The Skog Blog

How The Skogs Spent Their Summer Vacation

2011-08-24T06:26:00.000-06:00

This week marked the beginning of the school year and I figured this was as good of a time as any to help Superstar with what will undoubtedly be her first homework assignment, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." Let's Find out.

Skog Girls On Stage

Superstar had her annual dance recital in early June. Luckily the dance recital gods favored our family this year and both of her numbers fell in the first half of the program. I realize it's poor etiquette to leave early, but as much as I love my girls I'm still not quite to the "Sit through 60 numbers in a hot auditorium for 4 hours in June" stage of love. Maybe someday, and yes I am certain that I just jinxed next year's recital schedule with those comments...

Not only did Toots and Rockstar have to dress up and wear fancy costumes to Superstar's recital, later in the Summer they had their chance to sing on stage at a Jeppson (Wheels) Family Reunion. Wheels and I didn't sign them up thinking they were too shy but come showtime they grabbed the mic and hopped right up and sang. Toots gave us a reverent rendition of Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam while Rockstar brought the house down with a 3 min plus cover of the Spongebob classic Best Day Ever. To her credit, Superstar also performed I Am Like A Star that night but there is no recorded evidence. You'll just have to take our word for it that she did just as well as her little sisters.

T-Ball

Superstar, Toots and their cousins Max, Millie and Henry as well as some neighbor friends formed a team this summer, The Mighty Blue Raptors. Toots was probably just a tad too young to play as she spent much of her time flirting with her male teammates but she did win the award for most adorable in the league. Superstar started off the season well but her swing somehow declined over the season and morphed into what Coach Erik described as a baseball version of Charles Barkley's golf swing. The season was somewhat of a bust because the kids only wanted to bat and spent their fielding time sitting down in the infield. Papa J was disgusted at this new, "Everyone bats, nobody gets out" type of system and frankly, so was I. Next year we want the real deal - learn the game and the rules, you get out, kids crying as the umpire calls them out on strikes, you know, the good stuff.

Superstar Rides a Bike

I'm not sure if I should be proud or disgusted because Superstar was two years ahead of the pace established by her father. I am all for being an overachiever at certain things but balance, irrational fear and coordination aren't on my approved list. Lucky for Superstar she takes after her mother and those things are Wheels Family approved.

4th of July

We spent the night of the 4th of July in usual fashion - bbqing and lighting off our Costco meats and fireworks. We later discovered how to really celebrate the 4th. My sister Kristine's neighbor owns a firework stand and after the holidays he lights off his excess inventory. With the relaxed laws this year it was quite a spectacle - 4 aerials going off at a time for nearly 90 mins. Honestly it was better than most city shows and would highly recommend it for next year.

Toots Gets A Haircut

Always the fashionista, Toots decided it was time for a fresh look and Wheels herself chopped off her young locks and gave her this nice bob cut. Superstar also went to a salon and got a 'real' ie: Non Wheels haircut but as usual there is no recorded evidence of this event. Can't wait until she gets older and hates us.

Best Summer Ever

As previously seen, when Rockstar wasn't watching Spongebob this Summer she spent the rest of her time singing his song.

Bear Lake

Wheels' youngest brother returned from his mission in Uruguay and this allowed her family to have nearly all of the family together for the first time in many years. Andy and May didn't want to travel for some reason so they missed out. Oh, right - May was only 40 weeks pregnant at the time, fine, I suppose that is a good enough excuse. Well, they were missed as the rest of us spent half a week at the mulch beach, on the water, or stuffing our faces while we sat on the deck overlooking the lake. Speaking of food, the Wheels family ate the entire dozen bratwurst I grilled and I've never been so proud to call myself a member of their family.

Summer Fun

Well that about does it for the report. It was kind of an odd and strangely stressful Summer but one day we'll look back and wish we could do it all again.

The Skog Fam Weeks in Review - Spring Montage Edition

2011-05-16T06:10:00.004-06:00

BREAKING NEWS!

The writers' strike has ended and we can finally get back to blogging. Don't breakout your awards show gowns and tuxes just yet though because The Skog Blog Awards have been shelved and will be released at a later date. Everybody knows that it's never a good sign when a release date gets pushed back so interpret that news as you will - ie: the post probably sucked. It will see the light of day at some point.

For now, let's find out what's been going on in the Land of Skog since the end of February. Lots of parties and the usual tomfoolery. In movies, how does one bring the audience up to speed or move the story along quickly? We call that a montage. Consider this the Spring Montage Edition of The Skog Blog. Most of this entries will be pics only unless a brief explanation is warranted. Let's get to it.

Rockstar Turns 2

Spring Break 2011 in St. George

Some of the Skog Fam spent the week in St. George and not only was there no golf involved but we went hiking. I know, I don't know who we are anymore either.

Herms' Birthday Bash

Herms turned 40 and being the nerd that he is, decided to have a board game themed party. Wheels finally got to breakout the saloon girl outfit that her mother sewed when Wheels was in high school. The girls went as characters from Candyland - Princess Frostine and Lolly and I went as Operation. I'm very sorry to all in attendance but give even more heartfelt apologies to the neighbors who had their dinners interrupted while we did this photo shoot. More extensive coverage can be found here.

Easter and kg's Birthday

This year I got to share my birthday with Easter so you know what that means - Egg Salad Cake! The girls got me a personalized mug to better consume my yerba mate and Wheels made me a cherry chip cake from scratch. Good times.

Papa J Turns 65

The Sunday before Papa J turned 65 we threw him a Florida themed surprise party. The beauty of it was that we actually surprised him which is darn near impossible these days, what with his fancy new iPhone and what not...

Mother's Day

A few days before Mother's Day, Superstar loudly whispered to me to come into her room and shut the door. She had been to Fresh Market and said we really need to get Wheels a big cake and some really pretty flowers. On Saturday, we shipped Wheels out to a little spa retreat and made a quick run to pickup the cake and pretty flowers and then the girls decorated it as can be seen in the photos below. Sunday night Superstar decided that Wheels hadn't had enough pampering for her special day and decided to give her a real spa treatment. Ooh, la, la.

Spring Soccer

Toots' First Trip to the Dentist

The Skog Olympics

Superstar, Toots and their cousins, Henry and Millie each participated in the Elite Gym Olympics which was basically a 'recital' to show off what they had learned over the past few months. The gym lighting didn't allow for the greatest pics or clips but make sure to look for the following Henry highlights - 1 - his photobomb on the pic where Superstar and Millie get their medals and 2 - his front flip on the tumbling routine that brought the loudest gasps and cheers of the day.

Misc Spring Fun

Assorted pics from this spring followed by a video clip that many have already seen on Facebook but I felt like it deserved another post especially since some of the readers are not on Facebook. I guess that new fangled iPhone can't do everything for you Papa J.

I feel like Toots really captures the emotion of this Simon and Garfunkel classic about a lover scorned. I think Henry and Millie were the ones who actually taught our girls this song because I saw Henry singing his heart out in a similar fashion many times in St. George. Perhaps Kim needs to see this video and raise us another clip of them belting out I Am a Rock. ~~PS: Yes, I am aware that this video is out of sync but I don't have time to fix it right now~~. Video is now ok.

Thanks for taking the time to get caught up with the Skogs and this blowhard of all blowhard posts. Hopefully we shall meet again much sooner next time.

kg

The First Annual Skog Blog Awards

2011-02-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Most of my family, friends and readers have probably long since abandoned this blog. I blame myself. Well, I guess I kind of blame Wheels and my girls too, but mostly, myself. Actually, I need to blame my genetics as well - the fact that I fall asleep as soon as I sit down on the couch (thanks, Big J) but after that, I would totally have to take the lion's share of the blame. No more excuses - it is time for the triumphant return of The Skog Blog.

I have some good news for anyone who found tonight's Oscar telecast to be underwhelming and was left wanting more. To get things started this week I will be presenting the First Annual Skog Blog Awards - The KayGees and the Wheelies - selected, with love, by yours truly and my sweet wife, Wheels. However, before we get to the awards I would be remiss if I didn't take some time to pay tribute and respect to all of the blog posts and memories that passed us by during the three month Skog Blog Hiatus.

Thanks for the memories - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Pukefest 2010, New Years with the Wheels Family, Misc Winter Experiences and Valentine's Day - you will be missed but never forgotten.

Tune in tomorrow night for the first awards! Good Night and Good Luck to the Nominees!

Strange Competition Nears End

2010-12-05T08:42:00.002-07:00

(Northern UT)

A local family decided to spend their weekend in a very unconventional manner - by having a vomit and diarrhea competition.

"I've always enjoyed having a post-Thanksgiving cleanse," stated the father, kg, "but with the increase in popularity of Black Friday we decided to push it back a week to avoid any conflicts. Plus with my fear of public rest rooms it would not have been as successful as it has ended up being."

Their oldest daughter, Superstar, got the ball rolling early on Thursday morning when she rolled over and puked down the wall of her bedroom. Hearing the commotion, the youngest, Rockstar, said "I wanna fo up too, Mommy," and proceeded to throw up down her mother Wheels' back. The two siblings battled throughout the day with the Superstar finishing on top with five official spew sessions.

Their efforts paled in comparison to those of their other sister Toots.

"Toots really stepped up her game this weekend," said kg, "I know she'd been getting down on herself because her vomit just wasn't falling this year. I told her to take it one vomit at a time and continue to give 110% and it would all work out."

And work out it did. In what is likely a Skog Family record, Toots was able to lose her milk and cookies not once, not twice but 10 times over a 24 hour period.

"I am just happy we planned ahead with this one," added Wheels. "We had the bowl ready so each time Toots said she was going to throw up kg had the light switch on and I got the bowl in place and to little Toots' credit she never overshot the bowl. We missed out on a lot of sleep but it was worth it to avoid the laundry and to have minimal cleanup."

"I am very proud of Toots. I had no idea something so small could blow that much chunk," stated her father.

Not being much of a vomiter kg made his contributions elsewhere.

"I'm not sure he was even sick," said Wheels, "I mean, he spent 4 hours on the toilet today but that's only 15 min more than most Saturdays."

"I wasn't happy with my performance at all this year. I trained daily for hours and I ate as poorly as possible leading up to this weekend. I mean checkout this menu starting Thursday - Chipotle, InNOut, Ben & Jerrys, Tornados from Maverick and then Ruby River. I should have been in the bathroom for at least six hours."

The true diarrhea champion may very well have been the Rockstar. "A few times it sounded like someone poured a pitcher of water in her diaper," said her father.

"I can't remember smelling anything so foul," added her mother.

Whether it was from the smell, lack of sleep, or envy, Wheels finally got into the mix Sunday morning.

"I've only puked four times so far but I got more in me, I'm a trooper," declared Wheels as she headed back to bed for some much needed rest.

The Skog Family Season in Review

2010-11-11T06:08:00.001-07:00

It's the time of year where campaign promises and lies are thrown around like confetti at a parade. Well I'd like to clear up a few of the rumors that have been floating out there about the Skogs. No, we haven't moved to England so I can "get my hooligan on" as some have said. I have NOT locked myself in my room and vowed not to shower or shave or even come out until my sports teams start winning, I just grow hair very quickly. Toots has NOT driven us to the brink of madness from lack of sleep, in fact, she's been doing quite well sleeping in her bed for the past few months (nice job jinxing that kg, I wrote this last night before bed and wouldn't you know it we had a nighttime visitor. I'm not gonna say it was Toots but she was small and wore footie pajamas and apparently has 7 elbows and 3 knees.)

The truth is this - sometimes you get overwhelmed. You procrastinate. You know that you have tons of things you should be adding to your blog but just don't know where to start. Well let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a boy named Paul. Paul's 'family' was in a really big hole and was unsure how to dig themselves out. Paul said, "Let me dig" and dig he did indeed. It was glorious. He dug them out of the hole, killed the bad guys, got the princess and blew up the death star or something like that. The End.

After that inspirational story I knew I could finish this blog post that was started two months ago, in fact, I had to. Also, in the spirit of promises that will never be kept - I promise, if elected, to update this blog daily, to get better candy in the vending machines and to get our school yearbooks. Let's get to the Season in Review.

Last Days of Summer

Ahh, the good old days. The days before bus stops, homework, teachers, books and teachers' dirty looks.

Fancy Nancy Goes to School

Our girls love the Fancy Nancy Books. However, I fear the Superstar is taking her love a little too far. This was the First Day of Kindergarten Fashion Show followed by her teaching her sisters how to 'dress modestly' - who says kids get nothing from Family Home Evening?

Count Like a Rockstar

Not to be outdone with all of this school talk, the Rockstar decided it was time to show off her counting skills. She counts as well as her sister Toots used to know her "A-B-Bs".

When the Older Sibling Is Away...

Superstar kind of rules the house when she's home. The first few weeks she was at school the other girls weren't sure what they were supposed to do without her. They finally decided that sisters gotta hug, as long as it doesn't linger too long.

How to Eat Like A Rockstar

The Little Rockstar keeps going over the 20 lb threshold and then goes on hunger strikes and drops below. She is our little Gandhi. Wheels has gone to extreme measures to ensure that she is gaining weight - she drinks half and half with her milk and she gets to watch Backyardigans to keep her in her seat.

Superstar Soccer

Superstar had another successful season of Soccer. Wheels was good to get these action packed photos that make her look very interested because in actuality she spent most of the time looking around and holding hands with her cousin Millie. Let's just say I'm not sure Superstar is as in love with soccer as her old man is.

The Tooth Fairy

Lots of firsts and lessons learned this day. Superstar lost her tooth (first one), Toots broke a long string of nights sleeping in her own bed (she was afraid of the tooth fairy) and Wheels and I learned that you should always keep a few dollars lying around so the tooth fairy doesn't have to buy the teeth with large bills. We covered it up by saying the tooth fairy pays more for the first tooth (bullet dodged) otherwise I'd start pulling out my own teeth for supplemental income. I mean, have you seen my chompers? I'd get top dollar for those bad boys.

