Holland Gets Organized

Daunting title for a blog post, eh?

It takes us back to mid-December, when I blogged about "reflecting upon how I can better care for my body in the future."  Hmmm?  (If you don't remember, I'm not offended.....you can read it here--just keep in mind I was taking painkillers at the time.  Thank you.)


So, I reflected.  I had several epiphanies.  I schemed.  I took action.  And I am currently basking in the fruits of my labors.


Let me break down that process.    


I reflected.  Why is it that when I have a child on a high fat diet, I'm the one who gains weight?  Why was it so much easier to lose weight after my first two babies than after my last two?  What do I want from my body?


I had several epiphanies.   Stress.  Stress.  Usually the answer is stress.  But I've been using stress as an answer--or an excuse--for way too long, now.  And even though I don't buy much junk--really, I don't--I haven't been consistent about having lots of lean, fresh, high-quality meal choices for me on hand, either.  What I want from my body is strength, health, energy, and the opportunity to feel like I am striving to be the best person I can be, inside and out.


I schemed.  I read several informative books with new ideas.   I looked around my kitchen and pantry and thought about what worked and what didn't.  I made goals.  


I took action.  I found a group of friends that had similar goals, and we agreed to encourage and help each other along the way.  (We've challenged each other to the Game On! Diet.)  I worked hard to put together a plan to meet the dietary needs of every member of the family in a way that was manageable and realistic.  I spent some time creating tools to help me stay organized and on top of things.  I cleaned out and organized my refrigerators, freezers, and pantries.  That's right, all of those are plural.  The reason for that is another blog post in and of iteself.  


And I'm currently basking in the fruits of my labors.


Want to see?

I realized that if I was going to accomplish my goals, I needed to plan our meals carefully.  Admittedly, at least once a year, I try to follow a menu.  I've known for years that this is the way to do things.....I just have a hard time following through with my own plans.    Having a menu was the way my mom stuck to her grocery budget for HER ENTIRE MARRIAGE.  My mom is super, super organized and lives for routine.  (Hmm....maybe the reason why I am super, super unorganized and live for spontaneity.  Funny how that works.)


So I made a special binder.  Binders help me feel like I'm in control.


I filled it with all kinds of handy tools.

I plan my menus for two weeks at a time.  This is partly because I do two big shopping trips a month.  Above is a sample of the menu for our family meals, below is a sample of how I plan my meals during the Game On! challenge.  I really do eat breakfast....I just hadn't finished the menu plan for this week when I took this picture.

I used my Mac's spreadsheet program to make most of the tools for my menu binder.  It took a little time, but now I have them saved and can print them out any time I need them.  Here are some of my other planning tools.

Clockwise, from top left: 

1. I have a section in my binder where I store recipes that are family favorites.  

2. I also have a place to keep master copies of my menu calendars, shopping lists, etc.  

3. One section of the binder has info on the the special diet guidelines I am currently following.  

4. Another handy tool is my pantry list, which helps me keep track of all the food items I store in my pantry, storage room, refrigerators, and freezers.

When I plan each two week set of meals, I look first at what is on my pantry list that I can use, then I plan my shopping list.  This is a picture of last week's list.  Would you believe I spent less than $70 on two weeks worth of grocery items for my family?  I'll have to spend a little more on fresh items (milk and salad vegetables) next week, but most of what I purchased this week will last into next week.  That's what happens when I have a list of all my stored foods available as I plan out the menu.

So, my diet is going great, because I have everything planned out and don't have to sit and think, "Hmm, what can I eat right now?  Oh, since I can't think of anything, I'll have eight of these cookies, since they are handy."

My family is enjoying their meals, as well.  I'm getting dinner on the table at the same time every night and I'm not copping out and serving canned soup, just because I'm on a diet and don't want to see them eat anything appetizing.  Frankly, planning out my own meals in advance has helped me come up with meals for myself that seem at least as appetizing as theirs.  Since my own diet includes one "off the diet day" and one "off the diet meal" per week, I can plan in advance which meals I can enjoy with the family, too.

