Top Ten Tuesday - All By Myself!

Isabel went to her first day at kindergarten this morning. She was beyond excited! And me? Well, I'm quite excited as well. In fact, here's what I am looking forward to doing today, my first day of all the kids in school!!!

1. have coffee with some girl friends

2. Go to Target. By myself

3. Go to the grocery store. By myself. No little hands touching things they shouldn't, feet running when they should walk, and no voices getting louder than they should!

4. Go to Costco. By myself. I'm especially looking forward to leaving the giant store without a smiley face being drawn onto the back of my receipt.

5. Maybe grabbing a Jamba Juice and not having to share.

6. Fixing only one lunch today. Or better yet, maybe the Jambe Juice will be my lunch.

7. Go to the post office. By myself.

8. Read some chapters in my book. By Myself.

9. Clean something. Maybe, if I feel like. No promises with that one.

10. Take a nap and not feel guilty about the kids fending for themselves or them watching too much tv while I do so.

Oh yes, there is plenty on my list of things to do and enjoy while all the kiddos are away at school today. But if I don't get it all accomplished today, well, I can always pick up where I left on Thursday when Isabel goes back to kindergarten! Yep. This is going to be a great year, I can just tell. :)

It Should Be Mae, But It's Not

The other week, after I returned from my weekend trip to San Francisco, I heard Caleb tell that his favorite drink was Dr. Pepper. This was news to me. Especially since we don't really let our kids drink soda, like hardly ever. If we go out to eat, I usually allow the kids get lemonade or, if I'm an exceptionally nice mother, root beer. But hardly ever ever Coke or another like-soda. But Caleb insists that Dr. Pepper is his favorite soda. Which only brings me to the conclusion that while I was gone, Ryan took them out to eat and let them get real soda.

He did.

And, he did.

Now, if you ask Caleb what his favorite drink is, he'll tell you - Dr. Pepper! (the world is coming to an end....my children have had real soda with CAFFEINE!!!! consider yourself warned.)

Out of all the kids, I would figure it would be Mae that would love it. You see, when I was pregnant with Mae, Ryan was borderline obsessed with my sugar intake. He tried to limit me. However, that Thanksgiving, after having one glass of my choice drink, Dr. Pepper, I wanted another. But I was seated at the table in such a way that I couldn't get up without three other people having to get up out of their seats to let me out, then back in. So I asked Ryan, since he was up and refilling his glass, if he would please refill mine as well. He refused, and offered to get me something else. Well, I didn't want 'something else', I wanted more DP! So my cousin, who also has a love for the drink, got up and refilled my glass. Much to Ryan's chagrin.

So, one would think that my Dr. Pepper desire would travel down to the child within. But I guess it didn't. Or maybe it did, but skipped to the next? Oh well, one less person to share my beloved DP. with. :)

A New Year, Another First Day

My kids went back to school yesterday. I can't believe that summer vacation is over. It feels like it went by quickly, or maybe it just seems that way from this side of it. However, I think we all have been looking forward to school resuming these past couple weeks.

To prepare for going back we got all our school supplies weeks ago (before the rush on supplies really hit, no crowds AND everything was stocked up!). Then over the weekend the kids picked out a new shirt to wear on the first day.

So, come Monday morning, the lunches were made, shirts were donned and backpacks were loaded and ready to go!

Wow. I have a 4th and 2nd grader. Time flies!

Next week will be a whole new beginning for Isabel and me. That's when we will start Isabel's kindergarten homeschooling. But until then, I only have a 2nd and 4th grader, oh, and I pre-schooler. (yes, I live in denial. don't spoil it for me) :)

A Curious Find

I was on the computer looking for a specific group of pictures when I came across a bunch of pictures that Mae had taken a few years ago. There were several shots of her stuffed animals wearing sunglasses and 'reading books', as well as an occasional self-shot. All were very random but not too surprising since Mae was exploring her inner photographer. However, I was a bit baffled when I saw this one....

