Does This Newborn Come With A Manual

Falling Into Oblivion

2012-01-21T09:24:00.000-06:00

Not me... but my blog sure is!

I am a blogging failure lately. This used to bug me, but it really isn't right now. I have SO much going on, and a lot of it is away from the computer.

Any obligations that require me to be on the computer have taken the sidelines. If I can't do it on my phone, it either gets done day before deadline, or probably doesn't get done at all.

Right now, I am ok with that. I'd rather be with the kids, or knitting (usually both). Yesterday I let my son watch a tv show episode and I started singing along to the theme song and he scolded me "Don't sing that mommy, just knit!" Well, if he says so, I will!

I figure it's only fair. We started the new year getting rid of our cable and limiting the kids screen time (tv, video games, iphones, etc). Makes sense that mommy limits hers as well (during daytime hours that is)! The kids got many new toys for Christmas, with birthdays following, so there is no need to be spending time sitting on the couch letting the minutes waste away.

With the new year, new ideas, new personal goals, I hope to keep my blog afloat, but it will probably take the sidelines while I get distracted!

Now the computer will be turned off. We got many inches of snow last night and it is time to bundle up the kids, brave the "feels like" 1 degree F weather, and have some fun!!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-05T11:25:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to my family, friends, online friends, and blog readers!!

I haven't been too faithful to my blog the past few months. I apologize. I can make promises to do better, but I don't like making promises I'm not 100% sure I can keep! Therefore, I will promise to try my best to keep up with my blog... at least blogging once a week!!

I hope to find some inspiration again, but right now all my creative brain power has been taken up with knitting. I blame Pinterest. So many fantastic ideas that keep my brain running on overdrive!!

Three Thanksgivings, Three Years of Thanksgivings, and Friendships

2011-11-23T08:38:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty sure the pilgrims only did one Thanksgiving for a reason- stomachs are NOT designed to handle three Thanksgivings!

However, this year my family will be putting it to the test... more specifically, my husband and I will be putting it to the test (so far Thanksgiving dinner is a fail on my son who only ate waffles....).

Being in the Navy has made planning Thanksgiving dinner fairly tricky. Our first Thanksgiving here we did potluck with friends. It was unclear if the band would get leave, if they were doing a parade, if there were other gigs. So everyone stuck around. It was a nice dinner, though a bit awkward since I didn't really know anyone who was there. We had only been in Great Lakes for 8 months and I was still trying to make friends. My husband accepted a dinner invitation before realizing there were other options. But that was fine. We ate good food, I made an awesome peppermint cake =)

Last year we did another Thanksgiving potluck. The band was certain to do the Thanksgiving day parade in Chicago, so everyone was here. This time was with closer friends. I made two pies and bread. YUM! Challah is kick-ass bread!

This year, however.... my parents were in town last week. So we did an early Thanksgiving dinner. It was Thanksgiving as I remember. All my favorites, cooked by my mom (all I did was pie... do you sense a theme with my contributions??). It was awesome! But in tradition of my mom's cooking, there was WAY too much leftover. Just as I finish recovering from turkey and stuffing overdose, I am about to do it ALL. OVER. AGAIN.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Again, the band is doing a parade. We are doing a small dinner with our close friends. I'm making turkey (just the breast... I don't think I could handle the whole thing!), stuffing, pie, cookies (my kids don't like pie...WTF?!), and either bread or rolls, I haven't decided yet. It will be a nice, quiet dinner. Hopefully a lot of the leftovers will be brought home by our friends. Because...

We also accepted an invitation to a potluck on Friday. Lots of people, so I am told! New friends for me, new friends for the kids. It will be fun, chaotic, and what Thanksgiving is about. To me, it is not just family that makes Thanksgiving. It is all of our relationships. Close friends, acquaintances, in laws, new friends. Everyone is what this holiday is about. I am very thankful for many things (if I ever update my 30 days of thankful you will know... oops...) but near the top of my list is my relationships. Even ones that have long since past have helped shaped me into who I am today.

So, tomorrow night, as I lay back in my turkey induced coma, I will think about my friends. I will think about my best friend from birth, Emily, whom I played with for 12 years, went to elementary and middle school with. We may not talk to each other every week, or even every year, but she helped shaped my childhood and adolescent self. I think about crushes in high school, the friendships of my best friend circle whom I still hold dear to my heart and think about constantly. I think about the friends I partied with, the ones I was a bit too wild with. I am thankful I did that in high school so I could focus more in college. I am thankful for my college boyfriend. He not only put up with a lot of my crap I was going through, but he is still a good friend. I think about finding Dave again after not seeing him for years. I think about all my new friends here, who have made my first move with the Navy a positive and rewarding experience.

So thank you, friends. Very very much from the bottom of my heart.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 3

2011-11-03T07:27:00.000-05:00

Day 3: I am grateful for my cats. Sometimes just a rub against my leg, a mew, or a cuddle can make all the difference in my mood.

30 Days of Thankful

2011-11-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

I will be joining Holly over at Sunny Side Up in an Upside Down World this month for 30 Days of Thankful challenge.

I am excited about this one... partially because it is only 30 days, and we've all seen how I tried to do a 365 day challenge. Yeah, not so much. But also because I think Thanksgiving seems to get lost in all the commotion between Halloween and Christmas holidays. This will get me to really remember what it means to be thankful. Each day I will post something I am grateful for. Please join me in this wonderful opportunity!

Day 1: I am grateful for my husband's job. Not every musician out there is so lucky!

Day 2: I am grateful that my daughter woke up today and said "I promise not to do anything to annoy my brother today." Even if she doesn't follow through completely, it was nice of her to say that.

Friday Confessionals: On My Affair

2011-10-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

That's right... I confess I am having an affair.......

I am cheating on my BLOG!

with this....

and this....

and this...

That's right. I haven't been blogging lately (er... for awhile...) because I am starting an Etsy / Facebook knitting business. I'm having such a blast knitting for friends that I decided to start selling my knitting projects. I have a lot of custom orders already, so I'm spending all my spare time (and not so spare time... sorry house, you are also neglected during my affair) knitting! It's gotten to the point that I am so into knitting I can barely sleep at night because I'm thinking about knitting.

Slightly pathetic... but it makes me happy!

Do you have any confessions today? Be sure to link up with Mamarazzi!

Wordless Wednesday: Preview Post to Why My Blog is Failing This Fall

2011-10-19T09:36:00.000-05:00

Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie

2011-10-02T20:27:00.000-05:00

It's been two weeks since we went apple picking and I STILL have a fruit drawer full of apples... Nothing using up a ton of apples in such a delicious way as apple pie!

This is my FAVORITE apple pie recipe. Not just because it is super yummy, but because it only requires one pie crust, and it is far easier to make a crumb top than a second pie crust (I am just NOT skilled at putting on a top to a pie!)

The pie dough is a basic pastry dough recipe that I grew up baking with my mom. The filling is a tweaked recipe from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book.

Basic Pastry Dough: Makes one pie crust
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 stick (4oz) cold butter cut into small chunks
1 tsp salt (less if you use salted butter)
(You can add 1 tsp of sugar if you prefer)
about 1/4 cup cold water

Add flour, butter, and salt to a food processor (I use a mini one because 1. it is all I have, and 2. it fits the dough perfectly). process until mixture has a coarse consistency. Slowly pour a little bit of water at a time through the lid of the processor while running it, do so until dough begins to form a ball. Turn out onto wax paper and shape into a flat disc. Use immediately or refrigerate or freeze for later use. Let stand to room temperature when ready to use.

Cinnamon Apple Pie Filling and Topping
Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 TBSP cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Filling:
up to 10 Apples, about 6 cups when cut (depending on the size, you can use more or less. I always prefer to use more than needed...those extra sugary/seasoned apples are great to snack on while the pie bakes!)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP flour (recipe originally called for cornstarch, but I've always used flour in pies)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Roll the dough into a 12 inch disk. Transfer to a round 9inch pie dish. Trim the edges and pinch together to create a high rim.

In the (mini) food processor, combine pie topping ingredients. Pulse until mixture is crumbly. Do not overpulse, or put ingredients into a bowl and use a pastry blender. Refridgerate until ready to use.

For the filling: Peel the skin off all the apples, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Put into a large bowl toss to coat with lemon juice. Add the rest of the pie filling ingredients and mix well. Fill the pie dough with the apples, then cover pie with crumb topping. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat over to 375F. Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbly, 50-60 minutes. Cool completely to set.

