Superchikk

1,000 Words

2012-01-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

Thoughts of Randomness

2012-01-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

1. I mentioned the other day that Honor is loving her some Oz lately. And it seems the feeling is mutual. Oz has always “checked” on her when she cried (which isn’t really that much), but he seems to be hanging closer to her lately. He voluntarily comes over to her at appropriate times and sits still while she pats him and grabs at him with her jerky baby arms. I don’t know if his increased fondness is due to her being more like a “kid” now or directly proportionate to the amount of crumbs she’s left on the floor around her high chair lately. Either way, they’re both happy. And I love it when kids and dogs love each other.

2. I’m still working on Caedmon’s “stories” he tells me at night. He gets a little camera shy. Well, that’s not true. He’s never been camera shy. Hello. Have you seen his photos? He gets a bit tongue tied when I turn the camera on. When we’re laying in his bed with the lights off and his Buzz Lightyear tap light under his chin, he’s much more creative. Still, they all seem to begin with “One night” and usually involve camping. I have no idea where that comes from.

3. We’ve started watching Alcatraz. My LOST void was never filled after that show ended, even with other JJ Abrams shows floating around. This one, I think, is going to work that magic. And maybe we’re reading too much into things, but we’ve noticed several LOST-esque scenarios. That, we love.

Also, one of our friends suggested that maybe all the guys were on The Island.

4. I was watching an episode of Friends the other night and saw my favorite mug! I don’t know the name of the episode, but Rachel was holding it in her office at Ralph Lauren. I knew I had good taste in mugs.

5. Clearly, I’ve been watching too much TV lately, but I am loving the Direct TV commercials that relate cable to waking up in a ditch or having a grandkid with a dog collar. They make me laugh every time.

6. Have I mentioned how warm it’s been here? I have? Well, let me say it again. Yesterday, Caedmon played outside in shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. Barefoot. Honor played outside in the exersaucer, too. It was nice to have that time outside, but it’s a little strange to be *this close* to turning the air conditioner on in January.

7. Honor is officially commando crawling now. And she mostly goes after Caedmon’s toys that he leaves in the floor. He still hasn’t figured out that if he leaves stuff in the floor, she’s going to get to it. Her favorite items of late are Matchbox cars and Light Sabers.

8. I have this random thing with my eye that’s been going on the last few months. Sometimes at night, after I’ve taken my contacts out, my left eye starts burning and stinging, and waters like crazy. As if I were boo-hoo-crying. I can’t stop it. I have no idea what causes it and nothing seems to stop it. It’s never both eyes, or even the right eye. Perhaps I should have it checked out by a doctor instead of just talking about it on my blog, but…not today.

9. I was able to get an appointment for Caedmon with a new birthmark doctor. In May. It’s a long time to wait, but hopefully it will be worth it. And maybe we can get in earlier if there’s a cancellation.

10. After hearing/reading about lots of friends watching Downton Abbey, I watched an episode on Netflix the other night. I think I’m hooked. I just don’t know if I can come to terms with watching a PBS “Masterpiece Theater” show.

11. (Yes, there’s an 11 this time because it’s just so good.) Celebrity Apprentice is back in a few weeks and I can’t wait. We saw a commercial last night and I have two words: ~~MC Hammer~~ Dog Pound. I was misinformed – Arsenio Hall, not MC Hammer, will be on Celebrity Apprentice. Along with a spectacular cast.

Blog Book Study: Sacred Marriage, Chapter 7

2012-01-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

Jenn is hosting a link-up of other bloggers studying Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. If you’d like to see what they have to say, check it out. If you want to read my previous chapter reviews, go here.

Chapter 7: Sacred History: Building the Spiritual Discipline of Perseverance

In fact, some experts suggest it takes from nine to fourteen years for a couple to truly “create and form its being.”

As Gary pointed out in this chapter, as our lifespans have increased, so has the time in which we have to be married. People live longer now, giving us more time to live with our spouses. Still, God didn’t create marriage for “life or 15 years, whichever comes first.” He created it for a lifetime, no matter how long that happens to be at any given time.

Gary also points out that we are creating history. I’d never thought of it that way in regard to my marriage. I’ve often wondered how future generations will be taught about the politics and world events of our day. But never have I thought that I am daily creating the history of my marriage. What kind of history and culture are we recording for our children, grandchildren, and future generations of our family? And because we are Christians, our marriage has eternal significance. So there’s no way I can ever dream of quitting.

I can’t stand a quitter. Growing up, I knew someone who would always quit when he was tagged “it.” We all knew it was going to happen. We’d tell him before we started playing, “Don’t quit when you get tagged.” He always promised he wouldn’t. And maybe the first time he didn’t, but if he got tagged again, he certainly would. Even as a kid, quitters irritated me. And now as an adult, I live among a bunch of quitters. Our culture can’t stand contracts and commitments. Sadly, there are many who treat their marriage like a cell phone contract – one that you can “get out of” if you’re willing to pay a fee.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

Christ’s perseverance. He is the ultimate example of never quitting, even when things were hard. I’d like to be able to say that I had Christ’s perseverance when it comes to my marriage, and really, my whole life.

These Crazy Kids

2012-01-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

So here’s what we’ve been up to lately.

Honor loves Oz. And I think he’s developing a fondness for her, though he isn’t sure he likes it when she grabs at his ears. She’s spent the last week or so figuring out how to commando crawl and she made use of it to try to get to Oz. It didn’t last long. He got nervous about the whole situation and left.

These two are so sweet together.

Even when Honor is trying to grab Caedmon’s face.

Then they erupt into laughter.

And Honor tries to pose like Caedmon.

I got Beauty and the Beast for Honor. She was excited about it.

You may also notice she’s wearing a barrette. In her hair. It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore. Who am I, putting barrettes in my daughter’s hair voluntarily when we’re not even going out in public? It’s madness, I tell you.

Also? Honor is trying to pull up. She’s not yet figured out how to get back to a sitting position from her tummy, but she is determined to pull herself up. And help Momma with the taxes, apparently.

And yes, she bumped her head right after I took this picture. First head bump!

Caedmon and I have snuggle time before bed each night. He loves to tell me stories he’s made up. He likes the idea of “ghost stories” but he doesn’t really even know what they are. I’m trying to get one on video, and if I do, I will post it. The only thing I got from our attempt to video last night was a few goofy pictures.

I hope his goofiness never ends.

Photo Books

2012-01-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

For three years now, I’ve made photo books for Caedmon and given them to him in his stocking at Christmas. I had a couple of people ask about it, so I thought I’d share the details.

I know there are fancier ways of making photo books, but I started this with Caedmon when he was 2. I wanted it to be durable, and was afraid that if I made an actual photo book, it wouldn’t be able to handle the wear and tear.

My motivation behind making the first one was to help him recognize people and get over some of his shyness. It helped. And he enjoyed the book so much, I decided to keep making them. I think I like the photo books as much as he does!

These are the three books I’ve made for him, the oldest on the left, newest on the right.

See how they’ve been excessively loved? The one on the left lost its cover long ago. But Caedmon still loves to look at the pictures in it.

