This morning was kindergarten round up, and princess P is so ready.
While mommy was getting schpeel about curriculum and being able to put their own straws in juice boxes, Princess P got to make a picture, meet the teachers and librarian, and plant a sunflower seed.
She spelled her name for everyone, and knew the answers at story time.
She moved along and never looked back.
She was excited, confident, and capable.
For her, August couldn't come soon enough. She didn't need to be "rounded up", but at least she felt "welcome in".
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The importance of a good cast iron frying pan.
Yes folks, we got Tangled from redbox and loved it. The kids love Max, the horse who thinks he's part bloodhound. Yet my favorite line from the movie has to got to be "Frying pans. Who knew, right?"
I did.
A great heavy-weight cast iron pan is good for so many things.
1)Camping cookware of choice, unless hiking.
2) Browning and searing.
3) Getting a little extra iron in your tomato sauce. Non-dairy sauces in general do well on low heat
4) baking cornbread/cobbler if deep enough
5) One stop pan for range to oven applications
6) Pan frying. No other pan comes close!
7) Self defense, (a bit heavy for the calvary though.)
8) Discourages unauthorized cooking by minors. Those pans are heavy!
9) Hate to wash dishes? These pans hate soap.
10) High quality cookware available at fairly reasonable prices. Just shop at Target instead of Cabela's.
Ours is a 12" skillet that's about 1.5-2" deep. I hope to get its 10" younger brother and mama dutch oven in the relatively near future. Even cookware is a family deal.
I did.
A great heavy-weight cast iron pan is good for so many things.
1)Camping cookware of choice, unless hiking.
2) Browning and searing.
3) Getting a little extra iron in your tomato sauce. Non-dairy sauces in general do well on low heat
4) baking cornbread/cobbler if deep enough
5) One stop pan for range to oven applications
6) Pan frying. No other pan comes close!
7) Self defense, (a bit heavy for the calvary though.)
8) Discourages unauthorized cooking by minors. Those pans are heavy!
9) Hate to wash dishes? These pans hate soap.
10) High quality cookware available at fairly reasonable prices. Just shop at Target instead of Cabela's.
Ours is a 12" skillet that's about 1.5-2" deep. I hope to get its 10" younger brother and mama dutch oven in the relatively near future. Even cookware is a family deal.
Monday, March 28, 2011
I'm moving my fitness stuff to a new blog
Since, I'm hoping for a long-term reform I figured it needed it's own outlet. And the kids are the stars here.
So if you wish, proceed to http://fantasiastichippomom.blogspot.com/ where I'll chronicle my reintroduction to the gym-rat race.
So if you wish, proceed to http://fantasiastichippomom.blogspot.com/ where I'll chronicle my reintroduction to the gym-rat race.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday morning aqua aerobics
Yes, I did just dive right into this class thing.
Aqua aerobics has some pros and cons.
Pros:
1) Most of my mistakes are under water, so who else would know?
2) It's kind of like a cardio dance class w/ antigravity powers. Doing those jumps was really fun.
3) It's easier to adjust to my own "zone" than a typical class.
4) I got to shower alone.
5) Coffee on the way home
Cons:
1) It's in the pool.
2) The times I can make it are well before I'm usually out of bed.
3) It's in the pool.
As you might gather, I'm really not a fan of indoor swimming pools. About 15 minutes before the end of class the chlorine was starting to get to me. I have super-sensitive skin so I really won't be able to do this more than a couple times a week. That and I just hate the "oh brr." feeling of getting in. Add in that I'm about as graceful as an elephant and splash accordingly, riding the noodle seemed almost indecent, and that I tend to "roll over" instead of "helicopter", this class still is in the "maybe I can get used to it category." I'll try, because overall I felt better afterwards than before.
Aqua aerobics has some pros and cons.
Pros:
1) Most of my mistakes are under water, so who else would know?
2) It's kind of like a cardio dance class w/ antigravity powers. Doing those jumps was really fun.
3) It's easier to adjust to my own "zone" than a typical class.
4) I got to shower alone.
5) Coffee on the way home
Cons:
1) It's in the pool.
2) The times I can make it are well before I'm usually out of bed.
3) It's in the pool.
