Michelle's Musings

Little Mister's Prayers

2012-01-08T22:48:00.000-06:00

That dinosaurs will not be extinct any more and that he can fight them.
that he will not suck his fingers or eat his snot
that he will get to play whatever he wants
that he will know what eight means
thank you that dinosaurs are dead and can't eat us
'thank you for everything but not pirates and Goliath.'

Fun Finds

2011-11-08T07:11:00.000-06:00

Some recent finds that the kids are really enjoying:

1. Books written by Caralyn Buehner and illustrated by Mark Buehner. Great stories with really detailed, fun illustrations. Little A loves looking for all the hidden pictures within the picture - the illustrator clearly had fun putting the book together. We've read Fanny's Dream, Snowmen at Night, SuperDog, Snowmen at Play. I have a couple more on my request list at the library.

2. Wild Kratts on PBS Kids. A kids show that I actually enjoy and learn something from. The Kratt brothers have animal adventures and teach a lot about animals on each episode. The kids now spout off random animal facts throughout the day.

3. Shelled Pistachios. Keeps Little Mister busy for awhile, although I can't always get him to put the shells in the trash.

What are your kids into these days?

Six

2011-09-16T14:24:00.008-05:00

Today you are 6. Your age now takes two hands to display.

Did you know 6 is my favorite number? It has been since I was a child and it has carried into adulthood. My first phone number (which is still your grandparent's phone number) started with a 6. Your dad and I got married on the 6th. You were born on the 6th. I hope your 6th year is one of your best.

This year has found you quickly learning to ride a bike,

developing a consuming and passionate love for dogs, especially your grandparent's Ginger,

becoming a very competent swimmer,

forming friendships with some older and idolized neighbors whose love for crafting almost matches yours,

You are creative, driven and determined. You are inquisitive and observant. You care very much about what other people think of you and have started to get self conscious when I 'catch' you dancing or singing. As a result, you are currently (by your request) taking a break from gymnastics and dance, as you don't like the recitals and public displays. I hope to teach you that your standards and goals are yours alone and that yours is the only opinion that matters.

You've blossomed into quite the artist and spend much of your time with crayons, markers, scissors, tape and paper. We've gone through no less than 30 rolls of tape this year, as you use it for almost all of your creations. You, with no guidance or assistance from your dad or me, make paper clothing,

construct your own mini-trees,

make lots of angels, fairies and princesses in several different mediums, elaborate lego buildings, fill our stairway with paper lanterns,
make your own kite with chopsticks, creating jewelry with tape and paper, and, sometime, 'arting' on your brother.

Favorites:

Color - pink and purple

Food - Chicken Pot Pie, Berries, Strawberry Ice Cream

Movie - Tangled

TV Show - Wild Kratts, My Little Pony

Activities - Doing Art, Swinging, People Watching, Asking Questions, Swimming

This weekend you and I were at a playground and you asked to swing in my lap. We worked together to get you up into my lap (the swings are pretty high off the ground at this park) and, while successful, we found ourselves sitting in a swing that was absolutely still and were too high off the ground to use our feet to get it started. Thus we started slowly moving forward and backward, our bodies working in sync. The swing started to shift, ever so slightly and we continued. After a few minutes of quietly working together as one, we got the swing moving steadily and enjoyed the feel of the rare breeze in our hair. We talked easily about little things, even though, as you said '[you] couldn't see my face but [you] could hear my voice." Swinging in the shade with my ever-growing little girl still fitting in my lap brought a few moments of pure bliss for me.

Today I met you at your school to eat lunch with you in the school cafeteria. You had a huge, face-filling smile for me when I walked into the noisy, active cafeteria and I couldn't get to you fast enough. We made our way to the parent tables on the stage and your smile never left your face. I know all too well that my presence at school and in front of your peers won't always bring you joy, so I will thoroughly enjoy the days and years that it does. You happily pointed out your new friends and solemnly explained the rules of the cafeteria. You told me you liked my shirt and politely thanked me when I shared my kiwi with you. I let you have one of the birthday cookies that I was dropping off for your class and you beamed. I thought back to one of our first lunch dates, when the two year old you jumped up and down in the booth with a mouth full of mashed potatoes and I almost teared up thinking about how much you've grown up in four short years since that meal.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl. You are so very treasured and loved.

Love, Mama

Card Carrying Member

2011-08-13T22:54:00.000-05:00

The One Where My Kids Finally Enter Chuck E Cheese

2011-08-11T22:50:00.001-05:00

I made it almost 6 years with Little A and over three with Little Mister, but my kids have now officially been to Chuck E Cheese. And..... it wasn't so bad. It was actually better than I expected. I appreciated that each game cost one token (as opposed to movie theater arcades where some games cost 3-4), that I could say 'yes' each time they asked to play something and you better believe I followed them around with sanitizer wipes.

Confessions

2011-08-02T15:44:00.003-05:00

I am way too concerned with other people's opinion of my parenting skills. Or lack thereof.
This is compounded by the fact that Summer 2011 will be known as The Sibling Bickering Summer.
I can not figure out how to teach my kids to speak kindly consistently.
I said a bad word in front of my kids yesterday when I got lost downtown. I don't think they even know the word or that it's bad (it would have been different if I yelled out 'stupid' or 'butt'), but still, it was uncalled for and not classy.
I want a do-over for my attitude in July. And for my daughter's.
I haven't opened my Bible in two months. At least. I did download a Bible App, but I haven't opened that yet either.
I have checked Facebook daily, but not my Bible. Nice.

Popsicles on the Porch

2011-07-13T18:22:00.003-05:00

Just a typical hot day. The kids are still in their swimsuits, eating popsicles on the porch.

making faces for the camera

Then, without warning, disaster strikes....

What could cause those tears? That anguish?

This, of course:

The last bite of popsicle falling to the dirt below. Oh the horror!

More tears....

Why me??

Then, in an uncharacteristic display of selflessness, Little A offers him the rest of her popsicle.*

All is well with the world.

Life is good.

* She later told me that she was all done and didn't want the rest anyway. Sigh.

Summer Break - Week Two

2011-06-30T22:06:00.004-05:00

painting with water

dying paper with beet juice

swimming

Summer Break - Week One

2011-06-05T20:17:00.000-05:00

Summer is here. I'm full of hope for a fun, memory making summer. I'm praying earnestly that God will grant me a grateful and patient spirit and that I will remember to slow down and enjoy these days with my babies.

So far, so good. Here are some scenes from the week:

Dress Up - And Not a Princess Dress in Sight!

My neighbor generously passed on some dress up clothes her boys have outgrown. Notice I said boys. Little Mister finally has something to dress up in that is sequin, satin and petty-coat free!

Corn on the Cob for Lunch.

Breakfast Picnic at the Park

Since it's unbearable to be outside (if not swimming) in the afternoon, I'm going to maximize our mornings. This week we packed our breakfast and headed to our favorite park. I'm pretty sure we took home 1/4 of the sand from the sand box. Sorry park.

why just play in the sand when you can lay in the sand?

It's a fishing pole. A sword. A wand. And no one poked their eye out....

What I'm Loving These Days

2011-06-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

To Drink - Water with mint leave and lime. Kinda mojito-ish and very refreshing.

To Eat - My food blog (thelivelykitchen.com) has more than you ever wanted to know about what I'm eating.

To Read - Crazy Sexy Diet and The King's Cross. Today during a 4 hour trip to the park, I read What Matters Most. On the cruise I read and loved Tina Fey's Bossy Pants.

To Watch - Good Wife and 30 Rock.

To Do

Be excited that Trader Joe's is coming to Texas.
Figure out what we are going to do this summer when it's hotter than Hades for 4 months. I'm taking it week by week. So far, so good.
Write about food.

To Click - These very moving posts about Compassion, a ministry I very much support.

Our Long-In-Coming Getaway

2011-05-25T22:27:00.001-05:00

C – Carnival Cruise Line, Cozumel, Crowds.

Our cruise was a Thurs-Mon sailing on the Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston, TX. We choose it since it was the only 4 day (as opposed to 7 or 10 day) out of Galveston. Galveston is a 4 hour drive for us, so it saves both airfare and the travel time associated with flying. Carnival is the value brand of cruise ships and, as such, doesn’t compete as much on food, ship decor/age, entertainment, etc as it does on price. It allowed us to have a reasonably priced relaxing 4 day getaway, and, for that purpose, it worked wonderfully. Cruises, by their very nature, have a lot of people in a relatively small space. We generally prefer the opposite.

We sailed Thurs pm and all day Friday. Saturday we docked in Cozumel. We got massages and did the very touristy Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. It was a slow day in Cozumel, as we were the only boat that docked. They normally have 5-7 ships in port, so having only 1 made it a very quiet city. Thus, Margaritaville was almost empty and quite enjoyable. We swam in their roped-off portion of the blue, blue ocean and enjoyed their big inflatable water toys. You are never too old to jump on a water trampoline!

R – Relaxation.

this may be my favorite picture from the cruise…..

Far and away the best part of the vacation was having absolutely nothing on the daily agenda. We are in a busy season of life (is there any other type?) and I wanted a vacation that didn’t require researching locations, restaurants, attractions, hotels, subway maps and the like. Nor did I want to pack and re-pack as we jumped from hotel to hotel. The cruise was perfect in that respect. We unpacked once. Figured out the lay of the ship in 10 minutes. Found the ‘Serenity Deck’ and visited it for hours each at-sea day. I took two naps, you know, because reading on a lounge chair is so tiring and all.

U – Uninterrupted Conversations.

Beyond loving this guy, I really like him too. And I really like getting to have actual conversations without stopping to (a) break up a sibling fight, (b) wipe a kid’s tush, (c) get some food for one or both children, (d) find the missing Barbie shoe, (e) answer the 432 ‘why’ question of the day or (f) attend to some other child related interruption. We got to discuss the books we were reading – he read C.S. Lewis, I read Tina Fey – it made for some random conversations. We got to discuss the wide variety of people we encountered on the boat. We got to just enjoy being together.