So here’s how it works:

Each year in late November/early December, I go through my photos and choose 100 to put in Caedmon’s book. I try to start where I left off the previous year, but I usually end up just starting in January and going through the end of November/first of December – whenever it is I’m making the book. I tried to choose a certain number from each month, but some months just have more fun things in them than others. I copy all of the photos I want to use into a separate folder, then see how many I’ve chosen. If it’s more than 100, I have to delete some. If it’s less, I know I can go back and choose more. I’ve never had that problem, though.

So what kind of photos do I choose?

Family members, and Caedmon with family members. This photo is from Caedmon’s first book. He and NLB were bear crawling because Caedmon didn’t like his knees in the grass.

Fun places and events. These are from last year’s book, when we visited the fire station. Caedmon still talks about when we went, and loves to look at the pictures.

Family and friends. We have photos from birthday parties and playgroups, holidays and family gatherings. The group photo is from Caedmon’s 3rd birthday party, and Brandon and Jill are our special friends who are like family to us.

Big events. From this year’s book, we have pictures of when Caedmon and Honor met for the first time.

I am also sure to include a family photo, photos of Husband and me together, and photos of each of us with Caedmon. Most of mine with him are fun self-portraits. And this year I included several of Caedmon and Honor together. Next year, she’ll need her own book!

I also put the photos in chronological order. It just makes more sense to me that way. Not that I’m Type-A about it or anything.

Yes, ordering 100 4x6 photos can get expensive - about $20, depending on where you have the photos printed, plus the cost of the album. It probably costs about the same as making a photo book from a site like Shutterfly (which I may look into this year since I will need to make two). But this year I was able to use Pampers reward points and got all the photos for free, and I ordered with some other prints and got free shipping. So all it cost was $5 for the book.

Caedmon keeps his photo books in his room. He looks at them regularly. And we look at them together sometimes at night before bed. He loves to talk about what else was going on the day those pictures were taken, and of course my detailed child remembers those kinds of things!

Like I said, I put these in Caedmon’s stocking each Christmas. You’d think he would toss it aside in favor of candy or a toy. But he really is excited to get a new picture book.

I love that Caedmon gets to see himself with family members and friends, especially when we can’t be with them a lot. It helps us keep them close when we have to be far apart. I hope this is a tradition I can keep going for a long time for both kids!

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

2012-01-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

I love soup, especially in winter. I love it any time really, but I can get away with rotating different soups into our menu plan about once a week in the winter. I don’t want to have the same ones all the time, though. That’s why I was so excited to find this one last year. I’ve made it several times, and it gets the seal of approval from Husband and Caedmon – most of the time.

I originally found this recipe at my-extraordinary-life.blogspot.com. It’s super easy and goes great with some crusty bread.

Heat butter and oil, saute pepper and onions (and mushrooms, but I usually leave those out).

Then you add milk, broth, etc. and simmer until thick.

I completely cheat when it comes to the roast beef. Instead of trying to make it myself, I buy this:

I shred it up and dump it in. It’s cost effective and easy!

So yummy and hits the spot on a cold winter night.

Philadelphia Cheesesteak Soup (original recipe from my-extraordinary-life.blogspot.com. My changes are in italics.)

3/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon oil

1 green pepper (or 1 cup frozen, diced)

1 medium onion (or 1 cup frozen, diced)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I leave the mushrooms out.)

2 tablespoons corn starch

6 cups milk (I’ve found that whole works best, but any will work.)

1 can beef broth

1 beef bouillon cube (I leave this out also since I haven’t found any without MSG.)

2 cups leftover roast beef, diced

8 ounces cheese (provolone, Velveeta, or any) (I have used Velveeta each time I’ve made it.)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter and oil in large heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

Add green peppers, onions and mushrooms and saute until tender (about 5 minutes).

Add cornstarch to milk, stir to dissolve (Or make a slurry.). Add to vegetables and stir in bouillon, slowly whisking to incorporate. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened. (It takes a long time – probably 45 minutes or so.) Add salt, pepper and beef.

Slowly stir in cheese until all is melted.

Serve with some warm, crusty bread. It’s creamy and so good! Enjoy!

Birthmark Update

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

I suppose it’s about time for a birthmark update. And this may or may not make any sense - it’s sort of a stream-of-consciousness thing.

Caedmon’s last treatment was in June, before we moved. We saw a new specialist here in the summer. We liked him, but he told us he prefers a more conservative approach. He even thought that Caedmon’s birthmark might possibly be a different kind of birthmark than a Port Wine Stain, but wanted to watch it for a while before deciding. Since Caedmon had already had 11 treatments and LBD had told us we’d be ok to wait a little while for our next treatment, we were fine to follow his suggestion of waiting until January (now) to check it again and see where things stand.

Honestly, in the time between, we’ve kind of struggled with our decision. And his recommendation. Knowing that we’ve come so far with Caedmon’s treatment is super encouraging. But thinking that maybe we are getting too conservative too soon is scary. Because we can’t get this time back, and when it comes to treating a birthmark like his, the younger the better. And we don’t want the last three years of treatments to be in vain.

The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation has a once monthly conference call with birthmark experts. The topic is different every month, and you can send information in about your particular situation and have the doctors discuss it with you. I was privileged to be able to join in a conference call this month with two experts who deal with PWS and Hemangiomas (one of them even invented something now used for procedures just like Caedmon’s). They both agreed that his birthmark is definitely a Port Wine Stain and advised a medically necessary, more aggressive course of treatment than the new doctor suggested. Which in one way was comforting (because we’ve done the right thing with his previous 11 treatments), and in another way, made me want to kick myself for not pushing with this new doctor. I know, they’re just seeing pictures and getting a brief history. But this is what they do every day, all day. The new guy has an excellent reputation as a physician and does treat a lot of birthmarks, but that’s not his main thing.

Fortunately, the birthmark experts on the conference call personally know two doctors in our area that they recommended we see for a consultation. Knowing that we had an appointment with the new guy coming up, we decided to wait and see what he had to say.

We saw the new guy yesterday. We like him. He’s a very nice guy and told us that when it comes to children, he medically treats each patient as he would treat his own child. I really respect that. He said Caedmon looks great and suggested we come back in a year. He also said he’d do a treatment if we really wanted him to, but he doesn’t see an urgency. I appreciate that he will do a treatment if we want him to, but I’m not quite sure what to think about a doctor that says, “I don’t think we should, but I’ll do whatever you want.” But maybe that’s because he’s used to doing a lot of elective procedures. Again, I appreciate his honesty and his approach. But at this time, I really would like to see what someone else has to say.

Because yes, it does look great. And I can’t say it looks any worse than it did 6 months ago, but since the danger with these birthmarks is not always on the surface, that doesn’t mean as much as one might think. The goal is not to make it look better, though that is a pleasant side-effect of treatment. (It’s about time the side-effects of something are pleasant.) The goal is to keep Caedmon healthy and keep the birthmark from affecting things like his vision, hearing, brain, bone structure, and mouth. See? Kind of a big deal.

My dream would be that we could just fly back to Children’s every three months and see Laser Beam Doc for treatments. Which is not really possible if we plan to continue to do things like eat food and have running water.

So our next thing is to jump through the hoops necessary to get a consult with one of the two doctors recommended by the birthmark experts. We’ll see what they have to say. At this point, it will cost a co-pay and the hassle of getting the appointment.

