Tzuhsimama

2011-11-24T07:02:00.001-05:00

As the turtle crawls.........

2011-05-08T12:32:00.002-04:00

So goes the progress on the addition.....

Lewie and Elly's former bedroom entrance turned hall........

Our bedroom-in-waiting.........

Lew's room...........

Our B*I*G closet, waiting to be filled with crap..........

The bathroom,,,,,,,,,

Bathroom floor...........

Back of the house - sided!......

Side of house.........

Additional Addition Update

2011-04-28T17:42:00.002-04:00

The addition is whipping along and today they opened up the hall. Now we have access to the new rooms and it is VERY exciting!

Looking out from the new Mistress bedroom........

The new hall.......

Looking into the Mistress.........

Lewie's room.........

The new bathroom.......

Aunt Suzie - I think they are going to finish on schedule. No one is smoking dope, like your dude.

The Addition

2011-04-12T21:00:00.002-04:00

It has been pretty exciting around here, with all the work that is going on for our addition!
Larry the Builder forbade us from going into the addition "after hours." So guess where we go every evening?

This is going to be the Mistress (get it? not the "master?") Bedroom

Lewie and Elly's room, which is going to be the Mistress Bathroom

The kids kinda like seeing the changes ever day!

The former bedrrom again.......

Nothing beautifies a yard quite like a big ole dumpster!

I know what Aunt Suzie is going to say........."Hey! As long as you've got a dumpster in your yard!........."

HappyValentine'sStPatrick'sAprilFools

2011-04-10T17:18:00.003-04:00

It's 72 degrees and like the groundhog, I have emerged from my burow!
Let's hope you don't find me on the side of the thruway taking a nap, like the fate of so any of our groundhog friends.

Come fly with me, back in time to March 11, 2011
My mature little man turned 9!

One day later, the El-ster did the same!

This is the only picture I am able to take of Frances these days. At concerts, she shrinks down in her seat to avoid the lens. Party-pooper. Do you see her? Yeah, me neither.

A couple of weeks ago, Larry the Builder ripped up our back yard and poured the concrete for our addition..........

Slapped up the framing.......

I had to EMPTY Elly and Lewie's room today to make way for the builders to bust down some walls.

Last week, Ana, Lewie and Elly ALL had some of their baby teeth YANKED....or "wiggled" as the dentist ladies like to say.
THEN.......Ana got her braces off!
Before.......

After!.......

Yeah, they're not so straight.........way better though! Sadly for her, she is going right into phase 2 of braces! She gets a month of wire-free fun. I bought her a pack of hubbabubba to celebrate.

Whew, that was exhausting! Toodles for now Loves!

My Little Inuits

2011-02-02T20:02:00.002-05:00

I don't know which one of them started it, but the kids are CRAZY for "igloos" this winter. There are 3 of them in the yard and they go outside for at least an hour every day after school to work on them; hours on the weekends!

One day last week, when all of their homework was done and they had an hour before bed, they went out in the dark!

A couple of weeks ago, Frances, who usually HATES going outside during winter, asked if we could go shopping so she could get snowpants and snowboots! Huh?? She is a convert!

They even carved out a cup holder!

Where is Elizabeth, you ask? Having a porky moment - imagine that!

Inside news: Frances had an assignment to make a model of helium for her chemistry class. Naturally she chose to represent it with cake!

I have made 24 tortillas once every week for YEARS. I have never had one like this - what do you think it means???

Dose of Vitamin D

2011-01-16T20:44:00.002-05:00

Sure, it was 18 degrees and windy, but The Lawyer insisted that we needed to get our Vit D deprived bodies outside. We went to Highland Park, trudged through the snow and landed at our favorite sledding hill. The parks dept must have planted lilac bushes last year to keep people off the hill but did that stop us? NO!

Lewie REALLY needs to take snowboard lessons! I think he is a natural.

Ana looking quite colorful and cheerful despite the snow dripping down her neck.

Frances wiped out and took a moment to rest.......

With no warning, she was attacked by a roaming buffalo!

We lasted about 1/2 hour before everyone started to lose the feeling in their toes, so we headed home for lunch.
Since we don't have school tomorrow (MLK Day), the kids think we should do it again.............hmmmmmmmm.

2010 Round-Up

2010-12-31T18:04:00.009-05:00

The last post of 2010! Let's recap the madness!

January is the Annual Monster Jam!

February Cuteness!!

Visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors in DC!

March Birthdays - Lewie!

Elly!

All the Kiddies!

March was also All County Orchestra for Frances!

Our Annual Pilgrimage to the Great Wolf Lodge during April Break!

Ana turned 10!

Mama turned 49!

Lewie practices for his role in 2020 Spiderman!

Or Silence of the Lambs 2021!

Hiking the gorge at Stonybrook!

We L*O*V*E*D Pittsburgh!

The Buffalo Zoo!

Riding strange buggies in Toronto!

Saying Goodbye to the Big Cousins when they left for college!

First Day of School!

Frances tamed a Big One!

Pumpkin Pickin'!

I Refused to Eat the White Man's White Meat!

Torturing the Children for a Xmas Card!

Frances Fiddling!

The Review Wouldn't be Complete Without a Bowling Alley Shot!

The Kids Wasted a L*O*T of Brain Cells on Their DSs!

Happy New Year!

Hi Suzie!

2010-12-21T10:19:00.006-05:00

Well Hello Suzie and my many other fans........... like Frances......and......so HI! Suzie and Frances!
Where did I leave off? Ah, yes, it was Halloween. For the past 50ish days we've been doing the same old-same old. Thanksgiving, school, bowling, blah, blah, blah.
Now we are in the midst of the most wonderful time of the year.........

Christmas Picture Time! The kids had SO MUCH "fun" standing in the cold, without jackets, while I took many, many, many shots. Aunt Suzie should be proud! I let them keep their coats on while I set them up.......

and then ditched that location (after about 25 shots) for a little cute area in the woods. I can't imagine how many times I yelled "FIVE MORE MINUTES AND THEN IT'S FRENCH FRIES FOR ALL!!"

From there we went to get our Xmas tree! It was so gross and muddy. If we had waited 2 days we would have been up to our knees in snow instead of slop.

We rode on a tractor pulled wagon thingy - Lewie and Elly sat by the driver and tried to get him to go fast and spin in the mud. The whackjob obliged them.........

Frances was feeling merry and gave me a big hug and kiss ............

In his 2 year tradition, Lewie found a "lady hat" to try on...........

Sorry, no picture of the tree. I had to kneel down in the mud to cut the tree down, which made me kinda cranky......

Last week Frances had her violin school recital........ She did an awesome job!

She brought candy canes home for everyone. Naturally, Lewie turned them into a fashion statement.

So, any bets on how long it will take to post again? One more before 2011? Could I handle that?

2010-10-31T11:11:00.000-04:00

2010-10-29T16:15:00.001-04:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The 'Rent is Too Damn High Party' member Jimmy McMillan at the New York ...

2010-10-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

Thank God I'm a Suburban Girl

2010-10-18T15:54:00.003-04:00

"THAT DOES IT!" I screamed as we left last weekend's country outing. "NO MORE COUNTRY FOR US!"
Yes, my friends, it was another stinkin' debacle.
I took my peeps out to Scottsville for pumpkin picking at Sto*koe Farms. We pulled into an overflowing parking lot and noticed a line snaking out of one of the buildings. I went up to a woman who worked there and said "we're just here to pick pumpkins." Nope, no sir-ee. It cost $8/person to enter the farm - it would include all sorts of cheesy toddler-ish activities. We stomped out of there and I returned to my senses - we were not meant for country livin'. It's best when we stay within 5 miles of our home unless we are vacationing.
Ahhhhhhhhh, Pittsford. Nothing says farm livin' like Pittsford.....

Everyone chose a pumpkin.......... that s/he could carry!

The obligatory group shot. Frances kept trying to ditch the pack.......

The willing models.......

Frances was "terrified" when Lewie tried to scare her by sticking his hand out of the teepee.......

Day is done, mission accomplished.........

Huh?

2010-10-13T16:12:00.003-04:00

I have a blog?
Really?
Hmmmmmmmmm

You're not still thinking that Lewie is dating Sharon, right?
He broke up with her a couple of weeks ago.
He wasn't fazed when I told him that a person should actually know they are dating someone for a proper break-up to occur.
Whatever.

I have this strange fascination-repulsion-attraction to the country.
This weekend, I forced everyone into the minivan for a trip out to Cumming Nature Center in East Bumfk, NY. No one, including myself, could believe we wasted gas and time to go for a walk in the woods. "Why not an urban hike?" whined the Lawyer. "We could have just gone to a park by our house," added a snot-nosed kid. But what says "fall" like some good country air? Right?

The tree roots gave Frances the creeps......... imagine what could be lurking under there.......

Ana LOVED the water lilies......... photo courtesy of her..........

Ana went ninja style....................

How Autumnal................

The Lawyer was sure that someone was going to plunge to their death from this observation spot............. Amazingly, we all emerged from the woods intact.

