Musings from Mom School

This is your warning

2012-02-01T08:28:00.006-05:00

Even though I can manage blogging, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, I am actually quite technologically ignorant. Basically everything I do online is what I've taught myself through trial and error, but when it comes to the mechanics of the computer or trying anything complicated, I get all flustered. It probably has something to do with that part of my brain that disallows me to retain math skills, follow written instructions or learn to play card games.

Have you ever seen that Sex and the City episode, My Motherboard, My Self? If you haven't, Carrie Bradshaw, who is a writer, loses it when her computer crashes in a big, bad way and she loses all her columns. "My whole life is on that computer!"

I totally get it.

Late last year, our computer started making a weird sound when it started up. It was a clicking sound. I mentioned it to Hubby, but when he didn't seem concerned, I didn't worry.

After a while, it started needing to be restarted a couple times in order to "catch" and actually start up. Again, I mentioned it to Hubby. "I think our computer is dying," I said. He said we'd start thinking about getting a new one, perhaps a laptop.

Then it started getting really bad and it was taking a long time and a lot of restarts to get the computer to "catch." I remember one day as I was driving Logan to school, I heard a radio ad about Carbonite Online Backup. A person I know who had fixed a virus issue on our computer earlier in the year had also mentioned Carbonite to me, so I decided I would go home that day and do the backup, just to be safe.

It took a really, really long time to get the computer started that day, but being the idiot I am, I didn't get around to backing up. Laziness is my only excuse.

Then it happened.

The next day... no computer. Couldn't get it to start up for ANYTHING.

I took it to a local fix-it shop. The two guys behind the counter visibly winced and said "ooohhh" when I described what it had been doing. They had the computer for a couple weeks before they called back and said, sorry. Your hard drive is completely fried and we can't recover your information.

The last time Hubby had backed up the files on our computer was in January 2009. One month before my second son Jordan was born. That meant his entire life worth of photos was gone, all my columns for the past three years were gone, everything. I was sobbing before I was even off the phone with the computer guys and I was very, very sad.

How could it be possible that everything was gone? It made me physically ill every time I thought about it.

I started scrambling, trying to find someone that could help. I found some companies, but you know how it is... with online businesses you don't really know who's shady and who isn't, and they were asking for a LOT of money. Thousands and thousands of dollars.

For a brief moment, I'll admit, I entertained thoughts of selling my wedding ring to get my photos back. That's how important they were to me.

So, anyway, that was that. All was lost. I was brokenhearted. And we were without a computer for a long time. That's why this blog has been stagnant.

Christmas rolled around, and we did our family Christmas morning thing. We always save our stockings for last. Generally, we open the gifts under the tree, play for a while, maybe have some breakfast, and then it's time for stockings. Well, it happened that way this year, too. We were opening our stockings, and I got to the very bottom of mine and pulled out this black box.

I looked at it.

What was it?

What IS this? I asked Hubby.

He looked at me and said the most beautiful words.

It's the entire contents of our old hard drive.

Whoa.

I lost it. I bawled my eyes out for whole minutes before I could even manage to squeak out a Thank You.

I also received a backup system for Christmas, which immediately backs up several times a day, every time the computer is on. And we got a new hard drive for the old computer. The laptop will have to wait.

I have my photos back. I have my newspaper columns back. I have my LIFE back.

It might sound melodramatic, but I take dozens of photos of my kids and my life in general every single day. It is important to me to document things and I truly enjoy looking back on them. I am so happy that photos like these aren't lost forever.

I hae thousands upon thousands of memories captured in photo form that I thought were gone.

So, Carrie Bradshaw learned a big lesson about backing up. So did I. Now here's my public service announcement for you.

BACK IT UP. DO NOT WAIT.

I never asked Hubby how much it cost to salvage my stuff. I don't want to know, because I know it was a hell of a lot. He had to send the hard drive to another state, and the people there had to suit up, take it into a dust-free "clean room" environment and somehow bypass the fried part of the hard drive to get to the data. It's terribly impressive. I have a new respect for engineers!

So, I don't care if you use Carbonite or some other service or just an external hard drive, but please, back up your stuff today, and often.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell, CRASH!

2011-12-14T09:56:00.006-05:00

I have a two-year-old. His name is Jordan. He's really adorable. He looks like this.

Life as a stay-at-home mom is really easy. I just sit around and eat bon-bons all day.

I decorated the mantel for Christmas. Isn't it pretty?

Jordan thought so too.

Oh my goodness, they killed Frosty!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry friggin' Christmas.

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

2011-11-10T09:41:00.001-05:00

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Waste not...

2011-11-02T08:52:00.004-04:00

Jordan doesn't really like to color right now but he LOVES to break crayons and peel the paper off them. It can occupy him for hours, and that has actually come in handy, like this summer when I had a garage sale. I put a blanket under a tree in our yard and he happily sat in the shade and peeled and snapped crayons all morning.

We have so many random crayons from restaurants and places like that, that I don't really care if he breaks those. I get a little upset when Logan forgets to put away his "good" crayons, though, and little brother starts in on those, because Logan WILL NOT color with broken crayons.

Anyway, we have all these broken crayons that I keep in a shoebox, because it seems so wasteful to pitch them.

At one point, I wanted the Crayola Crayon Maker, which basically melts your crayons down into new ones. It's THIRTY BUCKS though. Doesn't seem worth it.

So, yesterday I decided to try a little project. I bought a Wilton star-shaped silicone mold (for MUCH less than $30, I might add) and put some of the broken pieces in them.

Then I put them in the oven at 300 degrees for a few. I just kind of kept an eye on them to determine when they were ready to come out.

Half melted.

Then, when they were done, I put them outside for a little while to cool, then tipped the mold upside down and out popped the new crayons, all swirly and pretty.

The star shape is cool, because there are still points, but it's too thick for Jordan to break. It's also easier for a toddler's hands.

Jordan still doesn't like to color. He prefers to stack the stars into towers.

Oh well. At least he's not peeling and breaking them, and all those crayons didn't go to waste!

I'm going to stick one in a sandwich bag in my purse so I'll always have a crayon handy. Just thought I'd share our little crayon-saving tip.

My little writer

2011-10-27T06:46:00.009-04:00

We had parent-teacher conferences this week, and Logan's teacher had nothing but good things to say about him. She is so impressed with his reading and writing, which she said is so far ahead of his grade level, she believes he's the smartest child she has ever taught.

Wow.

Anyway, letters, reading and writing have always been Logan's "thing." From a very, very early age, he was sounding out words and using his chalk to leave graffiti around my kitchen. I used to laugh at finding his name written under the table when he was only two. He was full-on reading at age three. Now, as a first-grader, he can read just about anything, and he LOVES to write stories and books.

Each week, the students in his class are required to do an at-home writing project. It can be just about anything. Logan has written anything from a paragraph about friends to a chapter book about his girlfriends' pets.

This week, in the spirit of Halloween, he decided to write a spooky story. I was laughing so hard I was crying last night as I read this story. I absolutely love it, and I'm going to try to get him to rewrite it in book form with illustrations, so I can cherish it forever. I am dying to see what a "squinty warlock" looks like!

I decided to share his story here. A couple notes... Yes, my child uses ampersands. I don't even know any adults that use them, but Logan has used them since he was four.

Second, I thought it was a riot that he included pronunciation keys for the names he made up for the ghosts.

Third, I have to add a little picture because it's too funny not to share: When he writes a weird name, he draws little squiggles under it, because that's what Word does when he's typing his stories on the computer! Seriously!!!

I typed it up exactly as he wrote it, misspellings and all. I especially liked "Grain Repar" instead of "Grim Reaper." I practically wet my pants when I read it.

I had no idea what this story was going to be about until I read it. The only hint I had was when he asked, "Mom, is a boy witch a warthog?" and I had to tell him it was actually warlock.

So, enjoy!

Ten little ghosts in the haunted house
by Logan Johns

Ten little ghost in the haunted house. Suenly (SOO-ENN-LEE) saw a Vampire Bat & ran out to the woods.

Nine little ghosts in the haunted house. Ellyen (ELL-EE-ENN) saw a wild cat & ran out to the woods.

eight little ghosts in the haunted house. Seilanax (SEE-LANN-ECKS) saw a one eyed freak & ran out to the woods.

Seven little ghosts in the haunted house. Fialiianixxian (FEE-UH-LEE-AN-ICKS-EE-AN) saw Frankenstein & ran out to the woods.

Six little ghosts in the haunted house. Zillialian (ZILL-EE-UH-LEE-ANN) saw a Evil Witch & ran out to the woods.

Five little ghosts in the haunted house. Retreever (RETT-REE-VERR) saw a scelaton & ran out to the woods.

Four little ghosts in the haunted house. Cimpminisan (CHIMP-MINN-UH-SIN) saw a Ghoul & ran out to the woods.

Three little ghosts in a haunted house. Zelonix (ZEE-LON-ICKS) saw the Grain Repar & ran out to the woods.

two little ghost in the haunted house. Riely (RIE-LEE) saw a massive Wizard & ran out to the woods.

One little ghost in the haunted house. Zimix (ZIMM-ICKS) saw a squinty Warlock & ran out to the woods.

Ten little ghosts safe in the woods.

Well done, Logan! I'm proud of you, my son!!!

Mission Point Resort

2011-10-26T08:36:00.016-04:00

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I celebrated a big anniversary: Ten years married (and 20 together!)

We always said we were going to get back to Maine, where we honeymooned, to celebrate our tenth, but life got in the way and we just weren't able to do it this year. We still wanted to do something special together, though. After some thought, we decided Mackinac Island was a good choice. My parents live in the U.P. so it would be relatively easy for them to meet us at the bridge and take the kids for a weekend, so that's just what we did.

When a lot of people think of staying on Mackinac, they think of the Grand Hotel. We had always wanted to try out the Mission Point Resort, though. A few years ago when we ran the 8-mile Mackinac Island race, we started and finished at the resort, and we took the opportunity to walk through the lobby. It appealed to us and we decided we'd love to stay there sometime.

So, as our tenth approached, I contacted the hotel and asked if they had any special rates available. They hooked us up with a lake-view room with a king-size bed at a good rate and even arranged for ferry tickets for us.

The weekend before we went to Mackinac, the weather was glorious. Warm, sunny, fall colors everywhere. Then the forecast came for our weekend and it was just plain AWFUL! They were calling for rain, rain, rain and CHILLY temps. I started to get discouraged. That's the danger of a mid-October anniversary, though. The weather can be amazing or not-so-great.

Finally it was time to go, so we headed to the island on a chilly, breezy, drizzly day. Right off the boat, we headed to a pub for a pint. NO KIDS! That meant we actually got to sit at the bar! Then we headed to the resort to check in. Our luggage was already there, having been valeted from the boat docks. We got our room keys (REAL keys, not cards!) and headed to our room in the main lodge.

This is a view of the resort from the road along the bluff up above.

The lobby, as I mentioned before, is really cool. My dark photo doesn't do it justice.

According to the Resort website, "The Main Lobby is one of the most distinctive architectural structures on the Island. Nine-ton majestic trusses, converging at a height of 36 feet, resemble a 16-sided tepee. This structure fulfills the Indian prophecy that 'Someday, on the east end of the Island, a great tepee will be erected. All nations will come there and learn about peace.'"

There are a couple sitting areas set up in the lobby, too. We enjoyed a rest by the fire when we came in after a chilly post-dinner walk.

When we first walked into the room, it wasn't really what I expected. Smaller, I guess. However, after some thought, I realized that it was exactly what it should be on Mackinac. It's an island resort, casual for those who don't want to HAVE to dress up, and it's cozy. It was built in the 50s and has that lodgy feel, down to the decor in our room: plaids, photos of elk, a duck painted on the headboard, etc.

Our room had a great view of the lake.

We had a break in the clouds on Saturday, just long enough for a rainbow to peek through, right outside our window. That rainbow was out there for a while, too. Luckily, we had just come back to the room for a short rest before dinner, after a day of hiking, so we were able to see and enjoy the rainbow.

On Sunday morning, the day we were to go home, I woke up early as usual and popped a K-cup into the Keurig coffee machine. It was my first time using one of those things and it was pretty neat (and easy)! I took my cup, put on my coat and hat, and headed outside to watch the sunrise.

The purple pre-dawn light in the courtyard outside our window was amazing. It was soooo peaceful out there without all the daytime touristy hustle and bustle of the island.

These are the stairs down from our courtyard to the main lawn and lakeshore.

I headed to the shoreline and walked along the path, taking in the scenery and the fresh breeze. It was a pretty spectacular morning.

I walked back around to the resort and paused to finish my coffee and admire the beautiful landscaping. Even though summer was gone, the flowers were still blooming. Pardon my tired face!

I walked across the outside of the resort and snapped this photo of the sunrise reflected in the windows of the in-house restaurant, Chianti.

Here's Chianti from the inside. We didn't end up eating there because we were out and about, exploring in town. It's got a great view though, and that same lodgy appeal as the lobby and the rest of the resort, yet it's still elegant.

Despite the rain, we had an absolutely fabulous time celebrating 10 years of marriage at the Mission Point Resort and look forward to heading back there for another stay in the future.

Who knows? Maybe it will be our annual anniversary destination! After all, we didn't have the chance to enjoy a number of the resort's offerings, such as the restaurant, the 18-hole putting course, the bicycle rental, the outdoor pool, the spa and the theater. In addition, there's a lot to do on the island, including tours, hiking trails, biking, watching freighters pass through the Straits of Mackinac, restaurants and bars. The scenery is fantastic, even on rainy days.

Next time you're looking for a Pure Michigan experience, check out the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

While he was out...

2011-10-03T11:41:00.012-04:00

My husband just returned from 2 weeks in Germany and Hungary for work. Two weeks is a LONG time to be without Hubby/Daddy!!!

But, I kept busy.

On top of motherhood, school for Logan, Cub Scouts, soccer and play dates, I decided to take on a "While You Were Out" kind of project.

We have lived in this nice big house for a year now, but our bedroom was kind of blah. I called it "vanilla." I have been waiting all my life to have a nice big bedroom and I really wanted to do something nice with it.

In the old house, our room was so tiny that, with our queen bed pushed up against two walls, we could barely squeeze the dressers in there. We couldn't open the drawers all the way. It was tiny.

See the cramped room at the old house?

So, I've wanted to re-do our bedroom for a while, make it OURS, make it pretty, because it's a nice big room with a large east-facing window and a cathedral ceiling. I love the room, but it just had cream walls, cream carpet, cream curtains and the quilt my mom made us ten years ago for a wedding gift. I wanted something new, and I wanted to get rid of the green. Even though it's my favorite color, I've had green in my bedroom since I was in high school.

Anyway, I started browsing at bedspreads and I decided I wanted to do a light purple and brown. At first I thought I was going to keep some green in there but I decided not to.

I found a bedspread I liked. Actually, I went out and bought it pretty much the second Hubby left. I chose a paint color that night too. Then, I decided I wanted a big, ornate mirror over the headboard and I looked around on craigslist and stumbled across an antique mirror that I thought sounded neat. It once hung in the State Theatre in Detroit, and I looooove local and Michigan history. It also wasn't all that far from my house, so I contacted the owner and went to take a look. As soon as I saw it, I wanted it. The frame is carved wood and it has LOVEBIRDS on top of it! Perfect for my bedroom!

I had our neighbor, who has worked as a professional painter, come over to help out with the painting and also hanging the mirror.

I enlarged three photos I took while Hubby and I were hiking on North Manitou and made them sepia toned, then put them in some frames I bought last year because I saw them on clearance and liked them. They've just been collecting dust in our basement but they worked well in the new bedroom!

These are the photos that are in the frames:

I finished it off with a really tall purple vase I found on super clearance, in which I put some twisty twig things I had leftover from doing our mantel arrangements in the living room. I got a new lamp at Target and some purple doily things to go under the lamp and vase. I found some curtains that matched really well and even got purple sheers. Because everything else was new, I splurged on some high thread-count purple sheets too. Ahhhh luxury!

and... VOILA! A much warmer, prettier room!

BEFORE

AFTER

Once it was done, I loved it but got a little scared because my husband isn't exactly big on surprises... or purple! Logan looked at it and proclaimed it "girly" and said he didn't think Daddy would like it.

Oh dear, what had I done?

The room project took a week from beginning to end, so I had a week to wait until he got home to see it. I was soooo tempted to e-mail him photos but I managed to hold back.

Well, when he got home and walked in, he said it looked "super" and he even complimented the color choices. He said I did a great job and said "I actually like walking into this room now!"

Woo hoo!

So, it turned out well. I can't believe I pulled this off!

Chobani

2011-09-15T07:31:00.006-04:00

These days, when I open a Chobani yogurt, I am always amazed to think that at one point in time, the mere thought of eating Greek yogurt grossed me out. Something about the texture and thickness just gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Then I tried it.

I forget when, but at some point I decided I wanted to try Greek yogurt for a number of reasons. One, most of them are free of artificial sweeteners. Most non-Greek yogurts are packed full of sucralose and other nasties. Two, it's high in protein.

So I picked up a Chobani and tried it. And loved it.

Now I get about three of them a week (more if they're on sale) and they're MINE. Heaven forbid anyone else in the house touch my Cho! Actually, Logan and Hubby have zero interest in yogurt but when Jordan sees me with a cup o' Cho, he is ON IT. That has prompted me to hide while eating it. Actually, I'm happy when Jordan eats Greek yogurt, I just don't like it when he wants the one I'm eating at the time.

I really look forward to my Chobani!

So, one afternoon last week I grabbed a raspberry Cho out of the fridge and settled down at the table to eat it. My spoon was almost to the yogurt when I noticed it was green and furry. Gross gross gross.

I checked the expiration date, and it didn't expire until the 26th of September, so I snapped a photo of my moldy Cho and posted it on their facebook page. I will be honest, I was hoping they'd offer to replace it.

Well, they did. Immediately. And they followed up, asking for a code off the package so they could investigate the specific line where it was produced. I was thanked and ensured that a replacement would be sent. I was happy.

Then, I got an envelope in the mail yesterday, with a nice hand-written note. It contained not just one replacement coupon for my bad cup, but one for a free 32-ounce container, five for free 6-ounce cups and three 30-cent off coupons. They also threw in some cute magnets and a handy magnetic conversion chart for using Chobani in recipes. (I've seen a number of tasty-looking recipes on blogs and on the Chobani facebook page, so I plan to put that chart to use!)

Anyway, I am not only impressed with the Chobani product, but also with their awesome customer service. Something was wrong and they went above and beyond to make it right. They have a loyal customer in me, for sure.

I just wanted to share this with my readers because good customer service is so rare these days and I appreciate it when I find it.

Thanks Chobani!

My frustrating sit-shoe-ation

2011-09-14T19:35:00.004-04:00

I am no Carrie Bradshaw.

I don't really have THAT many pairs of shoes. Especially not cute ones. I have my hiking boots, my trail running shoes (well, 2 pairs), my older running shoes, my new running shoes, my indoor workout shoes (for when I do DVDs or if my feet are bugging me), then I have my Teva sandals, my flip flops, a pair of brown flats, a few pairs of heels that I wore in this wedding or that (and never since), my one standard pair of black heels, some cruddy old flip flops that I use for shower shoes when camping, a couple cruddy pairs of shoes that I slip on when I take the kids outside...

OK, well, it does add up, but still, I don't have anything cute. No Manolos or Louboutins or anything like that. For one thing, I can't afford them. For another thing, I can't wear anything with a heel unless I want to limp for a couple weeks, thanks to plantar fasciitis. Too bad, too. I used to love heels and they do wonders for my stumpy calves.

