Why…
do I stress that pieces to games and puzzles and tea sets are always homeless? It infuriates me!
do I try to keep stuff SO organized (all. the. time.) yet it feels like chaos (all. the. time)?
do men always leave drawers and cupboards open?
do tikes NOT nap at 2 o’clock when they’re supposed to?
Taken at almost 5 o’clock on the couch:
Ugh!
Just a few things I’m wondering on this Wednesday!
That’s all.
This morning we checked out Placerita Canyon State Park.
We figure we’d better get out and do this stuff before the temps get over 100*…which will be soon enough!
There is a trail to a waterfall, but it was 5 miles round trip! The tikes aren’t quite ready for that just yet, so we hiked to the water tower instead!
Enjoying the view:
{I am currently obsessed with these $3 Organic Cotton “wife beater” racer back tanks from Wal-mart}
My absolute fave pic of the day:
Playing in the creek:
We learned all about owls and this little falcon:
Try explaining “taxidermy” to an almost 5 year old, too! That’s fun….
“Is it dead?”
“Uh, yes it is, Sweetie.”
“Well, why is it’s eyes open?”
“Uh, well…..”
I told her she would learn more about it in school when she gets older! Is that bad???
Seriously, how do you explain that?
Nature sure is tiring:
Hope your weekend has been full of exploring and one adventure after another!
Even though Holden was at the edge of our bed at 5:46am holding a diaper and wipe just waiting patiently for me to open my eyes, our Thursday got off to a great start.
I managed to get him out of his jammies and dressed prior to 8:00 ~ this is a feat in itself.
Elliott was dressed in her cute brown and white pinstriped dress for her “Cap & Gown” pictures this morning (didn’t matter what she had on though, it wasn’t going to show!).
They were playing nicely while I actually applied make-up, flat ironed my ‘do and put on my new fun scarf:
Targé ~ $3.74
Thought it’d go well with my red pants!
We were ready to head out the door to school by 8:19am! Things were going our way…we had our “X” for xylophone puzzle piece for Share Day and the letter ‘X” (that’s a hard one!) and a sippy filled with chocolate milk.
We were on schedule to get to school 5 minutes early (another rarity) and wouldn’t you know it…the darn arm at the train tracks was stuck so the traffic was major backed up. I tried to outsmart everyone and go make a U-turn…NOPE! Still stuck. Tried to go make a right and another U-turn and got stuck again! We were now 5 minutes LATE!
But then, things turned around and Holden and I got several errands done in 2 hours. Post Office, bank, Dollar Tree & Wal-mart! Jealous?
We I caved and grabbed these at the checkout:
They are very tasty and proven to help keep a 3-year old awake in the car on the ride home!
*****
I also wanted to share a few of my recent Targé finds aside from my colorful scarf.
I’ve mentioned my affinity for the reddish-orange clearance stickers, right? Well, I hit the jackpot last Friday on my pre-Mother’s Day Weekend “splurge”.
Head to toe…
Fedora ~ $3.24
For those bad hair/haven’t had a chance to cover the grays days!
Then I found this number for either Elliott’s graduation or dance recital:
It’s super cute on! $6.24!
Thinking about wearing it with these:
Also über cheap from…you know where!
Then, in honor of flipflopfollies.com, I had to pick up these:
Again, $3.74! Would’ve gotten them in every color, but this was it.
So, let me recap: hat, scarf, dress & flops = Like $17 (I’m cheap like that!)
Seriously, how can Jay complain about that?
Thanks, Targé! I {heart} you!
*****
Kids are down for a nap and I am sipping on this:
I’ve definitely had worse Thursdays…
Hope you’ve had a fruitful Thursday as well!
Ahhhh…yesterday was Mother’s Day…the one day where I don’t feel guilty calling ALL the shots and taking a little time to sit back and take a moment to appreciate being a Mother, but also take a brief break and just BE.
My Mom was here to celebrate, of course, and we started celebrating early with our favorite neighbors on Saturday evening since we wouldn’t see them on Sunday. I made crock pot carnitas and a new dessert pizza with Nutella, bananas and strawberries! I do believe it was a hit. Super easy with the help of Trader Joe’s pizza dough…I just rolled it out, pricked with a fork, brushed with about 2T melted butter and baked as directed ~ I think 450* for 20 minutes. Then I dusted it with powdered sugar once it came out and let it cool a bit:
Then I spread Nutella over it, added sliced bananas and strawberries and finished it off with another dusting of powdered sugar. Cut it in slices as you would a “normal” pizza and serve it up!
The recipe was inspired by one of Giada’s which you can find here.
Sunday morning was greeted with some mimosas:
with our favorite, Wilson Creek Almond Champagne.
We drove into Beverly Hills for my long-awaited reunion with “Bobbie” from Capriotti’s. It was just as I remembered…all the tastes of Thanksgiving on a roll! Couple with some kettle cooked sea salt & vinegar and BBQ chips and you can’t go wrong.
My Mom and I shared so we still had plenty of room for cupcakes!