As you might gather, I'm really not a fan of indoor swimming pools. About 15 minutes before the end of class the chlorine was starting to get to me. I have super-sensitive skin so I really won't be able to do this more than a couple times a week. That and I just hate the "oh brr." feeling of getting in. Add in that I'm about as graceful as an elephant and splash accordingly, riding the noodle seemed almost indecent, and that I tend to "roll over" instead of "helicopter", this class still is in the "maybe I can get used to it category." I'll try, because overall I felt better afterwards than before.
Friday, March 25, 2011
.Gym, take 1!
Yes, I got the lovely purple yoga mat w/ kind of matching strap at Target. No that's not all we bought. We now have Gator Golf and a new play-doh set. Both, more than worth the money for the hours on nondigital play they've provided the last couple of days.
So, with Mr. M armed w/ new toys & nick jr, I went solo this morning to the gym. I left at 8:15, drove in circles, parked, sat in my car, and finally walked in at 8:55. One of the longest 15 minute drives I've ever taken.
While waiting for Tai Chi to start, I watched some people cycle, some dancing, and took a peek at the aqua aerobics class in the pool. Aqua aerobics will be my next adventure.
A few things made the pre-exercise confindence soar a bit.
1) Not everyone there looked like supermodels.
2) I'm at least two decades younger than most morning class participants.
3) Diet coke in the vending machine outside the gym. I am not a nice person precaffeine.
Then the Tai Chi peeps were there, and I noticed
1)no mats
2) shoes.
Crud. Wrong prep for this class. But the teacher said barefoot was fine. So barefoot I did!
Tai Chi went sooo well! I was excited, wanted to use my new mat, and not exercised out, so I called Mr. M and asked if he'd mind if I stayed for the next class, "Gentle Yoga."
He said sure, so stay I did.
I'm sooo thankful for my pretty purple mat! I would have hated to give cooties to the next user of the gyms mats from all the tears I shed during that class. Gentle my arse. Appropriately enough the resting pose was called "the child pose." I spent a bit of extra time there and in the "total muscle failure" pose. Especially when the others were in Downward Dog and that other inverted V pose. I have great calves. I can do that L thing. I can do the "airplane." But apparently those thigh/hip muscles have a ways to go. My personal mortification was amplified by the beauty of the 80+ year old lady next to me and how gracefully she could shift from one phase to the next.
After the class, said lady actually spoke to me.
"Is this your first class?"
"Yeah. I haven't been in a gym for about ten years."
"Well, keep trying. I felt that way at first too. But it gets easier. I've been doing this for about two years, and just never give up."
Then I went back to my car and was crying again...but for a much better reason.
So, with Mr. M armed w/ new toys & nick jr, I went solo this morning to the gym. I left at 8:15, drove in circles, parked, sat in my car, and finally walked in at 8:55. One of the longest 15 minute drives I've ever taken.
While waiting for Tai Chi to start, I watched some people cycle, some dancing, and took a peek at the aqua aerobics class in the pool. Aqua aerobics will be my next adventure.
A few things made the pre-exercise confindence soar a bit.
1) Not everyone there looked like supermodels.
2) I'm at least two decades younger than most morning class participants.
3) Diet coke in the vending machine outside the gym. I am not a nice person precaffeine.
Then the Tai Chi peeps were there, and I noticed
1)no mats
2) shoes.
Crud. Wrong prep for this class. But the teacher said barefoot was fine. So barefoot I did!
Tai Chi went sooo well! I was excited, wanted to use my new mat, and not exercised out, so I called Mr. M and asked if he'd mind if I stayed for the next class, "Gentle Yoga."
He said sure, so stay I did.
I'm sooo thankful for my pretty purple mat! I would have hated to give cooties to the next user of the gyms mats from all the tears I shed during that class. Gentle my arse. Appropriately enough the resting pose was called "the child pose." I spent a bit of extra time there and in the "total muscle failure" pose. Especially when the others were in Downward Dog and that other inverted V pose. I have great calves. I can do that L thing. I can do the "airplane." But apparently those thigh/hip muscles have a ways to go. My personal mortification was amplified by the beauty of the 80+ year old lady next to me and how gracefully she could shift from one phase to the next.
After the class, said lady actually spoke to me.
"Is this your first class?"
"Yeah. I haven't been in a gym for about ten years."
"Well, keep trying. I felt that way at first too. But it gets easier. I've been doing this for about two years, and just never give up."
