Cliché-Fil-A

I love it when the stars align, so to speak.  When things go better than you could have ever planned.  

Speaking of planning, we are going on a mini vacation tomorrow.   We are headed to Austin, TX to see the bats!  I call it mini because we will only be gone for three nights.  I call it a vacation because while I am gone I will not be cooking meals, washing diapers or clothes, or picking up after my wild things (although I can't see the hotel staff being all too pleased if I just leave the place without straightening up somewhat...).  I can't see into the future, so I don't know what the stars have in store for us.  But when I do find out, I'll let you know.  

This evening the stars did align, if only for a moment.  Or a meal.  

Since we are taking this mini trip, we decided to head out for dinner tonight.  Leftovers are in short supply around here and Mama doesn't feel like doing any more dishes (I wish for once that I believed in buying paper plates)!  Since we had a coupon to Chick-Fil-A for a free kid's meal and Chick-Fil-A is one of the only places that uses canola oil to fry their french fries (which contain no soy), we decided to head on over and grab a bite to eat before shopping for supplies for our mini roadtrip.  

Our kids love Chick-Fil-A.  When I say "our kids", I really mean Orry and Isaac.  Sure Annie loves the nuggets and dipping sauces, but the boys love the indoor play gym.  Oh, the indoor play gym.  Land of germs, sweat, and stinky little feet.  So we went for the food and got the added bonus of letting our kids get out their wiggles.  But the story doesn't end there, oh no.  As we were eating we noticed a nice young lady setting up various board games in another section of the restaurant.   We asked her what was going on, to which she replied, "It's Family Game Night.".  Awesome!!  You know we love games, so this was fortuitous.  

We decided to stay a while longer and play a game of Hi Ho Cherry-O, Connect Four, Kerplunk (Toy Story style), and Chutes and Ladders.  It was awesome to revisit some of the games that I played as a child.  And it was great to learn a new game along with the kiddos.  Another one of the great things about this event was that we were the only family taking advantage of such a great offering.  Our kids really had fun playing some of the games all by themselves.  Annie sure loved to fill the whole Connect Four board and bang the dominoes on the table and chair.  

By chance I had my camera in my purse, so I get to share some photos with you.  Lucky you.  All in all it was a win-win situation.  We got some game time and Chick-Fil-A made a couple more bucks off me (I just had to buy an Icedream cup).  We were all pleased as punch.  And we thanked our lucky stars.  

Girls' Day Out

This weekend was a girls' weekend.  Annie and I spent this past Saturday in Baton Rouge doing things that girls love to do.

First up was shopping.  We (I) really wanted to hit up a local boutique called Noelie Harmon.  What an awesome place!  The store focuses on things I support and love.  We were in search of some vintage threads.  Annie walked away with more than me, but shopping for her has become more fun than shopping for myself.  That's just the way it goes.

Ashley and Annie

Next up was lunch with our friend, Ashley.  We dined at a new restaurant called Truly Free Bakery.  It serves up some great tasting eats that are allergy friendly and health conscious.  Sounds like my kinda place.  It's great to see different restaurants pop up that cater to people with allergies.  It's also great to see places that really care about the food they serve to their customers.

Our final destination came at the suggestion of Ashley.  We visited a new ceramic teaching studio called Red Hot Center for Clay.  Wow!  This place blew me away!!  To sum it up, it's a place where people can go to take lessons in pottery making.  With lots of options that range from memberships to paying by the hour, people of all ages (including kids 3 and up!) can get some hands on experience creating art out of clay.  We watched some demonstrations by such artists as John Gargano and Danielle Runnels (I wish I had some links to post so you could see some of their finished work).  We browsed the ceramic sale where I scored this baby:

by Leanne Cambric

You may not know this, but while in high school I took a course in ceramics.  I loved it.  I loved the meditative quality of throwing on the wheel.  I loved watching something emerge through all the spinning.  I loved the non-permanence of the wet clay.  Watching the demonstrations this weekend really reignited that passion in me.  I wanted to study more ceramics in college and began my college career as an art major.  I eventually lost touch with that passion and instead pursued a degree in fashion design, still creative but not quite so calm and meditative.

