Backyard Camping

Have you heard of the Southern California Wildfires? Well, they put a real damper on our ability to make a bonfire or even have a fire pit in our back yard. So they burned down to our neighbor's house across the street a few years back, so what? It's a real bummer that someone can tell you what you can and cannot do on your own property, that's all I'm sayin'. As a result, our backyard camping would be a lot less fun. So our resolution to this problem is to go to the campground that is about 10 miles away where they let complete randoms build fires in their fire pits anonymously unsupervised (like that's SO much safer).
The nice thing about the national campground being so close is that we can go after my honey gets off work and still have a full evening to enjoy the camping experience. So we went Tuesday night and had a great time. We were all set up in time to let the kids ride their tricycles around a bit (yay for level pavement!) and go for a hike.
After all that physical activity we were ready for dinner so Daddy built a campfire to cook our hotdogs.
There was just enough time after dinner for a few rounds of hide-&-seek (see Daddy behind the tree?)
Once it began to get dark, the kids took their places on our laps and we made some ooey-gooey smores over the campfire. Since the campground may as well be in our backyard, we just made our way home after we were all pooped and got to sleep in our own beds. All in all, a very nice night of camping without the rocks in your back as you slept.

They look innocent enough

But as I sat there I thought "they're being too quiet"...

As it turns out, she had her right arm buried elbow deep in dirt and he had picked 1/2 the flower petals off of one of the plants...never trust the silence.

Mail order tests my faith

We ordered eight hydrangeas via mail-order catalog recently and when they arrived they looked like this:
I was frustrated but planted them immediately and the next day they looked like this:
That wasn't very promising but a week later it was even worse:
I figured I would give the poor guys a break though and keep some faith. Soon after, they were nothing but sticks poking their little brown stubs out of the dirt. I have been watering them diligently and though virtually everyone told me that they were goners, five of the eight now look like this:
So 5/8 isn't too bad of a ratio (there's a guarantee on them just in case) but really, after all of that, how could I give up on the other three yet? For now I'm keeping the faith.

B-B-B-Bad...

Years from now, when trying to impress chicks, he'll look back on this picture and say "From the day I was born, the nurses all gathered 'round and they gazed in wild wonder at the joy they had found. The head nurse spoke up, said 'leave this one alone' she could tell right away that I was bad to the bone..."Of course, he'll leave out the part that his Great-Grandparents bought it for him and that he would have to wrestle his big sister for his turn...

Blog updates

You may have noticed that I've changed a few things on this blog:
1) to the left, you can now see what I'm spending most of my time blogging about
2) if you missed a day or two, you can now click on the time span in a list format

And best of all:
3) I have permanently added a quote by Roosevelt at the bottom of my blog that I heard a long time ago and was said even longer ago but still holds true today (especially here in Southern California). This is a good reminder that to be an American one must have unilateral loyalty. Period. I am 50% Danish but you wouldn't see me going around telling people I'm "Danish-American" nor would I ever hang any flag other than Old Glory on my home (which I proudly do).

There's only one flag worth waving. Those who don't believe that do a disservice to this country and all loyal Americans.

Mary Quite Contrary...

How does my garden grow? Very well, thanks for asking!
Here's some sugar snap peas that have sprouted...
And some strawberries that are beginning to show fruit...
I even have some raspberries springing up in my vinca! Watching all of this happen makes you really appreciate the magic of sunshine & water.

A Mountain Workout

With track season winding down and summer approaching, I am always looking for some way to burn off a few extra calories (lately it seems the caloric intake>output). One of my favorite ways to burn calories is going for a jog. All the area around us is hills so it would be a perfect layout. Unfortunately, up here in the mountains most roads are too narrow and windy to go very far. I do have approximately a mile loop that our house is on but I'd find myself running in circles and I don't do that well. Plus, I don't suppose thered be much tolerance from the little ones when I needed to lock them in a closet until I get home.
The happy compromise has come in the form of taking the kids for a walk. Now, any mother of a 1 or 3 year old knows that their pace leaves something to be desired. I've figured out a great way to resolve this by pulling them in their wagon. They get out and enjoy the sunshine, I get a mile of workout while pulling 70ish pounds of resistance. Isn't it nice to find win-wins?

