Summer Fun and trying to Keep Cool

We've had quite a hot spell in the mid west this past week. It's been an adventure to try to find things for the kids to do without getting over heated and keep busy. We went to the Aquarium on Saturday. The kids love it there. We're members so it's easy to get in early and get out before the crowds start piling in.
I took this picture of the girls with Daddy just before we left the house since we didn't get one on Father's Day. They're dressed in cool clothes, and cold drinks ready to go!


Sunday was not as hot and we had a breeze which was wonderful! The kids played and played outside for a long time. I think they enjoyed it so much because we haven't been out a lot lately.

Here they are hiding from the sun, under the slide. They were picking blades of grass to stick between their toes. Oh the joys of childhood! Tia had to have a sweater on because of the breeze. She can be a bit particular about her skin.


After their naps, we promised them we would go out for ice cream. D.R. and I decided that it would be better to go buy the fixings for sundaes and make them at home. The girls thought this was great! I think they liked the cute mugs and whipped cream on top better than the actual ice cream. I'm pretty sure that for one day they thought we were really cool parents!


What a nice way to finish off the weekend, and beat the heat.

The honesty and innocence of children

Yesterday it was about 94 degrees and very humid. Although I rarely wear shorts, I thought the weather was in control of the wardrobe decisions. When I was getting dressed, Tia looked at me with a very concerned face. She said "Mommy, everyone will look at your legs". I asked her what she was talking about, and why people would look at my legs. Her response was "Well, I just think you should wear pants". Thank God I have a good sense of humor, I laughed so hard! Not exactly good for the ole self esteem, but hey, 3 year olds are honest to a fault.

Later in the afternoon Tia was telling me that when she gets older she is going to have a wedding and wear a fancy dress. I asked her if she would marry a nice, handsome boy just like her Daddy. She looked at me with a face that can only be described as 'duh', and said "No, I'm gonna' marry Daddy!". I said "Well, wait a minute, Daddy is my husband...if you marry him, what am I going to do?". Before she could even think of an answer, Gia blurted out "I'm gonna' marry Mommy!". Ahhh, at least I won't be alone in my old age. Gia's sticking by my side!

Happy Father's Day

Here's my hubby. There are so many things I love about him ,but the thing I love most is the fact that he's a great Dad. He takes that role very seriously. It's funny how he grew up most of his life without a father, yet he figured out how to be one, and a great one at that.
He changes diapers, gives baths, brushes teeth, reads stories and tucks them into bed, as if he's been doing this his whole life.
When we go out, it's almost always with the kids. Leaving them home is not a thought at the forefront of his mind. He wants to spend as much time with them as possible. So, when I asked him what he wanted to do for Father's day, he asked that we all go out to lunch together. That's it, just spending time with his girls is enough!
I feel great knowing the girls have a Dad they can count on. They go to him for comforting more often than they come to me!
They love their Daddy, and so do I.

Great job Honey...Happy Father's Day!

A Time to Say Goodbye

This is my Mom.
She passed away peacefully on Friday, June 12 with her family by her side. After a 15 month battle with lung cancer, Mom had decided to enter the Journey Home, a hospice care facility. What a wonderful place to spend the end of your life. The volunteers and nurses are all amazing. The best part is that my Mom was able to make the decision to move there completely on her own. Her mind was clear right up until her last few days. We joked that it was about time for her to be taken care of, after a lifetime of taking care of everyone else.


My girls filled the normally quiet house with lots of noise and laughter. We had a great time visiting her there, and I know she felt our presence. In fact on one of her final days, when she had been unresponsive all day, she opened her eyes and kissed my little Gia goodbye.
That was the last time I saw her react to us.


Because Mom had time to think about her mortality, she was able to convey many of her wishes to us. She said if she could choose what to do, she would have a party. That is just typical of her personality. She didn't want anyone sitting around crying about her, she wanted us to celebrate. That's exactly what we did. We had a brief memorial service at a church, by the pastor who had been visiting her over the past month. Afterward, we invited everyone to a local restaurant where we held a dinner party. My sister and I had tried to estimate how many people would show up for the event. Our figure was less than half the actual number! The people just kept coming and coming. A true testament of what a great friend she was, to so many. And, just as she wished, we didn't sit around crying for her. We enjoyed each other, shared stories, looked at pictures, and pretty much had a good time. I'm sure she was pleased.

I think of my Mom every day, and often. I wonder when I'll stop picking up the phone to call her, or think of sending her the latest pictures of my kids. Losing a parent is tough, but losing a Mom is nearly unbearable.

