Family Time - a Treasure Indeed

The Dude turned 11 last week and learned an important fact.

Family time is important to him.

Hon had to travel on the Dude's birthday. It's happened to all of us before. Sometimes you have to celebrate your birthday on another day or without someone very important to you. However, this didn't sit very with the Dude this year. He couldn't explain why his birthday didn't seem as great as normal, but I was pretty sure I knew what the problem was. Even though I'd made pancakes for breakfast, decorated his room with streamers, took donuts to his class, he'd opened presents, had cake, and his favorite pizza for dinner something just wasn't right.

So, the day after his birthday we headed out for a family dinner to celebrate. All was right with the world again. Towards the end of the meal I leaned over and asked the Dude if it finally felt like his birthday. With a grin as big as the sky, he nodded and said, "Yeah!"

What did he treasure most?

The photo of his family at the dinner. You would have thought it was made of gold.

I knew I love that kid for a reason.

A good time was had by us all, because as we climbed in the car afterwards, Birdie said,

"I don't know how to say that place's name, but I am definitely coming back!"

Washington's Cherry Trees in Full Bloom

My aunt emailed me this morning and asked if the cherry trees were as beautiful in person as they are on TV.

My answer was, "Uhhh???"

So I drove downtown this afternoon to take my first gander at our nation's cherry trees in peak blossom.

Yes, they were beautiful.

The most beautiful part was that I completed the round trip adventure in 1 hour and 6 minutes.

Needless to say, I did not get out of the car.


That would explain this picture.

I'd love to take the kids back next week and actually, you know, get out of the car. But we'll see. At this point, I'm going to have to come up with a pretty good bribe to get them downtown. I wonder if the all you can eat Cici's Pizza Buffet would do the trick? It could be a lost cause, because I'm pretty sure the last 2 times we dragged them downtown with the relatives to wait as their grandparents read every written word in a Smithsonian, I promised we wouldn't go back for a very long time.

Maybe if we take the Metro and let the boys hang from the overhead bars as it starts and stops, I could get them there. However, at that point the Metro Cops might kick us off the Metro permanently, and we'd have no way home.

Oh, this trip is going to take planning, conniving, and superior mom intelligence. A few prayers from the peanut gallery would never hurt.

My Mind Is Still on Vacation

I want to be back beside this rushing creek. I'd love to be sitting on the stone porch listening to this rushing creek, roasting before a roaring fire after fishing for hours.

Instead, I'll be day dreaming of our spring break while I do laundry today.

I'm glad to be home and glad we had such a great family vacation.

Springing Forward

I love Spring. The grass looks greener, the sky is a beautiful blue, birds are chirping...and then we throw in that whole Spring Forward time change thing. We were fine with the time change yesterday. I set my alarm clock and even got us all to Sunday School on time. Which is actually the first time that's happened...um - ever.

Day 2 of time change is a different story.

As Hon was getting dressed I sat up in bed and contemplated actually waking up and having breakfast with him or laying in bed for another 10 minutes. I checked the time. I had to stare at the clock for a good amount of time before I realized 7:27 is too late to lay in bed any longer. Actually 7:27...Fred's bus should be rolling through our neighborhood right about - NOW!

Hon was not happy.

Hon skipped breakfast.

Hon grabbed breakfast bars to munch while sitting in traffic he usually avoids.

Hon probably will not recover from missing his quiet morning time in the office today.

I, on the other hand, thought the situation provided a little laughter to start our day. Fred made it to school only 10 minutes late. We pulled into the Kiss & Ride behind another student. I knew he wouldn't be the only one late. :)

Oversleeping threw my entire morning routine off, which completely benefited our younger two children. They were at school a little earlier than normal, because I didn't do anything I normally try to do in the mornings. In fact, it's 11 am I haven't showered, had breakfast, done the dishes, or began my list for the day, but I have had time to drink my coffee and enjoy the birds on this beautiful spring morning.

Something to Bark About

Do you hear a dog barking? Do you live in Northern Virginia?

