my eight year old eats what?

so there is a pretty popular book circulating the parenting set about expanding your child's particular palate. i haven't read it, so please forgive me if what i'm about to say seems harsh but...

do you really need to read a book to figure out how to get your picky eater to eat?

in my opinion, no. i believe that picky parents produce picky children. why? well, if you don't like it, what makes you think your child is going to like it? i was raised by parents who believed that you ate what you were given. if you didn't like it, you either sat there until you ate it or you went hungry. and - surprise, surprise - i am raising my children the same way. 

i'm not a short order cook. my kitchen is not a restaurant. there is a menu, but there is only one thing on it: you get what you get & you don't throw a fit.

don't get me wrong, there are things my children choose not to eat. malia refuses to eat tomatoes, brussel sprouts & blueberries. aidan also doesn't care for brussel sprouts {but he'll eat them...reluctantly}. but, what my children will and do eat amazes people. i've blogged about it before, but my children are actually quite adventurous when it comes to food. i think a lot of that is due to the fact that adam & i are not picky eaters and are quite adventurous ourselves. are we foodies? i guess so. but, i do the draw the line at certain things and - more often than not - my children surprise me and show that they are more adventurous than i am when it comes to culinary deliciousness. 

case in point...

{gotta love a blurry cell phone pic}

that picture above? that's aidan eating a duck foot. yes, a duck foot. and, that particular duck foot was wrapped in a skin made from tofu. there was also taro root & steamed shrimp inside {my father & i joked that was the duck's toe jam}. 

i know, i know...ew, right? i don't even eat duck feet. but, aidan wasn't made to eat it. we were at our favorite dim sum spot in boston. my mom ordered them and we asked the kids, "do you want to try one?" malia said no. aidan said sure. i always tell my kids to give something a shot before they decide they don't like it, especially when it comes to food. this is what aidan did and guess what? he liked the duck foot.

so, while some of you are battling the "i only want chicken nuggets" blues, don't get frustrated. instead, get smart. hell, outsmart your child. stop catering. serve what you are eating. your child might surprise you. but, if you're picky, well, i don't know what to tell you. this mama doesn't do picky.

p.s. food allergies and other sensitivities do not count as being picky. 

me, as a parent.

this post has been in the works for a while. and, when i say "in the works," i really mean that the idea has been in my head {and my heart} for quite some time. up until now, i never really knew how i wanted to word things. honestly? i still am not entirely certain if this post will come across the way i want it to, but...what the heck.

going from childless to being a parent was a big change. 

going from parenting one child to parenting two children was a big change.

parenting a boy versus parenting a girl? i'm still trying to figure that out.

in the past, i've been accused of loving & treating my children differently. and, while i might deny ever doing so, deep in my heart i know it's true. to most people, it isn't obvious. but to others - like my mother - the distinction is very blatant & obvious. sometimes, i'm not sure if she tells me this to be mean or if it's her way of keeping me "in check" as a mother.

so, before you throw stones, i'll just come out and say it...yes, i love both of my children dearly, but i love them differently. and, yes, unfortunately, i do sometimes treat them differently, too. here's the kicker - and i know each & every one of us has vowed never to be like this - but i sometimes feel like i am acting the same way my mother did when i was growing up. why? because, honestly, i believe that my mother loved & treated my sister and i differently, too.

i'm biracial. what's race have to do with this? well, ask anyone you know who is of asian descent and ask them about their mother. 'nuff said.  while my dad was the breadwinner, my mother was the one who ruled the roost. and rule she did. i feel like a lot of how she raised me & my sister has rubbed off on how i am raising my own children today. that being said, it's not a bad thing. in fact, i'm very proud to emulate my mother in certain ways {much to the dismay of my husband}. i feel that my mother {both of my parents, in fact} did a damn fine job of raising both me and my sister. but, what does this have to do with my children?

i know, but i don't know. yeah, it doesn't make any sense, does it?