Back in the Swing of Things

We drove almost 30 hours north to visit family last Wednesday-Thursday and then made the trip back down here this Monday-Tuesday so it's taken me a little while to get back in the swing of things. On Friday we spent the morning with Grandma then she watched the kids while I went to help sis with her track practice. She's got some pretty good hurdlers for 7th & 8th graders.
Saturday we spent all day at my niece's league finals track meet where she got 4th, 2 5ths, a 6th and a 7th (that's 5 events, but we're not really counting). Since there were 10 schools there that means that there were somewhere between 20-30 kids in each event, so that's pretty respectable finishing if you ask me. Her 7th place came when she WON her heat in a hurdles race, so really, you can't ask much more than that. She's quite the little speed demon.
Sunday we got to relax around the house for the morning and then we went with Aunti, Cousins, Grandma & my best friend from high school and her kids (10 of us girls altogether) to a play in Portland called "Petite Rouge". It was a cute rendition of little red riding hood, except spun in a Cajun version. The LRRH was a duck and the big bad wolf was really a crocodile. We also got to go out to lunch before hand and had some strawberries & angel food cake when we got home so it was a good day all around.

I was exhausted when we got home after having very little sleep the previous 2 days. Somehow the week has gotten away from me and now it is already Friday! Tomorrow is our big state track meet where two of my hurdlers will be competing in both hurdle events. They are total rock stars in my book. Come Sunday I will probably be tired again and sunburned but looking forward, I know it will be worth it. All those trips that wear you out through the day after are always the best ones.

A Fun Evening

Since tomorrow is our last track meet of the year I suggested to all of the hurdlers that they have pasta for dinner to stock up on carbs before their big day. They, of course, had the great idea that pizza constitutes "pasta" and so we planned dinner together at the local pizza place. It was also a nice way to celebrate the last practice and meet for the year.

It all started innocently enough, with some food and playing the video games and air hockey but then it somehow took a turn. One person wanted to jump in the lake...then another said "I'm in" and before I knew it I was walking with all of them down to the dock to watch their antics. I have to say there is no way I would have gotten in that freezing water with them but they all looked like they had a great time doing it. I guess you have to be careful what you say around high school kids and perhaps rethink your phrasing when you suggest that they "go jump in a lake"...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Crazy Kids

We had a very nice time visiting with friends the other morning. Mommy got to scrapbook and the kids, well, they were kids. There are days when they just NEVER get along with anyone...and then there are days like this one, when they were sharing their treats and playing in a tent~

A Walk in the Clouds

The other morning we were headed to a friend's house off the mountain and while driving along the rim I just had to pull over and take a picture. Some days it feels like we're living on Mt. Olympus...

Another day at the Zoo

Last week we went to the zoo again (with annual passes, it's virtually the cheapest thing we can do) and of course, the kids loved it. We got to do the sea lion show for the first time and it seems like every time we go there we find something he hadn't seen before. In particular, the kids love the children's petting zoo. My little man likes to chase the goats yelling "Dog! Dog!" and my little girl likes to use the "Big Girl" bathrooms (Translation: Potties so close to the ground that you're basically sitting on the floor and sinks at your knees). Oh yeah, I guess seeing all of the the wild animals was fun for them too~
I suppose they would have been more excited about these guys if they'd seen the Lion King. Have you noticed that ever since that movie came out everyone knows these little guys' names? Nobody could have cared less about these little guys or the wart hogs before that. Nice going Timon & Pumbaa.

What to Make

Just ask my kids, chickens say "cheap cheap"...well this one really is, to the tune of about $1.50 per serving, including adding grain (rice/pasta/bread) and vegi side dishes.

This one is as easy as it gets. I got it out of one of my magazines this month. Take chicken and put it in an oven dish. Brush it with an equal mixture of brown mustard, honey and soy sauce. Cook it at 375 for 15 minutes. Brush again then cook for another 15 minutes at 375. Totally easy and very good.

I served it with barley mixed with peas. I had never made barley before but you make it just like rice so it's easy and a bit heartier than plain rice. There's a new addition to my recipe book.

