Reduce, Recycle & Reuse

Not sure what is worse.... having ones cats bring home dead rodents and deposting them at the front doorstep...or having ones children bring home all of the neighbors dead/dying holiday folliage and placing them all over the front porch... of course for all of the neighbors to drive by and see... I guess my budding "decorators" are really taking reduce, recycle and reuse to heart.

Blues Clues rise Again

Looks like it's going to be a blue new year. Yesterday I sent in Canoley to take a shower. When she was done, I went into the bathroom to make sure all of the towels were picked up and noticed shades of blue finger prints all around me slightly reminiscent of blues clues. 
Blue tub, blue walls, blue cabinet, blue door. I was completely stumped what could be so blue. Then I remembered seeing Canoleys hand...it too was blue. Thinking at the time it was ink from a marker, I had ignored it.

I called and asked Canoley what was blue and why was it everywhere in the bath room. She looked blankly at me and said her usual..."don't know."

I walked back into the bathroom and opened the cabinet to get the cleaning wipes and noticed an unwrapped blue toilet bowel tablet placed nicely on the shelf. I had found the clue to my blue and discovered that Miss Canoley learned the hard way that blue toilet bowel cleaning tabs do NOT make very nice bath fizzies.

My "Hon"some Boy Turns 8 Today

Who's got the most Hon-some boy around...I do! He woke up this morning and picked out a clean white button down shirt to wear with his jeans on his birthday. That's my guy. He could have worn the Mario shirt he received for his birthday but NO.... he chose the button down.

FuFu's new Do and locks of love

We have been growing miss fufu's hair for four years. Last year she decided she wanted to cut it short to her "shoulders" I was not so sure this was what she really wanted and so I waited for one year. Well, one year later she still wanted to cut it and donate it to locks of love. She was very excited until the first chop of the pony tail and then the tears flowed like a waterfall. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed but there was no turning back. When it was done we did some ice cream nail polish therapy and she perked up. Her hair came out adorable and she looks like... well, like a lot older than the little seven year old that went into the salon

Bunny FuFu turns 7 and that darn cat

So I wanted to post a couple birthday photos of miss bunny fufu, but I had a heck of a time finding them becuase they were buried on my camera by over 900 photos of this darn furry thing in the basket pictured below. Someone has been stealing my camera and taking HUNDREDS of photos of this darn cat! This cat, the one that came with our home when we bought it. This cat, the one who for seven years lived in back of the fountian. This cat, who only came out at night time when we were asleep as not to be seen by us. This cat, who has been known as ghost kitty for seven years. Yes, our little bunny fufu got upstaged by a darn cat who since Cokie died as taken over the lives of all four kids. Needless to say miss fufu is happy to share her lime light with that darncat.

Avalanche of Class Projects

So what we have been doing for the past 6 weeks since we last posted. As we approach the end of the school year, we have been bombarded by an avalanche of school projects. Mission projects, bird nest projects, famous Californian projects, Old Oregon Trail projects, but this one takes the cake. The build a home project. Hons class are building homes to display at next weeks open house. I first thought of a Tepee or Igloo but after seeing those as examples on the list of suggested homes, I decided to pass and move on to something a little more interesting aka not on the list of suggestions.

After spending a weekend at Mrs Open Windows home and admiring their newest addition the spark of inspiration was lit. I am quite confident we will have the only Air Stream Motor home in the class. Take a look and see for yourself. Notice the two pink flamingos in the "front yard" afterall what would a trailer be without them? I was going to put a beer in the hand of the man reclining the the lawn chair, but decided it keep it PC for a first grade class.

Who Let The Dogs Out? - Wait We Don't Own a Dog!

And the 2011 Pinewood Derby Winner is...

No one we know... Pinewood Derby. What is it? I did not know but I learned this past weekend the hard way. Let me back up to early last month. I was handed two small boxes with races cars printing on the outside packaging and was told they were for the cub scouts annual pinewood derby. I thought hum...okay we can assemble and paint the wooden cars and enter them in the race. That should be easy. I really did not think much of it, that was until I opened the boxes and to my horror I discovered someone had made a mistake. There was no car in our box just a piece of wood. Clearly someone at the assembly plant did not check this box for quality control. So I opened the next box and shuttered to discover it too was just a piece of wood. So then I reluctantly did was most people do first---read the directions.

THE PINEWOOD DERBY REQUIRES YOU TO CARVE OR CUT OUT YOUR CARD WITH WOOD SHOP TOOLS! What? We are the Tomato's! We have every tool imaginable for making things in the KITCHEN. Not in a wood shop. I knew at this point we were doomed.

