Fragments

I am completely, 100% emotionally spent.  It's been that kind of a weekend.

Friday, Jason ended up needing to drive to Illinois after work.  Mark and I weren't thrilled with the idea of him driving all that way by himself, late at night, and offered to take Matt & Lily so Jason & Lori could go together.  They said yes, so we unexpectedly, but very happily, ended up having Matt & Lily here Friday night and Saturday.

Friday night, Julianna had her second audition class for a higher level ballet she's trying to get invited into.  She felt very good about it, to me, she looked tired.  T.I.R.E.D.   Much more tired than last week.  I don't think there's really a chance in the world that she will be deemed ready for the higher level.  It makes me a bit sad, but realistically almost all of the other girls trying out are older than she is, some significantly.  If she makes it I'll over over-the-moon thrilled for her, but if not, next year she'll bump up to two ballet classes a week and I bet she'll be in much better shape a year from now when she tries again.

Saturday morning, I drove down to OU and picked up Rebekah.  It was really nice to have her home, even just for a quick visit, she had to go back today.

Saturday afternoon we mainly just were at the house with the kids.  Life was good.  :)  Saturday night, I made a great dinner:  steak, baked potatoes, broccolini, plus salmon for Jason.  When your daughter doesn't come home from college all that much, you try to make it worth her while, lol.  The steaks were awesome; the broccolini really popular, again.  Basically, I just put a couple of tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a skillet, add some sliced garlic, and saute the broccolini for 8-10 minutes until it's tender.  Season with kosher salt and pepper; and, at least at our house, prepare to watch your kids fight over it.  Definitely a keeper around here.

The salmon was a recipe I got from Stephanie.   For me, the bourbon was too strong, I am a complete wimp when it comes to liquor.  Mark really liked it, Julianna kept going back for more, Jason refused to eat it because he no longer eats fish or meat or chicken or pork.  *sigh*  A little frustrating.  He doesn't like, and I don't like, to just serve him side dishes, but I only have a few things in my repertoire that work well for all of us for meals that are completely vegetarian.  I like having him to dinner, I just wish he would expand what he'll eat.  It's okay though, he's worth it.

Unfortunately, Saturday night, Julianna started complaining like crazy of her neck hurting.  She was complaining of a sore throat as well.  Sunday morning when she woke up she was still really complaining about her neck and she was definitely sicker than she had been Saturday night.  I worriedly called her doctor, which worried him, because, as he said, I'm not an alarmist.  Fortunately after I talked to him I did feel better, even though his first reaction was that we should take her to urgent care.  Again, he was reacting to the fact that I almost never worry like that about my kids.  Usually I'm pretty calm when they're sick.  However, after talking with him about the likelihood of meningitis, I decided to take the wait and see approach.  I am so tired of weighing every health care decision from a money perspective.  I know, I'm sure there are many of you who think that's great, but it feels awful.  I hate constantly weighing cost vs. risk on every medical decision.  Having a $6000 per person deductible is a very stressful reality to live with.  I hate canceling doctor's appointments because $500 for the appointment is just not possible.  I resent not scheduling PT for my child because, again, $300 per session is not something we can do.  I don't know what the answers are, but I know I don't like this one bit.

 Mark ended up driving Rebekah back to OU, I was surprised at how emotional I was when she left.  I miss her.  It was wonderful having her home, I'm looking forward to having her home again in a few weeks for spring break.  I wish I could afford to take a day off when she's here, but it's not looking like that's a realistic possibility, I hope (and know) she understands that it's not a case of not putting her first, it's just a financial reality.  Lately, money seems to be whooshing out and down the drain.

Tonight, I finished reading Bridge to Terabithia to Jacob and Julianna.  It left me completely emotionally wiped out.  I'm sure I didn't help Jacob and Julianna deal with it by sobbing through the last 3 chapters.  Do I wish we'd never read it?  I'm not sure.  It's an extremely well-written book, the emotions she described hit me full force and brought back a lot of the painful emotions I experienced when my brother died 29 years ago.  Didn't really see that coming.  It's a very good book, but it's a very painful book to read.  It very much upset Jacob.  He completely identified with it, and loved it, and to have a main character who was so well loved, die, is difficult.  Julianna was also upset, but for her, I think it was more upsetting to see me having such an emotional reaction to it.  I'm glad (?) we read it, but I'm very glad it's over and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more light reading in the foreseeable future.  Have a fun chapter book you love that we should read?  We've read lots, the Fudge series, Ramona, Laura Ingalls, Mr. Popper, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Winnie the Pooh, Callie Woodlawn, and many, many, many more that I'm not mentioning, but if you can think of something enjoyable you think I've overlooked, I'd love the tip. I need some inspiration!

