Let it Snow

Lovin' the Snow Tunnel her daddy dug her

I love this snow so much!

(She kept face-planting in it so she could eat it)

We had to bring her inside, despite protesting, because her

little face was so red.

Ain't Nuthin' but a Gansta Party

White Trash Sledding

The Un-Housekeeper

Haven is learning the fine art of disassembling the house piece by piece by piece. I've learned to wait until about 30 minutes before Chris comes home and then I do a rapid clean up. Otherwise I could spend the whole of the day picking up pots and pans, CDs and DVDs, books, etc. off the floor. This way, Chris thinks that Haven and I exist in a beautiful bubble of tranquility all day long. That our daughter, if ever she makes a mess, knows exactly where things go and how to put them back.

How McKean Are You Test?

How McKean Are You?**

This test was developed to match mates based on 100 levels of compatibility

1. Let’s say you have a light fixture in the bathroom that holds 3 light bulbs, how do you deal with this?

a. I would never buy a light fixture like that.

b. I only make use of one of the bulbs, turning the others off. I’ve worked out the cost of using the other two outlets and this saves me 4 cents a month.

c. If there are three places for light bulbs, I use all three.

2. You notice that the razor you use to shave with wears out more quickly than you think it should, what do you do?

a. I let my hair grow naturally and would never think to take a razor to what nature has inspired.

b. I write the date I purchased the razor on said razor and then I determine how long said razor should last (compared to days of yore), then I throw it away when a reasonable amount of time has passed (say, two or more years)

c. I throw it away.

3. You’ve just used the last of the onion that was stored in a zip-lock bag, what do you do?

a. I recycle plastic, so it goes in the recycle bin

b. I recycle plastic, so I reuse it over and over until one day it is sacrificed (because of it’s age) to the gods of piping deviled eggs.

c. I throw it away. It smells like onions.

4. You’ve just bought a pair of new shoes, what’s your first thought?

a. Before I bought them I checked to make sure they were faux leather. Then I made sure no animals were harmed while they were being made.

b. I date them on the sole to see how long they will last. I’m pretty certain that my shoes would still be wearable (or that I would still wear them) even if they were involved in a nuclear disaster.

c. I hope these look OK with my new jeans.

5. You are about to make a new purchase, but before you do, you look on the bottom of said purchase to

a. see if it is a type 1 or 2 plastic and therefore recyclable

b. see if it was made in the good ol’ U. S. of A; if so, you buy it; if not you curse NAFTA, the EPA, & globalism for giving the job of making cheap plastic crap to foreigners.

c. you don’t look at the bottom of said purchase, if you like it you buy it

6. You are hungry. And eating at home just won’t do, where do you go?

a. There are three things you look for: Vegan, organically grown, gluten-free

b. Buffet all the way—if it ain’t fried, it ain’t going in my pie hole

c. Whatever sounds good. I’m flexible.

7. Your philosophy on life is:

a. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

b. If it’s not Efficient, don’t buy it, don’t use it, divorce it

c. Carpe Diem

8. How do you like to be prepared for an emergency?

a. you have gallons of distilled water & packages of whole, roasted almonds from Whole Foods enough to last two weeks.

b. you have a flash-light, a back-up flash-light, and a back-up to your back-up flashlight on your bedside table.

c. Emergency? I’ll deal with it when it happens.

9. I just ate a particularly heavy meal. What do I do?

a. I do a cleanse, have a session of Bikram Yoga, and meditate on the evils of excess.

b. I see a therapist. Fiber Therapy—one session and I’m cured.

c. I enjoy the feeling of fullness, but determine that next time I’ll eat lighter so I can enjoy the day more.

10. How do you coordinate your ensemble?

a. you match your hemp shoes to your recycled plastic t-shirt.

b. your man-hose match whatever you wear so it’s never really a problem.

c. you try to make sure the colors don’t clash.

11. Your favorite author is:

a. The Dali Lama

b. God & Chuck Missler

c. New York Times Op Ed

12. What are some of the gifts you’ve bought for your significant other?

a. Fairly-traded, non-sweat-shop, non-animal tested items

b. a hand-gun. We live in the great state of Texas—we should take advantage of the right to conceal a weapon. Plus, Pampa is known for its violent crime.

c. a throw from Pottery Barn

How to Score:

If your answers are mostly-

A’s: you are the antitheses of a McKean. At first glance some of your frugal, green, environmentally-friendly ways seem very McKean like. However, if saving the planet, decreasing your carbon foot-print, or saving the polar ice-caps are even a small part of your motivation, then you are, in fact, the very opposite of a McKean.

B’s: Welcome to the Family. Your very first act as a new McKean will be to purchase a deep-fat fryer & treat yourself to a nice buffet dinner.

C’s: Your happy, go-lucky lifestyle inhibits you from becoming a McKean. Your blissed out philosophy on life is causing you to lose pennies every year. Try harder to analyze your water usage down to the drop.

**As always, I have my father-in-law, Allen, to thank for the inspiration of this test. I took all of the "B" answers from real-life doctrines, teachings, and habits of the Ultimate McKean.

Oh, What a Night

Chris and I finally agreed that it was time for Haven to start getting used to sleeping in her own crib again. After sleeping in the same room with her over Christmas, a week of teething, and a nasty stomach bug, Haven was spending more time in bed with us than in her room. Three weeks of cuddling and constant access to food (that would be me) meant that she was not quite ready to give it all up, though. So, last night we prepared ourselves for some protesting. And, there was plenty. I always want Chris to be strong and for us to be on the same page when it comes to these situations. He was and we were. Except that I think I asked him at least 5 times in the space of one hour if I should just go get her.

We're both pretty sleep deprived. So, after trying to fall asleep for two hours, but failing, when I finally did manage to nod off the freaking smoke alarm went off. I woke Chris up and we raced into the living room. Everything was fine, the alarm didn't even wake Haven up...except that our chattering about the alarm to each other did. I put her in bed with me. Finally fell asleep again, and my cell phone alarm went off at midnight. Got that turned off. It just wasn't meant to be. She was up about 5 times from midnight until 5 in the morning.

I feel asleep on the couch with two dogs and a baby on top of me after I ate my bowl of cereal. Somewhere the Sleep Gods are laughing it up at me.