Scissorbill

Alex

2012-02-19T10:44:00.000-05:00

Gonna Bore a Hole

2012-02-18T12:35:00.001-05:00

"I'm gonna bore a hole and I don't know where, I guess I'll bore a hole right in there!" Thanks to Grandma Arlene for teaching him this little trick. He really has some force behind that finger!

Musical Beds

2012-02-18T09:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday David was sent home from school sick and I took him to the doctor because he had a fever of 103, loose cough and was listless. He has strep and possibly mild pneumonia.

So he's all antibioticked up.

I went to bed early and Tom woke up crying. He joined me in bed and tossed and turned. Then Allan came in and put Tom back in his own bed and his crying woke David up so David joined us. Then David fell asleep and we did a switcheroo with Tom. By then it was midnight and I'd had enough of Tom poking at my face and complaining and I realized he needed to be in his own bed to fall asleep so I put him in it and got in his bed until he fell asleep. Two hours later I woke up as stiff as can be from being forced into the wall and tried my best to get my creaking body out without waking him up. It worked and I luxuriously spent the rest of the night uninterrupted in my own bed. But of course they were up on time this morning.

I saw a great quote this morning and it is so true:

‎"Health is not valued till sickness comes." - Dr. Thomas Fuller

The Line in the Sand

2012-02-17T08:24:00.001-05:00

I'm done with diapers. Thomas is over 3, smart, and capable of holding his urine for over four hours. His stubbornness and my laziness have combined to create a problem. He was wearing Pull ups but treating them like diapers. So yesterday I drew it:

He will wear underwear during the day. And sit on the potty on a regular basis. Our first success was the same underwear from morning through nap time until just after supper. Then we had our first messy failure.

I don't regret quitting in December, I was frustrated and he had only peed on the potty one time. After the break I've developed a calmer attitude and he's now peed several times in the potty. I got rid of the downstairs changing paraphernalia and cleared the changing station out of his room. There is now a folding changing pad and box of wipes in his closet for real messes and a stack of diapers in his pajama drawer. And there is no! going! back!

Workin' My Way Back to You, Babe

2012-02-16T07:47:00.001-05:00

It seems I've caught him over the English Channel. I'm ashamed to say I had to look it up on a map, I must have been staring at the cute boy in front of me during Geography class. I can't wait to do more than stare at the cute boy who's headed my way.

I'll have to snap a picture of the plane over the Atlantic. I showed Alex one of Allan on his way out and Alex said he had a long trip over the pond.

Denmark

2012-02-15T12:09:00.002-05:00

Allan is on his way home from a business trip. I laughed and laughed at his airport limo when he left. It really was a limo this time because the driver had to bring 6 people home from the airport so he got to ride in style. I was teasing him, telling him I didn't know he was going to be on an episode of The Bachelor!

No!

2012-02-14T08:18:00.000-05:00

Thomas is really enjoying story hour at the library. He spends 45 minutes with other 3-5 year olds listening to stories, singing and painting. So sadly I have to forgo the chance at a $20 Target gift card today so he can go.

In other painful news, Alex left his math notebook home this morning. I saw it in front of the computer last night and considered moving it to his place at the table so he'd see it but I resisted. I will be right by his school but he needs to learn some responsibility so I'm not going to do it. Better to learn these things at ten than...never, right? I can picture it if I bail him out-Valentine's day 2022 he forgets to get flowers for his girlfriend so he texts me (direct brain to brain probably we won't have phones in the future) and asks me to take care of it for him. Or, maybe our brain phones will take care of everything for us and there will be no more forgetting.

Operation Spaghetti Sauce

2012-02-12T12:04:00.001-05:00

Today is day 3 of the spaghetti sauce sale. I paid $2.29 on eBay for 20 60¢ off 2 jars which will double at my store so I get 60¢ off each and they're on sale 2/$3. The caveat is that I can only use 4 coupons per trip. So I've made a few trips and I have a few more planned. Before you call Hoarders: Buried Alive to come and do a show on me March is our church's month to supply the local food pantry.
Math:
40 jars @90¢=36
1 casualty (Thomas dropped one on our garage floor) -90¢
cost of coupons -$2.29
-----
$39.19 or 98¢/jar when combined with a $1 on sale pound of pasta will feed a family of four for under $2, yay!

Dinner

2012-02-11T16:51:00.000-05:00

Last night I felt brave. We took the boys out for dinner. We quit doing that about 2 years ago when we decided it was silly to spend over $50 to suffer when we could suffer at home for $10.

They were surprisingly good! Since we had chinese even Tom ate (rice) and we had only one spill and no dirty looks! A triumph!

Sliders

2012-02-10T09:33:00.001-05:00

So I got a gift card to buy new underwear for my birthday. I went up a size since it seemed like the ones I had were pretty stretched out and I've grown since I last bought them. But the new ones are a little big and they slide down at night. So I can either get a bigger ass or smaller underwear. One involves hours at the gym and deprivation and the other involves ice cream.

Guac

2012-02-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

It turns out I ~~like~~ love guacamole. I wonder how many other foods I will discover as I slowly shed the pickiness of my youth. A friend told me your taste buds regenerate every 7 years but on a rotating basis so you have to keep trying things to see if you like them. I will never like ketchup though, I've built up too much of a mental hurdle to overcome that disgust!

5 Years Ago

2012-02-07T07:43:00.000-05:00

This month we had the agony of teeth coming in and the ecstasy of teeth coming out.

