Here comes the sun

Don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but the weather here the past few weeks has pretty much sucked. As a life-long Californian now living in Oregon, I still have a tough time adjusting to the differences in weather between here and there. I mean, in California the sun's been out for months. Here in Oregon, though, it's been pretty damn cold. Oh, and then there's the rain. You have heard that about the amount of rain we get here, right? So for weeks now we've been searching for some sign that the sunny weather is on its way and, if this weekend is any indication, it has arrived. Friday was hot and yesterday was even hotter. And even though Will is still getting over the croup and cold he had last week (poor kiddo), we spent a few hours out at the pool yesterday and today. The kids had an awesome time splashing and swimming around and we all enjoyed getting out of the house and soaking up the sun. Now we're just counting down the days until the official start of summer. Look out summer 'cause here we come...

Another day, another park

Impress yourself (and your mom)

Okay, so I'm a pretty hardcore baker and usually I make everything from scratch, but sometimes I just want something simple and easy. The following recipe couldn't be any easier if I came to your house and made them for you and it yields delicious results. These are guaranteed to be a smash hit with anyone, but why not make Mother's Day a little extra special and whip up a batch of these?

Choco-Chunk Cookies

1 box of Devils Food Cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
½ Cup Canola Oil
2 Jumbo Eggs
½ (6 oz.) package White Chocolate Chips = ½ cup
½ (6 oz.) package Milk Chocolate Chips = ½ cup
½ Cup Toasted Pecans – (OPTIONAL)

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Beat eggs, oil and cake mix in a medium bowl with whisk. With a wooden spoon, mix in chocolate and nuts. Drop giant spoonfuls with large eating spoon onto a cookie sheet that has been lines with parchment paper or a Silpat (silicone baking sheet to prevent cookies from sticking to cookie sheet).
Bake 9 to 11 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet and transfer to cooling rack… or plate to cool completely. Makes 4 dozen cookies or 3 dozen monster size cookies.

Silly rabbit, parks are for kids

Yesterday the kids and I ventured out a to new park, one we'd driven by, but never visited. It's in a part of town with which I'm not very familiar, but change is good, yes? We were all very excited (okay, maybe some more than others) as we piled out of the car and headed toward the playground. After playing for a while, Will discovered a sculpture on the hill that he wanted to check out so Brody and I followed after him. While we were up there I noticed a couple of cops on bikes stopped on the corner, but couldn't really see what they were doing. A few minutes later, one of them started up the hill in our direction. Wouldn't you know that he came to say hi to my kids? How sweet, I thought. As it turns out, though, he had an ulterior motive: to tell me to run, not walk, away from said park.

I should probably back up and tell you that I was little apprehensive about some of the people hanging around the park when we got there, but the park is plenty big and I can certainly take care of myself, so I shrugged off my misgivings. Bad idea. He and his partner? They were attempting to rouse a drunk sleeping on the lawn in the corner of the park. And those sketchy people riding their bikes around the park? Druggies and drug dealers. In fact, I'm almost certain that at one point I saw a drug deal going down. Sweet. Now I grew up in the Bay Area and have spent plenty of time in Golden Gate Park; there's not much I haven't seen in terms of nefarious park activities. However, I've never been with my kids and seen that kind of stuff...it was back in my high school and college days. So the kids and I hauled tail back to the car and headed for another park across town.

The funny thing is, we've got a park right here in our neighborhood that we can walk to in about ten minutes. That park, though, has some of the strangest play equipment I've ever seen and doesn't really work for kids under the age of 6. Usually we head that way to ride scooters or look for frogs in the marshes, but there's not much my kids can do there when it comes to the equipment.

Oh and that first park we went to? When I spoke with a few friends later in the day they were more than happy to share with me all of the sordid tales of sex and drugs that take place there. There's even a website dedicated to exposing all of the stuff that goes on there. Google the Monroe St. Park Whore Watch if you're interested. Good times.

