Friday Wisdom.

What a busy Friday it was!

Some baking, some sewing, a birthday party, and a preschool family picnic.

And lots of coughing. (Still. Come on, antibiotics -- I'm rooting for you!)

I'm worn out.

I did have a helper with the baking, though.


By the way, in case you have no experience with this: chocolate brownie drool is difficult to get out of cute pink cardigan sweaters.

You learn something new every day.

Going Up!

Wondering what to do this weekend?

I have a suggestion:


You won't be disappointed. Really.

If you go, look for Gary's name! I'm proud of him.
(If you're interested, email me and I can send you our whole name.)

Also: Pixar is ringing the closing bell for the NYSE tomorrow live via satellite at 1PM Pacific Time! I think it can be seen on CNN, Bloomberg, Fox Business, and CNBC.

I told Gary he'd better try to get on camera. And to wave to you. :)

Time's Almost Up....

I don't have much time ... I'm about to slip into a codeine cough medicine-induced slumber. (If I don't get a good night's sleep from this then I am officially hopeless.) Went back to the doctor today - hooray for antibiotics and cough syrup.

We've started the countdown to summer. Riley informed me at breakfast that he only has nine more days. (I know some of you lucky people are done already.) We're almost there.

The kids are pretty much mentally already there. Riley has no more homework so it's strictly play time after school.


I realized this afternoon that Avery's birthday is 10 days away.

I have done absolutely nothing.
In fact, I don't even know what I'm going to do.
I do know that I'm going to keep it simple.
The only thing she said when I mentioned a party was "cake".

She is totally my daughter.

Drooling a little....

Our house needs a little TLC. (And by a little TLC, I mean the television network. TLC - if you're reading this -- call me!)

We have a list of projects that we're going to tackle this summer. Some big, some small. And neither of these next things are on that list. But, oh, how I wish they were.

I've decided I need a mudroom. Actually, I need THIS mudroom.


Although I think I'd probably freak if mud actually got in that mudroom.

(Believe me that I would never let this turkey into that gorgeous space.)


But this next picture makes me swoon. I have always wanted a house with a porch. And I just love this one. The red ... the blue ... the swing ... the CURTAINS!


I would spend an obscene amount of time on that porch.

Gotta go. I have a sudden urge for Pellegrino and strawberries....

Bring on the Sun.

Isn't Memorial weekend the unofficial start of summer?

We're ready!

Hope your weekend is fun and relaxing and includes at least one ice cream cone.

No Time to Blog...

...too busy watching the American Idol finale. You are too, right?


At Target today I think Avery thought she was the next American Idol. She picked out this purse (a mock Coach, I might add) and those glasses.


Anyone else think this one might give us trouble during the teen years?

(Don't answer that.)

Lovely Mama.

Today I had the privilege of helping host a baby shower for my dear friend Liz (of Mainly a Midwife fame).

She is one of the loveliest pregnant mommies I've ever seen.


She got such cute clothes. Baby girl clothes are just THE cutest.


Lori (aka Peach out of Water, and pictured above right) made the sweetest diaper cake. I made cupcakes that tasted good, but decided to fall over during the car ride to the shower, so some were smooshed. Grrr.


And I had to make her a onesie.


Liz - I can't wait to see little baby Olivia/Emily/Addison/Emma in this!


(And Thanks to Wendi for all of your work and the lovely venue - you are the best!)

Oil + Water Don't Mix...

...but boys + water + dirt is another story.


I wasn't prepared for what Colin did next...on purpose.


Yep. Face into the mud. Why??? Only a 5 year old boy can answer that, I guess.

They had to get hosed down outside before stepping foot into the house. Then it was straight to the shower.


There were rivers of mud going down the drain.

Where was my girl during the mud-slinging?


Watching from the safety of her slide.

Smart girl.

Not Quite IHOP, But Close.

The kids love having breakfast for dinner. Truthfully, so do I. It's so easy and I'm a big fan of any dinner my kids don't complain about.

We like these pancakes. They're about as healthy as pancakes get, with whole wheat flour, wheat germ, ground flax seed, and a few other things. They are just about as easy as Bisquick but so much better.


Basically, it's:
-1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 egg
-1 cup milk (may need a little more if batter is too thick)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 Tbsp brown sugar
-1 tsp ground flax seed
-1 tsp wheat germ
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-cinnamon to taste
-frozen blueberries (for me...the kids prefer chocolate chips)

They fluff when they cook. Mmmm.


