What We're Up To

The second boy is saying things like: "Oh! my back hurts! Oh! my whole body hurts!" I don't know where he gets it.

The first boy is secretly a power ranger and is busy fighting evil forces.

The daughter played Jingle Bells at her Christmas recital. She did an excellent job! It is so rewarding to watch her practice something that is hard until she becomes good at it.

When the Man is not at work he shovels snow.

I am growing a baby. I am 36 weeks, and in case you haven't heard--the head is engaged.

Cancun

Toy Library

Last Monday for Family Home Evening we opened our very own Toy Library. Which means that we loaded up all the toys and put them into the windowless room which adjoins the boys' bedroom. We also put the boys' dresser in the "library". Finally the library was furnished with a lock keyed to our house.

The two older children willingly loaded up their toys because they were tired of cleaning up after the youngest child who recreationally unloaded bins of toys. Maybe he liked the sound of the toys crashing to the ground, or maybe the cause-and-effect factor thrilled him. No one knows. The result was a disaster area.

The Daughter liked the idea of her things being locked in a safe place that her youngest brother couldn't get to while she was at school. The First Boy liked the idea of the library being right off his own bedroom. They both liked not having to help clean up a mess they didn't make. The Second Boy kept asking why we had the library in the first place.

This is why I like The Library: The basement is SOOOO much cleaner. The upstairs is cleaner just because their aren't so many toys dragged up. The kids play with the toys they pick out. (In fact, Tuesday after school the First Boy asked me to let him check out some toys, rather than asking if he could watch TV. That was a nice change.) With the dresser in the library there is a lot less laundry--since the Second Boy can't change his clothes five times a day. I never knew if the clothes on their bedroom floor were clean or dirty. Now their aren't any clothes on their floor. Before they go to bed they pick out their clothes for the next day. Another bonus. I am no longer pestering the children to clean up the basement--everyone likes that.

So far, The Toy Library is a success. Ask me in a month if I still think so.

Quick Up-Date

The second boy enjoys "reading" books. He flips through the pages, discusses the pictures to himself, closes the book, says, "Amen," throws the book, and opens a new one.

The first boy likes television and computer games. Since he is not allowed to do these things until Friday, because he was naughty and I was mean, he has been "bored with nothing to do." When he tells me this it only makes we want to keep the TV and computer off longer. Instead, I told him that I needed his help running a machine--the food processor. I made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and he manned the machine. He took his job seriously, enjoying every minute of it. After we finished he wiped his brow and said, "Whew, what a busy day! Now I am so tired." Today we are going to make an apple crisp. Guess who will be operating the Apple-Peeler-Corer-Slicer?

The Daughter rescued me on Saturday. I was so tired and the kitchen floor was overdue for a serious scrubbing. So, while I went downstairs and sewed, she moved out all the dining room chairs, swept the floor and scrubbed the kitchen floor. Then she enlisted the First Boy's help in scrubbing the dining room floor--I won't elaborate on his reaction to that suggestion. I'll only say that eventually he did his part. That's not all. After that she picked up the toys in the basement--all of which were strewn around by a certain 3 year old. I cannot even begin to describe what a wonderful gift her hard work was to me. She did it all on her own without me asking her to. That night Daddy took her out for a celebratory ice cream cone while I relaxed and watched Women's Conference.

1st Boy's Good-Time Spritzer

The 1st Boy found an empty sample size shampoo bottle. He filled it with water and told Daddy and me that the bottle was filled with "Sam's [named has been changed] Good-Time Spritzer. It will make you 10 years younger and make you strong enough to do anything you want--except fly."

He's been carrying his Good-Time Spritzer around for about a month. His brother and sister were happy to get a few drops on the head.

Today though, after explaining the magnificent properties of his potion he admitted, "It's really just a hoax. That means it doesn't really work." That's too bad--I could really use some of his Good-Time Spritzer.

Back in the Saddle

The Daughter started school and the First Son will start next Wednesday. After dropping the Daughter off I felt really sad and missed her. But after a while, I noticed how much I got done. I must say that it is really nice to be back on a schedule again. I can clean up breakfast at 8 am and be done until after lunch. In the summer, breakfast seemed to take aaaaallllllll morning.

