Today was one of those cold winter days. Not only do I love the way the green bean casserole tastes, I convince myself it is healthy because it contains green beans. And it brings back some fond memories -- like when I was pregnant with Drew and experiencing
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Green Bean Casserole
I think that green bean casserole may be one of my favorite comfort foods. (For the recipe, go to the French's Foods website and search for "green bean casserole.") I don't make it often because I am the only one in my family who will eat it, but I keep the ingredients in my cupboard, and occasionally on cold winter days I will make some for myself.
Today was one of those cold winter days. Not only do I love the way the green bean casserole tastes, I convince myself it is healthy because it contains green beans. And it brings back some fond memories -- like when I was pregnant with Drew and experiencingall day morning sickness and the only thing that sounded good to eat was green bean casserole. My mom was visiting that week, and she made green bean casserole for me for lunch three days in a row. Well, actually, she made it for me for four days ... but the fourth day I took one look at it and knew I wouldn't be able to eat it for the rest of the pregnancy. Now that Drew is a year and a half old, I can look back on those days and smile ... and enjoy my green bean casserole again!
Today was one of those cold winter days. Not only do I love the way the green bean casserole tastes, I convince myself it is healthy because it contains green beans. And it brings back some fond memories -- like when I was pregnant with Drew and experiencing
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Glasses
Gracie will be getting her first pair of glasses later this afternoon. I really wasn't expecting that she would need glasses when I took her for her eye exam this morning.
She has been getting her eyes checked ever since she was six months old, when I took her to the eye doctor for a blocked tear duct. Her tear duct cleared up without surgery, but the eye doctor discovered at that time that she was farsighted. I guess most young children are farsighted, but the eye doctor told us that Gracie is more farsighted than most, and she wanted to keep a close watch on her eyes to make sure that she did not start crossing them. I thought today would just be another routine check-up and we would be set for another year. Instead, this time the doctor told us that Gracie's left eye is more farsighted than her right eye, and that although this was also true last year, it is now starting to affect her vision because she can't see quite as well with her left eye as she can her right eye. The eye doctor wanted her to start wearing glasses so that the vision in both eyes will be the same. (I don't know much about children's vision, so I probably will spend some time on the Internet in the next few days learning more about it.)
The eye exam seemed to be easier this year (or at least easier for me to follow) since Gracie knows her letters now. They showed her one letter at a time, and after she identified it, they would show her another letter. The letters got progressively smaller. Any time she didn't identify one or asked, "What is it?" they would show her a different one in a bigger size and then reduce the size again for the next letter. After they reached a small size several times without her being able to identify the letter, when she had said all the letters at larger sizes, I guess they decided she really couldn't see them.
I let Gracie pick the frames she wanted ... pink, of course! I'm a little bit worried that she won't want to wear them all the time. Gracie has already said that she is afraid Drew will pull them off. She's probably right about that. I guess we'll see.
She has been getting her eyes checked ever since she was six months old, when I took her to the eye doctor for a blocked tear duct. Her tear duct cleared up without surgery, but the eye doctor discovered at that time that she was farsighted. I guess most young children are farsighted, but the eye doctor told us that Gracie is more farsighted than most, and she wanted to keep a close watch on her eyes to make sure that she did not start crossing them. I thought today would just be another routine check-up and we would be set for another year. Instead, this time the doctor told us that Gracie's left eye is more farsighted than her right eye, and that although this was also true last year, it is now starting to affect her vision because she can't see quite as well with her left eye as she can her right eye. The eye doctor wanted her to start wearing glasses so that the vision in both eyes will be the same. (I don't know much about children's vision, so I probably will spend some time on the Internet in the next few days learning more about it.)
The eye exam seemed to be easier this year (or at least easier for me to follow) since Gracie knows her letters now. They showed her one letter at a time, and after she identified it, they would show her another letter. The letters got progressively smaller. Any time she didn't identify one or asked, "What is it?" they would show her a different one in a bigger size and then reduce the size again for the next letter. After they reached a small size several times without her being able to identify the letter, when she had said all the letters at larger sizes, I guess they decided she really couldn't see them.
I let Gracie pick the frames she wanted ... pink, of course! I'm a little bit worried that she won't want to wear them all the time. Gracie has already said that she is afraid Drew will pull them off. She's probably right about that. I guess we'll see.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Addicted to Books
If the definition of addiction is "the condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something," then I think it is safe to say that I am addicted to books. I have several shelves full of books. That's one of the reasons I would love to own an e-book reader. Then at least the evidence of my addiction would not overrun our house.