I'm getting way off point here.

So, I have those shoes. My sons have their shoes and my husband has his (big) ones.

What that means is a big pile of shoes tripping us up every time we come in the house or try to go into the laundry room or whatever.

How the heck do you keep your shoes organized and out of the way?!?!

We have shoe cubbies, shoe racks, shoe boxes... still, we have a pile of shoes. I pick it up. A half hour later, the pile is back.

What? Do they all crawl out and pile up when we're not looking?

Here is my rack of "dressier" shoes in my closet (well, and my old ratty but super comfy pair of mooseskin moccasins!)

The other rack of random shoes in our closet.

By the garage door where we usually come in is another cubby and also a box for our hiking boots, because they're big and don't fit in cubbies.

The bench/shoe rack and a typical day's shoe pile (which has been shoved to the side).

I am open to suggestions as to how we should deal with this super annoying sit-shoe-ation. How on Earth do you organize all your family's shoes and keep them that way?

Can't win 'em all

2011-09-07T13:45:00.017-04:00

Right before school started, we decided to take the boys on one more backpacking and camping trip. After all, Hubby had bought me a 4-person backpacking tent for my birthday in June and we'd not had the chance to try it out yet.

So, we chose to hike the Platte Plains. We picked this spot because it's in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, which we love, and also because there is a spot you can park that makes it only a short 1.5-mile hike to the White Pine Campground, which is good when you're toting a two-year-old and when your six-year-old is hiking with you (and carrying a pack) and when poor Hubby has to carry basically ALL the gear because you have the kid on your back. Also, because it has relatively easy beach access. It's only about a third of a mile from the campground to the beach, though it's a hilly, sandy third of a mile!

Anyway, we drove the four or so hours up and started out on our hike on the same day, so when we got there, we were just tired of being in the car. It was pretty hot out, too.

As we started the hike, I decided to snap a photo of myself carrying Jordan.

But the sun got in my eyes. Photo fail.

This one's a little better.

Note the white styrofoam container with the leftovers from Big Boy, where we stopped on the way up. There was one huge chicken strip and half a grilled cheese sandwich. About a quarter mile in, the boys ate them, leaving me with a stupid container I'd really rather have left behind. Oh well. Pack it in, pack it out.

We got to the campground and set up camp in the same spot we camped when Logan was two. We found this gnarled old tree where I had photographed Logan four years ago. It's a cool tree. I put the kids in it. Jordan was scared. I didn't blame him. They were around five feet off the ground.

Then we headed to the beach because we didn't pack in any water and we were thirsty. When we hike, we dip a bag of water out of Lake Michigan and use a filter on the beach to fill our bottles.

But Lake Michigan had a surprise for us. A rather large growth of Cladophora algae.

If you really care, you can read more about it here but basically it's a naturally-occurring and non-dangerous algae that grows in the lake. Increased water clarity, possibly due to the invasive zebra mussels, and higher levels of phosphorus, possibly due to fertilizer runoff and other human idiocy, are two things that might be to blame for the unusually large amounts.

Anyway, it's pretty ugly and gross when you're used to clear, sugar sand beaches, but we found that if you can get to a spot where the beach forms a little point, the algae isn't so thick, and also, once you get past the first few feet, the water is nice and clear again, as long as it isn't too choppy.

So, we were able to filter some water and swim and play a little.

Hiking with a 25-pound kid plus probably another 15 pounds of pack and gear on your back, on sand, isn't easy. Just sayin'. I was pretty sweaty here.

And this is my super sexy summer style. An old ratty mom swimsuit, with hiking socks and boots. Aww yeah.

So we went back to camp and set about making dinner. Somewhere near the end of the mac n' cheese cooking, the camp stove just quit working. The food was edible, though. Of course, Jordan knocked his bowl off the log into the dirt. Didn't matter. He wasn't eating it anyway. The kids were pretty crabby. OK, Hubby and I were too. I don't know. We were just tired and... something. It was just one of those vacations where no one was in the best mood for some reason.

Bedtime came. The tent had plenty of room, but Jordan's still too little to carry anything or even hike in on his own so we were unable to bring any kind of sleeping pad for him. I was going to share my bed. Sounds nice, huh? Snuggle time with my baby? Uh, no. First, he sleeps SIDEWAYS.

Assuming the position

Second, he sprouts about a thousand extra feet when he sleeps. Basically, when Jordan sleeps with you, you don't sleep.

And I didn't.

At ALL.

Since it was, you know, the middle of the night and all, I couldn't exactly photograph it, so here is my amazing rendition using my computer's paint program. (A program, I might add, that Logan actually came home from kindergarten and taught me how to use. Yeah. A five-year-old.)

So, I laid awake. After an hour or so, I heard thunder. Then I saw lightning. I listened to it get closer and then I woke Hubby so we could "batten down the hatches" and pull the stuff in from outside.

A little while later, the storm came. Of course, I was awake for it. I honestly saw every hour that night.

Logan woke up in the morning and wanted to get dressed and go outside right away. He did, exploring some trails behind the tent, and then I heard him say he got stung. Sure enough, he had a couple stings swelling up on him. I looked where he said he'd been and found a ground nest of yellow jackets.

Thank goodness he's not allergic! He handled it well, no tears, tough kid.

Here's Joe, chilling on a stump, pickin' his nose.

I have a photo of Logan at the same age in the same outfit sitting on the same stump. Unfortunately, I don't have a digital version to share. :(

We managed to get the stove lit and had some oatmeal for breakfast and I had a decent headache going on. We needed more water. It was kind of hard, having just our water bottles and having to hike to and from the lake to get it. We couldn't carry a whole lot back to camp, and I knew I hadn't been drinking nearly enough. This would come back to bite me later in a big way.

We went to the beach, and it was soooo windy, it was sandblasting us. The kids were crying. The algae was all mixed up. Hubby had to go way out to get some water in the bag and filtering it was a real chore with the sand blowing around so hard. We got some, and I drank a whole 32 ounce bottle to try to help my dehydration headache. Wasn't enough, though.

To the west, some really threatening clouds were blowing up really fast. The combination of another storm coming, the wind making the beach no fun, the wonky stove, the bee stings and the prospect of spending the whole day in the tent with cranky kids made us hurry back to camp, pack up and head for the hills. It was thundering over our heads for the hike back to the car, and toward the end, the lightning started, too. Just as we got to the road, it started raining. The kids and I parked on a log and Hubby ran ahead to get the car. Quite a feat with the huge pack he was wearing!!!

We headed to Traverse City and spent the next few days at the Grand Beach and Sugar Beach resort hotels.

The "fun" didn't end when we got there. My headache escalated, as I'd feared it would, into one of my infamous dehydration migraines. It's the only time I get migraines, and it's brutal. I can not handle light, the pain is amazing and I know at some point I'm going to vomit. It's the process. I chug a bunch of water with some ibuprofen, lay down for a few, the go throw up violently until I think my eyeballs are going to explode, drink some more water and lay down, and then it magically goes away. It's the exact same scenario every time. It's happened about four times in my life, almost always on vacation, when I forget to drink enough. Hubby was great and took the boys to the pool while I barfed my brains out, and after a while, I felt fine and went to join them. I was SO GRATEFUL that it hadn't happened in the backcountry. That would have been really bad.

Also, the boys were still being stinkers. Jordan even shattered a hotel lamp. An accident, but still...

But whatever, you can't win them all. We still did a few fun things on the trip. I'll probably blog about them at some point. For now, there you go. Even people who really love backpacking with kids like we do can have a bad trip sometimes.

Andy: Monarch caterpillar to butterfly

2011-08-30T14:10:00.012-04:00

This is the third year in a row that we've raised a monarch butterfly from a caterpillar, and I still can't get enough of watching it happen.

Between late July and mid-August, we start checking out clumps of milkweed, looking for a monarch caterpillar.

They look like this. Logan named him Andy.

Then, we put him in our bug observation box, and once or twice a day, we empty out the poop (they eat and poop a lot) and put fresh-picked milkweed leaves in there for him to munch on.

After a few days the caterpillar will make a chrysalis. Last year I stayed up super late one night because I happened to catch the transition from caterpillar to chrysalis. It was really weird and wild to watch! For some reason I don't seem to have any photos of it. All I can think of is that we were getting ready to move. I don't have a lot of photos from this time last year.

Anyway, they'll climb up to the top of wherever they are and kind of attach themselves and hang upside down, making a sort of J shape.

After maybe a day, (this is the wild part I got to see last year) their skin splits and they whip about until the skin falls off in a little black blob and they look like a green wormy thing and then they harden into a bright green chrysalis with yellow spots on it.

Here's Andy after he made his chrysalis.

Then, yesterday, his chrysalis started being a little more transparent, so I figured he'd hatch today.

This morning, I found that you could clearly see the colors of his wings through the chrysalis, so I knew he was coming out soon.

We had some errands to run, but I didn't want to miss the emergence, so we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, I decided Andy was just going to have to come along with us, so I packed up the bug box and we headed out to the car. Right before I touched the door handle I heard a small cracking sound and looked to find Andy was being born.

It's an interesting process to watch. When they come out, their wings are very small and kind of crumply and their bodies are big and fat. I haven't looked it up but I assume the fluid in their body gets kind of pumped out into the wings to help them expand.

Then, the butterfly kind of just has to hang around for a while and let his wings dry. I figured it would be good to put him on the beautiful butterfly bush my mother-in-law got me for my birthday.

So, he hung around and his wings plumped and I took a hundred thousand photos. I don't much like the macro option on my camera (times like this I really miss that little ole Pentax Optio M40 that I dropped in the sand) and got far more blurry photos thanks to that and the fact that there is a breeze today that was making the bush wave a little. I still managed to get some pretty shots, though.

Then we bid Andy adieu and left for town. A couple hours later, we came home and he was still on the same spot on the bush. As I stepped out of the car, he opened his wings and took off in flight for the first time, landing high up in the neighbor's spruce tree. I had to use my zoom and my hands were shaking so I couldn't get a great shot of him up there.

Anyway, that's Andy's journey from free caterpillar to captive caterpillar to captive butterfly to free butterfly. Have fun in Mexico, Andy! Stay away from the tequila!

Tomorrow, we get to watch his little sister Sandy emerge!

The CCC in Michigan

2011-08-30T10:58:00.000-04:00

As residents, campers, hikers, nature lovers and travelers in and around the wonderful state of Michigan, my family has visited many a site that was touched in some way by the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC.

However, although I have seen signs indicating the CCC had been there and had done something, I was never sure what that was.

A little over a month ago, I saw that a man named Bill Jamerson was going to be coming to the local library to do a musical presentation about the CCC. I wanted to attend, but we were out of town at the time, so I missed it. I contacted Jamerson and he sent me a copy of his Dollar-A-Day Boys CD so the boys and I could hear some of his tunes.

The songs were interesting. Each told a story, and I wanted to learn more, so I checked his book, Big Shoulders, out of the library.

Well, I LOVED it. It told of a fictional character, Nick Radzinski, who went from getting into trouble on the streets of Hamtramck during the Great Depression to becoming a hard-working man at a CCC camp in the Upper Peninsula. The story, with the exception of a rather exciting fictional ending tale, was based on the real-life CCC experiences of a friend of Mr. Jamerson.

It was one of those books that made me sad when I finished it, because I wanted it to keep going on. It put a real, likable face on a piece of Michigan history that many have forgotten, or never learned about.

According to Wikipedia, "The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25.

A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it provided unskilled manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state and local governments.

The CCC was designed to provide employment for young men in relief families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression while at the same time implementing a general natural resource conservation program...

During the time of the CCC, volunteers planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide and upgraded most state parks, updated forest fire fighting methods, and built a network of service buildings and public roadways in remote areas...

Despite its popular support, the CCC was never a permanent agency. It depended on emergency and temporary Congressional legislation for its existence. By 1942, with the war industries booming and the draft in operation, need declined and Congress voted to close the program."

Reading Big Shoulders and listening to the songs (my boys especially love "It's Tough to be a Rookie" and "Fire Fightin' Tree Plantin' Blues.") made me want to learn a little more about the CCC, so last week, when Jordan and I drove up to Grayling to meet up with my parents and pick Logan up after his stay with Grandma and Grandpa, we decided to stop off at the CCC Museum near Higgins Lake.

It turned out to be a fun, educational pit stop. My boys and I learned a little more about the CCC and this particular historic site.

Here is a sample of what a standard CCC barracks looked like

The packing house (couldn't go in this one)

The boys loved checking out the fire tower, even though they couldn't climb all the way up.

They thought the ice house was cool too (no pun intended!)

You can see Jordan looking at the example of the sawdust insulation. Logan thought it was neat that they cut the ice out of the lake and packed it in sawdust, and it stayed frozen all summer!

They also both liked the Cone Barn, where seeds were taken from the pine cones for planting. They had fun checking out the various machinery, like the pine cone tumbler.

And they liked the statue of the CCC boy.

Jordan was afraid to stand up on the pedestal.

Mr. Jamerson also made a PBS documentary film about the CCC called Camp Forgotten. I haven't seen it yet, but sure want to.

You can find out more about the CCC on Wikipedia.

Here is some info about the CCC Museum in northern lower Michigan.

And here is where you can find out more about Mr. Jamerson and purchase his book, CD and DVD.

I want to thank Bill, not only for inspiring me to learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps, but also for his years of research and his work in sharing this fascinating slice of American and Michigan history with schoolchildren and other eager learners across the state.

Toddler bed time!!!

2011-08-29T09:06:00.008-04:00

Way back at the end of March, I was debating whether it was time to move Jordan to a toddler bed.

I decided that since he wasn't climbing out of his crib, it would be a good idea to keep him confined for as long as possible, especially since I have an escape artist on my hands.

Well, last week, Jordan finally decided to start climbing out of his crib... or at least trying to.

The first time was at nap time, and he got stuck on the rail. He was halfway in and halfway out and couldn't seem to figure out how to get back in OR the rest of the way out.

Looks pretty uncomfortable, no?

Then, that night, he did it again. I was awakened by Jordan hysterically screaming "get out! get out! get out!" I ran to his room and found him perched like a little bird on the side rail. He was holding on with his hands and feet and just couldn't figure out what to do next. It was the middle of the night, so no photo!

I did something I swore I wouldn't do... I brought him to our bed where he happily slumbered for the rest of the night.

Isn't he precious? I didn't get any sleep though, because he's not only a bed hog... he somehow sprouts about a hundred extra feet for kicking when he sleeps. Ugh.

So, that night, Hubby put together the little toddler bed. Isn't it sweet?

We put Buppy (the puppy Pillow Pet) and Ees Hose (the musical seahorse) and his froggy quilt and afghan on his bed to make him happy, and then it was bed time.

To prevent escape, I put a baby gate across his doorway. It thwarted him for all of two seconds.

That first night, he escaped a couple times, and then I parked myself outside his door. It took probably 20 minutes for him to decide to get in his bed and stay there, but there he stayed, all night long.

The next couple nights, he went right down at bedtime. No escaping. Slept all night.

Even though I know he can easily scale the baby gate, I'm leaving it there for now, if just to mildly discourage middle-of-the-night house roaming. I've also been very careful to lock the doors and turn on the burglar alarms at night!

The toddler bed seems to be a success thus far but for one thing... naps.

Yes, you guessed it. The arrival of the big-boy bed has also been the arrival of nap-free days. He just won't stay there to nap.

He still needs to nap and goodness knows I still need him to nap, but this just might be the end of that.

I am still going to keep trying. Maybe once Logan's in school next week and there's no distraction? We'll see. At least he's been sleeping solid 12-hour nights!

I hate cancer

2011-08-25T07:32:00.002-04:00

Hate is a strong word.

I've been dealing with that issue lately, as my six-year-old has taken to screaming "I hate you so much" at his little brother when they're fighting over something. And now, the little one has taken to yelling "hate you so much" at ANYONE anytime they do something he doesn't like. It was fabulous when he said that to my neighbor the other day, for no reason. I was so embarrassed.

So, I have to figure out a way to teach my kids that they shouldn't say hate to other people, because it's an ugly word.

But I hate cancer.

Hate it.

Cancer haunts me.

Every single day I think about it. I feel like I'm just waiting for my sentence. My dad had it twice when I was younger and my mom is still having treatments against the ovarian cancer she was diagnosed with last year. It was a crappy year for her. (She's doing well now, in case you're wondering. Full recovery expected. And she has normal-looking hair again. AND she can eat food again. AND she can keep up with her grandsons, which is saying a LOT.)

So anyway, with my family history and all the scary statistics out there about 1 in 4 people getting breast cancer or skin cancer or whatever cancer, I feel like I'm in a waiting game. I feel fairly certain I will be one of those people. It doesn't help that both times I've gone for a skin check at the dermatologist, I've had a mole hacked off. It also didn't help that when I was pregnant with Logan, I developed a fast-growing suspicious fibroadenoma that I had to have cut out of my boob. (It ended up being non-cancerous, but tell that to someone who's wide awake on an operating table with a six-month-pregnant belly sticking up, who then has to wait a week to hear the results of the biopsy. Friggin' scary.)

So yeah, age 35, three biopsies under my belt. All good outcomes, but every single time, I wonder, is this the one?

But what can you do?

Well, I SHOULD use more sunblock. I'm bad about that.

But I DO maintain an active lifestyle and while I eat a few too many treats (I'm working on it) I do try to include lots of healthy produce and whole grains in my diet.

Just in the past week or so, two sources of cancer-fighting diet information came across my radar, so I thought I'd share with you, my beloved readers.

The first is this article from Women's Health Magazine which includes some decent tips.

The rundown:
eat less fat, don't remove the yolk from your egg, eat cabbage, eat spinach and other leafy greens, eat blackberries, eat lowfat dairy products, eat salmon and other Omega 3-rich fish, eat whole grains, drink hot green tea, get your vitamin D, use lemon and orange zest and eat lots of colorful fruits and veggies.

The other is a great blog called Fight Cancer With Food. It's written by a girl who lost her mom to cancer, and now she's doing what she can to help others prevent it through healthy eating. The tagline on her blog is "One simple girl, sticking her finger up at cancer."

That's how I feel.

Anyway, she's got some great info on her page. Look at "My anti-cancer plan" at the top of her blog. She's done a lot of research on the topic. It seems pretty sound (though I'm not so sure about soy.)

So, yeah, check out this information and use it to help yourself if you want. I plan to try to make better choices.

I don't want that phone call.

Piloxing review

2011-08-24T07:20:00.000-04:00

On Monday, my gym will be starting its annual week-and-a-half-long maintenance shutdown, so I'll be forced to either take my workouts outside or turn to my limited workout video collection.

While I love running, I simply can't do it every day. The wear and tear on my body is too much. But I don't have that many DVDs to do at home that are all that great, either.

However, I recently got the chance to review a DVD that I found to be fun AND a good workout: Piloxing.

So what is Piloxing? Well, it's a mix of Pilates and boxing, but it's more than that. There was ballet-style stuff mixed in there, too, like barre-type plies and other leg work. Let me tell you, I took ballet classes and this stuff is great for elongating and strengthening your leg muscles and feet!

The motto on the Piloxing DVD is Sleek-Sexy-Powerful, and each of those are worked into the DVD.

Some of my workout DVDs feature instructors that are SO ANNOYING. Chalean anyone? I love the TurboJam workouts but that chick makes me bonkers. I've heard the same about Jillian Michaels, but I can tolerate her. Anyway, I thik Viveca Jensen is kind of fun. It seems like it would be a good time to take a live class from her.

