Science Museum

Thanks to G&G we took a trip to the Children's Museum.











Agent H played postal worker.












Ebug was WET playing with the water.











I wasn't sure we'd ever get out of the "ball room".











LE Babe saw the sights while strapped to me.

2009 Aspirations

Okay here's the list for this year . . . a little late but it really helped me last year to put this in print.

- Sew a baby sling (the sooner the better!)
- Read a biography
- Learn how to bake english muffins and tortillas
- Knit something (a woolie?)
- Complete our will
- Relisten to the Dave Ramsey series
- Finish quilting 2 quilts
- Potty train one kid (this means you Ebug!)
- Do something that makes me feel like a individual and not a mom (not that I don't love that but ya' know . . .)

Ebug turned 3!

Happy birthday my Ebug! At 3 years old you are a lovey dovey handful. Your emotions are close to the surface and your will is strong. You want to be independant but love to receive comfort and snuggle. "Allll by myyyyself" are words you frequently speak. You somehow trill and roll your words so that they sound musical. You run into our arms and declare "Oh thank you!" in response to a seemingly simple gesture of love. You call me Dora and I call you Boots. You stuff all things precious to you in the knit cap Grandma made and put it on your head to keep them safe. You want to jump as high, run as fast and I think you might be louder than your big brother. You love to cook, help, take care of LE and dare I admit to unknown audiences that you LOVE movies?!

To borrow the line "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

44th President and a US Puzzle

We're playing around the TV today, watching the inaugural happenings. In honor of the day I pulled out a new puzzle I had been saving for school. It's Doug and Melissa's sound puzzle of the United States. As you lay a piece down on the board it will say the state's name and capital. It's getting a lot of action.

Agent H, who doesn't like change very much, is tearful about President George W.Bush leaving office. I kinda want to cry myself.

Easy healthy food

I think I've mentioned before that I love my Supermom's Simple Guide to Healthier Eating for Beginners and Beyond book (long enough title for ya'?). The author also offers a class along the same theme. I signed up and I'm currently in the middle of the 10 week class. My goal for the class was to find ways to eat healthier . . . cheaper. It's also been motivational in that there are things I know I should be doing but I'm not. I just saw that the class is on sale over here (80% off!) for the next few days. The author has an easy don't stress-out about eating healthy approach. It's very doable. Oh, she has a video about the class on her blog if you want to find out more.

Boys defined

"Nature's answer to that false belief that there is no such thing as perpetual motion."
-Author unknown

Facebook

I'm really enjoying it!

Kaboodle

This year EH and I were racking our brains to come up with things we wanted to get each other for Christmas. EH sent me a nice E-mail list and I started one. However, those lists always seem to get lost. So our solution: Kaboodle, an online wish list registry accessible to anyone. Rather than just creating lists for EH and I it kind of exploded and now each member of the family has a wish list. Even our homeschool. The neat part about this is that you can pick things from anywhere on the web and link it up with Kaboodle. Let me know if you make one!

Homemade Christmas 2008

Christmas is usually my excuse to indulge in my love for making homemade goodies. This year I didn't manage as much as I had hoped but the chance to let a few creative juices flow felt oh so good!

For my new sweet niece - a set of felt envelopes with button closures. Laminated cards with "Happy Birthday", "Love you!", etc. can be passed around to the family or kept in their little case. Auntie P don't look too close in case one of these ends up as a birthday gift for G Love.

And here is an assortment of note packets I made for the homeschool co-op teachers.

Here are last year's homemade goodies.

What they hear

I was explaining to Ebug that I needed to be on the phone to call for a substitute for my nursery duty for homeschool co-op tomorrow. We are quite germ infested. Anyway, as I said the word "substitute" what do you think Ebug heard? SubstiTOOT. TOOT! TOOT! And so it went on and on and giggles manifested!

I'm so smart

Since this past summer Agent H has been asking "Mom, what's 100 plus 100?" "What's 5 plus 10 plus 100 plus 30?" And so on. For the first time in my life I've felt pretty math smart. I know it's easy math but the look of shear amazement on his face was great for my ego!

Now he's coming to me saying "Three plus 5 is 8 mom!" and he's figuring out different ways to add numbers to equal 10. He even said to me "Maybe that's God's special gift for me, Math!?!"

That would be great and the sooner we explore this gift the better cause I need help on the checkbook ASAP!

When learning to read

It is said that when a child is learning to read he should receive lots of verbal praise from an adult. May I add that a happy baby does wonders as well. Agent H lit up each time LE babe squealed and smiled at his reading accomplishments.

Granola recipe

I tried a new granola recipe. This one's from my Breakfast for Busy Moms by Marilyn Moll and it's a keeper! I wasn't so sure about the peanut butter and molassas but it reminds me of a kind of granola from Costco that my SIL shared with me once. So very delicious! It's good dry but is a whole new goodness in milk.

10 c Old Fashioned Oats
1 1/4 c honey
1/2 c molasses
3/4 -1 c peanut butter
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
3 c raw chopped nuts
2 c raw sunflower seeds, optional
1 c sesame seeds, optional
*1-2 c shredded coconut, optional
* raisins and other dried fruits if desired

*Dried fruits and coconut should be combined with the toasted granola after it cools down.

Preheat the oven to 300. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, seeds, and nuts. Mix well.

In a saucepan, combine the honey, peanut butter, molasses, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Heat until all ingredients are combined. Pour the "syrup" over the dry ingredients and mix well, using hands to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture onto several 13x9 baking pans or jelly roll pans. Stir occasionally while baking for 30 minutes. Bake longer for a crunchier texture. When the granola has cooled add dried fruits. Store cooled granola in tightly sealed canister or canning jars.

Joined Facebook & A Date

I joined Facebook last night. I was really excited at the prospect of reconnecting with some old friends. Now I just feel lost and confused about how it all works. I had to come back here to blogland where I feel a little more solid footing.

By the way, I just got back from a date. My folks surprised us with baby-sitting all three kiddos tonight so we caught dinner and a movie. Valkyrie - intense movie! We came home to a clean kitchen, folded laundry, and egg nog pie. I know, we've got it good!

Knock knock

Ebug: "Knock knock Mama"
Me: "Who's there?"
Ebug: "Olive"
Me: "Olive who?"
Ebug" Ah love you!"

Man I love that kid!