The life of a 3 year old

She gets up every morning and rushes in to give us kisses. Then it's down to breakfast and "Mom, is Sesame Street on yet?" The next couple hours are full of play with toys and the sporadic errand in the car. From there she moves on to lunch, which she takes an hour to eat, and then a quick nap before track practice. All of the high-school kids love her and she feels the same. It's one of the highlights of her day. On the way home we sometimes stop at the supermarket and she usually asks to ride in the cart shaped like a truck. Her next priority is making it home to see her dog (whom she is quick to tell you that she's the boss of) and her Daddy (who she wishes she was the boss of). After helping to make dinner and some time at the table with the family, she forces down the last of dinner in the hopes of earning dessert by finishing it all. Another hour with family and toys then it's off to bed with a book from each of her parents an more of those wonderful kisses.

There is so much to do when you're three that it is hard sometimes to take it all in, especially with a 1.75-year-old brother butting in all the time. Here's what you get from all that when you give her her own camera to capture it all....

What to Make

I was craving something sweet but didn't want the a heavy snack so here's what I made:

Put a sheet of parchment paper each on two cookie sheets. Spread out popped popcorn on the parchment paper. Then in a saucepan melt 1/2c butter, 3/4c sugar, a 3oz package of any flavor of jello, 1T of corn syrup & 3T water. Let all of that come to a boil and bring it to around 250 degrees (somewhere around 5 minutes). Take the pot off the heat and add a small amount of baking soda. It'll get all fun and fizzy and foamy. Pour the jello foam all over the popcorn and cook it in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes. Stir around the popcorn 'n jello goodness and cook it for another 10 minutes in the same 250 degree oven. This made way way way more popcorn than we could possibly have eaten so there's loads of leftovers but not to worry, the popcorn gets all crunchy when it cools off and stores well.....not that it will have to for long :)

A Case of the Toddlers

My daughter: "Doctor, I have a terrible case of the toddlers"
Docter: "Change your dress five to ten times a day and see if that helps"

My son: "Doctor, I have a terrible case of the toddlers"
Doctor: "Go for a walk and every five steps you take, pick up a rock or stick then throw it and see if that helps"

My Mookie Chookie Boy

Every little toddler goes through a phase of learning to speak and not exactly getting the words right. For example, the golden arches around our family are referred to as "Old MacDonalds" and my blueberry loving daughter was often known to request "Boobies" (!). My little man is no exception to the rule but has decided to come up with his own terms rather than try to master the existing English language. Case in point: "Mookie Chookie". This term has been come to identify anything that is neat or fun or amazing or exciting or great or wonderful...you get the picture. So for example, yesterday the kids and I spent some time washing, cleaning, vacuming and detailing our cars and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. My son was elated to be able to sit in the driver's seat and practice his driving while I was cleaning and promptly proclaimed "Mookie Chookie!" There was also a day recently when I turned on some music (which they both love) in the toy room for a little dance party. The sound of the music starting was enough to merit a big "Mookie Chookie".

Isn't raising kids at this age great? I just love it. It makes me Mookie Chookie all over.

The Lockwoods

We recently had the great pleasure of spending a weekend with Aunt Sarah & Uncle Wally up North and had a fantastic time. We spent the first day out on the river, fishing and soaking up the sun while the kids played in the snow-runoff freezing water. Then we spent the next day on the lake where it was warm enough to make us want to jump into the lake despite it's chilly temperature as well.
We got to do lots of other fun stuff too, like playing jenga (Uncle Chris is a master), cooking up a world-class barbecue and playing in Uncle Wally's empty keg (he works in a brewery, and has no kids, thus no toys so cut him some slack). The kids had a wonderful time as did daddy & I, despite our sunburns we both dealt with on Monday morning. As is often the case, dealing with a sunburn is often the sign of a fun weekend.

IT'S TAX DAY!

Everyone else dreads this day every year except people in my profession, who breathe a heavy sigh of relief. Let the summer begin.