So, yeah, the workout is geared toward women. And yeah, the box has pink on it. But don't be fooled... it's not a sissy workout. It's an hour long, and alternates between Pilates and boxing exercises, with some dance thrown in for fun. It changes up often enough to keep you from getting bored---something that's hard to do for an hour-long DVD, I think! I tend to start checking the clock around 20 minutes when I do DVDs at home! Well, Piloxing kept me interested.

Some of the exercises--particularly the Pilates ones--were quite challenging, I thought. Perhaps it's because I've never done a lot of Pilates before. The one Viveca calls "serve the platter" comes to mind. It's a leg move, done balancing on one leg. Let me tell you, that stabilizing leg and foot is screaming by the time you're done with that one!

For me, the workout targeted my legs much more than upper body, HOWEVER, I should add that they did not send me the weighted gloves to try for this review, so that could make a big difference.

So, anyway, I enjoyed the DVD, found it challenging and will definitely keep it in my workout rotation, especially during the gym shutdown and when Hubby travels for work and I'm unable to go to the gym.

To learn more or to order your own Piloxing workout or gear, visit the official website.

Disclosure: I was sent the Piloxing DVD at no charge for the purposes of this review.

Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad

2011-08-22T07:44:00.012-04:00

I love history. Especially local history. My boys love trains. I also love doing things together as a family with my husband and sons. My boys and I love reading, too. So, it was absolutely perfect for us that the Lapeer District Library rewarded my boys (and any other kids who participated) with a free pass to Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad upon completion of the summer reading program.

We do the reading program every year. For many kids, it's a good way to keep them reading during the summer months. My kids would already be reading, but this gives them the chance to earn prizes for it. It's merely a bonus.

This year, the prizes were great. The kids had to read 10 books on their own or have 30 read to them, and they had to check in at the library four times (different weeks) during the program. My kids read their required books in the first week or two, but they didn't stop reading. I even participated in the adult program, and while I didn't win any of the prizes, I still got to read some great books. It was nice to have "quiet reading time" with the boys every day.

After they were done, the kids each got a cool yellow T-shirt, they got to choose a free book, a free ice cream cone at Dairy Queen and a free pass to go to Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad on Aug. 13. Quite the haul for doing something they enjoy!!!

Aug. 13 dawned with some rain, but we waited it out and went after the storms passed, and we ended up with great weather for our visit.

Crossroads Village is a collection of historic buildings salvaged from the area and collected into, well, a village. There is an old school house, a train depot, homes, a blacksmith shop, a barber shop, a gristmill, a cider mill, a barn, a chapel and much more. Each building is full of historical artifacts and there are people playing the roles of, say, the homeowners. You can go into the Buzzell House and the women will tell you about life "way back when." Out back, in the yard, there is an actual garden with vegetables growing as if someone was really living there. There are farm animals in a pasture near the barn. The blacksmith works in his shop, showing visitors how it's done. At the sawmill, from time to time they'll start up the old machinery and saw some logs into boards.

There are working hand pumps the kids can try out.

At the school house, there are swings.

In an old barn, they had a broom shop, and Logan got to try out a handmade broom. He wanted to come home and make one of his own! Hmmm... This could be a good thing!

There is a building with an elaborate setup of model trains. Hubby had to hold Jordan up to see it, and he didn't want to leave that building!

There are gift shops where you can find fun things like old-fashioned toys. The boys each got a wooden flute to play. They were only $1.99, not a bad deal for a working musical toy! The kids love playing tunes on them!

Anyway, It's just a fun place to explore and learn about how things used to be.

Of course, for the boys, the highlight of the adventure is the Huckleberry Railroad train ride.

We've been on the train ride a number of times. Every year, we go for the Halloween event and the kids get to trick-or-treat through the village, play in a big strawbale maze and ride the "ghost train." It is SO much fun!

They also have special events for Christmas though we've never gone for that.

Back to the train...

We have never before had the opportunity to ride in the caboose, but this time we got lucky. It was great!

Cabooses are Jordan's (and my) favorite part of a train. They're just so neat! So, we climbed aboard and had a seat for the 40-minute train ride.

I discovered the conductor also rides in the caboose, and after the trip, Logan and Jordan each got a chance to sit in the conductor's seat. They thought it was pretty cool.

They also got to climb up to the top seats for a peek out the high windows.

The train trip wasn't included in the free pass, but I think it was worth the money for how much the kids enjoyed it. The trip goes through the woods, along Mott Lake, and across a couple regular roads, which the kids found exciting. Little fact: The name Huckleberry Railroad came about because the train went slow enough that people could jump off, fill a hat with the huckleberries that grew wild along the tracks, and jump back on the train to enjoy their snack.

We visit Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad a couple times a year. I love that there is a place like this within about a half hour of our house. It's a special outing for history lovers, train lovers and families. I remember visitng there on field trips as a schoolkid, too.

I'm sure we'll continue to visit Crossroads as the boys grow. Perhaps we'll visit for Christmas this year. I hear the lights are pretty spectacular!

She's got legs...

2011-08-17T09:00:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite online friends, Tina, blogs often about loving yourself, just as you are. She is a big proponent of recognizing and being proud of your own strengths, both physically and mentally.

(Check out her blog, Faith, Fitness, Fun!)

Anyway, I have trouble with that. I am just not that great about lifting myself up, but I'm pretty fantastic at cutting myself down. At least, in my head. That dumb little voice is always criticizing.

Lately, I've been pretty mean to my legs.

I have been beating them up, first through the Warrior Dash, where I not only got them all muddy, but I also got some nice rope burns.

Then on a four-day hiking trip.

And then with a muddy swamp walk through lots of black raspberry brambles. (Note to self. Dig that thorn out of knee before it gets infected)

And after all that fun, I look in the mirror and cringe at my "stumpy tree trunk legs."

The other night, I was out talking to a neighbor I don't know very well. I've only spoken to her a few times. We chatted about the walk I had taken in the woods with my family and she looked down and said "You have nice legs!"

I was taken aback. It was such an odd, out-of-the-blue comment. I stammered an "awww, well thank you."

Later, I had to admit to myself that the compliment was nice to receive.

So I've been trying. Over the past few days, I've been trying to be nicer to my legs.

OK, I COULD shave them more often. And use lotion. That would probably be a good way to show my appreciation.

But I've just started trying not to hate on them so much.

I am only 5'4" tall, so I'm never going to have those lanky model legs. I have what I've been given.

Yes, they're kinda short. Yes, they're kinda stumpy. But I've got STRONG legs and they do a lot for me. They let me have tons of fun when I run, hike, ride bikes with my kids, etc. They carried me down the aisle to marry my husband nearly 10 years ago. They take me where I want to go every day.

I am lucky to have them. Some people don't have strong, working legs.

I do.

Therefore... LEGS, I LOVE YOU!

Totally cheeseball post. but whatever. I'm showing myself some love today.

Shameless photo I took of them while reading under the oak tree yesterday with Logan. From this angle, not so bad!

North Manitou Island hiking date

2011-08-16T09:25:00.009-04:00

I realized I never wrote much about my recent hiking date with my Hubby.

Well, we just... hiked. It was really hot and humid, and we did a lot of bushwhacking and a lot of sweating and some swimming in Lake Michigan to "get clean" and cool off. It was a really nice time, though. We needed some "us" time pretty badly. Thanks to my mom for watching the boys for us.

Here are a few photos. Just a random glimpse into the 4 days, 3 nights we were there.

This is not a random shot of woods. THIS, my friends, is what my husband calls a trail. It WAS a trail... in the 40s. If you look closely, you can see him up ahead, through the trees. He loves to seek out old, overgrown trails out there. We've found some pretty neat stuff doing that.

Some neat old trucks from the logging days, left to rust in peace in the woods near the Stormer camp

Beautiful Lake Michigan views abound while hiking on the island, from up on the cliff to down on the beach

The sunsets on the west wide are nothing short of spectacular

Lake Manitou, a little inland lake on the island

The ruins left behind where the Carlsons once had a place

This is the same Carlson family line that still has a fish shop in Leland's Fishtown

I don't think I've ever been to North Manitou and NOT seen a Petoskey stone

I always find a lot of different-colored beach glass too

This awesome lake view is from a super sacred secret spot on the west side beach

We always end the last day of hiking by climbing to a high point on the island and hiking through the treetops along what we call the Manitou Escarpment. This is the site of an old survey marker from the 1800s.

There are a lot of abandoned houses falling to ruins in the village area of the island. People used to live here. Not anymore.

A neat shot looking in through the window of one of the old houses.

Seagull frenzy on the beach near the ranger station

We had rough seas going back to the mainland, and shared the boat with a bunch of campers from a camp called Tamarack. I have never seen so many seasick people in my life. Hubby and I were inside the boat, but we vacated our seats when a pukefest began. We opted to head out to the bow, where we found more seasick kids sprawled everywhere, moaning and looking green. Not exactly a pleasant way to end the hiking trip. We couldn't wait to get off the boat. The funny thing is, it wasn't THAT bad! We've come back from Manitou on MUCH worse swells. I think their seasickness, for the most part, was "contagious" and mainly mental.

Anyway, that's that. A nice date with my Hubby followed by a little hotel stay with our kiddies at the Ramada in Grayling. That hotel is getting kind of run down, which is sad, because they have a great one-foot kiddie pool and an indoor playground in addition to a deep pool, hot tub, and games. It seems to get a little worse every time we go, which is too bad.

Oh well! We still managed to have fun!

Out back

2011-08-15T07:54:00.008-04:00

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, when you've got an hour to wait before the lasagna is done, what do you do to spend the time?

If you're the Johns family, you throw on your hiking boots (or old tennies) and head out back for a woods-and-swamp hike!

Our subdivision has 80 acres of land around it to form kind of a barrier so no one else can develop right on top of us. It's pretty cool. The 14 homeowners here all chip in to pay the property taxes for that land, and it's considered common property. From what I can tell, almost no one that lives here goes back there. That's a shame, because there are some neat woods and a little lake. The guy across the road and his son do go back to the lake, and he recently told me there's some good fishing (bass and pike) back there. We haven't fished yet, but we have been back to check out the lake and spent some time back there sliding on the ice with the kids this past winter.

This was at the lake late last fall.

Anyway, even though it was rainy yesterday, we decided to take a walk in the woods. We had originally planned to go to the lake to see how swampy the approach was, but we ended up running out of time, since dinner was in the oven.

We started out behind our house with the intention of seeing if we could blaze a new trail between our house and the one three doors down, where Logan's buddy Clayton lives. The boys love to play in the woods, but it's so thick back there, we're afraid of them getting lost. We managed to beat down some sort of a trail, but I'm going to go back there with the loppers and snip off some of the black raspberry briars. I'm also going to mark the trail with that colored tape stuff, so the boys don't get misled, because there are a lot of game trails back there, and they just lead right into the swamp.

After we beat our way down to Clayton's house, we cut into the woods where this crabby neighbor guy (not from the sub) has a nasty old permanent campsite set up. It's surrounded by all these blue tarps and it's visible from our neighborhood and from the main road. I hear it's been a bit of an argument over past years. He's got "NO TRESPASSING" signs up all over and the camp looks like someone set up and then just disappeared. There is a tent, hammock, sleeping bags, cookware, silverware, beer bottles and more all just lying around back there. I'm pretty sure the guy leaves it there now just to spite us. I also hear he once caught some neighborhood kids back there and marched them home and had words with the parents because they were trespassing. We've repeatedly warned Logan not to go back there.

But yesterday? We cut through. Hopefully he doesn't read my blog.

And we saw that the guy had even fashioned himself a toilet in the woods. How utterly charming.

We came to the trail that divides his property from ours, and we followed it. There, we found ourselves distracted by these beauties.

After we had our appetizer, we kept going and crossed where the power lines come through. It had been all grown up with bushes but someone came through and cut it down earlier in the year, so now it's all berry briars and wildflowers.

We entered the pretty woods out toward the lake and found the hollow tree we discovered last fall.

It was empty yesterday.

But in the fall there was a raccoon sleeping there when we found it. He wasn't that happy about me sticking my camera in the hole and taking his photo.

Then we followed some game trails

through the swampiness to the spot on the creek bank where all the deer apparently come to drink. Logan was charmed by this mucky little spot. He said he wanted to camp here. I bet he'll revisit this spot over the years, as he gets bigger and is allowed to explore the woods on his own.

After the creek, we just played in the woods for a few. Logan walked on logs and climbed on trees and stuff.

Jordan decided he'd had enough of being carried in the pack on Daddy's back.

So he freed himself from the straps. He wanted me to carry him. I'd have made him walk but silly Mama didn't put shoes on him before we left home, so I ended up carrying him after all.

Then we went home for some nice hot homemade lasagna. It was delicious!

Oh, and we brought home lots of mud, seed cling-ons and mosquito bites.

All in all, it was a good afternoon hike! I just love going out and getting dirty with my men!

Bissell

2011-08-12T16:07:00.005-04:00

When we moved back in September, we moved into a house with very light beige carpeting. It's practically white. It looks great, but I immediately knew living in this house with two little boys was going to take its toll on the carpeting. The carpeting is in the living room and master bedroom. The kitchen, dining area and library are hardwood. I decided we were NOT going to be having any drinks or snacks in the living room. (And when I say WE I mean the kids. Hubby and I might have a little snack or a drink out there after the kids go to bed.)

A few months after we moved in, Jordan snuck out there with a cup of chocolate (whole) milk and managed to dump the whole thing on the carpet and my equally light beige glider rocker and glider footstool. Perhaps the cup exploded. I wasn't looking.

Anyway, that incident led to us calling a professional carpet cleaner. It had to be done, and we'd not had the carpets cleaned when we moved in anyway, so it was time.

After the carpet and chair were cleaned, I realized I was going to have to get SOMETHING to clean up little messes, so I did a little research and bought a Bissell Little Green for spots that come up.

It has served me well. I've had to bring it out a number of times, like when Jordan un-diapered himself and peed on Hubby's recliner, or when he took off into the living room after covering himself with yogurt, and then dove hands-and-face-first onto the couch. It's easy and fast. You just plug it in, turn it on and push a button to spray out some cleaning liquid on the offensive spot, then suck it back out with the hose/brush thingy. Voila. I don't think we've had a spot that hasn't come out, including pizza sauce. I think the key is catching them right away. Plus, I'm sure if I dumped a nice glass of Pinot Noir on the carpet, the Bissell might not be able to tackle it. I'm not about to try.

Around that time, I also bought a Bissell Natural Sweep, which is one of those sweepers that you don't plug in. You know, they use 'em in restaurants to get the crumbs. I wanted one so I could do daily maintenance vacuuming in the living room when Jordan is napping, since our Hoover is pretty loud.

However, the second time I used the Natural Sweep, I took it outside to empty the dirt trap and it broke on me! It was totally useless, but I'd already thrown out the box and receipt. I figured I was out of luck, and the thing has been sitting in my closet ever since. That was last fall!

Well, I came across the Natural Sweep the other day and on a whim, I contacted Bissell Customer Service online and told them about it. Almost instantly, I was pow-wowwing with a lady who was asking questions about which part broke. I e-mailed her a photo and she stuck a brand new sweeper in the mail for me that day. I had it just a couple days later.

Why didn't I just ask earlier?

Also, why aren't ALL customer service matters resolved this easily and completely? (Eh, AT&T? DirectTV? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?)

And that's why I wrote this post. Bissell doesn't know I'm doing it. They didn't pay me or give me free stuff (except for the free replacement they gave me for the broken sweeper). They just did it because apparently that's the way they treat their customers, and for that, they get this. A post telling you that I use Bissell stuff to clean up my boys' messes, that I LIKE the things I've purchased from them, that they have EXCELLENT customer service and that I am highly likely to be a repeat customer.

So there ya go.

Backpacking tacos

2011-08-11T07:47:00.011-04:00

I am picky about food when we're backpacking.

Not picky as in I will only eat healthy things or anything like that, but just picky. Choices are somewhat limited when you have to carry everything for your meals on your back for days and cook it on a stove that literally fits in your pocket.

Some people use those just-add-water meal-in-a-bag things. Well, for one thing, they're expensive. For another, they're NASTY. I've only tried a couple, and have never found one I liked.

Other people cook noodle dinners. Lipton ones or just mac n' cheese, etc. This would be the category my husband falls under when he's without me. But just noodles doesn't cut it for me. I want something yummy and filling after a long day of hauling a heavy pack over trails (or non-trails)!

I am not sure how I discovered that I could make legitimate tacos out in the backcountry. Maybe I was experimenting with my dehydrator. Maybe I read something about drying ground beef in one of my backcountry cookbooks (I've never really found much in those books that works for me either. Like I said, Picky).

Anyway, a few years ago, I tried dehydrating some ground beef and making tacos, and ever since then, we've had tacos on every single backpacking trip we've taken.

People are often surprised to learn that you can actually take hamburger hiking, but if you do it right, you can make tacos that almost taste as good as the ones you have at home. Sometimes, they even taste better, because there's just something about having tacos in a wilderness setting after you've been hiking all day. It's neat.

So, just in case anyone who reads this wants to go backpacking and enjoy some super yummy tacos, I thought I'd share my recipe.

The majority of the work is done at home, prepping the meat.

First, you get some lean ground beef. I say lean because you want to try to eliminate as much of the fat as possible, since that would make the meat go bad faster.

Brown it WELL in a pan. Seriously, make sure it's completely cooked. Last thing you want is food poisoning in the backcountry!

After it's browned, put it in a colander and rinse it very well with very hot water. This gets more of the fat off it. Then let it drain in the sink for a bit. You want to get as much water as possible out of it.

After it's drained, lay out some paper towels and spread the meat on it, then put more paper towels on top and pat it so it's even drier.

Then, put it in your dehydrator. I went to the fabric store and bought a remnant of tulle, and cut it into a circle with a hole in the middle so it fits on my dehydrator tray. That keeps the little bits of meat from falling through the holes as it dries.

It only takes a couple hours on the meat setting for the burger to dry completely. After it's dry, let it cool completely, then put it in a bag. You would probably be fine with just a zip-lock style bag, but I take it another step and use my Foodsaver to vacuum seal it, just to keep it fresher. I also add my dry taco seasoning to the meat before I seal it up, just so I don't have an additional packet to take hiking.

Once it's sealed, keep it in the fridge until you go on your trip. It should be good up to a week.

I usually also vacuum seal a chunk of cheddar cheese. Did you know you can keep hard cheese un-refrigerated for a few days and it will be just fine, as long as it's sealed up? It's true! This time, I found a cute little 3-ounce block of pepper jack at the store, so I just took that.

Soft tortillas pack better. If you take hard shells, chances are you'll be eating crumbs. I generally buy one of those taco "kits" that has a pack of tortillas, a pack of seasoning and a pack of salsa.

At camp, an hour or so before dinner, (we do this after we set up camp) put the meat in your pan with a little water to start the re-hydrating process. Don't add too much water! You can always add more later. Otherwise you might end up with taco soup.

before soaking

after soaking

If you're going to be away from camp as the meat soaks, take precautions against critters. We used straps to keep them out and also put things on top of and around the pan while we went to the lake to filter more water.

A photo I took right after we filtered water out of Lake Michigan. It was refreshing! So was the swimming!

When you're ready to cook, you just add a little more water if necessary and heat the meat until it's hot all the way through and no longer crunchy. As the meat's cooking, chop the cheese into pieces.

I make thin slices and then we put them on the tortilla before the meat, then add the meat, and finally, we top it with the salsa.

Voila! Camp tacos!

If you're lucky enough to be hiking where wild leeks (ramps) can be found and you know what to look for, some chopped leeks in your taco meat are delicious.

I picked three, but it was the day AFTER we had tacos.

