Pretending...

The kids really enjoy a show called Word Girl on PBS Kids. And they love to play outside. Here's what happens when Word Girl and backyard fun collide....

Mister J is pretending to be "The Butcher" - a villain-type character who "butchers" words and shoots food (meat products, of course) from his hands.

Here's Miss M performing her interpretation of Word Girl. You're only missing the part where she yells, "Word Up!" to fly away on her next adventure.
Here's Mister J "looking smart" - this is his interpretation of Professor Two-Brains, I suppose.
And Miss M also "looking smart" - though I think she looks more bored than anything.

If you think those character names are silly, try these:
Captain Huggy Face
Chuck the Evil Sandwich Guy
Lady Redundant Woman (my favorite!)

And did I mention that Word Girl is from the planet Lexicon? Oh, go ahead and giggle. I sure did!

Too Much of a Good Thing

It's true what they say about too much of a good thing. It can be bad for you. Just ask Miss M.

Two things that you can have too much of:

• Fiber One Yogurt

• Edamame

Actually, if you truly have a question, skip Miss M and come straight to me. I am the one that had to deal with the bad thing that came afterwards....

The Accidental Vegetarian

I was having a salad for dinner a few nights ago. It was 'leftovers night.' I'd taken a leftover steak, sliced it, reheated it a bit, added it to the top of a pile of lettuce and veggies, and topped it with some bleu cheese dressing and croutons. (Yes, it was good! Just ask Big J, who had his doubts, but was pleasantly surprised.) As I was eating my salad, Miss M pointed to my plate and asked for a bite. I pointed to a particular bite of the salad (you'll understand in a moment), and she confirmed that, indeed, it was the bite she wanted. I passed her a bite of the salad, which she put in her mouth and immediately took back out. Why?

"That's meat!" she said with disdain, handing it back to me.

Big J and I were surprised that she'd asked for a bite of meat, but after reflecting on the events, it occured to us that she may have thought it was a crouton since I had some pumpernickel croutons on my salad. But the point of the post is this:

How is it possible that we have a child who, for the most part, will not eat meat?

We eat meat at nearly every meal. If we eat fish, we typically serve chicken nuggets to the kids*. Miss M ignores them. I think I have served two (evening) meals without meat in the last year. At Chick-Fil-A, she eats the fruit and the waffle fries (I'm a fry kind of girl, so I can't blame her for that....). She will eat lunch meat, but that's not the healthiest thing out there. Neither are McNuggets (sorry, Mickey D's), and she'll eat about ONE of those out of a Happy Meal, followed by all of the fries, of course.

Last night, we had fettucine alfredo. She ate more than Mister J, I think.I offered leftovers of that for dinner tonight, and she wolfed it down - along with about 1/3 of a bag of steamed edamame. She can put away some edamame - even shells it herself! I'm comfortable with the amount of protein she's getting, but I still wonder...

How did we end up with an almost full-time vegetarian in the family?

*Miss M's allergist hasn't given us the OK to introduce fish into her diet. And, if we are giving her a chance to eat chicken nuggets as an alternative, we feel Mister J should be allowed to eat them as well.

Spring Break, Day 4

aka "Happy Birthday Daddy!"

Big J's birthday was Thursday, and the kids helped me bake another carrot cake. They are great helpers in the kitchen, especially when it comes to cleaning up....

(By the way, that's not cake batter - they are licking the cream cheese frosting off.)

They were very proud of the end result, breaking into a spontaneous round of "Happy Birthday" before we even got candles on the cake. While we started with traditional candles, Mister J insisted upon having either the correct number of candles or using number candles to show Big J's actual age.
Miss M has already asked for a carrot cake for her birthday, too. And I'm already excited about baking another one!

Spring Break, Day 3

Yes, the kids are still in their PJs. It was Spring Break. And it rained for most of the week. But ignore that part, OK? Look at the project, y'all. They are planting some flowers that MeMaw sent to them when I was visiting my Dad last weekend. Mister J loves planting things and watching them grow, so he was very excited. We are checking it daily and watering as needed. If all goes well, additional photos will follow in a couple of weeks!

For parents of daughters...

Wow - this article makes me nervous about raising a girl. I'm not a girly-girl. I don't have an extensive 'beauty routine' - but she's sure to learn it somewhere, isn't she? There's always going to be a little girl at school or in the neighborhood who does all of these fancy things, isn't there? I hope that I'll be able to teach my daughter about natural beauty - the kind that comes from the inside and doesn't need makeup. (Have I ever told you that my husband still prefers me without makeup?)

My favorite aisle in Target. (Sorry you have to turn your head to see this - I was SURE I took it horizontally. Will have to practice more....)

Thursday Thanks Tank #5

So much to be thankful for this week!

I had a great weekend at my Dad's - even though I missed the kids!

Had a fun day geocaching with the kids on Monday!

Got to spend some time with my blog this week. And, apparently folks miss me when I don't blog! Well, maybe they miss their fix of kid pics - but that's OK too! Felt very special when I got some requests to start blogging again!

TODAY is Big J's birthday! Love you, sweetie!

Oh, my! Just love this! It's at Costco for $16.99. May have to spend some of my birthday money....

(Remember I told you I had a new trick - this is it! I sent this directly to my blog from my cell phone. Cool, eh?)

