Monday, January 20, 2014 Flushing Seems like a very simple act...if your toilet actually responds and does its job properly. All three of our toilets have a BIG problem doing this simple maneuver for some reason, so we have to help them out here and there. Sometimes it is multiple times per day. All part of the routine...along with the deodorizer and fan...you could say it's a different kind of ambiance. Can't say I'm accustomed to it yet, but I'm going with the flow. A few months ago, I tried to teach the kids how to plunge for themselves, but that made more work than it was worth. ):Trust me:( So, I'm on call 24/7. However, when "the call" comes after ten pm, after I've already gotten into bed, it makes me want to build an outhouse right next to the trampoline...are those legal in San Jose? Or maybe we can install a throne on top of the sewage clean out next to the basketball hoop. Nothing beats direct access! That should also keep us from having to buy so much Lysol. I'm certain things could be worse...oh, the joys of running a busy household! Speaking of which... I've been working on lyrics for a song...dedicated to my children....this is what I have so far: Have you ever wondered why you can walk across the floor? Or how it's possible to get through any door? What happens to all those tiny rocks? Or who rounds up and washes all the socks? It's not magic it's not a mirage That keeps everything tidy in the garage! Nor is it a pixie, brownie or fairy That keeps our house from looking so very scary! Yes! I agree it's quite miraculous, there's always food in the fridge So maybe, just maybe you could help me just a smidge! Have you ever noticed there aren't any dust bunnies under your bed? Or any cobwebs up above your head? Do you think the toilets have auto-plunge? Or the walls wipe themselves with a sponge? It's not magic it's not a mirage That keeps everything tidy in the garage! Nor is it a pixie, brownie or fairy That makes sure our house isn't so very scary. Yes! I agree it's quite miraculous there's always food in the fridge So maybe, just maybe you could help me just a smidge!

January 21, 2014

Tuesday, January 21, 2014 ...Just a book... That's what she wants for her birthday this year and every year. She didn't really play with toys...ever (except for occasionally with her doll house from 2-6 y.o.)...she always went for books. Books were what motivated her to crawl. I'd sit with open arms and call to her. she'd give me a glance, then turn back to her goal: the bookcase. She wanted to touch them, pull them down off the shelf to surround herself with them, she wanted to look at them and digest them with her huge eyes. She never put them in her mouth, she never tore any pages, nor did she color in them. She was so careful and nimble at turning the pages that it always surprised people I would let her have a real book or a non-board book. She'd spend hours studying them and waving her hands with excitement. When she was 13 months old, she would flip through the pages and tell stories about what she saw. Her imagination guided her into a world of words and language that very quickly turned to being able to read the actual words on the pages. She was reading words just after turning two, reading Dick and Jane books just before her third birthday, Magic Tree House by 3 1/2, Harry Potter by 5, Dickens by 7. She read every book she could get her hands on including Daddy's medicinal chemistry books. She has an amazing ability to comprehend and retain the information in the material she reads. She astounds me constantly with her broad knowledge and stellar spelling abilities! She competed in the school spelling bee three months ago and took second place overall in the school, only beaten by an 8th grade girl. One could also say she is very driven and determined to excel at whatever she sets her mind to. She plays the flute, piano, sings, and plays basketball ...so she is pretty well-rounded. She's just amazing...and she's turning twelve!

January 26, 2014

Sunday, January 26, 2014 It happened today That's right! She left the primary...gasp...my little girl is a young woman. I watched from the piano bench as they came to get their newest member and I didn't know whether to cry or cheer. I video taped the ordeal...not that it was all that ceremonial, but I just knew I'd want to relive/cherish that moment later and let it sink in a little more thoroughly. Today, she, Sarah and a friend sang "I am a child of God" in sacrament meeting. Tonight, she is going to stake youth choir. This Wednesday she goes to her first Stake combined youth activity. Where has the time gone? Wasn't she just learning to ride a bike? Losing her first tooth? Or starting kindergarten? For heaven's sake, she's in sixth grade now! Wish I could freeze time time long enough to allow my brain to grasp what's going on here. She only has six years left until she leaves home and that just seems too short. I'm not ready for this. Yeah, I know, I should be used to the thought because my oldest only has 3.5 more years and our second oldest has 4.5 years left. It really shouldn't phase me that she has a whopping six years left. Right? However, for some reason it's hitting me a little harder than I thought it would. Not that I'm happy to see her brothers go, but it's that I've been preparing myself for them to leave since they were toddlers. Telling them about the day they would leave home and serve a mission in a far off land. I haven't talked much with Miriam about the day she flies the coup.... so it's a new thought for me. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a tiny bit. The truth is, I knew from the beginning of this motherhood experience that one day, I'd wake up and they'd all be gone. I knew that this was an enevitable part of "the plan". I just didn't know how all the milestones in the middle would affect me. Definitely time for some pie!