Instead, we used them in the salmon & pasta salad I made for dinner the next night.

You can also dehydrate chopped bell peppers or onions and mix them in with your ground beef at home. Mmmm...

Be careful to figure out before your trip how much meat you're going to need to feed the hikers in your party, because there are no places to store leftovers at camp. SOMEONE is going to have to finish it, because you don't want to be packing around cooked taco meat for your whole trip. You DO pack out your trash, right? You better!

When you pack your tortillas for the trip, it's a good idea to put them in a gallon-size zip-lock bag. That way, you can keep any leftover shells fresh and have them with peanut butter for breakfast or lunch the next day. I try to make sure we get the 10-pack of tortillas so we can do just that. It's a welcome break from oatmeal for breakfast.

So there you have it, my favorite camping meal!

I'm a WARRIOR!

2011-08-10T07:04:00.012-04:00

I did it!

Yes, after 7 months of waiting, I am finally worthy of the Warrior title.

I signed up for the Warrior Dash back in January. Right before the new year, a friend told me about it and said I should do it. At first I thought Yeah Right, but that thought was immediately replaced by Heck Yeah I Should!!! I thought it would be a great fitness goal to work toward, so I convinced Hubby it was a good idea, and we signed up.

As far as preparation, I planned to get strong by running, weight training and adding in lots of plyo-type body weight exercises. I figured pulling my own weight would be the best way to prepare for, well, pulling my own weight up walls and over obstacles. I also intended to drop 15-20 pounds but, well, that didn't happen. Moving on...

Prep went well up until THREE WEEKS before the Warrior Dash. One morning I went to the gym and loaded up a bar with 100 pounds to do some standard squats. No big deal, do it all the time. I'm generally very careful with form, too, so I don't get injured, but for some reason this day I was at the bottom of a squat and SOMETHING gave. My back wrenched in pain and for a while I couldn't even stand up straight. I hurt myself. It was really painful.

I went to the chiropractor and she took X-rays and found I'd compressed a lumbar disk. The adjustments she did on me over the next three weeks helped a lot, and I also was basically forced into resting. No real workouts. The back pain was (and is) still there but I'm trying to take it easy and it is getting better slowly.

Still, I was very, very worried about what this would mean for the Dash. I figured I'd still do it, but take it easy. Especially since Hubby and I had planned to leave right after the race for a 4-day backpacking trip. My goal had gone from rocking the race to just finishing without further injury, even if that meant walking it. I was kind of bummed but told myself it could be worse.

July 30 arrived and Hubby and I headed to Mt. Morris. We were running at 11 a.m. and it promised to be a very hot, steamy day. We got there and it was NUTS. Like a mix between Renaissance Festival and Lollapalooza. Loud music, mud-covered people drinking beer and eating turkey legs at 10 a.m., Viking helmets, people in costumes... Pure chaos. FUN!

I think the best costume I saw was Lt. Dangle from Reno 911. It was awesome! I ran by a dude in a wedding dress and another dude in full hockey goalie gear. There was a couple in front of me who had matching shirts. His said "It's not mud, it's shit" and hers said "it's not shit, it's mud." Personally, I think at times it was a little bit of both!

We met up with a couple friends and lined up for our race. I was representing the girl power in my pink camo shirt I'd found just for the event.

Here we are before the race, still clean

It was already so hot out, and when the race began, the first leg was on this sandy, sunny trail. I now call that the Desert Obstacle and I honestly think it was the most difficult part of the race. The crush of people running (they allowed 500 to run per wave) kept me from going too hard at the beginning and I think that was a good thing.

The obstacles began about a mile into the race. (3.1 mile race, 13 obstacles). The first one was a lot of tires to run through and then you had to scramble over some junk cars, then more tires, then more cars, then more tires.

Then there was an over-under obstacle that was made up of a chest-high wall to go over, then knee-high barbed wire to go under, wall, wire, wall, wire. Being a short girl, this obstacle was pretty easy for me. I think my upper body strength helped because some other women have reported having trouble getting over the walls. I was pleased that it wasn't hard.

Then came a refreshing dip in a lake. We ran into the lake and had to go over huge floating logs. I don't remember how many of them there were. Six or seven maybe? The water felt SO GOOD!

I don't remember the order of the next obstacles, but there was a big wall to climb (maybe 16 feet or something? There was a rope and some boards to help. It was cool. I did well here, too.

There was a "blackout" obstacle that was covered in black tarps. You had to crawl 30 feet through pitch blackness. It was like a SAUNA in there!

There was a sort of up-down-up-down-up-down platform covered in cargo nets to get across. I'd heard a hint beforehand to ROLL across it, so I did, and blew past everyone else who was trying to pick across it on their hands and feet.

There was a series of planks going up and down that you had to balance walk across. Easy Peasy.

There was a giant deep mud bog in the woods and a log to cross it on. Many people were opting to skip the log, but the mud was so deep. I saw a lot of people get stuck and a lot of people lose their shoes in there. Being only 5'4", I waited for the log. I had to WAIT too. It was kind of annoying to stop and wait in the middle of a race. After the logs, there was a very slick, steep mud hill to climb (got to see lots of people lose it here!) and then a bunch of up-down hills in the woods. This mud obstacle section was just a lot of fun! You got to get dirty and it was challenging.

"Arachnophobia" came after that. It was a big tangle of ropes, from head to feet, criss-crossing in all directions, and you had to make your way through that. There was this really tall guy in front of me and I actually just kind of slipped through behind him. I didn't intend to, it just worked out that way.

There was another really high wall to climb, just with pegs, and on the other side, your option for getting down was a knotted rope. I hear this one gave people some trouble too. I was good, though. What got me was after I dropped off the rope into the hay and started running, the hay was DEEP and I stumbled for a second.

The last obstacles came right at the end of the race. A big cargo net to climb--my FAVORITE! It was awesome! I guess I am made for cargo nets because I scrambled up and over and down that thing like a spider monkey. Felt so good!

Here's a photo I snapped of some people on the net after I finished my race

Then you had to jump a couple sets of Warrior fires. The fire was actually kind of weak when I hit this obstacle. I did a big ballet leap over the flames. The on-site photographers got a shot of me going over, but at the price they charge, forget it!

Here's a shot of some random dude jumping the fire.

The last thing was the mud pit. It was deepish, but as some poor guy learned, not deep enough for crazy diving. He was paralyzed from the neck down on this obstacle. It's so sad that someone's life could be so altered from a fun event.

After you plunged into the deep mud, you had to crawl under some more wire to get to the finish.

After I stood up I was so heavy with mud and the ground was so slick, I couldn't really run. I kind of lumbered to the finish.

And... here's Hubby and me, covered in mud!

Afterward, they had this huge tank truck shooting out water. This was the first time I've ever showered in public with 500 other people. Weird. And I wasn't all that clean afterward.

Hubby and I headed to the car to change into clean clothes. We found there were some water spigots in the parking area (this was held at a fairgrounds) so we got a little more cleaned up there.

I still wasn't very clean though. I know this because later, I used an outhouse and when I wiped... MUD. Ugh.

After changing our clothes, we went back in and got our free beer and took in the sights. Mmmmm refreshing!

The timing chips we tied to our shoes were our free beer token.

We also donated our abused shoes. Somehow, they take this mountain of muddiness and reuse it to provide footwear for people who don't have any.

Hubby and I enjoyed the Warrior Dash more than longer, endurance-style racing. Neither of us are built to be real runners, but we both had an easy time with the obstacles. We have already signed up for next year's Warrior Dash and are looking into the Dirty Dog Dash in September. It looks to be a similar setup as the Warrior Dash.

As for my injury, I ended up OK for the race and the backpacking trip. I didn't have any resulting pain other than the normal nagging been-kicked-in-the-back-repeatedly sensation I've had since the day I hurt it, so that was good.

I am looking forward to getting into even better shape for next year's race and seeing how much better I can do. I wasn't happy with my time for this year's race. It took me 49 minutes and 57 seconds, making me #242 out of the 879 females age 35-39 who ran it. This was a 16:07 per mile pace (OUCH!) A lot of that was due to waiting at the obstacles and walking after the obstacles, too, though, not just my general slowness! :)

My goal is to beat that time next year by as much as possible.

Oh, and the pink camo shirt? Didn't make it. The only thing I saved that I wore was my shorts. Everything else was beyond salvage.

Money-saving laundry tip

2011-08-09T13:31:00.009-04:00

Recently, our dryer died and I ended up hauling some loads of wet clothes to a friend's house to dry them while our kids played. While I was there, she shared a little tip with me that I thought was a really great idea, so I am going to share it with you.

It's good for the wallet AND for the planet, especially if you can find some eco-friendly liquid fabric softener.

First, you need to get some plain old sponges. I found a four-pack of yellow ones at the dollar store, and bought two packs.

Next, you need to find a lidded container that will stand up to holding liquid. I had an old baby wipe box sitting around waiting for a new job, so I hired it. (Reuse, baby!)

Now, you dilute some liquid fabric softener with plain old (free) tap water. The ratio of dilution probably depends on your personal preferences and the kind of softener you use. I used some wonderful ecoSTORE USA fabric softener, which I understand is no longer made for some awful reason, so I'm happy to stretch this precious bottle as far as I can.

Their stuff is highly concentrated, so I added four cups of water to one cup of softener.

After you make your mixture, you put your sponges in there to soak.

You no longer add liquid fabric softener to your wash loads and you no longer use dryer sheets. Instead, you squeeze liquid out of one sponge (doesn't have to be DRY but not super dripping either) and throw the sponge into your dryer with your wet clothes.

After the clothes come out all fluffy and softened and dry, just toss the sponge back into the liquid. (Reuse!)

Just keep your container on top of your dryer so it's always handy.

It's a great way to create less trash and stretch a dollar!

Thanks to my wonderful friend Crystal for this fabulous idea!

Oh, and one more little plug for ecoSTORE. I just plain love everything I've tried from this company and it has NO NASTY CHEMICALS.

See, here's me, showing my ecoSTORE love while hiking on North Manitou Island.

Oh, and they don't know I'm writing this. They didn't give me free fabric softener, either. I bought it. I buy lots of their stuff. It's good!

Check it out for yourself!

Natural Hearts

2011-08-08T16:30:00.009-04:00

This past week, Hubby and I went on a much-needed hiking date to North Manitou Island. It had been well over a year since our last date (Also an NMI hike). North Manitou is such a pretty place to backpack and camp, completely wooded and surrounded by sugar sand beaches and aqua Lake Michigan.

One of my favorite little pastimes as we hike is to look for natural hearts. I love happenstance heart shapes, especially when they're provided by Mother Nature.

Take a look and see what I found...

As I sat on a sand dune, I looked to the left and spotted this heart in a gnarled dune tree.

Along one of the trails, this violet leaf shone bright green against the darker velvety moss at the base of a tree.

Near Lake Manitou, patches of moss grew along the trail. This one caught my eye.

This little pond on the shore of Lake Michigan was so charming. It looked like a heart as I approached. As I drew closer, it changed shape. I prefer to remember it as a heart.

I found lots and lots of mermaid's tears (beach glass) on the eastern shore of the island. Several of the pieces were heart shaped.

On that same eastern beach, I had plenty of time to collect many heart-shaped stones and make beach art out of them. I have a small collection of heart stones at home, but wasn't about to pack all of these ones around the island, so there they remained for someone else to find!

I found these two different nut shells near the island dock. Strange... I didn't see the other halves anywhere, and there were no other nuts around. I believe the smaller is a black walnut but I'm not sure about the other.

Zebra mussels litter many Great Lakes beaches, and North Manitou is no exception. At least their shells sometimes make hearts.

And this? Well, it's definitely not a heart but it certainly caught my eye. It looked just like a skull staring out of the sand as we hiked along the beach, and it was about the right size, too. Eerie.

CD giveaway winner announcement

2011-07-22T09:48:00.003-04:00

Hey kids!

I just chose the winner of my A Curious Glimpse of Michigan CD giveaway!

The winner is...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
3
Timestamp: 2011-07-22 13:48:09 UTC

...which would be Marcia from mom.wife.fitness.LIFE!

momwifefitnesslife said...
There is always something to do here in Michigan. I love living in Grand Rapids - all of the other cool cities are close by!
momwifefitnesslife@gmail.com
thanks!
July 15, 2011 10:45 AM

Congrats Marcia! I hope you and your kids love this CD as much as my kids are digging it. They think it's hilarious! Maybe you could see Kevin perform sometime, since he's also from the G-Rap!

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Zucchini cookies

2011-07-19T09:20:00.007-04:00

It's that time of the year, when everyone seems to have zucchini coming out their ears. I guess that stuff REALLY likes Michigan. Or it's easy to grow. Or both.

I have to say, zucchini is one of my least favorite veggies. I just don't like the flavor or the texture. I mean, it's edible, but I don't go out of my way to make it. Mom used to bread and fry it sometimes and I remember that being OK, if it didn't turn out soggy.

Anyway, the one thing my mom used to make with the zukes was a batch of cookies. They aren't hard, dunking cookies like chocolate chip. More of a cake-like soft cookie. But they taste good. So, I decided to pick up a couple zukes at the farmer's market and make up a batch.

The first step brings me to what has to be my least favorite kitchen gadget: The Box Grater! Ugh. I despise using box graters. For one thing, I am always afraid I'm going to grate my finger. I've lost fingernails on this thing so many times. (No, I don't use the food after I've grated a nail into it. That's nasty.) Also, I think they're a pain to clean, and they make a big mess.

But, I don't think food-processed zucchini would work for this recipe, so I set about grating up the green stuff. Two cups of it, which was about two not-tiny-but-not-huge zukes.

Then I mixed it up according to the recipe. It looks like your dog ate a bunch of grass then threw up.

Once I got it mixed, it was really runny. I got to thinking maybe I'd accidentally put one too few cups of flour in, so I threw another in. That got the dough to a better consistency, however, my cookies turned out way different than mom's used to. Hers got really flat and were kind of sticky, but tasted better. Mine held together well and were not so sticky, but I thought they tasted like they had a bit too much flour.

Also, I got sick of making cookies, so I dumped the rest of the dough into a loaf pan and baked it forever 'til the middle finally set. It tastes good but got kind of dry.

Slathering it with a huge amount of real butter helps, not that I'd know anything about that.

Anyway, if you want to try zucchini cookies, these passed the kid test, for sure. My boys have been eating them like crazy. They're not EXTREMELY healthy but hey, they do have veggies in them.

For some reason, Jordan keeps calling them "tortilla cookies." I think he learned the words "tortilla" and "zucchini" both last week, and his mind is mixing them up. Anyway, it's stinkin' cute.

Here's my mom's recipe if you want to try making them yourself. I would suggest sticking to the original amount of flour rather than adding another cup to make the dough less sticky. Just allow room on the pans for the cookies to run out flatter, and make sure if you stack them after they cool, use waxed paper in between the layers. Keeping them in the fridge might help, too.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Cookies

Beat three eggs until light and foamy.
Add 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups grated zucchini and 3 tsp. vanilla extract and mix lightly but well.
Mix 4 cups flour (I used white whole wheat flour) 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. cinnamon and add to egg mixture. Blend.
Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and stir.
Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake in pre-heated 325-degree oven for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Remember, the cookies will be soft and cake-like.

A Curious Glimpse of Michigan CD review and giveaway

2011-07-15T07:32:00.011-04:00

I'm a Michigan girl, and I'm raising Michigan kids.

To me, that means sharing with my children my deep love for the beautiful state in which we live and travel. We appreciate so much of what this state has to offer, both in terms of history and nature. We buy Michigan-made products and take most of our vacations around our home state.

Recently, I came across a CD called A Curious Glimpse of Michigan, which was done by a guy from Grand Rapids named Kevin Kammeraad (and his friend Ryan Hipp and a whole bunch of other people!).

It's based on a Michigan poetry book of the same name that Kammeraad and Hipp put together a few years ago. The titles of the 49 tracks on the CD caught my eye because a lot of them were things I love about this state, such as:

a Day on the Mighty Mac

the Petoskey stone

the brook trout

the dwarf lake iris

the painted turtle

and LOTS more.

So, I contacted Kammeraad and he agreed to send me a copy of the CD to review. It arrived quickly, and the boys and I popped it into the CD player to listen to on a drive. Right away, several songs stood out as Logan's favorites.

He LOVES "Cousin Jacks," which is a tribute to the mining men of the past and their delicious legacy: the PASTY (the first fast food, dontcha know?)

"The Fur Trade?" is another favorite. It's got a punk rock feel to it, and both my kids love singing along to the song about the different animals trading fur with each other. OK, I admit it, I often find myself singing this one, too, as I do the dishes or go about my day. It's really catchy.

"Curious Questions" and other "Man on the Street" tracks like "Brook Trout" make my kids giggle, too. They LOVE it!

Another cool thing is that Logan is actually learning real facts about our state from listening to this CD. I'm sure Jordan is, too. He just can't really tell us about it quite yet.

Here's Kevin on how this CD came about:

"The idea of this CD began to develop while we were making the book. The book began as an opportunity when EDCO asked me about making a book of poetry all about Michigan. I wasn't sure what they had in mind, but they allowed us to write about anything, as long as it was about something to do with Michigan. It became "A Curious Glimpse of Michigan" since we wanted it a little odd and we knew it would be random (a glimpse).

After finishing the book, we started to create musical interpretations of the poems and ideas. It surely was a lot of work to put it all together, but it was a lot of fun to see it unfold. At first, we thought it would be just some of the poems done as songs, but we kept coming up with more ideas and because of the many artists involved, it all came together!"

Kevin's favorites:
Super State. "This was one of the first poems we intended to create musically."

The Fur Trade. "This was one of the last songs made. ScribbleMonster presented the idea of this one and it came together very quickly. I never heard a demo of the song; they just went into the studio and recorded it in one night!"

Over 635 Cities. "It's just a fun, funky song."

"I like each song for one reason or another though!"

I found out that just one week after I received my CD, Kammeraad was going to be in town doing a children's program at the local library. That was yesterday, so the kids and I headed up there to meet Kevin in person and see what he was all about.

It was a great, entertaining show and Kevin is a really nice person who knows just how to connect with kids. He had his young son, Carlos, along, too and it was a pleasure to meet him as well. I'd had to wake Jordan up early from his nap to go to the show, and he was rather crabby during the performance, but somehow afterward, when Kevin got down and spoke directly to him, Jordan was smiling and supplying the correct words for the songs.

Here are a few shots from the show. I should've used my flash, so they're a little dark.

We really enjoyed it and after realizing there was a Curious Glimpse of Michigan book that the CD was based on, we came right home and managed to find a copy to order. (It's out of print, but a limited number of them are available--new and used--at amazon.com) We just HAD to have one!

When he sent my CD, Kevin was nice enough to send an extra copy for me to give away here on my blog. If you're a Michigan parent who would like to share fun and interesting facts about this wonderful state with your kids (or if you just like visiting Michigan, or if you just want it for your own listening enjoyment) then here's your chance to win one!

Simply leave a comment on this post (don't forget to include your e-mail address) telling me your favorite thing or things about Michigan. That's it. Easy peasy. Share this giveaway on facebook with your friends and I'll give you another entry (Paste the link in a separate comment for it to count).

I'll randomly choose a winner a week from today. That's next Friday.

Good luck!

Oh! I knew I was forgetting something... This is Kevin's website. Go check him out. He's neat!

FlipFlops are perfect for summer (wine review)

2011-07-13T08:49:00.007-04:00

Everyone knows summer is the time for flip flops, but did you know they're not just for your feet?

