Adventures in Mommyhood

A Yummy Winter Activity

2012-01-25T10:42:00.000-06:00

My sister sent the girls this super cool cake-pop maker for Christmas. They've been begging almost every day to use it since the day they opened the package.

We try to limit their sweets so I wasn't going to break it open until all the Christmas goodies were out of the house.

FINALLY, last week I surprised them and told them the day had come that we could use the machine. I can't even tell you how much fun this thing was!

They especially loved the chocolate dipping part. Can you blame them? We tried white chocolate but it never really melted, so we had to stick with the milk chocolate. No big sacrifice there!

If you look closely, you can see the chocolate on her lips!

Then we got out all the sprinkles we had in the house and I let them decorate.

The finished product

Yum-O

They turned out so cute we brought some to our little neighbor friends for an after school snack. The little boy kept saying "Wow, you really made these?".

We plan to make them again for Valentine's Day (a HUGE event in our house).
A nice way to spend a winter afternoon.

The Best Way to Ring in the New Year

2012-01-03T16:00:00.001-06:00

This year we tried something a little different for New Year's Eve.
We started out the day by going to Navy Pier in Chicago for our annual trip to Winter Wonder Fest. We go every year, but usually before Christmas. Boy have we been doing it all wrong! Going after Christmas meant no lines, no crowds, no waiting! It was our best year yet. We went on ALL the rides at least once before lunch.
The best quote of the day was from Tia who said...
"My three favorite places to go are Disney World, Winter Wonder Fest, and Nonna's house". I'm pretty sure that means she had a good time!

And here's a little video clip of the kids and D.R. on the Tilt a Whirl. It was while taking this video that I realized how easily I get motion sick!

After spending the better part of the day there, and doing everything there was to do, we headed for home. We were shocked to find there was NO TRAFFIC. How can that be? We've been stuck in rush hour traffic at 2pm. on a Sunday before, so this was such a nice surprise.

Once home we started our new family tradition of having a sushi making party. The kids love to make sushi rice and help Daddy with all the preparations...

The expert

The apprentices

After eating way too much fish and sushi, we all got in our pajamas and had a camp out on the family room floor. We had done that last year and they both remembered it, so of course we had to do it again this year!

OK, I have to admit I wimped out and went up to my own bed just before midnight. I'm the only one in my family who can not sleep on the floor!

So this is how our family does New Year's Eve.
We hope you had a safe and healthy holiday.

Happy New Year!

How Lucky I am!

2011-12-27T20:08:00.000-06:00

I know I have a wonderful life, and consider myself a lucky lady. I am married to a great husband and we have 2 amazing kids. Nothing new there.

However, on Christmas day I was struck by just how lucky I am that my kids are who they are. You see, we've made it a point NOT to spoil our kids with material things over the years. Believe me, they're not deprived at all, or lacking in the toy department, but we try our best to keep it to a minimum. We set limits.

So when it came time to start talking about Christmas wish lists, here's what both girls came up with (for some reason they both wanted the same things).

A sleeping Beauty baby doll
A sleeping bag
Ear muffs.

That's it. Not a list as long as my arm full of toy after toy. In fact, that list only consists of ONE toy. They're 4 and 6, how can that be?!
Well, I must admit we got them all 3 things on their list, as well as some books, clothes, pajamas and slippers.
When we were done opening presents, my 4 year old said

"Santa was really listening. We got just what we wanted!"

And do you know what my 6 year old said to me today?

"Mom, we got SO MANY presents this year!".

This child got ONE toy and thinks she hit the jack pot. That makes me proud as a mom.

Look how happy Tia is when she realizes what's in the box

Nothing like a sleeping bag for movie time!

The much anticipated ear muffs

I view this as proof that you can have happy, well adjusted kids without showering them with thousands of dollars worth of gifts and gadgets.

Spoil your kids with hugs and kisses, and give them the gift of a college fund!

Merry Christmas.

Remembering Mema

2011-12-24T12:09:00.000-06:00

Even though my Mom passed away more than 2 years ago, I'm proud to say that my kids still talk about her all the time. I make an effort to keep her memory alive in our house, especially around the holidays.

While decorating our Christmas tree, we used so many ornaments that were made by my Mom. We talked about her a lot that day.

Yesterday we made Christmas cookies and so many of our cookie cutters belonged to my Mom. I showed the girls all the ones that were Mema's, and they wanted to use them all.
My Mom had a pig cookie cutter, since at one time she collected pigs. We decided to make one piggy cookie in honor of Mema. We even colored it orange, her favorite color...

Once it was frosted it didn't look much like a pig any more, but we all know what it is and who it's for.

Since today is Christmas Eve, the girls got to see what kinds of goodies were waiting in their stockings. My Mom made those stockings by hand. She made one for everyone in our family. Each little bead and sequin was sewed on by her little arthritic hands. I make sure to tell the kids about all the hard work and love that went into making those stockings. They love them as much as I do.

We miss Mema every day, but her memory is still alive in our home.

Merry Christmas!

What to do While Waiting for the Grandfolks to Arrive

2011-12-23T14:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a day of waiting for the grandparents to arrive. I knew there would be lots of questions like "how much longer" and "Are they coming NOW?". So I tackled the day with a plan.

In the morning we went to the library for a holiday music program. Then we headed to the gym, the kids to the play room, me to exercise.
After that we went out to lunch at the kids favorite restaurant which I think was a big mistake. Their cook went home sick and it took us 45 minutes to get pancakes. Then the questions went from "How long until they get here" to "Where is our food?". Oh the best laid plans!

Then the insane person in my head thought it would be a good idea to get some last minute grocery shopping done. Yeah, 2 kids in a busy grocery store. That was a great idea.

After all that and some much needed rest time (for me, not them), I pulled out the big guns.
I had picked up these giant gingerbread men at Trader Joe's and this was just the perfect occasion to keep them busy, making a big mess, while waiting...

Hard at work

so careful!

Tia's finished girl

Gia's finished boy

The kits were .99 each and I can say I think that was a well spent $2. It kept them busy for about an hour.
I'll have to keep this in mind for next time we're waiting for folks to arrive.

By the way, everyone arrived safely, and on time.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

The Christmas Pageant

2011-12-13T19:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the annual Christmas Pageant at Gia's preschool. There's nothing more precious than watching a room full of 4 year olds singing at the top of their lungs about the birth of baby Jesus.

I'm a little sad that this is the last year my kids will be able to do this. Next year it's on to public school where such things are no longer allowed.
For now though, we thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Before the show

Happy Birthday Dear Jesus!

A job well done

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a little clip of the show...

http://youtu.be/xkwMTnKh7uc

I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season!

Holiday Fun

2011-12-10T19:33:00.000-06:00

Every year we look forward to the Holiday Open House at our local library. It's so much fun for the kids. They have face painting, crafts, games, Santa is there, and best of all we all get free books!

A Wreath Please!

Tia chose to have hers on her hand

Gia's first time with Santa!

They're brave with each other

The girls both won lots of prizes including free meals at local restaurants. We'll be cashing those in over the Christmas break.
Santa's helpers gave each child a new, wrapped book which of course they love. Mommy and Daddy got to choose books too (ours weren't wrapped).

It was a fun night of wholesome family fun. We feel so fortunate to live in such a family friendly town. A great time was had by all!

Do you visit your local library?

Trying to do Better

2011-12-05T18:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I watched the documentary "Food Matters". My nephew recommended it a while ago and I just got around to it.
He was right, it was profound and definitely got me thinking.

If you haven't already seen it, I suggest you give it a shot. There's A LOT of information to digest, but most of it good, easy to understand basic stuff.

The main thing I took away from the documentary is how the cancer rates in the U.S. are so much higher than other nations. Think about it, we eat a lot of junk. I'm not just talking about fast food, but all the pre-packaged convenience foods that claim to be healthy but have a list of 40 ingredients you've never heard of. We put a lot of chemicals in our bodies every day.

We had already made some changes before I watched the documentary. For example, a couple years ago we made a decision for our family to get all the High Fructose Corn Syrup out of our diet at home. Once we started reading labels, we realized it's in just about everything. We did our home work and found brands we like, and now it's second nature to us. I know my kids will get corn syrup in their diet when they go places (parties, play dates, school, etc.) but we choose not to have it in our home. It was an easy transition for us.

How about going even further? Could I do better? I gave it a lot of thought last night and decided to do some shopping today, to see what changes I could make in our diets, especially for the kids.

It doesn't take more than a minute in the grocery store to see why people are reluctant to go organic. Organic food is expensive. VERY expensive. How can I justify paying $4/pound for grapes when I know I can get them for $1/pound? You know I'm cheap...REALLY cheap. So for me the shopping trip today was an agonizing experience.

However, here's what I did...

Tia takes apple sauce in her lunch every day. It's her favorite thing in the world to eat. I figured that was the best place to start. Although I always buy natural/no sugar added apple sauce, I decided to go a step further and give organic a try.

Do you know how much it killed me to pay the same price for this 4 pack that I normally pay for a 6 pack?! I'm trying real hard to think of the long term benefits of eliminating the chemicals in our food. (inhale...exhale).

And since we use a lot of apple sauce at home with dinner, and we use it to bake with (instead of oil), I had to get a jar...

The organic jar is half the size as the regular jar, but cost the same. Ugh! Deep breath. I can do this.

However, I have to tell you that when Gia tasted it she asked "Mom, did you make apple sauce today?". I told her no, I bought it at the grocery store just like always, and her response (as she was shoveling it in her mouth) was "Well, it's DELICIOUS!". I didn't taste it, I'm just taking her word for it. Looks like I'll be buying more.

So, what did I do about the grapes? Well, I just couldn't do it. If I paid $4 a pound for grapes, I'm sure I'd break out in some sort of hives. Have I mentioned that I'm cheap?

Instead, I bought the $1/pound grapes and washed them to death. I put them in a strainer in the sink and washed them about 4 times. In fact, every time I walked by the sink I'd spray them again and move them around. THEN, before I put them in the containers, I washed them AGAIN.
Now, I know the washing didn't do anything for the contaminated soil they were grown in, but at least I tried my best to get the pesticides off the skin.

Hey, you gotta' start somewhere, right?

Baby steps. This week it's apple sauce, maybe next week will be grapes.

How do you feed your kids?

Breakfast, Not With Santa

2011-12-04T20:12:00.000-06:00

Our local school district puts on a big "Breakfast with Santa" event every year. I've heard from lots of friends that it's a great time, and I should bring the kids. I had to work but bought the tickets and had hubby bring them.

Well, let's just say they were excited to be there, just not about the big guy in the red suit. They're ages 4 1/2 and 6, and still afraid of Santa.

They did enjoy a muffin and a bunch of activities, and proclaimed a good time was had by all. Just no visit with Santa.

Ornament making

Face painting

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T17:45:00.000-06:00

I have to say this year, Thanksgiving was a bit unusual, to say the least. The in laws came in like they always do. However, since we'll be moving from the Chicago area this summer, they wanted to do something they haven't done since we've lived here. Their choice was going to the top of the Se@rs Tower observation deck. The only day we had free to to that was on Thanksgiving , and since the tower is open every day of the year, no problem.

MIL, and I got a lot of the dinner prepped the day before, and cooked the turkey breast for 2 hours, since it takes about 3 hours to cook fully.

We headed out first thing in the morning to hop the train to the city. We get all the way down there (more than an hour by train) only to find out that it's so foggy and cloudy, visibility from the deck is ZERO! We went across the street for a cup of coffee, and snacks for the kids, to try to wait it out. After an hour we checked back in. No change.

We decided it wasn't worth the $100 it would cost for all of us to get up there and see nothing, so we headed back home (another hour long train ride!).

Of course I had the camera with me. This is the only 'sight seeing' we got to do, in the train station...

Holiday display at the Metra station

Once home we started right away on getting dinner ready. We popped that bird back in the oven for its last hour while we made the potatoes and stuffing. The kiddos set the table.