Please and thank you

It occurred to me earlier this week that while we taught Will the importance of saying "please" and "thank you" and some other basic manners, we haven't exactly schooled him in the art of etiquette (my apologies to Emily Post). Now, that doesn't mean that he's a an unruly child (most of the time) or that he doesn't have some sense of how to behave like a civilized human being, but lately his table manners have been less than perfect. And actually, if I'm being completely honest with you, eating a meal with Will sometimes ranks right up there with having a tooth pulled sans anesthetic or standing in front of a fast-moving train. In fact, there have been plenty of nights where I've sat with the kids during the dinner, but opted to eat after they go to bed just so that I can actually relax and enjoy my food (rather than having it sit in my throat for the next three hours). Also, we used to take Will out to restaurants quite a bit before Brody was born, but that has changed since he pretty much refuses to sit down and eat his meal without getting up a million times for one reason or another. Well we're finally at a point with Brody where it might actually be enjoyable to take the two of them out to eat, but since I absolutely refuse to take Will out in this current state, it's time for Manners 101. Here's the syllabus for the course:

-Take a seat on your seat: Sit on your bottom on your chair with your legs in front of you.

-Pass it on: Do not reach across the table for anything. Instead, ask politely for what you would like and someone will gladly pass it to you.

-Utensils are our friends: Please use the forks, spoons and knives placed in front of you to eat your food. Unless the food is specifically designated as "finger food," you may not use your fingers to eat it.

-Licking fingers is not finger-licking good: The napkin set to the left of your plate is there for a reason--use it. Do not lick your fingers or wipe your dirty hands on your clothes. For that matter, please do not wipe your dirty mouth or nose on your clothes.

-Excuse me?: Mealtime is not an active sport, so stay in your seat until the end.If you would like to leave the table once you have finished eating, please ask and wait to be excused.

So that doesn't seem to difficult, right? We're not asking for much, just some basic manners and civility. Will's reward for improving his table manner? We will, as a family, go to a restaurant of his choosing to enjoy a nice meal. Personally, I'm hoping he picks sushi, but my biggest hope, of course, is that his manners improve and family meals become enjoyable again.

The Sweetest Thing

Whoever came up with the moniker "terrible twos" clearly never went on to have a three- or four-year old. For us, two was easy. It was three, and now four, that threw us for a loop. That's not to say that Will isn't a great kid, but trust me when I say that we have our days. Those days usually end with threats of selling said child to the circus, the gypsies, or simply the highest bidder (kidding, of course). But really, those are the days when I sit in wild wonder--where did this child come from and when will my sweet, mild-mannered, well-behaved child be returned to me? That said, he is a wonderful little boy, full of imagination and spunk and always willing to give hugs and kisses. So today as we exited the Costco parking lot and I heard that sweet voice of his say, "Mommy?" I had no idea what was going to follow. Imagine my surprise and the melting of my heart when he continued with, "I love you." Now we've always been a pretty lovey-dovey family, full of public displays of affection and proclamations of love. It's rare, however, for Will to say it on his own, rather than as a response to someone else. So today, despite a hiccup here or there, is a good day in my book.

Long time, no see

It's been forever since I last had the time (or energy or sound mind) to write. Between the flu, a stomach bug, Brody's 1st birthday (and birthday party), a somewhat spotaneous trip to L.A. and, of course, all of the minutiae that seems to suck up the majority of my life, it's been kind of busy around here. That said, here are a few things I've had rolling around in my mind and am just now getting a chance to write about:

-A couple of weeks ago, Will asked when he could grow a beard. I have no idea what prompted such an inquiry, but he was quite adamant that he be able to grow a beard very soon. Needless to say, he was none too pleased to hear that it be quite a while before he would even have the ability to sport facial hair.

-On the same note, Will would also like to be bald. We were in Los Angeles visiting my uncles last week and my Uncle Keith is now bald. It's not really by choice as he is undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer (another post for another time), but nonetheless, he is bald. This intrigues Will (as does the whole idea of cancer...not something that's very easy to explain to a young child, regardless of how precocious and wise they might be) who wonders if he can take a medicine to make his hair fall out.

-Brody's first birthday and his accompanying party was a smashing success. It's hard to believe my little guy is now one-year old, but we had the party and the cake to prove it. Brody was completely unphased by the whole thing and when, after realizing that the camcorder wasn't turned on the first time, we had to sing "Happy Birthday" again, he acted as though this was an everyday occurrence in our house. And when it was time to eat cake? Yeah, he was far more interested in smooshing it around in his hands and trying to get other people to eat the resulting mess (no one took him up on that offer). Once the fun and games of that wore off, he moved on to trying to eat the plate. It's safe to say that he didn't take more than a single bite of the cake.

-Taking two kids on an airplane is a daunting task, but our kids did surprisingly well. Will was perfectly content to sit and watch movies on his DVD player, while Brody spent most of both flights being passed back and forth between myself and Jason. Surprisingly, neither flight we took was even half-full and we were able to stretch out a bit as a result. That said, it's not all that easy trying to contain a squirmy baby for 2 1/2 hours. Luckily, he did fall asleep on both flights.

