HOPPY EASTER!

from all of us at Tifftown: Tiff, Michael, Rex, Valerie, Amira, Turbo Fluff, Buffy, Agnes, Sally and Mr. Whiskers!

We have cousins!

Rex, Valerie and Amira were world class travelers on our trip to Portland to see the cousins. They were very excited to see where their cousins live and spend time with them.

Uncle Paul and Aunt Lydia at the beautiful park near their home in West Linn. It is a nice walk with the kids from their house. Not pictured is the tremendous river running through it.
Cousins Maya and Valerie got along famously.
Aunt Lydia & Tiff packing in Anya and Maya to the park. It's nice the cousins are still packable!
Amira got a chance to ride in a stroller for the first time in years. Here she's soaking up attention from Uncle Paul on the way to the park.
Lydia and Anya.
Anya sports a beautiful hat and smile.
Cousins Valerie and Anya 6 years apart.
Rex and Anya get into the scarves and the belly dancing.
Valerie was totally into the scarf collection.
Maya shows us how it should be worn while dancing.
Could Anya be any cuter?
It's hard to guess who this is ... pink skirt is clue: Amira!
Lydia treated all the cousins to a formal music lesson.
Maya and Amira cuddle up on the kid couch.

Spring is Here!

Happy first day of spring!

Yesterday we had some temperatures up in the 70's and the kids decided it was time for some fun with water.




Rex and Valerie teemed up with the kids across the street for a water fight.



















Out came the hoses and plastic bucket tops to be used as shields.


















And it's always time for a craft. And if your name is Rex, that craft probably involves DUCT TAPE! See home made slipper, designed by Rex. What a man.



















Lastly, if you are a chicken, you're pretty stoked about all the worms and other bugs coming out about now. See Buffy here going to town on some delicious grub or something.

Je vous present le gateau chocolate

I have been alerted that Rex has a "Blue and Gold" Cub Scout dinner coming up and that the boys will possibly be involved in a cake decorating contest. Now, his car got an award for "most duct tape used" in the Pinewood Derby last month. I didn't want any freak outs and over ducting on the cake. (Although such an award for a cake decorating contest would be too hysterical. I shan't suggest it).

Anyhow, I suggested that we practice decorating a cake. I suggested he pull out the cake book for ideas. Of course the Treasure Chest is always appealing. It was to me a couple of years ago when I saw that some overachieving mom had entered one in a cake walk. A CAKE WALK! Anyhow, my attempt at making it for Valerie's birthday a couple of years ago was ... well, the kids appreciated. I thought it could use some duct tape.

So, I went on to explain that while cake baking was not part of the contest, that if he wanted to, I would show him how to make a "real" cake. No Duncan Hines here!! (Unless it's a cake walk ...) We separated eggs, used a double boiler to melt chocolate, whipped whites, mixed, folded, sifted, etc. It was the regular CIA treatment, although not as high level or consistent with the results.

Baking from scratch is always better than box, I explained. Now, while the box mix may be reliably consistent, it's also reliably mediocre. Baking from scratch can have results anywhere from fantastic to horrific. (Kind of like me, with motherhood. Sort of that Joan Crawford swing ... I'm either fantastic or horrific .. but always unique, not like the other Stepford Wives -- reliably mediocre. Maybe it's the Prozac and my refusal to partake? This will be how my kids explain it in therapy later).


Anyhow, the process was fun. We hugged and cheered each other on. Rex talked about how being with family was the most fun and important. I beamed at his comments (considering that just hours before I was shrieking about the tattling and the fact that stomp rockets were blowing across the neighborhood because "you kids just can't take care of your stuff and we look like a landfill!") Oh, I'll be right back. I've got to run down to the trophy shop to pick up, yet another, mother of the year award.

While the cake itself did turn out a bit on the dry side (I realized I didn't have a 13 x 9" pan anymore?! and had to borrow a glass one from the neighbor ... so I should have cooked it 5 minutes less), we glued it back together with some off the hook frosting (again, made from scratch!) And the decorating was alllll Rex. This is the practice run. Can't wait to see how the "real" one turns out. (I'll get a real pan before then).

Parasite Palace

Truly, I feel as though I shouldn't bother to write if I don't have a picture. But, maybe it's just best not to post photos this week.

It all started last week ... not so long ago. My Friday did not go as planned. I began my race to get through my morning duties (doing some work, fixing breakfast, packing lunches, getting kids to school, etc.) so that I could go on a walk with a couple of friends. I felt as though I'd been under water with all the drama of the last couple of months and was really looking forward to a relaxing walk when the phone rang. (Some phone rings are more ominous than others, have you noticed?)

It was the call every parent loves, "Hi Tiffany. Ummm, we need you to come pick up Amira right away. We're pretty sure she has head lice." (INSERT LOOK OF SHOCK AND SILENT SCREAM HERE).

I sent Michael out to buy all the toxic chemical shampoo and special nit combs while I grabbed the itchy girl and dragged her down to the local public school. (Surely the health office there has experts on hand to identify the nasty critters). Sure enough, a few skittered across her scalp and a nit was pointed out to me. I had Rex and Valerie removed from class so they could be checked. The good news was that they were clean.

