Happy Halloween!

Jango Fett or is it Boba Fett from Star Wars and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wish you and yours a lovely Halloween.

The kids are alright.

We are drowning in chaos right now. While they redo the old part of the house, I feel like we are living in an episode of Hoarders. This is what my family room looks like at this very minute. Are you jealous?

I'm frazzled, disorganized, and I forgot to pick up Mr. Boy yesterday.....again. Those blasted early dismissal days throw me for a loop! I feel like the worst mom, and I can't help but think, "We are torturing them with all this construction and chaos!" Are they going to look back and be like, "Really... we had a pinata next to a port-a-potty? Why was my birthday party 3 months after my actual birthday? And did you really think your festive banner would spruce up the construction fence?" And just when I start to fret that there isn't enough money in the world to pay for all the therapy the kids are going to need after this chaotic year.... I remind myself of this. We've spent many afternoons playing WWII in the trenches in the backyard. Notice the bike helmets being used as Army Helmets.
AK has spent hours digging holes with a big girl shovel and is mad at me in this pic for calling her in for dinner. The backyard has provided countless props for imaginative play. Why is ever prop turned into a gun with little boys? Here Mr. Boy plays with his "Giant Bazookum". Is it awful that I don't ever want him to stop creating new words or mispronouncing words?
And who hasn't wanted to spend the twilight hours playing on one of these.
The kids are going to be just fine.

We know how to party

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away Mr. Boy had a birthday. Maybe it was more like midsummer. Summer birthdays are tricky, all your friends are out of town, or you are knee deep in dust adding on to your chalet. So, we moved Mr. Boy's Party to the fall and I told Mr. Boy to invite 7 of his closest friends. He invited everyone and their brother, and I'm not even kidding about the brother part. So, we wrangled 14 boys all around the age of 7 and their brothers for two hours. I have never been so fearful for my life. It was a "Lego Star Wars Party".I had a blast putting this party together, and we learned that my cool new dining table seats 14 with all the leaves pulled out. If only I actually had 14 chairs for it!Big thanks to Williams - Sonoma for the tips on how to decorate these cookies. (A little bit of their Food Paste mixed into Karo Syrup, painted on with a brush.) Don't look too closely, because they kind of look like Mr. Boy decorated them, but the party guest and their brothers loved them. Every kid got to build their own Lego Mini Set when they arrived, and that was their party favor. It worked out well to get them started on a project right away. At age 7, the boys seemed to want to tackle each other all the time, so that was main goal, to keep them busy enough they wouldn't tackle. We played lots of lego games, some bombed, some rocked. Of the ones that were a success: "Drop the lego brick from your nose into a mason jar", "Lego Shuffleboard/Bocce" (slide the lego across the floor to try and hit a target, closest one to the target wins.), "Guess the number of Legos in a jar"
Classy, real classy. "Okay kids, let's line up next to the Port-a-Potty for some fun with the Pinata!' Every year I buy these $5 indestructible pinatas from the Latino Market, but this year it broke on the second hit. They must have switched suppliers or something.

Mr. Boy really wanted a home party this year, and was so patient to wait. I loved watching him with his friends. Mr. Boy's personality exhausts me sometimes, but he is the funnest kid. He hugged each of his friends spontaneously after opening their gift. He is so eager to share his love and exuberance with everyone.... and their brother.

Glamour Shots: Part Trois

Going back in time a bit, on Mother's Day I was given what I thought was a facial and massage at the spa. Turns out it was so much more. It was a Glamour Session! Here is the third and Final Glamour Shot from that fateful day. Notice the signature photoshopping out of my collarbones and my freckles, apparently they aren't glamourous.

Does the Vaseline on my teeth really make my smile appear more natural?

To see the previous horrifically awesome Glamour Shots
Go Here and Here.

Let the wild rumpus begin!

Just off the family room, behind these gorgeous doors, is the rumpus room aka playroom. If you remember... this could have been a spacious master bath. However, I do not regret giving up a clawfoot tub for one minute. (Truth? well, I regretted for maybe for 30 seconds, 58 seconds tops.) The kids LOVE this space! I love this space! Mr. Man loves this space! We christened this room by curling up on the couch and watching those wacky Penguins of Madagascar. (I love that show, serious funny for kids and adults.)
Speaking of Mr. Man, he bought them the bookshelf just so the kids have something to make their "scenes" on. Everyday we find new scenes on those shelves, and I love that Mr. Man loves their scenes enough that he insisted on buying it.

