Summer activities

Haha, it's been a while! Our youngest is now two and I'm pregnant for the fourth (and last!) time. We just found out that our youngest (to be born in October) is a girl as well, so among other things I'm currently working on wrangling together all the boy clothes too small for Thomas and getting rid of them. I've also been working on a list of ideas to do this summer so the kids won't be able to complain of boredom; I figured here is as good a place to keep the list as anywhere, especially since my notebook with my draft keeps getting lost. I plan to make fun little cards for them to pick ideas out, but a typed list is a good first step, right? Here goes:

water balloons
camping
stargazing
pajama/movie day
make ice cream
take a hike
swimming
bug hunt
cardboard box fort
picnic at park
campfire dinner
library trip
play in sprinkler/hose
take a nature walk, take pics; on a rainy day use those pics to make a nature book
scavenger hunt
attend an outdoor concert
build sandcastles
build a wood craft
fly kites
sewing project - make picnic blanket
make sock puppets
make and blow bubbles
excavate ice/plaster block
bike ride
hotwheels races on driveway
dress up party
tie dye ice cube shirts
make pinecone bird feeders
make silhouettes
pet rocks
toy swap
fingerpainting
zoo
make lemonade
treasure hunt
splash pad
visit animal park in Sandusky
make cookies for friends
visit a farm
feed ducks
handprint art
play post office
make pizza
lego contest/building
toothpick/marshmallow building
popsicle stick puzzles
color
play freeze tag
make an obstacle course
paint with water on driveway
play hide and seek
play red light, green light
play Simon says
play Mother May I
decorate superhero capes
visit museum of art
corn maze (September or October)

Edited to add a few more ideas another local mom posted on her blog:

1. draw self portraits
2. have hopscotch fun
3. go bowling
4. make beaded necklaces
5. go to a parade
6. visit youngs dairy
7. visit ice cream factory – ye olde mill in utica ?
8. build boats from juice containers and find a place to test their floatability
9. visit anthony thomas for a factory tour
10. build an obstacle course
11. draw a play city on butcher paper, tape to floor – add directionals, cars, etc
12. go to a fair – ross county, ohio state, etc
13. visit santa maria downtown pirate ship
14. go to a columbus commons friday funday
15. have a mini-olympics session

Hopefully this will get us started!

Recipe of the Day

Italian Chicken

A great go-to recipe for giving chicken some extra zing!

Ingredients:
Packet of dry Italian dressing mix
White wine (remember, never use in cooking something you wouldn't willingly drink - don't buy "cooking wine", it's just bad wine with extra salt!)
2 T. water
1 T. oil (I use olive oil)
Chicken of whatever quantity you want - you can use this on chicken breasts, a whole chicken, or anything in between!

1. Put chicken in glass casserole dish (I usually use a 9x13 dish)
2. Pour wine over chicken, enough to give a good cover to the bottom of dish (add more for more flavor, less for a more subtle taste).
3. Mix water, oil, and Italian seasoning in a bowl, baste chicken.
4. Bake at 350 till chicken is done (this will vary based on what pieces you used for your chicken).

Alternatives:
1. Easily adaptable to the crockpot, just put everything in there instead and cook on Low till chicken is done!
2. You can use pre-made Italian dressing instead of mixing on your own, but you'll want to add more dressing because the flavor won't be as strong.
3. Especially if using pre-made Italian dressing, I like to marinade overnight before cooking.
4. This is great cooked on the grill if marinated ahead of time!
5. You can serve with mashed potatoes and a green veggie, some sort of bread, and fruit for a good well-rounded meal, or chunk up and put in salad, or whatever you want - it's very adaptable!

We're snowed in for yet another day (maybe we'll finally get to have preschool again tomorrow? I hope!) and it's supposed to be super-windy. Doesn't look too bad yet, more like "breeze" rather than wind. All the trees still have their snow piled on the branches, so it can't be too much on the windy side, can it? I'm wondering what excuse I can make that we *have* to go out, but we've already missed storytime (we were already planning on going tomorrow anyway) and the library books aren't due till tomorrow either. The grocery shopping is already done, and while I need to get new sheets, that's no more urgent now than it has been since we got the new bed almost a year ago. I'm thinking that the best course of action is to put Beth down for her nap, set Thomas up with a movie, and try to nap. Being up in the middle of the night for an hour with a kid wakened up by a bad dream can really set my mood in the wrong direction for the next day!

