Our Kids

Well these past couple weeks have been a blur. We seem to have tons on our plate right now with the Winter Faire at the girls school, a name the turkey contest for the school (sponsored by moi), participating in the annual Tour de Coops (showcasing our chicken coop at the school) and all the various activities that surround the holiday. With all this controlled (yeah right) chaos it is nice to slow down and smell the coffee (that is multiple cups a day mind you).

Today was bliss. Unintended but absolute bliss. It started off normal enough with running for me and then getting the girls ready for school. I am supposed to take Landis and Phoebe to playgroup but I have been ditching that lately because the program quite frankly stinks but I digress. So I planned to take the girls to the mall to return some jeans I bought Jason and maybe see if they wanted to get a picture with Santa. But as we meandered through the morning it was apparent that none of us wanted to go anywhere. So Landis and Phoebe played while I designed a new sign for the animal exhibit at the school. Then we all played together and read some books. Then I put Phoebe down for a nap.

During Phoebe’s nap, Landis and I made some yummy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, then we drew pictures, then we hung up her laundry. She was so helpful and it was so nice to just soak up her company and her endless chatter about her fairy friends and the naughty gnomes. Phoebe woke up and we had some tilapia and raw veggies for lunch and soon we will be off to collect the big girls from school. A trip to the dentist is in their futures today but that generally goes really well. We might get crazy and hit Costco on our way home from the dentist but today is screaming for flexibility so that is the actual plan.

Today was a great day for Landis. We went up to the school to drop some things off for the handwork group with no intention of staying, Phoebe didn’t sleep well and was super grump. Anyway, handwork didn’t really happen but while I was running around figuring that out and looking for the key Landis stayed with Ms. Falconburg and the 1st grade class. By the time I went back to get her she was settled in and Ms. Falconburg asked if she could stay for the day. So I gave in and let her. The little cherub stayed all day with her sisters and her friends and just had a blast. She crashed out to sleep tonight at 630P and asked me if she could go to Ms. F’s class for her 5th birthday:) So sweet. I am grateful for the girls teacher, she is great!

I am the one on my street. The one house that already decorated for the Christmas Holidays before Thanksgiving!! This is really the first year that I have been in the total holiday spirit and not my usual bah humbug self. This year I want the house to look and smell like the holidays. So I threw Thanksgiving over for Christmas. Some of it is because I don’t have to lift a finger for the turkey holiday because of my wonderful MIL so it is easy for me to forget that others are frantically running about getting ready for the festivities.

On top of that fact Lela was home sick and pretty blue because she was missing the lantern making at school. The only carrot I had was to drag out the holiday decorations and that seemed to perk her right up. So our decorations are out and the tree is decked. Carols are playing on the radio and the pine scent is in the air (thanks to Glade). Sure my tree has lights out in several spots and it looks like someone just threw the ornaments on (because they pretty much did) but the girls are pleased as punch and that warms my heart the most.

So Happy Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things and holiday decorations are one of them:)

Sunday is our clean behind the ears day. This is the day that we spend time doing all our personal grooming so we start the week out all squeaky clean. Usually I put the girls in my shower but lately I have ended up getting soaking wet in the process. This week we went in the girls shower and I crammed all four in. Then I had a stroke of brillance!! We did a shampoo train. Starting from smallest to biggest it looked something like this.

Phoebe, Landis, Piper, Lela and then me. I washed Lela’s hair, Lela washed Piper’s hair, Landis washed Phoebe’s hair and Phoebe played with the water. It worked famously and next time I will get Jason to get a snapshot. Not only were we helping each other we (meaning the girls) were learning how to wash hair!!

What will I come up with next??

Well it’s Movember and Jason is growing a mustache.

I don’t think we like it. In fact I am certain that we don’t. What do you think? Check out this photo.

Sure he had been sick in bed for a day and a half, had not had any coffee in over 30 hours, had not had any food in over 30 hours and had just walked around acres of cactus. But don’t let that frame your decision.

Oh and he told me I was a dead woman if I posted that pic so see ya later alligators:)

That is my only explanation.
I seriously think you all should pack.
I am in a bit of a panic myself and wish I had purchased more shelf stable food and fresh water.
Landis ate 3 servings of kale at dinner and even uttered the words, “I love Kale.”

Okay that is crazy talk or as I mentioned above the end of the world, you decide.

We have the slowest moving virus here at the house. It started with Landis almost two weeks ago and has slowly moved through Piper and Lela and finally hitting Jason this weekend. Jason had a super busy week and was out of commission for most of the weekend but s’okay cuz I had plans:)

Friday night was the Lantern Walk at the girls school. Lela was out sick Thursday and Friday so we made our lanterns at home and they turned out super cute. Then we went to the walk where the school grounds are lit by hundreds of luminaries and the kids hear a story of St Michael around a bonfire and eat hot spiced cider and hot rolls baked by the 7th graders. As we walked through the luminaries several groups of 5th and 6th graders sang or played music. It was really nice.

