Looth Tooth!

As you may remember, I've been worried a bit about Lucas and his funky new tooth. But yesterday, as he was trying hard to focus on a short story so he could give me the main ideas, he pulled out his old tooth!

It was wonderful, really. This kid doesn't do so good with pain and door knobs and pliers would only serve to send him into drama overdrive. I had been worried about the tooth hanging by a stubborn thread and Lucas running around hyperventilating about how he can't eat or talk and not letting anyone near him to end his suffering. So we've been taking it easy, with the result that he'd let us feel and wiggle his loose tooth anytime. He learned about tooth roots and began informing me that he could hear them popping when he'd pull his tooth extra hard. So all by himself he pulled out his teeny, tiny, itty-bitty tooth. For an instant, I felt like there's always something to derail our school time. But I got over it and joined in the celebration, never fear!

Hypothesis began; would the tooth fairy know when to come? How would the tooth fairy know his wish? What would the tooth fairy do with his tooth? Was the tooth fairy big enough to even lift his tooth?

I assured him that the tooth fairy had been taking children's teeth for many, many years and was a pro. I did ask him if he thought he'd get a big, hairy fairy, though. He hoped not. We looked in our big book of fairies, but alas, we only have flower fairies in that book, no tooth fairies. And so my son, big announcer that Santa is not real, believes in the tooth fairy. This came as a surprise to me, I was sure he'd be skeptical and wary. But I just went along with his questions. Later, I talked to hubby about it. Shane told me I should tell him the truth, so I stepped aside and told him he was welcome to enlighten Lucas. (Lucas was in bed, with tooth safely ensconced in his tooth pillow). Somehow, Papa just didn't have the heart. =)

When Lucas first lost the tooth, we put it in his pillow and then he wrote his wish down on a piece of paper and folded it in the pillow with his tooth. So that made it easier for Mom to grant. And so we are off to Diary Queen to fulfill this wish, since it's rather messy to put ice cream under someone's pillow!

After discussion with Shane, it was decided that the kids can get something at DQ for their first tooth, then we can give them a dollar for each tooth following. They can spend it on a cone at McD's or whatever. Shane was sure we'd go bankrupt if we did DQ for every tooth of every child.

This morning Julia announced that she will be wishing for a pony when she loses her first tooth.

And Shane thought DQ was worrisome!

Dress Projects

Guess I should post about this before Julia grows out of her new dresses!

Once upon a time, a need was discovered. When the air became fallish and my daughter would wear summery clothing on a cold and blustery day, Mom realized it was time to switch out the clothes! So I did. And then Julia, who'd had eighty meeting dresses and a hundred and eighty play outfits had about two. I became seized with the mad desire to sew something and began to formulate something weird in my mind's eye. I succeeded, I think, because it is unusual. But it's kinda darling, too! I made Julia a dress out of anti-pill fleece.

I found a blue from Joann's online that I hoped would be the right blue, and it was. I found a summery dress pattern in my big sewing box of paraphernalia and adapted it to suit my fancy.

Namely the sleeves needed to be less summery. I also decided to get "fancy" and use a special stitch from my cheap-as-dirt sewing machine, and I was relieved (pleased) with the result. It looks a bit like white snowflakes.

So this dress was a birthday present for her and I became concerned, because she got all hot and flushed when she played in this dress indoors. Maybe she's right to be wearing summer clothes in winter, who knows?

So I went on to make another dress with this same pattern, but this time I had grander plans. I would make her dress out of "cooler" flannel material, and mix and match a bunch of fabric.

The blue dress was a little loose, make the new one a single size smaller but just as long. Include the gores for the flared bottom and make fancier sleeves. Woo hoo! =) And so Julia helped me pick out the fabrics and we set to work.

Now we are almost done, just have to drive alllll the way into town to get a zipper and just haven't done that yet! I'm eager to get this dress washed and wash the folds out of it, tacky!

But I pinned the back and Miss Princess wore it for the afternoon.

