C'Mon, Try my Meat Muffin--You'll love it!

My children have all decided they don't want to eat. Or barely eat for that matter. Even on Thanksgiving, nobody really ate too much. Granted, Nate was vomiting the night before and had the trots all day, and Maddie got the Sweet Patata preview before dinner actually started, but otherwise, no much meat was actually consumed by my kids. For some odd reason though, they had no problems with the cookies and pies. Even Nate was okay gastroenterogically speaking.

Sooo, long story short, at Church on Sunday during parent fellowship another mom said that she makes meatloaf (of all things) in muffin pans and her daughter LOVES it. I thought I'd give it a try last night.

Now, my meat loaf is NEVER the same. I make it up everytime. However, this time, my children DEVOURED the meat muffins. They loved them so much they are eating them for lunch today. I am so excited I can't contain myself. I'm dying to try other delicious entrees via muffin tin. Move over Jessica Seinfeld and your sneaky broccoli puree...just put serve some Meat Muffin's and your kids will eat.

Anyone else have any "food tricks" they can share with me? Were it not for Halloween candy and brownies, my children would be wasting away!

Just a Cute Photo

I get to spoil Brooke at Christmas, and Oh! Auntie will do you good. I promise. I'm so glad Maddie has you as her "sister". She needs some "Girlfrendz..." Maybe the next time I see you your mom won't have downed and ENTIRE bottle of wine. Although, it was fun telling your mommy she couldn't discipline you because your my Godchild and I get to spoil you. And she couldn't argue because she enjoyed her Riesling a bit much. It's all good.

And just remember, you WILL like me more than Uncle John. Even if he gives you sweets. And is way cooler. Stick with me sista, we'll have some fun.

Love you!

Thankful

In light of everything going on lately, (ie: John's recent ER visit to say, "you may have gall stones or ulcers") and my recent EKG to find out I have really LOW iron (Thank you Thalessemia) and may be having stress related panic attacks, I can say I am thankful for the following:

The BEST damn pilgrim on the Mayflower. Check him out...right up front. And you should have heard him singing at his program. I could hear everything he was saying, since he'd been practicing for weeks for everyone to come watch him perform. He is the neatest, smartest, most precocious kid ever met, and he's all mine. I hope he does great things with all these gifts he's been given.
I am thankful for this beautiful boy's sense of humor. He smiles and can light up a room. Even when he's been totally busted and is in the naughty corner he'll do something hilarious that makes you hate yourself for having to punish him. And even though he is so busy sucking his thumb he doesn't talk much, I think he's pretty smart. Smart enough to keep his mouth shut most of the time anyway....


Aren't these the cutest kids ever? Why is it my Goddaughter is the only one smiling? Probably wondering how she wound up next to all the nuts in the family! And we're slightly jealous she has to get her hair done. Poor Mads and her business in front party in back Mullet!


I am thankful for this little blessing who was the biggest surprise of 2006/2007 but has made our family what it is nonetheless. What would we do without Lallan Gwace?

And of course I am thankful for such good friends who have provided an ear when I've needed to bitch, provided clothing for my kids as hand me downs, and have just been who they are and given my family love unconditionally.

I am also Thankful that mom made dinner tonight and allowed us all the opportunity to be together AND that I was able to thoroughly enjoy it as this is the first Thanksgiving in 5 YEARS I haven't been pregnant or breastfeeding. It was a pretty sweet dinner too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Winter Coats

The weather is getting chilly. Children 1 and 3 needed new coats, Number 2 can live with Hand Me downs. He's not exceptional, all three kids have had hand me downs, and we like to pay it forward. Jenny and Kristen get all my boy stuff and they love it. I haven't quite figured out what to do with all the girl stuff, but some will go to baby Molly for sure.

Check out the purple passion. Love the smile inside the hood!
We let Jack pick out his own. We will NEVER lose him in a crowd in "Big Lellow" as he calls it. Sweet!

Surgery: A success

Today was Maddie's Frenulectomy. I cannot wait for the hospital bill to arrive for this 13 MINUTE procedure. I'm not kidding, I checked my watch to be sure.

She's doing great, took a bit of a nap earlier, but hasn't been able to rest since the boys got home. I can't imagine why.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes. Thanks Rachel for dinner. Just one less thing I had to deal with today that just made my evening a heck of a lot easier.

Thanks everyone for keeping baby girl in your prayers. She is just as fiesty as ever.

FINE! I'll Just eat my Boogers then!

Sometimes, the retaliatory remarks from a pissed off 4 year old can really make your day. Even when you want to strangle him.

