The Girls

Tomatoes

2012-01-30T10:42:00.000-06:00

I peek out the window, and what do I see?
Two tomatoes growing in January?!

One fell off and got all Moldy.
The other one looks good enough for me.

Celebration lunch

2012-01-28T13:54:00.001-06:00

We took Maddie out for a special lunch (and a sundae) to celebrate her strait "A" report card. Way to go!!

Flower Girls for rent!

2012-01-27T06:48:00.001-06:00

The Girls attended and participated in their first wedding ever! The bride was GORGEOUS and and the girls behaved very well considering the ceremony lasted over an hour. A FULL Catholic Mass. The wedding STARTED at 7:30 p.m. which is about the time that my girls are reading their bedtime stories.

We live next door to this family and they have five children--who have all babysat for us over the years. The bride is the oldest of the five children.

Brooke tried on the Brides 5 inch heels (briefly before she fell over).

I was honored to be in the Brides' room before the ceremony watching such intimate moments between the bride and her family. I tried my best to stay out of the way. My duty was to keep the girls entertained, clean, fed, happy and tidy. That is three more things than I do on a regular basis. It really stressed me out, y'all. I love this pic (that I took with my cell phone) of the girls with the bride in the reflection of the mirror:

The biggest crisis in the Bride's room wasn't my kids doing something, but that she couldn't find the Groom's ring...anywhere. After an hour of searching, they found it in some random bag back at the hotel.

I was most concerned about the Girls sitting still for such a long ceremony (especially after a tough rehersal the day before.) Also, they had never even been to a wedding before, and the whole process was fascinating to them. They did such a great job soaking it all in (quietly). Brooke did have a few questions for the bridesmaids......"Why are they kneeling? What language is the priest speaking? What are those crackers and juice for, and why can't I have some? Is it over yet?"

We only caught Madison falling asleep once after a zillion yawns.

The ceremony ended at about 8:45, then there was a Mariachi band outside of the Cathedral to greet the guests and new couple, then we took bridal party pictures.....then, things started to go downhill with a whine fest, and I couldn't WAIT until I had WINE in my hand. We drove back to the hotel (we got a room even though the wedding was in town) for the reception.

Cocktail hour STARTED at 10:00, and the girls literally fell asleep in a chair in the corner after BEGGING to go to bed. BEGGING and crying just to go to sleep.

Zak took them up to the room, and because he couldn't leave them asleep in the room, stayed there for the night.

Dinner and the toasts STARTED after 11:00 (was delicious!), but I felt so terrible that our table had 3 missing chairs. By 12:30, the couple cut the cake and the dancing began about 1:00 am.

I'm sad that the girls couldn't see the whole process, and would have had so much fun (if was six hours earlier). I watched the first few dances, then went up to bed.

The Girls, of course, woke up at about 5 am, hungry and cranky, and rambunctious.

So, we'll rent out Maddie and Brooke for weddings in the future, as long as your ceremony starts before 5:30. Otherwise, Zak and I will be the only guests from now on.

I listen with my EARS.

2012-01-24T13:11:00.000-06:00

Maddie's teacher has been writing us notes this month regarding her "excessive talking" or "not paying attention to the lesson." It first started with one note per month, then once per week, then she'd go a couple of weeks with no incidents, and now, we're getting notes several times per week.

This is all too familiar. The second semester of Kinder, she also had similar problems.

I think the girl is BORED. Her grades are getting increasingly higher....98-100 in all subjects, and her level of distraction is getting increasingly worse. She loves all subjects in school, participates fully, exercises daily, and has a network of diverse friends. Am I missing something here?

When we seriously confronted Maddie about her behavior and asked why she wasn't paying attention, she said, "I am listening to my teacher. We listen with our EARS. Who cares if I'm doing something else while she's talking. I can HEAR her."

Apart from being a totally sassy response, I get it. She is logical in her reasoning. Perhaps because I also posses the same type of multi-tasking brain, I'm empathetic. I can do many things at once (but research says I won't be able to do anything very well) and unintentionally demonstrate this to Maddie on a daily basis.

Zak and I discussed respect and listening to your teacher with your whole body...eyes, ears, posture, and face. (She listened to me, but promptly broke eye contact and began to fiddle with her zipper!). When Maddie is very interested in the topic or telling a story, she is uber focused and has no eye contact issues.

Today's students are multi-taskers stuck in a traditional classroom. What should I do?

School Project

2012-01-20T16:55:00.003-06:00

Madison is getting high tech, y'all! Check this out:

This project is living, so you can make a comment by clicking the button that says "comment." You can either type, leave a voice response, or record yourself via WebCam!

90!

2012-01-09T05:34:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, Granma!

I had just a short amount of time to visit with my Granma when I was in San Diego. She turns 90 today, and still lives on her own! She also has several sisters in England. Let's hope I inherited some of those awesome longevity genes.

Thank goodness that she doesn't read my blog because she'd be so mad if she knew I posted a picture of her in this robe without her hair and makeup.

Christmas/New Year's Eve Party

2012-01-07T07:01:00.006-06:00

We stayed at my big brother's house during our quick trip to San Diego, and he also hosted "Christmas" at his house on New Year's Eve. (THANKS Scott!) It was nice to get to hang out with my mom's side of the family and open presents!

My mother's little sister, Aunt Diane (with Brooke):

Aunt Diane's daughter, Julianna, is a favorite of the Girls. She's a 5th grader already!

Diane's husband, Dale, and their son, Brandon. Brandon was just a toddler as the ring bearer in my wedding in 1999! Now, he's a teenage boy:

Scott, and his girlfriend, Jenny:

I love this fireside picture of my mom and aunt:

Proof that sisters really are forever and ever!

"My Uncle Scott drives a fire truck!"

2012-01-06T06:44:00.001-06:00

The first thing that Brooke announced to her classmates on the first day back from her Christmas vacation in San Diego was "My Uncle Scott gave me a ride in his fire truck!" My big brother is a Firefighter/Engineer, and graciously took us on a tour of his station.

I had no idea that fire stations were so fancy, and have a feeling that this fire station is the exception to most.

This place was HUGE considering only 3 or 4 men live there at the same time. They had an amazing gourmet kitchen with granite and top line appliances, a Man Cave media room with recliners, a full gym, private bedrooms, and this hilltop VIEW from their enormous deck (with an outdoor kitchen!) overlooking a canyon and the Pacific ocean:

The captain told me that this particular station was a triple wide trailer up until three years ago, so I guess they paid their dues. Plus, you know, the usual saving the lives of strangers, putting out wildfires, providing medical care to bloody/puking people, entering burning buildings, rescuing cats from trees, and other life risking activities on a daily basis....

The girls were happy to tour the beautiful building, but they're hard to impress until you show them the fireman's pole:

That was fun, but there are more important things to see...

Like the FIRE TRUCKS!

It's an amazingly complicated piece of equipment, and I learned there isn't a single inch that doesn't serve a purpose. It seemed like there were hundreds of compartments, drawers, hoses, buttons, and latches.

Brooke was happy to pretend to drive it:

Uncle Scott was happy to blast them with the sirens:

Maddie hanging off the back of the truck:

Scott got permission to drive us around the parking lot, and the girls were thrilled.

Brooke was very concerned that she couldn't click her seat belt all the way. She thought that we were really going to go somewhere. I thought I was taking a video of the entire ride around the parking lot, but I must have pushed the button to stop recording during the VERY bumpy ride. I only got about 4 seconds of it. Bummer!

Thank you, Scott, for the awesome once in a lifetime experience (for us, anyway!) to take a ride in a fire truck. We loved it, and the girls will never forget it!

Beard

2012-01-05T20:30:00.000-06:00

Dude had a serious salty beard.

Oceanside, CA

2012-01-02T19:40:00.001-06:00

Dinner with my Mama.

San Diego 2011 Beach Day

2011-12-31T21:05:00.012-06:00

We took a quick trip to San Diego to see family, and my brother generously offered up his house to accommodate us for a few days. Scott lives in Encinitas, and gets to see this everyday. Not too shabby, huh?

When the girls saw that, including a playground on the beach, they did this:

Zak started to figure out different ways to buy a multi-million dollar house on the beach:

The weather was PERFECT but the water was colder than what they're used to. However, that didn't prevent the Girls from convincing their Uncle to splash around.

There were these giant sand dunes on the beach were kids were sledding and "surfing" down the hills on their boogie boards. My girls, sans boogie boards, were running up and down the hills instead.

Then, they convinced Scott to run with them:

Brooke, Queen of the Beach Hills:

What Happened in the World: 2011

2011-12-29T06:49:00.000-06:00

I found this list of The Most Powerful Photos of 2011 that document what happened this year in a tear jerking and jaw dropping way.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-most-powerful-photos-of-2011

Since this blog is actually for my children to read one day, I think it's appropriate for them to see just how difficult 2011 was for the world via photography.

'Twas the night after Christmas...

2011-12-26T21:06:00.001-06:00

And then there was puke.

