Back to the Books

While at book club this weekend, a few of the ladies mentioned that I haven't written a summary post or email of our meetings lately. I don't know why...maybe I got lazy, or maybe too many ladies were horrified by their conversations being out-ed! In any case, permission was given for me to continue, and so I will.

We met Saturday evening with 6 members present. We discussed The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller. (This is kind of a detour from our usual selections, and I was especially skeptical, since as a rule I avoid non-fiction and usually avoid Christian books also. Not that I am advocating these tastes, AT ALL. I wish I read more of both types of books. But I don't. Anyway, The Prodigal God is actually the subject of a Bible study at our church, so I was rather unsure of how that would translate into a book club selection. But it did! Mostly because it is easy to read (not like Mere Christianity, in my humble & shallow opinion!) and short. For those unfamiliar, the book explores Jesus' parable usually known as The Prodigal Son - but renames it Two Lost Brothers.

Some topics of discussion:

1. Most of us are "elder brother" types - became Christians at a young age, and admit to being a tish - or more- judgemental of those who don't live up to our high moral standards
2. IA said that she identified more as a "younger brother" - lived a more indulgent lifestyle until finding Christ during college.
3. All were convicted by the explanation (and main point) of the book that both the elder & younger brother are separated from the Father.
4. Lyz said that during the section on the TRUE elder brother (that would be Christ), she started by thinking, "well, of course that elder brother should have gone in to the feast and rejoiced with the returned younger brother" - but Keller goes waaay further and says that a TRUE elder would have gone searching for the younger brother after he left, brought him back, and held the party himself. This is, of course, what happens in heaven every time a lamb returns to the fold.
5. It's usually harder for an elder brother to attend the feast than the younger brother, since their pride in their good behavior keeps them from God.
6. Since it is soo easy to become an elder brother (even the younger brothers do after becoming Christians!) it is that much more necessary to remind ourselves of God's great love & necessary mercy - and also examine the motives of our behavior. Are we "being good" because then God "owes" us a pleasant life? Or are we doing what He asks and commands because we love Him & recognize His sacrifice for us? Hmmm.... it's a fine line.

Other topics covered:
- Bacon, and the benefits of cooking it outside
- the possibility of flooding in the Red River Valley this spring, and how it's all the fault of farming in a lake bed. And then building a city there, too.
- You can reminisce all you want, but if you try to recreate the experience, you will inevitably fail. Unless it involves Dorothy Lynch salad dressing.
- Family farms cause great conflict when it comes time to "divide the inheritance".
- Babies are a sweet. And a giant pain. Reflux, diaper rash, eating...and totally unreliable. You can't even predict their size based on their siblings! And then there is the whole issue of potty training...don't get me started. I'm serious.

Other books or authors mentioned/suggested:

Annie Lamott (sp?)
The Great Divorce by CS Lewis (NOT about marriage issues...)
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (none of us had ever heard of it or the author, but apparently it's never been out of print?!)
Middlesex - Which had us discussing the possibility of true gender confusion

And then we also had a book exchange, where some of us may operate under different motivations. For instance, it seems that most brought books that they truly thought others may enjoy, and Lyz simply brought books she wanted to get rid of. Too bad for N! That poor lady got a piece of smut from an airport bookstore. At Home in Mitford (by Jan Karan, the first in a series) and The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency were big hits (at least to this member). Of course, the one I ended the night with was CS Lewis & Sigmund Freud debating the topics of love, sex, marriage & God. Doesn't that sound like a page turner? Well, maybe for you.... Thanks to E for trading an Amy Tan novel with me!

The next meeting will be at G's house (again! The woman is earning riches in heaven...so is her husband) on March 13th, and we will discuss our classics selection, Ethan Fromme by Edith Wharton. This is a very short and easier-to-read novel, and many of us have copies, so if you need one, talk to us first.

Happy reading!

Mommy, CEO

My first two years of college were spent at a small women's two-year school called Cottey College. Cottey is located right in the center of the US (or thereabouts) - Nevada, Missouri. And no, that's not Nevada as in the state - it's pronounced Ne-VAY-da. Just so you know.

Since Cottey is a two-year school and has rather high admittance requirements (I just barely snuck in), most of the graduates transfer to other colleges or universities, including Ivy-League types. And then lots of those super-intelligent women go on to fancy -pants careers. Obviously, I'm not one of them, and I may have a teensy bit of insecurity about that fact.

A couple years ago, Cottey decided to put out an alumni book, and sent out rather in depth survey asking for current info. I filled it out, sent it in, and then a few months later got a confirmation phone call from some lady. She made sure all my answers were current, but questioned me about one. I stuck to my guns, though.

The actual book arrived in the middle of life, so I glanced through it, checked out a couple of old friends' listings, and stuck it onto a shelf. Last night I pulled it out and started at the beginning of my class's names. While looking at their schools, degrees, and careers, I was starting to feel that old insecurity creep in...What did YOU do with your education? You only taught for three years...and isn't teaching at a middle school kind of waste of all that nail-biting work at Cottey?...THIS girl was a film editor for major movie studios! THIS one is teaching at a university! THIS one started her own business! WHAT have you done?

Then I stumbled upon my own listing. And what had I written?

Well, here's the first part of the entry, (with my explanations):

Smith, Mrs. Liz. AA (degree from Cottey); '99 BA (from) Univ. of ND; (job title) Household & Family Engineer, (employer) Smith Family

Yeah baby. Now THAT's a life update. It also made me laugh outloud.

Hmm, my hearing could use a tweak maybe...

Today was the big day. I got up at 6:15am, showered & dressed, let my mom into the house, woke Adam up for breakfast and then put him back to bed again. Grabbed a bagel and Aaron and I headed out the door to TLC Eye Clinic for my date with a laser at 7am.

They mercifully gave me 1/2 of a Valium right off the bat, but I'm not sure how much it helped, since the surgeon still seemed a little frustrated by my refusal to open my eyes wide enough. First they put a wire-springy thing on to keep my lids open - it seemed a little like an eyelash curler. As I stared at a circle of lights above, they put some kind of suction on my eyes which made my vision go black. It took about 10 seconds for each eye.Then it was over.

After resting in a cozy recliner for about 20 minutes, my knight in shining armor was there to whisk me away. At least, I hoped it was Aaron - I would have walked out the door with any guy wearing the same coat. Immediately after we got home, I prepared for a long nap by putting on the very sexy goggles that I'll be wearing while sleeping for the next week. With the room completely dark, and oh yeah! the two Tylenol PM's I took ...the next thing I remember is Aaron waking me up and telling me it was time to wake up. Because it was 12:45 and I'd been sleeping for over four hours. I highly recommend THAT part.

Aaron had a Culver's burger waiting for me, which meant more than just a good lunch - I am definitely the Culver's fan in the family. He even brought me a bag of chips AND a Pepsi. At that point, I felt a bit like an invalid, so it was sure nice not to have to stumble around on my own. By the way, while I was having this cosmetic (according to the insurance companies!) procedure done, he also took Leah to school, took out the garbage, loaded up all the kids to get Leah at school and let them play outside for a bit. This may not sound like much (after all, I do it every day!) but he's not used to it, and it is HIS day off, after all. Anyway, thanks honey! I really appreciated it, and could relax knowing you had everything under control.

After just a bit things cleared up and I started the hourly regimen of a variety of eye drops. By dinner time I was seeing at least as well as I had while wearing glasses, but it's expected that my vision will continue to improve for the next couple of months.

Leah refused to look at my eyes, and here's why:

I guess the blood spots (from the suction) freak her out a bit. It does look a little gross, I have to admit. Also, to get this photo I had to take it in the mirror with the flash off - couldn't keep my darn eyes open for the flash. I've always been pretty light sensitive (like, at movies when a dark scene suddenly switches to a bright one, I can't look at the screen and my eyes water), which maybe I should have warned the surgeon about beforehand.

Aaron is a bit jealous, since he didn't get quite the solid nap after his surgery that I did, and so suffered more. I have a check up appointment tomorrow right after dropping Leah off for school, and then another in a week, and then in a month.

But dude, that nap was worth it.