obviously, how i was raised reflects a great deal upon how i choose to raise my own children. therefore, when i seem mean or like i'm coming down on my children a little too hard, it's because that's what i know. this frustrates my husband because my husband was raised by a single mother with a completely different parenting style from what i grew up with {and this subject, my friends, will be blogged about soon...very soon}. my children are not mistreated nor are they abused. they just, by the grace of God, have a {to an extent} controlling, micromanaging mother who is not overly doting or lovey-dovey {because i was not raised by a mother like that}. i realize that a lot of my issues, if you even want to call them that, are of my own doing. it's how i've always been. it's who i am. and, because of this, i know that God has a sense of humor. why? because he blessed me with a child who is exactly like me.

{sidenote: last spring i read amy chua's battle hymn of the tiger mother for a child & family class i was enrolled in. let me just say that i could relate to a lot of what the book covered. a lot.}

my oldest is ten years old. malia & i have the same chinese astrological sign {we are both snakes}. take one look at her and you'll quickly agree that she is my mini-me. and, we are very much alike in terms of looks and, unfortunately, personality & temperament. to an outsider looking in, it would seem as if i am detached from my daughter...that i don't love her and that i criticize her entirely too much. i'm not & i don't. she & i have a special relationship that, in all honesty, only she & i understand. i am amazed by her abilities. she is creative, smart & gifted beyond her years. she's a lot like me when i was her age...and then some.

my youngest is eight years old. aidan was one week overdue and i hope his entrance into my world is not an indicator of any future plans of never leaving home. boys were a new territory for me. but, looking back on his infancy & toddlerhood, it was a very pleasant, very loving experience. both of my children were phenomenal babies & toddlers, but aidan was different. jovial, cheerful, and easy going {except when he was potty training}. aidan is so much easier to deal with than malia. sure, he might whine, but i'll deal with whining any day over sass & a smart mouth. i'm sure their age difference has something to do with it all, too.

but, there really is a difference between boys & girls, especially if you're raising both.

i've said it before and i'll say it again: i love both of my children very much. but, i love them each in their own special way. yes, i do treat them differently, but not in a double-standard kind of way. my children are encouraged to strive beyond their potential. they make me very proud not just as a mother, but as a person, too. i cannot imagine my life without them {even though i do daydream about being single & childless sometimes} and i would not change either of them for the world.

the first day & my accent {or whatever you wanna call it}.

adam & i waved good-bye to the kids this morning around 7:25 as they boarded the school bus.

{not the greatest picture, but you get the idea}

first day at a new school.
first day riding the bus...again.
first day of malia's last year of elementary school.

adam buzzed aidan's head last night. clearly, he looks like a different boy from the one pictured in yesterday's blog post. {for the record: i prefer buzz cut aidan over crazy hair aidan. he just looks so much more mature.}

seeing the kids get on the bus this morning was bittersweet. they're growing up so fast. so, so fast.

okay, enough about me wah-wah-wah-ing about my kidlets & their first day of school, how about my first ever vlog. it's a good time. promise.

as promised...my accent vlog:




just to be fair, i'll post the "directions:"

say these words: aunt, route, wash, oil, theater, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, new orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas & caught

answer these questions:
what is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
what is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a pall?
what is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
what do you call gym shoes?
what do you say to address a group of people?
what do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
what do you call your grandparents?
what do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
what do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
what is the thing you use to change the tv channel?

what do you think? do i sound funny to you? the video quality isn't the greatest. the lighting was weird, it was blurry, and i say "and" and "um" and "so" a lot. ha ha!

but, there you have it. me & my voice.

oh, and the hair? good thing you can't see the grays. they are out of control. i'm seriously thinking of chopping it all off...soon.

plate tectonics, tropical systems & why my kids need to clean their rooms.

prepping for a hurricane is not an uncommon occurrence around these parts. we're all too familiar with tropical systems. go ahead and throw nor'easters into that mix, too. if it's spinning in the atlantic, it's bound to hit us or whiz by us. and, as you all know, many people along the east coast - including yours truly - have been preparing for the arrival of that crazy wench, irene.