Toots Turns 3

Toots graduated from the Terrible Twos which gives Wheels and I about 4 more months until we start them up again with the Rockstar. Toots celebrated the way any three year old would - Tea Party with Krabby Patties, French Fries and Orange Juice.

Superstar Parties Like a Rockstar

Superstar turned 6 and we threw her a Rockstar Party. The kids were glammed up, split up into bands and a battle of the bands ensued. The bands did an excellent job especially given the fact that this was a Hannah Montana/Kidz Bop free zone and they didn't know the songs very well. The bands didn't trash their hotel rooms too badly other than the fact that we're still finding those boa feathers throughout our yard and home.

Before we finish discussing birthdays let's take one more look at these cakes. Handcrafted by Wheels, she was the true Rockstar. Finally those hours spent watching Ace of Cakes paid off. Well done, Wheels.

Halloween Pumpkins

I'm not sure which surprised me more this year while carving pumpkins - the fact that Toots was no longer afraid of them or the staggering amount of songs from the 1950s about monsters, vampires, etc. Seriously, next time you need some Halloween songs don't waste $5 for the cheesy mix compilation at Target, just setup a station on Pandora Internet Radio called, "Monster Mash" and prepare to have your mind blown.

Halloween 2010

And finally, The Skog Girls present - The World's Worst Halloween Photoshoot - Enjoy! See older kids look away from the camera while you try and get the younger kids to focus. Watch in amazement as tiny witch hats and costume accessories are destroyed by the wind and rain! Oh well, at least the kids were adorable. In other Halloween news - I could have sworn I had some pics of the older Bells in their Halloween gear. Unfortunately I did not. Hopefully my sister will get around to posting them on her blog because they were fantastic.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2010-09-13T09:39:00.001-06:00

For some of you football season began Thursday night or perhaps it started last week when the boys in red and blue kicked off their seasons. Some of my neighbors might disagree and say that football season has been here for a few months ever since summer practice began at the high school and little league levels. Well I’m here to tell you that football season has indeed already started and the official kick off date was August 15th. “August 15th?” you ask yourself, “that seems arbitrary… was that the first high school game?” Nope. “Fantasy football draft?” Guess again. “I don’t want to guess anymore.” Fine, I’ll tell you – August 15th – 1600 British Summer Time at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool England. “Beg your pardon?” many of you just muttered under your breath, well allow me to explain.

I've been a fan of soccer ever since my youth - played it for 7+ years, served a mission for the LDS Church in a soccer loving country but really the only soccer I ever watched was during the World Cup every four years. Before you call me a bandwagon jumper, I'll have you know that it wasn't just this past World Cup that I enjoyed, I've been watching them religiously since 1990. When Wheels and I were unemployed newlyweds (a combo I highly recommend) in 2002, we would stay up all night watching the live feeds of World Cup games from Japan and South Korea with Flanksteak and his friend Jonny Boy. In those days you felt as if you were a member of some secret club and you felt pity for your friends who were missing out. Soccer was a small, obscure indie band you loved to see in a dive bar on the verge of blowing up and playing at large arenas around the United States. Actually a nice comparison would have been the Kings of Leon circa 2002. In Utah, you could see them play at a small club with 200 people and over in England they'd sell out 40,000 seat soccer stadiums. In fact, their second album was released in the UK six months before it was released on the band's home soil. However, the past twelve months have been good for the Followill brothers as well as soccer in the USofA. Neither have reached the status of U2 or Coldplay but each has received some mainstream recognition complete with radio hits and performances in larger arenas.

I enjoyed the crap out of the 2010 World Cup. I would rank Landon Donovan's last minute goal against the mighty Algerian team that advanced the US into the knockout round of the cup as a Top 10 sport highlight of my lifetime. Even better than the goal scored by Pele to help defeat the Nazis in Victory. Had I been watching it at home and not in my company's cafeteria I would have possibly shed some tears. I nearly did anyway. It was that exciting and emotional. Sure the US should have easily defeated the 'powerhouse' Algerian team but after some terrible officiating and near misses most of the fans had written off the game and the Cup for another four years. If you haven't seen the youtube clip that was emailed around with the reactions from different crowds in the USA yet then I demand you watch it now. Goosebump city. Plenty of other story lines were enjoyable as well - the upstart Chilean team, the big bullies like France and Italy getting knocked out early and of course Uruguay's run to the semifinals. By the end of tournament, the level of man crush that Flanksteak and I had for Uruguayan Striker Diego Forlan was off the charts.

Once the Cup ended and the last vuvuzela had been blown Flanksteak and I were at a loss. Now what? We didn't want to wait another four years to enjoy soccer. We put our heads together and came up with the following two step plan:

1 - Stop taking Real Salt Lake for granted and support them with more sincerity.

We are lucky to have the MLS Cup Champions playing right in our hometown. As much as I enjoy watching their games, I can't help but feel like I'm seeing a lesser brand of soccer. It's like watching the SL Bees instead of the SF Giants. Same game, still enjoyable, just not quite as good. Part of the joy of the World Cup was seeing a sport played at the highest level. We needed more. This led us to step two.

2 - Find a premiere international team to follow

Although it hopefully will be someday, it's not a stretch to admit that the best soccer is not currently being played on US soil. Just like foreigners who watch the NBA or the NFL we set out to find a team and/or league that would allow us to see the best soccer possible. Which league should we choose? The consensus top three most respected soccer leagues in the world are La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy) and The English Premier League (shockingly based in England). We quickly settled on the EPL because we knew that it had recently partnered with ESPN and we figured the games would be more readily available on TV. Our first thought was, "For which team does Diego Forlan play?" Unfortunately he is no longer playing in the EPL so we dug deeper. We read wikipedia histories, an article by ESPN's Bill Simmons discussing his quest to find an EPL team after the 2006 World Cup, and dissected each team's roster. We must have spent two whole hours figuring this out.

Many teams were ruled out quickly - Manchester United - would be like deciding to just start watching baseball and picking the Yankees. Chelsea - last year's champs, didn't want to hop on the bandwagon, plus we have multiple friends and family members who like Chelsea and we wanted to have some rivalries. Even though we didn't want to pick the current champions, we did want to pick a team that would have a legitimate chance at winning a title over the next few years, which eliminated many of the other hopefuls. We were left with a final three of Manchester City, Tottenham, and Liverpool. My quick and Encyclopedia Brown-esque readers will be able to deduce the team we selected. It wasn't Manchester City and we were glad to not have picked them because they have been buying up all of the world talent over the past few years and the games of theirs that we have watched so far have not shown them as a fun team for which to cheer. Think Miami Heat come this NBA season. Much more fun to root against.

So what made Liverpool so special? Pleasant roster - check. Cool jerseys - check. Liverpool is also the most decorated team in English soccer history but they've been down for the past several years therefore a championship isn't out of the question but it isn't a given either. We wanted to suffer a little before we were just handed a trophy. All important and valid reasons but it was this final tidbit that really sealed the deal - "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Why am I quoting a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and why would that sway my opinion? For those of you who don't know, my Grandpa Strat was a renowned music teacher and because him our family has a deep love of all music and musicals. I'm certain you could pick any member of my mother's family out of hat, pick a song from a musical out of a different hat and that person could name the musical from whence it came and sing it for you. That person would then select three other members of the family and they'd bust it out for you in 4-part acapella no less. Most soccer teams in Europe have a team song and that of Liverpool just so happens to be the above mentioned song. Once Flanksteak and I saw that the decision was made - we were taking our talents to Merseyside. Fans sing You'll Never Walk Alone at each match and it is so ingrained in the Liverpool culture that is included in the team's crest and above the stadium gates.

This announcement might come as a shock to some of you and most of you probably stopped reading this post many paragraphs ago. Fear not, I haven't given up my love of Football and since I'm not British I promise to continue to refer to Soccer as Soccer and Football as Football, not American Football. However, as my neighbor Coach T can verify, I will not be ashamed to sit in my kitchen on Sunday mornings in my underwear watching soccer on a shoddy internet stream and drinking yerbamate. In fact, I have to - I made a pledge and if that interests you then join Flanksteak and I and we vow that you too, will never walk alone.

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-09-08T06:15:00.006-06:00

SPECIAL LAGOON EDITION

Once upon a time I vomited while on a ride at Lagoon. Some of the details are now hazy but I know I was between the ages of 14-17, it was Stake Lagoon Day, the poor sap with whom I was riding was my pal, Colin, and the stomach twisting - chuck inducing culprit was The Rock-O-Plane. Not to be confused with The Roll-O-Plane, which is no longer in existence at Lagoon. Rumor has it (I'm sure the Internet never lies) that sometime in 2002 the Roll-O-Plane had a large passenger enter one side and as it lifted into the air it came together like a circus strongman bending a steel bar. Click here and scroll down to see a pic. Luckily nobody was hurt. However, somebody did get hurt in that Rock-O-Plane on that fateful day. As Colin and I made our final loop and unloading descent, I laid over the bar with my light breakfast inching ever closer to the top of my throat and finally "unleashed the kraken" all over the bottom of the cage. We locked the bar in place and were able to finish the road unscathed, minus a few splatters. The decent thing to do would have been to get out and tell the Lagoon employee what had transpired in the plane. The line was long, however, and who was I to make all of those nice paying customers wait several minutes while the cage was cleaned and sanitized? So I did what any normal 14-17 male who just blew chunks in public would do - I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me. To this day it haunts me. To the lottery winner who got the pleasure of riding in that cage post-kg explosion - I offer a sincere apology.

I took Superstar to Lagoon for Frightmares when she was three years old. Because of the Halloween theme Superstar had thought until this trip that the name of the park was - Howlagoon. I was excited to show her the park during non-nightmare inducing days. Wheels, on the other hand, was not as excited to return to the park for her first visit in over a decade. Wheels is something of a, how would you say? ah yes - An Amusement Park Snob. I'm sure it has something to do with growing up in proximity to Cedar Point, arguably the best park in the United States. Cedar Point has had the World's Tallest, Fastest, etc Roller Coaster at different points of the park's history. She might have a point - go ahead and checkout some of the coasters on their website. We'll be back here waiting with Wheels laughing at our lousy Colossus. Throw in the fact that Toots' tummy has provided many tales like the one described in the first paragraph and you could understand our trepidation as we headed for our first family day at Lagoon.

We started off slow - the Baby Boats - which are a rite of passage for any young child. We'd heard horror stories from people such as The Bells who talked about throwing their kids on a scary ride right out of the shoot and scarring their children for the rest of the day. Nothing like waiting 45 min for this thrill ride. Actually, I didn't wait for this ride. Myself and two of the Bell Boys made a break for Tidal Wave and rode it (twice) while that poor sap Wheels watched toddlers and infants clang bells in a circle on repeat. I made it back just in time and the kids loved it.

Next up we hit the Red Baron. One of the girls' favorite books is Snoopy and the Red Baron so we asumed this was a great idea. It started off fine and both Toots and Superstar seemed to enjoy the up and down but after a few laps around Toots began to cry. "Great," I thought to myself, "It's gonna be a real fun day here with Toots." As the ride ended and I went to help the girls disembark their planes I saw that Toots' seatbelt was undone which seemed odd since not once did I see the unfasten your seatbelt light during the flight. Not sure how that occurred but she seemed fine after returning to the safety of the ground.

After the seatbelt debacle we decided to hit another ride that was beloved by all children, The Bumper Cars. I feared the ride wouldn't be as fun for the girls since they basically play bumper cars with the neighbor kids and their power wheels in the cul-de-sac everyday but this time it was actually not only allowed but encouraged by their parents. What kid wouldn't like that? Toots. Well at least not when she got stuck against the side while kids continually smashed into the back of her car. "I've made a huge mistake," I thought once again.

Once Toots had again calmed down we headed back for a few more kiddie rides. Toots began to get her groove back and something clicked. From that point on the only crying was when she was not allowed on rides because of her height. We had planned ahead for this but it really depended on whether the teenage kid running the ride was being vigilant. Toots is 34.5" and Superstar is 44" tall. Both of them were just shy of two Lagoon magic numbers - 36" and 46", respectively. 36" means that you can ride some of the big rides while accompanied by an adult and some of the 'extreme' kiddie rides. 46" is the cutoff for most of the better adult rides, all of which Superstar was willing to ride. We'll see how brave she is next year when the 46" barrier has been crossed but for now Superstar claims she would ride anything and has so far lived up to her braggadocio. We had Toots wear some sandals with a heel to get her closer to 36" and we instructed her on proper tippy toe techniques. She was close enough that most of the ride operators just let her slide but there was one kid who spoke like Borat and operated the green swings that kept shutting her down. We tried at four different times throughout the day to no success, usually being greeted with, "Sheez eee leetle beet a tooo esmall..." She was devastated. Luckily she found many other rides that she enjoyed such as the Musik Express and Rattlesnake Rapids - "Get Kim wet! Get Kim wet" was apparently the war cry there. All in all a terrific day at Lagoon.

We enjoyed ourselves so much that a week later we decided to bounceback. That morning as I left work for home it was raining as hard as it had poured all summer. "I've made a huge mistake," I again thought to myself, nearly turning around to head back into the office. However, I pressed forward with faith. I consulted with The Bells and my old man upon arriving home and The Bells were going to not let a little rain stop them and they journeyed to the park. Big J and I thought we better sit out until the weather cooperated a little better and after a short wait mother nature welcomed us with a delightful day. Here are Toots and Rockstar out for a pleasant drive.

The only negative aspect of the day was the malfunctioning train. We had somehow escaped riding it on our first visit to the park but you don't slip something that awesome passed your kids twice. Each time we tried to have a train ride there was a sign informing us it was out of order and would be up shortly. Finally towards the end of the day the ride was back up and running. We waited for a few minutes and then loaded up and the kids sat eager to see a few random animals and a really nasty lagoon filled with 20 foot carp. As the engineer blew the whistle a puff of black smoke shot out and not in a good way. The ride was down again and we were asked to exit. Luckily for us we did see some animals during our brief time on the train. We saw some monkeys, exotic birds, a lion and some bashful bears.

