Flutterby, my butterfly!

Last weekend we took a trip to Collin Creek Mall to the Kiwani's Club butterfly exhibit. We met our friends, Amy & Audrey, for our now second annual Mother's Day play date with the monarchs. Devyn was tentative, she desperately wanted to see the butterflies but she did NOT want them to be close to her. Momma's little diva.

They have tons of pretty flowers with hundreds of butterflies floating around a white tent in the middle of the mall.  For $6 for adults and $2 for kids it was totally worth it!  You get a Q-tip of what I thought was magic butterfly nectar, but my mom later told me it was Gatorade.  Turns out the little flutterbys loved some red Gatorade. And blonde hair.

 

My mom and I talked about it the other day. Something like this isn't an activity every 30-something girl runs out to do on their weekends, but to see that look on the kids' faces as they got to hold a butterfly and feel its delicate wings... that's the magic.

Grammie was the butterfly whisperer. They loved her! 
And butterflies loved my blonde lambies.

 

Momma Review:

Dates: This annual event typically runs for one week in May around Mother's Day. This year the dates are May 11-19th from 10-6pm, Sundays from 12-6pm.

Cost: $6 adults, $3 children. Click here for a link to a coupon: http://collincreekmall.com/sales-events

Pros: The event raises money for the Kiwanis Club which does local charity and philanthropy. It's great for families and the elderly. It is wheelchair accessible, but you have to park your larger strollers outside the tent. The cost is reasonable. There are other activities, you can buy a chrysalis and watch butterflies hatch at home. There's also face painting and other butterfly related gifts. The mall also has the Spiderwalk which kids 5+ seem to really love.

Cons:  Little kids may be frightened of the butterflies. Or they may attempt to pick up the butterflies with their hands or smash them.  So, if you know you've got a rough little one make sure to watch them closely!

 

4 year old interview

1. Who is your favorite person in the whole world?
Daddy

2. What is your favorite color?
Black

3. What's your favorite television show?
Dark Knight Batman

4. What's your favorite outfit?
Batman clothes

5. What sport do you like best?
Angry Birds soccer

6. What song do you love?
Batman song and Scream & Shout by Will.i.am & Britney Spears

7. What's your favorite cereal?
Cinnamon Toast Crunch

8. Who is your best friend?
Mommy

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Bruce Wayne Batman

10. What is your favorite book?
Batman book

11. What are you really good at?
Doing fighting
(Mommy note: wth man?! He means pretend playing and rolling and doing stunts)

12. Where do you wish you could go on vacation?
an airplane and a beach

13. What is your best memory?
Going to a mall

14. What would you buy if you had $1000?
Big fat Batmobile toy

15. What vegetable do you hate the most?
Markers

16. If you could have a wish, what would it be?
For a lucky Batman toy

17. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Batman ice cream

18. Who is your biggest hero?
Bruce Wayne Batman

19. What do you like to do best with your friends?
Fighting bad guys

20. What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday?
Play soccer


Momma Notes:   I wrote exactly what he said. Clearly you can see we had no choice but to do a Batman birthday party.  Of course, since then in the past month he's fallen in love with Iron Man, Captain  America Iron Man, Blue Beetle (ummm I dunno where he got that one), and Hulk. And Transformers.

I don't know exactly what kind of thug life preschool gang my chid is involved in. But they fight bad guys, they are NOT the bad guys, so that's important to note.

Rocketeer!

This weekend we met some friends at an undisclosed rocket launch pad somewhere in the city...
My friend's husband had a stash of rockets and they'd scoped out the perfect place to launch them. They even wore their family Batman shirts since four year old Brucewaynebatman would be there. Awesomely sweet. And of course, someone came home from spending the night at Lolli and Papa's the night before convince that today he was Blue Beetle.  DC? Marvel? Who the F is Blue Beetle?! This kid asks me every day, "Mommy, can I be _____ today?" (Fill in the blank with Batman, Raphael (ninja turtle), or Optimus Prime). I, of course, say yes... (Apparently I have authority on granting superpowers?) And he says "Thank you Mommy!!!"  with a huge grin. So today, he wore Batman but he told me he's really Blue Beetle.