Madison woke up at 5:00ish in the morning, as usual, and was greeted happily by her Grandma who loves spending early mornings with her mini me.

Wendy took Maddie shopping for post Christmas door busters to exchange some b-day gifts and to breakfast.

After Wendy left, we went to lunch, and we met up with Maddie's best friend (Lindsay) family.

THEN, we needed to go to Fiesta Texas to get Zak's Season Pass activated before January 1st. While we were there we rode a few rides, and spent nearly three hours going on "just one more ride." Maddie started to complain that her tummy hurt after the last ride.

When we finally arrived home, the girls were beyond tired and SUPER cranky. Tears were involved, followed by my "you two are so ungrateful for Christmas/Fiesta Texas/your sister/friends/your parents that I'm never taking you any where EVER again" lecture.

Maddie ate a small dinner and watched some TV. On the way to bed she burst into tears and said her throat hurt. I gave her some water and urged her to just get into bed. A few minutes later she was puking all over herself and her bed.

While Zak helped Maddie as she re-showered (and threw up some more), I changed out her sheets. Brooke, always trying to keep it fair, whimpers for attention from her bedroom.

Aaarrrggghhhh!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Christmas Night 2011

2011-12-26T00:01:00.013-06:00

Zak's mom arrived in the late afternoon of Christmas day to celebrate and have dinner with us. Maddie greeted her with those amazing biker tattoos, and got some feathers for her hair to add to the biker muscle girl look. Seriously, when Maddie is flexing, she's got nice looking delts!

When we were opening the presents that Grandma brought, I took this most amazing shot of Wendy, Brooke and Zak. It may be my favorite picture of the year. (Wendy, I'm mailing it to you!).

We had our third, and final, formal dinner over the last three days with my dad, Susan, and Susan. Leftovers with Brussel Sprouts (Susan's fav!).

The girls were SO tired from their busy Christmas day, and SO cranky by dinner time. I finally agreed to just let them eat more junk food for dinner so I could have some peace and quiet. They snuggled with Susan on the couch and watched "just one more movie" before they finally begged to go to bed at 7:30.

I will not cook another meal for as long as I shall live (or at least until tomorrow).

Christmas Morning 2011

2011-12-25T16:01:00.020-06:00

Christmas morning was a bit of a circus. We all agreed to get up at 6:30 to open presents knowing full well that the girls would be ready WAY before that. In fact, Maddie woke up at 4am (told by her Great Uncle Scott that Santa had not yet arrived, so she needed to go back to bed), then woke me up at 5:30, 6:00, 6:15, and finally 6:30. Once given the green light, Maddie woke up Brooke and they ran downstairs to check out the stockings and Santa gifts.

We paused briefly for a Cinnamon Roll appetizer and waited for the rest of the grown ups to come down to open gifts.

The girls tore through their presents, while Susan and Papa (and the rest of us) tried to de-box, clean up, and assemble items. By the time we got one thing set up, the girls were on to the next gift. They got a Karaoke machine....

And a cotton candy maker.....

We then took another quick break for breakfast tacos and freshly juiced oranges and grapefruit (from Terry's trees!).

Maddie got a pot holder maker thingy and needed her Grandpa and Great Uncle's help with the final touches.

I got this terribly great video of Zak doing Karaoke, but I'm too embarrassed for him to post it. It was to Huey Lewis and The News' Heart of Rock and Roll. Here's a pic:

Then the girls and Susan made several varieties of popcorn in their new machine. It was amazingly good!

Then Terra, a newly minted Hatha Yoga Instructor, led us in a group yoga session.

Cobra

Shoulder Stand

Handstands

Plow.

Downward facing dog....at which point Zak said, "All I'm getting are pictures of your butts, so I'm done."

For Christmas 2011, I'm particularly grateful for family who traveled a very long way to see us!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T23:59:00.001-06:00

We had an action packed Christmas Eve! Maddie and I decked out the table in ornaments and wreaths, and I served a dinner for 12.

Zak's family (Dad, Mary, Marcus, Terra, Uncle Scott) and my dad and Susan. It was the first time I ever put the leaf in my dining room table, and I've had the table for over 10 years!

We had to turn the table sideways, and add our kitchen table to fit everyone!

Grandma Mary was telling Brooke a story (that appears may have involved surfing).

Maddie was so tired from a long day of playing with family (and Papa and Susan took the Girls to an indoor swimming pool in the morning!), that she wasn't really interested in putting out milk and cookies for Santa.

Thankfully, Brooke had plenty of energy to help out. She also left the customary carrot for the reindeer.

Santa left his footprints on the hardwood floors next to the fireplace. Doesn't he know that we don't wear our shoes in the house?

Dance, Dance, Dance!

2011-12-20T21:57:00.012-06:00

Brooke takes dance class every Wednesday with several other Pre-K girls. She's been taking this class for about 2 years now, and very much enjoys it. Madison also took the same dance class when she was at this same Child Care Center, but wasn't as enthusiastic as Brooke. Twice per year they have a recital for all the girls, and today was the Christmas Recital!

It's not an actual RECITAL, but more like "parents can attend the dance class and watch what we've learned."

They work on posture, stretching, and most importantly, following directions! And also skipping....

Brooke did exceptionally well, and some other kids were terribly misbehaved and their parents nearly died right in front of me. One kid was so bad that her mother was nearly in tears about it. I had to hug her in the hallway and reassure her that her daughter's behavior in the recital was not a reflection of her parenting. The mom said, "But she acted like a spoiled brat, and I'm a TEACHER!"

Brooke, this time, was a little princess.

Here's a little video of "the baby doll dance":

Guess who's SEVEN?

2011-12-18T12:44:00.003-06:00

This year for Madison's SEVENTH birthday, she told me she wanted to get season tickets to Six Flags Fiesta Texas for the family instead of a birthday party. Perhaps it was just me who made that suggestion, but we got the season tickets. A few days after her first trip to Fiesta Texas she said she wanted a party.

So, we had a little get together of 1st graders at the movies and saw The Muppets.

As the Birthday Girl, Maddie was allowed to go into the "projector room" and see all of her friends walk into the theater and press the button to start the movie. Zak took the girls up there and commented that there are no longer actual projectors.. (On a funny note, Zak is completely and totally incapable of taking a picture with the SLR camera--on any setting--that is NOT blurry.)

We had reserved seats at the theater! The girls were all very well behaved despite the fact that there were no parents with us. I'm not sure what kinda crazy pill I took when I made the decision to have it be "kids only," but
it turned out just fine without the parents.

Maddie is seven, and I know I say it every year, but I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! (You know what's different about this year? She's TALL, like really tall. Also, she's nearly smarter than I am).

Madison is SEVEN

2011-12-17T16:14:00.000-06:00

First grade spelling test

2011-12-16T06:57:00.002-06:00

Madison is in a Dual Language curriculum in school, and all of her tests are in Spanish. Pictured above is her most recent spelling test. Maddie has a spelling test once per week, and has a folder called "Evaluacion de pared de palabras" full of words to study.

The teacher reads the words out loud, and the kids spell out the word on their paper. Apparently not much has changed since 1981. I'm not sure if Maddie's checkmarks (at the end of the word) indicate that she is double checking her work, or if she's just "helping" the teacher by grading each one as correct. Either story wouldn't surprise me a bit. The check marks on top of the words were done by her teacher.

Maddie got a 70 on her first spelling test of the school year, and was absolutely mortified. Since then, she has made 100 on each test, but never studies the words (in front of me anyway). Each Thursday night before her tests, I remind her to review the words and she says, "I don't need to, they're easy." So, I pull out the folder and attempt to read the words out loud to quiz her. This just makes her roll with laughter at my terrible Texas pronunciation of each word. After she rolls with laughter, she just rolls her eyes, corrects my pronunciation, and spells them to me.

(Maddie also tells me that she corrects her Spanish speaking teacher's pronunciation of English words and English grammar mistakes. I'm sure her teacher is thrilled with this).

She will clearly be an overachiever type student like I was (which works for me because I'm an underachiever type of mom), and don't think I'll ever have to say anything to encourage her make good grades. In fact, I worry that she'll put too much pressure on herself to be "the best" in her class. I'm not aiming to raise "the best" student, but rather the happiest student (who can still get into college, earn a degree, get a job, and move out one day).

When my report cards came in the mail, my dad used to say to me, "Did you do your very best work? If so, that's all I ask of you." He'd say this when I made a 99 in a class and when I made an 87.

You knew I never made a grade below an 87, right? I AM my daughter's mother, after all.

Santa 2011

2011-12-11T18:05:00.018-06:00

Our neighborhood association hires a Santa every year to come to the club house so parents can take pictures of the kiddos. He's usually a very realistic looking Santa with a real beard. (Remember 2006?) (What about 2007?) This year, they ended up with a Third String guy (read: a regular dad from the neighborhood), but he still did a good job.

Because Maddie is beginning to question the existence of Santa, we had a hard time convincing her to get dressed up and go. She said that if "Santa's beard is perfect and white, he's a fake. If his beard is yellowish and dingy, then he's the real thing." This guy was deemed FAKE, and her face says it all!

