it's not easy being green...

stevie bevie is going to get a kick out of this, but since he decided to call me a poser environmentalist the other i decided i'd try and go back to my hard-core hippie ways just to spite him (okay, and because it makes me feel better about myself)! granted, it's not going to be easy (especially when living with a man whose diet consists mainly of bratwurst, dill pickle chips, and mountain dew). but then again, what better time than now-when we are about to lose an income and incur a small fortune worth of debt courtesy of the U of U law school. what better time to get creative... "reduce, reuse, recyle"... and in what better place than SLC (don't answer that, i know there are many better places-BUT at least SLC has a recycling program, unlike some places).

i started easy venturing to the grocery store and buying all organics and no meat (that's right-i am going back to my veggie ways). i was thrilled to discover that target offers organic everything (almost) at reasonable prices. then,today, msn featured an article (was it meant to be?) on the cost of vegetarianism (in case you don't read the article-it's low)!

i found a few books online about green living and ordered several to get me motivated (used, of course). i plan to check the rest out at the SLC library once i secure my membership. one i'm very excited about is about green home rennovation. another is about being a lazy environmentalist-talks about all the little things we can do that are simple but can have a great impact, like not getting ATM receipts. inspired just by the book's amazon preview, i ordered some cloth shopping bags (only downfall to this is that we won't have plastic baggies for LL3 poop patrol). but never fear, the new yard has room for composting! and a garden!

i haven't really done a whole lot aside from making a list of areas i (we?) can improve, but i already feel better just making the conscious decision to do my part. and i guess the reason i'm sharing this with you, my bloggy friends, is so that i feel more commited (so you can stick it to me if i don't follow through).

for the hippie in you

and hopefully there is a little in all of us:

www.breathingearth.net

a little pick me up

i've been feeling down in the dumps the past few days. i've been thinking 'i could use a change'. changes are hard to come by when you are married with a kid (i'm not regretting either of those things). so, i finally decided, what better pick-me-up than a visit to clint's?

i called him tuesday and he was able to squeeze me in tonight (sorry to season who had to get bumped back an hour!). i went in with the simple goal of a trim and some added layers. i came out a new woman (or twelve year old girl?)!

i've been considering bangs for a little over a year, but have never had the guts to go through with it. in fact, i've never really had the guts to mention this aloud except to a few close friends. well, wouldn't you know it, after about five minutes in the chair clint asked: 'have you ever considered bangs?' yes!

here's the scoop: if clint thinks it will work, it will work. and if clint is the stylist, it WILL work. he's amazing-the only one i trust for major changes (and minor trims). so, here's to clint atwater at metropolitan salon and here's to a new do!

bru ha ha ...

halloween is on it's way!!
are you ready for that special day?

nash is going to be a shark,
hope he's not afraid of the dark!

the time is nearing,
what will your child be wearing?


get my newborn/baby/toddler a costume now!

down with parents {magazine}!

does anyone else subscribe to "parents magazine"? well i do. not by choice-it was a gift. my august issue arrived today and as i sat in bed thumbing through it tonight, i became increasingly aware that i was beginning to hyperventilate. in standard magazine fashion, we start with ads galore, then it's quick into the heavy stuff: autism, germs, dehydration & summer rashes, unsafe drinking water, backyard saftey, trampoline hazards, emergency guide. wait a second! it didn't say anything about this on the cover. the cover listed more enticing topics: "raise a terrific toddler," "nap? snap? helping kids sleep longer," "mommy-cise," and "super, easy baby food recipes." i hope i'm not the only one who was tricked by this. i picked up my magazine tonight hoping to get some great tips and learn a few things about being a mommy, but instead i was smacked in the face with articles designed to turn me into a para-mommy (that's a word i just made up: paranoid mommy).

i don't think any of us are oblivious to the hazards of our surroundings. sure, water can be germ infested. sure, kids can fall off of swings. do they have to spell it all out for us in one issue? why on earth would a parenting magazine want me to live in fear and teach my child to do the same? they must be trying to sell something...unless there are people in this world who are oblivious to this stuff. in which case, they should call it "special parents magazine." i'll tell you this right now: i'm done with it! september is scheduled as my last issue and i will not be renewing my subscription.