....until I realized that she had spelled her name in pretzels. Ha! Of course, how genius! It's all clear to me now. I should not have been so baffled, no?

My New Favorite

Mae loves to draw and color. She always has. I don't think she really had a choice seeing how creative her parents are. And Ryan and I have enjoyed seeing the things she's made over the years.

Recently, Mae drew a picture of a bunch of pac-mans (pac-men?) going in a bunch of directions all over the page. I thought it was such a random thing for her to draw, and there was just something about it that I liked. So I took a picture of it, then decided to make it the wallpaper for my phone. Mae loves that I have her picture as my wallpaper. I think it makes her feel proud. She has since had me show several people my phone and newest wallpaper. And to be honest, I don't mind showing it off. I'm kind of proud of her too!

So here it is, my new wallpaper, or, rather, Mae's newest piece of art.

Top Ten Tuesday - SF Weekend

I haven't participated in Top Ten Tuesday in a very loooooong time. Seeing how I just came off a fabulous girl weekend in San Francisco, I feel like I can use the Top Ten as a recap. I'll try to be brief but still share my highlights (with out boring you all to death).

So, a good friend I and I flew into to San Francisco for just a couple days. The best things of our time included, but were not limited to, the following;

1 - Flying with no children and only carrying a backpack (no suitcases, just the clothes on our backs and a few necessities).

2 - Taking BART around the city with ease and not getting lost, turned around or ever going in the wrong direction.

3 - Having brunch at Neiman Marcus on Saturday. We had not eaten much for breakfast so that we would be hungry for our early lunch reservations. I ordered a delicious crab sandwich that looked waaay bigger than it actually ended up being, and it was fabulous!

4 - Seeing Wicked!!!!

5 - Staying at my friend's relative's house in Berkeley. Not only did it keep our travel cost down but I also got to see a part of the bay area that I'd never been to before. I loved the cute bungalows and craftsman houses, made me think of Portland.

6 - Dropping off our backpacks at MOMA on Sunday so we could walk unencumbered before checking into the airport and heading home. (which was totally free, by the way. we followed the don't ask, don't tell philosophy since we weren't actually going into the museum....they didn't ask, so we didn't tell.)

7 - Completing our 'things to do in the city' list by having a chowder bread bowl for lunch on Sunday. There's nothing quite like a San Francisco sourdough bread bowl filled with white clam chowder yumminess!

8 - Having extra bandaids in my backpack. I needed one after walking around the city for two days. My shoes were cute, but rubbed a bit too much.

9 - Having a great time with my friend, and taking silly pictures.

10 - Coming home to my family, whom were all happy to see me. It was the best ending to a fabulous weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~

Interested in more Top Ten's for this week? Go to OhAmanda and check out the list!

It's My Thing

I'm not much for cooking. It doesn't excite me. I cook only for nourishment, because it's needed. Now baking, that's something I can get into. That excites me.

At Thanksgiving I make a fabulous crumble top apple pie. And at Christmas I make snickerdoodles. Then there is always pumpkin pie, those are made during both holidays. During the other times of the year I like to make cookies and cakes and ice cream! However, I have not made meringue, and consequently, never a lemon meringue pie.

Until now.

My in-laws were visiting and I had lemons on the tree and I felt the need to make something delicious while they were here. So I decided to try my hand at the infamous lemon meringue pie. After a failed attempt at baking an empty pie crust (which is necessary for this kind of pie, but something I've never done because my previous pies have always been baked at the same time as the filling), I had a decision to make. I could scrap the whole idea of a pie altogether OR buck up and try again.

I bucked up. For I didn't want a baking failure on my record.

And wah-lah, made a super-yummy lemon meringue pie. Which received high praise for it's appearance as well as taste.

I love baking!

Conversations

Tucking Caleb into bed tonight, this is a snippet of our conversation:

Caleb: I have a hard time being nice to my sisters because they're a part of my family.

Me: (trying not to laugh, and not succeeding) What? What about Me and Daddy? Do you have a hard time being nice to us?

Caleb: Yes.