And the seeing without assistance is pretty great too.

I'll also be wary of full moons, just in case.

Today, in brief: Up until 1:30 am last night with Adam, who now appears to be cutting a 4th tooth. Ran Ben to the potty about 15 times in 90 minutes, but he did indeed poop (entirely in the toilet, unlike several times this weekend). Leah is staying home from school tomorrow, as she has a fever and took a nap at 5pm on the couch. And then only ate ONE plain pancake for supper. This is where things stand today, and it is probably all the result of our weekend.

We took a mini-vacation this past weekend, and everyone keeps asking if we had fun. We drove 4 hours with 3 little kids, stayed in a hotel for one night, visited 3 groups of people in 12 hours, and then drove another 1 1/2 hours, plus an extra 30 min for getting lost in the dark with 3 hungry & tired little kids before finally making it to Aaron's sister's house. Does this sound like fun to you?

We need about a two year vacation from vacations.

We definitely enjoyed parts, though. We love visiting our family and friends and getting a chance to bond with the littlest ones. There was a super-fast trip to Ikea that was especially fun for me, since I was finally able to get my paws on two items that were unavailable on my last visit. SIL Lisa and her hubs Mike have a great place near Brainerd, MN and are wonderful hosts. I love solving all the problems of the world with them and letting them feed me. (Want to know what I had for breakfast both mornings? Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake. I can claim ignorance the first time, but that second meal was pretty sinful.)

But. I want to tell you this little story that tickles me every time I think about it.

That first night we stayed in a king suite at a hotel, and we put both the "big" kids on the pull out sofa. It wasn't in a separate room, just a sitting area. Adam was in the pack & play on the other side of the room by our bed. And Aaron had a Netflix movie with us.

So he piled all the extra pillows in the corner of the room against the door. He also rescued from freezing in the van the 3 bottles of sparkling pear juice purchased at Ikea, and the chocolates, too. (He thought that I should wait until Valentine's Day to crack them open, but I argued that since I bought them myself -while he was kid-wrangling- I could eat them whenever I darn well wanted.) We have headphones for the kids to use in the van, and I even had the splitter with us, so we plugged them in and then watched a movie on our laptop - and that movie? Shaun of the Dead. If you aren't familiar, it's kind of a mock-zombie movie. But the gore is real. I'm fairly sure there's been few more inappropriate movies to be watching while within 5 feet of your babies.

Within minutes of the movie finishing, Ben woke up, stuck his arms straight out and moaned, "Moooommmy...sweep wif me....." and then Leah also woke up and moaned, "Lay with meeeee this tiiiiime...." I quickly got them reassured and back to sleep, but they both seemed a little too zombie-ish for me to keep from giggling.

The Eyes Have It.

I finally got around to randomly choosing the winner of my book giveaway. And believe it or not, that winner is Melissa! Mel, you seem to strike gold on my giveaways. Good for you! I'll try to get that book out to you next week, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Pass it on when you finish!

More housekeeping: Are you a Facebook fan? So many of my wonderful friends and family are, and even some friends of friends who I've never met! Thanks! Now, are you a "follower" of the blog? Blogger has a great following system that lets you see which of your favorite blogs have new posts - go try it out! Well...what are you waiting for?

Okay, that's just about enough self-promotion for today.

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Today was just filled with randomness. It started with an eye appointment at 8:30am. I'm getting LASIK eye surgery next week, when I will finally be done wearing my glasses. Because I have an astigmatism, I get to wear them for 3 weeks, presurgery. I'm convinced that this is a sales tactic. If you were allowed to wear your contacts right up to your surgery, it wouldn't seem like such a big deal to wake up with nearly perfect vision. But, if you have to wear your hideous, greasy-nose making, zit-inducing, ear-hurting, six-year-old glasses for almost a month first, well, THEN that nearly perfect vision (minus the hardware or contacts) seems nearly miraculous.

I haven't figured out yet how cell phones can get the Internet (or how the Internet even works, really), so I'm really trying not to think about how a laser cutting my eye is a GOOD thing.

After the eye appointment, I was a guest at Leah's school at 10am for the Mom's Valentine Tea. Okay, we didn't have tea (it was cherry 7-Up, I think) and the treats were chocolate-frosted donuts, but it was fun to have this special morning with Leah, since Aaron had the boys. The moms helped decorate Valentine boxes, tried to identify ourselves from the portraits drawn by our kids, and found out what they REALLY think about us from the answers on a brief survey. I was really bracing myself, but Leah's answers were very sweet.

Then ANOTHER eye appointment right after lunch. Ack. This one was brutal, but mostly just because of the dilating eye drops they had to use. Do you know what happens when your pupils are dilated? They let in a lot of light. Which is good, if you are trying to put a pacifier in a crying baby's mouth at 2am, or staggering to the bathroom in the early morning hours. It is NOT, however, good when you are trying to drive home at 2:30pm in a town filled with really white snow drifts. I drove home with one eye open, and was very glad that we live close to the clinic. Yikes. Thank you, Mr. or Ms. Driver who let me turn onto the street in front of them and didn't get all bent out of shape. Of course, the 3-foot drifts don't really help with the visibility.

After getting home, my eyes were still bugging out - I couldn't read any print, and a headache was forming. So I retreated and let my eyes have some self-defense in the form of a nap while Aaron took Leah to gymnastics. My very kind next-door neighbor woke me after half an hour, but I don't remember answering the door. And I think I chatted with her for a few minutes before fully comprehending who she was.

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We are heading out of town to visit some family this weekend, so I'm taking a short break from the blogging business. Ben will be wearing undies on the vacation, so if you see a minivan screeching to a halt in front of the gas station and a mom flying out with a little boy, just let us into the bathroom first. You won't regret it.

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What's the worst physical conditions you've ever driven under? You know, those times that you were debating calling for a ride? Or, if that answer may be too incriminating...How do you feel about your glasses? Or having your eyes cut into with a laser? Are your snow drifts taller than you yet?

Just another day in paradise.

Ben has developed a new way of sharing information, and it's along the lines of the joke, "Who has two thumbs and likes football? THIS guy," (pointing thumbs at self). For instance:

"Mommy, guess what I'm keepin dwy? My underweawr."
"Guess who wikes peanut buttah fwanwiches? Me do."
"Mommy, what wimes wif Target? Target." (We're still working on the concept of rhyming.)

And my favorite, "Mommy, what do dogs eat? Dog food. And frimp (shrimp)." Not sure where he got that one!

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Leah had her 100th day of school today, and she got to spend the whole day there, instead of just the morning as usual. Sometimes I think she's getting all mature on me, and then sometimes I am thrilled with evidence of her innocence. Like today, when she wasn't sure if "Granny D" was REALLY her teacher's grandmother or Mrs. D in disguise. Or when, awhile back, she was convinced that her friend Addie was a real fairy, and had turned Leah and some other friends also into fairies. Eventually Leah put two and two together (in this case, the fact that she couldn't fly) and realized that Addie had been pretending the whole thing.

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When Leah came home at 3:30, Ben rushed up to her and said, "Weah, me miss you! Me fwink Mrs. D was going to keep you all DAY!" Poor boy, he asked several times when we were going to pick Leah up, although I think that part of the draw is playing with his friend C at the students' recess time. I don't know what we are going to do with ourselves next year. Oh wait. We'll probably be busy trying to keep Adam from seriously injuring himself.

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Milestone updates: Ben wore underwear all day today, completely successful, even with gymnastics this morning and Awana in the evening. He had a diaper on this morning still from overnight, but still told me when he had to go potty. Which makes me think that nighttime diapers may be on their way out, too.

Adam FINALLY choked down some applesauce tonight. For some reason, this and pureed pears have been the only foods he's resisted. And along with the increase in solid food consumption, one other thing has also multiplied: poopy diapers. I changed 4 on him just before 2pm today. Thank goodness Ben stopped crapping his pants - this baby seems to be doing enough for both of them.


What milestone has caused the most celebration in your house? Which are you most looking foward to? (Did you know that "they" have said it's now okay to end a sentence with a preposition? My proofreading just got that much easier.)

