Comedy of Errors

Today my brain decided to take a vacation.

It is too hot for it to function, anyway.

At least that is the memo I received.

My brain tends to be very spontaneous, much like myself.  Things were going along fine this morning, I had no reason to suspect there would be any sort of problem.

The kids and I cleaned up the house (what should have taken 45 minutes tops ended up taking a good three hours.  Getting kids to clean and stay focused is like herding a bunch of cats!), and then we played.

I told them once their things were all picked up they could do anything they wanted to do.  Keith opted for Legos and then the Wii.  Faye wanted to play with me, so we played Ring Around the Rosie, read stories, and watched a show together while I folded clothes.

That may have been when my brain decided it had endured enough for the day.  Seriously, I sometimes wonder if it is worth the effort, teaching kids how to work and clean up after themselves.

When afternoon came, I was feeling awfully proud of myself.  We had gotten a lot done in the morning hours.  I sat down to work on the weekly meal plan/grocery list, and the kids played with some old toys that we pulled out of the shed.  And then it was time for Keith's kindergarten check up.  Which went well.

And then we decided to go grocery shopping.

Which is when the trouble began.

My kids are monsters when it comes to grocery shopping.  They get bored, and then take it out on me by fighting with each other the whole time.  They are banned from the car carts, and the little grocery carts because they don't behave well with either of those.  Which means I get to play monkey tamer on top of trying to find the things I need.

We got our supplies and got out of there as quickly as we could.

When I got home, I began unpacking the groceries, only to learn that we had left the bread at the store.  After debating whether or not it was worth the gas to drive back and retrieve it, I called the store and did indeed go back.

As I drove back to retrieve my bread, I went to the wrong store.

I laugh at my absent-mindedness and corrected the error.

When I got to the correct store, I realized I had the wrong receipt with me.

This was turning into a comedy of errors, if ever I saw one.  Only it was beginning to not be so funny anymore.

The girl at the checkout was a darling and let me just get the bread anyway, bless her!

I got home, eager to make some yummy pesto turkey sandwiches for dinner, only to learn that my turkey had been eaten.

I gave up.

We had cold cereal for dinner.

Extry, Extry, Big Things Coming, Stay Tuned For More Info

Big things are in the works around these parts.

Like Kilimanjaro big.

Jeffrey and I have been distracted by a project for a while now, which should be done near the end of July. We are very excited about it and oh so proud of our work on it.  It will be a sort of a surprise for the kids.  I mean, they know about it, but only kind of.  They don't really understand the magnitude of this project, but we just know they are going to love it.  I made a countdown chain for the kids to help grow their anticipation, because that is half the fun, right?

And no, it isn't a house.  Sigh.  I wish.

Because of our project, I may not be around my little internet home aka blog as frequently as I would like.  A lot of my time is taken out with other more pressing things surrounding our little project.  As soon as it is complete, though I will post a complete reveal and update of our undertakings.  Including pictures.

In the meantime, I will intermittently post when I get a chance, but I am not going to worry myself about it because I have plenty on my plate and think I am doing enough without adding guilt to my pile of things to do.

The Business of Being Busy

Summer is here!  We have been very busy with lots of playing.  You know how mothers are often heard talking about the many activities they do with their kids in hopes of wearing them out so they will sleep well at night?  Lately I have been doing just that.  With the small side effect of wearing me out as well.

Sacrifices must be made.

Sweet little bobbins sleeping are probably the sweetest thing to behold.  I hereby declare.

In our quest of being worn out this summer, we have had many adventures.

We went to one of my favorite parks for lunch with my sister in law.  While there, we were surprised to see 9 turtles sunning themselves on a log.  

I have never seen turtles in that park before and it was quite a treat to see them.  So cute!

 The kids had a lot of fun playing in the pond, throwing pebbles in hopes of tricking the fish into thinking it was food.

They didn't succeed with the fish.

Evidently ducks are not as bright as fish, as they began swarming the area where the kids were as soon as they saw the ripples in the water.

Jeffrey had a birthday and we celebrated it in true style.   As per his request, we went to the DI, and spent the day running around with the kids.

He had requested a barrel cake.  I ran out of time to make it though, and so tried to throw something together.

It didn't turn out very pretty, but it was delicious.

