Christmas Cookies

My parents were here for a week to help out while I was on the couch after my surgery. They left super early this morning, so we're readjusting to life on our own, putting things back where they belong, doing laundry, and getting back to doing the normal routine on our own.

While they were here, my mom did some baking with the kids while I directed from the couch. She made chocolate chip cookies with our youngest on Thursday while her brother and sister were in school and then did Christmas cookies on Saturday and Sunday with the whole crew. It was a huge mess, as baking with kids usually is, but they had a great time with all the steps of the process. I have to say, my mom has the patience of Job when doing that kind of stuff - probably why she was such a great school teacher - and it just doesn't phase her when the flour ends up on the floor or there are piles of sprinkles on a single cookie or someone's hands end up covered in food coloring.

We'll be eating cookies for weeks, I think, but the memories the kids will have are more than worth the calories!

Purple toes

Once again, I have purple toes. Lovely. Here's the photo from last time, taken a bit later, just for comparison. As bad as it looks, it doesn't really hurt. I haven't had pain medication all day and can walk on it with almost no limp once I get moving. The first step or two makes me wince, but beyond that I'm feeling pretty good.

Observations from the Couch

It's very strange to be an observer in your own household. Usually I'm in the thick of things - wrangling kids, occupying the dog, feeding everyone, doing laundry, cleaning up - and now I'm sitting to the side of this swirl of activity. The older kids come by and check in periodically and our youngest likes to snuggle up on the couch with me for a while each day. Other than that, I'm just watching the insanity and giving my opinion when asked.

I don't think I really appreciate how busy our family is most of the time. The 3 kids all go their own directions, play their own games, and shift between playing with each other and doing their own things. If the weather is accommodating - or if we're patient enough to deal with wet boots and jackets when it's not - their games flow from inside to outside and back again. When we're just home - which is rare - they eat when they're hungry and have learned how to fix some simple things for themselves (our son is a pizza bagel expert). The art supplies get pulled out frequently, especially by our older daughter, and toys go from upstairs to down and back again. I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard the phrase, "I'm bored," because they all manage to find ways to keep themselves busy.

While it's not really fun to have surgery and then deal with the recovery, I do think it's given me a good chance to see and appreciate what we've built. It's so rare that I get the opportunity to step back and really see the elements that make up our lives, and when I take the time to - or are forced to - I have to be willing accept what I see. I can honestly say that we have incredible kids and an amazing life and I can't imagine how I managed to get lucky enough to be a part of it.

My Left Foot

I had my second foot surgery Wednesday, this time on my left foot. It was basically the same thing that was done on the right, but the joint was in worse condition. My doctor again had to remove the arthritic stuff from the joint (have no idea what that actually is), take a piece out of the bone to shorten it and open up the joint space and then screw the pieces back together, remove a bone spur and bone chips in the joint, and then drill holes to allow the formation of a secondary cartilage to replace what had been worn away. It apparently required a lot more work and resulted in a lot more bleeding during the surgery, so I had quite a bit of bleeding afterwards as well. I actually had to have the dressing changed yesterday morning, but the doctor said it had stopped and shouldn't be a problem any longer.

Now I just have to sit around and let it heal. That's harder than it sounds since I'm not one to sit still for very long and I keep getting reprimanded for being up and about too much. On the up side, though, I'm not having much pain. It's a bit more uncomfortable than last time, but not terrible and I'm already tapering off of the pain medications.

I also had the screw removed from my right foot at the same time, so I wouldn't have to spend an additional 5 days off of my feet. Of course, that means I have the lovely surgical shoes on both feet and have to keep both of them dry in the shower until Monday. It's quite the sight with the shower guard on one foot and a newspaper bag on the other!

I have my parents here until Monday to wrangle the kids while I'm off my feet (literally). They've been doing the school runs, taking our little one to her classes, and walking the dog. Mike has been in and out with work, but has mainly been taking care of me. It's working out well so far, although I think our youngest is a bit tired of being at home since she so rarely is during the day.

Crockpot Chicken and Biscuits

I've been wanting to pull out the crockpot again, but didn't feel like doing anything we've had in the past. I love pot pies, so I thought there had to be a recipe for one in the crockpot. This recipe really appealed because it doesn't use cream-of-something soup. Because I was short on time (baseball sign-ups were tonight and I didn't want to wait another 45 minutes to eat after I got home), I just made frozen biscuits to eat with it instead of baking homemade biscuits on top. I'll give that a try next time.

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken stock
1 roasted chicken, meat removed and diced
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. salt
black pepper

1 batch or your favorite biscuit mix/recipe
OR
1 dozen frozen biscuits

Directions:
Melt butter in a pan and add onions. Saute over medium-low heat, about 7 minutes, until translucent. Add salt, several grinds of black pepper, and stir in flour until it is smooth and bubbly.

In the meantime, turn your 6-quart crockpot on Low. Add chicken stock, carrots, celery, and potatoes. When onion roux is ready, stir it in as well. Cover and cook on low 4-7 hours or until potatoes are tender. Make sure you check it periodically, especially after the 4 hour mark, so your veggies don't turn to mush. Stir, turn to Warm, and add diced chicken and frozen peas.

Preheat oven to biscuit-baking heat. If desired, spray the top edges of the slow cooker to prevent sticking. drop biscuit dough in like dumplings. Place crock in the oven without the lid and bake for 15-20 minutes (usually about five minutes longer than recommended for cooking biscuits on a baking sheet).

Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

If using frozen biscuits, bake according to package directions. Split biscuits and serve either under or over chicken.

This was really good! Definitely a recipe I'd do again and great comfort food. This recipe makes a LOT, but it should be great as leftovers. The kids gave it two thumbs up (the girls) and one thumb down (our son, although he liked the biscuits), so it's easily something we could do for a family dinner.

Thanksgiving 2009

My cousin and his wife came up to our place from LA for Thanksgiving this year. They're expecting their first baby, so they didn't want to travel very far and we were happy to have the company. We did the big turkey dinner for everyone, which we haven't done from scratch for a long time. This is also the first year in a long time that we've been home for the holiday since we usually drive down to San Diego to spend it with Mike's parents.

It was a beautiful day, so the kids and dog spent a long time playing outside. They had quite the festival of sports going, from football to baseball to soccer to tennis, biking, and riding the scooter. I finally dragged them inside when it started to get dark and cold.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend it with those you love!

Leo Potluck

Today was our annual Leonberger Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck. Every year we get together on the Sunday before Thanksgiving to catch up with each other, eat, and let the dogs play. It's a tradition that started about 10 years ago and that I've continued planning for most of the years since. The number of people and dogs varies from year to year, but it's always fun to get together and let the dogs run around.

