One shaken bottle of soda w/ mentos uncorked.....

That's what it's like to have a freshly recovered, rested, six year old boy stuck at home for the day, because his fever broke at 6pm instead of 6am the day before. Fortunately for me, he had a new toy to play with. Unfortunately for me, it's one of those bopper balloons.

First, early this morning, "Mom, will you blow this up for me, pleeeaaase?"

Snort, grunt.....after your brothers leave for school okay? That bought me half an hour!

Then as the fading backpacks turn the corner, "NOW?!"

Allright. So I get to spend 15 minutes huffing and puffing, and blowing the hot air in. Then I tied the end. Then the "bop.bop,bop" began...

Look mom! I'm good at this!"

"Sure are honey." So he bopped his way through the entire morning...Princess D was indignant he wouldn't share at first, but then wrapped herself up in colored pencils and a notebook.

Now we've had dinner, dh is waiting to work on the puter. And the bop, bop, bop, that has beein going all day long has just entered the room. Good luck honey.

I'm not the only one!

Today, our almost ten year old ran home yelling "Mom! Mom! I'm not the only one!"

Okay, honey...as I ushered him in the door. Not the only one that what?

Still huffing, with a big smile he says, "I'm not the only one who wears deodorant." What a relief for him to know he's not the only one that's starting to REALLY grow up.

Last weekend I had pulled him aside, and granted him a pump of clearasil face wash to help fend off the couple of pimples that were appearing on his face. At the same time, I pulled out the unscented stuff and instructed him on washing his face and under his arms daily when he was brushing his teeth.

"MO-om."

"Please, for me?"

"K"

Then today it was all better, because he knew he wasn't alone. I'm glad he's not the only one.

Monday, Monday.....

It'll be all right. Remember that old song? So far, my Monday has been all right. True, my overactive Kindie is home sick from school, but he's being pleasant and calm. The calm part is the proof that he's sick.

The girls are sharing colored pencils and drawing.

Baby guy is banging on the bottom of a pail.

I'm sitting here, wondering how long all this peace is going to last...and then remembering I do have a house to clean.

That's all right. Happy that there's nothing more major today.

Sunday, a day of rest?

I'm not really sure any day is a day of rest in our lovely household of eight, but today was especially fun. Sundays are always fun, because we have to get our kids in church worthy clothes and to Sunday School by 9:15. They wake us up to go, so we assume it's important to them. They just don't understand why they can't wear stuff w/ holes in it, shorts, or pajamas. A couple of them don't understand why they have to wear clothes at all! That said, we usually manage to be leaving the house by 9:15, so all they miss is music time. I'm still trying to decide if that's really accidental.

This morning was especially challenging, because in addition to the usual greased pig wrestling match w/ Princess P and baby Guy, we had to have all of Chip's football stuff ready to go, and all the kids stuff for AWANA in the car because there would be no time between church and church for anything except football. It seems football has overtaken our life. In the end, we left at 9:30ish, and knew that after church we'd have to buy Chip a new banana, because, well we couldn't find the underwear for his old one. (Yes, the cup part really does look like a banana in his size. It's even yellow.)

So engrossed were we in finding the necessary equipment, we forgot to pack food for a meal. So all I had in the car was a bag of apples, a bag of chips, and a bag of pretzels, some bottled water, and some gatorade. It was an allergic parents nightmare when we had to get lunch after church...on the way to the game, in a drive thru. Princess P's food panel just came in, and like Bob it turned out she can't have gluten or dairy, but the kicker is she can't have soy or beef either....so we had to find a drive thru, w grilled chicken w/o soy sauce or other "added" flavorings. Thankfully, there was such a drive thru in the same parking lot as where we had to buy the banana! The day was saved!......(but our budget was not.)

After lunch, we raced to get to the football field before the 1pm picture time, (yes this was after a church service that got out at noon, and a half hour + drive from there ta boot.) I took the younger kids to the playground so baby guy could fall off some equipment while Princess P stole his drink and Bob ran back and forth for things he "forgot" out of the van. At least Princess D had fun playing.

Then I herded the two babes into our 1.5 stroller, and headed to the game. The photographer didn't show! The kids were fine having some "team building" exercises, but the parents were a tad upset for being there over an hour early for pretty much nil. We all pulled together to watch the game, and our team won! So at least it ended on + note. Except our day hadn't ended.....

