Mon May 05 2008 12:53 Fierce times 12: I've got a little Christian Siriano at my house in the making. I laughed ashamedly when Aaron told me what Lily told him this morning while he was helping her pick out an outfit. Aaron was trying to get her to settle on some shoes and Lily said, "No, I can't wear those. They are out of style. No, those are out of style too. These are out of style and these are out of style too. I don't want to wear any of those shoes because they are all out of style."

It is probably the fault of the mother who has purchased all those shoes for her to choose from in the first place. *blush* What can I say except that I have a sickness. You know what is really embarrassing is that I was folding Gunnar's laundry and to make my life easier I was piecing together outfits and folding the shirt in the shorts so I can just grab a little envelope of clothes instead of having to dig and dig around to find something that matches. The boy literally has 3 weeks worth of outfits ready to go before I have to do laundry. Granted, someone in my ward gave me some hand-me-downs which was so awesome. It is embarrassing to air my dirty laundry like that (pun intended). Darn those Target sales and Children's Place 50% off sale.

I will say I am proud of myself for not buying the kids new Easter outfits. I am too stubborn to buy something that is not on sale. Nothing feels greater than getting Gunnar church shirts for $4.99 (reg 14.50) and sweater vest for $6.49 (reg $16.50) in addition to a 15% off coupon. Hey, at least I am good at it. So naturally I have to buy one in every color. Just kidding...kinda

Sun May 04 2008 23:09 Gone, baby, gone: The bottles are gone. I took the kids to the dentist this past week, and he totally shamed me into taking Gunnar off the bottle. He is 17 months and I can live with the weening at this point, so I obliged. He hasn't done too bad if you count refusing to drink any milk whatsoever now. This boy used to go through practically a half gallon a day. Trips to the store every 3-4 days was not uncommon for me to take between my husband and kids' milk consumption. Aaron still drinks whole milk as does Lily.

Gunnar will occasionally sign milk and I am always there with a sippy cup for him, but he gets really angry. The bottle was a soothing mechanism for him. He still has his thumb, but no more bottles in bed. I think while I am at it I should take milk away from the night time routine altogether since the dentist tsk, tsked me on that too. Ah, whatever. Aaron's not all that concerned about it, so neither am I.

In that same vein, Gunnar has also been pretty mad at life because of teething as well. His molars are mostly all out, but now I see little canines pushing forth. He often stomps around the family room grunting "no!", his favorite word. He has been unmanageably clingy as well. The kid is about 30 pounds and hard on my back. The child is happy as long as I read stories to him all day long. He could read stories with me for a couple solid hours if I had the endurance for it. It is his most favorite thing in the world, besides me.

On Friday, I was feeling brave and bored so I loaded the kids and stroller into the car and went to Sea World for a couple hours. The kids were awesome and we all had fun together. I took them to the dolphins, and then we saw the tropical tank where the most beautiful fish are and sting rays. It was feeding time for them. We looked at the sharks, and the Clydesdale horses. I took Lily on her favorite ride, well the only ride she can ride really. She got to go twice in a row because there was no line, score! And then we went to the Shamu show where the kids sat captivated the whole time. Even Gunnar sat still. Maybe next time I can muster up the courage to take them to the water park. On the other hand, given Gunnar's abnormal fear of water, maybe I should save that until Aaron can go with me. I have to take advantage though while the weather is still nice.

Thu May 01 2008 18:06 Happy Birthday : To my cute sister Michelle! I love you tons!!!

(2) Sat Apr 26 2008 20:14 I'm still smiling...: So one of my new year's resolutions was to get into running. Little did I know after making that goal that I would run a 10k 4 months later. My friend Nancy actually talked me into it. I finally came around and was like, sure, why not, I will probably have to walk most of it but what the heck. I kinda started training for it but not like I should. I guess it is just the procrastinator in me, but I did not want to take it seriously. I didn't even run outside until race day, just on a treadmill.

I guess I planned on getting in gear a couple weeks before the race, but what actually happened was Aaron's spring break which we were in Houston for part of the time, and that tail end part of the trip and the whole next week following I was super sick. I didn't even make it to the gym. I had some serious respiratory issues. The week after I went but was a little rusty, and then this whole week I have been working out, but in my mind I had serious doubts about my performance. So I set some realistic goals- try not to walk, and keep a 10 minute mile pace.