We all sit down while hubby begins carving the bird and it was still raw in the middle!

Sometimes even the best laid plans don't work out. Thankfully the in laws aren't formal people and we all took it in stride, laughing at all our mishaps of the day.

Nobody went hungry, and we did eventually get to eat some turkey, just not at the same time as the rest of the food! I declared dessert the best part of the meal.

We were all together, so that's the important part, right?

The next day we headed out to the circus. When we checked our tickets, we noticed we were one short. I somehow mis-counted and didn't buy enough tickets. How does this stuff happen to me, all the time?!

Thankfully, we were able to get in by having one of the kiddos sit on Daddy's lap. Phew.

Here's my brave girl Gia with the clowns during the pre-show.

Tia wanted nothing to do with the clowns, preferring to stay close to Daddy.

After the circus we went out for dinner since nobody even wanted to think about that turkey again!

All in all, we had a nice holiday even with all the mishaps and mayhem. I'm sure we'll look back on all this and laugh.

We're together, happy and healthy. For that I am thankful.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Voice of Reason

2011-11-14T21:15:00.000-06:00

I've been having some pretty cool conversations with my kids lately and they remind me that they're growing up. It's cute and scary all at the same time.

Here's one of my favorites...

Tia told me that Daddy told her when she gets older, someone might try to offer her a cigarette, and how she should handle that situation.
Of course me being a crazy animated mom, I said "Oh, if someone tries to give you a cigarette you say 'Eww, gross, are you crazy?! I don't smoke, that's disgusting!'"

Tia remained calm and looked at me with her wise eyes and responded "Or, I could just say 'no thanks', and walk away".

Simple, yet effective. She's wise beyond her years.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:20:00.000-05:00

The kiddos had a fantastic time this year trick or treating. Well, except for the part where the neighbors dog came bounding out of the house and scared the daylights out of them. Aside from that, they had a great time!

I lucked out big time this year since both girls just wanted to wear dress-up clothes that we already had. Bonus! I didn't have to buy costumes.

Let me introduce you to Alice (in Wonderland) and Barbie from the "Barbie in Paris" movie...

Ready for the masses

In years past we've just gone to maybe 6 houses and then headed home. This year they were really into it and we circled the whole block. Unfortunately that meant we weren't home to greet the big crowds and now we have too much candy left over but hey, they had fun.

Have you noticed more people choosing to give away non-edible items this year? That made me happy. We got stickers, play dough, pencils, Beanie Babies, and even a tooth brush!
I won't be giving away Beanie Babies next year but I can promise you one thing. I'm not giving candy. There's too much of it and who lets their kids eat all that crap anyway?
I promise not to be the creepy lady who gives out apples or popcorn balls, but I will be finding something cool to give away besides sugar.

Happy Halloween!

What We do on Cold and Rainy Days

2011-10-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

When the temperature can drop by 20 degrees in one day, you have to be good at coming up with things to do indoors. I have to say the kids have gotten pretty good at that.

Here's what they came up with when Tia was sick last week and we couldn't go outside...

Crazy tea party

Sure, the family room was a total mess, but they kept themselves busy and entertained. Best of all, I didn't have to hear the words "I'm bored".

Then there was this...

Our first time carving a pumpkin!

And when Tia has school, but Gia does not we usually go to the Parent-Tot center and do stuff like this...

With our friend Zara

Halloween crafts

The winters here are long and hard. Indoor activities are a must. I think we handle it pretty well.
Bring it on!

A Healthy Treat

2011-10-19T14:43:00.000-05:00

About twice a week at least one of the kids asks me to make them a yogurt smoothie. I'm happy to oblige because it's full of protein and they get in a serving or two of fruit. However, there's usually too much for them to have in one sitting. I can't stand waste so it bothered me to pour the left overs down the drain. And, I didn't want to get into the bad habit of finishing their food when they're done (I get in enough calories of my own, I don't need extra help).
Then I got this great idea. Believe me, I'm not usually the mom with the Suzie Homemaker ideas, so this is big news, OK?

I had this super cool ice cube tray which makes flower shaped ice, purchased from IKEA ages ago. I filled it with the left over smoothie and stuck in cut up straws for a little handle. I started to use tooth pics but quickly realized the straws looked way cuter, and are probably safer for little ones.

They turned out perfect and the kids think they're great. They're so tiny, just the right size for the kiddos. So now when Tia comes home from school every day asking for a popsicle, I can say yes without any guilt, or fear of ruining her dinner.

A big Hooray for all natural!

Happy Sweetest Day

2011-10-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. The girls look forward to this and talk about it for months leading up to it.

The Daddy-Daughter Dance!

They got all dressed up in their new fancy dresses, thanks to Nonna who is always on top of such things, and hit the town (or the local gym) for a night of dancing with their Daddy.

I've heard that this was this was the best year yet, and a blast was had by all. As usual, I was told I wasn't allowed to attend because "It's only for Dads and daughters". I offered to wear a disguise and slip in the back door, but no-go on that one!

Here are a couple pictures I took at the house before they left. Too bad I wasn't not allowed in or I could have gotten some good ones on the dance floor.

Precious moments, special memories in the making.

My Sweet Girl Turns Six!

2011-10-13T09:58:00.000-05:00

I know it's a cliche, but I truly have no idea where the time has gone. My little baby is suddenly a 6 year old!

We've celebrated Tia's birthday in true Salerno fashion which started nearly a month ago. You may recall we took her to the city so she could pick out her American Girl doll. That was her birthday gift, in lieu of having a party.

Then we went to Disney World where they knew we were celebrating a birthday so of course there were MANY cupcakes to be had.

Then, FINALLY, yesterday was her actual birthday. It seemed this day would never come. She woke up bright and early and came into my bed where I serenaded her with the 'happy birthday' song. Then I ran downstairs to get some of her favorite foods ready for breakfast. She knew she was getting a few little presents from her sister but had to wait since Sissy was still sleeping!

And that's the birthday bear that we've had since Tia turned 1. We bring it out for each of the girls on their birthday and it sings 'Happy Birthday' (very loudly).

When Sissy heard the bear singing, she came running downstairs, presents in hand.

She was so excited about her 'gifts', which is hilarious because she got things that she would normally need anyway. She got socks, hair bands, tooth brushes, etc. I guess it's the little things that mean the most!

My Blue Eyed Baby

We went out to dinner at her favorite restaurant. D.R. came in and surprised her, which I think was the best gift she could have gotten! I didn't have the camera with me but her expression was priceless.
Of course there was yet another cupcake and birthday song at the restaurant.

Now I'm pretty sure we're done celebrating. We have done our best to make Tia feel special, and I hope she feels it.

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Angel Tia!

One Vacation After Another

2011-10-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

This feels like 'The Year of the Vacation' to me. We haven't spent much time at home these days. First it was the Chicago weekend, which I already posted about. Almost as soon as that was done, it was time to re-pack and head off to Disney. We'd been planning the trip for so long, but it seemed to creep up on us all of a sudden!
The girls knew we were going but not exactly when. We know they don't sleep the night before a big trip so we kept it secret until their 5am. wake up call. We were all packed and the car was loaded. It sure didn't take them long to get into vacation mode...

Are we there yet?

I wont' bore you with all the details of the trip because quite honestly, if you're reading this we probably know each other and you've already heard all about it. However, here area a few of my favorite pictures from the week.

Star struck

Our favorite day

May I have your autograph?

*Sigh*, deep breath. After Disney, we were home for a few days and then it was off again. This time to Wisconsin to see the hubby. I haven't written about it before so if you don't know, he's working up there now. He goes up for a few days and is home for a few days. This arrangement will work for now, but we'll likely be moving there as soon as school is done.
This was our first time visiting and we got to see the office, meet some co-workers, and check out the area. It was a perfect weekend for it. The weather was gorgeous!

Our favorite part of the weekend was visiting the Milwaukee Zoo. Just beautiful. I can't say enough, so of course I have pictures!

The sky ride

can you tell what our favorite color is?

The peacocks roam free here

I'm fairly certain we're done traveling for now. I thoroughly enjoyed every trip we've been on. However, I'll be just as happy to be back home and get back on a regular routine again. It's been a crazy 3 weeks and it's good to be home.

More Birthday Celebrations!

2011-09-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was my real birthday and it was full of celebrations.

First we headed into downtown Chicago on Friday to meet up with my sister and brother in law who flew in from Rochester. I was SO happy to see them, especially since we know we won't be together for Christmas this year.
We went straight to the American Girl Place for Tia's big birthday present. Her birthday is a month away but we promised her an American Girl doll this year, and since we were already downtown, we figured we'd get that out of the way (I told you we celebrate for weeks at a time!).

That's the one!

She couldn't have been more thrilled. She kept saying "I'm a very lucky girl to be able to have one of these". I'm glad she realizes that because more than one is out of the question unless she gets a part time job!

Then on Saturday was the BIG RACE. I haven't written much about it but this year the Chicago Lung Run 5K, to benefit lung cancer treatment and research, was being held on my 40th birthday. To me, that was a sure sign that I was meant to run that thing! What better way to celebrate a milestone birthday.

Mommy's Cheerleaders!

I've been training for a few months and was determined to beat my time from 2 years ago when I first ran this race (that time was 45 minutes). I'm pleased to announce that I blew that time right out of the water.
I must say, turning 40 feels GREAT!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day...

My team!

#1 Sister

One last good luck kiss

One last good luck hug

Yup, I wore the birthday sash for the whole race!

We finished it together!

The girls were so excited to cross the finish line with me. Gia kept saying "We won, we won!".
Don't pay attention to that clock on the right, that was for the 10K racers...my clock said 38 minutes but since it took me a minute to get to the starting line, my finish time was 37 minutes. WAY better than the time from 2 years ago!
What a great day for a run, for a good cause. I had a blast and couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday.
Later in the day we went on an architectural river boat tour. That was a nice way to see our favorite city. Here are a couple pictures from that...

Navy Pier

Hanging with Aunt Kimmie

Look Dad, Look!

My bestest sister!

Gotta' love Marilyn

I think I can now safely say that all the birthday celebrations have finally come to an end. It's been one heck of a week!
Thanks to everyone who participated in helping me ring in this milestone year with a bang!

And the Birthday Celebrations Begin!

2011-09-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned before that in my husbands family, birthdays are a big deal and are celebrated for extended periods of time.

When D.R. asked me a while back how I'd like to celebrate my 40th birthday, I told him I wanted to go into downtown Chicago for a weekend and run the annual Chicago Lung Run. That's it, no party, no fancy dinner, just some family time in the city.
We've been planning the Chicago weekend for months now, even my sister is flying in for the occasion. So imagine my surprise when I walked into our friends house and was greeted by a boisterous "SURPRISE!".

Apparently my friend Nilu and my adorable hubby have been secretly corresponding for a month, and planning a party.

Here are a few shots from the evening...

Tia chose the cake and design

adult drinky time!

That's the sneaky friend Nilu on the right!

Me and the secret-keeping hubby

It was a great time with lots of fun, laughter, and even games. They did a fantastic job in all the planning and of course, keeping the secret. I sure do have a great group of friends and a very thoughtful husband.

Turning 40 feels great!

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

2011-08-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has kids knows that the single most expensive thing we buy them every year is their shoes! I cringe at the thought.
However, you all know I am a big bargain hunter so I always have my eyes peeled for some major savings.

Today while grocery shopping I bought 8 pair of girls summer shoes, several different sizes, which should cover my kids for a couple years.

Here they are...

If I had paid full price for all these, my total would have been $114.00. But you know I did NOT pay anywhere near full price. My total for 8 pair of shoes was...

$29.00

The mocassins were $4 each, and the "Mary Jane's" were $3 each after all discounts. I love a good clearance find, especially when I'm not expecting it!

