Decade

November 6, 1999Our first year…   Expecting our first baby! Two years later, expecting baby #2! Five years as a happy foursome…  … then a wonderful surprise!!!   And today, celebrating ten years of marriage   and three amazing gifts from God. We are truly blessed.

Friend Making Mondays: Favorite Scents

Today’s question for Friend Making Mondays is “What are your favorite candles/scents?”A dear friend gave me a delicious Autumn Pear candle last weekend, and it is making our home smell deeeee-vine.      But my absolute favorite scent for candles is Pumpkin Spice.  I burn my Pumpkin candles all year long without apology.   Overall, I just love, love, love the colors and scents of Autumn.  What about you?  What are your favorite candles/scents??? 

CRAZY Fun!!!

In the weeks leading up to Halloween, I started searching online for fun & free activities to do with the family…and I came across a Scavenger Hunt around the harbor in our downtown area. The rules were simple: you needed a team of at least four people, a digital camera and cell phone with texting capabilities. And it said that kids were welcome too – perfect!!! Costumes were highly recommended, though not necessary. Rain postponed the Scavenger Hunt for a week, and it took place on Tuesday, after Halloween. Which may explain why we were the only team that showed up in costume. Our team name was “The Baxter Buccaneers,” and even our sleeping toddler was in full pirate gear, vest, mustache and all. Around 5 p.m., we were all given a bag that held a notebook (with instructions, a map of the harbor area, and a task sheet), pen, toilet paper, sidewalk chalk, and our first clue which had something to do with Edgar Allen Poe, Annabel Lee, and food by the sea. We headed towards the Harbor Food Court building, while I perused the paper filled with various tasks and trivia that would earn extra points. We realized that we wouldn’t be the fastest team, with a stroller and toddler, so our strategy was to make up for that by doing as many of the tasks as we could. One of the tasks was to draw a 3’ x 3’ Halloween picture with sidewalk chalk. Done!Another one was to get your face painted by Little Red Riding Hood. Seeing our costumes and guessing that there was a link, a group of people passing by mentioned seeing her and pointed the way. Faces painted – check!After finding the maiden with the next clue in the Food Court, we headed to the opposite side of the Harbor, across a street, to the top of Federal Hill, a steep ascent with two sets of stairs. Mr. Nice Guy pulled out his inner Hercules and carted the stroller and toddler up and down the stairs. At the top was a lady dressed up as a cat, and our clue instructed us to howl at the moon. Along the way, we tackled another task which involved taking pictures with a total of 20 strangers. We grabbed people along our path and asked them to pose with us. To get the next clue, we had to find a “Killer Banana” which had us stumped until one of the kids mentioned seeing someone dressed as a banana. Off to find him! Our proudest moment was when we convinced a man to let us wrap him in toilet paper, a task worth 100 points! What a great sport! Other clues had us searching for… our ancestor’s flag (we located a store selling flags and to be on the safe side grabbed flags from Japan, Trinidad, and Great Britain), a ringing telephone, the title of a book in Barnes and Noble by unscrambling letters, and finally a pirate ship. We received a phone call that we had 5 minutes to locate the ship and to check in. Mr. Nice Guy remembered that one of the ships docked at the harbor looked like a pirate ship. R-u-n!!! We checked in with the pirate at exactly 7 p.m., the deadline for the hunt! There was one team ahead of us throughout the race (all adults BTW), and they were already there at the finish line. We had reminded the kids throughout the race that we were going to give it our best, have a lot of fun, and work together as a family – winning wasn’t our primary focus. The Announcement: The prize for best costume went to the three kids – hurray! After adding up all of the points, we came in first place by less than 100 points – the costumes (worth 100 points) paid off!!! We each got a certificate, gift cards for Panera, and tons of candy! It was unbelievable!!! And the best part was doing it as a family, laughing and working together, experiencing this adventure together.

