23 months

Porter and Liesl at the same age, 23 months.

Pony Trail

We met my sister and her kids at Griffith Park yesterday. The kids went on the train ride and on the pony trail. Porter rode the medium fast horse twice and the slow horse once.
Liesl kept on saying that she wanted to go on the "pona" but I tried four times to put her on and she did not want to. We went to this great playground at the park and let the kids play for a bit before we left. It was a fun trip and our way home today I drove by my Grandma's old house in Downey. My Grandpa and Grandma bought it new in 1950 for 18K and she sold it about 5 years ago before she moved to Utah. It is in an area where people are buying houses and tearing them down to build mic mansions. There are three on the street now and one is going up right next to her old house. It was nice to see that her old house had not changed and it brought back a lot of great memories.

Check out this funny blog Jason just told me about.

here we go

We are off to LA for a couple of days to visit my sister. I am not sure if we will come home tomorrow or Thursday. Porter was so excited to see his cousins he did not want to go to school today so I didn't make him. We are meeting at Griffith Park to ride the horses, train and play at the park. I just hope the traffic is not bad and we have an easy drive.

Party In My Tummy

Jason and the kids love Yo Gabba Gabba. I sing this little song to the kids when they eat and they think it is funny. I don't know if they are laughing at the song or my singing?

Bar

Today we took the kids on a bike ride around the neighborhood and Porter saw a car pulling out of a driveway. Porter asked me where the car was going and I said "I don't know, where do you think they are going" Porter turns around and said "bar, Pink Elephant" I laughed and asked him if he knew what the Pink Elephant was and he said it was the place where "Mommy and Daddy go when someone comes over to watch us" . I asked him if he knew what the Pink Elephant was and he said "no" and so I told him it was a restaurant and Jason said "a restaurant that sells what Natalie" and I said "drinks" I hope this all went over Porter but I know he knows a lot more than we think.
We went to Costco today and came home with this

milk

I was nursing Liesl this afternoon after she threw a huge fit because I had initially said no. How am I ever going to ween her? I said I would nurse until two because she in not vaccinated but I thought that we would be down to one session a day at this point. I have not been doing anything to try and ween her but I am going to start trying to cut it down to three times a day and see how it goes from there. I asked Jason to take a picture of me nursing today.
I made some vegan peach cobbler tonight using frozen peaches from my parent's tree. I just used a Betty Crocker recipe and veganized it.
My parent's came over after their steak dinner at Hungry Hunter for dessert and it was nice. Porter loved the attention because Liesl was sleeping he did not have to share them.
I also made some tapioca pudding with the tapioca pearls I bought from the co-op this month. I used coconut milk, rice milk and oat milk and it turned out really good.

vegan tacos

I made some yummy vegan tacos tonight with shredded tempeh and seasoning.

MNO

Mom's Night Out is about to begin and I can't wait!

gosh

This is the first time in a while that I seriously don't know what to write about. Oh wait I do have something going on right now and it is a little embarrassing. I am addicted to Meerkat Manor. We were almost late for circus class on Tuesday because I wanted to finish watching the show. The only sad thing about the show is that almost every episode someone dies. Liesl really likes to watch it but Porter is not that into it.
We walked up to the North Park Farmers Market today for the first time in months. There was not much produce but we did buy some raw cinnamon rolls that were amazing. I think I would like to try and make some raw treats but I don't even know if I can with just an old blender. I think I would need a food processor or a stronger blender.
We have no plans for the weekend and it is nice.

pajama party

I am not a huge fan of wearing pajamas or any type of lounge wear outside of the house. I own one pair of pajamas and two pairs of yoga pants and I almost never wear them outside the house. When I used to practice yoga and take classes I would wear them but that was it. So anyway tomorrow is wear you pajamas day at Porter's school and I am not thrilled. I know this might be weird but Porter is not sleeping in the pajamas he is going to wear to school. I thought about it but when Jason suggested it I went with it. Porter has some lounge pants that he wears to circus class so I think I am just going to put him in those and a shirt. Do other moms think this much about something that should be so simple? How hard it is to just let your child go to school in their pajamas? You would think I'd be happy to not have to deal with getting Porter dressed in the morning but no. I can't wait for the morning.

underwear

A few days ago Liesl found her panties and put them on her head. I thought it was funny so I took a picture.
Today when I was folding laundry Liesl spotted her panties picked them up and put them on her head and said "hat". Liesl then said "take a picture" and went to get Porter's camera. She wore the panties on her head for a while but it really bothered Porter and after a while she gave in to his repeated requests to remove them.


