me n my kidies 

Christmas shopping victory...

Well, as of yesterday I had not even started my Christmas shopping...So unlike me to put things off-ha! So last night was our school fund raiser at the toy store and I got a lot done! Cameron has so many things on his list that it is just about narrowing it down, but Gracie is harder for me. She has all the typical "toddler toys" from Cameron. So that just leaves the "girly" stuff to buy. Then I found This. It is perfect! She loves purses and stuffed animals...I also got her a shopping cart and some play food to go with her kitchen and what girl would be complete without a feather boa? So I am finished with the kids...Check that off my list...

NOW we can start christmas!!

Here is another picture of the train museum...this is such a great museum for train lovers like Cameron! And we took an amtrak train to get there, so fun! I have started to decorate for christmas, I will post pictures soon. It takes me a while to decorate the whole house! For the first time ever, we put up the fake tree I bought after Christmas last year. It loks pretty good! I will miss cuttin down our own, though...My family left this morning and will be back on the 23rd. We had a fun visit. My sister watched the kids for us so Scott and I could go out and have sushi and see a movie...fun! I will upload more pictures soon...

Sacramento Train Museum

 

Looking out the train window...

With Aunt Michelle

 

First Pumpkin Pie

 

Happy Turkey Day!

"I am thankful for pumpkins, pumpkin pie, and all things..." Cameron age four
"Gracie, what are you thankful for?" "DA DA!"
Happy Thanksgiving...

Parenting is like Lost

in anticipation of my favorite show...I read on Mommy BloggersAbout parenting being like the T.V show LOST and it cracked me up! I am addicted to this show, I can't wait for it to come every week and I loved this analogy! Check it out...Getting Lost with the others...

It IS magic!!

Now You see it-Now you don't!

The Mr. Clean Magic eraser truly IS magic! I had been trying to get the crayon off the wall for almost a week and nothing worked but this! Look for yourself!( I do not get paid for making this claim, but I think I should!)

Will my house ever be clean again?(Lie if you have to)

I feel like my house will never be clean again. It is even sadder when your four year old reminds you of this. Tonight he says "Mom, we need a new rule in our house". "Oh, what's that, honey?" "There needs to be no more running in the house, because it is such a mess, you might trip on something". "Umm, thanks, sweetie". This mess is not for a lack of me cleaning the house...I am Always cleaning something. Here are the things I cleaned up just today...I am on the phone and Gracie shreds a magazine to bits...I clean that up and I am helping Cameron in the bathroom, cleaning him up, the pee on the floor, the toilet, the wall, etc...Gracie is in the kitchen dumping out the entire box of granola. I clean that up and Cameron dumps out his whole bin of legos to "find something". He helps me clean this up... Yesterday Cameron colored on the wall downstairs, I have yet to get this off. As I am typing this, Gracie took a spice jar off the counter and began sprinkling it all over the floor....Sigh...When they go off to college the house will be spotless and I will miss the mess, right? right?

A Glorious day in the city

Under the Golden Gate
Today we went into the City to play tourist. It was an amazing 76 degrees today! A record high...We went on a Bay cruise around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge...Then we walked around Pier 39 and had lunch. This is why we pay the big bucks to live here!

So I won't win any Mother of The Year Awards for this one...

You turn your back for ONE minute...(yes, that is the dog bowl) Did I shriek at the top of my lungs for her to STOP-THAT IS DISGUSTING?? No, I got my Camera, which was right there, in my defense...I blame it on the Migraine medicine...

More Migraines...

I was JUST thinking how I hadn't gotten one in more than a month, and WHAM! Today...I am just cleaning the house and suddenly can't see. The first one I ever got was only last March. Why am I suddenly getting these? I guess I am lucky, I know people who get them daily or weekly, but it is hard to take care of kids when you need to lay in a dark room. The Imitrex has helped some, but I will need to take the second one in two hours to get rid of it completely. At least the babysitter comes this afternoon and I can lie down then...

F.Y.I...

When it comes to hair, two inches is A LOT...Like, I can no longer put my hair in a pony tail lot...how will I wear my hair on bad hair days???

Not much going on here...

Gracie's still sick. The medicine thing is so hard. I have found a way to get it in her, but now she throws it up immediately after. Ugg. This picture is her playing with her new favorite toy-Legos. She will play with them for an hour...The only thing Cameron will do for an hour is watch TV...takes after his Dad...Today is the Babysitter day and I am finally getting my hair cut! It is way overdue...

I am 41 legos tall... 

Moms day off and sickness again...

Today was "Mommy's Day off!" Scott had the kids all day, partly because I was sick last night, something I ate, I think, but mostly because a bunch of friends and I had planned to go into the city to see a White Christmas. I know what you are thinking-isn't this the person who wrote this about Christmas starting too early? But I couldn't pass up a day in the city, and it was very cute! I would definitely recommend it closer to Christmas! Then we went to dinner and had a great time. So I was finally feeling better and I got home just in time to put the kids to bed and find out that Gracie has a really high fever. Poor thing, we just got over a cold...I hope she is better soon. We may have to go to the doctor and check her ears, she was pulling at it.