I would send pictures of how adorable she looks in her new school clothes, but big surprise, the 2nd boy has broken my camera. Fortunately, he is not all naughty. He loves snuggles, hugs, kisses, books, and his big wheel. He likes pretending that he is getting ready to go to school and work. His latest phrase is "that's too simple." I don't think it means what he thinks it means. If he doesn't want to wear a particular pair of pants he claims that it is because they are "too simple".

Today the 1st Boy went to his kindergarten screening. He did very well and seemed comfortable with his teacher. To check for comprehension his teacher read him a story that happened to have a rabbit in it. The Boy took a break from answering questions to tell his own story about our pet rabbit saga--The Life and Death of Bunny Paul. He is so funny. Yesterday he asked me what euclidian means.

Orphelia Violet???

Yesterday I had my ultrasound and found out that I might possibly probably be having a girl. Her (?) foot was in the way so we didn't get a clear shot. I am having another ultrasound in 3 weeks so we can get a more developed shot of the heart and face. We will also take another peek to see it's an Orphelia or an Oliver.

Based on past experience--it's a girl. The daughter modestly kept her legs together during the ultrasound and we didn't find out that she was a girl until I was 7 months along. But the boys, during their ultrasounds, made their genders obvious.

And, according to the ultrasound--my due date it January 19th. What do you think of that Dad?

Halloween Year Round

The Second Boy spends his day changing from one identity to another. His favorites are: Fire Boy (who says, "we don't play with fire"), a bee, a butterfly, a butterbee (yes, that's a hybrid), a dragon, a very docile kitten, spiderman, and superman. Although the First Boy is the self-proclaimed real superman.

Hunting and Gathering

Hunting

Yesterday we went fishing at East Park Reservoir to celebrate Pioneer Day. We had a lot of fun especially because the Man had the day off--both from the office and from the big terracing project in the backyard. (Incidentally, he finished the second tier Tuesday.)

The kids were so excited. The Daughter caught the one and only fish. She was thankful that it was too small to keep because she didn't want to eat it anyway. The first Boy summarized the Daughter's sympathies when he declared that she only wanted to "catch and release."

Although the First Boy enjoyed fishing he longed for a bit more action. First he wanted to fish with a bobber, then with a sinker, then he wanted to check to make sure the bait was still on his line, then he wanted to change bait--and on and on.

The Second Boy was perfectly content. A bag of ice and his rubber boots kept him entertained. With his grubby little hands he offered us all chips of ice to suck on and dipped his boots in the water. He was disappointed when the Daughter let her fish go before he had a change to give it a love. Poor fishy!

Gathering

After a while we decided to go on a hike. The day was perfect. A gentle breeze cooled us off and cloud cover came and went. We even felt a few cool drops of rain. We were enjoying the scenery when the children made a delightful discovery: wild strawberries!

The strawberries were delicious. The First Boy described them as "lumps of sugar with a bit of fruit inside." They were much easier to find than the fish were to catch.

It was a wonderful way to spend the day. The First Boy summed it up when he sighed, "What a day!"

New Baby Announcement Reaction

The daughter: excited, prefers a boy so she doesn't have to share her room. In keeping with the vowel theme she likes the name Orphelia for a girl and Oliver for a boy.

The first son is happy and has like been hoping for a sister named Violet for quite some time. He is not so set on any particular boy name.

The second son is uninterested in names, but he does want to know if the baby is happy in my tummy. He has also figured out how the baby got into my tummy--just like anything else gets into tummies--I ate it.

Mother-Daughter

Eight has been a magic number. Ever since my daughter's eighth birthday she has become my buddy. Her moods have evened out, she entertains Danger Boy while I make dinner. Together we cleared and washed off the kitchen table, swept and mopped the floor, wiped down the cupboards and appliances. It was heavenly. I was so tired, but with her help the job I finished a job (mopping the floor) that I had been dreading for longer than I will admit to.

Now she wants to learn to make pillowcases. We went to the fabric store where she picked out some fabric without stomping about when I gave advice on coordinating fabric. Since then she has been practicing sewing straight lines on the sewing machine with scrap pieces of material. As long as she doesn't sew a finger, we'll be fine.

Pianist

To really appreciate the concert I will include the pre-show. This recording does not do her justice. The daughter sounded beautiful. She recieved a superior rating for her performance.

