Fashion Blog meets As Heard In the Back Seat

Today is the day before Easter.

As I was solo parenting on this beautiful Spring day, I sent one child off for baseball practice then told the rest to get dressed and ready for the Easter egg hunt in my mom's neighborhood.

It's a fantastic little Easter egg hunt, with just the right amount of kids they get to elbow their way through but not so many that they can't find any eggs.

Unfortunately, I did not snap a photo of Miss Elsa's outfit for the big hunt.  Thankfully, my sister was there with her big fancy camera and got a stellar shot of Miss Fashionista.  When she loads them onto her computer I'll be sure to grab a copy and put it on here.

Truthfully, she stood out in the crowd.

Of course on the way home said Fashionista was entertaining the crowd in the car with an impressive listing of...

(are you ready?)

it's completely and totally inappropriate...

and I should have stopped it,

except that she was bringing out such beautiful belly laughter from her siblings...

drum roll...

but#ho+l%s.  *

Yup.

Bunny but#ho*l*s,

doggie  but#ho*l*s,

birdy  but#ho*l*s,

fishy but#ho*l*s,

kitty but#ho*l*s.

You name it, she listed it.

Delightful, I tell you, absolutely delightful.

I did happen to borrow my mom's cell phone later in the day to grab a photo of her afternoon ensemble.

Now, here's the dilemma.

For Easter the big bunny is bringing each child a pair of goggles, flip flops, and a new swim suit.  Smart bunny is thinking ahead to our upcoming camping trip and that indoor pool that keeps us coming back year after year...

The bunny wasn't sure which to bring her-so she gets two.

I wonder which one she'll select to wear next week...

My vote is both.  It's a nice compromise, isn't it?

I know.  It'll probably be just the shorts.

But I want her to always have options.

Have I mentioned that Easter is extra special to me?

It was on a beautiful Easter morning that my husband proposed to me, on the grounds of the capitol building.

And this year it's supposed to be beautiful and sunny.

Hallelujah, He has risen.:)

*I did that to avoid the dirty birds googling it so they don't see my babies

Cupcakes for Breakfast

Some days need to be celebrated.

Like spending time with old friends you don't get to see nearly often enough.

Like the anticipation of an eagerly awaited annual summertime camping trip.

Like sweet little babies dipped in sugar.

OK, more like a bunch of squirmy little kids covered in cupcake crumbs sitting on the counter top,

and a crooked picture in the background...

It's a sweet, sweet life.

Kindness Abounds

If you stop and look for it, you can watch kindness everywhere you turn.

Sometime it makes me catch my breath, it's so wonderful, so powerful, so inspirational.

My sweet big girl has been growing her hair out for years.

Her grandma told her that when she was a young woman her hair was so long she could sit on it.

So, she's been growing and growing her hair.

The trick is that it became so long that she couldn't brush it herself very well.

And our water is so filled with iron that it made just tossing her hair to the side turn into a big tangle.

Not to mention, she's getting old enough that she wants to style her hair and it was just too long to style on her own.

So, she made the decision to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love.

And the fantastic Sunrise Hair Design gave her a free haircut for her generous contribution.  Something I didn't know before her appointment.

Here she is carefree, and on top of the world with her little brother with her toasted-marshmallow-colored bouncy hair.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch a friend surprised (a couple of weeks early) for her 40th birthday.  The girls who planned the party pulled out all the stops to make it as spectacular as possible- bringing in a friend from as far away as Colorado.  So much work and love to make someone feel special.  She said it was almost like going to her funeral- seeing all these different people there for her.  I thought it was an incredible showing of the diversity of people she's touched in the short time she's lived here in Olympia.

Another friend hosted a fund raising event for a boy we went to high school with who is battling an aggressive brain cancer, who has a wife and two babies.  Our community has pulled together to try and ease the financial burden of the challenges they face, knowing that the biggest battle isn't one we can help with.

To know that there is such a phenomenal community of people looking out for each other, that they care when someone is facing unimaginable challenges.

I see sweetness, selfless dedication, to try to make things just a little bit easier for someone else.

I find it absolutely inspirational.

There's always something we can do for someone else, if we open our eyes and look- we'll see that kindness blooming all around us.

I hope that I remember to point it out to my kids.

That they grow up knowing that that's just what you do for others.

Help when and however you can and try to love everyone in spite of any shortcomings, because Lord knows we all have them.

Brave Boy

The past two weeks the two big kids have been shuttled down to a Hunter Safety class a good 40 minutes away from our house.  After school, between baseball and band practices.  For a two hour long course (three days a week) on safe practices when hunting for the hunter, environment, and animals.

It was a good course that helped to show them that they can do most anything when they try.

That everyone has rules to follow.

That they need to be present every moment they spend hunting, it is serious business.

So one night, when I was snuggling Carl at bedtime (way past his bedtime because of that class) I whispered in his ear,

"You are so smart,

and kind."

He whispered back, "What about brave?"

I affirmed he was very brave and strong.

He told me he would protect me.

To which I replied, "And I'll get your back."

He said, "No.  Charlie will."

When I asked what I could do he responded, "You can be look out."

So, I guess it's settled.

When the need arises, Carl will protect us, Charlie will back Carl and I'll provide look out.

We make a good team.

And yes, they are now card carrying hunters.

Thank goodness, I hope they're good marksmen because I'm very, very worried about keeping them fed as they grow...

