Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast

Last Friday was Lil'Dude's Thanksgiving Feast at his school. It was so fun to go to!

I got "dessert" and was only one of TWO so the pressure was on. I wanted to do something fun for the kids and had a few ideas. I then threw out all those ideas because they were all way too much work so in the midst of finding something easier, I decided on doing cookie sandwiches.

Then I wanted to do something colorful that Lil'Dude could help with, so I turned them into monsters with eyes.

Of course, after that I went to the candy aisle and wanted to add arms and hair.

THEN I found some "candy melts" that I have had forever and decided to add mouths and teeth and fun little spikes.

Halloween-Thanksgiving Monster Cookie Sandwiches

So in the end, these bad boys took probably three times the amount of time all those "other" ideas would have. Whatevs. They really make great Halloween Thanksgiving treats for his class.

What matters most is that everyone was thoroughly impressed...I mean...uh....that the kids loved them. They had a ton of fun picking out "their favorite" monster. "Mine has THREE eyes!" and "Mine has green spikes!"

Plus they thought it was so cool that Lil'Dude helped decorate them. They all went up to him and thanked them for their cookies, which was so cute. But wrong. He just slapped some candy on them, c'mon I should be thanked. Kidding! Kind of.

Before the "feast" began, each kid said what they are thankful for. My little boy says "I'm thankful for my mom." Awwwww. Heart = melted. Then as they were waiting on their turn to get food, Lil'Miss runs up to Lil'Dude and hugs his neck and jumps all around and over him. She kept kissing his head and Lil'Dude was so proud of his sister. Everyone kept asking about her and he had the sweetest look of pride on his face as he told them her name and hugged her back. Adorable!

I had a great giggle about giving the kids cookies topped with sugar topped with candy and then leaving at noon. Then the teacher pulled a fast one and "gave the option" of leaving with your child...except she said it in front of the child. Not exactly easy to get out of that one. This Kindergarten teacher is an evil genius!!

All in all it was a fantastic start to my school party years. It wasn't until I was walking out that I realized my mistake. I should have started out low. What have I done!?! Now the expectation is there and I will have to do something better the next time. You don't lay out all your cards the VERY FIRST YEAR!


Crap!

I really need these things explained to me.

Next time I'm signing up for rolls.

Never go to Home Depot Hungry

I learned an important lesson about myself this weekend.

Never...EVER go to Home Depot hungry. Or if I am feeling particularly crafty and confident that day.

Why you say?

Because THIS happens:

And that isn't seeing the front seat jammed full of herbs and flowers.

Oops.

So what happened was...

We decided to add some edging and mulch to our flower bed, well..more like "bush" bed, and let's just be honest by that point it could have probably been deemed weed bed. So I decided to try to turn my tortured withered black thumb to green by adding flowers myself.

And off I went with my oldest son in tow to buy a few flowers.

Then all the herbs and veggies were 50% off. Then I got cocky and randomly had the thought that I could pull off a pot garden (he he he). Then I got hungry. Then I saw someone buying tomatoes and got competitive and wanted to plant some darn tomatoes too. Then salsa sounded good so I got jalapenos. Then I smelled the mint and thought of mojitos.Then Lil'Dude wanted the Peach Tree.

Then I forgot I drove our Explorer that day. Oops again. It was awkward driving with a tree tickling my ear but we managed. Mostly so Brewerman couldn't say I-told-you-so.

Then I remembered that I suck and don't even know what I am doing with any of it. That was about mid-trip home with my car loaded with things-to-be-planted.

So thankfully Vanerellian came to my rescue with her Little Tykes shovel and kids and we got everything planted and in pots. Then we read the misleading instructions to the herbs and veggies, had to re-dig them all up and replant them again. So, after that and a quick session involving staring at a large hole and deciding the best way to fill it while the kids were fighting/playing/fighting/playing/dumping water all over/fighting/begging not to go/jumping over hole/fighting/playing, we were done!

