Shiny Distractions

Copying

2008-07-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

I need to copy my posts to my hard drive so they don't lost forever. Maybe I should find a way to back up my blogs.

Downsizing

2008-05-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm downsizing. I've found that nearly everything I want to write about would fit nicely on my homeschool blog. Those few things that don't can easily be incorporated into the homeschool blog under the categories of Toddler-schooling (posts about Josh) and Daily Grind (posts about life in general). So, I'm saying goodbye to this blog and concentrating on Homeschool Distractions. See you there.

India Mahal Restaurant

2008-04-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Do NOT patronize the Indian Mahal Restaurant!

Indian Mahal Restaurant

823 Pacific Ave.

Tacoma, WA

This morning, I took my children over to Ever After, a gift store located immediately next door to the Indian Mahal Restaurnt. While waiting for Ever After to open, I took note of the restaurant. My husband recently tried Indian food and mentioned liking it. I thought about coming back with the family soon to try it out. After my experience with the owner today, I will never step foot into that restaurant and I hope you won't either. This man should not be in business working with the public nor does he deserve your hard earned money.

Like I said, we went to Ever After this morning. While there, my son told me he needed to throw up. I quickly asked if they had a restroom and was directed to the back door and down the hallway. We made a fast beeline there, leaving my daughter in the store (it felt very safe) with our things. My son ended up throwing up on the floor of the hallway. After cleaning it up, we went to leave and found the door back into Ever After was locked from the other side. Oops! So, I tried the next closest door which ended up leading to India Mahal's dining area. I just thought we could quickly walk through. No big deal. We walked about 10 steps through when my son realized he didn't have his bag so we turned back.

When we got to the hallway door, the restaurant owner came at me (in an aggressive stance) and yelled at me, "What are you doing in my restaurant?" I calmly explained that I was shopping next door and my son got sick and needed to use the restroom but we got locked into the hallway so we tried the closest door to get out. He responded by backing me back into the hallway and yelling at me to get out of his restaurant. I, getting a bit angry at this point, asked him if I should just be locked in the hallway all day. He yelled back, that it wasn't his problem and blocked the doorway so I couldn't leave. I can't remember everything he said (other than to repeated say "It's not my problem.") but I don't back down, even from a 6 foot tall man yelling at me while I'm holding a baby and trying to keep my 6 year old away from him so at this point I asked him why he was being such a ________. He didn't answer. He just screamed at me to stay out of his restaurant and it wasn't his problem. I told him I would be informing everyone I knew and the world, via the Internet, not to visit his precious restaurant. What a jerk!

He continued yelling at me and blocking the door to his restaurant and was between me and the locked door to the store I had come from so I had to find another exit. I ended up having to walk, with my toddler and sick son, around the block to get back to the store where my 8 year old daughter was waiting for us. The employees/owners (I'm not sure which they were) apologized for the door being locked and for my unlucky run in with their neighbor. The male employee explained that this guy is always unpleasant and that he had a major run in with him too. He had been in the bathroom and there was pounding on the door. When he opened the door, the restaurant owner began yelling at him and actually grabbed and shook him. Meanwhile, the female employee/owner had to call the police. They ended up filing assault charges against the guy. I'd say he definitely has a problem!

So, PLEASE, don't patronize this restaurant! If you have a blog and are local, please pick up this story and spread the word.

Shhh....

2008-04-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

I Hate It When They Do That

2008-04-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

My husband showed an interest in I am Legend when we initially saw the trailers for it on TV back when it was in the theater. I was interested as well as I like sci-fi. I was interested in the whole idea of being the only person left alive and how the character would deal with that. So, when I rented a couple of movies yesterday, I picked this one up.

Now, before watching this movie, I knew about the virus-mutated-vampire people. I knew that the main character had run-ins with these mutants. I expected that some parts might be scary because of that. I don't do suspense or scary well. Not at all. However, seeing that the movie was only I rated PG-13, I thought I'd be ok.

Well, I survived the movie...barely. I'm not sure how because that was the scariest movie I have seen in a long time. Throughout most of the movie, I sat there watching the movie terrified. My body tensed. My chest tightened. My hands flew to cover my eyes. I jumped. I even screamed...loudly...twice. I felt like I would suffer a heart attack at any moment.

To rate this movie PG-13 is wrong. It deserves no less than an R rating. The only reason I can think of to explain why it was only rated PG-13 is that there weren't that many violent scenes; however, the suspense was so thick that it gets you worked up so that when those violent scenes do finally show up, it sends you over the edge. Things like that need to be taken in consideration when rating movies so that people like me can be adequately prepared or stay away altogether.

I've noticed this trend of underrating movies. G movies are hard to come by because nearly all children's movies are now PG. PG movies now come with content that is inappropriate for children. PG-13 movies contain content that should only be found in adult movies. Rated R is the old X in some movies. Yet movies that genuinely do fit into the different ratings molds are mixed in with the ones that don't. This means the ratings mean little anymore. If we can't trust the ratings, how are we suppose to know what is safe to watch?

There's a Problem

2008-04-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

So there we were testing out our new couches by watching the movie Enchanted. We were all sitting together on the sofa when Sammy got up, got his favorite football blanket, and headed over to the love seat to lay down. Then out in the darkness (we had the lights off), Sammy solemnly says, "Mommy, there's a problem with our new couches."

Concerned, I asked, "What?"

"They don't match my football blanket."

Great Weather Equals Indoor Work

2008-04-11T12:24:00.001-07:00

I don't know why it works like this for me but every time I have something I must accomplish indoors and actually do well at accomplishing a lot indoors, it is a gorgeous, must-be-outside day. Today I had to commit to staying home because our new couches were scheduled to arrive. This is the first time we have made a major furniture purchase. The only other major furniture purchase we've made was 9 years ago when we bought our queen bed mattresses. So, getting brand new couches was a big deal. We were excited.

So, today started with the delivery company calling at 8am to give me the delivery window. It turned out that they wanted to delivery between 9am and noon. Aaack! That was in an hour. I jumped off the couch, got dressed, and got started on cleaning up. I ~~wanted~~ needed to clean up the living room before they got here. I also wanted to move the old couches and vacuum under them very well before they got here with the new ones.

So, here's what I accomplished this morning...

I took the feet off the old couches and moved them outside. I had help with the love seat (a friend stopped by unexpectedly and I put him to work). The sofa I moved myself. Then I had the kids clean up all the stuff we found under the sofa. They also helped me clean up the mess we found in and around the corner table. Then I rolled up the throw rug and vacuumed really well, including using the attachment to clean along the wall where the animal fur likes to collect - Yuck! While I was in a roll, I got out the windex (I use it for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G) and cleaned the baseboards. With my friend's help, I removed the old weatherstipping from the door frame because it was coming apart, leaving sharp points sticking out and I didn't want it to rip my new couches. It was also a safety hazard. While I had the door open, I swept the front porch.

Then the couches were delivered. After getting them in place, I put the tables back in place (we have a corner table, coffee table, and sofa table), and the rug back in place. I vacuumed the throw rug really well too. Then I got out the furniture oil and made them look all nice again. After that, I went through Josh's toy basket. I tossed a few items, boxed up a few baby toys, and had Sammy put away a few other things that made it into the basket. I washed the crystal fruit bowl that I keep on the sofa table between the living and dining rooms. I replaced one of the picture frames and left the others off it because they've been knocked off the table too many times and need new glass now. I also cleaned the window trim and the picture frame. I switched out the two plants. I took one from my bedroom and put it on the corner table instead because it has a really nice pot. The one that was on the corner table got put in the hanger instead.

I love my new, clean living room! And the new couches, of course. Here's what my living room looks like right now. When it gets messy again, I'll just come here and stare at the photo and sigh. : )

I'm thinking we may have to eat a late lunch and then spend a little time outside in our oh-so-rare sunshine. Except I kind of want to stay inside and enjoy my clean living room and maybe get some of the other rooms clean too. Experience tells me that if I stay inside today with the intention to being outside tomorrow, tomorrow will be rainy and yucky outside.

What a Privilege

2008-04-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

So, there we were sitting on the couch together watching TV. The show ends and it is time to go to bed. Mika announces that she wants to sleep with me. I tell her, "Sorry, Daddy's sleeping with me." Scott walks into the room and I tell him that Mika wants to sleep with me. So, she looks up at him and tries to convince him to give her his spot in the bed. What wonderful incentive does she give him?

That he could sleep on our old, ripped, yucky, uncomfortable couch one last time before our new one arrive tomorrow.

What a privilege!

And he's such a great daddy that he agrees to sleep on the couch. Sammy sees sleeping on the couch a privilege. He'll be using the loveseat to "camp out" with daddy tonight.

Hungry?

2008-04-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

What happens when you take a small-for-his-age 6 year old little boy and give him this kind of day:

9am-10am -- Take him to Home Depot to make a planter box and buy potting soil and flowers for the box.

10:00am-10:45am -- Travel home, change clothes, and eat lunch.

11:00am-12:00pm -- Take regular taekwondo class.

12:00pm-2:00pm -- Sparring (taekwondo) class which includes 45 minutes of intense aerobic workout followed by sparring with various partners. Today was his first sparring class.

2:00pm-2:30pm -- Leave class and travel home.

2:30pm-4:00pm -- Play games on the computer.

4:00pm-5:30pm -- Take dog to the dog park with daddy.

Well, what happens? Do you know?

He eats 4 large slices of pizza for dinner, of course! He was hungry!

Why He's the Hugest

2008-04-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

When I see an average-size newborn, I think she can't possibly be full term. At 7 pounds, a baby just looks tiny to me. And any older baby who started at a 7 pounder looks tiny to me. Why is that? Because all mine were huge at birth and two continued to stay quite large for the first year.

Mika was born at 8lbs 10oz and stayed in the 95th percentile for the first year of life. She quickly slowed down and slimmed down after that. She's remained slim, making it hard to find pants for her. Currently (age 8), she should wear a 7 for length but 7 slims are so big on her they fall off so she wears highwaters instead.

Sammy was born at 9lbs 2oz but grew at a much slower rate so he quickly slimmed down. He became a small toddler and preschooler. Most of this was due to undiagnosed lactose intolerance. Once we discovered the problem, he began to slowly gain weight and is now a smallish 6 year old and a size 5 fits him loosely.

Josh beats them all for size. He entered this world at 9lbs 4oz and has gained weight steadily. He remains in the 95th percentile with a head circumference slightly above the 100th percentile. At 13 months old, he is wears size 2T. His pants are starting to get too snug in the waist but are still on the long side. So, how does he manage to stay so big when he's so active climbing everything? He eats, of course. Here's a typical day (up until 1:30pm is today's actual schedule):

6am - wake up mom, nurse me

7am - wake up mom, if you don't I'll sit on your head, oh and change my wet diaper since it is filled to capacity and may leak very soon if you don't.

8am - I'm hungry. (eats 1/3 cup dry Cheerios)

8:30am - change my poopy diaper, nurse me

9am - I'm hungry (eats 1/4 - 1/3 cup cereal in milk)

9:30am - change my poopy diaper, I'm tired, nurse me (he really nurses, gulping down milk not just pacifying)

11:00am - nurse me

12:00pm - I'm hungry (eats a graham cracker)

1:00pm - I'm hungry (eats 1/4 cup roasted chicken with 1/4 cup mashed potatoes)

3:00pm - I'm tired, nurse me (another real nursing complete with lots of gulping of milk)

5:00pm - I'm hungry (how about another graham cracker since mommy has nothing else to offer you)

6:30pm - I'm hungry (eats dinner with us...maybe 1/2 cup or more worth of food)

7:00pm - Oooh, are you eating dessert, give me some, then nurse me

8:30pm - I'm tired, change diaper, nurse me

I'm not sure how many more diapers I'll change between now (2pm) and when he falls asleep for the night (around 8:30pm).

So far today (2pm), he's also drank 11 oz of water.

Is it just me, or does this seem like a lot of eating and drinking going on for a 13 month old?

That was Easy

2008-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

"That was easy!"
"That was easy!"
"That was easy!"

Josh sure does like our easy button from Staples.

"That was easy!"
"That was easy!"

So does our dog, Sybil. She found the easy button on the floor where Josh left it after pushing it a dozen times and used her nose to push it twice. She does this. She likes to play with Josh's other toys, too. So, if you ever spend the night here, don't be surprised if you hear, "Let's go to the store. Vroooom" or "Escuela, escuela". It's just the dog playing with the toys.

"That was easy!"

There goes the dog again....

Telling Kids to Pick Up

2008-04-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed with a toddler who touches everything in some way. He pushes buttons, removes DVD's from shelves, and explores just about anything (and I mean ANYTHING) he can get his little hands on. Because of this, he is often inspecting, carrying around, and playing with the older kids' stuff. You all know how much we have to tell kids to put their stuff away. I have a new way of doing it that may actually sink in.

For example:
Mika left her expensive, but much enjoyed, Barbie Girl MP3 player on the coffee table. Josh, of course, spotted it and decided to pick it up, shake it, and carry it around. I called to Mika, who was upstairs, "Did you really mean to leave your MP3 player for Josh to play with?" She promptly, without any whining at all, came downstairs to get it and put it away. ~smile

What's Next?

2008-03-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

It seems as if weekly Josh is giving me even more cause for concern for our future as his parents. If you'll recall, he's only just turned 13 months old but already he:

-- Began walking steadily at 10 months of age and now almost runs

-- Communicates his basic wants and needs clearly (nonverbally)

-- Climbs a variety of objects including the huge rock at Woodland Park Zoo

-- Climbing the back of sofa so he can turn the lights on and off

-- Climbing the back of the sofa so he can try to unlock and open the front door

-- Can climb the stairs, both up and down, without assistance

-- Uses the dog as a step stool to our taller couch

-- Understands that GameCube controllers don't work if not plugged in

-- Eats just about everything and anything

-- Dunks his cookie in milk (after all, he did see me do it...once)

-- Presses just about every button he sees and figured out how to open the DVD players (both the tv one and the laptop one)

-- Climbs down off our bed

So, we have a few new tricks he's added to his reportoire lately. They include...

-- Carrying the step stool around the house and using it to try to reach things

-- Bringing us a diaper after he's had a bowel movement

-- Requesting tylinol (nonverbally, of course) for his aching teeth

-- Clapping at appropriate moments during a play (live theater)

-- Getting kleenix and wiping his own nose

-- Bringing us his coat when he wants to wear it

-- Colors with crayons, pencils, and pens on paper (and my coffee table)

If he's like this now, what can we expect when he is two and three years old?

He's da Man!

2008-03-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

We went to a free children's concert up in Seattle today. It turned out to be "underwhelming and unimpressive" to use my husband's words. On the drive home, I was having trouble keeping awake. When we arrived home, Josh was asleep so I headed upstairs with him to get him back to sleep and promptly passed out with him.

Well, while I snoozed (during a time I should have been cleaning up, washing dishes, and cooking dinner) my husband took care of things. He bought and replaced my right blinker for me (it was out) and he headed to the store for diapers (we were down to 3) and frozen lasagna (yum) for dinner.

It's he just wonderful?

A Morning in the Life of...

2008-03-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Just a few happenings in our house this morning (before 9am):

Yesterday, we woke up to a sunny, spring day. By evening it was cloudy, cold, and snowing. Huh? This morning we woke up to snow on the ground. Huh? It's spring! We barely get any snow during the winter much less during the spring. This doesn't look like global warming to me, more like global cooling. The kids got dressed early and headed out to play in the snow before it melted entirely. Strange, strange weather.

I caught the two boys sitting together on the couch. This is a very rare occasion because Josh is usually bullying his older brother. So, I handed the camera to Mika and asked her to snap a photo. It's it cute how they both happen to be holding their chins the same way?

After he tired of hanging out with Sammy, Josh resumed his favorite activity...trying to break his neck. The kid is only 13 months old (tomorrow) but he thinks he is 2 already. One of his new favorite activities is to climb onto the couch (something he's known how to do for a while now) and then climb up the corner where the arm and back meet so he can reach the light switch, doorknob, and deadbolt key.

On a similar topic, we've quit gating the stairs. He climbs them so well, we aren't even worried about him falling any more. He gets to the top and then complains until we come get him down. He does know how to climb down the stairs as well...he just doesn't want to.

And the paw print on the couch? That was put there years ago. All I'll say is DON'T leave latex wall paint uncovered when you own kittens and you need to nurse your child down for a nap in another room.

Movie Review: Mr. Nice Guy

2008-03-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

The acting is horrible.
The story line is absurd.
The scenes are pretty insane.

But it's hilarious.

Diana, a television reporter, is in possession of a video showing a cocaine deal gone wrong and the bad guys are after her. As she frantic flees, tape in hand, she bumps into Jackie Chan who is playing a famous Chinese cook named Jackie. Being the nice guy that he is, he helps her out. Without knowing what's happening, Jackie finds himself in the middle of a battle between an Italian mob and a street gang known as the Demons. Neither group will give up until they have that tape, providing plenty of opportunities for Jackie's amazing martial arts and acrobatic skills to be put to use for our enjoyment in his characteristically humorous way.

In this house, we love a good Jackie Chan movie. As with any of his other movies, you'll have plenty of opportunities to see his comical looks of confusion as he jumps, spins, climbs, falls, and fights his way through unexpected situations. His humor is evident through out the movie and his martial arts and acrobatic skills are well-used. If you enjoy this type of movie, you'll enjoy Mr. Nice Guy.

The movie is rated PG-13. The rating is necessary due to violence (fighting, guns, and explosions) and some foul language. However, the comical nature of Jackie Chan's movies really tones it down for me and I feel I'm watching a comedy more than a violent, action film.

Family Game Night

2008-03-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

The kids requested a family game night Thursday but it wasn't a good time so I promised we'd do it Friday and do it special. And so we did.

First, we had a fun dinner that we do on rare occasions. It's not healthy but we enjoy it. We had a variety of finger foods: dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, seasoned curly fries, pizza rolls, taquitos, and jalepeno poppers. I didn't do as much variety as I usually do but it was enough. In addition to that, I let each child have a full can of soda to enjoy while we played games. Normally, when they get soda, they have to share a can.

Once we got the food out of the way, we pulled out a game of their choice. They chose Hungry Hippos first.

Josh wanted to get in on the action so I sat him in front of me and helped him work our hippo. He thought it was lots of fun.

It didn't take him long to figure it out and be able to it all on his own. In fact, he refused to share his hippo with me once he got it down.

Sometimes he'd quit feeding his hippo. The older kids, however, weren't quitting for anything. See how intent they are?

