What's Wrong with Cinderella?

Funny enough we had this exact discussion on Christmas day as the girls' sat entranced in front of the TV, watching the digitally remastered DVD of said movie.

Reading this article today brought home some interesting points.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Rock On

You make the rockin' world go round.........

Part I

Part II

More Random Thoughts

It's happening again-- too long between posts and my memory is failing me.

Random thoughts:

• Sydney named one of her babies "Swims-a-lot"
• Leah thought a good holiday gift for Alison would be a pack of princess panties
• Sydney puts on sunglasses and a bandana and tells me not to worry, it's just her in a "mask"
• Sadly, Sydney also put an animal in a box recently and told me "it's dead"-- perhaps the nearly disposable fish aren't a good idea?
• While enjoying some music Leah told me to "not rock out"
• Scott is now officially Eric from the Little Mermaid
• Our dear cat, Paddy is forever "Luk-a-feerr" or Lucifer from Cinderella
• Sydney often makes Leah pretend to be Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty
• For their birthday they got walkie talkies which Sydney rejected immediately as a toy "for boys"
• She then changed her mind and decided she liked her "waakie-hockey" and she and Leah stood in different rooms screaming "Sisssy??? Can you hear me????" since of course there were no batteries in it
• Many birthday gifts were opened to the phrase "OH MY GOODNESS!!!". They're three going on thirty
• This story relayed by my mom the other day about Scott's records:
  "GramE, squares have all sides EQUAL!"
• Leah told my mom that she was "going to Tucker High with her notebook and pencils! That's REALLY school!"
• They're really in to what they call "holiday music" right now. Faves are Rockin Around the Christmas Tree, Mr. Grinch and the Dreidel Song.
• Favorite NON holiday songs are "We Want the Funk" by Parliment and "Fat Bottom Girls" by Queen. I'm really not kidding, video evidence to follow.

There's No Place Like Home...........

Yay! Uncle Keith (my little brother) got in last night for Christmas. He'll likely pop by after the girls wake up from their nap.

Christy should also get in this weekend, as well as Ted, Daniel and Summer. I wish I had more time off this week but I have to go back to put in some hours on Wednesday and Thursday.

This morning we had a fun playdate with Lyle, Lucy, Bill and the twins at the Little Jumping Bean. We all forgot that school is out for everyone-- the place was insane. Leah & Sydney decided the slide was the thing to do and went up and down for about 45 minute straight (we got our $20 bucks worth of play for sure). They were a sweaty mess by the time we left at noon and are now out cold.

Tonight is the last night of Hanukkah AND Scott's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!!!!!

More Holiday Fun

Click here for an album of pics that Ellis took on the 1st night of Hanukkah.

These are a few of my favorites. Not sure why Leah is pulling such a pouty face but it's funny.

Ballet Last Week

You know it's that time of year. Since last posting I've attended two holiday parties, hosted one holiday get together and managed to squeak in shopping during the hours my mom has been watching the kids.

Last weekend was the open house for ballet-- below is a link to an album of pics:

Ballet Class

Crissey was here and got to watch it with us. What a riot. All the kids were simply adorable and I don't know what hit me but I nearly burst in to tears when they did their little butterfly dance-- they laid on the ground as catepillars and then turned in to butterflies and basically ran around the room.

Sunday Funny

Sydney looked at me in all honesty tonight and said "Happy Kwaanza, Mommy." I said "huh?" and then they both repeated "Happy Kwaanza Mommy!"

Sydney then proceeded to ask me what exactly Kwaanza was and I think I answered correctly.

Uh, and apparently Nathan and Brody celebrate it? Perhaps one of their parents can confirm or deny this one (I'm going with deny).

Nice to see the multi-cultural love going on in our house. Speaking of-- we desparately need to get our tree together while simultaneously dusting off the menorah. Five days til Hanukkah, 15 til Christmas. EEEK!

