Come on In. I just made cookies.

Hello? Hello? Anyone here? ~sneeze~ Geez, it's gotten dusty. Where's the vacuum? OH Eeeek! Ugh. Ew. I walked into a spiderweb. Pth. Pbth. Blech. Sorry, spider. I'll open up this window. . . there. Now, let's just dust this off and then I'll build a nice fire and warm things up in here. Hey, hand me a rag, will'ya? Thanks.

* * *

Ahh, there now. Here, have a seat by the fire. Would you like some tea? I've just put the kettle on. Or there's eggnog in the fridge. . . Oh? Yes, I have that too. Excellent. Here, you are. That's better,isn't it? I've been away far too long. You know how it is, over the holidays- you write a post or two in November, and you have all these ideas in the wings, and then BLAM! Holiday preparations hit you like a mack truck and suddenly you're just barely hanging on as you careen on down the highway, trucking along to your destination. No time for a brief stroll to visit the blog, air out your thoughts a bit, maybe have a relaxed conversation. And so the blog sits, abandoned, with no words to mark this passing time. Soon, only memories (and what unlikely photos you've managed to grab) are all that remains of another year gone by. That, and the mess.

Well, at least I've managed to stop in this evening. Thanks for visiting! It's so lovely to find a few readers hanging on against all odds. Especially since I seldom visit your blogs anymore. Sorry about that. I'll be back! Probably next year, but given time, I'll pop by again. In the meantime I've been doing pretty well checking off my real-world to-do list, and hopefully remembering to have some fun, too. I hope things are good for you as well.

Today was a whirlwind. By this evening my nerves were a bit raw. Dinner was rough- the kids pounded me with an unbelievable array of persistent demands, questions, whining, pleading, griping and just general noisemaking. Babyman was hungry, crying, and rejecting everything I offered. Finally he settled on a boiled egg, which he rejected as soon as I finally placed it in front of him. Meanwhile, my soup grew cold. Amidst all of this, the Pirate decided it was a good idea to go empty the wastebasket out onto the living room floor. It made a great big pile of dog hair, random bits of trash and tons of used-up crayon nubs and dried-out markers that I'd cleaned out of the crayon bin. For a moment, my energy ebbed completely away and I just lay my head down on the table in front of me, despair amidst the din.

I bucked up and made the Pirate clean up the mess. Then what did I do? Why, made Emergency Chocolate Cookies, of course!

I did a Google search to find what I was looking for. They were just as fast, easy and yummy as I needed. Perfection!

Emergency Chocolate Cookies

1 box dark chocolate cake mix
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, blending well. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little water. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute before removing from the cookie sheets.

For altitudes above 3500 feet, add 1/4 cup flour to dry cake mix.

Voila! Tasty. Everyone went to bed happy. Enjoy. And, remember to relax a little. :)
See ya when I see ya.
;)

Christmas recap

Thursday, December 27, 2007


Christmas recap
Current mood: thirsty

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! We've had a great time so far. We've had not one, not two, but FOUR Christmases so far, with one more to go. First at my Mom's last Sunday, then at Billy's folks' Christmas Eve, then a quiet Christmas morning celebration here to see what Santa left, Christmas dinner at my Dad's, and soon we'll travel to see extended family for our final Christmas. Sheesh! The downside of this is, of course, all the traveling and organization involved. But it has several benefits, not least of which is that I didn't have to clean my house for company, and did not have to cook for anyone other than ourselves (and not much of that). So even though I love having everyone over to my house for Christmas, this year's plans worked well.

Santa did a good job choosing gifts this year. :) Littleman and Sweetcheeks both love their gifts (and each others' gifts too!). First thing, they grabbed their swords and shields and mounted their "steeds" (scooter for Littleman, Rody pony for Sweetcheeks) and had a little joust of sorts. Too cute! It's a good thing there weren't too many things to open, because they were having so much fun that they weren't very interested in what else might be waiting under the tree. Eventually they got around to the rest of their gifts, and appreciated them too- but Santa's gifts win the prize this year. :) Makes me feel good.

There's more I could write of course, but I am tired. I'll just leave you with today's thumbs-up:
(other than Rody, who is a HUGE hit)- the award goes to these "meditation rooms" (more at http://www.lime.com/meditation_room ). Check them out, and breathe deeply. Enjoy.

Yule Tree

Saturday, December 08, 2007


Yule Tree
Current mood: blessed

Things are blissfully quiet, but I am very, very tired so this should be brief.