It could be our dear Wink. It's 6:30 am, and I am sure we have neighbor's that would really like to sleep. However Wink has some kind of rather large critter treed next door. Oh, he's safely behind a fence just barking and jumping, but the raccoon/oppossum is sticking to its instincts. I can't tell exactly what the animal is because it is definitely clinging to the tree on the opposite side of our yard. I do have to say it's big enough that I'm glad it's on the other side of the fence.

Since the barking isn't stopping, I suppose I should put on some boots and wade through our yard and drag Wink back inside. It poured last night and our back yard has turned into one huge puddle; which is why I haven't ventured out to get him yet. I guess the neighborly thing one be to stop his barking...at 6:30 am.

I'll probably get a better look at that critter. I'll let you know how it goes.

I never got a better look. Wink had stopped barking and the critter had escaped. I'm pretty sure it was a raccoon from the fluffiness and color of its fur. A really BIG raccoon. I'm just glad it wasn't a skunk!

I Have No Title, Just Love For These Dear People

I read a great book last year. It's If You Can Talk You Can Write, by Joel Saltzman, and basically he uses 190 pages and a lot of humor to expound on his title. I loved it. When you have a writing block, just imagine talking to someone and the words will come. I'm sure anyone that's ever read this blog has realized that his theory is the entire basis of my writing style. No metaphors, double meanings, or words I need to look up to spell here. I'm obviously more of a talker than a writer, and this blog is just me talking on the Internet.

I get my gift of gab from my dad. He can talk to anyone, anywhere, and within 10 minutes he'll find a way he's distant cousins with a native of Mumbai, India or the new couple from Australia. He's a great storyteller. I remember nights around the dinner table, laughing until we cried as he told stories about his childhood, his years in the Air Force, or a joke he'd heard at work that day. He also loves genealogy. So not only does he have his own stories, but he's spent years gathering stories about the families and area where our family has lived since the late 1700's.

Despite his wealth of stories my dad is not a writer.

But his dear wife is.

She's taken it upon herself to collect his stories. A few nights a week after dinner as they sit in their chairs petting their well-fed lap warmers kitties, Dad talks and Cindy types. She's not allowed to edit as she types, yet sometimes when she reads the story back to my dad he insists he did not say it that way.

And so it's true, if you can talk, you can write.

However, it does help to have a dear wife that loves you so much she wants to preserve the stories that make her laugh.

I'm So Glad Some Things Never Change

A big pile of leaves can call any kid's name. Our kids and the cousins had a blast playing in our oversized pile. Yes, I know it looks like a large corner of our yard, but this is the pile you get from a lot full of very tall oak trees, and a mom who refuses to help bag leaves.

As you can see the children love the pile of leaves. They don't even mind the occassional limb in their way. Of course this leaf jumping event ended as most do. - an injury. The youngest cousin's tooth connected with oldest cousin's head, and eventually all the middle cousins ran out of steam.

That led us back inside where...

What girl can resist an Easy Bake? I would be willing to bet that many moms still love them. As long as their daughters don't want to use them say - everyday for the month after Christmas.

Birdie and her cousin carefully slid the cake into the oven. My niece could not even begin to try to contain her excitement. I'm sure there will be an Easy Bake under the tree for her this year.

Here she is trying to figure out exactly how this contraption works. I think she just really liked the smell of cake batter.

I'm so glad there are parts of holidays that never change. Traditions we all love. Kids at the kids table. Adults that talk too long. Kicking the kids outside to run off their excitement. Overeating for days, and yet finding room for one more cookie. And best of all, the excitement of being with the ones you love.

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Amazingly there are some of us in this world who think about Halloween costumes at about 4 pm on Halloween. Add to that a child who can't make up his mind until after school on Halloween, and you have a mom with a few last minute Halloween Costume ideas. Without further ado here are a few we've tried.

• One year my son dressed all in green, and I painted his face with green craft paint. He was a swamp monster. The paint didn't hurt his face and came off easily. Although I'm sure it would have irritated my sensitive-skinned son.
• One year my Husband dressed in a dark suit, sunglasses, and carried a silver pen light flashlight - aka Men in Black.
• My black graduation robe has become a wizard's robe in mere minutes. Add a stick for a wand and last year we simply knotted a long piece of cloth as a cloak.
• My husband's favorite costume was the year he carried a long white stick, wore sunglasses and wore a sign around his neck that said, "I'm from Venice." He was a Venetian Blind.
• I heard about a woman who dressed all in pink and carried a feather. She was tickled pink. I think I might use that one this year.
• Of course there's always the Christmas Tree option. Dress in green, wrap lights around yourself, and stand near an outlet at the party.
• Grab a few leaves from the back yard and tape or glue them on - instant leaf pile.
• A few more ideas are here - tons, here's a squid with step by step instructions, and this site includes pictures.