Then I went back to my car and was crying again...but for a much better reason.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Today it's just me and the tweedles.
And for a 40 degree cloudy day after Spring Break, it's been pretty laid back.
This afternoon, I go on the great yoga mat hunt. at Target, because like Target. Decent stuff at a realistic price point, and also because the toy section is just across the aisle from the sports/fitness stuff, so maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to think, sort, prioritize.
Because bribery and blackmail is what parenting is all about. We just call it diversion, rewards, and other warm fuzzy words. Okay, it's not the focus of parenting, but definitely the method of choice of any preschool mother who is attempting to make a non-child purchase while accompanied by little sticky fingers...or get 5 minutes to herself.
Sometimes it takes the form of a favorite t.v. show so that we can shower alone.
Sometimes relinquishing the computer to our preteen so we can start cooking dinner.
In this case, it will be, just don't touch anything HERE and we'll go right over THERE to look next, okay?
Sometimes it works. Sometimes not so much. I'm stacking the odds in my favor by going right after lunch, a lunch I let them choose and make themselves. Full tummies ahead! Here's hoping all I come home with is a yoga mat.
This afternoon, I go on the great yoga mat hunt. at Target, because like Target. Decent stuff at a realistic price point, and also because the toy section is just across the aisle from the sports/fitness stuff, so maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to think, sort, prioritize.
Because bribery and blackmail is what parenting is all about. We just call it diversion, rewards, and other warm fuzzy words. Okay, it's not the focus of parenting, but definitely the method of choice of any preschool mother who is attempting to make a non-child purchase while accompanied by little sticky fingers...or get 5 minutes to herself.
Sometimes it takes the form of a favorite t.v. show so that we can shower alone.
Sometimes relinquishing the computer to our preteen so we can start cooking dinner.
In this case, it will be, just don't touch anything HERE and we'll go right over THERE to look next, okay?
Sometimes it works. Sometimes not so much. I'm stacking the odds in my favor by going right after lunch, a lunch I let them choose and make themselves. Full tummies ahead! Here's hoping all I come home with is a yoga mat.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Texas
We spent our spring break camping in Texas. Most of my kids love camping. The others tolerate it.
Miss D helped both set up and take down tents. E2 helped set up.
Miss D & our oldest helped wash dishes.
I had plenty of volunteers to help cook, but declined those offers.
Something about sleeping in a tent makes substandard rations okay with the kids. We had zero complaints about the hot cereal breakfast, cold sandwich lunch, hot dog dinner regime. Only Si guy has eaten oatmeal since we've gotten home though.
High camp points included:
Setting up.
Tearing down without incident.
Sand, dirt and rocks. (at least for kids 3-6)
Neighbor kids at the campsite across from us for a couple of days.
I had one glorious afternoon of hanging out in my reclining camp chair to read a couple of magazines. I had 4 days of chasing our oldest out of said chair whenever I wanted to sit down.
"Why do you get the cool chair?"
"Who's money bought the chair?"
"Dad's!"
"Let's try again. Who organized this trip? Bought all the stuff? reserved the campsite?"
"You."
"That's right. Now gimmee my chair. Besides, I'm over the weight limit for most of the others."
(Unfortunate, but true. I'm working on that.)
E1 was in hog heaven with Texas warm weather.
"Mom, why can't we move here?"
"Come back in August kid, and ask me that again. There's a reason we reserve Texas for spring/fall camping."
Now, other than camping, the high point of Texas is visiting relatives.
We spent one afternoon at my cousin's house, where the little kids worked on a floor puzzle, and the big kids turned into t.v. zombies...well, digital is banned at our campsite. They have to get it where they can. Me, I admired the baby. Mr. M rolled his eyes and was thankful for his v.
I also admired his absolutely beautiful and tastefully decorated home. Mr. M was thankful for the home we should FINALLY be moving into around memorial day. It was an interesting afternoon.
Another event we attended in Texas was an IMB sending service for our friends who are entering the missions field. It made a big impression on the kids. They'd never seen a church with it's own parking garage, or one that took up two large downtown buildings before.
The orchestra was impressive. It was fun pointing out the different instruments to the kids, from oboes & french horns to three kinds of drums. We sat up in the nosebleed section, where we were surrounded by the organ pipes. The sound board was in front of us. It was a pretty cool view. Besides the awesomeness of the building, the service itself got our oldest thinking about missions, and what missionaries do. This I consider a success. The kids considered the cookies at the reception afterwards to be a success too.
