One is Too Many

Obey the Law, AND Suffer the Consequences

2010-03-16T11:00:00.004-04:00

When Abby was a baby (a mere 5-6 years ago), I called her pediatrician and asked them what to do when she had a cold. They didn't even hesitate to tell me to use Triaminic cough medicine, and even gave me a reduced dosage to use based on her weight. Abby has always, always been in the 5th percentile for weight, so she has always been very small. Even though she only weighed about 18 pounds, I was told that it was alright to give her Benadryl for a runny nose, and Triaminic for a cough or congestion. And this is exactly what I did, with no problems.

All that changed when Avery was a baby. They started putting warnings on the medicine that you should ask a doctor before giving the medicine to children under six. Six?? I gave this stuff to my one year old! When I called the doctor to find out how much I could give my 25 pound one year old (Avery), they told me not to give him anything. Really? You expect me to just send my baby off to bed, barking like a seal, coughing up phlegm every two minutes, and crying because he can't breath out of his nose? Ummm... It's quite obvious to me that you don't have a one year old at your house, otherwise you would realize that a "humidifier and plenty of fluids" just will not help the poor kid sleep - much less help me sleep.

Today I went to the store to buy Ethan some cough syrup. The packaging now says, "Do NOT give this product to children under 4 years old." But, my three year old weighs more than my four year old. Heck, he weighs more than my six year old! So, I asked the pharmacist how much a 38 pound kid can have. She immediately asked me his age. When she heard that he was three, she said "For legal reasons, I can't tell you how much to give him. Please ask your doctor instead." Legal reasons, huh? I guess legality is more important than "balancing the needs of patients and society", and placing the "concern for the well-being of the patient at the center of professional practice", like the APA's Code of Ethics for Pharmacists states. Apparently, the fear of being sued goes before the needs of patients and society. Yeah, I'm a nerd that actually looked that up just to prove a point.

So, next I called Ethan's pediatrician's office and asked them. I spoke to a nurse there, and she told me that I shouldn't give the medicine to any kid under age six, but I should always dose by weight instead of by age. I love the contridiction in that. Dose by weight and not age - unless the law says otherwise. It's no longer about what is best for the kid, thanks to those two or three stupid parents who must have just handed the whole bottle of cough medicine to their kids and said, "Drink up!"

But really, this law will probably end up just hurting more kids than it helps. At least 5 years ago I could call and ask my pediatrician, get an honest answer, and then safely give my child the correct dosage of the correct medicine. Now that they're all so afraid of getting sued or fined, I have to just guess. I might get it wrong - after all, I'm not the one who went to ten years of school to learn this stuff. I can see how easy it would be to overdose your kids now that this law is in effect. I hope everyone is careful, but we all know that some parents just aren't.

I'm not going to let my sweet little kids suffer through cold symptoms just because some laws were put in place to prevent doctors from doing their jobs, and I doubt that many other parents will either. We all want to do what's best for our kids, and sometimes medicine is best. I'm not going to get into the whole natural/homeopathic/no medicine argument right now, but I think we all agree that a happy baby is better than a cranky, sick, pitiful baby any day.

So I Guess This is a Pretty Bad Track Record.

2010-03-03T11:27:00.004-05:00

Umm.... I sort of forgot to post anything here for almost a year!!! That was weird....
But, in my defense, I was waiting for something new to blog about. I didn't think that had happened yet, but let's see what has been going on in our house since last summer:

Avery started preschool, and developed a preschool crush. I think he's way too young for this, but what can I do? The boy's a stud.

Abby started first grade, and is doing excellent. She's quite the reader, and adores math (what the heck?) and gym (what the heck?).

Ethan started potty training - two days ago. I'm really not looking forward to going through this whole process again already,or having no more babies with diapers in our house. That's why I waited so darn long to teach this kid to go to the potty. I hate it already.

Abby started Girl Scouts - she's a Daisy. I was an assistant leader, but as of a couple days ago I'm now the leader. She's still selling cookies, if anyone needs them :o)

Daniel started back to school, and will have his very own degree in something in a couple of years. He keeps changing his mind, and then changing his mind back and not telling me, so that's why I say he will have a degree in something.

I thought I would be graduating myself last December, but that didn't happen. Now I will (I promise) be graduating in May. Then I will hopefully start teaching somewhere, and actually make money being around kids all day. Then it will be back to school for a Master's degree.

I haven't sent out our Christmas cards yet. I have them. I just have them in a box, as opposed to having them in an envelope and in a mailbox, and eventually in someone else's mailbox. Maybe I'll scratch out "Merry Christmas", and write in "Happy Easter". Perhaps that is why so many people want to change the saying from "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" - lazy people.

Seriously, I think that's about it for us. I thought nothing happened, and maybe it did not. That list is awfully short, after all. Oh well, to fill up some space, here are some pictures from the past 9 months:

Avery, as the "What d' ya want??" shepherd in his preschool Christmas pageant.

The prince, the princess, and the pea. Halloween night.

Ethan thoroughly enjoying the snow!

Abby and Avery at Disney on Ice.

Two things I learned today

2009-08-08T19:57:00.005-04:00

1. Abigail had caught a preying mantis and put it in her bug catcher. We decided to keep buggy (Abigail picked the name). Sara researched on what to feed our new pet and she discovered that they eat other bugs. Subsequently, we had a fly in the house so you know what happened next. But I couldn't believe the excitement that Sara had as we witnessed the mantis leap on the fly. Her elation as the fly was devoured bit by bit, I felt was too much.

Today, I learned that Sara is a sadist.

2. In my life, I have learned that things that belong outside should stay outside and things that belong inside should stay inside. Otherwise, it's considered dirty. Example 1) Bringing mud into a house is dirty. 2) plastic bottles on the ground is dirty.

Today, I learned that Avery has the uncanny and magical ability to make outside dirty with the outside! I won't specifically mention how, but I will say that he has a way of disturbing nature. Like Avery, I'll let your imaginations run amok.

A Message from Daniel

2009-07-23T21:22:00.004-04:00

I taught Ethan and Avery a new game. I call it Don’t Blink. It’s pretty simple. The boys would lie on the floor while I bounce a midsized rubber ball near their heads and say, “don’t blink.” The object is not to blink. Ethan is surprisingly good and Avery is alright. However when Ethan is the thrower and I am the layer, all that seems to happen is me getting hit in the head while he says enthusiastically in his high-pitched baby voice, “don’t bwink!”

Also, you know pigs-in-a-blanket? Well, Sara made dinosaurs-in-a-sleeping-bag for dinner.

An Unexpected Trip

2009-06-30T16:15:00.004-04:00

Last week, Daniel's grandmother passed away. While that's horrible, it did allow me and the kids an opportunity to meet Daniel's family in New Orleans. The kids had never been down there, and so they also got to visit a new place.

At first we just visited with family and hung out around our temporary home (a nice house with just a card table, four lawn chairs, and three air mattresses in it). The kids got sort of bored doing this, and started to climb the walls. Literally.

So, Daniel and I decided to take the kids over the river to see the sites. We hopped on the ferry (just pretend that this is in the right order), and headed over to the city. Since it was a balmy 104 degrees out, and about 200% humidity, the wind felt extra good blowing on our faces.

We headed over to City Park, but unfortunately, there were pigeons at the park. We had to leave soon after we got there, because all those pigeons were trying to talk us into letting them drive the bus.

Once we headed back to Daniel's family's house, we were in for a big surprise - crawfish! Everyone was getting set up for a big crawfish/crab/shrimp boil. Yummy! Avery helped get everything ready, by rinsing off the live crawfish.

Abby was super grateful that Avery did this, because then she got to eat the crawfish! Don't worry, this picture is just for show - we removed the shells before she actually ate any.

Yes, I Do Still Exist

2009-06-17T11:52:00.003-04:00

Yes, I'm here. It's just summer... And I've been trying to keep the kids busy and get some long put-off projects finished. Like right now, for instance. I'm blogging, making lunch, trying to finish a birthday gift for my Mumsy, making a grocery list, compiling coupons, and holding Ethan. Talk about multi-tasking!

And so I will blog again. Soon? I have no idea. But I do have some thoughts floating around in my head that I would love to share.

Until then, I'll leave you with these questions:

Why is ‘abbreviation’ such a long word?
What is an occasional table the rest of the time?
Does God believe that there are atheists?
What would a burger of ham be called?
Why does your nose run and your feet smell?
What did the designer of the drawing board go back to when his/her original design was a failure?
Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?
Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its bum." ?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

Music For Kids

2009-06-03T12:41:00.004-04:00

Sadly, there are people out there who do not like kid's music. Daniel sent me an article today about this very subject, where the author complained about bands such as The Wiggles and the Laurie Berkner Band. Personally, I think kid's music has taken quite a turn since my Raffi days (over 20 years ago). There's actually some very good music out there for kids these days. Not that Raffi wasn't good. I'm just saying that his songs get stuck in your head in a bad way, and now there are kid's songs that get stuck in your head in a good way.

So why, then, does McDonald's insist on putting CDs like Kidz Bop in their Happy Meals?? Abby rarely gets Happy Meals these days, since we're trying not to eat fast food that much. Well, the other day I gave in and bought the kids Happy Meals. Inside I find that CD. And do you know what was on that CD? Songs about boyfriends and money, but sung by kids. There was even one controversial song on the CD that is arguably about a very adult feeling. In other words - nothing that I want my kids to hear.

But, back to the good kid's music. Here are a few of my favorites, along with some new ones that the article introduced me to.

The first one, by The Board of Education, actually addresses a great mystery that I've pondered since I was five...

Now for one of my absolute favorite children's musicians, Dan Zanes. He's pretty awesome, and you can catch his videos every now and then on the Disney Channel, then head to Starbucks to buy them!

And my favorite Dan Zanes song, "Smile":

Now a favorite from my teenage years - Reality Bites, anyone? Here's Lisa Loeb, now doing kid's stuff:

Even though I'm pretty sure this is the type of kid's music that the article was condemning, I really like this song. The kids and I love to sing it, and look forward to hearing it every day on Noggin.

Maybe on Halloween I'll share my favorite Candy Corn song with you guys! Until then, open your eyes up a little bit to kid's music. It's fun, almost always about a positive subject matter, and I don't think you'll have to worry too much about curse words (!).

Are there any other good ones I missed?

Some Thoughts on Riding the School Bus

2009-06-01T16:06:00.002-04:00

First of all, I would like to say that my kids will never ride the school bus. Never. No matter what Daniel says, no matter how much he thought it was okay as a kid, no matter what anyone else says.

Now, I did not get molested on a school bus as a kid, or anything like that. I just do not like the idea of my kids riding the school bus. To better understand why I feel so strongly about this, I'm going to try and analyze my own past to find the source of this dislike.

But first, I would like to let you know that Daniel rode the school bus in Thibodaux, Louisiana for years, and still thinks that it is okay for our kids to do the same. His bus riding stories are all full of him getting in trouble, being rude to the driver, or seeing other kids fistfight on the bus. To be perfectly honest, I'm pretty sure that Daniel was one of those kids that I'm trying to keep away from my kids by not letting them ride the bus.

Now, onto my bus-riding past...

I only rode the bus in the Playas, New Mexico area (in the middle of the desert), and for about an hour and a half each day, and only from second grade through fourth grade. Yes, I was able to form such a strong opinion about school buses in only 3 years. After all, I did have to travel 60 miles a day round trip in that thing.

One of my earliest memories riding the bus involves a seven year old me, an older (12, maybe) boy, and a yellow dress. I walked onto the bus that morning, and sat by myself in the usual spot. The boy (who I knew), came and sat across from me. We talked a little, and then he reached over and lightly touched the hem of my yellow dress. "That's a really nice fabric," he said. At the time, this was highly disturbing to me, although I never told anyone about it. Now it doesn't bother me as much. However, if I were to put Abby in my place, then the whole scene is even more disturbing to me than it was when I was seven years old. No one, and I mean no one had better ever touch my daughter's hem.

Next, I remember being on the bus, in the back. I was one of the last kids to be let off the bus, and so the bus was nearly empty. There was a boy I knew (but not that well) that was getting off the bus at a different stop that day, and so he was riding in the back with me. Suddenly, he sits next to me, grabs my shoulders, and kisses me. I was nine, he was ten. That guy ended up forgetting about this and eventually marrying a girl I once went to church with, but me? I was disturbed by the incident, and still am. Would I want this to happen to Abby? Nope.

I can also vividly remember a time when I took the school bus home, and noticed that my friend Sarah was not on the return trip with me. I got off at my stop, went up to my door and could not get in. The door was locked, my mom's car was not in there, and I panicked. Around the same time, my friend Sarah's mom pulled up, looking for her daughter. Apparently, the school had gotten a call from my mom, asking them to send Sara home with a friend (on another bus). They instead sent Sarah. She was at a stranger's house with my mom, and I was alone at my house with her mom. Now, I know this was only a mistake, and those things happen... But I really don't know what Abby would do if she got to our house and no one was here, aside from curling into a ball and sobbing.

Three nice school bus horror stories, no? Yet, I have one more...

It was a hot, hot, hot (did I mention I lived in the desert?) September day. I was riding home on the school bus, when I was thrown into the seat in front of me, and heard a loud screech/thump/crash. My school bus driver curses, loudly. I look in front of the bus and see a horse trailer on it's side. Yup, my bus driver hit a horse. And a trailer.

This naturally caused a delay. A 3 hour delay. And it was hot. There was a near-dead horse on the road. And I was eight years old.

Finally, finally, the accident was cleared up, the horse shot dead (though not in front of us), and we continued home to our bus stops. My mom was actually not that upset, because I guess someone had notified her that everyone was okay or something. However, I can picture the whole thing rather clearly in my mind, to this day. Now don't worry - that school bus driver stopped driving buses about 2 years later, after he ran over his own nephew with a school bus. But really, even with that guy no longer driving buses, I still don't want Abby, Avery, or Ethan on one of those giant yellow deathtraps.

*phew* Now that was painful. But tell me, am I over-reacting? Would you (or do you) want your kids to set foot on a bus after hearing these stories, much less experiencing these stories firsthand? Daniel laughs at me, but my kids will never - no, not ever - ride on a school bus. Period.

That Itches.

2009-05-21T19:49:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had one of those days? It's definitely been "one of those days" for some of us in this household today. One of us actually woke themselves from a deep sleep this morning by falling out of the bed, while simultaneously biting three of their fingers and a lip. Thank goodness that wasn't me! I would feel really silly for that one, but it's okay for a three year old Avery to do it.

Another one of us woke up covered in poison ivy. That one would be me. Which reminds me...

It's my fault that Avery is so "active," as Daniel and I call him. Yup, I had poison ivy so badly while pregnant with Avery, that I had no choice but to risk taking the prescribed steroids to get rid of it. I get severe reactions to poison ivy - like severe enough to scare the doctor - and it just gets worse when I'm also pregnant. When I took the steroids, I worried that Avery would end up huge when he born, or at least come out as a mini-jock with a football in his hand and a crewcut on his head. But alas, he did not. Now that he is three, though, I can see what the steroids did to him. They made his little three year old body think it is a sixteen year old body constantly playing football, and so he cannot hold still.

So, even though I refuse to use an epidural while giving birth because I fear it will hurt my baby, and I refuse to give my kids formula because I fear what it might do to them, I sure will give them steroids while they are still fetuses. Because, after all, I was itchy.

Introducing.... The Cutest Ethan, EVER.

