Stilettos and Strollers

PasoPalooza

2010-03-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Paso Robles Cooperative Preschool has a new blog! The first post is highlighting the upcoming PasoPalooza Children's Music Festival!

Click on over and check it out. There will be some fun performers, activities and great prizes!!

mmmmm....bread

2010-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Apparently, not being able to use my kitchen while we have been working on it caused me to not want to do anything but be able to cook something in my kitchen. Rational. Right.

Kind of like the time I briefly took up running. Mostly I think because right before that little running stage, I was on a research trip for four weeks on a 300' ship. So, apparently not being able to walk more than 300' in any one direction causes you to take up a sport that you have never really cared for. Weird how your brain works.

Anywho...I love bread. Pretty much any kind of bread, but I especially love me some good, crusty bread kind of bread. mmmm

So, when I came across the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I was intrigued.

So, when I got the book, I cracked it open, ready to discover the secret. And then I got pissed. The "secret" was to make big batches ahead of time and then bake it off a little at a time. How annoying! Or, so I thought...

So, I put it back up on the shelf, a little irritated that I just bought another bread cook book that I will probably never use. Because as much as I love me some good bread, sometimes it is just WAY easier to buy it already made for you.

And then, last week, I was cruising around on the Tasty Kitchen website and ran into this recipe and, specifically, this comment at the very bottom of the post"(Recipe is adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. I think they are geniuses wrapped in a blanket of smart and smothered in awesomeness.)" Geniuses wrapped in a blanket of smart and smothered in awesomeness! Hmmph, might I have misjudged?

So I pulled it off the shelf and gave it another looksie. And you know what, it is actually a very simple process. Far less involved than just making a large quantity of a regular artisan bread recipe. So, I stand corrected. And then I stood and got everything I needed to make their basic Boule recipe. Whipped up the first batch and whadya know...it worked!!

Isn't it pretty!

I swear to you that I made that...in my oven...the first time I tried it. I don't know about you, but I call that success. Success is good because it makes you want to keep at it...not like the running thing.

I haven't made the donuts yet, but they are up next...

In Case Anyone was Wondering...

2010-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

what I was going to make in my newly vented kitchen...

these are your answer.

God Bless PW and Vent-a-Hood.

Now my house won't smell like a Chinese food restaurant.

Crazy Month

2010-01-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

It is remarkable to me that Christmas was just barely over a month ago. And my internet is finally consistently on. Doesn't take much rain for cable to go out - last week was a long frustrating week, internet wise. We have been busy this past month!

Moved the kids into one room
Created sewing room (not quite done-have to finish kitchen before I can finish sewing room as we are currently storing our kitchen on the shelves I will be using in the garage)
Had Christmas
Had New Years
Snow trip
Began Kitchen redo
Kitchen redo set-back (cry)
Kitchen redo progress (pictures coming soon)
and one month went by

February consists of much travel. Before we know it it is going to be summer time. I need to get my garden in, but I just might run out of steam if we keep this pace up!

Christmas and elation on top of a mountain

2010-01-03T23:31:00.001-08:00

With Birthdays and an anniversary consuming pre-Christmas days, Christmas came and went so fast I think I almost missed it. Unfortunately the credit card bills and the endless receipts in my drawer are a constant reminder that something went on around mid December. I tried hard this year to get my children thinking of the real meaning of Christmas and also to think of others and somehow give to those less fortunate than themselves. A number of things came up like giving toys that we no longer played with (though all of a sudden 'we' played with a lot more)to those in need and giving our dinners that we didn't want to eat seemed a popular choice, however I did manage to get my children saying 'What I would like to get" instead of "What I'm getting" and to also look around at others and make them feel happy even if it was just a friendly smile and a Merry Christmas to a passer-by. I was very proud of their own little progress. On boxing day (the day after Christmas we packedc up and headed south to a region called Taranaki which was home to Mt Taranaki, a mountain that my Father-in-law and I decided was a great adventure and something we could do no sweat!!!!! We trained for about a month in the lead up and somehow convinced ourselves and our family that we were up for the challenge. I thought, 'sure I've done nothing for over a year, but hey I have three boys they keep me busy I'll be fine !!!!!!' anyway we were shocked to see such a beautiful and bloody huge mountain in front of us as we arrived at our destination, that was Sat evening just in time to quickly set up the tent (a very cool big tent that actually fits us all in and you can even stand straight up in) Sunday we drove up to the visitor centre and got a closer look, though the mountain was shy and hid himself in the clouds for the most part. We went back into to New Plymoth and hit a hiking store to grab some new items that we now decided we HAD to have and quietly sweated, all the while thinking I hope i can keep up with the other one. 6.30am rolled around very quickly and we found ourselves at the visitor centre carpark pondering whether the questionable weather would hold up and were asked if we wanted to postpone til the next day NO!!!! I could not imagine having to mentally prepare again for the next day so off we went two unaware little creatures setting out on a fabulous adventure. Our guide and one other companion who was even more mentally unprepared joined us on our way to the summit which was 2518m high. It trully was amazing and to be totally honest the ascend was not even that bad, we made good time and had a great time getting there Step grasses sections followed by steep scoria then steep rocky paths that lead to more steep rocky paths that carried up the hill til we reached another very steep rocky climb this led us into the crater that was still covered in snow. We donned crampons and carried ice axes (what were we doing?????) I hadn't even held an iceaxe before now and crampons were for serious snow climbs. Once we trekked over the crater we had to ascend a very steep snowy face and it was only then when there was no more land above us did we see and clamber upon the summit. I think we technically stood on a rock next to the summit due to the Maori peoples belief that the summit is actually a sacred site. In respect to that our guide let us touch the 'actual summit rock however we stood on a rock next to it. The descend was alot more harrowing down very steep rock faces and more rocks and the horrid very unstable scoria where I believe if you could ski well would not be an issue but it bothered me that I had to nearly run face foward done this slippery dirt/rock face all the while dodging big rocks that weren't going to move for you. Despite the hardwork the scenery was magnificent and I recommend it to everyone. We managed the 10km trek up and back well in under 11 hours and it was only the last leg of the journey (maybe 4kms) that we all were physically challenged taking step by step down the track just managing to keep our jelly legs upright. Exhausted but elated we drove home to share our story. I am proud of my father-in-law and myself and have a new sense of just what can be achieved if you just start the journey. I am posting some pics so you can see just what I am talking about

In our constant effort...

2009-12-16T15:01:00.001-08:00

In my continuing effort to make our home work better for us, I have decided to move my children in together...to the same room. This had originally been the plan all along, but when VO was a baby and ready to move to his crib, I freaked out. I didn't want one kid waking the other kid up, etc, etc, etc, craziness, craziness, craziness.

Well, 2 years later they sleep through the night fine, they go to bed at relatively the same time, they wake up at the same time. They play in each other's rooms all the time. There is no need for them to be running back and forth all day long. And I need a place for all of my sewing stuff.

So, here is the plan...we are going to move SO in with her little brother, because, quite frankly, that room has the best storage in the entire house. We are keeping the walls white. I am not concerned that their bed spreads don't match. Of course they don't. He is a boy and she is a girl. He, of course, has not figured that out yet, but I am banking on a good 5 to 6 years of them sharing before we will have to move them back to their own rooms, you know, for puberty and fun stuff like that!

And once the room moving and sharing is worked out, then, oh then, the fun will begin! I will be able to leave my sewing machines out all the time. Set up and plug in the ironing board without creating a tripping/fire hazard in my bedroom. My fabric that I am working with will be able to stay on the table. That table will no longer be the dining room table. While I am at it, I am moving my desk and all office related things in there too. I WILL HAVE MY. OWN. STORAGE. CLOSET. FOR MY. OWN. STUFF. It really will be a remarkable achievement.

This room will need to be painted. Because, as much as do love the two-tone turquoise (I really do), it was for SO, not for me. So more fun with paint for JO. And did I mention the closet??

Befores and afters will be posted for your viewing pleasure at some point...I am hoping next week. You know, it is the holidays and I apparently do not have enough to do.

Grosgrain: Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-12-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

While looking for gifts to make for a certain gift exchange tonight (I know, nothing like waiting until the last minute, right!) I came across this super cute dress that is just being given away! Hopefully it will be a Merry Christmas to me!!

Grosgrain: Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Help From the Big Guy

2009-10-19T12:26:00.001-07:00

How soon is too soon to bust out the "Elf on the Shelf"?

And work it for all it is worth?

I am seeking reinforcements.

Give Me Shelter

2009-10-02T14:15:00.001-07:00

I have an addiction.

I love shelter magazines.

I love them.

I can do without Time, Newsweek, People, Real Simple, etc...but I can't do without...

Fresh Home which is my current favorite.

Or Atomic Ranch.

Or Dwell.

Or even This Old House, which we still get from our "old house" days. There is some good, useful information in there.

I was very sad, I repeat, VERY SAD, when Domino closed up shop. Granted, towards the end they started to suck a little bit, things were expensive and the uniqueness of it was waning, but I still LOVED it. I would curl up on the couch, ignore my family and go through it page by page, reading every article and looking at all of the pictures. I got some great ideas from Domino and used them in my home and business regularly. It provided a wonderful source of inspiration to me.

So today, I was so excited to read on Apartment Therapy, that Domino is BACK. Well sort of.

Photo lifted from Apartment Therapy.

Lonny is a new online magazine that is taking some of its inspiration from Domino. But it is online (the jury is still out on how I feel about that - I think I may miss the tactileness (is that a word) of holding the magazine, but we will see!) I have not made it much past the Table of Contents, but so far it looks great and I am so excited about it!

Happy reading to you all.

Sclemeel, Schlemazel

2009-09-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

I just blogged about our bottling over @ ZenaidaCellars.com and included some cool pictures if you wanted to check it out! EO may not let me blog about the biz anymore after this one...

Sunny Day in Auckland

2009-09-06T03:04:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to update your mental images of my boys. We were just hanging out in the back yard today (practising some surf moves)in the beautiful sun. Yay spring is here.

Going to Have To Try This

2009-09-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

UPDATE!

OK, so I made it...and the texture is awesome! It is the consistency of thick, creamy ice cream! The downside - it isn't super banana tasting! Even with really ripe bananas. hmmm...

I think if you blended some fresh fruit in, to give it a flavor, or maybe some cocoa powder, then you might have something. I will try it another time and let you know - or let me know if anyone tries it. But I gotta tell you, the texture is perfect!

I made it for SO's preschool's snack and the kids seemed to enjoy it. And it is great for the lactose intolerant kids!

And prep wise, don't use a blender (of course if that is all you have - then use it), use a food processor...it made quick work of the bananas while my blender just kind of groaned.

___________________________________

I found this today on the kitchn (the kitchen section of Apartment Therapy).

"How to make ice cream with only one ingredient." Intriguing, no?

Photo courtesy Apartment Therapy the kitchn

So I go to check it out because we are BIG fans of ice cream around here.

And do you know what the ingredient is?

FROZEN BANANAS!

How awesome is that?

Peel banana. Freeze banana. Blend banana. Eat banana.

Wish I had some bananas.

And some chocolate sauce.

This will be perfect for my son because the poor little guy can't quite digest milk yet, so he gets fruit popsicles while the rest of us enjoy our creamy delicious ice cream. (Can you tell I am not so much a fan of the popsicle?)

Read the article (for better directions than the ones above) and the comments because there were A LOT of good ideas to add to this already delicious idea!

Modern Economy

2009-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Modern Economy next online sale! YAY!!

Wednesday, September 9.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation 2009 Version

2009-08-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

Kid covered with Oklahoma BBQ'ed corn on the cob!

Me and the Kids with Papa and Grandma Great Great in OKC.
4 generations.

Cool "splashgrounds" at the parks in OKC - free and right next to the playground. Wish we had those around here, of course they wouldn't be on because our state has no water.

Sweet Children's Museum in OKC. You could take lesson on the Segway.

These are not in chronilogical order because blogger can be very non-user friendly! They are actually in reverse chronological order - I didn't feel like fighting with it.

I don't know about you, but I am wondering, exactly, where this summer has gone. It would seem that in the effort to keep the kids (and myself) busy so we do not go crazy with the lack of a regular schedule, that we keep the days filled with activities that seem to make months fly by. (I need to figure out a way to do that for the fall/harvest months!)

Pyrotechnics and sweet 70's Rock!

*KISS and Gene Simmons in NO way endorse this blog*

But they look awesome in their makeup!

Water slides are the best things ever!

So are pools. Both make for great naptimes!

Me in DC.

Camping - looks like winter, but just early moring!

It wouldn't be camping with out s'mores.

We took the kids camping for their very first time, E and I went to DC for a dear friend's wedding (the woman who introduced us), we took the kids to the fair, took ourselves to see Kiss at the same fair (Oh My Gosh, such a great show, never considered myself a "fan" per se - but I can now see why they are uber-famous - they KICK ASS ON STAGE), took the whole family to Oklahoma City to visit family and have filled the rest of the time with swimming, water slides and trips to the library. Whew. When does school start so I can have a break?

Call Off The Search Party

2009-07-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember this post where I chonicled the missing loves of my daughter and the follow-up strip search of my house. It is with great relief and honest-to-goodness shock that I am able to report to you that three favorites have indeed been found. All together. By my daughter. In her brother's room. Inside this fabulous little gift box.

Do you want to know many times I have moved that box?

Too many times.

And not once did it feel like there was anything in it.

Damn Beanie Babies.

Now we are a family of twins.

Some cleaner than others.

If anyone placed bets on how long it would take to find them, 11 months would have been the winning bet. ELEVEN MONTHS.

I Want...

2009-07-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

This Bike!

Photo and link from Apartment Therapy Re-Nest.

