Sleeping Brooke

Where do you prefer your children to sleep? If you know Brooke, you know why I love it when she is sleeping. Brooke has a mind of her own (yes, she might have got that from her stubborn mom). Everyone at our house shares the work load according to their own capabilities. Each girl is required to be a part of setting the table for dinner. One person puts out the plates, the forks, the cups (filled with ice water), etc. I have always said that if you don't do your part, then you can eat after everyone else. Well, Brooke decided to be the first one to test this rule. In addition to being tired, she didn't want to behave so she was put in time out. The hallway serves as our time out spot (super nanny says that is a "no fun" place to be). Brooke proceeded to scream during most of our dinner. Then I noticed that she was quiet. I called to her and said she could come eat (most were done by now) since she had calmed down. There was no response from her. The picture shows why. She slept there for about an hour and then woke up as a really scary monster. By the time I got her into the bath tub (as a relaxer) she was back to herself. Ask me if I believe in NAPS!

Mommy time

Either way you look at it, I had Mommy time this weekend. My parents were vacationing in Carlsbad, California this past week. I was invited down to spend Friday overnight with them at a nice condo.

http://www.carlsbadseapointe.com/index.asp

They had purchased a new Ford Escape Hybrid (which I delivered the checkbook for) and needed to pick it up. Then we went to dinner at a great place called "Karl Strauss". Ed broke the Escape in by driving it home. Mom and I went back to watch the Truman Show and to play Canasta. On Saturday, we took a long walk down to the beach (seems like 200 stairs) and then through a field of flowers. If that wasn't enough exercise, we walked and shopped Costco. Filled up on all the samples and waited behind 8 cars for gas (yes it looked like a shortage line). Then we spent hours shopping at the outlet stores. Legs were really tired by now! Finding the car in the sea of cars is a whole other story.

A friend of mine that I used to work with, Sarabeth (now living in Carlsbad), offered to cook us dinner. She and her boyfriend Tim treated us to great company and food. I am so lucky to have had such great people touch my life through the years. Sarabeth was The Princess at Sage's 5th birthday party (in case you were there). She is the biggest sweetheart and always giving of her time. See the photos above from 2006.

Since Mom and I had sore legs from all the walking, we took a quick dip in the jacuzzi. That was relaxing! Quickly showered, packed up and left.

Butterflies

Lately, we have had a pair of butterflies that keep flying around our yard. Today, Brooke and I caought them unaware of us watching them. Unfortunately, after taking photos, they flew off. But they came back...Butterflies are so whimsical

(the bottom photo is actually one on top of the other).

Projects: Part 3

The kitchen is finished for awhile. When my friend Summer was helping me with the drapes, she also gave some ideas for the big blank wall at the back of our kitchen. We kept shopping for something to hang on the wall, but I couldn't decide. I finally figured that I liked some of my "old" stuff I just didn't have up anymore. She suggested to paint the frame to match the counters. What a difference a little paint makes! I added some little wire sconces discovered at "Big Lots" of all places, along with some candles to tie in the color of the drapes. Maybe I can decorate, just not full time (seeing as this has taken years to do). This wall cost me only $13 of my birthday stash. Take a look at the progression in the photos.

TV show review - Eli Stone

http://abc.go.com/primetime/elistone/index?pn=index

I don't spend much of my time watching TV, but when a good little show comes along I do. Eli Stone is a quirky lawyer show that reminds me of a cross between Ali McBeal and The Practice. So far, it is a pretty modest show for the time it airs. I should warn you it does have some sexual suggestions, but not much. It has songs in it, from artists such as George Michael (used to have a poster of him on my wall). Nice mix of serious, funny and a little romance to keep you guessing. I haven't missed a show since it started. It is usually Thursday nights, but now it is showing tonight (Sunday). Check it out and let me know what you think.

Piano Recital

Perry and Sage performed in their first piano recital yesterday, which was Saturday. Bravely Perry played, because he was very prepared. Timidly Sage played, because she cried every time she thought about the recital. Really...Sage played 3 out of 5 (memorized) songs perfectly. It was the other 2 that gave her problems. They both know what to expect next time. Listening to other students such as RJ and Ben gave them something to work towards. The event turned out simply: play songs, get certificates, eat cookies (pineapple, too!) and punch. Perfect for my attention span! Now (well she has wanted too for the past week or so) Brooke wants to play piano...hmmm.

Bunco

A group of ladies in my neighborhood get together once a month for socializing and Bunco playing. It has been fun getting to know them over the past 4 years. I am not able to go frequently, but when I do...I always win. As Libby says, "If you had fun, you won" They are a great source for networking as well. Funny thing is, one of them interviewed Lee on the phone last week!!!

Projects: Part 2

Science projects in Long Beach Unified are basically homework for parents. This has been very time consuming. Not in the actual "science" part of it; rather the documentation of it. The standards are the same for K all the way up through the grades. It makes it impossible for the kids to actually do it all on their own. Perry managed to type his written report. Sage actually typed most of hers, letter by letter (a mother's love). The presentation boards are the real killers. Please take a look at Sage's and Perry's. They look so simple don't they? After mounting the typed up information on colored paper and making sure everything is the correct size, I just hope they stay secure for the next week. Now tell me, if the parents have already "helped" with this project, why would they be interested in seeing these boards on display for Open house? Oh yes, so they can see what the other parents/kids did for their project.

Projects: Part 1

So the kitchen has never had any drapes. No privacy was needed, but some sound absorption wouldn't hurt. I had some birthday money that needed to be spent on a good cause. My friend, Summer, was kind enough to help me shop for them. It takes me a long time to make such decisions, years to be exact. The problem soon came; I wanted the drapes to pull all to one side since it was a sliding glass door. After my handyman husband, Lee, installed the rod holders, we realized the rod was going to sag in the middle from the weight of the drapes (no center holder could be used). Frustrating!!! Well, we are not failures, so we (Mom, Lee and myself) came up with many different ideas. Add a strengthening rod in the middle was my last solution. This in combination with a stronger and larger rod does the trick for me. It is not perfect, but I'm sure it will last until one of the children pulls it down :)