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Here is another collection of random thoughts:

* Joy Luck Club is such a good movie, isn't it? I borrowed it from Netflix and kept it long enough to watch it twice. I'd seen it years ago but wanted to rent it again because it's that good. Has anyone read any other Amy Tan books that you'd recommend?

* I don't pay for meat. Isn't that weird? My Dad works for a well-known chicken manufacturer and we get all the free chicken we want from there. (It's acceptable for him to take it but I don't know if the company has any privacy laws so I'll just refrain from saying the company name for good measure. Let's just say it's the most reputable company in it's industry.) And my MIL shops only at Whole Foods and other upscale markets and she always insists on buying something for us when she shops. So everytime we go to visit, we come home with $50 in fresh fish or top of the line steaks. It didn't occur to me until I had opened the freezer the other day and I thought "Ok, we didn't pay for a dime of all this meat in here." So out of curiosity to see how much money we've saved, I tallied up how much monetary value all this meat had....$110. Not too shabby huh? It kind of balances out the whole "we're plagued by creatures" thing.

* Speaking of creatures, the other night I was sitting in bed with my laptop, had all the windows open. When suddenly I hear this high-pitched, shrill squealing. It was coming from the front windows so I peeked outside and I couldn't see what it was but I assumed it was a cat killing a bird. It was the most wretched sound - all the neighbors were looking out their windows. Erick was due to drive up at any second so I called his cell phone to tell him about it. He said "I'll take care of it." I didn't know what he intended to do. I mean, if a cat is killing a bird, may as well let him finish the job rather then let the poor bird suffer right? (I'd like to take a break here and apologize to all vegetarians and p.e.t.a. activists who are reading my blog today. All this talk of meat eating and birds dying can't be fun for you.) So anyway, Erick pulls up, gets out of the car and walks towards the shrill sound. Suddenly he comes bolting away from it and says "That's not a cat killing a bird! That's two raccoons humping!" LMAO!!! Oops! You know how mean raccoons can be. Good thing he didn't try to interrupt their business.

* Which reminds me of a funny story my sister told me once. Her and my BIL went off-roading (don't worry, I make fun of them for that. They're not helping us escape any WT images with that hobby) and as they were driving down the hillside they saw a mangy dog. Mel felt sorry for this abandoned creature and insisted that Brian get out to rescue it. So he gets out and is trying to lure the dog into the back of his truck. Mel gives Brian a beef jerky bag to tempt the dog to follow him but it just snarling at him in this menacing, dangerous way. Suddenly Brian hops back in and says "That's not a dog! That's a coyote!!" LOL! Mel was about to practically FEED Brian to this wild animal in an attempt to rescue it!

* Which reminds me of one more funny story. Mel and Brian went to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Mel is DEATHLY scared of sharks (I am too so I don't judge). We don't even go in the ocean past our ankles and even then, we're suspicious. So the whole trip Brian is insisting that it's safe, that she won't get bit. To prove how safe it is, he goes out into the ocean when suddenly a DOG chases him into the water and BITES him!! How ironic is that? You go into the water to prove that you won't get eaten by sharks and you end up getting bit by a freaking dog of all things??

Anyway, good times, good times. Special thanks to my husband and BIL for allowing me to use their woes as humorous blog entries.

* Cherry Lemonade tart is a blessed curse. It smells so real that it makes me thirsty for a glass of lemonade. But if I don't have any lemonade then I am left with a terrible, unsatisfied craving. Damn you Yankee Candle. Damn you.

* McKenna is seriously testing her limits lately. Its getting so frustrating. She waits to see if I'll really follow through with my promise to put her in timeout or down for an early nap. And I always do. I don't make empty threats. So I'm not sure why she keeps testing me. So today we've implemented a rewards system. She's a big fan of the wishing well scene in Snow White and loves to throw pennies into wishing wells (any water fountain will do). So I've come up with "The Wishing Jar". Everytime she does something especially good she gets a penny. Everytime she misbehaves she gets one taken away. I make her put the pennies in and take them out so that its a tangible difference to her. When she fills up the jar (which is actually a small caviar dish so it shouldn't take too long) then she can throw all her pennies in the wishing well at the mall and she can also get a treat (to be decided). We'll see how it goes.

* McKenna and Erick both have pretty bad coughs and colds right now. I know McKenna isn't sleeping well so I think that has at least a little to do with her attitude.

* Kyla LOVES solid food. She's been getting rice cereal mixed with pureed apples twice a day. She just gobbles the whole thing up. The first two days she ate it, she would give me this scrunched up face like "Are we serious about this?" But now she just gives me a big grin and squeals whenever it's time to eat. So far, no problems with digesting so we're off to a good start. Our ped. recommends a month of fruits and then start veggies. But I'm reluctant to give her fruits twice a day and then introduce the less desirable veggies a whole month later. So I'm thinking I'll alternate. Apples the first week, sweet potatoes the second, bananas the third, carrots the fourth. I'll wait until next month to introduce any green veggies since I know those can be a higher allergen.

