Friday Loves

Here's what I have been loving this week!

I can't tell you how much I am obsessed with this seasoning. I put it on everything these days! Sprinkle it on your veggies too. TRUST ME!

I tried this little product this week, and am done with whitening strips for good! More on this later. :)

Peanut butter and Honey Sandwiches

Yep! That's right! I'm off the Better n' Butter train!  It's great to cook with, but I got tired of the taste of it in my sandwiches. Bring on the Costco sized tub! I'm off the wagon, and loving every bite! Oh, how I've missed you peanut butter. 

Lucky Brand "Ellena" Booties

Appearing in my closet this fall! ;)

Pontoon- Little Big Town

I have been addicted to this song since June. It makes me laugh because my parents have a pontoon. I need a BOAT, especially with the hot weather we've been having lately. I love it! 

Have a great weekend Yall! I'm going camping again! It's going to be a hot one!

                           ~Betsy

Booty Barre Anyone??

Booty Barre

Have you taken a Booty Barre class yet? My sister-in-law owns her own fitness studio, and she is just a walking fitness inspiration. She always looks amazing, and has amazing strength even though she has a thin yoga physique. Anyway, she starting having Booty Barre classes at her studio, and they are SO fun! It's a blend of Pilates and cardio done mainly at the bar. It will totally kick your rear hind quarters! I used muscles that I never use! It was awkward for me, but the magic happens outside your comfort zone! If I could have walked the next day; I would have taken another class, because I liked it that much. I need to see about finding a local Booty Barre class here in Portland. :) Try it! You'll see!

            ~Betsy

Back to School already!?!?!

Crud, It's time for back to school shopping already! This year is the first year that I am back to school shopping for TWO kids instead of just my son. Yep! It's The Misses first year of preschool this year. This being said, I am trying to lesson the blow to the bank account by shopping a little bit at a time over the next month or so. My kids are 6 years apart in age, so I spent a long time only shopping for boys clothing. Now I get excited to get to shop for girls back to school stuff too! I am a little bit of a dork in the sense that I like to dress The Misses up like me. This totally explains why I bought these for her back to school. Mommy has a grown up pair that she is constantly putting on, but they are as tall is she is so she can't walk in them at all. I tried to buy these for her last year, but Hunter boots run big, so they didn't fit. I can't wait to see her face when she sees her new boots! Now we can match in style during the long, rainy winter months around here. She's such a big girl, and she's going to look SO cute! These were a fun little purchases, but now the rest of her school clothes will probably be bought from Target or Children's Place. Let's be real.  Now on to the boys shoes... :)

Toddler Hunter Original Wellies 

 Nordstrom $60

They'll look cute with her toddler Joe's skinny jeans.

Saks Fifth Avenue $49

Worst. Blogger. Ever.

Sandpoint, Idaho

Where in the Sam hell have I been???  Well, I may have forgotten to post for all of you readers (aka my mom and Friend) that I was heading to north Idaho. The Hubs family lives up there, and I took the kids to hang out with the family for awhile. We had a great time! Here's a view from the condo we stayed at. It was lovely.

Now... Back to the real world!  We got home late evening on Sunday, and Monday morning I felt like someone had shot me out of a cannon! At least I got to have a cup of coffee and take the dog for a morning walk before the kids woke up to start giving me grief from sun up to sun down. I was damn near in tears by the end of the day yesterday. Those of you who know me, will know that this is not the norm. 

Somewhere between Coeur d' Alene, Idaho and Portland, The Misses forgot to learn how to use the toilet without going in her pants first, and R forgot his manners, thoughtfulness, patience, and overall good attitude. It made for a pretty crummy day here in the household. They have just been a hoot to have around the house, and since a bad attitude is contagious like the flu, I totally lost it by the end of the day. 

I have started a new book, and it's a memoir by David Sedaris called Dressing Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. It's hilarious so far! It takes place in the late 60's early 70's in North Carolina. Anyway, at one point in the book his mother was so fed up with he and his sister's behavior, she kicked them out of the house to play in the snow and locked the door! She left them out there until dusk while she sat inside alternating between glasses of wine and coffee while reading her book. Well, times have changed. These days you would get into big trouble for doing that, but I really thought that it sounded like a good idea yesterday. ;)

Today is a new day, and I can do this!  Here is the link to a great Huffington Post article that I read yesterday thanks to a good friend posting it on Facebook. I really could relate to it, and I think all moms of young kids can to. It's a great read, and it was a Godsend for me yesterday.  :)   ~Betsy

Deep Thoughts by Betsy

Welcome to the world of some of my random thoughts this week.  Inspired by Jack Handy...

Why can't I ever find rubber bands for my hair when I need them? When I don't need them I seem to constantly be picking them up everywhere!

I should be less judgmental sometimes... or all the time.

Why is it Murphy's Law of the grocery store that whenever I am in a rush,  I  will inevitably get in line behind the person least in a hurry. Conspicuous...

TEAM USA!!!

I need to run today.

I hate my hair these days. It may be getting time to hack it.

I love self tanner. Giving me color since 2006. Ha!

I want to get a dog again. At this minute in time... It would be nice to have a running partner!

Okay, enough with the Olympics already. I'm starting to miss Ellen... I guess I'll just watch Bravo...

Yay! Sunshine!

This We Need to Talk About Kevin book has gotten even more eerie after the theater shooting in Colorado.

Yay! I'm getting my hair cut next Thursday!! Woohoo! :)

I can't believe it's August 1st already! Wow!

If I could marry one food, it would be COFFEE!

OMG! I love the show Anger Management! I'm sorry, but Charlie Sheen is funny. I don't care that he's a total mess. He makes me laugh!

FRUIT FLIES!!!! UGH!!!

I love being an Auntie!! It's super fun! BIG smiles! :)

I want a big roasted marshmallow for breakfast.

Maybe instead of working out, I should just have the girls meet me at Ikea...

SO sick of composting!!!!! Damn city rules! Yuck!

Yay! 95 degrees this weekend! I need to find some water... and a boat... and some money to buy the boat...

~Betsy

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner...

It's Post Time!! Can you hear the trumpets?  When was the last time you went to the horse races? For us, it had been about 4 years!  When I heard that the horses were back at Portland Meadows I really wanted to go.  As I looked into it, I saw that Sundays at the track were family day, and I was totally in!  You would be surprised at what a family affair good old fashioned horse betting can be! (Insert Parent of the Year Award here :) On Sundays from 1pm-5pm Portland Meadows has live horse racing, coloring contest, balloon animals, junk food, and lots of playtime outside waiting for post time. Our kids had a great time!  We let them pick a name for us to bet on, so they could be involved, and they thought that was fun. As for our luck, we won some, we lost some, but we lost more than we won. Papa's Flying Angel was Mama's big winner of the day, and it was a pretty fun day. I would totally recommend taking the kids if you get the chance. After all, everywhere you go you pay for the entertainment, and often have nothing to show for it. At least at Portland Meadows you have the opportunity to have "lady luck" pay you a visit. Example: We spent $50 to go to The Oregon Zoo on Saturday, and didn't have squat to show for it either! LOL! 

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I've finally joined Twitter! I'm totally 2012 now. ;)  Find me @BetsyKovatch!  One day I will figure out how to put a Tweet button on my blog page... baby steps.