It's the most wonderful time of the year...

And I say it is not because its holiday season or anything, but because November in Florida IS wonderful - not scorching hot and not freezing cold, yet it is comfortable enough to go to... Water Park! We went to Blizzard Beach on Saturday and had tons of fun. Misha is tall enough now to go on almost all rides which we did without waiting for parent swap. He kept asking me and Eric if we're going on a "wedgie ride" - Slush Gusher or Summit Plummet. I hezitated at first, but then got brave enough to try Slush Gusher. If you never experienced "burning bum" sensation, try it)) Eric tried the crazy one - Summit Plummet. I refrain from commentaries on this one. We all swam in the wave pool, the creek, and rode multiple rides. Yes, I can confess, I am a big kid at heart when it comes to water parks and Toboggan Racers ride is my favorite one.
Family favorite I should say is Teamboat Springs - Misha and Valentina couldn't stop giggling all the way down, and it is the one where you can go as a family and share the oohs and aahs together.

October has come and gone...

...and with it a lot of activities, holidays, few sick days, new calling and of course, sweets. The kids attended 2 birthday parties - Kevin from Valentina's class and Peyton from church. There was a Fall Festival held at church with costumes, trunk-or-treating, games, face painting for which I volunteered to help. Well, I also had my own birthday this month. There was also a Community Garage sale at Eagleridge, which was worth mentioning because this was my first ever garage sale as a homeowner. Yay!

Yes, we all did get sick this month - no fun, I tell you. Cleaning after two sick kids at the same time gets your stomach turning for sure. I am grateful this is now a thing of the past and everyone feeling much better.

I mentioned I got a new calling, now I get to serve as a Relief Society secretary, which I am excited about. There is a lot to learn and to do, but it sure is a new step for me towards progress.

Valentina is doing good at school and learning so much every day. I am amazed how much she's improving with her reading. That is of course, if she works hard enough. Math is very eazy for her at this point, and I really hope she continues this way. It is math she chooses to do first every day for her homework. I am thinking though, easy tasks should be left for later, when you're done with harder ones or less desirable ones. Well, good luck to me convincing Valentina)) Misha on the other hand, is learning everything from his sister. He is a very smart little guy. His vocabulary often amazes me.

Halloween was another new experience this year for us since now we could walk in our own community. There was a day-time community party with games, free hot-dogs, cotton candy, treats, costume contests and fun. And there was a night time trick-or-treating. Tons of candy yet another year worth. )) I made kids' costumes this year. They both wore matching pirates outfits, which I thought were cute.

And one more thing I loved doing this month was saving money for our family with all-new saving trick I learned. Check out my previous post to learn about it.

Kevin's birthday party

Valentina and Misha at Peyton's birthday party

Being silly - find Waldo, aka Valentina and Misha

This little trick Misha does every time he watches TV

Everything ready to make a birdfeeder - pinecone, peanut butter, crushed peanuts

Halloween treats

My two little halloweeners

Father's Day crafts

Being thrifty and finding new and creative ways of keeping kids away from TV (even though for a little bit) made me thinking (and googling). So this is the result:

Valentina's and Misha's hands cut-outs make heart-shaped frame for their art ;-)))

This cute camp fire is virtually expense-free craft: the idea and the instructions here. Valentina and Misha each made one for daddy.

We added our little touch: instead of tissue paper we used red, orange and yellow fabric. We also sprayed rocks with glow-in-the-dark spray for an eery look.

Valentina working hard drawing flowers for daddy

Our family rarely dresses up, so when we all were ready for church this Sunday for Father's Day this is what we looked like. I'm loving the 10-second delay on my camera.

The LEGO age

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Who hasn't seen this label? Cautious mommies and daddies patiently await the age of freedom - 3 years. By that time your precious child realizes that plastic has no nutritional value and is better looking put together in some fairy-tale town than in a slobbered goo. Of course, there is no absolute guarantee that "no plastic for food" moment magically occurs the minute your child turns 3. But at least now you have hope baby will use mouth technique only in rare occasions (like to pull those stubborn lego pieces apart).

