It's people like this that give people like me a bad rep!

You would think something like this would get a little more exposure!

In a nutshell an unlicensed dayhome provider was sentenced to three months of house arrest for physically abusing her dayhome children.

Where is the justice in that?

Three flipping months of house arrest?!? That's it?

WTF???

Where have I been that I completely missed this one on the news and in the paper?

Want to get back to the basics?

Through my stamping business I hooked up with Stacey who has her own business,
Beautiful Basics. She makes her own natural bath and body products and they are FABULOUS!

A cousin-in-law of mine has tried many of the products and has just raved about them, particularly the face oil. Face oil? Oil for your face? It just doesn't sound right does it? But, it's wonderful. As long as it's used sparingly (I totally got carried away the first time I tried it) it's fairly light and not at all heavy and greasy like you might think. And the smell - I'm not sure off the top of my head of all of the essential oils but there is definitely lavender in it which is uber-relaxing!

I've even started using it on Thing Two at bedtime. I used to use the J&J lavender/chamomile soothing bedtime lotion on him every bedtime but eventually the product line seemed to change and it just wasn't that great of a scent or product. I think this is a great replacement :o)

Seriously though

Why couldn't Kid Rock look a little less like this:

And a little more like this:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE All Summer Long - but the video - not so much. Kid Rock just doesn't qualify as eye candy...

I'm losing track of my blogs...

I posted in the wrong blog - I think that's like that movie where Steve Martin or John Candy or someone gives the guy the WRONG FINGER.

Anyways...

I'm working on a new blog. Come check it out. Team Crockett has been revisited and reformed and is now Tarts and Tallywackers. Tarts are for the ladies and you'll have to google Tallywackers but I'm sure you know they're for the boys :P

Moving on...

I had a fabulous post but it's gone so instead of recapping the lengthy original I'm going to post something I was going to do tomorrow. A recipe.

How. Freaking. Boring.

But here it is:

Italian Pasta Salad

2 cups mayo

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 cloves minced garlic

3 tbsp FRESH chopped basil

4 cups colored rotini pasta - cooked and drained

2 cups seeded chopped tomatoes

1 chopped yellow pepper

Mix it all together and let sit overnight. Simple yet elegant!

We're back in the big city

We went to the cottage for a little R n R and to get away from the city living. It's strange not hearing the traffic 24/7. Actually it's pretty sad that I've gotten so used to it that the quiet was almost too quiet. I didn't say it WAS too quiet - ALMOST too quiet ( we did have Thing One and Thing Two out running around)

We left Friday morning bright and early just to get backed up in traffic. Why on earth would the province think a Friday in August would be a good time to move power lines over the highway - I have no idea. But we finally arrived:

And started with some gardening:

And then some water fights. Please note the interesting water cannons:

And then there was some wicked bubble making. Wicked good not wicked bad:

And then Joey kicked everyone's butt at badminton. Besides fishing that has got to be his number one activity right now. Which I love because it's the only one I don't completely suck at and I can actually keep up to him:

We went to the campgrounds Saturday for some visiting with the extended family and then played some cards. Both boys were in bed 8 - 8 :30 both nights....sigh...it was heaven....must be all that fresh country air - or the running around, I was also in bed by 10:30 both nights, lol!

What to do on a cloudy, sprinkly, gloomy day

Make paper airplanes and fly them around the house and in the backyard between sprinkles:

Don't be too impressed by my airplane making skills. I totally cheated. Alex was gifted an extraordinary Klutz Paper Airplane Making Book for his birthday and I copied them step by step.

Oh, speaking of Step By Step, NKOTB have released a greatest hits album which I should probably buy so I can relearn the songs before the concert rolls around. Another dayhome mom is also going to the concert so I don't feel so geeky, lol! Seriously I think I know only a few songs, Step by Step, Hangin Tough, Summertime, Cover Girls, Please Don't Go Girl - not sure about the last one...is that even NKOTB?

I don't make "JUST CARDS"

I make bridal shower invites too :P

Happy Birthday Lucas!

Today the boys and I went to Lucas's house for his 3rd birthday. It was great! Lots of kids running around, lots of adults to chat with and lots of sunshine :o) Jenn and Darryl rented an obstacle bouncer for the afternoon and it was fabulous! As much as I love my bouncer - all you can do is bounce. This obstacle bouncer had something to climb over, a climbing wall and a slide. According to Thing One and Thing Two it was 'way cool'.

