Death by Chickens

A Date a Month - Jeff's Christmas Present

2011-12-25T23:20:00.006-06:00

So....I started thinking about what to get Jeff for Christmas quite some time ago. I ran across this idea on pinterest that showed a "date night" Christmas gift and I thought it was an amazing idea. Jeff and I always enjoy our date nights....but when we get a sitter we usually fallback on the same date every time.

This year, I planned 12 dates (one per month)and I paid for them too! I put each month in an envelope, along with the gift cards, money, and trinkets from the date destination spots! It took a gazillion hours to plan all of the dates, and took quite a bit of time to run around the entire St. Louis area collecting all of the goodies. But it was so worth it! And the best news? I get to enjoy this gift just as much as he does!

Two of the months were bank busters - March and November (well worth it!) - but the rest were all around $50 and under (although October has the possibility of spending quite a bit - but we have time to save up for that!). Many of these dates feature "new" for us places!

Here is the video I presented him with this morning. :-)

And here are all of the dates (these were the inserts I put in the top of the envelopes!):

Our 15th wedding anniversary is this month and I am treating us to a photo session (just the two of us!). It was WEIRD hiring a photographer!! But I wanted a real shoot, instead of me putting my camera on a tripod. ;-)

Thanks for taking the time to look! I hope to update with how all of the dates went! :-) Merry Christmas!

14 years

2011-11-08T07:54:00.002-06:00

Ok. My husband is the sweetest, most awesome man in the whole world. Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. You wanna know what I woke up to?

His voice saying "Juliet! Juliet!" Wake up, and he is not in the room. Wake up a little more and realize he is on a ladder outside our bedroom window. I open the shades and he is holding a sign...actually, several signs that he proceeded to flip through.

Then....I he said even more that melted my heart and made me realize I am the most blessed girl in the whole wide world. Then he kissed me.

It was a perfect way to start the day. <3

Homeschooling update.

2011-09-21T22:52:00.002-05:00

I thought I was going to have time to blog about homeschooling. I was wrong.

:-)

We have been swamped and doing awesome. A few bad days mixed in, but for the most part, this was the best decision we could have made for Westley. Delaney has also made the decision to be at home and that has gone great as well. :-)

I will update more as time allows!

Ninja Turtle! Score!

2011-09-07T00:47:00.004-05:00

Just a quick update about something that happened today that made me over the moon excited. Westley had his first "Ninja Turtle" today. That is what he has instructed me to call his tests since the word test makes him nervous. ;-)

Anyway, it was a phonics/language test and was quite overwhelming for him. By the third question, he went into complete meltdown mode. He was crying and banging his fists on his head. I immediately shut the test booklet and told him we could come back to it another time.

After a few minutes, Westley calmed down and we carried on with the next subject. While he was doing his seatwork, I had an idea. We have this game called Bananagrams, which is basically a younger version of Scrabble. It has a bunch of tiles with letters on them. I decided to try giving him the test and let him answer using the tiles (instead of writing on the test paper).

He had no clue I was giving him the test (it was hidden beside me). He spent around 20 minutes answering my questions - spelling out his test words with the tiles, picking the vowel sound out and then deciding whether it was a long or short vowel, laying out the blend sounds, and then reading a list of 35 words (which I also arranged in the tiles).

He did the entire test with ease. No meltdown, no frustration. He only missed one answer (forgot an "e" at the end of one word). After it was complete, I asked him if he knew what he just did. He said no. Then I told him that he just completed the Ninja Turtle that I tried to give him earlier.

I got to see my son BEAM with confidence for the first time in over two years!!! He was so thrilled with himself that he laughed and threw up his hands in absolute excitement. He smiled and carried on about it for some time and was thrilled to share the news with his dad at dinner. How is that for confirmation that we are doing the right thing??!

Westley is such a hands-on, textile, and visual learner. I am so excited that he is in an environment where we can embrace that! It has made me smile all darn day!

:-)

First day of school....

2011-09-04T00:53:00.004-05:00

I forgot to post the photos of Abi and Delaney on their first day of school. It has been a good year for Abi so far. We have worked out a car pool with another family so that they no longer have to ride the bus (which is a great thing!). It has been pretty fun listening to all of the silly gossip and laughter on the way home from school every day. ;-)

Delaney is also doing ok. She has been begging since day one this year to be home schooled like Westley. I am not sure what we are going to do about that. The more I delve into the homeschooling world, the more I love it. I certainly wouldn't mind to have her home. We'll see what happens. She has been given some things to really think about over the next week or so. It will be interesting to see what she decides.

Anyway....without further ado....my cuties on their first day:

Homeschool Madness!!

2011-08-23T21:46:00.007-05:00

As some of you may know, we jumped with a huge leap of faith and began homeschooling our youngest kiddo (2nd grade) this year. After realizing that he doesn't thrive with traditional learning, we looked into every single option we could think of this summer.

After a million lists of pros and cons, it came down to homeschooling. This was a pretty difficult decision to make, especially since it would effect my business (not to mention, I had never even considered homeschooling before!). So...three weeks ago we made a final decision. I gave notice to the landlord of my studio space (and my clients). We ordered his curriculum. We rearranged our living space for school. And here we are.

Wow.

We are only a few days in to homeschooling Westley at "WZ Academy" and this is what Westley thinks about it:

Notice his cool shirt? West picked his own mascot and school colors. He also picked his school's mantra which is "Observe, Respect, Contribute" - which anyone in love with PBS Kids will recognize that from the Webonauts! Seemed like a perfect mantra to me, so we rolled with it!

I am certainly no expert, and I know that the next few months will be filled with trial and error...but....I am loving this! His curriculum is fairly structured - but I am making it hands on and creative which is really helpful for West. The best part about home schooling? It is only 3 hours of core subjects a day. By the time 12:30 rolls around, we are already done with our day and we can focus on art, music, PE, and other fun stuff (or just chilling out - depending on the day).

Right now, I am doing one hour of structured learning in the morning. This includes phonics, spelling, reading and poetry. Then we have an hour of self-led creative play learning (which I will explain in a bit). We break for lunch and then end with another hour of structured learning with mathematics and writing.

The self-led creative play is going to be my favorite part of the day. One of the things I am most excited about is seeing what Westley wants to learn about and explore. Today, for instance, he started talking about a boy he knows that is from Russia. He said he wanted to hear what the Russian language sounded like.

So, I went online, found a Russian kid's movie and we watched half of it. All the while, West was reading the sub-titles, learning about another culture and was amazed by another language. After watching half of the movie, we learned a few facts about Russia on factmoster(like how it is the biggest country in the world, it is on two continents and they really like to play soccer).

Here is Westley's photo of Russian Soccer:

We also learned that Tetris (a family favorite) was invented in Russia. Which led to ten minutes of playing a game that was a mix between tetris and tangoes.

Tonight, I ran out for a bit (alone time!) and I stopped by the library. When I got home I told Westley I got some books about Russia and he actually danced and laughed. Over books! You'd have to know Westley to know that it has been a long time since he has been excited about a book! This is exactly what we were looking for....the Westley that loved learning! I think he is back. I love seeing him smile again!!

I think that most of the creative play learning hour will focus on science and geography. Those aren't really considered core subjects in his curriculum, and they obviously are core subjects required by the state. Thankfully, West is sort of gravitating to those subjects on his own this week.

Anyway, I suppose that is enough rambling for today. I am proud of us this week! Stay posted for more on our homeschooling shenanigans. :-)

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 4

2011-08-17T20:23:00.003-05:00

Sheesh. This day was CRAZY. I still can't believe all that we packed in on this day. Honestly. We didn't stop for three seconds and we only had one meltdown. The kids were amazing!

While at the Chamberlain rest stop....I saw a brochure for a Berlin Wall exhibit in Rapid City. I have always been immensely interested in exhibits that have anything to do with Germany. I was able to travel there when I was five and I guess it had a lasting impression.

