Story Time

Bangkok 8- My current book club read. I have yet to start it but I am looking forward to reading this mystery/thriller. A first in this genre for our book club. Good choice Misa.

Buddhism for Mothers- My latest parenting book that I LOVE. It doesn't tell me how to parent and what to do but helps me be more calm, patient, and relaxed so that my kids (and husband too, I imagine) benefit as well. Very interesting to read about Buddhism and how its 7 principles can help us in all areas of life- focuses on meditation and living in the moment. Cool!

Why Gender Matters- Another must-have for parents and teachers that examines the emerging science of sex differences. Tells how boys and girls see the world differently and how these differences have implications for best teaching practices as well as effective parenting. This helps me to understand why Logan loves Superheroes and Leah loves her dolls!

Look Closely

My wonderful husband cleaned up the toys while I was putting the kids to bed one night. I come back down stairs and everything is put away, organized, and we're ready to relax. A little while later, I looked at Leah's doll house and noticed the dolls enjoying themselves! I especially liked the creative positioning. Too funny!! Crazy Anthony!

Little Chef's

New Kitchen and Fridge- cooking and yummy food for all.... although I am told that the L Kids like to hide IN the stove area and pop up out through the sink. Of course they would!?! What was I thinking? I have yet to see it but Gramma and Papa reported that the kids play "pop goes the weasel" and laugh hysterical... at least they have fun!

Leah Enjoys Dessert and Logan Enjoys His Cake!!

Adult Time

Last night, Anthony and I went out to dinner at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland with some friends. We had a peaceful, quiet, and relaxing time. It was great to get out and converse with other adults about adult topics! Yes, the kids did come up a few times but for the most part, we stuck to other subjects. And the food was exquisite. Anthony had to translate the menu items for me but we settled with fancy beef in a cream cheese sauce for appetizer, pear and pine nut salad, and I had a pasta dish while Anthony had the lamb. We all had cocktails and 2 bottles of wine to accompany the dinner! And then came dessert... a fine cheese tray (which was too rich for me), cheesecake for Anthony, and fancy hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows for me! Yum, yum, yum! Thanks Anthony, for a lovely, special dinner and the feeling that yes, I still am an adult and really enjoy restaurants that DO NOT have a kids menu accompanied with crayons!

On to the next...

Christmas was great... now I am thinking of Logan's B-Day! Aaahhhhh! Just finished wrapping all his presents.

Best Things about Christmas

1- Being with family and friends
2- Excitement of Logan and Leah (and their perfect behavior during all the excitement!)
3- Christmas Eve- bowling, party, Uncle sleeping over, putting toys together late night, and anticipation of Christmas morning!
4- Joy and surprise on Logan and Leah's faces when they saw all their gifts and presents under the tree
5- Christmas Brunch- Maple Logs, biscuits and gravy, scrambled egg casserole
6- Presents, Presents, and more Presents!
7- All day party at Gramma and Papa's
8- Christmas Dinner! Yummy!
9- Again, fun times with family and friends
10-Christmas Lights!

Thank you family and friends for making our Christmas so special, memorable, and unforgettable! And for ALL the thoughtful, perfect gifts.

Logan Turns 4!!!!

TEN (out of a ton) BEST THINGS ABOUT LOGAN
1. Curly hair and sweet smile
2. Sweetness, empathy, and compassion for others
3. Sense of humor and funny personality
4. He knows how to have FUN!
5. His love for Leah.
6. He is such a good helper!
7. The art work he makes at school
8. His hugs and snuggles!
9. Imagination and smartness
10. EVERYTHING about Logan is the best!


LOGAN'S FAVORITES
1. Trucks
2. Playing in the sandbox
3. Basketball
4. Uncle!
5. Cars and Motorcycles
6. Friends- especially Abby and Leslie
7. Super Heroes
8. Treats!
9. Taggie Blankie
10. Bedtime Stories
11. Singing and Dancing
12. Painting
13. Camp Fires
14. Cooking with Mom, Dad, Uncle, Gramma!
15. Little Feats Preschool
16. Going to CAMP- jetski!
17. Music

Can't believe my little guy is turning 4. Yes, it DOES go by so fast. He has grown so much in the past year and continues to amaze us everyday! He is such a special little guy. Happy 4th Birthday Logan! You ROCK!