Diagnosis of the Day

Since I haven't felt well in a while, I tried to diagnose myself with Chronic fatigue syndrome. Darlene fairly pointed out that it's really called "Chronic 3 Kids Syndrome." Damn. Pretty sure there aren't any drugs for it either....

Welcome Molly and Evan!

My cousin's wife had twins 6 weeks ago, and today was their baptism. Welcome to the world beautiful Molly and handsome Evan! Congrats Ricky and Kristen--we had such a nice time at your home today spending time with your growing family!

BTW, mom, a mini-saint gave birth vaginally and the twins were born 2 minutes apart. Another small miracle? Mom was induced 16 days early, and Evan was over 7 lbs., Molly over 6. Thirteen pounds of baby on this girls tiny frame is nothing short of marathon-esque, AND she's breastfeeding them both.

God Bless her, and please let her at least get a nap in every day. And maybe 4 hours of sleep at any given point at night.....

Congrats Jack and Jenny!

I don't have any photos to post, but Saturday we were at John's cousin's wedding reception. These guys have a special place in my heart because they are also named "John (Jack) and Jenny". Maybe their first born will also be a John/Jack. Who knows. On a side note, I tried to count all the Jack's in the room that constitute John's family. Counting my husband (who is called Jackie by some of his uncles) there were at least 6 I think. No lie.

The bride of course was lovely...stunning really in her champagne colored dress, and the groom-very happy indeed. He gave a toast to his bride and said a lot of really sweet things. I think it's always a testament to a guy when he can express how he feels in front of God and everyone and just say some really cool things about the person he has chosen to love for life.

We had a tapas meal, which was totally awesome! Since I am known as the food snob, I of course loved the deviance from a typical reception. We've gone to some great weddings lately that have been so different, it almost makes me wish we had waited and had the really cool wedding we/I wanted. (Okay, I lie. To this day I wish we had eloped. What could've been better than a beach in Mexico in December? Nothing, and the whole churchy thing was what John thought I wanted).

It was good to see John's extended family. He has such a great family of cousins, aunts, uncles, and everyone's spouses whom are so amazing. Everyone has a story to tell, a life to share, and mostly what stands out is the value they place on family. I love these events for the simple fact you get to know everyone just a little bit better. Just a little bit, and what strikes me is the genuine affection they all really have for one another.

All the little kids are great too, and it's such a treat to see everyone and catch up. It's really too bad everyone lives so far away (okay, we live the furthest, next to his "New York" cousins who don't really even live in New York, they're just known as the "New York cousins"), but sometimes I think it would be nice to see everyone more. Just to know everyone a little better.....

Congrats Jack(John) and Jenny. Best wishes for a beautiful life together.

Me and the Kids

I think this is the only photo I have of me and the kids. Plus Olivia in Omaha. It's all good.

Saturday we went to a birthday party for my friend's son's 1st birthday. The kids had such a good time with all their friends. Nate had a good time eating cake.

When we got home we did baths, and stories. Then we all cuddled in my bed under my nice warm electric blanket (the BEST Christmas present ever--even if I'm supposed to tell people my "good" gift was the ipod). We were all quite cozy under that warm blankie, and we played our favorite game, "What Was Your favorite part of today?" Sometimes we do it at the dinner table, sometimes in the tub, but the best is when we're all Walton-esque in the bed. John's favorite part of the day was playing catch with the boys while I was at work. Jack's was playing with Jonathan and Jason at the birthday party. Nate's was eating cake. Nobody asked me what my favorite part of the day was, but that was it. All 5 of us in our own little world. Warm, Safe, happy, together.

That's really all I need in this life.

Today, A Study in "A Busy Day"

Today was the first time in 4 years of parenting that the words "Wow, what a morning you've had" actually came out of my husband's mouth. I seriously think he believes the grass is greener on this side of the stay at home fence and I do nothing all day but watch Oprah and eat bon bons. Whatever.

After a night of no sleep due to 3 kids coughing all night long (I told John to sleep on the couch and he did) by 6 a.m. I had taken about all a person can humanly take. Jack didn't want to go to school, but if I am home all day with him one of us begins to lose hair due to violent, frustrated tugs, and it isn't him.

I got the kids dressed, fed, brushed hair and teeth, bundled, and loaded into the car and was at the 8 a.m. walk in sick clinic by 8:10. We wound up with Nate being okay for now, Maddie with an ear infection, and Jack with an upper respiratory infection and wheezing. He was fine to go to school however. All 3 kids are on drugs because I need Maddie to be well enough Thursday to be cleared in her presurgical physical since her Frenulectomy is next Wednesday. We left the doctors office by 9:30, I took Jack to school, Ran to Osco to fill the scripts, left there around 10:50, ran home for more coffee, and was back at school to pick Jack up by 11:30. Back home for lunches, stories and naps, and thanks to being in the car all a.m., Nate slept on our way to school so he's all up now. He is going to be a beast tonight.