{via}

apparently, preparing for a hurricane wasn't enough for mother nature. as i'm sure you all know {because, holy cow, did the twit blow up yesterday around 2pm}, we had an earthquake in virginia yesterday afternoon. mineral, virginia, to be exact. contrary to news reports & other outlets, it was not in d.c. although they - along with a gazillion other people further up along the eastern seaboard - felt it & sustained a bit of damage. 

west coast friends, laugh all you want. even though virginia sits in the middle of a tectonic plate, we are NOT used to the earth moving under our feet. and, yes, that particular carole king song was stuck in my head all evening long after the quake. apparently, the central virginia seismic zone wanted everyone to know that it was ready to rumble. 

{via}

talk about surreal. my kids were outside playing during what seemed like the longest fifteen seconds of my life. how bizarre is it to turn around and watch the walls of your home move & shake like they're made of jello. fortunately, there was no damage. life went back to preparing for that pesky irene.

irene.

almost one year ago to the day we were preparing for earl. and, just like last year, our fun weekend plans have been thwarted thanks to a hot mess of a tropical system. at least irene isn't showing up for my birthday like isabel did. and, in true virginia resident form, we are - yet again - being complacent about irene. hopefully, hurricane irene keeps moving east & all of our preparation will be in vain, but i have a feeling irene isn't going to play with us in the same respect that earl did.

fabulous.

so, what have i done thus far to prepare for the beast that is irene? not a whole lot, actually. i've got two of the three b's: batteries? check. bottled water? check. beer? nope, not yet. full tank of gas? i'll get that tomorrow. cash on hand? i'll swing by the atm on friday. non-perishable goods? not really. but, i certainly didn't stock up on groceries like i saw people doing yesterday. this isn't a nor'easter or a snow storm, folks...you don't need eighty loaves of bread. again, can you tell we're complacent?

i will take a picture inventory. i will make sure important docs are in the fire/water proof safe {as they should be}. i will put away our patio furniture. i will make sure our phones are charged. and, i will make sure that my kids clean their rooms. yes, clean their rooms. because, god forbid, one of our pine trees falls on the house and exposes the filthy chaos that my two children seem to enjoy living & sleeping in. 

psst...if you don't appreciate the humor of lord voldemort's tweet, then i seriously urge you to read not just half-blood prince, but the entire harry potter series.

TRUE LIFE: i'm a {mommy} blogger.

hey there...again.

if you didn't "meet" me during the first link-up, i'm michelle.
you can call me shell.
i'm also called honey, babe, bitch {duh!} & hey woman.

but...
most importantly
i'm known as mom.


ten years ago, my life changed in a very big way.
for that, i'm forever grateful.

i have two spawn children.
the story of how i became a mother for the first time is pretty simple: don't let your birth control run out.
becoming a mother for the second time was hard work.

while stuttering shell isn't necessarily a mommy blog, i do exploit showcase my children from time to time.
after all, any mother of an eight year old & a ten year old {or, any mother in general} -regardless of gender {i have a boy & girl, respectively} - will tell you that there is always something going on...there's always something to blog about.

rather than write a sappy lovely post about my crotch fruit kids, i'll just link you to some of my favorite kid-related posts. i hope your computer doesn't jam up from having a gazillion windows open {apparently, my general blogger intro froze up mrs. wasp's 'puter...whoops!}.

but, before i list some links, how about some pics of the reason why i'm a mommy blogger?
meet my kids:

{san francisco, may 2011}

aidan is eight & entering the third grade.
malia is ten & entering the fifth grade {one year away from middle school...hold me!}.

