Made It: A Garden

Over the weekend we started our very own garden(s). 

Two 4x4 raised beds, fenced in to keep the deer away.  

One for vegetables: tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cilantro and basil.

One for assorted flowers, including African Daisies (we just couldn't pass those up). :)

Now just to keep it all alive! :)

Happy Mother's Day: You Will Never Believe What I Did Today! :)

Friends and family, if you know me well, then you better sit down for this one. :)

This morning I ran in a 5K race.  I kid you not.

Okay, three things.
1.  It was the Run Like a Mother race in Ridgefield, CT. 
2.  5K is ~3 miles.
3.  I can't talk about it with a straight face.  Me?  Run?  Hahaha!  Really it was more of a jog-when-I-think-my-family-is-watching/really-fast-mall-walk.

Did I train?
Um...sort-of.  I walked around our neighborhood a pre-determined number of laps pushing the double stroller (sometimes tripled up).  I also hit the pavement in the basement while watching HGTV--that was as exciting as it sounds.

And whatever in this world would possess me to do such a thing?

Plain and simple.

Peer pressure.

I ran bright and early (8:30a) on this beautiful Mother's Day with Becca and Emily.

Pre-race.

Post-race.  

Emily and I finished our walk/run in about 35 minutes. :)  Becca is an actual runner and beat us by a landslide. :)

Beza pre-race.

Post-race.

A very fun morning.  :)  Thanks Becca and Emily! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom Favorite: How Have I Never Heard of This?

Amazon Mom.

I'm not sure where I found out about it--maybe on another blog?   Or in a magazine?  Anyway, it's AMAZING.

It's Amazon Prime, FREE, for up to a year!  Just for being a mom!

(3 free months and an additional month for each time you spend $25 for up to one year.)

That means FREE 2-day shipping (no way!).  AND additional discounts on baby-related items.  AND even more discounts if you sign-up for recurring delivery.

I am getting my diapers (LUVS) delivered, for free, to my door for less than I can buy them at my usual super-stores (which are 30 minutes away).

I also ordered these little gems with Amazon Mom right before we left to bring Beza home.

Teething Bling Donut Shaped Pendant Teething Necklace (more about it here) and Oh Plah Teething Bracelet (more here). 

Wearing the Teething Bling necklace on our trip to bring Beza home.

Loving Amazon Mom! :) 

Today's Lessons

1.  Silly Putty can be removed from sheets, bears and pj's with a strong dose of rubbing alcohol and elbow grease.

2.  Don't let children sleep with Silly Putty.

3.  Make sure diapers are tightly secured.  Luckily today's incident did not take place at a friend's house, in the van or at the grocery store.  Rather it happened on the tile (the freshly mopped tile.).

(T minus his jeans.)

4.  Boys think Mustangs are cool.  And he hasn't even seen the car, yet.

5.   These are not real caterpillars.  But if you squiggle them in your hands, you can make them look real.

6.  That trick works only once.

7.  Going foot loose and fancy free and letting Beza eat the real deal with her hands appears to be the key to getting her to eat. 

8.  Food can be really messy.

9.  Especially when you play peek-a-boo.

10.  Sweet potatoes turn into stuck-on paste.

11.  A good bath can wash away all of your troubles. :)

"I saw a snake and ran for my life!"--

--M panted as she burst into the bedroom.

"No way!  Is it still there?"

"Yes!"

So we did the only sensible thing. ;)

We donned these--

And happed upon this--

Another view (in case you just can't get enough ;).

M had been getting a piece of scrap wood to decorate with markers (we've been doing a lot of wood art. :), when she crossed paths with this guy.  She ditched the wood and ran into the house--locking the door behind her. 

When we went back out he was still there and we got to watch him slither across the grass and then into the woods.  Kind of creepy to hear the leaves crackling under his body.  He finally disappeared under last year's Christmas tree.  Needless to say, we won't be traipsing around in the woods any time soon. :)

After that grand adventure, we had our new family tradition (going one month strong)--Tuesday Tea.  A fun time to break out (hopefully not literally) the china and to say things like, "Would you like a spot of cream?"  and "Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"

Today's Tea questions: What do you want to be when you grow up and where would you want to live if you could live anywhere in the world?

An astronaut.

I want to live in a pink house.  But I want to live with you because I really like you guys.  I'll just paint this house pink.

A skoovy-divey (translation: scuba-diver).

In a skoovy-divey house (translation: In an underwater house.  Should make visiting interesting.)

And when asked, Beza gave us this look.  We decided that she was saying something about one-eyed elephants? :)

Made It: Sweet Lunches

Well, actually, what makes them so sweet are these insanely cute lunch bags.

 Beza's

 T's

M's

They make lunch on-the-go really fun. :)  Check more out over at Skip-Hop.

Sunday Funnies: Great Performances

Culture Class

We have this caterpillar that names famous composers like Mozart and Vivaldi.  M and T aren't well versed in their names or works just yet.

Laughing, M said, "Listen to this, T.  It says, 'You hung the bathroom book.'"

Better known as "Johann Sebastian Bach."  :)

 

Parking Lot Production

On Friday I went to the grocery store with the whole gang.  T sits in the top of the cart, Beza gets the bottom while in her infant seat, and M does a terrific job of walking along with me.  

Cart space is at a premium.  I work the bottom rack for all it's worth.

After checking out, it is impossible to recreate the food tetris so I always have to carry a few bags.

Back to Friday.  I left with 3 bags on my arm and a very full cart bottom.  Just as we walked out onto the sidewalk, the watermelon plopped off and started to roll away.  I caught it, put it back and started again.  It fell off, again.  Seeing my obvious look of confusion about what to do next, a kind person offered to escort the watermelon to the van.  

Two steps later we got caught on the hose being used to water the flowers.  I lifted the front over the hose, then the back.  The rotisserie chicken landed upside down on the pavement.
 

With the chicken secured and the watermelon safely in the van, T's balloon (you know, the kind that comes on a stick and says "Happy Assistant's Day" because it's free) became unattached from the stick and started skidding across the parking lot.  I skidded after it.

Then I picked up T to put him in the van.  His bagel headed in the opposite direction and rolled so that it's entirety touched the ground.  

At last everything and everyone was inside the van.  My troupe and I then exited the parking lot stage left. :)

Rolling double-stroller style with T and Beza on a farm market excursion earlier in the week.