The Breakfast of Champions...

...was not served at our house this morning. No Wheaties, no pancakes, not even a piece of toast. No, what you see here is not the remnants of a healthy morning meal. You see, I did not wake up until after 7 this morning. Didn't hear the alarm, didn't notice the bathroom light shining through my door, didn't hear the murmur of children chatting as they brushed their hair. Leah came in and said, "Mom, are you going to get up?!?" Brooke wasn't up either, and when I went in her room, she says, "Mom, I don't think I can get ready in time." Well, somehow the kids did make it on the bus, but that was only because I told them to grab a CUPCAKE that I had made for snack the day before. Yes, my children had chocolate cupcakes for breakfast this morning. How great a mom am I? Ask the kids and they'll give me rave reviews today.

Here's how I justified it...is it any worse than a cinnamon roll? It has eggs, another breakfast staple, and I did substitute applesauce and a ripe banana for the oil. And, in the name of health, they were eaten sans frosting.

So there you go. Cupcakes for breakfast, Andrew had a muffin (yes just a muffin) for lunch (we were late getting back from Aldi's), and for dinner.....well who knows what might happen. I did get some ice cream at the store today.....

Stop the treadmill...I want to get off!

Catchy title, eh? This phrase kept running through my head as I was plugging away down in the basement. That, and "You're spending some time in the pain zone!" Not even Felicity and her circa 1998 college adventures could fully distract me. Felicity is a show that I never watched but knew I'd probably like...a young adult drama a la Gilmore Girls. Thanks goodness for TV shows on DVD and our wonderful library. It gives me a chance to catch up on worthwhile entertainment instead of staring at a cinderblock wall. I may have to give Dawson's Creek a try at some point to see what all the hoopla was about.

So Jill gently reminded me that I have not posted in a while and the only reason for that is there just hasn't been anything too blog-worthy going on. Read the following list of the happenings around our house and I am sure you'll agree.

• There is a 1500 piece puzzle on our dining room table that Andrew picked out for us to do. He sure does know how to think big. It is maybe 1/5 done. But we are having a family Super Bowl party at our house Sunday and we need that table. A lofty goal that I am not sure will be met. Especially when Andrew takes apart the section that is done and puts it back together just for the satisfaction of finding pieces that fit.


• Andrew noticed a cardinal in our tree on Saturday. Yay for the digital camera. He made sure to tell me that if I put it on the blog to credit him with spotting it.

• Yesterday I had to talk to Brooke about something that I knew would make her upset. I found out she had done something wrong and it needed to be discussed, but I didn't want her usual reaction of breaking down, crying, and clamming up. I said a quick prayer, and the thought that came to my mind is to write her a note telling her that we needed to talk and that she could either choose to come to me that afternoon, or we could talk about it at bedtime. It worked really well. I think it helped her to not feel attacked and to have a little bit of control over the situation. Our talk was fine and we got somethings straightened out, and then she said, "How long is this talk going to go?" That's my cue--good night, Brooke! I am just grateful to know that Heavenly Father will help us with even the littlest things!


• There is a family investigating the church and they have twin girls that are in Emma's and Leah's classes at school. The missionaries asked us (me, Glenn, Emma, and Leah) to go teach with them last night. What a great experience for Emma and Leah. I am proud of the examples they set.


• I have been trying to use my time more wisely. In my head I go from room to room thinking of what I can do to improve it (that doesn't involve a sledgehammer). Yesterday I organized the wrapping paper area in the basement. Yeah, I know that Christmas was over a month ago. Now I am not saying that the entire house if perfect, but organization-wise, I am doing pretty good. And I am getting dangerously close to starting up scrapbooking again. Yikes!!


• Tonight I am going to make a real dinner of fajitas that I am going to eat with everyone else. Lately I have been making the kids something and eating a salad later. That's fine, and I do still sit down with everyone, but I want to join in this time. I made some quick beans and rice last night to go with it.


