Happy Birthday to Kenna

I'm sure you are guessing by now, but this family has a LOT of birthdays in January: three to be exact. We celebrated the last of the January birthdays today. Kenna turned TWO! It was an awesome day. Katie made a huge chocolate brownie cake for her. She doubled her favorite brownie recipe and stuck peppermint patties between the two layers--delicious!! Kenna's favorite thing in the whole world is candy, which she calls "num num." She knew she would get some on her birthday, so whenever someone would ask her how old she was, she would answer, "num num." Some people get old, some people eat candy. I guess that's just the way it is. She was playing with lipstick this morning, and decided to leave us a surprise birthday message. Check out the video.



Out of all of the presents she received, her favorite one of all was a battery-operated bubble blower that I got at Target for $1.99. Isn't that always the way it is? She only wanted Daddy to blow the bubbles at first, but eventually she got the hang of it and was playing with it forever (until we finally convinced her to get in the bath and play with her new plastic boat). All in all, the day was a blast. I love birthdays...it's just the getting older part that I can't stand. Here's a video of her playing with her new bubble blower.

Old Navy Coats On Sale

I stopped by Old Navy the other day and saw that their winter coats were marked down. I mean, really marked down. The $68 coats were $9.99. As any smart mom would do, I loaded up! I bought six coats for us to use next winter and the rest of this winter. Four of them for my oldest daughters. They were very excited to see them, but Kelsey, not wanting to share, put on three of the coats at one time and decided to try to escape with them. I found her in the kitchen dancing with all three coats on and zipped up. I caught her before she had a heat stroke.

White Boys Can't Rap!

At the dinner table tonight, my two oldest boys thought they were fly enough to rap...It was pretty scary. T-Pain would cringe!! Check it.

Katie is a Teenager!

Today is Katie's birthday, and she turned thirteen! It seems like last week she was wandering around the house in her plastic high heels, Barbie underwear, with one of my old handbags thrown over her shoulder, stuffed full of her very necessary toys and pretend makeup. Thirteen has always been a very special birthday around here, and I've been planning her gift for a long time. She got a yorkie puppy--something she has always wanted, but never voiced because she knew the rule of "no indoor pets" was iron clad.

Okay, so I bent the rules a little bit.

It's not everyday a special little lady becomes a teenager. Now instead of pretend makeup in her bag, she can carry around her yorkie!!

Check out the video of when she got her gift:

Snow Baseball!

I can't believe it...it actually snowed here. Okay, so it only lasted for 20 minutes, but it still snowed! The kids immediately ran outside (so much for homeschooling), and decided to start up a game of snow baseball. Check it out.

Wigglin' and Jigglin"

Every family has one--a crazy kid that will do absolutely everything, push every button, drive you crazy, and make you laugh your rear end off the entire time. Mine is Korben (we call him Kubby). He turned six last week--check out the blog video of him blowing out his trick candles. Today, he was clowning around in the kitchen and my husband had the video camera out. He then threw together a clip that is absolutely hysterical! Watch it. It's sooo funny.

Kenna Playing a Tune

My oldest daughters have taken years of piano, and they play often. Today, Kenna decided to try her hand at playing. I was working in the office (typing up an article on Carbon Monoxide--make sure you check it out on the website!), and she came in and started playing a song and singing along. Of course, I had my Flip video camera close by me, so I got to catch most of it. Check it out!

Happy Birthday to Korben!

Korben turned six today. I can't believe it! When one of the kids has a birthday, I always let them choose where they want to go out to eat. So, of course, we all headed out to Chuck E. Cheese today (or as we call it, The Chucksters). By the way, if you haven't been there in a while, Chuck is looking mighty fine as always. He's a little stiff in the joints, but I think it's because age is creeping up on him. Helen Henny was also looking fine in her cheerleading outfit (I have a sneaky suspicion that she and Pasqualey have something going on. He is one chef that definitely has a thing for chicken, if you know what I mean). I am a bit concerned about Munch--the big, fat, purple thing that plays the keyboard. He kept one eye shut during all of the performances. He either has a really bad eye infection or was just flirting with me. I'm not sure which. Jasper Jowls still only knows how to play one chord on his guitar. How did he ever make it in show business? I guess he and Ashley Simpson have the same agent. But anyway, enough about Chuck E. Cheese. Now, for Korben!!

