Notes to self, volume 2
I don't know if anyone wants to hear about the "all-consuming to me sale of the house," which there are plenty of notes to self...Here's "really, what's on my mind."
1) Set some goals. Saturday, my goal was "movies, shopping, lunch" I had to be creative, but I accomplished it. Shopping with Caroline to Gymboree. Picked up Easter dress and cardigan. Lunch with Josh and Caroline at TGI Fridays. Normally, I would not go there as I have had several bad service experiences over the years. However, J and C thought it was great fun. And it's a place where the kids meals are actually reasonably priced, about $3.50 each. Music and Lyrics is a great movie, esp. if you are a Hugh Grant fan.
2) Stop DVRing Sell This House. This is actually a new favorite, obviously since we are in the process of selling our house, but quite addicting. It's on A and E. Tanya (pronounced like Tania) and Roger travel the country helping home-sellers fix up their places. It involves lots of paint, flowers, candles, window treatments, lighting, bowls of fruit, etc. but it has some fun ideas and I can watch an epsiode in about 15 minutes. I skip the parts with the open house comments and hidden cameras. Just makes me feel to sorry for the sellers. They have six epsidoes on Sat. in case you are interested...
3) Living with less is more. I lreally like how my house is after we removed the clutter and hired Erika to clean. I am on my 3rd bottle of Fabuloso. I hope I can remember this when we move. I am thinking garage sale in late March...any neighbors want to combine with me? Maybe instead of getting a new house, I should have removed the clutter and cleaned really well....too late now.
4) Go to the bowling alley when it first opens when you are on winter break. Then you might not spend $15 in arcade games and have an hour wait. However, the kids have fun no matter what!
5) When you ruin your third cell phone because the water bottle in your bag spilled, learn not to carry that water bottle at all. Acutally the first was ruined when Matthew chewed on it on the way home from the airport years ago. So I have really only ruined two this way. Luckily, Mom just replaced her phone and was upgraded. I got an upgrade as well. Order online or by phone instead of going to the store and you'll save a $36 activation fee. You may have to be really forceful when you talk to the operator in India, but I got what I wanted. (not spending over $30, not adding another line, no bells and whistles.)
Please share any notes to self--we may all benefit!
Cherry Blossoms
Nothing says spring to me more than the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.
Actually, I don't know if I have a more favorite place in all the world than the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. at Cherry Blossom time.
I was lucky to live in DC for 4 years. One year I went at all different times of day, early morning, late afternoon, evening, etc. It's just a beautiful, gorgeous sight to behold.
The Tidal Basin area has a lot of fond memories for me. It was at the FDR memorial that Mark and I got engaged!
This year it's not in the cards for us to make a trip down there, but I'd love to go next year and show my kids one of my favorite places in all the world.
I need back up
Last Tuesday night was horrible!
We were having a rough spot where several children were crying and couldn't be soothed. We had a showing and a tantrum during it. We had a late dinner. It was a rough night.
I felt like getting out a walkie-talkie and calling for backup. Just like they do in police shows. "Adult with fresh arms and new ideas needed at Kathryn's, immediately!"
My backup doesn't get home earlier than 6:30, but I am so relieved when he comes home. Since he doesn't have to put in as much face time, i.e. be physically sitting at his desk, he can tie things up at the office, come home for bedtime and work into the night if neccessary from our home office.
The kids listen for his key in the lock. "Daddy Daddy Daddy!" They shout and run from whatever corner of the house they are in to find him and smother him with kisses and hugs. Even Sam lights up when Dad comes in from work.
My other backup is Peggy. I am so relieved she said she'd come for moving day.
My other other backup is great friends in the area. It's so nice to help each other out.
If you need some backup, just give me a holler.
A little laugh for a Friday afternoon
Sara E. sent this to me via email. Not sure where it originates, but it gave me a good chuckle.
TEN GOOD REASONS TO ELECT A MORMON US PRESIDENT
10) The National Cathedral could be renamed the National Tabernacle.
