Sebastian's Super Silly Splish Splash Pool Party!

Early last week I decided that it was high time to host a pool party here at our home, as an excuse to invite all of Sebastian's friends over and a chance for me to see their lovely mommies that I enjoy so much... I sent out an evite to his friends both from school as well as from  The Little Gym, and we got a wonderful turn out!  I'm thinking that this is exactly what summer memories are made of... Splashing around with a group of your friends, laughing and screaming... Hot dogs and cool treats... What a wonderful afternoon... 

I Love Apple TV

My Mothers Day gift this year came in the form of an Apple TV....  I loved it initially but it has proved to be one of those gifts that doesn't reveal it's full potential immediately, but more shows you its true value on a day to day basis!  Besides displaying all of my treasured pictures, it provides a  wireless stream all of the music and video from our computer upstairs all the way downstairs where it can be easily assessed and used!  One of the features that we are enjoying most these days is the ability to directly access the iTunes store from the living room television set and purchase episodes of our favorite television programs, both new and old!  I happened to find a Hanna Barbara link of the website and found a porthole to my childhood where there are endless hours of classic cartoon enjoyment!  I have been able to introduce Sebastian(and Brooklyn) to some of my childhood favorites, such as Yogi Bear, The Jetson's and The Smurfs!  Also Sebastian had taken a huge liking to Popeye and a 1979 classic called Wacky Races...  The other morning, Sebastian and I were snuggled up on the couch watching Fraggle Rock!  How great is that!  I love that I am able to share these cartoons with him and I really enjoy watching them with him... I remember some of the episodes while I am watching them, specifically those of The Smurfs... I also love that Sebastian, Anthony and I can have conversations about these wonderful cartoon characters that most other kids don't know about... Sebastian loves to pretend that he is Jokey Smurf and has already announced that he intends to dress up as Popeye for Halloween this year... I guess that will make Brooklyn either Sweet Pea or Blutto!  Just another way to share a small part of myself with my kids... and an excuse to check out Smurfette's fashion sense, gotta love those heels!

Speedy Recovery...

Sebastian's  fish Speedy has been doing extremely well these last few months... living his life to the fullest in his bathroom kept jar... So you can imagine my horror while on a bathroom break from Super Nanny last night, I go to wash my hands and notice something laying in the sink... I am looking directly at it but in the glow of the nightlight, I can't make out what it is!  I flip on the light and sure enough Speedy in lying in the bottom of the sink, near the drain opening, as if trying to absorb any possible moisture... even a bit of condensation... What do I do?  I freak out!  I panicked and told Anthony that Speedy flipped out of his jar and was lying motionless in the sink!!!!  He calmly tells me to go and scoop him out of the sink and dispose of his little body, down the tubes,(if you know what I mean...)  This all seemed so sudden, so crass, so sad... but I returned to the sink to do as I had been instructed, and then, it happened!  Speedy moved his fin, signaling to me that he was in fact alive...barely... and that he was thirsty, or whatever fish get when they are out of water!  I  quickly grab him and return him to his little jar and he is swimming again, a little confused but a lot alive!  Thank goodness for impeccable timing, as he had probably just flung himself from the jar minutes before my entering the bathroom!  Unbelievable... Needless to say I stick my head in that bathroom a lot more often these days just to make sure that our dare devil fish is behaving himself and then I whisper to him...Stay put Speedy...

Baby Tree

I had a friend forward this image to me this morning, what a treat to wake up to!  I think that the image of the baby in this tree is not only amazing, but also a testament to the fact that there is something so much larger and more powerful than ourselves directing the course of our lives... God is good... babies are wonderful too!

(If you can't see the image, keep an open mind... Don't look for the baby and you will see the image apear!  Once you see it you won't see anything else!)