Next weekend it's off to the pumpkin FARM - who knows where the minivan will takes us. MWWWWWAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.

Move over Ozzie

2010-08-09T08:45:00.004-04:00

We got back from Toronto yesterday and I don't have any photos or stories of our adventures to share yet............ BUT there is a Lewie story to beat all Lewie stories..........

We are sitting in the breakfast area of our hotel and the news is on the tv.

Lewie: MOM, come here, I have to tell you the truth.
Mom: What?
Lewie: Sharon is so cute.
Mom: Sharon who?
Lewie: (pointing to the tv) HER! Sharon Osbourne.

Mom: You like Sharon Osbourne???????
Lewie: Yup, I really like redheads I guess!
Cousin Alex: If you love her, why don't you marry her?
Lewie: I can't get married until I'm 13 and she might be a grandma by then.
Mom: You know, she's older than me and has kids who are like 20 years old and her husband is pretty crazy.
Lewie: I don't care!
Mom: What would her kids call you? Baby Daddy? Lil' Pops?
Lewie: I don't care!

So there you have it people. My one and only daughter-in-law might be Sharon and I won't be babysitting my grandchildren or taking them for pony rides.

Trippin'

2010-07-27T15:28:00.006-04:00

We have been having plenty of adventures at Casa de Tzuhsi!
If only I remembered to bring the camera, you could have shared in our fun............but alas........

If I had remembered my camera, I might have taken a picture like this............but the lazy African Safari Animals are rarely this animated............

I definitely would have taken a picture of my kids on an elephant ride.............

And I certainly would have brought the camera on our very first Maid of the Mist ride at Niagara Falls.......... It was C*R*A*Z*Y fun!

We saw the Lawyer's Mom, aka Grandma, on Sunday and she mentioned that she was going to Vidler's the following day. Soooooooooo, we drove 1 1/2 hrs to meet her there. Yup, to go to a 5&10 store. It was fun and we got lots of unnecessary crap.
Since we were in the neighborhood, kinda, sorta, we went on to the Buffalo Zoo!

Everyone's favorite area was the rainforest.......

Frances cooling off under the waterfall..........

Lewis and Elly are pros at the Chinese squat..........

Elly looking cute......

Lewis thought this was the funniest thing he had EVER seen........

While waiting for the girls to be done in the bathroom, Lewie scaled the wall........

And this pretty much sums up Lewie's academics this summer..............

We're off to Pittsburgh later this week!

Whassuppppppppp?

2010-07-11T21:03:00.004-04:00

Well HI THERE! Where have you been? I've missed you!
I think I should win the LAZY BLOGGER award.
It's officially summer vacation and we have been having some kind of fun!
Every summer I sign the kids up for all sorts of things that they don't want to do because you have to try new things.....right??

Ana and Lewis golfed last week, when it was sizzlin' hot. I crouched under an umbrella, watching the entertainment.

Ana was, of course, a very good listener and did a great job. She really liked it and wants to take more lessons.

Lewie was a nut. The instructor was patient and asked Ana if her brother was always so goofy. He won't be taking any more lessons. The instructor suggested that Lewie was better suited for hockey with his stance and grip hold!

Frances spent the first 2 weeks of her vacation at violin camp! She loves it but I think it's really about hanging out with her friends and eating candy. Naturally I chose the wrong side to sit on and listened to her concert while looking at her back. She played a BEAUTIFUL piece from Carmen with this group. Next month she's back for fiddle camp!

This afternoon we went to Stonybrook for a hike in the gorge. As we were walking in, a man and woman were wrangling their baby & toddler aged kids out of the parking lot and into the park. The man YELLED 2 or 3 times to his toddler "STOP HITTING ME IN THE PEEPEE!" We were trying to contain ourselves when Lewie said, LOUDLY "That guy is over-talking and I am overhearing him."

We loved walking in the creek - nice and cool.

We hiked to the waterfall - Look! There's the Lawyer!

I love these little pod that twirl you around. So what if I'm the only adult who goes on one!

I have to go! The Next Design Star is on in a few minutes.
Don't be a stranger! I'll write again soon.

The man behind the mask......

2010-06-16T19:31:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, when Lewie first got his braces, the dentist said that Lewie has a WICKED underbite. Her solution is for him to wear this freaky contraption for SIXTEEN HOURS A DAY!! 16! That just squeaks out enough time for him to go to school and not get mocked out for wearing a wire mask, complete with chin and forehead rests.
I told Lewie that we had to come up with a great name for the mask or a name for him when he wears the mask. Something super-hero-y.
He decided on THE BULLET. Hmmmmm............ok.........

The dentist told him to put it on when he comes home from school and to eat his snacks with it on. Ewwwwwwwwwww.

Do I put it in over the top? Nope, doesn't work!

Ahhhh success!

This is going to take a *little* getting used to!

Double Digits

2010-05-07T20:40:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it? My baby hit the double digits last week! I told Ana that there is no way that she is 10 - she's only 4.
She begs to differ.........

Dirty Jobs

2010-04-30T15:23:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, The Lawyer and I were doing some spring cleanup sort of work outside. We had a garbage can on the side of the house and it had filled with water. The Lawyer noticed a dead.......really dead squirrel in the water. I made a quick exit and The Lawyer yelled fpr me to get my camera for what she deemed good blog fodder.

Over it goes!

N*A*S*T*Y!!

Analise is an incredibly brave sort of person. She was the first (and only) to volunteer to help Mommy.........

Until she decided it was even too disgusting for her.........

After I took the pictures, I decided it was just too gross to blog about. Then The Lawyer came home last night and said The Other Lawyer was hankering for the whole story, complete with photos. I guess this is what The Lawyers talk about over lunch. I think I'm going to prepare a list of more appropriate topics - Rachel Maddox? Hollywood breakups? Lost? Achy Joints?

Boy with Braces

2010-04-28T16:42:00.003-04:00

When I sat down at the computer this afternoon, I saw that Lewie had done a self-portrait with his BRAND NEW BRACES!

Spring Fling

2010-04-25T11:32:00.003-04:00

Here it is, the last day of April Break. What time is it? Recaptime.

The highlight of our week was a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge and the maiden voyage for Ana, Lewie & Elly's brand new passports!
We brought along Big Al who went on EVERY slide with Lewie. They had a blast. Ana and Elly went on lots of the BIG slides too. Frances floated in the lazy river for hours on end. No slides for our always-in-control girl!

When everyone was waterlogged, we headed home and stopped at Niagara Falls. We hadn't been there in a long time (Elly and Al had never been there). It was a beautiful day and everyone decided we need to come back this summer and ride on the Maid of the Mist boat.

Hey! I can't see anything!
Wow! Me neither!

Lewie was in his usual strange mode.

It's nice that they cater to the Drunk & Stupid Visitors!

Next up - Cousin Mary comes to town!

Swamp Critters

2010-04-18T11:03:00.001-04:00

For some odd reason, I LOVE swamps. Not muck-through-in-your-wellies swamps but civilized swamps with nice boardwalks or dry walking paths. I ply (lie to) my children by saying "Hey, who wants to go to the park/playground/McDonalds/whatever?" Then we make a slight detour. Lewis and Elly are studying frogs and toads in school. It was my motherly duty to go frog spotting. All the planets must have been aligned because Frances "Nature gives me the creeps," had a birthday party to go to..... I grabbed the opportunity.
"WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE PLAYGROUND?????!!"

It was a warm, beautiful day. Spirits were high.

They played hard.

HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOO? ANYONE THERE????????

"Sooooooo, kids, anyone want to go frog hunting?"
"NOOOOOOO, we just want to play!!!!!"
"COME ON, the swamp has a little playground! P*L*E*A*S*E???????"
"OOOOOOOOOOOK"
Once we saw LOTS of frogs, the enthusiasm grew. They were BIG!

And 6 turtles sunning themselves on a log.

We got a little glimpse of a few deer but Elizabeth went charging toward them and scared them off!
Mama was happy!

Movin' on up

2010-03-30T15:25:00.002-04:00

One of the kids' Senseis asked me a couple of weeks ago if I thought the twins were ready to move up from Little Dragons to Juniors in karate. I winced. "Uuuuuuummmmmm, I guess so??????" And so it was set in stone..... time for graduation.
Lewis HATES to close his eyes for the meditation time. He squeezes them shut and looks like he's having a bad poop......

They did some kickin' and choppin' to show off their prowess.........

Lewie was called up 1st to shed the old belt and get a "transition" red belt............

Elly observes the somber moment with her usual enthusiasm .............

Ana also moved up a stripe on her belt. It's amazing how a girl with memory problems can remember all the moves to the katas she does...............

That's the news Peeps. My apologies to a certain lawyer (not The Lawyer) for taking SO LONG to post the karate review. Anybody ever accuse you of being bossy???? ;)

She's Back

2010-03-26T16:23:00.003-04:00

Hello? Anyone out there?
Like the groundhog, I have come out of hibernation.

Let's begin the revue with just a cute picture of Franny and her baby boy ........... awwwwwww

Last week the kinda twins turned 8. Lewis could barely see his loot with the hens hovering over him...........

Everyone hogged the birthday girl's shot............