I heard about FlipFlop wines, and, well OK, I will admit, I'm one to try out new wines based on two things: A cute name/label and a low price. Why? Because I know you don't necessarily have to spend a bundle to get a tasty wine, and also because I can't AFFORD to buy an expensive bottle of wine for just general everyday use.

Anyway, the company sent me out three bottles to try (at no charge to me). Can you imagine the joy when, on a very hot summer day, the FedEx man shows up with a large package containing three bottles of wine? It looked a little like this:

They sent me Pinot Grigio, Riesling and Pinot Noir to sample. I was pleased because, if I'd been given a choice, those would have been the three I'd have selected for myself.

A couple days later, I opened the Pinot Grigio to serve with maple glazed salmon. The pairing didn't work at all. BUT we also had some smoked menominee (whitefish) and somehow the wine actually worked with the smoked fish. That's hard to do. Smoked fish is such a strong flavor, wine will often make it taste really fishy or it will make the wine taste metallic. It didn't. Good to know I can enjoy one of my FAVORITE Michigan treats and still have wine!

I don't know why, but I forgot to take photos of that meal with the wine. Anyway, we drank most of the wine AFTER dinner, and it was good. Both Hubby and I thought so.

The next one I opened was the Riesling. I served it with a standard, simple dinner of baked spaghetti (Hubby's favorite), cucumbers with ranch dressing and bread dipped in seasoned olive oil. Mmmm. Good stuff!

I saved the best for last. The Pinot Noir was by far my favorite. Hubby doesn't care much for red wine but he liked it. He liked the whites better, though. I thought the red was the best. We ate dinner outdoors that night. Grilled chicken on salad, rice and veggies with hummus. The FlipFlop was the perfect complement to an outdoor summer dinner.

Later, as I walked through the kitchen after adding the last of the Pinot to my glass, I toasted the beautiful Michigan sunset through the back window, and managed to capture a bit of it in my glass. Tasted gooood!

So, after trying out the three FlipFlop wines I was given, I have to say I approve. I am not a wine expert by any means, but I like what I like. I'm a big fan of Michigan wines, because I like to keep things local (and because they're good) but if I'm going to just run to the store and pick up a bottle for dinner, there's a good chance I'll grab some FlipFlop. I want to try out the other wines they offer for sure. Lately, I've seen them on sale at my local Kroger store for 2/$10. Can't beat that! Plus, they definitely don't taste "cheap." You know, that vinegary gross cheap wine flavor? Yeah, nothing like that. They're good!

Thanks to FlipFlop for letting me try out your wines. I like them and think my friends will too!

OH! And if you needed any more urging to try FlipFlop, (this is so cool) the company has paired up with Soles4Souls and will provide a pair of flip flop sandals to someone in need! That's awesome! See? You can do some good by drinking good wine!

The alphARace inaugural event

2011-07-11T16:27:00.013-04:00

So, as of Saturday we were three weeks out from the Warrior Dash and I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to be a fun day. 11 obstacles within 3.1 miles, including cargo nets, slithering through mud under barbed wire, fire jumping and climbing a wall. I'd never done anything like it before.

As a matter of fact, that made me a little nervous. I mean, I've run a few races but never anything with obstacles. I haven't really been training for it specifically, just running and doing normal strength training. (Not to mention, I'd wanted to drop a few pounds, which didn't happen!) Scaling the wall, I think, is the obstacle that makes me the most nervous, since I've never really tried anything quite like that. I'm sure that means I'm underestimating some of the other obstacles. You know what? I won't know until I try it.

So, anyway, Saturday morning I got up and happened to drop in on facebook (Who, me? You're kidding, right?) and saw a note from my friend Peggy, who mentioned a little race that was happening that day at the home of a couple she knows. She invited me to come. I mentioned it to Hubby, and he didn't want to go due to his knee hurting. I thought it sounded like fun, so Logan and I decided to go and leave Hubby and Jordan at home.

We didn't really know what to expect, but I donned my just-purchased pink camo shirt. I had wanted to wear pink camo for the Warrior Dash. The shirt fit kinda funky though, so I ended up stretching out the neck and tearing off the sleeves and ripping shreds off them to tie in my braids.

We headed out to the Curell family farm up in the northern part of the county. It was HOT. Like 90 degrees and bright sunshine on a farm hot, so I slatered us with sunscreen. I bet we'd both be as red as lobsters if I hadn't done that.

We got there and hung out for a few hours before the racing began. They were still working on the huge waterslide into the pond when we arrived. It made me a bit nervous. Also, the fact that NO ONE had ever done a trial run of the course made me kind of nervous. Call me Nervous Nellie! ;)

It wasn't really an organized race, so to speak. Like I said, I didn't really know what to expect. It turned out to be a friends-and-family sort of trial run so the guys who are putting this race together could get some photos and video for marketing their race, and also to see how the course worked. The distance wasn't actually measured out. They said it was around 2 miles. It felt longer to me, but it's hard to say because the heat really whipped me, I was super hungry when I ran and the terrain was challenging. Corn fields aren't exactly smooth sailing! :) The race wasn't times, and that was probably a good thing!

Anyway, the first running of the race was I think seven people. Five guys and two girls. It was supposed to be guys first, then girls, but the two had to leave early so they ran with the dudes. Oh, and one guy wore a rubber Obama mask. Holy heatstroke, Batman!

Here are the two girls that ran with the guys, posing by the hay afterward in their shirts.

Not everyone got a shirt, since it wasn't a sign-up kind of race, but I managed to snag one since I was planning to do some publicity work for them. Score! I got a black one and I love it.

The race began with a mad scramble up and over some huge hay bales and then off into the corn field.

We didn't go THROUGH the corn field, but around it. However, due to the terrain being dangerously bumpy (You had to be super careful not to roll an ankle, especially if you're me!) it was slightly easier to go a row or two into the corn to run. The run around the corn field felt pretty long.

Then it was time to cross over the stream a couple times. Once on a log, and once or twice by jumping, and then you had to climb up a steepish bank on the other side. There was a rope, but I didn't use it. The only river crossing photos I've seen so far have been from the kids' race. (Isn't that cool? They had a kids' adventure race, too!)

After the river part there was... oh noooo... another, BIGGER corn field to run around. I am sorry. I had to walk for a minute or two. I was so hot, I could HEAR my heart beat in my ears. I ran 10 miles straight on July 4 and it was easier than this. I am clearly not made to run in super hot weather. That's what I get for always doing my running in the morning when it's cool!

Most of the way around the corn field was some barbed wire to army-crawl underneath. I'm glad there wasn't a photographer at this point when I went under because I apparently army-crawl with my butt way up in the air. I kept snagging it on the wires. This is a photo of Gina Curell making her way under it though.

After that came two walls to scale. This shows Brad Curell going over one of them. Yes, he ran in this weird aqua suit coat thingy. Brad's one of the two guys that came up with this race.

After the walls, you finished going around the corn field and then headed into the woods. Here's me entering the woods.

I was hot. And red. And very ready for shade, a dip in the pond and POWERADE. (There was a cooler of water at the walls but I didn't want to stop and drink because I knew it was only a short distance to the end and I get kinda sick if I drink when I run).

Almost there!

After the woods HALLELUJAH! THE WATERSLIDE! Who cared if the pond was stinky and had a foot of slime at the bottom? Not me! I was the first girl to come in of the four of us that ran (the two that ran with the guys, though, would've smoked me if they'd run with the girls' group). I had to catch my breath before going down the slide, but after a minute, down I went

making my entrance into the pond with perfect cheerleader form.

Splash! (yes, that's me)

And yes, I got a BUTT CRACK FULL OF SLIME! Really gross. But it felt so good to hit that water.

And then I got FOOOOOOOD! They'd been barbecuing all day, but I hadn't wanted to eat a lot before running in the hot weather, so I waited. It was worth the wait. I got my purple Powerade, plus BBQ chicken, watermelon and TWO small pieces of cake. Supah Dupah Yummylicious.

And sitting in the shade, all wet and fed? AWESOMENESS.

After the girls all came in and made a splash, the kids lined up for their race. It was super cute.

Lo crossing the log in his first adventure race

Even fairies can run an adventure race!

Here's my friends Peggy and Kevin's son Andrew using the rope to climb the stream bank

Then they all donned life jackets and got their own chances to go down the waterslide.

Logan loved it. He got some great air

and enjoyed swimming around in the reflections of the silos.

In all, we had a fantastic day. A fun race and great people.

Since the race, I have learned that the guys who dreamed it up have big plans to not only continue holding events at the farm, but also to take it around the United States to different military bases, offering those who serve our country a way to compete, challenge themselves and have fun. Plus, they want to donate any entrance fees to charities that serve military families. One of the race founders has served in the Air Force and left right after the race to go back to Germany to serve in the reserves for the next three months.

I wrote up a story for The County Press, and hopefully it will be running on Wednesday.

If you want more information about the alphARace, you can contact Brad Curell at Brad@alpharace.com

Cabooses

2011-06-13T13:24:00.006-04:00

I think the very best place in my town for a picnic on a nice day is the train station. At least, it's great if you have a little boy.

We don't have a big train station that's open all the time. It's only open a few minutes before the Amtrak rolls through, a couple times a week, on its way to or from Port Huron or Chicago.

But it does have something cool... three brightly-painted cabooses. This was always a place Logan and I loved to come for a picnic. We'd just sit on a caboose and eat whatever lunch we brought, and if we got lucky, a train would go by or the little green and yellow work train would be busily shunting grain cars at the grain elevator. I am surprised that I never see other moms with their kids at the cabooses. We've spent a lot of time there!

Logan's over the whole train fascination now (something I thought would never happen!) but Jordan likes them a lot, so I get to have caboose picnics again! Fun! Plus, they're a really picturesque place to take photos. As a matter of fact, I wish I'd had some of my senior photos taken here or maybe even some on our wedding day. That would have been neat.

Today is Logan's last day of school, so I took Jordan over to the cabooses for a special picnic lunch, just the two of us together, before big brother is home for the summer. It was wonderful. Have a look.

I see London, I see France, I see someone's green FLIP diaper!

Fun memories with my boy

I LOVE this photo of him just hanging out on the back of the caboose, eating his peach

Don't look down!

Kicking my feet up and enjoying my lunch

He was cracking up at these sparrows that kept landing on the tracks. I think they were building a nest somewhere. On a really gross note, check out the disgusting amount of backwash in Jordan's Kool-Aid. One reason I NEVER share my drinks with him!

Checking out the wheels and stuff underneath

Camping chow

2011-06-13T06:39:00.005-04:00

Do you remember the "Lowered Expectations" bit from MadTV? It was like a dating service for, well, people who might have a difficult time meeting other people because they were, like, serial killers or cat freaks or whatever? Well, I hear the little jingle from that bit going through my mind whenever I pack the food for camping.

I adore camping. Getting out in the woods with my husband and sons is something that just takes all the stresses and makes it float away. Getting ready to go is another thing altogether, though. I turn into a list-making machine the week before we leave. Particularly, planning out the food for the trip is a source of stress for me. I don't know why it gets my panties in such a bunch to deal with something that should be so simple, but it does. I guess it is partly because if you don't have every component of every dish, you're out of luck. What if it rains and you were planning to cook on the campfire? Also, there are four people to take into consideration, and I like to try to prepare meals that everyone will enjoy. I don't really want any mealtime battles on vacation.

At home, I try to serve my family mostly healthy foods. We have a couple boxed/processed items in the cupboards, but for the most part I try to stay away from too much of that stuff. Of course, with kids, things like Goldfish crackers are pretty much a staple.

But when we go camping, we don't eat nearly as healthy. I was appalled when I got groceries for our first camping trip of the year. It looked like, well, what I think a LOT of Americans' regular grocery shopping trips look like. Sad. A lot of junk. Sure, there were a few fruits and veggies in there, but I had definitely lowered my standards.

Here's a glimpse...

Here's what my planned meals looked like:

Breakfasts: Cereal, oatmeal, fruit (either fruit cups or fresh) and yogurt.

Lunches: Sandwiches. Ham & cheese or PB&J. I got the Simply Fruit jelly but shamefully got the Jif to Go peanut butter instead of the natural kind. Each little cup is just the right size to make a sandwich for each of the four of us, and the package of 8 cups will probably last us through the summer for camping. Plus, unlike with the natural PB, we won't have oily leakage! Learned that one from experience!!! Also we have fresh veggies with hummus, trail mix and beef jerky, or cheese and crackers and ring bologna.

Dinners: I planned three nights' worth. One was Koegel Vienna hot dogs and raw veggies with hummus. The second was ham steaks, crescent rolls cooked on a stick over the fire, and some sort of canned veggies. Probably green beans. The third was chicken fajitas (I'll pre-cook the chicken at home) and chips w/ guacamole I make at camp (the kind where you just mix a packet with the avocados).

As for snacks, I got a bag of potato chips (I never buy chips, except mini bags for the Chore Store, and tortilla chips to have with homemade salsa and guacamole) and, of course, I took stuff to make s'mores.

To drink, we took milk, orange juice and a copuple Powerades (it was 69 cents for a 32 ounce bottle so I figured it would be a treat. Plus, I always get dehydrated when we camp because I forget to drink water). We also each take our stainless steel water bottles to refill at the campground tap.

The funny thing is, when we camp, after a day or so my tummy tells me in no uncertain terms that it is unhappy with my food choices. Especially after hot dog and marshmallow night. My gut HATES that stuff! You'd think I'd learn, but I don't.

One day I'd like to figure out how to maybe not take quite so much junk camping. A little is fine, but when I'm getting tummy aches and often can't wait to eat a normal meal when we get home, something needs to change.

How about you? Do you eat healthy on vacation, totally junk out, or somewhere in between?

Cheap peace of mind

2011-06-06T10:05:00.005-04:00

Childproofing.

I've never been a huge child proofer. I mean, I have most of our outlets plugged (but Jordan knows how to pull out the caps and put them back in) and of course I have any chemicals put up in high cupboards, but I never went to the extreme that a lot of parents do. I want my kids to be safe, but there should also be a little live and learn. I never, for example, got rid of my house plants (no poisonous ones) because I wanted my kids to learn to stay out of them. That meant, unfortunately, that each of them got a handful of cactus pickers at one time or another, but that's living and learning.

Jordan scares me, though. For one thing, he's a climber.

But his most recent trick has given me a number of mini heart attacks lately.

He escapes.

Seriously, I turn my back for two seconds and he's GONE. Out the front door, across the neighborhood, GONE. Locks don't baffle him. Barricading the door with a table? Minor obstacle. And he's fearless, and knows no boundaries. He will go into a neighbor's garage or house, out into the road, through the woods, into the swamp, wherever. No limits. Once last week I found him in the front seat of my car, pretending to drive.

I can see it now, my disheveled, tearstained face on the news... "I didn't even know he'd gotten out..."

Scary.

And he's FAST.

When Logan was this age, I used hook-and-eye closures on our screen doors at the old house. It worked well. However, we don't have screens here and there is fancy wooden trim around the front door, which would make using a hook difficult, and also it would permanently damage the wood.

My friend Eva told me she'd seen a door alarm at the dollar store. Well, I thought, it's only a buck. I didn't expect much, but I went to the store, found them, and bought the last two they had.

It looks like this

You simply peel and stick to the door and frame, switch it on and then when the door is opened, a really annoying alarm sounds.

So far, it works well. I have ample notice when Jordan makes a break for it. It's exactly what I needed, really. I love that you can turn it off, too. I just have to remember to do so. I set it off at 5 o'clock this morning when I left for the gym.

Jordan thinks it's hilarious to set it off, but so far, he hasn't been opening the door JUST to set it off. He just laughs when he happens to do so.

Here's Jordan, demonstrating how it works:

Anyway, I got it at Dollar Tree for a buck and it is called IntrudAlert, and I can say it does exactly what it's supposed to do. It might even make me feel a bit safer if Hubby's on a business trip.

Dollar Tree and IntrudAlert don't know me, didn't solicit this review, and I gained nothing from them to write this. It's just me sharing a bit of valuable info with other moms!

My foodie alphabet

2011-05-31T08:24:00.003-04:00

My food guru is my friend Tina. Seriously, she has an amazing approach to eating--mostly--healthy and she comes up with (or digs up) really fantastic recipes such as Almost Meatless Sloppy Joes. She is the one that finally taught me how to marinate portobello mushrooms and now I eat them all the time. She also introduced me to peanut butter in oatmeal. Oh, and fish tacos. This girl knows what she's doing!

She's been an online buddy of mine for a while (she lives in Georgia, so I haven't met her in person, but that doesn't matter! I still consider her a good friend!) and I ADORE her blog Faith, Fitness, Fun (Go check it out. It's OK... I'll wait.)

So anyway, she did a fun little post the other day and since she's my food inspiration, I thought I'd copy her. Plus, for some reason, I love filling out--and reading--these kinds of things.

Here it is, the food ABCs of me:

A is for Apple: What’s your favorite variety?

Pacific Rose is #1, and it has an amazingly short season. My husband once asked me if these apples were less good-for-you than others because they're so sweet. Seems like barely anyone has heard of them. A very close second is Honeycrisp. They have a slightly longer season, but it's still limited. This time of year, i settle for Gala or pink lady. If you can find them before they get mealy, Ambrosia apples are also awesome.

B is for Bread: Regardless of nutrition, what is your favorite type?

I'm not a big bread eater, but I LOVE the yeast rolls from Logan's Road House. I could probably just have 10 of them and happily call it my meal.

C is for Cereal: What is your favorite kind currently? (just one!)

I don't eat cereal very often, but I could do a LOT of damage with Koala Crisp. It's like organic brown rice Cocoa Krispies. I do like raisin bran, too.

D is for Donuts: You might not currently eat them, but what kind do you fancy?

Tim Horton's Boston Cream. The ones with the fudgy stuff on top. Yum. I also like a good blueberry donut.

E is for Eggs: How would you like yours prepared?

I've been eating 2-egg omelets lately with Swiss cheese and chopped green olives.

F is for Fat Free: What is your favorite fat free product?

Black cherry Chobani yogurt! Pineapple's my fave but it's 2%, not fat free. If we're going naturally fat free, I'm crazy for fruit!

G is for Groceries: Where do you purchase yours?

Meijer, with very occasional pit stops to Kroger, Wal-Mart or Whole Foods.

H: is for Hot Beverages: What is your favorite hot drink?

Coffee, daily, with a splash of whole milk.

I is for Ice Cream: Pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.

I love Breyer's natural vanilla (the kind with the bean specks) topped with salted peanuts.

J is for Jams or Jellies: Do you eat them? If so, what kind and flavor?

Any kind my dad makes. I don't buy jam or jelly. Actually, I might if the Jam Pot wasn't something like twelve hours away. It's this amazing little roadside place next to a waterfall in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There's a monastery across the road and the monks pick wild fruits and make jams and baked goods. SIMPLY INCREDIBLE and VERY out-of-the-way. Actually, you can order it via mail. Check it out. The Thimbleberry Jam is to DIE FOR!

K is for Kashi: Name your favorite Kashi product?

I like Kashi GoLean Cruch Honey Almond Flax, but I rarely buy it because one bowl of it will have me hardcore tooting for the rest of the day. What's IN that stuff? I call Kashi "Seven Whole Grains on a Mission to Clear a Room in Two Seconds Flat."

L is for Lunch: What was yours today?

It's 8:42 a.m. so I don't know. I'm thinking the leftover half hamburger and whole grilled portobello from dinner last night and some berries.

M is for microwave: What is your favorite microwave meal/snack?

Amy's frozen Cheese Enchilada Whole Meal. HOLY GOODNESS! I don't eat frozen meals often but I'll get this as a treat once in a while. It's a cheese enchilada, black beans and corn. It's kinda greasy but sooooooo yummy!

