120/365: fun playdates

The Levine family came for a visit today and we had such a ball! Jordyn and Sam are just 3 months apart and they loved playing together...and using "potty words" at the table! We went to Bayfest and strolled all the vendors and then the kids had time to play and eat dinner together. Everyone was so sad when it was time to leave after a long, busy day. Luckily, there will be another "reunion" in a couple weeks for Jordyn's 4th birthday party! Thank goodness for fun playdates

119/365: potential

From the beginning , we loved the "bones" of the house but kept repeating that it has "great potential" because it was in need of some TLC. The landscaper came today so we could take care of some things around the house...take out dead things, plant some flowers to add color leading to the front door and assess the backyard. We know that it is time for a new fence but it is hard to do this in isolation. Grass seed needs to be planted when the ground is leveled a bit, broken stones need repair, the deck needs replacing and all in all, the yard needs a bit of an overhaul for it to really be a wonderfully, utilized space. This is true of various parts of the house, but this is a spot where we could really entertain and enjoy in the summer months so we have our homework cut out to look into restrictions regarding the pond and gathering estimates for the work that needs to be done. It seems like yet another big project with the house so instead of "thank goodness for looking into spending a lot of money"...I will say, thank goodness for potential

118/365: metaphors

It is pretty lousy when one or two berries ruin the whole bunch! These strawberries are so red and looked great in the market and just a few days after buying them, a little mold appeared and the batch had to be tossed. Interestingly, people are a lot like fruit...they can be sweet, you can't wait to meet (try) a new one and on the contrary, one lousy one can affect the whole bunch :( Thank goodness for metaphors

117/365: Camden Aquarium

Today we took the boys for the first time to the Camden Aquarium. It was a bit of a tricky day...lots of school groups made it a bit of a challenge to access the tanks and exhibits and I was playing a lot with camera settings to get the best shots. It is not easy with the reflection of the glass tanks, use or non-use of a flash and adjusting the ISO to let in the most light whenever possible...whew! This was one of the first shots of the day of the sharks where you can actually reach in and touch them! The real "thank goodness" for this blog post should be that Sam was afraid to reach in :) It was fun to see the Hippo named Button, see jellyfish, penguins, seals and we even "found" Nemo! Thank goodness for the Camden Aquarium.

116/365: pizza after passover

As the story goes, Moses was put in a basket in the Nile River until Pharoh's daughter saved him. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery and out of Egypt in a hurry so their bread didn't have time to rise, hence eating matzoh. The Red Sea parted and so began the forty-year desert journey to the land of milk and honey....and whole wheat pizza! Thank goodness for our freedom. Thank goodness for pizza after passover

115/365: fabulous foursome

Max and Lola were off of school for spring break so we had a long distance playdate today and Sam was thrilled! Max and Sam practiced their reading skills, "Miss Mimi" tried to arrange a naptime until Lola screamed out, "Pillow fight!!" It was a fun-filled day and for the first time, Luke was awake and watched all the fun that he will have with his big cousins. Luke is one lucky little guy to be part of this little cousins club. Thank goodness for this fabulous foursome



114/365: not-so-calm Sunday afternoons

The Flyers playoffs make for craziness around here and probably only crazier as the years go on and we go from one screamer to three! Jay certainly got Sam in the action today but luckily Luke giggled through all the hoopla. The excitement was worth it to score in overtime and the Flyers head home for big game 7. Just hoping Tuesday night's "cheers" don't wake the sleeping fans. Thank goodness for not-so-calm Sunday afternoons

113/365: little "kissing" noses

There is a whole lot of "goodness" right here! Thank goodness for brothers, thank goodness for giggles, thank goodness for little "kissing" noses

112/365: Philadelphia Flyers

Having a diehard hockey fan in the house should come with a sign for the front door, like "beware of dog" or "no tresspassing, or else!" Jay wasn't sure he could contain himself so tonight he locked himself in the media room, away from sleeping children :) After a rocky 1st period, the second period had its good moments...we will have to see what the third has in store! If you live in Philadelphia or the outskirts, you would certainly say thank goodness for the Philadelphia Flyers

111/365: vintage cars

I took Luke for a walk today and just brought my camera along hoping for something to inspire a picture. I find I am really looking at the world around me in a whole new way when I am trying to take a photo a day...I never before noticed the flowers or even the weeds down low, the trees and the clouds up high and everything in between! I was close to returning home without coming across anything that was new or exciting and then I spotted this old, vintage car parked...I snapped a few photos, walked home and then realized that I don't even know what model of car it is...ha! Anyway, thank goodness for vintage cars

