Happy Halloween!!

Our Halloween day checklist

1. Stay quiet getting up so Daddy can sleep since he had to work until 4am... check!
2. Sneak some candy for Mommy's breakfast... check!
3. Go see our friend/babysitter Rana at the costume shop after her all night shift... check!
4. Eat breakfast at a diner with dressed up wait staff... check!
5. Find the rest of Mom's costume at the ARC... check!
6. Race home to say good morning to Daddy before he leaves for work again... check!
7. Visit local farm market for pumpkins, gourds and apple cider... check!
8. Carve pumpkins... check!
9. Repeatedly ask mom until she is near insanity if it is time to trick or treat yet... CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!

From carving this afternoon. Will post costume photos tomorrow.

Carving

Nina love pumpkin pulp!

Kate's first self-carved pumpkin

Jack

Mom and pumpkins

Ready for Winter

We were up in the mountains over the weekend, and the kids are getting really antsy for winter. Despite having only a little bit of snow on the north side of a hill, they insisted on going sledding...

Luckily we got a few inches of snow that night so the sledding was a bit better the next day!

Kittens, Kittens, Kittens

We had 3 of Oscar's 4 siblings come through our house on the way to their new homes. It was so much fun to have all the kittens!

We originally brought a black and white kitten home with Oscar. That kitty went to live with my friend Kristen. She named her Rosie Rae (although Kristen just called tonight to let me know that she thinks Rosie might be a "he!")

Two others that looked just like Oscar came through a few days later on the way to their new home.

Oscar was pretty curious when the two siblings showed up, but now that they are gone, we don't think he misses them too much...

New Addition

We have a new addition in the family!

Oscar. Sometimes called Oscar Du (after the Scandinavian game Husker Du that I like playing when I was little). Sometimes called Oscar Wilde. That name seems to suit him best at 3am when I'm trying to sleep. Argh!

Nina Sprinkles LOVES him. They play and sleep together already. Our old cat Samuel isn't very happy with us right now.

Full O'

My conversation with Kate this morning while I had been joking with her about something...

"Mama, do you know what your body is full of?"

"What?"

"Goof!"

"Goop?"

"No, goof! Like you are a goofball! You are full of goof!"

With a chuckle and a tickle-hug I respond, "No, I think YOU are full of goof!"

Then a few minutes later...

"Actually, Mama, you aren't just full of goof. You are also full of love."

Full O' Goof and Love. I hope that sums me up most days.

Swine Flu in the House

Jack was the first to fall victim last week. Started with a hoarse voice and croupy cough on Sunday, vomited Monday morning, had a fever by that afternoon. Ran one for just over 48 hours (I don't take my kids temps - it just freaks me out to see the numbers - so I don't know how high it was) Out from preschool for 3 days. Not so bad.

Everything I read said to expect an incubation period of 4-7 days so I thought the rest of us would be sick by the weekend. Weekend came and went. Nothing. (I've been really dragging but that could be easily normal mom tired) Thought we were in the clear.

I dropped Kate off at school this morning and noticed that the playground seemed pretty quiet. Later I got a call from the school. Come get her. She was probably the 15th child to be sent home today. Dropping like flies the secretary said. So a few more days of the crud and hopefully will be done with it.

I'm just happy that it is relatively mild, and we are getting it over. I like having those new antibodies on board.

Vanity Plates

I'm all for supporting the use of reusable sanitary products, but this seems a bit much. As seen coming home from the gym this morning...

I also keep wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it means something else? Maybe her name is Gladys Rodriguez?

More Canning

Got up early on Sunday morning (thanks, Jack!) and started canning peaches before everyone else woke. Matt tells me that he loves to wake up to me canning in the kitchen. Says it just feels "homey" to him. I also like the warm, steamy kitchen and the sense of accomplishment so early in the day.

These are packed raw with hot water. They are late season peaches (obviously since it is October) and not as sweet as the box I previously purchased (which we devoured before I could can). Wondering if I should have canned them in a light syrup...

Hoping to snag some pears at the farmers' market this weekend. And maybe also make some pickles this weekend.

Composting on the Go

Let's start out by admitting that I'm not the cleanest car person (okay, who are we kidding... I'm not the tidiest person overall). Then you add in young children and their stuff (toys, books, school artwork, on-the-go snacks, etc). Then you add in my green guilt of throwing away anything that could be taken home and recycled or composted. Plus when we get home, I usually have other things to corral inside like groceries, kids, dog.

It just doesn't add up to a very clean car situation.

But you know it is REALLY bad when your husband asks if we have moved the compost bin to the backseat...

And then proceeds to fill the kitchen compost bucket from finds in the backseat... yuck!

I really need to come up with a solution for being on the go. Any suggestions?

And thank you, Matt, for cleaning my car out this weekend!