Melonie Johnson

Digital Drama and Technical Trauma

April 27, 2009General SuckitudeWrite a comment

I’m having a bad e-day. Like a bad hair day but with all things electrical.

1. My main computer has been wigging out for about a week…the husband will fix it eventually, after all he’s a computer dude – that’s his thing – but that’s also the problem: he’s a computer dude, that’s his thing, and he does it at work all day and really doesn’t want to deal with it at home. Like if you’re married to a plumber and your own leaky faucet never gets fixed (I also have a leaky faucet and that’s not getting fixed either, but I digress). So it will get fixed, I just don’t know when.

2. Since I am unable to do anything on the internets on my main computer, luckily I recently got a netbook…however that too is wigging out whenever I let it run on the battery. So I need to send it in to get it fixed (it’s brand new!) but am stalling cuz I dread the complete loss of an internet connection.

3. I was going to try and load some tv shows from itunes onto my ipod for Miss A to watch while on her first airplane ride, but my ipod froze up. Luckily, that annoying little glitch has happened before, and I knew how to fix it (in case you don’t, hold the menu and center button down together for 6 seconds or so) – it’s a pita, but a mild one.

4. Lil G was lookin’ just so cute this morning that I thought I’d snap a few shots…of course she won’t sit still for a nanosecond, so most of the time I have to delete the blurred mess I end up with (I only buy cheap cameras, my tendency to lose the things prevents me from indulging in a dslr, so I just lust over them instead). When I went to delete a photo, the whole camera froze – won’t turn off, won’t delete the pic, won’t take a pic – nothing. So after pressing all sorts of buttons to no effect, I tried what I do when my phone flips out in the same way – I pulled the battery out, waited a few seconds, then popped it back in. It worked. I wish everything could be fixed by just doing that. Or dropping it, that would be good too.

5. Speaking of dropping, when I went to do my usual 6am load of laundry, I dropped the bottle of detergent which then pulled the dispenser cup out of it’s slot and both crashed to the ground. You’d think a washing machine that cost over 1k would be built of parts that don’t crack on their first drop, but alas, no. A corner chipped off….I ran the load anyway, crossing my fingers that it’s not an issue. Maybe Fisher-Price should do contract work for appliances, their sh*t doesn’t break no matter what a toddler whose favorite past time is throwing things can do to it.

So I’m getting the heck off the computer now, with the day I’m having lord knows what’s going to flip out next.

Px3 Part 2: Party Hats

April 24, 2009Celebrations, KidsWrite a comment

I found the directions for these amazingly cheap and easy party hats in The Disney Party Handbook by Alison Boteler. You need 3 things: a stapler (well, 4 things if you count the actual staples separately), standard size green tissue paper, and red feathers (I got mine at Hobby Lobby).

So for about $2, you will make 10 hats. Pretty cheap, eh?

Start with a cheet of tissue paper. — Start with a sheet of tissue paper.

First, fold it vertically. That's the long way.

Step 2: turn and fold again. (the loose ends should be at the bottom) Step 3: fold each top corner in to make triangles step 4: fold up one side of bottom about an inch step 5: Fold it up again another inch, so it just touches the triangles. Repeat steps 4 & 5 on the other side. Overlap each side and staple at each end. Staple the feather (I like to staple it to the triangle side, but whatever floats your boat) And there you have it! Miss A loved making these. Overall they seemed to be a hit at the party. What made these hats so great is that making them works as an activity during the party (though me & the other moms ended up making most of them), they work as a decoration during the party (little Peter Pans running all over the place), and when the party is over, they are instant party favors! Not bad for about 20cents a hat.

Px3 Part 1

April 22, 2009Celebrations, KidsWrite a comment

Px3 = Peter Pan Party, but I thought Px3 looked cooler, like a new videogame system or something. The Part 1 is because over the next couple of days (or weeks, depending on how organized I am), I will be posting various bits from Miss A’s recent b-day celebration. We can’t seem to get away from this general theme…2 years ago it was a Pirate and Princess party, last year it was a Fairy & Pixie Party, this year the focus was on the main man Pan. I hope you enjoy the Peter Pan Party Planning Posts (Px5…that’s the REALLY cool videogame system).

I’ll be showing you how to make cheap and easy Peter Pan party hats, sharing pics of how we turned the party space into Neverland (be sure to check out my unintenionally manly mermaids), describe some other Peter Pan themed games, and share ideas on thank you cards and goodie bags.

But for today, we’ll start with the most important element of the birthday party: the CAKE. Miss A drew up a rough draft of the design for her cake (I’ll be sure to post it here soon…)she was very specific about what it should look like, and I think my favorite cake maker, Beth of ShortCakes, exceeded Miss A’s expectations.

Here's a bigger picture, it was just that good.

Really, it was so good, that there wasn’t a spec left.

BabyLegs…Why I can’t stop buying them. BabySteals…My Addiction Enabler.

April 20, 2009Cool Stuff, Kids, ProductsWrite a comment

Why BabyLegs, do you ask?

Ok, so aside from the point that Lil’ G looks freakin’ adorable in them…

Even just kickin' back with a bottle of cold juice, with BabyLegs, you are always stylin'. — Even just kickin' back with a bottle of cold juice, with BabyLegs, you're always stylin'.

So, aside from all the cuteness, there are all the oohs and aahs from the general public noting the incredible wonderment of said cuteness that is my baby and the even more incredible amazingness of my mad mothering skillz for discovering such an incredible product.

