Any Excuse for Snowflakes in May!!!

Like every other little girl on the planet lately, Kate is really into the movie Frozen. So when her preschool teacher said she could choose a day near the end of school to celebrate her summer birthday with her class, she of course, OF COURSE wanted to bring Frozen cupcakes.

Well, she lucks out that her mother is semi-obsessed with snowflakes, because I was eager to oblige.

She really wanted chocolate AND vanilla for the cake part, so we did half and half.

I sprinkled white sparkling sugar over blue frosting then added the snow flakes made of white chocolate. (Normally I consider white chocolate an abomination, but for snowflakes I'll make an exception!)

To make the snowflakes I melted white chocolate and put it in a little plastic sandwich bag with a corner snipped off. Then I piped it onto wax paper over a snowflake pattern. (I used a pattern for DIY window clings I found here, then printed it at about half size.)

This movie is a great chance to use snowflakes in some month other than December or maybe January. YAY!

Back to School

Claire and Scott's first day of school was this last Monday.

It was a good first week of school. (We just won't talk about the fact that I'm already exhausted...)
Somehow I ended up signed up as one of two room moms for Claire's class, so that will be a new adventure.  But mostly with Claire in 4th and Scott in 2nd, this new school year thing just feels like old hat.

But this week!  The really exciting first week of school for me is this week.  Kate starts preschool on Tuesday and it's 5 hours long!!!

Hair At Last!

Kate had her last day of preschool and I took a few pictures of her.  As I was looking at the pictures, I was able to take a step back and realize that she has long curly hair now!

When did that happen?  Just 2 years ago we were here:

At the time, Kate's hair seemed pretty straight and thin and it was growing SO SLOW!!!  I guess I was comparing Kate's hair to the way Claire's was at the same age.

I tried to find a photo of Claire at almost 4 years old to compare to, but I didn't have much.  I had to get creative to make it "bloggable," sorry.  This is a photo of Claire's hair at almost the exact same age as Kate is now:

Claire's hair:  Longer, thicker, and curlier than Kate. 

Still, while it's not quite Claire's hair, it feels like all of the sudden I've woken up to discover that  Kate's hair has really come into it's own.

(And thank goodness, because Kate is the one who actually requests that I do fun styles like this heart with her hair sometimes!)

Goodbye Teaching Preschool

Next year, I'm putting Kate in a paid preschool program.

I hate, hate, hate to spend the money, but after 6 years of helping to host/teach a preschool co-op/swap/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, I'm done.  I've earned my frugality badge and now I think I deserve to just throw money at this problem.

I've taught two years with Claire, three years with Scott (he did one when he was 2 yrs old), and a year with Kate.  Every time I have to teach, it ruins my week.  It arguably ruins the week before because I dread it so much and start obsessively making sure I have all the craft supplies and won't be forced to squeeze in a last minute shopping trip.  It also arguably ruins the week after because my house and I have to recover from it.  So you know, ruining 3 weeks every time I teach is not the greatest.

I don't know why, but I just struggle with teaching.  Nay, I loathe it deep in my soul.  It's not that the kids I've had to work with weren't fabulous children.  It's just that at the end of the day, they're small children.  It can only be so good.  I love them, really I do.  But they're a little slow on the uptake when it comes to things like algebra and physics.  So they're a little outside my skill set.  

I have never been good, nor will I ever be good, at making sock puppets talk.

I'm only teaching one more day after today.  I'm in the home stretch now.  But because the end is in sight, it's been even HARDER. The kids are still sweet.  I need to tell them, "It's not you, it's me."

And thank goodness these cute kids know how to butter me up.  They all collected these really pretty weeds from my back yard for me!

Okay, so maybe having them all over is kinda fun sometimes ;)

Double Phew

I did it. I finished my last turn for the school year teaching Claire's preschool today. I didn't even scream at any of the children! Thank goodness this was the last time for a good long while, and possibly ever with this same group of kids. I can't help but wonder. Did I feel at my wits' end today because the kids were that much harder than usual? (Claire did throw a full blown tantrum...) Or is it because I knew it was the last time? Does the very near possibility of it being over make it that much harder to bear? It frequently seems like things are the worst just before they're over. Does that happen to you too?

The latest update on Scott and his crib? Still climbing in every time he goes to sleep. Still hasn't climbed OUT yet. (Knock on wood...)

Feeling Berried

So I've been bad about finishing my Japan posts, I know. My excuse was that I was too busy having fun with M's sister R all week. We had so much fun! Serendipitously, Claire's preschool was at a house a few blocks from the local outlet mall. So while Claire was at preschool, there was much acquisition of clothing and accessories. I just think it's so much more fun to shop with a friend! There was also much eating while she was here. Eating in, eating out, eating when we weren't hungry anymore, inviting more friends over as an excuse to eat grilled Costco steaks. OH, the eating! On the last day she was here, we drove a great distance to do yet another food related activity:


We got pink fingers:


Except for Scott, who got brown fingers (and hands and feet):

He found the only mud puddle in the whole strawberry field.

