Change

Recently I have been having trouble trying to fit in some exercise. Andrew no longer enjoys riding in the double stroller for a long walk. He gets tired riding his bike before I really want to be done walking. I had started going for walk/runs (I used to run often, like 8 years ago! but then my knees started hurting ~ I would like to run again, we shall see) after the boys are in bed at night but sometimes I'm just too tired after they are in bed or the Olympics are on now. My ideal time to work out has always been in the morning, after I have slept as much as needed (does that every happen again after kids?), have breakfast and then go workout. I've considered going early in the morning before Chad leaves for work but that isn't so appealing either ..... excuses, excuses. The less exercise I get, the worse I feel and the worse I feel about myself.

I've recently also been thinking that I need to exercise more and eat healthier. Especially after seeing so many fit athletes on the Olympics. (No, going to the Olympics is not one of my goals at least not a realistic one) Sometimes that is as far as it gets ~ mere thoughts. Other times, I succeed at exercising more and eating healthier but maybe only for a few days. Why is making changes so hard? Then I think, maybe I should just be content with who I am and the way I look. (ie. I have never had thin legs, they just are not in my genes!)

I may have discovered a solution today! The Gator. I had tried letting Andrew drive this before while I walk but it was just a tooooo slow for a walk to be considered exercise. But today, I took out the screw in the Gator that prevents it from being advanced to the second/faster speed. Andrew didn't even know this speed existed ~ until today. I told him it would only be for when we went for walks. I told him that it was going to be a lot faster. He stepped on the gas and both Andrew and Carsons' heads jerked back, they smiled and said "WHEEE!".

It worked really well. I was afraid it might be too fast and that Andrew would have difficulty steering. He did great. I was able to walk longer and they were content. I think it actually was just a tad faster than I normally walk, so it pushed me a little. When we got back home, I put the screw back in, so they can only drive in the slower speed. Andrew - amazingly- didn't seem to mind that it was slow again. Hopefully we can continue these Gator rides/walks, now I need to work on eating healthier. I guess I should stop eating the chocolate chip cookies I made! .....or maybe just one more!

Potato Quiche

I made this recipe one day last week. I got the recipe from a M.O.P.S. cookbook I have, the recipe was listed in the cookbook by my cousin Staci. I tried to sneak in some finely chopped broccoli but there is no way of sneaking with vegetable fearing Andrew. As soon as I carried it to the table, Andrew said "Broccoli! I don't like broccoli!!" It would also be good with a red or green pepper. The potato crust is wonderful. It is a great recipe to use some leftover ham. We had this for supper but it would be great for breakfast or brunch too.

Potato Quiche
3 cups grated potato
3 T. oil
1 cup grated cheese
3/4 cup diced ham or browned sausage
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Combine potato and oil. Press mixture in bottom and up sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes. In bottom, place grated cheese, diced ham and onion. In a bowl, mix milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let set 5 minutes.

Cousin time & the love of dessert

Today we had a great visit from Chad's brother Alan, Tisha and their girls; Leah, Anna and Emma. They came here after church. We shared lunch together and then had lots of time for fellowship and play. They all played really well together. Andrew and Carson didn't fight near as much with each other since their cousins were here to play with! Carson didn't have a nap today ~ I think the first time that he hasn't slept at all ~ he actually did pretty well with no sleep. Both boys were pretty exhausted from the continuous playtime and fell asleep pretty quickly tonight. I neglected to get pictures of the cousins at play but took two of the boys sacked out in their beds. (notice how they both are on their backs, with their arms up, pj tops scrunched up showing their bellies ~ normally they both sleep on their stomach or side, not back)



For dessert, Chad made this....
We had made this a few others times but not in the last few years, I have no idea why! It is so tasty. I remembered it being more difficult to make than it was this time.

Cream Cheese Flan

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350.

Arrange 8 (6oz) oven-safe custard or dessert cups in a large roasting pan. Stir sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until liquid is a deep golden brown, brushing down sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar from crystallizing, about 12 minutes. Quickly pour syrup into prepared cups.

In a blender, combine condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to large bowl. Whisk in evaporated milk. Divide custard equally among prepared cups. Transfer roasting pan to oven. Pour enough water into roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups.

Bake until sides are firmly set and only the very center of custards jiggle slightly when cups are gently shaken, about 45 minutes (custards will firm up as they cool). Remove cups from pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Run small sharp knife around sides of custards. Invert each cup onto a dessert plate, shaking gently to release custard from cups. Drizzle caramel sauce over custard. Serve cold.