Hello Kindergarten, Here I Come!

2011-08-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Tia's first day of Kindergarten. There was a lot of excitement and anxiety leading up to this day. Tia even asked me earlier in the week if I could just cancel kindergarten for her and let her stay home with me. Forever.

I knew as soon as she got there she'd love every minute of it, and I was right. Phew!

Here are a few pics of the big occasion...

All dressed up and ready to go!

The big bus

My baby's very own cubby

Awwwww

Oh, that seems like a crazy number!

I met the bus at school, as most kindergarten parents did, and walked her into class. I made it quick, like a Band-Aid, just rip it off and get it over with!
I held it together pretty well and didn't cry. Well, that is until I turned around to sneak one last peek at her and she was flashing me the "I LOVE YOU" sign. Ugh, stab to the heart. Good thing I was on my way out or I might have started to blubber all over the place!

I was so excited for her to get off that bus and tell me all about her day. I asked a lot of questions, and heard a lot of "I don't remember" responses. That's OK, as long as she had fun, which she did.
In fact, she said "Mom, I can't wait to go back tomorrow!". That's good enough for me.

Bittersweet...my baby is growing up.

The Final Fling of Summer Fun!

2011-08-24T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've been having mixed emotions about Tia heading off to kindergarten tomorrow, mostly because she won't be home with me ever again after this! I know, I'm a drama queen but think about it. She'll be in school full time for at least the next 13 years, and hopefully there's college after that.

Because of that realization, we started a new tradition in our family today. I decided that since it's the last day before school starts, we should have a "fun day" to celebrate. We started the day off with some bowling. The kids have been asking to go all summer and we just never got around to it. We can NOT start out the school year with regrets! We had the best time. SO much fun.

Ready to Roll!

Knock 'em down Tia

With Cousin Jennifer

Tia wants to know if she can buy bowling shoes to keep at home because they're so comfortable. Can you imagine!?

Then we headed off to lunch at Famous Dave's for some awesome BBQ. Yumm-Oh!

Gia thinks everything is a photo op

After lunch we went shopping to pick out hats for Disney. Well, we really went shopping to walk off our lunch, but bought hats while we were there. Did I mention how awesome that lunch was?

And then, of COURSE, no summer day would be complete without ice cream.

LOVE those blue eyes

Ice cream faces are so kissable!

It really was a fantastic fun day, and a great start to a new tradition. Tia's already asking what we'll do for next year. I think that means this idea was a big hit.

Happy Back to School everybody!

Fashion Show!

2011-08-22T09:59:00.000-05:00

Nonna (D.R.'s mom) was here with us for two weeks. It was fantastic having her here. The girls loved every minute of it and have informed us they would like her to move in with us forever!
She brought along several dresses that she made for the girls. She's getting VERY good at this sewing thing, the dresses just keep getting better and better.

The kiddos wanted to put on a fashion show to model the new dresses. It was hilarious! Here are a few pics of my crazy kids strutting their stuff and posing for the 'crowd'.
Girls are so much fun!

working the cat walk

it's all about the accessories!

Sassy!

Oh, she's too much!

If you want to see the dresses closer, just click on the picture to make it bigger. I love all the details.
Too bad I won't let them wear those fancy shoes out in the real world. Bummer!

The Tooth Fairy Has Arrived!

2011-08-16T18:51:00.000-05:00

Tia has been waiting for weeks for her little front baby tooth to fall out. She woke up very early yesterday morning and announced that she was going to 'work on this tooth for a while'. Sure enough, she got it out! She was so excited.
Here she is, missing the tooth...

Cheeeeeese!

The 'tooth fairy' has been prepared for this moment for a while. The only concern was getting caught. Luckily Tia is a very sound sleeper and slept through the exchange. Here's what she got, along with a few coins...

Pencils and Markers

This is such a big, exciting day in our family. Tia has informed us "I'm not a little girl anymore".

Can I go cry now? My baby. My first born. *sigh* Not a baby anymore.

Fun with Family and Friends

2011-08-09T20:56:00.000-05:00

We took a quick, unplanned trip back home to Rochester last week. We haven't visited since Christmas.
We decided to take a few days to run back and visit our family because hubby got a new job and they wanted him to start almost immediately.
It was a great visit, but much too brief! We tried our best to see and do as much as possible in 4 days time.

Here's a recap...

Of course BFF Sheila stopped by and we finally got to meet her grand baby Bella. So sweet!

She's such a good sport!

We have a new cousin who was born 6 months ago and I hadn't met her yet, so that was tops on our priority list. Here she is.

Gia just loved this baby!

And I got to visit with a couple of my aunts and an uncle (I have too many to count so we see them in rotation. No kidding.) Here's my Great Aunt Ann, she just turned 84. Love her!

She used to change my mom's diapers!

We managed to squeeze in a park day with friends. It was a fantastic day.

SO much fun!

BFF Michele and I were pregnant at the same time with these two kiddos. I can't believe how fast the time has gone.

Aidan, AKA "Gia's first crush"!

Later in the day my favorite sister (also my only sister) hosted a girls night at her house so I could see all my girlfriends in one place. Would you believe I didn't take a single picture there?! Pure craziness.

We had a great time and lots of amazing dinners with Nonna and PaPa. They so graciously open their home to our very loud family with no complaint. Here they are with D.R.

Patio time at the Kelly's

Then my sister and brother in law hosted a nice picnic for even more family and friends. We all had a blast!

The oldest of my 4 nephews

Tia and our sweet Isabella

My one and only Niece Jennifer

So how's that for a picture overload?!
It was a whirlwind of a week and we all had a great time. I'm sad that we probably won't be going back for Christmas this year, but maybe it's time to start new traditions.

We miss you all Rochester folks!

We Have a Winner!

2011-07-27T18:02:00.000-05:00

The girls have been thoroughly enjoying the Summer reading program at our library. There are small prizes to be had for each level completed, then once all levels are complete the kids get their name in the big drawing for a special prize.
Lo and behold Tia got a post card in the mail today telling her she won the big prize! She was super excited and we had to go right away to pick it up...no waiting until the morning for this kid.

and the winner is...

OF COURSE she chose the Barbie. In her eyes there was no other prize.

I love that the girls are old enough now to really understand the reading program. They check off the little boxes every time they 'read' (are read to) for 5 minutes and look forward to picking out new and exciting books every week.
Actually winning the big prize was the icing on the cake. They're hooked on books, and I think that's awesome.

Way to go Huntley Library!

Got Veggies?

2011-07-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

We do! They're coming up nicely. The kids have enjoyed watering them and checking on them every day. So far we've only had 2 green peppers that were ready for picking, but there are LOADS of tomatoes on the way. I can't wait!

She'll grow 'em, but won't eat 'em!

We hope your gardens are growing nicely too.

"Mom, I WANT to try broccoli!"

2011-07-21T07:34:00.000-05:00

Those are words I never thought I'd hear at my house.

Gia is a pretty good eater and will at least try most things we put in front of her. However, she's not big into veggies, just like most kids her age. She mentioned to me one day that she wanted to try broccoli, and I quickly forgot all about it. A few days later she was yelling at me that I still hadn't given her broccoli!

I steamed a bag for dinner and let her put a few pieces on her pizza. You know the experts say getting kids in the kitchen and making them part of the process encourages them to explore more foods.

She tried some without too much excitement, then told me it was alright, but not great. That's sort of how I feel about green beans, so I get it!

The masterpiece

So proud of herself!

I love that she's open to trying all sorts of new and different things. I also love that she's OK with trying something and discovering she doesn't really like it. It's all part of the learning process as far as I'm concerned.
Hooray for green food!

My Famous Kids

2011-07-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

We took the kiddos to an outdoor concert at the park last week. They look forward to this event every year because it's good music, it's outside, and we bring a picnic.

This year a photographer/reporter was on hand and asked if she could photograph the girls. Sure enough, they made the on-line edition of the local paper! Here's the article...

http://huntley.patch.com/articles/beatles-tribute-band-rocks-deicke-park#photo-7009966

And of course I took a couple of my own shots...

Dip!

Twirl

They danced the night away with Daddy and loved every minute of it.
We're having a great summer!

Cool Treats

2011-07-17T18:33:00.000-05:00

We attended a Family Health Fair yesterday at the local health club. It was very well organized and loads of fun for the kids. I'm glad we went. Sadly, I didn't take a single picture there!

I visited the nutrition tent and got a list of suggested healthy snacks for kids. There are some pretty good ideas on the list and we plan on trying several of them. It's been so hot out lately that we decided to try the frozen yogurt-banana sandwiches. I guess the idea is to get the kids to eat more fruit, which isn't a problem at all in our house, but it was fun anyway.
Here's what we did...

Slice the banana

place a scoop of frozen yogurt on graham cracker

Assemble like an ice cream sandwich

And enjoy!

It was fun for the kids to make it themselves. However, the bananas were sliced too thick which made the sandwich too big to bite. Also, it was way too hot outside and the frozen yogurt melted very quickly, which made a big mess. They both needed to be hosed down and had a bath after all was said and done.

Oh well, I guess the point was they got their ~~sugar~~ dairy, a complex carb and a fruit. It was a good summer time snack!

So Much Summer Fun!

2011-07-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe how long it had been since I posted anything on here, and then I remembered how busy we've been just enjoying summer!

We've been out and about EVERY single day. We had such a cold winter that it was my mission to get out there and truly enjoy the weather as soon as it got nice. So that's what we've been doing.
The girls are so nice and brown, even with SPF 50. Gia says "We're getting our Vitamin D"!

Our favorite thing to do in the summer has been "Art in the Park". We go to our neighborhood park every Wednesday, do arts and crafts projects, have lunch, and play. It's sponsored by the local Park District, and the kids look forward to this every year.

Here's a sampling of what they've been up to...

Tia making a flag pin

Gia loves anything that involves paint!

Tia's necklace and note for Nonna

Gia's note and gifts for PaPa

As you can see they really get into their projects. I have a couple of artists on my hands.
There's so much more we've done, and more pictures to share, but I'll save all that for the next post.

We hope you're all having a wonderful summer too!

A Rainy Day is a Baking Day

2011-06-23T19:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Tia was literally BEGGING me to bake a cake. I assured her that today would be a better choice since it would be chilly and rainy. Baking is good on rainy days. I held her off only by having her help me choose the recipe we would make.

She chose Peanut Butter Brownie Babies, which we've never made before. Now, you know I try my best to make everything 'healthy', so I bought a fat free brownie mix. For the filling we used all natural (no added junk) peanut butter, reduced fat cream cheese, and splenda. Hey, I have to at least try, right?

Can we lick the bowl?

ooh, they look so good!

They had to bake for 30 minutes and I lost count of how many times I heard "Mom, are they done yet?".
The recipe called for a squirt of whipped cream on top and a marascino cherry. We skipped the cherries because my kids won't eat them.

The finished product

We ended up with 15 brownie babies. The kids and I each had one. Well, Tia had half of one and quickly lost interest. I think she views baking as an activity, and not a treat (she's not from this planet). Now, who is going to eat the dozen I have left?
If you're interested, come on over, they're in the freezer!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T19:41:00.001-05:00

Today was a very happy Father's Day for my dear hubby, who I think is one of THE most amazing dads ever!
We started out the day by making him his favorite breakfast...veggie egg white omelet (I know, don't get too crazy!). Then we headed out to one of our favorite Chicago hot spots, the Lincoln Park Zoo. If you've never been, you should. It's absolutely gorgeous, and amazingly enough, it's free!

We had a near perfect weather day, and walked nearly two miles during our visit. I love that all D.R. wants on Father's Day is to spend time with his family. That's a great Dad!

Here are a couple more pictures from our day at the zoo. Enjoy...

A great ride

The bear cave

Our family

Read By Example

2011-06-15T19:24:00.000-05:00

It was a little chilly out last evening and I couldn't convince either of the girls to go out with me. They wanted to watch TV. I decided to go out anyway and get into a new book. I wasn't out there one minute and I was joined by my little book worm.

