Even educated fleas do it...

Papa Z has a few quirky attributes.  One of the most endearing ones is his need to run a song into the ground!   Meaning if he finds a song that catches his attention he will play or sing it over and over and over and over until you can’t stand it!  Despite being an innocent bystander, you have no control over the inevitable outcome; the song will be burned into your brain forever and will continuously play on an endless loop in your head.  Fortunately this only happens about four or five times a year.  Usually he picks current songs that I actually like, but he has recently found a little gem that I would be willing to go out on a limb to say no one could ever guess in a million years what he has latched onto.  You might as well not even attempt to guess because you will be wrong!  He has latched onto “Let’s do it, Let’s fall in love” by Cole Porter dating back to 1928!  With words like:

Birds do it, bees do it

Even educated fleas do it

Let's do it, let's fall in love

And a catchy tune, I guess I can see how he was allured.  So if you hear me murmuring about educated fleas under my breath you now know I have not actually gone off the deep end.

Zany thought of the day:  Do you have songs that get stuck in your head?  Which ones?

Summer recap

Some may say I've been slacking, I'd like to refer to it as just enjoying the summer.  For those of you that have been curious as to what my Zany family has been up to over the past few months, enjoy this long summer recap!

Our summer has been jammed pack full of several fun play dates with friends.  On one play date, at a fire station, I somehow got suckered into putting on fireman's gear-oxygen tank included-in the 100 degree heat.  It did give me an all new respect for firemen.

The kids were in several camps throughout the summer, which made me feel like a full time taxi driver.  In addition to an eight week Mega Sports Camp, the kids also participated in:

Swim Lessons:  Zany Janie and Wacky Zacky both took swim lessons.  Unfortunately for Wacky Zacky he had to miss the last few lessons due to an ear infection.  He also missed the last day where after waiting two whole weeks the kids got to conquer the water slides!  Zany Janie made sure to rub it in-just a little.

Wacky Zacky participated in a British Soccer Camp.  In addition to playing several fun games and building on his soccer skills, he got to learn a few new words/sayings such as "Loo" and "Don't be a donut".

Wacky Zacky and I continued training in karate.  Papa Z had to take a break from it for the summer, not after breaking his finger from chopping through a board, but from slamming his finger in a door.

Princess Zany Janie danced among other princesses at a Princess Ballet Workshop.  She learned four new dances and got to perform a little recital for the parents at the dance studio.  She was upset when she found out the recital was at the studio and not on "The big stage"-I see a diva in the making!  It has taken six weeks, but I think the song "Friend like me" from Aladdin is FINALLY out of my head-Wait I take that back-Auuuggghhh!

We went camping at San Onofre State Beach with some good friends.  After getting over our camp site being practically a parking lot conveniently located next to the busy interstate with a weight station for trucks directly in front of us, it was a good time!  A good time until we realized we would be awaken every 20 minutes throughout the night with Amtrak barreling through! 

 Despite the facilities, we did have a great weekend.  It was fun because our friends have kids the same age as our kids and they all had a fun time playing together.

While camping, we hiked the beach everyday.  I may have gained a few more grey hairs watching my kids attempt to boogie board.  I was sure they were going to be swept away with the waves and my adrenaline raced the whole time we were at the beach.

I think Zany Janie won dirtiest camper of the whole campground-hands down!  She was covered head to toe in sand and dirt the whole time.  It didn't help they only had outdoor freezing showers, but I'm guessing the 50 buckets of dirt she poured over her head on a daily basis pushed her into the winning circle.

The final biggest event of the summer was our two week trip to Indiana to see family and friends.  We had not been there in over two years and it was good to go back.  For some family, it was the first time they got to meet Miss Silly Jilly. 

While in Indiana we got to experience not only the humidity of the summer, but we were fortunate to be there to experience record high temps and humidity!  Yay for us!  It was quite an adjustment to go from dry heat to 100% humidity.  It's quite refreshing to always feel like you've just stepped out of the shower.

To keep cool the kids got to learn how to play on a slip-and-slide.  They have been deprived of the experience because our backyard isn't big enough for one-unless they want to smash head first into the fence.

On what I believe was the hottest day of the year, we went to the 4-H fair.  The kids say they loved seeing the animals, but as you can see Wacky Zacky wouldn't be within a few feet of 'ol Tom the Turkey and if you look really closely you will realize Zany Janie is cowering behind her brother using him as a shield, just in case 'ol Tom tries any funny business.

We drove past one of Indiana's little "hidden gems" numerous times-The Pink Elephant!  If you are ever in Indiana it's a must see!  It's located directly in front of a liquor store.

