A Band Of Hearts

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

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

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

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

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

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 !!!!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

Cheating on my mothers group

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

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:

1. what would have to be done right away (a.k.a. the SHORT list)
2. 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

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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.