the pixie dust pan

website

2010-09-07T18:13:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited that my website is coming along. I have had so many people (Friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends) ask me to take pictures of their kids, that I thought I would try a website and see what happens! It's almost finished. http://www.maisijulianphotography.com

I'm excited to see what the next few months holds!! I'm taking several photography classes on line, trying to build my portfolio, and save up to buy some new lenses and equipment. So far I'm have so much fun. My dream is to be a "real" professional children's photographer! I'm hoping that my client base will build in Alexandria, VA and grow from there into the northern virginia & Washington, DC metro area. We'll see what happens!!

Breakfast

2010-06-23T00:58:00.002-04:00

MMMMMM. Nothing like refined corn, sugar, red #40, yellow #6, and blue #1 to start the day!

The breakfast of champions!!!

(Well, we we're at Grammie and Papa's house, so it's a special treat. . .It's o.k. once in a while, right??? In fact. . . I might have to have a bowl myself right now. . .)

Father's Day

2010-06-22T16:10:00.004-04:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!

"Walk a Little Slower Daddy,"

Said a little child so small.

I'm following in your footsteps

And I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast.

Sometimes they're hard to see;

So walk a little slower Daddy

For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up,

You're what I want to be;

Then I will have a little child

Who'll want to follow me.

And I will want to lead just right,

And know that I was true;

So, walk a little slower, Daddy.

For I must follow you.

I got this poem from my brother and his wife (their baby boy's daycare sent it home with a footprint for Father's Day).

I had to share it.

Happy Father's Day to my sweet husband!!

What A Wonderful World

2010-06-01T18:25:00.009-04:00

Last week I had one of those c-r-a-z-y days and nights that leave me questioning why I decided to procreate in the first place.

All day we were running around, and for some reason my little fella kept losing things, dropping things, scraping things, bumping things, breaking things, and basically just driving me nucking futs.

Bed time (or, rather, bedlam time) was harried and I was at my wits' end. We read story after story, and finally my Mr. J started to fall asleep. I was lying next to him in the gray shadows, and he started to sing - - in a whisper - - the song "What a Wonderful World." He was also doing the sign language (I see trees of green, red roses too/I see them bloom, for me and you/ then I think to myself, what a wonderful world. . .). I was lying there next to him in awe that this little person was singing to himself and doing the signs with his chubby hands in the air. Tears started to run out of the corners of my eyes as I realized how utterly blessed I am. But I didn't move or say a word because I didn't want to disturb his reverie.

I didn't know that my three-year-old had been learning the song as part of his pre-school end of the year presentation for the parents. I was so thrilled that he knew the song, and I wanted to tell him how much I loved it, but I could tell he was almost asleep so I saved my accolades for the morning. What made it even more special to me is that it's sort of my husband's and my "song," and my sweet husband made me a photo montage at our rehearsal dinner with that as one of the background songs.

I felt terrible that I had wanted to sell my little boy to the highest bidder earlier in the day, but in that moment I realized how loving and sweet he is, and how much I enjoy having him in my life. Then my little angel rolled over and went to sleep. What a wonderful world, indeed.

A Not-So-Great Day

2010-04-30T23:15:00.009-04:00

What's worse than being stuck at home with a sprained ankle? Being stuck at home with a sprained ankle and two kids with horrible colds and pink eye!!!

This week really ended on a low note. I thought for sure I would get one day to just rest my foot and get a few things done sans les enfants! But alas, no.

Mr. J woke up with a terrible cough STILL (5th day in a row), so I couldn't bring him to school in good conscience, even though all I wanted to do was drop him off at the preschool and say, "your turn! Have a nice day!"

And Miss K caught his pink eye from Tuesday and she woke up with yucky, gunky eyes, so I couldn't send her to school. (Thankfully, the doctor gave me extra eye drops when I took Mr. J in case it spread).

I mean, one sick kid home is o.k. because he or she is probably going to quietly lie on the sofa with his or her blankie and cuddle with you, read books, watch a little t.v. and sleep. But TWO sick kids. . .that is a whole 'nother thing.

The coughs and stuffy noses I can handle, but the eye stuff really freaks me out. . .So I spent a good part of my day pinning my children to the ground while trying to "drop" eye drops into their eyes whilst keeping my aching, throbbing foot away from their flailing arms and legs.

The directions on the medicine bottle simply say "put one drop in each eye three times a day." They should say:

1. Pin child down by sitting on your child's legs using your feet to hold down his/her arms. 2. Somehow pry one eyelid open with one hand

3. Use your other hand to pinch a drop out of the bottle

4. Watch it spill down his/her cheek as he/she squirms and screams at you

5. Wipe it up with your sleeve.

6. Repeat until you get at least a hundredth of one drop somewhere near their eyeball.

That's basically what happened six times today.

And to top it off, the window man came to give us an estimate on new windows today! It took TWO HOURS for him to tell me that it will cost a gigantibazillion dollars to get our windows replaced.

And during his stay in my house (which coincided with snack, lunch, another snack, and me yelling at the kids at least 7,654 times) the kids kept screaming and taunting one another until I sent them both to their rooms (which didn't last very long since they know the jail keeper, yours truly, is injured and can't make it up the stairs quickly enough, so they took full advantage and kept coming downstairs).

And the window man and I kept being interrupted with conversations like this:

child: mommy, can I have some hot chocolate?

me: no

child: why?

me: because I said so (lame, I know, but I was busy!)

child: but I want some

me: I said NO, now go in the other room and watch Dora

child: but I don't want to watch Dora, I reaaaalllllllllllly want hot chocolate. I'll make it myself

me: o.k. but DON'T MAKE A MESS

child: o.k.

