Me Time- Me Day

Today I got to take Me Day.  The day started off with a choice.  Did I want to go out for some quiet time to watch the sunrise at a park or did I want to sleep in?  I sort of did both.  I slept in later than I originally planned after pushing the snooze button so many times.  When I finally decided to let myself sleep instead of getting up, I reset the alarm and then noticed it was getting lighter outside, meaning there wasn’t any storm happening this morning.  Oh no.  If I didn’t get out I’d regret it.  So I quickly threw some things together and ran out the door.  It was definitely later than I would have liked, but I knew I’d still enjoy it.  Since it’s still Winter, I wouldn’t be able to spend much time out of the car waiting for the sun to rise anyway.  I drove to a few parks to see the colors in the sky and on the mountains all around.  It’s amazing what different views you get at different places.   

After spending some nice quiet time, I picked up a few things from the store before heading home to be there with Jr. Jr. while Jeremy took the older kids to school.

While the kids were at school, Jr. Jr. and I had some bonding time while Jeremy worked at home.  Jr. Jr. and I went to lap time at the Orem Library, where toddlers can sit on parents’ (or other caregivers’) laps while listening and participating as a story teller tells stories, reads, sings songs, etc.  It was nice.  After the story time, Jr. Jr. and I looked at some board books then ran around in the library for a little while.  I got some good exercise as Jr. Jr. wanted to go up and down the stairs numerous times.  We got home just as Jeremy left to pick up Jr. from school.

After lunch, Jeremy cut my hair.

 Before and Right Before

 

After

Cute, isn’t it?

Then I had fun doing something I haven’t done in years.  I polished my toenails and fingernails.  I started with the toenails and tried out the different nail polishes I have.  Man, it’s been years and those things still work.  They’re not dried out or hardened like I would expect them to be.  I’m happy about that.

The boys were very interested in what I was doing.  I don’t think Jr. Jr.’s ever seen me polish my fingernails before.  After painting my toenails different colors, the boys helped me decide which colors I wanted to put on my fingernails.  I picked two and alternated between nails.  I felt like reddish colors.

Jr. was behaving and got to get his toenails polished, too, then I helped him with some of his homework while Jeremy got Nichole from school.  

Because it was Me Day, while Jeremy was fixing dinner, I treated myself to a little treat (I knew I wouldn't spoil my appetite for dinner) in my room while watching a chick flick.   

And I mean an actual romantic comedy this time (not an action movie).  Nichole and Jr. found the calculators I had bought at the store that morning and kept themselves very content playing with them in the living room so I didn’t have to worry about them interrupting my movie watching… mostly.  Jr. Jr. came in and fell asleep on my bed while the movie was on.

He woke up just as the movie was finishing and a few minutes later it was time for dinner.  Nice timing.

During dinner, the older kids informed us that they both get to go to Dr. Seuss parties in their classes tomorrow.  I informed them that they got to go to a Dr. Seuss party at home on Saturday, too.  Jeremy informed us all that he got to go to another Dr. Seuss party on Saturday for work.

I ended Me Day by reading a Tooth Fairy book to the kids since February 28th is National Tooth Fairy Day.

It was a good Me Day.

International Polar Bear Day 2013

To celebrate International Polar Bear Day, February 27, we ate fish sticks for dinner. 

In the car on the way to dance class, we talked about different polar bear facts such as polar bears eat seals and walruses and small whales, but not really fish.

I thought about printing out pictures of polar bears for the kids to color but Jeremy reminded me, "Polar bears are white... surrounded by snow."

Man, I was on a roll today.  Sigh.

National Rationalization Day 2013

I can't think of how to be clever for this post, so I'm not going to try.  That's rationalizing, right?
We let the kids know that today, February 23, is National Rationalization Day, so throughout the day they figured out excuses for things (fun things).  We did let them know, as I mentioned last year, that there are some things you just don't rationalize.  Rationalizing doesn't mean you get out of the consequences.

Now back to me not being clever.  My day started out like this:

As I was cleaning up the kitchen table to get breakfast ready, I accidentally knocked over our fancy candles we got for my bridal shower years ago (thanks, Katrina).  We use these for special occasions and unfortunately, they don't always get put away.  So, they broke.  Sigh.  I liked those candles.  Oh, well.  As I told Jeremy, at least now we don't have to figure out where to store them.  When I told him that, he said, "Way to rationalize, honey."  Yeah, and that's how I started the day celebrating.