During all this race pressure and stress, I also was trying to get the house ready Thurs and Friday for Ashley my SIL who was kindly watching the kids for us so that Aaron and I could stay the night in Frederickburg, where the race was, and have a little alone time. Ha, what was I thinking? I was NOT fun to be around because of my anxiety. But I was able to get the house cleaned up enough, pack, and not forget anything for the big day. We checked into our hotel-Econolodge. It was not that nice but $115/night. The cheapest there was. It probably wasn't worth more than $50/night, but when there are slim pickin's you get what you get. Aaron and I went out for dinner there to a place called Freidhelm's Bavarian Inn. Fredericksburg is a serious German settlement town, so we had to sample the local cuisine. We had (raindrops on roses and) Schnitzel with noodles. Ok, just the Schnitzel with noodles, and Bratwurst with Sauerkraut--the best. The Schnitzel was actually nothing to write home about, but their 7 layer homemade chocolate cake was. I am a sucker for chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. If there is no chocolate in it--spit it out. We also were able to stroll main street and "window shop" if you call it that. We headed back to the hotel early.

I was in bed asleep by 10:30, however it was not very good sleep at all, and not because the mattress was crappy, which it was, but because I was so scared that I would sleep in and miss the race we had driven up for, that I kept waking up every hour looking at the time. Finally at go-time we made it down to market square where I got my shirt and number and met up with Nancy. I actually like the shirts they gave us. They are green and hippie looking.

We started the race and at mile 3 there was a hill. It wasn't too bad though, and by mile 4 I got my second wind. I felt great and like I could keep going and going. It was perfect. I wasn't in pain, and the run was gorgeous. The streets were so fragrant with flowers and bushes. And I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day- cool and a breeze. Aaron said he was disappointed that he didn't get any "good" shots of me all red faced and sweaty. That's because the wind was so nice, it dried most my sweat. I could salt your fries with the amount of salt dried on my face, but hey...

I finally saw the sign for mile 5 and I felt really good and like I had the juice to turn up the pace. I finished strong. My time was 54 minutes 38 seconds gun time, crossing the start like 54 minutes 28 seconds (8 minute 46 second miles). There was this cutie old 87 yr old man there that ran it in like 1 hour 30 minutes. He was so cutie shuffling along. Anyway, I got 3rd place in my age group- female 22yrs-29yrs old. I actually won a metal! I can't believe it. My goals were to not walk, which didn't even enter in my mind, and to finish under an hour. I know it is not amazing time, but for me, I couldn't have asked for a better first race. It just felt really good accomplishing that.

After the race and waiting around and the ceremony for my metal, Aaron and I went to The Peach Tree for lunch. It is the quintessential Fredericksburg "Tea Room"/gift shop. When my mom goes to Fredericksburg with her girlfriends, you better believe they go to lunch at The Peach Tree. And sure enough, there were a lot of ladies there for lunch. It was really good too, better than I remembered it. We even bought at the gift shop a pink piggy bank for Lily and for Gunnar a seal for the bath tub that flips his tail so it can swim. We got home to the kids doing just fine without us. I never worried though because Ashley is awesome. She has watched her sister's 5 kids before. She will be great with her little one when he/she arrives at the end of this year. Thanks a ton Ashley for watching the kids, even though David was on a scout campout and you were all alone. The weekend was good fun!

Thu Apr 24 2008 20:19 TMI: Gunnar pooped in the tub yesterday. When Aaron saw it he quickly got Gunnar out and I got Lily out and we transfered them to our tub to finish the bath, or restart the bath rather. I cleaned up the mess and Aaron bathed the kids despite Gunnar wailing the entire time. For some reason literally ever since he was born he has had this fear of water. I am not kidding. From his first sponge bath in my kitchen sink in one of those pink hospital bins they give you, to present he cries and cries at the sight of water. The beach--mad as heck when I took him near the water. The pool, torture. He cried in the bath tub until he was probably 7 or 8 months old every time. He now likes the bath, but only his bath tub. If we ever change the venue, we better wear ear plugs. It is funny because I have this baby calendar, and it has stickers of all his "firsts" and where you write all the things going on in development and such. For each month there is a spot that says "moments we don't want to forget". I was rereading them the other day and in a few months it says "You HATE baths. You scream just hearing the water running. You cry long and hard, and don't stop until you are in your jammies and are feed."..."still hate baths..."

Anyway, Gunnar's crazy fear of water is not what I came to write about. Today after the baths, Lily realized that she was getting wrapped up in the green towel and not the pink. She always insists on pink, and she demanded it. I reminded her that it was dirty because we had to get her out of the bath yesterday when there was poopy water, and I had to wash it first. She goes "Did Gunnar have brown poopies in the water?"

"Yeah."

"And was there strawberries in it?"

"uh, maybe."

"Uh-huh, and cereal in it too."

Eww, too much information!

Wed Apr 23 2008 12:55 Talking hands: Gunnar has made such leaps and bounds in the past 6 weeks in regards to communication. He has "out" down pat- sign and I am pretty sure that is his first word. That and no. He says no a lot. Of course "bird" was his first sign, but he has been doing that one for a long time. He attempts to say "tweet, tweet" but it just comes out as "hee, hee". And he can hear them when I open his door to get him out of his carseat so I am usually greeting with him flapping his fingers and "hee, hee"-ing. While reading books he will point to animals and either sign "bird" or "elephant". When he does "elephant" he will just go "ahhhhh" for the sound. I have occasionally gotten a "grr" out of him for the lion or bear roar. He gets "outside" when I do it but can't sign it yet. He just goes running for the door.