I have a couple of things to share:

I updated McKenna's Art Project folder. February's theme is love and family. The color is purple and the shape is a heart. They had a Valentine's party last Thursday. I had mentioned that it was going to be McKenna's first day at school without diapers. Erick dropped her off and told the teachers. They all made a big deal out of cheering for her and she was happy. I made sure to send an extra pair of clothes for her and then just waited to see which ones she'd be wearing when she came home. Erick went to pick her up and when he got her out of the car, I was thrilled to see she was in her original outfit! I knelt down and cheered and she came running into my arms yelling "I did it! I did it! I went potty by myself!" I was so proud of her!! She did have an accident not even 20 minutes after that. But she hasn't had an accident since then. So I'm considering her "day-time" potty-trained. Every night I ask her if she wants to wear p.a.n.t.i.e.s. or diapers to bed and she still chooses diapers. I figure I'll give her a little more time with that before I encourage her to try it without. Her friend, Audrey (who is our 13-year old neighbor that McKenna bosses around) came over to play and the first thing McKenna told Audrey was "I go potty like a big girl Audrey. I go all by myself!" I thought it was so cute how proud she was.

Wow, I really digressed! LOL! Ok, the other two things I wanted to share are LOs:

Surprise Party

Credits: "Sassy with Style" kit by Jen Wilson & Dawn Stoscill. Champagne doodle by Kim Hill. Staple by Shabby Princess. Paper tear action by Atomic Cupcake. Photo filter action by Photoblast. Fonts are: Century Gothic, AL Sandra, 2peas Brainless, SP Coffee Break.
Journaling: For Mom's 50th birthday, we threw her a surprise party at the Improv! Melanie and I made last minute plans with her to go to the club together, just us three. Melanie faked a traffic jam and said she'd just meet us at the club. Then she called and said she got there earlier than she thought and had already bought our tickets and would meet us inside. So Mom and I showed up at the club and lo and behold, they claim they can't find our tickets! Unbeknownst to Mom, this was all part of the act. While the manager went into the club to find Melanie, she was actually informing our guests AND the entire club that Mom had arrived. Then the manager came out to get us and she brought us to the room. All the lights went on and everyone yelled out "SURPRISE!!" And boy was she!! She was so excited to see not only some of her friends but her mom and sister who came all the way from Vegas just for the occassion. We had a fantastic girls night out with dinner, drinks and three hilarious comedians. And most importantly, we celebrated a woman who is very special to all of us. We love you Mom! Happy Birthday!!!

McKenna's To-Do List

Credits:This is using Gina Miller's fun "Build Your Own Bulletin Board" kit (SBB). I created the border with a pink paper from her "Back to Basics" pack and I also used her "Charmed Alpha". Stitches by Katie Pertiet. Font is Kid's First Print.
Journaling: My To-Do List 1. Wake up by knocking on my own bedroom door and saying "Hey! Knock, knock! It's me, Kenna. Let me out!" 2. Pick at 3 square meals a day. 3. Exercise: Dance like crazy to the “Energy” song. 4. Color or fingerpaint or make sticker art (make sure everyone in the family has a sticker on their belly button). 5. Read a book to sissy 4 times in a row. 6. Practice my whining skills....often. 7. Help Mommy with the dishes. 8. Run and jump onto the bed while Mommy tries to make it. 9 Practice my manners....often. 10. Engage Daddy in a game of "lava monster". 11. Snuggle everyone in my family and demand huggies throughout the day. 12. Make sure we get at least one family hug a day. 13. Steal Mommy's soda when she isn't looking. Then tell her "Thanks for sharing with me." 14. Keep practicing using the potty - gotta earn that treat at the end of the day! 15. Ask five million times if I can "pet a hippo someday?" 16. Make "mean girl" face when Mommy tries to take my picture. 17. Play "squishy squishy" with Kyla-Bo's cheeks. 18. Sing every princess song I know. 19. Make everyone be my audience as I perform my vocal/dance routine to Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World". 20. Amaze Mommy and Daddy throughout the day by saying things they would never expect. 21. Re-enact the dance scene from "Beauty and the Beast" --make Mommy play the role of the Beast. 22. Take a bath and try to be brave about rinsing my hair. 23. Play the "One, two, three, four SPIN" game. 24. Say prayers and read a bedtime story. 25. Ask to look out the window one more time to make sure it's safe. 26. Play the "I love you, I love you, I love you" game. 27. Dream that I am a princess like Sleeping Beauty.

And finally, congratulations to my sister and BIL for officially becoming homeowners this week. They took possession of their beautiful new home on Feb. 10....the day after my precious nephew Lukey turned the big TWO years old! A big week for the Catalano family!! Yay!!