Fish Head

Fish Heads. Fish Heads. Eat them up, YUM!

	Dr. Demento & Barnes & Barnes - Fish Heads .mp3
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Sibling Love

Watching the interactions of my children is always very touching.  Even in their most selfish moments, they still manage to show how much they love one another.  They are often thinking of ways to include each other in activities.  They are getting better and better at always checking to be sure their sibling isn't hurt -- even when it was they who did the potential injuring.  They are constantly drawing pictures for one another.  They play together every single day.  They help each other do chores.  They teach each other new skills (including potty training!).  They defend one another when a friend hurts feelings.  They are each others' very, very best friends.

Now, this does not mean they don't do their fair share of teasing one another.  It's really just part of exploring how their own behavior affects those around them.  I do some refereeing (some days more than others), and often use conflicts as teaching moments.  How are they going to learn how to treat other people if not by how they treat their siblings?  If you push someone down, you better pick them back up, apologize and make sure they are okay.  If you say something mean, you need to know that you are hurting feelings and damaging relationships.  Thankfully, there are many many, "I'm sorry"s and "I love you"s to be heard around our home.  The kids are certainly learning to love and care for one another.

I found even more evidence of that today.  The children were in the backyard playing while I was in my room today.  Madalyn came in and told me that Britta was bleeding.  I asked how bad it was, and Maddy told me it was just on her finger.  She said they just needed a bandage and some medicine.  I went to get a wet rag but Maddy told me she and River had already gotten one.  I was surprised.  I asked if Britta was crying and Maddy said she was a little.

When I found them outside River was sitting next to Britta on the side of the sandbox with his arm around her for comfort.  She was a bit upset, but I could see that at this point it was mostly just for show.  I put some medicine on her finger and put the bandage on.  She was fine.  However, Maddy sat down and cradled Britta in her lap and sang a soothing song to her.  It was a very warm and fuzzy moment.

River gave Britta a little flower, too.  That really cheered her up.  At that point it was just a game.  Britta was the baby, and her big brother and sister were going to make sure that everything was right.  Even if it was just a game, it was telling, and very sweet.

I love coming across moments like that with my kids.  It demonstrates they know how good it feels to feel loved, and how important it is to feel that from those with whom you are closest.  What a great example they are to me.  I hope they always feel that unconditional love from me and their dad and for one another.

River Visits the Doctor

So, last week River complained about his ear hurting.  I mentioned before that he is normally a silent sufferer.  Well, after last week, I changed my mind somewhat.  He was seriously high maintenance.  I haven't had such bad sleep since I had a newborn.  He insisted on sleeping in our bed.  Sometimes we would let him until we went to bed and then we would carry him up to his own room.  Without fail he would end up back in our room sometime in the night crying that his ear hurt and he couldn't sleep.  It wouldn't have been bad if he'd just gone to sleep after joining us in our room, but he would wake up crying pretty much hourly.  Miserable for everyone involved.

We treated the pain with ibuprofen and Tylenol at first.  Then we purchased some ear drops.  The pain medicine worked alright, but he hurt as soon as it wore off.  The ear drops, unfortunately, didn't work well for him at all.  Midweek, after realizing that his body wasn't doing a great job of fighting whatever was going on in his body, we started considering our options to have him treated outside of our home.  I had gone to an Urgent Care Center the week before for my never-ending sore throat and sinus congestion.  However, the co-pay with our insurance is higher for Urgent Care.  We hadn't found a Primary Care Physician yet, either.  We don't really "do" the doctor thing.  We are firm believers in the natural healing power of the human body.  Up to this point we have had next to no problems that didn't resolve themselves within a few days.  In fact, River hasn't visited a real live doctor since he was an infant.  So, this was a big deal!  Cameron helped me do some research, and we found a doctor's office we are comfortable with.  They were able to see River on Friday.

River was still miserable.  He is a very emotional kid normally, but feeling as crummy as he did at that point, he turned to me and told me he just couldn't stop crying!  It was a sad sight to see.  I was glad we were taking him in to see the doctor.  He found a toy airplane in the doctor's office (after seeing the nurse and waiting for the doctor to come in).  It lifted his spirits slightly.  After a few minutes we met the doc.  I liked her!  She was very welcoming and really nice to River.  She explained the blood pressure cuff (first time for him), and made sure he was comfortable with the things she was doing as she checked him out.  She prescribed Amoxicillin, faxed it into the store for me, and we were on our way.

