st patty's day: 2016

a few months ago while speeding through target, scout saw st. patty's day decor
and reminded me to buy lucky charms for breakfast.  of course i said.  i wouldn't forget it.

it's the only time of the year i buy this cereal, so the boys look forward to it every year. 

discussion about st patty's day reminded me to jump online and sign up for our

annual st patty's day run.  this year, the race was the weekend before st. pattys day,
and finn had a surf camping trip so he missed it. it was a little strange not having him
with us.  this would have been his 8th year running it with me since they start at age 5.
{scout was happy to announce this was his 4th year}.

finn didn't seem bothered at all. he was looking forward to surfing, hiking and roasting
marshmallows with new friends. i learned the middle and high school surf teams went,
but because of the age differences, they had them at adjacent campsites.  c went as a
chaperon which finn loved, and it seems he and the dads had as much fun as all the kids.  

on the morning of the race, scout and i dressed in green, put shamrock stickers on our

cheeks and drove 5 minutes away to mission bay.  scout wasn't 100% when he woke up

and asked if we could do the 2 mile run instead of the 4 mile like we were planning. 

no problemo i said. i hadn't run but a handful of times in the last few months so short

nd sweet was fine with me. we made our way closer to the starting line, then ran into two
new friends i met at a recent 'game night' my neighbor hosted and she snapped a photo of

us.  20 minutes later, we crossed the finish line, were given cute medals and ate a piece of

pizza. {we left the green beer to the college kids}. 

oh how i love this run!  

everyone is always so happy, dressed in costume or at the very least, wearing green, 

and it's along beautiful mission bay.  the best part is, it's become a fun tradition.

i am sure there will be years when both boys have other activities that pulls them away,
but until that day, i'll be with my green team....or at least some of 'em.

the real st. patrick's day fell mid-week and the boys and i dressed
in green. finn was lucky to find a green collared shirt in his closet.
whew! tee shirts arent allowed at his middle school and if c and i
had our say, we'd love to send the boys to school in uniforms - it's
easy and is one less distraction for kids {and parents}.

scout was the luckiest of us all as his school chose st patty's day
as their 'pajama day'.  he scored wearing his green soccer pajamas
which  made him extra happy. despite my being a little 'irish', i didn't
prepare a traditional irish meal for dinner but i swear i will next year.
i've never cooked hash in my life, but i'm willing to give it a go.

~ i almost forgot to share that while our family was running and
camping, my dear momma friend was frantically signing up my
boys for jr. lifeguards. sign-ups took place on-line at specific times
for various age groups. spots fill up within minutes so it was stressful.
i was thrilled to finish the race to see a text from her announcing 'both
boys got in'. yay!!  summer is just around the corner!

nerds and geeks

a few weeks back, i overheard finn and scout discussing whether they were Geeks or Nerds.
they were discussing this in earnest and with much enthusiasm...insisting which one they were
and sharing reasons why.  i just sat back listening and smiling.

later in the week, i mentioned their conversation to a coworker, a proud engineer and nerd.
he chuckled and forwarded this link to me which i forwarded to my children and to c.
i found it highly entertaining and interesting.

http://m.wikihow.com/Tell-the-Difference-Between-Nerds-and-Geeks

after reading this thoroughly, i would classify our firstborn as a geek,
but there is some crossover because as #5 points out, nerds are typically interested
in STEM related subjects and well, that's finn....a huge science and space lover.

i wonder what finn would say he is. {i must remember to ask him}. 
though scout is highly intelligent, and scored higher on the IQ test than his brother,
i wouldn't consider him to be a geek or a nerd. he's far too well rounded.
he's better described as a 'renaissance man'.  {that's for another post}

from what i gathered, scout really wants to be considered a nerd or a geek,
so if he my youngest chooses to give himself one of these labels, this mom will support it.

what a wonderful time to live...when being a geek or a nerd is actually not a bad thing.
i love that the boys go to a school where being smart, is encouraged and celebrated.

all this talk reminded me of a book my 'serious' book group read a year or so ago. it's titled:
the geeks shall inherit the earth: popularity, quirk theory, and why outsiders thrive after high school.  

it was fascinating...and discusses why these people are our bosses today.

