Boo Boo and The Zoo

Last week Boo Boo La La let me take her to the Minnesota Zoo. She said she had really been wanting to go! We picked a day. Dropped our puppy-dawg at daycare. Got Starbucks and our tickets online. Away we go! She even let me take two pictures.

The best part was the talking. We talked about memories of different parts of the zoo, I told her about taking her older siblings, she told me about zoo camp. And other random things you talk about when you take your daughter to the zoo when she is almost eighteen. Next week, lunch!!

I thought better of the idea...

Sometimes I have to take Boo Boo La La to gymnastics because T-Bone has a meeting.

I always think in the morning - we'll be so RUSHED - I will barely have time to get her, get her changed and THEN, what will we do about dinner???

I imagine asking her when I pick her up if she wants Subway or McDonald's.

But then, as I drive toward school after work, I change my mind.

Suddenly I think to myself.

Wait a second - why would it be faster to go to Subway or McDonald's?  Boo Boo can't change into her leotard while we are choosing food or sitting in the drive-thru.

I have fruit and tortillas and peanut butter at home.

Hmmm, I will just get her and run home the eight blocks, she can change while I make a peanut butter roll-up and cut her an apple.

Duh.

My point is, I do have time.  I am not as rushed as I work myself up to be.  I just need to drive and breathe for a second.

Coconuts!

I don't know if you recall the Boo Boo La La Dictionary.  In the Abridged Version we identified that polka dots were in fact actually called coconuts.

You would have been vehemently corrected if you used polka dot.

The only thing we like around here more than Boo Boo La La is to bring you fun things that may make your life easier.

To that end, we look forward to trying out some items from Skinny & Co. very soon.

Body scrub you can spread on your croissant?

Sign us up!

Memories of a Mommy Blogger - FIN

She seriously was upset that we were giving back the Traverse.

She tasted independence in that vehicle - what with the DVD player in the headrest she could actually reach from her car seat.

I liked it too - but I was ready to get back to normal.



Giving Back The Traverse! :( from Lisa Scherber on Vimeo.

Boo Boo is not feeling well today....

My poor baby woke me up about 5:10 am not feeling well.

Her tummy ached, but no fever.

She tossed her cookies, and popcorn, and dinner, anyway.

Now.  She has been sleeping since just before 7am.  It is 9:30 and I was checking my "Facebook Memories" it led me to my post asking for help deciding on her play kitchen for Christmas. 

But you know what it reminded me of?  My sassy girl in this video.


And if that can't make you laugh after getting up too early to deal with vomit...you are dead inside.

Have a great weekend!!!
 

Permafrost

I have a belief that my dear Boo Boo La La is, at her core, permafrost.

I will list the evidence:

1. She was born in January.
2. This morning I asked her to put on the preselected shirt and shorts at 7:16 am.
3. At 7:23 am she was only partially undressed and took a potty break.
4. At 7:28 am when I went downstairs, she was still getting dressed. 
5. It was a TSHIRT AND SHORTS!

permafrost

It is the only explanation for her glacial pace.

#ThowbackThursday works for Blogs too, right? #TBT

I saw this picture and it made me think of Boo Boo!

So you get this old blog post from March 6, 2010 when I was still a fledgling blogger.

***********************************************

Thing one:  I had been noticing a lot of url's that matched the names of the blog vs. .blogspot.com and asked my favorite St. Paul/Chef/Wild Woman blogger Mrs. VonPartypants if she felt this was worth the $10 to GoDaddy.com.  Her final comment in her reply was, "I say go for it- it's only $10 and then at least no one else can have it."

Touche!

I took my url .wordpress.com too, just in case!  And BTW if you like bloggers who dress up, talk about poop, animals, general drunkeness, food and mayhem (not necessarily in that order) and if you are impressed that you can GOOGLE "f***ing awesome chocolate chip cookies" and get the top results linking you back to HER...follow her blog please!

and the cookies?  f***ing awesome!

SO If you have a spare moment and can change the URL that guides you to me it is now...

http://www.mommysnest.com/  Go ahead, I will wait...

That was easy, right?  If you don't do it blogger will still get you here from the old url, they promised!

Thing two:  I had not written a funny story about Boo Boo La La lately...the whole point of this blog is to embarass her when she is twelve...so I am promising now to have some sort of fun story about Boo Boo La La from the recent (or not so recent) past to share each Saturday.  This will be easier since I won't have school anymore starting March 19!

Yeah Mommy will graduate with honors!  Whoo Hooo!

I have a pretty good one today.  If you like fart stories that is....you don't?  Well, you have not been here for the poop stories then, huh?

I remember it like it was Thursday morning, because it was Thursday morning.  Boo Boo and I were ready to leave and I went around the house ensuring lights were off and no dangerous articles were left burning somewhere.  I got back to where Boo Boo was in the dining room and she was leaning against the table and making funny faces...upon seeing me she said,

My butt itches, so I am trying to fart.

Hmm-mmm, farting makes it stop itching?

YES MAMA, you know THAT!  (more faces and butt sticking out)  I can't fart and my butt itches!

Maybe you will fart in the car like Daddy, come on let's go.

