Movies Watched in June 2012

1. We Bought a Zoo
2. Mr. Popper's Penguins
3. Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
4. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
7. Horrible Bosses

That looks busier than it was. I saw the first 3 in 2 nights on cable and DVD. I saw the next two in the theaters over one weekend. Little Miss slept through a bit of Madagascar, but she enjoyed it overall. I only started Buffy. I've seen many episodes, but I've never seen it from the beginning. The less said about Horrible Bosses, the better. We'll see about next month. I've had a DVD at home so long, I may just return it and start over. There's just no interest in seeing it now that it's sitting on the table.

Books Read June 2012

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
2. 50 Shades of Grey by E L James
3. Paris in Love by Paris in Love
4. Rock Me by Cherrie Lynn
5. Almost Summer by Susan Mallery (NOTE: This is part of the Fool's Gold series. The order of which can be found here.
6. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
7. Club Shadowlands and Dark Citadel by Cherise Sinclair (NOTE: This is part of the Masters of the Shadowlands series. The order can be found here.)

Most of my reading came at the beginning of the month. Almost all were library books. I thought The Book Thief was interesting but it made me cry. I thought 50 Shades was overrated. I thought Paris in Love was adorable although I will warn you that it is a compilation of Eloisa James's Facebook and Twitter posts so if you are a fan of hers, it may be familiar or you may not like the format in general. The last is a series recommended to me because it's supposed to be what 50 Shades should have been (though it's a specialty club and not a rich dude fantasy scenario). Either way, none are for the feint of heart. I'm back on track with sweet little romances which is like a breath of fresh air. Next up will be a mainstream fiction book and a memoir. Keeping it varied as usual.

Sexy Friday

I don't have much to say about Shemar Moore except I find him utterly yummy. I mostly know him from Criminal Minds, but I've recently watched a bunch of clips of him making out with fans on The Ellen Show. I just want the record to state right now that I'm a huge fan of Shemar Moore and if he ever feels the need to make out with me, I'm ok with that.

Ni Hao, I'm not Chinese.

First, I want to say that, when I was younger, I would have been tickled that there was a show with an Asian character. I was happy Disney incorporated Asian mushrooms in Fantasia so that's how little my people were represented. Anyway, then Mulan came and now Kai-Lan. So, I'm happy. Really. See, here's the tiny thing. I'm not Chinese. There are a ton of people who know like one word in Chinese - Ni-Hao. Super, great for them. Really. So, they try it out on every Asian person they see. This has happened to me. A bunch of times. In different states. I'll ignore it if it is by a toddler who probably thinks I am Kai-Lan, but adults should know better. I should just learn enough Korean to respond outraged. Unfortunately, I can't wear my "Does this shirt make me look Korean?" shirt all the time.

Weekend Update - Too Fast!

Last weekend was a blur. I totally have weekend hangover today. On Friday, Nephew came over for a sleepover. He and Little Miss had so much fun, she threw up. I'm not exaggerating. After that, Little Miss got overtired and had a breakdown at bedtime, but after leaving the kids for 5 minutes, they both passed out cold.

On Saturday, I gave the kids a box of cereal and told them to wake me up for Charlie and Lola. They did. I made them an English muffin and then we took a walk to the playground (where all the pictures were taken) and to the fountain behind our apartment. After, Nephew got picked up and Little Miss and I took a nap. I had a bad migraine afterwards, and Little Miss was a wonderful nurse to me bringing me everything I needed and stayed to rub my arm until I felt better.

On Sunday, we head to my parents' pool. Little Miss had a great time in the water. Sister and Nephew met us there. Then, we went to my parents' house to celebrate Dad's birthday and had Thai food for dinner. We all pretty much went home and took it easy afterwards, and I'm still recovering today.

Sexy Friday

I was shocked to see Ryan Gosling has never been a recipient of Sexy Friday. He's never done too much for me, but then he took his shirt off in Crazy, Stupid, Love.. So, now he's on the radar, but he's still not at the point where I'd watch a movie just for him. That said, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is on cable right now, and I watch it quite a bit especially from that one scene forward.

Big Warm Fuzzy Thoughts

This isn't a gratitude post or even a big thank you post, but it's kind of a combination of all the good things I was thinking this morning. Not many mornings start by thinking positive thoughts.

1. Thinking back to when I was pregnant, I thought it was incredibly thoughtful for people to give up seats, hold doors, let me ahead of them in line.  I still get this a lot, and I think it's also because I'm three apples high.
2. I love people who let the woman with the toddler holder herself between her legs go in front of them in the restroom.  Anybody with a potty-training toddler knows how crucial this is.
3. My Starbucks app wasn't installed this morning and taking forever to re-install and load.  In the meantime, I was just prepared to pay cash.  However, the woman next to me offered to cover my breakfast and drink.  I thanked her, but I could cover $3 - if I couldn't, I don't belong in Starbucks to begin with.
4. The other Starbucks note is that, in my technology-challenged state, Starbucks said they could work with me if anything ever happened to my app.  I had the cash so it wasn't a huge deal.  I don't need my little star that badly.  (If you go to Starbucks 15 times, it tracks on the app or your Starbucks card and you get a free drink.)  Still, I love the employees of that location.  They're very sweet.  The Starbucks by my apartment also gets some credit for seeing us run in there with a toddler holding herself and opening the bathroom door ahead of time for us.
5. I love that Buzz Bakery has Splashdown every Wednesday and Sundays where they have a bubble machine, beach balls and cheap food for the kids.  It also has a bar, but I wasn't there for Happy Hour and forgot that it has a bar.  I did buy a Thin Mint Rice Krispie Treat though.  The kid has really enjoyed herself, and it's a nice local thing to do with her.