finn's #12: star trek party

finn's big day arrived with much anticipation.
{i think he was more excited about his cake and his sleepover than anything else}.

the party started around 3:30pm and his guest list was quite large this year....
a bit too large we all agreed after the fact. 

the nerf gun playing neighborhood boys were there, finn's school friends - old and new,
and even two brothers finn and scout have known since their preschool days - one is 11 and
the other is 8.  they moved away and are now back in san diego. scout was thrilled to have
another 8 year old in the house to hang out with.

the boys spent the beginning hours of the party running around the backyard, ziplining and
eating pizza and just before we started the movie, we unveiled the very cool borg ship cake
that c lovingly baked and decorated.  finn was beaming and his friends oohed and awed over it.
i told c that if finn remembers just ONE thing from his childhood birthdays, it's NOT going to be
the cute matching paper products, the movie or even the presents. it will be the cakes his dad makes
for him.  i really believe this.    

this year's cake was inspired by an episode from star trek, the next generation that finn and c had
watched a few days before the birthday celebration.  the uss enterprise was under attack by the borg
collective and well, the cake was a scene directly from it. c had to pull back down the plastic bin
of christmas ornaments so he could dig out finn's uss enterprise ship as a prop in his design.

after the cake, the boys watched star trek- into darkness under the stars and warm blankets. 
they also ate more popcorn and candy. parents of boys: this is the age boys start to eat more.
a few boys didn't have the attention span to sit through the movie {finn had warned me of this},
and ended up playing ping pong.

all but 4 of finn's birthday guests were picked up by 8pm. a few hand-selected
boys stayed over for a sleepover.  the little boys {scout and mason} were out by 9:30pm,
and the big boys by 10pm.  still, i woke up to the sounds of  'boy noise' outside. 
they were ziplining at 7am! {how c's mother survived 5 boys - a year apart blows my mind}. 

i still can't believe we have a TWEEN....who is very close to being a teenager!
{the eye rolling reminds me when i forget}.

~ finn received a very cool trek communicator badge which he wore all night.
i'll try to capture a detailed photo of it and save here.  

a peek at some picture books

as scout reminded me the other night, we are both lovers of books... 
a fancier word for us might be 'bibliophiles'. 

scout i'm sure knows this word.
these days, it's rare i can teach him a new word.
i stop during stories that we are reading out loud, hoping to shed some light on
some new word and he has never heard and more often than not, he knows the word,
and to prove it, offers up a brief description. *sigh*
{it's a good thing really, but feeling less needed by your youngest is tough}

this past week, he taught me a new word....well he reminded of a word i probably
knew but had forgotten.  i was reading out loud to him before bed, and i stopped 
because i couldn't remember what the word 'anvil' was. he explained it to me in detail,
and even went as far as sketching it out for me.

i digress. back to picture books.

the evenings of reading picture books together with finn and scout are rare anymore
as we take turns reading thick chapter books together. we always have our own books
on the side, but at night, we come together to read another book we all agree on.

on the nights we are short on time, or just exhausted, scout will pull out a picture book from
our library shelf.  since scout was such a early reader, many books that i read to finn during his
preschool and early grade school years have never been enjoyed by scout. over the last year or two,
we have slowly made our way through all of our picture books.
i'll hold on tightly to these memories as i know picture books won't last much longer...

still, i will always LOVE picture books, so today's post is dedicated to some that i discovered
over the last year.

1. Meet the Dullards
   
   the cover of this book caught my attention because the characters were well, so dull.
   their heads were drooped, they wore grey clothes and looked forlorn. it was unique,
   and here's the jacket text:
         their home is boring.
         their food is plain.
         their lives are monotonous.
         and Mr. and Mrs. Dullard like it that way.
         But their children - Blanda, Borely, and Little Dud, have other ideas.
    
2. Brief Thief
   who doesn't love a story about UNDERWEAR.  kids certainly do and this
   book's main character is a chameleon named leon who has to go poo.
   the rest....well you'll just have to read. you and your kids will enjoy the clever ways
   underwear can be used...
   
   i love the little lesson at the end of listening to that voice inside our heads...
   
