I Need a Nap

I haven't had a nap in DAYS - like, a week. My eyes want so badly to shut, but I still have miles to go before I sleep. We went out of town this weekend, and I am behind on reporting about the happenings in our lives. Thursday and Friday, beyond my regular duties, I was getting ready for our trip to Missouri. Had to shop, get a new tire, make party favors, etc. (more on the bridal and baby showers later).For Friday Night Mystery (They were waiting on the couch for their surprise.), Ryan brought home a mega-box of sidewalk chalk and a new soccer ball for the kids. (They've really enjoyed playing soccer lately with Ryan at the park - especially Dash, and their old ball was tearing up.) He also rented Bedtime Stories. We ran out of time to watch it, though, and we had to postpone. I just had too much packing/preparing to do in order to leave our house first thing Saturday morning. I wanted to SIT on the couch with my children and watch the movie, too. I'm trying to be more "present" during things like this - instead of always rushing around, doing something else. We watched it Monday night, though, while we ate strawberry cupcakes and popcorn. Lots of laughter out of Tornado. (And he ate three cupcakes and a big bowl of popcorn.)

Tornado and I had a morning full of fun learning Tuesday. I'm trying to get back into our RightStart Math, a curriculum we had started long ago but somehow deviated away from. I know why we stopped; it's because I hate math. And this whole kind of approach - it doesn't come natural to me, and it feels like a stressful chore/nightmare to look at it. I think my heart starts beating faster, and it brings back memories of having math tutors in college and STILL not being able to pass algebra. We started doing other things and doing "life" math and math out of his workbooks. And he hated it and didn't understand it. THIS makes sense to him, though, and I feel ashamed for burying it out of my own discomfort. I'm going to do better.

We love our Highlights Hidden Pictures Game. It is just as challenging for me as it is for them (arguably MORE challenging for me), and I like playing it with them. Tornado and I were racing to see who could find all the pictures on our cards, and I was having trouble finding a few of them. He leaned over and helped me find one. I said, "Thanks! I'll help you find one now." He said, "No, that's okay." That little turkey felt sorry for me and was trying to help me! That made me smile.

Cinco de Mayo '09 was a hit. Tornado just finished off the leftover bowl of jicama yesterday. He couldn't get enough of it. Dash and Sissy ate it okay, nothing special to them. I'm trying to go a little more "green" with my parties. As a lover of all things balloon-y and decorative, it's a challenge for me. However, I made steps this time by not getting paper plates and napkins and decorating with items like potted flowers and pineapples and bananas. (and reusing what I already own) I don't know - do bananas work for "Mexican"? I think so. I was thinking of the song we always sang in elementary - "Mama Paquita," but I just looked it up, and apparently it's Brazilian.

It may look like I photoshopped in those moustaches, but they were really wearing them. And that's also Ryan's real chest hair, heehee. :) These two had a little too much fun posing for me.

Mi senorita bonita even insisted on wearing a moustache, but she took if off to down her pineapple margarita. (I used Santa Cruz pineapple coconut juice mixed with frozen pineapple, and it was one of the best smoothies we've had in awhile.)

I think the moustache was having a sobering effect on Tornado because Ryan took about five pictures of us, and he couldn't quite get a good one.

yummy nachos

For dessert, I veganized this recipe for banana quesadillas. (And I added chopped bananas inside because it seemed to make it healthier.) It was good; everyone polished theirs off - especially Dash, in record speed. I wished I would have waited to serve them until they were cool because I think they tasted better after they had sat for awhile. That's what I would do next time.

This picture sort of displays how I felt today. Dash was, once again, supposed to be in bed taking a nap. I found him asleep in the hallway, covered up with a pillow sham. And that's our still-not-put-away luggage, spilling out, mixed with toys spilling out of their room. I WILL get organized one of these days.