friday photo diary

Ever wonder what happens when Zuzu's home from school, Mom feels like shit, the rain is (once again) coming down in buckets and the dog is confined to the house? Well, it goes something like this...

We start a band...

colorform fancy nancy gets super fancy...

Clifford is his name-o. I think this is as far as we got at this one...

Zuzu cheats her way through candy land. And is very proud of it...

Tiny hands find their way into the pile of "baby toys" set aside to be donated.  One of these days... 

We make a cake...

(even the dog is bored)

The three of us watch the birds through the window and wonder why in the world they are flying around in the pouring rain and strong winds...

Until we spy this...

We even get to play in the blinds.  We NEVER get to play in the blinds...

And Lucy occasionally takes her designated spot by the heat register...

Did you make it through the entire post? Looks thrilling, huh?  I actually think it took me longer to upload the photos and post them to blogger than we spent on the actual activities. 

And soon, we sleep. But not soon enough.

Happy Friday everyone...

for poppy, with love.

I just had one of those moments where you just want to laugh your head off but somehow it feels inappropriate.  So I'm going to share it with you and see how you react. 

We were setting up the wii when a PSA with Jennifer Aniston came on.  Both kids stopped to watch.  She was sitting with a little girl about Gage's age who has just recovered from cancer.  She is frail and has no hair.  Jennifer delivers a positive message and the little girl proudly talks about how she's the only girl on her t-ball team.  I break the silence and say something like, "Wow,  she's an athlete like you, Zuzu." 

To which Zuzu responds, "that's not a girl, that's a boy." 

Four big eyes look up at me.  OK, so they didn't get it.  Without giving them much detail I say, "No, honey that's a girl.  She was very sick and she had to take some medicine that made her hair fall out.  She's a very brave girl and she's going to be fine now.  Don't worry, nothing like that will ever happen to you but if it did you would be super brave too." 

To which Zuzu immediately responds, "Maybe Poppy taked that medicine and it made his hair fall off too."

mini photog

I just sat down at the kid's computer and stumbled upon these images in iphoto.  Modeled by Grandma and Mommy.  Styled and shot by Gage.  No cropping or retouching necessary.  Well, a butt lift might have been nice but I'm not that good an editor.

three's a cupcake

In a last ditch attempt to alleviate this...

But when the prospects of painting or puzzles just weren't enough, I resorted to the sure thing. Cupcakes. She made the batter and licked the spoons. I baked and frosted. She sprinkled...

The result? Two very happy boys...

One very happy girl...

And four dozen mini cupcakes. OK, we're down to about three dozen now but still. Anyone hungry?...

club penguin

We officially joined Club Penguin 30 days ago.  In all honesty, I'd been forcing the kids to play without the membership until Grandma arrived.  See, Grandmas typically give in a tad bit faster than Mommies.  If you are not familiar with Club Penguin, it's an online Disney enterprise.  An interactive penguin world where kids (and quite possibly some very bored adults) gather together.  Think the Sims in penguin suits. 

Each penguin gets his/her own igloo which you decorate to your comfort level (Gage got a disco floor today).  You also dress & accessorize your penguin.  Furniture & costumes are acquired by purchase with Club Penguin coins which you earn by playing games.  You can also buy *puffles* which are essentially pets.  You must monitor your pet to make sure it's had enough food, rest and energy or it just might run away.  Yup, they high tail it out if you don't take proper care of them.  Sadly, I think Gage is more attentive to his puffles needs than his actual dog's.

There is also a *special agent* feature.  Needless to say, Gage has been anxiously checking his membership for his special agent qualifying status every day since we joined.  Then miraculously yesterday it appeared. You would have thought that a Toys R Us with no cash registers flat out fell into our backyard.  The kid was hysterical with joy. 

"Mommy, I love you so much!" (it's ok, I'll take it when I can get it)
"This is my best day!" (really? damn.  I've failed)
"I feel like I'm famous!" (whatever works to build self-esteem, right?)