Then there is "shoe" sign which he has been doing for a long time too. He loves his shoes and when I tell him to go get them, he giggles and runs and finds them for me to put them on. And ball he has been doing for awhile too. He loves balls. This week he has been practicing "more" and "please". It is amazing to me how children pick up on things like that. If I sign more then I get more of what she's eating, I imagine what was going through Gunnar's mind today when he came up to me again and again to get bites of my sandwich. It is so cute. And then when I tell him to say (sign) please and he does it, I feel like I have a little monkey on a string.

This is such a neat phase and I think one of my favorite. When what you are saying makes sense to them. They can't really talk, but you know by their look that what you are saying makes sense. And they want to communicate with you. It is crazy that I can teach him something, and that his little brain figures out what I am trying to make him do, and he does it. The brain is amazing.

The only trick with two is all this positive attention and yay-ing and horraying for Gunnar, I need to be doing it with Lily as well because I don't want her to feel left out. It is easy to use the happy baby voice a lot with Gunnar when he is accomplishing his little feats, but with Lily she is past the whole "baby talk", but not really because she starts mumbling like a baby to get a little attention too, wanting me to congratulate her. She has been doing so awesome though learning all the signs I am teaching Gunnar and practicing with him. She will ask him "do you want to get out?" and then sign it, so that's pretty cute watching them communicate.

Yeah, I would have to say this is one of my favorite stages.

Tue Apr 22 2008 21:05 On death and dying: Lily has been exposed to this whole topic the past few months with the passing of Pres Hinckley. Every evening we used to pray for Pres Hinckley in her prayers, and then when he died I can imagine it was so abrupt for her to not really be prompted to bless Pres Hinckley but rather Pres Monson now. She keeps saying Pres Hinckley anyway in addition to Pres Monson, and I don't know if I should encourage it or not. And then when I preempt her saying "bless Pres Monson and Pres Hinckley" she will then exclaim "Pres Hinckley died." Hmmm...

So tonight as I was putting her to bed we were having the discussion about why Pres Hinckley died again, that he was sick and he is in heaven now with Sister Hinckley. Then she said "Is Moppie's mommy in heaven? I want to give Moppie's mommy a kiss." I told her that I wanted to give Moppie's mommy a kiss too, and that she could give her a kiss when she gets to heaven. She then said that when she dies she is going to die with her (stuffed) kitty and turn pink and go to heaven. "But I'm not died yet, mama." Yes, and thank goodness for that.

When I was little I used to ask my mom what she would do if I died before her and she would always reply, "I would go to heaven and spake your little bottom if you died before me." So now Lily is asking questions like where is heaven? Exactly where in the sky is heaven and why can't she go visit heaven?

Lily also doesn't quite get the baby thing. L-"When I turn big and you turn little, you will be just little, little in my tummy. I want to be big and have a little baby." My sweet little baby, when you are big and you have a baby, I will come and take care of you. I just love my sweet little girl.

Sun Apr 20 2008 23:47 Booboos: Poor Lily. If you have seen any pictures on my picture blog recently, especially her portraits taken recently you will notice that she has a red mole looking thing just under her left eye. She got that thing about 2 or 3 months ago. At first I thought it was a scratch, but then it just kept getting bigger and more raised. It is pretty sensitive and can bleed non-stop if it ever gets broken.

Naturally, I took her to the Dr and they referred me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist diagnosed it as a pyogenic granuloma. However, he was not comfortable removing it because he would have to anesthetize the area and since it was so close to the eye he didn't want to take the chances with a 3 yr old jerking and poking the eyeball. So he then referred me to a pediatric surgeon. So I have an appt with him in May. We shall see. Hopefully once it is removed Lily will not have too bad of a scar there. I feel bad that she will have one on her face, but I think when she is older she will prefer tiny scar if there is one over the red mole.

It is funny because I guess Lily doesn't examine herself in the mirror that much so the other day when she looked at herself and noticed this red mole looking thing she exclaimed, "uhh, red eye!" with disgust. I guess you just had to be there but it was funny. I also had to take her into the Dr because she picked up ringworm somewhere. Probably the beach, and she had this big lesion on her knee that I thought was a scrap but it started spreading. Um, scabs don't travel so I took her in.

I have been to the Dr so much this month with my kids and me. I was sick the other week with a cold so bad it lasted like 10 days and I found out I had molluscum on my arm. Mine wasn't as bad as the nasty picture on wikipedia and I only had a few and NO, it wasn't an std since it was on my arm. That's just weird saying. I paid $254 to an urgent care center to get checked out since I don't have insurance and he gave me over the counter meds for my super cold and froze my bumps with liquid nitrogen. So yeah, Lily and my bodies have been falling apart pretty much lately. Let's hope our number doesn't come up again for awhile.