Lead by example, Read by example!

Family Fun Week, Part 1

2011-06-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

This week, the last week of school, we were supposed to be back in Rochester visiting our family and friends. Unfortunately that plan didn't work out. Since I already had a 9 day stretch off from work, I decided to make the best of it and plan lots of fun activities for the kiddos.

Day One of 'Family Fun Week' brought with it nearly 100 degree temperatures. I slathered on the sun block and we went to the local splash pad. It was a blast! We brought lunch and had a picnic. We were there for more than 3 hours.
Check out these happy faces!

Would you believe after that beautiful, sunny day we had severe storms and a 40 degree drop in temperature? That's OK because we had already planned a trip to our favorite museum! It warmed up just enough to be able to have lunch outside and get some fresh air, then it was back inside for more fun.

Gia the construction worker

The wind tubes

We were there for 4 hours and they played HARD. They both slept on the car ride home and still went to bed at their normal time.

Needless to say after two days of big time activity, today we will be laying low. We'll be off to the library in a little while for some 'quiet' fun.

I hope they get some good rest because I've got plans for more fun in the coming week.

Happy Summer Vacation!

Moving On and Moving Up...More Milestones.

2011-06-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

My beautiful Tia is officially done with preschool and registered for Kindergarten. I really can't believe how quickly this year went by, and how much she has grown.

When we began this journey, she was a painfully shy little girl who was terrified of the world around her. We knew the real Tia was in there somewhere and just needed to be gently coaxed out. We applied to a special program within the school district and were approved after the second try. Within the first week of school we knew we made the right decision. It was like someone flipped a switch and our sweet little girl came right out of her shell. She was excited about getting on the bus, and seeing her friends and teachers every day. Her fear of strangers diminished to a tolerable level. Praise God! What a sigh of relief for our family.

Although we are sad to see this school year come to an end, we are confident that Tia is 100% ready for Kindergarten. She is currently accomplishing all of the skills needed to be successful, and for that we are grateful.

Here's a side by side comparison from the first day of school, and the last. My how she has grown!

August 2010

Unlike most children who are bursting with excitement about the end of the school year, Tia is sad. She says she'll miss her teacher the most. I know that's true, but she'll also miss the daily routine, which she loves.

We'll do our best to continue that through the summer, along with having lots of fun of course!

We are so proud of our big girl!

June 2011

My Budding Gardeners

2011-06-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

We finally had the opportunity to put our garden in. It's normally in by Mother's Day weekend but this year the weather has been less than cooperative. We've had hot and rainy as well as cold and rainy. Finally a stretch of 2 days with warm and dry allowed us to get out into the yard.

The girls enjoy planting the garden every year. I love seeing the excitement in their eyes when the tomato plants begin to bear fruit. I also love watching them take such an interest in watering, weeding, and tending to their very own garden. I think we're growing more than just vegetables here. We're cultivating responsibility and pride in hard work.

She's ready to dig right in!

The Little Professional

A Craft Project All Their Own

2011-06-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

I guess I have taught my daughters well. While at the park, they collected LOTS of pine cones and very excitedly told me they wanted to paint them. They're used to doing craft projects all winter long when we don't get to play outside very much. We're not inside as much in spring but since it was very windy out, and a bit chilly, this was a great idea.
They were so happy to get out all the paints, and make their own creations.

Happy kids and creative minds at work. What more could I ask for!?

My Baby's Last Day of Preschool

2011-05-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

Today Gia completed her first year of preschool.
I'm amazed at how much she has grown since September, and how well she has done. If she could have, she would have gone 5 days a week because she loved it that much.

Here's the comparison shot from her first day and her last day...

September 2010

May 2011

Today was the end of the year ice cream social. The kids have been so excited about it all week.

Which is why I really didn't expect Gia to get so emotional and upset! I think she finally realized she won't be going back to school next week, and she'll miss all of her friends and teachers. She cried her little heart out!

So sad to be leaving

We were able to distract her by asking her to show us around the room. She was proud to show us everything from her class.

Here she is with two of her favorite teachers. She'll miss them so much!

We feel so lucky to have found such a wonderful school for the girls. The teachers are so caring and really develop a great relationship with the kids.

It was an emotional day for us all, but then on the way home, this happened...

totally unprompted!

It turned out to be a wonderful day!

It Was a Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

Mother's day is a bitter sweet time for me as I lost my Mom and miss her dearly. However, these little angels make everything right with the world.

They both woke up bursting with excitement, screaming "Happy Mother's Day!". They showered me with hugs and kisses. We had some fun in the kitchen, making a special breakfast treat. Later in the day we all went to the movies together, and then out for ice cream.
The whole day was so precious. I'm so blessed with this family, and I truly am a "Happy Mother", today and always.

All About Gia

2011-05-07T06:12:00.000-05:00

Lately Gia has been asking for a short hair cut. If you know anything about this child, you know she is determined, and strong willed to say the least. We tried to gently talk her out of it, to no avail.
I figure it's only hair, it'll grow back, no big deal, and off to the hairdresser we go.

You should have seen her, my big girl, hopping up in that chair telling the hairdresser (Christi) exactly what she wanted. Even Christi, who was a bit nervous about it, said "how about we just cut this much". Nope, Gia wouldn't have it. She wanted it "short!".

OK then, deep breath, here we go!

She was so proud, giggling the whole time. She loved it, except one thing...we quickly realized that some how Gia thought her hair would be straight when it was done. She kept saying "it needs more brushing" and "I don't like my plume". Her plume is the big curl in the front of her hair. Oh boy! What do we do now? I explained to her that there was really no way we could get rid of her curl in the front, except by putting a barrette in her hair. Then she was fine, phew!

after

I should mention that the hubby is NOT happy about this new do. You know how guys are about long hair, especially on their daughters. All I can say is hey, it's only hair. It's going to grow back fast because her hair always grows like a weed! And, she's just as cute with short hair as she was with long hair. She's a little princess.
Then, as if she wasn't already growing up way too fast, yesterday was her first school field trip! I can't believe my baby is old enough to have a field trip.
Look how cute she was at the bowling alley...

I love those tiny bowling shoes!

Daddy was there to help

Just so precious. When did my baby grow up? Where did the time go?
These are precious moments.

Easter Wrap Up

2011-04-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

We had our traditional Easter Brunch again this year. Although, this year was a bit different because the folks weren't here. We decided to invite 2 other families who are also not from here, and have no family in the area. I remember when my Mom used to do that. She'd invite anyone who had no place to go, or no family. We'd get a different bunch every year and it was great fun.
I decided we need to continue with that tradition, and we had a wonderful time.

Of course the kids started out the day with their Easter baskets...

I found it!

After our very yummy brunch, it was nice enough to go outside for an egg hunt. The kids loved it.

Then it was on to dessert, and lots of running around, playing in the long awaited sun. Oh, how we've waited for the sun!

What a beautiful and fun day we all had.
We hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Easter Preparations

2011-04-20T12:43:00.000-05:00

It was egg coloring time again in our house. Every year I dread the mess, but then remember how much fun I had doing this when I was little. It's a family tradition and I have to keep it going.

they get right into it!

If they could get into it up to their elbows, they would!

The artists are finished

Now the only problem is that I have a dozen hard boiled eggs in my fridge that nobody will eat! I must teach these kids to love egg salad.

Oh, The Things Tia Says!

2011-04-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

Tia has been coming up with some real doozies lately. Here's a sampling.

After reading a book about a naughty little boy who disobeys his parents she says to me with the most concernet look on her face...

"I want to know what's wrong with that kid!"

After a day of far too much whining and crying from baby sister, Tia says...

"Mom, I prayed last night that Gia wouldn't wake up with that grumpy face."

Upon seeing that we had some wet snow today, when it's supposed to be spring...

"Maybe God fell asleep and his weather wand went the wrong way, from spring to snow"

She's brilliant, I tell you!

Gia's Birthday Part Two

2011-04-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

You know in our family the birthday celebrations go on for days. This year was no exception. We took the family up to Wisconsin for a 2 night stay at one of the indoor water parks. I think we all had a blast, except for the birthday girl! She was OK on the first day but she has a hard time settling down in a hotel, which meant she was sleep deprived for most of our stay there.
Her favorite part was the lazy river, and being with Daddy. He's the whole world to her these days, and all she wanted to do was hang out with her favorite fella'!

Gia and her favorite guy

Totally exhausted and lounging

This girl knows how to have fun!

Things got worse as her sleep-o-meter went down. Her cooperation level was at an all time low by the time we went out to dinner.

Gia's birthday ice cream sundae. We were NOT allowed to sing!

A birthday picture without the birthday girl. She refused to join us!

Gia's been telling everyone that she went to Wisconsin for her birthday and had so much fun. I'm glad that's the way she remembers it! Honestly, there were good parts, but there was a lot of crying. We learned a great deal about her tolerance level and what not to do when we go to Disney in the fall.
We enjoyed our stay at the resort, it was truly a top-notch place. We'd definitely go back again

Gia's Birthday Part One

2011-04-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

Gia wanted to have a fancy tea party for her birthday this year. I told her she could invite 4 friends, since she was turning 4. That turned out to be the perfect number. The little girls were so cute and everyone had a fantastic time. Here are some pictures of the highlights...

LOVE the frosting

The finished product

The fancy table

All dressed up!

So fancy!

The birthday girl

Gia kept saying "This is the best birthday ever!". That's success in my book.

Happy Birthday D.R.!

2011-03-29T08:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated D.R.'s birthday just the way he wanted. We went out for sushi as a family. This wonderful man I married didn't want any fan fare, no presents, no hoopla. Just a nice dinner with his favorite girls.
On Sunday we also treated him to a huge egg white veggie omelette for breakfast. Tia and I made his favorite oatmeal cookies, since he doesn't eat cake or ice cream.
All in all, I think he had a very nice but simple birthday weekend. Just the way he wanted it.

Happy Birthday to our best guy. We love you!

Oh...The Things Gia Says!

2011-03-26T07:46:00.000-05:00

I know I've said it before, but this kid cracks me up. Here are a few of the things that had me laughing this week.

Gia: Mom, why was Daddy your boyfriend first?
Me: Well, that's usually how it works. First you get a boyfriend, and then he becomes your husband.
Gia: (big smile on her face) I think one day I'll get a boyfriend too!

**Keep in mind, she isn't 4 years old yet!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gia: Mom! You scratched me!
Me: Oh, sorry, that was my ring.
Gia: We better tell Daddy to get you a smaller ring.
Me: Well, I like my ring.
Gia: But it hurts me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gia: Daddy, you know you have to get Mom a smaller ring. Hers scratches me.
D.R.: Oh no! Well, when you grow up and meet a nice boy maybe he'll get you a ring like that.
Gia: Daddy, that boy will be YOU!
Me: Hey, if you marry Daddy, what will I do?
Gia: You can be the babysitter.

**I so fondly remember when Tia went through this phase. Little girls are so sweet**

Who Do You Want to Be?

2011-03-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

Gia came up to me a couple days ago and asked "What do you want to be?". I wasn't sure where she was going with that question so I asked for some clarification. She said "You know, like when you grow up, what's your job gonna' be?". Hmmm, OK. "I already am a grown up and I do sign language, that's my job". Her response "No, you don't!".

Oh boy, how could my kids be 4 and 5 1/2 and they haven't a clue about my profession! How did I miss that one? I was beating myself up about it for a few minutes then I realized something. I am not defined (at all) by my career path. What I do is not who I am. I bet most of my friends who I met post-college don't even know what I do. If I told them at some point, they've probably all forgotten by now.

