Best Christmas Present was "Chasing the Sunset"

November 22nd, 2013.  The day we chased the sunset

The past month or so we have been blessed with remarkable sunsets.  On one particular Friday, the sunset was so beautiful, I rounded up my girls and told them we were "chasing the sunset" for a pretty picture.  We tore down the main road and turned onto a new development road that overlooks Dana Point harbor. We stopped just for a minute and was able to catch the picture above.  Little did I know what an impact this would have on my 7 year old.

Flash forward to Christmas Day and I was surprised when my 7 year old told me she had a present for me.  I didn't know what to expect.  Maybe a gift she got with Daddy, or made at school or a nice picture?  No, she wrote me a book.  A seven page, all written by hand book. The title?  Chasing the Sunset.

Catchy title, right?

Inside was a wonderful and well thought out story of a girl named Annie who dreams of catching a sunset and following her dreams, while escaping the life of a servant.  The girl runs after her dream and meets a friend, but after a while realizes she is unhappy.  She tries things to make her happy and then realizes that she is so sad because she misses her mommy. *sniff*  The girl goes home to her mom and there is a fabulous party to mark her return.

Ok, seriously?!  My daughter wrote that.  She wrote it FOR me.  And I LOVE it!!  How blessed can a mom get?  I'll give you a hint...here is her author's page she had me read aloud to the family on Christmas Day. (spelling errors left in to enhance adorability)

About Author

She love's her Family so much
She would never run away but Zoe 
learnd to do things that are right
Zoe is 7 years old 
She loves her mom
and Dad very much
and wants to make them proud!
I Love you!


This present is something that as a parent, I live for.  It is a reward beyond measure and to know that it started with a small special moment we had together is why my New Year's Resolution is to create more of those moments with my kids.  Love God, love your family and have a happy 2014!

Blessed with love this holiday season

Building Confidence & Having Fun at The Performer's Academy

Holiday Fun at The Performers Academy!

 My kids love being active, but they don't share in a love for playing sports.  We have tried everything from gymnastics, swimming, tennis, flag football and basketball to soccer, t-ball and karate. (karate did stick with one!)

Finding extra curricular activities that would still promote my kid's well-being, confidence and promote cooperative teamwork seemed almost impossible.  My son especially needed a creative outlet for his creative stories that he liked to weave and tell to us.  We were extremely fortunate when a friend recommended trying The Performers Academy in Laguna Woods.

The Performers Academy has weekly workshops for kids and adults of all ages to come and learn about acting, singing and even dancing.  The workshops are taught by actual people "in the business" and these classes are perfect for anyone who wants to build self-confidence, develop public speaking skills and just plain have fun!

My son took his first class last spring.  He left that class with the biggest smile on his face.  For the first time in his life, he found "it". He found the thing that makes him smile and makes him want to hurry up and finish homework so he can get to class.  He loves working with scene partners, creating improv and memorizing scripts for classes.

Within a week, both of my girls were clamoring to get in too.  We happily have all three kids enrolled now.  Quite a large chunk of kids attend these classes with no intention of getting into the professional side.  My kids entered the same way.  They really love the teachers and the classes and want to go everyday if possible.  Their confidence has grown so much, that recently they have begun asking me to see about going out for real auditions!  I am so proud of them, and working or not, they have developed skills here that will last a lifetime.  I have already had tremendous feedback from all of their teachers this year remarking on their classroom public speaking abilities and confidence in front of the classroom.

Born to perform

This month, both of my girls were able to join the Holiday Show and perform songs with a group of students.  The show was wonderful and they loved being on stage and showing off their talent to others.  Thank you Performers Academy for helping all of my kids DREAM BIG!

Interested in trying the Performers Academy?  Give them a call and see about taking your child to a trial class for FREE!  Just mention this blog and your child can pick from any class they would like.  See ya there!

