I Wanted to Bottle This!



It was so loverly on Saturday afternoon (around 35 degrees I dare say), that I ordered the kids to get bundled up -- we were going outside!  Brandon has never really walked in snow before, so this was quite the experience for him.  We encountered a siberian husky (not pictured) that Brynn swore was a wolf, and that Brandon was sure was his new best friend.  The owner very kindly let my kiddies pet him and then we continued on our little winter walk.

We rounded the corner and crossed the street to play at a "North Dakota Amusement Park" (which to the untrained eye just looks like a snow covered playground.)

Yes Brynn -- I will seriously let you go and play.

Brandon doesn't go anywhere without his Puppy. 

She was so excited that we were at the park!

I had to document that the puppy was abandoned so that he could go and play. It really was unbelievable.

Brynn kept wanting me to push her on the swings -- but do you see the ruts?? I had to bend over and try not to fall into them when attempting to push her. It was my workout for the day.

Where's she going??

Freedom Run in Fargo

Mom, What is on my hands??

Oh.. Snow!

Can we get it off now?

My absolute favorite thing that Brandon has started to do.

Puddle-jumpin' fun with Brynn, Brandon, and Rufus the Puppy.

We returned home and had a fun night with a disatrous crock-pot creation.  Brandon was so enamored with his boots that he insisted upon wearing them with his pajamas. Brynn and I read "A Bad Case of the Stripes" about a bajillion zillion times and then we had our traditioinal Saturday night sleepover in my room. 

I wanted to share this because this was my favorite day in a long, long time.

Update: Girls' Night Out Mandate

One of my 2011 New Year's Action Items (posted here) "requires" me to get out of the house 1-time per month. Without the K-I-D-S or the H-U-S-B-A-N-D! Yippee!! (As fun as this does sound, it really isn't the easiest thing for me to do. I like to be all martyr-like.)  So, to remedy my last poop-filled post, here is the fun update of what I've been up to the past two months.

January:
I coordinated and instigated a movie date with my mom and my godmother. (For me, hanging out with my mom does count as a GNO. I have few friends. Shocker, eh?)  We went to see 'The Tourist' with Johnny and Big Lips.  I couldn't tell if the movie was supposed to be a comedy, an accidental comedy, or a drama. When it ended, we all just looked at each other and said "Ready for drinks??"  We crossed the frigid parking lot and went to Paradiso. Margaritas, chips, and enchiladas for me soon followed.  It was fun. I felt a bit revived.

February:
I had a friend/co-worker visiting from Leon, Mexico. Neither of us had ever been to Roller Derby, so we bought some tickets and headed out on a Saturday night. It took us a good 25-minutes to figure out the rules, and then after that it was mildly entertaining. There was no blood, and no hair pulling. (Turns out, you can't use your hands.)  We were only super scared of one of the "female" players.  (Patty still swears this person was a man.) After derbying it up for a bit, we headed to the new Billiards and met up with some other coworkers and their very, very odd collection of friends.  We had a couple drinks, some food -- and then my husband started texting me AT 9:15. "Are you okay?"  Yep, this is how lame parenthood has made me. If I'm not home by 9:15, something has to be wrong. Ack.  I made it home at the ungodly hour of 10:35, checked on the kids, and went to bed.

I have no plans for the remaining 10-months of the year. If you are up for helping me complete this mission, let me know!

Something’s Missing… Like my Brain.

I have been incredibly mean and crabby lately.


I blame it on my children. How dare they get sick! Little twerps.

I also blame it on the weather. Who can possibly be nice when the high temp for the day is -5?

It started last week with baby Boomer. He had a low grade temp that turned into something more on Saturday. Long story short, the 18 month old had strep throat. After his first dose of the pink stuff, the fever was gone, and he got a bit more chipper.

On Sunday, it was so cold. I think I would have sold my arm to make the sun shine a bit brighter and hotter that day.

Boomer woke up twice in the night. The second time, at 3:30am, he got pissed off that I wouldn’t read him the same book 3 times. I put him back to bed with the book and told him to read it to himself.

