Chicken with Sundried Tomato (for Camping!)

I tried a new dinner on our last campout, and it was a delicious success! I got the idea from my brother. So here it is, ready for your next car camping adventure. Unfortunately I have no measurements for you, because I just eyeballed everything and I've only made it once. Start with just enough chicken for your family, and measure out the other ingredients accordingly. Don't let the long explanation scare you- it's super easy!

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato and Cous Cous

- frozen boneless skinless chicken, partially thawed
- olive oil
- sun-dried tomatoes
- fresh herbs (I had thyme, but rosemary would also be great, or another fresh herb)
- fresh garlic
- salt and pepper
- a box of ready-to-prepare flavored cous cous (I used parmesagn flavor)
- a small (about 1 cup?) container with a tightly-fitting lid
- a large zip-lock bag

Prep at home the night before you leave:
-Snip the sun-dried tomatoes into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces, and soak in very hot water for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves very thinly, and snip herbs.
-Drain tomatoes. Put tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs into the small container. Fill container with olive oil, and close tightly. Pack with camping supplies.
-Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, and dump into zip-lock bag. Make sure it's closed very securely, and put it in the cooler on ice.

At camp:
(You will need a camp stove, a good skillet, a saucepan with a lid, a measuring cup and spoon, and a heat-resistant utensil like a large spoon.)

-Follow instructions on the box to prepare the cous cous, using a Tablespoon (or whatever is called for) of the olive oil from your container instead of butter. Meanwhile, heat the skillet.
-Drizzle some olive oil in the skillet, and dump the chicken in. Then dump the tomatoes, herbs and garlic (and the remaining olive oil, if it's not too much) on top of the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste, but remember the cous cous is already seasoned so don't go overboard.
-Cook, stirring, until chicken is done. Dump the chicken into the saucepan with the finished cous cous and mix well. Voila!

You can serve with a veggie, if you wish. Raw veggies for munching are simple, like baby carrots or sliced bell peppers. I had some kale that needed to be eaten, so I sauteed it lightly after cooking the chicken. It was an easy, healthy, delicious camp meal.

Green Goodness from Rockstar Farms

I have been feasting on fresh winter greens lately. Fresh as in, harvested that very morning, and I didn't have to do any of the farming to get them. I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) by my good friends at Rock Star Farms.


I have been in salad bliss. And I'm learning how to prepare bok choy. :) CSAs are a super way to get amazing fresh local veggies and support local small farms. To find a CSA near you, try localharvest.org



That's all I got for now. . . been busy but having fun!

Out of the Mouths of Boys

Overheard yesterday:

The Pirate: (apparently referencing something I told him about yeast) "Did you know that there's tiny little creatures inside bread? And we eat them!"
Littleman: (dismissive) "Nuh uh"
Pirate: "Ah huh!"
Littleman: "Nuh uh"
Pirate: "Ah huh!!"
Littleman: "Nuh uh"
Pirate: (irate) "Ah HUH!! Mommy TOLD me so!"
~pause~
Littleman: (imperiously covering his ignorance) "Oh, yeah. Well that's just in SOME kinds of bread."


The Pirate: "How are oranges made?"
Littleman: "From seeds! Foods that have seeds can grow to make more of them."
The Pirate: "Oh. OK. So how are noodles made?"
Littleman: "I don't know. Someone just makes them."


Today Babyman climbed onto my bed. He arranged himself next to me, sighed mightily, collapsed back into the pillow and said with theatrical weariness: "Oh me, Mommy."


Littleman has been checking his mouth for loose teeth. He thinks he found one, though I'm still not sure. He asked if I have any, and I exclaimed "I hope not!". After I explained how people get only two sets of teeth, and the grown-up teeth have to last the rest of one's life, Littleman then informed me that I was mistaken. "No," he corrected, "we get three sets. First the baby teeth, then the grown-up teeth, and when you're really old, you get your alien teeth." (Dentures? I wondered, but didn't go there.) "Oh, I see," I said, "and how old do you have to be for your alien teeth to come in?" "REALLY old," he said. "Like, older than an old book that's so old all it's pages are yellow and dusty and breaking up." Wow.

