Life as a Family of Lovers

Paid to Play

2011-10-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

This morning:

Ari to her older sister, "Teja will you play with me?"
"No."
Ari pleaded, "Pleeeeease."
"Uh-Uh."
Ari bargained, "I'll give you a dollar."

And just like that, her sister was persuaded. Playing together ensued.

I'm still processing this one.

Just Like Her Mama

2011-08-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

This morning Mateja said to her dad:

"Every night at midnight I get up and get dressed into my super hero clothes and fly to Hotel Valencia to hang out with my super hero friends. And sometimes the police need our help to get the bad guys. It's not a dream Dad. I really do that every night."

Wow. So super! She gets it from her Mama ;)

Good Gifts

2011-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Baby girl was crying all morning (I'm beginning to think she has started teething). Teja was "stressed" (her words, not mine). Once I was able to get baby girl calmed & down for her nap I connected with Tej. You'll enjoy this:

I returned from putting baby girl in her bed. Teja was sitting on the piano bench waiting to play me a song. The first words out of her mouth,"MAN! I am sooo stressed out! I'm trying to get rid of this stress." I knew why and offered Mom's understanding, "That was kinda stressful wasn't it? Let's just give our stress to Jesus. He'll take it if you want to give it to Him." Without missing a beat, she said, "Jesus, here is my stress! Please take it!!!" She acted as if she was grabbing at some pesky mosquitos and thrusting them upwards. I further encouraged her, "Now you can ask Jesus what He will give you in return for your stress. He likes to give us gifts." She continued, "Jesus, what will you give me back since I gave you my stress?" Silence followed as she draped herself forward over the piano bench. I was the expectant onlooker wondering what she might receive in return. Her long legs and arms swung slowly back and forth for a few seconds. Squeals and giggles burst forth as her arms, legs and hair began to boogie. I wanted to know why the sudden change. "What did He say?" She whipped her head up and exclaimed with enthusiasm, "He said Joy & Love! Mom, I'm sooo excited!! Woo Hoo!!!"

Now those are good gifts!

We laughed together and then we played a duet on the piano.

Let her stay there!

2010-12-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

After a morning saturated with events that labeled the entire day "one of those" I retreated to my bedroom while Tej & Ari cleaned (so I thought) the kitchen. The area in the kitchen where they had been busy was in chaos. They had been counseled to play with their creations as long as they wanted but once they were finished they would need to clean it up. They were finished; it was time to clean. I exited the scene to let them figure out how to manage the task while I regained my sense of well-being (I can't even begin to go into details).

Some time later Tej arrived in my doorway. She was obviously a bit miffed about something. I questioned her. She replied with something like, "I cleaned up the entire mess all by myself. Ari didn't help at all." Hm. I offered my sympathy for the way that had worked out for her and then a praise for her completing the job. A few especially quiet moments went by as she reflected. I knew those moments were especially quiet because while Mateja was rethinking her mopping skills, I was listening for little-miss-I-got-out-of-helping-my-big-sister-again. She's not the quietest child, unless... well... you know. Finally, I asked the question: Where's your sister? And her response: "OK. Well, she didn't want me to tell you, but... (a deliberate pause) she's stuck on top of the refrigerator!"

I let her stay up there.

(she figured out how to get down shortly after Mateja ratted her out)

A Perfect Husband

2010-11-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

This is completely share worthy.
I overheard the two older girls playing together this morning (something they do quite well, HALLELUJAH!):

4 year old to 6 year old: "I found a husband for you."
6 year old questioned: "Is he perfect?" The 4yro answered: "yes"

Q: "Is he handsome?"
A: "yes"

Q: "Is he loving?"
A: "yes"

Q: "Is he kind?"
A: "yes"

Cousins!

2010-11-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

Jet, Ari, Tej, Hava, Maya

Agree or Disagree?

2010-10-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Tej and her Dad were having a discussion the other day. After disagreeing about whether or not Daddy had made a certain promise to Mateja (Daddy insisted I did not say that while Mateja insisted You DID say that.) Daddy finally said: "Let's just agree to disagree." Mateja responded, "No. Let's do eenie-meenie-miney-mo."

Hava is here!

2010-10-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

Much has certainly transpired since our last post. You must have figured by now (if you hadn't heard yet) that baby has joined us and made us a family of five! She is now two weeks old and she is PERFECT. I am completely in love, all over again.

Havaleh was born at home just like her sisters before her. It was my longest and hardest labor and delivery yet and by FAR the most difficult recovery time. But I don't care. I would do it all over again. But thank GOD I don't have to. Ha! She is an absolute treasure of a child. And, like I said, I am completely in love with her. We all are.

I can't stop calling her "princess." Mateja asked me the other day, "Mom, did you call me & Arielle princess when we were born?"

Um... I honestly don't think so but I can't remember. Doesn't it count if I call them all princesses NOW?? :) They are, of course. They are all my princesses.

Do enjoy the few photos I am choosing to share with the world at this time. :) More to come in the future.

Quick Update

2010-09-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Lots of baby prep and hours spent schooling these days. Not TOO much else going on other than the hottest days of the year so far are upon us (at the end of September!) - wowza! Many of you know I gave birth to both of the other girls right at home. We'll be having another home birth this go 'round. We are staying very close to home these days. Nathan has been INCREDIBLE. He's been staying close to home these days too as he is able to work from home and help me out with meals and shuttling the girls here and there. I have actually fallen asleep right in the middle of lesson planning and teaching a few times this past month (how is that even possible?). Thank God Nathan was here to manage the kids! Ari is back in preschool three full days a week and Mateja has started piano lessons, vocal lessons and dance lessons. I'm just about finished with all of the projects that I REALLY wanted to have done before the baby arrived. Last night was the final hurrah with one of the last big projects for Mateja's school room. Whew. I guess baby can come now? I'm thinking she'll be here within the next few days. Here are a few recent photos.

Working on Alphabetical Order

Working on our "Morning Board" (OMG - I'M HUGE!)

Here the treasures are!

School Photos!

2010-09-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

We did it. We started school this year and are in the swing of things. Though obviously with the lack of blogging, I've been a bit busy. Tej is well into her first grade year and doing really beautifully. Ari just started her first week of preschool this week. Hallelujah! That's what I have to say about that. We've been plugging away since mid-August (man alive, we started early!) and Ari has been in the mix although now not so much since she's at preschool three days a week. It's a welcome "break" as it allows Tej and I time for schooling in a more productive manner. Anyway...

Here are a few photos of our journey so far. MUCH more to share but for now only photos as I am getting ready to teach science & social studies next. :)

We Love to Paint...

2010-08-12T13:25:00.001-07:00

Yes. We love to paint... just about anything, everything, something!

I have been in "nesting" stage now for a while. I think. And oh - that could be its own post, but... for now: painting. Part of this "nesting" has included a phase of trying to get my house (specifically my livingroom) set up to the degree that I actually like it when I walk in there. You know, drapes that I like (well, LOVE) and maybe a piece or two of furniture that I love too. And maybe a chair for someone to sit upon. Anyway... along with the getting-the-living-room-up-to-likeable-standard project has come painting of furniture. Woah. What a project. A fun project. It has turned into weeks worth of sanding and priming and painting and rearranging and and and... the girls have gotten in on the action as well.

Nothing quite says it the way the photos do:

Tiaras!

2010-08-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

no... the camping post isn't here yet BUT here is a post about little girls making tiaras.

First thing this morning Ari asked if she could watch a video. Nope. We are getting ready for school! That means our schedule is changing effective immediately. She thought that meant school was starting today. She changed her focus and started asking if she could do homework (can Mom just make breakfast already?) so... that meant time to pull out a project for the girls to do. Mateja was in on the action by now and convinced Ari that they would do a project from a fairy book. By now Daddy had joined the scene. I roped him in to help collect supplies. File folders, crayons, stickers, tinfoil, tape, glitter. Tiaras were born. It took several hours from start to finish. Totally worth it especially since today was Granny's (Abuelita's) 92nd birthday. The girls decided the tiaras were in honor of Abuelita and that if she were here they would make one for her to wear too.

Happy 92nd Birthday Granny!

Play Date!

2010-07-22T14:24:00.001-07:00

A camping post will follow soon but for now... this has been our day and it's just too good to pass up this post, if only for myself. :)

Four kids at 9:30am. Three girls. One boy. Monsters vs. Humans in the closets. Bathing suits. Sting Ray vs. Mermaids in the pool. Four year old girl vs. Five and Six year old girls. Dinosaur movie in the living room. Mouse movie in the play room. Popcorn. Grapes. Brownie bites and bits of Cadbury chocolate. Water to drink. Messes to clean up. Sliding down the stair case on couch cushions. Train tracks! Barbie house. Lots of fighting with the four year old sister. Auntie here. Time for lunch. Sandwiches and such. Collecting clothes. "Your Mum is here!" "No!!!!!!" Little brother leaves. Auntie is getting ready to leave. Let's send Little Sister with Auntie so the five year old and six year old can play in peace. Little Sister leaves with Auntie. Girls building "houses". Ran out of toilet paper in upstairs bathroom. Quick! "MOMM!!" Mom to the rescue. More upstairs play time. It's much quieter now that we're down to two kids. They’re back in the pool. Six year old trying to teach five year old how to dive. I'm smiling. Uh-oh. Cleaning out bugs now. The recurring question: "How much more time to play do we have???"

Rewarded

2010-06-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

Mateja and I arrived at my prenatal appointment. We were gathering our things to get out of the car. I asked her if she would please carry her school bag. My request was met with Attitude. Yes. That’s with a capital A. I turned to her and said, “Tej, what is with this attitude that you’ve been having the last couple of weeks? What’s going on in that heart of yours?”

Great big sigh, pause… and then the response: “I’m tired of being your servant.”

Me: “OK.” (My inside voice: “Lower your eyebrows, erase the smirk. Do NOT laugh. Do NOT react. Just listen!”)

Her: “I have to serve you and Daddy and you don’t ever serve me. I’m just getting really tired of it.”