Here's everyone, even Josh, in the midst of an intense game. Meanwhile, I was snapping photos and baking a carrot cake. We sampled the recipe recently featured on Pioneer Woman Cooks. My daughter thinks her recipes are awesome, especially her mashed potatoes.

After we tired of Hungry Hippos, we had some cake and played a mean game of Sorry. Mika won. I came in second. Then Sam and Scott spent forever pacing their last piece back and forth, up and down the final home stretch. They'd go up 2, up 1, back 4, up five, back 1, up 1, back 4, up 2, up 3, back 1 and so on and so on and so on until Sammy finally made it home. Scott kept drawing cards. I'm happy to say that he finally, many cards later, drew a series that got him home.

It was a great night. Lots of fun and laughter and not too many issues with poor sportsmanship and tears.

Do you have family game nights? What are your favorite games to play?

Not Totally Lost

2008-03-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

I've been more and more absent from this blog. The truth is that homeschooling is so ingrained to the way we live that most of my posts end up on my homeschooling blog. So, I've basically decided to focus most of my efforts on that blog. For the time being, I'm still keeping this blog live because every now and then I want to post something not related to homeschooling...and I'm trying really hard to keep that one on topic.

So, I'll be around. I probably have a post coming this weekend but it's after 1am and I need to get to bed. My baby will be walking me up in just under 6 hours.

Blessed Warmth

2008-03-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Scott was correct; it was our thermostat that was broken. Our local hardware store, the tiny family-owned one, had exactly the right thermostat that we needed. Scott came home with it, hooked it up, turned the furnace back on, and we had heat again. Yea!

It's COLD in here!

2008-03-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening while cooking dinner, I felt cold so I went to check the heat. Our thermostat is a turn dial that easily gets bumped and turned down (or way up) by accident. When I reached the thermostat, I saw that it was already turned up to our preferred temperature of 70 degrees but the house was only at 62 degrees. I turned it way up and the heat didn't click on. It was then that I realized I had been checking the heat all day and the temperature had been going down all day.

I asked my husband to check it out. He played it it for a while and then went down into our cellar and played with the furnace for a while. Then he got online and researched it for a while. Back and forth he went: computer, thermostat, computer, furnace, computer. He finally concluded that he thought it was either a specific part on the furnace or the thermostat itself. Off to Home Depot he went. He arrived home with two parts.

First, he installed the furnace part; it was the cheapest fix. It didn't do it. So, he started to install the thermostat only to find it wouldn't work. The thermostat requires a three-wire set up and ours only has a two-wire set up. Back to Home Depot he went only to return at 9pm with news that Home Depot didn't carry any two-wire thermostats. We'd just have to bundle up for the night.

Fortunately for us, our bedrooms upstairs have their own cadet heaters and don't use the forced air heat from the furnace. We were nice and warm in our rooms last night but when we came downstairs it was only 57 degrees in our house. Today's high is 48 so I'm expected it to continue to get colder in our house. You see, we have 17 single-pane windows on the first floor of our house letting in all that cold air.

We are hoping the little, local, family-owned hardware store will have a thermostat that will work. They often carry parts for older homes (ours is 88 years old) that the big stores don't carry. In the meantime, send some warmth our way, will ya?

She did it!

2008-03-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

I kind of got fed up with Mika's fear of water touching her face Tuesday and that started a change reaction of things that got her over the hump with her fear. After her teacher commenting, yet again, about getting her goggles I finally took her to Target to buy some. I explained to Mika that I didn't want to buy her goggles because I didn't think she would use them. I expected her to hate how they feel on her face and not want to wear them. I also suspected that she would still refuse to put her face in the water even with the goggles protecting her eyes. She promised me that she would use them so I spent the money on bought them.

The very next class, she refused to put her face in the water, to even see if the goggles would work. Well, I was NOT happy about that. So, I threatened to pull her out of class if she wasn't going to learn and to make her work off the cost of the goggles. She was NOT happy about that. Scott talked to her and she promised him she would do a bob to her eyebrows. Today was the day she had to do that.

This morning before leaving for class, I looked up and called another pool that does swimming instruction and talked to them about how they would handle her fear. They work with the kids to get them through the fears quickly. They said they'd have her swimming, face in water, within a month at the longest. I explained to Mika what they told me about how they do it and she wasn't thrilled about that.

So, we went to the Y. She did her required 1 bob. After class, they have free swim. During free swim I told her I would pay her a quarter for every bob she did. Guess what? She did 7 more bobs, some of them were very good with her entire head under water. She now knows that she can do it and is looking forward to showing her teacher (she was absent today) next week.

Her teacher and a couple of the lifeguards and I all agree, she would be able to actually swim if she'd just get over the whole face in the water thing. She's got the kick and arm strokes down good. We explained that to her; that she CAN swim IF she wanted to. Hopefully, she'll move along and progress quickly now that she knows she can get her face wet.

On a side note, Sammy found out today he can swim underwater. He doesn't get far or go fast but he does swim. Oh, and he loves putting his face underwater with his goggles.

Happy March 7th Day

2008-03-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

Recently my husband, Scott, informed us that he will no longer be having birthdays. So, I'm here to tell you all that today, March 7th, is NOT my husband's birthday. We will NOT be baking him a birthday cake today and we will NOT be taking him out to Red Robin for our traditional birthday dinner out. I am also NOT suggesting you visit his blog and wish him a happy birthday. His blog is NOT A Place Where You Can Wish Him a Happy Birthday.

Maybe we CAN wish him a Happy March 7th Day instead!

Josh's New Shoes

2008-03-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Look who's wearing shoes! I thought I would post a follow up to yesterday's Works For Me Wednesday -Backwards Edition post. I followed a couple of your suggestions and look what happened. Whoo hoo!

I moved on the ideas I got faster than expected because we were outside playing today and I found small pieces of broken glass spread over a 25 foot length of our sidewalk. Who's knows how many pieces are in the grass. After sweeping up what I could find, I decided to try Target again. They were actually well stocked and we had 4 choices of designs in his size for the Robeez knockoffs. We chose a brown shoe with a giraffe.

Here's how it went down. First I tried on a pair of 18-24 months. It was quite an ordeal as he began screaming the second I started putting the first one on him. It's hard to get shoes, of any kind, on a violently kicking foot! They were obviously too big and would trip him up. I was shocked because his 18-24 month sized socks are too small for him and slip down his feet. So, I got a pair of 12-18 month size and tried them on him. Once again, the screaming, shaking, fit began the second I started trying them on him. But I persisted and got them on him. We were sitting on the floor, in the middle of the aisle. I just held him and told him it would be ok as he screamed, then cried, then sobbed, then whined. It took about 10 minutes for the hysterics to calm down but I just held him. Finally, he looked as if he'd survived the ordeal. An employee walked by and helped me cut the plastic thingy holding the two shoes together and we tossed the bag they came in into the cart. I had to carry him for several more minutes while we walked around the store. When we got the swim/pool area, I put him down on the ground because I had to help my other children with trying on swim goggles. Several times he noticed he was wearing shoes and would starting crying/whining again. Then he stood up and started walking. He whines a few more times but has been ok since then.

I wonder what will happen when I try to put them on him tomorrow. Will he scream or whine or will he be ok? We'll see tomorrow.

Oh, and if looks out of it, he is. He was up a lot last night with a really stuffed up nose and wasn't his normal self today.

WFMW - Toddler and Shoes

2008-03-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad it is a backwards edition for Works for Me Wednesday because I have a problem. See this little guy?

That's Josh. He turned 1 just last Friday. He walks. He walks a lot. He can walk 1/4 mile. He also climbs...stairs, couches, tables, and large rocks at Woodland Park Zoo.

This photo was taken at Woodland Park Zoo. He walked most of the day there. I picked him up to lift up high enough to see animals and when he decided he'd rather go somewhere other than where I was going. What do you see on his feet? Are there any shoes protecting those feet walking on that concrete? No! There aren't! Why is that you ask. It's because he won't wear them. Oh I've tried putting shoes on his feet. He screams loud enough for the entire store to here him while violently shaking his feet trying to get them off. Apparently, he also cannot stand or walk with those awful things on his feet. I've tried getting him to stand with them on; he just fell as if I was trying to make a newborn stand straight out of the womb and continued screaming and shaking his feet. I also tried getting him the really soft infant shoes but I can't find anybody that carries them in his size...size 5.

I've had a couple of people suggest Robeez. Anyone use those? How would they stand up to a toddler that walks and climbs as much as Josh does? The only place local that I can find that sells the larger sizes is Nordstroms; I want to know how they'll hold up before I spend $40 on a pair of infant/toddler shoes that will only last a couple of months before he outgrows them.

Also, do you have any other ideas for this problem of mine? If you've experienced this problem, what did you do? If you haven't, what would you try?

Find links to other questions and their answers at Rocks in My Dryer.

100 Things About Me

2008-03-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

I've been avoiding posting even though I've had many reasons to post. Why? Because this is my 100th post and I had to find time to write it before I could post the other things. Since today is Backwards Works for Me, and I have a question I need to ask, I'm left with needing to find time NOW! So here it goes...

I've been thinking this post to death, like I usually do, trying to figure out what to say.
I'm going to just go with the flow, like I usually do when I'm done thinking something to death.
I'm very indecisive; I can't even choose something on a restaurant menu so I resort to eeny, meeny, miney, mo.
That has led to some interesting dinners at our house.
I am so picky that I fear other people's cooking because I've offended a host more than once by not liking the food.
I threw up someone's cooking once because I didn't like it that much; it was stuffed grape leaves. I won't touch grape leaves now.
Being picky makes weight loss tricky because I cannot follow meal plans.
I'm about 50 pounds overweight but most people don't believe me because I carry it well (in person not in photos).
Despite being overweight (and old-feeling), I'm pretty athletic when I want to be.
I take taekwondo classes 3 times a week with my son.
I love that I'm learning to defend myself.
I can't wait to get to black belt and to learn a more painful martial art--like hapkido or aikido.
My fantasy is to be a female Steven Seagal...those who'd do my kids or me harm...watch out!
I quit taking my kids on hikes or nature walks because I'm afraid of running into a bad person where there's no help around.
I quit letterboxing for the same reason.
Now I create letterboxes and plant them temporarily at the retreat center for retreats I go on twice a year.
I'm easily distracted.
I forget things often.
I lose my keys constantly; once I lost them for 2 1/2 months.
I never worry when I lose my keys because I know they are in the house somewhere.
I just use my spare set until I find them.
I thought about getting a spare set for my spare set in case I lose those too.
I once had to have the car dealership make me a new key for my car and bring it to me because I lost my only one.
I can't eat cilantro; it tastes strongly like soap.
My husband didn't believe me that I could taste it in anything so he told me the green stuff on my plate was parsley; my first bite resulted in a contorted face of disgust. He believes me now.
I'm a cat person; I've had 12 cats in my life (Midnight, Charlie, Sandy, Stubbles, Kitty, Tigger, Pandro, Abby, Ally, Angie, Smokey, Gracie).
Kitty was and will always be my favorite.
I love the way Tigger smells; I smell the scruff of her neck all the time.
I'm not a dog person.
I caught 7 stray dogs one year.
I found the owners for 6 of them.
Now I have two large dogs of my own.
I often wish I didn't have dogs; but I'm glad I have their protection.
I like gardens and flowerbeds; I hate gardening.
I love clean and tidy homes.
My home is cluttered and messy.
I want my home to be clean and tidy but I tend to put things wherever rather than away.
I often I can't find things because I sometimes choose unusual homes for things.
When I finally find the item, I'm confused as to why I would have put it there.
It's especially hard to find things when I put them somewhere where they'll be safe and won't get lost.
Cleaning a home is especially difficult when you are easily distracted; I may never finish a task I started but I do start 10 other tasks that I also don't finish.
I named this blog after my husband teasing me about being distracted by shiny things; "Ooh, Shiny!" he teased.
I actually get distracted by anything, not just shiny things.
This post is distracting me f
I got un-distracted on #44 and finished what I should have been doing.
That's the way my life is every day...moving from one distraction to another.
Having a schedule/routine has alluded me my whole life.
I took birth control pills for 6 years; I missed 3-5 pills every month of those 6 years.
I love the sunshine.
I have a split personality: my winter self and my summer self.
I love my summer self because I'm happy, full of energy, and get a lot done.
My winter self is low on energy, somewhat down, and gets little done.
I used to suffer from chronic depression that was sometimes severe.
I've been depression and medication free for about 3 1/2 years now.
I love playing fun music loudly.
Especially 80's music.
And dancing around silly with my kids.
We haven't done that in a long time; I think we will today.
Sometimes, especially in the car, I can't stand having the radio on.
I usually prefer to drive in silence (my husband probably won't believe that one).
My favorite color is plum (a specific type of purple for you guys out there).
I do not care for other types of purple though.
My favorite decorating scheme is called "romantic" according to a website I found once.
My ideal room is sage with white trim and pink, floral accents or sage with white trim and plum accents.
I'm not fashionable; I usually start liking a fashion after it has gone out of style.
I prefer to just wear jeans, tennis shoes, and a comfortable cotton shirt.
I like how I look with my hair done and makeup but a rarely take the time to do it; its just not that important to me.
If I'm having a bad day, the best way to fix that is to do my hair, pluck my eyebrows, put makeup on, and change into nicer casual clothes.
I love cold cereal.
I love baked goods: cake, cookies, donuts, muffins, brownies, cheesecake, etc.
I like to slightly overcook my cookies so they'll soak up the milk when I dunk them.
I love oreos.
The Olive Garden is my favorite restaurant; the salad, the bread sticks, the chicken parmesan, the lasagna, the fettuccine alfredo, the manicotti, the desserts...
I make my favorite lasagna...from scratch with double the cheese called for in the original recipe I started with.
I love cheese, but only certain kinds: cheddar, mozzarella, string, Monterey jack, cream cheese.
I can't stand the fancy cheeses or anything with mold in it.
I enjoy simple food.
I do not generally like gourmet meals.
I love crafts; I scrapbook, knit, crochet, create DVD slide shows, designed my blogs, made wreaths, and tried many other things including basket weaving.
I can usually figure out how to do almost anything with a book, the Internet, or just thinking about it.
I love learning new things; this makes homeschooling lots of fun for me, at least.
I love going on day trips; homeschooling gives me a convenient excuse to go lots of places.
I do not like going places overnight; I get homesick.
I'm ok on overnight trips if I'm having fun every minute of the time I'm gone like at Disneyland or my retreats.
I love roller coasters and thrill rides.
I love white water rafting, the wilder the better; I want to raft a class 5 rapid some day. (this hardest passable rapid)
I love downhill skiing. When I first started, I was terrified now I love it. I'd love to get to the point I can ski expert level runs some day.
I haven't skied since before I got married. It's been 11 years.
Now I have a bad knee and I'm afraid I'll never be able to ski again.
I hurt my knee taking ice skating lessons with my daughter; overweight mothers shouldn't forget to remove their blade guards before stepping on the ice.
I used to play volleyball every weekend at the beach. I was pretty good. I have only played volleyball once since I moved to Washington in 1992; there just aren't many beach volleyball games in Tacoma.
I love the piano. I started teaching myself to play a couple of years ago and am starting up teaching myself again.
I love "chick flicks."
My favorite genre of books are science fiction and romance.
My kids amaze me; they are all so smart.
I like taking my kids with me most places; they are so well-behaved it is easy to have them along.
I look forward to park days and summer reading club activities (puppet shows, music shows, etc.) just as much as my kids.
I don't read very much even though I love it; I tend to get lost in the book and everything is neglected until I finish the book.
I'm very extroverted. My energy stores are filled by being around other people and I lose energy by being alone too long.
I worry too much about what other people think...maybe you'll think my list is silly.

I'm glad that is done!

Kennel Up Josh!

2008-03-01T19:44:00.001-08:00

Ok, this was humorous. This evening we were eating dinner at the "little table," otherwise known as the coffee table. The dogs were doing their usual thing; crowding under the table hoping for someone to drop a morsel of food. They were in the way and quite annoying, as usual. So I ordered them out and told them to kennel. What do you think happened?

Zach, our older dog, immediately headed for the kennel and laid down. Sybil started for the kennel but turned back hoping we'd forget we sent her away. And Josh, my darling 1 year old baby, turned and headed for the kennel. By the time we got Sybil to go to the kennel is was a bit too crowded with Zach and Josh hanging out together.

I've never taught Josh to kennel up! Honest!

Happy Birthday Josh!

2008-02-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

My baby turned one today! It's been a full year, that's for sure. Here's a recap:

Josh was born 2 weeks late. No matter what we did, he wouldn't come out.
He was a big boy, weighing at 9lb 4oz.
He's still a big boy; he weighs about 24-25 pounds and wears between 18-24 months clothing.
Two weeks later, he developed his first fever leading us to the ER.
We didn't come home for 8 days.
He had a kidney infection.
And RSV.
It was heartbreaking watching him lay there on oxygen, struggling to breathe, and unable to eat.
But he got better and regained the pound he had lost
He began sitting unsupported at 4 months.
One day when he was 4 months old, he insisted on drinking from my water bottle.
He's loved water ever since, especially if it is in a water bottle or grown up glass.
He began eating at 4 months old.
He began eating table food around the same time; he'd get furious with us if we withheld our food from him.
He has always had a special fondness for his big sister.
He loves to terrorize his big brother.
He began crawling around 6 months old.
But he never crawled normally; he crawls on one knee and one foot.
His favorite activity is removing every DVD, VHS tape, and GameCube game off the shelf.
He began walking at 10 months old.
Now he walks like it is nothing.
His ability to communicate nonverbally is amazing; we almost always know what he wants.
He giggles when you verify what he wants by asking him and you've gotten it right; it is his way of saying, "Yes."
He has the greatest smile.
He loves the GameCube and can't be fooled if you give him a controller that isn't plugged in; he'll try to plug it in.
He loves the cats; the cats don't love him.
The dogs love him because he'll give them any snack that he doesn't want.
He walked 2 laps on the the indoor track at the YMCA 2 days ago.
He also climbs...the dog, people, the couch.
He can climb to the top of our stairs before we know he is missing.
Then he stands at the top making a sound that seems to mean, "Mom, I'm ready to come down now. Please come get me."
He also knows how to get off our bed without getting hurt.
He refuses to wear shoes; he cries loudly and shakes his feet violently trying to remove them. He seems unable to stand or walk while wearing shoes.
He figured out that he can stand in the grocery cart seat today.
And wouldn't sit no matter what I did so I had to carry him.
He's my favorite child.
Actually, they are all my favorite child.

Happy Birthday Josh!