The antibiotic did take a few days to kick in.  We didn't sleep much that night or the next.  But, he's doing great now!  I hate to see my kids sick.  I'm so glad it's really not very often.  I pray that this was our dose of sick for the next long while.

Beans Beans Beans

 A couple of weeks ago Cameron spoke in church.  The kids were all sick so I wasn't there.  Apparently he did a pretty good job.  He is always really at ease when speaking in public.  Most people dread it, but Cameron really enjoys it.  Anyhow, a friend of ours emailed Cameron after he spoke asking for a copy of his talk so his wife, who stayed home from church as well, could read it.  Well, unfortunately Cameron only had an outline of the talk, but offered to send it over on one condition: we are provided with the Boston Baked Beans recipe his family makes weekly.  Instead, we got something even better, an invitation for dinner!  I was lucky enough to capture a few moments from our visit, but please excuse the camera phone picture quality.

We haven't done dinner with too many friends since moving to Texas.  We really like getting together and letting kids play and having good conversation with friends.  Dinner is a perfect excuse.  Our friends Lisa and Bryce were great hosts.  Dinner was  delicious.  Bryce's family has been making Boston Baked Beans for a very long time.  Bryce and Lisa make them every Sunday.  What a good tradition.  We enjoyed the meal, and we enjoyed the company.

The kids had fun playing, too.  It's good when the kids have other children to play with to help distract them while the adults visit.  It's usually a lot more enjoyable if we're not having to focus on keeping the kids entertained.  I love that kids entertain other kids very well.  For the most part they all got along great, too.

All in all a very fun visit.  It makes me eager to invite other friends (and those friends, too!) over to play at our house soon!  The weather is perfect right now.  If we wait too long the mosquitoes will be a bit overwhelming and we won't be able to let the kids loose in the yard.  Hopefully though, that will help us feel a bit more integrated and adjusted from this move.  Soon we'll feel like Texans through and through!

Underappreciated Lasagna

Last week I made another new to me recipe: Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Alfredo Lasagna.  It's another one that had been on my menu for a little while but I hadn't taken the time to actually make it.  I was a bit nervous because reviews of the recipe indicated some people had way more sauce than they needed, and I wasn't sure the size pan I had was the size called for in the description.  I had no desire to use 7 cups of milk if that was twice what I needed.  I went back and forth, and was just apprehensive over all.  Well, I finally had both the time, ingredients, and courage to embark on this new culinary adventure.
I only had an 8oz package of pre-sliced mushrooms on hand.  I love mushrooms.  Cameron loves mushrooms.  The kids rebelled and have decided to hate mushrooms.  I figured cutting the amount in half was a good compromise.  I do, however, wish they were sliced a bit thinner than the ones in the package normally are.  Also, I didn't have the 1lb of regular spinach.  I had a good portion of the 1lb package of fresh baby spinach I'd purchased from Costco.  I'm not positive just how much was left.  We had eaten salad at least twice for lunch, and used it a few times to make smoothies with.  So, probably between 1/2 and 3/4lb left.  I didn't blanch it because putting it in the boiling hot bechamel sauce did the trick without the extra work.  I was about ready to purchase the oven-ready lasagna, but saw they had whole wheat lasagna on sale and decided to go that route instead.

It was a bit time consuming, but very straight forward.  I was still a bit nervous about the quantity of milk.  I ultimately used about 6 1/2 cups of milk, but wish I had used all 7 cups.  I used my regular glass cake pan, and it was the perfect size -- thank goodness.  I used about 15 lasagna noodles total ( I think...)  I liked having that many, it seemed to fill us up that much more.  I had been tempted to use bone in chicken and shred it instead of the boneless, too.  I think I'm glad I didn't.  The seasoning on the chicken was pretty important to the overall taste, and it would have been a bit more difficult to get that flavor when using boiled bone-in chicken.