Making laundry more enjoyable.

Lindsay was over here the other night and scolded me for not posting photos of the completed entry/laundry room. However, I didn't really think you'd appreciate photos filled with tools, paint cans, and the occasional large appliance (shop vac, anyone?). Thanks to our Super Bowl get-together, Aaron was finally inspired to put his stuff away, as well as put the doors back on the closet.

Just a review:

Under that dark cabinet was an untiled area. And you can't see the chest freezer, which I would be standing right next to as I took the photo. Also hidden are the brass light fixtures with 2 bulbs each in them.

And here is Aaron's finished product:

Awesome, right? By the way, there's nothing wrong with the floor in front of the freezer - that's a rug that got quite a bit of abuse during its days in front of the garage entrance.

The laundry baskets on top of the freezer weren't just for show - that where they are for about 5 days a week, since I try to do all my laundry in one day. Right now, however...well, let's just say that between Adam and Ben, I've either been feeding a kid or running a kid to the bathroom ALL. DAY.

Here's another view, from the opposite direction:

Now try to picture a smallish chest freezer right next that door. Yikes, right? Mornings seem much less cramped now. And I haven't had a near-death experience with this new arrangement yet.

The memo board is from Ikea. I got the boot tray this weekend, but I think we're going to fill it with river rock to help the water evaporate faster.

That big shelf we've had in storage since moving in, since it wouldn't fit anywhere else. Lucky me that I never gave up on it! The plastic drawers in the corner will soon be replaced with something like this, which will allow for better air circulation and keep stuff from falling off the top.

One nice thing is that the infant carseat fits just right so that the tripping over it is minimized quite a bit. Although it won't be hanging around for too long - Adam now weighs 21 lbs, and the seat maxs out at 22. It will be a sad day when I have to start carting that child around!

Aaron's total remodel included: removing cupboards & counter, patching the tile, painting the walls, replacing light fixtures (new ones have 3 bulbs each), painting the doors and trim white, and put up a new shelf. He's so awesome.

What room would love freshened up? Which is most in need? How much of your remodeling projects have you tackled on your own? Who does the painting in your family?

Forget the Super Bowl. This is way better.

This last week has been amazing. I mean, we didn't cure cancer or solve the energy crisis (???) or anything, but as far as our little family goes, things are really looking up. First, we'll start with the older of my two sons, Benjamin (almost 4 years):

* Ben started wearing underwear last Sunday. He has continued to wear them when at home. Instead of calling it "forcing him to potty train", we are saying he needs to "practice" wearing undies & going on the toilet.

* He wore the undies to playgroup on Friday morning, and went on the potty twice while there.

* He went POOPY on the potty for the very first time Saturday evening! Aaron promptly took him to Target to choose a new game - which ended up being Gator Golf.

* We had a mostly-guys only Super Bowl party, and even with a few friends here he STILL managed to keep his undies clean. He told me twice that he had to go potty.

* Today it seemed like all I did was run to the bathroom for false alarms, but since this is what preceded the big event on Saturday (poopy!), I tried not to get frustrated. And he went again!

* Also, this afternoon my mom stopped by for a few minutes, and Ben told her, unprompted, that he wasn't going to wear diaper any more. Praise the LORD.

* ONE pair of undies all day today for Ben. I am so, so proud of him. This is what he said to me tonight: "Know what me kweepin dwy? My undeweawr!"

And now onto the baby of the family, Adam, who was 8 months yesterday:

* Last Monday he started sleeping through the night. Mostly because I stopped nursing him when he woke up at 2am, but the expected fit-throwing wasn't there, so he must have been ready!

* Eating solid foods has really started to go well - he opens his mouth for bites and begs in between bites for MORE FOOD MOM. On the double.

* Found his 3rd tooth, almost all the way through already! It's a top one, looks like maybe a side tooth?

* Started rolling over, from his belly to his back. Which is the "easy" way, but at least it's a start!

* Now I feel like I'm feeding him ALL DAY. He nurses every 3 hours or so during the day, and also eats a fruit or veggie with cereal twice a day. Plus whatever bits of banana or other mushy food he can beg off of us. And he is a HUGE fan of the baby rice puffs.

Basically, it seems that my little guys are finally making progress towards being bigger guys. I know this should make me sad, but I'm so tired of changing diapers and being woken up 2-3 times a night, that I'm going to push right through the possible melancholy and just REJOICE!

But the day's only half over...

Yesterday was a stand-out day for us adults in the house. I think the house won.

* The toe of my slipper caught on the 2nd to last of the steps, which meant that I took one GIANT step for mankind to the floor below. I didn't fall, but was still very thankful that Adam hadn't woken up yet, because then I would have been holding him. Scary.

* Then at breakfast, I somehow managed to put my elbow in my own bowl of cereal.

* Aaron was switching lighting fixtures, and while carrying an old bowl-like glass dome, tripped and threw it against a wall, where it shattered.

* During dinner, Aaron also tipped over his own cup of water.

*This happened to be about 2 minutes after Leah tipped over her cup of lemonade, but at least hers stayed on the table. (And at least his wasn't sticky.)

Other odd occurrences:

We've been having problems with our projector. We thought that it had been getting overheated, which is why it would just turn off in the middle of a movie or Wii game. But last night it wouldn't turn on AT ALL, so we decided that the bulb must need replacing. And there's this kind of big football game on Sunday that we were hoping to have friends over to watch...getting the new bulb in time would cost $80 shipping. So we are borrowing the church's projector. Game on!

Aaron and I have been in an unspoken stand-off about his laundry. Specifically, who will break down and put it away first. Usually I do it, but for whatever reason, I didn't this week. Or the last three before. It may be that the piles of worn-but-not-deemed-dirty-enough-to-wash clothes were too high for me to get around. In any case, I took pity on him last night while he was dealing with the projector bulb issue. It took me half and hour to put it all away, and I'm not exaggerating. There were more clothes outside of his drawers than in them.
Here's the conversation we had once we got to bed:

Me: Honey? When was the last time you wore a short-sleeved polo?
Aaron: I don't know, probably summer. Why?
Me: Because...I put your laundry away tonight, and at the bottom of one pile was a short-sleeved polo and khaki shorts.... I could swear that we've cleaned that dresser off since summer!
Aaron: Yeah, I thought so, too...
Me: Didn't we clean it off for Thanksgiving? No, that was LAST year...maybe Christmas?
Aaron: Maybe I put them on after a shower when I was overheated or something..

Here's to fresh starts!

Today, no trips, no breakage, no tipped over drinks! No laundry piles! (Except for in Adam's room, where most of HIS wardrobe is piled on the futon.)

Us: 12,000 House: 0

Has your home ever tried to fight back? What lengths would you go to to attend/host a Super Bowl party? Who are you rooting for, anyway?

100 and counting

Ack! It's the last day of the giveaway! Go enter before midnight tonight!
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Leah's 100th day of kindergarten is coming up soon, and those of you who have already reached this milestone may know what lays ahead: she's supposed to bring a collection of 100 things to school next week, and it has to be something that the kids can count and sort all week, so food is NOT a good idea.


This is also another milestone, of course: the first homework assignment that her mother does for her. Even though I have SWORN, as a former -and future- teacher, I wouldn't do that, I did give her quite a bit of assistance. I mean, she can't exactly drive herself to the store, right?


And I didn't really want to buy something anyway. Surely we had to have 100 of something around here, right?


Barrettes? Nope. Not even close, although we may have 50 roaming around here.


But I did have a stroke of brilliance with the next idea: plastic flatware. Kids stuff, not the disposable picnic stuff. These are bright fun colors, and even some polka dots!


Aaron took one look at the pile of bags on the table and asked, "Aren't you a little ashamed?" Yes, dear, yes I AM a little ashamed. Because, as he pointed out, we do have metal flatware for the kids, also. And that pile off what ended up being over 100 items didn't even exhaust the supply.


What did I include?

Ikea kids flatware - 15 or so


random brand from Target, similar to Ikea's - 12 (They were $1.40 for the whole set. You'd have gotten them, too, right?)