I – Ice Cream. Ice Cold Beverages.

The ship had an open 24-hr soft serve machine. We visited it often. Like 3 times a day. Good stuff.

We also enjoyed some cocktails. I skipped the umbrella drinks and sipped on the cheaper (and lower calorie) cocktail of vodka, club soda and lime. It was the first time in many years and maybe even ever that I had alcohol before noon.

Not sure what it says about me, but I had more soft serve than alcohol. :)

S – So Much Food. Swimsuits. Sun Avoiding.

Breakfast and Lunch were usually eaten in the casual, buffet-style restaurant. Breakfast, which I would get and then take down to my lounge chair, was oatmeal with nuts, lots of fruit and sometimes some scrambled eggs. Followed by soft serve. For lunch I ate salads and fruit and pizza/sandwiches/veggie stir-fry. Followed by soft serve.

We ate in the main dining room each night for dinner. I wasn’t overly impressed with the food. I would characterize it as slightly upscale cafeteria food. It tended to sound better on the menu than it actually tasted. There was always a vegetarian option, which was nice, but I much prefer the vegetarian food coming out of my kitchen. On the last night the vegetarian option was a quite tasty Indian Sampler Platter. If only they could have had that the other three nights.

There was, however, a molten chocolate cake on the menu each night and I got it all 4 nights. It was fantastic. If they had a 24-hr molten chocolate cake machine I would have been in serious trouble.

I wore a swimsuit daily, but tried my hardest to stay out of the sun and, when in the sun, slathered sun screen on like it was molten chocolate cake. I was determined not to get sunburned and it worked. There were some seriously sunburned folks on that boat and I’m so glad I wasn’t one of them.

E – Exercise.

There was soft serve and molten chocolate cakes. There was also the small part about wearing swimsuits each day. Thus, we visited the ship’s gym. Getting to workout for 3 days in a row was actually a bit of a luxury. I’m no Savior or anything, but I learned you can run on water. :) Or, run on a treadmill on a boat that is floating in the water. The first day the seas were a bit rough and the running while the boat was rocking was entertaining to say the least.

Our room was on the lowest passenger deck (the crew was below us and I had visions of them having big dance parties like in Titanic or Dirty Dancing, you know, if Dirty Dancing was on a ship), so we had at least 4 flights of stairs each time we left the room. It made for some nice soft-serve burning mini-workouts several times a day.

—————

As for the kids, they did great. Mainly because my mother-in-law takes far better care of my kids than I do and I knew they would have an absolute blast (No lie – she took them to the park, a bounce-house place, the pet store, out for ice cream, out to eat, she did experiments and art projects, she let them watch their favorite movies, she bought them new Crocs AND she left my house cleaner than when she arrived. No, you cannot have my mother in law).

Toddler Talk + Little A-isms

2011-04-28T16:39:00.003-05:00

Me:Do not step on that pillow.

Little A: I'm not. I stepping on the mountain of doom.

------

Kids counting time in the back seat....

Me: There is no 13 o-clock. It starts over after 12.

Little Mister: What about 8?

Me: 8 is a number. It comes after 7 and before 9.

Little Mister: But what does 8 mean?

silence.....

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Little Mister's version of the Easter story involved Jesus coming out of the 'Tube' on the 3rd day.

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At a restaurant:

Little Mister: I want only red ketchup. I don't like white ketchup or yellow ketchup.

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Little Mister's preschool teacher's father passed away last week. As we were driving to school, I started talking about things we could do to make Mrs. A feel better while she was sad.

Me: You can give her hugs when you see her.

Little A: And we could bring her some cookies.

pause

Little Mister: And we could bring her a hamburger. With ketchup.

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T21:56:00.001-05:00

Better Me Than You - Lest we forget what Easter is really about.

Random Thoughts - Disney Version

2011-04-16T17:09:00.003-05:00

Did the Toy Story creators have a big laugh in naming one of the main character's Woody? Seriously, how am I supposed to keep a straight face when Little Mister yells out "I need my Woody," "my Woody isn't working" or "why is this Woody so small?"
I think Tangled is one of the best Disney movies ever. I enjoy it as much as the kids.
Little Mister loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney these days. He has taken to saying "oh coconuts" when something goes wrong.
Now that we are starting to move to the older section in girl's clothing, it is becoming harder to avoid Hannah Montana and other Teen Disney gear. Which is annoying. Little A has no idea who Hannah Montana or the cast of High School Musical or iCarly is and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible. Thus she is wearing a lot of solid colors. I also don't like that so many of the clothes become too trendy and sassy. Luckily Little A likes her dresses floral and long and her shirts and shorts very age appropriate.

Three - The Birthday Letter

2011-04-07T14:18:00.014-05:00

My Little Mister,

We've had three whole years to love you. This year has been a big transition from toddler to little boy. You have become much more rambunctious and confident and seem to become more independent by the day. "I do it" was your phrase for the year. While I'd be content to keep you on my hip forever, this is the year you started wanting down, wanting to explore on your own.

You love to sing and be the center of attention. One of my favorite memories of Christmas this year was of you singing 'Away in a Manger' loudly for our extended family. You stood in the middle of your grandparent's living room and sang loudly about 'the yittle yord Jesus' who 'yay down' His sweet head, while the stars in the sky 'yooked down where he yay.' It was priceless.

As much as you enjoy the spotlight, you also enjoy time alone with your books. You have loved books from an early age and I so hope that love continues. Your latest favorites are the Clifford series, Eric Carle books and books featuring ocean life.

Speaking of ocean life, we can not speak of your 2nd year without thinking of Sea World. You love it. We've been many, many times, but each time you watch the Azul show as if it was the first time. The main performer in the show, who you've dubbed 'the Silly Man' is your hero. This summer we got a picture with him and you were adorably star-struck.

You love other kids, but don't always understand the age concept. You wonder why babies can't talk back to you and are equally puzzled when older children go off to play with kids closer to their own age. You call all little people 'friends.' After sharing a couple of smiles with a child at the grocery store, you'll turn to me and ask 'why is my friend leaving?' as the child (and their mom) head to a different aisle. I hope you always make friends so quickly.

You alternate between wanting to be right in the middle of the action and seeking out time to quietly look at books alone. Lately you tend to lean more towards the action side. You and your sister are quite a pair. You have moved past holding your own against her and have become a formidable foe. You can provoke her just about as well as she can provoke you. We spend a lot of time practicing our sharing, taking turns, respecting boundaries and remembering the house rules. It is never dull. Or quiet.

One of my favorite things about you is your sense of adventure. You often wake up asking 'what are we going to do today?' You love surprises and a day full of new experiences. You don't seem to need routines, as you are equally content with a day full of new experiences as you are with a regular stay at home kind of day.

You love your family dearly and, sweet boy, we love you too. Your cheeks have been kissed no less than a thousand times this year. You love to snuggle. You wiggle and squirm into me until you are sitting as closely against me as possible.

You spend a lot of your days with two females, but you have such a strong bond with the males in your life too. You are happy with me all day, but the moment dad comes home you become his little buddy and stay attached to him. I feel like I barely see you some weekends, as you often prefer to shadow your dad. He doesn't mind.

You also adore your grandfathers. They adore you too.

Your favorite foods are cucumbers, hamburgers, clementines, mangoes, triscuits and cashews. Your favorite TV shows are Dora the Explorer, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Little Bear. You like to listen to all kinds of music. Lately you enjoy a kid's praise CD, requesting the Ho-Ye, Ho-Ye, Ho-Ye (holy, holy, holy) song.

You still have your 'softie,' a blue little blanket you've loved since birth. You also still suck your middle two fingers of your left hand, a habit that drives your parent's mad. You must have an impressive immune system, as those little fingers pop into your mouth regardless of where you've been (like a kid's play area, sandbox or library), exposing you to all matter of germs and dirt. You've been remarkably healthy and for that we are very thankful. You did treat us to our first ever visit to the ER this past year with a scary case of croup one Saturday night. Thankfully you recovered quickly. Your sister, however, thoroughly enjoyed sitting on a hospital bed with you, eating popsicles and watching Alvin and the Chipmunks at 10:30 at night and often asks when we'll go back to the ER.

You love to get into trouble and find new ways to make messes daily. I applaud your creativity, even when it means more housekeeping for me. You've taught me to keep an eye on open bathroom doors, to hide things I don't want you moving and to look in unexpected places for lost items, like when you put my eyelash curler under your seat in the car.

This year you couldn't decided between Buzz Lightyear or Shamu as your cake topper. Since this was actually your first year to get a birthday cake (oops), I made 2 cakes so you could have both a Buzz and Shamu cake.

I love being your mama and look forward to each day with my sweet buddy boy.

We love you!

Three!

2011-04-02T07:36:00.003-05:00

Two!

One!

Little Mister turned 3 yesterday! Birthday letter to come soon.

Sweetness

2011-03-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

There is just something so sweet about a girl and her daddy.

Little A's Creations - part 3

2011-03-18T21:46:00.004-05:00

Lanterns

Airplane + Passengers

Little Mermaid + Ocean + Chair

Scenes from Spring Break

2011-03-18T21:43:00.001-05:00

Frugal Friday - Free Petite Pastries at Starbucks

2011-03-11T07:38:00.000-06:00

I really like Starbucks. I am petite. I like free things.

The trifecta - go to Starbucks Friday and Saturday between 2-5 and you'll get a free petite pastry with any drink purchase.

http://www.starbucks.com/blog/tribute-days?utm_campaign=sbux-40th-spring&utm_source=sbuxhome&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=Tdays_tile_200x105

Pick me up an iced coffee while you're there. Thanks!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Hat

2011-03-10T19:35:00.000-06:00

2006

2008

2011

Guest Blog Post - Your Modern Couple Blog

2011-03-08T15:00:00.002-06:00

Hi! I'm over on the Your Modern Couple blog today. Click here....

