The Little Princess Nightmare

Scott had a guys' night out tonight so I was thinking we would do a girls' movie night in at our place. As I'm scrolling down the limited netflix 'watch instantly' list I stumble upon The Little Princess, which I remember loving when I was little. It was on TV one Saturday afternoon, and I remember laying on our maroon-colored carpet in the family room with a throw pillow from the couch under my head and a cozy orange and cream colored afghan tucked around me that my Mom knitted; obviously a vivid memory. I think I was about eight.

I prepped my girls for the movie by telling them that the Dad in the movie is thought to be dead, but he's really not. It has a really happy ending. Mid way through the movie I help Taye avert a total breakdown during the part that they tell Sarah that her Dad has died. I think, "Great, we're home free and they're loving this!" We make it through most of the movie, and they're enthralled. Then we get to the end where Sarah finally finds her Dad, and Sarah's crying and trying to get her Dad to hold her back. Well . . . that did it. Both girls start crying and telling me they miss Scott, and ask if they can call him. I'm telling them that the Dad is holding her and everything is happy again. It didn't matter. After a phone call to Dad, lots of cuddles and soft tickles and reassurance, they are now tucked in their beds . . . and Adley's arms are tightly wrapped around Scott's sweatshirt. 

Good Times

Oh yeah! That's Scott and Troy getting in character for their 'Tootsie Roll' dance. It was such a fun night watching all of the short films and skits at the Golden Gargoyles. 

Hands on hips. Do you see it? Little Miss Lyvi is ready for her ballet to start. We watched Taye today, and I can tell that Lyv is ready to go. 

I'm not sure I'm really ready for this. We heard from a friend Taye's age that her mom lets her make muffins all by herself. So of course Taye asked if she could learn. I have not relinquished control of the kitchen in the least; I still get the girls drinks because I can't stand the spills. Lame, I know, but it's just easier that way. So letting her tackle the mixing and egg cracking and cup filling and can opening has been challenging for ME, Taye's doing great. No burns yet, and her pride runneth over. 

We went to the circus on a whim for an impromptu family night out. The girls loved it, especially Tayen. Addie was a little grumpy from being tired, but the show left an impact. She told me today that she was going to be a lion when she grows up. "What?" I say. "You can't turn into a lion, Ads, that's a whole different species." 

"Yes, I can," she tells me. " That guy at the circus turned into a white tiger!" Yikes, I guess I'm going to have some explaining to do.

I'll leave you with this uplifting observation;

Ads:  "Mom, I'm so happy for Cinderella"

Me: "How come?"                               

Ads: "Because when we went to Disneyland 

this summer she told me that she 

doesn't have to work anymore."

Apparently the prince saved her from her hard labor. Yet another fallacy I'll have to undo.

Day at the Museum

The girls didn't have school on Wednesday so I took them to one of the museums around here. This first picture is dedicated to my sister, who has a whiny panc. Shel, see that piece of meat right in the middle pointing to the right? That's your pesky bugger. If I could, I would have slapped it around for you. 

Taye's favorite part was watching a baby chick peck its way out of its egg. The whole process takes about 10 hours, and we shared about an hour of it. Addie's favorite part was sitting on the cow! She was so completely disinterested in most of the museum, I often ask myself why I even bother taking her places. She is completely happy playing 'teacher'. She's the teacher and she has all of her make- believe students sitting around her obeying her every command.

Lyvi Giggles

Usually it's Addie that gets Lyvi rolling, but I happen to be the cause of these scrumptious giggles. She's so fun, and has sooooo much attitude. We were in church yesterday and Taye said something sassy to Addie so Lyvi turned around and clocked Taye with her backpack. She picks up on all of the subtle tone changes, and if ANYONE bumps her and doesn't immediately say, "Sorry," Lyvi will reach out and give a quick little pinch. 

She loves puppies . . . bedtime routine consist of answering her, "Mo puppies," (more puppies) cry, and she ends up with a crib full of stuffed pups. We have finally weened her from her binky, but she still likes to hold it as she goes to sleep. So it's conas (corners of her blanky (beah), mo' puppies and mo' binkies, and then off to dreamland she goes. 

Her bedroom is right next to Taye and Ads so they end up answering her morning yells. I'm not kidding about the yells. Lyvi screams, "No!" over and over. I'm not sure what she's saying, "No" to, that pesky angel that watched over her while she slept? Perhaps. Or maybe she's just completely rejecting her morning imprisonment. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me because I stay cozy in bed while Taye and Ads get her out of her crib and start the day's games. I love having older children!

Long Live the Cheetos

Tayen's soccer team, The Cheetos, just finished their season with a super exciting game. I have to say, she maintains a great focus on the field, much better than I did at her age. I think when I was her age, I spent a minimal amount of time actually kicking the ball and the rest of the time was spent doing cartwheels, twirls, high-kicks and picking the dandelions. I grew out of that, but all I wanted to do was dance.

Scott was a volunteer assistant coach, and really enjoyed seeing Taye get into a sport. I got a little bit of a rush seeing my little girl get aggressive and go after the ball. I started having flashes of grandeur as I envisioned her promising athletic career that lies ahead of her . . .volleyball beach bum, sassy pro soccer player, olympian swimmer. I think she's been lucky enough to inherit Scott's athletic prowess (and he's working hard to foster the never say die attitude).

Yummy Salad From Giada

If anyone out there is looking for a great new salad with a totally nifty presentation try Giada's spinach salad in a parmesan frico cup. I made this tonight and loved it. Even my ranch-dressing-loving-husband liked it. I believe his exact words were, "I would have had more if there had been some left." A true Scotty compliment. I wrote in my changes in red below. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the Parmesan Frico Cups:

• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (didn't add this)
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (didn't add this)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Spinach Salad:

• 6 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 6 cups) (I used butter lettuce)
• 1 orange, cut into segments (I left this out, but will all next time)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• I added cucumbers, tomatoes and red peppers to give it a little more depth. 

Directions

Special equipment: a silpat mat, a muffin tin, and a small drinking glass

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the Parmesan Frico Cups:

Place a silpat mat on a baking sheet. Place 6 (1/4-cup) mounds of Parmesan cheese on the mat and gently tap down until each mound is flat and 4 1/2 to 5 inches in diameter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Working quickly, use a thin spatula to transfer the Parmesan Frico to a muffin tin. Gently place a small drinking glass on top of the Parmesan Frico to mold it into the shape 1 of the muffin cups. Let cool until firm, about 5 minutes. Continue with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

Combine all the ingredients in a jar or a tight-sealing plastic container. Shake to blend.

For the Spinach Salad:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to combine. Divide the salad among the Parmesan Frico Cups and serve immediately.

Halloween 2009

Unfortunately Halloween was pretty rushed this year. We had a few fun events, but rushing around trying to get everything in left me feeling like I didn't really get to enjoy it. Lyvi's costume was originally a puppy, but she wouldn't keep it on so we switched to a princess dress at the last minute. Of course you can't even see it because the weather was freezing so jackets were a must! It was a whole week of cold rain and Halloween wasn't much nicer. 

Tayen was a vampire and Ads was a gypsy. Ezmerelda to be exact. No great pictures, but I can feel myself turning a corner and starting to get the itch for some slightly more inspired images.