Spoon Rest

I had a brilliant epiphany last night that puts all of my past baking years to shame.  Growing up, we always had a spoon rest next to the stove.  That's where my spoon rest is.  When I bake, I'm always scrambling for somewhere to put the scraper/spatula after I've used it in the mixing bowl and it usually ends up in the bowl I softened the butter in or on a scrap of paper towel, or just on the counter.  Last night, I realized I could use the spoon rest in this capacity.  How had I never figured this out before!?!?!?  Do you ever have "DUH!" moments while you're in the kitchen.

Presenting...

It's long over due... Mystery Baby's new blog name is...

Squirt

Summer Goals

In addition to our family's goals of things to check off our D.C./East Coast to do list, I have a lot of school/learning things I want the kids to accomplish this summer.

Every summer we keep up with reading, journal writing and math because I don't want to reteach it all again in the fall.  Last summer's fun focus was United States geography. I wanted the kids to learn all their states and capitals.  We did okay.

This summer, I would like to focus on:

Science projects and experiments

Art (I have little artistic talent and need to find someone who can teach my kids things like shading, etc.)

Story writing

Spanish



Some of these are things that fall by the wayside during the school year.  We studied a lot of science, but didn't have as much time to delve into big projects.  They draw all the time, but I'm not the person to teach them art.  They write stories, etc. but I want to actually critique them and help make them awesome.  And Spanish... it just always gets forgotten.

DC/Virginia Checked Off List

Here's what we've done while living in Metro DC.  We didn't really have a To Do List when we moved here, but this is what we've accomplished so far.  I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch off too.

DC
Rode the Metro
Air and Space Museum on the mall
National Museum of the American Indian
National Portrait Gallery
National Gallery of Art
Sculpture Garden
Nationals baseball game at Nationals Park
National Zoo (several times)
US Botanic Garden
US Capitol
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument
National Archives
National Museum of American History
Jefferson Memorial
Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Constitution Garden Pond
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
World War II Memorial
American Art Museum
National Building Museum
The Ellipse
National Christmas Tree
Cherry Blossoms
George Mason Memorial
Korean War Veteran's Memorial

Virginia
Air and Space Museum at Dulles (multiple times)
Mount Vernon
Clemyjontri Park
Great Falls National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Arlington National Cemetery
Iwo Jima Memorial
George Washington's Birthplace
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Stonewall Jackson's Shrine
Manassas National Battlefield
Virginia Capitol (Richmond)
Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Delaware
Delaware State Capitol (Dover, DE)
Lewes Ferry

Maryland
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Fort McHenry (Baltimore)
Orioles baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Maryland State Capitol (Annapolis, MD)

Philadelphia
Rita's Water Ice
Redding Terminal
Valley Forge National Park
Independence Hall
Liberty Bell Center
Betsy Ross's house
Franklin Institute
Franklin Court
Ate a Philly Cheesesteak at Geno's

To Do in D.C. List

Our time in the Washington D.C. area could be nearing an end as Jed finishes up his doctoral degree (classes are done, he's working on getting his dissertation approved and from there, we can move anywhere).  We've done a ton, but we've slacked off in our sight seeing while I was pregnant with Mystery Baby and after he was born.  Here's our family's list so far... I'll keep adding to it (and take suggestions - local people, hint hint).

The List

Touch the Atlantic Ocean
Eat Philly cheesesteaks at Gino's or Pat's in Philadelphia.
New York City
Camping trip
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Visit the top of the Washington Monument (dependent on it reopening)
Monticello
Tour White House (stinkin' sequester)
Eat crab cakes near Chesapeake Bay
Tour Nationals Ballpark
Georgetown Cupcakes
Family picture in D.C.
Albert Einstein statue
D.C. United game
Cumberland bike trail
Renwick Gallery


Added:
Amish country in Pennsylvania

Anytime Gift List

I was thinking up little, inexpensive things the kids could get me for Mother's Day earlier this week and decided I should type up a list so I don't forget some of my good ideas.

a microwavable syrup pitcher (maybe a creamer pitcher)
vanilla scented lotion
The Parent Trap dvd (Lindsay Lohan and Hayley Mills versions)
stackable rings with the kids' names on them
titanium or platinum earrings
decorative globes
salad shooter
hand stamped necklace
spatulas (or, as Pampered Chef calls them to differentiate between spatulas and spatulas, scrapers)
cake stand with dome lid

Confrontation

If you know me, it will be no surprise to you that I avoid confrontation at all costs.  Even non-confrontational confrontations.  Even social media confrontations, which are a bit safer since you aren't face to face with the person, and might not even know them.  I'm a bit braver online than in person, but not much. 