If someone were to write a story about you, how much of it would be about what you do for a living?
American's are commonly referred to by their profession. "Hi...nice to meet you...what do you do?". Or "that's my friend Dave, the doctor". It just seems so important to us. We even include career information in our obituaries!
Now, let me be clear that I do want my girls to know that I have a profession. That I went to college and got a degree that is worth something, and that I gained knowledge that I use in my work. I want them to know that they can have any career they want to have. So, at some point I will talk to them in more detail about my job. However, for now I'm pretty happy being their Mom. That's the most important job I'll ever have.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T20:06:00.000-05:00

We're not at all Irish and have never celebrated St. Patrick's Day. However, the girls are learning about it in school so I figured we had to do something! I was ill prepared, but a little food coloring goes a long way. The girls started the day with a nice bowl of green apple sauce.

They insisted that it tasted like lime or mint. Try explaining to two preschoolers that food coloring doesn't have a flavor!
Then of course I had to make green pancakes, because I'm crazy like that. Ahh, nothing like a little food coloring for breakfast. I wonder if there have been any studies on the lasting side effects of food dyes. Nah.

Both girls wore the only green shirts they have. They are girls after all so most of their clothes are pink and puple! I never got a pic of Tia in hers, but here is Gia...

She was so proud of her giant green head band for "safe patriss day".

That's the extent of our celebration. We hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day!

Too Much Going On...No Time To Blog!

2011-03-09T11:18:00.000-06:00

We really have been terribly busy around here, and I haven't written about any of it! I used to be such a faithful blogger. I better work on that.
So, here's a bunch of random stuff that's been going on in our family, just to get you all up to date...

The kids have been doing "swimmingly" in their swim lessons. We all went to family swim over the weekend and D.R. was amazed at the change in both of them, especially Tia, as far as their confidence level. What a difference a few weeks can make! I'm proud that they will both be able to swim WAY better than me by this summer.

We're in another session of gymnastics and the kids are loving it. They'll demonstrate their somersault to anyone who wants to see it. It's amazing what these little bodies can do.

We finally bit the bullet and booked our vacation to Disney World. We're going in September and made the mistake of telling the girls about it now. Tia went right to her closet and got out her bright pink suitcase and announced she was ready to pack! Oh, how to explain what "6 months away" means to small children.

Both girls are absolutely loving school. It's so refreshing that they look forward to going, every day. Gia is taking right after her Mommy with her desire and passion for reading. She's not yet 4 but is sounding out words on her own, as well as spelling and writing.

Spring has sprung here in the mid west. I'm happy that all the snow is gone and warmer weather is here. However, Tia and I suffer miserably from seasonal allergies and the warmer weather means allergy season has begun! I was on the ball this year and started the daily medicine at the first sing of sniffles and sneezes. I learned my lesson the hard way from last year. Other than that we're all healthy and seem to be (knock on wood) keeping all the school germs at bay.
This probably helps...

They have both decided they like "Cuties", those super sweet and juicy mandarin oranges that have been advertised all over TV these days. Yay for Vitamin C!

That's all for now. I promise to be a better blogger from now on!

2011-03-02T18:46:00.000-06:00

You all know I LOVE a good bargain, and I love to plan ahead. While shopping at Target I spied my favorite sign...75% off.
I found these hats marked down to $1.24, so I bought 4 of them for next year (2 in each style; no fighting). I'm so proud of myself, and the girls love the hats, so that's a bonus!

Gia prefers the polk a dots

Tia liked the tassles

I also got them matching gloves for .25 cents. Yay me!

The new big girl in the house

2011-02-23T12:57:00.000-06:00

Gia will be 4 in a couple months. She's been telling us for a while now that her toddler bed is too small for her. I guess since she's in the 90th percentile for height, she's probably right! So, we decided as an early birthday gift we would order her a mattress set and allow her to pick out her own bedding. Since I got to take Tia for her bedding shopping, D.R. got to take Gia this time. They had lots of fun and she was so proud of herself. She didn't pick any of the patterns we had looked at on line the day before. She has a style all her own and insisted on this...

She's so happy with her choice, and I'm so happy she didn't pick Disney Princess!
She was a little nervous about her first night in the big bed and asked her sister to have a sleep over...

That didn't last very long since Tia actually wanted to sleep and Gia just wanted to talk and giggle!

My 'babies' are growing up so fast. It's bitter sweet.

Making a Little Progress

2011-02-17T14:51:00.000-06:00

We went to our favorite little market today and Tia pointed to a fruit she didn't recognize and asked "What's that?". I told her it was a Mango. Gia, the brave younger sister said "I want to try one". Okie Dokie, we bought one and brought it home. I peeled it, Gia raved about how sweet and juicy it was and how it was almost like melon. Can you guess what happened next?

Tia tried a new food!

She didn't just taste it, she ate 3 sizable pieces! Gia and I said we were so proud and couldn't wait to tell the rest of the family. It's cute how Gia knows to make a big deal whenever Tia tries something new.
Maybe, just maybe we are getting somewhere with this issue and Tia won't be living off PB&J and apple sauce for the rest of her life!

V-Day Part Two

2011-02-15T14:36:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention yesterday that D.R. and I got up WAY early and went to the gym together. We did a spin class (at 5:15am!). What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than getting that heart pumping with some good cardio exercise!

We did have our fancy dinner in the dining room last night for Valentine's Day. However, I totally forgot to put candles on the table, so technically it was NOT a candle-lit dinner. I don't think anyone noticed or cared.
We had grilled salmon served over a bed of wilted baby spinach, a simple salad, ravioli (for the non fish eaters), and of course fruit and wine. It was really nice. No waiting and battling the crowds to get into a restaurant. No over priced, dull food. Just good food, family and lots of laughs.

I only took 2 pictures...

So happy to be with Nonna!

What a cheesy grin

So, we're finally done with Valentine's Day celebrations. Phew! Now, can someone please come and confiscate all the chocolate that has taken over my house?

Valentine's Day Part One

2011-02-14T15:28:00.000-06:00

We've celebrated Valentine's Day so much over the past couple of days that I think I might have to do 2 posts on it. We usually make a big deal out of V-day for the girls, but this year even more so because the grand folks are in town. I swear it's like Christmas (almost) around here.
In keeping with our family tradition, the kids woke up on Sunday morning to a table full of surprises...

all smiles when they realized what day it was!

A few presents for V-Day...OK, a little more than a few but really it's because Nonna and I both put together gift bags. We don't normally go this overboard!

cool new hat and tights.

of course books are always involved in our celebrations.

Notice there was no candy or chocolate involved. They didn't miss it one bit, instead enjoying new books, barrettes and tights. All things they needed anyway.

However, what would a celebration be without cake? Tia enjoyed making it. Gia enjoyed eating it!

Thank God for sugar free frosting!

she had no interest in eating it.

My Valentine

Since we have two very willing baby sitters staying with us, the hubby and I were able to go out on a hot date (matinee movie). We were back in time for dinner with the family.

Since today is actually Valentine's Day, we had heart shaped, red pancakes and red apple sauce for breakfast. We're so dorky!
Tonight is our fancy, candle-lit dinner in the formal dining room that we do every year. If I remember to take pictures, there will be a 'part 2' post tomorrow.

I hope you had a special Valentines-Day with your family!

Look Mom, No Cavities!

2011-02-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

We had our annual trip to the dentist on "Give Kids A Smile Day". Our local dentist office makes it a big deal for the kids, complete with the tooth fairy. This is Tia's third time and Gia's second. It's such a positive experience, they absolutely love going to the dentist!

So happy to be in the big chair

A visit with the Tooth Fairy

All clean

All done!

As a parent, I'm so pleased that both kids view a visit to the dentist as a positive thing, and they look forward to going every year. Best of all, no cavities again!

The Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-02T14:17:00.000-06:00

I'm not a big fan of winter. So, when our weather forecast was described in one word, "Blizzard", I was not thrilled. This is our 5th winter in the Chicago area and I have to say we are pretty lucky with our snow fall numbers compared to our friends back East. However, this time we got all the snow that they didn't get, and more!
Everything is shut down today, and likely tomorrow while we try to dig out of all this. Even though it's way too cold to really enjoy the snow, we did let the kids come out for about 10 minutes for the novelty of it. Here are some of the pictures we took this morning.

the snow is taller than they are

team work

the snow drift is as tall as the porch

helper #1

Helper #2

Tia was the trooper, wanting to stay out as long as possible. Gia and I headed in once our fingers got cold, and made soup! She definitely takes after her Mama.

We hope everyone is warm and cozy on this snowy, winter day!

A Little More Deception

2011-01-28T13:03:00.000-06:00

Here's our second attempt at baking with veggie puree this week. These are the yummy peanut butter and jelly muffins from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. They're made with whole wheat flour, natural peanut butter, carrot puree, and just a smidge of brown sugar. That's 'Polaner All Fruit with added Fiber' on the tops. That's what we generally use as jelly in our house. The kids love it.

They actually turned out great, but I made one mistake. I bought a jar of crunchy, natural peanut butter by mistake. Nobody in our house will eat crunchy peanut butter so I decided to use it for baking, thinking they wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, the kids were picking nuts out of the muffins saying "what's this?", and spitting them out. The muffins would have been a huge hit if it weren't for those darn nuts!

This was afternoon snack for the girls

Both girls ate a muffin and said they were really tasty, but asked that next time I use creamy peanut butter. I can understand that. I just wish that I didn't have 10 left over muffins. More stuff in the freezer!
At least they both got a carrot in their systems today. I consider that a victory.

Trying a Little Deception

2011-01-27T12:12:00.000-06:00

Everyone who knows us, knows I struggle daily with Tia's food issues. It started when she turned 3, and continues now that she is 5. I had all but given up on the issue, and stopped trying to get her to try new foods. Then I started noticing all the bruises on her body. She bruises easily, and A LOT. A sure sign of iron deficiency. That makes sense since she has never eaten meat (seriously, NEVER) and the only veg she'll eat is plain Romaine lettuce. Where would she get iron?
When I brought up my concerns at her physical, the doctor suggested getting her actively involved in cooking, which should spark her interest in trying new things. Um, sorry to break it to you doc but we've been doing that since she was old enough to stand on a stool. She loves to cook. She doesn't love to eat.
Remember a couple of years ago when I got to go see the Oprah show? Jessica Seinfeld was the guest that day and she was promoting her new book "Deceptively Delicious; simple secrets to get your kids eating good food".

The audience didn't even get the book that day, but, I digress. My hubby later bought the book for me and I have used a few recipes here and there. Not a lot of success in that department either. Tia is not fond of trying new or different things, so no matter how much you mask that pureed cauliflower, she's likely not going to try it.
In my moment of desperation, and my need to be a great mommy, I decided to give the book another try. I picked out a coffee cake recipe because it called for chopped walnuts, which happen to be pretty high in iron. The picture in the book looked wonderful. I got the kids excited about the recipe by going to the store and picking up some of the ingredients, like mini marshmallows! We made it together, except for the part where I had to add pureed butternut squash. I had to send them out of the room and add the squash when they weren't around. If they saw it go in, that would be the end of the experiment. Here's what our finished product looked like.

Hello! We're trying to deceive our kids, so what's up with that orange squash in the middle! My husband asked why I didn't mix it all in the batter and my answer was "I followed the instructions of the recipe!". I guess I figured it would all melt together and you wouldn't be able to see it. I thought for sure there was no way the kids would even try it. Well, that's until I remembered what a good liar I am. They asked what the orange stuff was and my very straight faced answer was...
"That's the mini marshmallows. Don't you know they turn orange when you bake them?". They bought that hook, line and sinker! Tia didn't eat her whole piece, but she did eat the crumbly top which was loaded with walnuts (which I put through a food processor so she wouldn't know there was a nut in there!). She even ate most of the squash because of course she thought it was melted marshmallow. She hasn't been interested in having another piece though, and I guess that's OK. At least she tried it which is a great improvement. Gia has had 3 pieces. No complaints from her. The rest sits in my freezer, probably to be lost forever.

