A flashback leading to Sunday Night Traditions

*Epic Flashback... bear with me...* On Friday as I sat with my client and watched our fortunes turn into pennies live on CNBC, we reminisced about days gone by of economic bliss. "Remember that one time, when you could invest in a company that believed in working hard, and watch your stock rise as they grew?" "Or remember the Tech Boom and how everyone worked at a company with a dot-com at the end. And every product had a dot-com on the label. Like.. Garbage.com, or SpaghettiO's.com" "Remember when you had to actually have income to qualify for a mortgage? "Remember when banks didn't collapse?"

It was good times...

And it reminded me of 1998-1999. *cue Waynes World style flashback effect* Mr. Man was a grad student attending what was the #2 Tech-MBA program in the nation. We lived in a darling duplex by the beach, and the Internet was opening doors left and right. Being economically challenged... was not so challenging... companies were giving money or products away to gain consumers. Remember HomeGrocer.com aka Webvan? Loved them, and they gave away tons of groceries. Best of all it was delivered to the house. I WISH something of that caliber returned for groceries. I miss it dearly, and remember vividly when they closed up shop and how my pal Steph and I had a moment of silence for Online Groceries. Albertsons.com is not the same. During the boom we got free or cheap movies, restaurant gift certificates, tons of computer equipment, gardening supplies, household cleaners, shampoo, and small appliances. My favorite site during that time was called ebates.com. They are still around, and I use them, but it's not as crazy awesome as it used to be. If you clicked through them to your retailer you got 50-90% of your purchase back through a monthly rebate. There was a week where there was a 90% ebate at Cooking.com. I went crazy nuts and bought everything Kitchen related I ever had wanted with my birthday money, including a Kitchen Aid Mixer and an ebelskiver pan. Mr. Man.com (hee!) stood there baffled when he saw stacks of boxes taller than him on our doorstep with the Cooking.com logo... especially considering at the time I was still somewhere in the range of a horrible to mediocre cook. Oh, and I barely cooked, in fact I was known to throw a box of Rice-a-Roni.com (compliments of Homegrocer.com) his way and say, "Here's dinner".

The addition of the Mixer to our family opened the door for me to stop being a lazy cook and experiment. Even better Mr. Man joined me in the teeny kitchen/laundry room to help with the experiments. One late night craving for something sweet led to us trying to recreate a dish that I had at my friends house after sleepovers... ebelskivers. Puffy round balls that are pancake-y. We perfected the homemade syrup and tweaked the recipe. They soon became a Sunday night tradition and we had them almost every Sunday night until AK was born. Then life caved in around us, and I went back to throwing the box of Rice-a-Roni at Mr. Man(although it was now the Whole Foods Organic variety). This past weekend, Mr. Man and I found ourselves in the kitchen experimenting trying to make Mashed Cauliflower (kind of like mashed potatoes, and we were unsuccessful!). Standing side by side, Mr. Man reminded me of those Sunday evenings making Ebelskivers, and said, "We need to do that again, I miss it!" So I pulled out the Ebelskiver Pan that evening, and we went to town cooking Ebelskivers for the family. Normally, we did this after we put the kids to bed, however they are getting older and are able to walk out of their rooms and find us scarfing down sugary substances and accuse us of not saving any for them. It was time to make this a family thing. It was a big hit, and we hope to do this weekly again. So, Internets I would like to thank you for the tech boom that gave me the ability to make something delicious for my family, that I hope will create lasting memories.

(The boys, who think it's beyond hilarious to make funny faces for the camera. So funny, I forgot to laugh. Also, that's a Batman tattoo on Mr. Boy's arm that he has had for 4 weeks, it will NOT come off!)

Psst... for those who are intrigued here is a link to an Ebelskiver video demo. Also, here is an official and open invitation to anyone who wants to come over for Sunday Night Ebelskivers. We will accommodate bedtimes, invite yourself, I'm not kidding!

Carnival

We are lucky to live in a town in the middle of OC, that has old roots. It's just the kind of place that Mr. Man and I love. We love being able to walk to dinner, to the park, etc. So imagine our surprise when we moved into this house, and found the streets were all closed because of a big giant Fall Carnival right in our neighborhood. It was perfect! I haven't been able to go for the last two years due to stupid health things, so I was excited to go with the family. It was a blast, check out these pics. Contemplating the next ride... AK was two inches too small to go on most rides, so I said... "Have your very own soda kid.. " to make it up to her.
Mr. Boy who won't ride ANYTHING other than the Monorail and Teacups at Disneyland RODE everything he could! This ride was one of those things where you think... I'm paying $6 bucks for my kids to sit in a plastic boat and go around in a circle. That is where I have to quiet my inner nerdy accountant with a funnel cake. Somewhere in this pic is my Mr. Boy's feet as he is spun around high in the air on this beautiful antique Carnival Swing. It was a GORGEOUS piece of art and the "carnie" told me the history of it. It was a work of art and was imported from Germany pre-war.