Budding Reader

The first boy has taken a keen interest in the written word. He loves to sound out words on billboards (better not take him to Las Vegas), cereal boxes, and books. He writes me love notes and he has even written his first story--complete with words and pictures. It was very cute and action-packed.

Busy Boy

I love these shots of the 2nd boy. Here he is when he is both awake and nondestructive:

Sorry I don't know how to edit out the background noise--it's kind of loud.

More Decorating

Here is the buffet and hutch and the table and chairs. Thank you Laura for introducing me to the table. It really is beautiful.

The buffet doesn't look as good as it does in real life. I think I need to put a plant or something on top.

Happy Memories

During the last session of General Conference we took the kids on a drive up the canyon--just as Mom and Dad did for us. Remember the good old days?

Well, on the way up Allison complained becasuse she didn't want to go on a drive. After a while we stopped and took pictures on a bridge. It was a bit cold and windy, but we had fun. Then we piled back in the truck. After a struggle we finally got Isaac strapped into his carseat where he screamed for awhile.

As we pulled into the driveway I said, "Who had fun?"

All three children raised their hands and yelled, "I did! I did! I did!"

Dave raised his eyebrow at me and said, "Well just because they don't have happy experiences doesn't mean they don't have happy memories."

Reality Check

Okay. We just ate dinner. The daughter and the first son had the same highlight and lowpoint. They both enjoyed their walk together and they were both repulsed by dinner. The second boy, the little angel, loved the Asian Lettuce Wraps. In fact, they were, "delithous." He punctuated his compliment with several helpings.

To be fair, the first boy didn't bawl or whine and the second boy didn't climb on the table. I say, "Two out of three ain't bad."

The daughter got busy assembling quesadillas for herself and the first boy. She was very cute--she loved "making dinner." And, she cleaned it up afterwards.

Dinner

The Man and I have decided to set some familial goals beginning with dinner time--we want to create happy memories. Our theory is that by doing some fun things some of the undesirable behaviors will melt away in to desirable ones--the daughter will stop complaining about food she doesn't like, the first son will stop whining, and the second son will stop climbing on the table. And we'll all politely sit up to the table, discuss our day, and eat our food.

To start out with we all share the day's highlights and lowpoints. The daughter's highlight was playing with some friends at school, and her lowpoint was when the second son, "jumped on my head."

I had the marked distinction of being the first son's highlight and lowpoint. Wow! the the influence of a mother. His highlight was when I let him watch TV and his lowpoint was when I made him turn it off.

The second son also had a highlight and lowpoint: ice cream. He didn't quite understand the concept, but he does understand food, particularly ice cream.

We also let the children choose one (balanced) meal for the week.

So far, so good--I think it's working, mostly.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Saturday morning we can always count on the Man to make a delicious breakfast. His repertoire includes: wholewheat waffles, wholewheat pancakes, poached eggs, and my personal favorite--omelets with grilled onions and peppers, fresh tomatoes and extra sharp cheddar cheese. Yummy. Remember, our house Saturday morning. Be there.

Daddy Time

Every night Daddy gives the kids a ride to bed, helps them say their prayers, and tucks them in. They love it. He miraculously transforms himself into a train, an airplane, a rocket ship or a boat. Imagine the sound effects.

Sometimes they stay in bed. Sometimes they don't.

You many think this begs the question,"Where's Mommy?" It doesn't.

Home Show

Mom and sisters complain that I pick their brains for decorating ideas and advice--then, as soon as the project is finished I forget all about it and they never get to see the end result or know if I even liked it. Thanks for your inspiration, hard work, listening ears, and of course, genius.

Mothering is Like Ice-skating

The other day a certain husband--to protect his marriage I won't say whose--said that his wife had it "so easy". The old watch TV and eat bonbons idea. A few days later while chatting with this "certain husband" he told me about all the mischief his young charge found while in his care.

Mothering, I've decided, is much like being a professional figure-skater. We make it look so easy. Only other mothers know the countless hours that go into perfecting our routine. Screaming children? No problem. Hungry? I got it covered. Fighting? Teasing? Pshaw that's cake.

Enchilada

These enchiladas are my favorite.

