This past week has had its bad moments, the worst part being that I've been coughing like mad all week, so I've been miserable. That means Matthew has gotten to watch a lot more tv than normal, while I doze in the chair & Scarlett naps. Thank goodness she's still napping between 5 & 6 hours a day! But the week really had a lot of great moments.
First, last Friday we were eating supper and Matthew commented that his ears hurt. With his history of ear infections, I was immediately concerned. I asked him if he wanted me to kiss them, since that has been a big thing lately - he wants me to kiss his boo-boos and they get all better. It's so nice that I'm able to make him better, huh? Anyway, he told me "no, doctor kiss it." I guess the kiddo realizes there are some things mommy can't fix. Fortunately when we got up Saturday & I pulled on his ears, it didn't seem to bother him at all, so I didn't call the pediatrician.
We always look in on Matthew when we go to bed, and Saturday night David peeked in on him and saw that his bed was pulled out about 6 inches from the wall. His bed is in a corner in his room, and we only have a rail on one side of it (since the other side is against the wall), so David went in to push it back. He said Matthew sat up in bed, looked at the gap between the bed & wall, and said "uh-oh, what happened?" We've never heard him ask that before, and David said it was clear as a bell. David replied "I guess you moved your bed. Goodnight." and Matthew laid right back down. David was surprised by the clarity of his speech when he woke up like that though.
Also on Saturday, Scarlett's first fang broke through. She is cutting her teeth in a different order than Matthew did, but a couple of her cousins did the same. Instead of getting her front center teeth "first" on top, she is getting the next ones over. With my niece she looked like a vampire until the front ones came in. It was cute though, so hopefully Scarlett will be a cute little vampire too. The one on the other side broke through Tuesday, so she's got 4 little teeth now.
Sunday we did not go to church because of me being sick. :( I am sure we will find a home this spring. Sunday Matthew & Scarlett enjoyed the day. The new game at the house is to "ride horsey" - where Matthew climbs up on my back (or David's back) and we ride him around the room/house. Well Sunday he decided Scarlett should be the horsey, so he tried climbing on her back while she was crawling. She hated it, but it was so funny that I had to take some pictures! Later he said "shishter ride horsey" and he got down on all fours, so I sat her on his back & he crawled around letting her ride. (Don't worry, I held her hands while she rode!)
Monday was a particularly good day. He wanted to sit at the table while Scarlett finished her breakfast (he was finished) so I gave him some paper & crayons. When he got tired of coloring, he wadded the paper into a ball, then told me it was a snowball. Then, the little booger threw the 'snowball' at me! We had a little snowball fight right there at the table! Another new phrase came up at lunch. David asked Matthew how his lunch was and Matthew replied "it's great." After his nap I let him help me make jello for dessert. We used the quick method where you add some ice, and he helped me by pouring the ice & water in. At supper I mentioned that he helped me with dessert so David asked him what we were having. He told David 'jelly' then said that he ate ice (he did eat one piece while we were making the jello) and also told David he poured and mixed. David couldn't figure out what kind of dessert we were having...I think the jelly part threw him for a loop.
My favorite thing Monday night was the wrestling after supper. Matthew loves to wrestle with Scarlett, and she tolerates it quite well, usually laughing the entire time. Sometimes he puts too much weight on her, or oh, grabs her around the neck, and she fusses, but usually she seems to enjoy. So Monday night she pulled up on his Elmo chair and he started wrestling with her & Elmo...putting it over her and kind of jumping on it. At some point, she got up and got it on top of him - she laid on it and was kind of bouncing and he was not happy! He was under the chair, and she was really getting the best of him. It was really funny!
Tuesday morning it was snowing when Matthew got up. I pointed it out through the kitchen window and he told me he wanted to go sledding. Now he's only been sledding once, so I was surprised he mentioned it. It also made me feel bad because I'm coughing so that I don't want to be out in the cold. :(
Another thing I've noticed Matthew doing this week is laughing at the television. I haven't been paying close enough attention to what he's watching to know what he's laughing about (don't worry, it's all PBS kids programming!) but I love seeing his sense of humor coming out. He has been enjoying "teasing" us about different things for a while, but seeing it with the tv was pretty neat.
Scarlett has been trying to climb in the megabloks wagon too. I've seen her at least twice this week with it emptied out and trying to climb in. It usually ends up on its side and she will have part of her body in it, but then she tries to get the handle, like she wants to pull it. Cute!
Last night I got on the webcam with my parents since they haven't seen Matthew & Scarlett since Christmas. At some point we mentioned that we would be there in a month & I asked Matthew if he wanted to see Belle (my niece that is 6 weeks older than him). He said yes, then went to the closet and said "want clothes, go bye-bye" - I asked where he was going & he said "see Belle, want clothes." He didn't understand that we weren't going right away. Oops! I know now not to mention it, since he ended up rather upset that I didn't dress him & leave!
The final thing is definitely the most disgusting. On occasion, when he has a runny nose and I don't have a tissue handy, I will wipe it on my shirt sleeve. I know, gross, but what mom out there hasn't resorted to this at some point? Anyway, one day this week he came up to me and said "want sleeve", pointing at my sleeve. I asked why and he just grabbed it & wiped his nose! I know there's no way to explain to a 2 year old that he can't just wipe his snot on me, so I guess I need to make sure to always have tissue, huh?
I know this got long, I probably lost you all long ago, but it will be fun for me to look back on what a good week we had, even though I felt like crap!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Recipe Friday - Baked Potato Soup
I know there are a ton of potato soup recipes out there, I have more than a few myself, but this one is really yummy. I figured for the cold weather we're having it was a good pick this week.
Baked Potato Soup
4 large potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1-1/2 quarts milk
4 green onions
1 cup sour cream
2 cups crisped cooked bacon, crumbled
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Exercise strenuously for at least one hour. :)
Heat oven to 350*. Bake potatoes until fork tender.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Slowly blend flour with a wire whisk until thoroughly blended.
Gradually add milk to the butter/flour mixture, whisking constantly.
Whisk in salt & pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly.
Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the meat and set aside.
Chop half the potato peels and discard the remainder.
When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potatoes.
Add green onion and potato peels.
Whisk well, add sour cream and crumbled bacon.
Heat thoroughly.
Add cheese a little at a time until it is all melted.
Baked Potato Soup
4 large potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1-1/2 quarts milk
4 green onions
1 cup sour cream
2 cups crisped cooked bacon, crumbled
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Exercise strenuously for at least one hour. :)
Heat oven to 350*. Bake potatoes until fork tender.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Slowly blend flour with a wire whisk until thoroughly blended.
Gradually add milk to the butter/flour mixture, whisking constantly.
Whisk in salt & pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly.
Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the meat and set aside.
Chop half the potato peels and discard the remainder.
When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potatoes.
Add green onion and potato peels.
Whisk well, add sour cream and crumbled bacon.
