Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday, December 30th, was our 7th wedding anniversary. It is pretty hard to believe that Chris and I have been married that long already.

We took the kids to the Children's Museum in the city, which is terribly overstimulating and busy on a Sunday afternoon, but fun. Their favorite exhibit is ALWAYS the sandbox--how boring is that? We went to our favorite crunchy restaurant in the tres chic part of town. The girls spilt a 5-fruit smoothie and black bean and cheese quesadilla, Chris ordered a fish sandwich and an amazing Bloody Mary and I had a "Super Burrito" and Margarita (which was VERY strong and I was slipping under the table mid-meal). Not a very romantic outing all told, but the car ride home was especially quiet and we held hands.

It was a great day spent with the people I love most, especially my husband--who always makes me laugh.

Christmas Pictures

Stardust

Chris and I watched the movie Stardust last night. It was so great--Lord of the Rings meets romantic comedy. I am appalled that I had never even heard of the book before watching the film...maybe I need to peruse the adult section of the library more often!

Homeschool Decision

A better explanation of our decision is warranted.

After lengthy, difficult conversations we decided that we would like to homeschool our girls. It is not something that I ever pictured myself doing. I remember back when we were dating, Chris mentioned that he would like to homeschool his children one day. I laughed at him. No way would I be the epitome of the conservative Christian cliche--a pastor's wife with lots of homeschooled kids. But here we are!

It finally dawned on us that there is no such thing as a "perfect" school (well, maybe Peace Lutheran Academy). Claire's school was the best you can get academically, but there were so many things that we didn't like (Muslims...Hindus...militant rules and schedules...sub-par music education...Hanna Montana induced "tween" peer pressure in kindergarten...all the driving). I will not be able to provide a "perfect homeschool" environment, but that's okay. We were not okay with sub-perfection before now because we erroneously thought that perfection was possible.

The most important thing is to go forward in the forgiveness and love that only a family can provide. I am excited about all the great things that I can do with my kids and our more flexible schedule. Claire is going to be doing lots of learning along side the sibling hair-pulling and tea parties. Martin Loopers here I come!

Randomness

(1) The Jung Seed catalog arrived in the mail today. It is such a beautiful catalog...I ogled it for 30 minutes after I tucked the girls into bed. The prettiest flowers and the most beautiful vegetables ever! Every year I mentally write out an extensive botanical wish list upon receiving the Jung catalog...but I never order, as I tend to kill green things.

(2) My Everyday Food January/ February issue arrived in the mail as well. The recipes are inspiring to my menu planning lists like always, but even more exciting was an advertisement for PBS. Masterpiece Theater is presenting all six of Jane Austen's novels starting January 13th. Check it out!!! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy!!! I could re-watch that version of Pride and Prejudice a million times and my heart would race every time during the carriage ride...

(3) I tried the No-Knead Bread recipe with 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat flour and it turned out great! I will gradually try adding more wheat flour and other yummies like wheat germ and millet and I will let you know the perfect recipe when I reach it.

(4) An update to wondering minds: Christopher and I are definitely leaning toward the homeschooling side of the fence. Claire's last day of Kindergarten will most likely be January 15th (which is the last day of first semester).

Wellness

The church was sent a "Wellness DVD" yesterday. It was funded in part by the Fort Wayne Seminary, Synod and Thrivent. My husband and I actually wasted our evening last night watching part of it (while eating chips). If you would like a few good laughs...check it out!

I was also sent a fundraising pack from FW. Ummm...is the money going to be used for other cool projects like the Wellness DVD ? What a waste! Certainly holistic wellness is not going to be acheived through trite DVD's.

Mannish

Sigh.

I was inundated with this ad for birth control this morning on Yahoo!. It really bothered me.

LIBERATION from being a woman! Apparently, kids and periods are a big problem and now a little daily pill is your solution to avoiding both! YEAH!

What's so bad with being a woman? Is not having periods going to be better---seems mannish to me. It can't be good for women, no matter what the drug company or the FDA says. Very unnatural.

No-Knead Bread

My friend Jesse emailed me the link for this No-Knead Bread recipe about a year ago. I tried it this weekend. It was SO easy and as delicious as it looks! TRY IT!

3 Sillies

Isabel

She mastered drinking from a straw in .5 seconds! She's getting so big!

Cookies

Pictures of the Christmas cookies that I made for this year--most of them were consumed yesterday at the open house we held for the congregation. It was a busy but enjoyable event. A lot of people showed up, which we weren't expecting because we scheduled it during a Packer game. They just turned on our TV and we hosted an impromptu Packer party as well!

