Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there was a very tall boy and a really petite girl. They went to the same big university and ended up at the same party. The girl, who really liked to drink wine, realized she had no corkscrew and must make a trip to the store and get one at once. She asked if anyone wanted to go to the store with her, and the boy said yes. Although she really didn't know the boy, she agreed. So they made the trip to the store, drank (all) the wine and decided they liked each other.

The boy and the girl proceeded to spend all their time together. Now the girl realized how silly they must have looked walking around beside each other, for the boy was much, much taller than her, and she was quite sure people were saying how funny they looked together. This bothered the girl quite a bit for awhile, and she decided she should probably not walk around with the boy any longer. But before she got a chance to say anything, she forgot about it.

The boy and the girl spent the next three years at the university together, and they decided to get married after they graduated. They had a nice wedding, went on a great honeymoon, and became husband and wife. They went on to have real jobs, and buy cars and houses, and travel too. After a few years of being married, the husband and wife decided they would like to have a baby. They waited and waited and waited, but could not have a baby. They cried big tears, and went to doctors, and years later, were blessed with twins, a boy and a girl. The husband and wife were so happy to have a family that they always wanted! And then, before they ever caught up on their sleep, they were blessed with another surprise baby girl. Now the house was running over with little people, and they liked it.

The last baby will celebrate her first birthday in a few days, and tomorrow the husband and wife will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. They've learned a few new things about each other in the past 10 years. For instance, no matter how hard the husband tries to change her, the wife is still messy and always leaves papers laying on the counter. And as much as the wife wishes otherwise, the husband doesn't have a spontaneous bone in his body. He has never planned a surprise, booked a trip, or brought home flowers just because. The husband refuses to make phone calls or pay bills. The wife will never take out the garbage (it's not her job).

But whatever shortcomings the husband and wife may have, they do seem to make up for in other ways. The husband's extreme patience and calm nature certainly compliment the wife's short fuse and excitability. The wife is enthusiastic and a dreamer, and helps to inspire the husband to do big things he might not otherwise. He's a good cook. She bakes great cakes. He digs gardens and fixes things. She does the photo albums and sews nice things. He lets her sleep in on the weekends. He makes coffee every morning. She lets him mow the lawn for hours on end. She lets him buy expensive man toys.

He knows how to piss her off at the touch of a button, and sometimes seems to find pleasure in it. But he can make her laugh like no one else. So hard that she is crying and gasping for air. She knows she sometimes annoys the hell out of him, yet she doesn't stop. But she has brought tears of sheer happiness to his eyes on more than one occasion. He knows that she loves him more than anything, because she tells him. She knows he loves her too, he shows her.

They agree on most things and don't sweat the small stuff. Fortunately they have the same taste in furniture and cars. And they both like to look at antiques, and garden, and visit the river. They are lucky to not have to fight about kids or finances. They like to bicker of course, but don't let things get out of hand. They are really good at talking things over.

Ten years has gone by so fast, and no doubt the next ten will go by even faster. The boy and the girl look forward to watching their children grow, turning their dreams into realities, and of course, bickering with each other. The wife will still leave papers all over the counter, and the man will still refuse to make phone calls or plan vacations. But somehow. It works.

Happy Tenth!

Parks and such

So today I decided to get the kids to a park since we're having lower-than-avg temps and a bit of a breeze to boot. We won't be having many more days like this for months to come so I had to take advantage of it.

We ended up finding a nice small park in a new neighborhood near us and spent a nice hour there. On the way home, I decided to drive through another neighborhood to see if they had any nice parks, for future reference. So we did come across a park in this neighborhood as well, but it was gated. It was a large area that required one of those HOA cards to get through the gate. So I told the kids sorry but we can't get in, the gate is locked.

And Lilly says "wait a minute mommy, we could use a pogo stick to jump over the gate if we want." I love it when my kids can truly make me laugh out loud for real. And I did. This isn't the first pogo-stick reference to come out of her mouth, and it just always makes me laugh. We don't have a pogo-stick, and she's never really seen one or read about one that I know of. My guess is it came from some show we watched. But my girl is clever isn't she!

In other news Baby Ginger has been taking many first steps. She can walk across a (small) room holding my hand, and she has also taken a few solo steps to count. I'm pretty sure she'll be a "walker" by her first birthday. She is SO proud of herself :) One of her current favorite pastimes is hanging out on the bottom stair, where she likes to sit, then stand, then sit... and perhaps lay on it as well. She thinks it's pretty fun. Like all soon-to-be toddlers she's fearless and has a few bruises to show for it.