{i was lazy & didn't put my 'stamp' on this pic...take it & i'll cut you.}

i wish they were still that little.
sometimes.
{gotta love the hand-me-down couch...it's since been replaced...twice.}

all of the cliches about motherhood are true.
your life is forever changed.
your children really are your heart beating outside of your body {or however that saying goes}.
kids really do grow up too fast.

you get the idea.

and, while i might complain about the perils of {impending} puberty, feel like tearing my hair out in frustration {because girls really do mature faster than boys} or want to rock star the television,
i love my children more than anything or anyone in this world {sorry, adam}.

now about those posts...
here are some of my favorite mom/kid-based blog posts that i've cranked out over the years:

an interview with my children
keep out!
i can't believe he turned this in
it figures
get thee to the potty
designer dog
the birds & the bees & the dog?
the witching hour
any more what?!
private property
my little man
the date
my wish
there's no turning back...
bosley
mommy, are you listening?

i'd keep listing blog posts, but then you might get bored.
but i do like to blog about my children's shenanigans.
well, when i remember to. ha!

and, since i'm a mom & it's my job to embarrass my children, i'll leave you with these lovely photos:

{these pics are mine. don't steal.}

are you a mommy blogger?
if so, go link up with mrs. monologues & fabulous but evil.

b.s. about the t.v. & other trivial stuff.

here we are - exactly four weeks away from the first day of school - and it seems like the fighting, arguing & bickering has gotten out of control. the combination of an eight year old boy & a pre-tween {often hormonal} ten year old girl equates to nothing but a big headache for me. according to my husband, "michelle, it's really not that hard to deal with." yeah, that's easy for him to say. he's at work eight {or more} hours a day and when is at home he's the world's slackest parent {he better recognize...soon!}.

anyways.

my kids. they fight over the television, my nook, the bathroom, letting the dogs out, letting the dogs in, who showers first, cleaning their room, who sits where on the couch...you name it, they'll fight about it.

it's trivial crap.

kids will be kids. i get that. it's also their age. and, i get that, too. why? because i'm 27 months older than my sister and she & i were the same way. {my kids, coincidentally, are also 27 months apart in age.} 

don't get me wrong, folks, my kids have discipline. they are polite, have manners & are great students.  i love them with all of my heart; however, here lately they seem to be more content with driving each other {and me!} crazy about the television & other trivial stuff. and, if they keep up their petty arguing, i just might go ape shit crazy. hence yesterday afternoon's tweet:

moon jellies.

the kids & i went to sandbridge this morning with every intention of having a photo shoot at the beach. yeah, that didn't exactly happen. first of all, the weather was gloomy. i wanted sunshine & rays of light in my pictures, not dark, gray clouds. second of all, after taking one step into the shore break, i heard nothing but squeals of delight...

moon jellies!

i'll spare you the science lecture, but moon jellies {or aurelia aurita} are pretty common on our beaches. they're harmless & i don't mind the kids playing with them. if you're curious to know more about moon jellies, then click here & here.

anyways. if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? rather than making my kids pose for pictures they didn't really want to take i decided to just follow them around. i was the papamamarazzi, if you will.

the semi-matching outfits were totally malia's idea. coincidentally, i, too, was in a turquoise shirt. my favorite beach bum & her lil' man met us out at the beach and she offered to take a pic of me with the kids {since we were all in blue}. i politely declined. 

aidan - such a ham - was pretty bummed that he wasn't in his bathing suit. he was also mad that i wouldn't let him go swimming. still, he managed to soak his shorts while wading in the shore break. boys will be boys, i suppose! malia & aidan collected quite a few moon jellies. aidan wanted to bring them home. um, no. i'm trying to purge my home of unnecessary stuff...the last thing we need is a collection of remnant jelly fish strewn across the coffee table.

even though it was very cloudy it was still a great beach day because it was not hot & there was a nice breeze blowing. too bad big rain drops started to hit us...we were at the beach for maybe a half an hour...tops.  fortunately, we live just twenty minutes away so we can try again next time for a {proper} beach photo shoot.

