Happy Birthday Ari!

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

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

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

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

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).

Eggs & Cupcakes!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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