Weekend Links

I have a couple links today, for your weekend browsing pleasure. First my current amor: my Holy Grail of chocolate bars:
Green & Black's organic Maya Gold chocolate bar. "Dark chocolate infused with spices and a hint of orange". Oooh, baby. Be still my heart. This is perfection. You can find them lots of places. Happy shopping. :)

* * *

Next, an essay for your reading pleasure. Please, don't miss this.
How to Talk to Your 43 year-old Son When He’s Only 13

(from the essay)
"When you speak to your children today, you are also speaking to every day of their future selves. Parenting is outside of time. Take care and take heart in that."

* * *

And finally, just some fun: a great list of some of nature's strangest critters.

Perfect Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Quick, scrumptious breakfast or brunch:

- Warm a skillet over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, slice up some onions and mushrooms. I diced mine, but you can slice them any way you want.
- Melt a bit of butter in the skillet, and toss in your onions and mushrooms. Saute until the onions get translucent and your house smells heavenly.
- Remove the onions and mushrooms to a separate plate. If necessary, add a bit more butter to the skillet.
- Crack an egg into the skillet, and turn heat down to low. Sprinkle on salt and pepper.
- Thinly slice some sharp cheddar cheese, or whatever kind of cheese strikes your fancy.
- Just as soon as you can, gently turn the egg over without breaking the yolk. You want it only cooked enough to turn.
- Lay slices of cheese on top of the egg.
- Meanwhile, pop a couple slices of bread in the toaster- I used some homemade wheat bread from a local bakery, and it was fantastic!
- Check on your egg. It should cook very slowly and gently. If the cheese isn't melted yet, it's not done. You want the cheese to be melted and the egg yolk to be cooked but still soft and a little runny.
- Butter the toast, and pile the cooked onions and mushrooms onto one slice.
- When the egg is ready, put it on top of the mushrooms and onions on toast. Sprinkle a last spoonful of onions and mushrooms onto the cheese, and top with the other slice of buttered toast. (Though you could forgo the second slice of bread, and make this an open-face sandwich if you prefer!)

Enjoy it right away! (And have a napkin handy!)

* * *

I must give credit to Pioneer Woman over at PW Cooks for clueing me in on this method of frying an egg. I've never had much luck frying eggs, until now. She uses this method in a similar recipe which she calls Huevos Ree-os. Try that one, too- yummy!

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Have you heard about mercury in high fructose corn syrup?
This is something I heard about recently- there was an article in the Washington Post that was posted on a homeschool list I read. Apparently it's now being circulated in email as well, because my sister in law recently wrote me:

"Hey, Kit, I see that [name removed] forwarded this same article to you also. I wasn't able to read the whole thing because it trailed off into a ....................., and I could not find some link or something to open up to read the rest of it, but I assume you can, cuz yer a cumm-puter wizerd. But you always verify things on some sight, that I forgot the name of, so I have 2 questions. Are they full of sh*t? Does High fructose corn syrup have mercury? Also, I have heard opposing arguments about high fructose corn syrup being the reason all of america is getting fat as sh*t, basically, the other side is saying it's a lie, because it's made from corn, and corn can't be bad for you. But what about the "High fructose" part? What's that about? Is there some kind of sugar released when corn is processed a certain way that makes it fattening?"
* * *

(Disclaimer: I'm no computer wizard; I simply use them more than sis-in-law does, and have the patience to fiddle with them until I figure out what I need to know. So I've become a go-to source of computer information for some family members. Basically, I'm just a proficient googler.) :)

I spent a little time on my response, and thought some others might find it informative as well. It's a combination of quick online research and my own bias, so take it for what it's worth. Here's what I wrote:

* * *
Hey!
Yes, it is true. The article was indeed published in the Washington Post, and in several other publications as well. Here's the Washington Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html
US News and World Report:
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/fresh-greens/2009/01/28/mercury-found-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html
FOX News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484088,00.html
And a webmd.com article which lists the foods that were found to contain mercury:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090127/mercury-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup
From the webmd article:

"Overall, we found detectable mercury in 17 of 55 samples, or around 31%," write Wallinga and colleagues.

Here is the list of those products:

* Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
* Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
* Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
* Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
* Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
* Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
* Market Pantry Grape Jelly
* Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
* Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
* Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
* Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
* Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
* Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
* Minute Maid Berry Punch
* Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
* Nesquik Chocolate Milk
* Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Wallinga and colleagues caution that their list was "just a snapshot in time; we only tested one sample of each product. That clearly is not sufficient grounds to give definitive advice to consumers."