Today I read this article: An 18 year old honor student and Eagle Scout, weeks shy of graduation was expelled and charged with a felony for accidentally leaving his gun (from a previous days' hunting trip) in his truck.  He realized his mistake and was calling his mom to come get it when an school official overheard, he explained himself (honesty and responsibly) and has been expelled and charged with a felony. 

Granted, this specific article was written on a pro-gun website, but the story seems pretty straight forward.  A Facebook friend "shared" the story and her first commenter, a person I don't know said, "This happened at my high school. His expulsion was reversed. But that was years before 9/11. They do have these rules for a valid reason. And it must be the same for everyone unfortunately :-/"

Seriously.  SERIOUSLY.  People who accidentally forget they have a gun in their car from going hunting with friends the other day should have their lives ruined just the same as people who came to school with a gun on purpose with a plan to use it?!!??!   

I didn't say all that to the friend of a friend.  I just asked if she'd actually read the article.  It seems hard to believe anyone would have that opinion about ruining an 18 year old's future for a simple mistake that he was trying to take care of.  Had he just left the gun alone in his truck all day, no one would have even found out.  

Argh.

Sneaky Tasks

Does stuff sneak up on you that you've totally forgotten you are supposed to be busily working on?  I'm talking big things, not the realization that you have no idea when the last time you washed anyone's sheets was.  And not the item on your to do list that is always on your to do list. Jed reminded me a few weeks ago that his Sunday activity is supposed to be Family History and mine is supposed to be converting our family blog into Blurb books.  It's April and I'd completely forgotten.  I haven't even thought about start the 2012 Blurb book once 2012 ended. In almost 5 months I it hasn't once crossed my mind. 

Soccer season has started which means that when I thought I was busy before... yeah, I'm busier.  In fact, I've spent the last few weeks wondering how people keep their house clean while living life.  I realize that homeschooling changes the dynamics of our family and our busyness, but it's seriously been a struggle these past few weeks to fit in school and cleaning and various appointments and projects.  And yes, I should utilize the kids but they barely have time to do anything either.  I think we all need a good course on time management.

Human Kindness

After the September 11th attacks in 2001 and Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping the following year, I spent hours watching the news on television.  I was addicted.  This time around, with the Boston Marathon bombings and the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, I no longer have cable, and I do have little kids with little eyes and ears that I don't want exposed to all of this.  Instead of watching the news, I'm reading various news websites and various news articles.  This article I found especially sweet:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/czech-stop-open-during-west-texas-fertilizer-explosion

Especially this paragraph:

Like many local bars, diners, and coffee shops in many other towns rocked by calamity, Czech Stop has transformed virtually overnight into a hub of refuge. After December's school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the owners of Blue Colony Diner fed hundreds of volunteers, policemen, firefighters, and first responders, earning the nickname "The Food Angels." The morning after Hurricane Sandy struck, David T. Holmes III turned It's a Wrap, his lunch cafe in Plainfield, New Jersey, into a relief station for 10 days, offering victims free coffee, soup, power, and a place to sleep. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Joann Guidos kept Kajun's Pub open so that "the lonely and broke would not endure the ordeal alone." Homeowners fleeing the deadly June 2012 wildfires in Colorado congregated at Bob's Coffee Shop in Laporte, to figure out, over danishes, where the megafire was headed next.

I didn't see where it specified that Czech Stop is doing everything for free; it did mention donations though.  But this paragraph does specifically mention the place in New Jersey that offered free coffee, soup, power and a place to sleep for ten days following Hurricane Sandy. I find that remarkable and just so kind.  In a world that has become all about money, for people to not use these disasters as a way to make big money, but as a way to help.

My "Strike It Rich" List

This is my "strike it rich" list, or my "you just won the lottery!" list.  All the pretty expensive stuff I want, but don't need, that I'd buy if I had lots of extra money.  I'm sure I'll keep adding to this list as I think of things, but for now:

a nice camera
a mixer that can handle 10 cups of flour in a cinnamon roll recipe.