Heat thoroughly.
Add cheese a little at a time until it is all melted.
Idol - after the results
I was shocked by the results last night. The guys did not surprise me at all. I liked Robbie Carrico and hate to see him gone - I think he at least brought a little something unique to the guys side of the competition. The girls though...I was stunned that Alaina Whitaker went home. I thought she was great. I didn't think she had a great performance this week, but last week she was my (and David's) #2 girl. So yeah, shocked, stunned, amazed...whatever you want to call it.
But ya know, I don't care enough to vote, so whatever! At least this week we were closer to "right" than last week...2 of our bottom 4 went home. I really want Danny Noriega to be gone - he just bugs me big time, but he has the V4TW (and yeah, I know that's not how they abbreviate it) crowd behind him, so I'm afraid we'll see him around for a while.
But ya know, I don't care enough to vote, so whatever! At least this week we were closer to "right" than last week...2 of our bottom 4 went home. I really want Danny Noriega to be gone - he just bugs me big time, but he has the V4TW (and yeah, I know that's not how they abbreviate it) crowd behind him, so I'm afraid we'll see him around for a while.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Idol thoughts - week 2
Once again, I'm going to post a little about what David & I thought about this week's Idol competitions. We were totally off base last week - none of the 4 that we thought were the worst went home, so maybe we're really out of touch with the people who actually vote! But here's our opinion this week.
Guys - Bottom 2:
Jason Yeagar
Danny Noriega
Since I don't think Danny Noriega will go home, I'll add that our 3rd worst guy based on this week only was Michael Johns. He was one of our top 2 last week, so if I base it on what we thought of both weeks combined, David Archuleta becomes our 3rd bottom. I don't think he's likely to go home either. Basically I guess it's a wide open week...I'm guessing Jason Yeagar and Luke Menard will be the 2 that actually go.
Just to have it out there, our top 2 guys this week were David Hernandez and Chikezie; if we take both weeks into account, our top 2 guys are Jason Castro and Chikezie.
Girls - Bottom 2:
Amanda Overmyer
Alexandrea Lushington
I should note that Alexandrea Lushington was in our top 6 girls last week, but we thought she was pretty bad last night. Our top 2 girls based on last night's performances were Brooke White and Kristy Lee Cook. (Kristy Lee Cook was one of "our" bottom 2 last week...they said she had the flu, so maybe she's really talented after all.) Overall our top 2 girls are Brooke White and Syesha Mercado.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it last week, but something about Brooke White really annoys me, so I didn't want to like her. I'm trying to be objective though and base it just on their performance, so she's come out on top because I've really thought she performed great.
Also, I'm not at all a good singer, I know I couldn't do what these people do (I would be one of the BAD auditions that they show in the audition weeks), I'm just someone who watches the show and figured it would give me something besides the kiddos to write about once a week. :) If you want to comment with your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.
I am curious, if you watch & vote, do you base your vote on who you genuinely think performed the best THAT week, or do you base it on more of a cumulative performance history? I don't vote, but when I think of who is good or bad from week to week, I don't forget the past...I try to remember "oh yeah, s/he was really good last week, maybe s/he is just having a bad night".
Guys - Bottom 2:
Jason Yeagar
Danny Noriega
Since I don't think Danny Noriega will go home, I'll add that our 3rd worst guy based on this week only was Michael Johns. He was one of our top 2 last week, so if I base it on what we thought of both weeks combined, David Archuleta becomes our 3rd bottom. I don't think he's likely to go home either. Basically I guess it's a wide open week...I'm guessing Jason Yeagar and Luke Menard will be the 2 that actually go.
Just to have it out there, our top 2 guys this week were David Hernandez and Chikezie; if we take both weeks into account, our top 2 guys are Jason Castro and Chikezie.
Girls - Bottom 2:
Amanda Overmyer
Alexandrea Lushington
I should note that Alexandrea Lushington was in our top 6 girls last week, but we thought she was pretty bad last night. Our top 2 girls based on last night's performances were Brooke White and Kristy Lee Cook. (Kristy Lee Cook was one of "our" bottom 2 last week...they said she had the flu, so maybe she's really talented after all.) Overall our top 2 girls are Brooke White and Syesha Mercado.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it last week, but something about Brooke White really annoys me, so I didn't want to like her. I'm trying to be objective though and base it just on their performance, so she's come out on top because I've really thought she performed great.
Also, I'm not at all a good singer, I know I couldn't do what these people do (I would be one of the BAD auditions that they show in the audition weeks), I'm just someone who watches the show and figured it would give me something besides the kiddos to write about once a week. :) If you want to comment with your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.
I am curious, if you watch & vote, do you base your vote on who you genuinely think performed the best THAT week, or do you base it on more of a cumulative performance history? I don't vote, but when I think of who is good or bad from week to week, I don't forget the past...I try to remember "oh yeah, s/he was really good last week, maybe s/he is just having a bad night".
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
WFMW: Freezer cooking
This week I have put 5 casseroles in my freezer, and we had one last night and will have one tonight. I bought groceries Friday and planned to assemble casseroles Saturday, but ended up not getting around to it until this week. Since I'm home with an infant and a toddler during the week, I didn't accomplish as much as I planned in one day, and instead spread it over 3 days. Monday I boiled my chicken. I bought a BIG chicken so I got a lot of meat off it...enough meat for 7 casseroles to feed me, David, and Matthew!
So anyway, basically Monday I boiled the chicken and put the broth in the freezer to use later! Tuesday I picked the meat out and threw away the skin & bones. Then I assembled my first recipe (chicken spaghetti if anyone's interested). I made enough for 3 casseroles - put one in the oven & the other 2 in the freezer. I put the rest of my chicken in the fridge to use today.
Today I assembled the other recipe. It's a tex-mex chicken dish that I'm trying for the first time. I was planning to make 3 casseroles and freeze them all, but I ended up with a lot of "stuff" left over so I just put it together as a 4th casserole & we're eating it tonight.
So basically I spent about 3 hours of hands-on time...shopping, chopping, picking meat off bones, and assembling, and we have 7 dinners! Well, main dishes for dinner anyway! :)
There have been a lot of "freezer cooking" dinner places popping up around the country and we have used one here. I like it a lot, but we thought the meals were overpriced. They were convenient though, so when I was working it was worth paying for that convenience. I need to sit down & figure out my total cost for these 7 dishes so I can figure out how much more the local place was...to see if it's worth me doing it all myself!
Anyway, that's what works for me this week! To see more tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.
So anyway, basically Monday I boiled the chicken and put the broth in the freezer to use later! Tuesday I picked the meat out and threw away the skin & bones. Then I assembled my first recipe (chicken spaghetti if anyone's interested). I made enough for 3 casseroles - put one in the oven & the other 2 in the freezer. I put the rest of my chicken in the fridge to use today.