Apparently the reason (they think) that high fructose corn syrup can contain mercury is that some of the plants processing it use contaminated caustic soda. Caustic soda is needed to produce high fructose corn syrup, and some plants that produce caustic soda use "outdated" mercury cell technology to do so- which can produce caustic soda that's been contaminated with mercury.


Of course, high fructose corn syrup has been under fire for some time now, as many nutritionists and scientists have begun to point to it as a significant contribution to the high levels of obesity in the US. I learned more about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fructose_corn_syrup

To sum up, they're not sure precisely why there's a correlation, though there are some ideas. One theory is that due to the nature of the sugars in high fructose corn syrup, it's digestion is not regulated by the body as well as the digestion of natural sugars. Another idea links high fructose corn syrup to harmful carbonyl compounds (which are elevated in people with diabetes). Another study shows that large quantities of fructose can cause insulin resistance- another link to diabetes. Yet another study suggested that a diet rich in fat and high fructose corn syrup can suppress the sensation of fullness (leading to overeating), and cause leptin-resistance- which can lead to weight gain.

Yes, the corn industry refutes all these studies for various reasons. High fructose corn syrup is simply a sweetener made of lots of fructose ("fruit sugar") and a little sucrose (like cane sugar). Sounds pretty benign, doesn't it? However it's not a naturally occurring sweetener, and studies do seem to indicate that for whatever reason, it's bad for us. We are apparently just not built to be consuming THAT much fructose. Besides, it's so highly processed (including using at least one GMO ingredient necessary for production) that I view it as highly suspect. (Just as I view artificial sweeteners like splenda.) I try to stick with honey or plain old sugar, and simply limit how much sweet stuff we eat. (I read lots of food labels.) Never trust an ingredient that sounds like a chemical compound.


So, does that answer your questions? :)

Kit

Eternity Mealtimes

I have a problem.
I have a problem, and it involves mealtimes with my children.
It's not that my children are overly picky eaters- I am blessed with kids who (for now, at least) will try a variety of foods without complaint, and who actually like many healthy things. I'm also not concerned about how much they are eating- while I loathe waste, I know that it is counter-productive to try to force children to "clean their plates". I try to serve small portions, and the rule is simply that they must try at least one bite of each thing on the plate. If they really do not like it, that's fine- they don't have to finish eating that item. They may have more of whatever they do like, if they want- since I try to only offer healthy choices, that's not a problem. If dessert is available (and it's definitely not an every-day thing), they must eat what I dictate if they want dessert. But choosing to forgo dessert is a perfectly viable option, and I'm not disappointed with them if that's what they decide. Let's face it- sometimes they're just not that hungry.

So, I'm not struggling with WHAT they eat. I'm not struggling with HOW MUCH they eat. My problem is HOW LONG IT TAKES them to eat.

Doesn't that sound silly? After all, it's healthy to take our time with our food, chewing well, savoring the flavors and having conversation with our family. A little friendly banter at mealtimes helps cement family relationships, keeps everyone relaxed and makes mealtime fun. After all, I don't want us all wolfing down our food and running off to resume our separate pursuits. So what's the problem?

My children can take an E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y to eat a meal. If I left them to their own devices, they would still be sitting at the lunch table when dinnertime rolled around. (Yes, really.) They talk, goof off, make each other laugh, tell stories, sing songs, talk, laugh. . . they're having a great time but they're not eating. I have to police the whole meal, prodding, reminding, scolding, while my blood pressure no doubt gets higher and higher. How often I find myself saying in frustration, "JUST EAT!!!!!! PLEASE!!!".

I guess they come by this honestly- Billy and his siblings still laugh and reminisce about how long it took them to eat because they were having too much fun, and how it frustrated their poor mom to no end. Sometimes I resort to a timer- Billy's mother had to do that. I set the timer, and when it buzzes mealtime is over. Not finished? Sorry. Still hungry? Too bad. I need to clean up, you need to have a nap. That's a miserable way to eat together, though. It doesn't feel healthy. I'm so very frustrated- I feel like the food nazi! It's not at all pleasant. Often I find myself eating my meal with them, not hurrying, having a conversation, and when I am finished I excuse myself, get up and leave. I clean or take care of Babyman, and call out from time to time, "Take a bite!!". I just can't handle sitting there and being the policeman.

