My birthday.

Today is my birthday.  I usually don't care to make a fuss about it but apparently others around me had different plans this year.  And though it feels odd, I am touched and grateful. 

My celebration actually started yesterday.  I teach a group fitness class every Saturday morning, and my class took me out for lunch after our workout.  I've taught that class for over 11 years so it's a pretty tight group.  And then my folks came over at night to babysit the boys so Charlie and I could go out for a grown-up dinner.  I resisted cutting up his food for him and tried not to talk exclusively about the children.

This morning, the boys kicked things off by waking me up with a treat.  That's our tradition here--birthday boys and girl (notice the singular) get woken with a cupcake (but I requested a whole-wheat chocolate chip muffin, because I'm healthy like that).  The first time we woke Max up with a cupcake, lit candle and all, I thought his little eyes were going to fall out of his head.  And then when we told him he could eat it right then and there in his bed, I'm pretty sure he gasped (we were breaking the "no food allowed in rooms EVER by proclamation of Mom" household rule).  I also opened a present that my very thoughtful mother-in-law sent me: 

I really lucked out in the mother-in-law department.  She's amazing.  When they visited a few weeks ago, I made a teacake using a recipe from this cookbook, which was reprinted in Gourmet magazine.  It was quite good and I mentioned how I'd love to get the cookbook, but that there is a moratorium on cookbook purchases right now.  So she bought it for me.  And everyone has left me in peace to read it this morning!  I read cookbooks like novels and this one is awesome.

Oh.  And look what else I got.  Specifically, look what I got for my birthday two years ago.  How sad is that???  Well, let me just say that it's plenty sad when you consider how long I researched which serger to buy.  And then, when I finally settled on the Viking Huskylock Husqvarna 936, how long I vexed over spending the money, but finally did it (insert memory of dual income here).  And yet there it has sat.  In its box.  I don't have the foggiest on how it works, but I am not, am not, am not, taking on another project until I take that puppy out, plug it in, and learn how to use it.  Sheesh.

So it's been a great birthday.  I'm still in jammies, drinking my second cup of coffee with a cookie, the boys are playing outside but occasionally pop in to shout "I love you mom, happy birthday" (I think Charlie is prompting them but I'll take it), I've got a new cookbook to read, and I am regifting a "new" serger I already gave myself.  I hope you have a wonderful day, too.

WorryWoo monsters.

Have you seen these guys--the WorryWoo monsters?  They are incredible and Max and Leo adore them.

Our family is very lucky to have a friend who loves to spoil our boys.  Well, she actually spoils everyone around her--not just with gifts (though she surely does that), but also with pure kindness and love.  You know those kind of people who just shine?  She's like that. 

Before the start of the year, she gave Max and Leo each a WorryWoo monster, Rue and Nola, and their accompanying books, The Nose that Didn't Fit and The Lonely Monster.  They are superbly made dolls and the story books are so touching.  Here are the links to them on Amazon:  Rue and Nola.  I think it's extremely hard to find dolls for boys but mine still absolutely love their stuffed animals, so these couldn't be more perfect.  If you need a special gift for a little one in your life, I heartily recommend these.

 

Book racks.

   

There are many, many reasons why I love my husband.  But in the top 5, definitely, is his handiness.  We have a great system:

I dog-ear a page in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and casually show it to him saying, "I'm thinking about getting one of these book racks for the kitchen and each of the boys.  They're only $119.  Plus shipping."  Charlie:  "I can make all of those for under $60."  Me:  "no way, really?"  Then he's off to Home Depot and out in the garage sawing/drilling/hammering away.  And poof!  Book racks for me to paint and place wherever I like.  Tell me that's not top 5 material.

We've given these away as gifts to many friends and they are always well received.  Kids like to see the covers of their books.  We (and when I say "we" I really mean "Charlie") have some more in line to make and give.  I think I'll actually pay attention to how he constructs them this time and put together a tutorial so you can make some, too.  Believe me, you cannot have too many. 

As depicted above, we have one:  in the odd kitchen-wall space behind the basement door that is only 5 inches deep (yet can hold several cookbooks); over each of the older boy's bed; and in the book nook corner (that is never, ever used for reading books) in the basement playroom.

