a post per day, #5: late night TV and a bit about my babies

i always feel like watching a late night TV show somehow justifies staying up later than i should be staying up.

jimmy fallon is clearly my fave, followed closely by james corden. then maybe jimmy kimmel, seth meyers, and then colbert. poor guy. he's a funny dude but his show is kinda snoozeville. which is tough when you're trying to entertain people who are already falling asleep.

is anyone else rewatching downton abbey before the movie comes out this year? bc we totally are and i forgot how much i love it. im glad there are so many seasons. it's a nice slow burn.

i feel like i should jot down some notes about the kids; bea is turning SIX on wednesday so i should document some stuff. im glad i have instagram/fb/timehop to keep me in line or i wouldnt have any memories saved!

Bea
like i said, she is turning 6 this week and i can't believe it. i have been a parent for almost 7 years now. it's insane.

she got into the advanced program at school. not only did she qualify, she tested in the 97th percentile for state and national gifted testing programs. she is brilliant, and it totally shows whenever you have a conversation with her. she has an insane vocabulary that is growing rapidly everyday. which is probably helped by her new obsession with....

HARRY POTTER! we are reading the illustrated versions with her/listening to the jim dale recordings and she is hooked. i am beyond thrilled about this. her activity of choice today was watching the extended version of HP2 (we let her watch them as we finish reading them). we are in the middle of HP3 but she wanted to watch one, and she can't watch the next one til we finish reading, so she opted for watching 2 again. it is a whopping 3 hours long, so after she finished her homework today we put it on and watched til bedtime. as far as the movies go, it is not my favorite one but 3 IS my favorite movie (or maybe 5. or 6. or 7. I DONT KNOW!) so i am dying to finish it so she can watch it. its the most whimsy and magical of the movies for sure so i am excited to watch it with her. oliver loves it too even though he kind of doesn't entirely know what's going on. he loves to say "VOLDEMORT IS A STUPID BAD GUY! I PUNCH AND KILL HIM!!!"
we love harry potter, bottom line. she wants to be hermione for halloween this year. point, me.

she still loves dance and she is getting so good at it. she works hard and loves to practice. she is getting pretty good at tap and rhythm, and her spins in ballet are getting pretty amazing. and her turnout is awesome for a 5/6 year old. i am in love with watching her dance.

she is AMAZING at math. she doesn't care much about reading right now but her math skills are above and beyond. doing her math homework with her is painful because of how much i need to dumb it down. i am so proud of her sharp STEM brain.

she still is crazy spirited but she seems to have things a lot more under control these days and outbursts are becoming fewer and farther between. it's nice to not see her constantly at war with herself. that being said, she has pretty crazy ADHD and has a hard time focusing without guidance. she can't focus long enough to get dressed on her own most days and needs a lot of help focusing and staying on task. i want to find as many ways as we can to help her out without having to medicate her. the doctor says evaluating things after kindergarten is the time to find a good starting point with serious ADHD treatment.

i'm sure there's more but i need to get to oliver before it's time for me to go to sleep. which is like, yesterday.. 😱

oliver
oliver is a delight. is he screaming and crying half the time? sure. but the other half he is a melt-in-your-arms puddle of snuggles. so i'd say it balances out.

his favorite word right now is "stupid" so we are working on that....

he likes to find sticks to turn into magic wands, and always gives you a rhyming spell. typically it is:
abra cadabra, abra cazoo, turn mommy into a POO!!!!" but sometimes he gets creative and throws in a different set of rhyming words.

he loves his preschool teacher and is learning how to get along with other kids. he has tiffs now and then but they are thinning out and he is getting a lot better at controlling his emotions. he's not as big of a hitter now as he was coming into the school year so i am happy about that. he teacher says he is an angel like 90% of the time so it's promising.

he is in SUNBEAMS now!!! i can't believe he is that big. i really don't have a baby anymore. it's kinda sad but it is so fun to watch him grow, i can't get too hung up about it. he is taking to primary like a fish to water. i play piano in primary so i get to observe him and it is a treat. he is so good and well behaved and he enjoys it so much and it's just a joy to watch.

he loves jurassic park, despite never having seen it. his favorite activity of choice is to watch youtube videos of the jurassic park ride at universal studios. he could watch it for hours. no matter how many times i tell him the dinosaurs are robots, he is CONVINCED they are real and has told me he will never go on that ride for that reason. he does love dinosaurs though, and you can find him looking through his dinosaur library books on the reg.

he is a singer. it is adorable. he'll walk around and just sing about whatever he's doing. or he'll sing a song that's stuck in his head. and he always sings to the radio. and he loves to dance. he's got swag. he is very serious about his dancing and always has a stank face when he gets serious about it. he loves to dance to the spiderman soundtrack these days. it's super cute, he is very passionate about his dance moves.