This is the view from the new den. I love that I can keep an eye on them, while getting stuff done at my desk. Yet, they are far enough away I can focus on important things.... like buying shoes and blogging.
Inside the playroom is the most fabulous door. It opens to the most fabulous closet that holds almost every toy we own. I'm toying with putting a lock on it, but Mr. Man says I'm a giant ogre for wanting it. He hasn't been around when every single toy has come out of the closet during a playdate. All in all, the kids are awesome about putting their stuff away. If I were President, I'd give everyone in America a playroom with a big closet and soda would come out of the drinking fountains!

Réfrigérateur Facelift for $35

When we moved in, we inherited all the appliances which worked out great, and they looked great in this sweet retro kitchen. Have I told you about my super human strength? Since I grew up with brothers, I'm freakishly strong. I tend to open things with gusto... gifts... windows... and the fridge. I've broken several windows by throwing them open with all my might. Unfortunately the refrigerator's handle fell victim to my super powers early on.
The broken handle bothered me, and I knew this fridge would look out of place in the new fabulous kitchen. I had seen a blog where the lady simply glued paneling onto an old fridge. I decided to give it a shot. So I grabbed some beadboard, liquid nails, and some molding. Then I asked the Juans to cut it to the right size, man, they are so handy!Then this is the part where if you really should have some help. I didn't, so when I slathered the beadboard with liquid nails and stuck it on the fridge, I realized I didn't have a free hand to tape it in place. So I did what anyone do, I started screaming at the top of my lungs! One of the Juans ran to my aid, and helped tape the paneling in place. Then once that dried, I put the molding in place and then painted it all white to match the kitchen. Frankly, I'm pretty proud of the way it turned out. $35 bucks well spent, and it looks much better. Now, the only thing we can't decide.... do we add a handle? or leave it plain? What do you think?

P.S. Because someone asked, there is a small gap between the paneling and the fridge, which was easily fixed with some chaulk! Now it looks seamless from the side.

Happy Birthday Little Miss Liar Fire Pants

Imagine my surprise when I picked up AK at school the other day and she is wearing a Birthday crown and her friends are all waving her off with birthday wishes.

When we got to the car I said, "Hey AK, why is everyone wishing you a Happy Birthday?"
AK: Oh, I told everyone it was my birthday to make the day more fun.
Moi: Um, but your birthday was last month.
AK: Well, today is my birthday for this month.
Moi: Sweetie, it just doesn't work like that. You can't just decide to have a birthday on any old day.
AK: But I got to be line leader and pass out pencils and they sang to me, it was so fun.

Baffled, I really can't blame her, I mean she got to be line leader AND pass out pencils! Plus she has a summer birthday, which means she misses out on the school birthday experience. What I can't figure out is how she convinced everyone that today was her birthday when the forms I filled out all have a different date. This girl needs to be a salesman, she can get anyone to believe anything.

**Up until last year, anytime Mr. Boy thought someone was lying he would call them, "Liar Fire Pants" instead of Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire. It made me chuckle every time and the phrase has stuck.

Reason # 1,112 I love having a girl.

They are fun to shop for. Even better when they wear the clothes you buy for them... which isn't happening very often anymore....

Grande Salle de Bains

Without further ado... here is the new Master Bathroom!Ha! Just kidding, I wish! I had grand visions of a clawfoot tub, a sit down vanity, and then the architect came back with, "Get real lady! Either have a dedicated playroom or a giant Master Bathroom that you can't afford." Being the true giver that I am, I chose to give my children a playroom. Between you and me, cash was a huge factor as well, I really want a pool!

I wanted to keep this house somewhat true to it's 1950's roots, so I chose ceramic tile throughout. Plus the ceramic tile was affordable, and I had a TIGHT budget for this bathroom. This flooring was the inspiration for the whole space.

