A New Normal: outside

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fly Away!

We've all been there....yummy food, cold drinks, great conversation and then bam....ya eat a fly. It's okay, admit it, you've eaten a fly. Well, I am here to change your life folks! The flies in Tucson right now are down right out of control. And I don't know where you live, but I feel like the flies in Tucson are on some performance enhancing drugs- they are beefy. Anyway, we enjoy hanging out at my parent's house and eating out on the patio, but not when it looks like a swarm of beefy, man -killing flies could swoop down and take your burger. My parents have a solution. What's so funny, is Eric and I were in a restaurant just a couple days before and saw this same thing inside their patio, but I guess my parent's beat me to the punch.

So here ya go....get a plastic baggie, fill it with water, put some pennies in it (I think about 5) and hang it in a couple places. This seriously works, at least here in Tucson. Maybe our flies are super scared of water since they don't see much of it here in the desert. No more Arnold Schwarzenegger flies 'buggin' us- yes, I did laugh out loud as I typed that.

My dad actually put a dime in the bag because he didn't want to seem cheap....

which I thought was hilarious.

It may not be the most attractive way to decorate, but it's worth it. I mean, I would rather get my protein from meat, then flies. Just sayin'. Happy eating!

Don't forget to follow A New Normal on Facebook!

And please subscribe to the blog! Just enter your email in the box and all new posts will be delivered to YOU!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Please tell me where the pause button is...

I am amazed at how fast time is going. I am amazed at how big my 'babies' are getting. We have been very busy here at the Mikkelson house. The only thing that is left to unpack and organize is the stupid garage.
As the kids get older, I find myself able to do more around the house, which I love. I do, however, have to 'pause' my organizing/cleaning rampages that I get on to remind myself that the kids are only this age once and I don't want them to miss out on having fun because their mother is a neurotic neat freak (that's right, I'm a coming back:). This past week we have played, had picnics, went swimming in the "cuzzi", and had some fun family time.

Brody and Delaney getting ready to get in the 'warm pool thing' or the 'cuzzi'

Now they are really ready.

Brody was a little hesitant at first, but quickly got over and proceeded to push all the buttons and turn all the jets on and off.

Delaney can touch the bottom so she just goes all over it. We get in the jacuzzi pretty much every night after dinner. It is so fun!

The kids, having a picnic on the balcony.

Chowing a PB & J

We went to the spring carnival at the school I used to teach at! This was the first time the kids went on a ride without one of us. I was all teary watching them go on the ghetto choo-choo. (Yes, Delaney still plugs her ears if she is nervous about something.)

In an attempt to organize and have less crap cluttering up our lives, we decided to get rid of two small kid tables and a sand box and instead get a picnic table/sandbox combined! The kids didn't know we got it so it was a fun surprise.