When Leonbergers have the chance to play with each other, it's pretty impressive to watch, especially when big males really get to playing. They play very differently with each other than they do with other dogs. Rousing games of spithead are the norm, with the occasional body slam and polar bear hug thrown in to keep it interesting. Now imagine 6 or more Leos running around together, taking over a dog park, and you get a feeling for our annual gathering. Watching the reactions of the other people at the park is always fun and we spend a lot of time explaining what kind of dogs they are and answering all the usual questions about them.

So all in all, it was a fun afternoon once again. The weather didn't really cooperate this year - it got cold and windy pretty suddenly, so everyone headed out a bit earlier than usual - but at least it didn't rain. We were seranaded by the flocks of parrots once again, the kids had a grand time running around with their buddies, and I got to eat my favorite sweet potatoes. You can't ask for much better than that!

Beef Stew

It finally cooled off here, so I've wanted to make some hearty dishes. Last night was tortilla soup and tonight I decided to try beef stew. I found a recipe that sounded good, but I modified it a bit based on some of the comments. Here is my version.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 pound beef stew meat
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups sweet vermouth
2 cups new potatoes
2 large carrots, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces sliced brown mushrooms

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the beef stew meat, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until evenly browned on the outside.
Pour the chicken broth and vermouth into the stock pot. Add the potatoes, carrots, and garlic. Season with tarragon, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, honey, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Cook 2 1/2 hours to blend the flavors.
Remove cover and add the mushrooms. Continue cooking 20 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water then add to the stew. Boil for 15 minutes or until stew has reached desired thickness.

Serve over egg noodles.

This was really good, a very filling stew for a cool night. Next time, I'll decrease the sugar and honey by half and add a bit more salt. I may also use more meat and fewer potatoes.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I was wanting something different for dinner, so I got a spaghetti squash the other day. Of course, I had no idea what to do with it, so once I got home I surfed around trying to find a recipe that sounded good. I found one that I wanted to try, but made a few modifications to make it a bit more satisfying for us meat-eaters. I did end up overcooking the squash, so it didn't shred into strings - it was more like your typical mushy squash - but it tasted great and worked well as a casserole instead.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1/2 pound sausage (we like Jimmy Dean, in the chub)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup grated romano cheese, plus an additional 1/4 cup (or more) for topping
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in a baking dish, cut side down, and bake 30-50 minutes, until a knife can be inserted easily into the thick part of the squash. When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. While the squash is cooling, cook the sausage until done. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan. Cook the onion in the drippings until translucent and add to the sausage. In a clean, dry pan, toast the pine nuts until brown on all sides, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Set aside. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out the flesh using a fork and put in a casserole dish. Discard the skin. Add the sausage, onion, pine nuts, 1/4 cup romano cheese, sage, butter, salt, and pepper and mix together. Smooth out mixture in dish and top with additional romano cheese. Put dish back in oven set to broil and watch closely. Remove when cheese is melted and browned and squash mixture is bubbling.

We were pleasantly surprised at how this turned out! My attempts at improvisation while cooking are usually inedible, so this was a good surprise. I would definitely make this again when I'm in the mood for a homey, fall dish.

(11/10) Note: At the grocery store yesterday, I looked over the squash they had on display. it turns out that the one I used for this recipe was actually a butternut squash - that explains why it didn't "string" after it was cooked! So this should really be titled "Butternut Squash Casserole". I have no idea how this would taste with spaghetti squash, but I'm willing to give it a try!

From the Infirmary

Our older daughter has been home sick for the last 4 days. It's just a cold, but now she has an ear infection starting and a fever to go with it, so she'll be home for at least one more day. Her little sister is happy to have her around to play with and they've come up with some pretty elaborate games.

It rained all day yesterday, so along with being stuck at home, the girls were stuck inside. They went out in the yard for a bit this afternoon and when I realized where they were, I went outside to check on them.


They're standing in the sand toy bucket, which has about 3 inches of water in the bottom after the storm. You can't see it, but they are actually wearing boots, so they did think before starting this game. If there's water, my kids will find it and be in it.

The girls did play apart for a while, too. I was doing laundry today, so the baskets were sitting out downstairs. Our little one commandeered one of them to be her "crib" and this is where I found her.

She had a grand time looking at books and playing with little toys while sitting in the basket. Their creativity never ceases to amaze me.

Coming Up For Air

It's been a crazy few weeks here. The kids started school and we immediately started looking for someplace new for them. Within a few days, I had contacted a new school and talked to the principal. It turned out that he was someone we knew from years ago when we were doing water rescue training with our first Leonberger, Audubon. I took that as a good sign.

After meeting with teachers, observing classes, and having the kids shadow for a morning, we made the decision to move them right away. Or more accurately, the kids made the decision to move. That happened on a Friday and by Monday, I was turning in the withdrawal forms at their old school and the registration forms at the new school. After getting immunization records and new uniforms, they started at their new school on Thursday.

Their first day was a bit crazy - they had an all-school mass, where the priest introduced them to the rest of the school, and then school pictures. The up side is that they get to be in their class pictures, but it was a wild way to start off at a new school. They both canme out smiling at the end of the day, though, and were excited to go back on Monday morning (they had Friday off).

Last week was their first full week, so they've had a chance to get a feel for what it's really like. Our daughter is in kindergarten and her new class is less demanding than what she had before. To make up for that, her teacher is working with her and another little boy using the second grade reading program and she will be working with the resource teacher on more challenging reading, writing, and comprehension and potentially math as well. At this point, she's just having fun meeting new kids and finding out about the different programs this school has.

After observing classes, we decided to move our son up to third grade instead of keeping himin second grade. It seemed to be a better match for him academically and socially, and so far, he's really liking it. The personal responsibility and homework demands are much greater than what he's had in the past, but he's stepped up to the challenge and has even taken a couple tests already. It should get easier for him as time goes on, since he'll have had the chance to learn the material with the rest of the class instead of having to pick it up quickly at the end of a unit. He was telling me today how much more he's learning in his new class than he did at his old school, so it seems like it was a good move all around.

And that's where we are. I'm trying to get a feel for the volunteer system at this school and adjusting to the new schedule (they start 30 minues earlier now and get out 15 minutes earlier). We've had the chance to meet parents from both kids' classes at the parent socials and our daughter got her first birthday party invitation. Our son even went on his first field trip (Monterey Bay Aquarium, where he apparently was able to answer all the questions and lead the tour around the facility). Life rolls on and we're going along with it.