Because nothing says "Come buy your booze here" like a pink elephant wearing glasses and holding a martini glass!

We went to Mounds State Park where you can see the biggest hills in Indiana:

Well, maybe not the biggest hills, but I'm guessing it's fairly close! 

Silly Jilly had a first while on our trip.  She got to feed herself Spaghetti without any help.  I'm sure Olive Garden appreciated being a part of the experience!

The highlight of the trip for the kids was being on a farm and feeding the animals.  Grandpa had three little helpers every morning and night to help him.  I'm not sure how he manages without them.

While in Indiana Wacky Zacky found a new passion.  At the young age of five, he has decided what he wants to be when he grows up:  A cowboy!  And not just any cowboy, he wants to be a bull rider.  Since his proclamation he started wearing a teal bandanna with animals-just like a real cowboy!

You can imagine his excitement when we flew into the Orange County airport and he saw the biggest cowboy of all time-John Wayne! 

I'm guessing living in Southern California may set up some obstacles on his dream, but if that's what he wants to do then I say shoot for the stars! And Scooter (our dog), you'd better watch out because there's a little cowboy that needs a practicin' pony to ride and you may just turn into that pony!

So that's our action packed summer in a nutshell.  I'm hoping things slow down just a tad as fall approaches us!

She is one of my favorite things!

Over the weekend Zany Janie was in her first ever Ballet recital.  I can't believe how much she adores ballet.  She seems to live and breath it.  She prefers to read books about ballet, she adores the Angelina Ballerina movies, and she even has several ballet dolls.  She has been looking forward to the dance recital since she first laid eyes on a picture of her costume.

The closer the date of her recital, the more excited Zany Janie became and the more anxious I became.  I am a mom that does not have good hair styling skills.  I somehow managed to put her hair in a bun for class, but by the end of class most of it was falling in her face.  I was also directed to put make-up on her-not too light or her face would be washed out in the lights, but not too dark that she looked like a clown.  Hmmm...That's a fine line for a 4-year-old.  Add just a touch of color and it quickly begins to look over the top and a bit "Toddlers and Tiaras".

Thank goodness she had a dress rehearsal so I could work out the kinks with her hair and make-up.  I am proud to say her hair remained in a tight bun for both her dress rehearsal and her actual recital.  My late 80's big hair style phase actually came in handy-I had experience with Aqua Net and knew how to use it's powers.

Some may say I can't be unbiased since she is my daughter, but I think she was absolutely beautiful! 

She did a great job at the dress rehearsal.  I was so proud of her.  She loved the audience and put 100% into her performance.  Then the next day (Friday) she woke up with a high fever!  Cootie bugs had been circulating throughout our house for the past week and a half and somehow Zany Janie had managed to fight them off, but even the feistiest come down with something from time to time.  She was determined to perform on Saturday.  She rested and did her best to get better. 

Saturday morning her fever fluctuated from 100 to 102.8!  She continued to state she would perform.  Despite not eating for two days and feeling horrible she was determined enough to get through the performance.  Before you think I am a horrible mother, I will say her fever did go down to 98.9 right before we left for her recital.  She remained backstage throughout the whole show so I couldn't check in with her.  I did pack snacks for her and hoped she would eat something so she wouldn't pass out.  Then the moment finally came.  She did her whole dance to "My Favorite Things", putting 100% into it, and looked like she loved every second of it.

I cannot express the feelings I felt when I saw her on stage.  I'm guessing most parents feel the same way.  I was so proud of her!  I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked!  And I couldn't even begin to imagine how she could be enjoying performing in front of a hundred complete strangers!  In that aspect she is the complete opposite of me!  She is a performer!

After the bows, the curtain closed, the music stopped, and Zany Janie passed out!  Just kidding!  She held it together until I got her and then she could hold it together no longer.  By the time we got home her temperature had shot up to 103.2 and she was beyond exhausted.  I felt bad for her, but there was no way she would have let us keep her home and miss the performance. 

Later that night Zany Janie began complaining  and questioning why she was not able to go on stage and do a solo.  That girl is a true performer.  She also got to experience first hand what it means when they say "The show must go on!"

Zany thought of the day:  Try to listen to "My Favorite Things" no less than 70 times and see if you can possibly get "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens; Brown paper packages tied up with strings; These are a few of my favorite things" out of your head.  Come on try it.  You know you want to!

If a tree falls in the forest...