An extremely pleasant day, indeed. By the end of our twice in one week Lagoon experience even Wheels was singing its praises. Also, Because of the rain there were extremely short rides and we were able to ride anything we wanted. Even Toots, who finally got her ride on the Green Swings.

The Skog Family Weeks (Month) in Review

2010-08-16T23:46:00.138-06:00

The following takes place between the first week of July and the first week of August. The events occur in real time.

Fun in the Sun

I might be a lazy sack now, but once upon a time I spent all of my free time outdoors. The Skog girls have carried on the tradition this summer, usually starting their harassment of Wheels about 8:30 AM. "Can we go outside, Mommy, can we go outside? Can we see if 'X' can play? Can we, Mom, can we?" Welcome to Wheels' world.

4th of July Hike

We spent a good chunk of the month with either Wheels' parents visiting us or the Skog family visiting them. During their visit for the 4th of July we hiked up to the lower falls of a local canyon and lived to tell about it. It ended up being a bit further than we had anticipated but we can't complain. Someone who can complain? Flanksteak. Next time you see him ask him about his July hike. We are lucky to still have him with us.

What's For Lunch?

Meal time has always been a sore subject in the Skog home and by now you've seen many instances of the Skog girls being difficult and picky with what they will or will not eat. Well now that I know what Wheels is trying to serve them for lunch I think I'm on their side.

Rockstar Report

The Rockstar continues to grow up right before our very eyes. She has always been a relatively easy child as far as naps and eating go but so far this summer she has decided to take after her big sister Toots and tell mother that 'she don't need no stinkin sleep!'

No Sleep

She has also learned a few things about herself.

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

And finally she has gone from the Rockstar to the Walkstar. (Trust me, I know how terrible that joke is/was but it's 6:00 in the AM and I'm not exactly throwing fastballs this morn...) Legend has it that I didn't walk until I was quite old. The Rockstar has followed in my footsteps (groan) and has waited until nearly 18 months to start taking some steps. Depending on my mother's mood when she tells the story, I was anywhere from 18 months to 4.5 years old when I walked for the first time. IRregardless, congrats to the Rockstar for her small steps for womenkind. (Quite possibly the worst paragraph in Skog Blog History!)

Swim Lessons

Superstar's first summer of swimming lessons.

Trip to Nevada

We took what is becoming our annual pilgrimage to Northern Nevada to visit Wheels' family. Superstar especially looks forward to this trip and started asking when we were heading out approximately 2.3 hours after she finished her last day of school. As usual it was filled with plenty of good times in the outdoors.

Boating at Lahontan

Wheels claims that her all time favorite past time is wakeboarding but due to the fact that she has been great with child for the past 3 years straight it has been awhile since she was able to do said past time. Luckily for her, wakeboarding is like riding a bike and she got up lickity split and rode the waves like a true champ. Below is her first and best run of the day.

If wakeboarding is really like riding a bike then this is terrible news for me because I sucked at riding a bike and only learned to ride one at the age of 8 to not be mocked for missing the Cub Scout Bike Rodeo. Some of my other weaknesses are lack of upper body strength, flexibility and balance. In other words, I'm REALLY good at watersports. I did actually get up on my first try but fell every time trying to get over the wake. On my last run of the day I quickly got outside of the wake and had my longest ride to date. One whole minute. At that point I was tired and knew that if I attempted to cross back over the wake I would fall on my face or worse and so I decided to go out on top with my dignity intact.

Papa Dennis is 61 years old going on 30. I think I'd trade him bodies straight across, no questions asked because as this video details he is in better shape than men half his age.

Lake Tahoe

Spent a pleasant day kayaking and playing on the beach at Tahoe. You'll have to take our word for it since the pictures aren't plentiful. Probably from all of the time spent shooing away dogs that were scaring the crap outta Toots.

Quads

Superstar went for her first quad ride. A nice journey up the canyon and foothills of the Dayton Valley.

One other thing Wheels and I did this summer was get addicted to a tv show about a forensic detective who also happens to be a serial killer. Uplifting stuff. You know you've watched too many episodes in a short period when you're out riding a quad in the hills and spot this creepy Santa from a distance and you both freak out in fear that it is a dead body.

The Popsicle Thief

Pay close attention to what goes on in the background of these pics and then watch the video for Toots' Tantrum of the Week sponsored by Popsicle Brand Frozen Treats - Where Anything's Possible!

Projects with Grandma

When not playing outside in NV the girls spend their time making crafts and 'projects' with their Grandma. Here's some of their latest creations.

kg vs. The Bees

We seem to have a real bee and/or hornet infestation. I have destroyed more than one nest from our swingset this summer and now they seem to have taken a liking to the bushes in front of our home. The other afternoon before mowing the lawn I decided to take a wiffle ball bat and teach them a lesson. Wheels decided to get the camera and teach me a lesson on stalking. Watch out because stuff is about to get real. I hesitated about putting this on the web for fear that we'd end up with another Star Wars Kid-esque situation but I have to admit I chuckled watching my pest control skills. Just remember folks, kg is the X factor.

Country Fair Days

Our small town had its annual Country Fair Days and I'm sad to report that there wasn't another epic dance off between my nephews like last year. Superstar was able to participate in the Future Cheer Camp and ride on a truck in the parade. Good times as always. I've grown to really look forward to this annual tradition and hope that our girls never reach the point in their life when they wake up in the morn and sing, "There must be more than this provincial life..." Until then we'll enjoy our silly parade and games in the park.

As always, thanks for reading.

kg

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-06-29T09:33:00.001-06:00

Last summer we canceled our tv partially because of budgetary constraints and also just because there wasn't anything that we really watched during the summer months anyway. Because of this we were forced to create our own shows. We decided to do the same thing this year. Here is what has been playing in the Skog home along with the TV Guide Episode Summary:

So Superstar Thinks She Can Dance?

A behind the scenes reality show about a young girl and her dreams of becoming the next Shirley Temple. Watch as she tries to stay awake during late night rehearsals and taps her way into the hearts of America.

Commercial Break - Time Life Music Presents: The Skog Girls Sing the Songs of Summer

Remember the good old days when you could pick up a nice four record collection of hits through the mail and it wasn't a Kidz Bop album? Well good news! The Skog Sisters have brought this back! Act now and you can receive this old timey favorite of Papa Dennis:

But that's not all! The first twenty callers will also get this medley of Disney hits!

But wait! There's more! If you call in the next five minutes and use your credit card you'll also receive a bonus disc of Inspirational songs.

Operators are standing by!

Commercial Break - Superstar Has Fallen and She Can't Get Up

Strollers Can Be Dangerous. Be safe out there this Summer. The More You Know...

The Next Food Network Star

A young kitchen prodigy shows off her culinary skills, including kg's patented stir technique, to make the perfect scrambled eggs.

Oprah's Search For the Next Talk Show Host

The World's Tiniest Rockstar attempts to become the World's Tiniest Talk Show Host. Hilarity ensues when her guests can't understand her gibberish.

Cappy Gilmore's Blindside

Hilarity ensues when a homeless man (kg) is taken in by a Utah Family and he helps lead them to last place in their annual family golf tournament. Disgusted with the outcome, the family Patriarch (The Oscar Nominated Big J) throws him back on the streets and kg is forced to steal the family van as well as the coveted "Brown Keg" and make a run for the border.

America's Next Top Supermodel

The stakes are raised when Wheels tells kg that there's no way his beard could get any worse.

Father's Day

Finally, what goes with this fine programming? Popcorn of course. I have successfully brainwashed the girls into loving my snack of choice. Sadly, our popper had not been working well as of late and conveniently the Friday night before Father's Day it officially gave up the ghost. On Saturday the girls quickly remedied this problem, although I don't think Rockstar was as excited as her older sisters were to give this gift. She really wanted to go with the tie. Perhaps if you didn't speak in gibberish, Rockstar, your voice would be heard. Maybe next year.

Super Saturday

2010-06-11T05:50:00.000-06:00

Memorial Day Weekend wasn't just a nice opportunity to celebrate our fallen ancestors it was a time to take pleasure in the pain of our current friends and family. That's right, it was Super Sat! Some of you might ask, "What is Super Saturday?" Here is a brief history lesson for the uninitiated: Super Sat is an annual tradition that started nearly 10 years ago when Herms and I realized that due to the proximity of our birthdays we should milk them for as much as possible. Super Sat was born as a day to play any and all sports, eat a lot of meat with no sides and be as manly as possible or at least as manly as two wussbags like Herms and myself could be. After a few years we realized that Big J's birthday was also within a reasonable proximity to ours and therefore we should be milking this event even more. At that point, Super Sat expanded into its current weekend format. The only thing that has changed over the years is that as we have gotten older (read: fatter and lazier) we have toned down some of the athletic events and added more games, movies and eating. Trust me, it's for the best.

THE PRIZE - WHAT WAS AT STAKE?

In the past we have had a trophy but this year we were playing for the coveted "Schaudenfreuder" T-shirt. "Schadenfreude" is a German term, roughly translated as, "I take pleasure in your pain" and it was in tribute of the late, great Father Herms who passed away last year. This was a victory phrase that he commonly shouted at Herms and I after wiping us all over the tennis courts of various SL Valley parks. Side note: The championship shirt was misspelled, much to the dismay of Herms' spelling bee champion son, Jack. I suppose we should have trusted him over Google.

THE COMPETITORS

kg, Herms, Big J, Flanksteak, UtahFun, Troy, and Big Al.

THE SCORING SYSTEM

Each event was worth 5 pts and kg was allowed to give random points at his discretion.

THE COMPETITION

The First Event was the Double Down Challenge. kg, Herms, Big J, UtahFun and Troy all met at the local KFC. Flanksteak was unable to join us and Big Al boycotted this event due to the fact that he worked at a KFC during his formative years and has never stepped foot in one since his last day of work over 16 years ago. Fun Fact: Big Al used to smell so badly when he came home from work that Crazy Sue would force him to strip down to his undies in the garage and leave his uniform outside of the house. Another Fun Fact: While working at KFC, Big Al was well known for his prowess of sliding the furthest on the grease covered floors. Alrighty then, now that everyone is hungry let's get to it.

For those of you unfamiliar with the KFC Double Down, it is a 'sandwich' that consists of two chicken breasts that serve as the bun and a middle section of cheese, bacon and a mystery sauce. The Double Down is so controversial that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine had sent a letter asking KFC to refrain from advertising this sandwich to children.

UtahFun, who would not be able to join the Saturday events, realized that he really needed to step up his game in order to have a shot at the title of Super Sat Champion. What happened next is the stuff of legend that will be passed down from generation to generation. It was one of those life changing experiences where you will always remember where you were when it happened. UtahFun stepped right up to the counter and asked for a Double Double Down. John, the kid working the register, got a twinkle in his eye. "Are you serious?" he asked, "I've never seen one of those before. It would make my night." UtahFun said, "Yes, let's do it." I've never seen someone as excited to be working in the fast food industry as John. He told the girl in the back to get out of the way because he had to make this. Not only did Utah have the World's First KFC, we might have actually created the World's First Quadruple Double Down. It was a gamechanger that I'll never forget.

UtahFun jumped out to a huge lead after I awarded him 10 pts. Big J, who was trying to work off his annual tax season weight gain, declined to eat the tasty sandwich and was awarded no points. Flanksteak was awarded a few discretionary points for timely texts like, "I've never seen UtahFun look so happy" and "That should be the picture in his obituary." Well played, Flanksteak. Big Al was awarded no points and the rest of us earned our 5.

Next up was a screening of Iron Man 2. No points were awarded for participation because we were all winners for seeing ScarJo in black leather. Herms was deducted 1 point for poor parking and Big J earned one point for screaming in disgust after we waited through the 10 minute credits for a big payoff. Good laughs there.

After an intermission we started back up Saturday afternoon and hit the tennis courts. The participants for this portion were kg, Herms, Big J, Flanksteak and Troy with Herms as the huge favorite entering the tennis portion. Rules of this event were: Round Robin Doubles, switch partners each game, everyone gets to serve twice and one player sits out each game. Simple enough. Rather than a coin toss, teams were chosen by the old, spin your racquet and let the other players guess tactic. For example, if I had a Prince tennis racquet I would hold the handle and spin the racquet and let my opponent guess "P or D." The handle is then revealed and the winner gets to choose if he/she would like to serve or receive. Much to our surprise, the big winner of the Tennis event was Big J. Granted, Big J was a fine tennis player in his prime, some might even dare say that he was "the finest athlete ever to come out of Cache Valley*" but the man is now a senior citizen. I'm not sure if it was payback for the mocking he received the night before for bowing out of the Double Down Challenge or what, but I haven't seen an old man dominate his juniors athletically in such a fashion since Thornton Melon. Flanksteak and I tied for 2nd, Herms in 4th and Troy in 5th.

Next up was disc golf. Again, considering that he was the only one to have ever played and that he owned his own discs, Herms was a heavy favorite. This time he delivered. kg did not fare as well, losing his disc on the first throw. Luckily, as we headed off the course after our round was over, another group of golfers had found the poorly thrown disc and returned it to Herms. Side note: The crowd at the disc golf course was an interesting bunch to say the least. Our group had the beards to fit in but lacked the bare chests, tattoos and chain smoking. Big J might have lacked some distance with his throws and his Fred Flintstone-esque twinkle toes delivery, but ever the competitor, Big J actually removed his shirt at one point in order to see if that would help his game. I took a few photos but when I tried to pull them up on my computer I got a blank picture that just said, "These photos were washed away by the Weber River" similar to when someone flips off the camera (or worse) at Disneyland while riding Splash Mountain. Very strange. Anyway, Herms took first, then Troy, Bry, Big J and kg taking up the rear.

The group then made a pitstop at the finest meat shop in Utah, Sniders Bros. Sadly, the shop was out of turkey wrapped in bacon but we made do with beef tenderloin, salmon, chicken and pork. Big J was awarded special points for his fine work on the grill and everyone was awarded points for eating enough meat to shave a few years off of their lives. UtahFun even made a brief cameo.

