JPEG (s) of the Week

Will calls this Monkey George dot com
(aka Curious George on pbskids.org)
A 2 year old that speaks internet lingo!

Oh, how the boy loves his music!
And you should see him dance =)

I love this little homey!

What a Great Idea!

So you know how much I love the Christmas cards...we've already discussed how wacko I am about getting that 'perfect' picture for our card. And I loved receiving each and every card this past Christmas. It really feels like a gift itself. I just can't bear to part with them; I still have every Christmas card sitting on my kitchen counter and I thumb through them as I am waiting for water to boil, something to heat in the microwave, etc.

Earlier this month, Sara, a high school friend and sorority sister, emailed that she, too, can't bear to throw the cards away, knowing how hard everyone worked to get those cute pictures. So each week she is taking one card and praying for those children and their family. Throughout the year, she will be praying for all of her friends and their families. Isn't this a fabulous idea! What a wonderful way to minister to each other!

Sara emailed on Monday to say that this week she would be praying for our family. She wanted to check in and see if we had anything specific we would like her to cover (as if how in the world we are going to raise Godly men in this culture we live isn’t enough to concentrate on!!). I can't tell you how comforting it is to know that someone else is specifically praying for you. I just thought this was such a loving act and wanted to share.

Ya Gotta Be Kiddin' Me?!?!

This past spring we replaced all of our windows...all 29 of them. About the cost of a Honda Civic, but really, who's counting pennies? It needed to be done; the old windows were rotting in some places, there was condensation between some of the panes, and because they were 20 years old, the insulation qualities were sub par. We have noticed quite a difference this winter with the temperature inside our house. Not drafty at all. So we are pleased that we went ahead and replaced them all, despite the cost. And as a small bonus, we would be able to claim the windows on our taxes as an energy efficient home improvement. Not a whole lot of $$ in the rebate, but to Miss Frugal Fanny here, I am happy to receive any amount of my moola back.

Today, I am filling out our tax returns. I come to the section about energy efficient homes and this is what I read.


You can claim:

-Solar water heating costs

-Solar electric costs

-Fuel cell property costs

-Small wind energy property costs

-Geothermal heat pump property costs



You can't claim:

-external doors and windows

-insulation

-central air

-energy efficient light bulbs

-low flow toilets and shower heads

-energy star appliances

WHAT?!?! YOU CAN'T CLAIM WINDOWS?!?! And here you might be saying, "Why yes you can! When we replaced our windows back in 2006 (or 2007), we were able to claim this expense on our tax returns!" And you would be absolutely right. The credit was good in 2006, 2007 and will be good in 2009, BUT NOT IN 2008! Seriously?!?! SERIOUSLY?!?! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Some nonsense about this credit expiring in 2007, Bush signed it back into effect, but it isn't reinstated until 2009. Well, thanks. Thanks alot. And I am a bit irritated with our window replacement company over this. I do specifically remember them mentioning the tax rebate in their sales pitch. Seems someone didn't get the "except 2008" memo.

Now isn't this typical government logic? I am sure that 99.5% of Americans are trying to be responsible "green" citizens doing improvements that fall under the CAN'T CLAIM category. I mean who in the good ole US of A has a geothermal heat pump?!? Solar electricity?!?! Anyone? Anyone? The last time I checked, "fuel cells" (I don't even know what these are!) weren't flying off the shelves at Home Depot. And I would know if they were because we are at The Depot just about every Saturday. And even if I set up a windmill in our front yard to qualify for the "small wind energy property costs" I know for a certain fact that it violates all kinds of neighborhood covenants and the architectural control committee would be over here so fast my head would be spinning. But the mental picture of a windmill on the front lawn and the resulting gawking neighbors does make me laugh!

Eavesdropping

One of the fun things about being home with the boys is to listen to their conversations with each other. Last week or the week before, I overheard this conversation between Jack and Will:

J: Will, do you want to come watch me poo-poo?
(I was actually surprised with this invitation because usually Jack is so private and doesn't want you even near the door, much less in the bathroom with him.)

W: Okay, Jack!

