How would you feel?

Firstly, I would like to point out before I start that my husband is basically the best dad on the planet. He’s awesome at getting down and playing with his kids, making up games, getting into their little worlds, and generally just hanging out with them. Just as importantly, he’s a fair and usually very patient disciplinarian: good at explaining what his expectations are, making the rules appropriate for their level of understanding, and holding them accountable–in a good way. Basically, he’s everything I’d want a dad to be.

With that in mind, you have to see this note from Aidan:

Oh, my.

 

In case you find his nine-year-old new cursive hard to read, I’ll translate:

Why do you (almost) always say no to everything?

_______________________________________

Imagine there is a time machine. You turned into a kid and I turned into a grown man. (dad) If I said no to everything, how would you feel?

a) happy

b) mad

c) shameful

d) sad

 

I’m fairly certain the correct answer here here is  “d.” And possibly Justin was supposed to feel something along the lines of “c” for his behavior? It’s so hard to be sure. Nine year old logic can be a killer.

They did have  a nice talk after this note was furtively delivered…. Something along the lines of how little we like to say no, but that he had, in fact, been warned that there would be no video games today if their room wasn’t cleaned within something like a four-hour period. Sheesh. We’re the meanest.

Once Upon a Time…

…I had the busiest summer ever, and then when everything was finished, I died.

OK, not really. But kinda. I’ve been such a lazy slob for the last few weeks, it’s kind of unbelievable. I finished off October with the babies’ Halloween costumes

HOP!

Spunky little Fall Fairy

Will this kiss make you a prince again?

and promptly declared myself “on vacation” from any new projects. I’ve basically been lying around the house in my yoga pants, playing with the babies and watching reruns of Lost and Parks & Rec on Netflix.

Slowly, though, I’ve been regaining my mojo. I even picked up my knitting needles after more than a month and started work on the center of my Rock Island. It’s such an interesting pattern–almost too interesting when I was tired–but I’m really enjoying working on it now. After 71 repeats of edging rows, the center’s going really quickly.

I’m also plugging along lately with my genealogy. It’s something I’ve been working on for about 5-6 years, now. I have source documents fleshing out most everyone’s lives going back a few generations, but I have some holes and there are a few people whose parentage is in question. I’d like to get them figured out.

But the really fun part has been finding photos of a lot of my family. Between Findagrave.com, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, and Ancestry.com, I’ve found quite a few. It’s so awesome to be able to see the faces of these people whom I feel I’ve come to know. Digging through someone’s life through documents is a fascinating process–you see them as children, with siblings, and then as they marry, have children, lose children, and move from state to state or even to a new country. Census records tell of their occupations, and seeing those change over the years is fascinating. Through time, you really come to create a story for these people who came before you, and putting a face with those names is kind of incredible. I’m really enjoying that.

Best news? Thanksgiving’s coming soon! Woot! It’s my favorite holiday of the year–and not just for the food. :) There’s something so comforting and wonderful about a holiday that’s just devoted to being with family and being grateful for what we have. I’m looking forward to it.

Things I have learned in the last month:*

• How to keep track of time in 42-minute-”Law & Order:CI” intervals.
• How to hold a baby on my lap and pins in my mouth at the same time (safely).
• That the babies will stay most entertained if I actually hide their toys under my bed, thereby making them believe they’re getting into something naughty.
• All the words to every damned moment of “Elmo’s World.”
• That I can get away with an inordinate amount of stalling. Oh, the second part of the order isn’t due for three weeks? I’ll take a break for a couple of days, then. And then maybe I’ll just do a few and have another day or so off. Or a week. Or…shoot–are those due NEXT WEEK?
• On a related note, I spend way too much time on the internet. Funny how much more gets done around here when both the laptop battery and the charger are dead. (shame)
• How to deal with having my house in a state of almost complete chaos. “What are we having for dinner?” Who cares?! “Why are there free-range Goldfish all over the bed?” Who cares?! “Why are the babies polishing the kitchen floor with my underwear?” WHO CARES?!
• That, of all the things you can step on, while Legos may be the most painful, pulverized Quaker granola bars are the most irritating. Those suckers stick to your socks FOREVER, and it doesn’t matter how many times you think you’ve picked off the little pieces or vacuumed up the remains, there’s still a piece on you, somewhere, that will haunt you ’til you’re dead. Take it from me: never, NEVER let your toddler eat a granola bar outside the high chair. It’s just not worth it.
• That most of the things I stress about on a usual basis are totally ridiculous. (Seriously.)
• But having my floor clean really is worth it.

* In case you weren’t aware, I’ve spent the last month sewing overalls for a customer via my Etsy store. I opened the store in July and have had a steady stream of business already, via the site and my affiliated blog, so yay! But one customer ordered a large quantity of overalls, and no matter how thrilled I have been for the opportunity to make them…OY, I am so ready for a break!