Little A's Creations - part 2

2011-03-05T08:45:00.003-06:00

I proudly introduce Little A's Spring Collection of Accessories.

There are headbands and bracelets, customizable of course.

Necklaces made of tape and construction paper.

And bracelets, also made of tape and construction paper.

We go through at least 2 rolls of tape a week.

Little A's Creations - part 1

2011-02-24T15:25:00.004-06:00

I'm going to start a new series of posts based on Little A's crafts. She has become a voracious Scotch Tape crafter and I'm never quite sure what she'll come up with next.

I call this series Leaves + Tape

Hopefully it's not blasphemous to try and improve on God's creation. She taped together leaves and wrapped the resulting garland around the trees in our backyard.

Her attempt to make a tree. Once again, hopefully not blasphemy. She used a stick, leaves and acorns to make the tree and surrounded the base with weeds.

Valentine's Day - the recap

2011-02-16T13:18:00.007-06:00

At lot of this is up on my food blog, so sorry if some of you see this twice.

As I've mentioned in previous years, Valentine’s Day has become a much more enjoyable holiday now that I make it about loving on my family and less about the romance. Nothing against romance, but I prefer romantic gestures to be on less commercialized days.

This is our 4th year of doing a pink and red dinner, but I decided to make this year’s whole day of meals festive. If you keep reading, you’ll see how we ended the day with a new and unexpected red addition….

Lest I get further ahead of myself, we’ll start the day’s recap…

The husband was supposed to leave really early for a conference call, but got a nice Valentine’s Day surprise of a dead car battery. No amount of muttering and attempted battery jumping worked, so he shut himself in our bedroom and took the 2 hour call at home. All this to say, he didn’t get to participate in the special breakfast.

I prepared a Valentine’s Day themed morning meal:

We decorated cookies the day before for Little A's preschool class. She surprised me with some impressive decorating skills. A little known fact about me is that I worked as a cookie decorator at a bakery near my parent's house for a couple of years in high school and college. Maybe I passed down some icing piping skills into Little A's DNA.

Because I am a perfectionist control freak, however, I only sent in the cookies I decorated to her class. Anyone want to donate to her therapy fund? Anyone?

Little Mister did some quality control. They passed inspection.

After his cookie, he had lunch. It's a holiday, dessert can absolutely come first!

The dinner - pretend the rosemary cream sauce is pink and not really red-orange. Whatever color, it is Little A's favorite meal. I actually make it at least once a month, so it isn't really our special Valentine's day sauce anymore.

The bread. And my shiny forehead. Hey, it rhymes!

As for the new addition to this year’s dinner….

During a rambunctious game of chase (is there any other kind?) in the house (bad idea 1) with overly excited kids (bad idea 2), there was a collision involving Little A’s tooth and Little Mister’s forehead. So, the new red addition to our dinner was blood, generously provided by both kids.

After some TLC, a failed attempt to go to Urgent Care (which was jam packed), a quick trip to CVS for some first aid supplies and some ice packs, we patched him up. He seems no worse for the wear, but may sport a little scar to always remind him and us of Valentine’s Day 2011.

Previous Valentine's Day Posts:

2010

2008

Seven Minutes in Heaven

2011-02-08T14:52:00.002-06:00

Sunday after church we went to Starbucks to pick up an iced coffee and redeem a coupon for a free oatmeal. While I ran into starbucks, the husband took the kids next door to get some breakfast burritos for their lunch. He ended up staying in the taco restaurant with the kids to eat and I got about 10 minutes to sit alone, eat some free oatmeal, drink some iced coffee, read the tabloid that comes in the Sunday paper and play scrabble on iPod. It's amazing how something as simple as 10 minutes to myself can rejuvenate me now. I took a picture to remind me of my happy time.

How would you most like to spend 10 free minutes these days?

Oprah's Vegan Show

2011-02-03T11:29:00.003-06:00

I typically save my food talk for my main food blog (rawhousewife.wordpress.com), but I thought, being Oprah's show and all, I bet some of my mom blog friends might want to weigh in. Did any of you catch The Oprah Winfrey Show from Tuesday where she and her staff went vegan for 7 days?

My thoughts:

I would love to sit down with Michael Pollen for dinner. He is one of my heroes.
I wish I worked for a company that gave big bags of vegan food to their employees.
The meat plant tour was tough to watch. I worked in the food industry (not with meat products) for 6 years and know first hand how you get a plant ready for inspection. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into getting it ready for Oprah Winfrey's cameras to come into and film. You better believe that was the very cleanest, most efficient, most ideal day that plant has ever had. Every employee was on their absolute best behavior. Every surface was likely pristine. What you also have to know is that I've never been in a production facility that runs 'inspection ready' on a daily basis. It's not efficient or feasible.
It's important to note that Cargill specifically chose that plant and even Michael Pollen alluded to the new technology present in that facility. The majority of slaughterhouses are not that 'pretty.' Killing animals and butchering their carcasses at high speeds is not something any of us really want to see.
Was I the only one nervous for the meat plant employees? You know those huge knives and butchering equipment have to miss their mark at times and injure the humans.
After reading Eating Animals (which I highly recommend) and Omnivore's Dilemma (which is also awesome), I know more about the different types of conditions that the different animals experience. In Eating Animals, the author (who is a vegetarian) says something to the effect of 'if you must eat animals, eat cows.' Basically because they at least spend some of their life in fields, in the outside and experience some of their natural life cycle. Granted most are feed foods they aren't designed to eat and are therefore often sick, but they do see some sunshine. Poultry and Pigs, on the other hand, don't see the light of day. Their entire lives, birth to death, are inhumane and miserable. Read about it. It will shock you. So, I think if Oprah had shown a poultry facility, I think it would have been staggering and disgusted the audience. Seeing chickens crammed into pens with several other chickens, with their beaks cut off and their feet often cut off, seeing them scalded alive (and releasing their feces and other wastes into the water that washes all the chickens and THEY ALL SOAK UP) on their way to packaging would turn more than one person away from eating chicken.
I really didn't like the grocery shopping segment where Kathy bought mostly processed vegan products. Yes, no animals were harmed in the making, but I don't think it is the healthiest way to eat vegan. I have loved finding the vegan and vegetarian blogging community where there is such passion behind whole vegan/vegetarian foods. Grains, legumes, greens, beans and the like. Those foods are good for you and the animals.
I like how they showed staffers with a variety of impressions of the vegan diet. The lady who was cranky without her fast food made me smile. Fast food is addictive and it does take time to wean yourself off of it, especially if it is a daily habit. That's also a situation where I think eating vegan processed products may be unsatisfying. A vegan/vegetarian burger will never taste like a fast food burger. Expecting it too will lead to dissatisfaction. I would recommend someone weaning off fast food to eat entirely different foods altogether (like veggie wraps, soups, ethnic veggie dishes), so you aren't expecting vegan foods to taste the same as their meat/dairy counterpart.
I liked Michael Pollan's point about changing the meat industry, not eliminating it. I don't think a meat free society is remotely realistic, as much as I'd love it. So, if meat is going to be consumed, let's create enough demand for the right kind of meat industry. I love his point about voting with our forks three times a day. The food companies are listening. Farmers are listening. If there is enough demand for a product, a supply will be created.
How much did Kellogg's leadership squeal when Oprah declared "I love Kashi?" They loved that moment. What will consumer packaged goods companies do when Oprah is no longer around to bring her magic, her golden endorsement to their product?

What are your thoughts?

A great critique of the show (from a vegan) here.

There is a good review over at Oh She Glows with some good discussion in the comments.

Little Ways I Fail #819

2011-01-29T14:29:00.004-06:00

Do you ever have those moments, those conversations where you realize that "God help me, I am honestly molding this child into who she will become?"

Yesterday when I picked up Little A from pre-school she patted my tummy and said "you have a big belly today." I immediately told her that was not a nice thing to say and she looked at me so puzzled, asking 'why?'

Sucker punch to my apparently big belly. And, no, I'm not pregnant.

Seeing from her eyes, hearing from her ears, I see why she would wonder at the severity of my response. She was making an observation. She was simply saying what she saw. No different than asking why I was wearing brown shoes or why I had my hair straight instead of curly. I, however, was quick to chide her as if she had said something inappropriate.

We are working on what things are and are not appropriate for her to say out loud when observing a person. She is learning to read my face and eyes as I try to discreetly shush her when she asks about people with visible deformities, physical impairments and the like. I'm trying to teach her that it is fine to ask, but that she needs to ask me quietly and know we'll talk about it in the car.

What struck me about this moment, this day, was that I responded to her question as if she had called me dumb, stinky, mean, or any of those other young children insult words that typically earn chiding. I've never told her not to ask about someone's body size or their weight. In responding the way I did, I basically said that her saying my belly looked big was as bad as her saying I was mean. I reinforced that a little extra weight is something that I would be self conscious of, something that I wouldn't want acknowledged because it is shameful.

I don't want her to think that having a non-model sized body is something that I am self conscious about. I don't want her to learn that her body needs to look a certain way. She'll get that message a disgusting amount of times from her peers, the media, the world. She should not get it at home. She should NOT get it from her mom.

I am big on being healthy. She knows that. I am passionate about what we eat in our house, but I have never made it be about weight. And honestly, 95% of the time in my mind, it's not. I eat the way I do because it makes me feel my best. I don't count calories. I don't own a scale. We don't talk about weight in our home. But, clearly, I am still vulnerable to feeling like my daughter remarking on the size of my tummy is an insult.

Thankfully she's five. I've got time to work on holding my tongue. I've got time to find more ways to re-inforce the importance of her heart, her words, her actions. Time to remember to comment on her behaviors more than I do her appearance.

Man, this mothering thing is tough.