Doggie Pajamas

2012-02-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

The third owner of the doggie pajamas is a reluctant model.

Bandaid

2012-02-05T08:31:00.001-05:00

Alex reluctantly wore bandaids as a little kid, David outright refused them. So we have a collection of Spiderman, Dora, and Spongebob bandaids from over the years.
Thomas is obsessed with them. He wears one to protect his hurt finger until the nail can grow in but yesterday I decided in my professional opinion that the wound needs air. He threw a screaming fit and after a 20 minute air session I put another one on. And then right after he went to sleep I snuck in and removed it (yes, I'm a coward.)

This morning we woke up to, "I need a bandaid!!!"

Healthified Breakfast Burritos

2012-02-04T16:59:00.001-05:00

So I've been sneaking Alex's burritos for lunch. I decided to make a healthier version for myself. I'll just have to label the bag so he doesn't get sick!

1 dozen local eggs $2.25
1 can black beans $1.09
16 wheat tortillas $4.26
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 88¢
fresh salsa 16 oz $2.33
8 oz button mushrooms $1.99

I sauteed the sliced mushrooms in some oil for a bit then added the eggs and scrambled them. Mixed in everything else and put about 1/2 cup into each tortilla and rolled them up burrito style with the ends tucked in and then froze for an hour in a single layer before transferring to zipper bag. To serve wrap in paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes. 80¢ each!

Wherein Dad Gets All the Credit

2012-02-03T08:03:00.002-05:00

I drove to the store yesterday evening, bought the ice cream and brought it home. Allan scooped some in a bowl for Thomas.

This morning he's all sing-songy and saying, "Dad got me green ice cream!"

Naan

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

David declared this his second favorite food (sausage is #1)

Recipe here, it just begs for some chicken tikka masala!

Batch Two

2012-01-31T08:46:00.000-05:00

Batch two of handmade soap turned out much better than batch one. I used coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, castor oil, lye, water and fragrance. It smells delicious and I cannot wait until it's ready to use!

Foil Dinners

2012-01-30T09:06:00.000-05:00

We had the Cub Scouts over on Friday night to assemble their tin foil dinners for an event on Saturday. So last night we had family foil dinner night with the leftovers. I over spiced mine but the kids had so much fun making them I think we'll have to do it again.

Tough Boss

2012-01-28T16:30:00.001-05:00

David was playing with his dinosaurs. He had one in each hand. He said, "This guy works for me and he hasn't been working hard enough. Time to kill him." then he bashed them together. Ouch.

Off

2012-01-27T12:24:00.001-05:00

I've had an off week. I've felt crabby, tired and like I weigh a ton. I did my planned workouts and kept the kids reasonably cared for but let laundry and cleaning back up.

Today I snapped out of it and spent two hours scrubbing the kitchen and doing laundry. I'm taking a quick lunch break and will do the floors, dust the living room, and clean David's room while Tom naps.

Then I'll have some chocolate!

I Love Alex Burritos

2012-01-26T17:06:00.000-05:00

Alex has to leave our house to walk to the bus stop at 7:18. My alarm goes off at 6:51 but I hit snooze at least once so I am just not up in time to make him breakfast. He gets himself up and makes his own lunch and needs but an occasional reminder to brush his teeth.

I made a batch of breakfast burritos for him last week and he loves them. I made a double batch today and smiled thinking that I may still be in bed but I can love him a little in the mornings. Then I cracked an egg and in the process of trying to drop it into the skillet on the stove it fell in between the crack between the stove and the counter and disappeared completely and then I frowned.

Anyway, I used 2 lb pork sausage, 2 dozen eggs, 2 cups shredded cheddar and 24 flour tortillas. I browned, drained, scrambled, mixed, rolled, flash froze and then gathered them into freezer bags. You could also add salsa. He need only remove, wrap in paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes.

Heat Seeker

2012-01-23T07:19:00.000-05:00

David likes to lay on the gel mat in front of the sink in the mornings. There's a vent there and he calls it his heater spot.

Pinewood Derby

2012-01-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

Alex went out with a bang...he took first place for his den in the final Pinewood Derby of his Cub Scout career. Poor Allan, I pointed out that he has to assist with up to ten more cars!

Soap

2012-01-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

I made soap! I'm not sure if it turned out because I stirred for over two hours and it didn't 'trace' but that can happen with olive oil soap so I poured it into molds anyway. I started to unmold it today and realized it's not quite ready for that but when I started to clean out my containers I got suds! So maybe it'll be okay. I won't know for 3 weeks or so and will need to ph test it to make sure it's safe. But I did have fun and am now awaiting a kit with the right oils to arrive from Washington state.

The Finger

2012-01-20T08:15:00.001-05:00

He pulled the nail off last weekend. It's so awful looking, like half his finger is missing that we have to keep it covered with a bandage. That's an image for another blog.

My Impossible

2012-01-19T10:11:00.001-05:00

It took 26.2 miles of slow running for me to fall in love with my own legs. I grew up with asthma, a convenient excuse for avoiding exercise. I had a tall mother who hated her height and I topped out at more than 3 inches taller than her, a convenient excuse to hate my own body. I gained confidence in my body when I delivered each of my sons and nursed them into fat, round little chunks of unconditional love. But it was the marathon that made me feel like I could do anything. I wonder what's next?

