December 31, 2011

New Year's Eve. Savvy Style.

it's New Year's Eve!
hooray!
this week, my mom asked me if bern and i were going to parties. 
"parties."
as though we were the kind of people to hop from party to party, ringing in the new year. 
it's a sweet sentiment. 
but, so far, here is what our new year's eve has included:
  • sleeping in until a whopping 8am. (this is madness for us.)
  • laundry
  • eating leftover Las Margaritas (yum)
  • laundry
  • reading
  • doing flashcards with ben and practicing drawing our letters
  • some more reading
  • eating a ridiculous amount of cheese (cheeseballs/cheddar/jarlsberg dip) and hummus while watching football/OSU basketball
  • figuring out how to check out e-books from the library 
  • bern and anth playing Lego Batman together
  • doing a crossword in the People magazine bern's dad left behind
  • baking some potatoes
  • folding previously mentioned laundry (it is an accomplishment that this happened on the same day it was washed. at least for me.)
  • playing two rounds of the game Sorry
  • not bathing (well, me. the boys got a bath)
  • and wearing my pajamas all day
i know. 
it's hard to take in how very cool and exciting we are. 
but, to me, the day was pretty much perfect. 
wait.
i almost forgot to mention. . .
anth is also looking forward to staying up late to play a game of Pop-o-matic Trouble and then releasing his "party poppers" before bed. 

no worries. 
i plan on bringing in the new year tomorrow with some soap.
and probably more cheese.
at different times.
but, to all those wild and crazy kids out there celebrating tonight, be safe, and as i tell my son every day as i drop him off at pre-school, "be good!"
(i also sometimes use the former Buckeye, Kenny Blank Lopez's famous "make good choices!"_

Here's to a happy, healthy 2012!

December 30, 2011

fail photo 45: oh sNOw update

our last official fail photo was of our sweet benny's face in the cut-out of a snowman. 
from the wall at pre-school. 
since then, the teachers have updated the wall. 
each child responded to the question "what does a snowman need?"


here is ben's:



in typical benny fashion, he chose an entirely green wardrobe for his snowman. 
but benny's classmate audrey?
she might be the reason songs like Santa Baby exist...


you kind of have to appreciate her attention to detail.

December 29, 2011

wants vs. needs

we often talk to the boys about the difference between "needs" and "wants." 
you may want a brand new toy, or the ability to fly, but you don't necessarily need these to function. 
at least not as a human. 


the other day, after eating lunch at a restaurant, anth leaned over to me. 
"mom, those nachos were REALLY spicy. i think i NEED some G-U-M."
after getting within range of him, i kind of had to agree. 
at least to myself. 


ben, hearing this exchange, immediately demanded, "i NEED G-U-M, too!"
then he leaned across the table to whisper, "momma, what's a G-U-M?"


peer pressure. 
with a dash of keeping up with the jonses.
it starts early.

December 28, 2011

3285 Days of Us

it's our Savvyversary!
(too much? i love smooshing words together!)
(which my friend brandon would remind me is a "portmanteu.")

anyway!
it's our 9 year anniversay!
yay!
last year i rolled out a new page for our anniversary, all about our story
wholesome. 
this year, bern and i will be off celebrating in town. 
doing something crazy called "eating food while it is still warm."
and "watching a movie that is not PG, and during which i can hear the dialogue."
specifically, we are going to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. 
we are all sappy like that. 
(actually, we are. but my sweet husband really loves me and knows how much i've been waiting for this too come out after plowing through the books. bless his heart.)
i guess it's better than the year we saw P.S. I Love You for v-day, not knowing it was not entirely a feel-good movie. 
oops. 
anyway, so that bern and i can enjoy the day together, i am putting up a very early post!

a very Happy Anniversary to my sweet boy. 
who, when the reverend for our wedding made a reference to him choosing me of "all the women in the world," recalls thinking a quick string of thoughts about the fact that he really hadn't been searching in that wide a pool. 
but with him being from Ohio and me from California, we feel we have a good portion of the continental US covered. :) 

in celebration, i am finally adding a new page to the site. 
here's a sneak peek below!