I’ll be honest, this has been one of the hardest parts of moving. New grocery store – fine. New places to find stuff – no big deal. New pediatrician – ok. But new specialist that deals with a birthmark on my child’s face that if not treated properly can cause all sorts of medical issues? Hard. Super hard.

Being a responsible adult and parent isn’t always fun. But I’m so very thankful for this kid. We prayed for Caedmon long before we knew his name or saw his face. I love him to pieces and can’t imagine life without this happy, sweet, thoughtful, loving, goofy kid.

Glowing Review

2012-01-18T10:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a rainy day. I’d like to throw “winter” in there, but it just doesn’t seem like winter here. In fact, I let Caedmon wear flip flops to Walmart on Monday when we went to get groceries.

It was a little cool, but we didn’t need coats. And he was actually wearing long pants (instead of the shorts he’s been insisting on) and a sweatshirt. I thought we were doing pretty well. Until a concerned, older lady in the check-out line asked, very seriously, if he owned any shoes that covered his toes.

Really, lady? With all the other fashion indiscretions that were going on at that store, you are worried about my kid wearing flip flops?

Perhaps she also noticed that his toes were hanging of the end of said flip flops. He’s a growing boy, what can I say?

I kindly told her that I didn’t think his choice of shoes were worth fighting over that day. He was wearing long pants, and I considered that a win. She wasn’t impressed with my answer and chose not to say anything else. It was probably for the best. I can’t imagine she thought too highly of my mothering skills at that point.

But I digress.

Again, yesterday was rainy. And we spent a glorious day at home. But that also meant that Caedmon needed a little extra help with keeping busy. So I surprised him with a glow bath.

He loved it.

He’s in there, I promise.

And honestly, that picture appears darker than it really was.

Caedmon played in the tub until the water was cold and he was beyond wrinkled. Those glow sticks were light sabers, straws, drumsticks, and several other things during that bath.

You can bet I’m picking up more glow sticks and bracelets in the $1 spot the next time I go to Target. That’s money well spent.

Honor: 9 Months

2012-01-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Honor is 9 months old now. 9 months. Her first birthday is right around the corner!

This girl doesn’t sit still for long anymore! Just a month ago, she was barely rolling over. She started rolling a lot around Christmas, and now rolls across the room, spins around on her belly, scoots herself backwards, and gets up on all fours and rocks/bounces. She closes her eyes and bounces her head up and down. When she opens her eyes, she’s angry that she hasn’t gone anywhere. It won’t take her long to figure out this crawling thing.

At her check-up last week, Honor was given a sterling report. Dr. D said she’s doing fabulous with all of her milestones and is a healthy little girl.

What cracked me up is that she’s only grown 1/2” and gained 1/2 pound since her 6 month check-up, putting her in the single digits on the growth charts. Dr. D said that her head has remained in the 20’s, so she’s getting ready for a big growth spurt. (She explained that their brain/head grows first, then the body catches up.)

Honor weighs 16 pounds and is 27 inches long. She wears some 3-6 month clothes still, but mostly 9 month or 6-12 month clothes. She still wears 1-2 years size socks, though. She has her Momma’s long, skinny feet.

Again, I looked back at Caedmon’s 9 month stats, just for fun. At 6 months, they were the exact same length, with Caedmon exactly 2 pounds heavier. Their 9 month stats are the same! Caedmon was exactly 27” long and 18 pounds at his 9 month check-up. It is awesome and hilarious to me that they are so similar, yet so different!

Honor is working on four teeth on the top all at the same time. Hopefully they will be through sooner rather than later. We’ve had some rough days lately and I’m ready for my happy girl to be back.

Her hair? Out of control. It’s about time for another trim. But I’m trying to get her bangs past this awkward phase so I can clip them to the side. I don’t know if I can stand it, though. I’m definitely going to have to trim the back to keep it even and layer it again so we don’t end up with bed head. I have had to start using a detangling shampoo in her hair, and it kills me that her sweet head doesn’t have that baby smell anymore.

These two crack me up. They adore each other. Caedmon loves to play with Honor, but gets a little rough sometimes. She is pretty tough and doesn’t seem to mind the rough handling. If he takes a toy away from her, that’s a different story. Sister definitely knows how to be dramatic.

I love these two. They are going to be big trouble in the not-so-distant future.

Thoughts of Randomness

2012-01-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

1. I am sort of in a blogging/photo taking rut. Which I blame directly on trying to get out of a rut in the rest of my life. My brain power seems limited lately, and focusing on that stuff leaves few brain cells left for blogging. And you get to suffer for it. Ya-aaay.

2. I’ve started couponing again (which I haven’t done since Honor was born) and have started doing some “learning time” with Caedmon. I’m also working on getting things ready for our tax guy and trying to keep my head above water with the cleaning, laundry, etc. Not big things, just busy things. Things that suck the creativity away.

3. Lest you think the rut also includes sarcasm, you’ll be relieved to know that’s still in full force. I live-tweeted the Miss America pageant Saturday night. And there was plenty of snark to go around. I also got in trouble toward the end. Husband was “trying to go to sleep” because he has to “get up early on Sundays” and his phone kept dinging every time I tweeted. But I couldn’t give up so close to the end. So, I lovingly told him to put his phone on silent and continued my comments. Also? I’ve never seen so much criticism of someone’s mascara in my life.

4. After that, I refrained from live-tweeting the Golden Globes. I had plenty to say. You’re welcome.

5. It might also be helpful to know that when I am lacking in sleep, the creativity (and niceness) are significantly diminished and the sarcasm rears its ugly head. Clearly, I am lacking in sleep. Remember Caedmon’s fear issues? Right after I posted that, Caedmon had two fabulous nights – one night he got up one time and the next, he slept all night long. Did you hear me? All night. It was the first time I’d slept all night since probably around Thanksgiving. Anyway, the next night I paid for it. It was awful. Definitely the worst night we’d had in a while. I’m not sure if two good nights is worth a night like that. I think I’d rather have mediocre nights all week instead of that. We continue to have night time issues, but I’ve decided that a good portion of it is trying to stay up later combined with habitual waking, an issue he’s had since before he was born. I guess we didn’t break him of the 2am party habit after all. He’ll fit in great when he gets to college. He does have times when he’s he’s legitimately afraid and I don’t want to discount that, but most of it is just sheer orneriness. I have no idea where he gets it.

6. Meanwhile, Honor turned 9 months old last week. I haven’t done her 9 month photos yet. But she did have her 9 month check-up at the doctor. I’ll post more details later, but she’s healthy, right on track with her mad skillz, and still tiny.

7. Which reminds me, her birthday is not far away. Her first birthday. I am already trying to figure out what we’re going to do to make her day special. And remember the lack of creativity lately? That means I’m basically just pinning stuff on Pinterest and will go back later and think, “What the heck was I thinking?” And then I’ll decide I don’t want any of it and do something completely different. But at least there’s a plan.

8. I have the only kid who can photo bomb a photo he’s actually supposed to be in. He was playing with Honor and when he saw me get the camera, he decided he needed to be front and center.

9. As I tweeted the other day, I placed an order at Target.com, and it’s being sent in ~~three~~ four separate shipments. Which seems ludicrous to me because it was all sent on the same day and is set to arrive on the same day. Also, I bought 2 regular priced items and everything else was on clearance. Like, super-duper clearance. (One clothing item was $1.75.) I paid very minimal shipping (not enough to pay for one shipment, much less four), so they have got to be losing money on my order. I’m not really complaining, because I got a great deal on some stuff. I just wonder about things like that. You can’t lose money on everybody and stay in business. And if they didn’t lose money on that order, the American consumer is getting ripped off big time.

