Overdue!

Well, this is long overdue! I have been so busy with work and life that I have had no time to write. Makes me sad. :( A few noteworthy things have happened... My son has become an overnight football professional!

OK, not overnight, and not really a professional, but in the last 4 weeks he has learned how to play on a team, how to block for his teammates, and run like the wind when he gets the ball. It is amazing to watch him grow with every outing! He loves it, too, and wakes up every morning asking if it is a football day. Love that!

Well, we have done lots of special cooking based on the aforementioned football schedule. I don't think I have ever used the crockpot so much- and we have dinner ready when we get home from the football field. Chicken tacos, pot roast, pulled pork, horseradish and Coca cola ham, etc. We have also been baking- ANZAC biscuits, chocolate chip blondies, peach cobbler, and baked doughnut nuggets- YUM! All of the baking was vegan- and turned out yummy if I do say so myself!

Another item to note is the phone call we got from Bubba's school- for next year. Yeah, it is early October and the school is already contacting us about he paperwork and how the orientation goes for kindergarten. Do they know how fragile I am? Do they know I need the next 10 1/2 months to process this? I have to wrap my head around it- my sweet prince turns 5 in 11 days and I can't believe how fast it has gone! He is turning into a little boy in front of my eyes and I can't do a thing to stop it. So, I will try to embrace it... Wish me luck!

I did the Komen Race for the Cure in Chicago at the end of September with an old dear friend and her family. It was a great time and a wonderful cause! The weather was interesting (we could almost swim in the "grassy area" at grant park- but the rain couldn't dampen our spirits) and the people watching was fantastic! We took lots of pictures, ate huge amounts of fattening foods, and laughed a ton. It was a short trip (just one night) but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could (including me in my clothes after dinner at Buca di beppos!)LOL

Well, after a long week at work, I am looking forward to more family time this weekend... More great memories to come (( sigh))

Time marches on

So I visited an old friend yesterday. I have seen her more this year than in years past. She is the kind of friend that you can pick up and call or go visit and it feels like no time has passed. She is steady as the sun and amazingly strong. She helps me calm down when I am stressed and she makes me laugh when I am sad or scared. She is a rock.

The kids and I loaded up the car and traveled almost 2 hours to her house. She came out to the car to welcome the kids and my kids thought they had arrived at a toy store... Her little boy is very lucky to have so many toys to play with! My kids would have moved in had I let them, but they were content to play and ignore the old ladies chatting in the living room.

We sat and talked and laughed and enjoyed some great news. We shared stories and memories. When we met (about 18 years ago), we were different people. We were young girls who knew little fear and laughed often. We still laugh ALOT, but the fear has crept in. I love remembering with her and giggling at the silly things we used to do, but I also love the women that we have become and the strength we now know from that fear.

I am blessed to have her to call my friend and to share many great memories with her! I am looking forward to seeing her soon and making more memories. I hope everyone has a friend who is an anchor and gives them strength like she gives me. Do you have a friend like this you wouldn't trade for anything in the world?

How do they do that?

I cannot figure out for the life of me how other moms seem to be able to read books. No, I know that sounds stupid (a curse word in our house) but there are quite a few reasons that this sounds so foreign to me.
1. My kids don't seem to play anything without needing adult intervention for longer than about 4 minutes. By the time I find my page... They are yelling "Moooommmmmmmyyyyy!"
2. There seems to be an endless stream of dishes, laundry, pick-up, food prep, etc.... that interferes with my ability to sit for an appropriate amount if time.
3. Bedtime would be an obvious opportunity to read, but my kids think that bedtime is merely a guideline. They go to bed to start, but after about 5 minutes, one of them inevitably needs to use the restroom. Once one is up, then usually the other one needs to get up (because there has to be some sort of party or circus that they would miss out on if they stayed in bed!) Then it is a revolving door with kids in and out of the bathroom and so trying to follow a plot line in a book is pretty difficult to say the least.

