Sunday, November 28, 2010

Story Time

Almost every night before bed either Mr. C or myself will read to the kids.  I love it when Mr. C reads.  Its hilarious!  He uses all types of accents.  Mostly the girls think it is funny, sometimes Mary get mad at him. Tonight's story was Little Critters Night Before Christmas.  Read with a Russian, Australian and Southern accents.  I got video, but Mr. C won't let me put it up.

We read that story since we put up our Christmas tree today.  We just got a little one this year.  But it's really cute.  The girls had fun putting up ornaments.  And Weston had fun taking them down!

We also went to the Joslyn Art Museum today.  They had free admission this weekend.  Mary had fun doing a scavenger hunt.  And Ryann just had fun running around.




Friday, November 26, 2010

Black Friday

That's right, I'm one of the crazy ones that goes out shopping before the crack of dawn.  I've been up since 2:30 a.m. , but I got most of my Christmas shopping done.  I didn't get a nap today, so its going to be a short post, then I'm hitting the hay.

My kiddos love bath time.  They all do.  As soon as they hear the bathtub water they come running.  Even little brother started tonight.  As soon as he heard it he was trying his hardest to get out of my arms and head to the bathroom.  Let me tell you how hard it is to hold a 20lb baby that's trying to get away from you!

Ryann is my night owl.  The lights have been out in their room for 45 minutes now, and she is still in there rolling around and singing in her bed.  I don't know how Mary can fall asleep so fast with Ryann making all that noise.  Little girl better fall asleep quick,  because I'm on my way to bed now.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!  Ours was pretty quiet this year.  We just hung around most of the day.  I made green bean casserole to bring to my moms house.  Usually we go to Mr. C's family down in Texas.  Its beautiful down there and everyone gets together.  I think we were the only ones not to make it this year.  But 3 kids in a van for 13 hours was not going to happen this year.  But we hope to make it down there this summer for a real vacation.
The turkey was good, the pie was excellent and now its time for bed.  I have to be up at 3am to go shopping with my mom and sister!

Little Brothers First Thanksgiving

Auntie Sarah and Ryann

My men in a turkey coma

Mary, Auntie Sarah, and Ryann cuddled up watching a movie

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Pie Wars- My Side

First- I have made the pecan pie before and everyone loved it.  And I was going to make Mr. C an apple pie today, but he decided he HAD to have the pumpkin cream one.
And to set things straight, I have to watch over Mr. C in the kitchen because he thinks this:

is a "cup" for measuring in recipes.  
So apparently I did something wrong with the pumpkin cream pie recipe, the pudding never fully set up.  so its more like a trifle than a pie.  But Mr. C still ate two pieces/scoops.  And miss Mary gobbled hers down too.

But here is how my pecan pie turned out

It's going to be so hard not to dig into this tomorrow until after dinner.  

If you have never tried a Pioneer Woman recipe I insist that you do.  Everything is heaven on a plate.  

And just because she is so cute.  My little princess must have gotten worn out stomping on those graham crackers.


Pie Wars

If there's one think I love, it's pie.  Specifically, apple pie.

Lately, everyone and their mother has been jumping on the "Pioneer Woman" bandwagon.  Kendra is going to try some kind of pecan pie that she watched her make on a Thanksgiving special.  Since pecan pie makes normal people (like me) gag, I am forsaking my beloved apple pie, and giving her Pumpkin Cream Pie recipe a whirl.

I am still confused as to why she calls herself the Pioneer Woman... if you've seen her house/compound, she's ANYTHING but roughing it.  Anyway, here's what it's supposed to look like:


Kendra intervened in the process, so it wasn't nearly as fun as my baking experiments usually are.  But, I did get to try out my improvised graham cracker pulverizing system.  It consisted of a 1gal ziplock bag, 15 sheets of graham crackers, and two little girls jumping up and down on it.

Total success.

Stay tuned for the final result.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Movie of the Week

The current movie of the week is Barbie Princess and the Pauper.  Lucky me!  We have watched this no fewer than five times since Friday.  We finally let Ryann watch Anastasia again tonight.  Which was the movie of the week last week.  Before that it was Cats and Dogs and The Little Mermaid.  I predict next week will be Princess and the Frog, if we remember to bring the DVD back upstairs.
Why do children love to watch the same movie over and over again?  I remember my brothers and I watching The Jungle Book every day one summer.  And my sister watched Pocahontas another summer.
Of course if Mr. C had his way they would be watching Freddy Kruger and Jason.  He wants to train them early to watch scary stuff, so they don't end up like me.  I won't watch those movies with him, so he wants someone who will.   For now I make him go see those movies with my brother.
I think Santa will be bringing new movies for Christmas, so the cycle can start again.

