widow to the theatre

Braggart

2011-12-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

For the first time in my life I ran a 10k (sounds way further than 6 miles)
AND I didn't stop once!
I won't post my time here...you may argue that my running pace is close to a brisk walk and that's not really the point. The point is...I did it!

I haven't been training for this. What I have been doing is crossfit. You can check out the workouts on my friend's blog http://www.calicrossfit.blogspot.com They are short and easy. Short because they average about 15 minutes and easy because I can do them at home. I've been doing the workouts for about 4 months. Occasionally there is running involved but it is mostly strength training. I really love it! I'm addicted! You should try it too. Let me know when you're ready to run your first 10k and I'll join you.

Cheese!

2011-11-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Go check us out here http://http://harlowphoto.com/blog/. Then book a session with Denae. She's amazing!!!

Saucy

2011-09-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jack and his classmates learned how to and helped make applesauce at school. He has talked nonstop about the project to anyone who will listen including complete strangers trying to enjoy a romantic picnic lunch at the park (they're own fault for choosing a park next to an elementary school).

"Well...did you know I know all about making applesauce?" jack

"I think you may have mentioned it." me

"All's you do is cut up some apples...any color you want. I even used a real kid knife. Then you put them in this cooking pot with...some sugar and a little bit of cinnamon. Then it cooks all by itself...you don't even have to stir it or put anything else in it. Then it just has to cook all night and maybe all day. And that's it...you eat it. And it's really good! Should we go buy some apples? It's really good. And I already know how to make it. (and...repeat)"

So we finally bought apples. It was a good day so Jack was allowed to wield a real grownup knife. I'll let you know in the morning how yummy it is.

Grapes

2011-09-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

Chris' latest play, The Grapes of Wrath, opened last Friday at Heritage High School...and it was GOOD! You should come see it.

Wed 9/21 7pm, tickets only $5
Thur 9/22 7pm, tickets only $5

$10 adult, $ students
Thur 9/20 7pm
Fri 9/30 7pm
Sat 10/1 2pm, final matinee

Disclaimer: I would consider this play to be PG13

There was a little girl (boy) who....

2011-09-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Good thing this boy's so cute! It's probably the only reason I allowed him to continue to live this week. You'd never guess that this sweet boy had to be picked up in the Principal's office for yelling and throwing chairs. I now try to avoid making eye contact with his teacher. Some days I'd rather not have the daily behavioral update.

My saving grace?? The same teacher also taught my girls so she can't think the behavioral problems are all my fault....right?

2011-09-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Jack's first Giant's game.

Little did he know that we were setting him up for a lifetime of torture. If you don't follow baseball August was an absolutely horrific month for the Giants. And it's seriously affecting my husbands happy thoughts. Everyone, please send happy thoughts to the Giants. They need a sweep this weekend. And I need a happy husband.

Head out on the Highway

2011-08-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else been traveling Hwy 4 lately. It doesn't matter the time of day there's always a back up and with all the new construction it's only become worse. Wish there was a Costco in Brentwood.

Back in the Saddle

2011-08-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

3 weeks into school and all is well.

Marin, 9, 4th grade
Jack, 5, Kindergarten (Yippeeeeee!)
Ell, 6, 2nd grade

The s'more whisperer

2011-08-18T18:43:00.001-07:00

Dynamic Duo

2011-08-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

"Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Special thanks to Aunt Jo at The Piano Studio. Best piano teacher ever!

Self discovery

2011-05-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Things I may or may not have known about myself:

1. I am 32 going on 40.

2. Things I like to do include reading, laundry, sewing, and homework for college.

3. My favorite food is either tacos, hot cereal, veggies, or strawberries. (Guess I'm doing a good job hiding the chocolates.)

4. My favorite color is pink.

5. My favorite movie is "grown up ones". (Thankfully not adult ones.)

6. I'm really good at cooking and shopping at Costco.

7. My eyes are brown

8. I weigh between 40 and 136 pounds.

9. I like to help my kids do homework and laundry

10. My favorite sport is baseball

11. I like it when my kids do chores.

This note from Marin topped my list of favorites on Mother's Day. Another favorite...my rose bushes above which are loaded with blooms and smell amazing.

Appropriate Response

2011-05-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day when you're sorely disappointed in the gift giving abilities of your family here is an appropriate response. You may need to start practicing now so it will come out right.

Disclaimer: My children read my blog and I want them to know that every Mothers Day has been the best day ever.

Frozen Green Thumb

2011-01-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at a winter garden. Are you so impressed?!

I would like to thank all those who helped make this possible...but mostly Mark for his back breaking work and Chris for providing the funding.

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Let's back up a bit

2010-12-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

One Turkey

(thanks to Bret for providing the muscle. no offence to Chris but he was out getting frost bite with the other golfers.)

16 Place cards
(designed and created by Ellinor)

One Family

and One Birthday Girl

Equals one fantastic Thanksgiving.

Here are some of my favorite people. Thanks for traveling and spending the day with us.

little (don't hate me because i'm beautiful) sister and hubby

the people that made all this possible, mom and dad

little brother and super cute, i'm pregnant with twins wife

On the first day of Christmas...

2010-12-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Jingle Bells one syllable at a time per person....ready...GO!

Meanest Mom Ever!!!!

2010-10-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'm the only mom who's heard this spewing from their child's mouth. If I am don't tell me....it won't help. This comment or others like it (i.e. worst mom ever, i wish i had a different mom...) have never bothered me in the past. But today was different. It hit a nerve...a big one. I try to make life fun for my kids. Apparently I try a little too hard because they don't seem to appreciate my effects lately.