In fact, I likely saw these sections of the wall when I was a kiddo. They were near Checkpoint Charlie...which is the section of the wall that I was able to see. It is one of the very few actual memories I have from that trip! Anyway, it was cool to see this...we only stayed for about 15 minutes because the kids were very eager to get to Mount Rushmore!

Next stop.....Mount Rushmore. I was a tad concerned that perhaps Mount Rushmore was all hyped up and not as cool as it looks. But man is that place kickass! It was amazing!

As soon as we left Mount Rushmore....Jeff and West wanted to slide down this huge hill. So they did:

After the slide near Mount Rushmore, we headed to Crazy Horse. Which, to be honest, was even cooler than Mount Rushmore! We learned a lot about the project and hope to go back someday as they get closer to finishing it (if that happens in our lifetime, anyway!).

After Crazy Horse, we headed to an optical illusion spot called Cosmos. The kids really seemed to enjoy it (even if the grownups weren't too terribly impressed). After we left there....we went back to the hotel and crashed HARD. Fun day, albeit exhausting!!

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 3

2011-08-16T21:57:00.004-05:00

We knew the travel day from Sioux Falls to Rapid City would be a long day because there are a gazillion cool places to stop along the way. The first stop....The Corn Palace....which wasn't really that cool.

But. We needed to stretch and the gift shop was pretty neat and we got these little Travel Bingo cards there that we used the entire rest of the trip. We didn't take too many photos there....but I do want to point out the chic dressed up as a giant corn cob. Westley tried to beat the crap out of the corn. I don't know what got into him, but the second that corn started coming over acting all cute...he wanted none of it. He actually tried to kick it (her)?!!? We were so embarrassed!! We left very shortly after that happened. Not sure what got into him (perhaps his distaste of vegetables). ;-)

We drove for quite a bit after that fiasco....and ended up getting off at the Chamberlain Rest Stop. Someone had told me it was pretty dern cool for a rest stop....and they were right. They had all sorts of stuff set up for the kids to look at and learn about. Teepees for them to crawl in. Gorgeous scenic overlook. A visitor center. And lots of stuffed dead creatures.

And now....on to my very favorite part of the vacation. The Badlands National State Park. Straight out of a Road Runner cartoon! I loved loved loved the Badlands. All of the color banding on the rock formations was so beyond amazing. Jaw dropping, really. But I will let the photos do the talking....

After frolicking through the badlands....this is what Westley had to say:

We opted out of hitting a couple of places that everyone seems to hit, since we spent a bit more time at the badlands than we expected. Wall Drug sort of looked like a tourist trap. Part of me wishes we had gone just to say we did....but then again....I know we were exhausted.

Once we hit Rapid City, we ordered in Chinese food and chilled out in the hotel room. Jeff and the kiddos went swimming that night and I caught up on work emails as this was the first place we had wifi (we are in the dark ages and don't have internet on our phones nor were we willing to pay for hotel internet). We are thrifty like that. ;-)

Check back again for the big Mount Rushmore post!! Day four was PACKED with fun stuff! :-)

Summer Vacation 2011 - Part 2

2011-08-14T00:06:00.005-05:00

Day two. We left Kansas City and headed for Sioux Falls. The drive was fairly quick although we did have to detour a bit because of flooding on whatever highway runs between the two places (I seriously have no clue about such things). ;-)

Anyway, we immediately hit the hotel and rested a bit. After a while we headed out to find Sioux Falls park. A wrong turn or two later, we ended up at the U.S.S. South Dakota Battleship Memorial. I have no earthly clue as to why I didn't grab my camera out of the car....I suppose I thought it would be boring.

It was actually pretty neat and they had a ton of old photos, model ships (some big, some small), some authentic flags (including a Nazi one), tons of memorabilia from the ship and lots of cool stuff for the kids to check out.

After that, we headed to Sioux Falls and it was gorgeous! We spend the rest of the late afternoon on the grounds there....just enjoying the scenery and climbing on rocks.

After we left the falls, we headed to dinner and then went swimming at the hotel. We went to bed early because we knew day three was a long car day! :-) Check back for part 3 later....

Summer Vacation 2011

2011-08-12T14:32:00.007-05:00

We had a blast of a vacation this summer and I have been wanting to document it somewhere ever since. We decided to road trip it....which I think was pretty brave of us. Lots of driving with three kids NEVER sounds like a good idea....but it ended up being the best vacation we ever had. Here was our week:

Day one - Kansas City
Day two - Sioux Falls, SD
Day three - drive to Rapid City
Day four - Rapid City
Day five - Rapid City
Day six - Denver
Day Seven - Denver
Day Eight - HOME!

We had a ton to pack in but we had a blast doing it all! I think I will break the blog posts down by each city - especially since they will be so photo intensive!

We headed out in the morning and made it to Kansas City, MO by lunch. We headed to the Crown Center because I had heard about this awesome restaurant called Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. Basically, you sit down, you pick up a phone at your booth to place your order, and then you wait for a train (that circles the entire restaurant) to bring the food to your table!!

I honestly don't know who was more excited....the grownups or the kids. And the best thing?? They could put hashbrowns on your sandwich!! I had a grilled cheese with hashbrowns and it was SO good!

After we left Fritz's...we walked around Crown Center for a bit. We took a visit to the Crayola Store (which was awesome!) and a few more kid friendly shops. Then we headed to Kaleidoscope, which is a fun little art extravaganza. They basically let you run into this amazing space and you have 45 minutes to make anything you want! They have stations for making your own puzzles, crowns, glasses, necklaces, post cards, masks, and too much more to mention! They have cool places to run, jump and get silly. They even have painting with melted crayons!

I loved that it was a complete free for all. There we no rules (other than respecting those around you). I only wish the sessions were longer than 45 minutes! SO much fun! We ALL had a blast here! The decor was so cute and quirky and totally an awesome creative play place.

After chilling out a bit at the hotel....we headed to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then decided to chill at the pool back at the hotel! It was a great first day to our summer vacation. Check back in a day or two for my post about Sioux Falls!

Has it really been so long?

2011-08-11T23:13:00.003-05:00

Sigh. A year and half since I blogged here. You know what happened around the last time I blogged? I opened my own business and became a craptastic mom, that's what. ;-)

The past year and a half has been exhausting, life changing and a true learning experience. Next month, I am closing my photography studio space (and going back to part time with zero overhead and way less business related stress).

One of the big reasons for the change is because we are going to be homeschooling our youngest kiddo. He has struggled with traditional learning for some time and I am very excited/nervous/happy about opening a new door for him. I can't wait to have my kiddo back...the one who loved to discover new things instead of being full of frustration!

While we do have a fairly strict curriculum, I hope to make it our own and fill his day with hands on learning, crafts, and creativity. I know the girls will be over the moon with jealousy - so I believe I will be saving art class for late afternoon when they get home. I think it will be the perfect way to calm down after a long day at school, don't you?

Anyway...be looking for more posts from me soon! Wish us luck!

Awww.

2009-12-08T14:46:00.001-06:00

Westley loves me all the way to God and back down again. *So* cute. I don't deserve that much love. It melted my heart.

Painting craziness.

2009-12-02T17:14:00.004-06:00

After I finish the two bathrooms tonight, I will be able to say that I have painted every single wall in my house since we moved. It has been crazy. And considering that I painted the old house top to bottom before we left...well...we can safely say I am sick of paint, brushes, rollers, tarps, and paint clothes. But...it all looks marvelous. So worth all the effort.

This past weekend, Jeff had some extra days off. We decided to polish off the upstairs living room, kitchen and all the hallways. Whew. What a job and half. While we were busy painting inside (photos to come when my furniture actually gets delivered)....we had the kids busy with paint on the deck. Enjoy the photos....

Santa's Magical Kingdom

2009-12-02T16:17:00.002-06:00

After thanksgiving dinner, we loaded the dogs up and headed to Santa's Magical Kingdom with the kids. It pretty much looks the same as it has every year (with a heftier $18 per car price tag), but worth going through once this season all the same.

