Musings From a Wedding Luau

My cousin Elizabeth got married today, and we took the kids to the Hawaiian-themed wedding in San Antonio. What fun! I hadn't seen her since we were about 15 or so, I'd say? Anyway, we had a lovely time. Maya, of course, blessed us with some of her Maya-isms along the way, and I wanted to record them for posterity.

Conversation Number 1

Maya: "Mom! Why did they kiss at their wedding?"

Me: "Everyone kisses at their wedding. You'll kiss at your wedding."

Maya: "No I will not kiss at my wedding. Kissing is disgusting!"

Conversation Number 2

{This takes place as the hula boys were performing shirtless.}

Maya: "Mom! Why are they not wearing t-shirts?"

Me: "I guess they wanted to be naked while they were dancing."

Maya: "Being naked it not appropriate!" (Arms folded, clearly ticked off.)

She also graced us with some of her killer dance moves. (She gets those from me - my killer dance moves were also on display. I think I had too many cola drinks. Par-tee!) It was definitely a fun time.

Keep On Keeping On

"The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't."

~Henry Ward Beecher

I'm pretty sure that Maya has both a strong will and a strong won't! But I do love that she hasn't gotten to the "I can't" stage of life yet. That's one of my favorite qualities about Maya - that's she's pretty darn sure she CAN do anything. (Now, whether she will or won't do it is another question entirely.)

Here, Maya puts try, try again into practice as she attempts to climb up the water slide. {We borrowed this for the playgroup party next week, and thought we'd give it a test drive! :) }

Ode To a Shoe

Every now and then I fall in love with a shoe. Here is the latest of my loves: BC's Satin Beauty Queen. I so love this. So cute, so unique. Love the print. Love that it's a flat. Love that it's peep-toe. Love the bow. Cute, cute, cute! I totally don't need them. But they're only $45. We'll just see how much self control I have.

Carrying on the Grand Tradition of Never Finishing Anything...

My Mom and I took the kids to see Ratatouille (the newest Disney Pixar movie) today. Did we actually see it? Not really. We were pretty much distracted the entire time and we bailed way before the ending. But I did collect some valuable data for my next attempt at taking my kids to the movies:

• Taking Mason's car seat into the theatre (as suggested by my brilliant friend Holly) was a great idea. Thinking that I could carry Mason + his car seat + 2 kid popcorn packs + a large Coke + a gigantic bucket of popcorn: not such a good idea. Next time: Car seat goes in first - then it's back to the concession stand for popcorn.
• The fact that your kids are sitting still during the previews is not an indication that they will sit still through the movie. They are just using up their allotted "sit still" time and will begin wiggling as soon as the movie starts. Next time: Let the kids wander the lobby until just before the movie begins.
• Babies are more interested in throwing popcorn than eating it. They are, however, very interested in Skittles. Next time: Less popcorn, more candy.
• If kids don't have the attention span to sit through an entire movie at home, they won't have the attention span to sit through an entire movie in the "safuter" (as Maya calls it). (Especially, if your kids are like Maya, and "Ratatouille is making me have to pee really bad.") Next time: We'll just hit the free movies. Then I won't be so annoyed when we leave half way through. Oh, and also, less fruit punch to drink.
• Disney Pixar movies are the cutest. Even if you don't catch all (or even much) of it, Ratatouille is adorable. I can't wait until it comes out on video. Next time: Just wait for the DVD. Or wait until my kids are actually old enough to enjoy this type of thing.

Tunes on the Go

Part of me wants to make a joke about how silly the Quilted Speaker Messenger Bag is. The other part of me wants to run out and buy it. So it's a bag that includes a slot for your iPod and 2 speakers...so you can rock your tunes as you walk around. It's the modern day equivalent to walking around with a boombox on your shoulder. I have to say, I sort of love it.

{Side note: do you think "Say Anything" would have turned out differently if John Cusak had held up a quilted messenger bag instead of a boombox outside Ione Skye's window? Does Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" melt the heart as effectively when projected from a messenger bag?}

Buy it at PB Teen. Personalization available.

Three Minute Journal

I love the idea of this Three Minute Journal. Each page gives you 7 options of what to write about: "To Focus On", "I'm Grateful For", "To Remember", "I Wish For", "To Do Today", "I Expect From Myself", or "Other: __________", followed by 3 spaces to fill in. What a fun way to take a little snapshot of your everyday life and put it down on paper.

