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Oh my goodness... I thought Spring would NEVER get here.I've suffered from S.A.D. since I moved to M[...]

We spent Spring Break 2009 in Tennessee. We were so excited to go because it's so cold here in Minne[...]

Biscuit has discovered a new hobby of playing with the buttons on the TV - he loves flipping the power on and off, turning the volume up and down and fiddling with all the screen settings. A firm "no" and distraction is not enough to keep him away. Baby stores sell guards for electronics panels but it was just one more thing I didn't want to buy. I figure there's almost always a way to improvise...so here's our workaround: I found one of those el-cheapo, one-piece clear plastic 8x10 photo frames I already had (my mom had given it to me - the kind with a little stand at the bottom). I took out the pic that was in it and slid the frame under the TV, so that the stand section covered the buttons. The TV still works fine with the remote (which I can store out of Biscuit's reach!) Looks like he's stumped...for now! ;)Thanks for subscribing to pudgypencils.blogspot.com!

Biscuit had a rough night last night since he's still feeling yucky from his cold (or whatever it is), so we were both pretty tired this morning; we decided to entertain ourselves at home. We broke out some plastic containers with easy-snap tops and practiced putting lids on. He had fun trying to match the right lid with the right container (and just as much fun putting the wrong lid on, just to see the result!) :D He also liked seeing what would go inside the containers, and dumping them out.Thanks for subscribing to pudgypencils.blogspot.com!

Biscuit's nose is running again today (seems like he clears up for about a week then gets it all over again); he clearly needed another cheer-up activity. So we headed to the sports park for the first time ever this morning.Among the fun things we found to do there were:1. chase a soccer ball and kick it into the net (of course)2. try to crawl through the little holes in the net (no comment)3. see how many abandoned soccer balls we can find (3, I think)4. watch a big tractor haul out and set up the stands (good timing I guess)5. play in the gravel at the parking lot (and by "play" Biscuit means, "See how fast I can shove a rock in my mouth before mommy can stop me.")6. watch a gated field get watered by the sprinkler system7. try to figure out a way to play in the sprinklers (to no avail)8. watch a Dr. Pepper truck go by, hoping it might stop and share (it didn't)9. realize we aren't at the public sports park after all (we're at a private soccer club--oops!)10. Too tired to play outside anymore, we drive back and forth jumping speed bumps at the real park--yippee!!Thanks for subscribing to pudgypencils.blogspot.com!

Well, I have no idea what Biscuit wants to be when he grows up but yesterday he got to pretend he was the president of a big company (our local office supply store)!I'm not sure what he thought of the job, but he really liked that his big cushy leather chair rolled around, and that he could pound on his desk to his heart's content :) As he toured his new office space he actually found a golf club just his size under the desk...go figure. I was hired as his secretary for the day and I will say that he has a VERY busy schedule and can be a challenge to keep up with! He pops in at random departments throughout the building to make sure things are running smoothly. He even tests out the current products on the shelf for quality control! I noticed he has a tendency toward kleptomania, especially with regard to pens (or maybe just wants a promo stash on hand?) Another thing I noticed is he's also really picky about his carpet...he physically inspects it and insists on no fuzzballs (he removes them himself if needed):I wonder if I should pick up the classic job-hunting book, "What Color Is Your Parachute?" from the library for him today? On second thought, if all he can understand is the pictures, his next request may be to go skydiving with me. I'm not sure I'm ready for that adventure yet!Thanks for subscribing to pudgypencils.blogspot.com!

The past few weeks Biscuit has been getting really impatient. Specifically, he cannot bear the idea of waiting for me to finish doing something in the kitchen. For instance, if I have to wash the dishes, warm up milk, make dinner or anything whatsoever in the kitchen, he stands behind the gate and pounds his head on the bar until I'm done. I really needed something special to let him play with to distract him ONLY when I have kitchen responsibilities to attend to - something he might actually look forward to using while I work. He really likes those little wooden play cubes they have at doctor's offices and the library, but they are super expensive. So I decided to try to improvise one out of a plastic storage bin I already had from the dollar store. First we went to Hobby Lobby for a few odds and ends to add to it and I worked on it while Biscuit took his nap. For part of the first side I made a mini-abbicus for learning to count one to five; on the other section of that side I tied on an old shoelace for him to maybe eventually learn to tie his shoes (I colored it with a marker for some visual interest). The next side was inspired by toddler book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar; I made it out of fuzzy bright pompoms strung onto bead wire with chenille-stem antennae so Biscuit can slide the pompoms up and down to make the caterpillar seem bigger or smaller. On the third side I made a yellow tangle maze from chenille stems with baseball beads and foam star beads to glide along. And the final side was an over-sized jingle bell (Biscuit's favorite part!) with some washers and nuts from Big Biscuit's tool box strung on for more fun sounds and movement.I realized it had something for all the senses except taste and smell, but then it hit me that the top of the cube can be used as a snack tray. So I guess it covers all those bases. He has really enjoyed it so far (particularly the bell). But now the real test is whether it'll work for those "waiting times" when I'm busy in the kitchen! I'll keep you posted ;)Thanks for subscribing to pudgypencils.blogspot.com!

What is it about the male species and them not being able to relate to girls playing video games? I often take the views I receive while playing video games with a grain of salt. Most people don’t know how to behave properly and they can be very rude. I have been playing video games since [...]

I love my city, I love St. Louis and I have been feeling so at loss about this whole problem. I don’t want AB to be bought out. Like so many people I believe that Inbev will make bad choices and changes for this American company. I found this site today and I wanted to [...]

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July be safe, keep water near by lol. I had a blast last night, our friend Jim came over, and I got my birthday present from hubby. I got Guitar Hero the PC version. I can’t even begin to explain how much fun I had playing it last [...]