WFMW - Backwards Edition

In addition to being a Backwards Edition of WFMW, it's also my first WFMW post! So, here goes!

My dilemma, the one for which I NEED YOUR HELP, is this:

How can I get both of my kids to look at the camera (preferably with smiles) at the same time?



As you might have noticed if you follow the blog, I have a hard time getting Miss M to look at the camera. Mister J was a ham early on, and tolerates me now. Miss M has always, always had her own plan when it comes to smiling for the camera.... My scrapbooks and I appreciate your suggestions!!!

Spring Break, Day 2

So, what did we do this afternoon? Well, I'm glad you asked! We had the long-awaited-by-Mister J-since-the-snow-closed-everything-for-two-days-and-our-appointment-got-bumped trip to the dentist. The kids had back-to-back appointments, and thankfully Big J was able to get away from work to help out. Here's Mister J wearing his cool, dentist-provided shades to keep the bright light out of his eyes.

(Opening up to say, "Ahh," for the camera was his idea!)

Have you ever seen any better incentive for opening wide for the dentist? My kids are wild about video games (I have no idea where they got that from...), and were very excited that this one is a two-player game that doesn't need money. Woo hoo! Never mind all the rest of the swag they came home with....

Next on our list was the grocery store. I usually love going to the grocery store. I usually go alone, while the kids are in preschool. Today was a reminder of why.... When Mister J asked if he could push a small cart today, I thought he was talking about one like the lady is pushing in the background of the photo below. Nope, he meant the tiny, kid-sized carts - and he pulled out one for Miss M, as well. I forgot they had them at this particular store.... Two small carts + two smallish kids + one nutty mom = lots of comments from other customers, some of them unwelcome. Do I sound like I have a story? You guessed it, I do! Miss M's cart wasn't quite as easy to push as a cart designed for a child should be. I was trying to help her steer when she told me (in a less-than-patient manner) that she didn't want me to help. Lady (not in photo) walking by laughed out loud at the exchange. Then, she wanted to tell me a story about her granddaughter that I wasn't very interested in listening to - aside from the fact that she laughed out loud, I still had another child to keep track of, and he was walking in the opposite direction! To say I was somewhat frazzled at the end of this grocery run would be quite an accurate statement. To say that I missed preschool today would be accurate, as well. Here are my two personal shoppers. Jonah is trying to explain to me how the ice cream scoop he is looking at works, and why we need it. We actually have two ice cream scoops, which I have found to be plenty, so we did not purchase the ice cream scoop in question. Please ignore the frozen french fries and pay more attention to the organic lettuce....

It's been overcast all day today. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week. On our way out of the grocery store I stopped by the redbox for a movie we could enjoy as a family. It's not animated, so I expect it'll be just the adults watching. I'll let you know how it goes.

Loooong Overdue

My, has March been a busy month! And, when Mommy gets busy, the blog suffers :( Here's the quick rundown of our month before I get to the pictures (which I know you will probably scroll down to, then maybe come back and read this part of the post....):

March 1-7 - Major UMW fundraiser at church, only slightly impacted by the weather
March 7 - my birthday :)
March 9 - Miss M's tonsillectomy
March 9-23 - Miss M's recovery from tonsillectomy (yep, it really takes 2 weeks)
March 12-15 - Visit from Mom (we celebrated BOTH of our birthdays with a yummy, baked-from-scratch carrot cake and a girls-only dinner out)
March 20-21 - overnight trip for scrapbooking fun with friends!
March 27-29 - solo trip to my Dad's
March 30-April 3 - kids' Spring Break from preschool

So - you wanted pictures? Here they are - don't say I didn't warn you that there are PLENTY!

Mister J visiting Miss M post-tonsillectomy. When I looked back at these pics, I realized just how miserable she looked. Some interesting tidbits - she refused to wear the hospital gown (or any other PJs, for that matter) the entire time she was in the hospital; she wanted to eat bananas more than anything else post-op, and didn't care for popsicles at all; she got very annoyed by the pulse/ox monitor on her toe, and pulled it off several times; I have never been so thankful for NOGGIN shows available 24/7, as we were up most of the night that we were there.

Grandma and Grandpa R sent flowers to Miss M while she was in the hospital, but she didn't get a chance to really appreciate them until we got home. Still working on where we will plant the azalea when the weather finally warms up!

I didn't take a picture of the delicious, two-layer, made-from-scratch carrot cake with delicious, made-from-scratch frosting that I baked for mom's and my birthday celebration weekend. I suppose that pat on the back I just gave myself will suffice.

The next weekend, I got away for an overnight trip! Spent the night (and ate Chinese!) with my former student worker-turned-great friend, H, and got to catch up the latest news that I can't get via her blog. The next day was a HUGE, all-day scrapbooking event! We were joined by my friend J and her friend B for the beach-themed day of fun! Don't we look cool? (The answer, in case you aren't sure, is most certainly YES!)

J, B, H, and me

It was back to real life for a few days, then I was off on another solo trip - this time a weekend at my Dad's! (Seems I didn't copy a pic from my camera that I was going to post here.... can you tell I'm wiped out by all the busy-ness of the month?!?). I had a great time, and wished I could have stayed longer - but I sure did miss my kids! It hit me most on Sunday morning when I was sitting on the couch all by myself, watching the news, and nobody interrupted me. Never realized what a treasure those little interruptions are!

