Spring Break - Day 5

Having grown up in Fairfield, I have been to the Jelly Belly Factory a time or two. I went on the factory tour when I was a little kid when they actually took you down on the factory floor and you could practically touch the chocolate while it was being made.
I never took part in the activities they had out there until the last few years though. They do a great job providing activities for little kids and their families. I took the girls out there on Friday to see the Easter Bunny. There was no line to see him and we walked right in. Diana wore her Easter Bunny ears, which the Bunny thought was hilarious. Amy, however, was not so keen on the idea of the Easter Bunny. She took one look at that guy and said 'No thanks, sister, you go right ahead, I will wait right here.'
So, Diana got her picture taken with him and we were on our way. We checked out the store on the way out and saw some of the women prepping caramel apples, chocolate Easter Bunnies and cell phones in the workshop. It was pretty fun.



After that, it was lunchtime. We called Grandma V and stopped by her work to have lunch and go for a spin on her playground. The girls had a great time visiting V and having a picnic!



That night, I took Diana to the Club Live Countywide Lip Sync Competition in Sacramento. It's an event hosted by my sister's work. Diana was fascinated and it was a very fun event. It went a little late so Diana was very tired by the end of the night!

The kitchen is being kind to me

There's been a lot of cooking and baking happening in my life in the last six months. I'm pretty willing to try anything because I truly believe that cooking and baking is just a test of how well someone can follow directions. It's also a test of my patience. When I don't have kids hanging on me, I am much better in the kitchen. So when the girls are down for naps, that's when I attempt to be a master chef.
The last couple meals I have attempted for dinner were a huge success. Friday night I made chicken apple pizza. I knew the girls wouldn't eat it so half the pizza was reserved for cheese only.
Here's the recipe, which I got from "Something Extra" the Raley's magazine.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in large non-stick skillet. Add 1 peeled and thinly sliced apple and 1 halved and sliced onion (I used a white onion); cook and stir for 10 minutes. Place thin crust pizza on a large baking sheet or pizza pan and top with 1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese and apple mixture. top with thinly sliced chicken apple sausage (I used two for half the pizza) and bake 10-12 minutes or lightly browned on edges.
Makes 4 servings.

On Saturday, I made zucchini cakes. The part that took longest was the prep of the zucchini and other veggies. This was a huge hit with Matt who today called it "the best thing" I've ever made. WOW! This recipe, I believe also taken from Something Extra, made about 10 cakes. I don't know what else to serve them with. I will do some research. It was all I had for dinner because I saved room for an ice cream sandwich for dessert.
Here's the recipe:

3 c. coarsley grated zucchini
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh breadcrumbs (from a baguette)
1 egg
2 green onions, thinly sliced (I used three)
1/4 c. diced red bell pepper (I used a little more than this)
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbl. mayo or plain yogurt
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbl. vegetable oil, for frying
1 tsp. butter

1. Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand 30 minutes. Press with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Zucchini should be fairly dry; and you should have about 2 cups. Place zucchini and remaining ingredients (except oil and butter) in a bowl. Mix well. Form into 8 pattied the size of crab cakes. Chill.
2. Heat oil and butter in a skillet.
3. Add patties to skillet and cook on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towel.
Serves 4.
**Place day old baguette in food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed.
**For a quick sauce, mix some chopped fresh herbs (chives, dill) and lemon juice into mayo. I used 2 tbl. mayo, 1 tsp. dill weed, 1 tsp. lemon juice and it was fantastic for the two of us.

Enjoy!!

P.S. I am not like those cooking bloggers who can take pictures while they cook. Someday, I might be able to. Until now, you'll have to use your imagination!

Spring Break - Day 3

Most of Day 3 was spent indoors as Comcast decided to spend more than 2 hours at our house trying to fix our internet/cable/phone. There was no resolution. I was exhausted when it was over (too much technical jargon) so the girls took a nap, I did some chores and then shut my eyes for an hour.
After that, we made a trip out to my favorite baking supply store in Dixon and then to the library. I was more than pleased to find out that the library was having a preview to the Solano Youth Theatre production of "The Wizard of Oz" in the children's section. Diana loved watching the young actors and Amy loved to hear them sing. I was only a little disappointed because it was closing in on dinner time and the audience was sitting in the section where the books are that I check out for Diana. It was OK. I took Amy over to the picture book area and she had some fun.

After dinner, Diana and I made ice cream sandwiches. I bought sugar cookies the other day from Nugget and vanilla bean ice cream. A few years back, I purchased an ice cream sandwich maker from Pampered Chef. Matt and I used it all the time that summer (before we had kids) but haven't put it to use much since the kids have arrived.
It was a messy project, and Amy didn't really participate, but Diana loved it and I tried one of the sandwiches after the girls went to bed. Though the cookie part was a little hard, it was delicious!