Today I assembled the other recipe. It's a tex-mex chicken dish that I'm trying for the first time. I was planning to make 3 casseroles and freeze them all, but I ended up with a lot of "stuff" left over so I just put it together as a 4th casserole & we're eating it tonight.
So basically I spent about 3 hours of hands-on time...shopping, chopping, picking meat off bones, and assembling, and we have 7 dinners! Well, main dishes for dinner anyway! :)
There have been a lot of "freezer cooking" dinner places popping up around the country and we have used one here. I like it a lot, but we thought the meals were overpriced. They were convenient though, so when I was working it was worth paying for that convenience. I need to sit down & figure out my total cost for these 7 dishes so I can figure out how much more the local place was...to see if it's worth me doing it all myself!
Anyway, that's what works for me this week! To see more tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.
Monday, February 25, 2008
don't waste the cheap stuff
Argh! I am a huge hot chocolate fan, well really, a huge fan of chocolate milk cold or hot. I used to be a real hot chocolate snob and would only drink the homemade from scratch stuff, but now I drink swiss miss most of the time. I'm just too lazy to make it from scratch every time I want it. For Christmas, I got a tin of Ghirardelli hot cocoa. Can you say YUMMMMM? So typically I drink the regular old swiss miss, but on some days I decide to go for the high quality stuff. And what do I do today when I get my mug ready to drink? Of course, I spill it. And was today a day that I decided to drink the cheap swiss miss? Of course not! I had to have the Ghirardelli today! I am so cheap frugal that it really bugs me to spill something so yummmy and expensive (ok, I know it's not THAT expensive, but for what it is, it is, ya know?). Why oh why couldn't I have spilled my swiss miss?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Recipe Friday - Grape Salad
Grape Salad
2 pounds red seedless grapes
3/4 cup sugar
8 ounces sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup light brown sugar
Wash grapes and let dry. Mix sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and cream cheese together. Fold in the grapes. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Mix brown sugar and pecans, and sprinkle over the top. Refrigerate overnight.
2 pounds red seedless grapes
3/4 cup sugar
8 ounces sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup light brown sugar
Wash grapes and let dry. Mix sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and cream cheese together. Fold in the grapes. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Mix brown sugar and pecans, and sprinkle over the top. Refrigerate overnight.
Idol...after the results
Ha! Boy was I wrong! David & I didn't have any of the people who left Idol last night in our "bottom 2" for the guys or girls. I am happy to say that at least they weren't in our "top 6" either! It will be interesting to see how our "top 6" changes from week to week. At least for now our top 12 are safe.
I will say that I don't like them splitting it evenly with guys & girls. There have been seasons in the past where I felt like there were more guys who deserved to be in the top 12 or girls...either way. Ultimately I don't guess it matters, since eventually the "bottom 6" guys (or girls) would be voted off anyway...if they were in the round of 24 or if they were all in the top 12, right?
This year I am somewhat unimpressed with the talent though. I don't think they have anywhere near as much talent as there has been in previous seasons, regardless of what the folks at Fox want us to believe. I'm really tired of hearing "our most talented top 24 ever)". I'm also a bit cynical about the people who have been in bands & recorded & released albums being in it. You can tell they are really trying to cover their asses about it now too, last night saying that if a singer wasn't trying to make it then they probably didn't deserve a chance. I just prefer the idea of them "discovering" an unknown, not "rediscovering" someone who failed.
I will say that I don't like them splitting it evenly with guys & girls. There have been seasons in the past where I felt like there were more guys who deserved to be in the top 12 or girls...either way. Ultimately I don't guess it matters, since eventually the "bottom 6" guys (or girls) would be voted off anyway...if they were in the round of 24 or if they were all in the top 12, right?
This year I am somewhat unimpressed with the talent though. I don't think they have anywhere near as much talent as there has been in previous seasons, regardless of what the folks at Fox want us to believe. I'm really tired of hearing "our most talented top 24 ever)". I'm also a bit cynical about the people who have been in bands & recorded & released albums being in it. You can tell they are really trying to cover their asses about it now too, last night saying that if a singer wasn't trying to make it then they probably didn't deserve a chance. I just prefer the idea of them "discovering" an unknown, not "rediscovering" someone who failed.
They love each other, they really do!
Today Scarlett happened to nap until I got Matthew's lunch ready. Unfortunately for me that meant I needed to nurse her while he ate lunch - I don't typically like to do this, I prefer to sit with him & eat my lunch, and I really don't like nursing her in the dining room. So today I sat in the family room with her, with the door open into the dining room so I could watch & chat with Matthew.
Scarlett got down to the business of eating, but as soon as she heard Matthew, she started twisting & turning to try to see him. Yeah, that makes mommy's nipple happy. After about 2 minutes of that she decided her tummy was satisfied enough and she stood up in my lap craning her neck around to see him, smiling, and laughing the whole time. When she got him in her sights she started jumping up and down and making that "ah, ah, ah" noise that is so adorable. I said something like "Scarlett I wish you would lay down and eat some more" and Matthew immediately started saying "lay down, eat!", "shish-ter, lay down!", "eat, shish-ter" and different variations. She just continued to smile, laugh, jump, and talk to him. I finally moved so that she could see him while she nursed...THAT made her very happy & she finished her lunch.
I just love watching them interact. Matthew is a great big brother, most of the time, and Scarlett adores him. She has started getting into that separation anxiety phase where she screams when I'm out of the room, UNLESS Matthew is there...then she is quite happy to be left alone with him. Of course this often means I hear screams from another room, since she usually goes right to him & he often pushes her away. Of course he will also rush to hug her if she falls & bumps something.
Scarlett got down to the business of eating, but as soon as she heard Matthew, she started twisting & turning to try to see him. Yeah, that makes mommy's nipple happy. After about 2 minutes of that she decided her tummy was satisfied enough and she stood up in my lap craning her neck around to see him, smiling, and laughing the whole time. When she got him in her sights she started jumping up and down and making that "ah, ah, ah" noise that is so adorable. I said something like "Scarlett I wish you would lay down and eat some more" and Matthew immediately started saying "lay down, eat!", "shish-ter, lay down!", "eat, shish-ter" and different variations. She just continued to smile, laugh, jump, and talk to him. I finally moved so that she could see him while she nursed...THAT made her very happy & she finished her lunch.
I just love watching them interact. Matthew is a great big brother, most of the time, and Scarlett adores him. She has started getting into that separation anxiety phase where she screams when I'm out of the room, UNLESS Matthew is there...then she is quite happy to be left alone with him. Of course this often means I hear screams from another room, since she usually goes right to him & he often pushes her away. Of course he will also rush to hug her if she falls & bumps something.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
My Idol opinions
I am planning to write a real post about this, but the kiddos aren't napping great today and I seem to be running out of time. Since I don't know if I'm going to have a chance to put all my thoughts on paper, I wanted to at least 'get it out there' with who I think should go home tonight. David & I almost always DVR things, so we don't watch real-time, and we never vote for singers, but we like to talk about them & decided to 'score' them this round. Here's a quick summary, I'll add more comments later if I have the time.
