Mad Max and Family

11.21.2012

next stop: Dewberry Christmas Tree Farm

Hi Friends,

What else are we thankful for this week ...? The upcoming Christmas holiday! Are you looking ahead to the Winter Holidays like Christmas yet? (Note: I'm not sure why there seems to be a font size / formatting issue... it looks fine on our end until we publish it. If you have any ideas, please email us!).

If you are in Houston ... did you visit Dewberry Farm this Fall? Be sure to read our post about our Dewberry Farm visit!

And have you been to Dewberry Farm during the Winter Holidays for their Christmas Tree farm? Or do you go to a Christmas Tree farm where you are ... ? If you celebrate Christmas, do you buy a real tree? Or a ... ahem, fake tree?

We must admit, in the train wreck household ... we have a fake tree. Mommy would argue for a real one ...but ... at least not this year. Maybe we can buy a baby real tree. Either way, if you live in or around Houston, you should visit Dewberry Farm this winter! Thank you, Dewberry Farm, for providing us with this information. What a unique and fun holiday tradition this can be for your family! We may not make it out this year since we are trying to keep Super Sadie inside (and away from crowds) as much as possible for the first six weeks, but we definitely want to go next year!

"Country Christmas" at Dewberry Farm

November 23* through December 16 (Thur., Fri., Sat. and Sun.)
-Saturday - 10am to Dusk
-Sunday - Noon to Dusk
-Thursday - Noon to Dusk (Trees only, no activities)
-Friday - Noon to Dusk (Trees only, no activities)
*Nov. 23 all activities and food available

Choose Your Christmas Tree - Hay Rides - New "Polar Express" Vintage Passenger Train

Dewberry Farm transformed into a holiday hotspot with 1,000's of "choose-and-cut" Christmas Trees in need of a home for the holidays. On November 23rd, the day after Thanksgiving, the Farm opens its vast Christmas Tree Farm on the "back 40" acres. The tree forest is filled with about 2,000 trees 5 to 9 feet tall, and 200 trees 9 to 11 feet high. A hayride takes families to the “forest” where they will choose-and-cut that special tree. Dewberry elves take care of the tree shaking, baling and loading on the car while kids and parents enjoy taking photos with Santa, the new DewVille Express passenger train, farm rides and attractions, custom wreath-making and shopping in the Country Store and Sweet Shoppe. Don't miss the fun at Dewberry Farm - may be less crowded during this time, no admission charge on weekends, you can purchase tokens for the activities, and the new train!
Free tokens with each tree purchase for other Dewberry Farm Activities including: DewVille Express Train, Zip Lines, Pedal Carts, Jumping Pillows and Slide Mountain. Food and drinks available on the weekends only.

Their new train isn't just any train ... all aboard a 6,000-pound replica of Southern Pacific Railroad’s famed C.P. Huntington locomotive!

Christmas Trees: Leyland Cypress – Dewberry’s most popular! A sterile hybrid that does not produce pollen - a great option for those with allergies. A light, fresh scent and amazing ability to stay green and fresh if kept in water.

Murray Cypress – All the benefits of the Leyland with more limb strength and slightly darker green color. Like the Leyland, it does not drop needles if kept in water.

Arizona Blue Ice - A silvery, blue-colored tree with a pleasant aroma. The Farm is planting more Blue Ice each year as it is fast becoming a holiday favorite.

Farmer Dewberry is available for interviews to discuss:-Tips for choosing and cutting down fresh trees.

-Various types of Christmas trees.

-Christmas tree safety and maintenance.

-Best trees for allergy sufferers.

Admission: Free

For more information visit the Dewberry Farm website and their Facebook page. They are also doing a Christmas tree giveaway this week. Don't miss it!

And to get you in the holiday spirit ... here is Super Sadie trying to fit into her Pottery Barn Kids stocking ...

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

-Mad Max

PS: Be sure to find us on Mad About Town.

11.20.2012

Thanks: Whole Foods and the Holidays

Hi Friends,

(Disclaimer: I started writing this the end of last week! Whew ... and that is the life of a newborn plus toddler ... sorry for our delay!)