{Available at Femail Creations - $12.}

How To Really Love a Child by Sark

{Available for purchase as a throw blanket here.}

The Perfect Cure for a "Hard Day"

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap"

~Barbara Jordan

Maya doesn't nap much anymore, but today has been a "hard day" (her words), so a nap was just what the doctor ordered - for both of us! I seem to forget her craziness when I see her sweet, angelic little face, fast asleep. And by the time she wakes up, the whining and fits have usually stopped. (Fingers crossed!)

Cracking Me Up Today: Rosebud Studios

Rosebud Studios has some hilarious (and gorgeous) things you should check out (give them a click for a better look). I think should have the "Unforeseen Circumstances" card personalized with my name on the back, since it's pretty much the story of my life. These others are funny, too:

And these baby announcements are awesome and down-right inspirational!

{Via Design Mom.}

Picking Your Brains: Water Activities

I'm in charge of a little pre-4th of July party for our playgroup, which will consist mostly of pot-luck munching and water-sliding on a huge waterslide/bouncer I borrowed. But...I'm thinking we need a few more activities/games to round things out. Any fun ideas you could share with me?

{Photo via Flickr.}

Pour Some Sugar (Cookie) on Me

I LOVE sugar cookies. But they have to be homemade. And lately, they have to be this recipe. Yum yum yum. These are a fun rainy day activity (which we've been needing a lot of around here lately!). Maya loves to help with the pouring-in of ingredients, and she's always first in line to be my "taste tester", of course! And she's the best darn "sprinkler" ever!

Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract (opt.)
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter & powdered sugar. Add wet ingredients, then dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Roll out on floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Frost with the following:

Frosting

• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Food coloring (opt.)

Beat all ingredients with mixer until well blended and smooth. Stir in food coloring, if desired.

It's probably a good idea to give some of these away, because if you leave them all at your house, you WILL eat them all, I guarantee it. Yum!

Doing My Part (In Style)

Check out these fabulous reusable shopping bags from Envirosax! Not only are they environmentally friendly, they're SUPER cute! The set of 5 bags is $35.00 and includes a handy little pouch to carry them in - so you can slip the pouch into your purse, and you're always prepared with bags when you need them. They have other, equally cute design collections as well, so you're bound to find something that fits your style. The Flora collection is my pick:

According to Envirosaxx:

These Envirosax®, come in four great designs - Flora, Retro Graphic, Monochromatic and Amazonia. Lightweight, portable, waterproof and weighing just 1.4 oz, these groovy bags are available as single items as well as an assortment of 5 bags contained in a small pouch. The pouch is small enough to stow into a glove compartment or a handbag. With reinforced seams, each surprisingly large bag holds the equivalent of 2 supermarket plastic bags.
Each bag is printed with an exciting graphics print using sublimation. This preferable print method ensures the print is indefinite and these striking bags will not fade. Colour themes are determined by the art printed on each bag.

Les Mis in Legos

Okay, so I realize that I'm a little obsessed with Les Mis right now. I'm sure that eventually it will pass (and I'll move on to a new obsession, since that's just how I work), but until then, please bear with me. And enjoy this hilarious little video. Ingenious! Some people and their crazy talents!

An Austin-tacious Morning

One of the reasons we love Austin so much? It's such a kid-friendly city. Today, we went to of our summer favorites; the Austin Symphony puts on Children's Day Art Park at the fabulous Symphony Square every week in the summer. They have clowns and crafts and face painters and jugglers and story tellers and an instrument petting zoo, so the kids can check out all of the symphony instruments. Members of the orchestra stroll around and play, and there is always a great kids performer on the main stage. Today it was Joe McDermott, an Austin native and an absolute favorite of ours. His songs are hilarious and he's a fantastic performer. He was so much fun today. And we picked up his new album, Everybody Plays Air Guitar, and even got him to autograph it for us! Yee haw! You can listen to and buy his music on his website, and I recommend any of his albums...your kids will really enjoy him, and so will you, for that matter; he's a hoot!

After we finished up there, we headed over to Old Bakery & Emporium, which is an Austin institution. It's right next to the amazing Texas State Capitol, and is a senior citizen volunteer project. They sell all sorts of hand-crafted items, all created by area seniors, and volunteer seniors run the place as well. It's housed in a beautiful historical building and they sell a mighty fine sandwich and soup lunch there for practically nothing. It was yummy!