Bottom 2 guys:
Jason Yeager (12)
David Archuleta (11) - now I know he seems to be one of everyone's favorites, but neither of us liked him. Since I doubt very seriously he's going home, I'll say that our 3rd borrom is Danny Noriega (10).
We actually had the bottom 3 guys ranked exactly the same. Our top 2 guys, for reference, are:
Jason Castro (1)
Michael Johns (2)
We had these ranked the same also. Other than our top 2 & bottom 3, the middle of the pack was kind of mixed up for us - we did not agree exactly on the other 7 guys rankings.
Bottom 2 girls:
Amanda Overmyer (12)
Kristy Lee Cook (11)
Top 2 girls:
Syesha Mercado (1)
Alaina Whitaker (2)
We only agreed on the bottom 2 and top 2 girls, although I have to say about Amanda Overmyer that I really liked her in auditiona but thought she sucked last night. I really hope she sticks around though. David thought she was better than I did, but he still thought she was one of the worst 2.
These rankings are based ONLY on last night's performances, not any audition clips that we've seen.
Hopefully I can write more later...
Bottom 2 guys:
Jason Yeager (12)
David Archuleta (11) - now I know he seems to be one of everyone's favorites, but neither of us liked him. Since I doubt very seriously he's going home, I'll say that our 3rd borrom is Danny Noriega (10).
We actually had the bottom 3 guys ranked exactly the same. Our top 2 guys, for reference, are:
Jason Castro (1)
Michael Johns (2)
We had these ranked the same also. Other than our top 2 & bottom 3, the middle of the pack was kind of mixed up for us - we did not agree exactly on the other 7 guys rankings.
Bottom 2 girls:
Amanda Overmyer (12)
Kristy Lee Cook (11)
Top 2 girls:
Syesha Mercado (1)
Alaina Whitaker (2)
We only agreed on the bottom 2 and top 2 girls, although I have to say about Amanda Overmyer that I really liked her in auditiona but thought she sucked last night. I really hope she sticks around though. David thought she was better than I did, but he still thought she was one of the worst 2.
These rankings are based ONLY on last night's performances, not any audition clips that we've seen.
Hopefully I can write more later...
Monday, February 18, 2008
A good weekend
I'm much less frustrated than I was at the end of last week. I know all children have their off days, just like we do. Why should I expect more of Matthew when I know even I have bad days? We had a pretty good weekend - we did some shopping Saturday and while we didn't get around to all the stores I wanted to go to, we finally found a lamp for Scarlett's room (only to get home & realize the base was cracked! but they had more...we'll try to swap it one day this week) and a lamp for our family room. I bought some paintings a while back, probably 2 years ago, that I wanted to hang above a table we have but the lamp we had on that table was too tall, and I've been off & on searching for one that was shorter & I thought would look good. I finally found it! I'm pretty excited about that, since I've been holding the paintings until we got a lamp - now I can put them up and expect it to look nice.
Matthew & Scarlett were good this weekend...David let me sleep in Saturday which is always nice. I got up to nurse Scarlett but then went straight back to bed. As much as I was thankful to sleep in, I also like for David to have time with both of them at the same time so that he has some appreciation for what I do every day. I have done the full time job thing, I know how that works. He's never done the stay at home part...lately I've felt some resentment because to me, being a SAHM means focusing on the children & spending time with them. Yes, I do believe I am more responsible for the housework than he is, but I also believe he still has a responsibility to help me with the household tasks. Lately I haven't felt like he's been very helpful. He does give the children baths while I clean up the kitchen after supper, but once they are in bed if there are things to be done, I am the one up & doing them, while he is sitting on his butt watching tv or playing online. I understand he has limited time to do these things, but what about me? I'm not exactly enjoying free time these days.
On that note, I have a whole new respect for full time SAHMs. I thought before that I had the best of both worlds when I was working part time, and now I am pretty sure that, at least for me, that is the best situation. I had a great job situation and I loved being home with Matthew & Scarlett part of the week. Now that we are home all week, I have a lot less patience so I have to work on that.
Sunday we went to church - we revisited one that we went to earlier this year, and to our disappointment we didn't like it as much as we did on that first visit. I think we will visit the nearby Methodist church soon.
Matthew & Scarlett were good this weekend...David let me sleep in Saturday which is always nice. I got up to nurse Scarlett but then went straight back to bed. As much as I was thankful to sleep in, I also like for David to have time with both of them at the same time so that he has some appreciation for what I do every day. I have done the full time job thing, I know how that works. He's never done the stay at home part...lately I've felt some resentment because to me, being a SAHM means focusing on the children & spending time with them. Yes, I do believe I am more responsible for the housework than he is, but I also believe he still has a responsibility to help me with the household tasks. Lately I haven't felt like he's been very helpful. He does give the children baths while I clean up the kitchen after supper, but once they are in bed if there are things to be done, I am the one up & doing them, while he is sitting on his butt watching tv or playing online. I understand he has limited time to do these things, but what about me? I'm not exactly enjoying free time these days.
On that note, I have a whole new respect for full time SAHMs. I thought before that I had the best of both worlds when I was working part time, and now I am pretty sure that, at least for me, that is the best situation. I had a great job situation and I loved being home with Matthew & Scarlett part of the week. Now that we are home all week, I have a lot less patience so I have to work on that.
Sunday we went to church - we revisited one that we went to earlier this year, and to our disappointment we didn't like it as much as we did on that first visit. I think we will visit the nearby Methodist church soon.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Recipe Friday - Best Ever Brownies
Best Ever Brownies
1 or 2 boxes of your favorite brownie mix (you can actually use the cheap kind, no need for the top of the line)
Whatever the brownie mix calls to be added in (eggs, milk, oil, water)
3 Hershey's Symphony bars (I prefer the toffee/almond ones)
If you use 1 box of brownie mix, mix it according to the directions for cake-style brownies. If you use 2 boxes, mix them according to the normal directions.
Pour half of the brownie mix in a greased 9x13 pan. Unwrap the Symphony bars & add them as a layer across the brownie batter. Pour the rest of the batter on top. Bake according to package directions. If using 2 mixes, I usually increase the time a little, but it varies according to what kind of mix I used.
(Note: I originally got this recipe from my mom, with no idea where she got it. Since then I saw it on an episode of Paula Deen, so she gets the credit for my favorite brownie recipe!)
1 or 2 boxes of your favorite brownie mix (you can actually use the cheap kind, no need for the top of the line)
Whatever the brownie mix calls to be added in (eggs, milk, oil, water)
3 Hershey's Symphony bars (I prefer the toffee/almond ones)
If you use 1 box of brownie mix, mix it according to the directions for cake-style brownies. If you use 2 boxes, mix them according to the normal directions.