Sun Apr 20 2008 23:21 Roughin it: We went camping again this weekend. Second time with Lily and Gunnar both. It went surprisingly VERY well. I am very proud of myself that I ignored my lazy self and did something extra for the benefit of my kids and family. I am sure everyone knows how much work camping involves, let alone taking kids along. Good thing I live near my mom and I can borrow all her stuff (cast iron skillets, cooking supplies already organized and ready to go, and firewood) that totally helped a ton.

We went with a couple other families in the ward and some more friends met up with us for just the campfire and smores at night but couldn't stay over. I never liked smores growing up, but now I can't get enough of them. For everyone that we invited and couldn't make it, but said "eat a smores for me"...mission accomplished.

We headed out just after Aaron got home from school. I spend most the afternoon getting us packed. We grabbed dinner before heading out since we weren't going to get there till 6:30 and not having a fire started let alone hot coals to cook dinner on would have put us eating dinner around 8 at the earliest otherwise. Not good for the kids...or me. We set up as Lily and Gunnar played with our friends' kids. It was fun to watch them enjoy the outdoors. I want my kids to grow up knowing camping and hopefully when they are teenagers and can't stand to be around us, we will still have that past time in common.

After setting up as friends were trickling in, we gathered around the campfire. Lily couldn't wait to roast marshmallows. I actually put Gunnar to bed before we did that in his port-a-crib in the tent and he went down so well. Especially considering he has 3, just about 4 molars coming in. He has been pretty good teething this time around, just a little clingy more than usual. After we hung out for awhile Lily came up to me and ASKED to go to bed! I will never turn that offer down. I think she was just excited to be there and to get to sleep on the mat on the ground in the same tent as Gunnar and us. Nonetheless, this is way outside the realm of her personality. She went to bed great and never came out of the tent or made a peep after.

We stayed up past 1:00am hanging out and warming up by the fire. It was actually pretty chilly that night. We played the 10 fingers game, a campfire tradition we started with our friends the Barton's when we lived in Utah and went up into the mountains to do evening campfires a lot. We camped on private property this guy owns and rents out to campers, so it was just our group. The only thing bad about this place as opposed to Gardener State Park where we went back in Nov was there were no restrooms. At least it had a port-a-potty, but I am not sure which is worse. Squatting in the woods, or that smelly sick thing. It was pretty cold and my face and nose especially froze since I hate sleeping with my head under covers. Aaron can totally sleep with blankets on his head, but I will hyperventilate if I try. I freak out and I hate breathing warm air.

The next morning we had eggs and bacon breakfast tacos cooked over the fire. This breakfast is a tradition and every time Aaron and I have camped, we have made this. Clean-up is kinda annoying, but you just have to get it done. We headed down to this really pretty river bank and Lily pretended to fish with her friend's fake princess fishing rod. There were pretty big fish in the river. She kept saying as she would reel in the line, "look mama, it's a mamisha!" And when I asked her what that meant she said, "it means I speak Spanish." The only problem is that Aaron says that that means not a thing in Spanish. That reminds me when we were at Sea World a couple weeks ago in the penguin area she kept pointing saying "mira!" (Look) All that Dora does do some good I guess.

After a little play by the river (Gunnar hates any water expect his bath tub, he doesn't even like my bathtub, just his otherwise he screams the whole time like he did when we went near the water at the beach) we headed home. This place was only 30 minutes away so that makes it so worth it. The other place was like 2 hours away. There was tons of laundry to do when we got home and I could not wait to take a shower, but I am really glad we went. I waffled between going or not because this past month has been really stressful for me especially since Aaron is so stressed out with his last month of school and trying to get everything done and turned in. Plus we had to speak in church today, and I really get stressed out about preparing for that. I think it did our family good to get out into nature though. I am just so glad our kids did so well sleeping. Lily did wake up upset a little before the morning but she just got in our air mattress and snuggled with me till it was light outside.

Hopefully we can do this once or twice more this summer when Aaron is on break.

Thu Apr 17 2008 21:34 Strawberries and creme: I love kisses from my kids after they just ate strawberries. They have such sweet breath and although I said I would never do this, I am a mouth kisser with my kids. Gunnar has not had bad breath yet, and I will be so sad when he starts to because baby's breath is divine. If you can't tell, I have a thing with smells.

(1) Mon Apr 14 2008 13:03 Note to self: Never let your little boy walk away without a diaper, if even for just 10 seconds, because he will FOR SURE pee on the carpet EVERY TIME. Gotta love boys!

