeys jump around the house singing their faves everyday.

The BEST part about this album is that it is the gift that keeps on giving.  All of the proceeds from the sales of Do Fun Stuff are donated to PRISMS.  An organization fully dedicated to research, education and family support for those who have been diagnosed with Smith Magenis Syndrome.  

To order Do Fun Stuff  go to iTunes.  Your kids will love it.

Doing fun stuff and loving it,

Melissa

Do You Date Night?

You should.  We date night and date night is good.

Sorry, I've read too much Dr. Seuss today.

Seriously though, Music Man and I love going on dates, together, without monkeys.

Sometimes our dates are the elaborate, get dressed up in your best duds, and go paint the town types.

And some dates, are the stay home, make a late dinner, watch a fun movie in your pajamas, and paint your toe nails types. (Just to clarify, I paint my toe nails).

Either way, it is nice to spend time together and just be.  Ya know?

So how about you?  Do you date night?

This was my love note to Music Man during our date night recently.  Isn't it romantic? 

And he said "yes" he would "go with me".  He is so choice!  Like totally!  What a fox!

 I need to go put on my head gear now,

Missy (My junior high school name)

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave When We Throw Our Baubles With Our Beads!

Just look at this mess...

This, I am ashamed to say, is my jewelry drawer.

There are necklaces tangled into knots that would make a sailor swear.

Bracelets and brooches are buried under rings and earrings.

It is no wonder why I can not find a darn thing!

Well today, I had an epiphany, a bright idea, I thunk up sompin' real good...

It involved this lovely item...

But let's start at the beginning of this brilliant idea shall we?

It all started back, way, way, back, a long time ago in when I was in graduate school at Florida State University.

And I lived in this furnished apartment with about 12 other girls.  Or maybe it was 20.

This apartment was a very sought after piece of property.  It was right on the edge of campus and close to all the creature comforts that a college student would ever need.  Which basically consisted of 7-11 and Dominoes' Pizza. Oh, and the rent was cheap (especially when split 27 ways).

Legend had it, that the apartment had not been vacant since the 1970's.  And, I am pretty sure that the apartment had not been updated since that era either. Nothing screams 70's more than orange shag carpet and dark brown paneling.  And the roaches were still wearing bell bottoms.

During my second year of graduate school, the apartment was bought by a fraternity and we were kindly asked to make other living arrangements.  But as a consolation prize, my 24 roommates and I were told that we could take any of the furniture that we wanted.  The frat boys were definitely not interested in the mustard yellow couch and chaise lounge or the 1970's stereo complete with an 8-track.

I was not particularly interested in any of the furnishings except for one thing.  It was this charming little glass top table with a white wrought iron pedestal.  I had always liked that quirky little table and I soon made it mine.

Well, that little glass top table has been with me through the single years and into the married with kids years.  The glass top broke many moons ago, but I could not part with the base.  I knew that one day I would find a use for it.  It sat in the garage for years and years until yesterday...

And then, the idea came to me.  Why not make the base of the table into a jewelry stand?

Necklaces and bracelets could delicately dangle from the arms of the table.

See how cute the little flowers and leaves are? Wouldn't they be perfect for perching rings and earrings on?


So, now I am on a mission.  It's time to show my jewelry drawer who is boss.


Stay tuned...tomorrow I will unveil the finished product.


Hugs,


Melissa

My Quest for Skinny Jeans - A Standoff!

This week there has been a standoff going on between me and my scale.  The lines are drawn in the sand, the guns are drawn, we are fifty paces back-to-back, and the theme song to the movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is playing. 

My weight has held steady for over a week now, no matter how hard I have worked.  I have even said things like, "Go ahead, make my day!" to the scale to no avail. 

Maintaining a consistent weight like this when you are trying to lose weight is known as "plateauing".  Plateauing might be super if you are climbing a mountain, but it is not so super when you are removing a mountain of fluff from your body.

So, what to do?  Well, I am going to keep right on going.  I am going to push through this plateau.  I am going to focus on how energized I feel since I have eliminated wheat and sugar.  That is a victory!

I am going to keep exercising and eating healthy.  

What will I eat?  Well, the same stuff that I have been eating.  Which by the way, I would love to share with you.

Today, let's focus on breakfast, shall we?


I usually start my day with a smoothie.  It is easy and efficient and my monkeys always want to share it with me, so I know that they are getting some fruits and veggies into their bodies. 

I like to put two large handfuls of greens in my smoothie.  It can be kale, spinach, collards, or yum...the tangerine microgreens in the photo above.  Even monkeys like those.

Then I throw in a handful of frozen berries, a banana and some unsweetened almond milk into the blender with the greens.

See, they are having a party. Hey, keep it down in there!

Oh yes, some blueberries make a lovely addition to the party.  They are great conversationalists.

Once everyone is in the blender, press blend, and a smoothie is born.

This is a great way to start your day.  And it is surprisingly sweet without any added sugar.

The smoothie fills me up for about two hours and then I have a mid-morning snack.  This snack can be anything from a handful of pecans and a Granny Smith apple to a slice of cheese and some carrots. 

We can talk about lunch next time.  For now though, I want to encourage anyone who is on this quest with me to keep going.  It is not easy, but it is worth it.

And if you are in a standoff with your scale right now, keep those guns drawn, dig those boot heels into the sand and ask that scale, "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

Plateaus are for sissies and mountain climbers,

Melissa

He's a Trainiac.

He's a trainiac, trainiac on the floor.
And he builds tracks like he's never built before.

Yes, our little dude is making tracks to new destinations each day.  I love listening to him construct and converse with his tracks and trains.

"Coal caw is cwoss." (translation: "Coal car is cross.")
"Do you want to wide?" (translation:  "Do you want to ride?")
"Oh no! The twain fell off the twacks!" (Can you tell he has the Elmer Fudd thing going on?)

His little imagination muscles are growing.  His constructive and symbolic play skills are flourishing (Sorry, it's the Speech Therapist coming out in me.).

From tracks of cross-continental proportions to the smaller figure-eight configurations; it's fun to watch him build tracks and line his trains up ready for action.  I am sure that there is all kinds of pre-math and physics stuff going on here.

Sometimes he wants to be the sole conductor, and other times he requests, "I want help us!" (His pronouns kill me.)

I just love how little people play and learn.  It amazes me!  So much can be said through play.  Maybe that is why it is used as a form of therapy for children who have experienced trauma.  Play is a child's language.

Want to really be blown away today?  Watch a child at play.

Okay, it's off to the twain yawd for me now

Have a playful day,

Melissa