The Glad Game

2011-10-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Since moving I started a new blog and have not made any new postings on this one. While I like the title and all that I was going for, as far as looking at and sharing the joys of my life, particularly as a stay at home mom and wife, I feel that this move represents a new chapter. Some similarities, some new adventures. So, consider this one archived and please join me at:

http://st-george-snapshots.blogspot.com/

The Bob

2011-06-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Whirlwind California Vacation

2011-06-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

This photo journal captures a small amount of the very strong and good feelings this trip gave us. We saw so many loved ones and wish we could have seen more. Hurray for family. This was a fulfilling, rejuvenating vacation.

#1 Hotel Room, Blythe

#2 On The Drive, Palm Springs area

#3 Garden, Culver City

#4 BBQ, Santa Monica

#5 Hike, Malibu Creek State Park

#6 Three Generations

Missed getting a photo with my brother Brad, who stopped in at Mom and Dad's house briefly. Can't believe how many siblings we got to see this trip.

#7 Brentwood. My daughter asked me today if we could go to Aunt Erika's. "Wouldn't that be fun, Mom?" Oh, if only it were that easy.

#8 Children's Museum, Stockton

#9 Aunt Paula's House, Nail Painting, and U-pick Cherries

#10 Our stop in Fresno to visit our new nephew and to swim in Uncle Rusty's pool.

#11 A Peaceful Property and Grandparents to Share the Morning With, Bear Valley Springs

#12 Neglected to photograph our stop at Aunt Marcy's house, a few hours of good conversation and a sample of delicious homemade cookies.

#13 My great niece and my son. Two-days apart in age; they seem to know each other. Santa Monica.

Last day of our trip spent, of course, in the yard.

Kisses

2011-05-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Haircuts

2011-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Green Smoothie

2011-05-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

So, in case you haven't heard of this yet, a green smoothie has fresh spinach in it and whatever fruits you like.

Brothers

2011-05-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Pretty in Polka Dots

2011-05-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Currently Reading

2011-05-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

My son and I are loving this.

Photographer

2011-05-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

My four-year old is doing pretty well learning to take pictures.

Me and baby boy (3 months old).

Me, hubby, and baby boy.

Moon Sand

2011-05-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

The children love it. Me, not so much. It gets everywhere. We played with it outside once, but lost so much of it, I thought we'd try again indoors. I think we'll stick to playing with it outside.

Siblings

2011-05-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Permission Granted

2011-04-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

There is a pomegranate tree in the yard of an apartment complex in the neighborhood that is huge and has a ton of fruit on it every year. I eye it every autumn with jealousy and nostalgia for the pomegranate jelly of my childhood. And lament over the wasted fruit as so much of it dies on the tree every winter. Yesterday, on a walk with the children, I finally saw someone outside of the complex. I asked if she lived there. She responded that she was the owner. At which point, I asked if I could pick fruit from her tree. She said, yes. Between now and harvest time, I need to learn how to make jelly, because while I was present for picking, juicing, and eating, I never actually participated in jelly making with Mom. Oh, and it was a total teaching moment for my son, who witnessed the transaction...Always ask permission, we don't take without asking, even if we don't think anyone is using it or would miss it if it were gone.

May I Suggest Peas

2011-04-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Among the many wonderful reasons to garden, if one of yours happens to be to amuse your children then may I suggest peas. We also have a strawberry plant, which is fun to harvest from. Anything picked fresh from the garden is far superior to store-bought, but there is an extra element to hunting for pods on a vine. They blend in so well with the plant that hunting for and finding peas becomes an experience. I remember it from my own childhood and now seeing the delight in my children's faces when they discover another pea pod to pick makes me feel like life is a bit of a circle game. We are currently watching our first tomato of the year, waiting for it to turn green, and if you are a four-year-old boy, waiting for it to get "too big to fit in the back of a truck." Happy Spring.

Say it with Style

2011-04-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

For beautiful hand-crafted cards at a great price, check out: http://cardsbyerika.blogspot.com/. I'm ordering these two. So pretty. I love them.

9 1/2 Years

2011-04-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

It's funny how you can still surprise your spouse after 9 1/2 years of marriage. You pull something out that he never knew or saw you do before, something totally ordinary, and you Wow! him.

How did I Wow! my husband? With scrambled eggs. What? I said it was "ordinary".