Canoe Trip

The girls canoeing in the Christmas tree box. Yes, we have a fake tree. I am unfortunately allergic to the real trees--I was quite sick every Christmas until we figured it out.

Ta Da

I am so pleased with how the buffet turned out. I wanted to put it in the dining room, but it didn't look right. So, for the meantime, it's new home is a corner in the living room.

School? What To Do?

My husband went to the principal's office on Tuesday, pressed and dressed in his nicest black clerical and dress coat (complete with academic scarf from Cambridge---looking very handsome) and intimidated the principal into making an exception to the rule for our family. I am 99% sure that Lily (and Isabel and future hypothetical children) will be allowed to attend the school without 4K. That's great news--though the gender inequality does irk me.

Meanwhile, I think I have talked with or received emails from everyone I care about and received their opinion on the matter. Thank you. I have really appreciated hearing what you think.

So, instead of being forced to make a decision between homeschooling and the school Claire now attends, we are sitting on a fence, feeling pulled in both directions.

Principal's Office

I met with the principal this morning. I was pessimistic going into the meeting (I tried really hard not to cry) and my fears were affirmed when she wasn't going to budge on the 4 year old kindergarten rule. Lily will have to attend 4-year-old kindergarten next year if I want her to attend the school in the future. Sending Lily would mean my 4-year-old at school (away from me) 5 half-days a week in a rule-laden, academic environment. It would also entail a 3 hour driving commitment each day to and from school (Isabel would be strapped in the car for at least 2 hours).

I can understand, 4K parents want confirmation that their children will be able to attend the school. But at the same time, we were not aware that 4K is required (anywhere). She told me that the students were coming into the kindergarten program unprepared, and she felt that it was very important to have 4K before 5K. Give me a break! Claire knew her alphabet, many phonetic sounds, how to read simple words, how to count to 100, and simple addition facts before kindergarten. I think that she did just fine without 4K. If I wanted to be a booger and take this to a higher authority...I think that I would have a completely legitimate case. There was NO mention of this rule before Friday (I checked, and re-checked all the admission literature I have).

My first instinct is to say "Screw you and your preppy academy!" and pull Claire out and home-school, but I know that's not the right reaction. This is a very important, emotional decision. A decision that will have lasting consequences for our family and the education of our daughters. So, Chris and I have to make this tough choice again.

Here we go again...

November wasn't too bad. Claire had a number of half-days and a number of full-days off of school. We saw her a lot. She was home and rested and well-behaved. I felt good knowing that she was home...all my babies, cuddled and snuggled on the couch reading books.

In December, there are NO half-days and NO full-days off of school until the winter break. I am feeling the holiday stress, and my perceptive children are too. Claire is tired. She keeps asking "Is it a full-day or half-day today?" Understandably so, she works and plays very hard at school. I think that full-days, five days a week is too much for a 5 year old. She needs to come home, play with her sister and take naps. I miss her too. I am still struggling with the school versus home-school decision, and circumstances like this tip the scales in the other direction.

A letter was sent home in Claire's backpack yesterday. Apparently, if we choose not to send Lily to 4-year-old Kindergarten next year, she will lose priority placement at the school (which we thought was guaranteed because her sister attends), and basically all hopes of attending this public charter school in the future (because we are out of district--priority goes to in-district children).

AAGGHHH!

I thought that we had an education plan for the girls. Chris and I will talk everything over this weekend and I will set up a meeting with the principal on Monday. Hopefully, maybe, she will grant our family an exception to this rule. I really hope so. I'll keep you posted.

Nap Time

Both Lily and Isabel took a nap today---simultaneously! (This rarely happens.)

I would never have imagined the amount of housework I accomplished in an hour and a half. Maybe I will encourage this sort of sleepy behaviour more often.

Who Done It?

A child. In the kitchen. Gastronomical weapon of choice? Measuring spoons.

People Baby

Lily is a fantastic storyteller. Yesterday she told me a detailed story about a "secret monster" (with a pink butt and orange feet) that lives in our house and likes to eat belly-buttons--so watch out! She can talk to me all day long (she often does) without much pause for breath. If I zone out for even a minute, she yells "MOM! Are you listening?"

As a baby, Lily often got the "fussy baby" label. She needed to be right next to me (or another warm, friendly body) or she would cry very loudly...until she was picked up. I have read a few parenting books (clarification--chapters of parenting books) lately which has caused me to think that she wasn't a bad baby at all--just a people person, in baby form. She loves to talk and be around other people and HATES being alone. Crying was how she got what she needed--to be with someone.

