Broccoli, Celery, Gotta Be......

Veggietales! Morgan loves the veggietales and is especially fond of their theme song - we always sing it before the show starts - or sometimes just her when it is requested that I not sing too. And, she always stands to sing the song so she can fall down at the end when Larry does - he is definitely her favorite character. 

So without further adieu here is the produce aisle crew!

Veggie Tales Theme Song - Watch more amazing videos here

Let's Dance...

Today was dance recital day! We started our morning off with a little extra time spent on the hair - and some extra pins and hairspray (I have to say I think I was semi-channeling a pageant mom with all the shalacking and pinning).  Then to make things easy for the big change later - I had her wear her tights and she also decided to wear her ballet shoes to school - eh, why not - it's the end of the year and they will be retired for a few months, might as well get as much use of them as possible. 

I dropped her off at school then ran (er, drove) to work, work for 45, back in car, pick up flowers (because flower shops do not open until 9 a.m.- which is wrong, but of course only on the day I need them - shouldn't they have ESP in to my life - ha ha) drive back to school and take a seat to await the performance.  

Now in between, before, and after all of this getting ready and running around a series of technical difficulties happened:

(1) My primary camera ran out of battery on Tuesday night - no problem, just needs a charge - well, no problem becomes problem when I can not find the charger - it has vanished (again, of course when I need it). Okay, move to plan B -old camera. 

(2) Fine, take old camera with me to work, insert photo card - that has 2 available pics - not enough, so delete photos that can be - end up with 22 available pics. Insert new batteries, test and try to remember how to work it - pack it in purse for later. 

(3) Arrive at school and turn on plan B camera - plan B camera does NOT turn on, I repeat does NOT turn on. Seriously? Delete two photos from camera phone just in case, move batteries around in plan B camera (and pray) to try and get it to work - camera TURNS ON!!!! (and camera was not turned off until I was sure pic moments were over - not chancing that).

And, then.... commence recital. 

This year there were two groups, so the younger group went first and Morgan's group second. When it becomes her turn, she gets up, finds her place, music turns on.......well, she did dance occasionally, but then she would take breaks and have the grump face, or chew on her dress (not sure - but I have a pic to prove it) - but she always participated in the spinning. On two of the songs they got to spin - like square dance type spinning and those moments she never missed. She was more engaged by the third dance - the rutabaga. 

I do have to admit that I again channeled the pageant mom from the audience thing - I found myself moving my head back and forth in the happy smiley way to encourage her to do the same and keep dancing. I can't believe I did that - but I did. Ah well, my movements were small and minimal - don't think I drew attention, I know I did not gain much of a reaction from little miss. 

When she finished Bob presented her with her roses (two white ones with a pink ribbon because pink is her favorite color). All in all she did well and she was happy to get her flowers, this was a big thing last year that I did not realize, so this year we came prepared. She carried them into her classroom and kept them with her - both made it home safely and are now featured in a vase on her dresser.

Baby Steps in Letting Go

I like to think that I let down my protective mommy guard every now and again to let Morgan experience things.  The hard part with this is that you have to let go - and trust. Trust that she is old enough to speak on her own behalf, follow rules you have instilled, recognize dangers when you can not point them out, etc.  As I think about it, it really is all about baby steps. Each one preparing you for the next - which is a good thing I suppose. 

The current baby step is summer program. Because she will be attending kindergarten at her school she can opt to move into the older class in just under 2 weeks to join the summer program. The allure of this is field trips and tons of fun activities, versus being stuck in her current classroom with a daily learning curriculum. Plus she is not super stoked on her current class (and I kind of share the sentiment). 

I think all kids (small or big) need breaks and with real school looming closely I do believe it would be good to give her a couple of free months. She is VERY excited over the prospects of moving into the big kid classroom and of all the activities they get to partake in, some of which include bowling, movies, the water park, build a bear, a Reno Aces tour, etc.... All of which are very exciting. 

My hesitancy lay in the fact that she is not yet five - even though that is very close as well, just over a month away. Even if she were five she's still so little to be with all those "big" kids. Now, some of the kids will be from her class, and some of those "big" kids who I see as gigantor types are really only 6-7. But, this is her first time ever in her life to be out in the world without one of her family members and that makes me a tad nervous to say the least. Nervous or not - this is something she really wants to do. 

And so begins one of what will be many baby steps. I have to put my nervousness aside and sign that permission slip. I have to let her grow up and experience things. I have to let go...but only a little. :-) 

T Minus Two Days...

A little under two days from now Morgan will have her annual Teddy Bear Dancer recital. 