• Emma still has a cough, but I think it's getting better. It seems to get worse at night. We have been loading her up with honey (which she now thinks makes her sleepy). We are giving her Delsym, too, which is the only OTC cough medicine I think is really worth anything. Anyway, she has been sleeping well at night (go, honey!!) and she hasn't had a fever. I just admire the fact that she can down a whole spoonful of honey without gagging.


• Brooke has been having headaches off and on for a couple weeks now. I called the TSC neurologist that we see and she is going in next week. I don't think it is anything major, since she had a clear MRI just last year, but with Nicole's experience last fall, I can't be too careful.


• And finally, I'll be back on the treadmill tomorrow.....

OK, that turned out to be a long list. But none of those things made for an interesting single post. It seems like a bunch of nothing, but I do know that there are people out there who care about my life, and even if some are still lurking out there in the blogosphere, that makes me feel good. (A shout out to Mom, Dad, and Miss Karen!) So thanks, Jill for the reminder, and remember that I care about the little things in your life, too!

Reflections on (or through?) a clean window.....

Yesterday I had a moment which I decided to clean the sliding glass door. I had not done this in a while, not just because I was avoiding the chore (I mean, who doesn't like to clean windows?) but because I hate it when the glass cleaner freezes. But I had noticed some smudges and thought I'd give it a go.

A couple of things struck me as I was scrubbing (yes, scrubbing) away. First, am I crazy to think it was unusual to have to use the kitchen scraper on the window? Yeah, whatever it was was on there good. So there I sat on the kitchen floor, scraping gunk off glass. Having burned some calories on that side of the door, I moved to the other, supposedly cleaner, side. I began to wipe, starting low, where it would make sense to find fingerprints. I stood up for a preemptory swipe of the upper half and saw a major splatter of who knows what at eye level. MY eye level. How did that happen, and how did I miss it? Where was I when that milky liquid splashed at a height above my children's heads?

Well, it's gone now, and no thanks to the Windex microfiber cleaning cloths, either. Those things are supposed to be streak-free and do the work of 12 paper towels! Ha! Do you know how long it took me to get the INSIDE of the entertainment center door clean? Give me a good Bounty paper towel any day.

As you can tell, I had moved my window-cleaning frenzy to the living room. Just a couple swipes to the various glass surfaces in the room, but I realized that I was removing evidence of my little Jenna. I got a little sad as I wiped away her little fingerprints from the TV. (Porter's were there, too but he'll be back soon.) I'm not going to get too sentimental over this--I am sure there is a country singer who has done that already. (Not a dig, I promise!!) And you know, a little elbow grease was worth it-- I have to say that last night's sunset looked amazing through my sparkling sliding glass door.

The Baker Boys

Even though I am trying really hard to be good, I decided to make one of my greatest temptations.....muffins. Here is the recipe I used.

Whole Wheat Flax Seed Muffins

1/4 C. ground flax seed
3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten (I used eggbeaters)
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 C. pumpkin
3 Tbsp. applesauce
1/2 C. milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until blended. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

That's it! So easy and so healthy--no fat and low sugar. I actually modified a recipe that called for 1 1/2 C. chopped apples instead of the banana and pumpkin, and you could use all white flour if you don't have wheat. And I added a mini chocolate chip to make them more appealing to the kids. Yummy!!

Porter came over to have rice krispie treats made with cheerios. Andrew's idea was to make some sort of sculpture with the food, but it didn't work out, so the boys just added sprinkles, red hots, and mini chocolate chips and dug in.

I like the sprinkle on Porter's nose.

The happy chef!

Bowling and Bedrooms (title by Macey)

Yesterday was day 4 of our 4-day weekend. Andrew decided that we are going bowling. Sounds like a good idea to me. But I was envisioning a morning full of the lovely bickering and squabbling that is so prevalent in our home, and knew that would make me just want to send the kids to their rooms rather than spend money on a fun activity. I got on the treadmill and was sure that by the time I ascended the stairs I would be met with screams and shrieks. But all was quiet. Where was everybody? Are they watching TV? (always a sure way to keep them quiet) No...they were all in Emma and Leah's room, playing NICELY TOGETHER. Wow. So I jumped in the shower, absolutely positive that in that 20 (or 30) minutes all you-know-what would break loose. But still, it was quiet. They had moved downstairs, but somehow had refrained from driving each other crazy. I was quite happy to take them bowling! And they had a great time.