As we pulled up to the field, he says "Hey guys -- Are we gonna get busted?"
Get busted?!  Wait, who brought the beer? Busted?!
And why does my preschooler even know about 'busted'?
We assured him no, we wouldn't be busted. We're just scientists, doing an experiment.
Then we taught him about keeping on the DL.          psych.

That morning I may have been a tad excited.
So excited that I used my special black glitter paper and made official Rocket Club badges.
A Cricut may or may not have been involved. As well as chevron print ribbon and spray adhesive.
I thought it was pretty rad to give the kids spaceage names like Blast, Zoom, Zap, Whizz, and Zeee.
Only Cade wanted an official rocket badge.
The girls would have no part of it.
Upon later reflection I realized that for 3-8 year old girls you really need to have pink, purple, and teal for it to even be a consideration. And bling. And a necklace instead of a safety pin. Um hello?? What was I thinking?! So disappointed... I've got the boy mama thing down-ish.... Now I've got to work my inner girly girl.
Thanks, little man. For wanting the badge. For being "Blast" and being excited about it.
For making momma not feel like a huge loser.

Anyways, they launched all the rockets and each time they let out a fun loud noise and some steam.
The kids would then take off and run through the field to chase the parachute.

 

We may or may not still be a man down.
One half of one of the chutes is in someone's backyard. Sorry 'boutcha.
We tried to notify you. ish... And pray for a strong wind to knock it down.
With recent current events we understand it's not exactly a good sign to find a part of a toy rocket in your backyard. It looks a wee suspicious, but it's a child's toy. Promise. Can we get it back before you call the FBI? Nevermind.

It's always a playdate plus when the dads can be involved (AKA run the show) and the mommas can sit back and chat and pass out goldfish.
It's also a plus when your fellow momma brings Legit Goldfish.
I agree, the organic kind is better for you. It's also 3x the cost. And Goldfish are a staple to my American childhood and thus my children's too. So where does this fit in exactly in my "Cool Friendly Momma" checklist??  Last summer at a friend's neighborhood pool some chicks spotted my friend's organic gold-bunnies deals. These moms went on and on and on about how how could anyone POSSIBLY feed their flesh and blood all the chemicals and cheddar and arsenic or whatever they belive is bad about Goldfish. My friend nodded as these girls babbled their schpeil, then she said "Oh, these aren't the real Goldfish? My mother-in-law bought them for us." I wanted to high-five, fist-bump, hell chest-bump her. So bad A, no?   Meanwhile I was slipping my kids the real deal along with some rainbow Cheerios and praying that they didn't catch me "poisoning" America's youth.  Thus, Goldfish became another gold-star for any potential Mommy friends.
Respect. Keeping It Real.
Fighting the Good Fight.
Real Goldfish.

Peace.

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, 4 year old edition

Being a kid is awesome. Being a kid and having a birthday is even better.
Cade had THE perfect day.  We went out for a waffle breakfast at our favorite spot. After filling up on LOTS of bacon and eggs and waffles we hit up Walmart so Cade could pick out his big gift, a big boy bike.  Trying every bike in the store was like a dream come true. He calls his new red bike "My Hot Wheels Bike" and always remembers his helmet (even when we forget!).

After that we went to Klyde Warren Park to play with both sets of grandparents.
Always our fave place to hang and jump and run.

 

 

We went out for lunch at Chili's on Knox.  It was a fabulously gluttony day.

The birthday tour continued back home where we opened gifts and had cake.
Cade loved the Transformers, Batman gear, and showed off his new bike.
Grammie and Grandaddy got him a picnic table for outside.
Lolli and Papa got him a Bumblebee Transformer. 17 steps of amazing fun!

Seeing him eye the cake and think about his wish always melts my heart.  He was so overwhelmed by all the presents and getting totally spoiled all day.  With the exception of one wish that didn't quite come true.... He asked for a Batmobile. One he could sit in. And drive.
Sorry buddy.  No dice. This summer we can pretend in a cardboard box. Promise.

 

Valentine's 2013

Flashback Friday.
Time to catch up on a few posts, from pics that have sat on my camera for months. (Um, 600 since January) and from ideas for posts I've saved on my Blogger app on my iPhone, I plan to catch up on the blog! So, Flashback Friday it is. (This flashback happens to only go back a couple of months)

Valentine's Day.
Such a nothing holiday for a lot of grown ups.
Such a big deal for a kid.
I got to thinking the working mom's fallback, "Eh, it's just a Hallmark holiday. I don't want my kids to be commercialized. It's not that important."