After looking at the Sony Reader at Borders and researching the Kindle online, I asked my husband how many books I would have to purge from my shelves before he would consider buying me one. He just threw out a number to get me started: books with list prices totaling twice the amount that the e-book reader costs. (This actually is a good deal for me because I almost never pay the full price for any book, and many of my books have come from thrift stores or the book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and cost me between a quarter and a dollar each.)
With that goal in mind, I have been taking a hard look at my book shelves this week. I have come to the conclusion that I tend to keep books that tell me how to do something or become someone that I am not, but would like to be. For example:
After looking at the Sony Reader at Borders and researching the Kindle online, I asked my husband how many books I would have to purge from my shelves before he would consider buying me one. He just threw out a number to get me started: books with list prices totaling twice the amount that the e-book reader costs. (This actually is a good deal for me because I almost never pay the full price for any book, and many of my books have come from thrift stores or the book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and cost me between a quarter and a dollar each.)
With that goal in mind, I have been taking a hard look at my book shelves this week. I have come to the conclusion that I tend to keep books that tell me how to do something or become someone that I am not, but would like to be. For example:
- The five books on clutter and organizing are not going to magically get rid of my clutter ... in fact, they're adding to the problem.
- The stack of marriage books won't ensure that my marriage will remain a happy one. In fact, getting rid of the books would delight my husband.
- Owning several books about writing will not make me into a writer. I just need to sit down and start writing.
- Finally, my favorite: a book entitled The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time. The book describes seven mathematical problems that each have a prize of a million dollars offered for their solution by the Clay Mathematics Institute. What makes me think that I'll ever learn enough math to solve a problem that has stumped the most brilliant mathematicians?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Date Night
Last Friday night my husband and I went out on a date. We don't get to go out often without the kids because we have a hard time finding babysitters. So, I guess we are a little bit out of practice on the whole dating thing ...
My husband does not like to plan ahead -- he likes to keep his options open. That's fine most of the time, but we discovered that it makes for a long wait if we want to eat somewhere nice at 6:30 on a Friday evening. We ended up driving around town for half an hour before settling on Steak 'n Shake. After that, we drove by the movie theater, but decided that we weren't interested in seeing any of the movies that were showing. We ended up at a Borders bookstore. (Not that I minded -- a bookstore is one of my favorite places to go on a date. I guess I'm kind-of boring that way.) It felt really good to sit and relax and read with my husband for a while.
At Borders I got to see and hold a Sony Reader. They had two in stock, and I was ready to take one home with me. (I can be somewhat impulsive, so it's a good thing my husband was there to balance me out.) Over the weekend I spent some timedrooling over looking at the Sony Reader and comparing it to the Kindle. From the reviews I read over the weekend, it appears that people seem to prefer the Kindle over the Sony Reader, and there are more titles available for the Kindle. I am pretty sure I would like either one. Now if I can just convince my husband to buy one for me!
My husband does not like to plan ahead -- he likes to keep his options open. That's fine most of the time, but we discovered that it makes for a long wait if we want to eat somewhere nice at 6:30 on a Friday evening. We ended up driving around town for half an hour before settling on Steak 'n Shake. After that, we drove by the movie theater, but decided that we weren't interested in seeing any of the movies that were showing. We ended up at a Borders bookstore. (Not that I minded -- a bookstore is one of my favorite places to go on a date. I guess I'm kind-of boring that way.) It felt really good to sit and relax and read with my husband for a while.
At Borders I got to see and hold a Sony Reader. They had two in stock, and I was ready to take one home with me. (I can be somewhat impulsive, so it's a good thing my husband was there to balance me out.) Over the weekend I spent some time
Friday, January 25, 2008
Freedom
Ahhhh, sweet freedom ...
My husband's car finally got fixed on Wednesday. It had not been running since January 3. It was nothing major (it just needed a new battery), but it took us a while to get it fixed. On weekdays my husband drove my car to work, so I was stuck at home with two kids and no car.
I think Drew and Gracie and I all suffered a bit of cabin fever during the past few weeks. It might have been easier to be without a car in the summer time, when at least we would be able to play outdoors or go for a walk to get out of the house. Then again, maybe it was best that it happened in the winter time when it's cold out and I just want to stay inside and hibernate.