2009-05-19T16:05:00.003-04:00

So, this little guy has gotten quite cute lately. Not that he wasn't already cute, but now with the talking and the facial expressions and the cuteness - he's become unbelievably cute to me. I can see that these are his last days of babyhood, so I wanted to share with you guys just how cute he is. Here's a video of Ethan talking (including some bonus Abby and Avery bickering in the background):

Our Vacation

2009-05-19T14:29:00.004-04:00

Last month we took a... vacation? I guess it was a vacation, even though it seemed way too short and we only traveled five hours to get here. But the kids seemed to have fun, nonetheless. Here are some pictures:

Ethan's first time in a cave. Coincidentally, it was also his first time sucking his thumb. Maybe the dark was a little too much for him... Or it could have been the white crawfish and "cave spiders."

******************************************************************

Abby has a new love for birds. *sigh* I hate birds. But, she got to feed some on vacation, and has talked about birds a lot since then. Too bad no bird will ever, ever enter our house.

*******

And then we tried to feed Avery to a lion. Turns out it was a fake, bronze lion. *phew* That was close.

**************************************************************

We visited a life-sized Athena Parthenos. Abby was quite taken by Athena, but I'm not sure if it was her size (41 feet), her gildedness, or something else. I think Abby will end up an artist one day.

*****

You Think They'll Forget That?

2009-05-18T15:02:00.002-04:00

It seems that my kids never forget anything. Unless, of course, it's something that I've told them to do...

Yesterday, we all got in the van, buckled in (or so I thought), and I backed out of the driveway. As soon as we hit the street, Ethan starts crying hysterically. I slow down, look back to see what's wrong, and he's pulling at his carseat buckle. Which, by the way, is not fastened. He was crying because he thought the world might end or something if he left the driveway with no seat belt on. Don't worry, I stopped and Daniel buckled Ethan in.

This is very similar to Avery's fear of falling out of the car if he does not wear a seat belt. He's dreamed a couple times that he did fall out, and that we kept on driving and left him on the road. Now how pitiful is that? And all because I told him once that he had to wear a seat belt, because it keeps him from falling out of the car!

Abby's memory has always amazed us, too. She remembers every detail of her 2nd birthday, from how the cake was made and decorated, to who was there, and what presents she received. She also has a very vivid memory of the time she spilled an entire gallon of white paint on our brand new bathroom tile and ruined it. Daniel hosed her off, and that is something you just never forget, I guess.

So now I've realized how careful we have to be about letting the kids see things on TV that might later affect them. One time Abby walked in the living room while Daniel and I were watching The Simpsons. They just happened to say a** as she walked in, and she laughed and repeated it. She had never heard the word before, but we were afraid of her remembering it in preschool two days later. Fortunately, we never had a problem with that one.

However, a week ago she walked into the living room while we were watching The Soup. Due to some weird freak of nature, the clip on at the time was of an outdoorsy guy tasting... bear excrement... to find out what the bear had been eating. This made me sick, but it absolutely delighted Abby! Now she has been mentioning it every day or so for the past week. I wonder if her Kindergarten teacher has heard about the guy who eats bear poop? Wonderful...

I've really got to be careful with these guys and their darn memories!

New School

2009-05-14T08:37:00.004-04:00

I'm kickin it new school now. Not really - I'm actually just talking about Abby going to a new school next year. You remember how I stressed over sending Abby to Kindergarten at a public school or a private school? Well, I did decide on the private school, since the Kindergarten was half-day. But now that full day school is just around the corner, and Avery is also about to start school, followed by Ethan in a couple years... I've just realized that we cannot keep paying to give our kids an education.

And so, Abby is heading off to public school for first grade. To ease my anxiety a little - oh yeah, and Abby's anxiety - Daniel, the kids, and I went to her new school last week to register her and to take a tour. The school is brand new, and has a cute little music room, art room, and a library. I'm actually excited that she will be going there, and that she'll be going there for a full day. I think that Abby will get to enjoy things like music class and art class more when she has more than 3 hours to her school day.

But, the issue of lunch still exists. I will not be the one feeding her, making sure she eats well, making sure she eats the good stuff before the snacky stuff... It's so hard to let your kids go in certain areas. For me, it's food. I won't know if she's eating nothing, a hotdog covered in frosting, or just a cookie for lunch. All I can do is pack it, or send money for it, and then the rest is up to her. I think I'm going to need to stock up on after-school snacks around here.

Also, Avery heads off to preschool this fall. Can you believe it? My little blue-eyed baby is going to school. I'm sad to see him go, but he is just so ready for it. I took him to his preschool to register him and let him visit the classrooms, and he wasn't at all afraid. He walked right up to everyone, talked like he had known them for years, and then went into the classrooms and exumed dinosaur bones (rotini pasta) from the sandbox like a professional palentologist.

This is the same preschool that Abby went to last year, so maybe he just feels at home there, you might say. But no, when we took Abby on the tour of her new school, he did the same thing. He was totally ready to join the second graders in music class, and make Mother's Day cards with the first graders. He walked around like he owned that school, even though he was only the second smallest kid in the entire building. That kid has guts, that's for sure. He's really not afraid of anything, other than Ethan's growling and the hand vaccuum.

So, now I'm trying to slowly let myself adjust to idea of having only one kid with me three days a week. That will be quite a change. I'm expecting to adjust to it around the time Ethan starts school, and then I'll have no kids all day. But still, the idea of having another baby hasn't completely left my mind...

As Wrong as Pants on a Trout

2009-05-14T08:29:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Curious George for that title.

I've been told by my hundreds (or a couple at least) of my fans (okay, family members) that they just do not know me anymore since I've slowed down the blogging. Well, I used to make it my goal to write at least one blog post every week day, but then life got a little more lifey, and something had to go. However, since I finally finished the past semester (college, you know), I have found myself with a teeny bit more time on my hands. Also, pretty soon Abby will be out of school for the summer, and that frees up a lot more time.

And so, I've decided to try and start blogging regularly again. I'm starting with telling you guys about everything the kids, Daniel, and I did while I was not blogging. That's actually a lot of stuff, so I'll try to leave out all the toothbrushing and eating of lunches, and basically all of the redundant stuff we do every day. But, if you've ever read my blog before, you probably realize that I like to write about that stuff, so that promise may not be kept after all.

But either way, I've realized that my not blogging is as wrong as pants on a trout - at least to me.

Guest Post - Daniel, Again

2009-04-25T21:02:00.002-04:00

*** Please enjoy this new guest post from my husband, Daniel. Apparently, he had a very different experience on vacation than I did. ***

THE STUPIDEST ANIMAL EVER CREATED!!

Hello,

Although my anger has subsided a bit since I’ve first came across the Tawny Frogmouth Owl, I am still somewhat bewildered, as I’m still trying to understand the reason for its existence. Give me a minute to retell the tale of this asinine experience, as it represents just a couple minutes of one day of our grand vacation to Nashville.

We stopped at a little zoo in southern Kentucky that specializes in animals from Australia. Kangaroos, dingoes, and lorikeets were all very popular animals to visit. However, when we meandered to the aviary to see the laughing Kookaburra, the most unsuspecting thing happened to me! I saw it! I wondered, “Is that just a head of a hawk? This must be a mistake! Someone must have forgotten to clean the cage when they were cutting the heads from the bodies of the owls. Wait? They don’t do that at zoos!!!”

Dumbfounded I stared. But then it looked at me and that’s when I got scared. I screamed, “Sara, it’s alive! Where’s the bird’s body? Where’s his wing?! Where’s his feet?!!” As he stared at me, I felt as if he was thinking, “not this again.” I felt as if he went through this day after day and was resentful not only to me but the entire human population (or at least Kentucky’s). I felt him hating me as our eyes locked momentarily. I could have felt pity, but I didn’t. My bemusement turned quickly to anger because of his ill-will toward me.

I did not want to ever see this creature again. I wanted rid of him from the earth. Predators, poachers, hunters, bored teenagers, global warming do your worst to this bodiless thing! But as I’ve said before, I am less upset now that I’ve had time to adjust.

If you know of any other animals that are equally heinous, please share because I do not want to go through that ever again. You know, things like wiener dogs without legs (they just look like a hot dog that barks), a turtle without a shell, people with eleven fingers (and the eleventh isn’t necessarily on either hand), cats with no ears (they exist!).

Big Kid Beds

2009-04-25T15:38:00.003-04:00

So, about three months ago, we bought "big kid beds" for Abby and Avery. Since Abby was five years old, we figured it was weird for her to still sleep in a toddler bed (even though she fit just fine). Also, her friend came over one day and said, "Wow, Abby. You have a small bed." Like in a monotone "wow" voice, not in a mocking voice, but still....

And so we headed out to Ikea, because I love that place, and found ourselves some new beds. We ended up finding two identical twin beds, but in white for Abby and in black for Avery. Avery's was on sale, but Abby's was not. Apparently they weren't identical after all. But they are cute, and they are big kid beds.

Now I'm slowly, slowly decorating the rooms and trying to make one of them sporty (my choice) and the other one fancy (Abby's choice). The fancy room is also supposed to be a princess room, but I'm not into themes such as that and we're compromising. Compromising as in, "I'm doing what I want, because I have the money in my wallet."

So here are a few pictures to let you know what I'm going for:

This is the color scheme, but my camera is hard to adjust to get a true picture. I think they look much prettier in person. They've got the colors right and the theme, so I love them. I got these signs clearanced at Michael's, so the thrifty side of me is happy as well.

This is the big girl bed. The comforter is a leftover from the toddler bed, but it sort of fits into the color scheme, though not the princess theme. For now, it works, but I hope to make her another quilt eventually. But you can ask my mom, Abby shouldn't hold her breath on that one.

And this is another sign that I made for Abby's room. I found all the wood picture cut-out thingies clearanced at Michael's, and the white board was in the "Handyman" section of Ikea. Another thrifty decoration! You can also see the pretty lavendar color we painted the walls in this picture.

*************************************************************************

Has anyone else been decorating lately? I would love to get links to your blog and see the pictures if so!

I Shouldn't Be Surprised

2009-04-20T17:36:00.003-04:00

I don't know why I wasn't expecting it this morning when Avery woke me up at 6:36. I don't know why I was surprised. After all, this is the same kid who stuck one of these (the little ball thingies) up his nose just two months ago:

This is the same kid who broke his little pinkie when he was only one year old. He had a yeast infection in his eye once. I found him across the street, playing with garbage cans when he was 15 months old (and supposedly playing in his room). He was almost born in the car, for goodness sakes!

Yet, when Avery woke me up at 6:36 this morning to tell me that something was still in his ear, I was surprised. He informed me that "the thing from his dresser was in his ear," but "it doesn't hurt anymore!"

I was alarmed. I asked him what it was, exactly, in his ear, and how it had gotten there. All he knew was that it had come from inside his dresser, was circle-shaped, and white. Oh yeah, and still in his ear because he had stuck it in there.

So, instead of really trying to remove it myself, I called the doctor when the office opened. I've learned that the doctor is best at these things. We went to the doctor's office later in the morning, and he used big tweezers (forceps, as he calls them) to remove the object. Turns out it was a rubber drawer-stop thing that prevents the drawers from getting slammed. Apparently, these things are the exact same size as Avery's ear canal.

Maybe I should have expected something like this from Avery, since he did this and this. But no, I was still surprised. Even though he tried to pick up a smashed tampon in the CVS parking lot the other day, while screaming "clouds!" Yup, he continues to surprise me daily. Sometimes even hourly.

Presenting... Tulips in the Snow!

2009-04-07T17:26:00.003-04:00

Well, we woke up this morning to snow. Snow - in April? Yes, it's supposed to be Spring, but Ohio doesn't understand this. Fortunately, we did have a couple weeks of actual Springy weather before this snow got here.

Last weekend we were able to play in the yard, go to the kite festival, and fly a few kites of our own. Daniel decided to try something new, and took the training wheels off of Abby's bike for a few minutes.

Just look at the joy on her face! She went up the driveway once with Daniel, crying the whole time. She then went up the driveway with me, semi-crying, and then down the driveway with no tears. Of course, we didn't actually let go of the bike, but she then decided that she had had enough of this.

And the training wheels went back on! On the bright side, the lack of training wheels for ten minutes made her much braver on the bike once the wheels went back on. She raced me up and down the driveway a few times, winning every time.

And so it is back into the winter coats the kids go. Hopefully I can pack these away for the Spring and Summer, eventually.

2009-04-07T08:41:00.002-04:00

If you're the type that tears up thinking about how big your kids are getting, try this:

1. Do the laundry.
2. Fold 5 pairs of your underwear.
3. Fold 5 pairs of your kid's underwear.

See? They are still small.

You Know the Feeling... Right?

2009-04-06T12:07:00.002-04:00

You know how your kids like to ruin everything you like to do? I mean, in most ways kids make your life better. But sometimes, they just make things so hard to do. And other times, they just completely ruin things.

Like when my favorite song finally comes on the radio. I turn it up a bit to enjoy it, and inevitably, the kids either start fighting or really, really need to tell me something at that exact moment.

After I hear "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" I finally turn down the music and ask what they want. The answer is usually something like, "I really like candy!" or "I can wear my shoe on my hand!"

And very often, as soon as Daniel or I sit down to watch our favorite TV show at night, the kids need to potty or are "tirsty." Sometimes Ethan comes in the room just to tell me that he found a different color pacifier, and has decided to use that one instead of the one he went to bed with.

The kids also know how to really ruin a love of reading. They can wrinkle a page, tear it up altogether, or simply lose a book just before you decide to read. Of course, this actually has happened a couple hours in advance, but you don't realize it until you finally have 30 minutes of overlapping nap time and Abby entertaining herself time.

But what really makes these moments worse - or maybe better, I don't know - is when people who no longer have little kids tell you that you will miss these moments when the kids grow. Sure I will. I will definitely open up a book and think, "where are the crayon scribbles, wrinkles, and torn pages?" I will sit to watch a TV show and wonder what that loud sound is, and then realize that it is actually the TV show, which I can now hear. I will turn on my favorite CD and think, "I never heard that verse before!"

And then I will miss the noise, and the annoyance, and the pain in my butt.

But, alas, right now I am at still at an early first phase of parenting, where the kids drive me nuts and I cannot even imagine what my life would be like if they were not 2 and 3 and 5. But for now, I have to end this post early because the inevitable fight over whether Ethan's shirt should be zipped up or not is occurring right now, and I have to break it up.

Oh! Hey! Another Big Idea!

2009-04-03T15:14:00.003-04:00

So, I was reading this blog. Not this blog, but this blog. And you know what? I really, really like her ideas. I have this crazy 2 year old and this crazy 3 year old, and all they seem to want to do in the morning is make messes and fight. The mom that writes the blog actually home schools her kids, but the idea is very similar to what I did with Abby when she was about 18 months - 3 years old.

Okay, if you didn't check out the blog, then I'll tell you what it is about. Sheesh. You're lazy! (Just kidding!) The mom has a 2 year old as well, and she basically teaches him in a Montessori-style every day, for like an hour. Montessori-style is more play-based than lesson-based, and it works better with some kids. So, the mom has these trays that she sets up, with different objects on them each day. The kid is free to pick a tray and work on it. The trays have things like pasta and bowls to sort them into on one, then the next tray has beads and things to string them onto. I can definately see my kids loving this.