    
3. My Dad is Big and Strong BUT..a bedtime story.
   this was on the list of best pictures books of 2015 somewhere, so i had to
   check it out. the story is cute...it reverses father/son role and shows a son trying to
   get his father to go to bed. his dad wants to leave the light on, wants one more glass
   of water, and one more bedtime story.
   
   your preschoolers and early readers will find this book super fun and maybe
   they'll even realize how much of a pain they can be to their parents at bedtime.
   
    
4. What Do you Do with an Idea
   i came across this book at barnes and noble one day when i was perusing the shelves
   and sat and read the entire book. i purchased it and tucked away until finn graduated 
   from elementary school last spring.
   
   the concept is simple....great things start with an IDEA.  the story walks us through
   a young boy's idea and how at first, he decides to ignore it and forget about it,
   but then he couldn't get it out of his mind. there are those who don't support,
   but he holds true to it and well, you'll have to see for yourself how it ends.
   
   note: finn enjoyed this book....said it "reminded him to follow his dreams"
5. The Book with No Pictures
   this book popped up in parents magazine as a new york times best seller so i
   picked up a copy at target and thumbed through it. it's PURE silliness as parents
   just say silly sounds on a page - blaggity blaggifty and glibbity globbity.
   this book doesn't have a moral but will bring laughter....to everyone in the room.

last, i just learned the brilliant team who wrote and illustrated iggy peck architect
and rosie revere engineer, have a new book that will be arriving this fall.

it's called ada twist, scientist and i am seriously excited. 

though i don't have little boys anymore, my bigger boys, still enjoy these books,
{just like their parents}. you can pre-order from amazon now. i just did!

beautiful blue tile: found

after almost 2 months of going back and forth on what glass tile
to get for our master bathroom remodel, we finally decided,
rather we came to an agreement. whew!  c just emailed me to say
the order has been placed for 4"x12" tile {color: sky} from modwalls. 

i am SERIOUSLY excited !!!

our kitchen backsplash also came from modwalls - from their lush line.
the colors are truly lush and we've been happy with the glass in the kitchen,
and feel good about this new color we've selected for the bathroom.
it's fresh and reminiscent of all that we both love - modern design, water and the sky!

though we are still weeks away from having a useable bathroom, we are getting closer,
and that's something to celebrate. 

here's a photo of what the exact tile {color and size} we are using:

courtesy of modwalls

just like in this photo, we are choosing to 'stack' the tile instead of  'off setting' it.
offsetting is nice, but it's a more traditional look and our home isn't traditional at all.
we agreed {can you believe it} that stacking the tile would look best with our modern
home. if only selecting the tile color had been so easy.

originally, c wanted to go with blue blend mosaic tiles like i shared in this post.
as much as i love it, i thought it best we go with something more soothing and calm for a
master bathroom.  i think a mosaic blend would work beautifully in the boys' bathroom if we
ever renovate it.  hopefully someday but not in the near future.
older homes....the projects never end. 

well, it's friday and i've seen smiles all day today!  i hope YOU are smiling too. 

~ i'm past due on my blog posts and i have so much to share - finn's birthday celebration,
a trip to utah, scout's first limo ride, an amazing girls night at the house {and the perfect game},
amazing new children's books, and my little sis turned 40!  my hope is to eventually post on
ALL these fun things. stay tuned.

happy margarita day

 

i didn't know there was such a day!

the margarita may be my favorite drink.
it's the perfect blend of sweet and sour and well this photo
reminded me of drinking one in mexico from one of their
traditional thick glasses. and yes, always con sal {salt}

 

valentine's day 2015

this valentine's day this unique.

unlike past valentine's days, we weren't home.
we were in utah with the lovely utah gerbers.

though us adults celebrated the following week,
my very thoughtful s-i-l purchased valentine goodies for the kids before we arrived.
she put together cute little baggies and placed them strategically on the stairs so the
kids would see them as came running upstairs valentine morning.

oh how the kids loved this.

we spent the day together playing board games, me, trying to make a little progress
in my reading for bookclub and playing pickleball. we learned and played alot in
mexico during a few years ago and loved it.  apparently, it's all the rage in utah.
i understand why...it's a perfect physical game for a family of all ages - from young children
to grandparents...much easier to play than tennis. we played some pretty competitive games....
with a  few being super competitive.