N is for nutrients: Do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?

I think I'm a fat lover. I can go all sorts of crazy on nuts and avocado.

O is for oil: What kind do you like to use?

I use olive oil most, but love cooking in coconut oil (or, um, eating it with a spoon.) I like walnut oil on salads.

P is for protein: How do you get yours?

However. Eggs, nuts and nut butters, legumes, meat, dairy. A good mix.

Q is for Quaker: How do you like your oats?

My favorite is cooking the oats and then adding 2 tablespoons of milled flax, a generous handful of black/blue/rasp/strawberries (whatever I have) and a tablespoon or so of natural peanut butter.

R is for roasting: What is your favorite thing to roast?

BRUSSELS SPROUTS!!! But Hubby and the boys don't much care for them so I don't make them often.

S is for sandwich: What’s your favorite kind?

Hmmm... I don't really eat a ton of sandwiches. I do love hamburgers. I think that counts, since it's bread and meat. My favorite 2 fast food sandwiches are the worst for you: McDonald's filet o' fish and Subway's tuna salad. Both really bad for you but tasty. I'll get one once or twice a year, usually on vacation. I recently made a tuna salad (made with hummus), avocado, cucumber and homegrown alfalfa sprout on a Slimwich bun for lunch and it was really super tasty. Extra bonus healthy points too! ;)

T is for travel: How do you handle eating while traveling?

We used to go out to eat when we traveled, but not so much with two little kids. Much of our travel is camping or hiking, so I pack food from home for that. If we're hotelling it, we stick to easy stuff like Subway, grilled chicken from KFC, or a container of chicken fried rice, which everyone will eat. Not super healthy, for sure, but whatever. It's vacation.

U is for unique: What is one of your weirdest food combos?

I'm sure there's something, but I can't think of it right now. I love the taste of green olives and chocolate together, though. I was so excited to find a kalamata olive & white chocolate bar from Vosges. It's pretty yummy!

V is for vitamins: What kind do you take?

Should but don't usually get around to it.

W is for wasabi: Yay or nay?

I LOVE those wasabi-coated dried peas and the Wasabi Soy almonds, but I don't eat regular wasabi. Probably because I don't eat sushi!

X is XRAY: If we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?

Hard-boiled egg and half a banana from before my workout and coffee with milk from after.

Y is for youth: What food reminds you of your childhood?

Pan-friend perch or bluegill. My dad would go fishing, come home, clean the fish and mom would cook them right up. SO STINKIN' GOOD. I haven't mastered it, so I never have this meal unless I have it at my parents' house. I don't fry. I'm afraid of it, therefore I suck at it.

Z is for zucchini: How do you prepare it?

Ew. One of the few veggies I don't care for. I DO, however, like it in cookies, breads or muffins, so when everyone has zucchinis coming out of their ears in late summer, I'll often whip up a batch of zucchini cookies.

Well, a whole lot of words and no photos. Sorry.

If you copy this and do it on your blog, let me know. I'd love to see your answers!

ecoSTORE USA review

2011-05-16T09:50:00.009-04:00

Ever since I did my first ecoSTORE USA review, I've been a fan of their products. Not only are they eco-friendly and made here in good old Michigan, they actually work well!

In fact, if you take a peek in my cleaning cupboards

or in my bathroom closet

you'll see that I buy a lot of the stuff when they run their great "double your order plus free shipping" sale. There are a few things, like the bar soaps, the toilet cleaner and the automatic dishwasher powder, that I don't want to run out of.

So, being a fan, of course I jumped on the opportunity to review a couple products when it was offered to me recently. I was given the improved toilet cleaner and also the glass cleaner to try.

My box arrived just in time. I had made homemade mango salsa and my stove top was a nightmare. I decided I'd really put the glass cleaner to the test.

Pardon the photos. The lighting in my kitchen combined with black granite and stainless steel means I can't take excellent, clear photos. I think you can tell that the stove top is a LOT cleaner after, though.

Before

After

The glass cleaner smells like plain old vinegar, and I usually use a mix of vinegar and water for glass cleaning. I am not sure this worked any better than the vinegar and water, to be honest, but I can say that without a doubt, the ecoSTORE glass cleaner did the job and did it well. That's more than can be said for all the other glass cleaners out there that I've tried, especially any of those dumb BLUE ones. They all leave awful streaks and smell horrible. I don't even want to THINK about what's in them. I love that I can give the ecoSTORE stuff to my six-year-old when he's doing his chores, and I don't have to worry if he gets it on his hands while he's cleaning.

My bathroom was in pretty sad shape, too, so I was able to use the glass cleaner in there as well as the toilet cleaner.

I'm not sure what was improved about the toilet cleaner, but it's in a bigger bottle and it still works great! LOVE that stuff!

I'll spare you a before photo of the bathroom, but it sure was sparkling clean AFTER!

In a house with me and three men, one of which is a two-year-old Mess Master, we need plenty of glass cleaner and toilet cleaner. I am thrilled to have found an eco-friendly version of each that does its job well.

The next ecoSTORE thing I plan to try out is the baby moisturizer, but not for my babies. For me! I've heard great things about it. Honestly, I'll probably end up trying out everything they offer, since I've been happy with all the items I've used so far.

ecoSTORE USA products can be found at Meijer stores, or online.

Call me Charlotte

2011-05-02T08:22:00.013-04:00

There I was last week, hurriedly frosting, gum dropping and sprinklizing dozens of cupcakes to take in for Logan's birthday snack at school.

I am deep in the midst of the Terrible Twos with Jordan. He's been quite challenging lately. Not only crabby and vocal, but making huge messes and causing lots of trouble, too. As I've been dealing with this, I've also been dealing with a nasty sinus thing that leaves my head pounding, my eyes feeling like they're going to bug out of my head, my nose completely stuffed and my throat aching because I've been mouth-breathing. I'm hot stuff these days.

At one point, it all culminated. Jordan got up from a way-too-short nap and screamed. Hard. For about 45 minutes. And Logan was screaming because Jordan was screaming.

I threatened to leave and never come back. Really, I did.

Then I got a little ~~hysterical~~ weepy and shut myself in the laundry room and called my BFF, sobbing, and tried to form words until I calmed down a little.

A few minutes later, I realized something. I was pretty much mirroring the scene in Sex and the City 2, where Charlotte is frosting a zillion cupcakes for her older daughter, Lily, to take to school, as her Terrible Two-year-old daughter, Rose, goes bonkers screaming. Charlotte ducks into the pantry and loses it.

I was Charlotte.

Well, except I didn't have a beautiful, braless Irish nanny swoop in to save the day. I just had to get on with it.

This is what I looked like a little while afterward.

Anyway, I thought I'd do a little post to share just a hint of what the Terrible Twos are looking like in our house.

Tiny Legos everywhere. He pulls off the floor vents and puts them in there. They haven't gone into the toilet or up his nose yet. I hope he doesn't read this and get any ideas.

TP makes a great boa. It does NOT belong on the roll. Nor does tissue belong in the box.

Books do NOT belong ON the shelf.

I don't know exactly how he did this to his shirt. He was totally trapped. Also, the hand in the diaper thing? Constant. Great times when he poops, too, let me tell you!

Hand stuck in water bottle.

Right after I snapped the photo, he worked it free, looked at me and said "Oh no!"

Then he tried to jam BOTH hands in there.

But they wouldn't fit.

So he dumped it all on the counter and floor. I didn't get a shot of that.

So yeah, it's been a bit tricky around here lately. As my mom always says, it's a good thing he's cute.

And he is. So cute.

And he's totally in a Mommy phase, which gets annoying but I sooooo love it when he gives me those precious baby kisses.

So, I guess I'll keep him.

SIX

2011-04-30T11:39:00.005-04:00

Fresh off the assembly line

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

SIX!!!!!

Happy birthday Logan! I love you so much!

Wonderful weekend

2011-04-25T07:23:00.016-04:00

To my surprise, I learned that Hubby had Good Friday off from work, making it a three-day weekend with my men. What a good start!

I set out for a run Friday afternoon. It was cloudy but not freezing. However, a couple miles in, the sky opened up and I ended up getting positively drenched! Some of the raindrops felt pretty slushy and I'm quite certain a decent-sized hailstone bonked me in the forehead at one point. It kinda hurt.

I made it 4.7 miles, though, and went home, but was feeling very, very stiff and sore from the run. Much more so than I felt after the 10K. In retrospect, I think I was starting to get sick, and running in the rain probably didn't help. I spent the rest of the weekend feeling quite awful with swollen glands, a very sore throat, a pounding headache and general achiness. No fun. Plus, both the boys were very, very snotty and Logan had a nasty cough too.

That's where the beauty of photography comes in, though. Because I didn't take a photo of the rain run or the aches and pains. I took photos of the fun stuff, and that's what I'll remember.

Here is a photo rundown of our nice Easter weekend:

On Saturday, we stopped by the court house for the annual Easter Egg hunt. Logan was excited to get started.

Jordan wasn't quite sure what to do at first so he just stood there and picked at his super-chapped top lip.

Finally after some coaching from me, he picked up a few eggs.

Then he realized there was candy inside and went all bonkers opening them and picking out all the chocolate.

Logan was almost too fast for me to photograph. All I got were butt shots. He filled his basket, though!

Then, we went bowling to celebrate Logan's 6th birthday (it's not 'til this coming Saturday). He had a lot of fun!

And there was ice cream cake!

Easter morning, the boys got up to discover some crazy bunny had left baskets of goodies for them. They each got a pair of (matching) sandals for summer, a stuffed animal, a small Lego set, bubbles, jelly beans, Pez and a couple other small things.

The bunny left a note saying he'd hidden 27 eggs in the back yard. It rained a little through the night, but luckily the plastic eggs kept the foil-wrapped chocolates dry. The kids had fun searching for the eggs, and cracking them open once they came back inside.

We skipped church due to 3/4 of the family not feeling well. A neighbor later told us it was standing-room-only so I'm a tiny bit glad we didn't go, because that would have been rough with the kids!

After the grass dried up a bit, we played outside.

I found real, actual flowers (grape hyacinths) coming up by the house, where it's warm. Yay for spring!

Logan had a blast playing with (and in the process, destroying) his new foam airplane.

Jordan got up close and personal with a family of ants he found in the driveway. (He observed them, then trashed their house, then squished a few by trying to pick them up and play with them. Hopefully he didn't eat any, but you never know!)

We drew with sidewalk chalk.

And blew bubbles.

Logan found a new friend, a 7-year-old boy who lives a few houses down, and they played happily together (That's the reason most of my playing outside photos are just Jordan. Logan was off with his new buddy!). The friend taught Jordan how to drive the Gator. Alone. Be still my heart!

He doesn't look where he's going at ALL!

We finished the day with ham, corn on the cob and crescent rolls, eaten OUTSIDE! The first al fresco dinner of the year! And, of course, ice cream cake!

Jordan helped peel the corn for dinner.

My babies reading together.

So, looking back on these photos, I will remember a wonderful Easter weekend.

Hope you all had as nice a time as we did!

Racing stripes

2011-04-18T14:34:00.005-04:00

Hi kids!

Ran a 10K on Saturday. It's the first race I've run since 2006, and since then I dealt with wrecked feet from plantar fasciitis and a pregnancy during which I spent 3 1/2 months on the couch and gained something like 55 or 60 pounds. It's been a tough comeback!

I'm still not back to my 2006 speedy self (which wasn't really all THAT speedy, but was good for me) but I did set a goal for the 10K this past weekend, and I met that goal... barely!

A couple weeks before the race, I went out for a Saturday run. I'd mapped out a 6.2 mile course on Gmaps and I ran it in 1 hour and 39 seconds. My goal for the race was to come in under an hour.

The night before the race, it was raining and REALLY windy. I laid awake all night listening to the rain and wind and thinking how much it was going to suck to run in it.

However, it stopped raining before the race and the wind wasn't too bad. It was an out-and-back course on a rail-to-trail so it was nice and flat. The last 2 miles, my ever-loving "runner's tummy" kicked in, making me feel like I was going to do THIS.

Seriously, once I saw that photo last year or whenever it was, I think of it when I feel that special feeling during a run.

Anyway, I got through it. No walking. And I did it in under an hour. 9 SECONDS under an hour, to be exact. Ha!

Here are my girlfriends Brenda and Mindy and me before the race

After the race, all sweaty and stinky

And I actually came in second in the female age 30-39 age group. Woo hoo!

So there ya go. I did it. And I have the Warrior Dash coming up in July, but I am thinking I'd like to do another race before then. We shall see.

On another note, last week I got some "racing stripes" in my hair. I didn't want full highlights but wanted something fun for spring so I just got a couple blond streaks in the front. I like it!

Mars and Venus

2011-04-13T08:41:00.004-04:00

Remember that book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?

Yeah, neither do I. It came out, I think, when I was a kid. I remember hearing the title though.

It reminds me of this dumb verse that the boys used to chant on the playground when I was in first grade or so: "Girls go to Jupiter to get more stupider. Boys go to Mars to get candy bars."

Oh, how gleefully they used to taunt us with that, and I distinctly remember feeling SO superior because they sounded like such idiots. Really? more stupider?! Yeah...

Anyway, back to that old book title. It's supposed to mean that men and women are just completely different, almost as if we're from different planets.

You know what? I'm convinced. It's true. There is no way we will ever, ever figure out the opposite sex, because we just plain can't fathom the way their minds work.

This was made evident to me the other day. I was about to paint my nails and for some dumb reason, I enlisted my husband's help in choosing a color.

I have a LOT of nail polish and I can debate for a very long time about just which shade to wear. Some of them are fun, but I get sick of them after a day or two.

Like this one.

I have a "safe" palette of colors that I seem to stick to.

Anyway, I asked Hubby what color he likes my nails best.

"I don't know, red?" he replied.

So I picked out a red shade.

"You like this one?" I asked.

"Sure." he said.

I wasn't really feeling the red, though. I wanted spring-y. Then I spotted a pink one that looked promising. I held it up.

"What about this one? Do you like this pink?"

HE said, "Pink is the same thing as red."

Uh, what? Oh no no no they are NOT! I have probably 43 different shades of pink and red in my nail polish bag. They are very much not the same. Some are orangey, some are kinda brownish, others are pure bubblegum or cherry. Totally different.

I didn't know what to say so I started laughing.

Then I chose purple.

To Hubby, though, it probably looks pink. Or red.

The great toddler bed debate

2011-03-31T12:04:00.003-04:00

When Logan was about a year and a half old, we took him out of the crib and got him a toddler bed.

He'd never been a great sleeper, gave up napping at the ripe old age of one (unless I drove him around in the car for hours, which I did frequently), and just generally crapped out in the whole sleeping department. He was hardcore refusing his crib, freaking out if we went anywhere near it, and he ended up in our bed most of the time. He's a KICKER and a bed hog, so Hubby and I weren't sleeping much.

Finally we decided to get him the little transitional bed, since he was so young. The novelty worked, and he was excited to sleep in it. Well, for all of a week anyway. Then, looking at the kind of girly decor of his room and the big rips he'd put in the wallpaper, we decided to do his room up for him, since we'd never done it before he was born (hence the girly decor). In the couple weeks it took to do his room, we pushed his little bed into our room. He wanted to be in our bed, and we were back to square one. Once the room reno was done, he still didn't want to go back into his toddler bed, so I spent a few months (not) sleeping on his floor. Hardwood, I might add. Fun times.

Eventually, we got him a real big-boy bed. A high one with drawers under it. He needed a step stool to get into it, and I cushioned the floor with pillows because he DID fall out. Even then, he tried to come to our bed, and I'd make him get back in his own, but I'd lay with him and ended up sleeping in there a lot. At least there was room, and it was soft!

Finally, around the age of three, something clicked and Logan became a great sleeper.

Now on to Jordan.

Jordan's given us sleep issues, too, but in different ways as Logan.

While nursing, Jordan held on to multiple night feedings longer than Logan did. I also did things a bit differently by working to make sure he had organized sleep and nap--IN HIS BED--routines and that has worked to my advantage in that he is now two and still takes a nap most days, and all I have to do is lay him in his crib.

He still wakes up in the night though. We go through phases. Sometimes he'll sleep through no problem for a few months and then something will throw him off and he'll start waking up and wanting me. Usually a night or two of letting him cry a little (it only generally takes a minute or two) will do the trick.

Lately, though, MAN he's been wanting me to hold him all night. He wants to sleep in the guest bedroom with me. He is starting to talk, and somehow knows that screaming "Mommy! Please!" hysterically, over and over, will wear me down, especially at 1:30 a.m. It's easier to just snuggle him and sleep.

When these things happen, I just do my best to get him back into the swing.

But here he is, about 2 years and 2 months old, and I find myself wondering if he is ready to transition into the toddler bed. Would he like it? Would it help him sleep better or would he be the kid that would just stay up and play? I know I'd have to rely on a baby gate in his doorway if I did put the toddler bed in there now, because our house is big, with stairs, and I don't want him wandering in the dark.

I know I should keep him in the crib as long as I can, for safety sake, and also because, well, he's CONFINED! For such a climber, I'm so shocked he hasn't figured out how to climb out of it, especially since he sleeps with multiple quilts AND a Pillow Pet. I bet he figures it out soon. He's seen enough babies do it on America's Funniest Videos.

So, that's it. I'm just undergoing the great toddler bed debate in my head.
Is it time?
If not, when?

UNO

2011-03-28T14:01:00.005-04:00

Have you ever played the card game UNO?

Everyone has, right?

I love UNO. It's pretty much the only card game I've ever been able to remember how to play. The few others I've learned don't stick, and some, like euchre, I just can't grasp.

But UNO is easy.

I played UNO a lot with my mom when I was little.

Before I had kids, Hubby and I played hours of UNO in the tent on rainy backpacking trips.

After Logan was born, we'd play it at the picnic table while we were camping and he was napping in the tent.

Then, when I got pregnant with Jordan and put on bed rest with nearly 4 months to go, I taught my 3 1/2-year-old Logan how to play it, and we played it almost every day for the entire time I was sentenced to the couch.

Now when we go camping, Hubby, Logan and I all play UNO together while Jordan naps.

For Christmas, I got Jordan the UNO MOO game so he can start learning the concepts and in another year or so, he'll be playing, too. For now, Logan and I play it and Jordan just steals the pieces.

Anyway, Logan and I just got done playing many games of UNO in a row. He's off school today because some idiot(s?) vandalized most of the school buses in our town. They let the air out of the tires on 50 of the 70-some buses in the yard.

Just thought I'd post this ridiculous post to let you know, if you're not playing UNO, you should. It's fun! :)

Have a great day!

Oh, Mattel, the makers of UNO, don't know me from Eve. They didn't pay me to write this or give me anything free. I just like UNO. And I borrowed the photos from amazon.com, so go there if you want to buy UNO or UNO MOO. Plus, I love shopping on amazon.

One week

2011-03-24T09:20:00.003-04:00

What a difference one week can make! I thought we were supposed to move from winter into spring, not the other way around!

Same spot on the Flint River, on Court Street behind the courthouse

March 17

March 24

Joy

2011-03-23T08:20:00.003-04:00

Ever try to take photos of your kids, and they're just being so silly, you can't catch them?

My camera is one of those that seems to take forever to focus, so a lot of times I manage to miss the photo I'm going for. Life with kids in motion, I guess.