The mom on the blog says that "Tot School" is actually a great way to teach her older son (a six year old) that he is not "the center of the universe." Hmm... Now is there anyone in my house that I can see acting that way? Yes. Yes, there is. (No, it's not Daniel) And when that certain someone is out of school for the summer, I can also use Tot School to teach her - err, I mean non-gendered them - the same thing!

So, I'm going to be compiling a small stock of things like beads and votive holders, pipe cleaner and pitchers, tweezers and tongs, etc. over the weekend. Then, hopefully, on Monday the boys and I can begin Tot School!

** As a side note, the "tot" on the blog looks suspiciously like my tot.**

1+1+1=1's tot:

My tot:

Weird, huh??

Get a Job!

2009-04-03T09:40:00.002-04:00

You know the economy is bad when two year olds have to get dangerous carpentry jobs....

Family Size-ism

2009-04-02T09:06:00.002-04:00

Have you ever noticed how biased our country is towards families with two parents and two kids? I notice because I have three kids, but I wonder if this ticks off people with one kid, or more than three kids too....

You know how restaurants have nights where kids eat free? You'd be surprised at how many of those places specify "one child eats free per paying adult." So the third kid always has to share with the other two, cause I'm sure not buying a kid's meal when the other two are free!

Frozen Waffles pretty much only come in packs of 10. That means we always have one extra waffle per box. Every three weeks or so, after we've gone through three boxes, the kids all get "variety waffle day." A different waffle for each kid.

Hot Dogs and hot dog buns (at least the brand we buy) only come in packs of 8. This time there are two wasted. That means we have two "hot dog variety nights" after we've finished three packs.

Minivans are designed for families with 2 kids. Why else would they make the back have only 5 seats? That means that if we ever go anywhere and take the kid's friends with us, one kid gets left out.

Hotel packages are rarely even designed for families at all, but if they are, it's a four-person family they have in mind. Some hotels actually charge extra if you want to keep three kids and two adults in a room. Like my 2 year old really takes up that much room. If the package includes tickets to the zoo or anything like that, I can guarantee you that it will only include two adult tickets and two child tickets.

Even the human body is designed only for two kids. Two hands, two arms to carry them, two legs to sit them on, two eyes to watch the little guys. Maybe God is trying to tell us all something...

What's Happening

2009-03-23T10:20:00.004-04:00

All kids are different, right? I mean, there is no way you can have three kids and have them all be exactly the same, is there?

My kids are no exception. Of course they are never exactly the same - but they sure are identical in a few areas. For instance, at the exact age of two, they all start having what Daniel calls a "hot foot." They get strapped in the car seat, and immediately have to take off their left shoe and sock. The right one can stay on, no problem. But that left one? It must not be on once the car door closes. No exceptions. All three of my kids did this from the moment they turned two until the moment they turned three.

Now for differences. Ethan has suddenly become "the dressy one." He stands at the closet door when I tell him that I'm going to get a shirt for him to wear. If I even touch a t-shirt, he cries, "No! Shirt!" Lately he hates to wear t-shirts, and prefers button-up shirts. Apparently, t-shirts are not really shirts to him. He also insists on having his shoes put on when I dress him, even if we won't be leaving the house. This is very different from my other two kids. The second they come in the house, their shoes and socks are off. They hate shoes, Ethan loves them. He also insists on wearing a reversible wind-breaker/fleece jacket, while the other two are happy with hoodies. I hope he's not becoming metrosexual.

Another difference - Avery is still noticing that skin colors vary, while Abby seems to be oblivious to this. The other night, as we were waiting for a table in a restaurant, an older black lady sat next to us, and started talking to the kids. Abby politely talked to her about movies and food. Avery took one look at her and announced rather loudly, "You're brown!"

What is the proper response in such a situation? I'm sure the lady knows that she is, in fact, brown. But does she understand that this is purely Avery's own observation? He's never said such a thing before, and we've never said anything like this to him either. He's actually been around people of color before, and said nothing. The kids are just different.

Abby is also learning that other people are not exactly alike, even if she doesn't seem to notice skin color. Generally, Abby makes friends very easily. This is just how kids are, I think. Everyone near Abby's age that she talks to seems to also like her. There are 13 kids in Abby's class, and they all seem to like her. At least up until about two weeks ago.

All of a sudden, there is this one boy in the class who would rather sit and do nothing at his desk than play with Abby during playtime. When Abby told him that we were going away for a weekend trip last week, he said, "I wouldn't want to go anywhere with you." Abby has actually spent at least one playtime crying because this kid wouldn't play with her. The poor girl has never been around a kid her age that didn't like her enough to play.

So, it seems that differences are making things a little tough in our household. You hear so much about celebrating differences these days, that I don't know how to perceive situations such as the boy who dislikes Abby. So, for now I'm just letting her handle it.

I guess that way I'll eventually learn how my kids handle difference on their own.

The Future

2009-03-09T16:37:00.006-04:00

We went out to a Chinese restaurant the other night, since my kids adore Ni Hao Kai-Lan
(who told them that Chinese dumplings are delicious). Of course, we all got a fortune cookie at the end, and of course they were completely accurate.

Daniel's fortune:
"Utilize what you have been given." Translation: Stop buying so many tools and materials just to finish up the home improvement jobs you started last year.

Sara's fortune:
"To learn without thinking is effort in vain." Translation: Pay attention in class!

Abby's fortune:
"What's that in your eye? Oh... It's a sparkle." Translation: You have sparkly eyes.

Avery's fortune:
"The thing in us that we fear just wants our love." Translation: Dogs, train whistles, pieces of fuzz on the floor, monsters, and Ethan going "Rarr!" just want your love.

Ethan's fortune:
"Suppose you can get what you want..." Translation: You can never really get what you want, because you are only a baby and all you want is candy.

The backs of the fortunes also accurately predicted our family's health for the following week 3 out of 5 of times:

Ethan: "Learn Chinese - To have a fever (shao)." Ethan woke up Sunday morning with a very high fever.

Avery: "Learn Chinese - Cold (leng)." Avery caught a cold last week.

Sara: " Learn Chinese - Headache (tong)." I have three kids - of course I had a headache this week.

*************************

These odds are almost as good as the odds that the Chinese Gender Chart will be right - and it has been for all my kids. So, next time you're unsure about your future, you might want to head to a Chinese food restaurant!

It All Adds Up

2009-03-04T08:40:00.002-05:00

I thought I owed you all (or... one) an explanation. I haven't been blogging regularly for... quite a while. But the truth is, I feel too busy right now to blog. Something had to give, and for now it's this blog.

So, until I either graduate college (yeah right!) or at least take a semester off, blog posts will no longer be regular. I will still blog, but not that often for a while.

Will you miss me?

I Now Take Requests

2009-02-26T14:21:00.002-05:00

As requested by a friend, I present to you The Story of Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the kids and I stopped by a friend's house to see if we could take them to lunch. We decided to head over to the always elegant Burger King (please see Fancy Nancy
for an explanation). This particular Burger King also had a playplace inside, so it was the perfect and most logical choice for our group of 6 kids and 2 adults.

Now, I can see why a person might assume and look at us in awe with our six children if, say, one of us was a man and the other a woman. Maybe then it would appear that we were a couple, and had a whole bunch of children. That would be insane, of course, but people may assume this if the children are with a man and a woman.

However, we were two women with six children. Yet a woman still came up to my friend and asked if all those kids were "ours." *ahem* True, I am majoring in Women's Studies at my college, and I am a feminist, but... "Our" kids?

So, after this woman left the restaurant, my friend and I had a good laugh at her question. Then a new person showed up with a kid, and sat in that woman's seat. This time it was a "Nana," and her grandson.

Avery immediately began to bond with the grandson. The two played on the playplace, danced on the mat in front of the slide, and took turns blowing into the boy's cherry Icee to make red bubbles. Now that last thing I mentioned - how do you stop your son from blowing into a stranger's straw when the stranger's own grandmother thinks it is funny and cute? How do you not appear rude in that situation, yet also not allow your son to soak up every germ that kid may have?

Back to Avery. Now, as I have mentioned before (here, here, and here), Avery has blonde hair and everyone else in our family has brown hair. This friend of mine that joined me at Burger King also has brown hair, as well as her three kids. In fact, we often joke that her three kids and Abby and Ethan are all her kids, while Avery is mine because the other five look somewhat alike.

And so Avery spent a large portion of the day with these seven people with brown hair. Guess what color hair that little boy he bonded with had? Blonde! Finally, it seems, Avery had found one of his own! This other blonde boy even had a Nana, just like him!

Now I feel the need to seek out friends with blonde hair, or at least blonde children. My poor little Avery - it seems he'll always be a minority in our house.

Examples

2009-02-19T14:21:00.003-05:00

You know, I've blogged quite a few times about the things people say to me about my three small kids. Things like, "You sure have your hands full!" But really, no matter how I make it seem, there are a handful of people who say these things in a polite way. I think it's all in your tone, facial expression, and the other words you add (or fail to add) to your comment.

For instance, the example I gave above can be received as quite rude if the person walks up to me, says it in a "Gee-your-life-sucks" tone of voice, and then walks away. Multiply this by ten if my kids are misbehaving at the time.

On the other hand, the kids and I were at the grocery store the other day (the same one where this happened), and an older lady said the dreaded sentence - but it was not at all rude. She also said that she had three kids just as close together - a girl and two boys - and she just wanted me to know that she is 72 years old. In other words, she knows how hard it is, but she survived!

Maybe the difference is comradery. If they've been through what they see you going through, it seems less rude to comment. I'm not quite sure. However, if I'm out without the kids, I do try to let other mothers know that I have the same problems with my kids as I see them having with their kids. They might not care at all, but I feel like empathizing with them is the right thing to do. Like I totally understand that their kids are not brats all the time. My kids are exactly the same!

Yeah, I know it probably is perceived as rude after all. But I feel like I would appreciate the degree of sisterhood that parenting small kids can provide, if I was in their shoes.

So, the next time you see someone at the store with the same amount of kids you have, crying, fighting, yelling, or peeing on themselves - tell her that your kids are just like hers. It will either make her relieved or depressed.

Finally!

2009-02-10T09:01:00.003-05:00

You see this cute little boy? This is not just any cute little boy - he's now a potty trained cute little boy! Actually, according to him he is a cute "little big boy."

Since Avery is now 40 months old (3 years, 4 months), and I started potty training him at 26 months (2 years, 2 months), we had to throw the kid a party. Really, we give each of the kids a potty train party once they can go two full weeks without having an accident. The thing is, we thought we would be having this party about a year ago. Abby was potty trained earlier than this, so we just assumed that all the kids would be the same. I guess that's one of the first lessons you learn in parenting - no two kids are exactly alike. So, here is over a year later and he is finally potty trained!

We had the party last weekend. Even though Avery had said for a very long time that he wanted a potty "train" party (Thomas), we couldn't think of any games that went along with Thomas. Instead, Avery got a Cars potty train party. He had to drive up mountains and learn to handle the turns on a bumpy racetrack, all while racing to California for the Piston Cup.

When Abby had her party, we did a Dora the Potty-er party. She had to follow Map and climb the tallest mountain (a pile of pillows), answer a riddle and get over the Grumpy Old Troll's bridge (I was the Grumpy Old Troll), and walk through the spooky forest (green and brown steamers hung from the ceiling).

Now the pressure is on for Ethan. We haven't even started potty training him yet, but if he's anything like Avery, it will be a while before he needs a potty train party.

How Rude!

2009-02-05T15:10:00.002-05:00

Please tell me it's not just me. Strangers seem to come up to me regularly, and say rude things about my kids. Is this an epidemic of rudeness, or is it just me and my kids that experience this?

Just today, a lady in Kroger came up to me as Abby was talking about... everything... and made the international hand symbol for "she talks too much." She then told me that my daughter does, in fact, talk too much. She tried to soften it up a bit, though, by telling me that her daughters are all grown and she only hears silence at her house these days. Poor lady.

I've also been told by other parents (whom I do not know) that my child (whoever is a baby at the time) has huge feet/hands/entire body. Now really, could you say such a thing about an adult? Then why say it about an adult's baby?

Abby has apparently always been loud, because strangers would stop me if they heard her crying as a small baby. They would say, "she cries louder than any baby I've ever heard!" Also, I've often been told that she is, "such a princess!" And that Abby "certainly is spoiled!" Hmm...

With the boys, I've been told that they don't look like Daniel "at all!" Nice. Why don't you just flat out tell my husband that you suspect his wife is sleeping around on him?

So, strangers, next time you see a baby at the grocery store, either smile and say nothing, or think really hard about something nice that you can say. Chances are, the mom dragging those kids through the store has had a really rough day and can't handle your boldness at that very moment.

Growing Up

2009-02-03T13:07:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday I finally got a chance to visit a friend of mine that had just had her first baby. Just, as in 4 months ago.

Yeah, I know I'm a lousy friend, but at least I did finally see that sweet little baby! There are other people I know that have just had their third and fourth babies (three years ago and six months ago, respectively), and I have yet to visit them. Of course, the mother of these two babies is actually my cousin, and not just a friend. For some reason, I feel like that is explanation enough...

And so I was able to hold this little guy on Sunday, and watch him do all those sweet little baby things, like babbling and laughing and hitting himself in the face with a toy. I watched my friend nurse him (well, it's not like I just sat and watched her, but I was there), I watched her play with him on the floor, change him into cute little jammies with puppies on each foot... Every possible thing that a "maybe-I'm-done-having-babies" person could ask for.

But you know what's really strange? None of it made me wish for another little one, or even made me completely nostalgic about my own little ones that are now big ones (uhh... I mean my kids).

I'm usually pretty predictable about desperately wanting another baby after I've been around a new one. But, even though this little guy was definitely the cutest little Stephen I have ever seen, I was perfectly content knowing I am past that stage with my own kids.

Does this mean that I am finally ready to accept that I have three kids - and will always have just three kids? No. After all, I may change my mind tomorrow, or even later today. I think this just simply means that I am learning to enjoy my own kids as they grow. It seems that every new age and stage they reach is more fun than the last. I can actually picture Daniel and myself with three older kids - and there is no baby carrier next to us in that picture.

Of course, all this came at the same time that Abby became an adult (or rather a b-dult, according to Abby). Today, after I asked her to stop banging her feet against the floor while she was coloring, she simply responded, "Sorry! I'm just so used to doing my own thing." You know, like paying rent and cooking dinner and heading off to work every morning...?

She then followed me around the house for the next 50 minutes while I cleaned and she rambled - I mean talked to me. She talked to me about ice skates, and how her doll needs some, and how she likes to pretend her knee-high socks are ice skates. She explained to me what a stranger is, and how to react if I come across one. I promise to run, and tell my mom or my teacher right away. "Umm, Dr. Wilson? Some stranger just talked to me in the hallway. What should I do?"

And Abby has also grown socially. She has lots of friends - best friends, even. She is invited to birthday parties a lot. While I sit in the van waiting to pick her up from school, she stands outside with her friends, their arms around each other's shoulders and laughing. Abby thinks about what would be the perfect Christmas present for her friends, or what would make the perfect tea party to which she could invite her friends. She has, on several occasions, asked for a nice couch of her own to place in her bedroom, so she could have friends over and offer them a place to sit.

But with all the growing up that Abby seems to be doing, I don't feel that same apprehension about her leaving babyhood behind that I used to feel. I'm sort of excited about this growing. Every day I'm reminded of just how little she knows about life. I get to literally teach her something new about life every day. Just today, for instance, I taught her what a tongue-twister is. A tongue-twister. When is the last time you had to be taught such a thing?

