I Miss Blogging

I just spent nearly an hour reading back over my old blog posts. Doing this made me realize how much I miss not posting on my blog regularly. I need to get back into it. It was such a great creative outlet for me and I had fun with it. But lately it has felt like a chore. Something else I neglect to do and then feel guilty about later. But I think it's when I post more often that I get the most out of my blog. Of course, I don't exactly lead the most exciting life, so extra posts may not be about major events and fun things we do that people want to catch up on. Typically, more blog posts from me could very well mean that you get to read a bunch of random thoughts or my weekly dinner menu. I'm not sure exactly what posting more often will bring, but I want to see what I can do with it. I need to get my creative juices flowing again. This post is probably quite unnecessary, since I doubt anyone reading this blog is hanging on my every word, just waiting for me to post again, but I need this right now. Hopefully I get something out of it. So for those wanting updates about our life and what we're doing, just watch for posts with pictures.

In fact, I was thinking about the manic Monday posts I used to do, and how they really helped me keep up with blogging. I didn't want my blog to be just those, so it forced me to blog about other things in-between. I've been thinking about it for a while and now is a good time to bring that back. But instead of Manic Monday (a title I never really liked) I'm going to go with Wednesday's Word. I have a list of words from the old Manic Monday website that I'm going to use in random order. In fact, I'm going to start today...right now!

I found the file with the list I saved and today's word is ...warm.

All I can think of is the total dichotomy of the word warm to the weather right now. I am so ready for spring. But I realized just how far away warm weather really is when Camden asked me yesterday when it would be warm outside. I told him 3 months and then counted quickly in my head, hoping I was wrong. That couldn't be right. Three months is still so far away. But sadly it's true. While we usually get some relatively warm days teasing us as spring tries to make an appearance, we likely won't have consistently warm weather for a while. And unfortunately, the groundhog isn't any more optimistic than this post. We received a prediction yesterday for 6 more weeks of winter. Hopefully Mother Nature will surprise us and give us an early spring anyway. I know I'm definitely ready for some warm weather. And with any luck, my count was off too. I'm hoping for an unseasonably warm April but it's definitely not a guarantee here. So much for global warming huh? Ok, so I really shouldn't complain. By comparison, today's weather really was almost nice enough to be considered...warm. Almost.

And just to round out this post and get back into the swing of things, I'm going to add a Smiley List. Now, more than ever, I need to think about the little things that make me smile throughout my day. (I may or may not elaborate on that later.)
-Jace was in a really happy mood after school today and didn't complain when it was homework time.
-Camden is really starting to show an interest in writing his letters and putting letters together to form words.
-Alek learned to say the word happy. He pronounces it in an old English style, without the 'h' and he yelled it in his room several times before falling asleep tonight.
-Casey and I got to spend some time relaxing together tonight because we got the kids to bed a little bit early.
-I'm blogging again!

All Smiles

Smiley List:

-Alek gives the best kisses. Ok, so his mouth is wide open, and sometimes he tries to bite my lips. But I can't help it, I just love his kisses.
-Camden has such a sweet tooth. I know this shouldn't make me happy, but his enjoyment of treats and desserts is so pure, I can't help but smile when I watch him.
-Jace can be such a little gentleman at times. There are lots of little girls to play with on our street and he walked one friend home since it was starting to get dark and she was scared. Another time he gave a little girl a ride to her house on his sled. We don't live on a hill, she sat on the sled and he pulled her home.
-Valentine's Day is coming up.
-We didn't get enough snow to have to shovel the sidewalk.
-I got a really great deal at the store.

I Just Love Lists

I can't believe this is the first time I've posted a smiley list this year. But I have so much that makes me smile that I can't NOT do one.

