It Happens

February 3, 2010 · Filed under My boys, The Gross Chronicles

This morning, I woke up to a (still) congested baby, so we began our morning shower routine.  Blake will sit in the shower and play with cups of water while the steam helps him breathe easier.  Afterwards, while I’m trying frantically to get ready to go (and wondering for the millionth time if that extra 20 minutes of sleep was really worth it), Blake is running around my room naked.  I’m not a complete idiot, I made him pee in the potty before I let him galavant around just to ensure that the ‘ol bladder was empty.  You can see why here. So, he’s playing hide and seek with me under the covers of my bed, which is just me saying, “where’s Blake?” until he jumps out giggling.  He gets quiet.  Just as I look out to do my next “Where’s Blake?”, he says, ” I tee tee”.  Oy.  I run over to my bed to see.   Now, if you can, imagine my voice rising a couple octaves and saying, “THAT’S NOT TEE TEE BLAKE!!!”  It’s poop.  I must have scream-whispered “that’s not tee” 10 times.  He pooped smack dab in the middle of mine and Stu’s bed (on his side-whew).  Blake is saying “AW MAN!”  I have now regained composure and am trying to sound normal while explaining that you have to put poop in the potty or your diaper-preferably the potty.  Pretty much anywhere but my bed.

I know the gross chronicles have some pretty disgusting pictures, but even I have my limits.  I do have a very vivid one seared onto my brain though, thankyouverymuch.

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Word games

January 29, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

Blake doesn’t understand the difference between an orange and orange juice.  Now, I occasionally make fresh oj in the mornings with our juicer, so I think watching the oranges magically turn into juice has contributed to the confusion.  The other day he asked and asked for orange juice.  I was peeling oranges for juicing.  So, when I finished making the juice I handed him a cup.  He got all hysterical asking for orange juice.  While I’m trying to keep my cool (and figure out why I feel such a strong urge to match his hysterical tone) I explain over and over, “This IS orange juice Blake”.  I finally realize that he wants an orange, not orange juice.

So today, ready to teach, I present B with 2 objects.  One is an orange, the other is a glass of orange juice.  The conversation goes something like this:

Me: “Blake, this is an orange, can you say orange?”

Blake: “Orange juice”

Me: “No, this is just an orange, can you say orange?”

Blake: “Orange juice”

Me:  ”THIS is orange juice (point to drink), you drink orange juice.  THIS is an orange (point to fruit).  You eat an orange.  Say orange”

Blake: “Orange juice please”

Me: “SAY ORANGE”‘

Blake: (smiling) “Orange juice”

Sigh.

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The stuff of life

January 22, 2010 · Filed under I heart dinner

I have embarked on my favorite hobby ever.  For Christmas, my parents gave me these 2 machines:

The Nutrimill Wheat Grinder and the Bosch Kitchen Machine.  Um, wow.  I circled them for days.  It took me awhile to even figure out for sure what these machines were capable of. “Kitchen Machine”??  What is that supposed to mean anyways?   They terrified me.

My mom wasn’t coming out of left field.  She remembered when I read In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan.  His philosophy on food is simple: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.  I highly recommend it, it was eye opening.  The most startling chapter in the book was about bread.  He documented the evolution of bread, leading up to the stuff sold at grocery stores now that looks just like bread.  In fact, I recently learned that based on FDA guidelines before 1977 (they were changed that year), most of the bread sold in our grocery stores today should be officially labeled “imitation food”.  Anyways, I digress.  Mom heard what I thought of all this, and she knew that after some research I found that I could not afford to make my own wheat flour and bread.  So here we are.

The Nutrimill is a wheat grinder.  Well, actually, it will grind any dry grain like rye, barley, oats, or corn.  It is so simple (I was embarrassed to realize this after being so overwhelmed with it at first).  You simply pour the wheat berries in the top and it makes flour in the bottom compartment!  Like so:

Then, you take a simple whole wheat bread recipe with simple ingredients like wheat flour, water, honey, oil, salt, and yeast.  And you let the Bosch do the kneading, like this:

In that picture it still has a ways to go.  It needed much more flour and kneading, but eventually it looked like a giant lump of dough being shoved around the bowl.  And here is the final product:

I haven’t perfected this yet, but I plan to.  When my Colleen came to town last weekend, we decided to think outside of the bread box and come up with some other recipes using the wheat flour.  We made wheat pancakes with blueberries, apple cranberry cookies, and carrot cake.  Since then I have modified the wheat bread recipe and made jalapeno cheese bread and cinnamon bread.  I have some bananas on my counter and walnuts in my pantry begging me to make banana nut bread.  Yessssssss.

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These boots are made for walkin’

January 19, 2010 · Filed under My subjective take on things

“so help me out here–what does one wear with said awesome pink boots? I’m not questioning their awesomeness at all…just curious because I am obviously not cool enough. Or I would know the answer to my question. I just kinda get a Wonder Woman vibe from them and I can’t help but wonder if a unitard might be involved…once you break them in you could save the world in them.”

Jamie asked, so I’ll answer.  I made Stu take a picture the last couple of times I wore them.

My 4 minute modeling career was many years and pounds ago, so we’re going to keep this simple, and the photos small. :-)

They’re good with jeans too.

But maybe the reason I love them is this.  I asked for the black ones for Christmas, even though I love love loved the pink ones.  We all know that black is more practical.  But the pink ones are fun and crazy and my husband still encourages fun and crazy.  This past year was a really rough one, caring for Mom, and he told me that I deserved both.  The boots will go out of style one day (probably before they wear out), but  I feel so blessed to have a husband like him rooting for me.  I never would have made it through the stress of this past year without his hand on my back (sometimes holding me up).  I know I’m reading a lot into a pair of boots, but I’ll always think of that when I see them.  And I’m a huge fan of Wonder Woman, so the comparison is welcomed.