The kids are on spring break this week, so today I took the kids to a new-to-us local park for a picnic and some geocaching. Mister J has been asking to go 'treasure hunting' for a couple of weeks now, since Big J told me they wanted to upgrade my membership at geocaching.com for my birthday (yay!).

This first picture is for those of you who asked me to post more photos of the kids' lunches. With the addition of a baggie of crackers and my big, blue bottle of water, all three of us ate from the Laptop Lunch Boxes today.

Mister J was trying not to squint even though he was looking away from the sun. Oh, and how cool is it that I took this pic with my cell phone and emailed it to myself and posted it here?!? Yes, you should be impressed. I have an even cooler trick up my sleeve, but I'm waiting until the next cell phone photo op to share.

Next shot was me trying to get a photo of them together. Well, they are together.... I never said I would be able to get them to look at the camera at the same time! Check out how big they are getting!

Oh, look - here they are again, and they are both looking at the camera! I managed it once - on our only cache find of the day. They sure had fun checking out the treasures inside, but in the end we TNLNSL.

Aren't they just the cutest little geocachers you have ever seen? They were pretty adventurous today, and stuck it out even though we were 1 for 3 today. There was another interesting find at the park today - a 500+ year old poplar tree. It's been struck by lightning, and the remains of the trunk are now hollow - a pretty cool hiding spot for a 5-year-old!

Here are a couple more shots as we were wrapping up our afternoon of geocaching. The kids enjoyed the gravel path (picking up and tossing the rocks) and thought the storm drain under the path was very cool. They wanted to crawl through it, but I exercised my mommy-veto power on that one!



Jonah was a big help today - he carried our caching backpack when Miss M got too tired to keep up with us and 'needed' to be carried (though she had plenty of energy to play when we stopped here!).

On the way home, we got a call from friends who were meeting for a quick playdate at another local park. The kids were excited to see their friends E and C, and I enjoyed a brief visit with my friends AW and AT. I was amazed that the kids still had enough energy to keep their eyes open - nevermind swing, climb, run, and generally just play hard!

I did manage a snap of Miss M and Miss E when they were taking a breather. They are hanging out under the playground equipment playing with - what else? - rocks! Not sure what it is about rocks, but my kids both seem to want to pick every one they see. Is it a stage? Will they outgrow it? Insight, please!

So, what's in store for tomorrow and the rest of Sping Break? Well, tomorrow is the dentist - the kids have back-to-back appointments. Wish me luck! The forecast for the last half of the week is for rain, so perhaps we will do some crafts. Big J's birthday is Thursday, so we also have to do a little shopping. We have to buy a gift, of course, and the ingredients for a(nother) delicious, two-layer, made-from-scratch carrot cake with delicious, made-from-scratch frosting! Yippee! Perhaps I'll remember to take a picture this time!

Thursday Thanks Tank #4

This week, I'm thankful for:

A weekend with friends - spent shopping, eating, and scrapbooking.
Springtime - the few days of it we have had so far, though the forecast is for rain and cooler temps.
Parking in the garage again - thanks to my dear husband for working so hard to get it cleaned out this past weekend.

And - that you are still checking in here although I've taken an unplanned blogging break. Thank you. I hope I'll be back soon.

Thursday Thanks Tank #3

• NOGGIN shows 24/7 - it's been a lifesaver as Miss M recovers from her tonsillectomy.
  
• Witnessing the power of prayer - check out this little miracle!
  

Thursday Thanks Tank #2

This week list of things I'm thankful for:

1) Being pushed outside of my comfort zone. In the past few weeks I've been a substitute preschool teacher (in a music class, no less!) and been interviewed for our local tv news. I've been challenged, but I've received an equal boost in self-confidence.

2) Milestones. It's sometimes hard for this sentimental mama to look back and think about how tiny my kiddos used to be. How dependent they were on Big J and I for everything. But I am also puffed up with all kids of pride when I see them reach new milestones and accomplishments.

3) Jello and Bananas. Especially bananas, Miss M's top food pick since she had her tonsils out on Monday.

4) Our local 'family'. We have had plenty of prayers and support leading up to, and since, Miss M's surgery on Monday. Our parents don't live nearby, so it has been wonderful to have our local 'family' checking on us. Yes, mostly checking on Miss M, but also asking how the rest of us are holding up, too. (Those first 36 hours post-surgery were alternately restful and challenging....)

Owie!

My sweet Miss M has her tonsils and adenoid removed today. It's been a long day, there's been a lot of snuggling going on, and there have been copious amounts (well, copious for a 2 1/2 year old) of jello and ice cream consumed. We tried popsicles twice, but she didn't enjoy those. What excited her most, however, were the bananas. Bananas!

Trying to settle in for the night now. Rest easy, my sweet M.

He Read to Me

We received a set of BOB Books a few years ago, handed down from a cousin whose son is about 3 years older than Mister J. I found a second set this week at my church's consignment sale (and a third and a fourth, but I didn't get to them fast enough!), which I gave to Mister J this evening. I told him he could pick out two of them to read at bedtime. He was very excited about getting two stories! I left him to finish getting ready for bed while I read to Miss M and got her settled in for the night.

