House of Crawford

2011-11-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

I was sitting at a stoplight when "He Reigns" hit the chorus and I turned my head to see this...

and then this...

What an amazing visual.
It felt like my own personal message from God.
Thank you.

Bountiful Basket

2011-11-12T19:13:00.001-06:00

6 Jonagold Apples

3 Oranges

2 Small Red Grapefruit

6 Bananas

Leaf Lettuce

Bag of Carrots

2 Cucumbers

5 Roma Tomatoes

6 Large Sweet Potatoes

3 Acorn Squash

I picked up all of these fruits and vegetables this morning for $15 thanks to the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op! The acorn squash is the only item I haven't purchased since I made baby food, but I've already found this recipe for Acorn Squash Soup and now can't wait to use it up.

Most exciting item in my basket...those huge sweet potatoes. Yum! There is enough to make all three of these recipes: Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle Cream, Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato Fries with Dipping Sauce.

Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap!

2011-11-09T18:54:00.001-06:00

So this is where all the shampoo is going.

Last Days of Fall

2011-11-06T21:53:00.000-06:00

New Fast Food

2011-10-17T20:31:00.005-05:00

I am not usually a fan of boxed meals or jarred sauces. Whenever we've tried them I've been disappointed by the plain taste or flavors that don't live up to the advertised promised. Since I'm always looking for quick meals to make on school nights that don't involve hot dogs, eggs or picking up pizza, I'm still occasionally willing to try something new and hoping it won't be another disappointment.

This hopefulness is how I discovered a pouch of deliciousness from Chef Rick Bayless at Whole Foods. Since I've enjoyed watching him on Top Chef Masters (wishing it was a 4D viewing experience) and love everything I've made from his cookbook Mexico-One Plate at a Time, I thought I'd give his sauce pouches a try. This is the one we tried first...
I could not believe how good it was and how quick it was to make:

I diced leftover roasted chicken and then mixed it with Cheddar Jack cheese before filling five corn tortillas. Into a small baking dish they went to be topped with the sauce and more cheese. Fifteen minutes later dinner was served!

Noah loved it. Joshua, not so much but he was determined not to like it. The leftovers were just as tasty warmed up for lunch the next day.

Another quick meal we've enjoyed lately comes from Nigella Lawson. I DO NOT tell the boys this since they're most hated meal ever, egg pizza, also comes from Nigella Lawson. By hated I mean they use it as a barometer for everything... would you rather do blah blah blah or eat egg pizza. Anyway, this meal is quick to throw together but tastes like you were in the kitchen for hours. Bonus: We always have leftovers!

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes on the Food Network

My adaptations: I get the family size package of chicken thighs which only has 8 thighs. Use whatever potatoes you have on hand. I used red fingerling potatoes last time. Season chicken and potatoes with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil over everything before roasting.

A Night Out

2011-08-27T19:36:00.001-05:00

Yes. We had fun last weekend.

Double Digits

2011-08-07T08:26:00.004-05:00

Happy 10th Birthday Noah!!!

Now that he's older, Noah has more concerns about what I post. He will often make requests to have things posted on this blog or Facebook but it is even more often that I hear "and don't post this on your blog." So instead of embarrassing him with current video footage, we have a blast from the past.

We were watching old videos this weekend and came across this one of Noah's first magic show at almost 3 1/2 years old. At 10, he still likes to do magic but I can verify that his techniques have improved considerably.

It's hard to believe this boy is 10 today. Time to celebrate!

Rich 1, Chino 0

2011-07-16T19:16:00.004-05:00

There was an invasion this summer. New mounds of dirt would appear each morning connected by underground tunnels. We thought our young, active cat (who has already killed her share of birds and bunnies this summer) would take care of the problem. Sadly, she did not and the destruction of our yard continued (every two feet)...
Using his best Caddyshack moves, Rich was able to flood the holes until this popped out...
No relatives were found and this little guy was entered in the mole relocation program.
It's amazing that something so small could do so much damage.

Moles by Mary Oliver

Under the leaves, under
the first loose
levels of earth
they're there -- quick
as beetles, blind
as bats, shy
as hares but seen
less than these --
traveling
among the pale girders
of appleroot,
rockshelf, nests
of insects and black
pastures of bulbs
peppery and packed full
of the sweetest food:
spring flowers.
Field after field
you can see the traceries
of their long
lonely walks, then
the rains blur
even this frail hint of them --
so excitable,
so plush,
so willing to continue
generation after generation
accomplishing nothing
but their brief physical lives
as they live and die,
pushing and shoving
with their stubborn muzzles against
the whole earth,
finding it
delicious.

The Arts in Our School

2011-06-16T22:33:00.001-05:00

The boys enjoyed many things throughout the school year especially the arts. Noah started playing the cello this year, both boys loved being part of their music programs and a favorite class was always art.

Here are a few video highlights from the last month of school involving the arts...

Noah had a piece of artwork chosen (along with other students from multiple districts) to hang at Project Harmony for the next year. These pictures are from the showing and video of Noah explaining what all the symbols in his artwork represent.

The first and second grade students put on a Buggy program. Joshua was thrilled to be a firefly.

Noah demonstrates his cello mastery with a couple selections from the final strings concert.

Arts Education Facts
Did You Know?
Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
Perform community service more than four times as often

("Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations," Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998)

Water Fight

2011-05-30T19:35:00.005-05:00

They said they wanted to have a water fight.

I thought they would use these....

They had other ideas....

Hello Summer

5 Days or....

2011-05-15T14:55:00.001-05:00

The One Hand Zone

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-04-30T21:19:00.006-05:00

No matter how I tried, my purse always ended up being the bottomless pit of receipts, paper and trash that made it impossible to find anything. I could dig for five minutes for my keys and forget about finding the ringing cell phone before it went to voice mail.

NO MORE! I discovered the Big Sydney by Baggallini over a month ago and I'm in love. It has pockets for everything and I've never been more organized.
Outside: pocket for my phone (my flip camera fits in with it), another pocket for my keys, a zip pocket for a book, and another pocket on the outside to slide receipts and papers into. Inside: hook for my school keys, an attached small bag for extra store cards, two deep pockets - one side for make-up and the other for pens and reading glasses, slots for cards and enough room for my wallet, checkbook, sunglasses, and regular glasses.

All of that and it's not too big or bulky at all! Now to get the rest of my life this organized.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-27T02:23:00.000-05:00

April Showers Bring...

2011-04-17T19:06:00.002-05:00

One step closer to yard work.

Amazing...

2011-04-10T21:54:00.007-05:00

Do you know the balancings of the clouds,

the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? Job 37:16

Joshua's Birthday

2011-04-03T14:03:00.002-05:00

A photo album by Smilebox

Spring Break

2011-03-24T07:51:00.006-05:00

Loving spring break! Yesterday I loved it from my bed where I watched movies, caught up on TV shows, and even played Sorry Spin with the boys. Sometimes you just need one of those days especially after we exerted ourselves so much on Tuesday....

We started with pottery painting at It's Your Pottery.I thought it would be fun it we all did our own versions of the same thing but that was quickly shot down. At least we were all there as a family. Yes, even Rich painted. Joshua is thrilled that the pieces will be ready on his birthday - can't wait for that French fry bank!

The second dream come true for Tuesday was hot wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. Not only were they delicious and gluten free but we discovered that they're only $.45 on Tuesdays! YUMMY.Joshua loved them so much that he wants to go back again for his birthday dinner. What? I don't have to cook on a Monday night? Okay, if that's what you really want.

Now that it's Thursday I feel break racing to a close. While Rich and the boys finish replacing the shower door today I'm going to get off my bed and shop with a friend. My main goal is to find big, fluffy, water absorbing bath towels. Wish me luck!

Crazy Takes a Week Off

2011-03-20T15:37:00.009-05:00

Spring break is here and giving us a little taste of summer vacation - and we like it! Everyone has things they want to do this week.

Topping the list for the boys:

eating hot wings (Phineas and Ferb made them quite appealing)
a craft project (painting pottery)
a visit to the Joslyn
drawing for Noah
30 minute drawing lessons for Joshua given by Noah (his specialty is dragons and multi-animals, ex. bird-shark) - this should be interesting

We're kicking off the week tonight by ordering pizza and watching Megamind with popcorn.

