Monday, December 16, 2013

Lucas and the Silver Screen

Last weekend we took the kids to see the newest Disney movie, Frozen. It was Lucas' first time watching a movie in the theater, 2 years earlier than Cruz's first time! Although he has been able to sit through a movie at home, we still weren't 100% sure that he'd manage to sit through one at the theater, or if he'd freak out at the darkness and loud volume. Turns out we had no need to worry, Lucas did great! As long as he was plied with movie theater treats, he was a happy little clam. My little guy is developing and growing up so fast, I can't keep up. 

Moviegoer
Strawberry milkshake? Yes please
Veggie chips while waiting for popcorn!
My big boys



Monday, December 9, 2013

A Christmas Tree story

Hi, my name is Gigi and I'm a Christmas fanatic. There, now that we've got that out of the way, you won't judge me when I say that we put up 3 Christmas trees in our house (don't forget, no judging). But I'm only here to talk about one, the smallest one in fact. 

I posted this picture on Instagram the other day of my boys decorating their own mini tree in their bedroom. They only have a few ornaments for it and I let them each choose a tinsel garland to add some flair. It was so cute seeing them decorate this little tree.



This tree is actually pretty old and very special to me. It's the first tree my parents bought when they moved to my childhood home. They were young immigrants, starting a brand new life for their family in America. I remember this little tree being perched on top of a footstool in our living room. We even took a family picture with it, all of us sitting on the floor next to it since it was so small. As the years passed, my parents elected for full size, fresh trees but never got rid of this one. It was relegated to the rafters in the garage for many years, until I resurrected it for my college apartments. 

Now this unassuming little tree gets to be the star again, adored by two little boys. It continues to do its job, bringing some holiday magic to their bedroom. But more importantly, it reminds me of my parent's humble beginnings and how their hard work paved the way for my sister and I. I will never forget where we started and I will always have gratitude for where I am today. 

Friday, November 22, 2013

Pumpkins!


Cleaning out the pumpkin

Lucas gets his hands dirty too
Concentrating

Pumpkin carving is serious business
My pumpkins with their pumpkins
Cruz's devilish gourd
Lucas' ghostly pick
Happy Halloween!









Fruit Kabob Turkey

I found this super cute fruit kabob turkey idea via Pinterest (of course) and immediately knew I wanted to attempt it for Cruz's class Thanksgiving party. There weren't any step by step instructions, but after examining the picture I was able to formulate a plan in my mind. For anyone else who wants to try their hand at this adorable edible bird, here you go:

Ingredients/Materials:
1 honeydew melon
1/2 Bosc pear
2 small marshmallows
2 raisins (or blueberries)
2 red bell peppers
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
small piece of block cheese
fruit of your choice for the kabobs
large marshmallows 
bamboo skewers (at least 16, but can do more for a fuller look)
toothpicks

Prep:
To stabilize the melon, first slice a small piece off one side to create a flat bottom for the melon to sit on. Next I sliced the bell peppers into strips, roughly 1-inch wide and halved the pear. My last prep step was to thread all the fruit onto the skewers so they would be ready for placement. 

To start, I inserted two toothpicks into the front of the melon at a 90-degree angle, then placed the pear onto them and pushed in to secure. The top part of the pear should be taller than the height of the melon. 

Next, I poked toothpicks into a row behind the head, spacing them evenly apart. Once they were placed, I put the bell pepper strips on to the toothpicks.

Taking shape
For the turkey's face, insert two toothpicks where you want the eyes, then stack on a small marshmallow and a raisin (or small blueberry) to finish off. I cut a small triangle of cheese and attached it with another toothpick. I trimmed another red pepper strip to create the snood, and put that on the side of the cheese beak. Voila! Look at that face! 

Such a whimsical face

For the next row of feathers, I cut off a section of several skewers to make them shorter and added the fruit. You could probably not cut the skewers and just insert them further into the melon but I chose to cut them. Using scissors, I cut more red peppers to make the feet.

Looking good already!
Now you can start adding rows of tail feathers with your fruit kabobs. Since I made this for a kindergarten class, I made one skewer for each child (25 total) so it was very full. You definitely don't need this many, and note that it can be a little back-heavy which might make it somewhat unstable.


Impressive tail feathers
Another angle

At this point, I put the entire creation in the fridge since I made it the night before the class party. I didn't wrap it or anything, and it was just fine the next day.