10. For a long time, I was “off” caffeine. And then I had a toddler. So I began ~~an IV drip~~ having a little here and there. And it’s kinda gotten out of control lately. Well, for me, anyway. I crave a Coke almost every day. And that’s not good. Because if I indulge, especially in the evening when I want it the most, I end up staying awake too late. And did you read #5? That’s especially not good. Don’t tell me to try Caffeine Free Coke. It’s gross. I do love 7-Up and a few other caffeine-free beverages. But they just don’t do it for me. So I will continue my daily inner struggle with the caffeine monster. If I seem especially snarky tomorrow, you know who won today.

Life in Phone Pictures

2012-01-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes pictures make it onto my phone when I don’t have a chance to grab the “big” camera. And if they never get blogged, well, why in the world wouldn’t that happen? So here they are. Some of them, anyway.

Caedmon’s been playing some letter games and has learned to use the computer a bit the past week. He loves it.

Trump and Grade A gave Honor a Razorback shirt for Christmas. She got to wear it on Cotton Bowl Gameday.

The other day, Honor wore her first hair barrette. Her bangs are getting a bit long, and I really want to get them past the awkward stage. We’re going to give it a shot.

Caedmon used some of his Christmas money to buy a bucket of Legos. I think he and Husband had a mission to use every. single. one. Caedmon had paused for a snack break.

The next day, his fragile contraption came apart. And he lost it.

When we were home for Christmas, Trump taught Caedmon to play Uno. So when we got back, I bought some cards and we’ve been playing a bit. This was the look on Caedmon’s face after he’d beat Husband and me. He’s a lean, mean, Uno-playing machine.

Honor hit the Big Brother Toy Jackpot! Caedmon will eventually learn to keep his toys up where she can’t reach them. Maybe.

Honor scooted herself up under the entertainment center. She spent much of the day with that look on her face, and it had nothing to do with the entertainment center. Stupid teething.

And this was the next day. It was a little better.

Let’s hope the teeth come in quickly!

Lemon Peppermint Throat Spray

2012-01-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional. I do not play one on TV, nor do I pretend to be one on my blog. This stuff is not “medicine.” It may only be a placebo. But it’s one that I like.

It’s that time of year again. The time where if you’re not sick, it’s because you just got well. And it won’t be long before someone else at your house is sick. Whether it’s a stomach virus, “the snots” as I call it, or the full-on flu, there’s always something going around.

In an effort to be sick less and use natural remedies more, I have a few tricks that I like to use. Last winter when I was pregnant with Honor, I couldn’t use many of my standby OTC medicines, so it made me even more interested in natural things that were safe for both of us. And that’s when I found the Lemon Peppermint Throat Spray. I got the recipe from this natural remedies website, and I’m sure it’s listed other places as well.

This stuff works. At least it does for us. Every time I get that “feeling” in my throat, I spray this stuff a few times, and it’s pretty much gone. And we all know that if your throat hurts, the rest of you is miserable. (C’mon, you know you used to hug the Chloraseptic bottle when you were a kid.) It also seems to cut through that junk that hangs down the back of your throat, giving you that “I’m going to choke on this crap” feeling.

I’ve even used it for Caedmon. Earlier in the fall, Caedmon came down with Strep/Tonsillitis. It took a sweet forever to get over, even with antibiotics. So when he had a fever after Thanksgiving, I checked his throat. The same white bumps were starting to pop up on his tonsils. I decided to give the Lemon Peppermint spray a shot. (My only challenge was actually spraying it in his throat, but we figured it out.) I sprayed his throat one evening just before bed, and again a couple of times the next day. By the end of the day, his fever was gone. And the next morning the bumps on his tonsils were gone. This is purely anecdotal evidence, but it’s enough for me to try it again, especially since it’s really not going to hurt anything to try.

I’ve also used it when we travel, especially on airplanes. Just a good spray here and there during those germy times. Again, it’s not medicine, but it can help kill any weird germs that might have made their way into your throat and get rid of them before they start their sick party.

I will say that my Dad has always used an Apple Cider Vinegar concoction and gargled it. I’m sure it works just as well, but I’m not the gargling type. Sure, I found a way to gargle my Jell-o as a kid, but that was fun. I almost gag on this other junk, so I’d much rather use a spray.

We each have our own little spray bottle now. (You can find small empty spray bottles in the travel section at Walmart that are the perfect size.) That way we don’t pass germs back and forth while trying to stay healthy. It’s super easy to make and seems to be shelf-stable, though you could keep it in the fridge if you wanted to. Go ahead, make some of your own! Let me know what you think of it!

Lemon Peppermint Throat Spray

15 drops lemon essential oil

5 drops peppermint essential oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine the ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Shake well and spray on your throat throughout the day as needed for sore throat or illness. Or use randomly for plain ol’ germ killin’.

Fear

2012-01-11T10:11:00.001-05:00

Caedmon has never really had any irrational fears. At least none that lasted long or were serious. Growing up with six younger siblings, there were some pretty awesome irrational fears at our house at any given time. At least, the ones who weren’t afraid thought they were awesome.

One day, Dad brought home a carved wooden “nut” that opened up and had a plastic bug inside it. Completely harmless. But show it to Squirt, and you would’ve thought that plastic bug would eat her alive. It got to the point where she was afraid of even seeing the wooden nut because she knew what was inside. And perhaps a sibling (or two…or more) would occasionally chase her around the house with it. Just the threat of opening it was enough to send her screaming. And it might have been a bit hilarious, you know, in theory. None of us would actually laugh at something like that. Ever.

Fear has come knocking at our house. And I hate it.

Caedmon is suddenly afraid at night. Sometimes he’s afraid of the dark. Even when it’s not dark. Sometimes he’s “just scared” and has no idea why, or at least, he can’t verbalize why.

I thought it was just something he was saying to get out of going to sleep or thinking that someone would take pity on him. (Not in this house, Buddy.) A fear of convenience, if you will. But when he became persistent about it, woke up in the middle of the night, honestly had trouble falling asleep, and even his Buzz Lightyear light was not enough to settle him down, I knew it was real – at least sometimes.

I know for sure that there are times he uses the fear excuse to stay awake, get out of bed, try to sleep in our room, etc. Other times, he’s really afraid. One night he came into our room in the middle of the night and was absolutely petrified. It took me a long time to calm him down. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that he told me about the dream he’d had. Let’s just say, it would’ve disturbed me too. Four year-olds shouldn’t be having dreams like that.

We’ve done everything we can think of. We’ve prayed. He’s got a lamp in his room that stays on at night. We’ve left every light in the hall, bathroom, and kitchen on. He’s slept with his overhead light on. We’ve turned his noise machine back on. Up. Down. Different sounds. Off. We’ve let him listen to music at bedtime. We’ve snuggled at bedtime. We’ve read books. We’ve talked about staying in his bed all night. Taught him to pray when he wakes up in the middle of the night. We’ve let him sleep in the floor in our room. We’ve walked him back to his bed. Limited (even more) the things he’s allowed to watch on TV. He’s in the process of memorizing 2 Timothy 1:7.

