Okay, this should be a neat little one, at least it isn't 50 questions this time. Hmm, 5 of my favorite things....
1. My George Forman grill we got for free a few weeks ago, it get's used almost every day. I love how it cooks very quickly, and I can just do a piece of chicken really quick on it for lunch to go in my salad, and then it wipes clean pretty easy. The fat really does drip off!
2. My piano. Even though I don't get as much oppertunity to sit and play for long periods of time, I like knowing that I have a wonderful instrument that will last me until I die (or until the air force drops it in a move...) and that I can pass on to my children when I am gone. It is the first big-ticket thing Mark and I have ever purchased brand new. I love leaving a musical heritage to my children and hearing Oren play on it is wonderful, if a bit noisy at times.
3. My family. They can be quite the handful at times, and the different issues my children face feel like trials I can't deal with sometimes, but they all love me unconditionally. Mark is a wonderful husband when the Air Force lets him be home, and the boys love him to death. He has no problem being a human jungle gym. Oren is a sweetheart who will never stop being curious and asking questions. Nathan looks just like his daddy and has a lot the same personality. William is a whirlwind in a very small package, and can really hold his own in our chaotic world. And I couldn't live without any of them.
4. My smaller clothes. It can seem like such a small thing at times to others, but to me, having to buy clothes because mine are too big is awesome! I have been big since junior high, I have been ridiculed by unfeeling idiots, and I have been the friend who grits her teeth when her skinny friend complains that she doesn't fit her size 3's 2 months after giving birth to her 3rd child. But my smaller clothes are a huge achievment for me and is definetely a high point in my life right now, one that I know will only get better.
5. My weight loss blog. This has become one of my favorite things to do every day, read up on how Calista and Steph are doing. We are all so far away, but it feels so close. We have the same issues and are working toward the same goal. I love having the support of family and friends!
These are, by the way, in no specific order. And, being that I don't know who hasn't been tagged, decide to pass this along to anyone who hasn't been tagged yet, but would love to announce their 5 favorite things!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
What a Pill!
It never ceases to amaze me what my little William will get into next. He has been trying to get into the stuffing container at every oppertunity. Oh sure, he can get the lid off, but there was a seal in the way. Well, somehow in the 10 minutes I was showering and dressing, he managed to break the foil seal, and spread the stuffing all over the floor, from one kitchen door to the other and into the living room. AAHHH! This one would be my fault however, I forgot to make sure the sliding pantry door was closed.
This is as much of the mess as I could capture on camera.
He had spread some other things on the floor too apperantly, so I swept those up too. This really was a lot of stuffing, one of those 12-cup serving containers. the big ones... What a pill. I am getting so I can laugh about most of their messes. Especially him. If that door is open even 1 inch, he will slide it the rest of the way and walk around with a huge box of crackers, just snacking away! He is a determined little guy....
This is as much of the mess as I could capture on camera.
He had spread some other things on the floor too apperantly, so I swept those up too. This really was a lot of stuffing, one of those 12-cup serving containers. the big ones... What a pill. I am getting so I can laugh about most of their messes. Especially him. If that door is open even 1 inch, he will slide it the rest of the way and walk around with a huge box of crackers, just snacking away! He is a determined little guy....
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Picture of the Day #24
I know his head is chopped off here, but it shows his jammies best. Notice how they are completely turned around? This is what happens when we put him in pajamas that are too big!
Here he is with an actual head.... He is such a happy waker!A-ha, found one!
Melinda asked me to post one of my cakes. I have lost all the recent pictures, but this is the first wedding cake I ever did outside of class. I had this one and matching sheet cakes too. I do birthdays and whatever days, but my favorite is wedding cakes. I did one birthday cake where I took the image from the invitation, blew it up mirror image, transfered it to the cake. I matched the colors pretty well, and voila! Tinkerbell on a birthday cake, complete with sparkly wings, courtesy of edible glitter. I really enjoy covering my kitchen with powdered sugar and frosting, and have missed it while my wrist has been healing from surgery. Carpal tunnel really limits what you can do with frosting.... Janelle's wedding cake was gorgeous, poinsetta's and daisies piled on top and a big cascade of the flowers swooping down and across one side... one of the many pictures I have lost... I gave Marie a basic set for Christmas, she is very excited too. If you can't tell from my post, I love doing cakes! (now, if only I didn't have to charge for them.)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Completely Random Blog (everybody does at least one of these...)
Well, I got my kitty back from the vet. Her spay (apparently neuter is boy) went well and she seems to feeling fine, considering the staples. It was mentioned I am brave to have a pet and three boys. At one point we had three boys, a cat, two rats, and a small tank of fish. One fish died, and we have fed one of the rats to a snake. The other will follow the same road this weekend. They started biting the kids, then each other, and were very aggressive. We weren't going to give them to a family with small children and get more people bit. So we decided that instead of killing them ourselves, we would help out a friend with a 4 foot python that eats rats. Cruel? Not really. My friend knocks them unconsious before giving them to the snake. So after this weekend the cage will get cleaned and disinfected and put into storage in the garage, awaiting a time when I feel like owning another hamster. I had one in England and I actually like those. I do not like rats. They were for the boys, but the biting took care of that!
Today was piano lesson day. I really look forward to those, the boys I teach are a family that we know from over in Japan. I babysat them there. Military is such a small world, especially if you're LDS. I would love to advertise and get more students, but I am scared to. I do tell people that I teach piano, and I have little business cards I made with my info on them. But making little flyers and actively announcing my services is scary. I feel bad taking money for lessons. I shouldn't, I am really cheap and keep getting told I need to charge more because of the work I put into each student. And they are hiring me, just like any other service they need. I hate bringing up the subject, when people owe me. I have the same problem when I get a cake order. I grossly undercharge for my time. There was one cake that I did that was insane. For a week, every spare second I had, I was handcrafting fondant roses in three different colors and 3 different sizes for each color. Then I prepared and baked the cakes for a 3 tiered cake, directly stacked. That means no pillars. Frosted, and positions the garlands of roses that festooned the sides, brought it to the reception and set it up. I had to track them down for the money, and I never got some of my supplies back, seperator plates and such. I only charged $65 for a cake easily worth $200. All because I feel bad asking for what I am worth. And I don't advertise my cakes because I am hesitant about the money aspect. Yet, if I worked in a bakery I probably wouldn't have a problem. I am good at what I do, and it drives Mark crazy that I would do it for free if he would let me. Just to avoid confrontation of any sort. I think I have issues....
I got in touch with the people we are switching to for Nathan's therapy. If we can get his old clinic to send over the file information, test results, progress reports, etc., we can get him started over there with a minimum of fuss. She said she would be perfectly honest with me, she usually works with infants with feeding problems, cleft palates and such, or adults regain speech after head traumas. Neurological stuff is her specialty and palate muscles and things like that. So she will do a little evaluation to see if this is something she can help with. We had a blessing done when we started doing the therapy and talking about doing scopes and things, and he was promised that the doctors would do everything they could to find out what was wrong with him. I was struck a little later by the thought that he wasn't promised they would or even could fix it, just they would try to find out why he has so much trouble with his speech. That thought reaccured to me when she said she would try, but no promises, as his case is a little unusual. This might be something that we deal with for a very long time.
Please note, I am not complaining about any of this, some things make me feel better to talk about, and with Mark working such long shifts and never home/awake, you guys are my turn-to people. Family counts for a lot I think. Today actually wasn't a bad day. Just a thoughtful one. Thanks for listening....
Today was piano lesson day. I really look forward to those, the boys I teach are a family that we know from over in Japan. I babysat them there. Military is such a small world, especially if you're LDS. I would love to advertise and get more students, but I am scared to. I do tell people that I teach piano, and I have little business cards I made with my info on them. But making little flyers and actively announcing my services is scary. I feel bad taking money for lessons. I shouldn't, I am really cheap and keep getting told I need to charge more because of the work I put into each student. And they are hiring me, just like any other service they need. I hate bringing up the subject, when people owe me. I have the same problem when I get a cake order. I grossly undercharge for my time. There was one cake that I did that was insane. For a week, every spare second I had, I was handcrafting fondant roses in three different colors and 3 different sizes for each color. Then I prepared and baked the cakes for a 3 tiered cake, directly stacked. That means no pillars. Frosted, and positions the garlands of roses that festooned the sides, brought it to the reception and set it up. I had to track them down for the money, and I never got some of my supplies back, seperator plates and such. I only charged $65 for a cake easily worth $200. All because I feel bad asking for what I am worth. And I don't advertise my cakes because I am hesitant about the money aspect. Yet, if I worked in a bakery I probably wouldn't have a problem. I am good at what I do, and it drives Mark crazy that I would do it for free if he would let me. Just to avoid confrontation of any sort. I think I have issues....
I got in touch with the people we are switching to for Nathan's therapy. If we can get his old clinic to send over the file information, test results, progress reports, etc., we can get him started over there with a minimum of fuss. She said she would be perfectly honest with me, she usually works with infants with feeding problems, cleft palates and such, or adults regain speech after head traumas. Neurological stuff is her specialty and palate muscles and things like that. So she will do a little evaluation to see if this is something she can help with. We had a blessing done when we started doing the therapy and talking about doing scopes and things, and he was promised that the doctors would do everything they could to find out what was wrong with him. I was struck a little later by the thought that he wasn't promised they would or even could fix it, just they would try to find out why he has so much trouble with his speech. That thought reaccured to me when she said she would try, but no promises, as his case is a little unusual. This might be something that we deal with for a very long time.
Please note, I am not complaining about any of this, some things make me feel better to talk about, and with Mark working such long shifts and never home/awake, you guys are my turn-to people. Family counts for a lot I think. Today actually wasn't a bad day. Just a thoughtful one. Thanks for listening....
Monday, February 25, 2008
The story behind the picture...