The Performers Academy
24310 Moulton Pkwy Ste1
Laguna Woods
Phone#949-609-1600

Jingle Bell Rock!

Shhhhhh...be very quiet

No, I'm not hunting rabbits!  Today my schedule was undone by an expected sickie here at home.  My 7 year old complained about stomach pain and then...well, you can imagine the rest.

As with most kids, she does not like Momma to be far away when she doesn't feel good.  So her and I currently ensconced in my bed watching hours of Christmas shows, Disney and cartoons.  It is always hard to see your child sick.  It is even harder around the holidays when they are on break from school and supposed to be having fun.  This last Thanksgiving break, she was down with a sinus infection.  It does seem to be a pretty bad year for illnesses for us.  I have read that having Celiac gives you an aggressive immune response and not less of one.  I personally believe that her gut is still healing, and while it is, it will be more susceptible to the germs and viruses that pass along her system.

I have tried to slip away from her, but I'm pretty convinced she has bat ears.  Every time I try to leave the bed or room while she is napping, she perts right up to ask me to stay.  This means no cookie baking, no errands, no last minute shopping I had planned today.  My plans are shelved and I am happy to do so.  Well, that isn't completely honest.  I did want to get something done today, so I told her I would wrap some presents in the hallway while she was resting.  That lasted about twenty mins, until I heard her barreling out of bed and was threatened with a vomit shower from behind.  (she missed).

If she had to be sick, I am always grateful when God lets it happen when I home to be with her.  Nothing makes my day at work go slower than when I know one of my kids is home sick.

Well...I have to stop typing.  The typing is keeping her up...shhhhh.

So cute when she is feeling better!

Candlelight Walk At Heritage Hill

Can you see the magic?

We are doing our best this year to attend Holiday events that are a bit different and a bit old-fashioned.  My husband and I have a weakness for the ideal "old fashioned" Christmas that we read about in books and see on old movies.

We wish it was really snowing

For a few years I have been meaning to take the family up to Heritage Hill Historic Park in Lake Forest for their Candlelight Walks.  They only have them a couple weekends in December and I always miss them!  This year I put it on the calendar early and we were lucky that the weekend we chose wasn't rainy or too cold.  

Since we have never been to the park, I had no idea what to expect.  The park is at the back of a strip mall and I almost missed it as we pulled in.  However, once we walked up, we were greeted with hundreds and hundreds of candlelights on the walkways, lights in the trees and on the buildings and beautifully decorated wagons and outhouses!  

A decorated bridge near Santa's hang out

The park is transformed each year by their volunteers and each building is decorated in traditional fashion for the time.  There is also wonderful live performers in each building as well.  In our first house, we were greated with a duo of guitar players who strummed along as we toured the 100 year old farm house and a guide answered all our questions about the family who lived there and how they lived.  It was amazing to think of a Christmas a hundred years ago in that house, with six kids, parents and ranch hands all pitching in to enjoy their Christmas together.

The decorated wagons were a treat to see

We wandered through the Adobe house and were able to sample real chestnuts roasting over an open fire when we exited.  What a treat for me.  Turns out I really like those!  From there we enjoyed some warm Mexican hot chocolate while sitting and listening to the carolers sing and even singing along.

Hot chocolate and carolers

The girls found a puppet theater where they could pick a puppet to work and perform their own puppet show.  This was so much fun for them, and I loved that they put so much thought into providing these activities for the kids.

We sneaked a peek behind the curtain

Our favorite building was the schoolhouse.  This schoolhouse was used locally and has been fully restored.  It was thoughtfully decorated with what would have been used in the 1860's.  This added true warmth and character to the whole experience.  We were lucky enough to get "seats" at the schoolchildren's desks and watch the wonderful band they had playing.  We enjoyed a toe-tapping along to the music.  When the band packed up, we listened to two members of the South Coast Storytellers Guild.  They were wonderful!  The entire room was packed with visitors and everyone fell hush and listened to their story weaving tales.  