Boys

2012-01-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

Alex has a friend over. I just heard him run down to the basement and back up to his room. I asked him what he had:
"National Geographic"
I asked him if it had naked people in it:
"uh...yeah but they're really weird"
Then I heard ten year old boys giggling.

Copycat Shaken Iced Passion Tea Lemonade

2012-01-16T11:25:00.003-05:00

2 Tbsp Country Time lemonade mix
1 cup strong brewed Passion tea

Add lemonade powder to tea, stir to dissolve. Pour over 16 oz cup full of crushed ice. Shake!

Bottoms Up!

2012-01-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

I've been making smoothies for breakfast. I start with spinach (can you tell?) then add frozen berries and/or banana, a hunk of fresh ginger or a hearty amount of cinnamon, a scoop of protein powder (whey protein), a half tablespoon of flax seed, and either some almonds and water or a glug of coconut milk or grape or orange juice. Then I eat like crap the whole rest of the day.

Sugar Cookie Bars

2012-01-13T15:43:00.002-05:00

One minute I'm checking email. The next I'm on Pinterest. Then I'm making these:

Source: chef-n-training.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Yum!

Undoing the Damage

2012-01-12T07:35:00.001-05:00

Read here how Nugget slowly invited himself on our furniture. Since that time he's become quite attached. So when we got new furniture just before Christmas we decided to keep him (and his smell) off.

I started putting waxed paper along the cushions. It seemed to deter him for awhile but then I caught him curled up on it. After three weeks of saying no and chasing him off we're now at the point that he at least looks guilty when he gets caught. I came home yesterday after a two hour trip to the grocery store and for once he greeted me at the door. I ran to the living room and felt the warm cushions and shook my head at him.

Human

2012-01-11T09:18:00.001-05:00

I got hit with the flu on Sunday afternoon. I had a short burst of normalcy yesterday evening but when the Motrin wore off it was back to the chills, body aches and sore throat. I'm feeling human again today but plan to take it easy and stay on the Motrin for at least another day.

My family has been wonderful, Allan stayed home to get David off to school in the mornings. Alex was always willing to fetch things for me and David makes a great bed warmer/snuggler. Thomas...well, he tried the motivational speaker approach by repeatedly telling me, "you're not sick!"

And for the first time, I'm starting to believe him.

The Finger

2012-01-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

A full week after some idiot accidentally pinched Thomas' finger in the door to childcare at the Y it looks like this:

2012-01-09T12:52:00.001-05:00

Taking it Back!

2012-01-07T08:10:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay so we were using the Keurig until we ran out of K cups. Yesterday we officially switched to The Scoop and today I'm taking it back. It just doesn't get hot enough. When we tried our own ground beans the flavor just isn't there and by the time I add my creamer my coffee is only warm. I think we just need to give up on single serve and go back to the $12 Mr. Coffee that works fine.

When Nerds Reproduce

2012-01-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

We all need a night off. And all three* of our children need regular baths. So I came up with a handy tool to help rotate nights on (Mom, Dad) with bath requirements (David, Tom, Nobody):
I used and X-acto knife to slit a clipart bathtub printed on card stock. There's even a summer schedule: David & Tom, David, Tom, David & Tom, Nobody and a winter schedule: David & Tom, Nobody. You could obviously do any combination because the wheel keeps turning in all fairness so even if you did David, Tom, David, Tom, David, Tom, Nobody the nobody night would come around to your name eventually. Excuse me while I go bathe David. And Tom.

Alex takes his own baths.

We're Racing!

2012-01-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

This large box of clothes arrived from my sister today. David and Thomas spent an hour this afternoon racing their cars on top and while Thomas napped I took a sharpie and drew a track so they're back at it. Who knew a box and a sharpie could entertain two boys so well?

Books

2012-01-04T07:18:00.002-05:00

I was reluctant to switch to Kindle. Okay, I didn't want to lay down the money for the device when I pay approximately nothing per year to read any book I want from the library. I work interlibrary loan and never, ever pay a late fee. You know you're behind the times when your 84 year old grandmother tries to talk you into adopting a new piece of technology. So when she and my mom gave me a Kindle for my birthday I started working the electronic interlibrary loan. And I discovered Pixel of Ink, a great website that lists free books several times a day. I have dozens of free books to read that I now own and the emails from the library are coming in! I just enter my library card barcode and choose a 7 or 14 day loan period and it takes me right to the amazon link to download. The book automatically expires from my device so I don't have to remember to return anything. Even the library in North Dakota has this service so it's worth checking into. Yep, I'm a convert!

King Stubborn

2012-01-03T11:22:00.001-05:00

Well, the queen tried but she was unable to get the prince to go potty in the potty so I think this means he's now the king.

Patiently Waiting

2012-01-02T08:36:00.002-05:00

for her master to come downstairs

BBE

2011-12-31T09:19:00.001-05:00

I had the best birthday ever yesterday!

And today is that weird day between my birthday and New Year's eve and with it being on a Saturday this year it's even weirder. Especially now that I'm thirty six. Ouch!

I'm going to curl up with my new Kindle and shop for books with my gift card!

I hit my goal of 1,000 miles this year. I can think of at least a dozen things to set as resolutions but I don't want to overwhelm myself ;)

Have a wonderful New Year and I'll see you in 2012.