A shirt I made/altered for a friend of mine. I made one for myself a while ago and she liked it so I made one for her too.

MCA

Sunday I took Liesl to Brides by Demetrios where we met my sisters, Mom and nieces. We needed to have the girls measured and try on the flower girl dress. It was an interesting experience and made me even more happy with our decision to elope. The whole wedding industry is pretty crazy and it makes me sad that my sister and Mom are so wrapped up in it. My older sister called my younger sister a bridezilla and it pissed her off but it was funny. After that we met up with Jason, Porter, and our friends at the MCA downtown to check out the exhibits. It was fun but the exhibit Thom wanted to see was at the La Jolla museum so they went up there and we went home to nap. Today we went up to the MCA La Jolla and really had a great time. If you get a chance to go up there you should it was really amazing. We walked down to see the seals and to the tide pools after. Porter and Liesl wanted to take their shoes off but I did not have a towel or extra clothes so I said no. I feel bad about it so I am going to take them there later this week and let them walk around and explore. I can deal with the sandy and salt water mess if I am prepared but when I am not it is difficult for me to just let go. We went to Ranchos for an early dinner and the kids were really good. Liesl went pee in the potty at the restaurant so that was pretty cool. She is going to the bathroom a lot more and I know if I was on top of it I could have her potty trained. I need to wean her and get her out of diapers in the next 6 months, that is my goal anyway.
Liesl looks like such a big girl in this photo.
Porter will not smile for the camera anymore.
I tried to get a photo of the both of them but this is all I could get.

almost vegan

This week I made a meal plan and it was so great to have everything planed out and not have to think about what was for dinner.
Sunday started out with a Leek, Potato, and Bean Cassoulet that my friend vegan momma recommended. It was yummy and I will definitely make it again.


Next we had Minestrone Soup from the Nov. 2007 McDougall Newsletter. I really liked it but Jason and the kids did care for it.


Wednesday we had the Sloppy Lentil Joes also from the Nov. 2007 McDougall Newsletter. They were really tasty but again I was the only one who loved them. Jason was expecting more of a meet type filing and the lentils did not cut it for him. I think the kids would have liked it if they were hungry but by the time I served them they had filled up on fruit and muffins.


I made a veggie pot pie on Friday but it was the only meal I made that was not vegan. The crust had butter in it and I just used a can of cream of mushroom soup for the sauce. It is a favorite with Porter and Jason so I make it once a month at least. I am going to try and make it vegan next time though.


Tonight we had Potato Chowder from the December 2007 McDougall Newsletter. It was really good and the kids both liked it. the only thing I would change is I would add some carrots and kale to add a little chunk to it.

no kids

Just dropped the kids off at their Grammy and Papa's and we are off for a night without kids.

from the past

I like this photo from our Luna photo shoot in November 2006.

adventures in vegan baking

Today I made some Perfect Vegan Sugar Cookies for Valentine's Day. I used a banana for the egg and some rice milk for the tofu cream cheese. They turned out really good and tasted almost like the ones I used to make with butter and eggs. I ate four already and am slowly putting the 6 pounds back on that I lost last week being sick. Oh well the cookies tasted so good it was worth it. For the frosting I just mixed up some rice milk with powdered sugar and vanilla. I tried to color it with some red wine but that did not work out so well as you can see.
Two days ago I decided to make some of these chocolate chip cookies. The recipe was simple but I felt like something was missing. I tried to make them anyway and they were horrible, but I still ate 4 or 5 of them. I thought that if I kept on eating them they would magically start to taste better. The kids still ate a few of them and asked form more today. I took a photo of them right before I threw them in the trash.