Now to perfect my venison and elk jerkey recipe...

Health and Fitness

So, I'm always struggling with trying to work in exercise in my life.

I know that if you don't make it a priority then it'll never happen.

So hard to carve out time to do, but it is important to me.

Nevertheless, my running is sporadic.

I've been trying to make it my number one priority to run every Monday morning when I have everyone in school.  That day there's less of a chance that I'll have conflict with doing something for myself.

And when I do I get a good chunk of time with two people I adore.

Not that I can chat the way they can, it's all I can to do suck in a breath every now and then and try (usually not very successfully) to keep up.

We have a beautiful 6 mile loop that I love, fills me with joy for my hometown, even on drizzly days.

After two weeks of not going running, last week I was so excited to run my 6 mile loop on Monday, a 5 mile version of that loop with another one of my favorite people on Wednesday, and THEN an 8 mile loop (that had a significant amount of walking to it) on Friday.

It felt great to work in that much mileage.

Unfortunately, my body doesn't seem to care for this sporadic activity level.

Last year when I ran 8 miles cold turkey I learned I had arthritis in my knees and downgraded from the half marathon to the 5 miler.

Really, that's what I get for not being able to property train.

This year, true I haven't had the time so far to properly train, but I have been trying hard to run at least once a week.  For a decent distance.

But my feet rebelled.

I was worried I had stress fractures in my feet.  At first the bruised feeling in the ball of my foot was fine once I started walking on it.  But when it started to swell a tiny bit I got worried.

And in that worry I was trying to formulate a plan in case I couldn't continue to run.  How would I keep weight off (I've put on a few pounds from the old HCG and it's tough enough to keep the weight down).  And I love the social aspects of running (again-I just listen to people talk without being able to contribute to conversations because of the heavy panting...).

I could become vegan?

I could try swimming?

So, in my quest to eliminate those extra lbs, with the looming 20 year high school reunion, and the worry that I don't/won't be able to exercise adequately, I'm trying to be even more whole food conscious.

Today, my lunch was sooooo good!.

My mom had made sauteed kale with boiler onions and bacon last Sunday night that was delicious.

Since then I made it again with a sweet onion and pancetta (plus a little bacon fat for flavor).

In light of the rethinking my food, today I tried an even healthier version.

And you can bet your buns I'm making it again.  Maybe it could be a family meal if I threw in some chicken or prawns.  Or at least something for me and Mark.

Here's my ingredients (sorry the mushroom is not pictured, it was shy-ok- I didn't think to take a picture until after it was cooking up and smelled so yummy, hence the nub of a carrot and half onion)

Notice the new kitchen tool?

Here's what I did.

I took a sweet onion and sliced 1/2 of it thinly.

I took a big portabello mushroom and sliced that thinly too.

I covered my big cast iron skillet with olive oil (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and added the onion and mushroom to saute for a while sprinkled with fresh ground pepper.

Next I dumped in about 1/2 a bag of trader joe's kale.

Then I took my new vegetable peeler that juliennes the veggies and shaved up a massive carrot and half a zucchini.

I sprinkled it all with garlic salt and cooked it until it looked adequately done to me.

It was delicious.

Here it is in the pan.  And yes, I ate it ALL.

Oh, and I went to the podiatrist today.  One of the tiny little bones under by big toe knuckle (ball of my foot) is inflamed.  Got some orthotics and I should be good to go.  They're the SOLE ARCH SUPPORT from REI.  Nice quick fix, hallelujah!

AND my insurance covers custom orthotics, so I'll get those made and will be zipping around in no time.

Ok, panting after my friends is more like it...  But at least I'm beating the street.

Fashion Blog

I recently blogged about look good feel good.

It's my motto.

I think it just might be my "funkin' awesome" daughter's motto too.

I guess that our opinion of what "looks good" just might be a teeny-tiny bit different.

But hey, that's what makes us all individuals.

Right?

I've noticed there are a lot of social media ways girls are sharing their daily outfits to inspire those of us who may be lacking a little outfit inspiration on our own.

Well, perhaps it's time for a little Elsa Fashion posting.

Who knows, it may become a regular feature (like the earlier "As Heard In the Back Seat" I had going for a while- until the old built in DVD player slowed conversation in the vehicle).

You may have seen the first photo posted in Facebook.

It really is a show stopper.

Literally.

Just after Mark snapped this photo he told me that it was time to take her shoe shopping.

That he didn't care what she picked as long as it wasn't moon boots.

Those were really and truly his words.

I think maybe it was the boots/shorts combo that put him over the edge.

I've just grown to accept the wacky-ness of each ensemble.

Ready?

But the kicker is, that on our way in to Target so she could pick out new shoes,

not one,

not two,

but THREE

little gray haired ladies literally stopped in their tracks to follow this little girl be-bopping into the store to pick out new shoes.

And all three had the biggest grins on their faces as they continued on their way.

That's the thing that's so special about this little one.

I swear, everyone who takes a second to watch her in motion has to smile.

She's so charismatic.

So bouncy.

So full of her own agenda.

She's absolutely bursting with personality.

So, here's her outfit for today, including the new shoes.

You should see how fast she can run in those babies.

She's an individual all right.

And I couldn't love her any more than I do.

Chauffeuring

Last Sunday was a little crazier than usual.

The day was normal enough, aside from having to help my husband pull on his pants.

