CK2

things to try...

2012-01-30T16:21:00.001-08:00

Not the biggest Rice Krispies fan, but these seem like they would be fun to make with kids...

Inside Out Rice Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies:

This is from a healthy dessert blog I like and these look like a fun and healthy kid treat:

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies

I've always wanted Ramekins because I think it's fun to serve people in individual dishes. I've never made pot pie so this recipe is actually on our menu plan for Wednesday this week. I'm going to omit the crust around the bottom and just put it on top as well as try and cut down a little more on the butter to make it even more healthy (this is a lower fat version as it is).

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Several food blogs that I like to check out have made yummy things with this Biscoff Spread stuff. I just saw it at WinCo yesterday, but didn't purchase any. At some point I would like to try it as it sounds really yummy...

our saturday

2012-01-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I bought Chris the fee to a golf tournament with a friend of his. I had to pat myself on the back for a good gift (normally it's so hard for me to think of things to get him) because he was super excited. While he was gone today to the tournament, the kids and I didn't do anything extra special but we still had fun...

Breakfast at Panera

Park

Working on homework from speech class

Watching those little capsules that turn into sponge animals in hot water...very exciting for them!

Baked these little gems. Very unique and the perfect salty/sweet combo

Right now they are up doing "special upstairs time" to be followed by movie, dinner, and bed. Fun and low-key day :)

meals for the week

2012-01-26T13:04:00.001-08:00

Monday: Tacos, veggies
(Costco has great pork that amounts to about $2.75 per whole family meal + the cost of tortillas, toppings, etc. I just plop the loin in the crockpot with a packet of onion soup mix)

Tuesday: Chicken Apple Gouda Hot Dogs, roasted potatoes (a.k.a. french fries for the kids!), veggies

Wednesday: Adults: Claim Jumper to-go (we have these gift cards that have to be used by Feb. 1) :)

Kids: Homemade pizza (I even snuck flaxseed in the dough and none were the wiser!), veggies

Thursday: Leftover tacos from Monday, veggies

Friday: Orange Chicken, brown rice, veggies

*I'm still looking for a good homemade granola bar recipe. I want it chewy (like those soft Quaker Oat ones), but not fall apart. I find it very hard to get just the right consistency.

*I found a snack that Chris just LOVES. Target has individual fat free yogurt that is very tasty. I buy the Honey Almond and combine it with 1/2 a banana and 1/4 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. It's a good sized snack and quite yummy.

*Need to get to Staters because Ambrosia apples (my new favorite over Fuji) are 99 cents a pound.

*This is how I now make oatmeal

movie review

2012-01-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

One of the nights Kendall and I stayed at Chris' aunt's house I rented, "I Don't Know How She Does It". I think Sara Jessica Parker is a cute actress and overall it was fun to watch. Any mom could relate to a number of things in the movie and there were several really endearing parts to it.

I have one pretty big beef, but let me first give my disclaimer. There are moms that choose to work for a variety of reasons, need to work for financial reasons, or simply want to. There are moms that choose to stay home. Every family is different and every mom does what she feels is right for her family. Enough said. What was frustrating about the movie was that there was NOT ONE stay at home mom in the movie who was portrayed other than a snotty, lazy, judgmental, and condescending person. Not one.

What is interesting to me is that if the roles were reversed and the working moms were the ones who were portrayed as judgmental, prudish, etc., all hell would break loose. But for some reason it's okay to dump on stay at home moms. Granted, there are stay at home moms who probably typify what they portrayed in the movie. But to not have ANY character represent a normal, compassionate, non-judgmental stay at home mom who doesn't look down on others? Really???

Just my two cents.

2012-01-22T10:34:00.001-08:00

*Yesterday the rain was BEGGING Chris and I to stay in all day in the nice warm house. But we knew the kiddos wouldn't last so we made ourselves venture out to the mall play area and Costco for lunch/groceries. While the kids played, I was very excited to finally find a purse and officially retire my mommy backpack. The best part? It was only $10 at JC Penny's!!! :)

It's not quite this bright of green in person :)

*Thanks for your advice on the grocery shopping. I think I've come up with a starting amount that I'm going to try and stick to weekly. I'll let you know when I've got a few weeks under my belt as to how it's going. :) Seeing as I'm a little sweet potato obsessed lately, I decided to factor in a bag of Sweet Potato Chips into our budget. I had a sample yesterday at Costco and FELL IN LOVE. :)

*I'm taking Cam on Thursday to the speech pathologist (who teaches his weekly class) for her to administer a whole battery of tests specifically designed for kids with Autism. I'm SO excited about this because we have never had this done, not to mention ever had an "official" diagnosis given to us. I'm anxious just to hear where he falls on the spectrum and her thoughts about our little guy.

