The Smith Home

The Chef and the Magic Turtle - Chapter 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:26:00 +0000

Once there was a chef named corlos. He worked at a seafood restront and one fine day some costermes came and said, " We would like some crab". Corlos made some crab but he didn't no that he cooked a magic trtoll and so when the costermes aet a bit thay ternd into a...

To be continued...

Making Lemonade

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:16:00 +0000

Annora and I are enjoying our time at home while Maddie enjoys some time at school. Here was our lemonade making day.

Special Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:09:00 +0000

Not only was today Maddie's first day of Kindergarten, but it was also Grandpa's birthday! Betcha wish you were half a century :)

Welcome to Kindergarten Kid

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:54:00 +0000

Our sweet Madeleine is starting Kindergarten tomorrow! I love this kid. She is enthusiastic, brilliant, creative, and thoughtful. I'm glad she's mine, and I'm excited to see how she grows this year.

Last Summer Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:56:00 +0000

End of Summer Camping

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:36:00 +0000

We had a lot of fun this summer, and we're having the best weather of the season at the close. I had wanted to head to the beach for sunset on Friday and maybe snag a last minute camping spot, but not all of us were feeling very well by the days end, so Ryan came up with the super idea to camp in the backyard. We had hobo dinners and ate s'mores and all of us slept in the tent. One of us would like to sleep there for the rest of their lives I think. Can you guys which one of us that is?

Ingrocerients

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:19:00 +0000

Kids are pretty neat. One of the things I like about them is the way they make me smile. I am not a parent to correct my child's grammar. Someday perhaps...but for now it makes my day happy when I'm in the kitchen making something and my kid runs in and says, "Can I put the ingrocerients in?". And when we go to the store they ask if they can walk by the cart so they can put the ingrocerients in. Pretty great word, huh?!

ingrocerients [in grohs ree uh nt] noun
1. component of a whole item, such as flour in bread
2. items bought from a grocery store.

Toothless

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Maddie lost her first tooth at Olive Garden. She was super brave and just pulled and twisted. The blood apparently freaked her out because when it came time for the second to come she wouldn't pull it. It literally just fell out of her mouth while shopping at Walmart...well, not out of her mouth, it just sat inside her mouth, and when she realized it was just floating there she got a little hysterical, but then when she realized what had happened she was okay with it.

Look Ma! Something New!

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:29:00 +0000

My mom keeps checking our blog (she's not aware of RSS feeders) and has been disappointed to find it has nothing new. So here is something new. Will I keep up with it? Will I continue to bring new material for this lackadaisical blog? Who knows. Maybe. Maybe not. I've struggled for the last few months with what is important enough to have a piece of my very valued time. I like to do most things, and dabble here and there, but I've learned that even little things take time. Like putting batteries in toys. Where are the batteries? Next to the bread. (I don't know why...that's just where I put them) 10 seconds to walk to the pantry...Where is the screwdriver? In the junk drawer. (Why don't toys have a tethered screwdriver attached to them? I despise toys with batteries and most are in our garage sale pile) 20 seconds to get the screwdriver, find the flathead - no wait, the phillips, and unscrew. 15 seconds to get it all put back together...to find out that it's broken. I could have tickled my child purple. Something I value so much more.

Anyway...on with the show. Kelly - you are my hero. Your theme days, the way you entertain 5 children - they make me covet your mothering. My kids are often well entertained, but I love theme days because I feel it's special. And kids need special. Unfortunately I don't always plan ahead. I'm actually very good at planning. And making lists, and scheduling...but for some reason, theme days have not happened because I can't plan it well. Finally I decided to check out Kelly's blog and do what I do best - list. I found all the theme days I wanted to do, listed everything I needed for all the food and activities and now I have my go-to theme days planner. I'm swiping. Because my life only has so much time for so many things. And the planning part is now out of the way. Thank you Kelly.

On Spring break we did "Very Hungry Caterpillar Day" which i have no pictures of, but I do have the Maddie quote upon seeing her lunch of Swiss cheese, salami and pickles "Mom you always make me the best lunches that I ever like!" Really. That's how she says it. Makes me smile. We also did "Build - It Day", which we borrowed legos for and was a huge success. Just so everyone is aware - the legos we borrowed were only HALF as many as these 2 boys own. Remember that when you see the picture of the tub. Crazy! Ryan wanted to sort them. I wanted to make myself REEAAL tiny so I could climb lego mountain. We built marshmallow towers and built a fort. Life is an enjoyable thing.

Being a SuperHero is Tiring.