They scurried to their seats when cake was announced .........

How these 2 nutballs can be 8 years old is beyond me.......

The Mature One practiced her skinny little buns off and got into the All County Orchestra! She was Chair 13 which is GOOD!

The Lawyer told me I should NOT post my shaky video of one of Frances' orchestra pieces. Why is she always the party pooper? I'm posting it next.
Tonight is karate graduation. Stay tuned for a riveting post.

The Mystery Violinist . . . . . . . . .

2010-03-14T12:49:00.004-04:00

is Frances!

The Old Grey Mare.........

2010-03-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

Lewie: Mom, you have a lot of gray hairs
Me: Yup, it's true
Lewie: Have you been through a lot of wars?
Me: Ummmmm, no, why?
Lewie: I heard that old people like you have been through a lot of wars.
Me: Hmmmm, interesting.........

Lewie: Mom, did you invent electricity?
Me: No, why would you think that?
Lewie: You're wearing that old plaid shirt like they wore in the old days
Me: No, I'm just wearing an old plaid shirt but don't worry, it's just my jammies.
Lewie: You sure look like a guy who invented electricity.

2010-02-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

Tzuhsi & Associates are still alive........will come out of hibernation soon

My clever boy

2010-02-06T12:19:00.004-05:00

Lewis is usually a deep sleeper who rarely gets up in the night, even to go to the bathroom. But every once in a while I will find him somewhere strange - sleeping on the couch or on his sisters' floor. I now have evidence that he sometimes gets up in the night to produce some entertaining videos. It is dark out, the house is quiet, and he is whispering so I know he was doing this in the middle of the night! Enjoy!

Happy GH Day

2010-02-02T08:58:00.003-05:00

Let's not get caught up in the glitter and forget that this little dude is the reason for the season..........

The Glam Squad

2010-01-03T16:50:00.003-05:00

I took the girls out for a BIG splurge - shampoo, style and blow dry at "Sweet * &* Sassy."
The beautiful results!

Holiday Roundup

2010-01-01T14:31:00.002-05:00

The past 2 weeks have been a bit of a blur with all the merriment ....... and arguing children.

We started off all jolly and giddy - made some gaudy cookies......

I had the whole week of Xmas off from work but the kids had to go M,T, & W - is that beautiful or what? We're in different districts so our calendars are slightly different. Their first day of vacation was Xmas Eve. Off we went to my sister Anne's house. The kids love watching Santa's path on the computer. I do not know who that ghost is on the right........

When I was uploading photos, I found this on the computer! Frances used photobooth on the Mac to take a picture of our tree.

The other day I went for a walk with the kids and saw this on one of our neighbor's lawns. It's wrong on so many levels - the glittery garland, the folded up tablecloth, the creepy old doll, the fake flowers in the window boxes ..............

Tzuhsimama wishes everone a peaceful New Year!

Hmmmmmmmmmm

2009-12-21T21:19:00.001-05:00

Thieves among us

2009-12-13T19:21:00.005-05:00

We woke up to a beautiful day on Saturday, cold but sunny. Everyone was excited to go cut down our Christmas tree!
We bundled up and headed out to the boondocks.
This year we decided to go to a different farm and we were in for a treat!

Giant haystacks for climbing, with tunnels underneath!

A big ole slide! The kids couldn't get enough of it!

A wagon ride out to the fields! Even the Lawyer was smiling!

We trudged, we sized them up, we chopped down a beauty!

The kids argued about who got to haul the tree back to the wagon (really)!

There was free hot cocoa and cookies in the barn! Fake horses to climb on!

Lewie really wanted this "LADY HAT" he found in the gift shop!

Happy little story, eh? When we went to pick up our tree (they provided numbered tags) to take it to our car, it was G*O*N*E!
And the wagon ride, choosing a tree, chopping it down and hauling it had to be repeated. Not so giddy this time!

Back to the Bowl-a-Roll

2009-11-27T18:31:00.003-05:00

It's November ......It was rainy and chilly today .......where else would you find Tzuhsi and family?
No, we wouldn't even venture to Target on Bleak, Black Friday.

It was Black Bowling!

These 2, aka Water and Oil were up together. Oil cracked a joke ........

Water pretended to think it wasn't funny

Ana and Lew had a war over the matching green kiddie balls.

Here's Tzuhsi fine form ..........

A big draw to the bowling alley is the vending machines stocked with cheap crap manufactured by poorly paid workers in China

This one was a giant porkchop today. Seems that not getting a score of 200, like he gets on the wii, makes him "HATE THIS STUPID GAME."

Yup, a good time, all around.

A little child labor

2009-11-15T09:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to the cottage to rake and winterize......... the children are thrilled when I announce we're going to Seneca in November............yeah, right.
BUT, it was a beautiful day, which softened the blow.
AND Pop let the kids play with the fire that was burning the leaves. Now THAT makes all the difference in the world. Raking was fun when they could rake the fire. What a grandfather.

This first picture is just for Suzie...... remind you of another photo??????

Lewie was in rare (ok, ok, his usual) form with his poses

and making everyone laugh

Frances was whining about going to Seneca until that fresh lake air hit her......

The girls kicked Goofy out of the picture......

No one enjoyed playing with the fire more than the Lawyer. It brought out her inner pyromaniac. In this shot she recreated the Santa Ana winds with her leaf blower. I was worried that someone was going to call 911. She generated a LOT of smoke. The kids loved it.

All the leaves are brown........

2009-11-07T17:03:00.004-05:00

Last week we took a little ride into the country for leaf peeking. We went to a ski place and took a ride up the chair lift.

Lisa went with the "Twins" - poor sucker. All I got of them was this nice butt-shot

Frances stayed glued to Ana. Frances was convinced that one of them was going to fall from the chair and splat on the hill below.

After the ride we went looking for a place to have lunch. Strangely there was nothing available at the ski lodge. After weaving around the country roads and making everyone carsick, we ended up at McDonalds - blech, close to home!

2009-11-03T06:35:00.001-05:00

Something I don't like to see on my weather map!

Indignaties

2009-10-26T06:05:00.003-04:00

Blame it on Mamacita..... she's the one who told me that Build*a*Bear clothes fit HER dog..........

Look at that embarrassment ..........

Wait until you see the Hula Girl costume

I have 52 years to practice .......

2009-10-14T13:35:00.000-04:00

One hundred-year-old Ruth Frith competes in the women's shot put during the Masters Games in Sydney, Australia, Sunday,

My strange Lawyer

2009-10-06T06:12:00.005-04:00

The Lawyer is USUALLY a clever girl. She likes to putter around the house and can always create a diversion for herself outside when the children are in their usual hyper states. This time though, she went too far. I present to you, Exhibit A:

hmmmmmm, aren't those DEAD flower heads unusually RED, you ask?

Exhibit B, more BRIGHT RED DEAD flowers:

Hmmmmm, a green leaf with a stray SPRAY of red? What could be going on here?

She even got some RED on her arm and had some splainin to do when she went to court. Yup, she went to court with a splotch of red on her arm.
Now do you understand the yoke I carry? She thinks it brightens up our dying gardens. I think she's a whack job.
She is absolutely unrepentant.

UPDATE - Apologies to the Lawyer for the "Whackjob" comment. She is SUPER CLEVER and I love her!

2009-10-04T10:47:00.002-04:00

Stanley and Stanlie have been studying up on Japan in preparation for their trip with Aunt Suzie. They are on their way to Aunt Suzie's mailbox!

Poor Stanley. He's a perfectly normal boy until one morning he wakes up flat. After his parents peel the incriminating bulletin board off of him, Stanley must adjust to life as a pancake. He is a boy who takes this kind of thing in stride, though, and soon he's enjoying the advantages of squashedness. Sliding under closed doors is fun, and it's gratifying to be of use to his mother when she drops her ring through a narrow metal grating. Expensive plane fare to California? No problem. Svelte Stanley folds comfortably into a brown paper envelope. There's even room left over in there for an egg-salad sandwich. But Stanley's true moment of glory comes when a gang of thieves begins stealing paintings from the Famous Museum of Art. The case seems hopeless--until our two-dimensional hero saves the day. Here is one boy who doesn't let his profile-challenged body stop him from living life fully--that is, until his brother finds a way to help him become well rounded again.

What to do when you have too much time on your hands

2009-10-02T08:22:00.001-04:00

Buddha shaped pears are seen in an orchard in Weixian county, Hebei province September 10, 2009. Hao Xianzhang, a local famer, spent six years to perfect the process by growing the pears inside moulds, local media reported. The pears cost around 50 yuan (7.32 USD) each. Picture taken September 10, 2009.

and in other "interesting" news.......
People With Issues

Three physicians, reporting in The Canadian Journal of Urology in July, described how they handled an emergency-room patient who arrived with a ballpoint pen in his urethra. The man, 57, had assumed that the insertion would be pleasurable, and when it wasn't, thought initially that maybe the pen was not in far enough. After pushing further, to even greater discomfort, he thought that if he pushed it all the way through, it would exit in his rectum, where he could remove it more easily. (Actually, they're not connected.) Doctors removed the pen with the same procedure used to remove kidney stones. [Canadian Journal of Urology (July 2009) via Neurotopia blog, 8-28-09]

Good Morning........Whatup?