Extreme Home Office Makeover

2011-01-22T16:41:00.006-06:00

We've lived in our house for just over a year. Right off the front entry is a study that was not exactly a room that 'rose up to meet me' as Oprah would say. Or Okra, as Little A thinks she is called.

The room only has one window and doesn't get the greatest natural light. My main goal was to lighten up the room and make it less cluttered looking, while still maintaining (ideally increasing) the storage space.

Before:

Tanish Orangish Brown walls. And no, that's not the official name.
Small computer desk that I've had since 2000. We've moved it from NC, to TX, to MN and back to TX. It was full of water stains and ink marks.
Chord chaos
Mis-matched desk and bookshelf

Unhung art/frames
Classy plastic drawers

Fantastic Safari Border

During:

Hello Ikea and props to the minivan for housing everything so effortlessly

After:

View from the stairs (front door is just to the left)

We still have a few finishing touches, but I LOVE how it turned out. It is so much cleaner, brighter and simple. It has become like a little calm place for me to recharge during the day.

What do you think?

Three for Tea

2011-01-20T11:25:00.002-06:00

Handmade Invitations

The Refreshments

The Hostess

Tea is Served (pants are optional)

Eclairs - guaranteed to silence for children for 2 minutes

Don't Feel Bad - Not Everyone Can Be This Awesome

2011-01-10T13:40:00.000-06:00

A Few of Our Accomplishments for 2010

Little Mister

(Little Mister, meet Ramen)

Successfully managed to drink from about 6 different juice boxes at his sister's school Christmas party before I could get to him and stop him. Needless to say, he came down with a runny nose the next day.

Learned to go #2 on the toilet, but has absolutely no desire for #1.

Memorized all the words to 'Part of Their World' from Little Mermaid.

Can identify each Disney Princess.

Can not identify trucks/tractors/construction vehicles.

Changes food preferences daily.

Little A

(frozen blueberry snack aftermath)

Finally realized that Peanut Butter is indeed delicious and is making up for her 5 years of avoiding it by having at least one PB&J a day.

She did learn to ride a bike, but dancing to a rhythm? Not so much. We might call her Elaine.

Has kept Scotch Tape (3M I think) in business by going through at least a roll a week during her daily crafting.

Has learned to talk back, insult when angry and say 'nothing' quickly (and untruthfully) when asked what she is doing.

Me:

(extreme closeup)

For the first time in 18 years, I earned absolutely no taxable income. Zilch.

Stuck my fingers in a moving blender.

Blogged more about my meals than my kids.

Spent more time reading updates on Facebook than actual books.

Found at least one new wrinkle a week. See above picture for proof. Need to buy wrinkle cream and master 'retouching' on my photo software.

The Husband

(insists we call him Your Highness)

Has watched at least 5 episodes a week of The Office on rerun while working at night.

Has re-mastered Excel.

Has eaten approximately 20 pounds of pasta. Approximately.

Stayed at the same job for over a year AND (and this is huge) brought home a steady paycheck. (he actually got a promotion already, but this post isn't for bragging on him, so pretend you didn't just read that).

Any accomplishments you want to brag on?

Is one of us a moron in this scenario?

2010-12-28T16:54:00.002-06:00

A couple of nights ago I was reading a book to Little A. In the book, one of the characters rolled her eyes at another one (darn you Vidia). Little A asked what 'rolling her eyes' meant, so I demonstrated and asked her if she could do it to.

Then I realized that I just taught my daughter to roll her eyes.

And I will see those eyes roll at me for the next 15 years (at best).

Smart move, Michelle, smart move.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T09:16:00.000-06:00

Spurs Game

2010-12-20T10:32:00.002-06:00

The husband won some tickets to a San Antonio Spurs game and we decided to try taking the kids. Surprisingly, they really enjoyed it and, as a result, so did we. The noise was a bit intense at times and both kids choose to stay in our laps for the game. Unrequested snuggles? Yes please!

Cotton Candy was enjoyed as well....

December in Texas

2010-12-17T13:12:00.000-06:00

First, I thoroughly apologize to all my Minnesota friends and readers for posting these photos. Just remember, you get awesome Spring/Summer/Fall AND you get Trader Joes AND Pizza Luce AND Punch Pizza AND the MN State Fair.

This is a day at the zoo last week..... when my MN friends were digging out from the 12 inches of snow....

Texas has its perks. December is one of them.

Christmas = Sugar

2010-12-16T09:10:00.000-06:00

We made plates for the neighbors and the kids were so cute and excited to deliver them. They'd ring the doorbell and yell out "Merry Christmas" as the door opened. I was a bit worried my little guy would think that it was also appropriate to yell out "Trick or Treat," since that phrase earned him way too much candy a couple of months ago on those same doorsteps, but he was fine.

Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti from Baking Squirrel - very good. Not too sweet, which is just how I like my biscotti.

Martha Stewart Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Betty Crocker (from a pouch) Gingerbread Cookies

White Chocolate Dipped Pretzels with Peppermint Sprinkles

Reindeer Droppings - lovely title - from the Sunday paper. Melt chocolate, stir in marshmallows and peanuts and 'drop' onto wax paper to harden.

Peppermint Bark recipe from back of the crushed peppermint bag, which looks to be this one. SO GOOD!!! I'm taking it to the kid's preschool teacher's tomorrow.

Bourbon Caramel Truffles from Cooking Light. My first attempt at truffles and they turned out pretty good. It's quite a messy process, but the end product is delicious.

What's that? You want to know what my kids were doing during all of this baking? Well, since you asked, they taped blocks to their feet and tried to 'ice skate' in the kitchen. I give them props for their creativity, but did not appreciate their using up the whole tape dispenser of tape. And, yes, they both fell a lot, especially my little guy. One benefit of not-being-potty-trained-and-yes-I-am-trying is that a diaper provides a cushy landing spot.

Little A-ism, Holiday Edition

2010-12-13T17:16:00.000-06:00

Little A: What are those?

Me: Those are tree skirts, for a Christmas tree.

Little A: Quiet. For if you want your tree to look like a ballerina?

Little A: How did the animals in the stable know not to eat Baby Jesus when they were trying to eat the hay?

It's all about who you know

2010-12-05T05:18:00.000-06:00

My absurdly talented friend Brandy made this for us this year:

An advent calendar. Isn't it amazing? I wish you could all see it up close and see the workmanship and details. I don't even remotely sew or quilt, but I can tell how well this is made. If she wasn't such a good person, I'd have to consider not liking her out of jealousy. She can cook (I still dream about her bruschetta bread salad from book club 4 years ago), bake, sew, quilt, re-do her kitchen, take wonderful photographs, back-country camp and oh yeah, work full time as an engineer. Kinda makes me feel like a wee bit of a slacker.

She also sent me these lovelies, which I promptly hid after taking the picture. They are quite safe in the pantry behind my bags of hemp seeds, sprouted quinoa, chia seeds and nutritional yeast. There is no way my kids or husband will be poking around on that shelf.

Toddler Talk - Little Mister Christmas Wishes

2010-12-02T12:35:00.000-06:00

Me: What do you want for Christmas?

Little Mister: Candy Canes.

Me: What about toys? Do you want any toys.

Little Mister: I already have toys. I need candy canes.

Blatantly Lying to my Child

2010-12-01T13:20:00.000-06:00

Blame it on this kinda cute, kinda creepy little elf:

From Elf on the Shelf fame.

Basic premise is that this little elf is straight from the North Pole and comes to your home, observes the children's behaviour and flies to Santa each night to report the naughty and/or niceness of the child in whose house he is residing.

Here are the questions I've had to lie to answer:

How does he get out of the house?
Does he only see me being bad if I am being bad in the room where he is sitting?
Does he need food?
How come my friend Nicole doesn't have an elf? Will Santa not know how she is acting?
We bought him at the store. How did he get to the store? Did he have magic there?
Why doesn't he blink?
If we hadn't bought him at the store, how would Santa know how I acted?
Why is he a boy?

Anyone else doing this? Got any good answers for me? Clearly I didn't think this all the way through when I started it. I was thinking the hunt for the elf each morning would be fun, not so much thinking about the whole 'he is watching you' logistics.

Little A's newest trick

2010-11-13T17:21:00.003-06:00

What about octagons? They're cool too.

2010-11-12T16:53:00.002-06:00

Little Mister is the 'M'

Powerful Words

2010-11-08T16:44:00.002-06:00

I needed to read this today and maybe someone else out there does too.

God Doesn't Hate Africa

Oh No She Didn't

2010-11-02T16:10:00.003-05:00

Oh Yes, Yes I Did.

I am that mom. The one that takes her kids to this the day after halloween:

those were the smiles before they fully comprehended just what we were about to do....

At least there was a nice 'tooth fairy' buying the candy.

And because I am nothing if not a walking contradiction, we are using the candy buy back money ($4) to go for ice cream after school tomorrow.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T21:50:00.003-05:00

Little A was Merliah from Barbie: Mermaid Tale. Little Mister was Buzz Yite-Year (lightyear). He has never seen that movie, but as soon as he saw the costume in the Target ad, he had his mind 100% set on being Buzz for halloween.

One house handed out pumpkin martinis for the adults - happy halloween indeed! They were also the house that handed out full size candy bars for the kids.

Guess who sneaked some candy when the folks weren't looking? Pardon the wagon handle still decorated in 4th of July streamers. We celebrate America's freedom all year. Or we are lazy. You pick.

A cat and a castle.

Frugal Friday (?) - Back on a Cash Budget - The conclusion

2010-10-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

In effort to stay on budget, remember how to use what I already have and maybe even inspire a little creativity, I'm going back to a cash budget for groceries. Thankfully times are not as tight as they were a couple of years ago and I have more than $200/month to spend. I'm shooting for $350 a month for groceries, diapers, toiletries and anything else that can be purchased at a grocery store.