Mommy and Me Monday

2011-09-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

Helping my daughter climb up the slide. This ended with mommy being pulled down the slide!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Want to participate? Make sure you link up!

400th Post!

2011-09-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

Since January 23, 2008, I have written 400 blog posts! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Yeah yeah... I would have hit 400 ages ago had I been a more consistent blogger. But hopefully I have some regular followers by now who are forgiving of my laziness? Maybe??

If you regularly read my blog, I'd love to hear from you. Seriously, I have no idea who reads this. I promise I won't stalk you or bug you with questions or bounce ideas off of you. I just want to see if I am getting lost out there in blog world. (but if you do have suggestions or critiques, I'd LOVE to hear them!!) Obviously don't tell me something like I need crazy graphics or to change html because, in reality, there is only so much a partially computer-illiterate broke person can do!

Anyway, back to the number 400. It's amazing how my life has changed over those 400 posts. I added another kid to the family. My husband got his masters degree, joined the Navy, we moved to Great Lakes, daughter started preschool, sister moved to Houston, mom had major back surgery, etc etc etc. It's been a rough but wonderful few years.

Yet, over all that time, I still feel like I haven't quite found my blog niche. (Here's where your suggestions can really come in handy!!) Should I take the navy band wife approach? I really don't have much to say on that respect. Most of the recipes I make aren't my own, so that's kind of lame. I'm a half-assed crafter (ie, I don't finish half the projects I start!). So, yeah, you can see why I am still feeling a bit lost out here.

ROAR

2011-09-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

I love Target. I found these dinosaur wall stickers in the dollar bins a few weeks ago and HAD to buy them. Now that my son is into trains AND dinosaurs, it only seemed fitting to have a dinosaur themed wall in his room.

Friday Confessionals: On Turning 30

2011-09-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

Hosted by Mamarazzi

Link up and confess your

secrets from the week.

In 4 more days I turn 30. Here are some confessions I have about this upcoming birthday...

I confess... that I have been telling EVERYONE that I'm not bothered at all about turning 30 because I am already married and have children... But I AM bothered!

I confess... that I am a bit nervous that I am almost 30 and have NO idea what to do with my life.

I confess... that I am a bit nervous my husband isn't getting me anything. We always say no gifts, but really, isn't that woman's talk for "you'd better be surprising me!"

I confess... that I totally want to break my diet and go out for Chinese Buffet. Of ALL the places I could pick to eat at that night, that's where I pick. Bring it on!

Got any confessions for today? Make sure you link up!

Wordless Wednesday: So Proud

2011-09-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Extra-Curricular Activities with Preschoolers

2011-09-20T07:00:00.005-05:00

In the past 4.5 years that I have been a mom, I have yet to sign either of my children up for a class (excluding preschool and summer camp). No baby gym, no baby music, no mommy and toddler swim, no dance. Nothing. We've had museum memberships, zoo memberships, that sort of stuff, but I really hadn't seen the point to carting around two small children back and forth between activities that they probably really didn't care whether they were signed up for or not.

Until now...

The community center down the street from us offers three programs in the fall for ages 4-5. Soccer. Dance. Tae Kwon Do. Apparently I waiting too long to sign my daughter up for soccer, so I gathered up information about the two remaining classes. Dance was one day a week and $35/month. Tae Kwon Do was 2 days a week and $30/month. WELL. I am the sort of person who wants to get the most for her money, and my daughter really didn't care which I signed up for, so I picked Tae Kwon Do. Thankfully you pay per month, so if she doesn't like one class, the next month we can sign up for the other!

Last week was her first week and, although she didn't quite grasp the concept of how to punch, she did really well. She followed directions about as well as you can expect from a 4 year old, and she really did try. This week she will have her cute white uniform like the other kids, so I will make sure to have my camera ready!

I hope she sticks with it for awhile. She looks too cute!!

6th Wedding Anniversary!

2011-09-19T13:54:00.000-05:00

This day EXACTLY I married my husband.

6 years ago today was a Monday. He took off school and I took off work and we headed down to the local judge's office. The building was next to the bowling alley I went to as a teen. It was next to the movie theater where I had my first job (aside from babysitting). The building also used to be a little ice cream shop where my camp (then high school) friend Rifka used to work.

Stepping into this building, holding my soon to be husband's hand was nothing but WEIRD! We signed in, handed the clerk our paperwork, and waited for our turn to enter the judge's chambers (really, just a small room with some chairs!). While we waited a large man with a loud voice barged into the waiting room and announced "I WANT TO SUE SOMEBODY!" We were called back to the judge's chambers before we could hear who was being sued and why.

It is amazing that one small, hidden space, among many other small businesses, can hold so much energy, memories, and emotions. Every time I go back home and am driving around the city I grew up in, I always find myself driving by that building at least once. I wonder if that person actually sued another person. I wonder if the Polaroid the judge snapped is still hanging on the wall of other eloped couples. I wonder how many of those couples made it to 6 years like I have.

One question I NEVER ask myself is "did I make the right decision". I have no doubt in my mind that walking into that building was the best decision I have ever made. I am looking at my husband right now, sitting in silence while the children are sleeping (hopefully), and I don't have negative thought about that man running through my mind. I'm not saying he's perfect, I am not delusional (much...) but I know that we are a prefect fit!

I hope the next year is just as amazing as this past one!

Instagram

2011-09-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

I am usually pretty behind on most iPhone App crazes. I only recently (the past month) downloaded and started playing around with the Instagram app. It is a fun way to tweak your photos and make them look fun, old school, unique without knowing anything about photography. This is the app for someone like me who can only handle the camera on her phone or a point and shoot camera. If you like taking photos but don't have an "eye" for it, this is a fun app to get.

My kids having a picnic with a friend before instagram:

My kids having a picnic with a friend after instagram:

Sunset during my run before instagram:

Sunset during my run after instagram:

View of the Pittsburgh skyline from my car before instagram:

View of the Pittsburgh skyline from my car after instagram:

Autumn Is Upon Us!

2011-09-15T06:31:00.000-05:00

Pants, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, fleece jackets... all these items have been taken out of closets and put into our dressers. Temperatures have dropped, apples are being picked off trees, pumpkins are in the grocery stores. Kids are back in school. Hints of yellow, orange, and red are appearing on leaves.

It is becoming autumn, my favorite season of the year. I love the feeling of the crisp, cool air. I love wearing sweatshirts. I love hearing little feet crunch fallen leaves with every joyful step. I love taking my kids to the local apple orchard and watching their faces as they glow with the delight of doing something so simple as picking an apple off of a tree. I absolutely LOVE fresh apple pie! I love hearing the kids talk about Halloween and what they want to be, changing their minds every week because they are too excited to pick just one costume. I love that my daughter ONLY wanted to get Halloween books and cds from the library because she is so excited about a holiday that is over a month away.

What is your favorite season? Does it bring you as much joy as Autumn brings me?

Wordless Wednesday: I Just Don't Even Know How To Respond To This

2011-09-14T07:27:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday- Flashback!!

2011-08-31T07:22:00.000-05:00

my dad.... circa 1970s

Smiles Shouldn't Be This Difficult!

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

After many months of wanting to grow her hair "like Rapunzel"... My daughter decided the tears nearly every morning from tangled hair wasn't worth being like a princess. She declared "I want my hair to be shorter and styled".

I really wanted to get some nice before and after photos since she was getting about 4 inches cut off, but for some reason getting a 4 year old to smile on cue isn't as easy as you would think!!

Independent Play

2011-08-28T08:58:00.000-05:00

Please don't judge me on this outfit... She picked it out herself. And who am I to stump creativity?

Until about a year ago, my daughter was a very independent player. She would sit in the living room or her bedroom and entertain herself so nicely that if I even attempted to play with her, she would get mad at me.

At some point over the last year, she has forgotten how to play independently. She is more whiny, demanding, and insists she does not know how to play with her toys unless either my husband or I am with her. I'm not sure if it is a personality trait or age...but after chatting with other moms of 4.5 year olds, it sounds like this is an age-thing. And it is really darn annoying!! Don't get me wrong, I love playing with my children, but I hate the complaining that comes out of my daughters mouth when I say I can't play with her because I have to do something else.

