lil' eskimo in texas

I WAS there, really.

2010-07-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

I'm photo phobic. Self proclaimed. I've said many times that I hope I look better "in action" because somehow my photos never look like what my mirror shows me. So, it's normally totally and completely fine with me to be behind the camera instead of in front. After all, most times I have no undergarments on and have not tamed my bedhead (if you wait long enough, gravity plays its part :). My kids are cute. I'm secure in that. I'll gladly snap pics of them.

But, every once in a while, I wanna be IN the picture. I wanna say, "I'm the one who put all this fun together!" or "I really was at your birth, promise. I WAS there, really." So, I recruit someone to snap a picture (I've tried the whole hold it in front of myself thing. My arms must be too short because I've yet to get a complete person in one of those). Unfortunately, most of those times, I've been too busy getting everyone else their photo best that I look barely alive myself.

All this to say, Embrace the Camera is all about celebrating those moments! I'm linking to this week's challenge. Go check out some other fantastic moms and find some of those fun photos yourself. Embrace the Camera!!

Here we go!

One day this winter, we woke up to this! So, I spent 30 minutes bundling the big boys and myself up and we went outside to build forts, snowman, and throw crusty snowballs at each other.

2 hours, MUCH snow, and loads of photos of the boys later, I handed to camera to Ernie, "Take a pic of us, would ya?"

Oh yeah! The little boy. "Another one, with Dane?" His eyes are closed and we're guessing those are his brothers' backs. :)

Fast forward to Elijah's birthday. Look! It's me in the picture. I'm the one with the pink arm!!

Note to self: A little cleanser and lip gloss woulda gone a long way. :)

We're about to go on a trip and you better believe I'm gonna get better at this! I'm gonna be jumping in pics right and left. Maybe. :)

Lil' Vacation

2010-07-24T12:01:00.001-07:00

We did it. We tackled a theme park! We went to the state fair once when Roman was 3 and swore that wouldn't happen again. Total RIP OFF. But, with a theme park, you pay admission and get to go hog wild.

Now that the big boys were ready, we have lil' bootie.

The Daddy was skeptical. I was going with or without Daddy and little boy. The boys had earned tickets from school, and, by golly, they weren't going to waste!

Daddy decided he'd give it a try, so we headed out and took the park by storm. Us and the random woman that stood there with her child forEVER. They look like they're in motion. It's a mirage. I waited and then finally gave up the ghost. They weren't going anywhere.

The boys LOVED the wet rides. They rode first with Ernie and then insisted I ride too. I'd forgotten exactly how walking around in squishy shoes and socks feels. It's been about a decade or so. Somehow, it didn't bother me. The boys were having the BEST time, so all was good!

They had GREAT attitudes. Roman asked on our way home if we could live there. After a day with no bickering, fighting, complaining, and arguing, it's a thought. Maybe they'd let us set up our beds. We could shower in the water rides and get extra big eating all the greasy food.

Dane was a fan of running wild.

So, then I noticed there were rides that even Dane could ride with me (after all, he DID like standing in line). So, of course, if you CAN ride it, you SHOULD. This one turned out okay (even though his expression stayed exactly the same the entire time. Thrilled. :).

There was this one, El Sombrero, that was a BAD idea. There's no picture of that. I'm thankful. We saw they were boarding and so we rushed to get on. WITHOUT watching the ride in motion. Yeah, pretty sure Dane was okay, but I spent the entire ride squeezing him into my armpit repeating, "You're okay. Mama's here." It's been 24 hours and I haven't noticed any Post Traumatic Stress symptoms. Pretty sure we're in the clear.

After that genius ride, we just let him drink out of random cups (from OUR family) and eat any of the snacks he wanted. It worked.

The big boys were on a roll and not stopping until they had to!

We had such a great day. We even went back in the evening for another 3 hours and closed the park down cause we're wild and crazy like that! I forgot my camera for Round 2, but remembered these crazy yahoos and had loads more fun!

2010-07-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

When the first boy was 17 (almost 18) months old, I thought he was SO big. I was ecstatic with his huge vocabulary and inquisitive nature. Now that he's 7 (and halfway to 8), I hate that his baby teeth are emptying out of his mouth and he has to think twice about holding my hand in public.

So, this little 17 (almost 18) month old little one can keep his one word vocabulary, sweet love, and mischievous ways for as loooooong as he wants.

I shoulda worn depends.

2010-07-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

Because I spend WAY more time blog surfing than writing these days, I have gathered oodles and oodles of useless knowledge of crafts and recipes and such that I'll probably never actually make.

Like I'm really gonna have a craft activity ready every day when I don't realize Roman is wearing the top and bottom from different pajama sets and no underwear UNTIL we are walking into the Recreation Center.

Yeah, I can't even remember to make the cinnamon rolls I volunteered to bring to church (and had purchased all the ingredients for). Okay, that's not the entire truth. I DID remember to make them, when my eyes opened at 8:15 on Sunday AM. Too bad the process takes 4 hours.

Yep, pretty sure I'm not taking part in any "linky" parties this week.

So, anyway, I've seen scads and wads of great ideas to add to my endless "I should do that someday" list. I've even bookmarked or "followed" some. Like I'm really gonna go back and remember which fabulous ideas I was gonna try in the first place. BUT, tonight, I found the site that has broken my silence. I just HAVE to tell you all (I say "all" like there's anyone left checking besides my mom)!

Catalog Living. It's written by the girl in the Sonic commercials. The one in the car with her husband. Looks like it's a fairly new site, but it ROCKS.

It's not what you think. There are no hotdog cookies or t-shirt re-dos or organizational ideas. This, from what I can tell, is total entertainment.

Like this one,

"Sure Gary’s out of town, but I’m perfectly capable of starting a fire in the fireplace by myself, thank you very much."

or this one..

"Gary got the idea from a parking lot in New York. Sure the kids get rope burns climbing into bed, but their upper-body strength is amazing."

and THIS one...

"If you find yourself the last to arrive at Gary and Elaine’s dinner party, you’d better enjoy sitting on swivel stools and staring at images of a haunted forest all night."

one last one and then I'll let you go pee YOUR pants....

"Not only are they super-cute, but ever since we installed these nets our household cases of malaria are down 75%!"

Laughter is good you know!

Cowtown Camera Girl is giving away a free mini session!

2010-06-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Check out her blog here!

Check out her work for our family here!!

I'm a fan! So, YOU go to facebook and become a fan of Cowtown Camera Girl Photography and enter her contest!!

School's Out for the Summer!

2010-06-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

We've had a great first day and a half of summer! Blue skies, 100 degree weather, sprinklers, popsicles, cleanly cut grass. It's all good in the neighborhood.

Wood chips on the butt cause that's how we roll.

I have a feeling this will go down as one of my fav photos. Roman decided he'd beefy up his skateboarding skills. So he put on the pads and got to work (for about 10 minutes :). Here he is taking a break. I sprinted (Don't laugh. That's not nice.) inside to grab the camera when I saw him like this.

Easing back into it.

2010-06-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Super fast. Kinda. Gonna try to make it speedy at least. So, I started a post about what I've been doing on my blog hiatus and then my finger hit the button of death. Have no idea which button it was, but I hate that button and if I ever find it, I'm gonna wring it's little neck.

So, for now, I'm going to share some quick pics of what I've been up to.

Dane and I went to meet Roman for his class picnic. Dane ditched me for his groupies.

I went with Roman on his class field trip. MUCH fun. Love his class!!

I let my babykin lick his very first brownie beater. And he liked it.

I witnessed Ernie catch a snake. Sigh. My husband the slithery snake hunter.

I went to Roman and Elijah's field day. It was the perfect kind of weather.

Roman and his rowdy crew.

Roman went hog wild on the potato sack race.

Elijah rocked it on the egg race.

Then came class parties. Roman's class had banana splits and he got an award for Most Inquisitive. And that he is! This is Roman with his teacher. She is BEYOND amazing. AND, he gets to have her again next year. Her class will be looping to 2nd. Excited, we are.

Elijah's class had root beer floats. He'd been looking forward to those floats since the Valentine Party!

Today was kindergarten graduation. I know, graduation for kindergarten? I've always thought that was overkill, but have to admit I've enjoyed seeing both the boys in their graduation programs.

Elijah got to hold up a sign during one of the songs so the crowd would know what to say. I know you can't see it because the picture's not big enough, but "are the best" is in smaller type below. TOTALLY agree.

Roman came to watch from his class. This kid needs to stop growing.

brothers.

Elijah with his teachers. They are quite the team and excellent with him!! We love you ladies!

That's it for now. Peace Out. Word to yo' mutha.

I said I was finished, but I lied.

2010-04-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

We ventured to our local state park to take bluebonnet pics. I know this is bad, but I don't know that we've taken bluebonnet pictures since Roman was 2. Maybe? For diehards, this is an annual pilgrimage. But, hey, we're not diehards.

I love pictures of people walking away. Yeah, pretty sure that's something Freud would have to comment on. Glad he's dead and not reading my blog.

Thinking of my kids ACTUALLY walking away from me gets me all teary eyed. At this point though, I know they have no other way home. Yep, pretty sure they'll pile in the van with us at the end of it all. Whew. I've got at least another decade of this ignorant bliss!

I laughed OUTLOUD at this. What in the world? There were more too, but not any others with a paw swipe? What?! I guess being out in nature brings out the animal in these animals.

"Here Mama, these are for you." Seriously. Can I keep him forever?

On a technical note, does anyone know how to make the silly square frames go away, so the cool picnik rounded edges look as cool as they really are?

Here Comes the Sun(shine)...

2010-04-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

As Elijah would say, "Today is a VERY special day for me!" And, he's right. Tonight was his 6th birthday party! To round out the photo gluttony week, here we go with a buncha pics from tonight...

Dane and I ran a couple last minute errands this morning and then he took a spectacularly long nap and I got soooooooo much done. There was no rushing or freaking out and I loved the pace and the anticipation of seeing Elijah have a great night.

If you don't know how I love streamers, I'll tell you now. Streamers and latex balloons are my favs! The boys look forward to seeing their decorations, so it was tops on the nap "To Do" list. We were having a Fire Truck party and that means LOADS of red, yellow, and black!! I couldn't figure out the best photo angle to get it all in the shot. Trust me, MUCHO colores!

Elijah requested chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. So, we had Fire Chief Chicken Nuggets; Honey, it's getting hot in here, BBQ wings; Midnight Mac and Cheese; and Fireman Fruit Salad.

Kids were in and out playing, eating, playing, and playing. I was loving the relaxed pace. After bellies were mostly full and I'd chatted with some of my favorite people, we started our Firefighter Obstacle course. Up the ropes, down the slide, through the hula hoop, up and over the ramp, up and over the baby slide, and run to the burning building. The kids loved the challenge. They were still doing it after I thought we were finished!

How many firefighters can you fit in a burning building?

We did a little sidewalk paint....

I was feeling a lot like this!

Then we sang Happy Birthday and had cake! My camera battery poo-poo'ed about this time, so this picture I took of it earlier in the day will have to suffice.

Next up, PINATA!

Death by bludgeoning.

Candy rampage!!!

All the while, this firefighter was being loved by....

sweet Holly

and sweet Ahren. Girls THANK YOU!!!!!!! For helping with Dane and cleaning up and probably 10 other things I didn't see. You are SOOO appreciated!!!

And then it was time!!!!!!!

For Sunshine the Fire Truck!!!!!

Fireman Bob (can't believe I didn't get a pic of him in this post) showed us around the truck and let the kids try on his stuff. No, it's not a spacesuit, it's something Firefighterish....just can't remember what it's for. I was too busy looking at Elijah in it!

Then the boys and girls got to go in the cab and check everything out.

And THEN, they got to take a ride! As I was going back through my pictures, I noticed that I have as many, maybe more, pics of the adults riding in the truck as I do of the kids. Hmmmmm....guess you're never too old to love a ride in a fire truck!

We had a B.L.A.S.T.! Thanks friends for helping celebrate Elijah's birthday. He was right, today WAS a very special day for him, and you made it SUPER DUPER amazing!

Why Not?

2010-04-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, lots of my recent posts have been pictures of my family. It's exactly what I've been up to lately. Sometime I'll get back to posting other things, but for now, more pics!

This morning I loaded up two 1 year olds (I have an extra these days) and headed to the Science Museum for Elijah's field trip! I almost wasn't brave enough to wrangle two babies, but then I remembered.....THESE are the days I work crazy and odd jobs for. To be able to go to stuff like this! So, armed with a double stroller (THANK YOU Sarah!), many snacks and diapers, a charged camera with LOTS of space on the memory card, bright eyes, AND a bushy tail, we were off!

Elijah practicing for his future.

I caught this shot when he was walking to an activity. Totally in to the fun he's having.

I WANT one of these wheelbarrows. How cute are they!!

This kid was FOCUSED. The moment anyone would put one down, he was all over it!

Team Water Squirt.

A sweet, helping moment!

Elijah and his best bud snackin' on the steps before they went inside.

THAT is the smile that greeted me when he saw I was there. So glad I didn't miss it!

Happy Day Buddy!

2010-04-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today is #6 for this guy! Seeing as he looooooves all things balls, he got a nifty basketball goal and spent the evening shooting hoops!

He's got some skills if I do say so myself. Happy Birthday Baby. We are thankful you are ours!

What a day!

2010-04-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

We love Easter. The main reason is because it IS the celebration of our Christ's resurrection. Without His sacrifice and victory over death, we would be lost in our sin. Praise God for his sacrificial love and our redemption through Jesus!

Right before we headed out to celebrate with our church fam....

We planned an anuual Easter egg hunt with some of our favorite neighbors and the boys could NOT wait to sport their egg searching skills!

