There's No Business like Snow Business

This has been a very warm winter for us. Fine by me, but CPea has been itching to get out in the snow with her snow pants and boots. So last weekend, we got a lovely amount of snow for playing and sunshine in the subsequent days which made for perfect snow fun.

The process of getting a preschooler dressed for the snow is complicated at best. You can see that purple is still the color of choice for CPea...What could be more fun that snow angels?
Snow on the beach! The novelty of such a sight amazed us all.

And, what's better than snow on the beach? Sledding on the snow on the beach.

Or is it pulling Daddy and LilPea along? LilPea enjoyed her first real adventure in the snow.
Nothing is better than taking off wet boots and kicking back in the car!

Like all good New Englanders, we are heading to Florida for vacation next week. In preparation for this trip, CPea acts out what she will do while there. Ride the rides at Disney, eat oranges, and swim. She has taken sun protection to heart and insists that she and LilPea try out all their sunhats when playing "Florida."

Any Day That Ends in 'Y'

There seems to trend in blogs to add in some kind of recipe or craft on a certain day of the week. I've got a great collection of talented friends who invent granola bars, make pies with cheese, fashion santa cookies out of hearts, you name it-they could probably glue gun it together.

I was thinking that perhaps I would add a 'drink of the week' to this blog. But as the mother of two, I fear the recipe would not change from week to week. Find the biggest glass you can, fill with wine, enjoy.

While I can't really provide you with the best method for how to make a potholder out of old socks. What I can do, is share some of my most infamous mistakes. This weekend's disaster:

Spaghetti Squash

In the interest of making healthy food for my family, I jumped at the chance to substitute high carb pasta for squash. Right, don't do it. Despite the fun way it looks like spaghetti, I assure you, it is no kind of substitute. CPea said it best, "What is that weird smell, dinner?"

And, in case you are curious, I tried few different recipes and they were all uniquely horrid.

So this week's tip:

Don't serve spaghetti squash on any day that ends in 'y.'

H-E-A-R-T

Valentine's Day.

One of my favorite holidays-Chocolate, Flowers, Jewlery...Crazy pants and graphic tees for my girls.

What's not to like?

Sisterly love

And what happens when you tell your kids to blow you a kiss!

Its been a great day. You what they say, the best way to celebrate a holiday is to move several kitchen appliances into your kitchen. That way, when you need a drink, you can save yourself a couple of steps. Our new kitchen floor was installed today so things are a little topsy turvey. Still nothing could dampen our spirits-CPea provided the soundtrack. The song is to the tune of the B-I-N-G-O song, but we can't really find out the words since they change all the time but the end is H-E-A-R-T and it pumps the blood around-O!

Super Tuesday!

As is my tradition, I took CPea with me to vote today in Connecticut's presidential primary. LilPea joined us for her first voting experience. CPea delighted in wearing her sticker all day at preschool and that she, and the the candidate of our choice both start with 'C'!

A Winter Holiday

My birthday has always been on the same day, the first of February. However, having spent most of my life in warm climates, I never realized what a miserable time of year my birthday was actually in.

But, you know what they say, misery loves company. So I am lucky that my mother's birthday falls on the day before mine. We like to celebrate together, when we can. And, here in New England, we'll use any excuse to party this time of year (for example, the insane enthusiasm over those 'Pats')

Here at sweetpea central, we stretched the celebration out into a whole week which was great! Below are some of the highlights.

For a proper party, you always need to make sure you've got monkeys and plenty of bandanas.

Like I said, we're a little hard up for activities. The local Children's Museum brought Daisy, the pot bellied pig that reads-we lined up at the door!LilPea used our time at the museum to work on her musical talent.

The girls and I were also happy to have a visit from our neighborhood's most eligible batchlor. Though just shy of his second birthday, this aspiring locomotive engineer from New London, CT has a way with the ladies. In lieu of flowers, CPea selected this as the centerpiece of my birthday celebration.
And then, we were off to New York City for a birthday celebration and visit.
CPea loved everything about the City, especially the bagels.
LilPea never misses an opportunity to pull anything within reach.

Or suck on her fingers...

While visiting the big apple, we visited the Museum of Taxidermy, er, Natural History.

CPea loved every minute of it...from the life like shore...

