The Binky Fairy

The time has come for the beloved and dreaded Binky Fairy to visit our dearest little Lucy! Lucy has had a Binky since her first week of life. When I discovered she had colic I gave in wanting to do anything that would comfort my poor, screaming, little baby! I thought that we would be rid of it over a year ago but when I had Evey, that idea went flying out the window. During that time though, we decided that Lucy would only be allowed to have it at "night, night time" which worked out fantastically. In fact she looked forward to going to bed! (That is part of the reason why Eric and I have been dreading this. Will taking the Binky result in "night, night battles"?) But Alas, the dreaded day came! For about a month we built up the idea of a Binky Fairy coming in the middle of the night to take Lucy's Binkies. But we emphasized that when she come to take her Binkies she would also leave a present for Lucy. She was pretty excited about that! So last Saturday we sneaked into her room, took all her Binkies and left a present by her bed. It took less than a half hour for Lucy to realize that her Binky was gone. I could hear her searching around her bed, saying "Binky? Binky? Binky?" It nearly brought tears to my eyes. So Eric and I opened the door and as excitedly as we could we explained that the Binky Fairy had come. She then broke into tears and said, "Binkies all gone?" "Yes" we said to Lucy. "The Binky Fairy took your Binkies to babies who need it. BUT... she left you a present!!!" Lucy didn't perk up the way I had hoped she would. But after a few minutes of sobbing she reached for the present.


I first read her the card. In case you can't read it, it says:
"Lovely Lucy,
You are growing up to be a beautiful little girl! But you are not a baby anymore! So the time has come for me to take your Binkies to little babies who need them. I hope you love your presents! I picked them out especially for you!
Love,
The Binky Fairy

Inside she found two new stuffed friends. A grin grew on her face as she pulled out the Elephant!

I picked it out because she has been coveting her sisters for the longest time. I also felt the music would help soothe her when she misses her Binky at night. (When she pulls it's tail, it plays music.)

It has been 3 days since she was visited by the Binky Fairy, and they have gone by surprisingly well. The first night she was fine. She seemed to think that the Binky Fairy was coming again that night. The next night she cried for only a minute but then simply stated that the Binky Fairy came and gave her Binky to a baby and that she got a present. She then took her Elephant and pulled its' tail. Every now and again throughout the day she will state matter-of-factly "Binkies are All Gone!" Or she'll run up to me and say "I got a present!!!!" Thankfully, bed time has never become an issue either. It's seems that she is so grounded in routine, that she hasn't even given it a second thought...yet... So all in all, it was a success! And our fears were just that. Fears.

Soap Crayons

Last week I decided that I would try this out! So I invited a friend over and together we made soap crayons for our kids!


They are incredibly easy to make!

1 cup Soap Flakes (just grate a bar of soap with a cheese grater)
Food coloring
2tbsp of hot water

Have 1 large bowl and several small bowls (one for each color), An ice cube tray or other small molds.

Put Soap Flakes in a large bowl and drop the hot water into the soap flakes stirring constantly (it will be very thick and difficult to stir)

Spoon some of the soap into each small bowl and color each separately. Mush and stir until it is the desired consistency and color. Put some colored soap into each mold. How much soap in each mold is entirely up to you!

Let dry (this can take 5 days to a week)

Have Fun!



Lucy and Evey seemed to really enjoy themselves and even though the color wasn't as vivid as I had hoped it would be, it sure killed the morning!


Big Smile!



Don't expect to get your kids incredibly clean this time! Prepare yourself for very dirty looking water. Keep reminding yourself it's soap with food coloring, not dirt. That helps...a little.



And of course as every little kid must do, Lucy drinks the disgusting water (YUCK!!! "It's only soap!! It's only soap!!!")

Changes!

Sorry guys, I have been so terrible about keeping up my Blog. Lately, it seems like the days haven't been long enough. (Wait a minute!!!!...It IS almost fall, so the days are getting shorter! Haha)

So things have been fun and a little crazy around here. Eric just got a new job! It's the one that we have been waiting for! He is working with a program called Comprehensive Autism Services and Education Inc. (C.A.S.E., Inc.) It's an agency that specializes in the behavioral, social and educational needs of children with Autism. Eric is being trained to be an ABA interventionist. He basically gets to play with kids all day using games and activities that will help change undesirable behaviors (behavior modification). This job is such a blessing to our family because Eric will get experience in his field, Psychology. (which will help tremendously as he applies for a PhD program.) It is full time with benefits which is fantastic for our family! Plus, he gets to play with kids all day! So far Eric loves it! It's everything he wanted all meshed up into one job! I am so proud of him for working so hard for our family, but never settling for a job that was not exactly what he wanted! He will be so good at it, I just know it. He is soo great with kids!