What to Make

I was feeling my sweet-tooth recently so I decided to dig into my recipe book written by my good friends Ben & Jerry. My little princess requested banana and my mini-prince requested "choca chippppp" so I compromised and made a batch with BOTH. It turned out so yummy that it didn't last long. We were eating it soft-serve style out of the machine before it was even done being churned.

All you need for the base is 2 eggs, 2 cups cream, a cup of milk & 3/4 cup sugar. Wisk the eggs until light & fluffy then add the sugar slowly, add the cream and milk then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the instructions. While you're watching it churn, mash 2 bananas with 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. When the base is almost done (a couple minutes left), add the bananas and a couple handfulls of chocolate chips. If any of it lasts long enough to get to the freezer then freeze it until firm and enjoy. I suggest smashing some graham crackers into small bowls and freezing it into those, but that's just me...

Lovin' the sun

We love the fact that where we live there is either snow or sun and not much else. Right now, it's mostly sun so last week we went to the park for a picnic for lunch just so we could enjoy the beautiful day. There's not much that makes a meal better than eating it on a blanket on the grass with your family.

Happy Easter Daddy

We got to do our first at home Easter egg hunt this morning. The weather was perfect. The kids didn't fight. Each one found lots of eggs and it all went great. There was only one thing missing that would have made it perfect....

Family Easter

Yesterday we went down to Desert Hot Springs to visit Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa for Easter. We were also joined by Nana, Grandpa, an aunt, uncle & cousin too. The one thing missing was Daddy, who is having fun at the Masters this year. It was a beautiful (albeit windy) day and we got to have a fun egg hunt outside among all the other fun and visiting. The kids had such a good time that they slept in until 7:30 this morning, which, for them, is over an hour longer than normal - so Happy Easter Mommy, huh?!

Tutu Cute

Every little girl loves a big twirly skirt and what better way to give her that than with a tutu? So while Grandma & Aunti were visiting, we made three of them (pink, lt green & orange) for my little ballerina. I still have the materials for 3 more but we'll see how long it takes to finish them. Not only are they fun on their own as skirts, but they also give lift to every dress she owns so now she wears them virtually every day. What follows here is how to make them - no pattern and minimal cutting necessary.Measure your child's waist (mine's was 20"). You will need some fake flower petals, thread and 1.5 times the waist length (so I used about a yard) of each of the following: - toole (double this) - sheer - ribbon - soft flannel - 1" non-roll elastic (only waist length necessary, not 1.5X, so I used 20")

1) put a finished edge on 3 sides of the flannel (I used my serger on a regular stitch).
2) put a finished edge on opposite sides of the sheer (I used my serger and did a rolled hem).
3) layer the salvage edges of the folded over toole on top of the flannel, leaving about 2" of flannel for the waist. You should now have 5 layers (4 toole + 1 flannel) of salvage edges together.
4) layer the sheer on top of the toole, again with one of the two salvage edges at the waist.
5) fold over the flannel to make a waistband including all 4 layers of toole and the layer of sheer.
NOTE: We didn't really use a yard of the flannel, it was a straight skirt (20") so we had to gather the sheer & toole separately. This does two things, makes the waistband less bulky but it also adds difficulty and time to the process.

6) pin & sew the flannel to the toole & sheer into the flannel waistband.
7) insert the elastic into the waistband (thus gathering the layers) and sew shut.
NOTE: if you sew shut the back seam then the skirt won't twirl out/up as well. Since you've roll hemmed the sheer it will still look finished. I sewed shut the flannel at this point so she could wear it on it's own without shorts under it, but you don't have to.

8) fold up the sheer and sew it to itself using the ribbon to hide the hem (mine were about 4").
NOTE: you want the sheer to be the longest of the layers.

9) fill the sheer hem with the fake flower petals, making sure the spread them out evenly then sew shut.
10) give it to your little ballerina and watch her test out it's twirl-ability.

Here's a diagram of the layers for your reference. Blue is flannel, red is sheer, black is toole, purple is ribbon, green is where to sew layers together and yellow is elastic.