Wed Apr 09 2008 22:21 Death becomes her: I feel like a UPS truck ran over my head, I just checked my kleenex and there was my lung, and my voice has a nice manly pitch to it. Lily had a dermatologist appt for her eye thing and while we were there, it turns out the rash I have on my arm more than likely needs antibiotics...can my body be falling apart any more than this? Ok, I know it can but I want to be dramatic, after all I am sick.

The worst thing about being sick is no energy. If all it is was sneezing, coughing, runny nose, more coughing, sore throat, and pounding headache then it might be a little doable with kids, but I've been leaving Gunnar in his crib longer after his naps (for his own safety plus he is kinda sick too so he has been resting longer), and leaving Lily in front of Dora on repeat (she no longer naps) so I can get a nap myself. I was winded walking up the street to borrow rice from my brother. You don't want to see my house right now.

And to top it off, the bishop called tonight to see if we could speak. I have an excuse now but I will probably be fully recovered by then. Dang.

Wed Apr 09 2008 11:18 One eyed Jack: Raising kids is like playing the game 52 pickup. You get all your cards organized, high card to low card, then by suit, hearts first and so on. You spend all this time getting everything perfect, every card facing the same way and then someone goes and plays a nasty joke on you, spraying your cards in every which direction. I am so freaking sick of that game right now.

(1) Mon Apr 07 2008 20:16 Speechless: Today Lily called me a jerk. Hmm, I don't even know what to say about that yet.

Tue Apr 01 2008 22:20 This ain't no April Fool's joke: This morning started normal. Clothe and feed the kids. Throw myself together. Today was preschool day so I was planning on taking Lily and then heading off to the gym with Gunnar. Everything was ready so I went into my bathroom just to brush my teeth and then we were off. Except when I came out of my room, something was missing. The kids.

I called for them, but heard nothing so naturally I went in the front to see if they went outside. I looked up and down the street, but they were no where to be seen. So then I thought maybe they were up to no good in the bathroom or Lily's closet or something and that was why it was quiet. So I ran back in to check. No and no. No one in the backyard, nothing. So I ran outside again and I see Lily loitering by the neighbors car and Gunnar not only across the street but going running up the perpendicular street that was adjacent to ours.

Argh! I can't even brush my teeth for 2 minutes without my kids putting their life in danger. I'm serious, Lily is out to get me. I go to the bathroom and come back to find all the wipes pulled out of the container and strewn across the floor, or a tube of chapstick plucked out and smeared across fingers, lips, legs, carpet. And I already keep those things put up. She pulls chairs up to my purse hanging on the wall or to the kitchen counters or jumps the baby gate altogether. I am telling you constant vigilance or I pay the price of major cleanup. Sheesh, give me a break kid for once leave one dern thing alone.

Needless to say, Lily did not get to go to preschool at her favorite friend's house that she loves playing at so much. What gets me is that she opened the door ushered Gunnar outside and closed it all in 90 seconds flat. I didn't believe it at first, but when I saw the door unlocked, I knew. I guess that is one more thing to baby proof, a bolt for the top of the door.

Sun Mar 30 2008 11:23 Donor: I donated blood for the first time yesterday. A lady in our church was organizing it, and I had been wanting to donate blood because I'm like that. I dragged Aaron with me because he has rare blood. When we were discussing blood types when we first got married Aaron said his was rare, and I thought mine was too, but it turns out his is more rare than mine. So I made him come even though he is all squeamish about needles and stuff.

It was no big deal for me because I used to donate plasma for a living in college. Hey- gas and grocery money! I didn't get all woozy at all, and I feel good today. Aaron did really well too. He was nervous on the way there, but then after the fact he said it wasn't bad at all. I would say chances of repeat donation are 100%.

Wed Mar 26 2008 17:06 Pros and cons: Of living in SA, Texas. Pro- great food. Con- Trying to stay away from the great food. Pro- Great winter weather. Con- Terrible summer weather. Pro- In the "mission field". Con- Some people are away from their family (however not me). Pro- Lots of culture, always something to do on the weekend to that effect however I am more of a homebody. Con- Sometimes being the minority sucks (ex middle school). Pro- Fiesta Texas, Sea World, malls, Zoo, close by convinces. Con- Traffic (I think SA has the worse city planning when it comes to roads). Pro- Inexpensive homes low cost of living. Con- High property tax. Pro- No income tax, offsets property tax. Pro- 45 minute drive to outlet mall. Con- 2 day drive to Utah or a long drive to anywhere else. Pro- Small town feel with big town amenities. Pro- You can drive down the road without offensive billboards for strip clubs/movies (CALIFORNIA, Vegas, NYC-is there even a street that doesn't have a porn shop?, even Houston) and for the most part you don't even see those adult related places of business. I think I can count on one hand where the ones I have seen and this city has a pop of more than one million.

