Wednesday, July 30, 2008

A True Jedi

I may have mentioned this before but our boys LOVE Star Wars. Much of their day is spent recreating scenes, watching parts of the movies and dressing up as Darth Vader. Tyler had a little fun with his computer last night (he loves him some Mac's!) and now Brennan thinks he's the coolest thing around.



Brennan got a Darth Vader costume and a storm trooper costume for his birthday. They are great costumes and really look like the real deal. Whenever Brennan and Calvin are playing Star Wars, B always gets to wear the costumes. Calvin, being the younger brother always gets a raw deal....but he has no idea! The other day I walk into the living room and find them jumping off a chair. Brennan is dressed as Darth and loves the fact that when he jumps off the chair, his cape flies out behind him....just like the real Darth. And then I see Cal. He has my yoga mat, with the strap on one end, slung around his neck thinkin' he looks just like Darth Vader. Oh the innocence!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Out of the Mouths of Babes



My kids have been killin' me lately. Here's the latest....

Brennan (5) really loves to answer the phone. These days he actually considers it his job around the house. This afternoon before I got in the shower (hey, at least I got a shower) we had a little talk about phone etiquette. I tried explaining to him that if someone called he should NOT tell them his mom is in the shower. He should say "my mom can't come to the phone right now." So I suggested we practice. Here's what happened...

Me: So, if someone asks to talk to your mommy, what do you say?

Brennan: She can't come to the phone, she's in the shower.

Me: NO, NO, NO, that's too much information, don't tell them I'm in the shower. Try again, what do you say if they want to talk to your mommy?

Brennan: (looking at me very quizzically) She can't come to the phone, because she's NOT in the shower?

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Out of the Mouths of Babes




Is this kid cute or what? This story makes him even cuter.





He was sitting in my bathroom the other day while I was making my bed in the bedroom. Here's the conversation that ensued.

Cal: "Mommy, can we say poopy in the bathroom?"
Me: "Yes Calvin, it's OK to say poopy if you're in the bathroom."
Cal: "Mom, you're a poopy head."

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Thursday Mornings

The alarm goes off at 5:35. I fumble for the snooze button and manage to hit it. Again at 5:45, finally at 5:50 I roll out of bed. I stumble to the bathroom trying not to make any noise. Brush my teeth, wash my face, put in contacts and slip on my flip flops. I leave the house literally still in my jammies. When I arrive at 6:00 there are 3, sometimes 5, close friends, and hot coffee. We talk only briefly. And then we pray. For one hour we sit before the Lord and acknowledge that He is sovereign, powerful, loving, patient, just. We confess our sinfulness. We thank God for who He is and what He has done and continues to do for us. And we beseech Him to heal, strengthen, lift up, protect, guide, impart wisdom and above all to show His glory. And He is faithful, He is always faithful.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Dessert for Dinner #1

We may have started a new tradition tonight. We had dessert for dinner! I had to actually explain this to Tyler several times before he fully understood that dessert WAS dinner. Once he got it he was very happy. And it was the excitement of the day for the kids.
Here was my reasoning. It's so stinkin' HOT out! I had all this beautiful fruit. It's so stinkin' HOT out. I wanted to try this new cobbler recipe but I didn't want to "slave over a hot stove" for dinner and dessert. Thus the answer, dessert for dinner.



The menu:
Apple, Blackberry, Raspberry Cobbler (I used this blackberry cobbler recipe and added apples and raspberries)
Vanilla Ice Cream
(and it was all preservative free!)

Here are some pics of my kiddos lovin it.

Yummy!

Yummy!

Oh my!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Today at 4:30 Calvin was trying to convince me to go on a jog with him in the stroller. Today at 4:30 it was 100 degrees outside. I tried to explain to him that it was WAY to hot to be outside. It wasn't working. I told him that playing outside in this heat could actually make you sick. I tried to explain dehydration to a 3 and 5 year old. It still wasn't working. So I told them if you played outside in this heat it would make you so sick you would throw up. They stopped asking.

