Putting your best foot forward

I took Lelly's challenge of interpreting putting your best foot forward. When I look down at my feet I don't see anything pretty like Angie's, but I do feel a sense of gratitude for these Fred Flinstone feet of mine. They have traveled with me through ten different countries, and across the continental US. They also, carried the burden when I was pregnant three different times. They allow me stand and cook for my family, exercise, play at the park with my children, dance, play a game of footsie, and let me feel sexy in a pair of strappy-high heeled sandals.

These feet of mine may be rough, calloused, usually barefoot, naked without polish, but on those rare occasions, I love the fact that I have these feet of mine that allow me to feel alive.

Friends

This week as been wonderful. It not only was Mardi Gras, but our good friends, the Bushmans, were in town to clear out their home and put it back on the market. They have not lived in the Big Easy since the hurricane. The Bushmans have been our friends for eight years. At times I wonder how our two families became such good friends. Shannon is nine years older than I am. Her kids are no where near the same age as my children are (when we moved here Hannah was just 7 months old), but for some reason we just clicked right from the start. We have celebrated every holiday together from Thanksgiving to Easter even including watching most super bowls with them.

We were able to watch their children grow up and they were there when we added to our family. She instantly took Hannah when Caden came into our lives three weeks early. I was there when she had Bailey three weeks early. Richard was able to stay the night, because Addie was only five months old at the time. Bailey was born on her sister's birthday, so we did an impromtu party for Maddie.

Riley and Maddie became our family's favorite babysitters. The nice thing was whenever we would double date one would stay at their home and one would come to my home. Her kids would also play with mine and be fun with them even though there was a large age and interest difference.

My kids adore their children and Addie and Bailey are two peas in a pod.

We always evacuated from hurricanes with them. For Ivan we made it to Baton Rouge in 9 hours and decided to turn around and have a big slumber party at their home instead and ride out the storm that luckily vered East. For Hurricane Katrina we went to Houston together. We had fun ice skating, eating, and spending time together. They even did our laundry after Caden threw up in the car. That was just the kind of friends they are. This week felt normal knowing that Shannon and her family were in their home on Platt St. and I could stop by and bring her a Diet Coke, just like old times. Having them in Arizona just isn't the same, but I know that we will always be close friends because when they walked in the door the other night bringing me a Diet Coke, because they had just filled there tank with gas our conversation never skipped a beat and it was like they had been here the whole time.

We had a wonderful dinner at Ruth's Chris Thursday night. Maddie came to babysit and Riley stayed to watch Bailey at their house. We laughed and talked and were the last ones in the restuarant to leave.

That is what I love about real friendships. It's like things haven't missed a beat even though we haven't seen each other for a long time. Things pick up where they left off. Old "inside" jokes are still funny along with new ones that have come about with the recent Mardi Gras festivities.

Letting the good times roll

Laissez les bon temps rouler ( let the good times roll) is just what we have been doing this Mardi Gras. Monday we packed our dinner of PB&J's for the kids and Chicken sandwiches for Rich and I, along with the king cake that I stood in line for that morning at Randazzo's for 45 minutes. Yes, I did wait in line to just get a king cake, and it was well worth it. We then made our way uptown for the the Lundi Gras celebration. Our ladder box was raised our chairs placed, and we were ready for all the beads and cups we could handle. Our kids loved shouting to the krewe members "throw me something mister".
It was a great night to be back in NOLA celebrating on St Charles Ave. We woke up Tuesday ready to do it all over again. This time we headed to Metairie with our great friends the Bushmans who were in town for the celebration. We had great seats in the police section (I guess it does pay off to have friends). We had a great time laughing at our selves trying to convince the krewe members to give us "big beads". We ended up with 2 Mardi Gras bags full of beads and 1 garbage bag that is half full. We did end up getting some "big beads". Our family had a great time experiencing Mardi Gras. It is like nothing else in the world. I hope we can celebrate Mardi Gras forever.