So we've spent part of the day coming up with tongue-twisters for Abby to try to say. This was all started, of course, by Punxsutawney Phil. You know, the groundhog? We heard a DJ on the radio ponder the relationship between groundhogs and woodchucks, and then proceed to do the "How much wood can a woodchuck chuck..." thing. That brought on a whole slew of other tongue twisters between Abby and me, and the rest is history.

I will tell you that Abby is not so good at creating her own tongue twisters just yet. But I leave you with a good one that the radio DJ came up with:

"How much hog can a groundhog ground, if a groundhog could ground hog?"

Guest Post - Daniel's Innermost Personal Thoughts

2009-01-30T17:52:00.002-05:00

After much *ahem* persuasion, I offer to you a guest post written by my own husband, Daniel.

************************************************************************************

At 6 o’ clock Sara nudged me to get up for work. Immediately, a table just like the one below popped in my head:

Things to do	Start Time	End Time
Stretch	6:00 a.m.	6:36 a.m.
Stretch	6:36 a.m.	6:37 a.m.
Take a shower	6:37 a.m.	6:53 a.m.

What struck me as odd was not the fact that I had instantly wanted to stretch for 36 minutes, but that there was a totally different type of stretching that I would do for one minute after the initial stretch. I am not even sure what would the two styles would entail, but I knew they were unique and needed to classified as such. Could the first set be preparation for a mighty “power-stretch” or a deep transidental meditation followed by “benediction” stretch? I do not know.

If You Think It's Cold Now...

2009-01-29T12:19:00.006-05:00

Okay. I'll admit I love snow days for the very fact that I don't have to leave the house or take the kids anywhere. Sometimes (like yesterday), Daniel even gets to stay home from work when it snows too much to drive the half hour it normally takes to get there.

But, this fondness for snow days comes from someone who is safely tucked inside my home, with the heater happily spitting out 68 degree heat all day long. The thing is, I just read this article about people a mere two hours south of us who were hit much harder by this snow and ice storm. They lost their electricity - and it might not be back on until mid-February. Two weeks or more with no heat? In 20 degree weather? That's when I would be raiding my savings account and heading to Florida, personally.

We "survived" the great wind storm of 2008 here in Ohio, after which we had no electricity at our house for a week. But, that was in September, and the weather was unusually perfect during that week. But what are the odds that we will have nice weather in February?

I don't know if you're like me, but I'm now mentally compiling a list of ways my family could eat, wash clothes, keep warm, and simply live for two weeks in February without electricity. If you are like me, then here are some more snow pictures from our house yesterday to help you imagine...

The Loss of Innocence?

2009-01-27T17:07:00.002-05:00

So, the kid's grandma had a great idea at Christmas time. She bought a Santa suit and had the kid's grandpa come to the door dressed in the suit. He passed out presents and had the kids sit on his lap.

Despite the occasional slips such as, "Come sit on Grandpa's lap! I mean Santa!" The kids still weren't quite sure if that was in fact Santa or Hairy Grandpa (that's what they call the grandpa with - you guessed it - hair). After all, right after Santa left out the front door, Hairy Grandpa came downstairs and was very surprised to learn that he had missed Santa while he was napping.

Before this Christmas, my kids didn't even know who Santa was, really. We opted for the "put the candy in the stockings Christmas Eve" thing, with no real explanation as to how the candy got there. They sort of assumed that all Santa did was give them candy. How boring.

Then Grandma explained to the kids who Santa was one day, and they were excited to see him. So, we were sort of obligated at that point to have some presents from Santa. However, I'm sort of selfish and like the joy that comes along with buying the kids a present that I know they really wanted. I do not want to give Santa the credit for my hard shopping work!

Nonetheless, Santa came and brought a ton of gifts that Grandma had *ahem* helped him pick out. The kids were happy and believed that it was, in fact, Santa Claus himself.

Until today, when I bursted Abby's bubble.

You see, we took pictures of Santa with the kids. My laptop died at the time, so we never got the chance to show the pictures to the kids. Today I uploaded the pictures, and the kids and I sat down to look at all we had done in the past two months.

We saw the pictures of Santa. Abby told me that she had originally thought it was just Hairy Grandpa. We looked at more pictures. Santa holding Ethan, Santa holding Avery. Santa with a tattoo.

"Wait a minute!" Abby cried. "That is Hairy Grandpa! He has the same tattoos!"

*pop*

There goes that bubble.

It never pays to lie - or even fabricate - to your children, I suppose. Here are the offensive photos. The tattoo in question is on his right arm, above the glove.

Snow Day

2009-01-27T16:11:00.003-05:00

Apparently, a five-year old Abby loves the snow. A four-year old Abby did not.
Sadly, three-year old Avery now dislikes the snow.

Two Strikes Against Me

2009-01-27T11:02:00.003-05:00

So, I guess I haven't had much to blog about since I gave away all my kids... (See the previous post)

Just kidding! I still have all the monkeys right here. Today has also been one of those "Free Kids" kind of days, but coupled with a snow day. Yup, there's about 6 inches of snow out there preventing us from leaving the yard, and the kids are having one of those days.

Motherhood is certainly... different from everything else. If you ever wanted to work on your patience, sacrificial nature, or counting to ten skills - have a kid.

I'll post snow day pictures in a bit.

Free Kids!

2009-01-22T17:03:00.002-05:00

I've decided to give away kids again. To those of you who have Facebook, you know I randomly like to offer my kids to anyone, for free. Coincidentally, these offers always happen when the kids are all three misbehaving.

It must be the weather, right? Yesterday it was about 15 degrees, and today it's 46 degrees. Don't you just love Ohio weather...?

Race and Politics

2009-01-21T11:35:00.003-05:00

Now that I've finally gotten my computer back, and AT&T has decided to give us Internet access this week, I'm happy to be back here blogging! I had a nice break, and now I can hopefully post something nearly every day.

First of all, something big happened while I was on that break - we have ourselves (if you're in the US) a black president! I'm personally very excited and happy about this for several reasons, but that's not what this post is about. What I'm wondering is, how do you make your kids appreciate the beauty in President Obama's term(s) as president? How do you teach small kids how much race controls our country, and how much this president can do for us as a racist nation? But really, should you even bring up the subject at all?

Yesterday was the presidential inauguration, and Monday was Martin Luther King's birthday. Now, I can explain to my 5 year old why we're celebrating the inauguration without mentioning race, but how do you explain what Martin Luther King did for our country without bringing up race?

When Abby asked me why she didn't have school on Monday, I told her it was because it was Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. She then (of course) asked me who that was, and if we were going to his party. I told her that he was a man who helped lots of people like other people, even though they were different. I felt like this sort of answered the question, but really left a lot unsaid.

The reason I wonder about this is simply because of a policy I have with my kids about race. I don't bring it up unless they do. I'm really interested in learning whether racism is inherited, learned, or innate. I feel like if I'm very, very careful to never point out race to my kids, then their ideas are truly their own.

And guess what? So far it looks like racism is not innate, because my kids don't notice that people are different colors. That makes me breathe easier - but isn't it scary at the same time? All this hate has been taught to us, just like math and reading?

The only time my kids have ever even hinted that they notice race is when Avery asked me in the bath tub what color he is. You see, he's very light skinned compared to Abby and Ethan. Avery takes after me in the skin department, and the other two take after Daniel. So, when Avery is in the tub with Abby and Ethan, he notices that his skin is lighter. Oh yeah - that and the fact that he is always slathered with sunblock while the other two are simply lightly coated. We usually say something like, "you get sunburned easier than Abby and Ethan."

And so, there was my little light skinned boy, taking a bath and asking me what color he is. I responded, "What color do you think you are?" He thought he was either yellow or grey. Abby told him he was skin colored, in one of those teen-agery "duh!" voices. Avery was satisified with this answer, and never asked again.

Abby has Barbies that are African American and Caucasian. She doesn't seem to notice a difference between any of the dolls. She just knows that her lone Bratz doll is somehow bad. She tells me that this doll is "mean to everyone." But that's another story...

And so I now wonder about race and my innocent little kids. What will they hear from TV and school about our new president? How often will they hear him called "Our first African American president!" - instead of simply, President Obama? Can I really ignore race in this case, when it seems to mean so much? Am I doing my kids a favor by not mentioning the importance of an African Amertican president, or a disservice?

Any opinions or advice on this subject?

200! And An Argument.

2009-01-16T08:56:00.003-05:00

This is my 200th post! Who knew I would have so much to ramble about?

While my computer is still being repaired (thank goodness for warranties!), Daniel and I got in an argument today that just could not wait to be solved. Now this was not a knock-down kind of fight, but it was a bend over backwards, turn your elbows the wrong way kind of argument. You see, I am double-jointed. Daniel does not believe me.

Since I was a little kid, I was able to sit comfortably (and preferred to) in ways that were impossible to other people. I can touch any part of my back with my hands, I can put one hand over my shoulder and one hand under my opposite shoulder and touch them together. I can sit on my knees and lay all the way back on the floor. Gee, what more proof do you need?

Daniel says I am just flexible. *ahem* That is actually sort of the definition of double-jointed. According to Wise Geek, being double-jointed "simple means that your joints... are unusually flexible, enabling you to bend or rotate them in ways that other people find impossible and painful." I can do this. I am double-jointed.

I think Daniel is just jealous. He can never wash his own back completely without some sort of device on a stick. He can never kick himself in the face. He cannot do a proper plie, like this guy:

How sad. At least Abby has the makings for a double-jointed person. Of course, Daniel says that's just because she's a kid, and all kids are flexible. I won't even tell you how flawed that argument would be in my philosophy class.

So, is anyone else double-jointed? What can you do?

Another Two Year Old

2009-01-08T09:55:00.000-05:00

It's official - we have another 2 year old in our house! Ethan's birthday is today, which is good news. Too bad the "too bad list" is longer than the good news list...

Too bad I had such a hard time getting Ethan a birthday cake today. Yes, I should have ordered it yesterday as the bakeries suggest - but I did not. After all, what store wouldn't have a chocolate cake decorated in a non-flowery, non-pink and purple way, sitting right there in the bakery section?? Well, all of the stores in town for one. And the bakeries. I never realized before today that the cake business is geared entirely towards women. Those giant globs of icing shaped like roses are never made with men (or little boys) in mind. I actually had to leave town to get a cake with a clown on it.

Too bad my computer is still busted and I cannot access any pictures of little Ethan, or even add new pictures of him. You guys (or guy) will just have to imagine what he looks like today as he turns two.

Too bad I forget to ask the bakery people to write "Happy Birthday Ethan!" on the clown cake. I realized this on the way home. So, I wrote it on myself!

Too bad we no longer own a pastry bag. But! I can use a plastic baggy with the end snipped off!

Too bad Daniel used the very last plastic baggy we had this very morning for his lunch. Oh well, at least my mom keeps those things around. I borrowed one from her and all was well.

Too bad the cake now looks like a giant pigeon flew over it. You know that plastic baggy idea? It seems that sometimes the zipper-end pops open as you are piping letters from that snipped end, and frosting silently plops out onto your cake.

Too bad that frosting was a yucky, bird-poopish green color. Thats all I could make with the food coloring I have in my pantry.

But, at least I have a sweet little monkey baby to celebrate his birthday with. That's way more than I could have hoped for a mere 6 years ago (not to mention the two older kids!). This may be the last 2 year old birthday I ever celebrate as a mom, so I'm just going to enjoy it. I think this may be the last year I can get by with only giving him 3 presents, anyway...

Gone, Baby Gone

2009-01-02T17:03:00.002-05:00

Yup, I've been missing for quite a few days (at least in blogger world). My computer died, so I'm going to be gone until that's fixed. Hope you guys (or.. guy) can live without me for a couple days :o)

Visions

2008-12-26T15:15:00.001-05:00

The other night I dreamed that I had another baby. It was a girl with straight blond hair.
Is this an omen, or was that Kit Kittredge in my dream?

One of Those Moms

2008-12-24T10:38:00.002-05:00

Since Daniel's parents now live in the same area as us, and my parents still live in the same area, our kids were blessed with an overabundance of Christmas presents this year. Really I mean too many presents. I now realize that I could have just bought nothing, and they still would have had too many gifts between Grandma, Nana, and Santa.

So, we have decided to break up all the present-opening festivities by starting Christmas yesterday. The kids got about a quarter of their gifts yesterday, and they're actually very happy with that. But we still have lots to go.

One of the gifts that Abby opened up last night is Kit Kittredge, an American Girl doll. Now, some of my family already knows how badly I wanted one of these dolls when I was little. I would carry around the catalog, look through it all day, and dream about having my own American Girl doll with all the accessories. However, they are somewhat expensive, and I never got one.

Don't you see how cute she is? Anyway, now that Abby has one, I find myself wanting to hold the doll, fix her hair, help change her clothes... I really, really like this doll. Every time Abby plays with the doll, I watch to make sure she's careful. If Avery grabs the doll, I tell him no and take it away. I think I'm obsessed with this doll, guys.

The problem is, when my cousin was younger she had expensive dolls. Her mom kept them in her closet, up on a really high shelf, or in a box. My cousin was not even allowed to play with these dolls, because they were so "special." My mom always thought that was wrong, and commented on it to me a lot. I agreed at the time - that was weird.

But... Now I feel like I'm starting to become one of those moms. You know, like I'm compensating for my lack of an American Girl doll by over-protecting this one. I even suggested that we keep poor Kit Kittredge in her little doll casket (Daniel's words for the box she came in), and put her in the closet until Abby is older. After all, Abby didn't really like the doll that much until she saw how much I like the doll.

Now I'm fighting my urges and actually letting her have the doll in her room. She's still in the box, under the pretense that "the boys might ruin her." Abby has already changed Kit's clothes once, dressing her in a more Christmas-y outfit. I already had to re-fix her hair.

*sigh* Having a daughter is a great way to get all the toys you once wanted but never got, but it's so hard to remember that these are her toys, not yours.

A Brief History of Daniel and Sara

2008-12-22T13:14:00.002-05:00

Okay, since many people do not know the whole story of Daniel and Sara, here is the quick version:

We met on the Internet, in the Yahoo! teen chat room called Grovespace. This was before eHarmony and Match.com, and we weren't even looking for romance. We were just two 17 year olds chatting in a chat room about deep things such as music, life, and probably how oppressive our parents were or something.

We chatted for a while, and then started talking on the phone, writing letters (the old fashioned way to communicate), and eventually Daniel bought a plane ticket and flew to New Mexico to meet me in person. I wasn't an old man, he wasn't a stalker, and we really were who we said we were. It was great, and we decided at that point that we did, in fact, love each other.

Next, he flew home and we kept up the long-distance thing. I visited him in Louisiana, and then he flew to Ohio to visit me at my college. During that trip, we figured, "why not just get married?" And so we did.

We found a minister that would marry us the next day, bought a marriage license, stopped for a drink at McDonald's, and got married. The ceremony was in the minister's basement, which was decorated nicely for Christmas. We forgot the rings in the car, and Daniel had to go get them in the middle of the ceremony. I was wearing a grey sweater and jeans. We didn't know we had to pay the minister, so he gave us a discounted rate. I know it sounds awful, but it was really the best day of my life.

Daniel and I moved a lot during our first five years of marriage. Every time a lease was up on the apartment we were living in at the time, we would move to a new city. Oh, the things you can get away with when you have no children! We lived in at least 7 different apartments/ houses that I can remember before we found out in February 2003 that we were expecting Abigail Horizon. Our favorite was when we lived in the "big city" - Columbus, Ohio.

