Things I Learned in the Snow

Things I learned in the snow (not literally "in" for the most part, but the fact that I felt like I couldn't escape the snow all week justifies calling myself "in" it):

--A potato masher and soup ladle make good snow-carving tools. I prefer the potato masher.

--It is far more fun to build a snow-cave than to shovel, especially since the pile I was supposed to throw the snow onto was above my head and I never could quite master the art of getting the snow to leave the shovel at the right time.




--A good way to save money is not going to the store. Seems obvious, but still.

--If a trip to the store is necessary, I will prefer to do it from now on. This has to do with hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup. I will say no more about this. Oh, except that somehow there is ice cream in the freezer, which was also not on the list.



--My favorite cake tastes even better with butterscotch chips on top.


--My favorite cake does not feel so good after eating too much of it while watching Conan O'Brien on the internet.

--There's such a thing as too much snow for sledding.


--Our cinnamon applesauce ornaments appear to be edible, thanks to a 2-year-old named Claire. I'm still looking for the sticky mess where she had to have spit it out, but it really seems like she CONSUMED it. Glitter and all. (Sorry, Brooke)


--I like watching Jeremy shovel. That's why I made HIM a chocolate cake, I promise.


--I am thankful I am just stuck in the snow not in earthquake rubble (Haiti) or clay-mud (the reservation).

SNOW! (and a little Annie Lately)

I can't believe I took 68 pictures this morning. A lot were of the snow, but some were me just fooling around trying to learn more about my camera. Don't worry, I won't put them ALL on here.

So it's snowing. A lot. And I got all ready to be snowed in like last Friday and now, when it is actually happening, I'm kind of running low on things--like diapers! We'll figure out how to make do (actually that made me chuckle in a Chandler-from-friends kind of way..."make doo").

Speaking of making doo, the snow is inspiring me (and others who have called me for my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe) to bake. But I am running low on supplies, so I made my go-to recipe for when I am running low on supplies or energy or time: No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies! Sorry guys, the oatmeal just screams at me from the cupboard to bake it! Oh, but the making doo part--I didn't take a picture of them because they look like piles of doodoo.

So here's the latest scoop on Epic Snow Storm, day 4 (days 1,2, &3 consisted of moderate snow and then gorgeous sunshine that melted most of the snow, otherwise we might really be in a Little House on the Prairie snow situation here). But still, all activities were cancelled. Today, we woke up to this scene, and it is still going strong.



It feels like slow-motion drowning, except that our house is a scuba tank because we can breathe.

The boys have
1) woken me up too early (beleive me, you don't want to see a picture of that!)
2) built the best train track ever (good job Sam, for building it; good job Evan for not destroying it...yet; good job Annie for being cute)

3) built a fort

4) played outside
5) watched Finding Nemo (while digging for boogers)

6) made a craft (it really was an idea left over from Christmas that I never got to, but they don't really realize that Christmas is over anyway)
They are cinnamon applesauce ornaments--I guess they dry up really hard and last for a few years (and smell really good, too)
I used 1/2 cup cinnamon, 1/2 cup applesauce, a little glitter, and a little glue
Yep, the dough looks like doodoo, too.

The kids' favorite part was blowing the little piece of dough out of the straw after we used it to make a hole for the ribbon to go through.
A few friends have mentioned needing activities to do with their kids...here's a few other ones I have done recently. There are much better crafts on the internet, I just do the first thing that comes to mind and think about the mess later. Enjoy!
(Those were banana slices with peanut butter rolled in granola and mini chocolate chips) (That was shiving cream on cookie sheets for drawing and writing--can't promise it won't ruin your cookie sheets, but it didn't ruin mine!)
(Another idea is writing on the refrigerator with dry-erase markers...haven't done it yet, but probably will today!)

And last but not least, some "Annie Lately". Really enjoy!

Snowed-In and Suffering

The title of this post would make it seem like we're, well, snowed-in and suffering. Actually, the two words don't have anything to do with each other, just the two big topics of the day. We're actually having a nice time at home, due to my adjusted attitude, my acceptance of my addiction to coffee, and some fun activities (that I will talk about later).

The suffering part has to do with not being able to watch any news coverage of the situation in Haiti. I talk to my mom on the phone and she gives me tidbits of the news that she has heard from there, being sure to include the "good" stories. My imagination can fill in the blanks about the "bad" stuff (and even then I'm sure it is just 10% of what the bad stuff actually is like). Just THINKING about it yesterday caused me to Google "adopting a baby from Haiti". Maybe this is TMI, but my friends and I have talked about whether we would nurse someone else's baby, and in this situation, I would happily do so for a Haitian baby.