I learned how to make frosting out of brown sugar as I didn't have any brown food coloring.  I am a fan now.

 The licorice is supposed to resemble an explosion.

I don't see it either.  But it doesn't have to look pretty, right?  It only has to taste good.  Which it did.

For the evening, we went over to a friend's house and laughed and talked a good deal.  Also, we saw what is quite possibly the worst movie ever made.

The Star Wars Holiday Special

George Lucas said, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it."  Carrie Fisher said she shows it at parties, "mainly at the end of the night when I want people to leave."

It really is that bad.  We suggested showing it again because one of our friends missed it.  Immediately the other guests who had seen it threatened to leave.  It is really bad.  Which, of course, means I loved it.  Jeffrey did too.

The next day we went to my parent's house for dinner.  I didn't tell Jeffrey it was for his birthday because he doesn't like a big deal made out of things.  While the kids were playing in the backyard, the sprinklers turned on, and they enjoyed it to the fullest.

 Some of my favorite memories are of running through the sprinklers.

Throughout all our runnings around, Keith was very keen to not neglect his creative outlet, much to my chagrin.

 Of course he didn't enjoy cleaning it up, but I was relieved when I learned it was washable paint.

Typically, he decided to paint the walls right before we had to head out the door to go see my niece graduate in Idaho.

Happily, we made it in time.

 Aren't my nieces lovely?  The brunette in the middle, Genna, is the one who graduated.  And it was so lovely to see Amber again.  She is the one on the right.  She sort of disappeared and we hadn't seen her in nearly five years.  We all missed her terribly, and I am so happy she has decided to be around again.

 I always love seeing my nieces and nephews and am so glad they live so close.  It is a two hour drive, but compared to the rest of my siblings, that is very close.

Since Faye loves animals so much, Jeffrey and I took the kids to a petting zoo.  The goats are always my favorite.  They are the most friendly animals I have ever encountered, and they make me laugh.  So smart and funny.

There was one goat that followed me around and tried to eat anything that it could off of me.  My purse, my pants, my shoes, anything.

 Right after I took this photo, I turned my back and the goat jumped up into standing position with its front legs on my back.  Silly goat!  It was a lot of fun.  Faye loved the chicks, Keith liked the emu but the show stealer by far was the goats.

We have been devouring watermelon by the pound.  And freezing a lot of it, too.  Sometimes we just can't eat it fast enough.  Faye loves coming to the store with me, and left me laughing as she was doing yoga in the checkout line.

Tip: while listening to the news, I learned the best way to pick a watermelon.  My mom always taught me to thump it and if it sounded like leather, it was ready.  But I never wore leather shoes.  And thumping usually ended up hurting my fingers.  According to the news, though, the bigger the yellow spot on the melon, the more ripe it will be.  The reasoning is because it shows it was on the vine longer, the yellow spot is the spot that was on the ground and therefore didn't get any sunlight.

The watermelon in the cart by Faye was a hefty 18 pounder with the whole underside nearly completely yellow.

It was nearly too ripe to eat, but sure was happy we had chosen it.  Upon opening it up, we found a great happy smile.  It was a lovely sweet melon, and I am now a firm believer in the yellow spot theory.

Bedtime is getting later and later, but there is no helping that in the summer.  The other night, Jeffrey was a wonderful help with getting the kids to bed.

He was very efficient.  They loved it.  

Summer, bring it on!

***As an update to my last post, my iron does not seem to have improved much.  I say this, because I am still desperately tired all the time.  Which is baffling as I have gone to extreme measures in order to fix this deficiency.  

Cream of wheat for breakfast every day (which contains 50% of the daily recommended amount), green smoothies for lunch (spinach is loaded with iron, you know), grape nuts for a snack (90% of the daily recommended amount), and dinner cooked in my cast iron pan, usually with some kind of meat.  If you know me well, you know I don't like meat, so I am sacrificing a lot by cooking and eating it.  I am also taking my multivitamins and an iron supplement.