Later today we will try the recipe for "Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins". I already mixed the carrot puree with the peanut butter after they went to bed last night, so they wouldn't be able to see it. They can do the rest of the mixing and baking. I'm hoping for the best and will post pics tomorrow.

Good god this responsible parenting thing is a lot of work!

Um...Seriously?

2011-01-21T08:42:00.000-06:00

The kids always get a few books for Christmas. Well, they get books for every holiday now that I think of it. Since Tia will be starting kindergarten in the fall, we thought it would be a good idea to get her some phonics/learn to read books. Here's what I picked.

You flip the cards over to make different words, then sound them out. Here's an example.

Pretty neat, right? Well, I thought it was great too until I came upon this...

Really? So maybe the book editor was out sick that day. Or maybe you're just not supposed to combine certain cards or colors (there was no instruction manual). However, this is a book for preschoolers, what on earth were they thinking!? Thankfully Tia isn't fully into sounding things out on her own and asked me what the word said. I quickly said "Oh, nothing, that's not a real word". Let's move along, nothing to see here people!

We Came, We Saw...We Tasted

2011-01-17T19:28:00.000-06:00

While out driving one day, Gia spotted a sign and wanted to know what it was. It was Dunkin' Donuts. She wanted to know what that place was, so I explained that it's sort of like a restaurant but they sell coffee and donuts. She thought that was hilarious! Ever since then she has been fascinated with the place and wanted to check it out. I got some coupons in the mail so I broke down and we went. I talked them into a bagel instead of a donut since we were going straight to swimming lessons. They thought the bagel twist looked pretty cool.

Is that really for one person?

Well, it was 3:00 in the afternoon and I figured out pretty quickly that the bagels weren't exactly fresh. They were pretty hard and I had to ask the guy to warm them up a bit so they would hopefully soften up. We were all wishing we had chosen the donuts!
Overall the girls were impressed by the counters with tall stools, the door knob that's in the shape of a bright pink 'D', and the really cool pink and orange straws. No mention at all of being impressed by the food.
So now we can say "we've been there", and move on with our lives.

What Girl Doesn't Love New Shoes?

2011-01-08T12:20:00.000-06:00

I was with Gia in Target the other day just scoping out the clearance racks. This is my favorite time of year to shop since most stores are trying to get rid of all their Christmas stock as well as make way for the spring line. I happened to walk by the shoe department and saw a 75% off rack. I told Gia she could pick out a pair of shoes for herself, and one for her sister. Um, this child who claims to be a girl told me she didn't want any new shoes. What?! I told her I honestly had never heard of a girl who didn't want new shoes. Oh well, her loss. I saw these Mary Jane's, which I had noticed many times before and thought were adorable. I knew Tia would love them (they're so 'fancy').

So many times I had walked by these shoes and wanted to buy them but refused to pay the full price of $16.99. I know, go ahead and call me cheap, I've heard it before.
But, take a look at this and maybe you'll understand my madness...

Yup, that's right. I got BOTH pair of shoes for half of what I would have paid for one pair at full price!
I was right, Tia loved them, especially the pink ones of course. They're a tiny bit big so she'll be ready to wear them in early spring, and I thnk that's just perfect.
I love a good bargain!

Happy New Year...Our Way

2011-01-04T20:30:00.001-06:00

Suddenly this year the kids knew about New Year's Eve, and brought up the idea of having a party. I'm not sure where they learned about this, since we've never talked about it and haven't ever taken them to a New Year's party. So, after an 11 hour road trip back from NY, we decided to give them their wish. I made up a party tray of healthy snacks...

They thought this was SO cool. Even cooler was the fact that we allowed them to eat in the family room. Whoa, the rebellion!

We got in our pajamas, snacked, watched a movie, snacked some more, and danced around a bit.

The Kiddos wanted to get out the sleeping bags and have a camp out in the family room. After being away from home for a week, we REALLY wanted to sleep in our own bed, but we gave in and let them have their fun. We didn't exactly ring in the new year though. The kids and D.R. were all snoring by 8:00 and I followed around 9:00!

I hope this is the first year of many that we celebrate the New Year together, in our own special way. My kids sure know how to have a good time!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T07:25:00.000-06:00

We have had a whirlwind of activity this holiday season. We did so much that I can't even write about it, I'll just show you some of what the holidays mean to me, in pictures.

Our annual trip to Winter Wonder Fest; Chicago

D.R. being a good sport, and a great Daddy

The birthday cake for Baby Jesus

Twas the night before Christmas

Christmas Day pictures

my sister and brother (3 of the 4 of us)

making memories with amazing women


My 2 best friends. I think we've actually known each other FOREVER!

My precious angels

Honestly, what more could I want for? We are truly blessed. Our holidays were wonderful, and I hope yours were too.
Happy New Year.

It's Christmas at Our House

2010-12-21T09:09:00.000-06:00

Since we head back 'home' for the holidays, we have our Christmas a few days early. The kids are young enough that they don't know what the date on the calendar is, and they figure they're just lucky because Santa comes twice. This year it was a huge surprise for them because we didn't let on at all. We didn't do any Christmas Eve celebrating or put cookies out for Santa. They just woke up to a big surprise when they saw gifts under the tree. Their expressions were priceless, and we got it on video.
The girls opened up books, movies, pajamas, sweaters, etc. Then, when they thought it was all over, we told them they had one more gift. D.R. made them close their eyes and brought them in the other room, where this was waiting...

Santa must have done a good job at picking out the right gift because they have played with this non stop for 2 days. Most importantly, they've watched a lot LESS TV!
So we'll head out to NY on Thursday for Christmas with the family. We're all super excited to see everyone.
From our family to yours, have a very safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

Letting go, and Letting Them Grow

2010-12-18T13:20:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted a 'challenge of the week' in quite a while, so I guess I'll write about two of them now.
The first one is once again about Tia not wanting to try any new foods. I think we just might be (fingers crossed) turning the corner on that one. She's in preschool now and is (sometimes) more inclined to try the foods her class mates are having. I can tell she really wants to try things but just can't bring herself to do it. So, the other day she decided that she'd like to taste a banana. You might not think that's such a big deal, but in Tia's world, it's huge. She not only tried a banana, she liked it. Alleluia! This was such a momentous occasion, I had to take a picture of it. OK, it's not chicken and broccoli, but at least we're moving in the right direction.

Now for the next challenge. At both of the girls' preschools they have encouraged us to get rid of sippy cups. Eek! Allow the kids to use regular cups and have spills at the dinner table? Yup, they claim spills and messes are all part of the process and the only way they will learn. Not only that, but they have the kids pour their own drink at snack time, using small pitchers of milk and water. All I could think was "Oh God, we're not doing that in our house". Well, I was in the store last week and those little pitchers were staring at me, daring me...I had to buy one. So, as it turns out this was much more of a challenge for ME than it was for the kids. They haven't had one spill all week and have really been enjoying their new independence. Look at how proud they are...

It only took me from September until now to learn to let them grow up a little. I have to accept that they're not babies anymore (sniff), and get joy in hearing them say "Mom, I can do it all by myself".

Snowed In...Well, sort of

2010-12-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we were expecting a major storm here in the mid west. We actually didn't get all the snow that was predicted, but we did get some super low temperatures and LOTS of wind. On days like that I don't want to leave my house, so I have to come up with things to keep the kiddos busy. After watching way too much TV, reading lots of books, and playing the Wii for about an hour, I remembered I had this...

I bought the kits back in January because they were marked WAY down and I knew one day the kids would love to use them. Rice Krispie's don't go bad so it was a pretty good buy! The treats are supposed to come out looking like a gingerbread house, like the one you see on the box. Well, they didn't look anything like a house but the kids didn't care. They had a great time making abstract art with the icing and edible decorations.
Check out how different these girls are...

Fearless abandon

Care and precision

This project kept them busy for quite a long time. It's amazing what those little minds can create when given the opportunity.

Gia's masterpiece

Check out the finished products!

Tia's masterpiece

Not a bad snow day. Not bad at all!

We Love our Library

2010-12-12T08:45:00.000-06:00

We spend a considerable amount of time at the local library. Thankfully our kids love it there and truly enjoy reading.
Every year just before Christmas, they close the library for a couple of hours and put on a wonderful "Holiday Open House". It's amazing all the work that goes into this one evening, and it's all free! The entire event is organized by volunteers. Here are a few pics from this year.

We love face painting

So pretty

This is as close as she would get!

Santa gave out books of course

Listening to Christmas Carols

We look forward to this event every year and as you can see, the kids had a wonderful time. Support your local library!

The Christmas Pageant

2010-12-08T18:23:00.000-06:00

One of the many reasons I love that my kids go to Christian preschool is the annual Christmas pageant. They sing traditional Christmas songs and even sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love it! Most public schools these days aren't allowed to celebrate religious holidays for fear of offending someone, and I understand that. However I'm a traditional person and I like things like they were in 'the good old days'.
Here is Gia at the pageant.

My baby with the white bow in her hair

singing my favorite, "This Little Light of Mine"

The proud mommy with her angels

These are the best moments of my life. So sweet.

It's Holiday Time

2010-12-06T12:39:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure why, but I had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I dreaded digging the tree and decorations out of the basement and lugging them up. I did it for the kids, just like my Mom always did it for us. After we were done, the looks on the girls faces made all the effort worth it. They had so much fun.

Tia adding the finishing touches


Mommy's Little Elf

The girls have been having a grand time moving the ornaments around the tree every day. They love playing with the Winter village and moving the people around from house to house. I've also been allowing them to wrap one or two presents each day, for our friends and extended family. They get so excited to see what they'll be giving to their loved ones, and haven't once asked if they can have the presents for themselves.

Our Christmas Angels

So, even when I don't have the energy, or feel in the holiday mood, these sweet little faces get me out of my slump and make the holidays cheery and bright!

Creating Traditions

2010-11-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

We've been here in the Chicago area for 4 years, but just heard of The Walnut Room at Macy's (Marshall Fields), and their holiday festivities. It's sort of like the folks who live in the NYC area who go downtown to ice skate and see Santa, etc. Here, people flock to Macy's to see the window displays, visit with Santa and have lunch at the famous, historic Walnut Room. We decided to do it this year and I can say with certainty that we have started a tradition! What a great time we had, especially the little ones.

On the train headed into the city

Checking out the windows at Macy's


A sprinkle of Fairy dust!

The Giant Tree


Snow man ice cream dessert

The food at the Walnut Room was fantastic. The decorations were beautiful beyond compare. I'd love to go back there during the summer when it's not so crowded.
The whole experience truly was magical. You can see it in the faces of our children. What a wonderful family tradition we have started!

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff!

2010-11-18T19:41:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about how 'we' as Americans live in a world of excess. We have too much of everything (well, most of us). Two things in particular happened this week that made me think more on the subject. First I read a book about a newly married couple that lived for an entire year without a penny to their names. They lived off the land, eating eggs from their chickens, meat from slaughtering their only pig, and milk from the cow etc. OK, that's a little extreme, and the book was set 100 years ago, but still it made me think. Who can actually do that? None of us is that resourceful today, nor would we want to be.
The other thing was the sale of my neighbors house. She's a widow and lives alone. She had to hire a dumpster, and filled it to the top, with 'junk' that she wasn't moving to where ever it is she's going to live next. I thought "How on earth can one woman accumulate that much stuff in just 7 years!?".
That made me think about my house and how much stuff I have. I'm no angel in this department by any means. However I do try to keep non-essentials to a minimum. I also recycle way more than I throw in the garbage. I would never be considered a pack rat.
With the holidays fast approaching, we're doing our annual 'weeding out of the toy box' routine. The girls and I decide what is to be donated to the Good Will, and we make a big donation. In all honesty, they don't have that many toys. What they do have, they play with often. This is a great segue to my next topic. Ahem...what they do have a lot of. Thanks mostly to my dear sister, the girls have an ENDLESS supply of PURSES!