A dollar, a parade, and pizza

What would you do with a dollar? Would you buy your favorite carbonated beverage at your stop of choice, a candy bar, something at the dollar spot at either Target or Michael's, or would you download a song off of i-tunes? My children chose to use the money that they received from their great grandparents for Valentine's Day to give them the freedom to wear normal clothes to school on Friday. Yes, they had to pay to wear jeans and a T-shirt instead of their normal school uniforms and they were very happy to do so. We were running out the door and so they wouldn't take their backpacks off.

Mardi Gras is in full swing with it being the weekend before Fat-Tuesday. Addie had her big Mardi Gras parade at school. Her teachers made the whole class Mardi Gras shirts to wear during the parade and they were in the traditional colors of purple, green, and gold. They were instructed to bring a bucket full of beads to throw. The children had a great time going around in the parade circle throwing beads and dancing to the music. They marched back to their classroom for a party and one last king cake. Addie was so excited because everyone got the baby in their king cake donuts.

Richard got home early from working in clinic so we decided to take advantage of him being home early. We took the kids to the Pizza Shoppe. This pizza place lets the kids make their own pizza. The pizza isn't the best, but my kids seem to have a great time making their pizzas and playing with extra pizza dough kind of like play-doh.
What a great day of wearing normal clothes, catching beads, making and eating pizza.

Valentine's Happenings

Today I have tried to figure out what Valentine's Day means to me. I have never been big on the whole thing. It just seemed like another day to me. I always seem to express to the people in my life how much I love them and how much I appreciate them, but I really want to make each day or holiday with my family so much more meaningful. I want to make lasting memories with my kids. So, today was the perfect day to start, and it doesn't get any better than chocolate fondue. I had strawberries, bananas, pretzels, and graham crackers. The kids had such a great time using their fondue forks to get their favorite and dip them into the melted chocolate. The kids ended up sitting on top of the table so they could get to the chocolate better. Hannah liked the strawberries dipped in chocolate the best.
Caden liked the pretzels and the graham crackers the best. Addie liked the strawberries and didn't like the bananas. Can you tell from her face?
So here is to a new view on a holiday that I use to think was just like any other day. I hope my kids will remember the chocolate fondue and I hope that it can become a new tradition in our home. It was so fun to hear the laughter, see the chocolate from ear to ear, even in Hannah's hair, and to know that the mess on the kitchen table was well worth it.

I would also like to document 14 things why I love my husband:

I love that he loves me
I love his deep singing voice
I love his blue eyes
I love how he is such a hard worker
I love how he lets me talk, even when he doesn't want to listen
I love how he loves our children
I love when he tells me exactly what I need to hear
I love that he is calm
I love how he is self-confident
I love how he always tell me he loves me
I love that he believes in me when I don't think I can
I love how he makes up songs
I love how he cuddles with me
I love that he is my best friend

I love you babe! Happy Valentines Day!

Tagged by Chanel

6 Things that make me happy:

1. My husband, he is wonderful
2. My children's art projects. I love having them hung around my house
3. Diet Coke
4. My friends... I don't know what I would do without all of them
5. Vacuuming...it is therapeutic
6. Getting my haircut or colored. It makes me feel like a new women

A choice, a field trip, and bowling

Friday I was scheduled for a 9:00 highlight appointment that I had scheduled for weeks, and I am in desperate need of, but it was also Addie's first field trip on a big yellow school bus. I could not miss the opportunity for a fun filled morning, so I cancelled my appointment and joined Addie and her classmates. Our first stop was visiting the big Clydesdale's Horses (they come in town every year for Mardi Gras).

Our next stop was to the post office to mail their valentines. They had been playing post office in school, so this was a fun way for the children to put what they had learned in the classroom to good use. Our final destination was to Cafe Du Monde to get Beignets and chocolate milk. Addie had so much fun eating her Beignet and sitting at the table with her friends. Some of her classmates' beignets did not have enough powdered sugar on them, so they just poured real sugar on them instead.It was such a fun morning to see Addie enjoy her first field trip and her first time on a yellow school bus. I think she liked riding the school bus more than anything else. She said "it was so bouncy it made my tummy jiggle".
Richard had the whole weekend off, so we asked the kids what they wanted to do as a family and they chose to go bowling. We headed off to bowling alley just in time to get one game in before it was turned over to the leagues. Addie was a little disappointed that she still doesn't fit into bowling shoes, but it didn't seem to hurt her game seeing how she bowled a 100.