But the thing about Valentine's Day. It IS important to teach our kids about it.
Love.
Friendship.
Appreciation.



I want my son to be a romantic.
To be okay with showing his love for his friends, teachers, and maybe a girl or two along the way.
To be creative in the ways he shows affection.
To grow up to be some lucky girl's Prince Charming.
So she can take care of him when I'm not around anymore.

I want my daughter to be excited about doing nice things for others.
To be a little more sweetheart and a little less bruiser.
To believe in Happily Ever After.
To have a high standard for her relationships.
With friends and with boys.

 

Yes, Valentine's Day is a holiday I need to celebrate with my children and for my children.
Show my husband love and teach my children the importance of relationships.

And finally, finding the perfect card.
He wanted me to buy him a red Valentine Batman card.
Hallmark didn't have those.
Papyrus did!
Okay, it was a generic superhero, that was red and blue.
But with a little Momma Sharpie action, it was a red Valentine Batman card.
I LOVE being able to deliver some holiday magic to my kids! 

 

Batman plate, bowl, and cup!  Pottery Barn Kids.

 

Princess plate and bowl!  Target.

Cade's Valentine's pirate shirt & Devyn's Valentine sweater tunic. Old Navy.

Klyde Warren Pics

Wordless Wednesday...Pics from Klyde Warren with the family from Cade's birthday.

For my Momma Review, check it out here.

Bonnie and Clyde

It's happened. We had our moment of realization when suddenly Nick and I looked at each other and we knew. The kids have joined forces. They have formed a bond that most certainly will put us to our tests as parents. Their brother and sister relationship was formed from the minute Cade kissed my pregnant belly and said "I love you baby Devyn". But they've grown, developed, and at ages four and one they will soon join the ranks of one of the infamous duos. NOT Donnie and Marie. NOT Hansel and Gretel. NOT Michael and Janet. NOT Bert and Ernie.  Oh no. These two most certainly will use their wills for evil. Certainly they have capability of turning into the sibling version of Bonnie and Clyde.

Exhibit A:   They look at each other, one will start to scream, then the other will scream and it's a test of who can scream the loudest and longest. Especially awesome whilst driving in the car. Piece of momma advice I've learned that works in this scenario: If you can't beat them, join them. So then I get to scream too. And you know, it's a rather fine outlet for me too. And 100% of the time it ends in giggles. So, I'm down with that.

Exhibit B:   On the other end of the spectrum, and maybe the more evil end of the spectrum, is when they are silent. And out of sight.  If you've been a parent for more than 1 year you know that silence is NOT a good thing. It means trouble. For Devyn it means going through my bathroom stash of products under the sink. (Our babyproofing deal sucks, from months of kids pulling on the safety latches has worn them down and now they open with only 3%  more resistance than having nothing on your cabinet door at all. siggghhh...) But when they're together it could possibly mean a chair in the pantry looking for candy or cookies. Together. So stinking clever and cute and evil at once.

Exhibit C:  Food related crimes. One of them will get the idea that they need candy or a cookie and both of them will come together to come persuade me with looks of cuteness. They jump up and down and say "cookie cookie cookie cookie" and smile and it's adorable.

***Breaking news report: As I type this Devyn has taken her baby to the wall plug, made the baby doll touch it and then sat the baby in time out and she's sitting down next to her saying "No, no baby!" Now she hugs the baby and is saying "All done baby, All done!" and nodding her head. This child... ***

Exhibit D:  They have started to argue. And isn't that the major downfall or every famous duo? You can't decide what to do with each other so you argue. This is my challenge. To be their coach -- make them more a powerhouse like Venus and Serena. Use their love for each other and build on it every day. Teach them to stand up for each other and help each other and above all, be best friends.

In our wedding program Nick and I  both thanked our siblings. They taught us how to love each other, live with someone of the opposite sex and get along, compromise, and be patient and loyal.  I want for Cade and Devyn what we have with our own sibling. Memories. Good ones. Knowing there is one person in this world who is guaranteed to "get" you.  On Grey's Anatomy Meredith and Christina talk about being each other's "person".  A sibling should be a built-in "person". When I had Devyn I was so happy and elated to get my baby girl, but I was also so moved that I could give this amazing gift to my first born, Cade. A friend. A "person". A sibling.

