My Favorite PEEPS

I ran into this idea a while back perusing through random blogs and I can't remember for the life of me the website I got it from so I could link to it.... but I thought it was the cutest thing. And even though I was dead tired last night after having worked all day and spent a few hours (with a round of golf and dinner) with MY two most favorite PEEPS... I decided to make them for Ethan's class for their little Easter party.


It was actually pretty simple. One row of the peeps chicks fits perfectly in a snack size ziploc bag. I took white cardstock, cut out 6 3/4" x 4 1/2", folded in half and stapled it to the top of the bag. Then I glued the topper on covering the staples perfectly. And Voila!

Of course, I got my production line (Mike helped with stuffing the peeps and Ethan put the glue on the toppers) so it didn't take us very long to make. The BEST part of it all was getting the brownie points from Ethan.

"You're so cool Mom. My friends are all going to love this!", he mused.

That made staying up til 11:30 to finish them all worth it.... :)

In case anyone wants to borrow the idea, you're more than welcome to download the PDF (I took the name out).

[Click image to download PDF]

Now, if I can just finish that darn basket, I'd be set!

Redlands Classic

This is Mike's second race, and although we didn't come home with a medal, we still had a blast. I imagined much of the same scene as the Tour de Murrieta. A bunch of seasoned riders talking about their techniques and blah blah blah. It was another early race... seems to me all the Category 5 races start very early in the morning.. in our cases at 7:30, which meant having to get up at 5:30 am to get ready.

I didn't really mind the morning cold, but by 9am, the mist and the chill was gone and Mike and Ethan were scrambling to get multiple coats of sunscreen on. I didn't care for the heat either.... lately, it has been giving me headaches that I can most definitely live without, most days it's partnered with dizziness. Mike says I'm probably dehydrated... I can't really argue, I probably am. I say that as I continue to sip on a Pepsi while I'm writing this blog..... how ironic.

Banging the boards for the last lap...


Ethan finally found a cow bell!

Next stop... Dana Point Grand Prix. And next time, not only will I be cheering for Mike, we're also entering Ethan in the Youth race (4-6 category). Time to assemble that brand spanking new 14" Hot wheels bike!

Uncooperative Model

These days, it's not as easy to get Ethan to look at the camera and smile anymore. And when he does, he often gives me what I call his "fake smile", which is cute in itself, but makes it harder for the photographer (ie. me) to get the more coveted natural look.

Instead, I get this.......

or this......

or this......

Eventually, he cracks and says, "can you tickle me so I won't have a fake smile?", and I get this....

But the best pictures are the pictures I get when he's in his natural element, just being silly. :)

I love how striking his eyes look in this.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Meet the Cubs

I ♥ having new reasons to scrap about!

[click to view larger]

First Hockey Game - Do the Flying V!

Let me preface this by saying the only I know about hockey is whatever I have watched on Mighty Ducks. Go Coach Bombay!

So when Mike suggested we watch the local minor league team, all I could think of was:

1. Trying not to quack

2. Bundling up

Dressed like we're going snowboarding, we went to the stadium and was pleasantly surprised. Apparently, that night was well attended. It was Military Appreciation night, so the tickets were buy 1 get 1 free for military (gotta love the discounts when you can get em). We weren't exactly in the nosebleed seats, but high enough, although we could still see pretty well.

Ethan enjoyed the first 2 periods, but started getting antsy after the second intermission. The funniest part was when I jokingly yelled "Do the Flying V!", and Ethan kept repeating it (yelling at the top of his lungs) for the next 10 minutes.

Prayers

Lately, Ethan's been begging us a lot for a little brother. "I'll share my toys," he says, and sometimes he can seem very convincing. One time, I told him he would have to pray to baby Jesus and ask for a little brother, and he immediately dropped what he was doing, put his hands together, closed his eyes and said...

"Baby Jesus. I would like to have a baby brother, please. I'll be a good boy, and I will help take care of the baby. Thanks."

Only if it were that easy, right!

This evening, while waiting for our 15th plate of sushi, Ethan drew this.

"This is daddy, this is mommy, this is Ethan, and this is my little brother."

Five on Fridays: Skanks, Visions of Yellow, and Powers of Pursuasion

1. What ever happened to the sanctity of marriage? I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about these high profile marriages go into shambles because the husbands can't keep it in their pants. Guys who have everything in the world who throw it all away for affairs that satisfy little to absolutely nothing. And those women who knowingly have affairs with married men are, to me, worse than scum of the earth. They deserve nothing but the worst karma and shouldn't be surprised if society sees them as whores because that's what they are. Enough said.