Brooke said she felt "uncomfortable" bowling, and shed a few tears, but she came around and ended up winning the second game. The kids were all cheering each other on and encouraging each other...so nice to hear. It was so funny to see how the girls would run back to look at the screen rather than watch the ball hit the pins. A fun winter activity, and I think everybody got at least one

Epilogue:

Don't worry, there was some fighting yesterday. I don't want to leave any of you with the false notion that we had a totally peace-filled day. That would take a miracle. I was just glad for those rare moments when I enjoyed being with my kids, not refereeing them.

And I would be remiss if I failed to mention that we rearranged Emma and Leah's bedroom on Saturday as well. Here is the new layout, we just have to work on the picture/poster arrangement.

What I have done this morning before 9:00am....

1. Got out of bed.
2. Made the kids a hot breakfast of sausage and egg sandwiches on refrigerator biscuits I baked the night before.
3. Ate my own fairly healthy breakfast worth only 3 Weight Watchers points.
4. Checked everyone's blogs and even made some comments.
5. Cleaned the kitchen and washed all the dishes, including the Foreman grill and waffle iron.
6. Vacuumed the hard floors.
7. Mopped the hard floors on my hands and knees.

What I have NOT done this morning....
1. Exercised.
2. Taken a shower.

The first list is longer and full of admirable accomplishments, considering it was lucky I even got past #1. Yet for some reason, I'm feeling really guilty about the second list. I guess there is still time to exercise, and if I do that, then I'll definitely get to that shower. Why can't I just look at the positive instead of dwelling on the negative? So I'll start by being proud that I have updated my blog by 9:06, and not worry that yesterday's bowling pictures haven't been posted yet.

An Awesome Amish Adventure, By Leah and Emma (the typing by Leah)

Well, all of the kids had school off today, so Mom took us to Amish country. It began with all of us running around the house packing things to take in the car. Emma and I brought our Webkinz and a TON of books. We all got in the car. It turned out that Emma and I didn't use our books at all! All we did on the way there was make our Webkinz dance along to music (this includes Hairspray, Wicked, and High School Musical 2 soundtracks). It took a while to get to our first stop, the Smuckers store. We were driving along when Mom saw a Smuckers sign. She turned into a parking lot after passing the sign. We all got out ( it was freezing) and went into a building. It certainly didn't look like a store. Mom asked a lady at a desk and it turned out, this was where they MAKE the stuff. We had to keep on going. Then we FINALLY saw the STORE! They also sold Pillsbury, Martha White, JIF, and Crisco. When we got inside( it was still freezing) the first thing we saw was that it was BIG. There was a HUGE sign that said " With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good" and, we found out later, was made out of about 200 to 300 cans. Mom found out her camera ran out of batteries(sorry about any inconvinience).There was a bunch of little things, like magnets and plates. Then there was the regular stuff; Pillsbury cake mix, Martha White muffin mix, JIF peanut butter, and Crisco shortening. We wound up getting some muffin tins. We wanted to get something from this cafe thingy but we hadn't had lunch. We had lunch at The Amish Door. Mom got salad, Andrew and Brooke got mac'n'cheese with fries, Emma got mac'n'cheese with mashed potatoes, and I got grilled cheese with french fries. At the end we got free cookie coins and each got a cookie, 2 chocolate chip, one m+m, one lemon (Brooke got that one). Then we headed to Grandpa's Village, which was made up of 3 stores: Grandpa's Cheesebarn, Sweeties, and Grandpa's B+B something. We only went to the first two. We got some cheese at Grandpa's Cheesebarn, and then headed over to Sweeties. There Mom let us pick something out to buy. Andrew picked out a caramel covered marshmallow thing, despite the fact that they had fudge. Brooke picked quarter of a pound of buckeyes, Emma got a quarter of a pound of peanut butter chocolate fudge, Mom got a quarter pound of mint fudge, and I got a quarter pound of moose track fudge. Then we got on the freeway to drive home( which included a nerve-wracking experience in which Mom thought she had left her purse at Sweetie's). But it was a good trip overall.