The flavor of the lasagna was incredibly rich, dynamic, and satisfying.  I used our raw milk from the farm.  We didn't separate the cream, so it's more like half and half than milk.  I think that made the sauce even creamier and richer than it otherwise would have been.  Also, because I omitted a bit of the milk, each time we've heated up leftovers it seems a bit less saucy.  I don't know about you, but I prefer a saucy lasagna.  ;)

The reception for this particular dish was mixed.  It took a tad bit longer to prepare and cook than I'd hoped and therefore Cameron needed to run back to work for a meeting and wasn't able to eat the original lunch with us.  River has been suffering from an ear infection and wanted to sleep instead of eating the first meal as well.  Britta took a very small bite (for the picture) and refused to eat more.  Maddy said it was one of her favorite meals, but still only ate half a serving the first time.  Leftovers were worse.  Britta still wouldn't touch it.  Maddy ate a few bites is all.  River, while saying it was delicious, only ate a few bites as well.  Cameron said it was great, but it filled him up faster than I expected and he wasn't able to finish his serving size.  I, on the other hand, thought it was fantastic.  The whole wheat noodles gave it a hearty taste and feel (though next time I make it I intend to use regular noodles to see if people eat it better).  It was a fun new dish.  I, of course, ate my entire serving both times.

I was really sad with how underappreciated this meal turned out to be.  I just can't figure it out.  Though, there have been a few cases where I made the kids' favorite food and then for some reason they barely touched it.  The overall cost to make this is a bit high (definitely more than store bought lasagna).  So, while I enjoyed it enough to make it again sometime in the future, I do think I will wait quite a while before giving it another go.

Baseball Practice

River and Britta started soccer, and the same evening Madalyn started coach pitch baseball.  She is pretty excited about it.  I was a little bit worried because as far as I had heard she had an assistant coach, but no head coach.  I wasn't sure what that was going to mean for her experience.  I was hoping someone would step up and take on the role.  I wasn't going to volunteer myself because I was pretty sure they wanted someone who has experience with the game.

When we walked onto the field another team was playing T-ball where Maddy's team was scheduled to meet.  I couldn't see anyone else around her age and it was making me nervous.  Luckily just as I was about to panic the assistant (now promoted to head) coach approached us and introduced himself.  I was relieved.

I hadn't thought to bring Maddy a baseball glove or anything.  She borrowed one from the coach, but it was too big for her.  She spent most of the time balancing the glove on her head because it was pretty heavy.  I promised her we would head out to a sporting goods store to grab her a glove and anything else she would need.

For never having really played baseball at all before, Maddy did a pretty good job.  She's a fast learner. I'm hoping they give her enough attention and credit for her abilities since she is the only girl on her team.  She isn't the best player on her team, but she isn't the worst either.  I think it will be a good experience for her.  At the very least she will learn the rules of the game and have fun doing it.

Just Kick It

A fun first!  Last night Britta and River had their first ever soccer practice!  We signed them up through the YMCA to play on the same little soccer team.  They've been anticipating it for over a month now, and the day finally arrived!

It was fun to see them participating in an organized sport.  It's only 3 and 4 year olds, so it's absolutely perfect.  The coach has a really laid back view on the whole thing which is very important when dealing with such young players.  It was hard to keep everyone focused on soccer the whole time.  Britta and River came over to sit with us on the sidelines a few times during practice.  We had to keep encouraging them to go and join the other kids.

I'm glad it was just a game for my kids.  I don't do high pressure sports.  It has to be up to them if they want to work hard at it.  I do hope they are able to focus on the task at hand and try their very best, but I'm not going to yell at them or punish them if they decide they aren't up for it.  My hope is that through giving them opportunities to try new things we can find the things that they do enjoy.  Free will extends to sports and extra curricular activities as well.

Having said all that, these kids were beyond adorable out kicking the soccer ball around.  I'm excited for their game next Saturday.  They get to wear their little uniforms!  I am going to have a lot of fun buying them shin guards and little soccer shoes.  It's like playing dress up!  It's almost motivation enough for me to buy a video camera so I can capture the cuteness forever.  For now, still shots will have to suffice.

Tubes of Joy

The other day the kids and I set up these fun kid hut tubes in our livingroom.  At first, it was just Britta that was playing inside them.  She rarely gets to play with things like this on her own.  She was delighted to have free reign.  The tubes were given to the kids for River's birthday a few years back by my sister, and they love them!  I could have sworn I'd blogged about them before, but can't seem to find the post.  In any case, they continue to get a lot of enjoyment throughout the years.