I've tried to get the kids to use real maple syrup (the kind without high fructose corn syrup), but they're not going for it. So we're still an imitation syrup crowd.

These pancakes are yummy, but they're missing something. They're just so ... round.

These molds from Williams Sonoma might solve that problem nicely.

I wonder: since I can't get my act together to ever make something this nice on a school morning, will my kids grow up thinking that pancakes are a dinner food?

It Should Be a Crime.

Isn't there some rule somewhere that you aren't allowed to be sick on a gorgeous spring day? My body didn't get that memo. Blech. I've spent a lot of time cuddling kids on the couch today. (Especially Colin. He never turns down a cuddle request.)


I didn't make dinner tonight. Not even breakfast for dinner, like we had one night last week. Tonight most of the fam had Boca Burgers.


Except Avery. She had some organic ravioli, a piece or two of cheese, a handful of goldfish, a couple of bites of apple, some chocolate milk, and anything else she could scavenge (including a piece of gum after dinner.)


See that milk drool? She has been a major drooler the past week or so. I keep checking for new teeth, but nothing so far.

Anyway, I've given my immune system a good talking to, and I'd better be feeling much improved by tomorrow or heads are going to roll.

Seriously.

Chill...and...Check...and...Cheesy TV

I think I've got summer fever. I'm ready for school to be out...BBQ's...lemonade...morning trips to the park...swimming.

And a little more free time (and carpool-free time). The boys have a couple of camps lined up, but for the most part we are going to chill. I'm ready for some chill.

My goal is to be a little more crafty this summer and to try new things. I have some projects in mind for the house, but I know the summer will fly by and I'll probably only get a few of those projects finished. I never manage to check everything off of my list. Grrr.

But speaking of finishing projects and checking things off of lists...I made one check off my list today. It's a t-shirt (a la Meg Duerksen style), and I hope the recipient likes it:


Now off to tackle the other bazillion things on my list...and watch the new Real Housewives of New Jersey.

(Wow. Did I just admit that?)

Can I Order Another Mother's Day, Please?

Did you all have a relaxing Mother's Day weekend? Mine was nice, overall. A bit busy, but what weekend isn't??

Friday morning Colin's preschool hosted the sweetest Mother's Day tea for us mommies. I got flowers from this handsome guy...


...and then we enjoyed some muffins, iced tea, and Tang. (This was Colin's first experience with Tang, and it was love at first sip.)


He also have me the gift he made at school: a recipe book. The teachers asked all of the kids what meal they would make their mom for Mother's Day. Most kids said things like, "I'd make her spaghetti. You add noodles and sauce." Or, "Cookies with chocolate chips." Here's Colin's answer:


A hamburger for him and Diet Coke for me. He knows me well!

On Saturday evening, Riley had his first piano recital. He wasn't anxious at all, but I was a nervous wreck!


He played three duets with his teacher, and was pretty proud of himself. And yesterday he gave me the flowers he had made for me in school...


Gary made me both breakfast and dinner, and did the dishes. Now that was a treat!

Hope all you mommies had a relaxing day yesterday. Because today, of course, it's back to carpooling, laundry, cleaning, homework, and all the rest.

In other words...the REAL mother's day.

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Also, head over to Three BayB Chicks's place and enter their We Heart Art contest! They're giving away some great prizes. Maybe even something from someone you know....

Fair Fun.

Yesterday afternoon we headed out of town and took the kids here:


The fair! Can you believe what bad parents we are? We had never taken the kids to our own hometown fair.

There wasn't much to do in the town where Gary and I grew up. It was the kind of place that had just one stop light and a newspaper that was published only three times a week. (And the best part of reading that paper was the police log, to see who you knew that got arrested. Good times!)

There wasn't much going on in that town, until Mother's Day weekend. That was the weekend the fair came to town! The Dixon May Fair is California's longest-running fair, and it was a staple of our childhood. Gary and I figured out that it had been about 12 years since we had gone to the fair. It's so strange going back home and seeing people you haven't seen for many years.

The boys' favorite part? Cotton candy...what else.


I think the best part of the fair is the color:


Avery loved the animals:


This pig was sleeping so contentedly. Is it just me, or is he smiling?


