Staycation 2009 - The Rest of it

We took a lot of pictures during Spring Break!! Can you tell?

Day two of our staycation was St. Patrick's Day so we cruised to "Ireland." We enjoyed an Irish breakfast of Lucky Charms while I told the kids about their ancestors, the Driscoll's, on my Dad's side of the family who immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Yes, we really are Irish and we wore our green proudly.

Our Irish activity for the day was a stretch but since one Irish tradition is the Blarney Stone, we went to the Mining and Mineral Musuem in downtown Phoenix and learned about rocks.

The kids loved seeing the huge truck tire, scoop and mining car. And our favorite thing was posing at a mine which is actually an incredibly huge mural on the back side of the museum.

This is a small museum that is FREE for kids and the experience includes getting to pick out your own rocks to take home. Don't ask me why my kids love rocks, but they do. This trip helped us add to our huge collection of rocks.

We spent the afternoon at the $1 movie seeing Bolt. We left Cupcake home with a babysitter and I was so happy not to be chasing her around. After baths the kids played Wii while Tim and I relaxed downstairs. We found Snausage passed out on the floor at 7:30. Our first two days of fun had completely worn him out.

Day three we planned to go to Australia, one of our favorite countries. A guy from Australia bought a car from Tim a few years ago and Tim has stayed in touch with him. About a year ago, he sent us a huge package of Australian stuff for the kids including stuffed animals, books and chocolate and a cool video of the outback. We LOVED it!!! Ever since we received that package, we have been facinated with Australia.

Our plan for this day was to go to the zoo. There is a great Wallaby exhibit at the zoo. However, we got a really late start due to my lovely sinus headache and when we finally got to the zoo, the kids only wanted to pet the stingrays and play on the splash pad.

By Day Four, I was running a little ragged with a sinus infection so I called in the reinforcements, which means Grandma joined us for "Japan" day at the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Falcon Field. This was the most expensive thing we did but it was totally worth it. I have driven by this museum a million times and had no idea the cool things inside.

We were very surprised when one of the first exhibits we saw displayed a picture of our Uncle Helaman (Tim's Great Uncle) along with a story about his service in a tank in WWII. Our kids know Uncle Helaman. They have been to his house and see him at family get togethers so it was awesome to learn about his experiences in the war that we knew nothing about.

For some reason this girl was so excited and happy to pose in front of an airplane engine.

The highlight of this museum visit was getting to go inside a B-17 called the Sentimental Journey. The boys were apprehensive at first because it is a tight squeeze but after the first time through they wanted to go again. We ended up going through the B-17 three times. If you haven't guessed by now, I love doing things where we can have fun and learn at the same time. Tim says I am a museum nerd. I wear the title proudly.

After a quick lunch at Sonic (which has nothing to do with Japan), we had a quiet afternoon at home making our version of sushi. This was another great idea Albert found on Family Fun. The sushi is made from rice crispie treats rolled around a gummy worm and wrapped in fruit roll-ups. Yummy!!!!

Day Five we planned to do something tropical around a Hawaiian theme but our plans did not work out. (We are saving this idea for the summer.) So we just relaxed at home, went to the library and got a nice, cool treat at Dairy Queen--a perfect way to end our lovely staycation.

Our entire staycation cost us about $75, a tank of gas and a lot of creativity. The week did not go exactly as I had planned in my mind but it was a total success because we learned some things, had fun together, and shut out the rest of the world for five days. Small and simple...just how we like it.

Staycation 2009 - Day 1

We had an awesome Staycation spring break. I can't believe how much stuff we did in one week and how we discovered a lot of cool things right here in our backyard.

Several weeks before spring break, the kids were inspired by an article in Family Fun magazine and decided they wanted the theme of our "staycation" to be a cruise. They came up with the idea to "visit" a different place everyday. It was an awesome idea and they get all the credit. They made room numbers for all of our bedroom doors and we set up a "mini-bar" in the kitchen which was a bin full of tons of different treats.

Day one was "Arizona Day." The day was jammed pack and it was probably my favorite day of our staycation. We went on a hike up Gold Canyon to the heiroglyphs with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, Dan and Louise, and their kids. We don't do things with Dan and Louise very often due to our busy schedules and the fact that our kids are different ages. My kids LOVE their older cousins--Danielle, Tanner, Rand and Parker. It was fun to be with them.