As we waited for the "egg hour", the boys did all kinds of things. Dane drove his car...

Elijah ate string cheese and rode his bike...

Roman scooted...

Dane tried and tried to climb up the slide...

Elijah played on the fort...

Roman brainstormed for ways to use his bucket...

And, then it WAS time and the mamas strategized and hid the eggs in not one, but TWO backyards!! My beautiful hunting buddy Sarah, sported a fabulous selection of eggs and the sweetest baby Jillian I've ever seen.

Sarah's kiddos and our big yahoos were rarin' to go!

Crazy brothers :)

Ernie wrangled them in the front and then, when every egg was hidden, he gave the big kids the "GO!"

in action...

over hill and dale...

Sarah was INGENIOUS and filled four of her eggs with Cadbury Eggs. Seriously, she has newborn, 3 other kids, and STILL comes up with such a fantastical idea. I already told her I'm stealing it and using it for years to come.

So, four special eggs and her son got 3 out of the 4. What are the odds?! Roman was desperately seeking the "Golden Eggs", so Sarah was super sweet and nabbed one of them to plant for him. This is him "finding" it. It was hysterical!

And, then she stole ANOTHER one from her own son to "hide" for Elijah. I'm tellin' ya, she shares her spectacular egg hiding skills AND steals from her own kid to give to my crazies. I know I've said it before, but I looooove my neighbors.

We hope you all had a great Easter and much fun celebrating with your family and friends!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Smiles all around

2010-03-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

A Mama Story

2010-03-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

So true. Yeah, I know kinda sappy. But, hey, sometimes a little sap isn't all bad. Thanks Vanessa for sharing this!

Sorry some of the right is cut off!

It's My Party!!

2010-03-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to you if you you're popping over from Sumo's Sweet Stuff. So glad you're here! If you're one of MY buds, Summer over at Sumo's is having a baby soon, soon, soon, so she's decided to share her fun blog with some guest contributors over the next weeks. A smart girl that Sumo is!

Today over there you'll find the first part of this post (or the second part depending on how you read it :). I'm writing about parties!! Yippee!! Hip Hip Hooray!! Let's keep this ball rollin'!

SNACKS

Full Bellies = Happy Moods for the Littles + Something For Those Big People To Do

Let's face it, when people get together, food is expected. I'm pretty sure it's less for filling bellies and more for recreation. Either way, you have lots of choices of how and what to offer your guests. Some people choose full dinners like cookouts or family favorites. Some people have lots and lots and lots and lots of horsedevors (you know what I mean...) and if you paste them all together you have enough for three full dinners.

Food can sink a party budget. Resist the temptation to top your friend's party. Do what is within your means. The party is about celebrating with your child, NOT about your food table.

I like to pick those "in between" party times I talked about over at Sumo's. But, since people normally expect food and I don't want anyone to gnaw his arm off, I serve a heavy snack named to match my party theme. I try to choose something that is affordable when made in bulk, can be prepared and served easily, and is kid friendly.

Some ideas: Super Nachos, Potato Bar, Frito Pie, Tacos, Fajitas. Or, if you want to get really fancy you could appoint a Grandpa who loves to cook as the devoted Griddle or Grill Master for Custom Quesadillas.

Some ideas for names: Super Nachos for Superheroes, Firehouse Frito Pies, T Rex Tacos, Fiesta Fajitas for Dora, or Sporty Spuds. I like to make a simple sign for the table area, but I'm corny like that!

GAMES
Activities = Fun memories + Prior Planning - Kids Running Amuck (spelled right, looked it up, but didn't look up horsedevors while I was there)

Give those crazy kids something to do!!!! I am a FIRM believer that kids' parties should be focused on kids. If you're going to have a party, then plan activities for those wild, uh, I mean, sweet children.

Do a google search for "[your party theme] birthday games". There are LOTS of great sites that have fun ideas. Some simple, some out of control detailed. I'm a simple girl, so I stick with the path of least resistence. Easy is for me (except when I try to suck an egg in a bottle).

Simple games that can be tweaked to fit lots of themes: egg carry, freeze dance, pin the whatever on the whatever, bean bag toss, musical chairs, outside obstacle course, balloon pop, 3 legged race, treasure hunts. These sound basic, but when's the last time you saw these done at a child's party?! There are so many "destination" parties these days, lots of kids have never played these favorites. In my experience, they are HUGE hits!!

PRESENTS
Out of the Ordinary = Happy Times - Tears - Present Lust

Out of the Ordinary Idea #1:
WARNING: What I'm about to say may or may not work for your family. Are you ready? Here it comes. Hold your breath..........Consider leaving out "opening presents" time. I saw this done at a party lightyears ago and LOVED it. When gifts are opened after the party, it allows for a shorter scheduled party time which seems to suit kids, but more importantly, you don't have to worry about much of the stress that sometimes comes with opening gifts...duplicates, crying, whining, kids "helping" the birthday child, ungratefulness, etc.

We wait until our kids are 4 to have parties (cause we're weird like that), so we've pretty much done this for all the parties. For a couple, the boys have started opening when there were a few guests left, but for the most part, they wait. They know this is the way we do it (because we prepared them in the early days) and they're fine with it.

Out of the Ordinary Idea #2:
If you expect your guests will bring gifts, invite your guests to buy a $5 gift card to their favorite place. We've done this a few times and it's been great. I brainstormed it to hopefully make things easier on the guests. On the invite I put, "If you choose to bring a gift, [child's name] would love a $5 gift card to your favorite place." This keeps the cost low and hopefully takes out the wondering of what the birthday kid already has or wants.

The boys have enjoyed the variety and have a blast visiting all the places. They've gotten cards to ice cream places, fast food, book stores, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, and more!

PARTY FAVORS
One well planned item = less clutter - running around getting "all the stuff" for the goody bags

I think less, as in work, is more when it come to party favors. Think of something affordable that fits your theme and run with it!

Princess....wand or crown
Pirate....sword or hat or treasure chest or pirate gold chocolate coins
Dinosaur....growing or squishy dinosaur or binoculars
Cowboy....hat or the fixins for s'mores
Outside Play....water bottle or water gun or frisbee

You get the idea. I feature some INCREDIBLE etsy sellers at Silly Shindigs with some creative favors. Cute, cute stuff. Check them out!

THEMES
A Themed Party = something your child will look forward to + direction for your planning + great scrapbooking

Themes rock. They build excitement. They help create an atmosphere. They're just fun!

There are 2 ways we decide themes in my house. Okay, 3 ways.

A kid is just INTO something. Like way deep. Like Elijah who wore his superman costume nonstop everyday from Halloween clear until the next Christmas. Seriously. If you think I'm kidding, ask a neighbor.
We springboard off the pinata (We're a brown/white family. We do pinatas for alllll kinds of occasions). So, a kid can't decide. We take a trip to the party store, and he picks out a pinata. BAM! That's the theme.
I just railroad the process and pick the theme. Of course, I suggest it and make it sound REALLY cool and they just can't resist. Like Roman's science party or Elijah's Fire Truck party coming up or the one I already have planned in my mind for Roman's next party 8 months from now (obsessive).

Whew! Okay, since I like me some party chat up in here (yo, yo, yo), I want to hear from you. What are some of your favorite party ideas? If I were to post some themes step-by-step, what themes do you wanna know about?

Remember, if you haven't already gone over to Sumo's Sweet Stuff to read the first half of this post, make sure you check that out!

Great Idea Day!!

2010-03-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Infarrantly Creative is having Great Idea Day today, so I thought I'd participate. I'm all about sharing good ideas, so why not?!

A few things I wanna share.....

First are the rockin' shoes that Dane and I have been loooving. These stay put soft soled baby shoes are the best I've used! And, she makes adult slippers that are comfy stuff.

Second is Bar Keepers' Friend. The B.E.S.T. stainless steel cleaner EVER. Makes it look like new and soooo easy to use!!

Third is how to clean glass shower doors. Form a baking soda/water paste. If you're as clean (or dirty) as me, you'll probably need close to an entire box of baking soda. They're just a few cents, what do you have to lose?! Rub the paste on the glass. Leave it for as long as you want. I normally leave it 15 minutes or so (it needs lots of time to work on my dirty, dirty glass). Wet a scrub brush and work the paste in a circular motion over the entire door. Make sure to concentrate on areas with lots of grime. Rinse off the paste. Repeat in areas that need more help (the more often you do this, the less you'll need to repeat). I finish it off with some glass cleaner to make the door sparkle and shine. I could NOT believe how wonderfully this worked the first time I did this. AMAZING!

Memories!!

2010-03-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, scrapbooking is not my thing. I know, I know, it's a travesty. Fear not, my children WILL have their precious smiles and moments to recall.

Instead of 12 X 12 papers and embellishments, I cut and paste with the click of my mouse. I document our years using Annual Photo Books. For all but two, I've used Shutterfly and have been thrilled with the results!

This is what I've done. I started with Roman's first year and created a book for each of his first 4 years. I printed one copy for him.

When Elijah joined our family, our annual books included all of us. I printed two copies, one for each boy.

Now that there are 5 of us, I felt like a normal sized photo book may not "cut it". So, for this next year, I am making a unique album for each boy. There will be many pages that are the same for all, but there will be pages that are special to each particular child. AND, not only am I including photos and memories, I am also including artwork. Elijah's snazzy bat below is one example. I just snap a photo and then I will be able to see their quirky creations for years to come.

At the end of every book, I include a prayer for each boy. The words reflect my prayers from that year. I also used Dane's birth book as an opportunity to write blessings for him. The boys hear us pray for them nightly, but there's something so sweet to read the prayers and blessings as we read through the fun and funny memories. I am glad they'll have the written prayers to read now and in the future. I pray they'll see many of them answered.

In the collection, there are a few unique books that don't fit the normal plan. I made a book of Dane's birth and first couple months. I made a book of our first family photo shoot after Dane was born. And, Vanessa at Contemporary Portraits made us a spectacular book of our fall shoot.

When I first started these, I kept the books high in my closet never to be touched. We'd get them out every once and a while and look through them. My plan was to give them to the boys when they were old enough to care....like gone from home and responsible.

BUT, Elijah, couldn't get enough of the books. He wanted to see them more often than I wanted to climb onto the stool and risk my limbs. So, I thought who cares if the books get fingerprints and ruffled pages. If he needs to see these pictures as often as he wants, I want him to have them now. I find him sometimes "reading" his books in his room. Other times I find them off his bookshelf spread on the floor or open to his favorite pictures. Roman sometimes asks me to look through his with him and tell him stories about the different photos. DEFINITELY would rather them be enjoyed than gathering dust.

And now, I want to enjoy my pillows and comfy bed. Off I go to dream about captions and picture placement!

This is gonna save me some money!!

2010-03-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

I went over to Infarrantly Creative earlier today and found my new money saver. We (the Daddy) prefer foaming soap here in our house, so when I saw How to Make Foaming Hand Soap, I was, well, PUMPED!

So, now in additional to making my own laundry detergent, I'll be making my own foaming hand soap! Woo Hoo!!

spring break so far...

2010-03-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

a little of this....

a little of that...

a bit of this....

more of that....

and a whole lotta this...

Now, that's one way of doing it.

2010-03-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Popsicle sticks are WAY overrated.

Wanna bite of it mom?

Cool dude with his first cold confection.

Seriously, did you want me to let him trip and ram that stick through the roof of his mouth?!

And, YES, after looking at these fuzzy photos, I did clean the front of my camera (I don't know the technical term for the little glass square). Next time you won't have to see the cuteness through the haze. I know that's a relief. :)

Sweet gifts

2010-03-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

I linked over to Room For More the other night from another blog. This is a family adopting two special needs girls from Ukraine. As an adoptive mom myself, I always love to learn about ways of helping other families.

If you check out the right side of the blog, there are six ways to be a part. I checked them all out, but the one that really caught my eye was Sarah at Flying Heartstrings, an etsy jewelry shop (and you already know how I feel about etsy :).

Sarah is donating 100% of sales to the adoption of two girls. What?! Yes, all of it! AND, right now she's offering free shipping. That means everything you spend will go straight to the need!

What I liked about Sarah...

dainty pieces
her extremely reasonable prices!
beautiful craftsmanship
her style!!!
the lightning fast shipping
HER HEART

I already have my pieces in hand. I chose a couple pair of the poppy earrings and absolutely adore the vivid colors, sweet presentation, and sparkly silver. And, they are only $5 a piece...talk about a steal! Keep checking back over the next days. She plans to add some more styles and choices.

Don't forget Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation Week are coming up. And, if you have friends with spring birthdays...these might be perfect! She has some items that would be extra cute on little girl ears. I've been scouring my brain for a little girl to give some to cause I think the boys would a) look funny with pierced ears and b) look funny with flowers hanging from their pierced ears.

Flying Heartstrings is her name and giving is her game. Check her out!!

If you're a military wife.....

2010-03-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

go here. The Morris Tribe is giving away stuff to you!

Once upon a time...

2010-03-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

there was a mom that felt like all she did was repeat herself and pick up after other people. One day she'd had ENOUGH. Her kids were helpful when they wanted to be, and when they didn't want to be, they were just downright whiny about being helpful.

Although Roman, her eldest, had been begging and petitioning for an allowance since birth, he'd recently kicked it up a notch and was getting beyond bothersome. And to make matters worse, she was running out of ways to delay his constant pleading for "things to do to earn money".

The most stunning of all moms (like that? :) and most virile (such a scandalous adjective, but makes me laugh) of all dads had MANY disagr, uh, I mean, discussions about how "to do" the whole allowance thing. "One kid cares about it. The other doesn't even care what a quarter is. One is ready, the other doesn't give a rip." To no avail.... the most equitable of all dads feels a DEEP need for allllllll things to be exactly (gross understatement) the same.

