A Messy Way to Reconnect

As apart of my 2016 master weight-loss plan I decided to plann one 5k a month for the ENTIRE year for myself and my husband! Since we haven't seen much of her lately we decided to bring Zombie on the color run with us. I'd been hyping her for the mounds of chalkish neon paint that would cover her tiny body for days prior.

Hubs and myself had gone to a color run last month and absolutely loved the pre and post party, we loved the random color stations and the energy of the hypeman and volunteers. This one was a little bit different.

We got to the race an hour and a half early as their registration website didn't allow me to use my Groupon code and I, of course, had to make sure we were still good to race. We walked up to the podium, turned in our waivers and were given our packets.

After downing a bourbon pizza pie and running around looking for paper toilet after the (1) women's bathroom stall ran out it was finally time for the race to start! I wish they would have had a disclaimer that said "please bring swords- will be chopping down branches during your run" The first 1/2 mile was spent avoiding splintering tree branches and raising tree trunks.

I'd go on about how unorganized this team was but it doesn't compare to how much fun we had as a family. Zombie ran for awhile and then abruptly stopped. She whined saying she couldn't go on and her toes hurt and we needed to be carried. Well you can't expect a 3 year old walk 3 miles so on daddy's shoulder she went until we saw the finish line. For days after the event it's all she wanted to talk to anyone about. She even kept her sticker tattoo on for 2 days! Hopefully this is a tradition we're able to keep even in our new city (details on that to come!)

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Totoro!

My sister's due date is on the day of my niece's 5th birthday so we decided to celebrate a few weeks early. She chose a far-stretch theme- Totoro! For those of you who haven't seen this animated film (like myself) here's a very bief synopsis:

It’s about two sisters being raised by their father for the time being Their mother is in the hospital Satsuki is the big sister and is trying to run things in her mom’s stead She makes breakfast, takes care of her little sister Mei Basically a coming of age story Totoro is the spirit of the forest who helps remind Satsuki that she is still a child Gives the children hope that their mother will be alright

For the last 2 weeks my sisters have been in and out of Viet-town searching for the perfect party favors like these cute sticker and chocolate "colored pencil" set, decorations, cake toppers and other party details. They DIY'd the heck out of this party including handmade sticker Totoro cupcake toppers and a "thumb print" canvas.

The results were incredible- and the turn out a lot more than my mom's 3 bedroom apartment could bear. Isa drew a lifesize Totoro poster as a photo op backdrop. Then they taped oragami cranes to the wall and hung a Happy Birthday banner from left over party invitations which were handmade Totoro silhouettes.

We kept it simple with pizza, chips, asian salad and cupcakes and one of our very generous guests even brought a dozen assorted donuts! We put the movie on for the kids while they ate- a great way to keep multiple children busy when having a birthday party at a small location. And by the time they were done it was time take pictures and sing happy birthday! It was a great turn out for a much-deserved 5 year old. And the best presents of all? Why the Totoro snuggie and Totoro bed of course!

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Getting Lost in a 64 Box of Crayons

After 4 months of my "Crayola Experience" tickets sitting in my gmail inbox I finally decided to use them as a mommy-and-zombie playdate. While sitting in Florida Mall traffic I cynically thought "this better be worth the $35 I spent... I do not want to spend more money once inside".

At admissions we were each given a clear bag with 2 silver tokens inside- 2?! What could I possibly do with only 2 tokens...?! I immediately began searching for the token kiosk with zero success.

Fast forward to 4 hours later where I'm arguing with Zombie because I want to make another shark mold but she's ready to move onto the lava stations. The Crayola experience stimulates the right side of the brain through hands on, messy and oh-so-colorful activities, bringing out 5 year old in everyone. You begin with naming your own crayon, making your own puzzle ornaments and Christmas cards, you can even maek your own figurine out of melted crayons... so to answer the question we all have in the back of our minds- YES it lives up to the hype!

I noted a few social trends that scare but excite me about Zombie. She approaches kids her age like they are exotic animals- with added precaution and always starts with a waive to get their attention. While sometimes she's successful, other times kids find her too intense to befriend her. At the watercolor tables when these pompous 6 year olds (who stole our paintbrushes) came back for our paint pallet Zombie stood on her stool and yelled "YOU NEED TO SHARE!" they didn't come back for anything else. My 3 year old is a bad-(M)ass- a socially awkward bad-(m)ass!

At around 6:30 my stomach started to rumble and I remembered it had been hours since we'd last eaten. I would not recommend their "cafe" which has limited choices including: pizza, corn dogs, hot dogs and salad.

Since Hubs was taking us out to dinner in a few hours anyway we relied on a sugar rush of Dippin' Dots and Churros to sustain us for the next hour. After that the hunger was stronger than the urge to make more selfie coloring pages so we called it a day.

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Intimately thankful- a recap of our 2015 Thanksgiving

This past year has been a roller-coaster of mixed emotions and changes for my family. And when I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner this year I was nervous as to what it would mean for us and whether I'd be able to meet the expectations of what used to be my favorite holiday before the passing of my grandmother.

Unlike prior years where I make my dishes the day of, this year I prepped everything the night before. Giving me enough time to do some shopping thanksgiving day.For the menu we focused on old favorites (vegetarian style) : Lasagna Sweet Potato pecan casserole Collard Greens- the secret's in the smoked paprika Arroz con Guandules (rice and beans) Dominican pastelon Cranberry and herb stuffing Scallop potatoes (thanks to Brent!) Broccoli Salad w/soy based bacon Pastel en ojas

My mom was in charge of the desert which consisted of: -Sweet potato-coconut souffle -Almond Biscotti, Cranberry white chocolate cookies, mini carrot cakes, apple jam and cheese crackers, tres leche (yum!), Apple Pie (courtesy of Brent)

For the Birds my mom bought a stuffed turkey, hubs did a fall-off-the-bone turkey which was a huge hit and I KILLED a Tofurky roast! My first time (about 2 years ago) making the roast was a bust-but this year I figured out the trick!

This year I seasoned it and let it sit for a day and a half. Then I tossed some orange jam and orange slices and BAM. It was juicy and tender- so good my mom scooped some up herself!

In a long, cut out white and gold dress I felt like a 1920's holiday party hostess (cue the Nat King Cole and Ole Louis).

My family always dresses up and we all happened to wear sparkling gold which complimented our mood lighting, laughter, post-food coma-itis, and jazz music beautifully. It was good food and good energy.

When everyone was gone, and our house was still a moment of overwhelming vulnerability overtook me. And all that was left was hubs and I, dancing to Frank Sinatra at the end of our Gatsby-perfect Thanksgiving night.

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