Have I really only missed ONE month?!

I swear, I was going to come over here and make some kind of epic blog post to catch everyone up on the thousands of things I’ve missed posting in the ages and ages since my last entry and…yeah. So. It’s only been, well, OK, 10 weeks, but that’s really not all that long and I’ve missed a month before. WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE AN ETERNITY?!

It really has been busy around here. I’ve been directing the music for next week’s Primary Program, which has been both cool and quasi-stressful. We added some special musical numbers, and I’m really hoping they’ll turn out well, especially with a bit of extra practice this Saturday. Regardless, the kids are really sweet, and they’ll be cute no matter what happens.

Ohh, and let’s see. The boys got their yellow belts

and started third grade

and we went to the Night Glow balloon festival (COOL!), just one of a whole slew of fun things with friends

and there was a surprise online baby shower (giraffe! Isn’t he cute?)

OH YEAH, and I started an Etsy store (more on that in another post)

and the boys’ school Halloween party was last weekend

and, p.s., my kids are getting HUGE. The boys will be NINE in two months, and just after that the babies will turn two. I guess maybe I’ll have to stop calling them “the babies?” (nah.) They’re getting so big, I can hardly stand it. They talk constantly and, actually, A “read” me a book today: “Blue coat! Oopf!” She’s got it memorized, the smart little stink. She’s naughty and stubborn and and absolute riot. R is the sweetest boy God ever put on this earth, and is nearly always running and smiling. R’s favorite phrases are “thank you” and “they-you go!” He loves to give me things. Even Especially if they’re realllly gross. I can’t remember life without them.

Oh, and their Halloween costumes are almost finished. A will be a fairy princess, covered in autumn leaves and sunflowers, and R will be a frog prince. Awww. I can’t wait to take them Trick-or-Treating!

Recipe time!

We had a really yummy (and easy!) dinner last night, so I thought I’d share. Enjoy!

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
adapted from bhg.com

Ingredients:
1 6-ounce package long grain and wild rice mix (make sure you choose one with good flavor. I strongly suggest good ol’ Uncle Ben.)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried. I used fresh. Yum.)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Prepare rice mix according to package directions. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and celery in butter, salt, and pepper.
3. Increasing heat to med-high, pour in white wine (or broth) and add basil and chicken. Reduce until liquid is about half gone.
4. Remove from heat and stir in soup and sour cream. When rice has finished cooking, stir it in.
5. Place mixture in 2-3 qt. casserole dish and sprinkle cheese over top. Bake 25-35 mins, until heated through.
6. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 35 minutes or until heated through. Serves 4 adults…or 2 adults, 2 kids and 2 toddlers with a bit left over. :)

Surprise!!

So, my boys are eight, and in case you’re not familiar with eight-year-olds, that’s prime age for all things magical and secret. Last week was my birthday, and I knew my boys were up to something (a. because the Jonah can’t keep a secret to save his life, and kept telling me, “We’re doing something seeeecreeeet for youuuuu! But we can’t tell you what it iiiiiiis!”) because they kept rushing off to corners to whisper to each other, and then giggling while casting knowing looks over their shoulders at me. It would have seemed a lot like my junior high experience, if I didn’t know my boys don’t have an ounce of guile in their bodies. ;)

The day of my birthday came and went–and it was lovely! Shopping with a friend, and a lovely cake my boys decorated just for me. How did I not get a picture?–but it seemed, somehow, that the big secret hadn’t hit yet. Which is I knew I was in for it when Justin came to get me in the bathtub at 10 pm the next night and said I needed to get out.

Here’s what met me when I came, be-robed and wet-headed, to the bottom of the stairs:

“WELCOME TO HOGWARTS!” they announced, and handed me two sealed envelopes, said to have been brought by owl-post. When I opened them, this is what they said:

“Oh, hooray!” I exclaimed. “I’m a Gryffindor!” The boys were uber-thrilled at my excitement, and kicked it into high gear; I was adorned with that brown invisibility cloak you see in the picture above, along with the Sword of Gryffindor (naturally), and given a wand. All was very mysterious in the house–the lights were mostly off, with just a few sconces glowing, but I was told that “All would be revealed if I followed the spiders!” (Keep in mind that all of this is being pronounced in horrifically awful British and altered-to-sound-adult accents, and it was all I could do not to laugh. SO AWESOME.)

And so, holding my cloak-blanket tight and carrying a wand and a sword, I followed the spiders! They were taped all over the walls and doorways, and led me all over the house to find the hidden horcruxes.

Slytherin's locket, in my pantry

But there were more than a few of these along the way!

Expecto patronum!!

We also had to fight a basilisk–I had to have a bit of help with that one, since only the boys remembered how to speak parseltongue.

