I have a good friend, K (not to be confused with KM, and of course KM is not to be confused with M) who makes the most luscious and satisfying chocolate raspberry cake anyone has ever had.
So when I saw this cake I was reminded instantly of her:
Link
Don't forget to scroll down to the last picture to see the massively luxurious layers of chocolate cherry goodness.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Easing in... to a lot of things
My little Princess (well, my very tall Princess) has homework! They get a packet every Monday and they're supposed to do 1-2 pages every afternoon. She brought hers home and did all of it in one sitting. So much for "I can't draw little a's!! They're not perfect!" She now bubbles over with confidence and enthusiasm, gets excited to do her homework, and can write her name like a champ.
Tag is sad today. We dropped off a little neighbor at school this morning and her brother, Tag's current best friend, also gets to go to hourly care all day long. That leaves him with his younger sister and feeling very left out of the big kid brigade, all of whom are at some sort of institution today. He has moped around outside for a while, and now he's playing Mario Kart. Poor little guy... I'm just glad he wasn't our first child or he would have been insanely bored until we had another little person around for him to play with.
Man has also been surprising me a lot lately with the foods he's willing to not only eat, but enjoy as well. I've made a huge effort to have a decent dinner on the table each nigh this week. One of our meals was fajitas and I offered to chop the green bell peppers up extra small since I know he doesn't like them. He said he likes them just fine and just do what I normally do to them. Er? He also likes mushroom gravy, that lazy lasagna from the other night (he used to hate cheese ravioli!) and various other things that have tomatoes and onions and things in them. Wow! Either his taste buds have made another 7 year change or he's just mellowing out. I'm ok with both scenarios.
Tag is sad today. We dropped off a little neighbor at school this morning and her brother, Tag's current best friend, also gets to go to hourly care all day long. That leaves him with his younger sister and feeling very left out of the big kid brigade, all of whom are at some sort of institution today. He has moped around outside for a while, and now he's playing Mario Kart. Poor little guy... I'm just glad he wasn't our first child or he would have been insanely bored until we had another little person around for him to play with.
Man has also been surprising me a lot lately with the foods he's willing to not only eat, but enjoy as well. I've made a huge effort to have a decent dinner on the table each nigh this week. One of our meals was fajitas and I offered to chop the green bell peppers up extra small since I know he doesn't like them. He said he likes them just fine and just do what I normally do to them. Er? He also likes mushroom gravy, that lazy lasagna from the other night (he used to hate cheese ravioli!) and various other things that have tomatoes and onions and things in them. Wow! Either his taste buds have made another 7 year change or he's just mellowing out. I'm ok with both scenarios.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Motivation
What motivates some people to clean like mad before a visitor comes? Going back to one of the Mitford books (one of which I quoted yesterday) the lady in the book was preparing for a party of about 60 (?) people and spent months doing everything from replacing the parlor curtains to repainting half of the inside of the house, to planning a veritable feast of fine finger foods all for about 4 hours of entertainment.
Was it worth it? Or will you have an aneurysm before someone asks you to do it again next year?
But what really drives us to such extremes? I'm sitting here typing about this when my visiting teacher is due to come in about 2 hours and all I've managed to do today is take a kid to school, put another one down for a nap, take a nap myself, and watch Wallace and Grommet a time and a half. Yet I've got this deep urge to get up and be a 5 Minute Martha, clean like a demon, and go buy flowers for the table.
Is this pride? Fear? Shame? I do take pleasure in welcoming someone into my spotless home but then I cry the next day when all that work comes down around my ears resulting in a pig sty all over again. And again. And again.
I'll have to think about that while I do dishes and do a stash and dash.
My poor visiting teacher likely has no idea what pain I go through to have her over, and she's so dang cute and sweet. Of course she doesn't want to inconvenience anyone and would never dream of putting her poor, pregnant charge to effort on her part just so she can do what our church says is a service.
Maybe I just need to allow it to be a service. She's giving me a reason to clean after all. :) And the pleasure of having someone over in that brief moment when it actually will be clean. Maybe I'll take pictures of my super-cute visiting teacher in my clean house and tape it to the inside of some sunglasses so I remember that feeling. Yes. Good idea.
Was it worth it? Or will you have an aneurysm before someone asks you to do it again next year?
But what really drives us to such extremes? I'm sitting here typing about this when my visiting teacher is due to come in about 2 hours and all I've managed to do today is take a kid to school, put another one down for a nap, take a nap myself, and watch Wallace and Grommet a time and a half. Yet I've got this deep urge to get up and be a 5 Minute Martha, clean like a demon, and go buy flowers for the table.
Is this pride? Fear? Shame? I do take pleasure in welcoming someone into my spotless home but then I cry the next day when all that work comes down around my ears resulting in a pig sty all over again. And again. And again.
I'll have to think about that while I do dishes and do a stash and dash.
My poor visiting teacher likely has no idea what pain I go through to have her over, and she's so dang cute and sweet. Of course she doesn't want to inconvenience anyone and would never dream of putting her poor, pregnant charge to effort on her part just so she can do what our church says is a service.
Maybe I just need to allow it to be a service. She's giving me a reason to clean after all. :) And the pleasure of having someone over in that brief moment when it actually will be clean. Maybe I'll take pictures of my super-cute visiting teacher in my clean house and tape it to the inside of some sunglasses so I remember that feeling. Yes. Good idea.
Cold lunch
Princess came home last night asking if she could take a cold lunch to school the next day. Ok, I thought, that's weird.
"Why?"
"Because I like having the option."
Holy cow. Did that mature statement come out of her 5 year old mouth?
"Alright. What would you like to take?"
"A turkey sandwich, a hotdog wrapped with a paper towel and tuna with crackers."
"..."
"Mom, did you hear me?"
I went to bed last night without making it. We got back from an FRG meeting after 2000 so after we dragged kids through the bedtime routine and got them tucked in, I dragged myself into bed. Today I feel that sort of tired you get after swimming for a long time and then coming out of the pool: heavy, water logged, and a bit dazzled from the sun. I have an appt today at 0900 to submit paperwork that I had no time to fill out last night, my house managed to get trashed after just one day of heavy errands and I'm once again wishing there was a safe and legal way to administer an electric shock to Tag every time he screams.
On the bright side, I'd say that FRG was pretty neat last night. Only three families showed up since the announcement was made somewhat late in the day so it was smaller and more personable, but it'll be nice to have more people come next time. It was funny too see the sparse collection of food and realize how much more rounded of a meal you get when a whole bunch of people bring things. There was a nice green salad with crainsins, poached chicken, walnuts, and balsamic vinegrette, and then there was my lasagna stuff. Oh, and individual serving sized chips. Pretty rounded, eh? The lady who brought the salad had a gluten intolerance so would be eating just her salad, and of course Man and Tag couldn't eat the salad with walnuts in it. I said great, all we need then is someone allergic to peanuts. The lady across the table raised her hand. Yep. There we go.
So I need to think of some sort of crockpot meal for tonight.
I think houses should be made of concrete inside and out, with waterproof furniture and flooring. That way you could leave your house for a couple of hours while it gets sealed up and powerwashes itself. Tell the kids to put their toys in the secure, water proof bins or they will be washed away and go through the giant garbage disposal. Then the house will either heat or engage super-fast, industrial-sized fans that will dry things within 20 mins so when you come home, there is no dusting, vacuuming, dirty dishes, or clutter cleanup to deal with.
Don't steal my idea. I'm going to make a killing.
"Why?"
"Because I like having the option."
Holy cow. Did that mature statement come out of her 5 year old mouth?
"Alright. What would you like to take?"
"A turkey sandwich, a hotdog wrapped with a paper towel and tuna with crackers."
"..."
"Mom, did you hear me?"
I went to bed last night without making it. We got back from an FRG meeting after 2000 so after we dragged kids through the bedtime routine and got them tucked in, I dragged myself into bed. Today I feel that sort of tired you get after swimming for a long time and then coming out of the pool: heavy, water logged, and a bit dazzled from the sun. I have an appt today at 0900 to submit paperwork that I had no time to fill out last night, my house managed to get trashed after just one day of heavy errands and I'm once again wishing there was a safe and legal way to administer an electric shock to Tag every time he screams.
On the bright side, I'd say that FRG was pretty neat last night. Only three families showed up since the announcement was made somewhat late in the day so it was smaller and more personable, but it'll be nice to have more people come next time. It was funny too see the sparse collection of food and realize how much more rounded of a meal you get when a whole bunch of people bring things. There was a nice green salad with crainsins, poached chicken, walnuts, and balsamic vinegrette, and then there was my lasagna stuff. Oh, and individual serving sized chips. Pretty rounded, eh? The lady who brought the salad had a gluten intolerance so would be eating just her salad, and of course Man and Tag couldn't eat the salad with walnuts in it. I said great, all we need then is someone allergic to peanuts. The lady across the table raised her hand. Yep. There we go.
So I need to think of some sort of crockpot meal for tonight.
I think houses should be made of concrete inside and out, with waterproof furniture and flooring. That way you could leave your house for a couple of hours while it gets sealed up and powerwashes itself. Tell the kids to put their toys in the secure, water proof bins or they will be washed away and go through the giant garbage disposal. Then the house will either heat or engage super-fast, industrial-sized fans that will dry things within 20 mins so when you come home, there is no dusting, vacuuming, dirty dishes, or clutter cleanup to deal with.