-While we're on the subject on our airplane adventures, can I just say how much Delta rocks? The snacks on our flights were amazing--SunChips, Quaker granola bars, cheese and crackers, Biscoff biscuits--nothing like the pack of 6 peanuts most airlines toss at you. Oh, there were peanuts to be had, but they were of the gourmet sort and there was actually a full serving to be had. Thanks Delta!

-Speaking of birthday parties, we are in the midst of planning Will's 4th. We've already switched the location once, but the theme has been settled--Backyardigans. For a while it looked like we might have a bit of a struggle since Will is really into superheroes right now (and I'm not), but Pablo and his multi-talented buddies won out in the end. Stay tuned for more details on the birthday party with the ever-growing invite list.

-In honor of Brody's first birthday he received his first haircut. My grandma had this superstition about not cutting a child's hair before their first birthday (something about them never talking), so we waited until after the big day. The plan was to get it done down in L.A., but our time there was so short that we waited until we got home. Can I just say what an awesome job he did? Will's first haircut left us both traumatized (as did the next 10 or 12), but Brody sat there still as a statue and let the barber do her thing. Luckily a friend of ours was getting his hair cut at the same time and took some pictures for us.

-Jason is in Reno with his friends right now for their annual March Madness trip. Um yeah. I love my husband dearly, but really, so glad I'm not on that trip. Did I mention that they drove to Reno? Again, glad to be home.

-And last, but certainly not least, during the last few weeks we've been able to spend quite a bit of time with my side of family, all of whom live in California. My parents and brother came up for Brody's birthday party and the day after that, we flew down to L.A. to see my uncles. The first night we were there, we were lucky enough to stay with my cousins (who, in Will's book, as the coolest kids ever since they have Hulk hands). And despite the fact that they were just here two weeks ago, my parents are driving up again tomorrow to spend the weekend with us. Will's thrilled to see them, but mostly I think he's excited to go see Porton Hears a Who with them (yes, I know it's Horton Hears a Who, but Will insists on calling him Porton...take it up with him).

So I think we're mostly caught up now. At some point I plan on posting a picture of the "not a Valentine's Day present" that my dear, sweet husband bought me. But since it's upstairs and I'm downstairs, that will have to wait for another time.

Is this a trick question?

While cleaning up from breakfast this morning, Will asked, "Mommy, do I smell good or bad?". Now since he was all the way across the room and I was carrying a pile of dishes, it was a little hard to answer the question. Quite honestly, I was afraid of what the answer might especially since he'd had a bath last night and is potty-trained. Why on earth wouldn't he smell good? And did I really want to smell him? What if he didn't smell good. So into the kitchen he came and I prepared myself for the worst, only to be pleasantly surprised when I sniffed him and smelled the sweetness of Johnson's baby shampoo. Thank goodness it wasn't a trick question and thank goodness that he smells so clean and pure.

Beyond ridiculous

It's been 12 days since my last blog, but I have a really good excuse...I've been sick! It started with a sore throat and the chills on Saturday night (the same day that Will asked if he could drive) and everything went downhill from there. By Monday, my head felt as though it had been invaded by a small country and my body was so achy (is that word?) that, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought someone came and kicked my ass while I was sleeping. That day I took my kids to the pediatrician who, although unable to come up with a clear diagnosis for the boys, was quick to tell me that I had the flu. Great! So I went to my own doctor the next day only to have that diagnosis confirmed and to be told that really, there's not a whole lot that can be done for the flu. Needless to say, being sick with the flu and having two little guys who depend on you can make for some interesting times. It wasn't really until Monday or Tuesday of this week that I started to feel better, even human, again. And then, I woke up yesterday...

Ah, yesterday. As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. I decided to stay very still so as not to throw up, that's how nauseous I was. And though I was finally able to get myself up without vomiting, yesterday was not a good day. Apparently there's some stomach bug going around here and guess who's got it? That's right, me! Guess who else? Poor Brody! It's one thing when I'm sick, but I feel absolutely terrible when one of my little guys is sick. So please send some healthy vibes our way.

On a positive note, getting sick is a great way to meet your weight loss goal for the month...only one pound to go!

And miles to go....