December 25, 2011

merry everything!

so much prepping and it's finally here! 
phew! 
i took a bit of time this week to glance back at the boys' christmas photos from the last 6 years. 
i thought i would share. . . 


anth's first christmas. 2005
he was just as excited as mom to be posing for his first holiday photo card. 


 he was much more excited to dig into the presents on christmas morning. 
(no, i don't recall where his clothing is.)


 we had to ask him to lay off the nog. 
they start so young these days. 


and, once again, anth is displeased. 
probably with the ridiculous outfit i thought was cute at the time. 


just like his mom, anth has always been ready for appetizers. 


 anth. christmas 2006. 


 it's hard to unwrap when you refuse to drop the snack.


 christmas 2007.


 prepping cookies for santa.


anth wanted to wait for santa to come. 
he asked to take his dinner by the tree just in case. 


 santa ate the cookies!!


benny entered the scene for christmas 2008.
with this hat. 


 and this one. 

  back to grandma and grandpa welch's this year. 


christmas 2009 brought with it the most amazing holiday photo card shoot ever. 
bless kelly's heart for continuing to attempt to get a good picture of my children. 

when she was mostly getting this. 



it was so bad, it was shocking.


benny.
feeling the christmas spirit. 
it's sweet to see him be happy for his big brother. 


and, christmas 2010.
this marked the last year that anth let me put whatever i wanted on his head and snap a picture. 
he is suddenly aware of how embarrassing his mother can be. 


i promise to capture the moments of Christmas 2011 for future fun!
Happy Everything to all those celebrating this winter!

December 24, 2011

RUM-pum-pum-pum

we will be embarking on Christmas Eve activities shortly. 
thus, an earlier post than usual!
yay!!


i grew up in a house with parents who appreciate eating healthy foods. 
no soda, not too much sugar, lots of homemade food, etc. 
and my little sister was allergic to dairy and glutens and had to bring her own buns to McDonald's/have apple juice in her rice puff cereal, etc. 
(needless to say, when i went off to college, i might have been a bit ridiculous that quarter in the cafeteria.)
but, because of this healthy eating, my mom's holiday parties always stood out as havens of sugar and other unusual goodies. 


back then, i also had a healthy fascinating with office supplies. 
much like i do today. 
as in, i can't enter Target without at least passing through the pen aisle. 
i limit my trips into Staples and Office Max. 
Papyrus? i literally salivate. 
you get the picture. 
except back then, my fascination centered on cute erasers, pencils, and other Hello Kitty goodies. 
i had a small, purple pencil case that i believe had penguins on it. 
inside, it had a tray that could be removed to create two tiers of storage. 


it was inside this very tray that i used to steal little round cookies from my mom's holiday party and stow them away in my room. 
where i would eat one at night at bedtime. 
after i had brushed my teeth. 
ah, rebellion. 
it wasn't until years later that i found out that my favorite holiday treat at the age of 8 was, in fact, Rum Balls. 
yep, i was secretly stashing rum infused treats in my room and consuming them alone at night as a child. 
hmm.


(now, i recently found out that my grandmother once found my mom walking around the aftermath of a holiday party drinking the remains out of people's wine glasses. also fabulous.)


anyway, this year, i decided to make rum balls for the holidays. 
for nostalgia.
and, benny, being the little chef that he is, asked to join me in the kitchen. 
and, being the Parent of the Year that i am, i said, "of course you can join me in making alcoholic treats that you cannot consume, honey. how fun for you."
(note, for the sarcastically-uninclined, i did NOT actually say that to my 3-year-old. i probably said "go pull up a chair.")


benny's job is to pour in ingredients and stir. 
at one point while we were measuring ingredients, i looked over at the recipe and he leaned in with me as well. 
i had already seen what i needed, but he was still peeking at the little card. 
i asked him, "what does it say i need to add next, benny?"
he looked at it for a minute, and then whipped his head around to look at me. 
wide-eyed and slightly panicked, he yelled, "oh no, mommy! i think i forgot how to read!"