Since none of that seems to be working, I am resorting to eating more red meat.  I was cooking chicken.  The fact of the matter is I just don't like the flavor of beef.  And yes, I have heard it all.  "You just haven't had good beef.  You haven't had a good cut.  You haven't had it prepared properly..."  It is the flavor I don't like the most from beef.  And there is no changing that.  I am not looking forward to the next few days, but am anxious for Friday to come when I get my iron tested again.  Hopefully something I am doing will help to get those levels up before then!  It will be nice to not be such a vacant mother.  I sure have a lot of guilt over that.  I know it looks like we do a lot, but keep in mind, those pictures are from nearly two weeks spread out.  Some days I just don't get out of bed as I am too tired. Fingers are crossed for Friday.  If anyone has any good recipes on how to cook beef, I would love some pointers.  I haven't really cooked meat, especially beef in nearly 6 years.  I don't remember what to do with it.  Or any ideas on what to do to get my iron levels up.  Aside from eating liver.  That is where I draw the line.

Iron Love

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My headaches came back with a vengeance.

And I have been ridiculously tired lately.  An awful combination, don't you think?

I had passed it off as not being able to sleep because of my headaches, but decided to see a doctor about it anyway.  Last Friday they took some blood and sent it to the lab for some tests.

Today as the kids and I were headed out to play, I got a call from my doctor's office.

The lab results were in.  Dun dun dun!

Anemia.

Again.

Or rather, still.

The nurse I spoke with told me my doctor wanted to call in a prescription for iron for me.  I told her I was already taking iron pills.  She then told me to eat Cream of Wheat for breakfast because that is supposed to give 50 % of the daily needed iron intake.  I sighed.  I have been eating porridge (Cream of Wheat) nearly every morning for the past two years. I am still anemic.  I have even been adding more meat to my diet.  And I am still anemic.  She told me to come back in a few weeks and they would prick my finger and see if I have been able to increase my iron through my own methods, as I requested.  If not, I might have to take two iron supplements.  One in the morning, and one at night.

At least I know why my head has been hurting so much.  And why I have been sleeping so much and still been tired.  Because I am low on iron.  See, a while back I learned that iron in the blood binds to the oxygen and carries it throughout the body and to the organs.  Without iron, the body doesn't receive enough oxygen, and it can cause tiredness.  If the brain doesn't get enough oxygen, it can cause headaches.  Mystery solved.

Since I have already been doing all of the things suggested by the nurse, and my iron levels are so low, I did a little research and learned something so simple and amazingly helpful which will add to the iron in my food.

Cast iron pans.

Who knew leaching into food was a good thing?!  Evidently that is what these little beauties of pans do.  Depending on what is cooked in the pan (and I am wondering if the age of the pan has any affect on it, too) the levels of iron added to the food are awesomely high.  So the kids and I stopped by the store after playing, and I found a gorgeous cast iron pan.  I am going to try cooking most of our food in it, and then seeing if it helps my iron at all.  I got it home, seasoned it, and made a delicious dinner.  So excited for my new pan, as it can go from the stove top, to the oven, to the fire.  Love!  I don't know any other pan that can do that.  Its like magic!

Being this tired has really taken a toll on my writing,or any activities after 2 pm for that matter, but I am hoping to be back to normal soon, and to have the energy by the end of the day to actually record what we did.  We have been keeping awfully busy.  Jeffrey had a birthday, we have family in town, and we have been on lots of outings.  Or so my pictures remind me.  :)  Thank heavens for the pictures or I would have no clue what we have been up to!

Toxic Air

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Jeffrey and I decided it would be a good idea for us to take a class at the local hospital.  It is a class on staying calm and practices things like deep breathing, inner focusing, etc.

Last night we went to the first class and thus far it looks to be beneficial for both of us.

It is a three hour class and the first half of the class was about the history and how the techniques and such came to be.  We wondered if it was going to be a big waste of time.  The second half of the class was actually beneficial.

Er, mostly.

We sat in the back of the class because we were a little late.  As we went over some breathing exercises, many things raced through my mind.

I always panic when breathing exercises are involved.  I know it is counterproductive, but I worry that I am doing it wrong and sort of hyperventilate.  Ironic, right?

"Breathe deeply and picture the breath swirling down, filling your whole body down to your toes," the instructor said.

I took a deep breath, determined to not choke or hyperventilate and had to cough.

Someone had let out a gnarly SBD.

You know, Silent But Deadly.

If you don't know what that is, be very glad.  They are aptly named.

It was like a war zone.

Forget the mustard gas, I was being assaulted with SBDs.

The second half of the class took what seemed like forever.

Every deep breath was suffocating.

