W is for...Watermelon

Now that we are on summer vacation there are so many things to look forward to: warm weather, sunshine, t-ball and tennis for Mason, swimming lessons and theater camp for Emily, visiting family, barbecues, going to the beach... I could go on and on.

There are a few challenges that come with the change in schedule and season but one challenge that I had not considered until recently was the daily question: What is there to eat?

On the snack front I try to keep it healthy and easy. That's my goal and so far it is going pretty well. My kids are definitely snackers. They will eat most of a meal but then be hungry again an hour later. I figure that their little bodies need lots of fuel to grow so I feed them on "demand" so to speak.

One of the favorite snacks that we have stumbled across lately is fresh fruit, especially watermelon and cantaloupe, cut into bite size pieces and eaten with a toothpick.

The toothpick is key. My six-year-old angel of a daughter can be a picky eater at times and she thought she didn't like watermelon. But wait, what is that cool thing that her brother is eating with? A toothpick. Okay, now she likes watermelon. Surprise, surprise.

That toothpick changes an ordinary snack into something extra special. Amazing.





This post is participating in Alphabe-Thursday "W is for..."

A Father Is...

There in every memory

See his love and care
Strength and hands to count on
Freely he does share
Provider, toil so faithfully
To make our dreams come true
Give strong and tender discipline
Though it is hard to do
A Father is God's chosen one
To lead the family
And point it to His will for life
Of love and harmony.

(by Sue Skeen)

Emily made a Father's Day gift with this poem on it at school and I thought it summed up her daddy pretty well. I hope that all of the wonderful dads out there had a great Father's day filled with love and hugs from their children.

Mailbox Monday

Blog hop? What's that? The latest dance trend?

It's a way to find other bloggers you might like and to share your blog too. It's a "you check out my blog, I'll check out your blog" kind of thing. 

I follow Simply Stacie's blog and so I thought I'd try out her blog hop. You never know what interesting stuff you'll stumble across out there in the blog-o-sphere.

I Heart Tori & Kate

Okay, I have something to admit. I've become a reality TV junky. Not all reality TV - just a few shows that I'm obsessed with lately.

It all started when after Ryan was born and I stopped working. No more sitting at the table grading papers all evening for me (high school English teachers out there will relate). I had time to watch some TV, especially while sitting comfortably on the couch feeding the baby or folding laundry, both of which I do A LOT.

Here's a run down of my new favorites:

Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood - I love Tori and Dean. Who woulda thought it, but Tori is a cool chic. I want to hang out with her. We could talk baby stuff and I'd love to hear more about what it was like growing up as a bizillionaire. (Another confession: I just finished reading her first book, too. I told you I'm obsesssed.) I also love the Guncles. Mehran is so sweet. Who wouldn't love a best friend like him?

Giuliana & Bill - Another surprisingly likable couple. Why is it so entertaining to watch them live their regular lives. I guess because their "regular lives" are a lot more exciting than mine. Giuliana cracks me up. They make such a cute couple and I would love to be invited to their next dinner party. (Did you see the episode when Giuliana cooked for the first time? Loved it.)

The Next Food Network Star - This one just started up again and I'm way too excited about it. Sometimes when I'm in the kitchen I imagine that I'm about to serve my dish to the selection committee and I only have a few minutes to pull it off. (Okay, okay, I'm a huge dork.)

Kate Plus Eight - Another big confession. I like Kate. Most people don't, or at least it seems that way. I will say that her fake nails, hair extensions, and high heels make her less of a relatable mom than when she was cooking in her small kitchen and serving up dinner on paper plates, but I still like her. I even voted for her on Dancing With the Stars a couple of times even though she could not dance worth a darn. She had to put up with her husband cheating on her in front of the whole world, so how can you not be on her side, even if she is a bit really uptight?

I would soooo love to have a girls night out with Tori, Giuliana, Susie and Giada from the Food Network, and Kate. Do you think they'd all make the trip to Oregon to hang out with me? Maybe not, so I'll just keep watching them from afar and pretending that they're my girlfriends. (Wow, that sounded pathetic, huh? Good thing I have awesome girlfriends of my own to hang out with already.)

If you could have a reality TV girls night out, who would you invite?

Homemade Hot Wheels Birthday Cake

My big boy had his 4th birthday recently and he requested a Hot Wheels cake. (Then the day before his birthday he asked for a Spiderman cake but it was too late. Oh well.) 


So I decided to attempt to make and decorate my own cake. I made a two layer vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. 


The only real problem came when I tried to remove one layer from the pan and it stuck. I guess I didn't grease the pan well enough. One corner of the cake crumbled. I had to think quick....so I turned that crumbled, sagging corner into a grassy hill. No one even noticed. Score one for me! 

I'd say the cake turned out fine but it was a far cry from looking professional. That's okay though, because all that really mattered to Mason was that he got to blow out the candles and eat tons of frosting.

This post is participating in Friday Follow.

King of the whys

Mason has been rolling out the funniest sayings lately. It must be his age (happy 4th birthday to him last week!) - or just the fact that he's a big goofball. He is definitely in the "why" stage.

We were driving down the highway and he had been asking me questions non-stop for an eternity (okay, 15 minutes but it felt like much longer).

We were crossing a bridge so I asked him if he saw the bridge and the boats, etc. Then he pops off with, "STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS MAMA!" Okay question man. Like he's one to talk.

Then a few days later we were out on a walk around the neighborhood.

The conversation went something like this: Mason asks about something and when I answer he asks why. I try to explain and then...

"Why?" he asks again.

"Because...(insert some random answer)," I say as I try to think of something that will satisfy his curiosity because saying I don't know does not cut it for this kid.

"Why?" he asks again. Repeat above sequence about three more times.

Then Mason says, "Why, why, why, why! Why do I ask why all the time?"

"Good question, son!" That's the only response I can muster.