Oh, so Yummy

It was free ice cream day, at Amy's. We happen to have one nearby, too, so we drove over, stood in line, and got our scoops. I had Mexican Vanilla with strawberries, Jonathan had Belgiam Chocolate with Reese's cups and Oreos (the extra Crush-in was for answering their movie trivia question), Elena asked for Dark Chocolate with plain M&Ms, Joseph enjoyed an Aloha ice with gummy bears on top, and James explored Pumpkin (he thought it was weird, mostly for being cold, but kept grabbing the spoon and asking for more) .

Life is Beautiful

Elena wanted to make me a cake for my birthday, because cakes are very important to the well-being of any good birthday. She wanted it to be triangle-shaped, too, so we went with it. I helped her bake, and Jonathan helped her frost and decorate. There are actually 15 candles, though they spell out 30. I think the Halloween sprinkles are what really make it, though.

My visiting teacher brought a chocolate satin pie, earlier in the day, and I shared some with all who were in the house. James only got a tiny bit, but seemed to enjoy putting it to good use.

The kids have been laughing at the talking jack-o-lanterns in the Papa Murphy's commercials, so I promised we could have a pumpkin-shaped pizza on my birthday. I think it came out pretty good, and the kids thought it was great.

I really think I'm going to like my 30s. I'm old enough that I can do my own thing, again, and no one will look twice at me. I don't feel like I need to pretend that I'm just out of my teens/college, anymore. I don't feel compelled to look at the clothes in the Juniors' department, I've stopped wondering if I'm the Young Mom at the park. My friends range from 23-45 (and there are several of the young women I'm friendly with, as well) and my hobbies give me something to talk about with nearly anyone I meet. I'm loving being the mother of a school-kid, too. I honestly didn't know I could have this much fun waking up before dawn and walking a sluggish child through the cold and rainy puddles. I didn't realize how much I could enjoy talking with teachers about how my daughter is progressing, or sitting down with her and going over homework. It's like rediscovering that brilliant teacher I had that opened my eyes to the wonders of learning, so long ago. Only, this time, I see it in my child's eyes--that dawning awe and inspiration, the knowledge that there is so much to explore and discover. It's a beautiful time, here at our place, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Look Good?

I sure hope so. This is going to be our dinner, tonight. If it comes out the way I want, I'll post more pictures & a recipe.

Pretty Peas?

"I'm hungry, Mom. Can I have some food, please?"


"That looks good. What is it? Peas and cereal?"


"I don't know, Mom. I've never had anything like that, before."


"I guess I'll try it, but if it's yucky I'm not eating any more."


"Hmm. That's pretty tasty. Can I have some more?"

Nom, Nom, Nom

The kids and I went to my parents' house, last Friday, to visit and bring my mountain of laundry down to size. Lately, James has been wanting to join in at meals, since the table is obviously where all the interesting things happen. The high chair was at Gramma's, waiting for the day it would be needed again, and out it came. Watching was not enough, though. First, he wanted everyone to pay attention only to him, then he started smacking his lips to say "I'm hungry! I want some, too!" A tiny dab of mashed potatoes was received well and accompanied by a look requesting more. I had just so happened to pack some cereal in the diaper bag, that morning, so that it would be fully stocked for all emergencies in the upcoming month. Out came the cereal, flavored with a dash of formula, and ...




It was only ~2 teaspoons-worth, that first day, but in the 3-4 days since then he's worked up to just shy of a quarter cup. I think he likes it because 1) he's allowed to kick and wiggle, and 2) there's more opportunity for flirting with Mom.

"The Second Scoop"

"$2; ages 12 and under free"

We'll miss most of it due to other awesome family activities, and it seems a shame to pay $4 just to catch the last little bit, even if it does go to the Austin Children's Shelter. I hope you get the chance to go, though, because last year's was fantastic!

Picnic Party

The Elder's Quorum finally got around to having a social and getting my husband to tell me about it. Since it's been pretty quiet in the post-Easter lull, he even got to take off from work and join us. Yippee! I brought the camera, but it never left the diaper bag, so sorry for the lack of pictures.

We had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, sliced fruit, and juice boxes. The invite said to bring a salad, so I made potato salad. Adults chatted while the kids played on the playground. The EQ presidency brought kites, as well, and while the kite-eating tree ate two of them, Jonathan kept his up and away from danger. I sunscreened everyone while it was still cloudy, so I didn't have to worry when the sun finally came out. All in all, 3 1/2 hours, lots of food, good company, worn out kiddos, no sunburns or abrasions (or fractures, despite Joseph's best attempts)--it was a great day.

I Missed It!

I've had partial posts wandering around my head for my blog-aversary, so I went back to see when that was and I missed it! By almost a week, too. Here I was thinking it was the 21st, or something like that, and it was the 9th. Sigh...

Anyway, I had a lovely Valentines, though not in our usual tradition. I told Jonathan that, considering what happened the last time he made me a beautiful 5 course meal when I had morning sickness, he was off the hook and I'd cook something. It's easier that way, because I can gear everything to how my stomach feels. The whole family ate together, and we had Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole (I think that's the official name--we just call it Crunchy Rice) and a salad. As a special treat, I got HEB Creamy Creations Mexican Chocolate ice cream. I wanted strawberries, but all they had were the long-stemmed ones for dipping. At $9. And the chocolate was separate. At least the ice cream was good, and the cinnamon/fudge ripple through the middle was very nice. Hope you all had a lovely day with your loved ones, as well!