Tutorial asap, promise. 

Party on.

 

In in her mini-feature today, Shannon (the mastermind behind the wonderful and completely addictive blog, Creative Parties & Showers) linked to my post on the boys' Master of Disguise birthday party!  Woo hoo.  It's really nice to be mentioned.  But as she features the most amazing parties on her site, to be honest, I sort of feel like I do when I go to a party and am completely under dressed.  You know how that is, right?  You go somewhere in jeans and a cute top but then feel like you stick out among all the gals in cute dresses.  Especially when you have a ton of cute dresses you could have worn?  See (as I said in the original post), that particular party was a bit of a bust for me, as far as party-throwing-according-to-my-plans goes.  And adaptability?  Not my strong suit.  Now, the boys had a great time...and I know that's all that matters in the end...but I'm still more than a little heartbroken that some details and planned activities never saw the light of day. 

But I'm over it.  Obviously. 

Moving on with plans for the their next one.  And for Halloween.  And for our gingerbread house decorating party.  If you love looking at all things party related too, be sure to check out Creative Parties & Showers.  But just make sure you have a big cup of tea or coffee and a couple of hours to enjoy that blogcandy!  

Book love.

I am so excited to get this book! I have to ration my Amazon book purchases because, you know, we're living off one salary these days and groceries are supposedly more important.  But, man, is it hard!  I can go without the trendy clothes I used to load up on because I still get my retail therapy fix by dressing the boys in cute gear.  And besides, do I really need to dress up to go to the park, the grocery store, the elementary school, or the doctor's office?  Um, no.  But books.  Oh, books.  I just adore them and have a hard time resisting them, especially cooking and crafting books. I usually check them out of the library first to see whether I really want to buy them.  But with Amanda Blake Soule's newest book, Handmade Home, I just went ahead and ordered it.  I loved her first book, The Creative Family, so much that I knew I'd want her latest.  I'll hopefully post about some creations soon--I want to get a head start on Christmas presents (yea, right--but a girl can dream).  And yes, the UPS man thinks I'm a crazy stalker lady because whenever he turns into our neighborhood I am out front waving to him because I assume he's bringing me this book.  Tracking info says tomorrow!

The family balancing act.

 

When I was still working, I remember thinking that when I finally stayed home, I'd have all the time in the world to get things done--so no prioritizing would be needed.  Ha!  Rather, I've discovered that the kitchen is like a diner and the house gets wrecked every few hours instead of just on the weekends (when I was working, the older boys were in daycare so by the time we got home and had dinner, it was time for bedtime routines. The only time the toys came out in mass quantities, really, was on the weekends).  Plus, I'm a bit adrift without my standing Wednesday admin day where I closed my door and ate lunch at my desk and paid all the bills, updated the family calendar, etc.  The truth is, I'm busier than ever even though "I'm home"--and it's kind of shocked me.

For most of us, I think, our goals are to be a great mom and wife (and daughter/sister/friend/neighbor, etc.), keep a nice home, and also take care of ourselves--right?  I used to think that I should do those things only in that order of priority.  And of course, I still think that cultivating my relationship with my family is the most important and that it trumps all of my other duties.  But I've come to realize that I can only do that to the best of my ability when I also take time to work on the other areas of my life.

Flip Flops and Applesauce had a great post the other day where she described those areas as: responsibilities; relationships; rest--and I think she's spot on.  As I have been trying to recast the new balancing act of my stay-at-home self for some time, her post helped me better define things in my mind. My best days are those when I gain at least a little bit in each area.

Because the pantry I'd really, really love to organize again?  I'd feel crummy if I spent three hours to straighten it instead of doing something with the boys.  But I also know my Type-A-self well enough to realize that I'd also feel crummy if I planned all-day outings three days in a row and ignored housework.  I need clean spaces in my home.  I am also the kind of girl who starts checking her pockets like she's forgotten something if I don't work out regularly--it's like, "oh yeah, I didn't forget anything...I just didn't sweat today."  So instead of trying to do it all, my new outlook is to do a little of "it all" each day.  So I'm off to continue practicing this new philosophy--it's been working for me lately (except the admin part.  Still stink at finding time for that.  Just realized "next week's" open house night at Max's school is actually tonight.  Oops--off to find a sitter).  Hope you find balance in your day too! 

