sleep tight

C went with Rich to Utah this past weekend and T felt very left out!

 I promised T that we could do something fun while the big boys were gone...and then I promptly forgot my promise.

T did not.

The first night that Rich and C were gone T reminded me of what he wanted to do...

SLEEP IN THE TOY ROOM!

chocolate covered potato chips

I haven't posted a new recipe on my food blog for quite a while.  

I haven't completely given up on it, and hopefully my three readers of the blog haven't either.  

I just needed to step back from some non-essentials and put my focus in other areas for a while.

But if I WERE blogging recipes, I will tell you what I would have posted last week!

CHOCOLATE COVERED POTATO CHIPS!!!

About a month ago we went to a chocolate factory to view the "only chocolate waterfall in Portland"...

Before we left, we each chose a couple of treats to buy and try.  

C chose chocolate covered potato chips.

He liked them well enough that he asked me to buy the ingredients for him to recreate them at home.

Last Sunday afternoon we melted the chocolate and he personally hand dipped all the potato chips and did a terrific job.  

The finished project was really yummy.

Well done C!

kung hei fat choi

J's kindergarten recently celebrated a terrific Chinese New Year complete with a parade through the school wearing the dragon masks that each child made.

J's mask simply turned out too good not to document.

Crossfit at home

In the past year I have purchased a couple of groupon deals (or were they living social) for cross fit and/or bootcamp workouts.  I absolutely LOVE/HATE them.  

I HATE every single minute that my fanny is being kicked...and kick it they do!

I LOVE them the minute I am done and am dripping with sweat and I can move on with my day knowing I just had my fanny kicked and it only took 20 minutes.

But really, outside of groupon coupons, who can afford those classes?

But thanks to someone on pinterest, I have found the BEST crossfit workout website ever!  They post a new workout every weekday....you can do them at home (dumbbells help)....most days the workout takes 20 minutes or less...and I am sore almost daily!

LOVE IT!

I have been doing the workouts for about a month (minus two weeks for the flu) but have only recently become brave enough to post my times to the site.  Someone really owes me, as I just relieved them from always having to come in last :)

So here is the website.

Check it out.

I realize I could have kept this my little secret and then posted photos this summer and you would all be like, "you look amazing!" and I would be like, "oh it's nothing" and you would be like green with envy... 

(okay, enough of the 80's talk)

but the reality is that since I still like to eat bread and sugar (not together - well sometimes together) I realize that I won't really have any sexy reveal other than you will wonder how the heck I can continue to eat like I am 10 years old and still fit in my clothes :)

And for anyone who has done crossfit before...you have to LOVE LOVE LOVE this poster!

Be My Valentine

Valentines came and went at our house and I simply didn't pull out the camera enough.

I did get a few photos of the kids decorating sugar cookies which is an absolute must at our house when Valentine's Day rolls around.

I wish I had photos of each of the kids working on the class Valentines.  I let everyone choose what they wanted to do...

C was content buying the packaged cards.

T was content letting mom create pinterest worthy gifts (idea here).

J asked for construction paper and stickers and then proceeded to hand make 28 cards - with a unique written message in every single card.  I wish I could have included a note with each one so that the recipients could understand the time and labor that went into this endeavor.  Hours!  

The other Valentine's Day project that J took on was to make oreo truffles.  He and I made them together and he was SO excited to give them to his siblings for Valentine's Day.

So excited in fact that at 3:52 a.m. on February 14th Rich and I awoke to a scratching sound only to discover J army-crawling into our bedroom to place a chocolate treat on the bedside table.  He had already been into K's room and left her a treat.

Seriously?  4 a.m.?

Lucky for him it was such a sweet gesture that the ridiculous hour was overlooked and he was sent back to bed with a kiss and hug.  Probably appropriate seeing as it was Valentine's Day and all...

I'm off the hook....

T told me yesterday, in anticipation of Valentine's Day today, that if I was "too tired to do something special for all my four kids" that I could "just have the Easter bunny do it".

It's not a bad thought.

And should the Easter Bunny be busy, what with Easter just around the corner, I guess I could always count on the Tooth Fairy or even Santa Clause to step in.

It's nice to have so many options...you know, just in case I am too tired :)

12 years old!

 My dear, sweet, only daughter celebrated her 12th birthday last month.

Unfortunately it came right in the midst of our household fighting the flu bug.  Worse yet, it was during mom's fight with the flu bug which truly meant that nothing birthday"ish" happened.

I do have to give huge kudos to my hubby for trying to fill in.  He took K to the store and together they attempted to buy all the ingredients for the cake she wanted to make (here).  Sadly a 6-serving cook and serve vanilla pudding is not entirely interchangeable with two 4-serving instant cookies and cream puddings.

Then the same hubby went to four (or five?) different stores to try to find the one gift that I had not been successful in locating before I became ill.  Sadly, the wished for item was not found.

But if anyone knows how much my hubby hates to shop, then his love and commitment to K and to me is pretty evident by his mere attempts.

When K's birthday arrived, she was patient as she received promises of more gifts and a birthday celebration at a future date.  We did manage cake and ice cream and a couple of gifts to let her know she wasn't completely forgotten.

The wrapping of this gift is evidence of mom being in bed...

The week after K's birthday, Rich and I finally got our chance to take K out for a special dinner with just us...a tradition that Rich grew up with for 12th birthdays and a tradition that I am excited to continue with our own kids.  She chose an Italian restaurant and although she was too full to finish her chicken parmesan (it was huge!), somehow when this dessert showed up she found ample space in her belly...(I would have too)

Finally, with everyone on the mend, we were able to give K the birthday celebration that she deserved, complete with balloons filled with glowsticks and money and her breakfast of choice served in bed...

 

I think K's patience with me as I totally failed her on her birthday is just one of the many reasons that I love her.  

12 things about K on her 12th birthday:

1 - the aforementioned PATIENCE.  I think oldest children have to be patient because they are truly the guinea pigs for us as parents and it has got to be frustrating to watch us (finally) get it right with younger kids without feeling like you got jipped along the way.

2 - she is FUN!  I am thrilled that we haven't yet seen the terrible-teens creep into K's personality.  She is fun to be around and banter with and laugh with.

3 - she is GOOD.  K makes really good choices and has been blessed to have great friends.  She stands up for her values and her classmates know that you can't say certain things around K and I am proud of her for setting her standards high.

4 - she is a READER.  K can plow through books like nobody I know.  I love it and most of the time wish I could join her.  Some nights I do and I love laying in bed with her while we both read our current novels.

5 - she is RESPONSIBLE.  She is my babysitter and I love knowing that I can trust her while I am away. 

6 - She is a NEAT FREAK.  I love it because so am I!!!  If I need something done to my own standard, all I have to do is ask K and I can walk away knowing that my own OCD standards will be maintained :)

7 - she is TALENTED.  K has really improved in her piano playing this past year or so and I think she is beginning to enjoy it.  She also has a very sweet singing voice that is pure and light and beautiful.  I hope that she will pursue the talents she has been given in regard to music.

8 - she is CONFIDENT.  K knows what she wants and I am glad to hear her talk about the things that she will do as she gets older.  She doesn't talk about "if", she is an "I will" kind of girl and I love it.

9 - she has a SPARKLE when she smiles.  She can be a nut but I tell you that when she flashes one of her big grins it just makes my heart jump.  Every time.

10 - she is becoming an excellent COOK.  She enjoys spending time in the kitchen and if I play my cards right, I may manage to get replaced before too long :)

11 - she is SMART, especially in math, and has already determined that she wants to be an engineer when she gets older.

12 - she is a good FRIEND and loves to be SOCIAL.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

One of my lingering illness related conditions is mid-afternoon headaches - like big whopping headaches.  Rich suggested I needed to kick the headache with a good dose of caffeine.  I can't even remember the last time I bought and drank a soda - seriously!  But the suggestion was a good one and Dr. Pepper is the caffeine of choice for this non-soda drinker so I picked one up just before picking up my kids from school today.

ALL the kids immediately took note that mom had a soda in the car....  

"What is that?"

"Who is it for?"

"Are you drinking it?"

"Why do you need it?"

Seriously - soda third degree going on.  

And then the kicker...

About half way home I took a drink of the soda and J called out in great despair, 

"MOM YOU'RE DRINKING AND DRIVING!!!"

No, the dash did not get spewed with soda but it came pretty close.  C and I definitely got a great laugh and then J had his first lesson about drinking and driving.  

So why do I have a sense that somehow this will be portrayed differently through the view of my kindergartner and I may be getting a phone call real soon from his teacher?

{Cleaning House} January: Bedrooms

One month down...eleven to go until complete independence...just kidding.

With the New Year staring me straight on, and armed with this book, I decided it was time to increase the responsibility factor in the lives of our kids.  I thought I ought to report on our first month (late is better than never right?)

We began by meeting with the kids and letting them know that their allowance was going to triple. 

Applause!!!

We quickly let them know that along with the increased money would be an increased accountability as they would now be in charge of purchasing a large portion of their needs.

We went over the list and the enthusiasm decreased slightly over what was no longer going to be provided for them.  But there actually seemed to be a bit of excitement at the thought of being able to be "in charge" of their purchases.

So for the month of January we tackled the BEDROOMS...namely beds had to be made before leaving for school, the floor had to be visible, clothes and pajamas had to be put away, etc.
Then there was a weekly dusting and vacuuming element.

I think the most rewarding part was when C pointed out that he shares a room and wanted to know what happened if his belongings were put away but his sibling's were not.  I looked at him and said, "what do you think we should do?" and he came up with the solution 100% on his own that his room is his room and he can pick up things even if they don't belong to him.
Talk about getting the buy in!

We are following the reward system laid out in the book "Cleaning House" - namely each child gets a jar in their room with $1 for each day of the month.  If the job isn't done, I remove $1 for that day.  At the end of the month, they keep what remains in the jar.

Then, because we don't work on Sunday, instead of discounting their jars for Sundays, Rich and I chose to add a Sunday task...at this point the kids can choose a memory verse or they can complete a goal out of their Faith in God or Personal Progress as their Sunday "task".

I realize that we have only accomplished one month but it was a great month and I came to realize that this is as much for me as it is for my kids...as in, I recognize myself as the youth entitlement enabler in our family.

In the name of love (and sometimes perfection) I do an awful lot for my kids that they are completely capable of doing for themselves...like making their beds, packing their lunches, brushing their teeth (yes, I do still brush their teeth!)

But the message they are receiving isn't "I love you", the message they get is "you can't do it so I have to do it for you".  I don't want to be sending that message so it's time for mama to change as much as the kids! 

And probably my favorite part during the entire month is this little insight into my middle son's personality....

Part way through the month I began finding this

when I checked on the boys each night before bed.

Despite the fact that J had been tucked into his bed (top bunk) at bedtime, he was getting up, making his bed and then crawling into T's bed for the duration of the night.

I guess that is one way to ensure that your bed is made and that you get your money each day! 

Team Sick takes the trophy

My complete and total lack of presence on the blog may be evidence enough that since my last post team SICK went up by two more players and left team WELL with one lone player (K obviously has an immune system worthy of national security).

I don't remember the last time we had the winter bug hit our family - and to have us all taken out on one level or another was not even on my radar.  I hope this means that our immunity is boosted and we won't see anything like this again anytime soon (and by soon I mean years!).

In the meantime I am still trying to get myself to 100%.  When I do I will play major catch up in every area of my life.

Until then.....get your rest, wash your hands, take your vitamin C and avoid this bug at all costs!