just dance. while i make dinner.

While I chop veggies for dinner...

she entertains Lucy and me with her best Wii moves.

Thanks to the Wii game Just Dance there's a lot of dancing
happening up in he-ah.

The kids' favorite song to dance to is the 'Party Rock Anthem'.

Blehhh...I am so over that song.  Seriously.
And Avery is officially obsessed with Justin Bieber's song 'Baby'.
She listens to it on my ipod over and over and over.

As sick as I am of hearing that song,
the day Avery calls him Justin *Bieber*
instead of Justin *Beaver* I'm going to be sad.

nine questions, nine answers.

I was just thinking that I have nothing to blog about today.
I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear about the two bathrooms I cleaned today
or the fact that I went shoe shopping and found nothing.
{all of the heels are SO. HIGH. right now.  what's up with that?}

Then I remembered that Tahnee from Milk Please Mum
tagged me in a little something last week.
So since I have nothing else to say today,
I guess it's a good time to answer those random questions.

Describe yourself in seven words:
loyal, worrier, kind, christian, wife, mom, type-a (and all that goes along with that)

What keeps you up at night?
I usually stay up late with Gary.  It's our time to catch up.
And...I'm not going to lie...Words With Friends keeps me up, too.  It's addicting!

Who would you like to be?
I would like to be the best version of myself that God created me to be.
I know...it sounds corny.
I'd like to be able to remove the 'worrier' list of adjectives from above.
I'd like to put others ahead of myself more.
I'd like to be my own boss.
{hmmm.  what do I want to boss myself to do??}

What are you wearing right now?
My favorite pair of jeans, a white tank top,
a Gap hoodie, and my Toms.
Very shortly the jeans will change to yoga pants,
and the Toms to Uggs.
I know.  It's very exciting.

What scares you?
Almost all of my fears revolve around the kids.
I can't even think about them, or I'll obsess.
{see 'worrier', above.}
Oh...and snakes.  Deathly afraid.

What are the best and worst things about blogging?
Best: friendships.  inspiration.  a memory log of our daily life.
Worst: this weird, self-imposed pressure to blog everyday.  It's my own issue.

What's the last website you visited?
Besides Tahnee's blog, it was Sunday Crossbow.
I'll bet she's wearing something much more fabulous than jeans and a hoodie right now.

What's something you'd like to change about yourself?
That whole 'worrier' thing again.
And from a total vanity standpoint, I'd sure love a flatter stomach.

Something about the person who tagged me?
Her photos are always lovely.
Even on instagram.
And she always seems to be cooking something delicious.
If I lived in Melbourne too I'd be trying to figure out a way to get a dinner invite.

That's it.
Actually, there was one more question about slankets, but I have no idea what a slanket is.
A blanket?  A Snuggie?  Not sure.

So...that's really it.
If you read all of that, I'm impressed.
:)

{and...just wondering...what keeps you up at night?}

saturday pancakes.

I try to make breakfast for the fam on Saturdays.
It is really the only day of the week where we can linger in the morning.

This Saturday I mashed up the two mushy bananas
that have been in our fruit bowl all week and made banana pancakes.



Yep.  With chocolate chips.

Other than the chocolate chips they were pretty healthy.
All whole wheat flour, no sugar, yadda yadda.



They were goooooood.

Later on in the day Saturday we went and watched Gary compete in
a CrossFit competition.

It was crazy and intense.
I was nervous watching him.
He was awesome.  And is very sore still today.  :)
By the way check out that gaggle of boys back there.
All of our kids' friends were there...they were in heaven.

This is a busy week with a lot going on.
I feel like I need to carve out time to visit that place in our town
that offers one-hour foot massages for $25.
I need that.
I mean, $25 for an hour!
Foot massages can cure a lot of ills, right?
Ok, that's it.  I'm convinced.

insta friday - the 'lungs on fire' edition.

I had a bad feeling about this day, from the moment I got up.
This morning I broke a glass and spilled an entire cup of coffee on the carpet.
All before ten.

I went on a run and the weather was glorious,
but when I got home my lungs were on fire.
Mr. Chest Cold has come to pay me his annual visit.
I hate him.

So tonight I'm on the couch with a blanket and Project Runway.
It could be worse.

Actually, I was in this same place last Friday night, minus the fiery lungs.
Project Runway + Pinterest = inspiration.



Driving to visit Gary's parents last weekend:



Blue skies and an orchard full of almond blossoms.
I love this time of year.

A coffee date was her reward for not coming into our room one night this week.
{for the first time in MONTHS.}
A win / win for all of us, I might add.



I will be very sad when we no longer have Little People toys in our bathtubs.



Piano lessons:
every week for the last three years.
Maybe he and his drummer brother will start a band one day
and get crazy rich and support me in my old age.