It's extra frustrating in a restaurant- usually I need them to eat, because we are out and about and they will be better behaved if their blood sugar is stable. Plus, let's be honest: it's harder to be laissez-faire about how much they eat if we're paying for their food in a restaurant. My boys are well-behaved in restaurants, but often I leave stressed out and frustrated anyway. It's ridiculous! But if I let go, if I relax and let them eat however much they eat, we invariably have a meltdown when it is time to go because they're STILL HUNGRY!

When I've asked others about this, I either get helpless sympathy (from parents of young children) or the all-knowing advice to "let them be hungry, then".

I understand the beautiful logic behind that approach. I bet it would eventually work. But, really? Have you ever tried that? I can be "mean" enough to do it. But it COMPLETELY derails the rest of the day. It absolutely ruins the child's behavior and the mood of anyone within a 2-mile radius. I've tried it. It's terrible. If I force them to pay attention to their food and eat until they say they are full, they will be their normal (mostly) well-behaved selves. And I spend mealtime being the stressed-out food nazi. If they miss their opportunity and end up hungry, everyone's day is totally shot.

Hence, I have a problem.
Thank you for letting me vent.
Any ideas?

Babyman's First "Solid" Food

So, Babyman got to try his first "solid" food: sweet potatoes! I didn't make it from scratch, and I could be all guilty about that, but by the third baby one learns to let some things slide. So what if it's sold by a monster corporation headquartered in some other corner of the world, processed into oblivion and shipped all over kingdom come? It's organic! So it's better! Right? Right? OK, never mind.




It was a new sensation for Babyman. New taste, new texture, new way of ingesting nutrients. He wasn't so sure about this whole spoon concept. And the flavor? Umm, not so sure about that either.



Sweet potatoes, rejected! "Honestly, Mommy. You guys are kidding me, right?"



He wouldn't open his mouth, after that. Billy resorted to trickery and distraction.



"YUCK!"

LOTR and mashed potatoes

Mmmm. Mmm, mmm. Did you know that red wine (a malbec) goes nicely with rich chocolate brownies?
Hey, Billy was home for dinner tonight! I figured I could splurge.

* * *

Tonight, Billy finally finished the last Lord of the Rings movie with the boys. It took weeks of course- all three movies together make a long haul! They watched them bit by bit. Littleman has been enjoying them, and it's been fun to see his imagination fired up by the story. The other day he was using his blocks to build Helm's Deep, and he and Sweetcheeks have been using coat hangers as bows to shoot imaginary arrows like Legolas. Today they used Mega blocks to make "sentinels" which they posted on either side of the front door.

As the credits began to roll on the final movie tonight, Littleman enthusiastically asked if they could watch it all again! LOL. My little fans. I must admit, that as much of a fan as I am, it's sure cool to see my boys appreciate it too.

* * *

On a different note, I really can't stand fake mashed potatoes. Billy's parents, bless them, never make mashed potatoes from scratch. They use the flakes from a box, and a more disgusting concoction I cannot imagine. I mean, really! How hard is it to boil some potatoes? The difference is so phenomenal, I just don't understand using the fake stuff. So, if you have a hankering for some delicious mashed spuds, do me a favor: make yourself some of the real stuff:

Basic Mashed Potatoes

- potatoes (I'm not picky about what kind)
- salt, pepper and garlic
- butter
- milk

Put a nice big pot of water on to boil. Wash and trim the spuds, and/or peel them if you want. (I like the peels left on, but I'm usually in the minority). Cut them into chunks.

Tip the potatoes into the boiling water, and cook them until they are soft through. Drain them, and dump them into a nice big mixing bowl.

Drop in some butter, salt, pepper and garlic. (If you're looking for simple, just use the powdered garlic. Works fine. Incidentally if you have it, some grated fresh parmesagn is a wonderful addition here). Mash those suckers up. (You can use a potato masher, or be lazy like me and whip them up in your mixer). Add a bit of milk here and there until the consistency is how you like it.

Taste. Adjust seasoning. Give them a final mix, and serve! Yum. Yum, yum. I tell you, there is just no comparison to that abomination in the box. Save that stuff for your next papier mache project, instead.

* * *

Now, thumbs-up to this cool photo I stumbled upon whilst browsing:

quick update

Thursday, February 28, 2008

quick update
Current mood: cold

Dare I say it? Would I jinx it? What if I just whisper it? Shhh: Glory, halleluiah, I think Sweetcheeks might be potty trained! ~glancing furtively around~ Nobody heard me, right? I'm not tempting fate. Right?