Where's My Food?

I think Ryann is 50% lungs by weight.  For such a little person, you would not believe how loud she can be in normal conversation.

So, we went to Applebee's today for lunch.  As luck would have it, we were seated in close proximity to about 4 other groups of diners.  Mom and Mary were going potty, so I was wrestling a very squirmy Ryann while keeping an eye on Weston in his highchair.

Our waitress walked by and began taking an order two tables down, when Ryan stood up and said, "I want my food."  To the untrained ear, however, it sounded more like, "I WANT MY FOOD!"

Not once.  Not twice.  But, three times.

I think the waitress got the message.  And I'm pretty sure we got some "special sauce" on our food.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Brownie Fail

I have come to the realization that brownies are the one thing I cannot make for my daughter.  They just cannot be made without eggs.  Yesterday was my 4th attempt at making brownies without eggs.  I have tried all the vegan tricks for replacing eggs, and none have turned out edible.  This last batch was by far the worst.  Pillsbury brownie mix (its dairy free) with Ener-G egg replacer.  I even found dairy free chocolate chips to put in, thinking that this one would work.   What resulted was a thin cardboard like substance that when touched oozed oil.
I just want her to be able to have everything everyone else gets.  We avoid going out to breakfast, since everything has milk or eggs in it.  We don't order mozzarella sticks as an appetizer, so we don't have to eat them in front of her and tell her she cant have any.  I hope she grows out of this soon.  Can you imagine telling your five year old that she can't have cake and ice cream at her friends birthday party.  Or having to bring your own cupcake and soy ice cream so she can feel included.
I have adapted most of our recipes so Ryann can eat with the rest of the family.  I have pancakes and mashed potatoes down to a science.  And no one can tell the difference.  My vegan cinnamon rolls turned out awesome.  But brownies are just not happening.
Success

Fail
No, no one ate any.  I was in the process of throwing them out when I remembered to take a picture.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

It's Your Funeral

And one family decides to bring their three young children.

When you are 80-something and grieving your big sister's passing, babysitting a restless 2-yr old is probably not what you are hoping to do at the funeral service.  First, Weston began to get fidgety and make noises, so I took him out to the hallway.  About 10 minutes later, mom exits with Ryann kicking and screaming.

As I sat in the car with the two of them screaming at the top of their lungs, it occured to me why no one else had decided to bring their young ones to the funeral service.  It would have been disrespectful to the people trying to say goodbye to thier love one.

God forbid we must attend another one, we'll be sure not to make that mistake again.

Our apologies.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Rock-a-bye

I love snuggling my babies.  The older they get, the less snuggle time I get.  I love my time with Weston every night rocking him to sleep.
Yes, I rock him every night, and sometimes for nap time too.  
I was told from day one with my oldest, I should put the baby down to sleep while still drowsy, but not totally asleep.  Well, that's easier said than done, especially for a new mom who does not want to put baby down at all.  My oldest did end up being a horrible sleeper, probably due to me rocking her all the time.  Oh, well, live and learn.
Number 2, was a great sleeper, once I figured out she liked to sleep on her tummy.  Yep, I'm a bad mom.  I let my baby sleep on her tummy.  But after having a horrible sleeper, I was desperate for a baby that would sleep more than two hours at a time.  And I could put her down drowsy,  isn't that what the pediatrician wants?  Well, they can't have it both ways!   Don't worry, I still checked on them often,  she had a paci and a fan in the room.
Now my little man is a pretty good sleeper.  Another tummy sleeper.  He goes through spurts where he is up a lot at night, then we will go weeks only getting up once to nurse.  But I can't give up rocking him to sleep.  And often I just stay in there rocking him long after he is asleep, just so I can snuggle with him.  Tonight was one of those nights.  He was so cuddly in his fleece feetie pajamas.  I mean, who knows if this is my last baby or not.  What if it is?  I need to savor all these moments as if they are my last.
Who could resist snuggling that!?
And might as well add some more snuggling and sleeping pictures.  I love it when kiddos fall asleep anywhere.



Rock-a-bye baby!

When Canoes Fly

Mary did all sorts of Thanksgiving crafts at preschool today.  She showed us a turkey that she made from a handprint with "Gobble gobble" written across the top.

But just a minute ago, she came to me with a cutout of an indian canoe she had colored.



"Nice Mary.  Who rides in a canoe?"

"You don't ride in a canoe" she says, "you fly in it."

"Who flies in a canoe?" I asked.  "Just some kids."

As I tried to tell her that canoes are a kind of boat, she runs to the book cabinet and fishes out a Sesame Street seek-and-find book.

"What is that for?"

"To show you that canoes fly."