Me: “OK… (my turn to pause) Well, perhaps that’s the way you see it from your perspective. But maybe there is another perspective. I think Daddy and I do a lot for you and your sister. We cook you food and do your laundry and make sure you have the things you need. But even if we didn’t, I think perhaps the perspective that you’re missing is the one about the rewards you’ve gained by learning how to have more responsibility. Every time Mom gives you something to do that is a big responsibility it’s actually a reward for you. You’re becoming older and more mature. I couldn’t give you the reward of driving the car yet because that is a really big responsibility and you’re not ready for that yet. But you are learning lots of responsibilities when you help us set the dinner table and do dishes and that is a great reward. Did you ever think of it that way? You’re actually receiving rewards when Mom and Dad give you responsibilities. We’re not asking you to serve us, we are simply rewarding you with more ‘big girl’ responsibilities.”

She thought about it for a short time. “Mama, I’m so sorry!” She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me. “I didn’t realize all of that. Thank you so much for this lesson, Mama. You’re the best. I love you.”

Being a parent… is there anything more difficult AND rewarding at the same time? What a wonderful responsibility. :)

The Difference Between Girls and Boys

2010-06-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

This week Mateja (6 yr old girl) had her good friend (6 yr old boy) over for a play date. They spent the first portion of their play time swimming together and then ended up chatting by the steps.

Hear is a portion of their conversation overheard by me.

He was telling her in depth about the great adventures of Link and Zelda from his video game. After several minutes of engaging story time (he was quite the engaging story teller!), Mateja said, "OK. Can you talk about something else?"
Him: "Sure! What do you want to hear about? Mario brothers?"
Her: "Um... don't you know anything about princesses?"
Him: "Yeah, of course. Zelda IS the princess. And in Mario there is Princess Peach. I can tell you all about those!"

I simply could NOT wipe the smile from my face or wait to tell his mother. :)

May into June

2010-06-14T18:34:00.001-07:00

The end of May brought with it a wonderful surprise from Thailand: My brother, his very pregnant wife and their doll-face daughter arrived a week prior to our anniversary. They stayed with us for a few short days. It was great seeing our three girls spend some much anticipated cousin play time together. What little treasures they all are!

We headed north to celebrate our seventh anniversary, which Nathan still calls our honeymoon. We made a quick stop by the Palace for a memory lane photo. ~ SIGH ~ It was a gorgeous (and quiet) weekend away without the kids. Every conversation we had was completed without interruption. It was so... odd and incredible. Nathan’s job has been very demanding even more so lately as his responsibilities have increased. I know the time away for him was a breath of fresh air. Our friends rallied as the stand in family that they are to watch our girls and juggle them so that we could have that special time (thank YOU friends!!!)

I have been trying to compile my list of things to do with the kids this summer. It looks something like this: swimming, movies, parks, zoos, reading, games, swimming, hikes/trails, library, cooking, dancing, camping, swimming, farms, aquarium, bike rides, walking, museums, painting, swimming, bowling, beach, videos, projects… Obviously, we will be spending lots of time in the pool swimming. The weather has finally begun to warm and even got hot for a day or two. The girls have been in the pool every day for a week or two now. I think I’ve been in once. I’m such a pansy. I really like the heat. So if it’s not HOT out I am probably not in the pool. That will change soon, I’m sure. I took the girls bowling last week to see if that was something we could continue on a regular basis throughout the summer. Ari lasted about a half hour before she decided she wanted her own lane. She lost interest fairly quickly but Tej was totally into it which was fun. We’ve had a few beach days so far this year that have been really enjoyable experiences (every time actually).

I took the girls to the movies this morning thinking I would get a great monetary deal since it was morning. Wrong. I ended up at a 3-D showing of “How to Tame a Dragon” which ended up costing me over $40 once the tickets were purchased and goodies at the concession stand (INSANITY) but the girls were thrilled with their first 3-D experience (especially Mateja - she kept telling me how "awesome!" it was). Again Ari sort of petered out before it was time to go but Tej enjoyed every minute of it PLUS we had the entire theater to ourselves. Bonus, especially since Ari started bouncing around and climbing on seats near the end of the movie – you know, during the climactic part of the film! It was a fantastic date with my girls that falls under the "priceless" category.

Anyway… that’s about it for right now. You know more will come - eventually! :)

Baby Number Three News

2010-05-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard the news: It's a GIRL! We're having another girl!

Nathan and Mateja were equally shocked to hear the initial news. Arielle was THRILLED. She squealed and clapped her hands and danced about the exam room. She will get to have a baby sister just like Mateja got to have a baby sister. She's very happy about the prospect of painting her baby sister's toe nails pink and making her "adorable" - how exciting!

With few exceptions (three) friends, family, and strangers have been predicting/hoping along with us for a boy. Needless to say, we didn't have a single girl name chosen for our newest little treasure. The hunt is on... and will likely not be revealed until after the birth of the newest baby. In the mean time I also have to gear up my efforts to acquire new (baby) furniture & paraphernalia. AND decide if we are making any changes to how we parented from previous efforts (cloth diapers perhaps? Baby Wise?) anyway ~ it's all very exciting to be CERTAIN.

Our FOUR year old!

2010-05-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

Well we are the proud parents of a four year old. Happy Birthday Arielle! Now you are FOUR!!!! We had a small, FUN birthday party for her the Saturday before the actual big day. There were six girls total (2 of which belong to us) which was totally manageable. They all had parents here too. Even more doable! Bathing suits, sun block, squirt guns, dress ups, cup cakes, nail polish, piggy-back rides (correction: it was a buffalo, a bull and a horse that the girls were riding upon), a dance off, water colors, and presents including a new bike from Mom & Dad!

It was a full day and a fantastic celebration! It was actually the easiest birthday party we’ve ever thrown. I think it’s because I’m pregnant and I sort of boycotted another birthday party this year unless we only invited a few children and Nathan was responsible for almost everything… I’ll have to remember to do it this way again. My grandmother says you should only invite as many children as the age of the child being celebrated. In this case because Ari is turning four so we should only invite four children. I like that advice. I guess we did it “right” this time!

Mateja was a bit disappointed that Daddy didn’t buy her a bike for her birthday back in February. Looks like she will be getting a bike too now (probably this weekend) & we'll have to get helmets of course & then Nathan & I will have to get bikes too in order to keep up with them! It’s going to be a fun summer!

Here are a few photos of the celebration as well as the day of her birthday and a few other things we did to celebrate the girl. Enjoy!

"Weather" & "Spring Time" Projects

2010-04-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know this, but we are a home schooling family. Actually, I home school Mateja. Ari goes to preschool two FULL days a week right now and she'll go three full days starting September. Anyway, today I braved it and did a few projects with BOTH of the girls. This was a major deal for me. Ari takes a lot of my attention and focus and ENERGY whenever we are working on a project. Today she was amazing! Both girls had fun (Mom did too!) and Mateja was asking for more work to do... I was a bit drained though so we'll save that "more work" for tomorrow. Here are a few of their projects today (heavy focus on "weather" and the "season of spring")

Here is Ari's painting of what the weather was like today.

Here the girls drew pictures of things they like about spring time.

These are "Spring" envelopes we each made.

ALL Fun and Games!

2010-04-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to bake stuffed mushrooms today. It's a little bit of a project to add that into my regular Monday routine plus extra laundry and dishes from Easter weekend. (And believe me, when there is no dishwasher appliance in the house, dishes tend to quickly pile up and need to be scheduled into the regular routine). My schedule has since been thwarted. The girls and I were in the front yard enjoying the brief outpour of sunshine instead of the rain that’s been coming down all morning when Ari said her bottom needed to go potty in the bush (just to the left of our front door). I thought she was kidding. It was play time after all. Boy was I wrong! I was actually so shocked that I started laughing. It was either that or start crying. Well the laughing sent her a pretty strong message. “Way to go Ari, you’re hilarious!” I think that’s the message she got out of it. So she started laughing too. Then she started itching. I will spare further details about the itching, but… you can figure it out. I ended up hauling her off to the back yard to strip her down. I even threatened hosing her off. She thought that sounded really fun and decided I ought to turn it into a game for her. Everything is a game when you're three. Well, I couldn’t pass the opportunity bye. She was rapidly yanking ALL of her clothes off, so I ran for the hose. It almost sounds wicked, but I really enjoyed blasting her little body from the waist down while she danced and twirled and screamed and giggled with delight. I found myself giggling. And now to do more laundry. How can I turn that into a game?

Beach Photos!

2010-04-05T09:47:00.001-07:00

We've actually had TWO beach outings! Isn't THAT something? For those of you who know anything about me and beaches in California, you will know that going to the beach twice before April is a very big deal. Miraculous, actually. And God smiled upon me on both of those outings. Because I am His Favorite One, the sun was shining warmly, the wind was at bay, & the children were lovely. To add to all of this amazingness, Nathan was with us at only ONE of those beach outings. Can you see how totally miraculous this is?!?!??? (For those of you who don't know, I am NOT a Northern Cali beach girl, no, no I am not)… anyway, for those pics!

Making Memories

2010-03-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

Spring. It’s here now. We’ve been busy making memories leading up to spring 2010. We said goodbye to Auntie Hannah shortly after we moved. It was sad to say farewell, but we will see her again in a few months. Yay!

Unpacking has been a treat and a chore. Doing the move during the first trimester of pregnancy #3 has proved interesting & far less productive than I had imagined. I recently had a flash back to 1st trimester of pregnancy #1 (just 2 months after we were married) of me on the couch unable to move. Nathan stood over me in disbelief and asked, “Don’t you want to get up and do something productive?!?” My response: “No!” I then immediately fell to sleep. I am one of those pregnant women.

Getting acclimated to the new house and the new neighborhood has been such fun. The girls are really enjoying it here. They LOVE our new “little town” which is the main street a few blocks from our new home. It’s lined with shops and restaurants most of which are unique to this area. We’ve done lots of walking on non rainy days hunting out our new favorite spots. During the rainy days we’ve spent quite a bit of time spreading out in our new space.

Mateja celebrated her sixth birthday with dinner and cupcakes with Grandma Betty and we later threw her a costume party! She created the guest-list this year. I sent the invites to her guests (and their parents). It was so wonderful having space to being able to host people in our home again. The kids all wore costumes to celebrate and ate mini-cupcakes. The games sort of never fully developed into anything and somehow most of the boys’ goodie bags were still here at the end of the day. I’m not sure what happened there… Arielle keeps asking for her birthday party now. Maybe I will manage the next party a little better.