Me: Well, can you pretend that you don't know us? It might be easier for you that way.

Then we both couldn't contain our laughter any longer. That kid! He says the silliest things sometimes.

I'll keep you posted on how this theory plays out, but I have a feeling we'll be back to square one come morning.

Tips For Boogie Boarding

When one goes boogie boarding, there are a couple things that have proven to be helpful.

1). Wear a hat. This will keep the water from getting in the eyes. Now, don't blame me if some water splashes up into your face and therefore getting in your eyes, for it will happen but the hat will certainly keep most of the water at, ahem, bay.

2). An extra pair of sunglasses should be worn instead of the everyday pair. I have prescription eye glasses with transition lenses, but I also have at least one extra pair with the transition lenses and those are the ones I wear when boogieing on my board. :) The glasses not only keep the sun out (and help me see clearly) but they also help keep water out of my eyes also.

3). I love my board shorts. They give me more coverage in modesty as well as make boogie board riding more comfortable. Board shorts are a must.

4). And if you wear board shorts then a good tankini is a good option for the top half (of course!). When I shop for a tankini I am always looking for one that is longer than average because of my long torso. And because I get tankinies that are longer, this also means that I don't get a rash from the board rubbing on my tummy. I love my long tankini top!

5). A water-proof watch. When a mom hits the waves while her kids are at VBS, it's important that she keep track of time so she can be on time to pick them up*.

6). The boogie board. Maybe I should have mentioned this first. It's pretty essential to boogie boarding. But maybe that's just me.

*disclaimer - this doesn't necessarily mean that she will be on time, it's not the watch's fault if she's late, and she may get a talking to from the VBS ladies working the registration tables.

AKA - Boogie Boarding Week

Today is the start of VBS for my kids. Every day they will go at 9:00 and be done at 12:00. Whatever shall I do with myself for 3 hours???

Go boogie boarding with a friend, of course.

It's going to be a great week! And I bet I'll sleep great AND get good exercise. It's a win-win all around!

I love VBS week!

A + + +!!!

Ever find yourself on the freeway, just beboppin' down the road, and realize that there is a highway patrol car behind you? You have no idea how long he's been there and panic sets in! But as your eyes dart to the speedometer your pulse returns to normal and a smile crosses your face. You just passed an on-road test, you weren't speeding and therefore pass the pop quiz by the policeman that's been tailing you.

That's how I felt the other day when my babysitter showed up.

Ryan had been gone on business for a week and the kids and I were trying our best to not kill each other. We'd survived the loooong lonely weekend and it was now Monday evening and time for me to leave for my ladies bible study group. The kids had been running around the house off and on all day, and consequently I'd been telling them to 'stop running in the house!' off and on all day. So as I was in the bathroom getting ready to leave, I heard them running, AGAIN! Inside I felt like yelling and screaming at them, but instead I walked out of my room and calmly told them to go to their rooms. Not two seconds later the doorbell rang. It was the babysitter. She had rang the doorbell once already and I didn't hear it. The kids had been trying to quickly find a place to hide (hence the running) after they heard it the first time.

As this bit of news hit me, I realized that if I had chosen to lash out at the kids with pent up anger of day-long frustration then my babysitter would have heard me. No doubt. And so I feel like a passed a parenting pop quiz! By the grace of God, I did not yell or scream at my kids. I chose to speak calmly to them. Therefore I was rewarded with the satisfaction that I was not embarrassed when I opened the door to my babysitter!

Praise God, I passed!!!!

Late Night Potty Training

When your five year old runs out of night time pull-ups, you may decide that it's time to be done with them completely and begin waking up the child in the night so she can go potty in the bathroom instead of her bed.

If you wake up your five year old in the night so she can go potty, a few strange thing may happen.

For instance, she may be harder to wake up than you thought.

When she does wake up enough to walk, it'll be kinda funny, a bit on the drunk side of walking.

Once she stumbles from bed to the bathroom, you may just stand outside the door to give her some privacy.

This may not be a good idea since she's not all that aware having just been awoken from a deep sleep (if not sleep walking/peeing).