 

Blueberries.

We are CSA members to a farm and try to make it there a few times during the season to pick fruit.  We recently went for blueberries and managed to pick quite a haul.  Will, who usually does more quality control tasting than picking, even managed to pick a nice amount. 

I love blueberries and often bake them up in muffins, scones, and pies.  But I wanted to try a new blueberry recipe so turned to one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  Her post on Blueberry Boy Bait made my day (I love recipes with a story!) and the single-layer cake the recipe turned out made my boys smack their lips and ask if we picked enough to make it again and again and again.  Trying to be funny, I casually said, "oh, like to infinity?" which, of course, led to a dozen questions and my feeble attempt to explain the concept of an unlimited extent of time, space, or quantity to a four and six-year old--yea, that was a fun one.  I should have just left it at "it's what Buzz Lightyear says" because when I tried to simplify it by telling them "you can never get to infinity.  It's as big as you can get," they responded, "then what's infinity plus one?"  I made them be quiet with seconds.              

I'm linking to the recipe rather than reprinting here because the only modification I made is adding in at least twice the amount of blueberries (so a generous full cup).  I'll be trying it with other fruit soon. 

Enjoy! 

  

Beach trip.

We went to the beach for a few days and had a great time.  And by a great time, I simply mean that in the end, the effort and pain of packing, sitting in traffic, trying to convince two older kids that they can hold it, unpacking, shush shushing so the baby can nap, hauling 5 beach bags, 3 kids, and a stroller 3 blocks to the beach, constantly finger-swiping mouthfuls of sand, promising to scotch-tape broken shells to avoid meltdowns, refereeing who got which bucket, shovel, toy, etc. even though there were plenty to share, having a side of grit with every bite because little sand covered hands could not keep out of the snacks--then repeating everything a la Groundhog Day until it was time to reverse the order and head home--was worth it. 

Because Will got his first beach trip.  

And Leo, who would not let his bare feet touch sand a year ago, is evidently over that quirk.

And Max spent hours lost in a sandcastle mission and his first try at boogieboarding.

And the older ones laughed and smiled, screamed and hooted like we've never seen on an assortment of amusement rides.  

Oh, and I'm pretty sure that eating french fries and ice cream every single night helped color my memory of the trip a bit, too.  Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

 

Texas, revisited.

Sorry to be gone for a bit.  I went back to Texas for my 20 year high school reunion and oh my goodness did I have fun.  I went to high school in San Antonio and the reunion was held downtown, near the Riverwalk.  Since our high school was located in a San Antonio suburb, we really didn't make it downtown very much except for special occasions.  And so the Riverwalk always seemed like a big deal to us.  So grownup or--to use my high-school speak--like, sooo bad, y'all.  Remember when bad meant good?  Yea, well, it was like that.  Suddenly we were the rowdy grownups in the bars down at the Riverwalk and it was indeed pretty bad and yet really good. 

My life in Texas seems so odd to me now.  Yes of course because I was so young and everyone called me 'Sandy' and football games ruled my social life but also because, for me at least, Texas is not just a place where you live.  It's a bigger, Deep in the Heart (clap, clap, clap) kind of lifestyle.  You simply can't avoid doing certain Texas things, even if you're only there for a blip on your life's radar.  I can't explain it very well, sorry, because truthfully I don't exactly know what that means--but maybe you do if you've lived it too.  Maybe you got mums the size of your head for Homecoming and know what Ropers are.  Maybe you two-stepped at the Bluebonnet even if you listened to Erasure. 