I spent about $50 at Target on Monday, and pulled out the remaining $300 in cash. Today was the first day I've been shopping with cash and I went to Costco ($80) and HEB ($40). Costco was for a few things that should last us, like detergent, maple syrup, 4 lb of apple sauce, 10 lb of frozen fruit and a big ol' almond butter.

Grocery Store - greens galore (field greens, bok choy, kale, collard greens, cilantro), red peppers, milk, yogurt, oats, fruit (pears, grapes, lemons, limes, grapefruit), carrots, celery, pumpkin, dried beans, chocolate and tortillas

Costco - apples, frozen berries, bananas, rice chips, spinach, cucumbers, detergent, almond butter, apple sauce, maple syrup,

$350 - $50 (target) - $80 (costco) - $40 (grocery) = $180 left for the month. Eeek.

Updated 10/16

$40 at grocery store - taco shells, milk, yogurt, parm cheese, mjack cheese, bacon, sour cream, grapes, tomatoes, lemons, limes, oranges, red peppers, kale, world's largest mango, cantaloupe, avocado, cilantro, ginger, bananas, white wheat flour, heavy cream, buttermilk (coupons for bacon, both yogurts and tomatoes)

$10 to my egg lady for 3 dozen eggs

$180 - 50 = $130 remaining

You can see the meals for the previous week here. I'll update again next week.

Updated 10/18

$16 at grocery store. I sent the Husband for hamburger buns and frozen sweet potato fries. He came back with those plus some fancy salsa and some ice cream. I gave him the evil eye for deviating from the budget. And then he reminded me how much I spend for greens and I hushed.

$27 at grocery store - field greens, spinach, romaine, apples, oranges, lemons, limes, cantaloupe, grapes, tomatoes, pretzels (which Little Mister proceeded to eat in the cart - I'm classy, yes I am), cucumbers, bananas, cole slaw mix

$130 - $16 - $27 = $87 remaining

Updated 10/25

$26 at grocery store - bread flour, bread, bananas, yogurt, frozen corn, lemons, limes, avocados, grapes, peppers, cucumbers, grapefruit, milk, toilet paper, oats

$13 at Costco (not pictured) - spinach, field green salad mix, cucumbers and bananas

$87-26-13 = $48 remaining

Updated 10/31

I have forgotten the exact amounts spent on each trip, but I went $5 over for the month.

$13 at Target - Chicken Thighs (marked down from 4.99 to 1.99 as they were a day from their sell-by date - they are all now in the freezer for a meal in the future) and apples

Grocery - carrots, grapes, pears, lemons, limes, cucumbers, bananas, cheese, kale, milk, red peppers, white beans, black beans, lentils

Grocery - kale, celery, grapes, tortillas, yogurt, avocados, lemons, limes, jalapeno, cilantro, broccoli

In conclusion (doesn't that phrase remind you of junior high compositions?), I buy a lot of the same things, like kale and lemons. Random. I also used several things from our freezer and pantry, so I didn't feed us for just $355. However, I did enjoy the challenge of creating meals with what I had on hand and love that my pantry and freezers have been cleaned out a bit. I'm going to keep with a cash budget for groceries, but won't be blogging any further, unless anyone out there is really wanting to read about it.

Monday is starting off with a dump

2010-10-25T13:12:00.002-05:00

I just cleaned a turd off my couch. Enough said.

Hello potty training hiatus. Bring on the diapers.

Pumpkin-tastic

2010-10-18T15:49:00.000-05:00

Move over peanut butter, I've got a new love.....

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Oatmeal

My Pumpkins

Toddler Talk - Little Mister joins the party

2010-10-11T20:12:00.003-05:00

Sunday we were all in different rooms, quietly doing our own thing. Then, out of nowhere, Little Mister yells out "I don't have nuffin in my mouth." Maybe he isn't so smart after all. And there was chewed up foam pieces all over his floor.

When getting angry with Husband about putting on his shoes to go outside, "I just want to wear my feet outside, not shoes."

Today, as he helped me peel a hard boiled egg for lunch, "look, there is a boiled egg in there."

Say Click. Take a Pic.

2010-10-04T16:20:00.005-05:00

Fashion Don't or Fashion Visionary? Who is to say?

I made the Peanut Butter Banana Bread from Cooking Light. FAN.TAS.TIC.

Is it just me, or is this photo 100 kinds of wrong? Why does Brook Shields look naked, fully made up and making loving eyes with her husband ("hey Chris, I'm naked and fully made up. Wanna play Blue Lagoon?") with HER TWO KIDS IN THE BED????? I'm all about the family bed, but this is just creepy. And it most certainly does not make me want to buy sheets.

Little Mister's recreation of the Million Little Pieces book cover. This shot is 100% factual.

In Their Eyes

2010-09-29T17:58:00.002-05:00

Little A is the first line.

Wow. To think I 'used to' do something. I'd like to do a long post about this, but I don't have it in me. I'm tired from 'doing nothing' like Jack's mom. At least I'm something, unlike poor Ava's mom.

Honestly? I have say these things?

2010-09-28T20:32:00.000-05:00

This little guy?

Doesn't he just look like trouble?

He's had the following things said to him recently:

Stop licking the sand off your toes.
Do not brush your hair with my toothbrush.
Do not wash the Barbie's hair in the toilet.
Leaves are not for eating.
Stop licking your shoes.
Please do not make your Little People 'swim' in my tea.
Stop putting cheerios up your nose. They are for your mouth or I will take them away.

Good Day

2010-09-24T17:41:00.012-05:00

My favorite tea

Bible Study

Pedicure*

New Skirt

Ice Cream Date with My Best Girl

Chicken Pot Pie and Movie Night

*Thanks sister. See - I told you I'd use the money as you ~~commanded~~ wished!

Lady and The Tramp Birthday Cake

2010-09-22T20:21:00.002-05:00

She has been all princess (with a sprinkle of fairies) for the 11 months leading up to her birthday. Then, in August, she watches Lady and the Tramp at her Grammie's and decided that it is the best.thing.ever. We must talk about it every day. And she wants a Lady and the Tramp birthday cake.

"Umm, Target doesn't carry Lady & The Tramp party supplies, but look at all these great princess and fairy party trinkets! Want a princess cake instead?"

No sell.

So I hit eBay and bought a 1999 Hallmark ornament featuring Lady, Tramp and their pups. I baked a strawberry cake (yuk) by her request and frosted it with butter cream frosting. Nothing too fancy, but the smile on her face when she saw her cake will be forever etched in my mind. You would have thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Now the ornament sits on a little pillow in her Barbie castle, a little throne for her beloved dogs.

It's peanut butter (no jelly) time.

2010-09-20T11:54:00.004-05:00

Anyone remember this video?

Peanut Butter. It's what's for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack around here these days. Not for my kids, because they, for some unknown reason to me, don't like peanut butter. Maybe I should get them DNA tested...except that I'm rather sure I remember pushing them out...so I guess their maternal heritage can't really be questioned....

I drink it in my smoothies: peanut butter, banana, spinach and almond milk.

I put it in banana soft serve.

I make peanut noodles for dinner.

And I got really happy today when I saw this in my mailbox:

That bread? It's peanut butter banana bread. Come to mama....

What is your favorite peanut butter dish?

Scenes From My Birthday

2010-09-11T10:37:00.006-05:00

I woke up nice and early and got sweaty with Shaun T and the Insanity Team. Yay for my 34 year old body that can almost keep up with those 20 somethings.

Then my little insanity team (aka my kids) woke up and the morning madness ensued. Breakfast was fixed and consumed. Little A asked if I was going to make her a special breakfast for my birthday. I told her that she should make me a special breakfast and she said "mom, you know kids can't make breakfast." We all got cleaned and dressed and I took them to preschool. I practically skipped to the car, loving that a school day fell on my birthday AND it was a Friday to boot. Fridays are just happy days in general and they are even 10 times better when they are your birthday!

I took this fantastic coupon to Starbucks and ordered with reckless abandon.

One large toffee mocha frappacino, book, magazines and my IPOD. I was in heaven for 2 hours.
Got a much needed hair cut, browsed Target sans kids for 30 minutes and came home for lunch.

Picked up the kids, took them to their Grammie and then spent an hour perusing one of my favorite thrift shops. Got some new skirts, dresses and a pair of shoe (all with original tags) and a couple of really good used dresses for Little A and came home to meet up with Husband. He presented me with the BEST gift ever - A VITA-MIX!!!!

After I ooohed and aahhed, we headed out for drinks and dinner.

We came home, watched Hot Tub Time Machine while sipping frozen drinks from the Vita Mix and were in bed by 11.

What more could I ask for? Happy Birthday to me indeed!

Putting My Best Face Forward

2010-09-09T14:46:00.005-05:00

I've been using a new face cleaning regime and thought I'd pass it on....

The Oil Cleaning Method

I use a blend of castor oil and sunflower oil and massage it into my face at night. I then use a hot washcloth and place it on my face to steam out all those pesky impurities until the washcloth gets cool (two times total). And that's all.

In the morning I sometimes rub a little sunflower oil on my face if it seems dry, but usually I just get up and go.

It's working really well for me. I mean, can't you see how beautiful I am? Please tell me you got the sarcasm.

I had some lovely acne all through my teen years and did quite the cycle-o-dermatolgist recommended treatments. I finally did Acutane in college, before all the bad stuff that it can do became news. It did work for me and my face has been pretty clear ever since. I have the occasional monthly blemish thanks to hormones, but for the most part I am happy with my skin.

I tried this method mainly because it seemed easy, cheap and natural. What's not to love?

What is your skin care regime? Anything you highly recommend or don't recommend?

Scenes From A Birthday

2010-09-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

Her birthday breakfast - fruit, muffins, strawberries & whip cream (with sprinkles, of course) and a 'birthday cake' donut from Starbucks.