I stand corrected.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

My Two Favorite Men

Just had to share this cute pic of my men.

Mommy

Ryann:  Mommy
Me:  Yes, Ryann?
Ryann: Mommy
Me:  Yes?
Ryann:  Mommy
(getting louder)
Me: What Ryann?
Ryann:  Mommy
(yelling)
Me:  What?!
Ryann:  I wove you!  (Ryann speak for I love you)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Car Seats

A friend asked to hear more about car seats.  Be ready for a long post, I read a lot!  And also have a friend that is a car seat tech.  And I don't talk much about them at home, it is the topic of many heated discussions with Mr. C.   He wrote a research paper about "that securing a child in a car seat is no "safer" than using a modern lap belt.".  Lets leave it at, he could not find any hard data supporting that.
So I guess I will start with what my kiddos are in.  Mary is 4 and 36ish lbs and is in a Graco Nautilus 5pt harness.  Ryann is 2 1/2, 23 lbs and is in an Alpha Omega convertible seat froward facing.  And Weston is in a Safety First Air , rear facing.  He is 21lbs and 29in tall.  
Next are the facts.  These are not my opinions, they are recommendations and most of them come from  http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html
Car Seat Guidelines:

Rear facing: Children should rear face until AT LEAST one year AND 20lbs.
This is the bare minimum and kids are 5X safer when left rear facing until at least 2 years. Many convertible car seats will accommodate a rear facing child until 35-45lbs. Contrary to popular belief, broken legs are not a concern when rear facing. Rear facing convertible car seats can be installed as upright as 30 degrees(35 for the First Years True Fit) to give older children more comfort.

Forward Facing: Children should remain in a 5pt harness as long as possible, until at least age 4 and 40lbs. Research has shown that children are better able to withstand crash forces in a booster after age 5. Also, at that age, children are better able to understand that they need to sit correctly in the booster. Many of the manufacturers say you can place a 3 yr old in a booster, but a real life three year old does not have the capacity to sit correctly 100% of the time. There are many seats out right now that will accommodate longer harnessing.

Booster: Children should remain in a booster until they are approximately 80lbs and 4'9" tall. For most children, this is around age 10-12.


Expiration: Yes, car seats do expire. Some are 6 years from Date of Manufacture(DOM) and some are 7-9 years. Check the manual or the back of the car seat for a date. Also, they expire from the date of manufacture, not the date of first use. They expire for several reasons. The plastic can degrade with temp. extremes, the instructions and others can be missing, they may have been recalled or are broken. No, they don't expire right on the date, but no one really knows when they will fail. The manufacturer will not be held liable if a seat used past the expiration fails. It is not a ploy to get people to buy more car seats. There is a video out there showing a ten year old Britax in a crash and the back is torn out. It is safest to discontinue use of the restraint when it expires.


Straps should be "snug as a hug" You should not be able to pinch any extra fabric in the straps. The chest clip is just that, a chest clip. It should not be down by the belly. It should be armpit level.


Used seats are generally not a good idea, UNLESS you know who it came from and you know the history of the seat.

Car seats should be replaced after a major accident, although some, such as Graco require replacement after ANY crash. Almost all insurance companies will pay to replace them. 



Don't use any after market products like the "Bundle Me"  they will compress in an accident and the baby could slip right out.  Same with winter coats, don't use anything thicker than fleece in a car seat.  Or make sure you pull out any extra , don't let it bunch up under the straps.  


I hope I hit all the main points.  I'm sure if I miss something April will comment :)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Mr. C

Since last night was all about me, I guess its only fair for tonight to be all about him.
Mr. C is a wonderful father and husband.
Tonight while I was making dinner, he was playing hide and seek with the girls.  I had to keep helping Mary find dad.   And Mary kept hiding in the same spot.  And one of these days,  Ryann is going to figure out the game and we will never find her!
Mr. C's  interests have also changed in the last few years.  When we married, he had started his own business doing computer programming.  Then shortly after, got a job with the railroad.  He dabbled in flying, podcasting,writing, and working out.
Why do men have expensive hobbies?
Now our lives have turned a corner.  A sharp one.
Mr. C is going back to school , and will be attending medical school next fall.  Yes, we are 30, and now choosing what we want to do when we grow up.  I say 'we' because, everything Mr. C does, affects the whole family.  But we support him if that makes him happy.
I like a happy husband.
It makes me happy.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Its All About Me

The Brother is 9 months old today!   I think he is going to be the biggest of the three.  21lbs 2 oz and 29.1inches long.  And he is the easiest to get shots.  He cries for a minute, gives the nurses a dirty look, then is back to his happy self.   Ryann got a sicker for being good at the doctor's office.  And Sis had a good day at preschool.  All is quiet in the house.