I will finally get to figure out what the rutabaga is. She has been talking a lot about this dance called the rutabaga but won't disclose it to me - I have to wait. 

I promise a full report complete with pics and video...

Why, What, Where... questions that make you go hmmm..

Morgan asked a question this morning: What does sunset mean? 

This is by no means her first question of random origin, nor will it be her last - they come up VERY often. These questions are the type that make you think a little harder. It is the moment you try to answer and realize your answer is misguided, an attempt at avoidance, or per scientific or other fact simply incorrect. 

I started to explain that it means the sun sets - which is a ridiculous answer that needs further clarification, so by sets I mean that it sets / goes down from the sky (behind the mountains in our case) allowing the sky to go dark and the moon to come out. But the fact is that this is kind of wrong - as I'm answering I am thinking in my brain - the sun doesn't actually set - we rotate away from it. I did some quick research and it defined "sunset" as the disappearance of the sun because of the rotation which then of course leads to more questions... 

I have found that when kids ask questions, it is a learning moment for them and us (hopefully at least). There are so many things we say everyday and never really think about in great detail. And, it is a great reminder that the easy answer is not always right or best. 

Given my epiphany today, I am going to try really really hard to go the extra mile on my answers and provide as much info as possible. Parents are the 1st teachers kids have - so I better be a good one. Here's to expanding our brains... 

Art Alfresco

I promised Morgan on Sunday that she could paint today (Monday) and being that she has a steel trap of a brain I was reminded almost first thing. Right after breakfast I swept the art area (aka our patio) and set up an outside artist station. Since paint was the order of the day I clipped up two large pictures and set a side station with paint tray, water, brushes, and such. 

She also had chalk, crayons, and markers - so many options, so little time. She loved the opportunity to be outside and it's nice to not have to worry about misplaced paint. She spent all day in and out of the house, opting to even have her dinner outside so she could finish coloring one of the pictures.

 

Random Moments of Baking

Because Friday and Saturday were pretty packed, Sunday seemed a good day to slow things down a bit. I have what I would call "random moments of baking" where I decide to bake something - this Sunday it was sugar cookies. Cookies so far have been the bane of my existence, well that's probably a little over the top - but they're up there for sure. It is so hard to get a cookie just perfect - taste and texture all in unison - AND a cookie that lasts longer than 30 - 60 minutes post bake. 

I tried a new ingredient approach to sugar cookies and have to say the results have both mine and Morgan's approval - would have Lily's approval too if she was allowed one. They tasted really great, had the perfect slight crisp to the very edge and were soft throughout the rest of the cookie. I also added a little something extra - some had just sugar on the top, but half the batch had sugar and cinnamon. Not sure if this turns them into snickerdoodles as I've never made those- but I think it might??? Morgan loves cinnamon toast - so I thought she would probably like this twist to the cookie and she absolubtely did. 

The recipe:

Dry:

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Wet:

1 cup butter

1 cup white cane sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 tbsp. buttermilk (I mixed 4 tbsp. of fat free milk with 1

/2 tbsp. of cider vinegar)

 

Preheat Oven to 375.

Cream the butter and sugars. Then add egg and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients (that you have pre-mixed together) in batches to the wet mix. When all is incorporated add in 2 - 3 tbsp. buttermilk.  

Roll in balls and place on cookie sheet - mine were probably the size of a golf ball. Press down gently on each ball to semi-flatten and then add sugar or sug

ar and cinnamon to the top. 

Morgan helped put ingredients in, sprinkle the sugar, and most importantly - taste the dough and final product.   

Because I had the sugar out I decided to also make some lemonade (have had a bag of lemons hanging around for over a week) and as an added bonus to that took some of the leftover simple syrup (cooked sugar and water) and added frozen strawberries. I blended the mix in the blender and froze in an ice cube tray. My thought is that I can add these cubes to the lemonade for a strawberry flavor addition, and or give them to Morgan as mini-sicles. She loves crunching on ice and LOVES popsicles - so I am thinking she should love these too. Next time I will probably just add this strawberry mix straight to the lemonade - too bad for delayed thoughts this time.

To finish off our day of cookery - Morgan (her hair did not suddenly go funky - it is the result of a late afternoon swim sesh) decided she wanted to help make dinner. Her contribution was turkey roll ups and the recipe is as follows:

1 Flour Tortilla

Shredded Cheese (she chose a colby and monterey jack mix) 

Turkey

Place all items in the tortilla - roll and eat. She kept saying how good they are and that she wants them in her lunch next week, with the condition that she gets to make them.