With her new Lady & The Tramp friends

New Scooter - Barbie gets to ride along

Five

2010-09-06T13:37:00.004-05:00

Little A -

Today you are five! Five! Your age uses one whole hand to signify.

You are one of my most favorite people. I love your spunk. I enjoy your curiosity. I admire your quiet determination and creativity. I am rejuvenated by your smile.

You favor dresses and all things girly. The pants and shorts in your closet sit sadly neglected. You like your dresses long and classic. You are not, however, afraid to get muddy and play in the dirt and I love that. I do a lot of laundry, but hope you are always eager to get down and play, even if it's messy.

You work diligently on your drawings and are quickly surpassing my artistic talent (I haven't set the bar all that high). Often times your dad will pick up a picture and ask me "did you draw this or did Little A?" You have perfectionist tendencies and will go through several pieces of paper and several attempts before you get your drawing just right.

You love to create elaborate sets and scenes for your Barbies. You makes schools, zoos, forests, castles and other settings out of blocks, legos, empty boxes and furniture. I like to stand outside your door and listen to the equally elaborate plots and stories you create for the dolls.

You can be a little shy in new settings, but make friends quickly. You really enjoy being with other kids and thrive when with kids your age or slightly older. This summer was a bit long for you and you were ready for preschool to begin. I'm really glad your post Sept 1st birthday means that I get you at home for another year. I was not ready to send you off to Kindergarton yet. You are academically ready, but I'm not emotionally ready for you to be in school.

Your favorite outside activities are swinging and swimming. You would swim all day, every day if given the chance. You vacillate between synchronized swimmer and dolphin trainer as your 'what do you want to be when you grow up' occupation of choice.

This was a pretty eventful year for you. Your last birthday had us in Ft. Worth with you and your brother in full time day care as both your dad and I worked. We moved in November and you stayed home full time for a couple of months before starting a 2 day a week preschool in January. It was a rough transition, but we weathered it and are now living a pretty good life.

You've been learning how to ride a bike and are quite proud of your progress.

We tried soccer this year and you've told me that you'd like to take a break from it until you are 'seven or maybe ten.' The games were too long and you thought they involved too much running. We are now trying dance out and you definitely prefer the tutu and tights to the soccer uniform.

Your Favorites at Five:

color - pink

food - watermelon, pizza

princess - Ariel

movie - Lady and the Tramp

book - Berenstein Bears series

tv show - Clifford

friend - Nicole

game - Candy Land and a Tinkerbell Go Fish

toys - Barbies, Fairies

I look forward to this year and what new things it will bring for you. As always, I feel so blessed to be your mama and thank God daily for you. We love you so very much sweet girl.

Buddy Boy on My Back

2010-09-04T06:27:00.000-05:00

Little Mister is fighting a bug of some sort and wants to be held constantly. Which I kinda like since he is usually way too busy to snuggle. Today I pulled out the Mei Tai and wore him in a back carry at the grocery store. And took a picture of us in the produce aisle. Because who doesn't take pictures of themselves in the produce aisle?

Just Say Yes

2010-09-02T14:41:00.006-05:00

I know my kids would never believe this, but I really don't like always saying 'no' or 'don't' or 'stop.' I find myself saying one of those words more than ever these days. As in:

Don't eat that leaf
No, you can't have ice cream for breakfast (unless it's Banana Soft Serve)
No, we can't go to the park. It's just too hot outside.
Don't hit/push/kick your brother.
Don't hit/push/bite your sister.
Stop running towards the street.
Don't lick the bathroom floor. Seriously had to say that yesterday.
Don't open the bathroom stall door until mom has pulled up her pants! Also yesterday.

There are clearly many things that have to be addressed in the negative, for their safety and well being and the safety and well being of others around them.

I am trying to say 'yes' as often as possible. This is hard for me. I don't like messes. I don't like dirtying up the floors I've just cleaned (Question for previous owners of our home - why the white tile in the kitchen? It sucks). I don't like going outside and starting to sweat after 3

minutes since it is a sauna out there lately. I don't really like doing crafts with Little A because

I'm always having to keep the glue and scissors away from juggernaut Little Mister.

But, I'm working on it. I'm trying to really listen to each question and ask myself, what is the worse that could happen if I say yes?

You want to put your brother in a dress? Well, if he doesn't mind, then sure. And stand outside for 10 minutes to watch the neighbor's car be towed? Yes. Actually, it was interesting to watch the tow truck.

Yes, we can play with shaving cream. Yes, it will be a huge mess, but nothing a spray with the hose can't undo.

It's kinda bizarre how this picture makes it look like he is about to get hit by a car. He's not - I promise. We were in the driveway. 'Cause I can't hose down my white tile kitchen floors. Unfortunately.

You want to eat lunch under the table instead of at the table? Sure

You want to make one of those crafts from your princess magazine? And we actually have all the stuff (because no way, no how am I hauling your brother to a craft store where he will eat every small bead and try to climb each trellis and fake tree)? Well then, yes, let's make a princess tower pencil holder.

Little Mister wants to put all his cars under a laundry basket and play in there? Seems wrong, but why not? Yes.

You want to make a dirt smoothie in the mud after the rain? Sounds good.

Saying yes is more fun that I realized.

Everyday Ethics

2010-08-30T10:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, here's the situation. ~~My parents went away on a weeks vacation.~~

Love me some Will Smith back when he still needed DJ Jazzy Jeff.

We go to Starbucks most weekend mornings. Our local Starbucks is two doors down from a tex-mex restaurant that makes good breakfast tacos. We generally pick up a 2-3 breakfast tacos for the kids (for their second breakfast because my kids eat all.day.long) and then walk over to Starbucks and get a drink or two for me and the husband.

My question for you: is it wrong to bring food into Starbucks? They do sell food, but we wouldn't be buying it. If we weren't getting breakfast tacos, we'd probably be bringing a bag of cheerios and a couple of bananas for the kids. So, still bringing food. Is that wrong?

I somehow feel there is some leeway when kids are involved. Not sure why. I wouldn't bring food for myself, but I feel okay brining food for my kids. A bit of it is selfishly motivated. If they eat, they stay occupied longer and the husband and I may be able to have a conversation or peruse the paper. If we weren't bringing food, we'd likely grab the drinks and go.

I bring food for the kids everywhere we go: the store, the park, the gym, the car. My.kids.eat.all.day. We can't really be somewhere for long without one of my hummingbird-like metabolism kids getting really, honestly hungry.

In the Starbucks situation, they aren't big fans of the food sold there. They might eat a muffin, but it's not a guarantee. They'd eat a cookie or brownie, but giving them a sugar filled snack wouldn't exactly be conducive to a quiet few moments in Starbucks. They have enough energy un-sugared up.

So, is it wrong to bring in food to a food service establishment that wasn't purchased there? If you are going to purchase something at said establishment, of course.

Please weigh in.....

Smoothie Sweetie

2010-08-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

Taking A Stand

2010-08-26T10:52:00.006-05:00

I'm still doing a high-raw diet and enjoying discovering new to me food blogs that feature raw foods. The majority of raw-fooders are vegans (consume no animal products of any kind). I am not vegan or even vegetarian. I eat 90% vegan foods, but don't feel convicted to completely eliminate animal products from my diet. My eating is based mostly on evaluating how foods make me feel, not based solely on moral convictions. I try to eat locally and try especially to buy organic animal products, as I truly believe they are best. I'm no animal rights activist, but that doesn't mean I want my food dollars to support the scary conditions rampant in factory farming.

A couple of the raw/vegan blogs I enjoy are Choosing Raw and Bitt of Raw. Both bloggers have recently posted eloquent and passionate entries on their strong vegan convictions. The posts made me think. I admire the strength of their convictions. I also agree to be as pure of a vegan as possible, you have to motivated by more than just health.

Some of the very passionate vegans (not the two bloggers above) remind me of the very passionate lactavists (pro-breastfeeding activists). And I wonder some times if they do more harm than they realize. I am a strong, strong believer in breastfeeding. I nursed both my kids exclusively and am very proud that neither of my kids ever had formula. Yet, I tend to shy away from La Leche League and other in-your-face breastfeeding campaigns. LLL's goal is to have as many breastfeed kids as possible. I'm with them 100% on that. Yet, I think they tend to present a 'come strong or don't come at all' type message. The lactavists I've encountered seem to have a mentality that if you don't proudly nurse flagrantly in public, if you aren't planning to nurse until the child is over 3, if you aren't willing to nurse an infant and a toddler simultaneously, if you won't post your breastfeeding pictures on Facebook, then you are somehow a lesser nursing mom.

I have to wonder if that extreme stance turn off moms that are on the fence about breastfeeding. They may see/read/hear the extreme stances and, thinking 'no way, no how,' opt for formula feeding without even giving nursing a try. So, babies that may have gotten some breastmilk, get none. 100% breastmilk is best, but even 10% is better than 0%. Right?

I think the same of some passionate vegans. Since I don't share the same convictions, I don't fully understand their passion. I admire the strength of the convictions, I do, but I also wonder if they turn off some people who might be willing to do a more flexitarian diet. Often those who are mostly vegetarian or even vegetarian/vegan for health reasons are considered lesser veggie-lovers. If a vegan/vegetarian's ultimate agenda is reduced animal consumption, isn't someone cutting out even 1 meat based meal a week better than nothing?

I'm not advocating apathy. Truthfully, there are very, very few issues in life that I see as black and white. I try to look at each and every side, almost to a fault. I do worry that I am too wishy-washy on issues, but, like I said, very few things seem absolutely right or absolutely wrong to me.

What do you think? Am I being apathetic? Can taking a strong stance actually hurt your cause? Talk to me....

Weekend

2010-08-23T15:53:00.003-05:00

cocktails

sisters

longtime friend (with child)

Thanks to my mother in law and the husband for keeping the kids so I could have a weekend away. It was wonderful and went by way too fast. Plus, I don't think the kids even noticed I was gone. :)

Good Reads

2010-08-18T14:13:00.002-05:00

If I was a great writer, I could have totally written this. I feel exactly the same! - My Heart Goes to Kindergarten

Love this and am learning to think the same way. Why I Eat The Way I Do

The Messy Beautiful - Hit me where I needed to be hit this week.