They have incredible things for sale there. I picked up a pair of knit cowboy booties similar to the ones pictured below for a friend of mine who has a baby on the way. I got a couple of adorable, tiny little knit stuffed animals for the kids, some handmade patchouli-lemon soap for me, and I couldn't resist buying Maya a sign that says "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it." I think that will be our new theme around here!

All in all, a great morning that reminded me once again that (in spite of the stifling humidity) I love this city!

The Bigger, The Better

This photo has me wanting to order some gigantic canvas prints of my babies to plaster over my bed. How CUTE is that? (Pic via Decor8 from Sixx Design.) MPix has good prices on canvas prints, and the quality is really nice...

"The Best Thing You've Ever Done For Me...

...is to help me take my life less seriously - it's only life, after all." (Indigo Girls)

In that vein,I bring you the deep thought of the day...

"What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?"

Photo via Flickr.

Calling all Bookworms!

I came across Nose in a Book after Kirsten commented on my trip down memory lane via books, and what a FUN blog! If you're a reader, you'll love it! Go check it out...

"Mom, I Made an Austin" - Maya's Milkblot

So, it looks like if Maya were to take the Rorschach inkblot test they would determine not that she's likely to end up a serial killer (isn't that what those tests determine?) :) , but that she is a hard-core Texan. This, according to the oh-so-scientific "Milkblot" test she "administered" to herself this morning when she spilled the milk she was pouring. "Look, Mom, I made an Austin", she exclaimed as I was about to wipe it up. (Anything that is shaped like Texas, is red, white and blue, or has stars on it is "Austin" to Maya.) So, of course, I had to take a picture before I could clean it up. Funny girl!

What do YOU see in this ink blot? Careful! Don't want to cast yourself as a serial killer! If you want to get in on the fun, check out Tickle's Original Ink Blot test.

Reliving My Childhood Through Books

From time to time, Maya likes me to read "chapter books" to her. We don't usually make it all the way through, but it's a fun experience nonetheless, because I pull out my childhood favorites to share with her. We read Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary last time; this time, it's Betsy Tacy. If you're never read about Betsy and her best friend Tacy, I highly recommend you check out any of the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. Of course, it's most fun to read them in sequential order, so you can watch as Betsy & Tacy grow up, but they're each delightful and stand perfectly well on their own. They are the stories of Betsy and Tacy (and later, their friend Tib) growing up in a little town in the days of horses & buggies. It is so fascinating to read about a simpler time...

Here are some of my other favorites:

Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary (and ALL of her books, especially the Ramona books)

Blubber by Judy Blume (all of hers, too, especially the Superfudge books)

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume (and who can forget "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret")

All of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Sal Fisher at Girl Scout Camp by Lillian S. Gardner

{This was one of my Mama's favorite books from her childhood, and I can't find a picture of it online anywhere. It's a great book about girl scouts in the 1950s. One of my favorites!}

Homer Price by Robert McClosky

All of the Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene

Of course, I later moved on to the Babysitter's Club, Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High and several other series that were so forgettable that, well...I've forgotten them. They were great fun at the time, but they'll never have the place in my heart that these favorites do.

Redefining "Nappy Headed"

It's a sure sign of a great nap when you come out with a 'do like this! Ooh, so warm and snuggly and irrestible.

This is why I can't cut my baby's hair. It is just too cute. HE is just too cute. I could eat him for dinner.

In the Forecast Today...

More rain! Sure makes me wish I had this pretty umbrella to tote around...

We got caught in a downpour coming out of Target today, and we're a bunch of seriously drowned rats! Bad Mama Alert: Is it terrible that for me, the silver lining in these cloudy skies is that I don't have to take the kids to the pool?!

Inspiring The New Look

I have been contemplating a blog face lift for a while, and today at Target I came across this adorable note card/envelope combo that I just fell in love with. I love coming across beautiful things that inspire me...

Thank You notes from Robee by Mara-Mi.

The Week Ends, The Week Begins

"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work."

~ Ralph Marston

Here's hoping that your weekend provided the renewing that you needed! Sometimes that's all you need to wake up and begin again...

Photo Via Flickr.

Time to Start a Family Band

OompaToys has the most adorable musical instrument toys I've ever seen...

Baby Grand Piano - $129.99

Recorder - $16.99

Harmonica - $12.99

Xylophone - $21.99

Tamborine - $20.99

Mini Red Piano - $59.99