Lately...

A Day in the Life of a "Stay at Home" Mom -

(when you get bored, scroll down for pictures...)

6:00am - Wake up, feed Carina, go back to sleep for 30 minutes
7:00am - Wake up again and wake Mia and Laney, get them and myself dressed, teeth brushed, hair done, faces washed, make lunches, make breakfast
8:00am - eat breakfast, wake up Carina, get her dressed
8:25am - Out the door into the car
8:40am - Drop off Mia at school
9:00am - Feed Carina in the car at Laney's school (Laney gets a video)
9:20am - Take Laney into her class, wash hands, get her started on an activity
9:35am - either head home or run a quick errand
10:00am - Carina naps, do housework (laundry, pay bills, take a shower, bathe Carina)
12:00pm - Wake up and feed Carina and feed myself
12:30pm - Out the door into the car
12:50pm - Get Laney from school
1:30pm - home, Carina is usually asleep again at this point, have one on one time with Laney
2:35pm - Out the door into the car. Carina is usually asleep, sometimes Laney is too.
3:00pm - Be at Mia's classroom door for pickup.
3:25pm - Arrive home (unless it's Wednesday, then we head straight to gymnastics and Carina will have eaten at 2.) Feed Carina.
3:40pm - Work with Mia on her homework, Laney does a "project" or watches a TV show
4:10pm - kids fight play, I make dinner
5:15pm - Dinner for the kids and sometimes myself
6:00pm - TV time, kids fight play, I check email
6:30pm - feed Carina
7:00pm - bath time, or major playroom cleanup time
7:30pm - get kids in jammies, teeth brushed, books read, prayers, water
8:00pm - big kids in bed
8:20pm - feed Carina, Patrick and sometimes myself, watch some TV
9:00pm - try to get Carina to bed
11:00pm - my bedtime

Well, this past few weeks we had a week of the sickies, two weeks of the snow, and now Carina and I are just getting over the crud. I think I had/have the flu, so I guess Carina does too. My guess is that we got it from the doctor's office. Isn't it ironic? Also, we missed posting about Valentines Day, Carina's 4month checkup, and Laney's new amazing whistling! Here are some photos and a video to catch you up. Now I'm off to bed to try to kick this thing...*cough*!




the spoon sticks to nose trick!

Mia and Patrick are experts!

A "swim" party / makeup party playdate
Carina is 4 months old, 25in. long and weighs a whopping 15lbs 4oz! (and, she seems to be teething)

Mia's Sledding Hill

Patrick Digs us Out

"Sledding!"

Mia and I spent an hour or so yesterday building a sled trail in the back yard. Our yard is relatively flat, so we used a big pile of snow to create a hill and cut trails down for her to sled. They are all covered now, and we'll put up new pics when we feel its safe to stick our necks outside, but for now, here's a video of Mia.

SNOW 2010

The first real snow this season that the kids could really play in has arrived!!! (Note we were en route to NC for the Blizzard in December.) Maybe there will be enough for a snowman later, but for now, the girls made some pretty nice snow angels before Laney got too cold and wanted some cocoa.

Carina got her chance to really get out in the snow and still doesn't like it much, but we did get a few shots of her so we can officialy dub them her first snow pictures.

Happy Snow Day to You!

Cien!!

This evening Mia wanted to show me something she could do.

So I sat here as she counted one number at a time from Uno to Cien (yes, in Spanish!) Evidently today was her 100th day of school.

Bravo, Mia!! Muy Bien!!

Christmas at the Beach

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This year, we spent Christmas week in Emerald Isle, NC.

We headed down a night early to try to beat the Blizzard, but met up with it in Richmond where we waited almost 3 hours in near standstill traffic before we got our turn to attempt to cross the bridge across the river. Several cars and all semi trucks were stranded at the bottom of the large incline of the un-plowed bridge. (The plows couldn't make it to the bridge through the traffic.) We made it across. Thankfully we were full of people, luggage, and Christmas presents, and had new tires. As we made our way off I95 onto I85, we stopped to call a tow truck for a stranded minivan and family who had plowed into a ravine - it was a pretty nasty drive. Patrick is a very skilled driver, and I'm thankful he was the one driving.