I spent the next 24 hours giving everyone in the family (whether they needed it or not) the RID treatment and comb through while tossing out pillows, bagging plush animals and costumes and boiling laundry. Michael pretty much shaved his head. Apparently Amira had recently contracted the critters, so they hadn't spread. After a day, I didn't get anything out of her hair. Although I imagined I was crawling with things I couldn't see. And each time I went to scratch my head, I was pretty sure it was because one had jumped on me to lay a nest.

Of course one treatment is not enough. We went through everyone's hair daily to check and kept everything real clean. Then Rex came down with a huge bunch of what appear to be flea bites all over. Now, the cat does favor his bed. But I had put Advantage on the cat and bunny already. I wish they made Advantage for kids so that I could put a spot on the backs of their necks and send them out into public.

So, more sheet boiling and a nice Fleabusters treatment for the bed, floor, rug, etc.

Flash forward to today. My chickens have diarrhea and are making that "honking/toot" sound that is usually indicative of gape worm. So, after giving the kids their 10 day after treatment of toxic shampoo, boiling all the bedding again I had to crawl out into the coop to squirt medicine down the chicken beaks. That's almost as much fun as giving medicine to a cat. Miraculously I don't have a bunch of scratches on me.

But I look around the house and think, how dirty are we? Yikes!!! Too many critters of the parasitic sort. Now I'm going to go wash all the crazy chemicals off me so I can get back to work in the kitchen ... Eeek!

And Life Goes On ...

Well, so much has happened since my last post that I don't even know where to begin. Lives of friends near us have been turned upside down and we have been spending quite a lot of time trying to do what we can to help out. But, as Amira says, "I need a break from being sad for a while. Let's go pick some flowers and walk outside." Gotta love the kids to remind me of what is really important. Here you see Amira in the tree in the front yard. Also, note the homemade ladder. Another of Rex's fantastic creations.


Michael continues to keep extremely busy. Not only is he the best father ever, but he is still working on converting our 1974 Bug convertible into an electric car. It's still coming along. I hope to be cruising around in it by this summer. (It needs a new top anyhow, so no rush to finish in the rainy season!) He's also been steadily working on "gopher-proofing" the garden. We've got 3 of our raised beds completed and seeded and wired for varmints. And, lastly, though work had really slowed down for him, he's managed to come up with a few jobs. So, we are lucky he is working!

Valerie is working hard on her piano and knitting. She wants to learn to sew so that she will be really good at making clothes for the applehead doll they have made in class. Rex is excited to be a cub scout and continues to work on his own projects at home (gopher guillotine, battering ram, trebuchet, bows and arrows ..) and Amira has her heart set on learning to read. I'm impressed with where she is. I said to her the other day, "Wow! You're getting so good. What happens if you are too good at reading for kindergarten?" She responded, "Well, I guess I will have to go to first grade then." She was very matter of fact.

Did I mention that Amira turned 5 last month? Here's a picture of her with two of her good friends at the Chuck E. Cheese birthday party she requested. Oh, and a picture of the cake she requested. I'm sure it will look even better next year!

Happy Sustainable Birthday!

February is birthday month here at the Wilhelm house. We celebrated Michael's 42nd birthday on the 8th. And we will celebrate Amira's 5th birthday on the 18th.


Michael and I have been scratching our heads trying to find ways to make our lifestyle a bit simpler and more sustainable looking into the future. We're trying to be kind to ourselves and take babysteps. I'm sure I'm the biggest offender as I hop into the minivan daily for my errands. So, my big goal is to be better about riding that bike around town. (Which is much easier to do when the temperatures fall into the 70s. I'm such a creature of comfort that if it is too hot or too cold ... well, let's just say I wouldn't survive in the wild long).

Anyhow, I was out looking for a gift for Amira today. She is in love with beautiful dresses that make her look like a princess. She also has an Emelda Marcos sort of fascination with shoes, but that is another topic for another day.

Rather than drive down to Target or some big box and grab a new, cheaply made dress, we decided to try the ARC and Salvation Army stores first. Unfortunately, I think lots of other people have had that idea first and probably for years before I ever did. They were tapped out. Michael suggested looking into the Baby Boutique close to our house. Although I thought it was a stretch, I popped in anyhow.

Wow! That place rocks. If I had a new born, I would do all of my shopping there. The store is all "elite repeat" wear and eco friendly and locally made goods. Lots of Moby Wraps and Klean Kanteens and stuff. Most of the clothing would be better suited to somone under the age of 4. But I told the owner my dilemma. She went into the back room and pulled out the most beautiful dress (not pictured here because it is hiding in a box!) It had belonged to her daughter as an Easter dress years ago. Her daughter is now 8 and was happy to relinquish the dress for all of $12. What a deal!

And while I was there I found something most moms would love to know about: straws! Why do you care about straws? Well, kids love to drink from straws. I just hate the waste of buying plastic straws and throwing them away. They have sets of bamboo straws (pictured here).



They are Fair Trade and totally reusable. To santize simply place in bath of water and vinegar and boil for 20 mins. How cool is that? No more smoothie guilt on my part.

It's the little things a little at a time that I am hoping will make a difference.