Pour half of the brownie mix in a greased 9x13 pan. Unwrap the Symphony bars & add them as a layer across the brownie batter. Pour the rest of the batter on top. Bake according to package directions. If using 2 mixes, I usually increase the time a little, but it varies according to what kind of mix I used.
(Note: I originally got this recipe from my mom, with no idea where she got it. Since then I saw it on an episode of Paula Deen, so she gets the credit for my favorite brownie recipe!)
an add on
I realize it was only 3 days ago that I was bragging about both of my kids. It really helps keep things in perspective to have some sort of record showing me that earlier this was a good week. It helps me keep yesterday from turning the whole week into a bad one. So forgive me if sometimes my blog is dull and you don't want to read about how wonderful my kids are - just skip it! *I* need that to come back to sometimes!
where should I start?
I started this yesterday but just couldn't finish it. I felt worse and worse the more I typed. I was really doubting myself and thought typing it out would make me feel better but somehow it made it worse. I talked to a friend about it, she reassured me that this is totally normal. I also posted on a message board I'm a part of & the girls there reassured me too...so thanks ladies - you know who you are! Anyway, here are my thoughts from yesterday. If there happens to be someone reading this that is going through this too, maybe it will be some consolation that you're not alone.
I am not sure if I can do this. Matthew has been such a rotten tail this morning...he's always been such a sweet & loving child, but lately he's seemed like a whiney irritating little twerp. I am a horrible mother for writing such things about my own flesh & blood, but I have to put it somewhere. I still love him more than life itself, but I want my sweetheart back! What happened to him? Is this my fault for having Scarlett when he was so young? Have I increased my expectations beyond what is fair since she is the baby now? Is it just the age? Maybe I am not good with two year olds? I know that a lot of it is that I'm tired and I just need some good rest so that I can be a better mommy, but that's not all of it.
Yesterday I met a friend for lunch and honestly don't feel like I had any coherent thoughts to add to the conversation. I am not sure I can carry on an adult conversation anymore! :( I don't know where my brain was. I can only hope that she understands. She is so great with my kids, yesterday she had such patience with Matthew when he almost threw a tantrum about where to sit. Then when we were ready to leave she got his coat on him without a hint of a fight. I wish I had her patience with him.
Up until recently Matthew has been very loving towards Scarlett, but now that she is so mobile, I think it's driving him crazy. He doesn't mind sharing toys, as long as he can decide what she plays with. He doesn't like that she can crawl to anything & play with it, so he takes things away and pushes her. Still, sometimes I really need to leave the room...so I pray for the best. The other night I went into the kitchen & suddenly Scarlett was screaming. I came back in the family room & asked Matthew what happened to her - he said "I push her" and motioned his arms showing me how he pushed. Oh the honesty! He hasn't hurt her yet, but now I realize I really shouldn't leave them alone together, and that makes my days a lot harder.
I am not sure if I can do this. Matthew has been such a rotten tail this morning...he's always been such a sweet & loving child, but lately he's seemed like a whiney irritating little twerp. I am a horrible mother for writing such things about my own flesh & blood, but I have to put it somewhere. I still love him more than life itself, but I want my sweetheart back! What happened to him? Is this my fault for having Scarlett when he was so young? Have I increased my expectations beyond what is fair since she is the baby now? Is it just the age? Maybe I am not good with two year olds? I know that a lot of it is that I'm tired and I just need some good rest so that I can be a better mommy, but that's not all of it.
Yesterday I met a friend for lunch and honestly don't feel like I had any coherent thoughts to add to the conversation. I am not sure I can carry on an adult conversation anymore! :( I don't know where my brain was. I can only hope that she understands. She is so great with my kids, yesterday she had such patience with Matthew when he almost threw a tantrum about where to sit. Then when we were ready to leave she got his coat on him without a hint of a fight. I wish I had her patience with him.
Up until recently Matthew has been very loving towards Scarlett, but now that she is so mobile, I think it's driving him crazy. He doesn't mind sharing toys, as long as he can decide what she plays with. He doesn't like that she can crawl to anything & play with it, so he takes things away and pushes her. Still, sometimes I really need to leave the room...so I pray for the best. The other night I went into the kitchen & suddenly Scarlett was screaming. I came back in the family room & asked Matthew what happened to her - he said "I push her" and motioned his arms showing me how he pushed. Oh the honesty! He hasn't hurt her yet, but now I realize I really shouldn't leave them alone together, and that makes my days a lot harder.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
more brags
Ok in my not quite as sleepy mindset I thought of a few more cute things. Scarlett waves and claps too. Recently when she claps it sounds like she is saying "yay" when she claps. This morning I was changing her diaper & handed her a stuffed frog in an effort to keep her still and she clapped his front legs together. It was really cute. I LOVE this age. I remember with Matthew thinking that each age/stage got better than the last. Each time he would enter a new stage I would think "oh I was wrong, THIS is my favorite so far" and for the most part that is still true. It just gets better and better every day.
He is such a good big brother. He tolerates her climbing on him and pulling his hair, even though I don't think he understands that she doesn't know any better. Occasionally when I'm not in the room with them I'll hear him say "don't do dat shish-ter" or "no, shish-ter" and it is so cute, and of course I wonder what she is doing! He also sometimes pushes her or kicks her out of his way (seriously, unless she's eating or one of them is sleeping, she's always trying to climb on him, so I understand him shoving her away). All in all, he is really good with her though. Last night he did not want to take a bath, but when we told him sister was getting a bath he ran to the bathroom & said "me get bath shish-ter" - he really likes getting in the tub with her. Over the weekend when MIL had them in the tub he told MIL "I help" - and he helped wash Scarlett's hair. He poured water over her head to rinse it & he said "shish-ter's eye hurt".
Matthew's vocabulary & memory continue to amaze me. He frequently wants to "call momma joy" on my cell phone because I have let him do it a couple of times. He has new words every day - I really should document things better, but I think most of the time my brain is too mushy to remember them for 5 minutes. I try to write most of the cute things here but lately I've had trouble remembering! :(
He is such a good big brother. He tolerates her climbing on him and pulling his hair, even though I don't think he understands that she doesn't know any better. Occasionally when I'm not in the room with them I'll hear him say "don't do dat shish-ter" or "no, shish-ter" and it is so cute, and of course I wonder what she is doing! He also sometimes pushes her or kicks her out of his way (seriously, unless she's eating or one of them is sleeping, she's always trying to climb on him, so I understand him shoving her away). All in all, he is really good with her though. Last night he did not want to take a bath, but when we told him sister was getting a bath he ran to the bathroom & said "me get bath shish-ter" - he really likes getting in the tub with her. Over the weekend when MIL had them in the tub he told MIL "I help" - and he helped wash Scarlett's hair. He poured water over her head to rinse it & he said "shish-ter's eye hurt".