1st Years Take & Toss - many, many. These make up a majority of the pile. They are awesome for toddlers, and somehow (probably because of that "toss" part of the name) we ended up with mostly forks and no spoons. Or the other way around. In any case, I bought another pack or two, and now we seem to be overrun. Also, we have this brand of baby spoons, which are great, by the way.


Gerber's Tossables forks & spoons - I have no excuse. I think when I'm pregnant I compulsively buy these things.


Pooh set from Dollar Store - Not sure what planet I was on when I got these, but for some reason I thought we needed more so I threw them in the cart.

And then some additional odds & ends pieces.

I keep thinking that if we ever have a lot of kids over, we'll need a lot of suitable forks and spoons. But let's be honest here - I'm not EVER going to run a daycare, and we own a dishwasher. I'm never going to need this many forks & spoons. So when the 100th Day festivities are over, at least half of these will be making their way to the garage-sale box.

Going Bananas

Only one day left of the book giveaway! If you enter now, you'll have a 1 in 4 chance of winning. Them's good chances, folks.
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One of my favorite sayings in the kitchen is: "That never goes bad!" I have a long list of things that I'm convinced have an extended shelf life from what popular (or Aaron's) opinion says. However, I have found a few things that I didn't expect to go bad...and did they ever.

Crisco: I hardly ever use it, but I used a bit to melt with chocolate chips last Christmas. It was for the Chocolate-Dipped Cranberry Cookies, and fortunately I stopped dipping before I was finished. Because that was some rancid Crisco, and the chocolate-covered parts were inedible. I ended up cutting them off and eating the non-dipped portions.

Bread mixes: In particular, a pumpkin bread mix from Tastefully Simple. I knew it was old, since the consultant's address was in Rochester (this would make it at LEAST five years old), but I thought I'd try it anyway just to see what'd happen. What happened is that I made of loaf of dust-flavored bread. It didn't really rise, and although technically it may have been edible, you'd have to be pretty hungry to actually consume it.

Wheat germ: Okay, I threw it out before actually testing to see if it'd gone bad. But I looked at the expiration date (something I've been working on...:) and it said, "Best by Sept 2003". As in, SEVEN YEARS AGO. Or 6 and some months if you want to get technical, but regardless, I tossed it.

And WHY, you may ask, was I even looking at the wheat germ? I am not exactly a health-conscious cook (Aaron has been bemoaning my fondness of cooking with butter). But my daughter's favorite dinner is pancakes, and I've been trying some "new" recipes lately, so when I found Banana-Oatmeal Pancakes, I figured I should give it a shot. You know, to earn some brownie points with Miss Priss.

Aaron was skeptical, with good reason - my past experiments with pancakes have not been overly successful. But these were a hit. Not one was left - Leah ate 2 plain (which she also does with normal pancakes - no syrup, no butter, nothing- I don't get it.) and another with peanut butter and syrup. Ben ate his one, Aaron and I had several, and Adam ate at least half of one.

I let Leah mash the banana, and she turned it into liquid. This may have been overdoing it, since you couldn't taste the bananas too much - just a hint, which may have been the goal, I'm not sure.

Anyway, they were great, and here's the recipe for you to try out:

Banana-Oatmeal Pancakes
prep: 10 min cook: 8-10 min yield: 4 servings from Parenting magazine, Oct. 2006

1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c wheat germ
1/3 c quick-cooking oats
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1 ripe banana, peeled & mashed
3 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs canola oil, plus more for the skillet

In a large bowl, stir flour, wheat germ, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add milk, mashed banana, syrup, & 1 Tbs oil and whisk thoroughly. Pour milk mixture over flour mixture and stir until combined. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with canola oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Flip with spatula when tops bubble and edges look slightly dry. Cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 min per side.

Now pass me that ice cream.

Only 2 days left of my Jane Austen- themed book giveaway! Go enter!
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I have a problem with deprivation. Specifically, I deprive myself of healthy food. Mostly because I'd rather it go to these three cuties:

Yes, I tie-dyed their matching shirts. No, I didn't intend for them to be Vikings colors. I asked Leah what colors they should be, and she (of course) said "Pink and yellow!" I explained that the boys would be wearing them too, so maybe we should choose a less girly color than pink. Purple is still girly, I realize, but I had a feeling that the purple/yellow combo would go over just fine with their Vikings-fan father.

Anyway, back to deprivation. Several times I have opened the fridge and seen something healthy, but instead of eating it myself, I say, "I'll save it for the kids." Mostly this is fresh fruit and veggies, especially the rare things like mango, berries, etc. But even our regular veggies, I find myself thinking, "I'll just eat whatever's left." When I was pregnant, I justified eating the few cherry tomatoes that we got from a friend by saying, "It's good for the baby!" But now, somehow my own health is not a sufficient reason for those nutritious treats. I guess it's a good problem, since my kids happen to love almost all fruits & veggies. It'd just be nice if they could ALSO have a healthy mom.

Of course, I NEVER deprive myself of the last cupcake or a handful of Hershey's Kisses in the middle of the afternoon.

So I've decided to turn over a new leaf. A splurge here and there is acceptable, as long as it encourages me to eat better. I'm a sucker for Archer Farms yogurt. Their holiday flavors caught my eye, and since I'm an eggnog lover, I pretty much bought our their eggnog yogurt. And also the pumpkin pie variety. And now I'm enjoying the Honey-Almond, Cherry (or Blueberry)-Pomegranate, and Vanilla. I'm trying to eat at least one a day. That, with a glass of milk at lunch, I'm up to 3-4 servings of dairy a day, for the first time ever, probably.

A couple other new things in our kitchen:

V-8 juice. My goal is an 8 oz serving every night, just to help make sure I get more veggies. Even though I like them, dudes! Seriously, 2 1/2 cups is a LOT. Especially since that doesn't include fruits!

Rice cakes. I kind of love rice cakes, especially the Lightly Salted and White Cheddar flavors. Plus, they are crunchy and are perfect for when I want to eat but aren't really hungry. (Come on. You know what I'm talking about.)

Calcium +Vitamin D supplements. Sure, they look like horse pills. But I've been noticing that my nails aren't as strong as they were before I got pregnant with Adam. Also, the kids and Aaron are all taking vitamins with extra vit. D, so I figured I better join that particular bandwagon. Oh yeah, and I also started taking my prenatal vitamins again. I, um, might have run out several months ago and not bought more...oopsie. Basically it's a miracle that my bones aren't splintering away with every step.

Okay, so there you go. Those are some things I'm doing to improve my general well being (you'll notice, however, the total lack of a commitment to exercise!) What are YOU doing?

Waiting it out.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen, Emma, or just reading in general, be sure to leave a comment here and get a chance to win "Mr. Knightley's Diary". Go. Go now.
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Let me just start by saying that from the start I was pretty sure that forcing Ben to potty train wasn't going to work. And this from the optimist in the family.

It started when Ben went to stand in a corner of the living room and started to look like he was concentrating. Immediately Aaron told him he should go sit on the potty! Ben refused, but wanted a diaper change. I complied, and there was nothing there. But since we were fairly certain that there would be #2 soon, we got him on the potty.

And boy, did Aaron work hard to keep him there. Not only did I keep him company, but Aaron got the portable DVD player set up right in front of the toilet. And Ben sat there for about half an hour with no progress, except through the Veggie Tales movies.

Then he wanted to switch movies, and it was the DVD player was the one that pooped out on us. It has been fairly onery ever since we bought it - we tried multiple movies, all which work just fine on our regular DVD player, and the portable one said "bad disc" for each and every one. Even the brand new one. We decided that we are adding that item to our list to research.

In the mean time, though, Aaron was NOT giving up. Our little 13" tv was still in the kitchen from the big Vikings/Saints game, so he tried to set that up so Ben could watch it - but the cable cord wasn't long enough.

Then he tried to hook up our regular DVD player - dragged it all the way over, found the only outlet in the area (as far away as possible) and realized that the DVD player doesn't have a coaxial input? Whatever that is. Seems that it's important, since the entire operation was then abandoned.