We walked AK home and Mr. Boy and I came back to indulge in some more rides. We stayed until closing time, which was hours after his bedtime, and walked home in the rain trying to catch raindrops on our tongues. I went to bed that night realizing, it's okay to bend the rules sometimes.... indulge the kids in some serious sugar, stay up way too late, and jump as hard as you can in the puddles.. for tommorrow the sun will come out and dry them up!

Imaginative Play

A few months ago, we were discussing AK's growth and development, and we both were concerned about whether or not she was given enough opportunities to develop an imagination. Mr. Boy, a born leader, is usually leading playtime....

With Mr. Boy in school 5 days a week, along with a social calendar with playdates and birthday parties, AK has had some much needed time at home to play with her toys uninterrupted. Mr. Man and I were in our home office staring at our hard hit stock portfolio trying to will it back to life, while AK happily played at our feet. We both turned our attention away from finances, and watched our little girl narrate the most elaborate story, through song and words. Apparently, the cow& sheep are driving cars to see their friends in the Wizard of Oz. After watching her for some time, our fears have subsided... and again we are amazed at how far she has come.

Sandy's Late Night Escapades

As we become acutely aware of the sun setting on Sandy's long and robust life, we tend to let more and more things slide with her behavior. I turn my head the other way when I see sandwich crusts being slipped under the table or notice that while I went to grab a spoon the evil, vile broccoli has disappeared from Mr. Boys plate at lightening speed, and later that evening Sandy will emit some noxious fumes that will let me know that Mr. Boy did not eat his broccoli.

Sandy has never wandered far from home, however lately she seems to try and slip out at night to roam the neighbors yards. Tonight, I tried to hurry the wee ones inside barking orders of "Brush your teeth, put on jammies" while I unloaded the groceries. I never even noticed Sandy had slipped out. She doesn't get up to greet us at the door anymore, it's too hard on the hips.

After the wee ones were tucked in bed and the groceries were put away... I sat down to read and noticed my footrest aka Sandy was missing. I wandered around looking for her, when I heard a bark from the front yard. I peeked out the window to find Sandy looking very guilty. Her look says, "Crap, I missed curfew and they locked me out." I let her in, and said, "You're a little too old to be slinking around the neighborhood at these late hours." Then I started to sing "Roxanne" to her. I'm confident making Sandy endure my singing was punishment enough.

He loves her... from a distance.

We love to visit and meet the Characters at Disneyland, well most of us do. Mr. Boy from an early early age has been fearful of people dressed up in costumes. I've have been at several birthday parties where Characters have made an appearance and watched Mr. Boy run... run FAST in the opposite direction. He even has a scar from a mishap that occured while running from Santa Claus.

I was curious as to what would happen if he met Mary Poppins, who he loves more than anyone on the planet. We LOVE Mary Poppins in this house, and she is often quoted around here. We often ask, "What Would Mary Poppins Do?"when faced with tough situations.

First, he spots Mary Poppins and takes his position
Then he convinces AK to go and meet them... which she does happily. Then he grills AK, "What was she like? Did she smell like Marshmallows?" He stays hiding in the same spot for 30 minutes, quietly watching her.... totally smitten.

Mary Poppins is a smart cookie... she knows he's watching her, and she sings while staring right at him. She blew him a kiss, which I swear I saw his knees go weak. When I tossed a coin in the wishing well that day... I wished for him to find a lovely British Bride one day, who sings and travels by floating umbrella.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This is my Daddy, who today turns 75! I took the kids to spend the weekend at their house to celebrate. We played the piano... Played hide and seek... (my dad is really good at hiding, and the kids gave up... while my dad patiently stood inside a closet waiting for 30 minutes until someone went in there)
Had Puppet Shows...