Now, don't get me wrong- I am very blessed to be able to have the time with them- especially during the summer. I love them to the moon and back... But every once in a while, I reminisce about the days of lounging in bed till 10 AM... Planning a meal and not worrying about including all of the food groups... Sitting and reading for hours on end until the book I'd picked up was finished... Running to the store and watching a movie from start to finish also used to be easier. I guess the trade off is: we have live in entertainment... they give the world's best sloppy kisses and hugs that last forever... Sweet whispers... And holding them on my lap actually makes my heart ache because I know they won't be this size forever.

Now that I think about it... I am happy to give up the books for now. I will keep a list of the ones i want to read and until then, I will treasure the time with my babies who already grow too fast for my liking!

Look, Ma- no training wheels!

Well, as if I needed yet another reminder that my son is growing up quickly, he decided yesterday that he no longer needs training wheels.

I was minding my own business in the kitchen making dinner (BLTs- yum!) when I hear my husband (who was outside with both kids) yell in the open window that I needed to take a look at something. I peeked out the window and saw my son riding his bike in the grass. I thought, "Cool- he's been doing this during the day when Phil is at work and he finally showed Daddy!" Well, Phil pointed down to where Bubba's training wheels USED TO BE. I squealed!

There was my 4 year old son, riding in the grass, doing laps in the yard- upright- on a bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS. What?!?!?!?! I was so proud, but I also had such mixed emotions. I was almost (wait for it....) speechless. Hard to believe, huh? I ran out to the yard (after grabbing the video camera) and watched in amazement as my little man went from riding just a few feet before losing his balance to riding laps around the house. I couldn't believe it! Phil had the brilliant idea to have him try in the grass to start (he could explain the reason... I just know it worked!) and Bubba took over from there. He didn't want to get off his bike to eat dinner, even!

By the end of the night (after another venture outside to try riding after dinner), Bubba was riding up and down the sidewalk in front of our house and the neighbor's house and starting from a dead stop. He was using the brakes more comfortably and turning. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! The learning curve seems amazing to me because I remember boxes of band-aids and lots of Bactine and Mercurochrome. I remember tears and my dad having to hold on the seat for trips in front of the house about a gazillion times...

I am not sure when it happened or how, but my little man is growing up right before my eyes. Bittersweet only because I love him small and cuddly and I am afraid he will outgrow that part- but proud of the adventurous little man he is.  I love him and can't wait to see what new thing he does next!  **contented sigh**

We did it!!!

So, as you know, we have some pretty scary food allergies in our family. We don't go out to eat very often to keep the chance of a reaction low. We (meaning me) are scared to try new foods- the funny thing is that my son (who is the allergic one) is unafraid. Anyway, we joined the kids club at our local food co-op and as part of that you get a free smoothie for completing activities. So, after Bubba's dentist appointment yesterday (yeah, no cavities!), we had to run to the food co-op for a few things.  Phil asked if we were going to get a smoothie. I immediately thought "NO!" since it was a new thing we had never tried. I had talked to one of the workers there last week about how they clean their blenders, what ingredients are typically used, etc... all of the routine questions when dealing with allergies. Yesterday, when my husband mentioned it- I was speechless because I hadn't even thought of doing it then or processed all of it yet (yes, I am slow!).

When we walked into Basics, I had no intention of getting a smoothie- just picking up our vegan cheese and chocolate chips- and then we passed the smoothie bar... I thought, "I can look to see what they offer so I know for when we are ready." The menu looked pretty yummy- some items that were safe for us, some that were not.

The girl behind the counter asked if we wanted something, so I explained that we have food allergies and she said that they have lots of people who have food allergies that get smoothies there.

Hmmmm. (Processing again...)

I asked how they cleaned the blenders (again) and she explained it. I said thanks and we were going to head to the register to pay for our other items when Bubba asked, "Are we going to get a smoothie?"

