Power Lines

Driving home today I was detoured around town for a mystery reason.  What I could tell from a distance was that the street was completely blocked off and there were 4 - yes, 4! - cherry picker/bucket trucks working on the power lines.  And did I mention it was 68 degrees outside - in January??  Well, putting two and two together I decided that the absolute instant I got home the boys and I were taking a walk to see what all the excitement was about.

I came in the back door and we promptly left out the front door about 3 minutes later - just long enough to insist the little boys take some potty breaks.  We walked all the way to the other side of town - maybe half a mile? - to see what was going on.  Gabe carried his trusty stick the entire way, poking it in every puddle and grate we came to.  We saw the police directing traffic in the intersection where there was no power.  The boys decided he didn't have a "real" police car because there were no lights on top.  (It was an unmarked one.)  Then we hopped over the railroad tracks - more fun, to be sure!  Finally we came to the bucket trucks.  They were hanging new lines.  Apparently someone had been kind enough to plow their big truck through a few poles this morning and knocked power out to half the town.  The boys were disappointed they couldn't get closer.  It was a long walk - over half a mile each way.  We were out for at least 90 minutes.

Another odd thing about this weather - we saw this coming out the back door on our patio:

It was just slowly walking across the concrete. 

Meal Planning a Day Late : Jan 31, 2012

What a nightmare of a weekend!  We just spent the entire weekend painting and cleaning like mad people to get our rental ready -- all this on the same weekend that I am "supposed" to be getting ready for the new semester.  The one where I am teaching a class I have never taught before - yeah, that semester.  Ugh.  So now it is Tuesday afternoon and I am just now even starting to think about cooking.  We got pizza Sunday night after a marathon day of painting, we didn't even bother to eat dinner last night (Mon.), as we were both just too tired!  How lame are we??  So with what is left of the week we are going to try:

Tuesday: Beef and Blue Cheese Gnocchi
Wednesday: Honey Sesame Chicken in the Crock Pot [our new recipe this week]
Thursday: Fish Tacos that never happened last week
Friday: Lemon Chicken Pasta

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives

Dentist!

My kids love to go to the dentist, eye doctor, whatever.  They are totally "into" going and seeing the equipment, touching all the "stuff" and getting the sticker in the end.  Weird, right?  So Tuesday they had their 6 month check up at the dentist - and then we had to get two pairs of Grayson's glasses fixed.  Yep - he broke them both.

They were so good - the folks always comment on how great they are - which is always nice to hear :)  One really great thing about their dentist is the totally cool playhouse in the waiting room.  The boys love it and it keeps them contained.

On our way home it was starting to be dusk and we drove through this pass where there are always 1000's of birds feeding.  We hit the timing just right and when they saw it they wanted to go back and watch.  So we turned the car around, parked on the side of the road and just watched with the sun roof open.  I love that my kids notice this sort of thing AND that they are interested.  And as we got home the sun was just setting and they noticed the moon was just the thinnest sliver, but you could see the whole outline - almost like and eclipse.  Gabe announced he was going to ride an airplane all the way to it and then use a parachute to get back down.

Meal Planning Monday: Jan 23

We are continuing our quest to 'use what we have' and keep the grocery budget under control.  Last week we actually did not go shopping - well, almost, we did have to buy 3 gallons of milk ans some fresh fruit for the kids - so $17.  Everything else we had on hand.

This week we did go shopping ($42) and will have to do a mid week milk and banana run - but other than that, we might be able to make it on what we have on hand.  Right now we are keeping the kids food really bland because the youngest has been fighting a nasty stomach bug for going on 4 days now.  There has been a lot of rice consumed in our house in the past 72 hours!

Saturday we made bread for the week using An Oregon Cottage Blog recipe.  It came out really great and we are looking forward to making our bread from now on!

The plan for the week is looking like this:

Monday: Grits, Spinach, and Black Eyed Peas
Tuesday: Tuna Noodle Casserole
Wednesday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Thursday: Gnocchi w/ greens and white beans
Friday: Grilled Tuna Steaks to make fish tacos

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives

Saturday

Today had really yucky weather - so we spent the day at home.  I decided to use the time to try making bread for the week for us.  I used a recipe from An Oregon Cottage with only slight modifications.  I am really happy with the results.  This may be then end of us buying store bread!

Even though we were inside all day, the boys (Doug included) stayed VERY busy and played very hard.  Around 4:00 a few of the boys held still a little too long and this happened:

Eggs!

Bear

Fish

Who would think hard boiled eggs could be fun to have for dinner?  Well, if they look like this they are!

Bunny

PreSchooler Fun : Glass Beads

As I went to type the title of the post I realized that my boys - well, the twins - really aren't toddlers anymore!  I don't know why I didn't realize this before.  They are almost 3.5 - so I guess that makes them preschoolers!  Yikes!  When did that happen??  So now I think I need a new label.

