Taradactyl in a Modern World

Catch up

2011-05-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Due to computer issues I haven't been blogging regularly. Here are a few photos to catch up.

Here is a photo of my two favorite backyard buddies.

Here is a photo of Curtis with his first lost tooth. He lost it at school and they gave him a cute little tooth shaped case to hold it until he got home and could put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy. He was soooooo excited to finally lose a tooth.

Here is one of my Mother's day presents from Curtis.

Here is his before photo.

Here is after...

Yup he decided all on his own to get a haircut. It was just as sudden and unexplained as when he decided to grow his hair. I'm pretty pleased with the cut he got at Sports Clips but I do miss his gorgeous hair a little. This will be much cooler for the summer, and let me tell you, it's summer weather already here in Florida!

Hopefully I'll be blogging more soon from a new laptop (fingers crossed).

{this moment} -- homework time

2011-05-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment} - Easter Bunny 2011

2011-04-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Quinoa and Lips and Broken Computers

2011-04-12T16:32:00.001-07:00

What do all of these things have in common? Well they all were in my life today.

Perhaps you noticed that I haven't been blogging lately. This was due to the fact that my beloved (read with sarcasm) laptop officially bit the dust last week. I had recently backed up most of the stuff on it and will only have to figure out how to get a few files of photos off somehow (you've got me how that will happen), so it isn't that bad of a scenario really. I knew the thing was headed for the dump for a while now so it wasn't really a surprise so much as a hassle.

Luckily for me we kind of 'inherited' a desktop computer from a distant relative of my husbands a few months ago, so I am now finally back in operation (for how long, who knows). Let's just say if you want to keep your computer working well, I wouldn't suggest getting it within a 3 foot radius of me because I am now convinced that I am a computer killer (perhaps I have a magnetic field around my skull).

All kidding aside, I am very grateful for this computer and the freedom to socialize and research that it gives me. As a stay-at-home-mom things can get kind of dicey at times (isolation anyone?) so this outlet has really provided me with some great friends and knowledge (and recipes as seen below).

Now for the lips. Well my poor little 3 year old had to go in and have a growth removed from his lip today. What a traumatic experience it is to hold your thrashing and screaming child as a doctor shoots his lip full of needles and then cuts part off with a blade. I am not exaggerating at all, but honestly it went so quickly that it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, and now we wait for the biopsy results. The doc isn't concerned and doesn't expect much to be found, but that's exactly what all the docs said to me about the diabetes tests and we all know how that turned out (did I mention that I'm looking down the barrel of a Type II diabetes diagnosis?).

After this picture was taken I drove my brave little guy to Costco for frozen yogurt, which as we all know, makes everything feel less painful (sugar is a drug after all).

Now for the quinoa....have you heard of quinoa? It is an ancient grain that is one of the few vegetarian sources of a complete protein. It is a little like rice and cooks up similarly but is actually a seed originally from South America. Apparently you can make it as a main dish, side dish, or even a breakfast porridge. Tonight I found the simplest pilaf recipe I could find for my first foray into the world of quinoa, and drum roll please.......it turned out great! Yes, even the picky ones ate some. My wonderful husband said it was better than any of the rice dishes I have made in months (is that a complement?). So now here I will share it with you and encourage you to try this wonderful source of healthy fats, complex carbs, and complete protein. Heck, this is what I would bring with me on a deserted island for sure.

Quinoa Pilaf

Rinse 1 cup quinoa several times. In a pot heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and then add 1/2 a diced onion and 1 diced carrot. Cook until softened and then add the quinoa and cook for about 3 mins until it smells nutty. Add 3 cups veggie broth and bring back to a simmer. Lower heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 mins or until all fluid is absorbed. Garnish with fresh parsley, toasted pine nuts, and/or raisins if you are into that kind of thing (we ate it plain).

Yum!

{this moment}

2011-04-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Harvey

2011-03-18T14:47:00.001-07:00

We got a dog!

Harvey was found walking the streets of Orange County at the end of February by the dog catcher (is that what they are called?). He stayed at the pound until a rescue agency took him in just days before his time was up. When we went to his foster home to meet him we instantly knew that he was the dog for us. After less than a week with us he is already a part of the family.

He loves his new big brother the most and even sleeps in bed with him.

He gets along with the cat pretty well.

He loves the toy that I bought him.

But he doesn't really pose for photos much.

{this moment} -- find Harvey, our new dog

2011-03-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Love & Tea

2011-03-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

I'm guest blogger today on Love & Tea's blog. I love their teas so much and was honored to be asked to write for them. Check it out....

{this moment} - yard work

2011-03-11T12:27:00.000-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

This year I decided to make handmade Valentine's for the boys to exchange at school. While I know they probably mostly care about the candy involved, I do find it fun to be creative even in this small way, so I set about making over 30 felt fortune cookies for the boys to pass out. I used this tutorial and filled each cookie with a Hershey kiss and a little note saying 'Happy Valentine's Day Love, Clark/Curtis'.

These were fun and easy to make and I think they turned out pretty cute. Now I just wonder how many 3 and 6 year old children know what a fortune cookie is.

I made heart shaped pizzas as my gift to the family for Valentine's dinner. Curt and I celebrated our Valentine's a few days earlier when it was much easier to get a babysitter. We had pedicures (his first!) and tried out a new-to-us Asian restaurant which was REALLY good. It was a near perfect date night. On the actual holiday we celebrated as a family over this home cooked meal.

Over the weekend before the holiday the boys got really into making paper Valentines to give out to a local nursing home. I was gifted a set of scrap-booking scissors years ago and they finally came in handy (after all, I don't scrapbook). Curtis cut heart after heart out of red paper, but Clark did need a little assistance.

While I do agree with most people that this is a very 'Hallmark' holiday, it is always fun to get crafty with my family and celebrating love is something I will never turn my nose up at.

Happy Valentine's Day!
XOXO

{this moment}

2011-02-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

{this moment}

2011-02-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Sandwich Wrap

2011-01-31T13:22:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to making a few of these sandwich wrappers for the boys lunchboxes. I used this tutorial and supplies that I already had so it was a pretty quick and easy project. Here you can see what it looks like after it is all wrapped up.

I found this pirate themed fabric in my stash and thought it was just perfect for this project. The pirate obsession all started one recent weekend when we walked over to the school playground, which happens to have a boat shaped jungle gym. We had such a fun time pretending to be pirates looking for buried treasure that the game has continued off and on many times since then.

This wrap not only saves me from using reusable plastic sandwich bags, but it also serves as a handy place mat for when the boys are eating their lunches at school. You may remember when I made some reusable velcro topped baggies for snacks a while back. Those are perfect for snacks, but not as easy for the boys to use for sandwiches. Now we have these wonderful wraps to add to our tupperware and baggie collection and I have cut my usage of disposable products even more!

Gratitude and Affection

2011-01-23T12:32:00.001-08:00

Here we are over half way through January and I'm finally writing a post about New Year's Resolutions. This may give you the impression that I am late to the game, but in reality I just get very little quiet alone time to blog!

There have been years in the past where I had a very clear cut idea of what I wanted to focus on for the year. I remember one year I decided to make my resolution to floss my teeth every night. Here I am years later still flossing most nights and now I do it without even really thinking about it. That was a pretty easy resolution. Not only does it make complete sense to make my dental health a priority, but it's a pretty quick and easy task to incorporate into my daily life.

There have also been years where I have tackled more difficult resolutions. Last year I resolved to love myself more. This may look like an easy resolution on paper, but it is actually a really complex task that involves forgiveness, acceptance, and love....all things that I continue to improve on everyday.

This year was one where I didn't feel a really clear cut resolution coming to me. All through December and even early January I heard discussions and read blog posts of resolutions and yet I still had a blank mind about the topic.

Recently I have realized that my resolution this year has kind of evolved in and of itself. It is another complex resolution and yet I am finding that it has many easy daily steps that seem to be taking hold in the fiber of my being.

This year I am resolving to cultivated gratitude and affection in my life. I've know that the Law of Attraction is true for many years, but my ability to make it work for me has come and gone. This law, which says that 'like attracts like', is the reason why things only get worse for me the more I complain about them. It is also the reason why cultivating gratitude and affection makes complete sense.

There are many simple and small ways to develop an attitude of gratitude in your life. We now say a blessing before dinner to show our thanks for the food. I am also trying to give more unexpected hugs to show my thanks for companionship. And of course, I am still making sure to keep up with the simple pleasantries like saying 'thank you' or 'excuse me'. I have been focusing on these few specific small steps and have already noticed big changes.

As parents, we know that everyday we are setting examples that our children will consciously and subconsciously follow. I have decided to take this even further by including my children in my quest to focus on gratitude and affection this year.

Every night before bed I sit with my boys and we each take turns telling each other what our favorite part of the day was. This serves as a simple gratitude list for them and ensures that they go to sleep focused on the positive parts of the day instead of the negative. We also each take a turn speculating on what we are most looking forward to in the day to come. Sometimes the boys come up with things that I know will not be happening, but I don't correct them or try to change their imaginings because I know that dreaming is also part of the process. How could their dreams come true if they didn't have any after all?

So after doing this for a few weeks they are now in such a habit that they excitedly remind me each night that it is time to, "Say what we liked best today." Yesterday as we were playing Frisbee out in the front yard we heard the distant music of the ice cream truck. My husband and I both made eye contact and with a small nod I knew it was my cue to run inside for some change. The boys were obviously excited to get ice cream sandwiches in the middle of the day, as this is not a typical thing for us. As my husband and I sat in lawn chairs watching the sticky chins and smiling face my 6 year old turned to me and said, "You know what Mom? This is going to be my favorite thing of the day today."

That is when I realized that it was working. In his 6 year old way, my son was expressing his gratitude of this simple and yet special moment. What took me many many years to realize he is now internalizing and I couldn't be more proud.

I know that in this day and age it may seem like some of us have little to be grateful for, and yet this is when we need gratitude the most. I encourage everyone to focus on the small magic of this life that we were given and I can promise you that you will feel a difference if you do.

{this moment}

2011-01-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Winter in Central Florida means.....

2011-01-09T11:40:00.001-08:00

...it's colder at night and the Fisher's have to sleep under more blankets...

....the Strawberry farm is open and we get to enjoy fresh picked berries...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

I've been taking an internet break while celebrating the holidays with my guys. Here are a few photos that I wanted to share of our festivities.

Mother Nature gave us beautiful Christmas weather in Cen FL and lots of oranges too.

Clark got a shopping cart.

Curtis got the DS he wanted.

We spent wonderful times together as a family.

And of course we made the cookies that are a tradition on my side of the family.

Hope all of you had a great holiday season!

{this moment}

2010-12-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. (well actually last week) A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishes for a beautiful weekend to you!

Santa

2010-12-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

I've done a lot of thinking about Santa since Curtis was born 6 years ago. When I was a kid my parents told us children about Santa and then pretty much let us go with our imaginations. We saw Christmas movies and shows and read books and pretty much grew up with the basic North American Santa Claus beliefs. I remember writing him letters and leaving him cookies with such a feeling of wonder and excitement each Christmas like most other middle class children in New Jersey did at the time.

What I don't remember is when I found out the 'truth' about Santa. I can say, as a very sensitive person with a good memory for pain, that I did not feel lied to or misled by my parents when I did find out that it was them providing all those toys under the tree and eating those cookies that I set out each Christmas Eve. In fact my memory of the event is pretty foggy at the most and I am thinking it may have been the kind of realization that happens over a course of time.