Yesterday I did a lot of advance food prep (it was helpful that it was diet day off....that way I could take lots of tastes).  I baked bread.  Yummy!  The Bionic Man feels homemade bread makes him that much more bionic, so I'm not a complete novice.  But, since I'm reducing our sugar intake, I've realized I need to be much, much more consistent about the bread baking (my recipe uses whole wheat flour and is sweetened with honey: both diet friendly).

I wish you could smell this loaf.  The picture obviously doesn't do it justice.  My favorite bread recipe makes 5 loaves; I make 2 batches and freeze most of it.  My family can eat one of these loaves for breakfast.  As far as I'm concerned, that is a cheaper, healthier alternative to cold cereal, so they can have at it!

Then I made cookie dough.  Notice that it is ready for the freezer.  That way, I can bake the cookies as we need them (for packed lunches) and I'm not tempted by them calling my name plaintively from the cookie jar.

I know this picture looks completely unappetizing, but this dough makes the best chocolate chip cookies, ever.  Period.  You know what is most awesome about this recipe?  It's multi-grain!  I use whole wheat and oat flour in it.  (Add enough butter and sugar to something, and you'll never guess how high the fiber content is, I guess.)  Let me know if you want the recipe.

Amidst all the baking, I had time to fix this super-easy batch of soup from a recipe shared with me by my friend Heather, Homemaker Extraordinaire.  One batch served my family of five generously, with enough left over for two individual servings to be put in the Bionic Man's lunchbox, and another meal's worth of soup to go into the freezer.  This is how I freeze soup.

Again, this picture does not look appetizing.  Sorry.  I should have taken some pictures last night when we were actually eating it, not today after it had been frozen overnight.  Live and learn!  Trust me, this is really, really yummy and easy soup.

Heather's Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans chicken broth (or 2 cups water w/ 3 chicken boullion cubes)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1-1/2 cups water

1 pkg. taco seasoning

Garlic salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Put into large soup pot and stir until smooth.  Add:

*1 to 1-1/2 cups salsa

1 can corn

2 Tbsp. dried cilantro or 1 bunch fresh, chopped

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces.

Stir all ingredients together on medium heat.  Heat through.

Serve with:

Tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese.

So delicious and family-friendly!

*Note:  when I made this last night, I used my favorite fresh Salsa from Sam's Club.  (Pictured below.)  I omitted the cilantro and 1/2 cup water, since this fresh salsa is pretty juicy and has cilantro in it.  This particular salsa is yummy, but too much for my family to use all at once.  I freeze 2/3 of it after purchasing, the frozen portion works perfectly in a recipe like this.

How are you doing with your goals for 2010?  Do you have any great ideas that will help me maintain mine and keep up the momentum?

I'm linking this post to:

And speaking of basking.....5 lbs. lost so far in 2010!

Friday Funnies....and Not So Funnies

Part of our life in this place I call Holland is that we spend a fair amount of time at doctors' offices.  We go through some periods where we have many, and occasionally we have been known to go as long as eight weeks without a trip to see a doctor, or spend time at a hospital.  There are a few offices where all I have to do is say, "Hi, this is...." and the person on the other line will say, "Can you be here by 3?"

Actually, that is kind of an exageration.  Kind of.  But, between Superkid's ongoing medical issues and the others we faced while Li'l Angel was with us, I have logged quite a bit of time at various hospitals and outpatient clinics and offices--as have all my children, since they often tag along.  If there were frequent flyer miles for such a thing, we would be in Hawaii right now.

As you can imagine, these appointments can be very stressful.  Another mother of a child with special medical needs, Shawni (of Life), reminded me in this recent post that I'm not the only mother who has ever come home from a doctor's office with a few more gray hairs.

So, for the sake of posterity, and to let other MedicalMiles Moms (haha!  Get it?  Like SkyMiles!  I should market this!) know they are not alone, I present you with my own Top 3 Medical Misadventures: Office Edition.

