More Free Music!

I am always on the lookout for new music, and FREE new music is even better! I like to load my iPod up with unknown songs and listen while I'm at the gym. Sometimes I like what I hear and other times, I end up deleting the music. When creating our family montage videos, sometimes I use these new MP3's as the soundtrack. You just never know what you'll find...

Here is a link to more free MP3 downloads on Amazon.com. Believe it or not, there are over 1,300 songs, all completely free!

And don't forget, you can always preview a portion of the song by clicking on the Play symbol (triangle) in the left margin. There is quite a variety, ranging from Classical to patriotic to Christmas... and everything in between! I even found a track from a Curious George album, so you never know what you'll find.

http://www.amazon.com/Free-Songs-Music/b?ie=UTF8&node=334897011

If you're new to this, here are some simple instructions.

Just click "Get MP3" next to the song you want and you will be prompted to to hit "Continue." You will get a small window that opens, and be sure to click "Open With Amazon MP3 Downloader."

The music will probably end up in your My Music folder under "My Computer." Before I download anything, I open up iTunes... and then the music automatically gets entered there and it's easy to sync it up.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!


The girls were so excited to wear their "fancy dresses" today and were dressed before any of the rest of us. After breakfast, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade while doing puzzles and reading books.

We are having a relaxing day so far, since most of the food was prepared ahead of time. The turkey, a fresh one from Bongi's Turkey Farm, has soaked in an herb/apple/rosemary brine for the past 24 hours and is now cooking on the grill.

We will be having a true feast this afternoon, with the cooking split between my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and myself.

Our menu consists of:
- Turkey
- Potato dumplings
- Swiss Vegetable Medley (a not-so-healthy recipe handed down from my mom, consisting of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, swiss cheese, sour cream and of course - cream of mushroom soup)
- Red cabbage
- Potato/leek torta
- Cranberry sauce with walnuts and oranges
- Rolls and butter
- Dressing
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin pie
- Cherry Pie (my first ever, with a lattice top... which Dave pointed out I "wove" wrong)

My mouth is watering and my stomach is growling! The weather is a mild 50-something degrees, perfect for a trip to the playground for the kids to burn off some steam - either before or after dinner.

If you are one of the select few reading this blog, you are one of our loved ones and we are missing you today!

Thanksgiving Greeting

Yesterday was Amanda's "Thanksgiving Feast" at Preschool.

All of the classes got together in the large meeting room, dressed in Native American necklaces and their faces painted with various symbols.

Apparently each class learned different Thanksgiving songs/rhymes and presented them during the group feast. Amanda shared her songs with us last night and actually let me videotape her...with our brand new video camera, an early family Christmas gift!

Of course, never to be outdone, Eva needed her turn in the limelight as well. Buy one, get one free...



Amanda: "Eva, how about you just stand there and I'll sing it for you."

Ohhh boy.

Thankful Turkeys

Like we did at this time last year, the girls and I made "Thankful Turkeys" this week.

First I traced their feet for the turkey's body. Then I cut out blank colored "feathers" out of construction paper and they took turns telling me what they were thankful for. Amanda and Eva did pretty well understanding the concept.



Now that I look at the finished product, I guess they don't really look like turkeys, since we didn't add feet... or wings... or beaks! But you get the idea. (Click to enlarge the photos.)

"Eva is thankful for..."

"Amanda is thankful for..."

Some Big Milestones

Eva...growing up so fast!

Last weekend, Dave asked,"When was the last time you looked into Eva's mouth?"

"A few weeks ago," I replied.

"Well, she's got two new molars coming in!"

That could explain some of the cranky and stubborn behavior that I just attributed to her being two! She never complained of any pain, so I was surprised by the news! Those 2-year molars are pretty big and I think if I were getting one, not to mention TWO, coming in, I'd be asking for some Advil.

* *
This was also a monumental week for another reason. It marked the end of nighttime Pull-Ups! Eva has been daytime potty-trained for months now, including during naps, but I was hesitating to let her wear underpants overnight. I just didn't have the energy to think about changing sheets in the middle of the night if she had an accident. But she had been waking up dry for so many days, and the package of Pull-ups was about to run out. Seemed like the time was right.

I presented the idea of wearing underpants overnight to Eva and boy, was she excited!! She told just about everyone that she was about to embark on this exciting new chapter of her life. I told her that she that she could start wearing underpants to bed as soon as the Pull-ups were gone. For about a week, we counted down how many were left in the package, with Eva getting more and more excited as we got down to the last few!

And I am happy to report that she has been dry EVERY SINGLE MORNING since she began wearing underpants to bed. I am so darn proud of her!!! (And she's pretty proud of herself, I might add!)

So, six weeks shy of her 2 1/2 year birthday, and we are DONE with potty training. This truly marks the end of an era, as far as I'm concerned. And while it means that I must face the fact that my "baby" is growing up, I'm willing to accept it.

