Friday, August 13, 2010

{THIS MOMENT}

{this moment}
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. ~ Courtesy of Amanda at SouleMama


*Photo courtesy of my future photography assistant*
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A LETTER...

Dear M. N.,

Would you be so kind as to promptly bring in the weather that hovers around the 60 degree mark?  It would be most appreciated!

(Tree) Hugs & (Butterfly) Kisses,

ME : )

P.S.....haven't been around in a lil bit? Scroll down.  I've posted. A LOT.....
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Monday, August 9, 2010

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY

Another lunch idea courtesy of


What was served...

* Applegate Farms Chicken Sausages
* Watermelon
* Annie's White Cheddar Bunnies
* Homemade Vegetable ABC Soup
* Our favorite cucumbers

P.S....Nicholas came in while I was cooking and said, "mom, it's like you are a real chef!"  Poor child.  Maybe if he didn't take all my energy, I would have enough to actually cook more.
Maybe one day...when he moves out...he can come home for a real home cooked lunch and there will be some truth to his statement.
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Saturday, August 7, 2010

THE ZOO AND THE VIRUS

I am amazed that my passion for donating and giving back has rubbed off on my kids.  While Francesca and I were waiting for our favorite animal to take a dive into the water...


...Nicholas was using his hard earned (well, actually, won in a card game) money to "help save the polar bears because their ice is melting"...


I didn't realize at first until my mom pointed it out, but he was donating dollar after dollar (or should I say five dollars after five dollars) because he thought they needed it more than he did.  At least it proves that he DOES listen to me when it really matters!  Oh, that monkey makes me so proud to be his mamma!

We waited for twenty minutes for that darn polar bear to dive in and he never did, but at least we got to admire him up close and personal, thanks to the FANTASTIC new viewing area in the
Have you been yet? 
IT'S AWESOME!!!!


The monkeys love to measure themselves on the walls that are painted with animal murals!




Finally, I bought them some new hats to play dress up with because their costume chest was lacking in animal stuff because it is so filled with chef and fireman stuff!  Grandma decided that she wanted to wear the hat first.  Here is a quiz question....

What do you call a COUGAR who is past her prime?

A WOLF!!!!


As if the zoo wasn't fun enough, we decided to end the day with a trip to the urgent care at the hospital.  Francesca had a fever for a few days prior with no other symptoms, or so I thought.  After we left the zoo, she decided to break out into a fever rash and then I noticed white sores in her mouth.  Hand-foot-mouth disease was going around. 

Could that be it?
Nope.
HERPANGINA.
Nice.
Look it up.
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Friday, August 6, 2010

{THIS MOMENT}

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. ~ Courtesy of Amanda at SouleMama





Thursday, August 5, 2010

SOME INSPIRATION...

It has been a tough couple of weeks with the kids.  I have been more stressed now that they are in summer camp.  Why is that?  You would think that maybe, just maybe, after being outside running all day long, they might be tired?  NOPE.  They have been sleeping less. What is less than nothing?  You don't want to know. 
When I am stressed about their behavior (and to be honest, mine as well, since I tend to set the tone most often) I re-read my favorite poem from an inspirational author named Sark.  I made my own colorful copy and it is framed on the wall next to the kid's bedroom.  It is often a small reminder to enjoy your kids before they are grown!  If you like her views, you can find out more about her on her website.  She talks about more than just kids, but be prepared to be overwhelmed by lots of COLORS!