So, one night as the most beautiful of all moms lay in bed replaying her day and brainstorming for home peace, she stumbled upon the most promising of ideas!

She'd give the kids responsibilities and then at the end of the week, she'd allow them to choose either snacks OR money. Duh. So, the kid who only cares about food AND the kid desperate to pad his wallet will both be thrilled!

To kick this whole thing off, the most magnificent (I'm just having fun thinking of these) of all moms went on a shopping trip late one night (because it seems like that's the only time things get done) to stock up. She spent more on single serve snacks than she had in the 7 years previously, but she did so with much hope in her heart. Tiny little rootbeers, strawberry applesauce, granola bars, funyons (uh, yeah!), little cookies, fruit snacks, mini bags of popcorn, and the list went on.

She then made a list of responsibilities for the boys and made a chart for each.

She THEN pondered why all her pictures were coming out fuzzy and then she remembered this day.....

And when the big boys came home from school and the money grubber immediately asked her to hear about the allowance, she unveiled the plan...

For every day they complete their responsibilities the boys can either choose one snack item or 50 cents. Before you flog this mom for offering food to her children in return for contributing to the household, you must know that her kids rarely get any of this stuff in normal life (she's cruel like that). Also, understand that the littlest of the bigs is most certainly uninterested in monetary tradeoffs, so this is a system that HOPEFULLY will teach delayed gratification, self control, consequences, responsibility, giving, saving, how happy a mom can be when she gets some help up in this place, and many other valuable lifelong lessons for both boys in a way that's appropriate for their age, ability, and understanding.

The mom told the munchkinbutts that they'd be paid on Mondays, and, if they choose, snacks, they will keep them in their room and can eat them anytime they want except right before meals and bedtime (oh, the light in short stuffs eyes when he heard this!). And, if they choose money, we'll be dividing it up to saving, spending, and giving portions.

Of course, they were giddy with excitement and couldn't wait to do their after school responsibilities. But, before they were off, Roman declared that he'd be choosing a bag of funyons (I'm telling ya, they're hard to resist) and $2.50. Then he thought harder and decided he'd probably do the funyons AND a root beer and $2....a boy after my own heart. Elijah, without one nanosecond of hesitation declared he'd be choosing 6 snacks.

And as she sits in a clean living room next to a kitchen with a sparkling floor, this most humble of all mamas hates to say it to the most amazing of Daddys, but I told ya so! :)

time flies!

2010-03-08T05:36:00.000-08:00

I was on such a roll. Like 3 posts or something like that IN A ROW! But, alas, short lived. I'm posting this for accountability.

This week look forward to posts about (drumroll please...):

Family Photo Books
Dishclothes
Cupcake BonBons
Overdue Mail
?????

I'll think of something else, probably. Maybe. Okay, no promises. :) In the meantime, I'm going to clean the kitchen, so I don't start the day running to catch up!

Roadkill Rescue

2010-02-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

On Fridays my friend Kelly links to blog posts she noticed from the week. This week she posted about Infarrantly Creative. A site dedicated to making something out of nothing. And, if you've known me long at all, you know I looooooooooooove this kind of thing!

THANKFULLY, I popped over there for the first time tonight quick and noticed she's having a Roadkill Rescue Party!!! Basically, you post before and after pictures of stuff you paid NOTHING for and have redone. When I found it, I had 1 hour and 14 minutes to post something to try and win a snazzy air compressor. I have WANTED an air nailer for a long while now, and this may be my shining opportunity!!!

Back to the contest....So, I had to hunt down before pictures of "my item", put Dane to bed, and sneak into Elijah's room to take after pictures WITHOUT waking him up. Now I have 58 minutes to post. Here I go!!!!

My mom WITHOUT A DOUBT, is the mastermind behind my creativity. She oozes ideas and it's hard to grow up with those vibes and not catch some of it. This post though is dedicated to her. So, technically, I'm entering her (maybe she'll let me borrow her air compressor :). She doesn't know it. She JUST called to see if Dane called her (whoops, guess we shouldn't let him trounce around with the phone in hand) and I didn't even mention this. See how sneaky I am?!

When Roman was a belly baby, we didn't find out what he was. Worked out okay, because at that point, I wanted a neutral primary color nursery anyway. So, I picked out some fun farm animal print and some coordinates and mom made all his bed stuff.

We had an old dresser Ernie had inherited from his parents and it looked like this......

Then one magical Spring Break my parents came and mom did THIS!!! I wish this were a better picture. Remember, I was hunched in the dark begging my flash to work its magic. This is incredible!!! She took the coordinating material and mimicked them on each of the drawers. On the left side there's some weird stuff going on in the picture---it's reflection stuff from a mirror leaned up to the left.

This dresser now lives in Elijah's closet. Roman's 7 and his primary chest of drawers doesn't fit any of the boys' decor. BUT, for the time being, I have no desire to change this work of art.

Up close and personal...

Again, weird reflection down the left side of the drawers. Darn that mirror!!!

Whew. 33 minutes left to post!! It's probably too late for you to enter when you read this. BUT, looks like she hosts these contests semi-often, so be thinking....you could win next time!! And for now, check her out. Creative. Inspiring. And fun!

Things That Make You Go Poop!

2010-02-25T11:22:00.001-08:00

Bathroom breaks have never been a challenge for me. I come from a long line of efficiency.

My littlest munchkinbutt, on the other hand, got another set of bowels. He locks up after catching a glance of a banana in the produce department. To make matters more challenging, enter cow's milk, Constipator Numero Uno, and life gets super fun.

Thanks to HIS need for a breakthrough, literally, I've been on the hunt for fiber. And much poopy progress we have had!

HERE ARE SOME OF HIS AND MY FAVS!!

BLACK OLIVES make things slippery slidey..think olive oil
WHEAT GERM found in my store above the oatmeal. We put it on yogurt. R & D love it and I do too.
PEACHES
PEARS
APRICOTS...satisfaction guaranteed!
PRUNES...he gobbles these up!
PEAS
WATER...HUGE HUGE HUGE
OATMEAL
BEANS...any kind! D eats black beans straight and really enjoys pintos
VEGETABLE SOUP
APPLES...D LOVES them baked with cinnamon
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD...i make toast and cut it into small pieces

If you've discovered more, leave them in the comments. We like some variety up in here!

Spelling Fun

2010-02-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

I remember spelling words as an invigorating part of my school week. But I'm weird like that. Anything that was a chance for success, I was all in.

Roman, not so much. The kid thoroughly enjoys learning. Always has. Laps up knowledge. His comprehension and inferencing are mindblowing. His memory is just down right frightening (there are things best forgotten :). For him, it all builds and relates.

And it comes fairly easy. I'm pretty sure this is the crux. Pretty sure this is why we can't make it through a day of spelling words without whining and gnashing of teeth. Learning to spell in a language that throws grammatical order to the wind can be a challenge. And after all day learning, he's not a fan of this willy nilly nonsense.

NONETHELESS (like that?), he must learn to spell.

If your kids complain about spelling words OR if you just want to make it fun. Here are some ideas to make learning spelling words fun!

STEP 1: I always start the week with a pretest to see what he already knows. This way I can help him focus on the ones he needs to work on.

STEP 2: Then every day I give him the words again and he writes them. The ones he misses, he writes 3-5 times. BUT, I have him say the word, spell it out loud as he writes in, and say it again.

STEP 3: We also throw in some fun games along the way. There are LOTS of options...here are a few!

---Challenge them to find the words in their books and magazines.
---Have them draw pictures of the words (if possible) and spell the words underneath
---Have them make up a short tune to go with words that are particularly challenging (this works beautifully! my boys can still sing tunes from the beginning of school for certain words.
---Memory--write each word twice and cut them up. Play the game of memory. Each word that is turned over needs to be read and spelled.
---Ernie came up with a great one! He had Roman spell the words on the computer in a word document. This was a HUGE hit!
---Make word puzzles---searches, crosswords and much more at Discovery Education
---Letter tiles--say a word and have your child find the letters and spell it. Somehow moving the letters makes the spelling more fun.
---BINGO--make a bingo board and cards with the words.
---Play hangman.

Our bingo boards, bingo cards, letter tiles, and a buncha other junk (including my feet) for the week. Elijah doesn't have spelling words, but he's working on sight words, so I've incorporated those as well. This way both boys can play!

I color coded everything. Roman is brown. Elijah is orange.

Bingo Board. When a word is drawn, the boy it belongs to reads and spells the word. Then both boys find it on their boards.

Depending on the week. Sometimes I write these out and others they do. This does NOT take much work. I did these bingo games and letter tiles while I was feeding Dane this morning. 10 minutes MAX. It's a great time investment. The true payoff is the sound of laughter instead of the drone of complaining. SO worth it!

If you have a great idea, we're always looking for new ones. Share it in the comments. AND....have fun spelling!!!

Thrifty Eskimo

2010-02-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

I L.O.V.E. thrift stores. Always have. Always will. Garage sales and flea markets too.

In fact, when Ernie and I were in a newlyweds class at church after we were first married, we played "The Newlywed Game" (without the whoopie :). One of the questions was "Where is your wife's favorite place to shop?" I scoured my brain to come up with what he might perceive as my fav. "Michael's" was my answer. "Thrift Stores" was his. He was RIGHT and I was wrong!

ALOT of our things have been bought off clearance racks/sections or at thrift stores and garage sales (fewer here...i don't have the time to drive all over creation). And, everyone is healthy, happy, and well adjusted....most days anyway.

I stopped by a local store about a month ago (1/25 to be exact) and got some good stuff. Nothing, except the break it gave me, was necessary, but things we DEFINITELY are using.

Here's what I found!

$1.91--- Fisher Price Dog Xylophone (retails at $24.99)
$1.91--- Sesame Street Pop Up Pals (retails at $21.99)
$1.41--- Fisher Price Farm Pop Up (est. retail $19.99--it's retired as far as I can tell)
$ .99--- 18-24 mth Boy Gymboree Jeans (retail $28.75)
$1.91--- 18-24 mth Jeans (Don't remember brand. Dane's asleep & I'm NOT disturbing---est. $12)
$1.91--- Carter Fleece Sleeper (retails at $17.00)
$1.91--- Boy Swim Trunks (est. retail $14.00)
$2.92--- Osh Kosh Boy Shorts (est. retail $15)
_______
$16.10 for GOOD stuff with an estimated retail value of $153.72

BE INSPIRED! BE CHEAP! SAVE MUCH!

Tasty Treat!

2010-02-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

There are some things that should be limited to seasons and S'mores just aren't (or isn't?) one of them (it's too late, my brain is out for the night). After dinner tonight...out came the graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and hershey's bar. Put those all together in the microwave for 20 seconds and you're set to go. You'll know it's long enough when the marshmallows blow up to the size of something off Willy Wonka.

You can barely see the craziness on Roman's mouth for his crazy dance moves.

Elijah, on the other hand, was found licking the chocolate off the paper towel and any other surface he could find a choco droplet.

He was desperate. I gave in. You would too.

$50 Giveaway!

2010-02-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

The Vintage Pearl is having a $50 giveaway. Go check it out!

SNOW DAY!!!

2010-02-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

Raising children in TX has a HUGE thumbs down for me this time of year. I have spent many fleeting seconds in terror that my children would never have a true snow day. Real snow. Not the threat. Not a sheer ice cover, but REAL SNOW with drifts and crunch and enough snow for forts and snowmen.

Today has squelched my fears. Yesterday, not too long after the boys got home from school, we received that all important call, NO SCHOOL!!!

This morning out our front door with 8 inches of snow!

This one is our snow bunny. He was up in the 5 o'clock hour begging to go outside. He was outside for over 4 hours building and throwing and running and having a grand ole time. He also ate two HUGE pancakes, two sausage patties, two over easy eggs, and peaches tonight for dinner.

Aren't they cute?

Aren't they cuter with snow in their faces?

He SHOULD be hanging his head in shame. :)

Armed with snowy weapons of mass destruction

Ahhhh. Our snowman with cracker eyes, carrot nose, prune mouth, and lightsaber arms.

Dane slept through alot of the fun, but I made Ernie take a picture with me and him. I think this brings the count up to 5 or something like that.

Gotta go now and get all the clothes dry for play day #3!

Snow strikes TWICE in one year!

2010-02-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

What a great snowy afternoon!

Snow White Snow Bright

2010-02-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

What to do with your kids' artwork?!

2010-02-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am in a war with paper and clothes. They attack from all directions, so I'm always looking for new weapons for my arsenal.

One thing I learned early last year when Roman started kindergarten is that it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep every paper. No matter HOW desperately I wanted to keep every bit of evidence of my child's creative genius. There was NO way! So, I started keeping only my favorites. And, I'd recycle the rest. When he'd see me throwing his precious creations in the recycle cart, I'd tell him we had to make sure to recycle the paper so there'd be paper when it was time to make more. We were on the same page, he and I. We agreed. It was a great plan.

But, then, the favorites piled up. And then the 2nd child went to kindergarten. I was losing the battle again (like I was ever winning).

I thought and pondered and brainstormed and then remembered something I'd read somewhere, sometime about an idea to take pictures of your children's art instead of keeping every shred.

I was ALL in! A plan was hatched. I'll take snapshots of the art and papers and then include them in that child's annual photo book. They will be beautifully preserved and I will stay insanely sane!

Elijah's rendition of a squirrel. Liking the eyes and the 2 blades of grass for this hungry friend.

Roman came home with this on his first day of school. Generic I know, but what I like is the way he wrote his name....perfectly reflective.

