Funny Business

We ventured north to visit with Bugs Bunny and his funny friends recently. My two little ones had done some reading and earned us some free tickets to the park. He's got a nice pad with some fun rides. The kids, Meg and I had a fun time. Here's some highlights:We started our day with a ride on the log ride. This was a good "not too scary" introduction to the roller coasters for the kiddos.My son's favorite ride was the train ride in the little kids' section of the park. He likes things at a slower pace...for now.Which was in sharp contrast to our LAST ride of the day, Superman, (seen here waiting in line in a kryptonite cave) which the two little ones were too small for but Meggy got to ride THREE TIMES! She was on the last car of the night so they ran them consecutively.
My daughter however DID get to ride Ninja and ride it and ride it...she rode it three times too. Turns out she's quite the little daredevil.I rode it with her too. I have to admit, I had one hand on the handle bars and the other on my little girl, just in case she went flying. I know, I know, overprotective mom...I get that alot. But we all made it out safely, with no ejections from rides or throwing up so it seems we must have done something right :)

Our Loop Through Three States

My niece is visiting us for a month from Oregon so we decided to take her on a little trip to see three of the southwestern states. We started in CA, drove across to Phoenix, AZ to help move family into a new home then headed through AZ to the Grand Canyon and from there on to Laughlin, NV and finally back home. It took less than a week but seemed much longer. Here's a few highlights:How big? SOOOOOO BIG!

The west side of the south rim of the canyon.
It was in excess of 110 degrees so more fun in the water than out of it.
Our hotel in Laughlin.

One More to Go

Before we had kids, at one point, between CPA firms, I worked in an office with a man who was from a mix of Chinese and Hawaiian backgrounds. His name was Alan and he was my boss. So when Alan would stop by my 4x6 cubicle (gee, why do you suppose I quit?), Alan would talk about his family and, since he was my boss, I would sometimes listen.

Alan had three boys and they were the primary topic of conversation. Well, as Alan explained, the first birthday party is HUGE in his culture (not sure if it was Chinese or Hawaiian or both). He explained that it had something to do with getting through the year of highest infant mortality rate, but I came to later guess it had something to do with just surviving a year of the parents' sleep deprivation.

Anyway, they threw very large, extravagant parties for the first birthday of each boy. I liked this idea and for both of our kids I did the same thing. Each of these first birthday parties kind of carried over to their second, third and yes, fourth and fifth birthday parties as well. Whereas many people get a few kids together for cupcakes and PB&J, we have invited as many as 70 people and spent months planning and preparing for them. So it was with a little relief and also much regret that my eldest child (who will be starting school in the fall) and I had a talk about what we would be doing for her next party. My suggestion to her, in the hope that it would be more intimate, and knowing she would be making some new friends this year, was that she pick 5 friends and we will go do something with them. No fireworks, no bells or whistles, just start the tradition of a "normal" child's birthday party. She was receptive to the idea and we agreed that my littlest's 5th party next year will be the last sha-bang. Although I know I may regret it later (I really do look forward to all of our friends in one place together), perhaps it will save me a little bit of sanity in the long run. So mark your calendars folks, next July is the last in a series of ten shin-digs in the Mountains. I hope you all can make it!

My Little Soldier

Recently my youngest child turned four. Oh my goodness...[sigh] FOUR. Well, he has been requesting a soldier birthday for almost a year now so what could I do but oblige his request. We played "search and rescue" to find hidden soldiers, "sergeant says", ran the kids through a basic training obstacle course, painted our faces with camo face paint, wore our camouflage and dog tags, got tattoos, played target shooting on the range with the rubber band gun, ate some ribs and other barbecue, tried to land planes on an aircraft carrier, whacked at an enemy tank with a bat until it turned over all of it's candy and then finished the day off with a huge water balloon fight. There were about 40 people there throughout the day and it was beautiful weather for a barbecue. I was so busy that I didn't get many pictures of the festivities, but here's a shot of my little camo man and me trying to finish up making his tank birthday cake.