Here's Diana cutting the cookie to the appropriate size for the sandwich maker:



Diana was very happy with our evening project:



I wrapped the sandwiches in saran wrap and put them in the freezer, for friends or for us later!

Spring Break - Day 2

Diana has three weeks off for spring break...yes, three weeks. I have a lot planned, but Day One didn't go so great so there is no photographic evidence that the day even occurred.
Day 2 was better so I took the girls on a picnic at their favorite park and they played after. Amy was not so happy about the leaving part. She loves parks. I am glad the weather has improved so we can go more often.
Diana actually saw a friend from her class at the park and she played with him and his siblings while I followed Amy around and went down the slides with her.
On the way home, Diana saw another one of her friends walking with her mom. Turns out the girl lives right around the corner from us. Because Amy was tired and throwing a tantrum while I was getting her out of the car, I couldn't get the lady's phone number so the girls could get together. Hopefully we see them again. Otherwise, I will go knocking on every door on her street until I find them and force my kid on her. Just kidding.

Six months and counting

I have been unemployed for six months now.
In that short (er, long) time I have taken up several hobbies to keep me busy. I am not the type to sit around the house and wait until Oprah comes on at 4 p.m. I developed a love for baking and cooking. Cupcakes fascinate me and I have tried several recipes. If you want to be my taste-tester, I would love to bake some for your event or just because. Please...keep me busy! The only thing I ask when being my taste-tester is that you are completely honest. If you don't like it, tell me. I won't take it personal.
I have pulled out the Crock Pot a lot in the last six months and though it's convenient, helpful and easy, there are not too many things that kids will eat out of a crock pot. The one thing that I have made, and made my own alterations to, is a lasagne. It's really good and very easy.
Since I am stuck inside most of the day, I have to look at these boring off-white walls all day. I took it upon myself to paint our bathroom Summer Sky and love it. I need to apply another coat because the more I inspect it every morning in the shower, the more I realize what a poor job I did.
The next project was giving Amy her own room. The poor girl has been sharing her room with the office for almost two years now and it was about time for her to have her own space. I am in the middle of turning the playroom downstairs into our office/playroom. It's quite an undertaking, has involved a couple trips to IKEA and various discount stores in the area but I can't wait to share pics when it's done. That project also involved painting one wall white. I had to put three coats on the wall to finally get it even. That was frustrating and I will never paint anything white again.
Once the playroom project is done (hopefully soon) I am going to paint the girls' bathroom Cosmic Blue. They have a ducks theme in their bathroom and I think a blue would really put some life in the room and give it some personality.
I have other projects on my list, most of which involve painting, so keep checking back to hear all about them. I will add pictures as well soon.

Sister Friends

One great thing about staying home is being able to see a huge bond develop between Amy and Diana. When they were in separate day cares, they barely got to see each other during the day. The only time they got to see each other was at night when we all got home from work. It was only a couple hours during dinner and then play time after that.
Now, they are with each other all day for the most part. They have breakfast together, play before Diana goes to school and then we pick up Diana from school (which Amy loves - it's the highlight of her day).
Sure, they have their moments when they are playing together when they don't get along. Amy will take something that Diana is playing with and D gets upset or vice versa, but there are a lot of moments when I hear them laughing together and having a great time.
These are the moments I am grateful for. The moments that I am glad I am here to witness my girls developing a special relationship that will hopefully last a lifetime. I know that they are young and that things might change when/if I get a job someday, but for now...I am very glad that they have the chance to play together and share this time with one another.

Staying busy

It's been a month since I lost my job and I feel like I am finally into a routine. It probably helps that I have found some part-time work to keep me sane and keep my creativity flowing. I have had five photo shoots (paying photo shoots, I must add), covered a high school basketball game for a local website and even got to take photos at it and wrote some feature stories for the same site. I do all the "me" stuff on weekends and while Amy is sleeping and Diana is at school.
The photo shoots have been really fun. My sister even came with me on one shoot and I can't express enough how grateful I was that she was there. She's a great assistant!
Being a sports writer again has been a blast too. It makes it even better that I got to take photos at the game. I really enjoyed that part of my working career, though I don't want to go back full time. I like being able to work from home on features and cover a high school or college game at night time for a couple hours. The schedule works for me right now.
In the meantime, I am still searching for full-time work. I applied for a ton of jobs, but I don't think anyone is hiring or even in the process of hiring right now. Hopefully I will hear something after the holidays are over.