Ps - I'm still searching for the perfect chocolate chip recipe, I have come close but have not yet reached perfection - if you have it please, please share.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...and the Lake...and...

Our original plan for Memorial Day weekend was to travel to SF  - unfortunately we were not able to and in an effort to make best use of the three days as well as keep the fun meter close to what it is for us across the bridge I mapped out some different local options.

First up - an early end to my Friday. Because it was a three-day weekend and the office was slow, I got an early release a little after 3. This meant I was able to pick up Morgan by 3:30 AND that made her super super happy. (she always asks to be picked up early and it's not often that I can) From school we went straight downtown to see Night at the Museum II - I would totally recommend this movie, it was as good as the first. The movie theater is right near the river so when the movie ended we walked over to the water so she could play for a bit.

Saturday had a slower start but kicked into high gear quickly. I wanted to get out and go somewhere - anywhere. We climbed into the car with the intention of heading to the river on the North West side of town, but I decided to drive a bit farther. The area I had in mind was gated off and the path to the river was down a steep hill (too sketchy to attempt with Morgan) so I decided to keep driving to Donner Lake. 

We chose a little cove and hung out playing in the dirt/mud and water. After the lake we stopped home for lunch and then headed back out for our Saturday library trip - home again to drop off (and read about 3 books) - change clothes and then on our way to the Aces game.

For those who don't know - as of 09 Reno is now home of the Aces, the feeder team to the Diamondbacks (yes, this caused some alliance issues a couple of weeks ago when Reno played Fresno - home of the Giants feeder). In any case, the new ballpark is amazing - awesome layout - awesome field and way fun. I was so excited to bring Morgan to her very first baseball game.

 She too was excited to go and made sure to bring her "mitten". We have discussed the correct title - glove,mit, etc... but it still remains a mitten. I was not sure what she would think when we actually got there - but she kept her excitement up. 

She showed her mitten at the ticket counter, tried her first hot dog (yep, her first ever) and decided she did not like it, moved on to ice cream (fun weekends turn a blind eye to nutrition - ha ha),  clapped along, learned a chant - "here we go aces, here we go", established the team colors in her mind, saw a home run, AND got to run the bases at the end.

(The red thing to the right is Archie the Aces mascot) All the way home she was talking about the Aces. I told her we could get seats next time if she proved she could sit and watch the game - needless to say 9 innings is a lot for a 4 year old, so we will be frequenting the General Admission grass seating awhile longer.

You've got ears - say cheers...for Sweepstakes Fever!!!

I've got the fever - the fever to enter contests! In past I have entered a few, yes I did most certainly paste my jaguar sticker into the car box on the Ed McMahon form. As a rule I don't mess with them much - what are the odds - like literally 1,000,000 to 1. But, when they're free and the prize is so fantastic why not? Plus, I believe I am further inspired by the fact that a friend of mine actually won a trip to Cabo this year just by filling out a form - so you never know.  

My recent interest (okay, slight obsession) is the Disney Summer at Sea cruise. It is sponsored by Kodak so you either win the grand prize of a full cruise, or smaller prizes of a camera. I SO would love love love to win this cruise.  Morgan would totally dig it and I would probably jump out of my chair if I won (assuming I am in a chair when I find out - otherwise I will do an overly-excited, somewhat freakish happy dance).

So - please please please magical sweepstakes fairies - send a little cruise love our way. :-) 

ps - if you want to enter as well, you can for the next couple of weeks - one time per day - I have it saved to my favs so as not to forget... 

http://disney.go.com/SummeratSea/ 

When I Grow Up...

When I grow up - how I remember thinking of the things I wanted to be when I grew up. I was always pretty practical - teacher, lawyer, etc... and it seems that practicality has found it's way to the next generation (or did I somehow place it there..hmmm). Morgan often talks about what she wants to be when she grows up. 

So far we have: 

A doctor - specifically a doctor who helps people have their babies (OBGYN is a little beyond her scope of terms right now). She is really hyped on this idea of helping people have their babies - however, she most certainly DOES NOT want to have a baby. It makes her very upset to discuss this idea and so I always answer that she does not have to have a baby if she does not choose to - a simple, true statement that brings her immense comfort. 

A teacher - of course she envisions herself leading class at her current school. This one is new and just came up this week - not quite sure of how she sees this job - I should ask.

A store checker outer - I can not even scoff at this one. I used to love to play with the scanner equipment, I vaguely remember a museum / exploratorium type place in Berkeley that had an actual scanner - all I know is when I was there that is where I spent the bulk of my time. I also used to clear off my dresser in my room and take canned and boxed goods out of the pantry and play grocery store in my room. I'm not sure why but there is something so fun about the grocery item scanner.  