Matthew's vocabulary & memory continue to amaze me. He frequently wants to "call momma joy" on my cell phone because I have let him do it a couple of times. He has new words every day - I really should document things better, but I think most of the time my brain is too mushy to remember them for 5 minutes. I try to write most of the cute things here but lately I've had trouble remembering! :(
the brags
I have to say it somewhere, and here seems to be the most appropriate place. My kids are the cutest kids ever. Yep, I said it, in black & white, for anyone to see. Scarlett is just growing & changing every day. She now pulls up on everything, is starting to cruise just a little - the most she takes is 2 steps, she's letting go & standing for maybe 3 seconds before she topples, she's trying to stand on her own in the center of the room, she's scaring me that she's going to be walking early! Eeek! The cutest thing she's doing though is clicking her tongue. She puts it to the roof of her mouth & then clicks it down to a normal position. It's so funny and the first time David did it back to her, she went nuts and now she clicks clicks clicks. Tonight I'm pretty sure she winked at him. We were eating supper & he was feeding her. She said 'dada' and I glanced at her & I swear she winked. (Well, one of those 2 eyed winks that babies do, but NOT a blink...longer than a blink.) I asked him if he saw it so he winked at her & she did it again!
Also at supper, Matthew suddenly put his foot up ON the table and said "I want my sock." I almost fell over laughing because it was just so random. I did get onto him about putting his foot on the table once I got my laughter under control. He did several other cute things at supper but I am so sleepy I can't remember them right now. I wish I could go to sleep in our bed without David there...he's working late tonight...sitting at the computer while I surf away on the laptop. Hopefully he'll be finished soon.
Oh yeah, I just reminded myself. Another cute thing Matthew did/said. He told us after supper "my all done". I know that's not a proper sentence but I see it as an indication that he is learning that there are more pronouns that mean "I" than just "I". He uses "me" sometimes too...so maybe I overreacted to the cuteness of this tonight.
Also at supper, Matthew suddenly put his foot up ON the table and said "I want my sock." I almost fell over laughing because it was just so random. I did get onto him about putting his foot on the table once I got my laughter under control. He did several other cute things at supper but I am so sleepy I can't remember them right now. I wish I could go to sleep in our bed without David there...he's working late tonight...sitting at the computer while I surf away on the laptop. Hopefully he'll be finished soon.
Oh yeah, I just reminded myself. Another cute thing Matthew did/said. He told us after supper "my all done". I know that's not a proper sentence but I see it as an indication that he is learning that there are more pronouns that mean "I" than just "I". He uses "me" sometimes too...so maybe I overreacted to the cuteness of this tonight.
the visit
We had a good weekend. My MIL arrived about an hour earlier than I expected Friday. Turns out she flew out of a different city than normal so we were watching the wrong flight. I'm glad she understood...sometimes she gets pissy about stuff like having to wait to be picked up. My BIL & his girlfriend came over too. That was nice for me - I feel a lot less stressed when she's here and there are other family members here too. BIL "tattled" on her for letting Matthew drink coffee too. Her defense was that he asked for it...since she didn't offer apparently that makes it ok for him to have it. I guess next time he asks to go outside even though it's -20 windchills I should let him do it, just because he asked? No reason for me as an adult to use judgement, right? It's not that I even care if he had a sip of coffee...it's that I get annoyed with her for trying to justify it. Yesterday was the real goody though. Around 11:20 she went into the kitchen, got a snack, and brought it into the family room. We don't eat in our family room. (Well, David & I do, but only if we're eating after the kids are in bed...they don't see us eating in the family room.) Matthew usually eats lunch between 11:30 & 12. She offered him part of her snack. After 3 times of her calling him trying to give it to him (he was busy playing), I told her that he didn't need it and it was almost lunchtime anyway. She called him 3 MORE times! Of course he finally noticed that she had food & he went over for it. Again, it's not that I care if he has occasional snacks, but the blatant disregard for me telling her he didn't need it really annoys me. David was not around at that moment, but a few minutes later while I was fixing lunch she made some passive aggressive remark to him that I was mad with her. (eyeroll here) When Matthew was finishing up with his lunch, I was in the kitchen and she brought his plate to me & said "he said he's all done, did he eat enough? and is it ok for him to have more milk?" I replied that it just didn't matter to me today. David gave me a look like what is going on? Later when I told him about it all I tried to explain that it wasn't about her giving him a snack, it was that she blatently disregarded what I said. Then, she went out of her way to ASK me what was ok when David was around....as if she cares what I think/say is ok to begin with. Whatever!
I assured David that I would have been just as annoyed if my parents acted this way, but deep down I'm not so sure about this. But I can't be sure because with MY parents, if they "called" to Matthew offering him the snack after I told them he didn't need it, I would simply say to them "hey, I told you he doesn't need that" and it would be the end of it. But because she is ultra-sensitive and I try to be a loving wife who gets along, I just let stuff like that slide with her, and end up being angry on the inside that she is passive aggressive. In reality, I'm ~almost~ as P/A as she is...but not quite. I know that "they" say girls marry men like their fathers, and men marry women like their mothers. I can say that David & my daddy are alike in so many ways, maybe that is somewhat true. But I really really really really hope it's not true in David's case. Yeah, really really really really...I hope I'm not like her.
But of course, I love her because she gave me David. If she did everything else wrong, she somehow managed to raise one heck of a wonderful son. Yes, she gave me David.
David & I had rented a couple of movies last weekend that we never got around to watching. They were due back Sunday so we watched one Saturday (Curious George) with the whole family. Matthew liked it a lot...I fell asleep on the couch. Sunday morning David I went back to bed & watched the other - Knocked Up. It wasn't as laugh out loud funny as I'd hoped. I did laugh out loud, several times in fact, but I think I had heard so many people say it was so funny that I overbuilt it in my mind.
Sunday afternoon David & I went out. We wanted to go ice skating but it was way too cold. We decided to go to a movie instead. We saw Juno and it made me cry. I'm sure I can't be the only one who cried, but I would guess my reasons were different than most. It was a good movie though, but I would have liked to see a slightly different ending. Maybe they'll make a sequel. Actually, there are several possible follow-up stories they could do, but I don't see it happening.
BIL & his girlfriend left yesterday. It took them a little over 8 hours to make what is normally a 5 hour trip. The weather was awful and they encountered a lot of accidents that had traffic backed up. I think he was really stressed out driving in the snowy/icy conditions, because he really isn't used to it.
MIL left this morning so today things were pretty much back to normal at our house. I even found time for a nap! :)
I assured David that I would have been just as annoyed if my parents acted this way, but deep down I'm not so sure about this. But I can't be sure because with MY parents, if they "called" to Matthew offering him the snack after I told them he didn't need it, I would simply say to them "hey, I told you he doesn't need that" and it would be the end of it. But because she is ultra-sensitive and I try to be a loving wife who gets along, I just let stuff like that slide with her, and end up being angry on the inside that she is passive aggressive. In reality, I'm ~almost~ as P/A as she is...but not quite. I know that "they" say girls marry men like their fathers, and men marry women like their mothers. I can say that David & my daddy are alike in so many ways, maybe that is somewhat true. But I really really really really hope it's not true in David's case. Yeah, really really really really...I hope I'm not like her.
