The Patio Furniture Is Here--Let The Assembly Begin

While I love the new patio furniture we just purchased, I'm not loving the fact that we have to assemble it ourselves.   I was all set to hire someone from the Home Depot to put it together for us, but my husband scoffed at the idea.  He would put it together, no problem.

Well we are on day two of this monotonous task and the guys who hang out near the Home Depot parking lot are looking better and better.

Yep, that is my hubby sprawled out on the patio putting chair #4 out of 6 together (and there are still two chaise lounge chairs in the box with comfy looking cushions just waiting to make their poolside debut).

Right now, while I've snuck in the house to get a drink and get out of some work, I'm trying to convince myself that relaxing on our new chaise lounge chairs will be even sweeter since we  my husband put it together ourselves himself.....nah!

Wordless Wednesday--International Day Treats!

Hooray for International Day!

Today was International Day at my children's elementary school.  Over 22 countries were represented at this amazing cultural event.   Our fantastic parent volunteers put together amazing booths that shared art, history, and culture.

The children loved running from booth to booth getting their "passports" stamped.  They were able to try mango shakes from Pakistan, get origami cranes from Japan, place bindis on their foreheads & have intricate designs painted on their hands from India, enjoy Cadbury eggs from England, have their names written in Chinese characters, munch on pretzels from Germany, etc...etc.  The parents really went all out!

As a gal who grew up in a small town of 900 in the homogenous Midwest, I am grateful that my children live in a community where diversity exists and is celebrated.

Thank you, dankschen, domo arigato, mamnoon, merci, shukriya, gracias, spasibi, kamsahamnida, koszi, doh je, hvala (that is "thank you in 12 languages), so much to the International Day Committee.  You ladies did a fantastic job pulling this wonderful event together.

It's Lizard Time

I know it is officially spring when my kids start jumping in and right back out of our frigid pool, my daffodils are blooming and my son is outside busy hunting lizards.

And this weekend, he got his first catch of the season. A small baby blue belly lizard that he has named Swift--which is kind of ironic given that the critter got caught! My son tracked him down at my daughter's soccer game this weekend.   It only took a few minutes climbing over the rocks near the parking lot before he caught his new pet.

The problem was the game was only half way over and Swift had no where to go. My son A. walked around with the poor thing squeezed between his thumb and forefinger. He searched for an empty water bottle and ended up finding an empty Marlboro box. Since that wasn't gonna cut it--the darn flap would not stay down, plus I didn't like the idea of him walking around with a cigarette box, he needed to find something else.

Well he was a man on a mission and low and behold he scoured the sidelines and ended up with an Arrowhead bottle-- Swift had a temporary home. As soon as we got back to our house Swift was in his new habitat-- a nice plastic shoe box with rocks, dirt and a bottle cap full of water.

Now A. is taking care of his new pet, begging me to take him to Petsmart for crickets and writing "The Swift Fact Book" manual for anyone who might find themselves in charge of his cherished pet.  Yep, it's Lizard Time!

Ahhhhh Spring!

I am loving this glorious, warm weather.  It feels like we've skipped spring and headed right into summer.



After badgering me to go swimming, I finally caved in and gave my 9 year old twins the go ahead to jump in the pool.  I knew it would be a short swim and it was.  Basically a jump in and leap right back out.



My son A. jumped in the frigid water (as well as our pooch Lulu) while his twin brother looked on.  Noticing how quickly A. leapt out of the water, N. came to his senses and ran in the house--as seen in the video below.










Yesterday, they were at it again.  Their swim trunks were on and they were ready to take another quick dip. However, this time after dipping a toe in the chilly waters they came to their senses, however the dog did not and off she went into the water.

The Home Brewed Birthday Party Scene

When I was a new mom, I used to go all out when it came to my children's birthday parties.  Organizing them was close to becoming a contest between me and some other moms I used to work with.  We'd fill each other in on who could come up with the most creative or innovative location for a party.  We would never hesitate to steal ideas from one another, or locations.  

Lately, however, I've shifted toward home birthday parties.  Rather than spending a small fortune renting out a place to do rock climbing, bowling or laser tag, my whole family gets in on the action and comes up with games or mysteries to make a home party. 

Recently, one of my daughters became a huge fan of the book series called "The 39 Clues".  This series consists of seven books so far, and was created by Rick Riordon, the author of the Percy Jackson series.  He's now collaborating with a variety of authors who each take to writing one book in the series.  So along those lines, and since my youngest daughter just turned 12, we're calling her party, "The 12 Clues" party.

