We're Back!!

Happy New Year!!

Just got home from out trip to Santa Barbara, California.

Here are a few pictures and highlights from our trip...

Made some ceramic masks at an art studio on the beach where my big sis Stacy volunteers. 

 The kids in California don't go sledding in the snow... they instead put their wetsuits on and sled down the grassy hills on their boogie boards.

 Took many walks along the beach

 That's my nephew Morgan. Alex is three months older than Morgan but Morgan  comes from taller stock.

Alex leaps for joy!!

Ari and Holland took 1 million pictures of themselves.

Love rock

My two sisters and I have birthed all of these punks!!

Holland took full advantage of her rubber boots.

Hit the ground running straight to the nearest Mexican restaurant. Had some of the best food around. Yummy.

I wonder at what age the punks stop taking pictures of themselves.

had some fun car rides.

20 year old Brittany held Ari down by her hair. She must have been misbehaving and had to be smacked down to the bottom of the totem pole.

My Mom and sisters on Christmas eve at the Santa Barbara Mission

My very generous parents

Uncle Ted is everbody's "it" guy for all things technology related.

Sister Shelley... not the" Nun" kind of sister

a bunch of camera shy wackos!!

Shelley's "one eyed" chihuaua loves me.

Indy says her Christmas Eve goodbye to her Christmas Elf

Our family is full of "Gingers"

some action shots

They totally love each other

Ari takes control over Brittany.

Christmas Morning

Stacy and Tony try on his new "readers" he  can finally see all the sports stats clearly.

Kieran got more Calico Critters for Xmas

London the one eyed Chihuahua loves me.

The kids got Wii Just Dance and they had dance competitions over and over

This is the $$ shot!!

More walks and leaps on the beach.

I feel like I am home when I am on the beach. It's in my blood and my soul

I think that's how my kids feel too.

Celebrated New Years day by watching the sunrise at the beach.

It was glorious.

We started out the New Year by writing down all of the things we wanted for ourselves for 2011 and all of the things we wanted to let go of. We wrote these intentions on a piece if paper and then put them into a bowl

and burned them. 

and then releasing them as ashes back to the ocean and the surf.

It was a perfect trip.

Wishing you all a year full of good intentions and hoping that we can all stay true and honor our Authentic selves.

Merry Christmas!!

Hello from Santa Barbara, California.

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!!!

Love and good wishes,

Tha Kaminski Family

Do These Shoes Make My Butt Look Big??

The other day I ventured upstairs to the kid's bedrooms to assess the damage see if anyone had cleaned their rooms lately.

I spent a few minutes cleaning Indy and Alex's bathroom and tidied up.

Then I made the mistake of crossing over into Ari's room. It's a good thing I don't have the health department on speed dial because I was so disgusted by her bathroom AND her bedroom that I had to drop everything and run away screaming.

I texted her at her little Gingerbread house decorating party and told her that her room needed some serious attention. She promised that it would get cleaned up  right after I took her to the mall to do a little shopping. I equate this to negotiating with terrorists.

Fast forward a couple of hours later. I tell her that I will organize her closet while she cleans up her bedroom and scrubs her bathroom. I only commit to this because I have recently just spent some time organizing the closets of the other two little punks and I feel obligated to be "fair".

I should have known better because I spent the whole time getting her closet all perfect and lovely and all she did was try on all of her high heeled shoes and prance around her bedroom.

She did eventually clean her bathroom but not until I had finished my part of the clean-up and left the building.

Do I stink??

We went out for dinner  last night to celebrate Indy's birthday. It was all going so well until I look over at

Ari and she is lifting her arm up into the sky to get a good sniff of her armpit. Now normally

 this wouldn't be a problem but must we do this in a restaurant??

I think NOT.

Of course now there is a pattern here. She did the same thing in the car the other day. I finally said to her...

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if I have BO"

"Honey even if you have stinky armpits, you shouldn't worry about it." "Everybody has stinky armpits at one point or another"

"Yea I know but I'm so worried that I'm gonna stink."

"Unless someone has his or her nose in your armpit, I don't think you should worry about it"

"And by the by... no body better have HIS face in your armpit" I'm just sayin. ( had to throw that in there)

So anyway back to last night. After I caught Ari smelling her pits at the dinner table. I made the mistake

of trying to show her a less obvious way to see if you stink. Then everybody had to chime in and give

their  rendition of checking for stink and then smelling their fingers. Alex did it with his eyes crossed,
like he loved his stench.

Indy did it in song, I think if she cold have stood on the dinner table and turned it into a 3 act musical she would have. ( watching an 8 year old smell her armpits is pretty funny)

This was our cue to get the Hell outta there  leave while we still had the option to stay.

I love my stinky little punks.

My Baby is 8

My little girl turns eight today.

 They managed to sit still for this one picture

 But then they got unruly and I had to chase Ari around the kitchen to get my camera back. She snapped my picture in the process. Little PUNK

Miss thing had to lick all of the candles

 The other little punk wouldn't smile for me.

Pay no attention to the multiple paint colors on the walls in the background. I was looking for the perfect shade of blueish grayish greenish. 

I found it.

I love my little punks.