Now, having said all of that I completely understand all of the arguments against Santa. I don't want to lie to anyone ever, let alone my kids. I also don't like the fact that most of what kids do believe about Santa has to do with consumption and greed. I try really hard not to label my boys, so the thought of a 'naughty' or 'nice' list sends shivers down my spine....However, there is something just magical about Santa.

I have come to the conclusion that I will allow my kids to believe whatever they want when it comes to Santa. As long the story of Santa continues to bring them such joy, then I see no reason for me to burst this bubble. After all I believe in lots of things that I cannot see or feel or prove, so maybe Santa is just another human practice in faith on a more elementary level. Without some magic and faith in our lives I personally believe that this earth would be a very depressing place to live. So in these last days before Christmas I say a very jolly Ho Ho Ho and a Merry Christmas to you!

PS - It was a nice mild December day when we saw Santa at the neighborhood festival. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worse and we are all bundled up and enduring the few weeks of cold that Florida gets each year. Warm wishes to all!

Birthday time!

2010-12-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...no I'm not talking about Christmas or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or any other holiday...I'm talking about my two sons birthdays! It isn't always easy having two boys with birthdays right smack in the middle of the holiday season (did I mention my husband's b'day is in January?), but we know how to focus on the positive in this family and have really enjoyed celebrating this year.

Since my boys birthdays are less than a month apart we have successfully thrown a joint party for the past two years in a row. Our party this year was held this past Saturday and I am so glad that the beautiful and mild weather held out for us. Tough times have called for a more scaled back party this year, but their closest friends and family came to celebrate and my boys were showered with tons of love and presents.

This year Curtis asked for a Lego themed cake and party. After watching many a tutorial online I decided to make two lego block cakes so each boy could have his own theme.

Here you can see the Spongebob themed Lego cake for Clark.

And here you can see the Star Wars Lego cake for Curtis.

And here they are blowing out the candles.

Tomorrow my first baby will turn 6 and I can't help but to feel nostalgic. I cannot wait to see what is in store for these two wonderful sons of mine in the future and I will love sharing every minute of it with them!

Happy Birthday Curtis and Clark!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

2010-11-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

This year the Fisher family certainly has a lot to be thankful for.

One of the main people on my gratitude list is a certain little 'just turned three-year-old'. He really is a little silly turkey most of the time and has been keeping me on my toes a lot lately!

If you know anything about me, you know I have a major sweet tooth, so these two delicious pies are certainly on the list too.

This year we started a new family tradition by making a 'Thankful Tree' after dinner this afternoon. I had planned to make a tree from a branch and pot filled with stones, but I never did get around to it with all of the holiday hoopla. Instead, each family member wrote a few things that they are thankful for on construction paper leaves and I arranged them into a pine-cone center-piece that I keep on my dining table.

There were a few interesting additions to the 'tree'. While I was pretty impressed that Curtis had God on one of his leaves, I was not surprised that both boys put the Wii on a leaf. I did enjoy using this thoughtful time together to bond as a family and will continue to try to instill the practice of active gratitude into my two boys.

I have seen first hand how drastically active gratitude can change a life, and while I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving I would also like to take this time to remind you to be mindful of your blessings all year round.

{this moment}

2010-11-12T14:35:00.001-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

2010-11-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

ATrain Ride North

2010-11-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Recently, Clark and I took a train ride up north to visit my family. We rode up on an over-night train, getting as much sleep as possible while the train carried us through the Bible-belt states.

Here you can see as Clark waved to Paw Paw excitedly as the train pulled away.

Clark was very excited to ride on the train. I began discussing it with him about a week before the trip and he asked at least twice a day to "get on the train." I don't know what it is about little boys and the train, but it is definitely a match made in heaven.

After we woke up on the train the next morning, we had breakfast in our seats and prepared to depart in Raleigh, NC.

Instantly we knew we were under-dressed for the weather, so we pulled out our hoodies and headed to the rental car place for the next part of our trip.

Visiting Grandmom and Grandpop was really fun. Clark got to bounce in a bounce house, visit a really cool children's museum, and feed goats on a real working farm. We both had a great time catching up with my parents and enjoying the peacefulness of their country home.

We also got to visit my oldest brother and his family while on our trip. It was so great seeing them, and both Clark and I were very sad to leave when the time came.

While I mostly enjoyed my nephew's company, I also enjoyed his drum kit just a little bit.

And Clark and I both enjoyed a wonderful Japanese meal cooked by my super cool Sister-in-law. Don't worry we didn't give Clark any of the sake!

I would definitely recommend overnight train travel to families with children. While I didn't get a great night's sleep either way, it was nice to be able to just sit back and relax as the work of the travel was being done for me. Clark LOVED everything about the train and still talks about it to this day. We are discussing a trip north with the whole family for sometime in the future, but for now I am enjoying being back home in my own bed (and my own warm-weather home state).

Halloween Crafting

2010-10-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

Halloween is by far my two son's favorite holiday. I'm not sure why, but they say they like it even more than Christmas. I know they like the candy, but they also really like all of the Autumn themes that come along with this holiday in particular.

This year we spent most of the month of October making holiday crafts. Both boys are getting more and more into arts & crafts, and this couldn't make this 'crafty' Mom any happier.

Here is one of the hand print bats that we made. We got this craft from my church group and the boys did enjoy making them at home. I like the fact that I have a record of the size of their hands during this season and I hung them up in my kitchen to enjoy for a while.

Last year I bought several holiday themed 'foamy craft kits' right after the holiday on clearance. These next two crafts come from a kit that the boys really enjoyed personalizing. Curtis made this spooky sign for our front door, practicing his spelling skills with foam letters.

Clark choose to make this magnet for our refrigerator, decorated with really sparkly glitter.

At a holiday themed story-time, sponsored by the library at a local park, we were given this little paper craft. Clark had fun folding the papers and I helped him slide them onto the base. I was very pleased with how sweet and minimal this one turned out.

And of course I wouldn't be Taradactyl if I didn't have some kind of baked good to share for the holiday. When we were up north visiting family last week Clark was given this little plastic spider by a friend of my Mom's who decorates cakes for a living. I immediately got the idea to try this spiderweb cake that I had seen in magazines. I was pretty happy with the results and the guys were all very happy to help eat it.

And now as my tired little boys sleep off the excitement of Halloween, I have this one evening to relax before I can begin to plan for the joy of the next celebration, my baby boy's 3rd birthday!!!

{this moment}

2010-10-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing everyone a great Halloween weekend!

{this moment}

2010-10-08T16:59:00.001-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Baking Weather

2010-10-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's finally baking weather in the Tropics. I love to bake and also love to eat baked goods, so I am welcoming this recent cooler (high in the 80's instead of 100's) weather. It's a good thing that I exercise regularly and have a fast metabolism or I'm sure I'd be 200 lbs or more.

I've been making apple pies lately. Only half of my family will eat apple pie regularly, so anytime I'm invited anywhere I've been bringing an apple pie with me. This is how I get to eat some pie without having to eat all of the pie. I do also have an ulterior motive since most people are usually very happy to see me coming with a pie in my hands.

After making my own yogurt I ended up with more yogurt than my family could handle. I searched online and found this yummy looking recipe for Maple Yogurt Pound Cake. Lucky for me I already had all of the ingredients so it was a go. Boy was this tasty! It definitely would be a good choice for a brunch or breakfast potluck dish. While it is very 'desserty', I think the maple syrup flavor lends itself to consumption before noon if you ask me. This is one of those baked goods that actually tastes better on the second day, so I recommend that you make it late one evening and wake up to a wonderful breakfast treat.

Now, I am going to go hit the kitchen once more. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing on a nice fall Sunday afternoon than baking up a delicious treat while watching the game. Go Eagles!

{this moment}

2010-10-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

2010-09-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Pizza

2010-09-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have written about making our own pizza once before. Not much has changed except that Clark can eat cheese on his now. I make my own dough in my bread machine and then the boys get their step stools and get to work. We didn't have any special toppings this time since we haven't been to the store since the vacation, but I think most of us were satisfied with the cheese pies.

The boys participate in every step after the dough is made, from stretching to saucing to topping. Here you can see the little one eyeballing his parents big pie.

The five year old still declares the 'round pizza that the guy brings' as better than the ones we make, but the two year old really was pretty happy with his results. I don't know if it was because he made it himself or if he was just having a good day, but that little cutie ate the whole little pie he made for himself. I call that success!

Celebrate!

2010-09-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again!

This is what I found when Curt and I came home from our semi-annual weekend get-a-way on my birthday.

I'm a lucky woman!

More about the weekend away another time...right now I'm still catching up on laundry.

Making Yogurt

2010-09-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

I recently got this idea that maybe I could start making my own yogurt. In a wonderful moment of serendipity SouleMama posted about this very thing that same day. When looking at her blog post I remembered that I had bookmarked something about yogurt making ages ago and went on a search to find it. Making yogurt in the slow cooker....how ingenious, I was game!

At first I wanted to start with half and half, but alas my store only carried ultra-pasteurized half and half and this is not good for yogurt making. So I decided to try whole milk instead, since I am still trying to fatten up these skinny boys of mine.

The process was easy and the product turned out great. What a thrill when I awoke that next morning and found a crock full of yogurt on my counter. For the price of a half gallon of organic whole milk I made a lot of yogurt.

And I must say the smoothies have been flowing ever since....and they are good! I have recently been feeling like my green smoothies were missing something, and I do believe I have found the missing link to the perfect smoothie. Not only does this addition make the smoothies more meal-like, it also adds the benefit of live active cultures to each sip.

I'm planning to experiment more with straining some to get a Greek style yogurt and look forward to finding some good cucumber/yogurt dip recipes. The possibilities are endless.

{this moment}

2010-09-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Reusable Snack Sacks

2010-08-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

In a recent effort to have a 'greener' kitchen, I have been trying to reduce our use of plastic zip top baggies. With school now in session I've been packing 7 lunches a week for the boys (5 for kindergarten and 2 for preschool), which can mean lots and lots of zip top baggies. After doing some research online I found several tutorials for sewing my own reusable snack/sandwich baggies that looked to be within my skill level.

After buying the supplies at the local Joanne's, I tried my hand at two different patterns one rainy evening. The pattern on the right is much easier to sew but I personally prefer the finished product of the one on the left because of the hidden inside seams.

Here you can see one of these baggies in use. I will need to adjust the size to hold a full sandwich, but this size seems pretty perfect for a snack of pretzel thins or any other munchie (by the way these things are really yummy and B1G1 at Publix right now). Because I used a food safe fabric for the lining I can even use these baggies for any moist food like apple slices or strawberries (two of Clark's favorites right now).

I will definitely be trying my hand at a few more of these and even have some more ideas about how to personalize them further for each boy.

{this moment}

2010-08-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Jaws Alton Daniel Lopez Fisher

2010-08-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

A little over a month ago our beta fish 'Bobby' passed away. He had lived to the ripe old age of 4, which is pretty old for a Beta, but the kids were still sad to see their little pal go. Each morning we look toward the spot where his bowl used to sit and remember giving him his smelly fish flakes before breakfast.

This happened around the same time that a neighbor's dog gave birth to 7 puppies. For the past 7 weeks or so we have been wondering if one of these puppies would become our new pet. The puppies are 1/4 poodle, giving them a good chance at being easier on my allergies, so it seemed like one of them might be a good choice for our family.

