Half Birthdays

In our house, we celebrate the half birthdays too. Okay, actually only for the kids. (Can't imagine if I had to celebrate a 41 1/2 birthday! yikes!) I started it when Eli was 3. Somehow a whole year was just too darn long for him to wait. Add that to the fact that his birthday is in February and in the whole extended family there are tons of birthdays in late summer, and early fall. It just about killed him. So we set ground rules, as he is a huge 'precedent' kid.

For your half birthday you get:
1. 1/2 a cake
2. one candle
3. one balloon, you choose the color
4. one present (no party)
and if you are lucky:
mom will put up streamers and the b-day sign

So, last weekend we did Emmett's (overdue) half birthday. He is 4 1/2, but we hadn't had his 1/2 birthday, so every time someone asked me how old he was and I said "4 1/2" he would get upset and say "no, I haven't had my half birthday yet". So we had to do it before it got any more overdue (hey a month isn't too bad).
Now I'm not corrected when I say that Emmett is 4 1/2, and he even announces it too!

Vietnamese spring rolls

These spring rolls are wonderful, light and refreshing. A good mix of flavors, with shrimp, and bean sprouts, rice vermicelli noodles, scallions and a touch of mint, all wrapped in rice paper. Then you dip it in a sauce similar to hoisin. I finally figured out how to make these as I really love them!
I made a dozen last week for a picnic with some friends. The three of us take turns bringing lunch. We go to pick up our kids from school, where they have just had their lunch. Then we meet at either one of our houses, or a playground, and the three boys play while we get to have a 'grown-up' lunch and enjoy each other's company. We do it once a week, and have been at it for a few weeks now. It's good for the kids, and for the moms! As it was my week, I made these on a hot day that we would want something cold and easy to munch at the playground.

speed bumps

okay, so people drive really fast on our road, which is narrow and has no sidewalks and alot of people walk in our neighborhood. So, since we live in a little community that has an Association, they decided that the 3 speed bumps aren't enough, and that they should make them into speed 'humps' which are far more effective (hey, even I slow down for them!) and they added one right in front of our house.
People usually speed by on our dangerous blind curve. For the last 2 days, people actually slowed down. Yeah. Now today they come through and add more pavement and essentially make them so smoothed out that people now are again flying by, and not even tapping the brakes. What was the point?! Apparently the firemen said it was hard for the fire trucks to go over them. duh. so they smoothed them out 'a bit' without really even giving them a chance, or anyone else a say in it. so much for the association. I think I will join the board and voice my opinions.
---update- May 10: they increased the top of the hump and now it is just right. People slow down, and if they don't their car makes a fantastic 'whump' sound as they land on the other side. It can even be heard late at night when the air is still, and the skylight in my bedroom is open..... "whooosh, whump"..... hehehehehe. But generally people have slowed down alot on the road, and are finally taking the corner at a much safer speed!