Although I brought my camera I didn't get any birthday pics - I actually forgot that I had brought my camera until a certain someone directed my attention to the half-time show in the background. I didn't quite capture the moment but I'm sure you can figure it out. In plain view of a dozen kids we seen quite the make out session. At least everyone was fully clothed.

Yesterday Tina and Steve celebrated their first anniversary. Seems like yesterday I was getting the phone call that Tina was getting married in like four days!!! I wish I could have been there but it just wasn't possible. So everyone came over for a visit yesterday. The boys got their playdate in with their girls and I got to do some mani/pedi's with Tina. ...And poor Steve had to watch all of the 80s dance competitions with us. Eventually the 80s will make a comeback and the running man will be cool again. Until then I'll just keep practising.

We're going to see some fireworks tonight!

It'll either be really really good or really really bad.

I'm leaning more towards the first option. The weather is good but my boys aren't being super-duper listeners as of yet today.

The gates open at Elliston Park at 5 o'clock BUT we're not going until 7. If the fireworks aren't starting until 10, why go super early? There are some craft tents set up and 4 different parks but that will only last so long and eventually we'll have to park it somewhere so we can get a decent spot. Last year it started to rain and some guy parked his lawn chair in front of our blanket. Uh, yeah, good thing we picked a good spot early...

We are going to see Canada's display tonight. Hopefully I can remember to take pics for your viewing pleasure!

Guess where I went today?

Here's a hint:

Yeppers, after reading countless books and squinting while doing my online courses I've broken down and gotten my eyes checked. And yep, I do need the specs. Definitely for reading and computers although the doc said it wouldn't hurt to wear them 24/7. We'll see how long they last....

Need your opinion

The word against is a negative word, right? If you are against something then that generally means that you oppose it, right?

So, can someone please tell me why oh why there is a campaign for:

Celebrities Against Autism

???

They are supposedly trying to promote awareness of autism. Kudos for them for doing it BUT shouldn't their name be more like Celebrities For Autism or Celebrities Raising Autism Awareness?

And how did I learn of said company? My neighbour is hosting a Discovery Toys party in a few weeks and I was going through the mini catalogue and came across a promo for Celebrities Against Autism. I nearly choked on my coffee. I thought "what a HUGE misprint" and then I realized that it wasn't a misprint. Just a poor name.

Maybe it's just me reading too much into it (not like that would be the first time that's happened in my life, ha ha ). In my mindset though it sounds like a dreaded disease that you wouldn't wish on anyone whereas in reality its not. Autism is a lot more common than you may think on the CAA website they stated that there is a diagnosis of autism every 20 minutes.

So, what does everyone else think?

I think I'm going to have to send in a query as to how they came up with their name...stay tuned.

When will they STOP growing?

Thing One and Thing Two are both out of the baby shoes and into the big boy shoes...sigh...I swear we just bought Joey some cool new size 12 Airwalks about 2 months ago that aren't even broken in yet and already they're too small. We went to Walmart tonight to pick up some odds and ends so I thought I'd size them up and yep, they've outgrown the rubber size chart on the floor. We couldn't find the metal shoe sizer amongst the mess of shoes so we'll head to Payless this weekend and see if we can find some suitable indoor and outdoor shoes for school that they can do by themselves - that aren't crocs. And at what age do kids learn how to tie shoes?

We knew her before she became famous!

Hi Bloggers! Meet me friend Donna:
Donna generously donated a piece of her original artwork to our Team Crockett - Totally 80's Fundraiser. All proceeds went to Uncover the Cure which is dedicated to cancers below the waist. Well, Donna has now launched a new website for her artwork! I'm very excited with her and for her - this girl will be going places in no time. So, what are you waiting for? Head over to Images To Art and check it out for yourself!

Phew! It's not even Christmas and I'm sick of it.

Tonight I finished up my Christmas Card Workshop planning. It's almost taken the excitement and fun of planning out my own cards for '08.

Note that I said almost.