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:17:00 +0000

The girls have a new love - "The Justice League". I love that our girls are open to more than pink princesses. It has a lot to do with the Dad and his childlike nature and reliving his wonderful childhood again with his kids. Previously we were watching the Tailspin shows, but recently some friends came over and their boys brought "The Justice League" shows. Madeleine was captivated by Wonder Woman. The very next day she started asking me for some blue star panties and a red bra. Ummm...no - but I will give her the next best thing - the wonder woman dress. She still wants some star panties for some reason. And I have to tape paper stars to her ears...I sure do love these kids. Annora is as quirky as Madeleine. The sweater you see her wearing is a 0-3 month sweater in my "to be made into dolls" pile. She REFUSED to have me cut it and DEMANDED to wear it then and there. What the hay - I pick my battles, and this was not one of them.

I was asked today to make Annora a Hawk Girl costume. But think instead of a 4 and 2 year old saying it - which sounds a lot like "hot girl". (me snickers) Two days ago the girls watched a show and the green lantern said something like, "Why do I feel like a hot dog". This is what the girls heard, and kept saying and laughing hysterically over for the last 2 days. I love it. Tonight, Madeleine requested the hot dog show. I watched it with them this time. Guess what - Green Lantern ACTUALLY says (after being beat up) "why do I feel like a hockey puck". Ha! I love these kids and I love superheros. Poor Annora got zonked last night from all her superhero superheroing. After she fell asleep under the table naked I just let her be - don't wake a sleeping bear. :)

Proud Owner...

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 01:53:00 +0000

...of her new pillow pet! It's name is her usual "Pretty Princess (insert name of animal)". In this instance, a unicorn. She's been wanting one of these since we happened to let her watch Nick Jr. -not realizing that they have commercials for Sketchers and Pillow Pets every 10 minutes.

Last week while we were watching Maddie during swim lessons, Ryan decided that he would give Maddie a pillow pet if she held her head under the water for 5 seconds. (She's a face-in-the-water-phobe)Without realizing the power of the pillow pet, he told her this while she was in the water and BAM! She did it. We told her after lessons however that she had not been a good listener with her teacher(truth), so she had to prove herself obedient this lesson. And the teacher gave her a task as well - 3 dives. She did great. A bonafide swimmer. Maddie got to ride in the truck with her Dad to pick out her special friend. Welcome to the family Pretty Princess Unicorn.

Summer's Last Gasp

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:59:00 +0000

I'm glad we decided to head out for an adventure yesterday as it may very well be the last bit of summer we'll have this season. We decided on a hike, and I was thinking of something more the kids could do with us, so decided on Tumwater Falls. We'd never been, and I read that the salmon were running - sounded exciting. The hatchery was full of the largest salmon I'd ever seen. We saw plenty of salmon in the river making their way to the final ladder too! It was a good choice. We learned that Maddie is afraid of bridges and falling into water. We tried to get a good family shot, but Maddie was hysterically hysterical about being dropped in the water. We then had a nice picnic lunch and Ryan came up with an adventure all by himself. It was a surprise he said, so when we neared the destination off Reservation Rd. in Shelton, he had us close our eyes, then open them once we were in the middle of the High Steel Bridge. We parked the car and walked to the middle of the bridge and peered over. I think we'll be back for a nice hike sometime. It's gorgeous out there. -Surprisingly, Maddie did not get hysterical and actually enjoyed peering through the guardrail.

Can you see the worry on Maddie's face?Our attempt at a family photo with two ill-coping children.Long way down Dad.

Outdoor Playdates

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 06:13:00 +0000

I love getting the kids outside-someplace different than the backyard. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderfully rich area of nature. A couple days ago we had the opportunity to visit one of our favorite beach parks close to home - Tawanoh. We met some friends this time, which adds even more fun to the adventure. The kids inspected the rocks and oysters and clams. They showed each other things, ran with one another, and made up games and ways to play. We found a great picnic shelter that I have GREAT ideas for this fall and winter. It has a fireplace! Can you imagine some outdoor preschool!? And at the end of our visit there were hugs to go all around. Okay-at the absolute end there were tears all around, but I'm pretty sure it was because everyone had so much fun no one wanted to leave. :)

Tea Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 06:08:00 +0000

Art Smarts

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:31:00 +0000

We love art! Thank you Kelly for the wonderful painting idea! -pudding paint turned body art. We came up with a new way to get paint on paper.

This project I discovered through Crafty Crow was wonderfully colorful! I used water and a dab of artist watercolor to make liquid watercolors. They are so lovely that I've had a hard time dumping them out. They sit on our counter looking lively. We used some for coffee filter painting which we are going to make into flowers. I'd like to put the rest into spray bottles so they can each paint a bed sheet, but that means I have to remember to buy the spray bottles...which is unlikely.

