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Things Overheard At The Park

Posted on June 20, 2011 Written by Tonya

20 Things I’ve Overheard (or said repetitively) at the Park:

1. “Please don’t throw sand.”
2. “Be still so I can put sunscreen on you.”
3. “I’m going to have to call you back.”
4. “You need to share.”
5. “I said, ‘no throwing sand!’.”
6. “Stop right where you are, that’s the street!”
7. “Be careful!”
8. “Shake it off, you’re okay.”
9. “Those aren’t your snacks.”

10. “No, we didn’t bring Goldfish, we have Bunnies”.
11. “How many times do I have to ask you to stop throwing sand?”
12. “Sand is not for eating.”

13. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring Goldfish, we have Bunnies.”
14. “Great, did you poop?”
15. “Slides are for going down, not up.”

16. “Wait your turn.”
17. “Say, ‘excuse me’.”

18. “STOP THROWING SAND!! You can get a Time Out anywhere, you know?!”

19. “Someone’s going to need a bath tonight.”

20. “Okay, that’s it! Nap time, let’s go home!”

This post was featured on Natalie’s blog, Mommy of a Monster, in her weekly feature, Monster Likes #24 on Saturday, June 25, 2011.

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Mannequin

Posted on June 15, 2011 Written by Tonya

I loved sneaking up on this encounter.

What a brave boy!

This post is for Wordless Wednesdays and if you want to link up, or see some really beautiful photographs, please visit Alicia at Project Alicia. This week, she is sharing photos of her daughter’s cool new “tattoo”.

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Project Smile – April

Posted on April 30, 2011 Written by Tonya

Don’t count the days, make the days count. ~ Muhammad Ali

It was another month full of many many reasons to smile:

1st – A friend that goes (comes) the distance… literally. Thanks for a lovely play date, Sally.
2nd – Lucas slept in his big boy bed for the first time!
3rd – Family visitors. No, really!
4th – Disneyland fun and a toddler that was on his most excellent behavior.
5th – A relaxing visit to the nail salon with my sister-in-law and nieces.
6th – Lucas turns 22 months… where’s the pause button?
7th – A visit with my dear friend, Suzy who I wish I saw more often.
8th – The sun was out just long enough for some outdoor play.
9th – Pizza. Funny how this favorite ends up on every one of my Project Smile lists!
10th – A nice long walk to clear my head and just breathe.
11th – Legoland – just the two of us.
12th – A couple of hours at the hair salon and a new opportunity!
13th- A sick baby means a day spent in pjs in front of the TV.
14th – Helping out a friend with her children while her husband is away on business.
15th – Mother/son lunch dates, a visit with the Easter Bunny #1 and a slew of new Spring clothes from Gymboree (for once I remembered to use my coupons!!).
16th – A long car ride with a quiet tot. Bliss!
17th – Meeting and riding Thomas the Train followed by an adults only lunch at The Ivy. Thanks, aunt Leah!
18th – Meeting Easter Bunny #2, decorating cookies, an egg hunt and a train ride.
19th – A super productive day that had nothing to do with laundry.
20th – A night out on the town.
21th – I got myself a job (of sorts)! More on this later…
22nd – Bounce house play date in our backyard, 90 minutes on the treadmill, girl’s night out and trying out a new restaurant.
23rd – A toddler-free weekend… lunch with good friends and their babies, a movie in the theater and having the house to myself.
24th – Easter blessings and chocolate yumminess.
25th – Staying in touch with friends from high school and seeing our children play together.
26th – A guest post on Four Plus an Angel that I am very proud of. Thanks, again for having me, Jessica.
27th – Catching up with my husband over margaritas on a date night.
28th – Spending some time alone with my sister.
29th – Housekeepers. Love me the smell of Pine-sol and Windex.
30th – A good old fashioned PB&J with a glass of milk. And no, this wasn’t Lucas’ lunch, it was mine!

What made you happy this month?

To see why I was smiling in March, click here and to link up and share your own month of simple pleasures, please visit Kristi of Live and Love out Loud.

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Project Smile – March

Posted on April 1, 2011 Written by Tonya

Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as to not injure future ones. – Seneca

As usual, March was a topsy turvy month of highs and lows, but I’m grateful for each and every day and love to stop and think about the simple pleasures that bring me joy.