And here is my fave new pic of Thing One and Thing Two:

And the latest Mac-Beck pic. We were going for co-ordinating yet not too much matchiness:

I love family pictures. Even though I'm always super critical of how yumongous my face looks in comparison to Aaron's, I still love them. Eventually we'll have fancy schmancy professional pics done but honestly I'm lovin these ones. Considering how well the Wallyworld photographer captured the essence of what makes Thing One and Thing Two who they really are is truly amazing! Plus, we like to get a lot of different groupings. Boys and grandparents. Becks. MacAulays. MacBecks. Beck Srs. Beck Jrs. ...with that many shots Walmart makes this affordable!

Alex's Birthday BBQ

Alex the birthday boy!

Jonathan before his face was painted
Jonathan after his face was painted
Alex opening something from Nannie and Papa
Alex's Kung Fu Panda cake
Connor almost nailed Aaron with something. Not sure if it was the Ringmaster Hat or the pinata stick.

Joey and Alex
Alex opening a ROCKET...do you think the parents hate me? Just kidding, Michelle. Aaron's just as excited as Alex about this!
Pippi has got most everyone's attention for her Fun Magic. Alex got to hold the special wand This was taken probably close to the time when the party turned from a kids party into an adult party.
Raymond and his skateboard...er...longboard I think is what he called it. No drinking and driving at our parties...

What a glorious day!

Good food, good friends and good drinks :o)

It was a late afternoon/evening soiree and everything went according to plan. Well almost, the clown finished early by 40 minutes but with the pinata and gift opening and eating and birthday cake we went over our 3 hours that we had planned for. And the clown was AMAZING so I'm not really bent up about the time thing.

We had 3 Hulks, 3 Batmans, 1 Spiderman, 1 Siberian Tiger, 1 Unicorn, 1 Clown and 1 Dragon. Seriously, all I can do are happy faces , hearts and maybe a flower...definitely nothing like Pippi!

Thursday Thirteen of Fave Summer Songs of '08

1. Shake It - Metro
2. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
3. All Summer Long - Kid Rock
4. State of Shock - Best I Ever Had
5. Time of My Life - David Cook
6. Homecoming - Kanye West
7. Take A Bow - Rihanna
8. Never Too Late - Hedley
9. When I Grow Up - Pussycat Dolls
10. Dangerous - Akon
11. Don't Call Me Baby - Kreesha Turner
12. Summertime - New Kids on the Block
13. Sexy Can I - Ray J

There you have it folks! In no particular order these are my stereo war songs for the summer :o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!

It's hard to believe he's FIVE YEARS OLD today! Seems just like yesterday Mom, Aaron and I headed to the hospital for his arrival...

Thing One and Thing Two are on holidays!

This was a FIRST ladies and gentlemen.

My youngest son, whom I've always thought was definitely a mama's boy has gone on a holiday to Nannie and Papa's house with his brother. And. Without. His. Mama.

I wasn't sure whether to be really happy about this or really sad.

For this moment I'm really happy about it. Aaron and I have checked out a kazillion things off our to-do list.

• went to see The Dark Knight
• went out for dinner to a restaurant with cloth napkins
• went to IKEA
• assembled Alex's new furniture
• enjoyed every inch of our queen size bed to ourselves, no starfish in the middle
• painted Joey's table/chair
• rearranged the boys bedrooms
• attempted shopping for back to school clothes

Really it feels like we've done so much more. And in the midst of all this Aaron had to work late and has hockey tomorrow night so it has cut into our grown up time but it's been great.

I talked to the boys this morning and I was silently preparing myself to have to drive after work to pick them up but they're loving it at Nannie and Papa's and said 'see you Friday'.

Love love love those boys! And of course Nannie and Papa for giving us a little peace and solitude. For this I WILL NOT be dressing my mom in funny clothes when/if she's in a nursing home. Note to mom - you may want a hard copy of that promise, ha ha.

Back to school shopping...sigh...

Mom helped me go through Thing One and Thing Two's dressers and closets Sunday and boy was I ever suprised. Those clothes on the bed - they're the clothes that DO NOT FIT either boy. I'm pretty sure half the clothes never even got worn. So, that means Aaron and I have some massive back to school shopping to do. We actually attempted it yesterday but realized that Joey will have to be there to try on jeans. I hate shopping for back to school clothes - and neither boys are fond of trying on clothes in public. There's a whole bunch of comments being shouted out in the change rooms like "why are touching me? why are you taking off my pants? don't touch my underwear?" A bit embarrassing - at least I'm usually not the only mom doing this.