We enrolled Amy in gymnastics one day a week. I knew she would love it and she does. In class today, the instructors wanted the kids to stretch and get some basic exercise in before they let them play, but Amy and this other little boy weren't having it. They fled like those teachers were holding needles. Amy never rests during the 45-minute class. She is constantly moving and if I let her go all over that building to where the big kid equipment was, she would go. It's good exercise for me too, I guess. This is also a good lesson for Diana. She has to tag along because the City of Vacaville only offered classes in the morning. I feel bad for her, because all my attention is on Amy and D can't really play because she might crush a baby. Through two classes, it's been hard for her, but she's adjusting and understanding that I can't really take my eyes off Amy for one second or she might fall into the trampoline pit.

As for Diana, she sang the other night at Chevy's. The Spanish Immersion kids from her school got together and sang Christmas songs for the folks dining. It was a fundraiser for the program - you know...eat there and 25 percent of what you spend goes to the school. It was fun to see her sing the Spanish version of popular Christmas songs.
Tonight, she sang Jingle Bells to me in Spanish. Quite a kid that one.

I truly feel blessed as everything in my life is coming together. I knew I would settle into a routine and have some sense of normalcy again. It took a while. I am very grateful for this time and for my awesome family who continues to help and support me every day.

Oompa Loompa Doopadee Doo

Diana's stage debut was this weekend. She was an Oompa Loompa and a Candyman kid in the J&S Center for the Performing Arts production of Willy Wonka. There are four more shows this weekend so we are only halfway there but so far so good.
It's fun to watch her on stage - she squints when the lights come on because they are so bright and she's fascinated by all the other kids on stage, so a lot of the time, she's watching the main characters or her fellow Oompas. She's the youngest one in the cast and the least experienced, but I am super proud of her for getting up on stage.
They have been preparing for this since August and Diana has never complained one time about the rehearsals, the late nights, her role in the production, the other kids - nothing! She's loved every minute of it.
I actually went down to their dress rehearsal two nights before opening night and watched them run through it and was pretty amazed. There are some really talented kids in this company. The show is all kids - ages 5-13. Some can sing well, some can't. They are all trying very hard though and have a true passion for what they are doing.
I was really amazed at Diana's ability to remember her songs and dances (that's pretty much all she does as a Candyman kid and Oompa Loompa) when there are tons of people in the audience. I don't know if she sees them or not, but it's fun to watch her sing and dance and do her thing.
I would post a picture, but Matt hasn't seen the show yet because he had a tournament this weekend and I don't want to spoil it for him!

The aftermath of the first field trip

Diana went on her first field trip yesterday. All the way to UC Davis where the entire Spanish Immersion Program listened to Christmas music and mariachi music at the Mondavi Center. I was pumped for her, she was pumped. They even got to ride a big yellow school bus.
It was raining when I dropped her off at school and the teachers decided to have the kids leave their lunches at school (instead of having them bring them on the trip so they could eat them picnic-style on campus).
When I picked Diana up later, she was beaming. She told me about the pretty dresses the people were wearing, the music they played and she sang Feliz Navidad (her new favorite Christmas song) the rest of the day.
When I was lingering around with other members of the Drop Your Kids Off at School Club this morning, the parents said their kids were bored at the event. Some said their kids fell asleep. One kid was biting another kid and got sent to the principal's office when they returned to campus that afternoon.
Granted, not every kid thought the event was boring. I am just glad my kid could tell me details about the event and that she enjoyed it. I have a cultured kid...yay!

A new club

I joined a new club two weeks ago - the Drop Off Our Kids club. I am part of a select group of parents who drop off their kindergartner in the "afternoon." Since I am a new member of this club and am joining midway through the school year, many of the original members were curious as to why I was joining this club so late. I informed them of my current job status.
During one of our first "meetings" two dads (yes, moms and dads are allowed to be part of this club) were talking about how they have a hard time falling asleep at night. They don't get to sleep until 4 in the morning. This is a foreign concept to me. I go to sleep at 9:30 and once my head hits the pillow, I am out.
I informed them of this wonderful invention called chamomile tea. They had no idea that something natural could get them to sleep so well.
The next day, I was a good club member and brought them each one tea bag of Sweet Dreams tea. One dad asked where he could buy it. Any store, was my reply.
This club is a mixed bag. There are grandmas, grandpas, moms and dads. Every day there are different members but everyone is very friendly. Some members have even exchanged phone calls and texts.
After a meeting one day, I walked home with one club member who lives down the street from us. She's very nice. Miss D and her son are actually really good friends. We had a nice chat.
Maybe next meeting, I will remember her name.