My Brave Little Man

This Sunday was my little man's first Easter egg hunt. His sister was gone with Nana & Grandpa to Disney on Ice for her birthday and Daddy doesn't "do" Easter egg hunts he says, so it was just the two of us. A friend of ours invited us to join her and her daughter to the event that was hosted by her church. There was a volleyball game, tug-o-war, face painting, a bounce house, and the ever popular egg hunt. The hunt was definitely the highlight of his day. It didn't take long to figure out that there was candy in them-there eggs and has since spent every day disassembling the plastic decorative eggs laid out around our house in the hopes of finding more candy. He sure is a persistent little one.
The highlight of the day for me was not the hunt however, but the introduction of the Easter Bunny himself. At first, this 7 foot animal was quite daunting to my 1.75-year-old. He was inquisitive though and was soon following Mr. Bunny everywhere (keeping a safe distance). Eventually, with some coaxing from mom, the two became acquainted long enough for me to snap a quick photo. You'll note however, that the trust was not entirely there as my brave little man was NOT willing to take his eyes off of the suspicious rabbit.

The Derby

We spent last Saturday at the Santa Anita Derby. The weather was beautiful and my hubby was lucky so both those things combined make for a pretty great day. The four of us set up chairs in front of the jumbotron, right by the finish line. Early on, my lucky other half hit a $1 bet to win $120 and the day pretty much followed suit. I lost about $20 but he more than made up for it with his winnings. There aren't many activities where you can go have so much fun and wind up making money on the deal are there?

I was not born for DDR

There are two kinds of people in this world:
-Those born to win at "Dance Dance Revolution"
-Those who are not
I learned recently when the hurdlers joined us for pizza and introduced me to the game that I fall into the latter category. Not only were they all much more agile than I was at this endeavor, but they made it look easy. Whereas each athlete could last for several minutes and in many cases, several rounds, I only lasted several steps. All this time I thought I had some kind of rhythmic abilities and yet now I picture myself more on the same level as Elaine from Seinfeld (a show which most of my hurdlers probably have never seen - sigh). Oh well, I am consoling myself in the assumption that they have nothing better to do with their time than go home and practice this game until their feet are calloused and have sweated through their shirts. Sour grapes maybe, but it's all I've got.

A WILD Birthday

Our little girl recently turned 3 (I am still in denial) and she requested a wild animal birthday party, probably because of our recent annual zoo membership. So we loaded up on the jungle animals, ordered a giraffe bounce-house and bought a monkey pinata. The day was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a good time. In contrast to our past 75 person "all family & friends" parties, this one was just for immediate family and a few friends. Both party types have their benefits, but this one turned out very nicely.

Finally, a WEEK Later

My two kids had become accustomed to getting served extra helpings of attention all week last week while our family was staying with us. We went shopping, made birthday party decorations, sewed tu-tus (more on that later), went to Disneyland, had a birthday party, went to track practices, a track meet, out to eat, spent lots of time playing on the playground in the back yard, and had about 10 days of general mayhem. The LOVED it. So on Sunday night, when the house was quiet again, you could almost hear the crickets chirp as they wondered how to occupy their time. All week long they have struggled with entertaining each other until finally, today, they seem to have recuperated from the overdose. Did I mention it's 2 weeks till tax day? {insert mommy's sigh of relief here}

What a lucky couple of kids to have so much wonderful family and friends to love them.

What a Happy Place

We had a fantastic time with Aunti, Grandma and three cousins visiting us last week. One of the highlights was our trip to Disneyland on Wednesday. The day was perfect. It was hot enough for the girls to want to go on Splash Mountain several times but not hot enough to get sunburned or be miserable. We got to enjoy most of the rides (except notably Alice in Wonderland and the train) and only had one long wait, for Peter Pan.

For a little while Aunti took the older girls on bigger rides and Grandma and I took my sweetheart on the stearnwheeler to eat lunch and then on some rides in Fantasyland. I couldn't have asked for a better day. We were there from opening until closing and enjoyed every minute of it.

Coach Knows Best

For the last five years or so I've been volunteering my time with the local track & field team, coaching the hurdlers. Every year is different, but I have yet to have a year that was not extremely enjoyable. My kids get to go outside and play during practice, I get some exercise, and prior to me volunteering there was no coach for hurdles so I figure my advice is better than nothing, right?