My lunch buddy and I ate outside yesterday.
Sunshine makes everything taste better.



These rude little devils were yelling at me and taunting me in the grocery store.
I resisted their advances...this time.



This one has great freckles.
And killer hair.
I wish I could take credit for those curls.
Those are 100% from his dad.



OK, it's back to Project Runway I go.
Happy Friday.

random thursday things...and stir fry.

Last night I had intended to post my stir fry recipe,
but I totally forgot that we'd be at the science fair all evening.
For those of you whose kids haven't reached science fair age yet:
relish in this time.
Those science fair projects are a lot of work.
Lucky for me Gary helped Riley with most of it.
My brain and science don't mix.
{but my brain and the science experiment display board?  i got that covered.}

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


We got back from Trader Joe's a little while ago and the pantry and fridge are stocked.
Have you tried tj's chocolate covered frozen banana bites?  Holy yummy.
And...only two ingredients: bananas and chocolate.


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


Avery and I are sat outside for an hour and a half today.
It was gorgeous today.  Sun...70 degrees...blue skies...love it.
Days like this I start thinking vacation.
We booked a little one over the kids' spring break.
I can't wait.

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

Gary got me this perfume for my birthday.
I first smelled it when we were in Hawaii last summer,
so now it always reminds me of that vacation when I wear it.
Ahhhhhhhhh.

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


I tried on a pair of these Toms glasses last week...very cute.
But I thought, "No, I have a perfectly fine pair of glasses.  I don't need these."
And then yesterday I dropped that perfectly fine pair and scratched the heck out of them.
Hmmm.

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


I am slightly obsessed with these candles from anthropologie.
I saw them in the store last weekend and they smell amazing.
They're beeswax, and smell like summer.
I wish I had bought one.

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

Ok...now for a little stir fry.
A little disclaimer about my stir fry recipe:
I call it stir fry, but it may technically not be an actual "stir fry",
in the traditional sense.  Does real stir fry require a wok?
I'm not sure.
But...it's good, no matter what you call it.

First chop the veggies you plan to use.
I always use broccoli, snow peas, red and yellow pepper, and then I'll throw in whatever else I have.
I like rainbow veggies. :)



Then I heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan
and saute a clove or two of garlic and about 1/4 of a white onion.

When those are soft I add the peppers.



After those begin to soften, I add the other vegetables.
I go in order from most firm to softest.



Then, when they've all begun to soften just a bit, I add the sauce.



I whisk together 3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce,
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar,
2 Tbsp. brown sugar,
and 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
and pour over the veggies.



It smells so good.

Then I just let that mixture cook for a bit, stirring frequently.
I know it's done when the broccoli is tender.

Sometimes I serve it over rice, or quinoa.
This time I used Thai noodles.
{you can see the box in the picture with the ingredients above.}
The kids love them.



Cook them according to the package (they're SO easy)
and then add them to the veggie mixture.



And that's this Irish girl's version of stir fry.
Easy...you really can't mess it up.
And it's a great way to get everyone to eat their veggies.

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

And there's a look into my scattered little brain today.
See ya...we're off to drum lessons.

food, food, and more food.

I love a good three-day weekend, don't you?
It's already half-way to Friday.
Yay!

We've had a lot going on over here.
Celebrating with good friends who are moving away...
cooking...
science fair {with riley up till 10:20 last night...ugh}
more cooking.

Our real food / no processed food thing is going well.
Believe it or not...we're being pretty successful so far.
However in full disclosure: I've fallen off the no soda wagon.
But only one a day.  Oh well.  You can't win them all. :)

I love having friends with lemon trees.
A friend gave us a ton of lemons.
Lemons smell like summer, don't you think?



I juiced some and froze the juice for later.
For the others: slice, add to water in a muffin tin, and freeze.
Instant lemon ice cubes.



And speaking of smelling like summer?
Oh happy day...tomatoes!



My in-laws are already selling tomatoes at farmer's markets.
{find them at the ferry market farmer's market in sf on saturdays, for now.}
Those tomatoes plus basil, mozzarella, and garlic?  Perfection.

I'm kind of liking this whole bread-making thing.
I set the bread maker to have a loaf of bread ready at 6:30 Monday morning.
The smell wafted upstairs and woke me up.
I'll take that over the alarm clock any day.



And holy cow, our toaster has seen better days.
I think we bought this when we were first married?
I can't even remember.



Unfortunately Monday night's dinner was kind of a bust.
I made these veggie burgers.
Gary and I really liked them, and they tasted great, but the kids complained about them BIG time.
I think it was the whole "veggie" thing that turned them off.

Tuesday night was stir fry.
I love stir fry - we have that a lot.  Even the kids like it.
Mostly.
:)



Recipe tomorrow.

insta friday - a photo dump.