So I have been lurking at a great site called Play at Home Mom and it has tons of great ideas.  While I can only wish to be so creative and offer my kids so many great things, I figured I could at least start small.  Since I am not at home during the day I can't really set up the 'invitations,' but I have been trying to offer up a new activity every few days when I get home.

I gave the boys to containers of glass beads and sparkle beads (both out of the floral department), a couple white bowls, and spoons.  I had the red and blue glass beads in one container and the clear and yellow sparkle beads in the other.  When I set them out the first thing Gabe asked was "How are we supposed to do this?"  I told them they could play with them how ever they wanted.

First they just stuck their hands down in them and wiggled their fingers, then they pulled the beads out and looked at them.  Then the scooping, pouring, and mixing began.  This simple set up kept them fully engaged for almost 40 minutes.  When they were done they picked them all up and even brought me the containers to put up so their little brother wouldn't get into them when he got home. 

I was amazed at how much they enjoyed this.  (They even asked for it again Thursday morning!)

Morning Commute

This morning happened to be prettier than usual, so I snapped a few pictures.  We were having snow flurries, but the sun was out - which is always nice.  You can't really tell from the top picture, but the sunrise was pink.  I couldn't stop where I wanted to for the second picture, but the mountains were kind of glowing.

Meal Planning Monday (well, almost) : Jan 17, 2012

Yeah for long holiday weekends!  Of course, this meant that I did not get around to meal planning because I had an extra day.  Somehow more time often translates into less accomplished! Well, maybe not less - but different.  I did get a nice trip to Costco accomplished, as well as some serious deep cleaning to the upstairs wood floors, so maybe it all balances out :)

We are continuing our "use what you have" project.  We spent right at $50 last week.  I haven't done a regular shopping trip yet this week.  I did grab 6# of ground beef ($18), ravioli ($9 for a big bag), and a 3 pack of pizza ($11) and a gallon of milk ($4) at Costco.  So those $42 dollars will make at least 10 meals - just not all this week.


Plan for the remainder of the week:

Tuesday:  Soft Tacos / Taco Salad Choice
Wednesday: Asparagus Ravioli and Grilled Chicken
Thursday: Crock Pot BBQ Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, and veggies
Friday: TBD...

Saturday: Polynesian Flank Steak w/rice and stir fry veggies and grilled pineapple  (never got made last week)

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

Monday night bath time...

Homemade GeoBoard!

Still taking inspiration from the Play at Home Mom blog and often scratching my head wondering, why didn't I think of that? 

The boys LOVE these boards at the Discovery Museum, but I honestly never thought to make them myself.  Then I saw them on the PAHM site and realized that there was no reason in the world we couldn't make one, too!

We made this Doug's project to do with the boys on Monday when he has them at work with him at the hardware store.  Throughout the day he sent me pictures showing me the progress they were making.  It started with showing the boys how to put the screws in the pegboard.  Doug said he went to do something and came back and they had done a whole row and started on another.  Then he found Gabe in the nuts and bolts isle taking matter into his own hands and getting more!

Then they played around with the spacing of the bolts and he showed the boys how to use the drill to attach the nuts to the screws.  (Yes, our 3.5 yr olds use power tools...)  

This turned out to be a great success.  The boys spent a large part of the morning working on making the board with guidance from Daddy, then they played with it on and off all afternoon.  Now we are working on a smaller one to have at the house. 

The next day Reece went with Doug to work while the boys were at school and he immediately found the board and started playing - and yes, Doug let him use the drill, too.  (He's 14 months old.) 

Sunday Afternoon

Snack Time!

Sometimes all it takes to make them happy is popcorn :)

At work with Daddy

Clearly working hard!

Reece Helping in the Kitchen

Today Reece got to 'help' in the kitchen while his brothers were with Doug.  We started with just big tube shaped pasta stirring it in a pot.  Then he got out the colander.  Before it was all over we had added two more shapes, some cupcake papers, a chopstick to thread the pasta onto, and a canning jar.  He spent almost an hour on the floor scooping, threading, dumping, and banging -- and chewing on -- the pasta. 

Meal Planning Monday : Jan 9, 2012

Last week was a success and we pretty much stuck to the plan.  I decided to continue the pantry clean out project and plan with what we have and try and keep the new purchases to a minimum.  I went shopping yesterday and spent a total of $32.  Of course, we will have to buy milk and bananas midweek, but I think we can keep it under $40 for the entire week.  Not shabby for a family of 5.  The chicken was w/ bought last weeks' budget and the steak was in the freezer.

