Fun contest!

I would love one of these! An HP photosmart printer. It would be so convenient to be able to print my own photos.

Hey I won another drawing at Five Minutes for Mom, so it *is* possible to win! Enter here.Pin It

Wordless Wednesday

Almost all the guests at A's 4th birthday party this past Saturday. Notice the red icing all around C's mouth! That's from the birthday cake.Pin It

Our summer vacation 2007

Warning - long post ahead! Grab a cup of tea/coffee.

This year we went northeast to Winthrop and Lake Chelan. We wanted sun, sun, sun!

Winthrop is a western-themed town. We wanted the boys to ride horses/ponies and we found a place willing to do that for a short ride. Unfortunately, A fell off of his horse! My hubby and I were with C and his horse and the handler was with A. I looked up to see A's horse running off! Pretty scary! We think that A accidentally kicked his horse when he was fiddling with his sandal and the stirrup. He fell onto soft ground and his face was scratched up and his back and hip hurt for several days. It could've been so much worse. Here's C on his horse.

At Lake Chelan we stayed at a wonderful B&B up in the hills, away from the town. It was a log cabin with a pool and a hot tub. The owner had some sheep that the boys got to help feed (although they were too shy to actually feed them). We picked blueberries twice and enjoyed a BBQ supper at a local vineyard twice. If we like something we go back! They had a small jazz group and C loved listening to that. We listened while we waited for our food and then went back to our table. C said "go back to me jazz, Mommy!"

A played miniature golf in both Winthrop and Chelan.
We had a motorboat ride and the boys were uncertain at first. A enjoyed when the boat would go over a wake so the driver went around in circles so that the boat would go over its own wake. A loved that! We did that over and over and over. Guess who slept through almost the whole thing! (That would be C who sucked his thumb and sat happily on my lap as the boat went up and down and round and round).
One downside of Lake Chelan was the smoke from a nearby wildfire. By the third day we could hardly see the other side of the lake. (Hence the photo of the mural!)

After Chelan we went to Wenatchee. I found a great little antique store with terrific prices. I want to go back there! I found a great ring with a pink stone for $14. I'm not sure if its real but I don't care.
In Wenatchee we found a farm/orchard where we could have a private tour and pick some fruit. The owner was so friendly and kind. A really wanted to pick an apple and he was able to even though it was a little early. Floyd the farmer didn't even charge us for the fruit!

We went through Leavenworth on the way back. What a beautiful drive.

The boys did great. A missed a few too many naps and so he got whiny in the afternoons on the last few days.

Here's one more photo:
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Funny video about going to sleep ..... or not

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Menu plan Monday

Well we're back to our regular routine here. It is nice to have some meals at home after eating out so much on our vacation.

Here's what we'll be having this week in no particular order.

- Bratwurst Stew (Taste of Home recipe)

- Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce and veggies

- Kraft recipe for Creamy chicken with spinach and rice

- Meatball and veggie soup

- BBQ Salmon, Orzo and Spinach

- Quinoa Chili


E mail me if you'd like any recipes.Pin It

Mom do I have to stay here?

 

for the whole road trip???


Just kidding.
I'm back from vacation. Too many blogs to read. Too much laundry to do!

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I won something!

I enter lots of contests at Five Minutes for Mom and today I finally won something! Its a Babeebrite night light. I think I'll use it for checking on my little guy in the night or for giving medicine in the night.Pin It

Works for Me - subtitles

OK, so this tip may only work for moms whose kids are crazy about reading like my 3 year old. Yes, he reads. It is pretty amazing. I can't take much credit. He showed so much interest in letters and reading when he was 2.

So, here's my tip. To make kids DVDs just a bit more educational and fun we turn the subtitles on. My son loves it. He doesn't like watching VHS because we can't do this with them. He says "do the words!!!"

As a bonus, seeing the words with the images will help my 2 year old learn to read.

Current favourite DVDs?
- Lady and the Tramp
- Truck Adventures - Fire Truck
- The Wiggles - Top of the Tots

For more great tips, see Shannon's Works for Me Wednesday.Pin It

The power of suggestion and advertising

This is a troubling article since the test was done with kids from age 3 to 5.

Anything in a McDonalds wrapper tastes better.Pin It

Yippeee!

My littlest guy just sat on the po*ty and pe*d! It has been a struggle just to get him to sit still. Maybe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is 2 in diapers?Pin It

Who do you look like?

Just for fun I tried this. My friend Leah had it on her site so I had to try it out.

Go here if you want to do it. It has an annoyingly long registration process, however.Pin It

July in photos

We got a new stroller - exciting, eh?

Fun new hat.

Enjoying the pool.

Hangin' at the park

Tunnel at McDonalds

Pancake breakfast at the fire station on July 4th.Pin It

More toys recalled

This time it is Fisher Price. Dangerous levels of lead. Toys made in China - once again.

The details can be found here.

We have at least one of these toys in our house. Off to find it!Pin It

Look what I grew!

 

Me and my giant zucchini.

I'm planning to make carrot zucchini bread. Any other ideas or recipes?

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A meme

What's a meme? I wondered the same thing. I still don't really know the source of the word but in blogging world its a "get to know you" game.

Here's a fun one I found.

4 jobs I have held
1. Waitress
2. Chambermaid
3. Extra in a Japanese movie
4. Census taker
(I only listed the interesting ones!)

4 movies I can watch over and over
1. Pride and Prejudice (the A and E version)
2. The Wedding Singer
3. Enchanted April
4. The Thin Man

4 places I have lived
1. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3. Banff, Alberta
4. Seattle, WA

4 TV shows I watch
This is a tough one. I only watch 2!
1. House, MD
2. Monk.

4 places I have been on vacation
1. Victoria, BC
2. Quebec City, Canada
3. Death Valley, California (a beautiful place except in the summer)
4. Prince Edward Island, Canada

4 favourite foods
1. scones (they have to be really, really good)
2. banana strawberry waffles that my hubby makes
3. alder plank grilled salmon
4. fun salads from Central Market's salad bar

4 websites I visit
1. local library
2. Drudge Report
3. Amazon.com
4. Bloglines (gotta read my blogs!)


Oh, and the best part of a meme? You get to "tag" your friends and they have to answer the same question. I tag Bo Tai-tai and Colette.Pin It