I love you Mom. You'll always be in my heart.

Who needs Toys?

I don't know why we buy our kids toys. Obviously they have plenty of fun with other things found around the house. In fact, I've never seen them have this much fun with any store bought toy. Look at those smiles!

G is for Gia!

I always feel a little bit brave when I bring out the art supplies. Today is the first day I actually allowed Gia to participate in a painting project. Usually, I give her something else to do while Tia paints. Today I felt compelled to let her join in on the painting fun because the project was for her room.
A few years ago, my sister painted the letters of Tia's name to be hung on her wall. When Gia came along, I said I would do the same thing for her room. It's been 2 years and I'm just now getting around to it!

Here are the kids painting letters.

They had a blast, and it was well worth the mess.

Those little paint cups are actually from single serve brown rice containers. I couldn't bring myself to throw them out, knowing I could use them for something (just like my Mom!).

I decided I didn't like the white letter 'I', so while the kids weren't looking, I changed it to yellow. I don't think I'm thrilled about how the yellow looks either, but I can change it some day if it really bothers me.

And here's the finished product, hanging in her room.

Ice Pops for breakfast!

Since last year I have been searching high and low for popsicle molds. I remember as a kid making our own popsicles at home, and wanted to do that with our kids. Also, my friend Amy Jo makes them with left over smoothie mix and I thought that was a great idea. I can't believe how hard they were to find.
FINALLY, I was wandering through a new baby store and found these.


I guess they are supposed to be for babies, but they were exactly what I wanted. D.R. made this batch with some juice that the kids didn't like very much. Tia is a plain apple juice kind of kid, so this red juice was just going to be wasted. Once the juice was turned into "Ice pops", they loved them. I let the girls try them out at breakfast. It's just juice, so what's the harm, right? And as you can see, I gave them some fruit and toast to go with them!

Now I'm kinda' wishing I had bought 2 sets so I could make the smoothie pops before the juice pops are gone!

A Great Find!

It's not really a big clearance time of year, so I wasn't expecting to buy anything when I went to JC Penney today. I had to go in and pick up the girls' pictures that we had taken a couple weeks ago. They were ready last week but since I was in NY, and D.R. totally forgot, they've been sitting there for a while. Of course I had to walk past the little girls section on our way out. I saw a big rack with girls underwear and a sign that said $1.19. I grabbed 6 packages, since I have 2 girls and they will always need underwear. There were some socks marked clearance too but I wasn't sure how much they would be.

When I got to the register the clerk told me all my items were ringing up regular price. She sent a girl back to check the rack and sure enough, I was right and everything was on sale. However, when she rang up the discount on the underwear, they came down to .98 a package! That's my kind of bargain.

So, I got 18 pairs of underwear, and 12 pairs of socks for a grand total of ...

$9.74

The original prices were $7.99 each package. My receipt tells me I saved $54.88 today. I'm pretty proud of myself on this one!

A Nice Surprise!

Late last night, way past my bed time, I was sitting up chatting with friends. I was just saying how my husband had told me to get some rest and "take a night off", as to not get run down. Of course, I didn't listen and was having wine with the best girlfriends in the world. Suddenly I hear a pounding on the front door that sent me into panick mode! I couldn't imagine who would be knocking on the door so late. When I looked at the glass door, there was nobody there. As I cautiously peeked around the corner, there stood my smiling husband! What a sweet and much needed surprise.

Apparently he missed us so much, and felt I needed him to be here, that he skipped out of work and drove 11 hours, straight through, so he could spend the weekend with us. Me being happy to have him here isn't the half of it. The girls are jumping out of their skin with joy! The expression on Tia's face this morning when she saw her Daddy was just priceless.

So today, D.R. gets huge husband points. Our family feels whole again.

The Road Home...again

I'm back in Rochester this week, visiting with my Mom. We had a scare last week where she admitted she thought the end was 'very near', so I felt visiting now was the right thing to do.
My DEAR FRIEND Sheila, who I have known for what seems like an eternity, decided to fly to Chicago and do the road trip back with me. She was a great help and the trip couldn't have gone smoother. The kids love her and she loves them.

So, we have been here in Rochester since Sunday evening. My Mom is still with us but seems weaker by the day. She is happy to have us here so she can see the kids running around, full of life. I'm glad I am able to provide that gift to her.

Everyone keeps asking me how long I will be here. I don't have an answer to that question. This is one of those things that just can't be planned. I keep thinking I don't want to leave because she could take a turn for the worse tomorrow, and I would have to come right back anyway. Doesn't make much sense for anyone. I miss my husband, and I'm sure the kids miss their Daddy. Tia started asking about him yesterday. I just have to remind myself that they are young and this disruption will not affect the rest of their lives.