In an attempt to get her to play without me, we went to the store last night and let her pick out an area rug for her bedroom. Her brother has one of those rugs with the roads and buildings on it for his trains and cars, so we thought maybe her ponies and polly pockets would like to play on a rug too?? (Hey, pirates like flowers and butterflies too, right?).

It has only been about 14 hours and already she has played twice up in her room quite nicely. I hope this works because this momma needs to clean her house!! (Or blog.....)

Friday Confessionals

2011-08-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

I confess...
That it is still August and I have a whole pile of Christmas toys already bought for my children.

I confess....
That I already have their birthday parties planned.
And they are born January/February.

I confess...
Most of the toys I am selling at a yard sale tomorrow are still age appropriate but I am selling them to make room for Christmas and birthdays.

I confess....
I think about this sort of stuff to avoid the fact that if I thought to much about myself or my life as of right now I would be sad and get more depressed.

Go participate with Mamarazzi and share your confessions!

And So The Potty Training Begins... and Stalls. Har Har

2011-08-24T08:08:00.000-05:00

Now that Ben is nearly 2.5 it is time to start at least talking about the potty. So far our tally is

Wordless Wednesday: Food Art

2011-08-24T07:39:00.002-05:00

Blog Redesigned

2011-08-20T12:17:00.001-05:00

I am currently attending my first ever Bloggy Bootcamp. I am learning so much I might not sleep tonight because I will be on my computer all night. This blog WILL be updated by tomorrow, even if it mean my head explodes with frustration and I get no sleep.

I hope I can navigate well enough to make the changes I am envisioning. Please continue to read, if you are new to my blog, please be patient and return to my blog. As always, I appreciate all feedback, positive or negative!!!

Seriously though, why hasn't anyone told me what I am now learning? My blog is a mess and I was oblivious!!

Day Out With Thomas... Take 3!!

2011-08-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today we got to see Thomas the Tank Engine up close and personal... for the THIRD time!

My husband was promptly fired from picture taking...Seriously, why take a picture with Thomas if you can't SEE Thomas??

Some may ask why we've gone three times... it is not like each time was terribly different and it was fairly expensive. Despite the fact that me and my husband find it a little boring and we already know that the actual riding on Thomas is lame, this is an activity that is truly just for the kids and they can't remember the previous visits, especially our train obsessed little boy!!

Waiting in line to board the coaches... Ben said we were on Annie

So, because I love my children and spoil them rotten, I was able to convince my husband to purchase tickets for Day Out With Thomas. When we went 3 summers ago, we got the tickets to ride on Thomas. My daughter was 2.5 and loved it! Last year, she wasn't as into trains and our son was only 1.5 so we paid to enter the railway museum but not actually ride on Thomas. We got away with it probably because our son wasn't vocal enough to say "Hey mom, why are you depriving me of this awesome experience?" This is probably our last summer in Illinois, and our last summer seeing Thomas up close. So hey...what's another $80 to feed into my son's obsession?

You know what? That money was TOTALLY worth it!! He was awestruck!! Seriously, the kid barely made a peep the entire time! He didn't talk full sentences until we got back to the car!

Ok... Maybe my husband wasn't fired after all!

I GIVE UP!

2011-07-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

As in true Kate fashion, I have started yet another project that I cannot finish. I contribute my pathetic attempt at a 365 photo project to the fact that my camera broke. This is probably 20% of the cause. The rest is all on me.

I plan on trying again in 2012. I'm not totally giving up I suppose. I just give up on this particular attempt.

I must have DOZENS of projects started in my house that I plan on finishing... one day. The majority are craft projects. Some have not been started, but many have. Most of them are cross-stitches. I am STILL working on the one I started for my son last year. Maybe by the time he is school age I will finish it?!

have grand ideas for so many things that never get done. So maybe in 2012 I will make it all the way through summer? and by 2014 I can finish a full year of photos?

Broken No More! What To Do With Crayon Pieces

2011-07-25T11:44:00.000-05:00

I have issues with crayons. The moment a new box is opened, my son is ripping the paper off and snapping the crayons. Crayola came out with twist crayons that are awesome, but they didn't solve the problem of what to do with all the broken pieces we've accumulated in the past.

So, thanks to google, I was able to come up with this solution to our crayon problem and not spend another penny!

1. heat oven to 250F.
2. Get an old baking tin that you don't mind dedicating to your broken crayons or other crafts. Spray with cooking spray and fill each area with crayon bits. You can either sort by color like I did, or combine all the colors for super wacky crayons.
3. Bake until crayons are melted.

4. Place the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

5. Pop out the crayons and enjoy!

Of course my son still figured out how to break them, but at least I can always remelt the pieces into new crayons!

Other tips: you can melt the crayons in the microwave or another container and pour the melted crayon into candy molds for cool shapes.

365 Project... How to continue from here?

2011-07-12T15:35:00.000-05:00

I have not posted a 365 Project post since May 14th. I'm not sure how to continue from here. I have been taking photos, I have quite a few. I just can't remember what day I took them!

Dear readers, please help me make a decision. Do I: 1.) spend hours upon hours attempting to figure out which picture goes to which day, or 2.) just post nearly 2 months worth of pictures with captions, and not really label which day they go to?

Cast your votes... NOW!

We Bought WHAT?!

2011-07-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

When I was little, I NEVER went to yard sales. Either my mom wasn't interested, or they just didn't occur where we lived. I suspect it was the latter reason since I don't remember neighbors ever putting their old junk outside on the lawns! Because of that, I never understood yard sales. What was the point? Why not just donate or throw away what you don't use anymore?

When I started having kids, and realized how overpriced pretty much everything in stores is, I discovered Craigslist. I thought that was the bees knees! I can buy stuff I want SUPER discounted and still in good condition. How cool!!

Not too long after she was born, I was told about freecycle. HOLY SMOKES the stuff some people just GIVE AWAY! And it was so easy to give away our old junk. People will pretty much take anything, plus it made me feel better not throwing away stuff that we didn't need that was still good... I even gave away my unused wedding dress to a charity! (That's a story for another post!).

Then we moved to the military housing. What I have experienced makes Freecycle and Craiglist look a little pathetic. Because families are constantly moving, they are always trying to get rid of stuff that they either can't or won't move with. Sometimes we drive down the street on trash morning and people have put out perfectly good scooters, kids desks,bikes, this past week we got a sand/water table. Once the temperatures get above 60, you can guarantee at least three or four yard sales in our neighborhood every Friday/Saturday. As like most yard sales, some stuff really ought to just be donated, or prices are too high, but I am lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it... I say lucky, bank account says unlucky) to find at least one item we could use... Notice I didn't say NEED. Ha ha!

Well... now going back to the title of this post... this is the item we purchased this past weekend. I swear, I normally only spend between $1 and $5 per weekend at yard sales, but this item was WAY TOO COOL to pass up! I checked out the yard sale, bought a container of stamps for $2 because my son really wanted them (and we do actually love doing stamps), and I saw the bounce house. No way would my Hubby EVER agree to this, so when I got home I hesitated to tell him. Much to my surprise, he asked me to take him back to the yard sale to show him. He bargained with the seller, and we got it for half the original retail price!

Now we just need to move somewhere like Hawaii where we could use the bounce house all year long!

Stalled

2011-06-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

I am still taking photos every day, but I am FAR behind on getting them up on the blog since I can only use my phone camera. Our real camera broke. To be more specific, we lost the battery charger. Even if we COULD find the charger, we still could not use the camera because a certain toddler spilled juice on the camera so the shutter no longer opens.

But we are still around, still busy, still snapping photos when we remember, and occasionally videos. But my whole existence seems to be stalled right now. Aside from day to day functionality, everything else is ignored. The kids are a handful due to chilly temps and lots of drizzle and massive amounts of pent up energy. I don't have much help since my husband is working nearly every day and not regular business hours. So I do what needs to be done to keep them happy and fed, but that's about it. After that I can't seem to muster the energy to focus on me or our house. Minimal cleaning is done... enough to keep us clothed, ants away, and visitors not disgusted.

I don't intend this to be a venting post... I'm not really sure what my intentions are at the moment. Kids are entertaining themselves and I have found myself having a few free moments to let my mind ramble on, and my fingers seem to be following suit! That seems to be happening a lot lately, the mind wandering, keeping me up at night thinking about all I wanted to accomplish but didn't, thinking about all I am ignoring, lists of things I want to do but just don't have the energy to do. I've been here several times before... sometimes harmless, others...well, lets just say interventions were in order (don't worry, nothing like that now!!). But that fear of "oh gosh...I don't want to go down this road again" are creeping back into my mind as it goes around in circles. So long as I can keep the day to day going smoothly, things will get back on track, or so I hope!