I used a special stitch on this dress, but only for the neckline this time.

I just wanted to get the sleeves and skirt hemmed as quickly as possible!

Now that it's even colder, the blue is perfect and keeps her cozy. I'd like to make a red fleece dress next. Maybe when I'm in town for a zipper...

Quirks and Cuteness

My sweeties are making me laugh and smile these days. Some days they make me scream and cry, but it's not really their fault. They are just growing little people with a lot to learn and a lot to teach Mom!

Let's start with Lucas.

He's been giving me a lot of compliments lately. The other day he said I was an amazing mommy! I replied that I wasn't that amazing since anyone could do what I do. And he replied "You are amazing because of how much you love us!" Now doesn't that just melt your heart? He's been full of these little compliments, and I admit it: I don't mind! =)

Poor kid gave me a scare, though. He got his first new tooth without losing any. It came in behind his bottom teeth, like this:

But I quickly googled it and discovered it's very common and not to worry. And one of his teeny front teeth are loose, so things are progressing very well. In honor of this occasion, and because he's been dying to learn to sew with a needle and thread, he and I made a tooth pillow.

He stitched on the pocket, and I was impressed, since he's never put needle to fabric before. I sewed up the edges, he stuffed it and voila!!! He's the happy owner of a tooth pillow. Now for some creative ideas for the tooth fairy. Help!

And now for Julia. For starters:

I love this close-up. She might not like it when she's older, but she will if she's ever a mommy! I overheard a conversation between she and Lucas:

Julia: "Boys do not wear boobs!"

Lucas: "They don't wear breasts, Julia. That's politer."

(Both of them meant "bra" anyway)

Clearly we have an open and comfortable conversation level with our children...

The other day, I ran to get Shane. He just had to see how Julia had fallen asleep for her nap! She had tied herself up, then tied herself to the bedpost and just drifted off.

It was hilarious and worrisome all at the same time. I unhitched her from the bedpost and then had a chat with her after she woke up about safety. You never know what will enter their minds to try. It would be impossible to think of everything and forbid it!! Certainly I have never said "Now, go to sleep, Sweetie. And remember, don't tie yourself to your bedpost!"

Now Aidan. He is so cute!

He gets more cuddles than he wants from his Mommy. Last night we got home from a date after bedtime. We were watching a movie, when the door squeaks open slowly, then a little person runs away! So I went after Aidan, and he was crying because he couldn't find me. He was in his tiny, tighty-whiteys and he looked so cute! So I snuggled him up in front of the fire, and gave him a drink of water. He was so happy and then ASKED to be put back in his bed. I could have sat there and held him for MUCH longer!!

I got a picture of the back of his neck, although it's not quite what I had hoped.

I want to get pictures of all my kids beauty spots and knobby knees and cheeks and sideburns. I just don't want to forget!

And that's my little rave about my babies!

Handsome Honey turns 35!

We had a Joe Cool birthday this year for Shane...

This year, we are supposed to "not do much" for our actual birthdays and instead use our allowance to get a sitter and go away for a night. But there's this stressor, you see. Shane's birthday comes first. I set the tone in gift giving. But what if he gets me something really cool? Really insightful or meaningful? (because he has, on many occasions!) Then I'm left in the dust with a dumb birthday for him, no chance for redemption. So I had to play it cool, and yet get him something decent... And something I could afford, HA HA HAAAA!

Here's how it all went down.

First, a birthday treat of gingersnaps and an old-fashioned vanilla malt milkshake, which Aidan especially adored.

Then, we noticed sirens and billowing black smoke and went outside to investigate.

I burned the last batch of gingersnaps while watching someone else's house burn down. Not a very good learner, eh?

This is without the zoom, so you get an idea how close we were. Not too close, thank-goodness!

We began to wonder if it was a meth house or something. This thing did some serious burning!

So after this dramatic little interlude, we went back inside for gifts.

Aidan got Papa some crunchy larvae covered in cheddar cheese. Me, Shane and Julia tried it, but the boys would NOT!

