This was the first year that the kids were old enough to understand Mother's Day. By honest coincidence, a few weeks ago the kids chose a book from the library with the story about Mother's Day. In the story, the brother and sister main characters debated things to do or get for their mother. They grew her some flowers, made her a card and made her breakfast-in-bed.
Last week, Andrew went to his friend's house, Marcus, to play. Marcus's mom helped them make Mother's Day cards (Olivia, you are one of the most thoughtful people I know - thank you). Andrew was very excited to hide his surprise from me.
Sunday morning I got up a little early feeling rested and was just about to start the day when I was informed that I was supposed to still be asleep. It took Mike a great deal of love for me to get out of bed (he was up till 2am the night before working). But I stayed in bed and waited for my "surprise." I honestly tried to go to sleep, but I was still awake when I heard the kids coming. I pretended to be asleep because I knew they would want to wake me up.
They served me breakfast-in-bed on a silver platter (cookie sheet) with a beautiful card made by Andrew. He and Rachael were very excited and pleased with themselves and hardly acknowledged daddy's help in making the breakfast.
It was a very relaxing day feeling very loved and appreciated by my family.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Mommy School - Andrew
I have been doing "mommy school" with Andrew and Rachael since Sept '09. First, it was just to supplement their preschool, but then we had to withdraw them from preschool and I started taking it more seriously. Since Jan '10 I have been working with another mom who has a boy and girl the same age and Andrew and Rachael, respectively. She is mainly responsible for math while I focus more on English.
This week, we have been working on the letter H.
Monday, Andrew is at her house. They worked on pattern recognition, addition/subtraction, and counting to 100 by 5's. For homework I had him practice writing the letter H and we did a letter find.
Tuesday, Andrew is by himself with me. We colored the letter H (he loves to color things as rainbows) then he practiced writing his full name. We then had a reading lesson and he read a short story about a man getting a pet cat in his stocking for Christmas. We worked on reading comprehension.
Wednesday, Andrew's preschool friend (not mommy school friend) Marcus came over and we went to the library and they did the letter X. For homework, we came up with words that start with H and he practiced writing them.
Thursday, Andrew is by himself with me. He learned about how the letter H changes the sound of other letters (eg: ch, sh, th, gh, wh) and worked on reading words with an H in them. We were supposed to practice writing words that have the H sound in them (as opposed to starting with the H sound), but I have had serious trouble coming up with words like that. I finally thought of a few (alcohol, longhorn, behave) but we'll have to come back to it. We did have a reading lesson about a man and a ram in the rain and worked on comprehension.
Friday, I host mommy school for the boys. Every week we practice writing the letter and then I find 5 pictures for that letter and they color the pictures and cut them out. They then have to match the picture with the word and practice writing that word. We talked about how to use the letter H in words and what rules dictate that letter. After that, I try to make a treat for that letter. Today we had hats made out of cookies, marshmallows and chocolate chips. I got the idea from Family Fun magazine. Their hats turned out much better looking than ours, but ours were still tasty.
Saturday, Andrew will finish whatever writing practice hadn't been finished earlier and we'll have another reading lesson.
This week, we have been working on the letter H.
Monday, Andrew is at her house. They worked on pattern recognition, addition/subtraction, and counting to 100 by 5's. For homework I had him practice writing the letter H and we did a letter find.
Tuesday, Andrew is by himself with me. We colored the letter H (he loves to color things as rainbows) then he practiced writing his full name. We then had a reading lesson and he read a short story about a man getting a pet cat in his stocking for Christmas. We worked on reading comprehension.
Wednesday, Andrew's preschool friend (not mommy school friend) Marcus came over and we went to the library and they did the letter X. For homework, we came up with words that start with H and he practiced writing them.
Thursday, Andrew is by himself with me. He learned about how the letter H changes the sound of other letters (eg: ch, sh, th, gh, wh) and worked on reading words with an H in them. We were supposed to practice writing words that have the H sound in them (as opposed to starting with the H sound), but I have had serious trouble coming up with words like that. I finally thought of a few (alcohol, longhorn, behave) but we'll have to come back to it. We did have a reading lesson about a man and a ram in the rain and worked on comprehension.
Friday, I host mommy school for the boys. Every week we practice writing the letter and then I find 5 pictures for that letter and they color the pictures and cut them out. They then have to match the picture with the word and practice writing that word. We talked about how to use the letter H in words and what rules dictate that letter. After that, I try to make a treat for that letter. Today we had hats made out of cookies, marshmallows and chocolate chips. I got the idea from Family Fun magazine. Their hats turned out much better looking than ours, but ours were still tasty.
Saturday, Andrew will finish whatever writing practice hadn't been finished earlier and we'll have another reading lesson.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Mommy or Human?
While I was cleaning up dinner, Rachael announced, "Next, I'm going to be human."
"What?" I asked. She hadn't said or done anything to prelude the "next" part of her statement.
"When I'm done being a mommy, I'll be a human next," she answered.
Curious, now, I asked, "So, a mommy isn't human?"
"No," she said in a tone of voice the denoted, "Duh!"
"Oh," I said, "If a mommy isn't a human, what is she?"
Her brow wrinkled down in frustration as she said, "A mommy is a mommy, not a human."
well..... ain't that the truth.
"What?" I asked. She hadn't said or done anything to prelude the "next" part of her statement.
"When I'm done being a mommy, I'll be a human next," she answered.
Curious, now, I asked, "So, a mommy isn't human?"
"No," she said in a tone of voice the denoted, "Duh!"
"Oh," I said, "If a mommy isn't a human, what is she?"
