the dark ages

This morning I flipped on the TV for the kids so I could spend 10 minutes getting ready in peace. (HA!) For whatever reason, Lassie was on. I briefly explained the premise to the kids... that the dog was named Lassie and that she was a rescue dog. As I scooted away I mentioned that it was a show from when I was a little girl. Gage shouts back, "then why isn't it in black and white?" Nice.

happily ever after

Well, we finally did it. Disney on Ice. Never thought it would happen. Never really wanted it to. And then something unexplainable took over and I was online purchasing tickets. The things we do for our beloved children.

This was not just Disney on Ice. This was Disney Princesses on Ice. And it was adorable. They told six princess stories, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Mulan, Snow White & Beauty and the Beast. Most of the stories left out the scary factor with the exception of Ursula the Sea Witch who had quite a presence. They gave us the majority of the story, minus the ending one after the other. Then, as Zuzu is screaming "Where is Cinderella??!!", they all rejoined us on the ice for simultaneous happy endings. It was very sweet yet also so very ridiculous as, one after another, all of the beautiful girl gets kissed by their prince and awake from a deep sleep to skate off in his arms. Just a slight enhancement of the lack of creativity present in these fairy tales.

They then announced an intermission. That kind of sucked. We'd been there 90 minutes already, we all had to pee (but not bad enough to brave the crowds), it was lunch time, the only act left was Cinderella and Gage was done by Mulan. But I suppose they needed to sell some more $20 wands and $15 programs so we went with it.

Fortunately, the Cinderella story was actually quite beautiful. They opened with a troop of skating soldiers, most of them kids, as they waited for everyone to re-enter the room. Cinderella had three costume changes and both the step-sisters and the mice were quite entertaining. There was a lousy lesson in arithmetic as the fairy godmother announces the coach with four white horses...and then only three horses appear...but I'm quite sure neither of our children noticed.

All in all, I would recommend the show. But I have a few words of wisdom. Bring cash if you want to spoil your kids. There are loads of vendors trolling the aisles with trinkets (much easier than waiting in line for them outside) but they are terribly expensive and they only take cash. Fortunately Gage didn't want anything and we had just enough for a light up wand for Zuzu. Phew.

And most of all, pick your date and time carefully. The show is over two hours long. I can't imagine bringing kids to a 7pm show. We made the mistake of going to a Sunday morning show, at a venue that shares a parking lot with the Oakland Raiders Football Stadium. On game day. Yeah, not good.

This is what your typical Disney on Ice ticket holders looks like...



And your typical Oakland Raider fans...



Made for a very interesting combination in the parking lot. And far more traffic than anyone should endure. Ever.

Here are just a few of our favorite moments from the show for your viewing pleasure...

love note

Today was stressful. Not sure why it was more stressful that usual. Maybe it had something to do with the typhoon that hit at 4am and pounded us for twelve straight hours. Maybe.

Anyway, on the way home I had a mom moment in the car. You know, one of those moments where everyone is whining and complaining and asking you for something all at once and you just lose it and scream, "What about me? Does anyone care what I want?" Of course they don't. But I said it. I couldn't help it.

Everyone was pretty quiet for the next few minutes. Then Gage told me that he had something to tell me but he wanted to write it down when we got home because he was too shy to tell me in person.

So we went home. By the time I had all the wet raincoats, rain boots, umbrellas, backpacks, lunchboxes & karate gear unloaded from the car I stepped inside and he handed me this.

In Gage speak it reads, "I will only get presents when it is my birthday or christmas or hanukah."

My sweet boy. My sweet, sweet boy.

oink?

Yesterday for breakfast, Zuzu tried bacon for the very fist time. She devoured an entire strip.

Eight hours later we went through our nightly ritual over dinner. Each night we answer the same three questions. These were her responses:

The best part of my day was Cooper's party.
The worst part of my day was Willem coming over.
(Zuzu still hasn't grasped the definition of the word "worst" as she adored having Willem over)
What I am thankful for is all of us eating dinner.
(pause)
And I love bacon.