Julia got Papa a double guitar stand, but before Papa opens it he does a little guessing routine that the kids love! You can see we had to be creative in "wrapping" it. If you wrap it, it's easy to guess!

Lucas got Papa a stellarscope (in his lap), which is like a small, portable planetarium. You set it to your hemisphere, lat and long., and season and it shows you constellations in your night sky. Lucas also made Papa some more mustaches, which he loves. Can't you tell? It was funny to watch him thank Lucas with watery eyes. ;)

So Papa Shane is 35 and better than ever in so many ways. Even though we are always tired, it totally tickles me that we have trouble getting to sleep EVERY NIGHT because we want to just talk and talk. Sometimes we hold hands at breakfast. He always tells me thank-you for every meal. And he always tells me I'm gorgeous, and I'm all for nixing the laser surgery for his eyes. What woman could ask for more? He works hard, but not too hard. He likes to have fun, too. He thinks that now is the time to enjoy life, not later. Yet he is wise with finances and future planning. He likes to take the kids with us on trips and he even does the dishes on the weekends to help me out. He seems to feel as lucky to have me as I know I am to have him! In only 9.5 years we've come this far, I can't wait to see how the rest pans out.

And finally, to quote an old birthday card he wrote me: "And yes, I do celebrate the day you were born!"

PS: if you have not clicked the link on the side bar and viewed Calysta's projects yet, you MUST! I'm dying of impressed-ness!

Rant about WikiLeaks.. REALLY????? (and a treat)

Sorry folks. You've had a nice break. Only one political entry so far, I think that's pretty fair. But the time has come, when I shall once again fill the ears of friends and family who only wanted to see my kids and chickens with soapbox suds.

WikiLeaks. How upsetting! Julian Assange, the founder of the website, was arrested. Apparently, he's been arrested for rape, this will be the third(?) time he's been arrested and tried based on new evidence. And it is interesting that Interpol is involving themselves in that kind of case??? Anyway, it's irritating to find out that once he gets to Sweden, they will hand him over to our country, the good ole US of A where he can rot in prison. The land of the free, home of the brave, blah, blah, blah. So I erased my amazon info and am no longer going to patronize them, since they booted WikiLeaks off their server. Feels so impotent, but a person has to do what they can...

I'm all for protecting proper info in times of war, etc. But aren't we DONE with this war already? I mean REALLY? Are we fighting terrorism? Or something? I guess the way to do it is choose a profile for terror (poor, uneducated, disenfranchised) and eliminate them? Is that why we are at war(constantly)?

And what about the "real american way"?? The supposed transparency from people to government: uncheck(wikileaks). The innocent til proven guilty: uncheck(Guantanamo bay). The right to privacy: uncheck(warrent-less phone taps) Not to mention that in our haste to idolize capitalism, consumerism and the almighty dollar, we have(as a collective group) created a situation where the dollar reigns supreme. It is the deciding factor. If it's good for business, then it's good for everything else: health, education, happiness, environment, religion, you name it. But unfortunately, only those with the money get to make the decisions. (Should I take the power of corporations tangent at this juncture?) We don't get to decide what's on Wal*Mart's shelf. We get to choose from what they put on the shelf. Same for every other store. If you doubt me, try getting your store to carry something you buy. I've tried! Instead, you have to find the small mom and pop place (that USED to be the standard of business in America) and patronize them, telling all your friends about it so they don't go out of business. I buy my produce boxes, and tell everyone I can. But this family farm already chose to try and do business ethically and they can only succeed if enough of us decide to pay a little more for their local foods.

I'm tired of it being "uncool" to get your panties in a twist. Sorry Kelly, I do like the word. ;) So I let my panties twist up whenever they have a good reason. And I think freedom of speech is a good reason. I know many of my loved ones are saddened by my liberal leanings these days but I think you could agree that greater transparency from the White House is needed? Hence, my support for WikiLeaks.

On a more positive note: This isn't the only post for today, look below for something less political.

