views from the road...

Back on the road... But this week the views are spectacular... Even in the side view mirror...

happy birthday Big B...

interview with an 8 year old...

favorite color... orange
favorite toy... legos and my DS
best friends... Nate, Jaden, Jared, Max, Tyler, Colin& Ethan
favorite place to go... camping
favorite movie... the incredibles
favorite book... wimpy kid series
favorite subject in school... science and math... P.E.
favorite animal... poison dart frog
favorite video game... Super Mario Brothers
favorite food... snacks... any and all
favorite TV Show... Destroy Bill Destroy...

go here for pictures of the first 7 years...

what michael jackson song are you...

over on facebook i took a little quiz in honor of the pop king... what michael jackson song are you

You are "Thriller" - Michael Jackson's great song. You like to have fun, but at the same time you enjoy excitement and....well... thrill. There is a lot of energy in you which you don't show to others. But sometimes when people don't see you, you become unpredictable. You can transform into something else - a monster: a werewolf, vampire or a zombie. But a friendly monster. If an old lady needed some help while crossing a street, you would generously help her even as a monster. And of course you would dance the famous "Thriller" dance in the middle of the street with her!

favorite things about summer...

• 2 weeks with my family in Rhode Island
• cocktails on the deck at the end of the day with super hubby
• sleeping with the windows open
• all the photo ops
• my garden... i love how my garden looks in the summer
• corn on the cob
• cherries... cherries... cherries...
• the smell of fresh rain

and for me... this picture sums up summer with the paklets

a thousand word thursday

my brother lives in Madison... WI... land of cheese...

these popped up on my screen this week and i instantly thought they'd be perfect for ATWT...


yes that is me being malled by the dog... Truman... he always thought i was my mom when we came to visit so he insisted on sitting on me... if you look real close i think he has his tongue in my mouth...

cousins circa 2003...

i think this was easily one of the best trips we ever took with B when he was little...

stop on by Cheaper than Therapy to see some more ATWT

bee restaurant...

the other day charlie asked me why the bees kept going in to this flower...

i said it was their restaurant... you know where that leads with a 3 year old...

is this a bee restaurant...

is this a bee restaurant...

clever mommy is not so clever all the time... but clever 3 year old sure knows how to make me laugh... and laugh often!

duck day...

for father's day we were heading to the locks in seattle and at the last minute decided to ride the duck which we have never done...

it was so much more fun than i expected... and even learned some interesting facts about my city...

most random one that i didn't know... the pink elephant car was was automatic car wash in the country...

enjoy some random photographs taken along the way of the seattle sites!!!

a brand new world of receipts

Over the weekend i had a date with B... it was awesome...

we stopped at the end of the day at red mango...

i've never been before... it was awesome...

and then i looked at the receipt.

it has calorie stats on it which i think is quite ingenious... i like the little blurb about the strawberries at the bottom which i had on my yogurt...

also helped explain why it was so expensive...

wonder where else i'll see a nutricate???

happy fathers day...

My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

―Clarence B. Kelland

super hubby got a hair cut...

Before...

and after...

yes... this was taken in the morning... but the truth is... it really had gotten this big...

the bitter look??? because he knew this was blog material ...

a thousand word thursday...

a follow up to what i do... this isn't me... it's my one of my co-workers whose been "BIC'd" as we call it... notice the "BIC boy" on everything... even the water...

what is it i do all day...

i've never really talked about what it is a i do...

you've gathered by now that i travel a bit... from travel stories... people watching... and just random photos i've posted... i have one widget that says i've traveled 57k miles in the last 12 months... that just plain scares me...

me with the BIC boy...taken Jan-07

so officially i'm a senior account manager for BIC Graphic USA... yes the same BIC that makes pens and razors... lighters and markers...wind surfers and kayaks... and once upon a time we made perfume... imagine...

my territory is Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska...

i work for the promotional division that customizes products for company promotion... when people ask what i do all day my standard answer is... "i'm solving the worlds promotional needs one pen at a time..." you can pretty much put your company name on anything... it's a $18 billion industry...

i've been with BIC 11 years now... and i must say a lot has changed in the last decade... and no two days are the same...

fun facts to wow your friends with...