the highlight of the day was having dinner made by the children. 
it was my sweet niece's maya's idea {of course} and she tasked the boys with things
to do and oversaw it all. we all enjoyed a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner, which included
garlic bread, veggies and wine for us adults.  the kids were so proud of themselves,
and us of them.

it's a valentine's day that won't be forgotten.

our chefs: finn {12}, scout {8}, maya {12}, Isaac {10}

 

~ the following week, scout reminded me we were supposed to make
rice krispy treats for our first time ever.  i can't believe i've been a mom for 12 years
and i had never made these for my children.

scout loved helping...he stood on a stool at the stove stirring he butter
and marshmallows as they melted. i added the rice krispys and VOILA - we had a sugary
and sticky treat to enjoy all week. scout announced they were way better than the packaged
one he had at a friend's home.  i agreed. i'd rather not have one at all than eat a packaged one. =/

feet on the dash

the boys and i will be road tripping tomorrow to visit the utah gerbers!

we are giddy with excitement and the car is packed with bikes, snowboards,
the few snow clothes we have, and lots and lots of books.
i told c i feel sorry for him....that he has to drive and can't read.
{he said it's ok...he listens to podcasts...or make conference calls}

while he reads, my feet will be up on the dashboard of his car
{he allows this as long as they are clean}.

i can't be the only one who does this. *grin*

finn's website

happy tuesday to you!

it's a beautiful sunny day here in san diego - mid 70s and well spring is in the air.
{last weekend we had weather in the low 80s and it TRULY felt like a san diego summer}.

i digress.  until i have an opportunity to share a few highlights from finn's birthday celebration
which was tons of but alot of noise {tweens are much louder and eat more than little boys},
i thought i'd share a link to something he shared with me last week.

for his multi-media class, he created this website.
i talk about finn alot on my blog because well, he's my child and one of the most interesting
people i know, but how fun for me to see something he put together on himself.

what a different world it is today for school school kids.  i brought home paper and books
every night and the boys' homework is all done on-line...with teachers reading their papers,
commenting and them editing them digitally. so very very different.

~ it is great to be back at work.  the past weekend couldn't have been busier....surf, soccer,
a birthday party/sleepover, errands, and a superbowl party at our dear friend paul's home
on sunday.  he throws big bashes every year with a food truck {forget the wings and chips}.
paul doesn't eat a bunch of junk...he hires an amazing thai couple and they whip up amazing
thai food every year and seriously, it doesn't get any better!!

since i don't care about football at all, i spent the afternoon eating,
catching up with friends and watching the commercials and the halftime show.
c and scout actually watched the game with those that were interested, and finn
had his head in this book he received from a friend for his birthday.

c was pleased with the denver broncos win, but scout was very upset
the carolina panthers didn't win.  he was in tears and well, angry. though he has learned to
be a good loser when HE plays, he's still learning to control his emotions when it comes to
the teams he cares about. 

party planning

finn's party is just around the corner and though i'm keeping it really simple,
with some fun printables to carry his star trek theme throughout, i did find
something that was not on my birthday budget that i just had to purchase.

i found these star trek cookie cutters on amazon and couldn't resist!
they even come in an adorable box.

though i won't be baking cookies for this party
my true baking phase only lasted though the boys kindergarten years {just not my thing}
i have an idea how to use them.  since the boys LOVE breakfast more than cookies and i
will use these on their pancakes.   

though finn has invited a dozen boys over to celebrate, we're only having 4 boys sleepover
as i'd seriously lose it with all of them staying overnight.  i'm a people person and from a
huge family {both immediate and married into one}, but i'm talking TWEEN boys here..
there is a limit. {i think 6 total will be pushing it}

finn is counting down the days and christopher told me he has a cake design in mind.
and of course it's not simple like i suggested.  finn has given his approval on it,
so we're all excited about it.

stay tuned and have a terrific tuesday!

~ i almost forgot to report some happy news about scout!
for a few reasons, scout decided to try out for a new soccer club. 
last week, he tried out for Blast, our beach community's competitive soccer club.
{he has been playing for Riptide which is point loma's soccer club... the community where
he and finn attend school}.  he received a call saying he made the team. 
he is VERY excited, yet he will miss coach doug immensely. 
all of us will...