A post from Mommy's perspective ... Thanksgiving ... already! Next week! Are you excited? Prepared?

What are you thankful for ... ? And how are you celebrating?

We are lucky in that both of our parents live nearby, but we will probably spend Thanksgiving with my family (and my sister aka Auntie Tam aka Tia and her husband will be in town!). We don't want Super Newborn Sadie around too many people, and E's parents are going to have a household full. So in addition to of course family, friends, FOOTBALL (the Texans FIRST Thanksgiving game), food is of course important on Thanksgiving. What dishes do you have planned to make? Or do you look forward to enjoying ... made or brought by others?

We are very thankful for a special holiday gift package we received from Whole Foods Market last week ... not only was it full of goodies to enjoy over the holiday season with our loved ones, but it also came full of ideas for the holidays!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

All of the goodies are PERFECT to enjoy over at my parents house on Thanksgiving (and "Fake Christmas" ... we are (partly) celebrating Christmas early with my sister and her husband since they won't be down for Christmas - they will be with his family). More photos to come of the goodies, but in the meantime ... (and more feedback once we enjoy them!):

-Whole Foods Pomegranate Italian Soda: Doesn't this sound delicious (especially since I can't / really shouldn't drink right now ... but I still should be able to have a delicious bev!)
-R.W. Knudsen Organic Mulling Spices: Speaking of drinking ... this is going to be perfect to make Hot Apple Cider!
-Allegro Coffee - Celebration Caffe' Medium-Light Roast: And more drinking! I don't know about you, but I LOVE coffee ... (although I've pretty much given it up for now since pregnancy...but a little bit won't hurt). Not only do I love coffee, but I love the smell of coffee esp during the Fall / Winter time.

-Whole Foods Hazelnut Truffles Dipped in Dark Chocolate: Need I say more?
-Whole Foods Truffled Roasted Walnuts: Okay so instead of saving these to share with family and friends, I had to taste test ... (really, I was hungry, and I couldn't resist). Let's just say that they were so good I nearly ate them in one sitting - oops!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

I'm not the biggest cook (or a cook at all - the husband is!) - so all of these items would be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Holiday gathering! But as a side note, it has been of goal of mine to become a baker (and eventually bake with the kiddos)... not a top priority, but a goal at least. And I'm starting this week! Wish me luck, and more to come.

Stay tuned for even MORE ideas ... including recipes for Thanksgiving and other Holidays (and more!).

What ideas do you have to share with us?

Thank you, Whole Foods ... we look forward to sharing more of your ideas and products soon.

-Tara of Mad Max and Family

PS: Be sure to visit us on Mad About Town.

Mad for Monday (Max's Weekend Update): Being Thankful

Hi Friends,

(Disclaimer: I finished this later on Monday ... we are running a bit slow sometimes over here. Juggling many things.)

How was your weekend? What did you do? Did you start gearing up for the holidays yet?

This week we are going to focus on Thanksgiving (in various ways) ... ! How are you celebrating? What are you thankful for ... ?

We are thankful for many things ...but one thing I was very thankful for this weekend was my first Mommy and Me (Mad Max) outing since Super Sadie. Mommy and I went to a 3rd and 5th Birthday Party for A and N - Happy Birthday! Thanks for including us. We had a great time, and Mommy didn't even open her wound on the big slide with me. Way to go against those post c-section rules, Mommy.

What else did we do this weekend? Well, we had an outing as a family to Target and Kroger (there is a new one by us - although our heart and wallet mostly belongs to Whole Foods). We had our Mommy and Me outing (and Daddy had special time with Sissy at home). Mommy and Daddy watched a lot of their new addiction - Damages, and I went to church and Whole Foods with Daddy. I also had some park time with Daddy on Sunday after a very stressful Texans game. Whew!

Enjoy some photos from our Birthday party this weekend ...