So, for a while I will be staying with my in-laws, missing my husband, visiting with my Mom, trying to keep things normal for the girls, and everything else that goes along with managing a family crisis. Once I'm back in Illinois, the blog will be up and running again. For now, I'm a bit busy with other things.

Best wishes and happy thoughts to all who read my blog. See you again soon!

Memories in the Making

The other day my Mom confided in me her sadness that my girls won't really be old enough to remember her. I reassured her that we talk about her often and have pictures of her around our house, so I had hopes that they will have memories of her. Then, out of the blue, the girls started talking even more about Mema. Here's what has happened over the course of a few days.

At the zoo Gia was starting to whine a little. When I asked her what was wrong, her reply was "There's no Mema here!". I wonder what made her think of her Mema at that moment. Maybe because we went to the zoo in Rochester one time with my Mom, but I'm pretty sure Gia was too young to remember that. Maybe not!

While riding in the car, Gia pointed at the empty passenger seat and exclaimed "Dat's Mema's seat!". She remembers my Mom sitting there one of the times we went for a visit.

Yesterday while cleaning up after lunch I said "Let me clean that angel face". Gia said "Mema say dat!". She's absolutely right. My Mom does call her Angel Face, and I had totally forgotten that. This child has a mind like a vault.


While packing for our upcoming road trip Tia and I were talking about who we would see in NY. She said "Mom, how 'bout we have breakfast with Nonna, and dessert with Mema?". I told her that was a good idea and then she said "Mema always has ice cream". Come to think of it, she's right. They have had ice cream just about every time we've gone to visit.


Then, this one takes the cake. Tia told me yesterday "Mom, Mema sometimes kisses me too hard". I tried not to laugh and asked if she would like me to have a talk with Mema and ask her not to kiss so hard, and be more gentle. She said that was a good idea.

Here's proof of the hard kissing!

So, my point is that even though the girls are very young, they have already established memories of their Mema. They know who she is and have associated her with certain things in their lives. I will continue to encourage them to talk about her and remember her fondly when she is no longer with us.
She will always be their Mema.

Who's the Baby in this Family?

I wonder whose idea this was? I can't believe Gia was able to squeeze her chunky butt into a doll stroller! And, you might notice she is holding a play baby bottle. Something tells me she likes being the baby of the family!

Then, as I was preparing to write this post, they came strolling through the kitchen again. Check this out!


Never too big to be a baby I guess. At least they're learning how to take turns!

Happy Mother's Day

Here's a re-cap of our Mother's Day here in Chicago...

Last night we went out for my favorite dinner, which is Pizza of course. Some Mom's would want a fancy dinner out with candle light and linen table cloths. Not me, I'd rather be in a comfortable, family-friendly environment where my children are welcome. It was great.

This morning D.R. made me breakfast, which was very yummy. Then the girls gave me their home made cards, which were beautiful. I will keep them forever!
It was a beautiful Chicago morning so we decided to take the girls to the zoo. It was our first time there, and we all enjoyed it.

Here are the girls checking out the gorilla habitat.

Gia had it in her head that she wanted to walk by herself, and that meant she wouldn't hold hands with anyone. This is how she made sure we couldn't hold her hand.

Check out that scowl!

After lunch, we tried to get some nice pictures of me with both of the girls, with no luck. They are at the age where they want individual attention, so this is the best we could do.

The zoo has wonderful gardens and I enjoyed just walking around and smelling all the flowers that have just started to bloom. Every so often I would catch a whiff of a lilac tree that sent me "home" for a moment. We are from Rochester which is famous for the Lilac festival. Rochester is also known as the "Flower City". It's this time of year that I miss home the most, and I'm certain it's because of the smell. There's nothing like the smell of a lilac in full bloom.

I wasn't able to be with my Mom on this Mother's Day. I was with her last week and I know she understands. I'm not used to this day being about me, because I am a Mom now!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mom's out there. I hope you enjoyed your day as much as I enjoyed mine.

A quick trip

I just got back from a VERY quick trip home to see my Mom. It was her birthday yesterday, she turned 69. We had such a nice time. My sister went all out and planned a huge birthday/cinco de Mayo bash. She did a great job, as always. Our Mom was very happy to see our family and friends. A big THANK YOU to my wonderful sister for making it all happen.

I also got to meet my first great-nephew, Angelo. He is a little over one week old and oh so cute!