Perfect Playdates

 

Some days are just perfection.
As a Momma I love those days.
Those days make me want to have more children and be the little old lady who lived in the shoe. Okay, it wasn't EXACTLY perfection, but you know. We take what we can get. A few hours of perfection? Yes!

Probably my #1 playdate is heading to Klyde Warren Park downtown. http://www.klydewarrenpark.org/
I do NOT believe in not leaving my suburban bubble. Sometimes I get stuck in the bubble, but I crave the Dallas skyline.  Day or night, it's truly beautiful. So to go to this relatively new park (it's less than a year old)  which is built over a highway in between some of the most gorge skyscrapers we have makes me so happy.

The kids love the playground. It's got a huge pirate ship looking climbing structure with winding stairs (not so fun to chase a 1-2 yr old on), and a huge and smaller yellow rope "spiderweb" to climb on. Oh, and FINALLY - a park with a Merry-Go-Round!   The spinning circle of death is back for the younger generation to both enjoy and fear. And I'm sure on the warmer days I'll love the splash pad. For now, it's a feature that a few families partake in (mostly Dads who let their kids go--- so odd, right?!). Which makes me want to throat punch the 'rents who allow that on 50-60 degree days. Can't we all agree that it's OFF LIMITS in cold weather?  (Same with the coin-operated rides at malls... Can't we all agree that they are broken and let our kids "ride" them for free? Cause once you stick your 50 cents in those things, there's no going back. Ever. Now they know those deals move - all bets are off. And usually it's grandmas who  break this rule - FYI.)

 

That doll face is one of our fave friends - Audrey. Her momma and I met as 16 year olds at our first jobs as hostesses at the best hamburger joint around.  We reconnected at A&M and then again as new mommas with infants in their DOC bands. Notice the perfect heads. :)  What I love most about Amy is her friendship and keepin' it real.  Only a few people can look at each other and simultaneously think/say, "Look at that skinny B in her yoga pants and perfect hair. I hate her!"

Check out those sassy little jeans and little loopy hairdo. Sweetness.

So hardcore. BruceWayneBatman in action. I was able to snag some cute pics for his bday card on this gorgeous day. Score!

 

p.s. Thank you to the sweet strangers who talk Batman with him. He loves it when people say "Hey! Batman is here!!" wherever we go.

Can't.stop.teething.and.drooling.

The three amigos. The big kids are so good with Devy Girl.

Cade loved the live music and danced and danced.
I loved Crazy Fish sushi truck! It's awesome to go try new food trucks. Of course the crowd was ridic, being Spring Break and all, so the line for the other trucks were insanity.... On a regular weekday or weekend it's not that crowded. And chances are, your luck won't be shite and a 100 kid daycare won't plop down 1" from your picnic blanket.

Momma Review:
Cost: Free (if you find street parking). Parking prices range from $1-2 on a parking meter to $10-$12 if you park at the museum parking.
Ages: 0-adult.
Bathroom Sitch: Permanent bathroom in the kids' play area. This is where the changing table is, baby  mamas. Extremely nice portos on the food truck side with faucets and counters. Conveniently near the beer and wine truck.
Food: Pack your own picnic, they have little tables and chairs to use, or bring a blanket. Click here for the food truck schedule. I've tried Relish and Crazy Fish. Loved both!
Pros: Great for all ages. Perfect for a playdate, family outing, or date day/night.  The live music rotates, it's not too loud. There are also free books, newspapers, and board games sponsored by the Dallas Morning News.  The kids' area has a big kid area and little kid area. Bring a change of clothes for the summer months when your littles will want to partake in the splash pad and sand play. There is a cool dog park. The grass is synthetic, so it's always pretty. There's a dog park, so take your pooches. They have a doggie drinking fountain so you and your pup can hydrate.
Cons: You can't wear high heels in the kid area. Kidding. I'm SO not that Momma. But there is a sign. Consider yourself warned. Also, we learned that bulldogs drool on babies. A lot. And maybe your human babies shouldn't roll on the grass in the dog park. Gross.