Back to church for "teen parenting" class, otherwise known as 12 steps to a sane parent. I hope our kids come through okay. We just enrolled as a "prep course", but now are wondering if we should have just kept the blinders on until the ride started....

Then AWANA. I run the store and tonight was our first store night. We just had a major adjustment in pricing, and everyone is still figuring it out! But all in all, no great comedic moments there, and for that I'm grateful.

We're finally home, kids are snacked, and we survived. Now I can finally rest.

Being grateful in all situations

Today, I ran out of gas...on a four lane divided road next to a six+ lane highway. Yet, there was so much to be grateful for in that half an hour.

I am grateful I didn't get in a wreck. The traffic in that part of town is always busy, and this was right around lunch!

I am grateful I was able to get off the road, into a parking lot....(sort of. I lost my power steering as I was turning in, and stopped by the curb for outgoing cars.)

I am grateful I was stopped by a curb, rather than a car, tree, or building.

I am grateful my dh was working from home today!

I am grateful baby guy was asleep while we waited 30+ minutes for help to arrive.

I am grateful my girls were both in good moods, having just come from THE salon...so they each had a new toy to play with.

What I'm also grateful for, is that we don't live in that area. I was stuck for over half an hour, and many people honked, glared,etc....and only one checked to see if help was on the way and offered an encouraging word. There are at least three churches within a mile of where I was stranded. It's sad when no one has time to be salt or light.

I'm grateful to know that in my own neighborhood, I could look in any direction and someone would be stepping out to help a stranger in a bind.

I'm grateful for the people in my church, who I could have counted on if Mr. M hadn't been home. I'm grateful that we have been guided to a community that loves each other, the unsaved, and Christ.

I'm grateful, that all things in this life are temporary....and that my eternity still lies ahead.

Preschool Principles

If you are in the kitchen, I'm hungry.

If you are cleaning/have just cleaned a room, I must play there NOW.

and the corollary that if you've just put something up, I must get it out.

There is no better time to play in the mud than right after a bath.

The best place to use the bathroom is anywhere but home.

The baby's nap time is the best time to demand endless attention and want to play noisy games.

I want whatever we're out of for lunch, nothing else.

I have to do it myself! (Even if I can't quite yet.)

The best time for a hug/story is when you're holding someone else.

Okay, really, anytime is great for a hug, story, kiss....except bedtime. Cause I can't go to bed unless all that happens first!

I LOVE you mom, no matter what.

(Yeah, I love you guys too.)

Monday Madness

I have survived another Monday. With it came many victories! From Bob not flipping out over a sub at school, to Chips successfully tacking a kid twice his size at football, it was a good big kid day. Our oldest told me about the mathletics practice tomorrow, did his homework, and paid attention at soccer practice. The school age kids had a great day.

The not-quite so big kids did not have it go over as well. Princess P decided she needed to alternate between being a ghost and a mummy all day. Her little pink princess coverlet went with us to the park, to the school, to the dinner table.....pretty much anywhere but bed. She would hide under it to try and sneak into places she didn't belong, like her 4th grade brother's hall at school. She would wrap herself up in it and demand to be carried papoose style, by me, while I was trying to push an umbrella stroller w/ a 40lb 4 yo. She'd look at me through her sheepdog bangs and plead to be held. How could I resist?

Why was the 40lb 4 year old in a stroller in the first place? Well, she kind of touched something she wasn't supposed to while horsing around w/ her sister. Between the two of them, they somehow knocked a brass sculpture down on top of her foot. She had a swollen, bruised ankle that demanded ibuprofen and ice for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but had recovered enough for her to be a table dancer at soccer practice in the evening.

All this action w/ carrying the 2yo and having the 4yo get carriage service left baby guy as a free agent! Woo-hoo. He was excited. He got to PUSH the stroller instead of riding in it. That was definitely a site to see. He wasn't too crazy about Princess P's attention demands the rest of the day though. He especially enjoyed wedging himself between us when I was trying to change her pull ups.

So I guess that's how Monday madness goes. Mom has a comedy of errors, and the kids all end up happy at the park. Now if I can just get the boys to sleep!

Party on,...with unicorns!

Well, we survived pager week and the two birthday party + a football game weekend. All and all it went well. I really wish our kids had video cameras attached their foreheads, so I could see everything as they do, while they're doing it.

