doggie day care

Baby Duke is our house guest for the weekend. He just arrived this morning and I'm pretty confident that we provided him with more exercise and excitement than he's seen in a long time (or ever). And today was a school day. Look out weekend...here we come...

(and yes, baby duke had a much needed haircut since his last blog entry!)

school girl

Today was Zuzu's first official day of pre-school (without mom). There were no tears shed (at least not by the kids) and no tantrums thrown. Big brother was very supportive and felt the need to repeatedly remind Zu in the car that mommy wasn't going to be there...but if she got upset she should have her teacher come get him. It was so incredibly thoughtful but shot my plan of sneaking out straight out of the water. I couldn't be more proud of them both. We do it all again on Thursday...

dog days

It was a momentous occasion. It took two years but Zuzu actually made nice with a dog today. Enter Baby Duke. He will be moving in on Thursday while his owner takes a much needed week long vacation. This gives us just a few days to work on Zuzu's doggy social skills. What exactly do you do with a dog, Zuzu?...


Look Baby Duke, a lamp from my doll house. NO! Don't eat it!


Do you like books, Baby Duke? This one is good, it makes noises!


Watch me spin on Dora, Baby Duke, it's fun!


Do you want to wear my tiara, Baby Duke?


Baby Duke, check this out, it's called TV and you better get used to it if you're gonna stay here.

p-a-r-t-y

Looks like we pulled another one off. Still can't believe our little girl is TWO. Thanks to The Little Gym of South Marin and Miss Amy for a lovely party!

one cupcake, two candles

it's my birthday...

so I'm going to talk on the phone as long as I please...

pick my nose at breakfast...

pretend to pout when I really want to pose...

grunt dramatically, cross my arms across my chest & turn my back...

and sulk quietly for attention ALL I WANT.
I'm two you know!

Happy Birthday, funny girl.
I love you with all of my heart.

fair is fair

We had some friends over for take-out pizza last night. To me, pizza night is just that, pizza night. But my dear friend was insisting that her kids eat some chicken before they get any pizza. So, picture my two lovelies devouring their cheese pizza while Gage's friend throws a fit because he can't have any yet.

I stay quiet. This is not my battle. I don't have chicken for my kids nor do I find it necessary to feed them any. If she is passionate about this she will work it out.

Next thing I know, amongst the screaming, Gage is calling sweetly for my friend. "Stephanie", he says, "can I please have some chicken?...because I just want it to be fair for Zach." Tears. Mine, not Zach's (now he has to eat his chicken).

Thanks to Gage, we all enjoyed a lovely meal. Well, almost, Steph forgot to order mine...but that's irrelevant here...

playing house

Funny story here about this doll house that Grandma & Grandpa bought Zuzu for her birthday.

holga test...take one

These are four images from my newly acquired toy that I introduced here. Of course they were processed and scanned before landing on this website (how very retro!) since there's nothing digital about this camera. I'm not terribly impressed by these shots but they did encourage me to buy three more rolls of film. Stay tuned...

a week (or so) captured on the phone

Please tell me, what exactly does one DO with a 30" plastic Batman figure other than pose with it at Toys R Us?


Sadly, I don't think the headless mannequin at Peek...Aren't You Curious had anything to do with this photo. I was simply trying to catch her on the awesome (and crazy expensive) ride.






How many bad phone photos do you think have been taken on these ridiculous mall rides? I bet there are thousands of this window alone.

Footnote:
I just realized that all of these images were captured in locations that involve retail sales. I swear...they went to school, ate many meals, hit a playground or two, practiced soccer & gymnastics. Alas, I seem to have managed to photograph my children only while shopping.
Lovely.

dinner theater

look out little league...

follow the leader

Scott took the kids to the local farmer's market this morning while I followed up with my Sunday morning yoga commitment. As told to me, it was very crowded and Zuzu was lagging behind the two boys when Gage turned to her and explained in his "helpful" older brother tone, "Zuzu, you don't want to get lost here, just look for the hair."

Photo taken at zoo earlier in week but perfectly exemplifies above mentioned hair.

decisions, decisions

Yesterday, Gage and I tried out a new gymnastics studio. We're working on our fall activities schedule (yes, I've learned that this takes time and patience) and are trying to choose a gymnastics class.

We got there early so we were killing some time chatting in the parking lot. I told Gage that he could choose any gym that he wanted. His list looked something like this...
1. He could stay at The Little Gym where he's been for two years (excelling yet not being challenged)
2. He could attend Mega with his friend Zach (which is rather formal and involves more rush hour traffic than I would hope for) or
3. He could attend this new gym, Pyramid with his "bestest girlfriend" Sofia.

Without stepping foot into the gym and without any guidance from mom Gage hastily responded, "I would be delighted to take gymnastics with Sofia".

"Delighted". I almost pee'd my pants.

you know you're a good mother when...