You may have to remind her to flush the toilet.

In doing so, you may then see her walk out of the bathroom without flushing.

But she won't be wearing any bottoms. At all!

You'll ask her to stop, as you go into the bathroom to retrieve the necessary pj bottoms and underwear.

Once inside you might see the missing articles inside the toilet.

Then you'll wonder how effective this 'training' is as you walk the sleepy five year old to her room to clothe her bottom half and put her back in bed.

~~~this has been the musings of a nighttime potty training mother.

Note To Self

When making an orange julius from freshly squeezed oranges, always taste the juice before taking the next julius step.

I am watching a friends house while they are on vacation. My duties include feeding their kitties and playing with them (this is the bummer part of my job! *wink wink*) as well as watering the garden. I was told that I could glean any fruit or vegetable that is ripe. While I was there yesterday I couldn't help but notice that the orange tree was heavy laden with very ripe oranges. After texting for permission (I still felt I should ask before cleaning out the tree) I put a dozen or so oranges in a bag and headed home. My mission was to make orange julius for the kids and I as we bummed around on the couch watching The Next Food Network Star and Design Star (one of my tv highlights of the week, next to So You Think You Can Dance, of course).

So, after using my handy dandy juicer machine on all the oranges, I went to work on adding the necessary ingredients to complete the julius. Once the drink was all put together, I filled the cups for the kids and handed them off with a 'come-n-get'em!'. As if I really needed to holler to get their julius attention. They promptly took their first swig and reported that it 'its good but it's kinda sour'.

What??!?!

Well, I had to do my own taste test. And when I did, I, too, concluded that the julius was sour. I poured it all back into the blender and added more sugar.

Still sour.

Hmm! I added a little more sugar. Then grabbed some frozen blueberries and peaches. And some frozen whipped cream for good measure. The julius wasn't so much a julius anymore, but it was going to taste ohsoyummy with all the goodies inside. No doubt.

Again, sourness still there. *sigh*

I added more sugar, fruit and whipped cream.

Again, still sour.

I gave up. There was no more that I could add. The orange juice was too overpowering. So I threw it all out. Then I tasted just a bit of the orange juice, just to be sure. Ugh!!! Ever taste bile, as a drink? That was the orange juice in its natural, unvarnished state. Ter-ir-ble! To say the least.

And so I've learned a great lesson. Don't be too excited or overly confident about your julius making skilz that you fail to test the oj.

We had popcorn with our shows, instead of a lovely beverage. *sigh*

Today Was The Day

Two years ago Mae sat in the chair at Claire's and waited to get her ears pierced. But the store got suddenly busy and the store girls who were about to do the deed had to leave to attend the other customers. This gave Mae time to sit and think too much about the impending pain. So Mae changed her mind and we left the store. She said she'd get them done when she was 10. Or 12.

The other day, somewhat out of the blue, Mae told me that she was ready to get her ears pierced. I cleared it with Ryan and made plans to take her back to Claire's. But just when we were about to go yesterday, she changed her mind. So we planned to go this morning. Again, she backed out. *sigh*

However, after an inducement of a Jamba Juice afterwards, she finally agreed to go. So I jumped on it and soon found ourselves looking at the earring selections and waiting for the store girl to get her stuff together. And Mae was a trooper this time. She sat there as the girl made perfect little dots with her ink pen on Mae's ear lobes, making sure the holes would be perfectly placed. Then Mae endured the two 'shots' as the earrings made their home on each side of her head.

And wah-lah, Mae has beautifully pierced ears!

No tears were shed. But there was a wee bit of nausea after the fear and stress of the moment had passed. I think the Jamba Juice helped, it always makes my day!

What Do You Think Of Them Peaches?

Look what we've had with our dinner the past few nights!

Mmmm.....peaches, freshly picked from our tree. Washed and sliced, just sitting on my plate. It's almost like having desert with my dinner!

My only wish? Is that I had a fabulous cobbler recipe.

Camping 2010

We were able to go on a small camping trip this past weekend. It was great to get away, even if it was only a couple nights. With the heat wave we had last week the timing couldn't have been more perfect (especially since our a/c wasn't working!).

