There's something about Trader Joe's

Within the last 6 or so months, while shopping at Trader Joe's:

• Anderson pulled over a shopping cart on himself while Beck was sitting in the seat (5 firemen just happened to be there and came to our rescue)
• Anderson had a hysterical meltdown (kicking, screaming, most likely spitting) over not getting a second sample of something (God only knows what)
• Anderson nearly stole a bag of Trail Mix and a bag of Gummy Penguins (we walked back in and returned them)
• A woman pulled me aside in the freezer aisle just to say, "it's OK, we've all been there" as a reaction to the insanity (albeit usually joyful insanity) that is my two boys in a tiny grocery store, one of whom wields his own shopping cart haphazardly through the aisles
• I dropped a hundred dollar bill on the floor only to discover it was missing when I went to pay for my groceries (I am forever indebted to the nice woman with the "God bless!" voicemail who turned it in)
• An elderly woman got down at Anderson's level while I was singing/dancing in the aisle (it was Come on Eileen, for goodness sakes) and proclaimed, "your mom's a crazy lady!"
• I had to put groceries back at the checkout when I realized I had left my wallet at home and only had a twenty in my pocket (which of course made Anderson's day as he had a legitimate reason to sing "only got twenty dollars in my pocket"). This of course caused me to have a Terms of Endearment flashback to that scene where Debra Winger is mortified at the grocery when she doesn't have enough money and everyone stares at her as if she is some sort of incompetent mother who can't even afford to feed her kids. Oh, how I love, love, love that movie, but I digress.

And then, yesterday, the best of the best:

• I locked my keys, my cell phone, and my children in the car. My kids! Trapped in their car seats, talking (screaming) through the window, not even 1 minute after I had warned them against this very thing. (Seriously, just listen to me! I am wise!) It was quite a dilemma and thanks to the kindness of many strangers (and one kind of grouchy dad who lent me his cell phone) I remained calm and handled the situation. Unfortunately I apparently drive a "high security vehicle" ha! and AAA was proving to be a bit of a hassle (locksmith? since when can't you bend a coat hanger and open that sucker up?) so I did what I do best and called my parents to help. Fortunately it wasn't a terribly hot day and within 40 minutes or so my babies were in my arms once again. Needless to say, Anderson learned his lesson about not pushing the door lock button, "never again, mommy!". All's well that ends well.

And so, Trader Joe's, I shop with fear every single week for I know my days of cheap wine and milk are numbered. It's OK, I don't blame you. Clearly there is a black cloud that follows me on every trip. Who knows what damage we are capable of causing? Perhaps there is some sort of secret employee announcement when you see me walk in the door. She's here! Hide the samples! My only saving grace is that Trader Joe's is still the unpretentious, down-to-Earth grocery for nice, normal people and so far nobody has kindly suggested that I try doing my shopping at the Trader's down the street. Not yet, at least.

Reconnected

This month is flying by and will be gone before the week's end; atypical May behavior in my experience. Too many doctor's appointments, a nasty computer virus and a more-scheduled-than-normal few weeks have left me neglectful of blogging (hello, Mother's Day post which was started 2 weeks ago yet never finished?!). It's times like these where I question whether it's even worth the effort to go back and document what has been happening or just look forward. But then I remember why I keep this whole thing going and remind myself it is of little importance when it happened, but of the utmost importance to document that it did happen.  March/April double birthday party post to come. Ha!

A little broken

I had been keeping up with my running and, well, actually enjoying it (seriously, did I just write that?) and then this (a fracture, no a sprain, no a sprain that I then stress fractured). Whatever it is, two weeks later I still can't bear weight and the doctor tells me it will be at least 2 more weeks before I am out of this boot. I have yet to even ask about the running as the thought is simply excruciating at this point. No doubt the reason my my un-fractured foot now has a stress fracture is due entirely to my inability to take it easy so my goal is to mind doctor's orders, wear the boot except for when in bed, and stay off my foot a much as possible. Right.

Duck

We followed this mama and her duckling all the way down the street the other day and surely the boys gave her quite a fright as I haven't seen her back since. (I'm pretty sure at one point Anderson asked to get his bug net to capture them.) Ducks drive me crazy, but ducklings are pretty much perfectly adorable.