Today, we went to a tree farm and cut ourselves a lovely Yule tree. The older boys had a blast with Daddy, running around with sticks, choosing and cutting our tree, exploring the farm, drinking cider and toasting and eating (too many, in Littleman's case) marshmallows. What bliss. Babyman and I helped choose the tree, and then spent the rest of the time nursing, changing diapers and sitting near the van. It was OK by me, as I had my book (I am rereading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett- a really great read) and some hot cider to sip. The weather was gorgeous- too warm, in fact! Our tree is cool- I forget the variety, but it's sort of bluish gray-green, and intensely fragrant. The Christmas tree smell is very citrusy.

We enjoyed wine and take-out sushi while listening to Christmas music and decorating the tree. We found and set up the baby swing, which kept Babyman happy on the sidelines. And Mr. Sweetcheeks only broke one ornament. :P (Really remarkable, actually!) Then we all had eggnog. Mmm. I just realized we forgot the popcorn Littleman had requested, but I think I will spend an evening soon showing him how to string popcorn and cranberries. We can munch and string and sip more eggnog together, and then decorate a bush or something for the birds and squirrels to enjoy. Maybe we'll make peanut butter- pinecone- birdseed ornaments too.

I just LOVE the smell of a fresh Yule tree.
Good night.

PS- not only can I no longer adjust the font size, but my myspace smileys have disappeared too. Hmm.