Lasagna Jill

2009-07-14T11:40:00.001-07:00

This is the pasta roller I found in the back of a bottom cabinet of the last house I rented in Santa Barbara when I moved out. Left behind by one of the many interim roommates my roommate had in between me living in the house. I was her first and last roommate in that house, but there were a few others between those stints! I am guessing the metro-Italian roommate forgot that this was in there and is probably wondering to this day what happened to this thing. Needless to say it got boxed up with my things and began its long journey of moving from one house to the next with me. Never once being opened or used. For 10 years. But hey, these can be expensive and I knew I would use it someday. Maybe.

While I was searching Smitten Kitchen for a basic tomato sauce recipe, I found this yumminess and I was inspired. Since I have been making other ridiculous things from scratch recently, I decided I would break this puppy out. So my trusty travelling companion (the pasta roller) and my favorite helper (preschool face paint included!) got started on making some noodles!

I was pretty impressed with this little guy and pretty happy I had carted him around for ten years.

I was pretty impressed with this little thing too! She rolled ALL of the noodles. By herself, of course, because that is what four year olds do. Everything, by herself.

Noodles. Check.

I sauteed up some deliciously fresh veggies (unfortunately not from my sad little garden, but I am holding out hope for things non-squash related).

I cut up some of the mozzarella I had made the day before. I know. I know. I said I have been making ridiculous things from scratch recently.

I am afraid to tell you that there is more.

This is the ricotta cheese that I made after I made the mozzarella. Did you know that ricotta is a by-product (so to speak) of the mozzarella? I did not either. But after you make your mozz, you boil the crap out of the whey that is left in the pot for 10-15 minutes. Dump it into a flour sack lined colander and what do you know, ricotta! The funny part is, I like the ricotta better than I do the mozz!

This is the Basic Tomato Sauce that caused all this crazy-business in the first place. Mmmm.

And the final melty-cheesey-saucey-goodness. And yes, you would be correct if you asked why it looks like there is not any melty-cheesey goodness on one side of that beautiful lasagna. And the would be because the boy can;t have dairy. So I just left a little off one of the edges for him to eat.

The lesson for today is - do not throw out valuable appliances because you never know if you might use them. Once every ten years.

Panic! (Not at the Disco)

2009-07-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks back, the weirdest thing happened, I started spotting. A week before I was "scheduled" to get my period. Weird, right? Didn't think too much about it. The next day I was lying in bed thinking about getting up and was all of a sudden overcome with nausea. So much so, I had to kick my daughter out of my bathroom as she was finishing up and tell her to go wash in her hands in her own bathroom. I didn't end up getting sick, but I had to stand there for a little while until the feeling passed.

I know! I was thinking the same thing.

So, I go to tell my husband that I think I am pregnant. And you know what, he starts laughing at me. You read that right, LAUGHING. Personally, I did not think this was anything to be laughing at. This was what I have been paranoid about for 19 months (the age of my youngest). That I was going to get pregnant again and we would have three children. THREE! Not the two that I had been planning on FOREVER. I knew this would happen, I had been so sure all along that we were only going to have two kids - that THIS is what I would get for being so sure. It was going to all come back and bite me in the ass, as so many other things had done in the past!

Right, so back to the laughing. He was laughing at me because of his vasectomy from almost a year ago. You know, the one where they snip out a section and then cauterize both ends. Really, cauterize, I didn't know about that part. But, BUT! I said, sometimes they grow back together, it has happened before, I am pretty sure I could find a statistic online somewhere! Know what I got with that...more laughing. More laughing and the look, the look of "well what have you been doing that you would go and get yourslef knocked up..." "Yeah, right." I said to "the look". When on the ever-loving-earth would I have the time to have an affair. I mean really.

Needless to say, he talked me down off the ledge and brought me back to reality. I am indeed, not pregnant (whew!) not that we wouldn't have welcomed that baby into our home, but HOLY COW...I was convinced!

Days later, he tells me that his first thought when I told him I thought I was pregnant was "great, now we are going to have to get a mini van!"

Fuct Ducts

2009-06-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

WTF. As in, how the f%$@ can my adorable, sweet, easy 6 month old be waging such enormous amounts of havoc on my ladies (my boobage, the girls, the lovely lady lumps, etc)???

Lets get it all out there, shall we? I am, by no means, "a newbie at the boobie". I did a full, count them, 15!!!! months of breastfeeding with my first, and by all accounts, it was definitely the easy way out....rarely a bottle to wash, less than $30 bucks total dropped on formula, harder to ween than to feed, etc....

Now, suddenly, my adorable, sweet, easy second baby has unleashed her power to cause mayhem upon me. This power is not flung at the dinner table in the form of rice cereal and pureed sweet potatoes (she is a perfect, gaping-mouthed eater- adorable, once again), nor is it recognized during playtimes (her brother constantly thrashes her physically and mentally and she giggles, seriously giggles), even during long rides in the car my dear little one amuses herself with toys and gurgles and occasional outburst of baby jib-jabber...NO NO NO...the power to cause MAYHEM is 100%, without question or hesitation directed at MY BOOBS. I have had 5 clogged ducts in 3 weeks. Not overestimating here, possibly even underestimating.

Theories as to why my daughter is employing mediaevial torture techniques against the woman that birthed her:
1) Distraction: extremly plausible considering activity level of 3 year old brother multiplied by square feet in house = 10,000,000,000,00,000,000 (ie 10 trillion-zillion)..and I live in a 1,000 sq. ft...you get the picture.
2) Teething: As my orthodontist of 8 YEARS+++ once said with glee, "You have HUGE teeth and a TINY mouth....."
3) Gas....my husband's family is known for it, serioulsy, just ask them. I give the poor child avocado and banana and they look at me, totally straight-faced, and say, maybe it was the food- THE GAS.....

Whatever the reason, I have been spending WAY TOO MUCH time massaging, rubbing, and squeezing these ladies without any form of voyeuristic monetary compensation...I feel like a horny middle school boy with a way too easy girl friend. If anyone has any advice, experience, or just wants to yell- WEAN THAT BABY AND GET IT ALL OVER WITH...I'm ready and listening...seriously, WTF?

In Case Anyone is Counting

2009-06-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have made the PW's Cinnamon Rolls 3 times since I first posted about them on April 30. That's right, 3 times in 6 weeks...I am probably going to need to start using my gym membership if this keeps up!

New Fabric Shop

2009-06-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

So, awhile back, I purchased some fabric from an etsy shop, Fabricworm. The owner, Cynthia, upon entering my shipping information, sent me an email. Her shop was based in Paso Robles (!) so why didn't I just come by her house and pick up the fabric. So I did! And I checked out all her fun fabric at the same time! She has some of the coolest and latest fabric that is not always carried in most of the other fabric stores.

The last time I cruised over to her "shop" she told me she was opening a store front down town Paso Robles. I am super excited. I do not know if she is officially opened or not yet, but she is getting close! The store, Birch Fabrics, is located off 12th street, in the little shopping center behind Aardvark Music. Birch Fabrics and Gifts, 585 12th Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446 (to be exact)

Here is a shot of her new shop, work in progress that I lifted from her blog (thanks, Cynthia!)

You can follow her progress on her blog . And I encourage you, if you are looking for some fabric or some inspiration, stop by her shop!

Chicken Lickin' (Or Make These NOW!)

2009-06-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

I am going to post two chicken recipes here - I know, SO boring! I don't make a lot of chicken for that exact reason and because it is not my favorite protein. But in the last two weeks I have made these recipes and they are delicious. So delicious, that I wish I had made more than enough for the four of us. Of course, I don't EVER have all of the ingredients on hand for any recipe, so there is a fair amount of substitution which I will detail (sort of). And in case I haven't said it before, I LOVE SMITTEN KITCHEN!

The first dinner, I had a hankerin' for a roast chicken (right, like that ever happens) so I decided I needed to make it. Went to Smitten Kitchen and found this beauty, Zuni Cafe's Roast Chicken and Bread Salad. Before you start this, read the whole recipe through (one of my many cooking downfalls!) So the day I was going to make it, I didn't because I had not salted it ahead of time...and I know from my turkey cooking at Thanksgiving that salting ahead of time makes everything that much better. So, we tried again the next day! Deb is so nice to have shortened the recipe up a bit and I made some of my own shortcuts, but if I can say one thing about this dish...DO NOT MAKE IT WITHOUT THE SALAD! It was the best part. Of course I did not have the following salad ingredients: dried currants, scallions, arugula, frisee or red mustard greens. Instead I used golden raisins, red onion and spinach. I did not plump my raisins. I did a quick saute on the onions and the garlic and I toasted the pine nuts with the bread. I also added a squeeze of lemon into the dressing because I thought it would be nice! The most important and delicious step of this recipe is the very last one "Drizzle and toss with a spoonful (or more) of the pan juices" from the roasting chicken. Oh. My. Gosh. This was the best part, it made the salad so savory and yummy that we could not stop eating it. The kids ate a little but didn't want more and I didn't care because that meant more me!

The second chicken recipe is a far less complicated one, Chicken Milanese and Escarole Salad. Super good and quick week night dinner. Would be better if I had a hood in my kitchen, but I don't let it stop me. My tips: 1. Make the pickled onions. They are delicious and add a nice zip to the salad. Even Stella ate them and loved them! 2. Use whatever kind of greens you have - I used mixed greens because that is what I had. 3. I did not make the hazelnut pecorino portion of the recipe, I used a simple lemon-honey vinaigrette which is my favorite wine-friendly dressing (lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper).

So, make these if you can and seriously make the bread salad - so good!

2009-06-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

I got this from Delightfully Diva-ish it made me chuckle. Thanks Geegeedomdivas

An 'aging' woman:

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, The class was over.

Laura Ingles Wilder

2009-05-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Or maybe, Barbara Kingsolver.

Alex, what is, the two people I thinkI might be morphing into?

That is correct, for no money but some homemade cheese and canned tomatoes.

Yes, that's right, I think I have gone over to the other side. I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and I am inspired.

I spent yesterday gathering the ingredients so that today I could make cheese. The vegetable rennet I actually ordered in advance through my local grocery co-op and the citric acid was easy because EO has that on hand at work.

I just whipped up a batch of homemade mozzarella. Just now. In my kitchen. And it would have been perfect, except that I forgot to salt it at the right time. I was so excited for the stretching that I forgot to salt. But whatever. I made cheese and we are going to eat the cheese! While, I am sure that someone who has done this before could really get it done in 30 minutes, it took me about an hour. I tasted it, and it tastes like cheese! Success. I tried to take some pictures, but I can't find my camera...

Stay tuned for the next episode of life on the farm, I mean in town, when JO convinces her husband that he CAN, in fact, build that do it yourself backyard bread/pizza oven!

A Whole Other Level

2009-05-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

This takes my whole "DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING" to a whole 'nuther level!

Picture courtesy of mom4life via ivillage.

I am pretty sure I would have used this when my kids were this age, but I can't be certain...Is it wrong that I kind of wish I could use one now, for the boy...and not just in public restrooms. Think of how many other uses...while vacuuming, washing the dishes, taking a shower, napping...no? Time-outs? You're probably right.

Before and After

2009-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

OK...I guess I was a little too anxious to start my project, as I do not have any proper BEFORE pictures showing the entire area. But those of you who have been here, know what a cramped space the kids and I shared for my office and their community play area. But below are a few pictures to give you an idea of the space and the color before the make over.

This picture is what the area looked like when we bought the house, taken on our inspection day. The large bookcase stayed and we filled it to the brim with photo albums, kids books, files and stuff.

Here you can see my mini desk in the background (behind the beautiful family!). With the printer on it, leaving me not much work space.

And another shot of the "toy closet" and book shelf, my desk chair and the kids table.

So, a brief run down of what I did...

1. Husband left town early Monday morning and I decided to complete a project while he was gone. So the first day I purchased everything I would need: paint and rollers. We like to paint, so we have all the tarps and pans, etc., etc...I am all about instant gratification and painting a room gives it to me!

Prior to him leaving though, I moved the majority of toys out of the "toy closet" and into their bedrooms. The toy explosion fallout seemed to be growing exponentially everyday, so I decided to minimize the fallout by moving ground zero to their rooms. The "toy closet" is now my sewing closet :)

2. Started to do a little bit while the kids napped, moved most of the books outside and started clearing out junk.

3. Put the kids to bed and got to work. The first night I painted the dining room area of the room. I got two coats on and one coat of cutting in. Whew. Time to go bed.

4. The next day I finished clearing off the book shelf while the kiddos were napping. But ran into a problem getting the humongous bookcase out into the back yard. (My plan was to cut this bookcase in half...putting the lower two shelves into SO room and then mounting the top three shelves to the wall above my desk.) Well it was bigger than the door going out to the backyard, so I had to call my dad for help. I thought I was going to have to cut it in half to get it out the door, and was afraid to use the circular saw on our dining room floor - I knew it would not end well. Fortunately my dad was thinking more clearly than I was at the moment and suggested we turn it on to its side. WOW, why didn't I think of that! - and to think I care for two children on a regular basis - scary!

5. Put the kiddos to bed and began the arduous task of priming the other side of the room. I primed because of the backside of the fireplace and the stucco, I wanted to make sure the interior paint I was using would cover up the terra cota color. I got the fireplace covered in the primer and the two coats of black paint on the "work space" walls. Yes, that's right, I said black paint!

6. The next day I dropped my kids at preschool and Papa's house and made the 2.5 hour drive one way to the Palo Alto Ikea to get the items I needed for my project. (Yes, tj and crew, THAT Ikea.) The nice thing about IKEA's website is that it can tell you exactly where in the get-it-yourself-warehouse the items that you want are! So you don't have to waste any time going through the showroom. So, I spent about 45 minutes in Ikea getting my items, checked out and drove 2.5 hours back home. But this night I took off. We went to the beach to spend the night with Gabrielle. It was fun and a nice break from painting until 11pm! And, yes, the next day was as freezing as it looks, but it was still the beach and we were there with friends!

