Alone on the Mountain Top: June 2011

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Happiness Post:: Post 27

I'm trying to be really good by limiting my sugars and carbs... and of course, this is when all I can think of is tasty, tasty treats.

S'mores make me happy... here's a s'more my hubby came up with - that is so satisfying.

Have you had the nature valley granola thins? Dark chocolate and crispy granola... what's not to like?! Always use kraft marshmallows. I've tried a diff't brand, because they had ginormous marshmallows - average. Stick to the good stuff. However, you can always change up the chocolate - always go for better chocolate... makes a world of difference.

Yesterday I made s'mores for my daughters made up of homemade, dark chocolate ganache. They gobbled it right up.

Just looking at these pictures makes me perk up a bit.

Cheers!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Friday: A Family Lives Here - Exhibit 12

I'll be posting each Friday with the same theme of "A Family Lives Here". Hope you like it. Hope you join in on the fun.

Exhibit 12:

Where am I?

Well, I've been out and about with my girls all summer.

Swimming, creating art, exploring, working on workbooks, cooking, baking, imagining... all of it... offline. It's been great!

Toodleoo!

ps. There's also been a fair bit of this...

You know... fighting, whining and general mayhem.

and this...

Have you been busy having fun this summer?

We're like detectives, scouting out evidence that a family lives here.

Join me by posting a proof of family, with your commentary.

Then, tack on my button and include it in your post.

Remember to add your link via Mr. Linky.

Ready, set, go!

Monday, June 20, 2011

So glad when Daddy comes home

I think one of the most telling things about a relationship between a child and their father is simply, are you glad when he comes home?

SF Giants v. Cincinnati at ATT park- the game they won - first game for our daughters

We have this primary song the kids sing. Here are my daughters singing it for their Daddy.

I am so grateful that I found a man who plays with his daughters. I am so grateful that he is silly with them. I am so grateful that he is patient, and loving and it shows. He works hard doing what is needed, for those he loves.

I am so grateful for my hunny bunny. Before choosing a spouse I knew I wanted a man my daughters wouldn't dread, or fear, but one they would be thrilled to have at home.

Brunch for Father's Day!

I believe there is no greater, no truer compliment than when your family simply can't wait until you are home.When my man comes home, all three of us might happen to start talking at once. The girls fight to run to him first. They love how he sweeps them up into his arms for a twirling, giggling hug.

Today, this post is late in the day because we have been trying to create a clean, peaceful home for our hard-working Daddy to return home to.

Enjoy this video of another real man. A true father.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Friday: A Family Lives Here - Exhibit 11

I'll be posting each Friday with the same theme of "A Family Lives Here". Hope you like it. Hope you join in on the fun.

Exhibit 11:

Just an ordinary flat sheet, right?

That's what the pirates want you to think.

Get the rigging, lasses!

Now, the simple sheet has transformed into the lovely long locks of Rapunzel.

When I took this picture my oldest said they were posing for a movie poster.

My daughters are dragging their flat sheets throughout the house. The game they play the most, is reenacting scenes, and singing songs from Tangled. It is really adorable, except when it isn't, and you wonder where that blasted mute button is. Ha!

This week has been filled with swimming, outings and play dates. So I've been light on the blog posts, because I've been reading too. This will likely continue the whole of summer. But I will try to focus to make it each Friday.

I am lucky my girls play so well together. They have their moments, but don't we all? These posts are my way of counting my many blessings.

What kind of games to your kids play, on repeat?

We're like detectives, scouting out evidence that a family lives here.

Join me by posting a proof of family, with your commentary.

Then, tack on my button and include it in your post.

Remember to add your link via Mr. Linky.

Ready, set, go!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday: A Family Lives Here - Exhibit 10

I'll be posting each Friday with the same theme of "A Family Lives Here". Hope you like it. Hope you join in on the fun.

Exhibit 10:

Well, what do we have here?

Looks like a room freshly vacuumed.

No, wait... just a balance beam.

Of course, it could also be a pirate's plank.

Cheers!

What kind of seemingly ordinary items do your kids use their imaginations on?