Albert took off with the "fast" group and I didn't see her again until we got to the heiroglyphs. She loved the whole thing and I heard she talked Aunt Louise's ear off!

I wasn't sure how Cupcake was going to do but she loved being inthe backpack. I carried her both ways with no problems. She loved hangin' with Grandma H at the top. On the way down, she fell asleep and laid her head on my shoulder. She was so cute!

Hog was not fond of the actual hiking. He hung in the back of the pack with Grandma and Grandpa. But, he loved exploring on the rocks at the top and seeing the hugest lizard ever. We told him the hike would help him prepare to be a scout. Fittingly, he was wearing his cub scout hat.

Snausage took more than a few spills and if it hadn't been for Uncle Dan's pep talks and first aid kit on the way up and Danielle just holding his hand and making him go on the way down, he never would have made it. His biggest spill came when he slid down some rocks on his face. This picture was taken a few minutes after.

That night we had a campout in the backyard. We spent the afternoon setting up the tent. (Yes, we do own one. It's a leftover from a huge lot we sold on ebay. Glad we kept it.)

We made smores on the grill in the backyard for FHE. Tim is the best marshmallow roaster and he passed on his skills to the kids.

Tim volunteered to make the sacrifice and sleep in the house with Cupcake. In the tent, we read a cool book about saguaro cactus, Albert told us a ghost story and I told the kids about my college days camping out under the stars (no tent) with all my girlfriends in Oak City canyon, backpacking to the top of the peak next to Timpanogas and hiking the Y more times than I could count. I think I loved this day the most because it helped me remember some great memories from my days before I was a mom. It was fun for the kids to get to see a different side of their mom and to realize I did some things before they came along. We all crashed and I have to say that I slept so good!! I crept out of the tent at 4:45 to go to the gym. I crawled back in my sleeping bag at 6:30 a.m. and they were all still sawing logs.

A totally fun day!! The rest of the week was fun, too but I am going to do another post with all of that fun stuff.

The boy turns five!

I don't know where the time is going but our little Snausage (who currently weighs in at exactly 50 pounds...not so little) turned five two weeks ago. He had a two day celebration that started with cupcakes during snack time at preschool.

He requested chocolate cupcakes with TONS of sprinkles and that is what he got. Luckily, Ms. Nicole took the big mess in stride. (I did stay after to sweep it up.)

Of course, I forgot my camera so the pics taken with my phone did not turn out great. But, you can see that Snausage loves his preschool friends and even his sister, "Cupcake" (formerly known on this blog as "Fatty") got in on her favorite treat.

Later that night he got to go shopping for his present with Grandma T. Getting to roam the aisles of Toys 'r Us and pick exactly what he wanted was a real treat. I think the whole process was quite entertaining for Grandma.

The next day was his official birthday. In lieu of a huge party like he had last year, he invited his best buddy Evan for a trip to Build-a-Bear workshop.

Snausage made a monkey and named it "Nick." Evan made a dog and named it "Kevin." They didn't hesitate a moment when we were sitting at the computers naming their animals. I thought it was kind of strange that they didn't need help with the names. It wasn't until we were in the car on the way home that I overheard them talking in the back seat. Snausage said to Evan, "Isn't it cool that we named our Build-a-Bears after the Jonas Brothers?" Evan thought it was the coolest thing. Apparently, they had planned this out ahead of time. Some day I am know they are going to totally deny that they did this, but this blog post is going to be my proof!!

I know this is a post about Snausage but I had to throw this one in. I haven't posted pics of this little girl for awhile. Notice I said "little girl" because she is definitely not a baby anymore. She loves her new kitten which she appropriately named "Kittie."

The birthday boy and "Nick."

The celebration ended at home where we were joined by Grandma and Grandpa H. We grilled hot dogs and ate race track cake (just like Hog's).

Happy Fifth Birthday,

Super Snausage!!

You've got a good fuzzy head and we love you!!