Now on to the good stuff.  We had a movie on hold at the library and it came in yesterday.  It's another one of those nature type films.  It's called "Winged Migration" and is about migratory birds all over the world.  Jeremy and I thought it would be great to have some family fun like we did when we watched "Chimpanzee."  We wouldn't have time to do it for Family Home Evening and there weren't any holidays coming up that fit into the theme.  But National Rationalization Day was coming up.  That was a good enough excuse.  So while the kids ate their breakfast of toast or bagels and hot chocolate (bread for birds, right?), I set up "nests" for them in the living room.

After breakfast, we sent them to collect pillows and blankets to add to their nests and we all snuggled up in our nests to watch the movie.  Jeremy and I got to share a nest on the couch since we're the mom and dad.

So yeah, that was our main way of celebrating.

Other ways we rationalized today:
Jr. wasn't feeling well so the kids got to watch movies all day.
The kids got to stay up late because I was late in making dinner and making them go to bed because I was playing on the computer (but not writing a blog post), and because I let them get away with the "just a few minutes more, Mom" excuse while they were reading books.

There were other things we rationalized, but I think I've mentioned enough.  Now I have just a few more minutes left in the day, so I better waste them just so I can say the reason is because it's National Rationalization Day.  And you know how I mentioned that even if you rationalize you still have to face the consequences?  I should have written this blog post and gone to bed hours ago.  I'm going to feel it in the morning.  Sigh.

Mommy, Look

I'm playing The Piano Guys.

The Months of Cereal

I didn't realize it until recently, but there are a few times you can celebrate with cereal in February and March.  To name a few:

February 16th was National Almond Day.  I didn't want to buy just almonds, so I treated myself to some cranberry almond granola from the bulk section of Winco. 

Ah, the bulk section at Winco.  Such a great yet dangerous spot.  It's a great place for finding things to help with celebrating, because you can get as little or as much as you want.  Getting just a little is great for a budget.  Unfortunately sometimes it is so easy to get a lot, or when I go to get a little of one thing, I find so many other things.  It is a great section though, and some things are definitely cheaper in the bulk section at Winco.  So... as I was saying... I got some cranberry almond granola to celebrate National Almond Day.  It was yummy.

Today, February 19th, is the anniversary of when the breakfast cereal company, known today as Kellogg's, was founded in 1906.  I surprised the kids with one of those packs that has several individual sized boxes of cereal for breakfast this morning.  

I did not get it from the bulk section at Winco.  

The kids loved that they each got their own box of cereal to open and pour out (Jr. Jr. had help).  If I had been looking up information earlier, I could have had some more fun with this one.  I found out that Kellogg's was originally known as Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company.  I happen to live in a town that used to be called Battle Creek (but not the same Battle Creek).  There is a hiking area near here that leads through Battle Creek Canyon to Battle Creek Falls.  One of the local parks is Battle Creek Park.  Oh the pictures I could have taken of a box of Kellogg's cereal in different locations.  Sigh.  I need to get better at my research before holidays.  Oh, well.  There's always next year.

Coming up on March 7th is National Cereal Day.  I don't have much to say since we haven't celebrated it yet this year, but we've celebrated it in the past.

Ah, cereal.  So many ways to celebrate with cereal during these months.

The Fortune Cookie Told Me To

That’s what Jeremy told me when I found a daisy plant and a heart shaped box of chocolates on the table yesterday morning.  For Chinese New Year, we had fortune cookies.  Jeremy’s said something about flowers being a success at an upcoming celebration.  That’s why I wasn’t that surprised to see the flowers there for Valentine’s Day.  So cute.

There were also a couple Valentines for Jeremy and me from Nichole.  As she was filling out Valentines for her classmates, she made sure to include Mom and Dad.  What a sweetheart.

Jeremy then made breakfast for everyone of heart-shaped French toast.

About a week ago, I was mentioning the upcoming Valentine's Day.  Jr. got very excited and started talking about fancy restaurants for romantic dinners.  On his own, he suggested doing a romantic dinner for Jeremy and me with our own home being the fancy restaurant.  He thought of a bunch of different things that some people have at fancy restaurants.  It would be a Valentine's surprise for Daddy.

Later when Nichole heard what we were planning, she wanted to be involved, too.  Being the big sister, she immediately wanted to take over and be in charge, so there were a few times when we had to remind her that this was Jr.'s project, but we could help.

So Jr. came up with the menu (including three kinds of desserts to choose from, thankfully only one

entrée as the desserts could mostly be made ahead but the main dish had to be warm); he decided on the name of the restaurant, what kind of lighting there should be.  The rest of us helped (except Jeremy as it was a surprise for him).