John Gargano

I still create things on a day to day basis.  There is a list of projects that I'm working on, from pot holders to felted food to sock monkeys.   Add ceramics to the list of things to pick back up.  Add smocking to the list of things to try.  Although my interests in various things have waxed and waned over the years, it is good for me to realize that what I loved about those things was the same.  It's the ability to flex my creative muscle, so to speak.  And I've learned that indulging all my interests was okay.  Collectively they have helped me to grow in my knowledge and love of making things.

Wondrous Weather

Here in Houston it has rained for two days in a row!  It only totaled about 3.5 inches, but it helped to alleviate some of the drought we've been facing since about January.  3.5 inches might sound like a lot to some of you, but by this time last year we had about 18 inches fall.  So we are still in a major rain deficit, but this nice soaking helped with a number of things.

It helped to put out some of the wildfires in counties around Eastern Texas.  It helped to water our scorched backyard.  It gave the birds a much needed bath.  Dirty birds.  It helped to drive down our record heat wave.  And it gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about the weather.

Usually, talking about the weather is a sign that a conversation has stalled.  Not so for the Becker household.  We took this opportunity to use our senses.  What were the things we heard?  Thunder.  Birds singing their rain songs.  What colors did we see in the sky?  Shades of grey.  Bright white and blue.  What did we feel when we were outside?  Raindrops slowly falling.  The hot sun on our faces.  Yes, indeed.  The rain gave us an opportunity to discover.

It also gave us the opportunity to learn about weather systems.  Why it rains and how to predict the weather were a couple of the things we got to discuss.  This week I am encouraging Orry to draw pictures of the weather he experienced that day.  Today the drawings were done outside with chalk.

Opportunities to discover something new happen everyday.  We just have to be open to seeing them.  Sometimes it means that we have to look down and dig through the dirt a little.  Sometimes it's as simple as looking up and noticing the birds in the trees; finding a nest to observe.  And if we are lucky, our children will make the opportunities for us by asking curious questions.  We are all so lucky to live in a wondrous world!

You Can Dance If You Want To

Annie has left her cares behind.  The need to dance has begun.

So far it's just small movements to such classics as "Old McDonald" and "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush".   But with enough practice she can advance to such heights as her brothers have achieved.

As you observed, Orry does the "Multi-taskers Dance".  Wiping his nose while dancing takes a lot of focus and concentration, but as a veteran dancer, it's nothing he can't handle.  Also take note of how Isaac works the room.  Leave no space untouched, my man.  And don't forget about the "acrobatics".  Any pro knows that a good performance is one that thrills the audience.  Wasn't it thrilling, ya'll?

Don't Mess with Texas!

Houston, TX.  Fourth largest city in the United State of America.  The Bayou City.  Home to what might be the largest urban bat colony that doesn't migrate in the winter.  And now it is home to the Beckers.  We are the Tex Becks.

Houston has been good to us.  We came here for work and have found plenty of opportunities.  When we were struggling to find a diagnosis for Isaac's disease, we found the Texas Medical Center.  We have made friends and found a great church community.  Diversity and friendliness are just a couple of things that we love about Houston.

As all things, with the good comes the bad.  We really dislike the traffic here.  It's a concrete jungle where people rely to heavily on their cars and not enough on public transportation (which is lacking and probably the reason that people don't rely on it).  It's a dirty and sometimes violent city.  Open spaces with green grass and fresh air are hard to come by here.  

So today we hopped on over to Fort Bend County.  A neighboring county, Fort Bend is home of the George Ranch.  Here, a piece of Texas history has been preserved so that future generations can get an up close look at what life was like for early settlers of this land.  The historical park sits on 500 acres of a 23,000 acre ranch.  Wide open spaces are easy to come by here. 

The 1890's Victorian Mansion

Walking with the sun on our backs, we explored homes from the 1830's, 1860's, 1890's, and 1930's.  That's 100 years of preserved family history.  We saw cowboys on horses roping cattle and longhorns.  We caught a glimpse of the bulky dresses the women wore and felt the heat they would have had to endure.  While the majority of the park focuses on generations of wealthy families that were not the norm of the time, we still managed to learn about what the majority of folks probably went through during the times of sharecropping.  