However, Eric's new job has taken some getting used to for the both of us. After school ended, Eric was home almost all morning and now he leaves home as I am getting out of bed. I've been soo spoiled! I've gotten used to having Eric to talk to for half the day. Now it just seems like the mornings are too quiet. ( aside from the girls shrieking up and down the hall chasing each other)

His new job has also left me car-less, which has taken some getting used to. Now I have to find more clever ways to keep myself and the girls entertained. I am so lucky to be in walking distance to both the store and the park. We go on a lot of walks. Our outdoor adventures usually contain sliding, bug catching, flower picking, and bird/airplane watching. But besides the slide, Lucy and Evey’s favorite activity is ball hunting.

There are always little tiny airsoft pellets all over our apartment complex. Lucy and Evey love them for there bright colors. It's funny because I have never seen one kid in our complex playing airsoft and yet there seems to be an endless supply. Sometimes I feel that they are heaven sent, simply to entertain my children. Anyways, if any one has any ideas for fun activities for toddlers I am all ears! I’d love ideas for crafts or kid friendly recipes.
Another one of Lucy's favorite activities is Play Dough!

I made a batch about a week ago and it has been great. Lucy will sit at the table for at least an hour making shapes with cookie cutters. Evey on the other hand, is only interested for about 10-15 minutes. (I didn't add any food coloring so it would be the same color as my carpet, just in case we have a messy day)




Heres the recipe for anyone that wants it!...

Homemade Play Dough!

2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
optional- food coloring (liquid, powder, or unflavored drink mix)
optional- scented oils

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes.

When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.

If your play dough is still sticky, you simply need to cook it longer! Keep stirring and cooking until the dough is dry and feels like play dough.

Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or silicone mat, and knead vigorously until it becomes silky-smooth.

Divide the dough into balls for coloring.Make a divot in the center of the ball, and drop some food coloring in.Fold the dough over, working the food color through the body of the play dough, trying to keep the raw dye away from your hands and the counter.Work the dye through, adding more as necessary to achieve your chosen color.
(If you used unsweetened drink mix for color, test on a small ball first- it won't go as far as the "real" food coloring.)

Play with your play dough- I really don't need to help you there. It's entirely edible, if a bit salty, so it's kid-safe.

(When you're done store it in an air-tight container. If it begins to dry out, you can knead a bit of water in again to soften the dough back to use-ability. Once it's dried past a certain point, however, you'll just have to start over; thankfully it's not terribly difficult.)




So yep that's that...
Once again, if anyone has any ideas for fun activities let me know!

Anniversary!

Last Wednesday was our 4th Anniversary! And I am still in awe with how time flies! It's funny how it doesn't seem like all that long ago since Eric and I started dating and yet it feels like I have known him forever! How is that possible?

cutting our wedding cake

Walking out of the temple together

Eric and I met at the Institute of Religion at Palomar. He was up in Utah the semester I enrolled to Palomar and while he was gone I made friends with his friends. So naturally when he came back he asked me out, "to get to know me better". Needless to say, we connected immediately! It was very obvious to the both of us, within a couple months, that we were going to get married. We both felt that neither one of us had dated anyone so easy to get along with, who had similar priorities, tastes, and interests. We both prayed about our relationship and knew that there was no point in waiting to get married. So Vuala! Four years (and 2 kids) later, our love for each other has only magnified. We are very happily married!!

on our honeymoon

To celebrate our Anniversary we both decided that we would drop off the girls at my moms and spend the day at Six Flags! I have been dying to go there for about 3 years, but haven't been able to go because I was either pregnant or injured (both of which happen quite often to me!!! hmmm....) We were all ready and excited to go until Wednesday night when both of us began to get "that feeling". We pushed it to the back of our minds but eventually when neither one of us was able to sleep, we decided to talk about it! I was really scared to mention it to Eric because, 1, I didn't want to miss out on Six Flags just for some "mom" feeling and 2, because I thought that he might think I was being silly or something. But as soon as I said something, he told me that he was feeling the same way and that he didn't want to say anything because he knew how set I was on going. Knowing that we both felt that way, we knew it would be really dumb to ignore it. So we came up with plan B. We decided that we would drop off the kids for the day at my moms and just go the beach! And let me tell you, I haven't had more fun in my life! I am sooo glad we decided to do that instead. It was soo much better than standing in line for 2 hours for a minute and a half ride! Too bad I forgot the camera!