Question

From Anthony:

If electric razors are so great, then why do they sell so many damn regular razors?

Merry Christmas!!

Hope all the presents are wrapped, stockings are up, cookies are made, and fireplace is cleared for Santa. Get ready for fun, fun, fun!
Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night!
Enjoy the Holiday!

My Day 12/21/06

8am- Kids up, shower, mad rush to get kids dressed and fed and Leah to Gymboree
9am- Leah and I play, run, and jump at Gymbo
10am- Home to pick up Logan and Anthony, off to Swansons to see the reindeer
11am- Running around Swansons, trying to find kids and husband, go to cafe for lunch and hot cocoa, watch the trains, carry crying kids to car (both wanted to stay and play)
12pm- Yard work outside- clean up from the storm last week, dealing with Leah who insists on taking her shoes and socks off and Logan who is playing in the puddles and "river" flowing down the street, inside for lunch, ignore Leah's 15 minute tantrum b/c I forgot to give her ketchup with her hot dog, put kids laundry away only to have Leah take the clothes back out of her drawer. So, take 2 with putting clothes away.
1pm- Put Leah in for nap, spend the next hour putting Leah back into her crib, convincing her that a nap is in her future! At the same time, trying to keep L-Man quiet and occupied as he is running around in circles singing Christmas songs and exclaiming, "I'm so excited, I'm so excited."
2pm- Straightened up the house, vacuumed up the never-ending pine needles for the second time today, put all the coats and shoes away, watered the tree, put the ornaments that the kids took off back on the tree, put Leah back in her crib and convinved her to take a nap... again!
3pm- Leah finally sleeping! Whoo-hooo. Play blocks and dinosaurs with Logan, make Christmas cookies with Logan, clean the kitchen again, sweep up the pine-needled again, folded laundry and put a new load in the washer, cleaned up the 1/2 bottle of baby powder that Logan emptied onto the bathroom floor and put him in the shower. (There is still a cloud of baby powder dust in our house as I write this blog.)
4pm- A grumpy Leah woke up, went in to get her but she screamed and said she wanted to go back night-night, left her room and debated weather or not to just take her out of crib and have her scream or let her continue to whine in her bed. Finally, took her out. Called Logan's neighbor friends to come over to play, cracked open a beer! Began to think about dinner. Dinner? Who has time for dinner???
5pm- Do the dishes from the day, man, how do we manage to go through 8 cups and 5 sippy cups in less than 8 hours? And about 12 bowls?!?! Put clothes into the dryer and put more clothes away! Sat down to write this blog while kids are building block towers with Ben and Gabe. Dinner? Hhmmmm... take out? Mexican? Thai? OK- need to take a break now, will be back after bedtime.
6pm- Jumping for Joy! A just came home and went grocery shopping... AND got us crab legs for dinner!! So, did a quick clean up game with the kids (again, I am amazed at how many toys are all over the place since we last cleaned up a few hours ago), put them in the tub, help A unload groceries and make dinner. Get kids in pajama's, clean up the flood in the bathroom, and all sit down for a nice dinner. Leah ate everything in sight, Logan threw the crab across the table, time-out for him and then he spent the next 20 minutes cleaning up his mess. Listened to Christmas carols and danced around the house with the family.
7pm- Dinner clean up, more laundry, and everyone into the car for a drive to see Christmas lights. Fold the rest of the laundry, attempt for kids to watch bedtime show, but Logan preferred to dump my newly folded clothes on the floor and dress himself in as many things as possible, and Leah decided to dump out all of the toy bins! Oh joy!!! Here comes the clean up crew, yet again!
8pm- Bed time!! Leah is down in crib. Let's hope she doesn't get out a million times. Lo is up with Anthony. Let's hope he won't need my assistance and here I am! Blogging away with my last load of laundry in the washer, towels in the dryer and more, yes, more presents to wrap.

So, guess what?? After all this, my house is still a mess with pine needles all over, dishes to be done, and more laundry to fold. And today was a somewhat "calm" day.

One Liners

I have a bunch of little things to mention but nothing juicy enough to write a whole blog about. So, here goes:

1: I went shopping with my dad tonight (an annual tradition)and had a great time! I finished ALL my shopping and now just need to wrap, wrap, wrap and put together toys! We ended the night with dinner and a beer. Yum.