Ten Minutes Later as I walk across the kitchen to get a pen

me: WHY IS THERE HOT CHOCOLATE ALL OVER THE FLOOR??????!!!!!!

child: It was an accident!!!!

me: well, CLEAN IT UP (handing the child a paper towel and chemical-laden spray bottle that probably says on it "keep away from children")

child: I don't want to clean it up (sits on the floor)

Me: Fine, I will clean it up and you will have all your Littlest Petshops taken away!

child: ok, I will. (Grabs the spray. Begins spraying the entire kitchen floor and cabinets indiscriminately)

Me: ignores this because she is quiet and sort of helping and I can talk to the window man now

Ten Minutes Later

Me: WHY ARE THERE WET HOT CHOCOLATE PUDDLES ALL OVER THE FLOOR????!!!!

you can predict, most likely, that this goes only downhill from here.

After the window man left (probably to go call social services) it just devolved into a day of yelling, hitting (the kids not me), screaming, sulking, crying, CHAOS. It really didn't seem to matter what I did, they just didn't want to cooperate at all. I know they didn't feel well, and I didn't feel well, and we were all getting on each other's nerves, but did it have to be so bad?

I even took them outside in the yard to plant some flowers (they kept turning on the hose when I told them to turn it off, about 150 times), try to fly kites - - Miss K tangled up all the string and wouldn't help wind it back up, and I thought I would really just about have a massive tantrum, throw it in the garbage and tell her she would never have a kite again as long as she lived, but then I had to remind myself that I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND PSYSCHOLOGY FROM HARVARD, and that might not be the MOST RESPONSIBLE or DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE REACTION to have with a six-year-old.

So, they argued and fought with me over every single thing we did today, including bath time, which they usually love, until they fell asleep.

And to top it all off, my dear hubby called and had just about the worst day of work he's ever had, and my computer isn't working right, AND I got my first PHOTOGRAPHIC MOVING VIOLATION TICKET in the mail!!!! I actually went right through a red light I don't even remember going through while visiting my family for my brother's wedding two weekends ago! And they have an awesome picture of my car doing it, including an up-close pictures of my license plate. Can you believe that???? (kind of scary, I know! On many different personal and constitutional levels).

And all the while, my ankle and foot look like this:

Left: not normal Right: normal

and feel like this:

or this:

BUT, one of my sweet friends brought me an iced latte from Starbucks and brought her kids over to play for a little bit outside late this afternoon, even though my children basically have the plague. Can you believe that??? And she totally made my day!!!

How great is that?????

So she was my pixie dust today!!!!

I'm going to bed!

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-04-27T21:36:00.007-04:00

Peanut Butter Cookies

Mr. J absolutely covered in flour!

Yes, I got out the dustpan for this endeavor!

mmmmm. Warm PB cookies!

So today I was home, on crutches, with two sick kids. I sprained my ankle two weeks ago, tearing three ligaments (doing a very graceful hurdle over stacked yoga blocks in a sports training class at the gym - - guess I need more sports training.)

I was SO looking forward to just putting my foot up and resting today since both kids are in school on Tuesdays, but they both starting having fevers Sunday night, and were still sick this morning. Miss K is better now, but Mr. J still has a bad fever.

So while the tylenol and ibuprofin were at their maximum blood levels today, and the kids were feeling great, playing, and making me question why I kept them home, I decided to make some peanut butter cookies. Here's why: I was bored. I was hungry. I was craving peanut butter.

Should I have done what the doctor said and stayed off my foot? Yes, but how is one supposed to do that when taking care of a six-year-old and VERY active three-year-old? So, I hobbled over and got all the ingredients ready on my crutches, hoping the kids would not notice.

Well, they immediately noticed (my kids come running at the sound of any cabinet or pantry door opening). And, of course, they wanted to help, so I sat on a barstool and we all made a huge mess making peanut butter cookies. But they were yummy!!! I got the recipe off the internet, and changed it a little. The cutest part was when Mr. J said, "Mommy, Santa is sure going to LOVE these cookies!" (it's April!).

By the way, it's not easy to hold crutches, a broom, and a dustpan all at once. Luckily, Miss K was a big help!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 melted butter

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 C flour

Mix the butter, PB, and sugars, add the egg. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet. Form balls with your hands, and use a fork to make the criss cross pattern to flatten the cookies. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.

White House Easter Egg Roll Tips

2010-04-15T11:46:00.029-04:00

Tips for the White House Easter Egg Roll:

1. Wear comfortable shoes - I can't believe how many women I saw in high heels and Sunday dresses. . .you are on the grass, and you have to walk a lot and wait a lot. It is not a dressy occasion!

2. Bring things appropriate for the weather - sunscreen if it's sunny, umbrellas if it's rainy, jackets if it's cold. Again, you are outside and WAITING. You don't want to miserable.

3. Read the Whitehouse.gov website before you go. Don't bring backpacks or food, or anything else they prohibit.

4. Bring a stroller if you need one. We didn't because we weren't sure if we could, but it would have been nice to have a stroller to put stuff in and to put our kids in when they got tired.

5. Keep your expectations low; you are going to be waiting with A LOT of people. Just go with the flow!

6. Bring a camera! The pictures are the best part, it is definitely a "Kodak moment."

7. When your children do the egg roll, stand at the finish line so you can get their picture with the White House in the background. A lot of people took pictures of their kids, but didn't get the White House in the picture!

8. Try to pick 2 or 3 things you and your kids really want to do. You probably won't get to do all of it in the time allotted, so move quickly. We were sort of walking about aimlessly, and ended up wasting a lot of time.