The park also has blacksmith demonstrations and historical re-enactments.  Many common farm animals live on the grounds, as well as common (to the South) reptiles that like to prey upon them.   We had a wonderful time learning more about Texas history and the cowboy lifestyle.  The boys had open spaces (although due to drought, they weren't technically green) to get their wiggles out.  I can see a stick pony in our future, as well as a couple of cowboy hats.  I heard a "yee haw" or two in the gift shop.  

"Beware of Alligators and Snakes"

I hope that no matter where our path takes us, our kids will develop a sense of state pride for whatever state they end up calling "home".  I certainly have a strange love for Louisiana.  Troy loves his home state of Idaho.  For now we will work on loving Texas.  Learning about its rich history and culture.  

Oh Brother...

For the past three days I've been saying "goodbye" to my boys for three hours in the morning while they have some VBS fun.  This means that for three hours a day, for three days, it's just been me and the girls.  Boy, what an awakening!  We've been having nice, quiet fun.  It almost seems that I have to really try and rack my brain to find things to do with my time.  Of course, this isn't actually true.  I still have two babies to watch over.  Two smiling faces to fuss over.  I guess there is less pressure during the day.  Fewer stressful times when more than two babies need something at the same time.  It's been quite relaxing and will be relaxing for another two days.

But it's bittersweet.  I miss my boys.  The chaos that reigns the mornings.  I miss the noise of their dinosaurs and airplanes.  It's a small taste of what my days will be like this fall, when I send Orry to school full-time, five days a week and Isaac to preschool three days a week.  It will be blissful, I know that.  But I will cherish our time together even more.  One of the things I love about sending them away is getting them back.  They hug as if they haven't seen each other in a long time (maybe three hours is a long time to a child).  This is something I love about brothers.

And when they get back together, they pick up right where they left off.  But today, the place where they left off must have been a fight.  Smiles were replaced with whines and tears, fists and feet.  This is something I don't like about brothers.  Disputes over toys, food, and territory.  We've seen it all.  Don't get me wrong, they really love each other and have no problem showing affection toward one another.  They also don't hide their feelings from each other.  So when one of them is mad, the other knows it.  And they really only bicker with each other.  Annie seems to be left out of the quarreling.  Sure, she gets bothersome from time to time, but no fighting ensues because of it.  So what is it about brothers?

The first set of brothers I know about are Cain and Abel.  We all know how that ended.  Throughout history brothers have been at odds with each other.  Conversely, some brothers have worked together to acheive greatness (the Wright brothers, the Coen brothers, the Jonas brothers...?).  So how can I raise my boys to be good brothers?

In searching for a good book that addresses this, I come up short.  Plenty of books exist that discuss raising good boys.  Even books that are geared toward moms and the journeys they take in raising boys.  But what about raising a set (or more) of brothers that grow up to appreciate each other and treat each other with dignity and respect?  Maybe I'm not searching hard enough.  Can you recommend any good reads that deal with this subject?

I'll continue to search.  In the meantime, tell me what you think led you to having a good/bad relationship with your brother.  What characteristics do you think are necessary to cultivate into our boys to help them deal with their brother for a lifetime?  What advice do you have for me, the mother of two boys and one set of brothers?  I firmly believe in it taking an entire village to raise a child.  I believe all the knowledge we need to solve our problems can be found in the experiences and wisdom of others, if we just choose to listen to what others have to say.  So let's write this book together!  Or just have a thought provoking discussion.  Yeah, let's just stick with the discussion.  I'm starting to get used to my blissfully, peaceful days!

Playing Games

If you want to be a part of this family, then you better like games.  Anyone who knows us Beckers knows that we like games.  Card games, board games, charades.  You name it, we've probably played it.   Games aren't just something we play when we get together over the holidays either.  In this house, we play games everyday.   Some days we play Candy Land.  Other days we play the Wii.  But everyday, you can bet that our kids get in a little bit of computer game time.  Here are some of the internet games that are favorites in our house.

