By the looks of this picture, one might assume the dogs got into the turkey – tryptophan and such. But they didn’t… they just really wore each other out … and the humans… and now I truly understand the term “dog tired”.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving… as did my dog Kevin (top left). As did his “cousins”.

*shifting gears*

Have you ever had a Spanish coffee made with cumin?

No?

There’s a reason.

My husband and sister-in-law were trying to show each other up with their fancy coffee and flames making skills and somewhere along the way cumin was used instead of cinnamon.

Word to the wise: cumin does not pair nicely with coffee. In fact, it emits a smell not unlike B.O. Or a middle school boys locker room.

Shortly after the “WE USED CUMIN NOT CINNAMON!” moment, my son came up from the basement. He opened the door … sniffed for a moment and asked, “Why does it smell like tacos in here?”

“Oh my gosh! It smells like the guys locker room at school!”

And that, my friends… is how we do Thanksgiving.

And we also do it like this:

Gobble gobble!

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• A $250 gift card giveaway in my post here.
• A $200 Walmart gift card in my post  here.
• A Shabby Apple discount code in this post here.

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Dog Tired and also… Cumin & Coffee Do NOT A Tasty Cup Make is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

My family.

Not a serious one in the bunch.

Full of love.

Compassion.

Mercy.

Always ready for a… challenge???

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Family pictures often mean wild hairs pressed in place and proper smiles.

Mud?

BLASPHEMY!

As I weave through the twisty and unpaved roads of my own motherhood I am discovering how important it is to intentionally insert play and fun into moments of family life.

Not that children don’t insert play and fun everywhere they turn.

That’s not it….

It’s about me. The mom. It is knee-jerk to say NO, to keep everyone in line, to bark directions, to shoo the slow ones out the door in a rush and panic.

Fun? Play??? The kids are out of socks again. There is no time for play…

So much in life keeps us focused on tasks and responsibilities. The day to day to day to day all-too-easily overshadows the play and fun to be had in the family relationship.

What am I trying to say?

Play.

Create play.

Don’t forget to play.

In fact… hit “play”… Soak in what my warm and wonderful friend Meredith (Hoo Dee Hoo!) has to say about the importance of play:

Do you create time to play in your family?

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Make Me Laugh Monday – The down and dirty on my family. is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

There are only 9 shopping days left until my birthday.

I’m kidding.

I’m not kidding.

In other news… The fam all headed to a local corn maze.

We may or may not have gotten lost turned around.

For quite some time.

Google Maps was of no help.

Google Maps is also not helpful when trying to find what aisle Velveeta is in the grocery store.

Just so you know…

I checked into Foursquare… hoping that might do something. Alert my onlinez and whathaveyou…

#sendhelp

Nothin’.

I stopped short of calling 911, though.

And in the end we made it out.

Alive.

We were pretty happy about that.

The end.

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9 Days is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

FAMILY PICTURES  - WOO!!!

Our brilliant photographer (and good friend Mark Gsellman – Photomatopoeia) captured some fun moments one partly-cloudy afternoon a couple weeks back. I thought I’d share just a few here.

Because I can’t help it.

We may or may not be into technology and/or mobile devices…

That’s our apple tree – isn’t she LOVELY?!

And don’t forget the mud. What are family pictures without mud???

Best. Time. Ever.

My husband. What a flirt…

Speaking of flirts…

We have a whole lot more… mud-flinging… planking… awkward teeter-totter-on-a-log shots… personality… sweetness. The mud pictures are my absolute favorite.

Christmas is coming and I don’t want to spoil everything for the cards I probably won’t send. Again. But just in case… no more pics for now.

It’s been 3 years since we’ve done family pictures…

Ah… memories…

P.S. It’s been 2 weeks, and I am still cleaning up little remnants of mudfight… Makes me giggle…

all photo credit: Mark Gsellman

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Planking + Mud = Family Pictures is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

My husband and I don’t get to “the city” all too often. But we did on Saturday!

SHAZAM!

OUR band (using “our” loosely in that I occasionally sing one song and shake the tambourine when I can) was playing at a club for a private birthday bash…

SO. Whilstest we were in le city, I got to do some window shopping… A pre-funk of sorts… I took pictures rather that taking out my wallet!

Go me and financial responsibility!