When I was heading back to Mister J's room, I was reflecting on some of the things I'd seen him try to read today. I decided to see if he could read the BOB Books. Y'all, he read them BOTH!

He needed a little help with words containing a short 'i' sound, but otherwise he was on his own. Wow! He was so proud of himself, and I was so proud of him, too!

I think she likes it

I picked up some new bedding for Miss M yesterday (along with a new bed frame and headboard at my church's clothing exchange; still need a mattress and box springs). I saw it at TJMaxx a few weeks ago, and decided on Wednesday that if it was still there on Thursday morning that I would buy it.

When I resist the initial impulse to purchase something I often find that when I go back to purchase it, the item is more 'perfect' in my memory than it is in person. My own mental 'fish story' of sorts. When I went into TJMaxx on Wednesday, I was not disappointed. In fact, I found another piece of the set that I hadn't seen on my first visit! Woo hoo!

The kids were with me, and were much more interested in the purchase than I imagined they would be. Miss M even wanted to carry one part of it around with her, but I was able to convince her to put it in the cart. She keeps asking to put it on her bed (which, for now is a toddler bed, so a twin bedding set is just a teensy bit too big). This evening, she started pulling it out of the packaging. I think it's rather cute that she likes it so much, so of course I have photos to share:

She's got her head on the decorative pillow, and she's covered up with the pillow sham. She wanted to pull out 'my big blanket' (the quilt), but I distracted her with KittyCat (who's tucked in there with her). She was just a little tired after a busy day at preschool and an afternoon run for a few groceries.

Thursday Thanks Tank #1

I found this meme over at Gravity of Motion, and have decided that I'm ready to give it a shot. Here are just a few things I'm thankful for this week.

1) A surprisingly good day with the family. I had expected just an average rainy day. This particular day turned out so nicely that I had no need for sunshine to lift my spirits.

2) Pix messaging. Ok, so I didn't use it for entirely honorable means in this particular moment, but I did send a sweet message to my sweetie when I sent him the picture of the doughnut that would be waiting for him at home.

3) Video Games. Seems unlikely, I know. I don't particularly enjoy them, but I'm thankful for the one-on-one time that Big J and Mister J have while they play. They are spending a little bit of time (around 30 minutes or so) a few nights a week playing video games together, and I can see that Mister J really enjoys showing Daddy how the games work and how much he's improving.

4) Snuggling with my daughter. Miss M has never really been a cuddler like Mister J was when he was her age. However, over the past couple of weeks we have been sitting in the glider in her room on the occasional day when she naps, and some evenings at bedtime. It only takes about 10 minutes for her to relax, and sometimes fall completely asleep. The sweetest moment was one night when I told her it was time to lay down in her bed and she asked to "lay down in the rocking chair" instead.

Top Ten Favorite Posts

Ordinary Extraordinary - A post about enjoying the simple things, like time spent together
Overheard...#10 - A "boy" moment, for sure!
Sweet Heart (aka Overheard #9) - My sweet Miss M has a heart for giving.
Overheard #8 - Just a little misunderstanding (and he still calls them 'porcupines').
Overheard #7 - I cannot deny it, she is growing up!
What are you waiting for? - Just another major revelation among the ordinary 'stuff' of my life as a wife and mother.
Shhh... - A total "awww" moment.
Patriotism - A big pride moment for Big J and I. This moment nearly brought me to tears.
Dough-NUTS! - Another pride moment, and a testament to the bond between my two kiddos.
A Tail of Epic Proportions - One of those 'when I look back on this in 10 years I'll laugh" moments.

Now is the point where I tell you I was encouraged to post because of a bloggy contest that's happening over at Barking Mad. There's a chance to win a $250 gift card to Target - but I enjoyed this little 'scroll' down memory lane way more! (Tag to Barking Mad's bloggy contest over there on the right...)

Pray for Us ... Pray for Others

I follow several blogs that include prayer requests or buttons, and found one today that encourages a community of prayer. Today, I posted my prayer requests there, and I want to share them with you.

Miss M is having her tonsils out on Monday morning. Please pray for us, and for all involved in her care. We will be at the hospital overnight, but are anticipating a quick recovery (and lots of popsicles!).

If you have noticed the new "Praying for Jonah" link on my blog, please follow it to learn more about the Williams family. Their son was born on Feb 27th with a rare, genetic skin condition. Please pray for them, too.

Please visit ...where laughter lives... for more prayer requests. It'll be updated often throughout the day, so keep checking back when you have a few moments.

Oh, and...

We took down the last baby gate yesterday. Both of the kids have been able to open it for a while now, so it wasn't all that effective anymore. We might have kept it up longer if Mister J hadn't taught Miss M how to open it....

Plastic Wrap

Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike plastic wrap? I can never get it to 'work' quite right, and end up throwing out half of what I pull off of the roll. Then I end up feeling super wasteful since it's not so environmentally friendly (and I try to be).

I despise plastic wrap.

That is all.

Snow MUCH Fun! - Updated

Greetings from our snowy corner of the world!

We got a lot more snow than our previous two snow days, but exactly what was called for on the news - about 5 inches. The kids, even in their rain boots, eventually ended up with damp socks. Miss M sunk up to the top of her boots when she went walking across a fresh area of snow.

