Courage

Some days
there aren't any
trumpets,
Just a lot of Dragons.

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes Courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
"I will try again tomorrow."

Simply persisting is sometimes
the most Courageous
act of all.

Big Cinderella

When Olivia was three she was in love with all things Cinderella, so when some friends offered us this child-sized doll we took them up on it. "Big Cinderella" joined our family on Christmas morning, about three weeks before Alexander came along.


She's been a pretty fun toy, especially because her clothes are made to fit children, so Liv could swap outfits with her.


Sometimes though, she's a little creepy. I’ll feel like someone’s watching me and see her out of the corner of my eye, not realizing for a second it’s just Big Cinderella. Or I’ll walk into an empty room after the kids are in bed and she’ll catch me off guard. Like this:


A few days ago the kids were playing Cinderella Ball, and I told Xander to dance with her so I could take their picture.

He is so not going to Prom. Ever.

Snowpocalypse 2010

Here are some pictures taken during and after the huge snowstorm we had this weekend.

Sugar on Snow

A couple of excerpts from "Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder:

"Grandma stood by the brass kettle and with the big wooden spoon she poured hot syrup on each plate of snow. It cooled into soft candy, and as fast as it cooled, they ate it. They could eat all they wanted, for maple sugar never hurt anybody."


"One morning [Ma] boiled molasses and sugar together until they made a thick syrup, and Pa brought in two pans of clean, white snow from outdoors. Laura and Mary each had a pan, and Pa and Ma showed them how to pour the dark syrup in little streams onto the snow. They made circles, and curlicues, and squiggledy things, and these hardened at once and were candy."


I've always wanted to make maple sugar candy, and today while Alexander was napping Olivia and I gave it a try. It was pretty tasty, and especially fun thinking about pioneer children who might not have had any treats other than this.

We boiled 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup and 1/2 T of butter in a pan with a candy thermometer until it was about 240F. Then I poured it on a pan of clean snow. Once on the snow it cooled immediately and we were able to try it. It was a lot of fun to eat, even though it made our teeth stick together.

It's a fun way to spend an afternoon with your kids when you're snowed in by 2' of snow!

Silly Girl

I've been writing down some of the funny things Olivia has said over the past couple of years, and decided to post them here. I'm also including a few of the more interesting outfits she's come up with. I'm not sure which is more amusing!

We asked Olivia what it takes to be a big sister and she told us, "Strong muscles."

Tonight I made spaghetti with sausage for dinner. I asked Liv what her favorite part was and she said, "The sau-shits."

After telling Olivia the reason we have Easter she asked, "Why do we find eggs for Jesus?"


Liv: "I'm putting my tongue-lick in the baby's hair."

When I asked her why she was pulling out her hair:
Liv: "I'm picking flowers for you Mama."
Me: "Um, that is really gross, Please. Stop."
Liv: "Here, smell my hair flowers."

She wanted to know where crocodiles live so I told her in Florida. She looked at me and said, "like Florida, Fauna and Merriweather?"

After she watched a gang drive by on their Harleys, Liv said, "When I get bigger I want to be a motorcycle girl."

Liv (in tears): "If I go to college, who will be my mama?"

Our lesson at church this Sunday was about temples and I asked the kids what they think about when they see the temple. Liv said, "I think about the temple with flowers and a unicorn flying in the sky."

Liv: Do I look like a ballerina sheep?

Liv: When I get bigger I'm going to swing on vines in the jungle.

The other day I took the kids to Target and was trying to explain to my daughter what an air freshener was, since we haven't really had one before. She cut me off and said, "You mean like Air Wick?"
Who says kids don't learn anything from television?

Today I had the kids out shopping with me and had this conversation:
Liv: Mama?
Me: Yes?
Liv: I think someone is at our house right now stealing our jam.
Fortunately when we got home, our jam was safe and sound. You know what kind of shenanigans those jam thieves can get up to.