About a week after the party, my cousin Myriah came for a visit with her two boys. Her oldest is three years old. He and Arielle had a BLAST together. It was so wonderful having them here for a visit. Now we owe them a visit! Unfortunately for Mateja, she ended up not feeling very well while they were here. We took her to Urgent Care a couple of days after Myriah and the boys left. That was a first for our family. It was so sad and frightening. She had her first ear infection. A dose of antibiotics did the job and left me feeling extremely grateful to live in a country where we could take our daughter to urgent care, have a prescription filled hours later and be administering medicine to help her. She was a different person the following morning. We are just ending her antibiotics, praise God, and she is back to herself. Now spring is here and she can enjoy making more memories with the rest of us! (I will have to post our most recent memories from the beach soon.)

Big News

2010-03-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

So if you follow the regular happenings in our lives, you know we recently moved again. We’ve been looking forward to this move for quite some time. The girls especially have been excited about the move back to a house for the simple fact that they are free to run and jump and stomp without hearing the hiss of Mom & Dad’s “Ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So now we are in a house again and they are free to be loud. It’s wonderful. And once the torrents of rain cease and the sun begins to beat upon the concrete, we will slather ourselves with toxin free sun block and spend hours out back in our pool! I am foreseeing some really great naps this summer. We spent many hours and days at the apartment community pool last year. It was never enough for the girls. We enrolled both girls in swim lessons during the spring and summer. It was an incredible pay off to see them progress during that time. Now they are fantastic swimmers and will have lots of opportunities to continue their skills with (and without) more instruction.
The move really was our big news until we found out my sister Hannah was on her way to California for a surprise visit! That was fun and exciting! She had fun surprising Mateja (who didn’t recognize her until she said something) and her good friend Jenn. It was a short visit since she had to get back to China to start her new job as a Professor at an International Business University. Very exciting! She knew before heading to California that we were in the midst of a move. As per usual she rolled up her sleeves and helped me pack and wrap and purge and juggle the kids.
AND (more big news) she even brought birthday gifts for our SIX year old! Can you believe our green eyed girl is six years old? Technically because of the leap year thing her birthday isn’t on the calendar, but we celebrated on Sunday the 28th of February and will have a little party with her close friends sometime in March. We’ve had lots of planning to do for all of the festivities around here. And we’ve had to purchase new furniture to fill space in this house since we got rid of all of our furniture before we moved into the tiny apartment. It’s been fun and exhausting. I don’t know how I would have managed if Hannah hadn’t been here in all of her awesome sister-ness because that’s when the biggest news of all surfaced: Nathan and I found out that we are pregnant again!
So we are now preparing for another person to join our family at the end of September. Nathan and I are very happy. Our happiness pales in comparison to the excitement our girls are sharing. They are convinced that they will be having a baby brother. My brother Jared and his wife are expecting a baby boy this summer. It would be pretty cool if we had a boy too. Arielle is particularly excited because this will be the first time she experiences being a “BIG sister” like Mateja. There is lots of baby buzz in our home. I am doing well other than the steady bouts of nausea that hassle me daily and the exhaustion which levels me every other day. That should all end in a few weeks though and being in the new house is certainly adding sunshine (literally) to my perspective. Ari is back in preschool two full days each week while Mateja and I work through home school.
Our lives are about to change in a major way all over again. I think I have one box of baby things left from the girls (some blankets and booties and onesies) but I have NO baby furniture or other paraphernalia (actually I did keep the breast pump – sorry – TMI?). So we really will be starting all over again. It’s exciting and a little daunting. I feel confident though. Nathan and I are a great team and we’ve got mad love for each other which keeps growing! Yay! He’s really the hero of this household. The girls couldn’t have a better Daddy nor could I have a better husband. We’re a blessed family in every aspect and it just keeps getting BETTER! Life is beautiful.

Oh Happy Day!

2010-02-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

We did it. We moved. ~ great big lovely sigh of relief ~

I'm sitting in the "breakfast nook" enjoying some coffee and cinnamon loaf (thank you Trader Joe's) and going through some emails. I haven't been on my computer in days. Kinda feels nice. I need to get some reading done. I need to get the boxes unpacked. I need to buy an island with a butcher block. Never a shortage of things to be done! Ha. Always plenty to do. The girls are really enjoying the space and all of the nooks and crannies. It's wonderful. They have their own play room where all of the toys are housed. Their bedroom is where the beds and books are. The girls have adopted one of the large hall closets as their “club house.” They are having a BLAST! (I’ll have to post some photos later)

I woke up yesterday morning in a new, unfamiliar place. It was quiet. It was bliss. Another fresh start is upon us. It was an odd year being in a tiny apartment but it was one of the best years of our lives so far. It was an incredible year for our marriage. It was a great year for me growing as a woman, a wife, a mother, a teacher, and so on. Now we're in a new year with a new home. Oh Happy Day!

Feb. 01, 2010 - part of a day in our life

2010-02-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

Today was Monday. The first action item of the day for the Mitchell girls (directly after completing breakfast, of course) was to attempt to build a working CD player utilizing hand sanitizer, vacuum parts and “lost things”. I’d say it was somewhat successful. Imagination is such a gorgeous thing! Second item of the day was “mountain” (box) climbing. Not my preference. Third item of the day: talk about love and get a head start on creating valentines for Ari’s preschool Valentine party. Here is a teensy snippet of that conversation:

What is LOVE?
ARI: Love is hugs and smiles.
MATEJA: Kisses, hugs, being nice to each other and playing nice.

Fourth item of the day: SNACK TIME while I listened to a random play list including Lionel Richie, Paolo Conte, Misty Edwards, Isaac Hayes, Laura Hackett, Cory Asbury, Michael Hedges and a few others. It was then onto "play time" which involved plastic Easter eggs, a paper umbrella from Thailand, “Raja” and “Nala” their two stuffed tigers and a Hello Kitty lunch bag (full of great items) all used in efforts to attack dinosaurs.

Time to make lunch: Fettuccine with chunky tomato sauce, cream, & spinach. Red bells and refreshing water on the side. Time for more painting and crafting after that. Girls went down for naps. Michael Buble accompanied my greenhouse researching online. I got back to completing valentines for the kids and dreamt of making some hot creamy drink. Then I shook myself. "SURELY I will get something done today!!! I have packing to do after all and those toilets MUST be cleaned. Stop tweeting. Stop researching green houses. Stop creating already!" The girls are up from their naps now.

-- This is when I exhaled a great big sigh and then rose from my place at the table where my hands were gripping my favorite pair of scissors --

I cleaned the toilets. I packed boxes. I administered time-outs. I gave hugs. I washed mirrors. I helped when help was asked. I brushed hair. I packed a sewing machine. I popped a bag of microwave pop corn and then served it to my treasures. I mothered. I laughed. I wished I had done more. It always looks so much better in black and white...

SURELY I'll get more done tomorrow. Surely.

Ones We Love

2010-01-06T23:49:00.001-08:00

Tonight I sift through photos of our little Mitchell family during some of our holiday excursions and seclusions. We are full of life and love and expressions! I take pleasure in each photo and how it takes me to the instant where the memory was created. Don't you love it when your photos take you to that marvelous moment? Each image reveals a glimpse of who we are as individuals and as a family. My heart is happy within me. This is our love. This is our family. I hope you enjoy these Mitchell snippets we share with you. Lovely New Year be yours, friends!

It's a New Day!

2010-01-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

A memorable moment in the Mitchell household:

It was the morning of New Year's Day. It was a very special morning because Nathan was home with us and it wasn't a weekend. As is our custom on a special day that Daddy is home we let the girls have a choice between two activities. First day of the new year, Nathan asked the girls if they wanted to go to the gym or go eat donuts. Both of my girls separately chose the gym over donuts. Huh? So guess where we were on the first day of the year! All four of us.

Happy Fit New Year! :)

'Twas a Happy Christmas Morning!

2009-12-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

Day breaks. Feet skip and trip down the corridor. Excitement bubbles from five year old lips. "It's Christmas morning!" Stockings dumped out. Bubbles blown and floating. Soap is spilling. Nails polished. Saliva dissolving chocolate melting in mouth not on hands. Purses hung on shoulders shrugged. Squeals and laughter and gasps of air. "We're hungry!" Coffee brewed. Pancakes flipped into maple syrup dipped. Now paper tears and ornaments fall. Boxes thrown and ribbons mauled. Happy, happy, happy Christmas morn. Music. Jumping. Showing and shoving. Marking. Dumping. Sharing and hugging. Happy, happy, happy Christmas morn. Crying now. "She's pushing me!" To your room, NOW. Assembling large toys. Next year we'll do this ahead of time. Live and learn. "Can I come out now?" Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere. Time for lunch. Christmas Eve feast leftovers! Ah... what a happy Christmas morning.

Home in the Motherland

2009-12-10T01:36:00.001-08:00

Yes. We are all home again. Sure it's been ages since a post... what can I say? November flew bye, which means it was crammed full of great stuff that we Mitchells busied ourselves with. Highlights: a birthday celebration; a best friend's engagement; lots of airplanes and trains and taxis and buses and boats, even an elephant; a trip to China; a trip to Texas; a trip to Malaysia; a trip to Thailand; lots of family face time; lots of turkey; lots of curry; girls' first bonafide sleep over (gasp!); a Christmas tree in our living room...

Today Mateja informed me that the Motherland is where Mothers can go. They only have to pay one dollar to get into the Motherland. And there are no other people in the Motherland other than mothers, of course. And the only things that are really in the Motherland are massages (do they have Thai massages?) and quiet time and peace. Oh and once you pay that one dollar to gain entrance, everything else is free.

It was a Happy Columbus Day!

2009-10-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

We had such a happy Columbus Day!

Nathan ended up having the day OFF of work and so... we had a WHOLE list of activities planned. And I mean a WHOLE list. Our list had lots of house projects (including cleaning the carpets) and family projects (sorting through the girls' closets to yank the summer clothes) as well as outside of the home projects (shopping for winter clothes for the girls!) and our favorite type of activity: the FUN one! Every year we go to a pumpkin patch. This year was a fun pumpkin patch outing as the girls were able to ride a carousel and a train and go through two different corn mazes! Yahoo! And then, of course, as tradition has it the girls get one small pumpkin each and Mommy & Daddy get to share a pumpkin - it's the sacred pumpkin that will be the starter for all the pies and muffins Mommy will begin making this season. (not sure why I started writing in third person...)