Lots more pictures to take, but I'm on the way. I guess the next step will be to actually throw the papers in recycle bin. MAN! It's so haaard to saaay goodbyyye to yesterdaaaayyyyeeee (3 cheers if you can tell me who that's from)!

We Love Us Some Valentine's Day!

2010-02-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

Really quick because I planned on doing this in late January. Just like I planned to do Christmas ideas in November and back to school in early August. And, if we wanna get REALLY technical, like I planned on actually sending prizes to the winners of "What is It?" back last spring when I had a newborn at home (i was definitely smoking crackers on that one).

So, here they are, just a couple, cause if I was super on the ball I'd have a whole list, but I hear Dane rustling right now and am typing like the wind.

I found massive quantities of individually boxed cereal one day as I was making a mad dash for the grocery store bathroom. Yeah, I know, not advisable, but completely necessary at that point. I'll spare you the details.

I tell you this because that's where these little guys were just stashed in the back shoveled in a cart. I got ten million (around 50) and figured I'd be able to do "something" with them for Valentine's Day.

I like to do things a little bigger than the normal card because I just think it's fun! The kids love it and most of the time, it's a much better value than buying the boxed cards anyway.

Here's what we came up with! I'm Loopy For You!

Of course, Roman and Elijah signed their names on the sides across the "ingredients" list.

They also had Apple Jacks. That could be, You're The Apple of My Eye!

We really do love our teachers. We think it's BEYOND important to let them know that, and for us, showing them at holidays is a great way to brighten their day. This is what we're doing this year.

Teacher, Hope your day is good to the last POP!

Inside the popcorn container is 3 bags of single serve popcorn decorated with shred in a cellophane bag tied with a ribbon thingy. I used all the decorative stuff because I already had it. If you knew how much of this decorative stuff I have, I'd be embarrassed, so if you don't have it, do NOT fret. This can EASILY be done with a bag of popcorn and a card. Or, pop (I'm punny :) it in a cute bag and call it a day.

If this kinda thing makes you happy. These are some of the cards I'm using for ours. Again, these were already made and when I DID make them eons ago, they didn't take long.

This is the idea we used last year and I really liked it too because seems like everyone can use some lotion this time of year. I just got some unscented slatherly stuff from Walmart in a cute pink tube. I think it was Neutrogena. This is NOT our picture. We don't know a Mrs. Lewis and no Calvin lives at our house. BUT, I did get this image at Family Fun. I have long loved their magazine and they have superb online resources as well. Go check out their Valentine ideas if you wanna.

Okay, lil' dude says "GET ME OUTTA BED!" I'm outta here!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Lil Groundhog!

2010-02-02T19:05:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday Dane Rocky.

Happy Birthday to me!

Mama made cupcakes for our dessert tonight cause she loves me. I'm pretty special you know.

But she gave one to Roman and Elijah early. What's up with THAT? Geesh! Big kids are such beggers.

I tried everything to see if she'd give me one, but figured I'd just have to head out and go shopping for my own. Good thing Grammy and Papaw gave me this groovy cart!

Maaaaama, phone's for you. They say it's time for cupcakes!!

Wooooo Hooooo! It worked! She fell for it. ;)

Mm. Mm. Mm. Can't wait to sink my 2 teeth into this.

As tasty as expected. This cupcake is truly divine.

Mama, do you know how silly you look doing all those faces and sounds to get a smile outta little ole me?

Sugar's kicking in and I'm feelin' goooood!

Why didn't you warn me about the sugar crash???????? NEED! MORE!! SUGAR!!!

Focus. Focus. Must. Have. MORE.

Yeaaaaah, that's what I'm talking about!

Dude, that was pretty heavy.

Wow, this year flew by.

LOVE YOU BABY DANE!

Birthday Letter

2010-02-01T19:40:00.001-08:00

I'm finishing up Dane's birthday cupcakes. His first birthday is tomorrow. I'm to the point that I know with my brain that's he's only been with me 364 days, but my heart feels like he's been with me for a lifetime. To say I'm thankful God's has given me such a privilege to be his mama, just seems too shabby. Words really do fail.

Today I've been all sentimental thinking about the past year and prayerful for the years to come. And, an idea from my sweet friend Brenda came to mind. She's the truffle guru. If you never tried her truffles, go do that.

Every year on each of her children's birthdays, she writes them a letter. A private letter to them. To gift to them later in life. I don't think I've ever asked what she puts in them, but maybe she writes about things they did in the past year, some of their strengths at that point, about their personality and interests, and her prayers for them. I love everything about this idea. What an incredible gift from mama to child.

So, tomorrow morning during Dane's morning nap, I'm going to write his first year letter.

Picture of the Day!

2010-01-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping a little boy (other than my own) for the past few weeks and have been dangling pictures over his mama's nose like carrots to a bunny since the first day he was with us (cruel, I am). Dane's asleep, the site's done, and I'm bathed, so I FINALLY got my act together and emailed them to her.

BUT, while I was scanning through the past few weeks of photos, I found lots of fun ones of sweet baby. I found a whole vignette (like that fancy word?) of Dane expressions while eating, so I thought I'd try out Picnik for some fancy editing. It's ALL the rage, you know. And my head is STILL spinning from all the choices.

Put a Fork in it

2010-01-28T07:03:00.001-08:00

It's DONE!!!! Well, for the time being!

Check it out!!

Silly Shindigs!!

Totally fresh look.

New parties.

Even MORE fun (didn't think that was possible did you?)!

Stopping In

2010-01-20T18:28:00.001-08:00

to say I'll be back soon with a bright, shiny new business website...Silly Shindigs, not this one. In the meantime, I'm pounding away at it. It's only, uhhhh, almost 2 years late. Bad, I know. Soon and very soon will be the reveal. I KNOW this is way less impressive to you than it is to me.

The results are in!!!

2010-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

I have had soooo much fun with this fun shoe giveaway thanks to Scire4 at etsy!!

Thanks to every one of you for entering, sharing this info with your blog readers, and posting it for your friends to see on facebook!! We had over 50 entries! Not to shabby for the first ever giveaway!!

I loved, loved, loved hearing about your favorite shoes. So many of you had great stories!!

Like Jennifer, my friend from growing up, who loved her hard-to-find shoes SO much, she bought another pair she'd happened upon and then threw the shoe box away with the new shoes inside (pregnancy brain). She is STILL wearing the original pair!!! That's some dedication to those shoes, girl!

Lots of flip flops girlies, a couple of Converse die hards, some slipper lovers, some girls after my own heart....the no-shoe chicks, and even a red leather high heel hottie (bom chika wa wa!). You guys made it a blast!

Drum Roll Please............

As decided by Random.org, the winner of these cuties from Scire 4

is....... CAROL, the bobby sock and saddle oxford wearin' renegade who rolled her short skirt up even shorter AFTER she got to school. Carol, you hot trottin' mama, you! Carol has a super beautiful new granddaughter named Olivia, and I'm just guessing that Olivia might be cuddling her toes into her new shoesies soon!

Congratulations Carol! And, THANK YOU Hilda at Scire4 for your generous giveaway!

The rest of yous (as my grandma would say), these shoes are $11 or $12 with the sweet embellishment. And, if you order yours by Tuesday, 1/19, you can get $1 shipping!!! Definitely a great price and an amazing product. Get yours here!!

You know me....

2010-01-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

when I find something worth spreading the word about I do!! I love finding great deals and amazing products. And, this time I found a doozy (as in a good doozy, like one you wanna do cartwheels about, not a bad doozy, like a poopy diaper that's squashed up and out the back)!!!

Make sure you read all the way to the end because you don't wanna miss this. It's not only about my sweet kids this time. It's all about you!!

Back in October I showcased some fun shoes that I'd found for Dane. One turned out to be sweet and nostalgic, but for whatever reason, didn't "perform". He crawled right out of them, every time. The others were useful, easy, and fit good. BUT, they were made of cotton and he crawled holes right into the toes (we do some hard core crawling over here).

So, when I did further research, I found these on etsy.

At first glance, I loved them. The colors. The squishy, comfy look of the fleece. I thought about them. I stalked them. I considered and reconsidered. I took Dane outside to crawl on the concrete to wear those holes in the others (they were already thin and thread bare). And, it was then I could justify the purchase of a pair of these most handsome of creatures!

I chose black and brown. Yeah, I know I looove all the fun, bright colors, but I'm utilitarian at heart (my own shoe collection is equally exciting :). And, he's been wearing them since the first week of December! So, that's over a month of every day use AND washing in the machine, and they're still kicking and looking great!

So, you know how I feel. I thought I'd let you hear it from the mouth of the babe....

"I have more fun swinging in my comfy shoes!"

"I can leap pots and pans in a single bound with my sturdy shoes!"

"I can pull out all of mama's baskets while gnawing on an earphone and not skip a beat (get it, earphone, music, beat :) in my shoes from Hilda!!"

AND, I loved them so much for the little munchkin, I got some for the big boys too!! I am waiting for Hilda to start making them for big people cause I'm all in!!

I know I told you it's all about you, so you're probably asking, "What's in it for me?" Well, I was visiting Hilda at Scire 4 this morning to order a gift and get a pair to match Dane's first birthday shirt and I had a stroke of genius (and bravery).

Some of my friends have long been giving away things to their readers, some of my friends have recently begun to give away, and even little ole me has won TWO blog contests!!! So, I held my breath and asked Hilda if she'd like to give away a pair of her shoes to one of you. Guess what she said.........YES!!!!!!!

So, here's the deal. YOU CAN WIN A PAIR OF THESE SHOES!!! Your choice of size and color!! She makes them all the way up to fit a 7 year old, so this isn't just for those of us with little bitties. And, you could always give them away as a gift. Or, you could dress your animal in them. I'm convinced anyone you put them on would l.o.v.e. them!

Here's how it works:

1 entry for telling me about YOUR favorite pair of shoes

1 entry for posting the contest on YOUR facebook status

1 entry for mentioning and linking to this post on YOUR blog

Oh, AND, 1 last entry for becoming a follower (or already being) on the left sidebar

Comment and tell me what you've done. Be nice and honest because a little birdie told me where liars go.

I will close the contest on Friday 7 PM and will post the winner (chosen by random.org, bright and early Saturday morning. Nothing like finding out you're a winner to start the weekend off right!

You want these, I promise. And, if you don't, enter, win, and give them to me! :)

Took the Dive!!

2010-01-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so 10 light years ago I saw a link on Dave Ramsey's website for E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families. Checked it out. Have no idea why I decided not to do it. A baby's been born since then, so pretty sure that tidbit is LONG gone, never to be recovered.

Anyway, yesterday I noticed a couple of my friends on Facebook were "fans" of E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families. I wandered over to the E Mealz FB page to see hoards of people hailing their allegiance and vowing that they owe the two founders their first born. Okay, not THAT dramatic, but lots and lots of happy customers raving about how easy the program is, how yummy the food is, how the choices of plans makes it easy to pick one that works for them. My interest was again perked (can interest BE perked? that really sounds a little weird. oh well).

Here's the down low. E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families is a program that costs $5 a month! They offer low carb, low fat, point system, vegetarian, and the good ole regular plan. They offer a family plan with 7 recipes a week for 4-6 people or a meal plan with 5 recipes a week for 2 people. They give you the choice to choose from shopping lists tailored to Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Aldi, Ralphs, or "any" store. That's right, these lists go aisle by aisle AND they help you make the most out of weekly sales. I'm telling you, E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families sounds GENIUS to me! And, did I say, it only costs $5 a month!! Unless you're really cheap like me and when you check out, you use the code "Dave" to get $2.50 off which brings it to $12.50 for 3 months (you pay for 3 months at a time)!!

All I can think as I'm reading all this, is good grief, all these people think E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families is the best thing since sliced bread, I can part with $12.50 to see if this will work for me! If E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families can shorten my shopping time, give me main dishes AND side dishes (am I the only one who has a hard time coming up with creative sides), and reduce the stress of the "dinner hour". Seems like a fair price to pay for sanity.

So many "plans" out there make you clip, clip, clip coupons and while there was a day that keeping unending amounts of a given product was a high for me (seriously, like a drug, like a happy little game), I've been through treatment and those tiny barcoded squares no longer have a choke hold on me. I clip when I can, but do not have the time or desire to devote to figuring out which coupon matches which sale as I drive to and fro 10 stores a week. The lack o' need for couponing of E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families makes even MORE appealing to me. The weekly cost seems to average around $75 a week which is great!!!

I started to make a list of things I think I'll like about the system, but seriously, I don't think there's anything that doesn't seem hopeful to me with E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families. So, I'll have to go with I think I'll like the whole kit and kaboodle (never written that out, hope I didn't mangle it). I do have 2 picky picky picky eaters, so I probably won't use every meal, but, hey, that's why I keep things like spaghetti and chicken quesadillas ready at all times.

If you want to check them out and decide to sign up and I'm the first person who's told you about them, follow any of the E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families links (are there enough for ya? :) or the link on my sidebar. When you become a member, you can get commission for referrals, I'm not sending a kid to college with it, but YOUR link might be the one that buys my fancy creamer or my chocolate fix for week and wouldn't that make you feel good knowing that you're contributing to the mental health of my family!?

Don't resist the urge. E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families! Walk towards the light! :)

Get Your Groove On!

2010-01-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today I found myself moving the couch and cleaning out all 100 million pieces of crud hiding beneath. I was on a roll so I also took off all the cushions and vacuumed REALLY good. Meanwhile, Ernie was entertaining the big boys with a MC Hammer Star Wars You Tube Video. Yeah, I don't know and sometimes it's better just not to ask. :) Then I look over and see this....

I dive for the camera and catch just a bit of his moves.