I intend to read, drink coffee, watch movies and work out five times. The movie watching has been easy to implement (thank you Netflix) and I've already knocked out "The Fighter" and "The Switch." Next up: "Morning Glory." Getting herbs started and doing a little scrapbooking would also be lovely additions to the week.

Of course, there is work to be done but as Scarlett would say, " I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

Sunrise Sunrise

2011-03-16T20:19:00.008-05:00

Tired. All week tired. My 40 year old body refuses to adjust to the time change. Wondering why we have to put ourselves through this and then I saw the sunrise...

Definitely worth waking up early for!

Cousin Birthday Party!

2011-03-05T16:39:00.004-06:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

We did the dual cousin birthday celebration again last weekend. This time it was Maya, who turned 7 last month, and Joshua, who will celebrate his birthday at the end of this month, that led the birthday fun.

Coco Keys may not have been an adult favorite, but the 17 kids there certainly had fun. When I asked Joshua in the car if he had a good time he said, "Of course, it was my party."

Here are the cousins and some of those fun moments...

This digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Love a Good Cat Video....

2010-12-01T06:58:00.006-06:00

First Snow

2010-11-12T20:18:00.003-06:00

They were supposed to go shower. Instead, they did this....

The Last of October

2010-11-06T15:33:00.004-05:00

Scrapbook design generated with Smilebox

Cousin Identifier:
Ian: Unknown Phantom
Noah: Dementor
Joshua: Harry Potter
Ava: Pippi Longstocking
Spencer: Ninja
Maya:Pippi Longstocking
Stella: Dorothy
Kailie: Adorable Witch
Owen: Shark
Madeline: Kitty
Finn: Cow
Amelia: Ladybug

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

Found this post from a couple of weeks ago. I don't know why I didn't post it but I'd hate for you to miss our journey through October....

I love fall!!! I love the cool weather, the beautiful colors and crunching leaves. I love all the activities associated with fall including visiting a pumpkin patch or two. Thursday was the perfect night at Vala's - perfect weather, NOT busy and everyone got along. We didn't even know it was Halloweenie Thursday so free hotdogs for all. Score!

King Science Quiz Competition

2010-10-29T23:26:00.004-05:00

On Friday, Noah was part of a team of 4th grade students from Skinner to compete at the King Science Quiz competition. He was so excited the night before that he was worried he wouldn't be able to go to sleep. He did.

The competition started by answering science questions, went on to a team building competition and ended with a planetarium show. Perfect morning for my science boy. He and his teammates had a blast.

Not only did Noah have fun, but he won first place in the individual portion of the competition! Needless to say, he was thrilled. I was definitely proud of him but I was even prouder of the way he handled himself. He was a gracious winner and was just as proud of his team, which took second place. Just maybe, some things are sinking in.

Party Crashers

2010-10-29T22:59:00.008-05:00

"What? The party's tomorrow? But I'm ready for s'mores now!"

Insight Through Apple Crisp

2010-10-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Setting: Sunday afternoon.

Nicole in kitchen preparing to make apple crisp.
Noah and the neighbor girls playing in the backyard.
Joshua sitting on the front steps playing by himself.

Hmmm. Why isn't Joshua out back with everyone else?

When I asked him he said he didn't want to. I asked if something happened and got the standard one word answer - No. I let it go but asked him if he wanted to help me make apple crisp. To this I received an enthusiastic "Yes!" and someone to help peel apples.

While peeling and slicing our talk revolved around apples until there was a short pause and Joshua quietly said the reason he wasn't playing with everyone was that Noah was being mean and yelling at him. After we talked a while longer he decided he was ready to play and ran out to join the group.

As he left I couldn't help feeling like I'd been given a gift. First, it was nice to have the opportunity to chat one-on-one without his brother to interrupt or add comments. Second, I realized that I had discovered the secret to getting him to open up and talk. Thank you!!!

This will not be our last apple crisp.

Apples

2010-10-17T23:23:00.003-05:00

Last week we made it out to Martin's Orchard near Ceresco to pick apples. I didn't realize that our boys were such city slickers until we heard comments like these on the drive:

I don't see any man-made structures.
All I see is dead corn. Everywhere I look, dead corn.
How long can you breathe in dust before you die? Like two minutes? (While driving on a country road)
Ahhh, unpolluted air (with nose buried in shirt).

Once we arrived though they were in their element. Here's the proof...

We brought home 18 pounds of apples.

Oddly Familiar

2010-09-26T23:34:00.006-05:00

Okay, I know I already posted about this but I was playing around with Animoto and these were my most recent photos. They must be posted - at least there are five new photos. Besides, the song is "Elusive Butterfly." I don't think this is what the artist had in mind but I could not resist.

Wildlife Encounters

2010-09-19T15:00:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was a jam-packed day but the best part was at a sanctuary in our neighborhood: Heron Haven. It was their big fall event with activities throughout the day. We made it just in time for the wildlife encounter. Joshua was called up first to help and had these...placed on his shoulders. I wish I'd had my camera because his face was priceless. We heard all about the Madagascar hissing cockroaches and their importance in the world while we watched them hang out and crawl around on Joshua's shoulders.

When Noah was chosen to help his surprise animal was much cuter:
He got to hold the kinkajou (also known as a honey bear) while it ate fruit loops out of his hand. I could have done that.

There was also an alligator, giant boa, scorpion, African Serval and a Fennec fox (smallest fox). It was interesting to see and hear about some animals we hadn't seen before.

After the wild animals the boys enjoyed time in the butterfly tent.

We didn't have time to walk any trails. Hopefully we can make it back before the snow hits. I think this would be a fabulous activity with cousins!

Neverending Questions

2010-09-16T18:49:00.001-05:00

Saved by the Discovery channel....I thought.

I only have a couple of weekends left to finish up my coursework. This means that the boys have been free to do just about anything while I'm studying on the weekends. This meant that last Saturday they enjoyed killer/danger day on the Discovery channel. First up, Killer Ants. Followed by Killer Jellyfish, Worlds Most Dangerous Animals and other deadly titles.

After watching Killer Jellyfish Joshua has been rethinking his "diver" career path. The Killer Jellyfish program has sparked much discussion at our house and has led to even more questions about the killer jellyfish. All of which Noah has posed to me. When I was unable to answer his questions and grew more frustrated with each one, I finally asked why he thought I would know this. (He did just watch the program, not me!) He replied, "Because you've been to high school." Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten the jellyfish elective???

This is when I realized I'm taking the wrong classes. Instead of improving on my 21st century literacy skills I should have been focused on all things deadly. Maybe there is a class designed to answer all of Noah's questions. Better yet, I need a class that teaches me how to breath through all of the questions without coming unglued by question #937 of the day - the kid asks A LOT of questions!

They often sound like real questions:

Noah: Do you think it's better to be a teacher or an astronaut?
Me: Teacher?

But just when you think you're going to learn something insightful they take a turn to the 9 year old boy side:

Noah: I think an astronaut because then when you hurl it would just float out into space until it hit something. That would be so cool!

I fall for it every time.

Just when I think I can't take one more question, musing or revelation though, I remember that it won't be forever. As hard as it is to picture now, I know at some point he will start talking more to his friends then to me. It's inevitable. Just thinking about it now makes me a little sad. So, I'm going to embrace the questions and engage in the dialogue that is being so desperately sought (unless it's about my driving). We'll start here which I'm sure will lead to more questions and quandaries.

Motivation

2010-08-30T18:35:00.003-05:00

This FINALLY arrived in my mailbox today...

It contains the highly anticipated conclusion to The Hunger Games Trilogy, Mockingjay. At least I believe it does. As much as I'd love to rip it open and start reading NOW, I'm going to wait. Instead, I'm going to use this box as the motivator to get my online grad classes finished by the end of September (Because keeping my job isn't enough of a motivator???).

So, it's a date. October 1st you'll find me curled up with my book and probably a nice glass of wine. I can't wait! But first, back to my studies...

Beginning Again

2010-08-16T17:40:00.003-05:00

They conquered the first day of school!

Sleep Mask for Kids

2010-08-04T14:52:00.007-05:00

I couldn't stop laughing when I checked on Joshua and walked into this...

