Monthly Archives: September 2011

Something’s a-brewing…

Kids

My kids have been pretty good lately.  They haven’t been fighting much, I’ve been able to just let them play unsupervised, the house is just calmer in general.   And then…

Tuesday night we were leaving the house for an appointment and we were teetering the on time/late line.  Ada had put on her ballerina dress, and I was irritated that I had to go upstairs to oversee her changing.  It was then that I realized they had sprayed her room with Febreeze.  A lot of Febreeze.  They emptied the Febreeze can (those of you who’ve tuned in for a while … Read the rest

Two Glimpses

Kids,

This afternoon I was helping in Ada’s classroom.  At the end of the day we went outside for recess.  She was being silly on the monkey bars, and looked up at me while she was hanging upside down.  She said, “Mom, I like the way I am.  I’m glad God made me like this.”  She was very matter-of-fact, just enjoying the afternoon sunshine and the ability to hang upside down and have fun.

Oh sweet Ada, I’m glad God made you like this too.  You make me smile every day.  You confuse me and stretch me as a mom, and … Read the rest

Wednesday Wit: September 21, 2011

Wednesday Wit

Grace: I wish I was a squirrel.  Then I wouldn’t have to go to school. (she said in her most forlorn voice)
Me: Well, squirrels get hit by cars.  So school seems not so bad.
Yes, I’m saying here that I’m the witty one.  I’m ok with that.  Some days I’ve had enough whining.

Allow me to set the scene.  Chad and I were in the kitchen, Eli and Ada were in the dining room finishing breakfast.  We heard a squeaky fart from the dining room…
Eli: Excuse me.
Ada: No, excuse ME.
Eli: Ada, … Read the rest

My Favorite…Pizza Sauce

Recipes

Backstory: Chad is uber picky about pizza sauce.  From the jar – forget it.  We’ve tried several homemade recipes, and none of them have cut it for him.  We found this one at allrecipes.com, and it was highly reviewed.  We make pizza almost weekly, and this is now our go-to sauce.

1 (6 ounce) Can Tomato Paste
3/4 c Warm Water (110 Degrees F/45 Degrees C)
3 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp Honey
¾ tsp Onion Powder
¼ tsp Dried Oregano
¼ tsp Dried Marjoram
¼ tsp Dried Basil
¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
⅛ … Read the rest

My Favorite…Ribs

Recipes

Boil the ribs for 30 minutes (I cut the rack in half or thirds, depending on the size of the pot I use).

Brush them liberally with whatever BBQ sauce you want to use (for us it’s Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ), and wrap them in foil.  Bake at 250 for 2 1/2 hours.  At this point you can put them in the fridge to continue later if you want.

Throw them on the grill just to make them seem “grilled”, they’re already fully cooked.

That’s it!  I mean it.  They’re so easy.  And the bones come out perfectly clean.  … Read the rest

My Favorite…Rolls

Recipes

I got this recipe from my dear friend Ellen long ago, before either of us had any children.  Now I’ve made them so many times that I don’t need the recipe anymore.

Heavenly Rolls (yes that is the name, and yes it is an appropriate name)
1 c milk
1 stick butter – put these together in the microwave for 45 seconds, then in the bread maker

Add in this order:
2 beaten eggs
1/4 c sugar
3/4 t salt
4 c flour
2 1/2 t yeast

Run the bread maker on the dough cycle, then form into rolls (12ish?).  … Read the rest

Wednesday Wit: September 14, 2011

Wednesday Wit

Ada singing to her Cheetos…
I love you, I love you, I looooooooove yooooouuuuuu (increasing vibrato)
She’s wonderful, she’s beautiful (they’re singing back?)
You’re cheesy, you’re cheesy, you’re the cheesiest (crunch) 

Ada: Heather’s hair is almost as long as Rapunzel’s.  You know, because Rich doesn’t ever want her to cut it.
We laugh
Ada: It’s true.
I’m sure that’s not true.  She can cut it whenever she wants. 

Me: There are a lot of Illinois license plates here.
Ada: It’s like we’re in Illinois!  I mean…Texas.

… Read the rest

Of Course

Parenting

OF COURSE.  Two days after writing a post about how I set the tone in my home, if I’M calm then THEY’RE calm, all hell breaks loose today.

Ada got in my car at approximately 3:23 today after school.  At 3:25 she had a fit that I wouldn’t roll up the windows.  We were in Grace and Eli’s carpool line, so I had the car off and the windows down – she didn’t approve.  CLEARLY.  She wanted the windows up.  She didn’t like the song that was on.  She wanted to pick the song we listened to.  She NEVER gets … Read the rest

You Set the Tone

Parenting

Since reading the book Boundaries With Kids, I’ve been working on staying calm while disciplining my kids or giving the threat of discipline (which I always follow through on if they follow through with their behavior).  It’s not easy.  It takes a conscious effort and lots of deep breathing.  But the more I work on it, the less effort it takes.  Lately I’ve noticed it comes more naturally, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Then last week I noticed Eli was staying calmer as well.  Not completely calm, he is still a 7-year-old boy after all.  When it’s time … Read the rest

My Favorite…Steak Marinade

Recipes

I’m trying something new on the blog – adding some of my favorite recipes.  Chad and I love trying new recipes.  He is allowed to be honest about them, and I don’t take it personally if they aren’t a hit.  So here is my first one.  We don’t cook steak very often, because frankly I’d rather have a burger, but we bought a beef bundle from a friend and cooked up some Delmonico steaks last night.  Chad asked me to find a marinade or rub, and I tried this one.  It was so easy, and so yummy!!  This will now … Read the rest