1.  Superkid was just over a year old when she and Justone and I went to see her gastroenterologist.  We had a long wait.  When the doctor came in, I had several concerns that I needed him to address about Sariah's g-tube feedings, comfort, etc.  I even had a video for him to watch so that he could see a behavior we were concerned about.  Superkid was cranky and tired.   Justone was cranky and bored.  The doctor and his assistant were very patient.  Justone became cranky and bored and hungry.  He was showing me that he was ready to leave in every way that a four-year-old can.  I wasn't done talking to the doctor.  So Justone grabbed my shirttail, and tugged it as he walked towards the door, whining, "Mom, let's GO!"  The shirt I was wearing was one of those vintage-western types, with mother-or-pearl snaps up the front.....which popped undone.  All of them.  And, since Justone was walking away--the hem of my shirtail in his hand--my shirt walked away with him.  AAAAAA!  I'm still blushing!  The two doctors blushed, too, stammered unintelligibly, and quickly excused themselves from the room.  Was it a coincidence that we soon moved across the country?  I think not!

2.  Li'l Angel was our most prenatally photographed baby.  Every time we went to see the perinatologist, they took lots and lots of pictures.  When I was pregnant with the other babies, we'd always made a big deal about letting the siblings come along to an appointment, especially if it was an ultrasound.  We were more cautious about that with Li'l Angel, considering the circumstances.  Then one week, I decided to take all three siblings along with me; the baby had been moving a lot, I wasn't scheduled to have extra tests at that appointment, and it seemed like a good day to let them tag along.  (Ignorance can be soooo bliss.)  Well, we ended up waiting in the waiting room for over an hour--first time I'd ever had to wait more than 10 minutes at this particular office.  I hadn't brought toys or snacks, since it was supposed to be a "quick" appointment.  We were finally escorted to the exam room, where we waited an additional 30 minutes.  If you have children, you can imagine how things were at this point.  The children were all over the place....over the table, under the sink, inside the bathroom, outside the bathroom, around the expensive 3-D ultrasound machine.  The classic, never-to-be-forgotten moment of that appointment was when I realized Justone was staring, completely transfixed, at the back of the bathroom door.  "Mom, what is this?" he asked in a tone of hushed wonder.  "This" was the very helpful poster demonstrating how to do a monthly self breast exam.   I somehow found the fortitude to explain what a monthly breast exam was to my six year old son and his equally curious sisters.  Thus, I became the only woman on the planet whose young children remind her to do her monthly breast exam.

4.  We lived in Connecticut when Endeavor went to kindergarten.  I took her in to see the pediatrician for a well-child visit before school started that fall.  She'd had her vaccinations the year before, so I'd told her she wouldn't be having any shots that day.  I hadn't realized that the state required all school-aged children to have a blood screening for lead and anemia, which involved a finger prick.  Endeavor was not pleased when she was informed of this during the exam.  I did my best to help the nurse hold her still so that she could get the single drop of blood required for the screening.  As I did so, I had to wonder who the child in my arms was, and what she'd done with Endeavor--it had just been a year before when Endeavor chatted calmly with the doctor and nurse as they injected vaccines.  The nurse captured the sample, put a tiny, prick-sized bandage on Endeavor's finger, and exited the room.  At that point, Endeavor went from being merely upset about the pricking to being absolutely hysteric.  Suddenly, she was jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air, shrieking as if she'd just been the victim of a stabbing.  With each wave of her pricked finger, blood flew across the room, spattering the walls, the exam table, my white t-shirt, the nurse who opened the door to make sure no one was being murdered.......all of that blood coming from the very tiny prick on Endeavor's finger.  Seeing her blood all over the room only increased Endeavor's hysteria.  It took the efforts of both myself and two nurses to hold her down and firmly instruct her that the only way her finger would stop bleeding was if she would calm down.  I'm exhausted just writing about it!

Ahhh, the memories!  There are so many others, but those were the three that came to mind, first.  Best wishes to others who are logging their own MedicalMiles and making memories to laugh--or cringe--about for years to come.  Just remember, laughter really is the best medicine!

Gingerbread Love

I took a blogging sabbatical over the holidays.  


Wait, according to Wikipedia, it might not have been a sabbatical, so to speak.

A sabbatical is a prolonged hiatus, typically one year, in the career of an otherwise successful individual taken in order to fulfill some dream, e.g. writing a book or traveling extensively.


