Tuesday, June 29, 2010
A Wonderful Bare Foot Walk on...
my kitchen floor! Ha, ha. Today I did that. After I mopped the floor, I just had to do it. I know it doesn't always last long, but I had to experience that clean clean feeling of the floor right after it's mopped. I basically feel like I mop sections every day due to spills or sticky messes, but this was the whole kitchen, entryway, and family room. They boys wondered what I was up to, and before I knew it, everyone was walking around bare foot. Kind of funny. Enjoying it while it lasts. Ha.
Sweet Anne
How can it be that she's going to be one in just a few days? The time just flies by. She's doing so well. We are all enjoying her interaction these days. She's much more intentional about her sounds and actions. She'll mimic a lot of what we say, claps all the time, is full of smiles, and has now been working on her fake laugh/cough. She's so much fun. Her favorite food? Well, she's totally not picky. It's wonderful. And, it appears she's going to be able to tolerate regular milk (Jacob & Leah were allergic at the age of 1 so they drank rice milk)! She's not walking yet, but that is totally ok with me. I love watching her get all around the house (not the stairs) and we can just watch what it is she is trying to get. The kids love her dearly and they all watch out for her and can always make her smile. Don't grow too fast my sweetie!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
How Could I Forget?
Faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound...it's a bird, it's a plane, it's SUPERMAN!
So in the midst of my nostalgia, I can't believe I forgot to mention what the boys are totally into lately. Well, Jacob has been a big Superman fan for a while (at least since Halloween). I decided to get some Superman episodes on DVD from the library and they have been getting to watch a few in the past few days. Currently they've been from Season 5 & 6. These are the old Superman episodes. You know, the ones with the great screen effects & stuff. Anyway, it's been actually entertaining for all of us. I do remember watching some of these episodes as a kid. It's fun watching the boys enjoy them and tell me about them, "Mom, Superman flew all the way...(insert anything)...and he was able to save (insert someone)...etc., etc."
Now I'm thinking I need to check into the Lone Ranger! Now that's classic, too!
So in the midst of my nostalgia, I can't believe I forgot to mention what the boys are totally into lately. Well, Jacob has been a big Superman fan for a while (at least since Halloween). I decided to get some Superman episodes on DVD from the library and they have been getting to watch a few in the past few days. Currently they've been from Season 5 & 6. These are the old Superman episodes. You know, the ones with the great screen effects & stuff. Anyway, it's been actually entertaining for all of us. I do remember watching some of these episodes as a kid. It's fun watching the boys enjoy them and tell me about them, "Mom, Superman flew all the way...(insert anything)...and he was able to save (insert someone)...etc., etc."
Now I'm thinking I need to check into the Lone Ranger! Now that's classic, too!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
A Happy and Nostalgic Father's Day
What a wonderful day to celebrate all the important fathers in our life. We had a great day. We went to Mass, then over to Grandpa Dan & Grandma Sally's for brunch. After that, we came home for Anne to take a nap and Patrick took the rest of the kids to the pool for a little while. We had Shrimp Scampi, vegetables, and corn on the cob for dinner followed by Tippin's French Silk Pie and/or Chocolate Sheet Cake for dessert. Yummy.
A number of things today had me thinking back to my childhood and having some nostalgia about some things: recipes, dishes, and corn on the cob.
- recipes:
So I decided to pick a recipe for brunch at Dan & Sally's and I made "Donna Mueller's" coffee cake. Funny that this recipe had this name for so many years. Patrick has often wondered why it's always "DonnaMueller," said altogether and very quickly as if it's a one syllable name. Then, for dessert tonight, I made chocolate sheet cake for the first time. I was telling the kids how my mom used to make it often when I was a kid and I really enjoyed it with a big glass of milk. Smelling it and tasting it, I just felt like, wow, what a familiar taste; it had been a while.
- dishes:
When I was making dinner, I decided to wash some of the bowls & pots I had used during the process. I need to keep my motivations straight - I was doing this since I had just emptied the dishwasher for the second time today and was trying to avoid filling it right back up with all the big items. So, I was washing them to save myself some work later. Anyway, while washing, I had two thoughts: 1) should we get rid of our dishwasher for family bonding and stress relief purposes, and 2) the thought, once again of Grandma Rita's washing methods in her ceramic sink (aka LOUD). I don't think I'll ever forget how she washed dishes so quickly and sloshed the dishes & water all around. As far as getting rid of my dishwasher, I was thinking how it was actually a bit relaxing to stand there and just work on that; to put out of my mind any other chores I could be doing and actually afford myself a few minutes of quiet (other than the sloshing of dishes, ha). Hmm, it was actually kind of nice, forcing myself to slow down for a bit. Then the other issue of the family bonding benefits of washing dishes. You could ask my siblings if they agree; well, I guess mostly Lissy (doubt that Beth & Ben ever really did many dishes). Wow, every night for a long time, I can recall the two of us doing dishes. Boy, sometimes, or was it most of the time, that we'd fight about it? But, I do also know that it was simply additional time together, interacting, talking, etc. Are there enough benefits to make me get rid of my dishwasher. NO WAY, but the thoughts were still good and it probably wouldn't be a bad thing, just can't imagine going back. The next load is primed, too, just waiting for a couple more before another cycle.
