Awwwww

We just stumbled upon this picture on the Camp Pendleton Website for their annual Mud Run.  We're famous!!!!!  If you want to run this year (or get a better view of this pic & others) here's the link http://www.camppendletonraces.com/mud_sun.html

I can't be the only one........

Who still uses payphones 
Encourages the kids to be cheese snobs

Doesn't care that Walmart has no Customer Service (their prices are low for a reason)
Feels pride when my kids turn their noses up at store bought cupcakes 
Thinks the automatic doors on minivans are the best invention EVER
Encourages my 6 year old to use a sippy cup (less mess for me)
Uses a ziploc bag full of ice to store & smuggle frozen yogurt into the movies
Will see a cashew on my kitchen floor and not think twice about eating it
Wears a digital watch
Thinks hand sanitizer is grosser than not washing your hands
Doesn't want to be taller (I am 5'4")
Whose made fun of all those dog obsessed "parents".......only to become one myself

Story Time

The other day I stopped by the goodwill to look for a bedside table for Ethan.  Even though all the furniture was 1/2 off, I liked nothing.  Glenn might just have to make him one.  Even with my husband as handy as he is, wood is expensive, so I think I will keep looking in the meantime.

One thing I ALWAYS leave with though are books.  

I haven't read any of Jodi Picoult's books, but I hear they are really good so I grabbed it.  I am really looking forward to David Baldacci's book because I have read his book 'Wish You Well' and thought it sweet and so well written.  The Harry Potter is brand new so I thought it would be great for Lila to give along with a bday gift. 

I had to get this book as it took me straight back to my childhood.  You read a few pages and then you make a choice for the character.  If you choose the door on the right turn to page 26.  If you choose to save the puppy turn to page 16.  The whole book is like that and they are super fun.  I think Lila will really like it.

I paid 70 cents for each of these books.  What???  I  love the goodwill.  I need to cut back somewhere as Glenn just bought me a new monitor.  I had to turn my old one on and off about 50 times before it worked.  It seriously took about 10 minutes every time I wanted to check the computer which was so irritating when you just want to google something real quick or print up a recipe.

A few years ago I went thrift store shopping with the queen, my sister Margo.  All the books were clearanced to 10 cents.  On my flight home I was lugging 3 carry ons each with about 50 lbs of books.  I actually don't know how I got on the plane.  My luggage was stuffed with cute vintage dresses for the girls, and I was wearing a huge fur jacket that could not have possibly been packed.  

I am not that fun to fly with.  But I always  have good reading material. 

Hot Chocolate Bread

When I was talking about my passion for granola and caramel corn recently I knew there was something I was leaving off the list.  I am also a connoisseur of Hot Chocolate.  Self appointed obviously.  I think Ethan has had a mug (sippy cup) of hot chocolate (we say hot choc, you know, since we say it so often and are good at coming up with cool slang) every night since he was 1 year old.

So any cake, muffins or bread that promises to be anything like hot chocolate, I am a sucker for. I saw this recipe on Abby Sweets blog the other day and knew Ethan would love it.  It has marshmallows in it, enough said.


I opted to make 6 mini loaves instead of 1 big one.  5 are gone.  What can I say, we are still in Valentines mode.  Next time I would  decrease the sugar by 1/2 cup and add chocolate chips and toasted pecans to this bread for some added texture.  The regular amount of sugar plus chocolate chips would be too sweet, basically cake, but denser.


For the past 5 years Ethan has been strictly an Ovaltine and Nestle Quik guy.  If I ever substituted he would know immediately and not drink it.  Just this week though he asked for the salted hot chocolate.  What???  I couldn't help but be a little proud.

Lonesome Tonight

We changed Ethan's bedroom around.  It used to look like this.............

Feeling sorry for my lonely little boy when he was almost in tears every night for having to sleep alone, we brought his mattress into the girls room.  That lasted a few days when I just couldn't take it any more.  The room was always a disaster and you couldn't make any of the beds.


So we switched Ethan's bed to the other side of his room so he could see his sisters out his door and into theirs.  The bed had to go sideways because otherwise the headboard overlapped the window.  There is more wall space on the right than the left.

Of course the first thing my smarty children do is swing open the plantation shutters and open the window.  His bedroom is on the 2nd floor.  With the bed situated sideways right below the window this is not a good idea at all.  Of course I had already talked to them about the importance of not doing this and explained again just how dangerous it was.  So now they really understood and most definitely weren't going to do it again.