So Gage's special agent penguin is now permitted to enter the security headquarters and have access to a special agent phone.  He goes on special missions and has the unparalleled responsibility of monitoring the behavior of the other participating penguins.  So please, be careful what your children say while playing because he takes this very, very seriously.  I'm almost embarrassed for him.  But not.  Because secretly I know he's learning to read by anxiously watching all of the other penguins conversations.  At least that's what I continue to tell myself.

But lookout.  I fear his little sister just might hit secret agent status tomorrow. 

zuzuz

Um, yeah, there's one extra Z.  I gently explained that, although I simply adored her penmanship, she had an extra Z at the end that she might want to leave off next time.  Then, after rewriting "ZUZUZ" about 8 more times, she (not so gently) told me that she did it intentionally for her "last name".  I tried to explain that if she wants to denote her last name she should write "Zuzu D" but, being the opinionated 3 year old female that she is, she apparently prefers Z over D.  Can't say I blame her and certainly can't change her mind.  We'll practice D's tomorrow.  Nevertheless I'm a proud mama.  But what else is new?

zoo day

Well, as it turns out, every Bay Area resident boycotting *ski week* today went to the zoo instead. Fortunately we arrived early enough to acquire a front row parking spot and lunch table...and then managed somehow to mill around for say about SIX MORE HOURS during which time the six friends repeatedly asked if we could go to our house for a play date.  Um, we're at the zoo and you're having a blast...

We made our best gorilla faces...

We rode on the "ferris wheel" and Zuzu (our daredevil?) actually rode her own horse for the very first time.  That's her "Stop taking pictures and get back here right now, Mommy" look...

 

 We sat quietly and watched the animals (for a few brief moments)...

We were happy...

 

We were sad...

But mostly we just enjoyed a day off from school with our sweet friends...

 

  

 And the baby gorilla.  Oh, how we enjoyed the baby gorilla...

ski week

I heard on the news the other day that it was snowing in 49 of the 50 states.  Hawaii was the only beach front spared.  Which makes it all the more glorious that I spent this mid-February day in Northern California wearing flip flops and driving with my windows down.

It also makes it all the more odd that tomorrow, in addition to observing President's Day with school closures, we also begin a week long holiday traditionally referred to as "ski week".  (In flip flops.)  Now I'm pretty sure the School Board technically refers to it as "winter break" but call it what you will, it still falls six weeks after we just returned to school from Christmas Break and seven weeks before we, yet again, break for Spring.  

And if that isn't disturbing enough, does anyone else find it a little presumptuous that the week is called "ski week"?  Because that would mean that everyone with school age children has the time, energy and funds to pack up, ditch work, travel to the actual snow, find lodging and then actually want to ski.  All of us?  The same week?  Really?

Oh, and where in the world was this cushy school schedule when I was 14?  Granted, it was South Florida but they could have called it "beach week", right?  Pretty much the same thing.  Only better.  (I'm just a wee bit biased.)

So tomorrow we begin our boycott of ski week with a trip to the zoo.  Along with three of my friends and their six respective children... who are all apparently not skiing either.  If I seem a bit absent from this blog, the shop, or the shop blog, or facebook, or twitter, well then, you know why.  I'm busy not skiing.  But I'll try to send photos.  Of our flip flops.

bedtime story

9:22 pm:
Gage: I don’t want to go to sleep. I want to watch TV.
Dad: Well it’s time to go to sleep.
Gage: Why are you staying up?
Dad: I’m not a little kid.
Gage: I’m not a little kid either. I’m 6 years old. I’m in first grade. Little kids are 3 or 2 or 1 or still in their Mom’s belly.

9:24 pm:
Gage is snoring.

valentine success

Well that was like pulling teeth.  The project started out super fun HERE.  But it turns out that our kids are just as sensitive to the expanding class sizes as we are.  At least as it applies to handmade valentines.  Seriously never thought Zuzu would complain about putting sparkles on ANYTHING.  Another first.

I'm happy with the way they turned out and the share of the apparently arduous task that the kids were able to shoulder.  Gage punched and signed all his own heart cards and styled all the paper wraps with the twine & cards.  The kid really has a talent with color. 