Big Al also joined us for the evening portion of Super Saturday that consisted of games. Board games, billiards, etc. Big Al made an excellent showing, considering he had missed the opportunity to score points at the earlier events and pushed himself into the top 3 overall standings. However, it was Big J who continued his domination who came out on top. Truly a fine exhibition and effort by the old man. I hope he wears the shirt with pride. Please join me in congratulating our 2010 Super Sat Champion, Big J. Kudos to you sir.

* citation needed

The Skog Family Weeks in Review

2010-06-09T06:31:00.001-06:00

Long time readers will remember that the motto of The Skog Girls is that they just want to party all the time. Living this kind of lifestyle doesn't allow for much blogging time but here is my attempt to get the blog back on track.

The World Cup 2010 Spring Preview

Superstar finished off her first year of soccer with a successful spring season. As you can see from the pics below she is really good. She even got a medal and they don't just hand those out to everybody. Superstar enjoyed it enough that we are going back for more this fall. To be continued.

April 24th - What A Special Day

For as long as I can remember my family has made April 24th a special day. I'm not quite sure why but some internet searching led me to understand that it is perhaps in celebration of the salvage of the famous old Swedish warship, The Vasa. More likely though, it's for Barbara Streisand's birthday. My parents did always love The Broadway Album. IRregardless, I have continued this tradition with my children. This year Superstar made breakfast burritos and then Wheels and I went out with some family members for a lovely sushi dinner. A most excellent day. I am told that Superstar was friggin adorable while she cooked up the burritos and we wish there was better photographic evidence. Also, Superstar planned all week to have her sisters and her wear their matching, "Daddy's Little Angel Shirts" since she knew the 24th was a special day for her old man. Thanks, Superstar.

The Land of Zion

Wheels, ever the fan of The Matrix, headed down south to the land of Zion during the first weekend of May with her good friend AM. She was pleased to report that it wasn't nearly as strange as portrayed in the movie and spent most of her time looking at rocks and walking. Sounds like the perfect recipe for an exciting trip. The girls were able to make it to the top of Angel's Landing and have pictures to prove it. Fun Fact: kg and his fear of heights and lack of walking skills have actually climbed this as well.

Tunes From Toots

Here is Toots with the ol' schoolyard classic - Cinderella Dressed in Yella. In the other clip she poses the question that all Little Mermaids ask, "What's a fire and why does it... what's the word...?"

The Rockstar Has A Question For You

Speaking of questions, Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?

The Most Delicious Ice Cream Topping Ever

I love ice cream and root beer. I would dare say that a root beer freeze or shake might be my favorite dessert. However, I don't really enjoy a good root beer float. How does that make any sense? Well if any of you are in the same boat then please rush out NOW to your nearest supermarket and pick up some of this tasty treat. I loved it and my girls did too. I've only tried the A&W so I can't vouch for the Dr. Pepper topper but I imagine that would be delightful as well.

Dinosaur Park

Wheels took the girls to the local dino park on Memorial Day while I was golfing. Since I wasn't there I don't have much to add other than these pics are a much more enjoyable archaeological experience than the last Indy Jones flick.

Superstar's Portfolio Vol. XVIII

Once again, all shot by Superstar (If you can believe it!)

Toots' Pics Vol. I

Toots decided to throw her hat into the photography ring. I never would have guessed that two amateur photographers with such talent would live under the Skog roof. Nice debut, Toots.

Rockstar - Not A Fan of the Grass

My only memory from when I was a small child is that of me crawling around with my head skimming the floor in front of me. I believe it was to help steer me away from the grass, of which I was deathly afraid. Glad I could pass along something more than just my hair, silky falsetto and hay fever to my girls.

Superstar All Grows Up

Superstar is moving on to kindergarten. Unbelievable. Our little Superstar is all grown up. She grows up and she grows up and she grows up.

Random Pics

Well I hope you enjoyed your tour of April and May as much as I did. Here are a few other misc pics since I figured that what this post was missing was more pics.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

Q&A with kg

2010-05-26T23:08:00.002-06:00

It's been too long and I have many questions that need answered so let's get to it -

kg, I know you are a fan of LOST. Can you explain WTW happened on the finale? (Crazy Sue)

My opinion (and that of many others) is this - the island was real. Everything that happened on the island actually happened. The sideways life this season was Jack's purgatory that allowed him to come to grips with all of his issues and finally move on to the afterlife. This alternate universe was only for Jack and each character probably had their own version of a sideways life. I know, really profound and hard hitting analysis. That said, I really enjoyed the finale, in fact I can't stop thinking about it. I wasn't bugged by all of the unsolved mysteries or unresolved questions regarding the island's mythology. I'm not ready for these characters to be out of my life. What I'd really like to see is what happened to Hurley and Ben on the island after Jack's mission was complete. Couldn't they make a new show this fall called, Still LOST and let us see their wacky adventures as the new caretakers of the island? Make it happen, ABC.

The Jazz season ended once again with a loss to the Lakers. What can the Jazz do to get over the hump? (Big J)

There are so many what ifs for the Jazz over the past few years. Because of injuries, the Jazz have yet to put their best team on the floor during the playoffs. What if Memo didn't tear his achilles tendon? What if Andrei doesn't strain his calf? What if Boozer is able to play through his oblique strain and the Jazz beat Phoenix and secure the 2nd seed? What if Matthews' tip goes in at the end of the game 3 of the Lakers series? What if Memphis doesn't do the BS trade that sent Gasol to the Lakers and tipped the balance of power in the west back towards the Lakers? Perhaps it has something to do with all of the LOST alternative universe mumbo jumbo, but here is one last 'what if' that will really blow your mind - What if Kobe Bryant had decided to go to college and not jump right into the NBA after high school? Did you know that his first choice was Duke? I hate to think that in some sick and twisted alternate reality I would have been a Kobe fan. My one saving grace is that I was in Chile when he would have played at Duke so luckily I would have missed seeing him drain jumpers on the hallowed floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium or hitting game winners to beat the Tarheels. Even still, it makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. See you in hell, Mr. Bryant.

Is there anything you hate more than the Lakers? (Flanksteak)

No, but a close second is yard work. When Wheels and I were dating we made a deal that when we got married she would do the yard work and I would clean the house. However, every time we have lived in a home with a yard Wheels has conveniently been pregnant. Even though I despise it, I have at least tried to mow the lawn and maintain a semi-respectable yard. This year it has gotten out of hand. Our side lawn is a swamp and I fear that our children could end up with malaria or yellow fever. Even worse, thanks to a neighbor who shall remain nameless (Patty) who let his/her yard go, the Skog yard has turned into a dandelion nursery. By the time the summer is over there might be a new Public Enemy #1 for the Skogs. I realize that the above thoughts might have made it sound like Wheels is currently pregnant. I assure you that she is not. So why don't I just let her take over the landscaping duties this summer? Well, because things between the lawn and I have gotten personal. I will beat this lawn or die trying. See you in hell, Mr. Lawn.

Somebody Please Call the Fashion Police

2010-05-25T14:11:00.002-06:00

I have never been one for fashion. For example, last week I was quite pleased with myself when I wore a navy blue shirt with dark brown slacks to work. I thought I looked quite sharp. Wheels didn't share my sentiments. She asked if I had even looked in the mirror before I headed out to work. Now, granted, most mornings I get dressed in the dark. However, I'm not even sure that excuse would fly today. I just caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and all I can say is, "wow." Is it possible to be ashamed of being seen with yourself?

Reasons Why I Look Like The Strange Love Child of Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog

1. The only socks I had clean are the grey wool socks that might have looked good with birkenstocks (sp) about 10 years ago. I believe they are Wheels' socks that she uses for backpacking trips.

2. Black shoes

3. The pants I am wearing are gray but also old and faded. Depending on what I pair them with they can appear somewhat green or blue. They are terrible. There is also a stain on my pantleg from an unfortunate Gorilla Glue incident.

4. The shirt is forest green and a hand me down from my bro in law who is a bit huskier than I and it fits me like a tent. It's not tucked in. It makes my pants look like some weird green/gray color.

5. I stepped out into the wind with wet hair this morn and my fro is a' kickin.

Your Honor, the Defense rests. I think tonight is laundry night.

UPDATE: I just found out that today is Geek Pride Day and I feel much better about my choice of attire.

Happy Anniversary to The Skogs

2010-05-07T07:01:00.015-06:00

8 Years ago today I married my friend. The one I laugh with... live for... dream with... LOVE. In honor of this special day, you are cordially invited to listen to this playlist of the Greatest Love Songs Ever that I compiled. I hope you enjoy these timeless classics as much as I do.

Love you, Wheels.

kg

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-04-22T06:34:00.005-06:00

Only about 3 weeks behind now. Not too shabby. Here is the Easter weekend report. Enjoy.

Clean Friday

Good Friday Eve was spent cleaning the house for a 'reporter' that was coming on Friday morning. We have this strange ledge in our kitchen and Wheels so bravely climbed out to do the dusting that doesn't occur there too frequently. I would have done it but I was afraid that I weighed too much... I'm not afraid of heights. Shut up! No YOU are! Let's move on.

Easter 2010

It doesn't get much better than the annual Easter egg coloring. This year we even had a special guest appearance by Madzy Padzy and Maximus. Sorry we hogged all of the eggs.

The Easter Bunny Delivers

Wheels' Dad came out over the weekend and brought the girls Easter baskets from Grandma Wheels and an even better present for Wheels and I that shall be featured in a later post. This video probably gets the notorious GP rating which means it is only suitable for grandparents. You've been warned.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Easter

The week of Easter brought some unseasonably cold weather including what was quite possibly the worst snowstorm of the year. Because of the inclement conditions each family held their own Easter egg hunt in their homes rather than meeting for a large hunt at the park. I do have video footage of this event but it was like a British dramatical mini series, rather lengthy and not exactly action packed. On a side note, if we were casting the British version of Skog Blog: The Movie, Rockstar would play herself (her teeth make her an excellent candidate), Gwyneth Paltrow would play Toots (so versatile, think Dorf on Golf, wait, what? She's not British? Yes she is. Next thing you are gonna tell me is that Dick Van Dyke wasn't British either. I've seen Mary Poppins, you can't pull off that accent and not be from England...) Freddie Highmore would play Superstar (He could pull it off in drag, that kid is the best in the business). Wheels would be Kate Winslet and I of course would be played by Colin Firth. Toots made the best discovery of the entire hunt when she found this sippy cup in the playroom kitchen cupboard. Awesome. Reset the Skanky Rotten Sippy Cup counter.

The Next Survivor Immunity Challenge

After watching LDS General Conference, I've heard people say things like, "Spiritually uplifted" or "My batteries were recharged" or "Best nap ever!" Did any of these people watch conference with little children? My favorite part of these two clips is when the speaker on the TV is talking about reverence as the Skog Girls wrestle over a box of Nerds. Good times. I know I thought watching conference was very rewarding this year. My other conference highlight was at the Priesthood session when my brother in law, Utahfun, put on the greatest snoring exhibition that any chapel has ever seen. At one point my other brother in law, Herms, said, "Dude, you gotta elbow him," and I replied, "No way, I want to see how far he can take this." Kudos and hats off, UtahFun.

Breaking News!

2010-04-15T06:08:00.000-06:00

Tax Deadline got you down? Click on the Colin and Ranie link on my blog list for an amazing story that will make your day much better. Awesome news and I couldn't be happier for them.

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-04-13T06:36:00.000-06:00

I hate starting out every blog post with "Sorry it's been awhile..." or "Time flies!" but by golly it's true. I swear Toots' surgery seems like it was about three days ago, when in fact it's been nearly one month. Since my last post we've had the plagues of vomit, colds, coughs and snow and I didn't even post a recap of one of the greatest March Madness Tourneys ever. Life is crazy, my friends but we continue to fight through it. Let's get to the review.

Toots' Thumb Recap and Report

I posted some brief recaps from Toots' thumb surgery LIVE! and EXCLUSIVE! from the hospital like a real reporter but here are a few more details. Toots was a real trooper. Other than the not-so-surprising vomit session she had in the car on the way home from surgery, she had no real issues. Her thumb healed very quickly and seems to actually bend like a normal thumb. Below is a video of the great unveiling a few days after her surgery.

An American Toots

I have mentioned to a few of you that the girls have been obsessing over An Americal Tail as of late. It's kind of fun to have the kids watch flicks that you once enjoyed as a kid.

Sick Superstar Is Under Quarantine

Everyone in the Skog Fam has had a bout with a sickness of some sort the past few months. If you don't think I am saving this video for when we are dragging Superstar's butt out of bed when she's 14 then you are kidding yourself.

How Wheels Spends 98% of Her Time

I often wonder how Wheels gets anything done. She spends most of her day in the kitchen begging, bribing, and fighting with the girls to get them to eat. Each child requires a different tactic - With the Rockstar we do the bait and switch - she is given something to distract her and when she opens her mouth we quickly throw a spoon in there.

At least the Rockstar also provides some quality conversation at the table. Here she is discussing healthcare reform:

Toots likes to pretend she is filming commercials:

How do we know when the Rockstar is full? This usually happens:

Wheels, you are a hero and a true warrior.

Special Delivery! Another Special Delivery???

Another reason my updates have been coming less frequently is I had to send my laptop back to the factory for some much needed repairs. I came home from work and was excited to have my computer back.

However, the package was rejected and I'll be darned if they didn't mail me ANOTHER computer. Wacky!

Superstar Portfolio Vol. X

Since it's been awhile I needed to bring back a few gimmicks. I really like how Superstar continues to push the limits of creativity and abstract art. Mind blowing stuff, folks.

Vomit or X?

With all of the talks of vomit and other plagues I would be remiss if I didn't give you another edition of America's Favorite Gameshow.

Stay tuned for the Easter Report coming to you this Memorial Day!

Happy April, My Friends

2010-04-01T06:01:00.000-06:00

Here is a nice little track to start off April, the greatest month of the year, courtesy of Rufus Wainwright.