I also have this ethical dilemma of telling the kids about the mythical man who "watches" them and likes kids to sit on his lap. I still took them anyway. It was cute and they had a cookies to decorate! Brooke was particularly interested in chatting with Santa.

Just as he was leaving, Brooke ran up to Santa and said, "Are you the REAL Santa? My sister says you're not real."

Santa appropriately replied that he was indeed the real guy. Then, to the delight of the parents, Brooke walked outside with him and said, "Then where's your sleigh?"

I quickly said, "Oh, the sleigh is getting ready for the big trip on Christmas Eve, so Santa just took his car to come and visit us." Oh, the lies that we tell for these smiles....

For the record, this is my first ever Santa photo with both girls. They've always been too scared to sit on his lap, and since 2006, Maddie has refused to even get near him:

Smart girls.

10 lost teeth

2011-12-08T13:19:00.047-06:00

Madison lost her tenth tooth yesterday. TEN teeth gone before her 7th birthday! For those of you, like me, who know nothing about when children normally lose their baby teeth, that's SUPER early. Maddie lost this particular tooth at her dream location....school. She's really, really has been wanting to lose a tooth at school because she gets:

1. to go to the Nurses office (always accompanied by a classmate who the teachers refer to as The Ambulance Driver). Maddie loves the Nurses Office, and teachers let her go for minor things like CHAPPED LIPS.
2. lots of attention from her friends and teachers, especially when there's a bit of blood involved.
3. a cool gift from the nurse

The nurse gave Maddie a necklace resembling a giant plastic tooth that serves as a mini locket to hold the real tooth until she got home. Well.....Maddie didn't quite make it home with the tooth. Here's her story:

Due to her excitement about the tooth falling out and showing it off, she inadvertently dropped it on the ground and didn't realize it. Once she noticed what happened, there were lots of tears. (I just so happened to be out of town on business so I missed all the shenanigans). Zak told Maddie that the Tooth Fairy is a very reasonable person. A simple note explaining what happened along with some evidence from the Nurses Office, would be sufficient proof.

The dentist told us that after the loss of the 10th tooth, she will go a few years without losing anymore. We're hoping that when the grown up teeth come in (next to the big chompers) they will straighten and push the big guys closer together. She's got massive Grand Canyon like gaps in that mouth.

Luckily for Madison, the Tooth Fairy accepted her note and left her a dollar. Incidentally, this is half what she normally gets, so I assume the Tooth Fairy felt that a missing tooth with a note isn't worthy of a full payment. The Tooth Fairy is a wise businessperson.

Christmas Tree decorating 2011

2011-12-07T06:25:00.000-06:00

We decided to move our Christmas tree into the family room this year. We've always had it in the formal dining room, and because we never even go near that room, we never really enjoyed the tree. So instead of Christmas all over the house, we have decorations in the rooms where we can SEE and enjoy them.

Cuddle buddies

2011-12-06T09:36:00.000-06:00

Zak has been battling an ugly cold for the past few days, and Maddie wanted to give him some snuggles.

They were watching Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer.

Maddie's revised list for Santa

2011-12-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

Tweet! Tweet! November 2011

2011-12-02T23:29:00.023-06:00

Dallas trip 2011

2011-12-01T06:22:00.001-06:00

In my last blog post about the Gaylord Texan's ICE! exhibit, I mentioned that we went to Dallas last weekend to see friends and attend the Texas Tech vs. Baylor game. Sean and Lisa were gracious enough to let us stay with them, and we just knew that the kids would have a great time. Their kids Shelby and Jack are four and almost three years old. (Here's a funny post from 2008 when Sean and Lisa and Shelby came to visit us at the Lake House.)

We knew that Sean and Lisa had two dogs, and that's always a little iffy for us. Lately the girls have been loving dogs (and Maddie has been asking for one), but they're still scared of average/big dogs. It took Brooke some time to warm up to the dogs, and then she only got about lukewarm. Maddie, on the other hand, FELL IN LOVE with their Chihuahuas. Especially the five month old puppy, Lolly.

Maddie carried around poor Lolly JUST like this for the entire weekend:

We told Madison that because Lolly and Lucy (pictured below) were Chihuahua's (and from Mexico), that they only spoke Spanish. She sorta believed us! Maddie whispered sweet nothings in Spanish into Lolly's ears and was plotting a way to take her home. She quite seriously asked if she could pack Lolly in her suitcase and take her home.

On Saturday, Sean and Lisa suggested we go to the Galleria to go ice skating (more ICE!) with the kids. It's been YEARS since I've ice skated, but I thought it was like riding a bike. Um...not so much.

The hardest part of ice skating (and snow skiing) is the "getting ready" part. Paying admissions, getting skates that fit, getting them ON, zipping jackets, putting on gloves, and making our way to the rink were exhausting. However, the kids were very excited.

Once they hit the ice, and realized that it was not nearly as easy as walking and they may actually FALL down, they were not quite as happy. I was grateful that it was so darn loud inside the galleria, and I could hardly hear my kids whine. Unfortunately, I could SEE some of Brooke's tears of frustration and pouty lips, so she was occasionally required to sit out for a few minutes and take a break. Brooke is persistant, and I can tell that she'll not give up on any challenges she faces in life. Sean and Lisa's son, Jack, had a harder time because he was the youngest, but everyone had fun.

After a day of ice skating (and no naps for my kids!), the grown ups got ready to go to Cowboy's Stadium to watch the Texas Tech Red Raiders get beat by the Baylor Bears. (The kids stayed home with Lisa's aunt.) It was our first time at Jerry's BILLION DOLLAR World, and it was AMAZING.

(That is not daylight behind us. That's the glow of Jerry's ~~gold coins~~ 60 yard long big screen TV.)

The best part about going to the game was that Lisa scored us some passes to get into the "Owner's Lounge" and it was heaven in there. Free food and all the booze you can drink, but no Jerry Jones in sight! We could also get into any part of the stadium, any level, whenever we had the magic wrist bands on. Zak (and the other husbands) were annoyed that we hardly watch the game in our seats. There may or may not have been some wrist band sharing going on with the guys, but I plead the 5th.

Thanks again to Sean and Lisa for a great weekend!

Gaylord Texan's ICE! 2011

2011-11-29T15:21:00.000-06:00

We spent some of our Thanksgiving holiday in the Dallas area and stayed with our friends, Sean and Lisa (and their kids, Shelby and Jack). We had so much fun and an action packed weekend (more posts to follow).

Friday night we went to Shrek The Halls at the Gaylord Texan Hotel to see ICE! I can't even really put it into words how amazing it was to see 2 million pounds of ice carved into Shrek, Donkey, Fionna, and all the characters and scenes in the show. It takes a Chinese group of artists about 1 month to carve it FROM NOTHING BUT FROZEN WATER. It's a special frozen water recipe, but still!

The problem, and it's a big problem, is that it's so damn cold in there that we couldn't really take it all in. Cold and crowded. Did I say COLD? It was 9 degrees in the exhibit. We bundled up in our Texas "winter" clothes (which is really just a regular jacket if you're living up north), pictured above. I actually thought our jackets would be enough, and I was so SO wrong.

Before you walk into the exhibit, they put a giant group of people in a "holding cell" to watch a video of how ICE! was created, then hand out long blue parkas to every human who comes though (babies too!). Brooke was SO pissed off that we made her wear two (TWO!) coats. She was very uncomfortable (as we all were) to be so bundled up.

Then, we walked in, and BOOM, the cold hits so hard and so fast it just took our breath away. Brooke continued to FREAK out about the cold. It was so shocking to her that she was just angry (and probably sacred) that we'd put her into such a cold room. She was yelling, "Let's get OUT OF HERE!"

I can relate to that feeling when I lived in Chicago! Madison, who generally can keep it together these days, is technically FROM Chicago, so I think that is why she wasn't too bothered by the cold.

Lisa and her daughter, Shelby, were equally shocked by the cold, but I coaxed some smiles out. Also, the cold is no match for the red hot Lisa who can always be found laughing and having fun. She loves any type of photo op:

That is Shrek's outhouse, and Lisa was sitting on his ice toilet. Turns out she and I didn't listen to the directions very well because we weren't supposed to touch the ice, let alone climb on it for pictures. We got scolded by the ICE! police for this.

The best part of ICE! for the kids is the slides! Slides that are made out of.....ICE! Four icy slides to freeze our butts! As soon as Brooke saw the slides, she warmed up (not literally) and was happy to play for a little bit longer.

I took this photo as I was sliding down:

It was pretty crowded in there, and I couldn't find Maddie and Zak to take their picture, but I did get one of Lisa sliding:

The Big Bad Wolf and Puss in BOOTS! made of ICE!

Zak loves the Pinocchio guy from Shrek and does a great impression of him.

Proof that I was there too:

Christmas wants...

2011-11-25T14:16:00.001-06:00

I asked the Girls what they wanted for Christmas, and this is what they said.....

