It's starting to look alot like Christmas....

While the kids were napping, Wayne and I put up our Christmas tree. Kya was the first one up and she was so excited that she had a hard time forming her words to express herself. Seth and Elsie woke up a few minutes later and it took them a minute or two to even realize the tree was here, but then they too were very excited. We allowed them to each put one ornament on before we had to head out to AWANA's. While they were gone, I put a few more Christmas decorations up around the house. It was fun to see them discover the new things when they came home. Hopefully we can finish decorating the tree tomorrow, but I can already see that it is going to be a full time job keeping Elsie from messing with the ornaments too much.

Happy Thanksgiving

from 2 little Indians and a Pilgrim!

Grocery's and Savings

I have been doing http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ for just over a year now. The whole point of the grocery game is to buy items at rock bottom prices and to stockpile. Most people make up a grocery list and shop for what they will need that week. My grocery list is different, I shop for whatever is on sale and that I know I will use in the future. The only exception to this rule is milk, bread and produce and even then I usually only buy produce that is in season, which makes them cheaper. Like I said, I have been doing this for a while, so I have lots of food and cleaning supplies stocked up already. (I will take a picture of my pantry some day soon) Because of this I am sure when people look in my cart, they think all I feed my family is junk food some weeks or that I am a clean freak other weeks. Like yesterday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday being this week, my cart contained a lot of sale items for food most people eat on Thanksgiving and not much else.

Here is a picture of last nights purchase.

The items in the picture are:

• 4 gallons of milk
• 6 packets of yeast
• 20 pounds potato's
• 2 1/2 pounds banana's
• 7 pounds oranges
• 2 cool whip toppings
• 2 milky way chocolate bars
• 8 boxes stove top stuffing
• 1 pkg hoagie rolls
• 2 Pillsbury sweet rolls
• 3 claim jumper pie's
• 7 pounds apples
• 1 box instant mashed potato's
• 1 Betty Crocker frosting
• 1 32oz. coffee-mate creamer
• 8 yoplait yogurts
• 1 bag frozen chicken breasts
• 2 boxes Gordon's frozen fish
• 4 comet's

Grand total before coupons/sales: $154.90

Total Paid: $58.04

Savings of: $96.86

Our meals this week will be:

• Monday: Stove Top Stuffing and Chicken casserole
• Tuesday: Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich - Steak Sandwich and Salad
• Wednesday: Fish and Veggies
• Thanksgiving - (I am bringing Creamy Mashed Potato's and Homemade Rolls)
• Friday: Pork Chop Casserole
• Taco's

So see, even though I bought a bunch of junk food, they will all just go in my freezer or pantry and we will still have yummy healthy dinners because I have a bunch of meat and frozen veggies in my freezer that I had bought on sale a while back.

If you like this, let me know and I will try to post my weekly shopping excursions.

Founders Day Parade

My dad was in the Founders Day Parade, so we decided to get up and go watch. The parade started at 9:30 and ended at 11:00, so that left us with the rest of the day to do what we wanted. It was a cold morning, but luckily we we able to sit on the sunny side of the street and therefore were warm enough.

Here we are waiting for the parade to start.

The first group were the Sheriff's Department and Firemen with their vehicles. And look who we saw in the parade, DIANE! She was my Mentor Mom in MOPS last year and she was riding in this golf cart with her husband driving.


Elsie stood up and posed without any prompting and waited for me to take a picture. I think we might have a future model on our hands.

The OSCAR MEYER mobile was in the parade too!

Being good little fans and waving to the people in the parade. Maybe we have ourselves a couple of future Rose Parade Princesses!

Seth wasn't a big fan of anything loud, like the bands. But he loved all the horses and luckily for him, there were a bunch of them throughout the parade. Here he is in front of the "dancing horses". They were very entertaining to watch.

We also got to see WOODY! Okay, not the real Woody, but a balloon that looked a lot like him. I am sure they couldn't make him look exactly like the real Woody or else Disney would sue. But the kids couldn't tell the difference and loved this large balloon just the same. There were 3-4 different balloons. It made me feel like we were at the Macy's Parade in New York! Okay, not really.

Elsie found herself a friend in this high school girl. She just scooted right up against her and then eventually wiggled her way up onto her lap. She even used this girls hair as her "lovie". The girl was real sweet to allow all this.

Got tired of sitting on the hard curb and had to stand for a bit. I think they are waving at the Hollywood float filled with various impersonators.

