Tonight the Bauson Family had an extremely disappointing dinner. We found ourselves in a bind when we realized we had run out of things to make: no proteins, no veggies, no starches...nada - zip - zilch - zero. John took Manny and made a quick dash to the grocery store. Unfortunately, we needed to be a bit frugal - pay day isn't until Wednesday - so John bought what was on sale. And what was on sale just happened to be Safeway's version of shephards pie.

Admittedly, Safeway's shephards pie doesn't sound all that appetizing, but we were working with what we had. It didn't look so bad on the box.


However, what came out of the container was anything less then appealing. It looked NOTHING like it did on the box. When you look at the box you plainly see ground beef with carrots topped with mashed potatoes. What we plated was more like ground beef pate` with cooked cheesy dehydrated potato flakes. It was the consistency of refried beans, and tasted like a salt lick. John added some more vegetables to try and salvage the mess.


Seriously, how can Safeway get away with that? It is TOTAL misrepresentation. The only sane person in our home was Manny. He refused to eat it.

Today I left John at home in a pile of paperwork (getting our bank statements gathered for our accountant-yay taxes!) and took the boys to their Pappy's house (Grandpa).

After lunch we headed to Schollenberger Park to walk around, and take some photos of the boys. It's such a trip to go there with my kids. This is the area where my friends and I would go to when we were in high school to hang out (aka do things we weren't suppose to).

Schollenberger Park consists of protected wetlands. It's a beautiful place during the daytime where you can bird watch, walk your dog, or go for a nice stroll. It's located in the industrial area of Petaluma. The parking lot (where we hung out in high school) is hidden amongst buildings, and located a couple of hundred yards from the main road; completely hidden, and out of eye shot. Which meant no cops could see us. Plus, it's in the middle of nowhere, so there would be nobody to complain about noise levels.

However, our objective today wasn't to get drunk off of cheap beer. The objective was to enjoy the beautiful weather, and try to get some nice photos of the boys. I was hoping that Manny would cooperate and take some photos with Christian, but I was thwarted by his grumpy attitude once again. One of these days I will get a beautiful photo of both of my boys together.

Christian is starting to wean himself. I started him on whole milk a couple of weeks ago. About a week later, he stopped the mid-day session, and this week he has stopped the evening. We are still nursing in the morning, but I'm sure that will stop soon too.

I spent many days cursing this breastfeeding "thing". There were many, many, many times that I almost threw in the towel. But I quit with Manny, and I was determined to succeed with Christian.

My little boy is growing up. He doesn't need me as much as he used to. I know I should be happy that he's gaining his independence, but it's definitely bittersweet. There was something amazing about the fact that I was his one and only food source. My body was designed to keep him nourished. We have been physically connected (first through the pregnancy, and then through breastfeeding) for almost two years now, and it's a bit weird to think that it's coming to an end.

I can't believe I've been breastfeeding for a year. Wow. It was a lot of work, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Manny and Christian were suppose to go in for their well checks this afternoon. I thought their appointment was at 3:30 p.m., so I went for a mommy play date with Jen at 9:00 a.m. (I took the boys, but this get together was more for my benefit then it was for them). I didn't bring my phone because the battery is whacked out and won't hold a charge. I have to keep it plugged into the wall or it won't work.

We got home from Jen's at 11:45 a.m. I started making the boys lunch (PB&J for like the 10th day in a row), and checked my phone as soon as both boys were stuffing their faces full of sandwich. I had 9 messages...WHOA! Yes, most of them were old (like from this past weekend), but there was one from the peds office. I had missed the boys doctors appointment that was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Oops.

I called the office to apologize and reschedule, and was immediately confronted with the bitchy, condescending receptionist. The convo went accordingly:

Me: Hi, I'm so sorry, I missed my boys appointments, I thought they were this afternoon, but I guess they were scheduled for this morning.
bitchy recep: For Manny and Christian?
Me: Yes.
bitchy recep: You know, I called yesterday and left messages of confirmation on BOTH phones.
Me: Yes, I know, but I missed the messages.
bitchy recep: Well, we can reschedule, but they will NOT be seen together.
Me: Ummmm....okay.

(The next couple of minutes consisted of her trying to find days where my doctor could see the boys...separately of course. She also made a big deal because Dr. Jahan will be on vacation for a bit and the boys won't be able to see her for about a month. I guess that's my punishment...at least that's what she made it seem like. And the conversation continues....)

bitchy recep: You DO realize that you will be charged $50 for missing the appointment?
Me: Yes.

