Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween Highlight

What's better than dressing up as a mummy for Halloween? Seeing a real mummy! Today we went to the museum of science and history to see an Ancient Egypt exhibit. It was fascinating! We did an archaeology dig, learned to read hieroglyphs, viewed ct scans of mummies, built a pyramid and learned the history of " Annie", the 16 year old mummy on display.
We also stayed long enough to explore other areas of the the children's area. I felt it was a great way to dispel some of the mystery and spookiness of Halloween. We will definitely be going back for more!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Dog Days



Coco is adjusting to our home pretty well, or perhaps we're adjusting to her very well. She's getting a little bigger, but her personality is gargantuan! She thinks she is a person! She loves sitting in the seat of the car on car rides and tasted a piece of salmon from my lunch one day---whoa! She licked the patio for 10 minutes trying to savor the last bit of fish flavor!
We're still working on "coming when called", not jumping up and walking on a leash. Hopefully by Christmas she'll be trained well enough, so she doesn't disrupt the holiday festivities.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins and More Pumpkins


This has definitely been the week of the pumpkin! We started off carving jack-o-lanterns on Monday. While carved gourds are a fuzzy, disgusting mess after 2 days, I knew that our schedule was chockful of afternoon activities so we dove right in!

Usually I just buy one pumpkin and let the boys hollow it out. I give them a few carving designs for the face and I carve it myself using a few kitchen knives. This year, I thought they'd be old enough to try their hands at carving. I bought them each a pumpkin and they shared a carving booklet and tool set. It was very interesting! They did pretty well on the larger cuts, but I had to help out in the tight spots. They also needed frequent rests for those tiny muscles in their hands. Overall, they had fun and the jacks turned out pretty well. Shhh, I still haven't roasted the seeds!





Mid-week, we finalized design plans for Friday's pumpkin decorating contest at school. MC requested Michael Jackson and JB requested Frankenstein. We played around with a few different ideas and voila! MC won for the second year in a row! I was hoping for a win for JB's Frankenstein, but he handled the loss pretty well. MC agreed to share his winnings: $20 in Barnes and Noble gift cards.

I am so glad that's all over. The next pumpkin that I see needs to be pureed, in a shell, and topped with whipped topping!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Lost My Moe-Joe

Today the boys and I ventured off to the arboretum. We had a nice time looking at all of the different varieties of pumpkins and gourds on display. I thought it was awesome, but the boys were less than thrilled. They went along with the program because they love their mom. That as well as a promise to also visit the neighborhood pumpkin patch, where there will be many more activities, kept them at bay.
We took quite a few pictures and much to my surprise, I couldn't think of any of the cute little creative poses and ideas that I used to. Not one! Most of our pictures were of the two of the boys side by side wearing a tired, cheesy grin. After a few hours, the shots got a little better, but not much. Hopefully I haven't lost my moe-joe.
I even went into the craft store the other day and just didn't have any inspiration. Being a creative person, this is really difficult for me. I've gotta snap out of this. I'm hoping it's just a phase, maybe like the crafter's version of writer's block. The trouble is until things slow down and I have a moment of quiet time, my moe-joe may just be MIA.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

When I Was a Child

As a child I longed for the day that I would become an adult. I couldn't wait to do all of the grown up things that my mother forbade. I wanted to wear red nail polish and have breakfast for dinner. I wanted to buy Magic Shell ice cream topping, shave my legs and watch the late night talk shows.
These days I can do all of those things, but rarely choose to. I prefer a natural buff shine over nail color and rarely eat breakfast for dinner--it's not very filling. Most nights, I'm asleep before the late night shows come on. Today I bought my first bottle of Magic Shell, mainly as a treat for the boys. Of course I still shave my legs. I have to draw the line somewhere. After all, I am a lady.
What I have learned as an adult is that I'd gladly relinquish any adult privileges to have my mother here with me. I have to admit that we wouldn't always see eye to eye. I'd take that.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

For Goodness Snakes!

My, how times have changed!! My boys were invited to a birthday party today. We responded to the cute little invitation and were all geared up to celebrate our soccer buddy's birthday. The invitations hinted to a snake theme. What fun for boys, right!
We show up for the party. I plop down on the sofa, greet the guests and visit with the children that are already there. A few minutes later I hear the words "real snakes". Then I notice the mat spread across the living room floor and the two "guests" wearing shirts with snake logos. Then it starts to set in. The pretty decorative trunks beside the man and woman wearing the snake shirts are holding.....SNAKES!
Fast forward...18 children are sitting around in a circle passing pythons and various small snakes around. They're wrapping them on their necks and kissing them!
Whatever happened to cut and paste crafts, pinatas, heck informing the parents The Snake Man is coming.
The boys had a blast. I'm just hoping I don't have nightmares!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

What a Day!

Every month I read a local publication for mothers. One of my favorite articles highlights the daily schedule of one of its readers. I always imagine what my typical daily schedule looks like. This is what a typical busy day looks like:


6:30 Wake-up and dress
6:45 First attempt to wake up the boys
7:00 Make kolaches for breakfast
7:10 Make sure the boys are awake and dressed
7:15 Call the boys down to eat. Check backpacks for folders and homework; Pack lunches-turkey wraps, chips, juice boxes and fruit roll ups.
7:42 Take the boys to school and notice JB's untied laces flapping in the wind as he crosses the street.
8:00 Feed the dog while watching GMA and drinking my morning coffee
8:30 Fold a load of clothes
8:45 Check e-mails. Marinate chicken for dinner
9:00-10:00 Zumba
10:15 Start crockpot with Caribbean Jerk Chicken
10:30 Shower, Lunch, Play with puppy
10:45 Whip up a pot of homemade macaroni and cheese for MC's lunch
11:00 Lunch with MC
11:45 Laundry
12:30 Pay bills and balance checkbook
1:00 Pick up last minute side dishes for dinner. Searched for Carribbean Rice, but Kroger no longer sells it. I'll have to settle for white rice and mashed sweet potatoes.
2:00 Pick out soccer uniform for MC's game tonight. Record this weeks' practice minutes and collect JB's piano music for today's lesson. Find JB's basketball for today's practice--he should have taken it to school, but forgot it.
2:45 Pick up MC
3:00 Parent Teacher Conference with JB's teacher
3:30 Pick up JB from basketball practice. Go home for quick snack.
4:00 Drop JB off at piano lessons. JB finishes his theory assignment in the car on the way.
4:30 Pick JB up. Go home and prepare side dishes for dinner. MC dresses for his soccer game.
5:00 Homework. JB practices piano
5:45 Leave for soccer game.
6:00 Soccer score: 6-5 we lose for the third consecutive time. The boys have fun.
7:00 Dinner, Baths
8:00 Boys are finally in bed. I watch Grey's while laying in bed, but can barely stay awake for Private Practice.
10:00 Light's Out. What a day!

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