So...let's recap...I'm missing my oldest girl, slightly worried about and nursing my youngest girl, emotionally spent from a children's book, resenting our healthcare system, hoping the money drain stops soon...did I capture it all?  There's more, of course, there always is in our lives, isn't there?  No matter how we might try, and honestly I'm not sure that I do try, it's impossible to fully capture the reality of our lives on our blogs.  I think I'm going to go do my best to just *chill* tonight, to unwind, to breathe, to focus on the many, many good things and turn over to God the not so good things.

Thanks for listening!

Girlie Wisdom

Apologies.  I have no idea what creative person wrote this, I received it from a friend and thought they were too funny not to pass on.  Have a good chuckle.  :)

Subject: Girlie Wisdom

1. A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills... she has 14 kids but she doesn't really care.

2. One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.

3. My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

4. The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

5. The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.

6. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat are really good friends.

7. Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

8. Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.

9. I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my panties.

10. Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while, and it shrinks 2 sizes!

11. Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' .....Now, I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name, and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

12. The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing -- and then they marry him.

13. I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!

Happy Friday!

 

Save Some Bucks $$

So...Rebekah, thankfully, is attending college on a full-tuition scholarship.  That's a huge blessing for her and for our family, I have no idea how she would go to school without it.  Still, in a real eye-opener, we still need to come up with around $12,000 a year for room/board/books, etc.  As you can imagine, every chance we get to save money, we go for.

One way that she has found that can save significant amounts of money is to rent her college textbooks.  Utilizing companies like Campus Book Rentals.com, she can easily find the books she needs for her classes.  Delivery is fast and easy, returning is fast and easy, it saves money (a huge amount over buying new and a pretty significant amount even over buying used), it's truly a win-win for all of us.

When I first heard about renting textbooks, I admit I was skeptical.  Rebekah's had a chance to try it though and she finds it a great way to save money, and with us facing a $6000.00 deficit in funding college next year, every bit helps.

The opinions expressed are mine, as always, but Rebekah is receiving a discount on her books next quarter in exchange for me writing this post.

And Then MY Head Exploded

Homework assignment guaranteed to cause meltdowns, tears, utter devastation:  Give a 1-2 minute speech on a book you have read (in this case non-fiction), without any note cards.

I agree that's hard.  I would even say it's unreasonable at this age (10), to expect them to be able to do.  (A notecard with key words would make ALL the difference.)

But, come on!  You can do this.  You are (just stating truths) one of the brightest kids in the class.  This is not beyond your capabilities.  RELAX.  I am not the enemy.  BREATHE.  You will survive this, one way or another.  I'd like to survive too.

Oh my goodness, I certainly hope he learns to chill a little more as he grows.

*sigh*

MPM February 21

You know you have too many cookbooks, when you're watching TV, see a chef prepare a great looking dish, go online to get the recipe and realize you've had it all along in your new cookbook, and never knew.  I have a bad habit of buying cookbooks, but not necessarily cooking from them.  I need to work on that. 


Nonetheless, Emeril's Penne w/Escarole and Sausage and his  Gaahilicky Sizzling Shrimp both looked and sounded amazing and I'm incorporating them into our meal plan this time.  I'm excited to keep watching look through the cookbook and see what other gems are in there.


I've been shopping like crazy lately.  I blame it on Melissa.  She shops once a month.  I'm truly awe-inspired, though I don't think I could do it.  I'd have to devote a Saturday or Sunday to nothing but grocery shopping and I'm afraid that would leave me truly grumpy.  Still, if I didn't do home daycare, I'd be sorely tempted.  Anyway, I've been doing my fair share of stocking up, so hopefully my grocery shopping will be minimal for this meal plan.  We'll see.

lunches:  Southwestern Chicken Salads


Monday (dance):  Beef Barley Soup
Tuesday (piano & dance):  Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes, veggies, brownie bites
Wednesday:  Penne w/Escarole & Sausage
Thursday (dance):  Barefoot Contessa's Pot Roast, mashed potatoes,
Friday (dance):  Garlic Shrimp w/linguini, broccoloni, caesar salad


Hope you have a great week!

Wow!

