Mother's Day antics

I hope you enjoyed an entertaining Mother's Day :) 

World Meteorological Day

Apparently today is the Official World-Day-'o-Weather.  Who knew?  Well, I had a heads up because they day after they filmed this I heard all about getting a cupcake at work.  I'll admit it - I'm a little jealous because all I get surprised with at work are things like barf and hearing phrases about where undies belong and where they can be worn publicly come out of my mouth.  But it's cute.  Check out the video, it's the on-air folks surprising the mets.  And you can catch our very own WeatherMan in there too. 

Because don't we always need more to celebrate?  I just hope no one is expecting me to get him a greeting card.

Bumming Around the Christmas Tree

What holiday isn't complete without some good stories that come out of it?  Like the Thanksgiving the turkey caught fire.  But that's a tale for another day.  Now we're just remembering the fun that is Christmas with littles.  Beyond the usual sugar induced, Santa's on his way insanity kind of adventures because we certainly had our share of that too. 

On Christmas Eve we went to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  (I don't make vast quantities of Christmas cookies, this year it was just a batch of reverse chocolate chip cookies and a batch of chocolate chip dough to bake a tray at a time.)  Once the oven started to preheat it started smoking!  I'm guessing that last chicken we roasted a few days before did a number on the oven with it's splattering.  And that would be why I prefer to make chicken in the slow cooker but I wasn't in charge of that particular dinner and so that goes. 

Anyway, the real problem was what to do about dinner!  We carry on the WeatherMan's family tradition of having "white supper" after Mass, before the kids go to bed.  We did have some oven cleaner and would be gone long enough for it to do it's magic (without killing us all with fumes.)  But to get home around 6:30 and then wipe down the oven and then have to bake the fish and whatnot for dinner was just going to be torture.  So what do we do?  We call the closest Chinese restaurant and make sure they will still be open so we can get take out on our way home from Mass :)  Only a few quotes from A Christmas Story were thrown around that evening because "we are going out to eat."  

We had at least one other Christmas Story moment watching a very worn out Littler laying on the floor driving cars around.  Just like Randy with his zeppelin.  He did not fall asleep in the pile of wrapping paper, although we might have had a slightly calmer afternoon if he had.  But napping just isn't the way we roll. 

The boys got a musical gift from their musician uncle.  I had actually suggested these to him and he expressed concern to our mom that maybe I didn't know what I was really asking for.  They're Boomwhackers - a set of pitched tubes.  A great noisy boy toy.  (And to reassure my brother, the boys also love paints but it doesn't mean they always have access to them ;-)  But I had no idea just how open ended the play would be that they could come up with with these suckers.  Of course they like whacking them on anything they can get to.  And someday they'll figure out that each one makes a different sound.  And they've made them into shovels, airplanes, and fishing poles.  Being boys they even made themselves some guns - and not just any guns.  Littler put the biggest up on his shoulder and said "I shoot."  How he came up with his own bazooka at 2 years old I will never know! 

But my personal favorite is when I thought they were playing the cello (picture one tube straight down to the ground, one across it like a bow.)  But when Bigger explained it made so much more sense because, really, how would they come up with playing the cello?  No, they were Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in Singing in the Rain.  Can you see it now?  "Fit as a fiddle and ready for love, I can jump over the moon up above."  Complete with some dance like moves and jumping.  And this opened up another world of play, tipping Bigger's mattress against Littler's crib and trying to run up the wall like O'Connor in "Make 'Em Laugh."  Of course this devolved into dragging each other to the floor and sitting on each other while laughing hysterically.  Have I mentioned how we desperately need a yard? 

I for one am looking forward to Epiphany when we can take down the tree.  The boys I am certain do not share my feelings.  Many happy hours have been spent contemplating which ornament to pull on and yank off the tree next.  Thank goodness those shatterproof balls bounce.  When you step on them though it's another story. 

There has also been at least one swift Mama rescue needed for a little who got himself stuck behind the tree.  He was so not happy with Mama's decision to take a picture of his distress before getting him the heck out of there.  Those little branches are just a wee bit scratchy, ya know! 

But perhaps best of all for this Mama was the fact that she was not thrown up on once through the course of all this fun :)  Ahh, the little blessings in life. 

Christmas movies part 2

Another taped off TV favorite is A Child's Christmas in Wales.  In it a grandfather tells his grandson what Christmas was like when he was a boy.  It is a beautiful blend of Dylan Thomas' poetry and the magic of Christmas, any Christmas.  The costumes, music, and acting are all amazing.  This is my favorite scene, which might be an untruth because every scene is my favorite :)  It's about the useless presents.  This is also the one bit that people who haven't seen the whole thing might remember - I have friends who had never seen it but knew this part. 

Christmas movies

Christmas movies have always been a big part of what makes it feel like Christmas.  But none of this "Frosty" business in our house.  I didn't actually see those till I was a freshman in college when my friends couldn't believe I'd never seen them and made me watch.  Really.  No way, I grew up on the classics - Miracle on 34th Street on Thanksgiving, A Christmas Story and A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott.  The Grinch and Charlie Brown if we caught them on TV.  But really the biggies for us are the specials - Garfield with the opening theme song of "Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme" which was on the same tape (taped off TV one wonderful Christmas season, 1987 I think) as the Claymation Christmas Celebration. 