I'm Baaaccckkkk!

It's been a while since I've made the time to sit down and write. The kids went back to school and life turned upside down. It's back to juggling their school schedule, soccer, baseball, swimming, gymnastics, and music (no, they're not all doing all of those things!) and we're just now settling into our new routine. I'll update how our summer ended soon.

As for me, I got clearance from my doctor to go back to normal activity after my foot surgery this past week, so it's back to running for me. I need to take off the several pounds I put on sitting around, and it will definitely feel good to push myself again. I'm finding that my foot actually feels better the more I do, so getting back in the gym will be good for me. I should be having the other foot done some time this fall, so I need to put myself back together before I have to take time off once again.

Birthday Bash

Our son's birthday party was this weekend. Because he has a summer birthday, he chooses to have his party outside each year. This year, like last year, he asked to have it at the beach. We all love spending a day at the beach, so we're more than happy to plan a party there. It's really one of the easiest parties to put together - just bring food and the entertainment is provided by the location.

This year, Mike grilled Fred's steak to make steak sandwiches. It was fantastic and every bite was eaten right away. We also had hot dogs for the kids, fruit, vegetables, brownies (our son doesn't like cake) and we made ice cream there. We used an Ice Cream Ball last year and it was so much fun, that we bought a second one to be able to make more at the same time this year. It's a great way to have ice cream at a picnic.

I got down to the beach at 8:15 that morning to get a covered picnic area. By the time I got there, all of the pavilions were taken and we were only able to get 2 picnic tables and a grill. Luckily, we had a sandy area right next to us, so we were able to spread out there. Mike stopped at Target on his way down (he brought the kids a bit later) and got 2 shade tents and a tarp and we created our own pavilion. It worked out fine, even if it wasn't exactly what we had planned.

The kids played baseball in the sand, did some boogie boarding, built sand castles, and just generally played for the day. There were dolphins just offshore all day, feeding and playing, so we had an impromptu show for everyone as well. Our guests came and left at various times, until it was just us and one other family. Our kids were all playing in the sand and we were talking until one of us looked at a watch and realized it was 6;45 and we really needed to do something about dinner. Mike noticed that one of the nearby grills was still hot, so he added more charcoal, got it cranked up, and we pulled out the leftover hot dogs, fruit, and brownies and made dinner for us and the kids. We finally left the beach at 8:15 when the rangers came through and told us we had to go.

It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun. Check out the pictures below to see what we did.

Our Little Fish

Our youngest loves the water, and is a good swimmer for a 2 1/2-year-old. Her brother and sister were much the same at this age, but most people didn't get the chance to see them doing these kinds of things when they were little. The kids swam for about 4 hours the other day, so not only do they love it, but they have amazing endurance!

I shot some videos while we were at the pool and created my first movie so you can see what our little one does in the water. I need to work on the whole editing thing, but it was fun to give this a try.

Round-to-it Recommends - Make It and Love It

You may have noticed I added a button to the left side of this page. It's for a craft site called "Make It and Love It" and they have some great craft ideas. They also do some terrific give-aways. Right now, they are doing one for a new sponsor called "Beautiful Baby Boutique" that has the cutest hair clips I have ever seen. Really creative and great prices. Check it out and see what you think!

And if you're looking for gift ideas for my girls...

Family Day at the Ballpark

Our son has been to several baseball games this summer and has become a big baseball fan. His sister had heard all about these trips and was dying to go to one, too. We finally managed to find a home weekend day game that we could bring everyone to, so this Saturday, we all went up to AT&T Park to watch the Giants and the Cincinnati Reds.


I've been to a couple of baseball games, but it's been a very long time since the last one and I'd never been to this field. First off, this is a beautiful ballpark. Parking for it is in an old wharf building on San Francisco Bay and as you walk to the park, you look over McCovey Cove into the park. Just an amazing view before you even get to the park. The ballpark itself is great - a really neat building, with great seating, a kids' play area, and LOTS of bathrooms. All critical features when you're taking young kids to a ball game.
















We got to the game early enough for the kids to play a bit and burn a little energy after the long ride up (We got stuck in traffic caused by street sweeping, on the highway, on a Saturday morning. I still have to ask if that was really necessary.). Our son tried out the batting cage, which he apparently does every time, and he and his sister did the slides - our youngest was too small to go on them - both of which they really enjoyed. Then we headed to our seats to get settled before the game started.


The game itself was fine. The older kids had pizza and the little on had a hot dog, they all drank lots of lemonade - it was HOT in our seats since we were in the sun the whole time - and they finished off with ice cream and snow cones. I believe we set a record for the most number of trips to the bathroom during a baseball game. At one point the score went from 1-0 to 4-2 and I have no idea how it happened. Let's just say that going to a ball game with 3 kids, 2 of whom have no real interest in the game, is not the most conducive way to see one. We managed to stay for the whole game, though, which the Giants won, giving a great ending to a fun trip.

Our youngest passed the time by drawing

Pasta Pomodoro

My garden has produced absolutely fantastic tomatoes this season. I think having them on the front porch where they can get the maximum amount of sun has made a huge difference in the flavor and quality of the tomatoes,m and we've been enjoying them immensely. But as often happens with a garden, we had an overabundance and needed to use the tomatoes we already had in the house before we could harvest the next batch. I decided to try making tomato sauce, using this recipe. My tomatoes are quite sweet, so I omitted the sugar, but followed the recipe otherwise. It was incredibly good and makes me never want to eat jarred sauce again!

lafille’s Pomodoro Sauce (see the original at the above link; my modifications are below)

Ingredients:
6-8 ripe Roma tomatoes (or any fresh tomatoes), diced (Some people insist they must be skinned. This is riDONKulous.)
1 medium-sized onion, color of your choice, diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed, chopped, or thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
small handful fresh basil
2 tsp. sugar (depending on sweetness of the tomatoes)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, cook on medium heat for five minutes or so. Toss in the garlic, lower the heat, cover, and cook for ten minutes (stirring occasionally), or until quite soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper, cover and let simmer another ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook your pasta.
3. If you don’t want a chunky sauce, throw it in the food processor. If you are a person who likes good things, skip this step and eat that stuff in all its chunky glory straight from the skillet. Feel free to add red pepper and Parmesan cheese to the finished product.

Dinner at Parcel 104 - Again

I am the world's worst food blogger. Every time we go out, I mean to take pictures of the dishes so you can see how wonderful they are, rather than just relying on my descriptions. Instead, we get about halfway through the meal before I remember, and then I start to eat each subsequent dish before I again remember to take a picture. So I've got one picture of a half-eaten plate of foie gras from last night that definitely doesn't do justice to how fabulous that dish tastes.