-Jace has such a tender heart. He always watches out for Alek, he is always so sweet when he plays with him.
-The way Camden sings with all of his heart. Just today he was singing, "Happy Birthday to Grandma!" and yesterday he couldn't stop singing, "No one likes a brownie face, change it for a mile." He also loves Ring Around the Rosie's, but he pronounces the word ashes wrong, he says asses instead. It makes me giggle every time. I love it.
-Alek is walking all over the place and he's getting fast too. I just love watching him go.
-Jace and Camden played so well together today.
-Alek has learned to wave, he also nods his head yes, usually when I tell him not to do something.
-This Conversation in the car:
Jace-Mom, did you know that Tyler in my class has the chicken pox?
Me-Oh really?
Jace-Yeah, so he had to stay home.
Camden-Oh! I LOVE those chicken pops!
Jace-No, it's not something good.
Camden-But I like chicken pops, they're good.
Me-Laughing and telling Jace to let Camden say that if he wants to.

-Our latest snowstorm didn't bring as much snow as predicted.
-I recently discovered the heated steering wheel button in the car
-Casey, Jace and Camden all thanked me for the dinner I made tonight.
-I got a new toothbrush that I love.
-New sheets.

I know I'm forgetting some things but I'll stop there. My brainstorming has suddenly turned to a light drizzle.

No Wonder All The Girls Like Him

Ever since we moved into our house, Jace has been quite popular with all the little neighbor girls. They are always knocking on our door and asking if he can play. He even got a love note from one little girl in his kindergarten class. It says: I love you Jace, love Anna. Then she drew a boy and a girl holding hands. She even labeled them Jace and Anna. It was so cute. (Maybe I'll scan it and add it to this post later.)

I always though it was because he's such a cutie. Jace is also a pretty well mannered kid and he's happy to play with anyone. While that may be the case, we recently discovered that there may be more to it than that. This is how the conversation went when we discovered another reason the girls all seem to love our little Jace.

Jace: Dad, I have something I should tell you...But I don't want to...But I should.
Casey: What's that?
Jace: I kissed Olivia.
Casey: You did!? (totally shocked and laughing a little)
Jace: Yes. (A little embarrassed)
Casey: Where did you kiss her?
Jace: On the mouth. (Now even more embarrassed, and suddenly shy; very uncharacteristic for Jace)
Me: Why did you kiss her?
Jace: She told me to...She said she was the princess and she was asleep and wouldn't wake up until I kissed her.
Casey: Have you kissed any other girls?
Jace: Yes...I've kissed Isabel too.
Me: On the mouth?
Jace: No, just on the cheek.
Casey: How did you like it.
Jace: I didn't really like it very much.

Well hopefully it stays that way for a while. A long while. And just to make sure that no more kissing is taking place, Casey ended the conversation like this

Casey: Jace, do you know what happens when you kiss little girls?
Jace: What?
Casey: It makes their dad's really mad.
Me: (Laughing)

I don't know if Casey's last comment had any effect on Jace or not. But I do know that I'm going to have to keep an eye on Jace when he's playing with those little girls.

And I haven't done a smiley list in a long time so here's a new one:
-It snowed!
-The way our Christmas tree looks now that it has lights on it.
-I actually got to pick up a shift at work this week (a rarity lately)
-Jace told me that he still believes in Santa even though some of the other kids in his class don't.
-Camden can sing the ABC song, well most of it. He leaves out E and WXYZ.
-Alek tries to chew his food with his two little front teeth.

Pure Thanksgiving

Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, I couldn't just ignore it's passing. Thanksgiving truly is my favorite holiday of this time of the year. I love that there just isn't as much hype and over-inflation of expectations leading up to the holiday; as is the case with many other holidays. Thanksgiving is truly it's own day. A day for families to spend time together, a time for good food, a time for relaxation and most importantly, a time to reflect on the blessings we enjoy.

I can't think of a better tribute to Thanksgiving than a special edition Thanksgiving Smiley List, so here's a list of things that made me smile this Thanksgiving:

-The way Alek's two little teeth look when he shares one of his infectious smiles.
-Camden's excitement for Thanksgiving Day, and every other day too.
-Jace thinking he could eat an entire turkey leg.
-Casey had a nice long weekend off from work.
-I was unexpectedly called off from work Thanksgiving night.
-My mom's beautiful place settings with nothing less than her good china.
-Everyone's hard work to pull the dinner together beautifully despite a couple of minor setbacks.
-Watching my dad be a grandpa.
-True love.
-Tradition.
-Indulgence.