That's all for now.  I think it's so easy to complain and whine that it's easy to not take the time to be happy or thankful or grateful.  I'll be back to my miserable self soon, I'm sure.

What? What?

At dinner on Sunday, Little Miss was telling us about the fountain she went to with Husband.  She evidently made friends with a little baby who followed her everywhere.  Little Miss told us how good she was with babies and how helpful she is.  She then went onto say that she was all ready and was going to be a big sister soon.  I think Husband's and my necks still hurt from whipping around so quickly.  She went onto say she wants a little brother.  This is new.  She's been asking for a sister for 6 months or so, but this is the first time she's asked for a brother.  Also, this is the first time she's informed us that it's happening soon.  I won't burst her bubble, but it's not happening soon.

Father's Day

I read this article this morning on how dads can be good parents to their daughters. It reminded me of the many things Husband does to be a good father to Little Miss. In grand tradition, she does have him wrapped around her little finger and knows just how far to push him to get her way - and she also knows just when to stop before he loses his patience. Of course, this doesn't mean she stops at that line, just that she knows where the line is. 

Anyway, while I was out yesterday, Husband and Little Miss had a great day. When I came home, I also saw that Husband braided Little Miss's hair in two, very cute, almost even braids. Unfortunately, Little Miss was uncooperative so no one got a picture, but trust me when I tell you she was adorable.

Weekend Update - Crazy June is Half Over

June is always a busy month for us.  It's Husband's birthday, my birthday, and my dad's birthday.  It's Father's Day.  Plus, there are a variety of other things that happen here and there.  Anyway, this weekend was no exception.  It was nice because it wasn't overpacked though.  I didn't take many pictures, but the above is from my phone taken on Saturday.

As usual, Friday is a quiet night.  We didn't even do grocery shopping, just hung out.  On Saturday, Little Miss and I woke up and hung out.  After brunch (we do breakfast late in our house), Husband dropped us off at the movie theater for a class playdate.  A good amount of Little Miss's class showed up (with parents and siblings) for a movie.  The kids all had a great time.  They acted like it's been years since they've seen each other - though, for toddlers, I'm sure 2 weeks seems like years.  After, the two of us walked through the little arts and crafts fair in Courthouse and then took the Metro home.  We had a little fast food lunch and a trip to the bakery before heading home for naps.  

On Sunday, I met a friend for lunch and a movie.  Husband stayed with Little Miss.  The two of them went to a local bakery where they let the kids run through the fountain, and give out balloons and stickers.  Little Miss made some friends and had a hot dog.  We called both fathers for Father's Day.  Then, Husband made dinner.  It is one of his and Little Miss's favorites.  We had a family dinner and called it a weekend.

Sexy Friday

For new people, you may not remember Sexy Friday. So, for awhile, on Fridays, I would post a sexy individual or two and dub it Sexy Friday. You can find the full list here. It's not a weekly event anymore, but I like to bring it back every so often as new people catch my eye. Today is Michael Fassbender. He never did much for me, but his last GQ spread made me sit up and notice. I prefer him clean-shaven, but I love how he has such a different face when he smiles and has such an intense gaze when he is not. Anyway, he is a very welcome addition to Sexy Friday.

Weekend Update - The Weekend That Was My Birthday

Last Friday, I took a half day from work to meet a friend at Celebrate Fairfax. The Legends of Hip Hop played featuring Young MC, Rob Base, DJ Kool and Digital Underground and hosted by Flavor Flav. I had a lot of fun. Little Miss spent the night at Sister's house with her and Nephew. On Saturday, we woke to a call from Sister. Little Miss was sick so we rushed out to Fairfax to bring her home. She spent most of the day on the couch with me. Later, she had a small meal and went to bed. The next day, we planned to go to the fair if she felt better.

On Sunday, Little Miss woke up literally bouncing into our room. So, we went to the fair to meet Sister, Nephew and friends.  Little Miss rode as many rides as she could. Then, we saw The Legwarmers perform. On the way back, Little Miss rode some more rides. I had a teensy bout of heat exhaustion so there was a bit of dramas as a vendor, 2 volunteers and the firefighters of Falls Church came to tend to me. After some water, ice packs and sitting in the air conditioning, I was free and clear to go home. However, because of the drama, I had to miss out on seeing some friends which was sad. After, we went to Sister's house so Little Miss could take a quick bath in case she fell asleep on the way home - which she did. So, big weekend had by all - ups and downs.

Weekend Update - The Weekend That Was Not My Birthday

Two weeks ago, it was not my birthday.  On Saturday, I feel like we did something in the morning, but I don't recall what that was.  In the afternoon, Husband, Little Miss and I went to the driving range where Husband taught Little Miss how to putt and hit the golf ball.  She liked putting because the ball went into the hole, but she liked the driving ranged because the ball went really far (well, hers didn't, but she did get to whack it hard at least).  After, Husband went out to the driving range with grown ups while Little Miss and I had an evening at home.  I actually cleaned which was badly needed.  Then, I watched a couple of movies and relaxed.  Little Miss collapsed into bed.

I made Little Miss carry her own clubs, but it didn't last long. They're a little big, but I wanted the picture. At first, she didn't take instruction well, but with a little positive reinforcement and then followed by a little break, she did very well.

On Sunday, Husband went golfing again for his birthday.  Little Miss and I met him out in Fairfax so we could celebrate Nephew's birthday and Husband's birthday.  We met my parents at my sister's house where we had some dinner, cake, and hung out.  It was a good night.  Then, it was the end of the weekend!

Above are the birthday boys!

Above are the kids looking happy and cute and humoring me for "one picture".