Doing All the Things!

       Recently, I was on a super motiviation high.  I got tons of stuff done, had tons of energy, and was a full-on productive adult.  Today, I am - um - less so.  So, even though I told myself I was going to start writing substantive, useful posts, I am once again reverting to my old favorite:  Pointless, random, disconnected bullets.

• I seriously lost the motivation to even write this post after that first paragraph and skipped off to read all your posts.
• I had the perfect gift idea for MacGvyer for Solstice/Christmas.  I just found out that it doesn't get released until February in the form I want for him.  EF!  Now I'm all scrambling to figure something just as good out.  But at least his Miniversary present is taken care of!
• No, I have NOT finished my holiday shopping.  Hell, I've barely started it.  We all have birthdays leading up until December AND I like to procrastinate.  What?  I perform better under pressure . . .
• Both of my parents (who are thrice seperated/divorced from each other) and my ever entertaining brother, Boo (of What's wrong with Boo Now? fame) will be driving down from MI in my mom's tiny Kia to spend the holidays with us.  My dad will be riding in the back seat with my mom's massive german shepherd, Scully.  It is going to be a hilarious debacle and just another day in the life for my crazy family. 
• Boo has aparently come up with a new drink.  His new drink of choice is Vodka and Pickle Juice.  I am disturbed in so many ways.
• I have put up some posts on my sub-pages lately without copying them to the Cheap Wine and Cookies main page.  Subsequently, very few of you read them, even though they were linked in other posts (not that anyone follows those links - why do we all even bother with them?).  So here's my little plea that you read:
• Plodding Along;
• Sloppy Joes; and
• All the awesome new recipes!
• I finally decided to give in to the tradition that is Elf on the Shelf.  Probably because of Pinterest.  Not that I do anything because of Pinterest *ahem*.  Of course, now that I'm all excited to start seeing where the little bugger can hide in our house, all the stores are sold out of them.  Maybe it's a sign.
• We put our Yule/Solstice/Christmas tree up a day or two after Thanksgiving.  There has been lots of holiday music on the radio.  I'm still not really in the holiday spirit.  I think it's the weather.  As much as I love beach life and Jimmy Buffett, I don't think I'm cut out for the South.
• I have such big plans for my herb garden this year.  I love my veggie garden, but that's really become more MacGyver's territory (surprisingly!).  The herbs, though, are all mine.  I really want to do a whole post about my plans, but then again I really want to do whole posts about 60 million things.  Damn job.
• Since you read Plodding Along like I so nicely asked you to above, you know that I'm on a mission to read more because I've been missing books so much but I just don't have time to read if I ever want to sleep.  I have been reading two books, though, and doing pretty well with them.  So I added two more.  Brilliant, right?  The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell seems very interesting so far, but I just started it and am only 12 pages in. 
• I also started Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong.  It is amazing so far.  I'm actually listening to it on CD in the car (much to Punky's chagrin I'm sure, though she hasn't said anything yet).  I'm so glad to have finally started listening to books in the car, too.  I'm loving it so far.  And this book, I can't even put it into words.  It NEEDS a whole post.  It needs dozens of posts.  I'm only 1/4 of the way through and there are 5 posts I want to write about it.  Seriously EVERYONE - EVERY HUMAN BEING - needs to read this book. 
• MacGyver is also going to listen to the Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life CDs and may also read The Tipping Point with me.  It has been a while since we've read (or listened to) a book together.  I'm excited about it.
• Punky continues to excell at everything, blowing test scores out of the water and being always on honor roll.  I suppose that's good reason to let her recent aversion to peanut butter slide.
• Flintstone is the cutest baby ever, still.  He signs "wash hands" and "change" now in addition to his favorite "bath" letting me know this kid is going to be just as obsessed with being clean as his dad is.  He also learned the sign for "fish" just a couple days ago and listening to him try to say "kitty," which actually comes out sounding like he's hissing at the cat, is super adorable.  I really, really need to do a milestones update post.  You know, with all the other posts . . .



We've called him Monchichi for a long time, but lately I've been calling him my little Monkey because the kid was obsessed with bananas.



And he LOVES to share.  Whether you want any or not.  ;-)  And, yes, he is sitting in his folded up stroller.  His idea.



Lovin' Mama' cookin!



Watching the train set the day we decorated the tree.  Flintstone loves to sign "train" now to get us to turn it on!





Our humane, local, organic Thanksgiving Turkey - because I never got around to doing a Thanksgiving post.



My boys.



Walking with Daddy



This is what I saw the other day when I showed up to breastfeed him at daycare.  Sunbathing like a lizard.  So cute.


• There's so much more to say, but you've all probably all stopped reading by now.  Have a great weekend!  Ours is shaping up to be busy but fun.