Everything I Learned I Learned from my Kids

I resolve in 2007...
...to enjoy my meals with loved ones

...to dance like no one is watching

(and pants are so 2006)

...to eat my deserts with complete and utter abandon


May you have a happy and chocolate cupcake filled New Year!

Soon It will be Christmas Day

The boy is still sick, not as bad, but its so that I want to put the diapers back on. I get worried evertime he starts rubbing his tummy. He'll have none of that 'baby stuff' though.
And so I have mountains of laundry before I sleep...(that was for you W).
But I will keep the Christmas spirit, nothing goin' bring me down. So its delivery of presents today(after work), maybe some city lights tonight and hot cocoa (not for the boy though, Pedialite anyone?).

These are the last Christmas scenes from my home (I promise). Tomorrow I will be working in the morning, then I just want to concentrate on spending precious time with my family.
May you have as much joy in your heart as I do in mine and have a beautiful, wonderous Christmas!

And when you do, you know how it was meant to be, see the signs and know their meaning

Well, so much for all better. Now C-boy has the stomach flu. Bright side is that at least its not Christmas. The bad side is that it was W and my 7th anniversary tonight. And we spent it doing homework with C-girl - she had a ton of it since she missed ONE day of school, isn't that crazy, she's just in first grade? Okay, I won't even go there. And the other half of the night babying the sick boy, while I did like, 4 loads of germy laundry. Lots of hot water needed, at least we have solar heating. See, silver lining. Or something to that effect.

Anyway, since it is my anniversary I will post a pic of... yikes, the two of us in our 'younger years'. And yikes is right. I put this in because we do not look anything like that anymore - I think.

I tried not to get too close up to the picture as not to scare me(or anyone who looks at it). W looks like he's 12 years old there. How's my circa 1989 perm? Hindsight sure is 20/20(I haven't permed since and I never plan to again). I think we were about 18 in that one, so I chalk it up to experience.

We have such a great relationship, and always have. Even when there was a point that we weren't in each others lives, way before we got together again, I always knew he was there and there was always something special between us. Sounds funny, but W knows. Life's a wild ride, and I wouldn't trade mine for the world.

Anyway, I just need to say that W, you and the kids are my everything. Life is just a box of chocolates, and you are the awesome truffle one with the sweetest-best-filling inside. Happy Anniversary W.

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad...

We had an awesome / horrible weekend-

The awesome part- Friday nite annual Christmas dinner with friends - my sis, her husband, Nonnahs, her sister and W. Everything was excellent and no kids to scream at the dinner table. Then, Saturday, lunch with high school friends, our annual secret angel exchange, yummy Italian food then some power shopping. Then, that nite, the most incredible Billy Joel concert. And then some clubbing since my sis in law had the kids.

Now the bummer part. We get home at 4:30 am (we tend to milk it when we dont have the kids) and at a very early 6:00 am - which felt like 5 minutes after I fell asleep on the count of too much wine and a sore tummy- my SIL calls and says C-girl has been throwing up ALL nite. Needless to say my Sunday was not that great. And the sore tummy I thought was from the wine, well lets just say I had a touch of the same that C-girl had. Uck. So it was a very unproductive Sunday, and all I could think as I lied there clutching my evil stomach was, that I had a ton of presents still to wrap and that those gingerbread men for C-boys class were NEVER going to be done (I hardly think the parents would want me baking with a flu). Thankfully my husband took care of the kids all afternoon and nite, I hardly heard a peep from my darkened bedroom. Thank you W, you rock.

Well, today is a much better day, although I think I'll be skipping any cabernet for the next few nights, let me tell you. I'll just end with a pic I took last week, it was a slight bit chilly - still shorts weather but a nice cozy hoodie would work too. And I told C-girl to take a pic of her in the pretty pink shawl that Aunty Nonnahs made for her a while back, she decided her demure look was the way to go with this one.




This, I'm not sure what she's doing, but you can see our yard is finally getting some attention. Yay! Not sure how its going to end up, but anything is better than the horrid barren area that it was.

Gingies!!!

I love making gingerbread men, I'm not being sexist, I would make women too if I had the cutter for it.

One of my favorite friends and blogger Nonnahs came over for a visit and helped us- shes here to spend the week back in her hometown, Yay!

We did only a couple as I my allergies got the best of me today, the rest (when we get around to doing them, will go to C-boys preschool for each child, won't they be impressed by the amount of sugar the kids put on. My goodness, cavity starters if I ever saw one.


Although baking in the kitchen with the monsters is a fun treat(in other words nuts), most times I try to get around doing the prep part (measuring, sifting and mixing) without them by quietly doing it myself and then telling them when its time to decorate, which is what I did this time...the decorating is the fun part anyway. The dog enjoyed the bits that inevitably fell to the floor. And there was LOTS.

I used Martha Stewarts basic gingerbread recipe but cut back on the ginger and eliminated the pepper then added about three tablespoons more sugar, since the last time I made it the kids said it was too spicy. It turned out much better and kid friendly. Sorry Martha(I'm sure she'll get over it).

Aunty Nonnahs also brought these adorable ornaments from Crate and Barrel, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas, so cute! Perfect for our mini tree by the front door.

Thank you! Thank you! Love it!

Crafts by the Kids

Some first grade crafting...

And some Preschool style crafting...

(Its a reindeer)
I give those Preschool teachers credit for that one, all the painting of the feet and hands then cleaning up those rascal kids. I don't even want to think about it.

But I think the shirt came out pretty cute!

Maybe we'll do it again at home. Just kidding.

Blue Christmas

Yay! The tree is finally up...

This was taken early in the morning and its very, very dark and with the new LED lights the tree looks a bit blue...not sad just literally, blue. I know, it needs more lights, but its just going to get bluer...


And there was a bit of crafting, here's some garland made with scrapbook paper...

And stockings for the kids made from stripey thrifted sweaters. They are a bit plain, I meant to embellish with buttons but I wanted it up before the tree was decorated-

Happy Friday everyone!!

The Gingerbread Story

The M family went to the Annual Gingerbread Festival this past weekend to make Gingerbread houses. This is the Daddy doing only the 'construction phase'. Thats all the Gingerbread he wants to do. And Mommy is down with that.


Then Mommmy and children go ape with the frosting and pretty candy. Mommy is instructed to not get upset with messy decorations, because according to the girl, "Daddy said there's no wrong way to decorate it, Mom." Whatever. Although an Aunty gave both children gummy bloodshot EYEBALLS to decorate. That's not going on the house or anywhere near it, Mommy has to put her foot down on disgusting decorations.

Then the wrapped house gets left in the car for hours in the sun while the family goes shopping and the poor peppermint candy (the favorite part according to Mommy, of the decorations) gets runny and melted. Mommy won't cry.

She brought home extra frosting and candy to fix it.

Pats on the back for Mommy.