The kids loved it....and this being the dog's first time through was even better than the light show itself. You could tell they were gobsmacked. It was totally cute and funny. :-)

Abi's Thanksgiving Pumpkin Bread

2009-12-02T12:39:00.002-06:00

Abi loves to cook. She doesn't get to do it very often (with school, music lessons, play practice, knitting club, etc). But she wanted to make sure she made her own dish for Thanksgiving. She made some wonderful Pumpkin bread and I thought I'd post the recipe as a few people asked for it!

1.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup water
7.5 oz. pumpkin

1. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a loaf pan, set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar and oil
3. Add eggs and water, beat well, set aside.
4. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar/egg mixture beating on low speed after each addition.
6. Beat in pumpkin.
7. Spoon batter into load pan.
8. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean)
9. Cool and wrap.

Yum. :-)

Christmas Time!

2009-12-01T13:37:00.001-06:00

So, let me start by saying that I have been wanting a white tree forever. I decided this was the year to jump though...since the tree we had was seriously sad. We had it duct taped together last year just to keep it together. Pitiful.

I was blessed with an early Christmas gift from my mom this year...when she said she would get us a tree if we didn't mind not having anything to open on Christmas. I jumped on the offer because I seriously didn't know if our old one would even stand this year.

So last night, we put in It's A Wonderful Life and decorated our tree (family tradition). Although Delaney and Abi were much more interested in the movie than the tree trimming. It turned out amazing though and I am quite proud of it!!

Sir Westley's Room

2009-12-01T13:27:00.003-06:00

Westley has always had his own room, so the change wasn't as crazy for him. Although he loves his new room a lot. :-) We went back and forth on what to do for Westley's room and finally decided to go with a castle/knight room.

He loves playing with his castles and knights and dragons so much...and he is a little prince charming...so why not? Jeff did an AMAZING job on his bed. Seriously. It is the crowning glory of the room. I spent days on the mural and no one says anything about it after seeing the bed. lol

West loves sleeping in a castle and has already had a sleepover with his little cousin Kenny - who was over the moon with excitement to sleep in a castle bed (although we did have to remove the stuffed dragon above the bed because it scared him!).

Here is the making of video for his room:

And one of Jeff being amazing. I literally drew out a rough sketch of a castle bed on a napkin and Jeff created something far above what I had imagined. He is rad like that.

Delaney's Room

2009-12-01T13:18:00.003-06:00

Delaney is the biggest animal lover I have ever met. I know it is only a matter of time before she switches to a vegetarian lifestyle like myself. She has especially taken a liking to aquatic life (which I have posted about on the blog). It was an easy choice to go with an ocean inspired room for her. :-)

Delaney was really upset about having her own room when we moved. She thought she would be lonely and scared. Turns out - she loves having her own space even more than Abi does. I think she especially like all of her own books being in her room (before they were all piled together in one big mess with Abi's and Westley's). She has been reading a lot more since we moved. Which I love to see!

The mural took quite a few days to complete, especially since all three kids had the h1n1 when I started on her room. But I love the way it turned out. Here is a time lapse video of me makig the mural:

And a couple of photos:

Abi's Room

2009-12-01T12:49:00.003-06:00

So...I haven't updated in forever. We have moved and been keeping uber busy. But I thought I would jump back into blogging with a photo intense entry of my kiddos new rooms. One of the main reasons we moved was to get the kids into their own spaces! We love it so far.

Each room truly captures the essence of our kids. I am posting each kiddo's room in a separate entry.

We'll start with Abi's room which was inspired by all things music. The kid eats sleeps and breathes music. Since she's been able to have some alone time (instead of her sister bugging her all the time), I have found all sorts of music that she has written herself stuffed in the drawers of her desk. I'm very excited about her talent. :-)

The zigzag painting was Jeff's idea and I love how it turned out. He was such a big helper with the painting and I even came home to this (Shhhhh don't tell Abi):

He is so romantic. :-)

So far, Abi loves having her own space...her personality is really coming through since I took these photos. She is adding her own artwork to the walls and cork board, her bookshelf is a MESS from all of the reading and adding of books and her clothes are ALL over the floor. But guess what?? No fighting with her sister - so all is well with the world!!!

Westley's Fall Photoshoot

2009-09-15T22:13:00.004-05:00

We took West out for his annual fall photoshoot last week. I decided to do things a bit differently this year and take the kiddos out one at a time. When we all go together, everyone gets fidgety and without a doubt someone is crabby.

After we get the single shoots done, I will take them out for group photos, which will probably result in having to bribe them with candy, money and my left arm.

Anyway, it turned out to be a great day and I got some photographs that I will treasure for always. Here are a few of my favorites.

A reminder.

2009-09-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

Family Photo Day

2009-09-07T22:03:00.000-05:00

Every year, we try to get everyone together for a family photo (which is stressful for me...because no one listens to the photog when they are family AND I can't be behind the camera, which makes it more challenging). Nonetheless, the group photo turned out pretty well:

And then two of my nephews!! I love these little boogers! :-)

Ball game

2009-08-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

So...we headed out to see the Cardinals. Not a huge fan of baseball...but my brother gave us free tickets. The kids had a blast. Delaney and West had never been...and Abi has only been once (with my brother when she was 5).

I could honestly be fine if I never went back (sooo boring...and way too big of a crowd for my liking). But I did manage to get some good photos.

And THE WAVE!

First day of school!

2009-08-23T19:20:00.005-05:00

So. The first day of school happened last week. It was a weird week...and I haven't really felt like posting about it. I have a middle schooler, yo. And that freaks me the hell out.

I had been fine about the whole thing. Completely fine. Abi has been ready for the challenge for a long time. She has outgrown her elementary school...and many of her friends. She will have multiple teachers, challenge classes, hundreds of new people to meet, multiple opportunities to let her talents flourish. I was totally excited for her...and ready.

As for Delaney - second grade. She has a teacher that she has already had before, that we love. No worries about her or second grade. Westley - starting Kindergarten. Sure, I had some worry...but really they are all related to his special needs. So, I sort of laughed at all the mom's crying at the Kindergarten orientation. Third time, just not that upsetting anymore.

I was beginning to think I was heartless.

Even when I woke up at the ass crack of dawn to get Abi up for the first day (her bus comes at 6:35!!)...I was fine. Fine. Get her ready, have breakfast, take photos, watcher her walk to the bus....

And then. The bus came. And she left.

And then Jeff gave me a hug and simply asked if I was ok.

And, clearly, I wasn't. I bawled and bawled and bawled like a baby. Seriously. It was so emotionally overwhelming. Jeff stayed a bit longer with me...until I settled down a bit...and then he left for work. And then I cried and cried some more. And more. And more.

Then I had to get Delaney and West ready to go for their first day. And I did. After dropping them off, I headed to Wool Gatherings for some fiber arts therapy and sulked quietly.

It is going to be ok. I am going to be ok. But I have been pretty sad all week. I am going to enjoy my peaceful 3 hours I get to spend on my work every morning...don't get me wrong. But this middle school thing? Just sucks.

Abi, however, is having a blast.

We made a deal. I wouldn't get on her bus with the camera on the first day of school....IF she would let me take some photos of her at her school before school actually started. A few days before the first day, we went up to decorate her locker (her locker). So here are a few photos of my first baby. My middle schooler.

And I left her with a note, which I am sure has already been erased. Yup. I just asked her. She already erased it. haha. Now it is covered with peace, love and happiness.

"Well, I'm sorry mom, my back pack wiped it off the first day anyway. I didn't mean for it to happen...."

Yadda yadda yadda....excuse excuse excuse. Oh well. At least she read it.

Abi's Birthday Cake - Like, peace man.

2009-08-23T18:55:00.003-05:00

So. Abi had her 11th birthday party a couple of weeks ago at Wool Gatherings. This place is the mecca of all things fiber arts...and we just love them. I would post photos of the party, but I am always paranoid about posting photos of other people's kids in a public forum without their permission...and I am lazy so I probably won't get around to asking for permission either.