Have a great Halloween! Enjoy more Works for Me Wednesday tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Family Vision

The day finally arrived, probably six months later than it should have.

Our entire family now wears glasses. The Dude was the last to cave. Our poor children never had a chance with their parents' combined gene pool. Some parents pass on beauty, great musical talent, mathematical apptitude, or athletic prowess.

We say it loud, we say it proud, "We pass on severe nearsightedness."

What do you think the odds are that they'll all need braces?

Swords and Little Boys

Why, oh, why did I do it?

I knew it was a bad idea. And yet, the biggest plastic sword on the Halloween aisle went right into our cart. I even launched into a debate with my son about the best sword for me to buy him. I voted for the one with cool scroll work around the handle to protect his hand while he and his brother dueled. The Dude voted for the biggest sword.

Here it is, all 48 inches of plastic weaponry.






My boys are now chasing each other through out the house - dueling. Every once in a while it stops while one pleads, "Don't tell Mom. It was an accident."

They know the swords could be banished at any time. I think I need to banish my brain for buying another plastic sword.

Is it better for them to play video games or run around with plastic swords pretending duel? Virtual carnage, backyard carnage?

Oh, yes, I know. I'm earning a D as a mother today. You can join me. It's easy. Take a stroll down the Halloween aisle at Target. Did I tell you I got to spend time looking at books and buying a new nightgown after the sword acquisition? It's all about planning the route around the store. I think it might take more than a sword to gain time to look at jeans.

Punchbuggy, No Punch Back!

My daughter has an uncanny ability to spot Volkswagen Bugs. Punch buggies to our family.

If you're unfamiliar to the game, every time someone sees a punch buggy they yell, often loudly over a brother or sister, "Punch buggy, no punch back!" and lightly punches them. It's a treasured form of bonding family entertainment for us.

It's a daily game to see who remembers to spot the yellow punch buggy at the end of our street each morning. Sometimes there's even two punch buggies in the school parking lot. My daughter's most incredible sighting was as our flight was landing in Chicago this summer. As the cars gradually came into view during our descent, she gleefully yelled, "Punch buggy silver, no punch back!"

We're all still astounded. She's going to be a great bargain shopper or eagle-eyed mom one day.

Chicago

What a beautiful day!!!

We hit the Chicago lake front museums with the kids yesterday. We were determined to broaden our children's minds and get them out of the house. We'd flown to the great Midwest; there were sites to be seen. We ran into a small snag.


Da' BEARS!!!


Apparently they had their last home, preseason game yesterday. It's such a big deal that all the parking lots anywhere near the stadium are reserved only for Bears ticket holders. What's a couple of moms with a car full of kids on their way to the museum to do?

You chuck out $40 for a parking spot on the side of the road past a yacht club is what you do.

We didn't shove the kids in the car and drive downtown for nothing.

As Lynne and I looked at it, it was a deal. We had a beautiful walk to the museum. We checked out every one's sense of humor for naming their boats or yachts as the case may be. And we answered questions about how men can throw a football and drink a beer at the same time. Or, can you get a ticket for drinking and walking? Are you really allowed to drink a beer as you walk to the game? How will these people drive themselves home later?

It was a cultural experience for all I tell you.

The Chicago Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium are much as I remember them from my teenage years. There have been quite a few updates at the aquarium. I loved all the windows looking out at Lake Michigan. Yesterday was the prettiest day I've ever spent in Chicago. Lynne and I could have spent many more hours at the aquarium. We lucked into Jazz night at there just as it was starting. We did wonder how attendance would fare with the parking situation, but we were glad for the lack of crowds. We even had a "sweet" half hour of sitting in front of the Coral Tank pointing out the fish to each other. That is until the kids informed us that we could see the fish just as well by actually walking around the aquarium.