And now, just 10 more weeks until we start it all over again with those tiny newborn diapers that look like they could fit a doll!

* *
Unfortunately it also looks like this could be the end of something else: naps!

Out of the past five days, I think Eva has only napped willingly twice. The other times, it has been a struggle and a half. As most moms do, I cherish naptime. It is the only time I get a bit of a break, even though my "break" is typically spent catching up on laundry, cleaning or working on lesson plans. It has been a very tiring week for me.

Sure enough, today it is happening again. An hour and a half has gone by since I first tucked Eva in and she has yet to fall asleep. Looking back on things, Amanda napped until her 3rd birthday, when Preschool started. I had assumed Eva would follow suit.

This is one "milestone" that I am NOT celebrating!

One-on-One Time

Today our family of four split up into two teams: Daddy and Amanda... & Mama and Eva.

Dave bought tickets for a special "Star Wars: In Concert" show in Boston and was very excited to be taking Amanda. Amanda has seen bits and pieces of Star Wars with Daddy, and absolutely LOVES the music. And actually, she's pretty fond of the movies too... as long as Princess Leia or Yoda appear. The battle scenes are still a bit frightening for her, although I have a hunch that it's actually the music that is too scary. Either way, she was really looking forward to this special time with Daddy.

According to an article in this week's Eagle-Tribune, the show sounds really entertaining!


Now, for the first time, fans of the sci-fi saga can see the best of the Star Wars movies, combined with the best of Williams' music from those films as part of the new "Star Wars: In Concert" tour, which makes stops in Boston and Manchester, N.H., this week.

The production features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films, all displayed on a $4 million, three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen — the largest ever put on tour, according to Perloff.

The live music and film elements are synchronized in order to create a full, multimedia, one-of-a-kind Star Wars experience.

Accompanying the concert is an exclusive exhibit of Star Wars costumes, props, artifacts, production artwork and specially created behind-the-scenes videos from the Lucasfilm Archives.

Before the anticipated show, Daddy and Amanda made a stop at Uncle Jason and Auntie Angelina's new apartment, and Amanda kept talking about how she was going to see the "scary elevator." (Supposedly it's a very old elevator, the kind where you have to pull a metal gate closed before it ascends or descends.) It's funny how kids get excited by the little things.

Unfortunately this special date with Daddy caused a lot of tears for Eva. Every time Amanda brought it up, Eva cried and said over and over that she wanted to go to Star Wars too. She eventually calmed down when I told her she would be spending Special Time with me, but only after I mentioned Friendly's. (Yes, once again ice cream made everything better!)


And we had a really nice time together! After a quick stop at Target, we headed to the mall where they have coin-operated rides followed by the promised lunch at Friendly's.

The thing I have noticed most when Eva and I are alone together is how well-behaved she is! She actually listens and cooperates. When I have the two girls together, it's sometimes a different story. Ordinarily if I took the kids on the rides on the mall, Eva would not willingly come with me once the chosen ride was over. She'd want to go on again... and again. It may or may not involve tears, depending on her mood. Most likely my patience would be tested.

But not today! Once we got to the mall, I told her she could choose one ride. She chose the ice cream truck, inserted her 75 cents and enjoyed the short ride. When it was over, she got up and crawled out of the truck before I even had a chance to say anything. She then took my hand and we walked to Friendly's without a single argument.

At the restaurant, she was a perfect angel and colored quietly while we waited for our hot dog and chicken fingers. A woman who was dining alone at the next table even went out of her way to compliment me on Eva's good behavior, saying it was rare to witness a 2 year old who had such good restaurant manners. Of course, that made my day!

After Eva and I had each finished our meals (and ice cream sundaes!), we walked hand in hand to the car. Halfway there, Eva said,"I'm tired, Mama. I want to take a nap in my cozy bed." Ah, music to my ears!!

I'm thinking we should schedule time like this with the kids every now and then. Family time is always great, but there's something special about the one-on-one intereaction. It's good for them, it's good for us and it really allows us to see a different side of our daughters.

Actually, we WILL have another opportunity for this next month when Amanda and I attend "The Nutcracker" at the Duxbury Performing Arts Center. I haven't told her about it yet but I'm sure she'll be thrilled. I reserved seats near the orchestra pit so the combination of music and ballerinas should be right up her alley.

We'll see how it compares to Princess Leia...

Artwork for the Archives

As I promised in one of my recent posts, I have decided to start scanning the most unique artwork created by the girls.

I now have a folder on my computer for each of them and I will no longer feel guilty throwing their precious things away!

Here are two of our favorites that have been displayed on the fridge for the past few weeks.

Amanda's Family Portrait - October 2009
(From left to right: Amanda, Eva, Mama, Daddy)

Eva's Fingerpainting - November 2009

Random Stuff

Here is a drawing of "Daddy's Band" that Amanda created last weekend while they were all over working on material. (Rian, one of the guitarists, is absent from the collage but there were only four frames.)


