a day in the life

I did this once last spring and kinda loved it. So here it is once again in all it's glory. And I apologize for the horrible and sometimes grainy iPhone photos but that's just how it's going to be when one is taking pictures on the hour.

7:30 am: or around there. We alternate which parent gets up with the kids each morning. If we are very lucky we both get to sleep in. Till 7:30. First order of business is to give David his milk NOW and his CHUGGA CHUGGA video on YouTube. Then get coffee for myself. Matt handles breakfast for the kids because he's kind of a modern dad. On this particular day it was Matt's turn to get up with the kids and I slept in till 7:30. It was glorious. After coffee I make all the beds and get the kid's clothes out for the day and then...

8:30 am: I am working out. Elliptical. Treadmill. I pick my poison. These 45 minutes are some of my favorite  minutes of the day. Down in my dungeon. Just me and one of the kid's iPads and some quality television. Revenge. Once Upon a Time. Vampire Diaries. Etc. 

9:30 am: This particular day happened to be a Thursday and on Thursdays I dust and I vacuum. And now that the entire first floor is of the not carpet variety I also Swiffer. 

10:30 am: I am still cleaning. This is a lot more house than my old one. Once we move upstairs I occupy the kids with the ancient art of the VHS in the spare 'oom.  I finally get a shower after being informed that I'm stinky. Showers normally involve one ear out the door listening for any sign of dismemberment. And this room will be painted very soon I just know it.

11:30 am: Now that we are all brushed and dressed for the day it's back downstairs to play prior to the circus that is lunch. 

12:30 pm: This day's lunch wasn't so traumatic. Letty was feeling particularly healthy and had Ramen. David refused all forms of food and chose his milk. It was still all very tiring and necessitated a couch cuddle. 

1:30 pm: David goes down for his nap around 1. Normally this is when Letty gets out all her toys not approved for her brother. Board games. Puzzles. Play doh. Etc. Sometimes if I've had a particularly rough night with someone and her night terrors I can nap and she will rest with her iPad. These are rare gems indeed. This day I started laundry and decided to treat my eyes with a little reading as it has been months since I had the opportunity.  I got to read the part when her horse gets put down and holy moly that was rough. I even shed a tear. 

2:30 pm: Matt makes his own bread. Yes. Add that to the reasons I'm the luckiest. Letty and I took a snack break from our relaxing endeavors and it was deemed good. 

3:30 pm: Why wake up if you are still tired? My daily question. Sometimes David sleeps an hour. Sometimes three. But why the cries? If I had a two hour nap I would wake feeling refreshed (after my coffee). 

4:30 pm: We had one room left that needed some finishing touches, Matt's office. I delegated safely from the floor. 

5:30 pm: My parents came over and my dad installed our new pendant fixture over the kitchen sink. And well it's past 5 so, wine. Also, how very lucky am I to have an electrician for a father? Very that's how much.

6:30 pm: Dinner time! Matt's balls of meat it is. A family favorite made with a sauce recipe handed down through the generations from The Original Letteria to Matt.

7:30 pm: Tubby time complete and we are on the home stretch. Normally after tubby the kids get snacks and a movie. 

8:30 pm: Bed time is usually around 8. Okay it is 8 on the dot and not a moment after unless we have some company over or something. We alternate which parent tucks in the children. We have recently started doing a shared story in Letty's bed and then David gets unceremoniously plopped into his crib. Letty involves more stories, sippies, and veiled "go to sleep immediately or else" threats. Then calm. 

9:30 pm: Wine. And in this case Wolf of Wall Street. Otherwise known as the longest movie ever rented. 

10:30 pm: Snack time on the red carpet. Cheese and pretzels because I'm classy. With the largest knife known to mankind. The movie is still going strong. 

11:30 pm: My heavens this movie is still going on. I will regret it mañana when it is my turn getting up with the kids because you know when it's my turn it'll be 6 am (spoiler alert: it was). 

And that is a typical day. The activities vary a bit depending on the day of the week but we keep ourselves busy. Isn't the life of a stay-at-home mom great?

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If the Olsens' Did The Okanagan

Hi everyone! I am Tabitha and I usually blog over at Wandering Java Lover.  I was so excited when Laurie asked me to guest post for her while they are away enjoying everything magical.  I must admit I am extremely just a bit jealous.   Our love for travel and a slight Disney obsession is just the tip on the mouse's ears of stuff we have in common.  We became fast friends when we found each other through blogging back in the fall.  We text/email/tweet pretty much every day sometimes all at the same time and have learned so much about each other.  I absolutely adore those sweet kids of hers and would love to hug them and squeeze them tight.  You would have to be crazy not to.  Oh and Handy Matty aka Chef Matteo, is there anything his guy can't do?

I wish there wasn't a 3 hour time difference and over 4000 miles between us.  Apparently, that is 40hrs drive time according to Google.  Not that I don't love a good road trip but I think that trip calls for a flight.  Sometimes we talk about meeting up in New York when I finally make it there.  As cool as that would be, it would be amazing to have the Olsen clan here in my town.  After all, it is an amazing summer tourist destination.  So, today I thought I would show you what we would be up to if Olsens did the Okanagan.