Funny how superstitious I feel about it! But seriously, I'd rather not go back to poopy pants every day. Sweetcheeks has taken himself to the potty and pooped voluntarily every single time for three days in a row now. Woo hoo! He's been doing great peeing in the potty for awhile now, so could this be it? Could we be done?? I hope so. I know there will still be an accident from time to time, but I hope, in general, that he's got it down now.

* * *

BRRRRRR!!! I am cold! The weather's been swinging wildly from 50s, to low 70s, now to low 30s. . . I'm always unprepared. It's been a crazy winter. I am so ready for Spring.

* * *

I tried a new (to me) use for leftover pot roast, today. I diced up roast and potatoes, mixed it with a little gravy, and spooned it onto unbaked crescent roll dough triangles. I covered each with another triangle of dough, sealed up the edges, and baked them. They certainly aren't gourmet- they're alright- but they are tasty enough, and boy are they fast and easy! Next time I'll try biscuit dough instead- I might like that flavor combination better.

* * *

Oops, Babyman wakes. I guess this is just a quickie update.

great restaurant, and expert musings

Thursday, January 03, 2008


great restaurant, and expert musings
Current mood: tired

I'm starting with today's thumbs-up: Taqueria Los Hermanos Mexican restaurant in Lilburn GA, at the intersection of Indian Trail Rd and Lawrenceville Hwy. Yum. Big YUM. There are very few restaurants that really impress me, (especially reasonably priced ones) but I love this place. It's not much to look at- just a joint in a run-down strip mall in suburbia- but the food is great and so are the people. If you're ever over that way, check it out! (note: looks like they have a Tucker location, too!)

We had dinner there tonight. YUM.

* * *

Recently I had a fortune cookie tell me: "An expert is one who knows so much about so little". This is of course true, but phrased like that it's not terribly impressive, is it? Then again, one could be a "Jack of all trades, master of none". (Me all over). That's not terribly impressive, either. One minute I think the expert is in a better position, the next minute it seems the jack has the better idea. So, who is better equipped? Who will feel more rewarded? And why am I spending valuable brain power on silly questions like these??

Maybe because I am falling asleep at the keyboard, here. Time to get ready for bed.

Brr, Happy New Year, knitting and boring you to tears

Wednesday, January 02, 2008


Brr, Happy New Year, knitting and boring you to tears
Current mood: cold

Whew, here I am! I am actually blogging today! (Aren't all the new internet verbs fun? "google", "IM", "blog". . .) It's a good day to sit inside and blog- the high temperature today is little more than freezing, and it's WINDY. Around here, this is polar bear weather. Unbearable weather. COOOOLD weather. And without any snow to make it fun, I'll just as soon stay inside, thank-you-very-much.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a nice celebration and are looking forward to a joyful, prosperous 2008. Billy and the boys played at the park, burned sparklers after dark, watched ET and stayed up too late. I was nursing at midnight, and Billy was changing a diaper. Cheers! LOL. We all had a toast and went to bed.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was 6 skeins of lusciously soft, colorful yarn. I thought of many different things I could make, but nothing seemed right- I wanted to do a bigger project like a sweater for the boys, but the colorway is really a bit girly for them. I've never knit a project larger than that- when I made a sweater for Littleman, it seemed like it would never end. (I did finish it though, and it turned out pretty nice). After much pondering and flipping through pattern books, I've decided to be brave: I am attempting a full, adult-size sweater for myself! I only hope I actually finish it before next winter rolls around. :) In the meantime, it sure feels nice to knit, especially with this luscious soft wool blend. Mmmm.

