This Oz Life

Alert! Wednesdays are going to have a new look. Making the Picasa collages was way too much work, sorry. And I need words! I'll just caption them and hopefully they will take on a little more meaning for you as well. Read more

Have you ever heard of this before? It is a book that looks a little chachi to me, but someone was talking about it at work. Among the other 99.9% of other people discussing 50 shades . Anyway, it is similar to figuring out your personality type ("Relator" here), which I have done many times in the last decade or so. Helps you understand people in your workplace and people in your lives. It doesn't mean at all that you and the "others" can't co-exist, in fac… Read more

I'd rather spend my money on traveling than anything else. Actually, if I never got another gift again and instead got to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms, that would be just fine! Here are the places that are still on my must-see list. Any opinions? 1. Hawaii- The plane ride does not excite me, but I'm sure it is worth it. Supposedly a good vacation with kids, too. 2. Key West- This is probably much more doable than Hawaii. The food, the drinks, the pink houses, oh my! 3. S… Read more

Note to Larkyn: Happy 13 months! Here you are in your birthday chair, which we can use for our pictures now. As soon as you start speaking in phrases, I wondered if you could clear up a few things... Is your body wired a different way, to recognize weekends as the days to wake up early and M-F as the days to sleep in? Does food taste different when daddy or grandma feeds it to you? Just wondering why you can eat an omelette for dad and scream when I gave you a bite of scrambled eggs? Spe… Read more

OK, time to try something new! I am linking up at Aunie Sauce and you know I love a list. Link up and give it a shot once a week to clear your mind and tell us a little more about yourself. I have 9 school days left til summer is here! I do love my kiddos, but I know they love summer just as much as I do! 1. Being with Larkyn every day! I can't wait to see what she has to show me in the next few months. 2. No alarm clocks.  3. Going places on a weekday during the day. No more crow… Read more

Read more

I have this thing about bandwagons. I'll watch from afar, fascinated by people who quickly jump on...observing if the trend will stick...weighing if the hype is worth it...getting annoyed with over-saturation, then finally making a choice. I JUST got a black North Face fleece this February because they were 30% off (the global warming discount, you know). Anyway... In our fridge, you can find the following: 3 Yoplait lights (Matt's) 4 Chobani Champs (Larkyn's) 4 Cherry Activi… Read more

I requested the day off for Mother's Day, hoping for an adventure of some sort. Didn't need something in a little box or something that would die in a week, just wanted to pile in the car and go . This morning, we left for Cincinnati (about a 2 hour drive from Columbus). We timed it so that Larkyn would sleep all the way down and all the way back up. Sweet. The aquarium was easy to find because of all the signs, but I had no idea it was attached to an outdoor mall (If you know … Read more

Dear Larkyn, Thank you for letting me be your mama!  Every day, I am happy to wake up to your cooing and your smiling face when I walk in the door. I love to start my day with you. Every day you show me something new you can do, and I am so proud of you! Even when you whine and cry, I know its because you so badly want to do something that you just can't quite get right (which reminds me of myself). Before you were born, I dreamed you were a girl, that Larkyn was your name, and t… Read more

All day yesterday, colleagues of mine kept asking, "What are you doing Sunday?" "Any big Mother's Day plans?" Ummm, I didn't get that far yet? To me, Mother's Day is still about ME celebrating MY mom. I haven't figured out the other part of me being a mom yet. So, I planned this trip to the zoo with our old friends Katie, Judy and Baby Maclain awhile back and still have no idea what (if anything) I'm doing tomorrow on actual Mother's Day. Wh… Read more

For years I equated sangria with boiling sugar, cutting up tons of fruit, and finding/purchasing my first bottle of brandy. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo on Saturday, we got Mexican carryout and I did not have to do any of the above! Well, there is a little chopping, but I made big chunks and it took only a few minutes. It was so good that only a sleeping child kept us from going out to get ingredients for a second batch... Unintimidating Sangria this will make enough for a crowd or last … Read more

1. There are only 2 more Mondays left of school! This is fantastic/terrifying news. Words cannot express how much STUFF I have to do before May 31st. 2. Notice how a good song makes you drive faster? OK, maybe that is just me. I have a little bit of a past with the song+speed relationship. Now that Lulu is here, I have to pull it together and ignore my compulsion to drive like my sports hero. Anyway, here are a few that have gotten me in trouble. Use caution when listening to these so… Read more

Looks like Techie Tuesday and TV Tuesday didn't work out for me because I never have time to watch TV in a timely manner and I don't have unlimited funds to test out the tech goods. Unfortunate. BUT! I do try something new all the time, and I'm all about sharing the things I think you might like. For Larkyn's first birthday, she got a Leapfrog My Pal Violet (There is a green "boy" version named Scout). My mom gave it to her, and Larkyn is in love! If you have… Read more

Sunday is race day. I've been watching them since I was in utero, but it doesn't mean I don't get stir crazy during the 4 hour marathon testosterone sessions. After getting some cute play clothes on sale (and with a gift card) from Gymboree today, I was ready to make some hair accessories for my girl. They were so simple! It almost makes it OK that she will pull them off her head as soon as I put them on... Here is what you need: Now you can glue your flower to a barrette … Read more

Read more