2: My house is bursting at the seams with presents and gifts for all. I have no more hiding spots!! Closets are filled, drawers are stuffed, and blankets are all used in various spots to cover large items. Do I dare try to put wrapped presents under the tree? Will my little angles open them?

3: I LOVE my cleaning ladies. They make my life so much easier and it forces me to clean up the random clutter that we accumulate during the week. They do the deep down dirty cleaning that I just don't have time for. It is honestly the best money that I spend during the week.

4: Fruitcake, fruitcake, and more fruitcake. My husband is addicted to fruitcake. Seriously. I am not kidding.

5: Logan loves Santa Claus. Leah wants nothing to do with the Big Guy. (And yes, I have used the old, "Santa is watching you" bribe with Logan and it works like a charm every time!)

6: Rain, rain, and more rain. Yes, I know, we live in Seattle BUT come on!!! I would love to go for a nice long walk without having to worry about the rain!

Well, that's all for now!

Laundry

Why is it that as soon as I get the clothes folded and put away, there is another full load ready to be washed??? I am ALWAYS doing laundry!
Kim K- How do you do it? I only have 2 kids and you have 6. You are super mom!!!!!

Leah the Climber

Setting: Our house
Time: Afternoon when Leah is suppose to take her nap.

Summary: So A and I are about to head out the door. Sara, the girl from across the street is babysitting. I had just put Leah down for her nap and was giving Sara the usual instructions for the kids. Next thing I know, out comes Leah with a BIG smile on her face saying, "Hi Mama, hi, I come out." I turned around, looked at her in amazement, and she ran into her room! The little stinker climbed out of her crib! We put her back in and out she came... 3 times! Finally, I just told Sara to keep her up if she did it again. (Of course, she did). She was so graceful and quiet, we didn't know even know she was escaping. Luckily at bedtime, she stayed in- must have been extra tired from not taking a nap!

Aaaaahhhhhhh- what does this mean?!?!? Time for a big bed? For my BABY? No way!? Oh boy, I am not ready to deal with sleep issues, again! Wish me luck!

Hot Buttered Rum

So, we went to a lovely Holiday Party... complete with food catered from a delicious restaurant, fancy drinks for the kids, and plenty of fun people. Everything was going well until... A and I walk into the kitchen where there was yummy smell coming from the stove. After admiring it for a few minutes, someone poured us each a cup of hot buttered run (our first taste of such kind) and let me tell you, it put us over the edge! It was SO good.. but very rich and strong with alcohol!! My point to this message: Have a designated driver if you will be consuming hot buttered rum at any holiday parties!

Silly Sentence

Here's a task:
Create a sentence with each word beginning with the first letter of each word in HOLIDAYS.

Here's my attempt:

Happy old ladies in daily audiences yell something.

(Does this make sense? Is this a sentence?)

Again, another wonderful, meaningful task for second grade children!!!!
Send me your ideas!

Unconventional Generosity

I was lucky enough to be able to spend some alone time with my husband today- thanks to Gramma who came to babysit a sick Logan and a sassy Leah!! As we ventured out into the rain, A says, "We have to make one quick stop. I have to give the homeless guys their annual Christmas gift." We get into the car and I see a 12-pack of Steele Reserve Malt Liquor. At this point, I nod my head and go with the flow. Next thing, we pull up to "homeless acres" and Anth jumps out of the car. The guys walk over and A says, "I heard you like to drink, I do too." And he handed them their gift! Well, let me tell you, these guys were SO happy... all because of my husband. A Happy Holidays to all... and away we went!!

A Pod of Orca's

So, how cool is this? We're on the boat, enjoying Bloody Mary's and breakfast with Santa Claus and musicians strolling around, when the caption announces, "It seems like we have a pod of 6-8 orcas swimming around the boat." So we all go running up to the deck and lo and behold, big freaking whales with super giant dorsal fins! They were huge with beautiful, shiny black skin, big white eyes, and enormous, sparkling teeth. They "played" with the boat for about 45 minutes until we had to head back to the dock. (Anthony thinks they liked the Christmas Music playing on the outdoor speakers!) It was AWESOME!! Right in the Puget Sound- diving and darting 40 feet away from our boat. Logan was in awe- kind of in disbelief- and Leah kept saying, "amazing, cool, wow." Me, being a dolphin lover, thought this was incredible. What a special way to remember our Santa Brunch Boat Ride!!!