Reason 101

Here is reason number 101 that proves why I have got to be the proud owner of a hybrid vehicle... While pulling into the parking lot of our neighborhood Fresh&Easy Market, I came face to face with these parking signs....  The entire first row of parking spaces is now delegated to not only those living with a handicap, but to those who own a hybrid vehicle!  This makes me so happy and so jealous at the same time... Keep in mind, I have had my Toyota Prius picked out for over a year now, here it if you want to see it... One day it will be mine...once they're not asking both my arm and my leg for it... How wonderful is it to know that now not only can you contribute to saving what is left of the ozone layer, get more than 30 miles to the gallon, and have access to front row parking at certain places of business... awesome!  I a wondering, is this only in California?? If so, lucky us!  

Green To Grow

I have to share with you a family owned and operated company that I stumbled upon in my quest for Bisphenol A-free, Phthalate-free baby bottles for our darling Brooklyn...  If you have not heard the latest and scariest news about the toxic chemicals that are used to make certain baby bottles, here is a place to catch up...  I first bought one of these bottles at a local organic market... I fell deeply in love with not only the theory and honesty of this company, but the design and quality of the bottles make them the best I've seen, bar none!  Each bottle in adorned with a picture different piece of "happy"fruit!  My absolute favorite embelishment is the trademark "all gone!"written just below the last ounce mark...  I love this company... they are quickly growing and expanding, I even found Green To Grow products on Amazon.com The mother and father that started this company are super sweet and responded personally to an email that I had sent to them within the same day... Green To Grown Rocks!  Thank you for an amazing line of baby friendly products, and for the comfort of knowing my baby's baba's are keeping him nice and healthy!  

Bits and Pieces

Sebastian 

Anthony 

Villicana 

Age Four 

I like....jumprope

I like...toys

I like...M&M's

I love...Bella

My favorite game is...Chutes and Ladders

I'm really good at...games

I like...balls

I like...trains

Those are the things that make me...silly

Banana Fanana Fo Fanna Bread

(You will have to forgive me for heading on this post... The Name Game is currently a huge hit in our home!)

Here is an absolutely wonderful recipe that my mother included in a cookbook that she put together for me years ago... She used this very recipe to make amazing banana bread a few thousand times while growing up in her home, and I must say that I use it a whole bunch myself!  

Three wonderful things about banana bread.... 

1. It is  simple to throw together, only a few ingredients and a one hour bake time... 

2.  The aroma that will fill you home during that hour will be amazing... 

3. Little kiddies love this stuff...Sebastian loves for me to toast a thick slice for him and slather it with either whipped butter or cream cheese!  Brooklyn or the other hand will take it any way he can get it, warm, cold, condiment or not! Yummy, Yummy, either way... 

Directions For Making Banana Bread

Mix together three whole bananas, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 1 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder.  Pour mixture into a well greased bread pan and bake for one hour at 350 degrees, or until a knife poked into the center of the loaf comes out clean... (If you are going to use this recipe for banana bread muffins, decrease cooking time to 30 minutes...)  Allow bread to cool, slice and enjoy!

Golden Girl... Priceless Memory

Upon hearing that Estlee Getty had passed away at the beautiful age of 85, I found myself to be overwhelmingly sad... I  began to cry within moments of Matt Lauer delivering this news to me while in our kitchen Tuesday morning...  I have a lump in my throat now writing about this tiny little woman that I never knew; never had then chance to meet, but whom had a sweet, familiar smile that touched my life directly... I have a multitude of amazing memories throughout my childhood involving my grandmother, whom I lovingly called Nana...  One of which that I can recall vividly, is nights spent in front of her television set, there in the living room of her Laguna Nigel home... The Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy were two of her favorite television programs, although The Golden Girls will forever remind me of my Nana on those nights... The glow of the television set, the sound of  her laughter and the vibration of her body with me laying across her chest.  It will remind me of  the warmth of my Nana's embrace, the softness of her skin,  the comfort and happiness of just being with her... and the joy of knowing how happy these four ladies made her on those nights...the laughter would fill the halls... I always liked Sophia, Estelle's character, the most... She was so small and I loved her bright white hair...  She was funny and although I wasn't old enough at the time to fully comprehend the humor of this program, I knew that she was an essential part of the laughter...  So in hearing of her passing, I was not only  reminded of a childhood memory, but I was reminded of the feeling of loss .... and for a moment, I allowed myself to remember how very much I loved those nights with Nana and how desperately I miss her... Thank you Estelle for a wonderful childhood memory, for rolling laughter and for the opportunity to remember... I am crying now... I need to sit with this sadness more often... I love you endlessly Nana...Goodnight.