5/10/13
fog and bubble machine
portable fire pit
New frying pans in a variety of sizes

Dreaming

Several years ago I went with my mom to visit one of her friends at a home they'd bought and renovated near my parents' home.  This woman gave us the tour of her new kitchen complete with a two drawer dishwasher that was separate so when it was just she and her husband they could run one drawer of the dishwasher rather than a full load.  I loved the idea.  Now, I dream of the day when that can happen.  My current state, I'm going to have to start handwashing some stuff if I don't want to run the dishwasher more than once a day. 

Calming Down the Holidays

I'm just as guilty as Princess Sparkley when it comes to wanting to go overboard with holidays.  All holidays.  The difference is that I have limits.  And I know what are our actual traditions vs. what she thinks are our traditions.  Some how, this year, the kids all made leprechaun traps (they did last year as well) on their own and expected leprechauns and candy.  Because it was a tradition.  But it actually isn't.  Jed was nice and drew them all a leprechaun that their traps caught.  But all I did was make sure we all wore green and we had Irish pasties (hand pies) *for dinner (because I refuse to make/eat corned beef).

That being said, this article struck a chord: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen-howerton/can-we-bring-the-holidays_b_2903040.html

And now with Easter approaching, I'm hoping we can keep things calm, simple and Christ-centered.  Here are some ideas for Easter that hopefully keep it focuses not on the Easter bunny, but also don't make it even busier than it needs to be.

Our hometeacher from church shared these Easter eggs scriptures with us last night (Thanks, Alanna!).

Similar to this idea.

http://beinglds.blogspot.com/2011/04/three-awesome-easter-activities-for.html

This book about focusing on Christ for Easter looks neat.

And we've been celebrating Passover following the guidelines in this book for several years now.


*Alexia Oven Reds are DELICIOUS!

Grocery Shopping

A few years ago, we instituted legal and illegal family shopping days for the family in an effort to save money.  We've since abandoned that plan and then taken it a step further.  We're allowed to shop one day a week.  One BIG grocery trip in which my cart (and poor Mystery Baby) look like this. 

 

There are several downsides to this:

1. My cart is overflowing, sometimes requiring I use a second cart. :\

2. I have to be super organized about my week's menu.

3. I forget something, or it is out of stock and I have to make a tiny trip during the week.

4. It takes forever to get all this stuff.

5. It also takes forever to check out.

6. It's making me want to make multiple, shopping list specific trips.*

7. We run out of milk and bread each weekend.

8. Produce doesn't tend to last a week.

Etc.

Upsides:

1. It's one trip a week and then it's done.  Usually.

2. It's easy to stick to a budget when all the shopping is happening right then.

3. Saving on gas.

4. Saving on those little extra purchases we'd be making on each grocery trip.

Etc.

We've recently decided there needs to be a second shopping trip with summer nearing and us planning eating a lot more fruits and veggies. 

*A grocery trip.  A food storage trip.  And a household items trip.

New favorite thing

Read about it here.

Natural.  No High Fructose Corn Syrup.  And so yummy.  Even my kids will eat it .  (They're weird and prefer grape jelly.  Bleh.) This is the next best thing to homemade freezer jam or this mail-order jam from Bithell Farms that my mom gets.

Sheets

I'm not sure why my life suddenly seems so ridiculously busy.  There wasn't a huge change... I just feel like I don't have time to do even half the stuff I need to get done anymore.  BUT, I don't want to blog about that over and over again.  Believe me, I could.  Here's today's question... how, on top of everything else that needs to be getting done, including giant piles of laundry, do you also have time to wash everyone's sheets on a somewhat regular basis?  It's too embarrassing to even tell you when the last time the kids' sheets were washed.

Banned Words

What words are banned at your house?  And I'm not talking the actual swear words.  I'm not even talking about words that are just bad in your family (ie: we couldn't say "butt" in my family growing up).  I'm speaking of those obnoxious phrases, whines, complaints that your kids say that you just can't handle hearing anymore. 

Here are the banned phrases at our house:

1) "That's not fair."  Or, any use of the word fair when used in comparison to what a sibling or parent is getting that they aren't.

