House of Estrogen

Happy Memorial Day!

Sorely Overdue Easter Post

Easter was so long ago, but I hated for it to pass me by completely with no photos, so here are some long overdue Easter pictures.

My little cupcake baking helper

and cupcake decorators in cute bunny aprons from their sweet Aunt B. Thank you, Aunt B!

The cupcakes were nothing if not well decorated... or, er, overly decorated.

We didn't decorate eggs this year, and nobody complained. I felt no guilt in skipping a year of that mess. Perhaps we'll dye them next year.

Elise and Addie participated in our neighborhood egg hunt. Addie looked so sweet in her spring dress.

I could not convince Elise to wear something pretty. <sigh> Khaki shorts and a grey tee just don't scream Easter to me, but I have to pick my battles.

To give her some credit though, she did have a good point that the hunt location for the big kids doesn't exactly lend itself to fancy dresses and nice sandals.

Fortunately, the bunny at this egg hunt was much friendlier looking than the creepy horror movie bunny from the last hunt we attended.

The night before Easter, the girls put out a snack for the Easter Bunny, "Eat up and Enjoy!"  Do you think the Easter Bunny really eats Tootsie Rolls?

Then, they killed me. They put out notes to the Easter Bunny requesting what they wanted in their baskets! Whaaaa?  Letters to Santa... yes. Letters to the Easter Bunny?  Um...NO!  The Easter Bunny does NOT take requests. No way. No how. Not happening.

The letters read:

"I want a white paint and purple paint, new games for my leappad, books, Pez, candy, paint set (water colers)  from addie (pink basket)"

"Dear Easter Bunny, Happy Easter!! You must be really busy so I'll make this quick. For easter I would like: Books (Hunger games), Amazon gift card, and Book of advansd jump rope trick. (Elise, purple basket) P.S. thank you!"

"Dear, Easter Bunny Hi! I'm Nina and I'm 8 years old. I would like make-up, and Hank Zipzer books, jewelry, candy, watercolor paint, and paint brushes, and a paint pad. from Nina (Blue Basket)"

I'm not sure any of them received things on their list except for Addie and her Pez. They all seemed happy with their baskets, regardless. After breakfast, they went hunting in their pajamas for the eggs the Easter Bunny left in the yard.

We had a nice Easter dinner with both sets of grandparents later in the day where I neglected to take any pictures. It was a nice dinner, despite the lack of photo evidence. One of these days I'll figure out how to host a meal and take pictures too.

Easter is long gone, and summer is nearly here. Time flies when you aren't a timely blogger. Hopefully I'll do better this summer. It is going to be a busy one though!

The Castrator

Overheard in our house this afternoon while Elise and Addie were playing store with a toy cash register:

Addie: I want to buy these tiles.

Elise: Hang on Addie. I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back.

Addie: OK. I'll put the money in the casholator.

Elise: OK. That's fine. I'll be back in a second.

Addie: OK. I want two more tiles. I'll put the money in the cashrator for you.

Elise: All right. I'm back. Did you want to buy anything else?

Addie: Yes... four more tiles. Here is the money for the castrator.

J.C. is scared... very, very scared.

 

Mother's Day

It is nearly midnight. As Mother's Day comes to a close, I find myself sitting here watching "Doc McStuffins" with my four year old as she does a nebulizer treatment for asthma. As much as Mother's Day is supposed to day of pampering, relaxation, and a "day off" for moms, there's just no such thing. Don't get me wrong, I had a great Mother's Day. There was a fancy breakfast, lovely gifts, some time to myself, and a nice dinner as well. In the big picture though, there is just no break, no time off, no vacation from being a mother. It is a hard 24/7 job, period. A day at the spa, a weekend at the beach, or a week in Hawaii may be a little time off from the day-to-day chores of wiping snotty noses, packing lunch boxes, and muddling through confusing second grade math homework, but there is no break from the overwhelming responsibility of raising these little people. Is another nebulizer treatment at home the right answer? Or is it time to head to the ER?  She's in respiratory distress, but how bad is the respiratory distress?  Sometimes the questions feel so big. Moms have been doing this mothering gig for centuries. I know I can do it. Sometimes it just hits me what an awesome responsibility it is. I have to keep these little people safe. I'm responsible for their health. I have to do all I can to insure that they grow up to be hard-working, honest, responsible, independent adults.