I wish I could say the kids were mesmerized by the exhibits and begged to stay. But as the kids dragged Lynne and me away from the otters, the dolphins, the Caribbean reef, the Egyptian tomb, and even the film on 17 year cicadas, we finally decided that at least they will remember how much their mothers enjoyed museums when they drag their own children one day. And I am sure they too will try to inspire their children with educational field trips. Looking at our family tree it's evident there's no way they can escape the "going to every museum within a 50 mile radius of any destination gene."

What they will treasure is time spent with their oldest friend and making fun of their goofy moms who are just such - well, moms.

What I treasure is this friendship that, as Lynne and I agreed this morning, has become more than friends and easier than family. No expectations - just joy to share precious time together.

Family Dinner

Birdie has been BEGGING her dad to do a woodworking project with her since the boys made a birdhouse -
2 years ago.

This weekend they finally chose their plans and purchased the materials. After the 2 hour trip to Lowe's Dad decided that was enough work on the project for one day. Instead of a bird house for our Little Birdie, Birdie wanted to make a box. I'm pretty sure she meant like a box to set on her desk. She and her father are now making a hope chest.

Oh, yeah, this should provide plenty of blogging material.

Last night at dinner Birdie couldn't contain her excitement anymore,
"My hope chest even has a secret compartment to hide love letters!"

Her dad quickly responded with eyes popping out of his head,
"You mean sweet letters from your mom and me."

"Not now Dad, when I'm a teenager."

Still seeking safe ground and a way to preserve her at 8 forever, her Dad added,
"Well, maybe when you're in college."

"Dad, I will be a teenager in college."

As my husband searched for a way to save the innocence of the hope chest from the yet unwritten love letters, my 12 year old piped up,

"Mom, what do you think happens to play dough when you set it on fire?

I swear this actually happened. You can't make this up.

My husband admitted that, "Yes, you will still be a teenager in college, but it can just be a place to keep nice notes.

Birdie then says, "And my hope chest has a lock, so I can lock it."

I egged everyone on by saying, "To lock up your love letters."

To which the two boys continued with their own conversation, "Do you think the play dough blows up?"

As my husband handled the, "I don't really know what happens to play dough, and I don't want to find out through your experiment."

Birdie whispered, "Mom, I'll have one key to my chest and you and dad will share a key."

My husband raised his eyebrows and nodded over his planning skills.

"I know, I know, we can set the play dough on fire, lock it the chest and see if it blows up," said the boys howling at their own destructive creativity.

Birdie was pouting, Dad was sweating, the boys were off into the undesirable world of boyhood fantasy. Family dinner time was definitely over. Time to clear the dishes and move on to something a little less stressful than family conversation and bonding.

Cooking with Kids

Last week was a zoo around here. Or a clearing house for all inspectors. Your choice.

Between the Verizon guy, who was very nice and going through a recent separation heading for divorce,
the appraiser who has 3 boys of his own and just loved our hardwoods,
the yearly termite inspector, who thankfully found no termites,
the very scary looking bug guy to keep the bugs in the yard and out of my house,
two boys to be chauffered to bball camp, laundry, dog hair, and blogging to do I was up to my eyeballs in it.


Yet, Birdie was bored and decided we needed to cook. Or she needed to cook, and I could take pictures for my blog. If I wanted. She definitely knows how to spin it.

"Do you want to, Mom?"

"Of course, sweet cheeks. That laundry will wait another day. Your daddy can turn his socks inside out."

This was hot stuff. Hold the postings. I could take pictures of our cooking for my first blogging cook-torial. So here we go.

I pulled out the kids cookbook we bought 2 years ago at the school bookfair. I knew it was bound for greatness.

We spent the next 30 minutes devouring the cook books for ideas and a recipe we actually had all the ingredients to make. We settled on Plankton in a Blanket. We didn't have croissant dough, so we substituted biscuit dough. We were thrilled with the results.


The recipe was pretty easy. We skipped the first three steps and decided not to go fishing for plankton and substitute hot dogs. We baked them at 375 degrees for 18 minutes. Not exactly on the Bikini Bootcamp diet, but a mom has to pump her daughter's cooking self-esteem. Deee-lish!