Her brow wrinkled down in frustration as she said, "A mommy is a mommy, not a human."
well..... ain't that the truth.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Homemade Christmas - Nativity Set
Mike once worked in a ceramics store so he thought it would be fun for us to make our own Nativity set. We got just the bare basics this year and will add more each year. We had fun with the kids cleaning the green pieces then painting on the glaze. We talked about Joseph and Mary and Baby Jesus. It was a fun activity and the start of a great tradition.
Homemade Christmas - Sunday Bags
I decided to do a homemade Christmas for 2009 while I could still get away with it. Andrew is already starting to want the expensive toys and such, so I knew my window of opportunity was fleeting. While I had many ideas of things I could make, only a few actually got completed.
I was tired of packing activities and snacks for Andrew and Rachael in the diaper bag, just to have them complain that they wanted different things. I would explain that there wasn't room for everything and it made Sacrament Meeting in church anything but reverent or spiritual. So, I decided to make each of them bags with special Sunday items and they are responsible for packing what they want each Sunday
I had some leftover fabric from their pillows and I found some wintery sparkly fabric at 75% off, so here are the final products. Rachael's is the rag-time bag and Andrew's is the rainbow one.
They each got their own coloring book, Book of Mormon, and Gospel Art book. They love the big coloring book and we often flip through the pictures in the Gospel Art book. Andrew is starting to recognize some of the pictures and associated stories. Rachael loves to "read" her Book of Mormon.
I used old blue-jean fabric for the inside of each bag to make them reversible. Andrew's is a bit more reversible, since it's not rag-time. I had no pattern to make these from and it took serious mental acrobatics to figure out how to make his reversible with all the seams on the inside; I'm quite proud of the accomplishment. :)
I was tired of packing activities and snacks for Andrew and Rachael in the diaper bag, just to have them complain that they wanted different things. I would explain that there wasn't room for everything and it made Sacrament Meeting in church anything but reverent or spiritual. So, I decided to make each of them bags with special Sunday items and they are responsible for packing what they want each Sunday
I had some leftover fabric from their pillows and I found some wintery sparkly fabric at 75% off, so here are the final products. Rachael's is the rag-time bag and Andrew's is the rainbow one.
They each got their own coloring book, Book of Mormon, and Gospel Art book. They love the big coloring book and we often flip through the pictures in the Gospel Art book. Andrew is starting to recognize some of the pictures and associated stories. Rachael loves to "read" her Book of Mormon.
I used old blue-jean fabric for the inside of each bag to make them reversible. Andrew's is a bit more reversible, since it's not rag-time. I had no pattern to make these from and it took serious mental acrobatics to figure out how to make his reversible with all the seams on the inside; I'm quite proud of the accomplishment. :)
Homemade Christmas - Pens & Markers
I decided to do a homemade Christmas for 2009 while I could still get away with it. Andrew is already starting to want the expensive toys and such, so I knew my window of opportunity was fleeting. While I had many ideas of things I could make, only a few actually got completed.
I got the idea to make flower pens for Rachael when she threw a fit at an office that had flowers on the ends of their pens. Her fit was over the fact that we couldn't take one of the pens home with us.
Rachael keeps smelling them and saying they smell pretty. I keep thinking I should put perfume on them, or something, but I don't know if I even own any perfume.
I wanted to make a counter-part for Andrew and my friend Molly loaned me a book with this great pencil scroll pattern. I decided to use washable markers, though, instead of colored pencils.
While I was finding matching fabric for the markers, I left them out late one night. The next morning Rachael woke up before me and found them. Shortly thereafter, I'm assuming since I was still asleep, Lizzie woke up and Rachael decided to help Lizzie be happy while stuck in her crib. Rachael was very proud of herself for her helpfulness. She told me how she kept Lizzie happy with the special markers. This is what I discovered when I sought for clarification.
And, yes, it was all over Lizzie, too.
I got the idea to make flower pens for Rachael when she threw a fit at an office that had flowers on the ends of their pens. Her fit was over the fact that we couldn't take one of the pens home with us.
Rachael keeps smelling them and saying they smell pretty. I keep thinking I should put perfume on them, or something, but I don't know if I even own any perfume.
I wanted to make a counter-part for Andrew and my friend Molly loaned me a book with this great pencil scroll pattern. I decided to use washable markers, though, instead of colored pencils.
While I was finding matching fabric for the markers, I left them out late one night. The next morning Rachael woke up before me and found them. Shortly thereafter, I'm assuming since I was still asleep, Lizzie woke up and Rachael decided to help Lizzie be happy while stuck in her crib. Rachael was very proud of herself for her helpfulness. She told me how she kept Lizzie happy with the special markers. This is what I discovered when I sought for clarification.
And, yes, it was all over Lizzie, too.
Homemade Christmas - Pillows
I decided to do a homemade Christmas for 2009 while I could still get away with it. Andrew is already starting to want the expensive toys and such, so I knew my window of opportunity was fleeting. While I had many ideas of things I could make, only a few actually got completed. One of them was pillows.
I was with Rachael in the fabric store and we passed by some "sparkly" fabric - fabric with glitter on it. There were many varieties, but she fell in love with one that was black and had rainbow dragonflies on it. I bought half a yard with no idea what to make. I settled on making full-size pillows for her and Andrew. I had extra minkee fabric (that's the last super-soft fabric) and could get cheap pillows at Walmart.
I then let Andrew pick a special fabric. He loves rainbows and sparkly things, so here is his pillow.
And, of course, Rachael had to have a special pillow and blanket for her special doll, Baby Beth.
I was with Rachael in the fabric store and we passed by some "sparkly" fabric - fabric with glitter on it. There were many varieties, but she fell in love with one that was black and had rainbow dragonflies on it. I bought half a yard with no idea what to make. I settled on making full-size pillows for her and Andrew. I had extra minkee fabric (that's the last super-soft fabric) and could get cheap pillows at Walmart.