Brooke wants "an ice cream maker, a puppy, a hamster, chapter books, ZuZu pet, a Girl Doll that looks like Christmas."

Maddie wants "a cotton candy maker, a popcorn maker, a fish, American Girl doll, Zoobles, a Nintendo DS, pierced earrings, chapter books in english and spanish, and hooded sweatshirts."

Awesome.

Rule Breaker

2011-11-23T14:27:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure who made up the rule that we should wear matching shoes.

Brooke clearly doesn't agree.

McKenna Children's museum (part 2)

2011-11-22T19:07:00.000-06:00

This is the best children's museum we've ever been to!

McKenna Children's Museum

2011-11-22T19:03:00.000-06:00

Cabinet Makeover

2011-11-17T06:09:00.001-06:00

Zak and I wanted to re-finish our cabinets to better match the rest of the house and update the over all look. The kitchen was originally in a "honey oak" finish. We noticed that the kitchen looked glaringly dated next to the new dark wood floors and updated balusters, so we selected a darker wood color to pull it all together.

You didn't think we would do this by ourselves did you?

If so, you don't know us very well. We hired Wood Finishes of Stone Oak to do the dirty work. Susan came over to do our bid and show us some samples. She counted THIRTY TWO cabinets and TWENTY TWO drawers. (I shouldn't be so surprised, but really...who has the need for that many cabinets and drawers?)

The process took about two weeks. Two very messy, dusty, inconvenient weeks. I could have had a demo and install of new cabinets (like five times) in that amount of time. But it would have also cost a boat load of bucks, so sacrifices people! I will sacrifice for you. Oh, the DUST!

The worst part of it was the dusty plastic draping that was EVERYWHERE. I hated it so much, I forgot to take pictures of it. I guess it was supposed to keep the dust from the cabinet sanding at a minimum, but it didn't really work that way.

We also decided to add cabinet knobs and pulls to the cabinets. We made this decision before actually pricing out the knobs and pulls. I don't recommend this type of (non)planning. Susan installed only the knobs on the cabinets because the bin pulls that I ordered didn't match the "oil rubbed bronze" finish (or style) of the knobs. Did you know there are one gazillion different shades of "oil rubbed bronze" out there? The Internet is awesome, but when you're not much of a detail type person who could care less about these types of things, it's frustrating.

The matching pulls finally arrived just in time for my dad's visit. WHAT AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE!

"Oh, look Dad, my cabinet hardware arrived today...do you think you could give Zak some tips on how to drill two perfectly centered holes into my hole-less cabinets without making a mistake and causing our divorce?"

"Also, we can't find our wimpy 9V drill because we haven't used it in four years.....Um, drill bits?"

"Oh look, the screws that the hardware came with aren't going to be long enough for our extra girthy cabinets...So you're telling me that there's more than one type and size of screw for sale at Lowe's!?"

Okay, I'm not really that annoying. RIGHT, DAD?! We decided the best way to do this was to make a template considering we'd be drilling FORTY FOUR perfectly centered holes with ZERO room for error.

I had the bright idea to make the template from the corner of a box, so you could always be assured that the template was perfectly placed on the drawer prior to drilling it. However, my father pulled out his MEGA GRANDPA MATH SKILZ to be sure it was all perfect.

We taped the area where we'd be drilling the holes to prevent the wood from spitting (or scratching the finish) under the pressure of the drill.

Zak? Zak was watching football and setting up his "cabinet assembly station" on the back porch. He positioned himself perfectly to be able to see into the window of the living room to watch the game. He didn't know that my dad and I knew of his little trick, but that's part of the reason why he wasn't on "drill" duty.

My job was to clear out and remove the drawers, dad would measure and drill, and Zak would assemble the hardware.

We also measured TWICE and drilled once. It was precisely during the measuring twice part when we noticed that all the drawers were not the same size. In fact, we had FIVE different sized drawers. Dad had to do some more MEGA GRANDPA MATH SKILZ to figure that out.

We also had five "false" cabinets (two in front of the sink, two in front of the stove, and one under the oven).

We debated and googled on whether or not to add hardware to these drawers. My dad QUICKLY said, "NO!" because (1). That would be a total pain in ~~his~~ the ass since you couldn't pull out the drawer to measure/drill/screw it in (2). Your childbearing hips could hit the protruding pulls when you were cooking and washing dishes. (3). Knuckheads would try to open the false drawers and rip them out. (4.) Susan had already glued them shut for extra kuncklehead protection.

We're super happy with the new color, and always say...."why didn't we do this sooner?"

P.S. The finish is a stain of American walnut and antique mahogany. Here is the style of pulls and the knobs we installed.

Quinoa stuffed squash (Vegan!)

2011-11-15T06:12:00.001-06:00

Hey peeps! I made the perfect Fall side dish ever last night--Quinoa Stuffed Squash! It was actually my main course, but Zak had it with a piece of fish. I would even say this dish could replace your Thanksgiving Stuffing!

If you've never had quinoa, then try this recipe without stuffing it into the squash, and I'll give you $100 bucks if you don't LOVE it.

Quinoa Stuffed Squash

serves 2

2 small Squash (I used the Dumpling kind from my trip to the Love Creek Orchard, but I would have preferred a sweeter squash)

1 small shallot, chopped

1/4 cup freshly toasted chopped pecans

1/4 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 cup Quinoa

1/4 cup of Craisins (keep them away from your children or they'll disappear)

1/2 lemon (zest and a squeeze of the juice)

Olive Oil

S&P

(pictured electric socket is unnecessary!)

To save time, microwave the squash on the "baked potato" setting, however roasting them in the oven for 30 minutes would be tastier! Becareful that you don't over cook them, or they'll collapse.

Let them cool until you can handle them, and then cut off the top and scoop out the guts and seeds. (Also, Zak, buy Amanda a John Boos cutting board for Christmas):

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. I suggest substituting vegetable broth for the water for maximum flavor. Saute your copped shallot in some olive oil until translucent. Add pecans, Craisins, lemon zest, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the cooked quinoa and salt to taste. MIX. Try not to eat it all before stuffing the quinoa mixture into the squash. There is no need to bake it, but you could put it in the oven to keep it warm.

Take a picture of it PRIOR to eating half of the quinoa.

Turkey Disguise

2011-11-13T20:09:00.002-06:00

All the First graders at Madison's school were given a photocopied outline of a featherless turkey with directions to "disguise it" so people would not want to eat it for Thanksgiving. The vegetarian in me thought of all kinds of things to do to this turkey so people would really not want to eat it (perhaps showing this PETA video documenting the living condition of factory farmed poultry?), but I didn't share my gross ideas and ruin her project. Plus, I'm all in favor of Turkey Disguises! So, I asked Maddie what she wanted to do with her naked turkey.

She wanted to turn it into another animal, specifically, a peacock. So, she found a craft box that Aunt Terra gave her a few years ago with a poster board cut out of what appeared to be Turkey feathers. Essentially, she was making her naked turkey look more like a turkey, and that was the opposite of the assignment.

After a discussion about what DISGUISE the turkey meant....Maddie decided to decorate the feathers in multicolored crate paper to make it look like a Peacock. The pose of the turkey, and "peacock feather" additions, sorta reminded me of a beauty pageant (and also a pregnant Turkey Beauty Queen with a backache).

So, I suggested that Maddie put a dress on the turkey. We found a too small leotard with a sewn in tu-tu skirt, and cut it up to fit as the turkey "dress." Maddie wanted to give her some hair, a sparkly crown, makeup, and even "painted" nails. The turkey's dress lifts to reveal skinny legs and plain bird feet (Maddie didn't want to give her high heels).

I'm usually not one of those parents who help with school projects. I think kids should do them alone (for many reasons), but I really got into and involved in this one.

I think the teacher may see my influence...but I betcha Maddie will be crowned BEST TURKEY ARTIST of First Grade.

Children's Magik Theater

2011-11-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

On culture parenting:

Zak's job is to provide a musical education to the girls, and my job is to provide theatre experiences.

Today's theatre is "Who Let The Ghosts Out?" (Based on the book by R.L. Stine)

Papa!

2011-11-08T15:50:00.000-06:00

My dad (aka Papa) came for a long weekend visit, and really helped us out quite a bit around the house (he's HANDY!) and with the girls. Sometimes it's just nice to have another adult around. The girls do get super competitive for his attention, and we wondered how many times he heard, "PAPA! PAPA...can I? PAPA...watch me! PAPA..can you?" Prolly like a trillion.

Thanks, PAPA! We love you.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T06:12:00.000-05:00

For the first time in my parenting career, I was permitted to "be something scary" for Halloween. Even though I had my kiddo's blessings, I still made my 4 year old cry when I made this face at her when she was in her car seat (and couldn't run away).

The other neighborhood kids were VERY impressed with my make up and I was unofficially voted the "best" costume of the night.

Oh, what? You didn't come here to see my costume? Okay then...