• BIC sold it's 100 billionth pen in september 2005... enough pens to go from the earth to the moon end to end 40 times...
• BIC pens have 1.2 miles of uninterrupted writing... that is 10 times the height of the Eiffel Tower...
• a BIC pen changes hands on average 8-10 times in it's life time...

Have you ever wondered how the pocket protector got its start? It was a promotional product designed to sell slip-on vinyl covers that protected loose-leaf binders.

it's official...

it's true... i have finally made it and become and EventChaser...

they are sending soccer tickets...and i'm taking B to see the Sounders FC on June 28th...

i know be and i will have a blast... not to mention all the great blogging material that will come from it...

the other great thing that has come out out this is now i know the best one stop shop to find tickets to just about anything... RAZORGATOR...

they've got it all from hard to find tickets to concerts, sports events... to plays and fan packages...

you can even sell and exchange tickets on RAZORGATOR...

want your own sounders tickets... go here

awards...

i must admit that i do like some of these awards that float around blog land... not that any award isn't totally awesome and tubular...

i like this one just because i think it really does represent me and the pakletadventures... i don't know what it was intended to represent but to me it's... no BS... no agenda.. just good fun...

i got this one from sweet sarendipity... discovered i got it from google alerts... which i love...

Here's the deal:

post about it and who gave it to you...

Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are... i think this is how i got this award...

Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them they rock... or leave it up for surprise which i'm doing...

List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!

My 10 things:

1. i have little self control
2. i think i would make a better grandmother than a mother
3. i'm over the top fascinated with social media
4. i have a terrible potty mouth
5. i chewed tobacco in high school
6. i should spend more time with my kids than i do
7. i'm now at that age where people think my mother is my sister... i like to think that is because she has aged so well :) not because i haven't
   
8. i don't show my brothers that i respect them enough
9. random trivia inspires me
10. i love to be nice to people who don't expect it
    

Because I'd love to know these bloggy friends better, I choose to pass this on to:

blok thoughts... http://blokthoughtsnmore.blogspot.com/
mamarrazi... http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/
annie... http://cookieconversations.blogspot.com/
dawn...http://embracingtheordinarylife.blogspot.com/
goodncrazy mom...http://goodandcrazypeople.blogspot.com/
leslie...http://eddienalexa.blogspot.com/
jenni...http://www.jiggetyjigg.com/
midwest mommy...http://www.mommyfromthemidwest.com/

i think my boys do this too...

another good laugh... i got this as an example of what woman do from birth... but frankly i'm certain boys do it as wel...

random travel rumblings....

why is it that...

• you sometimes get the middle seat in the last row when... EVERY other middle seat is empty as well as many isles and windows...
• so many people drink tomato juice** on planes... do they drink tomato juice @ home??? i've decided that it must be some sort of special treat to fly so they drink a special treat....
• when are all my travel karma gifts to other travelers are going to pay back???

** i'm not a tomato juice drinker... think it's gross!

sunday stealing...

Cheers to all us thieves!



1. What thing is nearest to you ? my family

2. What is your ringtone ? who knows

3. What was the last message in your inbox ? email from a long lost friend from HS

4. Who is your best friend ? my husband

5. What is the brand of your TV ? don't remember

6. What schools did you attend? roger williams

7. Do you own a MP4 ? no

8. What song are you listening to now ? frogs in my back yard

9. Did you kiss anybody in the past 2 days ? my husband and my kids

10. Have you ever kissed someone you met in the blogosphere? no... random!

11. What would you want to call if you weren't your current name? like my name

12. Would you be happy if you had everything? no way of knowing

13. Are you always thinking of someone special? yes

14. Tell us of your most desperate dream? hunted by storm troopers

15. When did you last laugh till you cried? last night

16. If you had a crush, would you tell them you love him/her now ? yes

17. If you could be anywhere in the world now, where would you want to be ? vacation

18. When was your heart last broken? 15 years ago

19. Whose birthday(s) is/are coming up? super hubby

20. How many email accounts do you have? 3

Saturday 9: Games People Play

join in the fun by clicking here....

1. What was your favorite active game as a child?... kick the can

2. What was your favorite board game as a child?... monopoly

3. Tell us about a friend you played these games with in your youth... i played kick the can with the entire neighborhood... by Robbie and Jennifer's house was the best place to play...