Interacting with the hurdling team this year in particular has thus far been a real joy. I have about 12-14 hurdlers (a few not pictured here) and from what I can tell, they all get along well. There are a several seniors, a few freshmen and a good mix of gals & guys. We've only had one meet so far and swept the guy's races and did well in the gals races considering we were missing two returning varsity and it was the first real meet for most of the gals.

I'm really looking forward to seeing all of these athletes develop through the season and hope by the end of the season that they are all fast enough to kick my butt in practice (I'm trying my hardest to stay ahead of them!).

What to Make

Last night we made an AWESOME fish dish that, even for those who don't like fish, is sure to be a hit. It tastes amazing, looks fancy, but is easy to make. As you may remember, we went to Mexico recently and came back with a sizeable amount of Dorado...also known as Mahi Mahi, so we had some last night and this is how we made it (I figure you could use the recipe on almost any fish though):

Combine crushed macademia nuts with a little flour, some bread crumbs and butter so that it's a dry, crumbly mix. Lay out the fish on a foiled, oiled pan and cook it at 425 for 5 minutes. Brush the fish with coconut milk then top with the nut mixture and cook again for about 10 more minutes until the topping is golden brown. Allow the fish to sit for about 10 minutes so that the topping sets up nicely and enjoy.

The topping on this was so good I almost could have eaten it without the fish at all but then I'm sure my system would have hated me today. We served it with peas & carrots that, since they're kind of sweet, paired nicely with the topping. Both our kids cleaned their plates and the littlest one ate TWO extra helpings, which, since it's fish, I was just fine with. If you like fish AT ALL I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe that I got from my good friend Alton Brown.

Coming Soon

Alright, I hear you...I HEAR you! I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but I have had family visiting and track to be coaching and a 3rd birthday party to be throwing so get off my back already! I am sorry to say I don't have time for a good post right now but coming soon:

-Our little princess's 3rd birthday party
-The first trip to Disneyland for our little girl
-My awesome hurdlers
-My week full of family
etc,etc, etc...

I've just got to find my head and I'll get right on it...

Let the Games Begin

Since high school I have been a North Carolina fan. As it always turns out, I DON'T join the usual competition brackets when the Tar Heels win however. So in an effort to help the NC karma, I have not paid to be part of the gambling group this year. I could not, however, keep myself from completing a bracket, just out of curiosity for how I would have done. My final score is 86-79 just in case you think you can beat me. Go powder blue!UPDATE: I'm 12 for 13, darn Texas anyways....
UPDATE: Okay, now I'm only 38 of 48 but 7 of my great 8 are still in it...getting bleaker.
UPDATE: Well, I'm only 43 of 60 now, but my two final teams are still in the running...Go NC!

Spring is springing

***********Insert deep, content sigh here******************

We are pretty lucky to live in such a beautiful area. A few weeks ago we had so much snow that my minivan was buried to above the window line. Today there is not a speck of snow on our property (nor to be seen from it except the beautiful mountain line in the distance). The great part about our location is that we get the cold winters and change of seasons but not so much rain that you spend 2 of the seasons (spring & fall) indoors trying to stay dry.

Today is a complete 180 from the weather a few weeks ago. Today we have sunshine over sunshine with an extra dose of sunshine. It's about 80+ degrees and all my flowers are peeking up out of the ground. We spent the last weekend doing some yard work and planting of seeds and general spring clean-up activities.N ow I am loving the feeling content, happy feeling. These pictures were both taken at our house this morning. Don't you just LOVE changing seasons?

What to Make

Steak, steak & more steak...

I'm always looking for a new way to make it and here's my latest find:

Mix together black pepper, chile powder, worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, salt, cumin, cloves & cayenne pepper. Rub it all over your steak and let it get happy for 10 minutes or so. Grill over indirect heat for about 5 minutes per side then transfer to a plate, cover with foil and let sit for another 5 minutes. Easy cheesy and yummy to your tummy.

Oh, if you're squeemish about heat/spicy foods, then cut back on the pepper and chile/cayenne and it will be much more mild. I didn't though. We're into spicy.