Recipe of the Day

So, I know I haven't posted in forever and am not for sure this will last, but since I'm posting these on our playgroup's message board I figured I might as well publish them here, too. One of these days I'll get around to writing actual posts again!

One-Dish Chicken Supper

My notes: The "standard" recipe comes from the back of the Stove Top Stuffing boxes ... you can also add broccoli or frozen mixed veggies. The crockpot version is from the "Fix It and Forget It" cookbook. I wonder if this would be good with cream cheese instead of the sour cream or milk?

Standard edition:
1 box chicken stuffing (or turkey, your choice)
1/4 c. stick margarine, cut up
1 1/2 c. hot water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or equivalent; I often cook a whole chicken or turkey and freeze the leftovers, then just pull out a package of the larger chunks for this dish) - you can do this with cooked or uncooked chicken, I just use the cooked for convenience and time-saving
1 can cream of mushroom/chicken/celery (your choice)
1/3 c. sour cream or milk

1. Mix stuffing, margarine, and water, just till moistened.
2. Mix soup and sour cream (or milk).
3. Put chicken in baking dish, top with soup mix then stuffing.
4. Bake at 375 deg. about 35 minutes or till chicken is done (if using precooked chicken, cook till stuffing is nicely browned on top).

If using a crockpot, everything is the same except steps 3 and 4:
3. Put chicken in crockpot, top with soup mix then stuffing.
4. Cook on Low 6-8 hours.

And the quick list of updates since I haven't written in about a year:
We're expecting another daughter in May.
Thomas is in preschool and is looking forward to Kindergarten in the fall (actually, "looking forward to" doesn't quite cover it - he's been asking about just when he gets to start for the last year and a half!)
Beth is finally growing some hair and hates the fact that she isn't in preschool yet; she'll start a one day/week program this coming fall.
Clay is still at OSU and still loves his job.
Rob is still at OSU and living with us, and still can't wait to graduate.
Pregnancy is still a mix of enjoyment and discomfort, and I'm totally worn out by it!

Science Experiment gone very wrong ...

You thought your kid(s) gave you a rough time today? Here's my afternoon ...
So, during "rest time" today while the kids were supposedly sleeping, I took the monitors outside so I could get some garden work done. I started to come inside to get some flour to mark an area to dig when I saw Thomas. I knew he had been playing (at first) but he does that frequently, then falls asleep. I opened the door to walk in and I heard water running - *lots* of water. I ran into the bathroom thinking the toilet was overflowing - and saw water dripping from the ceiling. Uh-oh! I ran upstairs, slipping in the hallway where there was also water dripped through, and found the bathtub completely overflowing(!) I couldn't get ahold of ANY of my peeps - not Clay, not Rob, not my dad, not Clay's dad, and *finally* talked to my mom but she had no idea what to recommend for cleanup! Gah! I sent Thomas to his room, started mopping up what I could with towels, and the phone rang. It was Rob, who went searching for Clay for me - apparently I was doing just what I should, thankfully. Their first reaction was "Is Thomas ok?" Which, OMG, I hadn't even thought of (since I had seen him before ever hearing the water). But seriously - what if, what if, what if?!
Apparently this was all a science experiment - Thomas wanted to know what happens when the bathtub fills all the way up (!), and then decided he wanted *me* to turn off the water (he couldn't figure it out) but got distracted and started playing rather than coming to *tell* me I was needed ...
It was a long day.

A long 3 weeks!