I was comforted once by hearing John Piper say that he has to have theological arguments in his head when he thinks about suffering in order to remind himself that God is good. I have to do that, too...and then not forget to still take action as Jesus would. I guess I have been thinking that, though the devastation in Haiti is unparalled, death and suffering are happening every day. Friends watch their babies die in their arms, people are injured in accidents or lose their possessions. If I were to be angry at God or doubt his goodness, I would have to do it every day. But, every day, poor people suffer and die and others do nothing about it. When something like this happens, people (and especially God-believing people) take action in unparalleled ways. So even though I can't imagine what people are going through in Haiti right now, I know that God is being glorified and people are loving their neighbor as themselves and taking stock of what is really important. And even though it sounds cliche, these events help us to see what a gift God's blessings are, instead of just expecting everything to be wonderful all the time and being mad when we don't get what we want. Jeremy is reading a book to the youth group about a Bulgarian pastor who was tortured for his faith and he read a part about the pastor finding a single blade of grass in the prison yard and rejoicing over it. I think if we could really see all the suffering the way God can see it, we wouldn't be able to breathe, and if we could really see all of God's blessings, we wouldn't be able to function and would just stand there saying "Oh my!" all day long.

So now it seems strange to talk about our snowed-in day fun, but that's the dilemma I feel...how I can go about my daily business when there are people with no water, food, etc. But that's how it is right now, and I must go on (with hopefully a changed perspective and commitment to pray and take action if needed). The forecast (and John Coe) predicts epic snowfall blah blah blah, so I have decided to hunker down at home for the week (except for plans to tromp through the snow to a neighbor's house for a movie date). I have decided to document our days as this storm progresses. So here is the review of day 1:

--Woke up to...no snow yesterday, but it picked up later and compelled me to make
--Oatmeal cake (does not go with my diet but smelled good, warmed up the house, and hit the spot--I highly recommend making one...I won't post the recipe I used due to a recent FAIL in my ability to copy a recipe correctly) (Here is a picture of what was left of Oatmeal Cake after late-night devouring)

--a craft: Butter (or Cream Cheese) Box Puppets Directions: take an empty butter box (or cream cheese for smaller hands) and tape it closed. Wrap with paper then find the middle, cut through 3 sides, leaving one wide side intact. Decorate like a puppet (you could make it really cute with green paper and alligator teeth or a tongue, glue on googly eyes, etc. but I used self-restraint and let the boys just do whatever they wanted) then use as a puppet...

...or use it to motivate boys to pick up their toys (a nice result that I hadn't expected)


--watching movies, snuggled up under...a collapsed Transformers tent?

Here was the view this morning (day 2 of EPIC! STORM!):

We'll see what sort of crafts and cooking we come up with for today, and I plan to take time to talk to God more about His purposes in suffering and what He expects from me...

An Afternoon in the Life of a Former So-Cal Gal

(Sorry about the gaggy title. I couldn't resist)

Here's a picture of Sam's "rest time" today:
Here's a picture of Evan at rest time:
Here's me at rest time:
Notice that NONE of us are napping. Some of my friends still have nappers. I don't. No bitterness here. Annie WAS napping until a certain 5-year-old went potty. We were trying to do a craft at the new craft table but he was totally distracted by his full bladder and wouldn't admit it. There are few things that stress me out more than Samuel pretending that he doesn't have to go pee while trying to do a craft--he can't stay on the chair and is frantically opening drawers and talking a-mile-a-minute and knocking things on the floor and shoving things until I finally say (emphatically...okay, I kind of yelled), "I'm not talking to you until you GO POTTY!" That's when he careens down the hall and crashes into the wall that has ALWAYS been there. That's when Annie wakes up. And that's when Mommy takes a deep breath and goes looking for chocolate.

Here's the craft we were doing:


It is a New Year's time capsule. I wrote out some questions that the kids answered and then drew a picture of our family on the back. We rolled them up inside toilet paper tubes and put some little toys and candy and confetti inside, then wrapped them like party poppers. They can open them at New Year's next year and see how much they have changed. I wanted to include a picture and interview them more, but this is what I got done and that's better than nothing. Here's what they answered on their papers:

Sam (who I think was a little confused about the concept of last year and this year--he just seemed to think I was talking about the actual holiday of New Years--I had to coax him a little bit to say more)
How old are you? 5
How much do you weigh? 45.5 lb
How tall are you? 45"
What do people call you? Sam, Sammy (sometimes)
What are your favorite toys or games to play? I like my Guess Who game, my Leapster Sonic game that I got, dinosaurs, puzzles, craft time, playing in the snow, my bike and my razor
Who are your best friends? Kiefer, Daniel, Parker, Zoe
What are your favorite foods? vegetables (celery, tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli)
What are your house and room like? My house is good but I really like my room--we moved our train table in there. There are a few pictures. I have my playroom which we're sitting in. My bedroom which has a 2 bed bunkbed.
What did you learn this year? THAT, I don't know. I'm not going to tell because I don't know.
Tell some things you did this year: Well I had a birthday. I played and stuff. I went to the Ranch for (great) Grandma's funeral. I got a package.
What do you hope to do next year? I'll be 6. Practice reading. Maybe I'll do a little bit more crafts. And I like being with my mom and stuff. I want to get better at riding my bike with 2 wheels.