Our Experience:

We were fortunate enough to get tickets for our family to attend the 2010 Easter Egg Roll. These tickets are almost impossible to get, and I've tried for three years with no luck! But this year we got them! Last year was the first year you could get tickets online, and the system was terrible. I couldn't even get on the website! This year they seem to have worked out the kinks. You can get on the website a few weeks before the event, so check on the whitehouse.gov website to see when tickets are given out.

I had visions of us lounging on the White House lawn drinking punch while children whimsically rolled brightly colored eggs along the grass . . .Well, we had a wonderful time, and got some great pictures, but I thought I would fill everyone in on the real story!

First, we were there with about 10,000 other people who also thought they would be in an "intimate" and "exclusive" group. In fact, 30,000 people got tickets, broken up into three time slots. We had the 11:45 - 2:45 time slot.

We arrived at about 11:00 (after parking in Rosslyn and taking the metro to the Federal Triangle stop) and we waited in a line for about 45 minutes before showing our tickets and going through security. We we had looked on the Whitehouse.gov website, so we knew not to bring backpacks or food with us. The family in front of us had a large backpack, and they had to leave it in the security area (and the security people told them they couldn't promise it would be there when they returned). LOTS of people brought food, and it was all put in the garbage. . .so if you go in the future, do not bring backpacks or food! I had a small backpack purse, and that was fine. And people had diaper bags, etc. Cameras and video cameras were fine, but you had to turn on the cameras to show that they worked.

After going through security, we then entered a "holding area" on the grass inside a fence. We were given bags with a commemorative poster inside, a program, and a map of the lawn.

It was about 80 degrees (thank God it wasn't cold or raining!!) and thankfully, I had put sunscreen on my fair skinned children in the morning, or they would have been burned to a crisp.

We waited in the holding area for about an hour and a half!!! They gave out bottles of water, Odwalla Bars, and juice boxes, which was great because by then we were starving and thirsty. This was the worst part because my three year old was tired and bored, and we were just standing there in the sun with everyone else. My kids were so patient and I was very proud of them. . .we had been up since 7, ridden in the car in traffic, been on the metro, walked about a mile, and now they were just waiting in the sun waiting to go to a place they didn't even care about!

We were supposed to be on the White House Lawn at 11:45, but we didn't actually get in until about 1:15. We had to wait in another line to get from the holding area to the South Lawn. But it was so cool once we got there! I mean we were RIGHT THERE. We were much closer to the White House than I even thought they would allow.

We were sort of getting our bearings, when I saw about 10 secret service people walking quickly in a group, and then I realized they were walking with Michele Obama, Malia, and Sasha! I didn't have my camera out, so I didn't get a picture as they walked by us. By the time I got it out, my husband grabbed it and ran to follow them. He got a picture, but it's hard to tell it's them:

There were characters walking around (Elmo, etc.) and lots of stations to go to. There was egg dyeing, an egg hunt, the actual egg rolling station, a stage, and a garden area where you could get seeds, see fruits and vegetables, and see how to grow things. We chose to do the egg rolling, since that was the main reason we came, but we had to get in line for that, too. While we were in line, we could hear Justin Bieber singing on the stage (my five year old daughter sort of knows that he is popular, but doesn't really know who he is, but she was disappointed that we missed him). We probably waited in line for about 30 minutes, and we finally got to do the egg roll!

There are about 10 rows of children, and each child gets a large spoon and a dyed egg. Then they blow a whistle, and the kids have a race rolling the egg to the finish line (about 40 feet). It lasted about 30 seconds!!! Then we were done. But we did get some neat pictures.

We walked around a little and got a few more pictures of the White House. One of the neatest parts for me was seeing the Washington Monument from the White House lawn (and the Jefferson Memorial to its right). That is just an angle you never get to see in "real life" and it's beautiful!

There was a Redskins area where Redskins football players were doing agility type drills with kids, so my husband did that with my son. Then my daughter really wanted to do the egg hunt, so we went down to wait in line for that. We were right by the stage and we saw Sarah Bareilles playing (she sounded amazing, BTW). We waited in the egg hunt line for about 10 minutes, and then they told us that our time was up and there were no more eggs for our group! Then an announcement was made that our group had to exit the lawn so the next group could arrive. We couldn't believe it!

We were told that we would get our wooden eggs as we exited (the painted wooden egg with the White House seal and the President's signature is sort of the prize for going and much coveted keepsake in the DC area! Ours are going in our china cabinet!). So we started to make our way to the exit. We walked by the gardening area, and luckily we were able to get 2 large apples they were handing out for our kids who were completely parched by this time. The apples saved us!

As we walked to the exit we had to wait in line yet again to get the souvenir wooden eggs! Each child received an egg as well as a box of marshmallow Peeps.

We started walking to the metro, but the kids were so hungry that we went into a coffee shop for a little lunch and some smoothies.

Our kids probably didn't think it was very fun, but my husband and I were thrilled to see the White House "up close" and get pictures there, and hopefully our kids will appreciate it when they are older.

Egg Roll History (from the program we were given)

"President Abraham Lincoln's son, Tad, hosted the first documented informal egg-rolling parties in 1861, however the tradition we know today as the Easter Egg Roll was established by President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy.

According to press accounts from the early 1870s, young egg-rollers would flock to the Capitol's steep, grassy terraces every Easter Monday for an exhilarating day of play. . .Over the years, participants included the family of Alexander Graham Bell, the children of President Theodore Roosevelt, and a young Charles Lindbergh. . .In 1927 five-year-old Nancy Reagan attended the event. . .The famous egg rolling race was introduced in 1974 when youngsters wielding presidential serving spoons would roll, push, and occasionally toss colorful hard-boiled eggs (prepared by White House chefs) on their way to the finish line. . .Today the Easter Egg Roll is the largest public event held at the White House. . .While a few things have changed since the turn-of-the-century, rolling a hard-boiled egg across the White House lawn is still everything it's cracked up to be."

