Awwwww.....

This week's Photo Hunters Theme is Sweet

Proud parent that I am, I'm still smiling at the memory of my boys tippy-toeing across the floor at yesterday's ballet class (their first ever), so instead of a photo, I'm posting a video. I love how they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the steps, even though they were the only boys in the class (having a twin companion was definitely an advantage). I think all the little girls look so sweet in their girly tutus and ballet slippers, but I think my boys are giving them a run for their money.

The B-Boyz are Here

B for Ballet... B for my cute little boys... B for their little round bellies sticking out.... B for beautiful!

So I Think I Used to Dance

Now that House and Grey's Anatomy are deep into reruns and the 6th (or is it 7th?) American Idol is many months away, I'm thanking the TV gods for So You Think You Can Dance! I got hooked on the show when the first season aired two summers ago, and this year promises to be better than ever. I know Dancing With The Stars is all the rage with most people, but in my opinion who wants to watch B-list celebrities do C-rate versions of ballroom dances anyway? The competitors on SYTYCD are trained dancers (along with some untrained ones with phenomenal natural talent), so no performance is truly pathetic or painful to watch.

One of the reasons I like the show so much is that it reminds me of one of my previous lives (actually, that was quite a number of years ago, so make that previous previous previous lives), when I was dancing several hours a day, nearly every day, doing the things I see them doing on TV (but definitely not as well as they do -- I'm not a self-deluded egomaniac like those American Idol freaks). I haven't danced in years, but when I watch the contestants I can feel my toes pointing and my torso straightening as my body yearns to move like theirs does. I haven't danced in years, but when I watch the show it reminds me that the dancer in me is still there, biding her time, waiting for the right opportunity to come out again.

Funny stuff from Jammy

Why is it that all the funny sayings seem to come from Jammy?

Jammy: (hic)... (hic)... (hic)....
Me: Oh Jammy, you're hiccuping!
Jammy: Yes, Mama, (hic) I'm (hic) hip-hopping!

------

3Po: My name starts with P...Puh...Puh...Puh....Ph****!
Me: Yes, that's right, your name does start with P, but P and H make a special sound like "F", so it's actually Fuh...Fuh...Fuh...Ph*****.
3Po: Yes, P and H together say Fuh!
Jammy: Yes, just like P and J together say Puh-Juh --- like Puh-Jamas!

Pain-free Labor and Other Secrets of Motherhood

Some secrets are meant to be shared, and none more so than parenting tips. I don't think any parent could have survived the infant and toddler years without picking up some secret survival tips from more experienced parents, right? So in the interest of passing this vital knowledge on, I am more than happy to share some of mine, such as:

• How we taught our boys to bike without training wheels at age 3 (they do have a great sense of balance but the Kettler Balancing Bike will help any kid learn)
• Where I got those cute matching clothes for my kids (Disney store and Gymboree make great coordinated outfits for brothers and sisters)
• How I've amassed so many good toys for my kids (I buy gently used stuff from Craigslist and the local moms' club email group)

Not that I'm the perfect mom or a know-it-all. On the contrary, I still feel like a rookie at this parenting thing. In fact, I would really appreciate it if someone could let me in on some of their own parenting secrets, like:

• How you survived your labor without an epidural
• How to stop my kids from whining when I say, "No, you can't watch any more TV"
• How to iron clothes, especially puffy-sleeved dresses
• Where to find more of my daughter's favorite solid-blue, long-sleeved Lands' End dress (they only make'em in prints now)
• How to get back into the workforce after years of being a stay-at-home mom.
• How I do it (people ask me this all the time like having 3 kids makes me a multitasking expert, but heck if I know the answer)

But there are some secrets that I will never reveal. You can tickle me, you can force me to do the laundry every single day, and you can even (gulp) pull the plug on my internet connection, but you will never get me to tell you:

• Which aspects of parenting I disagree with my husband over (if any)
• Which grandparent my children like the most
• Which child is my favorite
• Where I keep the Christmas presents
• Where I keep my emergency stash of chocolate

Sorry, but some things are just for me to know! It would be a far less interesting world if we couldn't keep a secret or two :)

For more secrets, click here.

Photo Hunters: Shiny

This week's Photo Hunters Theme is Shiny.

Here is my favorite photo from yesterday's berry-picking expedition. When I told my dad and sons to "Smile and say cheese!" yesterday, I had no idea a bright, shiny little butterfly had decided to pose with them. What a nice little stroke of luck! I love how it seems suspended in mid-air, with no blurring whatsoever, and I love the way the sun shines on the butterfly's body, making it stand out from everything else. It almost looks like I used Photoshop to cut out a butterfly-shaped piece right in front of Jammy's face!


For more shiny things, click here.

Things money can't buy

Enough sunscreen for an entire morning of berry-picking: $5

Entrance fee for one adult, one senior and three children: $6

Four lbs. of berries (plus unknown quantities eaten straight off the bush): $10

Bottles of cold water from farmstand (because mommy forgot to bring some): $6

Band-aids and ointment to treat scratches from rasberry and blackberry thorns: $2

Seeing Jammy dump a bucketful of berries into his mouth,

Photographing 3Po's berry-stained face,

and presenting daddy with a pie made from berries we picked ourselves: PRICELESS

Fridays Feast

Appetizer
Name a funny habit you have.
I like to indulge in a strange thing called blogging

Soup
If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?
I'll take any instrument, but since I have to choose one, I'd say the piano. I haven't managed to retain anything from years of piano lessons as a child. I think it was mostly my negative attitude, and I do regret that.

Salad
How long is your hair?
Right now, my hair is about shoulder-length. I usually like to keep it at least this long, usually longer. When I was young, my mother always cut our hair short and whenever I got the chance to make a wish (i.e. tossing a coin into a fountain), I would always wish for long hair.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?
I forgave the #$&^ driver in front of me for cutting into my lane, even though she waited till the last minute to change lanes and blithely expected me to let her in even though I changed lanes at the proper time and I felt like honking my horn and #$#*^!!!!....... breathe deeply...... I swear, I've forgiven her!!

Dessert
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
I'm a simple gal -- I love my kitchen knife. We have blenders and food processors and stuff they sell on TV for chopping onions and sh*t, but nothing beats a knife. Plus, it's sooo easy to clean!

Hungry for more? Click here.

Gas prices are GAS-tly!!

We filled up our gas tank this weekend. Cost for approximately 18 gallons of regular-grade gas: $63.75. OUCH! Well, at $3.41 per gallon, what can you do? I still remember when gas cost $1.19. Those were the days.....

Alfie's relatives in England say we shouldn't complain, since gasoline ( or petrol, as they say) costs over $5 per gallon. To that, I say yes, that's true, but you folks across the Atlantic are lucky enough to have cars with mileages of 30-40 miles per gallon. In the US, only hybrids approach that kind of fuel efficiency. Our Toyota Sienna is supposed to get 18mpg in city driving and 27mpg on the highway. But looking at the trip computer, the average mileage on our van so far is 14.9 mpg. So we are actually spending more on petrol with our gas-guzzling car than a family in England would, driving the same amount of miles with a more fuel-efficient car.

In Venezuela, gas costs 12 cents per gallon. That's probably the only place in the world we could afford to drive a Hummer!

Two Cowgirls

All right, folks, guess which photo was taken yesterday and which one was taken two years ago?