Yesterday we started the new year with biscuits, apple cake and hot chocolate for breakfast (a special treat for the boys!) and then we went out to visit some good friends and share the traditional New Year's Day meal of black-eye peas (for luck/protection) and collard greens (for money). Since I didn't have time to purchase and cook them myself, we swung by Whole Foods and bought our dinner off the hot bar. Yummmy! With a few other things I bought, and some goodies from our hosts, it was a delicious spread. Littleman and Sweetcheeks had a wild fun time playing with our friends' boys, who are all very close in age. It felt great to hang out with adults! Though I must admit, I do have a tendency to run my mouth on and on in these situations. . . I've always been rather talkative, but I think I'm worse since having kids. I read a blog post (at http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/ ) in which the author (a mom to six kids!) was on a trip to NY without her family, and called her husband to see how he was faring with the kids. Her husband yammered on and on about some minor detail at home, finally thinking to ask how her trip was going. She wondered if she did that to others when she'd been cooped up at home caring for the kids, and realized the answer is a resounding YES. Well, I can certainly relate. I'll have to remember in the future that unfortunately, most details of my day-to-day existence are not very interesting. Better to leave them unsaid in adult conversation! Listening makes for better conversation anyway. Oh, well. So in hindsight, if y'all read this, sorry for yammering on about myself most of the evening! LOL. Y'all are so sweet! We had a great time.

Right now, the boys are napping (babyman too, on my chest). We have a birthday party to attend this evening, which officially begins in 1/2 hour. I need to start getting ready, so that we have a prayer of leaving quickly once the boys awake. We'll see how that goes!

Thumbs-up today to the web site www.knittingpatterncentral.com, a one-stop shop for free knitting patterns! Look up whatever you're interested in and find a variety of free patterns. There's a crochet pattern site, too!

The end is in sight

September 29, 2007 - Saturday

The end is in sight Current mood: hungry Barely more than a month to go, and baby will be fine if I should go into labor. No prescribed bedrest yet, hooray! I'm knocking on wood- next weekend marks the point where I went into preterm labor with Mr. Sweetcheeks. Tomorrow is a date I'm feeling a bit superstitious about: both my boys were born on the 30th of their month, and if this baby were to try to repeat the trend with a new month then tomorrow would be the day. So, I am hoping to really take it easy tomorrow. :) But anyhow, I am glad to have made it this far without going into labor- since I've gone into labor earlier each time, I really expected to be on bedrest by now! So this is great. Just a little over a month. (Watch babyman go past his due date, LOL!) * * * I am ordering pizza for dinner tonight, and feeling guilty. But dammit, it sounds good and I really don't feel like fixing anything. And the boys like it. I swear I'll fix those veggies I bought before they go bad. . . * * * Today's the first day I opened the windows in the bedrooms and left them open all day. The house smells so much more fresh, and I love how cool it is outside. I love fall! I just wish I felt up to being more active. I'm sooo tired- not sleepy mostly, but really really tired. And I truly don't want to go into labor early. Even though everything was fine last time because they stopped my labor and I carried to term, a week's hospital stay in a month of bedrest was no fun at all. It was hard enough finding 24/7 help when there was only one child to look after- now there are two. And besides, it would be nice to avoid the medical interventions that were necessary to stop my labor last time. If I never, ever encounter Breathine (a medication) again, it will be too soon. The point of that being, that I really start to feel it when I try to do too much- I'm already having some noticeable contractions. Trying to keep up with the boys outdoors is really too much by myself. So, we are all a little limited these days. At least Sweetcheeks gets to go to the playground at school, and both boys get to do things occasionally with other family members. Plus I do manage to get them out from time to time. Just a little more than a month. . . * * * Time to end my mindless ramble, as I need to feed the boys (and myself!)

a few random notes

August 27, 2007 - Monday

a few random notes Current mood: groggy Yay for some rain! Boo to power outages that screw up my clock and make me late. Yay for a healthy pregnancy so far! Boo to heartburn. Yay for my first nap in weeks! Boo to dirty dishes and laundry that therefore didn't get done. Yay for a nice meal out with Billy's family! Boo to me forgetting to stop by the grocery store on the way home. I will have to get creative for breakfast again tomorrow, since we are still out of milk and are getting low on eggs. No fresh fruit left, either. Muffins or biscuits? Oatmeal? There might be enough eggs to make breakfast sandwitches again. . . We are normally a cold cereal or bagels kind of a group in the mornings. The animated ad at the top of this page right now is hypnotizing me. I had other things to say, but I really am drawing a total blank right now. I apologize. Maybe tomorrow I can blog during the day when I am more awake. . .? Perhaps? In the meantime, please excuse this loopy, tedious exercise in futility. :P OK. Off to bed.