Today Will and I spent some time outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine and cleaning out my car (who knew that two kids could make a car so messy?...oh and there were at least 8 socks in there this time). When it came time to move the car from the driveway into the garage so that it could be vacuumed, I asked Will if he wanted to ride in the front seat. I may have mentioned this before, but I'm kind of a stickler about rules, especially when it comes to my kids and their safety. However, since we were only moving about twenty feet in our own driveway, I figured we were okay. So Will hopped into the front seat with a big grin on his face and we were ready to go. As I turned the car on and prepared to move forward, Will looked at me and, with complete and utter sincerity, asked, "Cool. Can I drive now?" Thank goodness we have another 12 years or so before he starts driving because I could feel my heart seizing up as soon as he asked that. And what did he think? That I was going to trade seats with him, tell him to put on his seatbelt and hit the open road?

Saturday in the park

Saturday was the first nice day we've had around here in quite some time. Between the rain, the wind and the snow, we've been trapped inside most days. When we woke up Saturday morning, though, the sun was shining and the temperature wasn't low enough that we might have icicles inside our noses if we chose to venture outside. After getting a late start, we headed out to one of the more popular parks here in town. It seemed lots of other people had the same idea we did about taking advantage of the nice weather while we could; it sure was crowded. Brody spent most of the time in his stroller (we took a couple of walks down by the river) while Will ran his heart out. He was all over the play structures, climbing and exploring, going down the biggest slide at least 15 times. And while we were all ravenous by the time we left (what kind of mom, or dad for that matter, doesn't think to pack some snacks for the park...we dropped that ball on that one), a good time was had by all. The weather report for this week shows some promise with a minimal amount of rain. Let's hope we get to hit the park again before the showers return.

What's for dinner?

So last week was a bit of a dud when it came to meal-planning and execution. That's not to say there wasn't a week's worth of menus, because there was. For some reason, though, most of what was planned just never happened. Here's to getting back on track this week.

Sunday-chicken fajitas
black beans
Mexican rice
snap peas

Monday-hot dogs/chicken sausage
Best in the West Beans (yum!)
coleslaw

Tuesday-grilled lemon chicken
Szechuan noodle salad
sesame snap peas

Wednesday-chicken chili
corn bread
green salad

Thursday-linguini with shrimp scampi
salad
chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (Will's request)

Friday-leftovers

If it makes you happy

The other day our master negotiator, aka Will, came to me prepared to share a secret with me. As I bent down to offer my ear, this is what I heard, "If it would make you happy, you could give me some M&M's." It would have thrilled me to give them to him just because his approach was so darn cute, but he'd had some earlier and it was getting close to dinner. Still, the suggestion alone was enough to make me happy. Where do they come up with these things?

If you've ever wondered

if you've ever wondered what the contents of an entire tube of Crest for Kids toothpaste would like in your bathroom sink, you should have been at our house yesterday afternoon. Five minutes before we were supposed to leave for Gymboree, I discovered that Will had "decorated" the sink in the downstairs bathroom. According to him, he was simply conducting an experiment. Really, though, I think he was trying to see how quickly he could drive me insane. Oh and on top of the toothpaste, there was the roll of toilet paper that he decided unfurl in the bathroom. Um, I thought that with an almost-4-year old we were nearing the end of these fun little experiences. Anyway, I'd love to share a picture of the catastrophe with everyone, but in my rush to clean up the mess before we got out the door (hey, at least the toilet paper came in handy), I completely forgot to capture the moment. Oh well, maybe next time...oh wait, there better not be a next time!

Is it bedtime yet?

Today's one of those days where I'm walking around in a complete haze, not quite sure whether I'm actually awake or simply dreaming. Will was up at 6:40 this morning and ready to go for the day. This is the same child who used to sleep until 8:00 or 8:30, but lately he has decided that he is a morning person. Want to guess who's not a morning person? Yep, me! Luckily Daddy is a morning person and is usually willing to let me sleep a bit longer while he and Will traipse downstairs. However, Daddy has been putting in crazy hours at work the last week and a half and I just couldn't let him do it this morning. So guess who got up with Little Mr. Sunshine? That's right, me. It was apparent almost immediately that the child still needed sleep as he was already quite cantankerous, but he would not be deterred from playing with his superheroes. The rest of the day has been rough as he's still quite cranky and not all that compliant (not that he's all that compliant on a good day, but he's generally a good-natured kid). Right now I'm just biding my time until we leave for Gymboree. Once there, we will go our separate ways as Will goes to art class and Brody and I go play for a while. But seriously, all I really want to do is climb into my nice warm bed and go to sleep. Is 3:30 too early in the day to hit the sack?

