Idol Worship

I've identified a few cases of idol worship going on today, starting with myself:

I confess, I adore American Idol and I'm so glad it's back! It really is the best reality show on TV. I'm loving the new judge, Kara. Isn't she just fitting right in? After 8 years there's been some years that have flopped and some that I've loved. I'm not a fan of Fantasia or even David Cook. But how can you not love the show that gave us Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood? (Yes, I love Clay Aiken!) Not to mention some of my lesser-known faves that have done well: Elliott Yamin, Josh Gracin and Jon Peter Lewis. Ok, so Jon Peter Lewis didn't really hit it big, but I think he's adorable.
So now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me tell you about a little more idol worship going on in my house. In this case, Joseph is the idol and Justin is the worshiper. These days they're either giggling like girls or fighting to the death. Which leaves me either smiling in complete motherly love, or pulling my hair out. Can I expect this to just continue no matter how old they get? Anyway, Justin copies EVERYTHING Joseph does. If Joseph gets a car from his room and starts racing around the rug, Justin follows. If Joseph says something that gets a laugh, Justin repeats it as best he can. If Joseph is laughing at the cartoon on TV, Justin starts laughing too. But my favorite incident has to do with Joseph's beloved blankie. If you didn't already know, Joseph has a fleece blanket with tied tassles that he's loved since he was a baby. He holds on to his favorite long tassle while he sucks his thumb. So the other day while Joseph was with his blankie on the couch watching TV, Justin took off for his room, came out with a fleece blanket with tassles of his own, got back on the couch and held onto a tassle while he sucked his thumb. It was hilarious. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture.

And finally, I'm thinking about our historic inauguration day today. It seems as though celebrities and the media all have stars in their eyes for Obama and I'm annoyed. It's like the man can do no wrong and he hasn't even done anything yet. Although I didn't vote for Obama and I heartily disagree with him on a lot of points, I don't get a bad vibe from him. I get the feeling that he is truly invested in what's best for America, has good leadership qualities, and is a decent, God-fearing man. So of course as an American, I support him as my President and I hope that he really is able to bring about positive change for our country. But sheesh! The people who rule the airwaves sure made it known today that they're thrilled they got who they wanted in office! How many red-carpet parties and concerts were going on today? Celebrities were on every channel tonight, going crazy for their new main man. I get that they're expressing their patriotism, but it's just obnoxious how they can all get together with a bunch of televised parties to do it. It's like the celebrities have welcomed our new President and First Lady into their popular clique, and I'm very wary of who celebrities choose to put on their pedestals.

What to do on a rainy day?

Living in Seattle comes with its share of rainy days, especially this time of year. And it's about this time of the winter after the holidays, that I long for spring. So I've been compiling a little list for myself of fun things to do on "rainy days" when I'm stuck inside the house looking for something to do with my boys other than sit in front of the TV. Some of the ideas are from magazines or friends and some of them are Joseph's creations or really simple things.

1. Bowling. You can use empty water bottles or 2 liter bottles. Set 'em up and knock 'em down.

2. Build a fort with chairs, couches and blankets. We like to read stories in ours or play Uno.

3. Make "spider webs." Joseph loves to tape yarn up across doorways and furniture to make spiderwebs.

4. Good old fashioned hide and seek.

5. Sock war. Also a Parent magazine idea. Grab a bunch of rolled up socks and throw them at each other from behind couches.

6. Dance Party! Very good for getting energy out when stuck in the house.

7. Bathtime in the middle of the day. Why not? And I don't know why I never thought of this, but someone told me they blow bubbles for their kids in the tub. I thought that was brilliant. I hate blowing bubbles in the house because they make the floor sticky, and outside they blow away too fast. The bathtub is the perfect place!

8. Inside picnic. Lay out a blanket in the living room and eat sandwiches. Joseph likes to pretend we're at the beach. :)

9. Play with flashlights in a dark room. Show off your shadow puppet skills.

10. Play dough. I've found that if I put on some kid music, Joseph plays longer as he sings along.

11. Why not go out in it? Joseph loves to hold his own umbrella and we count snails as we walk the block.

What do you like to do on a rainy day?

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

What a wonderful Christmas season we had! I never wanted it to end. We spent Christmas in Oregon with Darren's parents, two sisters and one brother. It was so fun to be with family and my boys loved playing with their cousins. We got out of Seattle right before the last bad snow storm that cancelled our church. Halelujah! It only rained in Eugene. We talked and played games, went out to eat and saw some movies. It was so relaxing and fun. Check out all these boy cousins:
Joseph was pumped about Santa! Justin was a little overwhelmed. But once all the toys were opened, he was in heaven.
New Year's Eve was fun too! My old roomie, Jessica and her husband Jason came over after the kids went to bed and we played cards, ate junk food and drank sparkling juice from our wine goblets.


We are so grateful for fabulous famiy and friends to share the holidays with and we wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2009!