We jumped on the bed.....
And slept all together in a bed that Mr. Boy said was just like sleeping in a Marshmallow. My parents believe in down everything... down comforters, down featherbeds, making the beds sinfully fluffy.
And we took my Dad out for Ice Cream, and had the whole place sing to him. I've never seen him blush before, but he loved it!
I owe my Dad a lot for he taught me that I could be ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING that I wanted to be when I grew up. He also taught me to be grateful for the everyday freedoms that I enjoy, along with the investment tip of investing where you spend your money. (Such as Nordstroms stock to go along with my Nordstrom's habit)
While on vacation with a friend at the young age of 16, I found a leather jacket that was beautiful and on sale. That night I called my Dad, and said, "Daddy, I found a leather jacket today, and it was gorgeous." My dad told me, "Wendy, if you are going to regret not buying it, just buy it! I trust your taste, and you know good quality". I bought it, and it taught me a lesson to evaluate purchases based on the "Will I regret not buying this?" principal.

Happy Birthday Daddy!! Thanks for everything!

Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell

We live next door to a fabulous family named the Maxwells.* They moved in on a Saturday, and the following week we brought home Mr. Boy from the hospital. Over the years we have formed a bond with them that goes beyond just being neighbors. Mr. Boy especially loves Mr. Maxwell, and they have a deep friendship that was formed while spying on Mr. Maxwell from the jungle gym, while Mr. Maxwell gardens. Mr. Maxwell has been Mr. Boy's biggest cheerleader and when it came time to get a bike, Mr. Boy wanted one just like Mr. Maxwell's.
Mr. Boy's top bunk looks onto their side porch, and Mr. Boy has had some wonderful conversations from his bunk while the neighbors take their garbage out on balmy summer nights when the windows are open.

*random story* One night we talked to Daddy on the phone while we snuggled in Mr. Boy's bed. I said goodnight, not realizing that I accidentally left the phone in Mr. Boy's bed. He tried to come out and tell me, but I was talking to Mrs. Maxwell who had popped over to borrow something, so I shoo'd him back to bed. He went to his room and dialed the "Daddy Button" and Mr. Man answered. Apparently, he talked to Daddy and told him that Mommy was with "Mr. Maxwell's Mom" and that I said not to disturb me. With Nathan being only 4 and having a little trouble with his speech, all Mr. Man heard was "Mommy is with Mr. MmmhmmMmm, and she said not to bother her, because she would be busy for a while". So, Mr. Man called the home number and said, "Hey, who's over at the house?" And I was alone and said, "No One." (Mrs. Maxwell, or as Mr. Boy calls her Mr. Maxwell's Mom had only been over for 1 minute.) Mr. Man, kept pressing the issue, and finally said, "Uh, Mr. Boy called me and said that Mr. Somebody was at the house, and you said not to disturb you." Oh boy, I laughed so hard at what that must have sounded like to Mr. Man.Over the summer, we have spent a lot of time with the Maxwells and keeping a big secret that I finally can reveal. On Friday night, they brought home this..... Her name is "Mr. Maxwell's Baby" according to Mr. Boy. She is beautiful and we love her to pieces. Mr. Boy is especially smitten with her, and told me when he saw her, "Oooo Mommy I just want to reach out and kiss her!" He has come up with 200 excuses of why he needs to go over to Mr. Maxwell's Baby's House. "I want to give Mr. Maxwell a dollar." "I want to give Mr. Maxwell's Baby this toy." (which happened to be Baby Roller Hand, and AK actually pummelled him at that suggestion) "Mr. Maxwell's Baby is thirsty, and I'd like to bring over some red juice."

Even better the Maxwell's have provided us a wonderful opportunity to talk to our children about their adoptions. Mr. Maxwell's Baby is adopted, and we got to talk and meet her amazing birthmom and family over the summer. It has been an amazing experience to have the children watch the situation unfold and explain their stories and compare it with Mr. Maxwell's Baby. Although, Mr. Boy doesn't quite understand it all, he asked a random man, if he could grow a baby brother in his tummy for our family!

It has been fun for Mr. Man and I to sit and reminisce about our own experiences and be reminded of our time with our birthparents, and of those sweet days when our children were babies. I'll never forget the first night we had Mr. Boy at home, I crawled into bed to be snuggled by Mr. Man, who started to chuckle.... "You smell like baby wipes and formula." And now I crawl into bed smelling like applesauce and animal crackers... and I'm grateful to be loved... odd smells and all... and to have been given these children by such amazing and courageous women. This weekend, Mr. Man and I have paused and given thanks for the amazing blessing of adoption.
*Not their real last name

I love this face...