But of course, I love her because she gave me David. If she did everything else wrong, she somehow managed to raise one heck of a wonderful son. Yes, she gave me David.
David & I had rented a couple of movies last weekend that we never got around to watching. They were due back Sunday so we watched one Saturday (Curious George) with the whole family. Matthew liked it a lot...I fell asleep on the couch. Sunday morning David I went back to bed & watched the other - Knocked Up. It wasn't as laugh out loud funny as I'd hoped. I did laugh out loud, several times in fact, but I think I had heard so many people say it was so funny that I overbuilt it in my mind.
Sunday afternoon David & I went out. We wanted to go ice skating but it was way too cold. We decided to go to a movie instead. We saw Juno and it made me cry. I'm sure I can't be the only one who cried, but I would guess my reasons were different than most. It was a good movie though, but I would have liked to see a slightly different ending. Maybe they'll make a sequel. Actually, there are several possible follow-up stories they could do, but I don't see it happening.
BIL & his girlfriend left yesterday. It took them a little over 8 hours to make what is normally a 5 hour trip. The weather was awful and they encountered a lot of accidents that had traffic backed up. I think he was really stressed out driving in the snowy/icy conditions, because he really isn't used to it.
MIL left this morning so today things were pretty much back to normal at our house. I even found time for a nap! :)
Friday, February 8, 2008
Recipe Friday - Sweet Cream Pound Cake
This is a really easy cake and every time I've made it, it has turned out great. I made one for David's birthday since it is his favorite and then he had a potluck at work last week so I made another. He said several people there asked for the recipe, so I figured it was a good one to share here as well.
Sweet Cream Pound Cake
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/2 pint whipping cream (small carton)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 300*. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Fold in whipping cream (do not whip the cream first). Add flour and mix well. Add vanilla. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
(The baking time really depends on the oven & pan - I use a nonstick cake pan but grease it anyway and bake for 1 hr 15 min.)
Sweet Cream Pound Cake
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/2 pint whipping cream (small carton)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 300*. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Fold in whipping cream (do not whip the cream first). Add flour and mix well. Add vanilla. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
(The baking time really depends on the oven & pan - I use a nonstick cake pan but grease it anyway and bake for 1 hr 15 min.)
Foot doctor
Matthew had an ortho appointment yesterday to check his feet. He is so good about going to the doctor, and we were excited because this is a new to this area doctor. We were driving almost 3 hours one way for check-ups, now we will drive 15 minutes. A resident examined Matthew first and thought his feet looked good, but he said the doctor would check too. When the doctor checked he agreed - he watched Matthew walk & was very happy with the way he looked walking & with what he felt in the exam. He mentioned that they are using a different kind of brace than what we have and he would like us to switch over. Matthew has outgrown his shoes so it was time for a new one anyway - I am excited that he'll be getting the newer kind - it is supposed to be easier to use & more comfortable to wear. That and most of the kids walk in it! While we were waiting on someone from the orthotics shop to come measure his feet, he insisted I take my shoes off and then he examined my feet. He pressed here & there, twisted and turned... it was pretty cute. I asked him if he wanted to be a foot doctor and he said yes.
Scarlett is lil miss independent - she wants to feed herself. She isn't too fond of any baby food we've tried to far, but if I let her hold the spoon she eats better than if I try to hold it. She's tight-lipped when I try, but opens wide & gobbles up when she has the spoon. When she eats the food off the spoon she does one of two things...either she sucks and chews on the spoon or she throws it down and screams for another bite. I've taken to feeding her with two spoons so I always have one ready to go when she finishes the first.
This weekend my MIL is visiting. I'm guessing that means David & I will go out, but I think it will be a daytime date since he has something going on tomorrow night & we figured we didn't want to leave the kids tonight since MIL will have just gotten in.
Scarlett is lil miss independent - she wants to feed herself. She isn't too fond of any baby food we've tried to far, but if I let her hold the spoon she eats better than if I try to hold it. She's tight-lipped when I try, but opens wide & gobbles up when she has the spoon. When she eats the food off the spoon she does one of two things...either she sucks and chews on the spoon or she throws it down and screams for another bite. I've taken to feeding her with two spoons so I always have one ready to go when she finishes the first.
This weekend my MIL is visiting. I'm guessing that means David & I will go out, but I think it will be a daytime date since he has something going on tomorrow night & we figured we didn't want to leave the kids tonight since MIL will have just gotten in.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
WFMW: Shopping for charity
This week's Works for Me Wednesday is all about shopping. My favorite place for children's clothes is Momma's Boy Clothing. They have adorable clothes for boys & girls. Things you can't find at a "normal" store - you have to go to a boutique or specialty store for them. They have flat rate shipping (which I'm a big fan of!) and great customer service too.
I have mentioned before that one of my favorite places to shop online is Zappos. Their customer service just can't be beat. I have also talked about GoodSearch and their shopping feature. GoodSearch allows you to choose your favorite charity (or you can allow them to donate to the charity of the day) and a percentage of all your shopping dollars is donated directly to the charity. This is something that is so easy to do...it requires very little effort to go to the GoodSearch site to see if your favorite online retailer participates, but the rewards for those charities are oh so great.
Many online retailers participate...including Zappos! Many of my other favorites are also there: Amazon, Lands End, Old Navy, Toys 'R Us, Walmart, Target...the list goes on & on! So no matter where you decide to shop, please start at GoodSearch!
Now, head over to Rocks in My Dryer to find out where everyone else likes to spend their hard earned money!
I have mentioned before that one of my favorite places to shop online is Zappos. Their customer service just can't be beat. I have also talked about GoodSearch and their shopping feature. GoodSearch allows you to choose your favorite charity (or you can allow them to donate to the charity of the day) and a percentage of all your shopping dollars is donated directly to the charity. This is something that is so easy to do...it requires very little effort to go to the GoodSearch site to see if your favorite online retailer participates, but the rewards for those charities are oh so great.
Many online retailers participate...including Zappos! Many of my other favorites are also there: Amazon, Lands End, Old Navy, Toys 'R Us, Walmart, Target...the list goes on & on! So no matter where you decide to shop, please start at GoodSearch!
Now, head over to Rocks in My Dryer to find out where everyone else likes to spend their hard earned money!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
i lub pancakes
We had a truly great weekend. It was fairly quiet & I never even left the house, but it was just one of those weekends where things seemed to go well. The bad news first - Scarlett had definite signs of thrush in her mouth, so Friday I called the pediatrician again. Keep in mind they told me Wednesday that my sore boobies were due to teething, and Thursday they still weren't concerned. When I talked to them Friday I told them either I would bring her in, or they could tell me how to treat her. I was NOT going to accept not getting an answer. They told me the best thing to use is gentian violet. So we swipe it in her mouth once a day and have a purple mouthed baby. David's also teasing me because when she nurses it rubs off & turns my nipples purple! Fortunately, the medicine I got Thursday seems to be helping - I don't cry from the pain when Scarlett latches on now.