Ben wandered into the kitchen where I was making dinner (Banana-Oatmeal Pancakes! Yum!) - with no pants on. He asked for me to put a diaper on him, but of course we both refused. We told Ben that if he wanted a diaper he'd have to put it on himself. OR, he could wear underwear.

Well, THAT did not go over well. He spent the next thirty minutes whining and crying and sometimes laying on the floor with his butt in the air waiting for someone to put the diaper on him. Leah finally couldn't take it anymore, and started trying to. I told her, "Leah! We don't WANT him to wear a diaper!" and then she started crying, the poor thing.

Ben chips in later, "Mommy, you know why I no want to wear underwear?" "No, Ben. Why don't you want to wear underwear?" "Cause then me no run fast!" Huh. Yes, we definitely explained that ALL the people who run really fast wear underwear. NOT diapers.

His other arguments were that he wasn't a big boy - which we refuted by reminding him that almost all his friends wear underwear, even P who is a year younger- and that he doesn't WANT to wear underwear. That is his usual go-to argument. Doesn't add much to his persuasiveness, let me tell you.

In the end (ha! I'm hilarious) he put his sweatpants back on, but went commando. I don't know if we'll go through this entire circus again. But I'm REALLY hoping that Ben's attitude toward underwear changes. I don't know what they ever did to him.

The previous was written Saturday evening. Sunday Ben spent the afternoon in underwear! He used the potty when Aaron bribed him with playing Wii, and then later on pooped & peed in his underwear. And pants, and socks. It was a very gross mess, which I, of course, had to clean up. Back to diapers on Monday.

I have to say, I don't have a great discussion questions here...except, um....any good potty training stories? (Please, no more advice. We've had tons and tried lots.)

Book Report

I've had Ms. Austen on the brain a bit lately, since PBS is showing a new adaptation of Emma. I watched the first part on Sunday night, and I like the switch back to a blonde Emma. I really liked Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal in the Hollywood version, but this one seems to take away some of the elegantness and make Emma more childish. It's easier for me to see her as 19 or 20, and her flaws (conceit, uppitiness) are much more evident. That's not a criticism, by the way - that's my favorite part of my favorite Austen novel. I love that Knightley loves ALL of her.

Anyway.

A long time ago I won this book from Carmen at Mom to the Screaming Masses, and she had one stipulation: I had to pass it on. Well, it's taken me awhile, but now I'm getting around to it. And I'm going to do another giveaway right here on the blogitty-blog!

It's Mr. Knightley's Diary, and apparently the author, Amanda Grange, did a whole series from the perspective of Jane Austen's heros. What a great idea! It was a fun read, and although I haven't looked into the other novels, I assume that they would be entertaining as well.

Here's how to enter: leave a comment telling me your favorite Jane Austen character. You don't even have to have read the book - I'll accept a movie. I'll leave the giveaway open until next Thursday at midnight. Hopefully I'll draw the lucky winner next Friday (unless, you know, I forget.) I would love it for the winner to pass it on when they are done.

Go to it!

My coffee, however, was perfect.

The other day I lugged all three kids to Target, since weather had cancelled school for Leah. (Yes, that's right - it may have been too yucky for kindergarten, but not for a shopping trip! That's the way we roll here in the frozen North.) Since I got myself a coffee, it was only fair that the kids got an Icee - and then they were much happier about walking instead of riding in the cart (which was my goal the whole time - a little exercise in an otherwise stationary day). We got the drinks and were setting off to get diapers (grrr) when Leah yelped, "My drink is spilling!"

She was holding her drink upright and it was still spilling out the top of the lid. I'd only filled the cup to the top of the lip, not the domed lid, but evidently it had continued to swell. The stuff was gushing out the hole around the straw, and no, it didn't just leak and stop. It kept coming. It was like an ice-cold volcano, and I was now stuck with it in MY hands, in the middle of the aisle, with two kids walking and a baby in the cart.

So I did what any logical, loving, caring mother would do.

I deserted the kids and went to save the drink.

I skedaddled over to the beverage station, dumped some out, and wiped it all off with napkins AND THEN realized that I'd left the kids back quite aways. Now, I've never been accused of being overly attentive or obsessive about my children's whereabouts, but I usually do like to keep them within view when in public.

Once I came to my senses, I wiped the drink off the floor by the cart, dragged the kids back with me to the trash/beverage station, wiped Leah off, grabbed some wipes intended for disinfecting cart handles to clean our hands, and headed back off to finally get to shopping.

During this whole fiasco, not ONE of the lovely Target employees even noticed anything going on. The store was a long ways from busy at that hour, and several folks in red were walking around, and I surely could have used someone to help clean up - I was even wiping the floor in front of all the check-out lanes, and no one offered assistance. I love me some Target, but I was not impressed with the lack of helpfulness. Especially since usually people see a mom with three kids and react with utmost sympathy.

But the lesson I'm taking from this? Fill that Icee cup only half way, just in case it's a mutant.

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What's the stickiest situation you've ever been faced with in public?

Great Parenting Advice. Kinda.

I was quoted in the local paper this morning regarding letting my kids watch TV before age 2. The article referred to THIS Modern-Day Jane post, which I'm repeating here.
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I was talking to a group of mom friends the other day, and as everyone was leaving, I was able to visit one-on-one with a younger mom, C. She has one adorable 2 year old boy and is expecting their second baby.

She was expressing frustration with the constant entertainment demands of a little person. You know, how Mommy is their favorite person to be with, and because they love love love you so much, they must constantly be talking to you, or sitting on you, or both?

Needless to say, I can completely relate, and assured her that after a couple years, having two kids would lessen that problem considerably. Leah and Ben entertain each other for a good portion of the day, and Ben is learning to play according to Leah's rules, lucky boy. However, I could do without Leah's new habit of attaching herself to my leg while I'm walking.

Anyway, she sent me an email today about some other stuff, and at the end thanked me for the parenting advice. And what was the brilliant suggestion I had given her?

To let her kid watch TV.

Yeah, I'm that mom.

I told her about a study I'd read (article which is no longer available, but here's another one (and one more) with a similar point) about that said that educational children's television was shown to have no impact on attention span, even for kids younger than 3. The shows responsible for the bad rap are non-educational ones, such as Sponge-Bob, Power Rangers, Scooby-Doo, etc. Which is why I have limited guilt for all the PBS that my kids watch.

Kind of. Of course, I still wish I was doing something more productive and educational with them, but can I really compete with SuperWhy? It's basically taught Leah how to read. And it's not like they are watching at all hours of the day. They watch an hour in the morning while I shower and get ready, and then maybe another hour in the afternoon while I'm - ideally- getting dinner set up.

So friend C said, "I've rented a Curious George video, and O is quietly watching it while I type this! I think I'll go take a shower!"

You go, mom.

It was EPIC.

Last night was the loss heard 'round the country. Or at least THIS part of the country, where being a Vikings fan almost goes along with griping about the weather, regardless of what it is. (Yes, I know there are some renegade Packers fans in town, and I personally have several Colts fans in my family - and to you I say, GOOD LUCK!)

We had some folks over for the big Vikings-Saints game last night (Mom & Dad, cousin K & her hubbie & baby, friends the Gs) and the evening was full of yells and exclamations from the football viewers. The other mommy & I kept watch over the kids and the guacamole bowl. With 5 kids running around and 2 babies, there was a LOT of activity. But what threw Ben the most was when the two G boys put on Leah's dress-up tutus. He just could not deal with that. He said, "Boys no wear tutus! Boys wear cowboy vest or cape. NO TUTUS!" Guess I need to work on expanding the dress-up selections! And a disclaimer: We've NEVER said that boys can't wear tutus. Or dresses, really - I told him the boys were just being silly. Which they totally were, regardless of the outfit.

But I digress. Although it was terrible to see the Vikings lose such a close game, it wasn't all that unexpected, was it, folks? So where does the "epic" part come in?

AFTER the game. The kids went to bed during the 4th quarter, and at about 9:30, after everyone had gone home and Aaron was trying to put doors back on their hinges (that freezer is having some long lasting repercussions) and I was watching Emma on PBS Masterpiece, we heard a kid wailing. It was Ben!