So I sat the two pieces of wood on the dinning room table and called for the boys to let them know the situation. I explained that neither their father nor I possessed the tools let alone the skills to hand carve a car out of chunk of wood. So we had better come up with another plan of action. Just then I looked down at the table and saw the answer sitting right next to the block of wood. The Wii remote. Why, it was the same shape, length and width and would requite no carving or cutting. Voila! problem solved. Forget a fast race car...we would go for the interesting category. Tobbers loved the idea and took on the challenge. HooHaa had a whole other idea. I suggested, stick of butter, candy bar, lego brick, and toothpaste box, but nooooooooooooooooo he wanted a Bumble Bee transformer car. (yeah right?)

We strong armed mister T in to taking on HooHaa's car and with some outside help he cut a car using some wood power tools. I must say it looked quite snazzy.

So the cars were painted and assembled and we thought we were good. Ahhhhh that would be NO. We grossly neglected to understand that the Pinewood derby is serious business with much research done by participants with regard to weights, design and such. We also were negligent in researching what other Pinewood derby cars have been tried in the past---which is easily done with a simple Internet search. Basically we had all of the makings of newbies.

So we show up at the derby and entered the boys cars. There were over 200 entries. We were feeling quite proud. Each car got to run six times (one in each lane of the track). The winner is based on accumulative times some or another....did not really end up mattering to us because BOTH CARS NEVER IN THEIR SIX RUNS EVER MADE IT TO THE FINISH LINE OR EVEN NEAR IT! Yep, both cars went down the ramp and proceed to stop at the about the half way point. We were the only cars that lost EVERY race they were in. The good news...we keep out wheels on.

Surprising the boys are ramped up for next year and are already thinking of ideas for their cars.

Oh my there really is a Tooth Fairy!

Little bunny FuFu has been wanting to lose a tooth for over two years. Well she lost her first tooth and was so excited she could barely contain her joy. To make her tooth tooth fairy worthy, she (unbeknown to me) went in the bathroom to wash her tooth with soap only to come out in tears that she had washed her tooth down the drain.
I assured her that if she wrote a note to the tooth fairy she would understand what happened. So here is what she wrote " dear tooth fairy...i like you...you are pretty... i was washing my tooth and it is lost in the sink. Can you get it out for me? I want it back. I want you to give me ten dollars and 100 pennies. i love you you are pretty.. please give me money. love fu."
She places the letter under her pillow and all I can think of is great? How the heck am I going to come up with the darn lost tooth?
The next morning I am barefoot in the bathroom and step on something sharp. I look down and what do you know...I was stepping on the tooth! The toothfairy went down the drain and brought the tooth back out. I was so excited for FuFu.
So the tooth fairy was able to give FuFu her tooth back and the 100 pennies. What about the requested 10 bucks you ask? Hey, this economy is hitting everyone...even the toothfairy.

Red White and Huh?

"Mom we have to wear red, white and blue to school tomorrow." "Huh?" I said
Yep read white and blue and a lot of it..."okay" I say, thinking to myself...but it's Christmas?...what about read white and green?. "Well, you are in luck, I just moved the fourth of July box out of the way to access the Christmas box. Have at it." I tell them. And here is what they went to school looking like.... And whatta ya know...they won first and second place out of five hundred and someodd kids. Nothing like not having enough room in the attic to store the 4th of July box!

Score Girls 5 Boys 2

The Team & The Players

Team A
* DaddyO - the big guy of the house who likes to think he is in charge but fools no one since we all know there is a female estrogen imbalance in his life.
* MumMum - aka Dawn me the real one in charge around here...or so I think until I am overthrown my younger estrogen leaders


Team B
* Linjit - Obviously not her real name but the one we affectionately call her since Indian food is her favorite. Lins is the older and next successor in the estrogen head of household. Lins is our mellow, compassionate and artistic fish of the family born 3/82.
* KC - This is her name...or at least her initials. KC is our traveling one...we believe she is still on the north American continent at the moment....but she is known to board a plane at a moments notice to only god knows where and is always full of enthusiasm, charisma and great stories. KC is our strong willed ram born 4/84 Team B is living together and staking our family hold in the southern part of our very long state.


Team C * CanNoley - Oldest by two minutes, Noley is the family resident animal lover and loves all things cats, horses, and colorful. Noley is known for her nonstop signing and thinker of "great thoughts and maker of great plans" Noley makes up the part A of our stinging duo being born 11/00.
* Tobbers - Toblerone (and no, I did not name my son after a candy bar - although it is a pretty good one I must say), the worlds most handsome, smart and charming guy....and how can he not be? He is the sole boy in a family of four sisters! Tobbers is powered by knowledge, trains, planes, history and the world. Tobbers part B, is the quiet stinger of the duo born last on 11/00
Team D
* MeiMei - Is the latest addition to this crazy house we call home. MeiMei joins us via Wuzhou, Guangxi China. MeiMei was adopted at 3 years old. She was our fist adoption and we used CCAI (a great agency). We brought MeiMei home in spring of 2007. She is our feisty, outspoken strong willed and stubborn ram charmer...who in many regards shares a lot in common including her sign with big sister KC. She loves to dance, sing and wear all things sparkly. Born 3/04
* HooHaa - Is the little guy waiting in China who we are petitioning to adopt. We are waiting for our Pre Approval and once we have it we can post a little more including a photo of him. He is 8 months older than MeiMei and shares her repaired cleft lip and palate. He is a healthy handsome guy with what appears to have an affinity for snazzy shoes like his soon to be father. HooHaa (the name we affectionately call him) once home will be MeiMeis virtual twin. Born 5/03