We left home 3 weeks ago, and it was a VERY long 3 weeks. We got to spend a day in Indianapolis with our best friends who now live in a different state, then headed the rest of the way out to St. Louis to be with my mom's family for Christmas. Then, the day after Christmas my aunt died suddenly, so we of course stayed for the calling hours and funeral. We got home late last Tuesday night (was it really only a little more than a week ago?) then Wednesday morning went to Bucyrus to celebrate Christmas with our immediate families and New Year's Eve with my family (Clay's parents had plans). We got home Saturday night, slept and worked on Sunday, then Monday started trying to get back into the swing of things, going through the mail, etc. Well, one of the pieces of mail is the renewal for Dandy's dog license, which requires a rabies tag ... I wasn't sure when she needed her next so called the vet (old family friend who lives in Bucyrus) and found out that both she and Annie are due for shots. Ugh. So, packed the kids and the animals up on Tuesday to head for Bucyrus, promising Thomas that he got to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's (my parents), and Grandma would bring him home in time for preschool the next day. We got halfway to Bucyrus when I got the call that they were having to cancel the appointment, the vet's mom (who, at 87, had been in the hospital in Cleveland for a few weeks after they discovered an aggresive cancer) had taken a turn for the worse - they were hoping to make it up there in time to say goodbye. I guess when it rains, it pours. We had a great Christmas, but it's kind of sucked since then.
In happier news, Thomas had Spanish class at preschool for the first time Wednesday and loved it, hasn't quit talking about it. He still won't tell us what he learned (colors) but at least he had fun. Beth is getting SO close to walking, but gets quite upset when it comes time to sit down - she doesn't want to let go! She's also started using more words - we've got "Mama" (me) "Um-ma" (my mom) "Dada" (Clay) "baw" (bottle) and "ba" (bye). It seems like there might be a couple more, but I can't think of them right now. Oh, and she got another tooth and is working on several more - yea (ugh!) :-P

Sick!

Another pop-in, just letting you know we're all still alive. Thomas caught the flu either from preschool or playing with other kids on Thursday, then I caught it, then Clay caught it, then Rob caught it. We'd never have made it without my mom who SO kindly dropped everything (even her workout that she was about to go to!) yesterday morning to come and take care of us. Thanks Mom!
Thomas seems to have gotten the hardest hit, he's still pretty wiped out but I think just tired now, not really sick anymore. Clay and I are both feel a lot better; I'm munching on crackers and drinking Sprite and Clay just won a game of Candy Land with Thomas. I think I'll even be able to make my appointment for massage therapy tomorrow (they're hoping to get rid of my headaches, though don't seem to be overly optimistic).
We're heading out to Indianapolis on Thursday evening to meet up with our best friends (Jeff, Onalee, Anna, Lydia, and Wesley). Wesley turned a year old this past week and we haven't ever seen him, we all lived in Kentucky at the same time but moved when Onalee was pregnant with Wesley and I was pregnant with Beth - it will be so awesome to see everyone!
After hanging out with them on Friday, my mom will drive out and meet up with us. Clay will take her car back to Columbus and my mom will go out the rest of the way to St. Louis with us - there really didn't seem to be any point in going *back* to Columbus on Friday then turning around and leaving on Saturday again.
Ok, I'm getting a little tired again so I'm going to read and rest for a while ... here's hoping tomorrow I'll be 100%!

Just popping in ...

Just thought y'all would like to know that Beth stood up for the first time today; she was holding onto me, I was sitting on the floor - she was babbling away and I happened to look over and she was standing up! Yea! She also was rolling her tongue, it was very cute.
Thomas is sick, he was throwing up all night Friday and yesterday morning, then slept for 22 hours, being awake for maybe a total of an hour during that time. My poor kiddo! I'm not feeling the greatest today (or yesterday, for that matter) and took a 2-hour nap earlier, hopefully I'll be 100% tomorrow. Yuck!

Christmas Tree!

We went to a Christmas tree farm today, actually to take pics for another family while they cut theirs down, but since we were there anyway we took advantage of the opportunity and picked ours out too. It smells so yummy! We'll decorate it tomorrow, I was planning on putting up the lights after the kids were in bed but Thomas apparently begged to help, so they're waiting till tomorrow. I love Christmas time, and I especially love the smell that sneaks through the house, reminding you of the season as you go about your day. Thinking about Christmas always makes me feel warm, even on the cold days!
Speaking of warm in the cold, I also baked some chocolate chip cookies today; however, the first ones ended up pretty crunchy. I put the dough in the fridge to chill, so I imagine the rest will turn out alright ... if not, I don't mind eating crunchy cookies! They make the best topping with hot fudge on vanilla ice cream (*stomach growls*).
I guess I don't have much to talk about right now, I'm feeling really sleepy for some reason so I think I'll just skip the goofing off or reading tonight and go straight to bed!