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"  If I was the philosophical type, that may have been what I asked myself right after Papa Z announced we were going to go hiking in Forest Falls.  But alas I am not and I think my immediate thought was, "What?!  It's 10ish we will need food!  We will need to eat!  Will there be food?!  I need food in my belly if we are going on mountain roads!  You know how I get car sick on mountain roads!  Hmmm....What do I feel like puking up in the car today?"-or something to that effect.  I am happy to announce the mountain roads were not as curvy as I had  imagined and I got through the trip with minimal dizziness. 

Prior to this trip, I had never heard of Forest Falls.  Papa Z was drawn to it because he wanted to take the family on a hike and the web page for Forest Falls proclaimed  that "Many refer to Forest Falls as "little Yosemite".  Really?  That's a big proclamation!  We shall see!

So we packed some snacks, food, and drinks and began our journey.  But not without a stop to KFC for some finger lickin' goodness. 

Forest Falls has a beautiful area with day camping sites.  We enjoyed our pre-hike meal under enormous trees while listening to rushing water. 

Feeling energized from our energy packed meal of KFC, Cheetos, and watermelon, we began our hike.  I assumed since we were taking three young children-two of whom were hoofing it and one which was tethered to Papa Z's chest-it was going to be an easy hike.  It wasn't too bad at the beginning, it was a dirt/sand path.  Then the path became sprinkled with boulders you had to climb over or go around.  This wasn't even too bad as long as you kept the thought of rattlesnakes out of your mind.  I didn't become concerned until I saw the log we had to cross to get over to the other side. For those of you that don't know, I am probably considered an anxious mom.  I'll admit it, I can look at a situation and immediately gauge all the things that could possibly go wrong.  So you can imagine the scenarios going through my mind as I watched this little scene: 

Wacky Zacky being pulled across while Silly Jilly dangled helplessly from Papa Z's chest. It did get my adrenaline flowing and raised my anxiety level.  I will admit I did have the camera ready to capture any missteps causing one or all three of them to take a swim in the creek. 

Then we came upon a beautiful area with a small waterfall.  This was just a bonus one because the "Little Yosemite" fall was further up the hill!

After a very terrifying hike (for me) we made it to the look out point for the bigger falls.  The hike consisted of me attempting to keep Zany Janie from falling off the cliff just inches off the path.  I don't know why she turns into Mr. Peepers at the most inopportune times!  While the falls were not exactly like Yosemite, it was beautiful and worth the hike.

The kids were not impressed with the waterfalls, but couldn't keep their hands out of the water and would have spent the whole day there playing.

Overall, I would recommend this hike to anyone who plans to be in the near vicinity of Forest Falls. 

Zany thought of the day:  So back to the original question-If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Hmmm....That's a tough one, oh wait!  What's that shiny thing?

Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair!

Zany Janie turned the Big 0-4!  To celebrate this monumental birthday she insisted on having a Rapunzel themed birthday party.  We had fun planning the party and found the Internet to have a wealth of ideas on this theme. 

I have never made invitations in the past and quite frankly really didn't want to make some sort of Rapunzel invitation, until I came across this idea.  I think they turned out super cute!  See here for a tutorial.

Besides hanging lots of yellow, green, and purple balloons around the house, I tried to be creative with the decorations.  I made four very long (probably 15 feet long) yarn braids which I placed on the door and throughout the house.  The kids loved them and by the end of the party they had taken them down and were having fun playing with them.

I also made lanterns to symbolize the lanterns from the movie.  I had planned on making several and having them throughout the house, but decided since it was a day time party we really didn't need glowing lanterns.  For a tutorial to make the lanterns go here.

I do have a Cricut machine and used it to make some decorations, but was disappointed that there is not a Rapunzel cartridge.  I ended up using the Paper Doll Dress up Cartridge to make a princess, then used yarn to make "Rapunzel" hair.  I also used the Cricut to make the flag banner.

Since Pascal is a main part of the movie, I wanted to use him in some games and as decorations.  The only problem was I didn't have a Chameleon on any of my cartridges.  I had to get really creative.  I used the Zooballoo cartridge to cut out an iguana then cut out a monkey (using just the tail) for the tail and tongue of Pascal.  I know they are kinda funky, but you have to admit they are cute!

Going along with the Rapunzel/Pascal theme, I made these cute party blowers for a game.  The kids really seemed to love them.  You can find the tutorial to make them here.

We didn't get all that creative with the food.  We had your typical hamburgers/hot dogs.  We did have an assortment of fruit and skewers so everyone could make their own Fruit "Tower" kabobs.  We also made these adorable jello boats to represent when Rapunzel and Flynn were watching the lanterns in the sky.

