{ Butterflies and Fairies }

We went to the Wild Animal Park yesterday for the last day of the butterfly exhibit. We actually saw the butterflies twice, since the line was so short at the end of the day, and they let us go in, even after the official closing time of the park.


The animals were as entertaining as ever today. Here are two of the three lion cubs that are left here. The three brothers will be seperated soon, since they are maturing, but it was something to watch them playing, their growls were so fierce. They showed us that they are definitely formidible animals.

The boys got up close with the big horn sheep.

We caught the Magic of Metamorphosis show at the old elephant stadium. There are no more elephant shows since the stars of the show, the asain elephants, have all been moved to the zoo.

My daughter was chosen to participate, and they pulled this banner out of a box that was hanging on the stage. It has her name, relative age (78) and her exact spelling of chrysalis. She was so excited. My son put on my's hat trying to get their attention but they chose his sister!

In the butterfly exhibit, he was starting to think that the butterflies would never land on him. Since it was the last day, there weren't as many butterflies as usual left fluttering around.

Finally, the magic happened for both of them.

Why, you ask, does my son think the butterflies should always land on him? When we visited the Martins in Canada during June of 2007, we went to the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. They loved him there, and he almost always had a butterfly on him somewhere. When this butterfly landed on his face, a woman stopped and started taking pictures of him. Then she gave me her card and asked if she could use his picture in an article she was writing. This is his claim to fame, right here.

Here's my daughter pretending to be a butterfly last weekend. Really, it's at her friends' birthday party. It was a fairy party and they all dressed up like fairies!

{ Happy Earth Day }

Ok, I admit it. I'm green. I'm a tree hugger. Who doesn't like trees? Here are my little tree huggers at the Arboretum in 2007. We really need to get back there!

Since the kids were born, I've transitioned more and more to non-toxic, natural products for my home. My poor baby's skin did not like Johnson & Johnson's baby soap. She had the worst eczema. It was horrible to see her dry, cracked, bleeding skin. After years of special prescription ointments and Eucerin lotion I finally started using all natural laundry detergents and shampoo and soap for her. Her skin got better! Then I stopped the ointment and Eucerin in favor of Alba Extra Emollient lotion. Guess what? No more cracked skin. She still gets dry patches, but only because she refuses to lotion herself after she takes a bath. Some day she'll figure it out. In the meantime her skin is so much better!

Since some common household cleaners contain known carcinogens, I stopped using them, too. Pledge wood cleaner is banned from my house forever! I use vinegar and baking soda for most of my cleaning. Wow, can you imagine? Here's a tip for cleaning windows and mirrors with vinegar. I always add one drop of dish soap to my mix of half vinegar and half water. It cuts the film that glass cleaners leave, so the streaks are gone! Amazing stuff! Ever heard of using your vim and vinegar to clean house? That's me!

We walk the kids to school. I have "green" reusable bags to take to the grocery store. In a few years, the plastic bags will be banned in California, although I think they might start by charging you per bag first. I take baths instead of the long hot showers I used to take. Believe me, it's much more relaxing to take that bath every night anyway. We recycle everything that we can. We planted our own tomato bush and we have apple and peach trees, too. I don't use pesticides at my house except when absolutely needed (ie. invasion of the ants), and I try to buy organic whenever possible. All that pesticide ends up somewhere. It's so sad that the California Condor almost went extinct due to pesticide use! Imagine a world without bees or butterflies. It could happen.

We learn from our National Parks about how to take care of our world. We don't litter. We always stay on the trail. Going off-trail forms new trails and causes erosion. It also "busts the crust". We just learned that most soils have a crust of microorganisms which all help to add nutrients to the soil for the plants and to prevent erosion. In the desert, this crust is crucial. It makes the difference between beautiful plants and a big open nothingness of dirt. We never pick wildflowers. Picking wildflowers robs them of the chance to set seed for the next year's wildflowers.

I want to make our planet a good place for my kids as well as everyone else to live. I feel responsible for teaching my kids how to take care of their world. I'm not perfect. I'm sure there are areas where I can improve. But I think that as long as I take the time to learn more and implement things in my house to help the environment, I'm on the right track!

{ the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day }

I woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. when my husband climbed into bed and then I got out of bed at 6:30 a.m. when the kids got out of their beds and I was still tired and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.

I tried to be quiet and get everyone to eat without a fuss but while we were leaving at 8:00am the door shut loudly behind us. So much for not waking up daddy. I think I'll move to Italy.

