Leilani will be 11 months old on Thursday, and she still hasn't said a word. Not mama or dada or baba. Nothing. Only random vowel and consonant combinations. I know all babies are different and develop at their own pace. I fully understand that. I also fully understand that she is developing at a completely normal rate, both mentally and physically. But that gives no solace in the fact that she's not talking and I WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY DAUGHTER.
I'm so frustrated.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
~Cutie♥Cakes~
In preparation for Leilani's first birthday party, I've been trying out different cupcake recipes in search of one that I really really like and that I think everyone else will like too. But in this crazy preparation, I've discovered that I love baking and decorating cupcakes.
So I've decided to start my own little faux-business called ~Cutie♥Cakes~.
What does that mean? To be 100% honest, it means that I want to bake cupcakes and then take pictures of them and post them on the internet for my own amusement. Then EAT them. That's about it.
However, I will bake cupcakes for any occasion for anyone who asks me to.
The cupcakes that are shown here are just the beginning. They're pretty shabby compared to professional cupcakes. I'm just starting out and just learning the best techniques for decorating. As I progress, things will start looking a little more professional. I hope. At least I'll try to match the decoration and frosting color a little more closely to the flavor!
So I've decided to start my own little faux-business called ~Cutie♥Cakes~.
What does that mean? To be 100% honest, it means that I want to bake cupcakes and then take pictures of them and post them on the internet for my own amusement. Then EAT them. That's about it.
However, I will bake cupcakes for any occasion for anyone who asks me to.
The cupcakes that are shown here are just the beginning. They're pretty shabby compared to professional cupcakes. I'm just starting out and just learning the best techniques for decorating. As I progress, things will start looking a little more professional. I hope. At least I'll try to match the decoration and frosting color a little more closely to the flavor!
~Banana♥Cheesecake~
~Vanilla♥Vanilla~
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Fat Kids... And Their Happy Meals.
McDonald's started selling Happy Meals in the 1970's as a packaged or "bundled" meal marketed towards children. Back then, there were no healthy options like apple wedges or low-fat milk to replace fries or soda, respectively. What you got was either a hamburger or cheeseburger, a small fries, and a small soda... and a toy.
Today, the Happy Meal has options. You can choose between the above mentioned burgers, or chicken nuggets. You can get either fries or apples. You can choose soda, juice, or low-fat milk.
Are all the possible combinations of these new options a healthier alternative to the meal we all got when we were kids? No. The calorie count on most combinations still exceed 400 calories, or 1/3 of a child's daily caloric needs. For a kid eating 3 meals a day, this definitely covers one of them.
Then there's the toy. When I was a young kid, the toy was everything. You bought the Happy Meal to get the toy. This was no secret. I can remember rushing through my Happy Meal to play with the toy. My favorite were the transformers than transformed into different McDonald's products. How lame. Not to mention shameless on McDonald's part. But I still have the toys, if anyone wants to come over and play.
In today's litigious society, a consumer group is giving McDonald's 30 days to "drop a tactic it says undermines the efforts of parents to encourage a healthy diet" or it will sue.
Really?!?
Let me ask you this: If a man drinks a six-pack of Miller Lite, gets into his car and smashes into a tree, do you think he stands a chance of suing Miller-Coors for damages? The answer is NO.
We as a society have to understand that our actions, whether getting fat off of fast food, drunk driving, or anything similar, are OUR responsibility. No one forced that food down our throats or put that bottle to our lips. We chose to do it. It was our CHOICE. Just like it's our choice to never step foot into a McDonald's.
Those who oppose my opinion may say that McDonald's is an evil corporation who specifically markets unhealthy food to children. I don't disagree. They do. There wouldn't be a Happy Meal if they didn't. But you have to ask yourself: Who has a bigger influence on my kids? Me or McDonald's? Anyone who answers with "McDonald's" is an idiot and shouldn't be raising children. Anyone who answers with "Me" has no right to sue McDonald's because you just proved the lawsuit invalid.