My husband does not understand why it bothered me to be at home with no car. I am a homebody, and chances are I wouldn't have gone anywhere on most of those days, anyway. That's not the point. I just don't like to feel stuck.
Yesterday was the first weekday in a long time that I had a car and could go somewhere. So how did the kids and I celebrate our freedom? We stayed home. It was too COLD to go anywhere! But at least I had a choice.
My husband's car finally got fixed on Wednesday. It had not been running since January 3. It was nothing major (it just needed a new battery), but it took us a while to get it fixed. On weekdays my husband drove my car to work, so I was stuck at home with two kids and no car.
I think Drew and Gracie and I all suffered a bit of cabin fever during the past few weeks. It might have been easier to be without a car in the summer time, when at least we would be able to play outdoors or go for a walk to get out of the house. Then again, maybe it was best that it happened in the winter time when it's cold out and I just want to stay inside and hibernate.
My husband does not understand why it bothered me to be at home with no car. I am a homebody, and chances are I wouldn't have gone anywhere on most of those days, anyway. That's not the point. I just don't like to feel stuck.
Yesterday was the first weekday in a long time that I had a car and could go somewhere. So how did the kids and I celebrate our freedom? We stayed home. It was too COLD to go anywhere! But at least I had a choice.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Matching Socks
I really should not match socks when I have a headache. I am trying to catch up with laundry today, and I have folded several baskets of laundry already.
Since one of my New Year's Resolutions was to teach Drew and Gracie to help with household chores, they are helping me fold laundry today. Gracie thinks this is a great game. She pretends that the pillow is her scrub board and the couch is the stream in which she must wash each piece of laundry before I fold it to put it away. Drew is running off with socks and dropping them in random places around the house. As much as I love having Drew and Gracie participate in my daily chores, it does make everything take longer.
Back to matching socks. I got down to the last two socks in the laundry basket ... and they didn't match. I looked at them closely and noticed that I had already folded one sock that looked identical to one of the remaining two and put it into my husband's drawer. The only problem is that he only has one pair that has that particular pattern. I went to check his sock drawer, and sure enough, I had folded the other sock to that pair with a sock that did not match it at all. I can just imagine the fun my husband would have at work trying to explain why his socks did not match. NOT. So, I refolded that sock with its mate.
The only problem is that I am still left with two socks that don't match each other. Maybe I need to check all the socks in my husband's drawer to make sure I matched them correctly. Or maybe I'll just wait and hope that the mates for those two socks show up in the wash eventually.
Since one of my New Year's Resolutions was to teach Drew and Gracie to help with household chores, they are helping me fold laundry today. Gracie thinks this is a great game. She pretends that the pillow is her scrub board and the couch is the stream in which she must wash each piece of laundry before I fold it to put it away. Drew is running off with socks and dropping them in random places around the house. As much as I love having Drew and Gracie participate in my daily chores, it does make everything take longer.
Back to matching socks. I got down to the last two socks in the laundry basket ... and they didn't match. I looked at them closely and noticed that I had already folded one sock that looked identical to one of the remaining two and put it into my husband's drawer. The only problem is that he only has one pair that has that particular pattern. I went to check his sock drawer, and sure enough, I had folded the other sock to that pair with a sock that did not match it at all. I can just imagine the fun my husband would have at work trying to explain why his socks did not match. NOT. So, I refolded that sock with its mate.
The only problem is that I am still left with two socks that don't match each other. Maybe I need to check all the socks in my husband's drawer to make sure I matched them correctly. Or maybe I'll just wait and hope that the mates for those two socks show up in the wash eventually.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Snack Time
Drew and Gracie typically have a snack at about 10 AM every day -- nothing fancy -- sometimes Cheez-Its or graham crackers or some fruit or yogurt.
One morning last week I was working on writing some thank you notes for Christmas gifts. (I finally got them all done!) I knew it was almost 10:30, a little past snack time, but Drew and Gracie seemed content to sit at the table with me and color while I wrote notes. At least I thought they were content, until Drew climbed down off of his chair, came up to me grinning, and said, "bite!" Uh oh! What did he just take a bite of? I looked into his mouth. Orange crayon. Yummy. It's a good thing crayons are non toxic!
After brushing Drew's teeth to get as much of the orange crayon residue out of his mouth as possible, I fixed him a snack. Poor guy, I guess he was so hungry he had to take matters into his own hands.