Perhaps I have instilled a whole lot of practical or given her a small view of employment possibilities, it's also very probable that is just natural to glom on to the things you see and experience most. Either way I think she has some good choices so far and a long road to figuring out what works for her. 

Two Little Chefs

This is a quick diversion from my normal posts. I have to say that since creating a blog I have become semi-enthralled with the many many blogs that are out there. Every once in awhile you come across one that is really great, most recently for me is two little chefs.

http://twolittlechefs.blogspot.com/

I love to cook and am always excited to find recipes - this site has tons, all of which look quite promising.

Check it out if you like / have time.

What Makes a Wednesday Fantastic?

PAJAMA DAY. Wednesday was pajama day at school. Parents and kids alike love this day. This mama loves this day even more when she actually remembers - I had my free pass and spaced it, luckily we were running somewhat early and had time to jet back home and get back into PJ fashion.

Gallery - Color and the Queen(s) of Spring

K is for Kangaroo and...

Last night I attended a meet and greet at Morgan's current preschool. The purpose was to meet the new kindergarten teacher and ask questions about the program, etc. To date the school has always offered transportation back and forth to the public school and morning and afternoon care for kindergartners / grade school kiddies, but as of next year no more. When I first heard, I was a bit set back - simply because I am a planner. I have tried to deny and or not admit to it - but it is a plain and simple fact of me. I plan, in most cases I over plan. For example, Morgan's birthday is oh about 1 1/2 months away - however I have been thinking it through since last month (more to come on that later). In any event, it rattled my plan - I had been thinking through her school too - had kindergarten registration marked on my calendar and an envelope ready to go with all necessary documents. I had envisioned her on her first day (so yep, I plan and vision - ha ha) and we had briefly talked about big girl school. Alas, all of that changed a few weeks ago with the new announcement of private kindergarten - which she is now officially enrolled for.

One primary reason is the logistics - I work, Bob works, family works, etc... so she has to have somewhere to go every day after school which is only half day kindergarten. Yes, there are other day care options, but I can not in good conscience rattle her world to that degree. Another is well again, the logistics of it. Public Kindergarten is only 2 1/2 hours a day - that's it. Frankly, not much gets accomplished in 2 1/2 hours and it in no way prepares for a full classroom day awaiting her next year as a first grader. The new program offers a full day of curriculum which is definitely beneficial. She will stay at the school she has known since she was 6 months old and will have many of her current friends with her. The teacher, although a newbie to the profession (oh yes, I googled her) seems confident and committed to teaching. While a newbie is scary on some levels, I have also seen some of the more "mature" teachers and well frankly, I think some of them stopped liking children and teaching a LONG time ago. Also, I think Morgan will really like her and it was confirmed on the schedule - share / show and tell day will still take place on Fridays - this was a big concern for little miss.

Overall, I am really optimistic and hopeful that this will be a good thing for her. I am also insanely thankful for the meet and greet - so many of my worries and apprehensions were put to rest. So, that's the new plan and since Kindergarten does not start until Sept. I have plenty of time to over-plan and vision around the new set of facts. :-)

Two Wheel Dreams...

Yep.... Morgan and I would LOVE this bike... I'm not quite sure how this works, but supposedly just by linking to the site, you can have a chance to win this bike. It is fantastic and fulfills my beach cruiser dreams with benefit of taking Morgan (and heck maybe Lily) for the ride!

Click on the link pic above if you want to check it out and or link to it too!

Ooh Ooh Ooh... I want to be like you..

Over the last couple of weeks Morgan has been starting to take interest in things I do, eat, wear, etc. She has always paid attention but lately it is more apparant than ever. At first I thought she was trying to be on best behavior and make things easy, but as days have gone on I realize she is wanting to do things the same as me. For instance at breakfast I'll ask what she would like to drink, and she'll say what are you going to have - orange juice?, to which I answer yes, and then oh okay - well then I want orange juice too. 

Many times I probably look like I am trying to recreate myself or make easy the day and style us the same. This morning for example, I put on jeans and a black top - in she strolls with jeans and a request to pull down a black top from her closet (which later adjusted to a pink striped top with a short sleeved black overcoat type thing).  Next, I had my hair curled (it happens once in a great while that I actually do my hair) and so she too wanted her hair curled and when choosing hair accessories examined what I had chosen.