And then I hung up. If I could have reached through the phone and bitch slapped her I totally would have. I immediately called John and vented for a good 5 minutes. The conversation ended with me in tears, not because I was sad, but because I was so friggin' pissed off.

John and I have wanted to switch to a closer practice (the peds office is about a 20 minute drive south), and this is the catalyst. I'm going to call my general practitioner (he has a family practice), and see if we can schedule their check-ups with him.

Grrrrrr.

Yesterday I enrolled Manny at Calvary preschool for the fall. I was so happy when my friend Jen told me about the preschool her son attended. I had been researching schools for several weeks, and the most affordable school that I had been able to find was just under $400 for two days a week. I was extremely upset because it didn't look as if we'd be able to afford to send him to school.

Then, I got the information about Calvary from Jen, and it looked like my prayers were answered. Manny would be enrolled in the younger class that meets two days a week (perfect), and it would cost us $225. Amazing!

I met his teacher (Tracey), and she is totally awesome. She described the curriculum, and how they learn. Most of their lessons are taught through play. They do have circle time where they discuss seasons, numbers, letters, etc. She warned me that their philosophy is for the kids to "get in, and get dirty". They want their students to try anything and everything without fear (which apparently scares some parents, but I think it's fabulous).

Manny is excited too! He was a little shy with Tracey at first. But she was able to break him out of his shell. When we first walked into the classroom he was immediately drawn to the painting area. He asked if he could paint, and she told him he could. He spent about 15 minutes totally engulfed in his painting. It was so cute.

On the drive home all he could talk about was school. I can't wait for him to start. I think he's really going to love it :)

I've created a shirt design for Easter. It isn't your "typical" easter shirt. It's got more of a modern edge. I hope that you enjoy them! And if you think someone else might enjoy them, pass the link along :)



http://www.cafepress.com/brobots.370338664

Today we celebrated Christian's first birthday. I decided to do a pirate party theme when I was at the Dollar Store preparing for Manny's birthday. While picking up supplies I noticed that they had a bunch of pirate decorations, so that helped me to make my decision.

The day started off a bit late. I had wanted to get to the Hall at 9:00 a.m. because the party started at 11:30 a.m. and I didn't want to rush. However, we didn't get to the Hall until 10:00 a.m...ouch!

On the way to the Hall we picked up his cake from Copenhagen, and it was totally amazing. We had told them that we were having a pirate themed cake, and the baker made the suggestion to actually have the cake shaped in skull and crossbones. The only part that I didn't like was that the cake was a little scary for a first birthday. John was saying that perhaps they didn't know, but HELLO, I asked them to inscribe, "Happy 1st Birthday Christian". It would have been more appropriate for a 7th or 8th birthday, but whatever...it was a masterpiece.

I can't believe my little boy is going to be 1 (officially) tomorrow. This year has gone by extremely fast. I won't say that it has been easy. Christian didn't start sleeping through the night until a couple of weeks ago, but it has definitely been amazing. Who ever would have thought that I would be the proud mother of TWO boys!

Funny things Manny has said in the past 24 hours:

"Mommy, take my peter." -- referring to the computer.

"I don't want to wear pants, I wanna wear a dress." -- we were getting ready for Tita Edna's and Tito Tony's wedding vows renewal ceremony.

He said this at the church:
Manny: "Whose that?" (pointing to Jesus)
John: "That's Jesus."
Manny: "What's he doing?" (wondering why he's nailed to the cross)
John: "That's a good question."

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I've started making some designs for my shirts. They're currently being sold on cafepress.com. I haven't started marketing my website yet b/c I'm not 100% sure about my designs, but if you like 'em, or know someone else who might, then by all means, buy some shirts :)

I've been interested in starting my own clothing business for quite some time. I think there is a HUGE need for stylish, affordable clothing for boys. I remember when I became pregnant with Manny, I was so disappointed in the minuscule selection of clothing for boys. While the girls selection would take up 3/4 of floor space, the boys infant and toddler section would be pushed off to the corner.

Manny is going to be starting preschool in the fall (hopefully), and while he's away, I'm hoping to start my clothing line. It's going to start off small...heat transfered shirts for toddler boys and infants. I would really like to take a silk screening course. I've found a couple of "how to's" on youtube, maybe that's enough.