Touch a Truck

A big thanks go out to Uncle Chris and Aunt Lyss for letting us stay with them last weekend and for taking us and the kids to Touch a Truck. We all had such a good time. If you have never been then I highly recommend you try to make it next year. My little guy got to ride in a race car, a school bus, a dump truck, a tow truck, a garbage truck and many many more neat vehicles. He also got to dig with a backhoe, lift the back of a tow truck, catch a balloon out of the utility truck's bucket and wait for it - wait for it.....
SHOOT A FIRE HOSE!The event is put on by Conejo Valley Park & Recreation district and they do a stellar job. Great idea Uncle Chris. I think the event is geared toward big AND little boys (you looked PRETTY PUMPED about watching that helicopter land) . We are very grateful for you including us in the fun.

A Whole Lotta Moms

There are few certainties in life. You will owe taxes (whether you pay them or not), you will someday die (the big question being when and how) AND if you are a mom, you will have a very very VERY busy schedule. That is why it was a small miracle when, recently for a good friend's birthday, we got 22 (that's right, almost two dozen) moms together for a night out. I felt very lucky to get to join them since I just went out the weekend before with the girls up in Oregon. We all met for dinner at the local resort where we enjoyed reconnecting with those we hadn't seen in a while and meeting a few friends of friends. We certainly are all lucky ladies to have this network of awesome moms. Thanks ladies, and happy birthday Em~

My Quick Trip

I got the rare treat of flying North last weekend to see my good friend Laura get married on the Sunday before Memorial Day. On Saturday, some of us girlies got together and had a night out. As I sit here trying to explain to you, my unnamed reader, what happened that night, I find it hard to put into words. There were dice games, some hot tubbing, some drinks, smoked salmon, an incident with peanut M&Ms, someone threw up (not me), LOTS of dancing, jello, funny bar jokes, I got all caught up on the town gossip, and I'm not sure, but I think I have a new friend who thinks my name is Andretti. I know it sounds cliche' but all I can say is "You had to be there to understand." I'm not trying to make it an inside joke, it's just a bit of a fuzzy whirlwind. It CAN say that it was all fun and reminds me how much I miss these girls.

Thank You

To all veterans, current servicemen, and those families that sacrifice to let their loved ones defend our freedom, 1/365th of our lives to honor your sacrifice just doesn't seem sufficient. You are appreciated and Thank you for letting us live that life that you have worked so hard to defend.

Roughin' It

We joined about 8 other families last weekend for a weekend trip to our local campground. It was so fun for my kiddos to have so many other kids their own ages to run around with, play in the dirt with, chase in many games of tag, and ride their scooters and bikes with. I was worried about the weather, but it was tank top and shorts weather and sunny all weekend. Thanks to all my girlfriends for convincing me to go and for also dragging all their families out of all of our busy lives and focus on the best part of our lives, each other.PS~Sorry you had to cancel, Sunshyne, we missed you.

Sunshine and Summertime

We spent last weekend out at the river, relaxing and enjoying time with no telephones, no televisions, no tele...anything! The weather was perfect and you couldn't ask for better company.

We Meet Again

My daughter recently had her first track meet of the year up on our mountain. She is so psyched about her team this year, the "Fireflies" and their awesome coaches, Julia and Brooke. Her team is all Kindergarten so most are about a year or so older than she is but what she lacks in age, she makes up for in spunk. We finally got her to jump a couple of the hurdles rather than step over them, she's big enough to land on the high jump mat now (instead of climb onto it), and she ran anchor for the relay. We need to do a little work on the throwing events, but some of the implements weigh about a quarter of what she weighs, so we're going to cut her some slack on those for a while. Hey, how far could YOU throw a 35lb shot put? Her favorite event is the long jump but in my opinion, her best event is the 100m dash. She has really been working on her form and this year she is really competing with the other kids. Being the proud mom, I want to brag that she got second (I thought it was first but Daddy corrected me and he was closer) in her heat, but I won't :)

Stagecoach Part Deux

I have LOADS of pictures from Stagecoach. You can tell the time of day in each picture based on how sunburned we look and how wide our smiles are. We camped with seven other friends and had a very fun time. We got to see Chris Young, Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, and Carrie Underwood...did I mention Carrie Underwood?