7.Thursday night I cut in with primer around the fireplace and wall area and got the first coat of the off-white paint on.

8. Friday night was a long night...Hubby was coming home late Saturday night, so I had a lot to get done. The final coat on the fireplace and adjacent walls (that fireplace was bitch to paint because the surfaces were all so uneven. But I bought my new favorite paint rollers at OSH, they are sponges that were sliced so that they could get into the grooves. I didn't realize I was buying them at the time, I thought I was just getting the regular thick nap roller. But I am extremely happy with my purchase - they rocked!) Anyway, this night was a late one (1am) but the painting was completed!

9. Saturday morning was the day to assemble all of the Ikea items. I put the two desks together and they looked great. So exciting! Then I got the Billy bookcases together. I decided to stop before mounting anything on the walls. I had to make some changes to my list while in Ikea and now everything didn't fit exactly how I had envisioned. So, I decide to wait for EO and to get his opinion on everything thing else. And, I was exhausted! I could barely lift my arms, so there was no way me and the screwdriver were going to be getting along!

EO got home (finally, no thanks to the storm in Chicago) and was happy with the painting (and more happy that he didn't have to do any of it!) He was maybe a little less happy with the fact that I had decided to save us money (happy about that part!) by reusing the existing bookcase, but to cut it down (less happy because project for him!) But he embraced the vision and we got it done and mounted on the wall this week. Plus SO is VERY happy with her new book shelf in her room. And in full disclosure, I did break the garage door in the process of all of this (because I was stupid!), but fortunately for me it was not as bad as I thought it was and EO fixed in a few minutes. Damn, he is handy! Gotta love a man in a tool belt! (but it had made a really loud BANG, so I thought I was screwed!)

So with out further adieu...the AFTER:

I must say, I could not be happier with how it turned out. Even with two of the walls painted black, the area is so much lighter. EO thought it extremely out of character for me to be painting walls white (I am usually the anti-white), but after three years of not being able to decide what color to paint the room, white was the best I could come up with.

The kids have a bigger table now to sit at so they are not on top of each other. And I love sitting at my desk doing WORK! So it could not have turned out much better! Now all I need is a new chair...

Still Not Done

2009-04-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

So, I jumped in with both feet. Into a Do-It-Yourself project. While my husband was on a sales trip for a week. I will post some before and after pictures for you soon (not quite in the after yet, still trying to finish some things up). I will also post the list of everything I did, on my own, without my husband even knowing what I was doing!! I am very happy with the results so far.

But today, I am making dinner for my friend (and fellow poster on this blog, Erin) who just had her second baby girl on Monday. I am making the Chicken and Dumplings from Smitten Kitchen (love her!) and starting on the Cinnamon Rolls from Pioneer Woman. I have checked out the Pioneer Woman occassionally. Lately though, I have been diving deeper into her site and she has a lot of great stuff. I am pretty excited about this recipe because it makes SO MUCH!! Which means there will be plenty for the new family and for this family!

Top 10 Favorite Things Today

2009-04-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

1. Amoxicillin: The wonder drug that has so easily transformed my snotty and cranky 2 year old into a fun person to be around.
2. Step-ups and Lunges: Performed ALONE at the gym. Booty-burners, very rewarding.
3. Kiehl's Unusually Rich- But Not Greasy At All- Hand Cream: Comes with SPF10 which is good for these days in the garden.
4. Neopolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches: Because it is freakin' hot and I'm freakin' lactating.
5. California Couscous Salad: Uses cilantro from aforementioned garden and requires minimal use of the stove top which is key in these aforementioned weather conditions http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1194611
6. $12.99 Inflatable Baby Pool: allows me to spend 10-15 minutes in the garden uninterrupted.
7. Multigrain Cheerios: In the purple box (obviously marketed towards the feminine persuasion, as noted by my husband). Whatever, they taste damn good.
8. Brunch out with ladies for upcoming babies. Whatever will we do when we stop breeding????
9. http://www.instructables.com/ Nothing more than a total time sink, but the geek in me can't stay away.
10. Retreats to a certain someone's beach house where, while our young-uns frolic in the water, we clink our beer bottles at 11:30 am on a Monday and remember that these are the payback stay-at-home-mom days for all those 'other days'.

Anyone up for a Road Trip?

2009-04-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Modern Economy is having one of their sales again. Not online this time, but at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. The bummer is that it is Saturday, May 2. That's right, the same day as the last day of Hospice du Rhone. Anyone up for blazing up there in the morning and getting back here in time for the Grand Tasting at 3:00pm? Why do all the good things always happen on the same day?!?!

Another New Favorite Website

2009-04-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am a Do-It-Yourselfer.

Sort of.

I like to find great ideas to do around our house and then I like to give the instructions to my husband and let him Do-It-His-Self!

I was not always this way.

I was extremely independent.

I had my own tool box, and it was not pink (not that there is anything wrong with that.) I could hang my own shelves - correctly. I could fix my car when certain things went wrong (this was probably more out of repitition, but still - I could do it!) When I started my own business, I was the one that had to fix the toilet when unpleasant conditons would arise.
And now, I start out doing the Do-It-Yourself project with my husband, but then it is snack time, and then it is lunch time, and then diapers need to be changed, and then someone falls down, and then it is naptime (yay!) and I can get back to the project, usually just in time for the clean-up.

I hate the clean-up part of a project.

Most of the time, no matter how badly I want a project done, I will wait until he has the time to do it. He has been really busy lately and no time for projects!

But now I am even worse than that. Now if something breaks or requires a screw driver - I wait until he gets home. How lame is that? Part of it is not so lame, because battery replacement usually requires a screwdriver and, well, sometimes I need some peace and quiet. But other than that, pretty lame - especially when I KNOW I can do it.

So, I am taking a cue from Gabrielle over at Cultured Nativity regarding her recent post on PMS (Pre-Mommy Self). She came from a one direction and I am going a totally different one, but still PMS! And on that note, I am going to share an inspiring site for you.

TipNut.com My New Favorite Website.

This website is full of all kinds of stuff. I love it. Want to know how to make your own laundry detergent? I probably won't ever do this, but, hey tell me anyway! Need 12 beauty hacks from your kitchen? Maybe, money's been tight, I may have to start doing double duty on kitchen staples. Need a spring cleaning guide and checklist? Absolutely!

Since I am relatively new to this Homemaker Profession, as a single full-time job. I found the following tips extremely helpful (and nice reminders to keep in mind while going through my busy day!)

From the following article:
http://tipnut.com/rewarding-homemaking/

10 Secrets To Rewarding Homemaking

1. Know: You are a Home Manager, not a slave, martyr or responder to chaos. Each day is a fresh start with new things to accomplish and feel pride for. Even though deep down I know this, sometimes i need to be reminded.

2. Realize: Actively managing your home is one way to nurture your family and their environment. There will be positive reflections: a more harmonious household, a little more eagerness attending to household chores, more appreciation and gratitude. I have started to clue into this recently and I think this is compelling me to put a little more effort onto my job.

3. Be Proactive: It’s easy to get sucked into despair (and resentment) when your home is in constant shambles. Keep on top of things daily if possible and work in chunks of time on busy days. Again, recently started to notice this too - I feel less exhausted and more inspired if the house is in order.

4. Establish Routines: Remember Mondays for laundry, Tuesdays for Ironing, Thursdays for Shopping, etc.? Routines work and work well! Schedule household routines that will serve your household best. This I need to do. Not the ironing part, but being on top of things a little better. I work well with deadlines and a schedule - so maybe I won't hate laundry so much if I spread it out over the week. Sounds promising, we'll see if that works out.

5. Clean As You Go: Pick up and clean as you go, this makes less “piles” of work waiting to be done. Again, something I need to work on and feel as if I am getting better at. But I am a procrastinator at heart.

6. Appreciate: The shabbiest of homes can be more comfortable and welcoming than gilded show homes. Neat, clean & harmony will always shine bright–appreciate your home and what it has to offer. This is my ultimate goal.

7. Daily Treat: Each day do an unexpected nice thing for someone in the home (like having coffee ready in the morning or make a favorite dessert) or add a lovely puttery treat to your home. Hmmm, I am good at the cooking favorite dinners and special treats, but I really like that my husband makes coffee every morning.

8. Delegate: Three people each doing a ten minute cleaning chunk accomplishes 30 minutes of cleaning in 10 easy minutes, good managers are good delegators. Choosing tasks that compliment a person’s ability as well as personality and preference will go a long way. I am looking forward to this! SO, the 4 year-old has become very helpful in her ripe-old age so I am starting to utilze her helpfulness to my advantage...putting away her laundry (we are still working on the folding), picking up her toys, taking her plate to the counter, etc..

9. Entertain Regularly: Years ago women would hold weekly bridge parties and afternoon teas. Socializing was looked forward to and friendships flourished, but you also made darn sure the house was presentable. This is a great technique to regularly “force” a well-kept home. You could entertain a few friends for an afternoon tea, a weekend bbq, or have family visit for a few days. My husband and I learned a long time ago that this worked well for us. Our yearly barbeque is yearly catalist for getting at least one of our major outdoor projects done each year!

10. Be Kind: Gruff, impatient, bitter, biting words and attitude will undo and damage all that you accomplished with the above. Enjoy serving your family, your home and yourself–your job as a home manager will be more rewarding and successful. Always a nice reminder - one that I need from time to time.

My cleaners are making me sick

2009-03-31T00:57:00.000-07:00

OMG I have always wondered who really knows or is affected by the tv shows that highlight dodgey service providers. The show in question is Target made in New Zealand for New Zealanders. They always have a section where there is a hidden camera and an actor for varying services, glass installers, pest control, cleaners etc. Well I sometimes watch this show and tonight just happened to turn it on when I was stopped dead in my tracks. They were showing a video image of a man cleaning the toilets with a childs bath towel and then the shower AND THEN folding it neatly and returning it to the towel rail. This family had been getting sick for a long time and had no explanation!!!!!. Plus the fact that things had started going missing in the house, Mum had stepped in and installed a security camera. AND OMG it was MY cleaner. I feel so very disgusted and sick about this and to top it off they are scheduled to come tomorrow. NOT NOW. The unfortunate thing is that I was not really happy with they work of late and was going to stop having them come and now I am sure that they will know that I have watched the show. I will probably be one of many (if infact they have been honest with the number of clients they have) who call them tomorrow.
I was even recommended them by the neighbours cleaner. Wonder how she feels now? (if she watched Target) Anyway the tragedy of this is that it falls days short of my sons birthday party and the house is in much need of cleaning. Looks like I'm going to be up late.

Let the sun shine in (I need the energy)

2009-03-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

I need summer for another couple of months please. I am not too happy getting up in the dark and as for night closing in earlier than usual not so happy about that either. There is something wonderfully comforting and energy boosting about the sun. Yes we talk about lazy days in the sun (mostly a saying used by those who have escaped reality to a beach somewhere. Mmmmm I wonder what that's like??)but the warm summer days are filled with trips to the zoo, to the park, running in the back yard and I am so very pleased that we have a large back yard. I more amazed each day by how much energy my two older boys have (and how much energy it takes to keep up with them). I dont just mean running in the park with them. My day starts with being woken up to, "Mummy I need....." and ends with "Mummy I need......." It is also, for me, that time of year when my Husband goes on his winemaking spree. I have to say being a solo Mum in charge 24 hours a day 7 days a week is not exactly relaxing esp with 3 young children to manage. I have also had the unpleasantness of having the house we rent being reclad, meaning outer walls have been pulled off, lots of repair (old builder was dodgey)and then there's putting everything back together. I am finding it tough, its been about 5 or so weeks now and we're about 3 weeks out from the finish. All I want is 5 mins, just a little time to have a cup of tea and read a mag. Am I asking too much? I have a young girl who comes once a week from 4.30pm til 6.30-7pm however she has not been here for about 2 weeks. Today is a beautiful day the sun has heard my cry and has responded, I have been gardening and enjoying being outside (with the boys of course) however the boys have also got the extra energy and its been constant all day. Maybe it more noticable due to the fact they are hyped up from seeing their Dad but unfortunately I can not stop the sun's energy reaching them as well as me so as I struggle to keep up they are also keeping up all the activities that little boys enjoy. Oh and it doesn't stop when the sun goes down because my wee babe is still waking at least once in the night and then around 5.30am, which is neither a here nor there time, just too early to get up and yet not enough time to go back to sleep for any great length of time. My life is definitely written all over my face at the moment. I tried to get a nice pic of me on my Husbands phone last night and the photos were terrible I looked exhausted, now I'm going to have to try twice as hard to get ready for kindy on Monday. Darn it wish I hadn't looked at that photo! I'm banning all cameras in the house for awhile! Well my name is being sung out like church bells on Sunday. Keep at it sun, and please come back and replenish me after 8pm when all the little boys are fast asleep.

Crying, From Laughing So Hard

2009-03-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

I read Barefoot Foodie every now and then, but I need to start reading every day. It is only by chance that I caught this entry from a little over a month ago. It needed to be shared. My stomach mussles still hurt.

Really, C'mon

2009-03-09T10:26:00.001-07:00

Really? Over a month since anyone last posted? What is the matter with us? Is it because we have the winter blahs, your entire family is sick with the stupid cold that is going around, you're depressed about the nations (not to mention your own) financial situation?

I don't know about you, but for me the answer YES...to all three.

But the end is in sight...SPRING, HERE WE COME! I am. Officially. Over winter. It is my least favorite season. Sure, I like to take the kiddos up to the snow, dress them up in their snowsuits (that they freaking grow out of EVERY year) and take some seasonal photos. But really, that is enough of winter for for me...so around January 15th, I'm done. But the sun is shining, it is in the 60's to 70's and my kids played outside in the backyard for HOURS this weekend. I am starting to be one happy mommy. I will be a little happier when the last of this snot-monster-barking-cough-bitch-of-a-cold has finally left my house. I went on an exorcism mission yesterday, me and the disinfectant...and the box of Kleenex that I can't seem to stay too far away from!