It was really a relief to get out when the class was over.

It did help, and I learned some valuable things, I just wasn't able to breathe is all.

Dream Catchers and Tender Mercies

There has been a lot of talk about dreams in our house, lately.

The kids share a room.  They are getting good at coming up with excuses to get out of bed or stay up late.

Sunday night they had been tucked in to bed and two hours later Faye came into my room, rubbing her eyes, telling me she had a bad dream.  She had to fight a dragon.  I asked her if she won, and she looked at me like I was crazy.  "It was just a dream, Mom." she said.  

The door opened again, and there stood Keith, lip quivering, his huge almond eyes squinting at me with trepidation.  He didn't know how he would be received.  Would I send him to bed immediately, or cuddle with him, too.  Faye was still getting her "bad dream cuddles" in.

Evidently he had a bad dream as well.  He was also fighting a dragon in his dream.  His dragon had a thousand heads.

I began to suspect they had not been sleeping, instead had been talking and had scared themselves.  How strange that they would have the same bad dream at the same time, right?

Since this was turning into a habit, the "bad dreams," something had to be done.  It was the fourth night in a row.

I took them both back to their rooms and tucked them in.

Again.

I gave Faye my stuffed elephant that I have had since I was three and told her that he would always protect her.  He hadn't ever let anything bad happen to me, and he would do the same for her. 

I gave Keith a stuffed tiger and we talked about how most animals are afraid of tigers, and the tiger would protect him.  

I pointed out the dream catcher on the wall.

  It is not the typical dream catcher that you think of.  Last summer I got to be in an art therapy group and it was one of the assignments that we needed to create.  Everything about it is symbolic about something important to me.  It is round, of course, which symbolizes eternity.  Because a circle has no beginning or end.  In the center is ribbon which says Happily Ever After.  Because this is my happily ever after.  Hanging from that ribbon is a key which symbolizes the Priesthood. The power of the Priesthood is what makes us an eternal family.  The Priesthood can protect us and help keep us from harm.  Woven throughout the Happily Ever After ribbon and around the circle is a chain of flowers.  They were just pretty.  They didn't have a real purpose, but I am sure I could BS one if I needed to.  Hanging at the bottom of the circle are some mint green ribbons and lavender ribbons.  They matched the flower chain.  Also, I tell the kids that the good dreams trickle down those ribbons and into their heads.  Dangling in the midst of those ribbons are two charms.  One is a pink flower and one is a blue flower.  Representing each of my babies, of course.  That dream catcher is made strong with our love as a family.  The more love we show each other, the stronger it will be.  It can keep out the bad things if we make it super strong.  It is already strong because we have an awful lot of love in our family.  I explained that it catches and keeps away most bad dreams, and they could sleep knowing they are safe and loved.  They both went to sleep with smiles on their faces.  It made me so happy to see them smiling in their sleep.

Last night I had some bad dreams.  On top of getting two hours of sleep total.  It was a rough night.  This morning, though, when I was telling Jeffrey about the three disturbing dreams I had, Faye overheard and ran out of the room.  I thought it was because of my yucky dreams.  I thought maybe they had scared her.  Seconds later she was back with the dream catcher.  "This will help you have sweet dreams, Mommy!" she said.

It was a rough day today.  Two hours of sleep which were crappy does not make for a very happy or nice mommy.  Poor Keith got the brunt of it as he insists on having power struggles with me.  I always win when I don't get enough sleep.  I yelled at him.  I think I have only done that four times in his life.  He ran from the room crying and I felt like dirt.

We had a very hard morning.

This afternoon, however, some very good things happened.

Well, one, but it was so good, it made all the bad pale by comparison.

I was driving home after learning the AC unit in our rental house had gone out and was going to cost a couple hundred to fix.  Happily, my cousin is the repair man, so I know we are in good hands.  But spending money on things we haven't budgeted for is never a fun thing.

As I was driving, I got a phone call.  

"Hi, Amy.  I am calling from the charter school.  We had a couple of spots open up and are accepting Keith for this fall." 

It was the voice of an angel.

I had to pull over as tears had srpung to my eyes as she explained everything to me.

I have been so full of gratitude and joy over this new development.  