It’s always more fun to go shopping with friends, so here are the pictures I took. That way it’ll kinda be like we went together. We got coffee at Starbucks, we shared nachos at the food court in Westlake… and you may or may not have had to keep me from licking this deliciously golden purse we saw at All Saints…

Oh golly, remember that ornamental cabbage in a bowl at Anthropologie? Who doesn’t love ornamental cabbage in a bowl???! I KNOW!

Then remember how I wouldn’t get out of this this supah-fabulous chair thing? I think it cost as much as a Vespa.

All that window shopping and keeping me from petting the pretty things made us hungry, so we had a late lunch at Westlake Center… Remember how we overlooked the monorail?

Then, while the guys set-up the band gear, we took a walk to the sculpture park and saw the coolest ampersand ever!

After more wandering about the lovely streets of Seattle it was time to get a real meal. Wasn’t Mama’s Mexican Kitchen yummy? That Elvis Presley burrito… yeah baby! And the Elvis Room… remember Squelvis?

Then it was time for the birthday party and remember my guy… singing and being all hot and stuff:

And remember my gimp at the end of the night because of these?

Which was, you know, TOTALLY WORTH IT, right?

Yep.

We had fun that night… Let’s do it again!

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Remember – the TEMPUR-Pedic bed (A WHOLE BED) entry deadline is September 19th! Details here!

Or how a pair of New Balance Minumus shoes? Huh? HUH???

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Seen in the city… of Seattle! is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

It’s hard to get a picture of the whole family.

Any picture. And I got one. It’s actually a pretty good capture of each one of us at the end of our one and only camping trip this summer.

The boy and his handsome coolness… Olivia and her middle-child, middle-tempered spunk and beauty… Lucy is sporting her usual wide, wide grin as she gets to be super-close to mama… The husband leaning in just as cute as can be…

and me…

Surrounded.

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The Family is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Recently, when all five of us were trapped in the car together heading to who knows where we were headed that time, the topic of conversation turned to our dog, Kevin.

…and how he is the perfect dog for our family and how he is probably part-human and how his personality reflects a little piece of each of our own personalities.

We don’t dress our dog in argyle sweaters, but we do talk about his personality.

I don’t know which is worse.

Aaaaanywho.

Everybody was busy spouting out how Kevin is like Dad and Livi and Joel and Lucy… yammer, yammer, blah, blah, blah…

He’s a snuggle hound… just like the huz.

He’s goofy and acrobatic… just like the boy.

He’s a total mess… just like Olivia.

He farts… just like Lucy.

“But what about ME?! How is he like Mom???”

Silence.

Crickets.

Chirp.

Chirp.

Head-scratching.

Chirp.

I saw the lights go off in my son’s head as I looked at him through the rearview mirror.

“I KNOW! HE GAGS ALL THE TIME…. JUST. LIKE. MOM!!!”

The sad thing is… It’s true. Totally true.

Rawrf. Hack.

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Our dog is just like us. is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Let’s just say that I am no spring chicken, nor have I ever been to the principal’s office (well… not because of ME), nor have I ever been to a kind-of party where The Law has been summoned.

UNTIL this weekend.

It all started innocently enough. My friend. Her 40th. Black-bottom cupcakes. Cute decorations.

Margaritas. Beer… Basic party-hydration needs were met.

A DJ… who loved me who took requests…

Firemen!

[image credit]

I’d say probably half a department’s worth of firemen, medics, etc… were at this party, ladies.

I know. You’re hyperventilating and thinking, “I WANT HER LIFE.”

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!!

There was chalk!

A microphone… on which I may or may not, but MAY have sung Ice Ice Baby… And Eminem’s Lose Yourself… because I was a white rapper guy in my past life, I just know it…

There was adequate signeage that made me snortle like an 8th grade boy…

There was a grill the size of an Old Testament altar!!!

We were safe though, because… in case I forgot to mention – FIREMEN.

Aaaaaaaaanywho.

THERE WAS A GLUTEN, DAIRY, EGG AND SOY-FREE SECTION!!! This party was thah shizzle! Ain’t nobody havin’ no allergic reactions at this party, yo!!!

One thing lead to another and before we knew it… the clock struck 11 and the popo stood at the door of the barn/shop on account of the very loud Vanilla Ice, Guns & Roses, Lady Gaga, and whohavesyou…

The Lawman: If I have to come back, I’ll have to fine you $250.

One of the firemen attendees queried: What if we just pay you now, then you won’t have to come back?

I like these people. These are good people.

