The Snowy Day

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It's a winter wonderland out there, so our plans to go to free playtime at Playground World (which is further into the snowbelt) were cancelled. Luckily, I didn't mention it to the kids so they didn't have a clue.

Since it's a trapped-in-the-house kind of day, we made the best of it.

We made "snow ice cream." Thanks Lori, for that idea!!! It was a fun "cooking" activity for the kids and it was tasty too.

Today's secret ingredient is.......SNOW! Allez cuisine!

Move over, Iron Chef Symon. My boy has a smile just as infectious as yours!

Next up was finger painting. Always a favorite, but very messy, activity. Luckily the paint washes off super easy.

Nolan takes his work VERY seriously.

Reagan is more of a free spirit.

While the kids were doing that, Grammy called and sounded very frazzled. She spun out on the freeway and was slippin' and slidin' all over the road and almost ended up in an embankment. Luckily, she had a guardian angel and ended up stopping just short of it, pointed in the right direction. Be safe out there, kids!

Just before naptime the kids decided to empty out two of their toy bins and set them in front of the TV and played "bubble tub." For those not in the know, that is the what the kids call the hot tub at Kalahari.

Nolan and his sister, Winky.

I think tonight will be movies night. Not sure what we'll watch, but I'll find something in my goodie bag in the attic!

I'm like the post office, neither rain, nor sleet, nor slow stops me from doing my Mommy job!

New Discovery

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We checked a new-to-us place over the weekend, the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. It has a planetarium, lots of animals (inside & out), and a play area for kids. They also offer classes and we were fortunate enough to be able to get into the Twinkle Tots one when we got there. The kids really enjoyed it.

What Daddy really enjoyed was the stop at Fatheads for lunch.

Gung Hay Fat Choy..... maybe

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We took the kids to the Asian Plaza for the New Years Lion Dance. We had fun, well, until the actual dance started. I'll post pictures later. Maybe. Right now I'm too upset to do that.

Allow me to digress....

You see, Bill and I were on a "date night" tonight. (Yes it is the Saturday before Valentine's Day and you'd be correct if you remember that Bill and I don't usually go out for this day, but we had sitters, so you go with the flow, you know?) We'd finished up a nice dinner at Dante and were having a nightcap in Downtown Willoughby when the phone rang. I had just checked in an hour before and everything was A-OK, so I was really surprised to see "home" come up on caller ID.

The first words out of my mom's mouth were, "Reagan's barfing."

Check, please.

So we rushed home and found an already calmed down girl (who probably had herself so wound up from excitement & Valentine's candy and didn't want to go to bed) and a mostly clean house (Thanks Steph!!! Way beyond the call of duty!!!!)

That part isn't what is bothering me. That is not the reason I am blogging at midnight after scrubbing the kitchen floor. (Which needed cleaned anyway, just not at 11:45pm on a Saturday night!)

What is bothering me is that we took the kids to see a Lion Dance this afternoon to celebrate Chinese New Year. We had a fun time (well, until the loud music started and the lion started dancing). While scrubbing the floor, I hear the news story that a man was robbed and forced into his car at gunpoint at the Asian Plaza this afternoon. He was shot in the back while trying to escape his car as the robbers tried to get him to an ATM.

This is the exact same place I blindly took my kids to.

The same place Bill walked alone down the street to get the car to come and pick us up.

The same place I plan to go back to and take pictures. Alone. Wrapped up in my own little world, oblivious to what is going on around me.

Have I really lived in the 'burbs that long that I've let my guard down? When we lived in an inner ring suburb my guard was always up. With kids it should be up even more, but you know what? It is not. So many people talk to my kids and we talk back. I'm distracted and looking in two different directions all the time. I'm an easy target.

My purse.

My camera.

My kids.

It scares the shit out of me.


http://www.newsnet5.com/news/22559187/detail.html

Another Busy & Snowy Day

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Most days, we are busy. Today we were B-U-S-Y and we didn't have time for the weather to stop us, despite its best efforts.

(one of my new favorite pics)



We started the day at the schoolhouse for some fun learning about shadows. The kids really enjoyed this class because they got to play with flashlights.



After stories we stopped at Daddy's work so the kids could say "Gung Hay Fat Choy" to one of Bill's co-workers. Ever since a visit to San Francisco during Chinese New Year, I enjoy celebrating it and remembering the good times I had exploring Chinatown on my own many years ago, so I've passed on the love to the kids.

We made our way home, very slowly, as the snow increased and the road conditions worsened for an (indoor) picnic lunch and a quick nap.

Next stop was the Cleveland Clinic for Nolan's yearly check with his cranio-facial surgeon. It seems the pattern for these appointments is driving to them in a snowstorm, so today was no different.



Nolan has been practicing his Polish, so he could say "Jak si´ masz?" (How's it going?) to Dr. Papay. He was impressed and answered appropriately with a big "Dobrze!" He said Nolan's head will be fine enough for him to play football (the real question is will Mommy's head be ready for that someday!?)

To celebrate another great appointment, we headed downtown to The Greenhouse Tavern to celebrate. Ironically, the only other occupied table in the place (only because of bad weather, the food rocks!) was someone we know from the local food and wine forum. She wasn't sure it was us because she didn't believe that those were "the babies!" Me either. Me either.

Nolan chowing on the bread service.

Reagan and her "petit three." Thus named because her "petit four" had three dots on it. Clever girl.

After lots of pomme frites & petits three (and salted caramel ice cream!) we headed home for an early date with Mr. Sandman.

Well, make that three of the Pchaks.

History Mu-zee-M

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We put one of our Christmas gifts to good use and visited the History Museum again this week at the kids request.

If you are struggling for a gift for someone, think about a membership to something they enjoy. It is a great gift. We have the zoo, history museum, and botanical gardens-thanks again, Grammy, Grandpa Fred & Nonny Linda, & Uncle John and Aunt Jan. I'm thinking of getting a Farmpark one in the spring too.

Just to prove that toddlers change their mind like the wind, Reagan loved the dinosaur room this time.

See, I do exist and I've decided that I would have been a great paleontologist due to my attention to detail.

It was a nice family couple of hours after Bill being out of town for 5 days and we virtually had the place to ourselves, except for a middle school (maybe early high school) class. (Did we really act like that in public when we were kids? Some of the kids were sitting in the exhibits or jumping on each others back and running around while the "teacher" walked around self-absorbed.) Just another "you know you are getting old moment" for me!

More photos.

Daddy's Home

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Do you think someone was happy that Daddy returned from California and had trolley car souvenirs for them?


Mommy was happy too, especially with the Sourdough Cheese Wheels from Acme and the Recchiuti Fleur de Sel Caramels I adore. Must.Ration.Them. (yeah, right!)