Wordless Wednesday - Galveston Train Museum

Get Used to Wearing Dull Colors (More of Where I've Been When I Wasn't Here)

I happen to know that even though I haven't been posting much recently that a few people still stop by here every now and then to see what I'm up to (or not up to, as the case may be). In Blogsilvania, this is not called being "unpopular". It is called having an "intimate audience" (Hi Mom! Hi Dad!).

And so, for you select few I offer these excuses reasons for my absence:

1) Staph. Always staph. In a contest between writing and laundry, I would always, always choose writing. But being the neurotic mom that I am, I have decided to launder the entire household within an inch of its very life. It doesn't seem to help my boy, but it does make me feel like I'm fighting the good fight. Or, as my husband told my boy -

"Get used to wearing dull colors." 

Did I mention I always wash on the hottest available water these days?

2) Worry. I've taken it up as a full time job. I sent my boy to Israel again, only this time instead of sending him during a war, I sent him with a staph infection. He could have been in perfect health and vacationing at a lake house in Cleveland though. I'd have found just as many things to worry about. I'm a total expert that way. If I could find a way to make an income from worrying, we wouldn't even have to worry about those college scholarship things that take up so much of our time these days.

3) College. Which brings me to college. It is SO much harder to apply than when I went! Luckily I get to see the process in all its glory as my boy tries to forge method from madness.

4) Sammiches and Psych Meds. You know those kids who sit in the car and rarely complain, only asking where you're going once you're halfway there? You don't!?!?!? You might enjoy my post Driving Under the Influence. Go ahead! Click on it! It's good for you.

5) Memes. I got a little bit into making these, although I'm generally better at making them than actually posting them:

6) Halloween. Sometimes Facebook shows you stuff and sometimes not. So in case you didn't see my kid as Gymbo from Gymboree:

And that's pretty much it folks! It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Hope you are all well!

Where I've Been When I Wasn't Here

Here's where I've been when I wasn't around here:

Everything you ever needed to know about getting your kid to sleep on TODAY Parenting Team.

Instructions for helping your kid apply to college on Ten to Twenty Parenting

And of course, it's late October so...swimming with a "giant duckling."

And of course, Facebook.  Because where else?

We're okay in Houston. Neighbors are not as okay.

Thank you to all who have asked about us. We are good here  - the bark was definitely worse than the bite in our neighborhood.

Two of our three routes to town are flooded, road closed.  I didn't check the final route, but my partner in crime managed to make it to work so I guess that way must be open.

The golf course:

There was one tree down, but the golfers seemed happy about that.  It turns out to have been blocking a hole:

Last but not least, we saw a lot of turtles wandering around, checking out the flood conditions I suppose.

So, that wasn't at all wordless and it wasn't even Wednesday but...you know...flood.

An InLinkz Link-up

You Know You're a Grown Up When Thanksgiving Means...

Actually, I don't really know what it means to be a grownup on Thanksgiving.  I just know that when I was in my 20's, I thought I had to have certain foods or do certain things.  Otherwise, it just wasn't Thanksgiving.  Now that I'm in my 40's, if I hear Alice's Restaurant and maybe have a slice of dead bird, I'm pretty happy.

But, if the meaning of Thanksgiving is bringing your Jewish Mexican American daughter to a Hindu temple to take pictures for her college photography class and buying a bunch of exotic snacks in the gift shop there, then coming home to care for a sick, miserable, feverish toddler who STILL manages to give heart attacks and wreak havoc, meanwhile making dinner rolls in an under-renovation kitchen while trying to sequester a non-littlerbox-using-cat, I definitely have this whole Thanksgiving thing sewn up.

Meanwhile, I promised that YOU would be the first to know when and if I ever did a sponsored post, so here's the exciting news: I'm going to do a sponsored post!!!!!!!  And my that I mean that my new friend Nicole from Organic Sunshine sent me some of her "It's The Balm" products to review!

They've already passed my all important "I have to be able to pronounce all the ingredients" test!!!!  AND Nicole is going to be getting together a giveaway JUST for people that hang out with me!!!!  So stick with me if you want to know more!

One of these days I'll also be posting a recipe for homemade tortillas, but I couldn't pass up giving a sneak peek.  Because who doesn't love a picture of a toddler using a tortilla as a toy?

Have a great Turkey Day folks!