I mean, if we are going to be picky with definitions, I wasn't exactly fulfilling a dream....and I didn't write a book or travel extensively.  But I did read quite a few books (13, to be exact) and I sat extensively on the couch with a heating pad (that's a dreamy thing to do on a cold winter day) and I  researched a number of other blogs while I was on my own blogging sabbatical.


One of the things I discovered during the blog research segment of my blogging sabbatical was that all the mommy bloggers out there with pretty pictures on their blogs made gingerbread houses with their families over the holidays.  


We didn't do that.  After all, I was on sabbatical and my superpowers were at a diminished capacity.


But I'm not going to despair.  And you shouldn't either, if you didn't include gingerbread as part of your Christmas celebration.  Because gingerbread isn't a one time of year, oh-no-Christmas-passed-us-by kind of thing, and I'm going to prove it.  In fact, you could say that I've come away from my sabbatical with a gingerbread thesis.  

Gingerbread:  It's Not Just for Christmas. 

This is one of our family's favorite books.

I LOVE reading anything Jan Brett illustrates to my children.  There is just so much to look at and discover on each page.  And this book is proof that gingerbread can be for enjoying after you have run around outside in the cold or while you are snuggled up next to your mommy enjoying a good book.  Gingerbread houses are also a fun way to keep the kiddoes occupied during some of those random winter holidays....Martin Luther King Day, for example.

Take a look at these non-Christmasy gingerbread creations:

Candy rocks!  (No, I'm not cheering for candy, I'm pointing out what they used to decorate this darling gingerbread house with....those candy rocks.)

Hmm.  There appears to be a Santa on the roof of this house.  But still, it is very cool.  Take down the Christmas decorations, and you have quite a work of architectural art!  Gingerbread is nothing if not versatile.

Further proof of gingerbread's versatility, and of the fact that you need not be a whiz in the kitchen or an architectural genius to be able to enjoy it:

It can keep you warm on cold winter nights!  This quilt is too, too cute.  If I were a quilter...which I most definitely am not....I would make this very quilt in blues and browns so I could display it all through January and February.

Which months I hereby declare "The Gingerbread Months"!

I happen to know that Germans really love their gingerbread, and they love it practically year-round.  They love their gingerbread so much that they call it "lebkuchen," which literally means "little love cakes."

Little love cakes!

In fact, Germans use lebkuchen to share messages of love.  They give away cookies decorated with loving notes and symbols  on special holidays like Valentine's Day, Christmas, and Oktoberfest.  (Seriously, Oktoberfest is all about the love!  Betcha didn't know that the first Oktoberfest was a royal wedding celebration!)

Now, is that better than a card, or what?

Little love cakes!

Now, as you may have learned, no blog post of mine would be--well--a blog post of mine, without a story.  Here it is.

The Bionic Man and I were married during our last year of college, over Christmas break.  December 30th, to be exact.  I had a heavy load of classes during the semester before the wedding, and had to let my parents handle much of the planning and preparation.  

During one of our early planning sessions, I was asked if I wanted a wedding cake.  For some reason, I half-jokingly suggested that since it was a Christmas wedding, there should be a gingerbread house instead of a cake.  After I said that, I really started to think it was an amusing idea....you know, imagining the possibilities of replicating my fiancee' and I in gingerbread next to the house, using gumdrops in shades of our reception colors (navy blue and green, hahahaha), etc., etc.  At some point, feeling really hilarious, I giggled out the suggestion, "Hey, what would be really cool is if we had a gingerbread replica of the Logan Temple!"   (The wedding ceremony was going to take place in the Logan Temple.)  After laughing uproariously over this with my mother, I went back to planning and agreed that yes, the roses should be white.

At this point in the story, I think I should show you a picture of the Logan Temple.  

Side note:  Beautiful, isn't it?  See those mountains?  Those were in my backyard.  This is why I can never quite feel at home in the Midwest.  No mountains.  Lots of nice people, lots of beautiful farms.....but no mountains.  