It was a great weekend. We topped it off by making and frosting our valentines cookies. What fun!

Tagged

I have been tagged...Thanks Jenny. I will attempt to try and find six unusual things about myself.

1. I am very afraid of Indian reservations. When I was a little girl my dad use to tease me and say that "Indians liked blonde headed little girls". We use to travel to Arizona all the time during my childhood, and each time I would hide under a blanket. Still to this day I don't like traveling through reservations.
2. I take extremely hot showers and I usually come out of the shower looking like a lobster.
3. I have a hard time falling asleep without cuddling with Richard. Some part of my body has to be touching his. When he is on call I usually have to resort to taking Tylenol PM to get to sleep.
4. I dislike to be alone.
5. I make weird faces while putting on my makeup.
6. I was not able to nurse any of my children, but I did try all three times. I still feel a little guilty about not being able too.

I now tag Jordan, Rebecca, and Jill

100's day, King Cakes, and a recipe

Yesterday was the 100Th day of school for Caden's Kindergarten class, so I was asked to come and help them make their trail mix. The mix included raisins, marshmallows, gummy-bears, goldfish, teddy grahams, jelly beans, Cheerios, animal crackers, conversation hearts, and M&M's. They got to have ten of each item to make a hundred items to go into their mix. It was a fun way to teach the kids to count by tens.The teacher asked me if I have every Wednesday morning available to come and help out with the class, so from here on out I will be helping in Ms. Becks class instead of getting stuff done around the house. No, I actually enjoy spending time in my children's class. I like seeing how they interact with other children and there teacher.
Addie got the baby in the King Cake and as tradition goes she had to bring the next King Cake to school. She was so excited I think she even slept with the little plastic baby. Everyone has the opportunity to bring a King Cake before Mardi Gras. (I have to add I let my guard down and let Hannah do Addie's hair for school. It actually looked pretty good).

With valentines being just around the corner. I know this is probably your weekend for baking with your kids. I have a fabulous sugar cookie recipe that I would like to share with my fellow bloggers. I make it for all special occasions Christmas, Valentines, Easter, or anytime that I just need a good sugar cookie. Some of my fellow NOLA people may have tasted these a few times.

Sugar Cookies:

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 shortening

1 cup sour cream (don't use light or fat free)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

4 cups flour

Combine top five ingredients. Put dry ingredients on a plate and then add to wet mixture very slowly. Chill for a few hours. Roll out cookie dough using a little flour and powdered sugar. Bake at 375 for 8-10 min.

Frosting:

Half a bag of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 stick melted butter

Milk use to desired thickness. Add a little bit at a time.

Enjoy!

Recap of the Week

Wow, I can't believe it is Friday already! I will try to give you the run down of what has been going on in the Matern home since my last post.

• Hannah was a Hundred Year Old Lady for One Hundred Days
• I went and saw Catch and Release with some Girlfriends
• Hannah gave a great talk in Church on Faith in Jesus Christ


• I was able to take dinner to a friend who had just lost her father to cancer


• Addie and I attended the Pottery Barn Kids Story Time (she had a blast playing with all the toys)


• I received some great good mail that made my day, and boosted my spirits from Shawna and Amy W. Thank you! Thank you!


• I checked the kids out early from school for an appointment with Dr. Mom....They needed a little extra TLC. Dr. Mom had cupcakes waiting for them to frost and decorate
• Richard taught Caden how to tie his shoes, so that he won't get a bad mark on his report card

There was a lot of laundry, vacuuming, and cleaning during all of this, but the week is finally winding down. Hannah will go with her Gymnastics team to LSU to watch them compete. I am hoping to catch a flick with a friend, so all and all we are still trying to find our groove here in our old/new home. The kids are trying to make the best out of this situation, but I think they too are counting down the months until Richards residency is over.