Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom

Ok. Ashley this post is for you..


In response to my friend Ashley's blogpost requesting 11 Confessions for 2011 Here are mine.
Don't judge! ;)




1. I've become addicted to romantic comedies and watched 4 in one day... yesterday.

2. When the kids are fussy I turn on the radio and dance and sing around the house. You should see my running man. Its a crowd pleaser.

3. I have a system that tells me when I need to clean the floors.. When the kids look like they've begun to look like puppies because there's so much dog hair or hair or lint on their clothes from rolling around.

4. I look for all kinds of excuses to run errands alone. So I can sing really loud and off key without getting looks from Ken and AJ .. annnd Addison. She's at that age now where she knows bad singing.

5. Its impossible to feel sexy or attractive when your wearing a nursing bra.

6. I dislike vegetables most of the time and I only eat them because I make the kids eat them. And even then, I usually only have a spoonful of veggies on my plate.

7. Sometimes when a telemarketer calls, I talk to them just for a little adult conversation. It almost always has nothing to do with what they are trying to sell me and they usually hang up on me. I actually learned that from Ken. Its great entertainment!

8. I wish we lived in Jackson and still owned the restaurant for the sole reason that I would never have to cook.

9. I feel like the washing machines and the hampers have a plot against me and somehow something is ALWAYS in one of them.

10. My house is a mess

11. I've been avoiding cleaning it by making this list.

Sunday Tea? Yes Please!

So yesterday, the girls were invited to a birthday party. It was a joint birthday party for two cute little girls. The theme was Tea and Top Hats and oh my goodness it was ADORABLE! The place was decorated so cute and they had 2 "Southern Belles" there to do make up and "doll up" the guests. The food was yummy and the girls had a ball swirling and twirling around. Here are some of the pics.

Anna and I twirled too..

This is Erin. She works with Ken and is the mommy of the birthday girls.
Great Job on the party Erin! We had a blast! Thanks for having us!!

Food

Let me start off by saying Addison is a picky eater. I dont know if its the toddler stage or what. But its like torture getting that girl to eat something of sustenance! Her favorite foods at the moment: White rice and Frosted flakes Cereal. How's that for being true to the blog title!? :) Its not quite meatloaf but I think its close enough.

I tend to cook a mixture of American and Chinese food when I cook. From stir frys, to casseroles and almost everything in between. And throughout all of the dishes i've served Addison the constant seems to be cereal and rice. So I've decided to expand my repertoire and I wanted to ask for your feedback. What was a fave dish of yours as a kid? Or if you have kids what do they like to eat? And any tips for sneaking in veggies?

Alexis is our talker. She talks from the moment she gets up till she goes to bed. I'm not exaggerating either. She literally lays in bed and talks to her dolls, imaginary kids- (this is how maternal she is.. she doesn't have imaginary friends, she has imaginary children.. and from the way she talks, lots of them.

Night time ramblings of a crazy Asian

omg i'm old. wanna know how i know? Because I drank a coke tonight. a large coke from mcdonalds. AND I'm Wiiiiide awake. STILL! 3 hours after the fact. What the heck?! I used to be able to drink 2 large caffeinated drinks and go straight to bed. I'd be out by the time my head hit the pillow. Oh well. The kitchen is clean and the playroom is semi picked up so I guess it wasnt all for naught. (like that? I've been rereading the Scarlet Letter so my mind drifts in and out of that old world language.) Dost thou judge me? hahah. I know, I know, I'm a weirdo. but hey Mrs. Clark would be so proud. hm, now that I think about it. I'm not sure Mrs. Clark was the one who made us read that book... Maybe it was Mrs. Norville in middle school English. Oh well, I digress.
Since Ken got me a Kindle for Christmas, I've decided to reread all the classics. "Why?" You may ask. Well, 1. because most of them are free and 2. because I never really took the time to read and appreciate them when I read them in school. And I'm curious to see if I "get" them now. :) So next on the list is Emma by Jane Austen. Actually, I've never read that one but it seemed interesting and I remember having the hardest time getting into Pride and Prejudice back in school. So we'll see how that goes. :)

Wow, didnt mean to go so in depth about my reading schedule. haha. Oh Caffeine. I'm going to pay for being up this late tomorrow morning.