But...they had an absolute blast. Abi chose a Peace sign pattern for the girls to rug hook...and so the hippie themed birthday was born. Everything was tie dye and peace signs....even her cake.

This cake was uber easy to make. I got the basic instructions from this blog post (although I made the cake like normal...no diet crap for us).

You basically take two boxes of cake mix, divide it into how many colors you want and add food coloring.

After that, you pour half of each color into two round pans. Keep adding each color until all of the batter is used.

Cook like normal. Cool and ice. I never told Abi what the insides looked like...so everyone was very surprised when I cut open a"tie dye" cake. :-)

Yum.

Kate Chopin Tribute

2009-08-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

Kate Chopin is my hero. She was revolutionary in the feminist literature movement well before it was deemed acceptable.

Her book, The Awakening, transformed me in ways I’ll never be able to clearly describe. Well over 100 years after it was written, Chopin clearly portrays what it is like to be a woman (not to mention a mother) that is held to certain expectations. This book made me reevaluate my priorities, stay true to my self, and love the woman I am even though I may not fit in to the "mold" that people expect and want.

Every year, on her death day anniversary (August 22, 1904), I honor her by dropping a copy of The Awakening on her star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame (on Delmar).

It wasn't until after her death that her work became popular and monumental. Somehow...I hope that she knows what she has accomplished. By honoring her on her death day, I believe, I am honoring her entire life. Not the start of it, the middle, or even the end. But the whole thing....which is, quite frankly, still very alive.

This feeds my soul a bit. Being able to honor her...being able to share her literature...being able to send this book on its journey. This year, I was able to see the person who picked the book up:

It was a good day. After dropping the book off, we headed to Calvary Cemetery...visiting her grave site, and then ended with a drive by of her St. Louis residence in the Central West End.

This one was taken by Westley(age 5!)

stand your ground

2009-08-09T13:58:00.005-05:00

So...our church is doing a series on Spiritual Warfare. The Bible verse they are focusing on is taken from Ephesians 6:

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

At our creative planning team meeting, I graciously signed Jeff up to be the Roman Solider. :-) Which meant that I had to make one killer costume for him to wear. I found a super cool instructable that got me started!

I used cardboard, spray paint, duct tape, pipe cleaners and a crap load of hot glue. The red part underneath is two red tshirts made into a dress type situation. Although, I am pretty sure that the Roman Soliders did not call those dresses. At any rate, it was fun to put together and Jeff has had fun (I think) playing the part during both services.

Anywho. I wanted to share since I finally got around to photos today!

I'm sorry for knocking down the parthenon

2009-08-06T14:11:00.008-05:00

So...our church is doing a series on Spiritual Warfare. The theme we used to decorate the church for the series was Romanesque. I wish I had photos (I will after this Sunday), of Jeff dressed as a Roman Soldier and the awesome Parthenon type situation up at the front. This thing is huge. It goes all the way to the ceiling and probably 15+ feet wide.

Anyway, our lovely children took it upon themselves to go up and bang on the piano whilst Jeff and I were gathering the recycling up. Well, the Parthenon was near the piano...and as you would have guessed, our little "samsons" knocked the thing over. It busted into several pieces.

Better still. We had 1.5 hours to get the thing back together before a vow renewal ceremony took place. Awesome. So...while the kids sat in the kids room (with NOTHING to do)...Jeff made his way to the hardware store and rushed back so we could reconstruct this awesome decoration.

We did it. And it looks ok. Not as great as it did to begin with. Sigh.

Even though it was an accident, they had NO business being up on the stage whatsoever, so we have been trying to come up with a discipline that would fit the crime. The kids wrote letters today, apologizing for the incident and offering to pick up the leftover bulletins for the next two weeks.

Delaney and Westley's letters were too cute not to post. I am not going to post Abi's letter though. At her age, that would be cruel and unusual punishment. haha!

things I have learned...

2009-08-06T11:00:00.003-05:00

...as a mother of three.

-The laundry will never be done. Never.

-Always, and I do mean always, close your nose when opening a sippy cup. You never ever know just how long that milk has been sitting in there. More often than not...a week has passed since the little bugger shoved it behind the toy box.

-Your bathroom time, will never be private again. You must learn to pee with a child sitting on your lap or getting your toilet paper for you.

-Speaking of the bathroom...you will be peed on, pooped on, puked on. It is a fact. Bodily fluid is a normal topic of conversation now. Sometimes, they eat it or pour it down the heat ducts. I'm not joking.

-You become a liar. Yes the playground has short hours certain days...and target closed the toy department early. Oh yeah...and the ice cream truck...it is really the music truck. It drives around and plays pretty music for all the kids to enjoy.

-Your heart grows. It just does. There is no limit. It is all quite bigger than myself these days.

-Once you have more than two, the grandparents stop offering to babysit.

-I never thought I'd have kids with special needs. But that is what I was given. I always thought that it must be such a burden when a parent had a special needs child. Guess what? It isn't. It is a joy. It is a blessing. It has made me grow...and I love them all more because of it. I no longer look at parents with children who are different than the norm with sadness. Do I feel compassion for them? Hell yes. But I see that fire in their eyes....and I know...without a doubt they feel incredibly blessed to have the child that they do.

-People without kids like to give you advice on how to raise your kids.

-Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends also like to give you advice. Usually when you don't ask for it. You learn when to let it go and when to fight. Most of the time, you just let it go.

-People treat you differently because you are a mom. Fact. You have to break through the stereotypes that you will be poured in to because you have kids. If you don't, you'll lose your self.

-That said, never act how people expect you to act just because you have birthed a child. It makes you miserable. It makes you want to die. Be you. No matter what. Be that first. Then be a mom.

-When you have however many kids you decide on, you should always add one to that number. Because, without a doubt, they will want a dog. And that is just like having another kid.

-You can have a house full of toys, as much money as you need, food on the table, and everything a kid could ever really want...and it still doesn't mean as much as a good hug and an open heart does to a kid.

-Some cartoons rock ass.

-Some make you want to kill yourself.

-You never really watch or read the news the same way again. If you are a parent you already know what I mean by this.

-Creativity breeds happiness.

-Unless you have a sitter, you will never eat a meal uninterrupted again. But, you will laugh and you will learn more about your kids at dinner than you will most other times.

-Hugs and kisses will go on for eternity...as well as crying, screaming, slamming doors, and sibling rivalry. It is a marvelous and beautiful thing.

-Posts like this can take an upward of 5 hours to write out...just because you haven't been able to sit down and write out complete thoughts without getting up 18 times to read books, play blocks, get popsicles, start a few loads of wash, and hide in your bedroom for 20 minutes because you were going to go medieval on a child.

You say tomato...I say tomato sauce.

2009-08-06T10:16:00.004-05:00

I love my papa. Seriously. How could you not love a face like this?

My papa makes good tomatoes. SO yummy and so plentiful during the summer months. Almost too plentiful this year. We found ourselves racing to eat them up before they spoiled. So, I finally did it. I finally made marinara sauce with the tomatoes that were getting uber ripe.

I say I am going to do this every year...and never get to it. I am glad I did it this year, because this recipe was super duper simple. Who knew?

First, I boiled the tomatoes (a few at a time) for one minute:

This made them ready for peeling. Which was SO easy and simple (and gross and cool):

While I seeded the tomatoes, I had the oil, onions and garlic doing their magic in the skillet. After that, you add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet. And simmer for an hour. Delish.

And then...enjoy some of this:

Some yummy stuff people. I will be doing this again for sure!

Happy birthdays and such.

2009-07-31T12:31:00.003-05:00

On July 29, 1998, I celebrated Jeff's birthday by pushing out our first child. We can hardly believe she is 11 already. And Jeff can hardly believe he has officially been an adult as long as he was legally a child. Did I mention he is 36!??! Did I mention he is 5 years older than me?? ;-)

Anyway, we celebrated this year by heading to Imo's for lunch, The Cupcakery for cupcakes (zomg so yummy), and then we hit the zoo for the rest of the day.

