I’d love to get into a wonderfully thoughtful and witty post with you right now, but I can’t focus. Yes. A baby is crying. It’s really the only thing that can keep me from focusing on The Blog.
It’s Maile. And because I can’t compose my thoughts to talk about anything more interesting allow me to tell you why she’s crying…
I bought Maile and Laina coloring books on Saturday. I usually just print pictures out for them that I find on the internet to color, but the books were only a dollar and it cuts out a lot of time on my part if they just have a bunch of pictures at their fingertips.
I was talking on the phone long distance to a friend earlier and Maile kept hounding me to print her a out a picture. I said no (repeatedly and in an irritated whisper) and the girls instead colored in their coloring books in Maile’s room.
When Maile is mad she has taken to doing this whole “well if you don’t let me do (fill in the blank) then I’m gonna do this (bad behavior).” She threatens me AND her friends when she doesn’t get her way. I think it stems from the whole “If you don’t do what I ask you to do then you’re going to have a time out” thing that I do to HER!! See how that comes full circle?? Sweet.
Anyways, her and Laina were getting rowdy and mean to each other so I hung up with my friend and got them ready for bed. When I came into Maile’s room to tuck her in I noticed a green streak on the carpet (small-ish) and right next to a green marker. I glanced up at her…
“It’s because you won’t print me out a picture…”
A say WHAT!?!
So I yelled at her about how she’s not a baby and she knows better and that’s MY carpet and she ruined it and I’m not happy and she doesn’t get to color tomorrow yada yada yada and left her room. ANGRY.
That’s right folks.
No bedtime prayer.
No covering up.
No sweet songs.
Just left. her. room.
It’s not sitting well with her. And her crying is not sitting well with me…
Part of me wants to go in and talk calmly and let her apologize and go to sleep without feeling like she just disappointed her most favortist person in the whole world.
The other part of me wants to go in, take that green marker, put a stripe down the middle of her face and say “it’s because you drew on my carpet…and now you won’t shut up.”
I had my interview with Mindi today…more on that later….I’m going in…
Archives for August 2008
A Couple More Videos…
Of the kids cooking…for your viewing enjoyment…
It’s What’s For Dinner: Fiesta Chicken Dinner
It’s that time of the week. Yep. You guessed it. It’s Fiesta Chicken Dinner time!!!! Woo hoo…shake the maracas and what not.
Maile and Laina will both be joining us in the kitchen today to help put together a delectable meal.
Maile is turning five this fall and will be going to preschool three days a week starting next week. YAAAYYY!!! I mean…Awwwwww…we’ll miss you Maile.
Laina is a very mature three and is easily and readily manipulated by her big sister. She will eat food she doesn’t like and allow the whiskers of her sea otter to be cut off if her big sister so desires it. Don’t worry folks…there is a child who thinks for herself buried underneath all that sisterly admiration…it’ll surface. It’ll surface.
Ok so here’s what you gotta do. Cook some chicken. Throw in the pasta from a deluxe macaroni and cheese package (may or may not be *cough* kraft), water, salsa, and cumin. Bring it to a boil.
Stir the beans and cheese pouch into skillet. Top with green onions and serve with sour cream on the side.
And let’s be honest here. This is NOT a meal you want to throw together and invite your boyfriend over for a nice little candle lit dinner. This is a meal you throw together because you happen to have all the ingredients and there’s a storm outside. It’s a comfort meal. Nice and warm and mac and cheesy.
I have a feeling I just deterred everyone from wanting to jump up and cook this feast…and by “feeling” I mean I “threw up a little in my mouth re-looking at these pictures and wondered if it’s really worthy of being put on the blog”.
Alas.
It is too late.
Your Menu:
Cajun Seafood Pasta
Ravioli Lasagna
Thai Chicken
Parmesan Baked Salmon
Chicken Cesar Lasagna
Taco Salad
Kalua Pork And Cabbage
Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells
Stephen’s Broiled Salmon
Slow Cooker Tex-Mex
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Enchiladas
Southwest Stuffed Burgers
Fiesta Chicken Dinner
(I don’t know why their are spaces right there, but I can’t get rid of them and yes. My obsessive compulsive nature will obsess about them until they can be removed. Freaking double space *shaking fist*. Blast.)