Don't steal my idea. I'm going to make a killing.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Pay it forward
From a book I read a while ago:
... there was always the problem of what to do with the [casserole] dish. Decent people returned it full of something else. Which meant that the person to whom you returned it would be required, at some point, to give you another food item, all of which produced a cycle that was unimaginably tedious.
From A Light in the Window by Jan Karon. A book full of the little trials of life we all face at some point or another... assuming we've got a bit of domestic country in our souls.
Yesterday a young mother in the ward called me up (at my invitation) to watch her two older children so she could have a break from them while she cared for her new twins. I kept them for over 3 hours and fed them dinner and my kids ran them around so that hopefully they were totally tired by the time they got home and would just crash. She couldn't thank me enough (I'm not trying to give myself laurels here, bear with me) and felt bad about asking and shy at the inconvenience and worried that they'd behave, etc. I'm sure we've all been on both ends of this scenario.
I told her something then that I've experienced before but it never had sunk in quite so completely as it did when I explained it to her. I've been helped by other women, some of them mothers and some not, but that's what women do. We help each other. It's a gift we freely give in the hope that some day you'll be on your feet enough to help some other women who happen to need it. That woman might be me, maybe not. That sentiment echoed in my heart in a way it never had before and I was grateful for the opportunity to offer that small gift.
Yesterday was a very busy day. I dropped Princess off (no need to describe morning mayhem) and returned home to do two loads of dishes, laundry, clean the living room, and get my lesson ready for AFTB. Drop the two younger ones off at the CDC to find that despite two phone calls to make sure arrangements had been made, they hadn't. Oh, well. Get them dropped off and am now late to be there early, teach the very last class before graduation (about the least receptive period for any of the levels), go to pick up Princess, pick up the younger kids. Ha! Pebbles had a diaper rash and since I didn't tell them about it they were worried that they'd have to send her home. Tag also managed to dress himself that morning sans undies but with shorts, so there was some giggling as they got his spares out for him. Get home, the kind neighbor watched the older two while I took Pebbles to pick up those kids, get home, clean more since they were all playing so well. Got ambitious and made homemade pizza for dinner (sausage and roasted mushroom for me!). The kids played more until their dad came to pick them up. By then they had a hard time dragging themselves out the door, goal met!! Get our own kids into bed, snuggle with the hubby for about 10 mins before he was off to do homework and I was off to put my tired self into bed.
All in all, I was surprised at how much I got done yesterday. I was able to provide two acts of service and STILL get more cleaning done than I can on an average day. I'm starting to think that maybe I could pull this college thing off with four kids if I put a good bit of focus into it.
Monday, August 27, 2007
FINALLY!!! Some progress
So Man had a fit for duty exam last week. That means that he sat down with a dr, they discussed his shoulder, and the dr decided whether it was worth pursuing or if Man was just a stinking malingerer. Dr decided to send Man to an orthopedic dr for further assessment so we can get this shoulder thing figured out. It's getting worse despite months of physical therapy and not doing as much PT.
More good news is that the only thing he's allowed to do right now is situps and if he passes with enough situps in 2 minutes he can be PT exempt. So, that's what he's working on right now. Last night I asked him if he'd tried recently, he said no, so he got on the exercise mat, I held his feet, and in 2 mins he whipped out 73 situps. That was an impressive sight, I tell ya what. He explained that before he wasn't allowed to do situps so he went ahead and kept doing crunches to the tune of 250 per set. That man has some seriously tight abs, underneath the tiny bit of stress fluff he's developed.
In other news, we made some colored ice cubes for Mr Tag. Just put some guava juice in an ice cube tray and since we like it slushy, we add a bit more guava juice to the cup and use the submersible blender on it. That makes me the coolest mom in the world! We used some fruit nectars from Costco that are not too bad on their own but we use them for smoothies quite a bit since they're pretty rich. Non carbonated! We're carbonation wimps.
More good news is that the only thing he's allowed to do right now is situps and if he passes with enough situps in 2 minutes he can be PT exempt. So, that's what he's working on right now. Last night I asked him if he'd tried recently, he said no, so he got on the exercise mat, I held his feet, and in 2 mins he whipped out 73 situps. That was an impressive sight, I tell ya what. He explained that before he wasn't allowed to do situps so he went ahead and kept doing crunches to the tune of 250 per set. That man has some seriously tight abs, underneath the tiny bit of stress fluff he's developed.
In other news, we made some colored ice cubes for Mr Tag. Just put some guava juice in an ice cube tray and since we like it slushy, we add a bit more guava juice to the cup and use the submersible blender on it. That makes me the coolest mom in the world! We used some fruit nectars from Costco that are not too bad on their own but we use them for smoothies quite a bit since they're pretty rich. Non carbonated! We're carbonation wimps.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Yellow ice!
I pulled out a tray of ice cubes today and was surprised to see just one clear ice cube, two yellow ones, an orange, and a blue. Now, some back story. Ever since my friend Ke brought over red and blue ice for the 4th of July beverage, Tag has been fascinated with colored ice cubes. I'm also not terribly faithful about refilling the trays and putting them right back in because we don't use ice very often at all. So I thought maybe he put some juice in with some water and snuck it into the freezer. However, the blue one had me confused. We don't have blue juice.
I asked the gang if anyone knew what was going on with the ice cubes. Everyone denied knowledge or association (of course) so I dumped them into the sink just in case it was something gross like our blue conditioner.
After they were safely in the sink Tag looked in with a sort of solemnity to his face and voice and said "it was M&M's."
Wh-what?
"You dip the M&M's in the water to make rainbows!"
"No kidding."
"Yep."
So, he found himself an empty tray, put water in about half of the little spots, dipped his M&M's that he picked out of his trail mix into the water, then not only put the tray into the freezer, he put it UNDER the full tray so he would be garunteed time to see if it worked. If I had known what the colored stuff was I would have let him have some rainbow ice water. Poor kid. He thought he was going to get into trouble for his creativity.
Gosh, if this is what my 4 year old is doing, what is my 16 year old going to be doing?
Pass the Tylenol.
I asked the gang if anyone knew what was going on with the ice cubes. Everyone denied knowledge or association (of course) so I dumped them into the sink just in case it was something gross like our blue conditioner.
After they were safely in the sink Tag looked in with a sort of solemnity to his face and voice and said "it was M&M's."
Wh-what?
"You dip the M&M's in the water to make rainbows!"
"No kidding."
"Yep."
So, he found himself an empty tray, put water in about half of the little spots, dipped his M&M's that he picked out of his trail mix into the water, then not only put the tray into the freezer, he put it UNDER the full tray so he would be garunteed time to see if it worked. If I had known what the colored stuff was I would have let him have some rainbow ice water. Poor kid. He thought he was going to get into trouble for his creativity.
Gosh, if this is what my 4 year old is doing, what is my 16 year old going to be doing?
Pass the Tylenol.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Dennis the Menace park
Today I decided to shake things up and take the two younger kids to a really cool park not too far from us. It features a lot of really cool equipment and landscape that is a little more dangerous but a heck of a lot more fun. There are very steep hills made of concrete, dirt and grass spotted with ornamental grass and railings at the top and bottom for kids to climb all over, a hedge maze, and a drinking fountain in the shape of a lion's head. You have to stick your head into its open mouth to get a drink. Here are a few other features:
They have a full sized train engine that the kids can climb all over. I lost track of Tag for 30 seconds only to find him waving at me from the very top of this thing.
Pebbles also tried to get out on a ledge to be with him but got snatched up by her mean ol' mom. Oh, well.
Here's the crazy jungle gym which Pebbles also tried to climb but the rungs were just a little too far apart. Thank goodness!!
There's a super long rope bridge. The best thing to do is jog across it and make it bounce as much as possible. The only thing is, you can't stop in the middle or else you fall over.
It's right next to a lake with lots of paddle boats, a view of the ocean, and it's close to the airport so several times during the 2 hours we were there, all of the kids in the whole park stopped for a moment to watch the planes swing by pretty low.
Here's Little Miss in an aborted attempt to climb one of those steep concrete hills in sandals. She actually started to roll down one once and I was surprised at how controlled she was. She'd aim for the grass stuff and make the funniest faces when it got in her face.
They have a full sized train engine that the kids can climb all over. I lost track of Tag for 30 seconds only to find him waving at me from the very top of this thing.
Pebbles also tried to get out on a ledge to be with him but got snatched up by her mean ol' mom. Oh, well.
Here's the crazy jungle gym which Pebbles also tried to climb but the rungs were just a little too far apart. Thank goodness!!
There's a super long rope bridge. The best thing to do is jog across it and make it bounce as much as possible. The only thing is, you can't stop in the middle or else you fall over.
It's right next to a lake with lots of paddle boats, a view of the ocean, and it's close to the airport so several times during the 2 hours we were there, all of the kids in the whole park stopped for a moment to watch the planes swing by pretty low.
Here's Little Miss in an aborted attempt to climb one of those steep concrete hills in sandals. She actually started to roll down one once and I was surprised at how controlled she was. She'd aim for the grass stuff and make the funniest faces when it got in her face.