Liv: Why did God make Barbies?

My daughter has been fretting lately about death (and college). Primarily because she is worried about not living here with me any more. So a few days ago she said: “Mama, when I die I want you to drive me to heaven.”
I told her I would.

The other day Liv made a birthday card for her dad and when she finished I asked her to tell me about it. She told me it was a llama belly and a stripper. (And no, she doesn't know what a stripper is, she made up a word for a bunch of stripes.)

Liv: Mama, who will I marry?
Me: I don’t know sweetie. A nice boy.
Liv: Like Dad is a nice boy?
Me: Yes.
Liv: I need someone to be like a twin to Dad so I can marry him.

Olivia has a strawberry shortcake friend doll called Ginger Snap.
I just noticed that she calls her "Ginger Snatch."

When asked what we could do to think about Jesus more this Christmas Olivia said:
"Daddy could wear white and dress up like him."

Liv: The only way I can rest my eyes is by watching a show when I’m laying down.

Liv: We shouldn't cut things off our body, right?

Liv: "When I drink water it goes into my brain, but chocolate milk goes into my tummy."
(trying to convince me to give her chocolate milk instead of water)

I’ve been trying to explain to Olivia that I work so I can earn money.
The other day she came over to where I was doing some work on my laptop and said, “Can you show me where the money comes out?”

Liv: "When I eat the last bite that means it’s all gone."

I overheard Olivia tell her little brother, "Parents are kind of like servants. They bring you stuff and sometimes do a show for you."

Liv (during breakfast) – What if we were hand eaters?
Me: You mean what if we ate with our hands?
Liv: No, what if we were haaaaaand eaters?
Me: I am not sure what you are talking about.
Liv (sounding exasperated): What if we ATE HANDS?
Me: Well, I think that would hurt.
Liv: Not OUR hands.
Me: Whose hands would we eat?
Liv: Bad guys’ hands. Then they couldn’t hold their guns.

Collective Soul

"I hope when I'm that age I'm still going to concerts!"
- Me, 15 years ago.

On Thursday my husband and I drove into downtown DC for a concert at the 9:30 Club. I was feeling a little out of my element. The last time I saw a show there was over 10 years ago. Were we going to be the oldest ones there? Was I dressed right? Were we going to get looks all night? etc...

Only Collective Soul could have lured me into a club in the city for a show. I've been seeing them play live since I was in college (over a decage ago!), and every time I see them I fall in love all over again. The band brings so much energy! And they have a way of making you feel like not only are you part of the best audience they've ever played for, they're playing for you personally.

I love it when a band smiles a lot at the crowd!

Collective Soul isn't cocky or vain, they don't act like we're lucky to see them play or they're tired of playing the same songs. It's more like a big sing-along with a bunch of friends. I am pretty sure they treat each show and each crowd like it's the best night of the whole tour for them.

Nothing else measures up to a Collective Soul concert. If you get a chance to see them, do it!

If you don't know who they are, check out these songs. Sound familiar? I know you know them. :)

Shine - Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid
The World I Know - Self titled
December - Self titled
Listen - Disciplined Breakdown
Heavy - Dosage

If you like those, try a few of these too:

Gel - Self titled
Skin - Blender
Better Now - Youth
Disciplined Breakdown - Disciplined Breakdown
Tremble for my Beloved - Dosage (also in the Twilight soundtrack)
Energy - 7year Itch (greatest hits)
All That I Know - Afterwords

Although I went to the concert feeling a little old, I left feeling young again. I am "that age and still going to concerts."

And I'm so glad.
First photo found via google images is HERE
Collective Soul tour dates HERE

Summer Fun

Well, the bad news is my camera is broken. This explains why I haven't been blogging lately. I didn't realize it, but it turns out the photos are a big part of what drives the writing for me.

We've been having a great summer though. We had a fun trip to visit my sister and her family in St. Louis for the 4th of July. They are great hosts and it was wonderful to see them and let the cousins play together.