We had fun out in the snow this morning, although it was still too dry and powdery to make a snowman. Daddy is working from home today, and was able to come outside for a few minutes with us. I'm sure we'll all head back out again in the afternoon. Hopefully by then the snow will have melted just enough to stick and make a decent snowman. It'll be a first for the kids, so I know they will be excited if it all works out.

I know the picture of Miss M makes it look like we were outside while it was snowing. It actually stopped before we got up this morning. The snow in her hair is from when she licking it off of the mommy-van. She looked up at me once and said, "Mmm! This tastes like ice cream!" At that point, Mister J decided he wanted in on the action, too.

We also played with the little sled I bought back when Mister J was just a toddler - about 4 years ago! Of course, both kids are bigger than the sled now, but we still managed to have some fun. Mister J tried to pull Miss M, but going uphill was a little tough.
I finished her trip uphill, then got some help from the ice and slush on the way back down with him in the sled. Oh, yes, it might be pretty and snowy on top, but underneath is ICE from a day and a half of rain and sleet. There have been a few cars and trucks up and down our street (no snowplow yet...), so right now there are slushy tracks that helped make 'pulling' 40+ pounds of boy and sled quite easy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Afternoon update:

After we'd had a chance to dry out and warm up, we went back outside. This time we had two things to do - make snow cream and make a snow man. I've never made snow cream before, so I was just as excited as the kids. Plus, I can't resist a new recipe! I gathered up all of the ingredients (well, except for the snow!) and we headed outside. I can't believe how well it turned out! (Nor can I believe how much it made!) I decided to try chocolate, and it tasted very similar to a Frosty from Wendy's. The kids enjoyed it, I think - but take a look at these photos and judge for yourself.


And, in other 'snowy firsts' news, we were able to put the kids' Snowman Kit to good use today! The snow had melted a bit, so it was finally sticky enough to roll into balls for our snowman.

Unfortunately, even though he was 'made in the shade' he didn't last very long, but Mister J and I were sure proud of him anyway!

Schools are closed again tomorrow - melting snow+overnight lows in the teens=icy, icy, icy! I know the kids are getting tired of being inside (even when we went outside today we didn't stay very long), so I'm going to pull out the paints and Play-Doh tomorrow. Lunch will be fun, too. I had already started packing the kids' LLBs in anticipation of a delay tomorrow morning (which would have meant an extended day at preschool, including lunch), so I'll finish packing them in the morning and we might even have an indoor picnic!

Overheard #15

It's snowing. After a rainy, sleety, generally yucky day, it's finally snowing. The kids are thrilled. Here are just a few things they said when we looked out and finally saw snow:

"It's a blizzard of snow!" - Mister J
"We can make snowballs!" - Miss M
"I can't wait to taste the first snow flake!" - Mister J
"I can not be--lieve it!" - both, a la The Little Einsteins

Of course, it'll be impossible to get them in bed. But, since school is cancelled, we can sleep in a bit. Still wondering if the dentist will be open....

sNOw - again

My goodness, it's March 1st and here we are, perched on the leading edge of what the news is calling a BIG snowstorm. I'm not a fan of the snow - haven't been since the first time preschool was cancelled due to the weather. Mister J actually gets sad about snow days. He doesn't like missing school, either. Add to that a busy week ahead, chock-full of appointments and things to do, and this potential for snow is pretty aggravating. Never mind that the kids are already annoyed by the 2nd rainy day that's kept them inside.

Mister J woke up this morning feeling a little crummy, so we stayed home from church (for the 3rd weekend in a row...). I fixed a light breakfast, let Big J sleep in, put some chicken chili into the crockpot, and snuggled with the kids for a good portion of the morning.

I had to head out to church this afternoon, and stopped by the grocery store on the way (after all, it's cold enough out there that the groceries were just fine to sit in the mommy-van for an hour or so). It was busy, but not overly so, and the lines were short. Perhaps most people actually believed the weatherperson and got their inclement weather staples yesterday. I can't believe I spent over $80 on four bags of groceries in a trip that lasted about 20 minutes. (Confession - I did pick up a pack of 4 pinch bowls to use in the kids' Laptop Lunch Boxes. Since I bought them at the grocery store they were a little on the pricey side, but I haven't been able to find them anywhere else on the beaten path, and I hate to pay shipping for online purchases. Perhaps I should have checked with Esbee first to see if she knows where to find them locally. Oh, well, they are mine now - and in fun colors that will look great in the LLBs!)

When I got home, the kids were bored with being downstairs and getting cranky. We sent them upstairs to find something to do - there were groceries to be put away, so I went upstairs and checked on them a few moments later. It seemed too quiet for them to be in the playroom.... Well, let me show you what I found - my two sweeties, snuggled in with their blankets:

Miss M has been asking me lately to rock with her for a while at bedtime - she calls it "laying down in the rocking chair."

The forecast is still calling for 4-8 inches of snow. In this part of the nation, that's a lot, so I guess I need to accept the fact that tomorrow's dental appointments are probably going to have to be rescheduled. Mister J will not be quite as disappointed about missing school if everyone has to miss. And, if it's snowing instead of raining, the kids will get to go outside and wear their new rain (um, snow) boots!