either with or without the moon jellies.

back to reality.

tonight, we become parents again.

well, i suppose we never stopped being parents. we've just been kid-free since the evening of june 19th. for the last {nearly} two weeks, our kiddos have been traveling in the northeast with my parents. 

the kids challenged my parents to games on the wii.

the kids helped my sister move {from fenway to jamaica plain}.

the kids attended a lacrosse game {my brother-in-law, james, is an awesome lax coach}.

the kids got to hang with their {2nd, my 1st} cousins, pat & mei.

the kids were spoiled by their auntie monica.

the kids got to see my mom's auntie...in toronto, canada.

the kids viewed the beauty & the exhilaration of standing near niagara falls.

i'm certain the kids have also whined, complained, cried & driven my parents crazy.

but, i'm certainly glad that my parents are able to spend time like this with their grandkids. and, i'm especially glad that my kids love going & making these memories with their grandparents.  

going kid-free is not an uncommon occurrence in our home. my kids are always with my parents. last summer {and the summer before that and the summer before that...you get the picture}, they were with my parents for a good portion of the summer.  this summer is different.  i'm not working.  i'm not in summer school. 

and, while i love how quiet & clean the house has been, i miss my kids. i can't wait to have them home. it's been too quiet & i do believe that my sanity feeds off of the dramatic chaos that seems to come along with a ten year old & an eight year old.

of course, ask me again next week, when i'm sure i'll be sick of the arguing, the pre-tween angst & the mess.

 {aidan & malia being goofy in an exhibit at aquarium of the bay, san francisco, may 2011} 

bizarre food? yes. good eats? hell no.

last month we took a trip out to california {i know i owe y'all a recap plus pictures...one day, i promise}.  my cousin was getting married.  

so, what does any chinese family do when they get together for any type of 

celebration or for just no reason at all?  

they eat.  

and eat is what we did.  the welcome/rehearsal dinner the night before my cousin's big day was nothing short of amazing {never mind the fact that it was served just a few hours after the crazy, fabulous buffet-style welcome lunch}.  the dinner was ten courses {or was it twelve??} of quintessential chinese cuisine including this:

the dish we ate looked very similar to the one pictured above except the veg served with ours was a 

different type of chinese green.

{source}

that, my friends, is abalone with...wait for it...sea cucumber.  can you guess which is what?  the abalone is the stuff along the outside of the plate.  the sea cucumber is the slimy looking black crap in the middle of the dish.    

yes, you read right.  i said sea cucumber.  i also call it slimy looking black crap.  some may love it.  i sure as hell don't.  have you seen what a sea cucumber looks like? {think diseased sex organ...yeah, i went there}

coincidentally, the article i took this pic from was about two people dying from sea cucumber 

poisoning. oh, my. 

{source}

so, if you're still wondering, YES, i ate it.  well, not all of it, but a piece of it.  my sister & i decided to man up together and try a piece.  i've seen my mother eat it before & we've been to quite a few family functions where it was served but we have never, and i repeat NEVER, wanted to try it.  until last month. what in the eff were we thinking?  don't get me wrong, we've eaten some crazy stuff, but chowing on sea cucumber is not our thing.  andrew zimmern, we're not.

anyways...

fast forward to the day after the wedding.  we find ourselves in san francisco at fisherman's wharf. after walking around snapping up pictures of the sea lions & alcatraz, the kids asked to go to the aquarium.  i'm pretty sure my parents & my sister wanted a break from us*, so adam & i took them. aquarium of the bay is a neat little aquarium tucked into one side of fisherman's wharf.  i saw it the last time i was in san francisco, but i never thought to check it out.  i'm glad we did this time.  the kids had a blast.  

of course, no family vacay is ever complete until one child calls you out on someone. 

preferably a complete stranger.

while riding in the elevator in the aquarium, the tour guide was telling the kids about the touch tanks.  she said there were stingrays, a leopard shark, starfish, anemones, and even a couple of sea cucumbers.  cue my seven year old son, aidan...