So lets see what else is new of interest in the old England abode?... Anna finally got her two bottom teeth. She's working on crawling but still not getting it.. Addison is working on Potty training and is doing REALLY good. We've been at it for a week now and she's getting it slowly but surely. And A.J., she's A.J. - going stir crazy and wanting to do gymnastics, piano, etc. etc. etc. Chinese school starts up again on Saturday so hopefully that'll occupy her a little but I've got to find something for her to do to expell some of that pent up energy. Speaking of pent up energy, I need to go and finish a couple of crafts while I'm on this sugar/ caffeine high. I'm recovering a highchair pad, finishing up some pendants/ rings, making some hair bows, and doing a little mending! Oh and that reminds me, I've got a photo coaster tutorial that is SUPER Easy and CHEAPO that I'll post here soon. I made a set for my in laws for Christmas and they turned out really cute. So start picking out some pics and get ready to start making some cute Valentines presents for parents, grandparents, etc.

night yall!

A Glimpse into Annie's Mind... what could be scarier? ;)

My mind works in tunnels... er. wormholes is probably more appropriate. Remember that image of Jodi Foster in the movie Contact- where she's in the chair flying through tunnels and then dropping into wormholes, then flying through another tunnel only to end up at a clear destination of a beach.. well that's the best way to describe how my mind works.



So if you're still interested come along on a journey with me and keep reading! :)




Getting in the chair and strapping in: Last weekend Ken and I watched the movie 2012. Then two nights ago I watched a show on the History Channel about 2012. And they spoke about how the Mayan calendar (which is apparently really precise) ends on December 21st,2012. And they went on to talk about how the Chinese have a book called the I- Ching that ends on the same date, and of course they brought in all kinds of stories about people prophesying the end of the world as we know it. Most of the time, my reaction would be "click" - change the channel. I don't know what the pull was that kept me watching it (maybe it was the movie being fresh on my mind) Anyway, I watched the whole show which got me all worked up because they had said that astronomers and science had confirmed that Dec. 21, 2012 is when the earth and a bunch of other planets come completely in line with the sun which could cause polar shifts, etc. etc. Sounds plausible. Well being a mom this had me all worked up. I'm not so much worried about it being an apocalypse because if that's the case we're ok. But what if its not the end of the world and it just means some really traumatic geological stuff is going to happen? It physically hurts me to imagine not being able to save my children from harm.


Enter my constant spell of worrying...

Tunnel: So, for the past couple of days I've been pondering what I would do if some major natural catastrophe were to strike. Possible scenarios, Where would I go, What would I do, How can I plan or prepare in order to keep my family safe (thats the major one). Sure I can pack an emergency kit, maybe even pack one of our hiking backpacks to be ready to go... (yes, I'm that crazy that I would do that- don't judge me! ;)


Wormhole: So I started to create a little mental list. For example, each person would need a change of clothes, (something warm, waterproof, and lightweight). The girls would want their blankie... so have to pack that.. And then first aid kit, trash bags, flint stick, knives, tent, sleeping bags, food and water. Then I looked around my house to see if there was anything else that we would "need" and it was like my eyes were opened for the first time.


Beach: We have so much that falls under the category of "want" it was very grounding. Yes, I was always keenly aware that there are others out there that have far less than we do but it didn't quite hit home until today. WE ARE SOOO BLESSED! Our closets and drawers are beyond full, the toyboxes/ baskets are overflowing, we have so much stuff that we don't know where to put it all. It was a really good reality check to have especially since the holiday season is gearing up. I've already been eying Christmas presents and cute matching Christmas outfits for my girls for the past two weeks now.


Back to Earth: But now with this realization I've had today it makes me think.. Some of my favorite presents were presents that were "thoughtful presents" not just filler presents (ie. more boxes to open). Toys and clothes get outgrown, is there something that you received as a child that has always stuck with you?


As for the end of the world stuff. I'll probably have a bag packed just in case. ;)





And do the same exercise... If something were to happen and all you could take with you had to fit in a backpack.. what would it be? Then take an inventory of your belongings.

Its finally here!!

Its my absolute favorite time of year... The air is crisp, the leaves are changing and the relentless summer heat finally gives way to the refreshing breezes! Oh FALL! I've missed you!

One of my favorite family traditions is going to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkins. We've gone every year starting when AJ was 2 months old.

This pic is us and anna from this year... (4 months)

This is us and AJ when she was 2 months old..

LOOK at Ken's bald head! Skinny man. ;)

This is Addison at 5 months old

Its always such a great time and the kids always have so much fun. There's the sandbox, concessions, facepainting, music, inflatables, pony rides, a petting zoo and of course the hay ride to the main pumpkin patch!

This year we invited our good friends the Pattersons and the Cowles along.


Homer and Addison had fun running around and exploring.

And AJ and Claire are bestest buds.

Here are some of the pics we took. I guess you can tell that Halloween is getting close because almost every picture I got on my camera at least one person was making a funny face... Although I don't think it was on purpose. :) Take a gander and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Happy Fall!!!!