You'd think I'd have adjusted to this by now. I've been a mom for ten years. Some days seem harder than others though, and those are the days I'm reminded how huge the job really is.

The nebulizer is done, and I'm off to bed to lie there waiting to see who needs it next. Will I be watching Handy Manny with the four year old or iCarly with the ten year old? I'm tired... not physically, just mentally. Tired, and desperate for a wheeze and cough free night.

Good night. Sweet dreams.

Spring Cleaning

The joys of child labor...

On Trend

I often find myself yelling at celebrities in People magazine, "Why are you wearing Uggs with shorts?" I know. I shouldn't yell at magazines. That's not the point though. If it is warm enough for shorts, why on earth would someone want fuzzy sheepskin boots on their feet? Don't their feet sweat? Don't the boots stink? I've just never understood that look. Apparently Addie gets it though.

Doesn't she look all "Paparazzi stopped me on the way into the movie theater in L.A. where I'm meeting up with my BFF, Suri Cruise" here? (Ignore the cell phone photo quality.) As a regular watcher of Project Runway, The Rachel Zoe Project, and Fashion Star, I should say that she is "on trend". I feel like an idiot saying that though. What is wrong with saying that something or someone is "in style"? Why has that term been banished from the world of fashion reality TV and replaced with "on trend"?

So many questions, so few answers...

Early Easter Fun with the Old Folks

This past weekend, my mom invited us to a family Easter event at their retirement community. I had no idea what to expect, but it turns out those old folks put on quite a nice little celebration for grandkids!

We had lunch, and then there was face painting.

There was a magician making balloon animals.

There was a photobooth, crafts, and the creepiest Easter bunny ever. Addie was scared of him. Can you blame her? Check out that face. He looks like something out of a horror movie.

Of course, no Easter celebration is complete without a good old-fashioned Easter egg hunt. Nina declared the age 6+ hunt "the worst Easter egg hunt EVER". (Apparently it was quite disorganized.) Addie had fun at her hunt though.

 

As we got ready to leave, I thought it would be a great opportunity for a nice picture of the girls with their grandmother. Uh yeah... maybe not. We'll have to try that again another time.

Happy Easter!

February

February: Playing in the sprinkler today... forecast for snow tomorrow.

Happy Balentine's Day!

I think my favorite part of today was listening to Addie wish everyone a Happy Balentine's Day, talk about her Balentine's Day party at school, and to see how excited she was about all the Balentines she received. I doubt next year will be Balentine's Day, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

The last two years, we have put a lot of time and effort into the girls' Valentines for school. Two years ago, we did the iPod Valentines. Last year, we upped the ante with the iPhone Valentines. This year, I had no time or energy for anything complicated. I needed cheap, easy, and quick. Hello Pinterest! I found these great glow stick valentines on the Teacher Wife Blog complete with a free printable. Bingo!  Glow bracelets are 15 for a dollar in Target's Dollar Spot. For six bucks, I got enough for all three kids classes. 

 

I hope Addison's friends enjoyed their Balentines from Abbison and Appison!

For the first time ever, I decided to attempt heart hairdos. I have always admired these but never actually attempted them.

Elise's hair is short enough that there weren't a lot of options. I went with this little side heart. I think it has potential, but I definitely need more practice. She liked it, but apparently she took it out on the bus on the way to school when Nina told her it looked ugly. Gotta love little sisters.

For Addie, I went with the braided heart. It turned out OK, but her hair wasn't quite long enough to really do it properly.

Nina's hair is the longest, and I think hers definitely turned out the best. Fun, huh?

I hope all of you had a wonderful Balentine's Day!

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