Yes, this is how he fell asleep. Why is he blindfolded? A more interesting question might be what is he blindfolded with? Any guesses?

If you said a blue stretchy cobra snake, you would be correct. Maybe we could corner the market on blindfolds for kids with this new reptile design. There is a market for sleep masks for kids isn't there?

Growing Up

2010-06-17T12:30:00.001-05:00

Does it ever just hit you that your kids are older?

Joshua decided he wanted to a start his summer with a Mohawk. I love that he isn't afraid to be his own person or to try something different. The hawk lasted a couple of weeks until he got tired of doing it (or tired of hearing me tell him to do it).

Sometimes that moment hits you when you hear a mature response after so many that were not. Sometimes you just SEE them. This happened to me during dinner one night. Looking at Noah it just hit me how much older he was - taller, such long arms and more mature conversation (occasionally). He's moving into that pre-adolescent category and has more and more questions about growing up. Most of those questions involve driving and getting your license. Some do not.

Signs that it's time for the first "talk."

Yesterday at the pool Noah asked when you get armpit hair. He then asked if an older cousin had it, if I had it, and if he could see it. Um, no and not on the pool deck!

A couple of weeks ago while discussing his day at camp Noah said he was surprised that only two other kids made it to the top of the rock wall besides him - and they were girls! I said something about not raising a sexist and that girls can do what boys can do blah, blah, blah. He then started trying to use the word sexy. When I asked him if he knew what sexy meant he said, "Hot." When I asked him what hot meant he said, "You know, sweaty."

He's a little too interested in woman's undergarments. If we walk by that section in a store he wants to touch all of them. Is it inappropriate to pat a mannequin's crotch?

I know we'll get to all of this soon enough but I'm okay if he thinks sexy means sweaty for a little while longer.

The End - 48 Hour Book Challenge Complete

2010-06-06T13:45:00.007-05:00

Clocked out but not done? The end of my 48 hour period came and went at 8:45 this morning. I HAD to finish the book I was reading so it was another 30 minutes before I could stop (Don't worry, I didn't count the extra in my total.). Instead of tired of reading, I'm just anxious to get into more books! If I had read more and slept less maybe I'd feel differently - but probably not.

When I discovered this challenge blog-hopping a couple of weeks ago, I was intrigued and wondered how much time I could actually spend reading. I fell a little short of my goal (24 hours) but still feel good about the 21 hours and 14 minutes spent reading. I finished eight books and started a read aloud with the boys. I must admit I was more into the reading then the social networking. When most people are posting from their book blogs you feel a little "odd blogger out" posting from your personal blog. That being said, it was still a blast and I'm looking forward to checking out what everyone else read and adding some new blogs to my RSS reader. I narrowed my book selection down for the challenge to the Nebraska Golden Sower Nominees for 2010-11 in the Intermediate and Young Adult categories. I'd already read two, so with 18 left to choose from, my 48 hour reading journey began.

Amazon.com Widgets

Books Read:
Intermediate Nominees

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell - This was my favorite. I don't know why I'm always shocked when I enjoy fantasy so much.
Do Not Pass Go by Kirkpatrick Hill
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
(started Masterpiece by Elise Broach)

Young Adult Nominees

Peeled by Joan Bauer
Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs
Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
Fakie by Tony Varrato
Steel Trapp: The Challenge by Ridley Pearson

Thank you MotherReader for hosting this event. I know beating my time next year is totally possible with less "Mommy!" and more caffeine.

Total Time Reading/Blogging: 22 hours 14 minutes

Let the Reading Begin!

2010-06-04T08:30:00.006-05:00

The 48 Hour Book Challenge is finally here and I'm ready! Pork chops marinating, garbage out, dishwasher running, laundry started, kids gone until 5:30 and a big stack of books. I intended on starting earlier but it would be shocking to those that know me to find that I'm running behind. I'm going to be working my way through the Intermediate and Young Adult Nebraska Golden Sower Nominees for 2010-11 starting with Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. My official start time is 8:45 a.m.

Day 1
Woo hoo! I'm clocking out today with 11 hours and 26 minutes spent reading. I'm tired and my eyes are tired.

Books Read:

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarian by Brandon Sanderson
Do Not Pass Go by Kirkpatrick Hill
Peeled by Joan Bauer
Fakie by Tony Varrato
Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs

Too tired for more now... must sleep. It will be harder to get as much time in tomorrow unless I lock myself in the bathroom and ignore the boys all day. I might have to lift the video game time limit for the day. Are there really people that read 30-40 hours??? Crazy!

Thrilled To Be Reading

2010-06-03T16:30:00.001-05:00

New find for summer reading: Mark My Time Bookmarks. They are bookmarks with a clock and two timers. One timer counts up so you can keep track of minutes read. The other timer counts down for those that want to read for a specific amount of time. You can stop or start each timer as many times as needed.

I found these at The Bookworm (The Make Your Mark web site says they are available at Barnes & Noble and Borders too.) and gave them to the boys last weekend. They are a HUGE hit! I'm sure the newness will eventually wear off but for now the boys love keeping track of their time spent reading. Joshua likes to see how long it takes him to read each book...

Jump, Frog, Jump! - 4 minutes
Starry, Starry Night - 10 minutes
Chapter 1 of Gross Out! - 9 minutes

... and Noah logged an hour and ten minutes the first time out. He was quick to inform me that he wouldn't do that every time but I'm not worried. He's like me in that he has trouble putting a book down once he's gotten started.

If you're looking for a way to encourage reading this summer these bookmarks might be exactly what you need.

48 Hour Book Challenge

2010-05-26T18:21:00.006-05:00

I am so excited for the 48 hour book challenge! It is happening the weekend of June 4-6, 2010. Go to the MotherReader blog for all the details. I love that I will actually have a reason for non-stop reading. Since I brought 60+ books home to read over the summer I might need several 48 hour book challenges. It will be interesting to see how much time I can actually log reading. Anyone else up for the challenge?

You're My Obsession

2010-05-26T11:11:00.001-05:00

We become obsessed with things around here. I know I'm guilty of it too (new products, books, parenting ideas, etc.) but when Noah gets stuck on something that is ALL you hear about.

Noah's latest obsession is the desire to go to a baseball game. I think it stems from the school program he was just in about summer vacation. His part ...

Anyway, I'm not opposed to going to a ballgame (not that I have any desire or love of baseball) but I'm already tired of being asked to go - every day. Especially since I think he's really just interested in having a hotdog, peanuts and cracker jacks. He's been warned that they probably don't serve peanuts anymore due to all the nut allergies but he will not be dissuaded. Is it un-American to make him wait for the free tickets you get for participating in the summer reading program at the library for a game in August?

Baseball has already begun to fade only to be replaced by duct tape. Thank you Mythbusters for once again showing us the amazing power of duct tape. Fascinated, Noah found videos on how to make pouches, flowers and backpacks. Here he shows off his first two duct tape creations.

Since this video Noah has taught Joshua how to make the pouch and flower. He has added a backpack to his own duct tape collection. I think we have a cousin summer craft.

What Do You See?

2010-05-13T20:31:00.006-05:00

School is almost out and one thing on my summer list of things to do is blog. Obviously, not much of that happened during the school year - except in my head. I thought I'd dip my toe back into blogging by sharing the thought process of our seven-year old this evening....

While gathering laundry tonight I asked the boys to dump their laundry baskets into mine. Joshua brought his in and although it seemed somewhat empty, I didn't think much of it. That is until I walked by his room.

Before you judge his room know this:
1. It has looked much, much worse. MUCH!
2. He has actually been picking it up on Saturdays but we had a really busy weekend.

Anyway, when I went by his room I saw the upturned empty blue laundry basket (Thanks for emptying it when asked the first time Joshua!) and then clothes strewn from the doorway to his dresser. It's amusing (sometimes) how literal kids can be. At what age does saying "bring me your laundry" become all encompassing? Clearly not at seven.

The clothes on the floor are also an example of how tired I am. Not because they are on the floor but because Joshua wore the khakis in the doorway to church on Sunday. Today is Thursday. His room is across the hallway from mine. I have stepped over those pants all week when I've gone in to wake him up and not even noticed.