The family that bowls together...

Is a bunch of geeks? I am not sure how to end that sentence...Tonight was "family bowling night" with the Mother's club. It was fun and hilarious! Picture 20 or so kids with Bowling balls hucking them every which way, onto each others lanes, anhywhere they happen to land! Talk about entertainment! Cameron and Grace had so much fun! Here are a few pics...

Go Gracie! 

Nice shoes! 

This is heavy! 

Fashion woes

Since this has come up on a couple of other blogs I read, I will throw my 2 cents in...I like to look cute, really I do. But how cute can I look sitting in the sandbox with peanut butter on my pants? And I can't afford to spend a fortune on clothes, either...But I do feel some pressure to dress nice. It seems all of the Mom's at Cameron and Graice's school are very fashion savvy...The other day I listened to a half hour conversation about how to fold your jeans correctly in order to put them inside your Pocahontas like boots(tassels and all)This person had recently been to New York with out her children and apparently was up on all the new fashion trends. I was bored stiff. Can't we talk about kindergarten or what to do when our kid spits at us?? As I stand there in my old Levis, sweatshirt and Land's End moccasins, I felt a little out of place...

Thunder Storms!

Tonight we had some thunder storms. They were pretty mild compared to when we lived in Houston, I miss those! But it was fun to watch the lightning and count between thunder claps. Then Cameron says "Mom, we could have a dangerous situation here..." Maybe I should cut back on the Rescue Heroes videos...

Lots of teeth! 

Maybe we should just have Christmas in September...

Those who know me know I love Christmas. Some might even call me a fanatic. I will have my Christmas tree up the day AFTER Thanksgiving and I put up so many decorations it takes me a week to take them all down. But there is a time and a place for Christmas. It started when I went to Target for Halloween costumes in OCTOBER. I was going through the aisles looking at Halloween stuff, I turned the corner and there it was-Christmas decorations!! I tried to avert my eyes and turn around as quickly as possible! So today I go to the mall and what should greet me? A giant Christmas tree!! Then further into the mall- a place for Santa to sit! Santa? Isn't he still in the North Pole making toys? Isn't he too busy to be at the Mall so early?? And then I heard them...Christmas Carols! It is just wrong, I am telling you...If I had to hear Christmas carols at work from Halloween to Christmas I might just go crazy...

Back to the gym and flu shots

Well, we have joined a new gym. it is brand new and very nice...I Am excited about getting back into working out. It has been almost a year since I stopped going...Gracie used to cry the whole time and they always had to come and get me. It was more stressful to go than not. Now I still have to deal with Cameron saying he dosent want to go, which is hard to hear, but I know he is fine when he gets there. And Gracie loves it now! Today the kids got flu shots. they did amazingly well...Cameron was really worried about it but when they did it he just said"OW that hurt!" and Gracie only cried for one minute...not too bad...

Happy Birthday Papa!

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pumpkin soup

Pumpkin Soup

This is a yummy recipe that a freind gave me-try it!
Pumpkin Soup with Sausages
Zuppa di Zucca Con Le Salsiccie (Pumpkin Soup with Sausages) is served with fresh grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and Pane Con Le Olive (Italian Olive Bread.)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
one red onion, chopped
8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh sage or 11/2 teaspoon of dried sage
3/4 cup of finely diced celery
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 cup of dry Marsala wine
4 cups of chicken stock,preferably homemade
2 cups of canned, unseasoned pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper;
1 cup of uncooked small shell pasta, broken spaghetti, or fettucine

4 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese (optional).

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet pan on medium high heat. Add sausage, brown three minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon. Put in three-quart sauce pan and set aside.

In sauté pan, add garlic, onion, mushroom, celery, sage, and thyme. Cook on medium high heat for three to five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in Marsala wine and cook two more minutes. Pour contents into three-quart sauce pan with sausage.

Add chicken stock, pumpkin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer cook for 40 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.

Add pasta and increase heat to a soft boil. Cook, stirring often, for five more minutes.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook three more minutes.

“This is a thick soup. If you want it thinner you could add more stock to it,” Hitchings said, adding that grated parmesan cheese can be served on top, or left off to save calories.

Makes about six servings as a side dish or four as a main course.

It's hard when your baby is sick...

Gracie startedto get sick this weekend, but then seemed to be better. But now she has a fever and bad cough and the poor thing just wants to be held all the time...She woke every hour on Monday night, last night was better. I wish I could make her feel better. I have been having the Hardest time getting her to take her medicine. I have tried it all...holding her down and squirting it slowly into the side of her cheek, blowing in her face, etc...but she still seems to spit it right back in my face. Last night I finally got it down her after two tries and 2 minutes later she projectile vomited it all over me. I started laughing hyserically and Scott said"I can't believe you are able to laugh about that". Well, after not sleeping the night befor, it was either laugh or cry...