If you insist

I've had several (2) complaints over the past week about the lack of new posts here at MM. Well, our lives have been exceedingly boring, and I haven't been thinking about anything interesting at all, so what...do you want me to be one of those blow-by-blow bloggers who write about the minutia of their daily lives? Who discuss what was had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Actually, If I am going to update, it will have to be minutia, for truly nothing more has happened.
A few minutii (the singular of minutia?):

Owen started first grade. This may not seem mundane to you, but the move to first grade has been taken very much in stride by my first born. His favorite things about 1st grade so far: no naptime, real desks, and his new pal James.

We still have overdue library books. The librarian actually gasped when she tallied our fines. Luckily they can't charge more than $10 to clear your tarnished name.

We freakin' love Blue Bunny Cookie Dough ice cream. So much that we ate (as a 6 person family, mind you) an entire half gallon container in one day. Well...maybe the babysitter had some.

We saw The Dark Knight. And you know how when there's lots of hype about something it never ends up being as good as you hoped it would be? Well Heath Ledger lives up to the hype. I was shocked actually.

Paige strung three words together for the first time, and the phrase she uttered is one of my least favorites: "One more time!"

John perfected his butter/wine/lemon sauce. And we've been eating it on everything.

I'm getting fatter. See entries 3 and 6.

I cleaned the van. Because if you're in carpool line and trash falls out of the car when you open the door, it's way embarrassing.

I've been sewing my ass off. Which is hard because you totally need an ass if you're going to sit at a sewing machine.

Mitch has been prattling on and on all the live long day. Talking without ceasing and actually demanding my full attention as he does so. It's hard. So hard.

So there you have it, a slice of our boring lives and my flatlined mind. I think it's the heat that's made us sluggish. Perhaps I'll have more insightful things to say next time. But I do, after all, have to save some insight for Momformation since they, like, pay me. So if you truly need a fix o' the Mean Mommy, you can always check out what I have to say over there.

Best vacation photo 2008

'Nuff said.

Top ten best beach experiences 2008

In no particular order:

1. Playing "doodle guess" (like Pictionary but simpler and rowdier) with all 4 kids and my mom, who was a very bad sport. Mitch's strategy: scribble on the paper and say "YES!" to the first guess.

2. The tidal pool on the last day (aka the "baby ocean"). Paige was in splish splash heaven.

3. Watching Owen and Mitch driving kiddie go-karts. Owen = old man driver (complete with side swipes of parked cars) Mitch = bad ass teenager (complete with turns on two-wheels). The attendant feared for his life.

4. The filet mignon. Who cares if they were bought on the "sell by" date and lived a long life in my parents' deep freezer. Against all odds, they were freakin' delicious.

5. Owen asking my dad for his change at Dairy Queen after being told he could pick something under $4. He did pick a $2 item after all. The kid just wanted what was coming to him!

6. Owen loosing his first tooth. He was mighty brave about it, so the tooth fairy was generous.

7. My 5-year-old niece's submission to a round of Apples to Apples (such a fun game). The adjective was "haunting." Her card said "kittens."

8. Mitch's refusing to call my brother-in-law anything but "Dave." Not Uncle David, not even just plain David. Just "Dave."

9. The Orange Blossom Bakery vs. Gingerbread House Bakery taste test. Apple fritters went to Orange Blossom. Butterscotch cookies went to Gingerbread House.

10. My mom wearing the kids' hooded fish towel. While having a serious conversation during which no one was able to take her seriously. (She was trying to keep sand out of her ears on a windy day.) I so wish I had a picture.

Totally vaca

If you speak Spanish, you might think my title means, "totally cow."

But no, it's VAY CAY, as in VAY-CAY-tion, as in, I'm so 80's cool I call it "vay cay."

All this to say, I'm away for a week enjoying a week of unpluggedness. Don't miss me too much!