So, what is a parent supposed to do with all of the artwork their children create? I feel guilty throwing their "masterpieces" away, but there just isn't room for everything!

But lately, both Amanda and Eva have done some pretty neat things that I would like to save. As a solution, I have decided that I need to start scanning their artwork and saving them in separate folders. A digital portfolio, so to speak.

And here's a recent video of Eva, imitating Amanda's constant requests of "How do you spell ____?"

It goes something like this:

Eva: "Mama, how you write Daddy?"
Me: "D..."
Eva: "I write D..."

Tea Party and Veterans Day Parade

For the past several weeks, Amanda has been begging to have a tea party. Since there was no school this morning, it seemed like the perfect time.

Gwen and Katelynn showed up and Amanda and Eva couldn't have been more excited to have them here. The table had been set up in advance with matching pink tea cups and tiny Princess plates.

I served "apple tea" (apple cider) and Katelynn brought cupcakes loaded with sprinkles. What more could a group of little girls ask for?

Amanda, Gwen, Katelynn and Eva at their tea party.

After the tea party, the moms came back to watch the parade with us. We were also joined by a few other friends, since the parade goes right past our house on its way to Veterans Park. One mother even arrived with hot chocolate and Munchkins for everyone.

Halina, Gwen, Katelynn, Eva, Amanda, Paul & Colleen wait patiently for the parade to start.

For the kids, the band was the highlight of the parade.

Happy Veterans Day!

An autumn hike

Norwell, MA

Yesterday we were treated to some unseasonably warm weather! It has continued today and we are loving it! It is rare to get beautiful, warm days like this in November so we took advantage of it yesterday by spending time outdoors.

We went on an afternoon hike to the Norris Reservation in Norwell and truly enjoyed it. The girls loved climbing the rocks, walking along the boardwalk on the pond loop and watching the ducks.

Taking a rest

After our hike, we took the girls to a really great playground where they played until it was too dark to see more than a few feet in front ourselves.

The girls on the big swing... and another goofy face from Eva!

And... what's the perfect way to end an already great day?

Why, a visit to Poopsie's of course! The vote was unanimous... salads and black olive pizza.

I commented that it had been a perfect day and I wish we could repeat it every weekend. However, colder weather is inevitable so we'll enjoy this for as long as it lasts!

When are you due?

During this past week, I was greeted by strangers with,"When are you due?"

Not "Hello"... or "How are you this morning?"

And it wasn't just once. It actually happened on two separate occasions!

Both times, it took me by surprise. Believe it or not, there are still times when I half-forget that I'm pregnant.

But then it hit me. I am in the 3rd Trimester now! Of course people are going to notice my protruding belly by this stage of the game!

And just this morning, Dave walked into the room and said,"Wow, you're really starting to look pregnant now!"

But he quickly followed up with,"You look great!"

Smart man.

Here I am at 28 weeks.

Approximately 12 weeks to go...

According to the nifty program Dave wrote, the countdown to Baby #3's arrival is 82 days. (An ironic palindrome to 28 weeks, eh?)

I bought newborn diapers this morning, which again is ironic because I have just recently stopped buying Pull-Ups for Eva. One gets out of diapers, and the next one will be in them soon!

I have to admit, I'm feeling great! The time is flying by and with the upcoming holidays, I have a feeling it's going to go by even faster.

The girls are both getting very anxious to meet this baby. We have been reading several books about welcoming a new baby into the family.

This morning Eva wanted to sing Rock a Bye baby to "it" and demanded,"Open your tummy, Mama." Last night, Amanda asked how much longer it would be until the baby comes out and said that she's getting tired of waiting. They both talk to my belly or sing lullabies. It makes it much more special to experience it all through their eyes.

They're going to be wonderful big sisters, I just know it.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a fun-filled day for us, jam packed with all sorts of activities.

In the morning, the whole family went to the library for the Mama Steph program. We have seen her a few times now and the girls really enjoy her. She plays her acoustic guitar and sings a mixture of children's songs and her own original songs. She has a very "go with the flow" attitude, and always seems to know the right song to play to keep the kids engaged... but not out of control.

Enjoying the Mama Steph program

In the afternoon, we went to a party at the church which also houses Amanda's preschool. The large meeting room was set up with all sorts of different games and activities. Some of the favorites were gourd bowling, eat a donut hanging from a string (no hands allowed), cookie decorating and face painting. We met up with Amanda's best friend, Katelynn, and finished the afternoon with a special Halloween StoryTime.

Eva makes a scarecrow.

Amanda and Katelynn at the face painting booth

Halloween StoryTime

In the evening, it was finally time for the Main Event: trick or treating. We went trick or treating with Katelynn in her family friendly neighborhood, and the girls all took turns riding in the wagon or bike.

Amanda, Katelynn and Eva

After about 30 minutes, Eva declared that she was tired... and that her hand hurt. It's no wonder! When I took her pail, it actually WAS pretty heavy with all that candy!

Trick or Treating