But right now, with that "single married mom" feeling going on, it is a little difficult to get myself grounded and put my foot down and yell "this is ENOUGH! Go do what you need to do already!!" So stalled is a good word for me and my life right at this moment.

Snippet From Memorial Day Parade

2011-06-10T18:43:00.001-05:00

Chicago Memorial Day Parade ... Go to time stamp 3:49 to see Navy Band Great Lakes... Good closeups of my husband (the tuba player with a blue mouthpiece!).

The Dumb Things We Do

2011-06-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

Sometimes as a parent you come up with a really great idea to entertain your children that turns out to be the dumbest idea ever. Here are some of my more recent ones...

1. Stamps... stamps are fun. I have fond memories of using stamps. Of course most of those memories are from when I was 8. Not TWO and FOUR years old. Thankfully I was intelligent enough to spread the 2 dozen stamps and ink pads on the tile kitchen floor so the mess was easy to clean up.

2. Six Flags on a 95+ degree day... Yeah, not so much. I thought if we went in the morning then we would be ok. I felt as though I was dying after 45 minutes! Goodness knows how the kids were feeling in the heat, but weren't telling us because they didn't want to leave.

3. Bouncy Balls... Yeah, God help my children if they break anything with this dang bouncy balls! The Jacks that came with them weren't the best idea either. The four year old is sad because the two year old keeps stepping on them and breaking them. Thankfully the jacks were free from the treasure box at the dentist.

4. Water guns... These are a current favorite at our house right now. Two year old hates being sprayed with water, but of course is spraying his sister which means she WILL retaliate. Oh well.. at least we bought 8 more yesterday so when friends come over there is no more fighting (over the guns, there will always be fighting over something!)

5. Rocking chairs... I bought two at a yard sale and they are SO super cute. They are wooden and just the right size for my kiddos. Unfortunately the four year old has taken to extreme rocking chair activities. I swear it as if her butt will explode if it touches the chair. She sits every way BUT the correct way. I can't recall how many times I have threatened to give these chairs away. She is a goober and knows that I won't go through with that threat.

Those are just a few examples of my dumb mommy brain as of late. I'm sure there are about 100 more examples of things I have done that I thought would be really great but turned out to be stupid ideas that I soon regretted. Do you have any examples? Hopefully fewer than mine!

Forget Spring, Hello Summer!

2011-05-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently Chicagoland has forgotten a very important piece of information that most of us learn in preschool... the seasons go Fall - Winter - SPRING - Summer... How on earth have we gone from temperatures in the 40s/low 50s to 90?! I actually like the mid to high 60s, thank you very much!

Thankfully my kids don't seem to care about the missing season. They are quite content to dive into summer and all summertime activities. I am pretty sure my daughter will be living in bathing suits the next few months except when clothing is not optional! Tonight, after dinner, Jordan declared it "water play day at our house!" and we filled up the kiddie pool and water table. The sandbox got opened, bubbles were played with, and daddy got the fire going for (MINT!!) s'mores. It is definitely summertime!

Where Oh Where Has Spring Gone?

2011-05-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

I know it rains in spring. I accept that fact. But today is May 26th and it is raining for the third day in a row, and the temperature is not supposed to get higher than 49F. That is just WRONG. Memorial Day weekends are supposed to have people in shorts, grilling, and playing outside. And here I am hiding the kids and myself inside as if we will turn into icicles if we step out of the house!

Not that I had grand plans for the weekend. Holidays in this household are a bit jaded... they mean my husband will be working long hours every day. No holiday weekend for us (if we are lucky we will get a few hours with him!). So it is not like it matters if we are housebound, but I would at least like the OPTION of taking my kids outside without hearing whining about getting wet.

I am sure I will find things for the kids to do this weekend; childrens museum, husband's concert, crafts... but I would prefer to choose those things because we WANT to, not because those are the ONLY activities we can do. I would like parks, Six Flags, walks, etc to be an option! So, please Mother Nature, return spring to Chicagoland... all of us mothers would REALLY appreciate it, especially yours truly!

What He's Been Waiting For!

2011-05-24T08:39:00.000-05:00

Since the new year started, my husband has been counting down the days until Six Flags opened. Seriously, counting EACH DAY. So, when the park opened and he had to WORK every day it was open, he was pretty upset. Yesterday we could FINALLY go!!!

I measured the kids before we left. Jordan is 41 inches, which means that she can still ride all the rides she went on last year, but is 1 inch too short for a few new rides. Ben measured in at 35.75 inches. With shoes, he is 36 inches, JUST tall enough to go on some bigger, real people rides (not those lame little kid rides... I mean, fun little kid rides....).

I do believe that my 2 year old is now a roller coaster JUNKIE! He LOVED all the new rides we went on. And although I was scared to death that my baby was too little for such fast or spinning rides, he did have fun. There were only two rides I will NOT let him go on again until he is a little bigger. I swore I saw him nearly pass out! Of course, being the new junkie that he is, as soon as his head stopped rolling and he could stand, he said "AGAIN! AGAIN!!" But the roller coasters.... those were the biggest hit with him. Thankfully we went on a weekday, at the beginning of the season, with chance of rain, so there weren't a lot of people there and we could re-ride without getting back in line a few times per ride. If the park hadn't closed at 6pm we probably would have stayed longer!

I think this year's Six Flags experience for us will be an awesome one. We can go on rides as a family, instead of one of the adults being left behind with Ben while the other takes Jordan on the big rides. It's crazy. Time is going way too fast. My children are growing into these amazing, fun, thrill seekers!!

Thankfully we can still find horsies on carousels fun so that mommy's tummy can recuperate!

Dear Movie Producers/Directors/To Whom It May Concern

2011-05-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

The past two nights my husband and I watched Avatar. Yes, TWO nights. We got about halfway through it Monday night, and decided we had to go to bed. It was 9:30pm. We resumed last night and again, finished around 9:30 and headed up to bed.

Maybe we are lightweights... but maybe, just maybe, that movie was too dang long! Don't get me wrong, I liked it. But I probably would have liked it more had I been able to watch it in a theater.

Why couldn't I watch it in a theater, you might be asking me. Well, since my husband and I are the only two people on this planet who can put our son to bed, that means we cannot leave our house any earlier than 7:30pm. Which also means we are shooting for an 8:30 movie. If we go to an 8:30 movie that is THREE hours long, we won't be leaving the movie theater until 11:45 (giving 15 minutes for previews). Then drive home, then feed cats, clean up, go to bed. That means, probably going to bed past 12:30am. Our kids wake up at 6. By my calculations, that is not a lot of sleep.

Hollywood needs to have a time limit for movies. 2 hours tops, in my opinion (maybe 2.5 for exceptional movies). As much as I dislike the 7th Harry Potter book being put into two movies, at least then less is lost from the books but I don't have to be in the theater ALL freakin night! I am willing to pay the price of waiting a year to see the two movies.

Although seeing Lord Of The Rings in theater was AWESOME, I didn't have kids then. So it wasn't such a big deal. Now that I am a mom, sadly I can only watch those long movies at home, which totally looses the cool effect. Avatar was kinda lame on my tv and no movie theater popcorn and candy!

So please do me, and many moms out there a favor, movie makers... and make your movies shorter!

Thanks.

Rant over now!

365 Project - Day 136

2011-05-15T09:33:00.002-05:00

Kids playing (extreme) ring around the rosie. At least they are playing together! There was lots of falling down and crashing into each other.

365 Project - Days 112-135

2011-05-14T13:47:00.009-05:00

Day 112:
She had better not pee on that CLEAN laundry!

Day 113:
Lots of blue train track

Day 114:
Thomas Live

Day 115:
Camera fail... Ben had spilled juice on it without us realizing, and so the shutter wasn't opening properly.

Day 116:

Day 117:
The watering hole

Day 118:
Yarrrr

Day 119:
Anyone want to buy this??

Day 120:

Day 121:
Touch a truck event. Jordan said "i'm going to turn off the brake!"

Day 122:

Day 123:

Day 124:
Still needs some practice...

Day 125:

Day 126:
Cinco Di Mayo - Made Mexican Lasagna

Day 127:
Preschool Mother's Day presentation

Day 128:
My Mother's Day present from my mommy... Cake Ball Maker! YUM!