That's happened once before, when he had this awful unexplained pain through his abdomen, groin, and back.  He spent a year trying to figure out what was causing this pain.  There were several days I had to help him dress himself.  And anxiously watched him hobbling about like an old man.

It was a stressful time,

the not knowing.

He went to his doctor, had MRIs, x-rays, any test we could think of.  That doctor just prescribed naproxin.  Which was completely and totally ineffective.

It was terrifying to watch my husband in so much unexplained pain

how much it affected our daily life

how fearful I was for our future, when our livelihood depends on his physical fitness.

I'm so grateful that he found a massage therapist who knew exactly what the problem was.

His psoas muscle.

Nope, I didn't make that one up.  There really is a psoas muscle (though lots and lots of people have never heard of it) it can be life changing when it cramps up on you.

Thankfully, we were able to get him a combination of massage therapy and acupuncture to clear it up.

Until last Sunday when he tried to stretch his tight psoas on the kitchen counter after we'd put the kids in bed.

It was like a domino mega-cramp.  Poor guy couldn't move.  He was stuck, twisted on the counter top until we called the medics to come dope him up enough to move him onto a gurney and take him in to the ER.

It was hard to see him in so much pain, maybe that's how he felt while I labored with our first baby...  So helpless.

After hanging out in the hospital until 2am I brought him home and have been his chauffeur ever since.

Which is totally fine, if it leads to a more healthy husband.

Really, it's been fun to spend this time with him and not worry about projects and the 100 million things that have to be done hanging over our heads.

But I cannot believe how much time we have spent in a car over the week.

Want the chauffeur tally?

It's a little mind blowing.

Keep in mind we live in the boonies...

Over this one week span our family has had:

5 massage appointments

2 acupuncture appointments

3 physical therapy appointments

2 doctor appointments

1 hair cut

1 basketball practice

1 band concert

and 1 basketball game

Plus fresh cookies dropped off for the fantastic medics who came to the rescue (just before I headed north to staff a public hearing).

We still have a massage appointment on Sunday, and Monday holds a massage, acupuncture and another doctor appointment...

Needless to say, it was absolutely delightful to pause a moment at the Percival Park with the kids, hop on a swing, and enjoy the soothing rhythm of swinging in the fresh air.

In all the hectic running around trying to accomplish every thing that has to be done, it's so nice to stop for a minute and breathe.

I really need to do that more often.

And I'm so very, very thankful to have health insurance that covers massage, acupuncture, and physical therapy.

I feel so fortunate we have these resources to bring him back to constant motion we're all used to, to see the old Mark coming back to us.

Hallelujah!

Look Good Feel Good

I don't know where I first heard that saying, but it resonated with me pretty early on in life.

I remember there was one time in high school when I tried to go to school in my sweats and without a shower.

I couldn't make it through the whole day, somehow I finagled a way home to quickly shower and put on real clothes before heading back.

It's true, if I don't feel like I look good (or as best as I can pull off for the day...) then I feel off all day long.

It's why I rarely go out in public pre-shower- except if I know I'm going to work out or run.  Then I roll out of bed, throw on workout clothes and go for it.  Sometimes just wiping the smeared makeup from under my eyes with my sleeve.

But that's really the only time I do it.

And as much as it bothers me that I feel this way, I feel better with newer name brand things.

I think I've said this before, but I'm consciously trying to raise my kids to not care about name brands or if things are new.  Maybe it will spare them of the shallowness I do not want to pass on...

But oh how I love designer jeans (I buy them second hand), and the latest jewelry and accessories, and styles of shoes, and driving a new car.

As much as I hate that our suburban is such a gas guzzler (both for the $ and the environmental aspects) I feel better about myself when I'm driving it.

Shallow.

I know.

Super duper shallow.

Which is why I'm trying to appreciate the humble pie I was served today.

I drove our 1992 Honda Accord to my meetings for work today.

It's leaking oil, the windshield has a massive crack running through it, the weatherstripping is a bit mossy, the antenna is broken, and it's pretty noisy.  There's a melted green crayon on the back seat, used turkey fryer oil spilled in the trunk, yadda, yadda, and yadda.

Frankly, every time I park that baby I hope that someone I know doesn't see me stepping out of it.

I know.

Shallow.

So today, upon leaving my meeting I realize the battery is dead.

Funkin awesome!

The car is old enough that the headlights don't turn themselves off automatically.  And I forgot to turn them off myself when I parked that bad boy.

Probably because I was in a rush to get away from it so no one would see me near it.

So, I asked a police officer I noticed in the City Hall parking lot if he could help me or know of someone who might be able to help me.

Which he kindly provided me the help I needed.

After he rummaged in his new car for jumper cables it dawned on me that there just might be a set in my trunk.

And, there was!

Silver lining here...

So another police officer helped push the Hondacar into position and I went to pop the hood and accidentally popped the trunk instead.

Feeling like a super idiot I explained to the nice man that I rarely drive that car.

And, under his breath I heard him say, "I can understand why."

Ouch.

I know.  I'm a good person and really, it doesn't matter what kind of car I drive.  And I consciously repeat that to myself every time I get to drive it- over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...

Mmmm Mm!  Humble pie.

Perhaps I'm Turning into a Prude

Long, long ago...

In a time far away.

Before I had kids,

I had many

many

many opinions.

So very many.

Drive thrus were for lazy people.

(Yup, I thought that rude thought in my head and maybe even said it out loud).