Please note Tom Riddle’s diary in that picture.

In the end, we found all the horcruxes, and were treated to Polyjuice Potion. It tasted better than we expected!

Mmm! Rootbeer floats!

I’m sure it’s a birthday I’ll never forget. Thanks, boys. <3

What’s New?

Hi, there! What’s new with you?

We’re in the full swing of summer at our house–swimming at Grandma’s and grilling burgers for dinner and Otter Pops and bike rides and sprinklers under the trampoline. Despite the heat, we’re having a good time.

I like this corn, Mommy.

This week, J’s family were all here for a visit. He’s got 5 siblings, and most of them have 4 kids…which means 17 cousins! It makes for pandemonium, but the kids really enjoy each others’ company, and when we can send them outside, the adults do, too. ;)

All the cousins together!

 

My brother was here, too (it was a big week!). These are the kinds of pictures you get when my family gets together.

I love my family. :)

Summer usually means a bit of a knitting dry spell around these parts; I just can’t seem to get myself interested in being draped in wool when things get hot, know what I mean? I can’t keep my hands off creative projects, though. (And holy cow, is Pinterest keeping me inspired! My brain’s gonna explode with all the ideas just sitting out there on the intarwebs, waiting for me, now!)

Here’s what I’ve been up to this week:

Aren’t those adorable? (I feel like I can totally say that because it wasn’t my idea. I copied it from Pinterest!) My awesome friend Brandy made a set of the prints for her house, so I didn’t have to do any work besides framing and hanging them. Bless her. Is that not the cutest idea? They’re on the wall at the top of the stairs, just before the kids get to their bedrooms. I love the idea that the boys can see those on their way to bed each night. I think I’ll change them once a week or so.

I have another creative idea brewing, too. I’m working fast and putting all the pieces together as quickly as I can so I can let you know what it is–hopefully in just a few days! Stay tuned!

Toy Chest Makeover

This is my great-great-grandfather, Joseph Tolman.

He died in 1948, but at some point before he did, he made a small wood chest for his granddaughter, (my grandmother) Bonnie.

She was his little darling–when Bonnie was 5, her mother, Ida, moved back home for a number of years before she married the man I knew as Great-grandpa, and so Grandma & Grandpa Tolman helped raise little Bonnie. She remembers that time as one of the happiest of her life. All who knew him described Grandpa Tolman as one of the kindest, most patient men they had ever met. It’s no surprise, then, that he took the time to hand-craft a small piece of furniture just for Bonnie, the sweet, bouncy-haired apple of his eye.

Obviously, I never met Grandpa Tolman, but when the chest he made for Grandma was passed down to my father and from him down to me, I felt like I was given a little piece of him. I even took the time to refinish it once, in my late teens, stripping off the old and yellowed (possibly original!) varnish by hand, and spending days sanding and staining and trying to do justice to the lovely piece it is. My boys have the care of it it in their room right now, and I hope to hand it down to my own daughter someday.

So you can just imagine how thrilled I was to find that one of my sons wrote “STUPID” on it in fat, red indelible marker. (I so wish I’d taken a picture! You really need a visual here. THE HUMANITY!!)

Yeah. It wasn’t just permanent marker, either–it was one of those markers you buy that soaks into ceramic, so you can make your own mugs. So…pretty much all hope of removing it was out the door. Le sigh. Oh, well. I guess it was time to give up on that old wood grain, anyway.

Shabby chic is really in, these days, so I embraced it: I bought a “heritage” antique white color and started sanding! I also got a new print to go on top. (Years ago, I had upholstered the top to protect it, since the kids were sitting on it, anyway).

In the end, this is what we got!

Isn’t all that routing lovely? And it was done by hand, which makes it all the more impressive to me.

One of my favorite parts: the original brass hinges. I cleaned them up a bit this time around–they were pretty tarnished. But I didn’t want to scrub all the aging right off of them.

Also, I took a special picture for all you people who think upholstering might be scary. Kids: this is all it is. If you were to start taking apart your couch, this is all you’d find inside. Actually, if you found finished seams, it’d be shocking. CRAZY, no? But the point is, upholstering is for dummies. If you wanna, you can do it.

Anyway, I think it turned out pretty cute. It’s certainly “antiqued”–75 years or so of use will give you all kinds of little dings and cracks. If I’d have been going for a complete restoration, I would have used wood filler on those cracks and maybe popped out the center panels to remove that glue that’s pushing them in a bit, buuut I really wanted the well-used look. Maybe next time around I’ll restore the piece, but for now, I’ve got just the look I want. Whatcha think?

It’s Summer!