no kids, good service and cloth diapers

Monday, August 06, 2007

no kids, good service and cloth diapers Current mood: relaxed Wow, so I left this afternoon with both boys in the car and no naps having been had by anyone (grrrr), and I came home this evening child-free and ready for a quiet evening! No, I didn't abandon them on a doorstep somewhere- my mom has Sweetcheeks overnight, and then Billy said that Littleman could hang out at the studio for the rest of the evening. I'll have them back soon of course, but in the meantime I hardly know what to do with myself!! I'm blogging and catching up on a few e-mails, then I'll get some office work done, and finally have a nice long, quiet hot shower. Maybe I'll even get to read tonight! Ahh. :) To top it off, I had stopped at Chick Fil'A for a wrap sandwitch and some fries (since I never get fries with the kids), and the wait was a little long. I hardly noticed- I was looking for something decent to listen to on the radio- but apparently it was too long because when I got to the window the manager gave me my food free, and apologized for the wait! Cool. Service like that makes me loyal. :) And now I have had my pregnant mama fast food fix for now! (Less likely that I will be tempted to stop with the kids in tow). I'll end this evening with a couple cloth diapering links: - The Real Diaper Association http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/ A non-profit association to promote cloth diapers. Lots of great information! - Emi Bean's http://www.emibeans.com/ An online store selling a nice variety of cloth diapers and accessories, plus a bunch of other cool stuff. The WAHM who runs it is located here in the Atlanta area, and if you e-mail her she can usually meet up for product demonstrations- to look at different kinds of cloth diapers, for instance. I found out by e-mailing her to ask, and she was very prompt and pleasant with her reply. I'm glad to find a local resource I can point interested mamas (and daddies) to! Up till today I didn't know of anyplace local to see modern cloth diapers (except my house!).

Harry Potter, and an evening out

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Harry Potter, and an evening out Current mood: uncomfortable Yesterday, my brother came out to watch the boys while Billy and I got to go out. How novel! How refreshing! It was hard to remember what to do with each other- how to have a normal conversation and actually consider going places we'd not take the boys to. We went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, wandered the book store and ate out at a great restaurant. It was very, very nice. I enjoyed the movie- it's worth going to see. I have decided that I need to quit rereading the books right before going to see the movie- I spend too much time noticing what was left out, changed or glossed over. The movie is just a different medium, and can't possibly live up to the depth and range of these long books. I will enjoy the movies more when I don't remember as much of the book. That said, I still enjoyed this film a lot. I was pleased to see that Luna Lovegood is impeccably cast, and "Professor" Umbridge is every bit as nauseating as I imagined her to be- the actress is brilliant. This director's (another new one!) strengths seem to lie most in an action-driven plot, whereas I felt that the director of Goblet was more focused on the emotional development, and the director of Azkaban had his strength in atmosphere. I really liked the look and feel of Azkaban, especially with subsequent viewings. But it was nice to see the difference with Goblet- I particularly enjoyed seeing Emma Watson shine in that one- she was able to do a lot with the adolescent turmoil of Hermione in book 4. Both Rupert Grint (Ron) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) do better in less subtle roles, in my opinion. Ron seemed a bit wooden to me in Goblet- he is more believable again in Phoenix. They lightened up a bit on scary in this new film, which feels a bit contrived- after all, things are only getting more dangerous. But I can understand why they chose to do that. They also had to eliminate a great deal of the climax at the Department of Mysteries. . . but I can say that what they left in, they did very well indeed. The IMAX screen at the Mall of GA is showing Harry Potter right now, and the last 20 minutes are in 3-D. We saw it on a regular screen, without the 3-D. . . and I'm thinking I'd like to go again to get the climax in 3-D. I bet it's pretty cool. Enough rambling on Potter! Now I just can't wait to get my copy of book 7. . . the END! Sniff, sniff. . . The restaurant we ate at is called Aqua Terra, in downtown Buford. It is pricey, and NOT a place to take kids. (Precisely why we went there! LOL) The food is fantastic. Cozy atmosphere, and attentive service. I HIGHLY recommend it. Thank you Aaron, for hanging with the boys and braving a poopy diaper. Thank you, Billy, for a lovely evening. It was nice to see my friend again. ;)