I’ve even resorted to pulling out the guilt (just once): “Honor sleeps all night by herself.” I know. Bad Momma.

But honestly? I’m desperate. Desperate for sleep – for both of us. Because when he stays up hours past his bedtime, it’s not good. When he gets up in the middle of the night at least once (usually more) every. single. night. and more often than not takes an hour to settle back down, it’s not good. And then when he’s awake at 6:30 or 7:00am at the latest? Also not good.

Squirt’s irrational fear of the wooden bug wasn’t that big of a deal in the long run. It wasn’t a fear that had a profound effect on those around her. And she grew out of it eventually. At least I hope she did. It’d definitely be awkward if she was at college and freaked out on someone because of one of those things.

I hate fear. I hate what it does to you. And to the people around you. What I hate even more is irrational fear, or fear that can’t be explained or reconciled. That’s where Caedmon is right now. His fear might not be irrational (that dream was certainly worth being afraid of), but most of it, he doesn’t have the words to explain. And because he can’t explain it, we can’t help him reconcile it.

The past two nights have been better. I really hope we’re over the hump on this, but I feel that it’s going to be a battle we’re fighting for quite some time. I’d really love to hear about your experiences with fear (or your kids’ fear) and how you overcame it.

Christmas Day, 2011

2012-01-10T08:53:00.000-05:00

Finally, it was Christmas! After all the travel, it was great to be home and ready for our own Christmas with the kids.

I bought our stockings a few years ago and got an extra. But it didn’t have Honor’s name on it. I couldn’t have it embroidered last Christmas because we kept her name a secret and didn’t want to take a chance on the cat getting out of the bag. So when we went home to visit, I took Honor’s stocking with us and my friend Kari Beth matched the embroidery and put her name on it for me. I love how it turned out!

All during our trip, family members had been asking Caedmon what he wanted for Christmas. His answer was the same every time, ala Ralphie from A Christmas Story: “I want a big Buzz Lightyear whose wings shoot out and has a laser.” (I could’ve sworn I videoed it, but I can’t find it. I really hope I did video it!) So it was a really good thing that at home, Buzz Lightyear was ready and waiting.

I got the stockings ready after the kids went to bed Christmas Eve, and pre-opened the unwrapped gifts. It’s a good thing I did. Liberating Buzz Lightyear from his “hypersleep” was crazy and required wire cutters and almost 10 minutes. I’m not kidding. I put him back in the box for effect, and this is what Caedmon found when he got up Christmas morning.

Of course, the doll was for Honor. She had to be pre-opened too!

I’d like to say that our Christmas morning was just like you see in the movies. But um, do you know us? Of course it wasn’t.

Honor had been rolling over in her sleep, waking herself up – and was quite angry about it. We’d been travelling (all sleeping in the same room) and I hadn’t been able to let her work it out on her own, so I’d been flipping her over at least once a night so we could all sleep. Caedmon’s been dealing with night time fear a lot lately, and we were pretty sure that he’d be up at some point during the night. So we couldn’t leave the toys under the tree. Husband set his alarm for 4:30 to get up and put the toys out.

Except that he forgot that even with my gift already taken care of, he was still responsible for my stocking stuffers. He remembered at about 7:30pm on Christmas Eve. But I suppose he planned on going shopping after he put the toys out.

As predicted, Caedmon ended up in our room, sleeping on the floor, at some point during the night. Husband woke up at 3:00am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I heard him get dressed and leave. And then come home later. At least somebody was sleeping. Honor hadn’t made a peep. Until she decided it was time to wake up for the day at 6:30am. Which isn’t horrible, but it’s a bit early for her. And for me. Husband was back in bed, trying to sleep. Caedmon was sleeping in the floor beside my bed.

I brought Honor into our room, thinking maybe she’d nurse and go back to sleep. She ate, but wasn’t going back to sleep. I decided we’d go in the living room and let the boys sleep. We no more than got settled good when Caedmon came and climbed up on the couch with us.

He’d noticed the stuff under the tree, but was trying to be cool about it. I put my arm around him and asked, “What’s that over there?”

He grinned and said in a quiet voice, “A Buzz Lightyear.”

Husband came in and I told Caedmon to go over and get Buzz. He was one happy boy!

Caedmon was so sweet and excited about Buzz. But he was thankful, too. He kept hugging me and saying sweetly, “I love Buzz, Momma. Thank you.” He can have a hundred Buzz Lightyears!

Honor liked her baby, too.

I had to get a photo of them with their “big” presents before we moved along. Honor wanted to play with Buzz too.

And then we had to get wiggly and goofy.

We opened our stockings next.

I got candy and Gorilla Tape in mine. The best that (3) gas stations have to offer at 3:30 Christmas morning.

Caedmon was next. He got lots of fun stuff, but I think his favorite was the photo album he gets every year.

Honor got some puffs in her stocking. They were a new thing for her, but a good choice. Sister loves puffs!

And Husband got some fun things in his stocking, along with the classic Chocolate Orange.

We ate PW’s Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast, then the kids opened the rest of their gifts.

We spent the rest of the day lounging and playing. And y’all should be glad to know that Buzz saved the world about a thousand times that day. And many more times since then.

Caedmon has learned the “Buzz Lightyear face.”

I think we’re finally caught up on Christmas. Maybe. I might remember some more stuff later. Or find more pictures. I took 1200 pictures during December and as of today, I’ve taken about 25 for the month of January. I feel behind. Time to get caught up!

Travel Trouble, Christmas 2011

2012-01-09T09:06:00.000-05:00

We’ve taken many car trips over the past 13 years. They’ve had their ups and downs. And they’ve changed a lot, especially with adding kids, one who isn’t too fond of the carseat. But we’ve never, ever, had a trip like this one.

That’s not to say that it was bad. Or that horrible things happened. But after this trip, our “new” car may have lost its road trip privileges.

The trip to Husband’s parents’ was uneventful, as far as the car was concerned. The windshield wipers had a spot that was smear-y, but other than that, things were fine. We spent two nights there, and got to spend time with Husband’s parents and grandparents. The plan for Saturday was to meet my parents and siblings at my grandparents’ house, then go over to visit the other side of the family before heading to Mom & Dad’s.

And that’s where things went downhill.

We were driving from one small town to another, about an hour and a half apart. And between them? Nothing but more small towns. Tiny. We were out in the middle of nowhere when the battery light came on in the car and it started acting weird. Not good. We kept going. Because when you’re in between two tiny towns, you keep going. And pray you can get there.

Thankfully, we had cell service, so I Googled local repair shops in the town we were nearing. It was a Saturday, and I didn’t have much hope that we’d catch anyone. But the second place I called was open. I got directions to the shop and told him I hoped we’d make it. We didn’t. The car died on the side of the road on the outskirts of town in front of someone’s long driveway. So I called him back. And a few minutes later, we met John. He was kind enough to come jump the car and follow us to his shop.

Our battery was shot. The car dealership next door had one we could buy, and when that was switched out, we discovered that (as we suspected,) the alternator was also dead. And the closest one was a good 30 minutes away. It was, however, near my Father-in-Law, so he was able to pick it up and bring it to us.