Those of you who guessed hair grease and baby powder would be right. I smelled the baby powder from the living room, and when I got up to check, clouds of baby powder were wafting from my bathroom. Apperantly, after spiking his hair "to look like Daddy", he thought he would set the look by simultaneously shaking and squeezing the baby powder bottle. The resultant mess took me about a half hour to clean up. And 2 baths to get the grease out of his hair....Picture of the Day #23
This was the sky I saw as I went to go pick up Nathan from the bus stop this afternoon. This took me a full 30+ minutes trying to figure out how to get the picture off my phone, as my computer is not "bluetooth compatable". Stupid technology, great picture. I would be better off taking my camera everywhere I go than putting up with the hassle of getting them from my phone. But it was a gorgeous sky!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
It's Potty Time!
Stephanie starting Zaylee on the potty train has reminded me that Nathan is 3 1/2 and still in diapers. I start my kids late because the speech delays they have/had usually means delays in other areas too, and they weren't mature enough until later. On a side note, it really tweaks my buttons when older generations (MIL) would comment on late training. Grrrrr. So we decided to start Nathan's training officially too.
We took him down to the store and let him pick out his own underwear. Lightning McQueen and Go Diego were his choices. We've had a few accidents, when I have forgotten to have him go, and he hasn't gotten the idea of #2 in the potty instead yet, but seeing as how it's the end of day 2, I'm not too worried. Nathan still has some delays, so I know it will not be easy sailing, but it will be nice to have both boys only wearing pull-ups at night. Late age bed wetting tends to run on my side, so we may do pull-ups at night for quite a while. Better that than changing sheets every day....
I can't believe how big my kids are getting, and at the moment, we are excited about this new venture we are embarking on. Wish me luck!
We took him down to the store and let him pick out his own underwear. Lightning McQueen and Go Diego were his choices. We've had a few accidents, when I have forgotten to have him go, and he hasn't gotten the idea of #2 in the potty instead yet, but seeing as how it's the end of day 2, I'm not too worried. Nathan still has some delays, so I know it will not be easy sailing, but it will be nice to have both boys only wearing pull-ups at night. Late age bed wetting tends to run on my side, so we may do pull-ups at night for quite a while. Better that than changing sheets every day....
I can't believe how big my kids are getting, and at the moment, we are excited about this new venture we are embarking on. Wish me luck!
Whoops....
I just broke the last of the glasses that were given to Mark and I for our wedding. I am actually a little proud of myself, it took me 6 1/2 years to break 3 dozen glasses. I have also broken all the dinner plates but one from the set from Grandma Danes, all the bowls but one and two of the dessert plates from the same set. Corelle ware does indeed break..... hmmm. Knowing how clumsy I am, I am suprised they lasted this long. I am not too upset however, a friend knew I was running low on glass cups, which are nice for ice water and company, so she gave me a nice plain set of heavier glass. I have already broken one of those since December. :-) Why do I use glass? It makes ice water taste better, I swear. The ice clinks nicely against the glass. It feels heavy, which makes me feel like I am using quality dishes, even if they were cheap cups. I appreciate using glass while my children use plastic. All of my world revolves around my children, but my dishes...... they have small blue plastic plates and bowls, I use the ceramic ware and glass cups. Ah....adulthood. So a glass breaks now and then.....okay, quite frequently...... who cares? Glass is cheap, and when I break them all, as in inevitable, I will simply get more.....
Picture of the Day #22
As I was working on the computer last night, I heard William laughing histarically. He had climbed in the kitty's cat tree, and was popping in and out of the holes. It was so funny, I had to grab my camera. Here is a video of the pictures I took.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Name Game
Who thinks up these things?
1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Jade Ford
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Fudge Tracks Peanut Butter
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Mwil (how would you even say that?)
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Elephant
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) I don't have a middle name, but when I was little I always wanted it to be Maria, so ....... Maria Boise
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Wilmi (that's actually kinda pretty.)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue Lemonade
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Norman Don
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Diesel (honest, it's a perfume) Peanut Butter Cup
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle names) Valene Ira My mother doesn't have a middle name either, so I used my mother-in-law's and my father's middle names.
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Gonzolas Georgetown
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Fall Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Apple Brasie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Asparagus Oak
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Painting Rain Tour
How fun!
1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Jade Ford
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Fudge Tracks Peanut Butter
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Mwil (how would you even say that?)
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Elephant
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) I don't have a middle name, but when I was little I always wanted it to be Maria, so ....... Maria Boise
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Wilmi (that's actually kinda pretty.)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue Lemonade
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Norman Don
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Diesel (honest, it's a perfume) Peanut Butter Cup
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle names) Valene Ira My mother doesn't have a middle name either, so I used my mother-in-law's and my father's middle names.
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Gonzolas Georgetown
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Fall Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Apple Brasie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Asparagus Oak
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Painting Rain Tour
How fun!
Picture of the Day #21
I know it doesn't look like much, but this is me actually wearing both my wedding and engagement ring, comfortably, all day. For the first time in over two years, it used to basically cut off circulation in my finger, and cut into the skin leaving sores. This was one of my goals, to be able to do this again, and to celebrate the momentous occasion, I decided to honor it as my picture of the day.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Picture of the day #20
This is my fall-back dinner. Those days that you go "Oh look, it's 7 o'clock. I should feed children, huh." I don't even bake the nuggets, just nuke them, put some squirts of whatever sauce-ish stuff we have in the back of the fridge, and kid myself that it's healthy by microwave-steaming some broccoli while the nuggets are cooling a little. What a day.
Okay, I know I have posted, like, twenty times today. I guess this is to make up for the days I don't post at all.....
An invitation....
Callista wrote me a quick note with an idea. I have a weight loss blog that is seperate from our family blog, you can find it in my profile. She suggested we make it a community, I can add whoever is interested as an author. If you are interested, I need your email address, I don't know if blogger.com does an email invite or if it is becuase you use email addresses to log on. So if any of you are interested in posting on the weight loss blog, let me know!
On a seperate note, the afternoon went better. We went over to a friend's house to keep it quiet for Mark. The kids played happily while I helped her stitch some pillows. Turns out, Mark slept with earplugs, so I didn't need to worry about keeping kids quiet. That would have been nice to know in advance..... :-)
On a seperate note, the afternoon went better. We went over to a friend's house to keep it quiet for Mark. The kids played happily while I helped her stitch some pillows. Turns out, Mark slept with earplugs, so I didn't need to worry about keeping kids quiet. That would have been nice to know in advance..... :-)
So far, not so good.
Well, the nice day I was hoping for hasn't happened. Instead we got rain/snow mix. And in the middle of my workout the front desk at the gym paged me for a phone call. Who on earth would be calling me at the gym? My husband, who seems to have forgotten that I have a new phone and called the old one, which I didn't have with me. The reason for the call? Oren's teacher called and woke him up wanting to know if Oren had taken his meds today. Not good! So I called his teacher back to let her know yes he had. She was having a day with Oren such as they haven't had in a long time. Defiant, throwing things, refusal to do work.... We figured we would wait and see if his meds would kick in. Later she called back, Oren was sent to the office to see if sitting with the principal (who knows Oren by name at this point) could help him finish his work. I may have to go pick him up early today. He helped himself to the chocolate ovaltine this morning, that could be it. I hope so, because he has an appointment next week to talk about his meds and if this behavior continues (he has been this way at home for a while but usually does fine at school) I will have to talk to the doctor about adjusting him to a higher dosage. I don't want to have to do it, but his academics could suffer and he could be behind for years if he doesn't figure this out. I guess I am having a pity-me moment. I just want to cry, I am going to be getting these phone calls about my kids for years. Explaining why he is the way he is. Nasty people making comments about his behavior, getting told that he has gone to the principal...again. All I ever wanted was for my kids to be healthy and happy. Normal. I know there are people with much bigger challenges and trials than some behavioral issues, but some days are harder for me to be positive than others. Nathan shows most of the same behaviors Oren was at this age. School is just fine for him, but home life is hard. I don't know if he is learning them from Oren or if he has the same problem and we will have to go through the diagnosing and teachers, yada yada, that we did with his brother.
Sorry to vent, it was just a hard morning today. I'll be fine later, I think I just need to hug my little angel and let him know how much I love him. He is so sweet. This morning he told me that he will always be with me, even when he is at school, because he loves me so much. "We'll always be together, Mommy!" Yes we will Oren. And no matter how hard this gets, I will always love you!
Sorry to vent, it was just a hard morning today. I'll be fine later, I think I just need to hug my little angel and let him know how much I love him. He is so sweet. This morning he told me that he will always be with me, even when he is at school, because he loves me so much. "We'll always be together, Mommy!" Yes we will Oren. And no matter how hard this gets, I will always love you!
Whoooo-ha!
Another weight post again. Sorry, I am just sooo excited! This morning is officially 20 pounds lost, gone, and never coming back! I can forgive myself for having a messy house because I spend the morning at the gym instead of cleaning, because I am actually seeing results. And in the long run, isn't a healthy and happy mommy better than a spotless house? I think so too. Besides, it's easier to clean while William is napping after lunch. Nathan is at school and Oren doesn't walk through the dirt pile anymore. And while I dislike spending lots of money on myself, having to do it because my clothes are falling off or look like muumuus isn't such a bad reason. Did you know that regular people clothes are much cheaper than cow clothes? They look better too. Clearance racks, here I come. The bummer is that none of my somewhat cute summer clothes will fit at all come that season, so this will be a relatively expensive summer for me. I do have an awesome friend, who has been siked about ever pound right along with me, who has volunteered to help me shop for summer clothes later. It's nice to have someone with you who can tell you how fabulous you look. Men tend to not care "It looks okay" unless you are trying on clothes at Victoria Secret.....
So, yay for getting rid of unnecessary baggage!
So, yay for getting rid of unnecessary baggage!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
My poor kitty!