9) NASA could commission a satellite to 'hie to Kolob'.
8) The Secret Service could be renamed the Sacred Service.
7) All official government prayers could include the phrase 'that we all can get home safely'.
6) Napoleon Dynamite could get someone other than Pedro elected.
5) The President could not only explain things in Layman's terms, but also Lemuel's terms.
4) The President could issue pardons in exchange for 100% home teaching.
3) Not only could he pronounce 'Nuclear' but also 'Mahonri Moriancumer‘.
2) At his inauguration he would swear on the Bible 'as far as it is translated correctly'.
1) Finally, a first family large enough to fill up the White House.
Mark and I saw Mitt Romney at a sacrament meeting in Park City 2 summers ago. There's our connection, plus Mark's cousin is doing some work for him. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Becoming a greener consumer
I have an amazing friend named Sherry. She and I have carpooled for 2 years now and seeing her every day just makes life better.
One of the many things I admire about Sherry is that she is a very savvy consumer. She always gets the best gear. She shops online, knows what's out there and makes wise decisions. We say our roles are clearly definied, she's the gear expert, and I am the information gatherer (actually I am just the big know it all) mostly about school related items.
She is also a very green consumer. She has a beautiful garden. She's going to get a hybrid car. She uses canvas bags. She doesn't buy indiviually packaged items. She shops at Mrs. Greens and Whole Foods and Trader Joes. She prepares a lot of vegetables and grows fruit in her garden.
She bought her son (who is my son's best friend) the very coolest lunchbox-- a bento lunchbox (see above photo)-no need for ziplocs. She has these great aluminum water bottles so when her kids get thirsty at the park she's not lugging around individual plastic water ones. She tries to eliminate the amount of waste her family generates. She does this all quietly, through her example.
Well, I took a page from Sherry's book and decided it is time to become a better consumer. Next time I need lightbulbs, I am going to get the better for the environment kind. I am committed to being a better recycler and not just recycle the easy stuff, but also the stuff you have to wash out. I am unplugging all chargers that are not currently charging anything and turning off the lights.
I did buy the canvas bags. They have them at Stop and Shop for 99 cents. I bought 8 to start with. I was busy chatting with a friend in line though and wasn't paying attention to the bagger. They put my 8 canvas bags in a plastic bag and then all my groceries in plastic bags. Oh well, next time!
Please share any thing eco-friendly things that you are doing-I'd love to hear about them!
Snow on Valentines!
Well, this is quite a storm (not by volume, but it's just a bit nasty) and I talked with all the teachers and we are having our festivities at school tomorrow.
The kids were begging to go out in it (while I was talking to my sister on the phone of course.) So I got creative. Let's fill up a bucket with snow and bring it in the kitchen. We put it in a rubbermaid tote, made roads and an airport, painted the snow with watercolors, did a couple of science/melting experiements, made somewhat of a mess, had hot chocolate, and now they are settled watching Toy Story. Phew! I should clarify that being a California-raised girl means playing in the snow is no fun for me.
We are having a good day and it's really nice that we can't go out since that means no one is going to come see the house today and that is a good feeling. I can relax and breathe. But please come tomorrow and on the weekend.
When we got married, we chose a date that would make our half-anniversary on Valentines. This has ended up being a great thing. Mark and I have not been together on our summer birthdays or anniversary for a couple of years since I end up staying in Utah and he flies home to NY to work. We celebrated on the halfs-instead. Happy half-anniversary Mark!
Don't be jealous, but dinner's in the crockpot and my valentine doesn't work late tonight and he and I can watch an all new episode of Lost!
Snow on Valentines?
So I am torn.
We are supposed to have MAJOR snow on Tues. night going into Wednesday.
I have not one, but two class parties to prepare for on Wednesday. If we have snow on Wed., will the parties be on Tues. or Thurs. or not at all?