After the writing of many pro/con lists and playful visits to the puppies, we have finally come to the hard decision that getting one of these puppies would not be the best choice for our family right now. While all four of us still hope to find the right canine companion for our family at some point in the future, we took joy today in a trip to the pet store to invite a new pet beta fish into the family. So here he is....

After looking at many fish we settled on this pretty blue guy. Curtis immediately commented on his back fin, comparing him to a shark, hence his new first name 'Jaws'. Of course for our family one name would not be enough for our new fish so each boy gave his own middle name as well as both of our last names to Jaws. So this little pet store beta was happily introduced to the family today as Jaws Alton Daniel Lopez Fisher.

It was fun to see the excitement on the boy's faces as we ushered Jaws into his new home. Clark insisted that we play music and dance for him once his bowl was set on the record player where his predecessor 'Bobby' once lived. Listening to both boys talk about their new pet and dance and giggle as they relished the excitement of the day was very heartwarming.

Welcome Jaws! We hope that you enjoy your spot in our home.

Clark's Morning Out

2010-08-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

That's right, even my baby is going to 'school' now. I enrolled Clark into a Mom's Morning Out program at a local church this year. I wasn't planning to put him into a program until next year but after listening to him cry for half of his big brother's VPK year I decided to listen to his needs. Even during summer VBS Clark cried when we dropped his big brother off, asking "My go to school peeease!?!?!" It became very clear that he and I could both benefit from a little time apart during the long boring and hot summer months, so I took a leap of faith and enrolled him into a two year old class. Clark will be one of the oldest kids in the class due to his fall birthday, but after meeting the teacher and seeing the daily schedule of events I knew that he would fit right in. So now I sit here blogging away freely in a quiet house without any background video game noise or toddler demands. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry...

You can trace the progression from excitement to tenacity in these photos I took of Clark on his first morning at preschool.

When I told him he got to have his own back pack (handed-down from big brother)and got to go to his own school this morning he was VERY excited.

As we drove over he asked me about who would take him to the potty and got a little anxious when I told him that I wouldn't be there to take him.

As we reached the church I could tell he was getting a little nervous.

And of course once we got in and heard one of the other kids crying for his Mommy the mood definitely changed. Clark has never had any kind of separation anxiety and had no hesitation as he walked into his classroom, but this expression on his face certain shows that there was a little anxiety there on his first day away from Mommy.

After all the transitions this week I'm not gonna lie....I was in tears before I even made it back to my car. I love both of my sons so much that I cannot even put it into words and I can only hope that all four of us will manage these transitions gracefully, and most importantly, together.

The First Day

2010-08-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that my first baby is in elementary school. It has been a bittersweet transition which, lucky for me, included a resounding thumbs up from the little guy on the first day. Apparently kindergarten is "way fun". Here is the story of my son's first day of kindergarten in pictures.

ZoomAir

2010-07-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Recently Curtis was invited to ZoomAir to celebrate the birthday of one of his friends. ZoomAir is an obstacle course set up in the trees in wild Seminole County (well right in front of the zoo, but it definitely isn't the city). We have marveled at the course each time we've walked past on our zoo trips for the past year, so we were excited that Curtis would finally get a first hand experience.

The children's course starts with a practice run through a course that is lower to the ground. Once that course is completed, the children then go over to the main attraction, which is much higher (at some points well above my reach) and a bit more challenging.

I was very proud of Curtis for pushing through a little rough patch mid-course with some help from the guide. Once the course was completed he got to ride a tree swing down to the ground and was awarded with a water bottle with carabiner holder for future course work.

I'm not sure if Curtis will be asking to do the course again anytime soon. It was quite a workout for him and I do believe that if he was even a cm shorter that he wouldn't have been able to reach the guide wire at all. Maybe after another year of growth we will try again and see how much he has improved, but for now we are happy to be just looking over the photographs and enjoying the memories of such a fun, hot, and challenging experience.

{this moment}

2010-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!

{this moment}

2010-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Showing off

2010-07-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about my new(ish) craft space and my overabundance of fresh herbs, so I decided to show them off here on my blog.

So here it is, my own little spot in our office/craft/art/guest room. Hey, when you have two kids and a 'work out of the home' husband in a 3 bedroom house your rooms have to multi-task.

Here you can see my comfy little set up. I bought a table at Office Max and set up my sewing machine and Aero garden right next to my husbands desk a few weeks ago. I don't get many daylight hours in there yet, but I can envision happy mornings crafting and writing away next to my beloved once both boys are in school.

I can't tell you how nice it is to finally get my sewing machine off the dining room table and in it's own little spot. No longer do I need to worry about little hands getting into my machine or having to pack it up and move it when company comes over. Maybe having this spot will even motivate me to sew more often.

And here you can see the abundance of my Aero Garden right now. This was actually a Mother's Day gift from two years ago that was just waiting for a spot to be set up. My own Mother won it for me in a contest and I have found it very easy to set up and the herbs seem quite happy.

So this morning I had to do another Basil harvest. I have been researching new ways to use basil (basil iced tea, purple basil lemonade, lemon basil muffins, basil sorbet, etc etc) and I have thankfully had some pretty good success since this is the herb that seems to be taking off the best right now.

Stayed tuned for future blog posts for more of my tales of experimenting with fresh herbs.

{this moment}

2010-07-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

In the eyes of a two year old...

2010-07-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

And now for a glimpse of July from the eyes of my two year old...

July?

2010-07-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

How can it already be July? I thought the summer would be so slow, but it has been flying by. I have totally neglected the blog and since I hate excuses I won't make any and instead I'll just pretend like I've been blogging all along.

So far this July has been:

...lots of smiles...

...some good old fashioned pirates...

...a little bit of baking...

...and of course, fireworks...

{this moment}

2010-06-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Haircuts

2010-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

So my little long haired hippie boys were definitely due for a hair cut today. With lolly pops in hand we undertook the task.

Curt and I tag teamed the actual cutting because it seemed to work best that way.

This 'before' photo of Clark shows just how adorable he is on a regular basis.

And these boys got really lucky when the ice cream truck came by just as we were finishing the last of Curtis' hair. After the torture that is a haircut for these boys I had no problem splurging on the $1 ice cream sandwiches.

Pre-K Graduate

2010-06-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

That's right, we have an official Pre-K graduate in the house. Curtis' school had their graduation and moving up ceremony this past weekend and we had a blast. I almost cannot believe that my first born son is going to Kindergarten in just a few short months.

Here's the happy family on the big day.

Curtis with his diploma.

Here's a photo of the whole class at the Complete Soccer Academy preschool.

Curtis has now completed two years at the CSA and their play based learning system has really worked well for him. We couldn't have been happier with all that he has grown with the help of the teachers here.

The Ghosts of Home Improvements Past

2010-05-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

You may remember a long time ago when we painted our kitchen cupboards. Well, we had a little bit of that special paint left over and kept saying we would do the same thing in our guest bath. So, here it is about a year later, and we finally got around to it.

The thing about this job wasn't that it was hard, it was just harder to do with little kids around. So, you may ask why we didn't just do it after putting these little kids to bed. Well, this bathroom is right next to the boys bedroom and any kind of work in there really stressed me out about waking them up. The truth is that both boys could probably sleep through a train coming through the house, but by the end of the day the last thing I want to do is work on home improvements and risk waking sleeping children. So in other words, the room being next to their bedroom became a pretty good excuse to not do the job. Eventually we decided to enlist the help of some great babysitters and got it done in an afternoon (and then celebrated with sushi!).

Once again I forgot to take a before photo (see a trend here?). But I did remember to snap one once the doors were already off, so you can kind of get a mental picture of how it looked. This bathroom is very late 70's in decor, which is fitting since the house was built in 1977.

I think the cream colored cupboards really clean the look of the bathroom up a lot and even make it look a little more modern.

That is one of the few projects that I have been up to lately. I'm sure several of them were blog-worthy, but I just haven't been into blogging much. I'm honestly not sure why I haven't been blogging lately. I thought about it before writing this post and really can't come up with a reason at all. I once read a quote by someone I can't remember now that went something like "To write means to write." I guess it could be said about anything because I think I remember this same thing happening back when I was a musician. For some reason the ball can get rolling in either direction and lately my ball has rolled right off the laptop, over the sewing machine, and onto the sofa!

Soccer Trophy

2010-05-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty blog MIA lately because life has been really busy. Here is a drive by post about my little soccer extraordinaire. Yes the coach did tell him he was the fastest kid on the team and all of the other parents told me that he was a natural. We went into this with the idea that we'd let him try all the sports he wanted but right now it's looking like he is a natural at soccer. I guess it's in the genes.

Curtis was so excited to get his team trophy and he now has it proudly displayed on a shelf above his bed. We were very blessed with two great coaches and a team full of really fun loving kids. While I'm sad to see the time of practices and games go, I can't say that I'm unhappy about the lack of team Mom responsibilities in my life right now.

Curtis on team Sounders Spring 2010

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning (after sleeping in to an unheard of 9:15am) to a sweet little card and flowers from my boys.

I can't even remember what it was like to not be a mother now and I wouldn't change my life for all the world. I feel so blessed to have my two little guys in my life and to be able to capture moments like this.

Happy Mother's day to all of the mother's out there!

A Day Late

2010-05-08T20:38:00.001-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Thoughts on Solitude

2010-05-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm struck by how crazy human existence is. The things we do, sometimes, seem down right insane to me. I read about people who trek out to far remote places and I find myself craving that kind of distance from society at times.

My life seems full of other peoples needs. I think that is why I steal 'me time' whenever I can, regardless of the inevitable guilt that comes with it (deserved or not). I read about mountaineers sleeping in bags on the side of K2 and I wonder what it feels like to be so close to solitude. I know for me fear would be enormous, but I still wonder what that kind of 'communion with nature' would feel like if I could get over any of the logical or illogical fears that would be involved.

I find that I myself cycle through my desires for solitude and community pretty regularly and unfortunately I think I feel lacking in both most of the time. Right now as I find myself envious of those mountaineers, I daydream about all of the amazing realizations that I believe I could come to in such a situation.

Spring Break Beach Vaca

2010-04-27T11:51:00.001-07:00

So I've been busy with other things the past two weeks and haven't posted the photos from our Spring Break vacation at Melbourne Beach, FL. We found the hotel through a recomendation from a friend of mine from church and it was darn near perfect for us. The boys didn't mind sleeping on the pull out sofa at all so Curt and I got a King sized bed with ocean view all to ourselves! Both boys were so well behaved and we all had such a fun time on the beach and in the hotel pool and hot tub. The ocean was still a little too cold to actually swim in, although crazy Curt couldn't help but take one dip, but we didn't feel like we were missing out on it at all since we were so busy enjoying the rest of the activities.

When we left the beach we drove over and spent the day at the Brevard Zoo. This zoo is much bigger and nicer than our local Cen FL zoo and we had a great time there together. The boys each picked out a stuffed giraffe as a souvenir and two weeks later they still both ask to sleep with 'Tip Top' and 'High Top' the giraffes.

All in all I'd say it was a big success as our first family vacation with all four of us and we definitely are planning more at this same hotel in the near future.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy.

Clark practicing in the room.

"What do you mean the sofa turns into our bed?"

Clark loves the beach!

Here we are relaxing in the room with lunch after a morning on the beach.

Curt buried the boys in the sand much to their delight.

The smiles on our faces say it all! I love the beach almost as much as I love my family!