Brewerman worked his tail off getting all the edging in place and mulch laid in the front. It turned out quite gorgeous and even though it's not Picaso, well it's just what we wanted without doing anything too permanent or costly...or weeding and watering daily.

I don't want to be committed. I'm a playa.

See those little tiny spots of yellow in the front and on the sides? Those are my tiny flowers...
10 points for those who spot: Random Dickie's cup, creepy tree, dead clipped part of bush, and Donatello

And as for the pot garden (he he he) in the back here is what we ended up with:
Chives, Cilantro, Basil, Mint, Jalapeno Peppers, Rosemary Mild Jalapeno Peppers, Two Tomato plants, and a Partridge in a Peach Tree.

My Pot Garden (he he he)

Okay so I was a little messy and our grass needs some work. I get it but let's not get carried away here..

Oh, and I didn't do organic (as you can see), figured I need all the help I can get. Even from unpronounceable chemicals that promise double the growth. I choose to just ignore it and enjoy the fruits of my maybe-harvest.



P.s......Remember The Worst Easter Ever post!? Well...let's just say that plans are in place and I am making up for it baby! Easter - here we come!!

Poop and the Fabulous Christmas Parade Extravaganza

I love that title. It sounds like a very messed up Children's Christmas Book.

I would totally buy it!!

Okay so Christmas was fabulous, as always! You know I was all excited. I am a Christmas FREAK! I adore every aspect. Christmas trees, christmas candy, christmas cookies, christmas prime rib, christmas desserts...seeing a theme? I am nothing if not predictable.

My kids were excited too. We were caroling and singing our little hearts out. Their favorite is Mr.Grinch. They adore that song, adding in little lyrics of their own which usually have something to do with poop. Ahhh the life of having two boys strikes again.

You see, poop is not a bad word in our house...I tried that. They were in timeout literally every 2 minutes so in my great parenting style I let it go so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I thought maybe it was because I told them they couldn't say it that they wanted to say it. Nope. Turns out poop is just funny in general. You totally just giggled, didn't you. Don't lie.



We went to the Christmas parade again!! It was a ball and a half of good times. This year we went with our friends Caroleenalou and Jamister. They have two small boys also, and we like to hang out with them because their boys hit back. So it's usually an even match. It's always nice to walk away from an evening out knowing it was an even match up.



We did the usual, went super early, rode the train, walked to the parade, then...oh then it all changed this year. You see in the years past we would cram into a good spot, one of us battle out for that spot with other cut-ins until the parade started while the other searched for donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate. Well this year we were lapping in luxury as Caroleenalou's dad has an office that faces the parade. It was fabulous, warm, and we could just wak right down and see the parade when it started.

Love that look on the kids face when they watch the parade.



Enamored with the parade





Lil'Guy hanging with dad...and glaring at mom for no reason



So after that we walked back to the train, almost lost Lil'Guy, rode to our cars, had lunch, then went to the Arboretum to see Santa.

Yes, I am going to ignore the fact that we almost lost Lil'Guy.

We gave them hot chocolate, so I am still counting this day as a parenting win.

 

Santa was cool, Cooper had a "Ralphie" moment when he sat on his lap and went blank. Then panicked and told him "remote control helicopter" three times. Luckily Santa heard him and we are all good now.



Holy Batman.....it's Santa...she wasn't just yanking our chain.



Oh.

OH.

OH OH OH....the best part? Check out what I found at the Arboretum's Gift Shop:

That's right. Honey Badger don't care. Honey badger don't give a s**t.



If you have no idea what this means I will warn you...this probably means that you are probably old. Like I was, until last weekend when I watched the you tube on it also.

Now I'm totally, like, totally hip on the, like, times, like. Snap.

 

Crackle. Pop. (Sorry I never could hear somebody say that without mentally adding that. Damn. Now I'm old again.)