2009-09-30T06:18:00.000-04:00

Potty Wipes

2009-09-28T21:50:00.003-04:00

For years I have been buying "potty wipes" for the kids.......... ok, I like them too. We have been having some plumbing problems lately; water backing up and sluggish drainage. A plumber came out last month and snaked out one of our drains but it didn't seem to improve things. Today he came out again and cleared the main drain. What did he yank out? PILES of wipes!! EWWWWW! Seems the little suckers get snagged onto cast iron pipes.
Now I think we should get a bidet ............... gotta be fresh........

The Graduates

2009-09-26T08:50:00.006-04:00

Last night the karate kids had a graduation. Elly and Lewie got their greenbelts and Ana got a new stripe on her red belt.

The Little Dragons went first. They lined up in their old belts.......

Then they showed off (?) their freestyle moves.........

Then they got their new belts.......

The Juniors went next ........

Ana didn't know that she had to do a kata with the other level ones but she did a great job......

The Grand Master Flash stole the show. After some of the Juniors cracked boards with their feet, the Big Sensei Boss attempted to crack eight concrete blocks with his hand. When he failed to crack them, Lewie yelled out "I KNEW HE COULDN'T DO IT!"

He decided to try it with an elbow strike and voila!

We went out for a celebratory ice cream afterwards and the kids wanted to know how the Sensei did it. I was trying to explain how you focus all of your energy into one point and they looked at me like I was slow and didn't understand the question. Ummmm, it was magic? That satisfied them.

Just cracked me up ...........

2009-09-16T06:15:00.001-04:00

2009-09-13T16:04:00.001-04:00

DON'T

MESS

WITH

ANA!

Another summer bites the dust ..............

2009-09-08T13:56:00.003-04:00

First off, how would anyone ever know that they actually have the swine flu??? I have some sort of flu and the thought of getting in a car to go to the dr makes me want to go get in my bed. I started to feel punky on Sat and woke up in the night with 103.7 fever. Today I am able to sit up for 20 minutes without falling down. I walked Frances and Lewie & Elly out to get the bus in front of our house and was sweating .......... like a SWINE...... coincidence?
On to the reason for the season. The kids' first day of school!
Elly, with a great sense of purpose, marched over to the couch in the living room, picked up one of her library books and sat down to read it. "DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I'M READING A BOOK ABOUT WHALES MOM?" "Uhhhh, sure Elly." "BECAUSE IT'S TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK." "great, you go, you big ole 2nd grader."

I got up to go to the bathroom at 6:00. I saw the familiar glow of the computer monitor. "Lewie, what time did you get up?" "Ummmmmm, I think it was 5:96"

And here's Frances, a nervous wreck about her 1st day of middle school. "What am I supposed to bring to homeroom? How am I supposed to know where I'm going? How am I supposed to go to my locker if I need something from my next class?" She made my fevered brain spin even faster.

By the time Ana's bus came at 8:30, I was passed out on the couch and had to say goodbye from there. She didn't care. She is so excited for school and was ready to leave at 6:30 this morning.
Frances will be home in 10 minutes - can't wait to hear all about the big day!

and so it begins ..........

2009-09-01T07:24:00.000-04:00

First real day back at school. Teachers only, but still..........

Field Trip Down Under

2009-08-21T19:46:00.003-04:00

On Monday, it's back to work for the Tzuhsimama. I know, I know, you're upset about this.
As a last hurrah, I took the kids on the final field trip of the season - Howe Caverns. We drove about 3 hours east (the last 30 minutes through winding roads - poor back seat passengers).
We travelled underground in an elevator and had a 90 minute tour of the caverns, complete with a boat ride. It was very cool.
And what natural underworld attraction would be complete without a souvenir opportunity? Photo of the Family! $8.36!

Eight is Enough

2009-08-18T09:06:00.007-04:00

Last week, The Lawyer, Kids, The Professor (aka Aunt Suzie), Cousin Big Al, & I went on a big ole Griswold vacation to Rehoboth Beach Delaware. We rented a condo a block from the beach and spent lots of time wave chasing, digging holes, reading, trolling the streets and EATING. Note that there was no actual swimming in the ocean. I love swimming in the ocean but every time I got in past my knees, one of the girls was standing on the shore SCREAMING at me to "BE CAREFUL!" "DON'T GO ANY FARTHER, THERE ARE SHARKS IN THE OCEAN!" "MAAAAAMAAAAAA, COME BACK, YOU'RE GOING TO GET LOST!"

This is about as far as we were allowed to venture without being tethered to the lifeguard station.

Elly was obsessed with finding treasures. We went to one beach that had a tide pool. She was in heaven.

Lewie spent hours letting the waves crash into him. A true Pisces.

He was in heaven!

One day the beach was full of little jellyfish. Then this one washed up. It was bigger than a dinner plate and really cool looking. We were lucky to see it; within a couple of minutes another wave took it back out to sea.

Ana and Frances hung out in the sand, digging holes! They only took a couple of dips a day.

Ana enjoying the waves

The elusive Professor took photos and retreated under the beach umbrella with the Lawyer to read ...... or at least that appeared to be what they were doing......... hmmmmmmm. And that's the rarely captured Lawyer in the background.

Al tried to impress the ladies with his "muscles." They were flocking .......... or not, whatever.

He also loved getting buried so just his head and green-nail polished-toenails showed. Charming, I know.

The boardwalk with it's french fries. ice cream, arcade, crap-buying opportunities.

Into every vacation, some lazing in the condo must fall. Lewis is just a little bit obsessed with Ana's ds.

Frances preparing for middle school.

The kids were also crazy for FunLand, with it's games and cheesy rides. They won TWENTY FOUR, 24, TWENTY FOUR stuffed animals. A nice addition to the 6,599 they have already at home.

There are LOTS of shopping outlets in Rehoboth. One day the lawyer told me that she was going to go and get some new crocs for the kids and herself. This is what she came home with........... She calls them "crocsiders." Have you ever seen anything more hideous? This is why she needs Frances or me to accompany her on shopping trips.

Whew, that was a lot of work..........

99 things

2009-08-16T19:06:00.003-04:00

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Written something that was published
11. Bungee jumped or parachuted
12. Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge
13. Been in a fist fight
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Seen the Rings of Saturn with a telescope
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a tree house or snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Rode in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Fired a gun
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Cried yourself to sleep
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Visited the Eiffel Tower
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Pretended you cooked something from scratch when you didn't
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or commercial
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold something door to door
62. Gone whale or dolphin watching
64. Donated blood, marrow, etc
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Held onto a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten frog legs or caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Time Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Done something illegal
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Sang a solo Does doing it in 5th grade count??!
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Climbed a mountain
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had surgery
89. Directly saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Seen a loved one die
94. Given birth to a baby
95. Visited the Alamo
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Sent a text message while driving
99. Been stung by a bee

Baby's got a brand new look

2009-07-29T20:15:00.001-04:00

Frances, circa 2008

Frances, circa July 2009

Just in time for middle school!

Photos by Frances

2009-07-26T12:20:00.006-04:00

The other afternoon I was looking out the front window at the kids playing in the yard.
Were my eyes deceiving me? Was Elly riding a 2 wheeler???
YES she was!
I ran out yelling congratulations to her. I was so excited and she was too!
The Lawyer said that Lewie and Ana were just about ready to ride alone as well. I was surprised. They never wanted to ride when I suggested it - they always opted for their scooters. I told them I would come out after dinner and help them learn to ride.
They beat me to it! All three of them started riding their bikes on the same afternoon!
Now there is no stopping them! They ride for HOURS every day, coming in the house red-faced and sweating! There are lots of scrapes and bruises but nothing is stopping the now!

The proud new riders!

I love the suspicious look that Elly is giving Frances!

Check out the level of concentration on Ana's face!

Frances had to get a new bike. She chose this little beauty!

In a Sunday newpaper ad?????

2009-07-26T10:18:00.002-04:00

Look at what you can buy! A gay angel!

Wednesday at the Lake

2009-07-23T21:21:00.007-04:00

First of all, when you tell your children that you will be going to the lake, what do you think their clothing choice will be? Shorts, t-shirt, bathing suit & cover??? PLEASE! If you're Frances, you carefully choose a dress, light sweater in case of a chill, and a fashionable scarf .............

On Wednesday, we met my Dad for lunch near our cottage and then went to the cottage to hang out. My brothers John and Tom have been working on a deck, only *slightly* hampered by the incredible amount of rain we've had so far this summer.

My father, being the die-hard surveyor that he is, brought his old surveying equipment so we could do some measurements for something-or-other regarding the steps off the deck .......... I was his rodMAN.........yeah, baby.
The old man and

The ROD!

While I was trying to hold the dang thing steady, the kids were crawling off the wall and into the scummy water. It is so icky near the shore for some reason.

They actually started collecting the weedy crap and making it into slimepies - mmm mmmmm good.