And last but not least, my lil guy Owie. Owen hasn't been as fast with his speaking and enunciation as his sister, so he has referred to himself as Owie for quite some time. We have followed suit. Cause it's cute. Well last week every time I called him, he said "no mom, OWEN." Ah, break my heart! My little man is getting so big, and would now like to be called Owen :( Owen has developed quite a fear of carwashes. The drive through kind. I've only taken the kids through one a few times. Lilly thinks it's quite fun. Owen, on the other hand, I thought was choking on his chicken nugget last time we got near one. But no, he was just convulsing. The boy is terrified of car washes. No matter how hard I try to talk it up and explain it to him. If we approach the intersection where the car wash is, you will quite likely see him tearing up. He even gets quite upset in parking garages and don't get him near an elevator. So for now, my car is dirty (er). I hope this is a phase.



These are a few pictures from our day trip to Brenham, TX. It's only about an hour from us and a great little town. The drive getting there is really scenic too. We visited a really nice park (lots of shade!) and then did a tour of the Blue Bell Ice Creamery, a Texas institution. It was organized by the twins' club I'm in. It was a fun day.

Hanging around home. Tea party.

Another park. Sisters :)

Ginger's current fave hangout.

It was 95degrees today. Boo. The kids have one more day of school left until summer. Boo. I see lots of Candyland in my future. But that's OK.

And this is why I worry. One minute she's wearing a pretty pink toddler dress. The next...

And she shrieks with delight when Tik Tok comes on the radio. The party don't start til she walks in.

I'll be there when the Bluebonnets Bloom

We finally made it out to the Bluebonnets this year.

Just in case you don't know, the Bluebonnet is the Texas State Flower. They start blooming in late March, on the highways, in fields, everywhere. To drive by a field of them can be almost breathtaking. Drive past any large field of them on a Saturday in April, and you will see oodles of cars pulled over with families and such taking pictures. It's a Texas Tradition. Seeing Texas in bloom this time of year almost makes up for the misery we all know we are soon about to bear. Unforgiving heat. And mosquitoes. I guess the flowers are nature's precursory peace offering.








Want to know how many takes it took to get those 5 pictures? 48. Yeah, that's right. So I hope you enjoyed them. And I learned something today. Apparently it's not illegal to pick Bluebonnets. All my life I've been told "Don't pick the Bluebonnets!" "It's against the law!" Now I hear that's just an old wives tale. That there was an article in the paper today. I had already told the kids the police man would put them in jail if they picked them. And now I hear it IS OK to pick them. From Grandma. Who's picking them right and left while the kids watch with their jaws open.

From the Mouths of Babes

If you ever want to see yourself how others see you, listening to what comes out of your kids' mouths is one way, I think. Lately I've noticed that the twins, Lilly especially, have gotten in the habit of repeating things that I say. I figure the things they say are probably the phrases that I use most often. This is what I've been hearing a lot of lately:

We DON'T scream at the dinner table!

It's OK if I need to go peepee in my pull-up. It's not like an accident.

You'll always be my baby, now matter how big!

YOU don't say that word!

I'm so proud of you!

It's such a beautiful day!

O Dammit.

Ah well, you have to admit that hearing your little angel say their first swear word is hilarious, I don't care how much you try to pretend it's not. It is. Even the 2nd and 3rd time are pretty funny as you try to muffle your smirking laugh behind your hand. But then reality sets in and you remember that you are now an adult, and not 19, and that now it's sort of not funny anymore. Because they go to "school" now, and repeat things you say, obviously. And as much as you're pretty sure most other mommies must also drop the F bomb or various other words at least every once in awhile on accident, that doesn't mean you want your kid to be the one all the teachers are talking about while the wee ones are napping.

So that being said, we are making a strong effort to cease all swearing. I've never considered myself a huge swear-er, but it's amazing how much you catch yourself saying bad words when you are making an effort not to. Or when your 3 year old points it out to you and suggests a time out.

Moving on.

We went to King's Orchard last Sunday morning to pick strawberries. We went last year when the twins were barely two and I was grossly pregnant. This year was much better. We had a lot of fun and the kids really did pick their own with a little guidance from us. I don't think I must have eaten any of the strawberries we picked last year probably because of the gestational diabetes I had. Because I'm sure I would have remembered how yummy they were otherwise. I guess this is the first time I've ever had fresh-from-the-vine ripe strawberries. They were SO yummy. And juicy. Perfect.

