Playdough!

If you've never made your own playdough, I highly recommend it.

Here's a simple recipe:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil

Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the playdough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and kneed in a few drops of the food colouring of your choice.

Have some cheap homemade childish fun!

Give a Two Year Old a Water Gun

Funny thing happened last night, thought I'd share...

I gave Beans a "loaded" water gun and showed her how to use it in the kitchen. I then sent her to the living room to "show daddy". About 5 minutes pass and I don't her much. I go to investigate and what do I find?

Jas has taught Beans to shoot it into her mouth and drink the water! And she looks at me after a couple squirts and joyfully exclaims "delicious!"

The icing on the cake... Jas then proclaims "that and a handful of dog food and she's good to go!"

Guess Who is Two!

That's right. Little Bean just had her 2nd birthday. I've been enjoying two years of the unexpected and beautiful.

She had a great birthday. We had a family corn dog party and I attempted an ice cream cake (a delicious mess). She got a Little People Fairy Tree House, a Safari Set (which she's discovering in the photo), and some cute new clothes. We kept it small - we just had Christmas for crying out loud!

She has also been to her two year check-up. She's still topping the chart in height and weight. She's proportionate, so it isn't anything to be concerned about. She's just big (35.5 inches tall and 30.5 pounds). It was also confirmed she detests the doctor. And the doctor reassured me that her behaviour is perfectly normal for a 2 year old at the doctor.

She's becoming a little person. She is willful (which is just me being a mother and not wanting to day stubborn - she'd put a mule to shame). We're having temper tantrums, but I maintain that I will not negotiate with terrorists. But the majority of the time, she's a happy little munchkin, eating snacks, drinking juice, playing with animals, and giggling like a fool!

It's been another great year and we're looking forward to the next!

A3 [Alpha Cubed]

I have to do some bragging here for a minute. I have a friend that is starting a photography business and she's good! She did some portraits of Beans and a photo for our Christmas cards and I'm in love! She doesn't have her website going quite yet, but she has a blog and you should check it out! And there are photos of Beany Baby!

Posted with permission from A3|Photography

So if you or some one you know is looking for a non-pretentious, competitively priced, and all around awesome photographer, check out A3!

Don't Call Me Punk!

Not sure why this has been bothering me but for some reason it's making my skin crawl.

I was watching a video of the Daily Show when they interviewed Michael Graves. It was an embed on a some site and the comments were nuts. They sent me over the edge. Mr. Graves is a know conservative punk. Several of the people on the aforementioned site were saying that a "conservative punk" is BS like a "liberal redneck."

What?! Really? Wow.

Having lived in the southern US much of my life, this is nuts. I've met many redneck liberals and conservative punks. I have a liberal redneck sister, a conservative punk husband, and I've even got a hippy libertarian father! (Although I have to say I don't think my sister is a redneck, some people might. She's definitely got "southern belle" tendency at least. But for my argument, it works.)

To call some one with their own independent beliefs BS is the antithesis of punk. Now please understand, this is just my opinion. I feel you and everyone is entitled to their own opinions and the expression of them whether I agree with it or not. And that is in my opinion "punk."

I've been "punk" before I knew what it was. How? By doing what I want, believing what I find to be truth, taking responsibility for it, and feeling that others should be free to do the same.

I'm so tired of "punk" being a music genre, a fashion, a trend, a fad. I've found articles on "how to be punk" and many of them start with "fashion." Really? Clothes make your personality? Wait, what? I might need a new wardrobe.

"Punk" is a way of life. And not necessarily one lead in opposition to social mores, with rampant drug use, and a mohawk. It's doing what make you happy, not apologizing for it, and taking responsibility for it. It's about being independent in thought and lifestyle.

If for you, listening to loud trendy music, wearing skinny jeans, and having emo/scene hair is what makes you happy, that's "punk." If for someone else it's living in a trailer with 7 kids, watching NASCAR makes them happy, that's "punk" too. And if it's being a stay at home mom for me, that's "punk" too. As long as you accept what makes other happy too.

It's not about what you do or how you look or what you believe. It's about doing and believing what makes you happy regardless of what other think. It's not about hurting people, it's about accepting people. Conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, rich, poor, male, female,... what ever!

So yes, you can have be "conservative punk" or a "liberal redneck." And if you don't believe that, then you don't know punk. And if that's "punk", then don't call me punk!