Isabel is much the same way. She is in the Baby Bjorn carrier or the backpack strapped to my body most of the day. She cries if she has to ride in her car-seat without Claire or Lily to keep her company. I wonder what sort of magical stories she will tell me with three-year-old enthusiasm.

Thanksgiving

We traveled to Michigan for Thanksgiving. Jeannette cooked a great meal--the stuffing was my favorite. The cousins had a great time together. Claire and Lily have been disgruntled that they have to wait until New Year's to see Michaela and Sophia next.

Absence

A picture of me looking very tired and slightly anemic.


I took a break from blogging for a while. I'm sure that you noticed. I have been much too busy and blogging seemed like the easiest thing to axe from my packed daily schedule--which befuddles me--I really don't do anything. I still don't really have the time...but I am pretty tired. I don't feel like doing more laundry (mountains of laundry), or washing the floor (currently crusted with high-chair sacrifices to the floor below), or sanding the buffet (which has turned out to be solid mahogany, not oak like I thought).

Izzy Pictures

Hanging out in the pantry...one of her favorite places to cause trouble.

Eating Lily's bell necklace.

She has the whole thing in her mouth...notice the dark brown outfit. Isabel manages to get it VERY dirty, but it NEVER is stained!

Buster

James is six weeks now!

Weekend Update

Claire brought the "class pet" home this past weekend. Nemo spent most of the visit lost in the hat and mitten box. I'm glad we found him--for a while I thought that I might need to visit the Disney store to buy a new Nemo.

Lily brought home a lovely GI virus this past weekend. Thankfully, she only shared it with her little sister. They are both feeling much better.

Pop Rocks

We are down to to the bottom of the trick-or-treat bowl. The remainder includes treats like banana Laffy Taffy, Tootsie-Rolls, and Dubble Bubble gum (the Snickers, Reese's Cups, and Skittles are LONG GONE). Last night after dinner Christopher opted to have Pop Rocks. I hated them even as a kid. They "pop" in your mouth making a horrible fizzing noise--think Rice Krispies "snap krackle pop" x1000. Chris shared with Claire and Lily it was funny watching their faces when the candy started crackling in their mouths. Laughter ensued.

Daylight Savings

The adjustment to the time change at our house has gone extraordinarily well. The kids have been going to bed an hour early and "sleeping in" that "extra" hour in the morning (thankfully NOT waking at 5:00 AM like I remember in years past) . Chris and I have been in bed by 8:30 or 9:00 every night and waking up well rested at 6:00 in the morning! I fully expect the spring forward change to by excruciating.

Neighborhood Tall Tales

Claire and Lily came inside afternoon yesterday full of stories told by the neighborhood children also playing outside in the leaves. Apparently the "scary man" who lives in the green house on our street puts glue on his grass and when curious children get stuck on the sticky grass he captures them and puts them into packages--to be sent in the mail. I don't remember the scary neighbor story from my childhood to be quite so vibrant.

Twinkle

A parishioner stopped by this morning to help me with a project I am working on. As she was leaving she looked admiringly at the baby pictures of my family I have arranged by the door. She commented that the girls have an impish twinkle--just like the Pastor.

Later as we were getting in the van, Lily was studying herself in the mirror and asked "Mom, where is my twinkle?"

Ah Ha Moment

Claire had an "ah ha" moment yesterday on the way to school. Chris was telling her the story about King Cyrus rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. They talked about Jerusalem and how we would like to travel there someday. Suddenly, Claire was euphoric.

"You mean Jerusalem is a REAL place?!!" To which Chris explained, yes it is a real place where we can visit and see where Jesus lived, taught and died.

"Jesus lived in Jerusalem? You mean he really lived on earth?"

"Yes! Where did you think he lived?" Claire apparently thought that all of the Bible stories she knows took place in heaven. Seems logical. It was a life altering realization for her to understand that the Bible is not just heavenly stories--but earthly history. Chris said that Claire was so excited to tell her teacher and school friends that Jesus was a REAL person (not just God) and that we could someday travel to Jerusalem (though she was concerned about the bad Romans...wondering if they still lived there). So my PK went to her secular school yesterday excited to tell everyone about Jesus--sometimes I wish I could capture and instill myself with her 5-year-old-exuberance and kind spirit.

Tina the Mouse

Lily's Tina nest.