April Fools - Rufus Wainwright

March Madness

2010-03-17T22:34:00.000-06:00

If you ask me, March Madness is the second most important holiday for the Skog Family. If you ask Wheels her thoughts on the tournament she might curse at you, laugh or punch you in the jaw. Depends on the day. I pondered writing a "How To Win Your Bracket Pool" column but decided against it after this year's fantasy football debacle. In its place and in order to get Wheels and everyone else in the March Madness spirit, here are some videos. Within these clips you may or may not be able to figure out which team I have picked to win it all this year. In fact, you might even be able to discover my final TWO teams. Crazy!!! Do your best detective work and I think you can decipher this DaVinci Code. I believe in you. I hope everyone enjoys their days off of work Thursday and Friday and watches plenty of games... wait, what? Some people have to work on Thursday and Friday? I'm sorry. Enjoy these clips anyway my friends.

Toots No Longer Wants to Hold Your Hand.

2010-03-17T09:15:00.001-06:00

Surgery was successful and uneventful. Just hanging out in recovery now. Thanks for the well wishes.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

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Toots Wants to Hold Your Hand

2010-03-16T22:25:00.002-06:00

Sometime in December, Wheels was comforting Toots after a tripping incident and noticed that her hand seemed out of whack.*** We took her to the pediatrician who diagnosed her as having trigger thumb on her right hand, which is a condition that doesn't allow the thumb to completely straighten. After meeting with an orthopedic surgeon we decided that surgery was the best fix for her condition. Wheels discovered last night that our neighbor's son, the infamous Kire of the Skog Sister Love Triangle fame, had a trigger finger surgery when he was one year old and he bounced back very quickly which gave us some peace of mind. IRregardless, it's never fun to see your little one go under the knife, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow morning.

*** Not an Actual Photo. Possibly Exaggerated for Dramatic Effect.

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-03-15T22:40:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay. I realize the Rockstar Birthday Teaser has been up for quite awhile. I had some technical difficulties but I am finally back in business. To quickly fill you in on what has happened since I posted the teaser, the Lil' Rockstar is now 18. Lbs? Nope. 18 years old. She is enjoying choir and the debate team at the local high school. Toots is a freshman at the local University studying Holography and Superstar is engaged to be married this Summer. Crazy how time flies. So how did we get here? Well, please join me on a trip back in time to the Lil' Rockstar's first birthday...

Lil' Rockstar and Her Pal Baby Lambchop

Before the festivities the Lil' Rockstar got to spend some quality time with her cousin and pal, Baby Lampchop, daughter of Flanksteak. As previously stated, I defy any of you to find a more adorable couple. I really hope they can develop their friendship even though her parents have decided to live so very far away...

Lil' Rockstar Turns 1

I was surprised at how dainty the Lil' Rockstar decided to eat her cake. Very un-rockstar-like behavior.

Lil' Rockstar has never had much of a sweet tooth. Because of this, once she polished off a good portion of her cake and frosting she turned into The Great Cornholio. She spazzed out until she finally passed out later that night.

The Skog Girls vs. The Most Annoying Toy in the World

We allowed Superstar and Toots to pick out a present for Rockstar and it seemed innocent enough in the package. However, once we got it loaded with batteries we realized that we had made a huge mistake. This table is like the Devil Offspring of Sesame Street and the Budweiser Frogs. If the Rockstar didn't enjoy it so much it would be on the curb awaiting the garbage truck.

The Hangover Starring the Lil' Rockstar

To be honest I'm not sure what the crap this video is. I think the Rockstar was a bit hungover from the previous night's sugar high and apparently Wheels says something that her siblings will find humorous.

The Superstar Has a Secret...

When I saw this clip I was afraid that Superstar was falling victim to some sort of Mugatu-esque Disney brainwashing. By the end I was glad to see that she was just fine. Be sure to watch the clip to the finish. It's worth it.

The Skog Family Week in Review - Teaser

2010-03-03T06:24:00.001-07:00

One year ago The Skog Blog should have used the tagline "All Rockstar, All the Time." Whether you can believe it or not, the Lil' Rockstar turned one this week so this edition of The Skog Family Week in Review will be very Rockstar-centric. I had some technical difficulties last night with the videos, etc and will try again tonight. For now, I offer up a teaser because the pics below should not be withheld from the world any longer...

Lil' Rockstar and Her Pal, Baby Lambchop

Lil' Rockstar got to spend some quality time with her new pal, Baby Lambchop, daughter of Flanksteak. These pictures come with a warning - Do NOT look at them if you have a strange fear of all things adorable. I think whenever somebody hence forth uses words like "Puppies" or "Ice cream" to describe cute or sweet things they need to be replaced with "Pics of Rockstar and Lambchop."

STAY TUNED! MORE TO COME...

Q & A with kg

2010-02-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed that I deleted The Skog Blog Schedule. When it was first created it was a great way to help me get on track with my blog posts. However, I got to the point where I would want to post something but it wouldn't fit in the day's schedule and so I would hold off, forget what I wanted to post and then it would be too late. It's a new year and I have decided to break free from the bonds of my schedule and get back to the free flowing early days of The Skog Blog. Fear not, I will still try to have a Week in Review posted each Sunday night but gone are the daily music reviews. That news will probably be cause for some rejoicing by many of you who had informed me that you were burned out from all of my music reviews. There will still be plenty of music but it just won't be my primary focus. I have a few new Skog Blog gimmicks that I plan to roll out in the near future. First up, let's answer some reader questions in a new feature that I will call, Q&A with kg. Let's get to it.

So if your tagline has yerba mate, why doesn't your content? I demand a review of the top brands, as well as your favorite recipe for consumption ie: "Best consumed with candy cane, good company, nag champa, listening to the Doors, while hiding out from strange roomates and an even stranger smell."
pomello?
coconut?
minty mint?
Amanda?
Cruz de Malta
Rosemante selection especial?

come on dude. (Brohammas)

A little bit of background before I answer this question from Brohammas. He and I were roommates in college the first year after our missions. One of our roommates had a pet snake that smelled like a mix of feces, urine, and hamster food. Very pleasant. Because of this, most of the time at our apartment was spent in our bedroom with the door shut, window open (even in December), burning Nag Champa incense and drinking mate while listening to The Doors or something of that ilk. Brohammas became almost as big of a mate addict as myself and continues to drink to this day. We were to yerbamate as Bubba Gump was to shrimp. We drank it out of every fruit imaginable, we added candy and mints and used everything from water to milk to juice.

To answer the question - you are correct. I have been a slacker. The yerbamate coverage on The Skog Blog has been unacceptable. To remedy this, each week I will offer up an idea or recipe to make your yerba drinking more enjoyable. This week's advice - Mixing your yerba with Lipton Herbal Tea. Buy yourself the sampler pack, tear open the teabag and dump it into your mate. Soon enough you'll be drinking gourmet mate everyday. The apple cinnamon is highly recommended.

You never posted any New Year's Resolutions, did you make any? (Wheels)

I did, Wheels, thanks for asking. There is an epidemic that I feel threatens the safety of everyone who lives in a home with small children. I decided that this year I was going to do something about it. That problem? The Skanky Rotten Sippy Cup. Anybody with children has done the dishes and thought to themselves, "Hmmm, I could have sworn that there were more sippy cups around the house" but due to time constraints or apathy we just fire up the dishwasher and move on. Perhaps on occasion we assume that our better half might have just unloaded the dishwasher and that is the reason for the strange lack of children's drinking equipment. Then a few days later we start smelling things. Things no man or woman should ever smell. The scent is even worse than the aforementioned snake wiff from my previous post and it is wafting up from under our bed. We start to fear there might be a rogue cup or a lost diaper and some quick Encyclopedia Brown work confirms our suspicions. Other times you find a cup in the back of your vehicle and you say a silent prayer as you crack it open in hopes that it will just be water and not milk... I'm still not sure which is worse though - opening a skanky rotten sippy cup and dealing with the consequences of its contents or coming into a room and seeing one of your children taking a drag out of a cup that you haven't seen for so long that you just assumed it had been thrown away. I have instituted a No Cup Left Behind policy in the Skog home. I am so fired up about my anti-skanky rotten sippy cup agenda that I have created a counter to your left to show you how many days we have gone without an incident. I would ask that you do the same. "Not again in Twenty Ten! Not again in Twenty Ten!" Scream it with me!

The Saints won the Super Bowl and you had Drew Brees on your fantasy teams, right? He was really good so your fantasy teams must have been awesome too. How come you never wrote a blog about your Fantasy Football Championships this year? (Herms)

Long time readers know that I am a Fantasy Football Champion. I have won often enough that most of my friends just call me champ. Well a funny thing happened this year, even though I felt as if I had one of the best teams 'on paper' I was unable to even get a playoff berth. I blame myself for teasing the gods of Fantasy Football and posting my now infamous, "How to Draft a Champion FFL Playlist" last summer. I was so furious when the season ended that I was ready to throw in the towel and retire from the world of FFL. It was a horribly tough decision. After much soul searching, I decided that I just can't stop playing and I will regroup and recover and be back next year with a vengeance.

What is the best song to which I am not currently listening? (All readers)

That song would be World News from the album Gorilla Manor by a band called Local Natives. Checkout the entire album below. A close second would be Who Knows, Who Cares from the same album.

Thanks for reading everyone. If you have any questions that need answers please post in the comments and I will take a crack at them next time.

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-02-16T23:42:00.003-07:00

The Rockstar Report

The Lil' Rockstar is coming up on her first birthday. Over the holidays she came down with a case of walking (crawling) pneumonia and wouldn't eat. Her weight kept plummeting and Wheels was getting very concerned. Because of this we have upped her calorie intake and have given her the green light to eat anything - cheerios, socks, or whatever crumbs she can find on the floor. She has surged to 17.25 lbs and has almost caught up to the first year weight of her big sisters.

The Razor Companies Lie to Us

For years I have been told that women love a man who is clean shaven. I have also been told that if I have a clean shaved face I can speed skate, ride a motorcycle and slam dunk a basketball. Well, they are liars. You might remember my glorious beard from the previous post. I decided that because of the dry winter I needed to give my face a fresh start and remove the crusty hair from my face. The Lil' Rockstar did NOT approve of my decision. Thanks a lot, Gillette, now my baby won't even let me look at her.

Fort Skog

Superstar's New Glasses

Skoggy Alive

For Christmas of 2008, Santa brought the Superstar a Baby Alive doll. Talk about a racket. Sure the baby can eat and drink and go the bathroom and little kids love it but all that means is that we have to buy the special 'Baby Alive Food' and 'Baby Alive Diapers', give me a break. I decided to get in on the action. Coming Christmas 2010 - Skoggy Alive. So far we have programmed her to eat, drink, sleep, go potty and crawl. Checkout the prototype below. She is sure to be a hot seller so get in your orders early before you have to pay triple the price on eBay. Now accepting orders at skoggyalive@theskogblog.com.

We Are (clap, clap) #1

Superstar and her cousins Millie and Madzy Padzy spent the past week attending Mini Cheer camp at the local high school. The clips below are of the girls doing their cheers and dancing during the halftime show of the basketball game. I realize that Madzy Padzy isn't actually my child but I'm pretty sure that Superstar and Toots think that she is in fact their older sister so I included her clip as well. Also, Madzy's mom, Jen, is so busy right now with school that she won't get around to posting about this until spring break so I figured I would help her out. In a few more years we'll have Toots and the Rockstar joining Superstar and Millie mini cheering and soon enough Madzy will be able to remove the 'mini' from her title. She is a talented gal. Sidenote - We feared that the Rockstar would hate the noise of the crowd but like a true rockstar, she couldn't get enough of it. I might have a new companion to take with me to the Jazz games.

Valentine's Day

The Skog Girls are definitely girly, girls and are big fans of Valentine's Day. I swear they didn't lick the knives while frosting any of the cookies that we delivered to their friends (wink).

Superstar Pics of the Week

And of course, here is P's portfolio of the week. Until next week...

Sundance TwentyTen

2010-02-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

I am still speechless from The Super Bowl. What a game! What a finish! Checkout the highlights below:

Alright, alright, I know what you're thinking. "kg, that Super Bowl was from like 20 years ago" well this is my blog and I will review things in my own time. This weekend I will be reviewing the new video game that is taking The Skog Home by storm. Stay tuned.

In other news, last month I participated in what has become an annual tradition, The Sundance Film Festival. Back in the day I always assumed it would be a major pain to head up to Park City and deal with two of my least favorite things - crowds and traffic. Because of this I never attended Sundance and I created my own Film Festival called "Capdance". Capdance was basically myself, Flanksteak, Vanwarmer and other assorted family members watching 4 movies on a Saturday in January at the local Megaplex Theatre. It was such a part of my life that I even proposed to Wheels during Capdance 2002. Fear not, I didn't put a message on the movie screen like some kind of quasi jumbotron, there was a hint of romance involved, but alas that is a story for another day...

This year's Sundance might have been the best yet. Flanksteak, Vanwarmer and myself headed up to Park City on a frosty Saturday morn last month and went 2 for 2 on quality films. Quick sidenote: many people think that just because a film is in Sundance that it is good. Well, many are not. I would say our previous track record is barely break even between good and awful flicks. However, this year there would be no complaints. We saw The Tillman Story, a fascinating documentary about the former NFL player turned Army Ranger who was killed by friendly fire. After that screening we headed over to another film premiere and were treated to Cyrus, a dark comedy about a creepy 21 year old son who tries to sabotage his mother's new relationship.

When I tell people that I attended Sundance, most of them only want to know whether or not I saw any celebrities. Well of course we do. Many of the actors attend the screenings and do Q&A sessions following the films. It is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the Sundance experience. You do also run into some people on the street and that, my friends, is when the real magic happens. For those of you who don't like to read and just want to see the pretty pictures, look no further.

Here is Flanksteak and myself awaiting the day's first shuttle.

Checkout the fine print above my head on the window if you can. I only meet one of the seat's requirements but I will allow you to guess which one.