Remember me?

I don't know who reads this blog anymore. I haven't done a great job of keeping updated about what's going on in our lives. A lot has happened since I last posted (since we returned from Chicago). That seems like forever ago. Diana is still talking about it and asking when we are going to go back. She wants to know what kind of airplane we are going to go on, if the bus (shuttle) will take us to the airport (from the parking lot) and if there will be lots to do on the plane (i.e. Mom bring more stuff for me to do on the plane).
I could recap the last three months, but I'm not going to. That would mean I have to include Halloween, Thanksgiving and a hundred million stories of how Diana is doing in kindergarten (great!) and how Amy is doing (wonderful!).

I will skip to the good stuff.

I was laid off two weeks ago. Yes, from my job. My new job is a stay at home mom. I don't know how to do this. I am in awe of women who do this all the time. It's one thing to come home from the hospital knowing that you are a stay at home mom now and can get your kid on a schedule, etc. But to completely disrupt two little ones' lives and have to reprogram them is not easy. Especially during the holidays. I am in week three now and I hope that by the end of this week, we are finally on a good schedule.
I am actively looking for a job but there's not much out there for what I was doing before. Everything would involve commuting, which I am not opposed to, but they have to pay me decently.
Right now, I am just taking things one day at a time and enjoying my family.

Speaking of which, Amy just woke up from her nap. Gotta go. :)

A quick vacation

Months ago, we decided to take a trip to Disneyland. I arranged the whole thing with a travel agent and the night before I was to call the agent to book it, Matt's best friend called and said he was getting married on Labor Day weekend...in Chicago. Disneyland cancelled. Luckily, we never told Diana that we were going to Disneyland. Good thing, huh? So we were in Chicago this past weekend. It was so much fun. We arrived on a Thursday night and left on Monday morning. Quick trip, yes. But jam-packed with events. We got really lucky with the weather (it was never humid and only rained a little bit).
I even got to run in preparation for the half marathon I am training for (yes, that's another post to come).

Here's a breakdown of our weekend:
Thursday p.m. arrive Chicago
Friday - L-train to the Chicago Cubs game (amazing on both accounts!!), dinner at Rainforest Cafe.
Saturday - Sears Tower (very cool), Navy Pier, Lunch at Billy Goat Tavern (hilarious), rehearsal dinner at Gino's East in Wheaton, Ill.
Sunday - Me, 8-mile run along Lake Michigan from hotel to Navy Pier to Soldier Field (wonderful way to start the day). Magnificent Mile shopping, Wedding in Wheaton, Ill., reception.
Monday - home.

We were busy bees, but had so much. We love Chicago and want to go back every year for vacation. Diana had a great time at the hotel, on the train and in the airplane. Amy slept at all the major sightseeing locations.

Matt and the girls outside Wrigley...Amy slept on the L on the way to the park, woke up for lunch and then slept for eight innings of the game.



This was taken during one of Matt's many trips to the concession stands. :)



Matt and the girls at Navy Pier where Diana and I rode the Ferris Wheel and Matt and Amy rode on the carousel.

And she's off..

Diana started kindergarten today. We had a fun morning and started lots of traditions!
I stayed home from work so I could walk her to school because it's only 1/4 mile down the street.
This morning, she opened her schultute. It's a German first day of school tradition and I have adopted it as well. Hey, Matt's part German, so that counts, right? There were all kinds of goodies in it. She said she didn't have a favorite, that she liked everything in it.



Then we took a picture outside before we walked over. Thanks to neighbor Heather for snapping a couple pics.



Then Diana obliged and took some photos outside of her classroom where we patiently waited for her teacher to open the door. Diana was posing the whole time. I hope other parents don't think she's a model or something. On a side note, she's the only blonde in the class (as of the first day, that is).




I sadly walked home by myself after the teacher asked the kids to stay bye to their parents. A couple little girls cried like crazy but not mine! We blew kisses and said see ya later. I can't hardly believe it.
My sister called me while I was in the classroom and I texted her on my way home that she would have to give me an hour or so before I called her back because if I called right away, I would start bawling! :)