I was so busy with school that semester that I hardly had time to wonder why my newly-retired father had suddenly taken an interest in baking.  Over Thanksgiving, I was startled to discover that Dad was intent on creating the perfect formula for.....royal icing.  When I pressed my mother for details, she sighed with exasperation and confessed, "Oh, he's just playing around with gingerbread.  That's all he does now, is experiment with gingerbread.  And icing.  He says he's making your wedding cake."

My wedding cake?!?!?!?

Further inspection proved that my 65 year old father--formerly an engineer and physics teacher--was indeed, making my wedding "cake":  A gingerbread replica of the Logan Temple.  

Perhaps the word "replica" isn't descriptive enough, however.  It was a scale model.  Being a historic building, it was difficult to find any information on dimensions (engineers need numbers when they work with gingerbread), so my father found a historic document that mentioned Brigham Young (yes, Brigham Young) had paced out the area when he gave instructions for the construction of the building.  Using a complex mathematical formula based on the  approximate length of Brigham Young's legs, Dad came up with the dimensions for his scale model.  (If you don't believe me about engineers, then you need to visit the website Cooking for Engineers.  An engineer in the kitchen can be a dangerous thing.)

The end result was startlingly impressive.  In fact, I think there are more pictures of the gingerbread Temple at my wedding reception that there are of me!    

How many other brides have a father who works that hard to give his daughter exactly what she asked for?  (Even though she was totally kidding when she made the request.)

Except for the gingerbread bride and groom.  There was no gingerbread bride and groom.

Now, my father being a former engineer, the gingerbread replica was designed to withstand flames, water, windspeeds up to 75 mph, and pressures of up to 150 kg/cm.  (I jest.)  It was not, however, designed to be eaten.  So, when the wedding was over, my dad carried his masterpiece home.  He put it on top of a shelf in the living room, out of reach of the grandchildren.  And there it has sat, for twelve years now, though it occasionally ventures out to win a prize or two.  

A few weeks after our wedding, my sister saw an advertisement for a nearby town that was hosting a Winterfest, complete with a gingerbread competition.  Dad placed his Logan Temple replica on the judging table, next to the little houses made of graham crackers, gumdrops, and candy canes.  He won a trip for two to San Diego!

Like I said, Gingerbread:  It's Not Just for Christmas.  It's for weddings and cold winter days and fun and good books and especially for saying "I love you."

Because nothing quite compares to the warm, loving comfort of gingerbread cookies on a cold, wintry day.

Now, if that isn't enough to convince you of the validity of my thesis, go try this recipe for yummy, soft gingerbread cookies.  It comes from the historic bakery in Nauvoo, Illinois where my ancestors used to buy their baked goods.

Scovil Bakery Gingerbread

1 c. sugar

1 c. molasses (I like to use Brer Rabbit brand)

1 c. oil

1 c. hot water

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/3 c. whole-wheat flour

6-7 c. white flour

Combine sugar, molasses, oil, and water.  Add eggs and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Combine wet and dry ingredients until they form a well mixed dough.  Refrigerate dough several hours or overnight.  Roll out and cut shapes with a cookie cutter.  Bake cookies on parchment or a greased baking sheet for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  After cooling, you may decorate with icing.

Little love cakes!

Hair It Is....

My first blog post of the new year!  And it has been a long time coming, hasn't it?  But who's counting?

I've been putting off this "first post of the new year" for several days, now.  I feel some pressure to commemorate the start of a new year of blogging with something that will enlighten and astound my readers.  Something so full of profundity that you will quote me for days.  That's how bloggers ring in the new year, right?   Right?

But I don't do so well under pressure.  When pressured, I tend to do the opposite of what everyone is expecting me to do.  

Today, the extent of my profundity is about seven inches past my shoulder blades.

That's right, I'm going there.

HAIR.

I'm blogging about hair.  My own and the hair I've passed on genetically.  And mine is currently long.  Not Crystal Gale long, but long.

See?  That's not just a chubby mermaid who traded her voice for legs, you're looking at there.  (Although, it could be.  But that is a story which if I tell right now, will completely derail this train of thought.  So let's BRUSH it aside, shall we?)  That's me, with hair seven inches past the shoulder blades.    I've been blessed with abundant hair--hair that grows thickly and quickly--hair that is straight and fine but requires a supersize band to pull it into a ponytail--hair that falls out in clumps after the birth of each baby, but comes back faithfully everytime.  It really is a blessing.