Right before we had Abby, we moved to an apartment in the Dayton area and actually renewed our lease after a year. This is something we'd never done before - parenting was really changing us. We celebrated our 5th anniversary 3 months after Abby was born. We were a happy family of three for 15 months, and then found out we were having an Avery Ellis. We decided to buy a house at that point, and that's where we live to this day.

We were a happy family of 4, living in our own house, and driving a mid-sized sedan. We then found out we were expecting Ethan James. So, we brought him home to a our house-made-for-four and our car-made-for-three, and realized we needed more room. Too bad. We're still in the same house, but now have a minivan.

So, we are still writing the story of Daniel and Sara, but that is the background behind the ten years that we've been married.

The Importance of December 21.

2008-12-22T12:54:00.005-05:00

Ten years ago yesterday (December 21) was a big day. A huge day, actually. That's when Daniel and Sara became Daniel and Sara.

Well, unfortunately, I don't feel like we actually celebrated our 10th anniversary. Yes, we ate out twice. But still, is that really an adequate way to celebrate the fact that we have been married for 10 years, and are still happy?

What I would have liked to do is a lot different from anything we could have really done. We do have three small children, after all. I would have loved to make the day a huge production. Renew our vows, take a trip away with just the two of us, fly to Europe - whatever. But we can't afford any of those things, and we would have arrange for childcare for the kids, etc. So, we ate out for lunch and dinner, and then went home.

I know, some people who have been married for more than 10 years probably think, "what's the big deal? It's just 10 years." But really, according to everyone else in the world, Daniel and I had everything going against us when we married in 1998. We were teenagers, we met on the Internet (more about that in another post), we hadn't finished college, we had no money, we had only known each other for a year, we had no plans other than being together... The list goes on and on. But, we made it 10 years. If I put 10 years into something, I plan on sticking with it to the end. Hence the reason I'm overloading myself with college classes lately - I've been doing that for 10 years, too.

So, December 21, 2008 was the day that Daniel and Sara have been together for 10 years. No family members told us "Happy Anniversary" (that I recall), no gifts were exchanged, no vows were renewed. but you know what? At least I was with Daniel yesterday and I know I'll be with him today and tomorrow and the rest of the days that we have. I no longer have that dread that comes when you realize that, eventually, one of you will have to go home. Now home is Daniel and Sara.

Thank you, Daniel, for 10 nice years. Okay, they were actually 10 awesome years. I love you.

Out of Hand

2008-12-15T12:43:00.002-05:00

So, I did decide to send Abby to a private school for Kindergarten, after all. I paid the (what I consider) big bucks, and paid the fee for books and the fee for school supplies and bought the uniforms, etc.

Guess what? I'm not done shelling out cash to this school. Abby has at least two types of fundraisers a month - and what parent wants their kid to be the only one in the class that doesn't have any funds raised?? She has had school pictures that cost a small fortune, she has had class parties that I have to "donate supplies" to. A letter was sent home last week requesting paper towels, on top of the treasure chest prizes I donated and the wrapped candy I also donated.

This certainly isn't the first time I've complained about this, and I doubt it will be the last. But really, why do we pay tuition and then have to pay, pay, and pay again? I'm sure this would be the same for public schools, right? Except you don't have to pay for the actual schooling part. Oh well. This was my choice, to send her to a private school. I'd better quit complaining.

But guess what? It turns out that just having kids cost money! I know, right? Well, it's Christmas time here (and probably elsewhere), and of course I'm buying presents for the kids. It seems that when kids get to age 5 or so, they start to realize that their friends have things that they do not have. And what do you think they do? They ask for those same things, of course! Or if that doesn't work, then they beg or cry or throw a tantrum. It really depends on the kid.

Since I really am not into buying everything my kids ask for (unless I find a good enough bargain!), I'm now thinking about how to get them to understand this. I guess there are many different ways to go about this. Some parents just drive all over town and spend excessive amounts of money to get everything on their kid's Christmas list. Other parents try to compensate for the amount of presents with fewer but better quality or more meaningful gifts. Some parents do the three wisemen type gifts - one material/expensive, one spiritual, and one for the body.

I've also heard stories where the parents go ahead and buy what the kids want, but first they have the kids go through their rooms and fill a big box with old toys to donate to needy children. This is a good idea, but what happens when they start to fill up the box with toys that you stood in line for an hour to get, got up at 5 am on Black Friday to find, or paid a fortune for? What if the toy just has some sort of sentimental value to you, but not to your kid? Then how do you teach them give to others before they receive from you?

Sometimes it can be really hard to part with material possessions, money, or time. But we all make these sacrifices for our kids anyway, don't we? The question is, do we teach them that this is the most important part of Christmas, or do we send out other Christmas vibes to our kids?

After all, can you imagine a 5 year old Jesus begging his mom for more frankincense for Christmas? **

**Yes, I know Christmas was not celebrated then...**

Why Kids Need Grandparents

2008-12-11T16:26:00.002-05:00

So I can get a break! Just kidding....

Now, I know lots of kids do not have grandparents. I don't want to upset anyone who is in that situation. However, since Daniel and I had kids at a fairly young age, our kids almost have too many grandparents. Lately I've been realizing how nice it is to have them around.

My kids have a Nana, 3 Grandmas, a Mamaw, a Grandpa, and a Hairy Grandpa (he's the one that's not bald). Three of those grandparents are great grandparents.

Well, earlier this week Avery spent the night at his Grandma's house. She took him to Chick-Fil-A, the library, and Target. She bought him one of those spinning light/snowglobe/thingies that I refuse to waste money on. She let him run around Chick-Fil-A's playground - which I would never do if Chick-Fil-A wasn't so darn yummy. She even let him in a library. That I do not do, because Avery is still at the too loud-too hyper-too much of a pain stage. Plus, he tends to tear up books that we do not already own.

Then today my mom and I took the kids to Big Lots. She is much, much more lenient about letting the kids freely roam the toy aisles than I am. She is also much, much more likely to buy them stuff than I am.

So, there's one reason kids need grandparents. To let them do things they normally do not get the chance to do, even if it is only because they have a little brother just 1 year younger and a sister just 2 years older and that's too much for Mommy to handle in public. *phew* What a long sentence!

Another reason is to buy them things. I'm kidding, of course, but I sure do appreciate it when Grandma or Nana shows up with new jammies or jeans or sweaters for the kids. I also happen to know that the kids appreciate the toys that Nanas and Grandmas buy them.

But really, I think the main reason that kids need grandparents is just to have someone other than their parents that loves them and lets them hang around their house a lot. For some reason, this is just immensely fun to my kids. Any trip to Nana's house or Grandma's house is the greatest thing ever. Even if it's just to drop something off for a few seconds. Also, every toy at Nana and Grandma's house is better than the toys at our house. Even if they're the exact same toy.

There are lots of other reasons that my kids love their grandparents. Nana has about a million pens and innumerable scrap papers on which to write and draw. Grandma always has hard candy stashed away in her pantry, and she gives the kids soda (which they are not allowed to have). Another Grandma has stairs that are fun to climb up and slide down. Mamaw has a real cat and a dog statue.

Whatever the reason, grandparents are great!

Killing Time

2008-12-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I have a 12-15 page paper due in 2 days. I guess I should be writing it, but instead I am searching the Children's Book of the Month Club for Christmas presents.

Everytime I search for books, I tend to forget the names of the authors that my kids like. There are certain books that have become classics in our house, and we (especially me) tend to like most of the books that author writes. You know, like all those "If You Give A ______ A _______" books? All very nearly the same book, but funny every time!

But, since I am now writing this post and no longer searching for books, my memory has returned. So I would like to share some of these "classics" with you:

Olivia by Ian Falconer

If you ever wondered what Abby is like at home, read this book. The whole story is eerily similar to Abby's life. We especially like the ending.

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

All of Numeroff's books are hilarious. Apparently, having a mouse in your house eating all your cookies is not always a bad thing. My kids particularly like his underpants.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? by Lauren Child

The first time Daniel read this book to Abby, he told me, "you have to read this!" It's a very funny almost re-telling of classic fairy tales. I really like the upside down parts.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Never, ever let the pigeon drive the bus. He'll beg and try to trick you into it, but remember - no, not even your mom would let him.

My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems

An elephant, a piggie. Best friends. But what happens if one of them is sad? My kids like to act this one out, and we have a couple videos of them doing just that. Be prepared to act like a cowboy and a robot when you read this one.

No, David! by David Shannon

It may as well be called, "No, Avery!" Ethan can now read this book, even though he is only 23 months old. It's that good of a book.

These are probably the most read books in our house, although you can substitute practically any other book by these authors, and still have a great book in your hands. For example, Mo Willem's "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog," Laura Numeroff's "If You Give a Moose a Muffin," or Ian Falconer's "Olivia Saves Christmas". Basically, the thing to do is remember the author's names, not necessarily the book titles.

Even though we especially love these authors, we're always looking for new finds. Does anyone have their own "classics" list? Leave it in the comments section if so - I'd love to hear about them!

A Little Too Far?

2008-12-04T15:35:00.003-05:00

So, maybe no one noticed, but I've been quite silent lately. No posts since the week before Thanksgiving. Well, I'd like to think AT&T wireless DSL for that. And busy-ness, not to be confused with business - I do not make money being busy.

Anyway, I decided to come back to my dear blog today. I first checked my e-mail, and found this:

Ummm... Okay. Apparently, this commercial has become quite controversial, and even considered offensive to many mothers who wear their babies. I myself wore Ethan in a sling (and still do every now & then), but I never needed the Motrin. The commercial has been taken off the air, by the way.

What do you think? Is this anger directed towards Motrin unfounded? Is it simply some babywearing mommas overreacting? Or is it really worth the grumbles it has caused?

If you wear your own baby (or did), do you find this commercial offensive? After all, why did you chose to use a sling? Some do it for convenience, some do it for the bonding, some do it for health reasons... But is it really something that should be used to sell pain medication?

What about these lines from the commercial:

"Babywearing seems to be in fashion."
"Supposedly it's a bonding experience."
"Babies worn close to the bod tend to cry less than others."

Interesting, don't you think?

Funny Fridays - Conversations With Avery

2008-11-21T18:27:00.003-05:00

I've had many funny conversations with Avery lately. He seems to be going through an identity crisis...

Today at the grocery store, he started thinking out loud. "I wish I was Diego," he said. But apparently, he just wants to be Diego so Abby can be Alisha.

A few days ago he started asking me about growing up:

Avery: "Mommy, when I grow up, will I be big?"

Me: "Yup."

Avery: "Mommy, when I'm a growed-up, can I drive a car?"

Me: "You sure can."

Avery: "Can I drive your van?"

Me: "Well, I hope to have a new vehicle by then..."

Avery: "Mommy, when I grow up, can I have mine own car?"

Me: "Probably. What kind of car would you like when you grow up?"

Avery: "I'm going to have a green and yellow car. A hot car." (He means he wants flames
painted on the side)

Me: "Sounds interesting. What kind of job are you going to have when you grow up?"

Avery: "I'm going to fix things. Like my hot car."

At least he has goals.

Thanksgiving Countdown - 8 Days to Go

2008-11-20T14:46:00.003-05:00

I used to be a vegetable purest. I did not like my vegetables in a casserole, in buttery sauce, or mixed together. For Thanksgiving, I thought green beans were enough. I did not see the sense in adding cream of mushroom soup and those hard fake onion thingies.

But, one day I decided to take a vegetable side dish to a church potluck. For some reason, plain veggies just didn't seem good enough anymore. I looked around and finally found a veggie casserole dish that sounded good, and I made it. Let me tell you, corn is one versatile vegetable. Apparently, it's good plain, buttered, on a cob, and delicious in a casserole.

*****

Yum-Yummy Corn Casserole

SERVES 6

1 can of corn, do not drain
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 large eggs

Beat eggs in medium bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
Pour into sprayed or buttered casserole dish (9x9 or 2 quart).
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

*****

Wasn't that easy? If you're making this for a crowd, you'll want to double it at least. Use 5 eggs for doubling.

Guess what? Corn is also good as a bread. Here's my favorite cornbread recipe, even though it's not exactly your typical Thanksgiving item. I like my cornbread sweet, so here you go:

Golden Sweet Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan (but I like to use a mini muffin pan).
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes (9-11 minutes for mini muffins), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Nuts!

2008-11-18T12:41:00.003-05:00

You might not be able to tell in the picture, but this is the walnut tree in our backyard. More specifically, it is the walnut tree in our backyard that also serves as a raccoon condo and a squirrel refrigerator. Do you see that big hole in the tree? Do you see how it's filled with nuts?

The squirrels and trees aren't the only thing nutty around here. There's also the issue of Ethan. Not only is he really developing his cute little personality and occasionally breaking into a dance at Abby's class party (as seen here:)

He is now at the phase where he can arch his back and turn completely limp at the same time. This happens whenever I try to make him go somewhere he does not want to go. Into the carseat, away from a water fountain, out of the cabinets - anything is fair game for limp-boy.

So what new tricks are your kids up to?

Thanksgiving Countdown - 10 Days to Go

2008-11-17T17:50:00.002-05:00

Do you have an abundance of those little wooden spoons that come in the tuna salad kits, too? Try this craft to use them up and create a cute napkin ring for each guest at your Thanksgiving table. You can also have your kids write each guest’s name on the turkeys. I recommend one letter on each turkey feather, if you have guests with short names.

*****

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Flat wooden craft spoons

Tempera or acrylic paints

Paper towel tube

Scissors

Orange pipe cleaners

Black marker

Tacky glue

Red felt

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Five craft spoons are required for each ring. Using tempera paint, color one of them yellow for the turkey's head, the others, a variety of colors (they'll be used for tail feathers).

2. For the turkey's body, cut a 2-inch section from a cardboard paper towel tube and paint it brown.

3. From orange pipe cleaners, shape a pair of short legs with three-toed turkey feet. Fit the legs through small holes in the cardboard tube, bending the tips inside the tube to secure them.

4. Use a marker to draw eyes on the face and use tacky glue to attach a red felt wattle.

5. Finally, glue the head to the front of the body and the tail feathers to the back.

Family Fun

Thanksgiving Countdown - 14 Days to Go

2008-11-13T15:33:00.003-05:00

What do you think of first when you think of Thanksgiving? Yeah, me too - food! I especially tend to think about desserts. I love pumpkin flavored desserts, and here's a recipe I got today from my Pampered Chef lady with pumpkin and gingerbread in it. What could be more appropriate for Thanksgiving, besides adding turkey? (just kidding!)

*****

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle Recipe

2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix

1 (5.1-ounce) box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix

1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon

1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping

1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

*****

My mother-in-law taught me recently that trifles are a wonderful thing to let kids make. The dessert already looks sloppy anyway, so your kids can just have fun. Crumbling up the cake is especially entertaining to my kids.

Remember to check out my other blog - I've posted tips for Thanksgiving menu planning over there.

Thanksgiving Countdown - 15 Days to Go Updated

2008-11-12T08:47:00.005-05:00

Today I'm starting a new series, "Thanksgiving Countdown"! I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized that Thanksgiving is in two weeks. I did not know this. So, even though my Thanksgiving plans are not yet finalized, I'm sure some of you are further along than me. You might even be having family over for Thanksgiving. To your house. Yeah, you might want to get it ready.