Like most 3 year olds, my kids love strawberries. And as good as the strawberries are, the orchard does use various nasty chemicals to support their crops. So I didn't want the kids to pop too many in their mouths before we could wash them. I told them they had germs on them and we needed to wash them before we ate them. They kind of understand the concept of germs so that worked pretty well. Lilly kept asking "does this ONE have germs mommy? I don't think this one has any germs. It's OK if I eat this one." I decided to live a little and be carefree, and just let them enjoy the moment and eat some fresh-picked berries. And just enjoy seeing the true pleasure in their eyes. In spite of the fertilizer, fungicide, and pesticides I'm sure they just consumed. So was it worth it to drive 25 minutes, and pay double what you would at the store to pick you own strawberries? Without sounding too much like a Mastercard commercial, I'd have to say it really was. I love making memories.












If you liked my last post about eating meatless and stuff, good! I'll be back with more. I have a lot of things on my mind I really want to write about and can't decide if I should create a new blog or just write on here. I'm thinking I want to keep this more about my kids and family, and start up a new one. But then again that's kind of ridiculous given that I post about twice a month huh? We'll see. Maybe I'll turn a new page. I really do like writing...

Meatless Monday!

OK. So I finally watched that movie Food Inc. And I also recently read Food Matters by Mark Bittman. The movie actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting, maybe because I was expecting the worst possible. Still it doesn't make you feel good to know how the animals are treated, and of course what they are fed. And to know that this is what most of us are eating. Yuck on many accounts.

I really recommend reading the book Food Matters. The guy that wrote it apparently has written quite a few books and is pretty popular, but this was the first I had heard of him. I liked that he isn't trying to convince us all to be vegetarians, but more to eat quality foods and to eat responsibly. One example he gave that sticks out in my mind is about how energy-consuming the production of (gross) meat is. He said that for all the energy required to provide a family of 4 a steak dinner, you could instead use that much energy in the form of gas, driving around in your big SUV for about 3 hours. As a big SUV driver myself, I have to admit it made me feel a little better about driving it, ha. He's talking about the energy necessary to create and feed the livestock you will eventually eat. And to transport and "process" said livestock to the slaughterhouses, and eventually to your grocery store. That was the gist of it anyways.

So, because I think too much and like to make my life voluntarily more complicated and make up little games in my head, I'm really trying to watch the amount of meat our household consumes, and try and see that most of it is better meat. From what I've read, the meat you want to eat is from grassfed animals. Animals are meant to eat grass, but of course we know that's not what they're eating on these grow farms. They're eating cheap, cheap corn and stuff.

That brings me to the title of today's post. I didn't make it up but Meatless Monday sure has a catchy tune to it doesn't it? I'm trying to go veggie at least a few days a week and mostly meatless a few more days. It's actually been kind of fun as I like to cook anyways and like trying new recipes. Also, I've reached the point in my life where I'm willing and even wanting to try new things and flavors.

I know some of my friends are reading the same things and thinking the same things so I thought it'd be fun to share our meal ideas. I've found the hardest part is to create meatless meals that aren't super high carb. Both Paul and I come from a long line of diabetics, plus I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies. So we are really trying to be proactive with our lifestyle in order to delay, offset, or minimize what is almost inevitable. The fact that we both have a very high chance of being diabetic at some point in our lives. A large part of that is purely genetics but I'm trying to at least do what I can about the non-genetic part. So, any meal that I share here will also be relatively low-carb as an added bonus.



I so love Suddenly Salad! I'm sure it wouldn't be so hard to buy my own noodles but until I figure out what it is they put in that little seasoning packet, here we are. As an added bonus, I found a great recipe on the back of the box. Basically I added two large broccoli crowns, 3 medium shredded carrots, tbsp of lemon juice, 1 diced cucumber and 1/2 cup of ranch dressing. One of those recipes you can kind of add and subtract whatever's in your fridge. And it's yummy!

OK so the hubby and friend just read the blog and made fun of my big box of pasta after talking about low-carb. I'd just like to point out that we need some carbs! There's more veggies than noodles in that salad and I'm standing my ground! Moderation, right?

Strawberry Spinach Salad

One of our favorites, especially with fresh-picked strawberries from King's Orchard. My kids love this salad because the dressing is sweet. The dressing is super easy. I got it from allrecipes.com but basically 1/2 c olive oil, 1/2 c sugar (you can go a little less), 1/4 c apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp of poppy seeds. Mix it until it's uniform, and dress. I added sliced almonds tonight but I've done pecans too. Or maybe you can add some type of cheese too.

Add some cottage cheese if you're craving more protein, and dinner is served!