By the time it was nearing 3-4 in the morning and we were just out of the snow and finally in the rain, we stopped to get some sleep at an old gas station. Sleeping in the car was just fine at that point. However, should you attempt this, please remember to call those expecting you, even if it IS 4 am and there is a sleeping baby in their house (oops!).

After a few hours to freshen up and refuel our minds and bodies in Raleigh, it was smooth sailing to our beloved 3 Palms - the house we also rented in September 2008.




We started the week with a bad cold for Mia and while we passed it around , we fit in fun filled days of cooking, relaxing, cookie making, gingerbread house decorating, sea shell collecting, and even a birthday party for Jacque! What a blast.

Thanks to Neil and Jessica, I took a much-needed break from the kid-chaos for a half-day spa experience with Amanda and my mom - ahhhhh.

Although weather systems seem to try to keep us from going, I love Emerald Isle and can't wait to go back in the summer - hope you all had a Merry Christmas, too!

Mia's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Mia's first day of Kindergarten. No tears, no hard goodbyes, just a seemingly regular day at school - can you believe it?!?

She's attending the Spanish Immersion Magnet program at Rolling Terrace Elementary School here in Takoma Park, and will be taught in Spanish for the day, except during Art, Music, PE, and Library time.

Her teacher is one of the "good ones", I've been assured by veteran parents we know, and she reported that she had a good time! Aside from that, we didn't get a lot of feedback from her in regards to what she did today, other than that she went to the "Sports Room" (aka Gym) for some games, and learned the word Peacock in Spanish. I'll be looking forward to Folder Wednesdays, where we get info and homework from the teacher.

Congratulations to our little school girl!

A Trip to the Mall

Well, not the Shopping Mall, but the DC Mall. Last weekend we traipsed down to the Mall for a morning adventure, DC style.

First, we had a ride or two on the carousel, one of the girls' favorite activities IN THE WHOLE WORLD, EVER. Then we had a snack and inadvertently (I think) fed the birds.
Next we headed over to the Natural History Museum and visited the Butterfly exhibit, where you can walk among several different species of butterflies. It was really neat, though I was worried my little butterfly catcher, Mia, would try to catch a few, rules or not.
Lastly we had lunch on a park bench and headed back home as I was getting WAY too hot in the 90+ degree heat.

But it was a fun morning!

Mean Old Coffee Table...

Anyone want a mean old mission style coffee table circa 1997? It's really just a plank of wood on 6 legs, but it beats up our children and enough is enough! Mia has a grey tooth thanks to this mean old guy and in the last 10 days Laney has given herself an unintentional frenulectomy and a black eye - sheesh!

Nevermind that we removed it for awhile and the TV console started to pick up where the coffee table left off, it's time for Mr Meanie to go. That, or we really really need a playroom where the kiddos can gallop, dance, and spin their princess dresses.

Creepy Photo...

So tonight I was going through old photos on our computer, and I came across this. Cute photo of Mia being Mia, but check out that image on the TV! (Click on the photo for a bigger pic) It's Mr. Rogers and his trolley in the land of make-believe, but what is that monster looking thing, seemingly a double exposure. (?!?)

I have no idea...thoughts welcome.

Optimism and Pollyanna

We have a little Pollyanna in our midst. Her name is Mia. "Fantastic!", you think. Optimism is a great characteristic for a person to have. And, yes, it really is. Life's ups will be great and Life's downs will roll off her as she looks towards the positive side of things.

Sure! It's a great characteristic. And I keep telling myself that everytime I have to take away a privilege from Mia for getting in trouble.

No dessert? Lose a playdate? Favorite toy in time out? No lightning-bug catching tonight? No Problem! She simply states "Well, maybe we can tomorrow...or next week." Hmmm.