That shouldn't be a tough question, but it really was.

So, the three of us (Moonie in tow) went back to the smoothie bar and read the menu and picked an item that sounded yummy. We talked it over - for quite a while...

"We would like the orange, strawberry, banana smoothie, please", I said. I couldn't believe I was doing it. What was I thinking????

After paying and going out to the car, I realized I had been holding the smoothie like one might hold a bomb that could go off at any time. I had to look crazy! But we weren't having any until we got to a spot where I was comfortable (the car fit the bill- so I could drive to the ER if I needed to...)

The kids were safely in their car seats and I turned to give Bubba his first little sip- to see if it caused a reaction- and he loved the taste! He had less than a teaspoon- and wanted more immediately. I wouldn't let him for a few minutes until I knew that he wouldn't have a reaction. No sign of a reaction. Several minutes later, another sip. Several minutes after that, another sip. No reaction... He wanted to hold it (and I no longer treated it like it might detonate) so I gave him the cup.

By this time, we were home. He proceeded to finish the smoothie (with a tiny bit of help from Moonie) during lunch and thought it was the best thing ever. And all I could think was that I almost didn't get it. I am grateful that Phil brought it up and that I was just less scared than normal and we tried it. What a great lesson for me! :)

Score:     Allergy- 0 
               Bubba- 1

I wish the nights weren't so long...

Infamous words from my 4 1/2 year old son. He is stuck in the stage between needing a nap and not needing one. If he naps during the day, he tends to stay up until about 10:30 (which drives me nuts!). If he doesn't nap, he can be a little cranky and quick to cry if something doesn't go his way. Is this what they call growing pains? If we could get him to take a short nap  then maybe we wouldn't have this issue. Compounding it is the fact that he will be going back to school in the fall and will have a "nap time" where he will be expected to lay down. If I take away naps now, then he has to do them again in a few weeks- it will be a difficult transition. If we keep them, he keeps the rest of the family awake late at night. This is officially a no-win situation. If anyone has any answers, I would love to hear them! :)

On to fun things- we have had a few play dates this week (and another one tomorrow) and the kids are loving seeing all of their friends! :) After playing in the heat, this is one of our family's favorite treats. And, I promised the recipe for Holly so here goes:

Vegan Ice Cream

3 C vanilla coconut milk (I use the So Delicious coconut milk as it seems to be the most rich)
1 C vegetable oil
1 C sugar
1-2 T vanilla (based on taste)

Place the above ingredients in a blender. Process to make sure it is well blended. Immediately pour into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer directions. (If you don't have an ice cream maker, I have heard of people pouring it into a large Ziploc plastic bag and placing it in the freezer. They go back and mix it by squeezing the bag every hour or hour and a half. Not sure how long it would take to then have ice cream... with the ice cream maker, I can have soft ice cream in about 3 hours. If you try it, let me know. ;)  )

*You can add a couple of bananas to the blender for some additional flavor and texture... you can also add chocolate chips after it has mixed in the ice cream machine.

Good luck and happy eating ! :)

Out of the mouths of babes...

So, in the last week, I have heard some of the most interesting, astute, and hilarious things come out out of my toddlers' mouths. Lately my daughter has been into singing the "name song"- you know it... the one that goes "Bobby, Bobby, bo-Bobby, banana-fana, fo fobby, me my mo-mobby, Bobby". The funny part is she did "duck" one day about 100 times and if you sing it out loud to yourself, you will see why I giggled. There are some words that shouldn't come out of a toddler's mouth, and that is one- but it was priceless because she had no idea what she said or what it meant. :)

I love how my kids speak like they are much older- like my age. Moonie came out of the bathroom the other day in her birthday suit, put her hand in the air, shrugged her shoulders, and said "Apparently my clothes fell off." Yeah, that is something that I hear lots of 3 year olds say. Sure.