129:
Happy Mother's Day! Shame Ben was too busy looking at Penguins (and sorry this one was on the other Mother's Day post... didn't take many photos that day)

Day 130:

Day 131:

Day 132:

Day 133:
Got a membership to the Kohl's Children's Museum again

Day 134:
Watching the thunderstorm

Day 135:
Playing Thomas on the Wii with daddy

Post Mother's Day Thoughts

2011-05-14T09:27:00.004-05:00

I never thought I would be one of those moms who wanted to spend Mother's Day away from their children. What is the point in that? Isn't this holiday about family? However, this year I asked to spend the night away from the family. That's right... every mother's dream. One night, uninterrupted sleep, and no responsibility in the morning!

Let me back up a little. We had a lovely day. We headed up to the Racine, WI zoo. I love that zoo. It is small but fun. We don't need to bring a stroller because it is just the right size for both of our children to walk around the zoo a few times and not be too tired. The train ride is cheap ($2 per person, Ben was free). We packed our own healthy lunch. It just so happened that it was also the lion cubs' first birthday so the zoo had big cakes and we all got a slice! Perfect morning.

Did our normal naps in the afternoon, hung out a bit at home, visited a new restaurant for dinner... Chinese buffet. I should have known better... DIET FAIL! BUT... SO TASTY! There was food there the kids liked, reasonably priced (and again, Ben was free!). It was super good, not shady like the ones back home in Pittsburgh!

After that... I left. I had some treats, a book, my tooth brush and pjs. I was ready to be by myself. The novelty wore off sometime around an hour after the kids bedtime. Although I was grateful to skip out on the stress of getting my stubborn children to bed, I was lonely and bored without my husband. I enjoyed watching certain shows I can not normally watch because we don't get most cable channels (Army Wives, 16 and Pregnant, and TONS of Law and Order Criminal Intent). But I couldn't fall asleep in that bed by myself, too lonely. No kitties taking up my side of the bed, no husband snoring.

But I have to say, it was all worth it to wake up on my OWN in the morning. I slept till 7:15... sadly in our household, that is sleeping in. Gotta love before 6am risers! And I didn't have kids barging in first thing in the morning with demands, hitting me in the face with toys, and the sounds of unhappy tortured kitties. I wasn't in charge of breakfast or getting the kids out the door in time for Preschool.

Will I ever do that again? Probably not. A few hours of tv and 15 minutes of peace in the morning was not worth missing out on morning snuggles with my boy, kisses and pats on the back at bedtime with my daughter.

This was an exercise in remembering how much I love my children. They fight, they hit, they kick, they scream, they demand, they jump... but they snuggle and love. They are funny and clever, energetic and entertaining. I love them with all of my heart. I have realized that I need to take more time to step back from bad or frustrating situations and remember how much I love them and that they are still SO young and really do not mean to be naughty, they are just reacting to a situation how 2 year olds and 4 year olds react.

I need to remember that each moment of the day, whether it is pleasant or not, is a moment that only my children can give me. And without them, I would still be behind a computer at a desk, spending 8-9 hours a day bored and lonely. They fill my life in a way no other human being could possibly satisfy. Thank you, my children, for making me a MOM.

The Ultimate Plant Killer

2011-04-21T07:50:00.003-05:00

That is what I am... I kill plants with STYLE... well, not even then. Just swiftly and with love.

My daughter REALLY wants to plant a garden this year. She told me we need to grow everything and whatever we can't grow we will get at the store. Love her enthusiasm. Sadly, she doesn't realize that mommy's thumb is RED not GREEN.

It doesn't help that mother nature seems to be against me this year. It is nearly May, and here in the Midwest temperatures are still in the 30s and with lots of wind and little sun. How am I supposed to keep the tray of vegetables a friend gave me ALIVE when they have to stay up high in my house, away from sun?! (If I keep them near a window, the kitties will eat the plants). Let alone PLANT new flowers, fruits, etc?! I don't even know how to move plants from one pot to another, let alone to the ground without completely destroying them.

I had planned to move the vegetables outside, and get new plants, to help my children celebrate Earth Day. Last year it was sunny and in the low sixties, lending us to plant lots of flowers around our tree. This year... well.... its still going to be COLD. Why can't the plants just tell me what they want?!

Hopefully things will take a turn for the better and we can plant our precious vegetables (if they last that long). Hopefully plant some fruits too. And hopefully I won't screw it all up so we actually get edible food later in the season!

365 Project - Days 105-111

2011-04-20T10:21:00.005-05:00

I am FINALLY caught up!

Day 105:
Not so helpful, bud...

Day 106:

Day 107:
Day 108:
Emails about the trains I was bidding on... I have a slight ebay addiction!

Day 109:
Jordan's new big bike!

Day 110:
Jordan was painting Tangled pictures. Fun!

Day 111:
Ben decided the sofa was a GREAT place to put his stickers.

365 Project - Days 80-104

2011-04-18T20:30:00.008-05:00

I've been away for a month. I apologize. Here is nearly all of the last 30 days. I said I wouldn't get this far behind after the last time, but life really sweeps you off your feet sometimes! Don't be offended, my housework has suffered right along with my blog ;)

Day 80:
Took the kids to see Body Worlds at the Museum of Science and Industry. It was cool!

Day 81:
HOLY HAIL!!

Day 82:
Ben wanted to share his magnets.

Day 83:'
got out some Easter decorations

Day 84:

Day 85:
Love these kids!

Day 86:
Driving to grandma's house... Poor kid got sick 3 times in the car.

Day 87:
Ben and his Great-Auntie Nat!

Day 88:
Grandma spoiling the kids with pillow pets

Day 89:
Another nap.

Day 90:

Day 91:
He loved Grandma's kitty.

Day 92:
Weird pancake creature

Day 93:
Yay playgrounds!!

Day 94:
Sleeping children are so precious. I just wish mine would sleep in their beds for nap time!

Day 95:
Puzzle time

Day 96:
Talented Daddy

Day 97:
Newly acquired fire pit!

Day 98:
Darn kid broke my glasses. This is my husband's temporary fix... I felt like such a dork!

Day 99:
80 Degrees!!

Day 100:
More playing outside. We could get used to spring!

Day 101:

Day 102:
Kitty was jealous!

Day 103:
Train ride!

Day 104:
Someone gave away these NINETEEN boxes of cereal!

365 Project - Days 67 thru 79

2011-03-19T19:52:00.006-05:00

Day 67:
Homemade fort
Day 68:
Our new side-of-the-road find
Day 69:
Me: Jordan, did you do this?
Jordan: No, Ben did.
Me: Ben can't reach that high.
Jordan: Oh. Then Ben MADE me do it.

Day 70:
Chicken Pot Pie FAIL

Day 71:
Doh....

Day 72:
I spent the day cleaning. This was my best friend.

Day 73:
Just before our St. Patty's day potluck dinner.

Day 74:
Enjoying some new cake pops at Starbucks.

Day 75:
I caught them playing nicely!

Day 76:
Hanging outside while we watched baby Leah for a few hours.

Day 77:
At the playground.... Spring is almost here!

Day 78:
I love this cat!

Day 79:
Helping daddy do dishes. She actually really loves doing this and its always her idea.

Current Top 5 Kids Movies

2011-03-18T20:53:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted in awhile and my brain is way too tired to think of a clever post or sort through photos. Instead I'm sharing my kids' top 5 movies choices for the past 2 weeks:

1. How to Train Your Dragon (this has been number one for months now)
2. Megamind (we just rented this from red box 2 days ago and Jordan keeps talking about it)
3. Shrek Forever after
4. Cars
5. Toy Story 3 (except the scene with the cymbal playing monkey, that scares my son!)

365 Project - Days 63, 64, 65, 66

2011-03-06T08:00:00.005-06:00

Day 63:
A wonderful friend made these for me!!

Day 64:

Day 65:
He REALLY needed a hair cut! (before and after photos)

Day 66:
Finally received my replacement part for the espresso machine. It only took a month.... It's a GOOD morning!