And again: Calysta posted some AMAZING projects on her blog and it would cheer you up to cast your orbs upon them.

And I do have one picture for you. I decorated. I was motivated by company coming and needing to clean my room. So I hastily did some decorating and was quite pleased with the effect. =)

Like it? It is Joelle inspired, and she gave me the first "believe" plaque. As always, a bit of copying must come into play when I decorate. Is that a round of applause I hear? ;) First one says "Believe. Man is what he believes", next: "Happiness is a journey, Treasure the moments." and last "Simplify. Live simply, live well."

A-men.

Vandals and Cabbage

Today, after much discussion with Shane, a conclusion was reached: Julia deals with her stress by vandalizing.

This morning, Julia took a pencil and colored in the grout on our tiled bar. There was graphite dust everywhere, and all over her fingers! So she got her consequences which included cleaning up her mess. Then she purposely broke one of her brothers' toys. When she was discovered by her brother, she flapped her hands and made baby sounds, namely "aaaaaa!". These are familiar, but frustrating symptoms that she needs more attention. At naptime, Shane and I sat down with her and in the process of the visit, she revealed that she doesn't feel special inside. Luckily an opportunity came shortly after that when she showed me a lego bunny she had made. She thought it was special and I pointed out that God thinks she is special and He made her, too! (I also pointed out who else thinks she is special and why) Then we did a little practicing. I pretended to be busy (I talked on the phone) and she came over and told me she felt lonely and would like me to play with her.

Parenting is not for slouches! Seems like we should have to pass a test or something in order to get pregnant at all! A little neglect, a little lack of attention and Julia will have our house around our ears in no time! Although, to be fair, her brothers have almost finished chewing up their bunk beds. So she doesn't have to worry about that!

On another note, one of Julia's favorite veggies is cabbage, but I am rather particular about how cabbage is prepared. Boiled or steamed cabbage gets old, and no one eats the leftovers. In my Whole Living mag, I ran across a recipe that appealed to me on the spot. Fresh, tasty and leftover worthy! I haven't cared much for slaw in the past, but this almost doesn't qualify.

Apple Slaw

Serves 4

2 T. olive oil

2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. finely grated, peeled ginger root

1/2 t. kosher salt

5 c. finely shredded red (green, purple) cabbage

1 apple, peeled and julienned

1/4 c. chopped chives

Wisk together olive oil, lemon juice, ginger and kosher salt(or put them in your measure, mix and pour). Add cabbage, apple, and chives. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 8 hours until ready to serve.

I have tried all colors of cabbage, to good effect. Also sea salt and dried chives. And it stores just great for several days, I can at least speak for three. =) I have gotten a little liberal with the lemon juice and added more than it said, and I liked it even better! The fresh ginger root seems to make this dish, I haven't tried it with powdered ginger.

And no pictures! Either of vandalism or cabbage, I'm so sorry to say. =)

ciao!

Julia turns 5!

Once more, a five year old has come into our lives! That transition year from still kinda fringy toddler to independent kid is a fun one!

It's been special to go down memory lane a bit, even though she's the baby that had it the most rough. It was a tough time in our lives, lots of change, lots of struggle and conflict. But she was a little angel, and we were amazed at her time and time again. She's our bonny, winsome lass!

She grows sweeter every day and she adds so much to our lives! One thing that I love about my parenting journey is that things always get better and better. I thought my kids were cute and sweet back in the day, but they are cuter and sweeter now! As I get to know them, I love what I find and I just hope and pray that I don't mess them up too bad! Happy Birthday, Baby!

We did learn a few things from this recent birthday. We need a different approach to birthdays altogether. Sometimes too much attention makes kids bratty or greedy, and not enough attention is certainly not good. So I think we'll do things a different way. Shane takes the day off and we do the birthday in the morning. Then we spend the day helping others, with the kids choosing what we'll do. Lastly, maybe a date with the parents while the other two stay home. That's what the hubby and I have talked about so far, so we'll see! We want things to be balanced and we want the right outcome being produced. When we aren't getting the right result, time to tweak!