I quit/was laid off from work at the end of July, so I've had a few weeks home with the kids and am slowly adjusting. I started teaching piano lessons and doing other things to try to make some money on the side and I think we're going to be fine, so no worries about us.

I also decided to homeschool Olivia instead of sending her to kindergarten this year, so making plans for that has been a lot of fun and she is very excited too. For our curriculum I'm trying to have a Charlotte Mason philosophy, but using Sonlight and Math-U-See as back-up. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to add on these subjects as the year goes on.

Alexander is talking up a storm now, though I suspect most of his words are only understandable by people that know him pretty well. We've had a lot of opportunities to do fun activities with friends, like playing in the Shenandoah River.

Xander's favorite part was throwing rocks.

If anyone has any camera suggestions I'd love to hear them. Our primary needs are something that takes good video, and does above average in low-light. Someday I think an SLR camera would be fun, but for now I've got enough hobbies and projects, so a straightforward camera is what I'm looking for.

Check back soon to read about what happens when I cut sugar out of the kids' diets. :)

Strawberry Time

I decided to take the kids out to a pick-your-own strawberry field this morning with a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It was a little hot and sticky, and we had sticky chins and fingers from the warm strawberry juice.

There were lot of small, sweet, ripe berries and the kids had fun finding and picking them.


Afterwards we sat on an old, rusty truckbed near a crumbly stone wall and ate strawberries and peanut butter sandwiches.


It was a good day.

Frugal Souvenirs

We just came back from a trip to Belgium, Germany, France and England, and I had a great idea for frugal souvenirs while I was there - reusable shopping bags! You can pick up reusable shopping bags in just about any grocery store these days and they make a really fun memento, not to mention how useful they are.


I think they were the perfect souvenir for me, because they were already something that I wanted and use, and they're unique here and remind me of my trip. I've been using some of them as tote bags too, not just for groceries.

It was fun to take the time to go into the foreign grocery stores and convenience stores to compare them with what I'm used to here. It was especially interesting to see what each country considers a convenience sandwich. For example - here we've got 7-11's with hot dogs and slurpees.

• France - ham, brie and tomato sandwich. So good!
  
• Germany - weiner schnitzel sandwich and bratwurst on a bun
  
• England - nothing really exciting, ham and cheese seen frequently
  
• Belgium - sandwich made of raw hamburger. Seriously. Don't be fooled by the name Filet Americain. You definitely want to steer clear of this one.

If you'd like to read more about our trip traveling through 5 countries with 2 small children click HERE.

For more Frugal tips click HERE to head on over to Works For Me Wednesday, Frugal edition.

London pt. 2

Our second day in London was such a big one! It started out with Deirdre and I going to Portobello Road Market. I loved it. It's an outdoor antique market that starts at one end of a really long road and goes on and on.

I'd hate to be living on this road on Saturday mornings!
Next we headed out to meet our husbands and kids and ride the London Eye with them. There was a park nearby where we let the kids play for a while first.

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel type thing, but instead of chairs it has pods with clear sides. You go inside the pods and get a really fantastic view of London.

One thing that really surprised me (okay, and kind of scared me) is that the pod doesn't stop for people to get on or off. You just have to step onto it as it is going past. It wasn't dangerous or anything, but still!


Look kids, Big Ben! Parliament!
After the ride, Deirdre and her husband took their kids AND our kids home with them, so Mike and I were free to look around whine-free for the afternoon. :)

We went over to Trafalgar Square, and escaped into the National Museum of Art for a while to get out of the rain.


Next we walked through Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, then took the Tube up to Harrod's. It was huge! My favorite part was stroller heaven (picture coming).

Our Tube station was closed when we came out so we had quite a hike to the next one. When we got back we got take-out fish and chips which were really good, but not quite as crispy as our first ones.

