The Parry Family Blog

Just this week, Neil was giving Leonidus a piggy-back ride and it was the funniest thing ever because while Leonidus was LOVING it, he was also holding on to his daddy's hair for dear life... One thing we've been discovering about our baby boy is that he doesn't mind roughhousing with his dad. As his dad plays with him, he stares for a few seconds and then usually smiles or laughs, as if he was thinking about whether or not he enjoyed the activity. I dunno but everything he does seems cute to us...gosh being a parent is pretty awesome!!

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. (There is a movie in post-production about this book starring Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Robert Duvall as well as many others.) Some unnamed catastrophe has turned the world into a burnt-out cinder, inhabited by very few people and most likely no animal life at all. The sky is always covered by gray clouds, that look to be made up of ash, dust and toxic particulates. No longer are there 4 seasons, there are only levels of cold and wet. Gangs of cannibals roam the roads and stay in what few houses remain intact throughout the woods. Through the remains of what used to be America, a worn-down father and his young son attempt to flee the oncoming winter and head towards the southern coast only using back roads to try and avoid as many of the gangs as possible. Along their journey they continuously come across dead bodies where after a while they are looked upon almost like the burned out trees along the various roads. The boy ...

Leonidus is 3 months old (well 13 weeks to be exact) and its been pretty amazing watching him learn how to use his hands, feet and brain more!! Our little bugger is bigger than most kids his age so it takes him a while longer to move his bubbly body around so no news on the rolling or crawling front however he is using his hands a TON! He puts his hands together in such a cute adorable way and interlaces his fingers...ahhh it just melts my heart. He's also fully grabbing onto his toys and stuffing them in his mouth. Its hilarious actually. I think he has begun teething because he drools like its cool and pushes everything and anything he can against his gums. The picture to the left is just one of a few teethers we bought for him on Monday during our babiesRus trip. Have I told everyone how much I love going there? Its such a fun place... We also started looking at High Chairs recently but we're taking our time on this purchase because its a pretty important one and it'll p...

If you are anything like me, then you've left an undraken bottle of wine or two left open! We call those bottles MAVERICKS in our house. Anyhoo, here are some tips for you the next time you want to dump a bottle of wine down the drain... The smell is off. If a wine's aroma is moldy or resembles a musty basement, wet cardboard, or vinegar, it's turned. A heavy raisin smell is another bad signal. Avoid red wines that are not Port , but have the aroma typically characteristic of Port. When wine tastes like dessert wine, it has been overexposed to heat, and is therefore undrinkable. When the cork is pushed out slightly from the bottle, it's a sign the wine has overheated and expanded within the bottle. Examine the color. A brown hue in red wine demonstrates that the liquid is past its prime. White wines that have darkened to a deep yellow or brownish straw color are usually oxidized. Wine that lacks fruit, is raspy, too astringent, or has a paint-thinner taste is usually ba...

Since Rouge has a hard time reading (I think its Adult ADD), Neil will be doing the Parry Family book review for our blog. Look forward to the first review to come to the blog soon on the book: "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Have a great Sunday!

These days, having a job is like a miracle ! Layoffs have been plaguing us left and right and its getting scarier everyday as more and more big wig companies announce massive job cuts. Whats the deal? Well people aren't buying things anymore!! Everyone is scared because if they buy something today, they might regret it tomorrow when they realize they've been layed off. Its a scary world out there and I am joining the rest of America and budgeting big time. The list below only shows the layoffs that have hit us since January 1, 2009. The companies you may see will shock you because you will think to yourself, "wait, they are laying off? Oh my gosh how many people??". All in all it sucks and I hope that we get out of this slump soon because I don't know how long the Obama Change excitement will last. Obama, let's fix this!! Company Date Location # % Source Digg January 22, 2009 San Francisco, CA 7 10% Cnet Microsoft January 22, 2009 Redmond, WA 5,000 5% TechCr...

It has been a long time since I had been back to the office at Real and yesterday was my first day visit before I begin returning back to work full time in a couple of weeks. Neil, LJ and I took a trip up to the city where we met up with coworkers, introduced the little dude to all my friends and had a nice lunch from Dos Pinas...mmmmm I LOVE their veggie burritos with tomato tortilla! Gosh I missed that place. It was super duper nice seeing everyone. Now I'm just left counting down the days. Its not like I don't want to go back to work but its that I am dreading leaving Leonidus. He's my buddy!!! In other news and events, Neil and I have been planning our summer trips. So far, we have 2 camping trips and a trip to Kansas. Yes... Kansas. We've got room for a few more camping trips and also wanted to try going to Cabo. This type of planning is fun, especially when its raining out.

1.20.2009 Obama Day

Our baby boy is 3 months old and I cannot believe it!! Where did the time go?? Here are some cute pics of him from the past couple of weeks as he embarks on his 13th week of life!!! Leonidus's first time at a ski resort! cutie patutie Leonidus and his best bud Sienna Leonidus and his favorite new toy... seriously he loves it.

Today is a holiday for some... well for me it is because I'm still on Paid Family Leave. I always like to take a moment of my day on holidays like this and think about the reason behind the day and why we Americans get the day off. Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American activist and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement and his big day comes very close to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration which happens to be for the FIRST African American president. We have come along way as a nation who once segregated people based on color. MLK's most favorite quote: "I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!" is even more profound now than ever before because his dream has come true in every sense of the word. I am very much looking forward to 1.20.2009 to celebrate, with the rest of the nation, a day to ...

As I continue onward with my life I have decided to expand Rougetimes to include my family and also allow Neil and perhaps one day Leonidus start posting on this page. Our webpage, now called PARRY TIMES, can be accessed by using www.rougetimes.com AND www.parrytimes.com so please feel free to use your existing bookmark but know that you can also use parrytimes as an alternate. We are excited to continue postings cool and interesting stories and notable events in our lives as well as update the site with new photo's from our adventures. We love you all and we hope that 2009 will be exciting, prosperous and unpredictably fun!!

"Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold." My Resolutions for 2009 are as follows: (1) To be a good mother and wifie and have our WEDDING... This one is very near and dear to my heart (2) Not Flake (3) Lose the baby pounds (4) Make $$$$$$$$$$ (5) Volunteer/Donate to causes that I support (6) Sew (learn to sew) (7) Scrapbook (I start scrapbooks but never seem to get around to finishing them!) (8) Do more Yoga (bikram--hot hot yeah)