Hmmm, how did he miss those clothes on the floor when getting his laundry? It couldn't possibly be in his DNA.

Birthday Wishes

2010-02-21T15:08:00.009-06:00

More interesting ideas from our Joshua...

Joshua's birthday is not until the end of March but we are trying something new - a joint birthday party with his cousin Maya whose birthday was earlier this month. The party meets in the middle of their birthdays and has me trying to figure out what kind of cake he would like to have and what presents he might desire, much earlier than usual. When asked, Joshua quickly decided that he wanted a dragon Mighty Beanz cake... breathing fire and with a chest of gold. Of course you would.

You might recall his last birthday cake that I discussed here. I've now talked him down to cupcakes topped with a Mighty Beanz. Much easier! Score one for mom. I'm sure the cake for his actual birthday will need to be much more elaborate, but at least we'll be on spring break.

When I called him in for a private talk (an attempt to get a list without Noah's input) to discuss present ideas this is the list I got:

welding torch
metal
plastic
magnifying glass - circle only, no handle

Why does my soon to be seven year old desire these things? They are the things needed to make a light saber - he and Noah are growing the crystals. He did wonder if the welding torch would melt the crystals. I told him that he wouldn't be receiving a welding torch but he made me write it on the list anyway. You never know. Has it become appropriate to give your child fire wielding equipment that could blind or maim?

Other items that HAD to be on the list even though he can't have them:

iPhone
TV for his room
real kitten

Here is the list with real potential:

Bike
Wii: New Super Mario Bros.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - DS
Star Wars the Clone Wars - DS
alarm clock
Mighty Beanz storage case
Mighty Beanz flip track
Mighty Beanz
new stuffed animal - any kind...As if we need more animals to throw around!
model magic
triangle bakugan
sleeveless shirt - I know there has been snow on the ground since Thanksgiving, but he's concerned that he doesn't have any sleeveless shirts yet.
magnetic guy
new pillow case - He's not sure what kind, just that he'd like one. I think it's cute that he doesn't need a whole sheet set but is perfectly happy with interesting pillow cases. Anyone want to tie-dye a new one?

Roller Skates (size 1)

Christmas

2009-12-30T21:37:00.003-06:00

Due to the snow, we celebrated our family Christmas in Lincoln on Christmas Eve before Brechbill Christmas. It was definitely fun to have an extended stay with family. Here are a few of those moments.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Claymation Creation

2009-12-19T13:58:00.003-06:00

Here is Noah's video from the Claymation class he had at school. If you think addition, multiplication and division you will recognize everything. Noah chose this elective because he wanted to do something with clay. He said his favorite part was taking the pictures but there wasn't anything he didn't like doing. He is full of ideas for more movies that he'd like to make at home NOW and someday be able to do this. Maybe this is just the beginning and one day he'll get paid to do this.

A New Music Find

2009-12-05T20:24:00.006-06:00

My mom has had my Christmas CD's so I have been begrudgingly listening to the radio in the car hoping to hear a few. Imagine my surprise when I became captivated by "Your Hands." It's not even a Christmas song! JJ Heller is the artist who sings it and I loved it so much that I actually wrote her name down while driving to look her up later. I just finished downloading her CD Painted Red and discovered she also has a 5 song Christmas album. You can download this for free at NoiseTrade.com using the widget below or purchase it on iTunes.

Do you hear what I hear?

2009-11-10T19:30:00.006-06:00

Save money. Live better. Drawer.

As in the drawer with all the Halloween candy. Apparently, there has been a Walmart ad during one of their shows because Noah is fond of saying, "Save money. Live better. Walmart." It morphed into the drawer phrase tonight.

Noah's new favorite word: literally.

Me: Meet me here when you're done in the bathroom.

Noah: See ya, wouldn't want to be you.

Me: Nice (probably with eye roll)

Noah: No. Literally I wouldn't want to be you because then I'd be a girl.

Me (in my head): I don't want be you either!

Noah: I could eat it up (referring to some large amount of something I no longer remember even though he only said it a few hours ago).

Noah: Literally, I could eat it up. I'm starving.

The sarcastic police has become literal, literally.

Lastly, I'm happy to report another techy thing Noah showed me: Tuxpi. A site with 37 effects and tools for your photos. He was thrilled to show me how to use it (easy to pull photos from iPhoto or Photo Booth) and create this poster. Just one of many.

Clay Animation

2009-11-08T20:41:00.005-06:00

Noah has been taking a claymation elective at school and he LOVES it! He couldn't wait to start making movies at home. He did these two one night last week while I was making dinner. All I did was attach the camera to the tripod. Pretty impressive for third grade.

Maybe we can clear the table for future movies.

We bought clay at Michael's today. Noah and Joshua are going to work together to do a volcano. I'd like to find a better program to put the pictures in than iMovie...too slow. Coming soon: Exploding Volcano.

It's Raining Cheeseburgers

2009-10-23T17:52:00.004-05:00

The boys and I saw Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs today in 3D and I now think everything should be made in 3D. It was so cool! I believe the last 3D movie I saw in the theater was Jaws 3 which would now barely qualify as 3D. It's odd to think that the boys don't even know about the earlier 3D versions just like they don't know what an album is. Anyway, the movie itself was entertaining and funny. It's always nice when a little humor is thrown in for the parents like comparing the weather to an amuse-bouche. I laughed aloud many times and the kids really enjoyed it too. Of course, we were already fans of the book so it was fun to see how that story was expanded and used for the movie. If you're going to see this movie it is definitely worth the extra bucks to see the 3D version.

p.s. For those curious...the boys barely made it into Mary Poppins before they were completely distracted by a game they made up involving the monopoly board and dice. I think the movie lost them with the suffragist song. It's not looking good for The Sound of Music.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

2009-10-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

After a discussion earlier last week about long words, the boys have become fascinated with saying supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

This is interesting to me because:

a. They refused to watch Mary Poppins when I bought it after it came out on DVD

and

2. They have never been interested in the music - even if it was Harry Connick, Jr.'s version

I played them the song on YouTube and they went right to work learning how to say it. I believe Noah said it took him about 20 minutes to remember how to say it. Now Joshua has it down too and he is repeatedly singing parts of it over and over. He puts a different tune and emphasis on some of the words and uses a little different phrasing...

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, if you say it loud enough you'll be quite atrocious (he sings it out: aaaa-troooooooo-cious)"

I think that might be more accurate than the original lyrics. Actually, listening to him sing this in the shower was the cutest thing I've heard today.

They can't wait to watch the movie after school tomorrow. Finally! Next up, Sound of Music!

Things I've Heard

2009-09-19T06:41:00.002-05:00

It has been a real adjustment going back to work full time and I am finding that if I have a few moments of free time I just want to sit in a vegetative state staring at the TV or play mindless games on Facebook. Now, over a month in, I am slightly less exhausted. I have high hopes of cooking meals that don't involve hotdogs this week and blogging more often. To begin, I offer you snippets of conversations from the past few weeks.

Noah started identifying sarcasm. I'm noticing that I use it frequently since he is continually saying, "Let me guess, you're being sarcastic?" I now have started ending things by saying, "And yes, I'm being sarcastic." He's usually right on with his sarcasm claim except for the few times he confuses it with my ambivilant responses.

Joshua asked if the plate and cup I was using were bought together. I said, "Yes, they're a cup and saucer." He replied, "Does that mean there's an alien in the cup?"

Noah: What's the strongest non-human thing?

Me: God.

Noah: Besides God?

Me: I don't know.

Noah: Gravity. Gravity is the power of a black hole and black holes can trap the speed of light.

- Noah makes my head hurt.

Noah and Ian at the store...

N: Listen, I can fart with my hands.

I: I can fart under my arm.

N: I can fart with my arm too.

I: I can fart with my legs.

N: You can?! I've never done that!

- The talent runs deep in our family.

Noah's Christmas List to Date:

skateboard
smartboard
plane ticket to Wipeout
violin - He refers to this as the unexpected thing on his list. Apparently, plane tickets to try out for reality shows are to be expected. If this list sticks he is going to find Santa extremely disappointing this year.

When Noah told me he would like to have a little sister I said that we weren't planning on having any more kids. This led to uncomfortable territory when he said he didn't get how you planned it. Yikes. I'm not ready for that conversation yet.