Manic Monday: Season

Here's why I'll never write a recipe book:

I have a recipe I am really excited to share; the only problem with it is the way it's written. This is a recipe I made up so I don't have measurements or amounts of the ingredients and the cooking times and temperatures aren't specific. The only way to share it is to simply tell you what I did.

This "recipe" is for fried chicken (except that I don't fry it in a pan. I bake it in the oven but it has a crunchy outside on it like fried chicken. I think it's sometimes referred to as oven fried chicken; at least that's what we called it when we were growing up. But I didn't make this recipe up when I was growing up, I just changed some things from the way my mom made it when I was little. So...maybe it isn't a recipe I made up, it's just one that I adjusted. See why this recipe is going to be hard to share? I've been typing about it for a while now and I still haven't even started on the directions.)

Let's see if I can make this make sense.

What I used:
Chicken breasts
Mayonnaise
Stove Top Stuffing mix
vegetable oil

How I put it together:
-Pour a small amount of cooking oil on baking sheet and spread it around (just enough so that the chicken won't stick to the pan).
-spread a thin layer of mayonnaise onto chicken breasts
-roll chicken breasts into Stove Top stuffing crumbs. (I crushed them a little with a rolling pin but I left some texture there for the crunch. I'm sure if you wanted a finer texture you could put them in a blender or food processor.)
-Place chicken on prepared pan and bake at about 375 degrees until cooked through.

That's it! And they are so good. I used to make this using bread crumbs or crushed cereal (rice krispies) and it was good that way too. I would season the chicken with various herbs and spices but they never had the perfect flavor for me. Maybe I didn't have the right seasonings, or maybe I didn't use them in correct proportion to each other. Whatever it was, I just never felt like my chicken was very good. And found myself apologizing for the blandness or overbearing onion powder taste throughout dinner. This takes the guesswork out of seasoning the potentially bland chicken and the crunch of it is fantastic.

So, if you're brave enough to try a recipe with such unspecific directions I hope it turns out well for you and I hope you like it.

Smiley List
-The way Alek sticks his tongue out when he crawls
-Camden was extra cuddly after his nap
-Jace received a love note from a little girl at school
-We had Family Home Evening tonight
-My back and neck feel great after a visit to the chiropractor.

One Word Tag

My friend Wendy blog tagged me. This one is short and sweet but not as easy as I thought it would be. One word answers:


1. Where is your cell phone? Table
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Blond
4. Your mother? Generous
5. Your father? Grandpa
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Peace
9. The room you're in? Dining
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? Unprepared
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? Shopping
14. What you're not? Prideful
15. Something on your wish list? Clothes
16. Where you grew up? America
17. The last thing you did? Hair
18. What are you wearing? Hoodie
19. Your TV? Dusty
20. Your pet? None
21. Your computer? Laptop
22. Your mood? Mellow
23. Missing someone? No
24. Your car? Ford
25. Something you're not wearing? Jewelry
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? Fantastic
28. Love someone? Deeply
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Forgot

Since it was all one word answers I'm just going to tag one person: Katie


Smiley List

-Jace did his homework without complaining today.
-The cute way Camden plays with and talks to his baby brother.
-Alek's one tooth grin.
-Casey took me shopping and out to dinner last night just because.

Manic Monday: Bounty

When I saw that today's word was bounty I initially drew a blank. Then I realized how long it's been since I added a smiley list to my post. So...since I've had a bounty of things to smile about lately I'm going to share them here.

-I just checked on my kids and they're all sleeping soundly.
-None of the kids had croup with the most recent cold they all had.
-All of our snow melted.
-The kids were playing outside on Friday and ran inside to tell me something with such urgency that they had me worried. What was the big emergency? They didn't want me to miss the beautiful sunset. Both the sunset and my kids made me smile on that one.
-Watching Camden play with Alek this evening.
-I'm actually getting my Manic Monday post up on Monday.
-My wonderfully supportive family.