Princess D got to spend the night at her grandparents castle, chase butterflies, and attended a skating party for a friend's 4th birthday party. It was her first official party, and due to dh's company picnic, we could not take her. She met up with us at Chip's football game, with a new purple unicorn in hand. She had "traded" the popcorn she's allergic to that was in treat bag for it, so she got a "corn" too...Ha ha ha.

Our Marathon day started with a trip to an Indian Mission for scouts at 9:30. Martin took the three amigos, I drove through McD's for an emergency caffeine stash for us adults. Baby guy thanked us by having an exploding diaper, which I had napkins and a water bottle to clean up. I found the "car wipes" after he was changed, of course.

Back at the mission, I took the toddlers on the "fall experience" point and smile tour. See the leaves falling? See the squirrel? Absolutely riveting entertainment, at least from the toddler point of view.

After we lassoed the kids back in the car, it was lunch for the allergics, and off to the zoo for the company picnic! Well, okay...it was off the the zoo's discovery tree, farm animals, and outdoor playground. Probably the highlight of everyone's day was Mr. M chasing the kids on the playground. Mr. M waved and smiled at a few of his coworkers and then it was time to go to football.

That's where our whole family united, and our poor little line-man lost his game on the last play....but nothing keeps him down long. His sissie was home, there was a treat bag to steal! She didn't care. Princess D had her uniCORN!

And that was just yesterday. Today is a whole different adventure.

Birthday Month

It seems like September is birthday month. Between last weekend and this weekend, my kids are invited to three birthday parties, and Chip just had his birthday play date on Monday.

Birthday play date? Yeah, I'm not into the rent a hall, stuff kids with sugar and send them home w/ stuff to clog mom's vacuum scene. Been there, done that. Our first birthday party was a gymnastics party for our oldest when he turned five. It took great pictures, but the stress to enjoyment level just wasn't worth it to us. He got to do cool things, but he didn't really get to interact with his friends that much...and there was just too much "stuff" involved, both in getting it together and in what he took home.

His next brother down we tried birthday at the park! We had some planned games and food. It was a small gathering and lot of fun, w/o the huge outlay of money or the loot fest that takes kids focus off what's really important, their friends. So that's when we found what we were in to.

As is so true in every area, Chip is #3, and his party is a year late, and it's planning stepped down yet another notch. So we didn't have cake and games. We met at BK and the moms talked and the kids played. Everyone STILL had a great time. He's still talking about it now, three days later.


Not that anything is wrong w/ the "production" parties. We have skating and swimming parties coming up this weekend. Both kids involved are wild with anticipation. They'll come home and say, "can we?" Can we?"

And I'll say, maybe next year.

Tonight I get to be McMom. It's kind of ironic I drew this job from the PTA list because well, three of my kids can't eat at the Mc place due to celiac disease and food allergies. This is clearly an example of sacrificing the individual for the benefit of the community.

Why am I doing this? Well, I'm a stay at home mom, so I can be somewhere at 4pm, when normal people are just getting off work. My dh has flextime, so he can be home early to stay with the allergic kids. I love my kids school, and I love the 10% of sales they get from the Mcplace just for hosting these things and sending out a few fliers.

It also drives home to my kids the idea that we are a part of a larger community. That sometimes we do things that aren't necessarily about us, or even the best thing for us as individuals, because it is the best thing for our group as a whole. That's a hard lesson to drive home. Even adults have a tough time with it.

Most importantly, every time we volunteer for our kids school, club, den, it lets them know we care what happens to them, and want to be involved with them. We don't have to lead. Not everyone is a leader. We just have to be there.

That's enough reasons for me to be McMom tonight.

Happy birthday, little musketeer!

Today, in about 3 hours, is when our third son was born six years ago! With his birth the world gained an eternal optimist with unending energy. My friends would be telling me to relax. How can you relax when you can't even sit down for three years?

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's danger baby!

Yes, this was the guy who scaled the baby gate at 18 mo, pushed a chair to the stove, put a pot on it w/ a bunch of wooden utensils in it, then turned on the burner.

This was the three year old who climbed out the window of his sister's room, jumped from the ledge to the "low" roof, NAKED, right before his dad came home from work....in November.