I then let Andrew pick a special fabric. He loves rainbows and sparkly things, so here is his pillow.
And, of course, Rachael had to have a special pillow and blanket for her special doll, Baby Beth.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It's all my brother's fault.
I made Ella a special blanket and I would have loved it, if it weren't for my brother....
In November 2009, Jo-Ann's fabric store started having these amazing sales and coupon deals. I was in the sewing/crafting mode as I had decided that Christmas would be home-made this year. I was also starting to think about getting ready for Ella's birth (what her colors would be and what to make special instead of just hand-me-downs). I found this beautiful fabric that was cream with a thick soft swirly nap. I fell in love with it and was determined that it would be the back of Ella's baby blanket. However, it was $13/yd and I had used all my coupons. New coupons would be available the next week, so, with great trepidation but very proud of myself, I resisted the urge to buy it immediately and told myself to be rational and wait a week when I could get it at half off. The sale on that type of fabric began the day after Thanksgiving.
For the first time in my life, I braved the insanity of shopping on Black Friday. I reasoned I didn't need to get up too early since most people would be shopping for clothes, technology, or toys. How busy could the fabric store be? Wow! was I wrong? Not only was it a 2hr wait for the cut-counter, but my fabric was gone! How could it be gone? It was a full bolt a week ago.
I was obsessed with this fabric and returned to the fabric store at least once every week thereafter and never, ever saw my fabric again. I called other stores; I began hovering around the shelf of fabrics that had been cut but not reshelved; I stalked other shoppers who had bolts of fabric that looked like the one I wanted. I became the scorned lover of this fabric, desperate to have my dreams fulfilled!
As the weeks turned into months with no sign of return, I slowly began to accept my fate - I had had my window of opportunity and had let it slip by. The only rational thing for me to do was to move on - just as there are plenty of fish in the sea there are plenty of soft cuddly fabrics on the shelf.
I moved on with life and redesigned the blanket with different colors and fabrics and even liked the new design. All this time, I continued searching for my fabric but it was gone. I began wondering if I had only imagined my brief encounter with the all-too-perfect fabric.
At the store one day in February, I got the last bit of fabric necessary to make the blanket. On the way to the register I remembered that my brother wanted me to make him a silk bedroll for his upcoming trip to the Ukraine. I had a few minutes, so I detoured my route and went to the Special Occasion fabric to search for silk. While there, I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in ages. As we chatted, my coveted fabric walked right passed me - not on its own, but the woman pushing the cart carrying the fabric (MY fabric) is inconsequential. While I struggled to not hurdle the shelves of fabric and tackle the receding woman, I remained composed as the bile of what-could-have-been settled in my mind. I had already committed to the other fabric and design; it would be wrong to reject them as I had been rejected by the cream fabric.
I walked dejectedly to the cash register, trying to reconcile myself to my fate. As if to pour salt in my wounds, the woman in front of me for the register was the same with my fabric, only now she had a large amount of my fabric neatly folded and ready for her blanket - not mine. Oh the bitter jealousy of rejection!
Here is a picture of the final product - not using the beloved yet not-meant-to-be fabric.
I would love the big soft blanket, if I hadn't known that I could have gotten the cream fabric. My dissatisfaction is clearly my brother's fault - if he hadn't wanted a silk bedroll for his trip I never would have been looking in the Special Occasion fabrics, I never would have run into my friend and I never would have seen My fabric walk past. I could have been peacefully reconciled to the new design, but no.......
:)
In November 2009, Jo-Ann's fabric store started having these amazing sales and coupon deals. I was in the sewing/crafting mode as I had decided that Christmas would be home-made this year. I was also starting to think about getting ready for Ella's birth (what her colors would be and what to make special instead of just hand-me-downs). I found this beautiful fabric that was cream with a thick soft swirly nap. I fell in love with it and was determined that it would be the back of Ella's baby blanket. However, it was $13/yd and I had used all my coupons. New coupons would be available the next week, so, with great trepidation but very proud of myself, I resisted the urge to buy it immediately and told myself to be rational and wait a week when I could get it at half off. The sale on that type of fabric began the day after Thanksgiving.
For the first time in my life, I braved the insanity of shopping on Black Friday. I reasoned I didn't need to get up too early since most people would be shopping for clothes, technology, or toys. How busy could the fabric store be? Wow! was I wrong? Not only was it a 2hr wait for the cut-counter, but my fabric was gone! How could it be gone? It was a full bolt a week ago.
I was obsessed with this fabric and returned to the fabric store at least once every week thereafter and never, ever saw my fabric again. I called other stores; I began hovering around the shelf of fabrics that had been cut but not reshelved; I stalked other shoppers who had bolts of fabric that looked like the one I wanted. I became the scorned lover of this fabric, desperate to have my dreams fulfilled!
As the weeks turned into months with no sign of return, I slowly began to accept my fate - I had had my window of opportunity and had let it slip by. The only rational thing for me to do was to move on - just as there are plenty of fish in the sea there are plenty of soft cuddly fabrics on the shelf.
I moved on with life and redesigned the blanket with different colors and fabrics and even liked the new design. All this time, I continued searching for my fabric but it was gone. I began wondering if I had only imagined my brief encounter with the all-too-perfect fabric.
At the store one day in February, I got the last bit of fabric necessary to make the blanket. On the way to the register I remembered that my brother wanted me to make him a silk bedroll for his upcoming trip to the Ukraine. I had a few minutes, so I detoured my route and went to the Special Occasion fabric to search for silk. While there, I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in ages. As we chatted, my coveted fabric walked right passed me - not on its own, but the woman pushing the cart carrying the fabric (MY fabric) is inconsequential. While I struggled to not hurdle the shelves of fabric and tackle the receding woman, I remained composed as the bile of what-could-have-been settled in my mind. I had already committed to the other fabric and design; it would be wrong to reject them as I had been rejected by the cream fabric.
