Mommy Monday - Colds

Three of my kids have colds.  The older two are not sick but I'm pretty sure they brought the germs home to the younger three and then washed their hands of it (literally) so they did not end up suffering with the little ones.  April is very croupy and keeps me up at night.  Andrew has a runny nose and looks like a "snot nosed little two year-old", Jessica has a cough and just enough of a stuffy nose to make her cranky.  My humidifier will only work in one room at a time and it seems to aggravate April's asthma more than it helps her stuffy nose.  I bought the non-Vicks brand of Vicks Vapor Rub and frankly it's just not as effective.  If I put Vicks on the bottom of a coughing child's feet and pull socks on over it at night it helps them sleep (no clue why it works, but I've tried it a few times and it helps) and if they can sleep, I can sleep.  They aren't sleeping, I'm not sleeping.  I'm going to have to get more real Vicks.

Photo Friday - Jessica 5 mo

Thursday Thoughts - Half Baked by Stevenson

    I know, I know, I talked about this on Monday, but Half Baked by Alexa Stevenson is still very much in my thoughts.  I finished the book.  It's a "tragedy with a happy ending" and aside from some profanity that may not have been entirely necessary to make her points, I found it strongly meaningful.  I laughed and cried, sometimes over the same few words.  I'm still not sure if I liked the book, I know I don't want to read it twice, as it brought all kinds of anxieties bobbing to the surface of my mind like little bits of flotsam from a ship I sank long ago.  I remember when I was younger I would work out the long chains of horrible events likely to occur in the near future similar to, but much more dire than, the If You Give A Mouse A Cookie type books.  It's good to know I'm not the only one who somehow left that behind by having children.  Now I don't have to imagine it, stuff just happens.  I can be grateful that all five of mine have been of the "shaved sharpei" variety; I'll never be able to squelch that little giggling voice chanting 'shaved sharpei' when I see a healthy baby (I'm already wrestling with it over my cuddly five month-old) as it's a little too apt.

Word of Wednesday - Erudite

Yesterday while looking at a brochure my mom turned to me and asked, "What does erudite mean?"  I knew it was an adjective and had a positive meaning but otherwise I was stumped.  I guessed it had something to do with Eros/love but I wasn't sure.  My sister was at the computer so we had her look it up.  It's a synonym for knowledgeable.  So the brochure listing erudite speakers at a conference was letting us know they hadn't hired just any idiot to present the lectures.  Good to know.

Tasty Tuesday - Ritz Vegetable Crackers

Over the holidays I used a bunch of coupons for all kinds of treats and snack foods.  Some just for fun so we could try a new thing, some so that Santa could bring a surprise or a treat, and some just because the deal was so freaking spectacular (I got stuff free by using Target coupons plus manufacturer coupons) that I bought it without having a real purpose in mind.  I bought two boxes of Ritz Roasted Vegetable Crackers to use for our New Year's Eve party and then ended up with other people wanting to bring the crackers and cheese balls so we didn't use the boxes that night.  Yesterday I ate the last of these super tasty Ritz crackers and now I am feeling deprived.  They were an extra level of yummy on top of the already addictive properties of a regular Ritz cracker full of buttery salty goodness.  I am gonna need to find a dealer so I can get another fix...

Mommy Monday - Half Baked

I'm reading a book called Half Baked, it's about a woman who had twins at 25 weeks.  One died, the other survived.  I can't put it down but I am torturing myself by reading it.  Here I am with my five healthy kids and my worst day involves simple sleep deprivation and a bit of screaming and crying and here is this woman dealing with things I don't have the mental parameters to begin to empathize with.

Photo Friday - Andrew's Favorite Christmas Gift

Thursday Thoughts - Cicero quote hoax

   "The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
    From Snopes.com I found out that Cicero probably never said this, Cato may have said something like it, but the quote really comes from a work of fiction:
In a letter to The Chicago Tribune (20 April 1971), John H. Collins, Professor of History at Northern Illinois University, reported that the quote actually originated in A Pillar of Iron (1965), Taylor Caldwell's fictionalized account of the life of the senator Cicero.
    I have to say that the popularity of the quote does make a point about the parallels between the collapse of Rome and the government of the United States today, people are spamming it around because it sounds like a modern-day Tea Party Republican talking.  I also think some comparisons can be drawn between pre-Hitler Germany and the US today.  Added to this, you can find a lot in common with our economy and the economy of Argentina just before their economic collapse.  Most of the people were in the same state of denial as Americans today.  I have a degree in history, I don't get a lot of use out of it these days but I would like to get it out and wave it around a bit on this one.  Our country is in trouble, history is repeating (as it so often does) and our citizens need to wake up and become aware.

Word of Wednesday - Paradisaical

Can't spell it, not sure how to pronounce it, makes for a great word of the week.
Paradisaical means so lovely it's like paradise.
Paradisaical, paradisaical, paradisaical, paradisaical, paradisaical.  Does typing a word five times work the same as writing it five times to stick the spelling in your head?  I'm getting there.
The dictionary says you say it par-uh-di-sahy-uh-kuhl.  Yeah, have to work on that one.  Paradisaical - did I spell it right that time?  I didn't look while I typed...