4. What is your favorite card game? rummy

5. What board games do you enjoy now? any cranium game!!! love those games

6. Do you play video games? yes Which ones? wii sports, brainage

7. Tell us about the friends you play games with now... my kids, they keep me young

8. Do you play any sports now? nope

9. What’s your favorite sport to watch? football

chuckles loves orange

when i was growing up the orange popsicles were always the ones left over... in fact they were so disliked it seemed like no matter how bad you wanted a popsicle you would NOT stoop to eat the orange one...

well in this house... orange is the first to go...


chuckles loves everything orange... from his crocs to his cup, fork, spoon and even my car...

frankly we might need to go in to a 12 step program soon...

what color popsicle is left in your house???

thousand word thursday...

want to see more... click here...

topsy turvy week 2

in case you missed the first installment...

two weeks later i'd say they are doing way better than i expected... although they have not showed fruit... (yes i realize it is way to early for this...) there are flowers and i'm hopeful...

this is a double planting of cherry tomatoes

this is a single beef steak tomato

it also helps that for the first time in as along as i've lived here our late May and June have been warm and filled with sun!!!

Tuesday Tribute...

What is it?
Well, we'll tell you what it is NOT... It's Not About YOU. It's about SOMEONE ELSE. It's our chance, each of us, to shine our light on someone else.
Huh? Whaddya mean?
We each spend a lot of time talking about ourselves and our lives, but we are also fairly GIVING people too...Tuesday's Tribute is a chance to talk about OTHER people, OTHER blogs, OTHER lives.

want to see more click on the button...

super nanny we love you...
no i'm not talking about jo super nanny...
i'm talking the original super nanny...
you keep the kids happy...
you keep the chaos under control...
and my kids are better because of the love you give them...

thanks nancy...
for making it easier for me to head out the door every day to show my wears and know my kids are loved and safe...

you are my greatest stroke of luck ever!!!

late night findings...

i found this on a late night google reader crawl...
first it took me here...
which took me here...
where i found this....

Instead of setting up an elaborate sundae bar outside for a party (where the ice cream will probably melt before people decide which toppings they want to load on top of their dessert) you can use this idea from Country Living and add the toppings to the cone before the party:

Just dip the cones in melted white or milk chocolate and roll in toppings. Marshmallows, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, crushed cookies, candy chips, or sprinkles and let the guests scoop up their ice cream of choice.

the things he does...

so you've heard me talk about what an amazing man super hubby is...

he's also VERY handy... and when the cover for this....

needed replacing this summer... he decided to sew a new one... why the sourcing wizard didn't find one on line i'm not quite sure... because he could have gone here for half the price and about 15 minutes of work :)

instead he did this... i think he liked the challenge...

first he took the old one apart to make a pattern...

Then he carefully sewed together all 18 or so panels...

Then he got out the ladder to put it on...

and has been enjoying it ever since...

and yes it's perfect!!!

sunday stealing...

this was supposed to be the most hated... but i really don't like that word... i just can't deal with too much negative right now... i listen to complaining all day...

so... i'm taking a blog liberty and changing to loved...

1. Most loved food: Mexican

2. Most loved person: super hubby

3. Most loved job: ... this one was hard... polishing silver

4. Most loved city: boston

5. Most loved band: no question... the Police

6. Most loved (non-blog) website: google

7. Most loved TV program: Friday Night Lights

8. Most loved politician: Claiborne Pell

9. Most loved artist: none

10. Most loved book: time travelers wife

11. Most loved shop or store: target

12. Most loved organization: ???

13. Most loved historical event: this last presidential election

14. Most loved sport: to watch... football

15. Most loved technology: my kindle

16. Most loved annual event: 2 week family vacation @ my parents

17. Most loved daily task: going to bed

18. Most loved comedian: ellen

19. Most loved blog: Cheaper than Therapy

20. Most loved song: every little thing she does

Saturday 9: It's My Party

join the rest of the party here...

1. Do you prefer to host or be a guest at a party? host
2. Would you rather go to a large party or a small dinner party? small dinner party
3. What is you worst flaw? perfectionist
4. What is you best character trait? adaptability
5. What habit in others annoys you? sniffling
6. What qualities in others do you admire? patience
7. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? my patience
8. Do you tend to be shy with strangers? no
9. Do you prefer to lead or follow in a group of people? lead

heard on the way to school...

