little hands, big dunes

we've been exploring creation with swimming creatures this year.  i have to confess...  *deep breath*  when the mama homeschool day is feeling the exhaustion  of a dense schedule, science is easy to put on the back-burner.  i'm learning that it's okay.  if need be, we've even gone at least 2 months off of history before *gasp* to explore other things.



i confess my shortcomings to make you feel better about your day.  you know... as a friend would leave her house messy before a visit - to make you feel better about your lil' mess.  ummm... yeah.  i like a lil' notice. ;)

{please don't tell me that you are always on par with schedule and your house would pass a white glove test.  i might just crack under the pressure.  i kid.  maybe.}



where was i going with this?  oh, yes.  sea turtles.  this homeschool field trip was an excuse to take a road-trip to the beach about rebuilding the dunes for sea turtles to lay their eggs.  this area is still rebuilding from a previous storm.  it's come a long way! 

it was quite complex.  dig. pour compost. place plant. cover root.  rocket science.  

the challenge was doing said rocket science in the down. pour. ing. rain.  cats and dogs - on and off.  every time the moms took out their cameras - it began to pour.  so much so, that i began to call my camera the rain-maker.   oh, how we could have used that over the summer in our texas drought.  thankfully, it was not freezing.  so, we sucked it up... for the turtles.



in this stretch of beach, the only thing cleaned is man-made trash.  gotta love a natural setting.  most of the rain cleared.  the children played.  we were already drenched, so a splash in the water did no harm.  matter-o-fact, it was good for the soul.

just before leaving, gracie found a plastic bag in the water and quickly snatched it up to throw away.  "mom, this could hurt a sea turtle!"  yes, gracie, great job.  so proud of my girlies.

thankfully, it is not my nature to leave my littles in the sand dunes.  you know - like mama turtles.  i wrapped my wet fish in towels and made the road-trip back home.  ignoring their pleas to drive all the way home, find swimsuits, and trail back to the sand.  because i'm a good mother {repeat to self}.

we did manage to squeeze in a lil' math, too. ;)

march~week 10/366 {ships-twin friends-juicer}

this week started with a road trip, as we made our way to visit the nina and pinta.  the most historically accurate columbus replica ships ever built.



we caught an artist painting an amazing picture of this floating treasure.

the nina was built completely by hand, in brazil.  later, the pinta was built a bit larger to scale to accompany the nina on her travels.

the boat hanging below is a miniature. {not the ship's boat built by the 14 yo apprentice.}

it really made me stand in awe of just how insane brave these explorers really were; sailing across the ocean, in boats such as these.  the size of the ship.  making room for people, animals, and supplies.  

these ships are always recruiting new shipmates, but i declined.  with a minimal 3 week commitment, my family would have missed me, i'm sure.  besides, mama needs more personal space. ;)


 
silly gracie gets creative with a post-haircut strand of hair - side bangs, mustache, uni-brow, and even chest hair.  too funny!

piano lessons. jazzy hunts for squirrel through the window.  ruff life.  sorry.  couldn't help myself.

we received unexpected, exciting news. the girls will be playing lead roles in the upcoming theater production.  i will forever kick myself for not filming their reaction.  tears of joy.

fun with friends.  twin-friends. although the kids do most of the playing... why does it tire me, too?  hmmmm...  after company leaves, we all fall into a post-sleepover slump.  under the weather. 

the new rule... if anyone from friend's family is ill, they cannot sleep over. ha!

soup, rest {beau is great at that, when he's not pouncing on anything that moves}, vitamins.




gracie was determined to feel better for her hip-hop class.  nator patiently waits for gracie to finish dance lesson. 

toward week's end, our homeschool included beakmans' world.  like i said... mama needed rest, too. ;)

the juicer arrived.  hubs turned into the juice master this weekend.  he is much better at drinking veggies.  i get the drink down, but it is not as appetizing as simply eating veggies, imho.  i'm on the hunt for palatable juice combinations that only include a lil' apple to sweeten... gotta watch the fat-inducing-insulin spikes, you know.


oh... and last but not least, nator.  reading national geographic kids.  our lil' spider-monkey, as her uncle affectionately nick-named her when born.  just so happened to look back and catch this chimpanzee face over hers.  funny, eh? ;)

feb~week 6/366 {competition edition}

again... this was the week the ny giants won the superbowl. yay!  wait.  football takes priority in a post?  i know.  i barely know who i am anymore. 

if you follow us on instagram, this will be rather redundant. my apologies.

grapefruit + stevia = yummm.  i only bring exciting stuff to the blog.  yo.

kiddos sucked into the abyss of old home movies and pictures = sweet nostalgia.

gracie borrowed my shirt. it has begun.