Yeah, she was a big BIG hit. Yes, the weekend was a success. Such a success that I think of all of the sunburned, big smile pictures that we took, none of them will really do the weekend justice.
I can only summarize it with this photo:Okay, fine, and maybe this video. Dave W - YOU. ARE. THE. MAN!

Thank You

I'm not sure who to thank first. My brother-in-law for gifting my hubby the shirt, or Jill for the cammo beer can fanny pack. I think I'll hold off on the thank yous until I can decide...{sigh}

Snapshots in My Brain

I am trying to capture ievery little thing about these moments. The feeling of them gripping my finger to "hold hands", the sound of their giggles and belly laughs, the smell of their hair, the feel of their butterfly kisses, the way their noses wrinkle when they smile, all of those little everyday things that make them so extraordinary. I know it is all so fleeting (everyone tells me this, especially random strangers on the street).
After an evening church service recently, I was carrying my sleepy daughter after passing off her already asleep brother to his daddy. An older gentleman came up and set his hand on my shoulder. The man told me that he remembered holding his daughter the same way, sighed and confessed that she is now a grandmother herself. It brought tears to his and my eyes at the time (and even now thinking how lucky I am to get to experience these beautiful children). I am so very truly blessed.

Easter in the Desert

Grandma Tanyon is a seasoned professional when it comes to hosting Easter at her house in the desert. Here's some Grandma T tips if you are planning a candy hunt in the desert:
1) Milk chocolate melts in the sun. Grandma Tanyon uses only hard candies.
2) Don't bother with plastic eggs. They just take up space and make finding the candy easier.3) Keep control of the dogs because they like to eat candy in low places.4) Buy lots of candy because the adults will take part in the candy hunt too.5) Have everyone count their candy at the end for prizes, it's a great counting exercise kids.
Thanks Grandma, for another great Easter. We love you a bushel~

Aiming for a good time

When you think of Easter you may think of cute little bunnies, egg hunts and baskets, but when we go down to Grandma Tanyon's house, another fun activity comes to mind. Often times, when the extended family gets together out by the desert, we pack up the guns, ammo and targets to go shooting. This Easter was no exception. I got to shoot my new 220 bolt action rifle. Fun times.What? This isn't what EVERYONE uses the back of their "soccer mom" minivan for? Well, my kids don't play soccer, so there.

Easter Egg Playdate

We had such a fun time visiting with friends at Aiden & Ethan's house this week. The kids played on the trampoline, played in the sand box, played on the teeter totter, played in the yard, had treats, and oh yeah, decorated Easter eggs too. It was great to see lots of friends get together and spend time in the sunshine. Thank you to our hosts and all the friends who came to play.

A 5-Year Old's Cupcakes

One of my favorite parts of my daughter's fifth birthday was getting to watch my sweet little fairy princess decorate cupcakes. She may have overdone it with the edible confetti and sprinkles on the top of her flower cupcakes, but was so proud of herself for doing it by herself. She loves to help cook and I am so proud of the big girl she is becoming.

My Little Tinkerbell

Happy Birthday to the cutest little 5 year old Tinkerbell ever.PS~ Thanks Aunti, for the adorable Tinkerbell skirt for her party. She looked so cute!