We'll start with Isaac's favorites.  Now, Isaac recently learned how to work a computer.  For a long time he had no interest in playing the computer.  He only wanted to watch his older brother play games.  And even then it wouldn't hold his attention for more than a few minutes.  As soon as Isaac learned how to work the mouse and click the buttons, all that changed.  And you can bet that the games he likes deal with dinosaurs.  There's dinosaur puzzles.  Those never fail to disappoint (no matter how many times he puts them together).  And there's digging for dinosaurs, also.  That one's informative as well as fun.  And recently he's taken a liking to Starfall.  I really love this website.  It really taught Orry a lot about reading.  Isaac's really made a lot of progress with his alphabet thanks to Starfall.

Latest addition

Orry's favorites are a little different.  They are mainly games that deal with physics or problem solving.  (I'm sorry in advance to Nicole.  I'm sorry if Trent is like Troy and has a problem stepping away from the games...)  There's Isoball, Spite Cannon, and Max Damage.  Go ahead.  Give them a try.  You'll see why he likes them.   He also loves a number of PBS Kids games and Starfall, just like Isaac.  But these games really give him a challenge and he loves it.

Monopoly City

As for the adults, I don't really find great joy in online games.  Now board games are another story altogether!  I sure do love a rousing game of Settlers of Catan and Monopoly City.  I wish we had more chances to play games like these and others, like Balderdash and Rummikub, but it's hard to play with only 2 adults.  If the kids can catch me in the right mood, I'll sit down for a game of Cootie or even a simple game of Memory Match.  Troy is also another story when it comes to online games.  We all remember his addiction to Chess.com.  (No.  I refuse to link it.  That's too easy.)  He also loves to play those games with Orry.  I think that's one major part of why Orry likes those games.

Playing games is a great way to pass some time.  Computer games should be played in moderation.  Games should be played together.  Play at home or on the road.  Just make some great memories playing
games!

Poor lil' sickie 

(And I shouldn't forget to tell you about Annie's favorite game.  She loves the "grab-your-nose-grab-her-nose" game.  It's best played when both players aren't sick since it's hard to catch a running nose.)

Only Two Stars, But Lots of Yeses!

I've got too many blog ideas floating around in my head.  But today's topic is easy as cake.  Birthday cake.  That's right, another birthday in the Becker house!  Today is Orry's birthday!  Five years ago today, I became a mother.  And what a joy it has been.  So here's the run-down of our day.

We woke up late.  Yes!  Had chocolate chip pancakes.  Double yes!  Went to the Lego store to finish our birthday shopping.  Triple yes!  Bought a mini donut pan.  Super-duper quadruple yes!  No?  Just me?  Oh, well.  Maybe you'll change your mind when you have these.  Okay, okay.  Came home to have yummy tacos.  Definite quadruple yes!  Opened some presents.  Orry would give this one the biggest yes.  My wallet is crying.  But the best part of the day, in my humble opinion, was the fun family night at the HMNS.

First of all, it was a free family night.  Free in the sense that you don't have to buy a ticket to go, but the reason we get to go is because we already bought the membership.  I'm not complaining in anyway.  I've gotten the better deal out of the membership in my opinion.  But tonight they unveiled some plans for the new paleontology hall that will open in 2012.  We got to see the new Quetzalcoatlus fossil that will inhabit the new exhibit.  (If you have time to click on that link, be sure to check out where it was discovered.) We got to hear a great lecture from famous paleontologist Robert T. Bakker.  We also got to see some cool reptiles up close,  have some balloon swords made for us, eat free hot dogs and ice cream, and make a few dinosaur crafts.  It was a great time.  And did I mention it was free?

Making a wish

We came home with some sleeping tots, but hadn't even had our cake and candle celebration yet!  Isaac was impossible to wake up, so the celebrating when on without him.  Annie, although sick, stuck it out like a real trooper.  My chocolate cake only got "2 stars, but one of the stars was only half a star".  I'm not fired from the job, though.  Daddy got fired from making dinner ever again.  I think the "bean and rice tortilla with a fish hiding inside" from last week was what got him fired.  And rightly so.

And so begins our life with a five year old.  I can't believe that we'll be sending him to school soon!  But for now, we'll enjoy our summer with our big boy.  A summer spent wrestling his brother, helping his mommy, and firing his daddy from various jobs.  Not too many jobs, I hope.  He's really great at taking out the garbage!