Surprisingly we accomplished almost everything on our Columbus Day list (the carpets must wait for another week). Not sure when I'll get started on the pumpkin pies, but the change in weather has got me in the mood for some baking! I made some delicious granola with raisins and cherries and apricots today. (thank you Sisi!) I feel like baking bread or cookies or... pies very soon!

Enjoy these Mitchell family pics from our Columbus Day! (pumpkin pie photos will show up soon!)

What's Jail Mateja?

2009-10-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today Mateja educated Ari on what happens to someone when they break the law.

Mateja to Ari: When people don't obey the law, the get put in jail. You don't want to go to jail do you?

Ari: No, Mateja...

Mateja: OK. Then you need to put your seat belt on because that is disobeying the law.

Ari: What's jail, Mateja?

Mateja: Jail is a stinky place. And the pillows are hard like rocks. And they give you blankets that are hard like rocks too. You don't EVER want to go to jail.

Me: Have you ever been to a jail?

Mateja: No and I don't ever want to go.

Me: How do you know they are stinky if you have never been to one before?

Mateja: I don't know. I just know they are.

Rich Perspective

2009-09-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I talk somewhat frequently about the move we made earlier this year from our spacious four bedroom house to this tiny apartment in Santa Clara. There were several reasons why we chose to move here. Sometimes we remember our former "glory" in that big house and miss those days of space and "luxury" in San Jose. We know we made the right decision. We know we are in a temporary place. We know that eventually we will live in that big, beautiful home God has for us, somewhere and it will be BLISS! And while we know we made the correct/right decision in moving here, sometimes it feels like we fell backwards off of a cliff and have little to show for all the work we've put into our life... Recently Mateja sat on the couch of our downsized, tiny apartment living room and said, "I'm so glad we're rich!"

There's some perspective for you.

Summer Times

2009-08-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

June has come and gone. July too, here and gone! And now August is well beyond half over... we've been busy little lovers over here. Most people we know have been in that same summer craze. Here is an update on the beginning of our wonderful summer:
I took the girls up to my Dad's the last week of May. The girls met Dad's new puppy: Sonny. Arielle was absolutely filthy the entire week. She and the dog bonded in a special way. Dad was working on the property that week so he was around most of the time here and there and the girls and I were able to enjoy him from a bit of a distance. Mateja took every opportunity she could to hop on the ATV with him. The girls were up and down the mountain with Papa. I was able to spend hours upon hours in the garden. We took the girls to the river and just simply enjoyed our time in the mountains. It was glorious.

After that week of peace and quiet we headed back to the Bay. Ended up getting here on June 1st - the date of Nathan and my sixth anniversary. We made a date for that following Saturday at a fabulous Greek restaurant nearby: Dio Deka. It took us back to our honeymoon in Greece (albeit quite a bit fancier than any fare we consumed while on the Greek Isles). Incredible food, ambiance, service. Check it out if you're in or around the South Bay.

Friends & family members graduated in June (including Mateja from pre-school! ha ha ha!), meetings, meetings and more meetings, the girls started their first-ever set of swimming lessons, we helped some friends move, my grandmother was moved from her home into a care-givers home, I took a whole day and drove out to visit her.

Father's Day came and with it a batch of famous Mitchell Pancakes specially whipped up by the girls just for their daddy. Mateja's pre-K "graduation" (complete with cap and gown! ha ha!!), lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in 8 years, my grade school/high-school reunion, as well as a road trip that Nathan took with the girls to So. Cal for a weekend to visit family were all packed into the month of June.

We acquired a gas grill, I started grilling for the first time ever and then - the topper for June - my younger brother turned 30 (I didn't get to celebrate with him, but it impacted me big time!)

and then we jumped into July and drove to Meadow Vista to visit my only living Grandfather and my Grandmother (his wife) who is my girls' Noni (she's Italian & wants to be called Noni by the Great-Grand kids). That was a great trip. I'll have to post photos and details of that some time soon (we learned on that trip that Arielle is allergic to cats! Yet another thing she shares with her Dad).

Whew!

the People of California

2009-07-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

We were driving in the car up to San Francisco. Nathan had some work to do in the city so we girls decided to tag along. The girls requested their favorite CD, one of Michael Jackson's, of course and Nathan asked me to read him a newspaper article.

Ari suddenly said: "I pray for the people of California."

(I'm not sure I've ever heard her say the word "California" before, it was fabulous.)

That sortta caught our attention. So we too prayed for the people of California! We bless you Californians!!! Prosper & be in good health. Make wise decisions and live life to the fullest! Do it!!!

Player vs. Rock Star

2009-07-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

We three girls were in the checkout line at Target. Ari had been wailing/screaming/throwing-a-fit... you know, doing that thing that makes everyone else in the store say, "somebody needs to shut that kid up." OK. Maybe everyone else in the store doesn't say that, but... YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!! And although I do hate to admit it, I was a bit stressed. Mateja was lingering at the magazine racks. I was ready to get out of there. So once I paid for everything and shoved it into my cart I jammed for the automatic doors and hollered behind me, "Mateja, let's go!"
I was already around the corner before I looked back to see if she was following me out the door. She was. And in her hands were stacks of different magazines. They all had Michael Jackson on the cover. "Mateja!" (that was stressed-out-Mommy) "Mom, I want to read all of these." "Babe, I am not buying those." "Mom, these are all about Michael Jackson. And I want to read them! He's the best! Anyway, you don't have to buy these. We can take them." "No, Tej. You have to buy them. This isn't the library. It's... just go put them back, please! And LET'S GO." Reluctantly she returned all of the magazines to their racks. I was able to decompress in the meantime. She returned talking about how awesome Michael Jackson is and how much she loves him. I couldn't remove the smirk from my face. It was just too funny.

I pressed about MJ. "Sooo, why did you want those magazines?" "Mom he is the BEST man in the whole world!" "What?!?" I laughed. "Well, what about your Dad?!?" "Well, Mom. I mean that Michael Jackson is the best rock star in the whole world. Daddy is the best Dad and he is the best player too." "Who is the best?" "Daddy is the best Daddy and player." "He's a player?" "Yeah!" "What do you mean, player?" "You know, he is the best player at tickling and playing games and chasing me and Ari. But Michael Jackson is the best rock star ever!"

There's a good chance she'll change her mind. Ya think?

Ari speaks Mandarin with Auntie

2009-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

MONDAY:

My sister, the girls’ Auntie, currently lives in China. Before she moved to China for work, she lived with us for nine months so she & the girls were pretty close. Because of the wonders of modern technology, we all still get to “see” each other & chat via Skype. This morning we girls spent some time talking with Auntie before she went to bed. It was pretty late her time. She has been working on her Chinese (Mandarin) quite a bit lately and decided to go through a little lesson with the girls by having them repeat some of the words and phrases. I will TRY to duplicate them here, but I neither speak nor write the native languages spoken in China. So forgive me if I’m a bit off, but here goes:

Auntie: “OK Ari. Repeat after me. I’m going to say something and then you say the same thing. OK?”
Ari: “OK Auntie.”
Auntie: “OK. Here we go. ‘zai jian’ now you say, ‘zai jian’”
Ari: “sigh jee”
Auntie: “Good job. Now say: ‘shui, shui’”
Ari: “shoosh”
Auntie: “Good. ‘wo ai nee’”
Ari: “orwannee”
Auntie: That’s “I love you” in Chinese.
Ari: “I love you in Chinese.”
Auntie: (burst out laughing)

Awe. Love making Auntie laugh.

Cute Moment

2009-07-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

Picked the girls up from the childcare provided on Wednesday mornings at the church during which time I'm in the Women's Meeting. The care giver told me this story:

During craft time during which the children were making dolls out of yarn, Mateja spoke up, "Teacher, did you know that mom sings at home with her guitar too? And she has the most beautiful voice in the whole world." (I wonder where she heard that. Just like her Daddy!)

Her teacher thought that was the cutest thing. Very noteworthy!

the Government

2009-06-19T21:57:00.001-07:00

At breakfast the other morning, Mateja and I were having some great conversations about all sorts of things. It's part of our usual routine. She's gets some great notions in her head and wants to talk it out and ask a bunch of questions, not all of which are related.

This particular morning we were talking about orphans. Well, she was asking lots of questions about children and their parents and what happens to children when their parents die? (what in the world?) So then I tried to answer further questions regarding orphans and orphanages and foster care. This was all in response to the questions that were raised as we dug deeper into the subject and then I tried to explain the government's role in all of it.

She said, "Who's the government? Is that the bad guy?"

Who Is the Teacher?

2009-06-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

This post is simply to state that, after much research, we have decided to home school. Mateja is supposed to start kindergarten in the fall. So, she'll just have me as her teacher (still). See I finally came to REALLY realize that I AM a teacher already. In fact, I am HER teacher. This morning whilst driving in the car she was firing questions at me like she usually does. Here is a sample of the things she was asking me. I had to jot them down while we were stopped at a red light.

"How many eyes do squids have?"

"Why can you turn right at a red light but not left?"

"What is an exhibit?"

"What does great gas mileage mean?"

"What is a gang?"

"What is butter? I mean, I know it's something you eat, but what else is it?"

Before she started preschool, I would get some credit for the things she learned (like her colors or numbers or letters - cuz I did teach her those things). Everything else she would attribute to either the knowledge of her father or her grandmother (Grammy Di). Then she started preschool (two days a week of preschool) and her teachers then received all of the credit for absolutely anything she had ever learned or was currently learning (even things like how to snap her fingers!). Now that she'll be home schooled, I wonder if I will get any credit for the breadth of her knowledge... she informed me once, not too long ago, that the only reason I actually knew anything was because someone had told me or maybe I had read it in a book. Maybe she's the teacher!

"Kinda Like an Animal"

2009-06-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

The girls were down in the courtyard playing with two neighbor girls, sisters who are five and nine years old. I was sitting at the patio table on our deck keeping an eye on them whilst doing some work on the computer. The four of them were at the edge of the courtyard. My view of them was somewhat blocked by the overhanging tree branches. I could see them through the branches and hear them playing, I just couldn't see exactly what it was that they were doing. I found out soon enough. And this is exactly the reason I don't usually let them go to the courtyard without me.