Poll - Olympic Sports

My sister gave me a hard time for not having Track & Field as one of the choices for my current poll. We both ran Track & Field in high school and I guess she was surprised it wasn't a choice. So there it is Tric! :) I guess at the time I listed the poll, I put what was currently being shown during the evening hours. So I have added a few other selections. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to just add these selections, I had to cancel the poll and start over. So please, if you had already voted, vote again and of course if you hadn't voted, go ahead and vote!

my special things

For the past several months, maybe 6 or so, Carson has only used his pacifier at nap/bedtime. It stays in his crib. Just recently he has started going into his room and bringing his pacifier out. At first it was only his pacifier. Often I would ask him to take it back to his bed and usually he would. Sometimes he just seems really attached to it and if he has it, he is happy and will let me get things done ~ so I just don't fight with him, he can have the paci.
Now he has started brining out the things he sleeps with, blue fleece blanket and two Curious George monkeys (you can only see the hand of the small one in this picture) and sometimes another pacifier to hold. I sort of wondered what this was all about. Then I read this in a Parenting magazine.....

Two-year-old Matthew Mecia's morning ritual is quite a production. Before getting up, he insists on gathering up his blankie and five stuffed animals. He clutches them to his chest as his diaper is changed, then lugs them everywhere, including the breakfast table. "I think it's funny," says his mother, Taryn, of Charlotte, NC. "It's comforting to him."

While this quirky behavior can seem excessive -- and slow down the morning routine -- it's quite common. By hoarding everything from stuffed toys to kitchen utensils, your child is working on his independence, says psychologist Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School in Florida. "He's understanding 'I am a separate person and I have things that belong to me,'" she says.

Once he leaves the house, his prized possessions act as a bridge between home and the outside world, making him feel secure. He almost sees them as a part of himself, says Field, so he wants them to go everywhere he goes -- in the car, to preschool, you name it. Of course, that's not always practical. If the load is too much, try limiting his entourage to one special "outside" friend. Or let him pick out a backpack that holds two or three.

Around age 3, your child will develop a better sense of self and outgrow this phase, and you'll all travel a little lighter.

Carson hasn't wanted to take these items out of the house, he usually just likes to walk around the house with them. So he is developing his sense of self? and that things belong to him. I do wish he would leave the paci in his bed. He just seems a little old to have it at other times than at bed.

Carson's water fountain

This is Carson's new way of getting a drink of water. Nearly every time I go into our bedroom or bathroom, he follows me in. He climbs up on our garden tub and pulls himself up on the bathroom counter top. He then turns the water on full blast and drinks away.

Calling all handbag lovers!

For the past nearly 4 years, I have basically just carried a diaper bag with everything I needed for the boys or myself inside it. The last couple of times that I have gone somewhere by myself (when Chad and I went to Arizona in May and a couple of weeks ago when I went to get my haircut - solo!! :) ) I have carried one of two purses that I have had for way too long and was a little embarrassed of them! So this past weekend when Chad and I went out for the evening, I just put my necessary items in my pockets.

I need a new purse/handbag. The things I desire in a purse may be impossible to find. Here is what I am looking for....

1. Something smaller in size - my essential items are credit card, drivers license, cash, cell phone, keys, chapstick or lipgloss, and some eye drops.
2. I think I want something with either a small strap to hang over one shoulder and tuck under my arm or something that has a longer strap that I can put over my head, hang from one shoulder and drape across me to the other side.
3. Something that is versatile, some what casual
4. I don't want to spend a lot of money. (did you know that some purses they actually lock in glass display cases! not for me)

If any of you have a purse/handbag that you really like, I would love to hear what it is and why you like it! Thanks.

Weekend trip

This past weekend we spent with my parents. We did some of our usual fun things. The boys always enjoy going to the park to play. Mom and I walked down to the park with the boys while Dad and Chad were golfing. This time there were a few other children there, children of my old high school classmates. It was neat seeing Andrew interact with these children.

Another fun thing the boys enjoy is swimming in my parents' pool. What was exciting this time is Andrew was able to walk in the shallow end on his tiptoes with his mouth above water! I thought he was going through a growth spurt (clothes getting tighter or no longer fitting and weighing in at 40#!!) so being able to walk in the pool was proof that he indeed is getting taller.

Saturday night we asked Mom and Dad to watch the boys so Chad and I could have a night out. Of course they were pleased to do this for us. Chad and I spent the night in Toledo. We went out to eat at J. Alexanders (you must order an Alex salad with your meal! wonderful!) Then we did a lot of shopping/looking at the mall. How nice to enjoy each other's company without worry about what one of the boys was doing. How nice to also be able to shop and look as long as we wanted!!

Grandma & Grandpa took the boys to McDonalds (they thought about going to the fair but it looked like it might rain) Then they went to another park. Grandma says "Carson isn't afraid of anything!!" The boys were both in bed asleep when Chad & I got back. I think it is fare to say that all six of us had a great night! Thanks for watching the boys so we could have so time away.

