cat grass fever

scarlett is so proud of her cat grass (sprouted oats). She planted it herself, and filled the pot with soil, watered it...and waited for something to happen...meanwhile we learned all about seeds, pollination, spring, bees, cats with upset tummies, photosynthesis, etc and luckily cat grass grows so fast...we saw shoots in 3 days! what fun! now she checks it everyday, waters it and cuts it down occasionally. she loves gardening. we also planted some strawberries...i cant wait to see what happens with them.

hit the road, jack

we are gearing up for a little road trip up to Oregon next week. I am so excited, and a little nervous. I have not driven that far with the girls yet and India is so young she could just sleep the whole time (please please please) or wail and hollar...grrrr. Scarlett was a fine road tripper...so maybe she will follow in her big sisters footsteps? But, oh wait...there's more...we cant have any sugary snacks ("i'll give you a popsicle if you get into your carseat") because S needs to get her teeth cleaned, and she has the beginning of a cavity in her molar. We have been to the dentist twice in the last month, but she wont let them get into her mouth. Its really silly. She has them wrapped around her finger...if I were the dentist the whole thing would be over...but since we got Mr. Bubble and Miss Gas Huffer scooting around holding a water pic and a big scary stuffed animal asking S to open wide we got NOWHERE! duh! do these people even have kids? I swear the dental tech was talking 500 words per minute and the dentist was so over-the-top "nice" it was downright creepy. Im about to order my own set of instruments so i can pick her teeth clean for goodness sakes! Maybe we can just take a trip to Mexico and get her all fixed up..hahaha, you know i kid!

But, oh yeah...oregon...I am going to visit my mom...who has not met India yet (awww) and pick up my Dad's ashes. He has been camping at my moms house for a year now, and I really need some closure, so I am making a plan for his final resting place. Its fun to plan it out...i keep getting all kinds of goofy ideas about dispersing his ashes in the bay...scattering them from the golden gate while no one is looking...yeah right!!! I will know what to do when the time comes...Im taking him to SF in May and I will know what to do then. For now its fun to think of crazy ways to scatter his ashes.

I wonder how many hours it will take me to get to Corvallis? I might just leave at 2am, so that they sleep the whole way...then i can be a zombie the next day instead of having to stop every hour.

Road trip must-have's:

dvd player

cooler with lots of snacks ready to go!

baby bjorn potty

big mug for caffeinated bevies

driving slippers

fairy moon cd

toy cars and trains

Things you might think are great, but are really lame to bring:

coloring books and crayons: they spill and you have to keep reaching back to get them..also kids get irritated trying to color when bumps and car turbulence happen...also, S will hand the crayons to India who will cry if she cannot try to eat them.

peanut butter and jelly: such a huge mess! not worth it AT ALL! cucumber and cheese, or tofu and cheese, or even hummus and carrot sandwiches are way better!

water bottles: i think its way better to drink water when stopped, otherwise too much water means lots of potty stops, and this way they dont get squirted out from the backseat, yay! plus the caps are a choking hazard, and the baby will cry if she cant have it-so again, not worth it!

well, im sure it will all be great...and good thing we are in no hurry so we can take our time cruising on up to grandmas.

a new level of messy

yes...it gets messy around here.

yes...i stay up late to clean it up.

i dont waste my precious time trying to put toys away, fold clean clothes, mop floors, make beds, etc with these wild ones running around eagar to destroy my neat and tidy doings! have you ever tried to fold laundry with a toddler who thinks shes helping me by wadding up the clothes into tight little balls and a crawling infant who wants to play peek-a-boo with everything your folding??? yeah.

Some may think that im okay with the messy...(and thats sweet, but no...) for real- i like the ordered and clutter-free...i like it so much that i dont want anyone to mess it up, which is why i do it at midnight, so's i can enjoy it for a bit...till i finally put the thrilling book im reading down and cuddle up to sleep. and i especially love it first thing in the morning before the baskets get dumped, the third bowl of oatmeal or yogurt gets spilled, or smeared or so "helpfully" dropped into the sink, sometimes breaking...ya know the clean and spotless bathroom before the paper gets unravelled, trash dumped over, toothpaste over-squeezed, dinosaur marching band, stacked of towels used to reach the "kitty sparkles", etc etc...those of you who know...know what i mean. i keep thinking to set my alarm for five, way before the littles wake, so i can drink a cup of mate during one of the tiny slices of time that my home is neat and tiddy.

spring, teeth and reptiles

the boa


headband!!

oh sweet lovely spring...you are almost here and I welcome you with big open loving arms!
except that i will lose an hour of sleep, and i guess its worth it, but really i dont have an hour to spare, so cruel...so cruel.

T'was a beautiful sunlit day today...wind was a bit chilly, but sporting short sleeves in the warmth of the sun while in the car, complaining of the heat (unheard of, really!!) we rolled our windows down and set out for the natural history museum...reptile day...whoo hoo. I guess I was half expecting Scarlett to fear the cold blooded ones...in the past she would hide her face in my arm as we passed the snakes, etc while visiting aquariums and the zoo. But, oh no...she's not afraid anymore...she's thrilled! She held lizards, geckos (3 diff kinds), a boa, a skink...you name it. If a reptile was out of its "habitat", scarlett was right there, hands neatly opened to hole the creature. so gentle. so brave. Something comes over her when she is the self appointed guardian of the tiny gecko...her face changes...i can see glimpses of her older self...she talks quietly while holding them and feels so proud. It was as much fun for me to watch her as it was for her to hold them. I could have taken so many amazing photos, but alas...the batteries, darn!

and now for the teeth...so here is what has been happening around here...india got some teeth...the usually 12 hour fever, snotty nose, ear pulling, etc...then i got sick...headache, snotty, mild cough, then Scarlett got sick with the same...then India got it, while still teething...so loads more snot and more cough...plus tiny get it worse than us. Then I got better, Scarlett got better...India got worse...she was so miserable...and another fever...then i got snotty again, and achy...then Scarlett got really snotty and another croupy, yucky cough...what the?? and now im feeling great, Scarlett on the mend with a lingering cough, but india still with cough, and 4 more teeth trying to bust through her little tiny gums...poor babe...teething is serious business folks. Hopefully with this sunshine and resting, we will all be able to go out and play without toting handfuls of hankies and warm chicken broth. big sigh.