Our weekend.  In a word, it was wonderful.  Truly.  Thank you Ohio University and our beautiful, special daughter for gifting us with time alone.  OU had some great things planned, but most of all they loved hanging out with Rebekah and her friends and feeling important in her life.  They made precious memories that will be with them the rest of their lives.  Thank you too for our son for letting us have a few more hours alone.  Yup, I took advantage of Jason's generous offer and he picked up J&J from OU today, leaving Mark a few more precious (and expensive!) hours together.

But, back to the beginning.  Friday night, Julianna had her first of 3 audition classes for ballet.  Whew!  If I had known how it was going to be, I might have discouraged her, though I'm not sure that would have been a good choice.  Twenty five girls are trying out.  There's not a definitive number as to how many they will take, they take whoever they deem "ready", but for comparison's sake, last year they took 12.  I did not realize that there would be girls there in 3rd, 4th, and even 5th grade.  The second graders, including Julianna, definitely have an uphill climb to be accepted in.  Five 2nd graders are auditioning, and honestly I would say each of their chances is somewhere between slim and none.  Hopefully she'll be able to look on it as a positive experience and be happy however it turns out.  Hopefully.  That's asking a lot of an eight year old.  We'll see how the next two Fridays go, but the odds are definitely not with her.


Saturday morning we got up, got J&J ready and headed down to OU, (cookies in tow, for those who were curious).  I decided that although mail-surprises are wonderful, practicality was going to win this time.  We quickly (lol) dropped off Jacob and Julianna and high-tailed it back to town.  We had lunch at a lovely pub in an area of town we don't usually spend time in, then headed to an outdoor mall to do some fun window shopping.  We spent an hour at the bookstore, just browsing, enjoying a coffee, doing nothing.  It was lovely.  We didn't even visit the kid's are once.  :)   We checked out some cooking stores, then decided to go see a movie.  Just Go With It was starting soon, so that's what we went with.  (Sorry.)  It was fun, light, everything we wanted a movie to be just then.  The movie let out around 6:40 and we were hungry.  We decided to go to a fancy place and get dinner.  We'd never really gone out for our Anniversary and that seemed like the perfect time to celebrate.  Fate had other plans.  We tried restaurant after restaurant after restaurant.  We were stopping in, calling like crazy.  All told we tried 35 restaurants before we gave up and believed the writing on the wall, there was no nice restaurant in our future that night.  Recession?  What recession?  Evidently it's completely over in Columbus, OH, trust me.  We finally settled on taking home a pizza from our favorite pizza place and watching a movie (It's Complicated, I love that movie) while we ate.  Also lots of fun.  :)  Reading in bed and lots of snuggling, and before we knew it Saturday was history.

kitchen paper--backgrd. compliments ven. plaster,

Sunday morning we had a ball.  We went out to brunch then headed to Lowe's.  At Lowe's we found wallpaper for our bathroom (we didn't even know we were looking for that, lol) as well as wallpaper for the wall from  H*** in our kitchen.  We decided to wallpaper the wall in the kitchen because it's scrubbable/cleanable and we're hoping we won't have as much of a problem with staining as we have on the paint.  Here's hoping anyway.   We picked a paint color for our bedroom (blue!  who knew!)   We ordered the wallpaper, got samples of the paint, and bought a snow-thrower.  Yup.  Weren't looking for that either, but Mark's finally admitting that the arthritis has gotten so bad that shoveling is just not something he can do anymore.  That's a big step for him.

bath paper.  Prettier than it looks.

Anyway, J&J got home safe and sound (thank you Jason!!), we got to hear all about the absolutely fabulous time they had at sibs weekend.  They had story after story after story about everything they did.  They definitely made some wonderful memories of that special time with their sister.  We had a great dinner (out!  We planned ahead and I did not cook all weekend, maybe it's not such a bad thing the fancy-schmancy places didn't work out, it left us money to go out with all weekend!), then home for stories and bed, and I declare the weekend a definite success.




added:  so, Jacob woke up at 1:00 am throwing up violently (so much for the 'great dinner out'), Julianna woke up at 4:30 with her headgear all messed up, and needed help untangeling it, Mark slept through his alarm at 5:30 and I had to get him up on the one day I get to sleep in.  Life is good.  : )

Friday!!!

Here's what's swirling around in my head today...