They did it again.  Ethan's bed is back the way it originally was.  He was on it for an hour today, so sad.  Too bad!  Why don't children listen?  I am pretty sure I always did.

Chocolate is the new Love

A teacher at the children's school has initiated a program of love.  You are supposed to show acts of love to yourself, to friends, and to strangers.  This is Emry's calendar so far.

A little closer now.......

Notice how Emry's act of love to herself is eating Hershey's kisses.  Now we just need to work on her penmanship.

Hot Wheels

Glenn just got a motorcycle.

  

Ethan thinks it's his.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Meat & Potatoes

After all that soup it was high time to make Glenn a meal he could sink his teeth into.  I don't cook beef often, so I wanted a really good recipe that would result in a very tender and flavorful meat.  I didn't follow the cardinal rule of cooking though, which is to read through the whole recipe first. 

After scanning the recipe and realizing it had to braise in the oven for 2 hours I knew we would be eating dinner a little late.  I like to serve dinner about 5pm because I am 90.  Actually the kids are ravenous when they get home from school, so I would rather them fill up on dinner than a bunch of snacks.  Then right before bedtime at around 7 if they want some toast or yogurt, fine.

So back to my beef stew.  I failed to recognize that after the initial 2 hours, you add some more ingredients and continue cooking.

We had leftover pasta that night.

After the stew finished cooking and cooled I put it in the fridge for the next night.  Good thing as the flavors deepened and it was delicious.

I added some frozen peas at the last minute to mine, I just felt it needed some green.  They took minutes to cook once the stew was heated on the stove top. 

I think that will hold Glenn through the coming weeks of tofu, sprouts and quinoa.

White Chocolate Carmel Corn

I know I must have at least a dozen favorite treats, but honestly, this tops them all.  I lovingly call it 'White Chocolate Carmel Corn', and I say lovingly because I love it so much!  I consider myself to be a connoisseur of 2 things.  Granola and Caramel Popcorn.  Since I've had a lot of experience making both of these scrumptious treats and I adore them so much, I have given myself that title.  I am sure no one would care enough to argue.

Both of these Foods, in my opinion, are extremely difficult to buy packaged.  No matter how gourmet the popcorn, it is never as good as homemade.  Ever.  I have managed to find a brand or two of granola that I love, but even then, it doesn't compare to what comes out of my oven.  Not that I am the best cook ever.  I just feel that you, me, anyone can make a superior product at home, simply because it will be so fresh.  Also having a heavy hand when it comes to all the add-ins for either the granola or the caramel corn sure doesn't hurt.


I usually only make this caramel corn during the holidays.  But today I am making 100 bags for some friends who are going on a service mission to Argentina for our church.  They are having a going away party tonight, and what better way to send them off.


I did not come up with this recipe.  But I claim it because I've made it countless times.  And I read somewhere that when you make something more than 4x a year, you can claim it.  Sounds good to me.

 

Happy Valentines Day

My kids definitely made out this year as they all got See's candy.  Every year they come down to a decorated breakfast table with some candy and a book for each of them.  This year Emry got Little Women, Lila got Encyclopedia Brown, and Ethan got an Arthur book.  

Since this is a tradition they knew it was coming and no sooner had I finished placing the last heart on the table when they all came down nice and early at 6:30 to see their loot.


Glenn has traveled all over the world for business and of course sampled every chocolate available.  Upon returning home he would unzip his suitcase to reveal pounds of chocolate.  We ate and ate and  always came to the same conclusion.  See's. Is. The. Best.

BFFS

Another gorgeous Southern California Day.  Off to the beach to play and celebrate with family and friends.  But not all my friends.  These are my 2 best friends and although they are not a part of my day to day, they have influenced me tremendously.  And continue to do so.

I love you Jen and Shauna.

Big Enough

Ethan, Emry & Lila Wallwork 2005

I love my kids.  Of course I do, I have 3 of them.  As much as I loved my babies, holding them, snuggling with them, their chubby hands, their toothless grins, it was a tremendous amount of work.  The house was usually a mess.  It was clean, but their were puzzles, books, dress-ups, food, etc., etc.  I always thought how nice it would be when the oldest was big enough to help out with the younger ones.


Well it was actually sooner than I thought.  Emry was 4 when she would change Lila's (2yrs.) diaper.  I was sick and pregnant with Ethan and sometimes couldn't bring myself to move unless absolutely necessary.  So I would say, "Is it a poo or pee diaper?"  Emry would check and if it was just pee I would have her change it.  She has always been a great helper, but we all know you can only get so much done with kids in the house.