We really wanted our kids to go to this school.  It is an Expeditionary Learning school, which is a lot more hands on, critical thinking, and creative thinking kind of school.  We had enrolled Keith into kindergarten at the local public school last week, thinking we had no other options.  I worry that Keith learns like Jeffrey, which means he is brilliant and never forgets anything he learns, but goes about it in a different way than most students, thus frustrating teachers and making things harder for him.  This way of learning is right up his alley and perfect for him, and I believe it will give him better educational opportunities and help him so much more than a public school which is more of a "one size fits all" approach.  Also, my sister's kids all went to an EL school, and they are some of the brightest and most well adjusted kids I have ever met.

The rest of the day was spent gathering all the information I needed because tonight was the kindergarten round up/registration.  I called the public school to un-register Keith and get back all the paperwork I gave them, which was awesome because it saved me a few trips to other places.  As soon as Jeffrey got home from work we dropped Faye off with my parents and went to his kindergarten meeting.

Keith was not so sure he wanted to go to the charter school since learning several of his friends would be going to the public school with him.  But he was a good sport.  He decided to get dressed up like the Doctor, and even asked for his hair to be combed! 

I was shocked and pleased.  He looked awfully handsome.  He met the kindergarten teachers, did an activity with them, and is now convinced that he will love the school.  Especially because their mascot is a Viking.  And he gets to wear a uniform.

Jeffrey and I have had our hearts set on our kids going to this type of charter school for so long, it was devastating in February to learn he hadn't made it in the lotto.  Wait listing can be so hard.  Today, dreams came true.

Keith's acceptance was the epitome of a tender mercy for me.  It was the little nudge and reminder that I needed.  I am so happy and grateful for the blessing of him being accepted.  I know that all things happen for a reason, and I know that prayers are answered.  This was an answer to a prayer we had been praying for more than a year.  It is going to take a lot of sacrifice on our part.  The school is 20 minutes away and there are no buses, but we are so happy to make the sacrifice of getting up that much earlier and making the drive every day.  Education is important.  And when the Lord blesses us, we have to do our part, too.

So happy!

Mud Bath and More

The other day the perfect comic came in the paper.  I read it and smiled.  Later that day, I re-read it and laughed until I was crying.

 It really was the perfect day for a nice muddy day, according to the kids.

 

It was the first really sunny and warm day of the year, and the kids really took advantage of the opportunity to water down their sand pit and make some good clean mud.

Last Saturday Jeffrey was a super hero.  I was so lucky to get to go hang out in Salt Lake for the morning, and he watched the kids, took them to soccer, ran errands, and even picked up a surprise for them while I was gone.  While I was happily putting on my bohemian act of walking the streets of the city, siting at a bistro table and writing my thoughts in my handy dandy notebook.  And then calling it handy dandy completely un-cools it.  I got to have lunch with my good friend at a wonderful Nepalese restaurant before coming home.

We spent the rest of the afternoon putting the trampoline together.  Backwards.  The trampoline wasn't backwards, the way we put it together was backwards.  Consequently, the safety net still isn't installed completely.  Evidently that was one of the first things we should have done, but it was the last we did, and it will require removing all of the springs again... which was really hard to put together in the first place. Sigh.  Soon, though, so the kids can play without one of us out there watching.  

When we finally got the new toy put together, Faye immediately set to jumping.  We got the trampoline for her since the girl is part kangaroo.  She jumps on everything.  Now, when she jumps on the bed, couches, stairs, table, etc, we can just send her outside.  Keith didn't get to jump that night, though.  He was too worn out from playing with Dad all day.

He fell asleep around 6:30 and slept until the same time the next day.  6:30 am, I mean.

 But it was put to full use the next day.

I found a coupon for Subzero ice cream.  It was a hot day, in the 90's and I gave the kids the choice of ice cream or snow cones.  They chose ice cream, so I decided to combine a sweet treat with science.  Cream, sugar, and liquid nitrogen combined together make ice cream.  It is so neat to watch, and the whole time, Keith was enthralled.  And oh my goodness, the ice cream is delicious!

 So yummy!

Wednesday I had another dentist appointment in Salt Lake.  The fourth one in four weeks.  But I think we finally have the problem figured out.  I have extremely sensitive teeth, and very unique, too, evidently.  While we were near, we decided to take a drive up the mountains.  We were going to go to Silver Lake, but when we got up there, everything was covered in snow.  Too soon.  It was a beautiful drive, at least.