The zoo was cool....partially because we went the opposite direction that we usually do which finally allowed us to see the birds and reptiles. We never get over to that area...and it is just so lovely. I could feel photoshoots oozing out of my creative veins the entire time. There are so many grassy areas with wonderful staircases and bridges. I think that is where I am going to take my nephew for his three year old birthday shoot.

I digress. Anyway, we saw all of the birds first, and it occurred to me that the last time I saw the birds at the zoo...was when Abi was in first grade. We always hit the elephants and bears and giraffes and penguins. But not the birds. It was a nice change. Almost like going to a whole 'nother zoo alltogether.

After the birds we headed to the reptile house, which has always been a favorite of mine....even though we never go there either! It was great. Lots of snakes (which we all love), alligators, turtles, ginormous frogs. SO fun. Not to make this post about me...but I freaking love snakes. They are so cool. I wouldn't mind having one someday...but after the fish fiasco....I am no longer allowed to pick out our pets. So...I think I'll have to stick with seeing them at the zoo (for a while anyway).

After we spend a while with the birds and reptiles, we rode the train back to the front of the zoo.

Then headed inside to get face painting done. You know what is annoying? You have to be 16 or under to get it. I totally would have done it if I could have. Face painting is rad. I bet the birthday boy would have done it too. Because he is even more rad than face painting.

The birthday girl ended up getting a airbrush tattoo, because she is sensible and knew that seven days is longer than seven hours. So here she is getting her first "tattoo":

Delaney was next and chose the fantasy tiger:

And then came West who wanted to get an eagle to show his papa:

Overall, a super great birthday for my oldest baby and my dear hubby. We ended the day by shipping the kids off to VBS and having dinner at BreadCo with friends. Then home for Jeff to play on Rock Band 2 (his birthday gift!).

I also made a wee little video for Jeff for his birthday as well. I forgot to mention it on here, but for my birthday earlier this month, he palyed and sang my fav Decemberists' song on the guitar in FRONT of two of our friends. It was SO sweet. So I wanted to do something special like that for him too:

Jamie Day at Onondaga Caves

2009-07-29T21:56:00.003-05:00

Every summer, in an attempt to give me a sane and fun day out, my friend Tempest Tea takes us all somewhere cool. This year, we headed to Onondaga Caves.

We started out at our house, where Jamie showered my kiddos with goodies, including a book on caves to read on the drive there (1.5 hours). The kids (especially Westley) soaked up the book that she read to them. All throughout the tour he was referencing that book!

Anyway, the caves were nice and cool (57 degrees) and we learned a ton about caves and cave critters. It was really great. We were even able to experience complete darkness for a bit (which was unnerving since I am pretty sure there was a child molester on our tour...another story entirely).

The kids weren't too scared...but frequently asked about the bats. And when there were bats? Holy Jesus. It wasn't pretty. I think everyone on the tour needed some ear plugs after Abi had one fly right at her.

After the cave coolness....we headed to a few places around there as Jamie went down memory lane since she grew up right around there (guess what???). lol On the way back home, I decided since she had shown us such an amazing time....we'd bring her to something in our neck of the woods that was amazing.

West even took some photos!

Overall, I great day out! The kids had a blast...and Jeff and I enjoyed catching up with a great friend! :-)

I stepped out on the Ledge!

2009-07-22T16:41:00.006-05:00

So. A few things you may not know about me. I have some pretty serious issues with anxiety. I am afraid of everything. Really. I think up all these crazy things in my head. Like this week? All three kids are sleeping in Westley's room...so that if something happens whilst Jeff is out of town (like, I dunno, a break-in or a fire...or a typhoon (hey anything can happen)) I can get to them all easily.

Yeah. Pretty messed up, huh? I mean, I didn't actually tell them to sleep in the same room, they came up with that on their own. But, yeah...it was such a good idea to me because of my wandering anxious thoughts....that I said yes. And last night, when I caught them having a potato sack race with their pillow cases at 11:45? I still let them stay in the same room together anyway.

One of my biggest fears has always been heights. Not the heights as much as the dying part when I fall down. Because, that WILL happen if I go up too high. So a couple of years ago, I decided that I needed to grab ahold of some of my fears and tell them to back off. And I have been working really hard to do that.

One of my first goals would be to go up in the Arch. I could cover claustrophobia and the height thing all at once. I made that goal last June:

And accomplished it in September:

And yes, I'm crying in that photo. I was absolutely and for real deep down friggin terrified. But. I did it.

So when we were planning my birthday trip to Chicago and Jeff showed me a link to the new Ledge at the Sears Tower Skydeck, I was absolutely panicked....but I knew that this was the next step! 1,353 feet up...the 103rd floor. Think of the photo possibilities?!?!

No one really thought I was going to do it though. And after I nearly ripped Crystal's arm off holding on to her as I stepped out....I am sure she wishes I wouldn't have done it!! But I did it. I stepped out on the Ledge and it was so freeing. I cried again.....but this time, it wasn't really fear and much as it was pride. I really have come such a long way with a lot of things regarding my anxiety over the past couple of years....and I am doing it all on my own.

After I did it, I did it again to get more photos! :-)

My crazy hubby:

Anyway! Look at that amazing view?!?! I would do it again in a heartbeat! Would I let my kids do it? Um . I haven't grown that much folks. Hell no. ;-)

Welcome to Dinotopia

2009-07-20T14:57:00.007-05:00

So. Before you tell me how cool I am....I completely stole this idea from my new favorite blog Filth Wizardry. This lady is absolutely amazing and has the coolest ideas ever. I spent around 2 hours on her blog a few nights ago with my mouth hanging open most of the time.

With Jeff out of town this week (yuck), I wanted to plan some fun all day projects that would keep the kids (and myself) sane. First, I made five batches of playdough. This recipe is all over the web, and one I have used since Abi was a wee toddler.

2 cups water
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar*
food coloring
4 tablespoons oil
2 cups of flour

Add the first four ingredients into a pot or pan on low-medium heat and stir up. When it warms up add the oil and flour and stir until it feels like dough (not sticky). And then you have the best, playdough in the world. If you want it to smell yummy, you can substitute the food coloring with kool-aid packets.

*And by the way...if you don't have cream of tartar around...your playdough will be ok without it! From what I hear, it just preserves it longer, but not necessary! I have made it several times without it and have never noticed a difference.

While the playdough was in the making, I grabbed some odds and ends that were going to be recycled this week...and shaped them together and taped them. We placed a water bottle on top and used a half circle cardboard piece around it to form the volcano.

After it was just the way we wanted it, we covered the whole thing up with foil. This keeps everything together nicely, and shapes the hills a bit better. After Dinotopia is put away, all of these things (including the foil) will still be recyclable.

After this was all put together, I let the kids go to town covering the entire contraption with playdough. They ended up using our regular playdough as well. This took up over an hour and half of their morning.

After a short break for lunch, we went to town embellishing Dinotopia with water, beads, sea shells, toothpick bridges, trees, flowers, and of course, the Dinosaurs!!

Embellishing took another hour....and then it was time for the erupting volcano (which you can watch in the video below). To create the volcano you will need:

1/4 cup water
1/4 vinegar
a few drops of dish soap
food coloring
1 tablespoon baking soda
tissue paper

Mix up the first four ingredients and pour them into the water bottle volcano (carefully!). Then place the baking soda onto tissue paper and roll it into a little packet. Insert the packet, cover the volcano a bit and then watch it erupt!

This project was a ton of fun for the kids (and for me) and they are STILL playing in Dinotopia some 5 hours after the project began. An awesome day.

After the kidlets fall off into Dinotopia dreamland tonight, I plan on putting it all away. The great thing about the homemade playdough? Some damp hands will mold it all back together and it can be used again and again!

p.s. I get excited easily, hence the scream when the big, huge eruption occurs in the video. hehe.