I hate resolutions

2010-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

...but, for some reason today I've found myself thinking of the new year. I know, it's January 1st, so it comes with the territory. I'm giving in....not to resolutions. I'm choosing to call them "goals". Here they are, in no particular order:

More disciplined prayer time.
Read the Bible through this year.
Clean my bathrooms more frequently. I'm not disclosing my aim because then you'd know "how bad" it is at this point.
Date nights. We'll shoot for once a month. That's a BIG, HUGE, MASSIVE jump on the current, so my goal might be too ambitious. We'll see.
Physical activity at least 5 days a week. Nothing big and bad just about 30 minutes of mild exercise to regain my tone.
Clean my refrigerator once a month.
Work with the kids on scripture memory. I'd like to work on one verse every couple weeks.

I am going to stop here. Wouldn't want to overwhelm myself. I'll revisit in June. If I've been successful with most of my goals, I'll add a few more.

Now you know mine. What's your top goal for the year?

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

So, last night, Roman led the group back out to play some more in the snow. He was DETERMINED to take advantage of every last moment! It took everything I had to wrangle them for this picture. Me in short sleeves (like a gooberhead) running to and fro trying to get them to stop throwing snowballs long enough to get the shot.

Then Dane figured out everyone was outside again. He looks like a blob in the snowsuit (mainly because bending at the waist was out of the question), but he was LOVING every snowflake. So, I ran around like a mad woman (in my short sleeves because I'm a slow learner) AGAIN and wrangled them for one more picture with the little guy.

We came inside, watched a movie, ate tamales, and gorged ourselves on popcorn and candy. The boys brought the presents they'd bought for everyone else and put them in under the tree. Then, we did our advent time for the last night this year and tucked the boys in at the top of the stairs in their sleeping bags.

And, presents descended....

6:30 came and little boys bounded in our room asking to open gifts. I'm not sure what this picture was, but it was cute. So there.

This, on the other hand, I have even LESS idea about. Like I didn't even realize grumpy Dane was here this morning until I was looking back at pictures.

And then grumpy Dane moved on and we got "Don't Mess With Me" Dane. And he's got his finger out waving like he's giving me the what for. Who knows? Maybe it's because I got him ZERO presents. Because I'm a bad mom like that. Seriously, he's 10 months old. He has no idea what Christmas is (or maybe he DOES and that's why I'm getting "the look"). He won't be scarred, promise. Roman got the same treatment and he's turned out to be a somewhat normal child. :)

Elijah with his remote control car. Super excited boy!

Dane with his "laptop" from Grammy & Papaw. Maybe he'll leave mine alone now!

Playing in the paper and trying to sneak Roman and Elijah's stocking stuffers.

Obsession.

So, since Ernie and I have been married, we've always spent Christmas with only us. We get together with extended family later, but we knew we wanted to keep family at home once there were kids, so we just started it out that way. Those first couple years were, uh, well, a little different than we'd been used to, but since Roman joined the club, it's definitely been a great thing.

One thing we've kept from those first years we spent eyeball to eyeball, was going to Waffle House for Christmas breakfast. Bet you didn't know that EVERYTHING is closed on Christmas morning (or maybe you did), we didn't either. As we drove around and around and around desperately trying to find a morsel of food (there wasn't much in our teeny tiny kitchen), we spotted a Waffle House. And, we've been going ever since!

Came home, put the littlest down for a nap and I went down for one too. That's the beauty of having no where to go. Next thing I know Ernie's waking me up just a few minutes before our Christmas guests, our newly engaged friends Ahren and Matt, were to arrive. AGHHH! I called Ahren and asked for a few more minutes because I had been lazy and slept more than I anticipated. Ernie headed outside with the big boys to have snowball fights with neighbors, I jumped in the shower, and then got Dane up and dressed and went out to join them.

We woke up to a completely White Christmas, but by noon the snow had either melted or been made into this totally Texas Snowman by our neighbor Brad. I contributed nothing but the carrot mouth and the cute kids. Didn't he do great!?

What a wonderful year! Great times with family. Fun playing with neighbors. And a blast playing games and eating 10,000 peanut butter hershey kiss cookies with Ahren and Matt.

A good day of rest and celebration of family and our Savior Jesus Christ!

Once Upon a Christmas Eve.....

2009-12-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

THERE WAS SNOW!!!!!!!!

this face says it all!

What?!

2009-12-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

Festive Ideas

2009-12-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

Most of you are probably already in the swing of many of these, but just in case your brain hurts from shopping and you're feeling uninspired at this point, I thought I'd throw out some ideas.

***Take a family drive in pajamas with hot chocolate (cups with lids. go through McD's if you need to.) and cookies and look at Christmas lights. Don't forget to put in a Christmas CD, turn it to a Christmas channel, or if you're lucky enough to have a high end ride like us, throw in your favorite Christmas cassette. :)

***Get a group and go caroling. Seriously. Our church does this annually at local resident homes. I had to miss this year due to a puking child, but Roman tagged along with our super duper friends and had the BEST time! My sweet neighbor today mentioned getting a group of us together and walking around our neighborhood. This does NOT take alot of planning. Pick a couple songs, bundle up, walk around, and sing. Imagine the response!

***Bake Christmas goodies together. It's not hard to whip up some peppermint bark (we're gonna put crushed up pretzels in ours tomorrow....chocolate peppermint pretzely yummy!) or easy fudge (recipe on the back of jet puffed marshmallow creme) or homemade chex mix or whatever holiday snack makes your heart melt. SOOOO many of these things kids can get right in there and help!

***Have a holiday movie night. Don't forget the popcorn and junior mints (I got ours last night!).

***Take the kids to the Dollar Tree (or other dollar store) and let them pick out presents for the members of your family. Of course, keep your eye on them, but keep a safe distance and let them do the choosing. I remember doing this at WalMart as a kid. Such a great memory. Of course, I thought more was, well, more, so my mom got a whole lotta junk....a mini cactus (cause everyone needs one of those), some stinky bath cubes, and a few other things she would've never missed. But, I was so proud to give her gifts I'd chosen. Can't wait to see what my kids pick out for me. ;)

***Let your kids sleep under the tree.

***If you haven't already been celebrating a Biblical advent, it's not too late. Count down the last days to the celebration of Christmas by focusing on the Christ child, the perfect Son of God sent to redeem us from our sins. If you would like some verses to use, check these out. Our family time is neat this time of year by incorporating the anticipation of Christmas. The kids love to sing carols and pray for family.

***Read Christmas books together. I plan to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with the boys next week while they're on Christmas break. I loved that book as a kid, haven't read it since, and can't wait to see what they think.

***Give to another family or individual. Give to someone you know has need. Doesn't have to be a monetary need or even a physical need. And, it doesn't have to be wrapped presents. You can invite them to dinner or to spend time with your family. Or, you could offer babysitting or give grocery gift cards. SOOOO many options.

I'd love to hear your ideas for family holiday fun, traditions, sharing love with others, and all things festive!

Weird Science Birthday Party

2009-12-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Roman is almost 7, in a little less than 24 hours, my first baby will be even older. Tonight we had his birthday party....a Weird Science Party!

I love to decorate the house for birthdays. The kids love it. My normal mode of operandi....streamers and helium balloons. Seriously, 4 rolls of streamers can really set the stage for a fun party!

Roman counts down birthdays for 364 days, so this was a HIGHLY anticipated day!

Here he is walking in to see the house after school.

Mama finishes up and Roman plays with Dane. Had to stop to get this picture. So sweet.

**INSERT**

Yummy corn dogs, mac & cheese, and science drink. 4 or so experiments. 3 successful! 1 total underperformed. 1 complete flop (we were determined to get that egg in the bottle!). This IS science....we're all about some trial and error. No photo records of this because this was the part of the party where I wished I could sprout 10 extra arms.

BUT, thanks to my three fellow scientists, we stayed sane, got all the hungry hippos fed, laughed through the crazy experiments, and got my clumsy messes cleaned! Scientists Matt, Susan, and Ernie (although he never reads this) you guys were wonderful! THANK YOU from the bottom of my test tube!

Our scientists wait to test their brute force on none other than.....

The pinata! Yeah, I thought I snagged the picture of Roman delivering the bone crushing blow, but somehow it's not here. I just tried to go back and include it. But, blogger is just not user friendly with moving pics after the fact, so sorry, I'll let you use your imagination.

Lil' munchkins hoarding the candy.

Then, .....the cake! I loved making this one!

All the scientists with their crazy faces!

Now, sweet smile scientists. Roman chose a great group of friends to share his birthday. He definitely wished his mom had 10 arms so he could've invited even more!

Can't believe this Mad Scientist is about to be 7!

Giveaway!

2009-12-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Check out the giveaway here at my crazy friend J Lowe's blog. And check out here the groovy babywrap thingamadoodle she's giving away!!

Holiday Yummies

2009-12-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

I have two recipes to share. Two recipes with totally different functions, but both worth your time. Promise (and not like I promised the delight of hot cheetos to lisa and j lowe....i'm laughing)!

Recipe Uno:

HOT CHOCOLATE!

This recipe makes a LOT, like a LOooooT and is a great gift for teachers, neighbors, etc. Last year I used it for school teachers and family members I saw around the holidays. I love to make things the kids can help with. This way they have some ownership in the gifting.

I put ours in holiday tupperware-ish containers (red & green found at WalMart) with a bow & gift card. I've also seen festive ziploc baggies...that would work great too. I'm all for useable gifts.

10 cups dry milk

4 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 3/4 cups cocoa

1 3/4 cups creamer

You will need a BIG container to mix this.

Don't forget to add the directions for your giftee. I put ours on the back of the gift card. "Mix 1/4 cup Hot Chocolate Mix with hot water or milk. Enjoy!"

If you wanted to give it a little extra umpff (like that?), you could also put the mix in a gift bag with a bag of mini marshmallows with a mug, candy canes for mixing, etc. You get the idea.

Recipe Dos:

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE!

This recipe is a wonderful, quick recipe to take to holiday gatherings. If you don't have a lot of time and you believe like I do, that anything with massive amounts of cream cheese MUST be good, this may be for you.

2 cans of crescent rolls

2 8 oz of cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

1 stick melted butter

cinnamon & sugar for topping

Spray a 9 X 13 pan with nonstick spray. Lay one can of crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and spread on crescent layer. Layer 1 can of rolls on top. Drizzle butter and top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 3o minutes.

This is good hot, warm, cold, I'm telling ya, cream cheese may very well be the nectar of the earth.

Have a scrumptious day!

from the little guy's perspective....

2009-12-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

So, we decorated our tree earlier this week. We got it all done, drank our hot chocolate, did our normal bedtime routine, and skadoodled the kids to bed. Then I remembered! Grammy had made all the grandkids Christmas pajamas. I'd been saving them until December and what a perfect time to get them out...the night we do the decorating. Missed that Kodak moment.

Seeing as the month is 31 days long and I'm a flexible one, I handed out Christmas pajamas the next night and thought we'd do a little photo shoot to show Grammy how great the guys look in their festive jammies.

We took 5 pictures and then I declared that we'd have to have a "do over" another night. They needed to go to bed and I needed them to go to bed. As I looked back over the shots, I cracked up and have decided to narrate them for you from the little guy's perspective.

What is going on here? And, where'd my right foot go? Anyone? Help a brother out?

Okay, so the rest of 'em seem excited about this. I'll suck it up and give ya a little smile.

Okay, seriously, mama, these kids are crazy. I'm over this! And, my right foot, hello, STILL GONE!

NOW I have to take individual pictures with the brothers?! Will this EVER end?!!!!!!!!????????

"MAMA!!!!!" Not fair. He can't get me from the back. The kids got like 25 pounds, 2 feet, and 6 years on me. All I'm asking for is fair warning. What's a boy gotta do for some help around here?!

Needless to say we didn't make it to the Elijah and Dane photos. I shut it down. Bedtime all around.

Reindeer Elf Baby

2009-12-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

I could add 5 more things on his head and he'd just keep on keeping on. Totally unphased.

Contemporary Portraits

2009-11-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

Contemporary Portraits. Rock! My! World!

Like I told you a few posts back, we had a photo session with Vanessa and Jessica from Contemporary Portraits a few weeks ago. We walked into the session with some trepidation. 3 small children. 2 adults who are photo phobic. Enough said. But, let me tell you, we enjoyed every last minute. Honestly. If we weren't laughing at ourselves, we were laughing at this dynamic duo. They were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! Completely set us at ease. Gave us specific direction. We didn't look at the time the entire shoot, but well over 2 hours later, everyone was as content as when we arrived and we couldn't believe that much time had passed. I hadn't even received one, not even ONE, "save me please, let this be over" look from Ernie. And THAT says ALOT!!

About a week ago I received my password to look at our pics. TODAY I received the CD in the mail. ANNNNNDDDD!! A beyond belief photobook that Vanessa made for me. Does the customer service NEVER stop!!!?? I did NOT expect this. WoW, seriously the coolest thing! This makes today my favorite mail day of December. It's official.

So, here are some of my favorites. Unfortunately, I don't think blogger can handle every last picture, so I'll try to narrow them down.

Believe it or not, these are only a few of my favorites. There are soooo many more! I know this is photo gluttony and all, but I couldn't hold it in. Check Contemporary Portraits out! I hope you're as impressed as I am.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

Shootin' up the Bird!

A lil' bubbly..

We had a great time frying turkeys with friends we love.

Ahren and Matt take Dane for a ride.

Makin' sure it's done.

Dane's ready to eat some of the birdie.

Acting sweet.

All the yummy stuff.

Matt carved our extra, juicy, yummy turkey.

What a great time! Thanks friends.

Learning from my Little One

2009-11-24T19:40:00.001-08:00

This morning I was trying to pour cereal and milk for the two starving crazy kids and Roman said to me, "Mama, I like our house."

