Summer. Is. Here.

{Unofficially, anyway.}

We still have one more week of school...
and I know it doesn't officially start until June 21st,
but we've finally been feeling it.

We took advantage of not having to go anywhere today,


and headed to the pool club.


The boys seem to only want to play in the little pool with Avery.
It's only 1.5' deep and basically a gigantic bathtub.

And they're obsessed with pool noodles.


For some reason it's really fun to blow water out of the noodle...


...and into your own face.


Not sure why...?

Usually it's just me at the pool with the kids
(trying to wear them out to make the loooong summer afternoons more bearable)
so it was nice to have Gary with us there today.



And it hit me when we got home and I saw Colin's pink cheeks:
I forgot to put sunscreen on his face.
I put sunscreen on Riley and Avery, then got distracted and never made it to Colin.
I feel like the worst mom.

In 30 years,
when he has to go to the dermatologist to get sun damage burned off his hands
{like I had to do this week}
I hope he doesn't look back on this blog
and mutter things about me under his breath.

Sorry, buddy.

Sunny days ahead.

With all of the rain we've had in the recent days,
we've had to entertain ourselves inside the house a lot.

Some days that's easier to do than others.

{they were watching Harry Potter and were cuddling during the scary parts}

But now it's looking like our deluge of rain is over.

As soon as the clouds cleared today the kids and their friends were outside
and I opened the windows.


Oh happy day.

Between the open windows and the peonies on the kitchen table,
things are looking up.


Happy weekend to you all!
Hope yours is a sunny one.

Rainy day blogging

So.
I hear that it's almost summer.
Memorial Day weekend is coming up, right?
I bet that some of you are already swimming and sweating and wearing flip-flops.

So why are we still getting rain?
Why am I still wearing wool socks to bed
and turning on my heater?
{Really. The heater came on today. Crazy.}

We're expecting more rain tomorrow and Friday,
then (supposedly) the sun is making an appearance.
It would be really super great if I didn't have to turn
the heater on over Memorial Day weekend.

And if the rain doesn't stop I just may look as pitiful as this:


Frolicking in a creek + piece of glass = cut paw, staples, and the cone of shame.
She is feeling very sad for herself.
She's supposed to wear it for two weeks {!}.
Hopefully she won't still be running into everything by then.
{We try not to laugh at her to her face.}

And I just had to show you my latest obsession.
Fat-free Greek yogurt.
*SO* good.


Costco sells a big container of the fat-free Fage brand
(which is so delish sweetened with agave nectar & a little granola)
but the Trader Joe's pomegranate, blueberry, and honey are yummy, too.
Don't you just love Trader Joe's?

And while listening to the rain outside,
we're working on our 2010 summer list.
It doesn't mention umbrellas anywhere, so the sun had better hurry up.

Someone, talk me down.

I mentioned the other day that Avery's 3rd birthday is in a couple of weeks.

We only really do parties for the kids every other year,
and this is Avery's year.

She's having a pink party.

I've been spending way too much time {and having way too much fun} googling party ideas.

And I stayed up way too late one night making the invites:


{inspiration found here. love this site - if you go, get ready to spend lots of time there...}

And now I'm thinking food
and cake
and goodies and games and decorations.

My mind is all aflutter with pink.

Next week is the last week of school and there's a TON going on.
I'm definitely not going to have time to do everything I want to do.

So I need your help.
Please tell me I don't need to make these:

(photo from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

They're not nearly as adorable as I think they are, right?

And I really need you to tell me these aren't so great either:


And I'm just going to share this link with you,
because I like you.
The c-u-t-e-s-t party ideas.
{Rainbow party? I'm dying. I *will* throw a rainbow party.}

I just have one request:
if you throw a party as fabulous as any featured on that site...
invite me?

When you're a kindergartner...

...and you're going on your first field trip...
the best part of the day isn't the field trip itself.


It's the bus ride.

Because school buses are non-existent in our area.
Really.
No buses for K-12 kids at all...except for athletes traveling to games in high school.
So weird, right?
But...my husband grew up in the country and rode the bus everyday.
And the stories he tells of things that happened on the bus are a little scary.
So maybe I'm not so upset?
Until I'm talking with my girlfriend Mari in Texas {miss you!}
while she's waiting outside her house for her cute boys to jump off of the bus.
And then I'm jealous because buses = no carpool pick-up line.
Now I'm torn.

Sorry - was I rambling?


Anyways...the bus ride is pretty exciting.

And the trip to the farm is good, too.

I put that one in so that in 20 years my kids will know
they actually did have a mother who sometimes ventured out from behind the camera.

Oh, and let me show you the best $3 I've ever spent:


White boards.
On clearance for $1 each at Michaels.
One for each kid.
Hours of fun.
{or maybe just 1 hour, but still}
Awesome.


**********************

And my sister-in-law asked me to share this link about her dear friend's son with you....

A party dress and a party place.

I can't believe it,
but in just a couple of weeks my little girl will be three.
*sob*

I'm in denial.

But it's true.
So to deal with it...I'm sewing.


A birthday dress.
I found the tutorial here.
I lovelovelove it.

And so does she.
She wore it much of the afternoon,
and now it's in the wash with {hopefully} washable marker stains.


I think I'm going to add a little tulle layer underneath...it's a bit short.

And since we'll probably have a little "all-things-pink" party to celebrate,
we need to get this little kitchen project finished.


We finally got the correct bullnose tiles in today.
{turns out color matching bullnose to field tile is quite a process}
So tonight Gary is tiling again.
Goodbye jagged tile edges and exposed electrical outlets.
Goodbye remnants of yucky mint green wall color.

