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Roam if You Want to, Roam Around the World

We really love to travel. I love all types of vacations … the ones where you sit around and just relax and the action-packed ones where there’s tons of things to see and do and taste.

But that was before we had kids. Honestly, it’s a pain in the butt nowadays. Not that I don’t enjoy vacations, it’s just the getting ready and getting there. Even when I try my hardest, there’s still a ton of stuff to lug around. Car trips are marginally better stuff wise, since I don’t have to transfer it 3 or 4 times, but that’s probably trumped by the travel itself. Little kids + long hours in the car = whine.

Still, we travel quite a lot. Two or three larger (usually plane) trips a year and then plenty of little forays near home. This year we went to Nashville in April and we are going to California in September. We’ve been to Vail to ski and sun a few times as well. And there will be more of that. Travel is one of the reasons I work. It’s super important to us to be able to travel as a family for many many reasons.

But for now, we will probably stay mostly stateside. But in the distantish future, we want to take the kids abroad and let them see the world. Some places/things we want to see: Continue reading “Roam if You Want to, Roam Around the World”

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Summer Lovin' Links

• a PBJ ice cream cone – genius!
• amazing, original baby photography: Mila's Dreams
• great article on praising your kids properly
• cheap ways to deck the walls
• cool hinge tape
• you ain't seen helmets like these before!
• cool splashy summer fun: DIY trike/bike wash
• awesome magnetic animal photo holders for you to make
• LOL! poor comic sans!
• great baby stuff on Etsy
• eat what the boob tube shills at your own peril!
• a fan will keep the mosquitoes away
• gui app inventor for Android (I seriously did a nerdy little jig when I saw this)
• art projects for campouts
• charming petite francais b'day party
• cool merry-go-round for your kids' books
• tattoo your child for safety … incidentally, I just saw cool bracelets made with alphabet beads to have mom's phone number in them
• spend a summer afternoon making some mud people
• incredible hand-painted tiffins
• Woot sticks it to the AP … way to go
• great photos with a point-and-shoot
• other uses for your dishwasher
• fab Dr. Seuss b'day party

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Ben at 15 Months

Little MAN turned another month old on Saturday. It is impossible to relate to you how amazing he is. We are so enjoying having this little guy as part of our family. He’s so wonderfully different from Tabby both in his personality and his developmental progression.

We sometimes call his sister “Timid Tabby” but to be fair, maybe we should call him “Brash Ben.” We walk near a river and he is completely fascinated and practically ready to dive in. At the water fountains and spray grounds (I don’t dare take him to the pool on my own), he runs through the water with abandon and glee. He climbs anywhere and everywhere and is terribly pleased with himself to summit any object. He knows good and well how to back down stairs but whines until someone will take his hand and he can walk down. He will practice any small elevation transition repeatedly until he can do up and down all on his own, no crawling. He has had quite a few injuries from his escapades, including most recently (this weekend) a bloody lip, nose and tooth all from one fall. Continue reading “Ben at 15 Months”

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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

from: Everyday Food

Ingredients
4 Bell Peppers
1 T Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1 cut coarsely grated Provolone

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 with rack in upper third. Slice a very thin layer from the base of the peppers so it sits upright. Slice off tops just below stem and remove the ribs and seeds. Discard stems, chop tops and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic coriander, chopped pepper tops and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4-5 min.

Add quinoa and cook until fragrant, 1 min. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11-13 min. Remove from heat and stir in parsley walnuts, and 3/4 cup of provolone. Season with salt and pepper

Dividing evenly, stuff peppers with quinoa mixture; place in 2 qt baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until peppers are tender, about 1 hour.

Uncover and top with remaining 1/4 cup of provolone and bake until cheese melts 10-15 min more.

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A Weekend Conversation

It was a nice, typical, busy weekend. Did more shopping than I like, including a $200+ trip to Costco. I have decided we're not going back 'til September.

After we went to the gym on Sunday (sans kids, they were at my mom's), we went to Jamba Juice over by her house before picking them up. As we were leaving, Matt had to tell me the big news.

Matt: Denver's getting a Blueberry.
Me: A what?
Matt: The ice cream place.
Me: I think you mean Pinkberry.
Matt: No I'm pretty sure it's Blueberry.
Me: No, I really think you mean Pinkberry. They serve frozen yogurt – they're kind of a big deal, at least to some people.
Matt: Oh. Maybe so … They have them in California.
Me: Yep, that's the one.
– a minute or so elapses-
Matt: Oh Blueberry. They're the British Clothing company, right?
Me: No, that's Burberry. Plaids galore.
Matt: Oh.
Me: I'm so blogging this.

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What’s Up?

I both love and hate vacation. Wait, scratch that. I love vacation while I’m on it and kind of hate it when I get back. There’s just so much to be done. We have to catch up. We have to get back in our routine. We have to do the dreaded LAUNDRY. It just takes a while and I don’t feel in control and I hate that.

So now we are scrambling to find normal again. Last night I came home and had a nap. Tabby came up and snuggled me and watched Mulan on the TV in my room. We had popcorn for dinner. We went for a walk as a family. I stayed up too late catching up on email and that sort of thing.

I have not had a real run in over a week which is killing me. We went out a couple times in Vail, but Matt and I were both suffering from GI issues and runners will tell you that the two really do not mix. We had fun, burnt calories, etc. but we did not run hard. Tonight is the night. I’ve got two back eps of both Make it or Break it and Jillian and they are my reward for getting my butt back on the treadmill. The Disneyland Half is in like 5 or 6 weeks and I’ve got to get my butt moving (more).

Now that I’ve moaned and whined, I need to suck it up and get back in the groove. I’ll start by making sure I actually cook dinner tonight. Taco salads. Yum.

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Summer in the Mountains


Sorry for my absence. We had a crazy crazy busy week last week and then immediately left for the mountains. I especially love Vail in the summer – it is so nice to get away from the heat and manic pace of the city (and our regularly scheduled life). We always have a lot of nothing planned, though of course with little kids running around, things are busy enough. We had my parents, sister and our friend Holly and her boys with us.

The big hit of the weekend, given the HOT HOT HOT temps, was the children’s fountain, where the kids went crazy running around in the spray. Ben even got in on the action and enjoyed himself hugely. We had to go twice to get our fix. We also got to ride to the top of the mountain in the gondola, mercifully free thanks to our ski passes, where we had dinner and checked out the beautiful views. We went for a couple of runs. We walked around town … to the playgrounds, to the gardens, to pet dogs. We did a bit of shopping. We made good food. We relaxed. We played games.

I always enjoy spending extra time with the kids. It is fun to get away from the typical routine of have-tos and just have fun – playing trucks with Ben, coloring with Tabby, hearing all they have to say. I’m already looking forward to our next holiday!