Okay the rest of Christmas went by in a blur of wrapping paper, wine, mimosas, lots of driving, and little to no sleep.



It was absolutely fantastic. We went back to KS and OK this year during Christmas, which will be a one time thing but it was great to get to spend that time with everyone.



Lil'Dude got a remote control helicopter (which was broke by 9:30am, returned when we got back to TX, and somehow Brewerman came out with one also...so now we have two...oh and did I mention that these shoots laser beams at each...hmmmm WHOSE gift was this again!?).



Lil'Guy got the K'nex Mario track. Yes, he still adores all thing Mario. He loved it, we hated it. Turns out being an adult blows on Christmas because, unlike when you were a kid and everything magically appears, you have to spend hours putting every darn toy together. Ugh.

I got an incredible 12 cup food processor, and Brewerman scored the highest and got his Blichmann Brewing system. He has brewed twice already on it. It's like the Cadillac of brewing. I'm just happy it looks official enough the neighbors will stop thinking we are cooking meth in our garage.

Basically like this...but instead of the cooler there is another pot. Because he "had" to have it.

Well on that lovely note, my promise to myself is to keep this up more, ya know, the whole blogging thing. I have sooooo much to say and so little time to say it. Basically: kids are nuts as always (wouldn't have it any other way), husband still sucks at sharing but after 10 years of marriage I forgive him, and my job is amazing, I love the people, location, everything...but darnit if I don't have the time I used to!

Peace love and chicken grease. Here are some photos for your all around general enjoyment:

Lil'Guy showing his signature move to Lilihipster

The boys with their Mario (MARIO!!) PJ's and swords

NOT happy to have to stop and take a darned picture

No makeup, mimosa, crappy pj's = fantastic christmas morning



Truley just posting this because as bad as I looked, my brother looks worse. Ha!



 

Oh...and my new years resolution is to cuss less.

After this post.

Stop laughing!!!

Happy Halloween!! It's a Mario!!

Happy Halloween!!

What is that you say? It's not Halloween?? Not even October!? Well can SOMEONE please tell my children that.

Lil'Dude is going to be Mario and Lil'Guy is Luigi. I wish it was opposite because it would be cuter if Luigi was taller but alas. They didn't ask me. And they have asked to wear their costume every single day. Every. Single. Minute. Every. Single. Day. And because I'm a super cool mommy who was convince pre-kids I would do things like that.....I never do. Hey! Those bad boys are expensive and sure as anything they will rip it and you better believe this "can't sew a button" chick aint gonna fix it. Didn't think about THAT pre-kids did I?!

Don't be fooled. Lil'Guy is actually thrilled.

My guys are slightly obsessed with all things Mario. And by slightly obsessed I mean that is all they talk about. Ever. We use it as a bartering tool for many things. And by many things I mean everything.

"Did you finish dinner? If not I'm taking Mario away for the rest of the week!!"

"If you do not stop fighting then NOONE is playing Mario today!!"

"If you get a green card you can play an hour of Mario."

"Okay sure, you can play one hour of Mario and rot your brain by playing video games before the age of 5, all for the cheap price of me being able to cook dinner without the two of you fighting, under my feet, or begging to help."

"If you don't tell mommy she is the prettiest mommy in the world I'm throwing Mario away forever!!"

You get the point. Oh and my oldest son, being the super smart guy he is, convinced his little brother that Luigi is the coolest so he could be Mario (Mario controls the main guy on the wii and controls which level you get to go to). It was pretty ingenius of him and I seriously had to give him props, so much so that I don't even make them share. They are both happy. Lil'Guy's ignorance is bliss for mommy sometimes.

However. Daddy and mommy are not allowed to play Mario with them. ONE of them has a certain "issue" with realizing that these games are "just for fun" and that it's okay if they die or make you die all the time...or make you not finish a level, or use all of your hard earned mushrooms. Deep breaths....everything isn't a competition. It's all for fun. But seriously? Playing with them is the most frustrating thing in the world!! I mean...they love it...but they don't win a whole heck of a lot....and they won't listen....and they don't do it RIGHT!!