So enough about the kids,  its not all about them.  There are two others in the house.  Without whom the three entertainers would not be here.  So tonight is all about me.  What do I like to do?  My life is not all wiping noses and butts.  Although that is a majority of my day now.
I admit my likes and interests have changed a lot since having children.  I used to enjoy working backstage at the theatre, keeping current with new movies, and keeping in touch with friends.
Now I get a thrill out of couponing, keeping up with whats new in cloth diapers and car seats, and trying new recipes.
I get a lot of great deals on hip2save and a full cup .  I saved $17 at the store just today with coupons.
I also love cloth diapering my children.  Not 100% of the time, I don't quite have enough to cloth diaper 2 kids full time.  But hopefully when Ryann potty learns, I can keep the Brother in cloth more.  In fact , this reminds me, I have a box of diapers I need to list on diaper swappers soon.
I'll spare you my tirade on car seats.
I love to cook.  Not bake, cook.  But, I am also a picky eater.  So I have to be able to change a recipe so we will eat it.  I love The Pioneer Woman .  She has great recipes that everyone can eat.  I think on of our favorites is Cajun chicken pasta.  I am also loving Jamie Oliver's latest book.  We just had a great stew this week from his recipe.  I also have the challenge of changing recipes so Ryann can eat it.  Ryann has egg and dairy allergies.  So I have to find suitable substitutes so that we can all eat it, or I take some out for Ryann before I add the allergen.
I could go on and on about these subjects, so I'll stop before I bore you.  But if there is anything you want to know more of let me know!  I am a fountain of useless information.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

No Sankyou

I love how two year old's talk.  I wish I could follow Ryann around with a tape recorder all day.
I think I just dated myself there.
Ryann is just about ready to be potty trained , so I can ask her if she is wet, or dirty and she usually tells me the truth.  But lately when I ask her if she needs to be changed, her answer is "No Sankyou"  .
Its so sweet, I ask all day now.
I know, I'm probably annoying the heck out of her, but maybe it will make her want to be out of diapers sooner.  Of course, then I have to start the constant reminders to go to the bathroom.
The other Ryann-speak I love to hear from her sweet little mouth is the word tortilla.  When Ryann says it it's "tortilla-tilla".   And all this with that cute little squeaky voice.
Since I'm starting this blog to record all about our family, I really should start taking more videos too.  I have been better about it , since I got my iPhone.  Of course uploading them to the computer is a different story.

Well, our day today was fun.  We had a friend birthday party to attend.  Lots of little girls running around.  The Brother stayed home with the Mr. C, and got into everything!
Oh, and Ryann had a true to two-year-old fashion and had a huge meltdown at the bookstore this morning. Normally, if a kid attaches them self to a book at the store, as long as its within reason (think less than $5), I would let them get it.  However Ryann had found a small Ryann sized book that she thought she really needed.  when I got it away from her, it was a medical handbook that was $20.00!  No, way,  sorry sweetie!  So Mr. C had to carry her kicking and screaming to the car while I checked out with the birthday present.
Gotta love the terrible two's!

Battery

Mary:  Daaaad!  Tell Ryan to stop!

Me:  What is she doing?

Mary:  She's hitting me with a battery!

Me:  (Turning to see Ryann whacking Mary repeatedly tomahawk style) Ryann!  Stop hitting your sister and get over here!

Mary: (as I'm taking away the battery)  Dad, can I play with the battery now?

Me:  No.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Introduction

Now that little guy is in bed, I have some time for introductions, in case you are not family and just stumbled upon this blog, but decided to stay for a bit.  I'm Kendra (the mom), my husband is Cecil (Mr. C), Mary is 4 (Sis), Ryann is 2 (Sister), and Weston is 9 months (the Brother).  And we also have a golden retriever Dakota (Koda).    We live in Nebraska (not in the middle of nowhere!).  As you can tell I like parenthesis and exclamation points.  And its also a good thing there is spell check on here, because I have already misspelled a lot.  But you only get better with practice.

Starting Out

I really wanted a way to remember all the little things that happen every day with my kids that we would normally forget.  I figured the best way to do that is to start a blog.  I won't write as well as Bakerella or be as witty as Pioneer Woman (or bake as well either!), but I'm sure I will get better as time goes on.  Maybe I'll learn some grammar too.
I am sure I won't get to post everyday, but will as much as I can.

So, tonight as I am starting this blog.  Weston is munching on Cheerios's while Dakota tries to get the leftovers from between his legs in the highchair.  And Mary and Ryann are actually playing nicely in the play kitchen and watching Anastasia.  Whoops, spoke too soon!   Weston's done and Mary is bothering Ryann.