Instead, we went to the park where Keith and Faye spent the whole time on the merry go round.

We have been having a lot of fun lately.

Being a Mom is the best thing in the world.  The best and the most fun.  I love this job of mine!

Asleep With Eyes Wide Open

The kids didn't want to go to bed tonight.

Keith was ridiculously tired, and Faye... well, she accidently had a nap today.  Will I ever learn with her?

We did the bedtime routine and tucked them in at 8.

It is 9:30 and they are still playing.  Well, Faye has been playing with everyone she encounters since then.  Keith has been angry with everyone he encounters since then.

I went in to firmly send them to bed.  They were both in Keith's bed and playing.  I separated them, sent Faye to her bed, and Keith began crying tears of anger.  Faye, picking up the defiant mood of Keith shouted at me

"Fine!  But I am going to sleep with my eyes open!"

Bwahahaha!  She is such a funny girl!

On another topic, have I mentioned lately how much I love my dentist?

I got a call tonight from a number I didn't recognize.  Usually I don't answer but I decided to this time.

It was my dentist.  He was calling to see if my tooth he had fixed was doing alright.

The thing is, I have been to see him three times in three weeks for the same tooth.  The last time I was there he said "you have the most .... uh.... interesting.... bite I have ever seen.  Your teeth are so sharp and steep and they are so precise in the way they fit together."  The sad thing is I was planning on calling tomorrow anyway.  My tooth isn't better yet.  I hate going because there is always pain or discomfort, but afterwards the kids and I play, so it isn't all bad.

I just thought it was very thoughtful of my dentist to call a week after he tried to fix my tooth.  Every dentist I have had in the past leaves the calling up to me.  They work on my mouth and then forget about me until I call them again and it feels like a one sided relationship.  This dentist is impressive.  Seriously, service like this is a thing of the past.  It makes the pain and discomfort somehow less painful and uncomfortable somehow.

At any rate, these are just my thoughts on the day for now.  It is late and I generally have lost most of my mental faculties by this point in time.  Faye is calling for me again.  Go figure.

Banning Naps

10:00 am

Faye was a zombie.  She was following me around the house with her blanket, laying down on any surface she could find.  She stoutly argued she was NOT tired, she just wanted to be by me and she liked her blanket.

11:00 am

We left the house to run errands.  She nearly fell asleep in the van.

11:10-12:50 pm

Faye whined.  She whined and was wiggly, and blatantly disobedient.  She delighted in tormenting her brother, even though it got her hurt.

1:00 pm

We got home from errands and went outside for lunch.

1:10 pm

Faye threw a royal tantrum.  She cried and screamed and stomped her feet and pounded her fists into the cushions of the couch.

1:30 pm

I put Faye down for a nap.

3:00 pm

I went into her room and insisted Faye wake up from her nap so she would be able to sleep tonight.

10:00 pm 

Jeffrey and I were in bed, discussing Bob Saget and some other nonsense.  Our door was open a crack and I heard a little jangling sound in the hall.

I stopped talking to listen.

Jeffrey was in the middle of a topic, so didn't stop talking and thought I was listening to him.

I wasn't, I was straining my ears to hear what the jangling sound was.

It came again.  

Off and on, intermittently for about 5 minutes.  

Someone was outside our bedroom door, but the crack was in such a way that I couldn't see out into the dark hallway.

Eventually, the door creaked open, and Jeffrey stopped talking to see who was coming into our room so late.

"I couldn't sleep what are you doing?" 

With a messy honey tinged halo of hair, Faye stood smiling at us with squinty eyes from the light.

We both laughed, and invited her to climb into bed with us.

The tickling fest began.  If only you could hear her squeal and laugh like that.  I wish I could record that sound forever.  It is delight and innocence and trust squished into dangerous decibels.

She cuddled up against me, and then Jeffrey.  I love the look he gets on his face when he looks at her.  She melts him like fondue every time.

I love finding new freckles on the kids' bodies, and they always get so excited.  I saw one on Faye's leg while we were tickling her, pointed to it, and asked what it was.

"A freckle.  Don't touch it." she commanded.  When we asked her why not she said "It is a freckle that if you touch it you will turn into a freckle."  Such a funny girl.