Back in the Saddle

2010-08-15T22:36:00.003-05:00

The fingers are healing and I think that my pride now hurts more than my fingers.

Things That Are Really Hard To Do Without The Three Main Fingers On Your Dominant Hand:

Put in contact lens
Floss your teeth
Fix your hair or your daughter's hair
Type
Use chopsticks. And a fork.
Use a pen
Chop vegetables
Open round door knobs
and most everything else

Symmetrically Challenged

2010-08-13T06:39:00.000-05:00

She was so proud of fixing her own pigtails. It reminded me of this post. Oh how she is growing up. So bittersweet.

The Dark (Red) Side of Green Smoothies

2010-08-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

I.AM.A.MORON

Insane Friends

2010-08-08T18:48:00.007-05:00

We were in Houston for a friends college reunion over the weekend. KAJ posted about it here.

We stayed with the awesome KAJ family for a night, but I don't really think you can call it a blogger meet up if you were real life friends before you became blogging friends. Someday I'd love to meet a blogger friend in real life.

Also, KAJ said she said when I referenced Insanity, she thought I was talking about Stop the Insanity.

Not so much (but made me laugh). More like the Insanity workout:

The Husband and I are sharing the insanity and are on day 14. 46 more to go and we'll be gracing the cover of Men's Health and Women's Health. If we don't die of heart attacks in our living room as Shaun T makes us into giant sweat balls who curse at the TV. You know a workout is tough when the instructor finishes the workout (Pure Cardio), falls on the floor and says 'That sh*t is bananas." Yes it is, Shaun T, yes it is.

A food blog I'm enjoying has some entertaining reviews of the workout. And, no, my arms do not look like hers. She is a rockstar. I am not.

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?

2010-08-01T21:10:00.004-05:00

I finished a tough workout (day 6 of Insanity - only fifty freaking four to go) and Little A came up, rubbed my back and said "You're all watery."

Things That I've Said In the Last Two Days

You can't put a straw up your nose and then back into your mouth
Do not step on your brother's head
Buddy, you don't tell your sister to 'Watch her attitude.' That is for me to say.
Do not stick your hand into your dirty diaper.
The green stuff next to mom's sushi is not avocado. It's called wasabi and you don't want any. And the pink stuff is not candy. It's ginger. Yes, like Gingersnap on Strawberry Shortcake.
Do not try to climb the ladder at the hardware store.
The hardware store is NOT a playground.
Stop running down the aisles at Lowes.
Forget Lowes. We're leaving.

Brand New Life (both mama and baby)

2010-07-29T11:28:00.006-05:00

At this very moment, my friend Renee is in labor, birthing her firstborn. We've been texting daily for the last couple of weeks as she reached her due date and then went right past it. Been there, done that with Little Mister. She also found out that her baby (gender TBD any minute) is in the posterior position (aka back labor). Been there, done that with Little A. Can you say ouch?

I gave her the baby turning same tips my doula gave me while in labor for-evah with Little A, side to side lunges, squatting on the birthing ball, anything to open up the pelvis.

I can't wait for the text that announces the arrival of her little one. Her life will change and never be the same.

Renee and I met at my last job. The one that I stayed at for a mere 5 months. She did so much mentoring and training of me and then I up and left (unexpectedly and unplanned) before I got to show her the results of her patient training. I hope to help as much as I can via text and email with the first few days/weeks/months with a newborn and then with the tough transition to working mom.

Focusing on the first challenge: the first few days with a newborn.

My Advice:

Know that it will get easier. Grip on to that truth.
Go easy on yourself. Yes, you may have been a superstar, productive, organized machine in your pre-mom life, but you are starting a zero now.
It's okay to not love every minute. If you do, fantastic, if you don't, it's okay.
Soak in as much of your newborn as you can. They change daily. Smell their sweet skin, their tantalizing milk breath, their heads.
Keep your baby close - it's phenomenal for both of you. Ditch the swing/bouncy seat when possible and use a sling or wrap. You'll both be happier for it.
Don't forget to feed yourself.

Okay mamas, what other advice do you have for my friend?

Three Cheers for Air Conditioning

2010-07-27T15:42:00.003-05:00

I heart (working) AC units! We are back at home and I am happily in front of my computer again.

Now I have to figure out what we are going to eat for the week and get back to regularly programmed life. The unexpected 3 day stay at the in-laws was a nice break from life, but it's also good to be home.

Things You Don't Fully Appreciate Until They Are Gone

2010-07-26T15:30:00.002-05:00

The Michelle's Musings (shallow) version....
1. A full night's sleep
2. The College Life (why did I study so hard and play so little?)
3. Youthful skin, joints and energy
4. The original 90210
5. Brach's brand of Twizzlers.
6. Air Conditioning. Ours has been out since Thursday. It's July. In Texas. Oh yes. Our house is one big oven. We're hoping it will be fixed tomorrow, but the kids and I have been at the in-laws since Saturday.
6. Air Conditioning.
7. Air Conditioning.
8. Air Conditioning

Little Things...

2010-07-22T14:12:00.005-05:00

like finding fun in kitchen pots....

like being so tired that he just can't stay awake a minute longer...

like her face as she licks the beaters....

Little Things make me so very happy

Things That Make Me Happy Lately

2010-07-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Glee CD's from the library
Iced Tea
Definitely, Maybe on TV. That movie is way under-rated.
Watermelon
Raw Food books
This iPod docking station in my kitchen (I have an iPod touch) that my folks gave me for Christmas. I love having Pandora to play while I cook.

Our finished master bedroom
Playing with my new dehydrator
Running into a sweet friend at Starbucks
The Catalog Living blog.
Playing Sleeping Beauty with the kids
Watching Little Mister try to catch a cricket outside
This cup from Caribou- it's the perfect size for my cupholder. I had to order it online - oh how I miss you Caribou Coffee. I actually have one with a flat lid, but it appears to be sold out.

Weekend

2010-07-18T22:10:00.003-05:00

Farmer's Market

Ice Cream

PDA (at the mall no less)

Not Pictured:

Starbucks

Swimming

Grilling Out

Naps for kids and parents

Good times.

Overheard in our house today

2010-07-15T09:24:00.004-05:00

Little Mister: crying - "You fix it."

Me: "What buddy? What do you want me to fix?"

Hands me a banana broken in two.

Little Mister: "Dis. You fix dis."

Little A: I like you to fix my hair, because I like to be pretty.

Me: What is more important than being pretty?

Little A: Being nice. But I AM nice. So now I can be pretty and nice

Little A: Why is it called a somersault? You can do it anytime, not just the summer and it's not made of salt.

He

2010-07-13T15:45:00.004-05:00

He is trouble, joy and energy all put together.

He is an impossibly cute snuggle-bug and squirms until he finds the spot that is closest to you.

He loves to mimic older kids and seems to love the spotlight.

He is absolutely fearless in the water, which terrifies me. It is almost worth the constant life-saving though, because after he gets out of the pool, he snuggles against you in his towel saying "I nice and warm" over and over. And when you try to take away the towel, he says "no, stay nice and warm!"

He changes his food preferences by the meal. Fruit is generally a safe bet, but all other food is a big question mark. Cupcakes are usually liked too....

He gravitates towards males. His current favorite person is his Papa. He perches on his hip and mimics his movements with little awareness of anyone else.

He knows all the words to "Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty and "Part of Their World" from Little Mermaid. Someday he may be mortified that I just admitted that.

He is such a constant presence on my hip or in my lap, I feel as if I'm missing an appendage when he isn't around. I love the weight of him and miss it when he isn't with me.

He has my heart.

Maybe OPI should make a shade called "Perspective."

2010-07-12T21:20:00.004-05:00

Was having a grumpy day.

Why is there stuff all over the floor? I just cleaned up!

~~Asked~~ Demanded that Little A take her new nail polish kit* upstairs to her room.

Cleaned up again.

Grumble, grumble. Woe is me.

Made lunch. Washed dishes. Cleaned off the counters. Chopped vegetables. Washed dishes. Cleaned off the counter. Cut up fruit for their snacks (didn't I just feed you?). Washed dishes. Cleaned off the counters.

Feeling unappreciated.

Go forward a couple of hours. The boy is asleep, the girl is playing quietly in room time. Can hear myself think again. Have had the oh-so-precious alone time.

Go upstairs to get laundry, see the empty nail polish bag in front of my bathroom cabinet. Look in the cabinet to see that she has added her new nail polishes to my nail polish basket.

The sight of her miniature sparkly, girly nail polish, mixed among my 'grown up' shades and bottles fills me with warmth and the first smile of the afternoon makes its appearance on my face. She joined our bottles. What's mine is always hers, but today, what is hers is mine.

I have a daughter and we share nail polish.

Smile.

*Thanks for the package Ginnie!

30 years later

2010-07-10T18:38:00.003-05:00

Thirty years ago, I met Stacy at Mother's Day Out. Winnie the Pooh may have been involved, as in, she took mine and, in going to get it back, I not only got my bear but made a life long friend. We have gone from these two little girls to mamas with two kids of our own.

This past week she and her family came to visit. It was wonderful. Stacy knows me as only a friend of 30 years can know you. She knows my history, my family, who I once was, who I am now and who I aspire to be. It is an easy, effortless friendship and I have absolutely no doubt that we'll be friends for another 30 years.

It warms my heart to see our girls forming a friendship, laughing together, enjoying each other.

Here's hoping that in 30 years, they are watching their kids play together...