Oh! And tonight is Karate night. So, I have to get all 3 back in the car, take Jack to Karate, bring them home, feed them dinner and do baths, story time, etc. Since John will be late again.

At this point, John's regular time home is around 8 so I'm not sure why we call it "Being Late" anymore. Being late is coming home around 10:30- which is when he strolled in last Thursday. I feel like a single parent with the benefit of a tax break of having a spouse. It totally sucks.

My mood today: Slightly tired. Slightly pissy. Can you tell?

It's that time of year again....

Last Saturday on my way to work I got very excited when I realized that 93.9 "The Lite" had begun playing all Christmas Music, all the time. I drove in my heat defective car (as in there wasn't any) and drank my hot coffee and got all cozy with Bing.

Those who know me well are quite aware of my obsession with Christmas. I love EVERYTHING about Christmas. The movies-Does ANYTHING beat George Bailey?, The Music-Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, etc, The sights, the lights, the smells--Mmmmm a fresh pine in my living room and drinking spiced mulled wine, The fires in fireplaces, The drowsiness after the meal, the baking of the cookies with my grandmother, the desire to create happy memories for my kids to always remember,and really, people are just a tad bit NICER that time of year.

Some argue that Christmas is too commercialized. I disagree. Every holiday is commercialized, and really, it's only commercialized if you make it so. (By the way, I even love the Christmas ads and commercials and tree killing catalogues I get in my mailbox. I love going to the mall not for shopping,but to see the decorations, see people shopping and drinking Caribou Coffee and meeting the all American Icon the Mall Santa).

Nothing beats the feeling in the air at Christmas. You know you will get together with your family. You know you're going to hunker down while it snows outside and watch old Rudolph and Frosty specials with the kids. People actually act like they care about one another, and maybe, for a brief time, they actually do.

I'm not sure if I even totally believe the religious aspect of the Holiday. That's just something I continually struggle with. But I do believe that a couple thousand years ago, someone was born who walked the earth and taught us how to just love one another, and do it the best we can. And isn't THAT the true meaning of Christmas? How can you like any other holiday more, when this one asks for peace, love, and general kindness?

So, bring it on. Bring on the holidays. Bring on the Holiday Spirit and all that it entails. I'll be listening on Comcast to Christmas music and it will be on in the car from now until December 26th, and I will get melancholy as I do every year when it's all over, because I know people will be back to being their Grinchy selfish selves. Until the next year, November 1, when good ol Delilah starts playing Christmas music.

Ahhhh, oh the season has just begun. Thank Goodness. Merry Merry Merry!!!

Halloween

Okay, so I totally lost Nathan while it was my turn to have the kids out trick or treating on Halloween. To be fair though, he wandered away from ME, it's not like I neglected to remember his existence.

Here's the scoop. The kids were getting tired. We did the last loop around our neighborhood until after dinner and we were directly behind our backyard and across the street. There were 5 dudes drinking beer next to a bonfire (yes, in the front yard, I swear some of our neighbors are the biggest hillbillies), with the candy bucket next to the fire. Boys went up, grabbed candy, went to the end of the driveway to talk to other trick or treaters. Maddie, however, decided to sit in the middle of the driveway, where one of the drunkards put the entire bucket in front of her so she could choose what she wanted. As I turned my back on the boys to pick her up and take her home (how long does that take--3, maybe 4 seconds?) Nate must've made his great escape. I panicked when I realized he was gone.

Very quickly, I ran thru the yards and took Jack and Mads home where John of course had been hearing my screaming "NNNNNNNAAAAAAATTTTTTTEEEEE!" and was quite livid with me. I booked back out and ran south, asking others if they'd seen "Peter Pan" (even though the drunks all thought he was Robin Hood), and some other mommy's joined in my frenzy. "How old is he?" One asked. "TWO!" I yelled back, and she went "Oh Jesus...NATE!". Thank God I'm somewhat in shape and was able to run quickly. But running South didn't work.

I kept thinking in the back of my head, "No cars went by, that's good. But that's not to say he didn't go into someone's house and get kidnapped that way!"

Fortunately, this story has a good ending, but I really could've killed the kid. He was about 4 houses North of the bonfire house...stealing candy from another kids bucket. It wasn't even good candy, it was crappy now and laters or something like that.

It just proves that even the most vigilant, observant, caring, loving parents want to kill their children when they pull a stunt like that. Even more importantly it can happen to anybody, and that's what was scary.