*Right now my entire body aches. Please don't get sick...please don't get sick...please...

groceries

2012-01-20T10:46:00.001-08:00

I'm trying to purge our freezer and use up some stuff so I'm not spending money on groceries when I don't have to this week. So far we've polished off some take out pizza from New Years (that I froze) and Chalupa. I've tried a grocery budget in the past and let it slide after a couple of months. I REALLY want to try it again. I remember how free it felt to not feel like I as spending too much at one time because I knew that there was set total amount I couldn't go over. Not sure how that "free" feeling faded to the point that I gave up doing it.

I also want to try meal planning. Again, I tried it before and gave up after a couple lame attempts. I think my excuse was, "Well, but sometimes we go to Costco spare of the moment for dinner...or sometimes I have more leftovers than I thought so I don't need to use the ingredients I bought for Wednesday's meal". I know these are stupid excuses and that good planning would only help me spend less.

I've tried googleing the average that a family of four spends per month, but have yet to find it. I know this number varies as some families go organic (which would obviously up the overall bills). I know I could probably track our spending for a month, then go from there, but I'm a little impatient and want to start something NOW. :)

Any advice? Tips on how you do it????

weekend getaway

2012-01-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

Kendall and I had the best time together this past weekend at the coast. While Chris, Cam, and Chris' aunt trained it up to the Fresno area, we went for walks, went to coffee shops in the mornings, played at parks, went shopping, and just had fun together. She's quite the easy little travel companion. :) I missed my boys, but thouroughly enjoyed my time with Kendall all weekend.

One of my favorite times was our first morning there. We walked to a coffee shop and sat for a while, then took our time walking back, stopping at a cute park along the way. It was so relaxing and fun. :)

Favorite game at the beach? Having mommy hold her in the frigid water while she laughed at the waves rolling in and out at my feet. :)

Here we are at the kids museum. I found it just through google and it was such a hit with her. She was very into talking to the shipmates on board her boat. She also enjoyed serenading them... ( LOVE this video)

Cameron really enjoyed the train ride. It was a long travel day but he was quite a champ. But he was rewarded at the end with a fun weekend at his grandparents. :)

Hiking with dad and his favorite girl, Sam...

Waving goodbye to grandma and grandpa...

Thanks, Noonie, for organizing such a fun trip for Cam and for letting Kendall and I crash at your place!!!

99 cent store

2012-01-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

I rarely go to 99 cent stores, but when I do, I wonder why I don't visit them more often!!! Yesterday I went to get a little trinket for the tooth fairy to leave under Cam's pillow last night. I also wanted to find some things for the kids for this weekend (train ride for Cam and hanging out with me at Chris' aunt's house for Kendall). I found the greatest activity books (they had a ton!) and some fun little things for Kendall. Plus I walked out with spending only $8! Here are a few things I bought:

They had tons of Valentine stuff so I will definitely be returning for Cam's school cards and some trinkets for he and Kendall. :)

conversation

2012-01-11T16:14:00.001-08:00

Today we had a playdate with a little guy from Cam's class. I really enjoy his mom and we actually were able to talk quite a bit amidst watching the four kids. When I got home Chris asked what made me enjoy her so much. Besides the fact that we have several small things in common (you know, things that aren't huge deals but that just help you connect a little and have things to talk about...i.e. both morning people, into eating healthy...for the most part :), have kids the same age, etc.), she is also great at asking questions. This is HUGE for me.

This sounds silly, but many times after I'm together with a friend, I'll tally up the questions I asked her to make sure I didn't talk too much. I think asking questions shows interest and that you REALLY care about their thoughts about things. I don't mind talking with friends who do most of the talking. I love hearing about other people (especially because my conversations during the day mostly take place with a 5 and 2 year old). However the girls that I TRULY connect with are those that I feel care about me and my life...and ask me questions to display that.

With that said, there does come a point in friendships where I know them so well that I don't need them to ask me a question and I can just talk and share as much as I want. That's a nice and comfortable point to get to. :)

some food stuff

2012-01-09T10:35:00.001-08:00

*Last night Chris and I dropped off the kids for a couple hours at my parents' and went to Claim Jumper for dinner (gift card...woohoo!). We both ordered probably our favorite dish there, the Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwich. I know it seems rather dull, like something you could just order at Subway. However it is soooo wonderful!!! The bread is out of this world and the chicken salad is loaded with cashews. And if I could snap my fingers and make REAL mayo good for you, you can bet I would. :)

This is just a random picture and is not NEARLY the tasty bread that you get with the Claim Jumper one.