So on the way home from school today, after hearing I'm the meanest mom ever, I knew something had to change! First I called my sister for moral support (everyone should have my sister). Then I put the kids to work. They did chores for 3 hours. They were allowed to practice piano and eat dinner. Then my best idea yet...they each had to make a list,

"30 things Mom does for me".

It was a rough day. I find myself repeating these words from a children's book, Lilly and the purple plastic purse.
"Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be better."

Really?!!!!

2010-08-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

All this free time and what I really need is a nap.
So all the playing and productivity will have to wait so "Nice Mommy" can last through the afternoon shuffle.
Can't say I'm too disappointed. I love a good nap. And now I can take one uninterrupted.

What I actually did?

2010-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

3 days of kids in school = (productivity) - (one splurge)

I didn't go to lunch or the pool. I didn't catch up on tv or get much exercise.

But I did use this handy device

to listen to my book while running errands (alone) and doing chores around the house. I find menial tasks more bearable when distracted by audio books. Did you know you can check out audio books from the library?!! This is my next "read"

Then just because I could I went to a matinee. I love going to the movies. I'll have to have a talk with the scheduler at Rave so more movies have start times within my time constraints.

Indescision

2010-08-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Jack starting preschool today = free time for mom
But what to do....

maybe a matinee?

catch up on tv

exercise? thankfully i got this one out of the way before school.
i can only withstand so much guilt during my me-time.

read my book?

read my book by the pool?

go out to lunch?

All of the above? Preschool doesn't last that long. Guess I better pace myself.

Just call if you want to waste a little time with me.

Mom, I can't find anything to eat!

2010-08-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Who told him where my stash is?!

Like Father Like Son

2010-07-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

And so it begins

2010-07-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

We sent Marin off to 3rd and Ell off to 1st yesterday (Jack starts preschool in a couple weeks). We started the year off right by forgetting a backpack thus making us late. Won't be the last time I'm sure.

Just a thought about time passing me by. Last year...where did it go?! I feel like I just sent Ell off to Kindergarten and now she's in 1st. Do you know what this means? In practically no time at all Jack will start Kindergarten and all my "little" ones will be in school. How will that be? Sad? Happy? Lonely? Joyous? Liberating? Busy? I think a little of everything.

One Last Hurrah

2010-07-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

School starts tomorrow! My girls are ready. I'm mostly ready. Many people I've talked to think summer break is too short in our town. I disagree. I think it's the perfect length...enough time to play but not enough time to get bored.

We did manage to squeeze in one more beach trip with these cousins.

Look at Marin's leg! I love how my kids play in the sand without care...until it's time to load up in the van. The secret to ridding their little bodies of sand is baby powder.

Guys and Dolls

2010-07-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Instead of directing Chris will be acting. He's excited to play the role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. I'm going to see it next Friday. You should come to. Here's the info...

Brentwood Art Society and

Kinsella Theater Group

Present

Broadway Under the Stars

Streets of Brentwood

Performances at 8:00pm

July 16, 17, 18

July 23, 24, 25

July 30, 31 August 1

Adults $17

Seniors/Students $15

For tickets call: 925-516-8500 x 203

Stay-cation

2010-07-06T22:31:00.001-07:00

Last year we wondered the west as homeless nomads. This year...the exact opposite. And it has been dreamy.

Besides a couple visits from these cousins.

We've been seen walking 2 blocks...

...and lounging around this pool.

Come and join us...we're there practically every day. It's the first tan I've had in 15 years.

The Big 8

2010-07-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

My eldest turned 8 in May, and in our church this means you can be baptized and confirmed. Marin was super excited to have her dad perform this ordinance. I think there were 9 other people baptized that day...all boys besides Marin.

Some things I love about Marin...
1. She is always happy in the morning. I need this because I am not a morning person.
2. She can make breakfast for herself and her siblings. Although a bit messy at times (especially when the milk jug is full) it buys me a bit more shut eye.
3. She shares my love for reading.
4. She plays with her younger siblings so well...and they love her so much.
5. She is not a perfectionist.
6. She doesn't stay mad.
7. The way music touches her soul like her dad's. From infancy her mood could be easily altered by music. (Yes, I exploit this.)
8. Her laugh.

I feel blessed to have this "little" spirit in our home.

My Favorite Kind of Summer

2010-06-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of June and I'm wearing socks...

and a sweatshirt!
Does it get better than this? I submit that it does not!

I hope the mild-summer-gods continue to smile upon us.

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

2010-05-09T21:07:00.001-07:00

A successful Costco run.

A husband that knows my "love language". (It's a gift card to Lowes so he can do projects around the house for me.)

And 3 fantastic kids who get more fun every day.

Equal one very happy mom.

Derby Recap

2010-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

"The most exciting two minutes in sports" was definitely overshadowed by this derby party put on by my girlfriends. Here's Jack with his best bud Ryan doing a little pre-party-ing. Can you see the fantastic decorations?

And the food....yum!

And the hats...fab!
I won the prize for best hat...WHATEVER. I must have won by sympathy vote. It wasn't that great and I should have been disqualified anyway because it came from the high school costume closet. And another thing, I hate this picture because I look pregnant and I'm not...but my cute friend, Lorie, in green is...with boy number 3!

Thanks, girls! So much fun!

Love notes

2010-05-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have a love-hate relationship with these beads.

I love that they occupy my children for longish spans of time but they inevitably end up littered about my floor.

This particular project took more than one sitting thus the very "polite" note.

"Do not tuch the beads!

If you do, I will not be glad. (mad face)

I probly wont forgive you.

It took me a long time to make!