2) "Actually..." This is usually followed by some smart alecky correction about how the parent is wrong and the kid is thus going to correct them in the middle of getting in trouble for something else.  Basically, it's pointing out that they are right for no reason.

3) "One minute."  This is said to me anytime I ask a kid to do something for me.  I don't have "one minute" to wait for them to finish playing with Legos, or whatever, I need them to do what I've asked them to do for me right exactly now.

What words/phrases are banned at your house?

Love these new punctuation marks

http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6872071/8-new-and-necessary-punctuation-marks

Feb. 10

A dozen years ago, Jed asked me to marry him. 

I said yes. 

Thanks for asking, Cutie.

*If you look closely at the sign, Jed wrote "est. 1984," which makes us seem ancient, but really, marks the year his family moved to California and he decided he wanted to marry me.  We were six.

**Wouldn't Fishbowl be an awesome last name!?!

***Family pics courtesy of Emma J.

The Week

I feel like this week will be much calmer than last week, minus three doctor appointments for Little Guy and a birthday party.   Here's what's on the schedule:


Sunday:  

-a bunch of church stuff and meetings (dealing with my new calling in the Young Women's presidency)
-update family blog

Monday:
-school, chores, clean-up (repeat daily)
-basically get back to a normal but uber-productive way of life
-laundry

Tuesday:
- homeschool book club (which I am in charge of)
-grocery trip
-Activity Days, Cub Scouts, Beehive activity

Wednesday:
-laundry
 
Thursday: 
-something for Valentine's Day
-the older two kids have a cooking class at night

Friday:
-spelling tests
-call two relatives for birthdays
-skip the homeschool Valentine Party

Saturday:
-laundry
-clean the church
-bake Mystery Baby a half-birthday cake

Misc.:
 -Throughout the week, I need to be working on my reading, journal writing, writing, blogging, etc. Etc. Etc.   Oh, and caring for, teaching, picking up after and feeding a bunch of other people.  I feel a bit like Bella in Notting Hill when she says, "And to add insult to serious injury -- I've totally given up smoking, my favourite thing..."  I'm not sure I have time to read this stack of books.  Not to mention the ones I have on hold at the library.  And the ones on the Kindle waiting for me.

Fame

I wrote that post about my LOOSE connections to famous people, and forgot all about this one until I was at Barnes and Noble last night and saw her books . . .  everywhere.  You might recognize them below.  I took a few classes at BYU with Ally Condie (and her husband, before they were married, before his mission even).  I was just acquaintances with them, but we did in fact sort of know each other. I ended up knowing her brother-in-law even better.  He was in my ward and family home evening group a couple years later. 

You can get to them all here at Amazon.com.

Reading Stack

Good Omens

Obernewtyn

Pretty Little Liars

Navigating Early

Code Name Verity

Animal Farm

The Way They Learn

Every Child Can Succeed

The Last Dragonslayer

Blog Fame

You know how some blogs have sponsored giveaways for Kitchen Aid mixers, etc.  Well, I'm not that kind of blog.  But Kohl's did contact me about this post and shared with me a coupon code to share with you.  Here it is:

The exclusive 10% off blogger code for kohls.com. You can use TENFORBLOG through March 9th, 2013. It can be used to stack savings with one other code as well.


It's almost as cool as when Rhodes Rolls sent me a dry ice pack of frozen rolls to try out and blog about.  Now if only Jed hadn't gone on his shopping spree (partially at Kohl's) LAST weekend...

Busy

I have so many awesome plans:

The kids are going to get ahead in school.  That's one of the great bonuses of homeschooling, right?

We're going to be awesome about doing our chores and getting our house clean.

We're going to keep it clean.

We're going to be organized.

I'm going to blog.  And read.  And cook.  And bake.  And sleep.  And have friends.

I'm going to start a cooking/reading/kid project/blog.

I'm going to make the homeschool book club successful.

We're going to actually make it to some homeschool activities so my kids can socialize with their friends.

Princess Sparkley wants a book club.  And a diorama club.  And a cooking club.  

The kids are going to be involved in sports and other activities.

I'm going to be able to see my desk someday.

I'm going to shower daily.

I'm going to have an awesome homeschool blog.

I'm going to have great projects and lessons for my kids.