J: Okay! But Will just remember...you can watch me poo-poo but you can't touch the poo-poo!

Whew! I am so glad we got those bathroom rules established!


The two of them have been arguing/picking/aggravating each other to no end recently. So much so that Brent threatened to give Jack and Will to the gypsies when they stopped by on Saturday. Will was like "Gypsies, Schmypsies! If they give out cookies, I am so there!" But Jack bought into the gypsy story and was sweating it out that afternoon. (And yes, I did add a few dollars to the therapy jar once I realized that he thought the gypsies were real!)

Well, this afternoon they have seemed to call a truce. Will said, "I unt (want) Jack. Jack hold you!" So Jack gave Will a hug (Awwww!). And then Will leaned over and kissed Jack on the cheek and said, "I kiss Jack!" I believe my heart just burst into a million pieces. They are now laying on the bed together watching Clifford with their feet intertwined! =)

I think I'll keep 'em....at least until the gypsies come on Saturday!

Inauguration Day

Since the Young 5s class held their own mock election, it seems only fitting that they have their own Inauguration festivities as well. The class started the morning off making inauguration hats. Aren't they cute?!?! Jack was so proud of his!

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

Young 5s class on Inauguration Day 2009

The parade begins!

Jack played the drum sticks

Jack said that they learned that Barack Obama is the first African American president, the president is the leader of our country, the president has a big job to do, the president lives in the White House, and that black and white people should all get along. A very good lesson indeed! Jack said that his favorite part about today was the parade. I was substitute teaching at the boys' school this morning, so I got to see first hand the parade marching down the hall. I can attest to the fact that it was a fun and noisy group. =)

What's for Dinner?

This weekend was cold...early morning temps in the teens and highs in the 30s. So we just hung out at home, played with our toys, and tried to get everyone well. And I had a craving for soup. Now everyone knows that there is nothing better on a cold winter's day than a nice warm bowl of soup. Soup is just basic comfort food during the winter months. And the bonus is you can throw everything into one pot, it cooks itself, and there is only one pot to clean up! Now how can you go wrong with that?

So I found a new soup recipe that we tried Saturday night...Lasagna Soup! Got two thumbs up from Brent and the boys. It makes a nice alternative to chili. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Lasagna Soup

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups egg noodles (I didn't measure and just used the entire 8 oz bag)
  
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt into cooked meat mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly.

*I put Brent's and my bowl under the broiler, but because I didn't want the boys to accidently burn themselves on a hot bowl, I just sprinkled their soup with the cheese. It melted nicely while their soup was set aside to cool a little.

Sunday night, I fixed a chicken alfredo that had bow-tie pasta and a little bit of spinach along with lemon garlic roasted broccoli. Now doesn't that sound good? Well, Jack walks into the kitchen and says, "Eeeeeww! What's that? I don't like that! I'm not eating it!" So Jack and I had a little discussion about good and bad manners. We sit down for dinner and Jack, having a complete change of heart (or more likely, didn't want to be sent to bed without dinner), says, "Burnt Broccoli! I love burnt broccoli! This burnt broccoli is my favorite!" Yes, I counted...he said burnt no less than 3 times!

Thanks, son. Nothing like a backhanded compliment. I tried to remind him that the broccoli was roasted not burnt. Brent was laughing hysterically. I give up! But I do want it on the record for his future wife that I tried, I really, really tried!

JPEG of the Week

To a 2 year old, it is the greatest invention ever! Kockets! With every new pair of pants, the first thing Will does is check if they have pockets. What a wonderful place to store all of your treasures!
The little joys of childhood =).

Right now, I am listening to my two sweet boys playing together. Is there a more beautiful sound than your children's laughter? I think not. Life is good!

