Write Like Nobody's Reading

The past few months have been crammed with the girls' activities, family outings and working. Yes, I work away from the home now! Over the summer I landed a job at an awesome bakery where I ate my way through my shifts and brought home pounds of delectable desserts and breakfast treats for my family. The pastry chef and cake decorator is a mom friend of mine and I quickly made friends with the artisan bread baker, the owner and the other two girls in front. There was a grumpy head chef when I first started, who made me his private-enemy-number-one, but in a random act of selfishness he left the bakery and started working at Pier 1. Seriously. I was a happy camper. The whole bakery atmosphere changed to one where everyone got along. 

Then that same week my phone rang with the school district asking me to come for an interview! A week or so later I was given the position of Special Ed Instructional Aide! I start tomorrow at a nearby middle school. It's actually the same school my oldest daughter will attend in sixth grade. If I am still working there, I will see her in the halls. Poor baby ;) I plan to embarrass her ruthlessly regardless of where I work, so I am looking forward to it! 

I was sad to leave my friends at the bakery, but their amazing handiwork will keep me coming in weekly for scones and pink lemonade bars. I immediately called my cousin, Kae the family baker, after being offered the special ed position. She gladly accepted my old job and is now a natural with the cash register, customer service, and baked goods knowledge! This is her first job ever, so I'm pretty proud. (If you don't count the piano lessons she gave Aubrey, in which I paid for with ice cream sundaes and smoothies;)

Aubrey is keeping her pretty little head above water in first grade. She was placed in an accelerated class that has truly challenged her academically. One of her spelling words was cephylothorax. See! I don't even know how to spell it! And I'm not going to spell check that word just to prove my point. I consider myself a spelling Nazi. It sets my teeth on edge every time I see a misspelled word in professional signage or literature. Go ahead, proof read this post to check for errors. I'm sure there are endless grammar errors, but I said I was a spelling Nazi, remember? I am miles upon miles from being spelling perfect, but that's why God invented spell check! My point? I have one, I promise. I was absolutely shocked to hear that word was on the spelling test. FOR SIX YEAR OLDS! My baby tried her best to sound it out and got it wrong of course. Mrs. P. (to her credit) was probably just checking to see how they'd do with such a difficult word and wrote "Great Try!" on Aubrey's test in bright red. I was pretty proud. And still shocked.

Speaking of Miss Aubrey, I am leaving to pick her up from school right now and will update you on wild Eve another time. Oh boy, do I have stories about that little critter. Halloween was a hoot, let me tell you!

Happy Trails!

B

I suck, therefore I rule.

I was thinking this morning about all my shortcomings and came to the realization that some of them might actually save me from even bigger disasters if I did know how to do those things. Not making sense? I'm tired. Read ahead anyway and see if any of the things you suck at might actually help you in the long run.

1. I cannot successfully light a match, so I will never start a forest fire.

2. I cannot open any sort of prepackaged snack, so I will not consume 150 extra calories of processed food.

3. I cannot go 8 hours without getting up to use the bathroom, so I can make sure my kids are not being eaten by monsters every few hours.

4. I suck at saying no to a cause, so I will forever help out at my daughters' schools.

5. I suck at being on time, so... yeah I don't really see an upside to that one either. Miss out on good parking? Frustrate my friends? Don't think those are so great.

This list will only grow and grow so I will be sure to update it. I'm pretty sure I suck at over using the comma, but so it goes. Hope you find the good in everything in which you suck!

A Long Read Ahead

There is no greater escape than the fictional world of literature. I have gone on many an adventure whilst munching my favorite snack wrapped in a comfy blanket. I was wrapped in the blanket- not my snack.
Today was A's first day of a new ballet session and baby E was of course far too rambunctious for the audience. We played outside for a bit, but Mommy soon grew tired of walking up and down the steps. Eve of course was having the time of her life showing off her new skills of stair master, using only the railing for support instead of Mom's outstretched hand. She unwillingly accompanied me to the library next door where I dropped her off with the toys on the kids' carpet and perused the fiction section. I came back at the exact moment she realized I was gone shouting, "Ma Ma!" when she spotted me right in front of her. She grinned and I showed her the two books I had picked out, one for Sissy and one for Mommy. I gained her attention by pointing out Fancy Nancy's pet pooch and had Eve point out the dog on different pages while I carried her to the check-out line.

