Favorite Things 1/13

I saw These Boots & it was love at first sight.  I've never believed in love at first sight.  I was a big, fat pessimist on that one. But rest assured I am now a believer.  I am ridiculously obsessed with them.  I tried to walk away, but thank goodness Glenn was there to do what he does best..... talk some sense into me.  I am on a quest to wear them every day until summer.  Even then I am not sure I'll be able to wrench them off my feet.

This little froth machine is also a new find.  In case you didn't know I love hot chocolate.  Drink it every day, sometimes twice a day and have passed along the delightful habit to my kids.  We have right now I think 5 different brands of  hot chocolate in our cupboard, we're all very particular on what we like :)

Sometimes I mix it up and have Pero instead.  I don't drink coffee for religious and health reasons but I love everything about the ritual.  The fancy mugs, the flavorings, the warmth it provides and especially the steamed and frothed milk.  I've seen a few different models and even owned a few.  This one on sale at Costco though I couldn't pass up.  It steams and froths perfectly. 

You wouldn't know it from my love for expensive boots and my insistance that a frothing machine is a necessity, but most of the time I am downright practical, sometimes too much so.  Take for instance the half bath downstairs.  For years it had a plain, boring, cheap, brown rug. Over time it got completely worn out.

One day I had an epiphany that I should just go ahead and buy a new rug (duh!).  I knew this time around I wanted something colorful and when I saw this blue flower shaped one at Marshalls I was thrilled.  I am by no means a decorator, I never even sample paint colors on the wall.  I am very much a go with my gut person and I never try and make things match or go with a theme, I just like what I like. And I like this rug a lot!

What a surprise, another Costco find.  I picked these up thinking they would be mostly chocolate with  some nuts, but it's mostly nuts covered in creamy delicious milk chocolate.  Exactly what I was hoping for as it seems healthier that way :)  One or two of these is the perfect way to end lunch.

I wasn't a fan at all of the Kirkland brand boxed chocolate set, but every other chocolate confection from their salted macadamia caramel clusters, to their dark chocolate cherry clusters are fantastic.  I bought 2 more bags of these cashew clusters for my freezer.  Just in case.

 A few weeks ago Glenn & I played a version of the Newlywed game with friends.  One of the questions was "What is one thing your wife has too many of?"  Glenn answered 'nothing' because I don't keep "stuff" (we got it right), knick knacks are not for me.  But I forgot about one thing my husband isn't aware of because he never opens the lower kitchen cabinets.  My stash of hand towels.

I love hand towels.  Upon entering a thrift store I head straight to the back to the linen section.  The older the better.  But sometimes, like these, I buy new.  The 2 white ones are from Marshall's.  I had a gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket and why would I buy something as silly as clothes when I could buy hand towels.  The other 2 are from Sur La Table, they were on clearance.  If charming, unique linens were the only gift I got for the rest of my life I would be happy. 

I really would.

Raise the Roof

Emry wrapped up our local Community Theater's production of 'Fiddler on the Roof' this past weekend.  They've all been working so hard since September so it was great to see the whole thing come together and see the kids having so much fun in the process.

I would totally have pegged Emry for a total sports nut.  She's strong and fast, daring and unafraid, and just like her dad excels at every sport she tries. Although she's tried many sports and is very active biking and surfing and just being a kid, where she wants to devote her time is to the theater.  At least right now at this time of her life, who knows what the future holds.

Clockwise from top Left - goofing around with cast mates backstage, Emry in costume with her "wife",  in some of her costume doing homework during rehearsals, letting her braids out for the after show bows

I have so much fun watching her enjoy this whole process so thoroughly.  It's so great when your kids find something they just love.  Even though it was bumpy at the beginning with Emry not getting the part she wanted, and then getting cast as a man, and to top it all off  had just 1line!  It stung for sure.  I saw the tears and they were real.  But she shaped up right away and was just so glad to be a part of the whole thing.

I love all these theater kids.  They are so funny and go around singing and dancing and being silly.  They support each other and push themselves to go outside their comfort zone, to ad-lib, work together, play to the audience, and not take themselves too seriously.

                                           Lila, Ethan & I getting snacks during intermission

Emry now has a 2 week break and then starts production on "The Little Mermaid".  Here's hoping she gets to be more than just some seaweed.

This is 40

Since Glenn's birthday is December 26th it's usually a small celebration.  Maybe a cake, maybe just some leftover fudge.  Maybe some presents, maybe just a Christmas gift that also qualifies as a birthday gift.

Glenn loves a good party and couldn't let his 40th birthday pass in the usual style, so we got some of our best friends to meet us in VegasBaby.  Otherwise known as Las Vegas.

The friends would be the Nelson's & the Wikstoms.  I have known Marisa since I was 12!  Put Sean Nelson, Troy Wikstom & Glenn Wallwork in a room together and you laugh until you die.  Seriously, I am writing this post from my grave.

 If you can get past all the smoke, half naked girls, glitter and excess, Vegas is awesome.  We ate, we played, we saw La Reve (spectacular, amazing, a feast for the eyes) we walked, we laughed, we shopped, we gambled just a bit and we danced. 