I guess I didn't do an insta friday last week,
so here comes a photo dump.

Friday afternoons mean no homework and no practices
and usually lots of trampoline.



And speaking of jumping:
once the kids go to bed sometimes you can find us in the garage.
He's working on his double unders for CrossFit,
and I'm watching.



I've tried the double under thing.  I can't do it.  I don't think my arms can move that fast.
Plus, once you have babies,
let's just say jumping is no longer something you want to do a lot of.
At least that's my experience.
{TMI?}

Waiting in the pediatrician's office for him to look at Colin's ears.



We've been getting so spoiled with the sun this winter.
I guess if I were a skiier, I'd be upset.
But...I'm not a skiier. :)



Last Saturday's photo challenge was "outside your front door".
Outside of my door is my jade plant.
It was a cutting from my grandma's plant who passed away
exactly ten years ago last Saturday.
Miss that lady.



This dog...
I want her life.



Last Sunday in church, a sermon about being grateful.
Good stuff.



This guy is my cuddler.
He fell asleep during bedtime stories one night this week.



Another picture of our super awesome rainbow this week.
It almost makes the park bathrooms look pretty.



Me and the crazies.
I like them.



This weekend we've got a little fun with friends planned.
And I'm cleaning our catch-all coat closet
and filing 817 pounds of paperwork.
And maybe painting the craft room.

Happy weekend!

 

earth-shaking.

We had an earthquake tonight,
just as a little reminder that we do, indeed, live in California.
And that I still don't have my earthquake kit together.

I don't know if you non-earthquake experiencers know this,
but you usually hear an earthquake in addition to feeling it.
It sounds like a herd of wild animals running across your roof.
So weird.

So...our Valentines Day was low-key.
It always is, which is fine with me.
Gary requested I make the homemade pizza again,
so that was our dinner.
Colin declared it better than Round Table AND their favorite pizza joint in our town.
Score.
The kids had their traditional gigantic hershey kisses for dessert.
I think I've got one for them every year for at least the last five years.



{i know...hershey kisses don't quite fit the "real food" bill.}



I love the innocence of the kids at this age.
They were so serious about making valentines for all of their friends and classmates.
So sweet.
I'd really like it if they would stay like this forever.
For reals.

rainbows and music and stuff.

Banana-flavored Brach's conversation hearts are horrible and should be banned from the earth.
Orange flavored, on the other hand?  Yum.
Actually, now that I think about it,
any banana-flavored candy is just horrible.  Gag.

I've decided that Thin Mints will not count as processed food
for the duration of their existence in my home.
I'm not too worried about it.
They won't be here long.

Sweaty soccer shin guards are one of the grossest things on the planet.

Would it be excessive to hire someone to come and give me
both a shoulder and a foot rub for at least an hour daily?
I need to win the lottery.
I need to start playing the lottery.

We watched the Grammys last night and I decided that LL Cool J
looks exactly the same as he did in the 80's and 90's.
{which is NOT a bad thing, i might add.}
I used to love his song "Going Back to Cali".  It soooo reminds me of junior high.

At soccer practice tonight the kids and I saw
the most amazing double rainbow.



Doesn't it look like a laser show??
Awesome.



{and it made me think of this video...of course.}



I put those pictures on instagram and wrote that God does Roy G. Biv better than anyone.
I asked Gary if he knew what Roy G. Biv was.
His guess: one of the members of Bell Biv Devoe?
:)
{BBD totally reminds me of early high school.  I loved "Poison".}

I also loved the Beastie Boys back then.
I went to one of their concerts.  My parents were horrified.

What was your first concert?
Mine was Morrissey, in 1991.
I went through a big The Smiths/The Cure/Depeche Mode
phase in the early 90's.
It was my moody period.  Ha.

And I know a ton of you probably have no idea who Morrissey is.
Sigh.  I'm old.

ten on {february} ten.

...up at dark o'clock.
to the coffee pot first, every morning.



...once breakfast has been made
and lunches packed,
it's time for some dishes.
{yeah...from the night before.  it happens.}



...a quick attempt at a cute heart hairdo for her valentines party.
thanks to pinterest and this video.



...the kids were off to school
and i was off to run.


{i love these lululemon pants.  pricey, but they are very bootie friendly.}

...straight from running to registering a certain girl for kindergarten.
"please bring three forms of documentation proving that you live where you say you live."
they don't mess around.



...and, just like that, it's time to grab an apple and pick her up from preschool.
those couple of hours go by so quickly.



...later in the day, my parents picked up the kids.
when they left the only thing i wanted to do was sit down.
it felt so good.



...no kids meant date night.
date night means dinner...



...and a trip to guitar center
{can you see me?}...



...and a trip to home depot.
we were the dorks buying two ginormous trees at 8:55pm.
they loved us.



**********

...and that was the tenth of february.