Birthday Photo Album here

Leah & Sydney's Third Birthday

And I think I mentioned that you can view Ellis' photos here using IE7, a Mac of Firefox as your browser.

Baaah Humbug

Not sure if you can see it in this photo but check out Leah's dubious expression! In the end our photo session with Santa @ Northlake Mall turned out just fine.... but I caught this moment as the poor photgrapher tried to wrangle a smile out of them! 

Such Cultured Kids

Since Leah has refused to nap she's hanging with me on the couch watching Oprah on Tivo.

Today's guest is the international singing sensation Il Divo.

I gotta say these guys are CHEEEESSSEEEEY.

But Leah took one look and said "is this opera? I like opera-- do you like opera mama?"

Got to give her credit for knowing what this is trying to be.

We're Three!

It's official: Leah & Sydney are three! Leah announced on her birthday morning that "all the kids at pre-school" are three and that she can "do everything a big kid can do." Almost totally true!

We had a great birthday WEEK starting with DeeDee arriving last Thursday. She got to watch the girls' dance class on Saturday morning and then come with us to Lyle's birthday party at The Little Jumping Bean

Photos of everything and some video clips are coming soon. Photo above courtesy of Ellis Vener

Ellis' web gallery is here--- it will only work if you are running IE7 or using a Mac

Their party day was Sunday and our theme was Under the Sea-- lots of bright tropical colors and lots of fish-themed items from the goody bags to the crafts and decorations. We hosted a big group and luckily the weather was good enough that some of the big kids played out back for a while before it got dark.

And the presents-- we owe everyone thank-you notes but we spaced the presents out over the past four days and each gift has been greeted with exclamations like "Oh my goodness!" and "I always wanted that!" even if they'd never seen one before. Right now the hit item is the Princess dresses (thanks Faith).

A big milestone-- they got rid of the pacifiers. The night of their party they were pretty distracted with all the new toys so I just hid the box full of nuks and told them that the Nuk Fairy had taken them away! I can't lie-- they would cry for a few minutes, then I'd come in the room and they'd just start talking and talking like nothing was wrong, until the door closed again. It's got to be hard, they lost their main coping mechanism for falling asleep. As I speak Leah is refusing to nap actually...................but they can do it.

DeeDee told them to think "happy thoughts" to help fall asleep.

Tuesday at school they had a party with cupcakes and hats.... the school took cute pics of them which was sweet.

FYI Sydney wished on her cake last night for a "shark, a dolphin and a fish." That's my girl!

New Pictures!

Here is a new album of pics from trick or treating through our Thanksgiving weekend.

We're now in operation "Prepare for Birthday"-- Diane is on her way here (actually I just heard the car come in the garage!) and looking forward to a fun weekend.

Trick or Treat and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Leftovers Part II

From Trick or Trea...

It really was a jam packed weekend. I'm not sure if I can even detai it all here, let alone throw in links and photos. So to summarize:

-Friday morning we were off with Poppy Joel to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to catch the "Niki" exhibit before it closes at the end of the year. Added bonus, the girls got to ride the special Holidaze Train around the Great Lawn. We grabbed lunch @ Rusan's Sushi before going home to crash (all of us).

-That night we had a leftover "party" with Ginny, Ellis and Alison. It was literally a repeat of Thursday with the girls' eating strike (crackers only!). By the time they left it was 10pm and Scott and I took advatage of Joel's built-in-sitter status to go see Casino Royale. It was MUCH better than I had anticipated. We've gotten spoiled having seen three movies in three weeks.

-Saturday morning: thank goodness we had no ballet this week, the break was appreciated by everyone. Instead we slowly got ready and went with Joel and the girls to the recently rennovated playground at Peachtree DeKalb Airport. This place is definately cool for grown ups and kids. The play equipment is cool enough but it also overlooks the runways at what is one of the busiest commuter airports in the country. We all enjoyed sitting outside in the nearly 70 degree weather watching the planes take off. I, of course, was fantizing about being in one of the massive private jets. The airport has a a really cool family-run restaurant onsite, mainly burgers and salads. Perfect lunch spot while visiting the playground.