Upon entering Ceaser's to go to Pure Nightclub a guy handed us free tickets.  Ummmm, yes, my most favorite word in the English language is 'free', so I grabbed the tickets and ran.  There's someone on every corner handing out some sort of tickets or other so I thought there'd be a million people there getting in free.

How surprised were we when upon showing our super duper free tickets we were ushered past a long line and straight into the club.  Can you say ballers?  Yeah, we felt pretty cool.  And just for the record I danced my butt off and was clothed from head to toe.  Girls who go to Vegas, you do not need to be almost naked to have fun at the clubs.  I wanted to have a talk with so many girls that night about self-worth, but I had a feeling it wasn't the place.

My version of gambling is getting my free $20 gambling voucher, using it until I've won $22.25 (to be exact), and cashing out.  I would never gamble my own money, makes me way too nervous.  Plus since I don't work and have no money it's just a respectful gesture to my sugardaddy Glenn.

We ate.  And ate.  And ate.  There's just no getting around it in Vegas. So much good food and so little time.  And those buffets.  Those things are the worst.  I say I am not going to overdo it but.......... who am I kidding?   Sean was the smart one, starting with dessert so he wasn't too full later.

Glenn & his BFF -  Glenn & I - Glenn & Troy - Marisa & I

So much fun with these guys, but it's nice to be back to reality where I drink from the tap instead of paying 10 bucks for some sparkling water thinking it's a good deal.

Thanks for all the laughs and good times.  And Happy Birthday GlennBaby.

Trouble

 

 Our family has spent the past two Saturdays at Petco getting Brutus up to date on his shots and licensing him.  Why now?  Oh, because Animal Control paid us a little visit a few weeks ago.  Apparently one of our awesome neighbors has a problem with the rare occasion Brutus gets out of the house and roams the neighborhood.  

It never even occurred to me to license him until I was forced to.  Just another way for the government to take my money I guess.  He weighs less than 10 pounds, don't I get a discount?

I am still trying to figure out why anyone would be afraid of a chiahuahua?  Brutus may have barked at the Grandma of the house a time erm, or two, but I am letting the world know now that all you have to do to a barking chiahuahua is take a half a step towards them and they will run so fast in the opposite direction you'll wonder if they were ever there.

Next up is securing the fence in the back and getting Brutus neutered.   Again, hoping for a discount.

 

Just Us

Christmas 2012    (Clockwise from back left) - Glenn, Al Zamora, Mom, Dad, Jeannette Mitchell Roberts, Marie Mitchell Wallwork, Margo Mitchell Zamora        

I have nothing and everything to say.  There's a whole lot going on in my head right now.  Good things, frustrating things, things I just need to work the heck out.  I'll get there, just have to decipher it all before I can put coherent thoughts together.  So for now I'll just post all these crazy photos that don't belong anywhere except in a post about nothing.

I am thinking Ethan took this at Walmart.  In the 'Intimates' section. Nice.  Not sure what Lila is doing, saying or yelling.

 Two weeks ago the kids and I awoke before the sun to take my dad to a Dr. appointment.  After dropping him off we hit up a very ghetto 7-11 for some breakfast.  (from left)  Yogurt and granola brought from home in a recycled yogurt island cup for me.  Cup o' Noodles for Emry.  Hot chocolate for Lila.  Naked juice for Emry and Lemonade and the cough drops for Ethan. 

Emry has never been one for eating a typical breakfast.  She'll eat pasta, avocado, or a tuna sandwich.  She's rad. 

We had many hours to kill during my dad's Dr. appt.  so we spent a few hours at the Fontana Chuck E Cheez.

 One of the (many) pics that didn't make the cut for our Christmas card.  

Shopping at the mall.  Ethan doesn't like shopping, and why yes that it his Halloween costume which is part of his regular outfit rotation now.

 This was taken after Ethan wanted to take a picture of us in a photo booth.  I said "What?!?!"  Why spend $3.50 on photos when I can take them with my sweet iphone for free.  Well besides whatever monthly fee Glenn pays.  So no, I guess not at all free.

Picnic at the park.  They're playing hot potato with a ball that shocks you.  Fun.  Notice there are no adults in this picture.

 I took the kids to Yogurt Island only to realize it was.........."FREE"!!!  We hadn't been in weeks and I swear it was just karma for being a devoted yogurt island lover that we happen to go in the 4 hour block where in celebration of their 5 year anniversary the yogurt was on the house.  Sweet!!!!!!    Mine is clearly the one on the bottom.

Ethan Glenn, Glenn, & Lila Glenn.  It's just fun saying Glenn so many times :)

They are reading up on the addition to our family,  Elf on the Shelf.  We have a million gazillion books in the house but I swear if one kid is reading a book the other two always want to read it too.  It's annoying and endearing at the same time.

Awwwwwww, I am such a proud momma.  Not proud enough to be at the actual award ceremony (forgot) but proud enough to break out the iphone camera when I worked in his classroom later on that day.