With that in mind, here is what we ate last night. I have no idea what was actually on last night's menu since we never saw it - we sat down at the counter by the kitchen (my favorite spot and where you should really plan on sitting if you go) and Chef Anthony and Chef Carlos just started bringing us food. I don't know how they do it, but I think it gets better every time we go.

Amuse buche: Corn mousse topped with arctic char roe (beautiful little yellow spheres that tasted of the ocean), topped with herbs, served on an interesting curved silver spoon.
Course 1: Dungeness crab salad with avocado and cashews, rolled in thin slices of cucumber with a drizzle of green curry sauce.

Course 2: Pan-roasted salmon with summer vegetables. I could eat this every day. It's still one of favorite dishes.

Course 3: Northern California seafood plate: two steamed mussels; one raw Tomales Bay oyster; one Monterey Bay spot prawn; one steamed Sacramento Delta crawfish; one squid, separated into steamed tentacles and the body stuffed with potatoes that were mashed with the concentrated liquid from the mussels; a piece of fish, called mero, or Japanese sea bass, that was coated in salt and pan-roasted; and uni; all topped with some kind of foam and garnished with seaweed. This is a new addition to the menu and honestly not something I would have ordered if I had just seen it on the menu. It was absolutely incredible, though, and I'm so glad I ate it! I had never heard of this fish before and it is the most flavorful, succulent fish I've ever eaten. I hope Chef Anthony uses this fish more often, because it is really amazing.

Course 4: Barbecued foie gras, served with cranberry beans and corn dumplings. We've had this several times before, but Chef knows it's one of our favorites, so he always serves it.

Course 5: Round steaks cut from the cap of the ribeye, served with thinly sliced and layered potato and fresh garbanzo, butter, and cranberry beans. So simple, yet so incredibly good.

Course 6: Watercress and nectarine salad, with pluot sorbet. Something nice and light to move us into dessert. The sorbet was fantastic!

Course 7: Carrot cake "sandwich" with cream cheese filling, vanilla bean ice cream, and candied carrot.

Course 8: "Coffee" A small glass of Bailey's Irish Cream, an espresso cup of coffee ice cream with a small piece of cake and foamed milk on top, and coffee creme brulee. This is a new one for Chef Carlos and the creme brulee was fantastic!

Course 9: Trio of sorbets: peach, raspberry, and mango. My favorite was the raspberry.

It was, once again, a fabulous meal. It's always fun to see what the chefs will come up with and to chat with them throughout the evening. It's also amazing to watch the kitchen in action. Everyone works so well together and there is a wealth of talent putting the food together.

If you ever go, let us know what you think of it.

Pictures from the Week

My poor bruised toes. They've been a lovely shade of purple for about a week now.

The kids had a fun time at the park on Thursday. Lots of time on the swings, running around playing tag, going down the slides, and playing in the sand. It was a gorgeous day, so it was great to be outside enjoying it.

I have a small cooler with a pump that circulates ice water through a pad on my food. It's much easier than constantly switching out ice packs. Zatarain discovered he could flip the lid open on the cooler and have his own bowl of ice water right there in the family room.

The girls came downstairs thie evening dressed in their finest. When our older daughter, who loves to help Mike with the grill, found out that we were grilling for dinner, she asked, "Can we be your flower grill fairies?"

We have a very small backyard. This picture actually makes it look bigger than it is, but that doesn't stop Mike and our son from practicing baseball while the ribs are cooking. Our daughter was the cheerleader in the background.

The Week in Review

It's been an interesting week, in spite of the fact that I still have to take it easy on my foot. I went back to the doctor on Monday and got the bandage changed. He gave me a boot cast to wear when I'm out and about, which makes it easier to walk, but is really heavy, hot, and uncomfortable. Needless to say, I only wear it when I have to and stick with the very attractive shoe the rest of the time. On the down side, I do end up yelling, "Don't step on my foot!" an awful lot.

No one was in camp this week, so it was me and the three kids entertaining ourselves since Mike went back to work on Monday afternoon. They got a bit stir crazy and watched more TV than they normally do, but we survived. Our son did an evaluation for a pre-competitive swim team on Tuesday and will be able to start swimming with them in September. He was very excited to watch the huge number of kids in the pool (there were probably 20 lanes swimming at the same time between 2 pools) and can't wait to join in. I don't know how thrilled either of us will be when he's swimming in the dark in November, but we'll give it a try for the fall and see how it goes.

Everyone had swim lessons on Wednesday morning. I couldn't go in because of my foot, so I paid a friend's daughter, who is in high school and is a swimmer and a lifeguard, to take our little one in instead. It was fun to sit back and watch all 3 of them for once. I also found out that she will be old enough to take lessons on her own starting this fall, so it's the last session of lessons that I will have to be in the water. It's the end of an era - I think I've been in the water with one kid or another for the better part of 7 years!

Our son has done tae kwon do at school for the past 3 years, but they dropped the program at the end of the year, so we need to find a new studio for him. His old teacher recommended 2 places, so we checked one out on Wednesday evening. The class they had us sit in on was their basic class, where they work on discipline, basic skills, and their core values. It was not at all what our son expected and he absolutely hated it. I'm hoping I can get him to check out their forms and sparring classes to give it a fair shot, but he wants nothing to do with it right now. We may go see the other studio and see if he like it any better. I'd hate to see him give it up because he's actually quite good at a lot of the skills and he's worked hard at it for a long time now.

Thursday we went grocery shopping. Under the best conditions, it's no fun to take all 3 kids to the store and with my foot in the boot, I really wasn't thrilled with the prospect. I decided to take them to the park first to burn some energy, with the understanding that I was going to be sitting down the whole time. They managed to find a little girl to play tag with them and had a great time running around. Shopping went well after that and our son got to play Safeway Scavenger Hunt while we were there. I send him out to find things from my grocery list, and he has to hunt them down and bring them back to the cart. He's gotten pretty good at it, but we do seem to end up with more bags of chips than I sent him out to get.

The older kids went to Great America with friends on Friday. I didn't tell them about it until Friday morning, and my son's reaction was, "Are you serious?" Being the smart ass I am, I of course responded, "No, I'm kidding." He looked very confused, so I reassured him that it was true and that he needed to get his stuff together for the day. I kept our youngest and our friends' 17-month-old for the day, which our little one loved.

I took the girls to the Y for my Pilates class, my first exercise since having my foot done. It was so good to do something besides sit around! I had to modify some things, but found I could actually do a lot more than I had expected. I'm dying to do some kind of aerobic workout, but this will have to hold me at least until the stitches come out on Tuesday.