2. I daydream about bathroom renovations. One of the ignored rooms in our house (design-wise) is Ethan's bathroom. The only thing it has is a dying plant inbetween sinks and some Christmas static clings on the mirror -- how sad is that? I thought about carrying over the sports theme to the bathroom, but have since then decided to make it more fun to encourage Ethan to start using his bathroom instead of ours. He goes potty, showers, takes his baths, even brushes his teeth in OUR bathroom. So Mike and I decided it would be fun to design his bathroom with Spongebob... although I don't have the whole thing planned out in my head, I have been getting quite a few inspirations.

Isn't this cute???

3. The windshield gods are conspiring against me. From the day I started driving, I think I have had my windshield replaced (not counting the two times I recked a car since those technically weren't replaced) at least a dozen times. Why do those flying pebbles on the freeway so attracted to my car??? I have, yet again, a cracked windshield and that's going to cost me another $120+ for someone to come to my workplace and fix it during the day. I swear I just had that thing replaced LAST year!

4. I occassionally practice my powers of pursuasion on my husband. Last night, we were at the mall to buy Mike a pair of Oakleys and I convinced him (coyly) to let me swing in the Coach Outlet store....... "just to look around". Well, the reason why I hardly go there is because I always happen to find something I'd like to buy. Last night, for example, was a new wallet that I wanted to replace the 6-year old Coach wallet I already have. "There's nothing wrong with yours", he said, which was partly true, unless being "old" counts as a defect. After 30 minutes of solid arguments like, "I totally deserve a new wallet", he finally caved in and said I could have it. Stood in line for 10 minutes (still arguing even after I got the green light), got to almost the front of the line until I realized I wasn't inlove with it after all. I walked out of the Coach store empty-handed but uberly proud of my powers of pursuasion, that I, in fact, reserve the credit to that $100 I was told I could spend but didn't. Did I mention I love my husband? :)

5. Haven't gotten back on the treadmill since last week so I have some catching up to do this weekend. Why is it so difficult to stick to a work out regiment??? I find solace in that days are a little longer now, so I'm hoping I'll get to squeeze in a few minutes at least twice during the week, but between getting dinner ready and picking up around the house and catching up with Ethan, I almost have to wake up an hour early to get the work out done BEFORE I even go to work. Ugh. Doing it on the weekend is fine with me!

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day - March 23rd from 12-8pm

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
12:00pm - 8:00pm
Participating Scoop Shops in the US - Locator

Mike's First Race - Tour de Murrieta

So not only do I get to play cheerleader for Ethan's T-ball games, Mike is now getting into road racing and he had his first bike race last Saturday at the Tour de Murrieta.

As with every new venture, there are a lot of rules -- categories, differences in equipment, time trials, the list goes on and on -- for me to learn. But all I know is that Ethan and I will always be at the start/finish line to yell "Go Daddy!"

The race was 35 miles long - 10 laps total. Mike finished it in about an hour and a half... behind the main pack, but still proud he survived his first. Out of the 50 riders, it was obvious he was one of the few newbies. You could tell by the nervous postures of the "unattached" individual riders versus those who are part of a more organized, sponsored group.

I'm just glad he finished crash-free!

Free Pastry Day @ Starbucks: March 23

[Click on photo to print coupon]

Get a free pastry on the morning of March 23 with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.

Come to participating Starbucks on Free Pastry Day, March 23. Choose a delicious pastry to pair with your beverage and that tasty item is free.

I Want to be an Austronaut (uhm) -- Buzz Lightyear

After engulfing 2 waffles in the car this morning on the way to school, Ethan proceeded to tell me about their wonderful day at Disneyland yesterday (it was Mike's furlough day). He told me about his brand-spanking new lanyard and his 2 new pins. He told me about the yummy waffle cone, and how he didn't want ice cream at first, but then he tasted the "thingie" and it was so good he took it from daddy.

You could hear the excitement in his voice... and for 20 minutes it was non-stop... walking me through every single ride, every single show they watched. And then.......

.......there were crickets.

I figured he was tired, maybe went back to sleep (he does that occassionally since it takes us 30 minutes to get to his school in traffic).

I took a peek (safely) and he wasn't asleep at all...... in fact, he was in deep thought. His eyebrows were scrunched up and there was a serious look in his eyes.




Me: What are you thinking about sweetheart?

Ethan: [short pause] I'm thinking about how I can become a real Buzz.

Me: A real....... bus?

Ethan: Yes, a real Buzz.

Me: Ohhhhh.. you mean Buzz Lightyear?

Ethan: I want to be a real Buzz Lightyear

Me: Well...... how do you become a real Buzz? Do you have any ideas?

Ethan: [still have a serious look on his face] I have an idea! I can go to college, and then I can be an astronaut, and then I can go on a rocket, and then I can fly to outerspace, and theeeeeeeeeen I can be a Buzz Lightyear.

Taken aback that my 4 year old just confidently told me about his college and career plans, I couldn't help but smile.

Me: That sounds like a great idea!

I suppose it's never too early to plan for college. Can you believe they actually have books on how to prepare toddlers for college?