For me I really like most things about San Antonio except summer and traffic. Even in the summer though, there are fun water parks and stuff. I remember living in Utah and feeling like it was miserable heat. I think anytime it is hot it feels unbearable. Everything else is great for the most part. I feel bad for people who don't have family nearby because that would suck, and anytime you want to live nearby family that is reason enough to not want to live here. I guess some people like it that way though. I can't even count how many wonderful friends I have met here. There are so many people that are in the same situation as us and there are tons of great people to be friends with.

Anyway, this post is mostly for you John ;). I know Joe always touts Texas. I guess it really depends on what you are looking for. For me it fits. I just wish it wasn't so dang hot in the summer but at least we don't have endless winters which can be depressing (it's been proven). For the record, there are some proud Texan hillbillies however you don't really get much of that in SA because much of it is military or not that "country". People here don't even have accents. Anyways, I am not trying to patronize anyone, it is just why I like.

Thu Mar 20 2008 15:37 Divorce Inheritance: I guess one good thing that came out of my parents getting divorced was the free stuff we got as a result. Having a family of 7 kids, and being good Mormons that my parents were, you can imagine the food storage stash. But when my mom moved with the rest of the kids at home, from the house of my youth back to the house of my childhood they were renting out and reclaimed, she did not have room for boxes and boxes of #10 cans. That's when I got about 10 boxes of 6 cans each. "Hey kids, were getting divorced but here's some free furniture and food storage."

The flour and sugar cans went first, but not fast. It took me a few months to even realize they were in there. Then it was the cornmeal. (I have a killer cornbread recipe, just ask Aaron.) Nowadays, I am looking around my house trying to do some spring cleaning and organizing and decluttering, and combining and consolidating...you get the picture. If you know me, you know how I love to use up and throw away stuff. At first I wanted to save my food storage if you will, in case I needed it for whatever natural disaster or faminine, but I recently realized that this stuff was canned in 1999. We are coming up on a 10 yr self life so far. My thinking now is I better use this stuff before it has to get chucked.

So I looked through our food storage boxes to see what might be useful. A few things surprisingly...oatmeal, lots and lots of oatmeal. So I have been eating it a lot for breakfast. Also, dried apples. I put them in my oatmeal and they are quite tasty. I opened up some dried carrots. They kinda make your pantry smell, but they go well in pastas and such. Soup mix is on the list to test out. It looks alright, but I am not a soup person so this will have to wait when I have no food in the house and I need to go to the grocery store since I put it off as long as I can. Powdered milk. I hate powdered milk. But it is wonderful because Gunnar doesn't know the difference. He likes it, so he gets it when I need more milk or every so often just for fun. I have enough beans to sink a ship. I am no good at cooking old beans, they always turn out crunchy it seems no matter how long I soak them or cook them. I just made some last week into bbq baked beans and they tasted great, but the texture was, well, crunchy a little. Brand new beans from the store I am better at, but it isn't the same as canned beans.

So it's kinda nice having this extra food around. I am glad it is being put to good use and that I won't have to move it in a year.

Wed Mar 19 2008 14:16 I hate goodbyes, shh...just go: Conversation overheard this morning when Aaron was leaving for school.

Lily- Bye, daddy. Don't hit or kick or push at school.

Aaron- Okay, Lily, I won't. Bye.

L- And listen to your teacher at school.

A- I will.

L- Bye.

A- Bye.

L- See ya soon.

A- See ya soon.

L- See ya later.

(door closes)

L- See ya later, daddy, see ya later. Mama, daddy didn't tell me see ya later.

This is Lily's way of saying goodbye and if you don't parrot it back to her, she will keep saying it over and over and over. At least I know that Lily knows the rules for school. Hopefully, she keeps them at preschool.

Sun Mar 16 2008 11:42 Batboy: I took Gunnar to the eye Dr. for his check up a couple weeks ago to see if his vision has worsened with age. Unfortunately, it has gone from a -3.0 and -3.25 to both eyes being a -4.5. So we got new lenses for his same frames and Gunnar got to go a whole day without glasses while they worked on them. I liked being reminded of what he looks like without them once in awhile.

The Dr. kept asking who was the person in the family that has bad vision. That would be my mom's dad Earl Whitney. My mom has a pair of his glasses that are the token "coke bottle" glasses. Poor Gunnar, thank goodness glasses have come a long way. His eyes do look a little smaller in his new lenses but probably nothing more than a mom could tell. Back again in another 6 months...hopefully his vision stabilizes by then.

Fri Mar 14 2008 12:39 Another recipe: When Aaron and I first got married he always complained that I never prepared pork chops with an egg wash and flour, then fried. My mom had literally never fried pork chops before so it was very foreign to me. We always grilled them. I finally found a good "fried pork chop" recipe rather than the boring egg wash and flour method. I got it off foodnetwork.com and it is an Emril Lagassee recipe. When I "fry" pork chops, I will sometimes go all out and get our deep fryer out and fry sweet potato french fries in peanut oil as well. Here are those recipes as follows:

Easy (if you don't count the clean up) Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potatoes (buy the small ones, they are less stringy) I usually get about two per person. (They go fast.)