This recipe is from one of Emily's cookbooks (I won't say whose in case she doesn't want her name on my blog). I like it because it is so basic. No cream-of-anything soup--so it is low sodium. And no sour cream--so it is low fat too. It also contains fresh ingredients--that makes it so yummy! I usually double the recipe.

1 c. mild green salsa (I like Herdez)
1/4 cup cilantro sprigs
1/4 cup parsley sprigs (I like Italian parsley)
1 T. lime juice
2 cloves garlic
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
6 tortillas (I like corn)

Heat oven to 350. Spray 11X7 baking dish with cooking spray. Place salsa, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, and garlic in blender or food processor. Blend about 30 seconds or until smooth. Reserve half the mixture. Mix remaining mixture, chicken and 1/4 cup cheese. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling, place seam side down in baking dish. Pour reserved sauce mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Back covered for 20-25 minutes.

It's All About Presentation

I never worried much about presentation. I figured I just wasn't one of those cutsie kind of people. . .until I brought home about five different dishes from different church functions completely unscathed. That was depressing--so I decided to do something.

First, I made Emily's Perfect Chocolate Cake for a Valentine Party. I knew the cake was good because I'd eaten it before. I also knew that my cake decorating skills were below average. So, I called a friend who excels at presentation. She came over and guided me through my first successful cake decorating experience. We made a large rosette for the middle and several small rosettes around the outer edge of the top. Then I piped some little dollops around the bottom edge. Everyone loved the cake.

Next, I brought enchiladas to a 30-minute meal tasting table. Again, I garnished the top with a sprig of cilantro. And what do you know--the enchiladas were a success.

Then, I dropped off a jello salad for a funeral dinner. This time I topped the salad off with three rosettes, and Dove chocolate shavings. The lady who returned my pan said, "We'd really like your recipe--your salad looked so good."

I've decided that with good friends, the right tools and practice I can make food that looks as good as it tastes--presentation is everything. Oh, and maybe I'll end up to be cutsie after all.

Energy Drain

Today the 2nd boy drained my energy. While I was working with the 1st boy on the computer, the 2nd boy silently crept into the kitchen, opened a drawer and opened a #10 can of hot chocolate mix. You can imagine the rest. The floor, the cupboards, inside the drawer, the boy and everything inbetween were covered with a thick, sticky chocolately powder. I even found a pile downstairs on the carpet.

Sorry, this event was not photographed. I thought about that afterwards.

Now I am trying not to wish away his toddler years. I am trying not to think about how 4 year olds get into a lot less mischief. I am avoiding thoughts about 4 years olds and their insatiable appetite for television. I am especially trying not to think about preschool.

Baby Birds

Here are my baby birds in the nest. Aren't they cute? Notice: two of them are in their pajamas. That is especially cute.

Caught

This is what the second boy does after he has done something naughty. What do you think he has just done? Unrolled a roll of toilet paper? Unloaded a shelf of books? Colored on the walls? The possibilities are endless.

Pinkies Up

Saturday The Daughter and I went to to a Fancy Nancy Tea Party at the library. We learned to curtsey and to drink with our pinkies up. It was a lot of fun.

Now at dinner The Daughter reminds us, "pinkies up."

I think Grandma Fancy Nancy would like to have such a tea party. If you have any questions, The Daughter has ALL the answers.

A Thousand Words. . .

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is this video clip worth? Mom, what do you think of my nose?

Fiber IV

Tamara raised an important question: How do you get children to eat more fiber?

I have no answer to that question.

Kids, by nature, do not like fiber--they love processed foods. They like to eat things like Raman Noodles, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and Spaghetti O's. In short, if it is disgusting and has almost zero nutritional value, children love it.

On the bright side, and I can only speak from my own experience, my kids really like almost all fruits, most vegetables, PB&J, and most breakfast foods--like eggs and whole wheat pancakes and waffles.

Dinner is a big problem. My children would be happy with Hamburger Helper every night.

Fiber III

I will now address a taboo topic.
The unspeakable, but not unsmellable side effects of a healthy diet and happy digestive system.

Four simple ways to reduce gas:

1. Take it slow. Don't go from a white bread and steak diet to a whole grain and spinach salad diet overnight. Gradually increase your fiber intake. My goal is to eat at least 10 grams/meal.