I walked dejectedly to the cash register, trying to reconcile myself to my fate. As if to pour salt in my wounds, the woman in front of me for the register was the same with my fabric, only now she had a large amount of my fabric neatly folded and ready for her blanket - not mine. Oh the bitter jealousy of rejection!
Here is a picture of the final product - not using the beloved yet not-meant-to-be fabric.
I would love the big soft blanket, if I hadn't known that I could have gotten the cream fabric. My dissatisfaction is clearly my brother's fault - if he hadn't wanted a silk bedroll for his trip I never would have been looking in the Special Occasion fabrics, I never would have run into my friend and I never would have seen My fabric walk past. I could have been peacefully reconciled to the new design, but no.......:)
It's A Girl!
Briella Ann Martineau was born Feb 25, 2010.
6lbs 13oz
21 in long
beautiful auburn hair
we'll call her Ella
I know many didn't even know i was pregnant. I'm sorry, the whole year of 2009 was a blur with Lizzie being born in Mar and then getting pregnant 3 months later (no, not planned - I was on birth control).
Our one request for the delivery this time was that a Dr would be in the room (Lizzie came so fast we were lucky to have a nurse there.) Well, that wish was granted since Ella's cord became prolapsed and they had to do an emergency C-section. She was born with blue feet and hands, but started screaming immediately and so, was ok. She is perfectly healthy. I am healing well and very quickly. Many people also haven't known that i had a large blood clot in my leg that was causing complications for the pregnancy (it was superficial and has remained so). It is now receding and I'll be able to treat it 6wks post-partum. I am, however, still on blood thinners.
My brother and sister came down from Salt Lake to help with the kids while I was in the hospital. Then my sister stayed a few extra days to help me as I healed from the surgery. I am so grateful for their tremendous help and kindness.
It has taken a while to see Ella as a gift and blessing, but I have finally gotten there and am truly thankful for her. Considering my medical history, she truly is a miracle. I'm still not sure what to do with 3 girls, but I'm learning to tolerate dolls and princess dresses and nail polish. All 3 girls have birthdays within 7 days of each other, so I'm sure we'll have lots of princess parties and slumber parties and dress-up/make-up parties. Perhaps I'll learn how to be a girl, after all.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
-Becky
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Oh, the irony of it all!
When Mike and I first got married I was quite insistent that we wouldn't even start trying to get pregnant for the first year; I wanted time to develop our relationship and enjoy some time as just the two of us. However, I prayed alot about our family planning and, after four months, felt strongly that we would have problems and it would be best to get started soon. So, following that impression I went off the birth control. In the subsequent 2 yrs I had 3 miscarriages, numerous fertility treatments and drugs, and we spent alot of money. The upside was, my headaches and migraines were finally properly diagnosed and effective medication was prescribed.
It took 2 1/2 yrs, but we were finally blessed with a wonderful son, Andrew. Expecting the next child to be just as difficult, we never prevented anything and still required a surgery, multiple treatments and drugs, lots of money, and 2+ yrs. But, eventually, Rachael was conceived and born.
We now felt like we had the routine down and knew how to prevent the miscarriages (2 injections of heparin per day) and we just needed patience as we tried for the 3rd child. Lizzie's conception was quite a surprise, but not entirely unexpected. She was born 2yr and 5days after Rachael.
After Lizzie, we felt like we needed a break. I didn't want to leave anything up to chance, so I got on birth control. Andrew and Rachael are both "high-spirited" and require alot of energy. Lizzie, thankfully, is quite mild and happy. She was the break I needed, and an answer to my prayers. I decided that, maybe, sometime in the distant future I could possibly handle a 4th child, maybe.
So... can you guess the irony? Yup, 3mo after Lizzie was born I got pregnant while on birth control. I didn't know it for 7wks and was so tired without knowing why that I empathized with all the parents who call it quits with 3 kids. I took a pregnancy test just to prove to myself that the exhaustion was more mental than physical. I was so convinced that the test was negative that I almost threw it away without confirming the results.
Anyway, I always said I would be most happy with lots of boys and no girls. So.... I just found out today that I am having a 3rd girl. Oh, the irony. Heavenly Father sure loves to laugh and play jokes!
The due date? Well, Lizzie was born on March 4, 2009. This child will be born no later than March 3, 2010. I have to be induced because I have extremely precipitous labors and because I have to be on blood thinners which need to be stopped 24hrs before delivery or I could have bleeding issues. So... I have gone from one extreme to the other - first unable to have a child, now unable to prevent the next child from coming. Oh, the irony of it all.
It took 2 1/2 yrs, but we were finally blessed with a wonderful son, Andrew. Expecting the next child to be just as difficult, we never prevented anything and still required a surgery, multiple treatments and drugs, lots of money, and 2+ yrs. But, eventually, Rachael was conceived and born.
We now felt like we had the routine down and knew how to prevent the miscarriages (2 injections of heparin per day) and we just needed patience as we tried for the 3rd child. Lizzie's conception was quite a surprise, but not entirely unexpected. She was born 2yr and 5days after Rachael.
After Lizzie, we felt like we needed a break. I didn't want to leave anything up to chance, so I got on birth control. Andrew and Rachael are both "high-spirited" and require alot of energy. Lizzie, thankfully, is quite mild and happy. She was the break I needed, and an answer to my prayers. I decided that, maybe, sometime in the distant future I could possibly handle a 4th child, maybe.