About an hour later the Orkin man walked up the driveway. He wanted me to pay him money several times a year to kill our bugs. I politely told him I wasn't interested. Then I told him that they (meaning his employers) really shouldn't make him go door to door on a day like today. He was drenched in sweat. I said goodbye.

Then as I turned to walk back to the porch where the boys were waiting, here's what I heard....

Calvin (yelling): Go inside or your gonna throw up!
Brennan (yelling): You're gonna throw up on our driveway!

So maybe they do actually listen to me.
excuse my mess while I try to figure out what my "style" is

actually, what I'm finding is that I have no "style" or maybe that my "style" is a mix of lots of things

does this mean I'm quirky?

I seriously can't make up my mind on a stinkin' blog template...how sad is that?

this is, however, one thing I WILL NOT lose sleep over

thank you

Friday, July 18, 2008

Various Bellies

I seem to be mentioning My Mid Section on this blog quite frequently. So I thought I'd let you SEE how it is that I lost all control over it.

A few notes to begin with....

* These images are not appropriate for children
* If you are newly pregnant with you first child, stop here, do not, I repeat, do not look at these pictures
* I may be a tall woman, but I am all legs, I have a very short torso. Which, as you will see means my belly must stretch WAY out.
* I have very large babies (thank you Tyler).
baby #1 9lb 12 oz
baby #2 10lb 1oz
baby #3 8lb 12 oz (but she was 3 weeks early)

Ok, are you ready? I'm not kidding, prepare yourself for THE BELLY.

**********************************************************************************

Belly #1
I'm to lazy to scan a picture in and there's not one on my computer

Belly #2


Belly #3

(if you're brave enough enlarge this puppy and take a look)


And to this I say...this body was "fearfully and wonderfully made".

Monday, July 14, 2008

The War on my Mid Section

Alternately titled:
"How My Mother-in-Law is Trying to Sabotage Me"

Um, yeah, so I'm just hangin' out these days and tryin' to lose a little weight. Have I mentioned my Mid Section to you all yet? It's out of control. Except for those days it's tucked safely into my Spanx, and on those days there's so much control I can only take sharp little breaths.
But I digress. So I'm just hangin' out trying to lose a little weight. I decide to take a little jaunt down the driveway and get the mail. Oh how fun, a package! I come inside, rip it open and this is what I find.....



For those of you wandering THIS IN ONLY THE BEST FUDGE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! I'm not the kind or girl that normally goes gaga over fudge, but this stuff is unreal. This is the kind of fudge that even if the house is on fire, the baby is oozing hippo size poopies out the side of her diaper, the boys are bringing dead bunnies in the house, or digging holes in the yard and peeing in them, you'll find me in my secret corner licking heavenly chocolate off my fingers singing a sweet little song about Joann's Fudge. It's THAT good....seriously.


My Mother-in-Law, also known as the otha' motha', is in Mackinac Island, MI this week and mailed this to us. Isn't she great?!?!?! Seriously though, thanks Janet and Bill!

Now about my mid section, hmmmm, I guess it will just have to wait until next week to begin the shrinking. Oh and if you know me in real life feel free to stop over for a bite, I'll share!

Friday, July 11, 2008

When Nouns are Verbs

I love listening to my children's language develop. Most times I find it so cute I don't bother to correct them. Here's a sampling of the latest...

- "Mom, I'll sit on the couch and you doctor me."

- "Watch out, this is gonna firework you."

- "I'm gonna fire you up."

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Hear ye, Hear ye....



I would like to announce to the blogosphere that I no longer have any guilt over feeding my kids copious amounts of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Ya know why? Because they have no preservatives, additives or food coloring (as long as you use Ghirardelli chocolate chips).

Last week I would have been taken aback by the amount of fat and sugar in these cookies. I would have thought to myself "Self, should I be feeding these delightful cookies to my kids? What if they become obese sitting right here on their cute little bottoms?"

But oh no, not this week. You see, this week, I have seen the light. This week I see that it's all the preservatives, additives and food coloring that are actually worse for our kids.