Papa's Garden

2009-07-18T00:09:00.004-05:00

So...we made our way to my granny and papa's yesterday. It was like going to the farmer's market...only better. Because I love the grower! Anyway, the girls were poopy and wouldn't help pick...but West enjoyed it. So did papa and granny.

We all enjoyed eating its rewards later that night. :-)

Wool Gatherings

2009-07-16T10:49:00.004-05:00

So, if any of you are in St. Louis, you have got to check out this little gem of a store in Eureka called Wool Gatherings. It is all things wool and fiber...and if you know me at all...you know that just walking in raises my heartbeat a bit.

The women there are extremely talented and eclectic. And the best part? They are so excited to teach you! You don't have to know anything at all about fiber arts when you walk in. But I promise...you will know something about it when you leave! They specialize in Rug Hooking...but have a wealth of expertise on all things fiber arts.

They have a great selection of wool yarns, yards and yards of wool, patterns, kits, frames, hooks, needles, and various other supplies for rug hooking, knitting, crocheting, felting, etc. They have classes and private lessons. Just last night I went with my mom, Abi and Julie Marie and made baby booties....from roving! It was so cool!!

Wool Gatherings is conscientious about supporting local economy - which is a *huge* plus for our family. They have a lot of local yarns...and items from local artists (from jewelry, to bags, to framed art).

Ahhh. I just can't say enough about this place. The first time I brought the kids in to learn how to rug hook, we stayed for hours. Laura patiently worked with all three of my kiddos. She taught the girls and myself to rug hook...and when West showed no interest, she quickly found something that he LOVED to do...and taught him how to needle felt!

They were not afraid to let my kids jump right in and learn the craft even though they were so young. Which is much appreciated...

Ah. I know this sounds like an advertisement....but I am just so excited to have such a cool place so near to our home. In a world where we are taught to buy buy buy....it is nice to sit down and create instead. I love this place and you should too! GO!!

Here are a couple of photos from our first visit (the girls have been back 4 times since!).

Until we meet again goody bags.

2009-07-15T22:37:00.005-05:00

So, Jeff and I (and a couple of friends) left for the Windy City last week. We had a fabulous time...which I will update on as the week progresses and I actually have the energy to edit photographs.

Before we left, I wanted to make the kiddos a little something to make our parting easier for all involved. I don't know if all kids are like mine, but my kiddos get very upset and emotional when Jeff and I leave. They are usually fine 20 minutes after we leave...but the actual parting is so emotional and then it leaves me feeling like crap for taking a break from them.

This time, I decided I would make them a goody bag that they were not allowed to have until we left granny and papa's house. I was hoping that this would make the long winded, tearful goodbyes go by much smoother. It worked for 2 out of 3 of the kids. I'll take it.

Anyway...I got some blank puzzles from Art Mart (one of my favorite places in St. Louis). I made them each a little message from mom and dad:

I took the puzzles apart and put them in a clear bag. I made sure to get another blank puzzle for each of them...because I knew if they saw that I got to make a pretty puzzle, they would be cheesed if they didn't get to as well! ;-)

Then I added some other fun goodies from the dollar aisle at Michael's. Little crafts that would keep them a occupied here and there whilst we were away.

And then packed them all up in a bag...and kept them hidden and used them as bribes as we tried to leave them with their grandparents. :-)

Anyway, a fun idea that I thought I would share. It made the kids feel special...and because it made them feel special...it made me feel better about leaving them too. ;-)

Totem Pole!

2009-07-07T20:56:00.005-05:00

So...after my friend Crystal listened to me whine like a baby about how long this summer was going to be with three fighting kiddos...she sent me some links of things to do and told me to shut up. Well, it didn't quite go like that, but sort of.

Anyway...she sent me this link and I knew instantly that we were going to make a Totem Pole for our front yard. So...we started to collect various containers (milk, juice, tea, butter, ice cream, etc).

Before we got started, I told the kids all about the origin of totem poles, which I took directly from wikipedia. What I did before wikipedia...I don't know. Anyway, we talked about how the pole usually represents a family or the events that have happened to them. The kids decided that we should have everyone in our house represented in our pole, including our two dogs, the plethora of fishies and our dear bird Iago (rest in peace).

So...the first thing we did was paint the containers with Gesso Paint. This paint is available at most craft stores. We got ours at Art Mart for $8. The Gesso paint needs 24 hours to dry, and basically gives you a rougher surface for the paint to "stick" to. If you want to "see" what the difference is with/without the Gesso, I added a photo. It really is worth the extra effort.

After this cured for 24 hours, the kids, Jeff and I went to town painting our portion of the totem pole. We painted each of the containers a base color and let them dry before we started on our faces or decorations. After the kiddos were completely done painting and they were all dry, I sprayed them with a polyurethane clear coat. Then let that dry overnight.

The next step, is to get some PVC pipe or a long broom handle. Then you cut a "X" in the tops and bottoms of all of the containers. Not too big...because you want it to grasp the pipe or handle.

Then, stick the pipe (or broom stick) into the ground a bit (we did about 6 inches) and slide your first container down to the bottom. This can be a bit tricky and hard...you may need to make the "X" a tad bigger...each container will be different. To make our pole a little more sturdy, we mixed plaster of paris and filled up the bottom container before we slid the lid on.

After that, we added all of the other containers and now we have the coolest yard art ever! This was a fun project...it took a little while to get through all of the steps...but totally worth it! Now...we hope that our stupid neighborhood association doesn't have any codes against large colorful yard art....although it wouldn't be at all surprising if they did.

As promised...

2009-07-05T21:04:00.002-05:00

My mom, aunt Rita and I (age 10) singing Hold On by Wilson Phillips.

Bird craft

2009-07-04T15:19:00.007-05:00

This is a super simple bird craft that can be modified (depending on the age of your kidlet). All you need is some cardstock paper, crayons (or paint), tape, a hole punch, some old yarn and some feathers.

If you don't have those things, the cool thing about this craft, is you can use various things to make it work. If you don't have yarn, you could use ribbon, paper, pipe cleaners for the legs, etc. If you don't have google eyes, you can draw them on, use buttons. You can draw and cut out your own feathers, or use pipe cleaners, fuzzy yarn, etc. Make it your own!

First, start by cutting out the bird and putting 5 hole punches where the feathers and legs will go. The shape is up to you. We did a sort of figure 8 shape, but any shape will do. We found it best to put our eyeballs on first, because the self adhesive eyeballs would not stick well to the crayon wax. You can skip this step if you just want to draw your eyeballs on.

Next, color or paint your bird. You can add stickers, glitter, etc. Decorate as little or as much as you want.

Now, it is time to add the feathers. Stick the feathers through the hole punch on the front of the bird, then flip to the back and tape down.

After you get all the feathers in, it is time to make your legs. You can use one strand of yarn for younger kiddos. If your child knows how to braid, they can braid the legs like we did. Ribbon would be cute too.

You add those on the same way you added the feathers on. Then you just tie a string through the top hole and your bird is ready to fly away (or hang from the ceiling!).

Cooking with Tabby

2009-07-04T14:48:00.004-05:00

On Thursday, Tabby came over all day to cook with Delaney. Delaney's birthday gift from Tab included a cookbook and a coupon for a free cooking day! Delaney chose to make french toast sticks for brunch. They were so yummy.

It was a super easy recipe. You just cut up bread and dip them in an egg/milk mixture, then roll them in crushed cornflakes. Fry them in a buttered pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and dip them in syrup! 100% child tested and approved!

For dinner, we made homemade bow tie mac n' cheese for the kiddos and spaghetti for the grown up people. We had also made homemade french bread...which we sliced up and made into garlic cheese bread. I didn't bring the camera out for that....but it was a great dinner.

Delaney had a super great day! Thanks Tab!

school

2009-07-03T16:16:00.004-05:00

Abi cracks me up. Today, she said that if she were in a school of red fish, she'd be the green one swimming in the opposite direction.