Schoolhouse rockin'

We can't forget Santa!  This jolly man was a joy to talk to and even let my huge 12 year old sit on his knee!  He even had helpers to take our picture for us.

Swapping elf-stories with the big guy

If you are looking for more of an "unplugged" and old-fashioned Christmas experience, be sure to check out this event next year.  

Enjoying our un-plugged night

Holiday Fun at The Sawdust Festival!

Welcome to the Sawdust!

Every year we mix up the family fun we have over the Christmas break.  We look for events that are fun and will really get the kids into the spirit of the season.  One of our favorite places to go is the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach.

The festival showcases local artisans with their handmade artwork, crafts and glassblowing.  Set in a picturesque, tree covered area, the surroundings make you feel a million miles away from the stress of the season.  There are decorated trees, a small play area and even Santa is there to meet and take pictures with the children.

As soon as we got inside, it started "snowing" on us!  This soapy snow was a magical touch for the kids as they squealed and ran around in delight.  

Loving the "snow"!

After the snow, we wandered down to the Zoomars booth.  My kids were so excited to see their favorite critters hopping around to say hello to them.  There was plenty of room for the animals and the kids to enjoy.  My nephew held his first guinea pig!

Someone wants to ask Santa for just one more thing

Across the way is the kids Art Stop.  This is really one of my kids favorite places.  The crafts change daily (sometimes more) and is a perfect place for kids to create wonderful pieces of art to take home and enjoy.  On Sunday, they were happy to create pine-cone Christmas trees, complete with decorations and a star.  The Art Stop is complimentary, but happily takes donations for their supplies.

Check out my very own Christmas tree!

Back near the front, my girls noticed the spinning clay wheels.  This is also a complimentary activity!  If you would like to have your creation glazed and fired, there is a small charge for that and then an additional charge to have it shipped.  My oldest daughter had done this years ago, but the youngest had not been old enough until now.  Both of the volunteer students who helped were so nice and patient with the girls.  They encourage them to try new things and risk making mistakes so they could learn from them.  I really appreciated how they treated them with respect and kindness throughout the process.  Their tip box was rewarded justly.

Learning tricks of the trade

Wow...all by herself!

Proud of her finished vase

 Throughout the rest of the visit, we browsed vendors art work, watched as glass was blown and enjoyed the numerous musicians providing music around the area.  I was concerned that my daughter, who cannot eat gluten, would have a hard time finding lunch there.  I tried the Mexican booth and asked if they could recommend anything without gluten.  The girl behind the counter knew just what I was talking about and told me that everything on the menu, except burritos, was gluten free!  Even the meatballs!  What a wonderful surprise for us and especially our daughter.

As we were readying to leave, we ran across a wonderful street magician, Matt.  He was amazing!  I loved that he included several of the kids and adults in his performance.  The Sawdust was full of magic and wonder this season and I cannot wait to come back this summer for more.

Personalized Video Message From Santa Claus!!!

Every year, I make sure Santa knows to send my kids a personalized message directly from the North Pole.  Santa set up this wonderful site called the Portable North Pole.  This wonderful site lets you help Santa create a message, complete with pics and personal details just for your child.  You can even help Santa decide if your child is naughty, nice or even a bit of both!

If your child is having trouble with behaving or listening, a threat from Santa to wind up on the naughty list will certainly do the trick!

http://www.portablenorthpole.com/home

Be sure to have a couple pictures ready, especially one from a special accomplishment or event from the past year.  Have fun!

We Can Slow Down And Still Have a Merry Christmas!

Decorating, singing and snuggling!