Things were just done differently there.  Most of my East coast friends cannot believe how much we dressed up as high-school students in Texas.  If you were to flip through my yearbook, you could easily assume that there was some sort of daily, mandatory attendance to a cotillion or something.  We're talking dresses, heels, Laura Ashley up the wazoo...the works--just to go to class.  So when shopping for a "reunion" dress, I was a little conflicted--do I try to guess what my Texas self would wear?  Or do I go all East Coast Banana Republic minimal, the look I've sported as a guest to 21--yes, I counted--weddings.  In the end, I took a good friend with me and slapped the racks looking for something, anything, I felt pretty in.  I figured pretty always works. 

The weekend was another girls-only trip which was a pretty big shock to my system as it was a mere two weeks after my last girls trip.  Before these two, I had gone on exactly zero such trips since having children.  So the rapid-fire timing of these two left me feeling a bit guilty (in that I might be spending too much time away from my family) but mostly (sorry honey), they tapped a real yearning for more, more, more.  More time to enjoy with close girlfriends to sit and chat and eat and shop and awake naturally rather than by a child's need or cry.  And, of course, it allowed us to talk nonstop about our children's needs and cries.  This particular trip was shared with my friend Kristin.  It was her reunion too as we've been best friends since eighth grade, ever since I moved two doors down from her house.  The kicker is she also made the trek up North and East during college and now lives only 30 minutes away from me.  We roomed together in college, were each other's maids of honor and have a running joke that if we could just get our four-year-olds to marry we could be related for real.  We don't think we surprised anyone by coming together. 

The reunion was something I'm so glad I didn't miss.  I left San Antonio after a brilliant weekend reconnecting with friends who I did so many firsts with--school dances, makeup, rock concerts, consuming crushes, driving tests, sneaking out, college admissions, daydreams about how our lives would end up....  So to go back and see them in the flesh--not just by lurking on Facebook--and hear about their lives and see them with their babies on their hips was completely and utterly surreal.  It was as if we were at a sleepover, playing with a cootie catcher asking "how many kids will I have", then blinked, and suddenly, here we were.

I know this entry isn't about crafts or cooking or anything else this blog is typically about, but I wanted to take a second to jot a few thoughts down to memorialize it.  I think I'll hit print, sign it "LYLAS, Sandy", fold it up into a nice, tight note with a "pull me" tab, and pass it to Kris.  I also hope it encourages some of you to get back in touch with a long lost friend, or two, or, in my case, a solid three dozen.  If they were important in your life at some point then there was a reason.  And it might just surprise you to find out how well they still fit there. 

Crazy, exhibit A.

Last Sunday, my wonderful husband, Charlie, surprised me by telling me that he and the husband of my good friend, Caryn, had arranged to send us away for a girls trip.  It begins tomorrow.

Do I think that this is just about the sweetest thing ever?  Of course I do.  Do I think that a girls trip sounds divine?  Oh yes, you betcha.

But you see, I'm a worrier and a planner.  And I don't mean just a little bit, either.  I mean that if planning and worrying were competitive sports, I'd medal in both.

So what does my brand of crazy (regarding prep) look like crammed into five days?  Well, I've constructed a sticky note collage detailing what each mysterious looking bottle in the medicine chest might be used for (I do not think my husband will be able to tell by feel in the middle of the night like I do and it's important to know where Leo's asthma medicine is or which lotion to use on Will's rash vice Leo's eczema or when to use Ibuprofen vice Children's Tylenol, etc.).  I've made a pan of mac 'n cheese so that there is a fallback dish everyone can agree on.  I've made muffins to reward or bribe as necessary.  I've washed, folded and put away every stitch of clothing that could possibly be necessary (from Halloween outfits to winter scarves, never mind that it's summer), noting that the last time this occurred was in 2003 b.k. (before kids).  I've done my best to make sure that the pool bag, park bag, diaper bag, jog stroller, and car emergency bag are all restocked with diapers, sunscreen, bug spray, water, first aid kit, and so on.

So how long is this trip, you ask?  We are staying one full night at a place called Poplar Springs, The Inn Spa, which is barely an hour's drive West. 

Do I know that this prep is overkill for such a short and close trip?  Of course I do.  After writing this blog entry, am I starting to understand why my husband secretly planned a trip for me to go to a spa with my girlfriend to unwind?  Oh yes, you betcha. 

Here is where I'm headed. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, too.