There are the small ones...

and the medium ones...

and of course the large ones

We gathered up 27 purses on our first floor alone. There are more upstairs in closets. What do two little girls need with more than 30 purses?! OK, in my sisters defense, she had all boys and always wanted a little girl. I think that is apparent here. Well, that and the fact that she is obsessed with purses!
Good God we live in a world of excess. Now what do I do with all these purses?

Time Flies...When You're Having Fun!

2010-11-12T08:08:00.000-06:00

This year it snuck up on me. D.R. had to remind me. It was the 4 year anniversary of the day we moved into our new house in Illinois. We have a tradition where we celebrate this day by having a 'fancy' dinner at home. With such short notice, this years dinner was not as fancy as last year, when I believe we had salmon served on a bed of romaine, garnished with lemon and avocado! However, traditions are important so I put a quick plan into motion and got the kitchen ready (last year it was the dining room), and threw together a nice meal. Gia waked into the room and her eyes lit up. She said "this party looks wonderful!".
Here she is sitting down, waiting for the rest of us slow pokes to get with the program. She was ready for this party to begin!

It's on rare occasion that we have a table cloth in the kitchen, and even more rare that we let the girls drink out of real glasses! I should mention that it was ME who broke one of the glasses. The girls did just fine.
The meal turned out fantastic (not bad for just throwing it all together!), and the girls loved having candles on the table. Here's a picture of both of them enjoying the dinner. Please note we turned the TV off as soon as everyone was seated. No TV during dinner at our house!

After dinner D.R. and I were entertained as the girls put on a show of dancing, singing, and tumbling. Tia told us that parties are supposed to have dancing. She knows these things.
All in all, it was a great evening, and it's been a great 4 years. Of course we miss our 'home' in New York, and our family and dear friends. But, I must say we've been happy here. We have adjusted nicely.
It is truly a Happy Anniversary.

Time to Brag!

2010-11-04T18:59:00.000-05:00

We had our very first Parent-Teacher conference for Tia tonight. This is her second year of preschool (missed the kindergarten cut off), but she's in a new school this year. We got her into this preschool because of some concerns we had about her speech, as well as SEVERE anxiety. Several friends recommended this program and we were thrilled that she got in. We continue to be impressed.

When I brought up the anxiety issue, her teacher looked at me puzzled and asked "Tia?". Yup, that kid who comes bounding into the class every day with a huge smile on her face. That's the one who was up for a week prior to the first day of school, unable to sleep, overcome with anxiety of an unfamiliar situation. She's different now. She's confident and strong. She loves school, and taking the bus. Whatever they're doing over there, it's working, and we love it!

The teacher informed us that the list of goals set for each student is what they are supposed to achieve by the end of the school year. Tia has accomplished EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM NOW! Yup, she's kindergarten ready and it's only November. I'm one proud Mama! I'm proud not only for the academic achievement, but for the fact that the teacher said Tia is a pleasure to have in class. She is happy and friendly. She plays well with others. She follows directions and enjoys learning. That makes me happy.

My very happy school girl!

Fun Times at School

2010-10-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

The girls have had a lot of fun at school this week. Gia is at a Christian preschool so they don't have a typical Halloween party. They have a "Noah's Ark" party where all the children come dressed as an animal. Here's my sweet little butterfly at school. She had a great time with all her friends, special crafts, and pumpkin cookies!

Tia's school has a "silly dress" day just before Halloween. She couldn't wait to dress up, as well as see what all her friends would be wearing. Here's what she chose to wear for the special occasion.

Love those tights with orange socks! She came home with a bag full of loot because they went around "trick or treating" to the school offices.

Both girls had such a great time in their classes. I'm glad they really enjoy school and look forward to going. Great fun!

Books, books, and more books

2010-10-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

Today was our day to steam clean the carpets. We put it off until today because this was the first rainy weekend we've had in what seems like forever. I moved all the family room furniture into the kitchen and crammed as much of the dining room into the hall as I could. Then I cleared out the play room. I wondered in the back of my mind what the girls would do while they were not allowed in the wet areas, and no TV all morning. Once again, we don't give children the credit they deserve. Here's how I found them, curled up together on our lounge chair which was shoved under the kitchen table. Reading!

They thought this was like a grand new adventure. They both thought it was hilarious that our furniture was in the kitchen. They certainly weren't bothered by it one bit.
This gave me the opportunity to go through the book box. Our family loves to read. We have countless books. A couple years ago I decided that the books needed to be kept in one place, so we came up with the "book box".

Not usually this neat

These are just our 'family room books'. We have more in the play room, and each of the girls has their own book shelf upstairs. Tia prefers to keep her special Princess collection up in her own room where she can keep them away from her baby sister.
Anyway, I thought I could make a dent in the book box and bring some to the Good Will. Not such an easy task after all. It's not just that the kids don't want to part with any of the books, but I too have my favorites that I won't give up.
In most areas I'm the exact opposite of those "Hoarders" you see on that new TV show. I get rid of just about everything! I have at least one Good Will bag ready each week, and I often give hefty amounts of clothes to other friends who have little girls. But for some reason I can't do that with books. I'm a book hoarder!
Since I was going through the box, I thought I'd share with you some of my most favorites.

I consider these to be the classics. I can remember hearing "Harold and the Purple Crayon" when I was a little girls and I thought it was fantastic. It's the first book I ever bought Tia as a gift. "Where the Wild Things Are" is another one of my own childhood favorites. I didn't become a Dr. Seuss fan until I became a mother. Now I can't get enough.
So, after all that I only pulled one book out to give away. The rest are with us for a while longer. I'll live with the occasional book clutter because it means I have kids who love to read. That's good enough for me.

Sweetest Day Dance

2010-10-17T07:16:00.000-05:00

D.R. and the girls went to the annual Sweetest Day Father-Daughter Dance. This is a big event in our house, the girls look forward to it every year. In fact, they've been talking about it for weeks. They like to get all dressed up and pick out what Daddy will wear. This year was the most fun because they had a few friends who were also there. It's a special treat for them to stay up late. Then after the dance D.R. drives them around to see the Halloween decorations in the neighborhood. Good, clean fun!

All dressed up and ready to go!

Daddy's Girls

Tia's Birthday (for real this time!)

2010-10-12T16:10:00.000-05:00


1st birthday


2nd birthday

3rd birthday


4th birthday

I know everyone says "Oh, they grow so fast" and "Time really flies", but I'm here to tell you it's true. Just look at these pictures of Tia over the past few years. I truly cannot believe how fast she has grown.


5th birthday

Five years ago today I was 41 weeks pregnant and VERY uncomfortable. I wanted that baby out, and I can remember how badly I wanted to kiss her little toes! Five years later, I'm still kissing those toes, and loving every minute. She sure took her time getting here but was certainly worth the wait. Having her in our lives has been a blessing, every day.

So, to our big 5 year old, we say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WE LOVE YOU!

Summer Weather in October

2010-10-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

We've been having a heat wave here in the mid west, which means lots of outdoor activities for the kiddos. On Friday we met some of our friends at our favorite park in the area and had a blast. All the kids get along so well, it's refreshing.
Here they are.

They all thought it was great fun to try to climb this tree.

Then yesterday the forecast was 85 degrees and sunny. The girls wanted to go to the mall. We managed to talk them out of that and took them to the zoo! What a gorgeous day we had. We packed a picnic lunch and spent more than 3 hours there.

The girls were both so good all day. I think they were glad they didn't go to the mall! They even got a sun tan on their cute little faces. You gotta' love a little Summer weather in the middle of October!

Fall Family Fun!

2010-10-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the crisp, clean feeling in the air. I love the bright, changing colors. Since we've lived in the mid west, I've loved Fall even more. There's just so much for the kids to do around here, mostly because of the great number of farms in the area. Today we ventured out, deeper into farm country and went to Royal Oaks Farm. We were not disappointed.
Photo overload coming up!

As you can see, we had a fantastic time.
I love Fall!

Family Date Night

2010-09-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

D.R. and I rarely go out on 'date nights' these days. It's just not that practical with two little ones at home, and of course I don't like to spend the money because as most of you know, I'm CHEAP When we do go out, it's usually with all 4 of us. Our favorite place to go as a family is Benihana.
Did you know if you go to their website and become a member of "The Chef's Table", they will send you a $30 gift for your birthday? I think that's a pretty cool deal, especially since we love Benihana, and would be going there anyway! The deal was supposed to be 'up to' $30 off the birthday persons meal, however I ordered 3 things a la carte and our awesome server just took the entire amount off of our total bill. That's my kind of deal. We just ordered a whole bunch of stuff and shared.
The girls got to try out training chopsticks, and had a blast. They did very well, even with the little grains of rice. It was fun to watch.

Gia is our adventurous eater. She got her own sushi and a bowl of rice. She ate my soup and some of her Dad's sushi too! She loves trying new things and seems to really enjoy the whole culinary experience. Tia on the other hand was happy with her bowl of rice and nothing more. I'm surprised she didn't ask for peanut butter and jelly! Not exactly a foodie.

It was a great experience to go to a nice restaurant as a family. The girls call it "family date night" and we think that's cute. We do these sorts of things with them for many reasons. Of course we want them to grow up with fond memories of the time we spend together. But we also think it's important that they experience different cultures and foods, as well as learning how to behave in a restaurant. These are things that we didn't get to experience much as children, and now we can offer the experience to our kids.
Fun stuff!

Talk about savings!

2010-09-25T15:23:00.000-05:00

I blogged a while back about how my Canon D-SLR camera died on us. I loved that camera and used it almost every day. D.R. wanted to replace it for my birthday with an $800 Nikon. I talked him out of it. I convinced him to just get me a convenient pocked-sized camera and wait until Christmas to get the big expensive one. Well, we're both glad that he listened to me!
Today while preparing to list our 'broken' Canon on Craigslist, D.R. noticed that the internal lens was slightly off kilter. He pushed it in with his thumb, and voila! The camera now works again. Can you imagine the lucky person who would have bought that camera from us and discovered that it really worked after all?!
I'm tickled pink and can't wait to start shootin' again!
Ahhh, it feels good to save $800.

Tia's Birthday...sort of.

2010-09-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

Tia's birthday isn't until October, but we had her birthday this past weekend. Why? Well, the grandparents were in town and we wouldn't dream of doing a birthday party without them. When her actual birthday rolls around, we'll do something special with her, just our little family.

I decided I really didn't want 10 kids running around my house for the occasion, so we had the party at McDonald's. Talk about irony! Tia wouldn't eat a burger, nugget, or french fry if it was the last meal available. I had to laugh while I was making her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to bring to the party. She did drink the milk and eat the apple dippers (minus the dip), so she wasn't totally left out of the 'happy meal' fun.

The party was a big hit. All the kids had a great time, but the best part was that I didn't have to clean up! This is definitely something we'll do again. Good times!

My Birthday

2010-09-18T21:10:00.003-05:00

I woke up yesterday morning and something really strange had happened. Without much warning, I some how turned 39! I'm not sure how this happened. I certainly don't feel 39 (most days anyway). I think I'm still in shock. Or is it denial.
At any rate, my family didn't let me forget this historical moment. In the morning the girls gave me the gifts they picked out from the Dollar Store. They were SO excited. It was just adorable. They had actually slipped and told me about the secret gifts numerous times before my birthday, but I acted surprised anyway!
My dear husband gave me a camera. Phew, I can take pictures again! I had been feeling like I lost a limb, and now it's been put back on. I told him I wanted a small camera that I could just toss in my purse and take along to museums, parks, etc. That's just what he got me. He's a good husband!
Later in the day D.R.'s folks arrived in town. They usually come for a visit around this time of year, and this time it happened to fall right on my birthday. What a nice gift. We REALLY enjoy our visits from Nonna and PaPa. They got here just in time to join us on Tia's school field trip to a local farm. It definitely wasn't my favorite field trip, but Tia enjoyed it.