Indeed she would be. One of the reasons I love her so much. And the fact that she can grasp that notion at 10, and revel in it?? Marvelous. I'm doing my job.

P.S. I think the last 5 entries in this blog has mentioned the word fish in some form. I swear...the next entry will NOT be about fish of any kind.

fish fish nothin' but fish.

2009-06-30T21:24:00.002-05:00

Because...I know you want to watch 8 minutes of my fish...along with commentary from me and the best fish momma in the world (Delaney).

Good morning little fishies.

2009-06-30T10:58:00.004-05:00

I'll start out by saying, these sort of things happen to us all the time. Anything we do.....I can bet you dollars to donuts....it won't turn out how it does for anyone else. It is one of the reasons I love my life so much.

Yesterday, Delaney went to get her fish. She ended up with a White Molly (Snowbell), a Dalmation Molly (Spottie), and two frogs (Nemo and Marley). You can only add 2-4 fish at a time to a tank. So...we thought 2 fish and 2 frogs sounded like a great start.

This morning, we have 29 fish and 2 frogs.

Last night, the girls were telling Jeff and I that they thought Spottie was pregnant because she had quite a tummy on her. No way. We told them no way. Obviously we are daft, because we thought fish laid eggs. So we told our kids that fish lay eggs and Spottie was absolutely not pregnant.

Then...this morning....there are 27 baby fish. There goes our credibility.

I called the pet store. They said to let nature take its course. Do you know what nature does when it takes its course?? It eats its babies.

Needless to say, it has been a morning filled with tears and anger. I told the kids the truth...becuase that is how I roll (although I do lie about some things, like whether or not the snow cone hut is open...but those types of things aren't as important as life lessons, right?).

Now Delaney wants to get rid of the two big fish and only keep the babies. I really don't know what to do. But seriously....what are the chances? All of the fish Delaney could have chose...and she chooses one that is knocked up higher than a kite.

I'll keep you posted. I was thinking of video taping them eating their young....would that be disturbing? I'm telling you....if I am not granting job security to all the therapists my kids are going to need after I'm done parenting them....then I don't know who is.

The proud momma (and hopefully another girl fish...cuz seriously....I don't want this to happen again).

And a frog (the other one looks just the same, Delaney claims to know which is which, but she doesn't).

A bird is a bird is a fish.

2009-06-28T19:23:00.006-05:00

So, I didn't have this blog when our beloved cockatiel, Iago, was eaten by our dog Jekyll Hyde two months ago. Trust me, it was an entry you'd probably rather not read about anyway. It was brought to my attention...that perhaps that is why Delaney has shown such a fascination with birds these days.

She also knows, that we will never, ever, ever, Ever with an uppercase E have another bird whilst Jekyll is still a part of our family. So, Delaney has been asking for fish. Now, I haven't even brought up the possibility with Jeff because I knew he's say no way. Seriously. Why on Earth would we have any business trying to keep even more breathing things alive?!?

But. When we couldn't think of anything else for the birthday gift...we both agreed that a tank of fish it would be. So...today, we put up the tank and gave it to her early. Tomorrow, (after the water gets all ready) she will get to pick out the fish on her bird-day....I mean...fish-day....I mean birthday!!

Bird-Day Cupcakes

2009-06-27T15:13:00.009-05:00

It should be no surprise to anyone that my kids are pretty quirky. So, I wasn't really surprised when Delaney asked for a bird themed birthday party. She may be the first person to ask for a bird themed party...as there are NO bird decorations (unless you count Big Bird...but I assure you that she did NOT mean the Big Bird when she requested a bird party).

So...I booked The Wild Bird Sanctuary for her kid party this coming week. She is super excited about that. However, that still left me empty handed for her family party tonight. After fretting a while because there was nothing to do with birds at her bird-day party tonight...I came up with a couple of cute cupcake ideas. Whew. They turned out so cute....that I decided to post them up here.

They were super easy to do. In the first and second photos, I just iced the cupcakes, put a few sprinkles on them. Then I used food coloring and put the icing in ziplocs and cut the tip off and went to town with the bird bodies. I used icing for the beaks and eyes as well...just cut off a VERY small tip from the baggie.

The cupcakes in the last photo, I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes, yellow icing for the beaks and wings from Keebler Bug Bites Crackers (I used the fireflies and broke them in half!). I realized after I made these, that pecan halves would have worked for the wings as well. But the kids will like these better anyway.

Anyway, super easy...super cute. I don't know how many people will WANT to make bird cupcakes. But I thought I'd share anyway. Can't wait to eat them. The only type of bird this girl will ever consume. ;-)

Happy 7th Bird-day to my silly little bird....Delaney!

so.

2009-06-26T23:32:00.003-05:00

Kind of bummed about Michael Jackson. Not much to say about it I guess. Just bummed. I used to rock my tweenage ass off to him.

My Father's Eyes - 20 years ago.

2009-06-24T22:50:00.008-05:00

When I was ten, I went to one of those recording studios in the mall with my Aunt Rita and my mom. We chose two songs to sing; My Father's Eyes by Amy Grant and Hold On by Wilson Phillips. They let us rehearse once and then we sang.

Now, my mom and aunt decided it would be awesome to lip sync throughout most of My Father's Eyes so that my mom could give it to my dad as a Father's Day gift. We had headphones on, so I was none the wiser. And I belted my heart out too.

When we got back to Rita's house and listened to the tape I was MORTIFIED that they had let me sing alone. I cried for days. I remember ruining the rest of the trip because I sulked the entire time. I was so mad at them.

Well, ever since Abi sang this same song in church last week, I have been itching to find this tape...and tonight....I found it.

Needless to say, I am absolutely stoked that my aunt and mom did that to me all of those years ago. This is the coolest thing to have ever. Who knew...that twenty years later....my very own ten year old daughter would be singing this song on Father's Day. Sigh. It makes my heart smile big.

So...without further ado....I give you ten year old Julie...singing. Oh...make sure you listen all the way to the end. You can hear my mom and aunt laughing and me asking them what is so funny. It really makes the whole tape so much better for me. :-)

If you didn't get a chance to hear Abi sing this...it is in the previous post. Oh...and I may eventually get the nerve to post the Wilson Phillips song later. Now THAT is some funny stuff. :-)

----

Edited to add this photo of me vs. Abi at age 10.

Father's Day

2009-06-22T12:05:00.003-05:00

So, yesterday, Abi sang at church. A song that I sang in church when I was going into 6th grade. How weird is that? Anyway, the kids worked really hard and it was totally cute. We youtubed it.

After church, we chilled around the house for a bit and then headed to my brother and sis-in-law's for our family get together. Which, was long and weird for various reasons. I was crabby and ready for bed when we got home. But alas, couldn't sleep. Stayed up reading until who knows when.

Trying to decide what to do with the kids for the rest of the week. Thinking about invading the Blacketer's for swimming tonight.

Baking bread.

2009-06-19T11:52:00.004-05:00

So...the kids and I have taken to baking bread the past couple of days. The first day, we made Amish White Bread. Which, I so lovingly documented in video form for you. The bread was super yummy. It tasted like Wonder white bread. Yummmo.

Anyway....without further ado....here is our little video. (fyi, I love the way the video always chooses the most horrific place in the film for the preview! awesome!)!

and a few of my favorite photos just because I can:

Going Green at Church

2009-06-16T14:21:00.004-05:00

So, we started a recycle program at our new church. Here is the video I made introducing it to the church.

Last leg

2009-06-14T20:11:00.003-05:00

Our piano bench is in sad shape. For real. Every time someone sits on it...I kind of hold my breath waiting for it to collapse.

So yesterday...Delaney sits on it and starts to scoot the bench whilst she is sitting on it.

"Delaney! Stop doing that," I cry out, "the piano bench is already on its last leg!"

"Um, it still has four," she says with a very confused look as she looks beneath her.

Cracked me up.