WFMW - Bromelain

2008-02-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with my first child, my midwife introduced us to Bromelain, a digestive enzyme made from pineapples. That was over 8 years ago and bromelain continues to be a staple in our home because of its effectiveness in treating pain and swelling. I am so excited about how bromelain has eliminated my need for ibuprofen, saved both my husband and I from surgery, and cured our pain, that I tell everyone I see that may benefit from it.

We first heard about bromelain, my husband was suffering from severe pain in the tendon that moves the thumb. It rendered his hand nearly useless and he was under the care of his primary physician. His doctor prescribed two prescription anti-inflammatory drugs and gave him a brace to wear on his wrist. After four months, he experienced serious side effects from the medicine but no relief to the tendonitis. Our midwife suggested he try bromelain which can be bought at a health food store or other store that sells natural supplements (Fred Meyer, Super Supplements). Three weeks later, he had regained use of his hand, no longer needed the brace, and was pain free. We were sold.

During my pregnancy, I dealt with a flare up of my carpel tunnel, a condition I had suffered from for several years. I took large dosages of ibuprofen regularly and wore braces on both wrists. As soon as I delivered and my baby was a few weeks old, I began using bromelain too. I experienced no side effects and noticed none in my nursing baby. What I did notice was that my carpal tunnel appeared to be cured.

I mentioned that I keep bromelain as a staple in my house. This is because we haven't stopped the repetitive motions that caused our problems in the first place. I still type a lot, knit, crochet, write, and all the other repetitive motions that cause carpel tunnel. So, I still get flare ups. However, now that the initial problem has been taken care of, I find that if I begin treating it with bromelain when I first notice the first twinges in my wrists, it only takes a couple of days for it to go away again for another half year to a year.

It is generally considered safe at recommended dosages; however, there are precautions. Because it is a natural blood thinner (like aspirin), it should not be used by people who are taking blood thinners. It should also not be used by people who are allergic in pineapples.

The side effects, if you are not allergic to it, are mild if you have them at all. They include include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and heavy menstrual flow. I've experienced loose stools and heavier than normal menstrual flow but only when I was taking a very high dosage and it didn't bother me.

I am not a medical doctor so take my recommendation as cautiously as you would if someone were to recommend any other supplement or drug. Many medical doctors are not educated in the use of natural supplements and will steer you to prescription medicines instead. Any good naturopath should be able to answer your questions and help you out though. I only share about this because I hate to see people having to go through life with those annoying wrist braces on or having surgeries that they don't need.

Bromelain works for me and my husband.

For more tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

GG Totals - February 24, 2008

2008-02-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't been talking about the Grocery Game lately because I haven't been doing much shopping. With my husband's job transition, we've been short on money which means we've been living out of our existing stockpile and only buying necessities (milk, cheese, produce) each week. Well, our stockpile is depleted to the point that I had to finally to some major grocery shopping.

Of course, shopping with the Grocery Game makes it so much more fun. I had amazing savings at one store because I was picking up only the very best of sales there. At my other store my savings was less spectacular because I was buying both sale items and necessities for the week.

Want to know how I did? Here are my totals:

Safeway
Shelf price: $209.85
Amount paid: $120.77
Amount saved: $89.18
Percent saved: 42%

Albertsons
Shelf price: $227.40
Amount paid: $87.50
Amount saved: $139.90
Percent saved: 62%

So, in the end I bought $437.25 worth of groceries for only $208.27. That's $229.08 I got to keep in my bank account. I love it!

The Albertson's checker was impressed when she saw that I was buying name brand shampoo and conditioner for $0.02 and $0.03 a bottle. I thought it was pretty impressive, too.

New Design!

2008-02-22T00:22:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about my new blog design. Isn't it great?

I can't decide which I like better: this one or the one over at Homeschool Distractions. Of course, they are both pretty much identical (to keep them consistent) except for the color scheme.

13 Google Searches

2008-02-21T07:19:00.001-08:00

I've forgotten about Thursday Thirteen for a couple of weeks now. I had a good excuse last week. It's time to jump back on the band wagon with a fun one. Thirteen Google searches that brought people to my site.

Have you ever looked at how people find your site? Some of the google searches make sense. Some make you wonder how your site got put on the list that Google brought up. Some are just plain odd and make you wonder what the searcher was thinking.

1. Stuffed Animal Storage - This or some variation of it is by far the most popular search term bringing people to this blog. It's all because of this post where I posted about how I store my daughter's many stuffed animals.

2. Shiny Kids Clothes - Some poor kid out there is stuck going outside to play in his shiny clothes. The glare from the sun reflecting off of his clothing is too much for his friends and one by one they chose not to play with him anymore while he wonders, quite sadly, why no one wants to play with him. It's the clothes mom!

3. House to Hold Stuffed Animals - I'm sorry but if you have to buy a whole house just to hold your kids' stuffed animals, you have too many! Declutter mom, declutter!

4. Pictures of Children in Shiny Shorts - What is it with the kids in shiny clothes? This one just sounds like a pedophile to me. Why do you want to see photos of kids at all, let alone in shorts, especially shiny ones? And how does this have anything to do with my blog?

5. The More I Lover Her the More I Want to Move Away From Her - Seriously, I think you need a shrink to answer this question, not the web. And again, how does this have anything to do with my blog?

6. Photos of Naked Swimming Lessons in YMCA - Huh? I seriously doubt the YMCA provides swimming lessons to naked individuals. And why are you looking for this anyway? Ok, so I googled it and apparently they used to require swimming nude...before the YMCA became a co-ed place. But I'm still left with the nagging question: Why are you looking for photos of this?

7. Chocolate Distractions - I find chocolate quite distracting, too, especially to diets. Today, for instance, we had chocolate chocolate chip waffles with chocolate milk for breakfast.

8. Steak Apple - Now is this a steak that taste like an apple or an apple that tastes like a steak?

9. Get Skinny While Breastfeeding - Now if I knew how to do this, I'd be skinny. Unfortunately, my 5 years worth of breastfeeding haven't helped me any in this area so you've come to the wrong place for information on this.

10. Blockbuster Changed My Account - You bet they did. That's why I wrote this post and why I'm no longer a customer there.

11. Watching TV While Breastfeeding - Is this a question? It's not like watching TV takes a whole lot of effort or coordination. Since you're just sitting there while your child is nursing, why not turn on the TV and veg out for a little while.

12. Science Experiments for Kids With Just Household Items With Out Suscribing - That's a long one. I find shorter phrases yield better results especially if the spelling is correct. Try "kitchen experiments for kids".

13. Free Fun for Kids in Tacoma - I'm glad this one is working because I now know that all the research I do so I can post my Tacoma Kids Weekly at Homeschool Distractions is not in vain.

Visit other Thirteeners here.

WFMW - Wedge Pillow

2008-02-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

I'm all out of organizing tips for now. Since my family just got over the flu, I have a illness related tip.

A good friend of mine gave me one of these when I was pregnant with Josh:

It is a wedge pillow designed for sufferers of acid reflux. She had bought an extra one and found she didn't need it. When she heard that I have horrible heart burn when I'm pregnant, she gave me her extra and boy am I so grateful she did...for many reasons.

This pillow is awesome for heart burn. With my first two pregnancies, I had such a hard time falling asleep because of the terrible heart burn I suffered. I would be woken up in the middle of the night with reflux (stomach acid coming up). This last pregnancy I had NONE of that, not a single bad night. I attribute that to the pillow.

It is also wonderful to have around for sick kids. All three of my kids have used the pillow on more than one occasion. It's great for when their little noses get stuffy. You know how they can breathe better when elevated? Well, if you have one of these pillows, they can sleep the whole night elevated. Having this pillow has improved the quality and quantity of sleep both my sick child and I get when they are sick. I love it.

When it isn't in use, I simply slide it under my bed. They aren't cheap but now that I know about them, I'd pay the money to have one. There are several different ones available at a range of costs. I can't vouch for the comfort of the others but mine looks just like the one at this link: http://www.comforthouse.com/skincaretool.html

Check out Rocks in my Dryer for more great tips.

More babies? Two?

2008-02-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from my husband (he's at Awana with the kids) telling me that my son wants me to have twins so we can have a boy and a girl. Crazy kid!

And I thought the excitement of having a baby in the house would lose steam when they saw how much of my attention they'd lose to the baby. Guess it didn't phase them much since both kids are begging for the next one as if I'm a vending machine.

Spring is Almost Here

2008-02-18T16:13:00.001-08:00

I can feel that spring is nearly here. We've had several days of sunny weather and slightly warmer temperatures. The days are starting to get noticably longer. My body is starting to morph into its summer self; I'm feeling better and happier.

I'm one of those people who suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or at least I think I am. Ever since I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I've struggled with the winter. The very long spell of rainy, gray days where the sun rarely, if ever, peeks out can really take a toll on your energy levels and emotional health. I've been here for 15 years and have learned to live with it. Still, it is difficult to lead two separate, seasonal lives.

I have the winter self. This part of me lives during the long, gray season of late fall, winter, and early spring. While I no longer struggle with depression during the winters, my energy levels run very low. I feel like I've gone into hibernation.

I also have a summer self. Each year, I look forward to the re-emergence of this part of me. I feel great! I have boundless energy, limitless enthusiasm, and I feel good through and through. With high energy levels, my body feels ready to conquer anything. Mentally I feel on top of the world. In general, I just want to run out into the streets and shout out, "Welcome summer sun! I'm so glad you are here! Let's play!" It's like an annual rebirth and I feel like my re-entry into the world is just around the corner.

I love summer.

I Did It!

2008-02-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

I tested for my yellow belt on Saturday. Master Park said I did very well: A+ on everything. I guess that means I'll be officially receiving my new yellow belt and certificate on Wednesday evening when I go to my next class.

Sammy was pretty excited for me. Here he's showing you the board I broke as part of my yellow belt test. It was much easier to break than I expected. I brought the board home and broke the larger of the two pieces for Scott to see so now I have three pieces.

Family Flu

2008-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

We are slowing coming back around to normal:

I'm pretty much over my flu entirely. I have just a very minor post-nasal drip/cough left.

Mika is over all of it except she is left with a bad cough.

Josh is out of the woods. His nose is still draining pretty steadily, he has a hard time breathing while nursing, he is fussier than normal, and he is not eating a lot of solids. However, his last fever was early last night.

Scott is in the midst of the flu now. He's complaining of the dreams more than any other symptom. Weird, I know.

Sammy has not shown any signs of getting it. We are hoping he won't get it at all.

WFMW - Organizing Kid's Dresser

2008-02-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

Works for Me Wednesday is being hosted by Don't Try This at Home week while Shannon is Uganda. Head on over there to find over a hundred other tips. While you're out blog-hopping, stop by Shannon's at Rocks in My Dryer to read about her experience in Uganda; she's there for 10 days with Compassion International, blogging about her experience. You can find a listing of the other bloggers, with links to their blogs about their Uganda experience, here. Each person has their own unique way of telling the story. Once you've read their stories, hop on over to Compassion International and sponser a child. Now for the tip...

For the last several weeks, I have been sharing how I organize my kids' things. I believe this will be my last post in this series: how I organize my toddler's dresser.

Take one ordinary dresser showing plenty of wear.

Except that it isn't so ordinary. The top slides over and down between the wall and the dresser to reveal a changing table. Isn't that cool? Since Josh is still in diapers, we leave the top open. Some day, we might actually close the top but leaving it up is easiest.

The top drawer is already partioned off into three sections. It's the coolest thing. I keep diapers on either side; you can see that they fit perfectly. I keep extra packages of wipes, Balmex, hydrocortizone, and a thermometer in the middle section.

That top section and Organizing Junkie gave the idea of how to organize the rest of the dresser: use dollar store baskets! They fit perfectly, three across. Each basket holds a specific item; I've labeled the photos to show you.

The next drawer down holds overalls/one piece outfits, pants, and shirts. I store the pants and shirts with the folded side up which allows me to see all of them without having to lift up stacks to see what's under the top layer. This really helps keep the baskets neatly folded.

The bottom drawer holds the baby blankets that we still use and outerwear (heavy sirts, vests, jackets we do't use every day).

Josh's dresser always looks this neat. The baskets help keep like things together and keeps piles from toppling over int drawers that are oversized for baby clothes. Everyone can find clothes for Josh, even the kids. Before I started using the baskets, his dressers were a wreck and we had to rummage through everything every time we needed to find somthing for him to wear.

The Flu Strikes

2008-02-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

Turns out I have the flu. They even swabbed my nose (not recommended) and tested for it to be sure. Now I just have to make it through the next week or so. I hope the kids don't get it, especially Josh.

Full Body Pain and Now Fever

2008-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

Ugh! I feel absolutely miserable. Sunday night I went to bed feeling a little yucky but not too bad. Within a couple of hours, though, I was in so much pain that I couldn't sleep. It was like a had a high fever (you know how that feels) but I had no fever. It continued through Monday until last night my temperature went up to 98.4; my normal is 97.5. By the middle of the night, I was curled up in a ball, shivering, with a temperature of 100.8.

I've been thinking about what's going on. I mean, why would I be hurting like I had a fever but not have one? Why would the pain preceed the fever? I realized this morning that I've been ignoring a backache for a couple of weeks now. There's a possibility that I've been ignoring a UTI. Now that the fever is here, I think the tropical temperatures have given the bacteria in my nose a reason to celebrate and multiply because I now have sinus pain and congestion too.

So I called my doctor's office this morning to make an appointment to make sure I don't have an infection. I got an appointment for 2:30pm. It's been the longest day in my life waiting for it. I still have another hour to wait and already it feels like I've been waiting all week.

Oh, and Josh hasn't been sleeping well; he's up almost hourly. He's also being very fussy today.

Where's my Calgon?

Where's the Best Bakery Treats in Tacoma?

2008-02-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

At Corina's Bakery!

What initially attracted me to the bakery was the story of its beginnings. It was started and is owned by a husband and wife team. They met while working side by side in a bakery, got married, and had children. Walt, the husband, was an American immigrant here on a green card and went to Iraq where he was twice wounded. While in the hospital for the second time, he was worried about missing his citizenship ceremony in Baghdad. Fortunately, fellow Marines came to his aid and he was able to get his citizenship. Meanwhile, his wife decided to put her baking skills to work and start the bakery. Upon returning to the USA, Walt took on an exhausting schedule of helping in the bakery, going to work (on base), taking classes, and raising his children. It's really an inspiring story; check it out at Michael Yon: Online Magazine.

Since reading the story at Michael Yon I wanted to visit the bakery. Besides wanting to support American veterans (we're a Navy family; my husband, my father, and my grandfather are all Navy veterans), I wanted to try some of the delicious sounding treats I read about at an old News Tribune article. So, off we went for my birthday.

Upon arriving at the bakery, which is located on 6th just up the hill from downtown, we noticed it is a cute, little, hole-in-the-wall type of place. Inside we found four tables with chairs and a comfortable little seating area with a couch and two comfy chairs. It was nicer than you'd expect for the location. We were greeted by a friendly, smiling, employee who patiently waited for us to make our very difficult choices of which desserts to try.

We ended up choosing two varieties of desserts and shared tastes all around. My daughter chose a peanut butter pie that was light and creamy and oh-so-delicious. It consisted of chocolate cookie crust, light and fluffy peanut butter cream, and a richer, denser chocolate topping. I can't describe just how wonderful this pie was and I know wonderful pies. My son and husband each chose a slice of chocolate cheesecake. The cheesecake was rich, chocolatey, and seemed to have just a hint of cinnamon to it. It was too wonderful. I'm not sure I could choose a favorite between the two desserts. Josh and I shared off of the three pieces we purchased since the serving sizes are very generous.

In addition to the two desserts we chose to try, they also had a regular cheesecake, a chocolate raspberry cheesecake, a berry cheesecake, banana pudding, red velvet cake, hummingbird cake (description at the News Tribune article), a lemon coconut cake, a german chocolate cake, magic cookie bars, cappaccino brownies, lemon bars, pumpkin loaves, blueberry muffins, and a few other choices. The cakes are enormous and the serving sizes, as I said before, are also enormous. They also serve french press coffee and other drinks. To top it all off, the price was very reasonable; we paid just over $12 for the three generous servings of pure delight. That's much less that you'd pay for three desserts at a restaurant and those wouldn't have been any where near as large or as delicious.

So, if you'd ask me where you should go for dessert or a treat, I'd tell you a very definite, "Corina's!"

Go there!

Now!

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-02-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday and I'm spending it in a way that is fun for me. Last night I discovered how to create my own graphics in Photo Explosion, a program I requested for Christmas (at $40 it was MUCH cheaper, but does similar things as, PhotoShop). So today, I've been working on a new blog design for my Homeschool Distractions blog. I have a new header up that I created last night. The rest is still in the works. It will be colorful and fun. My husband thinks it's distracting which is just perfect with my blog titles. LOL

Aside from that, I went to taekwondo class this morning. Master Park says I'm ready to test for my yellow belt. I'm ready except that some of the self-defense techniques (not normally required for belt testing but is for me) are still hard to do and I'm a little nervous about breaking the board. I've only had one practice at breaking...today. I also found out that I don't get to break a little board like the kids do.

Tonight, we are going out for dinner. We'll be having dessert first at this bakery that I recently read about. They close early which is why we are having dessert first. Then we'll be heading down the street to this nice gourmet wood-fired pizza place.

Afterwards, I'll probably let the kids watch Charlie Brown's Valentine tonight (on ABC at 8pm) followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory while I play on the computer some more.

Making Swimming Progress

2008-02-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful that we switched to the homeschool swimming classes at the YMCA. Not only are they going much better than the evening swimming classes went, but my kids are actually enjoying swimming class and making progress.

There are three class sessions available for homeschoolers. I had the chance to see the class following ours and realized it would have been disasterous for my children had I picked that class time. There are more students in that class and they all know how to swim somewhat independently; mine are still working on getting their face wet and floating/swimming with the teacher holding them up. Fortunately, I chose the class time that I did because the parent volunteer teaching the class is just perfect. She understands, first-hand, what it's like to be afraid of the water and has exceptional patience. Because of her, my children are enjoying their class and making real progress. Yesterday, they begged to stay for free swim. Here they are having fun.

Yesterday, Mika was able to swim on her back ("arrow arms" style not backstroke) by herself for a short distance. Both her and Sammy are able to swim on their tummies and backs using the kickboards. If you knew where Mika was just a couple months ago, you'd be astounded by this. Because they are doing so well, we'll stay with the YMCA for the remainder of the school year.

Unfortunately, the teacher will be moving to her local YMCA next year. Unless we want to travel 20-30 minutes twice a week, over a bridge, and pay a toll each time, we'll be losing this wonderful teacher. We'll miss her. I hope my kids make enough progress to be able to continue regular swimming lessons somewhere else since I doubt we'll be continuing with the YMCA next year.