Oh yeah, and Beth now officially has 4 teeth and crawls, and is in love with our dog (the feeling is mutual - Dandy welcomed her into her crate this morning, cuddled right up to her!) Thomas loves doing workbooks, a friend gave us one and we've been doing a little every day the last few days - he keeps begging for more. I just wish he would focus that much on the OTHER things he's supposed to be doing (like picking up toys, getting dressed, etc.) Sigh.

Bearless

Last night was awful, Thomas forgot Bear at preschool! He's had Bear since his first Christmas, my mom gave him to him (Bear is not an "it", definitely a "him" but it makes it confusing to write!) Bear is sadly the worse for the wear, but Thomas loves him and still sleeps with him every night (there have been maybe a half-dozen nights he's forgotten him since he started sleeping with him). I told Thomas that Bear was spending the night with Weather Bear, but it didn't seem to help. Weather Bear is this "bear" made out of wool fleece that they dress up in different clothes dependent on the weather, and is one of Thomas's favorite activities at preschool. I get an update on what he's wearing every preschool day on the way home. Well, to make a long story even longer, I was trying to get Beth back to sleep when I heard Thomas falling apart, called in the troops (Daddy) to hold Beth while I calmed Thomas down. It took nearly a half hour to get him to understand that we couldn't go get Bear, we would have to get him tomorrow (today), and get him to lay back down and stop bursting into tears every time he remembered Bear wasn't there (every other second or so). *Then* I got to go feed Beth and put her back in bed - it was a long bedtime!

A new day

Wow, I just reread that last post and I sounded pretty depressed, didn't I? Today is much better, Thomas is in the other room watching Backyardigans while Beth takes a nap. We're visiting the pumpkin patch with preschool today, Thomas has been talking about it all week - I hope it lives up to his expectations! It's also Thomas's snack day, we're taking in some goldfish-type crackers and apple juice. I might throw in some animal crackers, too, now that I think about it - not sure there are really enough cheese crackers to satisfy the masses!
I'm just kind of having a lazy day so far, I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning off the refrigerator, tops of the cabinets, and the kitchen cart - it looks a lot better in there, but it'm making it harder to motivate myself to get more done today, it looks great already! Except for the dishes, new paperwork, laundry, the bathrooms need cleaned ... neverending!

I love my kids, really I do!

Some days I wonder if I'm cut out for this mommy stuff. I love my kids, the thought of leaving them in someone else's care while I go off to work is stifling to me, but some days I want nothing more than to leave them in someone else's care while I join the "real world". I'm not sure how to overcome the disconnect, but it's there. Why is it that the people we love the most are the ones that drive us the most crazy? Which piece of my heart is so connected to my mind that when I lost that bit of heart to each child, I lost a bit of my mind too?
I'm told that 3-year-olds turn into 4-year-olds, then 5-year-olds, then teenagers, then produce grandchildren, but for now the 3-year-old is giving me way too many gray hairs for my age.
And Beth just woke up needing to eat. Sigh.
Goodnight.

Speaking ...

On Saturday, Beth embarked on the journey that will lead to my eventual loss of sanity ... she started speaking. While I'm more than thrilled with the progress (in the last week she's started waving, clapping, walking with me holding her hands, and saying "Mum-mum-mum") I also have the experience now to realize where this is all leading ... Thomas's everlasting refrain of "Why?" will soon become Beth's! One, I can handle, if barely. Two of them ... oh dear!
It's funny how differently you watch and interact with your kids - with Thomas, I watched him all the time, noting everything that changed as he grew older. Still I do the same thing - I guess because he's always entering uncharted territory for me. With Beth, we've already been there, done that, so while it's exciting, it doesn't send me straight for the phone to brag about her newest accomplishment each time she does something new. That and I know that the sitting and "walking" lead to baby gates and childproofing like mad, the talking leads to INCESSANT questions, and the clapping and waving are already being used to get attention, even when there's other things that need to be done.
Am I the only one who sometimes dreads the next developmental step? What are you NOT looking forward to your kid doing for the first time?