Meet Taylor Swift and Bat Girl:

When it comes to Halloween costumes, I'm old school, and a total cheapskate. I think it's a sin that people buy $40+ costumes for their kids on Halloween!

Maddie's costume: $5 on clearance from a "High School Musical" character, $1 fake headphone/mic, and she won that guitar inflatable for good behavior at school.

Brooke's Costume: her witch dress from last year cut up and re-styled as Bat Girl, I printed out the Bat Man logo from the Internet, and decoupaged it to a piece of felt and then fabric glued it to her shirt (oh, yes I did!). The yellow belt was in the adult clearance bin, and I had to cut and adjust it to fit her waist.

My Costume: I made award winning fake blood with Karo syrup, red food coloring, chocolate syrup. It looked creepily realistic. I roughed up an old white t-shirt with dirt, coffee grounds, and basil (the grass wasn't staining enough and I smelled delish). I was too lazy do make Zombie shoes. I made my hair crazy messy (easy!) and added some leaves and mulch. Of course, I did my own make up. Remember, I'm a licenced professional! I got really lucky with how the blood just started to run, but then dried just before the drip:

What? You've never seen a Zombie wearing a seatbelt?

During the first few houses, the girls were very shy about going to the doors of strangers and asking for candy (since they've been told all their lives that this was totally unacceptable behavior). They quickly warmed up, and literally RAN from house to house with their friends for over an hour. Zak and I got tired, and wanted to sit on the porch and ~~drink a beer~~ give out candy.

We got totally lucky (again) with the weather. It was 75 when we started, and about 65 when we decided to go inside. There were two "haunted houses" in the neighborhood, and Brooke decided that Zak and Papa need to build one for next year and she'll be "something spooky."

Zak's costume: Office worker. (He is super boring and didn't do anything. SLACKER!)

While kissing Brooke goodnight, she told me, "you're the coolest mom I've ever had" for dressing up like a Zombie and also for making a great costume.

Winner of Halloween 2011: ME!

Tweet! Tweet! October 2011

2011-10-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if Twitter is going to keep all my tweets forever and ever. Because they are often little snippets about my very glamorous and exciting daily life (and aren't good enough stories to make a blog post) with my family, I will preserve them on this blog monthly.

Amanda_V Amanda_V
Can I pick up my kid from church day care looking like this? http://t.co/DI01O6jK
31 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Every parent is so happy Halloween is on a school day so we don't have to hear, "Is it dark yet?" every minute. My sympathies to teachers.
31 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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TIME TIME.com
The McRib contains a flour-bleaching agent found in gym mats & shoes that's banned in Europe & Australia http://t.co/883icPG1
27 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @Amanda_V
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Turned an ordinary family outing into a science lesson. http://t.co/bgSEcHW4 #buylocal #farm #drought #environment
31 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Chupaaaccccaaabrrraa! RT @WendiAarons My kids just saw the school nurse at the mall wearing shorts. It's like a chupacabra sighting.
30 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
It's snowing in the NE? My tomato and pepper plants are JUST NOW producing (thx to the hot 'n dry TX summer). http://t.co/JAkpxnwI
30 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Phone book arrived today. Had to explain to my confused kids what it was used for in the old days before computers and smart phones.
30 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Wish there was water in the lake. @wmcshort's boat is currently being used as a jungle gym. http://t.co/aMXQz0qS
30 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Bonfire with my girls at the lake (no marshmallows tonight), and we can clearly see Jupiter! I think they'd rather see planet S'Mores.
29 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Guy from Galveston making Texas organic sake kura. First organic Sake in N. America! RT @TMfood: Pure Texas Saké http://t.co/XmLNLnDy
28 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
A legit cuban woman just offered me homemade beans and rice, and I had to turn her down b/c it had meat in it. #vegetarian (not always easy)
28 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
The @happyherbivore weekly plan looks delish and super easy! Hope my meat eating hubby will enjoy the baked tofu.
28 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Sundry Linda
Am I supposed to be in favor of the Scholastic book fair? Because all I can think is OMG I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WANT *MORE* MONEY FROM ME.
27 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @Amanda_V
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
My 4 year old daughter, Brooke, lost her SECOND tooth today! http://t.co/SqEg5oiG
27 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Geometry in 1st grade? No, she just decided geometric shapes are interesting. http://t.co/MXs7qPYd
26 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
New Children's Museum for San Antonio! $20 mil personal donation from @heb leader & philanthropist Charles Butt. @mySA http://t.co/Hd9YSoQ5
26 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Worried if @ZakwithaK gets Siri on his iPhone, then he will no longer need ME! #sirithemistress
25 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Edudemic Edudemic
How do we prepare students for jobs that don't exist yet? http://t.co/wTCKKw3O http://t.co/GtUQ9n7Z
25 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @Amanda_V
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Where is the glass of whiskey? RT @Gawker Herman Cain Produces Best/Worst Campaign Ad Ever http://t.co/4cRMkNRY
24 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
"Guilt is a top limiter of success for women. It's like putting one foot on the gas and one on the brake while driving." -Karen Buckley
24 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
I put on Off!, but ended up with several mosquito bites on the soles of my feet. So, they literally waited until my sandal slightly moved?
24 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Leadershipfreak Dan Rockwell
RT @JoeNBC: A person who is nice to you, but is not nice to the waiter, is not a nice person.
22 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @Amanda_V
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Picture day was a great success, but our photographer was 40 min late. Hoping pics turned out great!
22 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
We may be the same person! First, freckles, now shared hate for The Beatles? RT @KelleysBreakRm I change the radio when the Beatles come on.
20 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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KelleysBreakRm Kelley
I change the radio when the Beatles come on. Go ahead & call the sniper.
20 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
I have lotsa freckles, & try everything to fade them. @KelleysBreakRm What do YOU think about freckles? Hot or not? http://t.co/VQXzEM4X
17 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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PublishersWkly Publishers Weekly
Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal; “It’s an old strategy: divide and conquer" says Richard Curtis http://t.co/ODRmDq9a
16 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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SeaShepherd Sea Shepherd
'Whale Wars' to continue in the Southern Ocean http://t.co/AsWQxkYl
16 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Went to a Beer Festival today, and got a 10oz cup and TEN tix for beer. Seriously, that's A LOT of beer. We had fun watching the drunks!
15 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
I want this: ClamCase iPad Keyboard Case - Black http://t.co/dKWfF2O0 @zakwithak
13 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Just installed iOS 5. It's pretty, but cranky. Many apps running slow or not responding. Safari not as fast as expected. #iPad #iOS5
12 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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HuffPostEdu HuffPostEducation
Texas schools sue state over billions in funding http://t.co/KWrpkNo4
12 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @Amanda_V
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
No "kiddie" food. RT @fedupwithlunch Q5 What’s the top priority to improve school cafeteria? #foodrevolution #foodrevparty cc: @foodrevteam
11 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
@fedupwithlunch: Q4 Start small with your local school, network, learn, then to your ISD. #foodrevolution #foodrevparty @foodrevteam
11 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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TheDweck Jess Dweck
Ron Paul could totally win if he were running for Ornery Old Man on Porch.
11 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @Amanda_V
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Halloween costumes are in progress. Brooke(4) will be Bat Girl, and Maddie (6) will be a Pop Star. I'm gonna be a zombie.
10 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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HuffingtonPost Huffington Post
Can part-time vegetarianism help the planet? http://t.co/HqhmJ6zt
10 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
So sad to see college players get severely injured on the field. The helmet leading hit on #stephens was terrible. #texastech
8 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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WendiAarons Wendi Aarons
Austin bumper sticker: "If Rick Perry's The Answer, How Stupid's The Question?"
8 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Brooke (4) says "darn man it!" instead of "damn it!" I'm SUCH an awesome mother! http://t.co/86CeJMrl
8 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Maddie fell on this cactus while playing outside at the lake house. Teeny tiny needles all over her hands. http://t.co/AUh3lzek
8 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Asked for an off menu #Vegetarian sandwIch in the "Cowboy Capital of the World," Bandera, TX. The owners expression spoke a thousand words.
8 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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chronicle Chronicle
Maybe #highered would better serve American society if it focused less on how great it thinks it is: http://t.co/RecUcVbz
7 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Love that the dad's read it! Did u organize that?!RT @BrookDMatthews: 27 Dad's read to almost 600 kids this morning ... http://t.co/8AsSloSH
6 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Just contributed to the WORLD RECORD for @Jumpstartkids #readfortherecord at Coker ES in @NEISD. Read Llama Llama Red Pajama @WeGiveBooks!
6 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
My kids woke up at 4:00am excited for @Jumpstartkids Read For The Record! I will be reading to 150 of their friends. U can 2 wegivebooks.org
6 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
What a classy move by www.apple.com. They are honoring Steve Jobs' life and contributions with his portrait on their website.
5 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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wheeliegourmet Wheelie Gourmet
I'm sure a lot of you have school age kids. Let's try to put some pressure on our schools to offer more locally... http://t.co/wH4zJyK3
4 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
@
@Sundry I'm loving the Mumford and Sons album.
4 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Don't give up! RT @OrganicSchool RT @fedupwithlunch: Tough Sell for Healthy Fare in School Vending Machines: http://t.co/5T9StIy6
3 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Maddie (6) asked what Ke$ha means by "I brushed my teeth with a bottle of Jack." We decided it was about using fluoride. Yea, that's it!
3 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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donttrythis Adam Savage
From Reddit, the most modern workplace sign EVER: http://t.co/UUFioDN2
2 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Delish samosas at @RickshawStopSA! They are one of the few trucks that have their act together @theboarwalksa this early!
2 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
At a party, and I am the ONLY woman who is not bilingual. I need to get back on my Rosetta Stone!
1 Oct Favorite Reply Delete
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Brooke (4) asks me to wiggle her loose tooth, then burps and laughs while I'm doing it. It's like her version of the "pull my finger" trick.