And then it's almost 5PM and I find myself struggling to get any of the things done we were supposed to do today.  I realize the dryer buzzed an hour ago and I haven't made it downstairs yet to switch the loads.  The kids still don't have this week's spelling lists.  I forgot all about my cooking/reading/kid project/blog plan for weeks.  Little Guy has three doctor's appointments and a birthday party this week to go to which means our school plans are shot in the foot.  I didn't go visiting teaching for church at all last month. I haven't made it to the grocery store today and today is our shopping day which means we're running out of everything.  The mess I got all cleaned up last week has reappeared.  My Google Calendar is packed.  Saturday was the only empty day for the entire month and then Jed sent me a message that he has a thing that afternoon.

I spent one year as the Primary president before we left Kansas and I felt like I spent that entire year just staying afloat.  I wasn't good.  I wasn't successful.  I just survived.  And that doesn't make me happy.  I feel like that's how I am now in my entire life ... I'm surviving, not succeeding.  

Angry Birds Party

 So, this wasn't an actual party.  It was just dessert and presents with extended family.  But I figured I should still document it on here.  I got the idea for the cake from here.  I didn't actually click on the picture on Pinterest and read her entire blog post until now.  It would have been smart for me to look and see the double layer of her wafer tower and the long cake.  I only saw the close up of the piggy building.  And I paid no attention to the chocolate stick supports she had.  That would have been helpful, ours collapsed several times in the making.  Oh well.  It was fun and Little Guy enjoyed getting to knock it down with an Angry Bird after he blew out the candles.
 

Book Shop

I ventured into Barnes and Noble* the other day with all four kids.  It was sort of fun to see their end cap displays and see how many books on them were favorites of mine from last year.  Or were books I've read.  Pretty good since this is only the teen section of the store.  Also pretty sad because most of the books I read in 2012 were teen books.

I've marked them for your easy scanning.  The Green Circles mean they are on my top 10 of 2012 list.  The Orange Circle means I've read them.  The Yellow Circle means a book by the same author made my 2012 list.  Sorry, you may have to click to enlarge to be able to see my Circles.

I find what fits under "realistic fiction" humorous for some of these books.

*PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Barnes and Noble, do not shut down the one in my town.  We already lost Borders.

Inbox

I probably have a dozen email addresses.  Some I'm sure aren't active anymore (for instance, I think I had three byu.edu addresses).  One is for junk junk email.  This account gets checked... maybe every three months.  Maybe.  I think it shuts down if I go a year between log-ins.  I have one for Craigslist.  One for my family blog.  Another one for my new family blog.  I have one for Yahoo just so I can be a part of Yahoo groups.  Then I have my two main gmail accounts.  Once is for personal correspondences.  The other is for some personal emails, but mostly subscription emails that I actually want to see.  I'm usually logged into both (in different browsers).  Now that we have smart phones (yea!) I've unsubscribed from a bunch of junk emails, or transferred them from my personal email account to my junk/personal email account.  Which means every time I check my personal email account there's nothing new.  Turns out, no one emails me.  It's sort of sad.

Getting Ahead... Or Not

I can not get ahead this week.  I feel like I spent an entire day doing laundry and cleaning the living room to which Jed remarked, that's sad because it isn't really noticeable.  (To his credit, my desk was and is still a disaster and the cleaning and been stuff like sweeping, vacuuming the rug and vacuuming up dust bunnies, undecorating from birthdays and decorating for Valentine's Day).  My desk is a huge mess.  And now the kids think they get to add to the piles on it.  The laundry basket is a tower of clean clothes waiting to get folded and put away . . . again.  The pile of dirty laundry is growing.  I'm only 50% through with the book for my book club tonight.  The living room is all cluttered again.  And the pile of stuff I need to return to stores is getting bigger and bigger (the wrong formula, the wrong pen refills, a phone screen protector we changed our minds about, a pair of jeans that are the wrong size).  My sewing list is mostly repairs (so not fun) and ridiculously long.  My stack of library books is coming due before I get around to reading them. 

Name Dropping

I thought I'd already written a post about my loose connections to semi-famous people, but I can't find it.  So I thought about writing a new one with my recent discovery, and Jed beat me to it with his post.

Famous people I've met:
-Matthew Perry
-D.B. Sweeney
-Ron Wilson
-Ryan Francis
-Barry Melrose

It was 1993- ish and they were all at the top of their game.  Friends was huge.  Sweeney, well, we didn't know who he was but he was super nice.  Wilson and Melrose were the current hockey coaches for the Ducks and the Kings.  And Ryan Francis was the cute teenager on the tv show Sisters.