Plague, Plague Go Away

Wasn't it me who only 2 weeks ago was so excited to start the new year?!?! Well, now I am trying to figure out a way to crawl back into 2008. Someone in this house has been sick every day of 2009. First, Will has had this crud that has lingered around for weeks. I think it is finally clearing out. Then, of course, I caught whatever it was that Will had and was down for a couple of days. Yesterday, I get a call from the preschool to come get Jack because he had thrown up. Poor baby. I get to school and he looks just awful. He said his throat hurt, too. We get home and he crashes on our bed and sleeps for 2 hours. Jack hasn't done that since he was 2. He woke up this morning and said that his stomach felt better but his throat still felt "nasty". Fortunately, Will's 2 year old well check up was today so I took Jack along to be checked, too. Strep Throat! He has already started the antibiotics so hopefully he will be feeling better tomorrow or Sunday at the latest. The pediatrician said to keep an eye on Will because strep is highly contagious and with siblings playing together....Great! I just rolled my eyes 'cause the way this month is going I'll be hauling Will back to the dr office on Monday (oh who am I kidding, it will be Sat morning!) for his own strep test.

And the real kicker is that the boys were going to spend the weekend with my parents. We had to cancel that. Jack and Will had been talking about it all week. And Brent and I were excited about having dinner some place that doesn't have a drive thru, video games, or balloons! And probably have Sunday brunch too, just because we could. Oh well! Mom and I have rescheduled the boys' weekend away and our new plans are to stay inside all weekend and disinfect this house. It is COLD here...I mean Brrrrrrrr!

Okay, pity party is officially over...thanks for listening to me whine!

Are You Ready?

It's baaaaaack....TONIGHT!

The Battle of the Blessing

Thank you Father
Thank you Father
for our food
for our food
Now we ask the blessing
Now we ask the blessing
Amen
Amen

This is just one of the many blessings Jack has learned over the past 3 years in preschool. And since he was about 3 years old, Jack has been the Chief Giver of the Blessings at our dinner table. And he has relished this role. For the first couple of years, he would chose from his repertoire and sing us a sweet one. This past year, Jack has grown to understand the concept of 'captive audience' and thus the blessings have grown in length and breadth. Some of these original blessings have been spiritually enriching; he has thanked Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins, he has thanked God for Heaven and letting us live there one day with Jesus, he has thanked God for loving us. On the other hand, we have also given thanks to the good Lord for numerous animals and their habitats and diets, a favorite ride at Disney World, or a funny show on Noggin; a bit less virtuous. We even have had addendums to blessings in which we had to actually thank God for our food (Mommy and Daddy just don't appreciate poetic license).

Jack has bestowed upon himself another title...that of The Blessing Police. While everyone else at the table must assume the appropriate reverent posture (head bowed, eyes closed, quietly listening), Jack remains, eyes opened, surveying the table, and will stop the blessing to announce the slightest infraction, and then the blessing must begin again from the very beginning. This can make for a very loooong wait if we are in one of his creative, free-flow-of-thought blessings.

So one night this past week, Jack begins the blessing and then we hear "Tank ooo Ah-der, Tank ooo Ah-der, Tank ooo Ah-der, Ahh-men, Ahh-men". And Will has the proudest smile on his face as he has just completed his first blessing. Well, you can just imagine the outrage of The Blessing Police. First, the interruption; Second, the unsolicited blessing; Third, a party who remained oblivious to or unaffected by the corrections of said police. Jack's eyes were buggin' out and I could see smoke coming out of his ears. So Jack makes a second attempt at his blessing, and undeterred from the recent scolding, Will begins again, too, "Tank ooo Ah-der, Tank ooo Ah-der...".

I would have laughed out loud at the comedy of the situation if I hadn't been digesting my own liver because I was STARVING. I finally had to force Jack to complete his blessing over the singing of his little brother. And although he was very put out about this, he complied by shouting his blessing (I am sure the Lord, who I know has a wonderful sense of humor, was thoroughly enjoying this scene!). And realizing this shift in power, Will doesn't eat a single bit of dinner because he is too busy continuing to sing "Tank ooo Ah-der Ahh-men" over and over again (ya know, just to rub salt in the wounds). I don't think any food that I have ever eaten has been so blessed. Truly, we were on holy ground that night. And I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised to look over and see a burning bush right there in my kitchen.