Feature Friday : tlp {photography}

2009-06-12T09:11:00.012-05:00

On Fridays, I will feature something or someone that I want you to see. They may have inspired me throughout the week, made me laugh, made my life easier, or just touched me in some way. Because if I like it, I know you will too. ;-)

Today, I choose one of my favorite flickr photographers, Tiffany.

Tiffany and I "met" through our 365 Project, which is a project on flickr where you document a year of your life by taking a self-portrait every single day. To say that this project is one of the hardest to accomplish, is an understatement. But everyday, Tiffany surprised me with her amazing images!

I am inspired by her because she has an amazing ability to take ordinary things, things that most people barley notice, and turn them in to amazing, extraordinary pieces of art. Have you ever seen waffles look like that? Seriously?!

I don't like when people assume things about me because I am a mother. In fact, that is a *ginormous* pet peeve of mine. So, I hope I am not breaking my own rule by even mentioning that she is a mother of four beautiful kiddos. But, I am going to mention it anyway.

It always makes me happy when I see a mother expressing herself...for her self. I think many women who have children give up so much of who they are...and it is a real shame. I always want to scratch away the "mommy mode" on other mothers and see who they are. With Tiffany's work, I don't have to scratch. SHE shines through, every single photograph.

When you enter the world of mommy wars and one uppers....it isn't always easy to do. So, I have an enormous amount of respect for Tiffany as an artist (and a mom). I hope you enjoy looking through her photostream! She is a true inspiration to me!

Magic Rocks

2009-06-11T09:30:00.003-05:00

Email Chore Challenge

2009-06-08T13:29:00.008-05:00

Ok. So my two girls are obsessed with email. They don't have many contacts, because I monitor who they can add (yeah...I'm that kind of mother...what of it?). But still, they beg to check it at least twice a day, sometimes more.

What my kids don't like? Chores. We have never gotten into a regiment for chores. I am one of the most unorganized people I know...and frankly, I'm ok with that most of the time (except when I lose paperwork and then I feel like an ass....another entry altogether).

But...with the craziness of summer...and the realization that we should probably be teaching our kids some responsibility *shiver* - we decided to make a chore list. Maybe even start the whole allowance thing (something we have never even bothered with because our kids are spoiled by their grandparents and don't really need money).

After several options came up for posting the chore list and they all sounded completely lame and unappealing...the idea of emailing chores hit me. The kids love email. They always complain about not getting email. So why not give them something they don't like in a way that they do like.

So. Every Monday, the girls will check their email for their weekly chores. If they do all of their chores that week (in whichever way they choose...so long as it gets done)....they will get their allowance (amount to be determined). If they don't complete their list, or complain and bitch about doing it, well. They lose their email privileges for the next week (I'll be printing out their chore list, thankyouverymuch).

To make the sucky parts less sucky, we are also including a bonus chore...that will be a bigger job...but come with a special reward (having a friend over, going for snow cones, visiting a museum - dude my kids love museums...that really is a reward, or whatever else we happen to come up with). West is still literacy challenged - so for now, we are doing things a bit differently with him.

Anyway, it happens to be day 1 of the Email Chore Challenge. The girls have eagerly started their list...and even started on the bonus. All without fighting (someone is wearing a parka in hell today). Did we find the key to household chore utopia?? Who knows. But for today....they are busy and happy. Which makes momma happy too.

Walk to the library? Epic FAIL.

2009-06-05T15:33:00.001-05:00

So, this afternoon, I decided I would take the kiddos on a walk to the library. Not too far from our house..maybe a half a mile? Everything was going great. No complaints (which is not normal, if you haven't guessed) and everyone was happy to get out.

Withing feet of the library, Westley fell. The poor kid. Two ticks this morning, and now he has two bloody knees. I get him calmed down enough to enter the library relatively quietly (shhhhhh). We go to the front desk and ask for the key to the bathroom and for a couple of bandaids.

The woman at the desk was helpful and she hurried to get the first aid kit....which apparently, has not been used since 1977. Seriously. We had a good chuckle about the vintage boxes and both crossed our fingers that the baindaids would actually stick.

Off to the bathroom, washed his knees and placed the 1977 bandaids right on. They may never come off. I think they were laced with super glue. At any rate, the blood and tears were stopped...so what had to come next? Urinating.

So. West still sits while he pees. I don't know if he will ever stand. I don't think we have ever told him that he can. I figure, the less pee I get to clean up the better. Sitting is good. Right? But. But, today, West had a *cough* little issue *cough* and he managed to pee all over his clothes....not to mention everywhere else.

"Mom, my penis is too hard and I can't make it point down," he explained as he cried through fresh tears. (yes, we call it a penis *gasp*)

This little revelation from my son quickly washed away the irritation that was surfacing. So, through my giggles, I strip his bottoms off, clean the pee, and managed to talk him in to wearing his semi-wet jeans without underwear, so long as we tuck his dry shirt in.

The girls had been searching for their books whilst we were taking care knees and pees. So as soon as we came out, he grabbed a movie and we headed back home. Luckily, the Rhyme Game held their interest on the way back, as everyone was a bit annoyed that we had to leave so soon.

As I type, they are all curled up on the couch watching Madagascar 2. I for one, am welcoming the break.

Colored Popcorn!

2009-06-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

I am the type of person who has no white walls in my house, I change my hair color every five weeks, and I don't own white socks. So imagine how giddy I was when I found out that I can make my OWN colored popcorn!! Who doesn't love colored popcorn?! And better still, who doesn't love colored popcorn made with sugar!?!?

What you need:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
5-6 drops food coloring
1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Stir the oil and food coloring in a pan on medium heat, add sugar. After it is mixed well, add the popcorn kernels and cover with a tight fitting lid. Increase heat.

The rest is easy if you know how to pop popcorn. But, if you are like me and are microwave dependent, you have never popped popcorn on a stove top. I found a nice little video on youtube to teach me how!

In the end, we made beautiful pink popcorn that was gobbled up in a mere 5 seconds.

Rockwood Reservations

2009-06-05T09:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we hit Rockwoods Reservation for a picnic lunch and a hike. To say this was an adventure, with three kids who are terrified of gnats, is an understatement. But, all went fairly smoothly.

We decided to do the 1.5 mile "Trial Among the Trees" which was the perfect choice. They had a great little booklet that had you look for markers before you read the next page. The kids learned about limestone quarrying, caves, dynamite, succession, ferns, decomposing, animal habitats, and how not to scream when they see a firefly.

The place was swarming with fireflies and the kids were terrified of them. They have no problem catching them when their butts are lit up at night....but they scream when they see them in the daylight! Funny stuff.

Anyway, overall, it was a great outing that kept away the boredom and the crabbiness that has been overwhelming our house all week. And only two ticks were found this morning. Poor Westley.

(Don't mind the electric blue drinks. That gives them their super powers).

Introduction

2009-06-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

So. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and really start blogging. Because, I'm such a follower. Ask anyone who knows me. I fit in just perfectly. baaaahhhhh. < / sarcasm>

Actually, we are about a week into summer 2009 and I have already locked myself in the closet three times to hide from my children. It isn't that I don't love them. I do. But....being in a family really is like being pecked to death by chickens. I'm sure they would agree.

So. I have decided, in all of my infinite wisdom, that we would start a blog. In this blog, we will share the things we do to make the chicken pecking more bearable. I hope to get the whole gang involved...so I suppose I shall introduce us:

Julie (me) - mom, 30, photog and camera lover, knitter, unorganized, reader of books.

Jeff - dad, 35, computer geek, bass player, adventurous with beautiful hair.

Abi - daughter, 10, Shakespeare lover, violin and piano music maker, golden heart.

Delaney - daughter, 6, horse fanatic, dreamer, deep thinker with a touch of quirk.

Westley - son, 5, friendly, tender hearted, break dancer with wild hair.

So...there we are. What's next? The places we go, the things we make, the people we meet, book reviews, crafts, recipes, photos...lots of photos (yeah occupational hazard), and probably a fair deal of snark. Welcome to our life....via blog.