I don't really like my camera very much. I wish I'd had a chance to test-drive it before buying it. I based my purchase on reviews and convinced Hubby this was the one to buy, so I'm stuck with it. Looking back, I actually kind of liked my little Pentax Optio M40 that I dropped in the sand and broke last summer better than the camera I have now. Kind of wish I'd just got another of that one, since it's smaller and easier and WAY more portable for things like backpacking trips, etc. Maybe I can find a deal on one. I definitely don't have $350 just lying around to blow on an extra camera.

Anyway, back to the original topic. My kids were goofing around and being cute yesterday and I was trying to photograph them, but they were just too fast for me. I'd miss the looking-at-the-camera-and-smiling moments and get these half faces and closed eyes.

Still, somehow I think they managed to capture the perfect joy of my babies. My ever-moving babies. Oh, how I love them.

Glass is NOT babyproof!

2011-03-22T12:44:00.004-04:00

I'm still on a quest to get rid of the probably-toxic plastic crap in my kitchen. I replaced most of the storage containers with glass, though I haven't found anything that works well for sandwiches or is the right size for stuff like trail mix yet.

I did get Jordan a couple glass sippy cups that have silicone grippy stuff on them. The sip tops are plastic, though. Also? He hates them. Pretty much refuses to drink from them. They were kind of expensive, too.

What he likes are the stupid Take 'n Toss sippy cups. I have to admit, they're easy, but I hate stuff like that. I don't want to "toss" it, be it in the trash or the #5 recycling bin at Whole Foods. But since they're supposed to be disposable, it probably isn't that great to wash and wash and wash them daily.

I still have been using the same old plastic plates and bowls Logan used, but they've been through the dishwasher a bunch of times (before I knew better) and make me nervous, so I've been giving him the regular glass small salad plates to use. I need to find some smaller glass bowls because our regular bowls are too big. Our drinking glasses are too big and heavy for him to hold. He's already broken one of them on accident because it slipped out of his hands.

Anyway, I'd like him to get used to eating and drinking from REAL dishes and glasses and learn that they are to be handled with care.

So, today, I stopped at the Salvation Army to see if they had a few little glasses and small glass bowls I could use for Jordan. Something not too expensive so if he broke them it wouldn't really matter. I didn't find any bowls, but I DID find the perfect glasses for him!

They hold about 4 ounces, they're small, AND (this is so cool) they have an Old English "J" etched into them!!!

Aren't they sweet?

So, I bought the entire set of 8 for him, since I figured some of them would end up broken. I was right. He was having a tantrum and chucked one of them right there in the store. CRASH! Embarrassing? Yeah. But I'm getting used to it. Jordan can be a brat if he's tired, hungry or just feeling like being a brat. He can be a challenging kid for sure.

Anyway, just thought I'd share since they're so cute.

Not a bad score for $2.32, eh?

Crunchier than the average bear?

2011-03-04T10:25:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder where I fall in the world of "crunchiness" (as in the slang term).

Here is the urban dictionary definition.

Some of those? Yeah, I fit in. I have adjusted my lifestyle for environmental reasons and I am a nature enthusiast. And I am a mom who cloth diapers. And I do enjoy spending time in the woods (But just because I do. Not for any other reason!).

I was thinking today of the small things I have done over the past couple years to be more, well, crunchy I guess.

I started using cloth diapers and wipes. I do still use disposables at certain times, like when all the cloth is in the wash or when I need to use some rash cream or when we travel. I'm not snooty about it, but I'd prefer to keep as many disposables as possible out of the landfills. Plus cloth diapers are adorable, and they save money.

I switched from paper napkins to cloth ones.

I (finally) always remember to take my reusable grocery bags.

I have eliminated a lot--but not all--plastic from my kitchen. No more Glad Ware, etc. What plastic is left is hand-washed (by Logan, I might add) instead of putting it in the dishwasher, so it doesn't break down/leach chemicals (at least any more than it already does).

All four members of my family have stainless steel water bottles we use every day. I got some stainless-steel drinking straws, too. LOVE them!

I stopped using paper towels for most things. I use regular towels and cloths for cleaning now. Paper towels are reserved for certain messes, basically poop and puke. That kind of stuff. I even have reusable cloth pads for my Swiffer Wetjet, and I refill the bottle with my own cleaner instead of buying refills.

I started using greener cleaning products. Either stuff from ecoStore or homemade goodies like vinegar and water or homemade laundry detergent (Fels Naptha, borax and soda ash. Can't beat 2 cents per load!!!).

I switched first to more eco-friendly feminine products, like cloth, but then I tried the Diva Cup and was hooked. It took a couple months to get accustomed to it, but now? LOVE IT! Zero garbage. Very little hassle. I shower in the morning after the gym and at night before bed, so that's when I take care of cleaning it. No problemo.

I scout the local consignment and thrift shops and donate things to them. I also signed up for the local Freecycle emails. I've given things away and taken a couple things too.

I used to sun-dry laundry on the line during the warm months. Our new neighborhood has a "no clothesline" policy. I still sun the diapers on a rack outside, and am looking into a retractable clothesline that I can still use out back, at least occasionally.

I recycle whatever I can, even though now I have to pay to do it. Some stuff (like the plastics and colored glass that aren't accepted by the county program) I actually have to drive an hour to Whole Foods to recycle. I still do it. I just save up a lot before I go, and run other errands while I'm there, to make the drive worth it.

All our fruit and veggie food scraps, plus dryer lint, coffee grounds, eggshells, etc. go out back in the compost pile.

I have a brownish thumb, but I do try to grow a few things in the warm months, like lettuces and spinach on my salad table.

I hit up the local farm markets for as much produce as I can. I do buy local meat sometimes. Now that I have a small chest freezer for storing meat, I'd like to do it more.

I've tried to eliminate fake foods like artificial sweeteners, trans fats, etc. from our diet, and I try not to buy too many individually-packaged snacks for Logan and Hubby's lunches. I get the big bag and divide it out instead.

I try to teach my kids about the things I'm doing and why, so they'll carry it on throughout their lives.

I guess my whole mindset has changed, because now I tend to feel guilty about things like using a paper towel or napkin, or heaven forbid a paper plate. I am appalled when I see people throw plastic water bottles or other recyclables in the garbage.

I also feel really guilty about one vice I have. Magazines. I subscribe to a number of magazines, and I LOVE them:

Oxygen
Clean Eating
Whole Living
Glamour
Parenting
Women's Health
Mary Jane's Farm

Also, Logan uses WAY too much paper with all his drawing and book-making! I've tried to get him to use dry-erase, but he loves having the drawing or book to carry around, look at and share afterward. I just keep recycling it, keeping only very special pieces.

I don't know. I guess I've been taking such small steps over time that I am completely used to the changes I made to be "greener" and healthier, and I get a little weirded out when I come across people (most people) that don't do the same things.

I wonder if I'm becoming an eco-snob. I don't necessarily look down on people who don't do the things I do, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. That I wish I could make them do it too. That it makes me sad that they don't.

In reality, I don't really have any idea if the changes I have made are doing any real good for my family's health and the planet's well-being. I like to think theyI am taking steps to make for a better future for my children.

What about you. Do you think I'm crunchy? An eco-snob? Just normal? What steps have you taken to green up your life?

The "green team!" (St. Patty's Day last year)

Stuck

2011-02-24T10:00:00.002-05:00

I was upstairs putting laundry away the other day when I heard The Who blaring downstairs, and lots of laughter. I went down and found Logan and Jordan jumping on my bed, and having a great time. Jordan had turned on my clock radio, which is where the music was coming from.

After the song was over, I herded the boys out of my room. In a few minutes, I realized Jordan wasn't in the living room. But where was he? I couldn't find him anywhere. Then I looked in my room and saw two little feet at the end of my bed. He'd gone back in there and had become stuck in the space between my mattress and the foot of my bed. Silly monkey.

The best part? Now that he realizes he can get stuck in there, he KEEPS DOING IT.

Homemade pizza!

2011-02-13T12:51:00.010-05:00

I have tried a number of times to make homemade pizza, but it never turned out right. Usually, my dough was soggy and floppy in the middle. I tried canned dough, dry mix dough and frozen dough, but it never came out quite right.

Well, my friend Eva is always raving about her husband Jeff's (inexpensive!) homemade pizza, so I asked for the recipe. Turns out, it's been requested so much that Jeff had the recipe all ready to go on facebook.

So, I picked up a ball of frozen dough and some sauce, cheese, mini turkey pepperonis and black olives. I also got some corn meal to put on my pizza stone so the dough wouldn't stick, and I chopped up some ham, turkey, broccoli, onions and red bell pepper that were in my fridge. (Bonus, I had some extra toppings that I used in some eggs the next morning. Yum!)

I let the dough thaw overnight in the fridge, and then I put it in a warm oven to rise for a while.

It rose, but I should have covered it, because it got a little dry on top which made it kind of funky to stretch out. I was afraid I might have ruined it.

I made a quarter of the pizza for everyone in the house, with the toppings they like most. Ham, turkey, pepperoni and LOTS of black olives for Logan, a little bit of everything and a TON of broccoli for me, "everything lite" minus black olives for Jordan and everything but black olives and not too much broccoli for Hubby.

Then it went in the oven. Jordan was really hungry and plastered himself to the oven door to watch it cook.

It came out looking and smelling great.

I was afraid it wouldn't be good. I was expecting it would not pass the Logan test. He only likes Little Caesars pizza. At first he refused to try it "because it looks GROSS!"

I asked him to please try a bite. He was surprised that it was good. The more he ate, the more he commented on how good it was. "This is DARN good pizza, Mom!" Oh yeah!

All four of us ate that entire pizza. All that was left was a scattering of cornmeal.

It really was good!

Try Jeff's recipe if you want to make a crowd-pleasing but not costly homemade pizza.

Maybe one day I'll learn to actually make crust. For now, the frozen stuff is good enough for me!

Breakfast date

2011-02-07T12:36:00.005-05:00

My baby is two today.

TWO.

I was going to write a looking back post but I don't feel like getting weepy right now. I already was crying when I wrote my newspaper column about him this morning. I might do one in the next day or two. He has changed so much in the past two years.

Two years ago right now, my husband left me in a PIT of a hospital room (I got induced in this closet-like hellhole of a room) to go out to lunch with his dad. The nice hospital people let me have a halfway edible meal and a shower. I got out of the shower and back into bed, settled back onto my pillow and rode the waves of the contractions I'd been having since, oh, six a.m. Suddenly I felt two weird pops in the side of my belly and gush! My water had broken on its own. Then the fun--and the pain--began. I called Hubby and they moved me to the luxury suite to have the baby. I still had almost 8 hours to go, though, and they were the tough hours. But anyway...

This morning, we dropped Logan off at school and then came home. I decided it would be fun to take Jordan on a little date, just him and me. I decided to take him to the Farm House restaurant for breakfast because they have a fantastic fruit plate. I craved and consumed obscene amounts of fruit when I was pregnant with him. Especially honeycrisp apples and Romeo peaches. Now, he eats SO MUCH fruit. He wants it all day, every day. Fruit at each meal, fruit in between. I knew he'd love the Farm House fruit plate, and I was right.

First, we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up some food, because he wanted chicken and corn on the cob for dinner. (I asked him, and he said he wanted "en" which is chicken. He only says the ends of most of the words he knows. It's interesting to translate.) And then when we were in the frozen aisle he spotted frozen corn on the cob and pointed at it hollering "cone! cone!" so I got some. I also got a can of Grands reduced fat biscuits and a very small carrot cake. I also got suckered into buying a Jurassic Attack monster truck toy.

Then we went to the restaurant. He played with his truck and crayons for a few

but before long he got very restless and started throwing a fit. I thought we were going to have to get our food to go, but as soon as he saw the fruit plate, he was THRILLED. He especially loved the watermelon slices, holding one triumphantly in the air and yelling out "OOOOOOOhhh!"

He Stuffed. His. Face. with that fruit.

Couldn't even stop eating it to pose for a pic with mommy.

But he sure was happy with that meal. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, banana, pineapple and strawberries, with a side of banana bread. I also got the kids' scrambled egg and sausage and toast meal and he ate the sausage and half the toast. I got the egg, half the toast and some of the fruit. It was a perfect breakfast date.

Even better, I had missed the sign that kids eat free on Mondays with the purchase of an adult meal, so I only had to pay for the fruit plate!

I used to do little dates like this with Logan but aside from an overnight campout last summer, I haven't done much one-on-one with Jordan. It was really nice to just sit there and have a conversation with him.

It went something like this:

Jordan: Eee!
Me: Yes, that's a strawberry.
J: Ed!
Me: Very good! It IS red!
J: Nnnn!
Me: Yes, that's melon. Cantaloupe to be exact.
J: Ornk!
Me: Yes, it's orange!
J: Nnnn!
Me: That melon is honeydew. What color is that one?
J: Een!
Me: Right! It's green!

You get the idea. Really great conversation. I adored every second of it.

It was a fantastic date. If I was The Bachelorette, this guy would definitely be getting a rose. We had an Amazing Connection.

:)

Wordless Wednesday: We've got a climber!

2011-02-02T16:45:00.001-05:00

Naughty but nicer cookies

2011-02-02T12:03:00.003-05:00

Happy snow day!

So, the giant Snowbomination we were to get last night? Well, we got some snow. Probably in the 10 inch range, with a few more inches falling today. And it got kinda windy, causing drifting. I don't think it's nearly the amazing storm the news channels made it out to be.

Anyway, no school today. Kids at home. Snow to play in, etc.

We played, and then came back inside and on days like this, well, I always want to bake cookies.

But if I bake cookies, I'll EAT cookies. And what's more, I'll eat several cookies worth of dough before they're even done. I can't help myself. I love cookie dough and I love cookies. That's why I never make them.

But Logan's got a cold and I thought my kiddies would like some, so I decided to make some cookies. I didn't want to make a lot (again, 'cause I'd eat them), and I don't generally keep ingredients like flour and sugar on hand because we just don't use those things around here very often. I had about a cup of flour in the cupboard, though, and the honey jar had just a little left in the bottom, so I found a recipe in my Wholesome Sugarfree Cooking cookbook and halved it, and then adapted it to what I had on hand, and wouldn't ya know, they turned out pretty darn tasty! Logan even likes them, and he's kinda picky about sweets.

So, here's my recipe, if you want to make some. They have a bit of a cakey consistency and are NOT super-sweet, but just sweet enough. They have a little butter and chocolate in them, making them kinda naughty, but they have some really healthy stuff in them, too, so I feel better about letting my kids (and yeah, myself. I have eaten several) eat them.

Naughty But Nice Cookies (small batch)

Beat together:
1/2 stick unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup local raw honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Then beat in:
1 cup whole wheat flour

Then fold in:
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I chopped up a chocolate Santa we had from Christmas)
1/2 cup muesli (I used Bob's Red Mill brand. The original recipe called for rolled oats and nuts. I thought using the muesli instead would be good and I was right.)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Bake on greased cookie sheet (all I had was olive oil, so I just sprayed a little bit on the pan with my olive oil mister) for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

They don't spread out much, so you don't have to put them really far apart on the pan.

This made somewhere around 2 dozen small cookies. Hard to keep track when you eat dough.

Mmmm...

How to entertain an almost 2-year-old

2011-01-19T11:15:00.005-05:00

We just had our living room carpet and the stairs to our upper level cleaned this morning, so Jordan and I were confined to the kitchen.

I wasn't sure how I'd keep him entertained, until I spotted the pan of eggs I had just hard-boiled.

"Want to help me peel eggs, buddy?" I asked him.
He nodded.

So, we plopped on the floor with a bowl, a towel and the pan of eggs and we cracked and peeled.

He only tasted the shell once. He took a bite of a partially-peeled egg. Crunch. Ew.

Some of his eggs are kind of mangled, but that's OK. I'll just make some egg salad with those ones.

As the eggs ran out, I had another thought.

"Want to peel some onions for me, too, kiddo?"

Nod.

He proceeded to sit there for 45 MINUTES happily peeling onions!

He only bit into one once, like an apple. I *almost* caught it on camera, but not quite.

Anyway, this little project killed an hour, the mess was minimal and easy to sweep up, and he actually helped!

Patting myself on the back today.
Good Mommy.

Jordan's first haircut

2011-01-14T14:54:00.007-05:00

Jordan will be two on Feb. 7, and had never had his hair cut. I love that blond baby fuzz, and just couldn't bring myself to have it cut off.

But it's been getting fuzzier lately, in the back. He sleeps on his back, and over the past couple days, the fuzz turned into little dreadlocks. I couldn't wash or comb them out. They just plain needed to be cut out.

He was looking sort of shaggy anyway. Super cute, as always, but a little wild.

Here are some "before" shots. Note the fuzz on the back of his head, wound into tiny little dreads.

So, today we made a pilgrimage to Great Lakes Crossing. I thought maybe taking him someplace fun like Carnival Cuts would go over better than some random barber shop.

At first, he thought it was cool. He got to sit in an airplane.

But then this chick started messing with the dreads.

Mom, I don't like this one bit. Why are you letting her do this to me?

WHAT THE HELL!

The lady was obviously used to this kind of reaction, so she kept going, talking to Jordan in a soothing voice. But notice, not even a lollipop worked to calm him down.

Eventually he was done. It's not a perfect haircut since he was screaming his fool head off, turning it from side to side and hitting at the scissors. It's a little more cleaned-up than before, though.

Happy snappy sitting in the fire truck with his lollipop when it was all over.

Logan had to get in on the action, even though he's too big!

So, we walked out of there, all of us, covered in tears, snot, lollipop residue and lots and lots of blond hair. I had some caught in my throat for quite a while. She put a tiny bit of his hair in a little ziplock bag for me and stapled it to a First Haircut certificate, which made me teary because it stated Jordan had "graduated from babyhood."

I can't handle that kind of stuff.

So, anyway, the deed is done and my little guy looks handsome... and older.

Hair cut

2011-01-10T12:53:00.002-05:00

So, I needed a hair cut. But, my stylist moved to Vegas on me. She's the only one I've trusted with my hair. Everyone else has trashed it. But, I had to get it cut, so I just picked a place out of the yellow pages.

Before (and no makeup. scary.)

Bad hair day! (This is after. Me being goofy. Taken upside down. That's why my face is all red.)

Wasn't too thrilled with the cut when I got home.

Like it a little better when I curl it and add some bling.

It was a very fast haircut. Like seven minutes. She didn't even wash it first, just sprayed it with a water bottle, and she was yakking with the other stylists while she was doing it. They all looked bored. No customers. Bad sign.

In my opinion, it's kind of uneven. When I part it, there aren't any layers on one side. It's weird.

But... it could be worse and will grow out.

Bobby pins are a girl's best friend, right?

Setbacks, pushing through and a new 'do

2011-01-07T08:22:00.004-05:00

Hello!

Well, I'm healing up from the tooth ordeal. Still can't really chew meat that well and haven't dared to try nuts or crunchy raw veggies yet, but the pain is under control. I don't have to really even take anything anymore. Also, I ran today and the jarring was just slightly uncomfortable. Not enough to make me stop.

Now I'm having another setback, though. I went to the doc yesterday and he did some X-rays and a few other tests and *thinks* I probably have carpal tunnel in my right wrist but wants to set up an EMG (whatever that is) to be certain.

So, for now I'm to take ibuprofen regularly for inflammation (joy. more drugs.), refrain from any upper body weight training (WHAT!?) and wear this wrist thingy when I sleep and if it's bugging me during the day.

The doctor said if it is carpal tunnel, he recommends just having the (outpatient) surgery to take care of it right away. That'll give me time to heal and then train for the WARRIOR DASH!!!

I've confirmed Hubby's and my registration for the Warrior Dash on July 30 in Mt. Morris and am soooooooo excited about it. You can check out the website here, but you'll get a better idea if you just watch this video. It looks like wild, crazy fun times!