Meanwhile, the lady from the car dealership next door took the kids and me down the road to a diner while we waited. It was warm, clean, quiet (until the duck hunters started pouring in), and they had fabulous French toast and bacon. We even got to watch part of The Pioneer Woman’s Christmas Special. They were sweet to us and fussed over the kids.

My family members were all about an hour away, and everyone volunteered to help however they could. Trump was on standby to come get the kids and me. My cousin was going to be driving through that area later and was ready to pick us up if needed. If John’s shop hadn’t been open, my brother would’ve cut his deer hunting short and come to work on the car for us, and Mom and Dad would’ve arrived as soon as they could get there. But since the auto shop was open and Poppy was able to bring the part for us, the whole ordeal only took about an hour and a half to two hours out of our day. Honestly, if we had to have a breakdown in the middle of nowhere, that was the best place and time to have it. The Lord was definitely orchestrating those circumstances.

We had to miss seeing my grandparents because of the car trouble, but we made it to see my extended family. It was wonderful to see everyone, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years. When we left to head to Mom & Dad’s, we got stuck in traffic. Sitting still, bumper-to-bumper traffic. On the interstate. For an hour and a half. True, it was completely unrelated to the car trouble earlier in the day, but it didn’t help things.

After we arrived at Mom & Dad’s, we spent a fun few days with family and friends. Then, we loaded up to head back home, trusting that our trip home would be uneventful, though long. We were wrong. Sort of. It was long, but not as uneventful as we would’ve liked.

That morning, we left Mom & Dad’s at 6:40 and got out of town (after stopping for donuts and coffee) at 7:15. After we’d been on the road less than three hours, we stopped at “our” Starbucks, the one we used to stop at all the time on our way to Children’s. Husband’s windshield wipers were still smearing, and we were expecting rain most of the way home. So while the kids and I waited at Starbucks, he ran across the street to get new ones. The guy at the parts store helped him switch them out and within just a few minutes we were on our way with a clear windshield.

We continued on our way and things went well, although tedious with a baby girl who was less than thrilled with her seat, a Momma that was crammed in the back seat between the car seats, and a boy trying his best to be content with his circumstances. (The DVD player was a huge help.)

We decided to take a new, alternate route to avoid a crazy interchange with some bad traffic in a large city. As soon as we pulled off the interstate onto a two-lane highway (in the general area of a town, but really kinda in the middle of nowhere), Husband noticed something funny. It was like the car didn’t want to slow down. And it was getting dark.

Not good.

Also? Both children had JUST gone to sleep. For the first time all day.

We decided that the cruise control was stuck. Husband was able to pull over in the only place we could find – the parking lot of a Mexican Restaurant. I called my Dad, and though he was working, he was able to talk me thru what to look for.

Husband stayed in the car with the kids (who were now awake) while I got instructions from Dad and fiddled under the hood. Of course, Dad had dealt with this exact problem before and could tell me what to look for. About the time I thought I had things figured out, a guy drove up and asked if we needed help. I told him what was going on, and he knew exactly what part was messed up and how to get it to shut off. He told me that he’d seen us and thought that if his daughter was having car trouble, he hoped someone would stop and help her. And then he’d seen the kids in the car and knew that he had to see if he could help. Again, the Lord sent the right person at the right time. It was a wonderful testimony of people’s kindness and willingness to help strangers when they’re able.

We made it back to “civilization” and stopped to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat. I got back under the hood to tape the broken part back so it wouldn’t get caught since it seemed to be wiggling around. I used the electrical tape that Mom had put in Husband’s stocking. Her practical gifts come in handy in the strangest times. We were definitely thankful we had it.

After 13 1/2 hours, a gillion stops, 3 dirty diapers, 2 new windshield wipers, and 1 stuck cruise control, we arrived home. I would’ve been fine if I didn’t have to get back in the car for a month. I hadn’t even gotten all the car ick off my hands.

We let the kids stay up a little while to stretch and get some wiggles out.

This girl was super glad to be out of her seat.

I don’t know that falling into my bed has ever felt so sweet. It was time to get ready for Christmas!

Christmas 2011, Part 5

2012-01-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, this is still our Christmas trip. (Go here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.)

One day, Curly and I took the kids to Trump’s house. Mom came along to help with the girls.

Of course, we had to start by feeding the dogs.

Then it was off to the chicken houses in Uncle Grade A’s truck.

Sigh. Once you’ve seen one chicken, you’ve seen them all, apparently.

This is what Honor thought about being left at the house with Cini and Cousin E.

Trump’s Mother-in-law and long-time family friend, G, came over to visit while we were there. Love her!

The boys had all kinds of fun with Aunt Trump.

She taught Caedmon how to play Uno (while Q watched). And she didn’t let him win, either. We don’t play that way.

The next day, we got up and left early to head home. We had a great time and really enjoyed our visit, but it was time to get home and ready for Christmas Day at our house!

Christmas 2011, Part 4

2012-01-05T09:37:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas trip continues! (Click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)

With the main festivities over, we finally got to relax and hang out a bit.

We got to spend some time with Mimi.

Husband installed Mom & Dad’s new BluRay player.

We got to hang out with friends.

And Honor ended up with her very own red Solo cup.

She actually had some slobber in that thing by the time she was done playing with it. And it was gross.

Honor played with Dad’s beard.

And she got to ride the rocking horse for the first time.

The whole family was treated to dinner at Catfish Hole by Mimi and Papa. It. was. so. good.

It was Honor’s first time to sit in a high chair at a restaurant. She loved it.

And interestingly enough, this was the first restaurant Caedmon ever went to (at 6 weeks old). He still has a crazy love of hush puppies.

And in case you haven’t noticed, when we go somewhere, we kinda take over.

Not only did Honor get her first taste of hush puppy, she also got her first taste of ice water via straw. Leave it to Mimi to start something like that!

These boys were dangerous together.

Also? That’s not all! We went to Trump’s house too! More tomorrow!

Christmas 2011, Part 3

2012-01-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

After leaving my extended family, we drove to Mom & Dad’s. We arrived Saturday night, and on Sunday afternoon, we had our good old fashioned family Christmas.

Honor and Cousin E had some cousin lovin’ going on.

Finally everyone gathered in the living room and chaos commenced.

Yes, the girls are holding trash cans with their stockings. Obviously they wouldn’t fit in the stocking. And Mom is queen of the practical gifts.

But before we opened our stockings, we had to draw for our annual Christmas Vacation gift. Trump won this year – some of Cousin Eddie’s floaties!

Of course, we made her put them on. And she modeled Cousin Eddie perfectly, don’t you think?

Our family is probably the only place you can get a machete in your stocking and no one thinks it’s weird.

HLB played with the little guys while everyone opened their stockings. (It takes a sweet forever because we all have to take turns.)

Candy dispensing, theme song playing Darth Vader? Yes, please.

Cousin Q is his momma’s boy. It took him a loooong time to take the paper off of this ball because he insisted on placing each tiny piece of paper he tore off in a designated spot before he’d tear off any more. We finally gave up and moved on.

Captain America! Thank you, Uncle HLB!

A trash truck! He’s been wanting this Toy Story trash truck for a long time. Aunt Trump & Uncle Grade A made it happen!

It took so long to open gifts, Q had to pause for a snack. That boy eats like a beast!

And when you have grandkids in diapers, your gifts come in diaper boxes.