Valentine

Today we went and bought some paper, glue, glitter, balls and photos to make Porter's Valentine's Day cards. Porter did not like that I cut the picture into a heart but he had fun decorating the cards. At first he was very careful with the placement but at the end we just put everything in a box and he just shook it around. It was fun and we probably have one more year of home made valentine's before he wants to buy some cut out Dora cards. I am off to The Pearl.

3

Porter just wrote the title of this blog. Three is the only number he asks to push and I keep on wondering if he will move on to 4 after his birthday. Porter stayed for lunch bunch today and he had a good time but I don't know if he is going to ask to do it again. The teacher said that he was sad when he found out that she would not be staying for lunch. The aide stayed for an hour and Porter cried again when she left so if we do it again I will pick him up at 1 instead of 1:45. This morning when I asked Porter what he would like for lunch and he said that he wanted whatever everyone else was having. Porter makes me smile.
Liesl was difficult today and she just wanted me to hold her. We were Porter free for almost 5 hours but I don't feel like we got much done. Liesl and Porter passed out in the car ride home from school and both slept for 2 hours. Porter skipped circus class for the third week in a row because he was sleeping and I could not wake him. I hate to waste the money but I will not make Porter do something he does not want to do. When I was 12 or 13 my sister and I did not want to go to swimming so my Mom did not take us. When my Dad got home he was furious and made my sister and I take $1 of our own money and put it in the toilet so he could flush it down. His point was that us skipping swimming was like flushing his money down the toilet. I just remember thinking that my dad just waisted more money and that it was a stupid thing to flush money down a toilet. My Dad still tells that story like it was this great lesson he taught us.

lunch bunch and tricky dick

At Porter's school they call the after care "Lunch Bunch". Porter has never stayed for it but about a month ago he started talking about it. Some of his friends stay for it and he would really like to stay too. Last Thursday he got his little backpack and and told me that he wanted me to put his lunch in it for "Lunch Bunch". I think I am going to let his stay for it tomorrow and I hope it goes well.
Porter is totally into cars and can spend hours playing with them, naming them and talking about them. Sunday we walked up to the farmer's market and then to Robucks for a smoothie. While we were waiting for the smoothies Porter asked Jason to name one of his cars and for some reason Jason called the car "Tricky Dick". When I asked Jason why he said that he said "it's a real name, that is what they used to call Nixon". Jason tried to change the name but Porter would not let him and he plays with Lightning Mc Queen and Tricky Dick all over the house.

a wedding

My little sister is getting married in June and I am not thrilled with who she is marrying. I can't say I like the guy or hate him he just is what he is but my sister really likes him and she is happy. We all get to choose who we marry and she has to live with him so if she is happy that is all that matters. I just have one huge problem with the guy and because of it I don't trust his judgement. When he was 20 his girlfriend was 14, she lived with him and his family and they dated for 4 or 5 years. I just think that it is so wrong and that there is seriously something wrong with with a 20 year old who thinks that is okay and a family that supports it. Those are not people I want to be hanging around with on my free time. Anyway, like I said it is my sister's decision I just feel sad that I will never be able to allow my children to spend the night at their house. I honestly don't think that my future BIL would harm my children but I don't trust his judgement. I am sincerely happy that my sister has found someone to love even if he is her second boyfriend, first boyfriend to live in our town. I have realized that I wanted more for my sister than she wanted for herself.

it's working mommy

When Liesl goes to the bathroom now she will either say "it's working mommy" or "it's not working mommy". I think it is cute.

Jason took the kids to the zoo today so I was able to clean the house. It is amazing how much I can do around the house when the kids are gone. I am so tired right now I need to sleep.

better

I felt so much better today so I took the kids to the park for playgroup and we all had a fun time. I went grocery shopping this evening so we have food in the house now and we are starting to get back to our normal life. Liesl just woke up and she felt warm to me so I think she is sick now. I just hope that she does not get it as bad as I did. Porter had a cough that does not sound very good but no fever yet. We have a friend coming in from Seattle on Sunday so we have to try and get the house in order tomorrow.