The rest of my smiley list is in pictures.

Alek LOVES bath time.

The kids in their Halloween costumes, and the fact that Alek thoroughly enjoyed the candy bar he's holding even though we never opened it for him

Sometimes even power rangers need naps.

Trunk-or-treat.

After making this mess Camden said, "mommy, I spilled...Dat's oh-tay" And proceeded to happily eat his mess while I took pictures and swept it up.

Manic Monday: Bite

Here's a list of a few of my favorite things to bite into.

-A caramel apple, the apple has to be a Granny Smith; best combination of sweet and tart.
-Cauliflower, it has the most unique crunch to it.
-A sweet, juicy peach.
-Corn on the cob, I love how the kernels pop into my mouth when I bite them.
-Warm, chewy brownies.
-Celery, it gives the best crunching sound.
-Rice Krispy treats, best combination of crunchy and chewy.
-Grapes that are so firm they burst in my mouth when I bite into them.
-Homemade rolls when they're just the right amount of buttery, flaky and moist.

Smiley List:

1-I really got to learn a lot today at work.
2-Alek giving me raspberries on my cheek.
3-Camden insisting he's not tired only to fall asleep in the car less than ten minutes later.
4-Jace is sleeping well at the moment, despite the persistent cough he's had all day.

There's Still Time

Today I registered to vote and you still can too. I missed the deadline to do a mail-in registration, but you can register in-person until the 20th. That really only gives you two days (Friday and Monday) to do it, but I encourage you to register to vote if you can make time for it. This election is going to be a memorable one. It already has been in many ways, so make sure you're a part of it. Get yourself registered to vote so you can participate in such an important and interesting election. Wow, that sounds just like a commercial.

Smiley List
1-I had a great birthday and don't feel sad at all about being 30!
2-Camden is potty trained.
3-The way Alek looks in his winter hat.
4-Jace loves school so much he cried when I told him he had a few days off for Fall Break.
5-All the kids have their Halloween costumes ready and they are so excited for Halloween.
6-This conversation between Jace and Camden (Jace was describing something he saw):
JACE-It was black and white like a fire dog or a cow.
CAMDEN-I wanna see the fire cow.
7-This conversation between Jace and me. (I had been on the phone with Casey and said, "Bye Babe" before hanging up.)
JACE-Mom, what does babe mean?
ME-It's something you call someone you love, like if they're your sweetie. It's like saying baby, but shorter.
JACE-Oh, well I love Isabel. She's my babe. (Isabel is his little friend who lives next door).

I had to throw a few extras in there, I haven't done my smiley list for a while. But it is working. Instead of complaining about how rough, busy and terrible my day was when Casey gets home, now I'm telling him how fun, happy and fantastic our day was and why. I love it!

Manic Monday: Leaf

It's strange that I've never liked fall. I'm not sure why. I guess I never understood what was so great about the color change and death of a leaf, or why the death of thousands of them in masses is so wonderful. The leaves change color, die and fall from the trees as a precursor to winter; a cold and gloomy time of year with short days and long, cold nights.

But this year I have decided to turn over a new leaf (pun intended) and think of reasons I should love this time of year.

-My birthday is in the fall.
-The colors of the changing leaves really are beautiful (despite my depressing description of them above).
-Thanksgiving is in the fall.
-I LOVE back to school time, always have.
-It starts to get cold enough at night that we can use our fireplace.
-The smells of apple pie, pumpkin cookies, a jack-o-lantern with a candle burning in it, and fallen leaves.
-The sound and feel of leaves crunching under my feet when I walk.

I'm sure in the morning or even as I drift off to sleep I'll think of a few more things I could add to the list but it's late so I'm going to leave it at that. And I'm going to enjoy fall this year.

Smiley List:

1-Having family members who are willing to watch the kids when I work.
2-Alek's natural mohawk.
3-The baby-talk voice Camden uses when he talks to Alek.
4-Jace's excitement to see Camden when he got home from school.