"um, so we went to a wedding this weekend & we ate 

chinese food.  

did you know that my mom and dad ATE sea cucumber the other day?  

they did.  it was gross."

{sorry for the crummy pic quality...i was using my not so fancy point & shoot.}

the people in the elevator with us were mortified.  the tour guide looked at me.  she looked at adam.  then, she politely asked us to remember to touch, and not eat, the sea cucumbers in the touch tank.   

um, no problem, lady.  trust me.  there is a reason the sea cucumber looks the way it does because i honestly don't know what in the eff would possess someone or something to want to eat it.  unless you're at a fancy chinese dinner**.  i'm just sayin'...

* how did i know they wanted a break from us?  my dad was at the ticket counter with cash in hand buying the tickets for us before we even got up there.  yep.

** i can say that because i'm chinese.  well, only half chinese, but still.

{semi} wordless wednesday: beach bums.

when the weather is nice, we love to take a stroll along the atlantic ocean.
the kids love to look for shells.

buxton isn't too keen of the sand just yet, but frisco {that handsome guy pictured above} loves the beach.  he splashes in the waves & he chases the shorebirds.  also, he may or may not have peed on a beach towel as we walked along the beach...
{but that happened last summer}

the beach is so peaceful this time of year.
crowds of vacationers haven't infiltrated the beach at sandbridge...just yet.

spending an hour at the beach.  just the four six of us.

it truly is heaven on earth.

the great cheese debate.

a few weeks ago, while the kids & i were at the grocery store, a fight broke out.
okay, it was a heated argument, but still...my kids were doing the arguing.

and, they were being kind of loud about it.

what were they arguing about?


cheese.

but, i'm not talking about the american {yuck} versus cheddar debate.

no.

my kids' have a bit more sophisticated taste than that.  they couldn't decide on which cheese to get for the salad* we were having that night.  aidan wanted goat cheese and malia wanted feta cheese.

so, what did i do thanks to my kids' near meltdown in the grocery store over a simple {effin'} container of cheese?

i bought both of them.

and, let me just say, that night when we ate the salad both kids requested feta cheese.  figures.

*for a quick & easy side, we usually make a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes & balsamic viniagrette.  the salad is usually topped with cheese - either feta or goat.

private property.

although malia & i talk about things, i bought this book for her:

{source}

as the mom of a soon-to-be ten year old, i was a little reluctant to purchase it.  i mean, when i picked up the book to look through it, the pages fell open to the section on how to insert a tampon.  i'm not ready for stuff like that.  i know my daughter isn't either.

but,

she is growing.  she is changing.  she has questions.  she will have more questions.

puberty is an awkward time.  so, maybe a book will make things easier...for the both of us.

maybe.

last weekend, as she was reading the book, she asked:

mom, why is it called a pub-ick area?  don't they mean public?

{she said pub-ick, not pew-bick}

oh.my.word.

my answer?

because it's most certainly NOT a public area.  no, no.  as a matter of fact, it's private property.

am i really ready for this?  am i?
i'm pretty sure six more gray hairs just sprouted on my head.

gastronome.

my kids are not picky eaters.  well, unless you try to serve them frozen peas or brussel sprouts {this makes me sad}.  i take pride in the fact that my kids will try most anything once.  if they like it, they'll ask for it again.  in our home, you eat what is served to you or you go hungry.  but, i think a lot of what my kids eat is due to the fact that adam & i are not picky eaters ourselves.  in fact, we're very daring when it comes to food.  apparently, so are my kids.

here are just a few favorites that my kids - ages 7 & 9 - enjoy:

pho, more specifically chicken pho:

{via}

mochi with red bean paste: 

{via}

peking duck:

{via}

kimbap:

{via}

dan tat: 