Today we just stayed at home. Mike cleaned out the garage, I cleaned up the garden and the dog run, and the kids and dog ran around like the lunatics they are. We had dinner together - ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, garlic cheese bread - and watched the Giants game (they won!). The night ended with fireworks from Great America.

So it's been a good and busy week. Next week, our older daughter is doing a gymnastics camp and that will be the last camp of the summer. Our son's 8th birthday is Monday and he and his sister are beside themselves excited about it. It should be another fun week!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Last weekend, we took a trip down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's about a 90-minute drive for us, which to the kids means they get to watch videos on the way there and back. A win-win in their book - the aquarium and TV in the car! We've had a membership there for years now, so we never feel like we have to see or do anything in particular when we go. This time, that was a good thing since the place was packed. We hadn't seen it like that in a couple of years, mainly because we tend to time our trips for afternoons during the week. This was a Saturday during the summer, reminding us that Monterey is, actually, a tourist town.

The one exhibit we really wanted to see was the newest one to open - The Secret Lives of Seahorses. Our older daughter absolutely loves seahorses - they've fascinated her for as long as we can remember - so we knew that was the one thing we needed to see this trip. It was well worth dealing with the crowds to see. The sheer numbers of seahorses and variety of species they had on display were amazing, including leafy seadragons, which are a particular favorite of mine. There was a video - on a VERY large screen - showing a male seahorse giving birth to babies. Our kids then had to recreate that scene for us, which would have been extremely embarrassing in any other location! Luckily, the people around us just thought it was funny. If you're in the area and have a chance to see this, it's fascinating.

We hadn't planned on staying for the entire afternoon, but the kids were enjoying themselves and were being very good, so we just kept moving from place to place. We finally realized it was dinner time and the aquarium was staying open until 8:00 and offering dinner at the restaurant, so we managed to get a table and eat before leaving. The food was okay, but the kids were remarkably well-behaved for the whole meal, which lasted about an hour and a half. Even the server commented on how good they were the whole time. The kids thought it was very cool to be in the aquarium when it was closed and can't wait for the chance to go back and do it all again.

iPhone Apps

I've added a new Gadget to my sidebar - Favorite iPhone Apps.

What are your favorites? Let me know in the Comments!

Just Sitting Around

I've discovered that my tolerance for laying around on the couch is 3 days. Two of those days were in a Vicodin-induced haze, so my real tolerance may very well be much lower, but it's now day 4 and I'm sick of sitting on the couch.

There have been some pluses. I've read a book and a half so far, kept up with the happenings on Facebook, and increased my score in Bejeweled. My kids and my husband have been waiting on me hand and foot, which is quite a treat. I can take a nap whenever I want, which is less frequently now that I've taken a bunch of naps and stopped loading up on pain meds. I haven't had to cook for anyone in 4 days.

But for someone like me who rarely sits still, it's hard to feel useful in 10 minute increments. I should be making better use of my time sitting around. I have pictures to put into frames; I could be training the dog; I have outgrown kids' clothes to fold and pack away; I have a photo book to finish and a pile of "stuff" from the desk to sort out. Instead I'm sitting here not doing any of those things. Ah well, there's always the other foot.

Foot Surgery

For several years now, I've had pain in my big toes. I had x-rays done for a broken foot about 18 months ago (Zatarain stepped on my foot and broke it - that's when you know you have a big dog!) and the doctor asked at that time when I was going to get my toe fixed. Even I could see that the x-rays looked bad, with huge bone spurs and arthritis, but I still had a baby to carry around, so it just didn't make sense to undergo surgery yet. Now that my little one walks on her own most of the time and the pain level was getting to the point that it hurt to press the gas pedal in the car, it was time to get my foot fixed.

I chose to have my right foot done now so I wouldn't be stuck unable to drive during the school year. The operation involved shaving off the bone spur and contouring the bone so it doesn't stick out so much. This alone will make it easier to find shoes that fit. My doctor also cut the bone and shortened it to open up the joint, cleaned the joint out to remove the arthritis, and drilled holes that will fill with blood and eventually form a fibrous cartilage to replace the cartilage that has been destroyed. He said no one my age should have feet that bad and was very pleased with the amount of movement I had at the end of the surgery.

I now get to spend the next 5 days laying down with my foot elevated to prevent swelling, with the exception of 5 minutes per hour where I need to be weight-bearing. I should be able to drive by Monday and my activity will progress depending on how I'm healing and how I'm tolerating increases in my activity. I should be healed in 6 weeks and able to have the second surgery done in 3 months.

Mike is taking the next 5 days off to take care of the kids and me. The kids are fascinated by this whole process. Our son has appointed himself my timer, making sure I'm not up on my feet for more than 5 minutes at a time. Our older daughter wants me to give her jobs to do to help out. So far, she has help gather the laundry so I could sort it, fed the cats and fish, gotten the mail, and taken charge of the garden. Our youngest has enjoyed snuggling in bed with me and wants to bring me "presents". At one point this afternoon, all three kids were sprawled out in bed with me, Ben was laying on top of me, and Zatarain was in his crate next to me. I guess no one wanted me to be lonely! I wanted Mike to come up and take a picture, but I didn't get a message to him before everyone started to move.

As you can see above, Dr. Chicory has also been taking care of me. He kept me company during dinner tonight (Mike made ropa vieja) and has been laying on the couch with us this evening. You can see the blue tubes for the ice machine that circulates cold water through a pad that is under the bandages so I don't have to constantly change ice packs. I've had these for other surgeries (this was number 10) and they make a huge difference in keeping down the swelling and making me more comfortable.

Hula Hoop

My older daughter learned to hula hoop for the preschool circus this year. She took her job as head hula-hooper very seriously and worked and worked at learning how to keep that hoop going. I finally got her a hula hoop for here at home and she was showing us her skills the other day. This video cracks me up every time I see it.

Round-to-it Recommends - Chocolate

El Rey Icoa white and Gran Saman dark chocolate

This is the most amazing chocolate. Mike and I love chocolate and we try every new chocolate that we see, especially the really dark ones. I, frankly, don't even like white chocolate, but this stuff is amazing. It is the first white chocolate I've had that actually tastes like chocolate and it is absolutely irresistible. Mike says it is the only non-deodorized white chocolate ever produced, which is why it actually tastes like chocolate. It is also the only white chocolate we have ever seen listed with a cacao percentage (34%). The dark chocolate is 70% cacao, which is lower than we usually like, but it has a lovely complex flavor, with a nice wine foretaste and berry aftertaste. The discos melt really well and are great for dipping. Mike found these at our local Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago and we've been indulging in them ever since.