His older brothers, Mr. Compliant and Mr. Rule Follower, didn't really know what to do with danger baby at first....then they realized that all the trouble they got into should be his fault.
It was almost as good as "not me." Eventually, they realized that he really did have most of the "cool" ideas, and so they became friends. Nothing like three boys in just under four years to keep a mom on her toes!

It's been messy. It's been hectic. It's been hair raising at times, but the third musketeer brought some much needed adventure to us all, along with the lesson that everything really does turn out okay, most of the time. He knows there's almost nothing that a smile and a hug can't fix.

He's now six. He's grown up a bit. He'll always be adventurous and bold. It's just now he has better outlets for it, like flag football and car races. Hopefully, he'll always be happy too. He thinks he'll be.

Mail Time~

I wish I could be excited as my kids about mail. Our mail lady usually comes around 10:30. Today she came at 2:00. My youngest four children were leaping in the air and zooming around the room.

"Mom! Mom! The mail is here! The mail is here!"

From my adult perspective, that's like saying " The British are coming! The British are coming!" Sure there's the occasional "goodie", like a letter from grandma or a gift card from a nearby business...but overall, mail for adults usually means spending money.

To a kid, it means something new! My 2yo carries around the junk mail cell phone flier like it's goild. My four and five year old children look through every advertisement like a treasure map.

Today, our four year old daughter hit pay dirt....a birthday invitation! Her first!
"Oh mom! It's from my princess friend, at church!"
Well, it's a skating party.....for four year olds? Should be humorous, at least.
She doesn't care. It's a party, and she's invited and her brothers aren't. For once, she's not a tag along. That's the real prize...and it came in the mail.

The destructive duo

The destructive duo are having a dynamic day. They have emptied out diaper creme, dish soap, baking soda and salt today. They have disassembled my entire canned tomato shelf. They have climbed on the end table next to the entertainment center to play frisbee w/ the DVD's. In some ways, it's been a very frustrating day.

In other ways, it's been a lot of fun. Cans make great blocks. Kosher salt makes a fun sand substitute. And at least they were cleaning when they were playing the soap.

They've learned some important skills too. They took turns with the cans. They shared the soap bottle. They practiced balancing and climbing. The sharpie did not end up on the walls or carpet. Princess P has acquired the coordination to keep it on her skin.

Now if I could just acquire the time and patience to keep up with them, and get it all cleaned up!
I guess we all have something to learn.

Two syllables that strike fear in every parents heart..

Uh-Oh.

Whether followed by the impish grin of a toddler, or the ummom of an older child, we all know that uh-oh means trouble.

Sometimes it's just a clean up job, like the two year old who decided to wash herself in the bathroom sink with an entire warehouse club sized bottle of shampoo. Those are the moments you'd want to take a picture of.....if you still had a camera. The camera in the toilet was an uh-oh of an entirely different level.

It was more on par w/ the toothpaste in the charger of the cell phone. The phone still works. We just switch batteries to charge it.

But those little kid uh-ohs aren't anything compared to what happens when they get older.

After toilets and toothpaste come markers and scissors. Some kids give themselves sharpie art "tattoos." Almost all kids color murals on the walls. Some kids cut their hair. Other kids cut their dolls hair. A few, especially creative kids make snowflakes out of their bedsheets. Uh-Oh.

The middle childhood uh-ohs are more forgotten projects, homework w/ food spilled on it, younger siblings in the backpack & missing library books. Now our oldest is approaching the tween and teen years, I'm wondering what uh-ohs lie ahead. Will they still be fixed with a hug, a smile, and maybe a trip to Wal-mart or Lowes? I certainly hope so, but fear it won't be.

As a mom, am I really prepared for what lies ahead? Where the minor uh-ohs are still minor, a bad haircut or a forgotten chore. It's the majors that are intimidating. Instead of a camera, it's a car. But uh-ohs are still mostly about things. So hopefully God will give me the grace to remember an uh-oh is an opportunity to learn. To have a positive attitude about mistakes, about consequences, and about moving on. That uh-ohs are opportunities to encourage our kids to grow, accept responsibility, and live in grace.

Now I hear mom! It's time for me to go. I just hope the next to syllables aren't uh-oh.

Babies are drugs.

My name is mama M and I am a babyholic. I have had a baby in the house for the last ten years. Now our last baby is sixteen moths old and I'm not pg again, it's dawned on me that this is probably it until grandkids.