Do I have the kids' Valentines ready for them to take in on Tuesday, which means buying candy tomorrow (since I knew I could not buy it previously or else it would get eaten, mostly by me.) If we have a snow day on Wednesday, will the kids even want to exchange on Thursday if they haven't exchanged on Tuesday? I do have the Valentines, so that's good, including the sweetest Thomas ones for Matthew to give to his preschool class.
To the teachers of my children: This is what we should do. Let's have everything ready for Tuesday. Let's have a snow day on Wednesday. And do teachers want Valentines? Is a card sufficient, or should I get you something else too?
I really wish I could be in charge.
How could a forecast cause me so much grief?
Is anyone else thinking about this? Maybe I won't be the only crazy mom at CVS tomorrow!
Happy February 11th!
When I called my sister today, I wished her happy Feb. 11th. How could this be a happy day? 13 years ago it was the WORST day of our whole lives, the day our dad died.
Through these years, I have done various things to cope with the approach of this day. I had wonderful roommates in Washington, D.C. who would leave me a card and some flowers on this day. One year I wrote a poem. A counselor suggested one year as the anniversary approached to view this day as a day we celebrate Dad and all the wonderful things about him. Three years ago I gave birth to Matthew in early February. When we were thinking about getting pregnant with him, I told Mark I wanted a February baby so I'd have something happy to celebrate in February.
So yesterday morning, when I was facing a weekend with Mark at work, with house showings, cold weather, cooped up kids, and being very emotional myself, I thought how I am ever going to get through this? I pulled out my childhood photo album with Caroline and we looked at pictures of Dad and my family.
I made an interesting discovery. As I looked at photos of me from age 9 on, my little brother Stephen was always near me. He was asleep on my lap, sitting in my lap, peering over my shoulder, on my hip, sitting next to me while I opened presents. I thought, were we little buddies? Did he prefer me back then? From the pictures it indicated that he might.
Which is a great discovery since sometimes we "butt heads" as my Mom calls it, and clash a bit and have very different opinions on about everything....
This little brother who has lived relatively close to us in New Hampshire (close enough to come visit for Thanksgiving and baby blessings) is now moving to Arizona. And while I am happy for him and his new opportunities, I am sad I won't see my little buddy as often.
Then I thought this is what my Dad would have wanted, to have us all get along and love each other. I can't think of 5 other people I would prefer to be a sister to. We share the same father and mother yet all have very different lives. While I love living where I do, I hate that it's so far from them and from their children and that we really only see them once a year.
So, Yes, Happy February 11th. I am glad you won't come around again for another year, though.
PS Hey Mom and sibs, for next year, I found on Wikipedia some other things we could celebrate that happened on Feb. 11:
1990 - Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is freed from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa.
1997 - Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
2006 - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots Harry Whittington in the face while the two are hunting together.
Birthdays:
1847 - Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor (d. 1931)
1909 - Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959)
1921 - Lloyd Bentsen, American politician (d. 2006)
1934 - Tina Louise, American actress
1936 - Burt Reynolds, American actor
1938 - Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general
1939 - Jane Yolen, American author
1941 - Sergio Mendes, Brazilian musician
1953 - Jeb Bush, American politician
1962 - Sheryl Crow, American musician
1969 - Jennifer Aniston, American actress
1979 - Brandy Norwood, American singer
Tips for dinner
I know cooking dinner can be an overwhelming task for many of us. So I wanted to share some ideas about how cooking dinner has become a little easier. Dinner is a big deal to me...I have great memories of family dinners from my childhood. Plus, it not only provides a meal for my family that night, but sometimes Josh and Mark take leftovers the next day for lunch.
1) Plan ahead and prepare. It's so much easier to prepare a meal if you have everything you need for it. It's hard for me to make something out of nothing or just try and throw random ingredients together. I am not crafty enough to make something out of random stuff. Before I go grocery shopping, I list 5-6 meals I would like to make and then write down what ingredients I will need on my shopping list to make these meals. I look at my list throughout the week to decide what we will have which day.