Saag Tofu

Monday: Chicken Slouvaki w/ whole wheat pitas
Tuesday: Saag Tofu (Yum!!)
Wednesday: Pasta w/ chicken and veggies with homemade bread
Thursday: Polynesian Flank Steak w/rice and stir fry veggies and grilled pineapple
Friday: Freezer soup/sauce with homemade bread
Saturday: Left overs

Sunday: ? Shopping day ?

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

And since I never list them - I thought I would today - for breakfast we usually have pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, peanut butter toast and fruit, eggs and sausage, grits.  For lunch there are a lot of left overs, chicken nuggets, tofu, hot dogs, PBJ, cold plates, etc.  Snack consist of lots of fruit, gold fish, crackers, cheese, pretzels, etc.

Exploring Ice

While Reece was taking a nap today we spent the entire time outside since it was in the 50s - which is a treat for January.  The boys helped me clean flower beds, played on the trampoline, went around and around in the swings, then we explored the ice that had formed on the little swimming pool that never got emptied (I know, I know - but we're busy!)

They were both enthralled by the fact it was solid - they touched it and were surprised when it offered resistance - and by how cold it was, given it was not cold outside.  They both found little trucks and brought them over to see if they would stay on top of the ice.  This lead to a great conversation about why we don't go on the ice.  Then they smashed it up with the trucks and saw the big pieces would float.  They fished some out and looked through them, too. 

We need to try and remember that at this age everything is new and exciting. 

Playing in the Dark

In my search for new ideas of things to do with the kids I came across a really great blog that has tons of easy ideas to try.  I knew I had some glow sticks in the kitchen somewhere, so I tried the 'hide and seek' in the dark with them.  It was a huge success.  They stayed in the kitchen with Doug while I hid them and then they ran around the downstairs looking for all the glowing sticks.  Once they found them they continued to play with them - linking them together, making shapes with them and just being silly in general.

When it was time to go up for a bath the glow sticks went with them and they took a bath in the dark, playing with them in the tub.  They learned they float, loved how they would make the whole tub glow, and generally had fun until the water got cold.  Gabe even took his to bed with him!

Nothing to see here...

Doesn't everyone play with their Mr Potato Head while naked wearing snow boots?

Making Letters

More fun on the kitchen floor...  

Gabe is really into letters and numbers right now and wants to know all about what letters make up what words.   While he can't write the letters yet, he knows them all and figured out he could make a few with his drum sticks.  That lead him to ask for the wooden spoons in the kitchen so he could make an "A."  Then he wanted more to make more letters, so I gave him a few packs of wooden chopsticks that come with take out and he made letters on the floor while I made dinner for about 30 minutes.

Meal Planning 1/2/2012

My first meal planning of 2012 - wow!  This week I decided to steal an idea I saw on someone's blog a few months ago and try to make a real effort to use what is in my house and keep purchasing to a minimum.  I know I'll have to buy about 4 gallons of milk and 2 loaves of bread along with bananas or other fruit - but I poked around in my cabinets for things I already had - things I bought for meals that never got made, etc. and made my menu from that.  On Sunday I spent $31 for bread, milk, hot dogs, bananas, and some produce.  We'll see how it goes!

Sunday:  Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Monday: Chicken w/ sausage dressing and asparagus
Tuesday: Bean Burritos w/ homemade tomato salsa
Wednesday: Stir Fry w/ Tofu and veggies
Thursday: Left Over Night (or omelets if there are no leftovers)
Friday: Pizza Night
Saturday: Baked ham, mac and cheese, and  veggies

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

UPDATE: We did pretty well this week.  I did have to take a Thursday milk and bananas run - so that was $10.  I also grabbed two big trays of chicken breasts to freeze since it was on sale for under $2 pound.  I spent  a total of $27 more, for a total of$58 for the week - and I have 6 bags of chicken in the freezer now. 

Goofy boy...

Everybody knows the boxes that the presents come in are more fun than the contents.  Apparently, this is also true when the container is a clear bucket.

3 Going on 16...

Aside from the fact the boy is chewing on his fingers, I swear I looked over and saw him standing there and thought - when did this happen?  He isn't even 3.5 and he looks like he is going on 16!

Bumps and DermaBond

We had our first trip to the Urgent Care for stitches today.  Grayson tagged the radiator with his head just right and managed to slice his fore head open while not really hurting himself otherwise.

We unsuccessfully tried to stick a band-aide on it for the car ride, which he would have nothing to do with - so, by the time we got to the nearest Urgent Care, which is 20 minutes away, he had bled all down his face.

Then to make matters even worse, the UC people refused to see him!  They made Doug put him back in the car and drive him to the ER...for stitches, or derma-bond, as the case was.  Since the UC and the ER are all the same company -- and the ER couldn't understand why the UC wouldn't take care of him and they did nothing else for him, I think we have decided that we are only going to pay the UC fee.  The whole thing was ridiculous.