When he was done getting muddy, Scott tried to make a break for it. Thank goodness for the fabulous Aunt R. She did the running while I did the picture taking.

Then Scott found the wagon. In case you were wondering, prying his little fingers off that and dragging him home was not fun.

Then we got home and made more food:

The darker ones on the left are regular strawberry jam and the lighter ones on the right are no sugar added ones made with Splenda for M.
Who knew leaving my beloved sugar out would be prettier?

What Day is it Anyway?

Check out that time stamp. That's right, 4:29AM.
No, I didn't alter it. And no, I didn't wake up really early.
Jet. Lag. SUCKS.

So yes, I'm back in the good ol' US of A. I got back Saturday afternoon but the jet lag has hit me tonight the worst I've ever had it. I suppose tonight was the first night I wasn't so delusionally exhausted I could have slept no matter what time of day my body thought it was. M gets insomnia all the time and I've never had it before. Looking on the bright side, I have so much more empathy for him now. And I finished my book. So yah, sleep is overrated, right?

Can someone please tell me why, WHY, I have four extra four year olds above and beyond my own little handful coming over to my house at 9am tomorrow this morning?!?!? I hope I don't actually fall asleep while teaching Claire's preschool.

There's Nothing Like the Stench of Airbag Propellant in the Morning

Just to get it out of the way right off the bat, here's a preemptive, "We're all okay."

Claire, Scott, and I were driving to take Claire to preschool yesterday morning on a fairly big road. Another car pulled out in front of us to turn left from a cross street onto the opposite direction of the road we were on. Are you still with me? Ooh, let me go over the top and provide a diagram (complete with color accurate ovals that totally look like cars, right?):


I saw the look on the other guy's face when he realized he'd pulled out in front of me. It can probably be summed up as, "Oh, CRAP!" Everything happened so fast, but I could almost swear the other guy braked and stopped in front of me instead of gunning it to get past me. I wonder if I would have had my wits about me enough to step on it if the roles were reversed. I think so. On the other hand, I'm not an old man, so I probably wouldn't have gotten myself into that fix to begin with, pulling out in front of cars going 45 mph and what have you. I guess he just didn't see me. One could argue that's what I get for having an asphalt colored car...

Anyway, needless to say, I slammed on my brakes and tried to steer to the right to clear the other car, but it was not to be. I suppose I had a lot of faith in the safety of my car because the main thought in my mind just before impact wasn't "I hope we don't get hurt." It was, "You have GOT to be kidding me. I do NOT need this today. I have SO MUCH TO DO!!!" The airbag deployed and I got to sit in a cloud of air bag powder. Several people stopped to help and they called 911 before I even collected myself and got out of my car. Claire was pretty freaked out. She was crying and kept asking me, "Why did we get in a car crash?" Then she kept asking me how we were going to fix the broken car. I kept trying to explain and tell her that all that mattered was that we were all okay. But eventually she was only upset about missing preschool. Once M showed up, we were able to get her there for the tail end of it due to a very generous friend who drove her home afterwards. Scott was totally oblivious to everything except the fact that there was a fire engine and ambulance there. He just kept pointing and saying, "Woo woo!" which is his rendition of siren noise. I love Scott: Mr. Mellow. The other driver complained of neck and chest pain and was taken away in the ambulance. I hope he's okay, I haven't heard an update yet.

Anyway, talked to the EMTs, police, witnesses, etc. So on and so forth. All while trying to keep Scott from wandering out into the road, so I was pretty distracted and in retrospect I wish I had gotten more info about the other driver. Since he never got out of his car, I don't even know his name. And could I be any more of a dumb broad for not even taking note of what kind of car he was driving? I'm disgusted with myself. In the end, I had to have my newly beloved minivan towed because it was totally undrivable. And the cops said we need to get new car seats now. I hope the insurance covers them. We don't know the full extent of the damages yet. Keep your fingers crossed...

Other than being stuck at home with no car (I sense a lot of blogging in the near future!) and accompanying car repair hassles, the only lasting effects today are the fact that I'm sore and Claire keeps pestering me with questions. For me, yesterday was all about torso achiness and stiffness. Today is all about a horribly sore neck and a tender seat belt bruise. This is one of the few times in my life I've allowed myself to take ibuprofen. Claire keeps bringing up the accident even though I'd rather forget about it. Mostly it touches a nerve when she tells me that I didn't see the other car and we got in an accident. No, I saw the other car. Apparently he didn't see me. I know she doesn't mean it this way, but it infuriates me that she's trying to lay any of the blame on me. Even the cops basically said I did everything right. Just before he left, one of them told me that "my evasive action" kept this from being "a lot worse." That made me feel so much better. Yah, basically, I rock. And ache. Ugh. Fortunately I've been taking comfort in a half batch of Texas sheet cake. (How am I not overweight???)