Finally, the latest was not a conversation but the reaction I got from Noah when saying goodbye at Kids Club this week - he shrugged me off! It was probably a good thing I was running behind, as usual, so I couldn't break down sobbing on the floor and really embarrass him.

- In case you're thinking I'm not paying enough attention to Joshua by his lack of coverage here, I must defend myself by telling you that Noah NEVER stops talking. It is only because his loud, piercing voice sears into my brain that I am able to remember any of what he says. Joshua is funny in a less "in your face" sort of way.

Mancala Challenge

2009-08-30T19:55:00.007-05:00

While the boys were playing mancala we heard this funny from Joshua, "Not on my watch. (short pause) Do I even have a watch?" While Noah kept saying, "It's all about making your move in this game."

I was surprised to discover that their mancala game was much improved. Apparently, I was not all about my moves because Noah and Joshua both beat me and then Joshua went on to beat Noah. I think Noah was stunned to be beaten by his younger brother. Was it wrong that I was jumping up and down and doing cartwheels on the inside?

Sandwich Loaf Anyone?

2009-08-20T21:36:00.004-05:00

I have been organizing the non-fiction shelves in my library. This was just supposed to be a quick rearrangement of the books so they were more evenly spaced and I could get shelf labels on, but outdated material is impossible to ignore. Several interesting books have been discovered but this was my favorite today.

I actually laughed aloud when I saw the cover. I didn't realize it could get better until viewing the step by step instructions for creating this snack.

Layer 1: butter and baked mushroom caps

Layer 2: butter (both sides of bread), ham strips and pistachios

Layer 3: butter (both sides of bread) and asparagus

Layer 4: Butter bread

To complete: Coat outside of loaf with butter. YUM!

With football season fast approaching you will have the perfect excuse to try out this fabulous new recipe.

Can you believe the copyright is only 1980?

First Day of School For Some

2009-08-17T19:42:00.004-05:00

With a beaming smile, Joshua was off for the first day of 1st Grade. I was gone before anyone got up so it was up to Rich to get him to school on time and take the "first day of school" photo (although I did pack the lunch, had him set clothes out the night before and had his backpack ready by the stairs). I adore Joshua's new toothless grin.

Unfortunately, Noah did not make it to school due to his severe poison ivy or poison oak. His face is swollen with rash and the bumpy blisters on his hands are still very painful. He was extremely disappointed to miss the first day at his new school. He was upset to miss the engineering class he's been waiting for and that they were serving his favorite lunch (hot dogs & tri taters with s'mores). I tried to comfort him and reminded him that he would go to engineering the next time and that they'd serve that lunch again. His tearful response, "But not on the same day."

I also had my first day of school but no photo or hot dog for me. Still a good day.

2009-08-07T07:08:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Noah!!!

The little boy that was bursting to start life and came seven weeks early, is eight today. He hasn't slowed down since. We celebrate you Noah. Happy Birthday!

Where's the Tooth Fairy?

2009-07-29T11:54:00.004-05:00

Joshua lost his third tooth yesterday and he was just as excited as with the first. Cousins were notified and the tooth was promptly placed in a tooth pillow that I used when I was a kid (He recently found this in my trunk and claimed it for himself along with a "Be Happy" needlepoint pillow I made in 3rd grade.).

Unfortunately, the tooth fairy was tired last night and was once again late to arrive. Joshua made this discovery when he awoke at 6:07 this morning and checked for his dollar. He had left a note requesting $100 so I think he was surprised to find his tooth and no money at all. The tooth fairy got busy and was able to make the exchange unseen while Joshua was in the bathroom. She's so quick!

With two loose top teeth and Noah trying to wiggle another one out, the tooth fairy needs to get it together.

Cousin Time

2009-07-21T09:21:00.004-05:00

The latest photos of time spent with cousins...these are the moments of summer I love!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Reading: It's a Good Thing

2009-07-10T11:44:00.007-05:00

From the kitchen this morning I heard the sweetest conversation between Noah and Joshua that negates all of the brother bickering I've been hearing of late.

Together they were looking at a library book about space. First, I heard excitement over finding a picture of the star Betelgeuse - they had just heard detailed information about this star from a Louis Giglio video we watched on YouTube last week.

Next I heard this:

Noah: It's in a constellation. Do you know what a constellation is?

Joshua: No.

Noah: You know how we looked at the Big Dipper? That's a constellation.

Joshua replied with an understanding "oh."

They continued to pour over the pictures and text. They compared planets to each other and discussed dwarf planets. I think we've finally pushed through to the good place of no TV week. Okay, very limited TV week.

Summer Treat

2009-07-09T15:09:00.005-05:00

Inspired by a friend on Facebook that was attempting to make "decent iced coffee" I wanted to give frozen frappuccino a try - again. I found the following recipe and did approximations in my Magic Bullet. It was delicious! I used half and half the first time and skim milk in the second one. The half and half was definitely creamier and more like Starbucks but it was still pretty good with skim milk. Take a moment to treat yourself with this refreshing beverage.

Frozen Frappuccino

1/2 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of strong coffee, freshly brewed but cooled
1 cup of ice
whipped cream (optional)
chocolate shaving or chocolate syrup for garnishing (optional)

Put the milk, chocolate syrup sugar, coffee and crushed ice in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and garnish with the chocolate syrup or shavings as you prefer. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

What Can We Do Now?

2009-06-29T21:13:00.001-05:00

The newness of summer has worn away to the continuous refrain of "I'm bored" when the boys have more than 26 seconds of unoccupied time. Yet, when I make suggestions they are quickly snubbed and dubbed "the worst." Noah informed me that he would like to do something he has never done before. Lets see, 48 days until school starts. Third grade will be new.

Today was unusual in that none of the kids in the circle were available to play. The boys are so tired of each other that they apparently can't invent anything to do unless other kids are involved. Today was the ultimate in boredom though (It had to be because all I saw them do was build marble mazes, read, toss beanbags, kick stuffed animals up in the air and catch them, play video games, wrestle, play monopoly, watch tv, draw and play with Chino.) until the doorbell rang during dinner. It was music to their ears. They rushed to the door as Noah yelled, "Finally, the new neighbors are out!" After assuring their friends they would be out in a minute, they were back at the table to finish eating. I sat prepared to perform the Heimlich as my sharks shoveled in the rest of their curry shrimp - no chewing necessary when friends are waiting. So much for enjoying dinner as a family. It was probably boring anyway.

What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain? Same thing we do every night Pinky...

The Bowlers

2009-06-19T15:24:00.005-05:00

The boys have had a blast bowling their brains out in Elkhorn with the Kids Bowl Free program this summer. No turkeys yet but is that really possible unless you're Wii bowling?

We have bowled with cousins or just the brothers. It is so enjoyable to do something with the boys and not have any complaints or fighting (Dare I say relaxing?). They love doing it and I truly love seeing them have so much fun. Today they upped the bowling challenge by playing the first game without the gutter rails. Joshua will be ready to join that bowling league before summer's end.

**Joshua came out of his room dressed like this and said these were his bowling clothes. I'm not sure what inspired this bowling look, but it cracked me up.

Something New

2009-06-12T14:37:00.002-05:00

Trying this new (to me) site for creating videos. Go to www.animoto.com to give it a try yourself. Thanks for sharing Jen!

The Future's So Bright...

2009-06-11T18:28:00.005-05:00

Noah came in from outside and announced that he has three life goals. I waited anxiously to hear what amazing ways my 7 1/2 year old planned to contribute to society and this is what I got:

Noah's Life Goals

1. Wipeout

2. Ninja Warrior

3. American Gladiator

He plans to compete on all of these shows. He then said that his "kid goal" was to complete an over 5,000 piece lego set. We couldn't be prouder.

Joshua, on the other hand, is making plans for when Rich and I are gone. He thinks that we have to die for his dream of having a convertible and a corn snake to come true. Every time we see a convertible he asks when we're going to get one. I finally just said never, in hopes of ending the discussion. Instead, this led to the "if you're dead" theory.

He is right about the corn snake though, I would have to be dead to live with one.