With my high school BFFS Jenny and Julie.  Ryan Francis.

Jenny, Barry Melrose, me

Now, for famous people I have weird connections to.

Justin Cash, not super famous, but you can currently buy his cd at Desseret Book (and Amazon.com and iTunes).  He was a good friend of mine at BYU.  It's super fun to see his cd in the Deseret Book catalog that came in the mail and at a church bookstore.

Now for the stretches, the older brother of the lead singer for Imagine Dragons was in my freshman ward at BYU (actually lived on the same floor of DT as Justin Cash).  Didn't really know him well, but immediately put together a Mormon kid with the last name Reynolds from Las Vegas as the lead singer of Imagine Dragons with the kid from my ward, and I was right.

Neon Trees.  No connection whatsoever, but they are also Mormon.  And if I'm doing crazy jumps like that, so is Brandon Flowers from The Killers.  It seems like there was another stretchy connection, but I should stop while I'm ahead, except I think I'm already behind.  I like connections that remind me it's a small world.

My Top 2012 Reads

Looking over the books I read in 2012, I feel like maybe I didn't really challenge myself.  BUT, in my defense, I was pregnant or caring for a newborn for the entire year, so... in no particular order, these were the favorites of the 58 books I read in 2012.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

warnings: slight language, minor talk of sex, mild drinking

Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom

warnings: slight language, mild talk of sex and anatomies, minor teen drinking and drugs

A review from a fellow reviewer is here.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

warnings: a few f-words, one sex scene

Holes by Louis Sachar

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Not necessarily this book, but I love this series.  If there wasn't boy/girl chemistry going on, I would let my ten year old read them.  I just don't want to encourage her to be boy crazy this early.

Marcelo and the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

warnings: bad language including more than a handful of the f-word, crude sexual talk (not from the main character)

A fellow reviewers review here.

Stuff Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler Illustrated by Maira Kalman

warnings: lots of bad language, teen sex, teen drinking

My full review is here.

Don't Mess With Travis by Bob Smiley

Curveball: The Year I Lost my Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

warnings: underage drinking



Honorable Mentions:

Your Left-handed Child by Lauren Milsom
Super fascinating, but maybe not unless you are trying to raise a left-handed kid and you are right-handed.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Warnings: this book is intriguing and crazy but also full of language and horrible sexual descriptions.  See my full review here.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Old:

Purchased at Kohl's approximately 10+ years ago

New:

Purchased at Kohl's in January with Christmas money (find it here)
Kohl's has contacted me about this post and shared this coupon code with me and my readers:
the exclusive 10% off blogger code for kohls.com. You can use TENFORBLOG through March 9th, 2013. It can be used to stack savings with one other code as well.

You know how you don't think something you own is super old until you realize you owned it before you were married? Or something similar?  I've had the same wallet for a long time.  I either purchased it when I first got married, or when Princess Sparkley was a baby, I can't remember.  I got a new one for Christmas but it turned out there is too much junk I actually have to carry with me to fit in a normal wallet, so I got this cool one.  I kinda like it.  I shocked Jed with how colorful it is.  Apparently that's not normal for me.

Resolutions: 2013 Edition

#1: Make a list of resolutions and blog it.

#2: Blog more and blog better.

#3: Blurb books of the family blog for 2006, 2012 and possibly 2005.

#4: Read 18,000 pages.

#5: Work on my writing (stories, writing blog, etc.)

#6: Create bucket list of stuff to do in DC before we move because that date is getting closer and closer.

#7: Complete DC Bucket List.

#8: Health (reform our bad eating habits)

#9: Fitness (run or walk 3-4 times per week*)

#10: Be a better mom, homeschool teacher, wife.**


*I can already see this one failing because it's cold and drizzly today and I'm recovering from the flu. But I need to exercise, especially in good weather.

**I know, can I get any more general?

Mystery Baby's Blog Name

Mystery Baby needs a new blog name.  I'm not really sure what it should be though.  I've tried to keep the boy blog names as sort of generalized references to boys ... Buddy and Little Guy.

What's left?  After looking through the thesaurus...