{via}

okay, okay...everything pictured is some sort of asian treat and, yes, i grew up on all of this stuff so maybe that is why my kids like it, too, but here are some other things {in list form} that my kids love that might surprise you:

• greek yogurt
• blue crab {they can pick the hell out of some crabs}
• clams
• sauteed spinach {heavy on the garlic}
• blue cheese dressing
• prunes
• fish of any kind
• couscous

this certainly doesn't cover everything they love, but it does give you a good idea about how atypical their palates are compared to other 7 & 9 year olds.

do you have some quirky food favorites?  what about your kids {if you have any}?

psst...don't forget to enter my scentsy giveaway!

best christmas gift ever.

i know, i know, valentine's day is monday so why am i talking about christmas?  

malia made this 'snowman' in school.  i think it's pretty damn awesome.  i especially love that it's made out of a brick.  y'all did know that adam is a bricklayer, right?

it currently sits on the hearth.  i don't think we'll ever use it for it's intended purpose - a doorstop - but, instead, we'll keep it on display year round because we're in love with our daughter's creativity and thoughtfulness.  it really was the best christmas gift ever.

the weekend schedule.

aidan came up with his very own weekend schedule.  i'm not sure why he 'penciled in' a nap because he hasn't taken a nap in years.  oh, and, don't let the 7:30 time slot fool you...that happens at all hours of the day.

{this is my picture. steal it & i will cut you.}

aromatherapy?

i went to another yoga class this morning.  {two days in a row...this is huge for me!}

because i was a little sore from yesterday's class - my poor hamstrings - i decided to take the gentle class.  the instructor was fabulous & i met some very nice ladies.  i was definitely the youngest person in the class...i was also the least flatulent.

we were somewhere in between rocking our knees from side-to-side and the dead bug pose when someone let one loose {or, as aidan likes to say, "cut the queso."}. 

i told the kids about what happened in class which resulted in the following dialogue:

aidan:  "mom, one of your yogamates farted in class today?"

malia:  "aidan, that's what happens when you strain your muscles.  you run the risk of letting one go!"

i have heard that yoga is good for your digestive system...maybe this morning was proof??

the granite state.

first of all, i find it very intriguing to know that at this particular rest stop in new hampshire, you can buy booze {tax free!} & lotto tickets...after you pee, of course.

{taken through the van's window as we drove down the highway}

after three days in boston, we drove to new hampshire.  

my brother-in-law lives & works in andover {while my sissy finishes her fellowship in boston}.  my b.i.l. works for the prep school that he attended, proctor academy.  he's also a dorm parent so he lives in the bottom half of the boys dorm...so cool.*  

anything & everything our family does revolves around food.  food & shopping.  we met at famous dave's in manchester.  after some bbq, we went shopping.  first at the l.l. bean outlet, then to eastern mountain sports & finally to the tanger outlets in tilton.  the lady in the coach store tried to entice me with an extra 20% off clearance prices, but i resisted.  i do love my banana republic jeans, though {$30 for $90 jeans?? yes, please!}.

if there is anything to be said about life in rural new hampshire, it's that you have to drive {and i mean d-r-i-v-e} to civilization.  we learned that the hard way one night around 9pm when we needed children's tylenol for malia.  note to self:  next time, bring some...huge mommy fail on my part.

other than eating & shopping, the kids got to play in the snow and spend time with the dogs.  moxie, the bernese mountain dog, and bruin, the newfoundland, are two of the sweetest dogs on the planet.  they also both believe they are lap dogs.  bruin & aidan became fast friends.

we watched "how to train your dragon" & aidan and uncle james played a little lego harry potter on the wii.  we also did our christmas with monica & james.  it's so hard living so far away from family {they used to live in virginia}, but it was lovely being able to share a portion of the holidays with them.

on our last night in new hampshire, monica & james took us to dinner at lui lui.  oh. my. word.  the food was ridiculously delicious and the portions were ridiculously huge!  after dinner, we drove to see christmas lights at a shaker village {the name escapes me & i didn't have my camera on me}.  that very same night i also managed to pass up on a pair of uggs that were 20% off and tax-free.  i'm both proud & ashamed of myself!

we left new hampshire the morning of new year's eve.  after six full days together i think all of us were ready to get home & sleep in our own beds.  we walked through my front door at 11:15pm...just in time for me to get settled and see NKOTB rock out with BSB {priorities, priorities!}.