Korben had a fantastic time. He was deliriously happy and ran like a wild man from game to game. All of the kids contributed their tickets at the end of our adventure and bought gifts for him. Never has a boy been so happy about a glow-in-the-dark lizard and a flimsy coloring book!! He was definitely living high on the hog!

As a surprise, my mother-in-law bought trick candles that keep burning after you blow them out. It was so funny watching him keep blowing and blowing! He had a blast. We all did! It's funny, really. Kids don't need a lot to make them happy. He had his family. Some cake. a few presents. And, of course, the Chucksters. What more could a six-year-old boy want? Check out the video of Korben blowing out his candles. It's so funny!

Spinach Lasagna!

Yummy! I love lasagna. It's also a great way to sneak veggies into your kids' diet. You can easily grate carrots, zukes, and eggplant and stick them in between layers. They will never know that they are actually eating a healthy food! Last night, I made lasagna and put spinach in between the layers. However, instead of using chopped, cooked spinach like I usually do, I just layered leaves of fresh spinach. It didn't go over too well with the youngest--Kenna. This was Kenna when she began eating her dinner. She loved it!



Here is Kenna when she took a closer look and found huge leaves of dark green soggy spinach in her bowl.




Oh, well. You win some. You lose some.

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

It was a beautiful day here in Virginia. I managed to find some t-shirts and shorts buried deep in the kids' drawers and we all headed outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine (after we finished the schoolwork, of course).

We played on the swing set, tossed the football, and jumped on the trampoline. I heard Karis, my 9-year-old, teaching Kenna how to sing, "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes." It was so cute that I thought I would share it with my friends.



I hope you are lucky enough to have a nice, warm day strike unexpectedly. If you do, make sure you get out and enjoy it! I'll end this blog with one of my very favorite poems:

I Meant To Do My Work Today

by Richard LeGallienne

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Beating the Post-Christmas Blues

My husband considers January 1st as the worst day in the calendar. That's because he loves Christmas and he hates saying "goodbye" to his favorite holiday. It's truly pathetic, seeing his sad face as he wraps up the Christmas ornaments and kisses them goodbye for an entire year.

This year, in an attempt to chase away the post-holiday blues, I decided to take the family ice skating. They were falling all over the place! But, finally, they got the hang of it (if you can consider taking tiny little baby steps as "getting the hang of it"). Klara, my four-year-old girl, and Korben, my five-year-old boy, loved skating together. There was one time that Korben took off and left Klara. She wasn't too fond of that little maneuver. Fortunately, I was there watching the whole thing and brought along my Flip camera to record it all. Check it out!



I hope all of you are finding some great ways to chase away the post-holiday blues. I'd love to hear them! Also, just to let you in on one of my resolutions. I've decided to become a much better blogger (posting at least three times a week). Please, friends, hold me to it. If I start to lag, let me know. We're all in this together!

Jumpstart World

I love when a game comes out that combines both education and fun for my kids! One such game recently caught my attention, JumpStart World. It is such a great program; I wanted to share it with you. This innovative downloadable software provides my kids with the bright graphics and games that keep them interested in an educational format that parents love. Instead of cringing when my kids start asking me to play on the computer, I can have piece of mind knowing they are learning along with the game.

One of the things my children like the most, collecting the “super gems” over the levels. Parents can reward their children for their progression with virtual gems, that keep both the child and parent involved in the learning process. Studies actually show that children learn better when their parents are involved. Using JumpStart World’s simple tool, you can create your own rewards, such as “a trip to the part” or “going ice skating,” to congratulate your children on their achievements. Parents are also provided with progress reports and frequent e-mails to stay plugged in to their children’s movement through the game.