So... can you guess the irony? Yup, 3mo after Lizzie was born I got pregnant while on birth control. I didn't know it for 7wks and was so tired without knowing why that I empathized with all the parents who call it quits with 3 kids. I took a pregnancy test just to prove to myself that the exhaustion was more mental than physical. I was so convinced that the test was negative that I almost threw it away without confirming the results.
Anyway, I always said I would be most happy with lots of boys and no girls. So.... I just found out today that I am having a 3rd girl. Oh, the irony. Heavenly Father sure loves to laugh and play jokes!
The due date? Well, Lizzie was born on March 4, 2009. This child will be born no later than March 3, 2010. I have to be induced because I have extremely precipitous labors and because I have to be on blood thinners which need to be stopped 24hrs before delivery or I could have bleeding issues. So... I have gone from one extreme to the other - first unable to have a child, now unable to prevent the next child from coming. Oh, the irony of it all.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Crawling
Lizzie turned 7mo on Sept 4. She is so different from Andrew or Rachael. One main difference is how very big she is - she's wearing 12mo clothes that Rachael wasn't wearing until she was 15mo. Today was momentous, though, because she took her first tentative crawling steps. She's been close for at least a week, but it finally happened today. YEAH!! She is so proud of herself - let the adventure begin!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Birthdays
For the past month, at least, Andrew has been asking some variation about when his birthday is: "Is today my birthday?", "Is it my birthday tomorrow after I wake up?", "How many days before my birthday?", etc. He keeps singing the Happy Birthday song to anything - me, his toys, his food, the pens, whatever.
Today he asked, "Mom, is today my birthday?"
"No, Andrew, I'm sorry."
"What about tomorrow after I wake up? Is it my birthday tomorrow after I wake up?"
"No, Andrew. Tomorrow after you wake up is just Sunday, not your birthday."
"How many tomorrow-after-I-wake-ups until my birthday."
"About 100"
"But, you always say that!"
"Andrew, I'm sorry, but it's exactly 4 months until your birthday - that is 123 days."
"123 days? but what about tomorrow after I wake up?"
"Nope, I'm sorry. You have to wait for 123 tomorrow-after-you-wake-ups for it to be your birthday."
"But I don't want to wait that long.... How about we make today your birthday and then it can be my birthday tomorrow after I wake up?"
"Hehehe, I'm sorry Andrew. It just doesn't work that way. You're just going to have to wait."
"But... I can't take it anymore!"
Today he asked, "Mom, is today my birthday?"
"No, Andrew, I'm sorry."
"What about tomorrow after I wake up? Is it my birthday tomorrow after I wake up?"
"No, Andrew. Tomorrow after you wake up is just Sunday, not your birthday."
"How many tomorrow-after-I-wake-ups until my birthday."
"About 100"
"But, you always say that!"
"Andrew, I'm sorry, but it's exactly 4 months until your birthday - that is 123 days."
"123 days? but what about tomorrow after I wake up?"
"Nope, I'm sorry. You have to wait for 123 tomorrow-after-you-wake-ups for it to be your birthday."
"But I don't want to wait that long.... How about we make today your birthday and then it can be my birthday tomorrow after I wake up?"
"Hehehe, I'm sorry Andrew. It just doesn't work that way. You're just going to have to wait."
"But... I can't take it anymore!"
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Insect Salad
Andrew doesn't like to try eating new things, so the other day we pulled a note from the comic Calvin & Hobbes. We had Insect Salad. For the adventurous, you should try it.
Spider Legs stir-fried in Slug Slime
Crushed Grasshoppers
Ground-up Bug Brains
douse it in Snake Blood
top with Beetle Backs
Andrew thought it was very silly, but was willing to try it and found that he liked it. For those of you who are less adventurous, here're the non-insect ingredients, respectively.
Ramen noodles crushed and stir-fried in butter
Shredded Green Cabbage
Ground-up Chicken
douse in: 1/4cp vinegar, 1/4cp water, 1/4cp oil, 1/2cp sugar, 1T soy sauce
top with Sliced Almonds
Thanks, Patricia, for the original recipe. It is one of our favorite summer foods.
Spider Legs stir-fried in Slug Slime
Crushed Grasshoppers
Ground-up Bug Brains
douse it in Snake Blood
top with Beetle Backs
Andrew thought it was very silly, but was willing to try it and found that he liked it. For those of you who are less adventurous, here're the non-insect ingredients, respectively.
Ramen noodles crushed and stir-fried in butter
Shredded Green Cabbage
Ground-up Chicken
douse in: 1/4cp vinegar, 1/4cp water, 1/4cp oil, 1/2cp sugar, 1T soy sauce
top with Sliced Almonds
Thanks, Patricia, for the original recipe. It is one of our favorite summer foods.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Our Garden
I am very proud of our garden this year. We are doing Square Foot Gardens, again. Our first attempt was last year and we had a great harvest of tomatoes, but the other stuff didn't do so well. So, this year we have planted earlier, and I did a whole box devoted to strawberries - yummy! :) Today, I picked the first ripe strawberry and we all shared it by taking small bites. It was super yummy - WAY better than what you get at the store. Here are some pics.
This was the first ripe strawberry, a few days before harvest.
You see tomatoes in the back, then some onions going out of control. You can't see them, but in the back are some green bean plants. There are also marigolds, okra, and carrots. The front row is 3 squares of potatoes and the built-up box is for long carrots that wouldn't work with only 6in of soil.
Here, more tomatoes and onions going crazy. We have a different variety of carrots and also some green bell pepper plants. There is a square of okra and some peas - we can't seem to get peas to grow well, though. We also have some cucumber plants, in the back.
Here are more tomatoes (we like tomatoes), carrots, onions, chili and bell peppers, beets, peas, and the big one is a pumpkin - its leaves are huge.