daddy was out of town, so i took our girls on a dinner date, after a day at the zoo {also dance lesson and taking headshots for several kids at theater that day, too}.  the person in charge of my schedule needs a good ol' fashion talkin' to. *ehem*

gracie performed competition dances at the local high school.  gracie has a wonderful, supportive sister in nator.  everyone needs a nator in their family.

the girls made posters for the upcoming dance competition.  then we forgot them.  oh well.  there will be another.

meeting sweet friends at the zoo.  {tip: when a park employee asks to take your picture, tell him he can... so long as he snaps one with your camera, as well.  it works most times.}  and ummm... they really should clean the glass on these enclosures.  clean glass = better pictures.  it's all about the pictures, right? ;)



 
so great seeing things we are currently learning.  turtles.  have you ever noticed the backbone inside the turtle's shell?  fascinating.   we stopped short of holding the live tarantula. *shivers*



bracing ourselves.  competition season is here!!  leaving at the crack of... too early.  see the excitement on my face?  walking between prepping for the next performance {the dressing room is like an episode of dance moms. #helpme} and watching them.  all day.  thank heaven for a supportive hubby and cheerleader sister to help soothe the day.

we're only allowed pix backstage... not on.  so these are, of course, bought.  this is gracie's passion.  can you tell?  it's why we do what we do.



 
confession: albeit crazy, i succumbed to putting false eyelashes on my 10 yo.
tip:  they really do last longer than simple mascara.  her eyelashes looked stage-ready from sun up till sun down!
less makeup to apply.  it's a win-win. besides, they were embellished with bling.  it was love at first sight.

what indulgence have you succumbed to... only to find that it was the best thing since sliced bread?  really.  it would make me feel better. ;) 

a {yearly} texas rite of passage

Well, minus the boots.



This is not our first rodeo.  *giggle*  I love that expression.

No, truthfully, we've walked this park before.  It's a month long rodeo, filled with all kinds of money suckers games, rides, critters on a stick, pony rides, cotton candy... You name it, this rodeo probably has it.



We even saw camel rides.  Camels.  At a rodeo?  At least we expected the ol' longhorn, the easter bunny, pigs, and the guy with the droopy neck.  Mine will be headed in that direction, without intervention.  Poor guy.  I feel ya.

Hubs and I wanted to head to the beach this last day of winter, but alas, we felt compelled to use the coupon package we'd bought a month prior.  We'd already missed all of the great concerts that came through, so what was the point, right?  ;)



The girls survived the ol' barrel races,  and standing in line.  As did I.

Confession:  {Many} mini-skirts, sporting young, tanned legs... don't bid well for the self-esteem of this nearly 40 year old.  Let them wear their skirts while they may, I suppose.  Before long, they will be sporting stretch marks, cellulite, and sore feet.  Comfort will outweigh fashion.  I should know.  I tried walking the rodeo marathon in my cute boots one year.  Ouch.  *sigh*  Just wait... they'll see.  'Mom' will, one day, be the first thing they think of when someone asks their name, too.  ha.



No trip to the rodeo is complete, it seems, without a round on the Ferris wheel.  This year, we found two.



Isn't this the cutest lil' kangaroo?  So sweet, being held like a baby by its handler.  And that's a real porcupine.  If he hadn't raised his head in slow motion, and laid it back down, I would have thought it fake.  He was real.  Maybe on tranquilizers?  Are they supposed to be that tame around people?



Mom is always the volunteer where heights are concerned.  Hubs is happy to wait below.



Hubs and I were so ready to go.  Too many people.

But not without exploring the butterflies on our way out.  If you placed your finger in front of them, gently, they would crawl onto your finger.  I enjoyed this first lil' guy.  Poor thing showed signs of wear and tear from being mishandled.  This second guy landed on my leg and gave me quite a jolt.  He was intimidating to look at, and I couldn't bear to let him crawl on my fingers.  Eeek!  I tried shaking my leg, but this apparently wasn't his first rodeo either. ha!

Hubs to the rescue.  He also held Gracie, who really wanted nothing to do with the little guys.  Especially after one landed on her back.  Nator followed me, exploring.  Too fun.

To put it in Gracie's words, while watching Disney's Ocean this past week,

"God, you have a lot of imagination."

For the girls, the tram is almost always as exciting as the rodeo itself.
Too funny.

Maybe next year, we'll just ride the tram back and forth a few times, in our boots...
and call it a day.  ha.

Do you feel the need to say "y'all" a few times after reading a Texas post?  ;)

a day in the life

One thing that I love about my life is that each day is like a box of chocolates.  You just never know what you're gonna get.  I prefer the good chocolate days.  Just wanted to put that out there.

