playgroupsarenoplaceforchildren

Empty and alone
Fed upon all day, hanging
Waiting to be filled

Silent, unnoticed
So easily forgotten
and left wanting more

Finally we went
to Target…or should I say
Tar-zhay?  Ooh la la.

Goal:  Bathroom cleaner.
Score!  But of course, it happened.
I couldn’t resist.

Cute kids’ clothes!  On sale!
Then a fantastic, cheap purse!
All for fifty bucks.

I told myself going into Target that we weren’t buying ANYTHING except bathroom cleaner.  I steered clear of the Dollar Spot because I knew I’d walk out of there with 25 unnecessary trinkets, yet telling myself, “they’re ONLY a $1, well okay, $2.50.”

I was proud and confident in my only-buying-bathroom-cleaner abilities as I didn’t even make eye contact with the Dollar Spot.

“But really, would it hurt to just look at the clothes?”  I reasoned in my head.  “No.  No it wouldn’t.  I’ll just look.” 

And really, it didn’t HURT so much as slightly bruised.  $50?  Not so bad for bathroom cleaner,

two shirts for Ella to wear next summer,

 

a pretty ugly Thomas shirt for Carson, but who cares!  It was CHEAP.

And a new purse for ME!  $22, yo.  It would’ve have been a crime to leave it behind. Poor wittle purse.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:
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My new love affair
Deep, hot passion for Picnik
It makes me quiver

About forever ago, OH Mommy mentioned something on her blog about this new fandagled photo editing site called Picnik.  I bookmarked the page, but forgot about it until a few weeks ago at BlogHer where I received a card for one year of Picnik Premium. 

“Meh,” I thought to myself, “I’ll check it out sometime.”

After BlogHer, I saw several bloggers (can’t remember who…was it you?) who were giving away Picnik Premium for contests on their blogs.  Then I saw a gorgeous photo of VDog and her Little Man on her blog and she told me she had edited it in Picnik.

So FINALLY after months of the universe trying to speak Picnik language to me, I listened.  We had our first date on Wednesday.

And I fell in love.

We got married and lived happily ever after and made beautiful babies.  Hundreds of them.

[some pictures deleted]

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:
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Thirty minutes, Rach?
Let’s try FIFTY instead, k?
It was still yummy

Last Christmas I received the magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray, as a gift.  Now I realize that there’s a lot of hate in this world directed at Rachael, which if you ask me (and you didn’t but this is my blog so HA!), I think it’s silly.  Sure she’s a little too perky and animated and I swear if she throws salt over her shoulder or says EVOO ONE MORE TIME, I may have to charge my TV and squish her head.  But overall she’s just a seemingly genuine, sweet gal with a few annoying tendencies.

Her magazine freaking rocks, though.  I have made many a recipe from her magazine and they are all SO GREAT.  Last night I made Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup from the 30 minute section of her magazine.

Rachael flat out LIED to me.  It took me fifty minutes, not the promised thirty, to make this dish.  There was lots of poblano pepper blackening, corn tortilla baking, cutting kernels off fresh corn cobs….had I blessed with a sous chef, I could’ve whipped that recipe up no problemo.  But one little person (me) endlessly chopping with three little children running circles around my feet and whining (Tate, Carson, and Ella), made the thirty minute preparation IMPOSSIBLE.

Luckily for Rachael, the Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup was mmm, mmm, mmm delicioso*.  (*phrase courtesy of Dora’s backpack!)  (Swiper no swiping my delicioso soup.)

Now onto my cilantro rant.  There are two types of people in this world, those that like cilantro (Goooo cilantro luvahs!!!) and those who don’t (BOOO!!!)  Frankly, those of you who don’t like cilantro can suck an egg.  I DON’T GET how you cannot enjoy the yummy freshness cilantro adds, especially to a spicy or tomato-ey dish. 

Cilantro fans unite! Rise in protest against our enemies! Let’s put an end to all these weirdo cilantro haters (BOO!).

Sunscreen, chlorine, sweat
Tired from sunshine, splashing
Life’s best recipe

Cherry popsicle
devoured in licks and bites
Mess and stick remain

Checking the crops with
Daddy.  Watching the soybeans
grow along with you 

Dirty feet and hands
Mud, sidewalk chalk,
A full life well-lived

What is your favorite part of summer?

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:
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The Fourth of July
Here’s to beer, brats, fireworks
Watch what you blow up

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:
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3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button above.

Fantasies of this
day have invaded my thoughts
since I learned of it

Priviledge of riding
Thomas, only cost my soul
Carson MUST love it

***

I have such high hopes, hopes that I pray won’t be dashed about our big day of riding a REAL, LIVE Thomas tomorrow when we go to A Day Out With Thomas.  My imagination has conjured up images of Carson’s jubilant response when he gets to see and ride on Thomas.  For years to come, he’ll thank me for enriching his life by taking him to ride on Thomas.  At his wedding, he’ll mention that this ONE day, Day Out With Thomas, helped make him the man that he is and it’s all because his mommy loved him enough to take him. 

Maybe my hopes for the day are a little bit overblown.  A little.  I guess I am sort of worried since everyone I know or have read about has reported less than stellar responses from their Thomas loving tot, whether it be a freak-out session or bored apathy.

But surely that won’t happen to Carson!  He LOVES Thomas, and really any train, truck, tractor, or automobile.  He couldn’t possibly freak out!

Except that he IS a volatile two-and-a-half-year-old who may or may not occasionally exhibit multiple personality disorder unexpectedly.

Hold me.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:
1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). We will delete your link if it doesn’t go to a haiku. If you need help with this, contact Christina or myself. REMEMBER…ONLY sign Mr. Linky if you have a HAIKU POST. Seriously.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button above.