Day of Love

Me:  Hey, love, we're going to trade babysitting with our friends so we can each go out for Valentine's Day.  When should we go out?  Maybe Saturday?

J:  Sure.
{End of Valentine's conversation}

{Later}
Me:  Babe, if we plan on celebrating Valentine's Day this year, we should probably decide what we want to do.

J:  Didn't we already have a plan?  Let's do that.


Valentine's Day went a little differently 10 years ago. ;)
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So, I've made a little tradition of making this yummy treat for a teacher gift on Valentine's Day.  It's super easy, cute, and delicious.  You need:

Big marshmallows  (if you can find the pink ones, they are so cute)
Lollipop sticks
White or semi-sweet chocolate (the white chocolate ones are pictured at the very top)
Red food coloring
Sprinkles
Canisters of play dough

1-Melt chocolate, as directed on package. Pour in small bowl.  Mix in red food coloring to make desired pink hue.

2-Stick marshmallows on lollipop sticks.  Dip in melted chocolate, roll to coat. 

3-Sprinkle colored sugar or sprinkles onto the chocolate while still warm.

4-Stick in play dough until hardened.

5-Try to give them away before you eat them all.

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Then, with all the leftover lollipop sticks, make some of these:

Rice krispie treats!!  I have a heart shaped pan for these, but you could easily form the rice krispie 'mix' into a heart shape with a cookie cutter and then insert a lollipop stick.

Pipe on some pink frosting (click here for my favorite cream cheese frosting), toss on some Valentine's m&ms and VOILA!  These were for a class party, so I saran wrapped them and  finished them with a little curling ribbon.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I {heart} the Dentist

Part of me dreads taking my kids to the dentist.  It's like some parenting tribunal.  Somehow your kids' oral hygiene translates into the quality of love and parenting with which you provide your offspring. The dentist looks deep into your eyes, "And do they floss...every day?"  Of course you'd love to respond that you brush, lovingly floss and flouridate each one of their chompers morning and night.  The truth is that, just maybe, occasionally, you yell up the stairs for them to get ready for bed and hope for the best, just sometimes.  I've heard.  After a bit, the hygenists call you to the back and the dentist pokes around in their mouths murmuring about tooth numbers and millimeters. "Mmm-hmm.  Mmm-hmm.  Hmmm."  Was that a good mmm-hmm?  There's a fair bit of pressure.

However, aside from all that, I love taking my kids to the dentist.  I kid you not, we have the best pediatric dentist.  My little circus and I show up at the office, which looks like a really expensive hotel lobby.  Ellen, the receptionist, greets us serenely and offers us drinks--small bottles of water for the kids, coffee, tea, or bottles of chilled Perrier for the grown ups.  I sit, the kids play in the corner with big blocks.  Smiling, well-groomed hygenists float out (a little Stepford Wife-ish) to explain what the visit holds and take the kids (also smiling and holding hands) to the back.  I sit with Sweetie, sipping water and skimming through People and Martha Stewart Living, texting my sisters, kissing my baby. 

Then comes the nerve racking part (re-read the first paragraph).

Then my kids take off their sunglasses, get their token for the toy tower, pick out stickers to put in the 'treat bags' that the hygenists have hand decorated and colored for each child (Buddy's was Elmo, above).  They give Sweetie a little pink toothbrush for her cute gums, rave about what lovely children I have, give us huge smiles and thank us for coming.  Then small woodland creatures walk us to our van.

To be honest, it's a little surreal.  But that, friends, is why I love going to the dentist.

PS:  No cavities.  I think that means I passed. :)

Baby Sweet Shoppe: Cupcake Tutorial

Need a cute baby shower idea?  Here's a fun way to package those baby essentials--make some cupcakes!  For this project you'll need:

• 4 receiving blankets
• 4 onesies
• 4 medium rubber bands
• 4 coffee filters
• thin coordinating ribbon
• scissors
• a bakery cupcake box (I found mine at Packaging Specialties)

First, fold the receiving blankets down until you have a 3" strip.