Waterworld

I took the kids to their first water park today. We have one that is about 20 minutes from our house, but it's in a questionable neighborhood, so I head to the one that's about an hour and a half away when i feel like a day of waterslides. Aside from the bother of driving that far, it's a fun way to spend a hot day.

Our little one was not at all impressed. As soon as I put sunscreen on her, she wiped it in her eyes and spent the whole rest of the day with running, red eyes and a very bad attitude. The only time she was really happy was during lunch and when she finally fell asleep in the parking lot as we headed home. My normally insanely water-loving child wanted nothing to do with the water or the slides, so she spent the day standing in the water in the kiddie areas or sitting in the stroller.

The other two had a great time, though. Our daughter loved the kid areas, with the smaller slides and even got over her disappointment of having to wear a life jacket in the wave pool (anyone under 48 inches tall has to wear one, no matter how well they swim) once she realized how much fun it was to bounce around in the waves. Our son was happy to try out some of the bigger slides on his own. He ended up in the wrong line at one point and went down his first speed slide. He didn't like it - he said it was scary and really hurt - but I was seriously impressed he even tried it. He did love the regular body slides, though, and did then several times.

So even though our little one didn't enjoy herself, it was a good day. The older kids said they definitely wanted to go back again, so we'll have to make another trip up there in the future.

My Current Favorite Dinner

We managed a night out tonight and, of course, we went to dinner at Parcel 104 before heading out to see Harry Potter. I have had this dish 3 times now and I just love it. It's pan-roasted, wild Alaska salmon with a very crispy skin, served on barely cooked vegetables. This time there were tiny yellow and orange tomatoes, peas and pea pods, corn, green beans, radish, and cucumber. There was also a good sprinkling of dried beet pulp, which adds a great tang and crunch.

So very tasty!

Sick Day

I managed to catch a cold that my husband brought home from a trip to visit his sister and her family. Fever, headache, post-nasal drip, just lovely. The kids, God bless them, let me sleep in this morning and then we just hung out at home for the day. They watched insane amounts of TV and managed to occupy the day without killing each other. The little one took a 4-hour nap and I managed to get through a week's worth of newspapers while drinking copious amount of tea. I did take them to the pool after she woke up, and the sun (it was HOT today) and chlorine seemed to help my head.

Our son has pulled his Sky Coaster set out for the last couple of days and this is his latest creation. It was slightly modified by his little sister when she stepped on it and released his loop to form a corkscrew. He thought it was much better that way and thanked her for her help.

The First Pumpkin

I've tried planting pumpkins before and they've never grown into anything. This year, I've got vines all over the place (which are really prickly, by the way) and the leaves are the size of a small umbrella. I had no idea they got that big! There have been lots of flowers, too, which are really pretty when they open up. Now we have our first pumpkin starting to grow and it is growing really quickly! In the last 2 days, it has gone from about the size of my thumb to 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. It will be interesting to see how it develops and how big it actually gets.

Great America

We went to Great America (the amusement park that is 5 minutes from our house) for the day yesterday. I took the kids in the morning and Mike joined us after his lunch meeting for the rest of the afternoon. The last couple of years it's been basically useless for me to take the kids on my own, because our son wanted to do the bigger rides, but needed an adult to go with him and the girls were too little to do much of anything. This year, our son is tall enough to do most of the rides, with the exception of the most dramatic coasters, on his own and he is very set up with himself over that. It makes my life dramatically easier because I can let him go on a bigger ride while I take the girls on something more tame in the same general area. The same was true in the water park - he went on the big slides on his own and I watched the girls on the smaller slides and in the pool.

It was a very fun day for all of us. It was great to have Mike there for the afternoon so we could divide an conquer and everyone got to do the things they wanted. It was a long day - we were there 10:30 to 7:15 - and our little one fell asleep as soon as she got into the car. The kids can't wait to go back and do it all again and it was so much fun that I'm actually willing to go back, too.

New Friend

On Wednesday, I was filling the bird feeder and as I walked back out of the rosemary bushes, this little grasshopper jumped onto my arm. I carefully carried it back to the kids and my older daughter was instantly in love. She handled this little guy very gently, catching him and scooping him back up several times when he jumped away. She even named him Jumpy. She finally let him go in the plants nearby so he could go on with his day.

Barbecued Pork

I decided to pull out the crockpot again today and did a pork roast for the first time. I shredded the meat after it was cooked and we ate it on hamburger rolls with cheese and coleslaw. It was really good! This is definitely a recipe I'd do again. (Sorry I don't have pictures - we ate it before I thought about photos.)

Here is the link to the original recipe. My version is below.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 onion, sliced in rings (I used a sweet onion, but any should do)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I like Stubbs)
1/8 cup warm water
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Use a 4 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion, ketchup, and barbecue sauce, then pour the warm water into the measuring cup and rinse. Pour the saucy water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Remove meat, shred into small pieces, and then add back into crockpot. Turn it up to high and vent or remove lid to reduce sauce for 1-2 hours, until desired consistency.
Make sandwiches on rolls or sliced bread, adding cheese of your choice, mayo (I like Miracle Whip, but I'm the only one), and coleslaw.

Garden Makeover

I've had plans for a while to make some changes to my garden. The bark I had down on the path really needed to be replaced and I wanted to add an arbor for the morning glories that came up. Since we didn't have any plans for this weekend, I decided it was as good a time as any to put my plans into action.

After a trip to Lowe's, I got started with cleaning out the old mulch. My older daughter really wanted to help, so I raked while she scooped it up and then dumped it around the outside plants. Then, I put up a screen around the air conditioning unit, which sits next to the kids' sandbox and gets it's fair share of sand tossed inside. We're hoping the screen will stop that little game. I spread the new mulch over most of the path, and instead of using wood chips this time, I put down rubber mulch made from old tires that have been chopped up. My kids think it's the coolest thing and it should keep them from getting splinters in their feet when they head out to the sandbox.

My final task was to build the arbor, which turned out to be a lot easier than I had expected. It only took about an hour to put together and my girls were fascinated by the building process. I didn't have time to get it stabilized, but it was put together and standing up by last night. I took some time this afternoon to get the stakes in the ground and attach the legs to them, so it's pretty stable now. I still want to use a couple of L-brackets to attach the arbor to the planter boxes, but I don't think it will go anywhere before I can get to doing that.