But I feel better today, SO feels better today and I think VO feels better today. Of course, EO woke up with a sore throat this morning...I thought he was going to escape, but it does not appear likely. That's ok, he is the last one and then we are DONE. Because the sun is shining and the air is warming and all germs will be banished from our house by the anti-bacterial gods.

As far as the last thing, I have come to the conclusion that I have a sickness that cannot be treated with anti-bacterial wipes, zicam or tylenol (narcotics, maybe could work but...I don't think we want a TOO happy mommy). I want to open another business. I had this same obsession last year at this time...but it went away when I convinced myself that I was crazy. But now it is back and I am starting to think it is a good idea...AGAIN. Hopefully the sun will come out and warm things up and melt this crazy idea out of my head. We can only hope.

VIVA LA SPRING!

Pondering a Life with all Boys

2009-02-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

I have been dealing alot with the "Oh three boys" comments lately, mostly because my 3rd son, H, is only 9 weeks old. At first I got the "... My three Sons comment" but I had to knock that on its head due to the fact, there is NO Mum in that show! Anyway since the birth of my 3rd son I have had some interesting yet very noticable changes in the way I view my life. Minutes after H was born I had a mental shift to gearing my life to accomodate intense physical behaviour at all times. I see it now with my elder two, D and E. The running through the house, the play fights, the real fights, the tree house that becomes a pirate ship, the backyard is a battlefield, anything that is longer than 10 cm becomes a gun, a sword, a weapon, (just want to add a note that neither I nor my husband are aggressive people and do not promote guns swords or violence in our house and I am constantly asking myself where did they get it from, but that is another story for another time).

Anyway I get excited for the challenge of keeping these boys so active that they don't have time to become idle and bored. I am excited by the idea of hikes and bushwalks plus keeping up with my boys should mean getting back in shape (its been too long). We all love camping, and fishing. I want to teach my boys how to be gentlemen, how to clean up after themselves, take pride in themselves. To help them find and nuture their interests, encourage them to try new things, to have an appreciation for music and the arts and the importance of sport and physical activity.

With my eldest approaching school age (he starts yr 1 in April)I have also been wondering how they'll cope with school, is this talk about how boys are struggling with school these days real and how do you deal with it? Will they cope should I offer more help, will this aid him or hinder him?

It worries me that my boys will become those boys you see hanging around the streets, getting into trouble and causing trouble so much so that I have already told my husband that they are to be so busy with sports, music, drama, school and other activites that they dont even have a chance to be idly walking the streets, not to mention the curfews and other guidelines that they are to adhere too:) Mind you my boys are 4yrs, 3 1/2 yrs and 9 weeks old (ok I'm a little nutty about it).

My boys make me laugh, cry and feel so amazing all at once that it is hard to imagine life before them. They are always on the move and their energy levels astound me. They'll challenge me and make me crazy but the love that they have for me is so precious. The only downside to only having boys is that I'll never be the mother of the bride, or share the emotion of a daughter having a baby or just sharing the bond that a mother has with her daughter. All these emotions are leading me to think I might want to try again .......

Working On

2009-01-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to show you what we have been working on lately, the hubby and I. Check out the before and after pics on the Zenaida blog.

My middle child

2009-01-16T02:37:00.000-08:00

I am expanding a comment I made on 'culturednativity' blogsite, on which I was expressing concern and guilt over how I have let myself slot my second child E into the middle child category. Today held the eye opening moment. I have 3 boys D (4 1/2yrs), E (3yrs) and H (6weeks).It is hard juggling three especially when the youngest one is so demanding (ie he needs me and me only most of the time and then wants me and me only the rest of the time) He not so good on getting the Mummy needs to spend time with D and E just yet. Mostly I love that D and E are best friends, constant companions and always there for each other. This has come about due to their close proximity in age and the fact that a year ago we up and moved our family to New Zealand and left all their little friends in California. So they had to be each others companion. However as they have headed off to Kindy and started making newfriends I am starting to see D heading off with others more and more. No-ones fault, he turns 5 in a couple of months, he starts school this year and is generally growing up and wanting other kids his own age to play with. This leads me to E, he is a trying child and yet such an emotional and cuddly kid. For all his rough and tough exterior (He pushes everyone's buttons nearly all the time) he actually wants and is desperate for their love and company. Today it broke my heart as D was asked and went to a friends for a playdate, E asked if he was invited (what words could I use that wouldn't sound so much like, no sorry darling you weren't invited) so I decided right this is a great opportunity to give him one on one time with Mummy, H was due to have a nap (he doesn't sleep long so they are just that 'naps')I gave E lunch and then feed H and put him down. I then got myself some lunch and did two small jobs before saying to E (who was watching a little show while I fed H) lets play. He was so excited and his little face lit up, I knew he was thrilled to be here with me. I had been with him for maybe 5-10 mins and H started to cry. I looked at E and just caught a glimpse of that look of "Oh well that was that and now she'll leave. I nearly just left H to cry but I got up and of course H never went back to sleep, the time past and we had to go out and do some jobs before picking up D. I did go early to pick up D so that E could have a little play with the boys but that will not make up for ditching him and allowing him to succumb to the 'Middle Child' syndrome. I vow not to let this happen again but it wont be easy. I have not given in to adverse conditions with him prior and I wont let him down now!!!
Probably what made me realise that I have to help him gain his own identity, friends and time in the light, is that just after D left and I was feeding the baby, I heard him call out to D a couple of times before he remembered that D wasn't actually with him anymore. He needs to be E without D.

Let's Talk About Cream, Baby

2009-01-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

I want to talk about facial cream regiments. I want to know your secrets.
As a life long sufferer of extremely dry skin, I have done little in face hygiene besides lather on the Pond's at night (whether or not I've actually washed my face) and applied copious amounts of greasy Banana Boat Sunscreen during the day. I get a zit every year.
But recently, I've realized some serious creases in my skin, splotchy discoloration, age spots, need I go on? I'm aging and the proof stares me down every morning in the mirror. How do I stop it?
I want to know the secret methods all you Sephora, Cosmetic Department, Infomercial shopaholics swear by. I want to know how to treat the problem. I want to know how to pamper this limp wrinkled, warp-speed aging skin. And finally, what make-up to use in order to hide the stubborn parts? I want the dewy glow of that 18 year old checker at Albertson's. Who has plumbed the fountain of youth? And how much does it cost?
The past few issues of Lucky Magazine have found me skimming the pages for skin secrets, lip plumpers, and make-up tips. I keep looking for the section titled "How To Make Your Eye Lids Tighter, Your Lips Fuller and Erase Those Eye Wrinkles Without Surgery" but they haven't written it yet, nor have they listed the specific magic treatments available for purchase. Maybe we should put together a list for reference. I'll start...
I just spent an embarrassing amount of money on my personal version of the Elizabeth Arden facial care starter kit. What I bought: Visible Difference Refining Moisture Cream (prevents moisture loss) , Good Morning Eye Cream (let's hope so), Hydrating Mask, First Defense Anti-Oxident Lotion SPF 15. In addition I have also invested in some daily exfoliating facial scrubs. IS THIS GONNA KEEP ME YOUNG??? Or just broke and wrinkled? Somebody please let me in on the secret.

Backwards, Forwards and Epiphanies

2009-01-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here's to 2009!
2008 was what I like I call to call our "Year of Adjustment." I settled in to, more or less, being a stay at home mom after having my second child at the end of 2007 and selling the business that I spent 8 years growing into a successsful company. That part was great. More time to spend on family things, without stressing out how to squeeze them into my busy work schedule. I embarked on a healthy cooking regiment that included a basket of fresh, organic and locally grown produce that I would (and still do) pick up every other Tuesday. I became excited at the new possibilities for dinner entrees. I would get my list and begin searching online recipe websites for what to make using the interesting assortment of vegetables filling up my vegetable drawer. Vegetables that I would NEVER pick out on my own have become staples in our house. Fortunately my children are great eaters!
I discovered that I have a hobby. My grandmother and mom taught me how to sew when I was a kid and I had played around in the last few years sewing baby blankets for friends and family members. But this year, I went a little crazy. I sewed clothes for my daughter, new pillow covers for my couch, reusable shopping bags, a million sets of reversible napkins, insulated lunch bags for my neice and nephew for Christmas...I am sure there are a few more things that I whipped together and just can't remember right now. I didn't realize I had a hobby until a friend of mine pointed it out to me. Sewing is my hobby and EO decide to encourage the hobby by purchasing a sweet new sewing machine for me for Christmas...it is super fancy and high quality...I am looking forward to working on it!
While this sounds all rosey and happy, there was one thing that did make the "Year of Adjustment" a bit of a challenge. I no longer had a "job." Which meant that I no longer had "my own money." I still get "paid" through our other business, but it is just enough to cover household expenses, barely. EO had to adjust in order to be able to pay me a salary plus cover all of my regular monthly expenses (car payment, insurance, etc.) So there was a lot of adjusting all around and this was probably the hardest part of the whole year. EO and I have always kept everything seperate money wise because we each had our own business. So combining money and having to discuss larger purchases before hand was something very difficult for me, it still is. I think what it comes down to is freedom, and there are times when I feel I have none, financially speaking! We are getting better at it and getting used to working together and I am hoping that things will be easier this year.
This year I am hoping to make our house work for us, which means complete and total organization. We have been space and storaged challenged in our little 1950's ranch house. But, we are going to be here for at least another 5 years, so we may as well as get comfortable. We are already on our way. I purchased a wardrobe from IKEA and EO installed it in our bedroom. It looks great, fits in our room perfectly and has tripled the storage space in our tiny bedroom. EO and I now have all of our clothes in our room...novel concept...I am very excited. Now we are one step closer to being able to eliminate the micro-closet that our room was built with and add that space to the micro-bathroom that we are currently working with. Depending on what we get to there will be before and after photos (someday).
My epiphany came while putting away the Christmas toys. My children and I are currently sharing the 10'x7' "area" in our house. I have a mini desk shoved in corner on one wall, we share a bookcase that came with our house and they have the rest of the space. We are crammed to say the least. I was not ever really sure how to make it work better for all of us. BUT I HAVE FIGURED IT OUT! I was so excited that in the middle of putting away all of the toys I had to sit down and DRAW A PICTURE of what my plan was. I have planned, measured and made my shopping list! Now all I need to do is to come up with the $640.00 necessary to put my plan in motion...refer to above paragraph!

A Band Of Hearts

2008-12-12T22:14:00.001-08:00

I met a band of hearts one day in a land of wine. They circled round and swooped me up in a collision of sparkling stars. We banded together to face the world and all the changes it brought. Hearts entwined, divided and multiplied until our circle became a busy bursting cloud of tiny futures, big todays and better tomorrows. The hearts grew wise over time, they created more life, carried heavier souls, all the while entwining themselves around each other. This circle has stretched and grown across mountain ranges and oceans and still, the hearts touch. Still, the hearts hold tight. And today, today one heart became two. And our fantastic circle grew even larger, stretched to even greater size. A band of hearts whose limit knows no bounds. Whose bonds will never break. A band of shiny, laughing, loving happy hearts.

Two Words

2008-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

I have two words to describe my day: Bikram Housecleaning.
Oh yes, it's the latest craze since global warming and the Second Great Depression arrived.
I can no longer afford a house cleaner. I can't buy an air conditioner and I don't have a gym membership. All of these things rolled into one = you said it, Bikram Housecleaning!
"Ever since we put a new black shingled roof on our house, the living room really heats up in the daytime. During this month's heat wave, I lost 4 pounds AND my house is sparkling!"

Waiting for baby

2008-11-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

I always beleived that I was reasonably patient and for the most part let things happen when they did. However waiting for babies is not one of my patient moments. It started 4 1/2 years ago when I sat at home awaiting my first bundle of joy. I was lucky enough to go through the pregnancy with two very wonderful and inspiring women who were also expecting their first. I suppose my impatience started to fester when the first women announced she was having contractions and was 4cms dilated a couple of weeks out from her (our- we were all due either on the same day or within a day)due date. She went on to be induced two weeks early. I was excited for her and was fine seeing I still had a pregnant companion. Though she somehow out-smarted me and managed to deliver ON her due date (who does that anyway???)so here I was on my due date with babies all around and none were mine. I waited and waited and then 10 days later walked comfortably and without pain into the hospital for an induced birth. My baby was in no hurry as it took nearly 2 days in the hospital to have my dear 9lb 5oz little boy . With number two I was so busy with my 18 month old that the time did pass reasonably quickly however the end was once again a heavy burden (although I only gained half the weight of my first pregnancy my belly was again a huge bump in my torso)This time I was a little more clued in and with another big baby on the way informed my doctor that if I reach my due date with no baby then I would like to be induced. I have to confess at this point that I was working on a different due date to the actual one my doc had so I actually asked her to schedule my induction 5 days before the due date I had in my head. Although I did pass the actual due date (by 3 days)I only found this out after my second little 9lb boy was born.
So here I am now 4 days out from the due date of my 3rd bundle of joy and have been expecting to have this baby for the past three weeks. Just this week it occured to me that it was highly improbable that my baby would be born before the due date and in my case without being induced. I have been walking around for these past three weeks acting over due and very much feeling like this baby was defying my every wish to come ontime. As I am now 4 days out I realise that this baby still has time to be ontime or even early if it so chooses. I am now trying to relax and take time to put my feet up (ok nearly impossible with my 2 boys)and to stop putting the pressure on (although I have gone ahead and asked my midwife book my induction next Monday because once Sat comes and goes I will be ready to have my baby whether the baby is ready to or not!)