I had quite the day planned for the family.  Morning classes for the kids, a church event, visiting Santa in the harbor and then the Christmas tree lighting at our town center.  The season seems to go by so fast, I didn't want the kids to miss out on anything.  Don't we all do that?  We read in the paper, talk to our friends or see things on social media that screams to us, "YOU ARE LETTING YOUR  FAMILY MISS OUT!".  That makes this time of year so stressful on us!  It isn't really the shopping or the presents, it is the stress of trying to have the "perfect" Christmas.  I think we all have a little Clark Griswold in us that wants to provide our family with that ideal Christmas we think we had as kids.

By lunchtime, plans were changing.  My 10 year old suddenly came down with a migraine, which required a dark room and plenty of sleep.  At the same time, the weather was remaining gloomy and threatening.  A high of 47degrees with rain and wind is tough on us So Cal people.  I have to confess, I was feeling plenty bummed to miss the activities I was looking forward to.

I quickly put together a "plan B".  A homemade dinner, hot chocolate and egg nog ice cream for dessert and a couple Christmas movies in front of the fire.  While I was worried the kids would be disappointed, they were not!  It hurts my feelings a little to say that they were actually quite happy.  My deflated mommy-ego wanted to have that picture perfect night and I thought the kids would want that too.

The realization that the kids were not devastated led to another.  This season is not measured by how many events we can get our family to attend, or how many Santa visits we can squeeze the kids into.  No, we need to stop and take a moment and embrace a slightly deeper meaning for the season.  We need to ready our home and our hearts for the arrival of our King.  There are different ways to do that.  One way is remembering that kids are happy just being with us.  It is kind of like when our kids are little and they like the box better than the present.  In this example, we are the box and the overcrowded and sometimes expensive events are the fancy toys.  It's OK to not do everything.  I think as parents we need to hear that from another parent sometimes.  There, you have my permission.  

Wishing you a merry Christmas.  

Cranberry Sauce Gets Saucy!

Pineapple-Rum-Cranberry Sauce

Who doesn't love cranberry sauce?  Truth be told, me.  It wasn't my favorite part of the traditional turkey day and frankly, I had to work with some pretend cranberry sauce in a 5th grade play and it literally left a bad taste in my mouth.

Fast forward to grown-up life and my husband and I doing Thanksgiving dinner.  Well, he cooks the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and just about everything else.  I wanted to contribute and went to look for a cranberry sauce that had a little something extra to it.  This recipe, based on one from Good Housekeeping, is a home run all the way.  The extra sweetness from the pineapple mixed with the faint hint of rum and cinnamon makes this a recipe I have to double and triple every year to keep up with demand.

This year I mixed it up a little by switching out our regular dark rum for our new favorite Monkey Rum which is spiced.  Mmmm..good choice by me!  I love it with the Monkey Rum and can't wait to have everyone try it.  Wanna try some rum for yourself?  Check out the website here http://monkeyrum.com/

Enjoy!

Pineapple-Rum-Cranberry Sauce
1 (20oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained with juice set aside for another use
1 cup sugar
1-2 sticks cinnamon
1 bag cranberries (picked over and rinsed)
1/4 cup dark rum or spiced rum (no, not both)

In a 4-qt saucepan, heat sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 cup water over high heat until liquid is a golden amber color, swirl pan occasionally. Have other ingredients ready to roll.

Once liquid is a golden amber, quickly add the cranberries, pineapple and rum.  The mixture will hiss and snap at you and generally sound irritated.  Ignore that and the hard clumpy mess that is developing.  Turn the heat down to low and cook for another 10-12mins, with an occasional stir to break up the softening mass.

When the cranberries are mostly popped and you see a background of dark red, use a masher to gently break up the pineapple and berries.  Do not over mash, some remnants of the sweet pineapple is desireable!

Spoon into bowl, cool and let sit for 2-4 hours or refrigerate until needed.

Gather ingredients

Ripe cranberries are hard and even bounce! Throw away anything soft

Sugar water and cinnamon stick

Note the color, this is what you want. Have next step ready!

Caution - it will spit out some hot juice and water when everything is added

About 10-12mins later, this is what it should look like. Very jelly!

