our weekend in pictures

Claire finally takes the plunge!!


Abby "helps" daddy in the yard

Abby the bug hunter

Claire enjoys a quiet moment

ICE CREAM!!

Ready for a Memorial Day Parade!

Claire in the flower garden

and finally... more ICE CREAM!!

what type of mother are you?

I read about this quiz here and again here and decided to see what it had to say about me.

Apparently, I am an “Action Adventure” Mother:

Active and spontaneous, the ESTP mother can turn ordinary life into a fun-filled adventure. She makes dull routines exciting and chores a “let’s do it again” kind of game. Her best times are those spent with her children actively doing, particularly if it’s spur of the moment, innovative, and unconventional.

Full of energy and enthusiasm for living in the moment, the ESTP mother gives her children every opportunity to experience all that life has to offer — touching, seeing, moving, doing ... and meeting people. She’s interested in stimulating their senses so they can take life in and live it.

The ESTP mother is matter-of-fact—“what you see is what you get.” She mothers without hidden agendas and takes life and people as they are. Her children know where they stand. She is able to develop a close relationship with them based on honesty and a strong family orientation as well as sharing a wide variety of experiences.

I would not describe myself as an Action/Adventure person (that sounds like someone who does lots of rock climbing and mountain biking, which is sooo not me), but this is a fairly accurate description of the kind of mother I am on a good day, the kind of mother I strive to be. Other days I am lazy, irritable mother in need of more sleep but this quiz did not seem to have a category for that. So Action Adventure Mother it is!

got milk?

Claire is not a milk drinker. She likes it on her cereal, but give her a cup of milk instead of her beloved Tropicana and the cup is getting thrown on the floor or back at you. Yes, I have tried flavored milk. No, she is not fooled. However, she does eat other dairy products and in general her diet is good.

At every checkup the doctor and I discuss her weight, and today's two year checkup was no exception. Claire is average height but her weight is low. Not off the charts low, but barely on the chart low. Really nothing either of us is worried about at this point, but for some reason we still feel the need to talk about it.

The doctor asked how Claire was eating and I replied that she eats very well, except for the fact that she does not like milk.

Does she drink orange juice with calcium? Yes. Other sources of protein? Definitely, yes.

Then don't worry about it at all, he advised.

He went on to point out that while we, as humans, have chosen to drink the breast milk of other animals (put that way eewwww) we are really designed to only drink milk for the first year or so of life. In some cultures, this is still the norm. In others, like ours, we pour the breast milk of other animals over our cereal and turn it into cheese and ice cream.

Have I mentioned I love my pediatrician?

I have decided give up buying fabulous (expensive) organic milk, fighting over it and then pouring it down the drain. If baby girl prefers Tropicana in her cup instead of the breast milk of other animals, so be it.

girls and shopping

Today in Gymboree:

Abby: Oh, look at this dress mommy.

Me: I think it is actually a night gown.

Abby: Can I have it pleeease???

Me: Honey, you don't need new nightgowns today.

Abby: But Mommy, I need this nightgown because tomorrow is pajama day at school and all of my pajamas are old and nubby.

Four years old and this is what she came up with. The very same reasoning used by women everywhere as they buy new clothes. Is this genetically programed behavior? Some sort of female shopping gene?

She is four. I am screwed.

And for the record I did not buy the nightgown, but to be honest I feel a little bad because it was cute and her reasoning was pretty impressive for a four year old. Not to mention the fact that I can so relate to the feeling of "needing" something new for a special occasion.

I did, however, treat the girls to cupcakes for being such good shoppers.

In addition to Gymboree, we went in five non-kid stores and they told me I looked fancy beautiful in everything I tried on.

What more could a Mom ask for?

the birthday weekend, part 2

Claire's big birthday bash was on Sunday. Last year, for her first birthday, I invited every friend, family member and neighborhood kid we knew. This year I kept the guest list a bit smaller in the hope of 1) not spending an insane amount of money and 2) actually being able to spend some time with Claire at her party.

Like every event I host, I managed to get myself all stressed out trying to do too many things in too little time. Of course, I planned the girls outfits but not my own. Of course, it was much hotter than I expected. Of course, I have not bought myself any new summer clothes yet which means I ended up wearing a sleeveless top at my daughters second birthday party that was in fact a maternity/nursing top.

The good news is, I think Claire enjoyed every minute of her party. All of her favorite people were there- mommy, daddy, big sis, the grandparents, the god parents, the uncles, the aunties and her neighborhood friend.

She happily ran around, played and ate. We opened presents and she successfully blew out the candles on her much anticipated Ariel cake.





We wish you a great year baby girl!

the birthday weekend, part 1

Each year, to celebrate the girl's birthdays we try to plan a special family day in addition to the traditional birthday party. Claire's actual birthday was on Saturday and her birthday party was scheduled for Sunday, so we made this weekend a full weekend of birthday fun for her.

On Saturday morning we all enjoyed chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and Claire got to open her presents from Mommy, Daddy and Abby.


Then came her afternoon of birthday fun. First was a trip to the candy store for anything she wanted ($1.47 well spent).

