Happy Birthday to me

I love going out to eat. We've established this. I especially love going out to eat on birthdays. I think it is a great way to celebrate, and neither Chris nor I has to cook or clean. So, we went to our favorite neighborhood Mexican place for dinner last night to celebrate my birthday. Enter the birthday dilemma: Do you let the serving staff sing Happy Birthday to you just to get the free ice cream???? For the kids, absolutely. For me, absolutely not! I don't like to be the center of attention, and having people from other tables watching as people I don't know sing to me kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies. Chris knows this. And Chris knows he's forbidden to tell our server that it is my birthday. So what does my loving hubby do? He gets Aiden to tell the server it's my birthday..... Sneaky, sneaky.

We eat at his particular Mexican place often enough that a lot of the staff know us. Our waitress that night could tell I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of being sung to. So, she told Aiden and Paige that there weren't any other people there who could help her sing right then, and that someone had lost the sombrero. I was ready to leap up and hug her for her understanding. Then we heard a quiet wail from the corner..... We all look over, and Paige has crocodile tears streaming down her face, and she is biting her lip trying not to cry. The waitress immediately gets it..... "Oh, sweetie," she says "Did you want to sing Happy Birthday to your Mommy?". Unable to speak, Paigey just nodded her head. Well, crap. Now I'm going to have to wear the stupid hat and let them sing to me. So out comes the sombrero, and here come the staff. They sing a rousing version of Feliz Cumpleanos a Ti (that sister hummed along to, not knowing the words in Spanish), I get only mildly embarrassed, and everyone is happy.

As a reward, I got some of their fantastic fried ice cream, covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Aiden decided he wanted to wear the sombrero for awhile, and did a little dance by the table while me, Chris, Paige, and Finn polished off the ice cream. Finn loves ice cream, by the way. Overall, it was a great birthday dinner. However, I will remember this in two weeks when we take Paige out for her birthday lunch/ dinner at Red Robin.

Just as a side note.... Aiden ordered his milk in Spanish at the restaurant. Our waitress was very impressed, and Aiden was very proud of himself.

Watch out world, he's mobile!!!!

So yesterday when I got home from work, it was morning as usual. I got the kids breakfast and putzed around a little bit. When Finn was finished, I put him o the carpet next to his toy basket to play. Imagine my surprise when I looked over a few minutes later, and Finn was over by the TV. On his tummy, pushing up on his hands and toes. What????? Did he crawl over there????? Then, right in front of my eyes, he pulled a move that was a cross between The Worm and actual crawling!!!!

Oh no!!!

We do not need a third mobile child yet. I thought I still had two months of relative immobility.... Aiden and Paige both waited until almost 11 months to crawl. So, last night I furiously cleaned up all the little things that live in the cracks and small spaces on the floor. Before, we only had to worry about keeping our area rug free of legos and pony shoes. Now it's the whole floor downstairs. Crap, I'm going to have to pull out the baby gates!!!

Finn really is cute trying to get across the floor. I took about a million video clips trying to showcase his new talent. The one below is the best of the bunch. We're watching from behind, but all the times I was next to him or in front of him all he wanted to do was smile for the camera. Such a ham.

Glee & Defying Gravity

I love musicals. I've been a sucker for movies, shows, anything with singing and dancing since I fell in love with Grease and Footloose as a child. Oh, and let's not forget Kids Incorporated......

So, when I heard there was a new show on Fox this fall about a group of nerdy, outcast glee-club kids that had singing in it, I HAD to check it out. Thank heavens for Hulu.com. I watched the first episode and was hooked. I subsequently watched the next two or three episodes. Yes, it's a little corny (okay, a lot corny).... but it's hilarious, and does deal with some real-life issues. The cast is incredibly talented, and it is a ton of fun to watch. And it doesn't hurt that one of the main characters is names Finn....

Last week the cast had a "diva off". Two of the kids were auditioning to the rest of the group for the chance to perform a song from the musical "Wicked". Now I read the book "Wicked" about a year ago. I didn't like it, and I couldn't picture how they could have ever made it into a musical. So, my interest in the musical died then. The song they sang on Glee is called Defying Gravity, and I have fallen in love with it. Both Kurt and Rachel (the characters on the show) sang it beautifully, and I have since looked it up and listened to it numerous times online. Makes me wonder if I'd actually like the musical, too.... Hmmmm....