ANYWAY. i'm sure there's more but i really need to go to bed. so. there you have it. a kid update. i love love love love them.

a post per day, #4: nails

*this totally counts as two because i wrote it yesterday and i am posting it today*

i seriously do not even feel like writing today but i want to keep my streak going so im rambling about the first random thing i could think about: my conflict with nail salons.

i thought i'd found my best case scenario nail salon a year or two ago. they give a decent pedicure (my main service of choice) and they were very friendly, the pricing was good, and it didn't seem "seedy". i was about 70% loyal to them. happy enough, but still curious enough to explore.

then several months ago, while going to a new cookie shop in town next to my kids' hair salon, i noticed a new nail place had opened up next door. they were having a grand opening 20% off sale. i got my next pedicure there. it was amazing. the salon was sleek and modern. it was sparkling clean. each utensil used is opened from a fresh new pack of utensils each time, and they use liners in the foot tubs. they mix essential oils and herbs into the creams and exfoliants in little bowls in front of you before they use them. they were friendly. they spoke decent english. it didn't seem crazy expensive, but i splurged anyway because of the sale so i wasn't really paying attention.

got a couple regular manicures after getting some gel nails removed, always pleasant.

got a couple pedicures, always enjoyable. i get deluxe ones so i'm not annoyed about pricing or anything at that point.

but then i got some gel nails the other day and saw the receipt and it was like 37 dollars?! before tip?! i always assume gels are a 25 dollar deal everywhere across the board. they said it was because i chose a color that had pearl shimmer in it. apparently that costs extra...?! and then i double checked, apparently their gel manicures are 30. annoying, but they really do do a better job than anywhere ive ever been and i've never ever had any chipping or peeling. so fine 30 dollars whatever. you're the best.

but then i got another pedicure there, because my last one didn't seem to last super long. and during it, i realized....they don't use graters and slicers for calluses. i was so sidetracked by the lotions and stones and wax, that i didn't realize that they weren't even removing my calluses! just buffing them with foam pumice! i asked if they could use a grater and they said "Utah doesn't let you."

annnnnnnd there is the conflicttttttttttt

utah probably doesn't let you. but every other nail salon does it. because they *shivers* are probably not up to code 😱

but THIS place. this place IS up to code. they are clean and new and fancy. so they do the best they can while maintaining an immaculate atmosphere.

WHAT A CATCH 22!!!!!!!!!!

so now we have an efficiency issue. bc i had to go back to the old place for a pedicure this week. my calluses were out of control and i had to get them done. i immediately was struck by how much dirtier this place was than i remembered! i had to get my gels there too because i needed them done. so now, i have a great pedicure and subpar gels (i can already see them getting ready to peel). or i could go to the other place and have a subpar pedicure (re: calluses. IMPORTANT TO ME IN WINTER!) but really great gels.

OBVIOUSLY i will just have to always get these services separately now (which honestly is what i usually do anyway so whatevs) but it's just really annoying that this amazing new place that i love love love and want to give all my dollars to won't remove my calluses because of some silly state health code. i LOVED getting that ratchet pedicure the other day. getting all those calluses off was so satisfying (i'm gross, say it, i dont care, come at me!). do i want to get all of my pedis there forevermore? noooo. after knowing the luxury of an up to code luxury pedicure im'a wanna do more of those too! but when my feet get crazy wintery and cracked, time to go to the health-code violation den.

a post per day, #3: the bachelor

well i've already failed at posting once per day. but im not giving up! im just gonna pick up.

i've decided this season that i am going to watch the bachelor. for real. all the way through.
i am going to invest.
i am going to care.
i am going to try not to hurl.

i honestly don't really get why it's been so rough in the past; i've just never cared too much and can't get into it at all. which is weird because i LOVE trash television. Bravo is on the top of my most watched networks list. but the bachelor has just never done it for me.

however.

i am digging it.