Things that make us late for school
::laughing, because I need to::
This morning was the first morning I found my kids really dragging their feet. I drag my feet too but I can also trim my morning routine to almost nothing if I have to in order to get the kids out the door at a decent time. Princess is actually used to waking up fairly early and rolled out of bed at 0650, got Pebbles out of her crib, then brought her to the table and started getting her breakfast. What a gem of a girl! I got up and did what I have to do, looked at the clock and holy cow it's already 0711 and no one's dressed!! Tag was still in his Morning Muteness (every time he wakes up from night or nap he takes at least 30 mins before he starts speaking at all. it's gold, I tell you) and refusing to eat. Whatever, kid. I rushed Princess to her room then left to change a diaper. The next noise to ring through the house -- "mom! I have nothing to wear!" I ran to her room to see what the heck she's talking about to be greeted with the complaint that "nothing has a match." I pulled out two articles of clothing that I told her are a match (ignoring her dubious look) and ran to change Pebbles' clothes.
At this point Tag finally decided to talk and wanted Cheerios. Ok. Take care of that and then Princess came out of her room in her shirt for the day and pajama pants so she can show me something she made at school yesterday. I hollered a bit and then she disappeared presumably to finish dressing. Pebbles was crying about everything that she wanted but didn't want to get for herself, Tag left his full bowl of cereal so he can go get dressed (in blue sweat pants and a button up red flannel) then brought his shoes and socks into the living room. He said he wanted help, but I chose to help Princess who could only find one shoe. His voice went into that sort of falsetto used in cartoons for bugs caught in a spider's nest "but I need help please! please!!" Got Princess taken care of and, oh crap, school snack!
I looked through the kitchen considering our options. Carrots? Nope. Apple? Bruised. Prunes? Bwahahaha! Raw Ramen noodles? There's a thought. Crackers? All gone. Ah! Apple sauce. Put it in a mini Gladlock with a paper towel and a spoon I'm sure I'll never see again.
At this point it's 0740 which is my goal for getting out the door. Tag had his shoes on (backward, but on), Pebbles was dressed with shoes (but her hair wasn't done), Princess was ready to go except she was running around trying to find her backpack and her shoes weren't tied yet. Bad combo, but nothing bad happened.
I hollered that I'm taking Tag and Pebbles to the car, Princess screamed that she doesn't have a coat or a packpack yet, and that's when Pebbles decided to just sit and scream. We all manage to get out to the van when I realized that Princess still has untied shoes and hasn't yet buttoned her shorts.
Ah. Driving. We managed to get to school with five minutes to spare.
Things that will change, effective today:
1. Tomorrow Clothes. That's what I call them. They will be mandatory every single night so we don't lose the habit over the weekend. Tomorrow Clothes will include a pair of shoes and, in PB's case, a coat and her backpack, and a snack in the fridge.
2. Breakfast options ready to go from the night before. Malt-O-Meal measured out in a Gladlock next to a sauce pan with measured water and lidded; cereal, bowls, and spoons (all clean) stacked on the table; fruit and knife in a bowl in the fridge; eggs are a no brainer; maybe I'll even write what breakfast is going to be on a note on the fridge.
3. Relax about the other two. They can eat and dress after we get back from dropping PB off.
Twice this week I've gotten into the van and realized I forgot to bring shoes. Once I almost went out the door without pants. (Grandma, don't faint!)
Thank goodness for those free lunches for us very poor military people. Poor Man though, since we got lunches for Princess I haven't been packing him lunches any more. :( And I should if I don't want him to eat out a few times a week.
This morning was the first morning I found my kids really dragging their feet. I drag my feet too but I can also trim my morning routine to almost nothing if I have to in order to get the kids out the door at a decent time. Princess is actually used to waking up fairly early and rolled out of bed at 0650, got Pebbles out of her crib, then brought her to the table and started getting her breakfast. What a gem of a girl! I got up and did what I have to do, looked at the clock and holy cow it's already 0711 and no one's dressed!! Tag was still in his Morning Muteness (every time he wakes up from night or nap he takes at least 30 mins before he starts speaking at all. it's gold, I tell you) and refusing to eat. Whatever, kid. I rushed Princess to her room then left to change a diaper. The next noise to ring through the house -- "mom! I have nothing to wear!" I ran to her room to see what the heck she's talking about to be greeted with the complaint that "nothing has a match." I pulled out two articles of clothing that I told her are a match (ignoring her dubious look) and ran to change Pebbles' clothes.
At this point Tag finally decided to talk and wanted Cheerios. Ok. Take care of that and then Princess came out of her room in her shirt for the day and pajama pants so she can show me something she made at school yesterday. I hollered a bit and then she disappeared presumably to finish dressing. Pebbles was crying about everything that she wanted but didn't want to get for herself, Tag left his full bowl of cereal so he can go get dressed (in blue sweat pants and a button up red flannel) then brought his shoes and socks into the living room. He said he wanted help, but I chose to help Princess who could only find one shoe. His voice went into that sort of falsetto used in cartoons for bugs caught in a spider's nest "but I need help please! please!!" Got Princess taken care of and, oh crap, school snack!
I looked through the kitchen considering our options. Carrots? Nope. Apple? Bruised. Prunes? Bwahahaha! Raw Ramen noodles? There's a thought. Crackers? All gone. Ah! Apple sauce. Put it in a mini Gladlock with a paper towel and a spoon I'm sure I'll never see again.
At this point it's 0740 which is my goal for getting out the door. Tag had his shoes on (backward, but on), Pebbles was dressed with shoes (but her hair wasn't done), Princess was ready to go except she was running around trying to find her backpack and her shoes weren't tied yet. Bad combo, but nothing bad happened.
I hollered that I'm taking Tag and Pebbles to the car, Princess screamed that she doesn't have a coat or a packpack yet, and that's when Pebbles decided to just sit and scream. We all manage to get out to the van when I realized that Princess still has untied shoes and hasn't yet buttoned her shorts.
Ah. Driving. We managed to get to school with five minutes to spare.
Things that will change, effective today:
1. Tomorrow Clothes. That's what I call them. They will be mandatory every single night so we don't lose the habit over the weekend. Tomorrow Clothes will include a pair of shoes and, in PB's case, a coat and her backpack, and a snack in the fridge.
2. Breakfast options ready to go from the night before. Malt-O-Meal measured out in a Gladlock next to a sauce pan with measured water and lidded; cereal, bowls, and spoons (all clean) stacked on the table; fruit and knife in a bowl in the fridge; eggs are a no brainer; maybe I'll even write what breakfast is going to be on a note on the fridge.
3. Relax about the other two. They can eat and dress after we get back from dropping PB off.
Twice this week I've gotten into the van and realized I forgot to bring shoes. Once I almost went out the door without pants. (Grandma, don't faint!)
Thank goodness for those free lunches for us very poor military people. Poor Man though, since we got lunches for Princess I haven't been packing him lunches any more. :( And I should if I don't want him to eat out a few times a week.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
carpet micro-clutter
How in the world can I sweep very thoroughly and then get on my hands and knees to wash the floor only to end up with another pile of sand, cheerios, and other miscellaneous crap by the time I'm done?
I also move my couches, sweep under them, sweep the hallway, each bathroom and bedroom, the kitchen and entry way, and I still get stuff all over my feet mere minutes later.
Anyway, I'm just grumpy. The van is eating into our finances more than I thought it was going to and it's a tough pill to swallow. My friend M called today and she encouraged me to become a nurse practitioner. I think what we ought to do it put me through school for that, "accidentally" make Man lose a toe so he gets a medical discharge from the Army, and then I'll bring home the bacon. Regular nurses make more money than we do even if you factor in all of the "benefits" we get like mostly free medical care and free school lunches. They keep us just poor enough that we qualify for welfare and food stamps but just provided for enough that we have all the basics taken care of. If I got through enough school to be a nurse practitioner I wouldn't have to pay as many loans as a real doctor but I'd still pull down enough money to support a family modestly.
How does one pull oneself out of the poverty rut? Education? I know lots of people who have an education and didn't do that, and others who have no education who managed to make middle class. Oh, well. Education is a good place to start.
I also move my couches, sweep under them, sweep the hallway, each bathroom and bedroom, the kitchen and entry way, and I still get stuff all over my feet mere minutes later.
Anyway, I'm just grumpy. The van is eating into our finances more than I thought it was going to and it's a tough pill to swallow. My friend M called today and she encouraged me to become a nurse practitioner. I think what we ought to do it put me through school for that, "accidentally" make Man lose a toe so he gets a medical discharge from the Army, and then I'll bring home the bacon. Regular nurses make more money than we do even if you factor in all of the "benefits" we get like mostly free medical care and free school lunches. They keep us just poor enough that we qualify for welfare and food stamps but just provided for enough that we have all the basics taken care of. If I got through enough school to be a nurse practitioner I wouldn't have to pay as many loans as a real doctor but I'd still pull down enough money to support a family modestly.
How does one pull oneself out of the poverty rut? Education? I know lots of people who have an education and didn't do that, and others who have no education who managed to make middle class. Oh, well. Education is a good place to start.
Is anyone crafty?
I have a vision of something kinda fun I'd like to do with Hershey's Kisses wrappers (since this is an immenently renewable resource what with Man around) but I'm not sure what supplies to use for it. I know I'll need an adhesive and some sort of coating to protect them, but it's also an idea for a Christmas present so I'm not going to describe it in depth here.
What would I use to coat soft foil like that to keep it in place and protected from rubbing? Modpodge? Shellac? It won't be something that ever gets wet, if that helps.