110/365: peekaboo kisses

Now I know why there is a book called Peekaboo Kisses...they are the greatest! Thank goodness for peekaboo kisses

109/365: being together

It seemed like forever until it was time for tonight's big seder. Sam started asking at 10:00 a.m. when he was going to be with everyone at the 6:30 p.m. seder...ugh! Good things are worth waiting for. Sam, Max & Lola LOVED being with the extended family for the annual big family seder that Pop Ben hosts. It is so great that once year we can all see one another and it is especially important for the kids to learn who their family is and feel a part of something great! This year was no exception! Max and Sam read the four questions in English and "performed" the songs that they learned. Everyone embraced them and any hiding or shyness that takes place upon arrival, turns into hugs and kiss and "when can we do this again?" by the end of the night. Thank goodness for being together

108/365: health and happiness for Passover

Today we joined Sam at school for his mock seder. He was a big helper chopping apples for the charoset and just like his mommy, he likes white of the hardboiled eggs...and if not "white" enough, he won't eat it which is certainly familiar! When he was dropped off at school, he asked if Max was coming to the mock seder and when he was told that that he would see him for tomorrow's seder, Sam's response, "But I paid for him to come!" He is TOO funny! When enjoyed a quiet little seder just our family of four tonight. We reviewed the seder symbols with Sam's handmade seder plate, he practiced his part for tomorrow night's big family seder and then he sang the frog plague song. Thank goodness for being happy and healthy to reach this special spring holiday

107/365: little imaginations

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a....dining room table!?! In recent weeks, Luke began laughing a hearty belly laugh when Sam acts silly or dances around for him. So Sam's new favorite place to be is wherever Luke is :) Today he brought all of his instruments to where Luke was "hanging" out to play him songs then he ran and jumped on bubble wrap and Luke was cracking up with each loud jump and pop! I grabbed the camera to capture the boys together and got this...Pirate Sam looks like he "captured" his brother and is making sure no other ships are out at sea. Soon after this, Luke called for an S.O.S. :) Thank goodness for little imaginations

106/365: Flat Stanley

Today was a great day for the kids! We took them to their first show at the Walnut Theatre in Philadelphia to see The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley and they LOVED it! The kids were mesmerized by the singing and dancing all on the big stage in front of them and after the show was over, Pop arranged to have a backstage tour so we could meet Stanley himself! What a treat! Thank goodness for Flat Stanley (and the first introduction to Philadelphia culture!)

105/365: Dandelions

Another beautiful day but colder and the wind was gusty, but it didn't keep us inside. After school today, Sam had a playdate at the park. He loves climbing and running around with his pals and Luke fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn...once we were home, Sam asked to go outside on our playset. He really can't get enough of the outdoors now that spring is on the horizon. While in our yard, he picked me this "flower" and after I took the picture it made me laugh...maybe I am watching too many children's movies with Sam, but it reminded me of Horton Hears A Who and there may be a whole village of "people" living in that little dandelion...just in case, thank goodness for dandelions (and the cute little boys that pick them for their mommies)

104/365: Linwood bike path

Some days I struggle to take a picture and today I had loads to choose from. It was absolutely gorgeous outside! The temperature was perfect, the sky was blue and living near our local bike path is wonderful! I thought I would be sad moving farther from the boardwalk a year ago but this is quite a nice compromise. I took a long stroll with Luke this afternoon and passed other strollers, runners, bikers, skaters, kids, adults...everyone passes with a nod and a smile. The elementary, middle and high school are all within a mile from our house and on this cute little bike path. I am looking forward to many happy memories on, along and near this little stretch of pavement...thank goodness for the Linwood bike path

103/365: new experiences

Sam came home from school today with this cute hat and a note detailing his trip to the Matzah Factory! This is the first year that he was old enough to go and try his hat at making matzah (pun intended...hehe) at the next door Chabad House. This will also be the first year that his class is expected to observe the holiday's dietary traditions. He is getting old enough to try and explore new things and to learn what he likes and doesn't like...it is all very exciting! Thank goodness for new experiences

102/365: boys at bedtime

I love the boys at bedtime...everyone is bathed and in pajamas. Sam begins his negotiating of who is going to read him books, how many drinks he wants, the "sleepy socks" he wants to pick out from his drawer...the list goes on and Luke plays with his feet, makes lots of noise and stares lovingly at Sam. It is the most hectic, stressful, sweet time of the day and I try my hardest to enjoy these moments of the beautiful chaos. Thank goodness for my sweet boys at bedtime