Hello Jello

I picked up some Jello at the grocery store the other day, thinking that it might be a fun finger food for Brooklyn, and was I ever right!  Although I must admit that this Jello was a wonderful snack for all of us; and with flavors like Watermelon- Honeydew- Cantaloupe... who can resist this cold jiggly treat?  This is a really fun website, you can browse through all of the Jello flavors according to the color spectrum... How fun!

Who Knew? Happy Birthday To You...

Happy Birthday To You

Happy Birthday To You

Happy Birthday Dear Papa

Happy Birthday To You!

and many, many more!  

Happy 32nd Birthday to our loving Papa,

I hope you enjoyed your beautiful birthday cake adorned with green icing and thousands of individual sprinkles, as much as your son did... He made this cake and waited all day just to share it with you, his Papa...

"Who knew that the year I turned thirty two I would have my son singing happy birthday to me..."

- Papa 2008

Perfect Products

These two products, new to our home within the last month or so make me so happy on a day to day basis, that I just had to share them with you!  The first product is Flo, a water deflector and protective faucet cover ... I love Flo because it is the best of both worlds, both baths and showers are easily given without the hassle of having to remove and replace the faucet cover... It is made of really soft plastic that promises not to hurt if a little head bumps into it and just when you think it can't get any better, it dispenses bubble bath into the running water with the touch of a button, genius! The second product is Kaboost, a wonderful alternative to the classic booster chair. Nine arguments out of ten at meal time had to do with the fact that Sebastian did not want to sit in his booster chair,so I started looking for alternatives, and fell in love with Kaboost... Not only does it look really cool, but Sebastian loves it!  He sits up even higher at the table than he did before, and it has made meal time much more fun for us all! It is available in an assortment of colors and the arms stretch to fit all types of chairs!  Wonderful!

Homemade Goodness...

This weekend I had the chance to whip together some homemade organic goodness for my own sweet potato... I started by looking online for different recommendations and flavor combinations that are appropriate for Brooklyn's age... Then it was off to the local produce store where there is a vast assortment of local,organic fruits and veggies!  Back at home I found myself steaming, baking and blending, all the while  imagining  the healthy yummyness that I was going to give to our son!  I loved this experience, cooking for my baby and knowing exactly what was going into every bite that he takes... I made a few different "second" foods for him, including an apple-pear puree and some "nibblets";steamed carrots and chalets... Brooklyn, my sweet little baby bird with his mouth wide open, loved his Momma's food!  What a success!  I think that I am on to something here... this is just the beginning of this new venture! So add organic baby food extraordinaire to my resume and wish me luck...

Puppy Love

Months ago I came across instructions on how to make this darling little puppy dog...constructed out of a pair of gloves, some serious hand stitching and a ton of heart filled thought, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to make for my boys...  I followed the directions, and sure enough this little guy came to be!  This was a long project, it took over two hours to complete this hand held friend, because of all of the hand stitching and loving hand embroidery...  I took these few hours as an opportunity to reflect upon my children and the joy that they bring to my life on a day to day basis... Their smiles, the sound of them laughing...  I imagined the look of Sebastian's face when I would give him this hand sewn token of my affection... He loved it; and I have loved watching this little puppy dog show up in the sweetest of places... including atop his pillow almost every night.  The puppy isn't perfect as you can see, he has already lost one of his button eyes, although I love him, and I think that Sebastian loves him as well...

Chore Sticks

Seeing as Sebastian is now nearing the four and a half mark, I figure he is fully capable of taking on a bit of responsibility around our house... He has proven to enjoy helping me when I request his help and so here is an idea I had for him and possibly for your kiddies too!  Chore sticks!  Grab some over sized popsicle sticks and have your child color the ends of the sticks on both the front and back side... Keep in mind that each stick will represent a single chore, so color carefully!   We decided to have Sebastian color five sticks, representing five chores for our boy.  Once they are done with the coloring, Momma and Papa get to decide together what the chores are going to be... Here is what we chose... 