The five year old neighbor girl (I'll call her Missy) had lost one of her shoes in an ivy patch. The girls wanted to help her look for it, of course, so they proceeded to rip up that ivy to find the shoe. Then two other neighbor kids (ages five and three) joined in the rampage. And they tore that patch up! There were leaves all over the grass and sidewalks. Branches and roots were strewn everywhere by the time I happened upon the scene. They still hadn't found that shoe. I was unhappy and disappointed with the children, but especially my eldest as I have higher expectations for her. She tends to be one of the leaders in the neighborhood crew despite the fact that she's not the oldest among them. I was equally embarrassed. Again, part of the reason I don't usually let them in the courtyard without my presence known among the rest of the children. Anyway... I told all the children we needed to clean it up immediately. I gave Mateja a bit of a lecture (I know, lectures suck) whilst I knelt beside her to pick up the wreckage. You know, standard lecture stuff: I was disappointed and this is not how we treat other people's property and how it's devastating for the earth AND how this is something a wild animal would do, not children.

Mateja responded, "Well, Arielle is kinda like an animal." That stopped me in my tracks and I literally had to hold myself back from bursting into laughter. The look on my face triggered the rest of her thought process, "Well, her name means Lioness of God, so that's kinda like an animal, Mom." I replied, "You're right." And then the laughter erupted. I just couldn't help myself. LOVE my kids!

Missy's older sister got a broom from her apartment, the children worked as a team to clean up their mess and I found Missy's shoe.

Summer Produce

2009-06-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

There's just no denying that this family loves produce. We are produce lovers. And when the weather changes and the harvest changes... heaven on earth here in the lovers home. We currently have in our home right now: Cherries, raspberries, bananas, apricots, nectarines, strawberries, grapes, mangoes, tomatoes, avocados, red & orange bell peppers, red kale, celery, carrots, cilantro, zucchini, red leaf lettuce, arugula, English cucumber, spinach, Brussels sprouts...

I'm a nut! That's all the fresh stuff I've picked up at Farmer's Market and organic produce stands... it's out of control, but I can't help it. And we're eating it as fast as it's coming in (I mean, we kinda have to if I don't want it to start wilting and be inedible). I refrained from buying blue berries yesterday and more strawberries this morning (although by the end of today, the current ones we have will likely be gone). We love it though. Can I just have my OWN garden already? OK. I can be patient. I know I can.

Mateja loves nectarines and pineapples. I love apricots (it's basically the cleanest, non-messiest fruit you can eat). Ari's favorites are strawberries and raspberries, well, any berry for that matter. Nathan loves mangoes. And then when you stick a variety of them in a blender w/ some kefir? Again: heaven on earth.

And then there's veggies... kale has to be my #2 go-to veggie prety much all the time (asparagus is #1). We also love baby broccoli quite a bit over here. And if you can find some delicious brussels, oh heck, it's over. We're having the brussels as a side with dinner tonight. Also having the spinach and then I'm going to make a basic salad w/ some red leaf, cucumber, tomatoe and arugula... but that's dinner. Lunch is in the works. We just LOVE fresh produce. LOVE IT!!

Happy Birthday Ari!

2009-05-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! My baby is 3 now! I think she has finally decided that she is no longer a baby. I think. This year I just couldn't get it together to throw her a party. Not at all. So we took the kids to a festival in San Francisco over the weekend with some friends of ours (Nathan and Lindsey F.) and their little ones. Upon arriving at the festival, Ari shouted, "It's my party!" I couldn't have planned it better if I tried! And I'm so glad I didn't try. The kids had an absolute blast.

So, I think I've decided from hence forth that I'll plan birthday parties in sync with childrens' festivals. Although Mateja did say to me at the end of the day, "That was a fun birthday party, Mom, but we didn't actually know any of the kids that were there." Ah, well. That's OK, isn't it?

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

That time of year is here! Day to honor mothers. So... it was my day, well, sort of. But that's kind of the way it goes when your kids are young, right? Anyway!!!

I had a great morning. French Toast & (decaf) French Roast was waiting for me. I was served by a beautiful fairy princess who then joined me at the table to eat some french toast with her maple syrup.
Somehow (ha) organic maple syrup ended up getting tracked all over the dining room and kitchen floor. Guess who got to clean that up? It was my day, after all. Not sure Nathan even noticed, otherwise he probably would have cleaned it up for me. Well, a mom can hope.

After eating and showering and going through a few different outfits to figure out which one made me feel the least fat, we headed to church. My friend Charlene said I looked gorgeous. Aw. Thanks friend! My girls scored a gift bag each full of makeup and costume jewelry from a lovely lady there who has fallen in love with them.

After church Nathan insisted we go out for lunch. I chose a big, fat, juicy burger since it keeps alluding me. Ari walked right in that Red Robin like she owned the place, found an empty booth, and sat herself down. The girls covered their faces with pink and orange powder blush while we waited for our lunch. Altogether memorable which is exactly what "my" day should have been like, no?

Once we got home, naps were on the schedule for all and after we woke the rest of the daylight was spent outdoors. The girls continued to smear their new makeup all over themselves (especially Ari, imagine it!) and then they shared it with the neighbor girls. All in all a very relaxing day. Yay for Moms!

Farmers Market

2009-05-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

This morning I took the girls to a local Farmer's Market. It's something I hope to make a family tradition. I wish we went to Farmers Markets three times a week, but I'll settle for once a week for now. I love them. I talked it up so much that by the time we parked the car (I know, we should have biked) and headed down the closed off street the girls were squealing with excitement. It was perfect. The weather was agreeable, the street was not over crowded, it was well organized and the live music wasn't obnoxious. My only grimace of the day occurred when I looked at the posted prices of the face painting booth. That was after I'd agreed to let Mateja get a "kitty" caked on her right cheek. Boo. Oh well. She was pleased with the outcome and I was pleased with the positive experiences my girls had at the market. It wasn't their first, by any means, but it was certainly the first memorable experience for each of them as they were very involved in the choosing of the foods we purchased and the variety of samples they consumed. Yay for FM and summer time produce. Aaahhh ~ loving life!

Mouth Wide Open

2009-05-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

Today our girls had their first dental appointments! We turned it into a family affair (or course!) and each had an appointment. I had the first examination and cleaning so the girls could watch and ask questions and begin trusting the doctor. When Mateja’s turn came round, she suddenly shrank into the pool of insecurity and fear. Wailing was heard throughout the exam rooms. Daddy pulled her up onto his lap to console: "We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We can wait until you are six." She wouldn’t have it. Wait another YEAR?!? Uh-uh. She sucked it up, dried the tears and put on her brave face. She was darling reclining in that big chair, muscles tensed, mouth wide open.

Ari was next and followed sister in her resistance to climbing into the chair. After the doctor reminded her of the treasure chest full of toys that awaited a patient with polished teeth, she reluctantly climbed onto Daddy’s lap and opened her mouth “wide, like an alligator.”
We were perfectly proud of our two angels, just as we should be. After leaving with toys and toothbrushes and floss and toothpaste, Daddy took his treasures to a “restaurant” as a special treat. After lunch Mateja was quick to instruct us all to brush our teeth AND floss. That’s our girl!

Family Outing

2009-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

After church today we had our Family Outing which was a picnic in the park (and my idea! yahoo!!) - it was So FABULOUS.

we headed to the store first, then home to pack up the bags and then walked over to the park. Oh glorious sunshine. Arielle provided the entertainment (as usual), Daddy provided the food (he's the money-maker), Mommy prepared it and we all ate it UP (love GOUDA cheese).

Bliss

2009-04-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

This morning my little toughie Ari biffed it, smacked her face on the floor and let out a howl. It was one of those noises that Mom & Dad interpret as PAIN. We ran to pick her up from the floor. Blood was gushing out of her mouth, into her open hands and down the front of her dress. She had split her lip in about five different places.

Later on, after the mouth had been rinsed, appropriate pressure applied and love shown she said pointing to her swollen lip: "My bliss hurts."

Eggs & Cupcakes!

2009-04-15T23:38:00.001-07:00

This was the first year I recall doing the Easter Egg Dye scene. If we did it last year I don't remember... maybe I wasn't involved enough? Well, we did this year! And the girls were fascinated. That leads me to believe it was their first time dyeing eggs. I too was fascinated. It was so much fun for us as a family – all four.

Pink cupcakes were also baked whilst eggs were dyed. And then MANY cupcakes were eaten before they could be frosted. Ah well! We snapped some photos to document everything expect the final frosted & decorated cupcakes (bummer, cuz they were cute and spring looking).

Mateja decided she wanted to dye the raw eggs too. What the heck. My only rule: be careful not to drop them. Why bother having rules? They get broken just like raw eggs that are dropped.

Hearts of Fathers

2009-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went to the park yesterday early afternoon. It was a new park to us, not far from where we're living now. Signs of the times surrounded us in many ways.

Upon arrival I scoped the scene, not an unusual thing to do as a Mom going into a new environment, five families represented plus mine. OK. Get layout of play structures, number of children, parents/guardians hovering about, amount of sand I will later be cleaning out of clothing and car. Check, check, check... and then... a strange sensation. I was one of only two mothers representing six families. There was one Grandmother. And then the sensation: fathers. Fathers on a week-day in the middle of the day in shorts with their kids at the park. There's nothing particularly strange about seeing a father with his child at the park, but... being a mother who frequents parks - you just DON'T see fathers as the majority that often. Years ago when Mateja was a toddler, we'd met a group of fathers who were part of a daddy's group. They stayed home with their kids while their wives went to the office day after day. Other than that Daddy's group I have never seen so many fathers out in force @ the community parks during the week. It's definitely a different dynamic. I like it. The kids like it too.

Before we left, another father showed up with his two kids. No other mothers came.

Turn the hearts of fathers to their children.

Wind in My Sails

2009-03-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

I know I've been behind in posting. Time seems to go by faster and faster!

Last Tuesday the director @ the girls' preschool told me there was an opening for Ari to stay full days instead of the half days she's been staying. Nathan called me later that day and said, "Let's do it!" Thursday she was there a full day. When I left the school yard, a smile spread over my face as I approached my car. There was that feeling again. Release. Relief. I hadn't planned my day past noon. I think that if I would have begun to run full speed and open my arms, I may have been able to lift off! I felt like I could just soar. A FULL day? No kids! Woah.