Now for the cupcake icing.  Lay a onesie over your fist, and poke it down.

Then pinch the top and gather it together.

Lay the icing at the end of the receving blanket and roll it up.

Roll it all the way up, moving down as you go so that the top is peaked.

Wrap it with a rubber band to secure it.

Place it in a coffee filter "wrapper."

Tie it closed with ribbon.

Repeat all the steps again for more cupcakes.

Place them in the bakery box.

If you want, tie it with bakery string and add a cute tag!

Hungry now (either for cupcakes or babies)?

A Great Man

I have been blessed to have some Great men in my life.  Great men--really, truly Great men-- are rare, and I find it extraordinary that I've been privileged to know the ones I have. 

I lost one today.

He was a man that led an exemplary life on every level.  Important to so many people, well respected professionally, in fields of education, in the community, religiously.  He was also a man who loved me since the day I was born.  A wise patriarch in all senses of the word.  A man who welcomed me with open arms as I left my Kansas nest for college (and helped me move my many, many boxes of clothes semester after semester).  A man I got to live with for a little while and eat graham crackers and milk with while we watched Dr. Zhivago.  He's also the man that married my sweetheart and me (J credits him for preventing me from bolting at the altar).

A man I call Grandpa.

And while it hurts, really hurts, to lose someone that you love so very, very, very much...  While it makes your insides feel like icy hot, your throat clench up and turn inside out, your eyes burn and your head hurt from crying...  While it seems like a raw, gaping hole is being ripped in your life...  There's also

Peace.

Peace in the most flawless life you've ever seen lived.  Peace because of the joyous, heavenly reunion that must be happening right now.  Peace because even though it was sudden, I got to say goodbye, and thank you, and I love you.  And peace in the absolute conviction that families are eternal and that I will indeed see him again.  And joy and gratitude in the legacy that he blessed us with, and in the relationships that are still located here on earth.

I love and miss you, Grandpa.  You are a Great man.  God be with you til we meet again.

Crush

I am crazy about this girl.  Head-over-heels in love, can't get enough, want-to-spend-every-waking-moment-covering-her-in-kisses crazy about her.  (I don't have favorites, but there is something to be said for a smiley child who never talks back)  She just celebrated her seven month birthday, and I can hardly believe it.  I swear I was just up rocking her to sleep at 3:00 in the morning.  Now she (usually) sleeps a good 11 hours, with a couple good naps during the day.  I swear just yesterday she was like this

and then somehow her bassinet shrunk and today she looks like this:

I packed away the rest of her newborn dresses and cried a little.  Little ruffles and teensy cardigans. She might as well be going off to college with how my heart feels ripped apart.  I hold her.  A lot. (Except for at night because J won't let her sleep with us).  Because, first, I can't get enough of her, and second, I have to savor every baby minute I've got. And also because then she's really close and I can kiss her and smell her, and when I do, I feel all dreamy. 

She is soooo chunky, and every time I see her incredibly soft, squishy little body I laugh out loud because I love it so much!  I think she's my most bald and chunky baby (in the most perfect way) and my most talkative.  She coos all the time, talks, complains, and laughs hysterically when she wrestles with Daddy. It's a sound that, for the life of me, I can't figure out why the entire world doesn't come to a screeching halt to listen to.  It's so magical. 

She's in the Go-go-gadget-sticky-hands Phase, and she loves to tug on my hair and earrings.  It's okay, though, because I gently remove her hands, and when I do, I realize what tiny, soft hands she's got and I have to start kissing them.  She loves to roll, but gets all irritated when she realizes she's been on her belly too long.  She loves to eat, too.  We've recently introduced her to rice cereal, peas, green beans, squash, applesauce, and sweet potatoes.