Fear not, law abiding citizens… we turned down the noise and kept our money… But what’s a party to do when the volume goes from an 11 to, say a 6 or a 7?

It was time to deal with leftover slices of cheese from the deli-try, yo!

A.K.A. CHEESE SLAPPIN’

In 3,2,1…

SHIRTLESS FIREMEN

*I will give you ladies a few moments to pause*

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Shirtless firemen …slapping each otherssssesss chests and backs with leftover deli-tray cheese.

And there may or may not have been a leftover boneless, skinless BBQd chicken thigh tossed about as well…

And my husband was there too, lest you cast judgement on my judgement as a married woman…

He even earned HIS very own cheese welt. But THAT picture is just for us.

BEST. PARTY. EVER.

P.S. This wasn’t my birthday party {HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA!!!!}… but I wish it was. I mean, really… c’mon who get’s to have a party like that?

SARA does. That’s who.

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I am getting moving Degree with motionSENSE… and there is a $100 Visa gift card up for the win – but you gotta go here, y’all!

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A 40th birthday, cheese slapping and then the neighbors called the popo. is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Lisa.

We have fun together.

We also make fools of ourselves together.

Not on purpose, though. It’s just how we roll.

I like to think of us as a modern day Ethel and Lucy. Clearly, though… SHE’S Lucy.

And not just on account of her red hair. But partly on account of her red hair. But really, she’s the real trouble of the two of us. And had I known her in high school… Let’s just say it’s good we both had some maturity under our belts before we met. Because clearly… CLEARLY.

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Hey lip lovers! I have some hot lips…

Vote for your favorite OVER HERE!

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Make Me Laugh Monday – A Modern-Day Ethel and Lucy is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Clearly.

I mean… TWO theme parks – one based on literature (Islands of Adventure) and the other on movies (Universal Studios Florida). From Superheros to Harry Potter! From Jaws to Dr. Seuss.

One Fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish was our favorite ride. We are THAT family…

Seriously. We are. That is us after riding Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. The perfect choice for this silly family from the Pacific Northwet.

Aw… family goodness all right up in here as we cruise on The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!

A quick glance at either park, and it’s clear Universal has worked hard to make a child’s experience magical… or should I say wizardly wonderful?

But who are the people getting the kids to the parks… walking them through… riding the rides WITH the kids???

MOM AND DAD.

Or some responsible adult… *ahem*

Let’s say there’s a ride a child is too small for, or not quite ready to take on… Does that mean mom/dad/responsible adult cannot ride? Does it mean some fancy footwork or splitting up families to make sure everyone gets to ride every ride?

Not a Univeral Orn=lando Resorts, yo! They have provided the handy-dandy CHILD SWAP!

This is the child swap area at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

What is this “child swap” I speak of? Well, it is not that you swap kids with other families. *phew* It is a designated space for children to opt out of a ride… It is a designated space where one parent can wait with the opt-out-ers while the other adult (and children) can go ride. When the riders get back – the other parent or guardian can then go straight onto the ride! No wait. It’s da bomb.

Each ride has it’s own child swap area. Some with televisions… seating… all out of the sun. The Hollywood Rip-Ride Rockit child swap even had a close-up view of all the action!

Good thing, because we rode it twice. This ride was a little more than my kids were ready to take on.

*Side note: IT WAS AWESOME! Riders get to choose their own music! My first go-round I chose Stronger by Kanye. Second time I listend to Pump it by the Black Eyed Peas.  Not a fan of my music choices? No worries – you get to choose from 5 genres, 6 songs in each. Seriously. Go. Do it. Oh my gosh I can’t wait to ride it again… and The Hulk. I got to ride front seat on both. I’m not trying to brag. O.K. Maybe a little…

I have to say, despite all the many, many wonderful amenities and attractions – the child swap is what really made me swoon. I have been to parks before where we have waited and waited in the sun and for a long stretches of time, so the adults could at least ride ONE ride. Universal Orlando Resort NAILED IT, people.

P.S. I met prolly the BIGGEST celebrity of all time. My Livi is actually hard to impress, but THIS guy? When she saw him – her eyes lit UP. #BOOM

Our trip to Universal was part of a compensated Universal Orlando Resort press trip… meaning flight, lodging and entertainment expenses were covered by them. The FUN we had??? Was real… like REALLY real. For realz.

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Universal Orlando Resort loves families! is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...