I was hoping to post a video clip of the Glee kids singing Defying Gravity. But I can't find it online in very many places, and I'm just not that tech savvy yet. So, here's a link to another blog that has posted it online. If you're reading this and love a good perfomance, watch it. You'll be glad you did!

Glee – Defying Gravity – Diva Off – Video

I love it!!!!

Holiday pancakes

I love the holiday pancakes at IHOP. I'm a little perturbed at myself that we didn't make it there in October for the pumpkin pancakes. They are my absolute favorites. The kids love going to IHOP, too. Well, they're just like me.... we love eating out no matter where it is (as long as the food is good). Unfortunately, eating out is just not that great on the bank account. Iagine my dismay when IHOP aired its new holiday commercial with not only the coveted pumpkin pancakes, but with their new gingerbread pancakes-- covered in whipped creme and sprinkles. I immediately started salivating and planning our next trip to eat out.

Then reality and common sense kicked in. IHOP has deteriorated over the years. They keep taking food off their menu that I like. And let's face it, the kids eat pancakes at home just as well as they do out. I spent a couple hours at work last weekend making a menu (lunches and dinners) that will carry us through mid- December in an effort to help us cut back on eating out. If I have a menu, I am very likely to actually cook on a regular basis and make what the menu actually says we should have that day. Also, it helps cut down on buying unnecessary crap at the grocery store. Which I am also guilty of doing. While I was making said menu, I tried to incorporate some of my favorite eating-out dishes to liven things up a little. Cause you know we all get tired of taco night, spaghetti night, etc, etc..... So, one of the dinners I planned this week was for gingerbread pancakes. I figured I could make them myself- you can find a recipe for anything online these days.

Well, the gingerbread pancake reciped online all called for strange things- like brewed coffee. I don't drink coffee and neither does Chris. Lucky for me, Betty Crocker sells a gingerbread mix. I geniusly decided I could somehow turn that mix into a pancake mix. And today I did. The pancakes were a huge hit with the entire family. Even with Chris who classically does not like pancakes. With the cool whip and sprinkles on top, they even looked like the ones on the IHOP commercial. And I probably fed my whole family for what just my plate would have cost.

Okay, so we did have to clean up after ourselves, but hey, everything can't be perfect!

Happy meal night and a fever

So, I guess as parents we're suckers. We let our kids go to McDonald's once a week for a Happy Meal. Since Tuesdays are half-price-Happy-Meal-nights, it just seems like the natural time to go. It's kind of becoming a tradition; maybe not the best tradition, but a tradition nonetheless. Really we all know the kids just want the toy. Luckily, Aiden and Paige like the apples better than fries, and Aiden gets milk. Paige used to get apple juice until she discovered Sprite, and even better, Diet Coke (she only gets her own DC once in a great while). Tonight, Finn discovered hamburgers. Wow. We've heard him growl at food before, but that was just purring compared to what we heard tonight. I tried to catch it on video, but by the time I got the camera out, he'd quieted down a bit. I got a great picture, though!!!

Aiden took his first trip to the school nurse today. He went for a headache and he said a backache. Weird. Anyhow, by the time he got home, he had a fever. Hopefully it will be short-lived. He has a birthday party to go to tomorrow, and I'd hate for him to miss it. I couldn't convince him to take and ibuprofen for me, but he did want an ice pack for his head. Funny kid. I should have gotten a picture of that! Even though he's not feeling well, he got his Happy Meal tonight, too. But he took one bite of his burger (ketchup only, please), put it down and said, "this tastes funny tonight....". Needless to say, he didn't finish it.

Here's the video of Finn at dinnertime. I hope it works!!!

The Diaper Debacle

We buy diapers by the box. Who doesn't these days? Diapers are expensive, and you get more bang for your buck if you buy them in bulk.... We buy our diapers from Target- the Target store brand to be exact. Chris and I both wish we had discovered them with our other kids. They are by far the best store-brand diaper out there, beating out even Costco's Kirkland brand. We even like them better than Huggies. Now, Pampers Cruisers are our favorites, but they are just too expensive. I get a box of 92 diapers for about 13 bucks at Target. Granted, Costco sells them in boxes of approximately 200, but for 38 dollars a box. So, buying two boxes of Target diapers at a time is still cheaper- 192 diapers for 26 bucks. Great deal. Although it necessitate a trip to Target to buy them, and that in itself can be a dangerous pursuit. I love Target, and rarely get out of there with just diapers....

