Cooking Love

There are times I just love to cook and bake, especially bake. I'm not a natural at it by any means, and recipes are a must. I usually read through a recipe several times before tackling it, and then double or even triple check as I try to put the ingredients together. It takes me forever to fix a meal.

I love to watch shows on Food Network. For a while, I thought Rachel Ray would help me get dinner out in a timely manner. It didn't work. She may be able to get the meal made in thirty minutes, but it takes me a minimum of an hour, and that's a recipe that I've prepared at least three times before.

I think I know why it takes me so long, there are two children underfoot, or at least nearby enough to distract me. Once I realized that Rachel's kitchen was child free and mine wasn't, my frustration level significantly lowered.

In a perfect world, time would not be an issue, there would be a kitchen fairy that would clean up after me, and my children would heartily eat everything I made from scratch as much as they do with Spaghetti O's and Mac 'n Cheese. Nothing kills the cooking mood more than a child who just picks at his/her food. Why bother doing all that work, especially when hubby has to work late and I'm the only one really enjoying the meal? I would rather spend the hour playing with my kids.

But still, the cooking/baking bug is in me, and I occasionally try a new recipe.

By the way, I secretly want to be Paula Deen. The woman just loves her food and she's absolutely adorable. On a show, she was giggling with glee as she made a dessert and then commented, "I use a lot of butter, because I can!" Amen.

The Boy Needs His Sleep

A lot of parents I talk to tell me their kids are done with taking naps around the age of three or four. Ian is four, going to be five in a couple months. I still have him try to take a nap. He fights it, like all kids do, and tells me, "I'm not tired! I need to play!"

Ian's crankiness, whining and crying at the drop of a hat that occurs on non-nap days tells me otherwise. So I, the ever mean mommy, make him take a nap each afternoon. We read our stories, snuggle in bed and usually he falls asleep for an hour. He wakes up sweet, clear minded and recharged.

This past weekend, I thought I'd relax my must have a nap rule. On Saturday, we attended a sports class and tackled trekking through Costco. He seemed alright throughout the day, showing a wee bit of fatigue come nighttime. We got together with family for a birthday celebration on Sunday. As the day ended, it was obvious the boy was overly tired. Ian was in zombie mode, not able to follow through with any directions we gave him.

Monday, Ian went to preschool, followed by our family seeing the Monsters vs Aliens movie in 3D. Again, he got no nap, instead playing games, having lightsaber battles, and building Thomas track (boy am I glad to see he still wants to play with Thomas).

In the middle of playing a game of Mario Cart, he gave up his steering wheel Wii remote and complained of a headache. He was pale. We gave him some water and tried to get him to eat something, but he also complained of a stomachache. In the end, sleep was the only solution. He was asleep by 5:30 and did not wake until this morning.

This morning, he is well and ready to play! I have learned something about my boy, he needs his sleep, so he will get his nap this afternoon.

Thomas Dies By Lightsaber

My little boy is growing up. He's reaching a stage where play time is taking on new adventures. It used to be Thomas the Tank Engine, now it is Star Wars. Now everything he talks about and does involves spaceships, lightsabers and hiding from Darth Vader.

Last night, Paul got home just in time to help put the kids to bed. While snuggling with Ian, the conversation of course revolved around the Star Wars topic.

Paul: Ian, did you play Star Wars today at school?

Ian: Yes, I played Star Wars with Aiden.

Paul: Oh, who did you get to be?

Ian: I don't know who I was. The teachers kept taking my lightsaber away.

Paul: Oh, what did you use for a lightsaber?

Ian: Anything I could find.

Paul: Next time, just use your imagination. They can't take that away from you.

Ian (face lighting up with glee): Oh, and it can be invisible!

Missing Daddy

Hi, there, Daddy! We sure miss you. Everyday we ask if you're still on Earth, and Mommy reassures us that yes, indeed you are. You won't be gone too much longer, but we are anxious for you to come home. Here are some pictures of us for you to enjoy.



Ian is totally obsessed with Star Wars. He made a tiny red light saber out of legos.



He's also building spaceships and flying them around the house with lots of added sound effects.








Laurel loves to snuggle her kitty.
















Dressing up as a princess is an everyday activity.












We would like to eat waffles at every meal, but Mommy says we should get in other foods, too.

Have fun with your work. We can't wait to see you and hug you and dogpile on top of you.

We LOVE you,
Ian and Laurel

PS - Mommy loves you, too.

You Can Count on Me

Ian, Laurel and I are at my mom and dad's for lunch. Somehow, Laurel ends up eating inside with my parents, while Ian and I eat outside on the patio table. Ian gets to spend the night, so I talk over a few items he needs to remember.

Me: Ian, remember to help Grandma and do what she says.

Ian: Oh, yes, of course, Mommy. I always help Grandma.

Me: Oh, good, I knew I could count on you, buddy!!!

Ian ponders what I've said.

Ian: And I can count on you, too, Mommy.

He then points and traces along my body and counts: One, two, three, four, five, six...eighteen, nineteen, twenty! See, I CAN count on you!

Time suckage and insomnia

Facebook has taken over my life. Um, that and reading Twilight. A dear friend gifted me the Twilight series, and so far I'm loving it! Problem is, when I find a moment to read, I fall asleep only a page or two in. The book is quite exciting (half way through the first one), I'm just a tad exhausted.

Insomnia has hit hard tonight, up at 2:30 a.m.. I've been Facebooking and surfing the net. Now I'll try a little Twilight. Sweet dreams to all you lucky heavy sleepers.