And they’re right to admire me.

BabyLegs aren’t just cute (I did mention how cute they are though, didn’t I? Just checkin’), they are also a Mama’s dream come true. They make diaper changes soooo much quicker (ever try and wrestle a 10 month old out of a pair of tights?), they grow with your baby: I figure Lil G will wear hers from 6 months old to 6 years old. They extend the life of baby’s wardrobe, summer stuff becomes winter wear when teamed up with a long sleeve onesie and a pair of BabyLegs…and if some outfits still fit but the legs are too short, no problem, add a pair of BabyLegs to make up the difference. A final benefit is that, Lil G, like the other females in this house, hates to wear socks. With BabyLegs, I can let her have her naked feet, and if her tootsies get too chilly, I just pull the BabyLegs down low to warm ’em up.

I just LOVE BabyLegs. Can you tell yet?

I get WAY too excited when a box like this arrives in the mail.

But all addictions come at a price: I am a sensible shopper. I buy my shoes from PayLess and my clothes from Target or Kohls. Yet, for some reason, I find myself unable to resist buying an item I would normally consider “not worth the money.” Cuz these things?
They are worth the money! Really! Ok, well maybe not worth the $15-$20 or so a pair they’d cost if you bought ’em outright…but if you are a regular at BabySteals like me, your pulse will start to race with excitement if you manage to catch one of the package deals they sometimes do…such as 3 sets of BabyLegs for $21 (and that includes s/h).

“What’s BabySteals” you ask? It’s quite simply a wonderdrug of maternal shopping heaven (ok, actually it’s a website that sells cool baby stuff at deep discounts). It’s through BabySteals, and the sweet deals they offer, that I have been able to get my BabyLegs fix…and not feel guilty about it (well, not too guilty anyway).

If you want to get your MamaGroove on and buy some BabyLegs, check out the BabySteals site – they’re celebrating their 1st birthday soon (hey, so is Lil G!) and they’re inviting everyone to the party.

I hope BabyLegs are in the Goody Bags.

An Unexpected Proposal (Or…”But That’s Not About Hawaii!”)

April 8, 2009Hallmark Moments, Homeschooling, KidsWrite a comment

Today was our homeschool group’s Geography Day. Basically, each child/family picks a location somewhere on the earth and puts together a visual and/or oral presentation on it. Lots of interesting places were represented, from Iceland to Okinawa. Many of the displays included traditional food there were pierogies (btw, did you know how many different ways you can spell this dish? I wiki’d it: Pierogi- also perogi, perogy, pirohi, piroghi, pirogi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, pyrohy.) from Poland, home-baked pretzels from Germany, and clever&cute candy sushi from Japan. (I love the paper mache Noh mask she made!)

Miss A chose to research and present Hawaii (her love for all things Lilo & Stitch played some role, I’m sure). I was very proud of her – she stood up in front of the group in her grass skirt & lei and told them all about Pele, the volcanic creation of islands, hula dancing, and the origin of pinepples. Do you know where the name pineapple comes from? Miss A does! Enough with the Mama-pride, at the end of her little speech she said, “Any questions?” At this point another young man in the group raised his hand and asked, “So, is it alright if we get married when we are 24?” Much giggling ensued, and Miss A looked at me and said, abashed, “But Mama, that’s not about Hawaii!”

It must have been the grass skirt. Gets them everytime.

Miss A offers other presenters a sample of pineapple.

Miss A's prospective groom tries on her hula wear. I always knew she's be the one to wear the pants in the family. — Miss A's prospective groom tries on her hula wear. I always knew she'd be the one to wear the pants in the family.

Marilyn Monroe at Max & Ruby?

April 7, 2009Hallmark Moments, KidsWrite a comment

This morning, we had a delightful little field trip to see “Max & Ruby” live onstage. (If you don’t know who Max&Ruby are, you are missing out on some of the cutest books ever! We love Rosemary Wells around here…well except for her book about Felix and the Worrier, but we’ll talk about that some other time). The show was really well done, a small cast of 5 or so, and a simple set, but the costumes, musical numbers, sound effects and storyline were very entertaining. I enjoyed myself almost as much as the kids did (though half my fun is simply watching how much fun they are having).

After the show, as we were in the lobby taking stock and making plans for lunch, Miss A discovered something interesting…

Turns out, the entertainment in the lobby was pretty good too.

mariyln

The look on her face when she first stepped on the vent…well, if you’ve seen The 7 Year Itch, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Unlike Ms Monroe, Miss A wears leggings most of the time.

Thank Goodness.

The Snake Show – Jewelry Edition

April 5, 2009Family, Homeschooling, KidsWrite a comment

It’s become a Johnson family tradition: right around Miss A’s bday we head out for our annual trip to ReptileFest…what we refer to as, “the snake show.” I come along just to take pics…I have never liked snakes…not since I screamed bloody murder the time a little garter snake crossed my path on the side of our house when I was 6 or so…and I demanded my Dad go out there and hunt for it…and bless the man he humored me and did go out there – with a butterfly net. Miss A, who will shortly turn 6 herself, has no such fears. She thinks snakes are delightful and at shows like this has been known to invite the slinky things to slither right up her shirt sleeve. Oh, I’m getting the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

This year the theme was snake jewelery, like the ring you see here:

finger-snake