Of course now I often drive out of my way to find one that suits my needs, if I have a car full of kids- because we all know shuffling them in and out of a car is often like trying to herd cats...

Hmmm, what else...

Well, the latest was that it was ridiculous that some grocery stores covered up regular magazine covers because they were too suggestive (Cosmo).

Such ridiculous prudes (likely from the bible belt) probably demanded it from afar.

Well, the other day I'll admit that I wished there were such covers over the magazines at our local Top Foods.

Now that my kids read (and 3 letter words are super easy to read quickly) they pay attention to those enticing magazine covers claiming that they'll improve your sex life.

My little boys were thumbing through the latest issue of Cosmo looking at all the exposed flesh.

I think I wish those bible belt prudes would call Top Foods so I don't have to.

"Hey mom, they look like balls!"

They kept exclaiming.

I didn't even look.

Because really, what could I have done.

I kind of tried to encourage them to move on (unsuccessfully).

The same sweet boys spent a good chunk of time hammering geodes to reveal the crystals inside.

I think that's MUCH better than eyeballing all kinds of pictures of people in their undies in Cosmo.

Little Critters

Have I said that I wasn't sure I wanted kids?

Truly, if Mark hadn't been so big on having a big family who knows where we'd be today.

To be honest, little kids with their boogers,

and their runny noses,

the barf

and poop

disgusted me.

It overshadowed the cuteness- by far- in my mind.

I didn't mind them when they were clean and happy,

but I couldn't get out of there fast enough when they were messy and covered in bodily discharge.

Lucky for me, God saw a window the single week I went off of the pill- totally on accident (I forgot to renew my prescription before one insurance ran out and the other took over).

In that single week- out of 13 years of taking pill- God saw his window,

and we now have our precious (usually) little Sarina Grace.

We were hooked.

Of course then followed another, and another, and another before we had to stop the insanity!

So, I don't know how it all happened, lucky coincidence I suppose...that I find myself (today) in charge of my own four kids, plus a bonus 3rd daughter who's been with us since Friday evening (it's now Sunday).

Yet, I wouldn't change this path for anything in the world.

Then there are the animals...

Again, with the mess factor-

I've never been an "animal lover"

though I appreciate them from a distance

I've never been a big, get-in-their-face dog lover.

It completely grosses me out to let them lick my face.

Um, have you seen how they bathe?!

And I know my dog eats poop so I'm pretty sure there are others out there who find it delectable as well...

Gross.

Don't get me wrong.  I love my animals, and I often love giving them loves.  But you do have to admit, their hygiene is a little gross to us humans...

The animal tally today is:

five butterflies (Charlie's fantastic Christmas gift from his family in Leavenworth)

here he is watching over his beautiful creatures

butterfly with open wings

 three dogs- two of our own plus one we get to watch every now and then

Hunter & Ollie

Hunter (right) & Shreker (left)

 And Bob, our beta that I cannot believe has lived so long, in spite of our unintentional neglect.

Bob (right)

It's a wacky, crazy life out here in the country.

And I'm so blessed that it's mine.

And thankful I don't have to watch over 21 chickens any longer.

But that doesn't mean the chickens will be absent forever...

Signing off,
the crazy mama
with 4 (+1 today) kids, 2 (+1 today) dogs and a fish = 9 beings other than herself

Do Boys Have Long Hair?

This morning, as we were walking through a rare patch of sunshine to pick up Carl for this little beauty...

Yup, $1800 so his chin doesn't grow like Leno's.

Anyway, as Elsa and I were walking to the school, I was enjoying the sunshine and she was quiet.

A sure sign something was up.

She held my hand and asked, "Do boys have long hair?"

She was focused and looked me in the eye, patiently waiting my answer.

"Yes" was my instant answer, knowing there was more to the question than the surface.

"I want to be a boy."  She said it quietly but with a whole lot of longing.

Where do you go with that question?

I answered with what came naturally, "God made you a girl.

But that doesn't mean you can't do everything boys do.

And you can still dress like a boy."

I know I've said it before, but I'm so very glad she was not my first child.

I know that if she was my first, I would have projected my own insecurities on her.

Frankly, right now I'm too busy to dwell too long on those insecurities.

Yet, I feel like I have to tread carefully

so that she can maintain her wonderful sense of self esteem.

A little part of me wishes I'd chosen Jackie or Jamie or Chris so that whatever route she chooses in life she keeps as much of herself as she can along the way.

I do love the name Elsa Jane but I love the curly honey-color hair person it belongs to, even if she dresses in her brother's clothes from head to toe.

Really, she is "funkin" awesome.

Nope, that's never going to get old.

This is Really Awesome

Have you heard that song, "Thrift Shop"?

"Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
This is freaking awesome"

Well, some versions use the naughty word but my kids listen to the "clean" version which says freakin.

So...

Last Saturday was the daddy marathon.

Poor guy slept a whopping 2 hours Friday night because he had the joy of tending to the non-tax paying homeless all night long, who were drunk and wanted a free ride to clog up our emergency rooms (but that's a different soap box so I'll stop now).

Anyway, the day's events included: Carl's basketball game at 10 that Mark got to coach, Elsa's dad's day at pre-school (Dad's Snow Great!), Sarina had two basketball games that Mark got to coach, then escort Sarina to the father-daughter dance.