Like I said, when I...er..."that person" asks if they can play with them and they say no. There is a reason why.

So tell me...what are your kids going to be for Halloween? Any big plans? I have been toying with having a Halloween party...how fun would that be!? Having one that you can bring the kiddos too of course but the adults can still get down and dirty. Well, not really down and dirty. Okay not dirty at all, just dress up and drink a beer or two. Or five if you aren't driving. Seven if you have had to listen to your kids begging to wear their costume every day for the past two months. Eight if you finally gave in to them wanting you to dress up as a slightly "wimpish" version of Waluigi.

Of course this whole "party planning" idea goes directly against my whole "procrastinater to the max" thing I have going for me since it isn't even October yet. So most likely I will think about it, not do anything about it. Wish I had done it a couple weeks before Halloween, throw something half-way together last minute and then regret doing anything the day before the party when I'm super cleaning my house, then the day of the party be super glad I did it and wish I had done more. Go out and buy a ton of decorations all super expensive since it's right before Halloween, make my husband crazy, THEN have the half-way not-really-very-fun version of the could-have-been-awesome party.

That is how I roll.

But really my kids want me to dress up as the princess in Mario so I just want an excuse to dress up as a princess.

And yes, I did convince them to want me to be the princess instead of their original vote of Toad.

Psh. Toad.

As if.

Worst. Easter. Ever.

Okay not really, that might be a little melodramatic. And frankly the kids were here with us, and everyone is healthy and loved so it was still very awesome.

BUT! But...I had a cold.

Which means....*sob*....I couldn't....*sniff*.... TASTE anything!!

It was horrible. All those Starburst Jellybeans...and Tropical Skittles...even the darn Rolos, all the candy I only buy a few times a year, wasted.We had a whole fantastic delicious menu consisting of only the most off-limits-on-my-diet foods. Friendship bread (YUM), Maple Sausage, Brewerman's Hummus (!!), Ribeye with blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms and onions, cheesey potatoes, and last of all.....Red Velvet Cake. Okay so I wasn't excited at all about the cake, since I'm not a huge fan of cake, but anywho.

Now. Let's not get all crazy and say I still didn't eat any of it and stuck to my diet just because I couldn't really taste anything. Psh. Amatures. I just had to do a combination of swallowing/blowing my nose/sniffling and i'd get a hint of flavor. Brewerman was thrilled to have me at that table let me tell you.

But besides that worst news of the whole weekend we had a good weekend. Brewerman had some sickie stuff going on all week so my family wasn't able to come down...which sucks. I miss the heck out of our family. Hard. But we were still able to meet up with friends and have a great Easter Potluck and egg hunt. It was such a great time to get to know the families around the area. I love this neighborhood!



Lil' Guy hamming it up

Lil Dude having a ball



The good news is they are old enough now to do awesome on the egg hunt...the bad news is that they are also now old enough to NOT share their candy with their parents...so we have to steal it behind their backs. Lil Dude did pretty good too and even laughed (LAUGHED!) when another kid beat him to an egg. That's right, my ultra-competitive son was NOT a poor sport.

The boys and their loot.



Last but not least we put the kiddos to bed after yet another round of horrible storms, and the Easter Bunny came! This year I refused to do a whole lot. I want to keep it to a minimum. They each got one toy and candy. Lil'Dude was thrilled with his Nee Hai Kai Lan ?? Leapster game, but Lil'Guy....oh that boy. He was totally unimpressed with his instrument set. Oh eventually he liked to play the harmonica, but that was just because Lil'Dude tried to play with it. So a total parenting fail on that one.





Me & my boys.



So all in all, fantastic weekend because I adore my children, horrible weekend because it wasn't able to revolve around food. I have a feeling I'm going to make a very cranky healthy person....