Here’s what had me smiling in March:

1st – I decided that I would like to be paid to write so I submitted a proposal to a couple of online news magazines. After several follow-ups, I have yet to hear anything, but it was a first step and I’m hopeful that something will come my way soon… Stay tuned!
2nd – Lunch with an old friend and an old haunt I used to frequent when I was a working woman.
3rd – Soup Plantation’s grilled cheese bread dippers and creamy tomato soup and sharing them with someone who appreciates them just as much as I do. 🙂
4th – A girl’s night out and discovering jalapeno cucumber margaritas. Yummy!!
5th – A baby shower. There’s nothing like welcoming a new life with pretty little things.
6th – Crayons, Play-Doh, paint, trains, books, bubbles ANYTHING to keep the little guy busy and entertained.
7th – My sister turned 27!
8th – Sitter days…. ah.
9th – Getting in the car and turning on the radio to Dave Matthews. Twice!!
10th – Good news, bad news and more confusion… sometimes it’s what makes the world go round.
11th – Discovering a new kid friendly pizza place.
12th – Five loads of laundry DONE… until the next time.
13th – A visit to LA to celebrate aunt Leah’s birthday.
14th – A very productive day of phone calls, appointment setting and follow ups.
15th – Making it through a lunch without divulging a surprise.
16th – Lucas pushed the kid-sized shopping cart at the super market today and although he nearly plowed over three people and almost knocked over an entire display of potatoes, he loved every minute.
17th – March Madness + friends + cocktails + Blackjack = Winning and 24 hours in Vegas!
18th – 10:00 AM massage appointment.
19th – I attended my first blogging conference, Bloggy Boot Camp. To read all about it, click here.
20th – Being at the finish line waiting for my sister after she ran the LA Marathon.
21st – Exhaustion. Glad that the weekend is OVER and ready to resume the regularly scheduled program.
22nd – Closet cleaning, a nice long walk and sushi.
23rd – A fun day at the petting zoo.
24th – UofA vs. Duke and low and behold, UofA won!!
25th – Housekeeper day. I love me the smell of Pine-sol and Windex.
26th – Date night.
27th – A couple of toddler free hours at the nail salon.
28th – An abrupt ending to music class, which left no one smiling followed by a three hour nap, which was MUCH appreciated.
29th – An overnight visit from Grandpa.
30th – First day of Tootsie Roll class and a visit with friends in town from Idaho.
31st – A shopping trip for me and beautiful 80 degree weather. I believe Spring is in the air!

To see why I was smiling in February, click here and to link up with your own month of simple pleasures, visit Kristi of Live and Love out Loud.

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His & Hers

Posted on February 28, 2011 Written by Tonya

I gather the trash,
He takes it out.

He cooks,
I clean.

I plan date nights,
He books all our travel.

He watches our stocks, fights with our health insurance company and keeps us on budget.
I do the grocery shopping, pediatrician appointments and play dates.

I buy all the wedding, baby, birthday and Christmas presents,
He makes sure our cars are in working order, washed and full of gas.

I do the laundry,
He deals with the dry cleaning.

He records Top Gear,
I record Oprah.

He waters the lawn,
I buy fresh flowers.

I vacuum,
He dusts.

He handles all things electronic or that need assembly.
I buy Lucas’ clothing, books and toys.

He gets up with Lucas at the crack of dawn so that
I can sleep in.

He works six days a week so that
I can push Lucas on swings at the park, visit monkeys at the zoo, listen to story time at the library and ride on carousels.

I am lucky.
He is lucky.

We both raise our son.

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Family Day

Posted on February 8, 2011 Written by Tonya

This post is for Wordless Wednesdays and if you want to link up or see some really beautiful photographs, visit Alicia at A Beautiful Mess. This week, she shares a great find from the Gap. 🙂
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Santa Ana Zoo

Posted on January 17, 2011 Written by Tonya

Today, Lucas and I met my friend Colleen and her son, Jackson at the Santa Ana Zoo, also known as, the home of 50 Monkeys! Lucky for us, monkeys are one of our favorite animals.

We also love elephants and had the pleasure of taking a ride on Miss Becky.
Wouldn’t you know it, the zoo also has a train ride called Zoofari Express for the “choo choo” lover in all of us and a classical carrousel ride made up of endangered animals. Lucas rode the cheetah. Here he is giving the big cat a pat. With temperatures in the low 80’s, it was a hot day but a lot of fun too!