Marin (hearts)"

Fortunately no mishaps occurred and the finished product was stupendous.

Party Time

2010-04-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

This girl is having a birthday soon. It's a very exciting 8th birthday. But that's not the point. The point is she wants a party...a full blown, invite every friend I know party. I usually give my kids a choice. I can spend money on a party or money on them. This year I was really hoping for something smaller and more intimate...like presents and cake with her siblings.

What I need are some ideas. What can I entice her with that will seem as fantastically exciting as a gazillion friends running around like mad men?

Latest Production

2010-04-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Chris' Seniors (high school seniors not retired seniors) are putting on

"Alice in Wonderland".

It opens this week and promises to be kid friendly and fun.

Showtimes

Thursday, April 29th @7pm

Friday, April 30th @7pm

Saturday, May 1st @2pm

Tickets are $5

My kids are going Friday night. Let me know if you want to join us.

Driving Lessons

2010-04-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I was a pretty good driver. But the other day these two men (may or may not be the actual photos) thought otherwise.

The first was a very nice police officer who thought I shouldn't be driving with expired tags. Geez, so picky! He didn't write me up for failing to turn my headlights on while it was raining or for failing to keep an updated proof of insurance form in my car. He let me go with just a fix-it ticket. I really really really hate being in trouble. I think the only thing that got me through was the excitement of my 4 year old sitting in the back. The policeman's lights were flashing AND he came to talk to US! Jack thought this was the best day ever.

The second guy was not so nice and I think may have had one or two fingers extended...it's hard to remember. He also had a very well functioning horn. Which he demonstrated for us as he SLOWLY drove by. Apparently I wasn't supposed to slow down when pulling to the side of the road. Who knew? Thankfully my kids were oblivious to the "man with horns".

In all seriousness it was a horrible experience. Who does that? After I stopped wishing horrible things upon this man I started feeling sorry for him. Carrying that much anger and hatred around is no way to live. He must be a very unhappy person.

The park is not my friend

2010-03-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Two black eyes from a bonked forehead.

One broken arm
All in the last 2 weeks. Spring has just begun...it could be a long summer. And I thought having a park across the street would be fun.

the perfect spring break

2010-03-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

It's 8:45am
I'm still in my jammies (maybe for the day)
I have a good book
I have some good movies
I have a stash of goodies
And I'm ALONE!

Foot Bling - It's all the RAGE...literally.

2009-11-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is the culprit.

See where the back of the couch is separated? This is where I tried to remove my pinkie toe....the one that cries, "wee wee wee all the way home." I too wanted to cry, "wee wee wee all the way home,"...or maybe something else... What is it about stubbed toes that brings out the "best" in me? I'm really glad I maintained enough composure to not teach the little ears nearby some new vocabulary words.

The downside? My littlest piggy is broken. The upside? I get to wear this super cute foot brace. I know you're all jealous. Well, stop by my house and I'll let you kick my couch. Then you too can have a super cute foot brace like mine.

If you don't want to kick my couch...you can still come over with sympathy gifts and if you're lucky I'll let you paint my toe nails. Just don't touch the pinkie.

Call me Lazy

2009-11-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Chris and I went to our first every "Adult" Halloween Costume Party. I'm sure you'd love to see some pictures but I'm suffering from a candy overdose and can't bring myself to get up from my comfy chair and download my own photos. If you're still interested...you can go here http://skiyoulater.blogspot.com/ and see our fab costumes and friends.

Happy Halloween!

Remember When...

2009-10-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

I still feel this young....is there ever a point when I'll feel like a grown-up?

Shoes

2009-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Click here to see Ell the shoe model.

http://dukenmorghan.blogspot.com/2009/10/who-looks-cute-modeling-shoes.html

Appropriate Road Trip Activities

2009-10-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dear children of mine,

Here are some examples of good road trip activities.

Smiling...quietly

Playing on the computer...quietly

And my favorite sleeping...quietly

(This is the newest member of our family, Mark)

So that I can spend my time doing this...

and this...

Compliance will ensure a happy and rested mother upon reaching our destination and who doesn't want a happy mom?

Fred Astaire?

2009-10-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

I captured Jack's dance moves yesterday. I love his dancing but he doesn't like me to watch so I have to be sneaky and quiet. Right now his favorite song is 'Devil Inside' by INXS.

Princess or Warrior?

2009-10-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Which one will she be today? There doesn't seem to be much fence sitting for Ell...it's one or the other. Let's hope for the princess today.

Is this a good activity?

2009-10-08T22:29:00.001-07:00

Never know what you'll get when grandpa's incharge.

A Summer Reprieve

2009-10-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

Although I did not pack proper winter gear the cold weather and snow in Idaho were a welcome change from the 100 degree Fall weather in California.

It's all about the pie

2009-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

I don't remember this birthday party. It might be the time when the cows got out and we all rushed outside to help herd them back in. When we returned my littlest brother had eaten/destroyed the real birthday cake so we had to use MY pie as a replacement. Can you tell how happy I was?.

It's still all about the pie. I'd take pie over cake any day. Mmmmm...Pie.

First Day of School Eve

2009-07-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

School starts tomorrow.

I'm ready.

The kids are ready.

It has been a hectic summer and we will all be glad to be back on a schedule. This year I have two kids to get ready for school each morning. To cut down on the morning madness I've decide the girls need to chose their clothes and lay them out for the next day before going to bed. I told them this and here is what I got.

My favorite part...the drawing of themselves. Did you notice Ell's hands? So cute!

I'm glad they're excited for school. Let's hope it lasts.

Why I won't be buying a Toyota Yaris.