{this moment}

2010-04-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

2010-04-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual stolen from Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

The Love (and Fear) of Motherhood

2010-04-10T20:04:00.001-07:00

There is an anxiety that grows over me, like a shadow that tilts and widens as the sun goes down. When my children were babies I thought that my anxieties about them would go away with time, and yet that has proven to be untrue. As I find myself waking in a sweat from a nightmare about my poor little boys being hurt in a terrible accident, I begin to realize just how deep my love and fear for them has grown.

Really the growing depth of my love for them echoes the growing fear I have for their safety. I find myself staying home so as to avoid stress-filled wrestling matches with 5 year old in hand and 2 year old on hip in crowded busy parking lots. I feel my teeth clench and my shoulders rise up to my ears as my eyes dart to and fro at the playground trying to follow the impulses of two young boys surrounded by such fun, and dangerous, equipment. Even when we stay home, I find myself calculating the damage done to their little growing brains from each moment of time spent in front of the TV or video game system. I count how many servings of fruits and veggies they have consumed and give myself extra 'good-mother' points if they were raw. I beat myself up for being anything less than engaging and present with them every moment of everyday, knowing all along that these expectations of myself are impossible.

As time goes on, this creeps into my subconscious, and the dreams get scarier and even my daydreams seem to have taken on a rather scary and obsessive quality. If my child was a newborn, or perhaps even 6-12 months old, I'm sure a doctor would diagnose me with postpartum depression, but alas, my children are now considered a toddler and a preschooler and this overwhelming fear must be something more than fluctuating hormones and breastfeeding surges.

I can't honestly blame this on the 'Mommy-wars' or the judgment of my peers either. I find myself surrounded by supportive and like-minded women for the most part, and I think most of the judgment I am feeling is coming from within. I don't pretend to be a psychologist, and I'm certainly not going to expound on any number of reasons why I might believe that I have become to doubt my own value and ability as a mother, but it does seem that I subconsciously don't feel that I am measuring up to my own expectations.

What I do know is that I care and I try and I love. I wish that was good enough for that inner critic. I wish that I could put my life and the lives of my children fully in God's hands. I wish it was easier for me to focus on the successes instead of the failures. So I'm putting this out there. My revelation for the night is that I can now see that this stress/fear/anxiety has reached a level that I am not comfortable with. I know that there is nothing false about hope and I will continue to hope for relief.

{this moment}

2010-04-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

{this moment} inspired by Soule Mama- A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter Bunny!

2010-04-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

There is a local community Spring egg hunt right outside of our neighborhood that we try to go to every year since Curtis loves a good egg hunt.

This year it was a little stormy out, but we headed out anyway and got about an hour of good Spring fun in before the rains came.

Curtis has never ever been shy with the bunny or Santa or any characters he has ever met.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for Clark. LOL!

I love Spring and Easter time so much. The weather here is beautiful 90% of the time and we have so much fun family time planned.

Stay tuned for more posts which will include but not be limited to a beach vacation, Easter on a friend's mini-farm, and Kindergarten registration!!!!

Vegan Night

2010-03-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have spoken some here on my blog about my dietary goals. You might know by now that I am taking baby steps towards a healthier diet for my family and I, which will also in turn be healthier for our planet. My wonderful husband, after reading some information I gave him, has agreed to also take his own baby steps. So now I am researching and trying new meals for us in correlation with these goals. I have a goal of being vegan for 3 dinners a week and Hubby darling has agreed to only eat meat (chicken or fish) 3 dinners a week. So here is our first Vegan night, congratulate us!

I decided to try my hand at frying up some tofu and it turned out pretty good. Both of my sons ate a piece and Clark went back for seconds. I also made some whole wheat pasta and added some oil and some veggies sauteed in garlic. My plate is the one with the spinach salad and the broccoli. There are a lot of changes my husband is willing to make, but spinach and broccoli are still not on this list.

My boys both got a small plate of pasta (do I have the only children on this earth who don't like pasta), some fried tofu, a pickle and a small bowl of apple sauce. I am feeling very good about this meal for my kids. They don't really eat much meat in the first place so the biggest hurdle with helping them towards our goals is the pickiness of these two boys. Getting more fruits and veggies into these two boys has been a challenge to say the least and I am really happy with our progress.

Right now the only meat my boys eat is either in the form of nuggets or sandwiches. The nuggets will probably be a pretty easy thing to eliminate, but the sandwiches are another story. I'd love to hear some new ideas for lunch box/picky boy friendly vegetarian lunches. My boys don't like nut butters, so this really does make it a little more of a challenge packing lunch boxes.

So I am now congratulating myself on yet another baby step towards my ultimate goal. Breaking this goal down into these smaller more attainable goals has really helped us to be even more successful, and on top of that, feel the joy of this success on a regular basis...and really who doesn't want to feel joy regularly? I think one of the biggest lessons I have learn so far in my early thirties is to take baby steps toward any goal. In my experience I have found that in my exuberance for an issue I tend to jump 'both feet' into it, only to find myself having to start all over again at a later date. I can't say exactly why breaking a goal down into smaller steps seems to equal more success for me, but I can say that so far it has been true for me and I am very happy to have figured this out.

Vegan Raw cookbooks!

2010-03-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

I so want to win one!

Picky vs. Not Picky

2010-03-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

My older son is a really picky eater. I think he gets it from his Daddy, who has actually been making really great strides towards eating a more balanced diet recently. There are several different types of picky eaters and my son is really pretty maxed out on the scale. He is one of the only children I know who doesn't like applesauce or raisins or bananas or any fruit at all really. We spend more time than I'd like struggling to get him to have one bite of a fruit or veggie at each meal. The whole thing can be frustrating and exhausting to say the least, especially when I consider myself to be pretty experimental when it comes to food.

This is why when my second son was born I just kind of assumed he'd be the same way. You can imagine my thrill when Clark began eating bananas at the young age of 1. Then we tried applesauce and raisins and green beans and watermelon etc etc etc. He liked them all. I have felt my heart leap each time he eats a new fruit or veggie without any struggle at all.

So here we are today...Monday. This hasn't been a great Monday for several reasons (daylight savings, personal issues, health issues, etc etc etc). So when Clark asked for some of my blackberries and strawberries at lunch today I figured, what the heck. I was near tears when he woofed them down and asked for more!

Yesterday I began part three of my dietary changes. I spent the last two weeks being meat free and the two weeks before that were spent adding many fresh fruits and veggies into my regular diet. Now I am embarking on the third phase of the plan, which is eliminating processed sugar. I have done this before with great success and fallen off the wagon, so to speak. So here we are enjoying our dessert of fresh blackberries and local strawberries. What a thrill to finally have a family member to share my love of fruit and veggies with!!!

My Soccer Prodigy

2010-03-11T11:24:00.001-08:00

Guess who scored the first goal of the first game of the season for his team?

It's just too bad today's practice has been rained out because he really loves playing so much. He asks me everyday, "How many more days until soccer?"

Coach says he is a natural. I seriously had to blink tears away when I watched my first born score his first soccer goal. I love this kid soooo much and I am so proud.

Thursday Mornings

2010-03-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

Thursday mornings are my favorite weekday morning for many reasons. This is really the only morning of the week that the boys and I really relax. Since there is no school on Thursdays for us, we get to stay in our PJ's all morning and hang around the house. For me this means cup after cup of tea and reading bits and pieces of the newspaper and the internet in between preforming lego space ship repairs and breaking up sibling rivals. Inevidably, my boys will ask to do a craft.

I am definitely a member of the school of mother's who let their children determine the rhythm of the day. Being a 'type A' Virgo, I do enjoy my schedule, but I also really have come to love these boundless thursday mornings and the feeling of freedom that they bring.

One rainy Thursday morning not long ago I pulled out the fabric paints that I bought on clearance at Joanne's and searched through the drawers for plain t-shirts that the boys could paint. They had fun both painting the shirts and afterward cleaning up in the bath.

This morning I opened up a package of Halloween themed foam stickers that, once again, I bought on clearance after the holiday. Target and Joanne's are my two favorite stores to hit the day or two after a holiday for mark downs. Young boys really don't care if they are dressing skeletons in pumpkins in the middle of March. So here we are on another rainy Thursday morning sitting around in our PJ's and really enjoying the slow pace of the day. I remind myself more and more to enjoy these slow times since with Curtis' new soccer team and his ever nearing entrance into Kindergarten (don't even talk about it), soon these leisurely Thursday mornings will for sure be a thing of the past.

Life takes precedent

2010-03-05T14:18:00.001-08:00

There are times in life when I really want to record what is happening through photos and blogging but I find myself having to make the decision between remaining present in the moment or rushing off to find the camera to record the moment. This blog entry is about one such occasion.

Today has been a really beautiful day here in Cen FL. The boys and I have spent much time together outdoors playing in the yard. At one point I noticed a couple of acorns had fallen from our neighbor's tree and sprouted in our yard. With some care I was able to free two of them whole from the dry winter soil. Both boys really enjoyed looking at the acorn with roots cracking out from the bottom and a 'baby tree' sprouting from the top. We decided to plant our baby trees and see if they will grow into big oaks like our neighbors have in their yard.

We were having so much fun that I decided not to break away to grab the camera right away. I really do wish I had captured that shot of both boys carrying their newly potted seedlings across the yard with such care, but at the moment it seemed more important to be present and enjoy the scene rather than to be rushing off to capture it on film. I sometimes fear that I won't remember these precious moments without recording them, but there are also times when I do believe it is more important to just be present in the moment. This hasn't always been something I was aware of, but lately I've become more and more present in my life with great rewards.

So after Curtis was done planting his tree and was back inside playing Mario, I ran to get the camera and Clark was nice enough to oblige a few photos. Here you can see as he demonstrates how he watered his seedling just moments before.

Unfortunately, it seems I wasn't clear enough about how long it takes one of these oak trees to grow since when he was done watering the plant he pulled his little chair right over to watch it grow. I then explained how his tiny baby tree needed lots of time and sunshine and rain water to grow big like the one next door. I'm not sure if he fully understands yet or not.

He sat for quite some time contentedly looking at his baby tree with pride. I might have a little gardener on my hands here.

I am Offcially a Soccer Mom!

2010-02-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

Curtis is now on a soccer team called the Sounders. Here are a few highlights from their first practice. I decided to volunteer as team Mom for some reason, so I really am officially a soccer Mom now. (I'm still not getting a minivan though.)

Some Updates

2010-02-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

Things around the Fisher house have been just chugging along. I know I've been neglecting the blog lately, and I could make the excuse that we've been sick, but really I've just not felt like writing much.

First off, I want to share photos of a few cute crafts I've make.

Here is a photo of a little dress I made for a friend who recently was baptised at our church. It was my first attempt at making my own pattern and so it probably wasn't the best idea to use it for a gift, but it turned out ok in the end. I think I want to make a few changes so I guess little baby Juliana will just end up getting a second (more improved) dress here in the near future. It is nice to have lots of friends with little girls to craft for.

I also wanted to share a photo of this cute craft we made at my church Mom's group. If you can't tell this is a little photo or note holder made out of a binder clip. It was quick and easy and cute. I can envision making these with all kinds of different papers and ribbons for different occasions. Luckily I had a little photo from our beach vacation last year to put into it.

Next I am sharing some haircut photos. Yup, you read that right, we have officially given up on the long hair experiment. I will say that I was kind of against this experiment from the beginning, but I went along with it just to see how things would turn out. I always prefer an easier option, and combing knots out of a screaming kid's hair in the morning doesn't seem easy to me. It was always one of the benefits of having sons that I didn't have to deal with hair struggles, until this experiment came along. When Curtis had his first soccer team practice last weekend and his hair was in his eyes the whole time, it became clear to all three of the Fisher guys that it was time for a cut.