Knife sharpening stuff. Grade A might need to borrow that for his machete.

Uh huh. You see where Caedmon is and who has the Captain America….

It’s not a family gathering without some cousin wrestling.

And then the aunts got in on the action.

But the best part of the night was when we got HLB, NLB, and Grade A to play Caedmon’s new Dr. Seuss game with him.

Caedmon was using Mom’s rocking horse as a bull – and had her pulling his chute for him. Uncle HLB likes to take things up a notch, so he brought his helmet in for the boys to wear.

Worn out yet? That was just one day! More to come tomorrow!

Christmas 2011, Part 2

2012-01-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

**Happy Birthday, Curly!**

After yesterday's post, Husband discovered he had a picture of Poppy and Honor on his phone! Thank goodness for camera phones!

Our second stop on our epic Christmas adventure was my Aunt and Uncle’s house. It’s actually the house my Dad lived in when he was a kid and our family lived in until I was 12.

Our family is…large. And loud. There were quite a few of us there, and I have no idea if I got everyone in a photo or not. My aunt attempted an entire family photo – I can’t wait to see how many of us were actually there. That’s the only time everyone was in one place!

There’s no way I can narrate the entire afternoon, so I’ll just post a bunch of pictures and comment randomly. It fits with our style of family gathering.

Everyone was gathered in small groups, eating and talking.

Caedmon discovered the stairs. We played on these things for hours as kids. Homemade afghans are fabulous for “sledding” down wooden stairs. It’s amazing that no one ended up with more than just a bump or bruise from all the tumbling we did down these stairs!

Remember Cousin Mark? Honor finally got over herself enough to hang out with him a bit. And I’m glad she did. She would’ve missed out on one of his famous shoulder rides if she hadn’t!

Caedmon thought the pool table was cool. This is the same pool table my grandparents had (for forever) and it has taken many years of abuse. I must say it’s held up quite well under the circumstances.

Here’s Honor and Eliza getting their first official shoulder ride from Mark.

This is the backyard. Everyone spilled outside to take a family photo. But there’s no way we could all stay still or in one place very long. See that tree? That’s the one I left Curly stuck in one day when we were kids. Ah, memories.

Meemom and Honor.

Caedmon was less than thrilled that I was making him be still for a photo. There were too many cousins to play with to be still very long!

It was great to see everyone and get to spend time with them, even if it was short. Caedmon went to see the farm equipment while we were there, but I’ll post that later.

We left the farm and headed to Mom & Dad’s….

Christmas 2011, Part 1

2012-01-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We had a great end to 2011, evidenced by the 1200 or so photos I took during the month of December. It takes a while to download those, y’all. Which doesn’t entirely explain my blogging absence, but “laziness” doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason, so I’ll go ahead and add that to the list.

We took a great trip back home to visit family before Christmas. We had a wonderful time and while we got to see lots of people, we didn’t get to see everyone. But I guess that’s the way it will always be.

First, we drove to Nana and Poppy’s. We spent Thursday evening and Friday with them and got to see Husband’s grandmothers.

Honor met Grandma F for the first time.

Caedmon and Husband were attempting to play the quiet game. One of them was better than the other.

Then we went over to Grandma H’s house.

Grandma H cooked a delicious lunch and we enjoyed spending time there.

Honor and Nana.

I didn’t get any pictures of Honor with Poppy, which makes me kind of sad. She was dealing with some pretty strong “stranger danger” as Trump likes to call it, and believe it or not, it was a challenge to get her happy when someone besides Husband or me was holding her. I think by the end of our trip, she’d worked herself out of it. Or else she was just so used to “someone else” hanging out with her, she just gave up.

Later that afternoon, we opened gifts with Nana and Poppy.

They gave Caedmon this game, and he loves it. I’d never seen it before, but it’s a great preschool game!

Honor enjoyed her books.

But Caedmon’s favorite thing was the Spy Jet from Cars 2.

Of course, it quickly had to be handed over for the insane packaging removal.

We played Caedmon’s new game with him. It was fun. And interesting. (Just wait until you see who played this game with him at Mom & Dad’s!)

We had a great couple of days at Nana and Poppy’s. We had fun visiting family and hope to be able to see everyone again soon.

Saturday, we set out to go visit some of my extended family and drive on to Mom & Dad’s. What should’ve been a short 1 1/2 hour trip…wasn’t. And what should’ve been a 4 hour trip turned into 5 1/2. And it wasn’t because of the children. Details soon!

We STILL Say Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

I originally published this on December 31, 2008. The “war on Christmas” is more ridiculous every year. And I still feel the same way about it. So as long as morons and idiots are still fighting against Christmas, I will continue to re-hash this post. I edited it a bit, but it still holds its original meaning. Enjoy. Oh, and…

Merry Christmas, y’all!

What Holiday is This Again?

I don't know about you, but I have grown extremely weary of the political correctness that has been forced upon Christmas.

For a few years now, more and more companies are turning to, "Happy Holidays" and, "Season's Greetings" so as not to offend anyone who may not celebrate Christmas.

Let me just say a few things about that. Y'all know I have opinions.

On the surface, Christmas is a national holiday. No different than Independence Day or Memorial Day. I don't know of anybody who is afraid to celebrate those holidays for fear of offending anyone. And at the very least, everyone enjoys the day off work.

On a deeper level, Christmas is a culturally traditional holiday. Our nation has been celebrating Christmas for oh, I don't know, a long time. It's what we do. It's a time of giving, a time of rejoicing, and a time of celebrating with family and friends. I mean, how many other holidays have their very own ugly sweaters?

And on the most intimate level, Christmas is about the birth of Christ. For years, everyone's known that's what Christians believe even if they don't choose to believe it themselves or celebrate it.

But the birth of Christ is not pushed on people nearly as much as Santa. And I don't hear anyone bellowing about how Santa is impeding upon their right to not believe in fat men in red suits. Besides the people who think Fat Santa is a bad example and started a push a few years ago to get Skinny Santas in place all over the nation. Um, that was really successful, huh?

It seems we're more willing to stand up for the tradition of Fat Santa than anything else.

Personally, I enjoy someone wishing me a Merry Christmas. It makes me happy. It gives me the warm fuzzies. And if someone were to wish me a Happy Hannukah or whatever it is they choose to celebrate this time of the year, I would be just as happy.

And you know what? I'd probably wish them one back.

Because it's not about me.

Sure, I'm a Christmas girl thru and thru. I believe that Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Period. And I wish that everyone else felt that way. The reality is that they don't.

And the beautiful thing about our country is that everyone is free to believe what they choose, even if it is diametrically opposed to the majority and the traditions of our nation.

However...

(That's a fancy way of saying, "BUT...")

...that does not give the vocal minority the right to bash Christmas or try to pretend that it is "less than" because they choose not to believe in/celebrate it.

Demanding that atheistic signs be placed right beside a Nativity is downright petty and childish. I wonder if those same people demanded that everyone return the Christmas gifts purchased for them? Or if they wrote "Return to Sender" on the Christmas cards they received from friends and family?

And stealing the atheist's sign is just as bad. But then for someone to quote one of the 10 Commandments as an addendum to the atheist sign is too far.

So you don't believe in God and think the Bible is a farce...until it serves your purpose.