What would I use to coat soft foil like that to keep it in place and protected from rubbing? Modpodge? Shellac? It won't be something that ever gets wet, if that helps.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
For my friend, KM
KM, you know who you are.
What the kids are doing at this exact moment:
Tag is on the couch having conked out while watching Pinocchio. He's drooling a bit and his glasses are a bit pushed against one eye making his eyelashes spread out like a paint brush which has been mistreated. Both his shorts and shirt are backward like they've been all week as I've gently ignored him while he was getting dressed so he would do more of it on his own. His shoes are on the right feet, though. His short hair is shaggy becaue we shaved it and it needs a bit of a trim. There's a really nice bruise above the right eye that's turning a rich purple from where he tripped and creamed his face on the front step.
Princess is still awake (O She Who Does Not Nap For Heck Nor High Water) but is idly playing with a scarf I knit for her while watching the movie. Right now she has it wrapped around one leg, the other foot, around her waist, and she's chewing on her thumb. The roses in her cheeks and blue of her eyes show a sort of fatigued curiousity, the boredom of having seen this movie before, liking it, but those eyes would rather be with her little friend next door who is gone for a little while. Her hair is getting thicker and darker, her bangs are a little crooked because I'm not so good at trimming them, and her feet are getting knobley like an older child's. She sees me observing her and her eyes immediately crinkle into her sweet smile but she doesn't say a word because she's still chewing on her hand and listening to a dramatic exchange between Ghepetto and Pinocchio.
Pebbles is fast asleep. I can always tell when she's tired because she gets sad, cries, and usually brings me something to express an imperative need. She brought me one of her shoes and cried. I know she loves to wear shoes but in the morning she brings it to me, smiles, and says "shoou?" So I held her, wrapped in her favorite blanket, until I felt that certain full body limpness that can only mean either sleep or death in a little one. When Tag was this age his hair would immediately change smell once he fell asleep. He has always been a very hot sleeper like his dad. So, Pebbles fell asleep on my chest. I shifted her to look at her face. Her cheeks were a little squished from laying on her (my) stomach so that her lips poked out a little. Her mouth is such an amazing, perfect shape. Her eye lashes always looks so long against her peaches and cream cheek. Her hair hangs in her eyes nowadays unless it's in a top knot of some sort so it was all tussled and plastered on her forehead from the waffles we had for lunch.
Now Princess is using the scarf as one of those exercise bands, stirruping them on her feet and pulling in her excitement that Pinocchio is a real boy. Ha!
And now I shall clean. :)
What the kids are doing at this exact moment:
Tag is on the couch having conked out while watching Pinocchio. He's drooling a bit and his glasses are a bit pushed against one eye making his eyelashes spread out like a paint brush which has been mistreated. Both his shorts and shirt are backward like they've been all week as I've gently ignored him while he was getting dressed so he would do more of it on his own. His shoes are on the right feet, though. His short hair is shaggy becaue we shaved it and it needs a bit of a trim. There's a really nice bruise above the right eye that's turning a rich purple from where he tripped and creamed his face on the front step.
Princess is still awake (O She Who Does Not Nap For Heck Nor High Water) but is idly playing with a scarf I knit for her while watching the movie. Right now she has it wrapped around one leg, the other foot, around her waist, and she's chewing on her thumb. The roses in her cheeks and blue of her eyes show a sort of fatigued curiousity, the boredom of having seen this movie before, liking it, but those eyes would rather be with her little friend next door who is gone for a little while. Her hair is getting thicker and darker, her bangs are a little crooked because I'm not so good at trimming them, and her feet are getting knobley like an older child's. She sees me observing her and her eyes immediately crinkle into her sweet smile but she doesn't say a word because she's still chewing on her hand and listening to a dramatic exchange between Ghepetto and Pinocchio.
Pebbles is fast asleep. I can always tell when she's tired because she gets sad, cries, and usually brings me something to express an imperative need. She brought me one of her shoes and cried. I know she loves to wear shoes but in the morning she brings it to me, smiles, and says "shoou?" So I held her, wrapped in her favorite blanket, until I felt that certain full body limpness that can only mean either sleep or death in a little one. When Tag was this age his hair would immediately change smell once he fell asleep. He has always been a very hot sleeper like his dad. So, Pebbles fell asleep on my chest. I shifted her to look at her face. Her cheeks were a little squished from laying on her (my) stomach so that her lips poked out a little. Her mouth is such an amazing, perfect shape. Her eye lashes always looks so long against her peaches and cream cheek. Her hair hangs in her eyes nowadays unless it's in a top knot of some sort so it was all tussled and plastered on her forehead from the waffles we had for lunch.
Now Princess is using the scarf as one of those exercise bands, stirruping them on her feet and pulling in her excitement that Pinocchio is a real boy. Ha!
And now I shall clean. :)
Hard knocks
Today I picked up Princess. She told me about her day: her teacher had to go home sick, Tag smashed her finger in the car door, and a girl at school doesn't like her and she doesn't know why. I thought about all of these significant problems in her young life, tyring to remember the pain of realizing for the first time that life is full of problems. I assured her that all through my life and hers there will be random people who will decide for whatever reason not to like us, but don't worry. Let's count all of our good friends who we love and who love us (you know, to keep the whole thing simple). That made her smile but I could tell it still bothered her. As we pulled into the driveway she burst out with
"Mom, my life isn't perfect. Did you know that?"
Wow.
Just... wow, kid.
So I said, look. Your teacher went home sick. That means that her life isn't perfect either. She thought about that and listed off other people she knew who got sick or otherwise had bad days. lol
I don't remember how old I was when I dove off this particular illusion cliff but it's just so thrilling and a little painful to watch my young woman start to think for herself as well as acquire bad habits and prejudices from her classmates. Like it or not, it's an uphill battle from here on out against all of the garbage she'll have to learn to not learn.
"Mom, my life isn't perfect. Did you know that?"
Wow.
Just... wow, kid.
So I said, look. Your teacher went home sick. That means that her life isn't perfect either. She thought about that and listed off other people she knew who got sick or otherwise had bad days. lol
I don't remember how old I was when I dove off this particular illusion cliff but it's just so thrilling and a little painful to watch my young woman start to think for herself as well as acquire bad habits and prejudices from her classmates. Like it or not, it's an uphill battle from here on out against all of the garbage she'll have to learn to not learn.
snapshots
After bringing Princess home from school one day, she asked Tag if she could read a story to him on the front step. All three were lined up before I ran to get my camera and when I came back Pebbles has wandered away a bit.
Pebbles then came back but Princess left. -sigh-
Pebbles then came back but Princess left. -sigh-
The funny thing is....
I was so worried that all these kindergartens wanted kids to already know their whole ABC's, count to 20, say their full name, address, telephone number, know 10 colors, etc. Princess is on the cusp of doing all of this with the greatest of ease (she has trouble with a few teens, and doesn't know all upper and lower case letter but is close) but isn't *quite* there yet.
BUT the funny thing is that this is what they're learning all year long. Back to school night was last night and there was a handout that outlined the stuff they're working on this year. One lesson is Matching and Counting and the numbers 0-5. They also do one letter of the alphabet every day. What was I worried about? She can now recite her street address on request but only because I made up a little chant to go with it (Tag actually got it first which fueled her desire to get it)
So with that I want to highlite what M said in a comment the other day:
An Old Irishman's Proverb
There are only two things in life that you really need to worry about: if you are well or sick. If you are well then there is nothing to worry about. If you are sick then you have two things to worry about: becoming well or dying. If you become well then there is nothing to worry about. If you die then you have two things to worry about: going to heaven or hell. If you go to heaven then there's nothing to worry about. If you go to hell then you'll meet all your friends, have a party, get drunk and have nothing to worry about.
So there you have it. I'm not dying. :)
There were a couple of tests that the doctor wanted to run in the "just in case" category. I went and had a blood test after my appt yesterday to see if I have that evil fifth disease virus running through my veins, or even the antibody, so we can determine if Freida has a chance of going into heart failure from the illness. The risk is low but present.
Also, she apparently has a little cyst on her brain that is so common and benign that he isn't worried about it in the slightest. It should disappear in the next 10 weeks so we are going to schedule another ultrasound in my 31st week to make sure that her body does with it what millions of other babies do with it every year: make it vanish.
Fun! No one's dying. :)
BUT the funny thing is that this is what they're learning all year long. Back to school night was last night and there was a handout that outlined the stuff they're working on this year. One lesson is Matching and Counting and the numbers 0-5. They also do one letter of the alphabet every day. What was I worried about? She can now recite her street address on request but only because I made up a little chant to go with it (Tag actually got it first which fueled her desire to get it)
So with that I want to highlite what M said in a comment the other day:
An Old Irishman's Proverb
There are only two things in life that you really need to worry about: if you are well or sick. If you are well then there is nothing to worry about. If you are sick then you have two things to worry about: becoming well or dying. If you become well then there is nothing to worry about. If you die then you have two things to worry about: going to heaven or hell. If you go to heaven then there's nothing to worry about. If you go to hell then you'll meet all your friends, have a party, get drunk and have nothing to worry about.
So there you have it. I'm not dying. :)
There were a couple of tests that the doctor wanted to run in the "just in case" category. I went and had a blood test after my appt yesterday to see if I have that evil fifth disease virus running through my veins, or even the antibody, so we can determine if Freida has a chance of going into heart failure from the illness. The risk is low but present.