While the dogs were heating in their blankets, Birdie decided we needed dessert to round out our meal and my hips. She chose Gelatin Delight.
First, she dissolved the gelatin in the boiling water.

Next, she stirred in ice water.

She added chopped strawberries and poured the concoction into fancy glasses (as the recipe recommended). She was most excited about the whip cream. That's my girl! She also insisted I take the strawberry off her glass before she started eating.

Here's the glass approximately 45 seconds after she started. I think it receives Birdie's official stamp of approval.

The cooking was a blast. The food great.

Loading the pictures and boring narration - not so good.

Surviving the Grocery Store with Preteen Boys

I thought I'd try Shannon's Works for Me Wednesdays Carnival.

When my 3 tots were still little tots I taught them to always hold on to the cart as we shopped. That way no one ran out in front of other carts, cars, or simply down the aisle. Now that they've grown A LOT, they still want to hold onto the cart.

You cannot fit down a grocery aisle with two 5 feet plus boys and a smaller sister holding onto the cart.

On the other hand, if I let the boys walk freely, they tend to end up poking, pushing, and annoying each other and me to distraction.

Enter a new idea for grocery store survival.

I give the boys their own list to complete while we're at the grocery store. Our new Bloom has these great smaller carts, and I've laid down the law about acting like a real shopper and not terrorizing other shoppers. I have the boys start at one side of the store, I start at the other with their little sister in charge of my list, and we meet in the middle. The boys might check in with me for clarification on some items, and I give them some choices. Last week they chose to buy fat free hot dogs. Kudos for wanting to be healthy. After trying to eat the fat free hot dogs, they decided they would choose differently next time. A great lesson learned!

I figure there are several perks for this idea.

• The boys are learning to grocery shop, with supervision.
• No one screams about going to the store. It's fun for them.
• We finish in much less time.
• No wrestling matches down the aisle!!!

Are Fireworks Illegal?

"Mom, Dad says that fireworks are illegal," said Connor.

"Yes, Connor, they are," answered his mom.

"Awe man, then I don't want to go to the block party," whined Connor.

"Connor, just because fireworks are illegal, doesn't mean there won't be any at the party," said his mom.

And were there ever fireworks in our neighborhood last night. I think each street and cul de sac were hard at work celebrating the one night in the year that we encourage our men to blow up things and impress us. One husband commented that the 4th of July is his idea of the perfect holiday.

He said, "You get the day off work. You don't have to get up early to open any presents, put in batteries, and play with the kids' toys. You don't have to invite your relatives. There's no big meal to make, and you can throw paper plates away. Really, you pretty much don't have to do anything until the afternoon, and then you stand in your yard with your neighbors and a cold one. And for a bonus, you get to set off fireworks. Yeah, 4th of July's the best."

You know, he's right, it was fun.

And the Results Are In...

I know you’ve been dying to know. What on earth did I wear? How did my hair handle the humidity and splashing? Have I found my calling as a Swim Meet Marshal? Well, let’s just start with what my daughter said when I came downstairs,

“Mom, why are you dressed so pretty for a swim meet.”

I hoped it was a good omen.

First, women dress a little differently here than from where we moved. Here the prime colors combinations are black, black, khaki, brown, black and maybe a touch of white for special occasions. To say my predominantly pink wardrobe still garners comments and second looks is an understatement. Luckily, the head swim team person (official lingo) caught me before I got dressed and told me that everyone working the swim meet was to wear black shorts and a white shirt. I opted for a black skort/white polo combo and was relieved that I was just going to blend in with all the other parent volunteers.

Yeah.

Except for that neon orange vest.

It’s a good thing my daughter told me I looked pretty before we left the house, because my husband stood behind me and heckled me during the meet. I think it was more than just the vest. I’m not sure he was duly impressed with my marshaling. So how did I do?

Let’s just say, I don’t think they added a 3 chair barrier beside where I was standing, because I was doing such a great job.

However, there is reason to celebrate. My little Birdie swam great! She placed 3rd in her favorite event and improved her times in both events. She was thrilled. As her mom, I know her excitement is what it’s all about.