One game we played was pin the frying pan on Flynn.  I got this idea, as well as several other ideas for the party from the Super Mom Moments Blog. 

The kids thought it was hilarious to try to put the frying pan on Flynn's face. After the game some of them were trying to put the frying pan on each other's face.

We also made a Rapunzel Scavenger Hunt separating the boys and girls into groups.  Each group had to find colored "Pascals" hidden throughout the house/outside.  In order to earn a prize they had to do an activity related to the movie Tangled at each Pascal.  Some of the activities included:  Yelling the line "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let your hair down!"; holding your breath; Using a frying pan to hit a balloon with a face drawn on it; using the Pascal party blower's tongue to hit Flynn in the ear; testing ones sense of smell; and finding a hidden tiara.

Since Rapunzel loves to paint we decided to be brave and let 10 kids under the age of 6 loose with paint and paint brushes.  They loved creating their own masterpieces and actually kept all the paint on the plastic tarp below them-at least we have yet to find paint on the walls!

 

Finally, no party is complete until a Pinata has been broken!  I found this cute star Pinata at none other than Walmart.  It was cheaper than any other Pinata we have had at parties and it actually held up twice as long!

And as an added bonus, the ends of the star could be broken off into several princess hats!  You can't beat that with a stick...or can you?

Of course we had a cake, but it was a store bought cake.  Despite having the "Crazed Cricut Mom" (see her blog here) as my good friend, I just couldn't stomach the stress it would take to attempt to make my own cake.  Maybe in the future...Probably not, but maybe...

I think it turned out to be a wonderful party for Zany Janie!  The theme was a fun one and both girls and boys could enjoy it.

Zany thought of the day:  What's your favorite theme for a party?

Wet 'N Wild at Whitewater

This weekend we went on an adventure to the Whitewater Preserve.  We had heard others talk about it, but had never ventured there for ourselves. Unfortunately for me once you get off the interstate you have to drive down a curvy road for several miles.  Luckily for both Papa Z and me I didn't get carsick, but was dizzy and felt like I was staggering around for a little while.  Once we stopped we all jumped out and started exploring the area. 

                                             

It was a beautiful area and I felt at one with nature until I saw the menacing sign which warned of Bears, Mountain Lions, and Rattlesnakes!  Nothing like the fear of venomous hungry animals to put your mind at ease!

There were several crystal clear pools throughout the area filled with what appeared to be huge trout.  I say they were trout because I'm no fish expert and trout are one of the few "freshwater fish" names I know.  Sorry people, but no fishing!  Come on, it's a nature preserve!

The nature preserve claims the canyon has a robust population of bighorn sheep.  Trying to see any of them was just like going to the bighorn sheep exhibit at the zoo-None of those "mythical creatures" were to be seen!

We hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail for a few miles.  Somehow I always get stuck being the follower and never the leader...But that's okay, I was busy keeping a keen eye and ear out for bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes.

The highlight of the trip was playing in the river.  We had to walk a long way, but we finally found an area without rapids that would take out the children.  After the initial shock of feeling wet cold squishy mud between their toes passed, the kids were happily splashing and playing in the river.  Zany Janie even learned how to pee in the wilderness.  I'm hoping she doesn't decide to try it at our pool this summer!

Overall, it was a great experience and I'm sure we will be back to visit again soon.  Maybe next time if we come across a nasty rattlesnake, a bighorn sheep will gallop down a sheer cliff and come to our rescue!  Maybe, but I doubt it!

Please say "I Do"!

Yesterday was quite the day in our house.  A typical day in our house can be quite chaotic with three kids under the age of 6 running about, but for some reason yesterday I felt like I was refereeing a featherweight MMA (mixed martial arts) match.  It was mainly Wacky Zacky and Zany Janie in on the action with Silly Jilly cheering them on.  There seemed to be armbars, anaconda choke holds, guillotine choke holds, and headlocks galore going on throughout the day!  Unfortunately they both refused to tap out so I had to be the referee to make sure no bones were broken or blood was seen.

So what could possibly cause such barbaric behavior in these little angels?  The answer is simple!  Ken would not marry any Barbie dolls unless they had blond hair! 

Yes, you read it right, your eyes did not deceive you.  There were MULTIPLE, not just a few, blow-ups in our house because Wacky Zacky would not allow the Ken doll to marry all of Zany Janie's Barbies.  He would only allow the holy matrimony to take place with the blond dolls.  By the end of the day and after what seemed like the 20th blow-up, I was ready to scream, "For Heaven's sake Ken!  Just say I DO!"

Zany thought of the day:  Is it just me or has the Ken doll gotten more and more flamboyant over the years?