Evan (who was distracted by...well, you'll see)
How old are you? good, good
How much do you weigh? I got 2
How tall are you? I got tall
What do people call you? Dada
What are your favorite toys or games to play? Cars, Mister King, transformer, trains, need do cuttings now
Who are your best friends? Baby brudder, mama, Samwool, or...Sam, or...cutting papers
What are your favorite foods? Macaroni and cheese, (what else?) Macaroni and cheese, Macaroni and cheese, or...chicken nuggets or cutting papers.
What are your house and room like? My train track in my room or watching movie about bad guys or cutting papers or..it's yellow.
What did you learn this year? Or...cutting papers, play my Mack (truck)
Tell some things you did this year: And ride the bus, or the bus, eat candies, it's Christmastime or Pa J. I go see my San Diego.
What do you hope to do next year? Cutting papers, going potty, ride my red bike.

I also wanted them to decorate the outside of the capsules but they got distracted by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Whose idea was it to let them get that DVD at the library? Oh, mine. Are they making fun of how we used to talk in California? I never got into them as a kid...but Jeremy enjoyed sitting down and watching it with them. Maybe that's because he was from Kansas and they made fun of us there. I remember asking him what they studied in 4th grade if they didn't have to make a mission (my CA friends will understand--everyone had to make a Spanish mission from El Camino Real and everyone would use sugar cubes and corrugated cardboard and little miniture people and horses--I made...a cross-stitch. That won me some "cool" points, thanks Mom. Anyway, I totally like got a A+ and stuff on it, so yah dude). It had never crossed my mind that people in other states didn't study California and had their own stuff to study, like the Oregon trail or the Civil War. Anyway, I let the boys get the TMNT yesterday on our 4-city-buses tour of Flagstaff in the freezing cold. I'm not sure it was very fun, but Evan DID mention it in his New Year's recap, so there.

Here's an example of a 4th grade California mission project, if you were wondering:
And, strangely, here's a picture I found while trying to find a dorky example of a cross stitch of Mission Santa Barbara:
Like, totally.

Half as Hard and Twice as Good

I was feeling a little blue today. Actually, I was really struggling...a little sick, but a lot more down than I thought I should be. I guess I got started down a bad road when a couple of things didn't work out like I had hoped (not to mention waking up after an interrupted night of sleep and very dark dreams). I moped and struggled and fought with myself all day. I tried not to listen to the voice in my head that said chocolate or caffeine would fix the problem. I prayed, but comfort still seemed elusive. During naptime, I felt the heavy feeling that had been weighing me down lift a bit. God brought me relief and here's the small measures that He used (and I am writing them down so I don't forget):

--I put on my favorite singer, Sara Groves. I got her new album for Christmas. It has songs about friends who make going through life together "half as hard and twice as good" and songs about "different kinds of happy." That hit the spot.
--I opened some curtains that have been closed for about 6 months (I'm not exaggerating). They were closed because the windows behind them are dirty, and then the cold weather came and it is warmer with the curtains closed. But there is something special about sunlight, and it did the trick.

--A little chocolate. Don't eat the whole bag, Kaci.

--A Diet Coke

--brushing my teeth (wish was ruined by my chocolate and coke drinking, but it still felt good)

--remembering that I had a house full of friends and their kids yesterday and that I am having friends over for dinner on Sunday...and in the words of Martha Stewart (gag), "That's a good thing."

--Changing my perspective from "What am I going to do to feel like a good mother today?" to just enjoying my kids. Some good snuggles resulted.

--Stopping stressing out that Annie cries in her swing and (inner monologue) "she has to like her swing because I need it to be the place I can put her to chill while I try to get things done, etc."...I just took her out and she is so cute and happy on the floor with all her toys.
--Picking up the clutter instead of worrying about cleaning the bathrooms

--My blog--writing it, and also reading my friends' blogs

--Staying off of facebook. That can make everyone else's life seem more cheery and interesting than mine. And it's not productive, which adds to the gloom.

--Admitting that parenting 3 preschoolers IS hard. I think I get myself worked up about it--that I will finally have a break-through and things will run smoothly (like I picture in my head) and that everyone else has mastered it and there is something wrong with me that I need to figure out. But it really is just hard! The other day, I was trying to get to MOPS with food and a nursing baby and a whiny 2-year-old and a 5-year-old with a burned bottom that needed to be bandaged and ice on the windshield and I thought, "Barring some debilitating illness or accident, this is the hardest it is ever going to be to get out of the house in the morning." I think this is why I really LOVE my community of other mothers and reading my mom-friend blogs (and some blogs that are written by sassy moms that I don't know but they still make me laugh). I see the successes and failures of other moms and I feel better about the ups and downs of my days.

Then I had to call about some overdue bills and deal with frustrating automated systems and that killed my optimism a little, but then we went to the Aquaplex as a family and I marveled at how much my boys had grown--the last time we went was last March...now Evan can manage on his own in the splash park and Sam is a little fish. Even Annie loved it and I caught myself thinking that I have a pretty handsome husband. We topped it off with Burger King, which was wonderful because I have full kids asleep in their beds and no mess to clean up! Thanks, God, for taking care of me and my little family...they really are everything to me.