During my forty second escape at the library I flipped through the pages of the second book I plucked from the shelves. Ink doodles splattered the pages of an apparent journal seemingly marketed for the Young Adult demographic. I tend to gravitate toward the YA section probably because I have the maturity of a fourteen-year-old girl and because I simply enjoy the quick reads. I am a proud Twilight and Hunger Games fan, although I'm angered at the assumption the two series are even remotely similar. Their heroines alone are more different than Jesse Stone and Harry Potter.

After struggling to sooth little E to sleep late tonight I was finally able to sink my teeth into my newest loan, Cathy's Book. If I was exhausted earlier, I've been zapped awake now. A thrilling and unique story unfolds as you read through Cathy's unexpectedly bizarre life. Cathy Brigg paints a tantalizing word picture along side appropriately mesmerizing ink sketches. I've only just begun Cathy's adventure- I'm going to wrap up the night only having reached page 54 and there are still two books to go! The characters' dilemmas will haunt my dreams tonight, not unlike those of my favorite literary heroines: Katniss Everdeen, Hermione Granger, Josey Cirrini and Susie Salmon. (No, Miss Swan is not a favorite of mine. Her story is one of the great romances [be quiet, haters] but her character is the fingernail on my chalkboard).


I can't wait to gobble up this novel and go back for seconds and thirds to complete the series. Did I mention I love a good series? A wonderful story should be dragged out for at least three books. Unless of course we're speaking of Robert Jordan, then yes he should have wrapped that thing up before someone else had to finish it for him.

Ready for a night of dark dreams, I will close my laptop and my book ready for a tomorrow of wearing out kids and hoping for long naps so I can flip through another hundred pages (who am I kidding? I might get to page 72 if I'm lucky). Good night and good reading!

Birthday Baby

On February 1st Aubrey and I made vanilla cupcakes for Eve's 1st birthday. A came home from school, finished her homework and set right to work helping me bake her sister's dessert. Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake Mix turned out the perfect bite size treats for our little family. Aubrey went wild decorating with the green and blue frosting (I didn't think Miss One-Year-Old would mind the lack of pink) and E enjoyed every bite- or should I say slurp? 

Snow Day turned out to be the perfect entertainment for Eve's party the following weekend. The girls and I arrived at the park just before 11 with A's friend... let's call her Cecille, and the guests arrived shortly after to get in some snow time before the party began at 2pm. Our community helpers pulled out all the stops with free sled rides, sno cones, face painting, crafts, bounce houses and a snow zone. Every year my favorite part of the day is seeing all the California kiddos in their big snow boots and parkas- most likely worn for the first and last time in the beautiful 75 degree weather.

It was perfectly sunny and gorgeous for E's first party and she had the best time showing off her walking chops and "visiting" all the picnicking families around our table. I staked out two tables early in the morning and decorated them in pastel circus finery. Miss A and her sassy posse had a grand time telling unsuspecting Snow Day participants to "please move, this table's for a baby's party." Oh dear! I'm sure Eve wouldn't have minded the extra party people, but ohh vell ; )

Birthday Baby getting some love from Daddy

Big sister in her element

Sweet cousin R up to bat

Thanks for coming!

Cupcake Depression

I finally convinced myself to sneak out of bed around six this morning to prepare the birthday muffins. I whipped up the batter replacing oil with apple sauce and adding a quarter cup of white flour when I ran out of multi-grain, but other than that I strictly followed the recipe. Well, my own twisted up version of two recipes. You see, the package for Trader Joe's Multi Grain Pancakes lists three recipes on its side panel. One for of course pancakes and the other two for buttermilk biscuits and coffee cake. When Aubrey was in preschool we would make breakfast muffins in the morning before she finally went to school at a quarter to nine. Actually this started before then when she would be babysat by various family members. I wasn't ever sure if she actually ate lunch on their watch so we'd always make a huge breakfast to make up for any absence in sustenance. 


Anyway, I always used the ingredients for the coffee cake: pancake mix of course, buttermilk (substitute coffee creamer), eggs, sugar (usually brown), frozen berries and like I said before, apple sauce instead of oil, and the baking times of the biscuits. Are muffins really that different? You put them in perfectly bite sized little cups and the whole ordeal is much more fun. These hybrid coffecake/biscuit muffins always came out great. We topped them with yogurt and breakfast was a smash. We even made these for Aubrey's 4th birthday celebration in class, since snack time was at 9:30 in the morning. They were a hit. 