I went up to check on him, and he continued sobbing for another five minutes, during which I moved Leah to our bed so she could continue her beauty rest, uninterrupted. He finally calmed down enough that I could ask him what was wrong. And the poor baby managed to get out, "Me no LIKE the Vikings!" I almost laughed, except for that he was so miserable.

Finally I was able to return to Emma (this version, by the way, seems to making the point that Emma is a flawed heroine. Which is kind of why I like this book of Austen's in the first place -Knightley knows her faults and still loves her.) Ben had one more sobbing episode before we headed to bed at around 11pm. But never got to sleep, thanks to Adam, who started his OWN wailing. Usually we try to ignore him and he calms down in a few minutes, but he kept it up so I checked on him. Pacifier still in mouth, happy to see me, but really ticked when I left. Sorry, buddy - we don't play that game around here!

Back to ignoring. For thirty minutes. Finally I went in and nursed the little stinker so Aaron and I could get some sleep. It was midnight by the time I got to bed for reals. Around 2am Ben came in complaining that his blankets needed fixing (a common issue) and we sent him back to fix them himself (there's a concept, dude!) A minute later he was back needing help, so I stumbled down the hall to do the honors.

At 2:45 Adam was yelling again. After five minutes or so of that, I grudgingly nursed him AGAIN. (This is why he is so chubby and I keep having to buy new jeans.)

I woke up at 7:20 with Ben trying to snuggle. For some reason, the 6 hours of non-consecutive sleep actually felt sufficient, although I was more than happy to cuddle my two big kids for a few minutes. I was all set to start the cheerleading needed to get us all out the door for school, but after retrieving the newspaper, decided that I should see if there was school...and there wasn't! Ahhhh.

Looking back, I think we've probably had rougher nights. It's just that Ben was sooo upset - and Adam was sooo persistent. Thankfully Leah slept well. Three emotionally distraut and sleep deprived kids? Now that WOULD be something.

What's the funniest/oddest thing you or your kids have said in their sleep?

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Modern-Day Jane now has a fan page on Facebook! AND I'm on Twitter. It's pushing over-exposure, I know - but it's a risk I'm willing to take.:)

Tomorrow, it's steak and potatoes.

FINALLY.

I will say it again: Finally. Adam finally started eating cereal today. He is 7 1/2 months old, but we started trying at 6 months. (We started at 5 months with Leah - she didn't take well to it, then we took a trip, then she got a cold...so we tried again at 6 months and it went much better. We learned our lesson.)

And that baby gagged like we were stuffing the spoon itself down his throat, instead of gently putting to his lips a spoon of almost-water baby cereal. It was the complete package - eyes watering and turning red, coughing, shuddering... So. Much. Fun. He loved it too, and you could tell by the way he'd clamp his lips shut after the second spoonful.

After a few more trials, we decided to try different flavors - but peaches and applesauce were met with a similar reaction. (And NO, I didn't try mixing breastmilk with the cereal instead of water. I'd gone 6 months without pumping and didn't want to start!) However, he loved to gnaw on a pizza crust. Until he'd break off a chunk and it'd hit the back of his throat - then there was more gagging.

A few weeks ago I broke down and bought a set of these, and Adam loved it! He ingested a good amount of banana by chewing the little bag thingy. We thought we had a winner! And then Aaron tried putting applesauce in there. Adam clamped down on it and immediately got a mouthful of goo - which he gagged on. Aaron freely admits to ruining him on that new feeding tool.

But today I decided to try cereal again. And I almost did a little dance when he SWALLOWED, without the usual dramatics! Both this morning and at dinner, he actually consumed a measurable quantity. Of course, he did have to add his own personal flair by blowing raspberries into the spoon, so that cereal would fly all over his face and bib.

But you know what? I'll take it.

Future vegetarians. Who eat meat.

Today we brought Leah's classmate C home with us for a playdate. As they finished playing on the huge (like 2-story) snowhills with their classmates at recess, they ran up to me saying, "We found a dead rabbit!" Although they were full of excitement and enthusiasm, not revulsion, it was still hard for me to decide how to react.

Grossed out? (Ewwww!)
Practical? (It probably starved or froze.)
Like-minded? (Very neat!)

I went with ambivalent. (Really? Oh!)

More details came out as they piled into the van and we headed home.

It didn't have a head. And it's back legs were stuck together. Wonderful.

I got to overhear their conversation:

Leah: I wonder how it died?
C: Someone probably stepped on it.
Leah: But why wouldn't it have a head?
C: Maybe someone sliced it off?
Me: (I was trying to get away from HUMANS here) Or maybe an animal ate it.
Girls: EWWW! AN ANIMAL?!
Me: Yeah, like a dog...
Girls: EWWW!
Me: Or a cat...
Girls: EWWW! Why would a CAT kill a RABBIT?
Me: Well, if the rabbit died from the cold, and the cat found it and was hungry...
Girls: EWWW!
C: Why would it eat it's head?!
Leah: Yeah, even the EYEBALLS!

At this point I pretty much gave up. They were excited enough to tell Aaron when he came home from lunch, and he thought the whole topic was pretty gross, as well. I just couldn't believe that after seeing the dead rabbit and discussing its absent head, what really bothered them was the idea that another animal might have been responsible.

Clearly, these are not farm girls we're talking about.

This reminds me of another carnivore topic. We love the new PBS show Dinosaur Train - it's on at the perfect time, has cute dinos (which I love), and has the greatest topics mixed in with the facts & theories about the giant lizards. All the dinos are friends with each other -the carnivores, herbivores and omnivores all hanging out together. Which I totally get. However, one thing I think is hilarious is that all the carnivores eat "carrion" which they describe as "dead meat". Conveniently, they don't say what KIND of meat it used to be.

How have YOU handled kids finding dead animals?

It's like Christmas every week!

Since we JUST got rid of our advent calendar today (it still had about 8 rings left...oopsie), it seems appropriate that our next big day to count down to is...(drumroll....) GARBAGE DAY!

It's been this way since the week after Christmas. That week, because of New Years, our pick-up was moved forward one day. Which I totally forgot, of course, until I opened our front blinds and saw the neighbor's trashcan on the curb. At 10am. And of course that is about when the truck comes by.

So I scurried around in my bathrobe (YES, bathrobe at 10am - it was a huge deal for me!) getting a few bags of trash together, and just as I was opening the garage door...the truck zoomed by. So I was appropriately grumpy and went back inside.

And then at 1pm the garbage actually DID get picked up. The previous truck had been for recycling. So I missed it twice in one day.

Ack.

The next week, our first priority to get in the garbage can was the contents of the diaper pail. Everything else was second priority. Three bags were left over.

Then this week we started a small-ish remodeling project and I hosted a party. And had two sets of overnight guests, both of whom changed their share of dirty diapers.

That brings us to Monday, which had us celebrating that garbage day was only 3 days away. Because the can is already full, and thanks to the new garbage system, we get charged for any extra garbage on the ground.

Our plan? Ask the neighbors if we can stash some trash with theirs- cause they don't even fill up their smaller sized can. What a shame.

How does your family mark time?

At least the fumes have dispersed.

Do you ever feel like your mood is determined by the state of your home? When it is tidy and everything is put where it belongs, I feel calm and in control.

And today? Well, let's just say that there's grit under my slippers, planks of wall trim in the kitchen, the shop-vac is once again in residence, and the dryer, freezer AND washer are not in their proper places.

That's right, there's another remodeling job in progress. ALL I WANTED WAS A FREEZER.

But that lead to taking out cabinets. Which led to tiling some floor.

And then replacing the baseboards. And painting the walls. And ceiling. And doors & trim. And buying new light fixtures.

It's not all done yet, but I took the kids to a friend's house this morning, and Aaron made huge progress while we were gone. I tell you, that guy's amazing. If I had been in charge of this project by myself, I probably would have put a piece of plywood in the space where the tiles were missing and called it good.

But no. He has to go and do things the RIGHT way. At least he doesn't waste any time - right now, the walls, ceiling & baseboards are painted, and he's cutting the baseboard into the appropriate lengths.