As you can see Clark wasn't that thrilled with the process. They had been growing their hair for a couple months, so we got a lot of hair off. They both look older with their crew cuts now and I am much happier with the ease of care. I know if I was a boy I would totally keep my head shaved.

And the last photo I am sharing today is one of me and my beloved all dressed up for the baptism. It is pretty rare that the two of us get dressed in anything more than t-shirts and jeans and soccer shorts, so I had to get a photo of this occasion. I must say, I do believe we clean up pretty nicely, especially considering we were still trying to kick this bad cold we have when this was taken.

So there you have it...now all of my bleaders are caught up on what's been happening lately in the Fisher family. Stay tuned for soccer team photos coming soon.

We got a Wii!

2010-02-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Grandmom and Grandpop for getting us a Wii!

Superbowl weekend

2010-02-08T18:23:00.001-08:00

So if you are my friend on Facebook you already know that I picked the winning team but not the score this year for the Superbowl. I didn't really have a favorite either way, I just had a feeling about the Saints this year. Go figure.

The day before the Superbowl I was lucky enough to get a whole day to spend with two girlfriends. One of my friends who just moved to Florida from the cold cold north (Michigan) was really deserving (desperate for?) a girl's day out, so another more local friend and I drove over to the west coast and rescued her from her house full of kids (3 times as many as me) and hit the road. We really had no plan and after an ill fated, cold and windy 20 minutes on the beach, decided we needed a plan B. Yes even Mrs. Michigan, Mrs. New York, and yours truly Mrs. New Jersey were feeling cold on the beach in Florida in February. Hey, 50 degrees is 50 degrees is 50 degrees no matter where you are....but I digress.

Luckily Mrs. New York spotted a sign for Tarpon Springs alerting us that it was only 13 miles away from where we were driving pretty aimlessly and a plan B was hatched. I am so happy we decided on this plan. The whole afternoon with good friends and good Greek food and pastries, and goat's milk soap and olive oil soap and sponge shopping, etc etc etc etc, who could ask for more. After a nice (longish) drive back with great conversation, I got into my car to see the engine light on....well maybe I should clarify, I saw the engine light but thought it was the transmission light until the mechanic corrected me this morning after I paid him over $1000 to fix said engine problem. So you can imagine how my late night drive in the dark with engine light glaring and engine sputtering did bring me a bit of anxiety, but alas, I arrived safe and sound and ready to break out the goat's milk soap for a nice long hot shower.

If you are a mother you probably can guess what came next....you know...the G word....that's right Guilt! Here I was on the morning of the Superbowl flipping pancakes for my kids and feeling so guilty for leaving them and my sweet husband for the whole day. Each one of the Fisher boys gave me a happy play by play of how great their "guy's day out" was, and yet I still had some trouble shaking the guilt. So I did as many mother's have for many years before me and...I got cupcakes! (and chicken wings for the hubby). We spent Superbowl Sunday munching salsa and fresh guacamole on corn chips and playing Zingo and card games galore. Once the game came on I made hoagies which we ate on trays in front of the TV. All three of the guys were happy to eat in the family room and I made them even happier when I produced the big beautiful Publix made Superbowl cupcakes! Yippee! Guilt be gone!

Here you can see Curtis doing his best football pose with his own superbowl ring which had just minutes before decorated his delicious cupcake.

Clark really likes cupcakes a lot.

And Curtis doesn't mind them much either.

Haiti

2010-01-24T17:31:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged about my feelings on the earthquake that took place in Haiti because I've been pretty torn up about it. One of the reasons I avoid the news is due to my sensitive nature. When I heard about the earthquake I immediately put up some very serious prayers and then went on with my blessed life. Then one day at the gym I was on the treadmill and all the TV stations had on a commercial except CNN. That was when I saw a whole piece about babies in orphanages sitting in dirty diapers crying with no one to come help them. My heart broke right there on that treadmill.

I came home and began to research how I could help. I looked very seriously into adoption. After a couple of days of research and prayer and phone calls I was feeling very defeated. It doesn't look like I will be able to adopt one of these poor orphans without some serious work and help. When I realized the obsticles involved I began to wonder if possibly God was sending me a message that I should be looking for other ways to help.

Once I let my OCD like mind-grip on those poor babies loosen up a little, some more solutions made their way into my life. First off a friend of mine who knows a nurse working with the red cross at the airport asked for donations. Many of the refugees from this disaster are being flown into the airport right here near my house. Once they arrive at this airport these poor people are then traveling to family who live further north. Unfortunately the refugees have very little beyond the t-shirt on their backs and since it is winter this will not help them much up north. They were also asking for donations of sippy cups and bottles for the babies and children coming here to our sunny state. So I am proud to say that I put together 2 big boxes of clothes and jackets and sippies and shoes.

These donations did make me feel a little better, but I still keep thinking of the poor people still left in the ravished country. I was happy to hear that my church Moms group, which meets tomorrow, is also collecting donations for the people still in Haiti. I went to Costco this week and with a coupon bought a case of diapers and a case of wipes to bring to the meeting as donations. I also scoured my house for all the soap and shampoo and lotion samples I could find to donate. I also found raisins and nuts in my pantry and put together a nice little trunk full to bring for donations tomorrow.

Along with these donations the church suggested that we get our children involved and teach them about loving one another through this service. Curtis drew a nice picture for an orphan and we attached a few sheets of Spiderman stickers which he thought that a child might enjoy. I am so proud of my son for putting effort into this picture and sticker donation and I used this as an opportunity to teach him how God wants us to show love for one another, especially in times like these. We talked about how as a family we care for each other when one of us is sick and how it is also important to do this for all of God's people. I still don't know how much of this he really understands, but my hope is that I am laying the groundwork for him to have a future of kindness and caring.

And now that I have spent more than a week crying and stressing and researching, I have come to the conclusion that these donations and my heartfelt prayers are all I can offer the people of Haiti right now. I will continue to pray and give at every opportunity I get and I hope you will all do the same.

January in Florida

2010-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

You just never know what the weather will be like.

I remember this day in the beginning of the month, during the now famous Florida freeze of 2010, when my sons begged me to paint. I don't let them paint indoors, so this meant going into the freezing cold outside world, just to paint. I begged them to consider crayoning inside, but they were both stuck on painting on this day. How ridiculous do they look at bundled up out there with their paint brushes in hand? Here in Florida we aren't really prepared for weather below 50 degree F and this is the best I could do for winter clothing. It's just not worth buying heavy jackets if you're only going to need them for a couple weeks, you know what I mean?

And then of course the days move on and the weather gets warmer and warmer and the sun begins to shine again and I find myself outside with these same two boys, except this time they are begging me to play with the hose.

Let's just hope the real cold doesn't come back to Florida this year, or ever really.

Great Video

2010-01-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this great video from one of my favorite authors.

Check it out!

I think Clark looks like me!

2010-01-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though.

What do you think?

Cold Weather

2010-01-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I really dislike cold weather. This is one of the major reasons why I really love living in Florida. Most of the time it is either hot or warm down here, but unfortunately we have had a bit of a cold spell lately.

Now, I grew up in the north in New Jersey, so I do know real cold, unlike most Florida natives who think it's time to break out the hats and scarfs when it goes below 70 F. The truth is, just because you know cold and have spent the first 16 years of your life in it doesn't mean you have to like it. I just plain old hate being cold. Anything below 50 F makes me miserable.

I learned a little trick for how to deal with things that I just really dislike and it is to change the focus with a list. Over the past few weeks I found myself focusing on all the reasons I hate cold weather. I'd be mumbling in the morning, "I hate getting out of bed when it's cold." or the afternoon "I hate getting in the car when it's cold." or the evening "I hate getting out of the hot shower when it's cold." Overall my attitude was pretty negative and really effecting everything around me. So I decided to try my little trick of making a list of the things I do like about cold weather and focusing on these things instead.

I'm not going to say it was easy. It took me a few days to compile this small list and honestly I still find myself grumbling to myself about being cold now and again, but it's a start, and the truth is, just a little effort in changing my attitude really did go a long way. Now whenever I find myself feeling pissy about the cold weather, I just pull out my list and try to focus on the things that I do like about the cold weather. The fact that this weather is so fleeting for us here in the Subtropics makes this list even more important, since the few things on it will be gone before we know it.

So here it is...my list, with as many photos as I could get. Please feel free to share your favorite things about the cold weather and maybe you will even help add to my list and maybe even cheer me and my cold toes up a little.

1. Hot tea (although I do drink hot tea even when it's hot out, I guess it's more enjoyable in the cold.)

2.Curt's work is always less busy during the cold months, which leaves him more time to spend with me and the boys.

3. Homemade soup is yummy when it's in the 30's but not so much in the 90's.

4. Baking in my old oven warms up the whole house which is much more desirable in this weather than when it's in the 90's.

5. Making hats and scarfs for friends and neighbors.

6. My Christmas cactus is in bloom.

7. Picking fresh oranges from the tree in my yard and juicing them for their tasty juice.

8. Drinking hot cocoa with my boys.

9. Homemade lavender infused heat pads.

Guess who is in his big boy bed?

2010-01-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

That's right, my baby is now a big boy! I almost can't believe it. Mostly I can't believe how cute he is in this bed.

The boys now have the bunk beds in the room together but they are separated into two single beds. Eventually we will make them bunk beds again, but we have to wait until Curtis is at least 6 before it's safe for him to sleep on the top.

Clark took a little bit longer to go down for nap and bed the first night but since then he's been fine. They both sleep so well together and go down so easily it makes me so grateful that I have two sons.

I took this photo this morning at 8am. The flash didn't even wake him. It looks like he might take after his Mommy and enjoy sleeping in.

2010 Manifesto

2010-01-01T18:20:00.001-08:00

This year I would like to focus on several things. My focus for the year will be divided among improving my feelings of self-worth, my pursuit of further education, various home improvement tasks, and an effort to remain present in life. Through my focus on these various life aspects I will strive to make 2010 a year filled with health, happiness, harmony, prosperity, and fulfillment.

This year I would like to explore and release my own feelings of negative self worth. These feelings extend from the physical to those of my role as wife and mother. I would like to be able to feel good about my physical appearance and be able to remind myself that I am one of God's creations and a beautiful person. I would also like to be able to feel proud of myself in my roles as wife and mother. This will require not only my focus on the special moments in life and my ability to avoid distraction but also learning the ability to truly forgive myself.

I also plan to spend some time in 2010 focusing on education. My number one goal of the year is to begin work on my long desired goal of learning to speak and write Spanish. In addition to this I am open to other paths of learning and further education which should become available to me. Now that my children are older and less needy and reliant on my care, I look forward to spending more time on my life long love of learning.

I have also made a list of decidedly achievable home improvement tasks which I hope to accomplish this year. In the past I have made my home improvement goals a bit lofty thus resulting in early discouragement and abandonment. This year I have purposely chosen tasks which can be completed with little help or money and will still have largely fulfilling results. I hope to complete this list by the end of the year.

One of my spiritual goals this year is to remain more present in my everyday life. In this highly connected and electronic age I find myself seeking escape through various games, social networking sites, message boards, and chat rooms. While I do still see a positive place for these outlets in my life, I desire to rely on them less for human contact or escape from everyday life. I hope to be able to be more present in the precious moments of my wonderful, blessed life.