2. Drink lots of water.

3. Beano works great--especially for those who may be missing an enzyme.

4. Gas-X is another wonder drug--at least that's what I've been told.

Fiber II

I can tell by the number of comments on Fiber I that everyone is anxiously awaiting Fiber II.

Here are the top 10 ways to eat more fiber.

1. Eat a whole grain cereal that contains at least 10 grams/serving. Some are my favorites are: Kashi brand, Raisin Bran, Uncle Sam's (I like this cereal topped with craisins) and Emily says Fiber One came out with a new one that tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
2. Eat fresh fruit. An apple has about 5 grams of fiber, a banana 4, and a pear 4.
3. Eat fresh vegetables. Although vegetables tend to have less fiber/serving they are generally low in calories. Also it is important to remember that fiber in and of itself is only part of the equation, the fiber together with the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables and whole grains combine for optimum benefit.
4. Eat a salad. This goes along with #3. This was a really good salad that Emily made: Baby spinach topped with grapefruit and avocado, or thin apple slices, candied pecans and Brianna's poppy seed dressing. To make the candied pecans: chop pecans, heat pan to about medium heat, add chopped pecans and sprinkle with sugar--it takes a carefully measured handfuls, more than you'd think. As the sugar melts swirl the pan around. Stop before it burns. Presto, it's done.
5. Eat more beans. Garbanzo beans are good for snacking on.
6. Eat whole grains.
7. Read labels. This is particularly true with whole wheat bread. A common trick is to advertise wheat bread and then add caramel coloring. The ingredients must say "whole wheat flour." Then check the fiber content try to get at least 3 grams/slice.
8. Eat hummus.
9. Eat falafel--although I will say that The Man thinks it is awful--but not as bad as tabouli.
10. Nuts--in moderation--are also a good source of fiber.

Buen provecho.

Fiber I

Top 10 (11) Reasons to Eat More Fiber
1. Happy digestive system
2. Feel fuller longer
3. Although fiber contains no vitamins etc. the body absorbs nutrients better with fiber
4. Lose weight
5. Reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels (soluble fiber)
6. Reduce the risk of diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar
7. Reduce the risk of some cancers
8. Your husband will thank you--right husband?
9. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables taste better and are prettier than say white bread and goldfish crackers
10. Helps prevent some types of gastrointestinal disease
(11. And, because Grandma Hazel said so)

These are are just a few reasons, and I didn't even look it up on wikipedia. . . where there's about a million reasons to eat more fiber.

As a bonus, I am including Auntie Wendy's Confetti Cous Cous recipe:

Chicken broth--substitute the broth for the water when following the directions on the box, but add about 1/4 c. more water
cous cous
butter
salt
1/4-1-2 tsp. cinnamon

about 1/3 c. dried fruit per cup of broth (craisins, raisins, chopped apricots etc.)

corn
nuts

simmer broth, butter, salt, cinnamon, dried fruit for 2 minutes. Stir in cous cous, corn and nuts. Let sit until absorbed--about 5 minutes.

I use whole wheat cous cous. In one serving there are 6 grams of fiber--and that doesn't include the corn, nuts, or dried fruit.

How Did That Happen?

The 2nd Boy loves his new jammies from The Grandma. As I was helping him into them he took his feet out and tucked his feet under his bottom. At first I tried to put them back on him, but he kept stomping his feet--which is the universal toddler sign for: Uh uh no way!

I stuck my hand down the leg of the jammies and into the foot and found a 1/4 cup of Raisin Bran. I reached my hand down the other leg and found another 1/4 cup. After he ate the raisins the 2nd boy put on his jammies. Problem solved.

The Cat Came Back

We sort of have a cat. It lives on our back porch--even when it is -3 outside. The Kids say it sleeps in the boat. You can imagine how pleased The Man (that was inspired by The You-Know-Which-Sister-in-law) was to find that out. I couldn't figure out why the cat stayed on our back porch. It just sat there day after day in the freezing cold staring at us through the window. We didn't feed it. It didn't like the Kids. Whenever The 2nd Boy went outside, the cat would scat. Finally I figured that the cat was a philosopher, I just liked us theoretically. Just when I'd come to a conclusion, The 1st Boy proudly announced, "I know why the cat comes back. It's because I feed it breakfast everyday." He punctuated his announcement with a smile.