TreasuresInTerraCotta

Several years ago we discovered a trick for great Halloween photos....take the photos on a different day!  The day before Halloween almost always yields better light, less stress and better pictures.  Yesterday we carved pumpkins, so while the camera was out two of the boys dressed up for pictures!          The quintessential pumpkin, That boy is pretty happy about his pumpkin.    And that is a happy pumpkin.   A fierce Jedi! (I was still sewing bits and pieces this afternoon!) A "cute and nice dragon" per the dragon himself. An awesome soccer player! (A costume I didn't have to make, assemble or think about. Hooray!) Tonight we had a hearty soup dinner and then walked all over the neighborhood trick-or-treating.  And this year we discovered our second great Halloween trick...give them their first treat and make it a water bottle!  Especiall...

More fun Phases of the Newly-Mobile. The eating plants...and eating dirt phase.  The toilet paper phase  The playing in water phase The Kleenex phase If you are not familiar with this phase, a one year old can empty a Kleenex box, one tissue at a time, in about 30 seconds!  Did I mention the Pantry AKA Cereal Phase. And this after Tyler was kind enough to replace the baby latch that broke since the time Baby #2 was in the Pantry Phase! I'm sure there is more fun on the way!

We decided to take advantage of cooler weather (lows around 30 and highs below 50) and make some of these ice suncatchers/birdfeeders.  I suppose if you grew up with cold weather you filled your winter days, not to mention your trees and eaves, with these beautiful creations.  But being the native desert dweller that I am I was smitten with them when I first read about them a few months ago and was glad to try creating them. With a few Arizona-modifications I was able to give my kids this little bit of winter experience. Most notably, we used the freezer instead of the elements to freeze the ice. Since I was a rookie I didn't know how to make the center hole for hanging. So now, with my Mommy Experience I can say that using a can of tomato paste is NOT the way to achieve a successful center hole. Calvin's wreath got broken!  (Upon further investigation, a small tapered plastic cup filled with water would have been ideal, leaving a nice hangi...

When my friend Kimberly first called a small bud vase a Mommy Vase I was smitten. How often had I been gifted with a flower or a handful of petals or a leaf or even a rock! Most often those treasures ended up in a small bowl or a ramekin or a much-too-large vase. But a Mommy Vase! The very thought of it stired my heart and made me smile. I found these at Target last year for just a few dollars. I gave one to my sister and the two grandmas and I kept one for myself. Grandma's was filled with lantana recently. And Grandpa was kind enough to share a picture. The same week, mine was filled with blossoms from the chives. Here's another Mommy Vase option. A tall shot glass. I love the thick glass and the dark blue edging...especially against the bright green and pink bougainvillea. This vase also came from Target. I usually leave my filled vase by the sink. It seems to be the place I spend the most time and it's the perfect place for a little color. Do you get many ...

I had an epiphany while sharing life-stuff with a girlfriend. The boys get crazy when life gets crazy! Go figure!

We had a Breakfast Picnic today. A wonderful option for HOT summer climates. And just as easy as sandwiches, chips and fruit. When my friend Liz planned one a few months ago I had one of those Why-Didn't-I-Think-of-That-It's-A-Great-Idea moments! So we did it again today. Just me and my boys. We went to a small park near our house. We took advantage of the shade. Because even at 8:30 it was a warm 88 degrees with about 60% humidity. Then Calvin played with (foam, air powered) rockets...one of the best toys ever! And Andrew climbed around on the playground. It was a good day! Have you ever had a breakfast picnic? Are you inspired?

Today is National Flag Day . The observance commemorating the adoption by Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. I love the flag. I love what it represents. I love the National Anthem. I love our country. Today we celebrated! We played with red, white and blue Play-Doh. We did a word search with flag words. Does anyone know what an estoile is? Halyard? How about a mullet? (relating to flags, not hair) The words were a little obscure...so obscure I had to pull out the dictionary...and then when the dictionary didn't have the words(!) I had to search on-line. We decorated cakes like flags with Cool Whip, strawberries and blueberries. We decorated and made pinwheels . They don't really look like pinwheels you say? Well, that's because the basic pinwheel plan didn't work very well. Using firm cardstock and placing a push-pin through the paper and into a pencil eraser is a good combination for launching a push-pin dar...

I am trying to say, "Yes!" more often. Like when Calvin wants to go real bowling or ride his bike on our street or stir the brownies or wants me to play Wii with him or go to the gymnastics gym or play in the snow. But nothing about saying Yes is easy for me. I hesitate because of the mess or the effort. I get bogged down by the details or logistics. I fret about making lunches and getting water bottles. I dread getting somewhere and not having what we need...the right clothes or a snack or, heaven forbid, a diaper. So, with great triumph I say: I took my kids to play in the snow today! A Big outing if ever there was one. After much preparation and one turn-around to get the sled we forgot, we left the warm and sunny valley to play in the cool and sunny mountains! Every bit of effort was worth it. Look at the king of the mountain! He loved it and didn't hesitate to slide down the hills, taste the snow, throw a snowball, use a sled, grab fistfulls of snow with his ...

Calvin went Pro on Wii bowling last week. I don't really know how that happened or what that means except his Mii got a cool new bowling ball. So we marked the occasion by going "real bowling." I tried to prepare him on the way to the bowling alley. "In real bowling," I said "it is polite to wait your turn until the people on the lanes next to you are finished." And "The balls are a lot heavier than the Wii controller so you can set the ball down and push it if you want." And "Did you know that you can't wear your tennies when you bowl...we will tell them your size and they will give you special shoes to wear." This last comment generated the most discussion, but in the end we had a great time! And only had to have the lane-attendant help us once. Are you surprised to learn that real bowling is harder than Wii bowling? (For the 4 year old and for the 36 year old!) Bowling would have been so much more fun as a child if tho...

As a mom I'm always pleased when I feel "experienced." You know the times...when I deftly rescue a child from a precarious position on a playground, when I have a well-balanced lunch that my kids actually eat, when my timing is great and we arrive home before a meltdown or a hunger strike. I am, after all, the mom of a 4 year old and a one year old. I have years of experience now!! But are you surprised to know there are days when I have to ask, "What was I thinking?!" We had one of those days last week. Ambitiously I planned a craft: A Pinecone Bird Feeder. A simple pinecone covered with peanut butter, corn meal and bird seed. Hang it on a tree with string and you're done! I have, in fact, been planning this activity for quite some time. I collected pinecones on our camping trip in September. I secured bird seed sometime in November. I added peanut butter and corn meal to my grocery list last month. I even had to rescue the pinecones from the tra...