It was a toss up between Crumbs & Sprinkles, but Crumbs won this time:
We decided on Fluffernutter, Boston Cream, Vanilla/Vanilla with sprinkles (always MY fave) and Candy which the kids chose and was covered in mini M&M’s.
The cupcakes are ridiculously HUGE. They have a $30 cupcake that could serve a small village!
This is what $14.20 worth of cupcakes looks like:
The cupcakes were so good they deserved their own chair…no, we brought this old chair of my Gam’s along because I wanted to try to get some of the kids outside at a park using this special chair as a prop. It was as if Gam (my Mom’s mama) was there celebrating Mother’s Day with us!
Here I am sitting on the park bench indulging in some cupcake love:
NO shame in my game!
The ‘cakes were delish…I only have one complaint, though. They predominantly use cream cheese frosting and I am a buttercream girl through and through. I’m anxious to see what Sprinkles has to offer! Will keep you posted.
Gramma K and the kiddos played on a ginormous tree:
A few of the chair pics:
It was a gorgeous day. I just sat on the bench in the breeze watching the kids play and Jay snap pictures. I looked at the amazing homes lining the Beverly Hills park and thought “What if…?” How would it be to live on one of the breathtaking tree-lined streets off Santa Monica Blvd. with a Rolls parked in the driveway. A private chef. A live-in maid. A nanny. You know, all the things that come along with the 90210 zip code.
Yes, it would be a nice life, but it wouldn’t be MY life. I HAVE the life I envisioned I wanted as an adult. A sweet, understanding, supportive husband and two energetic, funny, curious, happy, healthy, and at times frustrating pip squeaks. All the 9o210 stuff doesn’t matter when you have what I have.
So, back to Santa Clarita we went. Jay made lumpia and we had leftover Chinese food for dinner followed by Golden Spoon!
See, I don’t ask for much. Just about 30 minutes to sit back, watch my family run and play in front of me, nibble on some cupcakes and remind myself that being a Mom is the best gift ~ a gift that I am so proud of.
{Cute matching jammies from Auntie Bucky}
Everyday is Mother’s Day to me, and I LOVE IT!
This weekend, again, went by way too fast…
Saturday started off with a much needed bath for my car and a haircut for me.
Once those chores were out of the way, we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go {tee} off with some miniature golf.
This was the first time for the kiddos and we weren’t sure what to expect, but they caught on real quick, loved the fact that they could pic their ball color and to top it off nobody got hit with a club, so it was a success!
Elliott chose her favorite color, of course:
…and apparently Holden is a fan of green:
Taking a break:
After 18 holes, we went to Farrell’s which is attached to the mini golf place and had a sundae:
We were on our way out the door, when a nice man gave us some cards loaded with LOTS of points so we decided to go on the bumper boats:
We were amongst a mob of middle schoolers who had NO shame and got us soaked!
She loved it, though.
Daddy took her on the race cars:
She loved that, too!
Holden was too small for both, so he had to settle for bubbles:
Then, today we finally made it to Griffith Park and visited the {Travel Town} Museum. The kids had fun climbing in old {t}rains and running through the cars.
Sibling Love:
Conductor Holden:
They have a Children’s Learning Center called “Holden’s Corner”:
And, of course, we rode the train:
I love this one:
It was a great weekend…exploring good stuff in our own “backyard” ~ tee times & Travel Town trains.
Hoping you had the same!
Up tomorrow: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Just in time for Cinco De Mayo!
Today we were cooped up in the house due to E coming down with something or other stomach related….that’s all I will say.
It involved much Gain detergent, fabric softener and baking soda.
It involved me sleeping with her in the guest room…going in and out of sleep and listening to our neighbors pack up a U-haul from between midnight and 2:00 or 3:00am…I don’t wish to know the details.
It involved waking up to Spongebob and watching “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”.
Fortunately it involved a short nap for all including the “patient”:
{Ironically, she is wearing her Christmas pajama top and Halloween bottoms!}
Hoping tomorrow will be better…sans any Thanksgiving or Easter specials.
I hope YOU had a marvelous Monday!
Autism Speaks Walk
*****
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
****
Saturday, April 24th, 2010
***
Helping to solve the puzzle
**
One step at a time
*
It takes a million tiny steps to make a HUGE stride ~ we are honored to take part.
Thank you to all who donated.
Until next year…
Good Workout
Last night I drug myself to the workout room and put in almost an hour and 45 minutes on the elliptical ~ 10 miles. Wasn’t planning on it…but the Real Housewives of New York helped me get through!
You know, I really like Alex. I think she’s my favorite. Maybe it’s because she’s the only one with kids around the same age as mine, but she seems just more “no frills” than the rest. And, I really wish Jill & Bethenny would make up already!
{Photo: jimhalterman.com}
*****
Glee
I finally watched this week’s episode of Glee last night ~ ode to Madonna.
{Photo from www.telegraph.co.uk}
Dear Glee,
I’m “Crazy For You”.
I thank my “Lucky Star” that you came into my life.
I want to tell the world to “Open Your Heart” and watch you if they aren’t doing so already.
I was beginning to think my week was “Borderline”, but after watching you, it’s FANTASMIC!