1. You calmly pause from making dinner to clean up your potty training child's poop from the garage floor...then promptly resume making the salad as soon as hands are properly sanitized...(then blog about said poop while eating salad).

Additional entries not necessary.

a day at the zoo

Oh how we love the San Francisco Zoo.

sleepless in san francisco

Last night Zuzu awoke several times. Not sure if it was the heat or the sugar before bedtime but none-the-less I certainly did not want to be awake with her. About an hour after the first bottle she walked out in the hallway and said, "Mommy, I'm too tired". "Ok Zuzu, then go back to sleep," I whispered from my bedroom. But for some reason she simply did not get the joke. She repeatedly got in and out of bed for about an hour repeating the same ironic whine, "Mommy, I'm TOO tired." It is a good thing she's so darn cute.

it's beautiful here

Because I simply don't have enough going on I'm working on a new blog. Not much there yet but it can be found here.

the little engine that could

Today I am reminding myself of the story Zuzu chose before bed last night. A fitting comfort for a stressful day. Such a lovely story about one train's struggle, another's unrelenting optimism and a fairly tale ending. I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

low-tech

Just ordered one of these from here. Can't wait to try it out.

om

I am proud to announce that I finally got off my butt (not that I literally spend an awful lot of time on it but it hasn't been doing much yoga lately that's for sure) and delivered it to Yoga of Sausalito this morning. It was like discovering an old friend again and finding the perfect new pair of shoes...all wrapped up in one neat little package.

Eric Monkhouse (and while he simply has no idea) is soon to be my new best friend. He's a lively Brit who immediately put us at ease with his sense of humor and vibrantly painted toe-nails. Eric is a DJ by night so the vibe in the room was positive and up-beat...not your typical yoga tunes. At one point he had is in a ridiculous standing twist while he cranked the song "FIRE" by the Ohio Players. With clever timing & great motivation he was able to amp us up and then seamlessly wind us down. We got a great work-out, had a few laughs, celebrated the art of yoga and allowed a little time for introspection.

I think I'm hooked...again.
Namaste.

the future of water

More than a billion people, almost 1/6 of the world's population lack access to safe drinking water. Together, we can help solve this problem. How? Read on...

Today I learned about a company called Xziex. I've still got a lot to learn about the company (and you can expect future blogs) but this is what I do know...

Xziex is the manufacturer of "AWG's" or atmospheric water generators. The machines extract moisture from the atmosphere through a condensation process and transform it into absolutely pure, healthy drinking water. No more tap water, no more bottled water.

Better yet, Xziex is not just a manufacturer of an innovative & ecologically conscience product, it's also a marketing system....and even better still, it's only four weeks old. This means that by joining today, I have positioned myself towards the top.

Check out the simple mission statements below. Then take a minute to log into my new Xziex website. Watch the videos, read the Q & A and if you are at all intrigued then contact me as soon as possible and I'll get the answers you need from the great minds above me. Remember, this is entirely new to me but I can tell you for certain that bottled water is out, a little extra money surely couldn't hurt and...

Timing is Everything.

XZIEX Vision Statement
To provide a PURE opportunity from thin air to help create a healthy, wealthier world.

Provide pure water from thin air to those who are dying of thirst.
Understand our divine responsibilities to help those in need.
Research additional ways we can help heal our planet.
Extend a pure opportunity for a richer life to those who want it.

XZIEX Mission Statement
To use pure WATER from thin air as a means to enrich people’s lives.

Work to provide the best possible customer service and field support in the industry.
Always improve on ways we can positively and effectively impact our distributor’s lives.
To offer an unparalleled Compensation Plan and Business Opportunity.
Educate ordinary people on how to become extraordinary Success Stories.
Remain focused and committed to building a solid company with a rich future.

puppy love

While vacationing in Florida, we caught the end of High School Musical one evening. Now for some reason, Gage tends to equate the relationship of Troy and Gabrielle, the teenage leads, to his relationship with his "bestist girlfriend", Sofia. When the movie ended he broke down in tears crying about how much he missed her since we'd been on vacation.

Hello technology. I simply opened up the laptop and told him we'd send her a note. (And while Gage is quite handy on the computer he did want to know where we were going to put the stamp!) I asked him to dictate a note to Sofia and I would type. This is what we sent:

Dear Sofia,
I really love you. I'm on a trip but I'll see you soon and I'll have a play date with you and I might give you a big hug when I come back and I'll say I miss you really much but now I think I won't go on a trip a lot when I get back.
From Gage and Love Gage.

The following day we got mail...

I really like you. I miss you so much at preschool. What is Florida like? What do you want to do on the playdate? I'm going to give you a big hug when you come to preschool. What are you doing these days? I love you. That's it.
Sofia

Oh, what we have to look forward to when they hit FIVE!