"How To Really Love A Child"

* be there * say yes as often as possible * let them bang on pots and pans * if they're crabby, put them in water * if they are unlovable, love yourself * realize how important it is to be a child * go to a movie theatre in your p.j.'s * read books out loud with joy * invent pleasures together * remember how really small they are * giggle a lot * surprise them * say no when it's necessary * teach feelings * heal your own inner child * learn about parenting * hug trees together * make loving each other safe * bake a cake and eat it with no hands * go find elephants and kiss them * plan to build a rocket ship * imagine yourself magic * make lots of forts with blankets * let your angel fly * reveal your own dreams * search out the positive * keep the gleam in your eye * mail letters to God * encourage silly * plant licorice in your garden * open up * express your love * stop yelling * speak kindly * paint their tennis shoes * handle with care *

Sometimes it serves as a gentle reminder of the things that I want to do better or more often.  Sometimes it serves as reinforcement that I am doing lots of things right!  Mostly, it reminds me that, even on bad days, the most important thing to do is just be there when they need me and love them unconditionally!  You would be surprised how much your kids would appreciate a hug, a bike ride, a short (15 min.) trip to the park, a special date (with just the two of you), an unexpected treat (instead of one every single day), some undivided attention.  What have you done today to make your child (of any age) feel special???  What memories will you give them of your time together?
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Monday, August 2, 2010

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY


So, I had been wanting to create some fun and different lunches after reading inspirational mom blogs, including the Muffin Tin Mom. She sets a theme every Monday and creates a fun lunch tin for her kids to encourage them to try new foods. Her idea was based off the popular Japanese bento boxes and my idea is inspired by both ideas. I tried an actual muffin tin several times and found a few downfalls...

* It is annoying to clean the muffin tins, as the water splashes back ten feet in the air when you rinse them.
* My muffin tins are not dishwasher safe.
* If you have leftovers, you have to store them in a separate container anyways.

Here are the positives aspects of my take on the idea...

* I like letting my kids eat from glass instead of plastic (you know, with all that yummy BPA included), silicone or metal (which is the best choice of the three)
* I love the sturdiness of Corningware Ramekins (which is what I used above)
* Besides being made of glass, they are more elegant and just, so, you know, FRENCH.
* Each ramekin is 4oz., which is the perfect 1/2 cup serving size for kids so it is easy to measure!
* They are very easy to stack in the fridge with leftovers.
* They make fun "cups" to drink milk, juice or soup from!
* Dishwasher safe.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

IT'S THE SIMPLE THINGS...

...that make my Pepper happy!

Things like...
*apples
  and
*horses

We finally got to celebrate her birthday in a somewhat proper fashion.  When asked what she wanted for her birthday, every single time she would answer, "apples"!  Although it was disappointing that we had to celebrate 1/2 the day with one family and 1/2 the day with another, it was still a partial success.  I guess it is the small things that make comedy and memories.

Things like...

* losing out on tables at Arlington because their employees are not well trained
* losing out on riding the ponies at Arlington because their employees are not well trained
* losing most of our food at Arlington because of their employees (just kidding..it was because of the 95 degree heat that was shining directly upon us ALL AFTERNOON)

Sad to say that we have no pics from our daytime adventures, but we did have SOME fun betting the horses, eating melted chocolate, getting sunburns, watching the cousins play together, eating nothing but snacks and ice cream, going to the petting zoo and getting some cool goodie bags. 

I do have a few pics from the nighttime...

Not surprisingly, Pepper's cake did not make it back to the house in one piece.  At least we got a laugh from the fact that it now read "APPY BIRTHDAY" which would have been funnier if Nonno and Nonna were there to see it!  Get it?  Cuz the "H" is silent!  Funny Italian reference...


Just for fun and to cover up the mess, I gave her a great cake topper!


See?  It's the small things that make her happy...



We decided that since we were so late in singing to her, we might as well cover everyone else who had a birthday that had passed or that was coming up in the future.  Yeah, we sang FOUR times.  She wasn't happy that she had to share her cake.  Don't stand between this girl and her desserts!


Someone else was having a fit because his name wasn't mentioned during all the Happy Birthday's that were going around...


Just as we were about to call the day a bust, she got her wish and the PERFECT birthday present!

She did end up riding a pony, albeit 2 months late and it was a PHONY (hehe...you can make the "h" sound or leave it silent...hehe), but do you see her smile?


Like I said...it's the small things...
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