JPEG (s) of the Week

before

first sip

after

Back to Life as We Know It

I think we are all enjoying being back in a routine. The boys both had fun at school on Tuesday. And I was not the only mommy walking the halls with a smile on her face. I saw several that looked like they were going to break out in the happy dance at any moment. Jack started a new session of gymnastics on Tuesday. There are 3 boys and 2 girls in his class, and dare I say it....Jack is the best one in the group! Seriously! And I am not saying that through a mother's rose-colored glasses because I have spent years watching him lag behind his peers in physical endeavors. I think everyone is aware of Jack's hypotonia and how hard he has worked for years in PT, OT and gymnastics to improve his gross and fine motor skills. I am most proud of his persistence and effort (without complaining for the most part), which are character traits that will serve him well in life. And Jack recognizes that he is one of the better ones in his class, which I think is really good for his self confidence. He will never be an athlete so it is nice to have one hour a week where he can be a star.

Wednesday, I went back to the gym after a week off. I did the weightlifting class. I can barely lift my arms above my head! Discovered a new drink at Starbucks...the Espresso Truffle. It was recommended to me by Blythe, my sister-in-law and future Starbucks rehab roomie. Yuuuum! You can't go wrong with this one! Go ahead and treat yourself...you deserve it! Wednesday was rainy, cold and dreary so I had a taste for chili for dinner. This was a risky choice because Jack doesn't like chili and I was very doubtful that Will would eat it, so it looked like only Brent and I would go to bed with full bellies. Jack walks into the kitchen and says, "What smells so good?" Do my ears deceive me? I nonchalantly answered, "Dinner...we are having some yummy chili." And then he says, "Oh! Well, now that I am 5 1/2, I like chili!" Okaaaay, who are you and what have you done with my child?!?! But who am I to argue? 3 full bellies tonight. The boys and I sit down to dinner and I watch Will take a bite of the chili and spit it back out. I ignore that. Jack is shoveling his dinner in while saying things like, "Yum! This is so good! I love this chili!" Of course not to be outdone by his older brother, Will takes a second bite, eats his chili, and asks for seconds! Gotta love peer pressure!

Today while the boys were in school, I went to The Container Store for some more of their men's shoe boxes. These are the best boxes for storing toys in the playroom...they hold alot of toys, they are clear so it is easy to identify what is inside, the lids are easy enough for Jack to open and close and they stack neatly inside the toy cabinet. Well, now that I have this organizational 'wild hair', The Container Store is going to be a very dangerous place. I walked up and down the aisles with new eyes. Oh the possibilities! I had to refrain from going hog wild in the kitchen section; there are so many neat little things that I am going to 'need' once I start organizing the kitchen cabinets and pantry. But let me tell you...organization is not cheap...pricey, pricey, pricey. Little Miss Penny Pincher is going to have to wait for a Container Store SALE!

If you have the time and inclination, please let me in on your best organizational tips. Just click on the COMMENTS link at the end of this post and share some of your tried and true methods. We all need to learn from each other!

Starting to See the Light

at the end of the tunnel! Well, 2009 got off to a rough start, but it's starting to improve. I woke up Friday morning with the crud that Will had. I had been up the night before with Will (for the 3rd straight night, but who's counting?), and was just exhausted. The boys and I spent the entire day in our jammies just hanging out...well, the kids were hanging out and I was just hanging on until Brent got home from work! Jack cleaned up the playroom without complaining, so as a treat, I suggested we go to McDonald's for lunch (drive thru, of course, since we were all still in our jammies). Everyone is buckled up and we are talking about what kind of milkshakes to get when I turn the key in the ignition....the car battery is DEAD! What a joy kill. Thankfully, I married one of the handiest men ever and he brought home a new battery along with a gallon of milk, Advil Cold & Sinus, and dinner! He is a keeper; glad I married that one! And obviously, you didn't cheer hard enough for the Tide. I still can't talk about the Sugar Bowl...just awful, painful awful, blood bath awful. Uuugh!

Saturday was a better day. The new washer and dryer arrived and they work great. We gave it a test run with our comforter and it got out a ballpoint pen ink stain. Yeah! I've done 3 loads of laundry today and I am lovin' this set =). I will be one happy housewife if I can get control of this laundry.

