Happy Birthday, sweetie!

It's Jon's birthday today, and I am feeling extra lucky to have him as my very own boy toy (kidding.........well, not really).  Have a good one, Jon, you don't look a day over 44!

He gives me goosebumps every time!

Tofu Cake

I ran into the grocery store the other day to purchase tofu and birthday candles.  The checker looked up and sarcastically said, "Please tell me you are not making a tofu birthday cake." Actually, I admitted, that is exactly what I planned to do.  Here is the recipe for one of our favorite chocolate cakes which I made last week for Jon's birthday, in case any of you are feeling adventurous!  I got the recipe from a little cafe that used to be in Salt Lake called the Park Ivy.  We fell in love with the cafe, back in our vegan days, and were thrilled to find a vegan cake that is delicious, too!  (It's actually delicious even if you factor out the vegan part, I dare anyone to tell me that it tastes healthy in any way!).

Tofu-Chocolate Cake

(1) 10.5 oz pkg. silken tofu

1/3 cup canola oil 

1 1/4 c. water

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. powdered egg replacer

2 1/2 cup pastry flour

2 cups sugar or sucanat

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup cocoa powder

1.  Grease and flour bundt pan.  Pre-heat oven to 350.

2.  Blend tofu and oil in blender, add water, egg replacer and vanilla.

3.  Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl.

4.  Add tofu mixture and whip for 3 minutes.

5.  Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes.

6.  Cool 20 minutes, remove from pan.

7.  Cool thoroughly before icing.

Frosting:

1 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. soy milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Mix sugar and cocoa in small bowl set aside.

2.  Blend oil, soy milk, and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth.

3.  Slowly add sugar mixture until creamy and thick.

4.  Spread on cake-dust with walnuts or coconut.

A creative mind

Max really thinks outside of the box when it comes to Mr. Potato Head.  Way to be creative, son!  He didn't learn it from me!

First trip to the dentist

Max and Molly took their first trip to the dentist this morning.  They were champs!  And the best news?  No cavities!  Yay!  Big sister had three teeth fixed today and needs two more.......my favorite way to spend $350!  

The best part of being a twin is that you don't have to do scary stuff alone!

Max loved the little suction thing!  Surprise!  It's like a miniature vacuum.

Good job to all three of my kids.  It's great that you don't take after your mom and dad and have fear to the point that you need sedation just to get a teeth cleaning!  You are the three best kiddos ever!

Morning at the Museum!

We had a fun morning at the museum today with some friends!  Max and Molly had a blast!  The big hit for Molly was the sand, and the big attraction for Max was the thing that sucks the balls up the tubes!  It's been a while since we've been, and it was so great to see them discover stuff and not just run wild the way they have in the past.  My little people are growing into little discoverers!

Molly sits in the giant bird's nest.

Stroller fighting

This is what happens every time these two get into the stroller..............

Ice skating lessons

Olivia is loving her ice skating lessons!  She is staying on her feet much more often, now.  She tested last night and did great.  She just needs to work on her swizzles.  Watch out Tanya Harding!

Molly's Radio Flyer

Another good find on Craigslist!  She can ALMOST pedal forward.  She can pedal backwards quite well.  Her legs are just a big longer than Max's, something she will probably have to look forward to her whole life, the long leg curse that her mom handed down.  It's good in the bike department, though.  If she's like her mom, she will love to bike and the more uphill the better. We may as well put our big strong legs to use, Molls!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cookie Party!

The most sprinkles award goes to..........Alyssa!

Max and Molly got to eat some cookies, too.........or lick the frosting off them anyways!

Olivia had a cookie party for Valentine's Day, her second annual party of the sort, and which she informed me is now an annual tradition!  Here are some pics of the party!

Spring!

I don't care what he said!

I saw some Rhodies blooming today!

Spring is coming!

Don't take away my DC!

What is going on?  Click here to see what ruined my day! It can't be true!  I wish DENIAL were just a river in Egypt!

When did my babies become little people?

I just turned around and all of a sudden these two started speaking to me in full sentences that are actually understandable.  My day is now filled with questions and songs and lots of requests.  It is so much fun, but a little sad, too. 

Max got a new bike!

My little guy on his new ride!