P.S. Twenty-four hours later we are once again sitting at dinner. Since beginning this post she has eaten at least 7 pieces of salami. We clearly have issues.

super fly guy

It's official. Gage is reading. And not just memorizing books we read over and over, or looking at the pictures to determine what is going on in the story...really reading. So many people have told me that it just clicks on. One day they are reading by memorizing and the next day they are looking at new words, in new books and the bulb just goes on. And it's true. That's exactly how it works.

But you know what's more amazing than the fact that he is reading? The fact that he LOVES it. Like face in book while walking to school, loves it. Like doesn't want to do much else, loves it. And I love that.

He checked out the book pictured above, Super Fly Guy, from the school library on Monday and has read it over and over and over again. The author has done something really special here (must be because he's a Florida Gator that he's so smart) by creating a clever character that evolves throughout a series of beginning reader chapter books. Did you find the key phrase in that sentence? Yup, chapter books. Do you know how proud a first grader is to finally be reading a "chapter book" even though the 30 page large print story hardly warrants chapters? Wow, now that is grown up.

Gage got two of his very own Fly Guy books at the book store today. Hooray for Fly Guy & There was an Old Lady that Swallowed a Fly Guy. But he does have a birthday coming up so if you're a Grandparent (or a random stranger that feels like giving Gage a gift for his 6th birthday) there's an idea for you...

birthday girl

It's October 3rd again. My Grandma's birthday. This was my post on her birthday last year. Isn't she simply lovely?

Tonight I am sitting here, alone, eating frozen pizza (she loved pizza) and thinking of how much I wish she were still with us. I think I miss her more every year. That's not supposed to happen. Maybe it has something to do with the growing reality of my own mortality. But maybe I just miss her.

For the few of you that aren't related to me and reading this blog, I'm the little blonde girl in the three shots. The third photo is four generations of moms. Mine, hers and hers.

So, on October 3rd, 2009 I once again remember & celebrate. Here's to all the wonderful women in my life. I love you and miss you!

devil dog

project runway?

It was hard not to laugh at Zuzu and one of her best little friends as they modeled three fabulous wigs for us during a play date this week. Of course, they both already donned pink princess costumes, princess heels & spoke confidently into their plastic mobile phones. While holding my roaring laughter to a mere chuckle, I couldn't help but to think of all those poor little girls that participate in beauty pageants and this age, and look somewhat like Zuzu here, with more makeup of course. And I couldn't help but to wonder how their parents find this endearing when it's just plain outrageous. Cute but absolutely outrageous.

Oh, and did you ever wonder what Zuzu's favorite part of our grand three day trip cross country to Disney World was? You'll never guess...

panic at the disco

Just in case you were wondering...
1. a sneaky three year old child can somehow manage open child-proof vitamin bottles on their own when motivated to do so.
2. the levels of vitamins A and Iron in approximately 10-12 chewable Flinstone vitamins (over 20x the recommended dosage) is NOT toxic for a skinny little three year old child.
3. it's best to check for yourself anyway if you encounter one such devilish three year old child and the number for poison control is 1-800-222-1222.

Go, Dog. Go!

A dog party!
A big dog party!
Big dogs, little dogs,
red dogs, blue dogs,
yellow dogs, green dogs,
black dogs, and white dogs
are all at a dog party!
What a dog party!
~P.D Eastman

Well, that might be a slight overstatement since there were actually only two dogs in attendance tonight...but I just couldn't resist.

Today was our four-legged friend Scout's first birthday. We celebrated with squeaky toys, cupcakes, doggy treats, hockey, baseball, costumes & goody bags. And friends. Most of all, we celebrated with friends. Here's the clip...

happy halloween!

No, I haven't completely lost my mind. Yet. You see, it's pretty much Halloween year round in this house. There are two closets and a rolling ottoman overflowing with costumes and "the silver box" where mommy used to stash her chocolate somehow became a candy free for all one day. But, it just wouldn't be Halloween if we didn't discuss (two months ahead of time) what we wanted to be and then order our favorite (expensive) costumes on line. And this week, we're celebrating the arrival of those costumes.

This post, will serve as a reminder of what the children ordered to wear on Halloween which we will inevitably refer back to when I post pictures of what they actually do wear on Halloween. I can assure you that at least one of them will be different. In fact, one of them already is.