Here's my Mom with little Angelo Joseph

I didn't bring my girls with me on this trip. They stayed home with Daddy which made it so much easier on me (not so easy for him!). I got a chance to be there with my Mom, and no distractions. It was great.

I have to say a special THANK YOU to my dear friend Sheila who stayed up way past her bed time to make sure I had a ride to my in-laws house last night.
Another HUGE THANK YOU to my in-laws who got up way too early to make sure I got off OK this morning. And especially my father-in-law who drove me to the Buffalo airport at 4:15am!
And of course THANK YOU to my sweet hubby who encouraged me to buy the ticket and "Just do it!", and who re-arranged his entire schedule so he could be home with the kids. Everything worked out just great.

Besides seeing my family and friends, which was fantastic, I got to do two other things that I really miss about Rochester. I watched Channel 10 news and went shopping at Wegmans! I know these things might sound simple but when you're away from home and miss everything, it's the little things that count.
On the news I saw my favorite weather man give his forecast. OK, so I admit I have a 'thing' for him but my husband is aware of my little crush so it's OK.
It has to be the dimples, I mean look at his sweet face. Who wouldn't like to look at that! I'm sure I don't even remember the 3 day weather outlook. I was too mesmerized by the blue eyes.

After I got my Rich Caniglia fix, it was on to Wegmans. We needed a couple things for the party and I was all too happy to be the one to shop! For my mid-western friends who don't know about Wegman's, it's technically a grocery store. Really, it's more than that. It's an amazing place where you can buy everything in one place, and can even sit down to have dinner while you're at it. People who move away from NY state tend to appreciate Wegman's even more after they leave. There's nothing like it, or even close, in other parts of the country. Oh, how I miss this place!

It was a wonderful trip all around. The kids were totally off schedule when I got back, but that's OK. We'll focus on getting back to normal tomorrow. It was all worth it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Happy Mommy's Day to Me!

We went shopping today for my Mother's Day present. I asked for a bike since mine is about 15 years old and needed a new inner tube. We picked out a nice shiny purple one (not pictured). The funny thing is that the girls both insisted all the way to the store that Mom needed a purple bike. They got their wish.
I got this bike trailer for D.R. a couple years ago for Father's Day. We never got to use it because Tia was afraid to get in it. Gia was a bit afraid of it too but as soon as she saw her sister having fun, there was no stopping her. We took a couple trips around the neighborhood, then D.R. took them a couple times. I have a feeling we'll be going for a lot of bike rides now!
I wanted a way to get in more exercise, and I think I found it. The fact that it's fun for the kids too is an added bonus. I'm a happy Mom!

Words, words, words...

I have always been fascinated by the development of language. Maybe that's part of the reason why I became an Interpreter. Regardless of the reason, I pay attention to language and particularly words, more carefully than most people.

I can remember so vividly, my oldest nephew saying "Don't yoller at me". I knew right away he had combined the words "yell" and "Holler" into a version that suited him. The phrase took off and we still use it today! I also remember his other words, such as blanana, cramera, and pinano (banana, camera and piano). For some reason, they stick in my mind like they were said just yesterday.
Now that I have my own kids, I pay even more attention than before. I keep a journal for each of the girls and try to remember to record important events in their lives. I write lists of words that they learn, and funny things they say. I hope as adults they will read the journals and get a good laugh. I hope they will do the same for their kids one day.

Tia says just about everything clearly now. When she was 18 months old trying to learn to speak, and having gotten a late start, it was quite an adventure. The one word that will stay with me for many years is her version of "fingers". She would try and try to say fingers, but it would come out "fu*kers". My husband was mortified. The rest of the family thought it was hilarious and would ask her repeatedly to say it.
She still struggles with the "L" sound. When she sings "I've been workin' on the railroad..." she ends the song with "All the riv rong day". Hilarious to me, not exactly understood by others.

Now we have Giuliana who spoke early, and says everything! Her latest favorites are "Daddy, Listen ME!" and "Don't do again". I'm sure she has heard me tell her "listen to me" and "don't do it again" enough times that the words are emblazoned in her brain. She effectively copies everything we say, and then some. I guess we need to be particularly careful about what we say now.
Developmental stages are exciting to me and I'm glad I have the opportunity to document them along the way.

Is there such a thing as a Fruitatarian?

Tia has pretty much always been a vegetarian, even as an infant. She just doesn't eat meat products. I've learned to accept that and try to figure out other ways to get her to eat protein. She used to love beans. She and D.R. could eat a whole bag of edamame together. She also used to drink milk with breakfast and dinner, and loved cheese. Those days are gone. She says milk hurts her tummy, she doesn't like cheese, and all things green are off her menu!

