The Jersey Shore

We drove to Jersey Friday to see Uncle Mark and Aunt Sara. Danielle picked herself some flowers from the boardwalk and then went to run in the ocean. We are going to teach her to swim really well or else hope she learns some natural fear. I liked the pictures of my cousins and Danielle on the bench- it captures their personalities.
We went around 5:30 so it wasn't too hot and we didn't have to get tags to be there. Mark and Sara bought us some curly fries that were really good. I captured a really perfect man photo with the store in the background.
This was Danielle's first time seeing the ocean and John's first time at the beach out here on the East coast. Eddie was super cute because he is afraid of the sand. I thought he wanted to go down and walk in it but he was actually asking for a towel. He wanted to sit on a towel rather than walk on the sand. Mostly dry sand is scary.
We didn't find anything like money or rings like the men with metal detectors towards the end but we did find an extra bucket which Danielle made sure we didn't leave in the ocean as the tide was coming in. The Bergs are really good hosts, and we got to eat some yummy chocolate chip cookies when we got back. Here is a rare photo of my with my 30 weeks pregnant belly. Sara was there, even though we didn't get a photo of her tank top or what she claims was a swim team swimsuit. Some things you can only see in Jersey.
While we are here John is learning how to wire a fan and light. You can count on the Bergs to teach us the skillz. Yes- that's skills with a "z". They like doing house projects and so do I. I am so excited to move into our house in Scranton as soon as we close... sigh. Only three more weeks. Then we Bergs will have to come paint our house.

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Cheap

Once again I found some things I want. The first is a pair of shoes that is on sale for only 329.99. Too bad it is only in size 6.5. Oh wait, that doesn't really make a difference. But they are beautiful.
the second is a book that my sister in law Carlie sent me a link to. The Author was featured on NPR. It looks really interesting. here is a quote from the NRP site:
"In the world of Cheap, "design" has become a stand-in for quality. Companies such as Target, H & M, and Zara offer consumers the look they love at a price they can live with — but at what true cost? I n Sweden we visit IKEA, the global furniture retailer made famous and fabulously successful by a scheme of designing not just for low price but to low price. The consequences of this are both obvious and subtle. IKEA makes furniture available to all at a low price, which means college students, young couples, and others on a budget can furnish their homes in style. But IKEA does not overly concern itself with what Homer Simpson calls "fall-apart." The company designs for easy construction, uniformity, cheap production, and transportability around the globe. Ultimately, what it markets is disposable, with everything that implies. The genius of IKEA and other cheap-chic purveyors is that they have made fashionable, desirable, and even lovable objects nearly devoid of craftsmanship. The environmental and social implications of this are insidious and alarming."
There is an interview with the author on NPR that you can listen to. I thought of this because I finally caved in and bought some of those adjustable height table legs at Ikea. They were 25 dollars for each side of the table and can be tall enough that Danielle can't get them. Also maybe parents of toddler's need some disposable furniture? Danielle and her friend have convinced me that all furniture should be subjected to crayon tests before purchasing. Why is it so easy for kids to learn bad habits from other kids? Her friend can also say a lot more than Danielle but that's not what she picked up- send her into a room and no matter where it is, this duo will find a pair of crayons. Even if you already went through and tried to remove all of them. I remember having lots of cheap bookcases when we first got married. Then we moved to pennsylvania and didn't take the bookcases with us since they were broken in some way. Now we just don't have bookcases. Sometimes I miss the cheapies with their broken handles and shelves and drawers you had to use a spatula to open. My boycot of crappy furniture has also meant that Danielle doesn't have a dresser, which has been interesting. Her clothes which should be in their bins frequently end up on the floor.

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Bad thoughts

If Danielle could have her way she would be watching TV all day. I think this is a sign that she is a lot like her dad. Today my friend asked me why I have been missing on my blog but I realized this month that I have nothing to say. Except some advice for people I happen to know.

1. Maury Pauvitch is not a show you should try to be like.
2. Sorry your spouse turned out to be crazy. Really Crazy. Like bat sh** crazy. Now one of your parents is going to be able to say I told you so.
3. Don't go to family events if you hate everyone. Just stay home.
4. Don't pretend to be poor if you are just cheap. It is annoying, especially to people that have actually been poor or are poor. It is always easy to spot people who just don't want to spend the money over people who really know what it's like to not know if they will be able to buy groceries. This type of phony is offensive.
5. You shouldn't change your status to single unless your really are single. That means post divorce. Sorry if this hurts your dating plans. And the it's complicated status is also inaccurate. How about you don't talk about your dirty laundry on facebook? Everyone knows it's all about the pictures anyway.
6. Facebook friendship is just that- facebook friendship. What is the big deal here people?
7. How can you argue with crazy?
8. If one of your siblings says they raised the kids more than your parents, it is best to change the subject.
9. Stop asking people when they are going to move for small talk. Just don't talk to them at all if that is all you can think of.
10. Passive aggressive blog posts are lame. But mentioning everyone by name and then saying negative things is even worse, especially if you include a link.

Well I think next time I will try to have Jen guest post her birthday list. I should stick to that type of post since it is actually useful.

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Seriously.

Danielle got a beautiful hat from Rachelle and her roommate the other day. She likes wearing it around the house and asking for hat.
Baby Madsen number two likes to kick me in the bladder. One of my greatest fears is peeing my pants while pregnant and I swear this child will do it. He also likes to move around so much I give up on sleeping and make blog posts.
I like these shoes. They are available at Piper Lime. They would look beautiful with my linen skirt. why are the shoes I like always so expensive? I was looking at piper lime and found a beautiful pair of shoes- which was on sale for 500 dollars. Seriously? who buys these shoes. I guess not that many people since they are on sale. Some days I wish I was one of the people who had enough money to buy five hundred dollar shoes.
Maybe you have to be born that way.

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Grease Monkey

Many greasy things have happened in my life recently. John replaced the alternator in my car today. I think that is pretty brave. Haven't posted in a while. I was sick this week. and my car broke. Who wants to post about stuff like that. Danielle wanted to help a lot and she got her hands pretty greasy grabbing something- I have no idea what.
Danielle sometimes sneaks into the bathroom on the main floor and puts soap all over herself. Like in her hair. We visited a friend and I captured her greasy hair. I wonder if this is part of her master plan to constantly be taking baths. We have to limit her to one bath a day. She also likes to put lotion in her hair occasionally. Today it was really hot on the way home in the Prius and she covered her head with her blanket to fall asleep. Sweat also causes greasy hair. Then the light for the hybrid system in the Prius came on. So we could possibly be able to spend even more money fixing cars.
Danielle is getting better at opening doors. The other day I took Austin to go to the bathroom in the front yard and she dead bolted the front door. She was able to unlock the deadbolt though, which was a good thing since I didn't have shoes on. Or a phone. Now we know she can escape the house at any time.
And I broke my tooth. Possibly two teeth. I guess one tooth a pregnancy so far. Why did I get a white gold crown? Yellow gold is clearly classier, don't you think?

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