Happy Christmas Eve!!!

December 22, 2011

feel the magic

this weekend, i wrapped presents.
approximately 6 hours worth of presents.
exactly 3 Lifetime Christmas movies worth of presents.

we started while the boys were napping, but clearly, no child naps this long.
as such, bern took over child-distraction-duties while i chugged along in the basement.
we told the boys that mommy was working on some "Christmas magic" in the basement.

anth, being anth, understood that the "magic" was the secret of not knowing what their presents were.
he begged me to tell him what just one present was.
i refused.
he pouted accordingly.

benny, being benny, wanted in on the Christmas magic.
as such, he kept trying to get into the basement.
the stairs down to our basement have a giant opening on one side, so if he went any more then two steps down, he would be able to see all of the "magic."
so, bern kept him away from the door. 
except for one time, when i had to dash up the stairs as i heard the door opening in conjunction with benny's voice coming down the stairs. 
this resulted in me essentially tackling a three year old at the top of a staircase with a very small landing. 
awesome. 
if you had been there, you would have seen me laying on top of Benny, with both of our heads barely sticking out of the doorway leading to the basement.
and benny stretching his legs as far into the basement as he could yelling, "i can feel the magic with my toes! i have magic on my toes! i can fly!"

he then stood up and walked into the living room.
and did not, for your information, take off in flight.
surprisingly, this did not upset him all that much.
he looked at us, shrugged his shoulders, and still completely giddy, said, "it's not enough magic to fly, but my toes feel tingly."
realistically, his feet probably were tingling.
because he lost circulation from his adult-sized mother pinning down his pint-sized person.
but sometimes, belief is a beautiful thing.

December 20, 2011

a message from my carpet

dear people who love to send glittery christmas cards, 


you cause me undue stress. 
seriously.
i get twitchy the minute i hear the crunch through the slightly-thicker-than-normal envelope. 


please. 
refrain.
or consider foiled cards next year.
they are equally shiny and just as aesthetically appealing. 
i'm begging you. 


thank you in advance for your consideration. 


love, 


krystyne's floor.
and vacuum.
and sanity.

family photos - sneak peek!

once again, i have been a super slacker about blogging this last week.
but, trust me, hilarity has ensued in our household as we have prepared for Christmas.
expect fun posts to come on the topics of baking with liquor, magic toes, and snowman essentials.

in the meantime, the lovely Priscilla of Priscilla Joy Photography has put up the sneak peek from our family photo shoot this fall.
with her fun new logo that i absolutely adore.
i will  make a new page of family photos that aren't included here while i am on vacation next week.
including a few epic failures that Priscilla was kind enough to share. 
but, until then, check out the sneak peek on Priscilla's website, here

December 15, 2011

getting crafty

apparently,  My Savvy Boys is in the business of doing dedications these days. 
last week, it was to my sister Katie. 
today, this post is for my college roomie's husband. 
based on a random facebook conversation with Joy this week. 
sadly, Adam, it's only a semi-intentional dedication. 
i start a lot of posts around here to have extra things on deck. 
and then, sometimes, the boys just get on a roll of doing silly things. 
and the queued up posts get lost and forgotten. 
and eventually it's just too late. 
case in point, i have a few great posts about benny's birthday that i never got around to using. 
his birthday is in march. 
but, this one is only about two months old. 
so, adam, it seems it is time for me to bring this one out for you. . . 

i love crafts.
as in, i could happily spend half a day wandering around Joann Fabrics.
and then head over to Michael's for more.
most of the time, the idea of a project is best.
i discussed my chronic Craft Starting Disorder here last summer.