Cool Things Courtesy of a Recession

Cool Thing # 1
I learned to make and use my own laundry soap. It costs me $.50 (yes, that is cents) a month to wash our clothes and they are cleaner than before. Tim's only complaint is there is no fresh laundry smell. I need to add some essential oil to my next batch. Click here to see the recipe I use.

Cool Thing #2
I got to crawl around in my attic. We got rid of Dish Network. I thought this was going to be hard but it is amazing how we haven't missed it at all. Anway, we had to put a big antenna in our attic and I got to crawl around up there to run the cable down the side of our house. It was a hilarious experience and Tim and I have not laughed this hard about something for a long time. You had to be there.
Cool Thing #3

I got a job. I am so lucky that I found a part-time job working from home for a company I believe in. I am doing data entry and teaching and coordinating on-line workshops for Coupon Sense. I have been a subscriber to Coupon Sense for nine years and I am so grateful that I learned how to save big at the grocery store long ago and I love getting to teach people all over the country how to do the same thing. Coupon Sense is the coolest thing ever.

Cool Thing #4

I get a free date with Tim twice a month. I haven't paid for a babysitter in six months thanks to a great babysitting co-op with two of my friends in the neighborhood. It has worked out perfectly. Once a month we have a 10 year old, a nine year old, an eight year old, two seven year olds, a six year old, two five year olds, a three year old, and THREE one year olds (that adds up to 12 kids) at our house on a Friday night. We have so much fun and the kids love it. In return, Tim and I get to drop our kids off on two other nights. We do anything we can find that won't cost us money. Our last date consisted of FREE burritos from Chipolte (with coupons from the Sunday paper. Thanks to Coupon Sense I have SIX of them!) and a trip to the office to post "stuff" for sale on Ebay. It sounds crazy but we had so much fun! The coolest thing about being in a babysitting co-op is that we can also just come home and hang out. It's fun to be home together with no children around. I love having alone time with Tim and I could care less what we do as long as we are together.

Cool Thing #5

I haven't had to give up the gym. My Ebay sales pay for my gym membership. I go Tuesday-Friday at 4:50 a.m. It's time just for me that doesn't interfere with all the things I have to do as a mom and wife. I love being with my friends and when I come home I am energized and ready for the day. I am totally addicted to the Body Pump class. It's a huge stress release. You've gotta try it.

Cool Thing #6

I am more grateful for what I have. The other morning I came home from the gym early in the morning and as I walked in the door I had overwhelming feelings of gratitude come over me. I have a home and even though the yard is currently a mess and the walls upstairs are still half painted and the front door leaks and I need new shade screens, I am so grateful to live where I do and to have what I have. I am much more aware of all of my blessings.

Cool Thing #7

I have a cool mini van with 186,000 miles and I love it. It's got a lot of miles and looks a little dated but I have built in GPS and I wouldn't trade my automatic sliding doors (even the one side that sticks) for anything. It's a Honda and I am quite optimistic that it is going to get me well into the 200,000 mile range. That is why I wash and vacuum it religiously every week and don't let the kids eat in it (most of the time).

Cool Thing #8

I feel peace and optimism most of the time. There are a few things that make this possible. 1) I don't listen to the news very often, 2) I look to the prophet and 3) I am married to the eternal optimist who never gets down and always helps me look for that silver lining.

Create

Six months ago, I wrote a post about the impact Elder Uchtdorf's talk at the LDS General Relief Society Meeting had on me. I LOVED his remarks about creating because they fit me so well. Take one minute and 40 seconds and watch this beautiful video which expresses so well the feelings I had the first time I heard President Uchtdorf's words. Enjoy!!!

Give me my muffins or give me death

There was some weeping and wailing going on at our house this morning. I made the breakfast muffins we eat three or four times a week, but in my constant multi-tasking state I messed up big time. I thought the batter looked weird when I put them in the muffin pans, but slid them in the oven anyway. One minute before the timer went off it finally hit me..."I forgot to put the sugar in." For a moment I thought they might be salvageable. After all, these are healthy muffins made with applesauce and whole wheat...who needs sugar? I was wrong. They were horrible. Everyone was in the kitchen waiting for their favorite morning eats when I calmly announced that the muffins were not edible and we would be having cold cereal instead. Their collective reaction might have made you think I had just asked them to fork over all their Webkins or sleep without their blankie or wear pants or forgo their birthday or something. GEEZ. I don't usually give in to tantrums but their response to "no muffins for breakfast" made me laugh and I promptly whipped up another batch and the universe was realigned.