2009-07-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is a Toyota Yaris or as many people have pointed out to me, a Clown Car. It's very small and maybe even cute...to some people. And it's very economical as well. (It got us to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in one tank of gas.) But it's not exactly family friendly...especially when your family has more than two people in it.
For the past two weeks I've been stuffing my 3 children into the back seat of this two door econo car. What makes it even more fun is two of the these children still need help getting buckled into their car seats. Marin's favorite part is being squished between two car seats. My favorite part is counting how many times I hear, "Mom, so and so is touching me." Chris' favorite part is being within hand holding range of his wife.

Why am I doing this, you ask. Why would I give up my spacious and roomy minivan with it's DVD player and oodles of storage space? Well, it has nothing to do with the "Going Green" movement. I was rear ended on the freeway. Fortunately everyone was okay, even the other driver. But my van was totalled and the nice man at the rental shop very apologetically handed over the keys to the largest car they had in stalk...a two door Yaris.

We should soon receive the settlement check. Hopefully we get enough money to upgrade from the Yaris.

Mother/Wife of the Year

2009-05-24T18:10:00.001-07:00

Why I deserve the award.

First I agreed to host a birthday party for my 7 year old and all her classmates in the middle of our potential move. Next came the making of this pinata. (I'm very sad I forgot to get a picture of the finished product. It was the head of the alien from Monsters vs Aliens.)
Then came the construction of the B.O.B cake. (Watch for me on the next Food Network Extreme Cake Challenge.)

There was fun had by all.

And to top off my wonderfullositi...I got up early the next morning to prepare breakfast for this group of 25 teenagers. It was like trying to satiate a swarm of locusts.

Mother's Day

2009-05-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day, for me, is often all about the food.

Unfortunately this was my Mother's Day dinner.

Fortunately breakfast was really yummy and very filling.

First Born - no longer so little

2009-05-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

My oldest has turned 7. She used to be so little...

...and so cute. (can you see jack in this picture?)

She's still so cute just not so little anymore.

Happy Birthday, Marin!

I was tagged

2009-05-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

I pull up my sister's blog...now i'm required to immediately take a picture of myself and post it. No big deal...I've showered...have a little make-up on. How bad could I look? Now I look at my picture. When did I get so OLD?! I'm actually surprised this is me. I don't recognize myself. I thought I still looked like "the me" in my wedding photos. Yeah, so that was nearly 14 years ago, but I don't feel any older. I wonder if I will ever feel grown-up.

2009-04-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

People often wonder how Chris and I are a couple because we are opposites in almost every way. This photo reminded me of one of those differences. Dress Clothes. You might catch me dressed up on a Sunday for about 3 hours and 10 minutes (3 hours of church meetings, 7 minutes before church and 3 minutes after...I can't get those nylons off fast enough.) Chris on the other hand can be found in a shirt and tie just about anywhere....church, work, riding his bike, jumping on the trampoline, mowing the lawn...the list is endless. Here we are at a friend's birthday party on a Saturday afternoon. I'm glad he still loves me...jeans, t-shirt, and all.

Disclaimer: Chris actually had to attend a meeting after the party. But finding him in a shirt and tie on any given Saturday afternoon would not be out of character for him.

Revisiting Childhood

2009-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Recently my father has begun writing his life story. I'm not sure how the actual writing is going but as he sorts through old photo albums he has transferred many photos to digital form and shared them with us.

This particular photo holds many memories for me.

1. My childhood house was really cold. I'm pretty sure that all houses in Idaho should have insulation because it's really cold during the winter. I'm also pretty sure the house we grew up in did not have insulation. This is why we look so cold even though we are wearing footy pajamas AND socks.

2. The orange plaid couch mostly reminds me of my first babysitting job. This is the couch we caught on fire and tried to burn the house down with. My parents left me in charge while they and my older brother went to a church activity. My siblings and I fell asleep on and around this stylin' couch with a portable heater close by...too close by. We woke to a smoldering couch cushion. I called my parents, they told me to dump some water on it and go next door to grandma's house (she was out of town). Meanwhile the water failed to put out the cushion and when my mom got home the house was filled with smoke but not on fire. She pushed the couch out the front door at which time it ignited and burned to ashes. Sorry, mom, for the smoke damage. But you are welcome...for getting rid of that couch for you.

3. My super cute younger sister. This might be the only time in my life that I was cuter than Kadie.

4. Cousins. We grew up with many cousins close by which most of the time equalled a lot of fun. Notice the gnarly shiner by brother has...this was not one of those times.

Play Date

2009-03-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ellinor has never been a big fan of the male species. This was a conversation we had before preschool started this past fall.

Ell, "Mom, tell Mrs. Greene not to make me sit by any boys."
Me, "I'm sure Mrs. Greene won't make you sit by anyone you don't want to."
Ell, "Just tell her, Mom, so she knows."

I'm not sure what brought on this boy phobia. I like to tell myself it's just because I'm so much nicer and cuter than her dad that naturally she would gravitate to females. But maybe I pushed the coed play dates a little too soon.

This is Ell and B. Both under one. We all know these "play dates" are not actually for the kids.
Thankfully kids are resilient. Ell has come a long way since the beginning of preschool. I've even heard her ask when B can come over again. Here they are on one such occasion. Ell was "teaching" B how to make a Mii on the Wii.

(Look, she's sitting by a BOY.)

My Boy

2009-03-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

This is my little Jack-Jack...

...at one...

...at two...
...and now at 3.
2 was my favorite age so far. 3 is shaping up to be a bit trying. Pray that we both survive. I suppose I'm glad he's not as volatil as this Jack-Jack.