A while ago when my girls were "vacationing" at Grandma's house, my mom told them a story about a little mouse named Tina who liked to burrow in little girls' hair at night to make a warm bed of her own. Consequently, "bed head" at our house is called a "Tina Nest". Lily had a case this morning...

Besides bed head, Tina is also blamed for other naughty occurrences at our house--such as disappearing trick-or-trick candy or marker drawings on the wall. That mischievous mouse!

Oreo Cows

We pass a herd of Belted Galloway cattle everyday on the way to school. I have a thing for cows (must be my Wisconsin blood)...and these guys are so cute.

Italian Wedding Soup

Rachel, here is a soup recipe your husband should like...

The standard recipe for Italian Wedding Soup can be found here, but the following recipe is how my mom makes it. It is much tastier--and there are more veggies! Christopher and I think that it is a delicious cross between Minestrone and Italian Wedding Soup. I don't know if it can be properly called Italian Wedding Soup, but it's my blog and I can if I want to.

Italian Wedding Soup
(Cathy's version)

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/4 c. onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/4 c breadcrumbs
1 T fresh parsley, chopped

2-3 cans chicken broth
3-4 carrots, peeled, sliced
2-3 ribs celery, sliced
1 c dried pasta noodles
1 can kidney or cannellinni beans, rinsed
1 can petite chopped tomatoes
6 oz. fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
additional Parmesan cheese to garnish

Combine first ingredients and shape into meatballs. Combine broth, carrots, celery and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook meatballs in simmering broth until cooked through. Add pasta and rest of ingredients and simmer until pasta is finished cooking--add more broth or water to cover.

Auntie Kristen's Genes

This picture is proof that there is a bit of Kristen in Izzy.

Home Alone

My husband has been at the Fall Pastor's Conference the past few days. It has been what we call a "Girl Party" at our house from Monday morning until he arrived home late this afternoon. Claire has been in school, of course, but it's still me verses the two little girls all day. Then it's 3 to 1 in the evening. There were no major incidences (thankfully) but single parenting is really tough! I was very happy to welcome Chris home.

So Monday and Tuesday nights after I put the girls to bed I tackled some projects that have quite literally been piling up in the basement (mostly because I get spooked in this big house by myself--certainly not because of any sort of ambition). I did a gazillion loads of laundry and started stripping the antique buffet I purchased this summer at a rummage sale (for $20!!!!). I am very excited about the wood underneath the years of varnish and grime--only a carpenter's daughter gets excited about nice looking oak.

Happy Halloween

A bunch of people have asked me what I was for Halloween. I was a party pooper and didn't dress up. I enjoyed making the girls' costumes with them, but I didn't have time to make something for myself. Last year, however, I did make myself a Halloween costume and did not have a forum--like this blog--to show it off. So, here is a picture of my "pregnant skeleton" costume from last year. I was pretty proud of it (allowing my picture to be taken while pregnant is proof)!

Trick-or-Treat Pictures

Isabel the Drooly pirate. ARRRGHHHH!

Claire Kitten, Lily the Sparkly Fairy Princess, Christopher as "Cain", and Izzy

Passing out candy after we finished trick-or-treating.

Claire's kitty gloves (I wanted you to see my handywork).

Tired pirate.

Halloween in our small town is quite charming. The Lioness Club puts on a Halloween party with lots of games and treats for the kids. Trick-or-treating follows the party and the Volunteer Fire Department patrols the streets (in the firetrucks) putting handfuls of candy in the kids bags. Everyone is so cheerful and nice. Isabel even got 2 small jars of baby food! It is the last hurrah before our town clams up for the winter--we really won't see each other until spring.

The Youth Group from church hosted a Haunted Bible Hallway (inspired by Susan and her children's scary list of Bible characters). Considering that most of the congregation refer to the church basement as "the dungeon" it really is scary. My husband dressed up as Cain. The president of the congregation dressed up as Goliath, others were the Witch of Endor and the demon possessed man.

7 Things About Me

Susan tagged me...

I am supposed to tag 7 other people and post 7 things about myself. I don't know 7 other people who blog. It is "breaking the rules", but if the following 7 people blogged (hint, hint---I would read your blogs regularly!) I would tag: Kristen, Charles, Jeannette, Lauren, Jesse, Katy, and of course Christopher.

(1) I really love being from Wisconsin (despite Gov. Doyle and his idiotic politics). My heart swoons when I hear the UW marching band playing "On Wisconsin". I took secret pleasure in delivering Lillian on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River when we were living in Minnesota.

(2) One of my favorite current TV shows is "Grey's Anatomy". I have to watch it in secret because my husband hates it so much. It really is a bad show and a complete waste of my time--but I just can't stop.