Okay, that might work....

Ahhh, yes.  Imagine the joy of a pre-teen Boo Boo when she hears she tried to learn to fart on command to releive butt itchiness.

I would say my work is done here for today.  Have a farty-party weekend!

Candy and The Cankersaur - #Review

I love to read.

I love to find fun stories for my daughter.

I love local.

So, a local artist and author contacted me about reading "Candy and The Cankersaur" with my daughter, Boo Boo La La.

This book is illustrated with fun characters especially 'Cank' the new pet of our heroine Candy.

She teaches him rules and how to be a nice dinosaur - but then...he is gone!

Where, or more importantly HOW, did Cank get lost? 

My daughter loved the plot of this book and has read it several times since we received our advance copy.  The illustrations are bright and fanciful.  I hope you enjoy it as well - or any of the other books by Mr. Sandberg. 

You can check out his website here - http://www.jasonsandberg.com/ebooks.htm

These books are also available on Amazon, iTunes and Nook.

I think "Baby Julia Feeds The Moon" sounds like our next good read.

Hairy Issues

I dread the morning.

Not so much the morning itself. but the time we finally have to get dressed and ready.

The hair-raising hair brushing time.

My poor baby Boo boo La la got my fine follicles. The kind that tangle when a butterfly flits past.

I used to have to brush it. Now that she's older it is a job I leave in her own little hands. And there maybe are no more  breathless sobs, 'You're ki-ling--me-I-can-not-breathe-ah!' , but it still sucks.

She's tried countless brushes. sprays,detangling poos and rinses. None of them 'work' forever. She eventually stares into the mirror saying how she hates this or that.  And her hair.

She has beautiful hair.

This morning, it was the worst. She told me that people say that her hair feels fake (?) and that recently a lady had asked her if she '...ever brushed her hair.'

Could people be more rude?

Don't answer that.

I told her that she should ignore them. They are rude and CRAZY. But, I know that it can hurt.

Just like the brushing.

Backseat Babble

My child is a very grumpy child when it comes to one question.

What would you like for breakfast - blank or blank? 

This morning she decided pancake.  I went to heat one up and *DAMMIT* no whip cream. 

Yes, whip cream. 

Miss Boo Boo La La has decided she no longer wants syrup on ANYTHING but cheesy tortillas and bacon. (I hear the "yuck" from here!)

I call upstairs, "We are out of whip cream, do you still want a pancake?"

"WHATEVER! UGH! I guess I will have cereal!"

"Well, I GUESS you will get it yourself if you cannot be civil.  You have an hour to get yourself breakfast and get ready." 

Hour passes by, we grab all we needed to get through the day and are driving to camp. 

...from the backseat, "Isn't breakfast the most important meal of the day?"

That ship sailed sister.  That ship sailed.

She won't starve though, she has a morning and afternoon snack, plus lunch, in her backpack.

My "not so little" Girl.

Okay children, story time from the big girl has begun...

I watch her at gymnastics, or at daycare, or in groups of children where they gather.

Really, is she that tall?

When did this happen that I could barely carry her because her legs hang down so far?

When did she get so big she can read summer camp descriptions and choose for herself?

Who is this girl who just turned nine?

NINE? How is it nine years since I held her all day long and fed her and changed her and could not bear to be without her?  I would leave for the store and feel my body was not whole if I left her home with daddy.

She is growing up.

She has opinions (I'll say), style, compassion, good friends, and the love of all around her.

And boundless creativity and energy and sometimes a mama can't keep up, but my dear Boo Boo La La - your mama will always give it her best shot.

Enjoy being nine, because your "not so little" but you don't need to be big yet.

Love,

Mommy

We have it pretty good, don't we?

Yesterday morning I was pissed off.

I was pissed off and tearing up all day.

I was mad about a lot of things and was wishing things were better.

Then, I realized how lucky I had been yesterday and today this morning.

Something was wrong with my car. >-<

Something was wrong with my car, but I am lucky enough to have a husband who uses a work van - so each day there is an alternative vehicle I can take to get my daughter to daycare and myself to work.

How lucky am I?

I have a working washing machine to clean my daughter's gymnastics leotard so that she can go to the class we can afford to pay for....even if I forget to wash it until the morning of gymnastics.

How lucky am I?

My family is healthy and all have jobs and a warm home to live in.

How lucky are we?

I have a fantastic group of ladies and gentlemen who attend the meetings for our Parent Teacher Organization at my child's school.  Involvement goes up every year.

How lucky are all of us?

I have friends who take me out and laugh (at me and with me) Cookie exchanges, beers, wine, fun, random card games, tears.

How lucky am I?

I got flowers and cards in the mail at work today because some of the people I work with really appreciate what I do.

That sure is lucky.

I should think about this every day.  My problems are typically First World problems.

Woah is me.  Gloom, despair, agony.

My latte got cold. I got cut off in traffic. Someone forgot to EMAIL ME THAT CONTRACT!

None of it is really that important.

But you are important to me.  So in this season I say to you.

We have it pretty good, don't we?

Happy Holidays,

ML

Sentimental Journey

Some days you see things and you wonder... Where did that little girl go?