Retro Snack Time

2009-03-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

I love when my sister, Kadie, brings her family for a visit. To encourage this type of behavior I decided to treat them to chocolate fondue on their last visit. And, yes, it was as yummy as it sounds.

We dipped strawberries, bananas, pretzels (these don't work well with fondue forks), marshmellows, apples, and shortbread cookies.

Jack won the cleanest face award which is pretty astounding for a two year old. Although, I don't think he could reach the fondue pot. I'm glad he didn't know what he was missing...more for me.

Ell won the "I'm enjoying this the most" award. It's all about the dip whenever she eats.

What could make this treat even better? Someone else (Kadie) cleaning up afterwards.

Come again soon, Kadie. I won't make you do the dishes next time. I promise. Okay, maybe not all of them.

2009-03-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to be the Activity Day Leader for the 8 and 9 year old girls at my church. We meet twice a month for various activities...some educational some service oriented and others are just plain old fun. At this particular activity we played board games and rotated positions around the table every 10 minutes.
This is a picture of the Scrabble board at the end of the activity. Hmmm...I'm thinking I should have explained the rules a little better.

Just looking at it makes me want to play Boggle.

Music to My Ears

2009-03-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

"Mom, let's snuggle on the couch and read books."

Marin has always loved books. We used to sit on the couch together and read and reread everyone of her books. This was a daily occurrence. A bit painful I must admit but the payoff has finally arrived. We still sit together on the couch only now we each have our own book.

It will be a happy day when Jack and Ell can join this little party.
I can just hear the blissful quiet as we each enter our separate worlds. (quiet and separate... those words make me smile)

More than it Appears

2009-01-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

To the untrained eye this is merely a piano.

But to our resident car expert it is actually a parking garage.

Sick and Tired

2009-01-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

I don't consider myself an overly demanding person...but is it too much to ask that families only be required to suffer through the stomach flu once a year at the most. We started New Years Day with the stomach flu...therefor we should be exempt for the rest of the year? Right!? Then why did the sound of heaving wake me up at 4am this morning and again at 5am and continue throughout the rest of my morning and will most likely continue through the rest of the family? THIS IS NOT RIGHT!! Not only is this the second time this year but the second time this month!
At least for the moment all is well. Ssshhhhhhhh...

The Skinny Jean

2009-01-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

This picture recently popped up in a family letter from my dad. What do you think is the funniest part? My brother loves the pegged pants. I think it's the super-high-waist-cut jeans. And Chris wonders how anyone even noticed the pants...just look at that hair do.

Emptiwashaphobia

2009-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Unloading the dishwasher.

It's such a simple task. Why do I avoid it? Why do I let the dishes pile up in the sink waiting for someone, anyone, to unload the dishwasher? I know it doesn't make any sense. Chris is also puzzled by my emptiwashaphobia.

Here's the thing. I don't mind loading up the dishwasher. It clears off the counter and the sink and makes the kitchen look nice and tidy. I feel like I've accomplished something. But when I unload the dishwasher what do I get? Nothing!! I've basically taken clean dishes from one place and put them into another place. The kitchen looks the same. Nothing has changes. There's no payoff.

The solution (proposed by my brilliant Mother-in-Law) .........

Two dishwashers! One for dirty dishes and one for clean dishes. I never have to unload. I just use the dishes from the clean washer until they've all been used up and transferred to the dirty washer and the cycle repeats. Yet another item to add to my wish list. Sigh...

Christmas is a Wrap

2009-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

I am usually anxious to pack up Christmas and all it's trimmings because the house feels so clean and uncluttered. But now that I have everything packed safely away for next year the house feels kinda empty and sad. I want my tree back. But it is long gone...hauled off yesterday by the Boy Scouts. Sigh.....

I should have taken advice from my good friend, Celia, and left my tree up. Click here to see her tree plans http://groundhogdaywithceliafae.blogspot.com/2009/01/o-easterbaum-o-easterbaum.html

I miss Christmas but I do still have these snapshots of Christmas morning I can enjoy.

I bet you thought this photo was of me but it's actually of Grandma and Grandpa Fallows. Can you find them? They joined us for Christmas morning through our video cams. See...they are brightly shining in the background on top of the piano.It wouldn't be Christmas at the Fallows without aebleskivers. What's an aebleskiver you ask? click here to find out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86bleskiver

I'm still missing my tree. If your tree is still up you should probably invite me over so I can enjoy it. But I won't help you pack it up....it's too soon!

Something old into something new

2009-01-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

This is our hand-me-down train table. It belonged to the neighbor of a friend. Although the top was worn and peeling I was thrilled to receive it because Jack is very much a train/car/truck man. And Jack loved it. But the more I had to look at the table top which is also our family room coffee table the uglier it got. So.....
...I flipped over the table top and created this.

My favorite part...IN-N-OUT. Jack's favorite part...the police and fire stations and the numerous parking lots where he can park his many matchbox cars. I bet you can't wait to come over and play.

Christmas Casualty

2008-12-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

Here are several examples of what our gingerbread house could look like.

This is what our house actually looked like....

...and then this.
This is how Jack felt about it.

This is how Ellinor felt about it.

This is our house after considerable retrofitting.

All's well that ends well.

Natural Instincts

2008-12-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

At my house we have a book full of animal pictures including some captions. One of the pictures looks a little like this one.
The caption reads, "All this anger on the part of the adults only means that they are tired of being pestered by their young."

Hmmmm...what can we learn from this? The louder you growl at your young the better...right?!

Singing in the Rain

2008-12-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

These kind of days take me back to my childhood. Nothing could be more fun than an umbrella on a rainy day except maybe a warm blanket and a good book on the couch.