But the humorous highlight of the day, which has brought us all many inappropriate giggles, comes from the mouth of our babe...

Elsa must have been riding cloud 9 after a fun Dad's Day program.

In the car on the way home she informed Mark that Dad's Day had been,

"funkin awesome."

Lyric mix up courtesy of "Thrift Shop."

To make matters even better- at dinner the next night Mark asked Elsa to tell me how Dad's Day had been- trying to get her to say "funkin awesome" again.  When it did come out the kids all thought she said the big F word.

Charlie even announced, "That's the F word!"

To which Elsa stood on her chair, elated, shouting, "I know the F word!" with the biggest smile on her face.  With so much pride and excitement.

Now there's been a lot of things in our house that have been "funkin awesome".

But we have to mouth it to each other to keep it from becoming an epidemic in our house of little comedians.

Yup, our lives are "funkin awesome."

Very Funny God

I think that God must have a great sense of humor.  Truly.  Why else would he allow the scenario that unfolded in my hectic day? Here it is from the beginning... This morning was normal.  Got up, fed the kids, made lunches, took my shower, Mark saw the kids off onto the bus (well 1/2 of them anyway). I busted a#$ trying to clean up the house, upstairs and down (not that that's normal-just the hectic tone of the morning was normal).   It was a day for a rare event- delivery people bringing new furniture!!  I wanted to clean up enough so we looked like the kind of people used to delivery people coming in, at least for part of the day... Then I dropped 1/2 of the kids at my moms house so I could have the joy of going to my 3 years overdue annual exam.   Lucky me. I'm healthy for the most part. The issues I'd hoped to eliminate by removing my IUD, I was told, are just part of being in my late 30s. Ugh. Then I zipped to get the kids, get 3 birthday gifts, off to birthday party, then home for new daybed delivery for a freshly turned 11 year old girl, then post old bed on craigslist. Zip. Zip. Zip. Here and there and everywhere. You know its funny.  As I "cleaned" the powder room this morning (aka swipe a bleach wipe over the visible splotches of urine on and in the vicinity of the toilet) I BRIEFLY thought I should really wipe down every surface in that room.  Then the idea flitted away as fast as the kids say, "mom I'm hungry!" the second they step off the school bus. Did you know there was a brief(ish) time in my life I sold skin care products with the main goal to be able to make enough $ to hire someone to clean my house? It's true!  I'm a terrible sales person, but I hate cleaning toilets that much.  Maybe it's because my mom and grandma are champion toilet cleaners... they even heat water to scrub those bowls sparkly clean. There's no way I can keep up with that standard. So I don't even try. It amused my grandfather to no end when he heard about my aversion to toilet cleaning. So, as I was responding to the various craigslist emails to get rid of the old bed, I heard running water. Realizing that quite a while ago we'd insisted that little-miss-big-pants wipe her own bottom, I thought perhaps she'd forgot to turn off the water in the sink after washing her hands. Ahh that was wishful thinking.  (Both that she'd wash her hands and that the sound was sink water). No.  No.  No. This is God's humor here... It was poopy toilet water streaming over the sides of the toilet bowl. Inches thick on the floor. As I ripped off the lid to the innards of the toilet flushing system and held whatever piece stops the water from running, I screamed at the kids to bring towels and get daddy. Looks like I did get a chance to clean every surface in that little room. And a large, large stack of towels too. Well played big man.   Lesson learned. Maybe I should clean a room top to bottom every now and then.

Does Santa Die?

Mom, "Does Santa die?"

That's the question Charlie posed as I delivered his bedtime cup of water after putting the boys in bed.

My answer was no.

Then Carl chimes in, "See?  I told you."

"He must be God's friend."

Ok, I'll give them that.

Some kids call Christmas Santa's birthday.

So, I could see why they might be friends- Santa and God.

It's tough trying to figure out the order of the cosmos...

Unicorn on the Moon

Tonight when I was tucking Elsa into bed I noticed she was laying on her bed, studying a figurine.

(a little back story here- the figurine was sent to her big sister years ago from her great-grandma, and Elsa recently acquired it by sneaking it out of her big sister's bedroom...)

She held it carefully in both of her little hands.

She was calm

and quiet

and thoughtful,

...it caught my attention.

After stories, as I snuggled that sweet little body in her bed, she said, "I wonder how the unicorn got in the moon."
As I was about to offer up fairy dust as a potential option,

she answered her own question.

"Hmmm" she said with absolute certainty, "it must have been a jet pack."
"I'll bet you're right." I replied.

But to be honest, that one didn't even cross my mind as a potential mode of transportation, but obviously it's every bit as likely as silly old fairy dust.

Jet packs...
I'm so very grateful she shares those tiny little windows of what's going on in her little mind.
She elaborated that,  "It must be lonely up there- on the Moon.  She's probably thinking about her family."

I wonder if Elsa is lonely on the days her brothers and sister are at school. 

Does she feel like that unicorn sitting on the moon by herself?

The other day I took Charlie out to Red Robin for lunch, just the two of us.  His first comment, once we were settled into a booth, was that he wished Sarina, Carl and Elsa were there too.
It's easy for me to use that time when I'm down to one kid to do some of the stuff I've put off or done as quickly as I could with kids underfoot for the past 11 years.

I have to consciously remind myself that the chores can wait a little while longer.

The house will be clean one day, in the relatively near future (ok, a year from now).

But they each want me now.