Finally, a game that my kids keep asking to play and one I feel good saying “yes” to.

Video Game Ratings--Smart Shopping Tip

As many other moms, video games are one of the top requested items on my kids' Christmas list (of course, they are only allowed to ask for one item, so it better be good). Fortunately, I'm glad I don't have to go into the gaming world blind. All video games have an ESRB rating (Entertainment Software Rating Board), so make sure you check it out before making that purchase. Here's the rundown:

EC: Early Childhood (ages 3 and older), contains nothing questionable so it's a good buy.

E: Everyone (usually ages 6 and up), this is the stuff my kids use. It may contain very minimal cartoon violence but all in all, pretty safe.

E 10+: Everyone 10 and up (usually ages 10 and up), this may contain mild cartoon or fantasty violence, mild language, or suggestive themes. You want to be careful here if you are buying these games. Make sure they are appropriate for your child's age and (just on a personal note here) if they are not allowed to play these games, make sure you tell them that before they go to a friend's house and play them and end up grounded for two weeks.

T: Teen (ages 13 and up), this may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, gambling, strong language. This is where I draw the line, so check it out carefully and read plenty of reviews.

M: Mature (ages 17 and up), intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and strong language. Yuck! This is where you give those shoppers picking these items up the "evil mommy eye" and walk away.

AO: Adults Only (ages 18 and up), these contain prolonged scense of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity. You could buy these, but why not save money and just lick the inside of the dumpster outside the porn shop?

RP: Rating Pending. This hasn't been rated yet, so read lots of reviews and talk to like-minded parents.

Personally, I am so glad to have a rating system like this. It helps me be a smart shopper around the holidays. Also, there are some great ways to set the parental controls on your gaming system (just in case Billy from down the street decides to come over for a visit and bring along Grand Theft Auto). For more on this, check out this link: http://www.esrb.org/about/resources.jsp

I'm going as a tightwad for Halloween

I've never been one to spend a lot of money on Halloween. Actually, no matter what the occasion, I'm always looking for ways to cut costs and save moolah. I'm the mom who cut holes in a sheet for her child to be a ghost, and then patched them up with pieces from an old pillowcase after Halloween.

Here are some more ways that I save money:

* buy discounted white sweatsuits and then dye them to match their costume choice.
* Use lots and lots of cardboard--cover it with foil and it's a sword, cut it out and paint it and it's a shield.
* Save odds and ends in a dress-up box. They can always pull something out of that.
* Go to Target or Wal-Mart the day after Halloween and stock up on 1/2 price costumes.
* Always ask myself, "How can I make this?"

But now that Halloween is tomorrow, I would love to hear how some of you genius moms are saving money this year. I'm planning on compiling a list of your awesome ideas and use them next year to help other moms...So, bring thm on!

Halloween Costume Chaos

I tell my kids well in advance to let me know what they want to be for Halloween so that I will have time to make the costumes. But does that change the fact that they ALWAYS change their mind at the last minute? No sirree! There are always a few that go back and forth. Just this past week here's how the rundown went for one of my sons:

Wednesday: He was going to be Sora from the video game, "Kingdom Hearts."
Friday: Chris Angel, the magician. Definitely!
Saturday morning: Trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some cheap bling and a black buttoned shirt that I could tear up to look ratty.
Saturday afternoon: A bodygaurd (Did I mention my son weighs 67 lbs?).
Sunday morning: A fairy (the transition from bodygaurd still has me perplexed)
Sunday (today): Now he wants to be the main character's assistant on the sequel to "National Treasure."

I've given up.

I guess I'll just make his costume before we head out the door. Hopefully, I have everything I need because I am not going to make another trip to Wal-Mart!

What about your kids? What are they going to be for Halloween? Did any of them have a hard time deciding?