Never find a blog like this....

The other night I spent literally hours trying to figure out a fancy-schmancy way to post my pictures from Jill's visit. I was wading through web page after web page of HTML instruction without a clue and without success. Forget it! Blogging cannot take up so much of my time! Kids were fighting around me, Andrew was laying on my lap whining for some attention, and there I was trying just one more thing. I am going to simply write, in list form, the highlights (and some low lights) of the visit. I will include a picture or two, and you will just have to trust me that I have 100's (yes, 100's) more photos that are really good. (I LOVE digital photography!!! )


While Jill and Jenna were here we:

• admired Jenna's even personality. She handled the noise of 7 older cousins pretty well. She didn't mind when Porter got in her face or when the older girls circled her and tried their darndest to get her to laugh. Even when she didn't feel good, she still kept it together pretty well.



• took lots and lots of pictures of Jenna. She is a beautiful baby. I could take pictures of her all day. And some days I did!

• went to Ci Ci's pizza. The story goes that when Jill bought her plane ticket to come out here, Jake's fist comment was "Oh man, you get to go to Ci Ci's!!" I know it is not gourmet cuisine, but you can't beat the amount of food you get for the price. Plus, the kids love it. For me, the best part are those amazing cinnamon rolls. I wish Jill had been able to take a box back to Jake. He probably does too.



• took the kids ages 6 and under to Bay Nature Center. Always good to have a free, warm place to go in the winter. Plus, as we were walking out, a lady was holding a possum that Macey suggested they name Crystal. I was especially impressed by the muscular tail.

• had pizza and movie night at the Chatty's.

• found some amazing deals at Old Navy. They had racks and racks of clearance items that ended up being 75% off. You just can't beat that. My favorite find? Cool slippers for the girls for only $3.50!!



• had a girl's lunch at a cool place in Lakewood called Melt. The menu is full of different types of grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum!

• watched a huge snow storm hit just a few hours before Jill and Jenna had to leave for the airport. Fun to watch through the living room window, not so much fun to drive in. At least everyone was safe, and Jenna got to see snow for the first time!

• compared notes and offered support to each other as mothers in different stages. There was one day when all three of us had to deal with a difficult, age-appropriate situation with our kids. No matter what stage you're in, that one is the hardest.

• got to snuggle Jenna. She got a little sick near the end of the week and had trouble settling down to sleep. It was really hard for me to rock her to sleep and then hold a sleeping baby on my chest. Boy, as an aunt you can have the patience you always wanted as a young mother but always seemed just out of your grasp. I was able to truly enjoy these little bits of time with Jenna.




• were just so grateful that J & J were able to visit us! The girls look up to their aunt, and it was so much fun to have a baby around the house again! (Sorry, Porter, you're almost 2.)

I am glad it won't be too much longer until I get to see them again...Melissa and I decided to take our not-quite-annual girl's trip to California this time. We will be heading out next month, and my kids are a little put out that they don't get to come with me. They will just have to look forward to their own reunions in the future. Thanks to Jill for the sacrifice and hassle of coming out by herself with a baby! Hope it was worth it!

A friendly game of tag....

It has happened--I've been tagged. I am kind of nervous; the only kind of Tag I've ever liked was Carol Hathaway's fiance in season 1 of ER. More nerve-wracking than the actual 7 things about me that I have to come up with are 7 other people to tag. What you may not know is that I have been a blog stalker for a couple months now, and I know that many of you who may happen to read my blog have already been tagged. And I don't want to tag someone who is not even aware I have them bookmarked! So I will list 7 things about me, but I may come up short in sharing the love.

1. I blow my nose like an elephant. I cannot help it, and I have been teased mercilessly about it. When I was younger, my allergies were much worse than they are now, which lead to frequent nose-blowing, which lead to the teasing. Just call me Dumbo.

