may I take your order?

We are a family that loves to go out to eat. One of our favorite ways to treat ourselves is to eat out at a restaurant. We've been taking the kids out to eat since they were each infants and as a result they know how to behave in a restaurant which makes the outing enjoyable for us all. Granted, there was a time when our choice of venue was limited to Friendly's and Brighams but now that the kids are older we take them everywhere.

All this dining out has made playing "restaurant" one of my kids absolute favorite games. They play it inside at their play kitchen. They play it outside at the small table set under the trees. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They play the parts of the chef, the server and the customers. They write up signs, create menus and even give us mints at the end of our meals. Most of the time, Joe and I get to play the role of customer. It never fails to crack me up when Katie saunters over to the table with a small notepad and pencil and says "Hi...I'm Katie and I'll be taking care of you today. What do you want to eat?"

When we do go out to eat (in a real restaurant that serves food made out of...food...not playdough or dirt) I always tease Joe about his choice of entree because he is very predictable and depending on where we are I could order for him with my eyes shut and one hand tied behind my back. Me...I'm more adventurous, and am always looking to try something new and different. But it seems my kids find me just as predictable as I do Joe. The other day I decided to try out a new restaurant that just happened to open in my backyard. I was greeted and taken to my table. My server Katie came over and pulled out her pad of paper and pencil and said "Oh, it's you...wine and cannoli?"!!!

i ♥ faces back to school challenge

Last week my two oldest marched across the front yard and up the stairs of the big yellow bus. They had been running around the yard full of excitement and enthusiasm while waiting for the bus. A few minutes before the bus arrived, Teresa sidled up to me and put her hand in mine. She asked me if I thought her teacher would like her and if I thought her teacher would be fun. My answers did not quite erase the slightly anxious look on her face. But when the bus stopped, she pulled her hand out of mine and boarded the bus. I asked her to stop and pose for just one more picture. She tried to eek out a smile but was not very successful. Her nervousness trumped any attempt at a smile.

Rest assured though, she bounded off the bus in the afternoon and reported her teacher was the world's greatest...she played games AND she made them popcorn!

Head on over to i ♥ faces and check out some of the other entries.

in her words

Teresa has the soul of a poet. She has long carried on a love affair with words. She soaks up new words and uses them as soon as she can; even if they don't quite fit. She especially relishes what she calls "amazing" words. Why use a worn out word when you can use one that is polysyllabic and unique? She often surprises me with some of the things she says. When she was a toddler she would often tell me "you make my heart happy." She still says this today and it never fails to cause me to melt into an ooey gooey pile of mush. The other day while we were cooking together and chatting about nothing in particular, she wrapped her dimpled arms around my waist, snuggled her face into my belly and said "Mumma, you fill my joy with delight." On the surface this doesn't really even make sense, but to my ears, it says everything.

how did this happen???

We were doing rhyming games today when it happened. I asked Katie to rhyme the word "car."

She paused for a minute and then hollered "CAH!...STRAW!"

I always thought my friends were exaggerating when they tell me my Boston accent is "wicked" strong. I guess not.

that time of year again

Every year this day holds a mix of emotions for me. Pride, sadness, glee, and excitement.
Happy first day of school!

scrubbed and shiny and ready for a brand new year

Even though Kate still has a couple of years before her first day of school, she insists on getting in on the photo op

And there goes Teresa again...always wants to strike a pose

Nerves began to set in as they got on the bus...but they came home with smiles on their faces. We're off to a great start!

yes we still do crafts

It's seriously been ages and ages since I posted a craftsy type post. We still are crafting away here at my house but I've been lazy about taking pictures while crafting. I plan on being better about that and aim to try and post a craft activity each week. We shall see if I'm able to follow through.

My kids love to collect rocks and shells and with all the trips to the beach and pond this summer we've accumulated a LOT of loot. We became very discriminating rock hounds by summer's end. Even so, I've got bowls on my kitchen table and windowsills. Teresa has a huge jar on her dresser. And we've got buckets out on the deck. All filled with rocks. I even got into the game. I always keep my eye out for heart shaped rocks and managed to find over half a dozen cute little heart shaped stones. But this year I also really took a hankering to rocks that have bands of another color running through them. So I have a bucket of striped rocks I plan on using for this craft featured here.

Okay...on to the messy stuff.
We decided, and by we I mean me, to use some of the summer's treasure to create stepping stones. It's a very simple process and the stones become summer souvenirs that should last far longer than a keychain or snowglobe. You will need a mold for your stepping stone. We have purchased molds from the craft store but this time around we just used some foil baking pans from the supermarket. You will also need a bucket of ready mix cement, an old bucket, water and a wooden paint stirrer. I also recommend a board or flat pan to do the project on so you can move it easily while the cement is still wet. The crowning glory will be whatever you plan on decorating your stone with. It can be rocks and shells or you can buy pretty marbles or tiles at the craft store if you want.

First you need to dump some of the cement mix into the bucket. Then begin adding in the water. Add a little (1/2 cup) at a time and stir it thoroughly. You want the mixture to resemble cake batter in the end. Once you've mixed it to the right consistency you will need to pour the cement into the mold. I would not mix the entire bucket all at once because it will be really hard to stir. I make enough for one mold at a time. As soon as the mold is filled your little artists can begin decorating. All they need to do is place the rocks and shells in the cement and push them in just a bit (not too deep). And that's it. Just pick the board up and move it to a spot where it can sit undisturbed for a day or two and once it's hardened pop it out of the mold.

power nap

Proof that even Pink Power Rangers need to recharge sometimes.