These rooms represent a new time of life for me.  A time when Emry can take her siblings to the park around the corner for an hour so I can clean in peace.  It's a dream.  A DREAM!  No one right behind me messing things up as I clean.  No one asking for a snack/ a favor/ my time.  No kid noise, just me and the vacuum.


The children can be very helpful.  Taking out the garbage, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming out the car, giving the dog a walk and bath.  But sometimes I just want to take matters into my own hands.

As much as they help and "help", It's nice to do it myself.  Which means it gets done fast and gets done right.

Responsible child + park around the corner = A clean upstairs
I am still working on having both upstairs and downstairs clean at the same time.  Maybe next time they venture out I'll send them with a picnic.

The Bright Side

I live in California.  Home of ridiculous taxes, outrageous home prices and still our politicians bankrupt us.  Yes, it is infuriating.  Yes we bemoan this state of ours sometimes.  We gripe, we complain, we vote.  We wonder sometimes if it is worth it.

February 5, 2011 at the beach.  What do you think?

Enough

So if my weeks had a theme (which they don't), last weeks would have been Soup.  I think it's great, my husband, not so much.  He loves soup, but 3x in one week, with each one being a batch big enough for leftovers, is a little much for him.  But a meal that you can make in one pot, easily adaptable, healthy, uses leftovers and that you really can't mess up, he better get used to it.
  

Glenn and I both used to work as servers at a restaurant where they had a daily homemade soup.  The soup was always delicious.  One of Glenn's favorites was Lemon Chicken with Rice.  I don't know why this piece of information was in the back of my brain for 15 years without ever coming to the forefront, but I am glad I remembered.  Ethan, who wouldn't try it at first, proclaimed it "Heaven Soup" after tasting it (read previous post to learn more about the boy who loves to reference everything in the spiritual).


I have to say this soup was semi-homemade as I had about 3 cups of rice in the fridge that Emry had brought home from a Thai restaurant her Grandmother took her to.  If you know me, you know that I can never waste an ounce of food.  So my soup was heavy on the rice.  I would add more lemon next time, but otherwise super easy and very delicious.


If you also know me you know how technically challenged I am.  So do you think I know how to link you to the recipe, of course not.  I learned typing in high school, but seeing how I've spent the last 10 years changing diapers and playing at the park, I kind of missed the whole learn to be computer savvy stage.  Now that all my children are in school I will learn, slowly, but it will happen.

Holy Roller

Ethan was so excited to give me a Valentine when I picked him up from Kindergarten today.  Of course us Moms are suckers for anything homemade, especially when it is followed up with "I love you Mommy!"

 

So of course I was gushing about how much I loved it and said it was "the best thing ever!!"  Ethan then proclaimed that "No, Jesus is the bestest!"

Happy Earth Day

I don't know when Earth Day is, it could be today, but in our family we celebrate it every day.
Our love for the earth is evident all over Emry's face as we sit in church and I notice there is sand stuck all throughout her hairline. 

It is telling when our kids think buying new clothes at a fancy store like Target is a last resort after Goodwill and garage sales.

It is the rainbow of recycled yogurt spoons. And if on my way out of the shop there are some within my reach near the top of the garbage, I'll grab those too.

Every discarded paper from Glenn's office, junk mail, flyers sent home from school are utilized as scrap paper for the kids.  It's a pretty sure bet that if turned over, the typed report they turn in tomorrow will announce last years Halloween carnival.

It is obvious by how much we utilize our neighborhood parks, they're everywhere here.  And since Disneyland is out of our price range I just try and convince the kiddos that closing their eyes while going down the slide is almost as good as Space Mountain.

It's carrying a drippy, gross slurpee lid around because I have taught my kids how important it is to clean up litter.  I was fine with the empty (fairly clean) water bottles.

 And it's feeling pride when being lazy I tell Ethan we can leave the lid because someone is coming right away to clean it up and he says "but that's being mean to the earth!"

Tree Hugger, Hippie, Granola, they're all terms of endearment to me.  And by the way, I am probably packing your tossed out spoon in my kids lunch box.

Fleeting

Almost nightly Ethan complains of having to sleep alone.  It's not fair that he has to sleep all by himself when Emry and Lila get to sleep in the same room.  He is so sincerely sad it breaks my heart at how cute it is that he just wants to snuggle up and be with them.  He says he is lonely.  He says it is scary (about four feet separate their bedroom doors). 

I know the day is not that far away when he will stop thinking pet shops are "so cute", and not want to play with the pollys anymore.  He will probably also stop saying "thank you for my sweet mommy" when he says his prayers.