Tasty Tuesday - The Fruit Man

The fruit man came today!
We get the occasional door-to-door salesman in my neighborhood.  One of the ones I have actually purchased a product from is the fruit man.  He rings the doorbell and as soon as you answer he is handing you a piece of fruit he has sliced super fast with a little paring knife he carries.  If all the kids come running to see who is at the door he slices and dices so each of them get a bit of apple or orange or whatever he's selling.  Today he had the most amazing oranges, so sweet and juicy and surprising in the middle of January in Utah.  I think my kids ate two oranges apiece this afternoon, good thing I bought half a box.  No clue where he comes from or where he goes afterwards but I love when he waves his magic paring knife and provides fresh fruit that tastes of sunshine.

Mommy Monday - Rivalry

My ten year old and my seven year old are having a lot of problems with sibling rivalry and constant bickering.  I've tried all the things I know to help this but so far it's just getting crazier.  I know my sister and I drove my mother nuts so maybe it's just punishment for my crimes.  It's one of those things that seems to be a problem for even the best of moms.  The two girls share a room right now and I am considering rearranging the house so that they are in different bedrooms but this is a lot of work and I am not ready for the younger children to be down in the basement bedrooms.

Photo Friday - Cool Icicles

Thursday Thoughts - Half Life by Farooki

   I just finished a book called Half Life by Roopa Farooki.  The first chapter kind of got to me because of the way the woman described herself, bits of it resonated with me and when I see the negative parts of myself through this kind of resonance it's good for me but it kind of shakes me up as well.  I'm not sure if that makes sense...  By the end of the book the themes are forgiveness and letting go, kind of a "truth will set you free" message.  Basically the woman leaves her husband suddenly one morning because she is desperate to find some peace and a resolution to a tragic part of her past.  She travels half way around the world and in trying to make peace with her past she sets life straight for another person also involved in the tragedy.  (Spoiler follows!) Then, at the end she goes back to her husband with so many things resolved that she can finally admit to him things that she has been keeping back for their whole marriage.  It's a sad book but it's got good insight and I couldn't put it down.  It does have a few swear words and some adult content; for those who are sensitive to them probably not one for your reading list.

Word of Wednesday - Pangaea and News of Gnus

Pangaea, you say it like pan-gee-uh, it's what the continents were before they broke apart and became the globe as we know it.  Also, the subject of my daughter's fifth grade science report.  I knew what it meant for some random reason, my husband did not.  I don't think many people do.  It doesn't come up in a lot of conversations.

Something that did come up in a conversation this week, what is the plural of gnu and do you say the g?  If you can find more than one you have gnus and it's pronounced like new so more than one gnu around would be news.

Tasty Tuesday - Training Table

   The Training Table location in Provo closed a few weeks ago.  There are other locations up by Salt Lake but then it costs more for gas than it did for one of their tasty burgers.  Had some fun at the Provo Training Table with roommates and my husband over the years.  Great onion rings, yummy burgers, and a HUGE serving of cheesy fries for a couple of bucks.
   Maybe when I'm up in Draper I'll stop by and see you again.  Until then I will be just a little sad that I have to go find another cheap burger as delicious as yours.

Mommy Monday - Mom vs. Librarian

   A few weeks ago my mother said something that really made me think.  She said my sister and I seem to have reversed our paths in life; I was the bookworm and my sister was good with children, but now I have the five kids and my sister has a masters degree and is supporting her husband while he works towards a PhD.  I didn't picture myself with kids when I was young.  I was the oldest of six and had a lot of child care responsibilities.  I wanted to be a librarian; so many books, so little time.
   My husband wanted to have a big family and I wasn't against it although he's always said twelve and I'm thinking five is good.  Motherhood makes me feel as accomplished as any job ever has.  I loved the way the guy at the park in the movie The Backup Plan explains being a parent as wonderful, then horrible, horrible, horrible, then wonderful then horrible, horrible, horrible, etc.  It really is.  Kids change everything.

Photo Friday - Big Overnight Snow

Thursday Thoughts - Modesty

   People today have lost touch with values, decency, and living right.  Political correctness and laissez faire attitudes have created a people living at the lowest common denominator.  Most of us have a basic idea of right and wrong but anyone caught using this knowledge is vilified or labeled as 'out of touch with reality'.
   We desperately need a return to modesty in all its forms -  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/modest
   I was in a nice restaurant on New Year's Day and the woman ahead of me going into the dining room was wearing jeans with multiple holes in them.  She was neither slender nor young and while the jeans were obviously part of her designer wardrobe it was immodest in many ways;  I could see bits of her behind that I didn't want to be exposed to, she'd spent way too much on a fashion trend that will soon pass, and she was drawing a lot of attention to herself (I'm pretty sure my reaction wasn't the only negative one).
   Another example, I have a niece in her early teens who posts profanity to her online social network pages.  I have asked her not to post foul language because my young children like to read their cousin's posts.  This young woman replied that I need a "reality check".  I have blocked her posts but I have not removed her as a friend, she's a teenager after all, they aren't the best at reality.
    Resist the temptation people!  Modest dress, modest spending, modest speech, modest appearance!  Use the brain you have been blessed with and realize these choices will benefit you in the long run.
    There are not enough police in the world to control a population who no longer respect values and laws of society. 