Birthday Deals

2011-12-30T08:12:00.000-05:00

You really appreciate how much of a wheeler dealer you are when your birthday comes around. Nine months ago I found a Dunkin' Donuts gift card near a trash can by a different restaurant as we were traveling to a race in Massachusetts. I registered the card online because it was the only way to check the balance as we were barreling down the highway. It had 37¢ on it, which I used the next time I bought coffee. A few days ago a postcard for a free drink for my birthday arrived from DD!

And I got a free side and drink coupon when you buy an entree from Moe's Southwest Grill.

An email for 50 birthday Swagbucks arrived today.

A happy birthday message from Slickdeals.com and ING Direct.

A $10 certificate towards my birthday dinner at Margarita's restaurant.

A free Redbox rental, $1 off a combo meal at Wendy's.

It's going to be a busy day!

Spoiled

2011-12-29T12:20:00.000-05:00

My grandma took my mom and I out for dinner at my favorite restaurant on Tuesday night. She ordered an entree that I was considering so I got something else. She ate less than half of hers and brought it home for me to have for lunch yesterday. Then Allan took me for dinner there again last night.

Today I'll have to cook something :(

RC HC

2011-12-27T09:41:00.001-05:00

Balance Buddies

2011-12-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

Here's David and Tom on the teeter totter at the Children's museum. My mom is in the picture, seemingly to add weight to Tom's side so he can make David go up. Actually she had to push Tom up to make David go down. This is me shaking my head. ------

My Scoop on the Scoop

2011-12-26T09:12:00.004-05:00

I got Allan a new coffee maker for Christmas. Yes, we agreed that our new furniture would be our mutual gift. And then I got him a Kindle because he seemed very interested in it and when I was concerned he would just buy himself one and I didn't want him to feel badly for having no gift for me when I broke the rules so I gave it to him early. Then I heard he got me a gift and we saw the commercial for this new coffee maker and he liked it so I bought it.

We were using a Keurig but there were three problems:
-small cup sizes, the maximum size was 8 ounces and unless I had JUST done the vinegar cleaning we didn't get a full cup
-expensive K cups-they cost 35-50¢ each and since I was getting a short cup I'd often like a second and I just can't see spending $1/day on coffee at home. Yes, you can use your own ground coffee with the My K Cup but the device is difficult to clean and doesn't filter well enough, there was always a yucky sediment in my cup.
-dud machines: the first machine I got quit working after a year and they kindly sent me a new one. The second machine requires a pinching of the water valve between each cup to work again.

So here's our opinion on the Scoop by Hamilton Beach when compared to the Keurig:

The good:
-you use your own coffee
-the scoop is very easy to clean because of the long handle. You can tap the old grounds into the trash and then spray out the remainder in the sink
-there is a second filtering mechanism so there is no sediment in my cup
-small footprint-it's smaller than the Keurig
-the machine cost $59, I paid over $100 for our Keurig
-you get a full 8-14 oz brew
-you can vary the amount of grounds depending on your taste and how much water you put in
-there is a regular and a bold setting-the bold takes longer to brew
-you get a strong cup of coffee on the bold setting. You can see the oils on the top of the surface which you just do not get with a Keurig. I'm pretty sure the longer brew time is what you sacrifice for this.
-no waste with the reusable filter and nothing to throw away. K cups are made up plastic but are not recyclable.
The neutrals
-there is no water storage on the unit, you fill your mug to the desired line and pour it in. This is an extra step but there is no danger of an overfill this way and I can leave enough room for cream and sugar. Our mugs vary in size so we can customize the brew size without measuring.
-there is a nice hook on the side to hang the scoop to dry but there are two scoops so you can only hang one, they really need a hook on both sides
-there is no way to adjust the temperature of the water, you get what you get but for us it is hot enough.
-it has an adjustable drip tray so you can put a cup closer to the business end preventing splash or accommodate a large travel mug but I've never noticed a drip problem with the Keurig so I can't really call this an advantage.

The bad
-it definitely takes longer than the Keurig and there is no timer so you can't get a head start on your coffee. It takes 3 min to brew a cup on the bold setting, 90 seconds on regular. A warmed up Keurig takes under a minute.
-requires weekly cleaning of the secondary filter, both machines require a monthly vinegar douche.
-if you want fresh coffee you have to grind your own beans in small quantities or buy very small packages of grounds. K cups stay fresh much longer.

Cons to single cup coffee making:
-each cup is going to cost you more than a traditional drip coffee maker because you need more for the single cup. It beats throwing two cups away if you make a full pot and don't need it.
-no heating element so you are going to lose some heat to a room temperature cup.
-not for those that like really strong coffee.

*Update 1/7/12
It just doesn't brew a hot cup of coffee. It's weak even when you grind your own beans and by the time you add creamer it's a warm cup of coffee. We're going back to Mr. Coffee.

Food

2011-12-24T12:53:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve lunch: Five Guys Burgers & Fries
Christmas Eve dinner: thai peanut chicken skewers, crescent wrapped little smokies, cheese & crackers, egg bread, jalapeno poppers, cranberry bliss bars
Christmas breakfast: cornmeal waffles, bacon, orange juice & coffee
Christmas lunch: roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, romaine salad, dinner rolls, Friendly's celebration ice cream roll
Christmas dinner: leftovers!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

A New Old Story

2011-12-21T13:15:00.003-05:00

I spent a lot of time with my Grandma Phyllis when I was young. So I thought I had heard all of her old stories at least once and many of them she tells every time I see her. Yesterday evening at a little holiday gathering she told one of my friends this story and it was new to me:

I didn't have any brothers or sisters when I was growing up. My husband Pete and I had five kids and they used to fight so bad I worried that it wasn't normal. But Pete told me he used to love to fight with his sisters and brother so much that they'd get up an hour early so they could get in a good fight before school. So then I didn't worry!