Cousin Big Al came with us and decided to fish for his slime.

Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with the slime. She loves to look for little shells and always comes home with a pocket full of treasures.

On the way homw, we stopped at Mr Twistee....... not to be confused with Mr Twister where the Nephews work.
Lewie chows down his Moosetracks.......

Frances vogues in the swing ............

Analise looks cute ............

And Elly chows so she can race to the helm of the playground ship!

Just another Summer day!

2009-07-09T15:18:00.003-04:00

Today I took Ana, Elly, & Lewie to a nature center to take a walk in the woods. As the kids were getting out of the car, Lewie spilled his milk all over the seat. Looking at the HUGE puddle, I knew that the few tissue I had would not sop it up. What to use, what to use?

PAD TO THE RESCUE! I guess it was extra absorbent because it sure did get the job done!

4th of July tzuhsi style

2009-07-05T14:08:00.003-04:00

Who wants to go stand outside in the chiily July temperatures, just to watch some fireworks??? Not Frances and me!
The Lawyer took the other kids to Allegheny State Park for a camping spree.
Frances talked me into taking her and a friend to the MALL. That was fun...... ok, no it wasn't.

Then to celebrate the holiday, Frances and I went out for some Thai food. It's about the only time that Frances chows down and eats a significant amount of protein (tofu).

Then she twisted my arm into stopping for ice cream on the way home.

While the skies were booming, we were in my bed, watching people decide which Key West home they would choose for their vacation home. Their budget was $2 M - poor things.

In a couple of hours the troops will be back. It's been strangely quiet and Frances' reminiscing about the good old days, when she was an only child are about to be interrupted!

2009-07-03T21:42:00.001-04:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

THE Flu Strikes

2009-06-28T21:45:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful way to start summer vacation! Frances came down with the flu on Thursday - high fever and feeling punky. She is on the road to recovery today; hasn't had a fever since this morning. Once the swine flu hit 10,000 cases here, they stopped testing for it and said to assume it's the swine if you get the flu. Hmmmmmmmmmm

On Wednesday, Frances "graduated" from elementary school!!! In September she will start middle school, which makes a cold shiver run down my spine. Should a child in puberty and a mother in menopause really share the same home???
Here she is with her fabulous teacher.

In other exciting news, Analise graduated from the little kid karate class to the Juniors' class. She got her red belt on Saturday, which signifies that she is a new junior. Ana is thrilled!

She won't be in the same class as Lewis and Elly, which is a very good thing. Such a big kid!

2009-06-17T21:06:00.002-04:00

Since school is winding down, s*l*o*w*l*y, the first graders of the family are having several theme days.
Today was "hat day." To jazz things up a bit, I embellished and told Lewie and Elly that it was "crazy hat day."
I think they look pretty dang cute.

Lewie loves to watch Sponge Bob so he is "Mr Crabs" when he wears this hat and he walks around yelling "I'm feelin' a little CRABBY!"

Who knows how I'll dress them for "farm day" next week.

Here come the monkey sock bride

2009-06-14T16:51:00.002-04:00

If I ever get married, I have the dress picked out. Isn't it AWESOME??

Update: Due to Suzanne's brilliant idea, I have ditched the wedding plan. I'm going to feverishly knit all summer to make my dress, in time to drop Frances off on her first day of middle school in September! Thank you my sister!

Read o' the week

2009-06-10T13:45:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday or whatever was f*u*n*n*y. I was cracking up on the first page and read many passages out loud to the lawyer..... some I could barely get out because I was doing that laugh-so-hard-you-can't-be-understood laugh.
The author, Annie Choi, also has a website annietown.com

Ten years

2009-06-07T21:16:00.004-04:00

Ten years ago today, I became a mother. I was scared and excited and Frances was terrified. All the nannies and babies were in a hotel room, waiting for Frances to stop screaming. When there was a lull, everyone in our group was called down to receive the babies. I met Frances in a hotel hallway in Nanning!

Aunt Suzie and Frances on a train to Guilin.

Frances wanted to be held all the time and liked/disliked Lisa and I equally!

When we got a little smile or laugh, it was such a treat.

We celebrate every adoption day with a cake and a song. Frances didn't want a lot of reminiscing and that's ok.

She didn't say no to the cake!

June 7, 1999 was the most amazing day of my life!

11 years old

2009-06-05T19:04:00.003-04:00

Yup, 11 years old. Just a couple of years ago Frances looked like this, little toothless, baldy wonderbaby.

How did this happen?

She was very casual about being another year older on her b-day. Until it was time to open the pressies.
UGGGGGG SLIPPERSSSSSSS - OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

The loudest screech was for sharpies.......... yes, the girl has a thing for office supplies. These sharpies are gold and silver oil-based. Special, very very special.

One of a few shirts from one of my favorite places to shop - Marshalls.

Instead of cake, Frances wanted a make-your-own-sundae dessert. I gladly obliged.

10 years ago today I was in the air, over the Pacific Ocean, on my way to China. Hard to believe....... more to come!

Natural Born Killa

2009-05-26T19:14:00.003-04:00

We have a gate separating the bedrooms & bathroom from the rest of the house. With 2 puppies, we don't want them in the bedrooms by themselves, wrecking havoc.
Cute little Daisy often squeezes through when someone opens the gate. She likes to go in my bedroom to visit "Grandma," our 15 year old mutt who likes to stay away from the chaos.
The other day, under the guise of bringing Grandma a basket of goodies, Daisy went on a killing spree.

The Unusual Suspect:

Daisy has a "thing" for small stuffed animals. She took Lewie's much-loved Pikachu and gouged his eyes out and beat the stuffing out of him.

Prognosis is poor........... I can't sew to save my life.

2009-05-19T22:17:00.002-04:00

We had a lot of fun last weekend with beautiful weather for gardening, playing outside, going to the Lilac Festival, and celebrating Lewie's adoption day! FIVE years! I love my little nut-ball.

On Sunday night, Elly said that she couldn't wait to go to school the next day so she could tell everyone what she did. I asked what her favorite thing was and she looked at me like I was crazy. "I saw a LIMO Mom and they let me look inside! It was totally awesome!" On Saturday night, one of our neighbors went to his prom and his pals came to pick him up in a limo. My kids were hysterical with excitement. Frances said "I can't believe that I've never been in a limo." I told her that I never have either and I'm just a few decades older than she is.

Tonight was Frances' last concert at her school. She's going to MIDDLE SCHOOL next year. I feel faint already.
I usually can't even see Frances when she's sitting because she's such a shorty. Here's a rare viewing.

They had a special guest playing with them and stood for the last song. Isn't she adorable? The girl next to her is her "stand partner." They have shared a music stand for orchestra and chamber all year. They are the same level so they have fun playing together.

NINE years old!

2009-05-04T19:09:00.002-04:00

I know it's cliche, but I can't believe Analise is nine years old! We all had a fun weekend celebrating her. On Saturday we went to the mall so she could get her ears pierced. Frances got hers done when she was 8 and cried, Elly when she was 6 and she screamed and wailed. Ana gave a little *ow* and that was it. It only took me this long to figure out that maybe a little anbesol would numb the ears and make the experience not so painful. Better late than never!
On Sunday Ana chose her favorite dinner - homemade tortillas twith all the good burrito fillings and then we had cookie cake with ice cream, and presents.

The beautiful birthday girl

Is there anything funnier than a kid with no front teeth? I ask Lewie to smile at me about 10 times a day so I can see that silly grin.
Haircut courtesy of Uncle John.

Library Time

2009-05-04T10:53:00.007-04:00

At my school, teachers who are interested join the kids in a "25 book campaign." The goal is to read 25 books during the school year. I just finished my 25th so I bring you my Top 5 of the Year and the Worst of the Stinkin' Worst. My top 5 are in no particular order.

Obviously I loved White Tiger. It is narrated by a taxi driver in India, who is addressing the Premier of China. He needs to perpare the Premier for a vist to India.

I finished The Help last night and I was crying, which is pretty unusual for me with a book. The young society ladies in 1960s Mississippi and their Black maids star in this gem. One of the society lady secretly begins writing a book about the maids (with their cautious help).

I read A free life several months ago. It's a great, detailed story about a Chinese family trying to make a life for themselves in the US. I was reading reviews of this book and people either love it or hate it. I thought it was very moving.

The little giant of Aberdeen County is the story of Truly, who believes she is too big and ugly for anyone to love. She discovers some magic in an old quilt.

Since I carry books around, people often as "whatcha reading?" This book has gotten the strongest negative reaction - Dinner with a cannibal. It's the history of cannibalism around the world, through the ages ..... some so recent, it's scary. Absolutely fascinating.

Silent tears brought on loud sobs. Woman goes to China, volunteers for a few hours a week at an orphanage and then has to go home and eat bonbons to recuperate or go on luxury getaway weekends, slams orphanage workers (who earn about 5 cents a day) as being uncaring. Go back to your ivory tower. Bleeeeech.

There you have it my friends. Carry on and read something good today.

No More Blogfeed

2009-04-23T10:29:00.002-04:00

I removed the blogfeed. It made too many people feel like Big Brother was watching! I just wanted to see where all you weirdos were coming from...... sorry for the dangling preposition.