Did you notice how cute Ellinor is with her little crossed legs and raincoat?

The Doctor is In

2008-12-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

I love listening to my children play together. The other day I overheard them playing a game I thought was called Doctor Narian. I asked where the name Narian came from. Marin said, "Nobody is named Narian, Mom, I'm a doctornerian...you know...an animal doctor." The only thing cuter than that is this sign they made for their door.

"Time rushes by like a mad swollen river" Part III

2008-12-08T21:24:00.001-08:00

This is the one picture I have of Thanksgiving. What can I say...I was a bit preoccupied with all the yummy food.

Here are the facts:

1. when my family comes to town we all like to be together

2. the day after Thanksgiving is prime shopping time

3. my sister lives by the Gilroy outlets (which open at midnight)

Therefore...we all chose to stay with my sister and her family in their 1500 square foot 3 bedroom home. This explains the picture above. You can't see all the kids but I think there are 5 on the floor and 1 on the couch and a couple babies in pac-n-plays. I had my choice of an air-mattress or a bunk bed but at least I had a bedroom. It really was super fun and Kadie was such a great hostess. I don't think she said one bad word the whole weekend...at least not out loud.

Besides yummy food and lots of shopping we also took the kids to the beach. Marin was mad when I wouldn't let her wear a bathing suit. I think she wanted to prove it wasn't too cold to swim and promptly soaked herself from head to toe when she tripped while fleeing the waves. Click here for more on our Thanksgiving fun.
http://zollingerboyz.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-thanksgiving.html

"Time rushes by like a mad swollen river" Part II

2008-12-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

In this segment I take you back to 2005 just before Ellinor turns 1. So cute I can hardly stand it!
And then forward a bit to 2008 where she is now 4 years old. Still so cute but with a little more sass.

We had a little birthday party for the big 4 year old.

Thanks to Marin our guests were never lost.

Game Room

Parents Room is Table

Thanks to Marin we had some decorations.

Thanks to Aunt Kadie we finished making the birthday cake mostly on time.

Thanks to our friends and family we all had a fabulous time.

Was it something I said?

2008-12-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

People are people so why should it be

You and I should get a long so awefully

So with different colors and with different creeds

And different people have different needs

It's obvious you hate me though I've done nothing wrong

I've never even met you, so what could I have done?

I can't understand what makes a man hate another man

Help me understand.

(Depeche Mode)

My poor van tires were slashed Friday night in a church parking lot of all places. Besides being terribly inconvenient I worried that someone might actually hate us enough to be this mean. I hope it was just random and senseless.

"Time rushes by like a mad swollen river" Part I

2008-11-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

I just can't believe it's December. Seriously...what happened. How did we get here? In an attempt to slow time (certainly not because I'm lame and never got around to posting my Halloween pics) I've decided to take us back a couple months to October.

We have a local pumpkin patch which is very cute and fun for the kids. But I am so over it. By the time my 3 children are done with school I'll have had the chance to see their barn show at least 9 times. Some of you local mothers have 5 or 6 kids...how will you stand it?! This year I went twice. Once with Jack and Ell and Ell's preschool class...

The animals at the pumpkin patch/farm are always a big hit. My kids think it's really cool that I used to raise baby pigs for 4-H and show them at the county fair. I won several blue ribbons and even a few trophies.

And the second time with Marin's 1st grade class

Here Marin and her friend have lost their way in the corn maze.

I am not the coolest Halloween mom. We don't have any cool skeletons or dead people adorning our porch or even fake spider webs much to Marin's horror. But we do manage to find some cute costumes after rummaging through our dress up box...

and we usually decorate a Haunted Halloween House....

(beware the black frosting...it will give you really spooky teeth)

and we've even been known to carve a few pumpkins.

Happy Halloween! Or is it Happy Holidays already? I can't keep up!

All We Want for Christmas

2008-11-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Grandpa,

Mom won't buy us this great Cadillac from Costco. Can you beleive it? We look so cute in it. AND we've been so good! (except the part where we threw a fit when she made us get out) Anyway we've been thinking...if you bought this SUV for Grandma then we might come visit you more often. Just a thought.

Love,

Ell and Jack

Tooth Fairy

2008-10-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

Dear Mr. President,

I understand that you are currently going through a Bail Out phase and was hoping you might consider my situation as bail out worthy. You see I have a 6 year old who is loosing teeth left and right. In fact she lost 4 teeth in one week. The tooth fairy was not prepared for this financial squeeze and is in dire need of your financial backing. The state of our household economy and the reputation of a very prominent figure is riding on your decision.

Sincerely,
Marin's Mom

I'm still the best mom ever!

2008-10-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ocean Beach is right next to the SF Zoo. So guess where we went after the zoo. Of course we were not prepared for a beach trip but does it really matter?

What more do you need than water, sand and.............My Little Ponies?

What's that you say? Where's Jack? Taking a nap in the car with mom. It's hard work walking around the zoo looking for real animals. Besides dad was more than happy to play with the sandy and wet but very happy girls.

Make Up Day

2008-10-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Marin missed the first grade field trip to the SF Zoo because she was sick. And because I am the best mom ever I promised to take her another day.

Here are the pictures to prove my mommy bestness. Judging from many of the pictures below one might think we visited a sculpture garden instead.

There were real animals at the zoo too. Can you see the tiger?

We made sure to bring a stroller...notice who's sitting in it...not the littlest ones.

Did we have fun? YES! Is mom the best? Of course! Is dad neat too? Yes!