I'd like to cut it all off, donate it to some cHAIRitable organiztion, enjoy the perky cuteness of a shorter do.  There was a time when I was something of a hair schizophrenic, jumping from long to short and back again (without the aid of extensions) several times a year.  But I don't do much of that, these days.

Not since I married the Bionic Man.  He's something of a long-hair fanantic, darn him.  And I happen to kind of value his good opinion.  Even when it comes to my hair.  Sigh.

Besides, I wouldn't be too happy if he got rid of his hair.  And I have to admit, I like it when he adds in some facial hair.  Look at this:

Doesn't it make him look professor-ish?  Kind of fun for a change, now and then.  Oh, the Bionic Man is not going to like these pictures I'm posting.  But I don't think he reads my blog, so we'll carry on.

Here's the thing.  The Bionic Man and I were both born bald.  Very, very bald.  It took many moons before our hair even began to sprout.  My mother swears I didn't have enough hair to comb until I was two years old.

I believe her, because I gave birth to several cue ball heads, myself.  Exhibit A:  Justone.

Note the lush hair sported by myself and the Bionic Man in this picture, dating sometime around Justone's fourth month of life.  You might think that dark spot is hair on his head, but upon closer inspection you will see it is really the shadow cast by my hair and the Bionic Man's chin.  And look at Endeavor.  She had just turned two, and I was thrilled to be able to "style" her "hair" with a velcro clip.

Exhibit B: Endeavor at Birth

"Oh look!"  I exclaimed upon seeing my baby for the first time.  "She has hair!  Yeah!  I gave birth to a baby with hair!"  But then her head grew.  And her hair did not.

Exhibit C: Superkid at fourteen months.  Where's the hair?

If you squint, you can see it just coming in.  Yep, right there.  What is so funny about this picture is Justone's hair.  Look at that!  It's gorgeous!  It finally came in, and it is thick.  It is also a color that some women pay lots and lots of money to recreate on their own heads, with limited success.  I call it, "Gingersnap."

Superkid was just so bald for so long that we have lots and lots of evidence of the slow-growing hair gene in our family.

I also have evidence that Superkid tried shrimp and liked it five years ago.  Why won't she eat it now?

Eventually, as Justone demonstrated, their hair grows.  And grows.

Endeavor got to a point where she wanted it very long.  A la Chrystal Gale.  She didn't want it trimmed.  It was always tangled.  It was always in her face.  The ends were split.  It was messy.

I convinced her to let me trim it.  "Just a couple of inches," I reassured her.  "Just enough so there won't be any split ends.  I won't cut it all off."

Even though I wanted to.

But I tried to make good on my promise.  Just a couple of inches.  Too bad she tipped her chin down as I made the first cut....and I had to lop off the rest of her hair to match.  What a happy accident!

She loved it.

Superkid, on the other hand......it took us a few years to be able to do this.

Not spill cheerios, silly!  We were able to do that from the get go.  I'm talking about a ponytail.  If you squint your eyes, you'll see it.  Eventually, we even got as far as hair to the shoulders with Superkid.

And then one day--one dark and stormy day--we had a hair-raising adventure.  I discovered this on the kitchen floor:

Yep.  That's hair.  Superkid's hair.  Most  of Superkid's hair.  And the scissors weren't far away.

Keep in mind that this was just two days prior to Superkid's Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World.

Luckily, Sarah could fit us into her schedule.  She did what she could.

Superkid ended up looking like this:

Mmmmhmmmm.

Now, mothers of children who have recently created their own dynamic hairstyles thanks to an errant pair of scissors, take hope.  I give you this:

You are looking at the current head of hair that belongs to Superkid.  Styled by me the night of the recent Daddy-Daughter Dance at our elementary school.  Dang, I'm good!

She liked it.  And it is a good thing, because it took me a loooong time to get curl in my girls' hair.  Together, they have quite a bit of it.  Just look at Endeavor:

I'll tell you, that's a lot of hair to curl.