End of Summer Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:13:00 +0000

I feel like summer came to an abrupt end. I'm not sure why as my kids are not in school yet, so I don't feel that we were hit by the school-bus. The weather turned down its thermostat rather quickly I feel, and my outside to-do projects are slipping ever- so- quickly from my hand. My visions for my yard are a little foggy; or perhaps, I'm just not sure on how to accomplish my tasks. OR - could it be that I'm just a regular mom with tiny hands to hold and crafts to conjure that I couldn't possibly do it all? I think that is why summer is now at an end when I feel like it just began; I let it slip by too quickly while I was playing "race you to the big weed and back".

Near the end of this season we went blueberry picking with our sweet friend. I asked Maddie what she wanted to do with her berries and she said, "Make a pie!", so I made her pick all the berries for that pie, and she did! It was yummy.We've been enjoying our boat quite a bit, and decided to use it as our mode of transport to Olympia's "Sand In the City" festival. We drove to Harsteine Island, plopped the boat in the water and jetted off. I say jetted - Ryan would probably say cruised at a mediocre speed. At any rate, we were off and found ourselves spotting the capitol building about 20 minutes later. Unfortunately, we were uninformed about the docks being under construction, which wouldn't normally be a total catastrophe except that the lone dock remaining was "reserved for Sand in the City". We understood this to mean that we could dock our 15 ft. boat next to the behemoth yachts that were tied up, but once we tried they told us that we could not, they were saving the space for some other boat on its way. Ryan was able to let us out while manned the boat away from the dock. We learned a few things, so we were glad we went anyway, plus we got some cute pictures of the kids. Annora was out like a light after just 5 minutes in the boat.

Inspired

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:36:00 +0000

I discovered Jim's Pancakes this week, so had to give it a try. Ryan was pretty excited to try it out as well. I think we might be having some very special pancakes around here from now on.

My Friend and Me.

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:21:00 +0000

Sand In Our Nose

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:13:00 +0000

We love owning the Prius because even when we don't have any money, we have a bit more freedom to do something fun with the kids. So a couple weekends back, after I spent all our money on crumpets we went to the beach - a kids favorite playground. We haven't spent a lot of time going to the beach...it's not quite the same as the Oregon coast, which we love - but I can say that we'll definetely be going more often now that it's only a couple gallons of gas. Ryan got to dig his big hole. Annora was reminded how much she truly likes that grit between her teeth, and Maddie learned to dive for a frisbee. Oh, and I got to sit in the sand in the sun an d watch my family smile.

Super Mystery Adventure Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:39:00 +0000

I'd been planning on taking the girls to the Tacoma Art Museum for quite a while, but with cars breaking down and other life getting in the way, it got put on the back burner. Also back there simmering with it was their first real teatime, which I had been prepping them for with our "good manner's" mini tea sessions in the playroom. Since things finally settled down, and I had a full tank of gas in the prius, and my Mom was free for tea, I quickly made plans for a BIG day of adventure that the girls didn't know was coming. I laid out their clothes for the day, and made them hair accessories that evening. I hid their "new" special vintage dolls in the car and made sure to get up early. We packed them a snack in their new purses, and off we went. The art museum was a bit how I expected it to go. They were curious, but were not enthralled. But it was a perfect museum for my little ones. It's fairly small, with only a few small galleries, a nice selection of artistic jewelry in drawers to open, and a wonderful art studio where anyone is welcome to create their own art with available supplies. Maddie and Annora very much enjoyed the Chihuly exhibit - I think that for this age, sculpture grabs the attention more. I think I will look around to see where I can find some more sculpture exhibits for us to look at. We did a lot of prep with some WONDERFUL books by Lucy Micklethwait and some other Can you Find it by the Metropolitan Museum. We did get to see from very interesting art - and I wasn't really expecting it - and I wasn't really sure how to talk about it with my 4 year old.

Do you see what I mean? That's what art is about though. I love art.

So, back to the car we went where their special dolls were waiting for them in their car seats and we jetted down the road to meet Grandma for teatime. Maddie had very good manners and enjoyed pouring her own child sized cup of tea from her tiny teapot and nibbling her ham sandwich and scone. She used her napkin and used appropriate words. Annora was...well, she was Annora. And Annora is 2. So, that's all I can say. Upside down crowns and eating sugar cubes and spilling water just happens at 2. But we all had a great time, and I'm very glad we could share our experience with Grandma.