our yearly getaway

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

our yearly getaway Current mood: content Had my yearly (for our anniversary) overnight vacation from the kiddos this last Sunday and Monday. It was soooo nice! Billy and I rode the motorcycle to a place in NC that we've wanted to stay at. It's been literally a year since I last rode the bike, and Billy is a bit out of practice too. That being the case, we didn't exactly kick ass in our riding this trip. It was hard to find our groove. That was OK, though- we took it easy and enjoyed ourselves. There's no need to try to prove anything if the skills just aren't up to par right now. Hopefully we'll get a chance to practice more after this baby gets a little older, and in the meantime we were mostly interested in enjoying each other's company and trying to rejuvinate. I was surprised at how difficult I found it to relax and feel my connection with our surroundings. That's usually a skill I can access with just a little effort, but it took me awhile before I started to really "see" the landscape and to feel my energy flow more freely. At some point, all of a sudden I could feel fingers of beauty reaching inside me to poke my soul awake. It was still gradual from there, but more and more I started to notice the spectacular details and magic we passed through. I don't think I ever reached a point where I was truly connected, but I certainly came close enough to refill my spiritual reserve for awhile. Damn, I needed that. Incidentally the place we stayed is called the Snowbird Mountain Lodge, and I highly recommend it. We never stayed there before because rooms are over $200, and go up from there. However, we realized that the room rate includes three meals, and let me tell you the food was excellent. Dinner was superb, and included four courses. Alcohol is not included in the price, but if you choose to drink they have an amazing wine list, a full bar and a fantastic array of beers to choose from. (No I didn't get to partake of course, but you can bet I'll go back sometime when I will be able to!) The coffee and teas are scrumptious. Then there's a full breakfast the next morning (don't miss the warm scones!) and they send you off with a picnic lunch. Yumyumyum! Not to mention the Lodge itself was wonderful- they pay close attention to every detail. They do not allow children under 12- a benefit in this case. It will be awhile before I'm able to get away for this again, but I sure hope to go back when it's feasible. If you need a luxurious, relaxing getaway consider splurging on this place. I wish we could have stayed much longer!

First dentist visit, Chick Fil'A and lsot brain cells

Saturday, April 21, 2007

First dentist visit, Chick Fil'A and lsot brain cells Current mood: pleased Well well well, Littleman had his first visit to the dentist today, and he did great! Of course, it's very helpful that the person poking around in his mouth just happens to be his "Grandmuvver". (Actually his great grandmother, who still keeps her job as a dental hygenist part time). Helpful because it's much less intimidating for him, and helpful because it doesn't cost me a cent! (Hooray for relatives with useful professions!) My grandmother has put her degree to very good use, both as her profession and to make sure that all her grandkids and great-grandkids get exemplary dental care. It will be a sad day for me when she finally retires. ;) But in the meantime she is able to start Littleman off on the right foot when it comes to visiting the dentist. I am still very, very tired, but the past couple days have shown improvement (knock on wood) with the nausea. I hope this is a trend. Yesterday I took the boys to Chick Fil'A for lunch and fun on the little playground there. LOL, what a treat! It's very, very seldom I get them fast food of any kind, and usually when we do we are on the move and don't have time for the playground. They were so excited. I have to say that at least the choices in fast food restaurants have improved drastically since I was a kid. The fruit cup is great, and sometimes they'd rather eat the chicken soup or the chicken salad sandwitch rather than nuggets. I never buy them fries, and the lemonade is real. (Not some kool-aid sort of concoction like that Minute Maid stuff every place sells). So, even if it's still fast food it's certainly not as bad as it could be, and I don't mind letting the kids have it once in awhile. And now that I am pregnant, well I just need a milkshake for myself! Yum. :) (Hey, my nurse said it's a good source of calcium and vitamin D, and that a bit of fat here and there is good for my developing baby. So bring on the ice cream! LOL.) You know, as I go through my day I'll often think of something I'd like to write about. I file it in my brain to pull out later when I have time at the computer. Then I either don't find time, or else I can't find my mental file when I need it. I think I will have to start using notebooks again. Here we go- from the time a woman's body starts building the placenta, brain cells start to rapidly disappear. Once she births the placenta the brain cells are gone forever. With luck, time and good neurons the brain can forge new electric pathways to make up for the lost mental capacity, and some semblance of mental acuity can be regained. However some types of memory loss seem to be unfortunately permanent. Anyhow that's my theory. What do you think- is it plausible? Time for bed. I'm at my Grandmother's, and depending on how early the boys wake we may try to do Church tomorrow morning. Grandmother would love to show us off. :)