Well, after months of putting it off, I have finally done it. Jade is scheduled to have her neuter surgery on Monday. We can't stand nights when she is in heat. She howls at the doors all night, wanting out, and crouches at William constantly. He is small and likes to grab at her so she thinks ............. something anyway. Mark has been threatening to send her outside so she can get what she wants. Sure that would temporarily hush her up, but the kittens that would produce would be just as loud. And lots of extra work for me..... I will be dropping her off Monday morning, and pick her up Tuesday morning. Hopefully this will stop the crazies, and I will have my sweet little snuggler back.
On a good note however, Tricare came back and approved Nathan to have speech therapy services with a provider in Mountain Home. Once we can schedule the evaluation and set up a therapy schedule, we can stop going all the way to Boise! He really needs more than once a week, but we couldn't afford the gas. The therapist we will be seeing if all goes well sometimes goes to the client's house, which would be awesome! He has such a long way to go and intensive therapy is so far the only way they see can help him. We had an endonasalscopy (sp?) a few months ago. They basically looked at the valve between his nose and throat, and that area. The valve is supposed to close, preventing air from coming out your nose for certain sounds. His closes when he swallows, but when he speaks it just sits there, completely flaccid. He has the doctors stumped as to why his does that. So surgery won't help because it can close, it just doesn't. It has been lots of fun trying to figure him out. I think it is his way of making sure he doesn't get lost in the crowd, being the middle child. But, hurray for the ponderous insurance company for finally approving him closer to home!
And did I mention, free stuff is great! I have been wanting a George Foreman grill for a while now. Very convenient way to cook small quantities of meat quickly, which would be great for salads. So I mentioned to Mark one evening how I was thinking of pricing them and getting one, assured him that it would get a lot of use, and wouldn't just be a gadget I use twice and get tired of. The very next day, Valentines Day, I woke up and went to fix breakfast. There, on the counter, was a grill! No box or anything, but there. It turns out that a guy he worked with left it in the breakroom months ago when he moved to another base, and nobody ever used it. So he took it home. A free grill! It has been used almost every day since then. Veggies and chicken together are particularly good!
I have to devise a way to keep the kids quiet most of tomorrow. The base is doing an exercise. This is where they have a mock wartime situation, and everybody has to pretend certain jobs. Last time they had to wear chemical warfare gear and everything. The base has a big inspection coming up, so everybody is crazy right now, they want to pass inspection. Mark works on the flightline with the jets, so their shifts get messed with. They just put him on nights, 6pm to 6am. Which means that he will want to sleep most of the day, and that means I need to keep children somewhat quiet. If he is too tired at work, he could drill through a gas line, or his leg or something. I am praying for a somewhat nice day, so I won't feel too bad about maybe going outside for a while with them.
On a good note however, Tricare came back and approved Nathan to have speech therapy services with a provider in Mountain Home. Once we can schedule the evaluation and set up a therapy schedule, we can stop going all the way to Boise! He really needs more than once a week, but we couldn't afford the gas. The therapist we will be seeing if all goes well sometimes goes to the client's house, which would be awesome! He has such a long way to go and intensive therapy is so far the only way they see can help him. We had an endonasalscopy (sp?) a few months ago. They basically looked at the valve between his nose and throat, and that area. The valve is supposed to close, preventing air from coming out your nose for certain sounds. His closes when he swallows, but when he speaks it just sits there, completely flaccid. He has the doctors stumped as to why his does that. So surgery won't help because it can close, it just doesn't. It has been lots of fun trying to figure him out. I think it is his way of making sure he doesn't get lost in the crowd, being the middle child. But, hurray for the ponderous insurance company for finally approving him closer to home!
And did I mention, free stuff is great! I have been wanting a George Foreman grill for a while now. Very convenient way to cook small quantities of meat quickly, which would be great for salads. So I mentioned to Mark one evening how I was thinking of pricing them and getting one, assured him that it would get a lot of use, and wouldn't just be a gadget I use twice and get tired of. The very next day, Valentines Day, I woke up and went to fix breakfast. There, on the counter, was a grill! No box or anything, but there. It turns out that a guy he worked with left it in the breakroom months ago when he moved to another base, and nobody ever used it. So he took it home. A free grill! It has been used almost every day since then. Veggies and chicken together are particularly good!
I have to devise a way to keep the kids quiet most of tomorrow. The base is doing an exercise. This is where they have a mock wartime situation, and everybody has to pretend certain jobs. Last time they had to wear chemical warfare gear and everything. The base has a big inspection coming up, so everybody is crazy right now, they want to pass inspection. Mark works on the flightline with the jets, so their shifts get messed with. They just put him on nights, 6pm to 6am. Which means that he will want to sleep most of the day, and that means I need to keep children somewhat quiet. If he is too tired at work, he could drill through a gas line, or his leg or something. I am praying for a somewhat nice day, so I won't feel too bad about maybe going outside for a while with them.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
We all scream for Ice Cream!
There were so many cute pics of William that I decided to post some more of them.
Fingers were fun at first but don't they get cold?
Fingers were fun at first but don't they get cold?
Ahh.... this seems like a better idea. Fingers don't have tastebuds.
Success! What a yummy intro to ice cream cones!
Picture of the Day #19
Yes, I know it is fuzzy. This is William's first ice cream cone ever. He was so excited that he was running around the living room. It was too cute!Tuesday, February 19, 2008
My new dining room!
The table and chairs were already this color, but everything else was either painted white or was white laminate. The large armoire in the back was the first project. The cart with the plant was laminate but looks much better now...
A close up of my cookbook cart, I don't mind displaying cookbooks. This is only half of them however, I collect those little ones from the supermarket magazine stand. Those are in the cupboard because they don't fit on top.
This is my favorite piece. I love the detail on the doors and the pattern on the top, that's hard to see in this picture. I had to soak the hinges in paint stripper because they were several different colors, and find new screws to fit them since the old ones wouldn't strip very well.
After 4 long days of painting, sanding, sealing, and repainting what the kids "helped" with, I am glad to say it is finished!
"I declare a disaster!"
That would describe my house right now. Since I have been painting furniture in my dining room for 4 days now, the rest of my house has been sadly lacking my attention. Apperantly I lack the ability to decorate and clean at the same time. The children have been making paper snowflakes all over the living room, laundry has piled up. The boys' rooms looked like a tornado had hit, but Mark was very sweet and marshaled the forces in to clean it up. It is amazing the things you find in a boy's room, especially under the bed.
But, I did manage to corrall some of the dishes that were mating in the corners of my kitchen. I even cooked something yesterday instead of ordering pizza. And the armoire is done and storing my scrapbook stuff once again, some shelves are done and holding some sewing equipment, and I am painting one last piece that will house boxes of paper and my sewing machine. Out of sight will be very welcome after all these things have been on my table for the last several days. I may just have to have people come over to celebrate! And my dining room furniture will match, if you don't look too closely, which will be really nice. It never ceases to amaze me what a simple can of paint can do. So today I will be sealing the last piece, organizing the last of the junk on my table, and putting everything in it's place. hopefully in time to cook dinnner and eat it in my new beautiful room!
But, I did manage to corrall some of the dishes that were mating in the corners of my kitchen. I even cooked something yesterday instead of ordering pizza. And the armoire is done and storing my scrapbook stuff once again, some shelves are done and holding some sewing equipment, and I am painting one last piece that will house boxes of paper and my sewing machine. Out of sight will be very welcome after all these things have been on my table for the last several days. I may just have to have people come over to celebrate! And my dining room furniture will match, if you don't look too closely, which will be really nice. It never ceases to amaze me what a simple can of paint can do. So today I will be sealing the last piece, organizing the last of the junk on my table, and putting everything in it's place. hopefully in time to cook dinnner and eat it in my new beautiful room!
Monday, February 18, 2008
NOT a picture of the day....
This is my dining room. Ordinarily it would be nice and clean, with a table you could eat off of. However, this is the dining room anytime I have a project. It is the perfect room. Good lighting, windows for ventilation and a ceiling fan to aid drying time. I can hear my children, and can shut the doors into it so they don't touch wet paint. This is my dining room at the moment, I am painting that rather large armoire. It used to be white with green trim/detail. I found a dark black/brown/red color that almost perfectly matches the table and chairs, and am transforming the armoire. A microwave cart will also be one of the projects painted to match. I will take another picture when all is done. I have enjoyed looking at all the clean house pictures, and thought you all would feel even better seeing mine with most of my scrapbook stuff on table and chairs, box on the floor, stuff everywhere. I can't wait to be done. We can't eat in there right now, there is no space!
Picture of the Day #18
This was our sunset on Saturday evening. I thought it was gorgeous and was so glad I had taken a break from painting and walked past the window in the front door.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Another one bites the dust....
Another pound I mean. Mark didn't really think I would follow through with it this time. After all, I have quit the last, well, all the diets I have been on. But I am happy to say that it has been 6 weeks now, and I am still going strong. Today I had another weigh-in, and I have lost 19 pounds! So I need to decide what I want to do to celebrate, because in a couple of days it will be 20. I honestly didn't think I could do it. It felt like way too much weight to lose, but I have been taking it in 5 pound increments. I stopped focusing on how much I still have to lose, and began being excited about what I have lost already. Sorry to be toting my horn, I was just so excited this morning.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Yet another busy day!
Whew! It is nice to sit still for a bit. I am soooo tired right now.