I'm a big part of their world and I have to show them that they're a very big part of my world too.

Because, of course, they are the world to me.
Today we played kids monopoly, the kids and I, and it was delightful.
I'm one lucky mama to be given these precious babies to love and cherish.
Yes, there are many days the volume of children, the noise, and their needs is overwhelming. 

But that is also part of what makes this crazy chaotic life wonderful.

And those days when I get one on one time with each of them all the more precious, to focus on them and them alone.

I am so very blessed.

Christmas 2012

This will be brief.

Really only two things to convey with this post.

First, to admit, I caved.

Yes, I did.

Even after a terrible bloody nose.

I allowed Santa to bring the two big kids ipad mini's for Christmas- with the condition that mama can take them away at any time.

(Oh the power!)

I couldn't bear to not see that sparkle in everyone's eyes on Christmas morning.

Second, Santa brought my little St. Francis a remote controlled train.

And little spit-fire got her pet dinosaur, who hasn't been allowed into her bed.

Funny, maybe if she would let him in her bed then she'd stay in her bed all night.

Yes, it's that game again.

And mama always loses in that game.

Ohhh the snuggling IS sooo sweet for the 10 minutes that it's comfortable.

Then it's kicking, and belly laughter from the slumbering heavy breathing 4 year old who tosses out "Stupendous" like it's nothing...

Anyway, the second thing I wanted to share is that on Christmas afternoon, when daddy was cuddling the new owner of a remote controlled train, he asked what his favorite Christmas gift was.

His sweet little answer was completely pure, "You.  You were my favorite Christmas gift Dada."

Such a sweet little boy.

And hooray, we had Dada home for BOTH Christmas eve AND Christmas day. 

That's monumental for a firefighter family.

It's always my favorite gift.

I'm so blessed.

So lucky.

I pray this contentment lasts forever.

Quick on her feet

I know, I've been sporadic with my posts.

I'm sorry.

I have a tiny bit more time to myself this year, yet it feels like far less.

Perhaps it's that I have more expectations of that time and that makes it feel like less?

Who knows.

All I know is that I'm achieving less than I'd hoped with my 3 hours of free time on Monday mornings and 2 hours on Wednesday mornings...

Anyway...

This one was too good not to document.

Because, after all, this purpose of this blog is for my kids to read one day when I'm ancient and can't remember a thing any more.

What did I have for dinner, you ask? 

I don't know, I forgot it 10 minutes after it was consumed.

Hahaha.

Anyway, again...

Lately we've had a terrible break out of "stupid" in our house.

For some odd reason I've tried to keep several words out of my kids vocabulary because either I really didn't like them when I was a kid or I find them terribly overused.

To name a few there's: hate, dumb, retard (for obvious reasons- except with an adult with the silly mispronunciation from The Hangover...), god (as in swear word not praying), idiot, fat, butt, fart, etc.

A big one for me is "stupid."

And last night, as I was finishing up dinner dishes, I heard that word out of my (sometimes) sweet little four year old.

Trying to be on top of things rather than pretend I didn't hear it (which I'll admit sometimes I may do) I asked,

"Elsa what did you just say?"

Mind you my tone was kind, not accusatory.

I kid you not, that little whipper-snapper responded

WITHOUT HESITATION

"I said stupendous."

What?!

How?!

Holy moly!

I'm

in

so

much

trouble.

I know now, for sure, that I'll NEVER be able to hold my own in an argument with that kid.

Great.

Stupendous. From a newly turned 4 and a half year old.

Who, by the way, has put some action behind her request to turn her room into a boy room.

Here she is with all the sweet baby girl dresses that have been hanging on her wall two years too long.

Sniff sniff.

She pulled them down all by herself.

She even had to jump numerous times to knock them down.

Yes, I wanted to see her in action- so after she pulled them down I put them back up to see what she'd do.

And she promptly removed them.

Again.

So, I'm thinking I'll find a super big tree wall decal or some sort and make a tee-pee for her room. 

She loves forts.

And it's a boy theme, sort of.

It'll be...

... stupendous (?!).

bottom and balls

I know, it sounds like something someone nasty might use to search for porn.

I assure you, this post has nothing to do with porn.

My boys are just 25 months apart.

They share a bedroom and I have the highest of high hopes that they'll grow up to be best friends.

Yes, they are complete opposites.

Carl is fastidious, a rule follower (most of the time) and a good listener (again, most of the time).

Charlie is carefree and lives life with reckless abandon.

Tonight at dinner we were talking about how many kids each of our kids were going to have.

Elsa proclaimed 6 or 7, Sarina said 4, Carl said 4, Charlie said, "none."

He's going to have dogs instead.

18 to be exact. 

And he'd let them have puppies.

Since Thanksgiving the boys have been in a little sleepover mode.

When their cousins were here they shared the blow up mattress where the air came out enough to make them roll to the middle and snuggle.

Charlie laughs when he asks Carl if he remembers waking up snuggling him.

Since the stomach bug hit Carl's upper bunk mattress has been on the floor next to Charlie's bottom bunk.

Anyway, last night the boys were goofing off when Carl asked Mark to put his bed back on the top bunk and change the sheets.

Mark asked why and Carl informed him that Charlie had been messing around au-natural and bounced on Carl's bed without undies.

His balls and bottom right on Carl's bed.

Mark tried to make him feel better and said they had just taken a shower.

Carl's response was that Charlie doesn't wash there.