The First Birthday

2008-11-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

SIGH.

It is with a little bit of both happiness and sadness that I must report that we have celebrated our last first birthday! There has been drama at each first birthday party...which makes me happy that we will not have to do any more and sad that we will not have the opportunity to redeem ourselves and have a drama-free first birthday.

At SO's first (a big blow out mind you, where we invited everyone we had ever met!), we didn't think about handing a one year old a cupcake, that was essentially, on fire, with a big ol' number one candle. Of course she reached for the flame, and of course her dad grabbed her hand so that she did not get burned. But she got scared, started screaming and did not recover until after her nap. It was still fun and memorable - but that is what we remember, vividly, from that one.

Which brings us to yesterday...VO's first birthday extravaganza. This one was MUCH smaller than the first...just family. Which was probably a good thing in hind sight. It was sort of monkey themed...we had monkey invitations, banana cake (he LOVES banana) with yellow swiss buttercream frosting topped with blue monkeys from a barrel. As I was making the frosting, I definitely recognized the amount of egg whites going into the frosting. SO had a sensitivity to egg whites when she was a baby and only recently started being able to eat them without her chin turning red - she is now three. It always cleared up really fast on her, but I still had not tried to give VO eggs yet, at all (my first mistake). So, I took this into consideration when putting the frosting on VO's little cupcake, I just smeared a very thin layer on top (my second mistake), then topped it with the big number 1 candle and a little monkey. This is what his little cupcake looked like.

VO enjoyed it very much. He enjoyed the singing, and mommy was on top of the burning candle this time blowing it out right about the time he noticed it. And he MOWED the cupcake. This is what he looked while enjoying his birthday.

And this is what he looked like after.

Holy CRAP. Can you say *alergic reaction*? There is nothing like giving your 1 year old a chemical shower (so to speak) to get the frosting off his face as soon as possible. And then having daddy rub his face down with hydrocortizone while mommy makes the call to the pediatrician to find out his benadryl dosage! Good times. Good times.

Bad mommy.

So it is with the O's and first birthdays: drama, crisis, medical emergencies...presents! All turned out fine and he even started to be himself and play with all of his new toys once the benadryl kicked in, and his sister let him.

Follow Up to Last Post

2008-11-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

OK, so the pot pie turned out pretty good, despite my best efforts to screw it up. I have a problem paying attention sometimes and trying to do too many things at once! On the first go around (yes, I did part of it twice!) I burned the roux (butter/flour thickening part), so I had to do it again. And since I was pressed for time (trying to get dinner on table to feed everyone at once) I did not chop any more shallots. Instead I threw in some minced garlic I had on hand. I did not have any cream in the first place, so on the first try I used the last little bit of whole milk in the fridge. On the second try I used 1/2 'n 1/2, which was probably a better substitute anyway. It actually turned out pretty good. But not in time to feed the kids, so I whipped up a little mac 'n cheese for them while the pie baked away. It was ready for EO when he got home from work...and he had three helpings. The man loves a good pot pie!

As Per Request - What I Make For Dinner

2008-11-03T13:56:00.001-08:00

OK, so I would not normally do this, but I have had a couple of people ask me what I have been making for dinner lately. Here is what is on my list for this week - so far. I get my harvest basket of veggies tomorrow which will dictate the rest of the week.

Tonight I am making Turket Pot Pie - using a recipe I have not used before. My old recipe was this (super easy-super fast): cooked turkey breast chopped, 1 bag frozen organic veggies of your choice (I prefer peas, carrots and green bean combo), 1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup, 1 package of frozen pie crust (2 crusts). Combine turkey (or chicken), frozen veggies and soup (do not add any additional liquid to the soup). Line pie pan with crust, fill pie crust with turkey mixture, cover pie with other crust. Seal crust up on the edges and poke vent holes with fork in top crust in a pretty pattern. Bake at 350 for about an hour, until crust is a nice golden brown (you may need to cover edges so they do not burn).

Today I consulted the food network as I do not have cream of broccoli, or cream of anything actually, I stopped buying it because I cannot find it without MSG in it (c'mon Campbell's). And will be using this recipe coutesy of Mr. Bobby Flay (who I really do not ever use, but this one seems good enough and the reviews were all good - side note- whenever getting a recipe off foodnetwork.com or epicurious.com always read the reviews!!!) I am starting with cooked turkey, so skip the first step and I don't have all of the veggies in the recipe so I will be using parsnips, carrots and whatever frozen veggies I can find in the freezer that will work. I am also using store bought crust - judge me if you want - I know I can make it, I just choose not to!

Some time this week I will be making this because it sounds AWESOME (and no, my kids will not eat this, it is for me. I love wasabi peas!). I got the last ingredient that I needed this morning.
Last week I made Parsnip and Apple Soup (after having Tom's at Villa Creek I KNEW what had to be done with the beautiful parsnips in my crisper.) And mine was good, but of course, his was better! (recipe found online) Chicken Chili Verde - a knock off of DB's, Gabrielle's SIL (must give proper credit)...saute onions, garlic, add whole BS chicken breast, submerge in chili verde sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat simmer until chicken is cooked through, remove chicken and shred or chop, return to sauce add kidney beans and chopped cilantro. Serve with tortillas, shredded cheese and sour cream - even my three year old eats it (she makes tacos just like mommy and daddy!) and VO eats the chicken and the kidney beans. Lettuce wraps - I love the teriyaki and pineapple meatballs from Aidell's. I use these for the lettuce wraps, cook some rice, shred some carrots and jicama (or what ever you have), wash some lettuce leaves and there you go...Asian style tacos.

That is all I can remeber for now. If anyone has any dinner ideas, I am sure we would all love something new to add to the rotation - please share!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Seriously click over to this site...the dress, I mean GOWN is incredible. I swear this to you now, if SO wins this dress, we will have a dress up playdate and even the boys can come!

Fun Site

2008-10-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

I recently came across this website for the second time and I love it. It might be my new favorite as she loves the color orange as much as I do. There are a ton of free design related downloads and DIY tutorials to do. But, my favorite section is the Time Wasters! You should definitely check out your color profile! Have Fun.

You Have Got to Be Kidding Me

2008-10-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

If you are curious as to what the website says...www.sweetsurprise.com

"consume in moderation" It is in almost EVERYTHING that is processed. It actually takes work to buy food (that has been processed on some level) that does not contain HFCS.

I about died when I saw this on tv and realized that it was an actual commercial and not some SNL spoof. Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan people!

Bad-Ass Mothers

2008-09-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

5 kids under 5 (1 of which is newly mobile).

3 bad-ass mothers.

3 surfboards.

endless amounts of beach crap to entertain the 5 kids under 5, plus lunch.

One spectacularly beautiful day, no wind, perfect temp and clear water.

All three of us actually got in the water and caught some waves. MIRACLE. It was AWESOME. We are bad-ass mothers!

And, somehow, I scored and got to be the repeat surf mom (no one wants to go by herself). I didn't have to watch all 5 kids by my self...I am in debt for the next time!

There was a little bit of a creep factor...It was apparently National Geographic Day and we didn't get the memo in advance. We saw dolphins surfing our same waves, a friendly little otter, a couple of seals, copius amounts of sea birds including one low-flying pelican and lots and lots of sand dollars. We tried not to think about any other "animals" that could be out there with us and pondered the question, "Do otters bite?"

Maybe EMK will post some pics, hopefully, not of me in my wetsuit though!

Kitty and Dashy

2008-09-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

I am just guessing on the spelling of Dashy (Dashie, Dashee), SO came up with it and it is, so far, the only animal or toy that has a name other than what it is i.e. Kitty, Horsey, Lambie, etc...

But the reason for this post is because Kitty, Horsey and Dashy (Scotty Dog) have disappeared. Yes, I have looked in the bed, in the dressers, in her brother's room, in my room, in the closets, behind the towels, in the bins of clothes that the kids do not fit into...I HAVE LOOKED EVERY WHERE. Now, since I know how special these particular little animal friends are, I do not let her take them outside to play with to ensure that a certain dog, who also loves a good stuffed animal, albeit for different reasons, does not get a hold of them. And we have not seen any evidence to suggest that this is where they met their demise. I also don't let her take them to school because I never remember to bring the things home that we take. They are not in my car or at either Grandparents house. I do not know where they could possibly be.

I have retraced our steps to the couple of days before the disappearance (I used to watch CSI so feel as if I am an expert in crime solving). Unfortunately, the day they went missing was 2 days before my husband and I left for our anniversary weekend. I had, of course, spent this time COMPLETELY REARRANGING MY HOUSE. I cleaned out the kids closets and put all of the too big and too small clothes into storage bins. I moved all of my bedroom furniture out of our room and into my son's room, while switching one dresser from SO's room to VO's room and another from VO's room to SO's room. I moved "new to me" bedroom furniture into my room. So needless to say, this opened up the possible places for the missing trio to be! But I have looked multiple times in the places I would think them to be and I still cannot find them. I think I even feel a little responsible for the fact that they are missing as I did leave a whole lot of additional places for them to be put and forgotton about over the course of about a week. Does that make me an accessory? And yes, I have asked her where she put them and she does not remember.

I thought I would post them here instead of on the back of a milk carton...

Oh, did I mention that these were Ty Beanie Babies? And I am not a collector, these are toys, given to my daughter, so yeah, I cut the tags off. She asks me to, she is not of a fan of the tags or "pokeys" as she refers to them. Did I write down the official name of the animal? Are you kidding? Of course not! However, that is where I made my mistake. If I could take a moment and make a small suggestion to the Beanie Baby creators and webmaster...would you mind putting in a search function so that a mom, like myself, could type in "Horse" and then just have all the horses come up to peruse? I really do not think that is too much to ask and could even help out the most avid collector who may not know the name of the creature they are looking for.

But as for now, they do not have a search function. So you can search ALL, CURRENT or RETIRED. Personally, I have no f-ing clue as to what these could be, but knowing my luck, I am guessing retired...but I choose to search through all of them, just to be sure. OVER 1300 OPTIONS TO SCROLL THROUGH. Yes, that is right, over 1300 stupid animals stuffed with beans that I perused through. I had to find the name of the animals in question before I could even begin to search for them on any other purchasing site. I did have success on 2 out 3 of the missing creatures and hopefully Kitty (a Siamese cat named Orient) and Dashy (a Scotty dog actually named Dundee) will be arriving at my house via some lovely E-Bay sellers by the end of the week...Thank goodness these are not some crazy special edition collector's items, otherwise I am sure the $2-$3 price tag each would have most likely been a little (or a lot) higher.

And I think I have figured out that Horsey is not a Beanie Baby as he was not on any of the lists. I am debating whether or not to call the hotel in Texas where I know my Mother-in-Law purchased the horse during one of their vacations a year or two ago...but I have not decided yet...I think I will see how we react to getting Kitty and Dashy back and see if we even have a mention of Horsey. But I have a feeling that I am going to be making a long distance phone call and subsequent credit card purchase from a Texas resort inthe near future. Do you think that will be enough of resititution for my part in the disappearance?

Also, anyone want to make a bet on how long after the new Kitty and Dashy arrive that we locate the missing threesome???

The Much Requested Polenta Recipe

2008-08-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Okay...here it is. Seriously, it is so easy and the possibilities are endless!

The basics behind it are just a little ratio 1:3...1 cup polenta (dry corn meal, corn grits, NOT the stuff in the tube) to 3 cups of liquid. To make more, just increase the ratio 2:6, etc...

Here is what I do when I am just making dinner for the 4 of us and this leaves a little bit of left overs.

1 cup Corn Meal (My personal preference is Bob's Red Mill Organic Coarse Corn Meal)
1 1/2 cup chicken stock (organic, free-range from Trader Joe's)
1 1/2 cup milk (Strauss Family Organic)
salt and pepper

The chicken stock adds good flavor, if you are a vegetarian, vegetable stock will work fabulously. The milk makes it creamy. You can make it all chicken stock, all milk or you can use water if you don't have anything else and if you are adding flavorful ingredients to it after it is made.

Bring your liquids to a boil(just barely if you are using milk). Turn the heat to low, add salt and pepper to taste and then whisk in the corn meal slowly to avoid lumps. Let the polenta cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally and don't let it get too thick. If it does get too thick, add a little more liquid of choice and a little butter. Then you can add whatever you want to mix in. I like to add in shredded jack cheese and diced green chilis, or caramelized onions, feta and sun dried tomatoes or just a big handful of shredded cheddar.

Now, you can eat it this way, soft, creamy polenta or you can spread it onto a sheet pan (cookie sheet) and refrigerate overnight. Cut the chilled polenta into cakes and bake at 400 degrees in the oven until the tops gets crunchy. Can be used as a side dish or as main course.

Gypsy Mama

2008-08-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have just completed my third move in a year. I am actually wondering if that is an accurate number because it is possible that I blocked one out. Be that as it may, as I was sifting through all the trinkets that a four year old boy turns up with, I was at a complete loss for what the heck to do with all this stuff. A wide assortment of plastic bugs, a million bottles of bubbles, several hundred rocks of all different shapes, sizes and colors mixed in with dirt, feathers, an ant farm full of dead ants, and pieces to toys that I can't even identify. What is a woman on the move to do? Pile it all into a bag and donate it? Dump it in the landfill? Organize it? Who has time? Life is happening all around us. No way I am going to spend hours figuring out where this stuff belongs in our lives. The 4 year old has long since forgotten about every single one of these objects, he lives his life in the moment, and is fully engaged with fitting the tops of markers on his fingers. At this point I would like to raise a glass to the Veterans truck outside of Target that will accept bags of randomness with a smile. Not only do they risk their lives in service, but they make use of all of the unbelievable clutter that can gather in a 4 year old's room. Cheers!