A Surprisingly Good Day

Today is the second day in a row that our attempts to go play at a local park have been thwarted by things beyond my control. I'm trying to help Mister J handle these disappointments with grace instead of grump, but must admit that I, too, was bummed when the sprinkles began just as we arrived at the park this morning. I let the kids get out for just a few minutes, but when the rain started falling harder (and neither of the kids was interested in sitting on a wet swing) we loaded back into the mommy-van to figure out Plan B. We ran a few errands and made plans to meet Big J for lunch.

We had a great lunch! The kids were very well-behaved, Big J and I got a chance to talk about a few things, and when it was almost time to go Mister J reminded me about our free doughnut coupons. The last time we'd planned to use them the kids misbehaved and lost the privilege, but I was willing to give it a shot today. Big J had to go back to work but asked us to bring one home for him. So, we said our goodbyes and then headed over to the nearby Krispy Kreme!

I gave the kids their coupons, then made them order on their own and give their coupons to the person at the register. I always hated when my mom made give my own order, but of course I understand why now that I'm a grown-up. My kids usually hesistate, but since they were ordering doughnuts they had a little extra incentive today and not a bit of hesitation.

While I ordered my doughnut (and one for Big J), the kids had already gone to pick out a table next to the Doughnut Theatre. No, I'm not making that up, and yes, at our Krispy Kreme, you get to watch them make the doughnuts!


It's tough to take pictures through the glass, but if you look closely you can see the proofing box in the photo above - and the doughnuts rising inside! They go up and down on a vertical sort of conveyor until they are ready to go into the fryer. They were making regular (sweet, delicious!) glazed doughnuts when we arrived today, but halfway through our doughnuts we saw that they were changing to the 'no-hole' doughnuts - the kind that end up as creme-, jelly-, or custard-filled doughnuts. We've never seen these being made before, and although the process is the same (rising, frying, flipping, frying, draining, and a ride through the sugary, white curtain of glaze) it was still exciting to see a 'new' kind of doughnut in the 'theatre'.

So, what kind of doughnuts did we enjoy today? The kids each ordered chocolate-iced doughnuts with sprinkles.
I ordered my favorite - chocolate-iced, custard-filled - and picked out a chocolate-iced, creme-filled one to take home for Big J. I may or may not have sent him a pix message with a photo very similar to this one:
I have to admit that when we rain started this morning, I did not have high hopes for the day. I was eager to get out of the house because Mister J was a little sad about our neighbors moving, and I wanted to get his mind off of the moving truck next door. (Thankfully, they will still be in the same town and we can still meet for playdates!) I knew there was a chance of rain, and we didn't make it to the park before the rain began. Hmph.

Now, though, I am thankful for a nice lunch as a family and some sweet moments with the kids (and for pix messaging - sorry, honey, that wasn't really 'sweet' of me, but you know I love you)! As 'everyday' as having doughnuts might seem, they really were some special moments for me, and hopefully for Mister J and Miss M, too!

Overheard #16

My daughter needs to be bilingual. Scratch that, Big J and I need to be bilingual, because Miss M regularly counts in Spanish rather than English (thank you, Dora and Diego!). And that's not all....

The kids and I were meeting Big J for lunch today at a local Mexican restaurant. We got there before he did, got seated, and were going to go ahead and order (I'd already gotten Big J's order by phone to save some time). When the server came to take our order, I double-checked with Mister J that he wanted milk, and as I turned to Miss M I am sure that I heard her say, "Agua." I can't be 100% sure, as she wasn't saying it to me, she was turned toward the server. But it sure sounded like that's what she said. I confirmed with her that she actually did want water, and she said yes. The true test? She drank it when the server bought it to her.

I tell you, next week, she's going to break out with, "Quisiera un vidrio de agua, por favor." Should I be ordering a copy of Rosetta Stone?

Ordinary Extraordinary

Mister J stayed for Lunch Bunch after precshool today. As has beome habit when I pack his lunch, I pack one for Miss M, too. Most of the time, she eats whatever is in her box around 10am - she is ready for a snack and eager to see what's inside her LLB. On days when Mister J stays for Lunch Bunch, Miss M and I usually come back home so I can get some work done around the house. Today, though, I had some work to do on a preschool fundraiser and some errands to run. Anticipating this, and knowing the weather would be just a little warmer today, I tossed a beach towel in the mommy-van this morning (I couldn't find a neat sheet). After the errands were over, we parked in the preschool parking lot, spread out our towel on some nearby grass, and had a picnic. We talked to a few folks who were picking up their children, one friend saw us picnicking as she was driving by and stopped for a chat, and then we just walked around a bit (Miss M loves walking on the curbing!).

It wasn't until I mentioned this picnic on my Facebook status, and someone commented on it, that I was reminded about the ordinary extraordinariness of it. Such a simple thing to do - sit on a blanket (um, towel), share some lunch, and enjoy the sun and breeze, just the two of us. What a special mom and daughter moment it turned out to be. I wish I'd thought to pull out my camera - but I bet it would have spoiled our ordinary, extraordinary moment. Not all special moments are about pictures - sometimes the uninterrupted memory is even sweeter.

UPDATE 2/27/09: I've added a new label for my blog posts - Ordinary Extraordinary - so I can tag other simple, special moments like this one. I'll tag old posts as I have time.