The wait was tough, and our kids probably would have had more fun playing at a playground, but it was worth it to get a family picture right in front of the White House!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T23:14:00.009-04:00

I had a St. Patrick's Day party at our house today for some of my mom friends and their kids. We had nine children from the ages of 2 to 6 and they all played so well together! No one got injured (well, one little friend got splinters in her hand when my daughter "accidentally" pushed her and she fell on the deck. . .but at least there was no blood) and nothing got broken!

We even went outside to play because it was a gorgeous day. . .65 degrees and SUNNY! It felt so nice to be in the sunshine after being cooped inside for the past few months.

I got some inexpensive crafts from Oriental Trading Company that the kids could do by themselves (stickers, shamrock decorations, etc.) as well as these adorable pots that we filled with plastic

green necklaces (from the Dollar Store) and chocolate gold coins.

I made green champagne punch for the moms. I used about 2/3 champagne, 1/3 Midori (green melon liqueur) and 1/3 Sprite. I don't know if it's a real cocktail, but it tasted good and it was, well, GREEN:

We had lots of snacks for the kids, and everyone brought a "grown up" snack to share for the moms.

I think I will have to make it an annual event. It's a nice way to celebrate spring!

Instructions for Life

2010-03-03T12:55:00.003-05:00

Last night we had my in-laws over for dinner. Miss K was showing her Grammie the new seeds and indoor seed starter kit we bought.

Miss K: Grammie, look! There are INSTRUCTIONS on the back!!

Grammie: Well, yes there are! That will be helpful!

Miss K: Yes. Well, everything comes with instructions!

Grammie: Yes, everything except life.

Wise words from a wise Grammie!

Tantrums 'n' Cupcakes

2010-02-28T21:38:00.007-05:00

Have you ever had to pick up a completely obnoxious, kicking and screaming almost three-year-old off the ground in front of a group of onlookers? I did it yesterday. Twice.

We were in Old Town Alexandria where I took my kids to get out of the house since we have been housebound from the snow for what feels like six months. Hubby had to work, so I thought I would bundle them up and take them to a paint-your-own pottery place, have lunch at Cosi (where they have table top s'mores!), and ride the free trolley up and down King Street. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

It actually was a really fun day for the most part. . . we avoided a lot of potential tantrums using my tried and true discipline methods: a) diversion b) distraction and especially, c) bribery.

Pottery painting went well because Mr. J actually was engrossed with painting the shark he picked out, and it kept him occupied for about half an hour! No paint was spilled, no pottery broke, and we were able to leave the place unscathed.

Lunch went well since no drinks were knocked over, no food was dumped on the floor, and the kids did not ignite themselves or anything else with their marshmallows, or stab anyone in the eye with the fatally sharp roasting sticks. And we even got daddy a lunch to take home!

We even went into A STORE THAT SOLD TOYS without a tantrum or fight (although several things were knocked over) and the nice store owner gave the kids balloons for being so good!

The trolley went well because Mr. J was just thrilled to be sitting in an actual red trolley, we all had a place to sit, and the kids held their balloons down so none of the passengers got bumped in the head.

And then we got off the trolley. . .

And as it rolled away, Mr. J threw himself down on the brick sidewalk and sobbed. And screamed. And kicked. And shrieked. And just as he started to yell, "Where is the trolley going????" And then his face fell, the tears came, and he yelled, "I want to go on the TROLLLLLLLLLLLLEY!"

And at that second, a gaggle of late twenty-year-old, extremely well dressed, well-coiffed women exited the boutique in front of us. I heard one say, "Yeah, I got the bag at Nordie's. . ." over the screams coming from below me, and then the coterie of women stood there in silence, staring at me, the lady with the screaming child at her feet. They couldn't really walk around us because we were blocking them. So they all stood there watching me try to coerce my little brat - - I mean, boy - - off the ground.

I finally just got down and scooped him up kicking and screeching. I felt like I was in a movie. Here I am, balloons flying everywhere, purse on the ground, kid screaming, and when I get down to pick him up, I see all these Tory Burch and Gucci flats pointing right at me. I couldn't look up and see their owners' disgusted faces. I just grabbed Miss K's hand, held on as Mr. J wailed, and walked away with one pink and one blue balloon trailing behind us. I heard one of the girls say, "That's why I don't want kids!" Yeah. That's what I used to say before I had kids when I saw moms with brats.

And so, being a good mom, I bribed Mr. J with food to get him to stop screaming. I knew there was a new cupcake shop near where we had parked, so I said, "let's get a cupcake!" Now, is going into a store something a mom with a five year-old, and an overly tired, pissed-off-that-he-can't ride-the-trolley-two-year-old, and two balloons should do about an hour after giving her kids marshmallows and melted chocolate??? No, I can tell you, it is absolutely not something she should do. . .

But as we got up to the cupcake shop, I could see there was no one in the store, and I thought to myself, "We'll just sneak in, grab a few to bring home to daddy, and be on our merry way!"

Well, this place was not really meant for kids. And it didn't really feel like a cupcake store. . .it felt like a museum. The walls were painted dark brown, and there was nothing in the store except a big counter with about six kinds of cupcakes sitting on slabs of marble. Luckily, they also had a huge plate of plexi-glass in front so that little brats couldn't reach up and touch the cupcakes (but they can reach AROUND the plexi-glass on the sides and touch the coconut cupcakes!).