The question I pose to all of you dear friends is this. What is a mom to do with all of the preschool projects? The plastic bag filled with some strange substance with crepe paper atatched, the paper plate covered in yellow paint and sunflower seeds, the gingerbread man, the hand turkeys,the blue string covered in glitter glue( a personal favorite). You all know what I am talking about. Your house is full of these beautiful artifacts. Am I bad mom because I just toss them into the recycle bin? I looked lovingly at each project, thought about all that it took to construct it, and then slam dunked it into the recycle bin. Do you think that jelly substance is recyclable? This is what I figure...I may go to great lengths to preserve these bits of artistic development. But when I bust them out when this 4 year old is an adult he will only think I am totally nuts. Then what do I do? Give them back to him so he can muse about his great achievements? Hand the box over to his wife so she can think I am nuts? Spend my senior years lovingly recalling the good old days? God, I hope not. I hope I am in France with you guys. No. Call me a bad mom if you want. But I am not keeping anymore superfluous pieces of paper. I am going to spread my wings and rid myself of all of 4 year old baggage!!!!

Please just don't ask me to get rid of anymore of my wardrobe, or shoe collection!

XXOO

Put This On Your Calendar

2008-08-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

I may regret posting this for all to see, but then I would be racked with guilt that I knew something and didn't share. I already feel regret that I found about this amazing sale AFTER it was in San Francisco and that I missed the Portland sale by about 4 weeks. I will NOT miss it this time and you don't have to either...just don't go buying something that I want!

http://www.modeconomy.com/

Oh, Yes I DID!!!

2008-07-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Him: Good morning, thank you for calling Port-a-Potties-R-Us, this is Dan.

Me: Hi, Dan. I am calling for (Insert Contractor's Name Here) regarding the port-a-potty at 1234 Elm Street.

Him: Yes, how do you say it, (Insert Contractor last Name Here).

Me: Yes, that is correct (Insert me with sly smile here! - That was easier than I thought.)

Him: What can I do for you today?

Me: We need to have the port-a-potty moved to the back of the property.

Him: Is it possible to just move it straight back.

Me: No, you will have to load it up, go back down the hill and drive it around to the road at the back of the property.

Him: Okay, should not be a problem.

Me: Will there be a charge? (Please, oh please let there be a charge!)

Him: Yes, it will probably be about $35 for the move.

Me: Oh, is that it (sense of disappointment)...I mean, that will be fine...when can you get this done?

Him: This afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning.

Me: PERFECT! And thank you so much!

An Open Letter to the Contractor Building the Spec House Next Door to Us

2008-07-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Contractor,

There are a few items that I would like to address before you go and start building another house in an already established neighborhood.

Item #1: If you are building it as a spec house, be a man and say so. Do not say you are not sure what you are going to do with the house, maybe you will "live in it or maybe sell it." If you are only going to live in it when you cannot sell it, then say so.

Item#2: When you ask me to borrow our water to wet down the dirt so that it does not blow all over while putting in the footings for the house, please explain that this is not a one time deal and that you are going to show all the subs the water spigot on the side of my house to be used for the ENTIRE job.

Item #3: When you say that you are going to pay me for said water, please do so without having to be reminded. But also, do not think that I will not remind you, so don't be surprised when asked to cough up the cash.

Item #4: When showing subcontractor's the water spigot for all to use, please point out to them that the wall that it comes out of is the wall between them and my childrens' rooms. So, if they could please not let the gate SLAM as they go in and out multiple times a day, I would appreciate it. Because, as you know since you have a toddler as well, that when the subcontractors are done for the day (3:00pm), it is during naptime.

Which brings me to...

Item #5: It is obvious that you have some friends doing some work for you. I know this because some of the work does not start until late afternoon. So, why does it have to be just about everyday when nothing is happening to the house, all day, that at 3:00pm your buddies show up to start tractoring and jack-hammering...at 3:00pm...during naptime. I am sure if this house was being built next to your house, your wife would want to lose her mind.

Item #6: Before you move the port-a-potty onto my property, at least ask first. I understand that your gas line needs to go in, because the sooner stuff gets done, the sooner you will go away. But think about it, wouldn't you be a lot LESS pissed off if you had at least been asked first and agreed to it?

Item #7: When you say that you are going to move the port-a-potty today (because we asked you to - two weeks later) then, could you please actually do it. It is now two days after you said you would move it and it is still on my property. One more day and I am going to call them to come and pick it up...it is on my property after all. Yes, I mean tomorrow, Tuesday, the 29th.

Item #8: I am pretty sure you hate coming to my door to ask me things (which is why you did not ask me about the port-a-potty). But you did come to my door to ask to borrow the hose (more water related borrowing) blaming it on the subs with promises to return the hose. Well it did not get returned and EO had to go over there to get it so that we could use it. Our own hose. I am sure you can imagine the answer the next time you ask to borrow something.

Item #9: If you have to dig up some of our plants that are close to the property line, again asking or letting me know would be the thing to do. Especially since I had already asked you if our plants were going to get trampled and I am sure you can remember what your answer was to that.

Item #10: Please be considerate of all the crap we have to put up with on our narrow little street while you are building this house. Put yourself in our shoes. We have to wait for you to move the tractors so we can drive down the street to get to town as you are at the beginning of the only outlet. We have to deal with the torn up road and the big metal squares covering up the huge holes in our road...it is with a little dread that I wait to see how this will be remedied. With respect to this item, I am not sure what exactly happened the day that you hooked up the water and the gas lines, but from what I could tell it seemed as if you were going to leave on a Friday night with out making the street very drivable for those of us who live on it...for the entire weekend (i.e., beers were being consumed, the tractors were parked in their usual overnight spots and the mood was jovial). I witnessed some sort of an altercation with my neighbor from across the street...she was yelling, hands flying in the air. I admit, I tried to listen but sometimes my kids make it hard to eavesdrop. All I know is that one of your buddies went over to talk to her and that later the cops showed up. And then you and your buddies worked until past 8:30pm that night to fix the road up so it was drivable. Thank you for that.

Item #11: I am sure by the above referenced items that you can understand why I fully expect some sort of fruit basket or "thank you for not riding my ass the whole job" gift, because frankly, I am sure that my husband would have been happier had I bugged you about everything other than him. And in case you need some thank you gift ideas, I enjoy gift certificates for high-end stores, coffee, massages and furniture - with triple digit amounts on them.

The only good part about the house being built next door (after the lot had sat empty for 50 years and there was no action on it until you decided to build a spec house in the worst market possible probably only because we live in the house next door, but I digress) is that good friends of ours have purchased it. So, while we do have to put up with the construction and the BS, we know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And we know that we will not get stuck with some crappy neighbors who are even more annoying at 3:00pm (or 3:00am) while my children are trying to sleep.

Rookie Mistake

2008-07-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

As we drove away from our friends house last night the hubby and I looked at each other confused. "Why was that NOT fun?" I asked him, we always enjoy a BBQ with friends? Then the light bulb went off, we had made the mistake of not feeding our newly independent and picky 1 year old before we got there. We both spent the majority of the BBQ trying to get "Miss S" to eat, offering her way to many choices in hopes that something would make it into that belly of hers instead of on the patio. We said "bye" to people we never said "hello" to, neither of us finished a single conversation, I left my hat, her sippy cup and a cookie tray behind. "I think I was rude" I said. Hubby told me not to worry as they have all be in our shoes. It was a rookie move, we failed to take into consideration that this past week "Miss S" has gone from eating pretty much whatever we throw down to eating....well picking at...buttered toast, oatmeal and fruit...sometimes. Our "baby" has become a toddler, a picky and easily distracted toddler that just wants to run around and play, and not eat her vegetables. Lesson learned, feed the kid before hand if you want to enjoy a social event.

When the old needs replacing (no really it does)

2008-07-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

Well here I am again its after 10pm and I am on my NEW computer my husband so spontaneously purchased for me over the weekend. I say spontaneously yet it has taken him nearly 6 months to concede that it was actually very much in need. My old computer screen was a nice shade of pink with very blurry words and pictures that I could not see (just today I actually got to see the plant that culterednativity bought for her anniversary). Anyway I have also decided that I am to get organised and start going to bed early. MMmmmmm well as i sit here I think if I bypass the kitchen and not notice the last of the dishes that don't go in the dishwasher I could probably hit the sack now but would I get much sleep? Don't think so. I know all you organised freaks out there are saying "What there are still dishes on your sink" It isn't actually a normal thing (anymore!!!!) but I have been so preoccupied with looking at my lovely new and clear screen I have not had a chance.
Back to my husband and his loving and generousways, I just went to blogher and read a couple of random blogs including one from Mom2ways who had recently wrote about how wonderful her husband was when she threw the Wii remote smack into their new fancy tv (he even had the children saying don't worry- where do you find one of those husbands??)anyway this prompted me to promote my own husband who after me complaining for so long about my pink computer screen came home with a brand new computer only to turn on the old one and have the screen turn out to be perfect (not even a pink hue!!!) and not curse or fuss with only a mild, oh look the screens working again. (Damn computers and their finicky ways)So I say well done to my man who not only went out and secretly bought me a new computer but who didn't overreact when my broken one turned out not to be broken.

My Barbie Dream House Part 2

2008-07-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well at this point it would seem as if the Barbie Dream House will remain just that, an unobtainable (at this moment) dream house. Unfortunately in this crappy housing market it is a viscious cycle. The mortgage companies and banks own all of these houses that they want to unload, but the same mortgage companies and banks have no money to loan out to anyone who wants to buy the houses. FRUSTRATING! We even offered to switch houses with them...here is nice, move in ready house for your trashed house that needs a lot of work, but to no avail. It is really too bad, even if I could just fix it up and sell it, I would be happy with that. But both EO and I agree that we don't want to put our house on the market. Having two kids that need their naps and realtors calling to show the house just seems like a nightmare to me! I get exhausted just thinking about it. And who knows how long it might take to sell our house, we are NOT willing to lose any money on it, because, in reality we don't have to move! And of course, there is always the possibility that our house would finally sell, but the Barbie Dream House would already be under contract with someone else and then we would be homeless, again... EXHAUSTING to even think about considering what happened the last time we sold our house with nowhere to go (see http://stilettosandstrollers.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-barbie-dream-house.html).
Don't think I have given up completely though, as this is the second time I have had to say good-bye to this house...I am confident that the third time will be the charm! For those of you who know me, you know that I am always trying to work some angle, finagle some way and don't give up very easily. Here is to Barbie Dream House Part Three, whenever that may happen.

On a side note and follow up to my offer to make out with VH...I am serious about that offer. Alex came to my house yesterday to clean...SHE CLEANED OUT MY FIREPLACE! I can't believe it. Of course it is the middle of summer, and no, we have not used it in months. I was trying to figure out when EO could have done that without me noticing. He said he had nothing to do with it and Alex must have done it. That is unreal to me...I love her, I sent her home with a cucumber from the garden (a requirement if you come to my door). She even folds my toilet paper into a little triangle like at a hotel. What more could I ask for?

Little boys and a women's body

2008-07-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

My two little boys (4 1/2 and nearly 3) don't know the boundaries that I grew up with, where you just never walked in on your mother in the shower (unless it was dire) and NEVER when she was on the toilet. In my house it seems there is a honing devise attached to the loo so when I sit it beckons the little ones (a little like the Pied Piper I suppose) I am then bombarded with, "What are you doing (Wee or Poop?), and comments like, "I have a penis do you? "No" "Why?" " Because boys have a penis and girls have a bottom", "Yes, your bottom is the fluffy one" "Ok just let Mummy finish so we can move on" and off they go yelling I have a penis and girls don't!!!!

I often get " Your boobies are big Mummy" "Yes well that's because I am having a baby" "Is that where you will feed the baby" "Yes and I fed you like this when you were a baby" then there's giggles and a quiet look that suggests they are trying to remember the experience. Then E says "Boys have boobies too" "Yes they do but just little ones" D replies "Yes boys are just this big (and shows me an appropriate little space between his fingers) then he says, "And Mummy's are THIS BIG and stretches his arms out VERY wide" Under my breath I scream then say quietly and calmly " Yes that's because Mummy had two very beautiful little boys".

But after all the less than favourable comments made, this mornings one made me smile. D came into the bathroom while I was showering. He commented on why there were clothes tossed to the side so I told him thats what Mummy will wear today. He starts to filter through and hones in on the bra, which in his little hand looks larger than usual (well that and the fact that I'm 5 1/2 months preggos and they are larger than usual). He ponders for a while then says, " These are going to be my new eyes and promptly drapes them over his eyes and starts running around. I get out and dry off, "Here you go Mummy, Why do you need these bros!! anyway?" Then looking up at me says " Mmmm, your boobies look........ (I await the usual comment of HUGE) but to my surprise he simply says... beautiful!" Ah ha there is some of his Dad in him after all.

Cupcakes and Urology

2008-07-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

My second sons first birthday is coming up and I am trying to figure out what I want to feed him for his birthday bash! I know, cake! But do I just go for it and give him the full sugary load... or like my first son bake him a healthy cupcake with less sugar in it so his eyes don't pop out of his head? If I bake him a "special" cake I then need to have additional "cakes" for the rest of us sugar fiens in the family. Why do I stress over this?????? Because I have GUILT...mother guilt that the things I did for the first child I should at least try to replicate for the second child...

Now moving on to child number THREE.... NO we are not in the market for child number three. As a matter of fact my husband has an appointment with the urologist on August 22nd! Mark your calendars my husbands nuts are on the chopping block. Suprisingly he is all for it - or not so suprisingly as he spoke to a friend who had it done and his friend remarked " it's the best thing I have done in a long time we are like rabbits now!". Great! (sarcasm). Now back to three, I believe that at some point in the future when my youngest is old enough I will inevitably have the desire for a baby again.... call me crazy but I see it in my future. Hence, I think we have to stop it now. I hope we don't regret our decision but I do know that for many reasons two is just perfect for our family.... So off to the urologist my husband goes.