*eta* Oooh oooh…it DID work Mrsmouthy!! Mrsmouthy knows the double space secret everyone!!! Now we know where to go when in blogger turmoil…
A Sign
Do you ever get that feeling in a moment, that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing??
I’m a little cooky, but I get those little messages all the time.
Remember that thing I wrote about how I wanted my Dad to be a saint?? And my teacher kind of danced around the topic (poor lady) and basically wouldn’t let my Dad be a saint??
Remember??
So last night I was reading Change Of Heart and I’m at this part where this 11 year old girl is waiting for a heart transplant and her and her mom are talking about the possibility of her not making it.
pg. 62
“I think I’ll be a Saint.” she said, as if it were entirely up to her. “That way no one forgets you when you’re gone.”
Awwwww. That’s so sweet…and so exactly it! So exactly what my seven year old self was thinking.
And so totally a sign that the stars are aligned and I am in this moment writing and saying and reading and doing exactly what I am supposed to be writing and saying and reading and doing.
I told you I’m cooky.
It is a nice little passage though…
Maile Says The Darndest Things
I love this age the girls are right now because their vocabulary is increasing daily and you can just see them soaking up information all the time. Last night Maile tried out a word I have never heard her use before:
Maile: Will you print me out a picture Mom?
Me: In a minute.
Maile: But. Can I have a hearT picture? (when words end with a T or a K they get extra pronunciation.)
Me: Yeah, hang on a second.
Maile: But I really want a hearT.
Me: (distracted) mmm.
Maile: Ohhhh. I’m just so jaylous of them. I’m so jaylous of the hearT picture Mom.
Me: Jealous? What does that mean?
Maile: Like…like I really love them.
Me: Ohhhhh. Ok.
What does the fact that my four year old is using the word jealous say about me as a mother?? I’m so glad I could pass that word on to her…next I’m waiting for her to say “freaking”. That’ll be a fun day!
I’m In Heaven *ETA*
And this is why:
I’ve got to be honest, I’ve known I was going to be getting this little angel for over nine months now. Her big sister is turning nine soon and has been in daycare with me since she was four. When her Mom found out she pregnant she was SHOCKED. We all were. It deserves it’s own post really.
Anyways, I love to look at babies, but the zero to one infant age has been difficult for me with each of my kids. I might even be willing to narrow it down to age zero to six months. Each time I swear we’re not having anymore kids. NEVER. Never ever ever ever ever again. I definitely go through a baby blues kind of thing and have some good crying spells after each birth. I chalk it up to a few things:
1.) Lack of sleep
2.) Crazy hormones
3.) Feeling overwhelmed
4.) Feeling fat
5.) Feeling guilty
6.) Swollen boobs
7.) Pain from the birth
8.) Bleeding from the birth
9.) And lack of sleep.
The first few months are killer and they’ve made me just a little nervous about taking tiny infants into the daycare.
I just spent an hour with baby girl. The second her Mom left I snatched her out of her car seat and swaddled her up, because a swaddled baby is quite possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. She was asleep within minutes and her and I cooked french fries and got lunches together for the kids…and guess what I discovered!?!
When you’re getting decent sleep and your hormones are stable and you feel in control and you’re fine with your weight and you’re not feeling guilty and you’re boobs are their happy little selves and you haven’t squeezed an eight pound baby from the nether regions and you’re not suffering from the repercussion of said squeezing and you’re getting decent sleep…
Babies. Are. Scrumptious.
I love her.
I offered her Mom a hundred bucks for her, but she declined…if I add a paypal button in my sidebar will you all donate more money to my “adopt baby girl” fund!?!