Things About Me You Might Not Know

2011-03-05T06:00:00.003-06:00

Three names you go by: Kate, Mommy, KJ
Three facts about yourself: I am addicted to my Iphone, I still own lots of VHS (and watch them), I love to read
Three things that happened today: I made pizza, I got chased by my two year old who was pretending to be a dragon, My kids played nicely for 40 minutes so I could work out
Three favorite songs right now: I have no idea.... I haven't listened to my own music in awhile!
Three breakfast foods you enjoy: Pancakes, French Toast, Turkey bacon
Three things on your current to-do list: Clean the bathrooms, take boxes of clothes/toys to Salvation Army, meal plan for next week
Three colors you like: blue, green, purple
Three words you think others would use to describe you: friendly, busy, bake-a-holic
Three objects you can’t be without: cell phone, baby wipes, wallet
Three ways to win your heart: sense of humor, like my children, like my fat lazy cat
Three favorite movies: "The Princess Bride", "Nightmare Before Christmas", "28 days"
Three appetizers you enjoy: mozzarella sticks, chili cheese fries, chicken nachos
Three places you’ve lived: Pennsylvania, Illinois, Australia
Three important people in your life: Dave, Jordan, Ben
Three things you want to say to three different people: I miss you, I think of you even though we don't talk often, Call me!
Three that made you happy today: kisses from my children, good/healthy meals, watching my husband play with our children
Three things you want to do before you die: travel out of the states with my husband, own a house, make a bedsize quilt
Three favorite TV shows: Dexter, Xfiles, South Park
Three home-cooked meals you enjoy: Baked Mac and Cheese, Pizza, BBQ pulled pork
Three things the world would be better without: Fast food, violence, ignorance
Three of your guilty pleasures: Starbucks, buying things my kids really want, eating cookies out of the kids' cookie jar
Three things you are afraid of: fire, something bad happening to my children, dying while my children are young
Three places you want to visit: Australia, Italy, South Africa
Three things you do before you go to bed: Play Words With Friends, feed the cats, tidy up the kitchen
Three favorite books: Harry Potter series, Hunger Games series, To Kill A Mockingbird
Three types of deserts you enjoy: chocolate cake, edy's girl scout limited edition ice cream, peanut butter cookies
Three crazy things you wouldn’t mind doing: um, I dunno, I'm not crazy anymore =)
Three things you like about yourself: my creativity... (um... this one is difficult! It shouldn't be....)
Three things that you look for in a partner: humor, loving, accepting
Three life lessons you’ve learned so far: we can get through anything, mistakes happen and sometimes they are for the better, patience is definitely something you have to be aware of all the time or you will lose it instantly
Three ways you bid farewell: bye, see ya, love ya!

Exercise!

2011-03-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

If I wasn't losing weight or getting more fit, at least me exercising is providing If I wasn't losing weight or getting more fit, at least me exercising is providing entertainment value through my children!!

Spots

2011-03-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how well you can see from the photo, but my son is spotted. Lots of red spots... all over his arms, legs, face, tummy, and back. Poor kiddo!

Of course a parent's first reaction is CHICKEN POX. Most parents don't care. I still remember my mom sending me to friends' houses when they had chicken pox so I could get them too. I'm fairly certain moms still doing that. However, in this household, a chicken pox outbreak would be bad. My husband never had chicken pox. That is the SOLE reason my children received the chicken pox vaccine. So, how could a child who had the vaccine get that same disease he was vaccinated for?

Needless to say, poor little guy was rushed to sick call this morning. We checked in and were put in an isolation waiting room (ha ha!). After waiting, we were finally seen... only to be told NOTHING. Seriously, waste of time. I already knew the spots weren't chicken pox because there was no blistering and he was not sick AT ALL. But just to ease my mind, I wanted confirmation. Basically, he has a viral rash that is like the second cousin to chicken pox. So he has spots, but they are not itchy or making him ill. He is contagious but we don't know for how long. We don't even know what virus it is, only that it is a virus so there is NOTHING we can do. Thankfully he has no other symptoms so there is not anything we need to do for him.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that my daughter does not become spotted so she can still attend preschool. I'm not sure I could handle complete quarantine with both children!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Pizza

2011-03-02T17:34:00.003-06:00

You can use any pizza dough recipe, or this one here. I happened to use a different dough recipe that I thoroughly liked, just for something different.

3/4 precooked chicken cut into strips. I used chicken from our roasted chicken I made last night.
4 Tbsp sweet and sour sauce
1 pound pizza dough at room temperature (one pizza dough recipe)
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese blend
1/2 small red onion chopped
(1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained... I used less since I am not a fan of pineapple)

Preheat oven to 500F. Lightly coat a 14 inch pizza pan with nonstick spray.

Coat the chicken with the sweet and sour sauce, set aside.

Roll out the dough into a 14 inch circle. Place on the pan.

Scatter the cheddar cheese over the crust. Scatter chicken, onion, and pineapple. Drizzle honey BBQ sauce over the toppings. Scatter colby jack cheese.

Place in oven and bake for 8-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust has browned on the bottom.

Makes 8 servings.

365 Project - Day 62

2011-03-02T11:56:00.002-06:00

I have been passing this sign in fron of a closed business multiple days a week for almost 2 years now and it continues to crack me up!

365 Project - Days 45 thru 61

2011-03-01T20:20:00.008-06:00

I am FINALLY caught up with photos! I hope I got them in the right order... I did take a photo every day, but after uploading them all to my blog, I have possibly forgotten which photo goes with which day. I had to upload so many! Thankfully I know the last few are definitely correct. I hope that now I am caught up, I will be posting more often so I don't get as far behind again.

PHEW!!

Day 45:
My little fairy. She loves dress up!

Day 46:
Bedtime reading with daddy.

Day 47:
Our duplo dragon house.

Day 48:
Baking sugar cookies with momma

Day 49:
Going downstairs early in the morning.

Day 50:
Sweet siblings.

Day 51:
Painting...

Day 52:
New (to us) desk... found this being left out for trash.

Day 53:
Where did my kids go?

Day 54:
Loving the melting snow!

Day 55:
"no daddy's hat. ben's hat"

Day 56:
Hanging out with mommy and daddy at Barnes and Noble.

Day 57:
Like father, like daughter.

Day 58:
At the Choo Choo restaurant.

Day 59:
Jordan and Ben playing "bedtime".

Day 60:
Fat cat begging.

Day 61:
A common occurrence at our house.

365 Project - Days 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

2011-02-20T13:11:00.004-06:00

Day 39:
FINALLY finished Jordan's scarf! (started it back in November)

Day 40:
bday party balloon still floating
Day 41:
Walls decorated for Valentine's Day
Day 42:
Be stole my phone and was playing with it under the table.

Day 43:
The birthday girl at Shedd Aquarium. Happy 4th birthday my princess!

Day 44:
The aquarium obviously made an impression on Ben, he carried this sting ray around all day.

365 Project - Days 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38

2011-02-17T20:02:00.006-06:00

Still playing catch up on my project. We're into February!

Day 32:
Snow was falling... blizzard (or as some called it "snowmageddon") 2011

Day 33:
Big helper the day after the blizzard!

Day 34:
First ever attempt at the sled hill

Day 35:
snow piled up in a shopping area parking lot

Day 36:
Happy birthday to my big 4 year old!!! Time flies!

Day 37:
Hometown pride in cookie form

Day 38:
Love this toy!

365 Project - Days 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

2011-02-08T13:24:00.005-06:00

I have to play catch up on my 365 posts... i have been taking the pictures, but lazy about uploading them and getting onto blogger. This finishes up January!!

Day 26:
Ben fights naps hardcore. This is after I had to sit there 20 minutes with my arms over his legs so he wouldn't get up. =(

Day 27:
Silly kiddos after a bath!

Day 28:
Ben's wall art.... That is permanent marker

Day 29:
Trying to get Jordan to nap is nearly as impossible as ben! Here is her finally asleep on our bed, Ginny thought a nap sounded pretty good too.

Day 30:
Eating at the Choo Choo with Daddy!

Day 31:
Using packaging from a box grandma sent to make a dragon!

365 Project - Days 24, 25

2011-01-25T10:32:00.003-06:00

Day 24:
Jordan is REALLY into the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". She loves pretending to be dragons and vikings, and even convinces daddy to play. Here is Jordan being a viking, daddy is her dragon, and Ben is a rival dragon, whom they are hunting!

Day 25:
Dave bought Jordan her own viking accessories. This is her "mean viking face" (with a baby dragon on her lap)

365 Project - Day 23

2011-01-23T14:29:00.002-06:00

My husband and children, Museum of Science and Industry's U505. The only German submarine in the United States.

