Flashback

This afternoon the kids had commandeered the big screen and were watching Wonder Pets. Even though I was dying to find out what distressed animal they were able to rescue, I peeled myself away and snuck into the office to watch an episode of a TV show I had missed. (I would insert the name of said show here, but I don't want to embarrass myself.) After about 15 minutes Thomas made his way into the room. He climbed up on my lap and started to watch the show with me.

I was thoroughly enjoying my snuggle with my first born when he looked up at me - I had a flashback to his birth. All of a sudden I felt the warmth of a new little baby on my chest and saw his HUGE brown eyes look into mine for the first time. I had to catch my breath. I was looking into the same big eyes, but the body had changed. Instead of fitting nice and cozy on a small section of my torso he was now stretched out across a large portion of my body. How did that happen? How has 5 years passed so quickly? How is it possible that this little baby is going to kindergarten in the fall?

Instead of hyperventilating I grabbed my camera that was within reach and started to click away. These were blind clicks. Ones that I hoped would come out even though I couldn't see through my eye piece. I was hoping to capture the feeling I was having - nothing but love

and happiness.

Observations

10 and a half years ago I opened this fortune on one of our first dates.

I think it is safe to say that particular fortune has come true...and will continue to be true.

Clara opened her fortune cookie today.

I think she already does.

Dirty Girl

This afternoon Clara was enjoying her bag of Cheetos. The same bag that had the contents fall out over and over again. Each time I picked them up and stuck them back in the bag and headed for the trash can only to be sidetracked by something else. Each time Clara found the bag and continued to eat the chips.

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When I finally got them away from her and out of reach, I told her she needed to go wash her hands. I followed her into the bathroom where she went to lift up the toilet lid to wash her hands in the only water she thought available.

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I read somewhere that the water restaurants use for their ice makers is actually cleaner than toilet water. I hope that is true for her sake.

For the hips.

I have absolutely no will power when it comes to oatmeal raisin cookies. I must have been a horse in a previous life* because I have a great love for all things oats. On Monday I was craving some oatmeal raisin cookies and wanted something better than the old stand by recipe. I started searching the Internet and just for fun typed in "world's best oatmeal cookies." I figured something was bound to come up. Sure enough, plenty of entries came up. I scanned through them and was intrigued by a recipe posted that not only had the old standby of cinnamon in it, but it also had ginger and nutmeg. I figured I would give it a try. I am so mad that I did because they were delicious. We ate the entire first batch and made a second one today.

If you are at all like Steve and don't like "spicy" cookies, these are not for you. He also feels they are a waste of space because they are oatmeal raisin and not oatmeal chocolate chip. In my opinion there is a time and place for chocolate chips. This is not it. These are a cross between a soft, mild ginger cookie and a chewy oatmeal cookie. If you're having a hard time being at one with the raisins you could substitute chocolate chips, but in this house it will never happen. Sorry babe.

(* For the record: I am Mormon - I do not believe in reincarnation. )

Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 C butter

1/2 C shortening

3/4 C white sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 Tablespoon Vanilla - I spelled that out so you would no it's not a mistake - T.a.b.l.e.s.p.o.o.n.

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 C quick cooking oatmeal

1 C raisins

1. Beat the 2 eggs in a bowl and add the tablespoon of vanilla. Go get your raisins and dump them in the bowl. Now walk away for at about 2 hours. DO NOT START THE RECIPE UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE THIS. MUY IMPORTANTE!

2. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, shortening and sugars in the mixer. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients - except oats. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Then add the raisin and egg snot (yes, that's what it will look like) and mix well. Finally add the oats and mix until it all comes together.

Bake for 9 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.

You can thank me later. If you don't like them, go make yourself a "Team Steve" t-shirt and wear it with pride.

How many times can you say wiener?

I wish I would have dressed Clara up a little bit. I can also see from this picture it's time for a haircut. Someone is going to turn me in for child endangerment - the poor girl can't see!

We were lucky and got Wiener Whistles. Not just 1, but 2. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had on the ride home. I am happy to report I didn't lose my patience once - I let them blow all they wanted. That alone should qualify me for mother of the year.

Thomas was in heaven. On the way home he asked if we could get a Wienermobile when our van breaks down.