While it is more work compared to having it at an "off-site" location, it can be fun, cost effective, and hopefully memorable.  Key is keeping the timeframe simple. 

One fun thing we are going to do is set up a "Candy Bar" with loads of jars filled with an assortment of candy.  We designed a bag tag and as a goody take-away, the will each get to fill their bag to the brim.  We'll also make tie-dyed T-shirts using simple plastic bottles filled with various colors of Rit Dye.  The T-shirts were a bargain, I picked them up for only $2.00 a piece.  Buying individual Rit dye is also less expensive than buying a prepackaged Tie Dye kit from Michaels. 

So, while more of the workload is on the family (I do get the husband involved for sure), it is fun, we're all participate and I think my kids appreciate the effort.  At least they'd better!

Wordless Wednesday--Leprechaun Traps

Every year my kids try and catch a Leprechaun and once again those sly little rascals got away, but not before dropping a few gold coins!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

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Next Time, I'll Heed the Winter Warning

We drove up to Tahoe over the weekend and as always we checked the weather conditions.  The forecast showed a Winter Storm Warning--with heavy snow in the mountains and chains required over the pass.

Usually seeing conditions like this makes me want to cancel our mountain adventures all together, but because my husband and twins were meeting their YMCA Adventure Guides group, we decided to brave the weather and go for it.  We have a 4 wheel drive after all.


So we packed up the kids and the dog and with a can do spirit, started on our journey.  It rained off and on most of the way and as we approached the base of the mountain it had actually stopped raining.  We figured the storm must have passed and that we would be fine.

That was until we got to Colfax and the traffic completely stopped.  It was a parking lot.  Luckily we had friends who had left a couple hours earlier than us and so we quickly called to find out how their travels were going.

"Turn back if you can," our friend emphatically warned.  "The traffic is stopped and we've been stuck for 40 minutes."  "Get a hotel in Auburn if there are any left!"

That was all we needed to hear and we took the very next exit and headed back down what little bit of mountain we had climbed.  Luckily, we were able to get the last room at the Best Western in Auburn.

As it turned out, not only was there an accident at the bottom of the hill (the one we saw) there was also one at the top.  And they ended up closing the highway for some period of time (I never heard how long).  Evidently an overconfident SUV (sounds familiar??)  had spun out closing all the lanes.  YIKES!!

So this will be the last time I ignore a winter storm warning and forge ahead despite weather alerts and warnings.  Because even if you think your car will make it and that you are a cautious driver, not everyone else is!

Wordless Wednesday--Hello Daffodils!

Daffodils are in bloom!  Hooray for spring!

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One Book, Two Books, Potter Books, Twilight Books!

Read Across America Day is held in conjunction with the March 2nd birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known to millions of families as the famous author, Dr. Seuss.  It is so appropriate considering how Dr. Seuss books are often among the first in any child's book collections.   My three daughters each grew up reading "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", a book I vividly remember my own mother reading to me when I was about four or five.  The wonderful drawings captivated me, they were so different than any other drawings in children's books. 

Ever since I became a parent, it has been important for me to find books that my children will love and to have them grow up with a life long passion for reading. While TV, video games and the internet are part of their everyday life, reading is something that cannot be duplicated in any other way.  It makes their imagination soar, increases their vocabulary, and educates them even if they don't realize it.  Books such as the Rick Riordon series, "Percy Jackson," incorporate Greek mythology and are now a family favorite.  Once my daughters got hold of this series, they could not wait to obtain each successive book.  It's a treat for them to add more books to their own library that they will one day read to their children. 

Once we find an author or genre they like, they have a passion for reading.  It takes them into another world, a world where they expand their imagination, their creativity and their enjoyment of reading. 

Not surprisingly, the first series that captivated my children was the Harry Potter series, which my mother introduced to my eldest daughter when it was first published.  Once the movies came out, my other daughters became fans, and soon wanted to read the books.   All three of them have read the entire series more than once.  They have their own book collection of the series, and were so interested in the geography that when we took our first trip as a family to Europe, we had to be sure to visit London and Oxford to see locales that the movie was filmed and encounter areas that inspired the book. 

Now that they are all immersed in the Percy Jackson series, we need to plan a trip to Greece!

In honor of Dr. Seuss, I have to write my own prose:

One book, two books, Potter Books, Twilight Books!

Some from the library, some brand new.

Some books are hard for me to part, others have evil characters like Voldemort.

Why are some about vampires and demons?  I don't know, go ask your librarian.

Some are magical and full of sorcery, others are scary and have a glossary.