Today started out normal, got kids up and to kindergarten on time. Cleaned my kitchen and did the dishes. Then my friend came over to watch the kids so Mark and I could have a lunch date. We took Nathan to school and headed to town. We were supposed to buy an entertainment center, but upon further inspection of the measurements we found that our TV was a little too big. So we spent lunch brainstorming ways to get around that without spending a fortune (which we don't have). We need a new computer desk too as ours is literally falling apart. So we decided to paint an old desk that has been my sewing table lately so it would blend in better with the other furniture in the living room. We got home and I started sanding and preping the desk. Got it sanded, painted 2 coats of a muted gold color, and put a coat of sealer on it. Got it all set up in the living room, took one look, and hated it. I mean, really, truly, hated it. I decided that it would look less horendous in a corner, and so, my friend came over again to help decide where stuff should go. Everything got moved. My piano, the desk, the couch, recliner, 2 bookshelves, entertainment center, carpet, end table/lamp... The whole room went topsy-turvy, but it ended up looking much better. Mark and I decided to paint the desk a much darker color, almost blackish-brown so the computer blends in better, and letting that stay until we can afford a nice computer desk/ hutch like we really want. That way we can get the entertainment center that we have been looking to do for 3-4 years now.
It's just funny, my plans today included putting together a new center, not painting a desk and rearranging my entire living room. I was grateful for the wood floors that let my furniture slide, I was moving things by myself. Mark commented that he was grateful he has a strong wife that can do things on her own. That way he feels really special and actually needed when I do have to ask him to do things for me.
So as busy as today was, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Mostly because I got to have lunch with my sweetheart (in which we didn't spend the whole time talking about the kids like parents of little ones are prone to doing) and I got to paint stuff.
Happy Valentines Day to you all!
Today started out normal, got kids up and to kindergarten on time. Cleaned my kitchen and did the dishes. Then my friend came over to watch the kids so Mark and I could have a lunch date. We took Nathan to school and headed to town. We were supposed to buy an entertainment center, but upon further inspection of the measurements we found that our TV was a little too big. So we spent lunch brainstorming ways to get around that without spending a fortune (which we don't have). We need a new computer desk too as ours is literally falling apart. So we decided to paint an old desk that has been my sewing table lately so it would blend in better with the other furniture in the living room. We got home and I started sanding and preping the desk. Got it sanded, painted 2 coats of a muted gold color, and put a coat of sealer on it. Got it all set up in the living room, took one look, and hated it. I mean, really, truly, hated it. I decided that it would look less horendous in a corner, and so, my friend came over again to help decide where stuff should go. Everything got moved. My piano, the desk, the couch, recliner, 2 bookshelves, entertainment center, carpet, end table/lamp... The whole room went topsy-turvy, but it ended up looking much better. Mark and I decided to paint the desk a much darker color, almost blackish-brown so the computer blends in better, and letting that stay until we can afford a nice computer desk/ hutch like we really want. That way we can get the entertainment center that we have been looking to do for 3-4 years now.
It's just funny, my plans today included putting together a new center, not painting a desk and rearranging my entire living room. I was grateful for the wood floors that let my furniture slide, I was moving things by myself. Mark commented that he was grateful he has a strong wife that can do things on her own. That way he feels really special and actually needed when I do have to ask him to do things for me.
So as busy as today was, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Mostly because I got to have lunch with my sweetheart (in which we didn't spend the whole time talking about the kids like parents of little ones are prone to doing) and I got to paint stuff.
Happy Valentines Day to you all!
A New Tag!
50 Things I bet you didn't know about me
1. What is in the back of your car? a first aid kit, I just cleaned out the car. Later today there will be a new entertainment center though.
2. When was the last time you threw up? Christmas time, I had the flu at my parents house, and then lovingly shared the bug with my siblings.
3. What color is your toothbrush? Pink! The boys and Mark won't use it if it is pink...
4. What was the last thing you ate? A piece of canadian bacon.
5. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? not for myself, but the boys got some clearance pants.
6. When was the last time you ran? Yesterday, it was was too cold to walk to the bus-stop and back for Nathan's preschool bus.
7. The last sporting event you watched? Some of the superbowl. We invited some friends to dinner that Sunday, but her husband is an avid sports fan, so we carted the whole roasted turkey dinner over to her house. That was interesting!
8. What did you do over the weekend? Cleaned like crazy, cooked yummy food, cut my sister's hair, and missed church becuase William wasn't feeling good.
9. Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace? Don't use myspace. Mark has an account I think, but never goes on.
10. Ever go camping? yes, when we were in Japan. the boys and Mark camped outside earlier this last fall and never put the tent away, so all the poles are broken.
11. Would you rather stay in the country or city? The country with close and easy access to the city.
12. Are you in a relationship? most definetely!
13. Do you have a tan? Uh.... no. Red hair and white skin do not make for good tanning.
14. What's your favorite food? Grilled chicken. Perfectly done and moist, with a citrus fruit salsa on the side.
15. Do you drink your soda with a straw? When I want it to last a while, or we are at a resteraunt. I have cold sensitive teeth so if it doesn't come in a can or bottle, I use a straw.
16. What did your last text message say? I don't text, but I get free diet tips texted to me.
17. Are you someone's best friend? My husband, my sisters, my friend Amanda.
18. What are you doing tomorrow? Going to Boise for Nathan's speech therapy appointment.
19. Where is your mom? Probably at home doing her classes or teaching the kids schoolwork.
20. When you look to your left, what do you see? A mess! The sliding glass doors, the swingset, the entertainment center that will soon be gracing my sister's living room, the cat tree/ hidey hole thing, my blue rug. Clothes, wet wipes William pulled out, some legos...
21. Who would you like to see right now? Any of my family members, my friend coming to babysit my kids or help clean, my husband becuase that would mean he is awake. He works 3pm to 12 am.
22. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Kangaroos...
23. Where is one place in the world where you would like to visit? Scotland. 3 years in England
and we never made it up North. We did go to Stonehenge and Dover castle though.
24. What is your birthstone? Some say turqoise, which I don't like, and some say blue topaz, which is more tolerable. I usually say topaz.
25. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Usually we just do the drive through, 3 kids by myself in a resteraunt? Are you kidding? just kidding. Sometimes we go in as a special treat.
26. What is your favorite number? 7. I don't really know why.
27. Do you have a dog? no. Mark says I can have one if I get rid of my cat. Ha!
28. Last person you talked to on the phone? Amanda, volunteering to sit my kids while Mark and I have a lunch date. And asking for my stroganoff recipe.
29. Have you met anyone famous? If I have, I don't remember.
30. Any plans today? Clean the living room and kitchen, then have a lunch date with Mark since he works tonight. Give my kids their valentines treats and send them to bed early.
31. How many states have you lived in? 4: Idaho, Mississippi, Florida, Oklahoma
32. Ever go to college? yes for 3 semesters, then I got pregnant and Mark left for Basic Training so I worked full time instead.
33. What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be a mommy. Not very ambitious to some people, but I am happy.
34. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? People who change my schedule around and don't consult with me first. I like routine.
35. Last song listened to? Betty Bunny
36. What did you eat last night? Pan-fried pork chops, salad, and roasted beets. And Carb-smart rocky road ice cream.
37. What is your fav. food to splurge on? Cornish hen. Mark doesn't like them though, he says they are too small.
38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My brown leather Dr. Scholls mules, they slip on and still keep my toes warm.
39. Do you want to get married? I am married, and loving it.
40. Are you jealous of anyone? Anyone with daughters, people who are naturally thin and don't have to work at it. Friends with clean houses.
41.Does anyone not like you? Not that I know of.
42. Do you love anyone? My husband, my kids, brothers and sisters, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, other family....
43. Do any of your friends have children? All of them. That is how I meet people.
44. Do you eat healthy? Yes, even my ice cream has fiber in it.
45. Who did you wake up next to this morning? My sweetheart!
46. Do you hate anyone right now? Hate is a strong word. There is someone who is supremely irritating and I can't wait until they decide to move offbase, but most of the ward feels the same way so I don't feel too guilty.
47. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Yes, becuase I answer the phone about 20 times a day.
48. Are you glad that this is almost over? Kind off, this is a lot of typing to do. But it has been a lot of fun too, and I can't wait to read everyone elses.
49. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Twice.
50. How did you get one of your scars? I was in a car accident that broke an arm, sprained a wrist, and broke a finger, smashed me into the glass window, cut off a bunch of my hair with glass shards, and tore my earing out of my ear. Most of my scars are from that. Only one really bad scar on my right shoulder from the window, and a lump of tissue that was compressed and formed into a lump on my leg where the nerves are damaged (the spot is numb permanently, it's kind of cool, the seatbelt did it.) and a cyst on my wrist from the sprain. Those are my funnest scars, but the ones I appreciate the most. Like the nerve damage on my leg from the seatbelt that kept me in the car, and kept me alive.
Okay, I tag anyone who feels up to typing this much!
1. What is in the back of your car? a first aid kit, I just cleaned out the car. Later today there will be a new entertainment center though.
2. When was the last time you threw up? Christmas time, I had the flu at my parents house, and then lovingly shared the bug with my siblings.
3. What color is your toothbrush? Pink! The boys and Mark won't use it if it is pink...
4. What was the last thing you ate? A piece of canadian bacon.
5. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? not for myself, but the boys got some clearance pants.
6. When was the last time you ran? Yesterday, it was was too cold to walk to the bus-stop and back for Nathan's preschool bus.
7. The last sporting event you watched? Some of the superbowl. We invited some friends to dinner that Sunday, but her husband is an avid sports fan, so we carted the whole roasted turkey dinner over to her house. That was interesting!
8. What did you do over the weekend? Cleaned like crazy, cooked yummy food, cut my sister's hair, and missed church becuase William wasn't feeling good.
9. Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace? Don't use myspace. Mark has an account I think, but never goes on.
10. Ever go camping? yes, when we were in Japan. the boys and Mark camped outside earlier this last fall and never put the tent away, so all the poles are broken.
11. Would you rather stay in the country or city? The country with close and easy access to the city.
12. Are you in a relationship? most definetely!
13. Do you have a tan? Uh.... no. Red hair and white skin do not make for good tanning.
14. What's your favorite food? Grilled chicken. Perfectly done and moist, with a citrus fruit salsa on the side.
15. Do you drink your soda with a straw? When I want it to last a while, or we are at a resteraunt. I have cold sensitive teeth so if it doesn't come in a can or bottle, I use a straw.