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Perfect Balance

Posted on January 8, 2011 Written by Tonya

New Year’s Eve used to mean buying tickets to the hottest party, scoring an invitation, going all out to have one of our own, or having a nice, long romantic dinner for two followed by drinking like a fish.

This year, we had an 18 month old and had no babysitter, so our New Year’s eve was quiet and spent at a nearby Mexican restaurant. We were home by 7:00.

The salsa and margaritas were free flowing, but one hour is about Lucas’ threshold for dining out.

I was able to capture these cute photos of him with a balloon using my new favorite iPhone app, Mobile Photobooth. However…

If the first week of the 2011, is any indication to what the rest of the year has in store for me and my little family, I’m thrilled!

So far, Lucas and I have been to Pretend City Children’s Musem, explored a new park, went to a friend’s house for a fun play date and have made several successful trips to Target together in an effort to stock and organize our new home.

I’ve worked out four times, had lunch with a friend, a date night with Todd, have seen four awesome movies (The American, Inception, Rabbit Hole and The Town), one was even in the theater and spent a glorious hour in a spa chair!

It’s been the perfect balance of family time, friend time, me time and exploring our new surroundings. What more could I ask for?

This post is for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop: Prompt 2.) If the way you spent your New Year’s Eve is any indication of how the rest of the year will go, how would you say your future is looking right about now?

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Week One

Posted on December 18, 2010 Written by Tonya

In our first week in Orange County we’ve been to Disneyland, the annual Newport Beach Boat Parade and a shopping trip to South Coast Plaza and have managed to settle in to our new home. There are still many boxes to unpack and a garage full of items to organize, but the basics are done.

I was five years old the first time I went to Disneyland in the Summer of 1977. How my parents managed to get this shot without another soul in it is beyond me. Fast forward to 2010 and this is what Sleeping Beauty’s Castle looks like today:Lucas loved his first visit to Disneyland or “the Mickey Mouse park”, as it has come to be known in our house. If you ever get the opportunity to visit during the holiday season, it is really worth it. The Happiest Place on Earth becomes the Merriest Place on Earth with holiday decorations abound and it even snows!

We took Lucas on the It’s a Small World ride and he was bright-eyed and excited the entire time bouncing along to the soundtrack and enjoyed being on the boat, even after waiting in line for 40 minutes.

I was pleasantly surprised that he sat through the entire “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade, which includes all the Disney characters and Santa Claus too, after waiting another 40 minutes. He was mesmerized by the lights and dancers.

Handing us the park map so we can find our way to the “choo choo”.

Way more interested in his Mickey balloon than meeting Minnie.

It was a memorable and magical first of many trips.

Back to unpacking…

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Here Is Your Best Shot

Posted on December 2, 2010 Written by Tonya

With holiday greeting cards starting to arrive in our mailbox, a ‘To Do’ list a mile long, an impending move and having already previously canceled twice, I had to keep my appointment yesterday at Sears to have Lucas’ 18 month/holiday photos taken.

I purposely picked a time mid-morning when he is usually happy and playful, full from breakfast and hours from lunch or his afternoon nap.

Lucas is really into bargaining right now, or rather being bargained with; eat three more bites and you can have a cracker, help Mommy clean up your toys and then you can watch Elmo, first we need to go to the super market and then we will go to the park, etc. I’m building trust so I never let him down. He seems to “get it”, but he is only 18 months old, so I wonder.

After I told him how long it would take and what to expect, I told him we would go for a ride on the choo choo (his current major obsession) after we got his photos taken.

Big mistake!!

It was all he could focus on.

“Choo choo.”

900 times.

It was insane.

I can laugh about it now, but I wanted to ring his neck during the 45 minutes we wasted in the studio.

He wanted nothing to do with the photographer or her fun antics to get him to smile, show some teeth or demonstrate his sparkling personality. Between the two of us, we must have looked like complete fools as we jumped, danced, sang, fake sneezed and peek-a-booed. Lucas was not amused and not cooperating.

Lucas only wanted “choo choo”.

Of the 45 shots the poor woman (a consummate professional with way more patience than me) took, exactly ONE picture came out. And that’s even debatable.The rest looked like mug shots. And I am not kidding.

This will definitely be a photo shoot to remember.

Needless to say, I followed through with my promise and took my son on that god damned train and I’m going to have to go with Plan B for the family holiday card.

Sadly, I don’t have a Plan B.
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