Over the Border

2009-04-23T09:42:00.003-04:00

Yup, they let us into Canada, without much fanfare. Seems that Crazylady has a restraining order against me, but I assured the officers that we were staying in Niagara Falls. They believed me..........suckers.
Destination: The Great* Wolf* Lodge
I only took a few pictures because it's a water park and who wants to cart around a camera?
For most of our time there, Frances HATED the "lazy river," because it was "tooooo splassssshy." [said in whiny tweeny voice] She stood on the sidelines, taking pictures. Then she tried it ........ and just like lays potato chips, couldn't do it just once. Could an ingredient be that a boy who was floating behind me said [in a squeaky tweeny voice] "Is that your daughter?" Me: "Yeah" [in a whatsittoyou voice] Boy: "She's cuuuuuute!" He only struggled for a moment as I held his little pinhead under the water.
The Cuteness herself.

Ana was tall enough to go on the BIG slides with Lew and me. I didn't think that she was going to like it but she is a convert!

The first thing Elizabeth said to me this morning was "Can we go to GWL today?" "Ummmmmm, NO."

I could not float on the lazy River by myself for more than 30 seconds without Ana or Lewie jumping on with me. At least they covered up my fat gut.

Speaking of fat guts, one can see all sorts of "stuff" at the GWL that is usually hidden by clothing. Perhaps my favorite sighting was the woman with a garter tattoo on her thigh. "Tucked" into the garter was a pistol. Charming.

Lewie was by far the most adventuresome of the group - he wanted to go on everything. We were almost to the front of the l*o*n*g line for a big slide when there was a ......... are you ready for this?............ fire drill! We had to climb down the stairs and stand around until it was over. Bizarre.

Crazylady is safe for now. I have to hand over the kids' certificates of citizenship so they can get passports. Come June 1, we can't get into Canada without one and you know how we LOVE us some Canada, eh?

I heart photofunia dot com

2009-04-19T19:33:00.000-04:00

Tzuhsi......The Muse

2009-04-18T09:22:00.000-04:00

The internet is a wild and wonderful place

Shenanigans

2009-04-12T21:56:00.004-04:00

Imagine you're sleeping peacefully on a certain Sunday morning when, at 6:35, all four of your children jump out of bed screeching......... fire drill? Nooooooo, it's EASTER MORNING WOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!
Even Frances, who I have to literally drag out of bed on school mornings was giddy and ready to hunt for her basket. Since it was 33 degrees outside, all merriment was indoors. By 6:46am, the baskets were found and the children were gathered around the table to admire the loot.
A little time to compare goodies.........

Lewie LOVES ugly dolls and was thrilled to find one in his basket. I got one for each of the kids.

Elly is closely examining her magnetic bookmark. OF COURSE, they each got a book.

Ana got a cover for her nintendo ds - it has Hannah Montana on it. She screamed in delight....... who wouldn't?

The Lawyer's peeps came over for dinner. We had a Mexican fiesta, complete with homemade tortillas! I rolled 72 tortillas this afternoon. The Lawyer plied me with a Margarita to keep me rolling. I also made key lime pie that was SO GOOD. I might have damaged an artery eating a slice though. It has a *teeny-tiny* bit of F*A*T in it.

Frances did a cousin Mary photo-shoot. This one was my fav. She also made a movie entitled "Playground Antics" but I can't figure out how to download it, YET.

In other news this week, Lewis has been channeling some hip-hop guru. He popped out of his room yesterday, stylin' with his hat and glasses and doing a little rap/dance number. Dare I repeat the lyrics that he made up? Yeah, sure, why not...... "YO YO MY NAME IS JOE, I STUBBED MY TOE ON A UFO" Yup, that's my boy.

And last, the Buddha was NOT amused by last week's snowfall. Let's hope it was the last.

Happy Easter Monday to my lucky Canadian friends. I'll be going to work tomorrow.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T08:19:00.001-04:00

Trolling through the Swamp

2009-04-05T20:05:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was an incredibly nasty "Spring" day - it was raining and snowing and the wind was howling - LOVELY! We got a reprieve today and I hustled everyone in the Mamamobile for an "adventure"....... the children always cringe when I tell them we're going on an adventure. The Lawyer had to stay home to do some "work" - yeah, right.
We went to Tinker *Nature *Center - a cute little place in the woods, with a playground, pond and a boardwalk through a swamp.
First pitstop, playground. Notice that there are no shots of Elizabeth - she was a whirling dervish, not to be captured by camera.

The first climb of the season! Frances is a monkey with great upper body strength. She shimmied up to the top.

Just a little dose of cuteness.

Then it was into the deep dark swamp.......

We spent a lot of time looking for critters and were very excited to find 3 snakes.

Elly really wanted to pick it up but Lewis warned her that snakes will squeeze you to death if you touch them. He's just a little ray of sunshine.

Some other swamp creatures.......

Lewis was SO LOUD that I think he scared most of the animals away. We didn't even see one deer.

Frances' new fashion accessory - her ipod. We had a deal that I would pay her $1 for every hour she practiced violin until she had enough $$$ to buy an ipod. She did it in about 4 months.

Another sign of spring - the green machine is back in action!

Crouching Little Dragons, Hidden Tigers

2009-03-29T09:49:00.003-04:00

On Friday we went to the Little Dragons' graduation ceremony. They performed a kata, showed off some punching and kicking, and received their new belts. The senseis gave a self defense demonstration that thrilled the kids, except for Elly who thought they were really attacking and beating the crap out of each other.
Here they are, all lined up for their moment of meditation. It is SO hard for Lewis to keep his eyes closed during meditation - his face is always scrunched up!

The karate kids with their new orange belts!

My little jocks (not)

2009-03-27T15:09:00.002-04:00

I just got my second phone call this week from Ana and Frances' school nurse to give me a heads-up that they were injured during floor hockey. Frances got her foot slammed and Ana got clocked in the face. The nurse said that she is going to be HAPPY when the unit is over! My dinky kids should not be playing with kids twice their size!

Maybe next year, I'll have to send them in some protective gear!

Hunting for Spring

2009-03-22T21:11:00.004-04:00

I didn't have much enthusiasm from the troops when I suggested we go on a hunt for signs of Spring. Elly and Ana ended up agreeing to go with me, out of boredom if nothing else.
It really was heartening to see robins, pussy willows, forsythias, snowdrops and lots of humans up from hibernation.

Frances has developed a new habit of sneaking my camera off of our desk and taking random pictures. For once she took a cute one. It looks like Daisy is belching.

How's that for a rip roaring exciting weekend report?? Frances was feeling punky, no one wanted to play with me and I did a L*O*T of laundry. I don't even get to watch Big Love! The Lawyer begged to put it off until tomorrow so she could watch The Amazing Race. I'll work on better blog fodder for the next report.

2009-03-20T20:56:00.003-04:00

Imagine my friends, that you are ready to celebrate your 81st birthday. All of your 6 children come down for the weekend to take you out to dinner and partake in merriment. You can choose any restaurant for your dinner. If you are my old man, you pick this:

It brings back fond memories of his youth, because it's been open since his youth. Since 1942 to be exact. The old man made reservations and we all went over for a St Patrick's Day buffet dinner. Frances ate 4 baby carrots, Lewis had ONE meatball and Elly and Ana had salad. My dinner consisted of a boiled potato, a boiled carrot and a wedge of cabbage that had been boiled in pickling spices. Mmmmmmmmmmm. On the way over to my Dad's house afterwards, I had to make a pit stop at McDonald's so the kids could actually eat.

They certainly were in the Saint Patty's Day spirit. Here's one of the waitresses.

Cousin Al, for some reason, thought it was a good occassion to teach Lewis a tango........

As always, the saving grace was the hotel and pool. We spent hours swimming.

A rare sighting of Frances and Elly communicating with no venom spitting forth.

On Sunday we headed home and stopped at the Corning Glass Museum. Frances took all of the pictures in the museum.

All the kids loved this one. Lewis kept screaming "look out all you dudes in the houses, the knives are coming."

BIG FRUIT

We watched glass blowers, which was really cool.

What blog worthy activities will take place this weekend? Stay tuned.

The Twins Turn 7

2009-03-16T21:06:00.006-04:00

The blood sugar levels are getting back to normal after a steady diet of cake for the past several days.
Lewie had the 1st celebration on Wednesday. Notice that he is dressed in a robe. It's his leisure suit. We like to call him "Howard," "Mr Hughes," " Hugh" or just "Hef," for his wardrobe choice.
Just so you don't think I'm TOO TOO clever, I made a simple round cake, frosted it blue and plunked on a frog cupcake from the bakery.

Lewie sucked almost the whole frog down, It was BIG.

Then he ripped into his gifts - Pokemon cards, an airhog-inside-radio-control-airplane-thingy, a puzzle and a Domo stuffed animal to add to his enormous collection of "friends."

Round 2 of merriment was on Thursday for Elizabeth. The Lawyer fashioned a cake with some shamrock cookies and festive sprinkles. As you can see, Eliz was thrilled. She scored a leapster game, clothes and some earrings & rings.

