Shhh.... Ahhh Listen, it's quiet.

It is naptime right now, or quiet time for my older one. One of my (and I am sure many mamas and daddys out there too) favorite times of the day. There are times I just completely crash at naptime with them. Then there are times I have so much to get done I hope they stay asleep a little longer. I just love sitting in the quiet. Some nights I stay up WAY too late because I am just enjoying the stillness of the house.

On my to do list today for naptime:
~ Laundry, don't we all love the never ending cycle?!
~ Figure out dinner plans so I am not running around like a chicken with my head cut off while the natives are getting restless. It isn't pretty.
~ Pick up the living room. Why does it always seem to be a mess? Is your house that way? My kids come through and leave things around as if they don't really notice that it is a war zone and boobie traps are lurking around every corner just waiting for an unsuspecting victim.
~ Cycle through the newspaper and school papers, so that those too don't try to take over the world. We could save so many trees if schools sent home less paper work.
~ Research replacement toys for the ones the dog has chewed up. :o(

Not a long list, but nonetheless a busy naptime for mama. Happy Saturday all! We have actually enjoyed just playing in the backyard today, and now the chaos begins. We will get up tomorrow and do it all over again.

A Cloudy Day...

Today it is cloudy outside. Now I am a California girl, not quite the Katy Perry type of “California Gurl.” But I do enjoy my dose of sunshine. This weather makes me feel that the inevitable is happening. The changing of the seasons. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the holidays. I love decorating for Halloween and staying inside while it is pouring down rain outside and baking banana bread, and then moving onto Thanksgiving (the holiday that most stores skip right over) and Christmas. It really is a magical time of year. When I was little, my mom (and my mom#2, or step-mom at their house) would decorate the entire house for whatever holiday was coming up. It didn’t matter if it was Valentine’s day, or Halloween, the decorations would come out. The house would be filled with them! Tastefully of course, not gaudy like the sweater your Aunt Suzie knitted you and expects to see every holiday season. I have come to realize that this is what made the traditions come to life for us as kids. The little things. My mom is not a baker, but give her a basket or present to put together and it will look like a million bucks. (Look out Donald Trump.) A lot about life is about traditions… We pass them along and make new ones along the way. So I am going to share Fall traditions from my childhood and one I am starting with my kiddos. When I was a kid we always got up really early one weekend morning and went to the pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay to pick out our pumpkins. We saw the same Dracula year after year, and every year he still scared me. We would then find a fun-off-the-beaten-path-kinda place for breakfast. My dad would always take us to the Harvest Festival at our school. We would be all dressed up in our costumes, so excited to show them off. With my girls we have started going up to Apple Hill with my in-laws and getting apples to make apple sauce. Every year I break out my trusty food mill and strain the already pulverized apple pulp. The special moments in life are often shared in the quiet, or not so quiet of your own home. Feel free to post some of your own. It is fun to see what other people do and sometimes use it yourself. But imitation is the best form of flattery, right?

A New Chapter in Blogging...

I have decided to turn over a new leaf so to say and take it up a notch. Trying something new often scares us, like that man in the strange costume on Halloween. But you just have to take that leap sometimes, so here goes... I will attempt to share life's journey with you. Like a roller coaster of ups and downs, good days bad days, great dinners and nights you have to call for pizza because it's just that bad! So, I hope you sit back and enjoy the show! "Hang onto your hats and glasses cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!"