I got sunburned sitting in the park while the kids took turns in art class and I forgot to bring snacks and toys, and I was late getting home from art class and didn't get enough to eat for lunch, and I got more sunburned at another park watching my son's baseball game. I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I could tell, because I hadn't gotten enough drinks for baseball snacks so I had to stop at Walmart to pick more up, and when I got to the game and sent Dad to hand out the snacks, I learned that I wasn't supposed to bring snack today and that my snack day had been changed to Monday. I missed that memo. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

That's what it was, because the other mom who was supposed to bring the snack today was irritated because Dad handed out our snacks first and she was stuck with her snacks, so I had to take them home with me for Monday. I think I'll send them to Italy.

I prepared the soil in the backyard to plant seeds and my tomato plant, and the dog next door barked loudly in my ears the whole time, and I can still hear the barking rolling around in my brain. I told Dad that I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He didn't even answer me.

I got myself and the kids bathed early so we could eat quesadillas, bake cookies and watch a movie in peace but some of the cookies burned and the movie was scary.

I wish I had just stayed in bed today. I can't wait to go to bed and start a fresh new day. I really want this terrible, horrible, no good very bad day to end. Paul says some days are like that. Even in Italy.

{ For more terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day adventures check here. }

{ Traditions Old and New }

We had a lovely day on Easter Sunday. The kids started off the day with an Easter egg hunt in the back yard. I remember doing this very same thing every Easter with my brother. The excitement would build in us until we just couldn't take it. What treats and toys were hidden in those rainbow colored eggs? What fun to watch the excitement again through my children's eyes.

Another tradition, 2000 years old, Easter mass. Then home to get started cooking up our Easter dinner of lamb, asparagus, red potatoes, green beans, and Easter bread. I found these recipes last year, and this dinner is now our new family Easter tradition. I started off with the Easter bread. It's so yummy, we ate the entire thing with our dinner.

We also enjoyed a little wine with dinner, the kids had sparkling strawberry juice. It seems he's practicing for later in life.

For dessert, there were birds nests and grasshopper pie.

We enjoyed the day being together. We watched a movie in the afternoon, but took an intermission and went outside to play a bit. The kids and dad played hide and seek. Mom took pictures. It was such a beautiful day.

The end.

{ Happy Easter!!! }

Speaking of family traditions, here are some pictures of Grandma's famous Easter bunny cake. Those are the sweet memories I'm talking about! We love that bunny cake! Other traditions today: the kids did their Easter egg hunt this morning. The Easter bunny left goodies for the kids. My daughter got a skating outfit for her AG doll Mia, a Peter Rabbit tea set and a handball. My son got some Cars toys and Indiana Jones toys. They each got a water squirter for the pool and a giant bubble set. You know, the kind that make really big bubbles. They also got bubbles after mass today from Father Mark, his tradition. He's leaving in May to a new assignment. I hope the next priest likes kids as much as Father Mark does. Back later with some new traditions our little family celebrates...

{ Conversations About the Easter Bunny }

Tonight, while getting dressed for bed, my son said "Mommy, you know the Easter bunny is fake!" I said, "Really, why do you think that?" He replied, "Because that bunny today, did you see, I saw his shirt! He was really a boy!" So I told him how there were at least four different places where they needed the bunny at the same day. So, he has these helpers in bunny suits go around to all the different egg hunts to help him out. After all, he's only a bunny. "Yeah," he said, "he doesn't bring as much as Santa. Santa's the best!"

Last week we were cruising the isles at Walmart and checking out the Easter goodies. My son asked me how the eggs get there. I told him I don't know and asked what he thought. He said, "I know, the Easter bunny brings them here so everyone can get them."

Sounds like he's been thinking pretty hard about the Easter bunny these days. My daughter, on the other hand, is pretty mum this year about mystical beings such as Santa and the bunny. I think she's probably figured it out, but doesn't want to say anything and ruin it for herself. She loves getting toys and goodies from Santa and the Easter bunny.

Happy Easter to everyone. Jesus is risen!

{ Holy Saturday and too Much Easter Bunny }

Really, can you get too much of the Easter bunny? I think we've seen him more this year than Santa! We went to the city's Easter egg hunt at Temeku Hills park this morning. We waited for Dad to get up - poor guy, he got less than five hours of sleep. We pulled in at exactly 10:00 and the kids were already lined up to go. Thank goodness the announcer took forever to tell the kids to go! We might have missed it. There were so many goodies spread out for the kids. Toy and candy filled eggs, chip bags, rice krispy treats, straws and these really cool masks. Check out all that loot. They definitely had more than the church did. This egg hunt was at least three times longer too.