Next up - the birthday blowout weekend for my Dad.
Aunt Suzie will be taking attendance so don't be late.

A very special week

2009-03-10T22:18:00.004-04:00

Oh birthday tree, oh birthday tree, how shiny are your branches!
Hello Darlings!
It's birthday week for the Twins! And my old man, CJ!
Gather around the tree! Sing along!

Before Xmas, Lewie and I were shopping and he asked me "How come there are only trees for Christmas? Can we get a birthday tree?" The week after Xmas we were at Target, taking advantage of the deep discounts on leftover holiday crap. We found a little silver tree with lights, 75% off. I plunked down my $2.50 and a new tradition was born.

Stay tuned for birthday reports. Lewis turns 7 tomorrow and Elly turns 7 on Thursday. Woo-Hoo!

Ding Dong It's Falun Gong

2009-02-21T21:18:00.005-05:00

Oh, where do I begin, in thw description of my conversion? Let's go back ...... to yesterday. The whole tribe was at the mall, picking up my Mac that was undergoing repair. Yes, we were sans computer for FIVE days. It wasn't pretty
We were approached by a man in a Chinese costume, who gleefully suggested that we come to the "Di*vine Per*forming Arts" show the following day - "Kids 1/2 price for you because it is a wonderful show for them to see and learn 5000 years of Chinese history." The Lawyer rolled her eyes as I plunked down $75 for 3 tickets - only Ana and Elly wanted to go with me.
Just as I was paying, Lewis' nose started bleeding. GUSHING. I held a tissue to his nose and the Lawyer took off to get some napkins. A little old Chinese lady, who was with the costumed guy but sitting off to the side, rushes over. She pantomimes for Lewis to hook his middle fingers together and pull. He's freaking out too much so she takes her curved middle fingers, curves his, hooks her middle fingers onto his and pulls. I take the tissue down from Lewis' nose to fold it and the blood has stopped. It was weird, to say the least. His bloody noses last FOREVER but this woman stopped it immediately.
So this afternoon I went to the performance at a local theater. Something in the brochure mentioned that the company was proud to include some artist who practice fa*lun gong. Little did I know that I had paid $75 for a down home fa*lun gong revival! Interspersed with dances of the Monkey King, Mulan, and the first emperor of China, were "numbers" that included beating and killing fa*lun gong practitioners, who were made to look like freshly scrubbed missionaries in their khakis and polo shirts. A couple of shrieking sopranos sang joyfully of "di*vine oaths fulfilled," "leaflets in hand* born only* of effort and compassion" and when you find yourself in times of trouble, "remember da*fa* hao" (the Great* Way is good). It was all music and dance. All the singing was in Mandarin, with subtitles flashing on the background screen.
After 2 1/2 hrs, the merriment was over. I asked the girls how they liked it. Ana said, "It was weird." Elly said "I LOVED IT! IT WAS SO PRETTY! A little convert in the making.

Tip the Cup

2009-02-10T06:52:00.002-05:00

The other day I took the kids to Dunkin Donuts to give them their "behave yourself in karate and I'll get you a doughnut." We're at the counter and Lewis knocks over the tip jar, on purpose. I said "Lewis, why did you do that???!" He says "It said on the cup, Tip the Cup." "Ummm, Honey, it says Tip Cup. If you want to give your server a tip, you put it in the cup." "OHHHHH, I didn't know that." Our "server" was a high school kid who started laughing hysterically and asked if he could "use that." I said "As long as you give credit - his name is Lewie."

Back so soon?

2009-02-08T11:45:00.005-05:00

Back when Frances didn't whine about going to the zoo, I bought her this jacket at the VOA for $1.50. She was 3 1/2 and wore it all the time. Here she is, circa 2002.

Yesterday, Frances was looking for an alternative to her heavy winter jacket and found her beloved jacket in the back of our coat closet. "Can I wear this?" "Sure." Here she is, 7 years later. Think it was worth $1.50???

Tzuhsi is back

2009-02-08T09:55:00.007-05:00

I guess I should have put this sign up a couple of weeks ago. It's winter in Western NY. About the only thing we do is stare at screens and go bowling. I was talking to Aunt Suzie last week and she said, "Just put up some dang bowling pictures, the inauguration is so JANUARY." Yes Suzie, poetic license taken.

I was hard at work on Friday, when the Lawyer called me. I was doing something important........ like updating my card catalog...... or something like that. She wanted to report a request, from a LURKER, that I get busy with an update. This one's for you, MB. I know the dogs are much more fascinating than my bowling scores. Awwwwwwww, aren't they darling?

Here's the crazy one, with evidence of her most loved sport - dragging my yarn around the house. Isn't she precious?

In November, I kinda, sorta FORCED Frances to sign up for an audition to play violin in the all-county orchestra. She worked her buns off for 3 months, focusing solely on one piece, Meditation. Her school orchestra teacher encouraged her to try out at a level 4 but her private teacher poo-pooed that and insisted she do a level 5 (the highest level, even for high school is 6). Frances played beautifully and did well on her scales and sight reading. She scored a 90/100 but didn't make the cut - bummer. The day after her audition, she played the piece again, for her recital. Here are all the chicks at the recital. Lewis and Elizabeth were RIDICULOUS - yapping and giggling.

Elizabeth ended up falling asleep, which made Lewis giggle evn harder.

Yesterday we got a winter reprieve so I had to drag the children away from their various screens and take them to the zoo. It was 52 degrees people! We were partying like it was 1999. with one exception. Frances had her complaints on a loop - "I'm cold." "I'm hungry." "This is boring."

Dear Readers, that's all the news for now. I will be a more diligent blogger friend, even if I have to post more bowling pictures and l*o*n*g drawn out analyses of Nip/Tuck, Lost & Big Love.

Happy Inauguration Day!

2009-01-20T11:01:00.002-05:00

It's a good day to be a USer!

The Man Cave

2009-01-18T13:55:00.005-05:00

I went to Lewis' bed yesterday to change his sheets and found the following:
2 books
2 socks
a tee shirt
16 stuffed animals
2 flashlights
2 handheld games
5 pillows
a "sniffer" aka a shirt that I've worn that Lewis keep on his bed so he can sniff my smell
and, in my opinion, the BEST
a TROPHY, under his pillow

He sleeps on the top bunk and it's like his little man cave

Precious Moments

2009-01-15T12:37:00.003-05:00

Last week Lewis performed a forbidden "trade" on the bus. The driver gets peeved when the kids play with toys on the bus and doesn't allow trading Pokemon cards. In Lewis' trade, he scored a little Pokemon stuffed animal,called Pikachu, for a mere one card. I sent Lewis to school the next day to do a trade-back but the other kid wouldn't budge. So Lewis has yet another little buddy, which he adores. Pikachu has its own language that, coincidentally, Lewis is able to translate. A few
days ago, Lewis told me that the following day was Pika's birthday. I *just so happened* to be at the grocery store so I got a birthday cookie cake for the occasion. I asked Lewis how old Pika is and he said whatever age candle I had would be Pika's age. We sang, we ate, we had precious moments! Happy Birthday Dear Pika!
The Lawyer, who is a suspicious character by nature, actually accused me of staging a birthday party as blog fodder! She badgered me and badgered me to assign a percentage of how much was fodder and how much was just my sweet nature. I pleaded the 5th. Let's hope I live a long and healthy life, dear readers, because the Lawyer would be such a NASTY single mother to my precious little children.

Happy HoHoHo

2008-12-31T07:18:00.005-05:00

Whew, the fudge has been CONSUMED, wrapping paper has sufficiently clogged the landfills, sleep-deprived children have been revived by enforced naps and calm has returned to the western (NY) world.
A post-Xmas-post wouldn't be complete without an inventory of the bootie. I will only submit to the highlowlights.

When my niece Jenifer asked me what Frances wanted for Xmas, I didn't skip a beat - "office supplies." She LOVES them. Jenifer was doubtful so she asked Frances what she wanted........... yup, office supplies. Frances was even more thrilled to get a tote to organize her supplies.

Lewis got some flashlights from Aunt Suzie. He especially likes the head lamp. The kids play "laser light show" in their rooms with flashlights - with these new supplies, I now call it "Cirque de laser light show."

On Xmas morning, the kids were up at 6:30. My rule is that Mama has to have a cup of coffee before gifts can be ripped into. By 7:00, they were done opening. I didn't buy silly-filler-crap. I got down to business. Everyone got a gift of their dreams (nin*tendo ds for Ana, *uggs for Frances, mar*iocart for our *wii for Lewie & leap*ster for Elly), a game, books, & an outfit. It felt good and sane.
In the afternoon we went to see the Lawyer's peeps. Ana and Elly were intent on navigating their new toys.

Aunt Laurie called me a couple of weeks before Xmas to get some gift ideas. She had her own idea for Frances - a circuit set..... hmmmm, I was a little uncertain about that. I thought she would either LOVE it or HATE it. She loved it!