Also, she apparently has a little cyst on her brain that is so common and benign that he isn't worried about it in the slightest. It should disappear in the next 10 weeks so we are going to schedule another ultrasound in my 31st week to make sure that her body does with it what millions of other babies do with it every year: make it vanish.
Fun! No one's dying. :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Milking
There are lots of things in this world that you can milk.
If you don't like spiders, this will either fascinate or terrify you:
Video of spider venom milking.
I, personally, hate the idea of holding a spider at all even if the dang thing is asleep. Put it in that clampy thing and I'd be fine but my active imagination can just see it waking up, thinking "what the heck??", getting pissed off and degloving my finger.
On the other hand, it's an interesting watch. I'm glad someone out there is willing to do this sort of research.
If you don't like spiders, this will either fascinate or terrify you:
Video of spider venom milking.
I, personally, hate the idea of holding a spider at all even if the dang thing is asleep. Put it in that clampy thing and I'd be fine but my active imagination can just see it waking up, thinking "what the heck??", getting pissed off and degloving my finger.
On the other hand, it's an interesting watch. I'm glad someone out there is willing to do this sort of research.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Surcease of pain
Ah, who knew that sinus infections could start out feeling like toothaches? The problem was, I have likely been developing it for a week now but didn't do anything about it until I was ready to extract my own tooth to relieve the pressure.
What would we do without antibiotics? I would have had an infection in my brain and died, end of story.
I had a Primary meeting last night at the church and since Man had taken two of the kids with him to the main meetings and dealt with all 6 of our 8 year old students, I volunteered for the evening thing. My secret reason was so that he'd have to put our kids to bed. It was at this meeting that I was speaking to my visiting teacher about the ultrasound and everyone else in the room was completely surprised that, not only am I pregnant, but a whole 20 weeks and counting!! Apparently I'm still in the "just getting fat" phase. lol
The refreshments were a choice of chocolate chip cookies or these amazing fresh fruit kabobs. I didn't touch the cookies, but I ate 2 of those kabobs and the other three that got sent home with me. Did I really save any calories that way? Not likely but man, fresh fruit is what I'm all about right now. It could be worse.
Man has recently had a bad spate of forgetting things in the morning. You know, important things, like his cell phone, lunch, or his military ID card (without which he can't get onto post) I'm thinking of giving him a crisper and having him put his wallet in there along with his lunch and keys. Not the cell phone though. Maybe I could give him a basket on top of the fridge for his pocket things, then tie string from his keys to his lunch every night. How's that for a pain in the butt? Any other solutions out there? Sure! Lemme have 'em.
What would we do without antibiotics? I would have had an infection in my brain and died, end of story.
I had a Primary meeting last night at the church and since Man had taken two of the kids with him to the main meetings and dealt with all 6 of our 8 year old students, I volunteered for the evening thing. My secret reason was so that he'd have to put our kids to bed. It was at this meeting that I was speaking to my visiting teacher about the ultrasound and everyone else in the room was completely surprised that, not only am I pregnant, but a whole 20 weeks and counting!! Apparently I'm still in the "just getting fat" phase. lol
The refreshments were a choice of chocolate chip cookies or these amazing fresh fruit kabobs. I didn't touch the cookies, but I ate 2 of those kabobs and the other three that got sent home with me. Did I really save any calories that way? Not likely but man, fresh fruit is what I'm all about right now. It could be worse.
Man has recently had a bad spate of forgetting things in the morning. You know, important things, like his cell phone, lunch, or his military ID card (without which he can't get onto post) I'm thinking of giving him a crisper and having him put his wallet in there along with his lunch and keys. Not the cell phone though. Maybe I could give him a basket on top of the fridge for his pocket things, then tie string from his keys to his lunch every night. How's that for a pain in the butt? Any other solutions out there? Sure! Lemme have 'em.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
College students, beware
I'm in the middle of a killer sinus infection today so lunch was Ramen noodles. To feed four of us, I made 6 packages in our largest saucepan (about 3 quarts of water, I think).
The water got to a nice slow start, thanks to the altitude, so even though it was a good, boiling temperature it was just sort of lazily heaving at the surface. I dumped all the little spice packets into a small bowl and got everything ready to go (after all, cooking Ramen in quantity is an art).
Both older kids were standing on a chair in front of the stove so they could help so I decided to just quickly dump the spices in so they could start adding the noodles.
As soon as I dumped the spices in, the water exploded. Not just "boiled over" or "slightly exceeded the limits of the sauce pan", no, it EXPLODED. It splashed all over the stove, managed to put the fire out completely, landed all over the floor, but thankfully didn't splash my terrified kids. Tag ran from the room screaming into the arms of Man while PB stood petrified with her hands over her mouth.
I had to use a lighter to get the flame going again but after a few more minutes we managed to enjoy our exploding Ramen.
So, college students (and moms who are sick and don't want to cook) beware the Ramen. It may be a cheap time saver but then you'll have to clean your sticky kitchen afterward.
The water got to a nice slow start, thanks to the altitude, so even though it was a good, boiling temperature it was just sort of lazily heaving at the surface. I dumped all the little spice packets into a small bowl and got everything ready to go (after all, cooking Ramen in quantity is an art).
Both older kids were standing on a chair in front of the stove so they could help so I decided to just quickly dump the spices in so they could start adding the noodles.
As soon as I dumped the spices in, the water exploded. Not just "boiled over" or "slightly exceeded the limits of the sauce pan", no, it EXPLODED. It splashed all over the stove, managed to put the fire out completely, landed all over the floor, but thankfully didn't splash my terrified kids. Tag ran from the room screaming into the arms of Man while PB stood petrified with her hands over her mouth.
I had to use a lighter to get the flame going again but after a few more minutes we managed to enjoy our exploding Ramen.
So, college students (and moms who are sick and don't want to cook) beware the Ramen. It may be a cheap time saver but then you'll have to clean your sticky kitchen afterward.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Curve balls
I'll be the first to point out that my gender guessing accuracy stands at precisely 25%. I was *positive* that this would be a boy. It's a situation just like PB, where we had a boy name all picked out and couldn't even think of a girl name. Well, back to the drawing board. We also are extremely picky in our criteria, so we'll just have to see what comes up.
I even had a whole "it's a boy!" blog in mind. Here's the song I adapted:
(sung to Eiffel 65's "Blue")
Blue is the color I shall paint his walls
Blue is the color of his little [ahem]
Blue are his curtains and his crib set to
I have a baby, and he is so blue.
He's blue da ba dee da ba die
da ba deeee da ba bah die... (etc)
So, now that it's a girl, which is great!, I need to think of a girl song.
[thinks]
All moms love a beautiful girl
And announce her to the rest of the world
I want to have one who will walk in the sun
Oh girls they want to have fun
Oh girls they are so much fun!
All that I really want
Some fun
When the working day is done
Girls--they want to have fun
Oh girls they are so much fun,
They want to have fun,
They want to have fun...
The idea I had behind wanting another boy was so that my cute Tag would have a brother. Everyone should have a brother. Oh, well. My dear brother had 3 sisters and so will Tag.
I wonder what she'll look like!! From the ultrasound it looked like she had a Pebbles mouth and nose, so we'll just have to see if Pebbles has a mini-me.
I even had a whole "it's a boy!" blog in mind. Here's the song I adapted:
(sung to Eiffel 65's "Blue")
Blue is the color I shall paint his walls
Blue is the color of his little [ahem]
Blue are his curtains and his crib set to
I have a baby, and he is so blue.
He's blue da ba dee da ba die
da ba deeee da ba bah die... (etc)
So, now that it's a girl, which is great!, I need to think of a girl song.
[thinks]
All moms love a beautiful girl
And announce her to the rest of the world
I want to have one who will walk in the sun
Oh girls they want to have fun
Oh girls they are so much fun!
All that I really want
Some fun
When the working day is done
Girls--they want to have fun
Oh girls they are so much fun,
They want to have fun,
They want to have fun...
The idea I had behind wanting another boy was so that my cute Tag would have a brother. Everyone should have a brother. Oh, well. My dear brother had 3 sisters and so will Tag.
I wonder what she'll look like!! From the ultrasound it looked like she had a Pebbles mouth and nose, so we'll just have to see if Pebbles has a mini-me.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Pink or blue?
Frodo is now Freeda! Despite the predictions of many, the lady doing the ultrasound was able to take a definite picture of little girl parts. :)
Now... to think of a name.
Now... to think of a name.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
On rashes
I took Princess to the dr today because of the rash on her face. It covered the bridge of her nose and all of her cheek bones in a bumpy, thick rash that just looked painful.
The dr said that it was likely to be caused by Fifth Disease. The rash just looked like an allergic reaction until the dr found out about her recent illness that is still lingering, listened to her lungs, and said that the rash is more likely of viral origin. When I was engaged to Man and brought him out here to meet the 'rents, my youngest sister had fifth disease and yes, I was prego. So I had to stay with friends while we were visiting so Frodo (who would become Princess Butterfly) wouldn't get miscarried. Ack!! Well, I looked it up and it only would have hurt the current Frodo in the first trimester. Which is crazy because she caught it maybe 1-2 weeks after my first trimester was completed. Besides, I only got a bit of a cold from it, which is also what Tag caught. What's puzzling is that Pebbles has not gotten the rash, but she didn't start into her illness until a week after PB did. PB is no longer contagious once the rash starts up, but she had been going to school for a week before the rash appeared. Gosh, I hope they don't come after me with the pitchforks and torches (a la Shrek). Thing is, I asked if I should bring her in with the cough and they said it was ok. -sigh-
So, the rash is looking a lot better today. It still looks uncomfortable even though she says it only hurts when she touches it. I just hope it doesn't scar. Dr said to use Tylenol if needed, Claritin, and plenty of sun screen.