Hello party-ready kitchen.
Hello pink cake and and pink lemonade and pink little girl food.
Hello cute birthday girl in a cupcake party dress.
Hello almost three year old.

*sob*

It's a toy's world.

We took the kids to Pixar to see Toy Story 3 yesterday.
Gary didn't work on this film at all
so he got to just be a spectator
{rather than picking apart all of his work on screen}.



The kids always love going to Pixar because you never know what's going to be there.


The movie is super cute.
Very funny.


But I will say:
if you have kids...that will one day grow up...
and leave to go to college...
you might need a tissue or two.


That's all I'm saying.

After the movie we went to my very favorite pizza place: Zachary's.
{I can cross it off my list now.}


If you are ever in the SF bay area you *must* stop at Zachary's.
And please order the deep dish chicken special.
{See it there on the stool to the left of Colin?}
Totally delicious.
The kids (of course) ordered slices of pepperoni.
Also delish.

And we had the leftovers for dinner tonight.
The perfect way to end a weekend!

Hope your weekend had something perfect in it as well.

Only 15 more days of school.

Hooray!

Then it's all about
...slow mornings
...days at the pool
...lazy afternoons at the park
...sun tanned shoulders
...picnics in the backyard
...three kids at home all day arguing with one another 75% the time
{just thinking realistically}

But I'm ready.

I'm ready to take a break from
...packing lunches
...homework
...the carpool line at school
...waking Avery from naps to pick up the boys

We are taking an oath of f-u-n this summer.
Gary will be busy at work,
so the kids and I are going to do our best to enjoy those fleeting summer days.

Lately I've been very aware of my kids getting older,
and I know they won't want to have fun with me much longer.



Summer 2010 will be one for the scrapbook.

Mother's Day cuteness...and cookie weirdness

I love Mother's Day.

It's the one of the only days of the year when I ask my husband to rub my shoulders
and I know he'll say yes.

My kids try not to fight with one another.
They're not always successful....

I don't have to cook anything.
Nothing.
{It's in my contract.}

And I love the gifts the boys make at school.


Riley made me a recipe card holder.
It is the cutest.
The room mom really outdid herself with this project.
{The fork and flowers are cemented into the pot.}
I love it.

*************

Today was a dreary, rainy, windy day.
Blah.
I needed cookies.
Specifically, cookies with chocolate.

But I was feeling guilty for the piece of coffee cake I had at breakfast yesterday,
so I went with my "healthy" cookie recipe.

OK, this is going to be weird.
Stick with me here....


Garbanzo beans.

...I know...

Do you remember Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook?
Since it came out a few years ago I've made this recipe a few times.
And...I kid you not...my kids have *never* realized the cookies contain garbanzo beans.
{I admit...it even seems weird when I type it.}
But they're yummy.


{Check out the chalkboard...18 more days of school! Only 18 more lunches to pack!}

*************

And I'm so happy to report my sewing machine and I are back together.
We took a break for awhile.
But I bought some new fabric...found some cute patterns...and it's on again.

Maybe some day I'll reconcile with my etsy site as well.
Who knows....

It's that time again.

Bathing suit season.
Hooray!!
{nooo, of course that wasn't sarcasm.}

Do you remember awhile back I posted this adorable bathing suit?

Oh, it really was adorable.
But I tend not to wear suits that are cut in front down to my belly button.
Yikes.

So back to the store it went...
and I focused my efforts on Avery's suit.
So much more fun.


Target knocked it out of the park with this one.
{only $9.99}
And I was still able to get my polka dot fix.

I am powerless over polka dots.
It's a problem.

I love homemade gifts.

Look what my dad made me for Mother's Day.


I'm not sure how he expects me to cut on this cutting board.
It's much too pretty.
And it has chalk dust on it from Avery's aggressive chalk usage near the cutting board.
{She has a chalk obsession.}
Thanks, Dad...I love it.

And Colin insisted on giving me my Mother's Day gift early.
It's a portrait of me.


Oh how I wish my lips were really that plump and perfect.
And those eyelashes....

But my favorite part isn't the gorgeous portrait.
Check out the flip side:


I was in absolute shock at the complete accuracy of his answers.
Every. Single. One.

That boy really knows how to treat his mother.

The menu.

There are so many days that I'll come across a recipe,
new or old,
and think, "I need to make that."

And then dinner time rolls around,
and that recipe is long gone from my mind
and it's ham sandwiches for dinner.

So Monday morning I made a plan:

Last night it was teriyaki chicken and rice
{and broccoli - the only veggie all three kids will eat}.

Tonight my assistant and I made manicotti.

She stirred the filling.

I stuffed the manicotti.
Then she ate the rest of the parmesan cheese.


And even though it wasn't on the menu...
I made salsa.

Not just any salsa.
The *best* salsa I've ever made.
It's easy and it makes a ton.

The food processor blends it into perfection.

{The recipe came from here. Make it. For reals.}

1 large can of whole tomatoes, undrained
1 regular-sized can Ro-Tel mild tomatoes with green chilies
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 - 2 chopped jalapenos
2 cloves of garlic (or 3 if garlic is your thing.  it's mine.)
juice of one lime
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
slightly less than 1/4 tsp. cumin
1.5 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (sorry, cilantro haters.  it's a must.)

Pulse in a food processor until it is at the desired consistency.

I like knowing what dinner will be for the week.
Especially since tomorrow's dinner will change from chicken to manicotti leftovers.
Thursday evening we're heading to an awards ceremony and out to dinner first.

And I don't cook on Fridays so that settles that.