I didn't know the leaves got that big. They are even bigger now, since taking the picture.
We also have a watermelon growing in a bucket. We didn't know what it was, but it didn't look like a weed, so Mike put it in a bucket for future identification. Now we need to figure out what to do with it since it will definitely outgrow the bucket.
We've had fun with the garden and are looking forward to the harvest. Mike introduced me to beet-greens. The texture was slimy, just as bad as spinach. If you put enough salt and butter, though, it is possible to force them down your throat chased with a large glass of water - I'm not a fan, could you tell?
The kids enjoy helping us water and admire, and haven't picked anything - yet.
This was the first ripe strawberry, a few days before harvest.
You see tomatoes in the back, then some onions going out of control. You can't see them, but in the back are some green bean plants. There are also marigolds, okra, and carrots. The front row is 3 squares of potatoes and the built-up box is for long carrots that wouldn't work with only 6in of soil.
Here, more tomatoes and onions going crazy. We have a different variety of carrots and also some green bell pepper plants. There is a square of okra and some peas - we can't seem to get peas to grow well, though. We also have some cucumber plants, in the back.
Here are more tomatoes (we like tomatoes), carrots, onions, chili and bell peppers, beets, peas, and the big one is a pumpkin - its leaves are huge.
I didn't know the leaves got that big. They are even bigger now, since taking the picture.We also have a watermelon growing in a bucket. We didn't know what it was, but it didn't look like a weed, so Mike put it in a bucket for future identification. Now we need to figure out what to do with it since it will definitely outgrow the bucket.
We've had fun with the garden and are looking forward to the harvest. Mike introduced me to beet-greens. The texture was slimy, just as bad as spinach. If you put enough salt and butter, though, it is possible to force them down your throat chased with a large glass of water - I'm not a fan, could you tell?
The kids enjoy helping us water and admire, and haven't picked anything - yet.
Never Suppress a Generous Thought
It was Camilla Kimball who offered that sage advice: never suppress a generous thought. I try to remember that whenever I want to be helpful, but feel awkward offering. I have tried to teach my kids to be kind and thoughtful of others.
Andrew's best friend, Marcus, went on vacation for 3 wks at the beginning of the summer - they were a long 3 wks for Andrew. At one point, Andrew colored a "pretty picture for my best friend, Marcus" and wanted to give it to him. I told him that we could mail it and that it would be waiting for Marcus at his house when he returned. Andrew liked that idea. A few weeks later, we were talking about all he had learned in preschool and he said he wanted to "draw a pretty picture for my teacher, Miss Rebecca." It just so happened that I had an errand to run in that area, so we hand-delivered the picture. She wasn't there, so Andrew wrote her name on it and we discussed how excited she would be to come to work and get it. He has now made multiple pictures for various people in his life and he loves putting the stamp on the envelope and putting it out in the mail. We always discuss how excited the recipient will be and how they will feel so special to get a pretty picture in the mail.
So, the other day we were out working in the garden and Andrew and Rachael were entertaining themselves. I turned around and saw all the tennis balls were carefully placed throughout the yard. They seemed too precisely placed for it to be an accident, so I asked Andrew what they were.
He informed me that he was the mailman and he was busy delivering special packages to every house. He then pulled out his check-list and went through it to make sure that no one had been forgotten (it's a scrap of wood - sorry, the picture isn't very good) .
What a sweet, caring boy!
Andrew's best friend, Marcus, went on vacation for 3 wks at the beginning of the summer - they were a long 3 wks for Andrew. At one point, Andrew colored a "pretty picture for my best friend, Marcus" and wanted to give it to him. I told him that we could mail it and that it would be waiting for Marcus at his house when he returned. Andrew liked that idea. A few weeks later, we were talking about all he had learned in preschool and he said he wanted to "draw a pretty picture for my teacher, Miss Rebecca." It just so happened that I had an errand to run in that area, so we hand-delivered the picture. She wasn't there, so Andrew wrote her name on it and we discussed how excited she would be to come to work and get it. He has now made multiple pictures for various people in his life and he loves putting the stamp on the envelope and putting it out in the mail. We always discuss how excited the recipient will be and how they will feel so special to get a pretty picture in the mail.
So, the other day we were out working in the garden and Andrew and Rachael were entertaining themselves. I turned around and saw all the tennis balls were carefully placed throughout the yard. They seemed too precisely placed for it to be an accident, so I asked Andrew what they were.
He informed me that he was the mailman and he was busy delivering special packages to every house. He then pulled out his check-list and went through it to make sure that no one had been forgotten (it's a scrap of wood - sorry, the picture isn't very good) .
What a sweet, caring boy!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
So, Who's Winning?
Rachael is a very smart, and very strong-willed little girl. Once she gets an idea in her head, that is the end of the discussion nothing will distract her. The past few days have really demonstrated this for me.
If some dishes fall on the floor, she is determined to "help clean up" by putting them away. If I take them away because they are dirty, a tantrum ensues. Once she has decided she wants something, be it candy or a certain toy, that is the end of the story. No distraction technique or offering a choice of alternatives will satisfy her - either she gets exactly what she wants or she will throw a tantrum. Bed time is the worst. She loves the routine of reading stories, singing songs and saying prayers. But, when it's time to actually go to bed, it's a tantrum.
So, who's winning the proverbial parent/child struggle? It depends on how you keep score. Her initial response to me is, "no thanks, mommy", the tantrum comes after I have exerted my authority. But, hey, at least I've taught her to be polite in her disobedience, that has to count for something... right?