From there to here, from here to there, funny words everywhere.

Here are some for those who cook.  Many, many books I took.

Oh me! Oh my!
Oh me! Oh my!

What alot of funny things to read.

Where do they come from?

I cannot say.

But I bet they have come a long, long way.

We see them shelved at Borders,
We see them piled up by book horders.
Some are like treasures,
All give us pleasure.

Can I buy another?
Go ask your mother.

Thanks, Dr. Seuss, for encouraging my family to read.  The cartoon above is by my daughter, Danielle.  An avid reader and future book illustrator!

Trying to Instill a Love of Reading in My Son

I love reading. I always have and always will. As a child I got lost in Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys mysteries and found myself transported back in time when I read the Laura Ingall's Wilder series. The library was a place I frequented eagerly and often.

So when I had children, I hoped and quite frankly assumed that my love of reading gene would be passed on. For the most part it has, of my 4 children, 3 are avid readers. However, I have one son who just doesn't find picking up a book a pleasurable experience.

At first, it was something that I worried about. I'd listen to friends talk about how much their kids loved the Magic Tree House books or the A Series of Unfortunate Events stories and wish that my son would read through his collection.  With every new Harry Potter book, I'd hear how Jimmy, read it in two days or how Janie couldn't wait for the next book to come out and again feel a bit of envy.  Oh how I longed for my son to want to read---to actually pick up a book without being told.

But then one day after chatting with a friend who said she really didn't become a "reader" until she was an adult, I realized I should let myself and my son off the hook.  That even though I loved reading my son didn't have to (but yes, he would have to do his required 30 minutes of reading each night whether he liked it or not).

Letting go of the idea that my son is not a "bookworm" was tough but one that I've come to accept.   This doesn't mean that I have given up.  I will still encourage him to read and I'm always keeping an ear out for a new series and book recommendations from his peers.  And my hope is that through trial and error, together we will find a particular book or genre that will grab him and spark a new found love for reading.

I truly believe that one day it will come.

If you have any recommendations on what a 7th grade boy might enjoy reading, PLEASE let me know. I welcome and appreciate any ideas you can provide!


This post was inspired by the Yahoo! Mother Board (March is national reading month) which I am proud to be a new member of.

Wordless Wednesday--Napa in the Spring

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a girls' getaway in Napa Valley this past weekend.  Great friends, good wine and plenty of relaxation.  

My 9 Year Old Hero!

My blogging partner is not alone when it comes to having a pooch that slays gophers.  Last week, I found my dog batting around a furry little friend in our backyard.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a baby gopher.  It was dazed and confused but not dead.

Lulu, our English Springer Spaniel, was having a great time gently nudging it around with her nose and following it as it stumbled across the grass.

I shooed her away and waited for the little varmint to go back in its hole.  I just didn't have the heart to kill it--even though the little bugger was digging up holes in my yard.

So I brought the dog inside and waited for the critter to make its escape.  A couple hours later, my kids noticed that Lulu was chewing on something in the backyard.  They went outside to see what it was and much to their horror found our dog chewing on what seemed to be the remains of the baby gopher.  Evidently, she found it again and this time was not so gentle!  YUCK!!!!

I ran into the house and grabbed the broom, hoping to knock it out of her mouth.  I was so afraid she would try to come trotting into the house with her new treat.  The kids all shrieked and ran inside--disgusted by their beloved pooch. As each failed attempt to get her to drop the disgusting thing hanging from her mouth failed, I found myself moving one step closer to losing my cookies.

I couldn't take it any longer and put the broom down, shouting at the dog to "DROP IT!!"  My 9 year old then swung into action--literally and figuratively--and grabbed the broom and knocked the gruesome cud from her mouth.    He was not at all phased by the sight and when I asked him if he would mind getting the broom and throwing the disgusting entrails over the fence, he did so without hesitation.

I even asked him to check the yard  to make sure there were not any additional remnants lurking around--I'd freak if stumbled upon any more blood and guts.  And he was happy to oblige.

I couldn't believe my little boy could stomach this!  It wasn't that he took delight in the fact that our dog had just killed and chewed up a small rodent, it was that he was fascinated and curious as to what the dead animal looked like.  It was as if his inner scientist came out and he carefully and respectfully did what needed to be done.

I was amazed at his bravery and ability to get the job done (as the rest of us cowered in the house).  He  pulled through for me and was my hero for the day!

Note:  If you need a gopher slayer and clean-up crew, affordable rates can be negotiated--just kidding. ;)