Toys for the Holidays: a list

Monday, November 12, 2007

Toys for the Holidays Current mood: lazy You know, one thing I just love to do is to shop for the boys. It's my retail therapy, I guess. I also love researching quality stuff, and then trying to get good deals. Every year I make a list of gift suggestions for the boys' birthdays and Christmas, for my own enjoyment and for any family members who are interested. It works out great because for me it is like window shopping with a purpose, and it also helps interested relatives choose gifts that I'll be just as pleased with as the boys are. Still however, my main suggestion to the relatives is to keep it simple and just contribute a little bit to the boys' savings accounts. If we start that habit early, the boys will never miss a bunch of gifts from the Grandparents and others. In my last post I mentioned the boys' Christmas lists, and I'll clarify here that at this young age, I am still talking about MY list FOR them- they aren't really serious yet about having their own preferences. (I will rue the day when that changes, LOL!) It helps that we do not have TV channels, and thus their exposure to commercials is limited. I try very hard to keep my list pf purchases pretty simple each year- I do not want to get stuck in a rut with them expecting a large number of fancy gifts under the tree each year, nor a bunch of fad items that they will quickly tire of. I try to make every gift count. I hope I can keep this up, not only with my own list but by encouraging the rest of the family to do the same. Anyway I thought it might be neat to share my planned gift list for each of the boys for Christmas this year, and some of my thoughts on the items I chose. These are all the items from parents and Santa (and from the pets, LOL- a family tradition). Perhaps it will help you find some unique, quality items that your little one will love! So, here's what will probably be under our tree- shh! Don't give it away! :) For Littleman, 4 years old: 1) a set of rainbow wooden stepped counting blocks - These will be great for building with, but I also plan to use them as a math manipulative in our homeschooling. They are classic, beautiful and NOT made in China. I think Littleman will enjoy making geometric designs and building structures for their hotwheels cars, pirate figures and animals. 2) a set of dominoes - This is very basic, but Littleman has been asking for some and we do not have any. Plus, they are a great toy, both for setting up and knocking over, and for working on counting skills and matching. I don't know where this particular set is manufactered, but I think the safety risk is minimal. They are made of renewable bamboo, which is good for the environment. 3) a beeswax candlemaking kit - This is a wonderful, simple activity that I know Littleman will enjoy. The beeswax is lovely to work with- vibrant colors, and it smells so good! Excellent activity to stimulate the senses and work on fine motor skills. He will be excited to make candles to burn and to give away. Plus, this kit is made in the USA! 4) 2 books- he is getting "Giving Thanks" and "First Encyclopedia of the Human Body" - The first is a beautiful book with a peaceful, earth-centered tone that encourages children to find gratitude for the beauties around them. The illustations are lovely. I think this will be both an enjoyable read and a good reminder to cultivate gratitude in our daily lives. The second is a fantastic non-fiction volume on the human body. We have other books in this Usborne series ("First Encyclopedia of. . ."), and they are great- Littleman enjoys them and learns a lot from them, and I do not expect we will outgrow them anytime soon. He is always interested in what's going on inside our bodies, so I think this book will interest him a lot. 5) probably a scooter, since he has been wanting one so much. - I am struggling with this, because we don't want to spend a lot on it- he already has a bike he loves, and I don't expect the scooter to be played with all the time. However, finding an inexpensive scooter that is NOT made in China is proving near impossible. If I cave and buy one made in China, we'll probably get this Radio Flyer scooter. Otherwise, I'm not sure what we'll do about this. A scooter sure would bring that magic Christmas morning smile to his face, though! :) For his stocking, he'll have some pirate band-aids, rainbow crayons, animal crackers, stickers, beginner chopsticks, a little build-your-own bird feeder kit, a Namits game, and some underwear. That does it for Littleman. For Mr. Sweetcheeks, 2 years old: 1) a large set of rainbow wooden arches - These are another beautiful, classic toy with lots of opportunity for open-ended imaginative play. I know Sweetcheeks will love stacking them and making tunnels for their other toys to play in, and I look forward to seeing what else he comes up with! They can combine well with other stcking/building toys that we already have (and with Littleman's blocks, above). NOT made in China. :) 2) a natural wooden name train - These are made in the USA, and are completely compatible with the wooden tracks and accessories we already own. We have a couple train cars made by this company, and they are beautifully made. It will, of course, spell his name. He loves playing with the train table, so it's nice to be able to give him a train that's not made in China (unlike the Thomas train stuff, some of which has already been recalled). 3) a pad of drawing paper and some beeswax block crayons - We already have some of these crayons, and they are awesome. They provide smooth, rich color and are easy to grasp. They're natural, and they smell nice. And best of all, they are nearly impossible to break- whereas we cycle through Crayola stick crayons (even the chunky ones) like crazy, these crayons last and last. Sweetcheeks will be happy to have his own set. By the way, some "cheapo" brand crayons have been recalled in the past, due to excessive amounts of lead. And kids do sometimes ingest crayons! These are NOT made in China. 4) 2 books- he is getting "Forest Bright, Forest Night" and "1001 Things to Spot on the Farm" - The first book has very nice illustartions, with fun details to spot of animals in their natural habitats in the forest. First you read about animals that are awake during the day (and maybe spot other animals sleeping) and then you flip the book over and continue the story with all the animals that come out at night (and spot the day creatures now sound asleep). The second is another Usborne book, with tons of things to hunt for in the detailed illustrations. It's sort of like the "Where's Waldo" series, but with a wide variety of things to find. I saw this book, and knew instantly that Sweetcheeks will enjoy it. Plus, every review I have read or heard about it has been stellar. 5) a Rody Pony ride-on toy - These things are wonderful fun. Sweetcheeks can climb on the pony and bounce, bounce, bounce his way around! Classic, and very active- great for improving balance and gross motor skills. NOT made in China. Plus, it's sure to bring that magic Christmas smile! Sweetcheeks will be thrilled with this. For his stocking, he'll have some pirate band-aids, bathtub crayons, animal crackers, stickers, beginner chopsticks, a wooden slide whistle, a "big boy" fork, spoon and knife set, and some socks. That's it for Mr. Sweetcheeks. For both boys together, there will be a foam set of knights' swords and shields accompanied by a book on Knights: "Knights" - They will love this, and I will love that they can beat each other up with something fun and soft, rather than with hotwheels track, wooden train track, drumsticks or the hard plastic swords that Auntie gave them this weekend. (~sarcastic~ thank you, Auntie ~/sarcastic~). Plus it will encourage dress-up and imaginative play, while the book brings a little cool history into the picture. (It's another fantastic Usborne non-fiction book). I don't know where the sword set is made- probably China. Oh, well. For new babyman, just born: 1) a set of rainbow wooden stacking/nesting bowls - Once again (spotting a pattern here?) these are beautiful, classic, open-ended and NOT made in China. Stacking/nesting bowls are a superb baby toy- good for stacking and nesting, of course, but also for playing little hiding games, carrying around, putting things in and out, and later as an accessory to our play kitchen. Babyman will grow into these. 2) a board book: "Global Babies" - This beautiful little book features gorgeous close-up photographs of babies from all over the world. (Babies LOVE looking at pictures of other babies!) It has simple, loving text but mostly it's about the pictures. Wonderful baby book. And for his stocking, a HABA Zig-Zag wooden teether. (not made in China). Done! Wow, it always looks like a lot when I write it all down- but if you can envision Christmas morning, I think the boys will be very happy with these things without there being too much junk. I hope this list might give you some fun ideas for your own shopping!