And since Mike was medically retired (now a disabled veteran), the College Free Waiver Program will waive Ethan's tuition if he attends any California Community College, California State University or University of California campus.

Hmmm.......

or

I hear Cal State Fullerton has a mean NCAA Baseball team. To date, 47 Titan Alums have played in the MLB :)

Unless, of course, he gets a scholarship to Harvard or Yale...... then he doesn't have to stay in California ;)

Part 2: Cameron Media Wall System

Slowly, but surely, our major DIY project of building the entertainment system/toy storage for the loft, is coming along. We're building it piece by piece, on whatever spare time we have which is not a whole lot, so it's taking us a lot longer than we first anticipated. But we're not working against a deadline, and we want to get it right.... I have no doubt we'll be SUPER proud of ourselves after all is said and done.

Cameron Extra-Wide Media Wall System - $1,399

Since building the media base, we have built two open bases and two more cubbies.


Basically, we've built one of these.....

Cameron Extra-Wide Media Base $359

and two of these.......

Cameron Cubby & Open Base Set $309

.....but didn't pay crazy $$$ for it.



Anyway, hopefully, we'll be able to finish building the last 2 cubbies tomorrow, build the drawers for the open base cubbies at the bottom, and add all the trims so we could start painting this weekend.

We're still debating on whether to put the hutch (we've got the wood cut for it already) but we started thinking maybe it would be better without it.

What I love about these pieces (besides the fact that we're not spending so much money on it) is that they're so versatile. We can always add more cubbies and re-arrange them if we ever need more storage space (we can't get enough!) or if we just want to change the look of the room.

But I digress..... :)

Thanks to Ana over at Knock off Wood for the plans! I wouldn't have done this without her help!

Coupon: 30% off March 18-21 @ Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic

[Click on link to print full page coupon with reusable barcode]

You're Invited...

For 4 days, enjoy 30% off while we give 5% of the amount you spend to Teach For America. So in a time when our communities need it most, your shopping counts for more.

Ethan's First T-ball Game

Getting ready for the big game

That smile is proof of how excited he was to play baseball

Last Saturday was Ethan's first T-ball game. But it wasn't just a game, it was an all day affair. We had to be there at 8am to take team photos. And they had an "Opening Day Carnival" so between practicing his batting, crab walk and alligators, there were tons of unlimited jumpers and ridiculously priced fundraising food to keep us busy. His game started at 2pm, but NOT without incident.

By incident, I mean losing his glove and not realizing it until 5 minutes before their game was supposed to start.

What's a rookie T-ball mom supposed to do? First, panic. I walked around 4 baseball fields full of baseball fans looking for a brand new unlabeled kids' glove. No luck. Next step? Beg!!!!!!!!! I managed to find a very nice Team Mom from the Dodgers team (they played before Ethan's team) that was willing to lend me her kid's glove. But it was all such a scramble, next thing I knew, Ethan was already out on the field warming up with a pink glove! The only girl in his team had an extra. He didn't care, so I didn't care. Mike may have squirmed a little, but I'm sure he'll get over it.

I tell you what.......... it's not the glove, but the player that matters.

Ready at 2nd base, Ethan caught the first ground ball (they were all ground balls) of the game -- pink glove and all -- and we were all so proud, but poor guy didn't know what to do with it after he picked it up.

I heard the coach from home plate yell "THROW IT TO FIRST!". So we all started to echo and yell the same thing, until we realized that these are 4 year old kids.... who had 2 practices before the game...... who know NOTHING about the fundamentals of the game, so they don't have much context for helpfully yelled directions like throwing it to first.

Ethan catches the first ground ball

Ethan hit the ball off the tee really well. I think out of the 3 times he went to bat, he only missed once.

Run, Ethan, Run!

Even Jojo stepped up to announce the players and did some "commentary" during the game

The rest of the game was a hoot. Each kid on the team got a chance at bat, they hit as many times as needed to get the ball more than 2 feet in front of them. No scores were kept. No one was tagged out. And all the kids out on the field chased after the ground balls......... EVERY TIME.

I must say the coaches did a great job trying to keep it fun for the kids. One of them stayed on home plate, giving the kids tips on how to plant their feet, position their hips, swing the bat and run to first base. The assistant coach stayed on first base to encourage the hitters to run towards him. There was also a little league team that shadowed all the players on the field so they could give them tips.

Team Mom cheering on the Team in the dugout

Overall, as chaotic as it was, I think everyone had a blast. I got to hang out in the dugout -- I probably should have been on the stands with the rest of the parents but I wanted to take some good pictures of the team without having to look through a fence.

I'll post more team pics as soon as I get them uploaded onto Picasa.


This was Ethan's last at bat. He was 2nd to last on the line up, so after the last batter, he got to run from first base all the way to home base. Gotta love that slide to home plate!!

GO CUBS!