She adores her siblings, refuses to sleep anywhere but her bassinet, and has a smile that lights up a room.  She will only sleep with a blanket in front of her face (I know, nice and safe).  When I'm not with her, I miss her.  Wow, I love this baby (which I tell her 5 million times a day).

I've so got a crush.

Christmas was wonderful.  All 19 members of my family (incl. new spouses and babies) gathered in Kansas for two weeks of joy.  At first it was a little weird for me, realizing that my 'family' as I knew it has permanently changed.  J has been around for so long that he's kind of assimilated into being one of the kids, but with all the new brothers-in-law around (as fantastic as they are), it was kind of ...sad?...that my sisters were now part of a package instead of it just being the girls.  I don't know it this makes any sense, but I mourned just a little for the way it used to be.  It was really wonderful to play games, watch movies, talk until much too late, and craft to our heart's content.  We also happen to have the best sister in law in the world, who planned fabulous activities like homemade gingerbread houses, flower making, and surprised us each with a super cute, reversible apron.  How cute is she???

It was AWESOME to be with everyone, cook together (we even had "Cultural Night" where everyone prepared a special dish from around the world), do dance battles on the Kinect, and enjoy each other's company.  It was so very relaxing.  They boys had a great time playing football in the backyard.

My parents have a house with a big yard that backs to a golf course.  It makes it seem like we're way out in the country (out in the country with an occasional golfer) and it's like a breath of fresh air.  Girlie and Sammy (without my permission) would go adventuring onto the golf course, exploring the ponds and woods and trails.  I loved it.  That is what childhood should be.  Lots of gathering, and cooking together, and wandering, and playing with wooden blocks, and inventing games, and sleeping hard at night.  Lots of people to love and to love you.

As I thought about coming back to real life, it made me cringe just a little.  So busy and scheduled and complicated.

It made me want to move to the country and live off the land.  Teach my kids how to navigate by the stars and which plants are edible.  Make my own soap and pottery.  You get the idea.  And it made me determined to spend this next year really getting back to a life without so many additives.  An existence that is wholesome and organized and simple and rich in all the right ways.  I vow this year to savor the good things more. Like my wee ones.  They're growing so fast, too fast.  I'm mourning their quickly passing childhood (look at me with all my mourning...) while bursting with joy at their new ventures.  And I'm grateful.  For the sweetness in my life.  And especially for J.  If I may get sappy for a moment, I love that man.  In an unpredictable, changing world where everything seems to disintegrate and all is disposable--I have J.  He is so final.  A destination, a home really.  I can't imagine anything beyond him. 

And, for my friends.  I came home to stacks of delicious Christmas cards, photos and letters from dear ones around the country.  Beautiful, talented, amazing people whom I truly adore.  As I read the updates, looked at kids who are impossibly bigger, and thought about each of you, just know I. LOVE. YOU.

2011, bring it on.

Mini Makeovers

I'm slowly making progress on my girls room.  Bit by bit it's coming together, and here's a couple befores and afters.

First, the  nightstand.  Inherited from my sister.  Love the lines; the fake gold leafing  not so much.  I sanded it down, primed it, then painted (the same paint I used for her walls) and distressed it.  J made fun of me ('okay, so you're making it the 'right' kind of old and beat up.  Gotcha.')

Before

After

Next, this darling lamp was another hand me down.  It didn't have a shade when I got it, but I fixed that problem by buying just the right shade for Girlie's little nightstand,

 and following this tutorial for making rosettes, using this stuff:

came up with about 18 of these:

to make the finished lamp! 

Love mini makeovers!

Sometimes words are worth a thousand words, too.

One of the best things about my kids is the notes I find all over the place.  They love to write things--conversations they overhear, lists of rules for their 'clubs', name tags, books, scripts for plays.  It's really delightful to see what they've got going on in their minds, as well as really funny spelling. 

One time they were playing hospital and brought me a doll to examine.  They have some old medical forms from my dad that they like to play with, and they handed me the doll's medical chart.  She suffered from anxiety attacks, meningitis, and chronic constipation.  Apparently.