Zuzu, the director, didn't really do much more than punch her heart cards & stick on sparkles...oh and eat candy.  She's good at that.  We opted against the loose candy that we used last year due to the unwelcome abundance of flu germs in our schools this year.  Instead we filled the matchboxes with one large chocolate heart wrapped in red foil...which I neglected to photograph...but Zuzu taste tested and overwhelmingly approved.

my little valentines

This afternoon the kids started their valentines.  This evening "we" might just give in and finish them.  Gage is giving *mad about you* valentines by rolling two sheets of madlibs in glitter paper & tying them up with colorful craft floss and a hand punched, hand written heart note.  Zuzu is working on glitter paper covered matchboxes embellished with all things shiny and filled with yet to be purchased candy.   We made a huge mess and we loved every minute of it.  Finished product photos not yet available!

For more valentine ideas see my article beginning on page 22 in the Spring issue of Modern Handmade Child or checkout this homemade heart shaped crayon tutorial on my zuzu girl handmade blog.

the big 4-0

I was born in 1970.  As were many of my dear friends.  Which means, if you do the simple math, this is a BIG year.  Fortunately I have a few more months under my belt but the celebrating has certainly begun.  Last night as we lay down to sleep I described, as I always do, what the events for the following day would be.  Zuzu had swimming & gymnastics.  Gage would go to school and football.  And I was joining a group of twelve lovely ladies for a surprise 40th birthday lunch.  To this Gage responded....

"Lunch?  You're going to a boring lunch for her birthday?  You are supposed to go crazy, pour beer on each other and get in a fight!"

So now what I need to know from you is not where in the world did he get this from but...who the hell described my 21st birthday party to a six year old?  Oh wait, there was no fight that night.   Well then.  Where in the world did he get this from?

soak it up

You know that saying, "watch what you say"?
Well, clearly I'm not doing such a good job at that.

A month or so back Gage and I were talking about college as we were laying down to sleep.  Sure, he's only six but he likes to talk about these things, ok?  Finding myself a tad humorous at the moment, I spout out something like, "yeah, you're going to college...but Zuzu?  nah, she's going to jail."  She was there.  She didn't react much.  Gage and I laughed.  It was over.

Or so I thought.

Then, a few weeks later we're walking home from the park and Gage is on one of his *I don't want to grow up* kicks.  Out of nowhere he announces that he does not want to go to college.  At which time Zuzu follows, rather nervously with, "and I don't want to go to jail!"

Honestly, I had no idea where she got that from.  I walked a bit in silence racking my brain to figure out where that came from when BOOM.  I found it. 

Oops.

I explained that no, she wasn't ever going to jail and that mommy had just been joking.  Zuzu, in fact, would go to college just like her brother.  Done?

Nope.

Tonight as we're getting ready for bed the subject of college comes up again.  Zuzu turns to her Grandma and asks, "is college like jail?"

Imagine Grandma's surprise.

truth be told

Well, here we go again. Santa has retreated back to the North Pole so the Tooth Fairy has consumed us.

Gage asked me the other night whether or not she was real. (Of course he prefaced the question with something like, "I know you're not going to want to hear this but...") I paused for a moment trying to figure out how to respond. Then he hits me with, "C'mom mom, all my friends at school are dying to know. We talk about it all the time. We don't think she's real but we don't know for sure. Can't you just give us the answer please?"

Us? So now the entire CLASS is depending on me? Great.

***oh my goodness.  a trailer for a movie called "tooth fairy" just came on my television.  swear.  just now.  too weird.***

Where did I leave off?  Oh yeah.  Resentment.  Truly, I'm a little resentful to whomever came up with all these fictitious individuals. Did they realize that they would be forcing parents everywhere to LIE to their children?  I will not lie.  I can not lie.  But I didn't tell the truth either.  Not gonna be that mom.  Gage will have to retreat back to school and profess to his cronies that he has the world's vaguest mother ever.


*image courtesy of the doodle girl

antique

A about a week or so ago Zuzu lovingly announced that I was "antique".  I'm thinking she heard the word on Martha Speaks although I'm also thinking she may be confusing it with the word "unique". This morning she wanted to know what "antique", "magnificent", "anxious" and "irritated" meant.  I'm not sure what the relationship between these words is, unless she believes they all define me, but she was especially concerned about antique.