I made scrambled eggs...fluffy, not dry, not wet, perfect in every way, as if Mary Poppins herself were standing over the skillet in my kitchen. This is a skill I have because I am my mother's daughter.

He was in awe, partly because they were awesome and partly because I never made him scrambled eggs before.

"What?" I said. "Just because I don't like scrambled eggs doesn't mean I don't know how to make them."

He said I should make them all the time. I so love flattery, but I also love fried eggs.

Superstar

2011-03-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

His grandparents took him to the Children's Museum a few weeks ago where they were celebrating Dr. Seuss. He decorated the hat and bow tie there and threw together the rest of this ensemble at home.

Mommy's Bed

2011-03-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

A nice place to meet.

Once Upon A Time...

2011-03-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

...a little girl found a seat under an olive tree

and sat there while her brother and daddy made stepping stones

and she was happy. The End.

Breakfast Made Easy

2011-03-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

This is the menu:

Sunday: Cracked Wheat & Fruit

Monday: Oatmeal & Smoothie

Tuesday: Egg & Breakfast Meat & Veggies

Wednesday: Oatmeal & Fruit

Thursday: Egg & Veggies

Friday: Oatmeal & Fruit

Saturday: Pancake Day (hubby has requested that we add breakfast meat & veggies to pancake day, so we'll be incorporating that).

The menu makes mornings so easy, ups the amount of whole grains and veggies we eat, and gives the children one day a week to choose what we eat (on pancake day they choose from crepes, pancakes, German pancakes, waffles, French toast, scones, banana bread, etc. Although we used to call it Children's Choice day and sometimes my son would choose oatmeal; maybe we should go back to that, so they don't associate their choice with something unhealthy all the time.)

Unfinished

2011-02-23T18:36:00.000-08:00

We were a few chapters into this. I thought it was interesting (better than the movie). We stopped because my son said it was starting to get scary. Maybe we'll get to pick it up again in a few years.

Four-Weeks Old

2011-02-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

Two-week old

2011-02-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Two-year old

2011-02-14T18:21:00.000-08:00

Tummy-time

2011-02-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

Currently Reading

2011-02-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

This book is beautifully illustrated. The chapters/adventures are just right for my four-year old son, peaceful, interesting, memorable. This is our second time through. He chose to read it this time while we are in between books. I think it is out of print, not sure how accessible it is, but I would recommend it to anyone who reads to a child.

Baby

2011-02-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Sewing Adventure #3

2011-01-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

Not my adventure. My husband made his own jammie bottoms. I was going to do it for him. He surprised me when he said he could do it. He did a great job too. And guess who was totally excited to see his daddy in matching pajamas...

Another Side View

2011-01-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

Very pregnant lady plus beautiful daughter.

Sewing Adventure #2

2011-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

Baby blankie for my soon to be born son. My neighbor showed me how to do this. It is a yard and a half, two pieces of fabric, print on one side, solid on the other. You face the sides toward each other, sew a half inch almost all the way around, leaving room to flip it back right side out. After turning it out, you sew again a 1/4 inch all the way around. Last you sew a few lines down and across the blanket so the material doesn't pull when you wash it.

Also, a side view of my pregnant belly, as per my mother's request. She said none of the photos I had been posting showed me pregnant and she wanted to see me. So there you have it.

Yard Work

2011-01-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

Clipping the bougainvillea.

Snow

2011-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

The best meatloaf I ever had was on a snow trip with my family when I was young. It was still warm and just hit the spot. I don't really like meatloaf, but it was memorable.

Anyhow, last week, we finally took the children up the mountain to see some snow. It was a stellar day. We've been talking about it all week, what we did (sledding on a trash bag. Not me. Somehow being nine months pregnant that didn't appeal to me. So I took pictures.), getting in warm clothes and blankies for the ride home, that we want to go again next year (with a real sled, my son says). How do you describe something that was just right for your family? It was just that perfect of a day.

I loved seeing everyone's smiles. I loved getting out of the desert for a bit. It was beautiful and rejuvenating.

Currently Reading

2011-01-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

My 4 year old son is really enjoying these stories.