This is one batch, and I usually at least double it

*If doubling the recipe, I recommend two batches done separately.

Week Of Budget Dinners

This week is a tight week for us, but we are used to having to become creative with our menu.  Sure, we might not have a roast any night this week, but what we are planning is family friendly, quick to prepare and easy on the wallet.

Please note, we always leave a couple nights open.  Friday is ALWAYS pizza night and we have one night open for when we work late or we are at after school school activities late or just plain tired.  On those nights we often will grab cereal or make pancakes.

Sunday
Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches (marinate chicken breasts in teriyaki marinade and grill with sliced pineapple)
French Fries
Salad

Monday
Crockpot Pizza 
Salad

Tuesday
My own Blue Cheese & Roast Beef Sandwiches
Red Cabbage Slaw

Wednesday
Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Grilled Cheeses

Enjoy!!!!

Reflections on the First Day of School 2013

Welcome Back to School!

(why do I feel like we just left?)

2nd, 5th and 6th graders!

How do I explain my feelings today?  Such a jumble of excitement, nervousness, wistfulness, happiness and a tremendous feeling of pride.  I love summer, loved the time we spent together, the way I saw them on their own (away from school influences), the new adventures they had and the bonding with each other as the days rolled by.  I know it can't last forever, but as the kids get older - I find every year to be a more bittersweet experience.  I don't necessarily want them to be small forever, but seeing these little people...these YOUNG grown-up looking kids is freaking me out a little. I just want to take this moment to share with them what their Momma thinks:

Zoe, you are my little spark plug.  My sweet, feisty, contradictory, absurdly adorable spitfire/sweetheart.  You can be so needy at times and fiercely independent at others.  You, my dear, have spirit that the wild Mustangs of the plains would be envious of.  You are smart, love class, hate homework with a passion second only to mine and are just...amazing.  I love the way you skip everywhere when you are happy, hair bouncing back and forth.  You were so sweetly shy this morning...very unlike you.  As soon as you walked into your new room and saw your desk with your name on it, your confident smile said it all for me.  I knew you would be ok.  My wish for you this year is to be able to thrive in a new class with new friends and find a subject that enthralls you and becomes your passion.  As always...I am so proud of you and I love you.

New desk = new smile!

Abby, you amaze me more and more each day.  There is almost nothing you try that you don't become pretty good at, pretty fast.  That is because you have a determined spirit.  You commit whole heartedly and always give your best.  I love that part of you so much.  But, as much as I love that....I need you to recognize that it's ok to not give 110% to every piece of homework/classwork that comes your way.  Don't worry about it!  Find the magical place in the middle where homework gets done and you still have fun-time.  

You are a role model for your peers, you try to include everyone, you don't like hearing gossip and you always try to get your friends to work it out.  You believe in doing what's right, even when it is not easy and I want you to never forget that.  If doing what is right was easy, everyone would do it!  Your kindness makes you unbelievably special.  You make Momma want to be a better and kinder person.  This year, I hope you are challenged and can feel the accomplishment that comes with winning it.  I love you.  You have big hopes, and I wish that you get every one!  Dream big!

First in line!  Sooo not surprised

Dominic, being the oldest, you are becoming more and more independent with your life at school.  You race ahead of us to school so you can not be seen with your parents (gasp!).  That's ok, I secretly keep my eye on you while you walk around with your friends.  6th grade is a big deal!  I get that, but I will still hold your hand whenever you forget to be "cool".  I will still let you come and snuggle in my lap on early weekend mornings and try not complain about the 100lb lap-kid numbing my lower body.  And since I am the only person you will kiss at bedtime, I will cherish those still too.  Just remember, you are growing up, but you still have lots to learn.  Learning those things from the kids on the playground might not be the best resource for you.  Please remember Momma and Daddy are still here, ready to listen and always ready to talk with you.
Your spirit is sensitive, yet strong.  My wish for you this year is that you find a way to make new friends, keep old friends and are able to drop kids who don't fit into either category.  Life is too short to spend energy on people who are mean, talk down to you or boss you around.  Keep strong, love God and do your best.  I love you.