One day, you can find us window shopping at Target.  Dreaming of things we'd like to buy, instead of the things we actually need to buy.

One day, you will find us on a long voyage at the Space Center.

Painting canvas.




{you can find that tutorial here}

Or maybe you'll find me changing the litter box... or catching a mouse.

No pictures, please.

It's never a dull moment around here.

Today, I'm choosing to see the blessing in my day.  It started rough, taking hubs to the airport, and returning home before the sun ever made an appearance.  Goodbyes are hard.  And sometimes a tear or two are shed.

Thankfully, he made it there safely, and we had a chance to catch up on rest when we returned home. ;) 

And thankfully, the mice know better than to come indoors.  {If not, I can introduce you to Bella and Jasmine.  They would be more than eager to meet your acquaintance.}

Our goal was to create a video vlog {of sorts} of our week, but we just edited our car ride today.   Now that I think of it, it's really not all that exciting.  Don't feel obligated to click.  Really.



I sound tired.  I am.  And this is not the most flattering angle.  Really.  But I'm too tired to care. 

*yawn*

Oh... and some have asked about my decision to eat meat again after a year of going vegetarian. {if salmon doesn't count. ha!}  Have you ever seen Food Inc??  It was one of the many reasons I chose to go vegetarian to begin with... as well as a lot of other health research. 

But here lately, I've been reading a lot of Mercola's articles that argue that a complete vegetarian lifestyle is not best for everyone.  So... I figure if I add some meat occasionally {preferable organic... they have to treat the animals better, right?}, I'll be covering all my bases.

Have you ever gone vegetarian?  Have you ever gotten a ticket in a school zone?  Has a police officer ever spoken to you from his car on his megaphone thingy?  Do you bring your dog everywhere too? Does your dog have anxiety issues when left at home alone, like mine?  Do you have movie nights with friends or family when one of your peeps are out of town? 

The girls and I do...  I'm being summoned now.

*yawn*

Do you always politely cover your mouth when you yawn?  Are you yawning now, due to all of my *yawning*?

How come we can't ever be satisfied with tranquility?

Politics aside, I have to admit that I'm going to miss Sarah Palin's Alaska.  Maybe it's because I'm ready to go to Alaska?  You know... like this year.  *sigh*  And you have to admit, even if you may not have admitted to watching her show, the episode with Kate plus 8 was quite entertaining.  City met country.  Hi.lar.i.ous.

{excuse me while i take a moment to laugh about that episode one more time}

Okay, I'm composed.

I think.

Things have been busy around here.  I thought I'd pause {and let my feet recover} to catch you up.  Because I know you've all been chomping at the bits to know every detail of our lives.  If so, I feel sorry for you.  ;)

*After a year of eating vegetarian, I'm trying to eat meat again.  It's harder than I thought it would be.  The only meat I've 'liked' so far has been the turkey bacon hubs bought from Whole Foods.  Organic AND without nitrates!  Yay.  I know.  I'm a food nerd, but I'm okay with that label.  Sorry turkey.  No, I'm not calling you a turkey.  You know what I mean.  Next.

*Hubs and I built a headboard for our room.  It's so pretty.  I love it!  We bought 3 half doors from Habitat for Humanity.

Then bought the remaining pieces at Lowe's.   A lil' Spackle, sanding, 2 coats of primer, and 2 coats of paint later.... Wallah!  Can't wait to {rent a crane!} haul it upstairs!  Yay!  I may get a master bedroom makeover yet.  Next... painting the dressers.  I'm still hopeful hubs may -one day- let me have a chandelier in the bedroom.  They just make a room... yes?

*I've been cleaning things out and reorganizing.  Finding a dead mouse in one's garage will do that to a person... unless you're a 'real' hoarder.  Just sayin'.  Having a 50 lb. dog dart in the garage first, upon every visit, will make one feel a little more secure, too.  I can tell she senses something there.  *shivers!!*  At least she keeps something in hiding, which is one of the many reasons we spoil her with car rides to Starbucks.  She loves her some 'puppy foam'.  Doggie milk mouth is the cutest thing ever. 

*We've attended 2 science classes.  They involved discussions on mitosis, using microscopes, and what causes objects to float or sink.  The picture above,  bottom to top:  karo syrup, salt water {turned red}, water, oil, alcohol.  Interesting, yes?  #imanerd

Warning:  Proud Mama moment... I was so proud of Nator when the teacher asked, "What is in the nucleus of the cell?" She was the first to raise her hand, and answered correctly.  {insert big homeschoolin' mama sweatin' sigh}

We've resumed school at home, too.  So far, we've done math.  I'm an overachiever, I know.  After a long break, one must pace themselves, right?  ;)

*Now that hubs and I have new phones, the girls are enjoying our 'old' ones as iPhone touches.   That pirate is clearly impressed with of all this new technology.