Today I saw video from Boo Boo's VERY FIRST SOCCER PRACTICE EVER!


 

Where did that little sweet girl go?

She is still sweet.

But, she is no longer little.

She Plays REAL Soccer!

And then this video popped up!

Apparently this kid has ALWAYS liked Freddie Mercury.



Funny how that works out.

Memories of November 6, 2008

Scene revisited: a bright morning in a small suburb of Minneapolis, mild weather for November 4, 2008, the crowd is lined up in a parking lot waiting for the doors to open - it is just before 7 am. 

Mommy is holding her purse, her child's water bottle, her diet coke, a blankie and the child is absently munching on apple slices from a small ziploc bag. As we zoom in on the small child's cherubic face she begins to speak:

Child: Mommy, why are we standing outside church?
Mommy: So Mommy can go vote.
Child: Boat? Can I boat? I like swim in the lake!

*appropriate giggles from the crowd*

End Scene

*photo courtesy of Faux Martha's July post of our camping trip.

Happy Fourth of July!

If you have spent any time on this blog at all you know that I spend time telling you about this little goofball...

Boo Boo La La is the biggest reason I get up in the morning. She is fun to be around,(most days!)  She is super creative and smart. And she has a FLAIR for fashion.

Who could ever forget the Project Runway Boo?

I could not ask for a better child. I am truly a lucky mommy to have this child. Not because she is smart or funny or a snappy dress-up partner...

She is thoughtful and kind.

She wants to hold and feed her baby cousin, she wants to help friends with their school work, she put on a magic show for the "little kids" at daycare, she thinks about how other people feel. 

Since pre-school every teacher has described her as a "mother hen". 

I want my child to be kind to others no matter what.  

Not naive, just kind. 

Where does that come from?  How did it happen?

And, more importantly, how do I not screw that up?

join the fun

Yeah - I know, I am that mom. The one that let's her kid do things other mom's may frown upon.

So, let us blame my mother - she is the one who started all this business with the markers.

EVIDENCE from November 2008

My child decided she needed some spice to her appearance at Positively Pop Star camp this week. 

And if you need a tutorial - she made one.

I TOLD you the kid wants to be a YouTube star.

Boo Boo wants to be a YouTube Star. She needs a new videographer - not Mom.

My little girl wants to be a YouTube Star.

 She loves watching the "How To" videos on everything from cake decorating to MineCraft.

 She needs a better videographer than mom. And probably a mic attached to her - not just trying to hear her from my phone a parking lot away.

Hail to the Chief - is it that, or The Throne Room Theme Song?

Boo Boo was so EXCITED when I picked her up from daycare after the last day of school yesterday.

 She could barely contain herself saying that she got "The BEST THING EVER" from her teacher Miss. M. It was this award -

She was telling me all about the awards her friends got as well, Helping Hand - Friend to All, etc.  

Then when we got out of the car she held up her's and told me I had to salute her.  

Sure! 

"But, Mama, what song do they play for the President? All I can think of is Star Wars!" 

- Well my dear, let's go. I will find the "President's Song' on YouTube.

And this is what she did.

My little negotiator

Did I ever mention how much Boo Boo loves her stuffed animals?

When asked to bring props to her photo shoot for North Memorial she brought Panda and her iPod.

They seemingly multiply and it does not help that T-bone is good with the Claw.  (He is a regular Sponge Bob Squarepants.) And all of them need to be on the bed! There is barely room for her and then Roofis climbs on top!

So when I had the day off and we were planning NOTHING at all. Just movie watching and such I told Boo Boo it was time to banish all but TWELVE of the fur babies back into her Boon.

This genius thing to hold stuffed animals.

So she brings in this lady - again not named very originally - we call her Wolfie.

Wolfie came from Como Zoo and she has a baby wolf.

Mama? Does Wolfie and the baby count as ONE or two?

One, they came together honey and you don't split a mommy and baby up.

OKAY!







Flash forward - tell me - does this look like TWELVE stuffed animals?

No? Well apparently they are Mommies and their BABIES.

For instance: 

The jumbo cat she stole out of her sister's room that morning and the two smaller cats she already had.

But my favorite was this...

They all came from IKEA so they must be related? Ya Sure, You Betcha!

I am again...outsmarted.

But I was glad to see that Dory and Marlin hooked up and had a pink baby.

I am sad today...

I sneaked into Boo Boo La La' room this morning to wake her up and ask her what the Tooth Fairy brought her.

She pulled out the bag from under her pillow and said,

"I saw someone BIG come into my room and then go back to bed. I am going to tell all my friends that the Tooth Fairy is MOM."

"Honey, I don't know what you are talking about.  I was sleeping.  The Tooth Fairy came."

"Then it was DADDY."

"No, you must be mistaken."

Stomps up out of bed and throws the ziplock at me..."YOU ARE A LIAR! I don't want your money. You keep it - YOU pulled out the tooth anyway."

The morning was shot.

I tried to redirect, but I kept getting "The Glare".

I like it better when I get The Smile.

Maybe she will have a better day at school.

It is "CHEESEY Macaroni & Cheese" day.