This is old school claymation.  Dinosaurs explaining the meaning behind classic Christmas carols.  Ice skating walruses named Margot Pontoon and Rudolf Nervesonedge.  The California Raisins.  Wise men and camels.  And don't forget the Christmas snacks ;-)  This is my favorite from the show - it kinda ruins every other versions of "Joy to the World" you'll ever hear but it is absolutely amazing. 

St. Nicholas Day

We celebrated in a typically little boy fashion.  Nothing too deep this year.  The boys had left their shoes out last night before they passed out during the evening news.  And this is what they found in the dark of the morning, much to their excitement.  Bigger grabbed the movie and Littler was left with grabbed the chocolates.  The candy canes were broken open before breakfast and consequently taken away.  Bigger took candy canes to his preschool teachers and we watched the movie after lunch. 

Next year we'll be a little more into the meaning of the celebration.  ;-) 

Thankfulness

In honor of Thanksgiving I challenged myself to list 100 things I am thankful for.  This has been an ongoing project all week.  And here are the results -

1. my beautiful family
2. good health
3. abundant food and drinkable water
4. good friends and family
5. hot showers
6. chocolate
7. NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, and Blue Bloods
8. turkey broth simmering on the stove
9. leftovers
10. Signing Time and Pixar
11. knitting
12. free shipping
13. piles of books
14. washable markers
15. rechargeable camera batteries
16. blogging and the blogging community
17. hot tea
18. sweet tea
19. Dr Pepper
20. double strollers
21. caring neighbors
22. co-op preschool
23. wonderful teachers at preschool
24. a reliable car
25. living close enough to things to be able to walk
26. playgroup
27. frozen blueberries
28. "Abiyoyo" and other Pete Seeger recordings
29. sleeping through the night occasionally
30. silly stories about whatever is on the boys' minds
31. cozy snuggles
32. sunshine
33. sunglasses
34. dancing
35. the Internet
36. Facebook
37. rice pudding
38. puzzles
39. education
40. imagination
41. compassion
42. forgiveness
43. band aids
44. a sense of humor
45. sippy cups
46. years of dance class
47. camp
48. indoor plumbing
49. s'mores
50. moments of peace
51. cream of wheat with maple syrup
52. roasted sweet potatoes and apples
53. chocolate chip cookies
54. yoga
55. camp songs and other folk songs
56. clean laundry
57. washing machines
58. little boys matching and folding socks
59. little boys clearing the table
60. and washing their own dishes
61. pizza night
62. fabric
63. creating
64. time to create
65. time to read
66. naps
67. Gene Kelly
68. Tomie dePaola
69. changing seasons
70. the liturgical year
71. faith
72. Church and church
73. hope
74. grace
75. the library
76. hearing a little boy say "more bocki p'eas, Mama!" after eating all his broccoli and all of Daddy's
77. boys hanging up their own coats and putting away their shoes when they come in
78. that frozen blueberry stains wash out
79. ballet
80. PBS
81. musicals
82. growing up like in a musical where people really do sing and dance at any time
83. stumping my mom on the "there's rock 'n roll for everything" game
84. family photos
85. cold cheese pizza (it's not what you think!)
86. Christmas movies
87. sensitive toothpaste
88. a kind and accepting (especially of preschool shenanigans) worship community
89. Rice Crispie treats
90. feta cheese
91. not having to wash the dishes
92. hoodies
93. unsolicited little boy kisses and "I love you"s
94. unaccompanied trips to the bathroom
95. the saints
96. peppermint scented soap
97. giggles and grins
98. getting things done
99. sitting back to enjoy
100. about a million other things

Celebration!

Yesterday we went to the wedding of one of my best friends from high school.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  And a gorgeous ceremony.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures because we weren't allowed.  Is that the newest thing in wedding etiquette?  Please turn off your cell phones and no photography?  I totally agree with the reasoning - it takes your focus away from the bride and groom and that is what the photographer is there for.  But the photographer isn't going to give me pictures for FaceBook or my blog, I'd have to pay a ridiculous price for prints probably not even the digital copies.  So that is frustrating.  But believe me it was so beautiful. 

I didn't get too many other pictures either, reception lighting is never really camera friendly.  (Which is one of the reasons I'm really hoping to get a new camera soon but that's a 'nother story.)  On the table was a card with ideas for pictures to take and post to the bride and groom's wedding website.  The first on the list was an unusual shot of the centerpiece.  Here's mine.  The favors were Italian cookies (the little leaf shaped ones with chococlate between the layers, I can't remember what they're called) and little bookmarks with a photo of the bride and groom and a note on the back saying that a donation had been made in honor of the bride's father. 

The WeatherMan and I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon date without kids.  It was highly unusual :)   And it was wonderful seeing friends from high school who I "see" on FaceBook.  The picture of the bunch of us together is one I probably will but from the photographer :) 

Today we're off on the second leg of our adventure.  Tonight I'll be selecting the winner of the My Memories Suite giveaway - there's still time to enter!  And maybe I'll even get to post about the quilt I just finished tomorrow :)