Stubborn

2011-12-20T08:33:00.001-05:00

So...the potty training isn't going well. The other day he woke up completely dry after sleeping 10 hours so I put him on the potty in front of the TV for 30 minutes. He didn't go. We had to go somewhere so I got him dressed and turned my back to find a puddle on the office carpeting.

My mom is the most stubborn person I've ever met and she arrives today for Christmas. I'm going to turn Prince Stubborn over to Queen Stubborn and see who comes out on top.

The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever

2011-12-18T15:47:00.001-05:00

Alex and David did a great job in the Sunday School pageant. Here's the description from Amazon about the book:

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale -- the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating -- has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

Alex played Leroy Herdman and David played an angel.

Seven

2011-12-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

David has to stay in bed until at least seven in the morning. The other night Allan was getting him ready for bed. It was just before 8:00 pm and David saw that the clock said seven. He asked, "There's a seven on my clock do I still have to sleep?"

Uh, yes.

Carla Veloso

2011-12-16T08:24:00.001-05:00

Thomas is obsessed with all things Cars 2. When the usual characters were sold out at Aldi last November I bought him this one.

Her name is Carla Veloso but he couldn't say that so instead he called her Shoe Carnivaloso! We visited Shoe Carnival for the first time during our power outage.

Well, we lost the car. I looked everywhere and finally resorted to paying double on eBay because now it's 'hard to find.' When it came in the mail on Wednesday I just couldn't wait until Christmas so I gave it right to him. And then it was lost again.

My friend texted me yesterday afternoon to see if I still needed one because she was at Walmart and found them. Since ours was missing I said yes and then last night I found it under his bed. His death grip must have relaxed while he was sleeping and she slipped away. Since he likes to watch the movie as much as possible he can now say, "Carnival Oso."

I'm okay with having a spare!

First Dental Visit

2011-12-15T15:42:00.002-05:00

Happy as usual:

He was cooperative but kept closing his mouth and using his strong tongue to chase whatever instrument was in his mouth. He has two two-year molars erupted and the other two are bulging. May explain the mood lately.

Alex had two baby teeth pulled. It was his first experience with novacaine. I had to laugh at him trying to drink a milkshake afterward. He said his lip felt fat and then he sluuuuuuuuurped that shake and had a line of drool escaping his mouth.

This reminds me of a gross story: he was recently eating trail mix and working on typing a report on the computer when he lost a tooth. He left it lay and later, I was on the computer and remembered him eating the trail mix so I tossed the 'popcorn' piece into my mouth only to discover that it was his tooth, EW!!!!!!!

My Oven Knobs

2011-12-14T07:40:00.003-05:00

I had the knobs in a dish on the back burner so the children don't turn on the stove. I've mentioned before that I'm dyslexic when it comes to figuring out which knob applies to which burner and on Sunday when I started to boil a pot of water and wandered away to watch the boys operate the train around the christmas tree that smell of burning plastic didn't initially get my attention because the train can make smoke and the smell is quite similar.

By the time I realized what I had done my remaining oven knobs had become one:

Freezer Meals

2011-12-13T13:07:00.000-05:00

I love these recipes because they each make two meals, one for now and one to stick in the freezer. I'm doubling both recipes to have two meals for a friend who's about to have a baby, two for a neighbor who's in the hospital, one for us to eat tonight, one for us to eat tomorrow night and one of each to put in my freezer!

Source: myrecipes.com via Giana on Pinterest

Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

1:1 Lunch Series

2011-12-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

Today I'm having lunch with Alex. He gets to pick the restaurant. Up next:

12/17 Allan & David
12/24 Me & Thomas
12/31 Allan & Alex
1/7 Me & David
1/14 Allan & Thomas

Three Year Stats

2011-12-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

Thomas 37.4 lbs, 39.5 inches
David 31 lbs, 37.5 inches
Alex 40 lbs, 41.25 inches

Party

2011-12-09T07:30:00.004-05:00

Last night was the annual holiday party for kids & families at Allan's employer. I remember being so impressed the first year we went. They really go all out-pizza, chicken fingers, fries, cookies, drinks, crafts galore, a balloon man, live music, and a visit from Santa complete with a nice gift.

After my third year I'm pretty sick of it, though. It's very crowded and I don't like people in large quantities. And my boys were fighting like dogs in the line to see Santa. I know it's because they know Santa is fun to pretend but not 'real' because you should have seen the two young boys in front of us, they were like Stepford children and their mom subtly let on that this was not the norm.

Next year maybe Allan will agree that they're all old enough/manageable enough for me to drop them off!

Swiss Miss K Cups

2011-12-07T07:45:00.000-05:00

Alex gets up first in the morning because he has to be at the bus stop by 7:20. The house is cold because we have the thermostat set to warm up later. He likes to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate to warm up in the mornings.

I'm cheap. Frugal. Whatever. So why did I pay 77¢ each for Swiss Miss K cups for him when packets of hot chocolate cost 10¢ and the homemade variety even less?

To avoid the empty packet on the counter, the trail of powder, and the dirty measuring cup of course!

And, maybe, because I feel slightly guilty for not getting up sooner with him and I know he feels like big stuff using the Keurig.