Not your ordinary trip to the Pumpkin Patch: Love Creek Orchard

2011-10-29T15:03:00.022-05:00

When you go to a pumpkin patch in Texas, you just might get to ride a horse, y'all!

We spent the day at the Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch at Love Creek Orchards in Medina, Texas , and we got lots more than just pumpkins. In fact, pumpkin hunting and gathering was the least interesting part of the trip. We did so much more....

Hay maze:

We did some crafts and heard stories told by some Texas Cowboys. We learned about Native Americans and saw them dance. Took a few hayrides (which were VERY hard on the allergies):

Fed some cows, donkeys, and even got to see a llama doing her banking:

Native American dance party:

Heard and saw an actual Mexican Free Tailed bat "house." (Can't believe I didn't get a picture of that, and all the poop under their house.)

The best part of our day was when we learned about apple tree grafting, growing dwarf root stock trees, cleaning, sorting, packaging and production. I consumed about 24 oz of FRESH (literally pressed through a cloth right in front of us!) apple juice. It tastes NOTHING like what you buy at the store.

This fabulous lady, Genie Strickland, has been with the orchard for TWENTY years. She told us about the importance of buying local and what that means for the commuinity and the quality of the produce. I loved that Genie took the time to TEACH us what they do using scientific terms and providing a historical perspective. Kids may be little, but they are smart and will remember this part of the day more than any other. Genie knows this, and did a great job.

Genie also gave many examples of how the workers at the orchard don't throw anything away. Even scrap branches and rotten fruit have a useful purpose. She asked the kids to come up with alternative uses for everything that one might throw away.

Maddie got a chance to load the apples into the apple washer/polisher/sorter thingamigiggy. The kids were told to quickly (and gently) dump the apples onto the conveyor belt, but Madison decided to line them up one by one. Zak and I couldn't help but to steal a sideways glance and quiet laugh at our very meticulous daughter. Even when the tour guide suggested Maddie didn't need to line them up, she looked at her smiled, said "okay," and continued doing it exactly the same way.

Our girl likes ORDER.

On the way home, I was talking about the unsung work that goes on on local farms, and Zak wondered if I secretly wanted to be a farmer or rancher. NOPE. Clearly, I don't have the work ethic it takes, but I'm in awe of how much a local farm can do for the community. Due to the most severe drought in Texas history, the farm suffered a near total loss of the late apple harvest. Literally, the orchard's WELL DRIED UP. Employees of the orchard don't just work there year round, they must take on several jobs to make ends meet.

Spending the day (and lots of money) at the orchard was the least we could do to support the work that happens here, and hope we'll be able to return again next year to see the lush green property with trees full of apples to pick and take home!

That is Victor Strickland (Genie's husband!) driving the girls around. I think he had more fun than the kids did!

Honk yer Little John Deere tractor horn if you love farmers!

Better yet, BUY LOCAL if you love farmers.

Brooke lost her SECOND tooth

2011-10-27T17:50:00.000-05:00

Brooke, at 4.5 years old, lost her second tooth today. It happened at school, so it was extra exciting.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Creepy

2011-10-27T07:47:00.000-05:00

Partly because I'm cheap, but also because Halloween decorations are so damn expensive, I decided to make my own creepy thing to hang by our door.

It actually hangs by its "ankles" just above my (5'2') head, and I think it's awfully scary....

The Girls call it our Zombie pod or a Mummy cocoon. Because they helped me make it, and know it isn't really a zombie, mummy, or dead body inside, they're really not very scared.

My neighbors, on the other hand, probably think we're really weird. Brooke told one of them that the "ZOMBIE WILL HATCH ON HALLOWEEN!!"

This is the first Halloween the girls will tolerate anything remotely scary. For the past six years, we've been all ballerina-mermaid-princess-cheerleaders up in here (with the occasional dinosaur or spider girl) but FINALLY....

Maddie will be a "Pop Star" ala Taylor Swift (and clearly has a ways to go with the scary part), but Brooke will be "BAT GIRL!" That's sorta scary, right?

Boo.

Hanging Around

2011-10-26T12:41:00.001-05:00

Brooke was SO excited about her Halloween shirt that Grandpa and Grandma Mary sent her!

The bat on this shirt glows in the dark, and she was excited to "charge it up" in the light and show her friends at school what it looks like in the dark. (I wonder if she'll get in trouble for turning out the lights all day long?!)

"I can make the bat FLY!" she yelled as she ran around the house.

Zak and I also got some cool shirts. Maddie will open her package today after school.

Thanks Terry, Mary, Terra and Marcus!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Where the Sidewalk Ends

2011-10-24T07:53:00.001-05:00

I ordered a used copy of Shel Sliverstien's Where the Sidewalk Ends a few weeks ago. On many occasions we need quick bedtime stories, and Maddie and Brooke are no longer fond of our short "baby" books that we've had for years. In addition to ebook apps on my iPad that reads stories out loud (hooray for parenting substitutions like ebooks and TV!), Shel Silverstein's quick and funny stories often hit the spot.

At almost seven years old, Madison usually "gets it" and sometimes has to explain a poem to Brooke.

Both Zak and I have fond childhood memories of this book, and I love to relive the stories. I had forgotten many of them, and am enjoying the humor from an entirely different perspective this time.

It's funny how parenting makes you remember your own childhood memories, but those memories look so different from the other side.

Books, Games and Homework using Apps

2011-10-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

Maddie and Brooke use the iPad quite a bit. It's been about 1.5 years since we've had it, and they use it everyday.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Trike-A-Thon

2011-10-14T14:44:00.006-05:00

Brooke's pre-k class participated in Trike-A-Thon today in support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Both Brooke and Maddie have been doing this for several years at our Child Care Center, but this will be Brooke's last year raising funds.

How did she raise money, you ask? By scooting around in circles over and over and over while trying to avoid getting run over and also running into one of her friends. The kids could bring their trikes, bikes, or scooters, "but not a MOTORCYCLE because that would be cheating!"

I suppose it's was totally inappropriate of my to giggle as the children kept crashing, but it WAS FUNNY (and no one was injured). The course was set up on a slight incline so there was a "hill" to go up and down. At the bottom of the "hill" the 4 year olds either had to stop or turn very slowly as the angle was too difficult for them to handle. This is where all the action was.

Unfortunately for you, I only got one minor crash on camera at the :46 marker (and Brooke's crash at the :35 was too far away to see well, then she just complained that her leg hurt from scootin'):

Cirque du Lake House

2011-10-09T17:04:00.003-05:00

Maddie and Brooke decided to put on a Cirque du Soleil style show for Zak and I. They chair swing was the main prop.

Brooke did a few tricks using the chair for absolutely every purpose it was NOT intended for. I'm pretty sure my dad never thought about this when he rescued this chair swing from a garage sale.

Then Maddie decided to scare the crap out of us with her acrobatic moves performed 5 feet in the air above a concrete sidewalk.

Maddie also supplied us flowers to throw on the girls after their performances.

"TA DA!"

Maddie may run off to join the circus. She'll likely make some money with her entrepreneurial spirit.

Read for the Record 2011

2011-10-06T19:20:00.002-05:00

Hooray for Read for the Record! It's my second year to participate in helping to bring attention to the importance of early literacy eduction for children. The ultimate goal is the break the world record for reading the same book in one day to as many children as possible all over the world.
I was so happy to have the opportunity to read Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney to the children in the classrooms of both Maddie and Brooke.

My first stop was Maddie's Dual Language first grade classroom. I read the book in English, and Maddie's teacher, Ms. Garcia, read it to the students in Spanish (Llama Llama Rojo Pijama). Each student in her class received a donated book from wegivebooks.org (a non-profit division of Pearson Education).

My next stop was Brooke's Pre-Kinder classroom at her child care center. After reading to Brooke's class, I read to about 50 other children. It's an incredibly rewarding experience, and anyone can do it. Just sign up each year, read to one kid to hundreds, and document the amount of children to see if the record will be broken again.

Tweet! Tweet! September 2011

2011-10-01T21:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if Twitter is going to keep all my tweets forever and ever. Because they are often little snippets about my very glamorous and exciting daily life (and aren't good enough stories to make a blog post) with my family, I will preserve them on this blog monthly.