Now back to those cupcakes! I just ordered some from a place in Templeton that makes yummmy vanilla ones and if I have the time I will make my second little darling a not so sugary concoction...but if not I am sure he will be just fine and know that I love him just the same! And my husband, maybe I will love hime a little more! :-)

I'm All Alone

2008-07-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Ever since I moved away from my friends in Paso, I have always braced myself for social neglect. For two years now, I have stressed over every invitation I have extended to my Paso gals for fear they would not accept. And every invitation I've sent, for two years now, has been enthusiastically accepted, and observed with impeccable attendance. But before each birthday party or dinner event, I have always had a mental chat to prepare myself for the big goose egg. Just in case no one actually arrived to my social soiree. Because it IS a long drive, and it IS a big effort, and long drives with great effort makes for an even longer night (and greater effort)with kiddos in tow.
Like I said, for two years now I have been overwhelmed with their attendance...that is, until today. Toady my house sat empty, and Shelby hung on the windowsill asking, "Mommy, when are my friends coming?"
I put together a very last minute afternoon beach play date with the anticipation that cool weather would be the tipping point to sway all my Paso gals to join me on the coast. Never mind the fact that I gave them a 2 day warning. Never mind the 3 hour window I allowed them in my hectic schedule where I provided a tight agenda of micro managed fun so I could race off to a work function afterwards with my family.
I even asked my new friend and her daughter to come meet the wonderful women I have been bragging about at my Paso Playdate. At least somebody showed up...and she wasn't from Paso. Oh well, we made the most of the 70 degree weather and gusting winds out there on our beach. And I kicked myself for forgetting to have the mental chat about "The Long Drive and The Possibility of No Shows" because I really wasn't prepared to miss you all as much as I do now.
Ironically, it has been nearly two years to the day that we made our hasty exit from Paso. And I'm hoping that it's the happy chaos of summer with children, and not the distance, that keeps us apart. Missing you all, G

Having a Boy

2008-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Our conversation this morning:

Me: "Come on Wy-wy. We have to figure out what we're going to wear to the party today."
Wy-wy: "Ummmmmmmmm, how 'bout CLOTHES!"

I so need a girl in the house.

Happy Birthday V!

2008-07-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, Dear Friend, V-----! Happy birthday to you!

Cheating on my mothers group

2008-07-09T02:08:00.000-07:00

A little while back, I read a blog on culturednativity about making new friends, having coffee with new mothers and generally establishing yourself in a new Mothers group. Well today I well and trully cheated on my dear mothers group and dear friends in California. I supposed it was about time, as it has been 6 MONTHS since I left them, but maybe I didn't have to host the event. I had a modest two other Mums but this upped the number of children from 2 (my boys) to 8 as they both have 3!!!!!. I am going to have my hands full come Nov this year, aargh!!. Anyway one of the Mums is a friend of mine while I hardly new the other Mum, it didn't seem to bother either her or me as we rattled off about everything from having 3 kids to down time to what we did( very briefly getting to know one another). It was a perfect winter day with the sun shining and the kids loved running around (outside) and generally we, as the caretakers, sat and had coffee occasionally looking up to check the young ones (2 and 18 months), but they were girls so there was not much in the way of chasing them as they were happy to quietly go about their business either cooking or sitting with Mum eating and chatting. I suppose I was just thinking that I was pleasantly surprised about the general lack of pain and guilt involved and although I still long for the companionship of those who have been with me for so long, I feel happy to once again open my house and share my coffee with the new women entering my life.
JO on a separate note how's the house situation going??? Hope you have some luck in finding someone to buy your house as I understand times are tough in the housing market in CA. We've just sold our house!!! Yeah, it should close this week and not a minute to soon either. Anyway best of luck with it.

My Barbie Dream House

2008-07-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

So about 2 years ago my husband and I were (thankfully!) coming to the end of a nine month search for a new house. Long story short, we had sold our first house and did not have a new one to go to. We rented a house in, what I did not realize at the time, was the ghetto! Again with the short story...people carrying guns around nonchalantly outside, prostitutes propositioning my husband in our driveway, tenants leaving their homes in the middle of the night...all of these things happened, I am not even slightly exaggerating. All of this with a one year old in the house. THE-LONGEST-NINE-MONTHS-OF-MY-LIFE. Yes, longer than being preggo. So, right before we found (and purchased) the house we currently own, we came upon what I like to call "My 1970's Mansion" (aka My Barbie Dream House).

It was a spectacular mid-century modern home. Architecturally interesting with a pool and a WHOLE LOTTA POTENTIAL. And by potential, I mean a whole lotta work. We made an offer that was (thankfully) not accepted because I would have to still be working in order to pay my share of the mortgage that I happily agreed to pay in order to call this atomic ranch my own! As far as the work, I figure "No Problem." The hubby is handy and I am no slouch myself. We could get this done! Well, back to the part of our offer not being accepted. So we moved on, put an offer in our wonderful home and it was accepted. Of course while we were in escrow, we saw that the Barbie Dream house was re-listed at THE PRICE WE HAD OFFERED! Maddening, but we were in escrow by then, happy with our choice and my husband was not about to lose our substantial deposit on the house. So...moving on.

The 1970's Mansion was sold and we were happy in our new house, only wondering every once in awhile if the new owners were doing any of the fabulous things we had planned to do with the property. And then it went into foreclosure. I found it two nights ago on the internet - for $200,000.00 less than what we had originally offered!...(why was I looking a real estate online, you ask? Because I am obsessed with it. If I had the cash flow to support a couple of mortgages and pay construction crews I would be like that crazy Jeff Lewis guy on Flipping Out, except for the crazy coffee temperature thing - LOVE HIM!) And God bless my husband, when I showed him the treasure I had found on the interweb...he didn't call me crazy, he didn't say NO!, he jumped right on my Barbie Dream House bandwagon and we started to come up with ways to get out of our house without losing any money and remodeling My (ahem, I mean OUR) 1970's Mansion in our heads.

So to answer your questions, no the owners did not do anything fabulous to the house. Yes, calls have been made to the realtor - who I know has missed us the last two years. Yes, calls and emails have been sent to people who may or may not be interested in buying our house. Yes, calls have been made to the mortgage guy to see what we can do in light of the new difficulties placed on those of us who are self-employed and try to get a mortgage. And with all of the turmoil and roller-coasted riding in this thing we call life, we can't complain because the hubby and I DO-IT-TO-OURSELVES!

We made a list last night of everything that would eventually need to be done to the house...it is extensive. We prioritized:

what would have to be done right away (a.k.a. the SHORT list)
what we would just have to live with for awhile (a.k.a. the LONG list)

More to come on the possible uprooting of the O family from comfortableness to living in a construction zone...and if you know anyone who might want to buy a pretty cool house with a great backyard...send them my way :).

It's Seems wet Days are here to stay

2008-06-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

Well, as all you Californians (and Northern Hem folk) are basking in the glory of sun filled days and balmy nights, send some warm thoughts down south to wet and wild Auckland. Today the sun is shining for the first time in a week (bar a snippet here and there throughout the rain soaked week). What to do with Two young and very energetic kids? Playdates (at other people's houses to minimise chaos and muddy feet in own home) Make doctors appointments near the end of the week and send children off to others to play and arrange outings to museums, underground water world etc all timed to coincide with breaks in the teeming rain. I know its rained a lot as D has started to say, "Mum, gee it's raining" " Look at the rain, its really coming down", "Oh it's raining AGAIN" maybe I need to make other comments throughout the week like, "Mum you're gorgeous" " Love you Mum" "Can I do anything for you" etc. Anyway thankfully this has been eased by the increased level of energy and tolerance that I have again. I forgot what the first 4 months of pregnancy can be like, things were a bit different this time in that I did suffer morning (well afternoon ) sickness and constant fatigue. It's just passed (I'm nearly 20 weeks) and am looking forward to cruising though the next trimester hopefully the rest of the pregnancy. Cheers to summer holidays for you up North and heres to less wet days down here.

A Few Random Thoughts I Will Attempt To Put Together under "Good Friends Kick Ass"

2008-06-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was our turn to host the BBQ in our round-robin-tournament of Summer BBQ's. This year we teamed up with another couple that lives in a different town to host at our house. I have to say that TEAMWORK rocks!! It was the least stressful social gathering at our house EVER. Not that hosting the bbq's are stressful, but there is a fair amount of work that goes into it, more so now that we all have multiple children to deal with at the same time (another shout out to the GP's who stood guard over our kids last night - another reason so less stressful!) But the tables were set-up far in advance, the burger patties were made up far in advance, the beverages were iced far in advance, the condiments prepared long before the first guests arrived. My, I felt organized! It was so nice having HollyM here to help out. She even unloaded my dishwasher! I am feeling a little guilty that she may have done a little more work than I did. I highly suggest that everyone double-up for their bbq's, it was quite a lovely evening (To AK, we also had about half the amount of people that you had yours, you are far more popular than we are!) HollyM and I will be teaming up next summer as well, even if we do all decide to make to trek over the hill!

And to VH, just so you know, I am going to make out with you when you get home from your fabulous vacation. My house is cleaner than it has ever been...EVER. I wanted to hug Alex before she left I was so excited. So really, I owe you drinks or coffee or little somethin' somethin' when you get back because I am stoked on my nice clean house - thank you for going to all the trouble you did to find her number.

A little more on the backyard...my husband kicked some more backyard booty this weekend. He braved the MILLION degree temperatures to build this fabulous-ness for us, or more acurately for little miss S...to think that I actually thought this would be for me...where was my head!

Well, I guess it doesn't matter who it "belongs to" what matters most is that now we have some shade around the pool and soon we will have a little wall to screen us from the impending doom of the "neighbors" to come.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

As a lovely ode to Father's Day, my husband spent all day Saturday golfing with his Dad (and Mom- how did SHE snake her way in??) leaving me to fend for myself on day 6 in-a-row of "alone with needy toddler and needier-still dog". Not feeling up for a trip to the beach and knowing that both 'needers' would make another day around the house not nearly as relaxing and pleasant as it should be, we headed for a 'hike' at Laguna Park. Although my two year old calls it a hike, I like to think of it more as an event entitled 'Death March for Toddler Exhaustion'. We pull up by the dog park, dog sniffs, poops, etc. and then we're off across the field with playground as goal. Toddler meanders, pokes sticks in holes (hopefully not homes of rattlesnakes) and eventually the playground is achieved. That day, for whatever reason, toddler was too cool for the playground and instead wanted only to compete with annoying dog in a game of who can stand closest to Mom- argh! Death March ON! We continue through the park(20 more minutes of marching) and come across a lovely clearing on the side of the lake with a nice little dock. As we enter the clearing, I notice an older guy sitting in a lawn chair, enjoying a patch of sun and reading a novel (yeah- I'm jealous and definitely slightly bitter). Encouraged by a small flock of ducks on the edge of the lake dog immediately starts acting like a total jackass. I suddenly realize that dog is about 90% committed to jumping into the lake to chase aforementioned ducks, and let me tell you, this lake is no pristine reservoir, it is a damn nasty-ass duck-poop filled, muddy, stinky pit and hell if I'm going to deal with this freakin' dog all covered in this biohazardous gunk. I immediately start doing the fake and dodge and manage to capture, leash and tie dog to nearest picnic table. During this 45 second process the toddler has decided he needs to try his 'dock-legs' out and is making full and steady progress down the railed(thank God) gang-plank to the very un-railed dock. Oh NO....Mom bounds across grassy patch, almost eats total-shit by slipping on a huge goose turd, stays miraculously upright and manages to grab toddlers collar just as Croc-covered toes trip their way onto the dock. Breathing heavy, Mom looks down at toddler to see his eyes aglow with excitement- apparently, docks ARE COOL. Stretching all last reserves of patience, Mom spends a good 5 minutes guarding toddler from sure toxic drowning death so that he may 'enjoy' this 'amazing' experience. These entire 5 minutes are pleasantly filled with the sound of dog-throwing-fit: barking, whining, and crying (amazingly, at times, sounding very similar to toddler-throwing-fit). Finally, Mom has had enough, gives the '2 minute warning' to leave, and after 20 seconds, declares the two minutes up and starts dragging toddler towards shore. And yes, you guessed it, toddler has now joined dog in a fit-throwing symphony. This once peaceful patch of earth has now become a total cacophony of tantrums....we all know our child throwing fits sucks, but what sucks even more is child-throwing-fits in presence of total stranger- who at this point has laid book down on knee and is just sitting and at staring at our highly annoying and very motley crew. Holding kicking toddler under arm, I kneel down in wet grass to untie dog, who has managed to wrap leash around legs multiple times AND has large white trails of foam pouring from mouth. Dragging dog, clenching toddler, I look over my shoulder and say, "We're out of here, please enjoy the rest of your book." To which this beautiful stranger answers, "You have just given me a whole new appreciation of Motherhood." Happy MOTHER's Day To All.

