the mosquito

devilish little creatures absolutely love me. one of the main reasons i am not outdoors-y is because of these stupid little things that suck my blood and all i get in return is an itchy, red, swollen bump. right now i have at least eighteen that i've gotten in the last week. so in order to relieve some of the itch and maybe even prevent future itching, i have done some research that i would like to share.

here are ways to stop the itch!!

the mom that i am working for this summer keeps deodorant in the pool bag. when i first saw it, looking for some goggles, i passed over it, just thinking that she used it the same way as everyone else. but after she saw me itching vehemently at the three bug bites on my knee, she explained that deodorant, when applied to a bug bite, will take care of some of the itch! the deodorant she has is also lavender scented. i don't know if she knows this, but lavender is a plant and smell that mosquitoes can't stand! other fun tips for stopping the itch are: the inside of a banana peel, hot wash cloths: they actually will confuse your nerve endings for a bit and stop the itching! also, scotch tape: will take away the itch and when you take it off, it will also take away some toxins! and also, the cross: when you use your fingernail to put a cross in your bite it actually does do something for the bite! it disperses the proteins in a mosquito's saliva!

i could go on and on about the cool stuff i have read, but i fear i may have already bored you. so if you care to read on, here are the sites i read:

itch relief tips

wiki-how on itch-stopping

prevention

now i am a lover of almost all creatures. and so i googled. what good are mosquitoes? honestly i was hoping to not find an answer. that there was absolutely no reason for them. sadly, the good Lord did not create anything without a purpose. the pesky things feed lots of animals, including bats, frogs, and birds. if you don't care for any of those animals, well i recommend you go watch an episode of the Life series or Planet Earth. cause you will. :)

i hope that my lovely blog today has given you some knowledge or at least something to do with a few minutes of your time. ha.

the double fisted luncher

i haven't yet taken my camera over to my kiddies' house yet so i have no pictures to post. but today i was witness to the art of double fisting. in the right hand was a sugar cookie iced with neon blue sugar and sprinkles. in the left hand was the last strawberry. michael could barely swallow his cookie bite before he tasted more strawberry. all the while trying to tell a story about his hamster angel/vicious/demon. it was ridiculously funny. but i know if i laugh too much michael will never ever do anything because he knows he can get attention by being the house clown. ryan works hard, plays by the rules, and reads whatever i'm reading. katie is motherly and competetive. but michael is the baby and the clown. so from now on i will have to stiffle my laughter, or at least try to...

by the way, did you know the largest dinosaur egg was the size of a football? and the smallest was the size of a quarter! interesting stuff kindergardeners read about i tell you!

the conversations with michael

i will start off by saying that michael is one of the six year old boys that i am watching this summer. i have known him since he was born and he is, like most children, adorable. he says some of the cutest things ever and starting today i will be giving you some tidbits of conversations.

last week we were in the car going to the pool.

he says: you know what, i'm a genius.

i reply: why is that?

he says: because i know how to roll down your window.

let's just say that michael knows how to enjoy the little things in life, something that we all should learn.

today i was making dinner and i asked: michael what do you want for dinner?

he says: i don't know.

i respond: i don't know how to make 'i don't know'

he quickly says: you bake a cake!

we will be baking a cake this summer :)

i hope that you have enjoyed these conversations as much as i do.

the singer/songwriter

these are my favorite types of artists. the ones that put their feelings on the internet/radio/stage for an audience never knowing if anyone is listening or liking what they have to say but they take the risk and do it anyways. this singer/songwriter's name is Cady Groves she is an adorable twenty-year-old little lady with a bit of a country twang who i got to see at six flags today. we were all blown away by her personality and voice. so i hope that you will also give her a chance! she will be going back on tour after the bamboozle roadshow is over, so you can bet that i will be there, and i hope that YOU, whoever you are, will be there too!

this is part of her bio, it really shows who she is :)

I remember when I realized what I wanted to do in life. I was helping my mom clean out our swimming pool when an old Frank Sinatra song came on the radio. I remember saying, "Mom, I want to write things down that I have to say, and I want to sing them real loud so everyone can hear me." I was seven at the time. Ever since that moment, making music has continued to be my goal.