2. When I was at BYU I took a theater class and was required to see all the mainstage productions that semester. One of them was the musical "Chess," and I fell in love with it. I cannot understand why it didn't do well here in the states. It was a major part of the soundtrack to my college years. If I were in college now, "Wicked" would be my soundtrack, because I am Elphaba. I love musicals that inspire me (as opposed to Glenn, who just wants to laugh and be entertained).

3. In high school I discovered a man by the name of Harry Connick Jr. I was so impressed by his piano playing abilities and became a huge fan. (This has also been a source of much teasing.) His music was another big part of my college soundtrack, and he was the reason I added "plays piano" to the list of qualities I wanted in a husband. (See #4) I have gotten to see him in concert twice, and still love his music and voice.

4. I married someone who fulfilled all but 2 of the qualities on my husband list. Glenn doesn't play the piano, but he was a band-o for 4 years, so that is something. He is musical and does love music, which I am grateful for, even if our tastes sometimes clash. He also never got his Eagle Scout, but what are ya gonna do? He is funny, he served a mission, he loves kids, and he loves to play with my hair. I am so lucky to have someone who meets my wants and needs!

5. I really really want to travel. There are so many places I want to visit. I love planning for trips and vacations. Maybe I should be a travel agent when I grow up--does it come with any perks?

6. I love to bake. A lot. But I don't do it much because I know I will eat it all. Not good for an already struggling waistline. I especially love muffins, quick breads, and cookies. Anything with pumpkin, zucchini, or banana is divine. Add a mini chocolate chip in there and I am in heaven. Maybe I'll open a bakery when I grow up. A traveling bakery, perhaps?

7. I am somewhat of a traditionalist. I love traditions. The first year I was home for Christmas during college, the family just kind of wandered out to the living room on Christmas morning. This would not do for me. I made everyone go back into their rooms and start over again--the right way. Again, more teasing, but traditions give a family a sense of security which is very important for a college freshman! I am always looking for more traditions to start with my own kids.

I can only come up with 3 people to tag, so my apologies to Melissa, Jen, and Tara. The rules, should you choose to accept this tag and follow them, are as follows:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, as we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So there you have it. Feel like you know me better now?

Behind every good man...

....is an equally amazing woman!

After reading Melissa's post today (to which I wholeheartedly say AMEN), I felt inspired to write about my dad's other half. Because, as anyone who knows them can attest, the two go hand in hand. My mom and dad go together. This is the first thing I love about them....they have been the best example of a united team, an equal partnership, a supportive, loving, and eternal marriage that I could have ever had. Never once in my entire life have I ever doubted the solidity of my parent's marriage or their love for each other. That has been and remains a constant for me. It is definitely something to aspire to.

So, my mom...has taught me how to stand up for myself, to be honest, to not put so much pressure on myself as a mother, to cook and keep a clean house (or at least a strong desire to have one in my heart), to be more patient with the kids, to find a good bargain, to appreciate good haircuts, to have adventures and enjoy planning trips and traveling, to accept and faithfully serve in church callings, to be a decent Boggle player, to not worry about the fat grams in egg nog, and that diaper bags have many uses. Of course, I could keep going. It's just a sampling of lessons I have learned from her.

As a grandma, she's better than I could have imagined. She cares about each of her grandkids individually and tries to give them each personal attention and one-on-one time with her and Grandpa. She treats the kids with respect and talks to them as the important people they are. She always has presents in her suitcase when she comes, and the kids love it when she opens it up and hands them out. This year for Christmas we suggested that instead of lugging gifts out here she take the kids shopping (something the kids LOVED!!). She was remarking how hard it was to not buy stuff for them when she would go shopping. But she still managed to have little goodies for them to keep the excitement alive. It was fun to see Emma, Leah, and Sydney reading the "Stories From Oz" book together during the cousin sleep over.

During her visits, you can always find her doing puzzles with the kids, encouraging "poker faces" (I still don't really know what that's all about, but the kids love it), reading to someone, having huddled meetings with the kids, playing "Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?" and other games, and having "formal night" (another tradition she started but that we didn't get to do this time!).