These last few days, Julia and I have had some special visits about being 5. She's a baby-talker, which concerns me. It concerns me because it drives me nuts, as well as my husband. The last thing she needs is to get negative attention! So I've been seeking out the deeper issues (no new babies, no marital unrest, ahhhh! starting kindergarten!). And in just two days, she's been responding well to my reassurance that talking baby talk won't get her more attention, but being her sweet, wonderful 5-year-old self will! I've seen her change her face and tone(on her own!) as she remembers that she doesn't have to revert to get my attention. And boy do I ever have to keep RIGHT ON TOP with the positive attention! I think she might be stressing over the boys getting me while she's gone to school, and she doesn't get an equivalent alone time with me. So we hope to fix that with some special Julia-time and see what that brings out.

Any thoughts? Any similar experiences? Any advice? Please comment! You know how it is, you just want to do what will work and do what is best for your kiddo, but sometimes you wonder: WHAT IS IT???

happy December, folks!

We've Got Eggs!

Hi. It's me, the blogger. Oh wait, the UNblogger.

I find myself blogging in my head... just another way to talk to myself, I guess. So in my head I've posted three blogs already. And they were really good; full of insight, humor, gentleness, sound values and everyone was nodding and agreeing with everything I said. It was great!

ON to the real world! =)

We have the long-awaited announcement to make. But I'm going to make it with a story.

I ignored my chickens yesterday, as is my wont. I often "wont" to ignore them. They have five gallons of water, a yard to play in, a feeder full of nutritious, organic layer feed and they don't lay. So sometimes I ignore them for a day. When they see me poke my nose out the back door, they all come and gather around the gate area, clucking at me. But yesterday I ignored them anyway. This morning I felt neglectful and decided to give them some unfrozen water, compost scraps, feed and love. Maybe a little snuggle or two.

So they met me at the gate with enthusiasm because although chickens are very, very dumb, they can smell food a mile off. Bang an empty compost bucket at them, and they'll ignore you. Secretly carry one tiny scrap of... nasty junk in a completely different container and they'll clamor about your feet and trip you. But this morning, only four chickens met me at the gate. This has never happened in their lives before. I had visions of blood and feathers, and began looking all over for "Big Mama", my large, black australorp whom I suspected would lay first. And I felt dismay that she was eaten or lost before she got a chance to prove me right. Then I hear a scuffle from inside the coop, which also never happens. The girls don't dally about inside their "Coop du Jour". (Shane just needs to make the sign) So I peeped in, trying to prepare myself for killing a half dead bird. But as you may have guessed by all the foreshadowing, she was sitting in a nesting box (!!) and had laid an egg! Ta da!!

I'm not sure if she's responsible for both of the eggs, but they are both australorp eggs, since the americauna's lay blue-green ones. I raced into the house to get the camera and the boys.

We were so excited, and got our special egg collecting basket to carry them inside. Finally, the girls are laying eggs!! =)

And we have one other special event to celebrate. Lucas has learned to ride a bike. Here's a couple shots from that great event, and more can be seen once I load up the month of November on Picasa. I love my boys/men. They are so great!

And Lucas was so scared and so proud, it's been fun to watch him. We knew he could ride a bike ages ago, but he's just a nervous kind of kid, and very cautious.

And that's our big news! =) Wonder when you'll see another post again??

Winter Pot Roast

Just because I think they are cute...

I've spent the last few days working on my "Winter Menu". I go through my cookbooks and compile my old favorites, and pick out a couple new recipes that look promising for the winter months. I am especially drawn to easy recipes, and I find that simple recipes are often the healthier ones. Another great thing about compiling a winter menu is that I compile an ingredients list along with it. When I do my once-a-month shopping at Costco, I stock up on the meats I need, so I'll always have what I need in the freezer. I make a list of the produce I'll need for every recipe, often realizing that half of my recipes call for bell peppers, making that a winter staple item, as well as onions and garlic.