*Almost every single day I have the same thing for lunch. I basically heat up a bowl of veggies mixed with onions, potatoes, feta cheese and some sort of bean (usually garbonzo beans). Lately I've been taking the extra time of roasting them all in the oven. I've even been doing tomatoes because I actually like them roasted. I love this meal because I can have a huge bowl of it and it's sooo flavorful :)

I tried sweet potatoes today and it was wonderful!!!

*Every morning Cam watches me make his lunch while he eats breakfast. And every morning I get the same question:

"Mamma, is that almond peanut butter or ordinary?"

He does not like almond, but I continue to use it only because I want to vary the nut butters since he eats about 5 lbs a day! :) So lately I'm started doing 1/2 and 1/2 and that seems to suffice for him :)

*Chris has started taking Power Bars when he golfs. He says the Cookies and Cream flavor is "pretty much like a candy bar". Wow! High praise for a protein bar!

*I still eat a Skinny Cow EVERY single night after dinner. It's mashed up, smeared with a spoonful of peanut butter, topped with a crushed graham cracker and whipped cream, and microwaved for a few seconds (nice and melty!) :)

2012-01-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

Nothing TOO exciting to blog about, so here is some more randoms. :)

*Cameron and Chris are taking Amtrak with Chris' aunt next weekend up to my in-laws' (I'm going to stay at his aunt's house with Kendall for a girls' weekend...very excited!). Cam is REALLY looking forward to it and loved watching a video of an Amtrak train I found on Youtube.

*Yesterday was a daddy/Cameron afternoon which included Barnes and Noble for reading, a toy store for using some of Cam's Christmas money, and dinner at Claim Jumper (happy hour specials there are GREAT). Cam LOVES their pretzel bread sticks.

*I feel like I'm almost to the point where I can graduate from my frumpy backpack and actually carry a purse. I just love having a whole package of wipes, plenty of room for snacks, sippy cups, etc. that my backpack offers. I like this one from Target:

*Right now I'm finishing up my last Christmas movie. Sad :(

*I was telling Chris tonight how much I love the fact that our kids REALLY enjoy each other. We went to the park and McDonald's today and despite there being other kids, they chose to play with each other. :)

Ok, must go. I'm about to research another trail in Palm Springs for a family hike tomorrow. :) Have a good weekend!

2012-01-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

--I've been making protein shakes for Chris lately. Kendall is a fan and likes for me to pour her the last few drops from the blender into a little cup.

Shake (recipe thanks to Jessica!)
*water/ice
*protein powder
*1/2 frozen banana
*1 tsp. sugar free banana jello powder (I think this helps makes it kind of foamy)
*1/8 cups raw oats
*5 walnuts (Chris really likes the flavor these gives)

--Reason #456 why we like Palm Springs: hiking. We took a really fun hike yesterday with the kids. The views were beautiful and the weather perfect.

--Almost spent $20 on a pair of jeans today for Cam (at Target). That is a little pricey for me for kids' jeans. Luckily I found a cute (sadly not AS cute) pair on clearance or $11.99. :)

--Dinner tonight: Brown rice topped with chicken and Costco pot stickers

--Rented "Margin Call" the other night and really enjoyed it. The language got a little much at times (nothing dirty, just cussing), but otherwise it was pretty fascinating.

--Kendall has been my sleeping champ lately! 6:30pm-6:30am and 2+ hour naps!!

bus

2012-01-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

The other day Chris was walking with the kids. As they passed the bus stop, a bus pulled up and the driver got out and handed him a schedule, telling him that bus rides were free for the remainder of the year. Sign them up!! We knew the kids would love to ride a "big, ginormous bus"!!

So yesterday Saturday breakfast with dad was made all the more special by riding to McDonald's in style. :)

Fun even in waiting for the bus :)

good book

2011-12-31T06:35:00.000-08:00

We heard about this book a while back so I requested it for Christmas. It's a GREAT book in teaching kids about telling their parents if they were ever to be touched inappropriately by someone else. It's very simple, not wordy, and drives the point home in a fun, kid-friendly way. I would highly recommend it if you have a young child. :)

back to life

2011-12-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

We have had such a fun 2 week break. Yesterday we got back from several days with my in-laws and had a wonderful time. I even got a pedicure and some kid-free Christmas movie watching during the daytime. :) Some highlights:

*Playdate with my friend Jana, and her kids

*Date night with Chris to see Mission Impossible (SOOO good. Better than Sherlock Holmes)

*Lots of good food

*Watching the kids have waaaay too much fun playing outside on their property. There is just so much space for them to play :)

*Bonfire with hot dogs and smores

*Fun park visits

*Great car rides to and from

*Discovering a new little Oak Glen'ish type place with an amazing tree house and shops

But now we are back to reality, which is sad but welcome. I'm ready to get back into the school routine again, and so is Cam :)

christmas

2011-12-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

Chris' side of the family celebrated with us on Thursday. We had a fun time together and the kids enjoyed seeing their cousins. The weather was wicked (by our wimpy California standards) so we stayed in all day. :)

Cookie decorating:

Friday we took his parents and grandmother up to Oak Glen for breakfast. That night I had a fun catering job with two friends. We didn't cook the food, but we prepared and served it to a wedding of about 150 people. It was really fun and I'm hoping to be able to do it again with the woman who runs the business. It was nice to be able to earn a little extra cash, especially this time of year. I also enjoyed working outside the "mom" role for an evening. :)

Yesterday and today we spent with my parents. This morning we opened presents just the four of us, then my parents and a friend of theirs' arrived. Chris is sick, so he stayed home while we went up to Oak Glen for a hike. It was perfect weather and we had a great time.

We came back to a yummy lunch and a Happy Birthday Jesus cake for dessert. Such a fun Christmas. Tomorrow we head up to Chris' parents until Thursday. We are taking as much advantage of Cam's time off from school as possible! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!!

p.s. Remember my "goal" of starting to exercise? I just ordered this...we'll see how motivated I am come 5:30 in the morning January 1st!!!

pumpkin crunch cake

2011-12-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

I posted this recipe a while back in the hopes that I would someday try it. Well, try it I did and it was wonderful. Wonderful. :) We celebrated Christmas yesterday with Chris' side of the family and my SIL requested I make it after seeing it on my blog. It was...

*VERY dense
*VERY rich
*VERY unique in the texture aspect
*VERY, VERY yummy

I would highly recommend trying it for a Holiday gathering because it's so pretty to look at and pumpkin is obviously festive to serve.

Sidenote: If you make it, maybe telling people that it requires 6 1/2 sticks of butter isn't a good idea. It might make it less appealing. I know...can you believe that???? :)

2011-12-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

*Very nice date night last night. Went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie (great!) and dinner at Cheesecake. Unfortunately Cheesecake Factory has REALLY raised their prices. Our selection of what we order has been decreased quite a bit. We were still able to get out of there with a bill of $23, but it's a bummer that many of the things we used to enjoy are no longer an option. :(

*While Kendall took a fever induced loooong nap today, I took Cam to Pharaoh's for a couple of hours. We then came home to a family movie night (Kung Fu Panda II) and made homemade french bread pizzas. We used to have these all the time when I was a kid. They are so easy, cheap, and fun for the kids to make.

*Right now Kendall is REALLY into volcano videos. For some reason one day we talked about what volcanos were and I showed the kids some videos on Youtube. Now it's, "Can we watch "mallcanos" on computer? See "ba-lava" please???" I'll admit that at first it was rather fascinating watching the footage. However I'm a little over watching hot lava rivers. :)

*I'm thinking about making a new year's goal (that seems less threatening than a "resolution") of starting to exercise. I've determined that the easiest way would be to do a DVD before the kids wake up. I'd like to do one with some exercises with weights. I read all the time about how this is so important for your bones and keeping them strong, especially as you age.

*I was given a little grief last year for not sending a Christmas letter. I'm almost done with ours this year, but I can't guarantee it will be out by Christmas. :)

*I'm making an appetizer dip for Christmas. My mom introduced it me and it is one of Chris and my favorites!! It's just a block of cream cheese covered in whole cranberry sauce and pine nuts. So good.

our days

2011-12-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've been having a difficult time the past few days with Cam's attitude. What he does is very hard to even put into words, so I won't try, but I have found myself using the exasperated tone of voice that I have never liked. I try to be firm, but calm in what I say, but sometimes the "at the end of my rope" tone can squeak out.

Anyway, despite some struggles, we have had a fun couple of days. Yesterday afternoon we were supposed to meet my parents at Disneyland, however with our car packed and already 30 minutes down the road, it started raining and so we called it off. But we made a fun evening out of it and took the kids to the mall, Chuck E Cheese (thanks to some coins I found in the glove compartment!), and Red Robin for dinner.