101/365: built-in teething relief

Nothing like having two hands (and two feet!) to gnaw on as teething begins...so glad we don't have to worry about remembering to bring them with us and they certainly do the trick. Let the drool begin! Thank goodness for built-in teething relief

100/365: loving parents

I made it to the 100th blog post and I couldn't have done that or anything else before this without my loving parents and now super grandparents! Today wasn't easy while they babysat a no-napping baby and no-nonsense toddler...between spit-up, poops and lots of negotiating, they made it through! I know my boys will love and value Mimi & Pop as much as I do...thank goodness for loving parents

99/365: exploring hands

Luke is beginning to "hang" in the exersaucer a little bit now and he is LOVING it! It is so fun to see his little hands beginning to explore the world around him. He is touching and moving the little pieces around and quickly figured out how to get them in his mouth. I have already began throwing out silly bands that are lying around and started talking to Sam about keeping small pieces away from Luke. Can't believe how quickly we are at this stage...wow time flies! Thank goodness for exploring hands

98/365: third utensil

Sam loves to be "snack helper" and set the table for dinner. As always he is filled with questions and commentary and tonight he asked why he didn't have a knife. I have had a child's knife for him tucked away and thought maybe tonight he could try it. Of course he started with fingers to stabilize his food and cut with the other. After one demonstration of using his fork to keep his fingers out of harm's way, he cut like a pro! The only problem was that after mincing and dicing everything on his plate...he left the table to play with Luke :) Thank goodness for learning to safely use the third utensil

97/365: photographing food

My mother thinks I could be a food photographer...clearly my biggest fan, but let's see if I can make even an impromptu toddler dinner look magazine worthy. Mimi will be the judge of that! Sam would have a dinner of just fruit and desserts if it was up to him but tonight he was hungry enough to polish off this pizza bagel before requesting something sweet! When the day is done and I didn't snap a photo, thank goodness for photographing food

96/365: signs of spring

We have been starting to go outside and looking to see what we want to do with the landscaping around the house and assess the fence around the pool which needs repair and all the things that come with springtime. This morning I noticed right by where we keep our trashcans, little tiny berries on a bush by the garage. We need to work on adding some color leading to the front door and maybe somewhere by the pool but for now, I will settle for any color that says warm weather is on the way! Thank goodness for signs of spring

95/365: managing your "number"

Every morning that scale sits in the bathroom in the same spot, but this morning Sam was in our bathroom first thing when I came in and he says, "Mommy, want to know your number? Step on!" Ah, the innocence! Little does he know that when you are a woman who always struggled in this department and had a baby five months ago to boot...you really don't want to know your "number." The truth is I know it and have been obsessing about it but really need to stay focused...kick up the exercise whenever I am able, write down everything I eat, which is what I did when I was successful in the past and try not to get discouraged along the way toward my goal. I have done this before and I can and will do it again. When I do, maybe I will even blog me on the scale with my "number" :) Until then, thank goodness for the ability to make changes to manage my "number"

94/365: Oreos

There is nothing quite like an oreo cookie. The two chocolate cookies sandwiching the perfect amount of white, vanilla creme in the middle. There have been numerous commercials through the years about how to eat an oreo...I prefer to open it up, eat the creme out of the center then dunk the two chocolate cookies in milk to make them soft before I eat them. Sam was so excited to have them for dessert tonight after eating up his whole dinner that he simply devoured them...no technique needed :) Thank goodness for oreos

93/365: Steamed chicken and broccoli

It is the strangest thing how I really disliked Chinese food growing up, may have even had a tantrum or two as a kid when I had to give in and go to a Chinese restaurant because my sister liked it so much and now I really enjoy it! I try to keep it healthy so I basically only order steamed chicken and broccoli with their brown sauce on the side to watch the sodium and I really like it. Funny how things (and tastebuds) change! Thank goodness for steamed chicken and broccoli

92/365: Goggles

While away on vacation, Sam played with a bunch kids who all wore goggles in the water and he would wear his sunglasses and call them goggles :) It dawned on me that the problem of Sam's major dislike of water near or in his eyes could be solved by goggles! So today I bought Sam a pair for when he has his weekly swim instruction at the JCC but we decided to test them out in the bath tub. It made rinsing the soap out of his hair a dream! Thank goodness for goggles

91/365: our little trooper

Luke is able to smile and giggle even with a little red, sore nose while surviving his first little cold with sneezes and coughs. Thank goodness for our little trooper