Here's the story.  About an hour before the dance, Endeavor casually mentioned how many of the girls in her fifth grade class left school early to go get their hair done.....and the pressure was on.  Only, this time I rose to the occaision.  I do like to show off, now and then.  So I fluffed and brushed and curled and gelled and sprayed like a pro.....even though I'm an amateur.  And voila!  I saved $50, easy.  And my girls looked and felt fabulous.

"You could work at a fancy salon, Mom," Endeavor told me.  "My hair was way better than anyone who left school early."

Like I said, we've been blessed with good hair.   Hair-leluja!

How did she know?

Yesterday was Monday.  As I've mentioned before, Monday is Family Home Evening at our house.  Last night, however, we weren't at home.  First, the entire family accompanied me to the doctor's office.  I'm going to live!  (Not that there was ever any question of that.)  No, seriously, I'm doing great.  Even though I'm still sore and slow.  Then, we made a trip to McDonald's for ice cream.  Before we returned home, our plan was to deliver Christmas goodies to some of our friends.  So, we made a bathroom stop before we began our deliveries.

This may not sound like the traditional Family Home Evening, but the point is that we were spending time together and there was ice cream involved.

Speaking of points, I'm not getting to the one I intended to fast enough.  My intended point is the following story:

As we approached the large, heavy, public restroom door, I considered my physical state.  I considered the door.  I was tired and achey.  I listened to Endeavor, who was trying to convince me that since she had no need for a restroom break, she should be allowed to stand outside and wait for her father and brothers (being male, they had probably already finished their business in the restrooms before we girls had even entered).  I considered the door again, and the possibility that there may be another heavy door beyond this one.  "No, Endeavor," I said, my decision made on all counts.  "I need you to join Superkid and I in the restrooms.  Because you can't wait outside by yourself, and because your mother is afraid she can't open this door by herself."

Endeavor grudgingly obliged, saying as she pushed open the restroom door, "Fine, Mom, I'll come and open doors for you. "

At this, Superkid looked up at her older sister and said seriously, "Mommy's superpowers have been weakened.  We have to do what we can to help her."

She's so on to me.  What was it that gave it away?  My lightening reflexes?  My laser vision?  Perhaps my ability to talk on the phone and measure out the ingredients for cookies simultaneously.  Whatever it was that tipped her off, I'll have to be more careful in the future.

And, speaking of SUPER.......

Best wishes to all of my fellow supermoms as you prepare your homes for Christmas!

Go to Bed!

My children are out of school all this week.  I am being completely honest when I say that I love it when they are home from school on a good, long, break.  I love summer vacation, too.  I'm not the most structured person, so there is something really appealing to me about the absolute freedom from schedules and the rush of getting everyone off to school and other activities.  I get a natural high from the power of being able to say things like, "Kids, we're going to spend the whole day in our jammies and we are going to read all the books we want.  We're having a readathon!" 

Doesn't that sound marvelous to you?  Mmmm, me too!  Let's do it today!  After we do all the things we need to to get ready for Christmas.....

Anyway, there are some things you just can't do with your children when school's in session.  Like staying up late.  Children really, really need their rest when school is in session.  The fact of the matter is, they need their rest when school isn't in session, as well.  Which brings me to the point of today's post:  I like it when my children go to bed. 

I like it when my children go to bed and it is just the Bionic Man and I.  I treasure the time we spend together after the children are in bed, tucked safely away for the night.  I have worked really hard to train my children that bedtime is bedtime--whether they are sleepy or not--and once I tell them goodnight, they are on their own.  (So to speak.)  Justone and Endeavor have totally got the hang of this.  Superkid is still trying to test our boundaries, but she is learning. 

It's not just about couple time, either.  Giving your children adequate rest is practically the foundation of preventative discipline.  They are just so much easier to handle when they are well rested.  I don't think any mother could argue with me on that point.

There is only one problem.  The Bionic Man loves it when school is out, too.  Only he's not home during the day to enjoy the special freedoms of school being out.  He has to enjoy them in the evenings.  Which means he likes to let the children stay up late.

He, obviously, is not the one spending the next day with tired children.

