as summer time approaches

I get to stop worrying about intense parents, IEPs that need to be completed and lesson plans that need to be written and start focusing on the more important things in life: like cheesecake! Remember my baking buddy Becky from last summer? I pretty much forced her to come over again and teach me how to make cheesecake because I honestly had no clue. I didn't even really know you had to bake them. She bought me the springform pan as a present and even brought along an already made cheesecake so I could practice taking it out of the pan and moving it onto a pretty plate. That's dedication. We used this recipe with chocolate graham crackers for the crust. I even managed to pull off the water bath method which is something I had never even heard of, let alone attempted.

The cheesecake was delicious. Perhaps there is hope for this undomestic goddess after all!

You know what?

I love my family.

Isaac is seriously the greatest kid on the planet.

Being a mother is the best job you could ever have.

Some Things I Have Learned About Being a Mom:

It's okay to be messy.

It's okay to be silly.

It's okay to say no.

You need to take back all of the times you said "My child will never act like that."

Get out of the house. Sometimes it's easier to stay in but it's better to go out.

Roll with the punches. Life rarely goes as planned.

Being a mom brings you a whole lot closer to your own mother.

Modesty/privacy get thrown out the window.

All those cheesey cliches are true. You don't know you could love someone as much as you love him. You do have to treasure it because it flies by in a blink.

waka waka

Next Wed is the last day of school. In the meantime, the lame blog posts will most likely continue. In the mean time here is a video we can't stop watching. The song is so catchy. I would say we do a pretty decent job copying her dance moves if I do say so myself especially those from the 2:58 mark. Tonight I heard Isaac singing it to himself after I put him to bed. Did I mention his dad is going to the world cup? For three weeks? He better bring us back some jerseys....

Ten On Tuesday

*10 Songs You Are Embarassed to Like*

Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus. It's catchy. I'm sorry but it is.

Mmmbop - Hanson. Same as above. This was my cellphone ring a few years ago.

I Want it That Way - Backstreet Boys - This song was a huge hit right before I left for college and it reminds me of that time. It came on the radio the other day and I totally cranked it up (and then quickly turned it down at the red light, so no one would hear me rockin out to it).

Tarzan Boy by Baltimora. It was a Listerine commercial for a while when I was a kid. It is part of an inside joke from my Pitt years.

See You Again - Miley Cyrus. I love to hate her.

About You Now - Miranda Cosgrove. Yeah the iCarly girl. I'm down with the Disney tweens.

Tubthumping - Chumba Wumba. Random 90s one hit wonder.

Pretty much any ABBA. I have tons of it that I uploaded from my dad's cd collection. I started sorting my Itunes by frequency of listening instead of alphabetically by artist because when you opened Itunes all you saw was ABBA and it looked like I was obsessed.

See what I mean? (and that's not even the half of it)

Your Love is My Drug - Ke$ha. I know. It feels wrong to like someone with as little talent as her; someone who spells her name with a dollar sign for crying out loud. To be honest: I hate her... but this song gets stuck in my head... So...freaking...catchy...

Lotsa Accapella. I have tons of it on my itunes. Sophomore year of college I dated a guy who sang in an Acapella group and he sort of got me into it. Some of it is super corny.

Not Me Monday

I am NOT completely obsessed with my bagless vacuum. I do NOT repeatedly take out the canister and examine what I have sucked up before and after each new room. I do NOT feel a huge sense of satisfaction as a dump the contents into the trash can. I did NOT skip out of church after Sacrament Meeting this week. Isaac won't go to primary without me and I couldn't bring myself to balance on a tiny sunbeam sized chair and endure Sharing Time this week. EPIC MORMON MOTHER FAIL. We have NOT each been missing one shoe for over a week now (his croc and my red sneaker). All of my closets and bedrooms are perfectly organized and important things like sneakers are never lost or misplaced. They are always in their proper place where we can find them easily. I did NOT allow Isaac to eat Honey Nut Cheerios straight from the box for pretty much every meal this weekend. This is NOT how my hair has looked since Thursday. It's clean(ish), but with no AC at work, trying to excercise regularly, doing the windows down thing instead of the AC in the car, what is the point of running a comb through it when it? Also, going along with this picture, my principal did NOT ask me if I had pink eye. Nope, just never-ending seasonal allergies, thanks! I am not blogging when I should be preparing for my work week and tidying up the house. What have you NOT been doing this week?

This is what happens...

when I clean out my fridge...

I inherited all of my parents condiments when they moved last summer.

And I was horrified today to discover how many were well beyond their expiration dates.

Next to tackle: the medicine cabinet.

Tom's House Warming

It was a perfect Saturday for a BBQ at my brother Tom's new place in Norristown. Isaac and Tom's little dog Lucy. She and Isaac LOVE each other.

Water balloon fun... Tom manning the grill. The chickens were balanced precariously on beer cans.

The whole fam on Tom's front porch. Hayley, Lucy, Dad, me, Tom, Isaac and Mom.

Thanks for being such great hosts Tom and Hayley!