• I need to bake cookies for J&J to take to Rebekah tomorrow.  She wanted a care package, but first, an extended power outage got in the way, then a new furnace-A/C, then it was this week and it seemed silly to pay to send cookies and banana bread that would be well on their way to stale by the time she got them, when we're going to see her Sat.  Right call?  Don't know.  I worry that I should have sent them anyway because it's always fun to get a package in the mail, right?  Maybe I just have too much time to worry about things.
• Speaking of too much to worry about.  In all his awesomeness, Jason offered to help with the transportation to or from college this weekend (Jacob & Julianna are going to visit Rebekah for 24 hours to celebrate Sibs weekend, if you missed it).  I'm completely torn about taking him up on it.  On one hand, it would be lovely to have a little more time alone together Sunday.  On the other hand, I hate to impose, it's 3 1/2 hours of driving, plus he'll spend some time down there, and I know he has his own family obligations.  Additionally, I feel a little bit like Mark and I *should* be the ones to pick them up and hear all about their adventure.  What do you think?  Obsessing for nothing?  Pick them up ourselves.  Let go, he offered and it's only a couple of additional hours?  Can't decide.
• Laundry.  I have laundry to do, only yesterday I was bad and didn't fold the load when it was done and I'm dragging my heels about dealing with that.  :(
• Julianna has the first of 3 dance audition classes tonight.  They're auditioning to see if they'll be moved up to a more intensive (and more expensive and time consuming) higher level of ballet.  She wants it so badly.  I'm hoping that she gets it.  I'm hoping she's at peace if she doesn't get it.  I'm hoping if she does get it we'll figure out a way to pay for it.
• Taxes.  Complications.  FAFSA.  *sigh*
• I may or may not have pink eye.  My eye's running and a little itchy, although that's dissipating.   It's really bothering me though.  A few days ago it was my other eye, which leads me to think it's not pink eye.  I actually think I have some kind of allergy or cold that's manifesting itself in my eyes, but whatever it is, I wish it would go away now!!
• When Mark first came to the company he works for now, he had a lovely boss.  Truly a very nice man, with a very nice wife.  We rented their condo in Hilton Head a few years ago, they rent it out very inexpensively and give the renters they know the key to special closets (and laundry) and all kinds of perks.  I spent a good half hour or so a couple of nights ago talking with her about renting it this year.  She told me all the changes she had made, not in a braggy way, just in the way of someone who's doing her best to keep up her property and make it nice for people.  She truly was a lovely woman.  Was.  She never woke up yesterday.  It's so unspeakably sad, and it's just left a pall over everything.  It's so scary how fast your life can change--everything can shift in an instant and you never see it coming.
• I'm still obsessing thinking about what to do tomorrow with Mark.  I know I should not put too many expectations on this time, yet as it's never happened before and it's likely to be a long time until it happens again, I want it to be perfect.  No pressure.  :)
• Well, I have meals that need planned, grocery lists that need written, beds that need changed, cookies that need baked, children that need attention, floors that need cleaned, furniture that needs dusting, and bathrooms that need cleaned.  Yeah, pretty sure not all of that is going to happen.  :p 

Hope you all have a lovely, and blessedly normal, week.

Just Thursday 2/17

Hosted by MurdocksMama

Outside my window...it's gray and overcast.

Today I feel...lazy and relaxed, it's the weather

I am thinking...there's a blogpost I really, really need to write.

I am thankful...for my family.  Our situation is unique, but I love everything about it.

Tomorrow I am going to...work, then get ready to enjoy the weekend!

I am wearing...jeans, a 3/4 length sleeve dusty red shirt, and comfy slippers.  :)

I wish...weekends were 3 days?  Seriously, I wish the rec center we belong to opened at 5:30.  I just don't have a time that works to get there and work out, and I need to somehow incorporate physical activity into my life.

This weekend...Jacob and Julianna are going to OU to spend Sibs weekend with Rebekah.  Mark and I will be alone at home for the first time in (almost) 27 years.

I am reading...Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster.  I am loving it, she's so funny.

I am working on...what else?  Procrastinating!  Actually, I have some sour dough starter I'm working on bringing to life.  I'm hoping to make some delicious things with it in the next few weeks (year).

Yesterday I...spent WAY too much money at Costco.  I didn't buy anything we won't use, so it's all right, right?  Right?  I seriously could have had a heart attack when the cashier told me what I owed.  *sigh*

I am hoping...Julianna, Jacob & Rebekah have a wonderful time this weekend.