How does one teach the value of a consequence when she knows things will always turn around and get better?

Mia's 5 and Happy Fathers' Day!

Our Mia is five! Five years old is a big deal around here. It's the year you are officially allowed to have makeup, the year you are allowed to have a pet (though we will be waiting until construction is finished this time), it is the year in which you move from being a preschooler to a school-kid, it's a Big Deal!

This year, Mia had her birthday party at Pump it Up the week before her actual birthday, since she shared her big day with Fathers' Day.

On the actual day, we spent the morning searching out chocolate chip pancakes. It appeared many many others had the same idea, so we stopped at Starbucks instead and moved the pancake feast to lunch in order to make it to church on time.

Presents in the afternoon, a few phone calls, a pizza dinner and a double-decker cake finished off the day for both Mia and Patrick, stuffed to the brim with sugar and love.


For Mia, this was the epitome of greatness. After watching almost all of her preschool friends turn 5 throughout the year and feeling a bit left behind, it was finally HER TURN! Waiting is really really hard when you're not quite 5 and you count every month until you get there.


Patrick was very gracious for sharing his day (and his cake) with Mia, and enjoyed the homemade picture frames from the girls as well as the chance to spend all day together as a family.

Happy Father's Day to a Great Daddy!

And Happy Birthday to my Mia Bug!

Soccer

Well we usually start each Saturday morning with a whine. Mia doesn't want to go to soccer. She doesn't like it. When we get there (late), she will only participate if Patrick or I hold her hand while she's running or kicking or learning to dribble. Well, this doesn't work very well while trying to run or kick or learn to dribble.
Finally this Saturday we had a breakthrough! The coaches split the team up and began a scrimmage this weekend and Mia LOVED it! She made a goal, she was able to control the ball to some degree, and I think she finally found some of the confidence she seemed to be lacking in the previous weeks. It didn't hurt either that all her friends from school were on her side of the field. :)
Next week is the last week of the season and she will get the medal I promised her she would get if she just kept going even though she didn't want to. Now I think she might even sign up for another season and is getting Laney interested as well. We will still likely venture into other sports she's interested in, including swimming, gymnastics, karate, and ice skating/hockey, but I'm really happy we are ending the soccer season on a high note.

The Trip - a Recap

Whew! It was a quick trip by all accounts, one we would have love to have extended. But, we managed to fit in most of the things we wanted to do and still had a little time for R&R.

We left Friday after Laney's school morning and drove to Florence, SC, our halfway point and a place to spend the night. Saturday evening after a stop at the Outlet Malls we arrived at our condo in Orlando. How beautiful! And a working kitchen to boot! Hooray!

Sunday our friend Tim escorted us to the Magic Kingdom where we played the day away, and we left the park in time to make it to dinner in Downtown Disney at the House of Blues. Great food, and very kid-friendly!

Monday and Tuesday we spent with Patrick's parents in Lake Placid as well as with their son Dennis and his wife Diane, who Mia adored. It was a nice relaxing time and we enjoyed the company.

After a quick kids' pirate treasure hunt at the resort, we headed back to Downtown Disney on Wednesday for a lunch treat at TRex and to look at the Legoland sculptures we had eyed earlier in the week. Who knew that they would be closed for renovations! Oh well, it was nice to have an afternoon to do some more outlet shopping and just hang out at the resort and enjoy our place.

Thursday we ventured out to Disney again, this time to the Hollywood studios. We really loved seeing the Beauty and the Beast show, but the rest of the park lacked the interesting activities for the girls. However, while Laney napped in the stroller, Mia got to get out some of her extra energy in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. That was fun!

We left early and headed back to the Magic Kingdom just in time for dinner and parade watching, and completed the day watching and dancing to the fireworks. Patrick even caught a glimpse of Tinkerbell flying down from the castle!