Proud moments

We've had quite a bit of snow here the last few days, something that, while not entirely uncommon in these parts, certainly isn't the norm. And since we live way up in the hills, when it snows, we're pretty much stuck at home. It's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it means that we get to go sledding and build snowmen. However, after a few days we all start to go a bit stir crazy and the walls of our house feel as though they're closing in on us. So today when it appeared that the snow was finally melting enough to make it possible to drive down into town, I took the boys out to run a few errands.

Our first stop was the post office where we dropped off some bills and sent a few packages that I needed to get out to different people. What was in those packages you ask? Oh, just some Christmas presents...on January 29. I feel terrible that it took me so long to get them out to people, but since they were just going to my parents and uncles (all of whom I had expected to see by now and be able to give them in person), I don't feel quite as bad. While waiting in line, though, Will felt the need to make and voice an observation that only a 3-year old (and a cute one at that) could get away with. The woman in front of us was rather nice and very friendly, making a point to talk to both of my boys. As we all stood there, though, Will decided to shout out, "Mommy, look at that lady's hands!" She had what had to be artificial nails with French manicure (something mommies might like to have, but who are we kidding? who has the time?)Now the woman was rather busy trying to tape up one of her packages and didn't hear what he said, but I was rather embarrassed. What the heck do I say to something like that? It's like the time in Trader Joe's when he saw a woman with a cast on her foot and asked why she wasn't wearing shoes, didn't she know you were supposed to wear shoes in the store? He was absolutely incensed that this woman was not following the rules. Have I mentioned his penchant for making sure that people follow the rules? He's a bit like his mother in that way. Except, of course, when it comes to a game of Candyland or Hi Ho Cherry-O and he's losing. Then the rules all fly out the window.

So after the post office, we trekked over to Target to pick up a few essentials, including a couple of superheroes that Will needed for his collection (and paid for with his Target gift card). As soon as we got there, I made a beeline for the bathroom. After drinking two huge bottles of water while working out earlier, I was paying the price by having to pee incessantly. Oh well, all in the name of good health, right? Anyway, we hadn't gotten a cart yet, so I was forced to hold Brody while trying to take care of business. Can I just tell you how difficult it is to get your jeans up and down with a baby in one hand? Seriously, though, how awesome at multi-tasking are we women? So as I'm finishing up and trying desperately to get my pants back up before Will manages to open the stall door, he yells out (in a crowded bathroom, no less), "Mommy, I see your vagina!" How proud was I?

What's for dinner?

Last week proved to be quite successful when it came to planning menus and following through. I think we swapped our planned meals Tuesday and Wednesday, but still managed to stay on track for the week. In attempt to keep it up, here's a look at what's cooking at our house this week.

Sunday-linguini with shrimp scampi
mixed greens

Monday-chicken chili
green salad
corn muffins

Tuesday-chicken noodle soup
fresh veggies with ranch
cheesy garlic bread

Wednesday-it's a toss-up between taco salad (the husband's request) and bbq chicken chopped
salad....stay tuned

Thursday-leftovers

Friday-yet to be decided...stay tuned

Reason #4623

As if I needed another reason to love my oldest son, this morning he just melted my heart. Anxious to get outside to play in the snow, he was more ansty than usual as I tried to get him dressed (in what seemed like 12 layers to keep him warm). I'll be the first to admit that I was struggling and starting to get frustrated, but then he looked down at me, in my disheveled state, sitting on the floor in front of him and said, "Mommy, you look beautiful this morning." He didn't care that I was still in my pajamas, hadn't washed my face, and was wearing what shih-tzu owners affectionately refer to as a top-knot. What more could a mom ask for?

Fun is...

explaining to a 3-year old the difference between Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. I'm still not sure he understood what the heck I was talking about when I started babbling about the 95 theses. Nor did he know what to make of the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. is brownish-black (how do you explain that one when you live in a place where diversity means having people with brown, blonde, AND red hair?). His main concern, though? Whether or not Martin Luther King, Jr. wore a black suit.

What's for dinner?

In effort to be better prepared for dinners around here, I've decided to start making weekly menus. So here's a peek at what we're having for dinner here this week:

Sunday-burgers (beef for the guys, turkey for mom), oven fries, coleslaw and grapes

Monday-taco salad and cheesy garlic bread

Tuesday-chicken meatball sub sandwiches, chopped salad

Wednesday-homemade pizza, fresh veggies and ranch

Thursday-leftovers

Friday-chicken chili, green salad