Now, on to the next adventure!
The dr said that it was likely to be caused by Fifth Disease. The rash just looked like an allergic reaction until the dr found out about her recent illness that is still lingering, listened to her lungs, and said that the rash is more likely of viral origin. When I was engaged to Man and brought him out here to meet the 'rents, my youngest sister had fifth disease and yes, I was prego. So I had to stay with friends while we were visiting so Frodo (who would become Princess Butterfly) wouldn't get miscarried. Ack!! Well, I looked it up and it only would have hurt the current Frodo in the first trimester. Which is crazy because she caught it maybe 1-2 weeks after my first trimester was completed. Besides, I only got a bit of a cold from it, which is also what Tag caught. What's puzzling is that Pebbles has not gotten the rash, but she didn't start into her illness until a week after PB did. PB is no longer contagious once the rash starts up, but she had been going to school for a week before the rash appeared. Gosh, I hope they don't come after me with the pitchforks and torches (a la Shrek). Thing is, I asked if I should bring her in with the cough and they said it was ok. -sigh-
So, the rash is looking a lot better today. It still looks uncomfortable even though she says it only hurts when she touches it. I just hope it doesn't scar. Dr said to use Tylenol if needed, Claritin, and plenty of sun screen.
Now, on to the next adventure!
For my dear friend, KM
I'm writing just for you, so that I can say that I've written recently. :)
:smooch:
:smooch:
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
An odd morning
So I was chatting with my neighbor this morning and we ended up talking for about 2 hours. While we chatted, we observed the following bizarre occurrences: (yes, I'm colon happy today)
- A molecule-looking cluster of medium blue balloons tumbling down the lawns at quite a clip on the opposite side of the street, feeling only the slightest breeze ourselves.
- Two foam plates which looked perfectly clean and unused rolling like wagon wheels down the road next to each other. They went several yards before one fell over. The other wavered in the breeze that knocked over its fellow, did a sort of twisty flip, and then continued past our viewing range. We later found that it had fallen another several yards away. We wanted to reunite them since they seemed like such great friends until the gusts of life drove them forever apart. Sadly, tragedy was meant to be and they remain fallen and undisturbed.
- Tag made a keychain at that festival over the weekend to which I attached a carabiner so it's about 6 inches long now. He randomly tossed it high in the air and it got stuck, perfectly placed and balanced on the highest point of the playground equipment, about 15 feet in the air. That, folks, is a 1 in at least 1,000,000 shot for a kid his age.
- As E was explaining her favorite author, a feather flew from across the park on an almost perfectly steady course only to glide swiftly and effortlessly between her knees.
- A single humming bird, the only one I've seen in several months, came to inspect my nasturtiums.
Funny how the strangest things seem to happen all the time. How glad I am that E was happy to share my wonder at these small but somehow thrilling little things. I consider the morning well spent though. A little wonder can go a long way in refreshing ones perspective. E says that physics was merely taking a break this morning.
- A molecule-looking cluster of medium blue balloons tumbling down the lawns at quite a clip on the opposite side of the street, feeling only the slightest breeze ourselves.
- Two foam plates which looked perfectly clean and unused rolling like wagon wheels down the road next to each other. They went several yards before one fell over. The other wavered in the breeze that knocked over its fellow, did a sort of twisty flip, and then continued past our viewing range. We later found that it had fallen another several yards away. We wanted to reunite them since they seemed like such great friends until the gusts of life drove them forever apart. Sadly, tragedy was meant to be and they remain fallen and undisturbed.
- Tag made a keychain at that festival over the weekend to which I attached a carabiner so it's about 6 inches long now. He randomly tossed it high in the air and it got stuck, perfectly placed and balanced on the highest point of the playground equipment, about 15 feet in the air. That, folks, is a 1 in at least 1,000,000 shot for a kid his age.
- As E was explaining her favorite author, a feather flew from across the park on an almost perfectly steady course only to glide swiftly and effortlessly between her knees.
- A single humming bird, the only one I've seen in several months, came to inspect my nasturtiums.
Funny how the strangest things seem to happen all the time. How glad I am that E was happy to share my wonder at these small but somehow thrilling little things. I consider the morning well spent though. A little wonder can go a long way in refreshing ones perspective. E says that physics was merely taking a break this morning.
Jingles
Have you ever thought of a random jingle but you knew your genius would never see the light of day? Prepare to behold my genius.
The back of my little Softsoap soap dispenser has the following trademark phrase: Wash away the germs, feel the softness.
It occurred to me that this phrase was really dumb sounding and not catchy at all. When I think of catchy, it usually comes from songs or movies I've liked and that fit the meter of the message. If I were in marketing I'd buy the rights to "Killing Me Softly" and fork over this baby:
Killing germs, Softly.
Then you'd have the whole jingle (come on folks, imagine this with me)
Killing germs softly with this soap,
Killing them softly, with this soap,
Filling my whole nose, with its smell.
Killing germs softly.... with this soap!
Can't you just see it? Wouldn't you remember Softsoap forever as the germ killing, soft soap? Are you just totally dazzled?
Yeah, I won't quit my day job.
The back of my little Softsoap soap dispenser has the following trademark phrase: Wash away the germs, feel the softness.
It occurred to me that this phrase was really dumb sounding and not catchy at all. When I think of catchy, it usually comes from songs or movies I've liked and that fit the meter of the message. If I were in marketing I'd buy the rights to "Killing Me Softly" and fork over this baby:
Killing germs, Softly.
Then you'd have the whole jingle (come on folks, imagine this with me)
Killing germs softly with this soap,
Killing them softly, with this soap,
Filling my whole nose, with its smell.
Killing germs softly.... with this soap!
Can't you just see it? Wouldn't you remember Softsoap forever as the germ killing, soft soap? Are you just totally dazzled?
Yeah, I won't quit my day job.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
My daughter, future domestic goddess
Princess just loves telling me what rules and foods she's going to have for her future children. Today we made zucchini muffins and she asked with gusto after her first buttered muffin if I could please write this recipe down so she can make it for her kids. lol!
I remember my Mom's zucchini bread. Oh, that stuff was so great. Like her strawberry bread, cinnamon rolls, homemade bread with chicken soup, and believe it or not I still occasionally crave that tuna-cheddar chowder with buttered toast. Oh, and those rolls stuffed with that egg and olive stuff (hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. They were super-tasty).
Then there's Dad's potato salad! He always made enough of that to feed a whole houseful of people at the grandfolks' house, with leftovers for a couple of days afterward.
He also used to make jokes about omelets. Or... maybe we thought he was joking sometimes and then it evolved into really being a joke. Anyway, every leftover we had we would say that Dad was going to make an omelet out of it. Spaghetti, pizza, potato soup, enchiladas, chili, hotdogs, you name it, we thought of and laughed at and reviled the idea of them all. Then, years later, it occurred to me that many of these formerly gross omelets actually sounded pretty yummy. And who doesn't love a good chili and cheese omelet?
I remember my Mom's zucchini bread. Oh, that stuff was so great. Like her strawberry bread, cinnamon rolls, homemade bread with chicken soup, and believe it or not I still occasionally crave that tuna-cheddar chowder with buttered toast. Oh, and those rolls stuffed with that egg and olive stuff (hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. They were super-tasty).
Then there's Dad's potato salad! He always made enough of that to feed a whole houseful of people at the grandfolks' house, with leftovers for a couple of days afterward.
He also used to make jokes about omelets. Or... maybe we thought he was joking sometimes and then it evolved into really being a joke. Anyway, every leftover we had we would say that Dad was going to make an omelet out of it. Spaghetti, pizza, potato soup, enchiladas, chili, hotdogs, you name it, we thought of and laughed at and reviled the idea of them all. Then, years later, it occurred to me that many of these formerly gross omelets actually sounded pretty yummy. And who doesn't love a good chili and cheese omelet?
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Weekend
Do you ever make something for dinner with a fair amount of regularity, then somehow forget about it, then have your spouse recall it with amour, and you have no idea how to make it anymore?
Well, I have. I used to make a hoisin chicken dish that Man just loved. Even if I doubled the recipe there was never enough for him to take to work the next day. I've been trying to remember how to make it all over again but this time I'm trying to get it right with the pregnancy olfactory unsystem working against me.
Let this be a lesson to me!! Always write recipes down once I get them right.
Speaking of getting recipes right, I stumbled upon one for ginger bread that looks really yummy. I mixed it up and with relief found that I had just the right amount of molasses on hand, smelled it baking and longed for that first, moist bite. Well, when that first bite came I found that it tasted a lot like burnt tree bark. Man took a bite, contemplated the flavor, looked at my molasses jar, and said "holy cow, you used blackstrap molasses! Ugh, argh!!"
Let that be another lesson to me. Black strap molasses is NOT what recipes call for when baking ginger bread.
We went to a back to school festival yesterday at the local outdoor mall. It was just another long series of tables featuring various merchants and non profit organizations handing out pens and lollipops. Princess and Tag got to make beaded kaychains though, and we now have enough keychains from the Army table to last us a very long time. We did have lunch at Chipotle, so that made up for a lot.