This afternoon we went mini golfing with some friends. This has absolutely nothing to do with Zuzu's new vocabulary obsession other than the fact that these photos looked especially yummy when I "antiqued" them. And so we have a blog post.  I think.

sleep talkin' man

"Oompa loompas don't sing in heaven. They tidy up the clouds."
"My vision of hell is a lentil casserole."
"Vegetarians will be the first to go. That's my plan. Vegans haven't got a hope. 'I eat air, I'm so healthy...' Bollocks!"
"Don't leave the duck there. It's totally irresponsible. Put it on the swing, it'll have much more fun."
"I've got a badger, a dog, a cat, and a sack. Now that I've got 'em you can fuck off. All mine."

While Gage DOES talk in his sleep he is not quite this creative.  These are the sleep talking words of a Brit named Adam who is apparently quite a conservative gent when he is not sleeping.  His wife, in an attempt to reap some reward from her many sleepless nights, has begun to document his adventures in dreamland.  The blog is called Sleep Talkin' Man and it is absolutely side splitting hysterical.   R Rated.  But hysterical.  And they just launched a line of t-shirts too.

petite photog

The new year brought a clear realization that I must get a handle on the now 13,500 photos saved on my computer (yes, that's after an hour of editing down last Wednesday), the year and a half worth of photos that have yet to be digitally archived, and the year of prints that still have yet to be ordered and stored (and yes, that's after the six months worth that were appropriated to their albums last week). And YES, I still put photos in albums. Shoot me for being traditional like that.

Anyway, if you know me you will realize that this lack of order literally keeps me up at night. The fact that I am making small progress is good, but only exemplifies how far I still have to go.

And, alas, the new year brought us something else. A new camera. No, not mine. I have enough thank you very much. This new camera belongs to Gage. He's six. And he loves everything about it. Must run in the blood. The photos above are some of my favorites of his from the past week. I have altered the color on a few just slightly but no cropping or editing has been done beyond that.

The last photo of Zuzu on the bike was taken from a tree while she was moving.

So now I must stop blogging and get to work making room on my computer for what's to come. And somehow that makes it almost fun. Almost.

And did I mention that his camera shoots video too....?

fort gage

My first thought: damn, Gage has far too many legos

My next thought: but look at how creative we were. Our new fort has two working doors & a window. The kids are ecstatic and it was FREE!

My next thought: free? Those boxes must have cost about a grand... and where am I going to put this thing when the novelty wears off?

My final thought: damn, Gage has far too many legos

snow bunny

No reason, really. Just couldn't resist archiving this photo of Zuzu experiencing snow for the very first time. Talk about pretty in pink.

dear grandparents,

Happy New Year!
This is just a little insight into what your grandchildren have been up to during the two long weeks since I last posted here...

1. Zuzu is learning to swim. We are four weeks in and the instructor is still focusing mainly on lifesaving skills...like what to do if she ever falls in the water and needs help. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that our children follow directions SO WELL that her screaming "Mommy" is all part of the act...


2. After a week at Grandma's Art Studio, Gage is still creating like mad.


3. Lucy is officially out of her mind and can now be accepted fully into the family.


4. Gage has an idea for yet another journal he would like to keep. This one is called his "curious book". In it he will write down all the questions that he wants answered (and that mom couldn't seem to answer without the help of her trusty friend Ms. Google and/or secretly just doesn't want to answer for fear of nightmares). Original entries will include: why can't you SEE the water evaporating into the sky? and who created halloween...and why?

5. And while we're on the subject of nightmares, when asked by the homeopath today how often Gage has nightmares his answer was, "not too much, I mean, about as much as I have goodmares".

6. And while we're coining new phrases, when trying to explain to Zuzu that Christmas happens everywhere, not JUST at her Grandma's house as she previously believed, she challenged me like this:

do they have Christmas in California?
yes, zuzu, they have Christmas in California.
do they have Christmas in San Francisco?
yes, zuzu, they have Christmas in San Francisco.
do they have Christmas in your-ami? (that would be my-ami)
(chuckle)
yes, zuzu, they have Christmas in your-ami.
do they have Christmas in our-ami?
yes, zuzu, they have Christmas in our-ami too.