Unfortunately she has not gone so far as to completely follow my lifestyle, it stops at eating vegetables, dunking her head underwater, etc. But I still hold out hope that maybe she'll want to copy those soon enough. I will say that it does prove the saying true - immitation is the sincerest from of flattery. I love that she thinks enough of her mother to want to use me as her muse and I will relish this time where I am actually cool to her and that she wants to hang with me. 

In fact, last night she was talking about the different jobs she would like to have and asked if I would drive her to work because she would not know how to get there and did not want to drive alone. Oh, the things she says now - later to be changed to where are the keys - see ya!

Marsupial Sue - Our Own Book Review

I can not say enough about the library. It is one of our favorite places to go and in a time of frugality it offers so much for FREE. We generally spend a good amount of time in the children's section but today she was quick and decisive. One of her choices was a book on CD - Marsupial Sue. Books on tape / CD are always a gamble, some are great - other are just eh - but this one is really fantastic. 

It is narrated (sung) and has lyrics by John Lithgow and is so much fun. The illustrations are great too. Tonight before bed I let her listen to the book, which turned into five rounds of Marsupial Sue (in fact the song is still running through my head). Anyhow, I caught some quick video of her following along.... 

One Little.. Two Little... Kind of Huge Adenoids.

Adenoids is one of the weirdest words, and strangest body accessory for that matter. Every time I hear the word I think of the Noid from Dominos (come on you know you remember) and or aliens. Both are probably fitting since adenoids seem to be in the same family as those two strange little trouble causing suckers - which for Morgan is EXACTLY what they were. I say "were" because as of yesterday she no longer has adenoids. She had her very first surgery yesterday at 9 a.m.  

Practically ever since she has been born Morgan has had sinus infections (they started at 4 months). She gets a cold - sinus infection, allergies arise - sinus infection, etc... the problem with all of these sinus infections is that they equal antibiotics and I am pretty anti - all biotics at this point (well, that's not true - I love biotics that are pro -if you haven't incorporated them into your daily intake - do, it does make a world of difference).  After her last visit to the Dr. and second in a series round of biotics,  Dr. Tammy (who we both absolutely love - I can not say enough good things about Dr. Tammy) referred us to the ENT. With one visit and a quick X-ray it was confirmed - the adenoids must go. 

A month and a half later (respectively) we found ourselves at Renown at 7:30 a.m. for check in. Morgan was very calm about everything, mainly because I focused only on the positive points, which I think is quite fair and the right thing to do. I left the subject alone until two days before and explained it in brief - recapping the Dr.s visit that led to scheduled surgery, explaining the process of cool nightgowns, happy gas, sleeping, and then popsicles, and the mini-vacation that would follow her operation (i.e. three days off school). Actually -  where do I sign up. 

She was so excited the day we left school - telling everyone we saw "this is my last day at school", their faces indicated they thought she was announcing permanent departure, so I would add "for the week".  She also openly discussed that she was having her adenoids out (with perfect pronunciation I might add) and kept telling me how lucky she was (perhaps my explanation was a little too magical). 

The morning went by fast and she was really good about not being able to eat or drink - she only said she was hungry once and never pushed the matter. Everyone at the hospital was amazing with her and she transitioned from step to step seamlessly. She liked her "special" gown and was very happy with the duck quackers they gave her as a comfort item (both quackers and her horse Tony traveled with her to surgery). She was offered the opportunity to go "crib surfing", i.e. stand up and hang on to the bars of the bed while they wheeled her back, but that is the point that nervousness set in and she declined.  This is also the point that I hated. I am fine so long as I am with her, but I have never had to be separated from her for something so major. Luckily it is a super fast procedure and she was done in 15 minutes. 

End result is two "huge" (as the doctor explained them) adenoids removed and a blood vessel cauterized. She gets bloody noses often and they are gushers. Her Dr. said she'd give a look - she's already in there might as well get the most for your money and happy gas I say... 

Morgan woke up pretty quickly - although not in the best of moods. First she was super drugged, it was WAY weird to see her moving in slow mode and her eyes were massive, then she woke up a bit more and was very interesting. A nurse came by to reassure us it was the drugs - so much for "happy gas". It didn't take long for her to calm down and begin requesting popsicles. She spent the rest of her time eating and playing computer games - yay for wi-fi in the hospital and Nick Jr.com (and a shout out to my Macbook - can't help but plug it, it is my favorite piece of electrical equipment).  

We spent the rest of the day eating more popsicles, watching movies, and playing with her doll house - which she has kind of converted into a house for dogs. She slept well and is taking her antibiotics  - so much for steering clear of those - but soon enough.