This morning we woke up with every last one of us either in the midst of illness or still on the mend, so we decided to skip Stake Conference, bum around, and make toxic-tasting ginger bread. Oh, and we watched a movie called Mobsters and Mormons which I recommend. The stereotypes were just etched in neon but the message was really great.
Miss Pebbles has been feeling significantly better in the last couple of days. It's such a relief to have her smiling and playing on her own rather than crying and clinging all day long. It makes such a world of difference to have my happy, sweet girl back!
Hehe. Time for another fun filled week. Events to look forward to: Watching a friend's kids for a couple of hours three days this week and an ultrasound on Friday. I feel tired even thinking about it.
Well, I have. I used to make a hoisin chicken dish that Man just loved. Even if I doubled the recipe there was never enough for him to take to work the next day. I've been trying to remember how to make it all over again but this time I'm trying to get it right with the pregnancy olfactory unsystem working against me.
Let this be a lesson to me!! Always write recipes down once I get them right.
Speaking of getting recipes right, I stumbled upon one for ginger bread that looks really yummy. I mixed it up and with relief found that I had just the right amount of molasses on hand, smelled it baking and longed for that first, moist bite. Well, when that first bite came I found that it tasted a lot like burnt tree bark. Man took a bite, contemplated the flavor, looked at my molasses jar, and said "holy cow, you used blackstrap molasses! Ugh, argh!!"
Let that be another lesson to me. Black strap molasses is NOT what recipes call for when baking ginger bread.
We went to a back to school festival yesterday at the local outdoor mall. It was just another long series of tables featuring various merchants and non profit organizations handing out pens and lollipops. Princess and Tag got to make beaded kaychains though, and we now have enough keychains from the Army table to last us a very long time. We did have lunch at Chipotle, so that made up for a lot.
This morning we woke up with every last one of us either in the midst of illness or still on the mend, so we decided to skip Stake Conference, bum around, and make toxic-tasting ginger bread. Oh, and we watched a movie called Mobsters and Mormons which I recommend. The stereotypes were just etched in neon but the message was really great.
Miss Pebbles has been feeling significantly better in the last couple of days. It's such a relief to have her smiling and playing on her own rather than crying and clinging all day long. It makes such a world of difference to have my happy, sweet girl back!
Hehe. Time for another fun filled week. Events to look forward to: Watching a friend's kids for a couple of hours three days this week and an ultrasound on Friday. I feel tired even thinking about it.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
An interestesting day (again)
This morning we decided to just drop Princess off and let her find her own classroom. As she trotted off to class, I pulled up a bit in the drop off lane so I could get a good view of her classroom and the adjacent park to make sure she got there alright. Of course she did, and I watched for just a while longer. It's funny how it was harder for me to drop her off like that than it is to walk her to her classroom. She really is growing up.
All of my maternal hormones are kicking into high gear. I read about someone I know and how she went in for an induction, had her IV in, and then her dr comes to tell her that he won't do a VBAC after all, so she can either have an immediate C-section or go home and wait to go into natural labor or go ahead and have a C-section at 42 weeks anyway. I cried a little. Books, news, and movies don't bother me unless it involves children or parents (well, except for Super Inframan last night that Man and I watched while I folded laundry... that was cheesy enough to be enjoyable).
I'm also finally getting sick but thankfully with a mild cold rather than the devastatingly energy sucking, misery inducing monster the girls both got. Maybe I've already paid my dues in the respiratory illness department. Some of my relatives will remember how often I got those growing up.
Yesterday I had gone to pick Princess up from school then went to the grocery store, got home, got the kids out of the car, then realized that I had locked my keys in the car. Along with the groceries. Thankfully I hadn't bought much in the way of cold things. I got Tag to break into the house for me so we weren't locked out, but we did miss an afternoon appointment. Man came home about 3.5 hours later when we went to inspect the damage to food. To my amazement, the frozen ground beef I bought was still frozen through, having been placed next to our picnic blanket and under other groceries. It's also a good thing that it wasn't a Costco shopping trip I locked in the van or I woulda been pissed off. Lesson learned: extra keys will be made today.
I made a big pot of stew for dinner with the intention of sharing with a lady who had recently had a baby. I misjudged how long it would take to cook and it wasn't done until 9pm. We had french fries, watermelon, and homemade cheddar biscuits for dinner. It's a good thing stew has great reheating value.
So, at the end of a day filled with some semi-spectacular errors on my part, it was nice to just laugh at an old 80's Chinese super hero movie and decide to honor my new "non-guilt" policy.
Oh, and one more thing for this really long post -- Princess came home to let me know that she shouldn't have any more juice in her lunches because it's been upsetting her digestion, that I had been filling her thermos too full which made the teacher spill when she opened it, and this of course came after the locked van thing. I can just see it happening right now. I'm already losing some credit in her eyes because she now has opportunities to correct my mistakes with authority and experience. It's all downhill from here on out until she has her first baby, and even then I'll never quite be the glorious guru and haven of security I used to be in her sparkling eyes. I love you Mom! You're a glorious haven figure! Really!!
All of my maternal hormones are kicking into high gear. I read about someone I know and how she went in for an induction, had her IV in, and then her dr comes to tell her that he won't do a VBAC after all, so she can either have an immediate C-section or go home and wait to go into natural labor or go ahead and have a C-section at 42 weeks anyway. I cried a little. Books, news, and movies don't bother me unless it involves children or parents (well, except for Super Inframan last night that Man and I watched while I folded laundry... that was cheesy enough to be enjoyable).
I'm also finally getting sick but thankfully with a mild cold rather than the devastatingly energy sucking, misery inducing monster the girls both got. Maybe I've already paid my dues in the respiratory illness department. Some of my relatives will remember how often I got those growing up.
Yesterday I had gone to pick Princess up from school then went to the grocery store, got home, got the kids out of the car, then realized that I had locked my keys in the car. Along with the groceries. Thankfully I hadn't bought much in the way of cold things. I got Tag to break into the house for me so we weren't locked out, but we did miss an afternoon appointment. Man came home about 3.5 hours later when we went to inspect the damage to food. To my amazement, the frozen ground beef I bought was still frozen through, having been placed next to our picnic blanket and under other groceries. It's also a good thing that it wasn't a Costco shopping trip I locked in the van or I woulda been pissed off. Lesson learned: extra keys will be made today.
I made a big pot of stew for dinner with the intention of sharing with a lady who had recently had a baby. I misjudged how long it would take to cook and it wasn't done until 9pm. We had french fries, watermelon, and homemade cheddar biscuits for dinner. It's a good thing stew has great reheating value.
So, at the end of a day filled with some semi-spectacular errors on my part, it was nice to just laugh at an old 80's Chinese super hero movie and decide to honor my new "non-guilt" policy.
Oh, and one more thing for this really long post -- Princess came home to let me know that she shouldn't have any more juice in her lunches because it's been upsetting her digestion, that I had been filling her thermos too full which made the teacher spill when she opened it, and this of course came after the locked van thing. I can just see it happening right now. I'm already losing some credit in her eyes because she now has opportunities to correct my mistakes with authority and experience. It's all downhill from here on out until she has her first baby, and even then I'll never quite be the glorious guru and haven of security I used to be in her sparkling eyes. I love you Mom! You're a glorious haven figure! Really!!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
It's so.... quiet!
First day of school was quiet because Princess was gone, Pebbles was taking a nap, and Tag was behaving himself. Second day was quiet because Pebbles slept twice and Tag was gone at a friend's house almost all day long. Well, quiet while Pebbles slept and noisey while she was awake because she was so miserable from illness. Today... Pebbles feels a bit better, Tag is once again at his friend's house, and I'm just in heaven. Who knew that despite the extra chore of dropping off and picking up my sweet girl, it would make such a difference in the overall noise and stress levels?
I wonder if the house will stay cleaner this way. Who knows.
I wonder if the house will stay cleaner this way. Who knows.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Oh what a day!
Yesterday!! What the day. Poor Man came home to quite the series of stories.
First of all, Princess had her first day of school yesterday!! She already had a backpack so we went and got her a lunchbox and thermos and stickers to decorate them. She did so well in the morning. She had laid out her clothes the night before, made her own lunch the night before, and practically danced into her classroom. She danced on the way home. We inspected her backpack and found a simple worksheet (draw A's and a's). I asked if her teacher wanted it back the next day. She didn't know. I said, well, do it anyway, take it back, and that way you'll be prepared. Next thing I know, she's coming out to the living room crying that she can't make a's. Why not? I asked.
They aren't perfect!!
That plaintive whine pierced my sorry little heart. We had quite the talk about "perfect" vs. "wonderful" and which one really was ok. And of course how it's ok to work to make something absolutely wonderful and amazing, but for right now just practice.
It took her about an hour of whining and crying about her inadequacies to finally sit down and write out 4 a's, which I praised, sighed in relief, and told her to put it in her new folder in her backpack.
Of course she didn't like it when I pointed out that she'd been whining for so long, it takes less than a minute to write 4 a's, why is she torturing herself? And I'm finally starting to see more of what my own attitude toward myself is doing to my daughter who is more than a little like her old lady.
A friend I talked to about this said "Hard to see our imperfections in our kids, isn't it?"
My reply: It's brutal.