Zuzu has chosen Little Red Riding Hood. Now, I've never actually read this story to her but somehow she knows all about Grandma & the Wolf. Could have been the ride at Lego Land or maybe they are actually teaching them something at pre-school. Who knows? Needless to say she is the cutest damn Little Red Riding Hood you've ever seen. And no, I'm not just saying that because she is my child....


Gage chose GI Joe Snake Eyes. Not because he has any idea who GI Joe Snake Eyes is, but because the costume looked cool and came with a super long sword. It was also one of the hardest costumes to find in stock. Go figure. I guess he has good taste. The costume that we ordered looked like this....


I do not, however, have a photo of him in it yet as he has already dismissed the costume for Halloween. He has now announced that he will be a football player and will sport his new San Francisco 49ers jersey that he got on Sunday and has worn all but one day since. And, as you can imagine, that laundry day did not come easy....


Alas, I will keep you posted. Stay tuned for more Halloween photos throughout the next 38 days....

tuck and hold

I'm seriously dreading going to sleep tonight for fear of how my body might revolt tomorrow. Today, you see, was my introduction to the dailey method. Instead of trying to explain what *the dailey method* actually is, and assuming you might be too tired or busy to click on the link I just supplied (or lazy), you can read this copy that I so generously cut and pasted directly from their website...



Now I like to think that my body is pretty well toned. I can make it through a 90 minute yoga class (and frequently do) without cursing once. Today? Not so much. And *the dailey method* class is only 60 minutes. And it was the beginner class. Seriously. I kept turning to my partner in pain saying, "how come everyone else in here can do this?" The woman in the corner next to us actually looked bored as she grazed on her chewing gum while tucking and holding. Me on the other hand? I really just had to laugh when the instructor came over and told me to straighten my legs and touch the bar with my feet while my quads were shaking so intensely that they were no longer under the control of the rest of my body. Not just twitching. Shaking so uncontrollably that I'm really not sure how I will stand or sit tomorrow.

My girlfriend thinks we should take a harder class next week. Her logic? Apparently it's more crowded so the instructor doesn't have as much time to correct you and you can cheat a little. But with my luck...

Pray for me and my quads why don't you?

all in a sunday morning

Just another Sunday at the farmer's market. We munched on some sugar waffles, croissants, kettle corn, peaches, plums, strawberries, grapes & tomatoes. We rode some ponies, tumbled in a jumpy house and even got a face painted. All in just over an hour. Damn I love California.

tutu school

Pardon my unexcused absence. One week ago today, my darling, but not so gentle daughter delivered a head butt so fierce that one doctor, one ER, one IV and one blood draw later I am only now able to deliver a fairly sensible blog post. Apparently her head is much harder than mine as she is just as spunky as ever. And today, little miss spunk had her very first trip to *tutu school*.

Now I know this is hard to believe but the class is even more adorable than the name implies. Truly. Below is a brief three minutes and four second edit of the forty-five minute class. Needless to say I went ahead and enrolled her for the next 18 weeks...

awesome!

Today was day five of kindergarten and tonight the (oh my goodness. I just wrote kindergarten.)
Stop. Scratch that. Let me start over.

Today was day five of FIRST GRADE and tonight the parents got to go *back to school*. We all gathered in our kids classrooms, sat at their desks, went through their stuff and, oh yeah, met and learned a little more about their teachers. But for me it was obviously the going through their stuff part that was the most exciting. Even if only five days worth of stuff.

The above photograph was taken with my cell phone because clearly I didn't show up to back to school night with the SLR although, in hindsight, maybe I should have. Anyway, this is page one of Gage's daily journal. Are you still wondering why I'm rambling on and on? Yeah, well, I'm getting there....

If you know me at all or have spent any time reading my blog(s) you might happen to notice that I use the word *awesome* quite a bit. Overuse? Yeah, maybe. Whatever. I like *awesome* and apparently Gage does too. Just because he spelled it *osum* in no way means that I didn't know EXACTLY what he meant the second I looked at it.