(3) My nightmares consist of two scenarios, either something terrible happens to my family or I loose all of my teeth.

(4) I like to order chocolate milk when I go out for breakfast. When Chris and I were first dating and I ordered chocolate milk he thought I was completely weird--now he usually asks for a few sips.

(5) My favorite color is purple--and I really love my purple bath towels.

(6) My perfect day would be waking up (rested) to sunshine and happy children, then making pancakes for breakfast. We would go for a hike in the woods--no bugs of course, and the event would be whine-free, fight-free, and tear-free. Picnic lunch. Naps. Feed, read to, and put the kids to bed. Eat a gourmet dinner and drink great wine with my husband and other enjoyable adults.

(7) My favorite season is winter. I love breathing in the cold through my nose. I love the sparkly white, clean and still landscape. I love the feeling of being snowed in for a day or two, cozy and snug inside with my family. My mom read somewhere--and likes to point out--that liking winter best means that I will like the "winter of my life". I hope that I do like being old. That means the best is always yet to come!

Voicemail

I would not say that I have a phobia of answering machines, but I do not like leaving messages. My premeditated phone messages come out sloppy and weird. I stumble through--often repeating myself and generally sounding like a dingbat.

"Hi... this is Erin and I am calling for this reason. shhhh...Lily be quiet! Momma is on the phone...Oh, yes I am calling for this reason and give me a call back...my telephone number is ###-###-####. Talk to you later. Did I leave my number? This is Erin and my phone number is ###-###-####, call me back."

I hang up and laugh..."What did I just say? I sounded like an idiot!" Maybe some of you have been privileged to hear my voicemail buffoonery yourselves.

Yesterday, I think that I left my best voice message of all time. It was concise, I squeezed in a joke and left my phone number! I hung up surprised--I didn't know that I had it in me. I highly doubt that the recipient of the quality voicemail knows exactly what she received--a 1 in 100 non-idiot Erin voice message. Priceless!

More Baptism Pictures

Pumpkin Patch

Big Kid

I told the girls after lunch today that I was tired and wished that I could have a break. I don't get breaks during the day because I have curious children and a baby who is quickly becoming an efficient crawler--they do sleep at night--that's my break.

Claire very confidently responded that she would watch Lily and Isabel while I took a rest because she is five and "a big kid now".

Hah!

Growing Pains

I talked with another kindergarten mother yesterday who had just returned from volunteering in the classroom. She said that Claire is a typical girl student--the sit up straight, adore the teacher and raise the hand for every question type. It was good to hear that. I really didn't know how she was doing. I feel so disconnected from my daughter. She is away from me for hours everyday--and she can never remember what she did at school beside lunch or recess.

The transition to kindergarten has been difficult for us, really difficult, cry the eyeballs out difficult. Claire is not always excited to go to school and comes home very tired and SASSY. Lily desperately misses Claire during the day and has had to learn to play by herself. I bear a large portion of everyone's tantrums (some of my own too) and still wonder (even in mid-October) if we made the right decision sending her to school, especially with all of my homeschooling sympathies. Things are just starting to become routine, and consequently the children are better behaved. I am sure daylight savings will send us out of alignment. Sigh.

I do love where we chose to send Claire to school. It is everything that I would have wanted to do in a homeschool setting. They are teaching her to read with phonics and are doing Saxon math. She is learning about art and artists. She is learning to speak Spanish and about American history. Her teachers love being surrounded by children--and seem to thrive on the abundance of youthful energy (instead of going crazy like me).

I never seem to move gracefully through change, it happens so fast--I went cold turkey out of diapers, I have stretch marks to prove that adolescence happened much too quickly, and I went from high school senior to married and pregnant in less than 30 months. I wish that I could embrace and and enjoy these changes instead crying big tears. These changes are good things...not always easy, but good. I need to keep telling myself that.

Car Pictures

The ride home was especially long...but the girls were extraordinarily well behaved. Izzy was the "biggest baby".

Nebraska Trip

We traveled to Nebraska this past weekend to witness James being baptized on Sunday. It was great to see my family and all be together...even if it was only for a few hours.

The Lil-ster

A sugar-faced Lily, posing obstinately with a wand (or as Claire and Lily call them "Bippity-Boppity-Boo Sticks").

Cookies

Lily and I made Halloween cookies today. Who decorates cookies like this? I apparently have loads of time on my hands.