If some dishes fall on the floor, she is determined to "help clean up" by putting them away. If I take them away because they are dirty, a tantrum ensues. Once she has decided she wants something, be it candy or a certain toy, that is the end of the story. No distraction technique or offering a choice of alternatives will satisfy her - either she gets exactly what she wants or she will throw a tantrum. Bed time is the worst. She loves the routine of reading stories, singing songs and saying prayers. But, when it's time to actually go to bed, it's a tantrum.
So, who's winning the proverbial parent/child struggle? It depends on how you keep score. Her initial response to me is, "no thanks, mommy", the tantrum comes after I have exerted my authority. But, hey, at least I've taught her to be polite in her disobedience, that has to count for something... right?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Power of Prayer
Many years ago I read an article in the Ensign that has stuck with me. I would like to share it with anyone reading this.
A relatively young lady moved into a new ward with her husband and young child. She was quickly given her Visiting Teaching assignments. One of the ladies she was responsible for was an elderly woman. She went to her first appointment with some trepidation, not knowing what she could possibly teach this lady who had so much life experience under her belt. They quickly became friends and she was amazed at how active and busy this woman was always serving those around her. A couple years passed and suddenly this elderly woman had a stroke. She survived but it left her completely paralyzed. The young Visiting Teacher had no idea what to say to her, but she went to visit with a desire to do something helpful. She prepared herself to find the woman quite unhappy and depressed because she had previously been so active.
She showed up and the elderly woman was all smiles and just as happy as normal. The young VT was quite confused and finally had to ask how she could possibly be so happy. The wise woman responded, "Oh, I was always so busy with another batch of cookies to make or something, but now I have time to really help people. I can pray for them, and I know the Lord hears my prayers."
What a great lesson! If you know the Fogelquists, please pray for them. Their son Monte is really having a difficult time with all his health challenges and they need guidance and peace. My first instinct would be to make them a meal. However, they are many states away now. But, I can pray for them, and I, too, know the Lord hears my prayers.
A relatively young lady moved into a new ward with her husband and young child. She was quickly given her Visiting Teaching assignments. One of the ladies she was responsible for was an elderly woman. She went to her first appointment with some trepidation, not knowing what she could possibly teach this lady who had so much life experience under her belt. They quickly became friends and she was amazed at how active and busy this woman was always serving those around her. A couple years passed and suddenly this elderly woman had a stroke. She survived but it left her completely paralyzed. The young Visiting Teacher had no idea what to say to her, but she went to visit with a desire to do something helpful. She prepared herself to find the woman quite unhappy and depressed because she had previously been so active.
She showed up and the elderly woman was all smiles and just as happy as normal. The young VT was quite confused and finally had to ask how she could possibly be so happy. The wise woman responded, "Oh, I was always so busy with another batch of cookies to make or something, but now I have time to really help people. I can pray for them, and I know the Lord hears my prayers."
What a great lesson! If you know the Fogelquists, please pray for them. Their son Monte is really having a difficult time with all his health challenges and they need guidance and peace. My first instinct would be to make them a meal. However, they are many states away now. But, I can pray for them, and I, too, know the Lord hears my prayers.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Ambitions Sour Cream
I assume Rachael is a typical child who needs equal amounts of play time and eating time at the dinner table. We do not allow toys at the table so she has to be creative. Since Rachael has never been inhibited by the intended uses of something, this has never been a problem.
Tonight we had tacos for dinner, including sour cream. Here is a list of all the uses Rachael found for this humble, unassuming condiment.
1. make it the main (and only) course
2. a bathtub for her tomatoes
3. a bed for the tomato seeds to sleep in
4. daubed on a spoon to use as a weapon against mom (poison-tipped spear?)
5. slime to fling from her spoon and hands
6. mud to squeeze through her fingers
7. make-up to smear on her face
8. while she was at it, might as well make it a whole face mask
9. paint to rub all over her arms
10. medicine to put on her owies
All this occurred in less than 15 mins. And I might add, much of these came from Rachael's own lips when we asked, "Rachael, what are you doing? Can't you just eat?"
And finally,
11. make-up, paint, mud, or anything else to smear on mommy as she tried to get Rachael clean.
Who knew sour cream could be so versatile?
Tonight we had tacos for dinner, including sour cream. Here is a list of all the uses Rachael found for this humble, unassuming condiment.
1. make it the main (and only) course
2. a bathtub for her tomatoes
3. a bed for the tomato seeds to sleep in
4. daubed on a spoon to use as a weapon against mom (poison-tipped spear?)
5. slime to fling from her spoon and hands
6. mud to squeeze through her fingers
7. make-up to smear on her face
8. while she was at it, might as well make it a whole face mask
9. paint to rub all over her arms
10. medicine to put on her owies
All this occurred in less than 15 mins. And I might add, much of these came from Rachael's own lips when we asked, "Rachael, what are you doing? Can't you just eat?"
And finally,
11. make-up, paint, mud, or anything else to smear on mommy as she tried to get Rachael clean.
Who knew sour cream could be so versatile?
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Just Try It
Andrew is about the pickiest, most finicky eater ever. By the time he was 2, he had us trained to cheer and congratulate him for eating even a cookie or some ice cream. A little progress has been made since then, mainly due to friends and peer pressure.
We got a book from the library about a kid who refused to eat his vegetables - even try them. It's called, "Just Try It". We had read it a few times and discussed how trying new things is good and you often find new foods that you like, when one night for dinner I made something that Andrew refused to try (no surprise). So, I asked him what he was willing to eat. He said, "you tell me". This is when I get to start naming things off in hopes of him saying yes to something. The difficulty is that if you name too many things that he doesn't want to eat, he gets upset and then the whole idea of eating is out the window.
Anyway, I mentioned a waffle (frozen) and he said yes. I asked if he wanted jam and he said grape, then he said he wanted ketchup. "What? You want ketchup instead of grape jam?" I asked.
