Pumpkin decoratin'

Since we are just a few days from Halloween, this morning I told the boys that they would paint the pumpkins that we bought at the farmer's market this past weekend.

The catch: They had to clean up their playroom.
Someone very wise said that cleaning your house while the kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk while it is still snowing. However if you do not shovel, you will have a couple of feet of snow before you know it. Not that wise after all.
So they very reluctantly proceeded. Unfortunately cleaning up has different meanings depending on how old you are.
At two, it means picking up your toys (blocks, cars, trains...), throwing them up in the air, laughing uncontrollably while you are watching them fall down all over the room.
At four, the meaning of cleaning up changes to picking up the toys that your little brother just spread all over the playroom's floor and hiding them under your Thomas the train table.
At thirty eight, you just watch the scene unfold, take a deep breath and tell them how lucky they are to be the cutest things you have ever seen.
Since cleaning up was pretty quick, we had plenty of time for our paintings.
When using paint with young kids I have learned to be extremely careful. As a piece of advice, unless you are ready to appear on "Extreme makeover-House edition", cover and protect as much of your house as you can. From the floor to the furniture, without forgetting the kids. I used old tee-shirts of mine, old table clothes or plastic can do the trick too. And if you are not planning to display the pumpkins outside, use some washable paint.

Not so spooky ghosts.

As we are just a couple of weeks away from Halloween, we started making some decorations.
Today, Matthew and I made a few ghosts to hang in the house.
First we gathered everything we needed: white tissue paper, plastic golf balls (styrofoam balls can also be used), sticky eyes and black ribbon. You could also use some real golf balls but since I am a lousy golfer I left my last golf balls in the water at Wallkill Golf Course.

We wrapped the golf ball with the paper and tied it at the neck with the ribbon. We then glued the eyes and used some black foam stickers for the mouth. Matthew insisted in the ghosts having happy faces.
They are now hanging in the dining room trying to scare (or welcome) anyone who dares to venture in the kitchen.

When we were all done, Matthew made a Halloween collage.

Life happens.

What happened to us?
This is a question too familiar to most couples.
Our life is not what it used to be, most couple complain. Of course it is not!!
A few years ago, we did not have three kids and a mortgage and bills etc. A few years ago, we were able to go to the beach in a two-seater convertible without planning the day trip a month in advance. A few years ago, we would spend many sleepless night drinking bubbly and...A few years ago life was different.
A day trip to the beach now needs to be planned way in advance. It takes a long checklist to make sure we do not forget anything or anybody! The convertible has grown into the biggest minivan on the market and still we run out of room. After a two hour drive including all stops (diaper changes, bottle feedings etc) it takes another hour to unload the car and "settle" on the beach. After a quick lunch of peanut butter and sand sandwiches we play in the sand. The waves are too big for the kids to even think about going in the water. We finally decide that John ate enough sand for a year and it is time to go back home where we should be in about three hours.
With three kids four and under a day at the beach is nothing more than a very long commute to a huge sandbox.
As for our exciting sleepless nights, we still have them. The champagne has turned into Diet Pepsi over the years, and we get our thrills eating gallons of ice cream, playing Scrabble and watching Lisa Robertson on QVC, all at the same time. Yes, when you have kids you learn to multitask!
My motorcycle has shrunk into a tricycle* and the only roaring engine sounds I hear on weekends are those of a lawn mower and leaf blower.
So what happened to us?
Nothing! We decided to have a family and now we have a life. It is up to us to enjoy it.

*Don't give up on your dreams though. I know that tricycle will grow back into a bobber someday.

Chocolate covered corn flakes.

John was a little bit under the weather this morning so instead of going to play outside we made some chocolate covered corn flakes.
First I melted some baking chocolate mixed with fat free milk. What is the point of fat free milk when you already have about a thousand calories worth of chocolate? It just made me feel better!
Matthew then mixed the corn flakes and melted chocolate together.

When Matthew was done mixing, both John and him scooped the corn flakes onto a baking sheet.
I could not take a picture of John doing it, I had to help him out. (I did not want today's craft to include repainting the dining room!)

Once all the mixture was scooped up, I placed it in the fridge and it will be ready for our afternoon snack. Matthew and John helped cleaning up the chocolate...

We did end up going outside to burn a few calories

.

Making our own lunch.

The boys love to make, build, cook or bake their own things so for today's lunch they made their own pizza. Sometimes we use whole wheat English muffins instead of dough (it's a little healthier) but today we got the real thing.
While the oven was preheating to 450º, I rolled out the dough on a baking sheet.
Matthew and john spread the tomato sauce and sprinkled the cheese over it
.

After about 15 minutes in the oven we were ready and proud to enjoy our own pizza.
What a treat!!