I love this face and the happy look she gets when she plays with the family. Shhhhhhh!!! she has no idea she isn't human. And these little ears, they never hung right for a labrador...they never quite grew with her body. My favorite part is they happily bounce up and down when she walksAnd I love that these two are inseparable.

The Popsicle Spot

When we moved into our much-loved house, there was this round thing in the front yard. The previous owners put it in and when asked what it was for, they said it was "Architectural Interest". Every one of our neighbors after they introduced themselves said, "Are you going to take the round thing out?" We have jokingly told people it was our personal helicopter pad. Things change when you have children and the helicopter pad has become "The Popsicle Spot". We eat popsicles here at dusk every so often, while the dogs roam the yard or lie at our feet. We chit chat about whatever pops in our heads. Sometimes the conversations are deep, pondering the universe, or light, filled with giggles and made up words that tickle our tongues.Each time and every time I sit listening to those sticky mouths, I think about how I do not ever want to forget these moments. If only I could capture them in a jar.

In addition to the Worst Mom EVER!!!

As if you needed further evidence that I am raising the next Star of the show Praise the Lord enjoy the following tidbit.

The scene... 28 minutes until bedtime at Chateau du la Francaise.

After several warnings that if Mr. Boy did not put on his pajamas right now he would lose his chance to watch Justice League before bed. I did the unthinkable. I didn't let him watch Justice League, and put him straight to bed. (Somewhere in the world Supernanny has gotten off her naughty spot to applaud my discipline tactic.)

As I was putting the hysterical boy to bed and enduring the sobs filled with such things as, "You don't love me. Fine, I won't let you borrow my Flash Costume* at Halloween. You are a big giant meanie-head." He turned to me and said, "Mommy, you are listening to the voice of SATAN" I applaud his efforts to try and use religion against me, but it doesn't work on the Worst Mom Ever!

*Also, adding to the worst mom ever, last year during a trip to Target (moment to silently praise the worlds best retailer for the mom who can't stant to take her children shopping, and praise the one-stop-shopping-ness, and to plead for a Super-Target with lots of Organic Produce right here in the OC), also click on the target link for a hilarious video), where was I... oh yes... Target so apparently, as we looked at some Flash (Gordon) Pajama's I promised that Mr. Boy could have some when he was 5. This kid has a wicked memory and has been reminding me of them every single day for the last month. Anyone have a source... other than eBay.... because for the first time eBay has failed me.

Tagged by Booboo

Booboo tagged me for this....
Here are the rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts, and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged. Here we go............

Three Joys:
My relationship with Mr. Man. We are closer now that we have been for years. Also my relationship with my children. We've made some changes in the last few months that have taken our family from existing to "living our best life". It's a work in progress, but the future is looking bright and I'm thrilled.
A good movie, tv show, or book. I love entertainment! I've been watching some really great tv shows that I missed the first time around.

My friends. They have been my rock and my biggest cheerleader. I always joke that I don't have room for any more friends and that I'm taking applications just in case I have an opening. The truth is, I'm not the best keeping track of the friends I have. Most of my friends know this and are patient with me...

Three Fears

Losing a child or both of them... I just don't know if I would be able to move forward from a tragic event like that

Losing Mr. Man or myself to a terminal illness before the kids are grown

Snakes

Current Obsessions/Collections

Getting caught up on Battlestar Gallactica... oh so nerdy, but a fabulous fabulous fabulous show

Finding new pillows for the living room, getting the family room painted, and new pillows.

And this bag... Oooo and also this one. Surprising Facts

My desk is always messy.

I'm a member of Mensa

I love fashion always have, and my toughest decision in life was trying to decide if I wanted to be a fashion designer or an accountant.

Hmmmm as far as tagging... I'll tag Brooke D, Carly & Cinnamon

First Day of School! First Day of School!

On the last day of school, Mr. Man & I jumped around the house excited to welcome in the lazy days of summer. Summer is a big deal around here. There was no jumping this morning. We were definitely excited for the kids, but more than anything we were tired. School starts earlier for us this year, and it's a new routine. We did the customary first day of school pics in front of the sign.