-Saturday afternoon while the girls napped, Joel and Scott went on a secret birthday present shopping mission for the ladies. By the time they came back it was already time for Joel's return flight to Maryland. Leah & Sydney had a great time with their Poppy--- it's funny ....their favorite game was to pretend to call him on the phone while he was sitting with us! We had to remind them that they can actually call him when he's not here too. :)

-Saturday night was a grown-up evening (for me at least)-- Heather, Susanne, Michelle and I visited Ecco --I really enjoyed it. Not just for the great food but the totally 100% adult atmosphere. Which means, Leah & Sydney got to have a mini-sleepover with Nathan & Brody!

-Sunday (is this weekend over yet???) we had a visit from Joan Pollack and her parents, Shirley and Ippy, old family friends of Scott's grandparents. Joan has visited a few times so the girls were a bit more responsive to her, but I think it was great the Shirley could visit and "report" on what's happening with the ladies.

Oh, and did I mention we're in the midst of getting ready for the girls' THIRD BIRTHDAY party this weekend? Diane flies in Thursday night so that should be great too.

I think by the time the girls' actual birthday rolls around (on the 6th) we might just pass out with sheer exhaustion. But seriously, we're enjoying living each and every day with them to the fullest.

Random: Oh lord, I'm watching Oprah and she is talking with Julia Roberts about twins, who are about to turn two. Oprah says "can you imagine that, having twins who are two??" Um, YES Oprah! As I continue to watch this she is asking Julia all those typical "twin" questions. Bleeech. Ok, enough of that.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Ok, so this is only post #2 in a month. I know it's bad when the very few people who read this regularly (you know who you are) actually point out the fact that I've been behind.

Since last getting online we were busy preparing for Thanksgiving. This is the 2nd year we've hosted at our house and I think it's become a fun new tradition. The best part-- I really don't have to cook!

The girls and I spent last Wednesday standing in line in the freezing cold to get flu shots. They were certainly the bravest kids there-- they didn't even shed a tear. Quite honestly they were puzzled by those kids who sobbed the entire time in line. By the end they said "Those kids shouldn't cry! It not scary!" Let's hope that attitude holds up through next year, or even until December when they get the second round.

The rest of they day was scrambling to make the house look like 2 toddlers don't live there (ha!) and then the fun part, setting the table, etc. And at least two last minute trips to the grocery store.

Thursday morning we woke up and watched the Macy's parade. Since it is nothing more than a moving commercial, for things like Fisher Price and Barbie it proved to be a major hit with the ladies. Especially since two of their idols, Julie Andrews and kiddie crooner Laurie Berkner were both performers. Oh, Sarah McLachalan too which does not bode well for her career status.

Poppy Joel was our special guest and he arrived around 2pm Thursday just in time to help with a few last minute things. The meal was wonderful, we had a total of 17 folks (counting the triplets, which I do!) and everyone brought fabulous food. Oh, the Foley's stopped by for a post-dessert visit.

The big battle on Thanksgiving Day was the non-stop cracker eating and total rejection of any "real" food. The girls just were not in the mood to deal with the concept of nutrition, especially with so much to do. Dessert incited a near riot as they demanded at least three types of dessert-- and I'm pretty sure we gave in.

I hope everyone had a good time and we can't wait to do it all again-- I mean it!

A Bit Behind

I have no idea how I've gone from Halloween to one week before Thanksgiving with out a single post.

I guess it's that time of year! Trick or treating was a blast-- we hooked up with a bunch of neighbors and it was a bit of a rolling happy hour. The girls ran from one house to the next with the big kids. I will never forget hearing Sydney shout out "Wait up Kayla!" as she sprinted across a lawn. So grown up. Since then it's been two weeks of whining for candy, and often getting it. Today I think I finally saw the bottom of the bucket.