and one more thing: if kids never fall off swings, then they never cry so hard and run to mommy for a hug and kiss all better. THAT is something to worry about!

how cool is that? {so cool}

i want to have a party just so i can use these-what a fun idea! the only thing that could be better: if they "snapped" back into place. and then there are the outrageously clever "pick your nose" party cups. anyone have any excuses to have a party in the near future?

lizzythemanager

i think my ability (a.k.a. tolerance) to manage people is dwindling all-too fast. i nearly lost it today. here's why. as you probably know, i manage a call center. the majority of the employees are high-school snots working thier first jobs {ever}. they have no respect and even less work ethic. they come late, leave early, listen to ipods, play gameboys-you name it. if they shouldn't be doing it, then they do it. this summer has been extremely bad, with occurances i never imagined having to deal with.

yesterday, the police came to the call center several times because my employees repeatedly called 911 and then hung up (13 times they claim). it was unintentional at first, but i'm pretty sure it became a game for them after call 5.

i have fired five people for marijuana use. i'm about to fire another for porn {in public}.

we've had csr's who answer their calls only to put the customer or sales rep on hold until they hang up-never saying a thing. i've had others who think it's fun to transfer a call back and forth as if playing "it-tag."

finally, today a csr thought it would be funny to transfer a sales rep to an adult chat line. and to top it all off, after finding that out i came in to find my just-filled-yesterday candy jar nearly empty. that's right, they ate my chocolate.

this means war...

***side note: you may be thinking: "well, liz, maybe you just aren't tough enough. maybe you aren't consistent..." well, don't think that because i am! and lately i have been surprising myself with how firm i can be! it's actually rather entertaining. ripping earpods out of ears, confiscating gameboys, scolding...these kids just don't give a rip and to be honest, i'm not sure how many people are left in the valley to take their places so i can't fire all of them....oh, fall, please come quickly...

grandpa & nash!

i don't think anyone can dispute that nash is my kid! look at this picture of my dad and next to the one of nash! unbelievable. i swear they are almost twins. it's so fun to see resemblences of all the people i love all in one cute little package that is nash. well, i guess not all the people i love-but all the people i love who are also related to us!

"professional" photos

we got nash's pictures done last night. finally. not so good-those photographers think they know what they're doing, but i'll tell you firsthand: they don't. the lady who took our pictures was so unbelievable rude! i wanted to use this bench on the white background (you know-red white & blue...summer...) but she wouldn't let us. she said the red would drown the kids out. but with five kids on a little bench, i hardly think that likely. then she was convinced that rubbing a feather duster on nash's face was just what he needed to make him smile. it only aggravated him and made him itch his ear. so annoying. finally i just gave up and let her do her "magical" thing. and this is what we got. we actually went to get pictures of all the grandkids (click) for grandma's birthday and those turned out about the same par....just okay. we'll have to try another day when we can get a photographer that will let us do what we want with our money!!

grandma peterson {update}

well it turns out that things are looking brighter {although we aren't sure how bright} for grandma peterson! she has been waking up and talking, was able to tell time on the clock, watched television and could see colors, and walked {with help} from her bed to the chair in her hospital room. all these things seem so trivial, but after what she's been through, this is a miracle. the type of stroke she had is very rare, so it's outcome is rather unpredictable. she's surprising everyone. we don't know what this means, but it's giving us hope.

grandma peterson

my grandma didn't wake up today. turns out she had a stroke in her sleep and is now in a coma, of sorts. it's something about the thymus which regulates sleep. her doctor said that he's only had four patients with this type of stroke; two woke up and two didn't. i'm not a glass half full sort of person, so things don't look good. the whole situation really bothers me for reasons beyond her possible death. we didn't grow up near my grandma and if i took a minute to count all the times i've ever seen her, i could probablly do it on my own hands and maybe a few of nash's fingers. so not very often. stevie bevie hasn't met her, and neither has nash. i barely know her. but here's what i do know: she is a great woman. i know this because of my mom. because my mom is a great woman and i know that the things my grandma did for her when she was growing up helped dictate the person my mother is. so, if for no other reason, i love my grandma because she raised my mom. i wish i had had the opportunity to know her better and hope that maybe nash will still have a chance to meet her.