And here's some fast food for thought: The consumer group is claiming that the toy in the Happy Meal is duping kids into ordering them. Is that to say kids wouldn't choose to order a Happy Meal if they didn't come with a toy? That's a load of horse shit. Think about the logic: If McDonald's is forced to stop including a toy in their Happy Meals on the grounds that it influences kids to choose to eat a Happy Meal, what's the alternative? What I mean is if kids won't order a Happy Meal because it no longer comes with a toy, what will they order instead? Most likely, a value meal. Those have 2 or 3 times as many calories as a Happy Meal. Congratulations consumer group, Happy Meals aren't making kids fat anymore!
The moral of this ridiculous story is: If you take responsibility and teach your kids healthy eating habits and limit the amount of fast food they consume, you will have smarter, healthier kids. If you allow fast food to be a staple in your kids diet, you will have fat, lethargic kids. It's your choice. Just like walking into a McDonald's is your choice.
Today, the Happy Meal has options. You can choose between the above mentioned burgers, or chicken nuggets. You can get either fries or apples. You can choose soda, juice, or low-fat milk.
Are all the possible combinations of these new options a healthier alternative to the meal we all got when we were kids? No. The calorie count on most combinations still exceed 400 calories, or 1/3 of a child's daily caloric needs. For a kid eating 3 meals a day, this definitely covers one of them.
Then there's the toy. When I was a young kid, the toy was everything. You bought the Happy Meal to get the toy. This was no secret. I can remember rushing through my Happy Meal to play with the toy. My favorite were the transformers than transformed into different McDonald's products. How lame. Not to mention shameless on McDonald's part. But I still have the toys, if anyone wants to come over and play.
In today's litigious society, a consumer group is giving McDonald's 30 days to "drop a tactic it says undermines the efforts of parents to encourage a healthy diet" or it will sue.
Really?!?
Let me ask you this: If a man drinks a six-pack of Miller Lite, gets into his car and smashes into a tree, do you think he stands a chance of suing Miller-Coors for damages? The answer is NO.
Those who oppose my opinion may say that McDonald's is an evil corporation who specifically markets unhealthy food to children. I don't disagree. They do. There wouldn't be a Happy Meal if they didn't. But you have to ask yourself: Who has a bigger influence on my kids? Me or McDonald's? Anyone who answers with "McDonald's" is an idiot and shouldn't be raising children. Anyone who answers with "Me" has no right to sue McDonald's because you just proved the lawsuit invalid.
And here's some fast food for thought: The consumer group is claiming that the toy in the Happy Meal is duping kids into ordering them. Is that to say kids wouldn't choose to order a Happy Meal if they didn't come with a toy? That's a load of horse shit. Think about the logic: If McDonald's is forced to stop including a toy in their Happy Meals on the grounds that it influences kids to choose to eat a Happy Meal, what's the alternative? What I mean is if kids won't order a Happy Meal because it no longer comes with a toy, what will they order instead? Most likely, a value meal. Those have 2 or 3 times as many calories as a Happy Meal. Congratulations consumer group, Happy Meals aren't making kids fat anymore!
The moral of this ridiculous story is: If you take responsibility and teach your kids healthy eating habits and limit the amount of fast food they consume, you will have smarter, healthier kids. If you allow fast food to be a staple in your kids diet, you will have fat, lethargic kids. It's your choice. Just like walking into a McDonald's is your choice.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Mike's Birthday
Yesterday we celebrated Mike's 28th birthday. Leilani and I woke him up in the morning with his favorite McDonald's breakfast and a handmade birthday card from Leilani. He then got to do exactly what he wanted: play his video game for a few hours. Then, while Leilani napped, I picked up KFC for lunch. (I know, lots of fast food in one day!) Then I filled up the brand new pool I bought Leilani in hopes that we could all sit outside as a family and enjoy the warm (and dry) weather while she and I played in the water. No such luck. The clouds rolled in and didn't allow the sun to warm the pool water. It was freezing!
For dinner, we went out to Famous Dave's in Brookfield with Mike's mom. The barbecue was great. (But it's hard not to compare it to the barbecue we get down South. which is awesome.) Then we stopped for shakes on the way home.
All in all, it was a nice, yet low key birthday. But that's okay. My gift to Mike is a weekend getaway and tickets to see Aziz Ansari in Minneapolis. So that'll be his "real" birthday celebration. Did I mention that Mike's mom will be watching Leilani while we're gone? Two whole nights without her. Part of me is going to be heartbroken without her. The other part, the much much smaller part, will enjoy the weekend of tranquility. To top of the weekend, Sunday is Father's Day, so we'll have to plan a little something when we get back to Milwaukee.