As a testament to how busy we've been I haven't even dumped the photos yet off my camera, and the battery is dead and I haven't even put it in the charger.

Since Halloween we had our last day of Kindermusik and I'll miss the "Our Time" class format with parental participation. Starting in January they'll be with 3-5 year olds in "Imagine That" where the parents come in for the last 10 minutes. The schedule change will also mean a new teacher-- we loved Lisa Nall, she was a fabulous leader, and as it turns out she's a neighbor.

I posted below a funny video clip from nearly two years ago. Whenever it gets close to their birthday (coming up) I get very nostalgic for the "baby" days. Not sure why since they're totally more fun now, than ever. As you can see in this clip they were able to just crack themselves up by, well throwing vegetables on the floor!

I hope that the busy-ness of the next 6 weeks or so don't keep me from trying to take the time to enjoy each and every day with my family and hopefully throwing some thoughts online to share with you all.

Giggles at 1 Year Old

Fall in North Georgia

Hillcrest Orchard-- October 29, 3006

We had a really nice weekend, including a suprise visit from Myra and Allan who were stuck in Atlanta trying to get a flight to South America. We spent Saturday hanging out with them and walking around the Va-Hi area before they flew out that night. Sunday we hit the road and traveled North to Ellijay, GA to do some "leaf peeping" and a visit to a rip-off known as Hillcrest Orchards. The kids loved it but it was pretty darn tacky. Highlights included a petting zoo (for an extra fee, of course) and a tractor ride through the orchard. It's past the season to pick your own, but you can buy stuff in the store. We left with some cider and donuts and the girls slept the entire way home.

On the way up we enjoyed some fabulous, though extremely right-wing barbeque at Poole's in Ellijay. The place was plastered from floor to ceiling with photos of the owner with every major Republican in Georgia, and some from D.C. The shrine to Pat Buchanan was our favorite part.

Sonic Youth

Ok, at least my kids haven't done this

Click above to read

New initiative @ work

Totally off topic:

I've likely mentioned this to some of you but wanted to share news of a new practice area at my office that we're actually pretty proud of:

http://www.holmesreport.com/holmestemp/story.cfm?edit_id=6325&typeid=1

You'll see a few of the community initiatives we've started-- however it doesn't mention additional efforts that will take place, including a project I'm working with a colleague on to create an educational program for E. Rivers Elementary. We based our project on an idea I had read about as well as a really interesting article aboue how using CFL lightbulbs in the home can help fight global warming by reducing our carbon emissions from electric power plants. We'll be giving our prestnation to the staff in a couple of weeks about this initiative and hopefully donating as many as 300 bulbs to the students to take home and share the info with their parents.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

The topic of "getting married" keeps coming up lately from both L&S. If I had to guess, this is stemming from watching the wedding scene from the Sound of Music one too many times, combined with wanting to look at our wedding photos which are all over the house.

As I mentioned before Leah plans on getting married in her Fairy Princess outfit.

She took it a step further last night and asked me "who walk with me to the island?" I said, "you mean walk you down the aisle?" She said "Yeah, yeah, that." I said, 'Well, Mommy and Daddy will walk you down the aisle." This seemed to make her really happy. Then she started grilling me on WHO she was going to marry. "Who going to be the daddy?" she repeatedly asked. I tried to explain that even I didn't know who that would be, but some day she'd find out who is the "person" she wants to marry. See, I'm also stuck trying not to reinforce gender stereotypes, so who am I to assume it's a man? Or if she'll marry at all?

Then Sydney piped in, "When I be a mommy?" I swear, this kid floors me.

I said "When you're grown up, and married." Again, I know she has the right to be a single, unwed mother, but why encourage it?

Sydney nodded and agreement and said "Right, that's the prize."

"What?" I asked in amazement

"That's the prize when I get married!"

Thing is, it's true! I told her then that I must be very lucky to have gotten them as a prize.

Sydney said "Yes, you very lucky-- you got TWO girls!"