Monday was back to the routine and kids to daycare. Brynn was complaining about a sore throat and not feeling well. I couldn’t tell if she was having sympathy pains for her brother, or if there was a legitimate reason to have more parental worries. Well, it’s now Wednesday and she’s still fine. (“Fine” defined as runny nose and sporadic cough.)

I began to research kindergarten registration for Brynn and had a mild panic attack.

Boomer came home on Monday with pants chock full of nastiness. Oh great, the amoxicillin runs have now hit the house!!

It was so cold on Monday that I would have sold my other arm for a bit of warmth.

Monday night, Boomer slept like a champion. Brynn did not.

Tuesday morning, Boomer woke up with his entire lower half covered in shit. I would seriously hope that if something like this happened to me in my sleep, that I would wake up… but, uh, thanks for letting me get some sleep Boomy.

An attempt at a bath soon followed. The poo-covered baby just wanted to hold me and grab me.
Tuesday night, I made a call to the Dr. because Boomer’s baby peter was now so rashy that he didn’t want to sit down at all. I went to the store to buy all the suggested over-the-counter remedies offered. Boomer cried off and on until bedtime. He woke up at 3:30 am, cried for 3 minutes, and went back to bed. In retrospect, I should have gotten up. Brynn woke me up at 12:30 and 1:30… and I didn’t crawl back to my bed until 3 am, so laziness had kicked in.

Tuesday it was so cold that I would have sold my husband's right leg. (It just seems right that he should have to lose body parts also).
Wednesday morning, Boomer woke up covered in more shit, and puke this time (I attribute the puke to phlegm from cold symptoms and am not concerned about this event). He cried for 1.25 hours and refused to sit down. As soon as I put him in the car for daycare, he got giggly and smiley. (He loves daycare.) I called the Dr and said “Seriously. Help.” So now we have the medicated booty-paste that should help him a bit more. Switching antibiotics is apparently out of the question, but they did reduce the length he needs to stay on it.

So, do you see what I’ve been going through?? Relatively nothing. Kids get sick – it’s normal. They aren’t seriously ill – I know people with kids who ARE seriously ill AND in the hospital. I live in North Dakota – the weather sucks. If I don’t like it, I should move.

But I can’t get my head out of this funk.

A Chicken Walked into a Bar...

I’m trying to reduce my stress-levels in 2011, and one of my brilliant ideas was to start meal-planning. It would never, ever fail- It would be 4:15pm and my coworkers and I would start the “Okay, so what is everybody making for dinner tonight??” conversation. We never knew. If one of us had a good idea, the rest of us wouldn’t have the ingredients, and we’d still be S-O-L.


I shared my plan with Jeremy – I had him flip through several recipe books and come up with a list of options. I perused the cupboards and freezer, and made another list of ideas. So…. Now, for two-weeks running, I’ve made the menu for the week on Sunday and go grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons, when Brandon is napping.

I’m really in love with this plan. We have leftovers for lunch, so we're eating out less. I'm only going to the store 1 time per week, so I think I'm spending less, AND I have more time. WIN-WIN-WIN.
The menu selections aren’t anything restaurant-worthy, but it’s food my family likes and it’s food that I don’t have to stress out about. I’ve been letting Brynn pick out supper one-night a week (this week’s choice was corn dogs…blech. But, she feels involved and she generally will eat whatever she picks, so there ya go.)

Our new favorite and recent discovery is worth sharing for similarly situated dinner-pondering parents:

Shredded Chicken and Gravy 

(cookbook name was “Creamy Chicken” and I have a problem with that)


Get your crock pot ready.


Directions: On your lunch break, just throw this stuff in there on LOW (if you have a newer crockpot – mine cooks at light speed … if you have an older crockpot, then maybe put this on HIGH?). You do not even have to stir it. Really. When you come home, season to taste with pepper and salt. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Serve over toast or noodles or mashed potatoes. (We totally did it over toast and will continue to do so.)

Ingredients:


3 frozen chicken breasts


2 cans cream of chicken soup


1 cup water


1 chicken bouillon cube


1 package fresh sliced mushrooms