The last two days of our trip were dedicated to J, my oldest son who was placed for adoption. We attended one of his baseball games, and caught the tail end of another. ( Nine a.m. is a time to wake up, not be somewhere for us. We tried though. We were up at 7 that day. Just could not get the gear down & van loaded fast enough.) We spent a couple hours each day on a playground where he chased, pushed swings, and just was a rock star in general for Mr. M & I's six kids. Day 1 was all about the kids. Day 2, we talked quite a bit as he pushed the ever demanding tire swing.
He's graduating high school this year, and moving on into the big, big, unsheltered world of college. He's got great ambitions and huge ideals. His parents have given him the tools to succeed, and his firm faith will serve him well. His plans probably include the military at some point, something I really wouldn't wish for any of my offspring, especially ones that express wishes to have families, but his life was given to God long ago, and God knows what's best for him. I'm just grateful he decided to find us, and that he really does want us to a part of his life, however large or small that part may be.
Miss D helped both set up and take down tents. E2 helped set up.
Miss D & our oldest helped wash dishes.
I had plenty of volunteers to help cook, but declined those offers.
Something about sleeping in a tent makes substandard rations okay with the kids. We had zero complaints about the hot cereal breakfast, cold sandwich lunch, hot dog dinner regime. Only Si guy has eaten oatmeal since we've gotten home though.
High camp points included:
Setting up.
Tearing down without incident.
Sand, dirt and rocks. (at least for kids 3-6)
Neighbor kids at the campsite across from us for a couple of days.
I had one glorious afternoon of hanging out in my reclining camp chair to read a couple of magazines. I had 4 days of chasing our oldest out of said chair whenever I wanted to sit down.
"Why do you get the cool chair?"
"Who's money bought the chair?"
"Dad's!"
"Let's try again. Who organized this trip? Bought all the stuff? reserved the campsite?"
"You."
"That's right. Now gimmee my chair. Besides, I'm over the weight limit for most of the others."
(Unfortunate, but true. I'm working on that.)
E1 was in hog heaven with Texas warm weather.
"Mom, why can't we move here?"
"Come back in August kid, and ask me that again. There's a reason we reserve Texas for spring/fall camping."
Now, other than camping, the high point of Texas is visiting relatives.
We spent one afternoon at my cousin's house, where the little kids worked on a floor puzzle, and the big kids turned into t.v. zombies...well, digital is banned at our campsite. They have to get it where they can. Me, I admired the baby. Mr. M rolled his eyes and was thankful for his v.
I also admired his absolutely beautiful and tastefully decorated home. Mr. M was thankful for the home we should FINALLY be moving into around memorial day. It was an interesting afternoon.
Another event we attended in Texas was an IMB sending service for our friends who are entering the missions field. It made a big impression on the kids. They'd never seen a church with it's own parking garage, or one that took up two large downtown buildings before.
The orchestra was impressive. It was fun pointing out the different instruments to the kids, from oboes & french horns to three kinds of drums. We sat up in the nosebleed section, where we were surrounded by the organ pipes. The sound board was in front of us. It was a pretty cool view. Besides the awesomeness of the building, the service itself got our oldest thinking about missions, and what missionaries do. This I consider a success. The kids considered the cookies at the reception afterwards to be a success too.
The last two days of our trip were dedicated to J, my oldest son who was placed for adoption. We attended one of his baseball games, and caught the tail end of another. ( Nine a.m. is a time to wake up, not be somewhere for us. We tried though. We were up at 7 that day. Just could not get the gear down & van loaded fast enough.) We spent a couple hours each day on a playground where he chased, pushed swings, and just was a rock star in general for Mr. M & I's six kids. Day 1 was all about the kids. Day 2, we talked quite a bit as he pushed the ever demanding tire swing.
He's graduating high school this year, and moving on into the big, big, unsheltered world of college. He's got great ambitions and huge ideals. His parents have given him the tools to succeed, and his firm faith will serve him well. His plans probably include the military at some point, something I really wouldn't wish for any of my offspring, especially ones that express wishes to have families, but his life was given to God long ago, and God knows what's best for him. I'm just grateful he decided to find us, and that he really does want us to a part of his life, however large or small that part may be.
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