What a busy and fun few days... all circulating around Mike. Who I love beyond words!
For dinner, we went out to Famous Dave's in Brookfield with Mike's mom. The barbecue was great. (But it's hard not to compare it to the barbecue we get down South. which is awesome.) Then we stopped for shakes on the way home.
All in all, it was a nice, yet low key birthday. But that's okay. My gift to Mike is a weekend getaway and tickets to see Aziz Ansari in Minneapolis. So that'll be his "real" birthday celebration. Did I mention that Mike's mom will be watching Leilani while we're gone? Two whole nights without her. Part of me is going to be heartbroken without her. The other part, the much much smaller part, will enjoy the weekend of tranquility. To top of the weekend, Sunday is Father's Day, so we'll have to plan a little something when we get back to Milwaukee.
What a busy and fun few days... all circulating around Mike. Who I love beyond words!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Cupcakes!
I'm a crazy perfectionist when it comes to certain things. Mostly, I over-plan everything. That includes get-togethers.
For Leilani's first birthday, I'm planning on having a luau. Partly because I'm from Hawaii and it's the traditional thing to do for a first birthday. Partly because her name is Leilani and it seemed fitting. And partly because it's a super easy theme to pull off.
In my psychotic planning of this luau, I've already begun to test flavors of cupcakes to serve. That's right, just like you taste test wedding cake, I'm doing the same thing for the cupcakes I'm going to serve at Leilani's luau.
Today I tried Pineapple cupcakes with vanilla frosting.
They weren't great, so I'll cross that combo off my list. I'll try a new flavor on Monday.
For Leilani's first birthday, I'm planning on having a luau. Partly because I'm from Hawaii and it's the traditional thing to do for a first birthday. Partly because her name is Leilani and it seemed fitting. And partly because it's a super easy theme to pull off.
In my psychotic planning of this luau, I've already begun to test flavors of cupcakes to serve. That's right, just like you taste test wedding cake, I'm doing the same thing for the cupcakes I'm going to serve at Leilani's luau.
Today I tried Pineapple cupcakes with vanilla frosting.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Kind Of A Lull
Since we got back from California, we really haven't been doing much. Mike's back to playing his PS3 all the time, and I spend time finding little crafty things to do. Not every day has to be an adventure, I guess.
Wednesday is Mike's birthday. And tomorrow is Cole's. (Yeah, I acknowledge it.) I'm looking forward to going out to dinner. (For Mike's birthday, not Cole's!) Then this weekend, we are driving up to Minneapolis for a couple of nights, sans baby. It'll be the first time she's been baby-sat overnight. And not just for one night, Grandma's watching her for two nights! It'll be nice to relax and sleep in, and eat out without having to scarf down our food in shifts. But I know we'll both miss her like crazy. And when we get back on Sunday, we'll just go crazy smothering her!
Wednesday is Mike's birthday. And tomorrow is Cole's. (Yeah, I acknowledge it.) I'm looking forward to going out to dinner. (For Mike's birthday, not Cole's!) Then this weekend, we are driving up to Minneapolis for a couple of nights, sans baby. It'll be the first time she's been baby-sat overnight. And not just for one night, Grandma's watching her for two nights! It'll be nice to relax and sleep in, and eat out without having to scarf down our food in shifts. But I know we'll both miss her like crazy. And when we get back on Sunday, we'll just go crazy smothering her!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Facts Of The Situation
Here's the story:
Wife is married to Husband for 12 years. Husband works 2 or 3 jobs to support Wife, who stays home with their 2 kids. Wife admittedly hates housework and does very little. Wife instead spends lots of time on the Internet. Wife befriends Man on the Internet from a far away state. Man is the Brother of Husband's Sister's Boyfriend. Wife asks for divorce from Husband, saying he is mean to her. Husband reluctantly divorces Wife. Three weeks later, Man goes to visit Wife for a week and stays at her house. Wife and Man continue to claim they are just friends. Three more weeks pass by, Wife and Man announce they are in a romantic relationship.