Saturday I got up and met my friend for a quick (ha ha) 11 mile jog which was great. Then I picked up so EB bagels and headed home with a Soy Vanilla Latte:) Next on tap was ballet lessons for all the girls minus Phoebe who stayed home for a nap. After ballet the girls and I headed to Chipotle for some grub, apparently I am the only one who enjoys Chipotle (I just love that vegan burrito bowl and now they serve brown rice!). After that we went home and picked up Phoebe and headed out to Tempe Town Lake. They have a new pedestrian bridge over the lake and I wanted to check it out with the girls. So we parked and walked to the bridge enjoying the water and the birds. The bridge was cool, it is a kind of suspension bridge and you get to walk over the damn. Then we headed over to Tempe Beach Park where they were setting up for the Ironman, I had seen it at 530AM that morning and wanted to see it in all its glory. That set up was freaking amazing. All that gear triathletes have to have is insane, the sea of bikes and gear bags was crazy. There was someone playing music so the girls and I got a jamba juice and hung out a bit. Then we headed over to the beach where the sculling boats put in and out. The girls had fun playing in the sand. Oh I forgot to mention that we stopped in at Honeymoon Sweets and the girls got a cake pop! Wow we really made the rounds on restaurants now that I type it all out lol!

We rounded out the day by coming home and popping pop corn and watching a family flick. It was something about two mice that save a girl from a band of thieves and save Christmas all while writing the song Silent Night. I dunno. They liked it, I could have done without:) Jason was out of commission all that time:(

The next morning we were meeting Jason’s folks at Desert Botanical Gardens. Jason decided to drag himself along and we enjoyed having him. We got to see the new big bugs exhibit and made a visit to the butterflies. It was awesome. Then we came home and I fixed the girls brown rice pasta with kale and a crudite platter. We gobbled down our food and jetted out for the movies! We went to see Puss n Boots. I thought the movie was okay but I don’t get why there is so much strife in these flicks, the girls don’t really like it but they like going to the movies. By the time we got home from the movie I was beat/done/finito but alas more weekend was to come. Finally I told Lela that I was not going to make another decision for her and if she was hungry she would have to figure it out for herself! LOL, not a stellar parenting moment but we had had a busy weekend. Jason was still down in the dumpers but I knew he would rally for work. The most amazing thing about it all was that Jason did not have coffee for over 36 hours! That is AMAZING!

I finally got the girls to bed and dropped like a log in to my own bed to get ready for another busy week:)

Well, it is confirmed that I just don’t get it like Lela thought. Oh and I suck:)

Lela has a hard time eating breakfast but of all my kids she is the one that needs to eat the most. She has her father’s metabolism and actually needs to eat every 2-3 hours. She eats all of her lunch EVERYDAY no matter what I put it. It could be a virtual veggie fest with a few nuts and she will eat it all. I have received specific instructions on how many food items to put in her lunch and I get an earful if I don’t put in enough.

So along those lines I try to make sure she eats a healthy breakfast with some protein in it which is kind of hard when we don’t have meat or eggs and I probably already packed peanut butter in her lunch. Anyway, I try to get her something she likes and this week she ate brown rice with seaweed for breakfast and loved it. She doesn’t really go for oatmeal or cereal. This morning she didn’t know what she wanted so I fixed the old stand by, peanut butter and bananas. She wasn’t eating. I told her to eat. Then realizing how grumpy I sounded I explained that she did not have to eat as soon as she got up but if she was just going to sit there she could instead get dressed and practice piano and eat later. Then I made hot chocolates with powdered greens in them (I know it sounds bad but it is yummy). She got up and went to her room to get ready and I forgot about breakfast. She covered her hot chocolate with her napkin and I did not notice it. I sent her off to school even though she seemed upset.

Then Jason texts me (after calling 5 times but my phone was on silent) and says Lela’s tummy is upset. Gah! Then at 9 (school starts at 8:30) I get a call from the office and Lela is throwing up. Great! Really??? The one day I decide to pick on her about her breakfast she is sick to her stomach and afraid to tell me because I might make her stay home. Wow, talk about mean mommie status, way to go Mystique! Anyway, I went to pick her up and she told me she was afraid to tell me because they were supposed to make their lanterns for the Friday night Lantern Walk at the school and she did not want to miss it. Well she missed it and she does not have a lantern. Sigh. I must fix this situation some how or else this might go down as the worst week of Lela’s life, you may think I say that in jest but this girl doesn’t like change (I have NO idea where she gets that from, wink wink).

So although I am not feeling so spritely myself I must figure a way to fix this. She has thrown up again at around 3:00 so I am not sure that she will be going to school tomorrow. And if she doesn’t go to school can I really let her go to the Lantern Walk? If I have her miss the Lantern walk, with or without the lantern, I am sure she won’t forget nor likely forgive me for the rest of her life.

So there you have it, that is why today I suck.