The next day was our last full day in Europe. After two busy days in London we decided to take it easy and drive around the Richmond area. We saw Richmond palace and some of the surrounding area which was really beautiful. Olivia had a fun day playing with her cousins and we had a delicious home-cooked dinner that night.


Thanks again to Deirdre, Brian and family for their warm welcome and hospitality. We had a great time!

London

We took the fast train back to London to stay with Mike's (second?) cousin Deirdre and her family. They were very fun and gracious hosts and we enjoyed our 4 days with them very much.

Friday morning we got up and took the kids into London to see the Tower of London, which ended up being one of my favorite things to see there. The tour guides (Beefeaters) are the actual guards of the tower. It's worth it to listen to the tour, very interesting. My favorite parts were hearing about the resident ravens and seeing the carvings in the stone of the prison walls. Olivia's favorite part was the jewels.

After that we walked across the Tower Bridge to an outdoor market called Borough Market. It is a specialty food market with food from around the world, and it supposedly is the oldest market in London. It was pretty neat to walk around and see the amazing variety of food. I liked what this person wrote about it. This was also where we had our first fish and chips. One serving was big enough for our whole family!


Not only did we get to see two really unique and amazing places and have some delicious food, we also took our first ride on the Tube, saw the oldest cathedral in London and walked over London Bridge. It was a great way to start our visit.

View of the Tower Bridge

Rainy Day in Bruges

Here's Olivia outside one of the many chocolate stores in Bruges. Leonidas is a really popular chocolatier, and they're best known for their Manon Cafe and Blanc candies.

We went to Bruges on a Wednesday, in part because I wanted to go to the outdoor market. It ended up being more of a farmer's market, and we didn't get there until right at the end, but Becky got us some yummy grilled chicken there. I would definitely recommend it if you're visiting and don't want to spend a lot or money at a sit down type place.

Bruges is such a beautiful city. I think it's interesting that the reason it still has so many original buildings is because the river silted up a long time ago and they couldn't trade anymore, losing their main source of income and the town was too poor to upgrade to modern buildings.


They call it the Venice of the North.


Before we went on our trip Olivia told everyone she was going to get a chocolate waffle in Belgium. We finally got them! The Belgians don't really eat waffles for breakfast and they definitely don't put maple syrup on them. I think they're on to something.


That was a seriously good waffle.
Unfortunately for Alexander he slept right through the waffles, but he woke up in time for us to get some fries from a street vendor. They were definitely the best fries we had on the trip. Normally I wouldn't be a fan of mayo on fries, but it wasn't like our mayo at all. It had a different consistency and was very rich and tangy - fantastic.


I was really glad we had the chance to spend a few hours in this beautiful town. We were able to see a beautiful statue by Michaelangelo in one of the churches, and were able to enjoy the city without dealing with crowds of people.

I should also give a special thanks to Mike for being patient while Becky and I browsed through so many tapestry and lace shops.


Click HERE to hear about our visit to London, in which we went to more outdoor markets, saw more amazing architecture and historical stuff, and ate more street food. Sensing a theme yet? :)

Shopping in Belgium

Long before I went to Belgium or even thought I might go someday, I fell in love with a Dutch children's clothing designer. You can buy the clothes online, but I don't think they carry them in stores here.

As soon as I knew we were going, I looked up where their stores are in Belgium and there was one just 20 minutes from my brother's house! My sister-in-law Becky took Olivia and I one morning and we had so much fun.








Here's the dress we got. It was exactly what I was hoping to find and she loves it, so it was worth the splurge.


That day Becky also took us to the grocery store and to a chocolate store. Yum! That evening we celebrated my nephew Austin's 5th birthday. It was so great to be there on his special day. Becky made him a colorful Diego cake, and he loved his presents. He even picked my favorite meal for his birthday dinner - chicken and broccoli. Happy birthday, buddy!

Click HERE for my next post about our final full day in Belgium, when we went to Brugge.