A couple of days after Xmas, we had a mini heat wave - 60s and sunny! All of the snow melted and the kids got to play outside. Lewis got a plasma car for Xmas and everyone had a great time playing with it...... except for Lewis who was taking the aforementioned nap due to cranky behavior.

This is how you'll often find me in the summer, in my lifeguard chair, controlling the chaos. This is my winter version, hanging out and doing sudoku. No cocktail, Silly! It's only 2:00!
href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nZgmpu9erBg/SVtlVPcNLSI/AAAAAAAABfM/4V-8NGZNpwE/s1600-h/mama.JPG">

On one of our winter break field trips, we went to feed the chickadees, at a local park.

The hands are ready. although *some* people are a little too giggly to attract the birds.

The Lawyer, Elly, and Ana got the chickadees to eat peanuts from their hands. Frances wouldn't take off her big, bulky gloves which I guess the chickadees don't like. Lewis was too............. Lewielike.

Frances was invited over to a friend's house for a New Year's Eve party. I told the Mom that I was sure that Frances would rather hang out with her Mama on NYE. Frances just rolled her eyes. I don't get it.

Snow Day!

2008-12-22T19:01:00.006-05:00

For the last few weeks I have been performing a little dance for my children while singing a little ditty, which goes like this, "I don't have school on Monday and Tuesday before Christmas and you-hoo dooooo, HAHAHAHAHAHA." They L*O*V*E it............. or hate it, whichever. Add to the goodness that I had a snow day last Friday while they did not, and the justice is just too much. So I actually was happy when their school day was cancelled on Monday due to blizzard conditions. Who wants their kid riding a bus in a blizzard? I'm not supposed to............right?
Just to make things extra fun, the Lawyer's snow blower (The Snow King, all hail the King, please) DIED. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? She should get her butt out there and shovel before going to court? Right? Can I get an amen? But no. She thinks that I should get MY delicate butt outside and do the dirty deed. That's the kind of justice this Lawyer dishes out.
I had to force my sweet little chicks into their woolens and make them go out in the freezing cold. I submit exhibit A to prove what a rotten time they had.........

Our lawn is totally flat. Due to the *god only knows how much* snow we got, the children were able to sled and snowboard. Here's Lewie on his maiden voyage.

The bushes behind Frances are about 4 feet tall. Look how she towers over them. Yup, we got a little snow.

Elly was laughing hysterically the whole time. Let's hope the neighbors weren't trying to sleep in.

HEY - I just shoveled that snow! Stop putting it back in the driveway.

Nah, way too small.

OK, so maybe they had a *little* fun.

The Lawyer is a girl of many talents. This is her "squirrel cafe" that she built for the nasty little rodents.

After playing outside and doing some Christmas shopping, we made some cookies. I saw these on a website and thought it would be fun to give them a try........

But alas, they turned out like this.......... We think they look a little like devils. They taste great and that's what's important.....right?? No, we didn't add minced clams, you silly thing.

Tonight, my baby boy is sleeping away from the bosom of his family for the very first time. He'll be at my brother's house, with his cousin-brother, Big Al. Yes, I did grow up on the edge of Appalachia.
Stayed tuned for more Festivus........

Some Klever Names

2008-12-19T16:04:00.005-05:00

A new special feature to this blog, just to keep it fresh and happenin', will be excerpts from "Moments of Life," the baby name column in my local paper.

Laini Spirit
Rosea Essence Ambrosia
Lulu Shazzam
Skyy Miracle
Marley Aura
Stormie Autumn

Now this next one, you're going to doubt my honesty, I just know how skeptical you people can be. I swear on a stack of holy bibles that this was really in the paper. I tried to scan it and it printed in reverse. Drum roll please..............Anita ARealGirl. Any doubters may send a self addressed stamped envelope and I will send you a photocopy.

My face x 12

2008-12-15T16:13:00.002-05:00

Should a woman over the age of 40...... ok, 45..... really have a magnifying mirror that make wrinkles, pores, hairs, 12 times their size???
I often gaze at every inch of my face with one of these things, usually with my tweezers in the other hand, ready to remove hairs and scrutinize the state of my skin. I can also see the grey hairs at my temples.
The 40s just aren't too pretty my friends.

Trust me

2008-12-07T14:55:00.002-05:00

While the Lawyer and I were chopping down the Xmas tree, Frances asked Lewie if he wanted to do the "Trust Fall."
"Fall back Lewie, and I'll catch you, I promise."
"No way, I can't"

"Come on, Lew, just put your arms out like this and fall back."
"I can't."

"Ana, show him how you do it."

"DO IT LEW."
"OOOOOOO-KAY"
Success

I said to the Lawyer, "Fall back, I'll catch you." "Ummm, NO!"
Who would YOU trust to catch you???

That funky junky hat

2008-12-06T12:33:00.004-05:00

Thursday was crazy hat day at the big girls' school. Frances is definitely not a morning person. She stumbles around in the morning, eats her breakfast s..l..o..w..l..y and has to be out of the house first! She has before school activities every day and the Lawyer drives her in at 7:45. When they got to school on Thursday, Frances saw kids in their hats and realized she had forgotten her hat. Ana was only too happy to wear two hats to school and was thrilled that Frances would be stopping at her classroom to pick up her hat. High School Musical hat for Ana and Hello Kitty for Frances.

We had another 1/2 birthday party on Thursday. Frances is officially 101/2. We had 1/2 cupcakes for dessert

Another exciting day at Casa de Tzuhsi!

Post-Thanksgiving salutations

2008-12-03T16:57:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Yeah, that's me, always a week late and a $100 short.
Here's what you have been clamoring for:

The kids and I had no school on Wednesday. We invited Cousin Big Al over for projects and pre-Thanksgiving partying. Turkey cupcakes! Aren't we clever?

Lewie just took a bunch of the mini cookies, glooped some frosting on and called it his "little guy."

Frances vogue-ing with her creation

Ana was her usual diligent self and made a cutie.

Cousin Big Al came over to join in the merriment

On Friday night, we had my peeps over for dinner. Lewis and Big Al got jester hats from Aunt Amy.

On Saturday we went to a top secret location to take our holiday card photo. It was a painless 20 minutes. Here's a sneak preview.

What's for breakfast?

2008-11-26T06:55:00.002-05:00

The elusive Frances - One egg white, fried, with a piece of buttered toast. Takes her 20 minutes to eat because she reads more than she eats

Elizabeth - Pasta, with a little butter

Lewis - Oatmeal, with soymilk "DON'T FORGET I HATE THOSE NUTS" (ONCE I tried to sneak in walnuts)

Analise - Linguine with clam sauce

See why I make the children call me "Miss Cookie" in the morning? No cornflakes in our house.

2008-11-22T23:12:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth LOVES to draw and color. Take away her paper and crayons and that's her worst nightmare. Almost every day she says "I have a present for you" and it's always a drawing. This was today's gift. She had an intricate story to tell - basically it's a map of India, China, and our house!

Ho Hum

2008-11-22T21:38:00.003-05:00

Our weather this week whacked any illusion of a lingering autumn right out of my head. It's winter - I know that it comes every year and sticks around until April, but I still act shocked every time it comes around. We got right back to our winter weekend routine - went to Target to walk up and down every aisle and then to the Library to get another pile of books. May I introduce you to one of the worst books I've EVER read????? It was a great big ridiculous piece of crap.

On to one of my very favorites of the year. I read it a couple of weeks ago and just loved it. It's the story of a man in India, working his way up in the world in a very unusual way.

Whenever we go to the library, I make the kids sit quietly in the adult reading room that contains the newest acquisitions, while I browse. Of course it's torture to them and I have to flash them my fiercest look a few times to keep them from causing mayhem. When I was done, I gave them the "release the hounds" look and Ana and Lewis took off to the kids' room. Frances was hunched over a magazine. I said "come on Honey, we can go look for your books now." "Just a second, I want to finish this paragraph." Figuring she was reading Tiger Beat or some other tween mag, I said "whatcha reading?" She showed me the cover:

"THIS MAGAZINE IS AWESOME!!!!"
In other news........
Elizabeth nearly was booted off the bus.....AGAIN. Seems she penned a little tune called "The Butt Song" which she shared with EVERYONE on the bus. Kids were getting out of their seats to get away from her. She is a hot mess.
We had a parent teacher conference for Analise. As usual, the teachers gushed over her sweet nature and what a diligent worker she is.
Frances is auditioning for an all county youth orchestra. She has to have memorized, 15 major scales in 2 octaves. I didn't even know there were 15 major scales. The piece her teacher chose is beautiful - "Meditation" by Massenet. She has about 8 more weeks to prepare.
The kids had a half day of school yesterday and 2 of Frances' friends came home on the bus with her. Lewis and Elizabeth's bus got home first and I had to read Lewis the riot act. He ran in the house and had his pants off within 30 seconds. "LEWIS! You need to put your pants back on and keep them on while Frances' friends are here! Wait until you are in the bathroom to pull your pants down and be sure the door is closed when you go potty!" Lewis: "OH MAN! OOOOOOOKAY"
I can't find the cable to my camera so you'll just have to sit tight and quit your jonesing for cute pictures of me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and my kids?