We did the tour which included sound and light effects. Pretty cool!

Deep Dish Pizza

2011-01-22T13:22:00.003-06:00

For Christmas I received a deep dish pizza kit. It came with the pan, a nifty UNO style spatula, and a little recipe book. I figured since I'm living so close to Chicago, I should learn how to make the famous Chicago style pizzas. This is the first one I've tried, I'm sure you can alter my recipe to whatever preferences you have. (Please excuse the blurry photos... they were taken quickly with my phone. We were in a hurry to eat!!)

Dough Recipe:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 cup olive oil (recipe said soybean oil but I didn't have any, so I used EVOL)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 TBSP salt
1 TBSP olive oil

Dissolve yeast with water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the 1/4 cup oil and mix. Add flour and salt and mix at medium speed, until dough is smooth. Turn dough out of the bowl and kneed by hand for a few more minutes. Oil another bowl with the 1 TBSP olive oil and turn dough to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for two hours on the counter or in the refrigerator overnight (just take it out one hour before use). You can freeze the dough for later use and put in refrigerator for 24 hours before you plan to use it.

Sausage Pizza Recipe:
1 dough recipe
16 oz Mozzarella, sliced
16 oz Italian sausage, ground (we bought the links and took it out of the casing)
12 oz chunky pizza sauce (we just used Ragu pizza sauce since again, that's all we could find)
2 TBSP Parmesan (and or/Romano) cheese, grated
1/2 tsp oregano

Place dough ball in the center of the pan, and, using your hands, work the dough along the pan and up the sides. Lay about 2/3 of the cheese on top of the dough, overlapping slices to cover all the dough. Place sausage over the cheese, working it into a thin disk to cover all the cheese. Spread sauce evenly over the sausage. Place remaining mozzarella, parmesan, and oregano over the sauce. Bake on the middle rack at 475F for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sausage is cooked. (minimal internal temp of 165 with a kitchen thermometer will help guage the sausage.)

365 Project - Day 22

2011-01-22T08:00:00.002-06:00

Chocolaty rainbow pancakes. Yum!!!

365 Project - Day 21

2011-01-21T09:56:00.002-06:00

Are you jealous yet?

365 Project - Day 20

2011-01-20T11:14:00.002-06:00

Starbucks date with mama :)

Tasty Thursday - Southwestern Skillet Macaroni

2011-01-19T20:52:00.003-06:00

This has become my new favorite last minute meal. I always have these ingredients in the house, it is relatively quick and easy to make. AND it tastes GREAT! I have adapted the recipe from a Weight Watchers cook book recipe, adding more vegetables and changing the ingredients a bit. This is too spicy for my kids, so I cook extra macaroni and set it aside for them. You can always add more veggies to bulk it up!

1 1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
.75-1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey (whichever I have)
1/2 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 can corn
1 (14 1/2 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilis (I use hot), with their juices
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded low fat cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend (I use whatever we have in the fridge)

Cook the macaroni according to the package, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet brown the meat until no longer pink over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion, green pepper, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir occasionally and cook until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and corn, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, and stir occasionally until flavors are blended. Add macaroni and cheese, stir to combine.

365 Project - Days 16, 17, 18, 19

2011-01-19T20:31:00.003-06:00

Day 16:
Psycho kitty!

Day 17:
Pretending to be a space flight controller (ie, pressing every button!!) at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Day 18:
watching is better than nothing at all.

Day 19:
Sweet siblings

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Strawberry Icing

2011-01-16T13:17:00.004-06:00

I discovered this wonderful combination yesterday and am glad (angry) that I did! So surprisingly wonderful. I love peanut butter in baked goods, so I like to make these cupcakes. The icing was a last minute decision, and I'm glad I tried it.

I got the cupcake recipe from here. The recipe said the batter yields 12, but I got 15.

I also got the icing recipe online but changed it a bit and this is what I came up with:

1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1-2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

First I cut up the strawberries and put them in my mini food processor to get them more finely chopped. Then I melted the butter, and combined with vanilla and salt. I added 1 cup of powdered sugar and the chopped strawberries. I kept adding more powdered sugar until I got the desired consistency.

The icing recipe yielded A LOT (definitely more than for just 15 cupcakes). I saved it and plan on either making more cupcakes later this week, or drizzling some on cookies!

365 Project - Day 15

2011-01-16T13:00:00.002-06:00

Day 15:

Breaking up some winter blues with indoor hopscotch!

365 Project - Days 12, 14

2011-01-15T16:02:00.002-06:00

Day 12:

"Helping" mommy exercise!

Day 14:

View while driving at 9am. The sun REALLY wants to visit us!

Finally, A New Project!

2011-01-14T13:39:00.003-06:00

I got the idea for a paper/crayon holder for Jordan from a blog I recently discovered, Just Because I am Me. Since we do so much driving and traveling, I thought it would be nice for her (and eventually Ben) to have something special to take with them. Plus my mom is forever buying the kids small notepads and we need more things to do with them.

I need more practice, but for a first try, with NO pattern, I think it turned out really well. Thankfully my daughter thinks just about everything I make is awesome =)

365 Project - Day 13

2011-01-13T13:52:00.002-06:00

My nap fighter.

Tasty Thursday - Roasted Chicken

2011-01-12T12:38:00.006-06:00

I had always been afraid to cook an entire roasting chicken. I figured it was too difficult to monitor whether it was undercooked/overcooked. I thought it was hard to keep it from drying out or not having enough flavor.

Boy was I WRONG! I found a recipe online and tweaked it a little bit to my own liking. And I prefer to cook my chicken this way, instead of buying chicken breasts, because we are saving money and getting MORE chicken for what we are spending.

I use whatever size chicken is available at my store. The smallest I've cooked is 3lb, the largest was the one pictured above, 7.5lb!

6 TBSP butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 TBSP paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Place chicken in an ungreased baking pan or roasting pan. Preheat oven to 325.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until butter melts completely. Remove from heat and pour over the chicken. Bake for 1.5 hours (smaller chicken, my 7.5lber took about 2 hours), or until chicken reaches a temperature of about 165. Baste occasionally.

This recipe is SO simple and so yummy. I make about one chicken every 1l-2 weeks. Here is a picture of how much chicken I pulled off the bones AFTER we had already eaten dinner. I cannot wait to make chicken enchiladas with it tonight!

365 Project - Days 10, 11

2011-01-11T19:15:00.003-06:00

Day 10:

We re-arranged Jordan's room a bit so that her doll house can be put to use daily. Ben hogged it for hours the first day. He did well playing with the people, but as you can see, other creatures entered the house!

Day 11:

Jordan loves to watch daddy play video games!

365 Project - Days 8,9

2011-01-09T08:58:00.003-06:00

Day 8:
Trying out my new cooling rack.

Day 9:
Jordan's new (to her) desk. This was my sister's when she was in high school, then mine in college.

365 Project - Days 6, 7

2011-01-08T07:49:00.006-06:00

Day 6:

It's a race!

Day 7:

I was trying to get a photo of Jordan's Duplo block house, but apparently someone else was torturing a kitty, who then jumped over my head while I snapped the photo!

365 Project - Day 5

2011-01-05T10:12:00.003-06:00

For anyone who knows our cats, this picture is a BIG DEAL.

When we got Ginny, the tinier of the three (on your right), it was out of impulse. She was abandoned, left alone in the summer to fend for herself. Our friends were feeding her out of their garage, but were not able to adopt her. So after much pleading to my husband, he agreed on a trial period. Fastforward to 4 months later, and the trial period seems to still be going on. Ginny is definitely a third wheel in our happy feline family. Before her arrival, my kitties rarely fought, they rarely hissed, they were pretty laid back. But Ginny definitely rocked the boat. Her young, feisty self has proved that Roy and Alice still have life in them!

Unfortunately, kitty fights are only so cute. Ginny seems to be having a major territorial issue and is taking it out on us. She has been spraying random stuff for awhile now, and you never know when she will do it. The breaking point was when she was an inch away from peeing on my UGG boots, she peed right next to my tooth brush ON THE SINK, and on a resuable bag full of library books/cds/dvds. I lost it. I am NOT one to so willingly get rid of a pet, but I just wasn't sure we could handle much more of Ginny's peeing. I called shelters, they were all full. So, with some advice from friends, we purchased a pheremone-laced purple collar from the pet store.

I am happy to announce we have been spray free for all of 2011... ok, yeah, that is only 5 days, but still, I'll take 5 days!