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Here I am ... Super (mostly) Vegan Tot enjoying everything I normally don't enjoy at the Birthday Party - (non-vegan) pizza and cake! And don't you like my (you can kind of see it) Batman onesie from Gap? N had a Superhero theme to his birthday.

And a few photos of the Birthday Girl and Boy (Sister and Bro!). All image credits below: Perez Family.

Thanks for having us! Happy Birthday!

So what are you thankful for today?

-Mad Max

PS: Be sure to visit us at Mad About Town.

11.16.2012

Fun Friday: Sadie's Week Three Update

Hi Friends,

How was your week? What did you do?

Can you believe it's Thanksgiving next week? What are your plans? How are you gearing up for the holiday? Stay tuned for our special Thanksgiving blog today!

Sadie's Week Three Update (From Sadie)

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Weight: No idea what I am! But Mommy thinks I am definitely gaining some weight. At my 2 week check up I was 7 lbs exactly.

Height: Probably around the same - 19 3/4" or so.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Sleep: I LOVE to sleep. But Mommy is worried I'm going to become a bad sleeper because she spoils me (but some of that has to do with circumstance). Mommy is busy watching my big bro during the day in a 4 story town home (and she's not really suppose to carry anything heavier than me for 6 weeks or more!). So I've been sleeping a lot in my Lambie Seat in the living room or in Mommy's K'Tan wrap, etc.

And then at night ... I do really well! And Mommy caves usually after 1 am or so. She's delirious. Sometimes if I cry she feeds me in bed (you can't make it to the Super Rocker, Mommy?) ...and she ends up holding me, etc. We need to work on that Mommy. Maybe I need my own room.

Diet: Mommy's milk ... every 2 hours or every 3 hours.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Clothes: I'm in newborn clothes! Some are fitting better, and some are too big.

Baby Gear Love: I'm still young to play with too much (or really anything at all). But it's finally getting a little bit cooler / colder in Houston so I am definitely loving and needing my Halo SleepSack from Pottery Barn Kids. It's nice and warm! We need to order more.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Crying: About the same as before ... I don't like getting my diaper changed ... I don't like getting changed, and I don't like my baths yet. I'm sure that'll change though!

Likes: Being held by Mommy ... and Daddy and brother!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Postpartum: From Mommy - On Monday it'll be 4 weeks since Sadie's BIRTHday / surgery. I'm feeling about the same. Starting next week I hope to start doing more things on my own including taking the kids places (although not too many places since Sadie is wee small). I don't like keeping Max in the house though. I'm not really fully healed for 2 to 4 more weeks though. I need to start thinking about exercise soon!

Milestones: Let's see ... over the past week since my 2nd Week Birthday ... I already talked about my first Election. I celebrated Max's 22nd Month Birthday last Wednesday (so we are almost two years apart!). I went to my first doc appt last Thursday, and began sleep training on Thursday. Mommy's friend G and her girl V came to visit on Friday last week. I had my FIRST bottle with Dada last Friday. Mommy LEFT me for the first time for a few hours last Saturday for Houston's Nutcracker Market. I "watched" my first Sunday night NFL football game - Texans up 8 and 1! And ... (much to Daddy's dismay) I had my first date on my 3 Week Birthday with J (baby of Mommy's friend E).

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

What is Max Up To This Week?:

We wanted to add a new addition to our Friday posts. We are going to include a tidbit on any new and exciting things Max is up to (that hopefully were not previously mentioned in other blogs). This week ... what stands out the most - Mommy started practicing letters more with Mad Max (books, bath letters, drawings, etc) ... and on his own Max said A - B - C - D and E in the right sequence. Go Max! Future Shakespeare poet obviously.

-Sadie of Mad Max and Family

PS: Be sure to visit us at Mad About Town.

11.15.2012

Much Anticipated: Super Sadie's BIRTHday Story

Hi Friends,

How is your week going? How is it already Wednesday!?

Can you believe it's Thanksgiving already next week? It seems like it should be one more week away. What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you hosting? Making a dish(es)? Needing some inspiration? We got a lovely Holiday Gift Package from Whole Foods Market at the end of last week with treats and ideas for the holidays (Thank You Whole Foods!). Look for a blog soon this week with much information to share with you!