"I'm glad." It IS Roman and he IS random, introspective boy.

"But, it's not my real home." he says.

"It's not?" I ask.

"No, my real home is in Heaven. I'll just live here for a little bit."

May I have the perspective of my 6 year old. To live each day knowing that what is here is temporary and what my focus should be is on the eternal.

Photo Obsession

2009-11-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

To say I enjoy pictures of my family is a slight understatement. I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm obsessed, but I would say I'm definitely severely distracted. A few weeks ago, we met with Vanessa and Jessica at Contemporary Portraits for a family portrait session.

I met Vanessa earlier this year when I got to be Dora at her daughter's birthday party. I immediately liked her and felt even more privileged when I learned the amazing story of her beautiful daughter. She was born teeny tiny, like the teeniest I've ever heard. I don't remember specifically, but I do know she was born around the 25 week gestational mark. She is a testament of God's design, protection, and faithfulness. She is 4 now, and boy, is she full of life!

So, today was the day I got to see the pictures from our time with Vanessa and Jessica! Giddy with excitement, I am! So, here's a sneak peek. More later (as in next week sometime later).....

Another chance to win!

2009-11-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

My good friend that I've never met, only spoken to once, but feel a profound connection to, Kelly, at The Morris Tribe, is doing it again. She's giving away GOOD STUFF!!!

This time it's Pampered Chef goodies!! A Saute Pan, a snazzy knife, a cookbook, and Dill (you know you need some weed...dill, of course)! Go here to enter to win!!

Check it out! You know you want to!

Washa Washa Washa

2009-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

A while ago I did a post about my favorite cleaning supplies. My friend Laura, from high school, chimed in and told us that she was making her own laundry detergent. At that point I still had lots of detergent left, but knew I wanted to try it when I ran out.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Prior to this year I was a Tide snob. My mom didn't raise me to be picky about much, but our laundry detergent always came in orange. I never asked questions, never argued, just forked over the moo-la and loved me some Tide. But, this year I ventured out. Decided to try a "lesser" brand in the name of saving. And, well, since I was making the slide down the laundry pile, I thought, what is there to lose by making my own? Best case scenario, the stuff actually works! Worse case, I have to go get detergent.

A couple weeks ago I knew I was getting low, and then was the time to figure out this new fangled process.

The ingredients:

Borax...easily found at Walmart or grocery store. You need the 20 Mule Team because 10 Mules aren't enough. $2.99 at our Walmart.

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. This is the tricky one. Not Arm & Hammer Detergent. Not Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda! I found it at Ace Hardware online and had it delivered to the store for free. It cost me $4, some change, and short field trip with my favorite jabbering baby.

A bar of Fels Naptha, Zote, or Ivory soap. I used Ivory because I had it. Plus, Ivory is including "fortunes" on their soap these days. Who knew?! Mine said, "The ultimate point of life is joy." Uh, okay. I beg to differ, but I'll use ya anyway.

Gather all your stuff and a 5 gallon bucket. I asked a manager at the grocery store if they sold 5 gallon buckets. I know, long shot, but they have the weirdest, most random things sometimes, so I thought I'd ask. He told me to ask the bakery department if they had one they didn't need. And....they did, so I got it for nothing, nada, free!

Also, you'll need an old liquid detergent container or some other small container. You'll use it for storage close to your washing machine.

I followed the Duggar recipe. Yes, the Duggars....the people with 30 kids. Sandwiched between the recipe for Grandpa Duggar's Favorite Banana Cake and the Tater Tot Casserole (gag!) you'll find a couple recipes for laundry stuff. I used the Liquid Laundry Soap one.

This is what it looked like after I let it sit overnight. I've seen some describe it as "egg drop soup" consistency. Must be why Ivory feels the necessity to give us soap fortunes.

I've been using it for about 2 weeks now and am satisfied with the results. It doesn't smell. It doesn't make my clothes crunchy. It is pretty runny, so if you try this, you'll realize how "attached" you were to the consistency of your previous laundry love.

Those of you who know me well probably think I'd do anything to save, but I'm telling ya, for SOME reason, I'm different with laundry. I'm not selling you a load (get it, laundry) of cruddy buddy. I'm enjoying my clean clothes at a fraction of the price.

Anyone else gonna try it?????

Baby Blogger

2009-11-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

2009-11-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

When he looked in the trunk, he started doing a happy dance, so I carved out a spot and stuck him in.

What to do with a $1 Old Navy Performance Fleece Scarf?

2009-11-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Word on the street is that tomorrow, Saturday, 11/7, Old Navy will have their Performance Fleece Scarves on sale for $1!! Thanks to The Morris Tribe for the tip!

When I got this valuable bit o' info, I thought to myself. What could I do with a scarf???!! Hm.....

This is what I came up with!

Wrap your Christmas packages in brown packing paper ($1/roll at Dollar Tree) and tie them up with an adorable scarf for gift giving.
If you have a green thumb and actually have living potted plants in your house, tie them up in a bow with a scarf around the pot for the holiday season.
Keep a few on hand for people who you didn't expect a gift from, but want to return the sweet thought.
Stitch two together to use as a draft dodger (not as in military) under drafty doors.
Grab a couple extra to keep in your trunk for an emergency. You know where you keep your nonperishable food and blanket in case something crazy happens and you get stranded in Alaska, off a main roadway, without your cell phone.
Choose a couple to coordinate with some of your outfits...scarves are so this year.
And, my personal favorite and what is driving me there at opening time? I'm using these to wrap up some yummy goodness for teacher gifts this year. I was already planning on baking loaves of bread to give. I'll wrap them in saran wrap and then wrap them in a scarf.

Now the question is...which ones to choose??? A whole buncha VERY cute patterns and solid colors.

Funky, floral red??

Trendy, crisp green??

Classic, timeless black??

Let me know if you go snag some and what you're going to use yours for! I mean it, I WANT to know!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

2009-11-06T07:21:00.001-08:00

Setting: Our living room

Players: Roman and me

Me: Roman, what does Dane have ahold of?

Roman: Your undershirt (translation: bra). [he looks a little closer and clarifies nonchalantly] Yeah, your undershirt...the one that makes nipples big.

Me: Oh, okay [trying not to bust out laughing]

That's almost as good as the time he described it as "the undershirt that makes your nipples fluffy".

Rockstar!

2009-11-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Once a year, the boys have a fundraiser at school. Last year, Roman wanted to earn the biggest prize, but he wasn't willing to learn the "speech" and ask enough people. He settled for asking a few and getting the next best thing.

This year, he had his eye on the Big Kahuna. He practiced his talk and I went with him by foot, car, and phone until he got his goal. THANK GOODNESS "the day" was not last week when he was all piggy flu. Look what he got to do.

Transport: snazzy stretch hummer

Destination: CiCi's Pizza...Roman's maiden voyage to the pizza buffet.

Verdict: "They even have dessert! Cinnamon rolls and EVERYTHING!"

Lookin' like a natural.

This may be the single biggest cheese ball smile of his life. Excited doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg!

Elijah decided this year he'd work for the second biggest prize. So, he joined Roman this afternoon for the Wii Party. An afternoon of bounce houses and a big ole screen with Mario Kart. Elijah had a blast!!!!

THANK YOU to all of you who bought cookie dough. I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are. Know that your support has helped the school buy some great technology for the students and has given Roman and Elijah a memorable afternoon!

T minus 21

2009-11-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

We are in November (5 days already...slllooooowwww done month!) and that means it'll be Thanksgiving before we know it (21 days, to be specific!).

I'm not a favorites person (I'm pretty sure I've said that before). Please don't ask me to choose my favorite holiday because I just can't. I like different things about each of them. I CAN say, though, that the food on Thanksgiving has to be my favorite.

Growing up, there were specific dishes you could always expect on my family's Thanksgiving dinner table. Oyster dressing at my Granny and Papaw's (blek!!....I think it's a boy thing), hashbrown casserole & turkey frame soup at my Grandma and Grandpa's, and CRANBERRY FLUFF at our house.

Cranberry Fluff...just the name starts me salivating. Looking at the recipe card makes my heart pitter patter. With me in the house, there are no leftovers. Thanksgiving IS the fluff!

Seeing as though I'm convinced that you haven't had Thanksgiving until you've tried the fluff of the gods. I absolutely refuse to leave you hanging in desperation. I will share my top secret recipe.

Cranberry Fluff

(also known as Cranberry Waldorf.....way too ritsy and old womanish sounding for my taste)

12 oz bag of cranberries

3 cups miniature marshmallows

3/4 c sugar

2 cups unpeeled red apples

1/2 c broken walnuts

1/4 t salt

1 c whipping cream (1/2 pt)

Grind (blend) cranberries to assorted sizes, not to a pulp. Part of the fun is the small chunks of cranberries.

Mix cranberries with marshmallows & sugar. Cover and chill overnight.

Add diced apples, walnuts, & salt.

Fold in whipping cream. Chill.

WARNING: This is a pink marshmallow thing. BUT, I would not steer you the wrong direction, I promise. I avoid orange, green, & yellow cottage cheesey, gelatiny, marshmallowey dishes like the plague. I am a fairly adventurous eater, but all that stuff, I canNOT even talk myself into trying. This one is different, really, it is. It is sweet yet tangy, crunchy yet chewy. It's just the "fluff".

What are the dishes that drive you to your Thanksgiving table?

Bubba Sookie Buzz

2009-11-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

At 9 months, Dane is................

22 lbs 10 oz...75 % percentile

31.5 in...off the chart...a big ole boy

Today, just in time (like right after I used the VERY last diaper in the house), we got a box of Seventh Generation diapers delivered right to our door. 140 size 3 for $23.39 and that includes shipping. Go to Money Saving Mom to find out how! I had a hard time getting the final $4 off, but the comments on the post helped me figure out how, so make sure you read those! FYI, look at the weight for these diapers...normally we'd be in size 4, but their size 3 goes all the way to 28 lbs....nice because that means we get more!

FYI...this is the very first time I've bought diapers since before Dane was born. How? Our church family was so loving to give us a diaper shower when he was small(er). AND, I stocked up on size 1 and 2 diapers at Babies R Us the day after Thanksgiving last year. They had their big boxes of diapers on sale for $10 and their big boxes of wipes on sale for $5!!! Those are UNBEATABLE prices! So, keep your eyes open....I'm hoping for the same deal this year.

I WILL empty the van of everything but me. I WILL go in and out and in and out getting my 3 box limit as many times as they will let me. I have NO pride when it comes to cheap diapers. And, for those of you who have never ventured to the land of Babies R Us diapers, I used them for Roman and now for Dane and am a satisfied customer.

If you're still diapering a little one in your house, check out that Seventh Generation deal!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:15:00.001-07:00

WE LOVE COSTUMES! And, we love the fun of Halloween!! Unfortunately, our middle brother is still flu-ish and didn't get to trick or treat. He was truly sad until he found out he'd get to eat Oreos with Daddy and that made it okay. I had no idea Oreos carried THAT much power. Gotta keep that info stashed away for a rainy day.

So, without further ado....I present to you our Halloween!

Player #1

"I didn't get to wear my costume, but mom told me to 'go crazy' with face paint" Boy

Player #2

Stoic Darth Vader Baby

"I can't believe it's FINALLY here!!!!!" Knight

The neighborhood crew!

We love our neighborhood for many reasons, but one eclipses the rest. We have some of the BEST neighbors on the planet. Look at this! She has a whole smorgasbord of goodies. AND, she had a whole gallon ziploc filled ready for our family when we got there! Talk about feelin' the love!

Roman and his buddy "the magician". These two have known each other since they were 2 and have a great time. We are SO glad the magician and his bunny (he had his mom wear bunny ears....i cracked up!) came to trick or treat with us!

This is another of my favorites (the family and the pic). This is a family who always has a fun house on Halloween, but this year takes the punch bowl. LOOK AT THEM! And, the dad is in the box...see his hand? Did I say I love our neighborhood?

Shiny Knight laden with TWO bags. He carried one for sick boy and peddled candy for two.

Dane couldn't figure out why he couldn't have any of the bright colored yummies.

What a great night!

Etsy-licious

2009-10-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

While I was looking at Etsy recently, probably one of the nights it swallowed me into its black hole of baby shoes or crawler covers, I noticed something about caramels. What?! Etsy sells FOOD too!? Down another rabbit hole I plunged. After salivating over caramels, fudge, chocolate covered cherries, homemade marshmallows (???...i'm not even a marshmallow girl), I somehow ended up noticing cupcake papers.

I knew I'd signed up to take cupcakes to a church event. And these cupcake liners were MUCH cuter and about the same price (kinda, when you leave shipping out :) as what I would pay at a store. I realize it's a justification. But, I thought seriously, splurging an extra $2 on cupcake liners is way better than splurging 50 times that on something else, right? Just nod your head.

Anyway, enough about my guilt, back to the point. I got them at HeyYoYo. As with all the etsy purchases I've made in the past year or so (all 5 of them), Amanda at HeyYoYo was great at getting them to me so speedily and in the cutest packaging. If you've never bought from etsy, these sellers really do some neat things to show their appreciation. And, I enjoy being the reaper of their neatness!

I chose two different styles, because shipping on any set after the first is only 50 cents. I saw the ones I wanted for now and spied a really great set for something I have planned later.

Look at these! You can't find papers like this any ole' place. I already had the tiny bally things and was pumped that they matched perfect.

I just think they are fun! Am I the only one? I may be ruined forever.

Pumpkiny Goodness

2009-10-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

What do you do when YOUR kids are sick for a week, stuck in the house, and pajama bound? Ya carve pumpkins, of course!

Roman got way into the guts. Elijah was content enough to watch.