I am looking forward to every moment of 2010 and I hope that my goals, as set here in this manifesto, will guide me towards a healthy, happy, harmonious, prosperous, and fulfilling year.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

More Holiday Fun

2009-12-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

If you know me at all, you probably know that I am always on the look out for a bargain. This doesn't just hold true for groceries and clothes and such, it is also a fact for family fun. I try to keep abreast of the local activities going on around here in my city and the surrounding cities so we can have free or cheap fun each weekend together as a family. This was fortunate for me and the boys last weekend since my husband was out of town on business and I desperatley needed to keep these boys busy and happy. Lucky for us I had learned that our local Chik-Fil-A (right in front of my gym) was having a holiday celebration on Saturday morning.

As you can see my little boys got to meet both Santa and the Chik-Fil-A Cow and I got a free print of this photo and a photo frame. Clark hopped right up on Santa's lap but Curtis took a little coaxing and was only persuaded to stand next to Santa.

Then the boys got to make their own tree ornaments with supplies the restaurant provided. I was pretty amazed at Clark's ornament since he is much more into coloring than Curtis ever was at that age. I like the idea of having the boys make ornaments each year for our tree, but I don't always like doing crafts with my little short-attention-span offspring. So it was nice to knock this little bit of holiday tradition out in a fun and festive atmosphere instead of at home with a lonely and frustrated Mommy.

Santa gave the boys candy canes, which they both cherished, and he gave me many coupons for free kid's meals and milkshakes that I will happily use in the very near future (post workout milkshake anyone?)

I definitely recommend that anyone looking to keep a family happy on the weekends for little to no money search out local free and cheap activities. It seems like 2-3 weekends out of every month there is something fun going on around here, and on the off weekends there is always the farmer's market. I know my boys love running around and eating kettle corn while I shop for produce, and we all love supporting local farmers in the fresh outdoor air.

What have you been up to Taradactyl?

2009-12-03T18:58:00.001-08:00

Thankful for health and Disney world

2009-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Well, unfortunately, I have to report that the delay in posting the photos from our family Disney trip has been due to some pretty serious health issues for both Curt and I. The good news is that it is looking like we have it all in control now and while this holiday won't be remembered for it's large gathering of friends and family like so many others are, I can be thankful for hours of reading in bed and good family and friends who take care of my family when I am out of commision.

Just so you can get an idea of (and I can remember) the blast we had at Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom last week, here are a few highlights.

My guys all love the Teacups.

The holiday decorations at Disney were very pretty.

Mickey made sure that Clark got a good nap in the stroller.

The boys loved their edible Mickey ears. After all, who needs another hat when there is ice cream to be had.

And finally, a photo of the cutest 2 year old in the park.

We had the best time and can't thank my step-sister-in-law enough for taking us. I believe time spent together as a family is so precious and spending it in such a magical place was a really nice treat.

My Baby is 2 now!

2009-11-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

It's just hard to believe! I can remember giving birth to Clark like it was yesterday. It is possibly the most life defining experience I have ever had. Through the pregnancy and the natural birth I processed a lot and I couldn't be prouder of myself and my son. I consider it one of my biggest achievements in life.

We are having a big joint birthday party with friends this year since big brother will be turning 5 in just a few weeks, but we did have some family over to celebrate on the actual anniversary of his birth 11/11.

I do find it ironic that I have a son born on Veteran's day and one born on Pearl Harbor day. I certainly hope this isn't a sign that they will be joining the military, but if that is what they choose I will reluctantly support them. I used to think having their birthdays so close together and so close to the holidays was a drag, but honestly this year it's been really awesome. I am very nostalgic already this time of year and adding their birthdays into the mix just makes me even more so. I am already a pretty emotional person but this is the time of year that you will more likely than not find me sobbing happily over a gasoline commercial on tv...or even worse those sappy Publix commercials that usually start around this time of year. I can't help it, I live such a charmed life and sometimes the gratitude shows itself in tears of joy. Of course the biggest joys in my life are my sons and I consider myself super lucky to get to celebrate another year in the life of Clark Daniel.

Clark and Curtis helped me decorate the cake I baked for our family celebration. Both boys have a "one on the cake, one in my mouth" technique of decorating that they probably either learned from me by example or through my genetic coding. What can I saw, who can resist chocolate chips?

We think it turned out pretty nice and it certainly did taste yummy. In fact I just had another piece right now after lunch because the thing has been calling me from the fridge for 4 days now, and if you know me, you know I have little will power over sweets!

Clark did spent some time in the beginning of the week practicing blowing out his candles. We have a book with a picture of a boy blowing candles out on a cupcake and we read it every night for several nights in a row. Clark would get to that page and lean in and blow on the picture of the candles and then clap for himself in joy. I can't even do it justice how cute it is.

So when the big event came around boy was he ready. With only two candles, he didn't have much of a task in front of him, but he took it on with all of his focus.

Big brother enjoyed singing to his little brother and sharing his cake. I honestly think he was more excited about Clark's birthday than Clark was and I did overhear him in the week leading up to the birthday telling Clark about the cake they would have and the presents he would help Clark to unwrap. Curtis is an amazing big brother and has never really had any problems with jealousy or sharing with his little brother. It is almost as if they were destine to be brothers and grow together. The two seem to really enjoy spending time together and when Curtis is at school three days a week Clark asks about him often. It just warms my heart to see my dreams coming true like this for my family (ok, sorry,there goes the sappy nostalgic Tara again.)

Clark did receive a few gifts that night from his close family members. Curtis had lots of fun showing Clark where to tear the wrapping paper and he got some really fun gifts. His favorite seems to be this dancing rapping dog that Curtis picked out for him that sings "Hey shorty, it's your birthday, we gonna party like it's your birthday" over and over. It's very cute to watch him dance around like crazy to the rapping dog but I must admit I am already tired of hearing the darned thing.

My favorite gift is of course a hand made one. Clark's Paw Paw (step Grand Dad) made him this really cool wooden truck. I just love hand made gifts and this one comes with logs to haul that are actually made from Clark's old crib, which was recalled and given to Paw Paw to create with. So not only is it hand made, it is made of recycled wood! You can't get more green than that (or PC for that matter). I know my parents have been giving each other hand made Christmas gifts for years now and I'll always remember the Christmas we moved and we had to make all of our tree decorations from things around the house. There is just something about the love and simplicity of a hand made gift.

So here I am, days after his actual birthday, planning our family trip to Disney world tomorrow. Yes, you read that right, my step Sister-in-Law works for Disney and is able to get us in on Monday to celebrate both the boys birthdays! We can't wait to kick off this next year in our children's lives at the happiest place on earth. It is really fitting since I feel like the happiest person on earth these days!

Autumn in Florida

2009-11-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

Autumn in Florida is a lot different that it is in NC or NJ, the two other states I've spend most of my life in. It is much cooler at night, but still really warm during the day here right now. I remember wearing thermals under my halloween costumes growing up, but down here we have to find short sleeve costumes because it is still in the 80's during the day. I'm used to it now after 8 years here, but it still is a little weird at times.

We also miss out on the changing color of the leaves down here. There are a few trees that get some color, but it is nothing like it is up north. Sometimes I get nostalgic for the colorful leaves and then I see film of people digging out of snow on the news and I remember how thankful I am to live in the tropics during all seasons of the year.

Recently we took a trip about 45 mins north of our town out into the country. We met some friends of ours at a Christmas tree farm that has autumn activities for the whole family. It was lots of fun.

Here you can see my baby boy smiling in the pumpkin patch at the farm. They had some really big pumpkins there and we all marveled at their size. I think this one probably weighed almost as much as my skinny little guy!

The boys got the opportunity to have pony rides while we were there and they both jumped at the chance.

Little Clark amazed me riding this pony named "Spooky" all by himself. I walked along side expecting him to get wobbly but he was very steady and focused the whole ride. Maybe he'll be a jockey when he grows up, he certainly is small enough right now!

Of course Curtis also got a turn to ride "Spooky" but his favorite thing about the farm was playing with his friends in the hay pit. It's amazing how much fun preschoolers can have with just a big pile of hay.

And finally here is a photo of the boys on the "Spider Train". It was a really bumpy ride but both boys loved it. They wanted to keep going and going.

So while we may not have vibrant leaves or cold winds, we do still have some aspects of Autumn here in Central Florida. The acorns all over my driveway remind me of the season enough every day even if the temperatures don't. There is a saying that says you should grow where you are planted and I feel pretty lucky to have planted my family in such a wonderful area.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T07:57:00.000-08:00

I think my whole family agrees that this may have been the best halloween ever. We spent most of the morning carving pumpkins and decorating the house for our halloween party.

Here you can see my two boys helping my big boy carve our pumpkins. Little Clark is so funny because he doesn't like getting messy with the pumpkin guts. You can just see the "EWWW" look on his face.

And here is a shot of my perfect little halloween kitty. She hung out with us while we were carving pumpkins and drank the milk from the bottom of my cereal bowl. This is such a nostalgic time of the year for me so I can't help but marvel that I've now had Fani with me for about 14 years. We've been through a lot the two of us and are now living a very charmed life. She might be the only all black cat that brings good luck, not bad.

And here are a few cute shots of my boys out trick or treating after our awesome party . We had some of our favorite friends over for a cookout in the afternoon and some of them even stayed to trick or treat with us. It was a lot of fun having a big group to go out with and the kids did get pretty excited about going door to door and getting candy.

And here was the scene back at the house after trick or treating. Some of the bigger kids sat down to trade candy while the little kids marveled at the loot they got. It brings back memories of me and my neighborhood friends checking out our candy after hitting the old Yale Rd neighborhood back in the day. Some traditions never lose their magic!

All in all I'd say there's not much that could top this past week when it comes to halloween festivities. We went to a party with one group of friends, hosted a party with another, hit a cool pumpkin patch with a friend who lives just north of us (photos to come), and had a most awesome party here at our house with great food and fun. I think the only thing that could have made it better would have been the Phillies winning, but I'm confident we'll come back and take the Series, so no big deal!

Now I'm spending the day cleaning up and organizing so I can tackle our next celebration which will be my baby boy turning 2 on the 11th. My how time flies!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

We ended up taking a spontaneous trip to the pumpkin patch recently. It was an afternoon of crankies one day last week so I decided to see if the boys wanted to try on their halloween costumes. After they had the costumes on the crankies were still hanging around so, remembering a sign I saw earlier in the week for a pumpkin patch, I threw the boys in the car and took off hoping it would be fun and lift their spirits. Lucky for us this small yet friendly and cute patch had a rule that every kid in costume got to pick their own mini pumpkin to take home. This was especially nice since I didn't realize I had no cash in my wallet until I got there.

Here is my beautiful boy showing me the pumpkin he liked best.

Here the boys are w/o masks on. As you can see we have a Spiderman and a Venom Spiderman this year. It took a while to decide on costumes for Curtis as usual. He loves halloween so much and has a lot of trouble deciding what to be each year. We had planned to have them both dress as ghosts until a trip to Target got Curtis craving a store bought costume. I much prefer homemade costumes, but I also prefer happy children so I decided to pick my battles on this one. I really wanted the boys to dress as a team and I was able to convince Curtis to buy the Venom costume and Clark was happy to dress in Curtis' old Spiderman costume (garage sale $5 find :o). The Spidey costume is way too big on Clark still, but we rolled the sleeves and pants and I figure it looks good enough.

