at Bluebird Gap in Hampton

During Spring Break this year, my friend, Stephanie and I took our boys to Bluebird Gap in Hampton. It was a beautiful day and the boys all enjoyed looking at and feeding some of the animals. They had some brand new lambs and kids there. I didn't get any photos of them; however, here are some photos of my own kids.

Carter's 2nd birthday

We had a very no-nonsense party to celebrate Carter's turning 2. Cheesecake and pizza and more cheesecake. We had mostly family and a few friends. It was nice and sweet.
Carter didn't really get that he was supposed to blow out the candles. He wanted to grab them instead. It's cute.
In our family room, Brian built a huge train track for the boys; they loved it and then destroyed it.

picnics and playgrounds

I am not a very fussy mom, except when it comes to what my kids eat. I love for them to eat good food. However, I will have to wait for the day that I will discuss dinner with my boys in terms of the quality of the vegetables and not the actually quantity that they are required to eat. For now, I have to content myself with my kid's eating their food in good locations. Picnics can be disastrous or fabulous. I have ventured two picnics in two weeks with my boys and they have both been nearly fabulous. I am not sure that I should attempt a third. It seems that luck may run out on me. We've been experiencing some schizophrenic weather in Norfolk these days. 70F one day and 45F the next. I took advantaged of two of these beautiful days to picnic. Of course I brought huge lunches and good food (which the boys mostly ate.) However, Carter mooshed some carrots and sliced turkey on the ground and happily let yogurt ooze out of his mouth onto his shirt. Robert jumped up and down with his carrot sticks just thrilled that I let him have a juice box. Today was my first time at Redgate Park in West Ghent. It is a great little park. I always forget sunscreen. I did get a little sun on one side of my face.

Bowling

This winter I took the boys bowling with my friend, LaDonna. We had a pretty good time even though much of the strategy and skill of bowling is lost on me and my boys. They had a great time. Carter kept trying to run down the lane after the ball and slipping on the slicked surface.

at Paradise Found

The boys, my mom and I all went to North Carolina today to visit my Uncle Peter and Aunt Beth. It was cold and windy but it was great for kite-flying. The boys loved digging in the sand and hauling it around in their dump trucks.
Robert had a chance to play on their boat while Uncle Peter started the engines for the first time this season. Robert was fascinated with the cabin and full bathroom.
We went to Wings to get cheap t-shirts to commemorate our voyage. I had to convince Robert that he did not want the plastic finger that emitted flatulence noises when pulled. My sons are both impressed by gross bodily functions. Cheap humor is not lost on them.
We came home to hot chocolate with a view of the water and finished the day in true North Carolina tourist fashion with a trip to Southland for BBQ.

A few of my favorite things...

This is my Oprah-like list of favorite things. (not in any particular order)I hope that you enjoy it!

• Numinous Natural Cleaning- This is my housekeeper. The team that comes to my house only uses all-natural products. Our house has never been cleaner. Their website should be up soon. Call 227-0671 for more information.
  
• norfolkbeautiful.org- This website will help you find out what you can recycle in our city. It was very eye-opening. I was not doing it all correctly. I have also found alternative places to recycle some of the things that we can't put in the blue bins.
  
• Green Alternatives- This is a new store in Ghent to promote green living. They also recycle batteries, cell phones, fluorescent light bulbs and electronics. Check them out and support the local businesses. 1905 Colonial Ave. Norfolk 757-457-8991
  
• Super Foods Rx- I bought this book recently and it has changed that way that we eat. The claims that it will make you feel better are true!!! Check out adding milled flax seed & wheat germ (both high in the Omega-3s that we hear so much about) in your baked goods or pancake mixes. It doesn't alter the taste, but it does wonders for your health. Blueberries & dark chocolate are also Super Foods. This diet isn't all about things that taste bad.
  
• Organic Food Depot- This is another local vendor for good food. You need to check out their dark chocolate-covered almonds. Delicious and both Super Foods.
  
• sullysplayground.com- This is the fundraising website for a friend of mine who is raising money for a playground in memory of her son, Sully, who was born with Trisomy 18, a chromosome disorder. Sully lived for six days and has changed the life of our church forever. Check out the link to his playground and read more about Trisomy 18.
  
• Wal-Mart- Wal-Mart is an amazing place! I know some people don't like them because of what they've heard about the store, but I challenge anyone to go in and check out those claims for themselves. I am an acknowledged food snob and I can do 98% of my grocery shopping there.
  

The prices are great.
The store is clean.
They have a rising number of organic products.
They are also instituting a more green policy in their products and business operations. They sell cloth grocery bags for a buck. Check
out what a green-focused blog said about them recently.
www.sustainablog.com

• Online pizza ordering- I often go on personal jihads and boycotts of business with poor customer service. I am currently boycotting McDonald's, Dillard's and Papa John's Pizza (though they do have the best delivery pizza in my opinion). Which brings me to the glory that is online pizza ordering. Most national chains have this capability through their website. Due to my disappointment with my favorite Papa John's store, I have resorted to Domino's online site. You can request that the pizza be delivered anytime up to 3 three weeks in advance. That's pretty cool. I can order a pizza for the kids to be delivered while the babysitter is with them and pay for it all with tip online. Fabulous in my book.
  
• Swagat Indian Market- off Virginia Beach Blvd.
  

309 Aragona Blvd
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: (757) 490-3374

• If you ever need any eastern spice or ingredient, you should be able to find it here. It's prices are great as well. They have a large selection of teas and herbal medical preparations as well. I have been using Neem based products to clear up the eczema on my hands.
  
• Neem (according to Wikipedia) - Neem (Azadirachta indica, syn. Melia azadirachta L., Antelaea azadirachta (L.) Adelb.) is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions.

Neem twigs are used for brushing teeth in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This practice is perhaps one of the earliest and most effective forms of dental care.
All parts of the tree (seeds, leaves, flowers and bark) are used for preparing many different medical preparations.
Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, shampoo, balms and creams), and is useful for skin care such as acne, and keeping skin elasticity.
Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine the neem tree is of great importance for its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good carbon dioxide sink.
Practictioners of traditional Indian medicine recommend that patients suffering from Chicken Pox sleep on neem leaves.
Neem Gum is used as a bulking agent and for the preparation of special purpose food (those for diabetics).

The Lucai Christmas 2007

We had a great time at Christmas! It did have it's share of difficulties, but the joy of seeing my children at this time cannot be surpassed.
We started with our Christmas Eve Pizza Party where we made over ten pizzas.
We opened presents on Christmas Day and then headed to Pappa and Nonna's for the world's best lasagna. We ate too much as we knew we would.
We traveled to Manassas to see the rest of the family for a longish weekend.
Brian is dutifully going back to work on Monday, but he really has enjoyed the time off with the boys.
Happy New Year to all.

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