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Ending the day on a low note…

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This morning I started out positively sad about our pending move. I am ready to dig my heels in and just stay here a little while longer. It didn’t help that it got up to a gorgeous 85 degrees today, nice and sunny with summer right around the corner.

Then…

I have to listen to yet ANOTHER person complaining about how much they hate this base. I am so over it. While we chose to move here there are those people who didn’t have a choice. Or maybe this base just wasn’t what they had in mind. But to LOUDLY complain about practically every aspect of the base, not a good enough selection at the commissary/exchange, not enough for kids to do, not enough child care options, it just annoyed the crap out of me!

We don’t live in America, we live in Spain. There might possibly come a point where you have to pull up your big girl panties and step off base! Amazingly there are stores in Spain that sell food and clothing! Cute clothing in fact! And the complaints you have about having to pay for it in euro? What the hell do you think that COLA is for??? It was just super annoying and I took it personally as I feel like I am a representative of the child care on base and that she was picking on me personally.  Even though she wasn’t, and at this point in time I really don’t care. I think it sad that instead of spending your time enjoying a place that some people save up and vacation to, all you can complain about is how horrible everything is.

And the other day someone told me they hated it here because there was no WalMart. I. Just. Don’t. Get. It. You would rather shop at a trashy big box store (that has a twin here in Spain called Carrefour!!!!) than live here? Is buying stuff, random stuff that you don’t need and are only buying because you are bored, really THAT important to you?

Ending rant now, just had to get that out there. If you are moving to Spain, please be aware that it is a totally different country because apparently there are some people who think it should be ‘little America’. I swear if I hear the phrase “…at our LAST base…” one more time…

Thank you Missoula Children’s Theater!

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Missoula Children’s Theater is a wonderful group that travels around the world and putting together children’s performances.  We are lucky enough to have them come once a year, but were EXTRA lucky because even though they were just here in August, they stopped by again over Spring Break to have the kids put on ANOTHER show!

Auditions for the show (Red Riding Hood) were on Monday, parts assigned and rehearsals began the same day. The kids rehearsed every day that week and everyone who shows up gets a part, from kinder-gardeners up to sixth graders.

Friday night they were ready for their performance, the kids all did great (only a few mishaps but they were entertaining) the script itself was pretty corny but the kids thought it was hilarious.

M had the part of a shadow, she had been practicing all week the week before so she could get a major role but they pretty much all went to the 5th and 6th graders.

Acting like a 'shadow'

The four shadows (they were supposed to be the bad influences along the forest trail - MORAL AHEAD!)

Now they had to change from shadows into fire... cause if you play with fire you will get burned! (It was just so so corny)

The cast, good job guys!

Katie, one of the Missoula leaders. I don't know how these guys do it!

The four shadows/fire/bad plants! They were so excited they had costume changes!

My little star!

M and one of her good friends who was 'Sister Hood'

And then they packed everything up to fly out the next day to do it all over again. We gladly bought a tshirt to support them because they really do make the kids feel special and offer them a chance to be onstage.

For more info: Missoula Children’s Theater

(Sorry about the crappy auditorium pics, these are the best of them!)

Homemade Pizza Lunchables

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My daughter LOVES me! My best friend saw this online and had mentioned it to me one of the last times we talked on the phone (she knows how crazy I am!) She said she was going to give it a try and I just had to as well… Super super easy and cheaper and hopefully a bit healthier than the prepackaged junk!

Make pizza dough and cut it into individual pizza size. I went with a shape that I was hoping would fit into her lunchbox.

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Please make sure you take it in the dark like I apparently did (also ignore my ugly pizza crust!)

Bake the pizza crust and let cool. I then stored them in the freezer until I was ready to use them.  When I packed her lunch I packed two pizzas which I think was plenty.

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I also packed a little spreader for the pizza sauce.  Homemade granola bites also made an appearance. Let me just say that her lunch was the talk of the lunch table and she was one happy girl!

Try this!

And then there was candy…

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We had a great weekend.