One morning last week I was working on writing some thank you notes for Christmas gifts. (I finally got them all done!) I knew it was almost 10:30, a little past snack time, but Drew and Gracie seemed content to sit at the table with me and color while I wrote notes. At least I thought they were content, until Drew climbed down off of his chair, came up to me grinning, and said, "bite!" Uh oh! What did he just take a bite of? I looked into his mouth. Orange crayon. Yummy. It's a good thing crayons are non toxic!
After brushing Drew's teeth to get as much of the orange crayon residue out of his mouth as possible, I fixed him a snack. Poor guy, I guess he was so hungry he had to take matters into his own hands.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
New Name
My blog and I have new names today, the result of a comment on my last post.
I honestly did not put a lot of thought into the title of my blog. I definitely never meant to steal someone else's name. I'm just not the most creative person in the world: I'm a mommy, it's a blog. The Mommy Blog. But not anymore. I like the new title better, though, and it still reflects that this is my place to talk about my day or what's on my mind when I have no one else to talk to.
I am ashamed to admit that my first thought when I read the comment -- Am I obligated to change my blog's name just to make someone else's life easier? -- was not very kind. I'm sorry for that. I wondered for a few minutes what the rules are for blog titles. I suppose they would be similar to the rules for book titles (although to be honest, I have no idea what those rules are, either). A quick Google search found this article about trademark protection for blog names. Ack. I definitely don't want to get involved in a legal mess.
I next felt a momentary sense of panic when I wasn't sure I would be able to figure out how to change my blog's name. Fortunately, it proved easy enough to do. Since my blog's title means nothing to me, I changed it and moved on to something far more important to me: painting with water colors with Gracie.
If anyone has any complaint about the new name, please let me know and I'll change it again.
I honestly did not put a lot of thought into the title of my blog. I definitely never meant to steal someone else's name. I'm just not the most creative person in the world: I'm a mommy, it's a blog. The Mommy Blog. But not anymore. I like the new title better, though, and it still reflects that this is my place to talk about my day or what's on my mind when I have no one else to talk to.
I am ashamed to admit that my first thought when I read the comment -- Am I obligated to change my blog's name just to make someone else's life easier? -- was not very kind. I'm sorry for that. I wondered for a few minutes what the rules are for blog titles. I suppose they would be similar to the rules for book titles (although to be honest, I have no idea what those rules are, either). A quick Google search found this article about trademark protection for blog names. Ack. I definitely don't want to get involved in a legal mess.
I next felt a momentary sense of panic when I wasn't sure I would be able to figure out how to change my blog's name. Fortunately, it proved easy enough to do. Since my blog's title means nothing to me, I changed it and moved on to something far more important to me: painting with water colors with Gracie.
If anyone has any complaint about the new name, please let me know and I'll change it again.
Monday, January 7, 2008
New Year's Resolutions 2008
Everyone at my house is feeling better now, so I had a chance to sit down and think about my goals for the new year. Here are some that I have come up with so far:
I have no idea what I will find to do from home to earn some money ... so if you have any ideas for me, I would love to hear them!
- Read one chapter of the Bible to Drew and Gracie each day.
- Get organized. Simplify and de-clutter. Establish some household routines. Teach Drew and Gracie to help out with some simple household chores each day.
- Add a few more formal preschool-type activities for Gracie to our daily routine.
- Read a book each week.
- Find something that I can do from home to earn some money.
- Reduce my sugar intake and eat more healthy foods.
- Blog more often!
I have no idea what I will find to do from home to earn some money ... so if you have any ideas for me, I would love to hear them!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Helicopter
When I was a teenager, my mom attended a seminar about parenting and parenting styles, and came home with descriptions that fit herself and my dad perfectly. Mom is a drill sergeant ("When I say jump, you better jump!") and Dad is a helicopter ("I will rescue you and protect you from the cruel world!"). I know my dad loves us very much and that is what prompts his protective behavior, but we have teased him about his hovering tendencies ever since then.
After I got married and moved away from home, Dad didn't hover as much, but every now and then he still gets into his "helicopter" mode. I had to laugh about one of my dad's phone calls this week. I could almost hear the rotor blades whirring in the background.
On Friday afternoon, my husband (home from work sick) was asleep in bed when the phone rang. I could not get up to answer the telephone because Drew was asleep on my lap and Gracie was sitting with me looking at a toy catalog. My husband woke up and groggily answered the telephone. It was my mom. They didn't talk long because he was half asleep and not feeling well. About half an hour later, the telephone woke him up again. This time it was my dad. "You all aren't suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, are you?" I guess he had taken into account the fact that my husband sounded groggy on the phone, we were all sick at the same time, and had had furnace trouble earlier in the week, and let his imagination go from there. My husband assured him that we all had head colds, that we have an electric furnace, and that the reason he sounded groggy was that he had just woken up to answer the telephone.