Definitely one of the most popular things to do is the float the channel.  We'd be bringing a family size floaty, some tunes and something to sip on as we float the afternoon away.

The river channel connects the two lakes at either end of town.  So we would have our pick of beaches to build castles on with the kids, bbq up some lunch and dip in to cool down.  This is Okanagan Lake and for some reason I don't have any pictures of the other lake.

 Half a block from the beach is Ogo's Ice Cream.  Delicious. What is a beach day with ice cream? Sad, just sad.  Or if we felt like going for a bit  drive we could go out to Tickleberry's Ice Cream.  It's a toss up as to which place has better ice cream but Tickleberry's has a special place in heart.  If you walk in, close your eyes and breathe you will be transported to Disneyland.  It smells exactly like Main Street, USA.

We'll take the kiddies to Loco Landing and have a blast.  There will be mini golf, bumper boats, bouncy things of all kinds, go karts and more.

Of course there would be wine.  I mean, obviously.  Sipping, tasting, touring we would do it all.  I actually live smack dab in the middle of wine country.  The Okanagan is known for it's wines and was recently named #1 Wine Destination in the World. Cool beans.  

We could tour the Sicamous an old paddle wheeler boat on the lake.  Stroll down the street in historic downtown.  Early morning runs along the lake are always a favourite especially if you have a little of last night to burn off.  Hey Laurie, are we feeling adventurous? There's zip lining in a couple different places, parasailing and other water sports.   Day trips to the ski resorts.  Plus, there is always relaxing with family by the pool or around the fire.  Oh, and there will be a Disney movie or two sprinkled in.  You can never see Frozen or Beauty and the Beast too many times.

I think we should hit up the Farmer's market they shut down Main Street for on Saturdays.  Then have the Chef Matteo and Chef Scotty (my husband) turn all that fresh goodness into something amazing! I don't usually make my guests cook but I have been drooling over his recipes and would do to try something out.  Plus, I am a vegetarian and I hear he likes a challenge.

Clearly, I haven't put any thought into this at all, eh? yes I said that "eh" on purpose haha Sounds like a great next vacation to me.  Of course, we could always meet in the middle somewhere on a cruise or better yet a Disney cruise.  I'm not picky.

Thanks so much again to my twinsie for having me on the blog today! I hope you guys are having a blast showing your Disney side.  Can't wait to see the blog posts about it.

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bibs and car bombs - a kerri takeover

Things may look a little funny around these parts today. Because the complete opposite of Laurie has taken over Andiamo. A Cheshire Kat. And I have a fun story for you kids. Want to travel back to 2005? I sure as hell do. This would have been more timely if we posted this last month. But I don't care. I'm going to tell you the story of Laurie's and my first bomb together. Irish car bomb that is. 

You're probably wondering why I remember such an odd event. Well this St. Patrick's Day was a unique one. It fell on a Wednesday (why do I remember that too?) and we decided to skip our second Experimental Psychology class (sorry momma Trovato) of the semester because it was 4 hours long and we had a case of Miller Lite to consume and a party in the dorm to be had. My two neighbors - Sterling and friends and Matteo (aka Laurie's husband) right next to that - would all gather for any random excuse to hang out. Well this fine holiday, not only was I the only one who didn't wear green (this is my life) like a moron, Laurie and I were the only two who had never had an Irish car bomb. Now in case you live under a rock and do not know what this is, it's pretty much the following: Jameson Irish Whiskey floating on top of a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream, which is dumped into half a pint of Guinness and then chugged. Tastes like chocolate milk; very filling. Moving on. 

The real exciting part of the story here is not just that we took (only one) of these shots, but it is the photography you'll see below. And my awful shirt. I hope I burned that. But I'm pretty sure I just donated it to someone at the Salvation Army like the good citizen I am. Make sure you read the captions below too. They really enhance this story. Memories…like the corners of my mind. Now back to Laurie and I playing in Orlando/Disney World.

 

The best couple ever. Laur is gonna love this photo. You're welcome.

The photo bombs in this are exceptional. Not exceptional? That Livestrong band we both had on.

That's Sterling, as I mention above. By the way, I don't recommend cutting your own bangs.

Now onto the car bomb... 

Step 1: Put your shit down and get your bibs ready. For spillage.

Step 2: With hesitation, grab that net (the shot) and catch that beautiful butterfly (the beer). Sterling was a good teacher.

Step 3: Post shot buzz. Bibs helped with spillage. We survived. Toot toot beep beep.

This because: Matt looks tan and we have amazing boobage. Livestrong 4 life. And we're the three best friends that anyone could have.

     

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spring photo shoot

Two posts in one day? Why yes. Because all week I have been staring at these photos taken by the lovely and talented Ashley of Wishbone Photography and I just couldn't wait no moh. 

Can I just print them all for my gallery wall?

Happy Easter everyone!

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