We stepped off the shuttle at the Tillman screening and run smack into Danny McBride. Yes THE Danny McBride. I haven't seen Flanksteak this happy in a picture since his baby, Lemon, was born.

kg getting in on the hot and heavy Danny McBride action. McBride was a very cool guy who rode the shuttles and rubbed elbows with us common folk. A+ Funny story, ok maybe not hilarious per se, but I showed this picture to some coworkers and said, "Here is my brother and I with Danny McBride." My coworkers thought that Danny and I were brothers. Suck on that, Flanksteak... or don't, I suppose, because that means that people think YOU are a star, pal.

Vanwarmer headed out for popcorn and other snacks but in reality I think he just wanted to catch a closer glimpse of Lisa Edelstein from House.

While sitting patiently waiting for the Tillman documentary to start mine eyes did see Bill Simmons enter the room. Bill is better known as The Sports Guy on ESPN.com and is my favorite writer of the past ten years. Like an aggressive man racing for the hottest chick at a singles dance I quickly approached him and asked him for his number. He declined but gave me a photo-op as a nice consolation prize. He was a likeable guy who rather than mock my Duke sweatshirt (he is a well known Duke hater) complimented my beard. Class act.

Vanwarmer posing with infamous documentarian Michael Moore. When Vanwarmer asked him for a pic Mr. Moore asked Vanwarmer for $10. He was only joking, I think. IRregardless, Vanwarmer got the pic before the Tillman Story started and I overheard Moore as I was leaving say, "This film only scratches the surface. We need a more thorough investigation." I think that means he liked the movie as well.

Quite possibly the most important celebrity we saw was a man we lovingly call "The Town Crier". Anybody who has attended a screening at The Eccles Theatre in Park City knows who this guy is. He is the best in the business. He mixes sass with a no-nonsense attitude to ensure that no patrons end up on the wrong bus. He is a man truly worthy of a Bud Light Real Men of Genius Award. Here's to you, Town Crier.

A truly magical day that we hoped would never end. We finished the night with another tradition, a montage of photos that we call "Moon Over Sundance."

POSTLUDE:

Sadly, that day did end. However our Sundance experience continued on. Vanwarmer and Flanksteak saw a few more flicks over the next week and Wheels and I were able to catch one screening of The Audience Award winning happythankyoumoreplease with Corbie and her husband, Robert. All in all I was 3 for 3 and truly had the best Sundance experience to date.

The Skog Family Week in Review

2010-01-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends and readers. Welcome to 2010 and the first installment of The Skog Family Week(s) in Review. There is a lot to get caught up on so let's get to the action.

The Wheels Family Winter Invasion of 2009

Wheels' Family lives all over the globe. Because of this it has been more than two years since we have all been in the same place at the same time. This Christmas the entire Wheels family descended upon Utah, well everyone except Wheels' little brother Jason who was a no show. Not sure why he was too stuck up to join us but maybe next time... I kid, I kid, the guy is currently serving a faithful LDS mission in Uruguay and was greatly missed. Home movies were watched, much food was consumed (I'm talking of Skog Family proportions) and many sicknesses were passed back and forth between the little ones. One of the lowlight's of the week was Wheels' father, Dennis, breaking his leg in a flukey skiing accident. Anybody who knows Dennis knows that he is the one person who would not enjoy sitting around with a cast on his leg while the rest of the family played hard. He was still a trooper and Wheels' mom was probably an even bigger trooper for having to take care of him and drive them home once their stay was over.

As evidenced by Dennis' broken leg, the Wheels Family is notorious for their extreme outdoor play. On one of the days that it snowed Wheels and her brothers planned a snow shoeing trip assuring me that they'd "be careful" and they'd "be fine." They did arrive home safely and without incident (or so I was told) from their expedition, but it was quite humorous to see the picture below in the local newspaper the following day. That would be Wheels' brother and a family friend digging their car out of the snow.

Pretty Lights and Freezing Nights

Here are some pics of the annual pilgrimmage to see the lights at Temple Square. One highlight not captured on film (what is the proper term here since it's digital? help me out photographers) was right after the shot of the girls with Grandma Donna was taken they lost their balance and all toppled over. Good times.

Once There Was a Snowman

I came home to find this spectacular looking snowman in our frontyard, lovingly put together by Wheels and the girls. The next morning, however, I discovered that he had been slaughtered in a horrific drive by shooting. RIP, Mr. Snowman. You will be missed. Warning: the photos are gruesome. Viewer discretion advised.

Tonight, KG is KING!

Parts of the Skog Family spent the week after Christmas in St. George. Upon returning home, my parents Big J and Crazy Sue had a bad night's sleep in their soft bed and decided they wanted a firmer mattress like the one they had slept in during their vacation. A trip to RC Willey later and yada yada yada, the Skogs now have a "new" king size mattress. After years of children sleeping on our face and kicking us in various body parts as we try and sleep, Wheels and I are finally again enjoying the night. I was a bit skeptical at first and didn't think the king looked that much bigger but by gosh it is MUCH bigger. It is like taking a four lane highway and converting it into two lanes. It is glorious. Toots has her night terrors? Come on in. Superstar has a Scooby Doo inspired nightmare? No problem, you can even bring your dolls if you'd like. There is room for everyone! I cannot stress to young couples enough that when you buy your first mattress just go ahead and get the king. Wheels is so out of it at night now that Toots can come and scream for 5 minutes at the side of our bed and she just sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. I have gone from 'tired and ornery' to just ornery. Things are looking up at the Skog home.

We moved our old bed into the girls' room and so far Toots has spent four complete nights in her new bed. As I stated before though, even if she doesn't, who cares??! We do feel sorry for Superstar now though because she is the benefactor of Toots' kicking and nighttime spazzery. Sorry, Superstar. Thanks for taking one for the team.

Oprah Winfrey Presents: Makeover Magic

For some reason Superstar kept asking Santa for 'Princess Makeup' for Christmas. Luckily for her, Grammie Sue was on the same page and bought her a makeup kit. It has been a success and has gotten a lot of use so far. However, I think the girls look more like Chaka than a Princess when they get all dolled up with their makeup. Faulty advertising if you ask me.

Fairy Fashion Show

The other big hit of the Christmas season was the Fairy dress-up trunk that Toots got for Christmas. I don't believe a single day has passed without the girls getting some use out of the costumes. Combine the fairy costumes with the makeup and there is only one thing to do - Fashion Show! Sometimes I wonder what the girls are doing while I'm at work and I get sad that I miss out on some of the stuff. Other times I just get a little freaked out. Not sure which of those sentiments describes what you are about to see. Gotta love the sass, the strange ending that involves throwing of hungry hungry hippo marbles and the music that at times is a cross between REM and Def Leppard. According to Wheels the decore was all Superstar's idea.

Rockin' in the New Year

In my countdown of the decade's finest tunes, I declared Kings of Leon to be the band of the decade. My girls happen to agree. Even the Rockstar is getting in on the action.

Superstar's Pic Portfolio Vol. 41

It wouldn't be a proper week in review without taking a look at Superstar's pics. She is really getting artsy and edgy and taking chances with her shots. This portfolio will be displayed at Sundance this week. Kudos to you, Superstar.

The Twelve Day of Christmas Countdown - 2009

2010-01-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

Our long national nightmare is over. Thanks for humoring me. Stay tuned tomorrow for a new edition of the Skog Family Week in Review.

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2009

#12f Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

My Maudlin Career - Camera Obs...

#12e Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid

Keep It Hid - Dan Auerbach

#12d Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter

Yours Truly, The Commuter - Ja...

#12c Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health

Technicolor Health - Harlem Sh...

#12b Gomez - A New Tide

A New Tide - Gomez

#12a Eels - Hombre Lobo

Hombre Lobo - Eels

#11 The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns

Hometowns - The Rural Alberta ...

#10 Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg

Cosmic Egg - Wolfmother

#9 The Dodos - Time to Die

Time To Die - The Dodos

#8 Marcy Playground - Leaving Wonderland ... In a Fit of Rage

Leaving Wonderland...In A Fit ...

#7 Clem Snide - Hungry Bird

Hungry Bird - Clem Snide

#6 Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio

Heartbeat Radio - Sondre Lerch...

#5 David Mead - Almost and Always

Almost And Always - David Mead

#4 We Were Promised Jetpacks - We Were Promised Jetpacks

These Four Walls - We Were Pro...

#3 Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Pho...

#2 Bishop Allen - Grrr...

Grrr... - Bishop Allen

#1 The Swell Season - Strict Joy

Strict Joy [Deluxe Edition] - ...

Honorable Mentions

Pete Yorn - Back and Fourth

Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johannson - Break Up

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

Doves - Kingdom of Rust

David Bazan - Curse Your Branches

Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Independence

Brendan Benson - My Old Familiar Friend

Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky

Echo and the Bunnymen - The Fountain

John Mayer - Battle Studies

Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move Or I'm Gone Music From Kerouac's Big Sur

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For the Young

A-Camp - Colonia

Coconut Records - Davy

Fiction Family - Fiction Family

Muse - The Resistance

Pearl Jam - Backspacer

BOAT - Setting the Paces

Colin Hay - American Sunshine

Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2008

2010-01-17T20:11:00.003-07:00

You will remember most of these albums from last year, however a few were already bumped from the list. Also, I didn't add any descriptions since I have previously discussed the majority of them and I assume you can add either 'fantastic,' 'delightful' or 'blow your mind' and complete my music review mad libs.

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2008

#12 My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket

#11 Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event

The Airborne Toxic Event - The...

#10 Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain

Gossip In The Grain - Ray LaMo...

#9 R.E.M. - Accelerate

Accelerate - R.E.M.

#8 Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

Flight Of The Conchords - Flig...

#7 Amos Lee - Last Days at the Lodge

Last Days At The Lodge - Amos ...

#6 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

#5 Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow

#4 Kings of Leon - Only By the Night

Only By The Night - Kings Of L...

#3 Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

The Midnight Organ Fight - Fri...

#2 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Week...

#1 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iv...

Honorable Mentions

The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

Q-Tip - The Renaissance

The Black Keys - Attack and Release

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

Coldplay - Viva la Vida

Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and A Sound

She and Him - Volume One

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us

Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark

Duffy - Rockferry

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead

TV on the Radio - Dear Science

Ben Folds - Way To Normal

Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow and Blue

Jamie Lidell - Jim

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2007

2010-01-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2007

#12 Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace - A return to form after a few so/so albums.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Gr...

#11 Velvet Revolver - Libertad - After a decent debut, the super group put all of the ingredients together for a tasty cocktail on this album only to have it implode soon after.

Libertad - Velvet Revolver

#10 Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature - A Swedish guy of Argentine decent. I'm sure he drinks yerbamate and that makes this album even better than it already is.

In Our Nature - José González

#9 Elliott Smith - New Moon - Elliott's soundtrack for a vampire movie. I kid. A double album of unreleased songs and demos. As far as the name goes, Elliott was ahead of his time as usual.

New Moon (2xCD) - Elliott Smit...

#8 Lily Allen - Alright, Still - British street rat of a girl. One of my all time favorite albums to hear during the summer.

Alright, Still - Lily Allen

#7 Cafe Tacuba - Sino - Previously described by me as the Mexican Radiohead. Whether you speak Spanish or not you should give them a listen.

SINO - Cafe Tacuba

#6 Radiohead - In Rainbows - The British Radiohead

In Rainbows - Radiohead

#5 Band of Horses - Cease to Begin - Lots to like here but not as perfect as their debut.

Cease to Begin - Band of Horse...

#4 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala - A Swedish Morrissey except not as melancholy. I'm quite certain that only Flanksteak, Vanwarmer, Little Rob and myself enjoy this guy but he is fantastic. Although it can be a bit melodramatic and the lyrics are unintentionally funny at times due to the language barrier, Jens never falls out of my rotation.

Night Falls Over Kortedala - J...

#3 Bishop Allen - The Broken String - A favorite of Wheels, Herms and myself, I still probably listen to this album more than any other on this countdown.

The Broken String - Bishop All...

#2 The National - Boxer - I struggled for two days and finally settled on this album as number 2. Let it be known that it was basically a toss up for me. Many of these songs have been featured on the Skog Blog over the years and will continue to be featured in the future.

Boxer - The National

#1 Kings of Leon - Because of the Times - For those scoring at home, this is the third number one album for the Followill Brothers. This album has much more depth than their two previous and pretty much established them as the band of the decade.

Because Of The Times - Kings O...

Honorable Mentions

Coconut Records - Nighttiming - Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore fame, has been on the blog in the past.

Feist - The Reminder - You will recognize many of these songs from commercials and films. Delightful.

The White Stripes - Icky Thump - Not nearly as good as previous albums but a few great, great songs.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away - Didn't live up to the legendary status of their previous two albums.

Missy Higgins - On A Clear Night - Discovered by Herms. I think he actually gave her a record contract. Sounds like a less angry Alanis.

Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch - I told you not every one of his albums would hit the top 12.

Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight - Jenny Lewis shakes her moneymaker with excellent results.

Lupe Fiasco - The Cool - Solid but not spectacular. Sensing a theme for 2007?

The Frames - The Cost - Recorded some of The Swell Season songs with a full band. Great album.

Battles - Mirrored - Called 'Math Rock' listen to Atlas. I know I use the term kind of loosely around these parts but put on some headphones and Atlas will truly blow your mind.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2006

2010-01-12T22:00:00.002-07:00

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2006

#12 Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That - Phoenix improves with every album.

It's Never Been Like that - Ph...

#11 Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - The band's best work ever.

The Life Pursuit - Belle & Seb...

#10 Corinne Bailey Rae - Self Titled - She's the female Amos Lee.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne B...

#9 Amos Lee - Supply and Demand - He's the male Corinne Bailey Rae.

Supply And Demand - Amos Lee

#8 Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor - One of the best hip hop albums of the decade.

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor - ...

#7 Ray LaMontagne - 'Til the Sun Turns Black - The man has yet to put out a stinker of an album.