I Agree!

2008-02-07T09:43:00.001-08:00

I just heard this quote by Ord on the PBS show Dragon Tales:

We can go back to my house and celebrate with pie, cake, and ice cream. And, if there's room, dessert!

I agree whole-heartedly with what he has to say. ~smile

Guess I'm Right

2008-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Mary over at 4boys4me posted her results to this little quiz. Since I have no clue who to vote for I thought I'd see what results I'd come up with. Obviously, I lean to the right. Now to figure out who to vote for. I was planning on voting for Rudy but he withdrew. With the Super Tuesday results, it looks like I'll be voting for someone I don't like regardless of which way I go.

I dislike politics in general. In fact, I'm likely to not vote at all because I've come to believe that my vote doesn't matter anyway, especially in this state where the liberal left in Seattle rules. There are just not enough conservatives in the entire rest of the state to overcome the results of Seattle's votes. It isn't uncommon to see a conservative issue winning the vote only to be overturned when they count Seattle's vote. It's disheartening to see every issue I'm interested in overturned when they count Seattle and to watch more and more and more of our family's income go to taxes. Then there's the whole baseball stadium issue; after the voters turned it down, the state came in and built it anyway. So, rather than paying this tax to pay for a stadium, we pay that tax for a stadium. Apparently, our votes didn't count. Apparently, we really did want to pay for the stadium. NOT! Then there's our car tabs. We voted for a much reduced flat-rate car tab (yea! Sometime I wanted passed!) but the state government has been slowly tacking on additional fees. We voted for a $30 flat rate car tab. So why do I pay over $80 every year? Even our current govenor is up for debate. The last race was close, so close it required a manual recount. During the recount, they found prisoners' votes, duplicate votes, dead people voting, dogs voting, etc. Military votes from oversees weren't counted. The recount called into question the validity of the results, especially when our current govenor came in from behind to ultimate win the race by a mere 8 votes. (She lost the original vote by 261 votes and the machine recount by 42 votes).

It boils down to this: Washington state has taught me that my vote doesn't matter. Any time I do vote, I watch the results and see every single issue and every single person I voted for lose. So, why bother?

As far as my quiz results go? I'm not excited about McCain, who appears to be winning the Republican caucus. I'd never vote for Hillary. I know nothing about Obama. I'll have to check him out if he pushes Hillary out. Did I say I hate politics?

78% John McCain
76% Mitt Romney
75% Mike Huckabee
66% Tom Tancredo
66% Fred Thompson
61% Rudy Giuliani
54% Ron Paul
49% Hillary Clinton
48% Bill Richardson
48% Chris Dodd
47% Barack Obama
43% John Edwards
40% Joe Biden
26% Dennis Kucinich
22% Mike Gravel

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

P.S. I pay so little attention to politics I don't even know who most of these people are. I've never hear of eight of the names above.

More About My Personality

2008-02-06T08:43:00.001-08:00

So I was looking around the internet for more information about these personality types. Specifically, I was looking for information about my husband's since he did the little quiz too. It seems that even the personality quiz thinks we are complete opposites. What I found, however, didn't help me in the least. I couldn't understand anything it said about him and his way of thinking...it was just as confusing as living with him can be. It just goes to show how opposite we are when I can't even understand something that is suppose to be explaining him to me.

What I found on my own ENFP personality made me laugh though. Anyone who knows me, especially my husband, will understand how completely true this quote is:

They come up with great ideas, and are a major asset in brainstorming sessions. Followthrough tends to be a problem, however; they tend to get bored quickly, especially if a newer, more interesting project comes along. They also tend to be procrastinators, both about meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting tasks that they've been assigned

I'm surrounded by unfinished projects! I could design a tour of my home around unfinished projects. I've found that if I can't finish a larger project within 3 days, it just isn't going to get done. This is true whether it is painting a room, organizing and decluttering a space, or crocheting an afghan. Because of this, you can almost view my tendency to hyperfocus as a positive thing. Yes, I may neglect everything else in my life while I'm hyperfocusing, but at least the substained, focused attention to my project at hand gives it a chance at being finished within in the time limit set by my ability to maintain interest in the project.

I know this about myself and I'm trying to get myself to finish projects. I see this or that lying around undone and I feel bad about it. I see a pile of clutter sitting here or there, the result of a larger project, and I hate it. I want that project done. I want the pile, the mess, the clutter cleared out. But, for me, it isn't as easy to do as some people may think. "Just do it," I've been told. Once my interest is gone, just doing it is torture. My mind has moved on to other more interesting things and I can't move with it; I'm stuck doing this boring, awful, miserable, hateful, tedious thing. I'd rather compute the distance to the sun in binary code, by hand, than finish the project! (Not really.)

Oh, an those small, uninteresting tasks they've been assigned? Those have names in my life. They are called washing dishes, laundry, making beds, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, etc.

My Personality

2008-02-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ENFP)

Your personality type is enthusiastic, giving, cautious, and loyal.

Only about 8% of all people have your personality, including 9% of all women and 6% of all men
You are Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

This particular quiz is very short. I took a longer one that I found online with the same results. When I look at these results, I would have to say that it is a pretty accurate description of me.

Goal Progress - February

2008-02-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year, I did a Thursday Thirteen post listing 13 goals for the year. I decided I would also post at the beginning of each month how I am doing on each goal so far. It's the beginning of February and it occurred to me today that I better get this post done before it is no longer the beginning of the month.

1. Monthly Budget: I haven't been able set up a monthly budget because I do not yet know how much my husband's base net pay will be at his new job. I'll know this vital piece of information for next month though. On a good note, we'll be a month ahead; the paychecks he receives in February will pay the bills in March.

2. Saving money with the Grocery Game: I was only partially successful with keeping up with this. I spent $507 at the grocery store this month which includes any household items, bath & beauty products, diapers, and diaper wipes. I can't find the official figures but I did find an article stating that the average family of 4 (mine is a family of 5) spends $709 a month on food. Based on this, I think I'm doing ok.

3. Weight loss: I totally flubbed this one in January. Not only did I not lose any weight, but I gained about 5 pounds since my lowest weigh in at Weight Watchers.

4. Pregnancy: I'm not pregnant which is great. My goal is to not get pregnant before July.

5. .Homeschooling Routine: I do not yet have a working homeschool routine but we are getting our basics (language arts and math) done every day which is an improvement. Sammy is doing awesome. He often does more than he's required and, because of this, he'll be finishing up most of his language arts (spelling, phonics, reading comprehension) by the beginning of March. He'll finish up his grammar and math before June. Mika is doing pretty good too. She's on track to finish all subjects before summer starts: a huge improvement over last year, especially considering she had to finish last year before starting this year. I'm still working on a plan for catching up on our unit studies.

6.Clean house: While my house is not clutter-free and clean, I did make a dent in the work I have to do. During January, I swapped bedrooms which I've been wanting to do for a long time. The kids are now in the larger of the two bedrooms. With two beds and all their toys, they needed the larger room. In the process of switching rooms, we took about 7 bags of stuff to Goodwill and threw out another 2 bags. Their room is now wonderfully clean and organized. My new room is also very nice now with the exception of the closet which isn't finished.

7. Menu plan: I've been struggling with this one. It takes a lot of time and effort to make a menu based on this week's Grocery Game list while computing all of the Weight Watcher's points for each meal and get my shopping done before the list sales end on Tuesday.

8. Bible study: I've done exactly one Bible study with the kids as part of our homeschooling. Sad, I know.

9. Scrapbooking: I didn't spend a single day on my scrapbooks. I focused my energy on creating my daughter's birthday DVD though. That was the first step because now each of my kids have a collection of their photos showing their whole life on DVD. In the process, I had to organize ost of our photos which will make printing for scrapbooking easier.

10. Knitting and crochet: I didn't touch this at all.

11. Piano practice: I only manage 2 practices last month.

12. Taekwondo classes: I did begin taekwondow with my son. In fact, I have 3 out of 4 stripes for my yellow belt and will probably be testing for my yellow belt soon. Unfortunately, my bad knee does not like taekwondo and has been causing my a lot of pain.

13. Madden 2008: I won two games last month. Whoo Hoo!

So, I'm doing ok on some goals. I didn't expect to be able to accomplish them all in one month so I feel good about what I have done.

Super Bowl...Yum

2008-02-03T18:39:00.001-08:00

I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince my husband to go to NW Trek today. Ha! Not on Super Bowl Sunday. I didn't really try to get him to the park; I just mentioned it to be funny.

There is one think I do really like about the Super Bowl: the excuse to eat yummy food. Here's our Super Bowl dinner:

Nachos! This is a photo of my husband's plate. Our nachos consist of tortilla chips, refried beans, seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, monteray jack cheese, olives, jalepenos, tomatoes, sour cream, and homemade guacamole. We add so much stuff to our nachos that they must be eaten with a fork. He paired them with his favorite soft drink: Mountain Dew.

I leave off the olives and jalepenos but I double the cheese. I enjoyed my favorite soft drink: Dr. Pepper. Mika's nachos are identical to mine. Sammy also leaves off the tomatoes.

Josh? What did he eat? Well, nachos, of course! I added beans, ground beef, tomatoes, cheeses, sour cream, guacamole, and chips into our baby food grinder and ground away. He loved it!

What about you? Did you watch the Super Bowl? Who were you hoping to win? Did you enjoy any special Super Bowl food?

13 Cute Things About Josh

2008-01-31T23:43:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot it was Thursday so I'm doing an easy one... 13 cute things about my youngest...11 month old Joshua.

1. Whenever you figure out what he wants, Joshua lets out the cutest little giggle. Here's a common example. After running around and playing, he'll come over to where I'm sitting on the couch and start whining. When I finally pay attention to him and ask him, "Do you want to nurse," he giggles. That's his version of "heck yeah!"

2. Joshua gives tons and tons of kisses. He understands the words, "Give mama a kiss," and has for quite a while. I know he does because he'll suddenly lunge forward and plant his lips on me. I had to teach him to be gentle with his kisses after I got a few fat lips from him.

3. Joshua tries to make kissy noises when he kisses you too. He doesn't quite get it right which makes it much cuter.

4. Joshua likes to give raspberries in the middle of a series of kisses. It goes like this: kiss, kiss, kiss, raspberry, kiss, raspberry, raspberry, kiss, kiss, kiss... They are quite slobbery too.

5. Everytime I change Josh's diaper, I lay him down on the changing table and hand him the new diaper. Without fail, he'll give me a sly, little grin and toss it over the edge.

6. Josh is growing into an animal lover like his sister. He just adores the cats way more than they adore him. (Isn't that always the case with babies and cats?) He does pet them very gently. He also allows the dogs to give him kisses...on the lips...yuck!

7. When Josh is very tired, sometimes he'll do the funniest thing. He crawls over to the bottom of the stairs and drapes himself on the bottom couple of stairs (pointing up) and whines, "Nigh-nigh-nigh-nigh." It's pretty obvious what he wants.

8. He has the cutest smile. See photo above. Don't you agree? The cool thing about being his mother is that I get to see that smile all the time because he is almost always happy.

9. He copies everything we do. You know how they say our babies watch and learn from us. Well, it is true. See this post about him dunking his cookie into my milk. He's only 11 months old!

10. He loves music. From a very early age (not that he isn't still young), he bops to the beat. Just this morning I caught him listening to this musical fish toy that he has.

First he pushed the button to start the music.

Then he put the fish to his ear to listen. He repeated this sequence over and over and over.

11. He thinks daddy is a bottle of lotion. Not really but every time I walk into Scott's office holding Josh he points to some stickers on a shelf where a bottle of lotion resides. For the longest time, we thought he was pointing to the lotion. Now we know he wants to point to Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Eeyore, the butterfly, the cheetah, and the puppies over and over and over again. (The kids put the stickers there with Daddy's permission.)

12. He loves his big sister and big brother. He sometimes even reaches for Mika to hold him when I'm holding him. Can you believe that? There are times when he wants his sister more than his mother! He likes to beat up, torture, and terrorize his big brother who doesn't know what to do about it.

13. He's a pretty good listener. When he picks up something he's not suppose to have and I see it, I can tell him to "give it to Mommy," and he will. If he walks away from me towards a place he's not suppose to (like walking towards the pool at Mika's and Sammy's swim class today), I can call him back and he'll turn around and come back. Yes, I know I should cherish this because it will change soon.

As an added bonus, I'll list a few not-so-cute things about Josh.

1. He screeches when he's happy. It's ear-piecing.

2. He screeches when he's unhappy. Like when he doesn't want you to take something away from him. I have better luck asking him for it back than taking it.

3. He removes most of the DVD's and VHS tapes from the shelf multiple times a day. He's learning to take the DVDs and tapes out of the containers now

4. He tries to steal the dogs' food when they are eating. They don't like that about him. They have no problems ~~stealing~~ sharing his food.

5. He bites when he nurses.

6. He puts his foot in my face when he nurses.

7. Sometimes he pinches my arm when he nurses.

8. He loves water. He plays in the dogs' water bowl at least once a day making a mess on the floor and drenching his clothes.

9. He loves water. He has figured out how to get the water out of his sippy cup and likes to make puddles on the coffee table to play with. If he's too lazy to stand at the coffee table, he'll dump it all over himself or the carpet.

10. He thinks everything in the house belongs to him, including photo frames, glasses, remote controls, video game controllers, your food, your drink. You get the picture?

11. He likes removing tissue from the bathroom trash can and adding it to my bath or shower.

12. He thinks the toilet lid is something he is suppose to slam back and forth between the back of the toilet and my back when I'm using the toilet.

13. He can walk. That means he can reach a lot more stuff faster than before which keeps us on our toes. See #10.

Yellow Belt!

2008-01-31T00:14:00.001-08:00

Here's a photo of my Sammy-Man being presented with his yellow belt in taekwondo earlier this evening. He was so excited. To earn this belt, he had to learn a 10-step hand/blocking form, an 8-step kicking form, and a 12-step form. Actually, he has been doing so well that they required him to learn a 20-step form in addition to the 12-step form. He is the only 6 year old that they have who learned the 20-step; it is usually only required of the older kids and adults. He's just awesome!

He really loves his taekwondo class. I think he practices every day, on his own, without being asked. He likes to be my instructor. He tells me things like, "Mommy, you are going to practice your 12-step two times and then I will teach you the 20-step." Then he critques me using the same words Instructor John (the man on the left) does. Instructor John says, "good" and "no good" a lot. He'll also tell me to snap it, use more power, or to sharpen it up. Did I tell you he loves his taekwondo class?

BTW, the other man standing in front of Sammy, is Master Park. He's the guy in charge.

While my son is charging along getting his yellow belt, Mommy is stuck on her second stripe on her white belt. I need two more stripes to test for yellow. I'm almost there.

WFMW - Kids Closet Organizing

2008-01-30T13:59:00.001-08:00

I just love Wednesdays because I now have a reason to finish clearing out the clutter in my house. Lately, I've been sharing the few organizational tips that have worked for me. By the time I'm done with this series of tips, you will think that I have a spotless house because that's all I'm showing you. Really, though, all around the nice area is clutter, clutter, and more clutter. You don't think I'd take a picture of the clutter around the organized part, do you? Of course not! That is why I love Wednesdays. The clutter surrounding the organized part is slowly receding. Hopefully, in time, I'll find tips that work for me all over the house and not just the current sections and then I can post those too. For now, I'll stick with what already works for me. Afterall, this isn't called "Doesn't Work for Me Wednesday."

Up today is my children's closet. We have a somewhat unique situation in that we have a large, walk-in closet in each bedroom. Each closet has tons of shelves so we've never needed dressers for the kids. While I realize not everyone will store their kids' clothes on shelves like we do, some may have a shelf or two on top that needs some ideas or you can adapt the idea to another area of the house. Perhaps you'll see this idea and love it so much that you are inspired to install shelving in your kids' closets and do away with dressers so that they have more room to play. Maybe. Probably not. Either way, I've learned (the hard way) not to assume that I'm the only person in the world that has a certain problem.

My previous problem was that my nice, neat, folded piles of clothes would topple over whenever one of my children tried to remove the item that they wanted. Of course, being children, they wouldn't properly remove the item to prevent the toppling over nor would they fix the pile after it did topple. So, I came up with an inexpensive solution thanks to Organizing Junkie: dollar store baskets!

I now use baskets from the dollar store to organize my children's clothes. Each basket holds something specific. This photo shows my daughter's side of the closet. It looks like a lot but it really isn't. Each basket only holds a few things. Her baskets (from left to right and top to bottom) hold the following: swim class stuff, gymastics class stuff, tank tops, t-shirts, non-denim shorts, denim shorts, capris, soft pants, pants, jeans, pjs, and old daddy t-shirts (used as pjs). As you can see from the list, we do not put away seasonal clothing. My son has eight baskets: swimming stuff, taekwondo stuff, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts (2) and pants (2).

We've had this set up for several months now and it has proven itself to work very well. My kids always know where to find certain items of clothes and they can put away their own laundry easily (they are 8 and 6). Best of all, no more messy, toppled-over piles of clothes.

Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for a ton tips from other participants or visit Organizing Junkie for some organizing ideas.

So sad!

2008-01-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

They promised 2-4 more inches of snow overnight. Sadly, they were wrong again. Instead we have above freezing temperatures, wind, and rain...melt all of the beautiful, glorious snow from yesterday.

We are so sad to see it go so soon but glad that we took the morning off to play in it while we had it. Since it is nearly February, I don't think it is likely we'll see any more.

It's Snowed!

2008-01-28T17:43:00.001-08:00

They've been predicting snow here for a few days and it finally happened. We were starting to lose hope of seeing any snow at all this year but it finally happened. We woke up this morning to a couple of inches of snow on the ground. Knowing my kids wouldn't want to miss any of it, I woke them up. We immediately got dressed and headed outside (about 7am) without even stopping for breakfast.

Here's my older two posing in the snow. See? We really did get some snow...not just a tiny dusting like we usually get.

Today was the first time Josh has even seen snow. He didn't know what to think of it.

We headed down the street to our friends house to see if they could play before they headed off to school since it was delayed by 2 hours. They played for a while until they had to go off to school and then we headed across the street to our new homeschool friends and stayed there until 2pm. After a fun-filled day, we headed home for a late lunch and some school work.

And then this happened...

It's NOT Chicken!

2008-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

If you missed it, look at the title of this post. That is a common phrase in my house.

Anytime I cook something other than beef (which is most of the time), my daughter makes a comment about the "chicken." It might be a positive comment like, "I like this chicken!" It might be negative such as, "Do I have to eat the chicken?" Or it could be something neutral like, "Is there more chicken?" It doesn't matter that we are eating turkey or even pork. It's all chicken to her.