Thanksgiving Dinner - No Oven Required

Our last Thanksgiving guest left today. We had guests here for just a few hours short of a full week. So although I'm relieved in a way that it's over, I must say it was a FABULOUS week.

I know part of it was that we didn't have to go anywhere; we got to be at our own house. (Emphasis on the word house.) I know part of it is that my in-laws and my husband's best friend from college are such wonderful, fun people. I know part of it was that I had my sister-in-law who actually enjoys little kids around to help me teach preschool and wear paper pilgrim hats with me on Tuesday. I know part of it was doing fun things like going to downtown Austin, taking family photos, and making a pilgrimage to Fry's. But if I'm really honest with myself, it was mostly because the food was so good.

I mean, we got to choose the menu, not just for Thanksgiving itself, but for the whole Thanksgiving weekend. More importantly, for once we had enough people coming to warrant LOTS of food, and something more than a starving student income (or lack thereof) to fund it. There was much excellent gorging. Let me elaborate.

DINNER BEFORE THANKSGIVING:
- Rudy's BBQ!!!

THANKSGIVING BREAKFAST:
-Ralphie's fabulous buttermilk pancakes, some with chocolate chips, served with regular and blueberry pomegranate syrup
- scrambled eggs with cheese

THANKSGIVING DINNER:
- grilled steak
Who am I kidding? This bullet point deserves it's own paragraph:
We got these awesome New York Strips from Costco that must have been over 2 inches thick. M and his brother grilled these suckers on our gas grill in the backyard (Remember the only nice thing in our back yard?) Herein lies the genius of it all. No dried out turkey from the oven. No gravy (that I'm still intimidated at the thought of making - it's so American). No thawing bird in the fridge for an indeterminate amount of time. No dead carcass I have to fondle and manipulate into a roasting pan. NO GIBLETS! Just delicious boneless, thick, juicy, delicious, red meat. You know it's good when you even don't mind eating the fat. As M's dad put it, I love being an omnivore.
-sourdough garlic bread (warmed on the grill)
-mashed sweet potatoes (These were made in a pot and were the only thing I actually had to start more than about half an hour before we wanted to eat. Once started they could keep cooking longer, so they weren't an exact science.)
- green peas (microwaved from frozen!)
- stuffing (I don't really like stuffing that much, but M does. But he likes Stovetop. Cliche, but easy and ovenless. I actually got my mother-in-law to do this.)
- homemade cranberry relish (I made this the night before. It has pineapple, oranges, and lemons and it actually tastes better if you give them all time to "mesh.")

BEVERAGE OF CHOICE:
- schorle (This is something my family picked up in Germany. Sparkling water combined with fruit juice.)

SNACKS:
- chips with salsa and guacamole
- petite quiche
- brie and sourdough bread (It's just not a holiday for my family without brie.)

DESSERTS:
On Thanksgiving
- 1 Sugar free pumpkin pie for M and his dad and 1 regular pumpkin pie, plus Reddi-Whip (I'm way too lazy and we go through way too little whipped cream to do it any other way)
- 2 apple pies from my mom's famous recipe
(NOTE: The pies were also made the day before. Also, extra pie was important so that we could have my family's traditional "pie and eggs" breakfast the next morning)
Other Desserts
- ice cream (sugar free for M and his dad and both Cookies and Cream and Intensely Chocolate for the rest of us) with dark chocolate syrup
- dark chocolate shortbread (sugar free for M and his dad - I even sprung for better cocoa, so it was extra tasty)
- the most sinfully wonderful chocolate truffles ever (You know, the soft kind rolled in cocoa that feel like a little bite of obesity? We bought a double pack at Costco, so we only got a fourth of the way through them. Look out Christmas guests...)
Are we noticing a theme here? Yes, I love chocolate.

I think I've made reference before to the fact that I probably have an unhealthy perspective on food. This doting discussion of our menu may confirm it in your eyes. All I know is that if an unhealthy perspective on food can make a week this great, bring it on!

Oh yah, and as a crowning glory to it all, I managed to send my in-laws home with their Christmas presents (beautifully wrapped with homemade tags and everything, if I do say so myself). I won't have to ship them!

Could I be on any more of a "homemaker power trip"?

Ah, the Wisdom of Children

Claire's first day of preschool was yesterday. She had SO much fun. She won't stop talking about it. It makes me so happy that she's enjoying it so much. (Nevermind the fact that I got to go shopping with only Scott in tow and found two, yes count them, two pairs of shoes for me on sale and three polos for Scott for 99 cents each!!! M gave me mad props for being the "alpha gatherer.")

There is, however, one part of Claire's play-by-play recap of preschool that keeps making me want to laugh my guts out even though I've heard it about ten times. It's very hard to keep a straight face as I gently correct her mispronunciation. Claire keeps telling us all about how they had "Arts and Craps" time at preschool. I think she shows a wisdom beyond her years...