16. What did your last text message say? I don't text, but I get free diet tips texted to me.
17. Are you someone's best friend? My husband, my sisters, my friend Amanda.
18. What are you doing tomorrow? Going to Boise for Nathan's speech therapy appointment.
19. Where is your mom? Probably at home doing her classes or teaching the kids schoolwork.
20. When you look to your left, what do you see? A mess! The sliding glass doors, the swingset, the entertainment center that will soon be gracing my sister's living room, the cat tree/ hidey hole thing, my blue rug. Clothes, wet wipes William pulled out, some legos...
21. Who would you like to see right now? Any of my family members, my friend coming to babysit my kids or help clean, my husband becuase that would mean he is awake. He works 3pm to 12 am.
22. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Kangaroos...
23. Where is one place in the world where you would like to visit? Scotland. 3 years in England
and we never made it up North. We did go to Stonehenge and Dover castle though.
24. What is your birthstone? Some say turqoise, which I don't like, and some say blue topaz, which is more tolerable. I usually say topaz.
25. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Usually we just do the drive through, 3 kids by myself in a resteraunt? Are you kidding? just kidding. Sometimes we go in as a special treat.
26. What is your favorite number? 7. I don't really know why.
27. Do you have a dog? no. Mark says I can have one if I get rid of my cat. Ha!
28. Last person you talked to on the phone? Amanda, volunteering to sit my kids while Mark and I have a lunch date. And asking for my stroganoff recipe.
29. Have you met anyone famous? If I have, I don't remember.
30. Any plans today? Clean the living room and kitchen, then have a lunch date with Mark since he works tonight. Give my kids their valentines treats and send them to bed early.
31. How many states have you lived in? 4: Idaho, Mississippi, Florida, Oklahoma
32. Ever go to college? yes for 3 semesters, then I got pregnant and Mark left for Basic Training so I worked full time instead.
33. What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be a mommy. Not very ambitious to some people, but I am happy.
34. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? People who change my schedule around and don't consult with me first. I like routine.
35. Last song listened to? Betty Bunny
36. What did you eat last night? Pan-fried pork chops, salad, and roasted beets. And Carb-smart rocky road ice cream.
37. What is your fav. food to splurge on? Cornish hen. Mark doesn't like them though, he says they are too small.
38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My brown leather Dr. Scholls mules, they slip on and still keep my toes warm.
39. Do you want to get married? I am married, and loving it.
40. Are you jealous of anyone? Anyone with daughters, people who are naturally thin and don't have to work at it. Friends with clean houses.
41.Does anyone not like you? Not that I know of.
42. Do you love anyone? My husband, my kids, brothers and sisters, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, other family....
43. Do any of your friends have children? All of them. That is how I meet people.
44. Do you eat healthy? Yes, even my ice cream has fiber in it.
45. Who did you wake up next to this morning? My sweetheart!
46. Do you hate anyone right now? Hate is a strong word. There is someone who is supremely irritating and I can't wait until they decide to move offbase, but most of the ward feels the same way so I don't feel too guilty.
47. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Yes, becuase I answer the phone about 20 times a day.
48. Are you glad that this is almost over? Kind off, this is a lot of typing to do. But it has been a lot of fun too, and I can't wait to read everyone elses.
49. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Twice.
50. How did you get one of your scars? I was in a car accident that broke an arm, sprained a wrist, and broke a finger, smashed me into the glass window, cut off a bunch of my hair with glass shards, and tore my earing out of my ear. Most of my scars are from that. Only one really bad scar on my right shoulder from the window, and a lump of tissue that was compressed and formed into a lump on my leg where the nerves are damaged (the spot is numb permanently, it's kind of cool, the seatbelt did it.) and a cyst on my wrist from the sprain. Those are my funnest scars, but the ones I appreciate the most. Like the nerve damage on my leg from the seatbelt that kept me in the car, and kept me alive.
Okay, I tag anyone who feels up to typing this much!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
An early Morning
Nathan woke up far too early for my tastes. I put him in timeout in his room yesterday during piano lessons, but then got very involved in the lesson, kind of forgeting Nathan was in his room. Now, Oren would have just let himeself out after a bit, but Nathan stays in there until I let him out. And since he was in there for a while, he decided that he was a bit tired and laid down. After lessons were over I realized the house was rather quiet and asked Oren where Nathan was. "Sleeping." Great.... I couldn't get him to wake up so I decided to just let him sleep.
Well, sometime during the evening he messed his diaper without waking up. Instead he woke up at 5:45 with a very sore bottom, crying. So I got up and cleaned him up, gave him a nice warm bubble bath. He doesn't often get baths without his brothers climbing in too, so he thoroughly enjoyed that. I was trying to stay awake. And of course the bath woke him up all the way and energized him for the day, so I put my contacts in (which wakes me up) and settled him with a movie. I won't get the other kids up for 10-15 minutes and then the fun begins.
On the plus side, Nathan's hair got washed and is laying down for once, so he won't be going to school with a huge cowlick/mohawk on his head. A silver lining?
Well, sometime during the evening he messed his diaper without waking up. Instead he woke up at 5:45 with a very sore bottom, crying. So I got up and cleaned him up, gave him a nice warm bubble bath. He doesn't often get baths without his brothers climbing in too, so he thoroughly enjoyed that. I was trying to stay awake. And of course the bath woke him up all the way and energized him for the day, so I put my contacts in (which wakes me up) and settled him with a movie. I won't get the other kids up for 10-15 minutes and then the fun begins.
On the plus side, Nathan's hair got washed and is laying down for once, so he won't be going to school with a huge cowlick/mohawk on his head. A silver lining?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Ramblings...
I don't really have a specific direction for my blog today. Just some random thoughts. I was very glad for the warm weather we had. Even though it was only high 40's it felt like spring. The boys went out into the backyard for more that 5 minutes for the first time this winter. It has just been too cold this year. I moved the swingset out into the sunshine. Oren thought it was pretty funny that I was just barely tall enough to move it. It was literally 1 inch off the ground when I picked it up by grabbing the bar the swings hang from and lifting up, but hey, it worked.
Our tax refund came in the other day. There aren't many things in the world that feel better than paying off debt. It is like a heavy weight on my shoulders that was lifted. Not everything was paid off, but all that is left will be done by the end of the year. What a relief! There were lots of things that would have been awesome to get for our family, all of them will feel sweeter when we save up the money and pay up front, being completely debt free. This is one of the reasons I teach piano, not big money, but every little bit helps.
I saw several ladies from the ward today at the grocery store. None of them had seen me for several weeks. All the compliments I got becuase of the weight loss felt so good! I have been in a little bit of a stall and was feeling discouraged about reaching my goals. They made me realize that I have changed a lot already. I just need to try a little harder to make it to the gym and be more careful about what I eat. No cheating! I am down 16 pounds, only 35 or so to go. What's funny is that once I lose this weight, I want to get pregnant. So I will just be gaining some back. Totally worth it though!
Our tax refund came in the other day. There aren't many things in the world that feel better than paying off debt. It is like a heavy weight on my shoulders that was lifted. Not everything was paid off, but all that is left will be done by the end of the year. What a relief! There were lots of things that would have been awesome to get for our family, all of them will feel sweeter when we save up the money and pay up front, being completely debt free. This is one of the reasons I teach piano, not big money, but every little bit helps.
I saw several ladies from the ward today at the grocery store. None of them had seen me for several weeks. All the compliments I got becuase of the weight loss felt so good! I have been in a little bit of a stall and was feeling discouraged about reaching my goals. They made me realize that I have changed a lot already. I just need to try a little harder to make it to the gym and be more careful about what I eat. No cheating! I am down 16 pounds, only 35 or so to go. What's funny is that once I lose this weight, I want to get pregnant. So I will just be gaining some back. Totally worth it though!
Picture of the Day #17
My favorite thing in my house. I taught piano today to 2 high-school boys. One of them is very talented, and I always look forward to Tuesday afternoon. Besides being another way to earn a little money, I enjoy sharing and teaching the instrument that brings my little family so much joy.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Picture of the Day #16
Marinated Steak, Roasted Asparagus, and Broiled Eggplant with Garlic Sauce.... Dinner! I had to take a picture, because after much searching I have found a delicious way to cook eggplant! You sprinkle salt on it and let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse off and pat dry. Broil both sides until golden, and brush with sesame oil, minced garlic, seasoned rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Brush and soak in, brush and soak in, until all the sauce is gone. Yumm! I am an eggplant convert!Ricotta Cheesecake with Lemon Drizzle and Pine Nuts
3 Tbsp Pine Nuts
6 Large eggs, seperated
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup + 1 tsp granular sugar subsitute (or use same amount of sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 container (32 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1. Position rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 275. Lightly coat 9" springform pan with cooking spray. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and toast until lighlty golden, about 10 minutes. Cool. Increase oven to 325.
2. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes more. Set aside.
3. In another latge bowl, beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup of the sugar substitute, and vanilla extract for 1 minute. Add ricotta and zest, and beat on high until smooth.
4. Gently fold on-third of egg whites into yolk mixture. Add the rest of the whites and gently fold until well combined. Pour batter into pan, place pan on a baking sheet, and bake until cake is golden and mostly set, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cool on tack 20 minutes.
5. Combine lemon juice and remaining 1 tsp sugar supstitute in saucepan. Bring to simmer over low heat. Remove from heat and gently brush surface of cooled cake with two-thirds or mixture. Drizzle remaining mixture into cracks. Sprinkle cake with pine nuts.
6. Cool completely, then run a knife around the edge before releasing from pan. Chill, loosely covered, 4 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.
6 Large eggs, seperated
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup + 1 tsp granular sugar subsitute (or use same amount of sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 container (32 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1. Position rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 275. Lightly coat 9" springform pan with cooking spray. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and toast until lighlty golden, about 10 minutes. Cool. Increase oven to 325.
2. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes more. Set aside.
3. In another latge bowl, beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup of the sugar substitute, and vanilla extract for 1 minute. Add ricotta and zest, and beat on high until smooth.
4. Gently fold on-third of egg whites into yolk mixture. Add the rest of the whites and gently fold until well combined. Pour batter into pan, place pan on a baking sheet, and bake until cake is golden and mostly set, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cool on tack 20 minutes.
5. Combine lemon juice and remaining 1 tsp sugar supstitute in saucepan. Bring to simmer over low heat. Remove from heat and gently brush surface of cooled cake with two-thirds or mixture. Drizzle remaining mixture into cracks. Sprinkle cake with pine nuts.
6. Cool completely, then run a knife around the edge before releasing from pan. Chill, loosely covered, 4 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Dry nights!
Mark took a leap of faith last night and put Oren to bed in underwear. Every other time we have tried this, we have a soaking wet set of sheets in the morning and a dissapointed little boy. Being smart we have a plastic mattress protector on all the mattresses so at least that is safe and clean. But last night, maybe it was the magic night. When we got him up in the morning, he went strait to the bathroom and was so proud of himself. He was dry! Maybe it was a fluke, a once-off, but maybe, just maybe, we have a dry sleeper on our hands now! I would love to stop buying outrageously priced pull-ups for him for bedtimes. Nathan sleeps dry most nights already, but during the day has issues with telling us he has to go. I am so proud of Oren, even if it was just for one night.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
And the verdict is in...
The cheesecake turned out great. It doesn't taste exactly like cheesecake, but it is sweet and you can have a whole piece without feeling guilty. Steph and I liked it as did Mark. Jeff can't taste artificial sweetners, so he had to stick with ice cream. Poor guy. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know.
The evening as a whole was a lot of fun. Stephanie wanted her hair cut, so I told her I would do it. When she pulled it out of the ponytail I was a bit nervous. It was shoulder length and gorgeous! But I know how it is when your hair is driving you crazy and you just want it all chopped off. So I did. This was my first time cutting a girl's hair from long to short using scissors. Trimming already short hair isn't a problem, becuase you can see where to cut, and boys are no trouble at all with clippers and scissors to touch up spots. This was tapered layering.... and I am happy to announce that it turned out great! She looks so cute, and happy. I guess I pay more attention than I thought when I get my hair cut to how they do it. I think I was more nervous than she was, I was the one holding the scissors and if it looked awful it would have been my fault.
Zaylee had a blast with the cat. "Kitty, kitty!" all over the house, she was so adorable to listen to. I got her to say "Oh my word!" She is such a little doll, and I had so much fun with her. I even got hugs and kisses! And Thomas is a happy little baby buhdda. (sp?) All smiles and giggles.
I am so glad we live close to family, we enjoy getting together and making memories. I didn't think to take pictures until after they left, sorry, but maybe I'll remember next time. All in all, a great day!
The evening as a whole was a lot of fun. Stephanie wanted her hair cut, so I told her I would do it. When she pulled it out of the ponytail I was a bit nervous. It was shoulder length and gorgeous! But I know how it is when your hair is driving you crazy and you just want it all chopped off. So I did. This was my first time cutting a girl's hair from long to short using scissors. Trimming already short hair isn't a problem, becuase you can see where to cut, and boys are no trouble at all with clippers and scissors to touch up spots. This was tapered layering.... and I am happy to announce that it turned out great! She looks so cute, and happy. I guess I pay more attention than I thought when I get my hair cut to how they do it. I think I was more nervous than she was, I was the one holding the scissors and if it looked awful it would have been my fault.
Zaylee had a blast with the cat. "Kitty, kitty!" all over the house, she was so adorable to listen to. I got her to say "Oh my word!" She is such a little doll, and I had so much fun with her. I even got hugs and kisses! And Thomas is a happy little baby buhdda. (sp?) All smiles and giggles.
I am so glad we live close to family, we enjoy getting together and making memories. I didn't think to take pictures until after they left, sorry, but maybe I'll remember next time. All in all, a great day!
Picture of the Day #15
Okay, nothing great, but I walked into the living room and saw this. Too cute! William was being super fussy so Mark sat down with him. I don't know who put who to sleep, but I love seeing my husband sleeping with the baby.Is it really cheesecake?
I found a recipe the other day for a Ricotta Cheesecake with Pine Nuts and Lemon Drizzle. I am making it for dessert tonight becuase Stephanie and I are both on diets and this is a South Beach recipe. But my question is, if there is no cream cheese in the recipe at all, can they still really call it a cheese cake?
Today has been a busy day, and I am taking a blog break. So far I have done dishes, one bathroom, cleaned my entry way, dusted my entertainment center, and windexed the tv. There is still more to do, like making the cheesecake, but I think that is plenty to have done before lunch. Bathrooms were supposed to get done yesterday, but we ended up at the doctors all afternoon. Turns out William has a slight ear infection, and we all got swabbed for Strep. None of us have sore throats at all, just cold symptoms. My friends little girl had the same symptoms and it turned out to be strep. We have amused the doctor, since Nathan is positive, but seriously, not one sore throat in the bunch. We should find out soon it the rest of us are carriers, that is what they think is wrong with Nathan. She said something about being a carrier, but having a cold too, and that we are just really unlucky. Either way, at least the Air Force pays for the meds!
I have been bad about doing the picture a day thing, but it has been difficult finding inspiration lately with everyone feeling yucky. I do love looking at everyone elses pictures though. I am so glad we all do this, it is nice to get to know everyone so well.
Today has been a busy day, and I am taking a blog break. So far I have done dishes, one bathroom, cleaned my entry way, dusted my entertainment center, and windexed the tv. There is still more to do, like making the cheesecake, but I think that is plenty to have done before lunch. Bathrooms were supposed to get done yesterday, but we ended up at the doctors all afternoon. Turns out William has a slight ear infection, and we all got swabbed for Strep. None of us have sore throats at all, just cold symptoms. My friends little girl had the same symptoms and it turned out to be strep. We have amused the doctor, since Nathan is positive, but seriously, not one sore throat in the bunch. We should find out soon it the rest of us are carriers, that is what they think is wrong with Nathan. She said something about being a carrier, but having a cold too, and that we are just really unlucky. Either way, at least the Air Force pays for the meds!
I have been bad about doing the picture a day thing, but it has been difficult finding inspiration lately with everyone feeling yucky. I do love looking at everyone elses pictures though. I am so glad we all do this, it is nice to get to know everyone so well.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
A Busy Little Bee.
That would be me today. Inspired by Calista's cleaning I tackled some projects of my own. While talking both to my sister and to another good friend, I managed to sweep the whole house ( I have mostly wood floors), vacumm the area rug in the living room, mop the floors (which gets done about once a month since there is so much floor to be mopped) , cleaned the boy's room and vacuumed it, dusted all my shelves and picture frames, cleaned and polished my piano, and cleaned the kitchen counters off while catching up on all the dishes. Mark came home and said, "Wow...." I consider that a good reaction, and quite a compliment. Bathrooms are tomorrow since Stephanie and her family are coming over on Saturday, and I don't want to scare them away. :-) It is amazing what two little boys can do to one little bathroom in under 15 minutes...
Just some wierd facts I found out while recipe hunting the other day: Bagels are boiled slightly before they are baked. And English muffins are cooked on a skillet instead of in the oven. I had no idea! Who comes up with this kind of stuff?
Oren had quite the day at school apparently. He was very late because Mark turned off the alarm clock this morning and forgot to turn it back on for me. So I woke up 15 minutes before he had to be at school. That so was not going to happen in 15 minutes, so he was a good 15 minutes late. They weren't happy and I got scolded by his teacher. If only she knew.... We are not morning people. He was never late when he was in the afternoon kindergarted, and then they switched him. In the craziness of the morning, we forgot to give him his meds, without which he is not his normal self. I was told he got absolutely no work done, "Is he a bit sleepy?", well possibly since I think he might have strep too and was lying on the floor at school instead of working. Good grief. At least he wasn't hitting people! And if he gets too many more tardies and absences they might not let him move up to 1st grade, which is ridiculous. Every 3 tardies counts as 1 absence, and if he is late enough it is a 1/2 day absence instead of a tardy. He has 11 absences, mostly for being 1-2 minutes late! Criminy! So I have to make him go to school tomorrow even though he feels crappy just so they won't give him another absence. Good grief...
Sorry, I just needed a good gripe about that. Nathan's preschool teacher is much nicer. They were thrilled when I told them Nathan would be missing all week due to strep. Less kids to get sick. But even after all that this morning, I am in a decently good mood since I got so much done today. And the kids are in bed, drugged to help them breathe better, so the night should be fairly quiet. Bless Mark's heart, I was not in the mood to cook at all (and mess up the nice clean kitchen) so he agreed to grab some fast food and put it on plates and call it dinner. What a sweetheart!
Just some wierd facts I found out while recipe hunting the other day: Bagels are boiled slightly before they are baked. And English muffins are cooked on a skillet instead of in the oven. I had no idea! Who comes up with this kind of stuff?
Oren had quite the day at school apparently. He was very late because Mark turned off the alarm clock this morning and forgot to turn it back on for me. So I woke up 15 minutes before he had to be at school. That so was not going to happen in 15 minutes, so he was a good 15 minutes late. They weren't happy and I got scolded by his teacher. If only she knew.... We are not morning people. He was never late when he was in the afternoon kindergarted, and then they switched him. In the craziness of the morning, we forgot to give him his meds, without which he is not his normal self. I was told he got absolutely no work done, "Is he a bit sleepy?", well possibly since I think he might have strep too and was lying on the floor at school instead of working. Good grief. At least he wasn't hitting people! And if he gets too many more tardies and absences they might not let him move up to 1st grade, which is ridiculous. Every 3 tardies counts as 1 absence, and if he is late enough it is a 1/2 day absence instead of a tardy. He has 11 absences, mostly for being 1-2 minutes late! Criminy! So I have to make him go to school tomorrow even though he feels crappy just so they won't give him another absence. Good grief...