We're like detectives, scouting out evidence that a family lives here.
Join me by posting a proof of family, with your commentary.
Then, tack on my button and include it in your post.
Remember to add your link via Mr. Linky.
Ready, set, go!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

I love you summer... can I have my brain back?

Since this is the first week of summer break - I've lost all sense of time, space, hygiene.

When you don't have to be anywhere, at a specific time... time stops holding any meaning. Am I right? Please say yes... just nod, maybe even just a little blink.

Monday I woke to find a tornado mess in my toy room. To be fair, it wasn't just my daughters. So after a royal conniption, on my part, we worked together to get it back in order. Then at 3:50pm I looked at the clock and panicked. We had swim lessons at 4pm.

Before my daughters knew it a madwoman was running around screaming her head off, something about "go pee now! get changed now! get your sandals! run into the car! NOW NOW NOW NOW!" also... "I FORGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT We're going to be LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE! RUN RUN RUN!"

Luckily, we flew into the lessons like bats out of hell just 6 minutes late. I am not disclosing any speed records I may, or may not have set.

I simultaneously stripped the girls of their robes, sandals and threw them into the pool, and then I looked up to notice their swim teacher was teaching a different student. There was a little thing in the back of mind wondering... "odd, what day is today?"

The kind swim school owner came over and asked me, what day our lessons were... all I could get out of my mouth was, "um, 4pm I think... I could swear... I think?" He checked the computer schedule and told me it was Tuesdays at 4pm...NOT Mondays at 4pm.

Forehead smack.

Thankfully, we had a make up lesson to schedule, and they had a teacher that had students that didn't show up. So we got lucky. The girls had their lesson. *Breathe*

I made a mental note that Tuesday at 4pm were our lessons.

Tuesday morning we woke luxuriously at 9am. I told the girls we had swimming at 4pm. Aha! I remembered. I made scrambled eggs for the girls around 10am. We opened up a brand new set of paints, brushes and paper. We walked to the park at 3:15pm. I texted some friends, and Ruby and her kids joined us around 4:20pm. I started to relay our crazy Monday experience about swim around 5pm.

Mid-story my heart dropped.

I checked my iPhone and saw it was 5pm. HOLY *&%^%$#%^&&^**^%*&&**& < <----- that is not me censoring... that is what actually happened in my empty, summer brain.

I was relaying a story about forgetting what day swim was... as I was missing swim, irony, no? Also... tragically hilarious.

So... I've baked a cake for the swim school. It's what I do when I have screwed up someone else's schedule with this forgetful brain of mine.

At this point I can see my sister, who has grown accustomed to my forgetfulness... shaking her head.

I've lost my marbles and haven't the slightest idea where to find them.

Is it okay that I blame summer? Thanks, that means a lot.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Happiness Post: Post 26

A clear desk in the office... which is once in a blue moon.

But you know how things are out of sight out of mind? I am going to have a hard time remembering bills, events, etc... it's like a cleared space, clears out my brain too!

Maybe that's why I'm so happy right now. heh

Cheers!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Impersonation

This morning while my girls 6YO Avant Garde Gal (AGG) and 4YO Dauntless Daughter (DD) were eating cereal, I was reheating some of the delicious food from an International potluck last night.

While the microwave was still heating my breakfast, I tooted.

AGG: *excitedly looking around* Is Daddy here?

QS: No, why?

AGG: I heard a fart. It sounded just Daddy's fart. I thought he was here.

QS: hahahahahah No, he's not here.

AGG: Your fart sounded just like Daddy's.

Apparently, my intestines are pretty good at impersonation.

Happy Monday all! Cheers!

ps. Posting may be light this summer... because... we're playing, and tooting.

pps. It wasn't stinky. I know you were wondering.

Wouldn't you love to go to Paris? I would. Check it out at Oh Happy Day! They fart there too, right?

Friday, June 3, 2011

Friday: A Family Lives Here - Exhibit 9

I'll be posting each Friday with the same theme of "A Family Lives Here". Hope you like it. Hope you join in on the fun.

Exhibit 9:

What do we have here?

It's a picnic!

Yes, this is how we spent Memorial Day. The weather here has been unusually cool. Instead of the hot summer days, we are experiencing the oddest weather... midwest-style. It was too windy to enjoy a relaxing picnic, so we kept it indoors.