The Second Child - A Different Perspective

2008-06-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

I have a slightly different view of the "second child" than our friend Gabrielle (see here: http://culturednativity.blogspot.com/2008/06/second-place-revelations.html) Granted I am in COMPLETE agreement of the first child syndrome...I am also one and I am watching history repeat itself in my first born daughter - Holy Cow, Look Out. However, the second child thing is going a little different for me. For one, he's a boy. There were no boys in my family growing up, just my dad and he was already grown. So I am going into this "boy thing" totally blind AND he is the "second child". Does this mean different things when you have two different sexes? As far as my mothering goes...V gets a lot more undivided attention than S ever did. She got trucked all around and dropped off here and there and watched a TON of Baby Einstein movies so that Mommy could keep working. Well, there is no more of that silly work business so V gets Mommy, all day, every day. And I have not plopped him in front of movie yet and he's 7 months old. Am I going to turn him into a mama's boy? Let's hope not! But there are some other firsts that kid number 2 gets that kid number 1 never did. V has nice bisphenol-A free baby bottles, S had nothing but baby bottles chock full o' bisphenol-A. S breast fed and then had regular formula. V breast fed and then had only organic formula, which made him completely constipated and I had to switch him to regular formula (at least I tried, right?). S ate mostly organic baby food, but if they were out, I would just get whatever they had. For V, I made organic homemade baby food (never had the time the first time around). Did he enjoy it, did I feel the satisfaction of feeding my precious baby something that was not processed in a factory? No, he gagged and then threw everything up. NICE. I am chalking that up to "it is not as smooth as the store bought stuff, we'll freeze it and save it for later when he is eating chunkier food." Does anyone want to place bets on how long that organic homemade with love baby food is going to be taking up space in my freezer? Anyone? I went shopping today and stocked up on some lovely organic mass produced baby food. Maybe this is how the "second kid" gets the stigma, the mom tries and then gives up because the "second kid" is just uncooperative! I'll go ask my husband, he's a second kid...combined youngest for a while and then became the middle kid...which could explain A LOT!

Sex and the City for One

2008-06-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, if ever there was a movie to go to with a girlfriend then SATC would be it, however I braved the room full of girlfriends and plonked myself down in the middle row about as central as I could get and let myself get taken up by my New York City Girls. To my surprise I was not the only lone female in the room and quite frankly I believe I was much more comfortable and in the zone than the lone guy sitting in the back row with his girlfriend and her hoard of friends. Had I not been pregnant I would have gone to the Rialto Cinema which has an open bar and you can take your drinks in to the movies. Dan and I did that on Sat when we ventured out on our own (sans kids) and had dinner and movie. It's been quite a while so we sat for the first 1/2 hour almost dumbfounded and almost a little nervous (Does my breath smell, hope my boobs look good in this) then we remembered who we were with and chowed down of some yummy Japanese. Then off to the boozy cinema to see a great film Brick Lane. It was really a wonderful time and like every other year we vow to do it more often (I think we'll be missing our anniversary this year, what with the 2 week old and all) Anyway just wanted to let you know that the SATC movie was great and reinforces just how great good friends are, and how much we need them, whether their just down the street or half way around the world. Stay in touch and keep the lines of communication open. Love to my girlfriends

Adding One child makes two disappear

2008-06-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

I had a very exciting discovery today. D had a little boy come for a playdate. I was planning to do nothing other than field questions about how I could make this, do that and help with something else, yet after some lunch and some introductory questions I was left to fend for myself. Both D & E and little Riley disappeared, surfacing every now and then to ask for assistance with the bathroom and for refreshments. I have not had such a break since my wonderful neighbours entertained my boys for bouts of time after finding them wandering in their backyard (or on the streets!!) Trully relieved that 3 boys really could handle playing peacefully together (no bloody noses, scraped knees or fistycuffs). I suppose this will be too much to ask that I experience this euphoria for the next 20-30 years. (ok well here's to wishful thinking) I almost thought see three children isn't hard then I remembered that our new addition will be at min 3 years younger and is likely to be the bain of the other twos existence as they demand attention from Me all the time leaving little Mummy time for D & E. D is going to be great, he has never had a problem (not that he ever really had a choice or knew any different) sharing me however little hothead E seems to think that I'm his to do with what he pleases. His latest demand is that I get Mimy for him even though most of the time he is in very close proximity, short of telling him to to go .... jump in the lake!!, I merely explain that Mummy is not just here to get his things whenever he wants something (Mmmm wonder where he got that idea from??????) Anyway life here in NZ is good. It's getting chilly especially in the morning but the days aren't too bad. I think of all my gorgeous girlfriends starting this years round of bbq's, who shared a drink or two in the cinema while watching Sex and the City and who are always on my mind. I am already planning to join you for your next trip (doing my bit to read ads) hopefully it doesn't fall too close to Nov 2008. anyway keep me posted by next year I will be desperate to see you all again.

Your Inner Voice

2008-05-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well I am trully one lucky Mother. I generally consider myself to be a safety conscience Mum who is always one step ahead of my two little boys (i know that statement is a little imaginary as how can we be?) but anyway in my mind I'm there. So I am not sure what made me ignore a screaming voice in my head today. The boys and I met with a friend of ours and her 3 year old at a cafe just off the beach that our husbands were surfing at. I met another couple (friends of my friend) who had two little boys (3yrs and 7 months) We sat down and us girls started chatting up a storm. The husband then went to go for a walk with his son and my two boys and my friends little girl decided to join them. I know the husband knew he had all 4 kids as they eagerly pushed their way through to the front. About 5 mins later he returned with his son and my eldest D trailing behind. Mmmm My friend and I both noted the absence our two children. I asked 'Is E not with you?" to which he shrugged his shoulders and replied "No". He then preceded to sit down and start chatting with the others. I looked at him as to question whether he had any idea of where the other two kids were but just decided I'd go get them myself. I quickly found my friends little girl who had fallen down as was crying and continued on the path I figured they went to return to the cafe. No E to be found. My heart raced a little and panic seemed to be brewing. I came back to our table and asked "Has E come back?" No No and the Dad just sat there and did nothing. I went back over the mound to the brush they had wandered off into and walked a little further in. E could have been anywhere, the grass was a tall as he is and quite thick in parts off the little tracks. I hurried along the base of a huge sand hill heading to the beach, I asked two Mums whether they had seen E, no they hadn't so I back tracked knowing he wasn't off to the beach, went further forward and that's when panic set in. He could have gone anywhere. Straight ahead was more of the same scrub and just seemed to go on and on and to my left the carpark. I headed left toward the carpark and then reached it, still no E. My mind wandered. Shit I have lost my son. I have no idea where he is and its now been about 10 mins since I saw him last. I rushed back along the edge of the carpark and the look on my face must have been good because my friend jumped up ready to rally the troups (she is 9 1/2 months pregnant but much more agile and alert to the problem than 'Dickhead Dad' who is still sitting there thinking... "Who knows! but it obviously wasn't about the missing child" Anyway just as we were about the tell the crowd, E appeared behind a car on the other side of the carpark. Two wonderful ladies had found him and were ushering him back to the cafe in hopes of finding his incompetent and terrible Mum. He had walked around the very large carpark (rabbit warren in appearance) and somehow was making his way back when rescued by responsible mums. Although I still wonder how 'Thank-goodness-he-is-not-my-childrens-Dad' Dad could not only misplace two kids (out of four) but then had no intent to even help in locating them. Although I do have issues with him, I really blame myself for letting a little adult conversation hush the voice in my head that said " Go with them". Today I got lucky but just wanted to let you know that when it comes to your kids, having a conversation with yourself doesn't mean your nuts, just a switched on and caring Mother.

Semi-Retired

2008-05-23T18:59:00.001-07:00

So, I am semi-retired. I worked the last couple of days prepping for the wedding I am helping with tomorrow. Needless to say, I am a little wiped out. So, the hubby was holding the infant who was being pretty fussy. I go and get the pacifier and walk over in my fog to put it in his mouth (the infant), but I seriously tried to put it in my husband's mouth. I am sure you can imagine the look on my husband's face. SORRY, I am tired! He told me I had to put this on the blog because he thinks I am crazy!

Life Without Preschool

2008-05-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

We're in the home stretch now. Just 3 weeks until preschool ends. Dear God, what's a mom to do??? No daily routine, no packing lunches, no carefree days out shopping with one kid or lazing around remembering who I used to be! Just endless quality time spent with me and my two kiddos, speaking gibberish, dicing food into teeny bits, finger painting and cleaning up messes...all day long... day after day...without any breaks. Holy S$#*!!!! I think I'm hyperventilating.
I've reviewed, rescheduled, and reorganized my daily routine to draw up a game plan for survival. I'm vacillating between signing the girls up for one organized activity each day of the week or just sticking to a "promise schedule". So far, I've committed to a little of both. My offensive attack includes: tots' soccer on Wednesdays, messy art on Thursdays, and gymnastics for both girls on Fridays. Mondays and Tuesdays I'll play defense at home: runs to the beach, play dates, library visits, or just down days. I've sprinkled the upcoming summer months with a few weeks of camping, travel, and swim lessons. Does this all sound incredibly too organized?
HELP!!! Momma needs to get her game on! What's yours?

Our Backyard

2008-05-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Our backyard is (and will probably always be) an ongoing project. But it is one that we truly enjoy. This month officially marks the part of the year where we start spending the majority of our time outside. This year my awesome husband built me three 8'x4' planter beds at the top of our hill. I now have them completely planted and I am so excited! I planted lettuces and onions and herbs a few weeks ago and just finished planting the tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, peppers and rainbow chard this week. Stella and I also planted a bunch of flower seeds so that *hopefully* we can have a bit of a cutting garden. The lettuces are kicking ass right now, we had our first salad from the garden last night - it was a momentous occasion! Here are a few pictures (I make a promise to you all now...I will not start taking pictures of the food that I make from the garden pickings...unless the tomatoes are all that I hope and dream they will be, then you may get some tomato salad pictures, but only because you will want to see them!) We are almost ready for our bbq!

Also, the inaugural swim in the pool, which was at a whopping 74 degrees on Saturday, apparently occurred, of course while mom was not home! At least the baby didn't get in.

The pool will be warmer for the bbq...I hope. It is supposed to be 100 degrees this weekend (of course, it is wine fest) so it should be warming up soon!

Trunk O Junk

2008-05-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

I have been driving around this week with a trunk full of car seats. I tried to sell them at my yard sale last weekend to no avail. Then I decided to take them to a second hand store but I haven't found the time. I have anxiety over unloading them into my newly organized garage because I know they will never leave. Something about that place...So I instructed the bag boy to shove my groceries in and around them. I let the dog ride in the passenger seat to the park. I've found ways around using my trunk and it's affected me quite unexpectedly. I am reconsidering my need for a bigger car. I no longer use my rear view mirror for driving-just for checking the kids.
Okay, does somebody want these things???? I have an Evenflo black car seat (20-40lbs.) in near perfect condition bought in 2005. I also have a Graco Infant Carrier car seat and base bought in 2004. It is also in great nick and is grey, black and antique blue. If you or anyone you know could use these please let me know. I'm starting to miss my trunk. Delivery is available.

Questioning My Ethics

2008-05-07T12:26:00.001-07:00

Not to get political or anything, but I truly believe that Wal-Mart is evil. I do not like anything that they stand for...while I am all for capitalism...my belief system is more closely tied to the small family business of which I am/have been intimately involved in two. And the fact that they have been caught on film celebrating the closure of small businesses in the towns they set-up shop in really chaps my hide. However, I have found myself in the aforementioned evil empire three times this week and to be completely honest, I feel dirty. I cannot get the smell (you know what I am talking about) out of my nose or off my hands, despite major scrubbing upon returning home. Which leaves me with a question on my hands and a serious weight on my shoulders...where does one draw the line between stretching your dollar and standing firmly with your beliefs. I don't judge other people who shop there, honestly I get it, stuff is cheaper there. And the ONLY things I do buy there come from the craft/sewing section. I really try not to even look at the prices of anything else, because I do not want to be comparing prices in my head when I am at the local organic market that I fully support with my food and toiletry purchases. Like today, I needed some pinking shears and a rotary mat to cut fabric on...I have seen these other places and they are upwards of $30.00 or more for the same size mat I purchased today for $12.00. So, do I stand on the side of my own personal capitalism and make my dollars stretch even further then they have had to in the last few years or do I stand on the side of my beliefs and go without until I can afford to purchase it at another store, which quite frankly could be just as bad, but without the crazy negative publicity. Unfortunately, this week I have to admit to going with my own personal capitalism, immediate gratification and my pocketbook...but I think I need a shower.

In The Market For...

2008-05-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am in the market for a Danish Style Mid-Century Modern Secretary Desk. If anyone happens to see one in an antique store or knows someone who is getting rid of/wants to sell theirs...please let me know. My desk shares space with toy/play area and it would be so nice if I could close up all of my stuff, leaving more space for kiddos to play without bumping heads on the table or getting into things. Here are some pictures of what I am looking for...Oh yeah, I would like to keep it around $500.00 or less (less would be REALLY good) which is why I have not purchased any of the above pictured desks. The sale price is close to my budget, but shipping from the East Coast is what puts them a little TOO far over budget.

Fashion Cents

2008-05-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

Thanks to her urging, and babysitting, I took H's advice, dropped my kids at her house and rolled into Coverings' Annual Warehouse Sale (in San Luis Obispo) last week. The ooncha ooncha music blared, the poly dollies primped, and my heart rate tripled when I picked up Michael Stars tee-shirt after tee-shirt for $20 or less. Holy Crap! I emerged from the store an hour later, $300 less, and laden with treasures. I know most of you did not have the time to hit this sale so I am rubbing it in so you are sure to mark your calendars for next year (LATE APRIL 2009). Here are my digits and details: eat your hearts out.

Vivienne Tam black dress slacks...$65, sleek, disappearing zipper, long and slimming. Super sexy.
Cashmere short cardigan with full length sleeves in black by Vince...$28 (Regularly $249!!!)
BOBI tee-shirt dress in watermelon...$12
Mike & Chris fluted zip sweatshirt in green...$52
Five Michael Stars Tees at $14 each!!!

Stilettos and Strollers

2008-05-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

This group blog is getting off the ground! I welcome all of you who were sent an invitation to add to this whenever the mood stikes! Please write about anything...organic food, your favorite new recipe, the latest sale at your favorite boutique, your plans for summer vacation, green housecleaners, cool websites you have found, your kids lates antics...whatever you want! The sillier the better. Let me know what links you would like for me to add to the links list! I am looking forward to seeing where this goes! Cheers.