The Sock Hop

Olivia's school hosted a sock hop last Friday evening.  Olivia got all dressed up in her poodle skirt that her Aunt Crystal made (and priorty mailed so it would make it here in time, thanks Crystal!), and got ready to practice her dance moves that they'd been learning in school the preceding weeks.  She had a ball, dancing with her friends and visiting the beauty shop. Even Max and Molly got into it!  We rocked around the clock!

Modbe Swim 2008 has arrived!

Check out www.mobeclothing.com for the complete 2008 swim line.  Spring clothing will be coming soon!  If you need a suit, or anything else, you know who to call.........ME!

I think I'm in LOVE and ready for SPRING!

I can't get enough of the spring line from The Gap!  I have not been a Gap fan for a few years now, but I am back!  I am such a fan of the blue and white with pops of kelly green and bright rain boot yellow!  Click here to check out the designer picks!  I have my eye on several items for Spring.  

Now it just needs to warm up!

Now that I've calmed down.......

Last night I had one of my most trying moments yet as a mother.  This may not have been trying for most of you.  Most of my friends are very together, easy going, mellow, take in stride types, but I am confessing to you all now that I am not one of those.  No matter how I may appear.  This is what happened:

Earlier this week I found a few packets of kool-aid in the cupboard.  I used one of them to make the play dough mentioned on a previous post during one of my "good mommy" moments.  Yesterday I decided to make a pitcher full of said kool-aid.  Olivia loves it.  She rants and raves about kool-aid every time she gets it at someone else's house.  So, in an attempt to be a hero mom, I made some. It was called Jamaican something or other. She asked if she could have some, and I said yes.  She filled up a cup with the heavenly stuff, put a lid on it, and brought it downstairs where we were all playing.  Everything was lovely until Molly came downstairs and was RED.  Really.  This is the list of things on Molly that were red:  her hands, her arms, her shirt, her skirt, her WHITE tights, her legs (it soaked through her tights),her diaper (all the way through), her face, and her tummy.  She was dripping in kool-aid.  I hurried and stripped her down and threw her clothes in the washer.  I then heard Olivia say, "oh my gosh. Oh no."  I considered ignoring her.  But, my curiosity won over.  Iwent upstairs.  Oops, apparently Olivia left the 2 quart pitcher of RED kool-aid on the counter.  Molly dragged a chair over and tried to help herself.  The ENTIRE pitcher spilled. Here is the list of things covered in RED kool-aid:  the counters, the cupboards, the drawers (it leaked in),  the floor, my rug, the stovetop, the oven door and bottom drawer had puddles, my kitchen rug, and the tile backsplash (which is tumbled travertine and has lots of nooks and crannies to welcome the RED (did I mention that yet?).  

I am freaking out.  I am not in nice mommy mode.  At all.  I look down and Olivia is frantically cleaning the mess.  With my brand new white towels and washcloths that I JUST PURCHASED at Crate and Barrel.  All of them.  

UGH.  This is the point in which I WISH I would have taken a few dozen deep breaths.  To give you the shortened version I asked Olivia, through clenched teeth, to take her sister and brother upstairs so they weren't trampling through the puddles of red while I attempted to clean it.  I then grabbed a laundry basket and every old towel and rag in the house and began blotting.  Then I started washing it with soapy water, but guess what?  Kool-aid stains!  Yep, it stains counters, sealants, grout, wood, and children.  Maybe they should sell it in hardwares stores.  After 45 minutes of using bleach and scotch-brite pads on my cabinets, they are PINK.  At least not red, right?  I guess it will help me get into the Valentine's day spirit.  Which I need a little of as I contemplate shipping off my children.  Further scrubbing has gotten MOST of it off of the cabinets.  But still, every time I wipe the counters my rag turns pink, and my slippers are still sticking to the floor after 6 moppings.

After I finished this ordeal, I made the kids' dinner and apologized for freaking out.  I thanked Olivia for attempting to clean up and showed her where the old rags are for future reference.  I also thanked her for getting Molly into a clean diaper and clean clothes while I was cleaning up.

Then I told her that we would NEVER have kool-aid in our house again.

So, for any of you who were still deluded into thinking I am a calm, sweet mom, this is me, coming clean.  Even if my kitchen isn't.