Like this Mary Poppins!

Finally we got to see who we actually came to see! My dad, Skippy dee Klown. For those who don't know, my dad had been clowning around for about 40 years. He does all types of parties and parades all over S. California. Some hobby huh?

Seth got to throw this small basketball into a hoop with no opening in the bottom.

Then Skippy came home with us to take off his makeup and have some lunch, but not before the kids took a picture with him. Well, at least Kya and Seth did. Elsie wouldn't have anything to do with him until he came out of the bathroom looking like GRANDPA!

Fall Sugar Cookies

It rained last night and the clouds have been hanging out all day long. So with it too cold to go outside and play, I thought it would be fun to make Acorn and Leaf sugar cookies with the kids. Each kid got to add an ingredient and cut out the shapes.


Elsie poured in the mix. No, I did not make these from scratch. Three reason to be exact. 1) I don't like sugar cookies. 2) It is much easier this way. 3) I was able to get this bag of mix for FREE using my coupons. Normally I wouldn't buy them, but I figured since they were FREE it would be a good thing to get for a fun activity.
Kya poured in the egg.

and Seth put in the butter, as well as helped stir it.

We used these cute Maple Leaf and Acorn cookie cutters I received from my mentor mom last year.

The finished product before we decorated them.

***My Disclaimer: I had every intention of having these cookies look very Fallish. We went to Michael's while the cookies cooled to find some appropriate frosting, gel, sprinkles, etc. only to not find anything other than Christmas and the normal boring sprinkles. So I knew I had some white frosting at home and figured I could just tint it the colors of Fall Leaves (orange, yellow, red and brown) only to find that my yellow food dye was missing. Since it was just supposed to be a fun activity for the kids, we just stuck with red, green and blue frosting.***

Painting the cookies with red frosting.

and blue

and green.

and here is our final product!

Like I said, it didn't turn out as planned, but the kids and I had lots of fun doing them together.

Mommy, I cut my hair!

Wednesday morning I mentioned to Kya that it was time for us to cut her bangs. Well, apparently she remembered this conversation and decided to do me a favor by cutting her own hair! Even though I was in total shock, I couldn't get mad at her because she was so proud of herself. I still do not have any idea how I am going to make them look better. We tried headbands, but the longer bangs just stick straight up behind the band and the shorter bangs poke out in front. I think I am going to cut them shorter than I normally would and just leave her with a small gap of hair.

As for how she got her little hands on scissors in the first place. I always keep our scissors way out of reach. The hair scissors I keep in a box with a bunch of hair bows on the top shelf of her closet and the closet has a child latch to help keep the kids out. Well, Kya has learned that if she pulls hard enough on the accordion style closet doors, that she can pop the child latch right off. I am guessing that when she did this, the box must have fallen off of the shelf allowing her access. I am just grateful she didn't try to cut Elsie's hair or accidentally cut or poke herself. I know no real harm was done and TONS of little girls have done this exact same thing. I was just hoping that it would pass over our house!

Thinking of having kids?

I found this on another's blog and just couldn't help but not share it with all of you.

Thinking of having kids? Do This 10 Step Program First

Lesson 1
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline

2. Lack of patience

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels

4. Allowing their children to run wild

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 2
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approx. 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.

2. At 10pm, put the bag down gently, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at midnight and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1am.

4. Set alarm for 3am.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45.

7. Get up at 3am when alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4am.9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive.)Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 3
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 4
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus in the bag so that none of the arms hang out.Time allowed for this- all morning.

Lesson 5
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle Cheerios all over the floor, them smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 6
Go to the grocery store. Take the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 7
1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.You are now ready to feed a 9 month-old baby.

Lesson 8
Learn the names of every character from all shows on PBS, the Disney Channel and Noggin. Watch nothing else on TV but shows from these channels for at least 5 years. (I know, you're thinking "what is Noggin?") Exactly the point.

Lesson 9
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 10
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from lesson 9 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

But somehow at the end of the day a smile and a peanut buttery messy kiss makes it all worth it!

Disneyland and California Adventure

Yesterday, we got to go to Disneyland and California Adventure! It was the perfect day to go. The weather was great and there were no crowds! My cousin Danielle, works for Disney, and was able to sign us in for FREE. Many thanks to you Danielle and to your co-worker Jeremiah for taking time to do this for our family.