The following morning, I topped each of the long kabobs with a large marshmallow for a finishing look. The marshmallows are optional but I think they pulled it all together nicely, but you can get as creative as you want!

Gobble Gobble

The fruit turkey was a huge success with the kids, and I think it would make a showstopping centerpiece on any Thanksgiving table.





Monday, October 21, 2013

Roaring Camp Railroad

Before we headed home from our staycation in Santa Cruz, we stopped at Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton, CA. Despite having read through their website ahead of time, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived. The grounds are peaceful, nestled against the Santa Cruz mountains and evoke a small California town from the early 1800's.


As we waited for our train ride, the boys explored a covered wagon, visited the general store to look at model trains and watched as people "panned for gold".


Train Depot


The train ride itself was an hour and 15 minutes and was awesome! The steam locomotives are authentic trains, once used in the logging industry and now carry guests through the surrounding forest on tours. The scenery is just beautiful and serene, and the conductors narrate about the trains, the history of the area and the redwood trees themselves. The whole family loved it and I'm so glad we visited this charming town. 





This weekend turned out (unintentionally) to have a theme around early American days. Although it wasn't planned, it reminded me how many learning opportunities there are for our kids and by getting out of the house and exploring, their worlds become just a little bit bigger. 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Santa Cruz'n

We hit the road for a family mini vacay in Santa Cruz!


Staycation bound

Awesome blown glass jellyfish chandelier - I think I need this in our living room.



Enjoying the salty sea air along the lovely Capitola Esplanade.






Brothers


After a yummy dinner at Thai Basil, we headed to Gayle's for dessert, for choices aplenty!

Too many choices

Window shopping

After much deliberation we settled on carrot cake, strawberry fruit tart, chocolate chip cookie and a slice of salted caramel chocolate cake. So decadent! 


On Saturday we started our day at the Aptos Farmer's Market, which was voted California's Best Farmer's Market in 2011 and 2012. Not only is the selection of produce plentiful, but you can also get specialty items such as homemade organic stock, fresh sauerkraut, grass-fed beef, sustainable seafood and unique flowers. 



After the farmer's market we headed to Wilder Ranch State Park for the Harvest Days Festival. We weren't sure what to expect and it turned out to be a demo of old American fall harvest days. Cruz had a fun time making chicken feed and apple cider the old -fashioned way! Lucas' favorite activity was a draft horse-pulled wagon ride. It's always interesting to see how Cruz reacts when we explain that's how people used to live and work- such a far cry from his current high tech world!

Grinding down apples for juice

Choosing a dried corn cob

Running the cob through to remove the kernels

Cup of kernels

Grinding down the kernels for chicken feed

Using elbow grease!

Our last activity of the day was good ol' bike riding along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. The weather was gorgeous and the sweeping landscape of sand and sea breathtaking. 

Biker boys

Fall in California

Tomorrow we'll take the boys to Roaring Camp Railroad for a steam engine ride through the redwoods!





Monday, October 14, 2013

Adventure Down Under

As we speak my Dad is on a vacation in the land down under and I couldn't be happier for him. In 2004 my mom booked a trip for the two of them to Australia, but she was diagnosed with lymphoma shortly after and they were never able to go. And even though he's not going with her, I know she is smiling down on him and is happy that he finally made it to Australia for both of them.
Bon voyage!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

BOO-ed!

When we opened our front door this morning we saw this awesome surprise waiting on our porch!
A surprise to start the day

A fun little poem informed us that we have been "boo-ed" - how cute is that? I have always wanted to live in a neighborhood where people are as into the holidays as much as I am, and I think my wish came true. Our street has several houses all done up in Halloween decorations but I'm told that Christmas is a sight to see - I CANNOT WAIT!

Excited

Cruz dying to eat the candy corn

Our loot

In order to pass on the Halloween spirit you must boo two other homes. Cruz decided which neighbors he wanted to boo and we put together our version of the goodie basket. The first is for our next door neighbor who has a 12-year-old daughter, so we chose fun socks, Halloween sticky notes, Halloween Oreos, funky glasses and of course candy.

Basket #1

The second basket is for a neighbor a couple doors down with 3 children. For them Cruz picked out slap bracelets, pencils, Halloween themed Mac and Cheese, kettle corn, candy, and a Halloween picture frame.

Basket #2

We can't wait to stealthily deliver these to our unsuspecting "victims" later tonight! Happy Haunting everyone! 

Cruz demonstrating how to "boo" someone