The End to March Madness

It's hard to make a friendly wager when you share a bank account with your betting partner. Ryan and I solved this dilemma a few years ago during March Madness by putting tasks on the line instead of money. For example in 2010,

Winner  Wager
MK      Ryan to watch a full season of Survivor
Ryan    MK to play at least 2 Ultimate pickup games

Ryan won and though it was VERY uncomfortable for me, I did my duty and fulfilled my end of the bargain. I played my games (while pregnant with Rex I might add!) and happily added Ultimate to my list of things never to do again.

We decided to repeat the tradition in 2011 because we had a great time making brackets and following the tournament to the championship. The offerings the second time around were

Winner  Wager 
MK      Ryan to cook 7 consecutive meals (incl. planning & shopping)
Ryan    MK to paint a watercolor of our family

No big surprise, but Ryan won again. And though I don't mind painting I was intimidated to start such a project. All my supplies were in storage and I was pretty certain that attempting to paint my children might make them look slightly deformed as my watercolor skills are not on the level of my nunchuck skills. The months ticked by and despite gentle reminders from Ryan every now and then, I continued to put it off. I am happy to say, 11 months from the time I lost the bet, my bookie doesn't have to harass me anymore. My picture isn't a work of art, but it captures this stage in our children's life and Ryan really likes it. The great part is, I really had a fun time doing it. I'm grateful for a spouse who loves to see me use my talents and encourages me to stretch myself.

ok, so posting the painting is kinda embarrassing, but I feel it wouldn't be a true post without it

P.S.  This post could have easily been titled "How to Get What You Really Want From your Husband" as both years Ryan surprised me by giving me my "wagers" as gifts later on. For Birthday 2010, he gave me the gift of watching Survivor together, and for Mother's Day 2011 I got a week off of cooking. I loved both.

Why is this Fun?

I can't explain it.  I won't even try.  But I LOVE getting a nice big box dropped on my door step. Not only do I get the surprise inside, but my kids are entertained for hours.  Bonus.

Rapunzel

We've been seeing lots of Rapunzel in our neck of the woods lately.

  Funny though, whenever she shows up, we can't find Jenna.

Nobody Leaves this Place without Singin' the Blues

WARNING: This post will be humorous only to parents.

Today we are on day three of attempt number two to potty train Jenna.  I know you don't want the gritty details, but you can catch my sentiment by the blues riff I composed while the kids were in the tub tonight.  My blog (and pride) won't allow me to perform my piece, but go ahead and take your own artistic license with lots of soul and 'duh nu na nu na's.  Hey, we've all been there.





Potty Trainin' Blues


My baby's potty training, and though she's over two

This game has got me loopy,
I don't know what to do.

We've been sitting by the potty with book and games and songs,
Waiting, watching, waiting
For my girl to get it on.

I got the (baby, baby) Potty Trainin' Blues (baby, baby)
My baby loves her diapers,
But this crutch she's got to lose.

Her dad and me are cleanin' her pants and legs and floor
The dirty towels are mounting,
Too bad they'll soon be more.
 I've been trailing behind my tot watching every shift and fidgit,
But I turned my back; The flood came down
And Rex just now fell in it.

I got the (baby, baby) Potty Trainin' Blues (baby, baby)
My baby loves her diapers,
But this crutch she's got to lose.


P.S. If you caught my reference to Adventures in Babysitting in my post title, you can quench your hankering for the original Babysitting Blues here.  Man, I loved that movie.

Dream Birthday Party

Marielle and I found a fun website from Scholastic that combines silly ideas into unusual story starters.  She dictates, I type, and then laugh together at the funny story we created. I really quite liked today's result. Our prompt was, "Write a birthday party invitation for an awkward game show host who has to save the world." Here's what Marielle came up with:

Want to come?  Given the early hour, we don't mind bed head, but don't come unless you're brave enough to face "Steals Printers Man!"

As you can see from this gem, I'm delegating all future party planning to Marielle.