Baby Guy isn't stopping any clocks for me either. Sure he still considers me his own personal 24 hour buffet, but he's started choosing other things first sometimes. I'm nothing compared to some applesauce or diced peaches. He likes to be held when he's tired, but loves to run after a ball. He still likes to nap in my bed, but sleeps in a toddler bed at night. He even has teeth and can use a few words, like mom and juice.and NO. Another six months, and the only baby thing left will be diapers.

Another year or two, then it's preschool or parents day out. Then, for the first time in over a decade, it will just be me and an empty house. The first day will be liberating. I'll go to the grocery store, alone, before the kids are in bed. Maybe I'll do something exotic like go to a bookstore or have lunch with a friend. The second day I'll clean like a madwoman thinking, finally! I can get caught up! The third day I'll be crying, just wishing someone would color on a wall...or take apart the pan cabinet...or need me somehow.

Yet inside I'll know they all still need me, to sign their homework, take them to practice, watch their concerts and games, and assure them all of what great people they're becoming. They'll need me to volunteer in the school, the church, and elsewhere to show them how to be a giving member of the community. They'll need me to listen to them, as they learn how to make decisions & figure out who they are. They'll need me to start following my own path again, to show them I trust them to find theirs. They'll need me as their counselor and friend...hopefully for a long time.

And then they'll have babies of their own. If I'm lucky, they'll share.

I just had my best birthday, ever.

I didn't get lots of presents. The only material gift I received was from my mom. My cake and ice cream was generic swiss roles and gallon tub vanilla in front of a t.v. after the kids had gone to bed. We didn't do any special activity, just for me. Didn't matter. It's still number one.

My kids went the whole morning without an argument or complaint. The bigger kids got the littler ones breakfast so Dad & I could just hang out together a little longer. They kept the t.v. on approved preschool aged programming without being asked. They went on a couple of last minute errands before lunch without begging to eat out. It was great.

Right after lunch, our oldest had a soccer game in breezy, rainy weather...that his team lost. Yet the whole team remained positive, pointing out to each other how they had improved. My son helped bring the equipment up the hill without being asked. He was focused during the game and smiling afterwards. My in laws came to watch, and stayed! It was a great way to start the afternoon.

As soon as we were loaded up from that game, we had to hustle across town to our third son's first flag football game. It was raining more, and colder. The kids had forgotten their coats. There wasn't much room to play. Yet G'ma and G'pa stayed, and the kids alternated between watching and playing, and still no one complained. They were just happy their brothers team won! It was his first team game ever, and he cooperated every inch of the way.

After that, it was time for dinner! So we went to our favorite kids eat free on Saturday place. Everyone drank water, and no one complained. Everyone stayed at the table, and our family had a fun, relaxed meal together that I didn't have to cook! It was great.

Then we came home, and the kids showered, storied, and went to bed....with Dad supervising while I hit our favorite one dollar movie place. I got to watch a chick flick eating ice cream and swiss rolls, alone on the couch....and now it's quiet.

I've gotten to see how my kids are growing in character in great ways. That, truly made this the best birthday ever.

Our three sons, the oldest ones

For some of us, kids are like potato chips. Even though we know they'll raise our blood pressure and make us fat, we can't have just one.

My husband and I have been blessed with six children, four of whom are male. I like to call our oldest three boys the the three musketeers. Usually they're pretty good at the one for all and all for one! But there are some days when they act more like the three stooges.

Last night at bedtime was definitely one of those days. They went with a friend to a skating party, a fun, harmless activity. Over the course of that two hours they apparently forgot their parents were overprotective, weapon banning pacifists. They came home with inflatable light sabers.

Kids are smart. They know Dad & I like the Star Wars movies a lot...and they knew they had found a loop-hole. You see, other than water guns, a couple of plastic light sabers are the only toy weapons of any kind they'd ever been allowed to keep. We figured they weren't "real" so what harm could it do?

Well, the plastic ones could break stuff and accidently hurt people, so the boys understand why those are outside toys. These inflatable ones are just like balloons though, right? So why can't they have a fight with them in their room, an hour past bed time? Or hit their sister with it in the morning? They're just playing, mo-om.

Yet once they've put them away, and are serious about getting ready for school it's back to the three musketeers again.