The entire story above is entirely FACT. At no point did I inject any of my personal opinions.
Does this sound sleazy to you too?
This is the story of my ex-sister-in-law. Or the possible future sister-in-law of my boyfriend, Mike!
Apparently, we live in Appalachia.
Wife is married to Husband for 12 years. Husband works 2 or 3 jobs to support Wife, who stays home with their 2 kids. Wife admittedly hates housework and does very little. Wife instead spends lots of time on the Internet. Wife befriends Man on the Internet from a far away state. Man is the Brother of Husband's Sister's Boyfriend. Wife asks for divorce from Husband, saying he is mean to her. Husband reluctantly divorces Wife. Three weeks later, Man goes to visit Wife for a week and stays at her house. Wife and Man continue to claim they are just friends. Three more weeks pass by, Wife and Man announce they are in a romantic relationship.
The entire story above is entirely FACT. At no point did I inject any of my personal opinions.
Does this sound sleazy to you too?
This is the story of my ex-sister-in-law. Or the possible future sister-in-law of my boyfriend, Mike!
Apparently, we live in Appalachia.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Art Project Finished!
Well here it is:
It didn't turn out too bad, I say. I will probably try to redo the whole thing over again with some tweaking, but I'm happy with how this turned out. The picture shown here doesn't really do it justice. There are a lot of details that aren't visible and the coloring is a little off. But in person, I think it looks great. It measures 8.5" x 30".
It didn't turn out too bad, I say. I will probably try to redo the whole thing over again with some tweaking, but I'm happy with how this turned out. The picture shown here doesn't really do it justice. There are a lot of details that aren't visible and the coloring is a little off. But in person, I think it looks great. It measures 8.5" x 30".
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Art Project
I'm creating a little piece of art for Leilani's bedroom. It's her name spelled out in Disney Princesses. I know that doesn't sound like it makes any sense, but if you look at the pictures, you'll understand. It's nothing big, but I think it'll be really cute if I can execute it right.
Obviously, these are just rough drafts. I made them so I could get an idea of how it may look in the end. It may be hard to see now, but they spell "L E I L A N I". When I'm done, they may look nothing like what they do now... but it's a start. I'm happy so far.
Obviously, these are just rough drafts. I made them so I could get an idea of how it may look in the end. It may be hard to see now, but they spell "L E I L A N I". When I'm done, they may look nothing like what they do now... but it's a start. I'm happy so far.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Vacation
I seem to remember saying that we were going on vacation. Did that actually happen? I wonder because I recall a week of nonstop fussiness, being sick, a ton of walking, and a great deal of going, going, going, but no real relaxation. And I thought that was what a vacation was all about.
I am happy to be home. Well at least I was for the first few days. Now the reality of home has sunk in and I'm back to hating it here. There I said it. I hate it here. I don't want to live in Wisconsin anymore and I certainly don't want to live in this house anymore. I want to live somewhere that has better weather. And somewhere that I can call a 'home'. I don't care if that someplace is an apartment or house. I just want a place of our own. I want to be able to live in a clean home. I want to have a kitchen that is organized. I want to have all my belongings in one place, not in a storage facility. I want privacy. I want the exterior of my home to look classy and well-kept. I want to be able to leave to go to the store or where ever without worrying about other people's car in the driveway. I want to be able to put stuff in the garage without someone else, who doesn't even live here, moving it around and damaging it.
That vacation is sounding good again.
I am happy to be home. Well at least I was for the first few days. Now the reality of home has sunk in and I'm back to hating it here. There I said it. I hate it here. I don't want to live in Wisconsin anymore and I certainly don't want to live in this house anymore. I want to live somewhere that has better weather. And somewhere that I can call a 'home'. I don't care if that someplace is an apartment or house. I just want a place of our own. I want to be able to live in a clean home. I want to have a kitchen that is organized. I want to have all my belongings in one place, not in a storage facility. I want privacy. I want the exterior of my home to look classy and well-kept. I want to be able to leave to go to the store or where ever without worrying about other people's car in the driveway. I want to be able to put stuff in the garage without someone else, who doesn't even live here, moving it around and damaging it.
That vacation is sounding good again.
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