anth also loves crafts.
he is my new partner in crime when i want to head to Joann's.
as long as i promise he can pick two crafts to take home with him, he will dutifully follow me about the store in pursuit of the perfect sticker, the latest yarn, etc.
recently, anth and i went to Joann's to get some holiday garland for our staircase.
at the end of this project, he picked out a flat, wooden, penguin-shaped ornament to paint, as well as a little loom to weave dishcloths.
yes, his is that awesome.
and if you think that a kid who picks a loom for fun is not awesome, well then, maybe it's you, my friend, who is lacking in the awesome department.
(you can pause here to ponder this if necessary. it's going to be important for the rest of this post.)

anyway.
anth loves crafts.
i am regularly looking for new ones.
i am currently excited by a flower-from-tissue-paper craft that a colleague, Heather, taught me this week.
if time allows, we shall be making some tissue poinsettias this weekend.
but, because i have been slacking about posting, as my sister so lovingly pointed out, here is a nice long post with bonus photos.
as the last photo will reveal, this is about two months old.
but, benny decided to get in on the crafting action this particular weekend, so it was necessary to photo-document.
here you are. . .

anth loves iron beads.
they require a precision in the Land of Motor Skills that benny has not yet developed.
here is the only photo i have of benny attempting this before it was promptly decided that "dese are just no fun."
ben does love to paint.
and he loves collecting coins.
perfect craft?
make your own piggy bank.

the kid was focused.

he worked so long, he needed to prop up his own head.
that's dedication.

my poor boys.
i will declare just about anything time for a joint picture.
they are so patient with humoring me.
they must know that they rely on me for sustenance.
or something.
benny insisted his piggy have a green scarf.
i helped him a bit with the edges.

benny gave him a really good coat of paint.
really good.
perhaps more so in some places than others.
i suggested he cover up the white parts and he eventually manged to do so.

ben also made the executive decision that "piggies are always muddy."
fair enough.
he also had me help him paint eyes on his masterpiece.
"so my piggy can see me."
precious.

anth worked on a series of "stained-glass" halloween decorations.
i am a toot and did not take many pictures of these due to being distracted by ben's artwork.
he also worked on a few involving small beads that needed to be melted in the oven.

i'm pretty darn excited to have them home for a week over the holidays.
i am debating teaching anth how to knit.
which could probably warrant it's own blog. 
i'll keep you posted. . .



December 14, 2011

art and other junk

below is the photo i was looking for after i broke my phone and spilled water all over my desk.

i've shared that anth loves to craft.
each day at latchkey, one of his teachers offers a different project.
and each day, anth completes said project before wandering off to other adventures.
recently, i picked him up and he had a little brown lunch bag with his name on it.
this usually means he is bringing home either a fragile or particularly glittery project.
i asked him what was inside the bag.
"oh! mom! it's a christmas ornament! it's really pretty."
(pause.)
"in a junky sort of way."



December 13, 2011

shelf minus elf

you have heard about our new friend Ernie.
the elf.
the boys have quickly adapted to having him in our house, running around each morning to find him, and reminding each other that Ernie is watching when one gets a little squirrely.
basically, life with Ernie has been good.


until this weekend.
one of the main, and only, rules regarding Ernie (as detailed in the book that appeared along with him) is that you cannot touch him.
if you do, no more magic.
the boys have abided by this rule completely.


on Saturday, we came home a bit after their usual bedtime from a holiday party.
we were in a flurry to get into the house, and in our rush to get in the door, ernie may or may not have been jostled from his resting spot on the edge of our kitchen counter.
and by jostled, i mean pushed off of the edge to land flat on his face on the floor.
no one is sure exactly who did it, but the boys immediately blamed daddy.
for, essentially, ruining christmas.
all at once, many things started to happen.
anth started to rationalize the fact that, "well, at least i have already told him the big stuff i want from Santa."
(anth decided the boys should share one wish per night, as too not be perceived as greedy.)
ben realized he had only told him small things, like stuffed Angry Birds, and started to panic.
and daddy, trying to calm the situation, ended up scooping up Ernie with a spatula and mixing spoon, so as to not really touch him.
bern put him back on the counter and we left him there with the hopes that all would be well in the morning. . .