So by the time we decided what type of cupcakes we wanted and had them boxed up, a huge line formed behind us (well, o.k. there were like four people) and Mr. J is starting to yell that he wants a strawberry cupcake. And, wanting to pay and get out of there, I ask the lady if she can put them in a bag for me (since I have to hold hubby's lunch whilst holding the hands of two kids with balloons and walk five blocks down the street). To which she replies, "oh this box doesn't fit in our bags. I will have to RE-PACKAGE THEM INTO TWO SMALLER BOXES."

At this point, my choices are: get out quickly and take the big box with no bag and let the kids walk alone, crossing many streets, while I make sure our cupcakes are safe and the frosting is in no way harmed..

2) wait for her to repackage them all into two smaller boxes that fit in a bag so I can slip it on my arm and hold my kids' hands, even if it means the frosting gets a little smeared.

I really wanted to choose #1 at this point, but I picked #2 (I am a good mom, after all!).

Well, when miss cupcake curator lady FINALLY re-boxed our cupcakes, Mr. J has realized that we are not going to EAT them in the STORE we are TAKING them HOME. And he proceeds to throw a fit very similar to the one I took him to the cupcake store to stop. And once again, I had an audience (and now there are about ten people behind us in line waiting for their overpriced cupcakes). I scooped up Mr. J. under one arm, grabbed our bags, and walked out, Miss K. following closely behind with her pink balloon.

By the time we walked to the car, got both kids buckled in, and got those damn balloons shoved in, I was so needing a cupcake, that I opened one of the boxes and grabbed one, just to have a little lick of frosting.

The cupcakes were all on their sides, and frosting was smeared all over the inside of the box. But they were still yummy.

Spending Freeze

2010-02-21T21:01:00.004-05:00

One unexpected result of the Blizzard of 2010 in our house was that for eleven days I didn't spend any money. I mean none. This unintentional "spending freeze" made me realize how much money I normally spend during a non-snow week.

We have a budget, and we're generally pretty good with money, but this year we want to save more (doesn't everyone in this economy?) and we have definitely cut back on things like eating out, travel, entertainment, etc.

So it was interesting when I looked at our debit card transactions and saw that for ELEVEN DAYS there was no activity on it. That meant no Starbucks, no quick runs through McDonald's, no books or magazines, no finding the "perfect" thing at Target (don't you always find just the perfect thing at Target?) or any other frivolous expenditures. And I realized that all those things that usually end up in the "miscellaneous" column in our budget, just didn't get purchased. And weren't needed.

I really did miss getting a latte at Starbucks, though. I think that's longest I've gone without Starbucks ever - - Something my hubby chided me over (one of my friend's calls it "Fourbucks" and would NEVER buy coffee there, but I really do like it and maybe it's a luxury, but it's a small luxury). But yes, in retrospect, not having it didn't really matter, and saved money.

So, I guess the trick to not spending any money is to just stay HOME. Kind of boring, but it works!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

2010-02-16T23:10:00.003-05:00

Well, it definitely is a FAT TUESDAY for me! I think this might be the fattest tuesday I've ever had (except when I was pregnant)!

It's more like fatty bombatty Tuesday! I've been trying to lose weight since September, and one of my New Year's resolutions was to REALLY get in shape this year! But here I am, 46 days later, sitting fat and happy on Mardi Gras.

I started eating well and working out in September, but then it was my birthday, then Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. . .(then the New Year's resolution) . . .then the Superbowl, Valentine's Day. . .and now I've had my last hurrah. So I've basically been stuffing my pie hole since my birthday. I don't usually give up things for Lent, but maybe this year I will.

Today I ran for the first time in a VERY long time. I signed up to run a 10 mile race at the end of April, so I am really committing to running. I ran 5 minutes, then walked 5 minutes for two miles, and then I walked fast for a mile.

I was going to give up sugar and flour today, too (trying to heat more healthy foods, and get processed foods out of my diet), and I did pretty well until the bewitching hour of 4:00. Then it was all downhill. I had a little ice cream, a couple valentine cookies, and some fat free brownies. Oh well, it could have been worse.

So now, tomorrow is going to be SKINNY WEDNESDAY and I'm REALLY going to do it. I don't think there are any major holidays coming up until Easter. So no excuses!

Any tips are appreciated!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T22:19:00.012-05:00

WARNING: Objects are messier than they appear

Well, instead of sweeping up pixie dust, I've been sweeping up pink sprinkles off the kitchen floor and snowflakes off the back porch!

We made valentine cookies Friday, and there are still sprinkles everywhere! I've learned not to give the kids sprinkle shakers, because then they shake as hard as they can, and sprinkles end up stuck to the bottoms of my feet for days. So now I just put a tiny bit of sprinkles in a little bowl and they sprinkle them on with their fingers. A little better, but sprinkles still manage to get all over the floor!

And even though we have screens on our back porch, somehow snow still got in and covered the wood floor (I guess snowflakes can fit through the tiny holes in a screen during a BLIZZARD), sort of like having sifted snow!!! So I used a broom and dustpan to sweep all the snow off the back porch. I didn't want to have a sheet of ice on the floor (and I still slipped as soon as I walked out there). I had the easy job. Dave had to shovel the entire driveway, walkway, and sidewalks THREE times. We have thirty inches of snow in our yard, but at least the porch, driveway, and sidewalks are clear!

So we have lots of snow and lots of cookies now!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Treasures in the Mundane"

2010-02-11T11:25:00.009-05:00

I am so thrilled for my friends, the Fettes family, who just found out that their adoption is legally finalized! They have been waiting for over two years to adopt Luis, from Guatemala. Jenny and her two other children have been living in Antigua for the past five months (renting an apartment so Luis can live with them) to wait for all of the documents and procedures to go through. It has been a long, slow process, but God has blessed their faithfulness!