Heiress

I wore a new, cozy pink sweater yesterday. It is very soft--it reminds me of Claire's blankie. All 3 of the girls were touching me (aka: my sweater) affectionately yesterday.

As I was tucking her into bed last night, Claire endearingly asked if she could have the sweater when I die. I told her she could.

Carrot Soup

Kristen was asking me about carrot soup yesterday. This is my recipe. I love it--the fresh dill adds such a wonderful flavor.

1 big onion, chopped
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled, chopped
1 potato, peeled, chopped
4 c chicken stock
1/4 c fresh dill, chopped
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c cream (or more if soup is too thick)

(1) Saute onion in oil and butter until tender. Add carrots and potato and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until some of the pieces begin to brown.

(2) Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

(3) Remove from heat and puree. (I use an immersion blender--which works great.)

(4) Stir in dill, salt, pepper and cream. Warm soup through before serving.

A Little More Off The Top

Claire gave Lily a haircut before she left for school this morning. Considering the fact that they have exactly 10 minutes to play in the morning, those two must have worked out the plan (how to get the scissors, smuggle them into the playroom, give the trim, and hide the evidence) before they went to sleep last night.

This is NOT Lily's first haircut at our home--there have been many others, some self-styled. One worth mentioning is when (about a year ago) she cut the ponytail off the top of her head. She looked like an 80's rocker--the feathering was really quite good.

Feeling very angry...but too tired to get riled up.

Birthday Party

Claire went to a swimming birthday party at the YMCA this past Saturday. It was her first party and I was completely overwhelmed by it all. She came home with a goodie-bag that must have cost the parents at least $10. She talked excitedly about the cupcakes, juice boxes, and all the wonderful Hanna Montana birthday decorations (why does Claire know about Hanna Montana?). And all of this birthday pomp is on top of the pool rental fee and party room fee.

I can understand that parties are fun, but why the YMCA? Why Hanna Montana? Why 12 new toys (TWELVE NEW TOYS!!! What parent wants to pick up 12 more toys?) for the birthday girl? Why designer goodie-bags which included personalized beaded necklaces? Claire and her kindergarten friends would be just as impressed with a modest picnic in the park or at home.

Claire asked me if she could have a birthday party when she turns six. Yikes.

Red Hot

When I met my husband he was a Tabasco addict. He put that stuff on everything--eggs, chips, meatloaf, pizza. I basically told him in so many words that he had to stop. If I made a good meal, I didn't want it ruined by hot sauce. I still buy Tabasco however. It is perfectly acceptable to top chili or other spicy foods with more spice. I bought Frank's Red Hot instead of Tabasco a while ago. It is sooo good and I think that I need an intervention now. It tastes like buffalo chicken wings without the chicken. I have actually gone to the refrigerator and dashed some on a teaspoon--just to taste.

I am so yucky.

Too Funny

Check out this mom singing to the William Tell Overture...

Yippee!

My two-toothed Isabel (that sounds like some fierce mythical creature) slept through the night! Twelve hours straight---yippee! Pureed meats were added to her diet this past week, and it is the only explanation. Nothing like meatloaf smoothie to fill the belly.
I, however, did not sleep through the night without interruption (of course). Lily was dreamily convinced that worms were infesting her blankie. It was alright--I was in need of a 2:00 AM snuggle too.

Six Months

Favorite Children's Books

Here is a list of children's books that I can read again and again (usually because the text or the pictures are particularly amazing):

Ehlert, Lois

-Waiting for Wings

-Leaf Man

-Feathers for Lunch

-Growing Vegetable Soup

-Planting a Rainbow

Ray, Jane

-Twelve Dancing Princesses

-Story of Christmas

Yolen, Jane

-Off We Go

-Owl Moon

Zion, Gene

-Harry the Dirty Dog (series)

Zelinsky, Paul

-Rapunzel

-Rumpelstiltskin

LaMarche, Jim

-The Elves and the Shoemaker

Crews, Donald

-Freight Train

Hall, Donald

-Ox Cart Man

Ward, Helen

-Rooster and the Fox

-Tortoise and the Hare

Rylant, Cynthia

-Lighthouse Family (series)

Cousins, Lucy

-Maisy (series)

-Noah's Ark

-Little Dog Laughed

Keats, Ezra Jack

-Snowy Day

Sendak, Maurice

-Where the Wild Things Are

-Nutshell Library

Numeroff, Laura

-If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

-If You Give a Pig a Pancake

-If You Give a Moose a Muffin

Falconer, Ian

-Olivia (series)

Cronin, Doreen

-Click, Clack, Moo