Bubba has been trying new words- apparently, evidently, certainly, and today he tried "brilliant" to describe the temperature of the water in the pool. Needless to say, we are still working on learning the meaning of the last one...

We drove past a cemetery the other day and the kids were wondering why there were "flowers out in the grass like that". I explained that some people are buried there and that they go there after they die. I told them that their families and friends sometimes come to visit them because they miss them and then some people bring flowers and leave them graveside. Bubba asked a few more questions, but then he asked if the people that were buried there could hear the ones who came to visit them and I said that I thought so. That was the end of that as they then saw a man dressed in a mattress waving to people and were totally fascinated. The toddler equivalent of a "squirrel moment".

Now, to share a moment when I was so proud of them... I have a friend who is going through chemo and feeling yucky (to put it mildly). Anyway, my kids were pretending in the basement that they were going to see her and her family while they were riding their toys. My son said "We can't go see her, she is sick. We may give her more germs." My daughter then said, "Well, maybe we can take her some soup. That'll make her feel better." And then they pretended to take soup to her on their lap around their basement (about 47 laps- and soup each time for my friend. Loved it!). This was a sweet moment because they were thinking of someone other than themselves and they wanted to help her. I hope this continues! :)

Finally, I have been working on a few things around the house: getting ready for a rummage sale (all of the baby stuff is going) which seems a little overwhelming, making a long overdue birthday present for my friend (done!), and sewing a tote for another friend to give to her son's teacher. I have also been working on crocheting hair ties (about 10 so far) for Moonie which she calls "pretties". I am trying to figure out how to make them into a bracelet for her to wear- she loves the flowers and she likes to wear them in her hair and on her wrist. So, I will keep you updated on how that goes. The bags have been fun- I will post pics when I can figure it out... That's it for now. Until next time...

Sleep? What's that?

So, my elusive friend sleep decided to stand me up again tonight, soooo, I thought what better way to spend my time than blogging?

Today I was really thinking about Bubba's food allergies a lot. We went to lunch with some good family friends to a restaurant (loosely defined) with a play area for the kids. It used to scare me to death the thought if him touching something that had been contaminated with one of his allergens- but I have really tried to overcome my fear (notice I didn't say HIS fear). And you know what? He did great! Next, we went to the whole foods store and picked up some of his special foods and signed the kids up for the kids club. If he completes the coloring activity- he gets a free smoothie. Now, as a mom of someone with severe food allergies, that thought first scared the bejeezes out of me. As I talked with the manager about it, it actually sounded a little less scary. When I talked about it with my husband, it actually sounded do-able. That's right- I actually said we may try it. Thank god for my hubby who is more brave than I- he tends to balance me out when I get nervous about this stuff. Anyway, we may try it (wonder if we pick it up and take it and enjoy it in the ER parking lot just to be safe?...) and my son will be delighted!

So, tonight as I lay here wishing for sleep, all I can think of is Bubba's allergies and wonder what the future holds. Since my crystal ball is being repaired (hahaha), I guess I will just have to know only that today was a great day. I love Bubba no matter what and I admire him for his strength and bravery. I love that my daughter now "reads" labels to see if things are safe for him to eat. All for one and one for all! :-)

So, now that I got all of that out of my head, I wonder if sleep will come. Catch ya later!

PS: we made it to the fair yesterday and Bubba and Moonie both loved the animals! They both got to pet a cow and several goats. They rode a few rides and had a ball!!!

A little behind....