Confident 6th grader!

Bleu Cheese & Roast Beef Panini Sandwiches

Roast beef, bleu cheese and other deliciousness

I am definitely a sandwich junkie.  Knowing that tonight was going to be the last night alone before my kids come home from their road trip with the Grandparents, I decided that it would be a perfect time to indulge in a fabulous grown-up sandwich.  I decided on a rare roast beef sandwich with a tangy garlic, bleu cheese mayo that smothers both sides and gets even more oozy good as it grills in a panini press.

What do you need:

1. Sliced roast beef (get the rarest you can find) about 1/4lb per person
2. Favorite melty cheese. Mozzarella for me, pepper jack for the hubs
3. Fresh tomato. We used the heirlooms from our garden
4. Spinach.  Stolen from our salad pack.
5. Red onion
6. Ciabatta bread rolls
7. Mayo, about 1/4 cup per person
8. Chopped garlic - 1/2 tsp per person
9. Bleu cheese - fat tablespoon per person
10. Panini grill if you got one.  Otherwise a hot skillet with some Olive Oil and a heavy cast iron pan to put on top would also work well.

I got home and mixed up a 1/2 cup of mayo with 1 tsp of chopped garlic and 1/4 cup of bleu cheese and let it rest in the fridge for a couple hours, until I was ready to assemble.

When it's time to get cooking, first turn on your panini machine and slice the ciabatta bread. Go ahead and smother each side with a tablespoon of the mayo mixture.  

Next layer the spinach leaves, then the roast beef and then the tomato.  For the red onion, I don't like really strong onion flavor.  Take the onion and put it in a bowl with some cold water.  This takes that extra bite of the onion, and leaves it very pleasant tasting, yet not overpowering.  

Top with your favorite cheese and then with the top of the roll.  I give my panini machine a little spritzing with Olive Oil cooking spray and then place them in the center of the machine and give a nice smoosh before locking it in place.

Even the "before" looks good

Waiting...waiting...waiting

After about 4 minutes, check on these little beauties and make sure the cheese is starting to melt, but the bread isn't burning.

Perfect golden delicious color

Slice and serve with a nice salad and you have a gourmet dinner even a food truck might be jealous of.

Custom & Freshly Made Ice Cream...In Just Seconds

Who's hungry for ice cream?

Apparently, our family vacation has turned into a food frenzy vacation.  After our day spent at Seven Peaks Park in Provo (say that 7 times really fast), my brother suggested a detour on the way home for a quick snack.

The road to ice cream here is very different

We wound up at Sub Zero, which is apparently not that new around here.  California is behind the curve on this franchise.  The owner was there and is an ex-pat from our neck of the woods in Orange!  She explained the process of picking a base, a flavor and then the mix ins for add into the ice cream.  She could tell we were completely overwhelmed, and suggested some of their favorite combinations that were up on the menu.

Unlike Cold Stone, which mixes the base with the mix-in on a chilled slab, these ingredients are poured in to a metal bowl and the liquid nitrogen is shot into the bowl while she uses a tool to mix it up.  In about 30 seconds, you have your ice cream ready and freshly made.

Nitrogen being sprayed into the ice cream base

Quick and tasty

It was certainly entertaining to watch, and the kids loved seeing it change right before their eyes.  As for the taste?  It was actually pretty good.  It's a great place to go to pick our unusual flavors.  My daughter had cotton candy mixed with marshmallows and sprinkles and topped with Pop-Rocks!  My mom had a simple Black Licorice serving, which is something you can almost never find.  Your imagination is truly tested with the bases and mix-in combinations (over 50 mix ins alone).  We are all looking forward to coming back next summer and enjoying another.

Kid approved