Today Kendall and I tagged along on a field trip with Cam's class to a convalescent home to sing Christmas songs. Cam got to sit on Santa's lap (a first!) and tell him what he wanted. Later this evening some friends came over for dinner and we had the kids decorate Christmas cookies. Both kids were very into it and I was pleasantly surprised that they actually listened and didn't eat as they went along (for the most part!). :) I made BBQ beef sandwiches, using Chris' mom's homemade dinner roll recipe. I just am not a very good bread maker. They were good, but not "I literally could live off of these every single meal" good, like I think his mom's are.

un-crafty Kelly

2011-12-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to enjoy making crafts. Unless I find one that I'll actually use (other than sitting on a shelf as a nicknack), doesn't cost a lot for the materials, or would make a great gift, I'd rather spend my free time baking/cooking. Anyway, I thought I had found a GREAT craft idea. The key word is "thought".

I stumbled across a blog that taught you how to make homemade snowglobes. I thought this was such a cute idea and decided to make them for my kids and two of my nieces for Christmas. Well, after several trips to the store for materials (not finding what I wanted, getting the wrong stuff, etc.), more money than I thought spent on the materials, I realized why I don't craft. :(

If you look at the blog, (*see bottom of post), you'll see how they are supposed to look. What they aren't supposed to look like is this...

Lovely how Lauren's little body is all faded and bleary and the glitter is stuck all over. Even more lovely is how my carefully colored flowers bled all over and looked like tie-dye. I'll admit I had REALLY high expectations and I was excited to give these on Christmas. (sigh) I guess I'll stick to cooking.

Speaking of cooking, tonight we had meatloaf and I needed to use the oven for something else. I put it into two little loaf pans and set them in the crock pot. They cooked perfectly and even had more of the crunchy outsides (which I love) than they would have had in one big loaf. :)

*http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/12/how-to-make-a-homemade-snow-globe/

story time

2011-12-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Earlier I had Chris snap this pic because it represents a pretty big breakthrough for us. The reason we are all snuggled together is because Cam is telling us a story...FROM SCRATCH! I'm sure you've told your kids made up stories before. It actually is kind of hard to think of original plots you haven't told before. Anyway, making up stories uses LOTS of imagination, something which Cam and many kids on the spectrum struggle with. Cam is very literal. However it is good to stretch his little brain in this way. There has been a lot of research that shows the huge impact pretend/imagination play has on brain development. So all that to say we are SO excited for Cam to enter this phase. His stories are cute, creative and quite long. :)

2011-12-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

*I still have not gotten Kendall's laxative intake right. It's either too much or too little. Secretly I'm not distraught over this because it's a good excuse to put off potty training! :)

*Yesterday my mom watched Kendall during Cam's school so I could do some Christmas shopping. I was SO productive! My time mainly consisted of many stops to get gift cards. These types of errands are so much more of a hassle if you are unbuckling/buckling at each stop!

*This past week we went with my parents to Thoroughbred Lane in Rancho Cucamonga. The Christmas lights were absolutely incredible. The kids enjoyed it, but I think it was a little too long for Cam. He loves Christmas lights, but in shorts spurts. :) it was also hard because there was no sidewalk and there were lots of cars around. But it sure was amazing to see some of those houses. :)

*Checked out a few cook books from the library. I flagged several recipes but decided I would run them by Chris before attempting them...lest I have a repeat performance of my zucchini boat debacle. :)

*Today Cam and I baked some cookies to give to his school friends for Christmas. I made a normal chocolate cookie recipe, then dumped in A LOT of butterscotch chips and peanut butter M&M's. VERY yummy. :)

*I know Kendall loving Disney princesses is not unique to little girls, but that doesn't stop me from thinking it's the absolute cutest thing in the world when she demands to wear her princess dress to pick up Cam from school. :)

*The other day:
Cam: What happens if everyone toots?
Me: Well, everyone DOES toot.
Cam: Well, what happens if everyone toots at the same time?
Me: Well...it would be very stinky!
Cam: Yes! And we would all live in a tooter world!

bombed again

2011-12-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

So today I tried another recipe that bombed. This was the next bomb after my veggie burgers I posted a while back. Basically you hallow out zucchinis and stuff them with a combo of sausage, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini flesh, and tomatoes. While I really liked them, no one else did (although Chris said the insides tasted good...just not the "boats") and I found myself really frustrated. I wasn't frustrated with Chris and the kids, just the situation. It's hard to spend a lot of time (they were really labor intensive) on a meal and be the only one to like it. Moms really need to have a tough skin, don't they? :)

p.s. I'm not going to give up experimenting with meals, but I will say I'm not super motivated after watching my son spit out his first bite and say that his "mouth hurt" and could therefore not finish his meal. :)