Friend Making Monday: Halloween Candy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcourbis/ / CC BY 2.0

What a relief to know that I'm not the only parent that digs through their children's candy stash to indulge in chocolate fantasies... We rarely buy candy and do provide healthy snacks most of the time. And that is how I rationalize my after-the-kids-have-gone-to-bed snack attack. M&Ms. They beckon me with their crispy chocolate goodness. So tiny and colorful. So easy to hide in your mouth when someone comes unexpectedly around the corner.

We went to one small Trunk or Treat party at a church last Sunday, so our goody jar has only a few pitiful reject candies left. The kind that even when your sweet tooth is screaming you pass over. How about you? Do you still have any of the good stuff hanging around? If you want to get rid of the temptation, I know of an empty glass jar that'd gladly take them off your hands... I DID NOT just write that!!! Anyway, I'm linking to Friend Makin' Mondays - check it out and go make some new friends!

Halloween Photos

Hope your final day of October 2009 aka Halloween was a good one!  I’m participating in Brenda’s Photo Challenge as well as showing our photos off over at 5 Minutes For Mom.We took the children to a Trunk or Treat event last Sunday at a church close to our home but actually spent tonight playing games, having a family party of sorts.  We’re not huge fans of the spooky aspect of this holiday but definitely enjoy dressing up!  And we wear our costumes and dress up accessories year-round!  Even our little guy got caught up in the fun and allowed me to put a disco afro wig on his head for all of 2 seconds.  Long enough for the photo. 

I am THAT Mommy

Reflecting on a previous post about being THAT family, I realized that there were bizarre family moments that weren't initiated by the kids. Nope. Not them. The evidence points to the fact that I am THAT Mommy, y'know, the one that...

...Shaved her head completely bald after catching head lice at the pediatrician's office at her firstborn's two week old check-up. Being a first-time nursing Mommy concerned about the chemicals in lice treatment, freaking out about bugs in my very long and thick hair, with a newborn with a full head of hair, I had to take fast action. Concerned friends quietly passed the word about what I'd done and asked for lots of prayer, which is probably what enabled me to get through that first year until my hair grew back. Going bald is not a big deal, but the re-growth is a nightmare. I had a horrible cowlick that caused my hair in the back to grow straight up. No amount of hair product would make that area lay flat until my hair grew long enough - I was sporting bad 80's hair for a l-o-n-g time. ...Challenged a large man over 6 feet tall to step out into the parking lot of our church after service to settle this "once and for all" when he would not stop calling my infant son a "pretty boy," though I had asked him numerous times to stop. I do not tolerate labels being placed on my children, even in jest. It's a major deal with me, and this man would not respect my calm requests to cease. And I was serious about taking this outside (can't fight in church, y'know.)

...Scared my potty-training daughter the first time she made it to the bathroom by shouting with excitement, so she refused to do it again for several months. I am an expressive person.  Some might say excitable.  Hmm. ...Takes a gazillion pictures of every event that my children participate in, camping out early to get the best seats, crying and beaming - that's Mommyhood 101 isn't it?!! ...Is asked by my daughter to not smile, clap or even look at her (impossible!) during her performances (see previous entry) because it embarrassed her. The ban has finally been lifted, thank God!    ...Treats every sporting event that my son participates in like it's the major leagues and takes pictures like I'm shooting for ESPN. Who knows, I may be practicing for a new career in the future! …Starts picking out clothes for the holiday pictures months in advance and finds great pleasure in coordinating outfits, especially for her sons who happen to be born on the same day.  I just found a gray, white and red striped sweater for the youngest to match a sweater I purchased for the older one last year.  Now off to find clothes for the rest of us – pulling from what we already have and adding to them.  So excited!!!   …Has folders and folders filled with candid photos of her children, unable to resist capturing their antics and realizing that they’re growing up so quickly. 

There are many more moments like these; motherhood has brought out things in me that I didn't know existed, bold actions bordering on the crazies, passion, a tenderness, deep emotions, and a stronger voice. A favorite quote: "I'd fight for my husband but kill for my kids.”  True, so very true.

My Cozy Nook

Inspired to create a place of my own in a corner of our living room, I am ready for the reveal…ta da!!!    For more details, check out The House of Beauty & Culture, my creativity blog.