Does anyone else have this problem?  How do you deal with it?  I mean, besides putting your foot down and telling your husband that late night fun with the children is totally out of the question.  (Because I totally get where he is coming from.)Do you have a way to get older children to take naps?  Do you have a way to get younger children to sleep in?  I'd love some input.....Christmas break is just beginning.

And now, I unveil to you the driving force behind this post.  My Fair Lady!  



I love this musical so much that it inspired Endeavor's real name.  I think it is hilarious when people comment on her name, "Oh, is that a family name?'  Because it isn't!  But it could be....if our last name was Doolittle.

Apologies and Well Wishes

Yes, it has been some time since my last post.  Hence, my apologies.  I do have a really good excuse.  I've been wayyyyy under the weather.  Don't ask for any more details than that; you should appreciate that I'm not offering more.  But I'm recovering!  Since--as of today--I can now focus on the computer screen without crossing my eyes or falling asleep, I'm commemorating this momentous occasion with a blog post.  Fair warning, it will not contain any deep thoughts, because I'm not yet at the deep thinking point in my recovery.

I am however, in the reading and reflection point of my recovery.  (AKA: lying down on the couch with a pile of books.)  Since I am spending plenty of time reflecting upon how I can better care for my body in the future, I've been reading this book:

Which is hilarious.  But don't take my word for it, because I'm taking painkillers.  Everything seems a little bit funny to me, right now.  Even global warming.  (Don't tell Al Gore.)  No, it actually is pretty funny because the writer has a great sense of humor.  (At least, I think she does.  Again, the painkillers.)

Okay, let's just forget the above paragraph ever happened, and go with, "This book interests me because it points out something I noticed when I, myself, lived in Europe."  And that is, you can eat yummier food and not gain weight when you live on the other side of the Atlantic.  It is a concept I've been thinking about quite a bit, as I contemplate making some changes in my life to improve my health and weight.  I'll tell you more when I'm not on painkillers, because, as I said, I'm not yet to the deep-thinking point of recovery.  Pretty sure I'll be off the painkillers before I get to that stage.

Until I'm back to my [deep-thinking] self, enjoy some of the fun things I found in the blogosphere today as I enjoyed being able to look at a computer screen without falling asleep.  This is what kept me awake:

Tea Towel Apron Tutorial from Skip to My Lou.  The finished product looks like this.

I discovered this tutorial when I was visiting one of the first blogs I ever met, Li'l Red Cottage.  Go back in the archives to last December, and you'll find some of the best gift ideas known to man.  Or woman, for that matter, since we seem to have to come up with most of the gifts for Christmas distribution.  Like all the gifts for children's teachers.....so take a look at some of these, and check out their 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas.

This is the idea that my friend, Nicole, and I used for teacher gifts this year.  She found the soap bottles, I found the cute Christmas handtowels to go with the soap.  Took us about an hour to make 10.  (Truthfully, it took Nicole about an hour to make 10.  Remember, I was on painkillers at the time.)

My next idea comes from Cassandra Design, who I discovered while I was visiting the Li'l Red Cottage.  You've gotta love the way her kitchen looks during Christmas (love the alphabet!) and the cool benches she makes out of old headboards.  I dare you not to want one of these benches, or the chair made from old ties.  Really.  Go see.

Oh, there are so many fun things out there to be found!  But we simply don't have time for them all, especially if we are learning to cook like the French women who don't get fat.  On the other hand, if you need some ideas for budget and family-friendly meal ideas, go check out Six Sisters' Sustenance.  I love their recipe for Classic Fettucini Alfredo.  Super easy, everyone in the family loves it.  The other day, when Justone was helping to put away the groceries, but forgot to put away the cooked, frozen, jumbo shrimp I had bought to use on Christmas Eve......I added the thawed shrimp to the Alfredo Sauce before I tossed in the noodles, and it was a HUGE success.  

BTW, you just have to use the fresh parsley on this one.

And now for my Well Wishes.....Happy Birthday, Bionic Man!  This one is for you.

Actually, that was more for me. I'm mushy like that. This one really is

for my Bionic Man. Especially the parts in Italian.

P.S. No more funny musical videos after December. Just for the holidays and fun!