- corn on the cob:
Just a short comment on this. So, I remember eating quite a bit of corn on the cob as a kid. Patrick & I were discussing something that we have none of, but both vividly recall - the corn on the cob push pin type things you'd poke into the ends of the ears to hold the corn with. I remember different decorative ones: ears of corn, pigs, other animals, etc. Kind of funny to remember that we had them; now we just hold the corn. Seemed like they were a pretty common thing to have around the house.
A number of things today had me thinking back to my childhood and having some nostalgia about some things: recipes, dishes, and corn on the cob.
- recipes:
So I decided to pick a recipe for brunch at Dan & Sally's and I made "Donna Mueller's" coffee cake. Funny that this recipe had this name for so many years. Patrick has often wondered why it's always "DonnaMueller," said altogether and very quickly as if it's a one syllable name. Then, for dessert tonight, I made chocolate sheet cake for the first time. I was telling the kids how my mom used to make it often when I was a kid and I really enjoyed it with a big glass of milk. Smelling it and tasting it, I just felt like, wow, what a familiar taste; it had been a while.
- dishes:
When I was making dinner, I decided to wash some of the bowls & pots I had used during the process. I need to keep my motivations straight - I was doing this since I had just emptied the dishwasher for the second time today and was trying to avoid filling it right back up with all the big items. So, I was washing them to save myself some work later. Anyway, while washing, I had two thoughts: 1) should we get rid of our dishwasher for family bonding and stress relief purposes, and 2) the thought, once again of Grandma Rita's washing methods in her ceramic sink (aka LOUD). I don't think I'll ever forget how she washed dishes so quickly and sloshed the dishes & water all around. As far as getting rid of my dishwasher, I was thinking how it was actually a bit relaxing to stand there and just work on that; to put out of my mind any other chores I could be doing and actually afford myself a few minutes of quiet (other than the sloshing of dishes, ha). Hmm, it was actually kind of nice, forcing myself to slow down for a bit. Then the other issue of the family bonding benefits of washing dishes. You could ask my siblings if they agree; well, I guess mostly Lissy (doubt that Beth & Ben ever really did many dishes). Wow, every night for a long time, I can recall the two of us doing dishes. Boy, sometimes, or was it most of the time, that we'd fight about it? But, I do also know that it was simply additional time together, interacting, talking, etc. Are there enough benefits to make me get rid of my dishwasher. NO WAY, but the thoughts were still good and it probably wouldn't be a bad thing, just can't imagine going back. The next load is primed, too, just waiting for a couple more before another cycle.
- corn on the cob:
Just a short comment on this. So, I remember eating quite a bit of corn on the cob as a kid. Patrick & I were discussing something that we have none of, but both vividly recall - the corn on the cob push pin type things you'd poke into the ends of the ears to hold the corn with. I remember different decorative ones: ears of corn, pigs, other animals, etc. Kind of funny to remember that we had them; now we just hold the corn. Seemed like they were a pretty common thing to have around the house.
The Price of Clothes
This weekend, the Wall Street Journal had an article about large families that I found interesting. It talked about the fact that having a large family with good parenting "is easier than people think." Some of the points they made were based on comparisons/studies of twins raised apart and then adopted children in a family. They said that basically, there were several things that parents do (or don't do for that matter), that in the big picture, don't really matter. Point: basically made it look like a lot of worrying that parents do or ways that parents try to prepare their children for life don't really matter. Now it's not that anyone is saying good parenting isn't necessary or anything, but in their comparisons, they kind of said that to a great extent, some things parents do simply don't make a difference. For example, in identical twins raised in separate families (and thus a somewhat different environment), that they grew up to be basically equivalent in intelligence, happiness, etc. Anyway, if the article is of interest, I'm sure it can be located. My main point with this is the comment Leyton made to me when he knew I was reading it.
Leyton said, "Mom, I know that having a lot of kids can be expensive." I asked him what made him say something like that. He said that it was because clothes can cost a lot for a lot of people. Wow. Not sure where that came from. But, I did take advantage of the moment to let him know how special he and his siblings are to us. I simply reminded him that no matter what, we are so happy to have our family and we would much rather have them (and the need to buy clothes for our kids) than not have them around. I told him that, yes, most things do cost money, but that we can do our best to use our resources wisely, provide for our family, share things, etc., but again, that every dollar spent couldn't compare to the amount of joy we feel from having all of them. He gave a big smile and we shared a good hug. Such a great kid...along with our four others.
Leyton said, "Mom, I know that having a lot of kids can be expensive." I asked him what made him say something like that. He said that it was because clothes can cost a lot for a lot of people. Wow. Not sure where that came from. But, I did take advantage of the moment to let him know how special he and his siblings are to us. I simply reminded him that no matter what, we are so happy to have our family and we would much rather have them (and the need to buy clothes for our kids) than not have them around. I told him that, yes, most things do cost money, but that we can do our best to use our resources wisely, provide for our family, share things, etc., but again, that every dollar spent couldn't compare to the amount of joy we feel from having all of them. He gave a big smile and we shared a good hug. Such a great kid...along with our four others.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Great Quote for Mom
Tonight Jacob told me what he's said several times before and always gives me a chuckle: "Mom, you're the best mom I ever had."
Hmm, thank goodness I know I don't have a lot of competition, hee hee. But, I do appreciate the intended compliment.
Hmm, thank goodness I know I don't have a lot of competition, hee hee. But, I do appreciate the intended compliment.
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