Overheard #15

As my daughter, who has a miserable cold, was licking her corn from the table at dinner this evening (hey, she was eating, right?):

Me: "Ick. Time to get out the Lysol wipes...."
Big J (who sits opposite Miss M at the table): "Nah, just don't turn the table around."

We've had sick kids for a few days now, and are reaching the 'gallows humor' stage.

Mini Muffin Success!

If you have seen my Facebook status in the last several weeks, you will know that, on occasion, I have been frustrated with some mini-muffin pan disasters. I tried to make two-bite brownies, and failed miserably, on two occasions (I thought silicone baking pans would be almost disaster-proof). Today, I had my first mini-muffin pan success. That is, the muffins came right out of the pan as I'd hoped they would - the taste, um, needs some work. But, in case you are interested, I tried this recipe for Pepperoni Muffin Bites from FamilyFun.com. They came out a little bland, and we ended up dipping them in extra sauce. I think next time I might try to put some Italian seasoning, or maybe even the Parmesan cheese, into the muffin batter. I think the fine cornmeal is a must - the muffins had a very nice texture. In fact, I may make the muffins (without the pizza ingredients) again when I have a meal that calls for such an accompaniment. For now, I'm just pleased with the success.

Let's have some fun!

The weather was nice on Sunday, so we spend some time outside. The kids played in the backyard for a while, and then I brought out some supplies for a get-your-hands-messy project. We made bird feeders!

They were pretty easy - empty toilet paper rolls with holes punched for some string, soy butter (or other nut/seed butter), and birdseed. I helped a bit with the soy butter spreading - and the kids had great fun with the birdseed. They were very proud to hang them on the trees in the front yard - we made four of them!

The kids worked on today's project while I was doing some paperwork. They love Play-Doh, play fairly well together with it, and it keeps them occupied for a long time relative to coloring, tv, and puzzles. Here's Miss M posing to show off her Play-Doh necklace:

It's too bad the photo doesn't do justice to the cute ponytails she was sporting today!

The necklace waas made with great pride by the creator of the following self-portrait:

What an awesome smile - and what great aim for someone who was looking into the lens of the camera! And what a sweet boy to make something for his sis - they were both so proud, and so was I!

Come again?

Apparently, even price rollbacks are taking a hit due to the economy....

Catch-Up Post - Valentine's Day

Here's the post I promised you with the photo of the cute pencil critters we made for Mister J's classmates. See? Aren't they cute?


I strayed this year from my typical 'special love-themed book' as a Valentine's gift for the kids. It's pretty hard to find an appropriate book for a boy beyond age three. So, this year, the kids got something else I knew they would like - rain boots! I will not tell you how many stores I went to in my quest to find rain boots (n.b. - shop online, and early enough to account for shipping time). I will only tell you that there should now be no more fighting over the too-small-for-him, too-big-for-her, formerly-only-pair-in-the-house rain boots that will make their next appearance at the upcoming clothing exchange at our church. And now, check out my cuties as they got their gifts!


Mister J was way excited about his. Miss M wouldn't even try hers on until the afternoon. It's supposed to rain later this week - we will be taking a walk when it does!

More on the Peanut Recall

It's still weird for me to be shopping as I usually do while there's a massive food recall in effect. If you are someone new to avoiding peanut products, I am sorry that you are having to deal with this. Avoiding peanut products has been 'normal' for us for nearly 18 months now due to food allergies, and the beginning of this particular journey was quite an experience. I know you have probably been surprised to discover how many of your favorite foods contain peanuts. I am surprised and the number of people avoiding non-recalled items that contain peanuts or peanut butter. Thankfully, there are many nut-free options. I encourage you to search online for peanut-free products, and especially to read the blogs of parents dealing with peanut allergies. One of the blogs I read, Gravity of Motion, has a list of allergy and asthma websites. Hop over there to check out Jane Anne's links, and tell her "hi" while you're there.

On winning the lottery...

If you noticed that I labeled this post with 'faith' - among other labels - you are probably wondering how that's related to the lottery. Please, let me explain...

I've been carrying around a lot of anxiety lately that's related to the school-choice and magnet school lottery process in our school district. Knowing that the results are beyond my control, I've prayed a lot during the wait. I have asked God to do His will. I have asked for patience during the wait, for knowledge to make the right choices, and for the ability to accept (with grace) the results, whatever they were.

Tonight, I am saying prayers of thanks. We found out this afternoon that our son is in our first-choice school and our daughter is 5th on the waiting list for her grade level. I'm not a fan of the word 'luck' - it's one I purposefully avoid using. But God does have a way of making me feel like I won the lottery. The chances of our either of our children getting in were so slim. We were told many times not to get our hopes up. Certainly, He had a hand in this.

Prayers of thanksgiving.... Over and over again.

Another Candy-Coated Holiday

Happy Valentine's Day!

Both of my kids had parties in their preschool classes today, and each came home with valentine cards and candy treats. Miss M, unfortunately, doesn't get to eat much of what she brought home. Mister J wants to be generous and share what he brought home, but many of these sweet treats are not safe for Miss M. I was most surprised of all to read the label on the candy hearts - you know, the ones that come in the box. The ones that are pretty much a Valentine's Day requirement (well, they sell a lot of them. I don't actually like them. But you know what I mean...). They have one of the longest allergy warnings I've ever read. They are processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, barley, oats, soy, and milk. For the quantity of candy hearts, candy eggs, and candy wafers this company makes, I'm surprised they don't have a facility for these items only, so that they can put an 'allergen free' label on them.