1.  Pick up all the toys in your bedroom

2.  Take your laundry from the hamper down stairs

3.  Check Bella's food and water

4.  Water your veggies

5.  Give Momma, Papa and Brooklyn a hug

Chores are to be preformed throughout the day, allowing the child to flip over the chore stick when he has completed the chore.  At the end of the day all sticks should be turned upside down, with the colored portion now facing downward.  Today was our first day with these sticks, and Sebastian really enjoyed this process!  I let him decide where he wanted to keep his chore sticks and he chose to set them atop his "throne", as he and Papa like to call it!  The bathroom is a great place to keep the sticks so that you can marvel at his job well done at the end of the day!  I think that this is a great introduction to both chores and household responsibility... I figure that when these chores become a tire, we can switch up the routine with some new chores and some newly colored sticks!  

A Pirate's Life For Us!

Today was one of those days when it is so hot and sticky that you just don't know what to do with yourself...       ( Here is a little trick that I keep up my sleeve for just this sort of day, or the real wet rainy days where there is not much to do either! ) We retreated to the local Dollar Tree for a summer shopping spree!  I love doing this with Sebastian because there are so many different things at the store, not only toys but activities and projects just waiting to be discovered!  And for a dollar each, the choices are his to be made!  One of his must have items today was a bag of six pirate masks!  We  found them in the party section of the store, probably meant for a fantastic pirate themed birthday!  There are three different masks, two of each one... Needless to say we were a family of pirates for the majority of the day today, even Papa and Brooklyn played along!  Brooklyn was hilarious, he really liked the mask, and wore it for a much longer duration of time than I would have expected... He even ate his afternoon snack with his pirate mask on!  Hilarious!  One long summer day down... how many more to go?

Amazing Animal Art

Sebastian, Anthony and I had a wonderful time tonight looking at these amazing animal portraits made with the human hand... really great stuff!  My favorite is the elephant...Which one is your favorite?

Flower Girls

These are just darling!  I smile every time that I look through them!  Take a peek and crack a smile!  These are a reminder to me that there is so much beauty in nature... meet the flower girls!

Watercolor Bookmarks!

This is actually an update to a former post... Sebastian had water colored some really beautiful designs a few months ago and I decided to take the pieces of paper that he had painted on and make them into bookmarks!  I simply cut the painting into multiple sections, and then glued them onto a piece of black scrapbook paper... I used a paper cutter to make sure that the lines were nice and straight and then cut up the black paper into long strips... I decided to make a few different sizes of bookmarks, for different sizes of books, kid sized books need smaller bookmarks than adult sized books!  I cut them according to size and then punched a hole in the top of each one.  Next I fed a little piece of ribbon through each hole and affixed a button to each just for fun... you can never have enough buttons!  We had a great time giving these out to the avid readers in our lives, and even more fun sticking some in Sebastian's  most treasured books,where they hold our place each night, and remind us where to start again the next!

OctaDogs!

Here is wonderful idea for your little kiddies and those sweet little hands of theirs; brought to you by the genius mind of my brother in law, Will...  Take a cold hot dog straight from the package and slice four to six strips  into the lower 3/4 of the hot dog, creating "octopus tentacles"!  Then throw them into a pot and boil them as normal... When the hot dogs are cooking in the boiling water, the "tentacles" will curl upwards, resulting in what looks to be a little octopus!  Hence the name OctaDogs!  These are wonderful snacks or a great addition to a meal, Sebastian will usually eats at least two in a single sitting! Thanks Will!

Flower Pots

I have been meaning to post this for ages, well sense Mother's Day to be exact! When we could not think of something to give to Grandma Angie, Nana and Aunt Kelly for Mother's Day, we headed to the craft store, and I allowed Sebastian to choose a project to create a gift for each of these great mothers!  He liked the flower pots, and I knew just what to do!  A little paint, some sweet little hand prints, and some freshly potted flowers, what more could a girl ask for?  They loved their gifts... I wish I had him make one more flower pot that day for his own Momma!