Love 'Em or Hate 'Em, People are Wonderful. Or Morons. It can be really hard to tell sometimes.

Whether they're visiting a hospital with Ebola and no one bothers to check them for it, or labeling peanut butter with the warning "contains nuts"...you just gotta love people.  They're the best.

I particularly love whoever put up these friendly Halloween decorations a block from an elementary school.

"What's the matter kids?  Standardized testing for five year olds not scary enough?!?  How about a guy with a knife through his head?  Have a nice day at school!"

On the other side of the house, the Zombies have out a barbecue grill and are roasting some kind of human body parts.

The Boonga's two year old take on all the festivities?

Her - "Dassa baaguy" (That's a bad guy)

Me - "Is it scary?"

Her - "Yes"

Me - "Well...some people like to decorate scary for Halloween.  Some people like to decorate scary and some people like to decorate friendly."

Her - "Oh."

Her (sighing) - "Da Happns" (That happens.).

Hope everyone is enjoying that time of year when it is (apparently) socially acceptable to hang bloody people with severed limbs in your yard!!!!!

You Have to Watch Those Impulse Buys

I couldn't help it.  There was a really good sale.  Besides, who doesn't need a bag full of baby?!?

My Dad Once Told Me That Life Was More Than Just a Parade. And it is. But Not on Art Car Parade Day.

For those who don't know where I am plastering things all over the internet these days (since it's obviously not here) it's mostly here: Do Try This At Home.  I don't think you need a Facebook account to see it.

Anyhow, here are baby's bday pictures in case you somehow missed me posting them all over the known social media world:

Her birthday IS on Art Car parade day...depending on what calendar you follow.

Even a birthday at a parade needs a candle in the shape of the birthday number.  

We lucked out!  The Lego / toy car parked RIGHT in front of us and let the kids put toys onto the car!

They didn't even mind if we played with the toys a little before sticking them on!  People who drive cars covered in toys turn out to be very nice people.

Did I mention the car was covered in toys?

Dad gives baby a bird's eye view:

The Lego car eventually had to go on it's merry way and get in the correct order.  Then it was time for BUBBLES!

Here's how to find the birthday girl in a crowd of 300,000:

We're having fun now!

You'd think these pictures would be in some kind of order.  But you'd be wrong.

Making our own mini art cars.

For some reason, brother studied US History throughout.  We'll find out if it was worth it once we get back his exam scores.

It's a car.  No really.

Here's a GREAT idea!  You could "like" my Facebook page.  And yeah, I have Jamberry stuff on there.  And whatever I find that seems worth posting.  But I put up plenty of baby pictures too, and every once in awhile I even still find a funny sign!  So...if you like me (or even if you merely tolerate me), "like" Do Try This At Home! 

Has This Toddler Been Terrorized by Flowers? Find out on News at Eleven!

We got one step ahead of last year and actually took out a camera during bluebonnet season. Unfortunately it didn't go as planned.

What is so incredibly scary about these flowers? Not much at first.

"Mom hardly ever brings me to enjoy wildlife in the middle of the fourth largest city in the United States while we're on our way to school!"

But light was too uneven. So we moved into the shade.

Hmmm...these bluebonnet things are interesting. I can see why they'd be in the running for state flower.

Then we hear loud singing. A happy woman who looks maybe Japanese approaches. She's wearing a surgical mask. But she's happy! Uh oh! Well, we're okay. She hasn't acknowledged our existence yet.

She explains to me in Spanish that the flowers are much better at the other side of the entire park. That's okay, I explain in Spanish. I'm on my way to work and we can't be late!

She nods enthusiastically that she understands, but then for whatever reason decides that my baby is in danger. She explains that I need to remove baby from the flowers. I smile and nod and wait for her to leave. Because NO WAY am I tromping all this way again. Nope.

She gets more insistent.

"BITE!! BITE!!! SHE GET BITE!!!!" I think perhaps she mentions snakes at this point. We're a half foot from the trail where she has just been singing loudly and yelling, mind you.

I keep smiling and nodding, but The Boonga doesn't think this is fun anymore. Especially when the stranger in a surgical mask begins moving flowers away from her legs calling out "BITE!!! BITE!!! SHE GET BITE!!!!"

I get her back for a moment, but only by hiding my cell phone amongst the flowers.

I'm hoping to try again this weekend.