I love them because they are easy to put up and take down.  They work like those sunshades people use for the windshield of their car in the summertime.  You twist them just so in order to open and close them.  There are velcro strips and ties to keep the pieces together.  It's great because the kids can decide where they want each tunnel.

Britta had a house for herself and a house for her baby doll.  The baby doll seemed to like it just fine.  Frankly I'm glad Britta was satisfied with that and didn't try to drag every blanket in the house into her hut (not that the kids would ever do such a thing ;).  

It wasn't too long before the big kids joined in.  One thing they all like to do is watch a movie while inside the huts.  I don't mind.  What a fun way to spend part of an afternoon.

Chipotle Cashew Chicken

Trying a new recipe always comes with a risk.  What if it doesn't turn out?  What if it's too spicy?  What if it's just plain yucky?  It's especially difficult when you are also trying to please five people -- three of whom are under the age of 8.  I am sure this is why so many people stick with the same half dozen or dozen recipes for a good majority of their cooking.  I honestly can't say I blame them.  If it weren't for the deep rooted desire I have for variety in my diet, I would probably do the same.

Tonight I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new.  Chipotle Cashew Chicken has been on my menu for a month or so but I haven't brought myself to make it until now.  I was afraid, after reading some reviews, that it would be too spicy for my little ones.  Tonight though, I decided it was now or never!  I had all the ingredients on hand, and the chicken was even already defrosted.  Plus, the bonus of it being one of Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals is it wouldn't take forever!

It was relatively involved, but more simple than it looks.  I was out of brown rice, so used long grain white rice instead.  I didn't make it the fancy way she has in her recipe.  I just put it into our rice cooker.  The sauce was the real project.  The absolute key was taking the seeds out of the chipotle peppers before adding them to the recipe.  I used two peppers with zero seeds, and I thought it was perfect (and even had a bit of room to spice it up more if I had wanted to).  If I had used seeds I doubt any of the kids would have touched it.

The flavor was excellent!  I really do love the taste of chipotle peppers.  Everything in the recipe complemented each other very well.  I used cilantro, too.  I love that fresh taste it gives.  I was very pleased to note that I am eager to make this recipe again!  Just one more reason to keep water chestnuts stocked in my pantry!

And, for dessert?  Coconut cream pie!  The swirl of meringue was the best part.  So much fun.

HEB Field Trip

For Preschool today we took all of the kids on a field trip to the H.E.B. grocery store today!  I honestly wasn't sure what to expect.  I thought perhaps they would get a tour of the facility or something similar.  In any case, a field trip sounded like loads of fun!  We dropped Cameron off at work and headed over to the store early.  We sat in the car for a few minutes to narrow the time gap (you never want to be too early with three kids).  We still sat in the store about 10 minutes before everyone else arrived.  Not bad at all though.  The kids were excited for the occasion but pretty well behaved.

Once everyone arrived (there were 4 adults and 9 children and an infant) our tour guide Peg got started.  She was the cutest older lady who obviously loved what she was doing and loved the children.  She announced that we were going to be learning about nutrition.  I was so glad it was a subject that was applicable to the children once they left the store!  While learning what they do in a grocery store is nice, learning about eating healthy and taking care of their bodies is fabulous.  The tour was extremely thorough!  The children drifted in and out of attention.  I was glad that there was basically 1 adult to 2 children.  It made it easier to redirect the children's attention as we went along.

There were lots of samples for the kids, and many hands on opportunities.  The store had its own giant tortilla making machine complete with conveyor belt.  The kids were mesmerized.  We were each given a warm tortilla, too.  Had I not made breakfast burritos that morning (which we'd only finished an hour earlier), that would have been even more appealing.

There was a hands on lesson about sea food.  The kids were able to touch a number of different things including a fish (can't remember if she specified the type), sardines (not from the can), shrimp (with their heads already cut off, much to the disappointment of the kids), mussels, clams, and a live lobster!  I didn't touch anything.  I was glad to have the excuse of taking pictures.  Britta was the most eager of them all.  I was very glad they had hand sanitizer going around.

