Thinking Warm Thoughts

I know that some might think it cruel of me to post beach photos in the middle of winter; I mean, it’s freakin’ freezing out in most of the U.S. right now. I prefer to put a more positive spin on things: perhaps envisioning warm summer days on a sandy beach will trigger some sort of mind/body response, thereby enabling one to think warm thoughts and actually FEEL warmer.

…

Yeah, I’m not buying it either.

We spent a lot of time on the beach this summer. It is a bit of a drive from our house to the Gulf, but since Flamenco Dad works at a school near the beach I would drop him off at work and then continue on to the beach with the kids. My hubby’s not exactly a huge fan of sand in the shorts (but who is?), so I didn’t feel too badly about leaving him behind whilst the kids and I frolicked in the water.

My son absolutely loves the beach. Ayden would have gladly gone every day this summer, but his mom made him go do pesky things like visit museums and stuff.

Zoe loved it too, although she was pretty upset by the horror that is GETTING SALT WATER IN YOUR EYES! I had to keep reminding her that while Mama can do many things, controlling the elements ain’t one of them.

Still, we did have loads of fun enjoying the surf and sand, building castles and enjoying the fresh air. During these cooler winter months, our thoughts turn to the delightful summer days to come.

Lots of Random Stuff

Oh, hello there. Today I looked at this blog and realized that the last time I posted on here was, oh, sometime in JUNE?!!! Naughty, naughty blogger. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to write, but there’s just been so much happening around here lately that it’s hard to get myself to write about something. I just want to go on and ramble about all kinds of stuff. So, to shake the cobwebs off I thought I’d give a few brief updates about what’s going on at Casa Flamenco.

Zoe started middle school, and I’m proud to say that I didn’t cry. Go Flamenco Mom! And Zoe’s doing really well. She had a mini-meltdown in P.E. during the second week of school, but she’s been doing really well otherwise.

I submitted my application for my degree last week. Yes, the end is near! Sort of. But I am graduating in December. Next stop, graduate school!

We’ve tested out all the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes, following the no-butter instructions available on the Betty Crocker website. What do I think of the mixes? Well, here’s a hint: if Betty Crocker were a real person, I’d kiss her full on the mouth as a show of my gratitude. I might even let her get to second base.

I booked our family vacation this week. We’re traveling in October–to Disneyworld. I know, it’s not what I would typically plan for our autumn trip–I usually like to take the family to someplace more remote, a la the woods. But we got a free 3-night stay at a resort in Orlando, so we figured it would be a good time to hit some theme parks. Besides, Ayden’s never been to the Magic Kingdom. I suppose it’s about time we took him: I think it may be a law that if you live in Florida, you must take your child to the House of Mickey at least once.

There Will Be Cooking…Oh Yes, There Will Be Cooking

Lots of good stuff is happening this week. For one, it’s the last week of classes. Hooray! Next week wraps up final exams, then I get a week off before starting summer school. Wanna know what I’ll be doing during that week off?

Well, aside from sleeping in, I’ll be cooking and baking with the kids. I don’t think I’ve used my bread machine in months, and I’m anxious to try some new GFCF bread recipes that I found online. And oh, the cookies! Zoe, Ayden, and my wallet are tired of me buying store-bought GFCF treats…not that there’s anything wrong with them per se, but everyone is facing tough economic times right now, and I can’t justify spending six bucks on a tiny box of cookies right now. Besides, home-baked cookies rock–and it’s a fun way to get the children interested in cooking.

In other FABULOUS news, Zoe tried out for the school talent show yesterday. Flamenco Dad accompanied her on guitar as the sang “Zippity-Do-Dah.” The principal and the school’s Exceptional Student Ed. specialist were among the panelists watching the auditions, and they were so happy to see Zoe out there doing her best. The  kid has absolutely no fear, which certainly helped her when it came to standing up in front of a group of people and performing.

Ayden reached a milestone this week as well…he is now riding a bike on his own. Two wheels, baby! His favorite word lately is “awesome,” and every time he zoomed past me on the bike  he would yell out, “This is so awesome!”

I’d say they both did a pretty awesome job.

2008: A Year In Photos

I thought about writing a year-end retrospective on 2008; instead I chose to do something along the lines of a photo essay (trying to channel some creative juices and share some family photos). So without further ado, may I present the Year In Review 2008:

 

Have a happy and healthy 2009!

The Aftermath

After the Demo Team Got to It

I knew that my gingerbread house would be torn down eventually, but I was still really sad to see it in a heaping pile of rubble on my coffee table. My husband and the kids took turns poking at it with the wooden spoons in the picture until all that was left was the mess in the photo. The good news is that this experiment in edible construction has given rise to a new family tradition: the annual Build-A-Gingerbread-House-From-Scratch-Then-Tear-It-Down-athon. My niece Lisa made me swear that I would build one every year so that the family could bask in the glory of tearing it down on Christmas Eve. I guess you could say the house was a hit!

Mmm, cookies...

And my husband thought it was most delicious!