Quick List Today

My Smiley List for Today


1-Kicking a soccer ball with Jace
2-Riding scooters with Camden
3-Alek blowing raspberries after I feed him a bite of food.
4-I got a quick nap in before going to work tonight.

Thanks Casey

Last week Casey and I were discussing how I fit in, or to be accurate; don't necessarily fit in, with a group I occasionally socialize with. I was trying to figure out what it is that makes me stand out from others within the group who seem to have been more easily welcomed and acclimated to the group. Don't get me wrong, I'm not treated poorly in this situation, I just don't really feel like I fit in. And I certainly don't think there's anything wrong with standing out or being different. Thus, our discussion wasn't an attempt to see how I could be more like the individuals in this group. That's not what I was after.

And then Casey gave me some clarity on the subject, and probably the best compliment I have ever been given, when he told me that it's because I'm authentic. He's convinced that I threaten them because they're not. Now, I don't know if the latter is true or not, but I hope the first part of what he said is. I don't pretend to like what everyone else in this group likes just to be accepted or more easily included. and I love that, not only does Casey know that about me, but he appreciates it. I also love that I saw that as a compliment. Casey could have told me that I'm the most beautiful person he's ever seen and I would not have been as touched as I was by a simple comment he made about me being authentic. His comment even made me look up the word authentic and here's what I got from dictionary.com: authentic-not false or copied; genuine; real. And that is how and who I try to be.

The purpose of this post is not to brag. And it's not an attempt to gain confirmation about what was said. I simply want to blog this so I will remember it. I want to remember how it feels to receive such a sincere compliment. And how it feels to be complimented on character. And how it feels to have someone know you so well that they see something in you, you didn't even see yourself. And that something they say can mean so much. It's hard to explain but it somehow made me feel vulnerable and empowered at the same time. I don't want to remember this just for my own sake, but I want to remember it so that I will be more giving of sincere, meaningful compliments. Because now I know how touching it is to receive one.

And here's my smiley list for today

1-The squeaky sound of swings at the park mixed with the laughter of children.
2-Picture day at school for Jace
3-Camden's eyelashes. They're so long and soft. Casey once described them as being "camel-like"
4-The passion with which Alek eats a bowl of infant rice cereal and peaches.

Short and Sweet

Ok, so it's technically Tuesday but this is Monday's list of four things that made me smile.

1-Alek's dimples
2-Camden's contageous laugh.
3-When I told Jace it was time to do his homework, his reply was, "Ok Mom."
4-A super easy patient assignment at work. What a nice shift.

Put a Smile on Your Face

I noticed recently that at the end of the day I can easily recall a lot of what happened during the day but not all of it is necessarily good. For instance, I can remember who spilled their bowl of cereal on the freshly mopped floor, how many poopy diapers I've changed or how many potty training accidents Camden had. I can tell you how many band-aids we went through and how often the kids went to time out (and why), and how well they did or didn't eat every meal I prepared. But what about the fun stuff? Sure, being a mom isn't all fun and games but there are definitely those fun, happy and silly moments throughout the day. Those are the moments I really want to remember but somehow they seem to get so buried in the business of the day that they are hard to recall later.

That's why I'm going to post four things about each day that made me happy or put a smile on my face. I'll try to post one thing about each of my kids, as well as something else that made me smile during the day. I'm going to do this every day for a while so that I will get in the habit of remembering the fun and happy things every day.

1-Just before Jace got on the bus to go to school he came and gave me a big hug. I usually want to just squeeze him before he goes but I don't want to embarrass him so I quietly watch him go. I was so pleasantly surprised when he did that on his own. It really made my day.

2-While outside with Camden, he found a grasshopper. I loved watching him chase after it, sometimes jumping, sometimes running to try and catch it; and laughing the entire time.

3-While I was holding Alek he grabbed my face and went after my mouth with his mouth wide open. I gave him a kiss on the side of his cute open mouth, and he smiled and squealed with delight, nearly jumping out of my arms.

4-I got compliments from both of my sisters when I saw them briefly this evening. They were so sincere and their comments really meant a lot to me.

What made you smile today?