The week ahead

Except cross over resume and replace it with transcribing (from Creative Juices for Decor).


PS. While piddling with this post, my two boys covered the whole kitchen with a fine layer of turmeric ... they were smelling spices .... this is just to reaffirm my character.

How they became pirates

Once upon a time there were Three Little Rascals who loved to wonder on the streets of their village. They loved to poke their noses into the bakers and smell the fresh bread, feed the hungry ducks and chickens, throw rocks in the pond or sneak into the toy store to play with trains. Most of all, they loved to climb and swing and play in the grass. But the Magical Garden where they always did that was guarded by the Vicious Gray Rooster. He was a big and strong bird who walked back and forth at the entrance and stared scarily at the people passing by. The Three Little Rascals were brave, braver than the last time they were trying to enter the Magical Garden. They waited for the right moment and sneaked in behind the watchful eyes. But the Vicious Rooster noticed and he started to chase them.

The Three Rascals run as fast as they could when one of them spotted an anchored ship. They quickly climbed up the stairs and found safety on deck.

The Vicious Rooster jumped and hopped and struggled to get up, but he couldn't. The Three Rascals friendlily waved bye to the guard of the Magical Garden and set sail.

The oldest Rascal assumed her position at the wheel and became the Captain. Only once they were at open sea they realized that they were on a pirate ship.

They cheered happily because they knew that pirates don't have to brush their teeth, eat their broccoli or make their beds every morning. They wanted to be pirates forever.

But then the Captain noticed a person on shore ... in a distance a set of waving arms. "Oh no, our Momma! We did not say goodbye! She does not even know where we are going!" She quickly ordered her officers to turn the ship around and to return to shore.

It took hard work from both officers, but they managed to anchor the ship and could not wait to have their Momma's loving arms around them. They promised never to go anywhere without letting her know. That night they all ate their broccoli, brushed their teeth without complaining and snuggled up into their little beds. They had an adventurous day but they were grateful to be home after all .... maybe one day they set sail again ... one day.

You can't bite fashion legs

Oh, the joys of having children ... and having funny ones. I often feel ignorant when people talk about television shows and reality shows and all those things that you can learn through the media. But I don't watch TV ... I watch my children. Usually while I am doing the dishes and they are working off their after dinner energy rush. I love to watch the games they come up with or when they tickle each other and their giggles even make me laugh. A few nights ago, however, I graduated into a full time participant of the evening festivities. Lutza made me sit on the couch, she set the lights and told me to wait until she returned. Few minutes later this is what I see ... high-heels, hair down, lip-gloss and her purse ... LuLu is walking down the stairs and across the living room giving us a fashion show. There were many more outfits coming after this one ... each walk executed with charm and invested with all she got. Don't ask me where she got the whole idea or how does she know how to walk like she is on the runway ... but she was really good.

Of course I had to ask her to give me a kiss 'before she grows up and goes away to college' ... which led to spotting a really good bite on her leg ... just over the knee. So I took it!!! While she giggled she said: 'mommy, you can't bite fashion legs, you can't!!!' Oh, yes I can and I will bite those legs until she lets me!!

And just to wrap up the night, the children experimented with some goofy alien looks.

Spring Decor

Ahhh, spring is finally here and the few sunny days that we had already inspired me to shuffle some things around and to get down our Easter box from the top of the garage shelf.

About a month ago the children made birdhouses at their Home Depot craft hour that they custom painted on a later day. They were thrilled to see their work on the mantle along with some flowers, a butterfly and eggs.

These eggs are from years back. In Hungary we blow out eggs and color them ... then safely tuck them away in egg cartons. They have been pleasing my eyes year after year when Easter rolls around. I also made a hole bunch with some hangers that we traditionally decorate the Easter tree with.

It must be my childhood memory, but I have to have a live branch or two part of the spring decor. I got these on our latest nature walk with the children. The quest for the perfect branch has been going on for years ... but I think I found just the right one for our dining room window. Lutza is my assistant in decorating this tree every year.

This is my Hungarian corner .... just like I remembered. I love all the colors.

A one incher

Our 'relaxing' nature walk was cut short by an emergency - an inch long splinter from a wood bridge. I thought I have seen big tears before ...

My little Rapunzel

... our little Lutza as a long haired princess. Tangled is her absolutely most favorite movie right now ... the dancing, the singing, the humor, the romance .... she gets it all and takes it alllll in. This is her version of dressing up to be Rapunzel, she lets her hair down, kicks her shoes off and spins and twirls across rooms singing her favorite song. I have so much love for this little girl, I think my heart will explode. I treasure her for her imagination and innocence, I love that she is happy and free. I don't think I can ask for more as a mother! We will have all the time in the world for math and reading .... the 'right-now' this 'very moment' is what matters.

Pew!

Well, it has been quite a month so far. I don't even know where my memories of these past few weeks start ... maybe by getting in an accident with three children and crashing the van, followed by injuries to two more vehicles in the family, getting the the flu first ... topped off with the stomach flu. Oh, it has been quite a month.

When mommies go down, they go down big time. I don't recall being sick in recent history this bad, to the point that I did not even want to get out of bed but still had to because my little ones needed me and felt the same pains as I did. But we made it. Lutza and Vidor are such troopers and unfortunately know the drill when tummy troubles come. But little Goo-Goo just wanted to be hugged .... when I could not even stand my own clothes touching me. I did not make - or at that matter ate - a square meal for days and got the puzzled looks from my children that 'you did not feed us dinner' after I served them toasted bagels (that's the cooking part) with cream cheese and strawberries. And when I thought things can't get worse, the washing machine quit - QUIT! When I had piles and piles of sheets, blankets pillows and towels to wash ... why could not just the dishwasher quit?? So I officially declared that it was family emergency and my darling husband (who has been working and living out of town) drove home and took care of business .... and peace returned to our house. There is a reason why God gave two parents to each child and a man for a woman!!!

So this past week has been a blur but we still got a little green spirit going. Before we all got sick, we made green salt dough for evening activity. Whoever thought about the idea of giving children dough to play with ... I owe him/her big time. Without play-dough I would never have dinner made. Lutza made this happy green witch that we dried. We also made shamrock cutouts that we painted and glittered to use for further decorating. We embellished an outside door hanger with it and I used them at school to make St. Patrick's day pins by adding a pin to the backs with hot-glue-gun.

I also found random green card stock that we cut into shamrock shapes to string on the mantle.

Since Daddy has been out of town through the week, we made the traditional St. Patrick's day dinner a week prior. Being gentle on the recovering tummies, I stayed away from fancy desserts, instead we made healthy banana muffins and decorated them to be rainbow muffins. They were pretty good. Oh, I was brave enough to cook something yesterday and I could not stop with only the main dish. So I made tapioca pudding by using coconut milk, hint of cinnamon, raisins - sounds pretty good. Cracks me up even if I just think about the faces that my children made ... Vidor - bless his heart - says "Mommy, thank you so much for making this wooonderful dessert! Is it okay if I don't eat it?". So tapioca was not a big hit in our house ;0) and I did not even have to go as far as coloring it green.

Their present - a marble racer - was greatly appreciated. It has been keeping them busy for hours every day.

And this is our St. Patrick's day portrait without Goo-Goo. He refused to participate sadly. In spite of all the troubles and challenges of this past few weeks - as Jeff said - we are still blessed and fortunate that we have not been swept away by a tsunami or fear radioactive exposure. May God bring peace to all the people in trouble around the world.