But of course next week I will once again be swayed by whatever magazine lands in my mailbox and it'll be flaxseed that will be deemed bad for my kids.



All joking aside, these are difficult waters to navigate. Do you struggle with this?

Monday, July 7, 2008

Menu Planning Monday

Photobucket

I don't know that I'll do this every Monday, but I thought I'd join in today. The timing works well because I normally do my meal planning on Sunday night and my grocery shopping on Monday mornings. Tyler takes Monday mornings off, which is GREAT because I get to shop with zero or minimal children!

I don't assign my meals to a day, I'm much to finicky for that. I just buy ingredients for a certain number of meals and then decide that day what we'll eat. So here's what we'll be eating this week....

Whole Wheat Pesto Pasta...with basil from our garden. I'll also puree zucchini and "hide" it in the pesto.

Bun-less Burgers with sauteed mushrooms and onions. Green beans from our garden and potato fries.

BLT's with corn on the cob and cantaloupe.

Chicken Salad on homemade bread (this chicken salad is to die for!)

If your interested in what others are eating this week, go here.

The 4th



Thursday, July 3, 2008

Exercise

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy exercising outside. When I gave birth to my third baby I knew lots of things were going to change, my waistline, the size of our car, the amount of colorful plastic on the living room floor. I did not, however, give much thought to how it might change my workout routine. You see, I used to be a devout power walker (I use the term "power" lightly, I've seen those serious power walker races...I don't look like that). I loved to go for walks, even if it meant pushing a double jogging stroller. When the boys were 1 and 3 it was our morning "activity". They had snack time in the stroller and I got my exercise. Well, I don't have a triple stroller and even if I did there's no way I could push 125lbs worth of kids. Even with my eldest on his bike, it wouldn't really be considered exercise.

This morning, while Tyler stayed with the kids, I went for a jog/walk all by myself. Just me, Jesus, and the ipod. Listening to great music, praying and watching God's creation, it is a powerful worship experience for me.

These days my best form of exercise is Jazzercise. They've got childcare and it's an intense workout to great music. I do however miss the worshipful feel of my long ago walks!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

chasing

If I hear one more skinny person tell me that their "exercise" is chasing after their small children...I'm going to scream!

Believe me, I'm chasing, and the pounds are going nowhere. In fact they seem to have held a meeting and decided to begin recruiting new members. It's like a sorority in my mid section. The Alpha Sparea Tireo's.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Rather Random Ramblings

Quite a few rather random thoughts....

Brennan (5) loves to fish! While at grandma and papa's last week he spent a minimum of 3 hours, each day, fishing. Papa is always down by the pond with him, but he's learning to do most everything on this own. It's great to watch him do something that makes him so happy. He's so focused and calm and I love the look on his face when he reels one in!



Speaking of Brennan, he's our "strong willed" child. We have a feeling he's border-line ADHD. I've been doing lots of research and we're starting him on a preservative/additive free diet. Or at least very minimal preservatives. There is so much info out there and it's all so confusing! But we feel like this is something we should try. My grocery shopping yesterday took me 2.5 hours....uggg, that's lots of label reading! If any of you out there have any tips, please let me know.

I made bread yesterday. I realized I'd never made bread in this house, which means it's been at least 16 months since I last made homemade bread...yikes. We ate an entire loaf last night....so yummy!!

Tyler and I had an "in home date night" last night. We put the kids in bed at 7:30, made dinner and actually talked to each other as we ate. KC strips, crash hot potatoes, asparagus and a bottle of red wine. I don't know why we don't do this more often. By the way, I've got the best husband in the world. I literally married my dream-boy.



Yesterday I picked up my CSA veges. We got beautiful red rasberries! Well these rasberries came in a plastic-looking container. They told me the container was made from corn (how in the world?!?!) and that it was reusable and compost-able. So I figured after I had used it a few times I'd throw it in our compost pile. What they didn't tell me is that it was NOT dishwasher safe. Here's what it looked like this morning....



Well, there you go. Random Ramblings from my head to yours. Thanks for "listening".