One last thought. One of the things that did disturb me about Food Inc was a section where they had an overweight family going through a drive thru, ordering from the $1 menu. They said something about how until the movie people talked to them, they thought any food at a restaurant would automatically be healthy for you or how could they serve it? Well I won't waste text breaking that thought apart but anyways they also said it was cheaper to eat junk food and that healthy food was too expensive. They later showed that same family at the grocery store, where one of their children wanted some pears. They were $0.99 a lb. The mom made the girl put some on a scale to see how many pears were in a pound. There was roughly 2 pears to a pound, meaning they'd cost about $0.50 each. The mom said that was too much and they could buy a lot more of the other foods for $0.99. She didn't get the pears!

So I know they put that segment in the movie to make a point, and they did. The point being (store brand) sodas, and basic crap food were cheaper than fresh produce. The father also said why would I pay $1.00 for a head of broccoli when I can get a double cheeseburger for a dollar that will fill me up? Wow. So I wonder how many people out there actually feel this way. My family and pretty much everyone I know is fortunate that we have enough money to make some decisions about what we eat. I certainly can't afford to buy as much organic food and grassfed meats as I'd like, but we're lucky enough that we can afford healthy food.

That being said, I thought it'd be fun to come up with a Dollar Dinner. Meaning that you could feed each person in your family a wholesome meal for about a dollar. Kind of competing with the fast food dollar menu if you will. So I'm going to kind of cheat and give myself the challenge of feeding my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 yr old twins, and a baby that eats table food) for $6.00. I figure that's fair because who really only orders one item off the dollar menu plus there's sales tax involved. I have no idea what I'm going to make but I'm pretty sure it won't be horribly hard, and I'm pretty sure they'll be beans involved, hehehe. Check back.

This & That

I know they say the older you get, the faster the months go by, but it never feels more true than March. I can't believe it's already April, and a third through at that. The good news is we can't complain of boredom any time recently. There's always something to do and the weather has been ideal. We've had spring break, Paul's birthday, and Easter all in the past few weeks.

My parents came for a few days during Spring Break. I like to take advantage of extra hands so we took a trek down to the Houston Museum of Natural Science where I've had free tickets burning a hole in my pocket for months. Our main goal was to visit the Butterfly Room, and the kids loved it. If you haven't been, it's basically a big glassed-in terrarium full of butterflies and other amphibians. The twins loved it. What's not to love about butterflies and lizards? They also liked seeing the big dinosaurs in the entrance and had a pretty great time. Going on a rainy day during spring break probably wasn't my greatest idea ever but we had a good time and I'm looking forward to a few return visits.

Paul's birthday is always during spring break. He didn't take a day off or anything but I made him a nice cake and we had a steak dinner. He always likes to go to an Aggie Baseball game for his birthday so we hit Olson field that Sunday. Unfortunately, it was crazy windy that day. CRAZY WINDY. I tried to pretend like I was enjoying myself for several innings. But really. We tried to carry hot chocolate into the stands, and the hot chocolate was blowing out of the cup. Now that's crazy. So around the 6th inning, the twins and I left. Actually I think they were still having an OK time but it looked better if I was leaving for their sake and not my own selfish reasons. We enjoyed french fries and coffee in the comfort of the McDonalds across the parking lot until the game was over. Unfortunately the Ags lost to Tech.

Next we went to Wings n More, an Aggie standard, where we watched the Ags lose yet again in basketball, to Purdue. Paul has a theory, or maybe more like an observation, that whenever he goes to College Station to watch the Aggies play a sport, whether live or on TV, they lose. Seriously, I think he's like 1 for 9 or something. Being the superstitious person that he is, we may not be making any more trips to Aggieland in the foreseeable future. A big thanks to my friend Michelle for watching Baby Ginger on our day of fun. I wish I had taken a picture of those two girls but I forgot. She was a good sport and watched her for the better part of the day, and said she had a good time. And she was still smiling when I picked Ginger up. She mentioned she didn't get much "Ginger time" at the twins birthday party, so I figure that made up for it. hehehe


We had a nice Easter and the twins loved the multiple egg hunts they went on over the course of several days. Of course, they don't really understand the concept of finding eggs. This year I decided that perhaps the Easter Bunny could be a little more sneaky with egg placement. I suggested s/he not just throw them out onto the grass in plain view, but be a little creative. I'm not talking hide them under huge bushes or up in trees, I just mean like on the other side of a tree trunk or on the swing. Perhaps we overestimated the ability of 3 year olds. Most of our egg hunt was spent having us point at an egg, the kids walking right past it numerous times, and us pointing again and giving exact directions. Oh well.

I've been in a major sewing phase lately. I made this little bunny rabbit for my littlest Bunny's first Easter. I hope she likes it because I'm pretty proud of it.

Kids at the museum next to a dinosaur. ROAR!

Ginger and Gran

Lilly loves to touch bugs and stuff.

Owen doesn't.

We're not really dressy people but I saw this idea on Etsy and had to make Owen this tie shirt. Doesn't he look super sharp?

I loved letting the kids paint outside. Something out of the normal and definitely a special treat!

First time to dye Easter eggs.

I made this tote bag and thought it came out pretty cute. Don't worry Michelle it's just practice for the super-awesome one you're gonna get ;)

The picture doesn't do it justice but this rose bush is just brimming with beautiful pale orange roses. It's an antique rose we picked up at the Rose Emporium in Brenham a few years ago. It's really taken off. I love this time of year!

Pizza In My Mouth

Disclaimer: If you fail to find the humor in the subject of vomit, you need not read any further.



Ah, the weekend. What a beautiful perfect Saturday we had! Went to the Y first thing in the morning and kids played on playground after. Then we headed home for Ginger's nap. Lilly and I got to have some special mommy-daughter time and it was so fun! I could tell she really needed it and as many of you know, it's just hard to get away for quality time with one kiddo. So we headed into "town" and toured the First Saturday festivities (check it out sometime). We did the Farmer's market, and listened to the live music, and then went to the little tea room and had lunch outside. I asked the waitress (who turned out to be the owner) to serve Lilly's tea in a little teacup, and she even brought her some little tea biscuits. That little girl drank two full cups and didn't spill a single drop. Stopped at the grocery store then headed home. Later that day we visited with our neighbors and just had an all in all great day.




I went to put Ginger down to bed that night, and as I was nursing her, she got a little fidgety. Next thing I know she's puking all over me. Multiple times. Got her all cleaned up, put her to bed, and she was totally fine after that. Now I'm thinking that the seasoned pork she had a nibble of at dinner time didn't agree with her. No big deal.

Fast forward 2am. I wake up, don't feel so well, and well you can guess the rest. I didn't really sleep well and I still felt lousy so spent time on the couch just kind of vegging in front of the TV. Next thing I know it's 4:30 am and wouldn't you guess, Paul (who ran back to bed as I was getting sick, thanks) was having his turn.

It's now morning and kids are awake bright and happy, not sick. Thank God, because we felt so lousy we couldn't have handled it. We continue to have "episodes" and feel A-W-F-U-L. Except that Paul is in bed feeling awful, and I'm watching over 3 kids. Hmph. He's "too weak to get out of bed, almost passed out when he got out."

About noon, after having cycled Max & Ruby and Eloise DVD's non-stop for 5 hours, I call on my wonderful neighbors who come take the twins until it's their naptime.

Twins come home from neighbors, take nap, and wake up covered in....can you guess? I'm SO sorry neighbors...I really didn't think they were going to get it since they usually get it first.

I can honestly say Sunday was the worst sick day we have ever, ever had. Ever. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy and I kind of a feel like I deserve a medal or something. A mommy medal.

So anyways, we are all perfectly healthy now, and very fortunate that it was truly a 12 hour bug, which took about 24 hours after that to recover from. But it did leave me with a few thoughts which I just have to share:


SIGNS THAT YOU ARE BEYOND SICK

1. There is vomit residue in the toilet, and you really don't care.
2. You have to take a break between nursing your baby to go puke.
3. You and your hubby are mentally tallying who's puked more to determine who gets to stay in bed and who gets to be the parent.
4. A days worth of dirty dishes piled in the sink, overnight. Not even rinsed. Don't care.
   
5. You really can't remember what or if you fed your 3 kids and aren't really concerned.
6. You text your other neighbors (the ones you didn't infest with your nasty virus) demanding bananas, 7up, and applesauce. And forget to even say please. And they drop it off on our doorstop in about 45 minutes. Did I mention we have awesome neighbors.
   

SIGNS THAT YOU'RE FEELING BETTER

1. You care that your house is currently so disgusting.
2. Food and showering seem important.
3. You have the energy to argue with your hubby about his wussi-ness. (He didn't get out of bed for the better part of 36 hours). My husband has MANY amazing qualities. Handling illness is not one of them.
4. Ummm....coffee!

Everything is back to normal now. We all feel great. We still have about 29 loads of laundry piled up, but I'm working through it. Oh, and I have some baking to do to thank my wonderful neighbors. I'm not really sure a loaf of banana bread is going to cut it, but it's a start.

And if you're wondering about the title of my blog. That's what Owen said after he got sick. "I've got pizza in my mouth." We hadn't had pizza recently. And I won't be eating it any time soon.

ALL BETTER!

I started this little skirt for Lilly Saturday night. Needless to say didn't finish it til yesterday. She loves it :)

Hey! Why didn't anyone tell my about the super-fun cabinet before?