A couple nights ago, we had our stand-by Pot Roast with Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa Pudding. The quinoa (keen-wa) pudding was a recent find on a blog that Kelly had linked to hers, cannelle et vanille. It's a wonderful find, Kelly, thanks for sharing! Cannelle et vanille recipes and pictures are incredible and she has a bunch of gluten-free recipes on there, too. I adapted her recipe, of course, since I can't seem to ever follow a recipe exactly.

The adaptations I did were to leave out the cream (I didn't have any), throw in some extra butter (since I only had 1% milk, not whole) and add cinnamon and craisins. It was good! I cooked it too long, and it became more like hot cereal, instead of runny, but we'll try again soon. We all liked our first introduction to quinoa, and were pleased to find it is the most nutritious grain of all and has all of the amino acids. Cool!

My pot roast recipe is the bomb, if I do say so myself.

Spicy Creole Roast, from the River Road Recipe's II Cookbook

2 lbs + round tip roast, trimmed

1 Tbsp creole seasoning (Tony's)

2 tsp salt-free lemon pepper

1 onion, chopped

1/4 C Worcestershire

1 Tbsp steak sauce

2 Tbsp parsley

2 C water

Rub roast with seasonings and brown in a large, lidded pot. Add onions and brown a few minutes. Pour the rest of the ingredients around the roast. Boil on the stove for 30 minutes, then turn down the heat and simmer for 1.5 hours. To make a thicker gravy, blend 3 Tbsp of flour to a little water and add to the gravy, stirring well.

Notes: This works just fine in the crock-pot, too This can be done with ANY cut of meat, I've done it. Last night, I used sirloin steak, as you may notice. I've used chuck as well. It's all delish. Just remember, this is a healthy, salt-free recipe so please serve this with the salt and pepper shaker! I love that you can throw in a frozen roast, and I don't measure the ingredients anymore, I just sprinkle the seasonings straight on the meat and brown as I sprinkle both sides.

Sweet Potatoes are superb, sublime and incredibly good for you. They are a carb, yes. But one of the very best you could want. Even pro body builders like this kind of carb! Happily, children love sweet potatoes, too.

I wash them very well, may I say VERY well. I cut the tips off, and arrange in the pan. Bake at 375 for a little over an hour. They are SLOW! And the microwave will work much more quickly(add a little water) but in winter, it's okay to use the nice, warm oven, plus I like the results better. Poke with a fork to test for doneness. There is nothing worse than a crispy sweet potato. This is not one dish that is nice "crisp-tender". You want these bad boys soft! And then serve with your choice of poison, we prefer butter and brown sugar. And here is why I wash them very well: my children eat the skin. I will eat the skin on occasion, especially where the sugary stuff comes through. But the skin is a bonanza of nutrition, I've even heard it compared favorably to breast-milk. ?? =) Put a little skin in the baby food grinder along with the orange part, so I've read and done. Start 'em early AND often, and the rest will take care of itself.

Thought I'd share my "snack plan". It's what I do to keep kids off my back when they are whining about being hungry. I provide good snacks and plenty of veggies, the reason for extra veggies is two fold: good for 'em and it doesn't ruin the next meal. Sometimes I include nuts, as I remember or have them on hand. =) I try to steer clear of carbs, since I'll want them to eat the carbs at mealtimes. But I have been known to add crackers to the dish on occasion!

So there's my first winter recipe!

Ode to Marian

Thumbs

Oh the thumb-sucker's thumb

May look wrinkled and wet

And withered, and white as the snow,

But the taste of a thumb

Is the sweetest taste yet

(As only we thumb-suckers know).

Shel Silverstein

Ah, Marian, how we miss thee!

And the nails you let the kids paint:

And the back of your car that you let the kids ride in:

The cooking, baking and ramen-making that little helpers shadowed you for:

And the fuzzy caterpillars you helped the kids find:

We are glad Kyle and Kane get to have a turn enjoying their Auntie and we are glad you got to live with us for a while. Come back to visit!