KidZui

2009-06-06T12:41:00.009-05:00

For the past month my kids have been trying out a web browser for kids called KidZui. This is a free, downloadable web browser found at www.kidzui.com that only allows kids to access parent and teacher reviewed websites, games, videos and more. A unique log-in is set up for each child and parents receive weekly e-mails of what sites their kids are looking at the most.

This has been perfect for my soon to be third grader who always wants to Google something. Now he can use KidZui to his hearts content like yesterday when he found endless amounts of information about black holes. He reported to me about his findings while I worked on something else. He loves being able to search independently and I like knowing he's not going to access unrelated or inappropriate sites. So much better than constantly reading over his shoulder.

Another KidZui plus is that it takes over the whole screen. This means that when your six year old uses your computer there isn't the "accidental" opening of things or lost icons from the dock. There are extra benefits available with a KidZui membership, but there is plenty available without it. I would definitely recommend this for elementary age kids and younger.

What Would I Do Without My Older Brother?

2009-05-31T13:26:00.008-05:00

I just heard this exchange...

Joshua: You crack me out.
Noah: It's up. You crack me up.

Silence

What's funny about this to me (besides the obvious) is that they were playing a video game and neither one was laughing. Maybe Joshua meant you crack me in because he was laughing so hard on the inside? It was nice that for once Noah corrected Joshua without being rude. Score one for video games - they distract you to the point of politeness.

Snarfing

2009-05-27T19:09:00.007-05:00

Thanks to the book Snarf Attack, Underfoodle and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All by Mary Amato my boys have been trying to snarf. What is snarfing you may ask? That would be trying to make your opponent (brother) laugh while drinking his milk. In fact, you want him to laugh so hard that milk actually comes out his nose. Thankfully, they've taken some liberties with the definition and just want to make milk come out their nose. This is better because instead of snarfing at the dinner table (which I prohibited) they took mouthfuls of milk out onto the deck and tried to make it come out their nose. Noah found it more difficult than Joshua and was not able to get the milk out. Joshua however, was proud of himself for being able to snarf once. It looks like we might have a new talent for the talent show next year.

The Lincoln Girls

2009-05-21T12:19:00.009-05:00

Last night Charity and I spent a little time in Lincoln for Maya's preschool graduation. Almost as exciting was that we went without our children. My boys were not happy about being left behind until I reminded them that we were going to be spending the weekend in Lincoln. With guilt averted, I was able to leave the house alone.

Here are a few pictures of the Lincoln girls. Unfortunately I was not able to capture Owen's blur of activity. Maya, the soon to be kindergartner, was giggly and adorable.

Here she chats it up with Ava after the ceremony.

While here she attempts to find the proper graduation pose.

Happy Birthday Ava! - She celebrated her 6th birthday Tuesday. We are ready to rock out at your party on Saturday.

Stella - Cautiously watching for the next Owen attack.

I am thrilled that summer is almost here and that means more time with Lincoln cousins!

The Helicopter Seed

2009-05-16T11:01:00.014-05:00

Noah came home from school this week with a helicopter seed and every intention of growing a "helicopter tree" in our yard. Before I knew it he was showing me where he had planted it in the middle of the grass in the backyard surrounded by four bricks. I told him we didn't want a tree growing in the middle of the backyard and that he needed to put the bricks back.

While I was making dinner I heard things like "uh-oh" and "oh no." Noah came into the kitchen and told me not to get mad but a little dirt got in his bedroom. When I asked why he mumbled something about it falling out of his shirt but since I was trying to get dinner on the table before going to 6:00 soccer practice I didn't think much about it.

When we returned home this is what I discovered:

A trail of dirt and dirt balls leading to Noah's room.

Dirt over a mess of things on the floor.

Dirt all over his table and DS. (That would be his rock collection on the table - mostly from the school playground.)

More dirt on the floor - I particularly enjoyed the shoe outline.

Finally, the helicopter seed planted in the dirt that made it into the container, drowning in water, sitting on a pile of books, with a nightlight to help it grow.

When I saw all of this I told Noah that there was too much water, that a nightlight wouldn't help a plant grow and that he couldn't keep it teetering on a pile of books. His response: "I never said I was an expert at gardening."

Add gardening to our list of summer projects.

Jackets: Friend or Foe?

2009-05-14T09:18:00.005-05:00

Our outdoor "weather station" currently reads 47.4º. Anything under 60º and I make the boys wear a jacket. I'm just mean that way. Apparently once you start wearing shorts your little boy brain tells you that jackets are never necessary again. Of course, this means there was moaning when I said " you need jackets" even though Noah was sitting under a blanket too cold to brush his teeth just moments earlier.

The jacket conversation continued in the car when Noah informed me that he wears his jacket to school but then doesn't put it on again the rest of the day. This is where I made the mistake of trying to reason with him by telling him he wouldn't need it by the end of the day, but it would be cool this morning and he would want it. His reply, "I'm already BLAZING hot!" Too cold to brush teeth to blazing hot in less than five minutes. My in head response - whatever Noah. Yes, I'm mature like that.

Still not prepared for these around the clock conversations once summer hits. Last nights dinner conversation: If the world was made of chocolate...

Hula Hips

2009-05-09T17:20:00.001-05:00

Friday marked the first Crawford debut in a talent show. Noah performed a hula hoop routine with his Daddy assistant (Joshua was originally going to assist but that never worked - it usually ended in fighting which I don't think qualifies as talent.).

Not everything went as planned but Noah kept on going and finished strong. We were proud of him for doing it and I think he was pretty proud of himself. He definitely enjoyed the crowd appreciation. I see more shows in our future.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

2009-05-06T19:55:00.007-05:00

The other night we were out on our deck discussing the unwise choice of a ground squirrel to make its hole next to our backyard. With two cats living at our house and two frequent cat visitors, the ground squirrel doesn't stand a chance. The neighbor's cat, Jasper, was at that moment sitting behind the hole waiting for something to dart out.

Suddenly a shadow in the grass started moving and fluttered up. Jasper quickly knocked it back down. At first glance we thought it was a wounded bird, until the same thing happened again and we realized those weren't bird wings but bat wings. After a few more rounds of this the bat ended up laying in the middle of our backyard. Jasper wasn't interested in the bat unless it was moving, which it wasn't. After several minutes of no movement Rich went to get rid of the bat while Joshua and I watched from the deck.

To verify that it was dead Rich tossed a stick. Nothing. He tossed a rock. Nothing. He went over and poked it with a stick at which point the bat flew up and directly at my head! I swear it looked just like the bats at the beginning of Scooby-Doo with it's little scrunched up face coming straight at me.

(When I replay the event in my head I hear those screeching bats.)

I turned around and stumbled over Joshua as I tried to push him inside and get the screen door closed before we were attacked or had a bat in the house - I know I did a very girly scream the whole way in. I'm sure the bat didn't even get close to us before it flew up into our tree and was gone.

Muskrat. Bat. What will our next wildlife encounter be?

*It's good to know that I will save my son in times of danger instead of pulling a Costanza.

We Saw Him!

2009-04-29T15:09:00.016-05:00

From soccer moms to stalker moms...

Charity and I decided to ignore all of our "mom" duties this afternoon for the chance to see George Clooney and it paid off! We made our way down to the Old Market and scored awesome parking for our 11th & Howard destination. Seeing a crowd gathered we joined in and wondered, "Would we see him?" After standing a mere 28 minutes in the rain, George appeared across the street. With a bouquet of flowers he went to work while we all asked each other, "Do you think he'll come any closer?" In under five minutes the scene was complete. The crowd cheered as George walked into the street to greet fans but he was quickly surrounded.

And then he was gone. Bye George. Thanks for brightening up our Wednesday afternoon.

George walks across the street to greet people. Why didn't you come to our corner George?

In between takes.

Hi George!

Adding to the excitement - seeing this little guy in our neighborhood on the way home. After a little researching, I've concluded that it's a muskrat.

George Clooney and a muskrat. Did anyone have a better Wednesday than this?

National Poetry Month

2009-04-21T14:00:00.004-05:00

Poetry is like a substance, the words stick together as though they were magnetized to each other.