And if pictures are worth a thousand words, then these pictures of words are surely priceless.  They tell you that:

we've been drinking the kool-aid,

 

Sammy is resigning from trash duty ("Dirty l job l is l over l for l [Sammy]"),

Girlie's got a future in event planning and advertising,

and Sammy still believes. 

(He was very concerned Santa wouldn't know 'we're not going to be here for Christmas')

Merry, Merry (& Christmas Mantel How-to)

Christmas decorating this year has been fast and furious.  I made a big push the Saturday after Thanksgiving (after a rest from Black Friday), and haven't done anything since.  But, all is merry and bright here anyway.

I added some vinyl lettering above the archway.  J was thrilled. ;)

You'd think considering my background I'd have a nice, orderly, tastefully coordinated tree. You'd be wrong.  We've got all kinds of ornaments from preschool hand deer to Strawberry Shortcake on there; souvenirs from vacation, and--my favorite--ornaments from the annual Christmas party.  It's full of great memories.

I wanted the mantel to look really abundant this year even though it's very shallow; here's how I did it:

I attached a large garland to the front of the mantel by tying loops of jewelry hemp (you could use yarn) to the garland, and taping the loops to the mantel using white artist tape.

Then I wove in white lights and berry garlands, hung giant red jingle bells and snuggled pine cones in to it.

 Then I hung the stockings behind the garland.

Then I added a second, thinner garland against the wall.  Between the garlands I added candles (some flameless, on a timer).

And taller candles.

And a berry topiary.

The finished mantel!

Click here for ideas from last year.

Dec. 2, 2010

Today was a bad mommy morning, which was unfortunate for all involved.  No sleep, baby fussing, Buddy screaming during his diaper change because he's had some wicked diaper rash and I would totally scream too if I were him, Girlie was dressed head to toe in solid RED (boots included), and about the 80th time Sammy whined, "But I reaaaaalllly want to wear this {summer} shirt to preschool {in 39 degree weather}!" I snapped and hollered--hollered--"NO, okay???"

He burst into tears.

I felt awful.

It was all me, and I knew it.  I should be able to keep it all together, but I can't sometimes.  Wracked with Mommy Guilt I apologized and hugged him.  He was still sad.  I think it cheered him up on the way to school when he and Girlie came up with the brilliant plan to buy a litter of puppies to wake them up in the morning instead of me.  And also when they read in a book flap that the author now "worked in New York City as a tutor." (Wait for it...)  Talk about hysterical laughter.  Even I snickered a little.

The holidays are so busy, and hard as I try to simplify, I think basic life maintenance requires so much that anything extra (like having friends over Sat) creates a bit of a crunch.  Bless his heart, J (the man who has programmed himself into my phone as "Lova Lova") tried to help me out by buying the "2 hours, 2 house cleaners" groupon.  When they didn't show up yesterday, as planned, I realized that it probably wasn't going to work out (long story) and the whole "clean the house" bit was tossed carelessly back onto my To Do list.

I had a few things to get for Saturday so I ran to Costco, which we all know is the best place to drop $200 without meaning to on oversized stuff that you probably didn't need.  I passed by the pink Barbie convertible (the driveable kind) on display and wondered if I could fit in it and what J would say if I showed up with it.  I'm sure I'd be the talk of the neighborhood, buzzing around in my shiny pink wheels.  I think I'd feel pretty carefree with the wind blowing through my ponytail, which I could use right now. 

When I got home from Costco, both of my babies were asleep.  So I put away the cold food, grabbed my laptop and climbed back into the van to wait the 1/2 hour before preschool pickup.  So here I am blogging.  In about two minutes I'm going to take off.  Wish me a better mommy day.  I think I'm going to need it.

(1:32 p.m.  After I picked up Sam Sam from preschool, he came home and threw up.  A lot.  So, I spent half an hour cleaning up vomit--and trying not to myself.  Awesome.)