This Boy

 

This boy.  

He is growing up too fast. 

He has demanded to sit in a regular chair at the table, consequently the high chair has been banished to the basement.  He has favorite clothes.  A baby doesn't have clothing preferences!  My boy likes black socks ("Daddy socks"), white undershirts instead of onesies ("Daddy shirts"), and anything black ("Daddy shirts or Daddy pants").  He can jump as of yesterday.  He has been a bouncy boy the past 24 hours.  He is curious, lovable and huggable.  He isn't a baby anymore, and that hurts my heart just a bit.

Lazy Hair Day

I will always have long hair.  I am too lazy to take the time to style a shorter do.  Most of the time I put it into a ponytail or a braid after it air dries.  For Sundays or special occasions I blow dry it sleek and straight.

 This is one of my favorite ways to put it up my hair and I always get compliments on it.  When your hair is mostly dry, pull it back into a loose ponytail.  Separate it into three equal parts and braid upwards, keeping it close to your head.  Secure with bobbybins to keep it in place.  Comfortable and messy, with the air of looking put together.  Perfect!

Signature

Happy Birthday Christopher

Ina's Spanakopitas

Greek Salad

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

with stawberries and whipped cream

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

A normal day around here except that we all wore green shirts. During our grocery shopping trip today I saw someone point and laugh at us.  What's so funny?  Then I remembered that a crazy, green-shirted lady trying to lasso four crazy, green-shirted kids while pushing an insanely full grocery cart would be pretty funny and I laughed too.

Making Noodles With My Sous Chef

 Start with flour, eggs and a little salt.  Knead into a stiff dough.

Have sous chef roll dough through the press.

 Homemade yumminess!

 While cleaning up pasta press, have sous chef empty salt cellar onto available cutting board and distribute salt evenly over floor, countertops, hair and into nearby empty receptacles.

Have sous chef spank himself.  Done!

Kristen had her baby!

Baby Joseph was born this morning via emergency c-section.  9 pounds 5 ounces, 21 inches long.  Kristen is fine and Joe is fine.

I started crying when my mom called me this morning, is that weird?  I just want to be with my sister and hold her new baby.

Laundry

(1) My kids are messy, just like me, and we get lots of grease stains around here.  After trying a gazillion products (Shout, Shout Advanced, Spray-n-Wash, OxyClean, Biz, etc.) I have found that Dawn dish soap works like magic.  Rub just a bit in and scrub!  I can even get grease stains out of clothing that I missed the first time around.

(2) I was getting orange stains around the neckline of my (favorite!) white shirts.  After doing a Google search I found that the stains are caused by my daily moisturizing sunscreen reacting with the iron in our water.  I have found the product Iron Out works best.

Winter Recap

It's March people!  Lent starts tomorrow.  The robins are back.  We have rain in the weather forecast.  Can you believe it?

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We have been busy all winter.  I've been on a roll with homeschooling.  My children can now sass me in Latin!  I don't know whether to be proud or dole out a punishment.

 

Gus and Izzy are so cute.  I find them coloring like this on a regular basis.  I also find them doing other (naughty) things together on a regular basis too.  "Gus you want to smear Vaseline all over the bathroom with me?"

 

In mid January I drove with the kids to Des Moines to visit my sister and her family.  Somewhere in the middle of no where between here and there, under sunny and clear skies, I pulled off of the highway to take a break from driving and drove my van in a ditch.  That was fun.

 

One evening we stayed up way too late because Kristen made Charles and me finish this 500 piece Noah's Ark puzzle with her.  Why?  Kristen is crazy.

 

Kristen attempted to teach Claire and Lily a little about sewing with a machine.  Ha!

 

In mid Februrary Jeannette drove with her girls to visit us.  We went to the zoo and Costco, did an art project and Chris even watched the kids one night so Jeannette and I could go and drink wine with Cate.

 

The polar bear was very entertaining.  We watched him for 10 minutes wrestling that blue ball in the water.

 

My mother in law planned an impromptu visit the following week.  More sewing lessons!  Free babysitting!  She also took us out for Indian food!  Yummy!

I run.

I started running in high school.  I went out for track my sophomore year because being on freshmen softball team didn't go so well, being afraid of the ball and all.  My friends said I should join them on the distance team.  I did.  Who knows why?  My high school running career, by most standards, was horrid.  I never won a race.  I barely improved.  I was always at the rear of the pack.  Very slow.  But I really did enjoy the sport;  the quiet cadence of my own rushing breath, the time to think, the challenge, the sweat.

I took a long break after running my first half-marathon in August.  I have completely forgotten all the labor pains of my first 13.1 birth.   I've been back on the treadmill again for a few weeks.  I am very much looking forward to the longer, warmer days so I can run outside.  I feel wonderful.  I'm flirting with training for a full marathon to celebrate my 30th birthday this year.  Crazy?  Oh, most definitely!