My husband really took it pretty well. He told me that he now sees where I get it from, because I am a "helicopter," too.
After I got married and moved away from home, Dad didn't hover as much, but every now and then he still gets into his "helicopter" mode. I had to laugh about one of my dad's phone calls this week. I could almost hear the rotor blades whirring in the background.
On Friday afternoon, my husband (home from work sick) was asleep in bed when the phone rang. I could not get up to answer the telephone because Drew was asleep on my lap and Gracie was sitting with me looking at a toy catalog. My husband woke up and groggily answered the telephone. It was my mom. They didn't talk long because he was half asleep and not feeling well. About half an hour later, the telephone woke him up again. This time it was my dad. "You all aren't suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, are you?" I guess he had taken into account the fact that my husband sounded groggy on the phone, we were all sick at the same time, and had had furnace trouble earlier in the week, and let his imagination go from there. My husband assured him that we all had head colds, that we have an electric furnace, and that the reason he sounded groggy was that he had just woken up to answer the telephone.
My husband really took it pretty well. He told me that he now sees where I get it from, because I am a "helicopter," too.
Friday, January 4, 2008
2008 Reading List
It's time to start a reading list for the new year. I know at the end of the year I will enjoy looking back to see what I have read this year and which books were my favorites. As I did for my list last year, I'll give each book a rating from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest.
Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury (8)
A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card (7)
Helping Your Child Learn to Read by Bernice Cullinan and Brod Bagert (8)
Priced to Move by Ginny Aiken (7)
My Soul to Keep by Davis Bunn (9)
Splitting Harriet by Tamara Leigh (8)
Six Days in June by Judy Kouzel (6)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (10)
Better Late than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore (10)
100 Questions from My Child by Mallika Chopra (6)
Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise by Pam Young and Peggy Jones (10)
Unwrapping Christmas by Lori Copeland (9)
A Crooked Path by Annette Smith (7)
A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card (7)
Helping Your Child Learn to Read by Bernice Cullinan and Brod Bagert (8)
Priced to Move by Ginny Aiken (7)
My Soul to Keep by Davis Bunn (9)
Splitting Harriet by Tamara Leigh (8)
Six Days in June by Judy Kouzel (6)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (10)
Better Late than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore (10)
100 Questions from My Child by Mallika Chopra (6)
Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise by Pam Young and Peggy Jones (10)
Unwrapping Christmas by Lori Copeland (9)
A Crooked Path by Annette Smith (7)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year!
2008 has not gotten off to the best start for my family. On New Year's Day, all four of us woke up with colds. This is the first time in my memory that all four of us have been sick at the same time. I would not recommend it. Every family needs at least one well person (preferably one well adult) to take care of everyone else.
On January 2, we all woke up, still sick, to find that it was 64 degrees ... IN the house. Our furnace had two heating elements (out of three) that were burnt out. Don't you just love it when the repairman says, "We don't see this problem very often ...?"
This morning my husband was feeling well enough to return to work. He went out to the garage and found that his car wouldn't start. I really appreciated his comment that although our year has had a bit of a rough start, it could be a lot worse.
The fairly minor frustrations we have experienced in the past few days have been a good reminder to not take things for granted. I am truly thankful for all the blessings that we have: good health overall, a nice house to live in, the fact that my husband has a good job that he enjoys, and that we have two (mostly) reliable vehicles. Most of all, I am thankful for my husband and children. I couldn't ask for a better family!
On January 2, we all woke up, still sick, to find that it was 64 degrees ... IN the house. Our furnace had two heating elements (out of three) that were burnt out. Don't you just love it when the repairman says, "We don't see this problem very often ...?"
This morning my husband was feeling well enough to return to work. He went out to the garage and found that his car wouldn't start. I really appreciated his comment that although our year has had a bit of a rough start, it could be a lot worse.
The fairly minor frustrations we have experienced in the past few days have been a good reminder to not take things for granted. I am truly thankful for all the blessings that we have: good health overall, a nice house to live in, the fact that my husband has a good job that he enjoys, and that we have two (mostly) reliable vehicles. Most of all, I am thankful for my husband and children. I couldn't ask for a better family!
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