Now on to all the good stuff. Saturday morning I made pancakes, but Matthew didn't want pancakes, he wanted cereal. Since I hadn't started cooking at what is his normal breakfast time, we let him have cereal. Of course when David & I sat down to eat our pancakes, he wanted some too. I gave him one and when he finished it he proclaimed "I lub pancakes." Then he asked for more please. I gave him another one...the little fella ate the whole thing. That's 2 pancakes + the cereal & fruit he already had! Of course, I just lubbed hearing that he lubs pancakes!
The rest of the day was fairly calm - it seemed like he & Scarlett were both in good moods. We also found a food Scarlett will eat! Yogurt! She loves the stuff...she opened her mouth wide & really went after the spoon, for the first time ever. I thought she might just be figuring out how to eat, but when I tried giving her applesauce for breakfast Sunday she wasn't too interested. She is getting 2 meals a day now - applesauce + rice cereal for breakfast, and yogurt + rice cereal for supper. She still nurses about 5x/day too...I think it's safe to say that is still her favorite meal.
Saturday evening while David & I were cooking supper, he went to check on Matthew & Scarlett & called me over. I peeked around & saw Matthew running around - totally naked! I started laughing, and then noticed that Matthew had a clean diaper in his hand. It was then that David noticed the old diaper on the floor, right beside a small pile of poop! Oops...we're pretty sure that Matthew pooped IN the diaper, then took it off to try to change himself. I wish he had taken the diaper off & then pooped - that would make me feel like he was ready for some serious potty training. He seemed pretty proud of himself for his self-change attempt.
Then Saturday night at supper Matthew told his sweet potato "I lub you sweet potato". Then he looked at David - "I lub you Dada" - finally he looked at me - "I lub you mommy." He tells us both he lubs us frequently, but this was the first time it was totally out of the blue, without us saying it, and not at bedtime. Since then of course, I've noticed him throwing the word around a lot - he suddenly lubs everything.
Sunday was more quiet - we didn't visit a church this week. We said it was because Scarlett's mouth is purple...I think the honest appraisal is that we just weren't mentally up for another visit. This coming weekend when David's mom is here & we can leave her home with the babies, we will visit one, possibly 2! We watched the Super Bowl...actually, we dvr'd it & watched it once the kids went to bed. This is such a habit for us, but usually we fast forward through commercials...you can't really do that with the Super Bowl though, so instead we jumped through a lot of downtime between plays. Speaking of Super Bowl commercials...if you saw the Amp one where the guy attached the jumper cables to his nipples, and you cringed in pain...yep, that's how I felt last week!
A couple of quick baby book things - Scarlett's second tooth broke through Saturday and last Wednesday her daycare teacher told us she pulled up. She pulled up a few times this weekend too, but isn't a pro quite yet.
Now on to all the good stuff. Saturday morning I made pancakes, but Matthew didn't want pancakes, he wanted cereal. Since I hadn't started cooking at what is his normal breakfast time, we let him have cereal. Of course when David & I sat down to eat our pancakes, he wanted some too. I gave him one and when he finished it he proclaimed "I lub pancakes." Then he asked for more please. I gave him another one...the little fella ate the whole thing. That's 2 pancakes + the cereal & fruit he already had! Of course, I just lubbed hearing that he lubs pancakes!
The rest of the day was fairly calm - it seemed like he & Scarlett were both in good moods. We also found a food Scarlett will eat! Yogurt! She loves the stuff...she opened her mouth wide & really went after the spoon, for the first time ever. I thought she might just be figuring out how to eat, but when I tried giving her applesauce for breakfast Sunday she wasn't too interested. She is getting 2 meals a day now - applesauce + rice cereal for breakfast, and yogurt + rice cereal for supper. She still nurses about 5x/day too...I think it's safe to say that is still her favorite meal.
Saturday evening while David & I were cooking supper, he went to check on Matthew & Scarlett & called me over. I peeked around & saw Matthew running around - totally naked! I started laughing, and then noticed that Matthew had a clean diaper in his hand. It was then that David noticed the old diaper on the floor, right beside a small pile of poop! Oops...we're pretty sure that Matthew pooped IN the diaper, then took it off to try to change himself. I wish he had taken the diaper off & then pooped - that would make me feel like he was ready for some serious potty training. He seemed pretty proud of himself for his self-change attempt.
Then Saturday night at supper Matthew told his sweet potato "I lub you sweet potato". Then he looked at David - "I lub you Dada" - finally he looked at me - "I lub you mommy." He tells us both he lubs us frequently, but this was the first time it was totally out of the blue, without us saying it, and not at bedtime. Since then of course, I've noticed him throwing the word around a lot - he suddenly lubs everything.
Sunday was more quiet - we didn't visit a church this week. We said it was because Scarlett's mouth is purple...I think the honest appraisal is that we just weren't mentally up for another visit. This coming weekend when David's mom is here & we can leave her home with the babies, we will visit one, possibly 2! We watched the Super Bowl...actually, we dvr'd it & watched it once the kids went to bed. This is such a habit for us, but usually we fast forward through commercials...you can't really do that with the Super Bowl though, so instead we jumped through a lot of downtime between plays. Speaking of Super Bowl commercials...if you saw the Amp one where the guy attached the jumper cables to his nipples, and you cringed in pain...yep, that's how I felt last week!
A couple of quick baby book things - Scarlett's second tooth broke through Saturday and last Wednesday her daycare teacher told us she pulled up. She pulled up a few times this weekend too, but isn't a pro quite yet.
Recipe Friday - Sweet Potato Casserole
Since my WFMW tip was about sweet potatoes, I figured I would continue that idea into my Friday recipe. And yeah, I know it's Saturday already...I was busy yesterday!
Sweet Potato Soufflé
3 c cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 c sugar
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ stick butter
½ c milk
1 tsp vanilla
Topping*:
½ c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
½ c chopped pecans
½ stick butter
Mix potatoes, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla in casserole dish. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add remaining topping ingredients and blend well. Spread on top of potato mixture. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.
*You can also use marshmallows to top this if you prefer. Either way, it's downright yummy!
Sweet Potato Soufflé
3 c cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 c sugar
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ stick butter
½ c milk
1 tsp vanilla
Topping*:
½ c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
½ c chopped pecans
½ stick butter
Mix potatoes, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla in casserole dish. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add remaining topping ingredients and blend well. Spread on top of potato mixture. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.
*You can also use marshmallows to top this if you prefer. Either way, it's downright yummy!
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