Pressed Flowers, Impressive...

A month or so ago, Sebastian and I collected both flowers and leaves from our garden and laid them atop wax paper folded once over... We stuck them within the pages of the heaviest book that we have and did our best to forget about them for a few weeks... When we went to retrieve the flowers and leaves, they had been pressed beautifully, retaining most of their color and texture... We then used a matte based Modge Podge to adhere the samples to some craft paper, and they turned out beautifully... Here a few pictures of us working on the project, and then the finished product which now decorates the inside of a toy chest in Brooklyn's room! Really easy and beautiful!

Loving These Things Now

Is it just me or are your receiving a ton of great, summer fun filled catalogs in your mailbox? Here are a few different things that I am in love with at the moment!

These 

This 

and

This

Oh and I can't forget 

These, and everything else on her site!

I'll take one of each please...

I love summer, I hope it never ends...

Superb Summer Salads

I have been searching for fabulous, new and old, ideas for summer salads... Here is the best of what I found thus far...

1. Top Ramen Noodle Salad  

This salad is so yummy and everyone loves it, adults and children alike!  So good, you must make this for your family tonight! Or even better for a pot luck this weekend!  

The Goods

1/2 Large  Head of Cabbage

1 Bundle Green Onions, Sliced

1 Package Top Ramen Noodles, Chicken Flavored

2 tb Toasted Sesame Seeds

1/2 Cup Toasted/Sliced Almonds

2 tb Sugar

1 ts Salt

1 ts Pepper

3 tb Rice Vinegar

1/2 cup Olive Oil

Here are the directions, seriously, it could not get any easier than this!

Crush the package of Ramen noodles... Combine noodles,chopped cabbage,onions,sesame seeds and almonds into a large bowl.  Separately, combine packet of seasoning for the noodles, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil, to create the dressing!  Pour dressing on top of salad, mix thoroughly and refrigerate... You can also add some grilled chicken or another meat if you so choose, we prefer without...Your done, and this salad is delicious! Enjoy

(I would recommend waiting to eat the majority of the salad the following day, it tastes twice as good...worth the wait!)

2.Orange Scented Cold Peanut Noodles

This is a refreshing salad that you could serve as a side dish or a main dish if you were to add a protien like chicken, shrimp etc... I thought it sounded great, with almost a Thai foundation... Yum!

The Goods

1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 Cup Orange Juice

1 Clove Garlic,Pressed

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce or Bragg's Amino Acids

1 tb Toasted Sesame Oil

1 tb Honey

1 tb Ginger,Freshly Grated

1/4 Hot H20

1 Pound Angel Hair Pasta, cooked,drained and rinsed

2 Scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

1 English Cucumber,peeled,seeded, and sliced into long narrow strips, then cut crosswise

2 tb cilantro,coarsely  chopped (optional)

Getting Started

Whisk together the first nine ingredients in a bowl. Add pasta scallions,cucumber and cilantro, and use your fingers to toss and coat the noodles,(great for little kiddie hands!)  Add salt or more vinegar if you would like. Let it sit at room temperature if you are eating it right away, otherwise refrigerate, serve and enjoy!

Bubble Trouble....Nothing That Mom Can't Fix!

Sebastian and I made some bubble solution a few days ago and have waited for the right time to try out our concoction... Yesterday afternoon seemed perfect, so in the heat of the day we brought Nana and Brooklyn along outside with us and began to blow bubbles... At first we had a bit of trouble, I think that the solution that we had made,(see recipe below), settled a bit too long and the soap and glycerin stuck to the bottom of our container, making the bubbles way too thin... But after I added a bit more soap, we were off and running; literally, to pop each bubble soon after it was blown!  They were beautiful and large in size, due in part to the bubble wands that we constructed out of wire hangers... one shaped like a little cloud, the other a mystery object! 

Bubble Recipe

One gallon H20

1/2 Cup Dawn Dish Soap (We used the apple scented Dawn so that our bubbles would smell summer fresh!)

3 tablespoons Glycerin (found at Michael's Craft Store in the baking department)

Mix together and let cure, one to two days!

Voile!