if my children had better rested parents, all probably would have been better in the morning.
unfortunately, they don't.
and poor Ernie was in the same place on the counter on Sunday morning.
this is when the boys knew they were really in trouble when it came to gifts.
anth was able to stay impressively rational during this, and he decided we should consult with the recent Elf on a Shelf made-for-TV movie.
in it, the older brother touches the elf and causes him to lose his magic.
the boy writes an apology letter to Santa, Chippy the Elf returns, and all is well again in the world.
the boys conferred and decided bern would need to write an apology to Santa. 
it was also decided that, it being modern times, Santa would take email.
bern sent the email, and then we scooped up the boys and took them to Target.

(note: this email is a limited edition replica, as the original contained our home address.) 

fortunately, when we came home, Ernie was alive and well and sitting up in a new fun spot.
crisis averted.
. . . until this morning.
the boys found ernie happily perched on a shelf in the downstairs bathroom.


looking just as creepy (as i find him) as usual.
we were all rushing around doing the last minute pouring of coffee, application of large puffy jacket to small wiggly child, etc.
bern went into the restroom to touch up his hair.
and then i heard a small little thud.
followed by, "not again daddy!"
i turned around to see part of ernie.
on the ground.
in the doorway of the restroom.
i then watched my sweet husband quietly walk into the kitchen, grab our over sized oven mitt, and pick up Ernie and put him back on his proper shelf before telling the boys that he would email Santa as soon as he got into the office.

Dear Santa,
we apologize for clogging your inbox.
Love,
The Savvy Family

December 12, 2011

the dropsies

ok.
so i just wrote, once again, about my Craft Starting Disorder last week.
and now, i have a new one to claim.
i have The Dropsies.
more specifically, the Distraction Induced Dropsies.
whenever i am trying to manage 14 things at once, and thinking about a 15th, and happen to be carrying anything, i drop it.

this week, i had an epic moment of dropsiness.
i was driving from the north side of campus to park in the Ohio Union Garage on south campus.
i had my iphone in my coat pocket.
when i went to get out of the car, i did the awkward maneuver that only people-who-carry-unnecessarily-large-bags will completely understand.
i did the weird heft-the-bag-over-the-steering-wheel-while-tipping-sideways maneuver.
except, apparently, i tipped a little too far.
and my cell phone fell out of my coat pocket.
a whopping 1.5 feet.
but, as is generally my luck, it hit at the perfect angle to shatter the screen of the phone like a damaged windshield.
randomly, i was headed to a meeting in bernie's building, so i stopped over there first.
to walk into his office with a pout-lip and my phone held out in front of me.
i have to say, i have a patient husband.
if i was me i would have been frustrated with me.
he just called the Apple store to see what our insurance would cover.
meanwhile, i put a post-it on the phone with the information.
and when i went to move it, it came off with several shards of glass stuck to the sticky part.
brilliant.

anyway.
bern swapped out my phone for a new one and helped me restore the information.
i realized that i had lost some data today at work.
when i had another attack of the Dropsies.
this episode came on after i walked down the hallway to get a cup of water, headed back to my office, set the cup on my desk, and promptly knocked it over.
all over.
i thought i would take this photo to demonstrate exactly how much of the water i managed to spill:

note the small sip i managed to preserve.

anyway, when i went to take this photo, i realized that i lost all of my photos from November 22nd on.
so, no fun photos to share from my trip to Madison.
and, no photo of anth's recent holiday-related craft i was going to post about tonight.
because i will have to retake it.
and tell the story another day.
i tell myself that i remember being (at least slightly) more competent at life before i was distracted by kids.
but to be honest, my memory is shot these days, too.