Honestly, I just felt bad for the poor lobster.  Wasn't it enough that they had scooped him out of the Atlantic and were about to sacrifice him for someone's dinner?  He also had to be ridiculed for someone's preschool field trip?  It seemed such bad form to me.

The overall experience really was great.  I'm glad my kids were all able to participate.  This gets me really excited for field trip prospects for the future.  I started a Google Doc with field trip ideas when we lived in Arizona.  It looks like I need to start one up for Texas.  I hope to begin scheduling in little trips for us soon!

Tooth Fairy

There is a limited amount of time in our lives where losing a tooth is actually a normal thing -- good even.  I remember it clearly.  It was exciting when a tooth finally decided it was done holding on and came out of my mouth willingly.  I never had a tooth knocked out, and only once did I lose one by surprise (I learned not to eat Mom's caramels with a loose tooth after that).  Such sweet memories of childhood.

Madalyn is at the age of losing teeth.  She had lost six, and then the other day tooth number seven finally gave in and fell out in her hand.  She was pretty excited about it.  She use to have a small pink tooth fairy pillow, but has since misplaced it.  Instead she grabbed the small dish from her toy microscope and used that to keep track of the tooth.

She wrote the Tooth Fairy a note asking questions:  "Why do you take my teeth?"  and, "What is your favorite color?"  I found it interesting that those were the top two questions that came to her mind.  She then put her tooth and her note by her bed and waited.

Poor Madalyn.  Our Tooth Fairy must have been suffering in this sore throat and cold season because it took her DAYS to make it to our house!  BUT she finally did!  This morning Maddy was thrilled to discover a dollar bill next to her tooth and her note.

She was curious why the Fairy hadn't taken her tooth or her note, and was a bit disappointed that she didn't get to learn the answers to her questions.  I suggested that perhaps Maddy had asked questions to which the answers were secret.  She looked thoughtful and agreed that it was probably something like that.  Then, in her excitement, Maddy insisted I take a bunch of pictures to capture this momentous occasion.

Done and Done.  On to the next tooth!

Our Own Little Church

Today we took another sick day.  Since I've been feeling sick all week, when I was still sick last night I decided it would be best to call a substitute to teach my 8- and 9-year-old Primary class today.  I'm glad I did.  Nobody would have wanted me to spread my germs at church today.  Cameron attended the meetings he had before church and then came back home to help with kids (who are still getting over their coughs).  I was able to rest as long as I needed.  I was very grateful.

Not going to church on Sunday always throws me off.  I like my Sunday to "feel" like a Sunday.  We played some church music, and I read half of the articles in the church magazine the Ensign.  It's really important to me that as a family we are able to take Sundays to focus on things that will strengthen us spiritually.  I prefer to maintain a more calm and reverent atmosphere so as to encourage introspection and invite the spirit of Christ into our home.  With three children, sometimes that's easier said than done.

While eating lunch together it was decided that we would take a bit of time before dinner to do our own little church right here at home.  River got excited and asked if we were going to make a church out of paper.  We then had to take some time to explain to him the difference between "church" as a place and "church" as what we do at the church.  Unfortunately, he didn't quite get it, and when we went to start our little family church meeting he again asked if he could get the paper for us to make the church.  Sigh.  He'll understand eventually.

It was fun to sit down as a family and hold a little meeting.  It was pretty much what we do every Monday for Family Home Evening anyhow.  We did some singing and then Cameron led our discussion (gave a lesson).  We talked about a few different things, but tied a lot of things back to the sacrament and baptismal covenants.  We talked about one in particular, how to always remember the Savior.  We talked about how we can always remember Him while still doing other things.  The kids were great at answering questions about what they would do in certain situations if they were remembering Christ.  Even Britta knew that choosing the right was the same thing as remembering what the Savior would have her do.  Oh, the faith of a small child.

It is so precious to have the chance to teach our children at such a young age the things to do that will bring happiness and peace into their lives.  I am thankful I have learned the lessons in life that I have so I am able to better guide my children through.  I am so grateful to have a testimony of Christ.  With all the confusion and turmoil in the world, I would be lost without a firm foundation in the gospel to help keep me grounded.  If I were lost, where would that leave my children?

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. (Helaman 5:12)