Jump

2010-07-06T14:33:00.001-05:00

I love my family.

brother, sister in law, sister, husband, me

Joys of Summer - part 1

2010-07-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

Playing in the sprinklers

Family cupcake night at VBS

How To Have Fun with Snails

2010-07-02T08:47:00.001-05:00

1. Spot snails on tree after a rain

2. Muster up courage to grab the snails

3. Show mom. Over and over again.

4. Place in a bucket

5. Be happy.

Raw Food Love

2010-06-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

I've slowly and surely fallen in love with a Raw Food Diet.

I started a Raw 'Till Dinner plan about 2 months ago, after a couple of weeks of feeling blah, sluggish and eating way too much sugar in need of a pick-me-up (multiple times a day). I wanted to make a drastic change and decided to give a High-Raw Diet a try for a week. After a week, I saw no reason to stop. I felt great and no longer had the mid-afternoon slump that I've battled for years. I also completely lost my sugar cravings, which I wasn't at all expecting. I've got random stashes of candy in the pantry that have sat totally untouched. That's unheard of for me.

As with most 'diets' and I use that term to refer to a way of eating, not a weight loss plan, there are varying degrees of the diet. 100% Raw means no cooked food, ever. That's not me. I eat what is usually called a High Raw diet. I eat raw foods until dinner and then a dinner that is a mixture of cooked and raw (like pasta and salad). Considering it feels like we're living on the face of the sun lately, my cooked food cravings aren't high. Cool, crunchy, juicy fruits and vegetables are heaven on hot days. When winter (and I use that term loosely - this is Texas) comes, I think I'll gradually crave more cooked, warming foods.

A lot of raw foodists are vegan. I'm not. I don't have a problem consuming humanely treated animals and animal products. I don't eat much meat, but I do not have a fundamental or moral problem with meat consumption. My dinners usually have butter or cheese and I do eat foods containing eggs a few times a week.

I have started paying close attention to how I feel after I eat something. It's been rather eye-opening to me to correlate foods with their impact on my energy and mood. Not really viewing foods as good and bad, but actually paying attention to how they effect me personally.

I've started a new blog to chronicle my transition to a high-raw diet, so if you want to read more about it, feel free to click below.

http://rawhousewife.wordpress.com/

What I'm Loving These Days

2010-06-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

To Eat - Watermelon (3X/day), Tomatoes and Banana 'Ice Cream'

To Drink - Iced Tea (this one is really good), Green Smoothies

To Watch - GLEE!! Oh how I love that show. I just started mid-season, so most of the repeats are new to me.

To Click - Choosing Raw, Young House Love, Catalog Life

To Read (with links):

To Do: Prepare and eat raw foods (more on that later), Home Decorating - finished off the master bedroom and have finally put things on the walls, swim with the kids whenever we get the chance and play facebook scrabble.

What are you loving these days?

Saturday

2010-06-27T13:47:00.006-05:00

Starbucks with the family

Picked up the farm box

Ran Lots of Errands - Husband and kids tackled Costco and Lowes, I hit Bed Bath and Beyond, TJ Max, Goodwill, Whole Foods and Target. The Master Bedroom redecoration project of 2010 is officially finished!

Canned Tomatoes

Ice Cream for Dessert

Skin

2010-06-25T07:51:00.002-05:00

I went to a dermatologist yesterday for a overall body check. Some thoughts....

1. She was younger than me. When did I get old enough that doctors, who have had 8-10 years of school are younger than me?

2. Those paper gowns are so cold. They should make flannel ones.

3. When she had me lay down, I almost automatically tried to put my feet into the non-existant stirrups. The only doctors I've seen for the last 5 years have all required me to put my feet in stirrups and 'scoot down a little more.' It was actually refreshing to leave my privates, well, private for a visit.

4. Even though I arrived early (which is a rare, rare occurrence for me), I still had to wait 45 minutes past my appt time to be seen. I said a million mental thank-yous to my friend Kellie who volunteered to watch Little Mister (Little A was at VBS) because keeping him entertained in a waiting room for that long would have been rather awful. Instead, I got to take advantage of the free wifi and have guilt free Ipod time while Little Mister got to play with friends and terrorize their cat. Thanks Kellie!

You say important, I say not

2010-06-23T10:32:00.002-05:00

Little A: Mom, I have to tell you something.

Me: Honey, I really need to focus on the road right now. Is it important?

Little A: Yes.

Me: Okay, what is it?

Little A: I really want to be a mermaid.

Scenes from the Week

2010-06-17T10:55:00.002-05:00

Little A and the lone pepper from our bell pepper plant. We have something out there eating the leaves, so it may be the entire bounty for the year. We did enjoy the pepper.

Little Mister playing in a pot of water. Cheap Fun - I'm all about it. We have really bad mosquitos in our backyard this year, so we can't play on the porch as much as I'd like.

Squash Sale

2010-06-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

Proving you don't need fancy toys, my kids today spent about half an hour setting up and hosting a 'Squash Sale' in the living room with the CSA squash. They gave each one different prices (ranging from $0.25 to $40 - that's some crazy costly squash) and then let us buy them all for kisses instead.

She

2010-06-11T07:42:00.006-05:00

The Early Summer Snapshot

She loves to swim. She grins the entire time she is in the water.

She eats watermelon and cantaloupe with each meal.

Her dad took the chains off her bike yesterday to create a training bike. Hopefully she won't take after me and be, I don't know, like, 10 before she learns to ride.

She has lost interest in learning to read and I've backed off. She wants to be read to and we go through several library books a week.

She has her first 'responsibility chart' that we started this week. She earns a star a day if she does her four jobs, but can lose a star due to behavior. Yesterday was the first day she didn't get a star (thanks to her whacking her brother on the head - totally unprovoked too). On Sundays she will get to trade her stars in for little treats. I'm hoping it will also teach her a bit about saving and budgeting, as I've bought a few bigger things that will cost more stars than the smaller trinkets.

She colors and draws incessantly. We go through a LOT of paper and crayons. Her drawings become more and more intricate - patterns and designs on the girl's dresses, small details in the backgrounds.

I am thoroughly enjoying her at this age. Early four was tough, but 4.5 has been really nice. She is a fun little companion and I live for her sweet smile.

Up, Up, Up and... Splash!

2010-06-09T08:29:00.000-05:00

Weekly Menu

2010-06-07T19:43:00.002-05:00

Monday - Pasta with Chickpeas, Feta and Tomatoes - made this tonight. It was okay, not one I'll repeat.

Tuesday - Lentil Barley Burgers with Grilled Corn and Grilled Zucchini

Wednesday - Taco Salads - pinto beans, brown rice, guac, salsa, lettuce, etc.

Thursday - Bowtie Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Friday - Quesadillas with leftover beans from Wednesday

To Bake:

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Zucchini Bread

Tidbits

2010-06-05T06:51:00.003-05:00

Little A: Mom, your legs are doughy. - I was equally offended by the reference and impressed that she knew the texture of dough.

I discovered Glee midseason and LOVE it. Little A and I are both stuck on the Glee version of Poker Face. It's a little odd to hear your 4 year old singing "Pah, pah, pah, pah, poker face, my poker face."

Speaking of my sweet Little A, she wrote down all the product codes in the bulk section at the grocery store yesterday. Seeing those big, somewhat awkward letters on those little stickers made me smile.

I was filling out a form yesterday that asked for occupation and I was so tempted to write Kid Chaser. Because that really is what I do these days. In addition to Little Mister Life Saver and Princess Puzzle Assembler and Feeder of Kids Who Eat Every 20 Minutes.

Elephants

2010-06-03T20:07:00.005-05:00

The difference two years makes - me and Little Mister in front of the elephants 3/08

Me and Little Mister in front of the elephants - 4/10

Speaking of elephants, want to see the most unflattering picture of me ever? You do? Great. Here it is.....

Note to readers: when your sister offers to take a picture of your 8 month pregnant self from below as you ride a zoo carousel, say no.

No more students, no more books

2010-05-27T16:16:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow my mom will walk into her classroom, stand in front of her students and impart her knowledge for the last time. Tomorrow she retires from a 30+ year teaching career. So many children have been entrusted to her. So many children have been shaped by her.

She has put in thousands of long hours, worked many late nights. Many teachers with her tenure would be coasting through, taking it easy their last few years. No my mom. She treated each class of students like they were her first.

I am so proud of my mom. Proud to have been taught by her, both in the classroom and in life. She is a wonderful, devoted woman and has blessed so many lives. Tomorrow she hangs up her teaching hat, puts away the gradebook and starts a new life as a former teacher.

I love you mom!

Weekly Menu

2010-05-24T16:28:00.004-05:00

Over on my food blog I am trying to post most of the recipes I make with our CSA box.

Monday: Roasted Green Beans (modified) and Pasta

Tuesday: Vegetable Soup

Wednesday: Swiss Chard over quinoa

Thursday: Quesadillas

Friday: Grilled Meat of some sort, along with grilled zucchini

Also to make:

More Chocolate Zucchini cupcakes

Bread

These raw sweets - made today actually and YUM

Angel Mom

2010-05-24T13:58:00.002-05:00

I clicked on to this blog from another I read. I read the entire blog over the last couple of days. Wow. Total kick in the tail perspective change for me as to the 'challenges' I am facing with my kids. Send up some prayers for this mama, will you?

http://specialksjourney.blogspot.com/

Random Thoughts on a Saturday Morning

2010-05-22T07:36:00.004-05:00

I picked up some Orbit gum for the first time last week. Note: Instead of 'Hydrating," it should say "Contains some chemical/ingredient that somehow triggers salivary glands and makes the gum chewer slobber like a dog. A bizarrely freakish sensation and one that you'll not want to repeat." Anyone want the rest of my pack?

Am I the only one that thinks the ultra-flat gladiator style sandals are not flattering unless you are over 6 foot and weigh less than 110 lbs?

How do you explain the difference in a figure of speech and a sentence to a 4 year old? I couldn't get the concept across at all.

I'd really like some good Pad Thai soon.

Bye now.