winter escape

we were lucky this year to be able to escape from kansas city for the warm beaches of playa del carmen in mexico. we were celebrating our 10 year anniversay with friends, unfortunately one couple did not get to go because they were lacking a passport. don't know how we missed that fact since we planned this trip about 8 months ago! despite feeling horrible about that and missing them we had a great time: yummy food, cold beverages, lots of laughs, sunny days and relaxing on the beaches listening to the ocean.

we haven't had much snow this winter but we came home to plenty! and excited kids, both for the snow and to have their mommy and daddy back home.

read to a dog

our local library hosts several fun activities for the kids each season. this weekend we went to read to a dog. they loved snuggling up with max, zoe and maddie to read to them. click on this link if you are from the kc area for listings of activities at a library close to you: www.jocolibrary.org

we lost our dog over a year and a half ago and have been thinking about a new one. the family vote is 4 to 1 to get a puppy but dad is holding out. we have done some dog-sitting for a sweet beagle, india. lucy is head over heels for her!

happy birthday mom!

70 years of oz

a trip downtown to crown center to visit the 70 years of oz exhibit. these free exhibits change every few months and the kids enjoy it every time we we go. this one lasts through april 26. the kids follow the yellow brick road past dorothy, glenda, the scarecrow, lion and tin man, through the witches castle and a ride on a hot air balloon.

of course we had to eat at fritz's where a train delivers the meal and look at that huge brownie sundae!

then outside to watch the fountains and enjoy a semi warm day in february.

valentine's

here are our valentine's this year. we wrapped a chenille stem around a pencil and added our message and a sticker at the top.

friday family fun nights

march's theme for tastebud magazine is family favorites, so i documented one of our friday family fun nights at home. it was fun to include the kids on this one!

Friday Family Fun Night
In our house Fridays are reserved for family fun night. This can include anything from going to the Nelson-Atkins art gallery to trying a new family friendly restaurant or the kid’s favorite, game night at home. Since this night is all about fun and family time together start with setting an interactive and brightly colored table. Roll out a large sheet of white butcher block paper and provide lots of markers, crayons and colored pencils for creating bold drawings. To hold our supplies we made ‘junk drawer’ robots out of recycled cans, old hardware, paper clips and any odds and ends we discovered in the garage. Have the kids design the robots out of these old parts and an adult can attach the junk with a hot glue gun. My kids were so excited to add their works of art to create our centerpiece. Next, bring on the games! For our last game night we played bingo. The cage served as the centerpiece, we placed the bingo cards at each place setting and spread the colorful markers all over the table. Another alternative would be to place a board game and pieces in the middle and get ready to play!
The menu is simple: make your own pizza and chocolate milk. Stop by Whole foods to buy their pre-made pizza dough in the deli area and get plenty of toppings (pepperoni, black olives, broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, etc.), sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Everyone is happy because they choose their own pizza toppings and they have fun making it. While the pizza is in the oven enjoy coloring and talking about the week. When the pizza is gone it’s on to dessert. What could be more fun than chocolate fondue? Kids love dipping marshmallows, pretzels, bananas and strawberries into the yummy melted chocolate.
Spend the rest of the evening playing games and laughing, dancing and enjoying this time together. We end our night with everyone piling into our king sized bed for a family slumber party.

Family Fun Night Tunes

House Party Time: Dan Zanes
Pizza and Chocolate Milk: The Terrible Twos
Victor Vito: Laurie Berkner
I Chalk: Justin Roberts
Heist: Ben Folds
William Tell Overture: Rossini
Catch the Moon: Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell

ku natural history museum

over christmas break we made the road trip to lawrence to visit the natural history museum. (since we are k-state fans the boys made sure to wear their jerseys). what fun was this! so much to explore-the bug room, birds, animals from every region, dinosaur fossils and a real bee hive. the kids had a blast following the scavenger hunt that the museum provides. we will definitely head back this summer for more learning and fun.

after we had fuel up so we had lunch at local burger. delicious and freshly made choices including a veggie, turkey, buffalo and cow burgers and yummy sweet potato fries!

i have not been posting my articles for tastebud here because they are on my botanica blog.

head on over there to see what's up - i'm excited about the february issue!

if you are in the kc area-don't forget to pick up a copy at local coffee shops, grocery stores-there is a list of where to find them on the web-site.

***note to all 5 of my readers-if you would still like to find the articles here, just let me know.***

(a behind the scenes look at what is really happening when i'm trying to take pics. this little guy couldn't wait to get his hands on the fruit!)

at home-winter

gingerbread houses. we made two this season.

tea time in the bathroom.

lucy's new fairy tent-our new reading spot.

eating snow

by far the most played with toys in our house. sports figures. we have soccer, baseball and football guys. lots of games have been played with these. i had been thinking about creating something like this a few years ago when we were making our own games with teddy grahms on fields we had drawn. soon after found these in a magazine. i'm sure created by parents whose children were crazy about sports and thought why not sports figures instead of power rangers. darn my million dollar idea gone!

winter family fun night-games in mom and dad's bed.