My job is to try to keep the floor somewhat clean, dust off the sanded doors & trim, and figure out exactly how I want my newly enlarged entry to be configured. Hooks for adult coats? Drawers for hats & mittens? What exactly is needed?

Do you have a favorite organization system? Ever have a home project morph out of your control? What external factor most determines your mood?

Just do it!

I've wanted to post this dude for awhile now, and today is the big day! Please leave some sort of comment to reveal yourself as a reader...(chirp chirp...chirp chirp)

What!? You say you don't know what to say? Well, this isn't a thesis paper, friends. You can just say "Hi!"

Or...
- What is your favorite "odd" food? We are trying tofu for the first time tonight.
- Are you a Valentine's Day person or not? I am, but not so much for romance as friendship.
- Have you held onto any of your college textbooks? If so, why? I am contemplating clearing mine out, finally.
- Do you have any questions for me about books, movies, parenting, decorating, etc? What my life goals and dreams are? ANYTHING?

Okay. Hopefully you have something now. If you have never left a comment before (or even if you have, I'm not picky!) please do so today. And I'll leave you alone for another year.

(The only rules: Remember, if you know me in real life, please don't use our last name or Aaron's job. Just trying to keep everyone safe.:)

Vitamin A (and x-ray vision) is next.

Today I've had a series of odd experiences:

* flipped my cooked egg on the floor, trying to get it out of it's little microwave cooker & onto an English muffin

* smacked my head on the washer retrieving the wet clothes

* zipped Ben's chin up in his coat

* tried to toss Leah her apple slices while she was sitting in her booster in the back of the van - overshot, and they ended up in the "trunk"

To what do I attribute all these events?

That amazing Vitamin D supplement I started taking today. Man, those scientists better watch out - if all of us actually got all of D that we are supposed to, there may be some super-moms (and dads) out there!

Mostly Odds

Ben a"mazes" auntie Kate with his maze skills. Yes, I did SO just go there. Pun-tastic.

* Remember how Ben is kinda accident-prone? Or just, "impulse-control challenged"? I have two more rather drastic examples. A few weeks ago I retrieved my hand mixer from the large drawer on the opposite side of my kitchen island. I left the drawer open, since I was coming back for the appropriate attachment, but I wasn't fast enough. Ben came charging out of the bathroom, and smacked his little forehead right into the corner of the drawer. Incredibly, while a good sized egg & bruise arrived rather quickly, it never actually bled.

Adam gazes adoringly at his uncle Aaron.

Unlike his foot on New Year's Day. He was trying to help make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches by getting the jelly out of the fridge - but dropped the jar. Aaron (I wasn't home at the time) thinks that the jar hit his foot first and then shattered on the tile, but either way, he had a cut about a half-inch long on the top of his foot, and also a bruise surrounding it. I have to hand it to him, though - he was pretty tough. After the initial drama, he was proud to show off his Diego bandaid.

* Recently I have decided that the only way for me to be interested in cooking (I mean REALLY interested, not just out of hunger or necessity) is to torture my kids. No more cooking only kid-friendly stuff that I know they'll eat - it's time to experiment. Not necessarily every meal or every dish, but frequently enough so that I'm not bored stiff with pasta or rice and a meat.

"Thanks for the paper dolls, Grandma!"

* Yesterday I went grocery shopping. As I was grabbing 2 bags of parsnips, a fellow shopper stopped and asked, "Can I ask what you are making that you need TWO bags of parsnips?"

Is this odd? Has anyone else ever been interrogated about their produce selections?

Anyway, I'm making parsnip pancakes tonight. Leah loves parsnips, although usually I just roast them. She also LOVES pancakes. Ben doesn't really like either too much, so I'm preparing for battle.

* Going along with the "trying new foods" project, I'm also giving time-outs quickly and frequently these days. It seems that a time-out given (usually to Ben) before we even sit down is pretty efficient - he hates being left out, AND he's hungry. I just make him try a few bites of the new/disliked food. But bedtime snack is a limited portion. "Oh, you're still hungry? I guess you should have eaten more for dinner!"

* Television is just the greatest, don't you think? How did people ever amuse themselves without it? Oh yeah - they were actually DOING stuff. Poor folks.

Anyway - we are enjoying new episodes of Castle (yay for more romantic tension! "He's all yours!") and I enjoyed the first of two parts of Return to Cranford on PBS's Masterpiece. Aaron refused to watch "that old stuff" (yes, I DID tell him that Judi Dench was in it AND nominated for an Oscar last year for her role. Somehow, that didn't impress him much.) and chose instead the second hour of the new Chuck.

When I went to the site for that PBS link above, I saw that the Emma that will be on after Cranford is a NEW adaptation! (With a blonde Emma! I just can't see her as a brunette, many apologies to Kate Beckinsale.) I will be doubly sure to tune in - and Sunday evenings after that will be booked as well, since Northanger Abbey and Persuasion will follow. I can't wait. *Sigh*

* Adam is definitely growing new hair, so his cue-ball-like state is slowly diminishing. He does not, however, like cereal or any solid food any better. This is not making his sole source of nutrition (me) very happy. On the up side, though, I have no reason NOT to eat a huge bowl of ice cream and/or five cookies.

Rolling is not going so well, either, but he is a pro sitter-upper. At seven months, we are getting a bit antsy for him to be able to retrieve his own toys, but the upright posture is a good thing.

So what odd things are going on at your house? What new food are you trying to introduce to your family?

Found: All your old socks.

So we bought this new freezer, and I thought all my dreams were about to come true.

But first things first, right? First the cabinets had to be removed. These are cabinets that I have never used, because I didn't want to become attached to them.

One feature of this cabinet set is a really deep, really heavy, hamper pull-out thingy. Aaron's mom has one in their bathroom, where it works very well for dirty towels. Trying to think of a way to recycle the set, I thought it may be good for sports balls, but it would be way too easy for fingers to get smashed. Ouch. This hamper was the first part to tackle, after the easy task of removing doors.

And after pulling it out, we got a nice surprise...

A lovely pile of dirty laundry. Remember how I've never used these cabinets? So this is the previous owner's stuff, which, really, is bad enough since we've lived here for a year and a half. But that red thing in the upper right? That is a pair of kid socks. And the former owners had adult children. I'm really hoping they were from the grandkids.

Although you can just see the edge of a VERY 70's print towel... Anyway. I picked it all up with a bag over my hand and threw it out.

Now, if you are following me on Twitter (hint, hint - mdjane!) you may have seen my dig at Aaron for putting in a new surround sound system instead of installing the freezer. Well, I was a bit unfair. There's more to the freezer situation than just moving it into place, or trust me, I'd have done it myself.

The tile floor of the kitchen/laundry room is not original to the house. It was put in about 12 years ago, and when they did it, they put it UP TO the cabinets we removed, not under. Which means that there is a 3ft x 1.5ft area that needs to be tiled and made level with the rest of the floor. We do have enough extra tiles, and thanks to my parents we have almost all the tools needed for the job. What was holding Aaron up was the grout - we don't have a tool for removing it (to take out the pieces that were cut to fit the cabinet). But now we do! Thanks to one of his co-workers who so generously lent us his brand-new Christmas gift.

Work has begun. Stay tuned.

More time needed here. Preferably between 11pm and 7am.

Folks, it has been 10 years in the making, but I think I finally have a stylish, calming oasis from which to be woken 2-3 times a night by a screaming child. A couple projects from the last week (and a few done Much, Much earlier) provided the finishing touches.

Here, let me give you a tour!


Starting from the left, a Billy bookcase from Ikea, lamp and chair from Target, white throw from Ikea, and 2 accent pillows handmade by moi and detailed further later in this post. The wall hanging is comprised of fabric purchased at the Bay Window Quilt Shop in Perham, MN and artist's canvas stretcher bars from Hobby Lobby. A word or several about the bars - these things are awesome. They come in various lengths, and have fancy corners that hinge together so that you can make a rectangle or square of any size. You can even take them apart later on and do something else with them! To make my wall hanging, I used my handy-dandy staple gun to attach the fabric to the other side of the bars. DONE!

