lover-ly

All my sweet valentines got a little bit of mama love today. Nothing over the top, just those simple gestures that remind every one that it is a special day.
::the red polyester tablecloth that on any other day would be tacky
::pink embroidered napkins
::jammy hearts on hot oatmeal
::pink strawberry peach smoothie (with just a spoonful on Nutella!)
::oohhhing and ahhhing all the handmade love notes (such creative friends!)
::lots of paper hearts, cuddles, and "I love yous"
::making heart-shaped toaster pastries and eating way more than I should have
::roses for everyone!
::staying up for a while after the littles are in bed (wink, wink)

Oh St. Valentine, could you have ever imagined what you have wrought?

happy new year again

Happy Chinese new year!
The Japanese also use the same zodiac as the Chinese, and 2013 is the year of the (back water) snake, which is my sign.
I'm not a big believer in astrology but I do find it amusing (especially when it predicts good things for me). As a young girl I was disappointed to be a snake because of the negative connotations, but in Chinese culture, the snake is considered a good omen, a bringer of good luck. The snake represents inquisitiveness and passion. Not bad for a scaly animal with no legs.

I think we'll do a little exploration of all things Chinese this month. Here are a few resources we'll be looking to:
Montessori-inspired Chinese activities

Discovery Kid Zone Chinese New Year activities
make Chinese lanterns

Chinese zodiac story game
Chinese Zodiac yoga
cook dumplings

make a lap book

make a paper chain snake

make felt fortune cookies

inaugural thoughts

Four years ago, despite the almost crippling cold, PapaQ and I bundled up our one year-old daughter and headed out to the national mall to watch Barack Obama be sworn in as president of the United States.

Inauguration Day 2009

This year we stayed in. We love the excitement of being there live, but we also love the ease and convenience of watching it on TV in a warm house.

Despite living in Washington DC, where it can sometimes seem that politics are a way of living, I'm sometimes embarrassed that I don't know much about policy, economics or other politically savvy subjects. Many of the people I know work for the government or for a particular senator or congressperson. PapaQ himself is a civil servant (and despite how easy it is to criticize the waste and redundancy in the government, the people I know who work for Uncle Sam are honest, hard-working, capable, if not brilliant, employees. PapaQ supervises a barebones staff and is still expected to move mountains... and by-and-large he does). Our friends (and family) span the political spectrum and I'm always learning new things from them. But despite differing beliefs I think we all just want what is best for our families and for our country and we're doing what we can to make that happen.

I think the president's inaugural speech touched on some of those things. Some of my favorite excerpts:

We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.  What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”...
We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.  We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own...
...we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes:  tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice. 

But let's be honest, my favorite part was my Obama Cake Redux. A sweet way to start the next four years!

Obams cake 2009

Obama Cake Redux 2013

This is a cake fantasize about. Our absolute favorite chocolate cake (from Barefoot Contessa Home cookbook). I had quite forgotten about Obama cake though until later in the day and I kind of threw this together. I didn't have enough cream cheese to frost the entire cake, so the filling is cream cheese frosting and the outside is simple whipped cream. But, ohhhh, we really like it. 
Happy Inauguration Day everyone.

merry moments

Advent devotionals and seasonal activities keep us busy, but mostly merry. This mama has promised herself that we will have a plan but will not be glued to it - there must be flexibility! Which is just as well since we've been battling colds and adjusting to life with twin infants. Quite frankly, sometimes things just don't happen the way I intended - the cookies I wanted to bake didn't happen, we never got out to go ice-skating that one day, and we still haven't hung up the bird seed ornaments outside. But it's been quite magical all the same, even if we're just hanging out around the Christmas tree, passing around the babies, eating cookies (homemade or not!) and telling jokes. Mayumi has been expanding her repertoire recently.

Like this one:
Knock knock!
Who's there?
Mary.
Mary who?
Mary Christmas!

Ha! Get's me every time!

giving thanks

Hope your home is full of loved ones, good food and the happy recognition of abundance and blessings. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

two weeks already

Two weeks ago I thwarted the evil plan for a C-section and naturally delivered my babies without any complications (Benjamin and Corrigan had their own ideas about how they wanted to arrive in this world: fast and furious!).

But that was two weeks ago. I can hardly believe two weeks have passed by. Their birth seems both ages ago and only yesterday. The time has passed in a blur of diapers, laundry, breastfeeding, swaddling, shushing, and greeting so many wonderful friends who've stopped by with gifts, well-wishes and nourishing dinners. But most delightful, there has been non-stop cuddling with these two new fascinating creatures. Oh my, we are all in love...

fourteen years ago

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage".
~ Martin Luther ~

Happy Anniversary to my best friend and partner in life, my soul mate PapaQ. Fourteen years and counting! I wouldn't want to have done (nor could I have done) all this without you. Thank you for being my biggest support, my most honest critic, and the love of my life.  And even though we were practically babies, thank you for embarking on this journey with me FOURTEEN YEARS ago!

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction. "

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~

happy love day!

Hope your day was full of passion, friendship, fondness, affection, and of course, AMOUR. Happy Valentine's Day, friends.

sweet valentine

The past few weeks we've found moments here and there to work on our Valentine cards and gifts. Besides the lovely little card creations that Mayumi has been making, we came up with this little project that seemed to fit perfectly with her little pre-school co-op called The Honeybee Hive.

Amongst my crafty bits I found an old stamp that read "Bee Mine." Maya stamped them onto little rectangles of pink card stock.

I punched holes along the bee's "tail" and at the top. I clipped the corners to give it a taggy look. Then we sewed yarn through the holes, inspired by this idea I found on Pinterest.

After Maya personalized them, we tied them to honey sticks (get it, honey... "bee" mine?) with an origami flower on top.

A special little bouquet for her to share with her buzzy little friends!