2) My easiest dinner times are when I have done stuff to prepare for it earlier in the day. At lunchtime, when the kids are eating, I do a few things to get ready for dinner. Whether it's assembling a casserole, putting something in a crockpot, cutting up veggies, or defrosting meat, doing these things at noon rather than at 4:30 makes life easier.
3) I try and have a few convenience meals around for days when life is hectic. Frozen lasagna from Costco or frozen pastas from Trader Joes can be very satisfying and easy to prepare. Also, we call in for pizza at least once a month and if Dad's out of town or having dinner with clients, we'll go out for a bite or do something simple.
4) I enjoy making new things, so I look for recipes in magazines, cookbooks, on blogs, etc. If I add a couple new meals into our rotation, then I don't get bored.
5) We have to have dinner without Dad most nights. This is not our ideal, but it's the way life is. We save him a plate in the fridge, pack up his leftovers for lunch, and try to have family meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on the weekends.
I'd love to hear your tips for dinner!
Growing Up
Josh is growing up.
He went to his first birthday party at an urban entertainment center. I was a little freaked about sending him to it, but he had a great time and made it home safely, thanks to wonderful Reyna--friend/yoga instructor/window treatment seller.
Then he wanted to start his own blog which he did. I went on to it today and found myself laughing out loud, he's doing such a great job. I really am going to figure out how to link this week (Lindsey or Laura, could you give me a tutorial?) and then I will link to it.
We had a good time tonight, he asked me a lot of questions about my Dad (it's the anniversary of his death today), and we played Jeopardy. His categories were: babies, Africa, school supplies and USA. He had some stumpers. My categories were all church related: sacrament meeting, Articles of Faith, Book of Mormon, and families.
It's really fun to have older kids.
A new best friend
For Matty's third birthday, we took him to Build-A-Bear with the family. It was so fun to watch him make his choices. Here is his bear, pre-stuffing.
The other kids have build-a-bear's and we gave them each $10 to spend on an outfit. Josh chose instead to get a bear just like Matthew's. It was fun to have them wash them together. They were wearing their Yankees shirts. Of course, Matty picked the Yankees outfit.
Matthew enjoys the anticipation of bringing the bear home. Matty held the huge box in his carseat.
Here is Matthew cuddling up with his new friend, whose name is "M for Matthew" and his favorite blue blanket.
Incidentally, Mark said, "Maybe we should take the family to Florida." I promptly responded, "Mark, we can barely take our family to the Mall!."
Oh Samuel
It's 10:30 and I am just hearing you wake up. Of course, you wake up as soon as I am getting ready for bed. Or other nights, I lie in bed waiting for you to wake up so we can curl up together for a long sleep. You have been quite clingy lately, which is probably good since whenever I put you down in the care of a sibling, you pull up on something and tumble over and get quite sad. So, we've spent a lot of time together, with you on my hip. That tooth is in now, so maybe tomorrow will be a happier day. Oh, we get shots tomorrow. Well nevermind that. You are still adorable. My arms are just a little achy, but it's a good ache.
"The" enchiladas
These are my favorites. I feel today that I am now ready to share them with the world. Peggy first made these for us after Samuel was born. I make them often. I love them. The one part that's a bit of a pain is softening the corn tortillas in oil, but I remind myself that it makes the end product so good and tasty and warm and satisfying. You can also triple the recipe, stick one set of twelve in the freezer and bring a pan to a friend (since corn tortillas typically come 36 per package).
Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream
From Sunset Magazine
3 cups shredded skinned cooked chicken
2 cups sour cream
About 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use way less)
12 corn tortillas
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
1. In a bowl, mix chicken, sour cream, 2 cups shredded cheese, and the salt.
2. Heat oil in an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over low heat. Dip the tortillas, one at a time, in the hot oil just until limp, about 5 seconds. (I let them cool in layered between paper towels).
3. Fill tortillas equally with turkey mixture, roll up, and arrange side by side, seam down, in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Pour salsa evenly over the top.
4. Bake in a 350° oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. If desired, sprinkle more shredded cheese over hot enchiladas before serving.
Yield: Makes 6 servings
