Riot and Frolic

How To Do A Box Step

How To Do A Box Step: As Shown By A  3 Year Old

First, you need a good teacher.  Preferably one who's not afraid to roll up their sleeves (or pants, as the case may be) and get down to business.

Second, you need some Post-It notes.  Duh.  

Then you stand on the one marked "1".

Then, you go back (on your right foot, or "that one") to the "2".

Now you step to the side (onto the "3", with your left foot, otherwise known as "the other one").

And put your feet together.  

Next, you step forward with your left foot (onto the "4").

Take a side step with your right foot onto the "1".  Almost there!  

Put your feet together and you're done!

 

You're done!

When you put it all together, it looks like this:

 

 

And of course, you need to bow.  ("It's a curtsy, Mom.  Boys bow.")

 

Since these pictures and videos were taken, she's also learned the progressive change steps and natural (right) turns.  I'm not bragging, I'm merely telling you that 5 minutes of practice a day does wonders for everyone.  Even those with the attention span of a 3 year old.

Now go practice for 5 minutes!

    

Mission: Slightly Possible

My mission, that I have forced myself to accept, is to finish all these projects.  Before Christmas.  

• Sew a button on my pants.  Don't make fun of me.  I'm starting small.  But the button choices, gah!  I could pick the quiet kid who would blend in with all the other buttons (bottom).  Or the one who would play nice, but probably end up smoking in the bathroom (right).  Or the pretty one who would give all the other buttons complexes (left).  

 

Paralyzed by button anxiety

 

• A pair of Quick Change Trousers for Mae Cake, featuring scraps of missions already accomplished.

 

Mae loves the polka dots

 

• A wrap skirt for myself from an old school Simplicity pattern that I hope to make into a reversible wrap skirt WITH pockets.  

This pattern is so pretty! AND it doesn't match ANYTHING I own.

• An apron of me and probably two or three other littler (more little?) ladies.  

OK, I like polka dots, too

 If these projects go anything like my "fun" project of switching out drawer pulls in the ladies' room, I will probably die from an exploding bobbin spool or something else ridiculous.  (Yeah, those 4 drawer pulls took me an hour to put in, a pair of scissors, needlenose pliers, a huge wrench, a regular-sized wrench, and some mineral oil.  What?!)

Jonah Hill. What? You know you love him.

Polish It Up

"Polish" as is...

Source

Not...

polishing wood (twss)

My bestie just bought a house and I'm giving her a little housewarming present.  

Since we're both Polish, I went all traditional and baked her some salt-encrusted bread and prettied up a broom for her.  

freshly painted broom and salty bread

Because tradition is classy.  And cheap.

Besides representing all that is holy and Polish (and therefore, awesome), the gifts have meaning:

Salt- keeping life flavorful 

Bread- that you never go hungry

Broom- to sweep away your troubles

Brooms have a whole bunch of freaky traditions and superstitions to go along with them, like:

• don't take it with you when you move
• don't sweep any thing out without FIRST sweeping something in (what?)
• don't sweep at night (well, obviously)
• also give an apron to a new bride to bring prosperity 

The last one is actually how the dollar dance started.  The newlywed lady would don an apron and
sweep everyone off the floor.  Then, a guest would offer money to dance with her, which she would put in the pocket of her apron.  

And then you'd break a plate and take a shot of vodka.

Or something.

Crazy Polish people.

Represent!

Polish actor Adam Fidusiewicz

Birthday, Cake

The regularly scheduled Foodilicious post (up next: Top 10 Kitchen Tips) is postponed until next week to bring you this important announcement:

Happy Birthday, Mae Cake!

1-05 Free

 

Showing her team colors

 

 

Disneyworld touring in a backpack

 

 

Food and Dad- best day ever

 

 

Likewise

 

 

Sleeping like a man

 

 

Business in the front, party all the time

 

 

Climbing!

 

Princess Aurora is having a fab birthday so far: wearing her princess dress (duh), eating waffles, swimming with America, eating mac 'n' cheese and ice cream outside! it's a picnic!, playing in her new "tree fort", swinging at the playground (higher! higher!), painting her finger nails, and watching Toy Story, and... eating... popcorn, this time.

Hope you have a great #2, crazyface.

 

Buzz Lightyear

 

 

 

 

List of Last Week's Labors of Love

- iPhone app I'm super impressed with: Find My iPhone.  

After shooting photos with Broken Spoke in the afternoon, I noticed that I couldn't find my phone anywhere.  The G told me to use Apple's iCloud to, uh, find my iPhone.  Using my laptop, I saw it was in Rice Park, so I jetted down to search the park in the rainy dark last night.  Armed with The G's phone, I signed in to the Find My iPhone app and told my phone to send a signal.  Out of the darkness, I heard a sonar-type beep and I walked right over to my poor little wet phone (which, laying face down, I would have never found).

Score!

They're a good-looking bunch

- I ordered some new diaper covers for the Zoo.  Three years later, my first batch have become unwaterproof.  Not really helpful.  I decided to try out Thirsties brand diaper covers and they are bomb.  Who-ah.  Bright happy colors, lightweight, yet waterproof (duh, necessary), and one size will last until she's thirteen or something.  Oh, but maybe she'll be potty-trained before that.  Let's cross our fingers.  

- Lululemon?  *drool*  Let's talk about how much I love their stuff.  No, let's not.  I'll just say I could buy their entire store of amazing workout clothes and be entirely happy with every single piece.  Take for example, the headband I just bought.  

I have never ever EVER had an elastic headband that would stay in my hair for more than an hour without slipping off my head.  And that's if I was sitting absolutely still. 

I ran 10.5 miles, climbed all over St. Paul taking pictures, held babies, cooked dinner, and other full contact sports without this headband budging an inch.  NOT ONE INCH!  

It's adjustable and the colors are great. V says I look like a princess in it.  I recommend.

 Yes.  It's a $12 headband.  Yes.  I will buy 7 more.   

- I had a Kate's Day O' Fun on Saturday, which included a stop at JUUT Salon in St. Paul (ask for Liza, she's aaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzing), a shop-through of the fabulous Hot Mama (which ironically doesn't sell maternity clothes anymore), a stop for coffee and adult conversation at Nina's Coffee Cafe, and picking up lots of dirt at ACE Hardware.  It was such a great day!

I got a lot of help at the hardware store. 

Inappropriate dirt shopping attire

Could our kitchen have more food in it right now?  No, it couldn't.

This picture made me laugh all day...

Cup in identity crisis

- a new venture.  A couple weeks ago, I told you about this product.  Well, now I'm distributing it!  I'm pretty sure it's not a scam.  In any case, it's a great-tasting protein drink, and you just can't find those all the time.  

What's new with you?  

He will kick your butt while wearing an owl tee