My musician

AP and I had quite a fight over piano practice today.  He went on about how I am ruining his life by making him "be musical" and how it's not fair that he has to practice everyday.  The funny thing is that I am not "making him" be musical; he's quite a natural, and I'm just trying to help him develop a talent he already posses.  But he spends way more time trying to get out of it than practicing.  Anyway, we got the practicing done and he is now off exercising with his dad.

After they left I started cleaning off the table to set it for dinner and found a little paper tucked in my scripture journal.  It was a song I overheard AP singing in the bathtub about 5 or 6 years ago.  He was always making up new songs (still does).  Just in case I manage to lose this little slip of paper I thought I would hurry and get his lyrics down here:

Everybody's got a new destination
Whether you're alive or dead
It's in your heart
Even if your dead, we can fix you
It only takes a little love
Whether we're from a different country or the same
If you can see or not
It only takes some love
Oh yeah,
Everybody's got a new destination

So Lucky

We had a fun St. Patrick's Day breakfast consisting of rainbow pancakes and golden [scrambled] eggs. 

After breakfast I gave each of the kids their own little pot of gold (Rolos, mini Reese's cups, and hershey's kisses).  

 J handed D his and told him, "Mommy got you this because she loves you so much."  D pulled out a rolo and said, "Wow!  That was so thoughtful."  His sweet little expressions of gratitude sure make my job worthwhile!

 For dinner we strayed from our traditional corned beef and cabbage and tried a lamb roast with potatoes and carrots.   The lamb totally made me homesick for Australia.  It reminded me of my wonderful Australian friend Judy, who brought lamb chops to barbeque one day when we got together.  It also reminded me of my favorite take-out restaurant in Australia, Ali Baba's, where I always got a lamb kebab.  Anyway, sorry to digress...  I feel very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends and to live in such an awesome place. We had a great St. Patty's day and hope you did too! 

A not so fun discovery

D had a great time on his preschool fieldtrip to the discovery museum!  April couldn't go so Marcus came with us.  Paula and her kids also carpooled with us.  They played for hours and would have gone on and on except we had to get home before the big kids arrived from school. 

After we got home I started fiddling with my wedding ring only to discover my diamond was gone!  I had noticed the prongs were twisted and was past due for a check-up, but I had neglected taking it in... and now I'm paying the price.

AJ's LPS club

AJ decided she wanted to start a club.  So she asked around to find out who of her friends LOVE littlest petshops, asked me when she could have them over, made some really cute invitations/flyers, and then handed them out 3 weeks in advance.  Then she started working like crazy to earn money because she wanted to buy each member a Blythe doll to give at their first meeting.  The day of she made rice krispy treats, punch, got out a tablecloth and decorated with a bunch of her LPS stuff.  She did this with very little help from me.  Here she and her friends are enjoying the treats she made and discussing their love for Littlest Petshops.

Journal keeping

As a child I think my most requested stories from my mom were ones about her childhood.  It was fun trying to imagine her as a little girl like me and hearing what things were like for her at my age.  I also loved it when my great-grandma would come to visit.  She would sit with us and tell stories of her childhood and I was fascinated by her tales of sharing a small wooden cabin in the barren midwest with her parents and many siblings.  It was better than reading Little House on the Prairie (which was a favorite of mine) because they were about my own Gran.   So it has been natural for me to tell memories from my childhood to my kids as bedtime stories.  I think those stories are still the most requested from AP, but he always wants a new one that he's never heard before and after 12 years I'm running out.  So a few weeks ago I decided to pull out my journal from when I was his age and just started reading from it.  I read to him entries about my friends and I going out toilet papering, dressing up as old ladies and visiting some of the boys in my class, rocking rabbits... after a few he got this big smile on his face and said, "you were a naughty girl!"  I never thought of myself that way before, and we had a good laugh together.  Then the other night he got home all hyped up from his Young Men's Activity.  I sent him to bed (because I was ready to be there myself) and he asked me to grab his journal for him.  I didn't realize he'd been keeping one (although he's had several given to him over the years).  When I asked him why he wanted to write in it, he said, "Well why did you write in yours?"  And then, "So I'll be able to remember my stories to tell."  That little moment made me really happy that I had kept a journal because it has not only helped me relate to AP (and him to me), but it has helped him in wanting to keep his own, and I really believe that little thing can be a great blessing in his life.

Ready for Spring! but not for a dog...

Yesterday afternoon was our first family walk of the season.  It was quite windy, but so nice to get out!  The kids had fun running around together and it was nice to see them getting along so well.  

AP and AJ were scheming about something the whole way home and once we got home huddled at the computer for quite some time working on this:

Dearest Parents,

       We are writing this letter in regards to a pet Canis lupis familiaris, also known as the domestic dog. We do indeed request a dog, and would very much love to have one.

       I , [AP] am writing for me, my sister, and my brother. Can we please acquire a pet dog? Pretty please with cherries and sugar coated chocolate sprinkles on top?

       We promise to keep it in top notch condition and to feed it food and let it drink the finest tap water every day.

Sincerely Yours,

signed all of their names
They ask all the time, and on Friday AJ even had a dog out in the front yard that she was sure didn't belong to anyone and needed a home (despite the collar around it's neck.  I should have known this letter was coming by the way they were eyeing the dog at the park.  But I had no idea what they were working on.  And although I think their collaboration is very sweet, I don't think this family is ready for a dog...

The best breakfast ever!

I like doing protein shakes for breakfast sometimes and AP has always been good about drinking fruit smoothies, but AJ... not so much.  So a couple of days ago I started looking for some shake recipes that I might be able to get down her.  I found this fabulous website ( http://fatlossschool.com/76-protein-shake-recipes/ ) and tried the peanut brittle shake yesterday morning.  They both loved it!  In fact when they got home from school they both (independently) asked if they could have more as their after school snack.  Then AP said, "Drinking that shake made me the happiest I have been in a long time. I mean scientifically happy, you know?"  When I told him he'd have to explain what he meant he said, "You know how things can give you a natural high?  Like you don't need drugs to fake it?  Like when you do something good for you chemicals are released in your brain that makes you feel really good.  You know, naturally happy.  That's scientifically happy.  That's how I felt drinking that shake and it stayed with me all day."  So there you go folks.  If you want a yummy, healthy, scientific high, that stays with you all day, try this peanut brittle protein shake for breakfast (how's that for advertising *wink*).

Peanut Brittle Protein Shake
Ingredients:
2 scoops vanilla protein
1 tbsp sugar-free instant butterscotch pudding mix, dry
1 tbsp natural peanut butter, chunky
8 oz. cold water or lowfat milk.
3-6 ice cubes

Getting along

It feels like it is a constant effort to keep peace at our house most days, and so I am always coming up with ways to keep everyone in check.  One of the things I do when one of my children says something unkind about another is have them sit down and list 10 things the other person does well and then share their list with the offended.  I am currently cleaning out the computer desk and came across this list that AP had to make for AJ a couple of years ago.  It just made me smile.

1. She's nice
2. She shares
3. She's good at making games
4. Very creative (see #4)
5. A good worker
6. Good homework do-er
7. Skillful
8. Smart
9. Big brain (see #8)
10. Strong (powerful)

I tell them that everything they write has to be true and sincere and specific and if it isn't then they have to write 10 extra things.  I really wish I could remember the explanations and specific examples he gave for these... especially skillful and powerful.  Trying to imagine what he might have said makes me giggle.