Till The Sun Turns Black - Ray...

#6 Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - A modern Queen Tribute band that perfects what Queen started decades ago.

Black Holes And Revelations - ...

#5 Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun - Everyone knows that KG loves Guster. No surprise here.

Ganging Up On The Sun - Guster

#4 Band of Horses - Everything All the Time - My Morning Jacket's mellower little brother.

Everything All The Time - Band...

#3 Gomez - How We Operate - Gomez finally hits the mainstream with excellent results.

How We Operate - Gomez

#2 Wolfmother - Self Titled - I realize most people think all I listen to are dudes singing falsetto with an acoustic guitar. Sometimes I want to rock and it quite frequently involves this band.

Wolfmother - Wolfmother

#1 The Swell Season - The Swell Season - This album is where the magic started.

Honorable Mentions

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth - Juicebox is a very tasty track.

The Kooks - Inside In / Inside Out - Deserves more listens.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat - Country folk

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers - Jack White and Brendan Benson team up to blow your mind.

k-os - Atlantis - Canadian hip/hop genius is making albums that Wyclef Jean used to make.

Damien Rice - 9 - Not as solid as his debut but contains many a delightful song.

My Morning Jacket - Okonokos - I decided against including live albums in my countdown by MMJ is best heard live and this album is as good as it gets.

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain - Guys, learn the words to Wolf Like Me and impress your Team Jacob wive.

M. Ward - Post War - Chinese Translation is the must listen here.

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - While watching the band perform on Austin City Limits this past weekend I declared Crazy to be the best song of the decade. Their cover of the Femme's classic Gone Daddy Gone is also fantastic.

Joshua Radin - We Were Here - He should be one of my all time faves but he gets lost in the shuffle. Not sure why because it's a pleasure everytime I hear him.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2005

2010-01-08T06:54:00.001-07:00

You thought I had given up, didn't you? Admit it! Well, guess again, Pal.

2005 - Another solid year for music.

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2005

#12 Eisley - Room Noises - A family band, beloved by Wheels and I. The harmonies of the DuPree sisters will haunt your dreams.

Room Noises - Eisley

#11 Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Alanis' classic album, these acoustic versions give new life to her greatest hits.

Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - ...

#10 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - Would have finished in the top 3 at the end of 2005 but it has slowly fallen out of rotation. That said, it is still full of nice little folk tunes based on the state history of Illinois.

Illinois - Sufjan Stevens

#9 Mike Doughty - Haughty Melodic - Former lead singer of Soul Coughing delivers an album of guitar driven folk/rock. Looking At the World From the Bottom of a Well frequently feels like my theme song.

Haughty Melodic - Mike Doughty

#8 Ben Lee - Awake is the New Asleep - I accidentally left a few of Ben's other albums off of previous countdowns but I won't make the same mistake with this pop classic.

Awake Is The New Sleep - Ben L...

#7 Clem Snide - End of Love - If songs about Lucille Ball and Driving in Europe interest you then look no further.

End Of Love - Clem Snide

#6 Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Sessions - Anybody who saw The Life Aquatic will remember the David Bowie covers sung in Portuguese by Seu that were featured throughout the film. I listened to this album so often that I not only made Wheels tired of it but also her brother Marc. Their loss.

#5 Neil Diamond - 12 Songs - Big Neil got back to his songwriter roots and blew us all away with the subtle tunes on this gem. Ranks right up there with his finest work.

12 Songs - Neil Diamond

#4 Amos Lee - Amos Lee - I bought Amos on a whim because it was inexpensive and he looked like a cool dude. I had never heard a note of his music. I didn't stop listening to this album for several weeks.

Amos Lee - Amos Lee

#3 Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine - KG, Wheels, Herms, and Kim love us some Fiona. Her most complete album by far.

Extraordinary Machine - Fiona ...

#2 Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman - Musically better than Rockin' the Suburbs but not quite as fun. Kind of like comparing The Last Supper to Mona Lisa.

Songs For Silverman - Ben Fold...

#1 My Morning Jacket - Z - Would have barely made the top 5 in 2005 but has aged like the finest of wines.

Z - My Morning Jacket

Honorable Mentions

They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABC's - A lifesaver if you have children and are trying to keep them from The Wiggles.

Doves - Some Cities - Give Black and White Town and Sky Starts Falling a quick listen.

Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful - Coldplay type Britpop. Brighter than Sunshine is fantastic.

Louis XIV - The Best Little Secrets Are Kept - Not sure why I love this album by San Diego guys pretending to be British punks but I do.

Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations - Double album. A little too ambitious but Trouble With Dreams, Railroad Man, and Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) are great.

Coldplay - X and Y - Good but not great album from Mr. Paltrow and Friends.

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan - Similar to the Coldplay album above, good but not the band's best work.

Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - Toughest omission from this year's list. Let's call it 12b.

The Decemberists - Picaresque - A band that I never quite like as much as I think I should, this album is their best work.

Josh Rouse - Nashville - Shared by Vanwarmer, a delightful album.

We Are Scientists - With Love and Squalor - Great songs but even better videos. Yes there were still a few bands making videos in 2005. Youtube those suckers.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2004

2009-12-30T06:35:00.002-07:00

2004 - Became a father, changed jobs and listened to lots of tunes.

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2004

#12 The Zutons - Who Killed... The Zutons? - Another Gomez opening act that didn't disappoint. From Ska to Blues to straight forward Rock like The Zutons, you have to love any band that incorporates a mean saxophone. Pressure Point and You Will You Won't are the standouts here.

#11 R.E.M. - Around the Sun - Here is the requisite R.E.M. album for the year. Agenda pushed. Check that off my list.

Around The Sun - R.E.M.

#10 Phoenix - Alphabetical - Burst into the mainstream somewhat in 2009 but this album from 2004 was nearly as good.

Alphabetical - Phoenix

#9 The Futureheads - The Futureheads - The UK cornered the market in 2004 with garage band / dance / punk bands. Love this album.

The Futureheads - The Futurehe...

#8 The Killers - Hot Fuss - If you didn't hear this album you were either dead or in a coma or worse, only listened to KBULL or The Eagle.

Hot Fuss - The Killers

#7 Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill - Released after his death, Basement was the album that Elliott had not quite finished and it shows. Some of the tracks just don't feel complete but there are some real gems here such as Twilight.

From A Basement On The Hill - ...

#6 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - Of the same ilk as the Futureheads, this album was just a little better than their fellow UKmen. Thanks to Guitar Hero and various commercials, Take Me Out has become one of the decade's classic tunes.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdin...

#5a Ray LaMontagne - Trouble - I had a blog post about Ray earlier this year before I saw him in concert. This album, his debut, is still his best work.

Trouble - Ray LaMontagne

#5b Ben Kweller - On My Way - I may or may not have left this off the list upon first publishing the blog. I'm sure I've done this with other albums already and will do it again but it had to be fixed and this was the easiest way to do so. I Need You Back is one of the Superstar's all time favorites.

On My Way - Ben Kweller

#4 Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days - I&W has also been featured heavily this year on the blog. Naked As We Came and Each Coming Night are beautiful songs.

Our Endless Numbered Days - Ir...

#3 Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue - Believe it or not, some of Lerche's albums aren't going to make the countdown. I promise. Monologue does though because it is a delight.

Two Way Monologue - Sondre Ler...

#2 The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia - Many of you will listen to this album and wonder why I would place it so high. Originally I had it down around 10th place on this countdown but after listening to it several times over the past week I was reminded that this album was the soundtrack to the Superstar's birth. It just so happened to be in the cd player on the way to the hospital and it provided the background noise as I went back and forth to the hospital for Superstar and Wheels many times that week. Excitement, fear, happiness, sadness are all felt as I listen to these songs.

On a side note, The Thrills also provided one of my 2004 concert highlights. The band played at a small club in Park City on my birthday and a pregnant Wheels, Flanksteak, Vanwarmer and I enjoyed the Franz Ferdinand album that I was gifted by Flanksteak as we made the drive up to PC for the late night show. Vanwarmer was unusually sleepy that night and ended up sleeping on the floor of the bar for good portions of the concert. Many times the bouncers asked us if our buddy was alright and Flanksteak and I would reply with, "Yeah, he just had a few too many tonight." To any of Vanwarmer's former students who saw him passed out that night, I can assure you that he was sober. Sleepy, but sober.

The Thrills

#1 Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak - I know what you are thinking KOL fans, "Hey, this album came out in 2005, Mr. Lame Countdown Maker." Well to those naysayers I say, "NAY!" While the Kings were still gaining a fanbase in the US, over in the UK they were already stars and selling out soccer stadiums. Because of this they released their album in the UK in November of 2004, six months before it would hit the shelves in the US. After wearing out my copy of their debut I caught wind of this and convinced Wheels that it was a must that I spend $25 and purchase the album through amazon.co.uk. I still don't regret the decision. As for Heartbreak, not a bad song is found and The Bucket is as perfect of a rock song as humans are capable of writing.

Aha Shake Heartbreak - Kings O...

Honorable Mentions

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free - British rapper that is more spoken word then actual rap.

Velvet Revolver - Contraband - Scott Weiland from STP and member of GnR form a super group that showed signs of greatness but didn't completely mesh until their follow up album a few years later.

Rogue Wave - Out of the Shadow - One part Shins, one part Band of Horses = 100% awesome.

Interpol - Antics - If every song was as good as Evil it would have been the #1 album of the year.

Cake - Pressure Chief - The last piece of relevant work by one of my all time favorite bands.

Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans - Stevens took a break from his states albums to record an album that I read a review that stated: "If Elliott Smith went to Sunday School it might sound like this..."

Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Like Bad News - Sing it with me now- We'll All Float On, Alright...

k-os - Joyful Rebellion - Crabbuckit is a must listen. Funky hip hop perfection.

The Frames - Burn the Maps - Glen Hansard's (Swell Season) former band that has been cranking out albums since the early 90's. Would have made the list if I had actually heard it before this past month. If only there were a popular Irish group that could have taken them on the road and allowed them to get some exposure...

Willy Mason - Where the Humans Eat - Passed along to me by Little Rob who has been MIA from the blog for a good chunk of 2009. Thanks for this album, wherever you might be...

Merry Christmas From The Skog Blog

2009-12-24T22:54:00.001-07:00

Fear not, for behold, the countdown will continue tomorrow night. It looks like it might end sometime in February but it will be completed. As for now, how about a special Christmas treat, especially for those of you who doubted the greatness of The Strokes. Performing the Yuletide Classic, I Wish It Was Christmas Today, here is Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz and filling in for Tracy Morgan and Chris Kattan, the lead singer of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas and The Roots.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2003

2009-12-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

2003 - I had nearly 50 albums that I wanted to include on this list. I whittled it down to a Top 12 and 15 Honorable Mentions and all but maybe 3 of the honorables I at one point had in my top 12. Great, great year for music lovers.

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2003

#12 The White Stripes - Elephant - Rolling Stone just named this the number five album of the entire decade. It was hard to leave it this low but I had to. Seven Nation Army is a rock classic.

Elephant - The White Stripes

#11 Elbow - Cast of Thousands - I mentioned in 2001 that Elbow just kept getting better and better. If I were a gambling man I would wager that you'll be seeing them again on this countdown (wink).

Cast Of Thousands - Elbow

#10 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow - Not a life changer like their debut from 2001 but a very solid sophomore effort.

Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins

#9 Damien Rice - O - I would put the first four songs of this album up against the first four songs of any album in history. Unbelievable tunes. The album fades towards the end which is the only reason it didn't crack the top 3.

O - Damien Rice

#8 Radiohead - Hail to the Thief - Against the wishes of Dogface I will continue to push my Radiohead agenda here on the Skog Blog until I gain some more converts. Thief is a much more accessible album for those who didn't enjoy their more experimental stuff.

Hail To The Thief - Radiohead

#7 Eels - Shootenanny! - It would seem that the Eels cranked out an album every year but don't worry this will be the last you hear of them for a few years.

Shootenanny! - Eels

#6 Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers - Quite possibly the album that I listened to the most in 2003. Got some love and radio play towards the end of the year and in 2004 for Stacey's Mom but this album is much more than that pop wonderhit.

Welcome Interstate Managers - ...

#5 My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves - Not quite as beloved as the Southern Rock album at the top of this year's countdown but very close. One Big Holiday is a guitar rock classic and Golden is as good as it gets for a ballad.

It Still Moves - My Morning Ja...

#4 Grandaddy - Sumday - Another Space/Country/California Rock Masterpiece. The entire album is not available for streaming but can be sampled here.

#3 The Postal Service - Give Up - Unbelievable year for lead singer Ben Gibbard. Give Up was a winner and he also released an album through his 'day job' as front man for Death Cab For Cutie that just barely missed the cut.

Give Up - The Postal Service

#2 Guster - Keep It Together - Arguably this band's finest hour. It was the subject of an Oldies But Goodies post this past summer.

Keep It Together - Guster

#1 Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood - One of the only benefits of being a music snob is that you can occasionally be ahead of the pack in regards to certain bands. KOL is one of the biggest bands in the world now and I am pleased to say that I saw them perform with about 20 other people a few times in 2003 thanks to Flanksteak's early discovery of them. This album will rock your socks off, blow your mind and every other rock cliche that I like to use. If you jumped on the KOL Express after Use Somebody and Sex on Fire became two of the biggest hits of the past year then you owe it to yourself to go back and pickup their first albums. Molly's Chambers might be the song of the decade.

Honorable Mentions

The Thrills - So Much For the City - Boys from Ireland recreate the Beach Boys and California Surf Rock.

Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Former mopey band picks up the pace and volume and creates the best album of their career up to that point.

Bishop Allen - Charm School - Nerd rock. Herms approved. Extremely tough to leave off the list.

Cafe Tacuba - Cuatro Caminos - Mexico's answer to Radiohead and yes I'll continue to push their agenda as well.

Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism - Might have made the list had The Postal Service's album not been a little better.

Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething - Take Harry Connick, Jr's musical stylings and mix it with Ben Folds' wit and you have Cullum. Fantastic.