What's the debacle, you ask??? Well, we were at Target a couple weeks ago, and bought another box of diapers. We weren't out, just wanted to have the next box on hand early. Apparently that was a bad idea. Somewhere in my house/ garage/ van is an unopened box of 96 diapers. And I can't find them anywhere. The box isn't nondescript.... it's bright yellow and white. We remember buying the diapers, and we remember bringing them inside. I remember tripping over the box and thinking, "Ugh.... I don't want to be tripping over this stupid box for the next two weeks.....". Then I swear I took the box upstairs and stashed it in Finn's closet for easy access when I next needed diapers. Only now it isn't there. Or in the closet in the guest room, or anywhere else that I can find. Chris can't find it either. Seriously, how does one misplace an entire, unopened box of diapers???? If we never find it, at least I'm only out 13 bucks. But still....

I guess this means I'm headed back to Target!

Grilled cheese, nature walks, and vetrans

What a great week!

We all know that Finn loves to eat. This is such a fun stage- I love watching Finn explore the world around him and discover new things. It reminds me that there can be such joy and wonder in the little things in life. This week, Finn discovered the heaven that is a grilled cheese sandwich. Paige had mostly the crusts left over from her sandwich at lunch, and I thought it would be the perfect thing for him to gnaw on (you know, him and that one tooth he has!). Boy was I right!!!! The grilled cheese was a hit.

Paige got to put on her boots, heavy coat, and mittens and head out for the annual Fall Walk with Mrs. Mills and her preschool class. Side note here... One of the other moms from Paige's class absolutely LOVES our daughter. Chris and I think it is the funniest thing (in an almost sweet/stalker kind of way). She only has boys, and dotes a ton of attention on Paige. Anyhow, she was parent helper that day and said that Sis walked with her the entire time and provided her with some quality girl chatter. Paige came home that afternoon with a paper bag full of her treasures- namely pinecones. And those were the ones that she didn't use to make her fall wreath!

Aiden learned about veterans in school this week. Mrs. Abad talked to the kids about what made a person a veteran, and read a story in class about the meaning and importance of Veterans Day. The kids got to make thank-you cards with a poppy on the front, and "thank you Veteran's" written in both english and spanish. The only reason I know all this (with the exception of seeing the card, of course) is because I was parent volunteer at school that day. Aiden rarely divulges so much about a single school day.

It was really exciting for me to sit in on one of his school days. And by "sit in on" I mean observing while attacking the mountainous stack of laminated class papers/projects with a pair of sharp scissors in hand. Mrs. Abad conducts the first half of her class in spanish and the second half in english. All the songs they sing are in both languages, as well as the counting they do, the syllables & letters they practice, and their activity centers. The kids amaze me- they're all like little sponges! I'm looking forward to volunteering in his class more often. And Aide thought it was pretty cool, too.

Chris picked up Call of Duty 2 (I think), on midnight Monday night/ Tuesday morning, and has been blowing off some extra steam with a new game. Though he still made the time for our weekly date with Dancing with the Stars and Castle. And I'm getting excited watching all the Christmas gifts starting to show up at the house. Now, if only I knew where to hide them from the kids.......

Off to work!

Sometimes it's strange to be the one working in the house. I've said many times that Chris and I have a "traditional role" reversal: He's the stay-at-home parent, and I'm the worker at this point in our lives. So, it shouldn't surprise us that the kids react to this role reversal. In a classic family unit (do those even exist anymore?????), the mom would stay home with the kids all day long. When the dad came home, the kids would jump all over him and demand his attention since he'd been gone all day. Then they would stand at the windows and wave him good-bye the next day. Right? Well, maybe in some people's little worlds. Anyway......

My kids are Mama's kids. There's just no way around it. The boys, sure. We all hear about Mama's boys. But Paige is a Mama's girl too. My theory is that it's because I'm the one who heads off to work. They get to have their Daddy around all the time, and not me, so whenever I'm home they cling like little monkeys. Very sweet when I come home, but heartbreaking when I leave. Little Finn is just getting this all figured out. Just in the last week, he's started crying when I leave for work, and he'll even start to get fussy if he sees me in my work scrubs. Tonight I switched a shift at work unexpectedly. Aiden looked at the calendar and said, "But Mommy, it's Wednesday. You don't work Wednesdays." And I said that tonight I did. Well, the poor kid got a little angry with me and insisted that I couldn't go to work, and that I had to call them and tell them that I just wasn't going in. *Sniff sniff.....* Paige is the only one who seems like she could care less about it right now. As long as Pingu is on, she's golden!