I was going to extend our day down to the zoo not far away, but the day was getting expensive. At the same time I wanted the kids to enjoy their time with Grandma a bit more, so we found the gardens next to the zoo and went to smell all the roses. We also were able to see some baby ducks and a turtle in the pond!

And then...it was time for bed.

Boating Life.

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:38:00 +0000

So...Ryan's dream come true turned into a nightmare when we discovered that the transom had a SERIOUS crack. That meant that the back of the boat was about to fall off - and with no experience in fiberglass work or boat repair, Ryan was feeling rather desperate and depressed. But, we ended up being able to have it repaired rather quickly and have been using it these last couple weeks quite a bit (to the lake patrol's dismay) to tube and ski. Maddie seems to enjoy tubing, and Annora seems to enjoy riding in the boat, and we're all enjoying sharing our boat with friends and family. Boating on our lake has been pretty good. It's quick to get the boat launched, and we found the perfect park at the end of the lake that has never been crowded and has a great swimming and picnic area. BUT our lake also has a lake patrol. I think they flag us down every time we're out, either they can't see our lot numbers on the boat, they want to make sure we're owners and have registered the boat, or we're going too fast after 7pm (we're docking at 7:06), and sometimes we're driving too erratically. It's frustrating to live at a lake and not be able to use it during the best ski hours. I'm sure it could be worse - as the lake patrol was trying to impress upon Ryan last night - but it still stinks to have an old man drive down to the dock so he can yell at you to get your boat back to the dock. No matter what, the boat has been fun.

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:55:00 +0000

...it's nice. This summer has been busy, and lazy, and fun, and disappointing, and giggly. We've filled our days with picking wildflowers (aka dandelions), gardening haphazardly, getting sand between our toes, singing at the top of our lungs, crafting, creating art (including body art), being kooks, tickling grandparents (or is that the other way around), "swimming", and swimming, taking our tea, and letting the weather come through the windows. I'm so thankful for my family and my friends and our amazing God who has made all of these moments possible.

o

International Food and Game Night!

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:58:00 +0000

We wanted some extra time in the evenings to play some games with some other adults and I'd been wanting to have an international food night for a long time. So this night was born. We've enjoyed food from South Africa, Pakistan, Russia, Jamaica, and most recently Taiwan. I was excited to visit the Asian market for some specialty items. Now what to do with all the mochi flour I have left over...I'm sure I'll think of something. But I can tell you it won't be black sesame seed mochi. Ryan ruined me on that by describing it as what eating a slug must be like.

The Boat.

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:14:00 +0000

A little over a week ago Ryan called in the middle of the day pretty excited about something. His boat. He's dreamed of owning a boat for at least as long as I've known him. We all have our dreams - it's nice when they become reality. Ryan's boat is a little special. Special like the short bus kind of special? At first I thought so, with the rusty trailer and mildew and wet dog/pee smells - but then special as in...that super warm smiley feeling you get from someone off the short bus you actually get to know. When he drove it in, I took pictures of all the things I liked about it. I wasn't excited about the boat, or the huge motor that came with it. But I really did like the vintage boat lights, and the the vintage hanging cup holders (remind me to get a set of vintage tupperware tumblers to go with them), and I really liked the turquoise color. But, after vacuuming and washing and scrubbing and polishing and waxing the smelly, dirty, old boat - she has become more of a vintage beauty. After replacing the battery, she started up easily, and we took our first ride on the lake. I'm glad Ryan got his boat, but I'm even happier that she's my kind of pretty.

Ice Cream Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Shalisa) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:03:00 +0000

I've been totally inspired by a college friend who creates these amazing theme days for her kids. I had been doing some small preschool type stuff with the girls on and off and decided to make it a little bit more exciting by doing my own theme days. They don't seem to be quite as elaborate as my friend's, but it works, and the kids love it. I try and plan one every other week. Each week is something, either a theme day or an adventure. But I'd been struggling on my theme day for a week and kept postponing it, till my good friend suggested ice cream day, and started pouring out ideas, so I went with it! I built them an ice cream parlor (cardboard boxes are great for EVERYTHING!), and we did a banana split craft where they got to paint with chocolate and strawberry syrup and cool whip! Then we made baggie ice cream, which turned out more like baggie milkshakes, and the kids loved it anyway. There was a felt board rhyme that I made little felt ice cream cones to go with and a science experiment was planned, but it wasn't hot outside, so melting ice cream on different surfaces wasn't executed. If all I had done was the ice cream parlor, they would have been just as happy - it lasted the whole week long!