Hello World!

A fellow blogger asked if I have a blog and I realized I haven't posted lately, so figured if I'm going to give out my URL I'd better have something recent up! I could make all sorts of excuses, but I'll just skip them, you've heard them all before.
Thomas loves preschool, he's really looking forward to his first "Storytime" tomorrow - it's the enrichment program for the 3-year-olds at his school. He absolutely loves his teachers, loves playing, loves "Weather Bear", and is learning the days of the week based on which days he gets to go to school. I love it too; Beth and I usually get the grocery shopping done one day, we go home and work on the house the other - it's so much easier shopping with one kid rather than 2!
Everyone's been sick around here, Thomas just started feeling quite a bit better today so I'm looking for Beth to feel a lot better tomorrow (T brought it home from preschool, B got it the day after him, me the day after that, and Clay and Rob the day after that). Beth is growing and becoming much more mobile, she loves to roll all over the room especially when the obstacles are out of the way.
My brother Rob is living with us as he looks for a job and gets ready to start at OSU during winter quarter ... he's transferring there after leaving Miami University, so here's hoping OSU will be a better fit for him. I'm really glad he's decided to move on, it felt like he was just sort of stagnating at Miami. We love having him here, the kids love him and it's a lot of fun having someone else to play games with! He's a million times better about doing the dishes than I am, so while I might have thought it would take a bit *more* work to take care of the house with him here, it's actually made it easier! Yea!
I'm doing a lot better now that I'm on meds, I was diagnosed with PPD and - lo-and-behold - the world is a happy place again! We're also part of a playgroup where we've been making a lot of friends and enjoying new activities, doing lots of things we wouldn't do when it's just the kids and me. Today we went over to Homestead Park in Hilliard, it was absolutely terrific! The park is huge, we did a stroller walk then let the kids play in the different play areas while the mommies got to visit and be real people.
Ok, I should have gone to bed a long time ago, but wanted to get something up to let everyone (all 6 of you! jk) know that we're still alive!

Preschool

FYI, the only time Thomas got upset was when I told him we had to go home. Apparently music class made quite the impression, it was the first thing he told me about. Now off to take care of Miss Fussy ...

First Day

Thomas had his first day of preschool today - well, it was the open house, but he got to meet all his teachers and see the rooms he'll be in, etc. We spent about an hour there and he was SO ticked when I told him we had to go home, which is a good sign I guess. I was a little worried that he would not like the one teacher but he surprised me and buddied right up to her; he even gave her a flash of sparkle with his eyes. It was so cute - I had no idea he could do it at will - but he certainly did and made her notice how nice they are, which inevitably lead to Beth's and mine, but whatever. He was pretty shy with most of the teachers but the kids played together some and I even coaxed some "Hi"s out of Thomas to his classmates. I'm pretty sure he's going to love it, and know it will be a great experience for him.
I love how much he's grown!

When did I get old?

Thomas turns 3 in 4 days.

Thomas starts preschool in 5 days.

Wow.

It seems like just yesterday that I was holding my newborn son with his fuzzy hair and sweet smell; I've only just started to reconcile myself that those days are long gone - even my second is no longer a newborn, but a full-fledged infant. It's so strange, so disconcerting to realize how fast the time has passed - I want to slow down the clock, maybe turn it back a little, just to watch him grow all over again. It seems like in the course of everyday life childhood sneaked up on us, hiding under the shorter-term babyhood and toddlerhood, waiting to surprise us as soon as we turned around. I love how my boy has grown, how his eyes sparkle, his grin stretches from ear to ear, his hair grows faster than I can cut it. He says the funniest things, asks a million questions, discovers more about life each day. His joy in the smallest of everyday things brings meaning into every aspect of life. A lot of days I could go happily insane with his constant questions, but trying to imagine a day without him takes my breath away! I'd love to keep his little arms wrapped around me, his "big, sloppy, wet kisses" covering my cheeks, but he's growing up so fast that soon they'll be big arms, small pecks on the cheek, and one day he'll probably find that he's too old for giving kisses to his mother - that is, until he grows up. How can I be bursting with pride at the person he's becoming and feeling my heart break at the little boy he's leaving behind, all at the same time?
In case I'm too busy to get on here and say it in a couple days, Happy Birthday Thomas. I love you.