Next was a trip to Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary, a small local animal farm that houses rescue animals. They do not have the more exotic zoo animals, but we got to see horses, ponies, emus, llamas, all kids of beautiful birds, rabbits and dozens of cats. All the animals play freely together on a beautiful historic farm surrounded by acres of wooded land. It was all very relaxing and refreshingly uncommercial. Just a nice little place to get some fresh air and see some animals.







Then it was out to dinner at one of those decidedly commercial chain restaurants where they sing to you when they bring the cake, don't especially mind if your kids yell or trash the place and have yummy margaritas available to dull the pain.


Good times.

more eggs!

We are up to four eggs!

Highlights from the big weekend of birthday fun to follow...

happy birthday clarie!

My Sweet Little Claire,

Today you are two. So hard to believe that two whole years have passed since the bright sunny spring day that your father brought me to the hospital for your scheduled arrival.

It has been a big year for you. You were slow to bother with the whole walking thing. This was fine since I was happy to hold you and your big sister was happy to bring you toy after toy. But at 15 months you took off running. The first steps you took were in pursuit of your sister and you continue to follow her often, just to make sure you do not miss out on any action.

Overnight, you transformed from a plump baby to a slim toddler on the go. You worried us a bit with your weight loss and lack of weight gain for a few months, but you are a healthy eater and it appears you will just be a petite little thing.

You have loved books since you were just a few months old. Now, you drag over book after book and eagerly climb into the lap of anyone willing to read to you. You love your letters. You recognize them all and excitedly point them out everywhere: signs, shirts, cereal boxes. You also know your letter sounds and often when you see a word you name each letter. I am not sure, my baby genius, but I think you may be teaching yourself to read.

You are a very happy, agreeable little thing. You wake up happy and whatever we do, you are happy. You want to do the right thing. You put trash in the trash. You put things back where you found them. When I ask you to stop, generally you stop. You also accept compromises. If you want one thing and I suggest another, you pause, consider the situation and exclaim "OKAY!".

To be honest, I did not know kids like you existed until we had you.

You do not particularly like conflict. When Abby gets in trouble you are very emphatic. You rarely get in trouble yourself, but when you do your little face crumbles.

You are not a thrill seeker. You are very cautious on the playground and avoid the slide entirely. Too scary, you say. You are very friendly and interested in other kids, but mostly you tend to stick close to me. You are not overly needy and you are good at amusing yourself, but you do like to stay close.

You are my little buddy. You happily accompany me on errands, cheerful even when I get grumpy. You make me smile. You brighten my life. You point out the little things that I miss like balloons outside a store or a flower in the grass. You remind me what is important and you teach me patience.

You have been looking forward to your birthday party for a couple of months now. You have no memory of your first birthday party, but you have attended several birthday parties recently and you are thrilled by the idea of a party for you. Almost every night at bedtime you ask about your party. You confirm that there will be an Ariel cake. And that you will get to blow the candles. Then you spend a few moments practicing candle blowing. From there your excitement grows as you image the color of the candles and the possibility of balloons. I can not wait to watch you enjoy your big day.

Happy Birthday, my little sunshine. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to be with you for this year.

I love you much,

Mommy

look what we've got

The girls and I found this on our back deck today. The egg watch begins.

my girls

Today I happened to capture pictures of both girls at the park that pretty much sum up who they are.

Here is my little monkey, up in a tree.



Here is my little buddy, minus a hair ribbon, sitting by my side watching the action.

works for me wednesday- easy peanut butter cookies

I love kids cooking projects, so when I came across this recipe for peanut butter cookies that called for only three ingredients, we had to give it a try.

This recipe is so simple that my four year old could do all the measuring and mixing on her own. She was thrilled. I got out the ingredients and let Abby do the rest.

I will admit I was skeptical of how these would come out. Cookies with no flour? It just does not seem possible. When they baked up just like cookies I was amazed.

Warm from the oven I thought they tasted fine and the girls ate them enthusiastically, which was good enough for me. I was not sure what they would be like when they cooled, but to my surprise they were actually even better. They were really good cookies. With only three ingredients. Who knew? Works for me.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of peanut butter
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Mix all ingredients together and drop one inch spoonfuls onto a cookie tray (15-18 cookies).

Dip a fork in sugar and press down on the cookie dough to flatten and then repeat on the other side so you have intersecting fork marks. Repeat for each cookie.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. I found I preferred mine slightly under done.


And just because she is cute, here is my little chef at work:





More Works For Me Wednesday

the day after

My Mother's Day was a mix of disappointments and unexpected surprises. An emotional day, because I am an emotional person and motherhood is a very emotional thing for me.

Today, the girls and I spent a quiet day at home. We stayed in our pajamas all day. We baked cookies. We watched movies. I caught up on laundry. We snuggled. I made one of everyone's favorite dinners. I wore my new cherry blossom lotion and the girls told me how wonderful I smelled.

Then for some real excitement, we played "Where is Claire?". The pictures may not be perfect, but the smiles are real.











Today was a good day.