I spread the last couple of bags of mulch and trained the morning glory over the side of the arbor (after trimming it way back - I had no choice since it was impossibly wrapped around the hook holding the hummingbird feeder). I also have a tomato heading up the opposite side of the arbor, which should keep it from being trampled as the kids go in and out.

I am so happy with how it all turned out. We have such a small yard that it's nice to have this little jungle where the kids can run in and out and play. The girls were already deep into a game of flower fairies by the time I was done, so I know I'm not the only one who will enjoy it.

Catching Up

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Our summer started off nice and calm, with a good rhythm to our days. And then camp started and everything went crazy. My son did one week of camp and loved it so much that he asked to go back this week. Since they had open spots, including for swim lessons, we signed him again. So instead of just having one kid in camp (my older daughter), I've been juggling two and my poor little one has been suffering with very short naps the last few days. The up side is that all three kids have been going to bed very early, so my evenings have been pretty quiet.

I finally had time tonight to get some little chores done that I've been putting off. My older cat, Ben, has always had an amazing coat. She sheds like a German Shepherd and I periodically have to really go over her to get her undercoat out or she mats badly. I've put it off too long this time and now I do have to battle big chunks of fuzz under her coat. She is not a happy kitty when I start working on her and she lets me know loudly. It should at least decrease the hairball puking, if nothing else.

I also sat down and trimmed Zatarain's feet. Leonbergers are pretty low-maintenance as far as grooming goes. They have a lot of coat and do require brushing, but you aren't supposed to do any kind of fancy trimming. The one thing that does need to be done on occasion, though, is trimming the feet. Audubon's mom, and therefore Zatarain's grandmother, had amazingly fuzzy feet and both of my dogs ended up with the same. Left alone, they start to look like snowshoe rabbits. It's not the best look for a Leo, so I trim Zatarain's feet when they start to get furry. I let them get pretty long this time, so it took a while to get them under control. Zatarain closely monitored my scissoring, resting his head on my left arm while I trimmed his feet with my right. It was very cute and he was very patient, wagging his tail when I would talk to him and tell him how handsome he looked. He was less happy when I started working on his nails, but he cooperated better than usual and I was able to get them done fairly quickly.

I've also been trying to work out more the last few weeks and that takes up a chunk of time in the morning. I'm having foot surgery on July 22, so I want to get into the best shape I can ahead of time since I won't be allowed to work out for a while afterwards. I try to run on Mondays, do a cycling class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and do Pilates on Fridays. I just added the cycling back in after 2 1/2 years and it's been miserable getting back into it. I'm finally feeling better during and after the classes, so I think I've gotten past the worst of it. I'd love to add one more day, but I've never been good about working out on the weekends.

So that's the update. Hopefully I'll be more timely over the next couple of weeks since our pace will be slower.

Round-to-it Recommends - Identification

Personal identification can literally save your life, even if you don't have a specific medical condition that requires you to wear it all the time. Here are two companies that I have used and can recommend their products.

1) Road ID
I have the wrist ID for myself for when I work out or race and I have them for each of my kids for when we travel or go to places where they might get lost. They know that once we go through security at the airport, their wrist bands go on and they don't come off until we get to our destination. Their bands have their names, my and my husband's cell numbers, their blood types, birth dates, and allergies. Mine has my name, contact information for my husband, and my medical information.

2) Lauren's Hope medical ID bracelets
In the past, if you had to wear a medical bracelet, you only had the option of a silver chain bracelet or a dog tag, both of which were noticeable and not attractive. This company designs interchangeable bracelets that are really pretty, but still attach to a medical tag to let responders know about your medical condition. I have ordered from them a couple of times and their bracelets arrive very quickly and look very nice. You can also buy just a new bracelet and attach it to your old tag, so you don't need to get a new tag if you want to wear a different bracelet. The one downside is that they don't have an online contact service, so if you have complicated medical needs that can't be easily explained on a tag, these won't really work for you. But for most people, these will work just fine.

The Latest Fashion Statement

This was how my 5-year-old dressed my 2-year-old last night. That would be a nightgown that is 2 sizes too big, sunglasses left over from a birthday party, and tap shoes that are several sizes too big. I believe she was also christened with the name Princess Blue Flower. I'm not sure of the significance of the shopping cart, but it was a required accessory in her little mind.

Gotta love little girls!

Turf Wars

My peas and pumpkins are at war. I have potatoes taking over one of my boxes. The beans are starting to make a tee pee. It's a crazy year in my little garden and it's been fun to watch it grow. I put my garden together haphazardly, letting my older daughter pick what goes where and just seeing what comes up and how it does. Sometimes we're successful and sometimes it's a flop, but it's always fun to keep track of the plants.

This year, I put my tomatoes on the front porch, since they will take over the garden and prevent anything else from growing under them. That left plenty of room to plant some new things, like the potatoes. I had never seen potato plants before; I just thought they'd be fun for the kids since you can't see the tubers as they grow. Turns out, potatoes grow huge plants above the ground. Mine are about 3 feet tall, have pretty little pink flowers, and are producing some kind of fruit from the flowers. I just had to "corset" them today with string to keep the plants from completely blocking the path between the boxes. Apparently, when the tops start to die back, it will be time to harvest the potatoes, but I have no idea how long that will take. So far, they seem to be really happy and green, so I assume it will be a while.

I've planted pumpkins before, but the plants have never done very well. They'll grow for a little while and then they'll either wither or something will eat them, so I've never gotten a pumpkin to grow. This year the pumpkins are VERY happy. I have 2 plants and both are climbing like crazy and have lots of blooms. Pumpkins have huge leaves, a fact I hadn't realized before, and the stems are really prickly, making it even trickier to keep them trained upwards because they fight back when I try to feed them through the netting. I hope I get at least one pumpkin off of these vines. My kids will be beyond excited if we do.

I planted peas next to one of the pumpkins, not knowing that the pumpkin vine would be so enthusiastic. The two sets of vines are fighting for space on the trellis netting and I have to keep untangling them to give them each their own space. My older daughter is keeping close tabs on the peas and harvests them as they ripen. So far, they haven't made it into the house because she eats them as soon as she picks them. I don't mind, though. How can I complain about her eating peas? She also keeps a close watch on our blueberry bush, but those fruits either go to her brother or into the fridge since she is allergic to them (she vomits within an hour of eating raw blueberries; she's fine with cooked ones).

She has also done some random planting in my tree box. There were a few seeds that fell as we were planting, so she took them and stuck them in the soil of the big box. We now have another pea plant growing up between the lime tree and the tangerine tree and a sunflower starting to appear in a bucket that she filled with soil. And we have a tomato volunteer that popped up in the middle of the tan bark from a tomato that fell last season. It's starting to flower, so we'll probably get a few tomatoes from it, too.