David Gascoyne, Stand, Spring 1992

It's not too late to celebrate National Poetry month. Dig out your poetry books and let the words flow. I keep a basket of ever changing books for the boys to go to when they're looking for something to read. Easter and spring books are out and poetry is in! Classics by Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky never get old and themed poetry about dinosaurs, insects, etc. are always fun. In honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day here is a selection from The Earth Is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems About Our Planet, edited by Barbara Brenner.

Two Ancient Pine-Trees

Two ancient pine-trees...

A pair of gnarled

And sturdy hands

With ten green fingers

Ryoto

Now, if I could only find Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices....

Another Egg Hunt

2009-04-15T12:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Joshua's decorated Easter eggs were left on the kitchen table and not discovered in the necessary four hour time limit to still be edible. He was disappointed, but I did keep them to have out last night as decoration. This morning he decided to hide/decorate the house with them. I informed him that we would need to throw them away tonight before they started smelling but sure, hide away. As I looked around the house after they went to school I was only able to find seven eggs. That would be seven out of nine??? He started with 12 but I know we have eaten a few. That still leaves one or two eggs unaccounted for. Hopefully, he will remember where he put them and we won't be playing "find the egg" by smell.

Never the Right Answer

2009-04-15T07:56:00.005-05:00

Why does every comment or choice lead to more questions? Why is it that what they want usually involves more work for me?

Me: You can wear short sleeves today.

Kids: Can we wear shorts?

Kids: What can we have for dessert?

Me: There are fudge bars or ice cream bars.

Kids: Can I have a spoonful of frosting?

Me: Why don't you play out back or ride your bikes.

Kids: Can I finger paint?

Kids: I'm thirsty. Can I have pop?

Me: You can have water or juice.

Kids: Can I make chocolate milk?

Just once I would like to hear, "Thanks Mommy" or "Great!" I know I'm living in a dream world but I don't know why they ask me questions when they don't want to know or use any of my answers. Frustrating! By the way, Noah just came out and asked if he could wear shorts again. Ugh!

***All the "can" questions reminded me of the movie Avalon. During a school lesson on the proper us of may and can the kid asks his teacher if he can go to the bathroom to which she replies, " You can, but you may not."

It's The Little Things

2009-04-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed using this pink gel pen I found in our living room. The bright Springy color bounces off my planner pages amongst the black and blue ink making my grocery and to-do lists a little more exciting. Sometimes it really is the little things that give the most pleasure. As it turns out, the pen is Joshua's. He saw me using it and asked why I was using his star student pen. Hmmmm, does this make me a star mom?

Swimsuit Season Already?

2009-04-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

The boys and I escaped for a few days with Aunt Charity, Ian and Spencer to play at Great Wolf Lodge.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Noah did ask if Kansas City was the same way as Lincoln. He thought we could pick up Ava and Maya on the way down. That was the last pleasant thought before everything turned to potty humor.

The Ants Go Marching

2009-04-10T11:18:00.013-05:00

We have become ant obsessed. Okay, maybe I'm the only one obsessed, but we have definitely all been fascinated as we've watched Harvester ants create their tunnels. It is amazing how much they have accomplished in less than 48 hours. What an awesome birthday present Nana and Grandpa! The habitat has been lit up in Joshua's room at night but moves to the living room during the day so we can watch their progress.

April 8th, 4:48 p.m.

Joshua pokes starter holes in gel and ants are added.
April 8th, 7:58 p.m.

Starter tunnels are being widened.
April 9th, 3:19 a.m.

Yes, I woke up in the middle of the night and had to check on the ants. Look at all they've accomplished in seven hours!
April 9th, 8:07 a.m.

Guesses are made on where the tunnels will connect.
April 9th, 12:14 p.m.

We were wrong. They turned before connecting. Those crazy ants.
April 9th, 1:35 p.m.

Apparently they heard us and decided that joining the tunnels would be a good idea.
April 10th, 9:53 a.m.

From the front...
....and the back.
Harvester ants are famous for being the first ants to travel into space in 2003. This habitat is similar to the one used on that space mission.

Tole's Kitchen

2009-04-05T18:40:00.007-05:00

I've finally started my food blog called Tole's Kitchen. It is going to feature recipes, kitchen tips and gluten-free information. I'm still working on it, so things will be added and changing but for now, it's a start. First up - cinnamon rolls.

Impress your family with this tasty breakfast treat!

The Grammer Defense

2009-04-02T08:49:00.007-05:00

This morning's verbal assault as we were getting our coats on for school:

Joshua: Be quiet lame-brain!

Noah: Don't call me a lame-brain. You don't even know what a verb is!

Noah's response was so funny I couldn't even address the name calling. I guess Joshua needs to spend some time here or here so parts of speech can't be used against him.

The Illusion of Depth

2009-04-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Is there ever a time when 3-D glasses aren't funny?

Hmmmmm.....
....that would be no.

Happy 6th Birthday Joshua

2009-03-28T07:00:00.008-05:00

We are celebrating Joshua's 6th birthday today. With every birthday I am amazed at how fast the boys are growing up. You'd think I'd be used to it by now but I find that I'm still taken aback. This passage of time is punctuated even more with the home videos.

Here is a favorite Joshua memory of mine. This was taken the morning after his second birthday when he managed to get two balloons outside while still in his pajamas (jammers don't go outside!). It was the perfect combination of amazing weather, birds singing in the background and Joshua - completely content playing with his friends. I've shortened this video to a mere minute and a half because I recognize that only a mother could love watching her child play with a balloon for 10+ minutes (and that was after I thought to run in and grab the video camera).

It was the sweetest thing to watch him talk to the balloons, push them in the swing, take them down the slide and just run with them. Oh, he was fond of balloons.

Today will be all about Joshua. He is six and looking forward, while I can't help but take a moment to look back.

For those needing a funnier Joshua moment. Here is an earlier balloon experience we call "Pop It!"

Birthday Cake

2009-03-27T09:46:00.015-05:00

I recently asked Joshua what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. Not what kind of cake should I purchase, but what kind of cake would he like me to make. This craziness was handed down from my mother who always let us pick out our birthday cakes for her to make. It was probably just a way to save money but I loved it. Watching her squeeze out all the little frosting stars was almost like magic as she brought each cake to life. She still has all of her cake pans and some have even been used again for the grandchildren. My most repeated cake was Scooby Doo. One year he had a green collar instead of blue - devastating! But I digress.

When the kids were younger the process was simple - pick a theme or character and find the appropriate cake pan or instructions to make it. We've had an airplane, teddy bear, Elmo, t-rex, Dora, drum, etc.

I had to think a little more to turn a regular fish cake pan into Nemo, but still not that difficult.

I'm not sure how we evolved into the "Mom can make any cake" way of thinking but lately, the kids have taken to describing their cake and then I try to create their vision. Last year Joshua wanted an omnitrix cake (Ben 10) with green bubbles (because there are ALWAYS bubbles when he goes alien) so I cut cakes and freehanded frosting to make this:

The year before it was Star Wars villains on the fire planet. Once I found the action figures, this cake was simple.

This year Joshua wanted all the characters from Mario party incorporated into a cake. He also wanted the cake to look like the piranha plant.

I asked if he had seen any Mario action figures and he thought Target or Toys R Us would have them - "places like that."

When no Mario figures could be found we settled on the piranha plant. He started looking at piranha plant pictures and thought there should be a couple of them and that they should shoot fire. I reminded him it was a cake not a video game and he decided on this:

Time to go mix up some fondant. It's a good thing the boys haven't seen Ace of Cakes or I would never be able to live up to their expectations and imaginations.

Bye Bye Xterra

2009-03-25T18:24:00.005-05:00

Continuing with the "blogs for cousins" week, here is our scrunched Xterra kids.

We actually had to say goodbye to the Xterra and have now joined all the other mini-van families of the world.

Cousin Video Series #4

2009-03-22T17:44:00.005-05:00

And the conclusion...

Before an adult interrupts and squelches the fun.

Cousin Video Series #3

2009-03-22T09:14:00.004-05:00

And better...

Cousin Video Series #2

2009-03-22T08:39:00.003-05:00

They just get better...

Cousin Video Series #1

2009-03-22T08:07:00.008-05:00

Last night we watched all of the pictures and video on Noah and Joshua's cameras from Christmas and the zoo. The following is the first in a series of four videos that Noah took on Christmas Eve of his cousins and brother. They are in the basement bedroom at Nana and Grandpa's. No adults were present - I think this will be blatantly obvious.