Mistaken Mistakes

Today was filled with mistakes.  Mistakes I've made hundreds of times over.  Mistakes that were firsts in my life.  Sometimes it's hard not to define our day by how many mistakes it contained.

We had a busy day planned.  Or not planned.  Maybe at the end of writing this I will decided that I didn't plan the day quite like I thought I did.  I made a list of places we need to go.  Library, museum, Whole Foods, and Chase bank.  That was the list.  So we got ready this morning and headed out.

Library first.  This outing was based around mistakes.  We forgot to put a CD back in one of the books we returned a week ago.  We also were supposed to return four books on Monday.  We got to the library just as it opened.  We had to go in to properly give the CD to someone and explain what happened.  I went to the trunk of the van to get the stroller.  No stroller.  Mistake #1.  Taking three kids to library wouldn't be bad if all three kids were over 5 years old and knew better than to take any and every book off the shelf, regardless of their interest in the actual books.  Annie was the handful.  I'm used to the boys crawling around on the floor and playing in their little boy way.  It's Annie that's hard to handle in places like this.  Thus the reason the stroller, with the harness, is a must.  Needless to say, it was a very brief visit to the library.

Denversaurus

Next was to venture some 33 miles to the other side of town to go to Whole Foods.  We decided to visit the HMNS at Sugar Land also, to make the trip worthwhile.  Before we went though, we passed by home to get the stroller.  Mistake #1 corrected.  But one thing we didn't have was Daddy's wallet.  Mistake #2.  Daddy's wallet has the money for the grocery store.  Daddy's wallet also had the check we needed to complete our final mission at Chase Bank.  But a quick trip to Troy's work corrected mistake #2.  So while slightly stressful, it wasn't a major catastrophe.

Hungry children going to the museum is no fun.  Mistake #3-Mommy didn't pack any snacks.  Really?  Come on, Mommy!  I did have two peppermints in my bag.  How pathetic does that sound?  We rushed through the museum seeing all the things we could before our stomachs just protested with hunger.  We quickly made a beeline to the Whole Foods where we had a nice little lunch outside.  The boys got to go to the Sweet Pea Clubhouse while the girls did the grocery shopping.  The grocery shopping was mistake free.  The Sweet Pea Clubhouse experience was good for Isaac (it was his first time being able to go) and not so good for Orry.  Mistake #4-Not teaching your 4 year old how to wipe himself.  That story is best left untold, but I'll let you know when I have corrected that one.

We came home, tuckered out.  That right.  Mistake #5-We totally forgot about the banking.  I'm such a jerk. I got all my stuff done, but forgot about dear darling Troy's business.  Sorry, babe.  He called for me to come and get him from work.  That's when I realized my mistake.  But I offered a suggestion.  How about we go and pick more blueberries and do the banking on the way?  Mistake #5 corrected.  So I quickly got the kids ready and made an after work snack for Troy.  Sandwiches and a cookie, plantain chips and some water.  One the way to get him, the travel cup with the water must have tipped over.  And earlier when I screwed the lid on, I must not have done a very good job.  All the water soaked into the carpet of the car.   Mistake #6.  Could the day get any worse?!  But then I thought about it.  Was my day really all that bad to begin with?

Despite our quick trip to the library, we scored a couple of really great books.  At the museum, there were some moments where we learned about the Acrocanthosaurus, and fulcrums and levers.  Lunch was yummy.  After Orry's experience, he might be more motivated to learn how to wipe himself.  We still made it to the bank before it closed.  We picked 4.5 pounds of blueberries and discussed whether or not a Stegosaurus would have eaten blueberries.  We came home with dirty children and a dirty car.  We washed the car first and the children second.  Tired children go to bed so easily (makes me think we should do this everyday...nah.).

I need to redefine what a successful day means.  The number of mistakes doesn't really matter, if in the end the day was an overall success.  My life would seem very dismal if I only focused on the mistakes and mishaps that have happened to me everyday.  So here's to looking on the brighter side (no matter how dirty it may be)!