I guess you can kinda see a pattern here...two by two by two by two or 2 to the fourth power or is it 4 to the 2nd power? hummm guess I should go ask Tobbers....

(oh yeah and in case you think we are nuts for naming the kids....we are a family based on nicknames...they are all terms of endearment in our household...)

Princess O'Rama

I little background...this whole Disney Princess thing kinda snuck up out of nowhere. Noley who is seven, was never into Princesses. I did not introduce them and she never seemed to notice or care. Last year she was invited to a big first grade girl "Princess Party" (45 kids in attendance-yikes) This party had horse drawn carriages, makeup, hair, make your crowns, yada, yada you get the picture. 200% all high caliber princess girly stuff.

So Noley comes home and tells me about the party and shares her invitation. She asks me if I will help her with her costume. Taken aback, I asked what princess costume was she thinking? She proudly proclaimed "why mom of course...I am going as Princess Leia from StarWars and I'm going to borrow Tobbers light saber!" "and you have to make my costume"

Of course being the proud mom that I am of my non traditional girl--not afraid to be herself kinda gal...I antied up to the task. Needless to say out of 45 girls at the party, my Noley was the only warrior Princess Leia. You - Go - Girl!

Now, fast forward to Disneyland...Noley the non princess girl started to get interested in the princess thing. MeiMei is crazed about them since her neighbor friend is 100% Disney princess so we had to do it....that is stand in line for a hour to meet who ever was behind the secret wall.

Noley was quietly hoping for Jasmine and MeiMei was pulling for Mulan and Belle...

We hit the Princess Holy Grail and got photos will all three. Praise to be!

Photos anyone....

I have to offer a HUGE thanks to Linjit for helping us with the yahoos at Disneyland. Without Lins, DaddyO and myself would have either: Divorced, left the children on the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean or snuck them in with the large family wearing the same turquoise color t-shirts as the yahoos were wearing. DaddyO and I still think we missed a great opportunity there....

Linjit! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU- Please come back on vacation with us!!! WE promise it will be better!!!!

- D

Anyone got the number of Nanny 911?

Help! Aliens have abducted my three sweet well behaved children and replaced them with candidates for Nanny 911. Boy, the Disney behavior appears to be continuing. The not so great behavior that is....heavens, I thought it would stop when we left Disney. The kids are at each other constantly. Poking, prodding, pulling, pushing and anything else they can think of... Yowza! I'm ready for my three sweet kids to comeback. I wish the aliens would finish their experiments and return them to their rightful owner.... ME!

I'm starting to recover myself from my Disney hangover and will be posting some photos in the next day or two when my energy and optimism returns---whichever comes first.

Hot Child in the City

Well, in case you did not know, it is summer here in the big Tomato. You know you are in Sac when you cannot decide if it is hotter outside or inside your parked car. Today it was a pseudo pleasant 98 degree accompanied with close to zero humidity as usual.

Yep. It is hot here and dry. The funny thing is when I moved here eons ago after school, I was lead to believe it was actually cooler here than where I was living for College. WRONG. I tried to leave this place twice for better weather (I know yes it is California and I should be grateful of our weather--but I do not like to be hot) but the Universe had other plans for me because each time I left, I found myself back in the Big Tomato. So here I am....er aughhhh 20 years later.

One would think I would be used to it by now. I spent all my childhood summers in killer northern California heat where it is nothing to see temps in the 105 - 120 range for days on end. I can even remember the day it hit the 121 record mark. I thought I was going to die. I remember listening to my neighbors with pools and us with a sprinkler or emptying our family trash cans so we could fill them up with water and stand in them.

I tell me yahoos that they are very lucky. They think I am a whiner. They do not have to survive the nasty hot summers dunking in dirty trash cans and living with swamp coolers. Nope my kids live the "sweet life" as they like to call it.... They have A/C (which funny enough now that I have it I never use it) misters and a pool.

Today MeiMei decided she was going to swim on her own. Now, mind you she is four and does not know how to swim....she stepped in to the pool and took off on her own - swimmy free- and headed for the deep end...and whadda'ya know... She DID IT! The girl can swim! I am so proud of her. I was so nervous I did not get a photo but will when she does it again.

Here are some great pool action shots of the yahoos in action...