The whole gaggle of kids. 2 out of 5 looking at the camera - not too shabby!

Sometimes

Sometimes I am able to catch tender moments with my lens. Ones that I don't want to forget. Images that tell a stories of love, happiness and peaceful times.

And then upon further inspection, those same images become even more priceless because of one small detail that could have easily been missed.

Belly Up

A picture story.

I am too distraught to put our feelings into words.

Advice

If you have one of these...

and one of these...

Make sure you have a good one of these...

New Dictionary Entry

This morning Steve was getting ready for work. I was in the other room listening to the conversation Thomas was having with dad.

D: Today is your last day of school for the week. Do you know all about Q? (letter of the week)

T: Yes

Thomas and Dad start listing off words that start with Q.

D: There's really not that many words.

T: I know, it's kind of Quard.

For clarification:

Quard: \'kwärd\ adjective difficult or troublesome in respect to any word that starts with the letter Q.

How to sell on ebay

I am in the de-junking mood. I want my closets clean, my drawers organized and my house in semi-functional order. Today I was walking through the house pulling stuff to give away. I have had this workout DVD set sitting on my office desk for months now. I figured, "what the heck, let's try selling it on ebay." I was feeling a tad punchy when I sat down. I wrote the following product description thinking I would never really hit "sell now" - but I did. I guess people like honesty. Who would have thought it would sell in less than and hour.

Here was my listing...

This is the Tony Horton 10 minute trainer DVD set. I only used it 3 times - if that. What can I say, I'm a wimp!

The set includes:

-2 DVDS -one DVD has 3 workouts, the other has 2 workouts.

-1 Workout band - Used more by my kids to play "tie you up" than actually used to workout. Don't worry, still in great condition (both the band and the kids)

-The straps to use on your door to make the workout more intense - who am I kidding...I never took them out of the plastic.

-Measuring Tape - to measure all the inches that will just melt away once you start using this (hint: you have to do more than just own the DVD to see results - I learned from experience)

-Some papers that talk about what to eat, how you can look good in your jeans, and how to be a lean, mean, workout machine! There is also a nice little set of note cards you can take on vacation so you can workout in your hotel room. I am guessing there are some people out there who like to workout on vacation, go figure. That would not be me.

-Seriously, it is everything that comes in the box from the infomercial. The only thing you will not get is the 5 x 7 note card that you write your measurements on. I already used it. If you want, I can send it with my measurements written on it. This should make you feel pretty darn good about yourself!

Please buy it. I want it sold so I put the money towards my gym membership. I am hoping a membership card in my wallet will work better than a DVD in a box. Wish me luck.

Cha-Ching!! It sold for $52.99 in less than an hour. Not too shabby!!

Whe life gives you lemons...

i.e....When your 2 year old wakes you up at 6 am on a Saturday morning.

make lemon muffins

If you're lucky, you may even hear the birds singing their morning song.

And after you rub the sleep from your eyes, you will realize just how lucky you are to be awake and spending time with one of your favorite little people.

Today

Today was a big day,

We got to go play.

With horses and cows,

And a cowboy who plows.

There was plenty of dirt,

and it got on our shirt.

On or socks, shoes and pants,

We're lucky - no ants!!

It was windy outside,

But we took it in stride.

For the sun still did shine.

Which made it quite fine.

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A class trip to a ranch,

With pink blossoms on branch.

Was the place we would be ,

My two kids, and me.

We learned some new stuff,

And that cowboys are tough.

That horses like fruit,

and their teeth are not cute.

Piled up on the ground,

that we walked around,

Clara picked up some poop,

Causing Mommy to WOOP!

Junkyard, a brown horse.

(but he smelled of course)

Let Thomas have a ride,

With the cowboy at side.

Clara wanted to sleep,

And her binkies she keep.

But she saw some white cows

and decided to browse.

We'll remember the fun

And how fast we did run

On this nice winter day,

When all went our way.

Watch out Obama!

Thomas is class leader in preschool this week. For those of us who are not 5, this is a huge deal. You get to be line leader, bring in treats and pretty much run the preschool -at least that's what I gathered from his explanation of duties and choice of attire.

For snack he took in these cinnamon roll sugar cookies. Check out the blog, it's pretty inspiring if you like to eat.