I wanted to include a post from their blog.

I think it really captures the idea of "finding the magical in the everyday," or as Jenny calls it, recognizing the "treasures in the mundane:"

One reason that I don't update our blog more often is that I think there might not be anything interesting to report. What I mean is, most of the time, life in Antigua seems rather routine. Church on Sundays, school at home Mondays through Friday. Luis continues to adjust well, learn English, etc. etc.

But I would be remiss not to recognize treasures in the mundane. Earlier in the week, we made dinner and dessert for a neighbor with a new baby. Luis and I sat in front of the hot oven (with the oven light on) and watched butter melt in my casserole dish. He learned words like "gooey" and "melty", and after we finished making a layered cookie dessert, he said "yummy"! It's been a long time since I had time in my schedule to watch butter melt.

And on another night, after his bath, Luis and I watched the colored water going down the drain. He learned the word, "Whirlpool"!! How fun!

Before they went to bed, we watched another Saturday night Antigua fireworks show. I thought even the fireworks have become a routine occurrence!

But then I realized, how can seeing our dreams of Luis becoming part of our family ever become routine and mundane? How can watching miracles and experiencing answered prayers ever grow old?

I hope this post inspires you as much as it did me. It really is true that, "the little things in life are really the big things."

Snowmaggedon

2010-02-10T00:10:00.009-05:00

We are now heading into day FIVE of being snowed in, and another foot or more is expected overnight. This is really unbelievable. But fun, if you have electricity, heat, and lots of food. So we're making the best of it.

So far I've heard the funny terms "snowmaggedon," "snowlapalooza," "snOMG," "snowcatraz," and my personal favorite, "Snowtorious B.I.G." to describe the weather crippling the DC area. All I can say is: "SNOW WAY OUT" and "SNOWHERE TO GO!"

Well, that's not entirely true. Today we were able to make it to a friend's house for a couple of hours so that our kids could play. My friend set up a table for painting. (It took longer to put on the plastic table cloth, open the paints, get the water and brushes out, lay out the paper, and pull up the kids' sleeves than it did for them to paint their pictures! So much for fun arts and crafts activities to keep the kids busy inside!). So the kids painted some beautiful pictures and entertained themselves with toys long enough for the moms to eat a yummy lunch of home-made tabouleh, tacos and coffee ice cream!

Now, we're back stuck at home.

Thankfully, Valentine's day is coming and I had already bought stuff for making valentines and some new heart cookie cutters before the blizzard. So the past couple of days, we have made valentines and baked cookies while being snowed in.

It's nice to have a simple lifestyle with nothing on the calendar. Although, the negative side to that is all I want to do is bake, cook, and eat! In addition to heart-shaped sugar cookes with frosting and sprinkles, we have baked bread, made chocolate chip cookies (twice), had lots of cocoa, and eaten through one heart shaped box of mini Reese's cups that I broke into during a PMS frenzy. . .(sorry, Dave) and this was supposed to by my week to start training for a 10 mile run. Uh oh.

But there are lots of pluses to being snowed in. I think my husband is thrilled because I can't go anywhere and spend money! And we're getting lots of sleep, eating all our meals together, and we're taking turns watching the kids (he can't go to work) so we both get a break. I think there's something to this! So, maybe we are a little stir crazy. At least we're not running around constantly feeling completely overwhelmed!!!

Any ideas for indoor activities for tomorrow? And the next day? And probably the day after that??

Some New Books

2010-01-27T21:19:00.008-05:00

I went to the library last week (before I got strep!) and found some books that looked interesting: The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka, Organize Your Family's Schedule...In No Time by Valentina Sgro and Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgernstern. (Can you tell I'm still working on my New Year's Resolutions?)

I've spent quite a bit of time in bed the past few days, so I had some time to read. I haven't finished the books, but here are my "reviews" so far:

The Not So Big Life - This is written by an architect, who wrote The Not So Big House. The sub-title of this book is, "Making Room For What Really Matters." I love the idea of this book, and it has a lot of neat writing exercises for figuring out what you really want in life (and getting rid of what you don't want). Susanka challenges a lot of underlying assumptions we have as 21st century Americans (like the notion that we are supposed to work our whole lives and save for retirement, when we will finally get to "live" and relax), and she asks intriging questions like "Does the way you live now resemble the life you aspired to when you were younger?" and "What makes you feel most alive?" The book is a little disorganized and reads in some places like a journal (like when the author goes into deep detail about her dreams and what the symbols in her dreams mean), but it is a thought-provoking book.

Organize Your Family's Schedule . . .In No Time. O.K. this book is a joke. It has so many charts, checklists, to-do lists, and graphs that will ADD more to do in your life and make you feel completely overwhelmed instead of making your life easier. I really can't believe how anyone can live this way. For instance, one sample chart for cleaning the bathroom states, "The tasks on this monthly checklist have been arranged chronologically to make it easier to see how much time needs to blocked off on the family planner each day." HUH? Sorry, I'm not blocking off time on my "family planner" for bathroom cleaning. And then the chart has things on it like, "Buy new towels, first Tuesday, 1 hour Mom" and "wash master bath walls, 3rd Monday, 5o min., Dad" I mean, really???? Wash the bathroom walls???? If I had time to sit down and make a bathroom cleaning chart, I wouldn't need a book about organizing my family's schedule! And, um, do people really clean the walls in the bathroom? I mean, yeah, maybe the chocolate smudge left on the bathroom wall that my toddler left after eating pudding MIGHT get wiped off if I feel so inclined and people are coming over to my house, but I wouldn't consider that "washing the walls." The author basically thinks if you make a chart and a check-off list for everything in your life, laminate it, and stick it on the wall, then you will have an organized life! Somehow I think people who do things like that are C-R-A-Z-Y!!! I would rather go to the library and check out books to read (but not this book). Kind of goes back to the first book, about simplifying your life. Sure, I'll make a list if I need to, but I'm not going to color code my calendar or make an "activity map" for how to celebrate a holiday. . .if you need an elaborate system for organizing your life, you probably need to simplify your life.