February 10, 2014

never thought... ...we'd have to plug in our car to make it go ...i'd be able to type remotely from a "blue tooth" wireless keyboard ...i could take pictures/video with a telephone ...store pictures in a cloud ...my washing machine would play music ...the kids could read their favorite books on a handheld computer screen ...we'd watch movies on a big wall in our home ...play arcade games in the palm of our hands ...purchase groceries on-line and have them show up at my door It is down right ridiculous how far technology has come. It boggles my mind sometimes, and makes my kids laugh when I tell them what it was like when I was growing up..."you had to stand next to the wall mounted phone to talk on it?! You didn't have a computer until you were in college?! You couldn't look at your pictures until you developed them?!" BWAAAA-HAAA-HAAAA-HA! yep, I'm feeling old! side note: I broke my telephone screen and have to replace it...ouch! high-tech stuff is costly!

Happy days!

Busy days! I find that I am happiest when I'm super busy. Is it because I don't have time to dwell on anything depressing? When I'm going full-bore, there really isn't any room for error nod definitely no room for thinking too deeply. These days I literally go from one event to another all day long. If I'm not working,taxiing kids, cooking/prepping food, doing laundry, helping with homework,

food memories

I love soup!

Creamy soups, chunky soups, vegetable soups, noodle soups, I like all kinds of soups, except mushroom soup!

Soup is a comfort food for me. The best soup I have EVER eaten was in Wisconsin at Adria Canon's home. She amazed me with her abilities to spin her Angora rabbit's fur into a soft yarn to make socks and such. Her dedication to home schooling as well as her home making skills also inspired me to be a more loving and thoughtful mother.

Visiting her one wintry day, there was a most delicious aroma coming from a huge pot on her stove top. She so kindly offered me a bowl. It was a simple, savory recipe with fresh rosemary, chicken broth, chicken, onion, celery, carrots and potatoes. There may have been other ingredients, but those are the ones that remain in my memory some ten years later. She also offered me a slice of her home made bread which, together with the soup, was very satisfying.

That soup had a very calming effect on me and has left me with a lasting impression of Adria's gentle kindness and generosity. The simple act of offering me that generous bowl of soup and piece of fresh bread made me feel so welcome in her home. It gave me a feeling of renewal. It warmed me from the inside out and gave me a feeling of well being.

I have tried many times to recreate that soup and recreate that feeling of satisfaction that comes with eating something wholesome and healthy. Each time I attempt to make that soup, I think of Adria's kindness to me as a young mother and wife to a grad-student. That was a crazy time of my life in so many ways and it was a bowl of soup that brought such needed comfort from the harsh elements on that cold winter's day.

Bunny Business

When I was a kid, the EB came to our house every year. I have fond memories of coming into the living room and finding five baskets, filled with what seemed to be a one month's supply of sugary goodness, all lined up neatly in a row on the couch every year until I was possibly ten (I'm not sure exactly). I LOVED how the EB would leave my favorite Easter treats in a cute little basket with fake plastic grass. I especially loved finding little jelly beans hidden deep in the grass, but it did bug me that the Peeps marshmallow treats always had the plastic grass stuck to them. This Easter morning tradition made a lot of yummy, sticky, then sickly memories for me. I was not the type of child to savor my spoils over the next week or two. I was usually done with my entire basket of goodies by the close of the day. I think I even found a way to snitch goodies from my sibling's baskets.(Shhhh!) I was able to hide this fact until I developed an allergy to chocolate. Carob bunnies were not on my list of acceptable treats! SO when I broke out in hives after eating someone else's chocolate rabbit, my bad habit of snitching was discovered. Subsequently, Benedryl is another thing I associate with EASTER.

My husband's family didn't celebrate Easter in the same way. His mother is French and the EB didn't exist there. Easter was purely a religious holiday in their home. So, no baskets of candy and no easter egg hunts.

Fast forward to 2000 when our first child was old enough (2) to truly appreciate any holidays... we decided against giving large baskets of candy from the EB, but we did think it would be alright to do a little egg hunt. Living in Wisconsin, an outdoor egg-hunt was not logical for a two year old, so we hid eggs throughout our two bedroom apartment. It started out small and became a pretty fun activity and tradition. And it seemed to be endless because the kids would find the eggs, put them in their very small baskets until they were full, then give them to us to put in a bigger pot. Then we would re-hide the eggs for the kids to re-find. We would play our game for about 45 minutes, or until they wanted to open the eggs and see what was inside. Sometimes, it was just chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Other times, it was jelly beans and m&ms.

Once we moved to CA, the egg hunts moved outside. That made it even more of a challenge for us to hide them while they were hunting, without them seeing us. This endless egg hunt worked really well until the kids were about six and realized we were recycling the same 30 (or so) eggs, then they helped to hide the eggs.

This year, we will have four hiders and one hunter. It makes me a little sad that the kids are getting so old and outgrowing these little traditions. Now, they just want the candies from inside the eggs. So, this year we are starting a new tradition. We are going to make some baskets for some of the elderly ladies in our church congregation. We will continue our tradition of watching the Ten Commandments on Good Friday. And maybe we will have a family Easter party with some Gluten Free goodies for all.


Looking for Gluten Free Easter candy, I found several blogs about/for celiacs that had an abundance of information that I found extremely useful. This one seemed especially good:



I am so glad to see that Dove chocolates are GF...I looooooove all of their yummy milk and dark chocolates! We will definitely buy more of those!