There you have it.

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BSL

January 15, 2010 · Filed under My boys, Uncategorized

For those who haven’t studied Blake as a second language, here’s a little cheat sheet.  I’m getting a crash course right now.  I’ve been meaning to write this stuff down for quite some time because although I think I’ll remember all the cute little intricacies of his baby talk, I know from talking to other moms that I’ll forget.  And since (obviously) my blog will be published for all of us to peruse for years to come, this is the place to document such memories.  I have been intending to do this for awhile, and now that he’s starting to say much of this correctly, I’ve been reminded to get on it.  Plus, as Pastor Dabney used to say, “Good intentions and crying children should be carried out immediately.”

Honestly, this one’s more for the grandparents.

BSL Cheats…

beeball-football

Keeburbur-cheeseburger

phwoosh-fish

ging! ding

keeeees-cheese

fwosty-frosty

peebuh saboo-peanut butter sandwich

kiki saboo-chicken sandwich

cucucu-cucumber

cakeet-carrot

mukick-music

shong-song

hepeeee!-help please (always said with urgency)

dowpeeee-down please

ahda peeee-carry me please

eeeheee-thank you (this one is starting to change to correct pronunciation, which makes me kinda sad)

eeee ahhhh!- good job

applebluh-applesauce

bow-milk

buba-Migi (also Mason sometimes)

Aboowah-Pamela

Didi-Kelli

Bwy-Brian

Yaya-Sara

DeDa-Daddy

Bricky-Christy

bwykin-crying (always said with a sad,pitiful intonation and in the tone of a question)

Ah Pet-Wonder Pets

bkwain-train

ahdah- yes, or anything in the affirmative

tee tee pa pa-tee tee in the potty

*Songs he knows all the words to and will perform from start to finish (when he wants). Don’t get me wrong. You won’t understand a WORD, but I can tell.

ABC’s

Itsy Bitsy Spider

I go to the Rock (gospel song for choir)

I am Blessed (another choir song)

Extraordinary Machine (Fiona Apple-random, I know)

The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers

There you have it.

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I can breathe clearly now…

January 8, 2010 · Filed under My subjective take on things, The Gross Chronicles

I have mentioned the Neti-Pot several times on my facebook status, and many have wanted an explanation.  The Neti-Pot has been a life-changing experience for Stu and me.  No kidding.  We LOVE it.  I’ll start with a picture:

Don’t knock it til you try it.  Here’s a nice, brave lady on Oprah trying it:

It’s a sinus rinse.  If you have allergies, get sinus infections, or simply want to help prevents viruses from growing in your nose, then you should consider this.  It was recommended by my doctor when I was breastfeeding Blake and came down with a raging sinus infection.  I went to him hoping he would tell me to quit breastfeeding and give me some awesome antibiotics.  He told me to try the Neti-Pot.  I was skeptical to say the least.  This was way before Oprah was endorsing it.  I have terrible allergies and used to develop sinus infections 2-3 times a year.  I know which antibiotics work and how long they take, and I am not one to consult natural home remedies.  But I was reminded that I owe it to my baby to try this first.  And, I kid you not, after 2 days of Neti-Pot, I was in the clear!!  I don’t mean to gross you out, but there is something very satisfying about about watching that rainbow mucus leave your head.  I use my Neti-Pot daily now and have not developed a sinus infection in 2 years!  I finally brought Stu over to the dark side and we have both noticed a significant difference in how often we get sick.  I am, however, home with a cold right now for the first time in who-knows-how-long.  I’m hoping using it will prevent this from turning into an infection, and plus it just offers so much relief!

If you’re still freaking out about this, it’s time for you to man up and try something new.  I will call you names if you are too scared to pour some salt water through your nose.  I’m going to make you read the instructions on how to use this, but I will say that I have not mastered how rinse without holding my breath (even though it says you can breathe while doing it).  It’s not painful (unless you, like my husband, think that you can burn the mucus out with super-hot water).  Follow the instructions.

:-)

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Dear Awesome Pink Boots,

December 27, 2009 · Filed under My subjective take on things

I love you, I really do.  I have been eyeing you on Boden’s website since last August.  You are a very special symbol of the fact that my husband spoils me and loves me.  I want to wear you every day.  But, here’s the thing.

You WILL conform to my foot.  You are leather, and therefore, supposedly, pliable.  I refuse to return you because you are not available anymore in any other sizes, and I love you in this size and color.  Whatever it is in your heel that keeps causing the back of my heel to hurt will stretch, and you will soon feel like my favorite slippers.  You will, if it kills us both.  It might.

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Merry Christmas!!

December 25, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

First Christmas morning in our home.  Ever.

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Anticipation…

December 23, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

We skype all the time with Stu’s parents.  And as you can see, he looks forward to these visits:

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Maybe just a half a drink more…

December 22, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

Pssst.  I have a secret to tell you.  If you’re here with me in Maryland, and still have mounds of snow piled everywhere, I just found a reason to love it.

SnowNog!

First, take a tumbler, go outside, and fill it with snow.  Surely I don’t have to give you a lecture about making sure its the clean stuff.  We have so much right now that you can simply scrape off the top layer and scoop from the fresh fluffy snow underneath.

Then, pour eggnog in with the snow.  If you put anything else in your eggnog (ahem), you might want to have it all mixed together before adding it to the snow.

Lastly, enjoy your slushy eggnog and drop a thank-you note in my comment box.  I find that about halfway through my SnowNog, I have the desire to run outside and add more snow.  Maybe just because I can.

I can’t take full credit for this.  I heard about this from Tracy Tiernan at my favorite radio station, but I can attest to the fact that it is it cat’s pajamas.

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