C and i went to pick up big brother from school...

C is a chatter box... he has theories about everything at the ripe age of 3...

today we discussed worms and slugs...

we live in slug country so in some ways they are almost like pets to our boys...

when B was this age i took this photo... you can tell from his expression just how much he loved them... we had just gotten back from our trip east and it was waiting at the front door... you would have thought it was the ice cream truck...


he asked to have me take his picture with it :)

what does this have to do with my walk you ask...

just that when i asked C what slugs do
he said "they drink mom"
me "what?"
him "rain water from the clouds mom... that is why they are everywhere here...it rains a lot"

discussions with an almost 8 year old...

pick him up from school -

me - hope you had a good day

b - fine

me - we have to go get a CAT scan today

b- what is that... do they put a bunch of cats all over you?

me - almost pee my pants right there in the school parking lot except now all the other moms are looking at me...

side note - what is the deal with the elementary school parking lot? it's like the cool kids (aka moms in the know) rule the lot... just like going back to jr. high as i've said many times before...

remember i'm that un-cool mom who works outside the home so not everyone is embracing me... i pull it together and smile knowing that i still laugh every day with my kids...


we are waiting for CT scan...

b - it was so hot today

me - sure was

b - i'd hate to be a robber on a hot day like today

me - why?

b - because they wear all that black - cap, face mask, long sleeved black shirt, black pants... they must be cooking...

me - smiling at how simple life can be and realizing even at almost 8 you are still a little boy...

a thousand word thursday...

The frogs are back!!!

Check all the the others @....

sad and crappy day for paklet #1...

taken when he was deciding if Toby was the one to take home (9/05)...

today we lost one of our cats suddenly in an accident... it was horrible and sad... and my heart breaks for B since it was one of his... and his favorite of the two...

good thoughts for my little guy are appreciated!

we then went back for the brother so we had a matching set...

Bring it...

Got this email from a friend and had to share… she did recognized that super hubby would sweep the competition but then I wondered if anyone else out there was quite as lucky as me???

Super hubby is ready to go for this game… anyone think they can take him on?

how could a boy who grew up wearing red clogs not become a super hubby right?

• Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.
• Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.
• There is no fast food.
• Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean , correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.
• In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.
• Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.
• Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.
• He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.
• He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.
• Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.
• The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done..
• They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.
• They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.
• A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name.
• Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.
• The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
• The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.
• If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right to be called Mother!

i *heart* faces contest week 21

my little chuckleberry loves his cupcakes!!!

To join this week's theme head over the i heart faces blog!

never enough space...

my boys rooms are a mess... and the kind people at all children's furniture had some ideas for me that were definitely worth sharing...

Between all of the gear and accessories needed for after school sports and extracurricular activities your children are involved in on a regular basis, it’s easy for them to come home to a cluttered room. Since bedrooms typically include a collection of kids furniture for sleeping, school, and playtime, it’s important to keep the space as organized as possible to keep children on task.

Encourage your children to maintain a clean environment by implementing storage bins for books and toys, a compartmentalized student desk for school supplies, and bookshelves for holding textbooks or decorative items to help add style and charm to the room... i'm working on this.. but 2 boys don't care so much about charm :)...

• Foldable canvas storage containers can serve as a free-for-all organization unit for the assortment of toys, accessories, clothing, and other items your family uses on a daily basis.
  
• Color-coded bins can be placed off to the side and not only help maintain a clean area but also add a splash of color to the room’s overall design.
  

In your children’s bedroom, it’s always a good idea to... establish creative and quiet spaces that promote arts and crafts activities for one part of the day and study sessions or reading for another... Consider designating a quiet corner in the kid’s bedroom for a desk or study table that will provide them with the room they need to complete school projects and homework...i'm all over this one... we did this for B and he's definitely keeping the "stuff" in his room more... you know those piles of paper they come home with every day from school...BONUS!

Another affordable and convenient option for storing extra gear is with an accent toy chest that can be placed in front of the bed or in the playroom section of the room. Be sure to include an open bin construction for younger children as a safety precaution so that they don’t risk falling inside or catch their fingers on the hinge. Once you have established a clutter-free zone for your children’s rooms, it will be even easier for everyone to find exactly what they are looking for at any given moment and stay on task every day.... imagine how quickly you could get out for your day of adventure in the morning...