(2) Wed Mar 02 2005 08:44 Tantrums Galore: Child development expert Terry Brazelton has this theory: preceding every step in social, emotional, and sometimes physical development, children experience regressions and frustrations. By the looks of Samuel's temperament these days, he is due for one of these leaps. I wonder if he is building up to the stage of taking hostages next.

(1) Wed Mar 02 2005 21:24 Always in Fashion, Always a Babe:

*talking on the phone to my sister*

Julie: "Well, I've gotta go get ready for a date."

Me: "Woah! You have a date tonight? What are you going to wear?"

Julie: "Probably just a t-shirt and jeans. We're going bowling, and he isn't going to be dressed up, so I don't want get too dressed up. Besides, I have to wear something that will match bowling shoes."

(5) Wed Mar 02 2005 21:42: That's it! I'm grounded from the internet until I deal with my nest of papers and the kitchen floor. 'Tis true that a person can afford to be less fastidious about housework, but the bills will not wait.

I have got to get that RSS feed set up. We've downloaded the Thunderbird program, but Dave says it needs some sort of patch??. He'll have it all figured out soon enough.

Fri Mar 04 2005 10:19 The Kitchen Is My Therapy Couch: I was angsty and frustrated. I kneaded some bread dough. I feel much better now.

(3) Fri Mar 04 2005 10:59 Brownie Points: Sumana--you so totally rock!

(1) Wed Mar 09 2005 12:37 Two-Year-Old Sensibilities: Samuel has an awful habit of not using his napkin at the dinner table. Instead, when he feels the need to wipe his face, he sprints to the living room and face-plants into the couch cushions, smearing food into the upholstery. So, when you come and sit on our abomination-of-a-couch, please be merciful in your judgments. It is not our wish to be unkempt, but the toddler in residence is not fully house trained.

(2) Wed Mar 09 2005 14:01 Favorite Scones: Make these scones. They are the British kind, not the southern deep-fried sort. If you have any left, share them. Your friends will come groveling for the recipe.

Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup “mix-ins”

1 ¼ cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Whisk to blend well. Add the “mix-ins.” Stir the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula while pouring the cream, continuing to stir until a soft, sticky dough is formed.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly (8-10 times). Pat the dough into a circle ½” to ¾” thick. Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place the wedges an inch or so apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush each scone with cream and sprinkle generously with the raw sugar.

Bake at 425º until golden brown and springy to the touch-about 15 minutes.

Mix-ins can include dried fruits, nuts and chocolate bits, or a combination. Favorite mix-in ideas:

Dried tart cherries with golden raisins

White chocolate chunks with quartered dried apricots

Chocolate chips with dried tart cherries

½ cup dried currants along with the zest of one orange

(5) Wed Mar 09 2005 17:24 First Young Love: Atticus came home with a note from Parker that says (in darling preschool handwriting) "A. I. love. you." He also reported that Parker said she wants to marry him. His emphatic response: "Mom--I'm going to stop her!"

Classic case of unreciprocated love.

Fri Mar 11 2005 08:05 Hey, I'm the Tax Man: Bills are paid. *phew* Tax return is filed. *phew* Now I can finally get all related loose papers put away out of my sight. *PHEW*

Fri Mar 11 2005 08:07: Meanwhile my children are jousting with their yogurt tubes. Better clean that up.

(3) Mon Mar 14 2005 20:29 Frogs and Snails and Puppy dog's tails: Samuel peed in the toilet for the first time today. He was very excited about this: "I go pee in the potty. I can pee in the grass. Boys pee in the grass!"

Of all the motivations to toilet train, Samuel just wants to take a leak in the grass.

(1) Fri Mar 18 2005 22:46 TGIF: There is a breaking point in parenting at which the levels of whining, tantruming, complaining and demanding push me over the edge and I begin to whine, tantrum, complain and demand like a ten-year-old. Thank goodness I'm still an improvment compared to a four or two-year-old.

(1) Mon Mar 21 2005 09:35: Playing with corn starch and water is so fun!

(4) Mon Mar 21 2005 12:13 And I Thought Poop was Poop: Today it was necessary for me to change the diaper of the little boy I love to baby-sit. It was interesting to me that I can change my own kids' diapers with no problem at all, but changing the other little boy had me dry heaving. Even though I adore caring for him, he isn't mine, and somehow that makes a difference. What a wonder.

Atticus noticed that the child is uncircumcised. He said, "Mom, how come his penis is chopped off?" I didn't tell him it is actually the other way around.