I assure Chris on a regular basis that the kids love him just as much as they love me. It's just a case of them seeing him more. My proof? When he goes out for some time by himself- to a friend's house, or the grocery store even- he's not gone for 30 minutes before they start in with the "where's Daddy"s and "when's Daddy going to be home"s!!! Kids....

A new techie gadget

When Kelsey and Christie (my sis- and mom-in-laws) came out a few weeks ago, my mom-in-law brought a friend's Kindle with her. A Kindle is like a mini-computer that is about paperback sized that holds e-books. So, a hand-held book reader. I had heard of these before but never seen one up close and personally. It was pretty interesting. Just last night, I got an email from Barnes and Noble about the release of their own handheld book reader, the nook. Now, those of you who know me well (or maybe not well at all) know that I am an avid reader. I love books and have a collection of over 300 of my own. Maybe not such a a staggering number, buy hey, they're mine. I LOVE books- the stories they hold, the way they smell, the way they feel.... So, this notion of an electronic handheld that stands in for a book leaves me conflicted.



What I think would be good about having a e-reader:

• They are highly portable. About the size of a paperback or small hardback, but thin as a magazine.... You'd have tons of books at your fingertips without taking tons of books with you.


• They hold potentially thousands of books (in one place!), depending on what kind of storage option you choose.


• They say that the ebooks offered are going to be less expensive than the list price of many books, and that some books will be offered for free.


• With some programs, if you forget your e-reader at home, you can upload your book to your iphone or Blackberry for further reading pleasure.


• These hold not only books, but e magazines and e newspapers. And the nook is also an mp3 player.
• The e-reader can lay flat or be held in one hand. Making a mostly two-handed project into a one handed project. (I don't EVER break the spines on my paperbacks, so reading always requires 2 hands.)
  

What would not be good about an e-reader:

• It's an electronic gadget. What if it crashes? You could potentially lose all of you stored books. Chris assures me that my library would be maintained at either amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.... But what if the site crashed??? I just don't trust it. Plus, kids can be really hard on electronics- whether they are allowed to touch them or not.
• Reading on a computer is just not the same as reading a book. They have fixed the e-readers so the backgrounds aren't so bright, but not having trialed one, I'm not sure if it would help or not. Also, the e-readers only offer one page at a time viewing, which just feels odd for someone used to reading two side-by-side pages at a time.
• I love just sitting and perusing my collection of books. There is something very satisfying about seeing them all lined up on the shelves. All the bright colors, clever titles, and collected authors there in one place. And skimming the titles often brings back memories and feelings from the time when I read the book. One little hand held reader would be pretty boring to look at.
• If you have one and buy the e-books, do you also then buy a hard copy of a book that you particularly loved? Or, in acquiring an e-book reader, do you then re-buy all your old favorites to go in your e-book?
• it's just not a book.... Doesn't smell the same, doesn't feel the same......

I don't know if I would love one. I think for portability and convenience it's a great idea. And if one was rich and could buy books in duplicate, it would be a handy little thing to have around. Especially if you traveled a lot, or (like me) were prone to sticking a book into your pocket or purse no matter where you are going for the day.

Bottom line... I would love to try one out. Not likely to happen, since the reader alone is around $250.00. We're certainly not going to spend that kind of money just for me to try something.. what if I hated it??? Then I would have to load books on it, and I really dislike uploading things to electronic devices. It takes a long time, in a schedule where I already don't have much time. I bet I could get Chris to do it for me, though.....

If only Barnes and Noble would lend me one for a couple weeks......

I have a goal....

I'm going to be done present shopping for the kids before Thanksgiving for the holidays this year. I'm committed to it!!! I sat down last night and made a list of what they are going to get and started perusing the internet. So many places are having early sales and great deals right now that I'm not going to wait. Like I always wait.... Then end up being disappointed when I can't find the same thing at the same price later in the season. I've also got a list that has me spending about $150 each for the big kids- S-A-N-T-A gifts and all!!! I am, however, still stumped as to what to buy the little one.
I'll let you know later if i works out....