Nathan and I met @ the gym for an hour after lunch. It was one of the best hours I've had in a long time. He's my trainer. LOVE it.

Tuesday (yesterday) rolled around. I was FULL of anticipation and had my list full of things to do without the kids: things that are fun for me like going to the furniture store to search out a dresser and living room furniture. I dropped the girls, drove promptly to my favorite "grocery" store w/ list in hand, purchased two days worth of food plus pantry items and zipped home. I was home before 10am and the groceries were unpacked. I was checking emails and then ready to fly out the door again onto the next things. And then the phone rang. And I answered it. The preschool director was on the other line asking me come lift Ari. There went the wind out of my sails. Ari was congested and had green slime... well, you get it.

I really struggled with having to go get her and give up my day. Obviously I had to pick her up. So I did. And then I shifted all my plans to simply spend the day with my little one. We did that too. I haven't spent so much one on one time with her in... oh, it's been a while. We just hung out all day. It was actually a great day. I guess, the wind shifted. Instead of the wind in my sails to carry out my tasks a fresh wind came into my sails to spend the day with my littlest girl. We had a blast!

The Best Day of My Life

2009-03-18T15:44:00.001-07:00

I took the girls to the park today. They wanted to be pushed in the big-kid swings. We were a sight. Mateja insisted she wear shorts today (it’s not even Spring yet, kid!) while Ari and I had our jeans rolled up Capri-length. I was pushing those girls high but with slight reservation (these are the big kid swings afterall). They were having a great time.

The evidence: Mateja’s enthusiastic statements that sent me into laughter. Mom, this is the best day of my life! The sky is blue, I feel the wind on my face, the sun on my back and I’m FLYING!! This is the best day of my entire life!

Spelt Pancakes

2009-03-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here is our "famous" spelt pancakes recipe for all who have asked! Please note, I often "eyeball" this recipe & change it up from time to time. Here is my best estimate about the measurements. Sometimes I add the ground flax seed meal, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'll add a scoop of brown rice protein powder or some other oddball powder mix for a healthier you! Adjust it to your own liking and tastes. If you use all spelt flour rather than a combo, the pancakes aren't much like a pancake. It can be done, of course, but you'll need to adjust your wet ingredients (reduce). To note about the vanilla, I use quite a bit (probably quite a bit more than noted here) because we like that flavor in our pancakes and we don't use syrup as a topping, so... you MIGHT want to reduce that one or eliminate it altogether? Whatever you do, enjoy it!

Spelt Pancakes w/ Flax Seeds
About sixteen 4-inch pancakes

Dry Ingredients:
1 cups spelt flour*
½ cup all-purpose flour*
1 ¾ tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup flax seeds
1 tablespoon ground flax seed meal

Combine in another bowl:
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
1 ½ tablespoon PURE vanilla extract*
2 tablespoons sugar (or other sweetener like honey or agave nectar)**

Mix the liquid ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients.

*These items are approximate and differ from time to time when I make this recipe. I tend to eyeball this recipe rather than measure it out.

**Sometimes I use sugar, sometimes I use honey, etc. If you use syrup or jam as a pancake topping you will likely want to eliminate this sweetener.

Love AND Logic

2009-03-08T21:45:00.001-07:00

So have we mentioned the parenting class that we're taking? I think it's called: Parenting with Love and Logic. I know I started to write about it, not sure I actually posted... ANYWAY ~ We love it. It has given us another perspective on parenting. It has given us some great tools and great knowledge. We love, love, LOVE it! It has also helped us to alleviate some stresses in our home. Hallelujah for THAT, right?

So we are teaching our kids how to own their own problems, which is AWESOME because that means their problems are THEIR problems, not ours. And THAT, my friend, is incredibly rewarding right NOW as well as in the future. Hello! We're getting immediate results here. Gotta love that. (And we do.) Also learning how easy it is to teach my kids how to make their own decisions rather than dictate to them (which is basically what we've been doing since we got rid of their placentas). As soon as I began implementing some of the new things we've been learning I realized how hard it was for Tej to make her own decisions! I had a crazy flashback to my own childhood nightmares of not being able to make decisions. Arg! But then I was filled with hope that my kids won't have to go through the same traumas. And if this is the only adjustment I make in my parenting I'll be uber pleased with the results. Of course it won't be the only adjustment but wowzaaa... it sure hits home for me. So, we'll have to keep updates along the way. We actually only have two modules remaining. I'll have to fill in some tidbits during the upcoming months of how the changes are affecting our family. Anyway... we LOVE our parenting class. Logically.

Cinderella

2009-03-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

Discussion surrounding allowance for the girls has been brewing. I have always believed that we're raising adults, not children. I suppose that comes from the way my parents reared me. I can hear my dad now, "You need to be a responsible adult who knows how to earn a living!" And... it begins early (in life)!

I told Mateja that she will have weekly chores as well as additional ways she can work for money. I only wish we had started earlier, but... the timing now is great. As soon as she wrapped her mind around the idea, she began to get very excited.

"Mom, I'll be just like Cinderella! I can sweep and mop and make my bed; I can even vacuum! I'll work every day just like she did. Well, maybe I'll take some days off for holiday. Cuz I'll probably get tired."

Snack of the Day

2009-03-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Everyday after nap, we have a snack. Today it was cheese crackers & strawberries! Not exactly the season for strawberries, but... they are Ari's favorite & can be found very easily. Taste pretty good too!

Tea Time

2009-03-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

This morning I set out my English China set to have a special breakfast with the girls. I suppose it was an addition to Mateja's ongoing birthday celebrations. We gave the girls tea (Mateja requested peppermint, Ari got another decaf bag Daddy picked for her) & mini-pancakes. Quick shout-out to Jenn G. for recommending the Organic Batter Blaster (or whatever it's called) which my mom purchased and stuck in our refrigerator. What a crazy great idea for a special FAST and easy-to-clean-up meal. I made mini-pancakes with it. It was awesome. I'm going to have to purchase it again (omg - it's sooo against my religion!) soon - I might make a special trip to the grocer's just to find it, it was that awesome. I can't say that I ate any of the pancakes, so I won't vouch for their taste myself, but the girls ate every last one that I made for them.

Anyway, after a few sips on her hot peppermint tea, Mateja began asking me for some sugar. Sugar is something we use only for baking and even then we use it in smaller-than-called-for amounts. That said, I really didn't know where the sugar was as my baking goods haven't been unpacked yet. I kept going back and forth with Mateja about the sugar. I was NOT going to look for it and really... she didn't need it (there's my religion again). After realizing she wasn't getting anywhere with me, she began the conversation with her dad who reappeared in the kitchen soon thereafter. The conversation went something like this:

***
M - Dad, can I have sugar in my tea?
dad - No. you don't put sugar in your tea.
M - Why not?
dad - Well, in England you don't put sugar in your tea. (he knows this is a fallacy)
~ here she paused, somewhat perplexed and then responded ~
M -But we're not in England. We're in California. So I want sugar in my tea.

Play Date

2009-02-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Upon arriving home & unloading myself, the girls and our stuff we encountered Mrs. Neighbor in the parking garage. She was also just arriving home. She’d been walking. We greeted each other and began a conversation that had mostly to do with our children, their ages (same ages within weeks of each other!) and how to live in apartment community with small children and neighbors below you.

What a lovely lady. We made a play date w/ my two and her youngest one for Friday morning in the apartment courtyard. She’s going to school me on the property whereabouts for our children.

To note: she is extremely friendly and understanding of our issues with the girls and their "leaden feet" as she is a mother herself currently living with children the same age as ours. I have a feeling they will extend grace for a period of time. :) Nathan & I have our work cut out for us with our two adventurous angels.

New Life Experiences at (the apartment) Home. Pt.1

2009-02-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Things we're adjusting to in our new home:

We live on the third (top) floor in our new home. Nathan is insisting we call it "home" and not "the apartment" because... it IS our home now. Anyway, we're on the top floor. This was an available option to us; we chose it. We decided that we would be courteous of others rather than rely on others to do that for us. We've got our work cut out for us specifically with our children who are used to jumping & twirling & cart wheeling as loudly as possible throughout the house, running through the house during very exciting games of hide & seek, swinging from the stair case, leaping to their feet and crashing down toward the front door every time Daddy walks through it, etc. We had such a big house and back yard previously I didn't enforce a lot of boundaries when it came to their physical play. Besides, both my girls are extremely physical and imaginative in their play. Why stifle? Now we are in an apartment on the third floor. I am TRYING not to stress about every footstep they make. I am TRYING to let them be kids ("wild" as Mateja calls it) during the winter in a tiny apartment on the third floor. It's been less than two weeks, so I need to give myself a break and breathe deeply. Do some more yoga.

Our tiny new home has only two windows, one sliding glass door and the front door. Ventilation is an issue for us. We have three air units (heat/AC) that we barely use because it's so WARM in here. I think that's GREAT (because I loathe being cold). Nathan is suffocating. Ha. Every time he walks in the front door he bemoans the stuffiness of the air. He's right. It's very stifling in here. So I've taken to keeping the sliding door half open during the days and one of the windows slightly open. It hasn't seemed to help enough. Not sure what else to do yet.

Another adjustment is the complete lack of kitchen space. I suppose many families of four could make do with this just fine. I’m not sure this family of four is doing it that well. I still have TEN unpacked boxes sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Most of them house pantry items. I purchased a pantry cabinet. I insist that everything else fit in the cabinets and drawers. If it doesn’t fit it leaves this house. I rid myself of a LOT of kitchen items before moving here (everything from dishes & appliances to tablecloths & boxes of tea). It wasn’t enough. That’s an ongoing project. In fact, I must away now! Off to pack up some dishes and get them OUT of this kitchen.

Great Advice

2009-02-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Today my brilliant four year old (who will be five in four days) says to me, "Mom, I think we should do no candy and no television for a whole year. How does that sound?"

My eyebrows shot up to the ceiling and a smile crept over my face. "I think that's a great idea. What made you think of that?"

Matter of factly she responded, "It was just somethin' I've been thinking about. We would have really healthy bodies. Cuz candy and television are NOT good for healthy bodies, right? Maybe we should have no candy and no television for five years. What do you think about that? Is that a great idea, Mom?"