So for now I will let him sneak into the girls room for sleepovers.  I will say nothing when Glenn asks if all the kids are in bed.  I will secretly love his affection for his sisters all the while telling him to be a big boy and go to bed in his own room. 

And I will of course document it so I will always remember these moments.

Good Mom or Bad Mom?

I am both.


*I wake the kids up to fun music in the morning.
*That has only happened twice.  Most mornings I am working out and tell the girls to leave me alone while I finish, wake up their brother and fill the tubs for him, walk the dog, and anything else I can think of.


*I pack the kids healthy lunches.
*All week it has included certain thin and minty cookies.


*Breakfast was French Toast made from thick slabs of Oatmeal Bread I made yesterday.
*Ethan, who is going through a major growth and eating spurt, had to wait a whole 10 minutes, an eternity to him, to eat.

*I help in Ethan's Classroom every week.
*I think I am supposed to be there right now.

Pudding (a breakfast post)

When you think of dessert do you think of pudding?  Why the heck not?  In our family growing up we ate a lot of pudding.   Mainly vanilla, but sometimes rice or tapioca as well.  We all loved it and thought it was great.  When Glenn and I were dating he thought our love for pudding was comical.  Comical?  What's so funny?  Pudding is awesome.  He was hysterical watching Ty make a whole box of jell-o pudding and then polish it all off by himself.  Mom always made pudding from scratch, but do you think Ty has the patience for that?

Which brings me to breakfast.  Mom always made oatmeal too.  Since there were so many of us breakfast was usually a gigantic pot on the stove filled with one of two things.  Rice or Oatmeal.  Either way it was topped with milk, butter, sugar and cinnamon.  As I got older I got more adventurous with the oats.  Bananas, granola, apples, nuts, craisins etc.


Well I still love oatmeal.  There are probably only a handful of times throughout the year when I don't have oatmeal.  I just love it.  It takes a long time to eat.  It's very nutritious.  It's delicious.  The variety of add-ins are endless.   And key to any of my meals, it has to be FILLING!


So here are my breakfast staples:

*1/3 cup oats
*1/2 cup liquid egg whites
*1/4 cup pumpkin
*vanilla


I cook the oats with double the water.  When they are halfway done I add the eggs and stir every minute or so for about 5 minutes.  Next goes in the pumpkin and vanilla.  Mix it all up and let cook another few minutes.  When done push the oats to the side and pour in some almond milk just for a minute to warm up the milk. Top with  homemade coconut butter.  


The pero is Mormon coffee.  I usually add in a little something sweet.  Either a teaspoon of hot chocolate mix, or some of this chai that Glenn gave me for Christmas.  I really, really like this stuff and upon reading the ingredient list noticed it has black tea.  Sad for me.  No more chai. 


I am a volume eater.  I like to eat a lot so I try and find things that give me the most bang for my buck.  Oats are filling and the nutritional stats are great.  For my serving the calories are 160 with 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein.


The liquid eggs are 60 calories per 1/2 cup with 12 grams of protein.


The pumpkin is 20 calories per 1/4 cup  with 2.5 grams of fiber and 150% of your daily vitamin A.


The coconut butter is about 100 calories per Tablespoon.  I bought the unsweetened shredded coconut and blended it in my Cuisinart for about 5 minutes to make the coconut butter.  It is somewhat nutritious but I eat it just because it's so dang good.  And fat is filling.  And eating what you love makes you happy.


So there it is.  A huge bowl of filling, nutritious, yummy oats made just the way I like and all, including the drink, for 400 calories.  The only sugar is in the 1 teaspoon of chai added to my pero.  The coconut butter does give some natural sweetness to the oats.  The almond milk I use is unsweetened and so thick that...............


My oatmeal tastes like PUDDING!  Is there anything better?  

Like Minds

We were driving home from church on Sunday when we noticed some cute little Girl Scouts selling cookies on the side of the road.  I told Glenn that you can pretty much get any version at the grocery store now for almost half the cost. 

I then proceeded to let him know that of course I would be more than happy to make any of those versions as I have seen different recipes online, especially the Samoas (Caramel Delights?).  And of course like everyone else in the world we are trying to save money so we're not getting duped by those cute little girls in their sweet little uniforms.  We are absolutely in agreement.  No wonder our marriage is thriving almost 15 years later, Glenn and I are just so alike.

Not 2 hours later the girl scouts were making the rounds in our neighborhood & Glenn bought 4 boxes.


Like I said, completely in sync.