I also loathe the “Holiday Tree.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t put up a tree and adorn it with lights and decorations for Flag Day. Or Presidents’ Day. Those are holidays. At least the banks and Post Office think so. I put up a tree at Christmas because it’s a Christmas Tree.

I am tired of the "squeaky wheel" getting so much attention and doing their best to take the focus off of not only the true reason for the holiday, but the tradition that our country has celebrated unapologetically since 1870.

Until now, anyway.

When we were on our way home from Dallas on Christmas morning (2008), Husband and I noticed something. All the stores - from foodservice to retail - were closed. The only places we saw open were gas stations.

The very same stores that instruct their employees to say, "Happy Holidays" were not shy about observing the Christmas holiday in so much as it meant closing their doors for a day off. They are also not quiet about the loss of retail sales our down economic times have brought them during this Christmas shopping season.

In other words, the very people who are bemoaning Christmas in the name of political correctness are also willing to embrace it for what it can do for them and their bottom line.

So I came up with a solution. I believe that if your company prefers to use, "Happy Holidays," you should be open on Christmas. If you'd like to say, "Merry Christmas," by all means, close your doors on Christmas and enjoy the holiday with your family.

And if you don't want to celebrate Christmas, don't. Celebrate whatever it is you want. But don't ruin Christmas for the rest of us in some narcissistic plot to make everything about you.

And that's all I have to say about that.

An Open Letter

2011-12-19T08:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Makers of “As Seen on TV” Toys,

I remember when I was a kid that my Mom hated letting us watch cartoons, not because of the cartoons, but because of the commercials. At the time, I didn’t see what the big deal was. I don’t particularly remember going nuts over a ton of things, but I know that there were definitely things I thought I would die without. And I would’ve never known they existed without the magic of television commercials.

(Anybody remember the Pogo Ball? Yep. Had to have it. Saved my money for ages to get that thing. It wasn’t nearly as cool as the commercials made it out to be. And it was hard, y’all. Also? I probably had an unhealthy attachment to my Caboodle.)

Now that I have my own child, I hate letting him watch cartoons on TV because of the commercials. Yet another way I am turning into my mother. I blame you, sold-on-TV-junk-nobody-needs. As if the commercials about regular toys weren’t bad enough, the order-online-or-on-the-phone toys are worse. Because you know what nobody in my house needs?

A slushy maker – that you have to physically shake. (“But Momma! When you turn the blender on it makes a mess out of the top. When you shake this, it doesn’t make a mess!”)

A neon-colored cookie and frosting-squeezing apparatus. (“Look, Momma. I want to make my own cookies by myself!” Like that’s going to happen.)

A glow laser. Or a make-your-own-stuffed-animal. Or a stuffed animal that also doubles as a pillow – or a mini-pillow.

Each time I hear him ask for one of those cheesy items, I die a little inside. And I certainly don’t need a second one for just the cost of shipping and handling. What makes it even worse is not just that my 4 year-old is now a high-pressure salesman, but when he asks, “Momma, do you have to be 18 to buy that?”

But it does make me appreciate the classic toys. Blocks. Hot Wheels. Dolls. (Just plain dolls – not the ones that talk and do all kinds of junk.) Balls. Sticks. They’re not glamorous. And there are way fewer commercials for the plain ol’ toys. But those are the ones that actually get played with for hours on end. Ones that I consider to be worth the money because they can be and do anything.

And that’s really what childhood toys should really be about; Inspiring you to create and imagine, using them for something different every day. Toys that allow you to be a kid.

So keep your stuff that you must be of legal voting age to order. My kids are getting real toys for Christmas this year.

Sincerely,

Powdered Snowmen

2011-12-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest? Yes? Just a couple of times? Ok. I’ll stop. No, I won’t. I love it. And when it means more sugar in his life, so does Caedmon.

The other night, we made some donut snowmen.

Powdered donuts, candy corn, cookie frosting, and mini M&Ms.

I can’t decide who Caedmon is more like in the kitchen, me or his Daddy. He hated having powdered sugar on his hands, so I had to give him a rag to wipe his fingers on after he touched the donut each time!

I think these were the best snowmen he’s ever eaten!

They were fun to make, too. Thanks Pinterest, and all those who are addicted to passing on great ideas!

Corn and Cheese Enchiladas

2011-12-15T08:24:00.000-05:00

If you weren’t aware, we love Mexican food. And chips & salsa? It’s a staple at our house. Even Caedmon eats it. It’s vegetables. Sort of.

We do love our Chicken Enchiladas, but when I found a recipe for Corn & Cheese Enchiladas a while back, I had to try it. I thought it was interesting because there was no meat, but I like to do meatless dishes, just not ones that leave you wanting. This one definitely doesn’t make you wonder where the chicken is. Also? It’s easy.

Sauté green onions and minced garlic for just a minute, then add frozen corn and salt to taste. Stir in milk, and simmer about 10 minutes, until thick.

After removing from heat, add some cilantro (if you like it) and a good squirt of lime juice.

Warm corn tortillas (or don’t), put some corn filling in the middle and add some cheese on top of the corn filling.

Roll up and place in your casserole dish. Repeat until you run out of filling or tortillas, whichever comes first. (It makes a lot, so I typically split it in half or even thirds and freeze what we’re not eating that night.)

(I didn’t warm the tortillas, so that’s why they cracked. To avoid cracking, warm in the oven first.)

Pour green enchilada sauce over the top.

Sprinkle with more cheese. And I always like to add more cilantro.

Bake until hot and bubbly.

I usually serve with black beans, and/or Mexican rice, and maybe chips & salsa. Yum!

Corn & Cheese Enchiladas (adapted from All You Magazine)

6-inch corn tortillas (I usually end up using around 18)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

5 green onions, white & light green parts, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

10 oz bag frozen corn

3/4 cup whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro

Lime juice

2 cups grated cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

1 lg or 2 - 10 oz. cans enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Stack tortillas, wrap in foil and bake until softened, 8-10 minutes. Grease 9x11 baking dish. (I split the recipe, use 2 8x8 pans, and freeze one.) Warm 1Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in corn and milk; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 7-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat, add cilantro and a good squirt of lime juice.

Remove tortillas from foil. Set aside ½ cup cheese. Spoon about 2 heaping Tbsp corn mixture in center of a tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 heaping Tbsp cheese. Roll up tortilla and set in dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas, overlapping slightly. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with reserved cheese. Add more cilantro if desired. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

To divide and freeze, put half in a freezer-safe pan, cover with foil, and freeze. You can leave the enchilada sauce and cheese off until you’re ready to cook, or go ahead and add it before freezing. To cook from frozen, cover with foil and add cooking time. Remove foil the last few minutes.

Mad Skillz

2011-12-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

Honor is learning some new things these days.

She is learning to drink out of a sippy cup.

Nevermind that she dumped it all over her. Or perhaps her mother didn’t exactly have the valve sealed properly. We may never know.

She’s also learning to make phone calls.

Also how to fuss at her phone when she drops calls.

And though she’s always held her own hand, I love that she’s learned to intertwine all of her fingers.

Honor also makes a clicking sound with her tongue. I’m not sure what she’s planning to do with it unless she is going to learn an African language. Which would be cool. My attempts to get it on video have proven unsuccessful.

She still hasn’t, however, learned to properly use a pacifier.

Oh well. You can’t do it all.