In all my artistry :), I put dots in the shape of a tree (with no leaves) as requested. The boys wielded a hammer and screw (I didn't have any nails big enough) to make holes in the pumpkin.

And now for the finished product photo shoot. This was comedic.

Pumpkin Totem Pole with the Head of the totem tickling the belly.

Their table dance. You know you do table dances in your house. ;)

Totally unplanned. This was the silly face shot. Mmmm...pumpkin!

The boys had to miss an event last night at school that they LOVE. And, due to short stuff still hacking up his left lung, they'll have to miss an event at church tonight that they DOUBLE LOVE. Poking holes in a pumpkin is all we got at this point. And, boy did they rock!

New Duds!

2009-10-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people who puts their kids in only socks until they walk. Dane's not walking yet, but God willing everyone in our house will be well, and we'll be able to go ahead and keep our family photo shoot (sounds so Hollywood, huh?) Saturday morning. Over the past few weeks I've been scavenging for clothes for us to wear....you know, the coordination thing.

I started at the thrift stores because they are my favorite place to start (and finish :). I've found some great things, but wasn't having much luck with shoes for Danesky. Because he's not walking, I didn't want regular shoes...I feel like they're too heavy for a beginner. What to do, what to do?!

Etsy! Of course!! Etsy is a website that showcases handmade items of ALLLL kinds. After some searching, I found Heathers Hobbies. She knits, bags, scarves, etc., but my favorite item of hers, BY FAR, are these adorable little shoes. Look at the detailing and craftsmanship! I custom ordered mine to be black with gray accent stitching. They got here today in the cutest package, and I'm so pleased!!

on his little feetsies!

If you've EVER looked at Etsy, you know what an abyss it is. So, I found the cutest velvet jacket for Dane (at a resale store), I found the shoes, and wanted something for his leggies.

I've used babylegs for him some as he's been crawling. They're great on his knees and they are way easier than unsnapping & resnapping 20 snaps for a kid who can't be bothered by a diaper change. And, of course, they appeal to the 80's child in me! :)

Since they were on my brain, I did some searching on etsy and found Crawler Covers. Get this, they are 1000 times more affordable than babylegs or any of the store brands. $10 delivered to my door (and i JUST saw that she's doing free shipping during the holidays...that makes it $8!).

The Complete Ensemble!

So, now all we need is healthy kids and I think we're ready for this photo thing. I've only been looking forward to it....since April or so! Of course, pics and more info later!!

THANKS!

2009-10-27T12:56:00.001-07:00

The boys have been home from school the past couple of days because they have the flu. Both are on the way up....one a little faster than the other, but they improving for sure.

When the doorbell rang a few minutes ago, I had no idea who to expect. So, imagine my surprise when I opened the door to a scrumptious Cookie by Design bouquet especially for the 2 sickies. It was so unexpected, I don't even think I properly said THANK YOU to the super sweet driver! Driver, if you're reading this, thanks for making our day fun!

And, Grammy and Papaw, THANK YOU THANK YOU for sending a yummy, fun treat! Mom, you always have the best ideas with perfect timing. The boys loved it!

Bono Baby

2009-10-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Just a Hooray!!

2009-10-23T11:33:00.001-07:00

Do you see it? Do you see it? I WON THIS!!!!! THANK YOU Kelly at The Morris Tribe!!

I will use the fire out of it and love it with all my slow cooking heart.

I will NOT let it die like the goldfish I won in the 2nd grade.

I will fill every oxygen molecule in my house with yummy aromas.

I will NOT let Ernie pour food out of the crock straight on the cooking element like he did to our crock pot #1 (funny story, different post).

I will NOT let it rot on a dusty shelf.

Instead, I will give it a place of honor next to my dearly used Taste of Home back issues.

Kelly, you rock!! I can not wait to get my new book of grub!

Motorboat baby

2009-10-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

You try it. My lips get tired WAYYY before his. He does this for 10-15 minutes at a time.

Yes, when he gets irritated with me for not handing him the camera, he always crawled immediately to light sockets to play. In case you were wondering.

Photos of the Day

2009-10-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

I couldn't pick just one!!

These things HAVE to be done...

2009-10-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

In no particular hated order:

1. Clean the shower

2. Clean the refrigerator

3. Clean my room

Yep, I think that's it. I can keep most everything else done or halfway anyway. And, I actually enjoy doing the rest for my family. But, the 3 above are, well, I'll just call them a "challenge".

Okay, I don't hate the refrigerator...I just don't take time to give it the love it desires as often as it desires. Good thing it's an inanimate object and not a child. Whew! And, my room, I don't hate either...I just, for the life of me, can't seem to keep it clean. Couldn't when I was 8, can't when I'm, um, older than 8. BUT, the shower, I can 100% completely without disclaim say that I HATE it. I can handle the toilet. Floors. But, the shower. Bleck!

So, a few weeks ago, I was in Target and decided to look at cleaners. I got two.

Method Go Naked (cause who doesn't like to "go naked"?)

and Method DAILY SHOWER (clearly marked in ALL CAPS on the bottle).

Fast Forward. Today I'm fiiiinnnnalllllyyyy, after longer than I will ever disclose or even remember, cleaning my shower. After I finish and get it all spiffy. I jump in myself and get squeaky clean.

It's at this point, after taking my daily shower, that I remember seeing that the DAILY SHOWER works better when you "start with a clean shower". I DO have a clean shower for the first time in a few days less than forever...probably should jump on this. After all, isn't this the magic potion that's supposed to ensure that I will never again have to be on all fours scraping cruddy buddy off my shower floor?!

Imagining my life with a cleaner shower, off I go to fetch the DAILY SHOWER. Where is it? Where did I put it? Not under the kitchen or bathroom sink and those really are the only two options. Hmm.... I scan the bathroom...has it been in plain sight this whole time? Nope. Not there. BUT, the go naked cleaner IS here. Hold on, go naked CAN'T be in here because I use it a couple times a day to clean the kitchen counters and table. And, why is it completely full? So, that means.....

(my brain calculating as I sprint to the kitchen), oh, maaaaaan. I've been using DAILY SHOWER on my kitchen counter for weeks.

And I was sad because I thought I'd have to restock on go naked soon. Good news...I have an ENTIRE bottle left!

Cookbook Giveaway

2009-10-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, these things are a catch 22. I'm telling you about a contest over at The Morris Tribe, so I can get an extra entry for the drawing. Here's the rub.....I'm telling you so you can go on over, check her out, enter the drawing, and give me more competition for the cookbook I WANT!!!!!

She is alot of fun. I found her through the September Grocery Challenge (that I sunk like a lead balloon....I'm blaming illness....thinly veiled excuse) over at owlhaven.net and have enjoyed her candid humor. Check her out!

I WANNA GO!!

2009-10-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

I was in the other room (Dane was within eyeshot of Ernie) and I heard Dane laughing and laughing. I HAD to see what it was all about. Seems that Elijah was entertaining Dane through the backdoor.

There are a couple of moments on this that make me laugh outloud!!!!

As always, I filmed too long because I'd hate to miss a really cute moment if I turned it off too soon. Sorry to subject you to too much cuteness. :)

Oh, and, if you noticed that he's wearing a diaper with navy socks and that's it. That's the sure sign that Daddy changed him last. Couldn't be bothered to put his cute outfit back on him, so that a bonus for you....roly polyiness...can't ever have too much of that!

Picture of the Day!

2009-10-16T18:49:00.001-07:00

What? You don't keep twisty balloons at your house?

Oooooh, you don't let you child CHEW ON your balloons.

To each their own. :)

Free Photo Book!!

2009-10-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am not a scrapbooker. This is by choice. I'm not afraid. I think I'd enjoy it. BUT, I know, for me, it'd be a slippery slope of obsession.

So, 3 years ago when we got Elijah and I started snapping pictures of 2 little boys, I had a brainstorm. Not a unique one. I recognize that lots of people are probably doing this secretly in their own world, but you know me, if I come across something I love, I like to share. 'Cause you might love it too!

Back to my brainstorm....I would design a photobook for every year of our family and then print a copy for every child. The genius (in my mind) is that when they are adults and care, I'll hand them a big ole stack of photobooks so they can look back at our past years together.

At this point I'm documenting us as a family, but am already seeing that as time goes on, for a season, I might have to split each kid into his own book. Of course, I'd still include lots of family photos for context, but this would make the books more manageable size wise.

These plans sound all tied up in a bow, but, at this point, I've finished only 2 years. Not bad, huh, only have 1 year to catch up. And, then the 4 years of Roman by himself. So, I'm 5 years behind...who's counting?

My photobook company of choice is Shutterfly. Mainly because I have used them since Roman was teentsy and I have a whole hoard of things uploaded to them. PLUS, they are GREAT with coupons and discounts. They definitely know my loyalty button.

Now, to the point of my post, I was looking at The Morris Tribe and she pointed me in a most exciting direction! If you go here and scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see a Shutterfly banner. Follow the directions and it'll give you a code for a FREE (you pay for shipping) 8 X 8 photobook to be redeemed by Nov 15!! Make sure you write the code down and paste it to your forehead so you don't forget where you put it.

I'm posting my newest photobook below so you can see how easy it is to make a fun memory for your family. It's showing up weird on here for me, so, if you care, ignore the whole "this book has been deleted..." message. Click on "view this photo book larger". Then, for the best view, view photo book, single page, full screen....but, again, only if you care about our year a couple years back.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Kindergarten Cutie

2009-10-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

At tonight's PTA meeting, the kindergarteners sang. And, with them, our own cutie, Elijah!

Here he is waving at me as he walks into the door.

Roman, up close and personal, waiting next to me for the program to start.

Mrs. Abt did an amazing job with the littlest people in the school in such a short time. The kids did great!

Dane was snatched up by one of Ernie's coworkers...I caught up with him a couple people down the line. Here he is with Veron...his haircut twin!

Roman and Lexi. They've been in the same class for the last two years and are fun friends. Lexi's mom is one of my favorite teachers in the whole school!!

I know I'm way biased, but I just think these are two of the cutest kids ever.

Big man on campus lounging after some 5 star singing!

Photo of the Day

2009-10-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Say Hello to Dane's Little Friend

2009-10-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

Our morning started with MUCH rain, big boys at home due to parent/teacher conference, and daddy at home due to the flu...ICK! After instructing Ernie to wash his hands AND change his shirt BEFORE touching Dane if he woke up from his nap while I was gone, I quickly ran to the school to meet with Roman and Elijah's sweet teachers.

I got home, worked on housekeeping stuff, school pages with the boys, played with and contained the wee one. And then, the doorbell rang. It was our mailman with A BOX (we looooove mail around here)...addressed to Dane from one of the people dearest to me....my pea pod friend Sara!

He couldn't wait to get in! A box, a challenge, he's game!

Look what it is! An AMAZING octopus!!! We named him Ollie.

Dane decided he wanted to explore the box one more time, so over Ollie he goes...

Lovin' the box!

Okay, look at him! I wish you could feel him...he is the perfect softness. I love everything about him....his colors, his fun eyes, his perfect 8 arms for Dane's chewing and gnawing glee, but most of all, that I know how much love went into his design and creation.

Sara, THANK YOU for such a beautiful gift. What a complete treasure!

Hip Hip Hooray!

2009-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist. He looks SO excited. He's about to fall over asleep, but will do anything to sit with Daddy a little longer. One of my favorite parts of this (besides his sleepy eyes) is that he's holding Roman's dinosaur in his little hand.

Now to the REAL point of this point. Let me back up just a bit though....I looked at my last post date...over a week ago. I'm hit and miss, but this is taking it a little far. All of us minus Ernie have had strep since the last post. Enough said. I'm back from the dead.

And, since I felt normal for the first time in too many days (I really should go to the Dr. waaay sooner), today I did something I've been wanting to do. I made a headboard for our bed. Yes, we've been those people. People without a headboard. We successfully navigated the waters for enough years and now was the time.

Here's how I did it.

2 pieces of 4' X 8' foamboard from Lowe's...one left whole, the other I used two 12 inch strips. The total width...72". I also cut 2 1/4" off the height. This stuff cuts SOOO easy with a box cutter (what's the technical term for those things....I've gone blank!)
Ripped the seams out of our duvet so I could use the fabric because I love it. A sheet, fabric, your own duvet or bedspread would work.
I put the whole board in the middle and flanked it on both sides with the foot strips. The duvet fabric has a pattern, so I did match that so it looked like they all run into each other.
To assemble...wrap the foamboard in the fabric. I used both spray adhesive and packing tape on the back side to adhere the fabric. I moved to the tape from the adhesive basically because I got tired of gummy fingers. Both worked well. And, I used a staple gun (because I use it ANY time I can find an excuse to...is that a problem?) to pull the fabric tight, tight.
I did measure (although, not all that well) and cut holes in the foamboard for the outlets behind our bed before I wrapped the fabric.
I used command strips to attach the whole contraption to the wall.

I promise the picture doesn't do it justice. Mainly because I am NOT a photographer. But also because my family has rumpled all my nicely placed pillows (it had to look perfect for the reveal earlier) and because I CUT UP MY DUVET so you are looking at its guts on my bed.

Mine is DONE and I get to check one more thing off my "summer" bleeding into fall list over on the left. So, now it's your turn. Go get some foamboard and have at it. We can't be the only left without a headboard.

Guess Who?!

2009-09-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

This week is anti-bully week at school. Thursday was "hat day". Seeing as it was bred into me that ANY time there is "a day", we shall, must, have to participate. And, we like it, so it works!

A discarded hat was found by a tiny pirate after the big boys left. Arghhhh!!