I am hearing...the baby I watch waking up, the 20 month old I watch chanting "Zippy, Zippy, Zippy" and counting 8, 9, 10 as he throws toys to Zippy over and over again.  They both love that game.  :)

I bet you didn't know...Jacob left his coat at cub scouts at school last night and sadly, it's probably gone forever.  I will be extremely surprised if it's not stolen.  It's a super nice (and fairly expensive) fleece that he absolutely loves.  I'm hoping I'm wrong and he gets it back.

One of my favorite...things is that I have customized ring tones for Mark, Jason & Lori, Rebekah and my parents.  When my cell phone rings and I hear those familiar songs, it always makes me smile.  :)

If I could travel anywhere, I would choose...hmmm, right now, if I could travel anywhere...I guess I would pick a family trip to D.C.  There's so much Jacob and Julianna would love to see, it's hard to believe it's been 5 years since we've been there!

Happy (almost) Friday everyone!

Anyone have any great ideas on how to spend our 24 hours alone this weekend?  We're going to try and treat it as though we're away, even though we'll be home.  Eating out, going to a movie, spending our B&N groupon...any other ideas?

February 14 MPM

What a week!  We followed up last week with the winter storm and the power outage with losing our furnace and needing a new one.  Yup, we're our own private stimulus right here.  Great for the local economy.

In all honesty, I'm relieved.  I've felt for a long time that our furnace and A/C were on borrowed time.  Now, the shoe has fallen.  Sure we're definitely poorer, but at least I know we'll be able to count on our heating and cooling.

So, in a bid for normalcy, here's what we'll be eating this week:
 

Saturday lunch:  PW Sloppy Joes, Oven potato planks, carrots & apples
Saturday dinner:  Steak, lobster tails, baked potatoes, mushrooms & onions, salad
Sunday lunch:  Waffles (Best waffles ever, seriously.  Batter made the night before, easy and very delicious!), bacon (mark's cooking, woot!)
Sunday dinner:  Date--so blessed to have a son we can trade babysitting with.  :)
Monday: leftovers. 
Tuesday:  Plum Chicken, rice, sugar snap peas
Wednesday:  Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salads
Thursday:  Crockpot Pepper Steak, rice
Friday:  Martha Stewart All American Meatloaf, parsley potatoes, roasted carrots with brown sugar and pomegranate molasses


Leftovers for Valentine's???  Yup.  Normal night around here, lots to do.  We had our wonderful Valentine's meal Saturday night.  First time I've ever made lobster.  Whole Foods had tails on sale, I'm sure it was much easier to cook since I was just dealing with the tail, but they were delicious!


What about you?  Is Valentine's day a big deal at your house?


Hope you have a great week.  Check out more MPM at Organizing Junkie's.

Just Thursday--2/10/11

www.MurdocksMama.com

Outside my window...it's beautiful and bitter cold.

Today I feel..like my to-do list is too long.  There's a million things I should be doing, but we're getting the rest of our furnace work done today and also a new A/C unit, so there's a limit on what I will be able to accomplish.  No laundry, I'd be in the way, no grocery shopping, I need to be home.  Not complaining, it will be nice to know it's done.

I am thinking..worrying about my mom, she's not feeling well.  Worrying about Rebekah, college/life drama.  Worrying about Mark, minor issue to be taken care of.  Worrying about when I'm going to get everything done this weekend that I need to do, hoping I can do what I need to do and still have time to relax and enjoy my family.

I am thankful..we were able to replace our furnace when it died Tuesday, extra thankful to the salesperson who made it happen Tuesday so we weren't without heat in this frigid cold snap.

Tomorrow I am going..to work, then look forward to the weekend!  I can't wait.  We have absolutely nothing scheduled...an endless to-do list, but nothing scheduled.

I am wearing..jeans and an old long sleeve shirt--nothing that matters when the baby pukes on me, as he will.

I wish..I hadn't ordered glass containers last night, I know I need to replace our plastic and eventually stop using it, but that really was money I didn't need to spend right now.  I try to tell myself it will even out over time as I'm no longer buying disposable containers though.

This weekend I..will be running endless errands.  Two grocery stores, new shoes for Jacob, library, a birthday present for my mom (ideas please!  I'm clueless.)...endless errands.

I am reading..I just finished Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr.  It's the 12th book in the Virgin River series, I can't wait until #13 comes out next month.  Next up:  Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster for me, but first I have to read Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot.  Julianna and I are reading one book together every month.

I am working on..relaxing...not stressing, not worrying, just "be"ing.