The last book has been great for me. I've seen Julie Morgenstern on Oprah, and I love her style. The ideas in Organizing From the Inside Out are simple and easy to implement. I like how she takes into consideration people's personality traits and individual needs for organizing strategies. She says, "Organizing is about designing your space so that it reflects who you are and what is important to you." I love Morgenstern's acronym and method for organizing: SPACE. Sort, Purge, Assign a home, Containerize, Equalize. And she recommends NOT buying storage containers first, but LAST, after you have figured out your system, measured, and decided what needs to go where. So I guess no more trips to the Container Store to just "see what they have!"

The Primrose Path is Not so Bad

2010-01-20T21:45:00.014-05:00

Last Friday while in Home Depot, I decided to spend twenty-five bucks on stuff I didn't even plan to buy (while not finding the one item I REALLY needed, which would have cost me about a dollar). While walking to the cash register, Miss K. and I passed a big display filled with little pots of brightly colored flowers (the ONLY flowers in the store, this being the middle of winter and all).

I tried to sneak by them, pretending I didn't notice, when Miss K (my little green thumb girl) shouted, "MOMMY!!! Look at those BEAUTIFUL flowers! What are they called???" So, I quickly walked over and looked at the plastic tag stuck in the pots. "They're primroses," I mumbled, quickly pulling her toward the checkout counter (and thinking, to myself, "THAT'S what a primrose looks like?" I mean I've heard of them, but never knew what they were!). And of course, she replied with, "Can we get one? PLEASE?" At that point, I just wanted to get out of the store, so I said, "Sure pick one out."

What's another two bucks?

Well, Miss K. took her sweet time picking out just the perfect primrose. Then we FINALLY left Home Depot.

And now the primrose is sitting by my kitchen sink. And do you know what? That little thing has brightened my entire week.

It reminded me of a poem by Coleridge, which, thanks to Google, I was able to find. It starts:

Thy smiles I note, sweet early Flower,

That peeping from thy rustic bower

The festive news to earth dost bring,

A fragrant messenger of Spring.

I had a pretty bad week, but my little "fragrant messenger of spring" has kept my spirits up.

The week consisted mainly of strep throat; two kids on antibiotics; high fevers; staying inside for the whole weekend while it rained and my sweet husband helped his parents at their house; our car almost blowing up because of a leaking fuel pump; a mouse in our fireplace; plus all the "normal" things (apple juice spilled on the floor, mountains of laundry, the usual).

. . .And watching the devastation of the Haiti earthquake on t.v.

No matter how "hard" I think my life is, I have nothing to complain about. Watching the chaos in Haiti and the suffering of its people (especially the children) has just made me so thankful this week (and also feel so powerless. . .).

Yet, even in Haiti - - amidst all the despair and destruction - - there are glimmers of hope (like the orphans who were brought to their parents in the U.S.).

That is what Coleridge's poem is about. It's about hope. It's about finding a little blossom in the midst of winter.

The poem continues:

When timorous Hope thy head uprears,

Still drooping and still moist with tears,

If, through, dispersing grief be seen

Of Bliss, the heavenly spark serene

That is what the primrose on my counter has reminded me of this week, the glimpses of "hope" and "bliss" and "heaven" that can be seen even amidst "tears" and "grief."

So this week, through everything, I am thankful for the little primrose sitting by my sink greeting me like a little child's smile.

I'm so glad Miss K. wanted to get it. It's the best two bucks I spent all month.

Little Girl's Room Decorating Ideas

2010-01-13T22:46:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures of Miss K's room. I, of course, would have LOVED to have this room when I was five. She asked for polka dots and butterflies. I found most of the little accessories at Homegoods. The polka dots on the walls are appliques from Target! They peel right off when we want to take them down. I need to find a chandelier (a cheap one!) to replace the ugly ceiling fan. Any ideas?

This adorable doll was made by my cousin. You can see her ADORABLE things on Etsy.com under her company name, Bratenella.

"Good Enough Housekeeping"

2010-01-04T22:50:00.025-05:00

I have many resolutions this year. Some are they same as last year: Get more organized, lose ten pounds (okay, fifteen. OKAY, twenty), and be more patient. Plus I added a few this year: try to plan ahead dinners, cook more healthy meals and start a blog (the last one I've kept!)

I didn't really accomplish any of my goals last year (well, maybe I was a tad more organized in '09 than '08) but THIS year I'm REALLY going to keep ALL my resolutions!

Today I worked on my first resolution: Get more organized.

Now, I'm not naturally a clean or organized person. My inner self tends toward clutter. Like the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, I naturally descend into a state of entropy. The result, if left unchecked, is chaos. Hence, I always have many piles of stuff around me and lots of little projects going. I'm the kind of person who leaves the scissors out, can't find the scotch tape, you know, your basic disorganized space cadet. But it now drives me crazy.

The problem is that it takes so much extra mental energy for me to try to be organized, that I get frustrated when I can't keep up with the chaos.