What's a Mom to do? She loves apples and grapes. That's about it. Could she really be a fruitatarian? There's no protein in fruit so I'm not sure how she can sustain life on that.

This morning I tried to bribe her with chocolate milk. I had until now been very proud that my kids have NEVER even tasted chocolate milk. In my defense, it was actually Carnation Instant Breakfast, but still, it was bribery. Her response to my offer was "No thanks, I just want water please". Well, at least she's polite!

Her daily menu usually consists of toast with peanut butter and jelly for breakfast, apple sauce or an apple for lunch (no protein here) then about half a yogurt and some grapes for dinner. She might be convinced to have a graham cracker for an evening snack. I wish I could follow this diet, I'd be bikini ready in no time!

So my challenge this week is to try to find healthy things to feed my daughter, that also have protein and calcium in them. Today it was Instant Breakfast and yogurt. Let's see what I come up with tomorrow!

Good intentions, not such a good outcome

Today is a gorgeous, sunny 80 degree day. I promised the girls a walk to the library and then the park. I thought in order to take full advantage of the day, we should pack a lunch. Tia is really into picnics these days, so she was all for it. While making lunch, Tia was watching "Caillou" and noticed he was eating heart shaped pancakes. She thought that was really neat. Not to be outdone by a cartoon Mom, I decided to do shaped sandwiches. We had done this once before for her birthday tea party. I found the biggest cookie cutters I own and here is the result.











We all know I don't like to waste food, so Gia and I had the left over crust for breakfast. Not bad with a cup of coffee!

So, about 5 minutes before we were ready to leave, Tia decided to have a full blown tantrum, complete with screaming that could be heard by neighbors on all sides. I'm not sure what is going on with her but it was not pretty. I made her sit in the naughty chair, then on her bed, still more screaming. Finally I told her that Gia and I were walking to the park and she was free to join us. She followed me and Gia all the way to the park, screaming at the top of her lungs, the whole way. I'm sure all the other Mommy's thought I was a horrible Mom because I just ignored the screaming. I thought it would be unfair to Gia if we didn't get to go, or if Tia got all the attention for having a tantrum. So we played, and listened to irrational, uncontrollable screaming. Eventually (after about 30 minutes) she decided she'd like to have some fun too. We played, got some sun, had lunch/snacks, then it was time to go back home. Miracle of all miracles, neither of them cried when it was time to head home.
I will think of this day each time someone tells me it would be fun to have another baby.
I say, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Do I get Mommy points for having good intentions today? I sure hope so.

All tuckered out

This morning I had the girls stay upstairs with I cleaned. I thought it would keep them away from the television for at least a little while, and I was right. Tia got right into the groove and started cleaning up her room. She even made her bed, perfectly.
They helped me tidy up, put books away, put clothes in drawers, and change sheets. I think it's a great idea to get them into the habit of helping around the house, and at this age they think it's fun.
We then came down to clean up the first floor. I had the girls put all their blocks away in the play room while I vacuumed the family room. They did a great job.

By 11am. Gia had discreetly gone back upstairs.

A few moments later this is how I found them.





She not only went up to get her pacifier (which is supposed to stay in her crib), she grabbed her favorite quilt that was made with love by Great, Great Aunt Joan.















Apparently toddlers get tired out from doing chores! I think this was their quiet way of letting me know they had done enough.

Spring in in the Air!

I told the kids it was warm enough to have our snack outside today. Tia specifically wanted to have a picnic on the grass. Well, I happened to have this great blanket that is designed just for that. I was grocery shopping a couple months ago and found it on the (you guessed it) clearance rack. It was originally $14.99 and it was marked down to...hold on to your hats...$1.49! It folds up into a little square with a handle so you can carry it to the park. The underside is lined with nylon so the blanket won't get wet if the ground is damp. I bought two!
The blanket was a big hit and I have the feeling we won't be able to go to the park without it from now on.

After she was done with her snack, Gia wanted to check the mail.


Tia got nervous about her baby sister being so close to the road and decided to take control of the situation. She dragged her by the hand back to the blanket (several times). You can see by the look on Tia's face, she is all business.
Safety first!


After a snack, a few trips to the mail box, and a couple test drives of the tricycles that have been in the garage all winter, it was time for a cookie!


A little warmer weather and sunshine is all it took to get us out in the fresh air, and away from the TV. By the time we got back inside it was nap time. Time flies when you're having fun!