Yesterday I..had a very long day.  Lots of kids and the littlest baby I watch was just really off.  Not for a huge part of the day, but when a baby is crying and puking and crying and pooping and really, really miserable, a couple of hours can seem like a looonnnggg time!

I am hoping..Jacob, Julianna & Rebekah have fun next weekend at Little Sibs weekend.

I am hearing..the bang! bang! bang! as they work on the furnace and A/C, plus the baby crying.  Today's not looking a lot better on that front.  *sigh*

I bet you didn't know..I still haven't decided on a color for the kitchen wall.  *double sigh*

One of my favorite..shows on TV is The Good Wife.  Funny, another of my favorites is Parenthood.  Years ago, one of my favorite shows was Sports Night.  It's funny that the two male leads of Sports Night are currently leads on The Good Wife and Parenthood, competing shows in the same time period.

My Valentine's plans include..nothing special on the day, but J&J will be away next weekend for a night (first time ever), and Mark and I are looking forward to having some alone time.

Father Daughter Dance

 

Okay, not completely wordless, but not totally wordful either.  :)   Julianna had a wonderful time at the Girl Scout Father Daughter Dance.  She looked forward to it forever!  The theme of the night was a Black and White Ball.  I learned about the store Belk from another blog, checked it out, and fell in love with this dress.  The minute she saw it, she was in love.  Julianna desperately loves all things french right now, she would absolutely love to go to Paris.  This dress was a dream come true for her.  She loved her makeover, her corsage...it was all magical.

The dance was supposed to last from 5 until 7.  They were home by 6:20.  She had had enough.  She went, she danced, she was done.  Too funny.

I was so thankful Mark was feeling well enough to go to the dance.  Thankful Jason had stepped forward and volunteered to go if Mark couldn't.  Thankful for all the people in my little girl's life who love her dearly and do what they can to make her dreams come true.

Most of all, thankful that my dear little girl has such a special daddy who is awesome at making her feel like she can count on him, that she's special, that she is important in his life.  What little girl doesn't need that?

Check out more Wordless Wednesday
and  more Wordful Wednesday at 7 Clown Circus.

2011 Science Fair

Well, the 2011 Science Fair is in the bag.  (Hear the bells ringing and all the rejoycing??)  Yes, even though there was much whining (by me), we did survive, and, maybe, even thrived.  I complain a lot about the science fair and I am vowing to change that.  It's just that I feel completely inadequate when it comes to choosing projects, finding supplies, etc. (I'm telling you, million dollar business opportunity).  I do think it's important for kids to participate in them though, it concerns me how the US is lagging further and further behind our countries when it comes to math and science.  Teaching kids that science is fun! and interesting! would go a long way towards changing that.  (For the record though, I HATE it when teachers assign the science fair.  That definitely takes it out of the fun! and interesting! category.)

Jacob elected to do a project this year on mapping taste buds.  It was super-interesting.  You take four substances; bitter, salty, sweet and sour and map where your tongue tastes them the best.  He did a great job.

Julianna's project was on magnets.  It wasn't the flashiest, nor the most innovative project, but she learned a lot about magnets and had fun, so I thought it was a big success.  I'm still a little bitter that her teacher graded it and marked it down because it didn't have information presented in paragraph form.  I was under the impression that they had to do a project on weather OR a project of their choice, and I thought if they did a project of their choice they could do it their way.  She was devastated when she saw she had been marked off.  Oh well.  Definitely not her fault.

Now, if any of you are super-scientists, you might note that the taste bud map on Jacob's project is wrong.  Yup.  But what's a scientist (or more accurately, a parent of a scientist), to do?  (He doesn't know it's wrong.)  He did the experiments and all of our data matched perfectly.  Later on I was doing some reading and discovered that where we felt the sour taste buds were, are not where they are.  Oh well, maybe our family tongues are different.  I wasn't going to burst his bubble and make him feel like a failure.  He worked hard, he did the experiments, we went with his data.

There was an incredible presentation by a wonderful scientist who, I swear, if he could teach all our kids would have us first in the world in science and enthusiasm in no time.  Jacob was chosen to be one of his helpers and his demonstrations on physics and gravity and all kinds of things above my head, was awesome.

Best of all, at the end of the evening, they both were proud to pose with their certificates and happy with their accomplishments.  Yay!  Mission Accomplished!  Now, anyone have any great ideas for next year??


