And then Holiday Madness ensued

I got approximately a 12 hour break from holiday festivities.  I had planned to take it easy on Black Friday, a slow jammies and coffee filled morning followed by putting away fall decorations.  My children had other plans.

Linus is basically an elf in training.  He loves holidays.  Dave had gone into work.  Linus single-handedly rallied the troops.  He got them all dressed in their holidays sweaters, with teeth brushed and beds made.  From there, he turned on a Christmas movie to entertain them while I put away autumn decor and pulled out the Christmas/winter stuff.  He even made sure to try to keep down any noise.

Linus helped me rearrange the living room and move furniture.  As soon as he found the stash of Christmas music there was no stopping this decorating/dancing machine.  It all came together pretty quickly.  We tried a different set up from last year and I think I like it better.  My house feels so so very cozy and wonderful now.

On Saturday evening, Dave and I decided to surprise the kids with some holiday fun.  Dave was at work all day so it was nice to have some quality time together.  First we went to the Garden D'Lights at Bellevue Botanical Gardens.  We got there before it started and since it was still light out, we played at the park next door.  There was lots of winter cuteness happening.

The kids loved the lights.  I thought it was pretty and loved how inexpensive it was.  They were so excited as we moved through.  I also appreciated how much less crowded it was than zoo lights or wildlights.

After the lights, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  Linus had never been and believed it to be one of the most magical restaurants ever.  It was a long long wait.  I was ready to throw in the towel.  Note to self, do not go to Bellevue Square Cheesecake Factory during the first weekend of the holiday shopping season.  Our waitress was great.  Linus was in heaven.  Eileen and Robin could have cared less since they have been there before.  I left Dave to order the cheesecake and then took the kids outside to witness Snowflake Lane.  Again, this is something we had never done before.  It was wonderful, amazing, fun, festive, so many things.  It was nothing like I expected.

We loved every moment and then just as it was about to end we headed inside for cheesecake.

Not one to end an overstuffed weekend of activities, on Sunday the big kids and I went to Seattle Children's Theater to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Linus was intent on hating it, but by midway through the first act he was loving the show.  We enjoyed ourselves and the kids still keep giggling about "children" being a bad word.

I've never been so happy for it to be Monday.  There was no school last week.  The first half went great, but by Friday the kids were falling apart.  Too much fun, not enough sleep.  I admit there were so many times I just wanted to scream, "Can you please quit complaining and stop being difficult!?! We're trying to make memories here!!!"  I know all parents can relate.

Next year I think I will aim to make Thanksgiving weekend a little less busy.  Going to the theater was poor planning.  Maybe next weekend we will find time for a holiday pajama party--Christmas jammies, cocoa, Christmas movies,a roaring fire, cozy blankets, and wine.  We can all practice being asleep so Santa can come.  It will be like the game, coma, only more festive.

From the Mouths of Babes in November

Eileen:  Is it a good song and a good jam?

Eileen:  Were its eyes closed really tight?  Did it have Xs?  (wanting details about the dead fish found by her brother's scout troop)

Robin:  Mmmm. Licious,  (Robin on the subject of sausage)

Me:  Can you say, "Robin loves Mama"?
Robin: Dada.
Me:  No no.  Mama.
Robin: Dada.


Robin has special relationships with both his siblings.  These days it is not uncommon to find the two of them snuggling.

The one in which Charlotte tackles Thanksgiving

Each year I get a little bit more "adult."  I remember getting my first checking account and using a debit card vividly.  There was that whole buying a house thing, and then babies.  But this year was a big one.  I hosted Thanksgiving.

Dave and I only celebrate with my family every other year.  During childhood, we usually did Thanksgiving at my grandparents' house.  There was no "over the river and through the woods" for the kids this year.  There was only "into the kitchen, do some work, now get out of my way."

I carefully planned my meal.  You always read about fun and fancy dishes in magazines, but how often do you actually get the chance to make them.  I've been known to clip recipes from People Magazine and Real Simple. I was excited to put them to use. (I'm happy to share the recipes)

Here was the menu:
Drinks: cider, mulled wine
Appetizers: fancy crackers with a roasted ricotta and parmesan herb dip
Main:  Turkey
Sides: mashed potatoes, roasted lime sweet potatoes, roasted balsamic and honey brussel sprouts, fire-roasted corn with lime and ginger, cranberry parmesan sourdough stuffing.

I outsourced to the guests: wine, pies, salad, rolls, and crudite.

In the lead up to the big day, I wrote up a time sequence of when to prep foods, cook, and at what temperature.  I borrowed an electric roaster from my mother-in-law to free up the oven. This helped alleviate some of the stress.  On Wednesday, the kids and I spent about three hours toasting bread for stuffing and chopping herbs and vegetables, and setting up the table and chairs.

On Thursday my mom came over early to teach me how to do a turkey.  After getting the mulled wine and turkey going, my mom, Linus, and I were able to relax, drink some coffee, and play Phase 10.  Around 1 pm it was go time.  It all went pretty smoothly.  Dave and Eileen pitched in to set the table.