Dance Party

The inspiration for this dance party came from my cousin Jackie's blog. I removed the ABBA CD that we often listened to during college from the drawer, placed it in the CD player and both boys were instantly loving this music to dance to. (Andrew was a little mad that his show was turned off - but it was much needed - and as soon as the music started playing, he was all smiles dancing away!) What a wonderful way to lift our spirits! I tried to put video on the blog but I was not successful. Just imagine the motion that goes with these pictures!

There was some toe tapping in this picture.

Color blind?

I was reading my Parenting magazine last night and came across an article on color blindness. Chad has some issues with certain colors as do his brothers - I think. So I was curious what Andrew would say about a color blind test image similar to this one. He passed without any problem, seeing a red square and a yellow circle in the image I showed him. Then he said "Do you have anything else for me?"

He was really excited about these images. Which made me feel like I don't do enough educational things with him. I should probably start working with him more. With perhaps his numbers or the writing the alphabet....this is where a teaching background would have been nice. I just don't know what kinds of things to do with him.

He will be going to preschool this fall, in less than a month, his first day is Sept. 2nd. I have really mixed feelings about his. I'm really looking forward to having some one-on-one time with Carson, or just running errands with only one child. Andrew is almost always with either Chad or I, especially over the last year that I have been home full time. It seems odd to me to just go drop him off somewhere, with people I don't know and just, leave. I won't be there to make sure he acts appropriately and that he is playing with children that are nice to him. Aahh, letting go....

Andrew is really excited about going to preschool. We dropped in last week to turn in some paperwork and he has an open house the end of this month. He will ask "Am I big enough to go to preschool now?" "When can I go to preschool?" He will be going in the afternoon, which I requested when I filled out paperwork this winter/spring. I chose afternoon because Carson often sleep in a little bit and I didn't want to get him up before he was ready. I enjoy carefree mornings here with the boys. Andrew doesn't usually take a nap and sometimes the afternoons get a little long for us....But now I wish he was going in the morning. After his experience with Vacation Bible School, which was great, but the added structured time for him really wore him out! He doesn't typically take a nap but I think if he went to preschool in the morning, he probably would be tired enough to take a nap. For now we will enjoy this wonderful summer weather we are having and the carefree days of summer.

Be careful...not so rough...

I wonder how many times I have said these two phrases over the last few years, especially the last 21 months ~ since Carson was born. Andrew is very much "all boy". He loves to tackle, throw balls (throw anything really), and just play rough. Sometimes it is hard to know when to draw the line, often the line is drawn too late ~ when one of them gets hurt. Both Andrew & Carson enjoy playing rough with Chad, which happens routinely after supper each night. But then Andrew feels like he can play this rough with Carson and it just isn't the same. Carson is little yet mighty but he just can't take all the beatings! :)

Last night was one of those times. Andrew & Carson were playing with this play tent. They have played so rough with this in the past that it doesn't stand up like it should. Carson was laying on the tent and Andrew was pulling him around the room. Well Andrew forgot to wait for Carson to sit down before starting to pull the tent and Carson fell and hit his head/mouth on our hardwood floor. His lip was bleeding pretty badly.

Then today, I was getting lunch around when I heard a loud crash, followed by Andrew saying "Oopsie, oopsie". I went over to them and Carson was attempting to stand back up, doing his cry when no sounds are coming out. This cry often happens when he is really hurting or when he is really ticked off. Pretty sure both of these apply to his cry today. I just held him for a little while, then pulled him off my shoulder to assess the damage. There was instantly this huge dark purple circle on his forehead. Andrew said he pushed him with his goggles (they were both playing with some toy safety goggles for their tools). I'm not sure what toy Carson landed on but it must have been circular.

I get really tired of telling Andrew to be careful, not so rough, settle down, don't push/kick/hit. This aggressiveness can be pretty unbelievable at times. Is this all just part of being a boy? Ouch! Facial injuries have always been tough for me. Here is Carson about an hour after the incident. He ate lunch and seemed to be doing fine, though I still felt a ting of worry.

It is amazing how quickly these little guys forgive and forget! Andrew's ornery grin in this picture is because he knows I am trying to get a picture (of just Carson really) and Andrew is reaching out with his feet and squeezing the camera strap between his toes!

Here is another thing I enjoy making

Yogurt. Here is the abbreviated recipe from More-with-Less Cookbook. I doubled the recipe today when I made it.

1. Scald utensils to be used with boiling water. (which I don't actually do)

2. Prepare the milk. Start with 1 quart. Fresh milk should be brought up to 180 degrees. Use a candy thermometer and watch closely so it doesn't boil over. Then cool milk to 110 degrees. (We use whole milk, if using skim or nonfat dry milk, add at least a little whole milk for a thicker culture.)