Emry doing a science experiment from a kit she got for her birthday.  The other day Ethan got a nosebleed and Emry started talking about red blood cells & coagulation and I kind of zoned out at all the big words she was using.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if Emry grows up and cures cancer.

Lila and her Grandma Wallwork.  We've finally finished off the last of the 300 pounds of oranges we brought home from Fresno.  I actually had to BUY oranges at Costco the other day.  How annoying.

I texted this pic to my best friend Shauna to say "hey look I am wearing the dress you got me for my birthday years ago, thanks, I still love it".  She finally got the pic a week later.  We're like dumb & dumber when it comes to our cell phones.  Once I finally figured out her correct cell phone # we actually managed to have a nice text conversation.  I am sure we'll do it again in another couple of months.  Love you Shauna.

Worth the Work

Good grades are important to me, more the effort it takes to actually get the grades whether good or average is what I am proud of, & what I'd like to reward.  But then I have this conflict in my head that I am taking away my child's inherent ability to be proud on their own terms instead of mine. 

Therefore I am not a parent who gives money or rewards based on grades.  I think that can definitely work for some kids, but I don't feel right about doing it myself.  I want my kids to feel that they are making us proud and meeting our expectations, but at a base level I want them to take complete ownership of their grades and strive to do better to create a better future for themselves and society.  I want them to experience the joy that comes with a job well done, with Glenn & I out of the equation.

That said last night getting Drumsticks (the ice cream, not the chicken) at Walmart, Emry picked up a pack of gum and said it was her favorite flavor and so hard to find and could she pay me back at home.  I said sure and then a minute later picked up a second pack, a little 'good job on your grades' I would surprise her with at home.  Then a second later inspiration overrode the cheapskate in me and I grabbed another pack. 

So there you have it.  In the Wallwork home straight A's gets you 3 packs of gum. 

And if you think that's no big deal you seriously underestimate Emry's love for gum.

17 days

My kids have had the last 17 days off from school.  17!!!!!!!  You'd think we'd fit in a whole bunch of fun, exciting activities.  The reality is we just enjoyed doing a whole bunch of nothing.

We slept in - every morning.  We stayed up late - every night.  We ate breakfast while reading Garfield books.  We hurried and got chores out of the way so we could all snuggle under the blankets and watch a few episodes of "Little House on the Prairie".  We played Uno Attack and had to assure Ethan every time that we weren't cheating.

We went on bike rides to the park where we played in the sand for hours and I was reminded of all the years spent at the park when they were little.  We went through a Costco size tin of Starbucks Hot Chocolate.  We read all 400 pages of 'Life of Pi' and cried.  We went thrifting and got Lila a quilt for her bed (above).  (I wish the person who made this quilt would read this and know how ecstatic I was in finding this for $5, that I love it, appreciate it, and will take good care of it)

We went to Chuck E Cheez where I spent 20 bucks on tokens and zero on food.  We went and saw 'Life of Pi' at the movies where I cried again.  I heard my daughter tell a friend the book was better and that made me cry yet again that she appreciated all the pages upon pages of detail in the book.  We went swimming thanks to a year round heated community pool. I taught Emry the basics of soup-making.

We spent time together and today they are back at school.

It's not as fun as when they're here.

DreamWeaver

"And Mom & Dad can hardly wait for school to start again................."  I do not agree with that line in the song, I LOVE having the kids home.  They clean bathrooms and vacuum, we play Battleship and Uno, eat lazy pancake breakfasts while watching Little House on the Prairie (Season 4) and go through insane amounts of Hot Chocolate.

There has been so much Christmas fun but I am going to dedicate this post to what Santa brought.  As much as we are to focus on our Savior & His selfless sacrifice, there's of course still room to indulge in SANTA!!!

Ethan's main gifts were a light up skateboard and a razor scooter (found at a garage sale for $5, thank goodness it was blue).  He also got a soccer ball, a few Garfield and Calvin & Hobbs books (used bookstore) , candy and 2 Lego boards (not used, what gives Lego?  I love you but I can barely afford you!)

 Emry got a crazy contraption called a Go-Pro.  It's a sports camera that you can mount on a surfboard, skateboard and goes underwater.  Emry was hoping against hope this would be hers on Christmas day.

 That was her only Santa gift as it was a big one, although she did get candy and some books in her stocking.  My parents also gave her a (hand me down) Kindle.  She was shocked to say the least.....

And now we're at Lila.  Lila had the best gifts in the world.  I LOVE her gifts.  Lila's gifts were a labor of love.  I planned it all, and then made Glenn and my mom do all the hard work of course.

Glenn is an excellent carpenter and can pretty much make anything I think up or show him in a picture.  After he made the bed I took it to my mom's house and a day later we had this.

My mom has a stash of material in her garage so luckily I was able to pull all the material from there.  I also got an adorable armoire from Target for all of Caroline's clothes.  I also found a styling chair half off at a thrift store so put it all together and Lila's Christmas was just as sweet as can be.

Glenn & I didn't give each other gifts as he just got a truck and recently bought me a stairmaster and a fridge for our garage. But really, seeing the kids light up Christmas morning is the best fun of all.