I have been making these muffins for years. The recipe comes from a good ol' ward cookbook that I love. It's rare that there is something that all six members of our family all like at the same time. Maybe we are onto something here. I don't know but if you're curious, here's the recipe so you can see for yourself.

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

2 C. whole wheat flour

3/4 C. sugar (Don't leave this one out!)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 C. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

1 C. applesauce

Combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Mix until just flour is moist. Pour into muffin tins sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

It's official...the thirties are half over!!

Happy Birthday to the biggest kid in our family!!!

You are lookin' alive at only 35.

We love you!!!!!!!

Our Kids Rock

On Saturday, Albert and Hog ran in the PF Chang's Kid's Rock one mile race. They have been running two mornings a week at school to accumulate a total of 26 miles in order to qualify for the race. It was a fun morning with perfect 75 degree weather! They even got interviewed by Fox 10 before the race started but sadly, their interview ended up on the cutting room floor.

Getting ready for the starting line.

Here's Albert crossing the finish line. I love how she took off when she saw us cheering. (Please ignore my hoarse voice. I was unsuccessfully trying to ward off a sore throat this weekend.)

Hog was one of the youngest runners from his school and he told us he walked most of the way but he did finish in style with his purple headband!!!

Nice medal.

One of the things I love about my kids' school is the awesome staff. Because the school is so small, they really get to know their PE teacher, music teacher, librarian, etc. They are all phenomenal. Here is a post race pic with their PE teacher who totally rocks, too!!!

ROCK ON!!!

Merry Homemade Christmas

Tomorrow the holiday season is officially over it is back to the daily grind. It's really not a grind but I have loved this past week (after Christmas was over) of sleeping in, hanging out and having nothing official to do. It has been majorly relaxing and I really needed the "majorly relaxing" part.

The week before Christmas was about the polar opposite of what I just described. I decided back in September to make a lot of Christmas gifts. I thought I was starting early enough to accomplish everything I wanted to do and not be stressed out (like I always am) that last week before Christmas. Well, my intentions were good, as they are every year, but I was still burning the candle at both ends trying to get everything done and I literally didn't slow down until a few hours before the kids awoke on Christmas morning. Everything did get done, though. I am a born multi-tasker anyway and Christmas just seems to bring this trait out in me even more.

I have hopes that I can do better next year and wish I hadn't been so worn out by the time the big day came. No, I am not perfect, but, fortunately, there were moments during Christmas where Tim and I were able to see the true meaning of Christmas shining through in things we observed and heard and read from our children. I am grateful that despite my lack of focus sometimes, they still got it, a huge blessing to their mother.

Our endeavor to help our kids give homemade gifts to each other proved to be the highlight of the celebration this year. They all put a lot of thought into what they wanted to give and I was pleasantly surprised at the efforts they put forth in behalf of each other.

Snausage decided to use his talents and love of doing art projects for his gift to Fats by drawing her a picture and painting a frame to put it in.

Albert made a cool tool box for Hog (with a little help from Dad). I love what she chose to paint on the sides of the box. It was the most excited Hog was about any gift he got.

Fats (with a little help from me) made this lovely initial plaque for Albert to hang in her room.

Hog was having a hard time deciding what he could give to Snasuage. On Christmas Eve he decided to make him a pet rock. On Christmas morning, Snausage opened the gift and excitedly named his new pet "Rocky."

Even Tim got on the homemade bandwagon and surprised me with two shelves made out of molding . . . exactly what I wanted. I made purses, I spy bags, tutus and a few other things for some of the cousins and I totally enjoyed it. We all know that I am not a crafty person and there was some sleep sacrificed but I loved making things for people I love. As I was making each gift, I was thinking of the person I was making it for. I tried not to stress about the mistakes I made and just enjoyed doing it.

I am glad we chose to focus on homemade gifts this year because, as I am learning, its the small and simple things that really matter.