On with the tour: The nightstand and lamp are also Ikea, bed was a wedding gift from my parents-in-law, duvet set (by Echo, but no longer on their website) whose search I detailed here. The bedskirt I ordered online from somewhere. I was struggling to find a fitted white bedskirt, but now I think I was looking in the wrong places maybe?

Aaron and I made the headboard together a few years ago. It is basically an extension of the memo boards that I have made in the past - Aaron cut the basic shape from particle board, I wrapped it with quilt batting and then pleather, and stapled (man, I love our staple gun!) it to the back. I even used some other fabric to cover up all the mess back there. In the front, I wanted the upholstered look, but couldn't figure out how to attach covered buttons through all that material. So I got out the trusty hot glue gun. After stapling the fabric where I wanted each button, I glued the button over the top of it. And this worked very well.

Until we started finding the buttons laying on our pillows. After a few days, there was only one still attached. Aaron was all, "I TOLD you that hot glue wasn't going to hold!" And I was all, "Yeah, whatever...don't know why it didn't work..."

And then I walked in one day to see Ben in the process of pulling off that last survivor. I asked him, "Did you do this to the others?" And he nodded yes. (This is in those pre-speaking days.) VINDICATED.

The other lamp and the matching nightstand are of course from Ikea, also.

We are so, so lucky to have a large bedroom with an extra large window. Even though the window faces north, we still get quite a bit of sunlight in the room, and that plus the size makes the dark brown walls seem cozy, not oppressive. I am a big fan of them, and so glad I chose to go with the neutral instead of the blue. Also, it will be way easier to redecorate in the future, since I won't have to convince Aaron to repaint. Hopefully.



The lamp in the corner is one of two Ikea floor lamps that have finally provided enough light when the sun is down. Plus, they have that wonderful crisp, modern feel that I love. Another two wall hangings made from the same fabric and stretcher bars as before, except that these are square. The chest and boxes on the floor are not permanent, although they may remain there awhile. Also not temporary, the nasty Berber carpeting. It has GOT to go. Alas, Aaron is not so horrified by it, so it may be hanging around a while longer.

Here's a closeup on the fabrics. I love how the small graphic print of the wallhangings plays off the big print of the duvet cover. The larger, square pillow's fabric is this stuff, and the floral is from Hobby Lobby. That ball fringe on the square? FROM HELL. Yes, I so DID say that. It took me about an hour to sew that very simple pillow case together, and that was my second attempt. The flange-edge on the oblong pillow was MUCH easier, and I highly recommend it for an easy way to dress up an accent pillow.

Yes, the square pillow is reversible to a more masculine print. If there is such a thing.

There! I hope you like it as much as I do - I hate to throw my ugly orange cardigan on the chair, but it so much more convenient there when I have to go to Adam's frigged room for his 1am meal. But if you come over, I promised I'll throw it into closet, so as to not ruin the lovely effect for you.

What room are YOU trying to polish off? Is your bedroom an oasis or a...not an oasis?

I want CANDY!

My Ben has a sweet tooth. Almost every day he asks for a piece of candy. This is how the conversation typically goes:

Him: Mommy, me hungwy. Me want a frack (snack).
Me: What kind of snack do you want?
Him: Hmmm, piece of candy.
Me: That's not a snack.
Him: Fwuit frack?
Me: No, fruit snacks are a treat, not a snack. (despite the misnomer) How about (banana, Goldfish crackers & Craisins, granola bar...)
Him: Yeah!

Now, I have no problem with him having some candy once in awhile. But of course I don't want him to think that it's okay to eat candy or treats when you are really hungry!

Moderation is the key in life - deprivation could lead to gorging when he actually DOES get his hands on some sweets, and over-indulgence of course leads to excess weight and unhealthy eating habits. So if the kids ask for candy, they usually get a piece. As in, ONE. And I stopped buying fruit snacks in bulk from Sam's Club, just so I wouldn't be so tempted to hand them out more often.

On a separate (but soon to be related) topic, I love my husband, but "words of encouragement" or just compliments are not necessarily his default setting. So the other day, when he was talking the kids about treats and said something about "Mommy's good idea," it stuck with me!

He was talking about our candy bowls. I know, this sounds like a bad start. But stay with me.

For the last several years, whenever the kids bring home birthday goodie bags, they get a treat or two and the rest goes into the bowl. The same goes for parades, holidays, etc. After a day or two of the goodies being available but essentially out of view, they forget all about it.

Mommy and Daddy, however, can not only SEE it, but EAT it without asking permission.

It'll make me a better mom. I promise.

I have all sorts of reasons why we need an upright freezer. In fact, I've already blogged about it here, and since then a whole new set of reasons have cropped up, one of which seemed to tip the argument in my favor: Adam.

It's awfully hard to make & freeze your own baby food in an almost entirely full chest freezer. And since the other two kids ate almost no Gerber, I'd sure hate to start now with #3. This was the clincher for Aaron, and since Adam is just about 7 months, we figured the time was getting pretty close. For any other baby, the time would be past, but THIS baby still hasn't gotten used to baby cereal, so the other food are still a ways off (and yes, we DID try a few - applesauce & peaches- with no further success).

Anyway, my other reasons for wanting an upright freezer - and I was shooting for the largest possible size- were numerous. And I may not live them all down.

1. I have a really hard time finding anything smallish in our current freezer - like a regular size block of cheese, or a half-bag of hamburger. Chopped onion doesn't even stand a chance.

2. Buying in bulk is not really an option. We get some stuff from Sam's, but not as much as I'd like. And when things are on sale (like green beans this week at CashWise) I can't stock up.

3. Popsicle molds are taking up space in my cupboards, but I can't make my own popsicles in a chest freezer. At least, not one this full.

4. Ditto homemade granitas.

5. Eventually we will have 3 teenagers. At that point (or maybe sooner), I think buying a quarter or half of beef would be a good idea. For that reason, we are also storing the chest freezer in the basement and not selling it.

6. I have occasionally contemplated making meals in advance, but you guessed it...no space.

Aaron didn't think we needed the enormous version, but I thought the small version wouldn't be that much of a size increase. So we compromised and got the medium/large model. I can't wait to organize the sucker and fill it with goodies. Or casseroles. Either way.

What appliance addition has most changed your life? Which one are you SURE would make your life sooo much better?

Already Getting Behind...

I've been meaning to write so many things here over the last week! But stuff keeps coming up. So here is what's been keeping me away lately:

* Playing "Guess Who?" with the kids. Leah got the game for Christmas from her Daddy, and it's one kids game I can handle. Ben and I are a good team, even tho (or especially because?) Leah usually wins.

* Figuring out Adam's sleep schedule. Not only has he become super-smart at parent manipulation (crying until we pick him up- which we stopped doing when we figured it out - the record was 1 1/2 hrs.) but he has also decided that 3 45 minute naps are really ideal for him. Those naps come at about 10am, 1pm & 3:30pm. Not the most convenient, but at least he's getting more sleep.

* Buying a freezer! Yes! I finally convinced Aaron and on New Year's Day we trotted over to Sears and picked one out. It will be delivered on Thursday this week, but some minor renovations are needed before it can go into place...photos will prove if it gets accomplished or not.

* Hosting guests. My friend Clarissa and her five (yes, FIVE) daughters spent the night last week, as did our friends Jess & Raf and their two sons (on a different night, thank goodness!). Our nephew Marlin also stopped in for dinner last night, which was so nice since he lives in Michigan! (Oh, the life of a college student - to be able to visit friends while out of class...)

* Doing laundry. All those guests means lots of sheets and towels, dude.

* Finished projects. Like sending out our New Year's cards, undecorating the tree, sewing a couple pillows for our bedroom and a hat/neckroll for Ben... Had to clear out the project pile so that I could start...

* Planning more projects. Many of them are from the baby sewing book my lovely sister got me for Christmas. Hmm...that may be a good idea for a giveaway one of these days.

* Twittering. Yes, they finally sucked me in. Follow me! I'm aiming for different content than on the blog, so you'll be constantly amused by the hilarity of my kids. Or at least roll your eyes at my attempts to be amusing. Anyway - I'm mdjane. See you there!

What have YOU been doing this first week of 2010? Do you have a New Year's tradition?