If you're looking for inspiration, we've actually done some pretty cool projects.  Last year Jacob did experiments with density, Julianna experimented with how flowers absorb water.  The year before Jacob tested brands of popcorn to see which popped best and had the least unpopped kernels, Julianna's was about the importance of washing hands.  Jacob, the first year he participated did the carnations and colored water experiment as well.   If you'd ever like any details, not that I consider us experts by far, I'd be happy to share.

February 6, 2011 Meal Plan

Mark's finally starting to feel better.  I had to take a quick look through my archives recently, and it was amazing how sick he tends to get, especially in the winter.  I think it's time to do some research into strengthening immune systems, although honestly I think it's just his bad luck.  For some reason he catches everything and gets it worse and for longer than anyone else I know.  Poor guy.  Anyway, he's about 80% right now, which is a huge improvement for which I am very thankful.

The two week meal plan was a big success.  We didn't eat every meal on the plan, sometimes because of leftovers, sometimes because I wasn't going to skate on the deck out to the grill to cook, as we had no means of cooking inside.  It's now been proven to me that I would have made a lousy pioneer.  We did mostly stick to the plan though.  As always, I learned I am much better when I have a plan and when I have groceries in the house to fit the plan.  Funny, no matter how much I have this axiom proven to me, there are still times I think life's too hectic for a plan and live to regret it.  Maybe someday...


Pioneer Woman's Tortilla Soup was a huge hit.  A surprise to me actually.  I figured Mark and I would enjoy it, Jacob I thought would probably like it, and I didn't think Julianna would touch it with the proverbial 10-foot pole.  There was a lot in there she picked around, but she was even asking if there was more chicken (I used leftover chicken from my Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salads that I had in the freezer).  Honestly, I served it the night of the science fair and we literally had 17 minutes to eat, clean up and get out the door, so I don't know what she would eat of it under more normal circumstances.  Still, I'm definitely planning on having it again.  Easy, healthy, and make ahead and freezable, all the markings of a terrific soup.

Tyler's Tortellini & Meatball soup I'm a bit more conflicted over.  I used Barefoot Contessa's chicken meatballs from her Wedding Soup, which we all love, but they were straight from the freezer and I simmered them for quite a while in the chicken broth.  I don't know if it was that, or the fact that the broth was from a box instead of scratch, but the base of the soup was "eh" to me, and if the base is off, it's hard to build from there.  Another knock against it for me was that it made a lot.  The first bowl I had was actually from leftovers, and let's face it, tortellini leftover is just never going to be a good idea.  I'll make it again, and hopefully I'll use homemade broth, not simmer the meatballs too soon, and have it when we have a lot of people here so there's no leftovers.  I'm betting in those circumstances I will be much happier with it.

I didn't get to the Gorditas at all, they were snowed out in favor of the leftover soup, so I look forward to trying for those again this week.  I have high hopes for them, they seem like that perfect combination of kid-friendly but yummy that I like to look for on nights I make dinner for both our family and another family.
Hoping for a "normal" week this week, at least as normal  as it gets.  No snow, ice, etc..  Here's what we'll be eating:

Friday:  Chicken Parmigiana, Caesar Salad, King Arthur Flour's Garlic Knots
Saturday lunch:  Out
Saturday dinner:  Mom & Dad's
Sunday lunch:  Mom & Dad's
Sunday dinner:  Pizza
Monday (ballet):  Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salads
Tuesday (dance, piano):  Gorditas, fruit, brownies
Wednesday (scouts):  Salmon patties, buttered noodles, creamed peas
Thursday (dance, haircut for me):  Chicken &  Dressing Casserole, canned green beans, baby carrots
Friday again!  Yay!  Do a happy dance.:  PW Sloppy Joes, Oven potato planks, carrots & apples

Did you know King Arthur Flour has a LiveChat feature on their website?  During business hours you can talk with a baker as well as a customer service rep.  I had a ton of questions when I tried to make the Garlic knots.  It was wonderful to be able to talk my questions through with someone.

This weekend's looking hectic enough already, so I will not be attempting to shop for 2 weeks worth of meals this time.  It's nice when it works, but it just doesn't fit into our lifestyle every week.  Maybe next week.  Check out other meal plans at Organizing Junkie's.