I went shopping for ingredients, Nichole put glitter glue on red tissue paper to wrap around the light fixture in the kitchen for Valentine's lighting.

She also decorated menus after I typed them up and printed them out.

Jr. Jr. helped make brownies.

Valentine's evening, Jeremy and I were invited into the kitchen to "The Parents' Servants" restaurant, so the kids could take our order and serve us.  The restaurant was named such so the kids could serve the parents while we sat around and did nothing.  Jeremy later laughed at this, because I hardly sat around and did nothing- spending all day in the kitchen baking and preparing food, then getting the kids food so they could eat in the living room and watch a movie while we had our romantic dinner in the kitchen.  It was great, though.

And the creativity really showed.

Thanks, kids.  It was a beautifully romantic dinner for Daddy and me on Valentine's Day.

 

Now that I've finally gotten this blog post finished, on to celebrate today's holiday, February 15, National Gumdrop Day.  Guess what the kids are having for after school snack.

National Tortellini Day 2013

I have some things to blog about.  Some unfinished posts about how things have been going lately.  Some good, some not as good but not terrible, some just fun.  But I'm not going to post them now.

I am going to say, "Happy National Tortellini Day," February 13.  Of course we had tortellini with our dinner like we did last year.  This time I made the dinner, though.

Hello, Year of the Snake

February 10th, Chinese New Year. 
With friends,
food,

chow mein

 

egg rolls

orange chicken with white rice

candied apple fritters

and some other things

and a puppet show created, directed, and starring Nichole (with some help on the performance from Jr. and Mommy and with some "help" from Jr. Jr.).

It was nice.  Welcome Year of the Snake!

Haaaaaaaapppyyy New Years!

We would like to officially, in a preemptive sort of way, welcome everyone to the year of the...

May it be a prosperousssssssss year for everyone!

The KAT's Meow

Jr.:  Can I have some corn bread, please?
Nichole:  Can I have some white bread, please?
Jr. Jr.:  Can I have some blue bread, please?






Jr. Jr.:  You interrupp-ed my shapes.






Jr.:  At recess, we couldn't snow throwballs.
Jr. Jr. picked up on that so now he goes around using the term, "snow throwballs."

Merry Christmas

Remember how I mentioned the bunches of snow we've been getting?  Well, besides that and the colder than freezing temperatures, the air quality has been really poor.  Cough.  Cough.  So there's been a lot of staying inside, including when the kids are at school.  Lately, everyone has been a little stir crazy.  Aaaaagh.
The other day, after a few days of warming up and melting a lot of the ice and snow, on a day when the air wasn't quite so bad, we decided to go out as a family, and enjoy it.  Nichole and Jr. got scooters for Christmas and hadn't yet been able to play with them outside.  So we brought them along to a park and let them have fun.  The park has a walking path which had been plowed.  There was still a lot of snow on the grass, but enough of the parking lot was cleared so we could park, too.
We kept it a surprise until we got to the park (the kids thought we were only going to take papers to recycle at the school).  The kids were ecstatic when they found out what we were doing.  Jr. Jr. was happy to be pushed in the stroller part of the time and to be able to run around the rest of the time.

Apparently, we did this just in time, too.  Soon after, the air got bad again, and sadly, there was a fire this morning in town and some buildings were burned to the ground.  All that smoke in the air only made the air worse.
So we had an afternoon of escape and it was great.
Good family time.

Catch of the Day

Thank a Mailman Day 2013

Quickly writing notes and drawing pictures for our friendly neighborhood postal worker before school because Mom forgot to look at the calendar until this morning to remember that February 4 is Thank a Mailman Day.  

Quick kids.  Now out the door to school.

Groundhog Day Celebrations

This year because of schedules (it had to be on a weekend, didn't it?), we split our Groundhog Day celebrating between a couple of days.
Jeremy thought ahead and brought home some Groundhog themed books from the library for the kids to read.  The kids enjoyed those on Saturday. 

Nichole also drew a picture of a groundhog seeing his shadow (it was a sunny day here) and Piglet thinking along with the groundhog, "Six weeks of Winter."

We didn't have time to watch the Bill Murray movie, "Groundhog Day."  Oh well.  But on Sunday Jeremy made us our traditional imitation groundhog burgers (and we had homemade fries as it seems we often do with this holiday).

Nichole really wants to watch the movie so we'll have to watch it another day.