In the meantime ... Sadie's BIRTHday Story:

We'll try to keep it brief while still sharing the important details and memories.

On the morning of Monday, October 22nd, 2012 we woke up 1,000 hours before the break of dawn to go to the hospital for Sadie's BIRTHday (scheduled c-section). We had to be at the hospital between 5:00 - 5:30 am for her scheduled c-section at 7:30 am! It actually wasn't a huge deal because 1) Mommy and Daddy are use to getting up super early, and 2) we were all very excited and wide awake (even me, Mad Max, and Auntie Tam). Yes, Auntie Tam was with us! She flew in that weekend for Sadie's BIRTHday.

Once at the hospital Mommy and Daddy left me, a stroller, and 10,000 bags with Auntie Tam in a waiting room. I managed not to give her too much trouble because she entertained me with her iPhone (videos of her doggie, Bella ... The Lion King videos, etc). Also meeting us at the hospital shortly thereafter: Gramby and Pops and Mimi and Grampi.

Mommy and Daddy had to go to a separate c-section waiting room ... and Mommy said they (she) had plenty of time to get nervous about the surgery beforehand. Eventually their nurse came and took them into a pre-surgery type room. There Mommy sat in a big chair, was poked and prodded, and answered a bunch of questions. Mommy and Daddy also got into their lovely outfits for surgery. See Daddy:

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Once Mommy's Super Doc came Mommy went into the scary and stark white surgery room with the nurses and doc. Who knows where Daddy went!

Mommy said she was so nervous (and it was COLD in there) she was shaking. She wasn't so nervous with me because she was out ... of ... it ... (after going through labor). Mommy had to sit on the surgery table and get her epidural (which was one of the worst parts). Mommy was so nervous that she was tense ... so it was nearly impossible to put the epidural in. Then her doc said "have you ever had a drink..." (Umm, good thing he didn't ask ME that question.) Then the doc said "I'm going to give you something that makes you feel like you had a glass of wine." Mommy was thinking ... "How about makes me feel like I had a few shots of tequila."

Well, after the "glass of wine" everything was mostly better. It wasn't too long after that ... they had Mommy down on the table, sheet up, and Daddy came in the room. It was time! Mommy was still nervous so obviously the wine wasn't strong enough. Poor Mommy being sliced open! The surgery didn't take too long at all. Then the doc said it was almost time for Sadie's BIRTH. Mommy felt a LOT of pulling (no pain), and then all of a sudden the doctor said... something to the affect of Sadie being a girl and having a LOT of hair!

The doc pulled down the sheet some (not all the way), and Mommy exclaimed "she's purple!" And the doc said "well, not really." Maybe Mommy was dreaming of some red wine... Sadie was taken into the corner for some stats, and Daddy basically closed his eyes and walked over (so he didn't see Mommy sliced open). Shortly thereafter, Mommy got to hold Sadie, and they took some family photos (without me, Mad Max).

Sadie was wheeled to see the Grandparents and Auntie Tam aka Tia (and they hid me from Sadie because Mommy wanted to see me see Sadie!) while Mommy was getting stitched back together. Then Mommy and Sadie were reunited in the recovery room. Daddy also met them there. Mommy got to hold and feed Sadie. She didn't get the bad shakes in the recovery room this time. Then they had to take Sadie away, and we all met together later in Mommy's hospital room. The rest of the day is mostly a blur for Mommy ... (drugs!) ... but it was filled with lots of happiness and love for Sadie and fluids for Mommy (she finally got to eat in the evening). Daddy picked her up some yum yum from Les Givral's.

Happy BIRTHday Super Sadie! You're the best little sister a bro could ask for ...

Super Sadie
Monday, October 22, 2012
6 lbs 7 oz
19 3/4"

We'll share more on Super Sadie's hospital stay and other things soon! Enjoy some photos from her BIRTHday in the meantime ... (not all of them are the best photos, but they all have a purpose ... some people need to learn to zoom - hint hint!)