Here are a few pictures;

Mae, coloring and passing the time before our friends arrived at the camp site.

Caleb, happy.....and dirty (maybe that's why he's happy?)

We celebrated Isabel's 5th birthday the first night. I had made cupcakes, but they melted in the heat and got ruined before we even left the house. So we picked up a pie on the way to the campground. It's a birthday pie!

Caleb and me - why can't we just have a normal picture??

You know it's been a camping success when the kids are totally out! They didn't even stir when the flash went off. Sweet silence at night.....niiiiice!

Five

Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl! She's five today and I'm having a hard time thinking that she was ever this little....



But she's gone and done it. She grew up.



The next thing I know she'll probably be starting kindergarten or something equally as crazy.

Journey Down The Isle

(play the music as you read along)

When the movie Dances with Wolves came out I fell in love with one particular song, Journey to Fort Sedgewick. It's just the kind of music that moves me, moves my heart. I sit back, close my eyes and let the strings and wind instruments sway across my soul. I had the soundtrack and I would listen to the song over and over and became familiar with every part of it. Long before I had a wedding to plan, and maybe even before I had a guy to think about marrying, I had this song selected as my wedding march. It was perfect. I was so familiar with it that I knew the timing of how my bridesmaids would walk down the isle during the first part of the song, then I'd use the small break in the middle to pause the procession and just as the music swelled and burst again, then my dad and I made our entrance. It worked out just the way I wanted, just the way I pictured it during my many listenings of the song.

Today is our fourteenth wedding anniversary. Fourteen years ago today I walked down the isle to this beautiful song, to my wonderful man, both of whom I'm still in love with.

Shaking!

Living in California has its advantages. Good weather, beaches near by, and lots of sunshine. But I'm not sure where earthquakes fit in. I used to think they were fun (the kind where there's just some shaking but no loss of life or damages). When I was a kid we'd have earthquake drills in school. The bell would ring and all the kids and teachers would crawl under the desks. One time I was on the playground when an earthquake hit. My teacher freaked out and called us all back inside the building. Um, yeah, not the greatest course of action.

Yesterday we had another earthquake. It was the third one I've felt in as many months. But this one freaked me out. I heard it before it hit. It sounded like a semi truck was coming near the house, then I felt the ground begin to shake. I shot out of my chair and started for the doorway. I was thinking that the doorway was a safe place to be, but then there wouldn't be enough room for the kids and I. I also thought of instructing the kids to get under the dining room table. But then I had heard at one time that getting under things isn't the best solution either as they can collapse on a person, but that the better place is to be next to a large piece of furniture. However, I'm not sure how solid that advise is. All this went screaming through my mind in a matter of a half second, or so it felt. After those thoughts flew through my consciousness, I decided it was best to just get out of the house. So I yelled at the kids to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, NOW!!!! Poor Isabel, she was in the back part of the house so it took her longer to get out. By the time we were all outside, the quake was over. Our poor hearts were beating so fast!

I'm not sure what freaked my kids out more, the earthquake or my yelling at them to get outside. I think it was the quake, for they spent the following hour playing 'earthquake' and running drills to the outside. *sigh*

Camping Memories

Next week we are going camping. This naturally makes me think of past camping adventures we've had. Like the time we went with friends to the Lassen area in Northern California.....

It was the summer of 2002. Mae was 13 months old and Caleb was a new bun in the oven. At the time we had a small 4-man tent which held our family of 3.5 just fine. When little Mae needed a nap we put her on our air mattress with a few toys and zipped up the tent and sat near by. She could be heard playing for a little bit, and then it was quiet so we assumed she had gone to sleep. I peeked through the mesh air vents at the top of the tent to check on my sleeping babe, and I saw that before she succumbed to sleep she had found Ryan's wallet and had a good ol' time pulling everything out! I took this picture to capture the moment.