On second thought, maybe I’ll just foster her for a week and then change my mind.
ps I just finished reading your comments about Bianca and I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the Meet the Fam posts! I’ve debated on whether or not I wanted to do them because I didn’t think anyone would care. I thought maybe the only person I’d be entertaining is myself..which is all well and good, but still.
I do that sometimes with my posts…you know, put the pressure on that they have to be funny or entertaining, but not too long, and not too short. They must reach some sort of weird standard that I’ve developed for them.
And then I remind myself that what I write is a reflection of my life that I want to pass ON eventually…and that really doesn’t have anything to do with you. You’re just icing on the cake.
Wonderful, wonderful, delicious, melt in your mouth icing…but still just icing.
It helps to remember that though. I think writing from your heart is a win/win…even if some people don’t enjoy it as much as you’d like them to.
Here’s a little taste of who’s up next…
ahahahahahahahahah ahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha hahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahah.
It’s What’s For Dinner: Southwest Stuffed Burgers *ETA*
Get the Bobby ready it’s time for some scrumptious Southwest Stuffed Burgers (click here for the recipe)
Time to meet your chefs: Maile is on your left and loves to sing songs. non. stop. She has a lovely falsetto that I encourage by saying things like: “My that’s a pretty song you’re singing…would you mind singing it a little quieter??”
Laina is on your right and is the child guilty of repeatedly whining for waffles late in the afternoon when she is clearly not hungry.
Let’s get started. First you’re going to need 1.5 pounds of ground beef, mayonnaise, and a packet of taco seasoning.
Mix those three things together.
Then combine 1/2 cup of cheese with 2 tablespoons of salsa in a separate bowl.
Make 6 thin patties and spoon the salsa/cheese mixture over each one. Then make six more thin patties and place them over top the patties with the mixture. Pinch edges together and seal, and since barbecuing is man’s work…
That’s right. ‘Bout time he did something useful around here…
And wa la. Dig in!
*ETA*
Kimba has asked that I list all of the recipes so that they can be easily accessed and I think if you click on the “recipes” link I have at the bottom of the post next to the word “labels” it will take you to all the recipe archives. But just for you Kimba:
Cajun Seafood Pasta
Ravioli Lasagna
Thai Chicken
Parmesan Baked Salmon
Chicken Cesar Lasagna
Taco Salad
Kalua Pork And Cabbage
Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells
Stephen’s Broiled Salmon
Slow Cooker Tex-Mex
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Enchiladas
DawnatEmbracingtheordinarylife mentioned the fact that six burgers may be way too much food and I was totally going to address that. Aside from just scaling back the recipe you can crumble up the leftovers and make a Taco Salad!! That’s what I did last night and it was great. Essentially I got two meals in one. Whoopee.
Oh man, and Jaci just pointed out that I forgot to add the video. Am I slacking over here or WHAT!?! You guys are keeping me busy…you’re lucky the kids aren’t here yet!! Here you go Jaci:
And finally, as suggested by Casey’s Trio and Becca I have added Pat’s agreeable nature to my list of reasons why I love him!
Reasons I Love My Husband
1.)He brings me warm bottles to give to the baby in the middle of the night when I am cussing him out in my head.
2.)He ignores my juvenile behavior and patiently waits for me to get over myself and discuss our finances like an adult.
3.)He sits back until I give him the “look” and then he swoops in and rescues me from a sure death of toddler suffocation.
4.)He sat at the door of the operating room, after I was rushed in following an emergency c-section, waiting for word of my condition…for six hours.
5.)He drives 45 minutes out of his way to go get me sushi on Friday night because I’m hungry and moody and tired and he wants me to be happy.
6.)He says things like, “Kat. Who are the most important people in your life? We are all here. We all love you. We’re not going anywhere. Just remember that.” and makes me feel better when things start getting to me.
7.)He takes time away from HIS job and comes home on a moments notice to help ME with MY job.
8.) When I’ve had a tough day with the kids he lets me talk it out until I run out of gas and then suggests we send them to a different daycare.
9.) He wears my pink polk-a-dotted apron without so much as a blink when I want to take a picture of him for The Blog.