Yummy

First let me say that I realized in the midst of the election results process last night that I hadn't posted anything to the blog in almost a week! Yikes! I'd gotten myself onto a regular schedule with it and then with Halloween and the election, I'd clearly gotten way off course. So, for that, I do apologize.

So now I want to write about how funny Kara was tonight during dinner. Matt was delayed at work, so it was just me and the kids and I had made a falafel casserole with cucumbers and pita bread on the side. It was mainly something I thought Matt and I would enjoy and I figured if the kids at least tried it I'd be happy. John was skeptical, but not nearly as objectional as usual. He did try it, but didn't eat much. Kara scooped it right up and declared it "Yummy" or more realistically it was "Nummy." She ate and ate and ate it up. MUCH to my surprise! And given the nice high fiber count in that meal, I was thrilled that she enjoyed it so much. Yeah! Mommy did something right in the meal category. Now if I can just do that again tomorrow. Or at least some day in the not too distant future....

Halloween Fun

Well, we are full swing in the Halloween season! Although Kara hasn't worn her costume yet, John's made use of his several times over already. We tried to get to the Halloween event at the Udvar-Hazy Museum last weekend, but that just didn't work out. So, on Sunday we went to another Halloween party at a playground in our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun for the kids - games, prizes, cookies, and even a good storytelling time. John had a blast. Kara's nap made her miss most of the party, but Matt brought her over for the end and she was able to enjoy some fun too. Then we took a brief break for a couple of days...until yesterday when I took the kids to the arts and crafts store and we picked up some reduced price Halloween crafts. We also carved John's pumpkin last night while Kara used some glow-in-the-dark paint to decorate hers. It was a fun evening. We also got a wonderfully stuffed package yesterday from Matt's sister filled with even more Halloween fun for us all. Tomorrow it will finally be Halloween and Matt has taken the day off to spend with us. John's class will have a costume parade, there will be a neighborhood parade after school, and then on to the trick-or-treating. So much going on! We still haven't watched Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin - maybe we'll get to squeeze that in tonight. Happy Haunting Everyone!

Booking it together

My 2 kids are at the dining table as I write this and they are each working diligently - Kara in her Seasame Street coloring book and John in his writing/counting workbook. He's reading just fine already, but the writing skills are definitely in need of some practice. And I have had trouble getting him motivated to work on the workbook, but this seems to be working...for now. Both kids are content and I get a chance to type a bit on the blog - great for all parties! Now that we have the laptop my blogging can become more flexible and I can do it here at the table with the kids. I love getting them engaged in activities where I can start them off, they can take off with their creative sides for a bit on their own (but I'm always available for assistance), and then I can help finish up and clean up. It gives them a sense of accomplishment in their projects and they can (mostly) do them without the sibling fighting that seems to be growing in intensity around here lately. Any time I can go for 10 minutes or more without listening to anyone scream, cry, yell, or whine, I figure it's a success! ;-)

Rainy Day

It's raining here today. Off and on all day, mostly sprinkles, with a bit of wind. What a dreary day! After having a very low-key morning around the house, Kara is now napping, Matt's at the gym, while John watches some original episodes of Scooby Doo (Thanks to Grandpa Rankin for that - the kids love it!), and I'm doing some playing around on our new laptop. It's pretty cute to watch John get so excited about watching the Scooby Doo shows, which are clearly made in the era when I was a kid. It's funny to see how old the animation looks by today's standards. But at not quite 5 years old, John of course doesn't care about that. He just loves singing the theme song and watching what crazy antics Scooby and the gang find themselves in. Some things truly are classics.

Anyway, later this afternoon we're planning to head over to the Udvar-Hazy Museum (a branch of the National Air & Space Museum) for some Halloween fun. They've got an event they're calling "Air and Scare" which just sounds fabulous. I'll have to write about it again later, but for $10 per car you get in and everything inside is free. Lots of activity stations for the kids, pictures to be taken with the Star Wars characters, flight simulators, face painting, and an IMAX showing of the Jetsons! We're planning to meet up with some of our neighbors over there then all go out for yummy pizza (at Generous George's - YUMMM!!!) afterwards. I'm so looking forward to some good seasonal family fun. I just hope the kids all survive the event!!

By the way, for those that don't know, Kara's going to be a bumble bee and John will be Thomas the Tank Engine (for the 3rd year in a row!). Should be some cute pictures in the making! I'll post some soon!!

My 'Hood

I want to give a big shout out to my neighborhood moms. Lately I have been feeling a little overwhelmed and very hectic on most days. But one of my primary times of relief is the late afternoon outdoor adventures we have almost every day. After we pick John up at preschool at about 3:00, we come home, have a quick snack, and then are back outside to find some friends and play. Sometimes we end up at the playground, sometimes at a neighbor's house, sometimes at just random places along the way and we pretty much always have fun. The kids have so many good friends in the neighborhood who play very well together. And the moms are fantastic too, which is a big help to me. I find myself looking forward to our afternoon visits almost as much as the kids. There's a good group of moms that all get along well and have fun together. I always feel better after I have a good vent session or can remind myself that I'm not the only one who is frustrated with the whining or can't figure out how to handle sibling battles or whatever the issue of the day/week has been. As a stay-at-home mom it's easy to feel very isolated and alone. At the playground, I'm reminded that I'm very much not alone.

Today, for example, I almost didn't go out after school. We were having a quick visit with Matt after he'd been gone for a day on a work trip (to Vegas, no less, ahem...), and it was almost 5:00. I was just starting to think that maybe it'd be easier to just stay indoors today. But then some friends came by and knocked on our door to see if we could play. That just made my day and the kids were thrilled to see their friends. John was so quick to get shoes on and get out the door. We were only out for an hour, but ended up seeing another family of friends too and had a great time. It was good for us all and my mood was much improved afterwards. It helps me gear up mentally to make the push to get through dinner and bedtime if I've had some time with friends late in the day. I only hope that we provide a similar reaction for our friends!

So, thank you to the Deepwood Moms - you're the best!

100!

Well, I got an email today that declared I have had 100 "hits" on my blog since I started the counter in mid-August. That's pretty cool. I started this as a way to relay info on the kids and to share a few pictures. And it is still just that. But I feel pretty good that at least a few people are checking out my site and finding things that are interesting and helpful. I know that a few of my neighbors are using the recipes I've posted. So, I want to say a big "thanks" to those who are checking this out and I hope it's a good read and enjoyable. I'm still hopeful that I will become better at putting up regular posts. We just got a new computer, (the old one was about as fast as a dinosaur) so I'm thinking things will become easier to do more frequent posts. We'll see. Thanks again! I'm enjoying it so far and I hope you all are too!

Recipe - White Chocolate Brownies

This recipe is one of my all-time faves! I started making these when I was in high school and have never had a bad batch. I can only imagine what the calorie count on these must be, but boy are they are delicious!

White Chocolate Brownies
Makes 16

Preheat oven - 350 degrees.

1/2 c. butter
8 oz. white chocolate chips
2 large eggs
Pinch salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
8 oz. chocolate chips

Melt butter over low heat. Add white chocolate chips. Don't stir. Beat eggs and salt with electric mixer until frothy. Add sugar gradually and beat until pale yellow and slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted. Add salt, vanilla, flour and butter mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Put into well-buttered 8" square pan. Bake about 30 minutes.