So for the next 15 days on this blog I will be giving you Thanksgiving projects to consider. Crafts, recipes, decorations, and the like. If you need ideas, stop by my blog and see what I have to offer. I might even try a few of these myself.

On my other blog, Worth More Than Rubies (yes, I have another blog, and yes I just launched it today), I will be giving you tips to get your home company-ready. You know, cleaning and stuff?

To get us started, I thought it might be nice to create some kind of thing that helps kids and adults understand what this Thanksgiving holiday is all about, and help everyone be a little more thankful by the time November 27 rolls around.

I found this cute and easy Thankful Tree craft from Family Fun, and I hope to make this today with my kids.

Thankful Tree

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Small tree branch
	Flowerpot
	Pebbles, rocks, or marbles
	Card stock or colored paper
	Hole punch
	Twine or string
	Clear holiday lights (optional)
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. To make the tree, insert a branch in a flowerpot filled with pebbles, rocks, or marbles. Cut leaf shapes from card stock or colored paper, use a hole punch to make a hole in each, and attach a loop of twine or string.

2. At your gathering, have guests jot down a note of thanks on a leaf and hang it from the tree. I plan to also have each member of our family write down one thing they're thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving, and hang it on the tree.

Have fun! And please stop by my other blog. I'm having a grand-opening launch this week, and there will be a giveaway!!

Embarrassingly Easy Recipe

2008-11-11T16:13:00.002-05:00

I had a bunch of apples that the kids had picked at the apple orchard, so I was trying to think of a quick and easy way to use them as a side dish for dinner. I had about 15 minutes before dinner was ready, and I started to search online. Here's what I ended up making, and it is absolutely delicious! I modified a recipe that I found on the American Heart Association's website, so it must be somewhat healthy, right?

Microwave Baked Apple Slices
serves 4, as a side dish

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray
2 unpeeled apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges (I've used Granny Smith and Macintosh)*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light tub margarine
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions

Lightly spray a 9-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Arrange the apples in the dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes, or until stabbed easily with a fork. Remove from the microwave.

Add the remaining ingredients, and simply stir until the margarine melts.

*The photo above shows peeled apples, but they are good either way.

Delicious, I tell you! Make sure you pour some of the sauce from the bottom of the dish onto the apples before you serve them. These would also go great with some vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce for dinner. You could also add raisins to the recipe.

Oh Yeah... Halloween

2008-11-11T12:28:00.003-05:00

I guess I overlooked showing off my kid's cute "Little Red Riding Hood" themed costumes. I've always wanted to costume them all around a theme, and this year Daniel let me :o)

Behold, my costumed cuties, and our version of Little Red Riding Hood:

Little Red Riding Hood was walking through the subdivision, collecting candy for her grandmother (yeah right).

Along came a big bad wolf, who decided to eat Little Red Riding Hood because she was full of candy.

Suddenly, a very lazy woodcutter came along to save Little Red Riding Hood.

He shouted, "Leave her alone!"

The wolf said, "Whatever!" and left. He realized that candy tastes better when it is not already inside a little girl, anyway.

The day was saved. Now let's eat some candy!

Whoops

2008-11-10T14:15:00.002-05:00

It looks like I took an unplanned week's vacation from blogging. But really, last week was busy. Very, very busy. We had sicknesses to deal with, voting, parent-teacher conferences, friends over, dinners at Grandma's, days off, papers to write, and Christmas shopping to do. So, I apologize for the unexpected silence (cause I rarely am, if you ask Daniel).

However, now that Abby, Ethan, and I have just cleaned up the house a little, I'm back. Why is it so cute to see your kids help you clean? Is it because they rarely do that? Is it because it actually forces you to clean other areas of your house just to give them something to do? I don't know for sure, but I really enjoyed cleaning the kitchen and putting away the groceries with the kids today (Avery was napping).

Now Ethan is happily sitting in a basket of laundry, playing with a V.smile cartridge, and the laundry is getting done! If only we could all have our kids with us at work. It might take a lot longer, but at least we would have more fun.

Reasons You Know Your Kids are Growing Up #312

2008-10-31T13:26:00.003-04:00

Reason #312 that I know Avery is growing up - he doesn't need my help peeling a banana anymore.

Soapbox of the Week - Halloween

2008-10-31T12:29:00.003-04:00

Guess what? I take my kids trick or treating every year! I know, I know - it's the "devil's holiday". It's a Wiccan playground, etcetera etcetera. Well, our family is a Christian family, but we still celebrate Halloween.

Why?

Why not, really? After all, my kids do like candy, and so do Daniel and I. My kids like to dress up. My kids love riding around the neighborhood in a wagon, huddled together under a big blanket. We love meeting all our neighbors. We love the family time involved. So what's the big deal?

There has been a lot of debate over the origin of nearly every holiday we celebrate in this country. Halloween may have been a Druid holiday, but now it has just become a corporate-created marketing strategy. Just like Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter. Can't we just be good Americans and celebrate the holiday innocently and with good intentions?

Another thing - if Christians really do think that Halloween is evil, doesn't that just offer one more reason why we should be out there to be a beam of light to those dwelling in the darkness of an "evil celebration"? We are not of this world, but we certainly are in this world. I'm not saying that everyone should be handing out Christian tracts instead of candy, but what does it hurt to give out candy and a smile?

There are so many stories out there about people who bought coffee for the person in line behind them at Starbucks, and it really changed the person's life. Starbucks isn't a Christian company - but this form of giving is okay. Really, who are we to say that we shouldn't give to those who celebrate Halloween? If you don't want to dress up and go out trick or treating, that's fine. But don't look down on those who do. There's also no reason why you can't give out candy at your house.

Seriously, Halloween has become a commercially-driven holiday for kids. Can't we just let them enjoy an excuse to stay up late eating candy in a Cinderella dress?

Let's Talk About Hair.

2008-10-28T15:25:00.002-04:00

As you can see, Abby has curly hair. I also had curly hair as a child, but more of the frizzy variety than the ringlet variety that Abby has. Now, if any of you reading this has curly hair, you know that it is just not the same hair that everyone else has. Those shampoos for thick/thin/volumizing/frizz control/oil are not for curly hair. Actually, those curl taming shampoos aren't even for curly hair. And why is it, that we need to "tame", "smooth", or "control" curly hair?

As for getting a haircut, you can't even just go to any stylish you chose if you have curly hair. There are those stylists who like to wet your hair, cut it, and then blow dry it into an afro. Don't let them touch your hair, unless that's the look you're going for. There are those stylish who like to cut your hair in layers - or worse yet - use one of those straight-edge razor thingies on your hair. Never, ever let them cut your hair. The truth is, curly hair can only be managed by other people with curly hair.

Even brushing curly hair takes talent and know-how. You can't just run the brush through the hair, unless you want a static-y, frizzy mess. You have to be skilled in the brush and smooth technique, which to my knowledge, has never been understood by those who have straight hair. I hope you have good hand to hand coordination for this one.

So, if you have curly hair, don't despair. Get ready for some curl prejudice, envy, and protection. Throw away your round brush. It will get tangled in your hair, and you will have to cut off half of it. Forget specialized shampoo. Never buy a hairdryer. And scope out the hairstylists in your town until you find one with curly hair. That is not frizzy.

Good luck, curlies!

P.S. If you've recently found yourself blessed with a curly headed child, Johnson's Baby Lotion does wonders for "taming" and defining curls. It doesn't make curly hair greasy, and it smells wonderful. Give it a try.

Pumpkin Time, Again.

2008-10-27T16:11:00.002-04:00

Yup, it's pumpkin patch time again. Here are some pictures of this past weekend's excursion:

Too bad it was so cold that the kids had to have hoods on that obscured their faces... But Ethan loved pulling a wagon around, and managed to find the perfect pumpkin to make the wagon useful.

Avery is just not into smiling for pictures anymore. They all end up with a funny face, so this is the best I could get.

Of course I wasn't trying to get a three-kid picture again... But don't they look like they're enjoying it?

And I call this "Amish Boy Wannabe".

My Pumpkin surrounded by pumpkins.

How Sad

2008-10-22T13:18:00.003-04:00

You know, I think there's a point in every kid's life when they realize what about them is different from other people. Like when a girl realizes that she is unusually tall compared to other girls she knows, or realizes that her mother works and her father stays home even though no one else seems to do that. As anyone who has ever worked in an office or attended a college class knows, "It's these differences that make us each special." We should "celebrate these differences." Whatever. Try telling that to a ten year old girl who is already a B cup, has braces, and just started her period two days ago. (It's probably the milk!)

The truth is, I want my kids to be special and be their own person, but I also don't want them to be the weird kids. One of my goals as a parent - and stop me if I've said this 2 million times - is to make sure my kids are normal. That doesn't mean they have to conform to what everyone else is doing. That doesn't mean they can't excel in anything. That doesn't even mean that they can't be activists or conservatives, or whatever label you want to use. I simply mean that I want them to be kids while they are kids. I want my daughter to be a little girl before she's a preteen/teen/adult. I want my baby boys to be babies before they are men.

As for fashion, I don't know where I'll stand when this becomes an issue in my home. I was always the one who wore the "odd" clothing in my group. Of course, in the early nineties that just meant wearing gaudy rings on each finger, vintage shirts, and and Converse One-Stars. I'm sort of for dressing how you like, but really, do I want my little Ethan to one day be a goth wearing a hundred safety pins in his pants? No, not really. Clothing is still a grey area for me. Ask me again when I have teenagers.

Anyway, back to my original point. At some time their lives, kids realize that they are different in certain ways. I just always thought that was closer to puberty.

Today I asked Avery why he had an accident, and he responded, "I'm just different. I have yellow hair and no one else does."

My response? "What??"

Then he explained. "Ethan looks a little bit 'Cadun'."

I'm guessing he meant "Cajun," but who the heck told him this? Daniel is from Louisiana, so the term Cajun is not foreign to my kids, but I know I didn't tell him this. In fact, I always thought it was neat that Avery has blonde hair and no one else in our house does. I don't think I like for him to feel different because of it. I've dealt with the mailman jokes and questions about which kids were really "ours" for 3 years now, but this is new.

So now I'm reconsidering my stance on kids being different. Is it good or bad? Is it always just one or the other? If not, then when is it okay to be different?

Since my little Avery is so wise today, I think I'll just sit back and let him decide for now. But when he needs my opinion on combat boots and safety pin pants, I'm ready.

You Know You Should Cook at Home More Often When...

2008-10-20T14:49:00.002-04:00

Your 2 year old can name the fast food restaurants by their signs. Of course, now that Avery is 3, he's developed a whole new name for each of the restaurants. There's "Burger Wing," "Tim Hor-Hee's" (Tim Horton's), and "Barbie's" (you might think it's Arby's, but really that's what Avery calls the redhead on the Wendy's sign).

Abby, on the other hand, learned the stores first by their signs. That's my little shopper. She knew Target and Meijer at age 2, but for some reason she has called Kroger "Jo-Ann's" for the past year. Avery's favorite store is "Load's". You know, the place with all the lumber and home-improvement stuff?

Soapbox For the Week - Milk

2008-10-13T16:42:00.004-04:00

Lately I've decided to buy only hormone-free milk, otherwise known as rBST-free milk. Daniel "snickered" at me (in a manly way) when I told him, but I do it anyway. Why? Because of pus and puberty.

First, the pus issue. As Beth over at The Natural Mommy so graciously pointed out, milk from cows who were given hormones causes them to produce pus, which is then introduced into their milk supply. That's right. You drink pus. You can read the whole article here, but I'll tell it to you in a nutshell, because I believe every word.

You see, some cows are given a hormone called Posilac, which causes them to produce milk for a longer time than normal. Cows normally only lactate while pregnant or nursing their newborn calves, but this hormone forces them to lactate indefinitely. If you ever breastfed your own kids, you can probably imagine how this practise would cause problems such as mastitis. Well, along with mastitis comes pus. That pus is pumped out of the cows along with the milk, and ends up in the white plastic jugs in the grocery store's dairy case. Yum.

Another problem has to do with puberty rates increasing among girls. Apparently, girls are starting to grow breasts, pubic hair, and start menstruation a lot earlier than they should, and a lot earlier than girls did in the past. Studies have even found that 8 year old girls have started menstruating, and 3 year old girls have grown breasts or pubic hair. Now the numbers of such cases are still quite small, but really, do you want to risk that for your daughter? The article is here - I highly suggest reading it. You can also check out books such as The Body Project, by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, or My Year of Meats, by Ruth Ozeki .

So, what can you really do about hormone-filled milk? For starters, stop buying it. If you have a Meijer's nearby, check out their milk labels. They sell only hormone-free milk. For the past month or so, this is the only place I've bought milk, regardless of price. Today I heard that Kroger also sells only hormone-free milk (not confirmed), and Walmart does too (as of September). Since Walmart has signed on, you should be able to get a gallon of hormone-free milk in practically any city in the US. It's also more possible to comparison shop, without worrying about who has hormones and who doesn't - as long as you comparison shop among Meijer, Kroger, and Walmart.

Another option is to buy only organic milk. I haven't yet felt the push to switch to entirely organic, or even mostly organic foods in our home, but it is an option. Certified organic milk must be hormone-free, so you know as long as the label says "certified organic," it will be safer for your family.

Now, I'll step off my soapbox for this week, but come back next week for my stand against dirty fruit.

It's Avery, Again - Sleeping Angel

2008-10-12T16:30:00.003-04:00

I'm reposting this picture of Avery asleep on the arm of our sofa, in an attempt to win a free bedroom set for Abby. Makes no sense, I'm sure, but here it is:

Now doesn't that just scream, "give my sister a new bedroom set, so I can get a good night's sleep!"?

Here's a picture of what I'm hoping to win:

It's the Lilly Rose bedroom set, from Home & Bedroom Furniture. The Sleeping Angel contest is being hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom. Now tell me he doesn't look like a sleeping angel in this picture.

A Wonder Toy

2008-10-09T15:42:00.003-04:00

Ahh, Pixos.... If you don't know what that is, let me explain. They are this great new toy that is the modern version of those little pain-in-the-neck beads that you probably had as a kid. You know, the kind you place on little peg boards in shapes, cover with a piece of waxed paper, and iron together? Well, now kids have Pixos, which require no iron - just water - to hold them together.

The toy is really fun to my kids, even though it breaks my back to bend over the things too long, and it is very tedious to me. The toy is fun! And safe! And easy to do! (those are all words from the manufacterer's website) And perfect for sticking up a child's nose! (that one is my own)

Yes, we spent the entire morning yesterday trying to get a Pixos bead out of Avery's nose. And, to top it all off, our pediatrician's office was having phone troubles, so I couldn't call them for advice. I called my mom, my mother-in-law, and the pharmacist for advice, but nothing seemed to be working. For future reference, CVS is a great place to get free toothpaste and KY Jelly, but NOT a good place to call when there is a slowly disolving Pixos bead stuck in your 3 year old's nose.

So, here is a short list of what does not work when trying to remove Pixos beads from your child's nose:

1. Plugging up one nostril and the child's mouth, and having them blow through their nose. They will actually smell, instead.

2. Tweezers. Nose hairs - enough said.

3. Toilet paper. Those little nostrils are way too small for anything like that.

4. Pepper. After our pediatrician finally got their phone lines in order, they suggested that I place a bunch of pepper in my hand, make Avery smell it, thus sneezing out the bead. He did sneeze 3 times, but nothing came out.