I love that "first grade is osum" & I love that he loves *my word*. But now I am going directly to google to identify as many intelligent synonyms as possible which I will begin substituting into my excited remarks immediately. I wonder what *cool* would look like phonetically to a five year old? Oh, did I say intelligent? Hmmmm....

hold your breath!

The proof is in the photograph. She's finally going under. And she needs a manicure. Happy Friday...

go directly to jail. do not collect $200.

Some things never change. Battleship, on the other hand has gone completely wacko and/or electronic, but Monopoly remains pretty much unscathed. I don't recall the "fast play" option but I suppose that is just a sign of the times.

We bought both games this week and I'd have to say it was the best near $50 I've spent in a long time. Do I say that a lot?

This is a shot of our ongoing game which, I have a feeling, will remain ongoing for some time. I honestly didn't remember quite how much time could actually spent on one game until we got started. This one is about 4 hours in and we've barely made an impact.

But what has amazed me most is Gage's ability to play. Really, I thought it would be a challenge but he jumped right in and was actually kicking my butt about two hours in (I caught up). It's fascinating to watch our five year old rapidly adding the numbers on two dice together (most games up to this point have just used one), counting money & making change. It's also fun to see his strategies & levels of risk he's willing to take. Come to find out, he's quite the shark. Who would have thunk?

If you have a kindergarten age child and, like me, have been hesitant to try monopoly don't wait. It's time. And it takes time. So be prepared. Don't set yours up on the dining room table like we did...cause I'm guessing it's going to be there a while...

lip service

Tonight, during the witching hour, Gage *accidentally* kicked his little sister in the mouth. I can't pretend that this is unusual occurrence but I can say that there is usually no blood. Tonight, however, was different. Blood. I hate blood.

Turns out she cut the little skin thingy that resides just over your front teeth, inside your mouth (I'm sure it has a better name than that but I didn't learn that one in Business School). Now the critical phrase to remember here is INSIDE your mouth.

After some ice and a raspberry popsicle, I decided it was safe to run a bath. Zuzu came to greet me in the bathroom a few minutes later looking like this. Apparently her boo-boo needed a band-aide. It was so cute I couldn't help but to just laugh at her. The first words I could muster were, "keep it on...let me go get the camera!"

seeing double...and then some...

The question here is truly not why our just three year old daughter has so many blonde Barbies, but instead, how in the world she can tell all of these Barbies apart. See, like most children, Zuzu likes to undress her Barbies. But when it comes time to put the clothes back on, and Mom inevitably is called to assist, she knows exactly which dress belongs to which blonde bombshell. Seriously, minus a few tell-tale hair accessories, can you tell the difference between Aurora, Rapunzel & the Island Princess? Well she can. And if it weren't for Snow White & Ariel or I'd be totally screwed.

traveling light

Today I flew cross-country with a three year old and a five year old. We woke the children at 6:30am eastern standard time. It is now 6:15pm pacific time (9:15pm eastern standard time) and we are eating dinner. Yes, I blog at dinner.

We have been up nearly 15 hours straight and consumed THE most obnoxious assortment of food humanly possible in one day. I will not tell you exactly who ate what (because that gets even more frightening) but I am willing to share our menu with you because it will make you feel oh so good about yourself today. It's listed in chronological order for the most part, and yes, I'm dead serious and I actually may have forgotten a thing or two.

But don't judge me. The kids are still happy fifteen hours and a 5 1/2 hour flight later and tomorrow, my friends, is another day...

one corn dog
1/2 of a large bag of mini chips ahoy cookies
one blueberry muffin
one package of starburst candies
handful of goldfish pretzels
snack baggie of chocolate covered pretzels
one candy bracelet
two handfuls of skittles candy
1/2 a second blueberry muffin
1 cup strawberry yogurt
1 chocolate chip granola bar
4 more starburst candies
2 mc donalds happy meals with chicken nuggets & french fries
1 in n' out burger, ketchup only
1 in n' out grilled cheese, add pickles, hold the onions
1 in n' out french fries
1 grande non-fat latte with one pump of mocha
1 sugar free fudgsicle
1 sugar free strawberry popsicle
three slices of pepperoni pizza
two bowls of spaghetti with marinara sauce & mushrooms
three slices of garlic bread

What do you think? Should I serve dessert?