*Lil' Gracie's feet have been hurting a lot lately, and her 'fashion' shoes just aren't cuttin' it.  So, off to Academy we went to buy shoes like mom when hers showed the same symptoms in December.  You can't go wrong with a great pair of Asics Gel tennis shoes.   Would love to do a review for them.  {can you hear me, mr. asics?  hint-hint!}

Piano is in full swing, along with dance.  Gracie has resorted to wearing her slippers to class.  It works for me.  Oh... and Gracie chose this picture edit.  Just thought I'd put that out there.  It's very... Gracie.  ;)

I'm also working on another blog.  Or maybe just the idea of one, one day?  At any rate, at this pace, I should have it completed by the time the girls graduate... college.  #menospeakyhtml  #frustrating

Tranquility.  I may have to give that a try one day. 

HAHAHAHA!!

Just thinking of the Palin/Gosslein episode again.  :D

Did you see it? 

Suburbia Met Country

After a day of visiting the beach and Galveston's Seawolf Park last weekend, it was time to pick up our furry family member from the sitter's house. 

Not the horse.  The dog.  Gracie wants a horse. 

One cat and one dog prove to be my limit.

Amen.

Although, I could be {and have been} a sucker for an abandoned animal in need of a good home.  This horse would not be one of our animal rescue stories.  'Vegas' is well taken care of by his owner, our dog sitter.

But Gracie was allowed to feed Vegas treats;  Nator opted out.  I can't say that I blame her.  Large animals {and some small} intimidate me.

He's a beauty.

You couldn't wipe the grin off of Gracie's face.  Unfortunately, he has never been ridden... and I wasn't about to volunteer Gracie to be his first.

The girls fed the egg laying chickens... and held the {soon to be} 'meat' chicks.

Nator held the black one.  She convinced herself that people certainly wouldn't eat the black one.

Right, Mom?  Ummm... Maybe not, Nator.

It helps us sleep at night.

They're cute, yes?   I was tempted to try the farm life.

For a moment.

When handing this chick back, it may or may not have fallen.  If this happened, the bird was indeed okay and happy to rejoin its siblings under the warmer.

Did you know that there really are green eggs?  {of course, you did}  And that truly fresh eggs have thicker whites compared to the runny store bought eggs?  And that store bought eggs are at least 30 days old?  And the white eggs come from younger chicks?  And although you will be reassured that hens really don't mind, they won't seem pleased to have their eggs taken?  And that p*op will cause you to rethink any temptation to adopt the farm life?  And storing eggs, narrow end down, will help them stay fresh longer?  Whew.

Interesting, yes?

Do you... or have you ever been tempted to adopt {even a small part of} the animal farm life?

Crazy, I know.

God's Little Princess

"I'm a Princess"

Those are shirts I never bought for my girls when they were really little. I always associated those words with someone who thought of themselves greater than others. I didn't want to raise a 'snob in training' if you know what I mean?? That was, until I read "Gigi, God's little Princess" to my girls. I was convicted.

We ARE Princess'... God's little Princess'.

Bring on the Princess T-shirts, tiaras, tutus and all!

We recently took the girls to their 3rd Disney on Ice show. What was different this time? My girls didn't wear their princess costumes. Partly because we wanted the destination to be a surprise. However, if I thought they would have (and still fit them), I would have put them in full costume (complete with makeup) as we have done in times past.

*Deep Sigh*

My girls are growing up, but they will always be a princess.

God's... mine and their Daddy's.

Some pix during Intermission.

Gracie, look at the camera...

Reverse Psychology.... ok, don't look at the camera.

Now she won't stop looking at the camera.

Wow. Does this face scare you as much as it did me?!! Is there not an 'extra tiny' size option for pictures like this? I sometimes play this expression up for the sake of the camera, but at some point I remember feeling like this on the inside.

The row in front of us kept getting up and down and up and down and up and... well, you get the picture. I wanted to put the adults in time-out... especially for buying everything that walked by only to be followed by questions from our girls as to why they can't have it all.

*insert momentary lapse of sanity and h-mama whine*

In the row behind me, the little girl kept kicking my chair during the first half of the show. I am not normally a claustrophobic person, but I don't do well navigating through big crowds of people. H-Mama needs her personal space or does she just have pms?! ;)

Once she starts, she just can't stop hamming it up. I love that lil' girl!

Was this Daddy's momentary lapse of sanity?

Nah... just hamming it up too.

My sweethearts.

The girls said that this was the "best surprise ever".

They say that for just about any surprise. I love that about them.

All in all, we really had a great time and left with sanity in tow... or at least most of it.