Here's the big girl getting her pumpkin. She was so proud.

After the field trip we all went out for a nice birthday dinner. I picked a family friendly place not far from home and we were not disappointed. It was very nice and they treated the birthday girl well!

Here's Gia eating my birthday cake (I'm off the sugar ya' know!)

When we got back home I was once again showered with gifts. This time from Nonna and PaPa.

Here I am showing Tia the gorgeous necklace they picked out for me. It's just beautiful.

Today D.R. and I were supposed to be going to Arlington Park for the races. Neither of us have ever been so we thought it would be a fun thing to do before the end of the season. Well, it rained all morning so plans were changed. We still got to have a date, we went to the movies. That's something we rarely get to do and it was nice to have a couple hours together, just the two of us.
Now, I think we are done celebrating my birthday. Some years it goes on for days and days! But, we must move on because tomorrow we're having Tia's birthday party. It's a few weeks early but we wanted to have it while the grandparents were in town. More reason to celebrate!
So, tomorrow she can get all the attention, and be treated like a princess all day. More pictures to come!

Swimming in Bargains

2010-09-09T07:42:00.003-05:00

You know I love a good bargain. I was on the hunt for some clearance priced swim suits for the girls since they are in swim lessons now and will probably continue throughout the winter months. I hit the jackpot at Target, finding these suits for $3.29. That's my kind of price!

The lighting at the indoor pool isn't great for picture taking but here are the girls at their lesson. They had a great time, and loved showing their teacher the new suits. So much fun!

Gia's First Day!

2010-09-07T13:45:00.005-05:00

My baby girl started preschool today. She's in a 3 year old class, twice a week. She's been ready, more than ready, for a long time. She was so ready that she didn't know what all the fuss was about and why I was so excited.
The "school fairy" visited her last night and left a new movie under her pillow. It's an educational DVD, so it goes along with the school theme.
I brought her to school, she hung up her jacket and bag and marched right in. She found her name tag and sat on the circle time rug. No fan fare, no tears, no kiss for Mommy. That's it. Just ready to get started.

I had to ask her if I could have a kiss! I'm not sure how I should feel about this. I'm happy she was so calm, but this is my BABY! This day will never happen again for me. Oh well, I guess life goes on.
After school the three of us went to get our hair cut. When we got home I gave the girls their very special back to school treat. Now THIS she can get excited about! The kid loves food.

So, here I am with no more babies at home. I have a whole 4 1/2 hours to myself each week. Life sure is changing for me. I can now go to the dentist by myself!

Face Painting at the Festival

2010-09-06T07:44:00.004-05:00

On Saturday we took the girls to a nearby festival. We hadn't gone in years past because we assumed that, like most festivals there would be a fee for parking, fee for admission, fee for rides, etc. We haven't had good experiences at those things because our kids are too young to fully enjoy all that there is to offer, and it ends up being a big waste of money.
We were pleasantly surprised to find out that this festival had free admission and free parking. They also had an entire tent set up specifically for younger kids. There was a clown making balloon animals, arts and crafts, sno cones, etc. Our kids loved it. We ran out of time to get the face painting done, so D.R. took them back early the next day, before the crowds, and had it done.

It really turned out great and you can see how excited they were. This was a nice little home town event and we'll definitely go back next year!

Kitchen Lessons

2010-09-03T16:36:00.005-05:00

I grew up in an Italian household and my Mom made the most amazing food. I learned many things from her but I've never made eggplant Parmesan in my life. I really enjoy it when other people make it, in fact it was the first meal D.R. made for me when we were dating, but I haven't attempted it myself.
Well, Gia is the 'eater' in our family. She loves all the good stuff. When we were shopping at our favorite Italian market today, she discovered "baby eggplants" and had to have one. How could I say no to a 3 year old asking for eggplant?! She even asked me if I remembered to buy 'mozzallella' cheese! She couldn't wait to make it and asked Daddy if he would share it with her.
So, I got her in the kitchen with me and together we made our very first eggplant Parmesan. Unfortunately now my little back up camera is acting up and I couldn't get it to focus. I really wanted a nice picture of Gia with her masterpiece. This is the best I could get.
At least you can still see her smiling face.

She is so proud. I think this is the first of many cooking lessons!

Mommy Brain

2010-09-02T13:21:00.002-05:00

I blame a lot of stuff on "Mommy Brain" lately. You know that condition which causes most mothers of small children to forget just about everything? It's what causes me to misplace my keys, sunglasses, wallet, and countless other things.
Well, last night I had a case of Mommy Brain again. The kids started their swim lessons. I was so proud of myself that I actually remembered to put the camera in my purse hours before were were to leave the house. I really wanted a picture of them on their first day of swim lessons without Mom or Dad. They've taken swimming before, but never without us in the pool with them. This was a big moment in Mommyhood.
We arrive at the lessons, meet the teacher, in they go, and out comes the camera. It would have been perfect if I had the memory card in the camera! I left it in the computer at home. So, no picture of the swim lessons this time. I guess there's always next week.

In short, Tia did great except for a few minutes when she was mortified because she got her face wet. Gia on the other hand was miserable just about the whole time and wouldn't participate. That's just the way it goes. All in a days work I guess.

Tia's First Day

2010-08-26T12:02:00.004-05:00

Look at that big girl! You'd never know she had been agonizing for weeks about going to a new school, and taking the bus. We read her several books about the school bus, had the "school fairy" come and leave her a prize for being a big girl, and so on. Still, with all of our efforts, she was a nervous wreck.
I told Tia that on the first day I would follow the bus and meet her at school so i could walk in with her. Well, that was a great plan, however these things never really work out as planned, do they? First of all, the bus was about 35 minutes late. I had decided they must have forgotten us and I should probably drive her. No sooner did I get everyone buckled in, the bus came rolling down the street. I told Tia she could choose the bus or Mom's car, and she chose the bus! All those books really worked!

Here they are waiting patiently for our very late bus

When the bus doors opened, she ran up and got right on! No teary goodbye, no kiss, NOTHING! What happened to my shy little girl?

When I got to the school, I had to stop at the office to drop off some paperwork. By the time I got down to Tia's class, she was already in there, and playing nicely with the other kids. So much for the picture of her getting off the bus and walking into her classroom! Oh well, the important thing is that she went in, she was brave, and she had a great day!

The scene was the same when she got off the bus. She bounded off, happily as ever. She couldn't wait to tell me all about her day.
I can't believe my sweet baby girl is old enough to be going to school 5 days a week, and taking the bus! Time flies.

The Fruits of My Labor

2010-08-24T06:22:00.001-05:00

What's better than the smell and taste of fresh veggies? Fresh veggies that you've grown in your own back yard! Every day I go out to my teeny tiny garden and pull 4 or 5 ripe tomaotes, today I even found a pepper. The basil is out of control. You really don't need a lot of space to have a garden that provides enough vegetables for the whole family, all summer. This year I planted 3 tomato plants, 2 pepper plants, and 2 basil plants. That's it!

The girls and I have had fun watching the garden grow. It's been very little work, and a lot of reward.

School Days

2010-08-23T07:57:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how fast this summer flew by. I feel like we did a lot, but it's never enough. It's been unbearably hot so we spent more time indoors than I'd like. Now it's time to get ready for the school year.

Tia starts at her new preschool this week and is a bundle of anxiety. She'd love to go back to her old school where everything is familiar, and where her baby sister will be attending this year. I understand her thought process, but it's not going to happen. Also a big, scary issue for her is that she will be riding the bus. I have told her that I'll follow the bus to school on the first day, and go in with her. Now she wants me to do that every day, assuring me that she will be nervous on ALL the days, not just the first day! Also, not going to happen.

Gia, on the other hand, who is 18 months younger than Tia, is ready to march into school today. She can't wait. We gathered up the things on her school supply list last night and put them in a tote bag. She very proudly carried that bag around the house, announcing that she was going to school. She got right in Tia's face and said "I'm not scared Tia, I'm excited. I love school!". She definitely has a different personality than her sister, but it also helps that she's going to a school she has dropped her sister off at and is familiar with. She knows the building and the teachers. No anxiety there! Unfortunately she starts a week after Tia and will probably be mad that she can't go yet.

So, we'll see how this week goes. I'm willing to bet that Mommy sheds more tears than Tia, and she'll be just fine. I just can't imagine my little Muffin getting on a big school bus, without me. Oh, we're growing up!

Gia's Wise Words

2010-08-15T07:27:00.003-05:00

My husband and I joke that living with Gia is like living with a grown up in a kid sized body. She talks like a much older and wiser person, not a 3 year old. Here are some of the things she has said lately that have sort of freaked me out a little...

On our way home from Michigan Gia was asking what each of the water towers say. Each town has their own water tower and she likes to know what the names printed on them are. When we told her that the tower said "Schaumburg" her response was "Oh yeah, that's where I used to live when I was older". D.R. explained that she has never lived anywhere but the house we live in now. She adamantly said "NO, I mean when I was a grown up lady. I lived in Schaumburg. I had a cat and a dog. Then I went to heaven. That was before I came to live with you!". D.R. and I just looked at each other in a bit of shock, not sure what to say to that. I never really thought much about past lives, but this kid sure has me thinking about it now!

Gia has recently informed us that when she grows up she will have a husband and two babies. She says she will have a boy and a girl. She's been such a tom boy up to this point that it's so cute to hear her talk about life as a mommy. Then the other day she came to me with such a serious look on her face and said "Mommy, will you come live with me at my house when I get older?". I asked "Why do you want Mommy to come live with you?". Her response was a sincere "Well, when I have my two babies, I think you should come stay with me at my house and help me take care of them". I told her that nothing would make me happier than to help her with her babies, then I had to hold back about a million giggles because SHE IS ONLY THREE! What the heck is going on in this kids head? I just had to document that conversation because in 25 years I may be looking back at this and saying "Wow, she was right".

The other day I was vacuuming the upstairs. Like a cat upon hearing the can opener, Gia runs when she hears the vacuum. She likes to 'help'. It's not easy to vacuum when you have a tiny person holding onto the handle. In my head I'm thinking these thoughts..."I am just like my mother..I remember her not wanting me to help when I was little because it was too time consuming...now here I am going through the same thing with my daughter...now I know how my mom felt when I wanted to help...". When we were finished, I turned off the vacuum and Gia looked at me and said "You're just like your mother". Then she walked away leaving me standing there, stunned for a moment. Now she has me wondering if she can read my mind. I better be careful of what I think around her!

Wedding Weekend

2010-08-09T14:15:00.004-05:00

Friday was our 6th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by driving 6 hours to Flint Michigan! Actually, we celebrated last month by going out to a wonderful dinner and having an overnight in a very nice hotel. We knew we would be heading out of town on our actual anniversary, so we took care of the celebrations early.
My little cousin Cassandra was getting married in Flint Michigan. We were so pleased when she asked Tia to be one of her flower girls! Tia's been so excited for months leading up to the big event. However, when we got to the rehearsal, she changed her mind and we were pretty sure her baby sister was going to have to stand in for her. Thankfully, she was just overtired and hungry because when the actual wedding day arrived, she did just fine. Here she is pre-ceremony.

The other little flower girl is Olivia. I was trying to explain to D.R. how we're related and it actually shocked me to say it. Olivia's grandfather is my second cousin! I feel old now. However, Olivia's mother is only 22 so I guess I'm not really that old.

We all had a wonderful time at the wedding. My girls both danced the night away with anyone who would join them. It was their first wedding and they sure made the most of it!
I really wish I had more pictures to post but as I've said before, I'm sort of without camera these days. I'm hoping someone else who was there will send along some good ones.

Today, we're back home and back to reality. Lots of unpacking and laundry on our schedule for the rest of the day. It's good to be home.