Word of Wednesday - Villagent, Denouement, Sneakret

   I love words.  I read them a lot.
   I'm not as good with correct English as I am with knowing a lot of words and how to spell most of them.
   I find word usage very funny sometimes, for example, when someone "uses that word a lot but I do not think they know what it means" to paraphrase the Princess Bride.  A couple of weeks ago during a lesson in church the speaker used the word "villagent" a few times when they were going for diligent or vigilant but it actually works out into a cool combo-word.  It might have even been on purpose to try and start a new word.  My sister is promoting the combo-word "sneakret" for being sneaky in secret, I think it might be a bit redundant but it could catch on.
   I laugh at myself when I hear words that I have read and know the meaning of but never learned to pronounce, the other day my theater major sister used the word denouement (said = day-new-mah) and I asked her what it meant, when she told me I had to laugh because I've always read it den-you-meant but I know what it is (dictionary = the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel).

Tasty Tuesday - Funeral Potatoes

   As depressing as they sound they're actually a really tasty casserole and I made them last night using leftovers from holiday dinners.  I call them funeral potatoes because they are one of the standard dishes served at funerals in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Pure comfort food.
   Last night I didn't use a recipe card because I just wanted to use up all the leftovers.  This means I also didn't really measure anything.  It's a super forgiving recipe for this type of cooking.

What I put in last night:
5 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 cups diced leftover ham
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup leftover sour cream and onion chip dip
1/2 Tblsp onion flakes
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Put potatoes and ham in a 9x12 baking dish kinda fluffed in there so the sauce can get into the cracks.  Combine soup, milk, pepper, salt, sour cream dip, and onion flakes; pour mixture over potatoes and spread it around a bit, top with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Ideas on substitutions-
You can use all kinds of potato based things in this, hash browns, baked potatoes, boiled potatoes, any kind of frozen potatoes like french fries or diced bits.
Ham works best but I am okay with spam instead.  It's pretty good without meat too.  I don't put in frozen veggies because my kids won't go for it but the peas and carrots are good in this recipe.
For the chip dip you can put in plain sour cream or something with some flavor added.  This batch was a bit "oniony" but my kids liked it so I was happy.

Mommy Monday - Advice To A New Mom

   A friend of mine from high school had a baby last week.  I was so excited for her.  This is her first child and I had my fifth a few months ago so it's kind of fun to remember what it was like back when I was having my first.  One of the things it clarified for me is that I really don't want to trade her places.  I've put so much work into getting where I am and surviving the enormous responsibilities and work of motherhood; I don't want to start over by doing it all again.  I do wish I knew all the things back then that I know now though.
   My advice to a new mom-
Resist judging yourself by your former standards.
You just aren't the same after you have a baby, roll with it.
Your body won't be the same, it will need different kinds of sleep and attention, it will be shaped differently, you will need to take some time to get to know it again (we're talking months here) and you will have to be kind and a bit accepting.
Your home won't be the same, roll with it.  You will see your surroundings differently as you bring a baby into them and all the dynamics shift just a little to accommodate.  The way you work and think and eat and play all change when you have a baby, set yourself some goals but be gentle with yourself about reaching them.  If your house isn't as clean and you aren't as organized and it's harder to get out and do things; be grateful that the reason all this has changed is a good one.
Drink plenty of water.
Talk to your baby.  Interact, smile, chat, play, it builds a bond.  You've chosen to sacrifice too much to be self-conscious at this point.
Listen to advice others give you and pick through it for what you think will work for you.  None of us would be here without someone having gone through this, so there's a lot of accumulated knowledge floating around out there.
You can do this.  Roll with it.

Writers Block

I want to try to do a post every weekday this year.  What to write about though...
I am reading The Happiness Project and it gives me all these brilliant ideas for things I could post in my blog but then I forget to write them down and by the time I am sitting in front of the computer I am drawing a blank.
I love the bit about finding your passion by seeing what your mind wanders to when you are sitting on the toilet.  I need to put a notepad in the bathroom and see what I come up with.
Catch phrases for each day sound right to me... a friend of mine does fashion Friday and I think that's a great idea so now I just need to match my interests with days of the week.
I took a break and gave it some thought while feeding the baby, here's what I came up with:
Mommy Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Word of Wednesday
Thursday Thoughts
Photo Friday
All are things I'm interested in matched to a weekday so I'm guessing I could come up with something to write about.  I'm hoping that by writing about things that interest me I will help myself become a better writer.