Mr. Boy is in Kindergarten this year. We love his teacher, and she genuinely loves Nathan. She is so excited for the upcoming year. He was SO excited to get his own desk with his name on it, and his own pencil box. He totally kept telling me, "Mom.. GOOOOOOO, it's time for me to do my work. GO!" How did he get so big!? When did he grow to be so tall? *cue Sunrise Sunset*They want the kids, (especially the girls) to wear comfy shoes this year, to allow for maximum running and jumping. A concept I have been struggling with all summer, since I would choose fashion over comfort any day. We picked up these fab Converse Mary Janes for AK, and they are so cute. I want some in my size. Then it came time to drop this girl off. AK ran right in to class and sat down to play with her friends. She looked up and waved, "Bye mom." At that moment I had an instant flashback to 48 hours after she was born. Talking to the worried pediatrician to hammer out a gameplan to get this wee tiny babe to thrive. I am so proud of how far this girl has come! I turned to walk out the door, knowing I was not going to be able to stifle the tears of pride that were coming. I had a good little sob, then indulged in a facial which made it all better. Both kids had an outstanding day and we headed over to In-n-Out to celebrate the first day of school! My mom always did something special on the first day of school, what did you do growing up, or what do you do now?
At this time I would like to raise my glass and propose a toast to my pals on these world wide inter-webbythingamabobs... *raises glass* "a toast to Moving Forward, to these new everchanging phases of our lives... may we navigate them with success"

This may sound like I'm gloating...

I'm pretty much going to gloat about how awesome it is that Mr. Boy's school doesn't start until next week. Yesterday was the first day for most of my neighborhood. This morning I drank my tea while watching the kiddos of the neighborhood, march out in their new outfits, posing for a picture, and then hop in the car with shiny new backpacks. AK spent a leisurely morning in her jammies, while Mr. Boy enjoyed some novacaine at the dentist's office. Then we headed out to Disneyland, because I heard this is the world's best day to go. It was INDEED the best day to go.... our wait on any ride was never longer than 8 minutes.

Mr. Boy's favorite was the monorail...

Where we sat up front with the driver...

And pretended to drive...(They gave AK a Happy Birthday Pin to wear, because her recent birthday meant that we had to shell out some dough to buy her a pass to make her legit. For whatever reason they put the pin on her as if it was her birthday, which I told them it wasn't. AK loved being told "Happy Birthday" and would say, "Thank you, Happy Birthday!" right back to them.)Also, the monorail driver was this tiny older gentleman, who was hilarious and told fart jokes while honking the monorail horn the whole trip. Mr. Boy, AK, and the newlywed couple, who rode with us, were laughing hysterically the whole time. We learned how to be Jedi's, and when the show was over the storm troopers were walking off stage and Mr. Boy pretended to shoot one of them. The storm trooper tripped and fell down, which made Mr. Boy ecstatic that he might have more than just super powers, he might also be a Jedi.And this my friends is the whole reason I had children....
We rode the teacups eight times in a row. It's my all time favorite ride, and Mr. Man is lame with his, "I get motion sickness" wimpy attitude. However, these kids are awesome... eight times in a row, and they never got bored. AK's eyes started to look like they might roll back in her head, and she took on a slightly greenish tint... so we stopped. I had a nightmare that night that I'm sitting in a parent teacher conference and the teacher says, "It's almost as if their brain cells were subjected to a continual centrifugal force. Their brains are all scrambled." It's a small price to pay to enjoy the teacups, I'm so excited to have two little teacup companions.

Le poney court

Last week I went to a work/client thing. We went to Del Mar Race Track and bet on the ponies. It was so much fun and a fabulous venue for a work event. There was a horse named "Bon Jour" and I just knew she was going to win. So I bet on her, even though the odds were 55 to 1. She lost. However, I did bet on this horse because it was French. Bred in France. That was pretty much my strategy, if it was anything remotely French, I bet on it. Lucky for me, every race had at least one french connection. See the horse that looks French (or has the #2 on it), she won, and I took home $9.

Ahem.. never mind... that I bet more than $9 the entire day. Still, totally fun. Always.. .Always.. bet on the French!

And we're back...

So, the hotel was, in one word, FABULOUS. It was so charming and the perfect spot for a getaway weekend. I felt relaxed from the moment I walked in. Even better, it's got a spa onsite! Palm Springs.... was a little vacant. Lots of empty storefronts and for lease signs, however we still found lots of good places to eat and mill around. Being alone with Mr. Man without the kids or a nagging daily "to do" list, made me slow down and remember all the reasons why I love this man. Even if he tries to pull his "Mr. Funny Face" everytime I pull the camera out. This time I surprised him.... We talked about the future and what it holds, read a ton of magazines that have piled up around the house and the best part..... we laughed a lot....best weekend of the year!