What's worse is that we often have to correct her mulitply times, reminding her that not everything we eat is chicken.

Just Like Mom

2008-01-26T20:06:00.000-08:00

My Josh...he can't stand not being able to do everything we can do. So what does he do? He tries anyway. He saw me eating my favorite dessert...cookies and milk. He saw me dunk my cookies in the milk and what does he do? He just has to dunk his too.

And before you freak out that I'm feeding my 11 month old cookies and milk just know that he started grabbing our food off our plates at 4 months old, started insisting that he drink from our water bottles at the same time, and now eats everything, literally, that we do. He had his first bite of steak tonight, chewed, swallowed, and bugged me for more. He fed himself baked potato with a spoon (getting most of it in his mouth no less) tonight also. Visit my husband's blog to see photos of him using a spoon for the first time.

Bye Bye Blockbuster

2008-01-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Blockbuster Online has increased my membership cost 95% over the past two months and provides poor customer service to go with the privilege of paying more. My experience below...

At first I loved it. I could get movies in the mail just like Netflix. Unlike Netflix, however, I could then take my movies back to the local store and exchange them for new movies to watch while I wait for my new mailers to come. It was a great idea and it worked for a while...

Then last November, just two short months ago, my plan changed. Blockbuster Online decided to change their pricing structure. They said that they sent out an email informing me of the change and they may have. However, they also send out many other emails that remind me of my in-store rental due dates, that ask me to rate a recently viewed movie, that inform me that they've received my mailers back, to inform me that they've mailed out new movies, and to advertise new releases and recommendations. When you consider that each mailer received back and each mailer mailed out is sent as a separate email (we had a 3 at a time membership), that A LOT of email. Easy for the important ones to get missed. Agree?

So, one day I go to take my mailers back to the store and rent some new releases that my kids were extremely excited to see. Upon surrendering my mailers with my membership card and my new choices, I'm informed that I have maxxed out on my in-store rentals. Huh? I have unlimited in-store rentals! I always have! Apparently, when I did not go online and update my account following the above email that I may have received, they updated it for me and chose a new limited plan. My kids were disappointed and I was unhappy. Fortunately, the in-store people are wonderful and they allowed my kids to have their rentals free of cost (on their store's dime) despite my limit being reached. I went home and called Blockbuster immediately and was told that they sent out an email...blah, blah, blah. They changed my account back to the unlimited plan that it was originally been set up as. But they didn't. My next trip back to the store resulted in me again being told I had reached my in-store rental limit. Another call to Blockbuster Online finally resulted in my account being returned to normal, albeit at a higher cost (from $19.57 increased to $27.19). I went on my merry way, somewhat disgruntled about the inconvenience and the 39% increase.

Then today happens. I visit my bank's online banking website and see that Blockbuster Online has taken the monthly fee out of my account as expected. What wasn't expected was the amount. There's nothing at Blockbuster Online's website that helps me figure out why the wrong amount was removed from my account nor do they have a phone number to contact them. They only provide an online form. So, I called my local store because I know that they have a phone number since they gave it to me back in November. I called the number and was informed that they had a pricing structure change. Again?! My response? I said something along the lines of, "This is ridiculous. You increased the fees two months ago and now you're doing it again? My cost is nearly double what it was two months ago." Their response? "We sent you an email about it." That doesn't work for me...see the above paragraph. I KNOW I did not see an email about the increase. I canceled my account. They tried to interest me in a lesser plan (fewer movies out at a time or limited in store rentals) but I wasn't interested in doing business with Blockbuster anymore. They canceled my plan. I hung up.

Then I remembered something. The money for the coming month was just taken out of my account today and I canceled today. I need to make sure I get a refund because 1) I want one, 2) I won't be using Blockbuster in the coming month, and 3) I don't trust that I'll be able to continue using the plan in the coming month after November's fiasco. I called back and was informed that they do not offer membership refunds. I ask to talk to the supervisor but she can't transfer me until she has my account information. I give it and get put on hold. A supervisor finally comes on the line and tells me she can't issue me a refund but she can reinstate my account so I can use it. I'll just have to cancel it before the next billing date. Folks, I know my memory is faulty so I do not want this. Plus, I'm done with Blockbuster and don't want to do business with them again. Really! So, she offers to reinstate my account and extend it another month for free. Again, I have the same answer. I do not want my account reinstated. I want my money back. She says over and over she can't do it. I ask for her boss but apparently she is the highest up. I doubt that. She's just the highest up they'll allow me to talk to. I threaten to inform every person I know, plus every person I know online (I am a blogger after all), and contact the BBB. She tells me she'll issue me the refund and that it will show on my bank account in 3-5 business days. Just to be sure, I called my bank to see what my options were for disputing the charge on their end.

Here's the cost increase breakdown.
October 25, 2007 - paid $19.57
November 25, 2007 - paid $27.19...a 39% increase
January 25, 2008 - paid $38.07...a 40% increase from November and a 95% increase overall

Do you want to do business with a company that increases your rates 95% over the course of two months with nothing more than an email (hidden amongst the dozens of other emails they sent you) for notice? I don't.

Kids Say the Strangest Things

2008-01-25T10:41:00.001-08:00

Last month, we took our children to see The Sound of Music at a local playhouse. My daughter LOVED it. Despite it being 3 hours long and not ending until 11pm, she was wide awake and enthralled. When I told her that there was a movie as well, she asked to see it. I bought it for her because I've been wanting a copy of it for a long time anyway. She watched it right away. Again, she sat through the whole thing. I figured she'd probably lose interest in it soon enough. I was wrong.

My 8 year old daughter is watching The Sound of Music as I type. I told her I was surprised she was watching it. She said, "Well, I did say if I don't watch it right now I'm going to blow up!" How's that for drama queen?

13 Reasons I Want to Move

2008-01-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

We have lived in this house for 9 years. There are many reasons we want to move: we've outgrown this house and need more space, we want to own a place with a backyard larger than a matchbook, we want more snow rather than snowless cold weather, we are tired of 9 months of rain every year, and we want to live in a house on a quieter street where the kids can safely play outside. But there are other, more frustrating things about living here that makes us want to move...

1. There's gang activity in the area. Two weeks after we moved in, we found ourselves calling 911 when we witnessed two young men beating up a third young man in the middle of the street in the middle of the night. Turned out one of the houses across the street on my block was a known gang house. The two were angry that the third was in their girl's place even though she invited him in...or something like that. Thank goodness they were evicted when the house was sold to a new owner. At another time, I witnessed a drive-by shooting one block away. Fortunately, they didn't hit anything or anyone.

2. Someone stole our stroller off of the porch. We were barely eeking by on a small single income with a new mortgage, and a new baby. That stroller was a gift from my dad and it meant a lot to us at the time. We could not afford to replace it. Fortunately, my brilliant husband suggested I call around the local children's resale shops. One of them had just bought it. We were able to positively identify it over the phone so we were able to recover it without cost. Despite having the resale stores records, the police refused to act until we contacted a city counselman. Even then all they did was "investigate" and refused to do anything to the thief who claimed he found our stroller in the park. They said that they could not prove he was the person who stole it. Isn't it illegal to possess or sell stolen property?

3. Someone broke into our car. While our car was parked in our driveway, someone decided to break into it. They broke the window to get into it. They stole the entire center console with the stereo, my husband's few tools and his suade jacket. Again, we could not afford to replace what was lost. We fixed the window and gaping hole in the dash on credit. My dad replaced my husband's tools. The jacket...well, he went without and has actually never gotten another suade jacket. The police agreed to take a report over the phone.

4. Someone broke into our neighbor's house. The woman of the house was in Vietnam caring for a sick relative at the time and the man of the house was at work. The thief obviously knew their schedule because he hit their house at exactly the right time.

5. Someone put a slingshot pellet through our car window. I hope they had fun. Us? We had to replace the driver's side window.

6. Someone broke into another neighbor's garage. I don't remember what they took but I remember that they busted the side door (the people entrance). I was so angery when he told me. He is a sweet old man in his 80s.

7. A drunk driver hit our car and ran. The driver hit our car so hard that they moved it from the street where it was parked against the curb to my neighbor's front yard even though it had the parking break set. The car was totalled costing our insurance thousands of dollars and us our $500 deductible. We had to contact the city counsel again. Despite having car remains positively identifying the color and type of car that hit ours and an eye witness, nothing was done other than to take a report.

8. Someone broken into our car. This time they managed to get in without breaking anything but they stole all of the CDs he had in it...a visor-type CD full of Christian music. They also left behind their cigarette butt. Nice.

9. Someone stole mail off of our front porch. Did you know that priority mail will pick up at your house? They do...if the package you left for them is still there and hasn't been stolen before they arrive. Fortunately, the package, destined for an ebay buyer, was only worth about $10. Ever since, we tell every company mailing packages to us to instruct the delivery company to not leave the package on the porch and require signature confirmation. They never do.

10. We had a meth lab across the street. We came home one night to lots of activity across the street. Our neighbor came over to inform us what was up. Apparently, the house behind her was a meth lab and the police cracked down on it. Clean up was in process when we arrived home. I was a bit freaked when I realized that I had returned their dog to them...knocking on their open door to do so. They also had a kid living there.

11. Our neighbor's purse was snatched. Someone pushed our 60ish year old neighbor to the ground and stole her purse as she was waiting for the bus half a block from our house. Her purse had everything in it including her license with her address and keys to her house. She was badly shaken by the experience. The police took a report and suggested my neighbor not carry a purse when walking or riding the bus.

12. A drunk driver hit our new (to us) van and ran. The police wouldn't even take a report this time until I contacted city counsel...again. (We LOVE this city counselman.) Two days later a witness knocked on my door and told me this story... After hitting my car, she hit another car and got stuck for a minute. At this point, the witness tried to take her keys away from her. She got her car moving and continued on her merry way until she hit a third car. They told me the make, model, and license plate of her car. I got into my broken car (still drivable with $3000 of damage) and drove to the third car. I knocked on their door to give them the information I had just received and he told me this story....Her car refused to move after she hit his car but she was spinning tires trying to get away. They were able to call the police and get her. He told me she was taken to jail but the police report indicates that she wasn't arrested. She had two kids in the car with her as well. This just happened in November and we have not been able to recover our $300 deductible. I don't know if my insurance company has been successful in recovering their $3000. I have to give them a call and follow up.

13. Someone stole my hubcaps. I left to take my toddler to the doctor this morning to discover my hubcaps missing. The only reason I had those hubcaps is #12. The collision repair company couldn't match my existing hubcaps so they had to replace all four. Fortunately, the hubcaps will only cost me $35.89 but do I really want to replace them so they go missing again next month?

Meet Zach and Sybil...
They are quite protective of us. They bark when ever someone walks on our property...even if it just someone walking along the sidewalk. They greet everyone who comes to the door. They'll attack anyone who tries to hurt a member of the family....they've nipped at us if we aren't careful in play-sparring in their presence. At least I know we'll probably be protected if anyone decides to try to enter our home.

There are houses for sale nearby. Wanna be my neighbor?

Visit other Thirteeners here.

Yes I'm Awake

2008-01-23T00:59:00.001-08:00

Yes, it is 1:00 in the morning. Yes, I'm awake. Yes, I'm tired. Yes, I want to be asleep.

But it seems that Sammy isn't fairing as well with this cold as Josh is. You see, Josh got sick with a runny nose and cough a few days ago. The cough lasted about a day and a half and never got worse than a minor irritation. His nose is still a little runny with occasional, "Oh my! Get tissue quick!" moments. Sammy, on the other hand, is coughing and coughing and coughing. It's keeping him and me awake. So, I got up and asked him if he wanted cough medicine. He did. Then I found out that I do not have any children's cough medicine. Oh well. Gave him a little less than 1/2 a dose of Nyquil cough. That should do it. I'm sure he'll be out soon.

He missed swimming and gymnastics today. He skipped swimming because I didn't think the water would be a good idea. He skipped gymnastics because I didn't want him running around with a cough. You know how running always sends you into fits when you have a cough. I hope he'll be better by tomorrow evening so he can do his favorite...taekwondo.

WFMW - Toy Storage

2008-01-22T21:36:00.001-08:00

It's time for another Works for Me Wednesday. I think this is my favorite blogging day because I get to browse through everyone's Works for Me Wednesday tips and glean some great ideas to implement in my own home. Check out this week's tips over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Last week, I posted about how we store our large collection of stuffed animals. Someone asked me if I had a tip for the millions and trillions of action figures in their house. Well, yes...yes I do. Here it is...

I've seen these bins at Fred Meyer, Target, Walmart and other stores like that. To my knowledge, they come in primary colors, white/clear, and pink/purple. They aren't expensive. I've seen the white/clear ones as low as $9.99 but they are usually about $15-$20 each. The colored ones usually cost a bit more. They come with caster wheels but I prefer to use them without wheels in this situation; the drawers stay put better.

What I have done is sort out the toys into natural categories and placed each category into a drawer. For example, some of our drawers are sorted by balls, cars, action figures, Legos, Barbie, My Little Pony, Polly Pocket. etc. Some of these categories are too large for a drawer so I've further broken those down into subcategories such as Barbie and Barbie assessories.

Each drawer is labeled making it easy to remember what is in each drawer. There are two benefits to this; the kids can find all the pieces to a collection without having to dig into the bottom of a toy box and they can put their toys away quickly and easily. I have also found that guests can easily help put away toys after a play date as well because it is easy to find where everything goes. If someone doesn't know where something goes, my kids can simply say that it goes in the yellow one on the left or that red one there. I have found that since I've implemented this storage system, it is easier for my children and their friends to pick up after playing. If needed, each drawer can also pull all the way out which makes taking just a few toys to another room for playing easy.

Now, I'm not saying that their room stays clean all the time. We generally try to make picking up their room part of the nightly routine. Over time, though, it does tend to get messier and drawers get stuffed full of things that don't belong. I've found that once every few months, I need to take a day to help my kids sort through their things. We declutter and reorganize when needed. Overall, though, I find that this system works well for us and has lasted us for several years.

If you don't like plastic bins, try doing the same thing with the wooden cubicles that use fabric bins instead. They look very nice.

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 21, 2008

2008-01-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

Last week didn't go as planned at all. My week was way too busy and things got pushed around and a few just didn't happen at all. I started off well; the Apple Dijon Pork Roast on Monday was delicious. My husband and I enjoyed it and my kids liked the pork without the sauce. Tuesday is our busy day and I was crazy to think I was going to pull off homemade lasagna. I pushed it to Wednesday and we had the Turkey Meatloaf instead. My kids didn't like it because it had green things (bell peppers) in it. I thought it was good and wouldn't mind eating it again. Wednesday didn't end up working for the lasagna either so I pushed it to Saturday, the birthday celebration day. Thursday we had the Chicken with Mushroom Sauce. I liked it. My husband thought it was missing something. My kids ate the chicken without the mushrooms. Friday I ended up grabbing tortellini and Alfredo sauce on the way home from taekwondo class because I forgot to get the slow cooker started. Saturday didn't work for the lasagna...again...because of a full day decorating and putting on my daughter's birthday party. My dad bought us KFC instead which is one of my daughter's favorites. Finally, today we had the lasagna and boy was it good. I follow the basic idea of a recipe on the pasta box only I double the cheese. WE LOVE CHEESE.

This week is easy. My husband is going out of town for four days so it's me and the kids and no Weight Watchers points. I'm just wanting to relax after over a month of stress and craziness.

Monday: Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches that I didn't make last week with oven fries.
Tuesday: Leftover Lasagna and a salad
Wednesday: Pancakes and Eggs
Thursday: Lasagna Rolls
Friday: Homemade Popcorn Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
Saturday: Steak (we have a couple of filet Mignon my dad bought us...yum!) and Baked Potatoes
Sunday: Jeannie-O Butter Herb Turkey Tenderloin with Wild Rice, a veggie, and salad

I cool thing about this menu is that I don't have to buy a single grocery item this week. I have literally everything we need already.

The lasagna rolls are simply a creation I made up using leftover lasagna ingredients that wouldn't fit in the pan. I took a cooked lasagna noodle and laid it flat. I placed about a tablespoon of ricotta cheese mixture (ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, egg, salt mixed for the lasagna) on the noodle and spread it out. Then I sprinkled some mozzarella over the top of that...about a 1/4 cup each, maybe less...then I sprinkled a little Parmesan on top of that. Then I rolled them up and placed them in a pan seam side down. After I made them all, I ladled some spaghetti sauce on top of each and sprinkled some more mozzarella on top for garnish. Then I put the pan in the freezer for a later date...which ended up being just a few days from now. I'll let you know how they came out.

See more menus at Organizing Junkie.

Finally...

2008-01-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

Every year, I go through two extremely busy seasons. One of them falls during August and September The other comes in December and January.

The end of summer is chocked full of fun activities, preparing to start another year of homeschool, and getting into the swing of our new school schedule. We continue attending free concerts and movies in the park, finish up the library's summer reading program which ends in a free trip to the zoo, pack for and go camping in Oregon, and attend the Puyallup Fair. I also have a 4 day retreat each September for which I pack and transport the supplies. It makes for an expensive and exhausting but fun time of the year.

Just as we are finally getting into the swing of things and I feel as life has become peaceful in our routine, December arrives. There's the usual Christmas activities: the shopping, the baking, the wrapping, and the decorating. To this I must also prepare for a birthday as my son was born just one week after Christmas on New Year's Eve. So, I'm shopping and wrapping birthday presents too. Then there's the birthday party to plan and prepare for in the midst of packing up Christmas. The new year doesn't bring a break, though, as I have yet another birthday just two weeks after that. Finally, amongst the midst of the post birthday party mess, I can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief. I can rest....just as soon as the house is picked up again, the trash thrown away, the new toys find homes, the dishes are done, and the laundry is caught up.

Do you feel tired yet?

Here's my daughter's birthday cake from yesterday. She loved it. She also has four new stuffed animals to add to her zoo.

Fighting Fear

2008-01-18T23:15:00.000-08:00

My first two children very rarely got sick. I figured it was the breastmilk that did it. Josh, on the other hand, seems to be making up for it by being sick for all three of them. I'm starting to feel like my breastmilk soured or became defective or something because I can't keep him healthy for more than a few days.

First there was RSV. One evening, when Josh was 2 1/2 weeks old, he and I developed cold symptoms. I wasn't worried about it because my older son, Sammy, had just gotten over a mild cold so I figured we picked it up from him. I'd just nurse Josh and he'd be fine like my other kids always were and because I'd have antibodies to share. The next morning we went to church like normal (he wasn't going to the nursery). When we came home, I noticed he felt warm as I was carrying him in. He hadn't been warm at all at church. I took his temperature and found it to be moderately high. I checked my hospital paperwork and found it was over the limit listed. I called the doctor and was told to take him to the ER. Off we went.