Cut them into strips, not too thick but I like mine to be meaty. About the thickness of your pinky or ring finger.

Fry them in the deep fryer until they start browning on the edges. Cook longer if you like them crispy.

Set them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle salt and brown sugar.

I like them with ketchup too. My kids can't even tell the difference, and Aaron didn't know either the first time I made them. We got the deep fryer at Costco for $40. You can save the peanut oil for a few fryings too.

Fried Pork Chops

22 saltine crackers, finely crushed

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more for seasoning (I personally don't add any extra salt because the salt in the crackers is enough for me)

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more for seasoning

3/4 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence, recipe follows

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

1/3 cup whole milk

8 boneless breakfast pork chops (small, thin cuts, about 1/4-inch thick each) Me--I use a little bit thicker cut but it takes longer to cook. I just like them thick.

2 to 2 1/2 cups peanut oil (enough to have the pork chop halfway submerged while frying.)

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

In a shallow bowl combine the crushed crackers, 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, Essence, and baking powder.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/3 cup of milk. Season pork chops lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides. Dust pork chops, one at a time, with the cracker-flour mixture and then dip in the egg mixture. Dredge pork chops with the cracker-flour mixture a second time, pressing to coat, and shaking off any excess flour.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a large skillet with 2-inch deep sides. (The oil should be about 1/4-inch deep.) Add the pork chops to the preheated oil, being careful not to over-crowd the pan. Pan-fry the chops for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the pork chops and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Place the pork chops on a paper towel-lined plate.

(2) Fri Mar 07 2008 12:48 Incredibly easy: Not to mention delicious. The other night I made a dinner that is like last resort before I go to the grocery store and every time I make it, Aaron loves it. It's pretty common sense, just throwing things into a pot but here you go:

Taco Soup

1 can corn w/ juice, or frozen, whatever you have

1 large can beans, or 2 small cans (same or mix and match)--I use whatever I have in the pantry but it is usually black, pinto, red, or garbanzo beans, they all taste great.

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup broth or water, you can use water with bouillon cubes

a few shakes of dried onion, or you can chop some if you want.

a shake or garlic powder

1 packet of taco seasoning or if you buy it in the spice aisle at Costco, a couple shakes of that

*if you have left over grilled chicken or fajita meat, chop/shred and add, or you can leave it vegetarian too. Any of these ingredients can be left out or you can add more like a bell pepper or whatever.

Bring to a boil, and then simmer with the lid on for an hour or two or three. Whatever you have time for, and stir occasionally. You could probably crock pot it, but I don't because mine is so big. I use my 2 quart pot that is really easy to clean.

I serve it over tortilla chips, Doritos, or Fritos. Whatever you have left and you want to get rid of. It doesn't matter if they are the dregs of the bag either because you just crunch them up anyway. I like to add sour cream and lemon juice on top as well. Cheese if have/want it but it is really good without it.

Tue Mar 04 2008 13:15 Another day another drama: Lily woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Starting at 4:30AM she was wandering around aimlessly, crying, in the family room mumbling something that sounded like my pink sippy. I might not have gotten up except her crying would have kept me from falling back asleep anyway so I went to remedy the situation so I could get back to sleep.

Apparently, her pink sippy cup was under her pillow and she was mad she couldn't find it and thought maybe I had taken it after she went to sleep and switched it out for a blue one. I know these delusions stem from last night when we were putting her to bed I couldn't find the pink sippy and so Aaron got her a blue one. She refused it and whined and cried until I agreed to go look for her pink one. I found it and came around the corner to give it to her and I see the blue one tossed on the floor in the hall with Lily telling me to give that one to Gunnar. It's a frickin cup, you get what you get, but fine, whatever, I will pick my battles and this one you can win. Your utensils, plates, cups, and bowls will either be pink or Dora so I can have some PEACE. Lily's dad still hasn't figured it out yet. It is not worth putting a yellow cup of milk in front of her at dinner because she will escalate from emphatic remarks to screaming in 0 to 3 seconds. You may think I shouldn't indulge but like I said, I'm picking my battles here.

So after I found her cup and tucked her in bed and left hearing Lily open the door all the way instead of the alloted crack we give her, and she telling me she wants it open that much. Fine, whatever, just go to sleep. So this morning was a nightmare getting Lily ready for preschool. First off, I forced her to wear a green shirt. I know, how dare I. Secondly, it was long sleeved, I've got some nerve, right? And I made her wear jeans. Heaven forbid I make her dress warm when it is in the 30's. She always wants to wear short sleeves and skirts, and tells me 'I'm hot'. I let her win the battle over shoes. She got to wear sandals instead of socks and shoes, so what she is just going to take them off anyway the minute she gets to preschool. Keep in mind trying to get her dressed was 20 minutes involving a time out and lots of snot and maybe a convulsion or two. She finally got dressed when I told her she wouldn't go to preschool if she didn't and that if she wore her outfit she could change right when she got home into whatever she wanted.

