Easter Egg Dying

Leslee hosted the annual Easter Egg Dying event yesterday. She was thinking about skipping it this year (yesterday was also Mike's birthday!) but my kids wouldn't hear of it and asked her repeatedly when it was going to be. So, out of the goodness of her heart, she saved me and decided to go ahead with tradition. And really, you can't start a fun tradition like that and just STOP!





Leslee and Mike set up several stations in the garage with all sorts of egg dying cups, wax crayons, stamps, rollers, stickers, sleeves, and all the new dying tools they have these days. We even have an egg tie-dying station that is very cool.




Everyone brings a ton of boiled eggs and let the kids (all 14 of them!) go. They have a blast and are so serious about the work they're doing.





Then we have lunch and the kids head off to the basement and play... I have no idea what. The kids have a great time, and it's a great way to spend Good Friday.

Thomas and Harry Potter

Last night Thomas finished reading the Harry Potter series. That's 4,100 pages plus another 111 for the "Tales of Beedle the Bard" follow up by J.K. Rowling. David and I are super impressed.

And Thomas is so proud of himself. I mean, I know I was a smart kid when I was young, but I definitely wasn't reading this level of book at 8 years old! And that many pages. Wow. Once he got started on the first one in January he didn't have any issues. He resisted reading them last year because they're "too long".

Now we have to continue looking for more books. He's read most of the series in the library that are written for his age level and interest. He prefers series and fiction, where Brennan likes non-fiction. Non-fiction is so much easier to find!

Congratulations Thomas! Hermione would be proud of you for all that reading.

The Sound of Music - An Interview with Brennan

Brennan recently taught himself to play the "Doe a deer, a female deer..." song on the piano. He learns "solfege" (Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do) in his piano class, and recently learned the song that goes with it. He hasn't seen "The Sound of Music" in years and didn't remember it. So we camped out in our room under the covers the last two nights and watched the movie.

It was a huge hit of course. And he loved it all. When pressed for his favorite songs, characters, parts of the movie, etc. he started off saying, "I loved it all!" which I've learned is 7 year old code for "I really did love it all - no one part stands out" and not an attempt to avoid my questions. But then I found that once he had time to reflect on the movie, he had a lot more to say.

Mommy: Brennan, thank you for letting me interview you for our blog.

Brennan: Are you going to put MY picture on the blog or Mary Poppin's picture? I mean, Julie Andrews' picture?

Mommy: Well, which one do you want me to?

Brennan: I think you HAVE to put Maria's picture on because that's who the movie is about!

Mommy: Good point. If you HAD to pick one song out of the movie that is your favorite, what would you pick?

Brennan: I don't remember all of the songs (Mommy then reminds him) but I think "Doe a Deer" is my favorite because I can play that one on the piano and because that's how the children learn to sing!

Mommy: And what about your favorite scene (part) of the movie? If you had to pick just one scene?

Brennan: I liked when they were singing all around Austria. I want to go to Austria and see the mountain. And I want to see the trees they were climbing in. And their house. Is their house still there? And what about their bicycles?

Mommy: I'm not sure. The movie was made in 1965 (Brennan - woah! It's old!) so things have probably changed quite a bit. Were there any parts of the movie you didn't like?

Brennan: No, I liked it all.

Mommy: What about the parts about the war and Captain VonTrapp not wanting to go into the war with Germany? Or what about all the kissing scenes? Or all the scenes where they just talked and there was no music?

Brennan: Really, I said I liked it all. I think Captain VonTrapp didn't want to leave his family and he was a good dad and took them over the mountain to Switzerland and they wore shorts (the kids) but they also wore coats and it looked cold when they were going over the mountain. Why didn't they just wear pants?

Mommy: Good question. I'm not sure. I guess their traveling clothes were shorts.

Brennan: We always travel in jeans because it gets cold sometimes. What was the name of the mountain they climbed over?

Mommy: The Alps.

Brennan: No, that's a mountain RANGE. I mean, what was the name of that mountain? All mountains have a NAME.

Mommy: I'm not sure, again good question. Who was your favorite character in the movie?

Brennan: I liked everyone, but I guess Mary Poppins, I mean Julie Andrews, was my favorite because she taught the children to sing. Why is her hair different in this movie?

Mommy: What do you mean?

Brennan: Her hair is different in Mary Poppins? But she's the same person?



Mommy: I hadn't thought about it before but you're right.

Brennan: When are we going to Austria?

Mommy: Well, Brennan, I think it's time to wrap up the interview and get ready for bed.

Brennan: But when can we go to Austria?

Mommy: Good night Brennan.

The Tequila Sunrise

I was running out of drink ideas - my 2009 "learn to mix drinks" project took off in earnest on January 1, but I haven't thought about a new drink for awhile. Then today someone mentioned (at church, by the way!) that I should try a Tequila Sunrise. It sounded good to me.

The Tequila Sunrise is said to have been invented at the Arizona Biltmore Country Club in the late 1960's. It is named for the sunset coloring 9 months every year in the Phoenix area. Really - it's a beautiful drink. And a beautiful hotel.



There are a number of variations. Here are a few:
Tequila Sunset - blackberry brandy instead of Grenadine
Astronaut Sunrise - Tang instead of o.j.
Vodka Sunrise - Vodka instead of Tequila
Caribbean Sunrise - Rum instead of Tequila
Cranberry Sunrise - cranberry juice instead of Grenadine

David's Swizzle Stick Rating:
The Tequila Sunrise - 4 Swizzle Sticks

Tequila Sunrise - 6 parts orange juice, 3 parts Tequila, 1 part Grenadine. Pour cubed and crushed ice in a highball or Tom Collins cocktail glass. Pour in the orange juice and Tequila and swizzle with a swizzle stick. Add the Grenadine. It will settle to the bottom. Serve with orange slice or cherry as garnish.

David really likes this one, although the ratios above make it too strong for me. But I could see it being a great, refreshing drink for the upcoming hot months, out by the pool, enjoying a summer sunset.

Rascals Fun Zone

Brennan and Justin

Brennan had a really good week at school and got Straight A's again this quarter. He chose Rascal's Fun Zone as a reward for such great stuff.

So we took Justin and Chris with us and had a great time playing putt-putt, riding go-karts and playing arcade games.

Thomas and Chris

The boys have ridden small, electric go-karts indoors before, but yesterday they decided to brave the big outdoor gasoline karts and LOVED them. Our boys are not tall enough to drive them by themselves, but we all had a great time riding.

Brennan ready for his first go-kart ride!


Justin after riding the go-karts


The much needed snack after all the fun


A pretty fun reward

Simple Abundance - April

My first boss gave me this book about 12 years ago. I've kept the book through countless moves over the years and I enjoy looking through it every once in awhile.

The author includes suggestions for each month to help us remember to "appreciate life, in all its imperfect excellence".

Here are some Simple Abundance suggestions for April.

~~Remind yourself what it’s like to have fun on All Fools’ Day. Surprise your loved ones and co-workers with whimsy – not practical jokes that embarrass.

~~April is a wonderful month for all kinds of walks, whether in warm spring showers or balmy sunshine. The scent of the earth reawakening and the sight of Mother Nature’s brilliant display of color will rouse and remind you how wonderful it is simply to be alive.

~~Find a refreshing new scent for spring – try rose water, lilac, or lily of the valley. Wear a scent you love everyday.

~~Dye Easter eggs and hide them for children of all ages to hunt.

~~When it showers, curl up under a blanket in the afternoon and listen to the raindrops on the roof.

~~Bake a batch of hot cross buns. Eat jellybeans.


Happy Spring!