Its like being at the beach

To the heaps of Dinosaur bones...

LilPea found the museum the best place in the city to take a three hour nap. She closed her eyes the moment we walked in and opened them on our way out. I supposed we will have to make another trip to the museum for her to gather the full effect of a giant blue whale and a flying squirrel frozen in action for all time.

Nothing completes a day in the city as a night on the train with a bucket of tiny dinosaurs.

Baby, Its Cold Outside!

Thursday marked LilPea's six month birthday. I hardly know where the time went, but on it marches.

Don't worry, we didn't punch her in the eye. LilPea has clogged tear ducts and sometimes her eyes get red at the end of the day.

I'm not going to lie, there's not a lot to do in pleasant southeastern CT in the dead of winter so we've been inventing activities to amuse. Most of these involve watching CPea playing dress up and creating elaborate imaginative scenarios.

This is the catapillar/seat belt scarf game. And below is the slumber party game, Nemo sleeping bag is mandatory.

This is LilPea manning her control center-her favorite place in the world.

"Oh the Places You'll Go!"

"I don't need to pick a card, I already know where I am going."

-CPea, age 3, on the rules of Candyland

Oh Baby!

I love the new year. Its a chance to start fresh and put the past in the past. With all the changes scheduled for later this year, we are trying to do our best to live in the present and enjoy each day.

LilPea is speeding through babyhood. She has teeth, loves to eat cereal and veggies and is almost six months. So I thought I would share some pictures of my little baby from our recent trip down to North Carolina.

LilPea and her new best friend Maggie Louise.
Can you find the baby in this photo?
You know the classic drunken pirate baby shot
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Babes in Toyland

It was a cheerful Christmas morning in our house. Despite some of Santa's elves staying up until around 2:30 (really-must there be 300 pieces per toy?) We had a delightful Christmas scene.
CPea was especially thrilled to see her living room covered in toys and presents.
I couldn't resist getting her the newer version of underoos.

That plan later backfired when she insisted on spend the whole day in them. Note for the future.

LilPea also enjoyed her first Christmas. Santa brought some lovely socks that tasted just right. She spent the rest of the day trying to eat the wrapping paper.
CPea asked Santa for two things: a kitchen and scisssor.
Its never too early to start on literature. Um, or books you can eat.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

merry christmas!

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Especially if you are the kind of person that wraps up their Christmas shopping sometime in mid July.

Of course, that is not me. So much not me, that while I was at the Post Office on Monday, foolishly trying to buy Christmas stamps there was a local news crew there interviewing people who were stupid enough to come to the post office on the busiest mailing day of the year. Well how was I to know-I don't even watch the local news? And, after seeing the hard hitting news crew in action-I don't think I'm missing much. So if you haven't gone to buy stamps for your cards yet, brace yourself. They are going to try to convince you that mickey mouse is the new santa.

Still, the merry making is full speed ahead with CPea at the helm. Tomorrow we are making a snowman villiage entirely out of marshmallows. I'll be sure to post some photos of my latest holiday folly. That's folly, not holly.

LilP continues to be indifferent to the endless shopping trips and wrapping deliberations. Her main objective these days seems to be figuring out how to get herself out of the bumbo seat. I think she hates that seat almost as much as I hate the people who try to use five coupons on a three dollar item and then write a check to pay for it.

I've resolved to conclude this holiday frenzy by Friday so my next post should be filled with the peace that is so often wished during this MOST wonderful time of year.

All I want for Christmas

Is my two front teeth...

Or in LilP's case her front four teeth. And I don't actually think she wants them judging from the screaming that has been the soundtrack to our life for the past week.

Upon hearing the Santa may not deliver gifts if there is no tree. CPea got straight to work decorating during our snow day afternoon on Thursday. Actually, it was a family affair, CPea and Scott would give me the ornament and I put the ornament hook on the tree. Teamwork is a big part of preschool, so CPea assigned us all roles and titles-Declaring, "Mom is the Hooker!"

We also attended the Academy's children's party on Friday. CPea until now was too shy to meet Santa. However, with the help of her friend Haley from preschool, they had a great meet and greet.

LilP was invited to join them as long as she stopped screaming. Which she happily did for almost a minute. A Christmas miracle of the first order.