At the ER I found out it was crucial for them to determine the cause of the fever because of his age. They had to do a full workup: urine, blood, nasal secretions, and spinal tap. The spinal tap was torture.

Not long later, I received the first bit of bad news; he had a kidney infection and would require a minimum two day stay so that they could administer IV antibiotics. I called my husband and we arranged for my children to spend a couple days with a family friend so that he could join us. We told his job he wouldn't be coming in; we didn't care if he lost his job over it either. They started the IV in ER while we waited for a room to be readied for us.

Then we received the next bit of bad news; he also had RSV. I was instantly scared; I knew about RSV. We were told that he'd now require at least a four day stay. I called my dad to see if he could get time off work to come care for my other children as my friend could only keep them three days. He could.

We spent 8 days in the hospital with our baby. He was obviously suffering and many times there was nothing we could do to ease his discomfort. We listened as monitors sounded alarms when his blood oxygen level dropped too low. We watched as respiratory specialists came in regularly to thread tubing up his nose to suction out the thick mucus that was keeping him from getting the vital oxygen he needed. We never left him, not for a minute, without one of us in the room with him. Every time a nurse or specialist walked in the room, we stood and joined them at his bedside, day or night. By the third day, he could no longer breathe well enough to nurse at all, not even a little, and he went 18 hours without eating anything at all. He cried for two hours, in pain and hungry, while we stood by helplessly and cried too. He lost a full pound, ten percent of his body weight, in just a few days. Finally, he passed the hump and started to get better. But he wasn't getting all the way better and they couldn't get him weaned off the oxygen. He was able to nurse again but I was in such a state of fatigue and stress, that I broke down. I was in a state of depression (a state I know well and was afraid to revisit) and couldn't bare to hold him let alone nurse him. My husband sent me home to shower and see my other kids and, hopefully, come back better able to cope again. I called my best friend and my dad fixed me some food. I showered, hugged my kids, and drove back to the hospital with enough energy to make it one more day. Finally, after eight days, he came home. It took several days after that for him to recover fully.

That was last March. He had a few colds after that. Then somewhere around September he developed an ear infection. Antibiotics didn't clear it so he had another round of antibiotices, only this time a stronger one. Immediately after that, we discovered that he had a bladder infection again. He was placed, once again, on antibiotics. The goal: to get rid of it before it developed into a kidney infection requiring IV treatment in the hospital. Two weeks later, we went back in for a recheck. I knew it wouldn't be gone because the medicine was bitter and he wouldn't swallow it. Antibiotic number four was started. It didn't work. Antibiotic number five was prescribed. This one made him throw up several times; probably more psychosymatic from having to take so much medicine. We went back for a recheck and I told the doctor, "Enough!" I requested some time to try to treat it naturally and started him on cranberry supplements. It's been 12 days and he hasn't developed a fever. We go back Thursday for a recheck (and another catheter...poor guy) to see if the cranberry did the trick. I'm praying it did because I'm worried about what these medicines are doing to him and the consequences of not being able to get rid of it.

In the meantime, he's sick again. He has a runny nose. It's clear and doesn't run all the time. When it does, though, you better be quick. He started coughing last night. It was worse today. A few times the coughing made him throw up. Mostly he's acting okay...still playing, still smiling, still have, no fever. However, during my last visit I asked my doctor about RSV season (I'm still paranoid about him getting it again). RSV season hasn't started yet here; however, whooping cough is going around. And he's coughing....

I can't help feeling afraid.

Having a baby in the hospital changes you. I never used to be this paranoid about my children being sick. We use to keep playdates even if our friends were sick. Now, I won't take Josh to church because I see runny noses in the nursery. Every runny nose is potentially RSV, potentially a stay at the hospital, potentially a life-ending event.

Win a Hamilton Beach Mixer

2008-01-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

The Prize:

The winner will receive a brand new Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:
From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

Lack of Boundaries

2008-01-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that my cat loves attention to a fault?

See what he does? I had to get my daughter to snap a photo before I kicked him off. It's not the greatest photo with me looking out the window at the mailman and my head missing and all...but you get the idea. My poor, poor child is sleeping on my lap in this photo. He's used to the laptop being propped up on him but the cat is another story. He just curls up where ever he wants without concerning himself on whether the space is already occupied.

13 Things about Gracie

2008-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is just a silly Thursday Thirteen and will probably mean nothing to anybody but us. But that's ok because I want this blog to be fun.

We have this cat, Gracie. It is a strange cat in so many ways that coming up with 13 things to say about Gracie will be easy.

1. Gracie is a boy. Yes, I know Gracie is a girl's name but we got him as a young kitten and were told he was a she and we didn't bother to check ourselves. Then one day my husband and I were playing Yahtzee while sitting on the floor. Gracie walked in and around us and I happened to look over at him just as he was walking away from us. I was shocked to see boy parts hanging down. I grabbed his tail and lifted his hind-end up while telling my husband, "Look at this!" We decided that since he and we were used to his name by this point, we'd just keep it.

2. Gracie sneezes. The vet tried telling me that he had an upper respiratory infection that needed to be treated. We tried treating it several times but he never did stop sneezing. So, we have a cat that sneezes....often...when he is laying on top of you in bed. Yuck!

3. Gracie has dark gunk that comes out of his eyes. The vet tried telling us he needed treatment for this. Sound familiar? We tried treating it several times but it never clears up. So, he lives with brown gunk around his eyes. When it gets bad, I clean it. He hates it...the cleaning that is.

4. Gracie was sewn together. Or at least that's what he looks like. He is completely solid white with a few oddly placed exceptions. The top of his head, including his ears, appears to be sewn on using a brown and black striped fur. His tail also does not appear to be original as it is also brown and black striped. He also has a patch on his back that is vertical brown and black stripes. Oh, there's a strip of patchwork down one of his hind legs as well.

5. Gracie LOVES attention to a fault. Yep, he does. He follows me every where I go, even to the bathroom. He is known to jump on my lap while I'm using the toilet. He lays on my chest, at my head, or between my legs when I'm sleeping or nursing the baby. He lays on my lap between the laptop and my chest while I am typing...he's there now. He lays next to (or tries to lay on top of) the baby when he is nursing on the nursing pillow. HE WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

6. Gracie is determined to prove he has 9 lives. By our count he is on life number 5. The next several listings will explain why.

7. Gracie had at one point smelled like he had been dead for several days. Once Gracie came home smelling like he had already died. It was horrible, aweful, and disgusting! He had some sort of blisters all over his tongue. We didn't know what was wrong with him but he smelled so bad we did a horrible thing...we kicked him out of the house. We were sure he was going to die. He didn't. Somehow, he lived. 8 lives left.

8. Gracie has a crooked face. Once he came home obviously very hurt. We think he got hit by a car. All we know is that he healed but his face is crooked now. It's not that noticable but if you look at him closely, it looks rather odd. 7 l ives left.

9. Gracie knows how to fly. One morning our neighbor knocked on our door and asked me if that (pointing to a cat on top of a very tall telephone pole) was our cat. Yes, yes it was. I called my husband at work and we decided to leave him there and see if he comes down himself. About an hour later, he was still up there, panting, and obviously very distressed. I called the fire department and asked them if they really do rescue cats. They do. Does it cost us anything? Nope. Ok, can they come get my cat. Yep. When they arrived, they explained that cats normally jump when they get up there. I told them that was fine; at least he'd be down. Well, that's just what he did. In the process of trying to get down, he ripped out claws from all four legs. Can you guess what happened to him? He got better. 6 lives left.

10. Gracie was, at one point, on his death bed...again. Gracie once was so ill we thought he was going to die. He crawled into a small space in the back of our closet and wouldn't move. We thought he went there to die. We made him a bed so he'd be comfortable and did our best to nurse him back to health. Do you think he died? Nope. 5 lives left.

11. Gracie loves just about anyone. See number 5. If you'll pet him, he'll love you.

12. Gracie sheds ALL year. And I mean ALL year. As fall turns into winter most cat owners are silently celebrating the end of shedding season. Not us. We have white fur in abundance 12 months a year.

13. He scratches the windows. When Gracie wants to be let in, he scratches the window with his claws. Think fingernails on a chalkboard. If you ignore him, he will persist. You'll never win that battle.

We jokingly try to give Gracie away...as payment for a favor...in trade...or even for free just because. No one will take him. So we are stuck with this strange, shedding, sickly, half-dead cat. Just kidding. We actually do kind of like him despite everything.

Have fun viewing other Thursday Thirteen participants here.

WFMW - Stuffed Animal Storage

2008-01-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

My post on the awesome way that we store our stuffed animals has moved to my new blog. Read about our stuffed animal zoo at Homeschool Distractions.

Happy Birthday Mika!

2008-01-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mika!

Today is my daughter's 8th birthday. She's growing up so fast. If you are so inclined, head over to her blog and wish her happy birthday. She'd love i!

Apple Dijon Pork & Steak Burritos

2008-01-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've been participating in Menu Plan Monday hosted by Organizing Junkie to help me get organized with cooking dinner. I'm doing Weight Watchers and have found that if I don't preplan my meals, I don't lose weight. So, Menu Plan Monday is good for my weight loss efforts.

Because I'm doing Weight Watchers and because my typical cooking got me this way, I've been trying new recipes. Probably 5-6 meals each week are new to us until I get a list of things we like enough to keep. Each week, I'll update on how we liked the meals.

I got a request for a review on the Apple Dijon Pork Roast that was on my menu this week. We had it last night and it came out very well. My husband and I liked both the flavorful pork and the sweet and tangy sauce. My kids gave the meat a thumbs up without the sauce. I'll be making it again. I think I'll try browning the roast before putting it in the slow cooker to make it look nicer when it comes out though.

I also mentioned that the Steak Burritos from the week before were very good. I can't wait to have these again! Yum! I wanted to post a photo of that meal but I forgot so here it is. This whole plate full of food was 11 points.

Doesn't it look like it came from a restaurant? See you next Monday with another menu and more reviews.

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 14, 2008

2008-01-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! Last week I actually made every meal on my menu with one substitution; neither of the grocery stores I shop at had plain turkey tenderloin so I substituted a Jennie-O Lemon Herbed Tenderloin. They were on sale for half price too. It was very yummy and I'm glad I have another one in my freezer.

The steak burritoes were very simple to make with only a few ingredients and a crock pot. They were very good; I will be making them again soon.

The beef and beans ended up being too spicy for the kids so you ever make those, you may want to adjust the chili powder if you don't like spicy foods or have children.

Here's this week's menu. Weight Watchers points are in parenthesis and are based on the nutrition information provided with the recipe. I lost 3.8 pounds last week! Whoo hoo!

Monday (slow cooker): Apple Dijon Pork Roast (5) with 1/2 cup Stuffing (4) & 1 cup Green Beans (0) & Salad (1)

Tuesday: Lasagna with Homemade Garlic Bread & Salad (It's my daughter's birthday so I'm making her favorite food without regard for points. I'll be using my weekly points for this one.)

Wednesday: Terrific Turkey Meatloaf (5) with 1/2 cup Mashed Potatoes (3) and 1/2 cup Corn (1) & Salad (1)

Thursday (slow cooker): Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches (5) with 12 Oven Fries (3) & Salad (1)

Friday: Brown Rice Turkey Soup (5) with Sandwiches (7)

Saturday: Chicken Cutlets in Mushroom Sauce (3) with 1 cup Wild Rice (4) & 1/2 cup Peas (1)

Sunday: Leftover Buffet

Find more menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

PhotoHunt: Skinny

2008-01-11T07:52:00.001-08:00

Today's theme for PhotoHunt is skinny. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had just the photos...

This is my husband way back when. This was before we met and if I were to see this photo today without knowing it was him, I would never recognize him.

Updated to clarify my comments: My remarks about my husband's photo are not meant in a mean or derogatory in any way. He looks a LOT different in many ways. Even if he was still this skinny (he's not fat now...just not THIS skinny), I don't think he would look similar to this old photo.

And here's me a long time ago too. This photo was taken around 1993 when I was about 19. It was when I was at my lowest weight because I had just recently dropped out of college (yes, I'm a dropout) and left ROTC behind. ROTC was the reason I was thin. They thought I was 15 pounds overweight and required me to workout 5 days a week instead of the normally required 3 days per week. Despite all the exercise, I didn't drop a single pound but I did get smaller.

You'll find other people's photos pertaining to the theme of skinny if you follow the photohunt link above or click on the button at the top.

Look What I Can Do

2008-01-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Josh, my little one, decided he wanted to start walking last week. It started with only one or two steps away from the piece of furniture he was holding on to. Tonight he's able to walk about 5 feet before falling....

Oh, and he tries to climb. I think we're in trouble once he gets walking better.

WFMW - Backwards Edition

2008-01-09T01:03:00.000-08:00

Today's Works for Me Wednesday is a Backwards Edition which means I get to ask you a question and you can give me all your advise. See more Works for Me Wednesday participants here.

My question is:

What is your favorite homeschool resource? What really gets your kids fired up and wanting to do school? Is there anything that you do that makes your kids ask, "Can we do school now?"

GG Totals #1

2008-01-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned The Grocery Game before..it's a way to save quite a bit of money on your groceries, household products, and bath/beauty products. In the past, I've been able to save between 55% and 65% off the shelf price by stocking up on things we use when it is at its lowest sale price and with a coupon. Then when we need it, we already have it and don't have to pay full price for it.

I haven't been able to get quite that good of a percentage off the last few weeks because I let my stockpile dwindle and I'm having to buy some things at a higher price than I'd otherwise pay. I'm still doing fairly well though. These are my totals for Safeway and Albertson's. I haven't made it to Walgreens yet. I have to look at that list to see if I want to fit it in still or not.

Shelf Price- $357.43
Amound Paid - $185.11
Amount Saved - $172.32
Percent Saved- 48.2%

As you can see, I spent quite a bit at the two stores even though I got it all at almost half off. You should know that this is way more than just what I need for this week. And, if you choose to play the game, you don't have to spend this much. Eventually, when my stockpile is restocked, my weekly totals will go down to about $75 a week or so.

Calgon Take Me Away

2008-01-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

Remember those old commercials?

I have a huge headache. I just got back from grocery shopping (yes it is almost 9pm but it was the only time I've been able to go) with a tired and unhappy infant. The store was out of turkey tenderloin that I needed for tonight's dinner that became tomorrow's dinner which is now totally off the menu since neither of the two stores I shop at had it. They were also out of two other items that were on sale that I wanted. Then I had to deal with trying to get all of the groceries in the house by myself since the hubby and older kids are at Awana. He's too heavy for me to carry one-handed while carrying groceries in the other hand so I put him safely on the living room floor and headed out the door. My goal was to get them all in one trip...about 10 bags worth. Did I mention that my child screams bloody murder if I walk through a door, any door, without him? That's just what he did. I could hear him all the way out at my car which was parked on the street. Not only that but he crawled over to the door and blocked it making it very much harder for me to get back in with all my groceries weighing down both my arms. Then while he continued to be quite unhappy with me I had put it all away. Then I went upstairs to get his jammies on. While up there I noticed that my husband had no pants hanging on his side of the closet. Where did they all go? So I loaded up a basket and carried it downstairs with baby on top. I put him back down on the living room floor and headed out the back door (oh no! not another door!) to load the washer. He's all better now...nursing himself asleep on the nursing pillow with a laptop on top of him.

Now about that headache...

...oh I forgot, we are out of tylinol...

...we have tons of excedrine...

...but nursing moms can't have aspirin...

~sigh~

YMCA Homeschool Update

2008-01-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

I posted an update to the YMCA saga over at my other blog. There was some really good things to say about how today went and some things I'll have to keep on eye on.

One thing I know for sure now...there's no way I can meet the volunteer requirements. Remember the nursery only gives you five minutes to get ready for class after dropping your child off and five minutes to pick up your child after class. While it only took about 5 minutes to get ready to class, it took 20 minutes to get the kids out of the pool, dried off, and dressed. If I had chosen to volunteer after learning about the requirements, I would have either had to be late or gone straight there from the pool without drying off and getting dressed first. Some how I don't think they'd be happy about either.

First day at the YMCA Homeschool Program

2008-01-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

Today is the day. It is the first day at the YMCA homeschool program.

Prior to today, the kids were participating in the regular classes that take place in the evenings. That turned out to be a major headache and nothing went well. You can read about it on my here if you really want to.

So we decided to try out the homeschool pe program. It's already been a fiasco because I signed up to be a volunteer in hopes I could help my daughter overcome her fear of water (a fear that the regular classes did NOT help). However, they did not tell me all of the details of volunteering up front.

They told me that I would have an hour to work out before or after my volunteer time. Then they called me last Friday to tell me that they were wrong and I'd only get half an hour. Plus that half hour must be immediately before or after the class I'm volunteering for. I was hoping to do my workout during the older kids' gymnastics class which begins half an hour after their swimming ends. This means my older two kids would have to be with me during my workout because they are not allowed to be unsupervised. Then they told me that I would only be allowed 5 minutes for getting dressed. That's not possible...I have a kid that moves at half the speed of a turtle. I would end up spending half of my workout time in the locker rooms!

Add all of that nonsense to the fact that I have serious concerns about putting my 10 month old in the nursery to begin with and it just doesn't sound too appealing. We generally don't put our children in childcare of any kind until they are ready. Our experience has been that that generally happens around 12-18 months depending on the child. We want our children to enjoy their time in the nursery not crying hysterically because we left them with strangers. I don't know the YMCA nursery staff (we don't even leave our infants with the church nursery where we know the nursery staff) and the nursery was filthy the day I visited it to check it out.

My husband and I talked about it over the weekend and decided it wasn't worth it. So, I called them last night to tell them that I wouldn't be volunteering after all. I had to leave a message because they didn't answer. So I'm nervous about how the day is going to go. I'm worried about how I'm going to be treated since I expressed my dissatisfactions and dropped out of volunteering at the last minute (not that they gave me much time with only giving me the details a couple days ago even though they had my application over a month ago). I'm nervous about how my daughter is going to be treated in the pool without me in the pool with her directly supervising. Since I'm not volunteering in the pool, I'll have to be at the side of the pool monitoring how she is treated and taught (so not to make her fears worse like the evening program did) while trying to keep a baby out of the pool.

One of the gymnastics coaches told me that the homeschool gymnastics program is a step down from the evening program. My daughter is hoping to get on their preteam/team group but it doesn't sound likely based on what the coach told me. So I'm concerned about this as well.

It should't be boring!

