Heather learns to run
This is kind of a huge deal for me, as a lifetime non-exerciser, because …
- I hate exercise
- I hate feeling sweaty
- I especially hate when my face feels sweaty under my makeup
- (Yes, I put on makeup before a run)
- I only wash my hair once a week
- I spend an hour curling/smoothing my hair once a week
- My hair frizzes up instantly in the rain
- I don’t like ruining my hair before the week is up
- Did I mention I hate sweating?
- I like running in the nearby trailer park, because it’s a nice round paved loop
- I don’t like running on the main roads, because I think I look nerdy when I run, and I feel like people driving by are probably making fun of me
- I like running in the nearby wooded paths, except I constantly look over my shoulder for deer and/or rapists, and I will probably fall on a root or stump or something
- I don’t like running up the hills in the woods, because hills are hard (duh), although it was nice that there wasn’t anyone there to see me panting (except possibly the rapists who were lurking in the woods … who were also possibly panting?)
- I like running in the junior high parking lot, except then a deer got in my way and I had to change my course (we have a lot of deer around here, hey-yooo Canada)
- I need to invent a special running hat (hat? jacket?) that protects hair from frizzing 100%
Five insignificant things that are frustrating me right now
- Darling Husband’s shiftwork. I know there are times when it’s a good thing, but depending on what schedule he’s on, it can be a real bitch. On his current rotation, he leaves in the middle of the night, so the kids and I are on our own all morning. He comes home exactly when I need to begin my workday, so I don’t get to see him all afternoon. When he pops into my office to chat, I have to cut him off because … *gestures wildly* Deadlines! Too much work work! Aughh! … and then I feel badly. I come up just in time for dinner, we eat, I often have to go BACK to work, and then when I come back up, he has to go to bed. I put the kids to bed, and … wait, where’s the part where I see him? I miss him.
- Finances. I wonder sometimes if we are very broke, but then it always seems relative to how OTHER PEOPLE (i.e. friends) are doing. I think we are definitely on the broke end of things, which is pretty much a habit by now. I’m really OK with living frugally, and watching what we spend, but occasionally it bugs me. I feel like I wear nothing but ancient jeans and T-shirts, and sometimes I have urges to drive to the city’s nice malls and buy all of the things. (Like I used to before we had kids! Zing!) Buying stuff is amazing. I’m not going to pretend it isn’t. But there is a pride (pride? something?) in being a big girl and not spending money, too, I guess.
- Running. I have been attempting to learn to run (as my Instagram followers can see/mock) and it was going well, and then the weather decided to be all pouring, all the time, on my running days. I ran on Sunday in the rain, because it was hair-washing day. But the last two days? I HAVEN’T WANTED TO RUIN MY HAIR WITH RAIN. (#firstworldproblems) I think I may have to try a DVD workout of some kind, so I have options for the really wet days? Or maybe I just need to suck it up and ruin my hair, IDK.
- Ambition. I have this really amazing gig where I work from home, writing, and get paid to do it (uh, not that I don’t totally LOVE YOU GUYS — I write for you for free!). It sounds so simple, and it so isn’t. I have to put out a lot of fires during non-work hours. I have to work during non-work hours. I struggle with taking on the right amount of work, the right kind of work, all at the right time. I feel guilty about working too much, but then I feel like I should be working more. I wonder if there is more out there for me, professionally, but then the next minute I’m wishing I could be a SAHM. I don’t think I could ever truly be a SAHM, because I would turn something into a business, but … it just sounds appealing, sometimes, when you see
how little they have to do, er, how they get naptimes free! (My teacher-friends will be off for the entire summer very soon, so CUE UP THE JEALOUSY — HEATHER’S GOING TO BE OFF THE CHARTS!) - Messes. Two messes in particular. My office is a disaster, and my closet is such a hot mess right now. Remember that time I cleaned it out and organized it? Well, it looks way worse than that original “before” picture. It is a gross wasteland of winter boots and coats, outgrown kiddie clothes, and stuff I should donate — with my vacuum standing up in the middle, heaped with more crap. I WANT to clean it out. I do! But the only “free” time I have is after the kids (and Darling Husband) are in bed, so … hot mess it is!
Remember that time my closet wasn’t disgusting? Yeah, me neither.