"My darling, I think that's a GREAT idea. Why don't you talk to your dad about it when he gets home?"

Getting Caught Up

2009-02-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

We have definitely been absent from our normal lives. Not sure all of what our new normal lives will look like other than... well, we live in a new city! Adventures to be had...

Exhaustion has been the buzz word around our house lately. We've all been thrown off our normal routines with this move. I think getting off of routines/out of ruts is a good thing. I don't know if lack of sleep & health NEEDS to accompany it. Actually, I DO know. It does NOT need to accompany. I digress - I'm exhausted.

Anyway, will be getting back into the swing of routine here soonish. I actually try to have at LEAST two days a week that aren't too structured. It makes living with my lover easier. He's fairly unstructured. Rather, he's adventurous and spontaneous. I've been learning to incorporate that into my life since we got married, thus the two days a week that are lightly structured.

More to come. I know you've been patiently waiting to hear the latest! HA HA HA HA HA

Loud Animals Upstairs

2009-02-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

On our way up the second flight of stairs to our new home from a family night out (we went to our new fave frozen yogurt spot - thank you Sis) we ran into Mr. Neighbor who lives below us. Well, we didn't literally RUN into him but you know what I mean. After rapidly exchanging salutations, Mr. Neighbor said, "We always know when you're home." Nathan with a nervous laugh asked, "Oh, can you hear the girls? Are they loud?" Instead of answering either question directly, Mr. Neighbor nodded yes and said knowingly, "They'll get used to it." And then the conversation ended as we said our rapidly passing goodbyes.

I'm not really sure what Mr. Neighbor meant by his last statement. Was he referring to our girls? They will get used to it? Or was he referring to his family? They'll get used to it? Ever since then I'm forcing myself NOT to stress out every time my leaden footed children scramble down the very short hallway or come crawling into the living room acting like lions and cheetahs. They're kinda like little monkeys... loud little monkeys. Oh God. Help!

Misery?

2009-02-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

Monday

Today was supposed to be a day full of busyness. The girls had a full schedule. I had a full schedule which included lots of driving back and forth. I had three different people scheduled to help me with the girls or with the clean-up of the old house. One cancelled because of a family emergency. Another cancelled because of illness. And the third I called to tell her don’t bother coming because I’m in bed with the flu. Can you believe it? Here I am in my new place full of expectancy and hope and… the flu. I’m such a healthy person that I truly forget what it’s like to be ill. It sucks. I’m on my third thermos of Thera Flu in two days time. Nasty stuff. But it does its job. It’s almost against my religion to take the stuff.

I’ve spent most of the day in bed and most of that time in bed has been sleeping. Misery is the flu. Misery is helplessly laying in bed on your husband’s third day off while he does the duty of two people (today is President’s Day and thus a holiday for him). Misery is aching all over. Misery is missing taking the girls to a princess birthday tea party. Ah, well, misery is overrated.

I’ve had time to just BE here in my room and realize all the more how very happy I am in our new home. LOVE it here. The noises are going to take some getting used to of course, but it’s that way in any new place. My husband met our downstairs neighbors. He had such a good report. They too have two children same ages as ours. And they are thrilled that a family has moved in above them. Score! This is the opposite of misery. We live less than ten minutes from my grandmother’s home. This too is the opposite of misery: pleasure, gladness, cheerfulness, joy, glee, bliss, delight, exhilaration, ecstasy, contentment, satisfaction, amusement, thrill, elation, wonder, happiness…

Feeling better about things that are the opposite of miserable. Back to bed.

V-DAY = MOVING DAY!!!

2009-02-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

Oh the day of the big move. It has come & gone. The day has. Just like each day before it. We’re sitting on our bed with boxes surrounding us on each side. Nathan says, It’s like a hotel. I love it. I don’t love the boxes all around but they will fade. I love newess. A new season/time is upon us again. Hallelujah.

I'm EXHAUSTED. And not feeling 100% but... the NEW is here. yay!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Quote of the Morning

2009-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Our nearly five year old is getting ready for school. She has been instructed to get a jumper (the word we use for jacket/sweater/sweatshirt - it's all encompasing). She burst back into the room with no jumper. Mateja, where's your jumper? That was me. She held her hand up (think Tina Turner, STOP in the name of love), "I have to ask Daddy something first! Daddy!! Is it going to rain today? Can you check your phone, please?"

oh my heck.

What was I THINKING!?!??

2009-02-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, we're currently in the process of moving. I wish I could say that I'm wife and mother extraordinaire, but these days that’s purely wishful thinking. My mind is constantly racing with my “to do” lists of things to pack and things to donate and things to throw away and things to clean and things to paint and people to contact and schedules to work over and utilities and do we get a moving truck or not and posting to craigslist and selling our living and dining room furniture and do I have enough paint for the office walls or do I need to go to Home Depot and where am I going to sit the girls for lunch once the dining set is picked up and didn’t I contact the post office to have our mail forwarded and – oh – don’t forget to register to vote once the move is complete and what did I do with the packing tape and Ari’s doctor’s appointment was this morning?!?!??? Oh crap. Where’s my phone?

In the midst of a somewhat busier day than normal I decide (whilst on a phone call) that I need to get the girls doing something fun and creative and distracting so that I can finish packing the drapery and the sheet sets and finish this call. Somehow I misplace the pillow cases. The girls are antsy. They’ve just woken from their afternoon nap and are ready to do something. Ari has managed to pry open the lid to a box that contains finger paints. What an excellent idea! Finger paints will do the trick. (was I thinking?) I pull out the large craft box full of paper and begin to spread sheets all over the living room carpet. How fun this will be. There’s no furniture in the living room right now except a rocking chair so I spread out the sheets of paper and continue my telephone chatter. Meanwhile the girls have unscrewed the lids to the “washable” finger paints and have begun to be distracted. Perfect! I run back into the front room to continue folding the drapery and bundle the sheets. Still can’t find those missing pillow cases guess I won’t seal this box yet. I’ll label it as soon as I get off the phone. Better check on the girls. I pause a moment to finish my conversation. This has to be dealt with. Conversation ends well. I rush back into the living room. As soon as it registers: there are blue foots prints all over the carpet my brain shifts back on. Of course there are. Of course there are.

Seriously, what was I thinking? I remember thinking this might get a little messy but I’m learning to deal with messes. I also remember thinking this was truly a good idea. I mean, like, TRULY a good idea. Once my brain shifted back on, well… My first thought was, Thank GOD we’re having the carpets cleaned next week! So I let myself off the hook. I let the girls finish making a mess. I encouraged them to clean it up and then I pulled out the camera. I made a mental note to self: don't forget to find those pillow cases and, Marina, NEVER AGAIN on the carpet. I mean honestly, what was I thinking?!?

Clown with no fork

2009-02-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

The latest school story - of course it's about Ari.

Pick up hour had come. She followed the other students out of the classroom to meet us moms who were standing in the hallway entrance. Rounding the corner, she smiled up at me. Horrendously bright pink eyelids and equally bright pink lips met my stare. Her grin always invokes a smile from me. I love this spunky kid. School Director said, “She escaped during dismissal and got into the stamps. That’s the pink.” Then onto something else, she started by asking, “Does she eat with a fork?” “Sure.” “A big one or a little one?” My response, “Either, both. Why?” “Well, I gave her a fork during lunch because she was eating with her hands and she acted as if she didn’t know what it was. I didn’t want to force her because, you know, culturally I wasn’t sure what you do at home. Is it OK if we give her a fork?” I chuckled, “Sure! Reinforcement is good here. We eat with forks at home. Well, she doesn’t prefer them, but…” “OK. Just checking. They had spaghetti for lunch today! By the way, she’s really getting better at listening!”

That was that. So she looks like a clown and doesn’t use a fork. Love this kid.

The BEST Therapy

2009-02-02T01:09:00.000-08:00

I spied a bummer sticker today: "Shopping is the best therapy." I thought, Maybe giving could be the BEST therapy.

As we prepare for this move we are giving much away. Love that. It's great to know that someone will get some use out of things that aren't getting used over here. It feels good. Therapeutic.

Adventure 2009: We're Finally Moving!

2009-01-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

It's the little things.

We took our girls to our new home site today. I do wish it were a glorious house with a clay tile roof, lots of sunlight, marvelous landscaping, solar panels, a gourmet kitchen, extra bedrooms for guests, a vegetable and herb garden and on and on... It's not. Not yet anyway. We have finally made that tough grown-up decision and are downsizing (tremendously). We're moving into a two bedroom apartment. Neither one of us has really ever experienced true apartment living. I had an apartment for five months when I was single. That's about it. Nathan lived in an apartment with a roommate but had no neighbors and no one living above or below him. It'll change things when people are above and below.

Anyway, so we Mitchells embark on a new crazy adventure. I'm extremely excited and a bit overwhelmed with the quantity of STUFF we have accumulated over the years that I now have the privilege of donating to someone else who can find a good use for it. We've been using HOPE (http://www.hopeservices.org/) which has been a huge blessing to us!

We took the girls to our new home today to see the grounds, see their room and take note of the pool and hot tub. They were sold as soon as they plunged their hands into the hot tub. And plunge they did! Mateja is convinced this is a MUCH better location than Santana Row (which we had considered as a future home) and is thrilled that we are moving here. Hallelujah!

We are all thrilled. And we're saving a bundle (hello!) so we decided that we ought to buy some new furniture! So that's the next part of our adventure.

Almost five years worth of compassion

2009-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

So, Wednesday’s the girls and I leave the house @ 9am to head to the church. We arrive by 9:30 to unload the car of ourselves, our belongings & my gear (guitar, guitar stand, music bag & binder, purse & starbucks tumbler full of hot tea - gotta have a hot beverage!) and head up the concrete stairs to get our day going. The girls run around the multi-purpose room looking for their little friend Nathan. He gets there with his mom & her gear @ 9:30 too.

The kids usually head off the kids' area with a childcare worker by 10am. I'm on the platform from "go" setting up and tuning and sound checking and whatnot. Then we have our gig (HA), I mean, meeting. We're done by 12:30pm and out the door with my gear and my kids and any of their gear that they happened to sneak into the building (hopefully we get their gear). I'm usually a stickler when it comes to the girls and their gear. I don't allow anything into the building because inevitably it gets left behind in the room they've been playing in all morning. And honestly, as long as I have the kids in tow and my car keys, purse and guitar I don't notice much else.