Why.....

....Why must children rise with the sun????

What a ham!

Apparently, I have Finn trained. In the past, Finn has always frowned at the camera with the "What the hell is that thing???" look on his face when I pull it out to take pictures. However, in the last 2 weeks or so, he has been all smiles when I pull the camera out. I better take advantage of that now.......

An Interesting Question....

So, Chris posed a very interesting question on his blog yesterday (that's at www.athomedaddy.com): Vampire or Lycan??? He was exploring the pros and cons of being either a vampire or a werewolf. Now, you'd have to be dead or living in a cave to not have heard of Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight series. I am a fan. We'll leave it at that. But it lets me take the vampire/lycan question of Chris's in a new direction: Which would I rater date, a vampire or a werewolf?

A question that I'm sure is being debated on blogs, IMs, posts, and chats everywhere. However, before that question can be answered, we must answer an even more pertinent question- Who's fantasy world are we living in? Stephanie Meyer's world of cold vampires and shapeshifters, Anne Rice's world of immortal beings struggling with morality, Patricia Briggs's, Laurell K. Hamilton's, or even Sherrilyn Kenyon's alternate worlds where vampires and werewolves each have different places in the hierarchy... Or are we in one of my all time favorite movie places- the world of the Underworld vamps and wolves?

Since her universe is so well known right now, and in honor of the movie that is coming out this month, let's go with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight world. In which case I would much rather date a werewolf. Here are a few of my top reasons:

1.) Have you seen those boys??? Whether on -screen or in my imagination, the 6'5 to 6'8, tanned, muscle bound shapeshifters have a much more commanding presence than the willowy, pale vamps.
2.) The wolves are alive. Vampires are dead. Yes, that makes them immortal and unchangeable, but change is not necessarily a bad thing. And SM's werewolves enjoy their own brand of longevity.
3.) As a chronically cold person, who actually wants to snuggle up to a marble cold, man-shaped statue??? Uncomfortable!!! And while the wolves run extra-hot, it's way more fun to take extra layers off than to put them on ;).....
4.) SM's Olympic coven is different in that they are a family unit; most of her vamps are solitaries, or travel in pairs. The wolves live in a large family-based and family-oriented community- and nothing is more important than family.
5.) The wolves imprint. If you happen to be lucky enough to be the object of an imprint, then your man will never cheat, never love any one else "that way", and never leave. You're lucky if your vampire mate leaves you alive, or doesn't kill you while trying to turn you.

Okay, yes, if your wolf doesn't imprint on you then there is the chance that he will on someone else- and that would suck. And yes, you'd have to worry about your man exploding into a horse-sized furry ball of fury if he ever really lost his temper, but what's life without a little excitement???

GO TEAM JACOB!!!

Happy Halloween

In the words of Aiden (every few houses), "This is the best Halloween EVER!!!!!!"

It looks as though Chris and I have instilled our love of Halloween into the kids. Starting with the pumpkin patch mid-month, to picking out costumes, carving pumpkins, and finishing with the Big Night of dressing up and trick-or-treating. We try to instill the sense of magic and excitement that we felt as kids. I think it worked this year. The kids were so excited, and had so much fun.

Aiden was a (very skinny!) skeleton this year accompanied by a pink and black Kitty Paige, and Penguin Finn. We had a bit of trouble with Paige and the face makeup, but finally got it all figured out. Aiden impressed us and wore his mask almost the whole time, and Finn managed to stay awake through the whole experience.

Chris stayed home to had out candy this year while I took the kids out trick-or-treating. We hit six streets and the kids got a ton of candy. All of which Paige will want to eat, and none of which Aiden will eat. It was great fun to see all the houses that were decorated, but the number of houses not participating in the holiday surprised me. Boo on them!

The weather was perfect when we started out- the sun was out and there was lingering warmth from the day. It got colder as it got darker, and by the time we were done, the kids were ready to take their "popsicle" hands back in the house.

We loaded into the car after trick-or-treating for a quick trip to the Kohlbeckers' place- they love Halloween more than we do, and always decorate their house to show it. I wish I'd taken my camera. It was scary, over the top, and so much fun!!!

Then it was back home for face washing, jammies, and bed. Whew! The kids said a million times what a great time they had.