It's All Greek To Me

Back in early March (I know, it's been a long time since I posted), we went to a Greek festival in Palm Springs. They had all sorts of neat crafts and exhibits to look at. It brought back some great memories of our trip to Greece when we were first married. We had two favorite features of the day in Palm Springs though. The first was the amazing food. We had flame broiled cheese with pita bread, some gyros, domatas, Greek salad, Greek skewers, a few Greek pastries and BAKLAVA! The other favorite part was getting to see the Greek dancers in full costumes. Once they were done, the band played some Greek music and folks jumped in try do a little "ethnic" dancing (much like belly dancing, but with more wrist turning). Surprisingly, my little ballerina had some stage fright and would not get out on the dance floor. After a little coaxing (and, okay, yes, a mom guilt trip), she got out there with me to try out our moves. While we weren't the best at it, we had a lot of fun and I am glad for two things: 1) I showed her that I didn't care what everyone thought of us, but just wanted to have fun and 2) That in the end, we DID have fun dancing and were able to tell everyone how fun it was instead of regretting that we didn't do it. I love having kids. I may have never danced on my own :)

Camping in February?!?!

Yep, you read that right. My crazy hubby and crazy daughter went camping here a couple weeks ago. They loaded up the ATV and drove down to the river to tent camp. Yes - TENT camp. My much more rational son and I went to a friend's house to play arts & crafts and not freeze our butts off. Turns out that the other two had a great time and bragged about what a fun experience we missed. Uh, hmmm, I'll wait till summer to camp thank you very much. I'm glad they had a good time though. It was a good chance for some father-daughter bonding.

Lesson Learned

When we went to Mexico last January (2010), Uncle Chris got caught on camera doing the can opener (a dance move) to "All the Single Ladies". Well, my little man learned his lesson from Uncle Chris and was NOT going to let daddy get blackmail of him too.

Happy Valentines Day

Girls Rule

This has become a hallmark phrase in our house. You cannot utter those two words without hearing a quick retort of either "and BOYS DROOL!" or "Nuh-uh. BOYS RULE!" Well, I can't say I'm discouraging it. The earlier they learn about cooties the longer I get to keep my innocent little babies to myself :)....now, maybe if my son turns 24 and is still living in my house then we may have a little talk. But for now, the Girls Rule - Boys Drool game is in effect and we partake daily of it's entertainment. Last weekend when we had family pictures it even came into play. I have to say though, the boys clean up pretty good when the drool gets wiped away for a moment.

Superstar!

My little girl is practicing to be a SUPERSTAR...well, maybe Mary Katherine Gallagher style, but a SUPERSTAR nonetheless. Warning: ~This may take a while to load~

What to Make

My hubby is working down off the mountain quite a bit these days, which means he is in the middle of 80 degree weather in February, which, for Southern California means the oranges are in full bloom (er, blossom? uh, ripe?..or well, whatever) What this means is that he is bringing home bag upon bag of freshly picked citrus for us. Although I am happy to squeeze oranges into juice and the kids love to eat them fresh, we are left with LOADS of left over peel. So in an effort to use them to my best advantage, I did what any sane person would do with them:

Slice the peels into 1/4" strips
Blanch three times (this means bring to a boil in a pot of water then drain) to remove bitterness
Add 2 cups water and 6 cups sugar (yes, you read that right, it's candy for goodness sakes)
Allow to come to a boil then simmer until it reaches 230 degrees (this takes a long time)
Remove from syrup and put in the dehydrator (or lay on the counter) until firm.

YUM!

Scoot-scoot-scootin' Along

On our way to a friends' house for their superbowl party last weekend, the kids stopped with Daddy to ride their new scooters that cousin Jess gave them for Christmas. My little girl is getting pretty good at hers but I guess at 3 years old my son is not ambitious enough to do it without Daddy. Luckily Daddy's just as big a kid as they are so he loves to help his little man out.

Did I mention that this is February weather here? Yes, you saw that tank top correctly. It was mid-80s that day. In the middle of winter. That's just plain weird.

Hindsight

In retrospect, I probably should have left the truckload of construction materials on our front yard for two months while we slowly dwindled them into the trash bins week by week, but how was I to know my husband would try to take it to the dump himself and in a huffing fit, pull a bungee cord too hard and snap it through the back window? I suppose that was kharma kicking me in the butt for not doing it myself.