Marin took this picture...not too bad for a first grader.

i didn't do it

2008-09-10T18:20:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is my van. And, yes, it just backed over this stop sign. But it wasn't me. This happened during my family reunion in Idaho. Apparently Chris felt he wasn't getting enough attention and thought this might help him steal the show (you know how he likes to grab the stoplight...i mean spotlight).
No harm came to my van and my Uncle Klyn said, "Don't worry about the sign. I know a guy who can come take care of it. I do this all the time."

arizona in the summer

2008-09-08T15:11:00.001-07:00

Maybe you already knew this but Arizona is really hot during the summer. We took a trip to Arizona this summer to visit Chris' grandparents, and it was really hot. I'm not sure why anyone would choose to live in Arizona especially in the summer time and especially when these are running around your front yard...

Walking Animals that Move

2008-09-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Chris and I took the girls to Marine World or rather Discovery Kingdom a few weeks ago.

Here's a conversation I had with Ellinor.

jodie, "Ell, what would you like to do now?"

ell, "I want to see the walking animals that move."

jodie, "oh, like the tigers or giraffe?"

ell, "No, remember the walking animals that move."

jodie, "oh, you want to ride the caurosel?"

ell, "Nooo, the WALKING ANIMALS THAT MOVE."

jodie, "let me call dad and see if he knows where they are."

jodie, "Hi Chris, do you have any idea what the 'walking animals that move' are? No? Okay call me back if anything comes to mind."

jodie, "do you want to see the zoo animals...like the elephants?"

ell, "No, the walking animals that move."

jodie, "what color are they?"

ell, "The walking animals that move."

jodie, "are they furry?"

ell, "The walking animals that move."

jodie, "Let's walk around and see if we can find them."

From around the bend walks Bugs Bunny.

ell, "see, mom, that's one of the walking animals that can move."

jodie, "oh, yeah.....(BIG sigh of relief)"

A Weekend to Remember

2008-08-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Friday 11:00pm - Load 3 sleeping children into the minivan
Friday 11:15pm - Pick up husband from high school dance
Friday 11:30pm - Drive 695.33 miles to Idaho
Friday 3:00am - Take my turn driving
Friday 3:30am - 3 year old crying hysterically because mom is driving not sitting by her
Friday 3:31am - Let husband drive
Saturday 9:30am - Arrive in Gooding, Idaho - take a nap while children play with cousins
Saturday 5:00pm - Wake up from nap
Sunday 6:00am - Prepare to leave for Twin Falls
Sunday 7:30am - Arrive at Twin Falls Temple
Sunday 7:31am - Wonder why we came so early - the ceremony starts at 9:00am
Sunday 9:15am - Watch cornerstone ceremony
Sunday 4:30pm - Begin 695.33 mile drive back to California

Click on the link below to see why this trip was worth it.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700253549,00.html

Picture Day

2008-08-14T19:41:00.001-07:00

Marin got her first shiner last night...AND...tomorrow is picture day at Marin's elementary school.

Snack Time

2008-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

The cutest thing about this picture is Ellinor did this all by herself.

School's in Session

2008-08-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Marin informed me that today was her 12th day of school. Yes, school here starts in July. I'm never quite ready for school to start so soon. However, the kids never have a chance to get bored with their summer break.

Here's Marin on her first day of 1st grade. It has been an adjustment. Last year she had afternoon kindergarten. Now we have to get up and ready for early morning school everyday. This does not make me look forward to early morning seminary. When I went to early morning seminary back in the day I was able to drive myself. Yes, I got my driver's license at the tender age of 14. Idaho is different from California is many other ways too.

And here's my little Ellinor. She started preschool last week. I love that she wears a dress everyday. She is every bit the princess she thinks she is. Don't you just want to squeeze her?! This is a big problem for Ell...many people want to squeeze and hug her but she wants none of this attention. She is a mama's girl through and through...just ask her dad.

A little Me time

2008-08-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

i thought i could sneak away and watch a little tv...

2008-07-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad...

Things I will miss when the Maddens move...

2008-06-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Despite my efforts to sabotage the Madden's move (our next door neighbors) it appears the time has finally come. Although they won't be too far away here is a sampling of the things I will miss.

Baby monitor listener. I'm not saying I would ever do this but if one of my children were asleep and I needed to pick up Marin from school Lorie would be more than willing to listen for my sleeping child via the baby monitor.
Emergency convenience store...do you have any eggs, sugar, batteries, milk, dinner...
A next door playmate (for my kids) but mostly for me (Lorie not Declan. Hmmm, did I really need to clarify?).
Speaking of Declan...I will miss the smell of his BBQ and hoping that I'll be invited over. Yum!
Braden's wagon.
Braden's tricycle.
Braden's trucks.
Braden's swimming pool. Are you sensing a theme? Braden has cool toys!

Stay tuned for more misses....

we love our dad

2008-06-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

What's better than breakfast in bed? Breakfast in bed with your 6 year old. I can feel the crumb covered sheets already. Yum.

Jack

2008-06-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

I noticed that Jack has not starred on my blog yet. What's that about? Does the third child always get shorted? So here he is making his debut...

Jack Thomas

Here Jack is getting his first "real" haircut. I've always cut his hair in the past but we are having family pictures taken in a few weeks and I wanted him to look a bit more polished than usual. Yes, he frowned the entire time.

What's in store for Heritage Drama?

2008-06-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Chris announced the plays his students will be doing next year. And there are THREE of them! I'm really going to earn my widow status this year.

I first read the book "Holes" when we were getting ready to put a patio in our backyard. It was very fitting as we did a lot of digging to prepare for the installation. I never dug up anything of interest but I really enjoy our patio.