Anyway, she played with a friend after that and all was well.
On to Tag's cast. Right after we dropped off Princess, we wandered on over to get his cast off. I mentioned to the dr and nurse that it had itched that week so I let him use a chopstick to get some relief. They both looked at each other and said:
"uh-oh."
Me: No, no, it's didn't break off or anything. Nothing got lost in there.
Nurse: Oh, good. What did we find just the other day? An acrylic fingernail? [shudders]
Me: Oh, gosh, that was quite the itch.
[break for actually taking Tag's cast off]
Nurse: Holy cow, a penny!!
Tag: Yep! I was keeping it safe.
A friend came to visit me, the kids brought their friends over to play, I cleaned the house while the kids were distracted, we had dinner, and then I got an email to let me know that while my dad had experienced another stroke, this one was much more mild and wasn't likely to affect him as much as that last one. I had phoned my parents' house so Tag could talk to his Oma on the phone and got Uncle Romeo instead, who let me know that my parents were on their way to the hospital due to Dad having numbness over half of his body. I felt some fear, dread, worry. I found myself wondering if he had written out his mission or theater stories. We used to love it when the Missionaries came over for dinner because out the stories would come and we'd laugh so hard and just loved sharing something with Dad that he loved so well. And none of us can tell them as well as he can.
Pebbles cried all day long in the misery of her illness despite my best efforts to keep her comfortable. We put the kids in bed early. That was nice.
Today: Errands. Maybe a nap. I went to be too late last night.
First of all, Princess had her first day of school yesterday!! She already had a backpack so we went and got her a lunchbox and thermos and stickers to decorate them. She did so well in the morning. She had laid out her clothes the night before, made her own lunch the night before, and practically danced into her classroom. She danced on the way home. We inspected her backpack and found a simple worksheet (draw A's and a's). I asked if her teacher wanted it back the next day. She didn't know. I said, well, do it anyway, take it back, and that way you'll be prepared. Next thing I know, she's coming out to the living room crying that she can't make a's. Why not? I asked.
They aren't perfect!!
That plaintive whine pierced my sorry little heart. We had quite the talk about "perfect" vs. "wonderful" and which one really was ok. And of course how it's ok to work to make something absolutely wonderful and amazing, but for right now just practice.
It took her about an hour of whining and crying about her inadequacies to finally sit down and write out 4 a's, which I praised, sighed in relief, and told her to put it in her new folder in her backpack.
Of course she didn't like it when I pointed out that she'd been whining for so long, it takes less than a minute to write 4 a's, why is she torturing herself? And I'm finally starting to see more of what my own attitude toward myself is doing to my daughter who is more than a little like her old lady.
A friend I talked to about this said "Hard to see our imperfections in our kids, isn't it?"
My reply: It's brutal.
Anyway, she played with a friend after that and all was well.
On to Tag's cast. Right after we dropped off Princess, we wandered on over to get his cast off. I mentioned to the dr and nurse that it had itched that week so I let him use a chopstick to get some relief. They both looked at each other and said:
"uh-oh."
Me: No, no, it's didn't break off or anything. Nothing got lost in there.
Nurse: Oh, good. What did we find just the other day? An acrylic fingernail? [shudders]
Me: Oh, gosh, that was quite the itch.
[break for actually taking Tag's cast off]
Nurse: Holy cow, a penny!!
Tag: Yep! I was keeping it safe.
A friend came to visit me, the kids brought their friends over to play, I cleaned the house while the kids were distracted, we had dinner, and then I got an email to let me know that while my dad had experienced another stroke, this one was much more mild and wasn't likely to affect him as much as that last one. I had phoned my parents' house so Tag could talk to his Oma on the phone and got Uncle Romeo instead, who let me know that my parents were on their way to the hospital due to Dad having numbness over half of his body. I felt some fear, dread, worry. I found myself wondering if he had written out his mission or theater stories. We used to love it when the Missionaries came over for dinner because out the stories would come and we'd laugh so hard and just loved sharing something with Dad that he loved so well. And none of us can tell them as well as he can.
Pebbles cried all day long in the misery of her illness despite my best efforts to keep her comfortable. We put the kids in bed early. That was nice.
Today: Errands. Maybe a nap. I went to be too late last night.
Friday, August 03, 2007
10 Minutes After a Bath
Of course, this pic does not do justice to the peanut butter on her hands, clothes, and my pants by the time I was done taking her picture.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Politics and policies
Last night we had an FRG meeting for the company during which I found myself conversing rather extensively with the Captain (who commands the company) regarding the calendar. One of the items coming up next month is an AFAP panel (Armed Forces Action Plan) which is of interest since the panel discusses issues of concern across the whole spectrum of military life. After the FRG meeting, the Captain and two Sergeants were chatting about some AFAP issues they were particularly interested in but they had all congregated around my table since the Captian had come over to me to again discuss the calendar. It was odd to be chatting with an officer and a couple of NCO's while Man kept busy on the other side of the room, keeping kids in line while he waited for me so we could go home. Oddly, some portion of what I had discussed with the Colonel (who is a Garrison Commander) came up in the conversation as well, not that I bandy an officer's name so lightly.
Afterward I asked Man if it bothered him that I was rubbing shoulders with several of his superiors when he, technically, shouldn't. He said it was fine but I could tell that it made him nervous, hoping that my being on the radar would have a positive or neutral impact on their view of him.
The truth is, I hate politics. I treat people with respect but I don't play the flattery game. I really don't like how some people try to "get one the good side of" or "try to make head way with" or otherwise play people. The reason I do the calendar is because I like to have information. Being part of the system means that I get to hear a lot more of what the higher ups personally have to say rather than relying on rumors or websites. I'm not looking for classified information or an edge on my husband's career. I just want to know what going on in the world around me, what impact it'll have on my family, how to negotiate the difficult bits, and how to survive. In the mean time, that means putting forth a bit of effort and interest in the community. And maybe making my husband a bit uncomfortable.
Why does this matter? I sort of wonder if I'm being played. I wonder if the system is so scintillatingly enticing that I'm being suckered into playing for what I want and being made useful so that others have what they want. And then I wonder if that's really so bad. It's all one common cause, isn't it? I've spent most of my thinking life enjoying my differences as a defense against not being able to play along, being torn between the rebel and the benefits of just fitting in. Once again, here I am justifying my involvement in the community by saying it's all for selfish purposes. It doesn't really mean that I'm trying to fit in. But I find that even though I'm not trying to, a place is slowly being made for me. In my quest for finding and knowing, I've sort of unwittingly created an acknowledgement of a need I fill. It's awkward for a semi-backward country girl with little "real life" experience to be dropped in the middle of the military and find that I have a place. I didn't mean to!!
But aren't my experiences real? Bad relationships, great relationships, living in a few states, totalled cars, health problems for children, my husband's job so directly impacted by politics, and all of this I have studied and experienced and plunged through and come out alright so far. Can I now say that I'm no longer totally ignorant, sheltered, and inexperienced? I guess I'm waiting for my permission switch to flip so I can fully acknowledge and accept my adulthood and autonomy. I've spent too long in the mentallity that others have assigned to me and recalling labels that felt too real to me. Maybe this is the root of my angst concerning the organization of my home among other things.
Well, that's good to know. Moving on.
Afterward I asked Man if it bothered him that I was rubbing shoulders with several of his superiors when he, technically, shouldn't. He said it was fine but I could tell that it made him nervous, hoping that my being on the radar would have a positive or neutral impact on their view of him.
The truth is, I hate politics. I treat people with respect but I don't play the flattery game. I really don't like how some people try to "get one the good side of" or "try to make head way with" or otherwise play people. The reason I do the calendar is because I like to have information. Being part of the system means that I get to hear a lot more of what the higher ups personally have to say rather than relying on rumors or websites. I'm not looking for classified information or an edge on my husband's career. I just want to know what going on in the world around me, what impact it'll have on my family, how to negotiate the difficult bits, and how to survive. In the mean time, that means putting forth a bit of effort and interest in the community. And maybe making my husband a bit uncomfortable.
Why does this matter? I sort of wonder if I'm being played. I wonder if the system is so scintillatingly enticing that I'm being suckered into playing for what I want and being made useful so that others have what they want. And then I wonder if that's really so bad. It's all one common cause, isn't it? I've spent most of my thinking life enjoying my differences as a defense against not being able to play along, being torn between the rebel and the benefits of just fitting in. Once again, here I am justifying my involvement in the community by saying it's all for selfish purposes. It doesn't really mean that I'm trying to fit in. But I find that even though I'm not trying to, a place is slowly being made for me. In my quest for finding and knowing, I've sort of unwittingly created an acknowledgement of a need I fill. It's awkward for a semi-backward country girl with little "real life" experience to be dropped in the middle of the military and find that I have a place. I didn't mean to!!
But aren't my experiences real? Bad relationships, great relationships, living in a few states, totalled cars, health problems for children, my husband's job so directly impacted by politics, and all of this I have studied and experienced and plunged through and come out alright so far. Can I now say that I'm no longer totally ignorant, sheltered, and inexperienced? I guess I'm waiting for my permission switch to flip so I can fully acknowledge and accept my adulthood and autonomy. I've spent too long in the mentallity that others have assigned to me and recalling labels that felt too real to me. Maybe this is the root of my angst concerning the organization of my home among other things.
Well, that's good to know. Moving on.
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