I seem to go about my day constantly cleaning but still managing to leave (and find) little messes everywhere (not including the messes of my kids!). Inevitably, I reach my Maximum Messiness Threshold (or, MMT) and one of three things happens: 1) I become the Best In The Cosmos Housewife (or, BITCH) and start manically cleaning/organizing everything in sight, ignoring everyone and everything else in my path 2) I rant and rave at my kids and/or husband about what a mess everything is and look like this:

or 3) a combination of 1 & 2

I read somewhere that in order to achieve goals, you have to think in terms of specific actions, not broad, vague, generalized ideas (so that must have been why I never kept resolutions in the past!)

So instead of "getting more organized" my New Year's resolution is going to be (to start off with) to keep my kitchen counters free of clutter. Because I always have a pile that looks like this:

And this is actually pretty tame. . .It's usually much worse! So I came up with a plan a couple of months ago to combat these counter insurgents. It is this cute vertical file I found at Target:

It has files for most of the culprits on my counters: kids' artwork, medical paperwork (dentist/doctor/insurance stuff), receipts, coupons, etc. This has cut down on my piles considerably, but I still always have a pile of some sort. So my goal this year is to not let paper sit on my counter. It has to GO somewhere, either in my file, the trash, or put away IMMEDIATELY.

While sitting in the lobby of my daughter's tap class today, I picked up this month's issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. In the Table of Contents, for housekeeping/cleaning articles, the title was "Good Enough Housekeeping." I like that a lot, and it's nice to know that we have evolved a little bit since the magazine was first published and women were judged by the cleanliness of their floors and aprons.

In another section of Good Housekeeping magazine, called "Looking Back," the editors include excerpts from the magazine's early years (it was started in 1885!). Here are some tips from the first issue:

Don't put off mending from week to week
Don't you know your floor oil cloths can be washed in buttermilk or kerosene?
Don't hesitate to place a piece of zinc on the live coals in the stove; it will clean out the stove pipe.
Don't throw away nice woolen stockings when the feet are worn out, but cut them down for your children
Don't fail to be neat and tidy in every nook and corner, but
Don't be a slave to a shining stove or carpet.
Don't do unnecessary work because your grandmother did. There was not half so much to be done in her day.

All I can say, is thank God I don't have to oil my floors, wash the cloths in buttermilk or kerosene, put zinc on the coals in the stove, or cut woolen stockings down for my children!

But I will heed the last two "don'ts." I will try not to be a slave to a shining stove or carpet! And I will try not to "unnecessary work" because my grandmother did. It is true that she didn't have half as much to do in her day (well, at least she didn't have to shuffle her daughter to tap dance lessons and organize her piles of paperwork into a vertical file).

And so, I am going to try to put my counter clutter away to keep me sane (to start with) and I am going to try to be happy with "good enough" housekeeping (and be more patient with myself and my mess, which brings me closer to achieving my third resolution).

Tomorrow I will tackle another resolution! One per day is about all I can handle right now!

Potty Training Day One

2010-01-02T22:39:00.003-05:00

I was held hostage all day. It was awful. My captor was naked from the waist down. He tortured me by making me clean up PEE off the FLOOR. We had no food to eat, and I almost starved. It was horrible, really.

OK, so maybe I exaggerate. Mr. J (my two-and-a-half -year-old) really did quite well today, his first day of potty training!

We basically had no food in the house after being out of town for five days. It was about 27 degrees outside and SUPER WINDY, so I figured since we’re stuck at home anyway, we might as well start the process.

I thought about going to the grocery store, but decided a) it was too cold to go outside and drag two kids through the bitter cold wind from the parking lot to the grocery store and b) we’ve had no sleep all week because we were out of town, and I knew SOMEONE would be throwing himself down in the pickle/condiment and/or the cereal/oatmeal aisle within seconds of entering Safeway and So I decided to stay home and forage for food in our pantry and fridge.

I had no milk or bread, but luckily, I found the two items my kids will eat under any circumstances: Tap Raman and tortillas! So we had Raman noodles and we made “snowflakes” out of toasted tortillas sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar (one of us was naked from the waist down during this process, but don’t worry, his hands were clean).

Oh, and for dessert we had Cool Whip, right out of the container (until I realized there was mold on the top).

I’m going to the grocery store ALONE tomorrow because Daddy will be home!

HOW TO MAKE TORTILLA SNOWFLAKES:

You can use a snowflake cookie cutter to cut out snowflake shapes, or
Fold the tortilla in half, then in half again
Use kitchen shears to cut out shapes, like making a paper snowflake
toast the tortilla in a pan with butter (or spray the tortilla with butter spray) on both sides
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar!

2010-01-01T22:52:00.003-05:00

New Year's Resolution 2010

Well, January 1, 2010 is almost over and I made a New Year's resolution to start my blog on the first of the year, so here goes!

I'm just a mom who loves her two kids, her husband, her home, her books, and her friends (and an occasional cocktail and ranting about politics). So I'm jumping into the blogosphere to see where it takes me! I hope someone out there likes to read what I have to say, and maybe I will make some new friends along the way.

Why "thepixiedustpan?" Well, after trying to figure out a blog name for MONTHS, I just thought it captured how I feel as a mom. I really try to have fun with my kids and see the world from their eyes. I love the magical way children pretend and see the world, and my daughter loves fairies, pixies, dress-up, and the wonderful world of her imagination. I sometimes say she drops pixie dust wherever she goes! But I'm also - - like every mom - - constantly cleaning and trying NOT to get bogged down in all the mess of life.

So I have to go unload the car from our four hour car trip home from visiting grandparents, and I need to make a grocery list for tomorrow (and take down Christmas decorations, do laundry, somehow figure out how to get the kids in their PJs without waking them up, or perhaps decide that they will sleep in their clothes, and about one gagillion other things). But now I've completed my New Year's resolution (the most important one) and I will be back soon! Happy New Year!