She is quick to help with the dishes, but doesn't butt in on parenting issues (we wish she would more!!!). She has helped with every birth, but isn't afraid of the rowdy teenagers she works with. She loves a lot of the same TV shows I do, but don't ask her to remember a movie. She hated the idea of me coming out to Ohio, but now entertains the thought of coming out here herself. She has faced many challenges and trials in her life, but has never lost hold of her faith. She has been not only a wonderful mother, but is now a great friend.

Super Saturday

It was nice to have a day with not much going on. Glenn and the kids spent some time at the church this morning watching and coaching basketball. I got my hair cut and went grocery shopping. After chores, lunch, and a quick nap (by me), it was time for the haircutting marathon. All the kids needed trims, even the ones (Emma) who were resistant to any scissors getting close to their heads. This may be the last time I play the part of Nick Arrojo, because I had a tough time with the girls' hair. Luckily there is a little curl in their hair, so I don't have to be perfect. This is after showers--I hope it doesn't look this uneven in the morning! We may be headed for Best Cuts!The chair of torture--and the aftermath.

Glenn also helped Brooke and Andrew rearrange their rooms. I think they look great and much bigger! It is always nice to have a change.

And finally, the kids ended the night with tacos for dinner, always a favorite.

They are sleeping in their own beds tonight, by themselves, and will be in bed by 7:00. So that means I need to finish this post and get upstairs for prayers!!!

THIS is American Idol!

Oh how I love to hear Ryan Seacrest utter those words. I have been a fan from those long ago Kelly Clarkson days right up to Jordin Sparks. I have had my favorites, and when I feel strongly enough, I will sit on the couch with the phone in my hand pressing the redial button for hours, seeing how many times I can get through. When I was Young Women's president, watching the finale was our midweek activity. I actually agree with Simon most of the time, and I love how Ryan interacts with the auditioners. And in less than 2 weeks, it will start all over again.

Needless to say, my love of the show has carried over to the kids. We start recording the show for them once they get to Hollywood (by that time there is less bleeping and tactfully placed star graphics). Glenn and I watch the show the night it is on and the next morning we love to tease the kids that "We know who got voted off American Idol!" (We love to say Ace Young--he was so bad that they brought him back to vote him off again.) The kids get into it as much as we do! Bringing the family together through reality television--what could be better.

So when we were in California this summer, my brother introduced us to the world of American Idol Karaoke for PS2. He had borrowed it from a friend and it was the best! At first the only songs the kids would sing were "Unwritten" and "Breakaway." I cannot tell you how many times in a row we heard those songs! But when we got back to Ohio, we decided to get the game to share with the Chattertons. We have all had fun with it (and it has let Jill get in touch with her inner rock star). We broke it out today and we were happy that the older kids tried some new and challenging songs. They may not have gotten the perfect score and kind comments from Simon, but we were happy to hear some Pat Benetar and Heart,with a little Queen thrown in too. Our kids may never make it to Hollywood, but I would press redial for them anyday!

Happy New Year!

I am not going to write anything about New Year's Eve, because Melissa already blogged the highlights. You'll just have to read hers. It's better written than I would have done anyway. So here we are on the 2nd day of the year, and we started off with Brooke and my mom getting sick last night. Brooke is fine, but Mom is still trying to recover. Was it the burritos I made last night? Was it the egg in the jello pretzel salad (it was Mom's recipe!)? Was it watching 48 Hours Mystery and trying to decide if the pretty blonde was really a battered wife? Those crime scene reenactments were enough to make anyone toss their cookies. Anyway, we finally got the kids out of the house, so hopefully she can rest in peace. Wait a minute, that's not what I meant.There was a nice snow storm yesterday, so the kids piled on the snow gear and tromped around in the snow for a while. Porter even ventured out and trying to push his little lawn mower around. He was done when he fell in the snow with ungloved hands. The older kids stayed out for a while, covering the tree trunks with snow, laying down, finding frozen acorns, fighting, and pouting. Sounds like fun, huh. They are now in the house with bellies full of mac and cheese and hot chocolate. One more afternoon of trying to keep them occupied and then they are back to school. I think I am ready.