It makes me mad because she has had this green long sleeved shirt this whole winter and has only worn it 3 times. Had I known she would act like this I probably wouldn't have gotten it but I was trying to mix things up a bit. Then after preschool, she went into complete hysterics when I cut her sandwich in half. That took another time out and lots of snot lasting about 20 minutes to get over before she came and ate her sandwich. If this is any sign of whats to come when she is 13, I don't know what I am going to do. She already wants to listen to music loud--"turn it loud mom" and is the king pin at the preschool. Seriously, such a boss. I guess Aaron could stay in the military and we could live in some remote country where there won't be much to fight over because we barely will have electricity let alone a mall/boys/options.

(1) Sun Mar 02 2008 20:28 A princess with pierced ears: Yesterday, on the way to Costco Lily was talking about how she wanted earrings in the car. I bought her a little sticker earring and ring set at the dollar spot at Target, and she has been dying to get her ears pierced for a long time. She loves looking at my jewelry and keeps asking me when she can get her ears pierced like mommy. Aaron wanted to wait till she was older and she could make the decision herself, and I did too, so whenever she would ask we would tell her it hurts really bad and does she really want a sharp thing poked in her ear?

That never deterred her. She was very determined to get them so on the way to Costco we made a stop at Shops of La Cantera at Claire's to get it done. We kept telling her that it was going to hurt but she would insist, "No, it's not going to hurt mama." When we got there I asked her which earrings she wanted and of course it was the PINK! ones. They were actually a flower with pink crystal petals and a yellow crystal center. She flinched a little when the guy brought the gun to her ear, but no crying and no objections. When it was done she said, "See mama, I told you it wouldn't hurt." She kept looking in the mirror admiring her earrings.

I have to admit, she looks pretty darn cute in them. When I go to clean her lobes with a Q-tip she jars away and warns me not to take them out. She really likes them...They gave us 20% a purchase in the store since we bought a piercing package so Lily picked out a Dora purse. When we got home, Lily hung her purse up on the hook where I hang my purse. She also asked me the kinds of things I put in my purse and then she showed me what she had in hers...a toy Big Bird and Boo the character on Monsters Inc. She also put her sippy cup in there. So random.

Aaron bought Lily a piggy bank for Valentine's Day and lately we have been paying her money to do chores. 5 cents to get me a diaper for Gunnar. 25 cents to help clean up the living room, stuff like that. We tell her to save up and when she earns enough we will go to Chuck E Cheese. Well, her piggy bank has since broken but she keeps her coins in this Matrioshka Nesting Doll that we bought for her while we were on our Anniversary overnight trip for when we got home. Luckily she had that in her purse because later that evening we were out and about and we promised ice cream for her thinking we were all going to go to Cold Stone after the store, but Aaron and I didn't feel like it after Gunnar's fit in the car so we pulled into the Mc Donald's right there for Lily because she was looking forward to it. We had no cash and I didn't want to charge $1.08 on our debit card and I remembered Lily was carrying around her "piggy bank". I asked Lily if she had her money and her face lit up and was so excited to hand it over to us. Aaron and I looked at each other and laughed because we felt like such losers that we couldn't scrounge up a buck eight to pay for our daughter's treat. Lily didn't mind one bit and she felt like such a big girl for earning her ice cream. It was pretty funny and cute.

I guess it is only fair that this is a long post about Lily since I just did an update on Gunnar too. I'll have to add this too, at church today Lily's primary teacher was wanting to fill out a little thing on everyone in the class and she was asking what Lily wanted to be when she grew up. So I asked her and of course she said "a princess" without hesitation. Her favorite primary song was Twinkle, Twinkle. Try explaining to her that it wasn't one of the choices of primary songs. Also, last Sunday was her first talk in primary. Of course I had to forget because I was so worried about the Valentine's Dance that we (the activities committee) had to set up for and throw (David being the DJ and me having to help make a play list and stuff). So I was so stressed about that all Sat I totally forgot to write her a talk. Luckily, Aaron winged it and it didn't matter anyway because she wasn't talking into the mic and you couldn't hear what she said anyway. She did like getting up though, which is good. I hope she doesn't hate speaking in public when she grows up like I do. Pictures of her pierced ears coming soon.

Fri Feb 29 2008 11:26 Tribute to leap year: I have a question for you Mr. Universe. How come the soft part of a sock is on the outside and not the inside where it will actually touch your skin? It doesn't really make sense now, does it?