We were only there for half an hour and then we came home. After some lunch, we got to work coloring our eggs. The kids loved the magic crayons to write on the eggs with before coloring them.

And, of course, we couldn't forget the cool Easter bunny cake that Grandma made when I was a little girl. It's such a sweet memory, I'm so glad that I get to do this with my kids. Sans coconut, in case you're wondering. The kids won't have it!

{ Good Friday }

Good Friday to everyone! We're all a bit hungry and have some serious sweet tooths that want to be satisfied, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow. We're fasting and abstaining from meat today in honor of Jesus' death on the cross to redeem us sinners. It's the least we could do. I learned several years ago that this Custom of the church is not in any way dictated or required by God, nor is it found anywhere in the bible. This is a thing that Catholics do as a kind of "thank you" for loving us so much!

The kids are both enrolled in this session of Musical Theater class. It's held in the Old Town Theater, which we just love. It's very similar to a class that was offered at their school, but we missed that one. This one is actually less expensive, and my son can take it, too, so we signed up! Here are the kids outside of the theater. Isn't it cool? They are singing and dancing a routine to "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast. The last session my daughter took, they did "Life is a Cabaret" and "We Go Together" from Grease. She had so much fun! My son really loved his first day in this class (rather than watching as he's used to doing.) This is the first dance class that he didn't just start crying and run out of. I think he's growing up! Even his teacher commented today that he seems to have matured a lot since she got him in January. It's a relief!

Dad started his 12 weeks on night shift this week. We're watching a movie right now and then we'll take some salmon dinner to him. The cafeteria at his work is not very good for no meat Fridays during lent. The kids enjoy being the chuck wagon on occasion. We did it on Halloween and also new year's eve. Seems he's on nights most holidays these days.

{ Palm Sunday a Day of Celebration and Fun }

Ok, so we went to mass last night. I love reenacting the Lord's passion at Palm Sunday mass. It always gets me choked up a little bit to think of what He went through for us. My daughter followed the entire thing. Luckily, my son was off to Little Church to learn about it in a kid friendly way.

Today we went to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. We were going to go biking or fishing, but the wind was kicking up, so we opted for something a little more indoors. We needed to update our membership here, so off we went. Our membership at this museum gets us into two museums in San Diego, the Phoenix Science Center and at least three museums in Albequerque for FREE! Bubble Fest was going on, so the kids got to learn about and play with bubbles.

They also had a really good exhibit on the science of hockey. My son just had to try to be goalie, and he really wanted the stick!

We actually took this picture on August 27, 2008. After this picture was taken, we went for dinner where my daughter lost her tooth - but that's another story. The building is painted a bit different now and the red balls are now painted like planets. There were so many people there today that a picture like this was out of the question.

We love to stop at Watson's Drug & Soda Fountain in Orange. It's about a mile and a half from the museum. This place has been there for at least a century. It's also where this movie was filmed.

We love to go there for milk shakes and chocolate malts. Yummy. Today we also enjoyed fries and onion rings.

Here's Watsons from the park in the center of the round-about. See the blue awning?

{ Hunting for Easter Eggs }

Three, two, one and they're off! We went to the church this morning for thier annual Easter egg hunt. It was fun! First we hit the jumpy slide. The kids can never get too much of that. Father Mark started off the hunt with a blessing, then the kids went at it. The kids got about eight eggs each and they got to go to the prize booth to pick a prize. They both picked paddle balls.

{ Swinging Day }

My daughter hiked up the swing today, climbed up there and swung to her heart's content. We were on the way out to Michael's to pick up some craft supplies, but she really wanted to go outside for a bit before I scooted her out the door. She was really proud of her high swing invention.

We got our supplies - charm bracelet materials, clay and some white foam board (My son wants to make a storm trooper uniform) - then stopped at Armstrong nursery. I love going to the nursery and stocking up on plants. We bought some trailing yellow petunias for the back yard urns. The daisies and pink geraniums from last year are still doing well. Hopefully the potato vines will come back again this year. I also bought a beautiful purple delphinium for the shade garden. I only got one since I don't know if the snails or other critters will eat it. I looked for an early girl tomato plant, but they didn't have that variety. Those are the only tomatoes that I can get to produce tons of yummy tomoatoes almost all year long without any effort. Since I couldn't find those, I got a tomatillo plant instead. I think the critters will want to eat it, so I'm going to grow it bigger indoors and then transplant it later. It would be great to get some homegrown, organic tomatillos this year. We'll see how it goes. My pepper plant only made one edible pepper last year before succombing to critters, even with a cage around it.