2011-12-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

*Last night we met some friends for dinner and then to see some Christmas lights down in Long Beach. It was a really fun evening and the kids loved seeing the lights, running, looking at the boats in the canal, running, and running. They were all over the place, but luckily it wasn't very crowded. The funny part was that despite enjoying the lights, all four kids might very well say their highlight was playing with the dogs of a guy we ran into at the end of our walk. I guess we could have just met at a dog park. :)

*I made my monthly batch of waffles this morning and I thought I would share the recipe. I make the waffles, package two per bag, then freeze (this recipe lasts me about a month with Cam having them almost every morning). I simply pop a couple out onto Cam's plate each morning (don't even heat them up). I put about a tablespoon of syrup in a bowl and he dips away.

Healthified Waffles :)

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats
2 tbls. baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbls. flaxseed
2 eggs
3 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup olive oil
1 can garbanzo beans (pureed with about 1/8 cup water)
1/4 cup honey

Mixed together and make your waffles!

Here's Cam's breakfast mid-way through :)

*Over the past month and a half, Chris has been having major computer problems. He has probably spent 50+ hours on trying to fix it, bringing it in to have someone else look at it, etc. I have never seen him so discouraged and frustrated. He FINALLY had a break through yesterday with a visit to the Mac store out in Palm Springs. With some great advice, he bought the parts needed and it now works. What a load off. For someone whose entire family's livelihood depends on a computer, this has been a huge stress and an equally huge load off to have it fixed! Woohoo!!

Here he is with his office torn apart amidst the fixing:

thoughts on health

2011-12-02T13:24:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I get frustrated with the new information that seems to constantly be presented to us about this food or that food being bad. Dairy is bad according to some. Meat is bad according to some. Non-organic fruits/veggies are bad...and the list goes on. We try to eat healthy. We try not to eat foods that are more chemicals than actual food. I don't buy white bread. I know some disagree, but I honestly feel in my gut that SOOO many of our diseases (even Autism) have been caused through numerous indirect links of the chemicals in our food, environment, etc. But sometimes I get overwhelmed with it all. For instance, while Cam rarely drinks Juice, Kendall drinks it every single day so I can dilute her laxative in something yummy. So when I watch this, I get frustrated that me buying 100% juice might not even be safe. Ugh...

Sometimes I really think living back in Little House on the Prairie days would be so nice. We would grow the food we eat. Period. :)

2011-11-30T06:26:00.001-08:00

*My new food concoction has to do with yogurt. Both my kids love yogurt but it's full of sugar. I decided to puree some cottage cheese (because they wouldn't dig the cottage chunks) and mix it with the yogurt. That way they are getting the yogurt flavor, but with less sugar and equal protein. I did get a, "Is this the regular yogurt, mama??", but I think they'll get used to it. :)

*Sometimes I feel guilty at how much Kendall has to be toted around for the sake of Cameron. In addition to the trips back and forth to school, she also comes to speech 4x a week. I'm so fortunate that she is such an easy companion (and just so fun to be with ) and enjoys most anything we do, whether it's killing time at Fresh and Easy (I let her bring her own toy shopping cart from home), or playing outside Cam's class on the little playground.

Here she is at speech at the University of Redlands. They have a large toy room that I grab several things from. She then plays on the floor while I watch Cam through a two-way mirror during his session.

*Every day during Kendall's nap, I carve out some time to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and catch up on some Tivo. I love this time. :) I really enjoy Quints By Surprise. I like watching how they handle quintuplets, but I really like their marriage and how healthy they are in the way they relate. It's always refreshing to watch a couple talk to each other without sarcasm, nagging, etc.

*I LOVE 103.5's continuous Christmas music!

*I'm behind on Christmas shopping. I would do a lot more online if it weren't for the stinking shipping and handling.

thanksgiving

2011-11-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend at my in-laws. The kids enjoyed being outside (Cam almost the entire time), going to see The Muppets, going to the Christmas tree farm, having a bonfire in the backyard, and spending time with their cousins. Highlights for us included everything I just mentioned, plus getting to sleep in each morning. Since there is not enough room for all of us to sleep at their house, Chris' parents put us up in a hotel. So each morning we got to wake up on our own, which was especially nice seeing as Cam's average wake up back at the house was 4:30am (sorry Debbie and Wayne!!).