Family Christmas Picture

2011-12-06T07:49:00.001-05:00

Warming up the camera...

I had to laugh to myself and be grateful that it's just a picture rather than a video because in between shots the kids were griping and bickering and Allan and I were yelling and then we'd all stop and smile. He'd check the image, complain about something and we'd start all over again. And with five people including a three year old wiggler we could sit there all day and never get the perfect shot so we chose the best of the bunch and sent it off to the printer.

KidsFest

2011-12-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

We went to LEGO KidsFest on Friday. Much fun was had by all.

Mommy's Boy

2011-12-04T15:45:00.001-05:00

Thomas, watching Allan and I hug each other, "Daddy, don't love Mommy!"

Print Friendly

2011-12-03T09:30:00.002-05:00

I have to share my new favorite website. It's Print Friendly it takes all pictures, large text, etc. down to nice simple printable document. I especially love it for recipes.

They're Doughnuts!

2011-12-01T17:00:00.001-05:00

Source: creativeholidaygiftideas.blogspot.com via Kami on Pinterest

Santa!

2011-12-01T16:43:00.002-05:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Lauren on Pinterest

Don't These Look Good?

2011-12-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

Source: houseonhilltop.wordpress.com via Patricia on Pinterest

Whoop Whoop!

2011-12-01T11:28:00.001-05:00

We have a least 2 teaspoons of potty in the potty! Don't tell him but I was going to give it one more day and put him back in diapers if he didn't do something because I was so discouraged.

And since it's a half day his next big brother was here to see it!

Potty Training

2011-11-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

Monday morning I put him in Pullups and started taking him potty every hour or two. Yesterday afternoon he had not peed even one drop in the potty so I decided he needed to be in underwear to feel what is happening. He's peed his pants at least a dozen times and pooped in them this morning and he still hasn't put one drop in the potty. If he were 2 or 2 1/2 I'd say he just isn't ready but he's turning 3 on Friday and he has to be ready!

Freecycle

2011-11-30T07:36:00.000-05:00

I'm annoyed. I had four packs of Pullups that Thomas had outgrown before he ever needed them. I was able to exchange two for a bigger size but I had cut the reward points out of the other two packs so I offered them up on Freecycle.

While I was there I saw someone looking for a DVD player. I hadn't planned on giving one away but we have a 5 disc changer that can now move upstairs since Allan just got a Bluray player for his birthday. And I should mention that the TV upstairs doesn't work so we really have two extra DVD players. So I replied to this person and said I had one she could come and get, I'm in the next town over.

I got one response from someone interested in the Pullups and she wanted me to call her. Grrr, fine so I called and left her a message and I heard back from the DVD person saying she could pick it up anytime. I gave them both our address and put both items on our front step.

On Monday the Pullups where still there and I hadn't heard back from the lady I called so I brought them to book club and gave them away there. I got an email from DVD lady saying she was ever so sorry but promised she would pick them up on Tuesday.

Last night at 11pm I was laying in bed and realized it was raining so Allan ran and rescued the bag from our front step and with that I'm done with Freecycle. You offer someone something of value free to keep it out of a landfill or avoid the hassle of selling or donating it and they can't be bothered to stick to the pickup schedule that they dictate!

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

2011-11-29T13:22:00.000-05:00

My Mom's club book for December is Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein. I feel a little left out but the book looks interesting enough and if I read it maybe the next time someone remarks on the fact that I have three boys I can reply, "Cinderella ate my daughter." Just like Lisa Harper, Women of Faith speaker, who happens to be single claims that her husband is lost and won't ask for directions!

Lights

2011-11-28T12:48:00.002-05:00

I've always wanted to do this and I finally did:

Very Hungry Caterpillar

2011-11-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

Thomas loves the very hungry caterpillar quilt Grandma made him for his birthday. I just wish he'd eat the wide variety of foods that the caterpillar eats:

one slice of chocolate cake
one ice cream cone,
one pickle,
one slice of Swiss cheese,
one slice of salami,
one lollipop,
one piece of cherry pie,
one sausage, one cupcake,
and one slice of watermelon

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T09:20:00.005-05:00

We had such a nice trip. I always know the food at any Slotter gathering is going to be excellent and it did not disappoint. The kids had so much fun running around and this was the first time I didn't have to trail somebody because Thomas is now old enough to play with the big kids on his own for a bit. I had some great conversations with people I see once a year or less yet somehow now consider them just as much my family as Allan's.

And I got to meet my new nephew, what a cutie. He's chunky and even though I was a long skinny baby I much prefer the look of the fat ones! David had so much fun playing with his cousin Allie, he only has one cousin within two years of his age and unfortunately we see them so rarely he couldn't remember who she was. They played so much and had so much fun I know he'll always remember her now.

We celebrated Thomas' third birthday while we were there and I realized we've been babying him and catering to his picky eating. So in addition to potty training (which starts tomorrow!) we are going to have to crack down in other areas. Watch out, little boy!

We celebrated Christmas and the boys were thrilled to get LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendars. Okay, so Alex was thrilled, David was impatient and Thomas was confused but starting December 1st when they each get to open a present a day until Christmas they'll all be thrilled.

We had booked a pet-friendly hotel and brought our dog but the morning before we left I decided to look one more time at The Bed Bug Registry and there was one report of bugs posted after labor day weekend, probably after I checked it out the first time. So we switched to a clean hotel that didn't take pets (coincidence?) so he was a nuisance, particularly after he ate a ham bone and threw up in the car right before we left to come home. We were lucky and beside some really bad gas he was okay. No more ham bones for him.

