#653 - The Great Pumpkin or Friendly Neighborhood Witch

Have you heard about the Great Pumpkin?  I know it's long past Halloween, but just wanted to share this great idea I got from Natalie Norton's blog.

I told the boys after they did their trick or treating, they could pick out 5 candies to eat and then if they wanted, they could leave their candy on the doorstep for the Great Pumpkin who would leave them a present.

Oster was very skeptical, but he did it.  Since the Great Pumpkin didn't plan ahead, he left them money instead with a note.  And ironically enough, our neighborhood real estate agent also left a note with a cute little scarecrow on our front door, so when Oster found the letter from the Great Pumpkin, he also discovered this gift from our neighbor.

He said, "Mom, the great pumpkin didn't come, it was a witch".

Then later on in the day, we got another knock at the door, Oster ran to check it and said, "Mom, the Great Pumpkin came again".  This time it was for me :)  Thanks Mom!

#652 - 20 questions for your kids during bedtime & our christmas tree

I saw this list of questions below on pinterest and decided to ask Oster them before bed tonight...I highly recommend it.  He's only 4, so I modified the questions a little for him.  Also, we decorated our tree today while Oster wore his Spiderman costume, so you'll see how that influenced his answers.

1. What do you like to dream about? - Spiderman/Star Wars
2. What is your best memory this school year? - playing with cousins
3. Who is your hero? Why? - Spiderman
4. How would you describe your family? - they help me (Dad - found/made the thing I put my tools on, Parker - shares with me, helps me, Mom- no answer)
5. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? - nothing, maybe I could be Spiderman
6. What are you most proud of yourself for? - decorating the Christmas tree
7. Who is the kindest person you know? Why? - Parker (his brother)
8. What do you like most about your best friend? - he shares and plays with me (pretty sure his brother is his best friend)
9. What is one thing you would like to learn to do well? - read (made me proud to hear this)
10. If you were an animal what one would you be and why? - myself, even more than Spiderman
11. When is the last time someome hurt your feelings? How did you react? - no one has
12. Do you know someone who is going though a hard time?- Parker, he didn't want to go to sleep tonight How can you help them? - clean our room
13. What is the scariest thing that happened this year? when you turned off the lights and shut the door 
14. If you could keep only one thing, out of everything you have, what would it be?- Spiderman costume
15. Who do you think is really important? successful? Why?  - me
16. What’s the best thing about your teacher this year? - playing games
17. When do you feel misunderstood by grown-ups? - when I'm mad
18. What three words best describe you? - I like last Christmas when I dressed up as an elf and Parker was Santa.  I like myself.  I like Spiderman.  I like decorating Christmas trees.
19. What’s something that makes you angry? - when I get in trouble
20. What’s the best compliment you ever received?  - not sure

#651 - Diddy Riese - best ice cream sandwiches ever! in LA

 I've only been here twice (my sister introduced me to it), but Diddy Riese is such a fun place to visit for the best ice cream sandwiches ever.

 You get to pick two cookies (I like the oatmeal raisin walnut and white chocolate macadamia nut) and then choose your ice cream flavor.  Oster and his cousin are here looking at all the cookies.

 Oster got 2 M&M cookies with strawberry ice cream and Parker got 2 chocolate chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream.

I got my two favorite cookies with mint chocolate chip.  All for $1.75.  Yum!

Plus, they sell a dozen day old cookies for only $2.  I wish I had bought more cookies to bring home as souvenirs for family (but maybe I would have eaten them first, so maybe it's a good thing I didn't!)

It's in LA next to UCLA.  And if you want to park for free, just park in the Target parking lot about 2-3 blocks away and buy something there, they validate for 2 hours.