The food was delicious. The company was lovely.  I'm really proud of the feast I created.  The only downside is I didn't get much to socialize.  Luckily, my sister snapped a few pics.

 Grandpa, Robin, and Eileen needed some time to recover after dinner.

I've now got two years to make adjustments (half the stuffing recipe, more than double the cheese dip).  I am hoping by then the kids will have changed their eating habits slightly.  Because honestly, slaving away for 8 hours for them to only eat a roll is a bit annoying.

Eileen: 5 Years in the Making

I can't believe how much this little girl has changed in 5 years.

Apparently, Dave's scary joker face is genetic....

Eileen is many things.  She is kind, loving, thoughtful.  She is an artist and a friend.  On her worst days, she is a puddle of feelings and emotions, unable to speak or function without crying or whining.

Eileen loves school, books, legos, Goldie Blocks, playmobil, fort building, the beach, playing with her friends, Curious George and Ladybug Girl, chocolate milk, grilled cheese, dresses, sparkles, the colors pink and purple, princesses, rainbows, unicorns, fairies (basically anything that could be stereotyped as feminine).  She hates pants and shorts. She knows what she considers to be beautiful and will tell you.  I am so grateful that she wears a uniform.  I can't imagine how much worse the battles waged would be.

She recently discovered how to use a mouse and navigate technology better.  This is good and bad.  Eileen now likes to earn her screen time so she can play Curious George games on PBSkids.  The good news is her math skills are accelerating rapidly.

 Eileen loves her brothers.  She puts up with a lot from them.

Joining in at Robin's in-home therapy.

What I want to remember most about Eileen at this age is how she views the world.  She has strong opinions about what she believes to be true.  99.99% of what she says is completely false.  This drives Linus insane and I just have to reassure him quietly that I agree with him, but to let it go.  I don't even know where she comes up with half the stuff.

Eileen is brave and stoic when faced with difficult or scary situations like getting a shot or getting her ears suctioned out.  She is willing to try new experiences without too much hesitation.  Just the other week she started ballet again.  Without knowing the teacher or kids, she happily left my side and joined class.  She is not brave when it comes to things like going to the bathroom by herself, opening her bedroom door, turning on lights, walking from the car to the house, etc.  Eileen is shy and quiet, even around people she knows, until she is not.  Then you can't get her to stop talking, and talking loudly at that.

Now that she is in school all day long, we don't get much one on one time anymore.  I didn't realize how much I missed her until she asked for a coffee and nail date after getting shots.  I couldn't resist.

She and I had a lovely time at Starbucks and then chatting with two older Jewish ladies while waiting for our nails to dry.

In the car, I looked back and saw this.  She is still my little girl.  But if you ask her, she is almost a teenager.

Happy Birthday Eileen!

Today my itty bitty Baby Eileen turned 5.  I've never seen anyone so excited to turn five.  Normally, she doesn't respond when people ask her questions.  But ask her how old she is turning and you will get an enthusiastic answer.  Eileen woke up full of energy.  She remarked that she couldn't believe how much she had grown during the night when she changed from 4 to 5.  She grew taller and her feet grew too.  Now her socks fit much better.

We started out the morning baking her cake.  Eileen requested a rainbow cake.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Linus struggled throughout the course of the morning with the fact that he was not being celebrated. The day before we celebrated Eileen's birthday with Dave's family.  Grandma Gail and Grandpa Larry gave her some more Goldie Blox and a really beautiful Matrioshka.  Several months ago I commissioned my niece, Nola, who is in 7th grade and one of the most talented people I know, to create a felted a woodland scene for Eileen's birthday. I was blown away by the results and am currently trying to convince her to open her own Etsy shop.

Linus eventually settled down enough to play with Eileen and "help" her with her new Goldie Blox.

It ended up being a surprisingly quiet morning while Dave was gone at work.  He came home after lunch and my mom sat with a sleeping Robin while the rest of us headed to Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center.  Eileen kept talking about Chuck E. Cheese and I just couldn't face an afternoon there.  I happened to have a groupon to Bullwinkles that was set to expire soon.  Bullwinkles was still pretty loud and crazy, but there was a lot more fun to be had.  I think Linus probably had the most fun of anyone.  We played mini-golf, arcade games, lazer tag, bumper cars, kid obstacle course, and Linus got to try the euro-bungy.

Exhausted, I came home and fell asleep.  I awoke in time to make the requested birthday dinner--grilled cheese and tomato soup.  My parents and younger siblings joined us.  Linus had to be coaxed to dinner.  The sight of Eileen's presents was just too much to bear.

I think my brother, Tim, hates me.  He unknowingly granted Eileen her greatest toy wish and got her a giant stuffed animal.  In this case, a beautiful unicorn.  Only aunts and uncles give kids giant stuffed toys (although I am able to recognize I would have coveted it as a little girl).