This poor mama cow was due to give birth at any moment. I felt sorry for her. I'll bet she has swollen ankles.


And have you ever seen a stranger looking bunny? This guy looks like he's part guinea pig and part cat. He was a blue-ribbon winner.


Eventually we all got tired of the heat and the dust -- and we ran out of money. Why is the fair so expensive, anyway?



Overall it was a successful day: I got my cute pictures, the kids were exhausted when we left, and we came home with absolutely NO fair crap (like mirrors with Michael Jackson's picture, blow-up dice, or 10 lb. pink stuffed dogs.)

And Gary and I got to spend the rest of the evening discussing all of the people from high school that we saw.

Thanks once again for the entertainment, May Fair!

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On a side note, thank you for all of the kind words Wednesday about the loss of my aunt. It meant a lot.

Sneaky.

We're going to go have some fun.

Gary is playing hooky today, and after we pick up Riley from school we're taking the kids to a place they've never been before. (I can't believe we've never taken them before!)

The kids can't guess where it is and it's making them crazy. Hee hee.

I'll be back later with some fun pictures [hopefully], some tired kids [double hopefully], and no crappy plastic junk that we'll have to sneakily throw away after the kids go to bed [not holding my breath].

See ya.

No Title.

Today was not a good day. This sky with those gray clouds pretty much sums it up. My beloved aunt passed away this morning. I've been kind of a mess all day.

When I got home from the hospital Gary and the kids and I went downtown to walk by the water. The fresh air felt good.

I needed these cuties in their Crocs to cheer me up.


Those smiles - and knowing that she's in a better place - made me a little happier.

And now I'm eating frozen chocolate chips from the bag in the freezer. She would approve.
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Lost in Translation.

{In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I considered writing this blog post all in Spanish...but I reconsidered. I thought you'd like me better if I didn't make you translate. Did I ever tell you that in my 'former life' - aka before kids - I was a bilingual elementary school teacher? True story! Anyways....}


I cooked a large dinner for us tonight: my favorite enchiladas, beans and rice, guacamole, and salsa. Of course the kids would only eat the rice and a few [forced] bites of enchiladas. *Sigh* What kind of self-respecting, one-quarter Mexican kids are they, anyway?

I'm pooped. I think we'll be living on leftovers and PB&J for the rest of the week.

¡Ole!

Much Appreciated.

If you have kids in school you probably know that this is Teacher Appreciation Week. The boys have great teachers, so I wanted to do something nice for them.

I found that something nice, when I saw this post over at Simply Lanny: Muffins!!

Not just any muffins, but the Easiest. Muffins. Ever.

Really. Check it out:


Those are the ingredients. No, I didn't forget anything! Lanny used caramel cake mix, but I couldn't find any (I didn't even know such a thing existed!) so I used spice cake. And it was gooooood. Oh, and I used chocolate instead of her butterscotch, because I'm a chocolate girl.

Mix it all up, bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes, and voila! We made both big muffins and mini muffins. Be warned, however, that making the mini muffins may cause you to eat several [dozen] in one sitting. You have been warned.

These got the Kid Seal of Approval -- big time. All three loved them!

Hopefully the teachers will, too. Thanks, Lanny!

One Of THOSE Days.

Ever have one of those weekends that almost make you look forward to Monday? I felt that way this weekend. The boys were in rare form on Saturday: arguing, fighting, whining - you name it.

I was not enjoying that day.

In the midst of all those fun times, we had to run to the mall. They behaved well while we were there, but by that time I was done. Over it. Is it bedtime yet?

We ran into the Gap to return something, and I did a quick stroll through Avery's section. And in a demonstration of great self-restraint, I bought nothing. But I did like a lot of things:


Love those colors!

And ... did you see that Gap is now affiliated with Athleta? I've loved their {pricey} stuff from afar for awhile. I really like these shoes:


(Hmmm...I do need a brown pair of sandals....)

Now the weekend is pretty much over and, I've gotta say, I'm not dreading Monday.

Happy School Day tomorrow, my friends!

May Day!

On any given day you could easily hear me shouting "May Day" from the confines of the craziness of my house. Today it just happens to actually be May Day.

So I'm legal.

Don't you just want to squeal on Fridays as well? The weekend is here!


Hope you enjoy your weekend ... and Happy May Day!