Here they are sitting in the hay with full costumes. We don't have a mask for Clark's costume so I think I might use some face paint on halloween. In fact I might try to convince Curtis to do the same since I hate having his beautiful face covered like this.

Here's Clark being the cutest darn Spiderman around.

And Curtis, posing for Mommy next to a big round pumpkin.

We're all really looking forward to our halloween party and trick or treating this weekend. I hope everyone out there has fun and stays safe.

Stuck home with sick kids...

2009-10-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

...well not anymore, thank God. Curtis went back to school today! He was so happy and I think Clark enjoyed a nice relaxing morning grocery shopping and bike riding with Mommy. Over the past 4 days being stuck home with a sick kid I found myself having to think outside of the box for things to keep them both happy while here at home. You see my boys, like their Mommy, don't really enjoy sitting around at home watching TV. We are just outdoorsy people I guess, and getting out and being active and social really do keep all three of us happy and fulfilled during the week. So, while the ethical side of me knew that keeping my germy children away from the other healthy kids out in the world was the right thing to do, it went against every fiber of my intuitive self. This is where the outside of the box thinking came in. I had to come up with projects and activities and fun for the boys for 4 days straight here together at home! It might not sound too hard, but if you've never parented 2 young boys then don't judge so quickly!

Here is a photo of one of our craft projects. I took a little time at one point to clean up my bedside table and ended up with a pile of old magazines. So Curtis and I took out our scissors while Clark napped one afternoon and went about the task of finding photos of things we like to make collages of. Can you tell which one is his and which is mine?

And here is a photo of Curtis' new craft obsession. I don't know what these things are called but I remember making them when I was young. He really gets into making random designs and is so excited for me to iron them solid. Can you tell which one I made?

And here is a shot of a project we all made together. I really think this turned out kind of cute. I don't know why it makes me feel warm and fussy inside to see this road and town as interpreted by a 1.5 and 4.5 year old. I helped draw a few trees that they colored in and then we raced cars around the track they designed together. Good times!

And finally, a photo of our old lady kitty Fani. I included this because I came to realize this week just how much she sleeps. As we ran about between art projects and back yard baseball games she hardly even looks up as we whiz by. I know she is 16, which is like over 100 in cat years, but I still find it pretty amazing how much this cat can sleep. I guess I'm not the sleep champion of the house after all. Maybe I'll have to go work on that right now...

Sick Brothers

2009-10-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't blogged lately because we've had the sickies off and on. Unfortunately I thought we were totally off and it seems we are back on again....maybe...Curtis was at 102.5 at 4pm but now at after 8pm is back down to 99 degree temp, so who really knows. This has been a crazy illness going back and forth like that, but we're making the best of it by hanging at home and watching old Tom and Jerry cartoons and playing bocce ball in the yard and the frogger plug in game my MIL gave us.

The boys are so cute together even when they are under the weather. They both get so fascinated with the thermometer. Here you can see Curtis checking his little brother's temp out in such a professional manner.

And of course along with a fever comes some special treats. In order to keep the boys hydrated when they are sick I give them some things I normally wouldn't, like Gatorade and jello. I try to avoid the dyes these things have in them, but while they are sick I make an exception and it usually does get them to perk up some and get some extra fluids in.

I believe this is a photo of Clark's first experience with Jello. I don't remember ever having him try it before, but I can't be 100% sure since my memory is clouded by life at home with two young boys. He honestly wasn't that thrilled and when I tasted it I could tell why. Maybe these premade cups aren't as good as the old fashioned kind.

I know we aren't the only ones around these parts suffering. I've heard rumors in Mommy groups and Preschool about viruses and flu and strep going around. I am not one to rush off to the doctor for every illness since it usually just ends in a $30 copay and the advice I already know....lots of rest and fluids. So here we are again with our cartoons and jello and frogger, fingers crossed that the crud leaves our house pronto.

Couples Get-A-Way

2009-10-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

We decided when we got married that we would try to have a couples get-a-way each September around the time of our anniversary. Last year Clark was only 10 months old and still nursing so we had to skip it. The year before last I was 8 months preggo and while we did enjoy a few days on the gulf coast, I wasn't exactly the picture of comfort.

So, needless to say we were very excited to get away for two nights this year. We decided to go to the East coast this time so we could be within an hours drive in case the boys needed us for any reason. I didn't have a lot of luck getting a good recommendation for a hotel so we just drove over without any reservation figuring we would have good luck since it is off season right now. We ended up in Ormond Beach and found an affordable hotel that was nice and right on the beach.

We spent the majority of the time there sitting on the beach or splashing in the ocean. I really enjoyed the hours on the beach reading and writing uninterrupted. We also both had such a good time goofing off together in the waves. Add to that the fresh seafood dinners from a local spot recommended by the hotel clerk and you have two very happy people.

If you look closely you can see the moon in this one. What a joy to get to walk along the beach with my beloved under the beautiful moon.

This is the view I had for a good portion of the trip. I feel like the luckiest girl ever.

I highly recommend to every couple with children to plan a get-a-way every year. Even if just for two nights, the time both together and alone really replenished my soul and I came home ready to get back into the swing with my two boys. Of course the giant hugs I got when I walked in the door don't hurt either.

It's purplish pink

2009-09-25T10:50:00.001-07:00

So for my birthday I got the idea that I wanted some new energy in my life. I came up with a list of three different ways I could achieve this new energy a month or so before the actual birthday. I thought about it a lot and then decided to discuss it with Curt a week or two before my b'day.

I decided that I either wanted to get a new dog, get a tattoo, or dye my hair a bright color.

As most of you know our beloved dog Sebastian died about 2 months ago at age 16. We were very sad and the house feels strange without a dog in it. I've had a dog in my house for the majority of my life and I do love animals so that is part of the reason this idea popped into my head. Plus I saw the cutest part German Shepherd part Shar Pei puppy at an adoption fair a few weeks ago and haven't been able to get him/her out of my mind since. He/she was only 10 weeks old and not ready for adoption at the time.

I also have been watching these tattoo shows on tv lately. I really get into the symbolism of the tattoos people get and naturally, being the creative person that I am, I came up with an idea for one I wanted. Now hold on a second before you freak out Mom....most people who know me know I am not a tattoo person. I've never had a desire to get one until recently because I just don't want to spend money on something I might not even like in a few years. But, I guess the subliminal advertising of the shows got to me and I kept thinking about this tattoo.

Then for reasons I don't know, the idea to dye my hair came to me. I saw a girl on a tv show (gosh it sounds like TV is such a bad influence on me) that had bright pink hair and I thought it looked cute on her. Right now I have no reason not to play with my hair since I don't have a job other than taking care of my family, so I figured now would be a safe time. On top of that I recently got a haircut that I don't really like so I thought maybe some color would make the hair more bearable. I kept thinking about this too over the course of a month or so, picturing myself with nice pink or purple or blue hair. It seemed fun and less permanent than the tattoo idea.

So before you ask, no I'm not having a mid life crisis. First of all I am only 34, and I plan to live way beyond 68, for sure. Second of all I am super happy with my life right now. I feel like I've gotten just about everything I've ever wanted and things are so joy filled around here most of the time. So if anything, being 34, it's a third life celebration thing and not a mid life crisis thing.

So as you can see choice number 3 won out. I don't like this photo at all, but there it is. My disclaimer is that I had just gotten home from both a yoga class followed by a trip to Costco with two young kids, so I was hot and tired. Anyone with young kids knows how a Costco trip can be.

Right away when I discussed it with Curt, he totally vetoed the new dog idea, and I really have to agree with him. It's just too soon and I'm actually really enjoying not having to vacuum up hair and pick up poopie all the time.

I really considered the tattoo for a while but kept having second thoughts on top of not wanting to spend the money. I think it was the permanence that really got me though. The idea I have seems really cool now, but what if I think it's stupid in 5 years. I have found some tattoos to be a little vain too and was afraid that I would be doing it for the wrong reasons. I still love looking at other peoples tattoos and hearing the stories behind them, but I think that I will probably never get one myself, and I am good with that.

So then I was left with the hair dye. I talked to Curt about it and then discussed it briefly with a few girlfriends. Apparently Curt thought I was joking and I think my girlfriends might have too, because when I bought the dye they all seemed a little shocked. I waited until a night when Curt was out working in the garage and just went for it. I had done a test swatch that afternoon and seen that it wasn't going to fry my hair or anything so I felt pretty safe.

Boy was it messy! I don't know how people do this all the time. I dyed my hair a few times in college, but it's been a long time, and I just don't remember it being this messy. I ended up scrubbing the whole shower stall at around 10:00pm at night because of it. So I doubt I'll be doing it again anytime soon.

Once I was done I felt invigorated and a little shocked myself. I went out to show Curt and he couldn't believe it. He really did think I was joking, but I'm glad to say that he really likes it. It came out a little more purple than I had planned, but I'm still pretty happy with it. It is semi-permanent dye and the girl at the store who sold it to me said that means it washes out over time. I'm thinking a few months. So this is perfect. A short time of fun hair and new energy to celebrate another year in my life!

In this photo you can't see the hair as well, but I had to post it anyway. Curtis took this photo of Curt and I and I really think it turned out kind of cute. Sometimes it's fun to see things from a kid's eye view.

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-09-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Most of the time a few weeks before my birthday I start to feel a little weird. I start thinking of all the things I have yet to accomplish. I start to feel guilty about the years I spent wasting my time in a lifestyle that didn't serve me well at all. I think of all the people that I know that have done so much more than I have in the past 34 years.

Well, this year I felt myself slipping down that path when I suddenly realized that I am actually in a really great place in my life right now. In this past year alone I have learned so much about myself and the life that I want to live. There have been mistakes along the way, but these were mistakes which taught me how to live my life more authentically and thus in a more joy filled way. So why not even celebrate my mistakes? It was a thought that had never occurred to me before, and yet it made so much sense and seemed so easy. Everything that happened to me over the past 365 days, good and bad, has created the person that I am now and is worth celebrating.

Actually over the past 2-3 years I have taken a giant leap in my life's education. I have learned how to have faith and how to believe and most importantly how to feel confident in myself. I have turned my focus towards gratitude and this act alone has changed my life in such a monumental way! And I do have so much to be grateful for.

So this year on my birthday I really celebrated. I celebrated this wonderful life that I have co-created with my husband. I celebrated the two wonderful sons that I have been blessed with. I celebrated the love and joy that my family shares on a daily basis. I celebrated the friends I made this year. I celebrated all the introspection and journaling and meditation I've done and the knowledge it has brought me. I even celebrated the loses along the way, because without them I wouldn't have gained the knowledge that I have now. I celebrated my intention for this new year to live a life full of only joy and easy relationships with those that I truly love. And here I am 2 days in and flying high with joy and love for my authentic self and the life I have been blessed with.

Life is so precious, focus on the blessings you have and fill your world with the things that bring joy!

Disney World trip part II

2009-09-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here's Clark on the Dumbo picture opportunity.

And here he is in Winnie the Pooh's chair.

He liked Winnie the Pooh's play area a lot. He was so cute playing inside I had to take a photo here.

I took this photo during the parade. Clark really enjoyed watching all the characters go by and he kept yelling and waving and pointing over and over.

And last but not least a little photo of Clark in front of Toon Town. He really enjoyed exploring Mickey and Minnie's houses and especially enjoyed playing in Minnie's Kitchen, which had lots of cheese in it!

Disney World on my birthday!