Fun Find

2009-03-19T09:02:00.004-05:00

Although not a huge country fan, I thoroughly enjoy Keith Urban. I just discovered that he has a new album coming out March 31st. Currently, you can listen to three songs from it on his iLike site and a new one will be added daily. A delightful way to find out if an album is worth the investment!

7 1/2 Year Old Logic: Does It Exist?

2009-03-18T08:55:00.005-05:00

Noah News Flash....

He declared that he doesn't like yogurt anymore. When asked why he replied, "Because I don't like things you have to eat on a spoon."

Now that makes perfect sense.

Diamonds Are a Boy's Best Friend???

2009-03-13T15:16:00.007-05:00

We have a new obsession at our house...diamonds and gemstones. Ever since our new neighbors moved in and showed the boys their collection of "diamonds" the boys have been crazed. They want to grow crystals and diamonds. Noah thinks they can sell everything and make lots of money. After Joshua brought home a book about diamonds and gemstones we've learned that they're not going to be grown with a kit from Hobby Lobby. I did make the mistake of mentioning Crater of Diamonds State Park (thanks Duggars) so Noah is planning our prospecting vacation. All Joshua wants for his birthday is a giant diamond. He said I could get it where I get all my other jewelry. Apparently, he thinks I'm a regular at Fred Leighton.

After reading about the special qualities of birthstones the boys decided they would like to wear the few gems I have to give them special powers. For instance, diamonds are supposed to bring out a person's best qualities. They have taken this to mean that whatever you are good at you'll be even better at while wearing a diamond. Since they believe they are already really good on the DS, they think if I'd let them wear my diamond ring while they play they would be AMAZING. While I had my jewelry out Noah also suggested sending it in to get "instant cash 4 gold."

I hardly wear jewelry anymore and am usually only concerned about losing it when Chino starts batting it around. Now I might need to keep a closer watch on my inventory. If it goes to Joshua's room, all that glitters will be gone.

Finally, A Joshua Post

2009-03-01T16:06:00.003-06:00

Joshua and I went over to the hill by the school for a little sledding/tubing today. Joshua had a blast until he took one spill to many. Then he was done sledding and just wanted to eat snow. That's when I knew it was time to go home. (Sorry for the holiday music. It was too quiet without any music but you have to be a premium Smilebox user to select your own.)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

***In case you were asking yourself "Where's Noah?".... he was worried about bumping his head so he and Rich stayed home. For those of you that don't know, the kids and I were in an accident yesterday. We spun around and hit a pole on our way to the airport to welcome Mom and Dad back from India. Noah was the only one hurt when he hit his head on the window. No stitches needed, just a big scabby knot and a few scrapes. He's doing good except that he doesn't want to ride in cars anymore. Thankfully we didn't hit anyone else but the side of the X-Terra is crunched up pretty good. We'll find out tomorrow if it's fixable.

Fancy Toys

2009-02-25T11:30:00.002-06:00

Joshua calls it Chino's new toy: a grocery sack with handles. She's been playing with it all week.

Win, Lose or Push

2009-02-24T11:08:00.013-06:00

Upon walking out of his Sunday school classroom into the hallway filled with people Noah saw his dad and in his piercingly loud voice asked, "Can we play 21 with poker chips when we get home?" Now I enjoy a good game as much as the next person, but somehow this seemed a little inappropriate for church. The night before he had discovered the fun of blackjack with his dad, uncle and cousin and anything new for Noah can instantly become an obsession. I just thought it would be a fun way to practice math.

With poker on the brain there were endless blackjack discussions that day (Usually ending with me saying, "I'm not talking about this anymore.") and of course, playing more blackjack with Rich and Joshua. Noah's obsession continued into his prayer at dinner that night. In an effort to make our meal prayers less routine and help us to think about what we're saying we have been disscussing additional things to pray about before we pray. This didn't happen tonight so Noah went out on his own. As Noah prayed his typical prayer he paused and added, "Please help me win at blackjack." Should I be concerned and does he know when to double down?

Chicken How-To

2009-02-21T08:50:00.007-06:00

I have never broken down a whole chicken but I think I can now thanks to the video demonstration on the Gluten-Free Girl blog. For those of you that don't need to be gluten free you can still find loads of cooking info and recipes on this blog. The author is now married to a chef and they create and post many things together. A new feature to the blog is a weekly video demonstration and the first was how to break down a chicken. This week featured how to make dark and light chicken stock. Fabulous! I love to roast a whole chicken but had never done anything else with it. When you can buy a six pound chicken for under $4 how could you not give this a try?

Nicole Needs...

2009-02-19T14:10:00.007-06:00

I enjoyed this Google game on a couple of other blogs and so here are my results. If you'd like to play just Google your first name followed by the word needs in quotes (ex. "Noah needs").

Here are the top 10 things "Nicole needs" according to Google:

1. Nicole needs... a Boob job really??? this is the number one thing i need?

2. Nicole needs...no food when she can shop 'till she drops uh, I don't think so

3. Nicole needs...a drummer makes marching so much easier

4. Nicole needs....a new computer if it's a laptop

5. Nicole needs...a good meal always appreciated

6. Nicole needs...photoshop yes

7. Nicole needs...to Live in the NOW thanks for the reminder

8. Nicole needs...a reality show hmmmmm

9. Nicole needs...to lay off the botox I didn't think anyone could tell

10. Nicole needs...dairy to protect her bones helps with my osteopenia

Gotcha

2009-02-14T13:32:00.005-06:00

Sushi Night

2009-02-12T10:16:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday was Noah's half birthday and we celebrated by making sushi. Noah enjoyed the process more than the sushi rolls themselves. He helped make the sauces, stirred and fanned the rice until it was cool, peeled and sliced vegetables and put the rolls together.

Things learned for next time:

Wasabi paste is fun to use to make your eyes water but too hot for kids, even in small amounts. (Noah and Joshua had contests to see who could hold their face over the bowl the longest.)
Shrimp and cucumber will not make avocado taste better if you don't already like it.
Your brother will keep bugging you to help so you might as well let him.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

We had a sushi recipe book with great step by step pictures for pressing out the rice and rolling it up but we used recipes from Ming Tsai and the food network for our rolls. Rich and I would have really enjoyed these if we hadn't been attacked by strep throat from the kids. The boys would have like the smoked salmon rolls without the wasabi and the shrimp rolls without avocado. We'll get it right next time!

Smoked Salmon and Jicama Maki Sushi Rolls
Shrimp Sushi Rolls
Soy Syrup - a must to drizzle on the plate and dip rolls into
Wasabi Oil - a little goes a long way

Impressions

2009-02-07T11:27:00.003-06:00

While Noah was home from school yesterday he had some math homework to do - subtraction with regrouping. While he was working I thought I'd clean in the living room and try to catch up on a show. Instead of the TV I kept hearing things like this: "Mom (long pause until I responded) does 43 - 17 = 26?" I would stop (mental math requires complete stillness), do the math in my head and confirm that yes, that was the correct answer. After about the third interruption and trying not to sound annoyed, I asked if he could do all the problems and we would check them when he was done. Feeling a little guilty I then asked if there was a reason he needed to tell me about each problem and he said, "Yes, I want you to be impressed."

Just when you think they aren't paying any attention, kids remind you how much they need you.

Stress Relief

2009-02-02T11:08:00.004-06:00

If you didn't watch The Office last night, you must. Now. I'm laughing just thinking about it.

I Want My Three Hours Back

2009-01-26T16:13:00.007-06:00

Today I decided to avoid cleaning and go see one of the Oscar nominated movies instead. I went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is a movie that I wasn't that interested in but thought maybe I would be pleasantly surprised. I wasn't. To me Benjamin is this years English Patient. It was so long and slow. I felt like Elaine on the English Patient episode of Seinfeld. The most interesting thing about it was noticing the subtle changes made to Brad and Cate as they aged backwards and forwards. The story itself was ridiculous. How can you suspend disbelief enough to become invested in a story about a man aging backwards? This wasn't science fiction. It just happened that this baby was born old and grew young. Ending on a positive note... the Cinematography was beautiful and Oscar worthy.