At the Christmas tree farm:

Chris' mom had bought the kids Christmas clothes and we were lucky enough to get some great shots:

While we had a great time away, it was nice to get back to our regular routine. I had promised the kids we would decorate for Christmas after Cam got home from school today. They were very excited and we had such a fun afternoon together. Both kids absolutely adored helping me and it was so neat for me to see. We have come such a long way with Cameron, but sometimes afternoons like this, filled with "typical" things like Christmas decorating, are that much more meaningful to me. Family activities which are considered "normal" by most families, still are never taken for granted with us, and today was no exception. :)

victoria gardens at christmas

2011-11-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

I've often commented to my friends from OC that I'm envious of all the fun things they have to do with kids around there. It's not that we don't have fun things around here, it's just that there is a little more driving involved. Victoria Gardens is always well worth the 40 minutes for us. This morning we met my friend Jen and her kids there and had an awesome time.

We started out at the Bass Pro Shop which was decorated for Christmas, complete with a little mini Santa's Village, including a free carousel!!

We then headed over to the actual shopping area and let the kids play on the playground. After going to see the huge Christmas tree, we ended the trip at the candy store, where Jen and I tried our best to keep our littlest ones from opening all the candy bins (or eating the candy). :) It was a really fun morning for me to see Jen as well as our kids, who thoroughly enjoyed one another. :)

I thought this was such a cute picture. The elevator looks through to the huge fish tank.

We got there right when it opened so we were practically the only ones. The kids got to play with all the toys without lines. Very nice!

cinnamon rolls and christmas swap

2011-11-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

This morning it was just Cam and I for a while. He randomly requested cinnamon rolls, to which I obliged. We haven't been able to do much the past few days because of Kendall's sick state, so I thought it would be a fun treat for him. I have an awesome recipe from a friend that is very quick (no yeast) and makes just a few (5 to be exact). I altered it to make them a little more healthy and they came out great!

Quick and Semi-healthy Cinnamon Rolls

2 tbls. butter
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sweet potato puree
butter, brown sugar and cinnamon

Mix all ingredients except brown sugar and cinnamon. Once it comes together, use your hands to finish mixing and form a ball. Roll ball out on floured surface (I leave it kind of thick but you can roll it as thin as you want). Spread with very small amount of butter. Sprinkle as much brown sugar/cinnamon as you like. Roll up and slice them into about 2 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Glaze with a little milk/powdered sugar mix.

My friend had a great idea of a Christmas toy swap. We both went through our toys and collected the ones that the kids either don't play with or have outgrown. We will then get together and go through each others' basket and pick out the ones we want. Presto! Wrap them up and they are Christmas gifts for our own kids!

4 sweet things

2011-11-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

1. I am TERRIBLE about remembering my calcium in the morning. For some reason, I always think about it when I'm not eating, which is when you are supposed to take it. To help me remember, I bought these. Yes, they are more expensive than regular pills, but if the fact that they are little chocolates will help me remember to take them, then I think it's worth a little more. :)

2. I had a rough morning with Cam. He was in a sour mood off and on, just letting little things bug him (i.e. I brought out some toys...he decided he didn't want to play with them...I started putting them away...he got upset). Anyway, I was frustrated a lot. However on our way to school, Kendall was feeling horrible as she is currently running a fever. I looked back and Cam was gently rubbing her forehead and apologizing for giving her his cough. Ahhh...so sweet.

3. Because of her sickness, Kendall has had two rough nights. I like to be the one to help her during the night. I slept in the guest room so I could be up and down. However unbeknownst to me, Chris set his alarm for 4:00am, came in and closed my door, turned on my noise machine, and let me sleep in while he took Kendall duty. What a husband. I won't go on, but this isn't even anything out of the ordinary for him. Such a thoughtful guy...especially when it comes to the kids. :)

4. I bought some almond butter in the hopes of inserting it into some of Cam's diet. Because he eats peanut butter ALL THE TIME, I figured a different nut spread would be good. I tried it before and it didn't go over well. However I have successfully fooled him this time as long as I add sweet jelly (usually he just has PB on the sandwich). Not a bad trade off!

2011-11-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

Nothing big to report, so I'll do another random blog post :)

*Saturday morning I needed to drive out to OC. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the 1.5 hour drive. I was by myself, had my mug filled with hot chocolate I made, the sun came up on my drive, and I was listening to MY music. :) I brought along my CD's from years past and had nice playlist of:

-Celine Dion
-U2
-Rat Pack Christmas
-Shania Twain
-Taylor Swift

*Tonight we went to some friends' house for dinner. She joked a few days ago that she was trying to find a recipe friendly to our family. That means she was trying to find one that fit our pickiness :) What does that mean? No spicy. No fish. No beans. We joked that our family wins the award for the highest maintenance company. As a disclaimer, these are good friends. I would NEVER give a list of our preferences to someone who invited us over unless they asked. :)

*During Cam's sick-lay-low-stay in the house more-weekend we watched Polar Express. It sounds cheesy, but I think that movie is so magical. Kendall was GLUED to the TV, which is rare for her to last that long.