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*my b.i.l., james, is a phenomenal lacrosse coach.  phenomenal.
don't believe me?  then read this.

beantown.

aidan: "mom, christmas day is jesus' birthday."

me: "sure is! do you know where he was born? 

i'll give you a hint...it starts with a b."

aidan: "boston."

{1st row: dim sum on day 1, boston as we drove in}
{2nd row: snowy chinatown, boston common}
{3rd row: the view of downtown boston from our hotel room, dim sum on day 2}
{4th row: malia & aidan with their new bogs boots, a random chinatown pic}

with an impending blizzard creeping up the east coast, we decided to go full-speed with our post-christmas vacation plans and visit my sister who lives in boston, massachusetts.  originally, we were going to leave on sunday, december 26th, but after hearing that boston was expecting up to two feet of snow we decided to get on the road.  the kids & i packed up and loaded up my parents' van.  the five of us were on the road by 8:30pm on christmas day.  adam & frisco stayed behind.

it was already starting to snow as we were leaving virginia {virginia beach got over a foot of snow while we were gone!}.  fortunately, there was no traffic...i mean, who would be road trippin' on christmas?  only us.  we stopped for the night somewhere in new jersey after driving on the jersey turnpike for a while.  we all needed sleep.  sleep & a yummy cracker barrel breakfast.

although the drive was fairly uneventful, the weather quickly deteriorated once we hit the new york-connecticut line on sunday.  as we approached the city limits of hartford, we knew the rest of our journey would be slow & pretty damn difficult {in a front wheel drive vehicle}.  there's nothing like having a two hour commute {the normal distance between hartford & boston} turn into a five hour fiasco that involved:
1. unplowed highways {the plows were out but they were barely keeping up with the snow!}
2. numerous stops to beat ice off of the windshield wipers
3. driving at the top speed of 30mph on a stretch of road that has a normal speed limit of 65mph
4. witnessing several cars on the side of the road with their front ends totaled because they thought they could go 65mph
5. answering the question "are we there yet?" about fifty gazillion times

but, we made it. and boston was so beautiful as we drove across the charles river.  the city was quiet.  there was no traffic.  just snow.  praise the lord there was a whole foods behind our hotel because we were starving!  my sister met us at our hotel on her way home from work {she is a pathologist at boston children's hospital*}.  and, so, our three day adventure in boston had begun!

we spent our time eating dim sum in chinatown, riding the t, walking in blizzard-like conditions, wearing dirty jeans thanks to slushy snow, shopping at copley place & prudential center, chillaxin' in my sister's apartment in fenway & just loving every minute of each other's company.

aidan told me that he wanted to move to boston.  he is in love with riding the t.  he also said he wants to be closer to his auntie monica.  bless his heart.

after three days in boston, we loaded my sister in the van and drove to andover, new hampshire to visit with her husband, do a little more shopping, eat more food & play in the snow.

{tomorrow's installment will be about our time in new hampshire...}

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*remember how i mentioned that my sissy works at boston children's hospital?  well, a few days before christmas we were g-chattin' and she said, "i just heard joey mcintyre singing with the boston pops here at work!"

seriously.

check it:


{source}

bieber fever.

one week ago, the kids met justin bieber {thanks to my mom who won a contest!}.

he visited n.a.s. oceana {which is where the meeting took place}.

this reminds me of the time i met vern yip.  okay, maybe not.

cocoa.

according to aidan, my 7 year old son.