Caramel Coconut Ooey-Gooey Goodness

I cannot prove it but have significant doubt in my mind about whether Samoans actually eat caramel, let alone make cookies out of it. I imagine them eating things like mangos and roasted pigs and pineapples and rum...lots of rum. In fact, in my obscure sections of my brain, where I contemplate such things, I believe that if a Samoan tribe were to come upon a young blond girl in braids and a green uniform that she may just find herself being thrown into a volcano...where was I? Oh yes, caramel cookies...

First, make the cookie dough, just like I told you to on Monday for the peanut butter cookies. Except this time, once they have frozen for half an hour, take them out and cut them into 1" sections. Lay them out on a baking sheet and use a large straw to cut out small holes from the center so that all of the calories can fall out of them while cooking. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, just like the peanut butter version. Take them out and let them cool. Okay, that's the easy part.

Here's where it gets a little dicey. I did not like the recipe for caramel that came with my original version. It turned out too grainy, thick and although it tasted fine, was definitely not in danger of being mistaken for a scout caramel topping. So here's what my sister suggests (she's a WAAAY better cook than I am), although I have yet to try out this version:

Mix 1c brown sugar, 1/2c corn syrup, 1/2c butter and 1/2t salt in a heavy 2-qt saucepan, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2t baking soda and 1t vanilla; mix well. Stir in 1c shredded coconut. Dip the cookies in the caramel mix and lay out on parchment paper to dry (I sprinkled on some extra coconut at this point but I'm wacky that way). Then melt some chocolate chips, add a little oil to give it a thinner consistency and drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. Once the chocolate is set/dry then they're done. You can put them in the fridge to set up faster if you really want.

Then again, if you're one of those rich folks who don't enjoy cooking and like something to look forward to in the spring besides Easter then maybe the $5 a box is better for you. For me however, I shall make these in September, January, July, whenever the urge strikes me and not feel any remorse for taking business from those little green girls whatsoever.

The Minty Goodness

Okay, for version #2, you shall do as follows and not deviate in the slightest lest you find yourself standing in the kitchen with some second rate, not good enough version of what you wish was a mint scout cookie:

Mix together 3T butter, an egg, 1/4c brown sugar, 1/8t baking soda, 1/2t salt, 1/4c cocoa powder, 1/2c flour and 1/8t peppermint oil in a bowl until the dough is consistent and moist. Add enough extra flour so that the dough still moist but no longer sticky. Lay out some parchment paper, roll out the dough uber-thin on the parchment paper then cut out anything but circle shapes because really, the circle shapes are so 1985. Cook your non-circle cookies at 325 for about 6 minutes but for sure no more than 7 (they are thin after all and cook quickly). Re-roll any unused dough and repeat as long as it can hold your attention. Eat the rest of the dough, keeping in mind that the salmonella poisoning risk is a small price to pay when you get to eat cookie dough. Allow cookies to cool completely.

Now mix together 2c of powdered sugar, 8T of melted butter, 1/8t of peppermint oil and 1T of heavy whipping cream. If the mix is not consistent enough to roll out then add a little more cream until it is thick enough to roll out. Then, surprise surprise, roll it out. About 1/4" is about right thickness. Now cut out a slightly smaller version of your non-circle shaped cookies and lay them on top of your cooled cookies. Dip the whole thing in melted chocolate chips and lay on parchment paper to cool (refrigeration speeds this process).

I have an inkling that these will freeze well (since the scout versions do) but really, mine barely lasted long enough to set up in the fridge before they were all gone so I didn't test this theory. Okay, 2 down, 1 more to go.

Puttin' Little Girls Outta Business

Admit it, at some point in your life you ate one, well, probably many, TOO many scout cookies. The little rascals know they have the goods and hold it over your head once a year, like a carrot for you, the donkey. I should know. I spent many a spring of my youth peddling those cookies and three times as long as an adult chasing that carrot. Well, my friend, you shall be that ass no more. I have found the mother load! The recipes to fill that cookie urge any time of year, without having to pay $5 per box! Listen and learn grasshoppers....