Speaking of ham, does anybody have any good recipes for leftover ham? Labor intensive is okay, I got one of those cool gel pro mats for Christmas so I can be on my feet in the kitchen for hours and it will feel like I've been weightless in space!

We came home to the most wonderful gift. The town came by and picked up all the brush on the curb. They got every single stick. Yay!

Homemade Swiffers

2011-11-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

This is the perfect project for me, I just learned the purl stitch and as you can see still need a lot of practice.

I got some washable cotton/acrylic yarn for $2 and just randomly alternated knitting and purling, three rows at a time until it was about the size of a Swiffer. It fit on my broom and as you can see it picked up a lot of hair and dirt:

I brushed the hair into the trash and washed it and it came out perfectly clean and ready to use again! It looks like I'll be able to make at least four of them with the yarn I have. I'll have to try to make one for my Rubbermaid spray and mop too. If I'm quick I can make one for my grandma's Christmas stocking.

Forty Two

2011-11-22T07:45:00.001-05:00

For some reason I'm in a funk with running. I have nothing planned and can always find an acceptable excuse.

BUT! I'm at 958 miles for the year and there are 39 days left in the year so if I average just over 7 miles per week I'll hit 1,000-totally doable.

Eye Eye Eye

2011-11-21T14:57:00.000-05:00

I use this recipe from Allrecipes.com for 'easy pizza sauce iii'
It's great and easy to make. The only thing I don't like is it's name! I have to Google easy pizza sauce iii to get to it and then I keep thinking eye eye eye. I should tweak it a bit and give it my own name.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground paprika

Directions

In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.

Progress

2011-11-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

After another weekend of cleanup this is most of Allan's pile. He found a guy who wanted the logs so those are not pictured.

Knitting

2011-11-19T18:38:00.000-05:00

I started knitting a couple of weeks ago, I'm still pretty terrible at it but it's fun. Today Alex started knitting too and has about a dozen rows of some pretty funny looking stitches. He keeps increasing his number of stitches and I can't figure out why this is happening because I'm a beginner myself. There is a group of old ladies (I assume) that meets at our library on Thursday nights and will offer assistance so I'm trying to talk him into going with me.

The Other Bus

2011-11-18T07:42:00.000-05:00

Good thing I was so forgiving of Alex's mistake. I was in a serious rush to get home to meet David's bus yesterday afternoon, probably would have missed the first pass anyway when I got stopped by a tree trimming detail and ended up really late.

My phone ringer was off so the bus called Allan and made arrangements for him to pick David up at the school.

The driver made a second pass by our house and then was on her way back to the school when I passed by and waved. She turned around and dropped an excited David off at our house. He told me all about his adventure, how the driver told him to knock on the door and then ring the doorbell and then she dropped the last two kids off, etc.

I remember when Alex was in pre-K and I didn't pick him up on time, was a few minutes late and he was the last child in the class. He cried and cried and was sad for hours. David is definitely a different kid.

The Bus

2011-11-17T07:47:00.000-05:00

Alex missed the bus for the first time this year. He sets his alarm, gets up and gets ready by himself. He eats breakfast, packs a lunch and if there's time left watches TV. The TV got him and he realized that he must have missed the bus. His face was so sad I could do nothing but remind him that we all make mistakes. There is no way to punish a child that punishes himself so much.

At the Women of Faith convention I went to last Saturday one of the speakers talked about her twins being 'born compliant,' that they came out saying, "can I get you anything?" and then the shock of a third child that broke the rules. I think Alex was pretty much born compliant.
My other two are a different story!

11-16

2011-11-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Five years ago.
Four years ago.
Three years ago and we had the same lesson on Sunday! I highlighted that line and told Allan about being pregnant with Tom and hearing that!
Two.
One.

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

2011-11-15T13:27:00.000-05:00

David and Thomas play three adorable games together:
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo: they say this and crash into each other
Down the Place: same as above
Count Dooku: they say this and crash into the couch

Sometimes Thomas doesn't want to play so the conversation goes like this, "Thomas, want to play doo doo doo doo doo?"
"No, I don't want to play doo doo doo doo doo, David!"

His and Hers

2011-11-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

Creative genius: His

homemade saxophone case handle with twine and garden hose

Creative genius: Hers

girly cupcakes for a baby shower

Christmas

2011-11-14T07:24:00.004-05:00

Alex:
Star Wars Advent Calendar
RC helicopter
Wii Mario Baseball
Queen Anne's Revenge 4195
Pharoah's Quest Airplane 7307
Republic Frigate 7964
Rotor hero factory
Slave I 8097
Session with CT Baseball Academy
$10 iTunes gift card

David:
Star Wars Advent Calendar
RC Mater
Wii Sonic Black Knight
Hess Fire Truck
Pharoah's Quest Airplane 7307
Witch Doctor hero factory
Von Nebula hero factory
Meltdown hero factory
Corporate Alliance Tank 7748
New Hess Truck

Thomas
Star Wars Advent Calendar
RC Lightning McQueen
Bob the Builder Duplo #1
Bob the Builder Duplo #2
Hess Fire Truck
Cars 2 8423
Tecnic 8065
Cars Duplo Set
Mini Francesco Bernoulli car
New Hess Truck

A Start

2011-11-13T19:05:00.000-05:00

Apply As Needed

2011-11-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

Embrace the Holes

2011-11-11T08:35:00.002-05:00

When I got my coffee maker over two years ago I bought the shiny spinny carousel to store the K cups. I had to have it.