Sorry, I just needed a good gripe about that. Nathan's preschool teacher is much nicer. They were thrilled when I told them Nathan would be missing all week due to strep. Less kids to get sick. But even after all that this morning, I am in a decently good mood since I got so much done today. And the kids are in bed, drugged to help them breathe better, so the night should be fairly quiet. Bless Mark's heart, I was not in the mood to cook at all (and mess up the nice clean kitchen) so he agreed to grab some fast food and put it on plates and call it dinner. What a sweetheart!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Picture of the Day #14
Daddy came home from work in full blown Chimical Warfare protective gear. Oren wanted to try on his helmet. I had taken one like this several years ago, and it struck me how much my little man has grown. He will soon fill his Daddy's shoes, and I hope I can teach him to be just as good a man as his father is.Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The New Tag
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves
C. At the end of the post, the player tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they are tagged
10 years ago I was . . . learning how to drive in the snow, and watching my dad freak out when I asked for the keys.
5 things on my to do list today . . .
1. vacumm the carpet in the living room and sweep the other floors
2. go to the gym
3. get face moisturizer that actually works
4. go to the pharmacy and pick up meds for Nathan's strep throat
5. figure out different ways to style my hair now that I cut most of it off.
4 Things I would do if I became a billionare...
1. pay off all debt!
2. invest in some more savings bonds and pick some fun stocks.
3. open savings accounts for my kids to start preparing for college.
4. hire a housekeeper so I can spend more time with my kids and less worrying about the state of my house
3 of my bad habits are. . .
1. biting my nails when I am stressed
2. making big decisions like buying new pets without really talking to Mark
3. shopping when I am depressed
5 places I have lived...
1. Panama City, Florida
2. Del City, Oklahoma
3. Rexburg, Idaho
4, Hockwold, RAF Lakenheath, England
5. Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
5 jobs I have had...
1. sales associate at a craft store
2. worked at a copy center in Office Max
3. telephone research at Western Wats (yuck!)
4. Decorating cakes freelance
5. Piano teacher
4Things most people don't know about me
1. I can't keep my house clean for more than a week.
2. I weigh only 5 pounds more than I did when I graduated high school.
3. I DO NOT like to eat cantelope
4. I am not really a big bath person.
OK, now who's it?You have been tagged. . .
alright, I don't know many people with blogs but I tag
Stephanie
My dad
and I will send this to a couple of people that I know via email.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves
C. At the end of the post, the player tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they are tagged
10 years ago I was . . . learning how to drive in the snow, and watching my dad freak out when I asked for the keys.
5 things on my to do list today . . .
1. vacumm the carpet in the living room and sweep the other floors
2. go to the gym
3. get face moisturizer that actually works
4. go to the pharmacy and pick up meds for Nathan's strep throat
5. figure out different ways to style my hair now that I cut most of it off.
4 Things I would do if I became a billionare...
1. pay off all debt!
2. invest in some more savings bonds and pick some fun stocks.
3. open savings accounts for my kids to start preparing for college.
4. hire a housekeeper so I can spend more time with my kids and less worrying about the state of my house
3 of my bad habits are. . .
1. biting my nails when I am stressed
2. making big decisions like buying new pets without really talking to Mark
3. shopping when I am depressed
5 places I have lived...
1. Panama City, Florida
2. Del City, Oklahoma
3. Rexburg, Idaho
4, Hockwold, RAF Lakenheath, England
5. Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
5 jobs I have had...
1. sales associate at a craft store
2. worked at a copy center in Office Max
3. telephone research at Western Wats (yuck!)
4. Decorating cakes freelance
5. Piano teacher
4Things most people don't know about me
1. I can't keep my house clean for more than a week.
2. I weigh only 5 pounds more than I did when I graduated high school.
3. I DO NOT like to eat cantelope
4. I am not really a big bath person.
OK, now who's it?You have been tagged. . .
alright, I don't know many people with blogs but I tag
Stephanie
My dad
and I will send this to a couple of people that I know via email.
Picture of the Day #13
"The Works"
Our boys love doing "hamburger sandwiches". I never do remember to plan for buns. Mark's favorite is to cover it in my pickled jalapenos as seen above. I just thought the colors looked cool.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Picture of the Day #12
If I can but accomplish just one thing on my list today, let it be said that I chose the most important one...Picture of the Day #11
Okay, I didn't actually take this one. Mark handed Oren the camera on the way home, and out of the 60 so pictures he snapped, this one actually turned out kind of cool. I like the clouds and the sun shining through them.
Another Snow Day?
People here seem unable to deal with more than one inch of snow. Sunday morning we got a call that the Stake had canceled church due to road conditions. Okay, now what do we do with an entire Sunday? Church keeps the kids occupied for 3 whole hours!
Well, the driveway had about 3-4 inches in some spots and 6 in others, so that was a family effort to get shoveled. I went out to see how it was going and got handed a shovel. I was in slippers and a light jacket! But I did help for a while before I got too cold and wet. The boys enjoyed pushing the snow around with brooms and metal lap trays from the car. They like to "help".
Mark had been promising the boys he would take them out to use their new innertube, but we have no hills near our house. He hasn't seen them hardly at all this week due to his crazy work schedule, so we decided that yesterday would be their family/daddy time day. The boys needed time with their daddy. We found a park with hills and Mark drove them down to town to go tubing.
Well, the driveway had about 3-4 inches in some spots and 6 in others, so that was a family effort to get shoveled. I went out to see how it was going and got handed a shovel. I was in slippers and a light jacket! But I did help for a while before I got too cold and wet. The boys enjoyed pushing the snow around with brooms and metal lap trays from the car. They like to "help".
Mark had been promising the boys he would take them out to use their new innertube, but we have no hills near our house. He hasn't seen them hardly at all this week due to his crazy work schedule, so we decided that yesterday would be their family/daddy time day. The boys needed time with their daddy. We found a park with hills and Mark drove them down to town to go tubing.
I didn't go, William was napping, but Mark took some pretty good pictures of the boys for me. This was Oren getting ready to go down the hill.
Nathan doesn't fit quite as well, he is a bit smaller. He is on his way down, wheeee!
They came back and were telling me how much fun they had. I know it was a Sunday, but I think it was alright. Mark had been super grumpy with them as of late, but after they had some time together being boys, he was a lot happier.
I enjoyed myself as well. I have to clear out my large freezer because it really needs defrosted. There were a couple turkeys and a ham in there from holiday sales, so I pulled out a turkey and cooked it up. Yum! I should have taken a picture because it was gorgeous. I work my hand between the skin and the breast from the neck to the other end as far as I can go, and then I take an herb paste mixture that I make with lots of herbs and spices and some oil and spread it around in cavity between the skin and breast meat. Then some of the paste goes on top of the skin and the whole thing got shoved into an oven bag. Oh my word! It was good. Salt, pepper, onion powder, parsley, oregano, sage, basil, paprika, fresh garlic, and olive oil was my combination. I have used many different ones, this is my favorite way to do turkey. Sometimes I use butter with the spices and that is amazing too. It also works with a roasting chicken. I highly recommend it. My little family cannot eat a whole 13+ pound turkey, so we invited another family to join us. If anyone has a family favorite turkey leftover recipe, feel free to pass it on, I have plenty of turkey left.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
A better day
Yes, for anyone wondering, today has been a much better day. Mark was on call, so didn't have to be up at 5 am and the kids let us sleep in for a while. Everyone woke up cheerful, breakfast was low mess. The boys played with their toy train while William chased the cat all over the house laughing histaricaly. I was able to finsih my stock that was sitting in the fridge. I scrape the fat off the chilled stock and then bring it back to a boil to can it. We got 2 batches canned before lunch. Mark got called into work, so he had to disappear, but William settled down for a nice long nap, so it was pretty quiet. I decided to go out and vacumm out my car, which was horrendously dirty. I love driving my van after it's all cleaned up, everybody seems to behave so much better. So the kids had fun sitting at home and relaxing, and I got stuff done that had been waiting for quite a while. Strangely, William has shown no further signs of being sick.
Luckily days like yesterday happen often enough that I am no longer embarrased about those kinds of messes, but far enough apart that I don't completely lose my sanity. I just remember that I have no idea who the people in the store are so they can judge all they want and it doesn't bother me a bit. And if it is somebody I do know, they have always stepped in to help and haven't judged me at all. Thank you for your comments, it's nice to have family who sympathize with you when you have a bad day.
Luckily days like yesterday happen often enough that I am no longer embarrased about those kinds of messes, but far enough apart that I don't completely lose my sanity. I just remember that I have no idea who the people in the store are so they can judge all they want and it doesn't bother me a bit. And if it is somebody I do know, they have always stepped in to help and haven't judged me at all. Thank you for your comments, it's nice to have family who sympathize with you when you have a bad day.
Picture of the Day #10
And ye shall enjoy the fruits of your labors.... This started out as half a dozen poultry carcasses, boiled all day and strained through cloth. Then meticulously poured into waiting jars and loaded into my carefully prepared presser canner. Once you've had homemade and canned stock, you'll never go back....Friday, February 1, 2008
Whew!
Yesterday had gone so well, I should have known that today would be the exact opposite. Today was therapy day, which means an hour drive to Boise, an hour at the therapist, and assorted errands "since I am already in town". The boys did fine (although Oren complained he was "starving to death" the whole way there.) until after we went and got something to eat. Their meals came with little fluffy bunny toy things. Oh joy.... They brought these everywhere today. It made the pet store interesting, they hopped their bunnies all over the huge kitty condos on display, meowing the whole time. And Willam added to the fun by climbing out of the cart while my back was turned and landing facedown on the hard floor. Luckily he just has a small bruise. You can buckle that boy in as tight as you want, but he is so skinny he can wiggle right out of it.