Happy Birthday to me!

Steve's way of letting the entire neighborhood know that it was my birthday

Saturday was my birthday, and it was a big one. 35. Thirty-five? Really? Not possible. However, it is. I am old enough to drive a car, be a wife, be a mom, and own my own puke pail. Seriously, that is a thought that I had the other day when I was caring for my sick kids. I thought to myself, "when did I get old enough to own my own puke pail?" I actually find myself asking a lot of questions like that. Questions like, "How is it possible for me to be graduated from college?" Or "When did I become old enough to worry about laugh lines?"

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anywho...

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Back to my birthday. For the most part it was fabulous. Probably one of the best ones I ever had. I think it was because it was a simple day and I was surrounded by my family. On Birthday Eve, as Steve and I were drifting off to sleep I informed him that anytime after midnight, if either of the kids should wake up, he was in charge. I also told him that I would be sleeping in and he would be responsible for entertaining any early riser.

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It was a good plan. Clara was up at a respectable time and I am not a person who can sleep in, so I got up with her and we had a great morning. Steve and Thomas both slept in until 10 am while us girls cuddled together and watched reruns of Curious George.

I made my way back upstairs after I heard some noises and told Steve I wanted some donuts for breakfast. Within 5 minutes he was out the door and on his way to my favorite donut shop to get me a buttermilk bar and rainbow sprinkle. Yes, I ate 2. I was the birthday girl and calories do not count on birthdays.

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The 4 of us spent the rest of the morning together. We didn't do anything spectacular, we just were together.

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In the early afternoon, Clara went down for a nap and Steve took Thomas out to run some errands leaving me all alone. ALL ALONE ON MY BIRTHDAY!!! HOT DIGITY!!! I had 3 hours all to myself. I finally was able to watch the Masterpiece Theatre version of Emma I had been saving on the TIVO for almost a month. I got to sit and watch it in my PJ's without anyone interrupting me.

About 30 minutes into the movie, It dawned on me that I was all alone and I could break out my illegal peanut butter I have hidden in a very secret place. It's pretty sad that a PB and honey can make you giddy, but when your kid has nut allergies and you can't have any nuts around, a simple PB sandwich is heaven.

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The boys got home around the same time Clara woke up and we went out for a nice dinner with my other favorite person, my Mom. We had a great time. However, in the middle of dinner things started to change - for the worse. Remember the puke pail comment? (Both of the kids came down with a horrible, violent stomach bug late Thursday night. Steve and I thought that it must have been food poisoning for them both to get it within hours of each other.) During dinner I started to feel strange. My stomach didn't hurt, but I felt weird. I had a feeling that I was getting sick - that I was going to be the next person to have possession of the puke pail. I also started to change my theory on what had made the kids so sick two nights ago. I knew at that point it had been the dreaded stomach flu.

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In the car on the way home I was telling Steve and my Mom how I felt strange. I even made the stupidest comment ever and said, "I hope I do get flu." I only said it because I was feeling a little guilty for all the junk I had eaten all day. I thought it would be a nice little gift to be able to puke everything up and have it not count.

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What a stupid, STUPID comment! Sure enough, 2 hours after we had made it home I was in the bathroom having my wish granted. It was the worst stomach flu I have EVER had. It was violent. I was up all night long. Steve took such good care of me. I told him to go down and sleep on the couch, but he ended up sleeping on the floor so he could help me if I needed him. It was an awful night. Around 4:30 am Steve sat up and had a very familiar look on his face. The same one I had at dinner. Sure enough, he was sick, too.

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We finally fell asleep at 6:00 am and woke up at 7:30. Steve and I were in such bad shape. I called my mom. As soon as she answered the phone she knew that I was sick. I told her both of us were down and that we needed her help.

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She was at the house within 45 minutes. She packed up the kids and took them for the the day and had them spend the night. Steve and I spent the day in bed trying to sleep and recuperate. It was very strange to be in such a quite house. We missed our kids, but we knew that there was no way we would have been able to take care of them.

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Lucky for us it was only a 24 hour bug. Both of us woke up this morning feeling fantastic in comparison to yesterday.

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What a way to start 35! I think I will be a little bit more cautious about my birthday wish next year.