Amanda_V Amanda_V
What is it with the constant need for my kids and plants to want to be fed and watered? I'm busy, guys!
29 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
At gymnastics pickup, I heard a 9yo tell a racist joke to 20 kids. Coach was shocked silent. I scolded that kid in front of EVERYONE!
28 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
I'm an over exclamation points user! I can't help it! I'm so excited!!!!! What I have to say is super duper important!!!!!!!
28 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Just got a box of @Jumpstartkids Read for the Record Llama books in English and Spanish! I'm pledging to read to 150 kids on 10/6!
28 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Zak just invented a "makeshift blood catcher " using tape. Told him someone has already invented that, and picked a catchier name BANDAID.
24 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Transparency does not forgive poor decision making. RT @BrianKibby One of the best examples of leadership and trans... http://bit.ly/pdA81h
24 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
RT @farbood RT @cosn: Infographic: Textbooks of Tomorrow http://ow.ly/6ADlI #elearning #edtech #ebook
24 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Ah, yes! Satellite re-entry makes perfect sense now! RT @maddow: RT @UARS_Reentry: #UARS Sat 24 Sep 2011 0:00UT ... http://tmi.me/gnk8r
23 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
I re-caulked some tiles in my guest bathroom tonight. I am such my father's daughter! He will be impressed with my handiwork.
23 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Poor Netflix!! Their dumb decisions will be Case Studies for every college business course next year. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/netflix via @Oatmeal
20 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Brooke (4) was doing unsupervised couch gymnastics, and the hard wood floor won this match. Big bruise on her forehead. #notMaryLouRetton
18 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
The #texastech game is STILL on. Ugh.
17 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
After the dead guy fell out of the freezer onto the kids, @ZakwithaK decided maybe Goonies wasn't appropriate for the kids @davidbuergler
17 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Zak made the executive decision to let the girls (6 and 4) watch The Goonies. This isn't a good idea!!!!
17 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Ha! @ZakwithaK RT @EsquireTavern: Lots of people escaping crowds in Austin this weekend by heading to San Antonio. Welcome ACL evacuees.
16 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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GOOD GOOD
by Amanda_V
Community colleges are screwed. This is why you should care http://su.pr/2ZTZbg
16 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
I officially turned into my dad. I placed buckets in the yard to contain the liquid gold falling from the sky to save for a non-rainy day.
16 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Opened the garage door to leave for school, and all 4 of us paused and then screamed, "IT'S RAINING!" #TXdrought #sanantonio
16 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
LOVE THESE! Just purchased! RT @thatkristen Not all princesses need saving, thank you very much. http://ow.ly/6vAWw
15 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Have you seen this, @planetbox ? RT @DontMessWithMom Excited for the @fedupwithlunch book to come out next month. http://ow.ly/6vs6C
15 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Old people and technology is a daily combo for me. (I wish my customers were this sweet!) Seniors using a webcam: http://goo.gl/Yeb5I
15 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
love these cool t-shirts. 100% of proceeds go to fire victims. http://centraltxfires.org via @centraltxfires RT @WendiAarons @roxylove512
15 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Rackspace Rackspace Hosting
by Amanda_V
More info about Tech Stars' new cloud-focused accelerator in San Antonio - http://bit.ly/qJKCWI
13 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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CindyDSullivan Cindy Sullivan
by Amanda_V
This life is yours.Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.
13 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Way to go @Rackspace! 2011 Best Companies to Work For. This profile by @fortunemagazine is great! http://cnnmon.ie/pAnWpa #tech #cloud
13 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Alyssa_Milano Alyssa Milano
by Amanda_V
Heroes! Motorcyclist rescued from fiery crash http://bit.ly/olCtXX via @Caribbeaner @BuzzEdition
13 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Just got a 615 PAGE unrequested catalog from @RestorationHardware in the MAIL. It's over 1 in thick! #landfillwaste http://lockerz.com/s/138245006
12 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Brooke's performing in her schools Grandparent's Day Celebration. No g-parents could make it in person, but they may be watching online.
12 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
What we SHOULD have been taught in our senior year of high school - The Oatmeal http://theoatmeal.com/comics/senior_year via @Oatmeal
12 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
My baby, Brooke, just lost her 1st tooth at 4.5 years old. I got it on video, and will post it on my blog tomorrow. She is so excited!
11 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Hey @bigjackers! How hard would it be to do this at the lake house? http://lockerz.com/s/137660123
10 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Let's have a moment of silence for people who COULD be @themontereysa with us, but are instead dining at Chili's or Applebees.
10 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Just had my 1st @rangercreek beer (hefeweizen) while at @drafthouse, but didn't want to tweet abt it because I worried they'd kick me out!
10 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Brooke (4.5) has her first very loose tooth. This Tooth Fairy gig is gonna send me to the poor house! #onemoreweek
10 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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YouTubeTrends YouTube Trends
by Amanda_V
Trending: See how fast wildfire spreads - Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official] http://bit.ly/pchoFJ
7 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
#rickPerry cut their budget by millions this year! @TheBloggess http://txwildfirerelief.org/ 77% of TX firefighters are volunteers. Donate to help.
7 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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delrayser delrayser
by Amanda_V
1. Cut firefighting budget by 75% the year your state catches fire. 2. ????? 3. GET ELECTED PRESIDENT. http://j.mp/phCORV
7 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
@ZakwithaK cooked week night dinner for the 1st time in YEARS, and I forgot. Took Maddie out for @PeiWei after Prnt/Tchr conference. Oops.
6 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
That's my Madison! RT @planetbox Hello everyone! Check out this amazing PlanetBox video brought to you by Madison!... http://fb.me/FLjfWycn
6 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Blog post: I go a little bonkers for a lunch box by @planetbox http://maddiethegirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/planetbox.html
3 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Why does it take San Antonio 24 months to build a bridge when I could create a HUMAN in 9 months? #doesntaddup
2 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Even though I know Blue Cheese is supposed to have mold on it, it still gives me the major willies. #checkthedate
1 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Cookie's Week- my 6&4 yos love it. RT @MarinkaNYC Do you have any favorite children's books featuring/about cats? Pls @ me or DM me
1 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply
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Amanda_V Amanda_V
Looks like my 4 year old has been working for @weatherchannel this week. She drew on the map: http://goo.gl/D9BOk
1 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply

Racist Joke

2011-09-28T20:31:00.004-05:00

I walked into Maddie's after school gymnastics room to pick her up, and overhead another child loudly telling a racist joke to another group of children and the coach.

As the girl started telling the joke it was getting more and more offensive. I shot a glare over to the coach that clearly said, "you should stop her..." and the very young coach didn't do anything. When the joke was over a few of the kids laughed. The coach gasped, and put her hand to her mouth in embarrassment, clearly not knowing how to handle the situation.

The girl (who I later learned was a 4th grader) said, "What? It's just a joke that my uncle told me!"

I don't think Maddie was paying attention to the girl (she was about 12 feet away and doing something else), but there were about 15 children in the room who did hear the joke. I was the only parent in the room, and I felt like I needed to say something.

So, I did.

While I don't recall my exact words, my tone was serious but calm. I said something along the lines of "that was inappropriate and unkind. Do not make fun of another group of people simply because they are from a different country or a different race. It was especially inappropriate of you because there are much younger children in the room. That was not funny, and it wasn't okay for your uncle to say that."

After I finished, the girl hung her head, the room was quiet, and we walked out. I then started to worry about possible repercussions for Madison. This girl is clearly older and commands the attention of everyone else. Maddie is with this girl every single day after school. I questioned whether or not I should have said anything ONLY because of that.

At the same time, I am proud that I was able to take a real life situation and model for Madison (and all the other children in the room) how you can stand up for other people, and why it was unacceptable for the girl to tell this "joke." I'm pretty sure Maddie understands, but am still worried about how that girl will treat her in the future.

When we got home, I told Zak what happened, and we discussed it with Maddie.

I think I would have regretted being silent. BUT I wonder if I would have had the same reaction if it was a group of teenagers or adults.

What would you do in a similar situation? (Maybe I was on hidden camera on that show with John Quinones?!)

French braid

2011-09-27T08:24:00.001-05:00

I have two daughters and this was the FIRST time that I was permitted to try a french braid (Brooke). Not bad for my first attempt, huh?
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

SLOW IT DOWN

2011-09-23T06:35:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I notice that I can't capture very good photos of the girls when they're playing. Obviously, this is due to my poor photography skills and not the fact that my children are growing up so darn fast that I can't even get a still picture.

I want a snap shot of them at this age (minus the whining and sassiness) that I can burn in my memory forever.

Sometimes I feel like the best I can do is remember blurred shots of their lives moving by too fast. They're happy kids.

Madison and Brooke,

May you always take the slides and roller coasters in life with your hands lifted high and smiles on your faces. My hope for you both is that your hearts are full of joy as you enjoy this ride we call life.