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 7, 2008

2008-01-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

I'm trying out slow cooker recipes this week because our new homeschool schedule has us away from home a big chunk of every Tuesday with only 2 hours home before the hubby and kids leave again for Awana. That's 2 hours to finish any school that didn't get done before we left, prepare dinner, get ready for Awana, and eat all while having a highly mobile crawler, almost toddler underfoot. I figure the only solution is the slow cooker doing most of the dinner work for me while I'm gone. So I'm trying out a bunch of recipes from the Taste of Home Slow Cooker Classics magazine that I picked up for my stocking. It'll still be in the newsstands until February 11th if you are interested.

I'm also trying to get back on track with Weight Watchers so I've listed the points for each item in parenthesis.

Monday: Turkey Spaghetti (7) with Salad (2) and Homemade Rolls (4)
Tuesday: Turkey in Cream Sauce (3) with Low Fat Mashed Potatoes (3) and Broccoli (0)
Wednesday: Chicken in Mushroom Sauce (8) over Egg Noddles (4) with Salad (2)
Thursday: Beef and Beans (5) over Rice (4)with Corn Bread (for hubby) (3) Homemade Rolls (for the kids and I) (4)
Friday: Homemade Sub Sandwiches on Homemade Bread (9) and Progresso Light Soup (0)
Saturday: Steak Burritos (7) with 1/2 cup Spanish Rice (3)
Sunday: Leftover Buffet

The Turkey Spaghetti is simply a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce with 1 pound of browned and seasoned ground turkey added and then served over 1 cup of spaghetti noodles.

The Homemade Sub Sandwiches are made using 2oz deli ham, 1oz cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mustard, salt, and pepper. No mayo.

Find more menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Unconscious Mutterings #3

2008-01-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

The idea of this meme is to type the first thing that comes to mind for each of the given words. The words change each week adn can be found here.

I say ... and you think ... ?

Mist :: swirling
Eating :: brownies
Beacon :: of hope
Speaker :: convention
Episodes :: Amazing Race
Conference :: Center
Sneak attack :: Steven Seagal
Medic :: One
Web :: Master
2008 :: Year

The brownies are cooling on top of my stove right now waiting to be eaten. We talked about watching Amazing Race tonight but decided to watch Steven Seagal instead.

Follow the link. You can see what lots of other people wrote and participate too!

Homeschool Blog

2008-01-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've started a new blog all about our homeschooling adventures. This blog will continue on covering all my fun little distractions: all those weekly memes I love, Madden 08 football wins against my husband, and other miscellaneous happenings. Homeschool Distractions will cover all things homeschooling (and nothing else). I'll be talking about curriculum we've used (and whether we like it or not), projects we've completed, field trips we've gone on, books we've read, and whatever else we've happened upon while homeschooling. Expect lots of photos, especially of field trips. See you over there!

PhotoHunt: Delicious

2008-01-05T13:38:00.001-08:00

I totally forgot about PhotoHunt. This week's theme is "Delicious" and I have just the photo for that. I made these Chocolate Brownie Waffles from a recipe that came with my new waffle iron I got for Christmas. They are chocolate and have chocolate chips in them. The recipe said to serve them topped with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. They were pretty delicious though I actually preferred them room temperature as a hand-held snack.

To see other people's delicious photos, click here.

I Won Again!

2008-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

My husband wanted a rematch after losing last night. Well, I won again. This time he played as the Cardinals and I played as the Seahawks. I won 27 to 24. One of my great plays was the 2 point conversion I sprung on him. Hehe

YMCA Frustrations

2008-01-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

If you didn't catch the title, that's how I'm feeling about the YMCA right about now. Well, actually, I've been unhappy with the YMCA since we signed the kids up in August and it has been one unhappy moment after another.

To start with, the YMCA requires you to be a member BEFORE you can register for classes; however, you have to register for classes three and a half weeks before classes begin (every fall session this happens). In effect, that means you pay for an entire month and only get one week of effective membership. Then, my daughter's first class was canceled WITHOUT NOTICE so that they could put on this silly little "block party" which consisted of a free hot dog and soda, one inflatable bouncy ride, and a DJ playing completely inappropriate music for children.

So the kids were finally happily taking their classes. Being a family that has always eaten together, we found the evening only class schedule difficult to swallow but we found a way to live with it. Basically, Scott came home and prepared dinner on Thursday nights so it would be ready when we got home. On Fridays, he came to the Y and we ate in the in-house Subway since dinner would be too late otherwise.

Fridays, especially, was a pain and resulted in many unhappy Fridays. You see, our class schedule consisted of swimming from 4:00-4:30, a 45 minute wait, and then Sammy's aikido class from 5:15-6:15. According to the rules, my son is too young to be unattended. This meant I had to entertain a mobile infant for 2 1/2 hours either at the pool side, in a lobby area, or in a hallway...not very fun....for mom or baby. In addition to that, we found that after waiting in the lobby area for 45 minutes, we would go upstairs to where the aikido class was held only to find a small sign on the upstairs dance room door (where the class took place) saying the class was canceled. There was no prior notice, no sign advertising the cancellation downstairs where we'd see it, and sometimes there was no notice of any kind until staff came upstairs on their rounds and saw us all up there waiting 10 minutes after the class was schedule to begin. In two sessions, 4 or 5 of the 11 classes were canceled. When I complained I was told that they were a nonprofit organization...the gist was meant to say that being nonprofit they didn't really need to provide decent services for my money. I was also told that the Y was a great value for the cost. I personally don't think waiting for 45 minutes for a canceled class is a good value regardless of the cost...it isn't even worth being free for the total waste of time. When I complained to one of the directors, I got nothing but a blank stare and an insincere sorry.

Another complaint I have was how my daughter was treated. Part of the reason I signed my kids up was because I wanted my kids to get regular swimming instruction to help my daughter overcome her fear of water. I met with the aquatics director and was assured that her fear would be kept in consideration and that she would not be forced to do anything she was not ready to do. Examples of previous fearful kids turned happy swimmers were given to back it up. The first session was great! Her teacher was wonderful, got her into the pool, and even got her to bob under the water with only a few tears. What we were unaware of was that sessions change frequently, and with it, the teacher. We ask if she could get the same teacher considering her circumstances. But our request was not honored. The second session found her in a class of confident swimmers with her being the only beginner and a teacher that did not respect her fear or her "no" at all. He had her in major tears every week, sobbing uncontrollably the last class, and refusing to get near the water at all. We complained of course.

So, we decided to try the homeschool sessions which the aquatics people agreed may be a good fit. The teacher would not change every session and I could "volunteer" to help with the swimming class and be there with my daughter to help her. I'm informed that non-member volunteers (only my kids are members) not only get to work out for an hour before or after their volunteer time slot but they get nursery care during both their volunteer time and workout time. I figured I could volunteer during swimming and workout during their gymnastics class. Sounds great right! Well, it is too good to be true. Just tonight I was called to explain that my volunteer form was finally reviewed and that I was given incorrect information. Since the swim class is only 1/2 hour long, I would only have 1/2 of workout time allowed. In addition to this, I would only be given 5 minutes before and after class to change clothing. Can you imagine getting yourself and two children (ages 6 and 8) out of the pool, out of swimsuits, dried, and dressed in only 5 minutes? Now imagine that knowing that one of your children makes the tortoise look like Speedy Gonzales. It just isn't going to happen. Not only that but my kids' gymnastics class doesn't start until half an hour after swimming ends. This means I have to get the kids dried and dressed, supervise them while the wait for their next class and get them to the gym on the other side of the building(remember they are too young to be unsupervised) while I'm completing my 1/2 hour workout. Doesn't sound like I'll be getting much of a workout during that 1/2 hour does it?

Ok, I have one last complaint...no one seems to know anything. I've already touched on that above in that someone told me I'd get an hour to workout but that was incorrect. The nursery people also told me that volunteers do not get to use the nursery during their workout time. The membership services people who take your money also do not know how to provide you with a receipt. I'm still waiting for my December 5th receipt because when I was there last, the gal working didn't know how to print one. It seems that every time I have questions, I get either an "I don't know," a shoulder shrug, or an incorrect answer. I can easily get 3 or 4 totally different and conflicting answers to the same question.

We've decide to give the homeschool classes a shot (it's only 5 weeks per session) but I won't be volunteering. Instead I'll be entertaining that mobile infant for two hours trying to keep him from falling into the pool or getting trampled on by gymnasts. Meanwhile, I'll be looking for an alternative location for my daughter to get her gymnastics classes. We've already quit the aikido and went elsewhere for that.

So, does this sound like a fun place to be? It isn't. Is it worth $29 a month per child? Probably not.

Goal #13 Completed!

2008-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

In my Thursday Thirteen post yesterday, I stated that I wanted to beat my husband playing Madden 08. That was really just a joke of a goal stated to amuse my husband. However, I just won our game this evening! Whoo hoo!

For those of you who don't know, Madden 08 is a football game. My husband loves football, watches the games every week, plays fantasy football, and enjoys playing his new football game. Needless to say, he has some idea of how the game is played.

I, on the other hand, am not a football fanatic at all. I've made an effort to understand the basics of the game but not a lot of the more involved stuff. Occasionally, if a game is a close match up and becomes exciting, I'll get interested. I watched the Seahawks when they were in the Superbowl a couple years ago; actually, I hosted an all-girls party for it. So, I know a little bit about how the game is played.

So I bought this game for my husband and watched him play a couple of times. I realized he enjoyed it. I watched him play with the kids a couple of times and commented on him wanting me to play so he could play against someone who at least knew a little bit about how to play. I didn't really mean anything by it and didn't really expect him to care if I chose to learn to play the game. But he did. He answered he did want to play with me so I took over a control pad and figured out how to call plays. Surprisingly, I actually scored in my first couple of games. I've only played a handful. Then I wrote that 13th goal of beating my husband in a game as a joke.

Well, tonight folks, it ain't no joke. I actually won...57 to 55. My husband played as the Colts and I took the Panthers. At first, I was up by 13 points (I suck at kicking so I often miss the extra point). Then Scott intercepted 2 of my passes. Then he he was leading. I surprised him with a onside kick. For those who don't know what that is it is when the team who is kicking it to the other team tries to kick it really short in hopes of catching it themselves so they can keep the ball rather than turning it over to the other team. Well, I recovered that kick and went on to score again! Whoo hoo! I caught back up. In the final seconds of the game it looked like my husband was going to score and win but my defense finally did something right and stopped him just inches from the end zone.

I did it! I did it! I did it!

Neener neener neener!

13 Greats In 2008

2008-01-02T21:38:00.001-08:00

I can't think of a better way to complete the first Thursday Thirteen of the year than with a list of things I want to accomplish in 2008. I'm thinking that by posting them maybe I could come back at the beginning of each month and update on how I'm doing on them to that point and that maybe, just maybe, that will help me actually accomplish them. I'm going to write them as if they have already happened. You know...that whole "visualize it as already done makes it more likely to happen" theory.

In 2008, I...

1. ...became adept at making and adhering to a monthly budget. Because of this, we have a small emergency fund started in a savings account and have paid off much of our credit card debt.

2. ...continued to play the Grocery Game, saving our family several thousand dollars this year in groceries, bath/beauty, and household items. I've saved extra by keeping on eye on the Grocery Game's message boards for good deals on other items we have needed/wanted and Christmas gifts purchased early.

3. ...lost not less than 25 pounds and as much as 55 pounds depending on when #4 happened, if it happened.

4. ...got pregnant with our fourth child but not before July and not after November. (If we have another child, he/she cannot be born during the months of December, January, February, March, or September!!!)

5. ...found a homeschooling routine that works well for us. In fact, our routine was in place and worked so well, we were able to maintain it even though #4 happened.

6. ...got the house picked up, got the clutter removed, and been able to maintain a cleaning routine that keeps the house looking decent. My routine was in full swing and working well before #4 happened because I tend to get very sick when pregnant.

7. ...created a menu plan that I enjoy cooking, enjoy eating, and assists in the weight loss goals. The menu plan worked so well that we've reduced the number of times we eat out significantly so that we now enjoy eating out as a special occasion rather than an ordinary thing.

8. ...studied the Bible daily (school days) with my kids as part of our homeschooling routine.

9. ...found time each month to work on organizing, printing, and arranging our photos into nice-looking scrapbooks.

10. ...found time each month to knit or crochet. Because of this, I've completed several of my unfinished projects.

11. ...spent 15 minutes each day, at least 5 days a week, practicing the piano.

12. ...begun taking taekwondo classes with my son. Because of this, I've improved my balance, strength, and confidence. My fears have decreased because I feel more able to defend myself and my children against strangers who may seek to harm us.

13. ~~...beaten my husband in a game of Madden 2008 on the Game Cube ; -P~~

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

WFMW - Flavoring Soup

2008-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Every Thanksgiving I like to cook up a 20+ pound turkey for our family of 5. This gives me enough leftover turkey for a couple of days worth of leftovers/sandwiches and about 6-7 pots of turkey noodle soup. I don't consider myself a great soup maker and often have trouble getting the flavoring right. It's just bland. After trying a new recipe, I got my solution to making tasty noodle soup. I add salsa to all my homemade noodle soups now. I usually make a large pot of soup...a stock pot about 3/4 full...like I normal would. To that I add about a cup of medium salsa towards the end of the cooking time. The amount isn't an exact science; just add more or less to taste. After adding the salsa, all I have to check is the salt. I love how it adds tons of flavor easily, adds a little spice, and it tastes great. That and my kids (ages 6 and almost 8) love soup this way.

Find more tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

Happy Birthday Sammy-Man

2007-12-31T19:40:00.000-08:00

My middle child, my Spiderman fan, my big boy is turning SIX in just under four hours! We had a surprise birthday party for him last Saturday. First my husband took the two eldest kids to our favorite children's museum so I could prepare. I wrapped gifts, decorated our dining room in Spiderman theme decorations, and picked up the Spiderman 3 cake from Safeway. Our adopted grandmothers arrived. They are friends of mine who've taken on that role since we don't have any around here. My father drove 2 1/2 hours to surprise him. He was quite surprised. He opened presents first...both his birthday presents and Christmas presents from my dad (and my grandmother and aunt who live with him). There was a LOT. I think his favorites were this HUGE 2 1/2 foot Pirates of the Caribbean ship with 5 action figures and his new CD boom box (he hates begging his sister to use hers and being denied). Then we watched a 25 minute photo slide show I set to beautiful music...all photos of my Sammy-Man from my pregnancy to now. He loved it. Then we sang and ate his birthday cake. It was a good day.

Today I took him to Best Buy and Toys R Us. At Best Buy we had to return one of his Christmas presents. I bought Pirates 2 by accident. He's happy to have Pirates 3 now. At Toys R Us, we took advantage of their birthday club. They send the kids a birthday card with a $3 gift card in it, Geoffrey calls to say happy birthday on the phone, and in store they give the birthday child a balloon and crown. Our rule is that the kids have to use their own money if they spend over $3 there since they already got presents from us. He picked out a mini Spider Sapien toy he wanted. It was on sale for 50% off so he only had to spend $4.87 of his own money. For dinner, we had chicken and Spiderman mac and cheese. We are letting the kids stay up tonight...if they make it...and Sammy is happy to be able to stay up for his birthday. He was born at 11:30pm.

Multitasking While Breastfeeding

2007-12-30T20:36:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder how us nursing moms find time to blog? We buy laptops. This is a common...daily...sight at my house:

There are some things I like about breastfeeding and some things I hate about it.

I chose/choose to breastfeed my kids for many reasons like...

It decreases my risk for breast cancer by at least 50% and ovarian cancer by 1/3.

It lowers my daughter's risk of breast cancer by 25%.

It increases my children's intelligence and academic performance.

I'm lazy and don't want to wash, warm, and prepare bottles day or night.

It contains immunities and antibodies to help my kids remain healthier than they might be otherwise (think colds, flu, RSV, ear infections, meningitis).

It helps me to bond better with my children.

It comforts my baby so they are happier and cry much less.

It changes composition (nutrition, fat, calories, antibodies) to meet the needs of my nursing child at that time.

It protects against many diseases, including Crohn's Disease and diabetes.

It reduces my children's risk of developing allergies and asthma.

It reduces my children's risk of developing certain childhood cancers.

It costs a whole lot less than formula.

I only have to carry a small diaper bag.

I get plenty of sleep, even in the early days, because I tend to fall asleep while nursing in bed.

I don't have to worry about what it is made of (genetically modified foods, chemicals, contamination, etc.).

Their diapers smell better, in fact, they hardly smell at all.

God designed breasts to make milk so I figure I should follow His design since He DOES know better than me.

On the other hand, I hate breastfeeding for several reasons...

Because I don't pump, baby has to go with me literally everywhere for the first 8-9 months or so.

Babies eventually get teeth and have to be taught not to bite. In the meantime, I get bit.

I have to do ALL of the feeding day and night.

I hate being stuck...on the couch or bed...nursing rather than up doing what I want to do.

It's that last one that has always really bugged me. I get really antsy when I'm nursing. My skin crawls because I can't get up. I tend to be always moving even when I'm being lazy. I don't just sit and watch TV; I sit and watch TV while reading, emailing, surfing the Internet, knitting, writing a letter, etc. I fidget....A LOT.

Getting a laptop has helped me a lot. Now I can email, surf the Internet, edit photos, write letters, plan homeschooling work, pay the bills, and blog...all while nursing. My youngest son doesn't know what it is like to nurse without a laptop on top of him unless we are in bed. LOL In fact, can you guess where he is now?

I love my laptop which my wonderful husband surprised me with for our last anniversary!

Unconscious Mutterings #2

2007-12-29T23:28:00.000-08:00

To see other Unconscious Mutterings participants and get the weekly lists, go here.

Memorable :: This year.

Resolution :: My DVD project (all my technical problems with the program I was using are resolved)

Goal :: Soccer

2008 :: Next Year

Sensational :: My DVD Project

Popular demand :: Back by...

Old :: How I feel

Music :: Songs about children growing up that make you cry

Intense :: My feelings of happiness, content, and love after viewing my DVD project

2007 :: It's been a long year with lots of downs but lots of ups too

Ok, so I referred a lot to my DVD project. Today we celebrated my son's 6th birthday. His actual birthday is on New Year's Eve. As a special present, I created a 25 minute photo slide show set to music showing pretty much his entire life thus far. I've been emmersed in photos of my kids (especially of my son) and songs about children growing up for about 4 days straight. I have photos, memories, and songs stuck in my brain and there isn't much room for anything else right.

The video came out awesome! He loved it and had the BEST smile on his face as we watched it. I want to upload it and embed here but it is too large to upload to You Tube. I'm hoping to find a way to compress it so I can upload it. I really don't want to edit out photos to make it smaller..I'd have to edit out 1/3 of the video.