Amy's first graduation

I don't have a photo because I wasn't expecting to be told that Amy would no longer have to go to physical therapy. I would have taken a picture of Amy with her physical therapist and made a big ole scene, but I was really surprised when Jennifer said that my little one is doing great. She thinks she will be walking soon even. I said 'Do you think she'll be walking before Christmas?' She said definitely. Now, I am not going to take that to the bank, because it's not like she's a fortune teller or anything, but that's awesome!
Her final appointment was yesterday and it went great, obviously. Amy played, crawled around the room and walked along the furniture. Jennifer was very impressed.
It was a bittersweet day for me. I have always loved the PT appointments because they are fun, informative and require zero shots.
But...Amy's physical therapist got pregnant and is due in a month. So, had she not granted Amy release from PT, we would have had to see a different physical therapist in six weeks and I was not down with that.
I was all weird when we left and Jennifer was all 'Bye!' I said 'Bye, thank you for everything, good luck with the baby...' And on and on. I mean, this is the woman who has been very instrumental in Amy's development. Does she think I was going to sprint from the office and never look back? Not likely.
I am pretty pumped that Amy is doing so well. But she's growing up way too fast. I just can't believe that 12 1/2 months ago, she was a little 3-pounder. She's a big mama now.

Why does time fly?

Don't even get me started on the emotions I am going to feel seven days from now when I drop Miss D off at (wait for it) kindergarten (gasp!) AHHHHH!

My little camper

Diana started her second week of Camp Disney at a local performing arts center this week. The week before was week one and the week before that she participated in a gymnastics camp that was more camp than gymnastics.
Every day when we asked her what she did at camp, she'd reply with 'We colored.' It's pretty much been the same response with the Camp Disney experience, but they are learning some Disney songs. Whatever. It's cheaper than day care and it gives her summer a little variety.
It's weird though to think of her at camp. We just drop her off and she's fine. That's one brave girl, man. She has no idea who we are leaving her with (not that I do) and she just goes on her way. As long as she's happy, I'm happy.
She starts at the new daycare center next week and then it's off to Kindergarten the following week.
As one of the moms said a couple weeks back at a birthday party we attended, "shouldn't the first day of school be a holiday for moms?" Uh, yea, is my response!

State Fair

I haven't been to the California State Fair in forever. I have avoided it mostly because of the cost but I had a free weekend and wanted to take the girls up there. I called Au Bob and we left in the afternoon for a trek to the fair. I bought our tickets online earlier in the day and explained to Diana that if anyone asked her how old she was, she was to tell them that she was 4. I wasn't trying to pay $8 for a 5-year-old to attend the state fair...that's insane. She was free if she was 4, so she was 4 for the day.

Diana rode some rides, Amy stayed in the comfort of her stroller for most of the day, we participated in crafts and ate some great food. It was a fun day and though no one can possibly do that fair in one day, I would definitely go back next year!

Happy Birthday, Amy

I can't believe that Amy is one. We had a great birthday party for her a few days before her actual birthday and she was surrounded by family and friends on a not-so-hot day. It was still hot, don't get me wrong, but no one melted.
We set up the water table in the backyard, protected with a pop-up tent and ate cake. Matt made burgers from the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives cookbook and also a potato salad that was to die for. Everyone had a great time, including the birthday girl!



Diana opened Amy's presents and Amy played with the wrapping paper.



Amy proudly ate her birthday cake and then wondered what that fantastic stuff was!

Well, hello there

Amy loves to play. She can play in her playroom all day if it was up to her. She does get a little lonely if she looks up after a while and we aren't around. She will crawl to wherever we are (living room, breakfast nook) and want to join the party.
I decided to take some pictures of her one afternoon after work playing with herself in the mirror. I took a ton, and they all turned out fantastic, but this one was one of the favorites.



We also got out the water table since the temps here have been in the upper 90s and 100s. It was about time! This was Amy's second time playing on the water table. She loves it and did a very good job sharing with Diana.



I truly believe that everyone should own a water table - especially those with kids. :)

Diana is five...OMG

Diana's fifth birthday was so much fun. It was hectic and a little crazy around our house the week leading up to the party because of the type of party we were throwing her, but it was all worth it. Looking back, I will never do that again until Amy turns five, but I think every girl is entitled to a big bday bash at 5...but not again until they are 16. Here are some photos from the event. There were nine kids total, including five from Diana's class and a couple family friends. She had an absolute blast!





Big ups to Au Bob for assisting with the cake the morning of the party. With her help, it only took two hours. I think it turned out pretty good.

A summary of events

Just a few photos to recap our weekend activities over the last month or so.

Diana, Amy, Au Bob and I took a trip to San Francisco for the North Beach Festival over Father's Day weekend. It was quite fun to ride the ferry and walk from the ferry building to North Beach. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. I took lots of photos, but these are my favorites.
The girls waiting to get on the ferry in vallejo.



Diana enjoying a rather large cool beverage.



The next day we had breakfast with the family at the golf course. Matt gave the girls a golf lesson.



Here are the girls on the Fourth of July. It was a busy day but a great festive day with the family!