And, the list of things I didn't try include suction, nasal rinse, and Avery's finger. Turns out that last one works. We were in the van, on our way to the doctor's office, when Avery told me, "I got out that ball, because it was bothering me." I pulled over, and sure enough, there was the green Pixos that used to be in his nose.

I guess sometimes it is okay to pick your nose...

No Comment

2008-10-07T14:16:00.002-04:00

Overheard on a car trip:

Abby: I'm going to have two girls and two boys when I'm a b-dult (adult)... No, two boys and three girls.... You know, I might just have as many as I want, like 3 boys and 3 girls...

Avery: I'm going to have a boy and a girl.

Abby: I'll name them Sydney, cause that's what my friend was named in preschool, Emily, and Ethan. Those are my favorite names. (After some suggestions, she also decided on Carter and Luke for boys).

Avery: I'm going to have Eli, cause he's my friend, and Kiley. That's my cousin.

Abby: You know, Mommy, if you have another baby girl, you can name her Rose. That is a very pretty name, and I'm going to name my last baby Rose.

Avery: I'm going to marry Abby.

Abby: You can't marry me, I'm marrying someone else. You have to find yourself a girl to marry.

Avery: I'm gonna marry Kiley.

Abby: You can't! She's going to be your kid!

Uh Oh!

2008-10-06T11:51:00.002-04:00

Today Abby took cupcakes to school. When her teacher saw me, she realized that she had forgotten the cupcake container that I had sent with Abby. So Abby was sent back to the classroom to get it. With Richie. When they came back out, he was carrying the cupcake container for Abby. No big deal, right?

Well, the other night Daniel asked Abby what her friends at schooled are named. She mentioned a few girls, like Emma, Elisabeth, Julie, etc. But then she started acting silly, and whispered in Daniel's ear, "And Richie." Then she giggled, just like a teenager. Wait a minute. She's had lots of boys before that she called friends, but none that she had to whisper or giggle when she said their name.

I never, ever ask her about boyfriends - I never even mention them for adults. I'm also very careful about people asking her about boyfriends. I don't like it, not at all. She's only 5 (as of yesterday) - way too young to mess with boyfriend/girlfriend junk.

Now I wonder where she got this giggling and whispering of boy's names. This is the very reason I did not want her to start Kindergarten! The kids are influencing her, and making her grow out of babyhood. Today its boys - who knows what it will be tomorrow?? I wonder if its too late to put her back in preschool??

The Princess is 5!

2008-10-06T11:05:00.000-04:00

And doesn't she look just so old???

It's hard to believe that I was a brand new mom with no clue just 5 years ago, and she was a tiny little princess with no patience. The nurse in the delivery room was quoted as saying, "What a princess!" several times. She certainly hit the nail on the head with that one.

Happy Birthday, my sweet little princess. We'll get that pea out from between the mattresses one day...

(If you don't know the story, read it)

October 1

2008-10-03T08:44:00.003-04:00

Hmm... October has only been here 3 days so far, and it seems to have definitely brought autumn with it! On October 1, I took the kids to the zoo. Seriously, if you have small kids, October 1 is the perfect day to take them to the zoo. At least this year. And at least at our zoo.

Want to see pictures? I tried all day to get a nice picture of all three kids at once. I did get several of those, but none of them are necessarily "frame worthy"... What do you think?

Round 1:

October 1, Round 2

2008-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Round 2:

Mosiac Meme

2008-09-30T16:38:00.002-04:00

My first meme! (click on meme to find out what the heck a meme is)

1. Sara
2. Pretzels
3. 1998
4. Blue
5. Catherine Newman
6. Iced Cappuccino
7. London
8. Tiramisu
9. Happy
10. My Family
11. Waiting
12. Lizardhippie

Here’s how it works:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Choose 3 columns with 4 rows.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to? (or, What year did you graduate high school?)
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

If you have a blog, post your own meme. Make sure you leave the link in the comments section!

And We Never Left the House

2008-09-30T14:02:00.002-04:00

Abby and Avery are sick today. That makes sense, though, if you consider that Ethan was sick Friday night into Saturday, Daniel was sick Saturday night into Sunday, and I was sick Sunday night into Monday. Like clockwork, Abby started feeling bad last night. Avery started his sickness a couple hours ago, and has been asleep ever since.

Remember that Full House episode where Jesse's twins got sick for the first time? The parents were taking the twins temperature every two minutes, sleeping beside their cribs, and just generally freaking out. Is this how it was for you when your first child was a baby? I can't really say it was for me and Daniel, but then again, I can't say it wasn't, either.

Now when our kids get sick, I'm definitely not sleeping beside their beds, but I am not getting any sleep either. If I do manage to get them in bed, sleeping soundly, then I'll usually wake up every hour or so to check on them, or if I hear even one little peep. Daniel sleeps at this time. If I'm not waking up every hour to check on them, they're usually waking me every hour and making me very, very crabby. Daniel continues to sleep. It's like a newborn all over again, but even more demanding! Daniel - no comment.

So, back to today. I was still a wee bit sick yesterday & today, and now these whiny, sick, pitiful kids are driving me crazy. No one was even dressed before 10, the dishes aren't washed from breakfast yet, and the TV has been on all day. To top it all off, today was picture day at Abby's school, and she missed it. Now she's going to be the weird kid with no picture in the yearbook, the comment reading, "picture not available." Don't you always wonder about those kids? Like, why didn't they have a picture in the yearbook? Were they vampires? Now you know - they were sick on school picture day.

Apples & Pumpkins - Meet & Greet Monday

2008-09-29T15:27:00.004-04:00

This weekend we went to the apple orchard and picked our own apples. I figured that was the last weekend to do this, since you have to pick apples in September, right? Next weekend will be October, and thus belongs to pumpkins.

Nonetheless, the orchard already had their pumpkins out. The kids were ready to pick a pumpkin and take it home, but I convinced them to wait a week (for pumpkin month). Abby said she was going to make a "lantern" when she finally got a pumpkin.

They were heavy little pumpkins, too...

We finally got the kids to leave the pumpkins. Thank goodness, because every single time I type "pumpkin" I spell it wrong.

There were two friendly donkeys (burros?) at the farm. They liked to whisper jokes in each other's ear. I think Avery overheard the joke this time:

This next section will be entitled, "The Apples of My Eye." Why?

Oh.

Wait! Before we head to the apples, we need to take a potty break - as indicated by this "pee-pee dance":

Finally, we picked those apples!

We picked the heck out of them!

And gathered a peck of them! Don't you just love my apple orchard poetry?

And, just look at our loot!

Baking With Abby

2008-09-26T18:58:00.003-04:00

Today Abby and I made cookie-brownies. Of course, just one desert wasn't enough, so we had to combine brownies and cookies. This is how baking with Abby goes:

Step 1: Show off the exercise moves you learned for P.E. today. Demonstrate each and every exercise, and explain why each one is your very favorite one. Make sure you do the splits, as you explain that everyone in the class can do them but you, since you are the only four year old in the class.

Step 2: Bemoan the fact that you are still only four, and have not yet taken in cupcakes like the other kids who have turned five. Ask your mother about 6 times in a row when you will be turning 5. Make sure you say each time, "But when will I be five?"

Step 3: Say your memory verse from class about 20 times in a row, changing the reference numbers each time.

Step 4: Ramble on and on about how much you talk. Explain that you talk a lot sometimes, sometimes you do not talk at all, and sometimes you talk to yourself. You might also add that you sometimes talk to other people, and sometimes pretend there is a person beside you - just for good measure.

Step 5: Tell your mother just how delicious that dinner "thing" looks, again and again. After a while, begin to shout and jump up and down as you tell her that this particular dinner "thing" is your very favorite.

Step 6: Finally begin to make the brownies. Surprisingly, this is the shortest step of all.

Terrible, Just Terrible

2008-09-25T15:56:00.002-04:00

Daniel and I were talking the other day about "the terrible twos". I know everyone has heard of them, and been warned, and probably dreads the day their child turns two. But you know what? I think it's all a big lie. My babies are awesome at age 2 - adorable and sweet as can be, learning everything from talking in sentences to counting to jumping.

I mean, the day my baby tries to jump and actually gets their feet off the ground, instead of that deep knee bend-to-standing up thing they do... Let's just say it's the cutest thing a two year old can do. There is also that sweet little irrational fear thing two year olds go through. One day they love trains, the next day they bawl and shake when they hear a train whistle.

Just recently (while still two), Avery saw some jet planes fly over our house while practicing for a local airshow. We were outside, and granted they were loud, but not that loud. He throws himself on the concrete, screaming, and turns around in little circles until they fly away. Too bad Osama Bin laden isn't a two year old, we would definitely have him if so.

However, the day your babies turn 3... RUN. Really, RUN. It has been my experience and Daniel's that kids are not just terrible at three, they are ridiculously bad. It's like overnight they realize that they are no longer babies, they no longer have to just tag along with their mom, they actually have their own opinions. They start to like and dislike things - really, really dislike things. Like having to take off their bicycle knee pads to change clothes. Or seeing their seat belts twisted. And, of course, going to bed without a cup of water beside them.

I saw this with Abby, too. I had to punish her more hours of out the day than I can even count. Chances are, if you came over to our house while Abby was 3, she was in her room being punished for not cleaning up one mess or another. I'm not exaggerating - she literally spent the majority of her day in trouble. Then, when she turned four, it all sort of stopped. She suddenly was more mature, better behaved, and more enjoyable to be around.

Unfortunately, Avery turned 3 last week. In fact, right now he's supposed to be in his room taking a nap. He's actually sneaking out of his bedroom door. So, I'm bracing myself for another year of having a terrible three. The worst thing? After Avery turns 4, Ethan will be 3 just a couple months later. Anyone wanna trade kids for a couple years?

Man, I'm Old.

2008-09-24T10:19:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have school-age children, you probably know about "See You at the Pole." For those of you who don't, let me explain. "See You at the Pole" (aKa SYATP) is an annual event where students gather at their school flagpole at 7 in the morning to pray. It happens on the 4th Wednesday in September each year.

I remember when I was... *ahem* a lot younger, and I woke up early to gather with the other homeschoolers in my town around the post office flagpole. (Yes, I realize how sad that sounds, Daniel) The sun hadn't even risen yet, so it was dark and cold (well, cold for the desert, anyway). SYATP was just such an exciting thing to do. The idea that I was there, praying around a flagpole at the same time as thousands of other kids in my time zone - well, it just amazed me.

It's been 18 years since SYATP started, and it gets bigger every year. The strangest thing is, I was actually a part of the event when it first went national. Do you realize how old that makes me feel? I can't even imagine how my kids will feel in a few years, when they find this out. They are going to think I'm a fossil or something.

Any SYATP memories for anyone else?

Confession Time

2008-09-23T13:56:00.002-04:00

My confession? I enrolled my boys in daycare. Two days a week, for 3 hours, while I'm in class. My second confession? I feel really guilty and ashamed of the fact that my kids are in a daycare. Abby has never, ever been to daycare - in fact, she has only twice been babysat by someone other than her grandparents.

I don't really have a problem with people putting their kids in daycare, but for some reason I don't like the idea of my boys being there. Fortunately, I have a very smart friend who has a child in daycare, and she talked me through the decision. Her experience has been positive. It seems that I'd never really heard anything good about daycares until I talked to her.

So, today was their first day. Avery walked right in, started playing at the lego table and was happy as can be. Ethan had a death-lock hold on my neck the entire time I was there, then I had to hand him off to the teacher. He cried, like he does every Sunday when I leave the church nursery.

When I got back, Avery yelled, "Mommy!" and was so excited to see me. Ethan, however, didn't even notice I had entered the classroom. He just walked around and played, then the teacher told him I was there. He didn't run to me, yell, "mama!" or anything. He just reached towards me. Gee, I was hoping for a little more excitement when he saw me!

So day one is over. Now if day two just goes as smoothly...

33333333333333333333333333333333333333333

2008-09-19T14:31:00.004-04:00

Avery's birthday was yesterday. Despite the title of this post, he only turned 3, not 333333333333333333333333333.

He had plenty of cake, ice cream, and presents, as all birthday boys should. Here he is singing himself "Happy Birthday":

He really enjoyed the opening of the presents. See how intently he studies each one as he opens it?

I really can't believe that my baby is 3 already. With Ethan coming right behind him, it seems like Avery has grown faster than any of my other kids. Can you believe he went from this:

To this, in only 2 short years?

How bittersweet to see your babies grow up right before your eyes. I definitely want him to grow and be healthy and turn into a happy adult one day, but it's so hard to let them slip out of their babyhood...

The Storm

2008-09-19T14:21:00.003-04:00

Let there be light! We have electricity again, after only 5 days! I guess I shouldn't complain at all, since we're all safe, as well as our house and our cars. But our trees... That's a whole 'nother story.

It Sure is Dark With No Lights.

2008-09-17T09:59:00.002-04:00

I'm really sorry for no postings this week. Ohio (where I live) unexpectedly had hurricane Ike destroy quite a few of the trees here. Well, I guess some people knew this hurricane was coming (without the rain, by the way), but since we haven't watched TV in over a week, we had no idea. It got really windy Sunday, broke a lot of trees, tore down power lines, and left us without electricity. We're going on day 4 with no power here, but my mother-in-law does have power. So, I won't be blogging as frequently as usual until we have power ourselves, but I might be blogging here and there. I'll post some pictures of our Ohio hurricane damage later this week.

How Much is Too Much?

2008-09-11T20:08:00.002-04:00

Well, since September 11 happened over 2 years before Abby was born, I've never really mentioned it to her at all. Today I thought about what happened, where I was when I heard about the attacks, how the day went, etc. I wondered how I would deal with it if it had happened after I became a mother - would I have been more afraid, more patriotic, or what? But all this I thought in my head. I didn't say anything to the kids, but I did think in my mind about how I would explain the significance of 9-11 to my kids if I needed to.

Abby went to school as usual, but on the way home today she mentioned 9-11. She told me that "7 days ago," three jet planes had crashed into a tall building far away. She had heard this in chapel at school. Her school has a school-wide chapel every Thursday, so the message had to be appropriate for Kindergartners through middle school or high school.

Now my question is, did I want her to know this at age 4? Did I want her to know less, or more of the details? Is it really the school's place to tell my daughter about September 11? I'm not sure how I really feel about this, but I do know that I want my kids to stay innocent as long as they can. They don't know that people murder people, terrorize people, or even hate people. I like it that way - after all, they're only 4, 2, and 1. They have plenty of years ahead of them to learn about how evil and hate-filled the world can be.

So what about you? Have you ever had a teacher or someone similar tell your kids more than you wanted them to know? How did you handle it? Do you think I'm wrong or right about sheltering my kids from terrorist activity for a few years?

Weathering

2008-09-10T10:34:00.002-04:00

We're having our home tested for weather-tightness today. I don't know if this is normal or not, but I'm hearing a lot of "wow!" and "I've never seen that before!" We'll see how it goes...

Things Have Changed

2008-09-08T16:47:00.002-04:00

Abby got her first "Bee Card" at school last week. That means she got a warning for bad behavior, for those of you not hip to the Kindergarten scene.

The reason (at least according to Abby)? Because she was having a hard time making an upper-case E, and got upset and refused to try any more. So, Daniel practiced with her that evening, making E after E. She did great.

The next day, she had problems making a lower case E. After she showed us how she was supposed to make the E in class, we realized that it was nothing like the E we've always seen. I e-mailed her teacher and asked what type of handwriting they use, and asked for a paper describing this elusive E. She sends a booklet home with Abby today, explaining how to make "pre-cursive" letters.