Eileen also received a large fluffy pink tuffet from my parents, 3 stuffed My Little Ponies from Sally, and a set of rainbow ear muffs and infinity scarf and a pink razor scooter from us.  Robin gave her some fairy stickers and Linus gave her a butterfly finger puppet.

Eileen is one happy little girl.  She is so lucky to have so many people in her life who love her.  She went to bed tonight with her new toys set up around her, wearing her ear muffs.

And now birthday season is officially over at our house.  Happy Birthday Eileen!  (And happy birthday to cousin Dylan tomorrow and uncle Chris the day after that).

Cafe Au Lego

There was no school today (thank you veterans).  As we've entered school age there just is not the same amount of time for adventuring.  I recently learned that a Lego cafe opened in Northeast Seattle.  A crispy fall morning seemed like the perfect day to investigate.   I was hedging my bets that it would be less crowded than other places.

Wunderkind is really a pretty brilliant idea.  On the main floor is a cafe serving snacks, a light kid friendly menu, juice, coffee/lattes, wine, and beer. There is also free wi-fi.  Off the entrance is a room (closed in by a low door) set up with play tables full of duplos.  On the edges of the room are tables and chairs for parents to work on laptops and ignore their children while playing on their phones.  There is also a big flat screen television for watching sporting events.

The upstairs features parental seating on one side, a large lego table full of legos, and another smaller parent section with a duplo table.  This smaller section also has a small low door to keep the little ones inside.  I really appreciated this area because I was worried about managing kids with different lego abilities.

Overall, I give the experience a C+.  The seating was super cramped even though there were plenty of open seats.  The parking lot consists of two spaces plus one handicapped spot.  I am pretty sure that Linus alone owns more Legos than what was made available at the Lego tables.  The kids were happy and played nicely beside one another.  It was fun watching them be master builders.

My takeaway was that it just was not worth the cost.  Given the amount and variety of Legos and duplos at our house, I'm better off just hosting Lego playdates.  I can see it now.  I'll have mulled wine and coffee at the ready, make some mini pumpkin muffins. I'll flip on the fireplace.  I already have wi-fi.  We'll be set and I'll save myself $20.

I'm not totally done with Wunderkind.  I'll still follow them on Facebook.  On Fridays, they offer specific Lego building classes like Minecraft while parents watch sports and imbibe alcohol.   That could be fun.

I'll give Wunderkind this---it set the kids up for a good day.  They played all day long together, more Legos, camping, baby orphan dinosaurs....

So, what I guess I'm saying is, if you need something to do over Thanksgiving or winter break, Lego playdate at my house!

Linus at 7

I can't believe this guy is 7 years old!  Where did the time go?  I know it sounds cliche, but seriously.  He doesn't look like a little baby or toddler anymore.

Linus is a complex human being, not easily pinned down.  He is passionate and driven.  I sometimes marvel at how grown up he is.  Last week he sat down at the desk and very methodically studied for his spelling test with no reminders or help from me.  He loves school and learning, although if you ask him he will probably tell you his favorite subject is recess.

He loves sports, especially cross country, football, and karate.  He enjoys playing soccer but it is not his passion.  He likes swimming, but is not the biggest fan of lessons.  Linus is bursting with energy and I am constantly trying to find ways to help him burn it.  He is happiest playing fliers and football with his friends at school.

Linus has an amazing mind.  Listening to him process mathematical ideas is fascinating.  He likes listening to NPR and trying to process the world around him.  It took a little while, but Linus loves reading.  His current favorites to read by himself are the Big Nate series and Tales from Maple Ridge series.

Linus responds well to personal challenges and structure.  He needs to feel in control of his life.  Karate has been a wonderful thing for him.  He recently passed the test for advance blue belt.  I didn't think Linus would get to test since he had only just restarted after a summer break.  Linus insisted on getting to class early to work on his karate and had me film his teacher so he could practice at home.

Other things Linus currently enjoys are: Minecraft, Legos, board games like Risk and Forbidden Island, Wild Kratts games on the computer, SlugTerra, the Hobbit, Harry Potter, riding his scooter, playing with his new snap circuits sets,  and doing holiday related things.

Linus dislikes being told what to do, not being the best, making mistakes, not having Daddy's full attention 24/7 on the weekends, sharing his parents with his siblings,  and tolerating Eileen's presence.

Linus has clear ideas about the way the world should be.  Sometimes this is awesome, sometimes not.  Usually it means a battle of wills and frustration that he is only 7.  Occasionally, it manifests in positive experiences for all.  For example, tonight Linus decided he wanted a cozy evening at home.  To make this happen, he earned his screen time, vacuumed the family room (so it would be completely clean he even moved furniture).  Then he bathed himself and his brother and put on jammies.  Finally, Linus helped select a movie for all of them to enjoy before bed.  I know, right?

Oh Linus, I love you so much even though you drive me crazy.