My Cupcake Apprentice 2009

This morning I was a little paranoid that Miss Birthday Girl would wake up during the manufacturing of these breakfast masterpieces so I was a little hurried in the process. My number one helper was also still sleeping, making this the first time I'd gone solo on the project. The oven beeped, I checked the inside (actually I forgot to do that, but they ended up being fully cooked so who cares?) placed the baking tray on top of the oven and let them cool while I hopped in the shower. Did I do something wrong? Was I missing a step? I know I fudge over the ingredients and mix things up a bit, but why oh why were these muffins depressed? Literally, depressed. In almost every single bite size breakfast bite was a little dent in the top. Did leprechauns hop all over my baking while I performed my morning ablutions? Doubtful, but still a possibility. I thought I remembered hearing something a long time ago about why bread products would depress in the center. Something about a missing ingredient I think. Or was it because I didn't use a mixer? I old school whisked that thing like my mama taught me, but I've always done that and I've never had depressed muffins. I blame my lack of childhood companionship in the kitchen. My oldest daughter must simply be good luck and without her all breakfast concoctions bake with just a little less magic.


Alas the muffins were eaten with gusto and without complaint. I had four. Maybe five. And my picky one year-old actually devoured her breakfast happily for a change! Depressed muffins or not, I deem them a success. My berry faced baby proves it. 

Birthday Girl 2012

Cupcakes will be made this evening with my kitchen sidekick so they should bake without a hitch. Pictures of the little one's first frosting adventure soon to come!

Fake names, Real stories

My name is not Bella. I am in fact 26 years old and the mother of two mischievous little girls. Their names, however, are not Aubrey and Eve, but they are indeed ages six and one. The point of telling true stories with fake names? Partially to save my family from technological ridicule and embarrassment, partially for pathological fun. 


Why change names if you're just going to post their pictures anyway? Because they're so cute I must post their pictures! And holding auditions for random actors to play your own children seems cold.

Eve December 2011

Tomorrow is Eve's first birthday and I made my husband promise me he wouldn't let me throw her a big party she won't even remember. Aubrey turned six in December and we went completely overboard. By we I mean me. Aubrey and I set out to Alin Paper Co. to buy Strawberry Shortcake decorations and flatware only to find her brand may as well have not existed in the paper company. Hello Kitty and Barbie were abundant, other favorites of my kindergartner, but I think the fact she would never be five again loomed over her little head and she opted for Princess theme. That's something, sadly, most girls her age are growing out of thanks to the likes of Justin Bieber and other teen idols marketing themselves to preschool and up.
I still remember getting a purple Huffy bike for my sixth birthday. I was elated at being such a big girl owning a "two wheeler" when my dad proceeded to tell me I would NEVER be five again. Needless to say, I cried big birthday tears.


So I could relate to Aubrey's yearning to savor every bit of little girlhood. Six is a big deal. This was part of my rationale for going full scale crazy on the party front. Bouncer? Oh she definitely needs one of those. Invite the whole class? We don't want anyone to feel left out! Rent tables and chairs? Well we need to sit, don't we? The list went on and on. After the extravagant birthday, Christmas for a big family, food for New Year's eve and countless other birthday presents to buy in winter, I vowed that the baby would not have a party. Well, not a big one. She had to have cake, right?

Here's the Rapunzel cake Kae made for a special six year old's birthday

Eve's birthday falls on a Wednesday this year. Problem solved. We can't have a party in the middle of the week. But of course cake for the just the family in the living room became just family and friends... and friends of friends, maybe neighbors, and Aubrey's school friends love the baby- they'll want to come too... oh dear. This is worse than Aubrey's big bash.
So I opted to have a simple park get together that Saturday. I asked my cousin Kae to make cupcakes and we could have as many people that wanted to come and it would stay simple. Dessert at the park. Then my cousin's friend Ashlyn offered to make cake. She makes beautiful cakes. I can't deny Eve's guest one of Ashlyn's cakes! We'll just have both. That's perfect- it's a dessert party. Then I get a call from my amazing friend Lola wondering if she can make cake pops for Eve. Cake pops?! How cute! Of course you can make cake pops for Evie! I said it was a dessert party and this is perfect. Plenty of dessert.
Then the bombshell. In Aubrey's backpack today are half a dozen fliers. One of which advertising our community's Snow Day. This Saturday. Held at our park. During Eve's Dessert Party!!
Okay Bella take a deep breath. Obviously city council is not trying to ruin your daughter's VERY FIRST birthday. This could be a good thing. A good thing? Yeah, I mean there will be snow for the guests to play in, music and free jumpers. Free jumpers? Why didn't city council plan a Snow Day on Aubrey's birthday?

Aubrey in the snow 2008

So needless to say we have not rescheduled little Eve's party. Hopefully she will not nap the whole day and will be able to experience snow and free jumpers with thousands of her closest friends. Who could ask for a better first birthday?