We only had room for a single vanity, and I picked this vanity out early on. When it came time to actually purchase the vanity, the Remodeling Gods smiled upon us, and we found out it was on clearance. It was half off! I love the lines and the shape but it needed something....
Perhaps a coat of Black Paint? Mr. Man claims I paint every piece of furniture black. He might be right... I spruced it up by replacing the handles with knobs, and bought a fancy handle from my favorite home store Restoration Hardware. I knew from the minute we picked out the flooring I wanted subway tile on the walls. We started out with 3x6 inch tiles, but with the tiny size of the bathroom it was making the room feel very crowded. Too much grout! We found these 6x9 inch tiles were the right scale for the bathroom. While not true "subway" tile, it totally works.
We opted for a shower instead of a tub/shower combo. I love that little bench and the shampoo holder. I also love to open the window and gaze into the wilderness. Occasionally, I'll see the deer and yell "Ack Rupert! Don't Look! Avert your eyes!"
This bathroom is small but mighty. I love that I don't have to share it with the kids, and that it is all mine. (ahem.. and Mr. Man's).
J'aime ma le Chalet! I am in love with this house and the way it turned out! More pics coming soon, including the playroom which I sacrificed my clawfoot tub for.

Attention Folks: This is your captain speaking

When I was Four, I accompanied my mom on a trip back to Midwest to visit family. These were back in the good old days of flying, when airlines actually had customer service and didn't treat you like Cattle. The stewardess asked me if I'd like to meet the pilot during the flight and I went up to the cockpit. The pilot gave me a pair of wings and showed me the controls, then he asked me if I'd like to be a stewardess when I grew up? I responded with, "No way! I want to be the Pilot."
Over the summer, we had the opportunity to take this Cessna out for a spin. I'm terrified of flying, but always wanted to learn how to fly a plane. I'm complicated like that. There is something about being able to be in control of the plane, that took all the fear right out of me. I was able to relax and enjoy myself the whole time.
We flew out over the Channel Islands on a spectacularly clear day. I got a quick lesson and then took over the controls for most of the flight.
I think I want to ask Santa for an airplane for Christmas. It was amazing to be able to fly through the air. Maybe the Chalet needs a runway in the back instead of a pool.
I took these guys with me, much to Mr. Man's dismay. They LOVED it, and when we did dips and steep climbs, they would scream, "AGAIN! AGAIN! Do it Again!"
At the end of the flight, AK said, "Next time let me fly it, Ok?"

The Canines of the Chalet

This stinker of a dog gave us a scare last week. Sandy started to go downhill fast, and then 24 hours later after being showered with attention, she was back to causing mischeif and acting like her old self. She likes to hide under the house and then pop out and scare the Juans. Aunt Cinnamon actually has a theory that Sandy does this on purpose, "Hmmm.. I haven't faked dying for a while... " Then there is these dynamic duo. Skoopi loves to ride in the car, and stare straight ahead. She never puts her head out the window, she doesn't act like a normal dog. These two are inseperable, and I love finding them having an adventure all over the property. Here they are pretending to be on a safari. There is nothing in the world like a boy and his dog.

Back to Stupid School. Boo. *Hiss*

I'm particularly bitter about school starting up again this year. With the exception of one sweltering week, it has barely been warm. Then, we spent most of the summer inside various Home Improvement stores rather than lounging at the beach. The summer flew by and I just am not ready to send the kids off to school. I mentioned before, I suck at being the responsible school parent and it is not particularly a talent I want to try and improve. I would much rather we skip the whole school business altogether. So on the last day of summer, we crammed in as much fun as we could. We went on a long hike...
We swam in the pool. The kids had long baths while I prepared the annual "Back to School" Feast. We had the traditional meal of Pizza & Pancakes, something Mr. Boy decided when we ended up doing the midyear back to school feast earlier this year. We unveiled the year's theme which is, "Do your very best." AK has an insane 8AM start time for school, which means I spent from 7:00AM to 7:45 AM pleading and begging my children to "please, please, wake up and get dressed!" I have such good little sleepers, from the beginning of time they have always been waking up somewhere between 7:30-8:30AM, great for this non-morning person family, but bad for evil, stupid, school. Are they really supposed to go to Kindergarten when their backpack is bigger than they are? I might not be ready to have a Kindergartener, but she is ready to give it a try. She was happy to give me a quick wave goodbye. *sigh* How many more days left until summer?