2009-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

That's right, Clark and I went to Disney World on my birthday last week. This year there is a promotion where you get in free on your birthday and since Clark is underage and gets in free as well, I figured what the heck! My birthday was on Sunday and after Labor Day so I figured it wouldn't be too busy or hot, and well one out of two ain't bad.

Here we are in front of the castle, which you can't see because the stranger I asked to take the picture kind of cut it off.

Clark had a blast at the two splash areas in the park. He just loves the water and it certainly was hot enough out that I wanted to jump in too.

We thought Mickey's cool pumpkins were neat. Clark really enjoyed going through Mickey and Minnie's houses.

The funny thing is when we got to the tent to meet Mickey and Minnie Clark begged me to take him in. Of course once we got to the front of the line he was a little shy and so I had to get into the photo too.

And lucky for both of us Clark took a nice little hour nap around 2pm. He woke up just in time for the parade. He loved all the shows and the parades the most. During this parade Woody from Toy Story came up to him and gave him five. He's never seen Toy Story so now I'm going to fish it out and play it for him to see if he remembers Woody from our trip.

I have some more cute photos to share so I'll do part II next.

Felt Crayon Roll

2009-09-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

After my decision to scale back on facebook and start sewing more, I really dropped the ball big time. I've hardly been sewing at all. I'm not really sure why, but I was in a creative funk for a short time and wasn't doing much besides chatting online with friends and flipping through magazines.

I'm not beating myself up though, we all need a little time to veg out every once and a while and as long as it's serving it's purpose I'm fine with it. Recently I got to the point where it was no longer serving any purpose so I put a little fire under myself and found a nice little project to start.

Here is the felt crayon roll I made. I was planning on giving it to a little friend who turns 3 this month but it turns out we can't make his party. I may still give it to him next time I see him, that is if Clark is willing to part with it. The good news is I bought enough supplies (with Joanne's coupons of course) to make at least one more and the second one will be better because I did make a few boo-boos this time that I now know how to avoid.

Here it is opened up with the crayons showing. I got three boxes of crayons at OfficeMax for a penny each for this project. Yes, I was the woman up at the register paying for her purchases with three pennies. Add to that the fact that I also got a $5 off coupon for Payless shoes on the receipt and I'd call that a steal!

You can't really see the boo-boos in these photos, but there are at least two things I will improve upon with the next one. First off I sewed the ribbon in upside down in my confusion. It would be cuter if the pattern was on the outside when it is tied up, but I think it still looks ok. Secondly, I was working on my floor since I still haven't been able to move into my new craft/office/guest room and the cutting wasn't exactly perfectly straight. Add to that the fact that my pinking shears are really old and struggled to make it through three layers of felt and you have an imperfect, yet cute and usable crayon roll. I'm planning to try one for pencils out of fabric for Curtis sometime in the near future....hopefully more near than far this time.

Rain without Lightening

2009-09-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's pretty rare that we get a rain storm that doesn't include lightening and we get a lot of afternoon showers this time of year here in Florida. So when the rain came the other day and there was no lightening and we were all feeling cooped up, we decided to just go out and get wet.

I can't believe I let my boys lay there in the puddle by the curb, but it was such a wonderfully free moment and I wasn't worried about them getting dirty at all.

I mean look at that smile! That is one happy and easy and free kid there splashing around in the rain in a puddle by the curb. This, to me, is really what the meaning of life is. The fact that I can provide the freedom for my children to experience such joy makes me feel like I am fulfilling my goal as their Mother.

There is something very grounding about being exposed to mother nature's elements. I am definitely an outdoorsy person, and my husband and sons are too, thank God. We all seem to need a daily conference with mother nature in order to remain sane in this crazy world and it is even more fulfilling when we can share that time together.

As I stood holding a giant golf umbrella watching my two boys laugh and splash and play with each other in the rain I felt more calm than I had in weeks. All of life's worries washed away and I couldn't help but smile.

So if you find yourself with your shoulders up by your ears and your teeth gritting, just go outside and have a little talk with good old mother earth. She's there for you whenever you need her, just be careful if it's lightening.

Good Transitions

2009-08-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have brought with them some good transitions for our family. Now I will be the first to admit that I'm not always the best at dealing with change, but what I've learned in my almost 34 years of life is that sometimes what you think might be a rough transition turns magically into a smooth and wonderful transition.

For example, take our decision to move the two boys into the same bedroom. We had planned to do this all along, but took the big leap at a time when we were frustrated with sleep issues and preparing for some house guests. Maybe this didn't seem like the best time to try this new set up, but my intuition told me to take the leap and boy am I glad that I listened. Ever since the original night that they slept together, we have been sleeping great here in the Fisher house. Now after a few weeks of this arrangement both boys go to sleep in the most gentle and peaceful way that I could ever wish for. I have never let them CIO (cry it out) and I am so happy that they are now safely sleeping together in their own room.

Originally we just slapped Curtis' mattress on the floor in Clark's room because we had limited time before our house guests arrived. This weekend we measured and moved and yes, dropped a dresser on my toe, as we set this wonderful room up for the boys. Bloody toe aside, I couldn't be happier with the look of the room. There is still work to do in the other bedroom which I am happy to announce will soon be our guest/craft/office room. I will finally get my husband's office out of my bedroom and be able to move my sewing machine off the dining room table! I am so excited to be able to lay out a bunch of craft supplies and be able to walk away mid project without having to put everything away. I am equally excited to get the files and computer and business phone out of my bedroom and away from the place where I relax and replenish my soul each night.

The other major transition has been school! Yes, school is already back in session down here and we have been lucky again this year. There was very little stress involved in this transition as well because the school Curtis is attending this year is the same one he attended last year with the same teachers and even some of the same students. Curtis loves the Complete Soccer Academy and I have already noticed a change in his attitude after only a week back.

It is also amazing to me how much I enjoy those few hours of alone time with Clark three days a week. Sometimes I forget that I never got the kind of one on one time with Clark that I did for the first two and a half years of Curtis' life. Spending the mornings with just him is so different than when Curtis is around and I'm really grateful that both boys get what they need from this arrangement.

So I guess the lesson in all of this is that I should never fear change or transitions because they are often times smooth and gentle and leave me in a situation even better than where I was in the first place
(especially when I listen to my intuition).

Check out these cool bikes!

2009-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so going to win one!

Where have I been?

2009-08-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

All over the place really. See my Mom came down to visit us! It was great and I had fun playing tourist and showing her around. We don't do all the regular Orlando touristy things like theme parks and such. We have way more fun doing more outdoorsy things. My Mom is just like the boys and I (or I should say we are like her) because she loves being in nature too!

We went to Kelly Park and played in Rock Springs. It is so nice there, but the Springs are pretty cold at only around 70 degrees year round. The swimming area has a shallow area which is perfect for the boys and they also had fun playing on the beach area too. Curtis played with the cool boat Grandmom brought down for the boys and we all went for a nice picnic and hike where we saw caves and turtles and fish and streams.

Clark also had lots of fun reading in bed with Grandmom when she visited. He has recently begun to love reading books. See before the visit we switched things around and now the boys share a bedroom and we use the other room as a guest room and soon we will move my husband's office in there and my sewing machine too. I can't tell you how happy I'll be to have my husband's office out of my bedroom and also to have an area to do crafts. It's been an amazing transition since the boys now both go to bed so easily and sleep through the night with no problems at all. It so warms my heart to see them both so cute and cuddled up sleeping next to each other in the same room.

Grandmom also helped us bake cookies. We used two of the recipes she passed down to us that we love and naturally Curtis was happy to help clean up.

And finally, here is a shot of them at the beach. This was one of the best beach trips this summer. The forecast was bad but we went anyway and had the best weather. We both commented on how hard it was to leave that afternoon. It was such a relaxed trip. We threw some towels and sandwiches and toys in the car and took off. The weather was glorious and I couldn't have asked for a better visit with my Mom.

Unfortunately she is back up north now, but Curtis has asked almost daily since she left when we are going to visit her, so it shouldn't be long before we see her again, and this time maybe she'll be taking us site seeing!

Tough Love

2009-08-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

We've been experiencing some moments of tough love around here lately. Who would've known that our folks were right back when they said it was harder on them then it was on us. It took a husband, two kids, and a mortgage before I could really understand my parents and trust me, I'm not sure how they did it with three of us without going completely insane.

One thing I know is that it is my job to teach my sons how to respect others. It's amazing how these little beings come into our lives, such blank slates, and end up teaching us more about ourselves then we could ever imagine knowing. My sons have been really sending me to school lately with lessons on self respect and confidence. That's right, it takes a 4 year old with an attitude and a 1 year old learning about independence to teach me how to respect myself. Through their button pushing, stalling, and down right defiance I have been forced to acknowledge my own self confidence levels. Do I deserve to be bossed around by a 1 year old tyrant or a 4 year old despot? Do I deserve to be listened to (within reason) as if I matter beyond just clothes washer and food preparer? Do I deserve a moment of time to myself after hours at a park or event for the kids?

Well, folks, my answer to these questions is finally a resounding Yes!

I'll admit that my family goes through cycles of disrespect and that I am as guilty as the rest of them. It is with all of this knowledge that I have set a new intention for my family to express our respect for each other every day in every way possible. I mean, sometimes it's just the small things that do it for me. Think of the times your significant other has tip toed out of the bedroom to give you an extra few minutes of sleep, or the kids have given you a spontaneous bear hug, or the times when your whole family finds themselves laughing and dancing in the kitchen after dinner for no reason what so ever. These are the moments in life that I am cherishing right now. These are the moments that I am trying not to let slide by while I am distracted by the TV or paper or internet or my own mind. These moments are the true purpose of my life right now.

It really is amazing to me how much I love these two kids. Sometimes I look at them and am just blown away by the fact that I have two sons! But here's the hitch, the fact that I love them forces me to sometimes put us all through some pretty uncomfortable emotions. If I don't have enough self respect for myself and love for them to gently teach them how to respectfully treat those around them, who will? The last thing I want to do is send my boys out into the world under equipped for dealing with social interactions in a respectful and peaceful manner.

So yes, there has been some serious boundary re fortification around here lately and while it is really uncomfortable at the time, I am holding strong to the belief that teaching my children to respect others is an important lessons and that they will be better people for it.

Making Playdough

2009-08-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, while Clark napped and the afternoon rains came, Curtis and I got bored. He wanted to make a craft but gave me a "no" to all my old standbys. So I had a light bulb pop over my head as I remembered the homemade playdough recipe that I had. It's the same recipe we used in my house when I was a child and it is very quick and easy. Basically you throw the ingredients into a pot and stir it over medium heat until it forms a ball. The fun part about making it with a preschooler is that he first gets to choose whatever color he wants and help stir before playing away the afternoon creating until his heart is contented.

Curtis decided to make blue playdough and had lots of fun stirring it on the stove.

He took this photo of me helping to stir once it got pretty stiff.

First he made some garages while I made cars to go in them. This is a reoccurring theme in our play now-a-days. He is such a boy, always focused on the garage and what goes in it.

Here he is with the alligator we made together.

And of course once Clark woke from his nap he had to get in on the fun too.

I would recommend this craft to any parent of a preschool looking for something cheap, easy, and fun to make on a rainy day. We have it now stored in a zip top bag and have already pulled it out a couple times since yesterday afternoon. Curtis was so proud of himself for making it that he has told almost everybody he has seen since, so it is also a wonderful and simple way to boost a little guy's confidence.

Playdough

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1 cup water (with 10 drops of food color added if you choose to color the dough) in a medium pot. Stir over medium heat until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to play with.