a DVD recommendation and taking down the tree

Thursday, January 11, 2007

a DVD recommendation and taking down the tree Current mood: lazy I thought I was mixing a cherry and a blueberry Jelly Belly jelly bean, but the cherry turned out to be cinnamon. Hmm. Sorry, suddenly distracted there. What was I going to write about, again? The boys received a "YogaKids!" DVD for Christmas this year. I like it a lot. It's very age-appropriate, but I still feel a difference in myself when I do it too. Mr Sweetcheeks loves it, and tries to do some of the poses. Littleman has not yet participated- he just wants to sit on the couch and watch. I'm not sure why- I encourage him to do it with me, but I'm not going to force him. Hopefully he will come around. In any case, any of you with kids who might be interested (the program is recommended for ages 3 - 6) might want to check it out- I feel very comfortable recommending it. I'm almost done taking the Christmas decorations down and putting them away. The tree still stands, but it is stripped of lights and ornaments, awaiting a trip to the local fire station, where they collect trees to recycle. It's finally starting to dry out a bit- it lasted really well, mostly because we cut it ourselves at a tree farm. (That was great! The farm was just up in Cumming. It was so much fun wandering in search of the perfect tree, and in addition there were farm animals to look at and pet, marshmallows to roast and hot cider to drink. Plus, the tree was cheaper than if we'd bought it at a roadside stand closer to home. The boys had a blast. We'll probably go back next year). The tree is still beautiful now, but it's always sad after Christmas to see that magical twinkling tannenbaum reduced to drying tinder, shedding it's needles and awaiting it's inevitable fate. Still, I am looking forward to rearranging the living room furniture and getting some space back. I think I am going to try and shower before bed tonight- I think the kids are good and sound asleep. (Knock on wood). So I'd better sign off here and get a move on! :)

That was fun! And 5 pointers.

Friday, January 05, 2007

That was fun! And 5 pointers. Current mood: good OK, no I have not disappeared, nor have I moved to Alaska (more's the pity, in some ways)- the holiday vortex sucked me up and spit me back out again, and I am just now recovering. Not to say it was not fun, because actually I had a blast this Yule season and New Year's Eve. I am really beginning to understand how parents get out of hand at Christmas. What fun! I try to stay very aware of my core values, so that I don't get too swept away and end up trying to do too much, or spend too much, or eat too much (much) or get too behind. I love the holidays. Anyhow I am still catching up on some things (like laundry!!) and I have to get moving early (relatively speaking) tomorrow so I'll make tonight brief. I had a long, enjoyable conversation with my Dad tonight on the phone, in which we hashed out theories on the american dream, the decline of society, comfort zones and the beauties of cooking with wine. (to name a few). It left me wanting to type this: 1) Know what you want. (Often the hardest step). 2) Believe you can get it. (And you must also know you are worthy and capable of having it). Be prepared for a rocky road getting there, since leaving your comfort zone (even for something much better) is always very hard. 4) Start walking in the right direction. (Be proactive, stay focused and make room in your life for success). 5) Don't give up.

On parents and discipline. . .

Monday, December 26, 2005

On parents and discipline. . . Current mood: contemplative Well I hope everyone had a lovely Solstice/Yule/Christmas/[insert preferred holiday here]! (lol) We had a very nice holiday. Littleman opened lots of gifts (meaning his own, and everyone else's as well) and is just starting to understand the whole Santa thing. I think. Unrelated, but I've been wondering to myself: As a parent, when does one stop trying to discipline one's children? When they come of age? (18 I guess?) When they move out? When they have kids of their own? When you as a parent decide they are "mature"? Never? Or does the answer to the question depend on the nature of the wrongdoing? And if you want to discipline an adult child, how would you go about it? Is it worth wasting an ounce of energy on? (ie; do adult children ever respond positively to punitive parental actions?) Hmm. Just something I have been pondering. Aha- well on that note, I will sign off for now because my little men just got home from hiking today. :) Perhaps I'll write again later!

random thoughts

Sunday, December 18, 2005

random thoughts Current mood: silly Hunted and found three letterboxes today! It was fun. Simon got to go "HIKING. SUNDAY." and I got to add some stamps to my collection. I have some ideas for more planted boxes, I just have to carve stamps and get the books and boxes ready. In all my free time. But it's a good hobby, and I really enjoy it, and it gets us outdoors in cool places getting some exercise. So I should find the time to do it more. (for curious noxers [non-boxers]: www.letterboxing.org ) "Ornaments stay ON the tree" is now such an oft-repeated phrase in my house, it's right up there with "Be careful", "Be nice to the kitty", "No", "Get Down", "We don't throw our food", "That's eww-y" and "Don't stick things into the holes in the computer!" We went walking in our neighborhood last night looking at Christmas lights. It was nice! There are only a few houses that have gone all out, but many with at least a little holiday lighting to brighten things up. It was so pleasant to stroll around as a family, all bundled up and admire the lights. Such moments are rare enough for us, which makes us appreciate them all the more I think. Simon especially liked a huge, lit inflatable snow-globe that was snowing inside, a house with little lit Christmas soldiers lined up, a house with santa in his sleigh landing on a runway on the roof, and the inflatable bear that would slowly pop out of a present, then slowly sink back into it. We watched "Kingdom of Heaven" the other night. It's a Ridley Scott film, starring Orlando Bloom, set in the time of the Crusades. The filming was beautiful, the acting was good and it was based on real-life people and events. Unfortunately the editing was disjointed and I think the writing was a bit poor. Those weak points were rather fatal, I'm afraid. Oh, well. OK, enough random thoughts- my eyes are drooping. Time to get ready for bed. (Early for me!)