After getting his head glued it was off to Ashburn for his eye exam.  Poor little guy, he can't catch a break.

UPDATE: It took him all of 4 days to peel off the derma-bond.  The gash looks to be healed shut, so we are hoping that he won't hit it again and reopen it before it finishes healing.  Geez.

Christmas 2011

Christmas Eve:
This was the first year of setting out stockings and Santa Goodies for all three boys.  Last year the boys really didn't know about Santa, so this was the first time they were excited about the idea of Santa coming.   Before we went to bed Doug and I set out the stockings, a few presents, a plate with half eaten cookies and a thank you note from Santa for them to find in the morning.

 Christmas Morning:

The boys blew past the cookie plate - didn't even see it!  Oh well.  Better luck next year.  They did see their stockings and made a bee-line for them.  They were all happy to see the stuffed Elmo and Cookie Monster dolls poking out of their stockings.  Once they pulled them out they started digging to see what was in them.  While we didn't go overboard by any means, the boys thought it was great.  Gabe kept saying, 'there's a lot of stuff in here!'  We included some little trucks, a roll of sweet tarts (the only candy), train whistles, and some other small items.  By far the biggest hit of the stocking was the four little notebooks in each with their names on them.  They immediately got them out and started wanting to look for clues and draw in them. 

Santa also brought them each a Mr Potato head and a tracing workbook.  They opened the one present each that was under the tree from Santa and the presents from Patti, Diane, and Sarah.  Reece got a wagon with blocks and the boys got a chopstick game that is great for practicing pincher grasp and patience! There were books, balls, and other fun odds and ends.

 After a morning as a happy little family - and really - there was no fighting and everyone was pleasant, we had some breakfast together and Doug's parent's arrived.

They went a little overboard - which we didn't see coming, so it was mayhem for a while.  It was too much at once and a few hissy fits tried to bubble up to the surface.  Once the boys opened one present they liked they really had no interest in opening any more.    They got balance bikes, which they were very excited about it.  We ended up having to put them together and go outside right then and there.  They also got some books and a train.  Reece got this little orange kitty that they all found funny.

Christmas Afternoon:

After Reece's nap it was off to the Blacklock's for brunch - or lunch for us since Reece had to nap first.  The boys were really good the whole time we were there.  They didn't get into things and there were no fights.  They even left the Christmas tree alone.  I don't think we could have been happier with how well behaved they were.  The only mischief was that Gabe found a plate of cookies and promptly ate almost the whole thing on the sly.

After a few hours Reece had had enough so we packed them all up and headed home.  It was a really big day and Grayson almost fell asleep in his dinner.  Given the craziness of the day, I would call it a pretty successful outcome.

Once a week bread

Easy Artisan Bread 

• 3 cups warm water
• 1 scant TB instant yeast 
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour  
• 4-1/2 cups unbleached flour  

In my bread machine --

1. Put the yeast, salt and add the water.
2. Add all the flour at once and run the dough cycle.  (Mine over flowed a bit once it was done, but it seemed OK.)
3. Remove from bread machine and transfer to a large bowl to go in the fridge.

Then -

1. Put in the refrigerator for up to 14 days (FYI - This got big fast! - I had to actually use two containers.)
2. When ready to bake, place a dutch oven, with lid, in a 450 degree oven. Dust the dough with flour, grab a quarter, third, or half (depending on the size loaf you want) and cut off piece with a serrated knife. Using well-floured hands, shape gently into a ball and place on a piece of parchment paper resting on a cookie sheet. Dust the top with more flour.
3. Let sit on the counter 30 minutes. Then slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife.
4. Transfer the loaf to the hot dutch oven using the edges of the parchment, replace the lid, and cook for 15 to 17 minutes.
5. Remove lid and continue to cook for another 15 to 17 minutes, or until loaf is a golden brown.
6. Remove to a cooling rack for 30 to 60 minutes before cutting.

I made this on a pizza stone, too - and they both turned out great.

Cookies for Santa

This year the boys are all about Santa - Grayson in particular.  We aren't really sure where this fascination came from, but there is no denying it is happening.  This made me think back to something that I did as a child every year that was a great Christmas tradition I looked forward to.  We would always decorate sugar cookies at my Mimi's house.  She would make the cookies then set us up at a card table in front of the TV showing the holiday movie of the night and we would use frosting in red, green, and white and sprinkles and colored sugar, etc. to decorate cookies until our hearts were content.  I remember eating a lot of them and feeling pretty cruddy - but always loving the decorating.

So we decided to make sugar cookies and let the boys decorate some to leave for Santa.  This turned out to be great fun.  I really had thought Gabe would just eat his cookies, but I was totally wrong.  Grayson ate two before he actually decorated one.  They spread icing, sprinkled sugar, and had lots of fun.  We set them aside for Santa and they were really excited.