Chap
Lad
Sprout
Dude
Junior
Half-pint
Punk
Runt
Squirt
Whippersnapper
Youngster
Buck
Chum
Pal

I'm not sure I'm in love with any of those.  Do you have a favorite, or another suggestion?

Resolve

Remember last year when I promised some New Year's Resolutions for 2012 since I hadn't made any in 2011 (or at least failed to declare them on the blog) and thus, didn't really work on or accomplish anything of that sort.  Yeah, and then I never actually got around to making and blogging about my 2012 resolutions.

Notice how today is January 10, 2013 and I still haven't made any resolutions for 2011, or 2012, or 2013?  I'll get on that.  Really.  Seriously.  This time I'm going to do it.  Sadly, many will probably be carry overs from 2010.  But I will do it!






Resolution #1: Make a list of New Year's Resolutions this year AND blog it.


See, I've already started.

Today's To Do List

Unpack
Grocery Shop
Undecorate from Christmas
Laundry
Bring in snow boots from car
Call insurance again re: windshield
Call insurance re: refund from 1/31/12 obgyn appointment
Make Little Guy's dentist appt.
Get mail from next door neighbor
Return library books
Plan next week's homescool stuff
Figure out Girl Scout dues
Send Girl Scout cookie buying link to potential customers
?Rearrange kid rooms?

Homemade Christmas

This year we decided that the kids should make gifts for the family (except they re-gifted old baby toys to Mystery Baby, and he got to buy them stuff).  It seems like it really helped them focus on giving this year rather than everything they wanted to get.  

Here's the gift round-up:

To Mom From Buddy - Recipe Card Holder (via Cub Scout handbook)

To Mom From Princess Sparkley - pin cushion for the arm of my sewing machine (from here)

To Dad From Buddy - He framed a tatted snowflake made by Jed's great grandma.

To Jed From Mystery Baby - we added the mustache and "My Stache" vinyl to his money jar.

To Dad From Little Guy - a map showing where all our loved ones live.

To Little Guy From Princess Sparkley

To Princess Sparkley From Little Guy and To Mom From Little Guy - hair ties (idea here, purchases supplies here)

To Little Guy From Buddy 

We bought an $8 hooded sweatshirt at Kohl, 1/8 of a yard of orange flannel and some interfacing. and then using this tutorial, cut, sewed and ironed triangles onto the sweatshirt to look like a dinosaur.

To Princess Sparkley From Buddy - bobby pins painted with nail polish (idea here)

To Buddy From Princess Sparkley - pillowcase

To Buddy From Little Guy - Lego head (out of a baby food jar) pencil holder (idea here)

To Dad From Princess Sparkley - A map curtain for his office window

The Greatest Sugar Cookie: Cookie 16

This cookie is unique with buttermilk as an ingredient so I know it isn't one I've made before.  I made these to give on a plate of Christmas goodies to the families we visit from church.  The recipe is from Or So She Says here.  Again I just used the tub of frosting I had from earlier in the week when I had to take frosting to Princess Sparkley's Girl Scout troop.  I did like this simple but fun way of decorating the cookies, just using a frosting tip and making lines.

 These were... interesting.  I really wanted to love them.  I liked the sort of chewiness of them.  I wasn't a huge fan of how strongly I could taste the buttermilk in them.

Other goodies: Ribbon Fantasy Fudge (chocolate and PB), , candy cane bark, and chocolate chip cookies.

Moustache Party

Jed's birthday falls two days after Christmas and on Christmas Eve or so, he decided we should invite some friends over for a little party.  I already knew his birthday theme* was either going to be moustaches or the moustache pig from Angry Birds, so we settled on moustaches and invited a few families over to have cake with us.  Had I had a few days warning (and days that didn't fall over Christmas) maybe I would have gone a little more crazy with the moustache theme**.  As is was, the kids used glass markers to draw moustaches on our glass door.  I bought moustache stickers to put on our cake plates.  And I made a moustache cake (idea from here).

*Yes, I've apparently raised my kids (at least Princess Sparkley) to believe that all birthdays have themes... even when we aren't having a party. 

** A little more crazy = pin the moustache on something, moustache stickers on cups, moustache cut outs on straws, moustache sugar cookies, some sort of name the famous moustache game like this, maybe all the guests would have had to wear moustaches.  Etc. Etc.