While I am on this topic, I will warn you to take care when you decide to teach your son the proper term for his anatomical parts. There are benefits, like when you are potty training. Some things really must be named in that situation, and we obviously chose to use the more accurate term. Sometimes that nomenclature can embarrass a parent, though, like when we were visiting a dinosaur exhibit. A group of adults asked Atticus what he thought of the T-Rex. He announced that he knew it was a girl dinosaur because it didn't have a penis. I wanted to die.

(3) Tue Mar 22 2005 15:24 Discovering a Six Legged World: The boys and I ventured out today to see Bugtown, the newly opened exhibit at the KU Natural History Museum. In fact, there are special demonstrations, experiments, and hands-on activities going on all week at the museum for spring break. We did a little bee dance by walking on tape-arrows that were arranged in a bee dance pattern, sort of like something one might see depicting square dance steps. There were little activities that demonstrated the benefits of camouflage for insects. We made a bug at the craft table where children could pick one out of 6 types of construction paper wings, legs, antennae, heads, etc. and create a unique insect. There was a taste test station where Atticus tried chocolate covered ants. I ate a dried Bamboo worm, larvets seasoned with Mexican spices, a dried grasshopper body, and of course the chocolate covered ants. Samuel tried every single thing in his reach. I guess he thought that since it was all presented on plates, it was meant to be eaten. He never hesitated to munch away. I pretty strongly regretted eating the grasshopper. Eating it wasn't as gross as burping it up for the next few hours until I finally got home and ate lunch. But really, other cultures would have been equally disgusted with the cheese we put in our quesadillas, so it's all relative. Now we are home and snow is falling outside. Ah, wonderful moisture! The grass is getting greener by the hour.

Tue Mar 22 2005 22:42: I started making chop suey for supper, and then realized that all the mung bean sprouts I bought on Saturday were slimey and gross. I fished out a few that were still okay, but it was a big bummer.

(1) Thu Mar 24 2005 10:02 Dreamy Wedding: While we are sharing dreams, I had an interesting one last night. I dreamed Dave and I were at St. Paul's Cathedral for Prince Charles' and Camilla Parker Bowles' wedding. Outside the cathedral, there was chocolate cake instead of grass (watch your step!), and on the cake, an icing of daffodills and tulips instead of real ones. One had only to reach down and dig up a serving of cake to be eaten with one's fingers. It was the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten.

(7) Thu Mar 24 2005 21:16 When I Grow Up: Atticus is continually planning his future occupations, though more often than not, what he is really planning is a persona he wants to become when he grows up. "I want to be Wally West when I grow up, I want to be Batman, I want to be Spiderman, Green Lantern, I want to be a Bionicle, I want to be a construction worker, an airplane pilot, I want to be a bad pirate!" He's always scheming. Tonight at dinner he said "I want to be an Easter Bunny when I grow up--but not the Bunny kind. I want to be a human Easter Bunny."

I think he's really onto something.

Sun Mar 27 2005 21:23 Grrrrrrrrr. . .: My entire address book that I had saved in my BYU e-mail account has been erased. Wah!!! Please e-mail my gmail (alysonmatkin@gmail.com) account so I can keep track of you. Please?

(1) Mon Mar 28 2005 08:56: Okay, nevermind. I already have e-mail addresses (or at least links to addresses) for you if you are reading this. But what about all the lost e-mail info for old high school and college friends? Gone. Woe is me.

(5) Mon Mar 28 2005 14:45: I didn't really like my last entry--too much of an expose, so I'm deleting it. Sorry guys!

(1) Mon Mar 28 2005 20:33 Inaugurating Spring: In celebration of the warmest, nicest day of the year, we spent the evening flying kites and eating a pizza picnic at the park. Happy Springtime!

Tue Mar 29 2005 08:28 Woohoooo!: It is already 59 degrees outside, and we haven't even yet hit 9:00am! Good Riddance, you miserable Kansas winter time!

(8) Wed Mar 30 2005 19:25 Keeping Up With the Joneses: Our neighbors bought light sabers on clearance at Target this afternoon, so guess where I was an hour after they brought their toys home. At Target. Buying light sabers. These things light up, make noise, and protract to over 3 feet.

As I trudged my way to the register to purchase them, I kept thinking about the numerous times I'd said in the recent 24 hour period "Don't whack your brother with that!!" And there I was. Buying light sabers. *sigh*