Knoebels: Random Family Vacation Photos - Part 1

This little guy greeted us every day as we passed by the Lost Logger shop. I wanted to take him home with me, but we had NO room in the Explorer. :(

On our way out to the park, Spawn likes to wave to the kids on the train as they go by.

This might be the only time Spawn was in a mood to cooperate fully with picture-taking, so we took about a dozen of these shots. =D

Spawn LOST HIS EVER-LOVING MIND when we walked into the General Store and spotted this BUFFET of penny candy. =D

Spawn, covering his ears so he can hear his Cotton Candy Pop Rocks crackling inside his mouth.

Spawn's penny candy haul.

Spawn, watching a puppet show at The Lighthouse by The Wharf.

Spawn, at Phoenix Junction Steakhouse, ready to dig into his dinner. (Chicken, fries, Capri Sun, a banana, and animal crackers. I swear that bottomless pit has a hollow leg!)

CS Dad, digging into his Tuesday Night Steak Special. All for less than $8. :o

My dinner: cheese fries, deep-fried assorted veggies and ranch dip, and a bottle of water. You need not tell me how horrific-ly bad this meal was for me because it was delicious, so of course it was bad for me. :p

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

Hiatus Ends Today!!!

I have tons of pictures from our summer break, but first and freshest in our minds is last week's official end of summer vacation. I've culled the best of the best from the thousands of photos we took for Knoebels' Picture Yourself Contest to share with you guys. It'll probably take several days to post the bulk of them, so grab a drink and make yourself comfortable. ;)

Also, keep an eye out for my "What's for Breakfast?" posts all month long as we celebrate September as National Breakfast Month. =D None of the three of us like the same thing, so you might get some ideas for unexpected breakfasts, too. CS Dad is a cereal man, Spawn likes light breakfasts like yogurt and fruit, and I prefer savory breakfasts, so I'll try to change it up so it's not a month of pictures of Spawn's toast and CS Dad's cereal. ;)

Spawn's going into 3rd grade. Can you believe it?! I have tons of fun crafts and recipes lined up for the next 6 months and Spawn and I can't wait to share them with you this school year! The school year begins for us in the middle of next week, but most of Spawn's friends are already back in school. We don't know what to do with ourselves. :/ So, we're starting off the school year crafts early with Spawn's summer-themed birthday party thank you cards tomorrow.

Here's a sneak peek at the fun Knoebels pics to come:

Stay tuned!

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

Finally - A Few Roses!!!

It took nearly a full month longer than usual, but a few did finally bloom despite all the storms we've had lately.

I have no idea what kind of roses these are. We inherited them when we moved into this house 5 years ago and there's no rhyme or reason to when or if they bloom each spring. :p

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

Failbook is Anti-Breastfeeding

Just in case it doesn't pass failooking's moderation standards, I stumbled across a post on their blog that blurs a breastfeeding pair and implies that breastfeeding pictures are obscene, so I replied:

Breastfeeding is not obscene - treating it like it is IS obscene. That's the reason women feel like they can't breastfeed their baby wherever and whenever their baby is hungry and the folks at failbook should be ashamed of themselves for implying there's anything obscene about breastfeeding or photos of breastfeeding babies.

I'm offended when I see a mother bottle-feeding her baby! ("I demand you blur all pictures of bottle-feeding babies!" - sounds pretty GD ridiculous, doesn't it?) Breasts are not sexual, so unless you're going to start blurring the teats on every cow and dog photo you come across, it's pretty ridiculous to blur out the image of a woman breastfeeding when bikini photos are plastered all over every beer ad on the planet. So, are the folks at failbook implying that using breasts to sell beer is less obscene than using them the way they're intended?

Breasts express milk - not beer. Grow up!

Chrissi, hardcore lactivist and former breastfeeding mom

The post that made me so irate: Failbook is Anti-Breastfeeding

UPDATE: This just appeared at the top of the comments on the post in question:

"EDIT: In response to the community’s reminder that breast-feeding in public is not a fail, we have replaced the picture in question. Happy Quit Facebook Day!"

WIN!!! =D

It's amazing the things you take for granted...

...when your feet are healthy and whole. (If you lack a love of shoes - read no further. ;))

In case you missed it - I broke my foot on April 18th after a nasty fall down more than half a flight of stairs. Not pretty. I lost a lot of skin off of my toes, broke my left foot, and sustained some severe nerve damage to my right leg as well. As a result, I've had to temporarily give up one of my greatest (and most secret) guilty pleasures...quirky heels. 

My best friend - who is my best friend for this and many other reasons - has this same affliction. Sadly, she's a size 5 1/2 and I'm a size 9 1/2, so we can't share our amazing shoes with each other. ::resigned sigh:: Her collection is much more eclectic than mine - mainly because more styles are available for her dainty, fairy feet than my Jolly Green Giant feet. :p My closet floor is a sea of red patent, black patent, and buttery brown leather heels, peeptoes, and slingbacks and a MASS of sandals, wedges, and espadrilles of all kinds. My husband asked me a few days ago if a lone sock he found loose in the dryer was mine and I stared blankly at him for a moment until it occurred to me that it couldn't be mine. I haven't worn socks in...I can't remember the last time I put socks on! I live in heels and sandals so much! 