Playing with your kids’ toys after they’re sleeping (*Sponsored post*)
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| Meet the Cailco Critters. Mama Bunny and her little babies: a lovely medley of bunnies and puppies, because it is a beautiful example of LOVE KNOWS NO COLOURS/SHAPES/BREEDS or something like that. |
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| Mama Bunny runs a successful ice cream business. She haz many customerz. |
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| But woah! What’s this? One day, a van full of Polly Pockets shows up in Calico Critter Land. These girls are maybe dressed a wee bit, uh, flirtatiously. They are fond of wearing blazers with no shirts underneath, and wearing their bathing suits backwards. |
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| Mama Bunny welcomes the Polly Pockets into her home, and they happily take care of the babies while Mama Bunny works in her ice cream truck. |
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| But! The Polly Pockets are shrewd businesswomen themselves, and they decide that Mama Bunny should EXPAND HER ICE CREAM BUSINESS and totally open a DAIRY QUEEN right here in Calico Critter Land. |
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| “Hi! Welcome to Dairy Queen! See my responsible golf shirt? It’s my most capable-looking outfit.” |
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| “We haz Blizzardz, yummmmmmm.” |
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| And so, forevermore, Calico Critter Land was home to lovely independently-owned Dairy Queen.
And they all lived happily ever after. |
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| D and I put the set together while C was napping, and he SQUEALED WITH JOY at each of the teeny tiny ice creams, Blizzard cups, fries, and the itty-bitty hot dog in particular. It is all seriously freaking adorable, you guys. THE TEENY TINY STRAW inside the drink cup is just TOO MUCH OMG. |
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| Miniatures make us happy! (Tiny sundaes, in particular) |
Thank you, miWorld*, for adding a profitable little business to our Calico Critter table. Mama Bunny is hiring new employees left and right, and she’s totally seeing her sights on retirement.
xo
*miWorld provided me with the adorable mini Dairy Queen to review, but I have not been otherwise compensated for this post. I just really like playing with toys.
(Guys, did I mention the French fries come with a TEENY CARDBOARD FRENCH FRY BOX? I know! I know! #omgthecuteness)
Sandwich artist? Dude, I’m a pancake artist …
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| Use fruit!
Adorable bear! I saw something like this on Facebook, and liked it so much I took a screenshot (the poor woman’s Pinterest? For when she’s not on Pinterest at the moment?). It’s just a couple of banana slices and chocolate chips, but MAN, IS IT CUTE! |
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| Put your batter in a ketchup bottle!
I read on Pinterest that you can wash out an old ketchup bottle and use it for pancake batter, and it worked perfectly. I made a Barbie for C, and a horse for D. See that curled tail? KILLS ME. LOVE IT. |
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| (Uh, always, always use the ketchup bottle to make shapes)
I made this “kitty” and this “horsie” without using the ketchup bottle, and you can see that the results, uh, are clearly not as nice. I tried to salvage the lumpy shapes with mini-M&Ms and chocolate chips for eyes — and some syrup whiskers! — but they still looked pretty crappy. |
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| Use cookie cutters!
I used heart-shaped cookie cutters on our pancakes for Valentine’s Day this year. I also poured yogurt into heart-shaped silicone molds and stuck them in the freezer to make heart-shaped yogurt pop things. Heart-shaped EVERYTHING! |
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| Write their name!
I used the ketchup bottle again this time, to spell out part of D’s name. Don’t mind that he’d already eaten part of the “X” when this photo was taken. |
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| Freestyle it!
I got bored of making pancake horses the other day, so I felt a bit daring and decided to make spirals — mostly because I wanted to see how they looked against the black griddle (the answer: amazing). They were a bit tricky to flip, but well worth it. D was fascinated by them. |
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Trust me, making “crafty” pancakes makes the chore of churning out thousands of them MUCH more fun. Now when I do plain old circles, I’m like *yawn, really?*
xo
Kiddie parties, chevron walls, and making mom-friends
When I’m not hanging out around Laptops to Lullabies, wiping kiddie bums, or watching old TV shows on Netflix (Darling Husband and I just started season two of 24 — we’re kinda behind the times), I’m usually working at my “afternoon” job — writing articles, columns, and just about anything else people will let me write.
As featured on …
Heather's Handmade Life 