Pre-cursive? I always thought regular letters were pre-cursive. Daniel would like for me to add that he has never (supposedly) even written in cursive. He thinks regular letters are just fine, thank you.

So now Daniel and I have to learn a new style of writing along with Abby. But I wonder, will this affect my kid's ability to read books with non pre-cursive letters? Generally, I think handwritten letters mimic times new roman, arial, and other common computer fonts. Pre-cursive does not. Pre-cursive is also what kids are learning these days while learning to read.

I saw on a website that you can actually download pre-cursive fonts for your computer. Apparently, the "inventors" of pre-cursive thought about reading being a problem, too. Maybe if they just change the computer fonts, pre-cursive will make sense. I personally like the old-fashioned pointy M and N...

What do you guys think about pre-cursive? Is it a keeper?

Poor Thing.

2008-09-06T23:47:00.002-04:00

THIS is why Abby has to get up so early on school days:

Just kidding! Her school is a good 6 miles away...

Baby Vampires and Tramps

2008-09-04T17:32:00.002-04:00

Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Halloween at your house or not, I think costumes must be discussed. In my day, we were happy dressing as Raggedy Ann, with a red mop on our heads, a gingham dress, and bloomers. Boys were generally action heroes or something like that. My kids have been the following in the past 4 years:

Tigger
A Renaissance Maiden
A Sock-Hopper
Japanese
A dead Skunk
A Scarecrow
Cinderella

Not necessarily politically correct, all of them, but somewhat acceptable and appropriate for kids.

Today we received a costume catalog in the mail. There were some very... interesting costume choices in the catalog, such as this beauty:

The "Cheerless Cheerleader." I was wondering, is this appropriate at all for a kid? It comes in a size 7/8. I personally would not let Abby wear this, even at age 17. I consider this a "tramp-pire" costume.

Let's see what else they have to offer:

Awww..... A slutty angel costume! I wish I had seen this before Abby's Christmas play last year! She played an angel... And here is a fairy costume. What girl doesn't love a nice fairy costume?

So, celebrate Halloween or not, but maybe you'd like to objectify your little girl anyway. If so, buy from Costume Express.

Umm... Okay....

2008-09-03T11:29:00.005-04:00

I don't know why, but this is what passes for fun in our house. At least it's exercise.

... So What Would You Do?

2008-09-02T14:31:00.003-04:00

As most everyone in the US surely knows by now, Sarah Palin has a chance to become our country's first woman Vice President. She's a mom of 5, she has a special needs baby, she's a Christian, she's educated, she's successful - pretty much what lots of women strive to be. Yet she still does and will continue get flack for being a woman. Is she strong enough to run the country should the need arise? Is she experienced/educated/smart enough?

Regardless of what she really is or is not, her teenage daughter appears to be pregnant. Imagine you were just chosen as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, but your teenage daughter had just told you a few weeks ago that she's pregnant. What would you do? I mean, aside from being mad at her - how would you handle the situation? Would you be graceful or would you fall apart?

I tend to see situations like this as worse than they really are. If this were my child, and I was pushing abstinence-only sex education in schools, I think I'd feel like my career is over. However, as merely an observer of Palin and her family's life, I don't think it's as bad as it might seem to some. I'm sure as adults we can understand that sometimes our kids don't listen to us. Sometimes kids make bad choices. Sometimes we can tell our kids again and again, only to have them do it anyway. By the way, Palin herself was pregnant before she married the "first dude."

Also, many people are upset that Sarah Palin has an infant son with Down Sydrome. According to an article I read, she had the baby while governor of Alaska, found out early in the pregnancy that the baby would have Down Sydrome, gave birth, and returned to work 3 days later. This news has caused lots of mixed feelings among mothers, it seems. First of all, there are some people who feel that fetuses diagnosed with Down Sydrome should not be. There are also many mothers upset that Sarah Palin went back to work only 3 days after giving birth. In fact, Palin herself said that when she was 8 months pregnant, she woke up one day and felt contractions. She went to the doctor, was told to stay at home for bedrest. She had a speech to give that day as governor, and so she went to the speech anyway, despite what her doctor suggested she do. Some articles say she noticed that her water had broken and was trickling during the speech...

There are lots of mommy issues involved here, but really, what would you do? Why can't people accept that she wants to work and have a politcal career, and just expect her husband (the First Dude) to take care of the kids? Why can't she head back to work aftter 3 days if she feels able? After all, it looks like her maternity leave wasn't even scheduled for another month. I really don't see why mothers have to look down on other mothers who choose to work. On the other hand, I also don't understand why mothers who choose to work have to look down on those who do not.

The truth is, it's no one's business how she went into labor, when she went back to work, or who watches her kids during the day. As long as her kids are healthy and happy and safe, why can't we leave her alone?

Motherhood. It makes you nosey.

For My Mom

2008-08-29T19:29:00.003-04:00

What I'd Like For You To Know: The Mom Of an Only Child

Posted using ShareThis

sigh

2008-08-29T10:05:00.001-04:00

Look how little and sweet they were...

Are You Tired of it Yet?

2008-08-29T09:08:00.001-04:00

Are you tired of me changing the background to this blog yet? I am. If someone knows a simple and easy to understand tutorial about making your own background on Blogger, please, please forward it to me!!

Whoopsie (AKA a sappy story about love)

2008-08-29T08:52:00.004-04:00

Did I forget to mention that this cute man turned a year older last week? It's hard to believe, I know, because he looks the same age as he was on August 21. But really, he turned a year older on August 22. Funny how these things work.

So why would I need to mention that he had a birthday? Aside from the fact that he begged me for a certain Madden-related thing for his birthday, but has not used it even once yet? Well, I guess it's because I wanted to tell you how sweet and wonderful he is. And Daniel is also very, very good at going with my plans for my future, as if they were not so much our future.

When I said a couple semesters ago that I was finally finishing school, he said "great!" Then when I said one semester ago that I was going to minor in something else and add another semester before I graduate, he said, "okay!" Even though it meant he would finish his own schooling even later. Then when I said 2 days ago that I was not going to minor in anything, but instead graduate this December, he said, "great!"

He also happily (or at least not angrily) feeds the kids, bathes the kids, and puts them all to bed while I take evening classes. He basically just goes with whatever I say I "need" him to do so I can finish school. Maybe he's just tired of me being in school, but I think it's because he's great.

So, there are tons of reasons why I think he's wonderful, but this week school started for me & Abby, so school is the theme of the week. That's basically all I can think about for now, so this will have to do. Maybe next year I'll have something else to say, Daniel. But for now, thank you for being so good. I love you.

Cuteness. Enough Said.

2008-08-29T08:48:00.003-04:00

This is how you cool off at the zoo.

Technology

2008-08-29T08:41:00.003-04:00

Aren't laptops great? I'm sitting here on my front porch, while my boys paint and draw (in their pajamas), blogging. It's such a nice day, and I wouldn't even know how great the mornings are for outside blogging and painting if I hadn't had to get Abby to school by 7:55. Why do they make school so early these days? I remember school starting at 9 or something like that when I was a kid. In fact, Abby goes to school so early that it is still morning when she gets out of school.

So, by the time I finish blogging, finally dress the boys, and open up the drapes for day, it's time to go pick Abby up from school. At least I know how my mornings will be spent for the next year...

It's Been a Long Day.

2008-08-27T09:08:00.003-04:00

It's been a long day. And it's only 9 am.

Today was Abby's second day of Kindergarten, but somehow it hit me much harder than her first day. Yesterday was easy. We were rushed beyond belief trying to get Abby to school, find someone to watch the boys, and get myself to school all at the same time. Abby was sort of late for school, so we walked her to the classroom door, said bye to her, and left. Then I had school, picked her up and that was that. I didn't really have any feelings at all yesterday, except maybe stress.

Today I had time to think about it, I guess. I started by waking Abby up, something I've never, ever done. I've always just let the kids wake on their own. In fact, if one of the kids is napping when we need to go somewhere, I'll either be late waiting for the kids to wake up, or have a sitter come over and watch the sleeping kid.

Well, anyway, I woke Abby up, and I decided to dress her. Daniel is all for independence, and he's been encouraging Abby to dress herself in the morning and at bed for years. She can do it by herself, but today I felt that I needed to do it. So I pretended she was a little baby again for 2 minutes, while I held her and dressed her in a school uniform.

She sat down and wanted to watch TV like she does every morning while she eats, but we were so rushed that she couldn't even watch one full show. We headed out the door before she finished her breakfast, and I drove her to school.

When I got back home with the boys, it hit me. My baby is in school. Every week day (minus summers and holidays), for the next 13-17 years. She has a life outside of our home and family, and I have to go about my morning without her.

I kept thinking about her as a baby, and as a toddler, and as a preschooler. Every time I change Ethan I think of a 19 month old Abby, and I cry. Every time I ask Avery to clean up his messes, I think of a 3 year old Abby, and I cry. She was just a newborn baby a few years ago. She wasn't even alive just 5 years ago, but now she's expected to get a long for 3 hours without her mommy. And her mommy is expected to get along for 3 hours without Abby.

I know this is just mommyhood. I raise them, teach them, love them, play the center of their world - and then they grow and leave me. When Abby is here, she might upset me or annoy me, but when she's gone, I can't remember those times. This is how motherhood works. But I also know this is just love in general. When I fell in love with Daniel, it made me sick to have to leave him when I had to go home, or he had to go home. When we weren't together, we wanted so badly to be together. Now I don't remember the times that Daniel has made me mad over the years, I only think about how great he is when he's at work. I don't remember the hard parts of getting married, becoming an adult, and I also don't remember (completely) how hard it is to give birth to a baby.

So I start to think about how easy it would be to homeschool Abby. How she would still be here every day, and I would know every part of her day. But I realize that homeschooling is not the solution. There are other ways she will leave me. Homeschooling her would only put off the inevitable. Kids grow and leave their parents.

I almost have this jealousy for parents who homeschool. They don't have to take their kids to a school, leave them there with strangers, wonder what they're hearing from other kids, wonder if they're eating. And this is probably because everyone (with the exception of 1 or 2 families) I know homeschools. I have absolutely no one to talk to about sending my baby off to school. No one who can sympathize with me. So that's where this blog comes in. I talk about it, maybe someone will read it and understand, offer me some encouragement.

So, now that I've felt sorry for myself for the past 2 hours, I'm starting to feel better. I think, "three hours is not that long." I realize that if Abby weren't at school, she wouldn't seem nearly as sweet. She would be making messes like Avery is, upsetting me instead of making me miss her immensely. And really, it won't hurt her one bit to miss the Backyardigans.

Abby Firsts

2008-08-26T12:49:00.004-04:00

First time touching a snake skin (at the zoo).

First time cracking her very own lobster claw.

First day of school.

This is Interesting to Daniel.

2008-08-25T16:12:00.001-04:00

Look! George Orwell was blogging 70 years ago! On Wordpress, too!

Orwell Blogging.

One Kid

2008-08-25T14:58:00.002-04:00

It appears that I have one kid that is always more something than the other two. No matter what you name, I probably have one kid that is more that than the others.

One of my kids is more whiny overall then the other two. One of my kids is more artsy than the other two. One of my kids is a better sleeper than the others. One is a better eater.

So, even though some of these things are negative, I try to keep it in balance and think about the positive things my kids are good at as well. I also try to encourage their abilities, by buying them gifts that fit each kid, and giving them chances to use their abilities. Does this remind you of anything?

Hint: Look at 1 Corinthians 12.

Spiritual Gifts! The Bible says we all have different ones, yet they're all important. About 6 months ago, a friend recommended that Daniel and I take the "Spiritual Gifts Analysis." I finally took it today (yeah, I know). Here are my results, in order of most evident to least evident:

Score	Graph of Score	Spiritual Gift
21	======================	Faith
19	====================	TonguesSpeaking
15	================	Discernment
15	================	Helps
15	================	Healing
13	==============	Hospitality
11	============	Teaching
11	============	Giving
11	============	Administration
11	============	Encouragement
11	============	Exhortation
10	===========	Miracles
10	===========	Intercession
9	==========	Missionary
9	==========	Music
8	=========	Knowledge
8	=========	Mercy
8	=========	Pastoring
7	========	Wisdom
7	========	Craftsmanship
7	========	Prophecy
7	========	Writing
7	========	Poverty
7	========	Leadership
5	======	Apostle
4	=====	TonguesInterpreting
3	====	Evangelism
1	==	Celibacy

I guess I sort of always knew that #1 would be faith for me. I believe I've said it to Daniel before (about 100 times), and that seems to be true in our personal life as well. But what really surprises (or maybe disappoints) me is that writing is waaaay down on the list. What is this blog for, right??

Another thing on the list doesn't disappoint me so much as embarrass me. See what the last thing is on the list? Celibacy. *ahem* At least I'm married...

Take the test and let me know what you get.

Spiritual Gifts Analysis

Hmmm....

2008-08-20T15:56:00.002-04:00

Apparently, Daniel resembles a Tiger. Ethan saw this picture on my computer, and yelled, "Dada!" I went to a different page, returned to Yahoo, and he saw it again. Again he yells, "Dada!"
I guess it's the dark tan Daniel has gotten over the summer....

One is Too Many

Obey the Law, AND Suffer the Consequences

So I Guess This is a Pretty Bad Track Record.

Two things I learned today

A Message from Daniel

An Unexpected Trip

Yes, I Do Still Exist

Music For Kids

Some Thoughts on Riding the School Bus

That Itches.

Introducing.... The Cutest Ethan, EVER.

Our Vacation

You Think They'll Forget That?

New School

As Wrong as Pants on a Trout

Guest Post - Daniel, Again

Big Kid Beds

I Shouldn't Be Surprised

Presenting... Tulips in the Snow!

You Know the Feeling... Right?

Oh! Hey! Another Big Idea!

Get a Job!

Family Size-ism

What's Happening

The Future

It All Adds Up

I Now Take Requests

Examples

Finally!

How Rude!

Growing Up

Guest Post - Daniel's Innermost Personal Thoughts

If You Think It's Cold Now...

The Loss of Innocence?

Snow Day

Two Strikes Against Me

Free Kids!

Race and Politics

200! And An Argument.

Another Two Year Old

Gone, Baby Gone

Visions

One of Those Moms

A Brief History of Daniel and Sara

The Importance of December 21.

Out of Hand

Why Kids Need Grandparents

Killing Time

A Little Too Far?

Funny Fridays - Conversations With Avery

Thanksgiving Countdown - 8 Days to Go

Nuts!

Thanksgiving Countdown - 10 Days to Go

Thanksgiving Countdown - 14 Days to Go

Thanksgiving Countdown - 15 Days to Go ** Updated**

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Embarrassingly Easy Recipe

Oh Yeah... Halloween

Whoops

Reasons You Know Your Kids are Growing Up #312

Soapbox of the Week - Halloween

Let's Talk About Hair.

Pumpkin Time, Again.

How Sad

You Know You Should Cook at Home More Often When...

Soapbox For the Week - Milk

It's Avery, Again - Sleeping Angel

A Wonder Toy

No Comment

Uh Oh!

The Princess is 5!

October 1

October 1, Round 2

Mosiac Meme

And We Never Left the House

Apples & Pumpkins - Meet & Greet Monday

Baking With Abby

Terrible, Just Terrible

Man, I'm Old.

Confession Time

Thanksgiving Countdown - 15 Days to Go Updated

sigh