New Endeavors and our love of them

We are embarking on new endeavors in the house of The Dill-io.

Our kids signed up for tee ball.

The older kid has done organized sports/classes before but it's the little guy's first go round with team sports.

He is absolutely, completely, irrevocably in love with the idea of PLAYING tee ball.
So much in love with it that when we went to buy him new tennis shoes for the season (cleats are optional) he was totally pumped about his new shoes.
Ran around and around the shoe department showing us (the oblivious and dense parents, apparently) how fast he could go.
He's fast-like lightning.
Trust me, total 3 yr old blur.
And he moves his arms back and forth like an Olympic sprinter during his speed demonstrations.
It's cute, entertaining and heart warming all at the same time. I hope I always remember how handsome he looks running like that.

And just when I thought the whole evolution couldn't get any cuter--Jet Pilot stumbled upon this scene earlier this evening....




Those are his new tennis shoes for tee ball in that box.
That he is sleeping with.
Because he loves them so much, and because he loves tee ball so much.

Even though he hasn't played one second of an official tee ball season game/practice.

Isn't he the cutest thing ever??

I think so.
It's going to be a great tee ball season.

Side-note: I have no idea where his pajama shirt went, he had it on when he smooched me goodnight before bed but as of an hour later...it has gone MIA. Lol.
Kids are funny.
And lovable.

They are especially loving towards their new tennis shoes.

As you can tell.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

And the winner of the MyBlogSpark and Big G Cereals Giveaway is Comment #1:

Congrats!! The winner has been contacted and has 24 hours to respond!!  THANKS everyone for entering and please continue to do so!!

Boys

My mothering skills are constantly getting a workout. The things I find myself saying on a daily basis continue to amaze me.

Like right now, we were driving to my mom's house and suddenly I hear "Eeeewwww you're gross, don't do that."

After closer inspection I catch myself saying:

"Son, please do not blow your nose in your hand and show your sister...that's inappropriate and ungentlemanly."

**sigh**

And then there will be two boys doing this type of behavior...it's going to be hilarious.
Totally.
Hilarious.

At least I have to keep telling myself that...lol.

But seriously his hand?? Mucus??
That's just gross.

How different men and women are

I think it kind of goes without saying that my husband is all man.  Jet Pilot, dude, big truck driver, luvs Amuricah, etc..
And for the most part I feel like we are pretty similar in a lot of ways.

But we are not.
Men are wired different than women.
WAY. DIFFERENT.

Things that bother me don't even phase him, (he is exponentially better at compartmentalizing things than I am) and things I think are completely random and crazy--the norm to this guy.

For example:
On our Macbook we have both our email accounts set to feed to the Mail app, so we can both read and check emails without having to log into Gmail, Yahoo. etc.  Its convenient and nice, and sometimes accidentally I will start to skim his emails instead of mine purely because I clicked on the wrong folder.

I was almost all the way through one of his work/flight emails when it finally dawned on me this email was not mine.

Most of it was blah blah blah Pilot stuff words I don't know because they pertain to airplanes and Jets and whatever.   But then I spied this last line and I started to laugh.
HARD.

Because it was in that sentence that I realized how completely OPPOSITE the dynamics of men and women really are.
It read:

"Ask questions BEFORE the brief.

Don't suck and you'll do fine.

V/R

(Insert random word Pumpkin, Roller, Faucet, AYCE, etc..--Class Leader Jet Pilot's call sign)"

Don't suck??  Haha!!  No pressure, these guys just have some of the hardest jobs on the PLANET...and don't suck.  

I think the really funny part is that all the other Jet Pilot dudes in my husband's class also got this email and they just took it all in stride.  LOL.  

Its a good thing the Good Lord has wired our brains differently to interact with our same sex like this.  Because what I think is random and crazy, is normal and routine for the husband.

P.S.  And my husband LOVES his job...go figure....I guess as long as he doesn't suck it will be all be okay right??

P.P.S.  I am sure when my husband reads this post he is just going to walk away shaking his head at me.  LOL.  Wiring=different.  That is all.

MyBlogSpark and Big G Cereals Review and Giveaway

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet I never seem to remember about it until its almost lunchtime. Well MyBlogSpark and Big G cereals wants all of you to stay healthy and have fun! That's why Big G cereals has started a new promotion.

Started back in November, you can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of Big G cereals including Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Trix® (14.8 oz) and Reese’s Puffs® cereal (18 oz.).