One of my new year's resolutions is to organize every closet/dresser/cabinet in this house. My closet is the absolute worst. When we moved in, I had a 6 week old baby, so I just shoved everything in my closet and planned to get to it once life settled down. Well, 5 1/2 years later...but 2009 is the year! So on Sunday, Brent took the boys to church and lunch so that I could totally clean and reorganize the playroom. You just can't do this with the kids around because they suddenly become interested in all the toys that were soooo boring just a week ago. I know this because I tried to start on the playroom Saturday afternoon. Anyhow, it took me all of Sunday until about 11 pm, but not only is the playroom organized and tidy, but the attic is also in better shape. Brent and I got in there and rearranged all of the stuff. I now have the 'mega yard sale' area and the storage area. It felt so good to have that done. When I went to bed Sunday night, I actually felt 5 lbs lighter! Hopefully, this 'wild hair' continues.

Today was the last day of Christmas break =)! Both boys go back to school tomorrow! They have been out of school for 3 weeks.....3 looooong weeks! We are all on each other's nerves; they are on my last one, I am on their's, and Jack & Will can't look at each other without fighting. I am going to try to restrain from doing the happy dance until I return to my car after drop off. No promises though; I will be that mom kicking up her heels and high 5-ing all the other moms down the hallway before making a mad dash to Starbucks for a celebratory coffee. Woo Hoo!

Happy New Year

It was another sleepless night at our house, and it wasn't from wild partying...Will was sick again. He woke up at 3:30 am, I fed him some milk because he hadn't eaten much all day so I thought he must be starving, and then he came to bed with us. A little while later a coughing spell started and the gag reflex kicked in...curdled milk vomit everywhere! Niiiiiiice! All over Will, the sheets, the pillow, and all over his beloved monkey. I can't even describe the sour stench...Yuuuck! Brent and I managed to get everything cleaned up, new sheets on the bed, and I finally got Will back in his own crib around 5:30. Happy to report there were no further incidents and that Monkey cleaned up nicely.

Jack woke up this morning in a FOUL mood. He stayed up too late last night and sleep deprivation is not a pretty thing for Jack. Once he is in a foul mood funk, it can be nearly impossible to bring him out of it. Brent made him go back upstairs and come down again to start the day over. When Jack came back downstairs, we all started clapping and yelling "Happy New Year!" Will thought it was hilarious. Jack just stood in the hallway yelling "It's not working!" What are we going to do with that kid!

So between a rough night with Will and a headache of a morning with Jack, a Starbucks trip was well deserved for Brent and me. And for me, it was a two coffee morning. We all sat around and enjoyed our drinks and miracle of miracles, Jack not only emerged from his funk but was fun and giggly. It was then that we realized I had ordered Jack a coffee frap instead of his usual creme-based frap. When we left Starbucks, our family was practically giddy! Starbucks is Prozac in a cup! And it is quite evident our family needs it.

On a side note, Brent and I decided that the more words it takes for you to order a cup of coffee at Starbucks, the more difficult of a personality you have. I can order my new favorite drink in 5 words. Brent realized that it took him 8 words to order his drink. A-HA!! Verrry Interesting! He then quickly figured out how to order in 4 words. Based on this unscientific test, I would be the most difficult person in the house. Obviously, the test is not accurate 100% of the time.

After Starbucks, we made a trip to Target for new pillows and left with $200 worth of other stuff. Target and Costco are money black holes...I can never get out of Costco for less than $100 and Target is getting just as bad. But today Target was a ghost town. I think we were the only ones in there. It was really kinda eerie in a Left Behind sorta way. Maybe the rest of our town was hung over?!?!?!

The rest of the day was low key, but very productive. Brent did some 'light' yard work...cutting down tree branches! I cuddled with the sick baby and undecorated the tree. Christmas is officially over and both of the boys are sad to see their little trees and the family tree gone, but it is nice having the house back in order.

Hope you have had a good start to 2009! And remember to cheer for BAMA tomorrow night...Roll Tide!