Friday, our last day there, turned out to also be our warmest day, peaking at about 68 degrees. (Yes, it was historically cold in Florida last week. Seems we took the cold weather down with us, and brought it back here with us upon our return.) We swam in the pools in the morning, and had a fun playdate with our friends The Remleys in the afternoon. We had a big feast at Outback with our friends and then ended the night back at our condo full and sleepy.

Saturday and Sunday we again spent driving, and now here we are, back in our Little House (My Home! as Laney calls it) and we're a little road-weary, but happy we had our little adventure.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This is what Mia got in the mail today...




And for my friend, Julie - here's the finished gingerbread house. We had a great time making it. Me, the architect (it's cardboard), Patrick the contractor, and the girls the decorators. :) Merry Merry!

A Week Away

What makes it Christmas for you? For me, it's the excitement of finding just the right gift for someone, the beautiful lights on trees and houses, the Christmas specials on TV, the music, Sticky Buns on Christmas morning, a cup of cocoa with a candy cane in it, reading the Advent verses on Sundays leading up to the 25th, and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus Christmas morning. Add children to the mix, and it's just *magic*.

Mia and Laney are working really hard on trying to be good for Santa, but all the excitement is causing a bit of high energy to escape in all but the best possible ways. Speaking of which, I gotta go. I hear screaming.

Happy Birthday Patrick!

Patrick's birthday was yesterday, and he took the day off work. (Yippee!!) Mia was delighted that he was available to see her "tricks" on the monkey bars at school during drop off, and Laney was not so delighted to have to go to the Nanny even though her Mommy and Daddy were BOTH home for the day. But both girls were very happy to make cards and to make and eat chocolate cake and pumpkin pie, and they were absolutely GIDDY about getting to go out to a "restaurank" for dinner.

Happy Birthday, Honey. We love you.

A Visit From Cousin Jacque!

My niece, Jacque, visited her Aunt Heather in Virginia this past weekend and the girls played at the Reston Zoo together! What fun! The girls fed the lambs and goats, and we went on a "safari ride" where we were inundated with giant camels! We had a fun time and were sad to only have a short time to spend with Jacque, but we were so glad for the visit!

Whew!

What a Weekend! (Still recovering...) Between Halloween, a Bar Mitzvah, a Birthday Party, an Election Day Bakesale, Election Night festivities, and a Time Change, I'm beat! But what fun!

Halloween night was kicked off with a Pancake Dinner hosted by our good friends and neighbors, then we all headed out to purge the neighborhood of their goodies and admire the carving skills in the area. Turns out political pumpkins took the cake this year, with all but one in some way referring to our new President Elect.

The night after Halloween, Patrick and I attended a Bar Mitzvah for our next door neighbor's son and we had a really nice time. Neither of us had been to one before, so it was really fun and also very interesting to learn about the customs and traditions involved in this coming of age milestone as well as the Jewish religion. David did a great job with his Torah readings, and though he shared his night with another Bar Mitzvah, he definitely shone brighter. (Don't tell the other family that, though.)

The following day we went to a Birthday Party at Pump It Up, an all inflatable jumping place (what a great idea for a party place!) and the girls just wore themselves out. Though I was a little unnerved by the bigger kids pushing by and over the 2 year olds, everyone had a great time. Happy 2nd Birthday, Elliott!!

THEN, Election Day the girls' preschool had a bakesale to try to take advantage of the extra voters and some potential school donations, so Monday was spent baking. I love to bake, but the kids had the day off of school, so I didn't really get to make as much as I wanted. This was a good thing, however, because we didn't sell all the things that we made. (Can I gloat? My banana bread was all gobbled up- yippee!)

Lastly, that night Patrick's company had a huge Election Watching Party in typical Accenture style. It was fun! There was a huge room decorated with one side in Blue Donkeys and one side in Red Elephants showing CNN, and there were satellite rooms - one Red showing Fox News, and one Blue showing MSNBC. Other rooms held human statues, a raffle drawing, food of course, and meandering ex-presidents. Lots of fun for us all.