Random Thoughts

I realize that this blog does a pretty good job of regurgitating all the things we DO with the girls but fails to mention or even begin to capture the funny things that come out of the mouths of L&S.

The problem is, I recognize the moment of cuteness when they mis-name something, or ask an adorably innocent question. But by the time the day is over and the kids are in bed, I can't seem to drag up the memory.

Before I forget I should mention a few that have happened recently:
-Leah plans to get married in her fairy princess outfit, including tiara and wand.

-In direct reaction to that, Sydney plans to be a boy, so she can wear a kippa on her head

-They call Star Trek "Car Trek" and think it's about cars

-I am asked about Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker about 15 times a day since the parade

-Leah was very upset in the Lion King when Rafiki puts that orange junk on Simba's head in the opening sequence, it totally freaks her out. Again, in direct reaction, Sydney has decided she loves it.

-Right now it's all about "letters" so we have to spell EVERYONE's name. If it begins with an L or an S they are simply thrilled.

Halloween Already?

Halloween Parade- 2006

New album posted above.....

The Halloween celebrations seem to start earlier and earlier. Each year the Kotler-Weiss clan host a get together in conjunction with the Little Five Points Halloween Festival. It was on the 21st this year which makes no sense to me but was a great chance to do a trial run on the costumes-- we went with the "home made" variety this year with a few store-bought accessories. Leah told me today that she plans on getting married in her fairy outfit. I'l be sure to remind her of that in a decade or two. Sydney followed that one up by remind me that she plans to be a boy when she grows up. Nod and smile, that's all I can do!

This parade, by the way, is definately rated PG-13, at a minimum. Before you go calling DFACS, you should know that there were plenty of kids and they throw candy and all that good stuff. Ironically, the thing that scared Sydney the most was not the freak shows marching down Euclid Avenue, but rather our dear friend, six-year old Noah Trugman dressed as Darth Vader. Sydney was absolutely hysterical when we arrived at the party and was begging to go home lnog before the parade began. After a 30 minute melt-down she simply said "I'm ok now. I was freaked out but now I'm ok." Noah apologized profusely, sweet thing. Then it was one sugar loaded afternoon of fun! I'll upload a few viedos of Sydney rocking out to some of the floats that went past. And they bothed loved the marching bands. Even thre freakiest people were ok by them as long as they put candy in their bags.

Friday night was tot shabbot again-- I took the girls along with theKotler/Weiss crew and then we all met Scott for dinner at Penang. They really enjoy singing the songs and seeing the other children and this time they also got to light the shabbas candles (with adult supervision). Somehow Nathan managed to sustain another head injury while there. He also had a rock fall on his head on Rosh Hashanah. They're going to think someone is fishing for a lawsuit!! He was ok, thankfully, but it looked scary since it was a head wound.

The weekend fun continued-- we saw Lindsay & Derik today, along with Alan & Min ---it had been over a year since we saw them-- just shortly after Lindsay's wedding!

They invited us over for bruch and it was fantastic just to hang out and catch up. This was our first time seeing their home (adorable!) and I'm sure the girls seemed so much bigger than last time we all got together. The highlight for the kids, I belive was "playing rock band" with Lindsay.

Funny video below.

Scott has to go to Philadelphia for work for a few days. It's rare that he travels but it will be a nice change of pace for him. Tonight we were invited to Ginny & Ellis' to meet their friends and do some pumpkin carving. There were five girls ages 2-5 and it was hysterial. Alison, Ella, Chloe, Leah & Sydney all running around like crazy. They did manage to stop to inhale a piece of pizza and then it ws back to mayhem. As a result the grown ups did like 95% of the work carving. As you can see the results were impressive-- ours are the 2 tiny ones on the end. My mom had bought the girls' those pumpkins a week or so ago. I figured it couldn't hurt to turn them in to a jack-o'lantern. If you can't tell the 2nd from the right is a ghost. It was hard to do a pattern like that on such a small pumpkin.