Of course, with any new business endeavor there's starting costs. The heat transfer machine that I want is just under $300. I'll have to save up some of my own money, and possibly hit up some family members for contributions ;) Then I have to buy the clothing.

I think it's time to get up off of my ass and actually do something about this. I can see it in my minds eye that this could be something great. I would be doing something that I love, and if I could make a couple of bucks in the process then that'd make John happy ;)

Edited to add: I'm working on some designs now, and will be selling these designs through Cafepress.com until I can afford my own press. I'll update with some details later :)

I celebrated my 27th birthday this past Friday, March 13th. However, the "party" didn't truly begin until the following day.

John and I drove to my moms house Friday night. She offered to watch the kiddos while John and I went to Tahoe (for the second weekend in a row...woo hoo!).

After getting a not-so-good nights rest (Christian cried in his sleep most of the night), we woke up bright and early Saturday morning and took off for Squaw Valley. Neither John or myself had ever been to Squaw so we were really looking forward to an awesome day of snowboarding. Unfortunately I totally jacked up my wrist Thursday evening (not sure how, I think I slept on it wrong), so I was worried about how it would affect me. I couldn't do the simplest of things: brush my hair, zip up my jacket, pick up the kids, etc. without it hurting like hell. Luckily my mom let me borrow one of her braces, so my wrist felt a ton better the next morning.

John and I got to Squaw around 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The lifts didn't open until 9:00 a.m., so we thought we'd see if our hotel would let us check in early....and they did!

My mom got us a room at the Olympic Village Inn. It's a super cute motel nestled at the bottom of the mountain, and is walking distance to Squaw Village. The motel was used by athletes during the Olympics in the '60s. It came fully equipped with a kitchen (fully stocked with plates, cups, cookware), and living room with a pullout couch.

After we got settled, we caught the shuttle to the lifts. John had been telling me all morning (and the previous evening) about the "trolley" that would take us up the mountain. He said that it was the largest "trolley" in North America, and he wasn't exaggerating one bit! The thing was HUGE, and it scared the crap out of me.

We got off the trolley and made our way to the beginner slope to warm up. As soon as we stepped outside, a huge gust of wind whipped my face. I felt like I had just stepped into a blizzard, minus the fresh snow. The slope was covered in ice which immediately made me think of my injured wrist. If I fell on this mountain covered in ice, it would hurt like hell. That initial fear ruined my chances of ever having a great run.

On my first attempt down the slope guess what happened? I fell and landed on my wrist...OUCH! I was already defeated. Every time I stood up and tried to coast down the mountain I got scared once I started to pick up speed. I knew that the rest of the day would be a disaster, and as soon as I got to the bottom of the mountain I told John that I was "done". He tried to talk me out of it, but it was a lost cause. The "fear" had already seeped into my bones.

John accompanied me back to the motel. I was a little bummed that my snowboarding excursion ended so abruptly. But to be completely honest, I was looking forward to just relaxing the rest of the day. John hung out with me for about an hour. He took me to 7-Eleven where I stocked up on snacks. We went to the lobby and rented some DVD's, and then he took another shuttle back to the mountain. (Oh, and FYI we were able to sell my lift ticket to someone who was waiting for the half day passes to go on sale.) I passed out on the bed watching television just before John went back to snowboard, and I woke up when he got back to the motel.

Later that evening John took me out to an amazing meal at an Irish Pub. I ordered something called a "boxty". It's essentially a potato pancake stuffed with different assortments. I got the Irish Stew Boxty, and it was delicious. Seriously, whoever thought that stuffing a pancake with beef stew would be delicious, is a genius. John got a corned beef sandwich, and had a horrible run in with some horseradish mayo.

After dinner we got some coffee and walked around Squaw Village. It was a beautifully chilly night. The mountain was lit up for night skiing. Folks were skating on the outdoor skating rink, and people were warming up by the outdoor fire pit. What an amazing night.

There were a couple of things that I learned this weekend: for some reason all of the girls who live in Tahoe and snowboard look like Spicoli, and there are a lot of Aussies living in Tahoe (as well as South Americans). Nothing too profound, just something I noticed ;)

Here are some more photos for you to enjoy!

South Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the winter months. I took so many photos trying to capture its grace, but none were able to do the landscape justice. I'm not sure I believe in God, but something this beautiful had to be touched by divine hands.