Day 4

Today I actually felt a little bit better and was able to take Porter to school. I still feel like crap so I took the kids down to my parent's house this afternoon so they could play and I could rest. Porter came running in the house crying and my brother followed him with Liesl. Apparently Porter punched Liesl in the face and pushed her down so my brother hit Porter. Porter was really upset and I told my brother that he was wrong to hit Porter and that two wrongs don't make a right. My Mom and Dad both defended his actions and said that Porter needs to learn that when he hits Liesl that my brother will hit him. I was so angry that they could not understand that you do not hit a child. I ended up just leaving and going home I could not argue with their backwards logic. My friend came over this evening and gave the kids a bath and she cleaned the kitchen. She is a great person and I am so thankful to have her as my friend. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

miserable

I am at the end of day three of being sick and I am so ready to feel better I could cry. I have cried a few times already today because I don't really feel any better than I did on Monday. I did not have the chills today but I did have the headache, soar body, soar eyes, stuffy nose, scratchy throat and cough. The poor kids just want to play and go to the park but i took them to the park on Monday and Tuesday and I think I over did it so we stayed home today. Our bathtub and toilet were not draining today so my brother came over to fix it and the kids really like to see their Uncle. Jason had been really good about taking over when he comes home from work but I can tell it is wearing on him too. Tuesday Porter did not go to school because he had a runny nose and I did not want to expose the other children to what I have. I was not feeling up to taking Porter to school and he said he did not want to go so I just let him stay home. I forgot that it was picture day at his school so I am really bummed that I did not have Jason take him. I paid for it on Thursday because I knew I would forget the money on Tuesday and I was really looking forward to having his first school picture. I wish that the director would have called me or my friend or the teacher because I would have brought him but, it was my fault for not remembering. I have just been totally out of it these last few days and the house is a disaster.

funny

This is seriously on of the funniest videos I have ever seen.

sick

I have been sick for the last 24 hours and just want to feel better. Jason took the kids to Borders when he got home from work and came home with In Defense of Food so that was pretty cool.

Oliver

My niece was acting in Oliver so the whole family went to see it. We made it up to LA with just 15 minutes before the show started. Porter was great, he sat on Jason's lap the whole time and really liked it. Liesl was a handful but she really liked it too and was singing and dancing in her seat for at least half of the show. It was nice to be up there and hang out with everyone and it was an almost conflict free trip so I am okay with it. The only thing I am not okay with is having to sleep on the floor with no air mattress. I am exhausted and think Liesl and I got the sickness that Amelia had last night. I feel like crap and just want to go to sleep.
Porter got this hat at the birthday party and insisted on wearing it like this.

The Pearl

Last night Jason and I wet to The Pearl for dinner. The server was a little off but the food was good. I had the Organic Vegetable Plate and it was really tasty but I wonder if all the vegetable were really organic. There was a portobello mushroom in it and I have never found organic ones at the store. I ordered a Cosmo at the bar that cost $10 and I had two more at the table that were $14 each. When I questioned the server she said it was some computer error after trying to tell me that they used premium vodka that is why it was was more even though I ordered the same thing. Anyway she "fixed" the bill and made them $11 each, still don't understand why the same drink wound be more at the table. I ordered some desert and after 15 minutes she came back to tell us the kitchen was closed. A kitchen should not close at 10PM on a weekend when the restaurant is full of people. I really liked the place and will definitely go back.
Today we have to stop by a birthday party at 10AM then we are off to LA so watch my niece as a pick pocket in Oliver. The show starts at 2 so we are going to try and be there by 1:30, pray for no traffic! We might spend the night so I need to go pack the bags.

dress

I made a dress for myself but it is a little big and I don't know how to fix it. Porter told me how to pose and took a picture of me in it.
Porter was following me around taking pictures.