After purchasing two participating cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal and print your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at participating theatres). To find a participating theater in your area, log onto http://emoviecash.com/dis_locator/. 

 I received two boxes of cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms, and four movie cash certificates values up to $12 each! Plus get this: the movie cash certificates don't expire until Oct. 31, 2011! These actually made great gifts for some dear friends as a family movie night out for the holidays.  I don't normally buy sweet cereals myself but my kids love 'em. So with two big boxes it's easy to entice with breakfast!

Win it: I have the exact same gift pack I received to giveaway to one lucky reader. This giveaway will begin on February 14th and end on February 21st. It is open to the US and Canada. The winner will be chosen via random.org and notified by email. They will then have 48 hrs to respond before another winner is chosen.

Mandatory Entry: Just leave a comment on this post

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each):

• Follow The Dill-io
• Tweet this giveaway using the Re-tweet widget
• Subscribe to The Dill-io
• Follow me on Twitter 
• Grab my button and tell me where it is

Remember: Please leave a way to contact you in your comment. also, Please be sure to complete the mandatory entry or all other entries are void. And yes I do check. GOOD LUCK!

Disclosure: General Mills provided me with information and giveaway items (e.g. movie cash certificates, cereal, etc.) through MyBlogSpark at no charge in exchange for sharing this information. The ideas and opinions expressed are my own. I was not paid nor compensated in any other way.

Green Ostrich Utensil Set Review

As a wannabe crunchy family we try to live green as much as we can.  We reuse and recycle, we   always have reusable shopping bags in the van for shopping trips and use eco-friendly/homemade cleaning supplies, and detergent.  However, there is always room for improvement.  Ideally I would like for our family to make the switch to all bamboo products for our plates, utensils, mixing bowls-bamboo is more sustainable and a natural product.  Not to mention extremely durable and able to stand the test of time--and here is this house, THAT'S A MUST. 

So you can imagine how pumped I was when Green Ostrich asked me to review their To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensil Set.  The set includes a bamboo fork, spoon, knife, and a set of chopsticks in a handy little carrying case.  All of the utensils are dishwasher safe, stain resistant, and heat resistant.  LOVE LOVE LOVE THE DISHWASHER SAFE PART!

We have all used this set at one time or another recently.  Usually everyone fights over who gets the chopsticks when we eat go eat sushi/Chinese as a family.  Yes, I have a 1st grader that uses chopsticks better than I do--its a total embarrassment but whatever.  I am a work in progress.  The utensils rock because even Clyde can use them without any problems and he is usually the one who still wants to use toddler/baby silverware.

Besides using these at work or school, the Utensil Set would be great for camping and picnics.  The set has made a permanent home in our glove compartment for out of town trips, or fast food in the car that needs utensils.

I think these are a great product and would not mind converting my whole family to a set like this!  
Green Details:
- Carrying case is made out of recycled PET plastic (plastic tea, juice, soda, and water bottles)
- Bamboo is 100% biodegradable and eco-friendly
- Each utensil is made of a single sheet of bamboo so there is no glue used in the manufacturing of them
- The utensils are sealed with a natural, vegan, food-safe sealant made of Potassium Permanganate (a water-soluble salt often used as a disinfectant), Acetic Acid (an organic, relatively weak acid found universally in food, water, and soil), Heptane (most frequently used as oil repellant, distilled from the resin of the Jeffery Pine and the fruit of the Petroleum Nut Tree), and Ethanol (sugar-based and the most commonly used form of alcohol)
- They contain no BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, arsenic, mercury, or chromium

Buy It

You can buy your own To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensil Set from Green Ostrich for only $12.12

THANKS GREEN OSTRICH FOR THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO TRY YOUR PRODUCTS!!

Realignment CHECK.

The earth has realigned itself and the stars are all in correct orbit.

My husband is home.

A little worse for the wear but not as bad as I thought.  He finished Jet Pilot training stuff out in the wilderness and now he is home.

In time for Valentine's Day and Bonnie's Birthday.  YAY!

We are all so glad he is back, the littles missed him and I know I was feeling like something was missing while he was gone.
(Not to mention the 38942 things that "almost" broke while he was gone--had me stressing about telling my husband we needed a new this or that.  Not counting the printer because we both knew that was on its way to expiring.)

Welcome Home Darling and Happy Valentine's Day!!