I am working on dropping the extra weight because I bet it'll be a heck of a lot easier to do the Dash at 140 than it would be at 160! Also need to work on my cardio endurance, core strength and upper body strength, but I guess the upper body's on hold for the present time. It doesn't make me happy, but what are you going to do?

Oh, and I ordered this super cute T-shirt from Ford Warriors in Pink. I've wanted one of those shirts for a long time anyway, it's a good cause, and I found this one to be both inspirational and fitting for the upcoming months as I train for the Dash.

Also, I'm bored with my hair. It's blah. Now, I look at it and if I'd just let it go for another year or so, it would be long again. BUT... my hair's thin and this in-between phase is soooo annoying and I'm not sure I'd like it much better once it was really long again, because it is so thin.

I have considered shorter layers (nothing too drastic, but a couple inches off the length and more layers) and highlights. I pulled out my hair photos (I kind of have a little album of past hairstyles I've had to refer back to) and conferred with Hubby. He likes the layered look that I like, too, and said he likes my natural color, but would be happy with the highlights, too. (By the way, I don't base my hair on what HE wants, but I like having his input).

I think I'm going to go for the cut for now, and then keep thinking on the highlights. That's something I like to do in spring, anyway, to brighten me up for the summer months. I also have to find a salon that uses Shades, because that's worked best for me in the past.

I'll probably post before and after pics if there's a big difference when I get it cut.

So, yeah, that's about it for now! Have a fantastic weekend!

Easy art gallery

2011-01-05T14:08:00.004-05:00

Logan and I threw down the other day because I wouldn't let him tape his Mr. Men drawings and paper snowflakes to his bedroom door. I didn't want the tape to pull off the paint or leave marks.

It got ugly until I promised to figure out a way to display his art, so I thought about it for a few, then went to the store and bought a package of Command bathroom hooks (the kind that are supposed to remove without messing up your walls).

I put them up in the entrance to the playroom, threaded some clothespins with some yarn I've had laying around for years, tied the yarn to the hooks and VOILA!

Instant (cheap) art gallery.

Abscess makes the heart grow fonder

2011-01-04T09:25:00.011-05:00

This is a special year for Hubby and me. July will mark exactly 20 years since we met back in driver's training.

20 YEARS! Two decades.

Holy crap.

In October, we'll celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. (That's the tin, aluminum or diamond gift year. Hmmm... think I'll ask for some tin earrings. Ha!)

Ten years of marriage. Twenty years together.

And it hasn't all been pretty.

But you know what? Sometimes the ugliest times make you realize how great your relationship is.

And it doesn't get much uglier than this. This is me Monday morning.

On New Year's Eve, I developed a bad toothache in a tooth where I had a root canal years ago. For years, this tooth has bothered me from time to time. I'll get a toothache for a week or so, and then it'll go away. A few months later, I'll get another one. Then it'll go away. I've been to the dentist and had it checked out a couple times during the toothaches, and the X-rays didn't really show anything. The dentist said it could be a cracked root in the tooth, but it was hard to tell. There wasn't much that could be done.

Well, this time it turned out a bit different than other times. The toothache got REALLY bad. Of course, it was a holiday, so the dentist's office was closed.

The pain got worse and worse. I was taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen at the same time as well as sucking on mass quantities of Orajel, and still, it barely touched the pain. I couldn't even THINK straight, it hurt so bad.

Luckily, Hubby was off work at the time, so he could help me with the boys.

Sunday I woke up in such extreme pain--I had considered going to the ER the night before, and had begged Hubby to punch me in the face and knock me out--I gave in and called the dentist at home. He called in a prescription for antibiotics and vicodin for me and said come in the office later in the week.

Well, overnight the pain got even worse, even though I was taking the strong pain killer, and my face swelled up. (See above photo)

I pulled an all-nighter Sunday night, feeling like a junkie, counting down the hours until I could take more vicodin. I couldn't make it more than three or four hours even though I was supposed to wait six between doses. I watched TV, I went on Facebook, I cried, I watched the clock. It was like really severe labor pains, but in my head, with no break. Fun times.

Monday morning found Hubby back to work, Logan back to school and me counting the minutes until the dentist opened at 8, all while trying to manage Jordan. I could barely talk by the time someone answered, but managed to make an appointment for 12:30. Longest 4 1/2 hours EVER!

My BFF came to pick me up (I had driven Logan to school earlier on Vicodin and realized it wasn't a great idea for me to be driving) and dropped me off at the dentist. Then she took Jordan and her son to the store to shop while I was in the torture seat.

When I walked in, all the people that worked there looked at me with extremely sympathetic eyes. They could tell I was in a lot of pain just by my face. The novocaine shots made me feel better than I had in days, though, and the extraction wasn't nearly as rough as I thought it would be. It was done before I knew it.

I went home even more swollen with hunks of bloody gauze in my mouth. Yum.

But then, Hubby came home early so he could pick up Logan from school. Just after they got home, the novocaine wore off and the pain hit me like a brick in the face. I had the most severe headache I'd ever had, on top of the throb in my jaw and mouth. I seriously thought I was having a stroke. I took some more Vicodin, cried for a while and then passed out for a couple hours and then I felt good enough to get up and try to eat some soup, but my stomach wouldn't allow more than a couple bites.

During that time, my WONDERFUL Hubby took the boys to the basement to play, so I wouldn't have to even hear anything. He also VACUUMED down there (it was badly needed) and cleaned up and then went out and got them Subway for dinner and got soup for me in case I'd be able to eat it. He basically just made all the noise and mess disappear, and that was by far the best thing anyone could have done for me.

Then, when I apologized for looking so bad, he was so nice. He said "You don't look gross. It's just what happens. I know it hurts."

My sweet, sweet man.

I slept well last night and woke up today feeling much better. I've been off the vicodin since last night and am just taking ibuprofen now, and the swelling has come down a bit. The pain is WAY less than it was with the tooth in there.

So, anyway, I don't think I could have ever made it through yesterday evening without my husband. I know it must have been difficult for him to come home early after being off work for almost two weeks. I'm sure he has tons of phone calls and emails and meetings built up, but if I had been home alone with the boys when that numbness wore off, I don't know what I would have done. I was a mess.

I am so, so very grateful for my husband coming home from work and taking charge when I needed him most. It's the times like these that make me realize he really, truly does love me. In sickness AND in health.

Even if I'm really, really not pretty!

Body After Baby: Year of the Warrior!

2011-01-02T14:03:00.004-05:00

Hey y'all!

It's been a nice long holiday break, and I've eaten and lazed and fully enjoyed having my men at home with me, and now tomorrow it's back to the same ole same ole.

I weighed in yesterday and it wasn't pretty.

Also not pretty? This evil toothache I've had for three days. Yes, of course it has to happen over a holiday so there's no chance for help! I finally gave in and called the dentist at home this morning because I can't even think straight, let alone sleep, eat or even close my teeth. I have an old root canal with a suspected cracked root that has given me problems in the past but nothing ever like this before. The dentist was kind enough to call in a prescription for an antibiotic and VICODIN for me. I read the warnings list with the prescription and the Vicodin scares me but it hurts so bad, I actually took two and that was about 40 minutes ago. IT STILL HASN'T KICKED IN!!!

You know that scene in Cast Away when Tom Hanks knocks out his own tooth with an ice skate? Yeah, I'm considering it.

Anyway, I'll have to have it pulled this week. No getting around it anymore. What a drag. For now, I'm tryin' to survive on soft stuff but it even hurts to chew oatmeal.

It's the fourth week of the 8-week Body After Baby challenge at Mama Notes, and I haven't done a thing except gain a pound. I'm thinking the holidays weren't such a great time for this, but whatever. I'm not quitting.

So anyway, the New Year dawned kinda crappy here because of all this pain, BUT... I have a goal for the new year that I'm really really excited about.

Hubby and I are signing up for a race called the Warrior Dash, which is coming to Michigan for the first time. It's described as a "hellish" 3.3-mile race and there are 10 insane obstacles like cargo nets, plank walking, slithering through mud under barbed wire and fire jumping, just to name a few.

Check out the course here

Hardcore.

I just was thinking and I haven't been motivated to get back into shape. I needed something to kick me in the butt. This race will definitely get me far out of my comfort zone, and it sounds like so much fun. I am looking forward to working hard to get into killer shape and rock this thing.

Plus, if I do it right, I should come out in the best shape of my life. After all, I need to eat right and train hard to do well in this race. I want to rock my new age group! (I'll be turning 35 the month before the race, which pushes me into the 35-39 age group!)

And it would be really sweet to be in the best shape of my life to celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary in October!

So, the plan is, as always, to eat RIGHT and work out HARD, but with a renewed determination so I can be strong and make this race fun. I really, really want to FEEL like a warrior and show myself that I can do it.

It's so exciting to have a real, tangible goal that is not just some random number on the scale or on the jeans label!

I'm ready to rock! (Well, after this tooth stops torturing me, anyway. Right now I can barely even blink without wincing in pain!)

Happy New Year!

One fish, two fish...

2010-12-28T08:22:00.007-05:00

...red fish, blue fish.

Santa brought each of the boys a betta. Aren't they pretty?

Logan named his (the red one) Reffey, pronounced "reffi."
The blue one is Jordan's and is yet unnamed.

Here's Jordan, watching them eat their breakfast while he eats his.

Now they're living on our awesome new hutch. We got this thing on craigslist. It was listed for $175 but Hubby got them to take $150. It's very nice. There's a light in the upper cabinet, too. We put it where our Christmas tree was. It was just a big empty spot and the hutch fills it nicely, and now we have even more storage space! Yay!

We took the boys sledding again yesterday. It's been great sledding weather and we've been having a LOT of fun going all together. The sun came out and there were pretty sunset clouds in the sky. This is what the sky looked like through the woods out back when we got home. *sigh*

Life is good.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T12:21:00.005-05:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except for a mouse

Until he died.

I'm not even kidding.

We went to my father-in-law's house on Christmas Eve, then came home to put the kids to bed and wrap their gifts. We tucked our little angels in, and then headed to the basement where everything was hidden. We opened the door and there lay a freshly-dead mouse to welcome us.

Ew.

A couple weeks earlier, I had been sitting at the computer, which is in the bonus room above the garage, and I heard something scratching around above my head, in the attic space. Hubby climbed up there and put down some D-Con.

We figured that's what killed this mouse.

So, we wrapped the kids' gifts and I headed to bed because Hubby always has secret Christmas business that I'm not allowed to see. Then he showed up in the doorway of the bedroom with something in his hands.

It was a lovely white chocolate Santa he had bought from Sanders to put in my stocking.

But someone got into it first.

Ew.

So now we're thinking the mouse died of Death by (white) Chocolate.

Jordan awoke at 11:15, just as I was getting comfortable in bed, and had to be snuggled back to sleep. Logan tried to get up at 2:30 and I quickly vetoed that idea. I don't know if I was "on guard" listening for kids to creep down the stairs or if I was just excited or what, but I didn't sleep much. Finally at 6:30 Logan woke up again and Christmas morning began. First, though, I had to wake up Jordan, who really really just wanted to sleep. He got over it, though.

It was a lot of fun. Logan was tearing into the gifts like crazy. This is the first year he has done it. Usually it takes literally hours for him to make it through his gifts, because he wants to open and play with each one as he opens it. He tore everything open before playing this year.

Jordan was pretty slow about opening. He got his Little People raceway ramp thingy from Santa and his Pillow Pet puppy and he was perfectly happy with that and didn't seem to want anything else.

Here is a photo of the mess. Note the presents still on the coffee table. Those are Jordan's. The stockings were still stuffed, too. We waited a while to open those. They were stuffed with lots of (too many) yummies and some other small treats. Hubby and I ONLY do stockings for each other, and we each got each other new Timex Ironman Triathlon watches for running and new weight lifting gloves, among other things.

The kids loved their gifts, but like most kids these ages, the box can be even more fun. This was a bean bag box, and it had pre-made "windows" so it made a great play house. It lasted until today (the 27th) and became demolished, so now it's a trash holder and will go to the curb tomorrow.

One thing that made this Christmas morning super special was that Logan lost his first tooth! How exciting!

The Tooth Fairy came Christmas night and put a $2 bill in the tooth's place. Logan came downstairs the next day and said "Mom! I got a dollar, except it's got a 2 on it!" He'd never seen a $2 bill before. Neat.

So, it was a fantastic Christmas with my three men, and we're having a nice family week while Hubby's off work and Logan's off school. Come Jan. 3, this house is going to seem very quiet and lonely without them.

I'm going to suck it up as much as I can this week!

We have no New Year's Eve plans as usual. That holiday always depresses me. I sit here and Hubby falls asleep on the couch and I force myself to stay up even though I usually go to bed at 9. For some reason I feel a need to watch that dumb ball drop, even though it makes me cry and feel sad. Whatever.

So, hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!

XOXO

Merry Christmas Eve giggles

2010-12-24T10:52:00.002-05:00

Last night we were all watching AFV before bed, and there was this 26-second sequence of people and animals sneezing. Jordan thoughgt it was SO FUNNY! He was sitting on my lap, just cracking up so hard and yelling uh-oh and pointing at the screen.

I rewinded the sequence about six times and it didn't occur to me to record it until he'd done it probably four times. He was getting tired of laughing so hard, I think, but I still think his giggles are contagious.

Also, it's dark and crappy, because we had the lights off, but you can get the idea.

LOVE this kid!

Merry Christmas. Hope this makes you giggle.

EDIT:
OK, wow, this showed up even darker than what i previewed it on youtube. too bad because jordan's smile is so cute when he laughs.

sorry...

Body After Baby... yeah...

2010-12-23T14:15:00.002-05:00

I didn't even get a Body After Baby post up last week, probably because I didn't have much to say.

Honesty...

It's vacation time. Today is the first day I have both boys AND Hubby home, and they're home with me until Jan. 3. I LOVE having them all home. I don't even want to think about dieting.

I'm not going crazy, though. I'm keeping things in moderation and enjoying the holiday without a full-on eatathon.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we'll be having lasagna at Hubby's dad's. I'm planning to have a normal piece and some salad. Hubby and I will probably enjoy a couple drinks after the kids go to bed, as we're going about our Santa business. OMG is just have to say i am SO VERY EXCITED about Christmas morning this year, because of the boys' ages. Almost 2 and 5 1/2. perfect. It's going to be so fun to watch them open their gifts and see what Santa brought! If things work out like I want, the Tooth Fairy and Santa might just even visit on the same night because Logan's tooth is SO loose!

On Christmas morning I'll have a cinnamon roll, and then for dinner I'm making turkey breast and shrimp cocktail. Maybe I'll do the shrimp for lunch and then the turkey for an early dinner.

Day after, we'll be having roast at Hubby's mom's house.

So, I don't have any major pig-out fest planned.

Also, I signed us up to make 20 sack lunches for the local homeless shelter on New Year's Day. :)

So, I worked out all last week, taking yesterday off for a chiropractor appt. But then I took the boys sledding, which was pretty much a workout!

Today I ran a mile and did chest and back weights. I plan to hit the gym tomorrow morning and do some stairs and leg weights.

Possibly, on Christmas I might go for a run. Hubby and I do that sometimes.

But anyway, I'll be happy to maintain through this vacation time and then come 2011... It's ON, baby!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

More than monsters

2010-12-21T09:53:00.002-05:00

I've been a crabby mom lately, referring to my kids more often as "monsters" or "ogres" than anything else.

What's wrong with me? I LOVE these kids!

I'm very excited to surprise them on Christmas morning with all their goodies.

I love that Logan is doing so well in kindergarten.

I love that Jordan is learning to say more and more words every day.

I am excited (and a little sad) that Logan's first two teeth are going to fall out ANY DAY NOW.

I love that Jordan's wild hair matches his wild personality, because I just can't bring myself to get him his first haircut. I can't say goodbye to that white-blond ducky fuzz yet.

I love that Logan is adamant about saying his prayers every night (thanks to his daddy) and makes me do it even when I just want to hurry up and go to bed myself.

I love that Jordan screams every day when Logan gets out of the car at school (well, not really, but I'm glad he misses his big brother), and I love that Logan makes it a point to kiss his little brother good-bye several times before he gets out, because he knows Jordan is sad when Logan gets out.

I think it's funny that the only two things Logan will not eat (fruit and dairy) are the only two things Jordan wants to eat.

I love that Logan gave his beloved penguin, Peamotion, to his little brother to sleep with. I love that Jordan MUST have Peamotion to go to bed each night. I think he likes it so much because it was his brother's.

There are so many reasons I love these kids, and I am mad at myself for being crabby at them lately.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a short video of Jordan and his latest antics: Belly surfing on the table, saying "Ho ho ho," making an exasperated kkkkhhhhh sound and playing his new favorite (and dangerous) game, Blind Boy.

Enjoy!

Body After Baby Week 2

2010-12-13T07:28:00.003-05:00

Not much to say about Week 1.

Samantha posted two challenges this week:

1) Write down everything you eat and drink.

I need to do this. I haven't done it lately but will be starting up again today. Got my little book out. I know it helps. I really want to try to stick with this.

2) Cut out one unhealthy habit completely this week.

Mine's a little unconventional... I have been refraining from buying myself anything new to wear because I don't want to stay this size. However, my clothes are CRAP. SO I got myself a sweater and a sweatshirt this week so I feel a little better about myself. I also bought a pair of "goal panties" that I want to fit into nicely.

It's a snow day today and I for some reason laid awake all night last night. Hubby's going to be very late tonight due to a hockey game he's going to (doesn't start til 7:30!) so it's probably going to be a long day. The wind chills are pretty low, but I am going to bundle up the kiddies and take them out for a short burst of fresh air while I shovel the walk, since I'm expecting some things to come in the mail.

I was the ONLY person at the gym this morning besides the lady who works at the desk! Guess everyone else is a Winter Storm wimp! :P

Have a great week, even though this post is late and the week's almost over!

Solving a classic car mystery

2010-12-09T09:05:00.006-05:00

I'm SO not into cars. Not even a little bit. So, it's kind of strange that I felt the need to delve into the world of classic cars to solve a little mystery.

There's this little island that Hubby and I like to visit called North Manitou Island. It was populated long ago by loggers but is now a part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There are many signs of past life there, but wilderness is reclaiming the island more and more each year. Every time we visit, it seems, things are a little harder to find, a little more dilapidated, a little more obscured.

One of our favorite camping areas on the island is marked by this old car. In searching for North Manitou Island hiking stories online, I have seen photos of this car in many a backpacker's memories of the island, but no one ever mentioned what kind of car it might be.

On a whim yesterday, I Googled "Identify an old car" and came across this website. I emailed the site owner a photo of the old car in question and he came back with some sort of 1940s V8 Ford.

I searched for that and found this website full of old Ford photos, and after it uploaded, which took a million years on my super slow computer, I decided the car looked like a 1940 Ford Deluxe Tudor.

So, I Googled THAT and found these photos on www.carpictures.com, compared them to the car I was wondering about and...

ding ding ding!!! I think I solved my little mystery!

These photos are credited to someone named Wayne of Kerrville, Texas. I borrowed them from the carpictures.com website with no malicious intent. I saw no way to contact Wayne, so hopefully he doesn't have any issues with me sharing his photos here. They simply helped me determine what my mystery car is... or used to be, anyway.

So, here's a comparison of the old car with the new car. I don't see anything that would point to it not being the same type of car.

I'm thrilled to know just a little bit more about this car that sits rusting away on a wilderness island I love. Now I just wish I could know whose car it had been, and more about that person. I'll probably never know that, though.