Reading Time

Each afternoon my kids spend some time doing independent reading. Our son has really gotten into Harry Potter (he is loving Prisoner of Azkaban right now) and our older daughter is finally able to sit down and read on her own for a bit. We still do reading time together in the evenings, but this is their chance to tune out on their own for a bit.

We actually went to the library yesterday. For most people, this wouldn't be worthy of mentioning, but I happen to dislike libraries. The thought of reading a book that has been handled by so many other people, and the smell of those books, makes my stomach turn. But I figured my kids really should understand what a library is and how to find books, so I got the two older ones their own library cards and let them loose on the stacks. Our daughter had a bit of trouble with the concept of just borrowing the books - she didn't understand why you have to give them back - but she was really excited by the news that you're allowed to check out 40 (!) books/videos/CDs at a time. No way that will happen - I am not going to try to keep track of 40 library items in my house! They did get a few books, though - horses and Star Wars were the hot themes this time - and are happily reading them. Hopefully this will give them the chance to read some things they may not have seen before since the book stores only have newer titles. And I'll just have to invest in the industrial-sized bottles of Purell to read with them.

Entering the brave new world of biking

Our youngest has finally learned how to pedal a bike. I can't remember how old the other two were, but it was probably around the same age. It's a new phase of mobility and she'll be able to keep up with her siblings a bit better as they play outside.

Check out the video.

Round-to-it Recommends - Vacation Items

Here are some of the things we have found to be really useful when we travel. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments!

1) Phil & Ted's Traveler portable crib
We have the older (slightly heavier) version of this crib and it has been fantastic. I much prefer having my own crib for my little one, so we don't have to keep our fingers crossed that the ones where we stay are safe/clean/comfortable. This one is small and light enough to pack in our daughter's duffle bag and still have room for her clothes and toys. It is also great for a little one at the beach to keep her out of the sand and give her a place to sleep at nap time. Well worth the cost!

2) Waterproof camera housing
We have a Panasonic Lumix digital camera right now, but many of the higher end digitals have a housing available. We keep our camera in this most of the time and are able to take pictures while snorkeling, in the pool, and anywhere else without having to worry about it getting ruined. Some of our favorite vacation photos have been captured because we were able to take our camera in places that would otherwise have destroyed it.

3) Inflatable booster seat
We have gotten tons of use out of our seat. It has lasted through 2 kids and would definitely last through more. This one collapses down fairly flat, so it is easy to pack (in the same bag with the crib) and weighs almost nothing. It's also good to have at home when friends come over with their kids. Definitely beats using the phone book!

4) UV protective rash guards
If you look back at our vacation photos, you can see that we all wear rash guards any time we are out in the water. We learned long ago that getting burned is just miserable and this is the best and easiest way to keep that from happening. the kids are currently wearing the ones from Lands' End and I really like the the quality of the fabric. My favorite ones for me are from the Pacific Whale Foundation store, but those are harder to come by. Wearing these also means it takes about half the time to sunscreen everyone.

5) A really good guidebook
Since we mostly travel to Hawaii, I can recomend one series of books. Maui Revealed (and the books for the other islands, as well) is the absolute best guidebook for travel to Maui. We're not completely fond of their food recommendations, but aside from that, it is spot on for things to do and safety considerations. Even though we have been to Maui many times, we still take the most recent version of the book along with us for reference.

6) Headphones
This may seem silly, but they make all the difference for when your kids want to play video games or watch the movie or beg you to do something on your computer to kill time. We have simple over-the-head ones for our kids, but there are lots of options.

7) Handheld video games
We're not big on letting our kids plug in and tune out, but for travelling, we do what we must to pass the time. Our kids have the Leapster (for the younger two) and the Didj (for our oldest). The games are educational and for the Didj, we can set the learning level for the games by hooking it up to the computer. It keeps him challenged and he is working on math skills he hasn't gotten in school yet.

Mike's Birthday Dinner

Today was Mike's birthday, so we, of course, went to Parcel 104 for dinner. Chef Anthony and Chef Carlos put together a fantastic dinner for us. Unfortunately, we didn't think of taking pictures of each dish until after we finished eating, so you'll just have to imagine how fabulous everything looked. Here is the menu:

Amuse bouche: Silken egg white with caviar and creme fraische
Course 1: Lobster corn soup
Course 2: Pork belly with passion fruit purée, curried coconut
tapioca, and grilled mango
Course 3: Grilled sockeye salmon with garden vegetables
Course 4: Hickory-smoked barbecued foie gras with cornbread "gnocchi"
and corn pudding (to die for!)
Course 5: Corn and morel mushroom fettucini Alfredo with black truffles
Course 6: Grilled New York steak with corn and grilled mushroom ragout
and fried polenta
Course 7: White peach and watercress salad with peach sorbet, cheese
beignet, and peach compote
Course 8: World's best flan
Course 9: Chocolate pot du creme
Course 10: Molten chocolate cake with grand marnier, vanilla ice
cream, and sliced strawberries
Course 11: Sponge cake with berries and lemon verbena ice cream

Thank you once again to Chef Anthony and Chef Carlos of Parcel 104 for
the absolutely phenomenal dinner! You always make our special
occasions memorable.

School's Out For Summer...

My kids got out of school last Friday for summer vacation. I am so happy that they are done! I am ready for a break from the constant driving, the early mornings, and the crazy evenings that go along with the school year.

It's taken a few days, but we're settling into a routine. We go out in the morning and do errands or go to the Y or go on a "field trip". After lunch, the little one goes down for her nap and the older kids have reading and work time. Their school sends home a packet of worksheets for them to do over the summer, which they are supposed to work on over the course of six weeks. My son finished his yesterday (in 3 days) and my daughter is almost done with hers. I knew that was going to be the case, so we went to the teacher supply store yesterday to find some extra workbooks to challenge them a bit. They are both very excited to start working on some more challenging stuff. Have I said that my kids are weird? Better that than hating school, I suppose!

I need to get them to the library to sign up for the summer reading program. I'm not a huge fan of libraries. Handling books that have been read by who-knows-how-many other people really grosses me out, so we tend to go to the book store instead. I feel like the kids really should know what a library is, though, so we'll make the effort this summer. I do remember really liking the summer programs as a kid, so hopefully my guys will, too.

Aside from that, our summer should be fairly laid back. The older kids each have a couple of camps they are doing, and all three of them will continue to take swim lessons. The rest of our time should be spent at the pool, going to the beach, going to the Y, and checking out some new hiking trails. We're all looking forward to these few weeks off!