Anderson's birthday adventure

Anderson turned four a month and a half ago, yet I am only now just getting around to uploading the pictures. Seriously with the time passing so quickly. It needs to stop already.

When Anderson celebrated his first birthday we started a tradition of birthday adventures. The boys may never remember what they received for any particular birthday, but the hope is that they carry with them always the memories that were created and (hopefully) captured. It's certainly not an original idea, but it makes for a special day. I have learned over the years that the best plan is to not have any at all and this year was no exception. Perhaps in the future entire birthdays will be spent at Disneyland or some other attraction, but for now just just hitting up a few favorite places for fun and treats all in one day seems to be just our speed.

This year began as all the others, with balloons and presents before the sun even thought about coming up. Anderson received his very own light-up light saber as all good jedis should. (Jedis? Ewoks? Stormtroopers? I have no idea, but he does and that's all that matters.)

After saving the planet (really, I have no idea what Star Wars is about, but I think they live in space, right?) all morning the boys and I (Gabe was working for  a few hours) hit up the bagel shop and Jamba Juice for a late breakfast/early lunch. Anderson was sure to tell every single person that crossed his path that it was his birthday. That's my boy.

After bagels we realized we had just enough time to get to Shipley Nature Center before they closed for the day. Why they close at 1:00 I will never understand, but at least it makes it more of a treat, I suppose.

They held hands as they walked around and I swear my heart was about to burst. That just doesn't happen everyday with these two.

Beck learned how to spear a fish and Anderson learned how to throw a boomarang thanks to some handy guides.

 We identified bugs and spotted lizards

 and got entirely too close to the edge of the pond.

 Inside, we identified leaves and trees

 and matched bird calls to their taxidermied bodies.

 Beck played with bugs

 and Anderson read us a story and put on a puppet show.

 and I tried, unsuccessfully, to to get them to sit still just long enough to get just one picture where they were facing the same direction.

 I'm not sure it will ever happen.

 Anderson had taken off at this point.

We went home for a dinosaur break

and wouldn't you know the ice cream man came down our street.

After a sugar re-fuel we went to the park to burn it off.

And then we went for birthday burgers and sundaes on the pier



It was another perfect birthday adventure for a perfect little birthday boy. Beck's adventure was just two weeks later and was strikingly similar! Don't mess with a good thing, right?!

A little treat

Anderson loves banana bread and his been asking for it every time we pass a Starbucks lately. Clearly we have made too many runs through the drive-thru. I have made 3 different recipes in the past week to satiate the boy. The first recipe was good, and really easy, but a bit of a one-note. The second was  a Trader Joe's box mix which, despite my love for most all TJ's box mix desserts oh how I would love a pan of truffle brownies right now was terrible. Really terrible. Thank goodness those muffins went to Anderson's class for snack day because yuck. Obviously 4-year-olds will eat anything they perceive to be a cupcake. So finally I made the one I set out to make in the first place, only to find last week that I didn't have enough rotting bananas to make the recipe. Who just happens to have at least 6 over-ripe bananas lying around? Anyway, I bought the bananas, left them on the counter all week and baked this recipe up. It's very good. Not omigod amazing, but very good. I substituted creme fraiche with sour cream because, come on, who happens to have that just hanging out in the fridge and I also used almonds instead of walnuts because they are a superior nut in every way. The recipe is huge and apparently makes two loaves though I only have one large loaf pan and ended up with 1 full loaf, 2 small loaves, 6 cupcakes and extra batter that went down the drain. Needless to say we'll be sharing the banana love tomorrow, starting with Anderson's teacher. Because teachers never receive enough random treats to thank them for all they do and, well, Mrs. Berry is pretty much the best.

*Odd note: I have never ataully eaten a banaa in my whole life. I find them repulsive. I won't even let one slip in a smoothie. Yet, oddly, I really enjoy banana bread. Go figure.

Just dance

Slow on posting a myriad of things primarily due to the seemingly endless dance parties that have been taking place every afternoon. These boys have got the moves.

Kick

"Anderson, do you know how to play soccer?"
"Yes, you throw the ball up in the air and catch it in your hands!"
Yeah, we had a bit of work to do.