Just Go With It

It's no secret that in our house we fly by the seats of our pants.  We like it that way.  Most of the time.  So when I say that we came to Houma this weekend to spend the night and then turn around and leave the next day, it shouldn't surprise you.   It doesn't surprise me.  It may stress me out a bit, but the end result, a great time spent with family and renting out a property, is well worth the quick trip.

Over the years I've learned to "just go with it".  I've had plenty of practice.  When we decided to move to Korea, we had a little more than a month to prepare.  Same with our move to Houston.  We mulled the idea over in our heads for a while, but we made the final decision quite close to the departure date.  Our life is so exciting...  Those examples are much more stressful to deal with than the ones that follow here:

Not our yard...

When your child pulls down his pants to pee in the yard, whether it's your yard or not, you just go with it.

When your child pulls all the toilet paper off the roll, without a shred of remorse, you just go with it.















Sometimes there's no reward.  Sometimes you hit the jackpot.

Our reward, besides the ones listed previously, for taking that quick trip to Houma was coming home with an awesome table!  My dad even made it with detachable legs for easier storage!  The kids love it and it already bears the marks of their love (pink color pencil).  I guess I'll have to paint it before the "real" playing begins.   But having kids is like continuously flying by the seat of your pants.  Eventually it becomes a common placed occurrence.  Although, sometimes a dead lizard can get a rise out of you.

Fried Eggs and Toy Snobbery

I've wanted to be a snob at various points in my life.  I once thought that I should be a literary snob.  Only reading books that are classics; written by men and women no longer living.  It was an okay idea in theory, but I soon realized that I would be missing out on dozens of really great books out there; books that are easier to understand because they were written in modern language.  Then there's the part of me that would like to be a food snob.  Only eating the finest of foods.  Comparing the most minute differences in flavor of the same thing prepared in different ways.  Then I remember that I have kids.  Boy, that's a fantasy, that one.  But my snobby side is still trying to peek its elitist head over my 11 foot high hedge.  Toy snobbery.  Oh yes.  It's come to that.

It started with a book that I read by Amanda Blake Soule.  The book is titled, "The Creative Family".  In the book she talks about the kinds of toys that we should give to our children to play with.  Some suggestions are: 1) simple toys; the less the toys do, the more our kids do,  2) beautiful toys; aesthetically pleasing toys will help our children to appreciate the artistry of the toy and the work put into handcrafting that toy, 3) natural toys; toys made from natural materials that are better for the Earth and our kids.  In this section she has a picture of her own family's play kitchen.  And an idea was born.

I loved my Strawberry Shortcake kitchen set (looked like this) when I was a kid.  It was made from particle board and painted pink and red.  Man, I really have some fond memories of that thing.  So of course I want to pass on those precious memories to my girl (and boys too).  But I want to keep in mind those suggestions. So I am making a no-plastic play kitchen!  I'm so excited!!!  Can you tell?

Now, when I say that "I" am making it, I am stretching the truth.  "I" talked to my wood working father and he has agreed to make them a stove with an oven, a refrigerator, a sink and countertop, and a table (because the best part of pretend cooking is pretend eating!).  Who knows what we will end up with.  I'll be pleased as punch with whatever he comes up with.  And I am making (for reals) the food out of felt.  I Googled "cloth food for play kitchen" and lots of items come up, but they are out of our price range (besides, where's the fun in that...).  I spent about 5 dollars on the felt and with that I plan to make carrots, lettuce leaves, tomato slices, cheese slices, cookies, and slices of bread.  I've already made the fried eggs and donuts.  I'm sure I'll have left over pieces that I can fashion into a food of the kiddos' liking.  Pizza is my most recent brainstorm, but we'll have to see just how big this oven will be.

I'm really excited to see my kids' reaction when it's all said and done.  Orry already asked if he could eat the donut.  But my ultimate goal is to make a space that is just for the kids.  A space where they can play while using their imaginations.  My super ultimate goal is to save this play kitchen for my grandchildren.  A play kitchen made by their great-grandfather.  As far as the snobbery goes, I'll try to keep it in check.  I won't run straight to their room and start throwing out all the plastic and replacing it with more expensive items.  But you better believe that here on out, there will be more making of toys than buying.  And that's something I'm proud to be snobby about!