Huh.

Nothing like brothers that know ever intimate detail.

Trying Days

Some days I wonder if maybe I've been dealt a fuller hand to deal with than most.

Granted, we have a full family which naturally leads to more opportunities for excitement.

I know I haven't been dealt more than my fair share. 

But sometimes it feels like I have.

This month has been full.

The beginning of the month I had a chance to jet off to Arizona with Mark while he did a countertop job for a friend's second home.  I basked in the sun and shopped a bit for a blessed 48 hours while he worked his tail off. 

My little sister kept the kids for me.  (I don't know why I keep calling her my little sister.  Not that it makes much of a difference now, but maybe to distinguish her from my big sister?  Maybe habit?)

It was her turn to parade 6 kids born within 6 1/2 years about town and hear the whisperings in passing.  "Are they ALL yours?"  "You must have your hands full."  All with a, "you're nuts" undertone.

She was a superstar.  Took them to see Santa, out to lunch, to Jumping Jacks.  They made sweet salt dough handprint ornaments.  They called me to wish me a happy birthday.  Truly she set the bar high.  I know I'm not a fun auntie.  I guess I just have to let her be that, and I'll do my best to try and keep up.

So, I returned home and kept the homefires burning while Mark wrapped up Arizona.

Just the typical- one kid with a fever that didn't go down for over 24 hours, a band concert, basketball game.

On the way up to the airport to pick up daddy

we had a barfer. 

In the car. 

All over the car.

Elsa was sitting in the back back and kept asking, rather persistently,

"what's that smell?!" 

"what's that smell?!" 

"WHAT'S that SMELL?!"

Charlie covered his mouth and nose.

Sarina "ewwed" it up in the front seat

and I just panicked.

Didn't know if I should pull over to the side of the highway on a dark rainy night in seatac or keep driving.  I tried to pull over but realized there was really nothing I could do, so I hightailed it to the airport where a sweet curbside check man loaded me up with a big plastic bag, box of kleenex and fresh bottle of hand sanitizer (which really saved me- with the strong clean scent).

I then traveled to the cell phone parking lot where I cleaned up as best as I could with the far too few diaper wipes left in the car.

Welcome home daddy!!

We survived the night.

The next day poor daddy had to head to work.

That night as I left Elsa's room after putting her in bed I smelled hot electrical something, so I sniffed all over the house to find the source.

Wouldn't you know it? 

The dishwasher.

(Don't ever buy an LG dishwasher)

I opened the door to it, closed it and a big black poof of smoke came out.

Awesome. 

I sat and watched it a few minutes to make sure it wasn't going to explode and refrained from calling 911.

And yes, Mark walked me through turning the power off a the circuit breaker. 

At least it was at the end of the rinse cycle so I called the dishes clean enough and put them away.

Next day, Mark's first full day home and he pulled the dishwasher out to check the connections for replacement and the waterline broke.

All over the kitchen.

And for once I was the one off, blissfully unaware, on a (rather painful) run with some girlfriends.

Poor guy, water everywhere, all on his own.

When it rains it pours, right?

All over the kitchen floor.

Which is actually kind of good, I can't think of the last time I cleaned the floor. 

It could very well be a year ago.

Don't judge.

I don't have any crawling babies anymore...

Yesterday was a horrible, horrible day in Connecticut. 

Thankfully, I took my kids and played hooky to visit Santa Claus on our annual trip to Seattle to see Santa.

It's the only photo I take of all 4 kids on an annual basis.

We all love to look over the photos and marvel at how much everyone has grown.

And I'm so glad that I escaped the media blitz about the nightmare-come-true in Connecticut.

I vacillate between wanting to stay in the bubble and know every detail of what happened.

I like that quote about looking for the helpers whenever there's a tragedy.  I like that reminder to find the good in people who rise to help in time of trauma and tragedy.

There's such a pull to wallow in the sadness and despair of it all.

Maybe I like the idea of looking for the helpers because my husband is a first responder and I pray to God that he never, ever has to witness anything as horrific or a teeny tiny sliver as horrific as what happened to those babies and their educators.

I look into the face of my beautiful babies and it breaks my heart to think of those innocent children excited about Santa Claus and snow and the wonder of wintertime, who faced an unimaginable end.

I pray that they didn't know what happened. 

That somehow they escaped the knowledge of their nightmare.

I have a 6 year old. 

Most of my friends have 6 year old babies.

Here's mine.

Look at the joy on his face as he runs the bases.

Six year olds know nothing but joy in everything and the wonder in life.

Nothing can take away the pain those parents feel at never getting to hold their precious ones again.  At having to answer the siblings questions about when their sister or brother is coming home.  Or the lost look on their faces knowing that something so important is missing, and will be forever.

I don't want to think about such monumental loss.

I don't want to think about what kind of monster can inflict such harm.

Needless violence.

I am humbled by the courageous teachers and educators who sacrificed themselves for those babies.  At those who hid, protected, and expressed love of such magnitude for the ones who survived, as they huddled together not knowing what was happening beyond their sight.

What they've been through is beyond comprehension.

Yes, some days I have a full hand to manage.

And for that I'm eternally grateful.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Give me vomit, burning dishwashers, and flooded kitchens until the cows come home.

Throw it all at me, I will take it all gladly, knowing that my babies are safe.

Soup It's What's for Dinner

Ok, while I'm at it, I may as well share my latest obsession.