I've always been a sit-down-and-watch parent and would let my kids explore the world on their own instead of guarding them every moment. I know there are different opinions on what's the best way of raising a child, and I am sure, even my mom might think I'm a careless parent. Regardless, the dangerous-under-3-age passed. Welcome LEGO! Can't wait for elaborate houses, castles, zoos, and whatever else kids' little hands create! Potential pain of stepping on those ouchie lego bricks can be minimized by this clever idea.

Bring on the bricks!

Mother's Day

I felt really great this Mother's Day. Thanks to my wonderful family that made me feel this way. Eric and the kids brought breakfast in bed for me with a fruit salad that I craved the night before. There were chocolates, flowers, cards and many "Happy Mother's Day" and "I love you, mommy". Those little cards with scribbles and "mommy and me" portraits made by Valentina are the cutest. Funny, they decorated a cake for mother's day in school, unfortunately it did not survive until the actual day, because Valentina kept asking if she can have a piece. I said let's wait till mother's day, but I guess she thought if she decorated it, I had little to say about when to eat it. So, it was gone long before. Misha kept repeating "Happy Mother's Day, mommy!" (really cute) It was his way of making it special.

These days make me pause and ponder and realize how happy my family makes me feel. It sounds so simple, but it is one of those truths that you only understand when you don't have it.

Make each day a mother's day by choosing to be happy and enjoying every moment.

Half-naked guys beating each other to the punch or our TNA Wrestling experience

I was really debating on what to write about in this post. Well, Eric happened to work with a bell-ringer for TNA Wrestling in Universal. So, we got the VIP seating at the match. Never have I thought in my life I would visit such a place. Even watching this on TV just had me rolling my eyes and shaking my head. WHAT DO YOU, WRESTLING FANS, FIND SO EXCITING? So, skipping to the match or series of matches, to be correct. It started out as a bunch of wrestlers came to the ring and pronounced their rehearsed speeches. Raving fans with painted faces and their posters and fingers up (I am not talking middle fingers here) screamed with hope of getting their 5-seconds fame on TV. Every wrestler came out with fanfare, fireworks, show, working mostly for the cameras. Most of them didn't even turn their faces to where we were sitting (since there was no camera there), surprise, surprise... There even was a little incident there. One of the wrestlers apparently muslim (or again, just a show-off muslim) came out dressed like one of the Taliban extremists would and pronounced some Allah akbars. That act got one of the fans upset, so he decided to punch the wrestler. Dumb idea... In an instant he was pushed away and then escorted off the premises.
One of the wrestlers played clown punching cardboard cut-out of Stallone's Rocky Balboa. I still have to ask, people pay money to watch this on "pay per view"? Are you kidding me?
OK, the rest is just boring to me, so Ill spare you my description of the half-naked guys beating each other to the punch (and girls, too - at least they were funny) and just show some pics.

Do you see my face here? I am really "excited"!

One of the (yawn) wrestling moments.

My little wrestling fan with a... (wish I remembered his name)

Ok, I have to say to this guy right here. Stop your career right now, or your cute face will turn into something out of a horror movie!

What you need to do to satisfy everyone in the family

1. Pick a place nearby (an orange grove, for example)

2. Get a job for a hubby (pulling a cart loaded with oranges and kids)

3. Get kids playing in the playground

4. Relax in the sun (or shade)

Too simple? Not for us, I tell you. Everyone was happy. Well, Misha managed to fall two times and bump his head. But, at the end everyone returned home happy and rested. What is it about nature and simplicity of life that relaxes us? Is it the eternal circle of life, the constant buzz around us from a little bee to a pouncing kitten? Is it a rooster's cock-a-doodle-doo or an intoxicating aroma of blooming orange groves? One day I'll learn the answers to all these questions. But right now, I'll just relax and enjoy the calm and order of it all.