Things that deserve mentioning...

1. I got my haircut and highlighted on Friday! I always feel so much better after getting my hair done- and it looks great.

2. The "L Kids" thought it would be fun to take rolls of toilet paper and throw them from one end of the room to another until it looked like a Winter Wonderland. Where was I, you ask? Close by, in my room folding laundry!!!!

3. My brother is in Hawaii right now, going to the U2/Pearl Jam concert. No, I'm not jealous at all!!!!

4. We went on an Argosy Cruise Santa Brunch boat ride. It was great- fun for the whole family!

5. My parents took Logan for the day today and A and I had some quality time with Leah... and I got a TON of stuff done around the house!

6. I am the luckiest Mom around!

Thinking...

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." -Michelangelo

I read this quote the other day and it really got me thinking. I feel like I am a pretty successful person (not in terms of how much money I make, but in terms of what I do). I fulfilled my dream of becoming an educator and have been teaching for 10 years- and I LOVE it! Wow, 10 years- that is scary and makes me seem OLD! I also have a family and try to be the best mother and wife I can be. All in all, things these days are great. What more could I and do I want? I haven't thought about it too much, given that I am extremely happy with the way things are right now- great job, supportive, loving husband, and 2 healthy, happy, and totally cute kids. However, once I look deeper, yes, there are some other things I would like to do and accomplish- as an individual. Of course, as a given, I will continue to be the best mom and wife I can be... keeping myself knowledgeable of the different stages and experiences that my kids go though and guiding them through life. To me, this is the most important thing. However, once I think about it, I do have other hopes and dreams. My friend Misa has a "Life To Do" list. It was an assignment that she was required to do during her college years and she continues to add to it. She mentioned that some things on her list are real simple and basic while others are more elaborate and harder to attain. I really like this idea... a life to do list!! I just might have to start one!!!

Ski Patrol

In my family, winter equals skiing! For the past few years, it seems like I was either pregnant or with a newborn so I haven't skied too much- just here and there. We usually go on one big ski trip in the winter with my whole family and then take a few trips up to local resorts occasionally. Until... my big-boy son started ski lessons! Last year, he took a 4-week lesson that met every Saturday from 9:30-12. It was amazing to see Little Lo, fearless as can be, go zooming down the bunny hill. He LOVED it. And he was even brave enough to go on the big ski lift toward the end of the season. So, this year, Logan starts his lessons in January and they will run for 6 weeks. Now, the one thing that concerns me is that the lessons are from 9:30 until 2:00! Yes, that is 4 1/2 hours!!! Now, I don't even ski for that long. He does get a lunch break with us from 11:30-12:45 so that will be good. I was a bit concerned about the length of the lessons but my husband, who is always thinking, reminded me that it's not all skiing- the kids play inside, make snowmen, have snowball fights, and basically, have a great time. There is 1 instructor for every 2 kids so it's pretty individualized. Now, my other concern is that Ms. Leah, is going to want to ski once she sees all of us do it. We can keep her away from the slopes around Seattle... but when we go on our trip come January, we might be in trouble! Hopefully, she will be content riding in the little purple sled! Although, she did already say (in her little robot voice), "Leah ski, too, with Logan." Too funny! So, pray for snow and a good ski season for ALL!

Do/Don't

I DO like the snow!
I DON'T like taking 45 minutes to get everyone bundled up, then spending 10 minutes outside!

I DO love buying Christmas gifts.
I DON'T like the back-ache that I get from leaning over to wrap presents for hours on end.

I DO like the sweet, precious, and peaceful look on my kids faces when they are sleeping.
I DON'T like spending 2 hours to get them to sleep!

I DO like the cute matching pajama's for Lo and Le.
I DON'T like the fact that Anth and I can't find any matching pajamas.

I DO love Hawaii.
I DON'T like the fact that my brother is there right now... without us!

I DO like sleeping in on Friday.
I DON'T like when certain Team Members decided to wake up at 5:00am on Friday morning.

I DO like when Anth says, "Hey, let's see if we can find a babysitter and go out."
I DON'T like it when no one is available to babysit.

I DO like doing editing work for my Dad and his company.
I DON'T like when I have to edit for people who can't write at all!!