Pee Wee soccer began last Saturday and I am still not over all of the cuteness that ensued watching 36+ three to five year-olds get divided up into teams, strap on some shin guards and learn a few of the basics of the game. First priority being to teach them to use their feet. I am just grateful Anderson was not one of the ones screaming or inconsolably crying or telling me "mommy, it's too hard!". (Not that any of those things may not happen next time, because it is totally possible.)

I am not so sure Anderson is going to be the sportiest of kids, he just doesn't show an overwhelming interest, but I want him to have fun and to understand what it means to be a part of a team. And give me a break with these little kids running around trying to follow directions! Adorable. Go Red (maroon?) Dragons!

Acknowledging the evil that exists

It was only about seven minutes after the explosion had occurred that I heard the news on the radio. Everything was an unknown as, at that time, they still held hope that it had been a burst gas line or some other explainable event. But I knew, we all did. And at that very moment the first thought that filled my mind was, Oh Lord, please not again.

My heart is heavy and I can't help but feel guilt as I go about my day. In December after the Newtown tragedy I was silenced. I could not even bring myself to speak about it, much less write about it. I still can't bear to hear those parents speak of their overwhelming loss. Today I find myself feeling much the same way. There are no words. Yet at the same time there are so many.

I am thankful to not yet have to explain such events to my young boys, but it is only a matter of time. Evil exists. It always will. For it is by the presence of evil that we know and understand the meaning of peace.

For those families, friends, and loved ones whose lives have been impacted by such horrendous acts, I pray for peace. I pray that the good in our hearts will always overpower the evil that exists. That a few people can cause such suffering and misery is devastating; but the fortitude, courage, and determination those same few people have given to thousands, if not millions, of others will only serve to overcome. Good always wins in the end. I believe that with everything that I am. I must.

Anderson turned 4 | Dinosaur Party

Anderson wanted a dinosaur party this year (so much easier than the monster truck, kitty cat, and rainbow theme he chose last year!). I searched around on-line to gather some ideas, but nothing quite fit the bill. Most everything I found was either too scary, too cartoony, or just plain ugly. There was, however, no shortage of over-the-top parties that included dinosaur bone excavations, real paleontologists, and lava-flowing volcano cakes. And while I sincerely hope that one day Anderson is lucky enough to attend such a party thrown by a clearly much more dedicated mother than I, all he got was a total down-home, homemade little party with actual party games for a few classmates on a Monday afternoon after school. It's all about keeping expectations low, right?

I kept it all very simple and kept the budget at around $30 total by using what I already had. Most importantly, I only focused on details that Anderson would care about and cut a number of things from my "maybe" list. Needless to say, the fossilized baby dinosaurs in homemade dirt eggs did not make the cut. Yet, miraculously, the dozen hand-made miniature dinosaur egg piñatas filled with plastic dinos and candy did manage to get finished. It's all about priorities, you know. These were so not necessary, but so cute. I would cover my kitchen floor in liquid starch all over again for those little paper-mache balls. I cut out a giant dinosaur for the mirror in the entry which came down only yesterday, nearly a month later, because, well, "I loooove him, mommy!!!" and I changed out the pictures in the frames to be more dino-friendly. Yep, still there. I also used a cardboard box I had lying around (leftover from the giant 50 I made for the anniversary party) and cut it into a flying pterodactyl which, by the way, was pretty spectacular (even if I did forget to give him an eyeball) and took a total of maybe 10 minutes to complete. I got the idea from the super cute party here. Because the party was at 2:00 I served only cake, dinosaur footprint cookies, and drinks.

I made a pin the arm on the T-Rex game and we also had a stegosaurus/triceratops hybrid piñata. I found some dinosaur cut-outs and, at the last minute, threw together a little craft table with whatever supplies I had in the closet. My boys have zero patience for such things, but apparently girls love crafts and anything with sequins. Other than that, the activities consisted of the boys running around in dinosaur tails (which I made as Christmas gifts for the boys following this tutorial) and wrestling each other to the ground.

It was a fun afternoon and I am so happy that I kept the party small by limiting it to only Anderson's classmates. With only about 12 kids total (including siblings) Anderson was able to play with everyone and have a genuinely good (and not overwhelming) time. It also allowed me time to just sit and get to know the moms of the kids in his class which I had never been able to do.

Party Success.