PhotoHunt: Messy

2007-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

This week's photo hunt topic is messy. I've been going through some old photos and came across a perfect one for it. Here's Mika and Sammy at ages 4 and 2 painting with lovely purple and green fingerpaint. It was definitely messy!

Go to PhotoHunt to see more photo hunter participants and their photos.

Shhhh....it's a Surprise!

2007-12-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

It is days like this that makes me wish I wasn't so much of distracted procrastinator. If I were just distractable, I'd probably be less behind. If I were only a procrastinator, I'd probably be doing ok. It's when you put it all together that I get into trouble.

Today I'm working on a birthday surprise for my son that has to be done before 2pm tomorrow. I also have to go to the grocery store, find a present, wrap a bunch of presents, decorate, cook dinner, take Sammy to taekwondo, buy DVD-RWs, burn a DVD, and take care of three children while I do all this.

I've been on hold for 28 minutes trying to get an answer to a technical question on a program I'm trying to use to complete said surprise and I just don't have time for this because...see first paragraph.

13 Things About My Wonderful Husband

2007-12-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to do an additional Thursday Thirteen post. A bonus thirteen! How cool is that?

13 Wonderful Things About My Husband

1. He knows and accepts that PMS is a real thing.

2. He knows and accepts that I'm really, really, really distractable and forgetful. He may make fun of me but he doesn't hold it against me....too much.

3. He totally supports me homeschooling the kids and gently helps us get back on track when my distractable self gets us off track.

4. He supports my many adventures into new and exciting hobbies even though he knows that it is probably just a passing fad and all that new stuff I bought will start collecting dust after the next new and exciting hobby discovery is made. At least it keeps me busy!

5. He cooks dinner sometimes even though he has just gotten home from work and I've been home all day with the kids. It seems so backwards but I get tired, bored, and/or unmotivated sometimes and he's a pretty good cook.

6. He does laundry when my distractable self forgets that the mountain in our bedroom is actually dirty clothes that need to be washed. (Now I just need to train him to fold, hang, and put it all away...Shhhhh.)

7. He's a great dad...taking the kids on special dates, playing GameCube with them, enjoying board games with the kids, rough housing, teasing, teaching, going on field trips with us, being the "mean parent" (but not too much), etc. etc. etc.

8. He works hard to pay the bills, feed us, house us, clothe us, buy everything we need, support my many adventures into new and exiting hobbies....

9. He loves animals ALMOST as much as my daughter and I do and will remember that when it is time to add to our zoo. : )

10. He enjoys fixing my computer every time I break it...I mean every time it breaks all by itself, with no help from me whatsoever.

11. He supports natural homebirth, attachment parenting, child-wearing, co-sleeping, and breastfeeding.

12. He supports me going to weekly ACA meetings every Monday (and watches the kids) and bi-annual, 4-day retreats (and watches the kids) so I can stay somewhat sane.

13. He gave me permission to post this photo of my surprise stocking stuffer to him. I love it when he plays along with my silliness.

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13 Memories of 2007

2007-12-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy year! Today I'm sharing just thirteen of the exciting, happy, sad, fun, humorous memories from this year. There were so many to choose from it was hard to choose just thirteen to represent the past year. As a homeschooling family, we go to so many really cool and interesting places...all in the name of learning...on school days. : )

We started the year off anticipating the arrival of Joshua. After refusing to join us, he was rushed into this world via induced labor on February 28th. The coolest things about his birth was that we got a really awesome doctor, my closest friend was there, and the kids witnessed the whole thing. Mika burst out in happy tears, alarming everyone in the room, and Sammy thought it was "cool".
Then just 2 1/2 weeks later, Josh came down with a fever on the way home from church one Sunday. A call to the doctor sent me to the children's hospital ER. It wasn't long before they told me we'd be staying for 2 days so they could treat a urinary tract infection via IV. Not long after that I was told it would actually be 4 days so they could also treat RSV. We arranged for an awesome friend to take the kids (We love you Susan!) until my father could come up and Scott joined us at the hospital. We ended up staying a heart-wrenching 8 days while we watched our poor, very sick, newborn baby struggle to breath. We were soooooo happy to leave and I'm still paranoid about running noses (I freak out because I don't want Josh anywhere near a child with a runny nose for fear he'll get RSV again.)

In June, we took a field trip to the Pioneer Farm Museum. This place is cool and this was our second visit there. The kids got to learn all about what life was like for the pioneers. They kneaded bread, ground coffee beans, dressed in pioneer clothes, carded wool, washed laundry in a wringer, chased chickens, visited barn animals (including the above horse), watched a blacksmithing demo, sawed some branches, and took a short wagon ride. There's more but that list was getting long! We also visited their Native Indian tour on this trip. We played indian drums, made arrow heads, played indian games, and tried weaving. We enjoyed every minute of the trip.

Every summer, we participate in the library's summer reading program. When the children reach their reading goal, they get a free trip to the Pt. Defiance Zoo. The special program this year was a rather unusual and odd drama group, Umo Ensemble. The show was extemely weird but left us in stitches nonetheless.

In August Scott's niece, Rachael, came to visit. We had never met her so we had no idea what to expect. She is absolutely awesome and adorable. Since she had never been to Washington, we gave her the grand tour of western Washington. Well, as much as we could in one week. One of the many stops was the Space Needle, of course. We had a tiring but very fun week and can't wait to see her again.

One of the places we went to with Rachael was Long Beach. She wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. We surprised Mika with a horse ride on the beach. After getting over her initial fear that the horse was going to take off with her, she loved it.

Labor Day weekend we took our annual camping trip to Cannon Beach, OR. The kids love spending time playing on the beach and visiting with Papa. We also enjoy burying our dog, Zach. He doesn't mind at all. In fact, he lays there patiently while we do it and stays there for quite a while afterwards. He gets lots of attention from people walking by. When he's had enough, he just stands up and shakes the sand off. I think he likes it.

On the beach, we also dug ourselves a big moat and then stood on it while the waves came in. We stood safely inside our moat on our little island. When we left, we saw two other groups of people enjoying our island. We want to do that again in 2008.

One of our field trips this year was to Camlann Medieval Village. It was a quiet day as we went on one of the weekends after the summer festivals. It was still interesting and quite a learning experience. We want to go back next summer during the festivals. My 7 year old daughter snapped this photo of the potter apprentices' hands working some clay. Isn't it a wonderful photo?

It doesn't look like it in this picture but the kids are enjoying cotton candy at the Puyallup Fair. We go every year because we absolutely must! We have our caricatures drawn by one of the artists there each year. We have 9 years worth of carictures and it is a family tradition. Even during years money is tight, we find a way to get to the fair to get our mugs drawn.

I think the best field trip of the 2007-2008 school year so far was our trip to the Pacific Science Center. It was the kids' first time there and they LOVED it. After 5 hours there, they still didn't want to leave. I think they loved it all but the dinosaur bones were probably a favorite.

Sammy started taking Taekwondo classes this year. He loves them. We can provide these classes thanks to Columbia Virtual Academy. CVA is a public school-homeschool co-op of sorts. It allows me to homeschool under the supervision of a certified teacher and they provide a good-sized student fund to pay for curriculum, supplies, classes, and field trips. This program is VERY homeschool friendly and hasn't cramped our homeschooling in any way. We still homeschool exactly the same way we did before we found CVA only now we get to do more because we have the funds. The kids like that.

Ok, I said I'd never get a gaming system. Never ever. Here's the kids enjoying the new-to-us GameCube on Christmas Day. Scott got it in trade on a laptop he sold. He was going to sell it but a friend of mine gave me a good reason to keep it so we did. The kids say, "Thank you Susan!"

Josh loves his new walker. He'll be walking for real in no time.

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My Christmas in Review

2007-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a little Christmas review. Next year, I'll be able to look them up on my blog archives and remember what I wanted to do again and what I wanted to change. Thes are the answers to my own questions. If you want to answer them too, see my post below or here.

1. When do you normally decorate? Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Eve or somewhere in between?
I normally decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. I like getting it up early for two reasons: so I don't have the added stress closer to Christmas and because I want to get Christmas decorations put away before my son's birthday on New Year's Eve (so the two can be separate occasions). So far my son has requested that Christmas decorations be left up for his birthday.

2. Do you like all your decorations? Are there any you wish to get rid of? Are there any new ones you wish to purchase?
I like almost all of my decorations. I have a wreath that I made myself for the door and a matching one for my table. I hope they survive a long time because I just love them. I do NOT like our star for the top of our Christmas tree. It tends to slowly fall over because it is too heavy for our tree. Hopefully, we can find a better tree topper for next year. I'd also like to find some kind of garland or ribbon to go around our tree.

3. Which traditions were your favorites that you want to make sure you keep for next year?
I have several that I want to keep for a long time. We try to go to some sort of show as a family every year. This year we went to a holiday concert at the symphony. We buy a new special ornament for our tree to commenorate something that happened that year. This year it was a baby's first Christmas ornament. We also get the kids a new ornament that they'll take with them when they move out. We always give the kids new jammies on Christmas Eve. I also don't put the presents out under the tree until after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. It's more magical for them to wake up Christmas morning that way. The kids and I usually go to The Coats Christmas concert with a friend every year but didn't this year. We were all sad every time we thought about missing it. We'll be sure to go next year!

4. Is there a new tradition you tried or saw on another blog that you would like to see next year?
I'd like to figure out a Christmas menu to make into a tradition. I'd also like to find an Advent countdown that works for us.

5. Is there a tradition that you wish to give up next year for some reason? Maybe it took too much time or energy. Maybe no one really enjoyed it.
I'd like to work towards making Christmas more about family togetherness and less about the gifts. I'd like to reduce the amount of gifts and the amount of money spent. I've wanted this for a couple of years but I'm always afraid that the kids would be disappointed. My husband and I have reduced the gifts for ourselves. We generally do not buy for each other. Instead, we help each child buy something small for us so they can feel the joy of giving.

6. What was your favorite Christmas recipe or meal that you like to make every year? Did you try anything new this year? Did you see any new recipes you want to try next year?
We do not have a traditional Christmas meal. I'd like to find one...but not a huge feast because it usually is only our immediate family. Usually I make certain treats that I don't make during the rest of the year: chocolate peanut butter bars and fudge are two of them.

7. What was your favorite gift given?
I put a certain pair of boxers in my husband's stocking. They were spiderman boxers; spidey blue on the back, spidey red on the front with black web and spider on the red part. His look, once he realized that they were for him (and not accidently put into his stocking by mistake), was classic.

8. What was your favorite gift received?
I'm thrilled with the gifts my kids got me!

9. How do you spend Christmas day? Do you want to change this next year?
Usually we unwrap presents, detangle toys from their hundreds of twisties holding them in, and then be bored the rest of the day. This year we bought the kids very few toys; they mostly wanted electrics stuff. We had no twisties to untwist this year! We spent the day playin gamecube games together which was more fun than the usual Christmas. I want to find a new tradition to fill in the post unwrapping part of the day.

10. When do you put away decorations? Right away or do you wait awhile?
My goal is to have it all pulled down, packed up, and put away by December 29th or 30th so my son can have a non-Christmas birthday. So far, he has asked for the Christmas stuff to be left out for his birthday so I oblige him and work on getting it put away before my daughter's birthday (January 15th). If he ever changes his mind and wants his birthday totally separate from Christmas, I'll be ready to have Christmas put away in time for his birthday. I like this plan.

Christmas Video Greeting

2007-12-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Merry Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

I'm done! I'm done!

Well at least as done as I am going to be. In an ideal world, my house would be total clean and I'd have a special breakfast for tomorrow (homemade cinnamon rolls perhaps) ready and waiting to be baked. But I don't live in an ideal world nor anything close to it.

Earlier we all changed into Christmas jammies (we give the kids new pjs every Christmas Eve and got mom and dad involved this year) and settled down to watch a Christmas movie while the kids kept track of Santa on Norad. Before putting the kids to bed, we gave Josh his medicine which he promptly threw up. He no longer has Christmas pjs on. Mom is only wearing the bottom half of hers with a sub top half. Poor kid! His tummy doesn't like this medicine.

We got the kids to bed. As soon as they were asleep, I got busy being Santa. I was going to clean up a bit more but I'm not feeling too well tummy-wise myself and I have a headache. Figures. I'm off to bed. Hope ya'll have a wonderful Christmas morning! I can't wait to see the kids' reactions in the morning...especially Sammy's initial one since we traded out his stocking for a new Spiderman 3 one. He's gonna love it! (See Scott's blog for a photo.)

Menu Plan Monday ~ December 24

2007-12-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

I've got so much going on right now I don't even want to think about menus. I've still got wrapping to do and my kids want to bake for Santa. I have to run out to the store for something I forgot and I need to get ready for my son's birthday next week. So, I really haven't thought this out much yet but I'll put something down in hopes I'll actually follow some of it. Visit Organizing Junkie for more menus!

Sunday: Steak Nachos

We love nachos here. Our nachos include refried beans, steak (usually ground beef but sometimes we do steak or chicken instead), cheddar cheese, chili con queso dip, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, fresh guacamole, and salsa. My husband adds olives and jalepenos if we have them.

Monday: Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy & Corn

Yum!

Tuesday: London Broil Steak with Baked Potatoes & veggie

It's just us...no family so I don't feel like doing a big feast. Besides I still have enough turkey leftovers to make about 6 more pots of soup. I'll be making an awesome Crab and Clam Dip for crackers to munch on during the day.

Wednesday: Turkey Noodle Soup with Homemade Bread

Made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Thursday: Turkey Burgers using Homemade Rolls

I have lots of ground turkey I got marked down.

Friday: Leftover Buffet

Saturday: Not yet planned

Desserts: We'll be baking Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve using Nestle's recipe. I'll be making Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake for Christmas.

Unconscious Mutterings #1

2007-12-23T13:34:00.001-08:00

Ok so I found another fun thing to blog...this website lists ten words every Sunday and you just type whatever comes to mind first.

I say ... and you think ... ?

Health :: Want it
Tacky :: Am not!
Heels :: Red
Yay! :: Why?
Model :: Airplane.
Gather :: Together
Best gift ever :: That's what the kids will say this Christmas when they open the surprise gift.
Clients :: Hopefully Scott will have lots and lots.
Stomp :: Am not!
Clothing :: Need some but then hate everything I try on.

Ok, a few of these could use some explanation...

For health, I just want Josh to get healthy again. He's been battling some kind of infection or illness for over 3 months now. I can't explain my answer for tacky. I saw a woman at church today wearing an interesting pair of red heels. I could stop looking at them. I kind of liked them and I kind of didn't. Why are you saying yay? Model airplane? Well, duh! Gather together? Another duh. I can't wait until the kids sing praises on Christmas for THE gift. I'm hoping Scott gets lots and lots clients for his new job since he will be paid partly in commission. I couldn't help picturing a toddler stomp and say, "Am not!" Tacky that is. Yes, I need clothing. My wardrobe is pitiful but ever time I try to remedy it I spend hours at the stores and bring back nothing.

Salvation Army Giving Tree

2007-12-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Visiting our local Salvation Army Giving Tree is becoming a family tradition for us. We've done it for several years; now we take the kids and let them each choose a tag. Being children, they prefer to find a child of similar age and gender as themselves. Then we go shopping for the item wished for and return it to the volunteer manning the tree to give to the child on our behalf. We are thankful that we can give a five year old boy a play dough center and nine year old girl a vanity set for Christmas. Fortunately, the kids' tags are nearly all gone.

Our local tree needs people to pick up senior tags. There were many still left on the table. These men and women usually ask for something simple: some gloves, a hat, bed sheets, or a book. There is still time; the trees are up until Christmas Eve.

If you can, would you consider venturing out into the crowds to bless someone in need this Christmas?

We Are Blessed

2007-12-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Lately, our kids have been proving to us that they don't realize just how blessed we are. How could they? They have everything that they need and most of what they want also. Suffering, to them, is eating a home-cooked healthy meal consisting of food they don't care for or waiting six months for that cool new toy they really want. We've been increasingly bombarded with "gimme" and "yucky". So, we took drastic measures to ensure that Christmas in our house is a little more thankful this year.

We went to Africa, Mexico, and poor America. Well, we took a pretend trip there. We woke up in the dark (we do have very short days here in Washington during the winter) and stayed in the dark. We had no electricity. No electricity meant no lights, no TV, no computers, and no heat (we turned it down to 65 so not to freeze us completely). We lit a couple of candles for light. We had no extra clothes. I chose older, outgrown clothes for the kids to wear and we cuddled for warmth. We did not have a large house. We confined the kids to a portion of the living room about 8 feet by 10 feet on the floor because we no longer had furniture. It was a bit cramped. We had no running water so we went outside in the rain with a soup pot for a bucket and drew water from our "well" (the outside spigot). Our feet got cold beause we had no shoes. For breakfast we at nsima, a staple in Africa, plantains, and mangoes. The kids and I did not like any of it nor were we looking forward to having it again for lunch and dinner. The kids each were allowed to choose one toy that did not require batteries and that was all they owned. Scott and I were prepared to go through this for the day, until night came at 4:30pm and we put the kids to bed on the floor of our living room. It did not take that long to get the point across.

At first, the kids thought it was going to be fun...living by candlelight. Mika broke down at breakfast. She, like her mom, is a picky eater. She left her food pretty much untouched and the thought of having nothing else but nsima and plantains for the rest of the day was too much for her. Sammy didn't take care of his one toy and lost it. Having no TV, computers, or toys was the hardest for him. That and he was cold. They were both crying and begging to be done within a couple of hours. We talked about our experiences and had them write about them as well. Mika hates to write so we stayed in our new life an extra hour. Turns out that writing isn't so bad. We're done now. We came home with the knowledge that we'll go back if we need to.

What are we going to do now? In a little while, we are going to attend a potluck at Sammy's taekwondo dojang and see his instructor break a bunch of bricks. Then we'll go to the mall and pick some kids from the Salvation Army giving tree and go shopping for them. We'll see Santa while we are there and then maybe going see a light display at a local park. We'll appreciate all of it too.

We are blessed to live here in America. We have a father who works hard to support us. We have a home, even if it is just a modest one. We have electricity. We have heat. We have a large variety of healthy food. We have people who love us. We have lots of toys and fun gadgets to entertain us. We get to learn and we have the right to do so from home, enjoying lots of fun projects and field trips. We have a good God who love us and provides for us. We have Jesus' birth and sacrifice on the cross. We have everything we need.

Check out my husband's blog for his post about our morning adventures. You can read Mika's essay here and Sammy's essay here.