Thank you for showing me “Where’s The Party” on Tuesday (or Thursday!) nights.
Your trying-not-to-be-so-“Material Girl”,
Amy
*****
Autism Speaks
Tomorrow morning we’re heading to the Rose Bowl for our 2nd annual walk with Team Intuit. It’s supposed to be gorgeous this weekend and I can think of nothing better than doing a 5K for a great cause with the sun shining, the blue skies surrounding and the beautiful San Gabriels in sight.
If you would like to make a donation, please click here.
Thank you!
Autism Speaks ~ It’s Time To Listen
*****
Rx: DVDs
On another note, a good friend of a good friend just received the devastating news that their 3-year old son has been diagnosed with Acute Childhood Leukemia. My friend, Alicia, is looking for friends to donate their gently used DVDs (suitable for 3 year olds, of course) to this sweet little boy to help him as he goes through treatment at Denver Children’s Hospital. Once he is through his treatments, they will be gifted to the hospital so that other children can enjoy them during their stay.
I know that we have more movies than we know what to do with, so we’ll be packing some up and sending them off.
If you’re interested, please leave a comment, e-mail or Facebook me and I will let you know where to send them.
Again, many thank yous!
*****
Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
{Photo: allrecipes.com}
A new, healthy recipe coming your way this evening. This one is for my friend, Lisa and it comes from one of my new favorite blogs! Lisa, let’s see how it compares to Sabor’s soup! It looks muy delish!
*****
Happy Friday!
P.S. Can’t figure out how to turn the text black on this post!?!
I just want to wake up, jump out of bed, hop in the shower, apply my make-up, dry and flat iron my hair BEFORE noon.
I don’t want to cut the crusts off the PB&J’s.
I want to go to a place where the mac n cheese has lobster or truffle oil rather than neon orange powder.
I don’t want to have a Border Collie nipping at me when I am on my way to the bathroom or to answer the phone.
I want to go to a place where the floors are free of bits and pieces of games, puzzles, doll clothes, blocks and books.
I want to listen to something in the car other than the Kidz Bop CD from last summer’s Mickey D’s Happy Meal.
I don’t want to wait 10 minutes while pajamas get picked out.
I just want to go a day without carrying around a sippy cup in my purse or with syrup or peanut butter smeared on my shirt.
I get tired of looking at dinosaur chicken with a side of ketchup on a plate night after night.
I just want to eat raw cookie dough and not care (which I just did!)
I get tired of telling a 3 year old to stop tormenting the dog.
I just want to get from Point A to Point B unhindered 56 times.
I’d like to hear an automatic “Please” after the, “I want more milk!”
I want to say what I feel, but remind myself, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Can you tell what kind of a week it’s been?
Looking forward to tomorrow night’s rum and diet with a squeeze of lime visit with Gramma and the Autism Speaks walk on Saturday morning at the Rose Bowl.
Sometimes…..
I need to remind myself that I have 2 happy, healthy children.
Even though we aren’t even half way through Spring, I can’t help but think about Summer. I know it’s going to sneak up on us and in just 9 weeks from Monday “Beach, Pool & Popsicle Season” will be upon us.
Off the top, we don’t have much planned. No trips to Capri, Italy or Disney World or anything. Just a good, old-fashioned, simple Summer, but guaranteed to be fun for all (and frugal!).
It’s hard to keep the kiddos busy and happy for the whole summer and not spend a wad of dough. Fortunately there is a local movie theater that shows free movies two mornings a week (albeit OLD, outdated movies, but the kids don’t care!) in an air-conditioned building! That is heaven here in the SCV during July! We pack our own movie treats and this makes for a cheap day once a week.
Then there is the Saturday night Summer Concert Series that is also FREE and lasts for a good portion of the summer weeks. We went to several last summer and had the best time packing a picnic dinner, sitting in our lawn chairs, visiting with friends and listening to music while the kids ran, squealed, jumped, chased and played with ice!
We hope to take our annual trip to beautiful Wawona, Yosemite to visit my uncle and Jill. We went over 4th of July last year and had the best time ~ stagecoach rides, lunch at the swimming hole, walks along the meadow loop, wine on the deck, train rides, BBQ at the beautiful Wawona Hotel, a barn dance, s’mores by the campfire with wonderful neighbors. Hoping to recreate that again this summer minus these:
Souvenirs from the ‘squitos!
I imagine we will take a couple trips too the LA Zoo with our passes, too:
I also want to get one of these:
Yes, preferably in RED!
And get my hands on the pink lemonade ice cream recipe from Mel! Yum, and SO summery!
I see a lot of sidewalk chalk, hopscotch, bubbles, root beer floats, water table play, homemade lemonade, popsicles, flip flops, wet bathing suits, damp towels on the floor, sandy feet, the smell of sunscreen, cannonballs, beach balls and iced americanos in our future!
Looking forward to keeping everyone HAPPY for about 9 weeks before both my babies start school in mid-August…one to Kinder and one to preschool!
Looks like I will need to work lots of Kleenex into the summer budget, as well…