3. Add the starter. Buy one container of plain commercial yogurt. Stir 1/4 to 1/3 cup yogurt into 1 cup prepared milk, than add this to remaining warm milk and stir or shake briskly.
Pour milk into scalded jars and fasten lids loosely.

4. Incubate the mixture at 110-120 degrees. Set jars into styrofoam ice chest. Fill chest with warm water (110-120) to top of jars; cover. Add warm water as needed within next few hours to keep temperature up.

5. Check consistency. Yogurt should not be moved while it is setting. Check in 2-3 hours, and every half hour after that. Usually 3-6 hours is needed for junket-like consistency (isn't that a great word??). Refrigerate. Save 1/4 cup to start next batch. Yogurt stays tasty in the refrigerator 1-2 weeks.

6. Serve yogurt. Enjoy!! I really like mine with some fresh fruit, today black berries, and some granola. Chad often eats his plain with a little sugar folded in. Andrew likes his with some strawberry jam folded in and some granola on top. "Can I have some yogurt with yoga?"

Here are a few tidbits from More-with-Less...Always add fruit, sugar or honey to yogurt with a folding motion. Stirring or beating breaks down the gel. When introducing yogurt for the first time, be a little generous with the sweetener. Once people have acquired a taste for it, they will enjoy the tangy flavor for its own sake. When you spoon yogurt out of its container, there is often some watery separation. This does not affect the taste, but to avoid it entirely, stir one envelope unflavored gelatin into 1/4 cup cold water, warm to dissolve, and stir well into 1 qt. yogurt. Chill. Use this method to salvage a batch that won't thicken properly.

Yogurt takes a while to make, but once you have made it a few times it is really easy. Most of the time you are waiting ~waiting for the milk to reach 180 degrees, waiting for it to cool to 110, waiting for it to become junket-like consistency and during your waiting you can get other things accomplished as well.

Fun with the sprinkler

Today was a pretty nice day here. After the boys both had afternoon naps (which is very rare but Andrew needed one), we headed out doors to play with this sprinkler. Carson enjoyed it for a little while but was soon playing with other toys. Andrew enjoyed running back and forth through the sprinkler as well as filling a small bucket with some water and then chasing Chad or I around with it. If only you could have heard him giggling! Here are some photos...

Brrr! I'm a little chilly!

Love this expression!!

A couple of great fruit recipes

I am really loving all the summer produce. I am enjoying eating it fresh as well as preserving it for later. Again this week I did some more tomato juice and another 1/2 bushel of apples for applesauce. We should be good with applesauce now! I also picked up some peaches. Perhaps preserving is my way of avoiding the other housework that needs to be done! Who wants to do laundry and clean anyways??? Here are two recipes we always enjoy each summer. I also have 6 apples waiting on our counter to be made into apple dumplings!

Apple Crisp

4 c. peeled, sliced apples
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter
cinnamon

Place apples in buttered 10x6x2-inch pan. (I used a 9x9) Sprinkle with the salt and water. In a bowl, rub together flour, sugar and butter; drop mixture over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

I usually just fill the pan really full of apples, they tend to bake down. While eating this apple crisp Andrew said very sweetly without any prompting "This cake is good, Mom. Thanks for making this cake for us."


That's Good Peaches

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches (I use more like 5 0r 6 cups)
1/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Spray crockery with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Stir in peaches and pour in crockery.
Cook on Low for 4-6 hours.

Yesterday when I made this, I didn't have any Bisquick. I used flour and it still seemed to turn out pretty good.

Bald Boy

So I know I have posted pictures of Carson pre & post haircut before, perhaps even multiple times but I just can't help it!! We, again, had let his hair grow out. He has an amazing blond hair color with these sweet little curls. Each time we let his hair grow out, at times it looks so cute ~ especially when it is wet and curly but then there are other moments when I just think "He really needs a hair cut!"

I was trying to crop this picture so you could see his curls close up (and get Tric out of the picture, just kidding!) but I just managed to put this square around him. If you click on the picture, you can see his curls close up. This picture was taken a few weeks ago, so his hair was a tad longer...until yesterday. I tried taking him to the barber that Chad and Andrew go to a couple of times, but each time I tried, there were so many men waiting for haircuts. Didn't think waiting forever with two boys around a bunch of men was what I really wanted to do! So we went to a cheap chain haircut, can't remember the name. They didn't do as good a job and Carson was a little non-compliant. But he still looks cute! I think this might be the shortest his hair has been. Since his hair is so light and he is fair skinned, he almost looks bald! I'm always amazed how different the boys each look after getting a hair cut. They look so much older. He wasn't in the mood for pictures yesterday either so here is what I got, wild boys!!

All out tantrum!