We finally got out of there a scant 1 1/2 hours later with our rat treats and fish tank paraphanelia, and a bruised head, and drove straight home, an hour of "meow"'s and one very tired little boy taking a nap. Back home we set up the tank, which went very well, even with my little happy helpers. But I still had to go to Walmart for food to restock our fridge if I wanted to feed children in the morning. So around 6:30 I loaded up children again, kissed Mark goodbye and reassured him that I wouldn't be gone too long, so he could see the kids. He is working 12 hour shifts this week and next, and he had just gotten home. If he hadn't have been on standby I would have left kids with him, thus avoiding the whole mess at the store.
Walmart..... did you know that Walmart is the only place my kids every get sick in public? Oh yes. I have bought numerous things off clearance racks so my child and I could wear something clean out of the store. We headed over to look at fish and grab our catfood. I told the fish lady we would finish the rest of the shopping and get our fish last, so I wouldn't stress them out too much. It took longer than I thought to get the things that I needed. It is harder to concentrate when you are tired, but at least the boys stayed with me better this time. I made my way back to the fish, but had to wait while the new guy helped someone pick enough fish to stock his 55 gallon tank. I happened to glance over at the cart, and beheld a mother's nightmare. Poo. Copious amounts of lovely runny poo. On the floor, on William's clothes, on the coat tucked in below the cart seat, on some of the items in the cart, on the cart seat... Breathe in, breathe out, breath in... At least we were by the fish where there is a sink, and paper towels, and it is somewhat isolated. The others waiting for their fish were quite amused as I started helping myself to paper towel and the sink. Luckily all of what it landed on was cleanable, because I couldn't just put that stuff back on the shelves. The guy said he would bag up the fish I wanted while I went down to the baby stuff, and grabbed some clearance clothes, wet wipes (wouldn't you know someone had taken them out of the diaper bag) and a thing of diapers (because somewhere in the store William had taken them out and thrown them overboard.)
I grabbed my fish and got my kids out of there before something else could happen. They are now in bed, and should sleep in tomorrow seeing as how I didn't manage to get home until 10:00. Whew!
Okay, I am not really complaining. I could have been inventive at breakfast and went shopping tomorrow, but that wouldn't have made such a fun story now would it. With my kids, I have really learned to laugh at myself, and clean up messes with dignity. And at least now we have fish, and an extra ghost shrimp that hitched a ride in the net, so we got a free bonus!
We finally got out of there a scant 1 1/2 hours later with our rat treats and fish tank paraphanelia, and a bruised head, and drove straight home, an hour of "meow"'s and one very tired little boy taking a nap. Back home we set up the tank, which went very well, even with my little happy helpers. But I still had to go to Walmart for food to restock our fridge if I wanted to feed children in the morning. So around 6:30 I loaded up children again, kissed Mark goodbye and reassured him that I wouldn't be gone too long, so he could see the kids. He is working 12 hour shifts this week and next, and he had just gotten home. If he hadn't have been on standby I would have left kids with him, thus avoiding the whole mess at the store.
Walmart..... did you know that Walmart is the only place my kids every get sick in public? Oh yes. I have bought numerous things off clearance racks so my child and I could wear something clean out of the store. We headed over to look at fish and grab our catfood. I told the fish lady we would finish the rest of the shopping and get our fish last, so I wouldn't stress them out too much. It took longer than I thought to get the things that I needed. It is harder to concentrate when you are tired, but at least the boys stayed with me better this time. I made my way back to the fish, but had to wait while the new guy helped someone pick enough fish to stock his 55 gallon tank. I happened to glance over at the cart, and beheld a mother's nightmare. Poo. Copious amounts of lovely runny poo. On the floor, on William's clothes, on the coat tucked in below the cart seat, on some of the items in the cart, on the cart seat... Breathe in, breathe out, breath in... At least we were by the fish where there is a sink, and paper towels, and it is somewhat isolated. The others waiting for their fish were quite amused as I started helping myself to paper towel and the sink. Luckily all of what it landed on was cleanable, because I couldn't just put that stuff back on the shelves. The guy said he would bag up the fish I wanted while I went down to the baby stuff, and grabbed some clearance clothes, wet wipes (wouldn't you know someone had taken them out of the diaper bag) and a thing of diapers (because somewhere in the store William had taken them out and thrown them overboard.)
I grabbed my fish and got my kids out of there before something else could happen. They are now in bed, and should sleep in tomorrow seeing as how I didn't manage to get home until 10:00. Whew!
Okay, I am not really complaining. I could have been inventive at breakfast and went shopping tomorrow, but that wouldn't have made such a fun story now would it. With my kids, I have really learned to laugh at myself, and clean up messes with dignity. And at least now we have fish, and an extra ghost shrimp that hitched a ride in the net, so we got a free bonus!
Picture of the Day #9
I know it doesn't look like much, but this tiny tank is our family's first ever aquarium! The boys were so excited, I promised them I'd post a picture of it.
Get to know my sweetheart--
What is his name? Mark
How long have you been together? We have been married for 6 1/2 years now.
How long did you date? We dated 3 months before we got engaged, and we were engaged for 5 months.
How old his he? 27
Who eats more? He does!
Who said i love you first? He did... 2 weeks after we met. :-)
Who is taller? He is, 6', I am 5'2"
Who can sing better? I do, but since I usually accompany while he sings at church, most people never hear me.
Who is smarter? We are both pretty smart, but I don't know squat about the jets he works on, and he wouldn't know the first thing about running the family if I wasn't here! We each have our own things...
Who does the laundry? Uh, that would be me. Definetly me.
Who pays the bills? Again, me.
Who sleeps on the right side? I do, which he thinks is really wierd. I think it is odd how he doesn't have a side of the bed, but he does have to sleep facing the edge, no matter what side he's on.
Who mows the lawn? He does.... and shovels snow, rakes leaves, all that outside stuff.
Who cooks dinner? usually me, unless I am not home. Then the phone usually ends up cooking dinner, and the pizza guy brings it.
Who drives? We drive our own cars, but when we are together he drives, because driving tends to irritate my carpal tunnel, and you can't drive when your hands are so numb you can't feel the steering wheel.
Who is more stubborn? Usually people would say me, but suprisingly Mark has a big stubborn streak. And he refuses to argue. He says..... and that the end of it. It took me 6 years to talk him into the cat. (which he was very against, but he plays with her all the time.)
Who kissed who first? I am not sure how to answer this one. He leaned in, I thought he was going for my lips so I turned my head. Turns out he was going for my cheek and the way I turned he ended up getting my lips on the corner. So I say he did, but he swears I turned that way on purpose.
Who asked who out first? He showed up at my house (16 girls in one house = at least a 10% chance someone willing to hang out) and I wasn't busy so we hung out. I did invite him later to come watch a movie at the house, but he officially asked me to the homecoming dance that night, so again, I'm not sure. It depends on how you view it.
Who proposed? He did, 3 times. Once to ask me, once to give me the ring in front of the whole band, and once across the river from the temple to beat his friend. It was a long-standing deal, but I did say no the 3rd time. Just for fun.
Who has more friends? Me, I'll talk to anyone.
Who is more sensitive? Mark.
Who has more siblings? I have 7 and he has 6.
Who wears the pants in the family? Probably me. I make most of the decisions. But he is stubborn about the ones he makes.
Okay, now who's next?
What is his name? Mark
How long have you been together? We have been married for 6 1/2 years now.
How long did you date? We dated 3 months before we got engaged, and we were engaged for 5 months.
How old his he? 27
Who eats more? He does!
Who said i love you first? He did... 2 weeks after we met. :-)
Who is taller? He is, 6', I am 5'2"
Who can sing better? I do, but since I usually accompany while he sings at church, most people never hear me.
Who is smarter? We are both pretty smart, but I don't know squat about the jets he works on, and he wouldn't know the first thing about running the family if I wasn't here! We each have our own things...
Who does the laundry? Uh, that would be me. Definetly me.
Who pays the bills? Again, me.
Who sleeps on the right side? I do, which he thinks is really wierd. I think it is odd how he doesn't have a side of the bed, but he does have to sleep facing the edge, no matter what side he's on.
Who mows the lawn? He does.... and shovels snow, rakes leaves, all that outside stuff.
Who cooks dinner? usually me, unless I am not home. Then the phone usually ends up cooking dinner, and the pizza guy brings it.
Who drives? We drive our own cars, but when we are together he drives, because driving tends to irritate my carpal tunnel, and you can't drive when your hands are so numb you can't feel the steering wheel.
Who is more stubborn? Usually people would say me, but suprisingly Mark has a big stubborn streak. And he refuses to argue. He says..... and that the end of it. It took me 6 years to talk him into the cat. (which he was very against, but he plays with her all the time.)
Who kissed who first? I am not sure how to answer this one. He leaned in, I thought he was going for my lips so I turned my head. Turns out he was going for my cheek and the way I turned he ended up getting my lips on the corner. So I say he did, but he swears I turned that way on purpose.
Who asked who out first? He showed up at my house (16 girls in one house = at least a 10% chance someone willing to hang out) and I wasn't busy so we hung out. I did invite him later to come watch a movie at the house, but he officially asked me to the homecoming dance that night, so again, I'm not sure. It depends on how you view it.
Who proposed? He did, 3 times. Once to ask me, once to give me the ring in front of the whole band, and once across the river from the temple to beat his friend. It was a long-standing deal, but I did say no the 3rd time. Just for fun.
Who has more friends? Me, I'll talk to anyone.
Who is more sensitive? Mark.
Who has more siblings? I have 7 and he has 6.
Who wears the pants in the family? Probably me. I make most of the decisions. But he is stubborn about the ones he makes.
Okay, now who's next?
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