Lately though, I've been reduced to clomping around in these things my husband bought me to use as slippers last Christmas. They're ugly and wearing them outside my home, ordinarily, WOULD NOT HAPPEN. Alas, I have no choice. I just can't cram my fat, swollen foot into anything except these, some forgiving sandals, and my aircast. Brace yourself - they're not pretty:

And when I go out and there are no walls or furniture to cling to, I still have to use the cane and wear Das Boot:

I will say this about the Croc Mammoths in Pink (mine have a pink plaid liner - unlike the ones in the picture) - they may be ugly, but they're the only shoe I can wear right now without screaming in pain - other than a very open-toed pair of Teva sandals called Keelies (in Brandy) that I wear when it's in the high-80's and 90's outside:

They may not look like much, but the cushioned sole conforms to your foot over time and fits like a glove. Love 'em!

Anyway, I was doing a little online-window-shopping today and mooning over all the adorable, quirky heels available this spring and summer that my feet will never touch. Please, just bare with me while I wallow in longing over these bad boys...

Let's start with possibly the funniest brand name heels I found - Promiscuous. =D I spotted the blue and purple peeptoes on Zappos and started to fall in love..Then I saw the black and white peeps and I sobbed:

The black and white ones will be mine, oh yes, they will be mine - even if I have to buy them and wait 6 months for my foot to go back to normal. At $71.88, it's going to take some fast talkin' to sneak that expense past CS Dad. ;)

Still mooning over heels on Zappos, I stumbled across these Gabriella Rocha's...

In Teal Patent:

In Orange Patent:

And in Cobalt Suede!!!:

If you're not singing "Blue Suede Shoes" or "Suspicious Minds" and curling your lip by now, I can't help you or relate to you. Sorry! At $53.10, these puppies are a steal!

Oh, and these Romantic Soles make me giddy!:

In Champagne:

And in Purple!:

These shoes from ModCloth speak for themselves:

Doodle Darling Wedge:

These wedges just scream for a breezy summer dress and a night out on the boardwalk in Wildwood, don't they?

Second That Notion Heel:

The Weaving Rainbow is another wedge that begs for a night out at the shore - in a cotton candy pink babydoll tank dress with pockets and sky blue capri-length leggings:

I don't know what I'd wear the Your Heart's Desire Heel with, but I'd buy them just in case I found the right thing - if they had them in my size ;):

The Miss June Heel is another one I'd snap up in a heartbeat if they had them in my size:

Some would say Rainbow Bright would be right at home in this Rainbow Road Wedge, but I think they're perfect - they'll go with anything! Little black dress, jeans and a white t-shirt, red overalls and a yellow t-shirt, The Wiggles' uniforms... =D:

I'd wear these with EVERYTHING - my pajamas even! - if I could get my hands on them. Alas, big fat Jolly Green Giant Feet strike again! Cheery Cherry Heels:

These speak to me - Zip Code Heel:

I can't think of a single thing I couldn't pair these and some jeans with - Blue Jean Wedge:

And then...I discovered the selection at PiperLime...and wept like a baby. I mean - look at these!!!:

L.A.M.B. Dawna in Zebra:

Belle by Sigerson Morrison in Dark Brown:

Dolce Vita Noah in Brown (::sob, sob, sobby, sob::):

And these were made by Nine West - Nine West?! Nine West Karoo in Black and White ($39.99?!?!):

Jessica Simpson knows her stuff when it comes to shoes. When I see these amazing tan leather slingbacks, I just want to crawl inside them, take a nap, and lay my head on that buttery, luscious caramel-colored leather:

More buttery brown leather shoes! LOVE these Kenneth Cole Passing Lane heels in Whiskey Brown:

Nothing buttery about these sickeningly sweet, candy-colored heels - Moschino Cheap & Chic Sandwich in Teal and Red (there is NOTHING cheap about these $310 shoes!):

How scrummy are these Coconuts Melrose espadrilles in Brown and Green?:

Or Brown and Orange if you prefer?:

Just a few more espadrilles, I swear!

Michael Antonio Harriet in Yellow (scrummy, yummy, buttery yellow leather!!!):

Bettye Muller Heirloom in Multi (Multi?! Really? That's the best they could do? How about Carnivale? Or Party? Or Everything I've Ever Wanted In A Shoe? - Okay, that may be too long or ostentatious for the name of a color. ;)):

Charles David Sailor in Black Canvas (again with the short-changing on the naming of the colors! It's a crime!) Speaking of crimes - it is one that I don't own these shoes already. :( ::sob, sob, sobby, sob::

Okay, I think I got it out of my system...for now. ;)

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom (and shoe junkie)