I'm Back!

It's been a while, but I think I'm returning to the blogosphere. We just returned from a trip out to visit family in St. Louis, but have yet to get back into the swing of things. Thomas woke up and promptly threw up the entire contents of his stomach - thankfully, that consisted only of water! He wants something to eat now, but I'm putting him off for a while, then we'll see what happens. He's otherwise doing great, is now fully potty trained, and looking forward to starting school next week. He'll have preschool Monday and Wednesday afternoons, though the first day is shortened. I can't believe he's old enough to start school!
Beth got her second tooth on Saturday, August 23 - the left bottom front tooth was first, right was second. She's working on some others, not sure which exactly yet but guessing the top 2. She's a lot easier with the teething than Thomas was, but doesn't take medicine NEARLY as well, so it's sort of a toss-up. Ugh.
Clay is HOPEFULLY getting results from his blood tests today, they did a whole slew of tests last week to figure out what's going on with his stomach, etc. He's had an upset belly for weeks, the doctor wants to be pretty aggressive as far as tests to figure out what's going on with him - colonoscopy, blood tests, the scope down your esophagus, etc. Yuck!
I've got an appointment with the OB/GYN this week to talk about hormones, etc. (read: possible PPD but I'm not wanting to call it that or admit that I MIGHT have something more going on than irritability) so Mom will be down to watch the kids for my appt. and the Parent Orientation for Thomas's preschool on Thursday, plus maybe for Clay's scope(s) if we can get them scheduled conveniently.
My brother Rob is going to move in while he finds a place to live and gets school/work figured out, he withdrew from Miami and will be attending OSU but isn't sure which quarter he'll get to start classes. It will be a lot of fun having him here, but I've got to clean out the computer room so he'll have somewhere to crash! It's going to be a BUSY couple weeks here!

The kids playing

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

A trip to the zoo!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I should have taken more pics of the kids, not just the animals!

Big Kids

Beth had her first solids yesterday! I could hardly believe how she was devouring everything, she ate the whole serving I fixed for her and opened her mouth every time I brought the spoon nearby. When I wasn't going fast enough for her, she was making grabs for the bowl to take care of herself - she's like Thomas's polar opposite when it comes to food.
Thomas started making some more friends today; we went to playgroup and met about a dozen more kids, about 4 of whom were all boys born within a month of Thomas. Apparently we're the only ones that are planning on preschool this fall - everyone else was feeling like their kids aren't ready yet and aren't planning on sending them to kindergarten when they turn 5 either. I couldn't believe it - I might not be ready for Thomas to be grown up enough to go off to school by himself, but that's just because I'm still in shock that he's not Beth's size still. I've gotten a lot more used to the idea lately, but it's still hard to realize he's as big as some of my preschool-aged swim lesson kids were back in the day. I love that he's growing up, but I wish time didn't pass so quickly! To be fair for the other kids though (and this isn't just my bias) he's a bit more advanced so maybe they really aren't ready for preschool.
Baby Peter has a new mommy - Beth has adopted him! I didn't think she'd be interested (Thomas likes him but does just as well ignoring his existence as he does playing with him) but she was ticked and he was nearby. I handed him to her and she played with him for a good 10 minutes before losing him (he's a pretty big baby doll, so I'm surprised she could support him for as long as she did). If I find it hard to believe that Thomas is growing up so fast, it's even more difficult that Beth is already old enough to play with dolls. I'm enormously proud of both my kids (what mother isn't?) but it makes me a little sad too! I never realized how true it is when women who have been moms for decades tell us newbies, "They grow up too fast!"