But nonetheless, Here is how our day went:
The girls woke up at 9!!! Normally they only sleep til 7, so we figure it was their Anniversary present to us! On the way down to my parents we stopped by Smoothie King for breakfast ( I of course ordered my fav: Caribbean Way, but the girls ended up drinking most of it, so Eric shared his with me!) After we dropped off the girls, we headed to La Jolla Shores but found it difficult to find parking so we decided to go out to Islands for lunch instead! Eric ordered his favorite, the Kilauea Burger, and I ordered Buffalo Wings, which I have been craving for forever! (...And just because I'm craving something does not mean I'm pregnant! ....I know some of you were thinking it!) Then we went to The World Market and just browsed. ( I could buy everything in that store, but I resisted) We were actually looking for a present for a friend. Then we went to Deseret Books to buy a Willow Tree figurine!. (Every year on our Anniversary Eric and I pick out a "Willow Tree" carving. We bought one on our honeymoon and that started the tradition. We are determined to someday to be married for more years than they have figurines! collecting figurines may seem silly but it holds a great deal of importance to us because it symbolizes not only the years that we have been married but what happens along the way! )

This is the one we bought this year: "Our gift"

These are the other "Willow Trees" we have gotten over the years starting with the one we got on our honeymoon in order all the way to our 4th year together!!!






After that we went back to La Jolla Shores and sure enough our patience payed off. We ended up getting a spot right next to the beach! So we set up our stuff, played frizbee for a while and then set off for the waves! The waves were Huge!!!! They were literally crashing over our heads! It was great! I haven't gone boogy boarding for such a long time! We played in the water for a long time swimming, splashing, and catching waves. It really took me back to the days when we were dating! When it was just us! When we were finally beat from the waves, we laid down and napped under our umbrella for a while. When we woke up we decided, what the heck, lets go to Seaport Village. So off we went! On our way, we passed a street fair. So we parked at Seaport Village, got some Ben and Jerry's ( to validate our parking ) and walked over to the street fair, ice creams in hand! There were many "interesting" people and things at the street fair, but nothing really worth buying for twice its value, so we walked back to the village and continued to look for our friends particular present! And after wondering around for awhile we finally found it! YAY!!! We walked inside a lot of different shops, but my favorite was the Wooden Toy Store! They have so many little Knick Knacks that I know my kids would get a kick out of. I love toys! We were kinda tired and sat down on the bench for awhile and talked as the sun began to go down. As we watched a little toddler with curly hair run around (with her mom chasing close behind), we began to miss our girls and decided that it was time to head back. After all ,we were still really full from lunch! So hand in hand we walked back to our car and drove to my parents only to find two, tired but happy little girls wearing T-shirts that went down to their ankles for PJ's! Both were very happy to see us! On the way home, Evey feel asleep and Lucy sung I Am a Child of God quietly to herself over and over again. And as I listened to her sing, I felt overwhelmed and so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

The day I chose to married Eric I began a new chapter in my life and I have never been happier!!!

Cinnamon Rolls

Due to popular demand... The Cinnamon Roll recipe!!! But prepare yourself for a ton of butter and sugar...YUM!!!

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

FILLING ( I double this)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup margarine, softened

ICING (I double this too)

• 8 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.

2. Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.

3. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.

4. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Roll the dought out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide.

6. It should be approx 1/4 thick.

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

8. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

9. Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.

10. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.

11. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.

12. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

13. While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.

14. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.

15. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing

Nutrition Facts
1 Cinnamon Roll =

517 calories!
Calories from fat 192
Total Fat 21.4g
Total Carbs 75.6g
Dietary Fiber 2.0g
Sugars 40.9g

( I Warned Ya!!)

On a Roll !!!

I have been soo busy lately with my little "mini projects" (as Eric calls them), that I haven't really had much time for blogging. One of my more recent projects... Jamming!

My grandparents who live in Escondido have 2 acres of land full of fruit trees and a huge veggie garden. Plums, Peaches, Apples, Nectarines, Apricots, Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, Lemons, Corn, Carrots, Eggplant, Zucchini, Onions, Pumpkins... OK, you get the point!!! Basically, you name it, they've got it! So when ever the crop comes in Eric and I go over to help harvest. We are so fortunate to have them so close. We hardly ever have to buy produce!(The picture above is one of our many bowls that were full of plums)
So about a month ago my grandma taught me how to make Jam! And now I will never, ever, ever go back to store bought jam. I am addicted! I made both apricot jam and plum jam. Don't they look yummy!?

This was my first batch!

Later that same week I made Cinnamon Rolls! Not to brag or anything but if you ever need a Cinnamon Roll recipe, I have one that you will love. You will never be satisfied with anyone else's again (and that includes Cinnabon!!! Shocking I know!) This isn't the best picture of my Cinnamon Rolls but it still looks tasty! Warning though... Major Calories!!!!!
The picture says it all...everybody makes out well when I am in a cooking mood! (Ha ha!!! Lucy looks like she is on a major sugar high!!! Messy Messy Messy!!!)

What Memories do you have with me?

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.