Jet - Get Born - If they had been able to write an album full of songs as good as Are You Gonna Be My Girl they could have given My Morning Jacket and KOL a run for their money.

Jose Gonzalez - Veneer - Heartbeats was featured on my 'Beach Playlist' and should be required listening for any playlist regardless of theme or location.

Mates of State - Team Boo - Saw this husband and wife duo open for Death Cab and was delighted. Check out Ha Ha and Fluke.

Pete Yorn - The Day I Forgot - As solid as Pete Yorn always is. Come Back Home and Burrito are the essential tracks here.

Rooney - Rooney - Flanksteak and I saw their video for Blueside and drove immediately to Best Buy and purchased this album. Full of cheesy pop goodness.

Stellastarr* - Stellastarr - For anybody who laments the demise of the late 80's early 90's Modern Rock, My Coco and Jenny are must listens.

Sufjan Stevens - Michigan - Ambitious folk artist who planned to do an album for each of the 50 states. So far he has settled for MI and IL. Look for UT sometime in 2064.

The New Pornographers - Electric Version - I honestly avoided this band for a long time because I feared that they would be naughty. My loss, as they were about as offensive as The Barenaked Ladies and wrote songs twice as catchy.

The Strokes - Room on Fire - Second album from the band didn't hold up as well as their debut but still quite spectacular.

The Skog Family Week in Review

2009-12-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this countdown for a brief message from The Skog Family.

Where does the time go? I swear it was just Thanksgiving last Thursday and now Christmas is here. We slacked and have run out of time for the usual cards, etc so a video with three fidgety girls singing carols of joy will have to suffice. We are extremely grateful for our family and friends and we love you all. I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday and much happiness in the New Year.

Love,

The Skog Family

PS: In lieu of gifts this year The Skog Family has made a donation to The Human Fund in the name of all of our Family and Friends. Merry Christmas!


	December 22, 2009 Dear Flanksteak, To celebrate Christmas, a charitable donation in the amount of $500 has been made in your name to: The Human Fund - Money for People - Love: The Skog Family

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2002

2009-12-21T06:24:00.003-07:00

2002 - Wheels and I quit our jobs and then got married. Definitely an interesting strategy. Another nice year for tunes.

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2002

#12 Hem - Rabbit Songs - Featured earlier this year as an Oldie but Goodie. If you have forgotten or didn't have a chance to check it out previously, listen to Sailor.

Rabbit Songs - Hem

#11 The Coral - The Coral - How would I characterize this group? Classic Rock? British Rock? Pirate Rock? How about a Doors cover band playing Pirate songs? Bingo. Fun fact, I skipped their concert because they came on the Sabbath but had I ventured out I would have discovered sooner a young group of brothers (and a cousin) from TN. That band? Kings of Leon. Luckily for me Flanksteak discovered them shortly thereafter.

The Coral - The Coral

#10 Jason Mraz - Waiting For My Rocket to Come - Wheels and I saw Mraz open for Gomez about one month before this album hit the shelves. We had never heard of him but were blown away by him and his bandmate Toca's harmonies. Mraz is better live than on his polished albums so go see him if you are ever given the opportunity.

Waiting For My Rocket To Come ...

#9 Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head - The opening track Politik might have been my favorite song of the year.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head - ...

#8 Brendan Benson - Lapalco - Another Oldie but Goodie selection from this year. Great album.

Lapalco - Brendan Benson

#7 Iron and Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle - I have discussed Iron and Wine at length on the Skog Blog. This was the first album of Sam Beam's that I ever purchased and definitely wasn't the last. Loaded with excellent folky songs, this album is haunting.

The Creek Drank The Cradle - I...

#6 Eels - Souljacker - For better or worse, this was the album that unleashed the Dogfaced Boy on the world. Eels crank up the guitars on this album and proceed to rock our socks off.

Souljacker - Eels

#5 Ben Kweller - Sha Sha - One of the benefits of being unemployed as mentioned above, was that I had a lot of free time on my hands. My pal, Colin, was also out of work at the time so he and I were able to see Ben Kweller perform at the local Graywhale during the middle of the afternoon. Kweller was as nice as could be and even gave me free tix to his concert that night. Sha Sha is the perfect mix of Ben Folds and Weezer and is still a Skog favorite today.

Sha Sha - Ben Kweller

#4 Doves - The Last Broadcast - Doves always have several unbelievable songs per album but Broadcast is their masterpiece. Pounding is a song that means a great deal to me and there are plenty more quality songs to be found here as well.

The Last Broadcast - Doves

#3 Sondre Lerche - Faces Down - Another Skog Blog favorite that has been previously featured. If you don't love this album then I fear for your soul.

Faces Down - Sondre Lerche

#2 Gomez - In Our Gun - I'm sure nobody wants to be bored with another "KG hearts Gomez" tale. I'll leave it at this - top 3 album of theirs, best concert of theirs was in support of this album and Shot Shot is one of their greatest opening tracks.

In Our Gun - Gomez

#1 Beck - Sea Change - Apparently 2002 was a great year for music because Beck's perfect album was also already featured as an Oldie But Goodie. What might have pushed this album to the top was seeing it performed live twice, the first of which in a tiny venue on the 2nd row with Wheels and Vanwarmer. Not a bad track on this album and would make my list of the Top 12 of the Decade.

Sea Change - Beck

Honorable Mentions

Badly Drawn Boy - About a Boy - Soundtrack to the film. Listen to A Minor Incident.

Weezer - Maladroit - Weezer's last hurrah. Great effort. Everything since has been crap.

They Might Be Giants - No! - An album for kids that adults can also enjoy. Beats listening to the Wiggles.

Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane - Just missed the cut. These songs were severely overplayed but I suppose it was for a reason - they were really good.

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - Another that just missed the cut. The Lips played as Beck's backing band during his Sea Change tour and Wheels and I fell in love with Yoshimi.

Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf - Flanksteak will be angry that I didn't put this album on the list. The best songs on this album are fantastic but there are a few that haven't held up as well.

Hot Hot Heat - Makeup the Breakdown - Bandages is an awesome song. One of the better garage band revival groups.

Foo Fighters - One By One - Another sign that 2002 was a good year is that I left off albums by some of my all time favorite bands. One By One fits that criteria.

Phantom Planet - The Guest - Once upon a time Phantom Planet was just a nice little band with a drummer who played the main kid in the film Rushmore. Then their song became the theme for The O.C. and they became a one hit wonder. Do not be afraid, this album is great and is definitely no one hit wonder.

The Mooney Suzuki - Electric Sweat - Not as good as their second album but still very good. I really loved me some Garage Rock back in these days.

Duncan Sheik - Daylight - I have an autographed copy of this album sitting on my shelf. If I took it off my shelf more frequently it would have cracked the top 12 because it is loaded with pop gems.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2001

2009-12-17T05:48:00.004-07:00

The countdown was sabotaged for a few days by a couple of freak illnesses that struck the Skog residence. Unless we get smitten with leprosy tonight it appears we are back on the mend (I just totally jinxed us).

Due to the fact that music has always been a huge part of my life, I am really enjoying putting these lists together. Every album reminds me of things from each year. 2001 was an important year in my life as it was when I met Wheels. Lots of good memories from 2001 - many concert road trips, usually with a combination of Flanksteak, Al and Herms. Good times indeed. Programming note: I'm putting the honorable mentions after my best of list from here on out. Seems to make more sense. In the words of the immortal Kasey Kasem, "Let's get back to the countdown."

KG's TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2001

#12 Weezer - The Green Album - In 1995 I was playing the crap out of Weezer's Blue Album and then I left the country for two years and upon my return Weezer had basically vanished. Their underrated second album Pinkerton had tanked and their lead singer Rivers Cuomo had painted his walls black and exiled himself to his bedroom (seriously). Well much to the surprise of everyone the band resurfaced in 2001 with this album of pop/punk nuggets. I saw them live many times this year including a harrowing trip through night fog with Flanksteak to see them play in Boise with Jimmy Eat World and Tenacious D. Totally worth it.

Weezer (Green Album) - Weezer

#11 Clem Snide - The Ghost of Fashion - I already pledged my love for Clem Snide so just do yourself a favor and listen to clever tracks like Joan Jett of Arc and Moment in the Sun.

The Ghost of Fashion - Clem Sn...

#10 Travis - The Invisible Band - Solid, solid album by a solid, solid band. They don't get enough love from myself or the public but they just continue cranking out top notch songs that are catchy with thoughtful lyrics. If you enjoy Coldplay or bands of that ilk then give Travis a listen.

The Invisible Band - Travis

#9 Ryan Adams - Gold - Not quite as country as the previous year's Heartbreaker and also not quite as good. New York, New York became somewhat of a post 9/11 anthem and gave Adams a boost in publicity to go along with his critical acclaim. Loaded with excellent tracks but a few throw aways keep it from placing higher.

Gold - Ryan Adams

#8 Radiohead - Amnesiac - I believe Kid A from the previous year's countdown was supposed to have been a double album but in order to milk more $$ from their fans (likely) or perhaps to not freak people out (also likely) they split it up and released this album a few months later. Not as good as Kid A but Pyramid Song and Knives Out are classic Radiohead tracks.

Amnesiac - Radiohead

#7 White Stripes - White Blood Cells - My introduction to the White Stripes. Great songs, groundbreaking music videos. Still listen to this album frequently.

White Blood Cells - The White ...

#6 John Mayer - Room for Squares - John Mayer in front of Radiohead. Yep. No, the Skog Blog has not been hijacked by a 12 year old girl (although some might argue otherwise) - this is a fantastic album. KG is a John Mayer fan and always will be unless he steals Wheels away from me. Oh John, you are such a cad.

Room For Squares - John Mayer

#5 R.E.M. - Reveal - Although I never really felt like they lost their fastball, most people saw this album as a return to form. I just saw it as yet another R.E.M. classic.

Reveal - R.E.M.

#4 Shins - Oh Inverted World - I didn't actually discover this album until the summer of 2002 while killing time in the downtown Borders before Wheels and I went to see LOTR at Brewvies. I wish I had though because it is awesome (Insert joke by Flanksteak).

Oh, Inverted World - The Shins

#3 Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter - Not going to gush anymore about this one as I have already dedicated an entire Oldies But Goodies column to it. If you still haven't listened to it then I don't want to be your friend anymore. Can't listen to this album without remembering a road trip with Al to California. Best of times.

musicforthemorningafter - Pete...

#2 The Strokes - Is This It - The Strokes burst onto the scene as the next big thing among the wannabe hipsters like myself. Many thought they didn't live up to the hype but I wasn't one of them. I could listen to Julian Casablancas' strange drone of a voice sing a World Book Encyclopedia, Letter G. A near perfect album from start to finish.

Is This It - The Strokes

#1 Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs - This just in - KG hearts Ben Folds! I'm sure this one comes as a shock to many of you. Ben's first solo release was perfect. Enough like his work with the Five to keep us pleased but different enough that it showed what he could do on his own. So many great memories involved with this album. It was released on 9/11 and I remember stopping on my way to work after watching the horrific events of the morning, purchasing this album and feeling a sense of normalcy. It was also the day I gave Wheels a burned copy on CD and she gave me her phone number under the guise of helping me with a blood drive. I am also reminded of a road trip to Denver in July of 2001 to see Ben with Al and Herms. I was able to obtain a copy of this album before the trip and we knew every word and it was fun to see the faces of other people in the audience when they asked us, "How do you guys know these songs???" We consumed too much Mtn Dew, I nearly peed my pants somewhere outside of Vail and I ended up with a kidney stone but that road trip was an all time favorite and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I feel the same way about this album.

Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Fold...

Honorable Mentions

2001 was actually a very good year for music. I had trouble narrowing the list down to 12, so because of this there are quite a few 'Honorable Mentions'. Back off, this is my list.

Cake - Comfort Eagle - Not as good as their other efforts so it doesn't crack the list.

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American - Solid album. Killed a little by too much radio play but The Middle is one of the decade's greatest songs. If you turn on 101.9 The End you still have a 23% chance of hearing it right now. Another interesting tidbit was the album's title was changed to just "Jimmy Eat World" after 9/11.

Rufus Wainwright - Poses - Many of these songs are still on my playlist today. I love Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk, the song not the actual items. I don't smoke and I am a bit lactose intolerant. Great song though.

My Morning Jacket - At Dawn - Most bands have an awesome debut and then fade. MMJ gets better with each album and they weren't quite there on At Dawn. Fear not, they will return on the lists from other years. For a delightful treat check out Bermuda Highway.

Elbow - Asleep in the Back - Similar to MMJ, Elbow has improved on every album. This was their debut and features a mindblowing track titled Any Day Now.

Rilo Kiley - Take offs and Landings - One of those albums that you hear and say, "I need to listen to this more often" but then you forget about it. If I actually followed through and listened to it more frequently it would have definitely made the list.

Duncan Sheik - Phantom Moon - I have no idea why Duncan Sheik never became a huge star. He had an early hit (Barely Breathing), loads of talent and whether Wheels agrees with me or not (she doesn't) he is an attractive man. Phantom Moon is an homage of sorts to Nick Drake's Pink Moon and if I don't stop discussing it I'm going to talk myself back into having it on the list... Mr. Chess and All the Winds That Blow are the standouts here.

Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales - Anybody who doesn't like this album is a liar. It is a delight.

Colin Hay - Going Somewhere - The former front man of Men at Work, Colin Hay is a little hit or miss but I would put his 'Hits' up against any songwriter from any era. Beautiful World and Waiting For My Real Life to Begin are unbelievably good songs. Please give them a listen.

Tenacious D - Tenacious D - Definitely not for everyone and especially not for kids, JB (Jack Black) and KG (Kyle Gass, not the imposter who writes this blog) made an album of hilarious folk rock tunes. Wheels and I were able to see them in concert a few weeks before we got married in 2002 and according to what JB wrote and drew on her poster as he stared into her eyes, he was very interested in her not marrying me. Luckily she chose the imposter, KG.