It's getting really late. If I'm going to play single parent the next few days I better get some sleep.

Meanwhile my Mom and Jennifer are getting ready to hit the road for Houston-- won't see them til nearly mid November! Best of luck at the shows!

By the way it is 10:30 at night, Scott is in Philly for work, and I just heard little footsteps running around-- it was Leah trying to get a book. nice. Sydney had already gotten a few for herself and was laying backwards in bed reading Dr. Seuss.

Trip to Maryland Photos Online

Trip to Washington, D.C. October 5-10

Get Updates Via Email!

Hi All

Look to the right and under my favorite links you'll see a new tool-- simply put in your email address and you'll receive an email with a link any time we update the site. It will make it easier than me reminding everyone to come check it out and one less thing for you to think about too.

Since I usually post 3+ times per week, that's about how often you'll get an email from "Bloglet" which is the company running the service.

Let me know how it works!

Trip Recap

Hey All!

It's been four days since we got back in to town and this is my first chance to hop back on to blogger. We had a great, but hectic, trip. It was great to see everyone, and for those we would have like to have hung out with but were unable-- I apologize!! Even with 4 days it's barely enough time to work in the family stuff. Scott and I were also sick the entire time which added an additional, um, element to traveling. Lots of Robotussin and tissues.

As usual the girls were champion car travelers. In this day and age I think it's rare to have kids who can make it nearly 12 hours on a trip with only about 45 minutes of DVD time. They alternate between chatting, napping, snacking and playing with toys. But when the whining hits full throttle we don't hesitate to whip out the portable DVD player, or the "little TV" as they call it.

This was also the first trip that I think both Leah & Sydney were VERY aware of the schlepping that was going on. More than once Leah proclaimed "I don't want to get on the highway!!" Also a lot of "shy" attacks when we would arrive somehwere-- the warm-up period for them was at least 20 minutes, if not more depending on how cranky they were.

Photos are forthcoming-- I need to grab them off Scott's laptop and upload-- will do another Picasa web album.

Trip Highlights:

• Sydney decided that she CAN use the potty. Not everytime, but a LOT. She actually was dry all day yesterday (used the potty 3 times) and this mainly started when we arrived at Diane's house Thursday night
• Trip to Port Discovery in Baltimore on Friday with DeeDee (Diane) It was pouring rain and bitter cold but the museum was wonderful and the kids got a kick out of the very in-depth and hands-on Clifford The Big Red Dog exhibit.
• Getting to catch up with the Mostows (Steve, Pam, Sam) and explore their neighborhood. and the great festival that was going on. The girls loved hanging with Sam!
• Visit to great grandparents Belle & Ben-- the girls liked sitting on their big chairs and calling them Princess Thrones.
• Getting together with the entire Shankman clan at Phyllis' house. Almost all the great grandchildren were there (Ryan was at beach) and the girls had a blast playing with everyone and we got to spend time with everyone including GiGi, Poppy Nate and Joel.
• The girls first Metro ride down to the Mall and trip to the Air & Space Museum. Sydney did NOT like the astronaut models in the museum and demanded OUT. But they got to do the carousel on the Mall and topped it off with popsicle and then finally dinner in Bethesda. It was great to have a full day with Poppy Joel!
• A gorgeous day at the National Zoo and we were met by both Todd and his daughter Alison, along with Amy Dunn and her little guys. A highlight for Scott was lunch with everyone at the site of his underage drinking antics, The Zoo Bar on Connecticut Ave.
• Dinner at the Far East with Myra, Alan, Isaac and Diane-- the girls specifically request this place because they have these voracious fish that you can feed. Great way to end our trip

Next thing you know it was Tuesday morning and time to hit the road again!

September Photos online-- All of em!

September 2006

Sep 29, 2006 - 82 Photos

God Love Google for making this so durn easy. And shame on Kodak for not coming up with it first! Click the image above and you'll be taken to a URL with all of our photos from September.