Soup.

I've been making all kinds of it lately.

This one has made many appearances since Halloween when I first tried it.  Here's my adaptation from Cooking Canuck:

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe

Yield: Serves 6

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Ingredients

*When I doubled everything but squash- it made A LOT (filled my 8 qt dutch oven)!

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (I didn’t have enough to double so I used costco 2 lb container + 1 ½ red peppers)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 2 rotisserie chickens from costco)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (used one whole container roasted garlic from top foods-in fancy cheese section on the same wall as deli meat)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes (I used tomato sauce)
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives (I didn’t have enough to double)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used a handful of dried)
• I added couple pinches sea salt
• I added 2/3 the bag of sun dried tomatoes from trader joes 

Instructions

1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
4. Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
6. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
7. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
9. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
10. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
11. Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
12. Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
13. Stir in parsley and serve.

Another yummy one is from Amanda B (not my Mandy B but another Amanda B) for my crowd I doubled this recipe so there was enough for leftovers.  And if I were to cook this just for me, I'd fill it with mushrooms.  But if I did that no one in my house would eat any.

·         amanda b's wild rice soup recipe

wild rice soup

3 TBSP butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 box prepared uncle bens wild rice
1/2 cup minced ham
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
3 TBSP chopped slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup half and half or milk
2 TBSP cooking sherry (optional)

melt butter and cook onion until tender
blend in flour and add chicken broth
cook until it boils stirring the whole time
boil for a minute, add prepared rice, ham, carrots, salt and almonds
simmer about 5 minutes

blend in half and half

Another yummy one is from Barefoot Contessa's Italian Wedding Soup.  I remember having this type of soup at the Courthouse in Tacoma one day when I was pregnant with Sarina and never having it again.  So yummy- but if you make a lot for leftovers, pull out what you'll want to set aside so you can add fresh pasta on the reheat otherwise it's pretty gooey.  And since I'm the queen of short-cuts I used frozen prepared meatballs.  I made it for lunch Thanksgiving day.

And all of these go well with either Trader Joe's cornbread mix or this wonderful no knead bread from Frugal Living NW.  Which I have yet to prepare when it isn't a sticky icky mess but somehow it still tastes yummy and totally worth trying to manipulate a sticky blob.  In my 8 quart dutch oven the loaf is a bit flatter than I'd like- so try it in a smaller one if you can.

A Nice Day

Today was a good day.

I woke up to three sweet little boys happily playing legos.

I picked up my girls from their sleepover at Nonna and Grandpa's house with their cousin.

Then we headed down to the Olympia Rock Gym.

It was my first time in there and only Charlie had been there before.

Every chance the kids have had to rock climb they've seemed to love it, and I felt like it would be an active activity I could handle with the kids.

It was awesome.

I learned how to belay the kids so they could climb higher than 13 feet.

Which each one of them did.

Totally do-able and they're good!

And for all four for an all day pass (we lasted 2 hours) it was $30.  Not bad.

killing time until it was his turn

goofing around until she could rope up

what choo talking bout willis?

I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and wise!!

working it

charlie powered through his fear and made it to the top

sisterly love while mama gets Elsa in her harness
(when she was climbing she had to quit 1/2 way up because her hands got too sweaty:)

the natural

she's party billy goat, with chalk falling down

bouldering

Then after the climbing we headed just a hop skip and a jump away to our favorite- Sweet Charley B's for a treat.  Only Carl got a cupcake (cookie dough)- the rest went for candy.  Ok, I had to try the apple fritter cupcake.  Darn it everything in there is GOOD!

That section of town is getting pretty wonderful.

The new Hands On Museum is beautiful- but for me is a one kid at a time place and even then I lost her- too many blind spots to see where they dart to for me.  Anyway, the new museum right next to the rock gym, the beautiful sidewalks around the East Bay, Sweet Charley B's, farmer's market and Percival Landing all freshened up.  We live in a wonderful, beautiful place.

Now, if the homeless thugs that loiter all over downtown would find a different city to dirty up we'd have it made.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist that soap box...)

Covering the World in Concrete- One Project at a Time

So, I know I've disappeared for a while.  I've been pre-occupied.

I really don't know exactly why, but I feel more busy than usual.

Partially because I blog mainly when my husband is at work and he was home for a while.

Partially because I've been helping him to set up his business, running errands, doing his website (with a little- ok a lot of- guidance from a good friend), ordering business cards, putting together estimates, and even helping hold stuff while he completed an installation.

I feel like it's the least I can do to contribute to a business I believe with every bit of me will change our lives for the better.

He is so talented in what he can create.  I know that there are no boundaries in what he can accomplish.  Somehow he is able to venture into a project that is completely new and different and make it turn out beautifully.

And for the first time in a long time I feel confident that we will be able to save a little bit to help the kids with college.

That we can plan a little better for our future.

And maybe we can take the kids to Disneyland again.

I know it won't be handed to us, it is going to take many hours of hard work and dedication, but without sounding too cocky here, I think that we make a great team.

More often than not I'm just his sounding board to work through all the little nuances of his latest project.  Mostly I listen, sometimes I delight myself and provide a little bit of help.

I can see the potential for so many fun and challenging projects on the horizon and I have faith that we will tackle them successfully and with the joy of completing something beautiful.

Wish us luck!

And if you know of anyone that needs new countertops, I know the perfect person for the job...