Hello from Boise and Happy July! My part of the country had a long, cool, wet spring (for once!) and it’s seemed like summer’s been a long time comin’ this year. Between the unseasonable weather and waiting with baited breath for my boys to be done with school, I have been absolutely itching for summer break and those long, sticky days filled with “Mom! We’re bored!” absolutely no responsibilities. It’s been fantastic so far.

It’s these times when I take full advantage of being a stay-at-home mom: we stay home and play in the backyard, laze around the house reading, eat lots of fruit because I can’t be bothered to cook, and when I find the energy, I make jam out of all the amazing ripe berries we find at the store and maybe some bread to go with it. Occasionally, I knit. Sounds idyllic, no? Honestly, despite the bickering kids and the two 18-month-olds making a mess of the house, most days it really is. (And yes, I know just how lucky I am.)

This is what I got up to today:

I stole the idea from someone on Pinterest. (I’d credit the original source, but it’s not listed with the pin. So if you’re the creator of this adorable idea, let me know, and I’ll be happy to pay homage where it’s due.) Isn’t it so summer-y and fun? I’m really not the crafty sort, and it’s not often that I literally put down the computer and walk out the door to go directly to the craft store because I think an idea is THAT. CUTE. But I thought this was! I’m happy with how it turned out.

Also: can I just say? I ran out of ribbon (really? 10 yards wasn’t enough to cover an 18″ wreath? Really?) and I had to go back to the craft store by myself. Oh, the novelty! The joy! The maniacal grin on my face when I realized I could crank the music up REALLY REALLY LOUD and roll down the windows and sing at the top of my lungs! The utter humiliation when I realized someone had pulled up next to me at the stoplight and had their windows down, too! (I am really *that* loud. It was hilarious.)

Anyway. It’s one of the joys of my almost-34-year-old life to be able to just have a little time to be me, alone, in a car once in a while.

Make your own Pediasure!

Two posts from me in one month? I know, it’s craziness. But I have something of relative importance to share, and I want to get it out there quickly.

As you know, I’ve got twin babies, and they were premature. Last month, their pediatrician (whom I love) was a little worried because they’d taken a dive in growth, both weight- and height-wise. She wanted me to try a month of PediaSure to see if it was hopefully just calorie related, and see what happened. Good news? It worked.

Bad news? PediaSure, friends, is expensive–like $1.70 per serving. They have a couple of rebate and coupon offers available on their site, but when you need to buy 20 6-packs of the stuff to get your babies through a month (and that’s just to supplement two feedings a day! Not as a main food source), those offers are nearly useless. I paid, well, let’s just say upwards of a car payment last month to get two little bums padded.

I did try to find less expensive alternatives online, but every search turned up answers like Carnation Instant Breakfast, mixed at varying strengths. Ew. …I used to drink that stuff when I was pressed for time in high school, and I remember how gross I felt. It’s gritty and sugary and tastes like dirt–not the kind of thing you feel good feeding to your babies, know what I mean?

This month, I asked our pediatrician for an alternative, and, again proving her awesomeness, she gave me her general recipe for homemade PediaSure. She listed off the ingredients, but she suggested I play with the amounts of the foods until I got a blend that tasted good and was the right consistency (shooting for at least 30 cal/ounce like the PediaSure).  The non-food ingredients are listed here in the exact amounts per serving that she dictated. She has since approved my recipe, btw, and the babies are happily gaining weight on it with no problems. I’m sharing the recipe in the hopes that others like me, who are desperate for a less expensive PediaSure alternative, will find this and get some good use out of it, too. Happy blending!

Homemade High-Calorie Pediatric Shake

12 oz. vanilla ice cream (abt. 2 fat scoops with a regular 1/2 cup disher)
1-1/4 c. apple juice
1 c. frozen fruit
2 scoops whey protein powder, vanilla
2 mL Poly-vi-Sol with Iron
1 small or 1/2 large banana (OR 1/2 avocado)

Blend all ingredients well and serve. Store any remainder in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 8-oz servings; keep in mind that I’m making shakes for two children, so I’m using enough Poly-vi-Sol for two kids. If you’re planning to feed just one kiddo with this, you might either cut the whole recipe in half, or just cut the vitamins. You could also add chocolate syrup or other flavorings for variety/calories (though it’s got plenty of those–keep reading!)

Nutrition info: Per 8 oz serving – 368 cal, 6.4 g fat, 62.6 g carbs, 14.6 g protein. That’s 46 cal/ounce! Also, vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Now my favorite part:

Total Cost:
Ice cream: 1.50/half gallon
Fruit: 2.99/pound
Frozen juice: 1.79/16 oz
Protein powder: 32.98/5 pounds (and you can get it cheaper)
Poly-vi-Sol: 8.99/50 mL
Bananas: what? About 29 cents/pound?

1 batch shakes: $3.48
1 8-oz serving: 87 cents

You’re welcome.