So that's the set up for today's story about the girls, here's the account:

It’s now 12:45pm. We’re in the car journeying down the road. Ari begins whimpering about her kitty. She took it into the building. And there it sits. The whimper gains momentum. She is now crying full throttle. Tears and snot and excess slobber. I’m such a great mom; I begin with my rant about “too bad, you took it into the church. We’re not turning around. We’ll get it later. You have to learn…” I’m ranting. Loudly. And then I turn the music on to calm myself and drown out the wailing child (as if additional noise is going to accomplish these objectives). This is when the compassion of a four year old (who is nearly five) rises above the noise using an empathetic, quiet voice. She reaches for her sister’s slimy hand and holds it in embrace. I’m so sorry you left your kitty. I know it makes you feel sad. If I left my kitty I would feel just like you do. But it’s OK, Arielle; we will get your kitty next time. OK, honey? Don’t be too sad. Your kitty is OK.
And just like that, the wailing is squelched, the snot clears, the tears are wiped away. Kitty is safe. Ari is happy. Girls are holding hands. Mom is smiling and embarrassed. Oh kindness, compassion, empathy ~ do find your way towards me too, even if you're only five years old...

Escape Artist (Part 2)

2009-01-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

So today... I pick Ari up from school. I walk in through the front door into the short hallway reserved for student jackets and file folders and there, blocking my entrance from the hallway to the rest of the school is: a gate. A brand new gate. I started cracking up just in time for the school's director to round the corner, catch my eye and groan. "She's killing us!" the director wailed. I responded, still laughing, "She's not killingyou. I'm just glad someone else gets to share in the joy of my child with me!" "She's wet. Soaking wet. She got out again today & headed straight for the puddles. I don't know if she saw it out the window or something, but she headed straight for the water. So... she doesn't have any shoes on right now. But I ran straight over to Home Depot and bought a gate and installed it right away. It's not going to work for us though because the kids can't get into the hallway to put their papers in their folders or get their jackets from the rack. So... we're getting a lock for the front door that locks only on the inside and that can only be opened with a code!" The director was wide-eyed. With a smile on my face and in my voice I asked, "And all this is because of my child?" "Yes! And we're charging you double for her!"

Of course our banter back and forth was light-hearted and playful. I am absolutely getting a KICK out of this. Obviously the director of the school isn't quite as pleased with the situation but we are great friends so I'm looking at this with a very positive attitude. Thankfully all of this escaping is happening with my child and not someone else who might not think it was as amusing. This is simply helping the school take further precautions for a future student who may wander further than my own Ari.

I wonder if the lock on the door will be in place next week...

Escape Artist

2009-01-20T23:33:00.000-08:00

So I picked Ari up from preschool today & her teacher says to me: "Keep working on her not touching the door (meaning door handle). She got out again today. We're thinking of getting a gate so she can't get to the door."

Internally, I think I'm cracking up. Cuz... that's my kid!!! Thank God Almighty they have the entire property fenced off so at least she was still @ the school. Although... that gate isn't very secure and if she can open their front door, well then, she could open the gate too if she wanted. Which proves that she doesn't really want to leave the premises. She just wants to be outside. Which is why I still have safety handles on my doors here at the house. She can't open them. Because if I didn't have them on the doors, she would try to open the doors here! And off she'd run. Don't the sidewalk (at least she knows to stay out of the street!)

She's only on week #3 (which means day five) at the school and has already escaped twice. Two outta five. Wowza!!! We'll keep telling her that the door handle is only for adults but... I mean, come on. I bet other kids open that door. They only do it when arriving or leaving with their parents, maybe? My kid is on the loose. Love her for that. Determined. "Free-spirited" Willing to push the limits.

Run Ari, run. Wait... no. I mean, don't touch the door handle! (God, help me rear this child!)

Blog Update Info

2009-01-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

So you'll have to just stick it with me over the next few weeks. I'm trying to consolidate all the different family journals/blogs/letters as well as individual ones over the past couple of months. That to say: I'm going to post them all in these blogs which means there will be posts that start popping up from the past: days, weeks & months back. Be patient! I know I'm trying to be!!!

First Time @ Emma Prusch

2009-01-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday was SUCH a full day. By 3pm I was exhausted. But that doesn't hold a mom back, generally speaking. I touted the kids to a new destination for us in order to meet a friend and her daughter for a "playdate" for our girls.

Emma Prusch Farm Park on the intersection of Story & King. Have you ever been there??? I'm adding it to my "list of things to do with your kids in the Bay Area that is free!" (Soon to be published.)

All the maps were pretty deceiving in finding the place, but... it DOES exist. And there are 40+ acres of it existing right off the 280 & King (well, right around there). And it's exactly what the name indicates: a farm. Plus. There's a large play structure and gobs of picnic tables. Lots of grass. Old farm equipment on display. Well you can see for yourself by visiting their site: http://www.pruschfarmpark.org/

I plan to take the girls back earlier in the day. They closed the barn @ 4pm. So we were too late to actually benefit from seeing the cows and sheep and goats and other animals really up close. My girls are animal nuts, so we've got to go back.

Here's an image of the three girls on some farm equipment.

Quote of the Day

2009-01-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

So this afternoon we were eating fritos: delicious tasting chips that I never, ever buy because they are so very bad for one's body. Moments later Mateja began having adult-level flatulence (it's the PC term for you-know-what). This went on for a good thirty minutes. After having another loud bout of flatulence, Mateja stepped away from the bowl of fritos and said (and I quote): "It's official. These chips are NOT good for my body. They make me toot."

Everybody Smiling!

2009-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today. What a DAY!

Our second child started preschool. I couldn't stop smiling. I don't think she could either. What excitement for her to embark into her sister's special world. Everything new! Other adults for her to ignore and run away from! Ha. Children other than her sister to push and scream with. Fun, fun, fun!!!

I suppose her smiles were for different reasons than mine. But essentially... we each got to experience our own new day. I looked ridiculous today. Guaranteed. Think: Alice in Wonderland, Chesire Cat. That was me. Ridiculous. I was in Target, pushing around a big empty red cart and just grinning from ear to ear. I wasn't on the phone. I wasn't talking to a soul. Not a single person. I wasn't even shopping! Just pushing around a big empty red cart and smiling at everybody. It was awesome. I think I eventually bought something.

I'm really looking forward to lots of smiling this year. Smiles from my girls. They love being at school. I love for them to be at school. Smiles from my husband (happy wife, happy life!) and smiles from the woman in the mirror.

Maybe I should consider whitening product... :)

New Year!

2009-01-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

We arrived home from Texas. I was bummed that we missed my brother and his wife and their daughter. I don't get to see him often enough. He's so much fun to spend time with. We were home mid-morning so I was able to head home and begin the unpacking process right away. Because we laundered the majority of our clothing whilst in Texas I simply had to put clean clothing away. How wonderful! Shortly after beginning this task, a call came in from my sister. There had been a mix up with the purchase of Jared & Amber's flights. They were stuck in California until further notice. Yahoo! Well, it was a yahoo on my end, not so sure it was on theirs. At least not right away.

My New Year celebration was starting early. Jared, Amber & Maya made it back to our place with my sister. I am blessed. What can I say? The three of us siblings had a chance to spend sometime together. We laughed and chatted about the UN and the Nobel Peace Prize and other great things including dehydration. I felt filled. I got my brother-fix, so to speak.

Mateja Decorates Christmas 2008

2008-11-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

This year we got a tree!

It's one of my favorite things to do each year - tradition. We've only done it twice before this since we got married, but I hope it continues as one of our traditions. I guess it kind of reminds me of home.

Mateja is old enough to help decorate the tree this year. We didn't have one last year because of Ari. She was getting into everything. Mateja & I had lots of fun.

My big girl... :)

Traditional Pumpkin Pies from Scratch

2008-11-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today was the day! We hacked into our pumpkin.

The girls were sooo excited to get the process started.

They couldn't use the knives of course, but were able to help scoop the seeds out and place the cut up pieces into the pans.

We'll be taking a pie to the annual Thanksgiving feast @ my Aunt's home. We'll also keep some here. There's so much pumpkin that we're going to make muffins tomorrow as well as a batch or two for Thanksgiving. I'm thinking about making some pumkin bread too and maybe some soup this week and then... we'll have to stick the rest into the freezer! I'm sure it'll come in handy this winter when I'm craving more pumpkin muffins & the girls can help bake. They love being in the kitchen!

Beach Time in October (must be California)

2008-10-25T01:47:00.000-07:00

Family time @ the beach today. Also picked out our pumpkins. It actually was cold (to me). The beach in October isn't really MY scene, but the girls love it and so does Nathan.

We took the girls to a nearby "pumpkin patch" to each pick out a pumpkin of their own. We also picked up a beautiful pie pumpkin - wish I knew what it was acutally called. It'll serve as a center piece till closer to Thanksgiving. Then we'll bake pumpkin pies (and muffins and whatnot) from scratch. Something I do every year right around Thanksgiving. Who doesn't? Yummy!

Afternoon conversation

2008-04-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today's after nap conversation between Teja & me went something like this:

Teja: Mom, I know how to swim. But I don't really like to go under the water.

Me: Oh really?

Tej: Yeah, Daddy taught me last summer. But I don't really like to go under the water yet. I don't really know how to do that.

Me: Oh honey, that's OK. You're going to learn this summer.

Tej: Yeah, but I don't like to do that. I get kinda scared when I get water in my eyes and then I can't see.

Me: But honey you're gonna learn this summer.

Tej: I am? But how?

Me: Well your daddy will teach you and-

Tej: Yeah, but I don't really like it. I'm kinda scared of going under the water.

Me: But honey you'll learn how to deal with that. You know why? Cuz you're four now. You're a big girl. And you'll learn how to-

Tej: But Mom, did you know that if you go under the water and you can't breathe you will die. Right? You have to breathe but if you're under the water you'll get dead when you sink.

Me: Well, you do need to breathe in order to live, yes. But when you go under the water you learn how to hold your breath. You don't stay down there for a long time. Just a little time.

Tej: Well, I think I'll learn how to go under water when I'm six. OK? Can I go watch Tom and Jerry?

~ and that pretty much settles it.

Summer Time 2007

2007-08-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Chess on the Row! How cute is that?