I have never read or seen "Oliver" but it does have a song about "glorious food" and I really like food. And one exciting twist...Chris has given Marin permission to audition for her first high school play. If cast she will expect all of you to be in the audience.

Chris thinks I'm deprived because I have never watched "School House Rock". I grew up in rural Idaho where we had access to one television station (cable was not available)...that station did not carry School House Rock or Sesame Street or anything of much interest to a young child.

It's too late to make any suggestions for the 08-09 school year but please feel free to leave your requests for future theatrical entertainment. I'll pass them on to the Big Guy.

Oil Change

2008-06-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is Chris changing the oil in our van while wearing his best white T-shirt.

Listen to our conversation...

Chris, "I can't believe I wore my best white t-shirt to change the oil."

Jodie, "Me either!"

Chris, "Okay, that's not true. I can believe it. We BOTH can believe it. It's the exact kind of thing I WOULD do."

Jodie, "Yeah, you're right. That's funny! Hold still while I get my camera so I can put this on my blog.

first day of summer break

2008-06-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Marin tried to teach me a math lesson today.

First day of summer + New Cable TV Service = TV 24/7

I made an attempt at luring the children away from the TV and computer screen today and took the kids to McDonald's to play and have an ice cream...

...they spent the whole time glued to the computer at McDonalds. Granted the play structure was a bit overcrowded with this being the first day of summer break. I tried.

brownies

2008-06-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

Last Friday Marin bridged from Daisy Scouts to Brownies. If you listen carefully you can hear Jack....and it only went down hill from here.

boy crazy

2008-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I didn't like boys until I was 30 so I don't know where Marin gets her boy craziness from. Here are her latest crushes.

The first is Prince Caspian from Narnia. Chris and Marin have been reading The Chronicles of Narnia together. Once they finished reading Prince Caspian Chris took her to see the movie. Marin has secretly drawn pictures for Prince Caspian which are hiding under her pillow. Don't tell her I told you.

Second is Jon or as Marin likes to call him "Funny Guy". Jon is one of Chris' theater students at Heritage High School. He is sitting to the far right of the picture. I have to admit that Jon is a pretty neat guy and he is also very funny. He made Marin's day by playing dinosaur-go-fish with her, which she won by a landslide.

hair cut

2008-05-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Marin gave her first haircut last night. She and Ell were creating art in the playroom when they came running out saying, "look, mom, Ellie has short hair". This did not immediately register with my brain and I just stared at them blankly. Then as reality set in and I looked closer at Ell it appeared that she no longer had hair in the back. I can only imagine the look on my face as Marin quickly stopped smiling and jumping about. Then I remembered that Ell had been wearing a ponytail...was it still there?! Phew, it was. Thankfully Marin had only cut Ell's bangs and she hadn't done too bad of job. I'm just a bit disappointed because Ell's bangs had finally grown out. But it could have been much much worse.

telephones and television

2008-05-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Until recently this has been our telephone...

and this is what we used for television reception...

...maybe a bit outdated. well, we've decided to update our image. We will cancel our telephone land line and use strictly cell phones. The down side to this is when my cell phone is downstairs and I'm upstairs or vice versa...maybe I'll finally get some much needed exercise.

The up side is our new internet access, which was bundled with our phone service, is now bundled with television service. That's right, no more rabbit ears! We are becoming so high tech.

I'd love to chat longer but I hear the tv calling.

the after shots

2008-05-13T20:00:00.001-07:00

Judging from these photos the curlers worked. And the girls slept just fine.

marin turns 6

2008-05-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Marin turned 6. We actually celebrated a couple weeks ago at Kadie's house and instead of a cake Marin asked for pumpkin pie. Yes!!! I'll take pie over cake any day. Yesterday we decided to do a little more celebrating on her actual birthday and went to dinner at Taco Bell with one of Marin's school friends.

...and then bowling. We had a great time however it was more work than we expected keeping all the kids corralled and we only managed to take one picture and it was of Ellinor. It is a really cute picture though.

Does anyone else remember those pink foam curlers? My sister and I wore these every Saturday night so we would have curls for Sunday. Now it's Marin's turn. These curlers were one of the gifts Marin received. She's really excited about having curls....just wait until she tried to sleep tonight.

mother's day

2008-05-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

this has been my best mother's day ever. granted it is only my 7th...i suppose it's all relative but that actually sounds like a lot. i think i enjoyed this one so much not because of the gifts but because this year instead of thinking back on what kind of mother i've been (because i am not perfect and therefore i must be a failure, right?) i decided to delight in my children as they are today. and they are so great!! i love these kids! more and more i think children are sent to us so that WE can be taught, not the other way around. so i just need to keep trying and learn as much as i can...and i can do that without being perfect.

my favorite gift today, well there were two....first was ableskivers and black pepper crusted bacon for breakfast that i didn't have to cook or clean up and second was a hand made pillow from marin. she stuffed and sewed the pillow at school, brought it home last monday and has asked everyday since when it would be sunday so she could give me my mother's day surprise. after opening the gift she said, "now i know how to sew, mom, so if you need help i can show you how."

wow, i look really tired. i better go take a nap on my new pillow.

2008-05-07T11:22:00.002-07:00

My kids enjoy watching TV now and then. Okay, so maybe they watch it more than they should. We recently purchased a Backyardians (this is my favorite cartoon) DVD with an episode titled "Superspy". The villain in the movie is The Lady in Pink and she often curses using the phrase, "Oh, for evils sake!" Well, when Ellinor gets frustrated guess what her new favorite phrase is.....yep, "Oh, for evils sake!" It's really hard not to laugh at her when she does this.