No matter how many times I fixed his hat, the lil' scallywag kept yanking it down so he could see his treasures better. How? Pirates have piratey ways, don't ya know?!

We ditched the ship and set sail for the swing. Ahhhh....Fall!

Breakfast for Dinner

2009-09-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

It is well known that breakfast is actually better for dinner than it is for breakfast. BUT, until recently there was a hold out in my house that wouldn't allow it to be true. This is the same person who swears he'd rather have Hamburger Helper than a home cooked meal. This is the same person who switches food gears like most of us change underwear. So, the winds of change have come around and he decided he'd give it a try. And, guess what, Ernie, uh, I mean, Mikey liked it!

THANK GOODNESS 'cause there's not much easier than breakfast for dinner.

It's on my brain because we're having it tonight. So, I thought I'd share some ideas/variations on the theme and inspire you to throw your crowd a curve ball.

Some options....

Breakfast tacos---eggs with sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, etc.
French toast or pancakes
Bacon, Sausage patties or links, or big ole' pieces of ham...a little won't hurt 'em
Scrambled eggs (add a little milk to make them extra fluffy), omelets, Eggs sunny side up
Fruit smoothies (any mixture of milk, yogurt or ice cream, fresh or frozen fruit)
Yogurt parfaits (yogurt, granola, fruit)
Fruit salad
Oatmeal (use this as a side, split one serving between two kids if you're offering lots of other things)
Cinnamon toast
Breakfast rolls
Biscuits and gravy....sigh.....extra yummy!

None of this stuff takes long at all. Shake it up and enjoy your extra time!

Zerbert Baby

2009-09-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

He can really get going. He's way more interested in investigating at this point, but this IS a sample.

Playin' with Friends

2009-09-21T09:25:00.001-07:00

Likin' the grass root.

Comin' at ya!

Friends!

Cross country crawlin'

Sunday Fun!

2009-09-20T16:32:00.001-07:00

Sunday afternoon Ernie rode off into the sunset to go watch the first ever Cowboys football game in the new stadium. He's big stuff!

The boys and I, we hung out. We immediately headed outside so I could hack on the front bushes (you know how I like to prune!). Dane in his exersaucer drooling down his naked chest, Elijah riding his bike, & Roman looking through his lego magazine. It didn't take long though until the big boys were in my space doing whatever they could to distract me from my Mr. Miagi moment. So, I sent them to knock on neighbor doors.

An hour or so and much fun later, we said goodbye to friends, and I headed upstairs to see the grand creation Roman, Elijah, and their 2 friends masterminded. Check it out! It's a ship! How fun is this? They have their toys in it; they can sit in it. When they flood the upstairs to see if it floats, we're in trouble.

And, since I had the camera in head, I HAD to take pictures of my sweet, handsome boys.

Roman Doodle.

Elijah in mid-groove.

Roman shaking his booty. He's WAY into the mood!

So, Roman's bustin' a smooth move. Elijah, on the other hand, went straight to the ground to do some breakin'.

They are silly silly.

Pioneer Love

2009-09-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

You may or may not have already heard me gush about The Pioneer Woman. She's hysterical. She's relatable. She's as cute as can be. And, she gives me extra super yummy recipes, and I definitely appreciate that.

I thought I'd give you some links to some of my favs so YOU can try them too!

WARNING:

She is NOT concerned about calorie and fat content. Let me just put it this way, making a recent meal, I finally got to test whether Dawn really "takes grease out of my way" on my favorite pair of maternity pants (YES, I'm still wearing them. Got a problem with that?).
And, she loves her some pimentos. I'm okay with this. Green olives and I have long been bosom buddies, but this singular fact throws Elijah into cardiac arrest. After all, pimentos are red, tomatoes are red....all things red must be snubbed immediately!

Give her a try. You might like her. Some of my top favs (cause I'm redundant like that...top favs as opposed to my bottom favs). In no particular order.....

Chicken Spaghetti -- Creamy with a Kick. Cayenne Pepper. Enough said. This is not your normal chicky spaghetti....prepare to be wow'ed!
Ranch Style Chicken -- Go ahead, look. I promise this isn't what you're expecting. And, THIS is the culprit of my splattered pants, but I can't wait to make it again! Scrumptious!
Crash Hot Potatoes -- Easy, yum. Kosher salt....love it!
Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos -- Trust me, try these!
Cheese Muffins -- Elijah won't touch a pimento, but he can eat a WHOLE muffin pan of these.

Okay, as I scrolled through her recipes, I discovered how FEW of her recipes I've actually tried! So, the five I've linked to might be the ONLY five I've tried. I'm shocked. I'm appalled. It's okay though, Betty Crocker is back and last time I went "to market" I added ingredients for the following recipes to my list.

Shrimp Quesadillas -- The shrimpies in the red sauce look yummy yummy to me!
Steak Bites -- Making these tomorrow..can we say JUICY?
Beans and Cornbread -- These make me nervous. Ernie is determined to have meat in every dish. I know, I know..beans are legumes. This just isn't a legitimate defense for him. I've decided to throw caution to the wind (literally..beans...get it??) and take the plunge.
Crispy Yogurt Chicken -- Yogurt=healthy, right? :)

And, now I've found more I need to get ingredients for next time...

Stuffed Mushrooms -- L.O.V.E. stuffed mushrooms. Must. Try. These.
Not Your Granny's Macaroni and Cheese -- Spicy. Mac & Cheese. Who knew?
Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce -- I could drink roasted red pepper sauce. And, maybe I will!

I'm hungry now and it's 10:30....I should be going to bed instead of reading recipes. So, tag you're it. It's your turn. Scroll through those above. Better yet, go to her website and find your own favorites.

2009-09-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's Now or Never

2009-09-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I don't post for almost a week and then I post more than once. I gotta do it when I'm here or I'll never do it. It's my last half of September resolution to do more frequent posts. :) We'll see!

If you know Roman and Elijah, you know that they have a great time together and have some similarities, but for the most part, you couldn't find two more opposite brothers.

We have "Mr. I want to count my money as much as possible and buy fun things" aka Roman.

And, Mr. I couldn't care less about how much money I have...let's talk about how I can build something with the coins aka Elijah.

So, after MANY guesses and much deliberating. Elijah finally revealed the shape of his coins. Can you guess what it is???

Nope, not that.

I know, I thought of that too, but no.

You give up, so soon. Yeah, okay, I did too. So, you wanna know??

A rollerskate, of course!! Can't you see it?!

Munch with Mom 2009

2009-09-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am a proud boy mama. Love my little fan club. And, today I got to go visit the two biggest at their school and eat lunch with them. It was a fun time!

Roman was first at 10:30. He chose for me to bring him lunch. So, I picked up Taco Bell. Even though it's the closest food establishment to our house (with exception of the gas station Subway), we hardly ever eat there. I'm married to a self professed tortilla snob...somehow T.B.'s waxy frisbees don't fit his bill. But, me and the boys, we like us some Taco Bell, so I knew Roman would dig it. AND, I got him a fancy drink. 96% (accurate statistical computation :) of the time our boys drink water, so this was HUGE!

Roman's been telling me about his friend Anthony. Today I met him and his mom and I know them! At that point, I heard Ernie's faint voice from a couple weeks ago telling me who Anthony is.....pretty sure I was doing 10 other things while he was giving me the detail. Anyway....they were NEAT to watch together!

This is little friend Michael. He decided he wanted a picture too. Looks like Roman has lots of great kids in his class.

Then I had Roman pose for the ceremonial little brother who looks enormously larger than the biggest brother picture. I'm pretty sure I failed EVERY professional photographer rule with this....otherwise, surely, the 7 month old wouldn't look SOOO big. On second thought, the camera does add ten pounds, so that would make him pretty even with Roman.

I asked a sweet mom across from us to take this. Note to self. Ask if everyone was smiling next time & take a few minutes to do something with myself when I plan to take pictures. Who cares. I don't take enough pictures with my little guys so I'm going to focus on our togetherness, Dane looking intently at Roman, and the fact that I know my almost 7 year old still loves for me to tote him around like he's 2.

Dane and I went home for a little bit and then headed back up for Elijah's lunch. He chose to buy his lunch. Because it's very cool in Kindergarten to stand in line to get a styrofoam tray with styrofoam food. Should I be offended that he gets so giddy about buying school food and refuses to eat most any home cooked meal I make for him? I'm refusing to take it personally. :)

And, back to the stage for more brother shots. Elijah is smitten with Dane. He is such an excellent big brother.

Now, see, GI Joe would be proud of me. Knowing is half the battle.

To sweet picture taking mom #2...."Would you mind taking one more picture?"

Yeah, NOW everyone's smiling even though I still obviously look like I don't know where to find my makeup or hair products (oh, wait I don't own any...maybe THAT'S a first step).

We love our school and the fun times we have together there!

Man on the Run

2009-09-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, not quite "man" or "run", but Dane definitely gets where he wants to be at this point. 7 months and he's boot scootin'.

I recently had a FB status about purging my CD's from yesteryear. If I hadn't listened to any given CD (or 60) in forever, I put it in a stack to be freecycled, given away, or put in a box to use for crafts next year in summer camp.

Turns out someone else wanted to help me organize those ancient disks.

Give you one guess....

If you guessed Dane, give yourself a point!

One of his favorite parts of the day is when the big boys come home from school. He L.O.V.E.S. his brothers. He also has a love affair with anything cord-like, shoestring-like, or lunchbox strap-like. He must've sweet talked Roman to leave his lunchbox in the middle of the floor (cause I know Roman wouldn't EVER leave ANYTHING in the middle of the floor :).

Later in the afternoon little boy felt that the OTHER stack of CD's also needed help.

Caught red handed!

Just found these....

2009-09-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was just going through my memory card and deleting things I've already uploaded to the computer and found some cute shots I haven't shared...

Can we say, "Too big for the bouncy seat?"

Thanks Grammy for the Mary Kate & Ashley Russian style garage sale vest! I love to wear it out when I play with my friends. :)

I included this one because it looks like Elijah's transposed on to a background. Crazy.

Elijah and I won the go kart race cause we're great like that!

Crazy boys. 2 little butts in a basket!

Happy 9th Anniversary Daddy Bear!

2009-09-01T20:36:00.001-07:00

Can We Do It?! Yes, We Can!!!!

2009-09-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Mary at Owlhaven.net has issued a challenge. To spend $75 a week on groceries. I am accepting the challenge, but I'm gonna do $100 a week. Baby Steps.

Around here seems like I either sink or swim. Some months I'm Betty Crocker and cook from scratch without a thought and truly enjoy it. Some weeks I want to do anything but cook and we end up scavenging and eating out too much. This month I'm buckling down!!

I'll be going through the freezer and using all the yummy treasures like our ground beef, ham, tilapia, and even the whole turkey I nabbed for next to nothing last Thanksgiving (it's about time!). I'll be raiding the pantry and using every can of beans, bag of rice, and box of pasta. This CAN be done. I'm convinced!

If you want to learn more about this challenge check out Owlhaven here! And, if you're ALL IN, tell me! I wanna know!! I'm going to be posting some recipes and ideas throughout the month. I know she will be too. Of course, I always love to hear your ideas too, so share and share alike!

Come along for comraderie, financial health, or pure entertainment. Whatever the reason, come on!!

Trufflerific!

2009-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have a friend named Brenda. I met her in the weirdest way, but am so glad I did. We don't see each other much, BUT I always enjoy our conversations. She is transparent and honest and a genuine encourager. AND, she makes the yummiest truffles ever. So much so that I have knighted her the "Truffle Guru".

When I was thinking about what to gift to Roman & Elijah sweet teachers the first day of school, these yummiest of yummies came to mind. So, I emailed Brenda and asked for her secret recipe. Okay, come to find out it's not so secret really since a wad of people seem to already know about this most spectacular of recipes, but new to me....I'm always the last to know!

Since she is a feeler baker (like she just instinctively knows), she wrote me the bare bones facts.

one brick of cream cheese, a package of oreos, 8 oz of melted chocolate.
Process cookies, reserve some crumbs for decorating. Mix cream cheese and crumbs in bowl. Roll into little balls and dip in chocolate. sprinkle with crumbs. Put in fridge at least 4 hours or overnight on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Enjoy

Since I am a recipe follower. I'm going to give a couple of details that you may or may not need.

If you're like me (cheap), then you may be tempted to save money by buying generic instead of name brand ingredients. RESIST the temptation. Buy the real stuff...Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Oreo cookies
For the melted chocolate, use semi sweet. OR, Lisa, my high school friend and FB bud, said she uses white chocolate chips. I'm thinking this sounds like a fun thing to try. And, it would give them a totally different look.
When the recipe says "sprinkle with crumbs", that's really what it means. Somehow my brain couldn't decode the word "sprinkle", so I rolled mine in the crumbs. Still were good, but had more of an Oreo taste. When you actually follow the recipe, you don't even know there are Oreos in them....it's so sneaky. :)
Speaking of crumbs. If you have a food processor, use it. If not, crush and crush and crush some more. Since I was doing it with the boys, this was a job I gave to them (and they LOVED IT). I didn't want them to feel like their work was inadequate, so I didn't "finish" the job. The result, our crumbs weren't as fine as is best, but they still tasted great. Good job to the big boysies!
If you're wondering how many Oreos to save for the sprinkling....save about 10.

You know, Lisa's suggestion really made me think. This base recipe could be a jumping point for SO many variations. Use different things for the sprinkles, dipping, etc. So, take a risk, try something new!

There are some who think you shouldn't give children artistic examples for fear of stifling their own creativity. That's exactly why I didn't (forgot to) take a picture of my finished product. But, the empty pan says something....they were a hit!!

Thanks Brenda for sharing with me and making so many happy bellies today! To the rest of you....Happy Truffling!