"No," he said. "I want grape jam and ketchup on the side."
"Ooh." I said, trying to sound enthusiastic and hoping I, at least, didn't sound too disgusted.
So, I served it to him. I cut the waffle and poured some ketchup on the side of the plate, expecting that I was just wasting a bunch of ketchup.
Nope, Andrew dipped every bite of his grape jam waffle into the ketchup and ate the entire thing. To top it off, he wanted another one the next day, but this time with strawberry jam. I asked him if it tasted good and he said, "Just try it, mommy. It's good, you'll like it." Thankfully, I used the allergy-diet for Lizzie as my excuse to get out of trying it. But, I did get to eat my own words - they sure were tasty!
We got a book from the library about a kid who refused to eat his vegetables - even try them. It's called, "Just Try It". We had read it a few times and discussed how trying new things is good and you often find new foods that you like, when one night for dinner I made something that Andrew refused to try (no surprise). So, I asked him what he was willing to eat. He said, "you tell me". This is when I get to start naming things off in hopes of him saying yes to something. The difficulty is that if you name too many things that he doesn't want to eat, he gets upset and then the whole idea of eating is out the window.
Anyway, I mentioned a waffle (frozen) and he said yes. I asked if he wanted jam and he said grape, then he said he wanted ketchup. "What? You want ketchup instead of grape jam?" I asked.
"No," he said. "I want grape jam and ketchup on the side."
"Ooh." I said, trying to sound enthusiastic and hoping I, at least, didn't sound too disgusted.
So, I served it to him. I cut the waffle and poured some ketchup on the side of the plate, expecting that I was just wasting a bunch of ketchup.
Nope, Andrew dipped every bite of his grape jam waffle into the ketchup and ate the entire thing. To top it off, he wanted another one the next day, but this time with strawberry jam. I asked him if it tasted good and he said, "Just try it, mommy. It's good, you'll like it." Thankfully, I used the allergy-diet for Lizzie as my excuse to get out of trying it. But, I did get to eat my own words - they sure were tasty!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The newborn 5 stage grief cycle
The 5 stage grief cycle describes the emotions that people feel when a loved one has died. Well, I am here to say that it applies to the beginning of life as well as the end.
1. Denial
When a baby is born, he sleeps most of the time and is just a joy to hold. The parents wonder, "why do people say this is hard? Others must not have prepared like we did." They are in sweet denial of the reality to come.
2. Anger
At some point, usually 2wks for me, the little bundle of joy begins to realize he is no longer in the womb and doesn't want to sleep anymore. This precious newborn begins to cry for no obvious reason and all the parents' preparations go out the window. They begin to feel angry at the parenting books with their fool-proof solutions. They begin feeling angry at those around them for breathing too loudly and waking the baby. They finally settle on being angry at the unseen alien who came and replaced their perfect darling with a crying, screaming child.
3. Bargaining
Eventually, the parents become putty in this innocent child's hands. They forget all their pre-determined rules like "getting on a schedule", "no children in our bed", or "my child won't use a pacifier". Instead, the parents break down and start begging and promising anything if the child would just calm down long enough for mom to get a shower.
4. Depression
By now, the baby is around 2 1/2mo old. The parents are too exhausted to be angry and their creativity for bargaining has been completely tapped out. They fall into a funk and realize that they will never be perfect parents and begin to question their own sanity and why they ever thought that having a child was preferable over having a dog. They feel even more depressed as they realize that their own parents aren't so incomprehensible anymore.
5. Acceptance
After our poor parents have been depressed, they are humbled enough to accept reality. No, they will never get enough sleep again. They begin to understand why their own parents did certain bizarre things and they accept that the real ruler of the house is this tiny infant that they so eagerly anticipated.
Our pure and innocent child's sovereignty has now been established and his parents' unconditional submission is assured. His 3 months of hard work has paid off for himself and for the good of all future siblings. He can now relax and get on a schedule, knowing full well that his parents are in the palm of his hand.
1. Denial
When a baby is born, he sleeps most of the time and is just a joy to hold. The parents wonder, "why do people say this is hard? Others must not have prepared like we did." They are in sweet denial of the reality to come.
2. Anger
At some point, usually 2wks for me, the little bundle of joy begins to realize he is no longer in the womb and doesn't want to sleep anymore. This precious newborn begins to cry for no obvious reason and all the parents' preparations go out the window. They begin to feel angry at the parenting books with their fool-proof solutions. They begin feeling angry at those around them for breathing too loudly and waking the baby. They finally settle on being angry at the unseen alien who came and replaced their perfect darling with a crying, screaming child.
3. Bargaining
Eventually, the parents become putty in this innocent child's hands. They forget all their pre-determined rules like "getting on a schedule", "no children in our bed", or "my child won't use a pacifier". Instead, the parents break down and start begging and promising anything if the child would just calm down long enough for mom to get a shower.
4. Depression
By now, the baby is around 2 1/2mo old. The parents are too exhausted to be angry and their creativity for bargaining has been completely tapped out. They fall into a funk and realize that they will never be perfect parents and begin to question their own sanity and why they ever thought that having a child was preferable over having a dog. They feel even more depressed as they realize that their own parents aren't so incomprehensible anymore.
5. Acceptance
After our poor parents have been depressed, they are humbled enough to accept reality. No, they will never get enough sleep again. They begin to understand why their own parents did certain bizarre things and they accept that the real ruler of the house is this tiny infant that they so eagerly anticipated.
Our pure and innocent child's sovereignty has now been established and his parents' unconditional submission is assured. His 3 months of hard work has paid off for himself and for the good of all future siblings. He can now relax and get on a schedule, knowing full well that his parents are in the palm of his hand.
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