Adventures in Sewing

2011-01-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

#1 Having never sewn a thing in my life
#2 But having a small inkling of desire...wouldn't it be nice to sew my children pajama bottoms or pillow cases or blankies
#3 My in-laws bringing me my husband's grandmother's sewing machine
#4 Knowing it was on the way, going to Joann's on Black Friday for amazing flannel deals
#5 Husband helping me gain confidence, when I confess I feel that once I cut the beautiful material I bought, I will have ruined it
#6 Finding a great tutorial on a blog:
http://mycottoncreations.blogspot.com/2010/07/christmas-eve-pajama-pants-tutorial.html
#7 My husband helping me cut the material and thread the sewing machine (I was surprised that he was right there with me instead of leaving me to it, but shouldn't have been knowing how into tools he is and seeing how they work. Plus, he loves me and I'm sure he could tell how terrified I was)
#8 Delay. When we tried some preliminary sewing on scrap fabric, we found the machine was broken and of course, it was my husband who found the broken part, ordered it online, and fixed it for me. (Here is where I should mention that the machine is from 1973, but apparently everyone who has ever owned a PFAFF 1222 loves it and parts are readily available, because as everyone online said it is worth repairing and keeping because it is the best machine ever.)
#9 Sewing the pajama bottoms we had cut. My husband was working on the computer nearby, but cheering for me as I went and helping me when I got stuck. He even ironed cuffs for me.
#10 Cutting and sewing the next pair of pajama bottoms all by myself. Actually, he wound the bobbin for me. I haven't got that far yet. But I'm learning.

Hubby and Children

2010-12-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

The Tree

2010-12-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas Craft

2010-12-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

You buy a clear ornament. You pour paint in. You swirl it around. You put the lid back on. How easy is that! And the children loved it.

Thanksgiving Day

2010-12-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

Walk in Sabino Canyon.

Painting

2010-11-30T20:32:00.000-08:00

I love to see my children paint together.

Homemade Pasta

2010-11-30T20:25:00.001-08:00

We've had homemade pasta three times now, since getting the pasta maker from my sister. First we had regular spaghetti with red sauce, next was stroganoff, and recently we had chicken noodle soup. Mmm, gotta love homemade. Plus it quickly became a daddy/son project. I don't even know the dough recipe, nor have I turned the crank. I love to see my guys cooking together.

Culinary Experiment

2010-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Inspired by friends who make vegetable pates and add them to their food for extra nutrition, we added last night's leftover yam to this morning's pancakes. We didn't get the texture just right, but the flavor was good. It's a whole new world of veggie use for us. We'll see what else we do with pates.

Playdough

2010-11-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Easy to make, fun to play.

Recipe from my sis:
1 cup water
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbs. cream of tartar
food-coloring
Heat in saucepan until warm, remove from heat, then add 1 cup flour, stir and knead

Halloween

2010-11-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

My son came up with this costume idea for himself and his sister, luckily in time enough for Grandma to make it for him. Part of his concept was to hand out toys to children. So we bought him a bag of silly bands to put in his Santa bag. He handed them to anyone who would take one. He was more focused on that than getting candy.

"My Turn"

2010-11-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

I heard a woman once say that she preferred to do things herself rather than try to include her children, because she could do it so much faster. Totally not my philosophy. I like that my children are interested in helping and I don't mind taking the time to teach them. I easily worked on other kitchen clean up while my daughter took her turn with the broom. I think positive experiences makes cleaning enjoyable and makes good helpers out of them later. My four-year old, for example, helped me wash the kitchen and bathroom walls last week and was, not just going through the motions, but actually very helpful.

"Moofie. I love it."

2010-11-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves it when Daddy makes smoothies. He uses frozen fruit and yogurt.

Pollyanna

2010-11-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

We read to the children before bed. We are about halfway through Pollyanna. It is humorous, lighthearted and so far totally recommendable for families with young children. I chose it as the inspiration for the title of my blog simply because I feel grateful for my life, and particularly this time in my life when I get to stay home with my children. 

Our list of chapter books we've read together includes:

The Little House on the Prairie (Series) 

Charlotte’s Web 

Beauty 

Peter Pan

The Secret Garden

Winnie the Pooh

The Jungle Book (opted to stop after the Mowgli stories, heavy content for our little ones) 

Pippi Longstocking 

I love this time together. I enjoy the books and the discussions about them with my son. It's been over a year and a half since we began the Prairie books and he still talks about them. During the day we read plenty of smaller children's books, but the chapter reading at night is something I love.