Writing has always been a constant escape for me. A lot of horrible things have happened in my life, and without the ability to write my feelings down and communicate them with a melody; they essentially would have blown up inside of me, for all I know.

...

Sometimes an entire song and melody will pop into my head at a gas station, or some place unexpected. I’ll press the record button on my phone and sing the whole thing right there so I won't forget it. It's such a privilege and much fun for me to write songs, and then have them actually be accepted by people. If I have one thing to say--I just want people to know they are not alone. I've made a lot of mistakes, and have experienced a lot of hurt. But the one thing I feel like you can do with pain, is make it your art. If you can turn it into something you can sing along to, the healing will come through that. To imagine one of my songs could change or help someone, or make them feel like someone understands them, makes this all just that much more amazing. It's not about me being a role model, and never will be. I'm part of the crowd. I just want to speak for the whole. We're in this together [http://workinggroupmgmt.com/artist.php?artist_id=13]

her cd, the life of a pirate, is on itunes. or you can check her out on myspace.

and here is the video for her song "One in the Same"

One In The Same

Cady Groves (BamboozleRoadshow Suckers!) | MySpace Music Videos

the things i got to enjoy today:

1. a long dinner with old friends

2. a horribly predictable romantic comedy

3. a horribly predictable romantic comedy with a boy with a british accent

4. that mood where i actually want to clean my room

5. the one curl that i have that only forms when it wants to

6. the smell of my mom baking

7. belting out Demi Lovato in the car with Kirsten

8. riding in the car with my brother (i love not driving)

9. falling asleep to rain (this was technically last night...)

the repeat button

It can really get me in trouble; if i listen to a song too many times i will never listen to it again, at least i won't be able to love it like i did. but it is also a sign that it is one of my new favorites. so i'm risking the repeat button as i type this out... wakey! wakey! may be my new favorite band. you can watch the video below.

Wakey!Wakey! - Light Outside from VsTheBrain on Vimeo.

I know you want to stay in bed
But it's light outside
It's light outside

So know I am going to stay right here
Because you saved my life once
You saved my life

And I would try to get you out because it's beautiful outside
And we will fall
We will try
And do our best and I love you otherwise
Because you saved my life once
Because you saved my life once

I know you want to rest your head
and just forget the night
forget the night
So you know I am going to stay right here
And sit by your side
By your side

And I would try to get you out because it's beautiful outside
And we will fall
We will try
And do our best and I love you all the while
Because you saved my life once
Because you saved my life once

I think you always knew would be
I think you always knew would be
The greatest
I think you always knew would be
I think you always knew would be
The greatest

Because you saved my life once
Because you saved my life once

i hope you love it too.

the children

i love them :) the things they say are adorable and astounding and out of nowhere. these little people that see the world through different eyes, not because they are closer to the ground, but because they are optimistic... Michael told me yesterday that he was a genius because he figured out how to roll down the window in my car. he was so excited about it too!

on a completely different note, it is 5 o'clock and i just said goodnight to my bestest friend who is halfway across the world. it's weird only talking to her though the wonderful/horrible invention of facebook. i miss her terribly but i am so excited for the day i get to re-hear everything that happened half-way across the world in real life, because if you know elizabeth, you know that hearing it will be one million times better than reading it :)

i'm so excited for my summer to actually start and to have something that i have to do every day. to have responsibility and a routine cause this waking up whenever and not doing really anything was fun for the first couple days, but now i am bored of it... yesterday and the day before were just little teasers about the weeks to come. it's going to be hard keeping track of three kids running around but i'm so excited to see what more they have to say and do!

to end this blog i'm gonna post some songs i'm listening to right now, all from tv shows!

moon river-audrey hepburn (on sex and the city [it wasn't this version i know])

dance so good-wakey! wakey! (on one tree hill)

bad romance-glee cast (on glee!)

enjoy my friends!