i stuck it through and now i'm hooked. and i have THOUGHTS. i have been chronicling them in my instagram stories. so if you want real-time, no-filter (with filters!) commentary, check out my stories monday nights while you watch the bachelor. i'll keep them in my highlights. i will be watching and i will be HERE. FOR. IT.

i need to go to bed like right now so here is my lightning list

Demi= big ol' thirsty ho-baby

pageant Hannah= southern faker

caelynn= a lovable tortured soul

elise (is she the older redhead? her. thats who im talking about)= a wise, deep, sage-stress

the other hannah= scared blonde little mermaid

katherine= fat lipped real life blonde jessica rabbit (can i steal you for a sec? just one more time sorry! 5th time's the charm!)

heather= little baby drew barrymore (never been kissed yo)

katie= keeps it REAL

nicole = resident latina AY PAPI

onyeka= thirsty athletic psycho

sydney= aloof dancer spy girl

tracy= googly eyed cougar sensitive fight-picker

there you have it! my bachelor contestant lineup. the party's just beginning yall.

a post per day, #2: Marie Kondo

i have checked out this book form the library a couple times, and have never read it



but then Marie Kondo came out with her netflix show, and now i don't even have to! just kidding i should probably still read it.
but the show has been immensely helpful! it seems that everyone and their mother has watched it and is implementing at least some of it into their lives

so today, we did this:
 


 

we did the kids last week, and ours today; we got rid of 4 trash bags and 3 laundry baskets of clothes!!!!! holy cow!

it won't feel real until the cast offs are out of the house. so i don't really feel the weight shift yet. but hopefully after monday when i can run this stuff to DI, the new tidiness factor will sink in.

last week, i did this:

i have never had a cleaner junk drawer! the kitchen definitely feels better. almost makes me want to cook more! 

and now i am watching an episode of the good place so i am now going to wrap this up. i did 2 days in a row! let's keep it rolling!

a post per day, #1: the ugliest house that i love

on the way to my in-laws' home, we drive by this house every single time:

get a good look at it.
zoom in on it.
scroll over it.
isn't it terrible????



I LOVE IT.
this house is so painfully ugly but i am so intrigued by it, that every time i drive by it i am tempted to just go up to the door and ask to buy it. i love every ugly blonde brick, right down to the overgrown ivy on the brick pillars. the picture hardly does it justice. i wish you could see it in real life.

i kind of hope two things:

1: that it is perfectly preserved in all of it's 70s glory, right down to the sunken living room with shag carpet (i'm guessing/wishing?),

or

2: it is completely redone top to bottom in modern scanda mid-mod style.
i would dream of living in it one day except it is on a highway, so, no.

the next best thing would to have someone build an exact replica. but i don't even know what the inside looks like. i want so badly for this house to go on sale just so i could go inside for a few minutes. and building a replica would make it so much less interesting. huge loss of intrigue.

i'm not gonna gild the lily and try to write an ode to it or anything, that's not the purpose of my post-per-day challenge. i just needed to record my love for this ugly, ugly, house.

does anyone else love hopelessly ugly things? any one thing that is so ugly that you just absolutely love it?

a post a day.

you guys what even is going on here?
i used to write all the time and now i'm lucky if i write every six months!
i was trying to fall asleep last night (which took me forEVER! my mind wouldn't stop racing for whatever reason).
i thought it may be a good exercise to write about something random every day, even if it's just a paragraph. i need to get the juices flowing. i love writing and i feel like my writing-brain is seriously atrophying. i think i'll make a quick list of things to maybe write about in the future for future reference. some are dumb, some are deep.

1. books i've started but never finished and why
2. shows i've started but never finished and why
3. my feelings about cooking
4. my feelings about friendships and the energy worth expending
5. my feelings about having depression amnesia from oliver's newborn days and how it affects me now
6. my dream car and why
7. my dream home and why
8. which location i want to live in and why
9. which place i'd love to visit and why
10. my favorite place i've ever been and why
11. why i love beatrice
12. why i love oliver
13. why i love bradley
14. my favorite TV show and why
15. interesting ways to try and fall asleep and what works
16. favorite book and why
17. least favorite book and why
18. favorite show and why
19. least favorite show and why
20. why i'm done having kids
21. my thoughts about my premature ovarian failure
22. my thoughts on yoga
23. philly
24. new york
25. utah
26. church
27. my favorite and least favorite seasons
28. skiing
29. weight issues, whole30 and what it did to my relationship with food, how i recovered
30. disneyland experiences and tips