Friday Fragments

• We have power back!  Yay!  Unfortunately, my oldest and his family do not.  Unbelievable to me, no matter how many times we go through it, to think that we can live in a decent-sized suburb or a large city and lose power for days at a time.  Crazy!  Hoping they're back to normal soon, and enjoying being back to normal ourselves.  Nothing like being forced to live without the basics for helping you appreciate all you have.  When we were struggling, and afraid, Tuesday night, I kept thinking that no matter what we were going through, no matter what happened, I knew we were going to be all right.  Worst case scenarios running through my head of trees crashing through our roof, etc., I knew eventually all would be taken care of.  I knew how blessed we are.  I kept thinking of the millions of people who live in this world, many in Third World countries, in truly horrible conditions; that don't have the comfort of knowing that State Farm, or whoever, will be there to help with what goes wrong.  That the heat will come back one day.  Schools will reopen.  It definitely was a good reminder of just how lucky we are.  All that being said, the tree limb that broke is still on the roof, there's another broken one high up in the tree.  I'm thinking they're both going to have to stay that way until the weather vastly improves.  I don't think we'd have much luck finding someone to come out here right now, nor could we afford someone who would want to do it.

• Want to make a lot of money?  I'd love it if someone started a business that offered science fair kits in a box.  Everything you need to do a wonderful science fair project, organized by how long you have to work, general are of interest--plants, animals, chemicals, electricity, etc., and also organized by difficulty and grade level.  I do believe science fairs are beneficial, but I am unfortunately pretty hopeless when it comes to coming up with projects and having any idea where to get the materials.  I know we have a serious problem in the US when it comes to science, I definitely like my kids participating in science fairs, I just wish I didn't feel so overwhelmed by them.
• Isn't it just wrong that I pay more to get my dog a haircut than I pay for my haircuts?  I go to an upscale salon too, crazy!  There's something really out of whack about that. 
• We were at Target recently and Jacob and Julianna saw notebooks that are half lined and half blank for pictures.  They both begged for them and I gave in and bought them each one.  They have loved those notebooks.  Jacob was writing in his this morning and he told me he was writing his story in both "regular" writing and also cursive so he gets practice using both fonts.  Cracked me up how technology is permanently changing things in the next generations minds.  Of course, he also told me his first phone is going to be a Blackberry.  Guess I won't be getting him his first phone after all, what a relief!  He'll be waiting until he's old enough to buy one.  :) 
•  Finally, trying to figure out how to add another day to the weekend.  In a perfect world, this weekend I would:  spend an hour or so cleaning, catch up on laundry, run the errands that need running, grocery shop--both for the basics at the big box store and also meat, chicken, etc. at the independent grocer I love; spend time with Jason, Lori and the kids and visit my parents (who live almost 2 hours away).  Anyone want to take a crack at that schedule?  It's a puzzle I just can't seem to solve.

Next week I'll update the science fair (we did it, and, more importantly, it's over for another year!)  Plus, pictures to come of the cutest couple at the Father-Daughter dance (though I may be more than a little biased.) 


Well, off to meal plan, watch the munchkins, do some laundry, etc.  Hope whatever your plans hold that you have a wonderful weekend.  We're supposed to get more snow.  Can't wait!  (That was completely sarcasm in case you didn't know, I'm feeling very over winter after this week.)  Happy weekend!


Last day to enter my giveaway!  Go on, check it out.

 

The Best Groupon Ever...

Friday I was quickly checking my emails when I noticed a Groupon I just could not pass up.  Sweet & Sassy was offering up a half-price deal on their Glittery Glam Express makeover.  For $10.00 Julianna was able to get her nails done, her make-up done, and her hair done before the Father-Daughter dance.  

She had a ball and it certainly contributed to her excitement for the evening ahead.

Although I didn't take my camera to the salon, I took plenty of pictures when we got home.  It was so fun to see her so excited and happy.  Such a simple and inexpensive way to make her feel special.

As a bonus it only took 20 minutes.  That's about as long as I can last in Sweet & Sassy without getting twitchy. lol.

She enjoyed the experience so much I came home and bought a couple more Groupons to gift her with.  Every once in a while it will be fun to surprise her with another time at the spa.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway.

F.Y.I.

Spoons under Julianna's, Jacob's, and even Rebekah's pillows.

Warning:  Powerful stuff.  Do not treat lightly.

If you're hoping for a snow day, wear your jammies inside-out and backwards, put spoons under your pillow, and place ice cubes in the toilet (I spared you that picture, you're welcome).  No idea why these things work, or which of these things work, but they are powerful. 

No school today.

It's worked before too.

Stay safe everyone.

(If you're all snowed/iced in, take a minute to enter my giveaway.)