Eye on Our Figures

We're all looking for ways to get through all the parties without putting on the pounds. I found a website with fifteen common foods that use more calories than they contain:

• Celery
• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Tangerines
• Grapefruit
• Carrots
• Apricots
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Watermelon
• Cauliflower
• Apples
• Hot Chili Peppers
• Zucchini

Something to remember, though: all are better for you raw than cooked, and that ranch dip on the veggies piles on a lot of fat. Enjoy the party platters, and munch to your heart's delight!

Ice Cream!

Jonathan had work at the crack of dawn (yea, tax-free weekend) so Elena, Joseph and I rode the bus downtown for the ice cream festival. Elena's bunny, Penelope, came with us, and Elena said Penelope needed her rain coat, which I thought was rather prudent, since the weather was still looking a bit iffy, at that point. Once we got there, there was ice cream from Amy's, Ben & Jerry's, Dippin' Dots, Austin Scoops (Gelato), Nada Moo (vegan) and a few others that I didn't catch the names to. Plus, there was BBQ, carnival food, some carnival rides (mostly boucy castle things, but a few hand-powered centrifugal rides), a hair staion where you could get your hair styled or even painted, a petting zoo, a relay race, popsicle-stick art, and a live band under a big tent. We even saw an ice cream princess.


We brought our own snacks, but you have to get ice cream when you go to an ice cream festival. Elena asked for cookies-flavor cow ice cream with candies and we all shared it. I could tell it was made with mexican vanilla and it was good.



This is the pile of spare popsicle sticks, waiting to be claimed for art. There were about 5 little kids playing in the sticks at any given moment.



And you could build stuff. There was a contest, too, but it was a bit out of our league.


We stopped to say hi to two of the pony-ride ponies that were on break.


After all the fun, we decided to get off at Whole Foods and cruise for samples. They were having some kind of skateboard party in their parking lot, so there were all sorts of extra samples floating around. The best was a lavender-flavored goat milk ice cream. Very tasty. Then, trying to catch the bus back home, it took so long for our bus to come (we must have just missed it) that we decided to take a different bus to Daddy's picture store and surprise him, instead. Joseph fell asleep in the stroller while waiting for the bus (folded in half, it was very cute), and Elena napped with Penelope on the bus.

Pizza Fun

My Children Are Eating! Elena has decided that food really isn't all that bad, after all. Last time we made pizza, she ate 6 slices. Before you freak out, let me explain that the kids' pizza gets made in a 8" cake round. Still, that's really impressive. And today, she asked for her hot dog on the bread, with ketchup. Anyway, we know you're here for the pictures, so here's Joseph chowing down, last batch of pizza.


And here's Elena helping to make her own pizza, for tonight's dinner. She loves that she gets to sprinkle everything herself, I love that with the deep pan it doesn't go all over the place.

Cookie Dough Syndrome

Elena quit eating, a few weeks ago. She would ask for something to eat then leave the entire thing sitting on the table for the next hour. I tried to serve things I knew she liked. I even tried to make anything she specifically asked for in the hopes that if she got what she was craving that day she might actually ingest it, but alas, no such luck. She's holding steady at 27lbs, but her hemoglobin levels have been consistently low enough when we go to the WIC office that she had to go get a blood draw today to figure out what's going on. This was not a fun experience for either of us.

Joseph stayed strapped into his car seat on the floor because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on to him. Elena sat in my lap, in The Chair of Torture. I HATE those things. They give me the creeps, and my right elbow reflexively aches any time I look at, or even think about, one. We got the littlest needle they had but it still looked huge compared to Elena's arm, and two nurses came in to do the draw--one for the needle, one to help me hold Elena. Elena knew there was something wrong when I clamped down in a tight hug, and started crying as soon as they brought out the equipment. (That's, unfortunately, my girl--I do the same thing.) It took a little while to get the full 10ml, and I was trying so hard to keep my voice calm and soothing because all I really wanted to do was have a good freak out and maybe be sick in the trash can, but that wouldn't have done anyone any good. She did get two lollipops, though, and an Ariel sticker, and I let her be my helper far anything she wanted to do for the rest of the day.

This is where I had my Grand Epiphany. While making pizza (which she says she loves, but never eats a bite of) she munched several slices of cheese, a handful of mushrooms, a couple slices of pepperoni, a slice or two of ham, and even a few onions, which she used to hate. I thought about it, and realized that she does this for nearly every meal. She'll eat the components, but not the food. Hot dogs are great, but not if they're on the bun--they have to be eaten separately. The same goes for sandwiches. She'll eat pasta, but only without sauce. Half the time, she eats cold cereal as a plate of cheerios or fruit loops and a cup of milk. There are very few foods she'll eat once they hit the "done" stage--pancakes/waffles, cookies, and macaroni & cheese, and that's about it.

I call this Cookie Dough Syndrome: eat the dough, ignore the cookies. It's driving me crazy because I can't figure out what to give her that will actually get eaten.

Self-Service Meal

We were having broccoli alfredo for lunch, yesterday, and Joseph got to have some, too, for his very first Real Food. He even got to feed it to himself, which he thought was a huge thrill.