By 10:30 Jeffrey got up to get us both a drink and to work on his homework some more.  I was eventually able to send Faye back to her bed.

10:30-11:00 pm

Singing is heard coming from the kids room.  Faye is once again singing herself to sleep.

11:05 pm

I laugh at something I read, and a few seconds later those squinty from the light eyes are back.

"What is making you giggle, Mommy?"  she asks so innocently and sweetly.

11:10 pm

She is finally in bed, and her room is silent.  My fingers are crossed it is for keeps this time.

Let this be a lesson to me.  No matter how cranky she is, Faye does not get a nap during the day!

She gets her night owl tendencies from her dad, I think.

Rewind and Repeat

Thunder is rumbling and deliciously fat raindrops are pattering the patio, creating intricate lacy patterns of dark and light. I am listening to the comforting pitter patter and the deep throaty sounds of the storm through the open doors and windows in the kitchen as I sit here in the smells after dinner.  The dishes can wait.  Thunder and lightening are my favorites ever.  Especially when it comes in the summer.  Technically it isn't summer, but that doesn't matter.  I know the rain wont last very long and so I intend to enjoy it while I can.

The kids are playing happily around Jeffrey as he is doing his homework, and I have to smile.  I love this time of day.  Dinner time and just after is my favorite time of day.  It is the time when the whole family is together, and generally everyone is happy.  Right before bed and just after tummies are full.

I have begun to get back into cooking again, which makes me happy.  I have always loved creating things with food.  A while back, I was perusing some blogs and came across a recipe for Chicken Lo Mein.  Jeffrey saw the picture and begged for it.  I hate Chinese food, so very rarely do we eat it, restaurant or home made.  I was feeling generous today, and so made him the Lo Mein.

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I have to say, I think it would have tasted a whole lot better sans the chicken.  But he really liked it.  Turns out, I think it is actually a Japanese dish.  We also had avocado egg rolls.

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Oh my, heaven wrapped up in fried ecstasy   First off, the dip was a putrid green color, made with vinegar, cashews and cilantro.  All of which are on my "we are not friends" list.  For some reason, though, combined, they make the best wing-men in all of food-dom.  And then avocado egg rolls.  Need I say more?!  Jeffrey and I were terribly happy with dinner, though the kids were less than enthused.  Keith pretended he was Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs, and that his food was gagging and attacking him.  Faye just jumped on her chair until she used the potty excuse and never came back.  But that was fine, because it meant I got to eat their egg rolls, and Jeffrey got their noodles.

While I was cooking dinner, Keith and Faye were pretending to be wizards.  They put on their robes, and Keith put on some pajama pants and church shoes (because wizards have shiny black shoes), and they walked around the house hiding coins and pretending they had disappeared.  Occasionally they would wander into the kitchen while I was cooking dinner and try a "trick" out on me.  Faye decided she was hungry, and so sat down on the counter, took a chicken drumstick and proceeded to devour it, medieval style.

She told everyone she was a lizard.  Keith would smack his hand to his head and groan good naturedly and say "Faa-aayyye, it isn't lizard, it is Wizard!"  He did that about "eleventy billion times."  I love that he didn't lose his temper or get upset with her for saying the wrong word.  He is such a patient and kind older brother.


While Faye was napping this afternoon, Keith and I decided to plant some basil and chives.  I had gotten some of the living plants from the grocery store, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that they will actually live.  Especially with how often I use fresh basil.  Or want to, anyway.  While out there, I re-encountered my old nemesis. Doctor Greensward, aka Grass.  I always forget I am allergic to it until I am knee deep and enjoying myself, and then the rash breaks out, or the hives.  And the itching and sneezing and the itchy eyes, oh heavens!  It sure isn't fair that I have such horrendous allergies, because I love the outdoors so much.  I braved the grass anyway while we planted.  Keith was so enthusiastic and helpful in the planting of the plants.  I am excited for the time we get to have a garden of our own to take care of.  I am so excited for the blossoming of the trees, the lilac bush, and all the flowers.

 I am not excited for the hay fever and allergies that accompany them.

If I could have a do over of today, I would with my whole heart.  But not because it was a bad day and needs a do over.  Because it was a great day, and I would love to live it and relive it as many times over as possible.  Going to bed after such a wondrous day practically guarantees sweet dreams, right?