I hate it. I have to keep it full because the empty holes bother me. And since we have a variety of coffees I have to randomize them so it doesn't look funny. It would be easier to hide the boxes in the cupboard because just when I get it looking right and some asshole goes and makes a cup of coffee.

If I can learn to live with the holes maybe next I'll be okay leaving the house before the chairs are lined up the way I like them.

Review: Zaycon Foods

2011-11-10T14:49:00.001-05:00

Before the snow storm and 8 day power loss I ordered and paid for 40 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Zaycon foods. Fortunately I picked them up on Tuesday and my freezer is working fine.

The pickup process was a breeze, I paid online and drove up to the refrigerated Ryder truck and a man put a piece of plastic in my trunk and set the box of chicken on top.

I got home and put Thomas down for his nap and got to work. The breasts were whole and had what I consider a lot of fat on them. I had to cut them in half, trim the fat and since there was a big variation in the size (from the biggest chicken breasts I've ever seen to 'regular' and 'small') let's say, DD down to A cup so I cut the big ones in half and packaged them in meal sized portions in Ziploc bags. It took me well over an hour. And I had to play 'the kitchen is a hot zone' with the bigger kids so I didn't cross contaminate them. Not my idea of fun. Let's say for argument's sake I spend two hours of my life on this chicken project and paid $1.49/lb and I can get chicken on sale for $1.99/lb so the project paid me twenty bucks. Not something I will do again.

The chicken was super fresh, had not been frozen, tasted good, etc. They deliver all over, including (click to enlarge):

And finally in case I haven't totally turned you off here is my my personal referral link from which I earn $1 for every unit sold.

42

2011-11-09T07:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

To think, when we met sixteen and a half years ago he was a strapping twenty five year old and I was a starry-eyed nineteen year old...with a forty two year old FATHER. Oy.

Making Up For Lost Time

2011-11-07T09:49:00.000-05:00

Funny, I've done all the things on my to do list that involve sitting here at the computer but I keep getting distracted when it's time to go do the other stuff.

About three years ago I made up three 2 week menu plans complete with recipes and a shopping list and saved them on the computer. I periodically forget about them, wish I had put some seasonal thought into them, identified items I usually have on hand versus things I will definitely need to buy, etc. but on days like today when I need food but first a plan and can't get out of my own way they're a lifesaver. And it reminds me that I have options other than the old standbys available because my old standbys of three years ago are new again.

Back

2011-11-07T09:06:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've had a week of vacation.

Allan...not so much. He got stung by a wasp and his hand swelled up to double the size of the other hand and was put on Prednisone and that made him feel awful and at the same time he had a bad case of diarrhea.

Thomas hasn't napped since October 30th and he's still in bed making up for lost time.

But we're glad to be home, thankful for the safe haven and not taking the little things for granted!

BEEP beep

2011-11-07T00:27:00.001-05:00

So...we got home after spending a week in sunny Pennsylvania. And by got home I mean sat on the Garden State Parkway for an hour without moving (road construction), then trickled through NYC and stopped in southern Connecticut (road construction) and again in central Connecticut (accident and road construction) and came home to a warm, lit, beeping house.

The previous owners put in an alarm system that is wired into the smoke detectors. When the power goes out the backup battery takes over. When it dies and power is restored the smoke detectors alternatively beep for 24 hours until the battery recharges. And there is nothing you can do about it. The one upstairs beeps and five seconds later the one downstairs beeps.

The kids are sleeping through it. There's a chance we might be able to nod off but the dog is going nuts because it sounds a lot like his electric fence shock collar.

We are seriously the only house in Connecticut hoping the power goes out again. Just until we can get ahold of the alarm guy that is!

****Update******

Okay, so we are stupid. It wasn't the smoke detectors it was the carbon monoxide detectors. No wonder the pillow we put up to the smoke detectors wasn't muffling the sound at all. Thank goodness for my brilliant husband, the CO detectors are battery operated and we even have new batteries to put in. We shall sleep like babies tonight.

Powerless

2011-11-01T17:09:00.000-04:00

We lost power around 5:30 on Saturday the 29th. We made it through two cool nights and decided on Monday that it was best to head for Pennsylvania where Allan's parents have power. The kids are enjoying Grandpa and Grandma, Allan is checking into work via laptop and Nugget and I are hanging out enjoying the warmth.

School has been canceled through the week and some areas of CT have been given estimates for restoration as far out as Sun the 6th but we haven't made the list yet. Not good!

Snow

2011-10-29T11:21:00.000-04:00

Help me! I'm not ready for snow! We just put our short sleeved shirts away and I had to forage for hats, boots and mittens.

Woo Hoo

2011-10-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

See the glue stains on the orange jacket? I got them out thanks to a hot water wash with OxyClean! My sister bought really nice jackets for my nephews (you have to in North Dakota) and handed them down to my boys. Now if I could only figure out how to remove tar-Jameson and Gage used to like to pop tar bubbles in the street!

Poor Nugget

2011-10-26T08:41:00.000-04:00

I spent two hours last night listening to a seminar on how dogs think and why their wolf pack mentality affects their relationship with their people. Poor Nugget is in for a rude awakening!