Peanut Butter Addiction
Put 2.5 sticks of butter and a cup of sugar in a bowl and mix until creamy. Add 2 eggs and beat until mixed through, scraping the bowl as you go. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat again. Turn mixer on low and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 3 cups of flour. Now beat that batter like a red-headed step-child. The dough will be crumbly but moist when it's done. Pack the dough onto some plastic wrap and roll into a 2 inch diameter cylinder. Trust me, don't make it any thicker or your cookies will be too big. Wrap the whole thing (probably a couple cylinders) into parchment paper and freeze for about half an hour.

When the dough has sufficiently hardened, take it out and slice it into 1/8" discs and place them on a baking sheet about an inch apart (they won't spread while cooking). Bake at them 350 degrees for 8 minutes, not nine, not seven, and take them out to cool on a cooling rack completely. They should not have browned in the oven at all.

Mix together equal parts of peanut butter and powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup each). Form little balls and flatten them then lay them on the cooled cookies. Dip each cookie in melted chocolate chips and lay on parchment paper to cool (refrigerating speeds this process).

Thus ends part 1 of 3 of how to free yourselves from the ties of the communist regime that call themselves scouts. Stay tuned for the mint and caramel recipes.

This is SnOw fun!

The snow yesterday was another excuse to stay home and enjoy a day with the family.

Snowplay

The mountains around here got a load of snow delivered last week so we got to go play in it recently on the ATV. If the kids could be any different from each other I don't know how. She sat in front, whooping and squealing with delight for Daddy to go faster. He sat in the middle and held tight to me while falling asleep in my chest. I have to say, I didn't mind it at ALL :) PS-Thanks Mom and Dad for the ski mask for Christmas. It kept my nose nice and toasty!

What were YOU doing on New Years Eve?

Here's a couple shots of what each of us were doing as the new year rang in on 2011. We spent the evening with friends and family in Moorpark, CA. Here's my little girl. She had fallen asleep at about 10:30, while lying in bed with some snacks, a piece of birthday
cake and watching Toy Story 3.Here's her brother. He didn't even last as long as she did. He was out, lying in my arms, around 9PM. Hey, he's THREE, and his bedtime is 8PM cut him some slack already...
Daddy and I, on the other hand, stayed up well past midnight and rang in the new year as the new, reigning royalty. Thanks Jarrod, for the crowns. Better luck next year to all of you other competitors...

What to Make

This morning I was feeling like heating the house with the oven so I let my little boy put together some ingredients for granola and we made the whole house smell wonderful. Here's what we did:

1) 4c rolled oats
2) 1c slivered almonds
3) 1c wheat germ
4) 1/2c brown sugar
5) 1/4t salt
6) 1/3c each of oil, honey and water

It's easy, just mix #1-5, add #6 and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes (stirring every so often to prevent burning. Then when it's all done and cooled on the counter, sprinkle in some dried cranberries to make it extra delicious. To celebrate our marvelous creation, we sprinkled it on yogurt and shared a tasty snack. His first comment? "What can we cook next Mommy?" Maybe my little man is taking after uncle Wally and will some day be a cook!

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful time up in Oregon with family and friends over the holidays. Thank you everyone for your hospitality and generosity. We are very blessed to have such a loving family and great friends.

It was particularly nice to get to see the Nielsen side of the family on Christmas Eve since it has been a couple years since we've seen them. Here's a shot of the whole crew sitting around the Christmas tree at the end of the evening.

The Polar Express

We were delighted last May when Nana suggested that we go on the Polar Express this winter to see Santa before Christmas. It was a great idea for a Christmas gift. We got to look forward to the event all year and when the day finally arrived we were filled with anticipation...
Thank you Nana and Grandpa for the fun time and wonderful memories.

Playgroup Party

Last week we had our Christmas party for the playgroup where we live. We were supposed to wear pajamas but we were headed straight from there to the zoo for the zoo lights so we wore holiday outfits instead. Everyone brought a potluck dish, we decorated sugar cookies, sang carols, played games, did crafts and had a nice morning with our friends. Here's some highlights: