When Gingerbread is Better Than Horoscopes

I like traditions, especially holiday ones. Some times I get a little too focused on keeping them, that I kinda sorta turn into the Traditions Dictator. It's one of the things I'm working on.


Every year, we decorate a gingerbread house. Well, not exactly. Last year, we made a train, or rather, they fought over which sections of the train they got to smear with tasteless frosting and cheap candy. It fell apart before the kids could eat all the candy off it when they thought I wasn't looking. 

This year, I found a gingerbread village, with five little houses. I wouldn't have to split my time between defending property lines and dividing the scant candy offerings. This might actually be a fun family moment instead of kids throwing tantrums and parents' heads exploding.


So we opened the bags of candy, kneaded the bags of prepared frosting, and sat down to build memories. Snowman even joined us. And I saw each of my children's personalities manifested in sugar and stale cookies.

On the far right, we have da Boo's creation. Choosing to not follow the suggestions on the box, she did her own thing, borrowing heavily from what I was doing. And just when she thought she might be finished, she dumped a whole lot more sprinkles on the roof. 

The A-frame belonged to the Boy. He got right to work with the icing, barely letting his sisters get time with the bag. And his visions were grand! Big, big plans he had! Sure, he started out copying me but then decided he had better ideas. Alas, his schemes were more complicated than royal icing and gumdrops could provide. Tears were shed but in the end, he was satisfied with his work. 

Then we get to Baby's house on the far left. The Man attempts to remain an observer but she takes over and gets him to do all the work for her, except when it comes to candy placement. And should she decide that mound of sprinkles doesn't quite work in that location, she moves it. To her mouth. In fact, the following morning, I have the nerve to take a shower, thus leaving my toddler unsupervised for fifteen minutes. And that was all the time she needed to finish off the candy she missed the night before, along with most of the frosting. By the time I got back downstairs, she was the one that needed a shower.

The last two houses belong to me and the Snowman. Can you guess which one is whose? The one on the left is called a "red roof inn" and not the type that normal people know as hotels. These red roofs are all over Philmont Scout Ranch. As a bathroom. If you look inside -- and I don't recommend that you do -- you can see the, uh…seats.

And then I got a little too into decorating my house. Maybe it's because I haven't been able to decorate very many cakes lately.

 

What is your favorite Christmas tradition? 

(The one you'd gotten a bit fanatical about? Come on, people! Help me not feel like such a freak…)

What I Learned On My Summer Vacation

We've had a busy summer! I can blame my lackluster posting on the events going down amongst the heat and bugs. While soaking in the family time, I managed to actually learn a few things along the way.


Mario Kart on the Wii is really, really fun. Driving a real cart is even better! (Unless, of course, a younger cousin gets in the way...don't worry, he was fine!)

Kansas consists of sunflowers, cornfields, humidity, and bugs. Mostly the bugs.


Grandmas have magical abilities but Great-Grandma is even more beguiling, capable of soothing multiple babies at once.

Most of my cute tops require a shirt underneath (so I'm not scaring young children when I lean over). But layered shirts and high humidity are not friends. In fact, they pretty much hate each other and will make life miserable for anyone who dares to combine them.

Young boys would much rather sleep in a cave consisting of couch cushions and a table than share the pull-out sofa with their sister.

When visiting your cousins, you might discover you failed to pack an essential item: lipgloss. No worries, my Boo. Butter makes an excellent substitute. (And pay no attention to the odd looks you get from the other diners and wait staff...they're just envious that they didn't think of it first!)

(Baby + dumdum sucker)carseat = Impossibly Sticky Mess. I'm just glad she wasn't wearing white.

It's never too early to introduce your offspring to the finer things in life, like expensive cheese, trips to exotic locales, and massage chairs. Baby stayed in this chair for a solid hour, which is quite the feat when she's not asleep.

There you have it! Now you, too, can benefit from my knowledge and save yourself the two-day-one-way trip in a van with three small children. It's been a couple weeks since we've returned and I still haven't recovered...of course, it might help if I actually finished unpacking.

What did you learn this summer?

And if you haven't already done so, enter to win a $25 gift certificate!

A Mothering Moment: Obedience

Dear children,

Sometimes, when I am frantically calling your name all over the neighborhood, it's not because you are in trouble or it's time to come home. It might just be because the ice cream truck is on our street and your chubby loving mother wants to know what you'd like from the ice cream man. You had better listen and answer me quickly! Next time, it might just be the puppy truck.


Crazy Aunt Lyn came to visit us last week. We had a great time (which is why I didn't get hardly any blogging done, as it is hard to blog and laugh yourself silly at the same time). Even though she's been gone for a while, I still hear frequent inquiries regarding their aunt. Wish they missed me that much when I leave!

Forget Disneyland...

...Goblin Valley is the coolest place on earth!

Have you seen the movie Galaxy Quest? Hilarious! Loved it. Remember the part where the crew goes down to the alien planet to get a replacement barilium sphere? And the Captain ends up fighting the pig lizard?


Did you know that wasn't a Hollywood set? Nope. It's a real place, located in Utah. It's call Goblin Valley and is possibly the coolest place I've ever visited.



We drove down one afternoon during Boo's spring break, after having the worst luck getting ready. Seemed like everything went wrong. The Man and I were both frustrated. He was ready to call the whole trip off but the kids would periodically rush up to him and gush about how excited they were to go camping. So we persevered. It was supposed to be fairly nice while we were camping but that wasn't the case. When we arrived at Goblin Valley, the wind was so strong and so cold that we piled on as many layers as we could before getting out of the car. Once we got down into the valley, it wasn't so bad. Besides, we were too busy looking at each other and saying "This is so cool!" to really notice the weather. We're geeks like that.

I told the Boy to pretend he was a Goblin. I love the face he's making! And really, he doesn't have to try hard to be very goblin-like.

Da Boo tried being a Goblin, too, but she's just too dainty to pull it off.


The kids had a great time running around the rock formations, trying to find actual goblins or at least where they might live. While we were there, we managed to find a couple geocaches (which are the real reason we even go outside at all). Then The Man decided to test my strength...


While Baby and I waited below, The Man took our two eldest and climbed the green dome. Remember how I required Happy Pills to prevent irrational freak outs? Remember how I stopped taking them? I tried to only look while taking the picture but I ended up staring the whole time they climbed and scooted. Can't remember if I actually breathed, though...

Foto Friday #23

Hooray! I'm posting this on an actual Friday! Aren't you so proud of me?

We've got a full house this weekend. Baby G will be blessed in church on Sunday so both sets of grandparents are here for the event. The kids are in heaven.


This was the activity for the morning: playing the Boy's fishing game that he got for Christmas. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the Grampas down on the floor, trying to catch fish with those little bitty rods.

Oh, and Grampas?

Watch out.

The Boy cheats.

What I'm Doing Instead of Posting

Since I haven't been that great about posting lately, I thought I'd share the reason why and this poem explains it pretty well. I found it years ago, before I had kids, and have kept it tucked away for ages but think about it all the time.

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby,
and babies don't keep!

Happy Birthday, Boo!

Six years ago was an interesting day.

Six years ago, our first child was born after 24 hours of unsuccessful labor and then a c-section.


Six years ago, I fell in love with someone I had been waiting years to meet.


Six years ago, I didn't know someone so small could be so important.


Six years ago, I underestimated small children while overestimating myself.


Six years ago, I had no imagination and couldn't draw a horse if my life depended on it.


Six years ago, my best friend was an adult, not a little girl.

Six years ago, I wondered about this day...about who she would become and whether I was up to the task.

Six years later, I still wonder who she will become and whether I am ready for her to keep growing up.

Happy Birthday, Boo!

Pros and Cons: Sharing a Room

*I actually wrote this yesterday morning but in my sleep-deprived stupor, neglected to publish it so here ya go!

Warning: you may not want to be eating anything just now...

Pros and Cons of Siblings Sharing a Room

Pro: Both kids in the same room make for a one-stop goodnight kiss.
Con: Both kids in the same room make for a one-stop spanking when they won't keep quiet and go to sleep.

Pro: The mess that accompanies small children is contained to one room instead of several, including the hallway in between.
Con: The mess that accompanies small children is not reduced, just contained, so shoes are essential on any forays into their bedroom.

Pro: You won't know who actually made the mess so you can instruct them both to clean it up.
Con: You won't know who actually vomited on the floor between their beds so you'll have to go in a for a closer inspection...don't breathe through your nose.

How does a child throw up several times and not wake up? It's beyond me! We moved da Boo into the guest bedroom before we pulled the Boy from a puddle of puke and hosed him down. He showed no symptoms that he was even feeling sick and I didn't hear him throwing up...it's a conundrum. All of this happened at midnight and I then had a hard time sleeping, with the smell of vomit on the air. I'm tired today...

The Wii Gossips

So you might be surprised to learn that we have a Wii. I never mentioned it before, right? And normally, we love it. The kids can play a lot of the games without constant assistance and not every game involves shooting someone. Ours was a house of harmony. And then we got the Wii Fit.

At first, it seemed harmless enough, encouraging us toward our weight goals and only briefly mentioning that we were so uncoordinated, it wasn't sure how we managed to walk safely. Whenever one of us would log in to play a few balance games, the Wii would ask us if we'd seen one of the other members of our family. Then it would casually remark that the family member had not logged in for a while...but that was no big deal. And really, conversations with the Wii are one-sided. The only response you can make is pressing the A button. No defending yourself, no explanations. Just press A.

One afternoon, the Wii had the following conversation with my daughter (I know because I was sitting on the couch, watching, and possibly eating a Nutty Bar). And the Wii is the one that changes the color of the text...not me and my snotty attitude.

Wii: Welcome back, Da Boo!
Boo: A
Wii: Have you seen Jess recently?
Boo: A
Wii: I haven't seen Jess in six days.
Boo: A
Wii: How is Jess looking these days?
(Then it gave Boo the rare option of an actual response. The choices were: looks bigger, looks smaller, looks more toned, looks the same.)
Boo: looks the same.
Wii: Really? Well...I guess that is possible.
Boo: A
Wii: Maybe you just haven't been paying enough attention.

WHAT??? SIX DAYS, people! I hadn't been on the thing for six days and it's already calling me lazy and - quite possibly - fat. And don't think I haven't noticed that it gasps every time I step on. The Wii is such a skinny punk.

Then again, just before my birthday, it reminded all the members of the family that my birthday was coming, asked them if they'd gotten me a gift yet and suggested they plan a surprise party. So it's not all bad.

Still...machines shouldn't be allowed to talk smack about you to your kids.

Grandkids can get away with it

When my parents and brother were visiting, the Boy couldn't help but notice something about my dad.

While sitting on Pop-pop's shoulder, the Boy proceeds to pat my dad's bald head and asks "Where did your hair go?"

I've been wondering that since I was a kid...

Checking in!

We got back last night and boy! Am I sick of riding in the car! Also? We went from chilly and rainy in South Dakota to face-melting heat in California. Not as fun as you'd think.

So here are some random thoughts to tide you over until I can get a real post up:

• At what age does a child grasp the concept of a juice box and the whole "don't squeeze it!" thing? I thought the Boy had this down months ago...apparently not.
• South Dakota smells good. Not as nice as Hawaii but still, the whole state just smells nice.
• I've come to realize that the people working on the Crazy Horse monument are, in fact, crazy themselves.
• The desert is boring. And hot. And really, really boring.
• Even the waterproof mascara is not really waterproof.
• I completely underestimated my kids on the whole issue of death. They were wonderful (except the Boy during the eulogy but thinking about it still makes my eye twitch so let's not think about it right now, okay?).
• It's amazing how excited kids get over cheap little toys and treats.
• I really hate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Also, I wanted to thank everyone for the thoughtful, comforting comments and emails. You people are the best! Smooches all around!

FHE: The Joys of Travel

Alternate titles - FHE: Stock Up on the Valium, FHE: "We'll Get There When We Get There!"

At the end of the week, we are leaving on a long car trip. It's a joint vacation with our family, my husband's family and a famous American landmark. I am very much looking forward to the trip! Vacations are fun! What isn't fun are the long drives required to reach our destinations.

Da Boo is great on car trips. She looks through books, colors, watches movies, naps, plays for hours with just a couple Littlest Pet Shops. All in all, she's not an issue.

The Boy, however, is. He whips through books once and is done, doesn't like to color very much, might watch one movie, refuses to nap (tries to wake up his sister) and whines constantly to get out of his carseat. In short, he makes us all miserable. We even resorted to Benedryll last trip...yeah, that didn't work.

To keep the whining to a minimum, we decided to better prepare the kids for the trip.

Opening Song: Twinkle Little Star - but you already knew that.

Opening Prayer: The kids were starting to argue about how it wasn't their turn, so I said it.

Lesson: I started by asking both of the kids about some the things they liked to do at home. The answers were play with LPS, watch shows on tv, color pictures, play with cars. (I was crossing my fingers that "throwing balls" and "wrestling" would not be mentioned...I lucked out.) Then I told the kids about the trip. I said we were going on a special vacation but it would mean being in the car for a looooong time. But HEY! Once we were done driving, we got to see Grandma and Grandpa Cow! Yipppeeee! Aren't we so very excited to see them? Yes! So we just had to stay in the car long enough to drive to where they were, okay?

After getting them excited about the trip, I told them they could do all those things they liked while in the car. I had special coloring books and NEW crayons (because nothing is better than NEW crayons) for them to use. They picked treats they wanted and movies to bring.

Then the hard part...I explained that they would not be able to get out of their seats very much. We would stop to eat where they could run and play but we couldn't stop driving very much if they wanted to see the Cow grandparents. The kids were still excited about the prospect of New! Stuff! so they didn't seem to care all that much about not stopping. Let's hope this doesn't become a harsh reality for them later...

Closing Song: Rock a Bye Baby (the Boy's current favorite at bedtime)

Closing Prayer: Daddy.

Treats: Costco Churros. Those things are cinnamon-coated bribery whenever I have to make a trip to Costco so getting them outside the store was a big deal.

Okay, help me, ladies (and men...if there are any who read this blog)! What are your road trip secrets? Here's what we have: DVD player with dual screens so they don't have to share, Boo has a Leapster (sometimes the Boy steals it and plays it), new coloring books with spiffy crayons, special treats (sugar-laden, of course), plenty of non-sugary snacks and drinks, mini pillows and soft blankets, each will have a backpack to bring their favorite toys from home (and keep the new stuff within reach), and surprise toys to give at the point where I am at the end of my rope (mini etch-a-sketch for the Boy and new I-spy book for da Boo). They are only five and three so the endless hilarity of Mad Libs is somewhat lost on them... we will be in the car for TEN HOURS and I'd like to arrive without having to face murder charges.

What else can I do?
Anyone have any of those noise-canceling headphones I can borrow?

FHE: Under the Sea

Here's a tip for ya...something to help you figure just what is wrong with your son if he is cranky, whiny and all-around being a pain: if he comes up to you and begs you to change him, even if you don't see anything in his pants, change him anyway! This will save you the experience of an utter meltdown and subsequent non-stop sobbing (the boy, not you, although you'll be tempted) until you can finally wrestle him onto the changing table. There, you will discover that yes, he was indeed poopy, as he indicated, but it was a ninja poop...hiding until the last possible moment. Then you'll spend a few ear-splitting moments trying to clean your poor son and then rubbing Desitin on the chapped skin. So...if this happens to you, listen to your son. He may only be three but he knows when something ain't right on his bottom.

That's the preamble to tonight's FHE. Basically, I had a headache and was mentally exhausted, the Boy was coated in cream but still in need of some serious comfort, the Man was tired and worried about his grandfather and da Boo...well, she was fine. So for FHE, we talked about sea creatures. This was also a practice run for the Boy's preschool class Tuesday morning. I was teaching and chose sea creatures because I found some cool fruit snacks at the store. See? It's always about the food for me!

Opening Song: Twinkle Little Star (really, did you have to ask?)

Opening Prayer: Da Boo volunteered. She says about 75% of the prayers around here...

Lesson: We talked briefly about what fish needed to live (water, plants or rocks for shelter, food) and where you could find fish (oceans, seas, lakes, ponds). Then we talked about what else was in the water besides fish. Da Boo had all kinds of answers. The Boy mostly listened with wide eyes (something tells me that swimming lessons are going to be difficult this year).

For the last book order through Boo's preschool, I picked a book about fish to give to the Boy for his birthday. It didn't arrive in time, due to Spring Break. Da Boo brought it home today so we read it. It's called Fidgety Fish and Friends. It's kinda cute, rhymes so the kids love it, and talks about all different kinds of sea animals.

Looking back, I should have talked a little more about how God created these amazing animals to share our world with us, that they are not just a source of food but also can teach us many things. So, if you teach a lesson like this, you might want to close a little better than I did.

I think the reason I got distracted and didn't really close the lesson was because the Man suggested we call his grandpa. His grandpa is an amazing man. At 16, he ran away to join the circus (seriously!) and then, after that wasn't so fun, he joined the Navy, lying about his age. Whenever we get to visit with him, I always ask to hear more stories from his life. He's got so many! Unfortunately, he has pancreatic cancer. He has lived 1 1/2 years longer than expected. It looks like his time may be over soon and that just breaks my heart. We let the kids talk for a just a minute each and then we got to talk to him and the Man's grandma. I had to break out the tissues.

Closing Song: Once There Was A Snowman (because what better way is there to celebrate Spring than to melt a snowman?)

Closing Prayer: The Man.

Activity: The Man got some new toys. The first was a special cable to make the Wii more high def. The other one was a new game called Endless Ocean. It's a beautiful, serene game. You really ought to watch the videos! Some spectacular stuff! And the kids were totally mesmerized. I love it already, simply for that fact, not that I've played it. They got to watch the Man play for a little bit before I was a big meanie, making them get in jammies and go to bed.

Treats: Aunt Denise gave me a really fun cookbook* with lots of cute snacks and treats for kids. Da Boo was in charge of treats so I showed her a couple options from the new cookbook. She chose the Super-Lucky Cereal Treats. They are basically like Rice Krispy treats made with Lucky Charms. Pretty tasty!


* This link does not go to the exact book, but only a portion of it...mine is a 3-in-1 cookbook and this is one of the parts.

Woe is Me

My momma is gone. She left this afternoon and already I am sad...and so is my kitchen.


Here she is with the kiddos before church this morning. *sigh* Hope she and my dad come again soon.

While she was here, we had some fun. We went to a couple interesting places, ate some good food, talked and talked or sometimes just read books together. And she helped me make this. And if you look at the picture up at the top closely enough, you'll notice that the wall behind the couch is no longer white...she helped with that, too. More pictures coming, along with a product review.

Dinner With A Fool

I like holidays. Some holidays I get a little too excited about. This was the first year I actually had a plan for April Fool's Day: I was going to make dinner! While making dinner, itself, is not exactly spectacular (unless I manage to not ruin it), what I had planned was different. Invited to take part were my mom (also my partner in crime), the Man, the Co-ed and Aunt Denise.

When they arrived, the table was set and there was a salad with a bottle of dressing on the table. The Co-ed looked a little nervous...after the last salad I served her, I don't think she knew what to expect. When everyone was seated, I announced that in honor of April Fool's Day, we were going to go a little crazy and have dinner backwards. Dessert would be served first. Then, I brought out this:


Mmmmm...looks delectable, right? And still, everyone seemed a little less than at ease. As I cut into the cake, it was the Man that guessed: the cake wasn't a cake at all. It was meatloaf, covered in mashed potatoes, with cherry tomatoes and ketchup as decoration. But the Boy didn't believe me when I told him it wasn't cake. He brought me his plate, asking so very sweetly for some cake. I finally let him have a taste of the "frosting." The look on his face was horrified - and priceless. I told him to go spit it out in the trash. But that wasn't good enough...he threw up. So dinner was off to a less-than-stellar beginning...

After "dessert" was finished, I brought out the main course:


These grilled cheese sandwiches looked so real that both kids burst into tears when I told them this was their bedtime treat. It took some heavy persuading, some sniffing, and finally very cautious bites to convince the kids that the "sandwiches" were actually slices of toasted pound cake schmeared with cheese-colored frosting. But once they were deemed edible, the kids woofed 'em down! Now I have to find something just as convincing for next year.

Other pranks played: I gave da Boo an unsolveable maze. She loves mazes and quickly became very frustrated with this one. She does not appreciate a good joke. Later on, she pranked called me. Asked if my refrigerator was running. So next year, I am going to do this to the kids. I'd tell you more but I really ought to go catch my fridge...

I Miss My Mom

Do you have those days when you miss your mother? If your mom lives close by, then you probably don't have the chance to miss her, but my mom lives 2,000 miles away. We don't get to see each other as often as I'd like. Maybe it's because I'm looking forward to seeing her at the end of the month or maybe it's because I haven't been feeling so hot the past few days or because the Man's mom is visiting...or maybe it's just that I haven't seen her since last summer. I miss my mom.

My mother is amazing. If you knew me when I was a teenager (and a lot of you did), then you know how difficult I made her job. I still do not know how she did it all and having kids myself, I really don't know! But every time I miss my mom, I think of my favorite Mom memory...

I was a kid. We lived in Colorado. With seven kids, there wasn't a lot of extra money. However, my mom always seemed to find enough cash for the occasionally DQ Blizzard for us to share or maybe even lunch out. The ideal lunch spot was The Hamburger Stand. It was an A-framed building that was mainly a drive-thru. They were a popular place because they offered hamburgers for 29 cents. And when you have seven kids, that's doable.

One afternoon, we piled in the huge maroon van and headed out for lunch. It was special treat and we were very excited, hopping all over the place (weren't there seatbelt laws then?) and just generally being crazy. After placing our order, my mom pulled up to pay at the window. It was about this time that we noticed the car behind us. Inside, were two young men. They wore white shirts, neckties and black name badges. Now, it Utah, it's not a big deal to see missionaries because there are so many wards and therefore, several sets of elders (and sisters), but in Colorado, it was very rare. We went wild! My brother and I leapt over the backseat and proceeded to wave like crazy out the window. They probably thought we were nuts (and they wouldn't be far off).

Mom: What did the car behind us order?
Window Lady: Just two 29 cent burgers.
Mom: I'd like to pay for their lunch but let's change their order to two combos with the larger burgers. Sprite to drink.
Window Lady: You want to...what?
Mom: I'd like to pay for their lunch but let's make it a better one.
Window Lady: Okay...?

We squealed and giggled! As we slowly pulled away, we saw the looks on the elders' faces as Window Lady tried to hand them a much larger bag of food. We couldn't hear the conversation, but I imagine they frantically tried to explain that this was the wrong order, that they couldn't pay for this much food. But the Window Lady insisted, even pointing toward our departing van as she explained.

Every now and then, when I'm in a drive-thru, sometimes I pay for the car behind me. I usually do it if the car has a woman driver, especially if it's a young mother with a carload of kids, who look like they are driving her crazy as they strain against their carseats.

Yep. I miss my mom.

What is your favorite Mom Memory?

FHE: Love One Another

Since I've been slacking the last few weeks, I was determined to make this one a little better. It helped that I got a nap this afternoon (laid down "for just a minute" and woke up nearly 2 hours later!). Gotta love those pain killers.

For dinner, we had some more of the Batter Blaster. We decided we didn't much like the waffles it made last time. This time, I had fun making letters and fancy shapes. Because I am the coolest Momma ever!

Opening Song: Love at Home (the Boy threatened a meltdown when his selection of Twinkle Little Star was vetoed.)

Opening Prayer: The Man.

Lesson: I asked the kids about their bedtime routines, where we go through certain steps before we get into bed. With each child, I have a different way of saying "I love you." They remembered that part (well, the Boy did after a little coaching). Then we talked about how we love our family.

Me: Why did I make pancakes for dinner tonight?
Boo: Because we were hungry.
Boy: Mmmmm...pancakes.
Me: Do I make them every time you're hungry?
Boo: No.
Boy: Pancakes good.
Me: I made pancakes tonight because it's a special dinner and I wanted to do something nice for you. Do you know why?
Boo: Because you're a nice Momma? (she totally gets bonus points!)
Boy: Eat pancakes now, Mommy?
Me: I wanted to do something nice for you because I love you.
Boo: Ohhhhhh...right.
Boy: PANCAKES!

Then we talked about how we can be nice to each other by doing special things for the people we love. I told them that Valentine's Day was this week and we should try to find ways to help each other every day, to show our love. They got a little distracted when I mentioned we can put away our siblings' shoes for them, then they both dashed around, trying to find a pair of shoes to put away. I asked them different ways to show love. I was then attacked by both of them giving me hugs and kisses. I liked that part.

Before the song, I told them the song was from the scriptures, that Jesus loves us very much and he wants us to love each other, too.

Closing Song: Love One Another

Closing Prayer: Me (because the kids were far too excited about giving and getting Valentines to sit still.)

Activity: Put together Valentines for their classmates. I got the ones that come with tattoos because they're fun and the kids are going to get lots of candy any way. Did the same thing with Halloween treats - I gave glow bracelets instead of candy. Means all the more candy for me!

Treat: We had Wendy's for lunch today so they got to eat their Frosty.

We will have the traditional heart-shaped dinner this year. Last year, I made pizza so I wanted to do something else this time. I was out-voted. Pizza, again. At least the dessert will be new.

Welcoming Home A Hero

I know I've blogged about my brother before and if you could hear me talk, well, I wouldn't be able to speak clearly because I just get all choked up.

My younger brother is in the Air Force and was recently sent to Afghanistan. He kept in touch as best he could, when not roaming the mountains on missions. But last Monday, he came home.

Quite a large group turned up to welcome him home to Florida. My parents got to be there.

His wife, Tally, made matching shirts for everyone who greeted him at the airport. That was a great idea! I got to talk to him the next day. He says he having a a little trouble readjusting to some things, like sleeping in a real bed and not using bottled water for everything but other than that, it's great to be home.

For his birthday, I sent him a package with Slim Jims and magazines (because that's what he asked for). While picking out the magazines, I guess I was feeling a little loopy (I know, so rare and all) because I sent him Popular Mechanics, one about cars, a snowboarding magazine and a knitting magazine. Do you know how hot it is during the summers in Afghanistan? Sending a magazine all about snow and such was just cruel. And the knitting magazine...well, I figured those soldiers could use some stress relief.

Ewwww Yuck

Sorry for the posting drought. And I don't have a book to blame this time. Instead, I'll blame the flu.

Friday afternoon, the Boy woke up from his nap and da Boo proceeded to run into his room to tease him mercilessly. She's such a good sister. So, he's crying and all hysterical by the time I mosey in there. He'd called out to me earlier, saying he had spilled. Not knowing what that meant, I didn't think much of it but when I walked into him room to get him out of his crib, I understood.

"I spilled" is Boy-speak for "I threw up."

And we all know just how good I am at handling that sort of thing! Luckily, it wasn't bad and was quickly cleaned up. Later that evening, I went to a really great bread-making class - which I will have to blog about later - when the Man calls me. Apparently, the Boy had "spilled" again - twice. He wasn't running a temperature, wasn't acting subdued or abnormal. Just spewed his guts periodically.

Saturday, he was fine. He even got mad at his daddy when the Man won't give him a sandwich for lunch, offering instead crackers and Sprite. The Boy came to find me and announced "Daddy no loves me anymore." Sunday morning dawned bright and early (we had a blizzard the day before so it was also very cold). The Man left for his meetings and the Boy woke up. This time, when he announced that he "spilled," I leapt out of bed. I got him cleaned up and tried texting the Man about the problem. This was compounded by the fact that I was supposed to substitute in Primary for da Boo's class. Still no temp or acting sick. I decided he couldn't go to church when his diaper erupted, resulting in yet another load of laundry. We ended up tag-teaming church: the Man got to go to Sacrament and I got to hang out in Primary.

The Man has a touch of it and da Boo is currently sitting on the potty after whining that her tummy hurt. Should make for an interesting evening! Anyone want to place bets on how soon I come down with it?

***Update!***
I had no sooner hit "Post" when da Boo vomited all over herself while sitting on the toilet. So she's crying, I'm trying not to gag and the Man is mocking me. So I made him clean the bathroom while I took a stripped-down girl to our room to shower. She is tucked back in bed with clean jammies, a sippy cup of Sprite and a barf bucket sitting on the floor next to her bed.

Snow Day!

This weekend we had a real snow storm! The Man went to the store for me Saturday morning and brought back some snow boots for the Boy. Because I had cakes to do, I sent the Man outside to play in the snow with the kids. I made him take the camera.

Their first snowman! And yes, the Boy had mittens but refused to wear them because they were toddler mittens and didn't have a thumb. And as he likes to remind me, "I no baby. I big boy."

They came in when the Boy started getting too cold. I had hot chocolate waiting (love that CocoMotion!) so they could warm up. I just love the snow!