"Here are shoes, Chip."
"Abe, I've got your jacket."
"Mom, can we go now?"

And off they go, together.

30 days hath September.....that last 30 seconds each.

The kids love September. They get to see their friends every day. They get to a park almost every day. One missed grocery run and they get to eat BK. School is mostly review, so their homework takes about 30 seconds.

I hate September, and not just because of my birthday. It's the annual schedule and wardrobe shuffle that gets to me.

I now understand why so many large families pick one activity for all their kids, like it or lump it. We don't. We have kids in AWANA, scouts, football, and soccer. They want to add painting, acting, and dance. Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 20ish I see my comfy couch in the evening maybe once a week, if I'm lucky. We eat a lot of microwaved hot dogs and sandwiches in September....in the car. It's okay. We'll probably have time to clean the car in October.

September is also when the weather changes. I don't know about you, but I save clothes in plastic totes. So in September, we pull them out and try to figure out which clothes we'll need for the next few months. The sweatshirts come out and the tank tops go in...but what about shorts and short sleeves? Will it be a cool, wet, fall or an indian summer? It really doesn't matter. Whichever way I guess will be wrong...so the totes are a fashionable fixture in my living room until mid October....when finally everyone is convinced it really is too cold for sandals because their toes are turning blue.

After the tote shuffle we usually have the additional joy of shopping for our two oldest boys, who are opposite builds. They're too old for me just to buy stuff and say wear it. Someday I'll write about shopping w/ a preteen and a one year old....

There are some good things about September though. There's an energy in the air that's like Spring. The massive holiday season is just around the corner. The kids don't balk at homework yet because it's still fun and new to be in a "big kid" grade. Rejoining the communities of women's bible study, sports parents and PTA gives me some much needed adult fellowship. Towards the end of the month, the trees change colors, and driving through the park is like having my own personal art gallery. The chaos has settled into a routine of sorts, and there's peace in my life again...so maybe I don't hate September as much as I thought after all.

Bob's gluten free dairy free zucchinni bread

People are constantly asking me, what do I feed my kids?
The answer is pretty simple, I live in my kitchen.
Yeah, I made zucchinni bread last night. One zucchini made two loaves, with zucchinni left over! Gotta love that farmer's market. This was a newish recipe for us, but I believe it was a success!
This recipe is gluten free, soy free, dairy free, corn free(unless you count xantham gum), and nut free. It is NOT egg free...Although I'm almost certain it could be adapted further to meet that criteria.

So....What did we do?

I preheat my toaster oven to 350. I don't have a regular oven right now, but from past expereince, it would *probably* be 325.

Start w/ 2 cups of zucc. 3 eggs, 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of crushed pineapple, drained. Mix well and set aside. (We especially like apricot kernel oil in baked goods.)

On the dry team!

2-2 1/2 cups of teff flour, depending on how soggy your zucc is.
1/2 cup sorghum or millet flour
1/4 c tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
3/4 tsp baking powder, corn free of course
2 tsp. xantham gum
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2-1tsp powdered vanilla...this stuff is much stronger than extract, we use authentic foods brand because so many of the others have corn in them
1/2-3/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg. The preground stuff doesn't even come close.
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cloves if you like them.


Now the sugar we're still playing with, but last night I used about 3/4c brown and 1/4 cup white. I think next time I'll use 1c. brown and 1/4 cup white. The recipe I adapted this from used 2c white, and that was just sick to us.

So anyway, combine all those dry ingredients thoroughly. It's important for those flours to be well blended or you'll end up w/ a layer of crumbly stuff w/ a rubber ball on top.

Then incorporate the wet into the bowl w/ the dry until it's about 1/2 mixed. Then add your "goodie." Our favorite goodie is 1c raisins. It would taste great w/ dried blueberries or cranberries too. Finish the mixing.

This makes 2 pans! Take your pick.
9 x9 for 33-38 minutes.
loaf pan for 60-65 minutes.

We use one of each.

Then, cool completely in pan! This is important, unless you like soggy middles. GF breads finish setting as they cool. They tend to either fall apart or be gummy if you cut into them too soon.

The 9x9 pan was breakfast this morning...Since it's gone and I haven't found any crumbs, I'm assuming the kids liked it just fine. :)

Gotta go deal w/ the destructive duo. They're coloring this morning, hopefully on paper!