I love you,

Mom

Lunch surprise

2011-09-21T11:22:00.001-05:00

I surprised Madison today by showing up at her school for lunch. We ditched the noisy cafeteria for a picnic outside.

Happy day.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Happy Birthday, Zak!

2011-09-19T09:42:00.002-05:00

Happy 37th Birthday to my awesome husband and my baby daddy!

loves

I can save myself!

2011-09-15T14:47:00.002-05:00

I just found these amazing posters by Amanda Visell. I purchased the two pictured below, and will promptly frame and hang them for my daughters as a daily reminder of what it means to be a girl.

"I am my own captain" for Madison.

"I can save myself" for Brooke.

I will make my girls strong, compassionate, independent, smart, kind, and kick ass

...SO HELP ME GOD!

Thanks to Cool Mom Tech for the link.

Grandparent's Day 2011

2011-09-13T07:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Grandparents Day. Happy Day!

In celebration, Brooke had a performance at her school today. She's the one in the brown shirt and ponytail getting down to the christian song, Absolutely Nothing:

Brooke also recited "The Little Old Lady that Lives in Shoe" with her friends.

Maddie made this picture at school (it's her Grandma, Zak and Maddie at the park):

Lost tooth

2011-09-12T06:28:00.005-05:00

Brooke lost her first tooth! She's only 4.5 years old.

Maddie lost her first tooth just after she turned five, and I thought that was very early. Brooke has been begging for a loose tooth after watching Maddie rake in the dough after 9 lost teeth in less than two years.*

At Sunday dinner, Brooke complained that she couldn't eat her cantaloupe because it was too difficult to bite it. After watching her wiggle it all day, I knew it was almost ready. Zak was thoroughly Willied out by this all happening at the dinner table. I actually love wiggling my kids teeth!

Being the professional tooth loser that she is, Maddie decided she was going to help Brooke get it out. Maddie first was just wiggling it for Brooke, then decided that she needed better traction on her grip, and got a piece of paper towel. I was actually surprised that Brooke let Madison do this, and it shows how much trust and love she has for her big sister.

After Madison took two turns at trying to pull it, it was literally just hanging there. While I wished the lighting was better, I am so glad I caught this on video.**

My baby's first tooth fell out!!!!

*I just discovered I have written THIRTY TWO blog posts about teeth. I should go to dental school.

**Pay no attention to our messy post-dinner kitchen!

Grandpa was here!

2011-09-11T12:25:00.002-05:00

Zak's dad (aka Silly Grandpa) came for a very quick visit today. He was driving through San Antonio after coming home from his friend's funeral, and stopped to say hello for about an hour. The girls were SO excited to see their Grandpa, look in his car, and show off their rooms.

The Girls tried every trick in the book to get him to stay...including the double anchor on his feet maneuver.

Thanks for stopping by to see us, Terry!

After a long day at school and gymnastics

2011-09-07T10:31:00.001-05:00

Maddie-6.5 years old
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Texas Dall Ram

2011-09-05T12:03:00.020-05:00

Zak and I had just put the girls to bed at the Lake House, and we stepped out on the deck to catch the sunset and also to wallow in our misery about the state of our empty lake in the major Texas drought.

It's serious, y'all. We gots no water.

Typically, when the lake is full, our view to the North looks like this:

Today, it looks like this....over 50-60 feet GONE. Sadly, since we bought the lake house in 2008, we've had two "one hundred year" droughts. Pretty sure that stinks for us, and someone needs to go back to math class.

Oh, woe is me, I have no water in front of my lake house.....(I know, I know, but still).

Then, Zak says, "You've got to be kidding me!" and points just over my shoulder. We're pretty used to wildlife out here, and I assumed he was talking about birds, flying insects, family of scorpions, or maybe a local hillbilly who wondered over. I turn to look over my shoulder, and see this little lady about 20 feet away. Then, I really focus in on her HORNS:

Is this a goat? A ram? WTF! We had no idea until I googled it for this blog post. For the record, she's a Texas Dall Ram, and mean people hunt them, then mount the "trophy" (aka a dead head) on the wall of their dining rooms.

We stared at it, and Zak warned me in his most serious Boy Scout voice, "don't stare at it or it will think you are challenging it." Luckily, I just happened to have my camera handy, and started snapping away. After a few minutes of mutual eye contact (and no ramming), she walked around to the front yard. Zak and I ran through the house, and watched the not-so-little lady for a few more minutes from our front porch before she trotted off.

We have no idea where she lives, and based on her physical condition, she didn't seem to be suffering like most of the wild animals we have seen lately.

We think that she may have snuck out for a night on the town from a nearby wild game ranch. I'm happy she escaped, but don't want her hanging around anymore!

PlanetBox

2011-09-03T08:09:00.000-05:00

Oh, people, have I got some news for you. I have found the lunch box of all lunch boxes. The lunch box sent from heaven above that promises to make your kid eat healthy food and make her smile at the same time. The lunch box that is not disgusting at the end of the day. The lunch box that doesn't leak. The lunch box that is good for the environment. The lunch box that the teachers and friends gather around every day to see what's gonna be inside.

Da, da, da, duhhhhh... Behold: THE PLANETBOX

Madison loves it so much, she demonstrated its features to her sister, infomercial style, in her pajamas. I caught most of it on video. I have no idea why she's talking in such a slow robot voice. It sounds like she's reading a script. (My favorite part is the Vanna White hands, and that she told the viewer to "go online." Wha?)

One of the other things I love about PlanetBox* is that I can pack almost anything I can think of from a PB&J to Fried Rice and Edamame. I've also been taking a look at other blogs with similar Bento style to come up with more ideas.

Maddie says that teachers and friends "gather around" everyday to see what's in her PlanetBox. This may be a tad too much pressure for me, but I'm secretly proud.

Zak totally thinks that I'm going to get bored with this in a few weeks. After all, it's only week two of the school year, but I don't think I'll get bored. I'm not sure if eating a healthy lunch is what has made Madison a more consistently happy, energetic, polite, and loving kid. Whatever it is, I don't want to jinx it.

Last year in Kindergarten, she purchased a school lunch about 90% of the time, and let me tell you...those lunches SUCKED. Even when Maddie would get the "healthy choice option," which was often, she hardly ate enough to give her the energy to complete her busy day. Maddie's school day begins at 7:40, ends at 2:40, then she has gymnastics/tumbling until 6pm.

The girl needs food! For example for her school lunch last year, she'd get a grilled chicken salad, but would ONLY eat the teaspoon of shredded carrots on top (a garnish!) and the baggie of crackers on the side. Or, she'd get the "Yogurt Plate" with a 26 gram of sugar kids type 4 oz. yogurt with crackers and fruit. Seriously, and that was a good day. No whole grains, little protein, and definitely no veggies = a ZERO energy crabby kid.

*PlanetBox.com didn't give me anything to write this post, but I'll certainly accept a free PlanetBox for my very jealous 4 year old who was hilariously "wowed" at the 1:52 mark of my video. The only criticism I can make is that it's a little pricey for a lunch box, and seems to make my kid talk like a robot.

If I wanted to get all mathematical up in here, I'm pretty sure I could justify the Planetbox price with the cost of school lunches, wasteful ZipLoc baggie purchases, durability of this lunchbox for years to come, and a happier/healthier kid. Which is priceless.

Hip Hop Gangsta

2011-09-02T07:52:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure why I thought of Hip Hop when I took this pic of Brooke. Perhaps it's her baggy pants, mismatched shoes, wet and curly hair, or her pose? Either way, she wore this get up to school today, and I couldn't care in the least.

This girl has a light of her own, and I'm gonna let her shine.

Love u, Brookie.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

KitchenAid Hobart Model K5-A

2011-09-01T12:07:00.006-05:00

You really can't call yourself a baker unless you have a KitchenAid mixer, and that stretching it until you send me some muffins so I can officially approve your "baker" status.

You're a super cool baker if you're using a KitchenAid Hobart Model K5-A (before they used serial numbers!). This puppy is about 50 years old, and is in beautiful shape with the original mixer, whisk, dough hook, a small bowl, and a large bowl.

Look at her shine! She's hot stuff for an old lady, and likes to show off by spinning in circles at TEN different speeds. I think I'll buy her some red sparkly high heels.

The mixer was given to me by Zak's mom, Wendy. She inherited it from her Aunt Dorothy who used it her entire life before she passed away.

It's not the tilting type, but there is a lever that raises the bowl up and down. The big bowl has little fasteners on the side to hold it in place.

It's by far the oldest and coolest thing I've ever owned, and am so grateful that Wendy gave it to me. I will make sure it's well cared for and handed down to her grand-daughters. Madison & Brooke--whoever goes to the least expensive college and decides to bake for me the most gets it!

Brooke and I used it for OUR first time on a banana nut bread recipe. Brooke insisted on "NO Bananas and NO nuts!" in her banana nut bread. I had a bit of explaining to do on what BANANA NUT bread is really made of. Turns out she just wanted some cake...she always wants cake.

If you have any details for me about this mixer, especially the actual date of manufacture, please leave it in my comments.