Here is Elsie, Danielle and I just outside the monorail in Downtown Disney. The hotel she works at is closer to the monorail than the entrance, so she signed us in there, we hopped on the monorail and were let off in tomorrow land.
Our first ride of the day were the Teacups. Wayne had to slow it down a bit for both Seth and I, but the girls enjoyed going fast.

This was the first time that Elsie was able to understand and fully enjoy the Disney experience. She wore the biggest smile on her face all day.

She liked this door because it was just her size.

Our next stop was Alice and Wonderland. I forgot that this ride was so dark inside and Kya does not like dark rides. Luckily, she sat right next to Wayne and he was able to talk her through everything.

Yup, this is how we ride!

Next we made our way over to California Adventure for a little while. First stop was King Triton's Carousel. Kya wanted a fish and Seth wanted a Sea Horse. Luckily, they were right by each other and Elsie didn't care what she rode on, she just wanted to ride! She did get mad at me when I casually laid my arm over her Sea Otter's eyes though.

Seth and his Sea Horse

On our way to lunch Seth spotted Woody. He LOVES cowboys and has just recently learned who Woody is. He was thrilled to be able to meet him in person. I just wish the movie Toy Story was out right now so I could buy it for Christmas.

Wayne just had to go on the roaring rapids ride. Kya was the only one tall enough to ride it with him, but she is smart and said she didn't want to get wet. So we found a lookout area to watch him go down a hill and round this bend. Elsie wound up just as wet as her Daddy thanks to the spray of the water.

Then it was time to become a bug over at It's A Bug's Life area. We went on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train and Seth said that it wasn't a real train. Smart kid!

Elsie was too small to ride on the bumper cars and I don't really like them, so Seth and Kya took turns riding it with Daddy.

Kya said it was her favorite ride.

This was also a great day to see and visit with characters. On our way back over to Disneyland, we saw Minnie Mouse. Kya even gave her a big hug!

Kya really wanted to see Minnie Mouse's "Boyfriend" Mickey Mouse, but once it was our turn, she would not go up to him. Seth on the other hand was more than willing to give him a hug and have his picture taken. Elsie would just wave at him from a distance and then as we left she yelled out Bye Mickey! She did the same thing with Goofy.

Another first for both Seth and Kya was that they each rode the Matterhorn. Even though Seth is smiling for the camera, he and Kya both said they didn't like it and will not ride it again. We will see when they get older.

Even though you can barely see Kya and I here, I had to post it. I tried to enlarge it, but obviously I don't know how. Maybe you can click on it to make it larger.

Halloween 2009

On Halloween, a bunch of the cousins got together at my brothers house. There were 6 toddlers/preschoolers, 1 baby and 10 adults. First we enjoyed a yummy festive meal, had the kids pose for pictures and then went Trick or Treating around the block.

Here are the kids sitting together enjoying their dinner. I have to say that with 6 kids in one house together, they all got along really well.
We had Mummy Dogs

and Jack O Lantern hamburgers for dinner, along with corn on the cob and chips in the shape of ghosts, bats and pumpkins. Pretty fun food for everyone.

Desert was Ghosts in the Graveyard. Very rich, but oh so good!

Can you believe we got all 7 of them to look at the camera at the same time!

Here we have: Bumble Bee Grace, Fireman Seth, Pooh Bear Noah, Goldilocks Elsie, Hunny Pot Caleb, Little Mermaid Kya and Tigger Karli.

Kya made a beautiful mermaid.

Seth as our happy fireman

Elise looking so cute as Goldilocks

Then it was time to go Trick or Treating. This was the first year that any of my kids have taken part of this tradition and let me tell you it did not take long for them to catch on!

My dad pushed my mom in the wheelchair, while each child took turns riding on her lap.

My cousins son Joshua was also able to come down and hang out with us. You can kind of see him behind my dad.
The trail of kids with their daddy's

This house was all decked out in Halloween decor. Kya did not want to go up to the house at first, but because everyone else did she soon followed their lead.

Getting more candy

We went around one the block and about 3/4 of the way, the kids started to slow down and get tired. So we headed back to my brothers house to get pajama's on and then head on home for bed. Once, we had the kids all tucked into bed, my mom stayed with them while Wayne and I went out to a party with some of his old high school friends.

Thank you Kevin and Tiffany for hosting a fun party. The kids and adults alike had lots of fun. Hopefully we can make this an annual tradition!