Toddler Talk

I saw a man yesterday wearing a shirt that said "question everything." Clearly, he does not have a toddler or he would realize how annoying that can be!

Zoe is learning the art of "pretending". Yesterday, she wanted spaghetti but we only had rice so she pretended the rice was spaghetti. Okay, score one for mom on that one. Five minutes later she pretended to be a "grown up" and told me I better drop the attitude or she was going to spank my butt! And earlier today, she kept asking me to pretend to be daddy. I walked around the house, got close to the kitchen and said "oh, we have a room here! Wow, I wonder what happens in there..." I think the humor might have gone slightly over her head.

The best news of the day, though, is that my parents were gracious enough to take Zoe overnight! They are watching her tomorrow since school is closed, and I desperately needed a break and a good night's sleep, so nana and pop to the rescue! Whoo hoo! She was thrilled to death to be going over there, anyway and is apparently in the process of kicking nana's butt at go fish. She knows all the cards already, and can shuffle, thanks to my dad. Chris will have her playing poker by kindergarten! My plans for the night? Season premiere of Big Love and then BED! I am so lame!

Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. - Walt Disney

If I am not able to answer questions..

I feel bad and kind of silly sometimes, because I haven't been able to answer a lot of questions people have been asking me.

There are probably two reasons for this. The first, and most likely, is that I don't know anything more than you do! haha..

The second reason might have something to do with this. I understand that this seems a bit dramatic, but it's a crazy world and always better safe than sorry.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_security

OPSEC Rules:

Don’t discuss future destinations or ports of call!
Don’t discuss future operations / Exercises or missions!
Don’t discuss dates and times of when we will be in port or conducting exercises!
Don’t discuss readiness issues and numbers!
Don’t discuss specific training equipment or lack thereof!
Don’t discuss people’s names and billets, Regiments in conjunction with operations!
Don’t speculate about future operations!
Don’t spread rumors about operations!
Don’t assume the enemy is not trying to collect information!

Don't discuss Security Procedures, movements, or arms.

BE AWARE!

Be smart, use your head, and always think OPSEC when using email or phone!

And be sure that you realize that information can be put together.. if you leak a bit here and a bit there, it doesn't take much to put it together for the whole pcture- and there are those out there with nothing but that goal in mind..

Amazing website.

http://www.etsy.com/

Very awesome homemade craft website.

Container Gardening

So my next adventure will be this..

http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Container-Garden-Fresh-Spaces/dp/1856752208/ref=pd_sim_b_2

container gardening. I have realized that a ridiculously high percentage of my grocery budget comes from fresh produce. I have managed to sub in beans and eliminate a lot of meats, but I just don't want to increase our consumption of overpackaged and overprocessed foods.

My mom always had good luck with tomatoes while I was growing up, but I don't have that kind of space. Any recommendations or assistance?

As if I didn't hate McDonald's enough already...

They had to come out with a stupid commerical that shows a little girl who won't eat her last chicken nugget...because she is saving it for her mom, who just then shows up in uniform home from deployment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OhPPYB5JKk

Please, pretty please, stop exploiting these situations for ridiculous commercial gain. It's absolutely insulting.

And Christopher, if Zoe hands you a chicken nugget upon your return, you have permission to stick it in my nostril or something.

My very first crafting injury!!!

So dabbling in something officially becomes a hobby when you suffer an injury in its name. I decided on this rule today. Having said this, I am not an official crafter. I got my very first crafting injury today, an extremely nasty looking blister from a hot glue gun. I was making this lovely Valentine's Day wreath for our door.

While I was busy maiming myself in the name of art, Zoe was going to town churning out scrap book pages. She literally made every single thing you see in these pictures. And when she was done, she took a roll from the paper towels I was about to throw out, grabbed a few sprigs of fake flowers, put some stickers on the cardboard and declared it a vase of flowers for her daddy! So cute, and I have no idea where she got the creative genius from.

We also went to a really awesome park we just discovered and had a picnic for lunch. She got to play and then I threw her in the stroller so I could walk around the lake and get some exercise. They have an awesome trail, and it's open until 10 pm. I am so excited!

We had spaghetti for dinner (I even snuck in a bag of peas!). All in all, I kind of feel like a real mom today! I had a really great day with her.

Off to finish a few homework posts and pack some lunches! Hope everyone is well.