So I was very pleased when I caught this photo of all the kitties curled up so sweetly on the bed. I don't expect them to be friends, but I hope they can learn to live (mostly) peacefully together.

365 Project - The Beginning, Days 1-4

2011-01-04T12:34:00.005-06:00

I have noticed a few people out there in blogland and Facebook doing 365 photo projects. I never really thought I would participate, but a Facebook friend posted yesterday asking if anyone would like to participate with her. I thought about it for awhile and thought why the heck not! I'm certainly NO photographer. But at the same time, I realize that I probably miss a lot by not using my camera on a more regular basis. I'm very bad about the camera. It comes with us on most outings, but I don't remember to take it out of my bag. Or I take it out, snap one photo, then forget about it the rest of the outing.

So, this year, 2011, I'm not making resolutions. But I am going to take a photo of my family, kids, pets, house, nature, whatever I feel like taking, EVERY day. Some could be posed, neat, clean... but some can be me in my pjs, first thing in the morning, unclean, my messy house, whatever I feel the need to caputure that day. I want to remember not just our special days and outings, but our every day life. I want to capture the beatiful and ugly. And you, my blogland readers, will be able to see my journey this year, one picture at a time!

Day 1:
This is one of our bookshelves in the living room. We still own a lot of vhs tapes (won't get rid of those until I have all the movies on dvd). We tend to use the shelves as a place to put random stuff. Though I don't see my Nook or Starbucks as random ;)

Day 2:
At my son's birthday party. He was so excited about his cake, and apparently beating daddy up.

Day 3:
Me tickling Jordan. Now that she is a big girl, she doesn't appreciate tickling as much as Ben does. She was actually pretty mad at me!! I don't like this picture of me. I am gross from working out TWICE... plus you can see how pudgy my face has gotten from weight gain. (working on that... promise!!)

Day 4:
My sweet girl... we have a nasty habit of watching tv/eating lunch when daddy isn't home for lunch. I just get sooo lazy sometimes, well, combination of tired and lazy. I love this dress, found it at the thrift store! Jordan loves dresses with pockets.

2010 - Year In Review

2010-12-31T14:03:00.013-06:00

January:

Big event... the boy's first birthday!! He was a pro at eating cake right from the beginning.
At the end of the month we went to El Paso, TX. Jordan and Ben met their second and third cousins for the first time. Although we were there for a sad reason, it was nice to catch up with Dave's family and have them finally meet the kiddos.

February:

Jordan turned THREE! She also became fully potty trained!

March:

With warmer weather approaching, we were able to go to the playground and for the first time, Ben was able to PLAY! It was great having two little ones running around the playground.

April:

Jordan got her first bout of lice... EEK! Hence the shortest hair cut she's ever had. It was a disgusting experience I hope to never repeat!
We also took the kids on a train ride, which was definitely awesome in Ben's opinion!

May:

Dave got his first ever grill. YUM!

June:

The kids took their first trip to California for Grandma Luisa's wedding. They also had their first beach experience. They were excited and had a lot of fun. Definitely worth the plane ride. They got along great with their new grandpa!!

July:

Acquired a red wagon. This made all our trips to the zoo and Six Flags much easier! Loved this yard sale find!!

August:

August was a busy month. We went to Pittsburgh to see my parents and my sister+family.
Then my friend from college came to visit. We saw THOMAS!!
And finally I got to meet lots of lovely ladies from my February 2007 Baby forum! It was amazing getting to see a bunch of people that I "knew" so well but had not actually met in person. They came from Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas, and South Africa!!

September:

September was a pretty laid back month. Dave and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary, I had my 29th birthday. We were busy with Jordan's first month of preschool, so no major outings.

October:

We got to visit my best friend in St. Louis this month. We loved visiting so much that we went TWICE! Jordan and Ben fell in love with their new friends right away. During the second visit, we saw the St. Louis Arch and went up!

November:

Ben is a full blown train lover so we went to the Museum of Science and Industry for the first time and he went NUTS over the train exhibit. Here he is trying to kiss the trains.

December:

My parents were able to come out and visit in December. They hadn't been in over a year, so it was great to have them visit.
Christmas was so much fun this year! Both kids were really into the holiday and it was a delight to celebrate with them!

I don't know what 2011 will bring for our family, but I cannot wait to find out!

Happy New Year everyone!

Upholding Traditions

2010-12-24T09:56:00.004-06:00

Last year we made this gingerbread house:

Although it was challenging, only the second one I had ever made, and my child was not quite as patient as I would have liked, I thought that the making of gingerbread houses/objects would be a really fun activity to turn into a holiday tradition.

This year, while visiting the Chicago Botanic Gardens, we happened upon a gingerbread train kit. I LOVED this kit. It came with candy (though I prefer M&Ms so I picked up some at the store), and the icing!

My daughter REALLY wanted gummy bears to be involved in the process, so I decided to use the icing to glue them down, like passengers waiting to board the train. This was a lot of fun and I can't wait to build another one next year! Maybe even do a house AND train.

Another tradition we have started with our kids is the matching PJs. This year mommy and daddy picked out spongebob... I NEVER thought I'd have kids that would love spongebob so much, but they do. Our almost 2 year old breaks out in the theme song multiple times a week. Pictures of said PJS will be posted later, after they have been unwrapped!

We still haven't decided if there will be other traditions started with our family. I do know that I am thrilled to not be traveling this year. As much as I miss my family and friends back in Pittsburgh, I feel so much more relaxed knowing I don't have to pack up and drive 10 hours with the kids! Dave has a church gig this year, so our big meal on Christmas day will be brunch, when he gets home from the church. So far I have apple bread french toast, cinnamon rolls, turkey bacon, eggs, and cut up bananas on the menu. Not sure what else we will have, maybe some sort of apple pastry since we have lots of apples to use up.

In case I don't get on the computer tomorrow, which is likely because I've been a bit of a slacker lately, I would like to wish all of you out there in blog land a very merry Christmas.

Wordless Wednesday - New Chair

2010-12-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

Sundae On Sunday FAIL

2010-11-30T07:58:00.003-06:00

Have you ever agreed to something that you thought was possibly a bad idea but wanted to be the good guy and it turned out wrong anyway? That was me on Sunday. I thought I was the COOL mom who let their kids eat an ice cream sundae for lunch.

Dumb, right?

RIGHT!

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry in the city to see the trains and tornado exhibits. Our kids were pretty much done for at about 11:30am, right when the ice cream shop in the museum opened. Great, lets use our new membership and get 10% off, and get a really cool brownie ice cream sundae. Kids were in HEAVEN! 3 scoops of yummy vanilla ice cream on top of a brownie, each ball of ice cream surrounded by tons of whipped cream, and a cherry on top of each. Oh, and smothered in hot fudge.

YUM!

Let me just say, now that I am an experienced mom.... Ice cream + lunch time + hour car ride home = daughter puking.

YUCK!

Thankfully daughter said later, when she was feeling better, "I am never going to eat ice cream and brownie at the same time again. It made me sick!" Let's see if she remembers that next time she asks for a sundae.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T09:57:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone out there in blogland!!

I have so much to be thankful for- my family (immediate and extended), friends (online and "real life" both of which help hold me together!!), my kitties, my husband's job, our amazing house we got in August, the fact that we are able to afford to send our daughter to preschool this year, my children growing up and becoming friends and playing nice together (sometimes), we can afford food, nice phones, Starbucks... (no , seriously).

Of course not everything is perfect, my sister moved farther away. But at least she is still a short plane-ride away should we be able to afford to visit. My job isn't exactly secure, but I know there will be other opportunities out there when the kids are in school full time and I can dedicate more time to working. My mom had back surgery in February, but I am so thankful she has been recovering well and will finally be able to visit us tomorrow. She has not been to see us since September 2009. I am thankful my aunt was able to move closer to my mom and not be so lonely anymore.

I wish we had more "extra" money so that we can help others. I would love to be able to buy a toy (or many) for every Toys For Tots I see. I would love to be able to volunteer or give more than we do. One day, perhaps, when we are a bit more secure and not living paycheck to paycheck I can do that. For now, we do our best to support those we know and those we don't. I am so thankful for our friends here in Great Lakes and being able to help each other out when we need it. I hope we are able to find such great friends each time we move.

Anyway.. I'm rambling on and I have baking to do!

GOBBLE GOBBLE!