I DO like the teachers at my school.
I DON'T like when the teachers at my school give meaningless assignments!

Second Grade Work

So, many of you know that I work part-time helping second and third graders with reading, writing, and math. I LOVE my job and the kids I work with. It is SO rewarding to see their faces light up when they "get something" or when they are successful. I am proud to make a difference (even if it's small) in their lives and help them experience learning.
Anyway, I went in to work with my second grade students and they were copying the following poem from the board. After they copied it, they had to write AT LEAST 4 sentences about what the poem means to them. Again, second grade, this is.

DECEMBER
I like days with a snow-white collar,
And nights when the moon is a silver dollar,
And hills are filled with eiderdown stuffing,
And your breath makes smoke like an engine puffing.

I like days when feathers are snowing,
And all the eaves have petticoats showing,
And the air is cold and the wires are humming,
But you feel all warm... with Christmas coming!

Now, I have a lot of issues with this assignment AND with this poem.
Here's a few of them (remember, second grade!):

1. Having kids copy from the board is "old school" and has no value what-so-ever.
2. Second grade students cannot and do not relate to this poem- never mind the vocabulary, tone, and message of the poem.
3. It mentions Christmas- what about those who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or those who don't celebrate any winter holidays.
4. How can second graders write 4 sentences about something that they don't understand?

Maybe I am out of line or over reacting BUT I saw how the students in this class were struggling with this and becoming real frustrated! Luckily, I saved the day and helped these young learners with this pointless assignment.

Any thoughts? Ideas? Reactions?

This sums it up....

In response to my "Second Grade Work" post, I found this quote, which is somewhat aligned with my teaching philosophy:

"There is plenty of time for children to have exams, to get marks. We want them to play, to learn through games. It's a time for waiting, not for pushing."

Jean-Pierre Villain, Advisor to France's Education Minister

Long Time, No Blog

So, it seems like I haven't done a posting in a while. For a bit there, I was doing at least one a day. I am hoping to get back into that little routine. We have been busy here: Leah's B-Day Party, Holiday Parties, Friends B-Day Parties, and the visit from my mother-in-law and brother-in-law from New York. Needless to say, my computer time has been limited! Plus, I am trying to get to bed a little earlier than 1:30am. A lot of times, I find myself writing on my blog to avoid doing things I need to do: paying bills, folding laundry, and wrapping presents for starters! On that note, guess I better go get a little something done!

A Few Photos

Sorry, the Christmas lights on our house didn't come out very good. You'll have to use your imagination but... here's some others for your viewing pleasure!

Anthony's Pick's Again

Anthony is into Christmas lights big-time. He loves everything about them- they way they look, driving around to see the displays, even putting them up. This year, we started with the mini-colored lights around our railings and trees in the front. However, A was not pleased so we moved up to the bigger, brighter, and better blinkers!!! You can see them from a mile away and they are very festive and colorful (a bit obnoxious, too). Not to mention, great entertainment for the kids!! I figure I'll do the "elegant" display- white lights with garland- when the kids are older!

In honor of Anthony's passion for Christmas lights, check out the displays on this website:
www.uglychristmaslights.com


PS- No ugly lights for our house!

My Favorite Things

A: Anthony, amusement parks
B: babies, birthdays
C: candles, candy, caramel apple cider
D: dolphins, Dad, decorating
E: exercise (NOT!)
F: friends, family, flowers, fashion
G: games, gummy bears, gardening
H: Happy Hour, holidays
I: ice cream
J: John Hay, journals
K: kids
L: Logan, Leah, laughter
M: Mom, money, music, MEG!
N: notecards, naps for all!
O: ocean, outdoors, organizing
P: playtime, parks, peppermint mocha's
Q: quiet time
R: reading
S: sunshine, skiing, sunsets, shopping
T: teaching, traveling, toys
U: Uncle
V: violets
W: wine-a-ques, writing, walks
X: xylophones!?
Y: yo-yos
Z: zoos!

Anthony's Pick

My husband is a HUGE fruit cake and minced meat pie fan.. his favorite part of the Holiday season is being able to have these two things. And he usually gets them all to himself since no one else will eat them!! I brought him a fruitcake home from Costco at the beginning of the week and you would have thought we won the lottery!

So, in honor of Anthony and his favorite food during the holidays:

http://whitakersgourmet.com