I'm not heartbroken about Miss M not being able to eat these - I'm heartbroken all over again, though, for the 'tradition' she'll miss out on.

I usually try to give a non-food treat, but since finding the perfect jellybeans, that's what Miss M gave to her classmates this year. There are 2 other children in her class (0f 6 total) that have food allergies, so I was excited to share this recent find. Mister J gave pencils, and we (um, I...) did some paper crafting to make them super-cute and fun (at least we thought so!). I'll post again soon with a photo of them!

Overheard #14

My children made a non-sanctioned trip downstairs (what's the past tense of 'sneak'?) before they were dressed this morning. When I found them, Miss M was hiding under a blanket 'tent' eating sliced cheese and playing with Mister J's Leapster. I picked up the cheese to put it back in the refrigerator and the Leapster to put it away. Here's the conversation that followed:

Miss M (in response to me picking up the cheese): "Mommy, don't take my friend!"

Mommy: "Miss M, cheese is not your friend, I promise." (Literally - but that's another story...)

Miss M (thinking of who/what might be her 'friend'): "Candy?"

Oh, yes - I thought it was funny too. And she saw me laugh. She's got me figured out, I'm sure. Have I mentioned that she's 2 1/2?

I wasn't laughing when I found the two cheese wrappers later in the day. I missed them in the semi-darkness of the morning. Time for some more yogurt....

Bad Dream

My sweet Miss M just woke up from a bad dream. I'm still up working (late) and heard her crying. When I went into her room to check on her, she sat up and cried to me,

"I want Boots the Monkey back."

I no longer need to wonder what little ones dream about....

Overheard #13

As I was fixing sandwiches for my kids a few days ago:

Big J/Daddy: "This ham is awful! Is this what you are giving them?"

Mommy: "Do you mean the turkey?"

Big J/Daddy: "Oh, it tastes ok then."

My question? If it tastes that bad, does it mean he doesn't like turkey? Or, did the power of suggestion (or willing suspension of disbelief) truly have him expecting something else from a package labeled 'turkey'?

I got a great laugh out of this. Big J - not so much....

Orange Blueberry Muffins

I found Gravity of Motion when Jane Anne guest posted over at Rocks In My Dryer about life with a food allergic child. I've continued reading GoM (and RIMD, and many others!), and Jane Anne recently posted a delicious muffin recipe.

The kids had a 'snow' day today - using that term very loosely - and we needed something fun to do. They were not as interested in helping me clean and organize the pantry as I'd hoped. So, we made Jane Anne's muffins! You'll have to check out GoM to get all of the details, including the recipe (and leave a comment while you're at it - bloggers love comments!). Let me just tell you that it's a scratch recipe, it takes a full stick of butter (so you know it's yummy!), and it uses orange zest and juice. Since we were zesting an orange, we used fresh juice, too (zest of one navel orange, juice from two). The kids helped me measure, sift, mix, squeeze, stir, and scoop. Then they helped me taste. Oh. My. Goodness. You must make some for yourself. You will not want to share.

I've said it before...

... and I'll say it again - these lunch boxes are magic!

Preschool was on a 2-hour delay today, so both kids got to stay for lunch. The excitement of staying for lunch ended any disappointment Mister J might have felt about the delay (he loves preschool!). Miss M was excited simply because the lunch boxes were out. Here's what they took for lunch today:

Miss M's lunch

Green container: applesauce
Small blue container: Craisins
Orange container: ranch dip
Pink container: edamame, baby carrots, cucumber hearts
Large blue container: small (one slice) soy butter and jelly sandwich

Mister J's lunch

Yellow container: applesauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon
Blue container: Craisins and chocloate chips
Purple container: ranch dip
Red container: baby carrots and cucumber hearts
Green container: soy butter and jelly sandwich

When I picked Miss M up from preschool, her teachers told me that she had eaten every bit of food and she was licking the dip container. I knew she would be excited about her lunch - it was very difficult this morning to convince her to wait until she got to school to eat her lunch - but I never imagined she'd eat it all!

When I picked Mister J up, I asked him about his lunch. He'd also eaten everything I packed! He and I had an interesting exchange when I was packing lunches this morning. When I asked if he wanted cinnamon on his applesauce he replied that his friends don't like cinnamon. I replied that what was most important was whether or not he liked cinnamon and wanted it on his applesauce. He agreed, but I still wasn't too sure he'd eat it - he usually skips it, but I keep trying.... And today - success!

After seeing how well both of my kids ate at lunch today, I feel like I should call their teachers to confirm that they did, indeed, eat breakfast this morning. I also feel like I should serve every meal in their lunch boxes, and perhaps order another couple of sets!

Overheard #12

As Miss M was trying to ask politely for something, but was having trouble coming up with the right word ('please' or 'may I'):

"Mommy... I need a nice word..."

I was so proud of her effort to use her manners! As you can imagine, this is a big lesson that we are working on right now, and Miss M is getting better at it every day.