I have found that there are not as many hours in a day as I once thought. I sometimes feel like time flies by so quickly that I blink and I miss hours. I think that this became really apparent to me once we were blessed with kids. The kids are so much fun and have more energy than I ever remember having! They love to go and do things- pretty much anything- farmers market, community garden, grocery shopping, dentist, you name it! Today we are planning on going to the 4 H fair in our city. We have gone to the fair for several years now and my oldest, Bubba, loves to go. He enjoys seeing all of the animals- and marveling at how big they are! Ollie, on the other hand, has been scared of the animals in the past simply because they are so big! :) How unique they are, my little monkeys. I am curious to see how they do! :)

Oh- I almost forgot to share my new recipe! If you are new here, I basically bake vegan due to my son's food allergies. It is funny- I look for vegan recipes all the time (since they don't contain dairy or egg) and then I sometimes add meat for a full meal. I do not do this to offend, it is just how we handle things in our life right now. OK, so back to the recipe- lemon blueberry scones-- perfect for summer when berries are fresh and sooooo yummy! Here goes:

1 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer
2 T water
Place above ingredients in mini-food processor or whip by hand until thick and creamy.

2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Cut in 3/4 C cold vegan margarine until mix resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Add in to the crumbly mixture:
1/2 C soy or coconut milk (unsweetened, plain, vanilla, or vegan "buttermilk" all work well)
1/2-1 tsp lemon flavoring (depending on your taste)
pre-mixed egg replacer from above
Stir all ingredients just until dough holds together. If you stir too much, the scones will be tough.

Add in:
1 C fresh blueberries- fold them in gently.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. After dough is mixed together, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a circle about 3/4-1" thick. Cut into wedges (like a pizza). Place pieces about 2" apart on a greased (or silicone lined) cookie sheet. Brush the tops with water or milk just to moisten and sprinkle with turbinado/ raw sugar or cinnamon/ sugar mix if desired.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly on the pan, then finish cooling on a rack (if they last that long!). Enjoy! :)

Now that I am done with this, I think I will go have a scone! :)

How precious...

I sit here and wonder why some families have to go through terribly difficult times and others are blessed to have easier roads. Cancer has taken a friend of mine, attacked several others, and is currently trying to take a toddler from his family (colleague of mine). I just don't know what the criteria is or how it is decided who has what battles to fight. I really feel there is a lot of injustice when I think of each of their situations. I feel powerless to ease their pain and that is where I am stuck right now.

When I sat down to start writing tonight, this is not what I had intended to share. I was going to share something cute and fun that my kids did today- but I am very obviously distracted with thoughts of my friends and their families. What I have realized through watching people I know and love face such terrible situations is that I have to be grateful for each and every opportunity I have been given. I have to rejoice in the blessing that is my family. I need to be grateful for the miracles that are my children and the joy they bring me daily. I feel so blessed to have all the wonderful people in my life that I have. I am lucky to be able to work and provide for my family. We are blessed to have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our bellies. We have a house full of love and laughter- and a safe haven for us to find shelter when the world threatens our peace. We are strong and united- and today it hit me again how truly precious life is.

Pool fun!

Well, for the last 12 days, the kids have enjoyed the pool and wanted nothing else... We are in it a couple of times a day (generally) and I don't think I would know several things if we didn't have the pool..
1. My kids are pretty brave in the water.
2. Pool water smoochies are sweet.
3. Bubba can hold his breath very well and likes to do alligator rolls, swim UNDER the raft, and swim underwater from one side of the pool to the other. Who woulda thunk it? His asthma hasn't slowed him down a bit!!
4. Moonie can walk on her knees in the pool- and knows how to hold her breath underwater. She doesn't get scared much anymore if she slips and her head goes under. She quickly rights herself and comes out smiling at the end.
5. Bubba likes to dive and get bean bags off the bottom of the pool.
6. I am impressed with their fearlessness and their spirit of adventure. Yet another reason to be proud of them and love them even more!!!

Who would have thought that a simple act of getting a pool for the kids to play in this summer would be such a lesson for me?

Time flies!

The kids are growing up so fast!! Moonie is 3 now and acts like she is going on 2! Bubba is 4 1/2 and already does so many things that we wouldn't expect him to do- he says the Pledge of allegiance and addition problems. Whose kid is this?? They are amazing kids who laugh easily and share lots of love. They play very well together (most of the time) and are always looking for each other when they are apart.