Saturday was an errand day, had to go grocery shopping. Managed to get one of the last two hams in the commissary. Not having ham on Easter would have been a deal breaker. What the heck else do you have? I really would have loved to make lamb but who knows where I can get that here! Anyways, I managed to grab all of my groceries for Easter dinner as well as all of the other stuff I needed and it wasn’t too crowded. YAY!

Also managed to run over to the exchange can get some last minute Easter crap for the kids baskets. My mom sent them clothes but I BEGGED her to not send baskets this year. They are full of stuff the kids really don’t need. I am really trying to cut down on the amount of STUFF that comes into the house.

So I grabbed the kids some bubble sets, pool toys and some candy and called it a day. Also had some books hidden away in my room that I grabbed and put in the baskets.

The weather was beautiful so we threw some steaks on the grill for dinner (we being I) and took a little walk around the neighborhood.  There has been a ton of construction going on as they convert 2 bedroom duplexes to 4 bedroom houses and our street is pretty much a ghost town. The half that was all two bedrooms is closed off and our half of the street with three bedrooms is half empty. They haven’t been moving any new families onto our street.  Anyways, we had a nice walk and I resisted the urge to trespass in all of the new construction!

That night I ended up staying up WAY too late finishing my final project for a class. Now I am down to ONE class! I wish I could say I was excited I am just so ready to be DONE.

Sunday morning came way too early after being up so late. O had me up by 9 and I gave him some breakfast and then hibernated on the couch with some coffee. At 10, M decided she wanted to make everyone breakfast (more like brunch by the time we ate). She had gotten a Paula Dean cookbook for kids from my mom for Christmas and has been dying to try it out. So she made us all fried egg sandwiches and herself french toast. I barely helped her at all (I did fry the bacon for the sandwiches) Just gave some pointers on egg flipping. She did a great job! I need to let her help more in the kitchen but that is ‘my’ space and I am terrible at sharing.  I just know I LOVED helping my mom, aunts and grandmothers in the kitchen (and my grandpa at the grill) when I was her age.

We also managed to dye eggs, bake cookies, have an easter egg/basket hunt, and prepare and eat a huge meal. Then off for another walk to the playground to burn off the food!  Time for the photos!

Okay. Their baskets were in use so they used paper bags to find eggs. Don't judge me. Also M would like you to know that her braces matched her dress! Good choice this month babe!

 

So! Excited!

 

Last year this spot was the toughie... she could NOT find the last egg. This year was in the stack of patio chairs.

 

Oh yeah. And this BRIGHT GREEN one sitting on a white fence. She walked past it about five times.

 

Found his basket! And then proceeded to try to take everything out and put it into his paper bag.

 

 

 

After looking ALL over the yard she was ready to give up on finding her basket. Finally found it in the doghouse. A place that she had peeked into while looking for eggs. Oh yeah. Covered in a dog blanket. MMMMMmmmm, dog hair chocolate!

 

My beautiful girl.

 

A shot with the kiddos. Yes my daughter really is that tall.
(Alternate title: You're not having any candy until you take a picture with mommy!)

 

And the arguing starts over who got what and who has the better candy. For God's sake it's all the same! I know better!

 

I hate you all right now for making me pose with this stupid basket.

 

This is so humiliating.

 

Adorable. Love this man.

 

Proof that we dyed eggs since I didn't take a shot of them all lined up pretty and colorful. And now they are all piled in a bowl in the fridge and we've already eaten half of them.

 

Bubbles! (Every time I see kids and bubbles I think of that "Knocked Up" line: Paul Rudd saying he wished he liked anything as much as his kids liked bubbles. SO. TRUE!)

Bowser loves bubbles, too!

 

Love these. We went through the whole giant bottle in a day. They are super fun.

 

Bowser STILL loves bubbles!

 

After dinner it was still nice and sunny and I snuck outside with a glass of wine on the chaise lounge. I felt like a lizard, winter was too long. O came out to see what I was doing my my husband (!!!) and daughter (!!!) cleaned up dinner and did the dishes (!!!). (Sorry it was just really surprising!)

We were just outside being silly and he kept saying he didn’t want to take a picture and I just kept taking them.

 

I call this one: "Are you serious, mom?"

 

And this one: Damn I love this kid.