We're off to DC tomorrow morning!

Our Anniversary and Farewell Illners

This blog is basically for and about the kids. But Scott and I did celebrate our 6th anniversary last Saturday and were lucky enough to share it with Sonia and Thomas who were here from Germany. They left a day later so it was great to have a "grown up" evening. Miss ya'll! 

Ladies' Day

It's been a long couple of days. Wednesday afternoon I started feeling "not right" and before dinner time I was sick as a dog with a terrible stomach virus. I barely was able to throw them in to bed at 8pm and then pass out. Scott was working late and shortly after midnight I heard a mysterious coughing noise from the girls' bedroom. It was Sydney and now she was sick too. This went on til almost 4:30 in the morning with us cleaning her up over and over-- it was pitiful. Leah was awake through all of this!

By morning we were all delrious though the vomiting had stopped. The girls missed school, and I missed work and a dinner out.
So this morning, well rested and finally nourished again we went to Kindermusik. It is a glorious fall day-- no more than 70 degrees outside. After class we hauled it to Buckhead for a haircut and then lunch over at Johnny Rockets. There were plenty of kids and they got to take home a balloon too. A perfect day for a 2 year old. Now they're out cold while I type this. I'm about to get a few things done for work that I was unable to do yesterday due to recovery.


Leaving Kindermusik

Dress Up-- Wednesday Afternoon

Fun with Foleys

Sydney, Leah & Lyle in their "farm". Otherwise known as the playhouse in the Foley's backyard.

Had a fun afternoon letting them run around then we ordered some pizzas.

Oof, i'm tired. Time for everyone to go to bed! 

A Role Model?

Yesterday my mom asked the girls what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Sydney said: "A Mommy!" How sweet.

Then she follwed it up with "So I can go to work and take a shower!"

Well, I suppose that's better than nothing. I'm definately not a role model in the kitchen. I attempted to roast a chicken for dinner. A relatively simple meal really. Admitedly I was distracted. Lucy and Lyle came to visit and we were watching three toddlers as I discussed the best way to season the chicken.

Finally after about an hour and a half I took my roasted bird out of the oven and tried to carve it. Strangely there was very little meat where the breast should be. It smelled good, the skin was cooked to perfection and the meat I pulled off the wings/legs was fabulous. But where was the rest?

Suddenly it occured to me to flip the bird over. There was the missing meat-- pink, with a yellow skin. Flavorless and possibly deadly and undercooked. I tried putting it back in the oven several times and basting it to get it back up to speed.

Now it was nearly two hours after I started cooking, the kids were melting down and Scott had walked in the door.

We quickly declared it a minor disaster, I popped chicken nuggets in the microwave and then I ran to the Mediterranian place for take-out.

I never claimed to be a domestic goddess! Before we threw it in the trash we did pick off most of the edible meat. It really was delicious. Sigh.

Little Mermaid Update

When I posted about the Little Mermaid last week I neglected to include a link to the site about the DVD re-release (Thanks Mike!)

Click above-- turns out it doesn't come out until next week! It's going to be a must buy for us. Perhaps before we hit the road next week.

L'Shanah Tovah Ya'll

In other words, best wishes for a sweet new year! We celebrated this weekend by attending services with the Kotler-Weiss family at Shearith Israel. The girls were entrhalled with the childcare at the on-site preschool. It was well organized and they had a blast. When services were over we walked up to Doc Chey's for lunch then headed home to rest. Later that evening we joined the Rose's for a wonderful dinner with their friends and family.

After all that fun we simply bummed around Sunday, "just relaxing" as the girls like to say. Thanks to a tip from the Foley's we did discover Los Hermanos in Tucker. Hello-- how have we missed this place?????

TKCG @ the KP Corporate Challenge

A few pics of Team TKCG from tonight's Kaiser Permanente Corporate Challenge.

Congrats to all the runners and walkers.

And of course, those of us who bravely manned the tent :)

See ya'll next year!