Recently

I've been grateful for technology. I like Facebook and email and texting and phone calls and Face Time. (Though I always want more.)

Side note: I saw a little girl this week that reminded me so much of Jaclyn at 3 or 4 years old. I very nearly cried my way through aerobics class immediately afterwards.

I had a hankering for mini marshmallows last weekend - they didn't last long. I ate them *raw* but Carmen and Chloe cooked them, which later in the day inspired our return to candlelit dinners on dark winters' nights. 

"Anne" loved Chloe's doll.

We bought season's tickets to Storybook Theatre again. Last year was all classic musicals; this year is all book adaptations. So far so good! We really enjoyed Anne of Green Gables. Chloe brought her Canadian Girl, Jenna, along (with the doll all dressed up in her Anne outfit) much to the delight of the audience around us. At intermission I think I had my first encounter with Hipsters . . . some young women sitting behind us seemed to have the Hipster styling nailed down, and while Chloe and Carmen were off buying concession food one girl had me take a picture of her with the doll. 

I thought later I should have applied this test:

(Thanks for the flowchart, Jaclyn.)

Also of note:
If you want a Pomegranate deconstructed, Carmen is your girl.
Ken out of town = less cooking, more baking.
Napping in the car outside of piano lessons may be the best use of fossil fuels ever.

Steven's a little sore today

But it's the good kind of sore that comes from winning your first playoff game. And they finished before the snow flew! (I don't know if we'll be as lucky with the football weather next week.) To be honest I'm never completely hoping for a win in the first week of playoffs - I can't help thinking it would be nice to have the season over and done. I always change my tune after that first game, though. Even if it means sitting in the snow and cold to watch.

Side note: I think I took my mom and dad's Christmas card photo at the game, wouldn't you say? That is, if they did that sort of thing . . .

Halloween 2011

For me Halloween started with a yoga class (after my green monster smoothie). My yoga instructor regularly promotes both self-acceptance and stretching for growth and change. (Bless her!) Before we got started with the physical aspect of the class she shared her thoughts on 

Jack-O-Lanterns:

Cat & Moon by Carmen

She pointed out that pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, but share some common traits (insert self-acceptance here). When transformed into a Jack-O-Lantern (reaching for desired change out of that place of self-acceptance) the pumpkin becomes a lantern through which light can shine and be shared. 

Deep stuff for Halloween, yes? 

(Too bad I can't work pumpkins into my Christmas card message - I'm looking for some inspiration there.)

Later in the afternoon I went out to the school for the Halloween Parade. Somehow each of my girls ended up in partner/group costumes. For Carmen it was purely accidental - a friend in her class was independently planning on being Minnie Mouse, and Carmen bought her Mickey Mouse hands, feet, and ears way back in August at Disneyland.

(The shorts were Pinocchio shorts last year, now updated with white buttons for Mickey.)

(Doesn't Carmen look tall?)

Chloe also bought her costume on holidays in August: Alice in Wonderland. 

Well, somehow a Wonderland theme tore through 5th grade this year. (Did Chloe spend the last 2 months promoting the idea, or was it another happy accident? I don't know.) So we had the Rabbit, Alice, The Queen of Hearts, and The Mad Hatter. Such Cuteness!

The themes didn't extend to trick-or-treating, though. Officially in our family there's not supposed to be any trick-or-treating after elementary school, but Carmen *took Chloe and her friend out* and came home with record amounts of candy herself. We won't let her get away with that again next year (insert smiley punctuation here, but I just can't do it). (Though I can do it texting or on Facebook so go figure.) 

(I got smiley punctuation in an email from an assistant principal at school this week - which genuinely made me smile.)