*We have Cam's parent/teacher conference tomorrow. I'm not nervous, more excited to hear her thoughts on our little guy and what her take is on him. :)

*It's made for TV movie Christmas season!!! Woohoo!! Already recorded three. Haven't watched them all yet, but excited to start!

*I tend to overuse commas. I HATE run-on sentences, so I'm always paranoid about it and would rather err on the side of using too many.

2011-11-09T12:19:00.001-08:00

*Found a good veggie strategy for Kendall. She is eating broccoli as long as she can dip it in honey! I've also started adding about 1 tbls. of pureed sweet potato to her morning oatmeal. :)

*I hate wind (meaning the kind you probably don't have unless you live where we do)

*But I hate rain more...so I should be thankful :)

*After attending weddings since I've been married, I wish I had had two things at my reception. A chocolate fountain and a candy bar (lots of candy bowls where the guests can fill up their own personal bags)

*Poor Cam is sick today. And it just happens to be the Fall Festival with his speech class. Bummer. But I consoled him with the idea of renting Cars 2 this afternoon. :)

*I know I've mentioned these before, but I really think they are just too good to be true...meaning too good to be 110 calories. If you have not tried these Apple and Gouda Cheese Chicken Sausages from Costco (although you can find them at the store...just not as cheap), you must! They are SOOO flavorful and yummy. Kendall downed them last night. Wow.

*Toying with the idea of cutting my hair like this. Why? Because I've again resorted to ponytails almost everyday.

2011-11-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

My little dolly and her new haircut. Is she not the cutest? :)

2011-11-06T07:20:00.001-08:00

*Yesterday was such a fun day. We dropped the kids off at my parents' in the morning, then headed out to a wedding in OC. It was fun to see friends from our old church and hang out during the reception.

*Afterward we killed some time at Target, then met some friends for dinner. We were there almost 3 hours, which lets you know there was plenty of great conversation. :)

The kids spent the night at my parents'. We felt badly doing this on Daylight Savings night. :( While I wish I could say I took advantage and slept in, the earlier daylight woke me up right at 6:00. But it was still wonderful to stay in bed and not have to get up.

*Here is our menu for this week:

Monday: Mexican lasagna, squash
Tuesday: Costco pot stickers, rice
Wednesday: Costco chicken sausages, baked fries
Thursday: spaghetti, veggies
Friday: leftovers

*Yesterday we browsed DSW for a while before dinner. I'm a person that doesn't typically spend more than $15 on shoes. I quickly learned that this was not the place for me. My exception to this rule are tennis shoes and Sketchers, which I'll admit I have a weak spot for because they are sooo comfortable and cute at the same time. But even Sketchers you can find at the outlets for pretty reasonable.

*I find that when we are out without kids and I see a baby, I miss Kendall.

*One of my favorite things is to browse food blogs. I found a site that lists blogs who have been nominated for awards, so you know they are good. Feel free to browse them if you have some free time. :)

*I sure love my kiddos. :)

2011-11-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

*Yesterday Chris asked me if I would mind if he grew a beard. I'm not a big fan of them, but I relented. :)

I told him I don't want this...

to turn into this...because he needs to still be a little hip, right? :)

*Made a double batch of pancakes last night to freeze. They work great for PB sandwiches in Cam's lunches. Secret additions? Flaxseed, pureed kidney beans, pureed broccoli. :)hehe

*Kendall loves Tinkerbell and the Disney princesses now. I got two hand-me-down shirts with these characters and she about dies when she gets to wear them to bed. I just want to eat her she's so cute. :)

pumpkin stuff

2011-11-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

I think my sister and I have similar tastes in food. She started raving about this pumpkin soup she made a few weeks ago. I purchased the ingredients and spent the majority of nap time today making the soup (quite labor intensive). I trust my sister and I'm sure the batch she made would have been delicious to me as well, but my soup was not good AT ALL. I'm sure it was recipe user error, but I must say it has been a while since I've botched a recipe THAT much. :) Sadly it also made me lose confidence in trying other pureed soups from scratch.

Here I am right before I dumped the whole pot down the drain...

Speaking of pumpkins, we had a great Halloween last night. We took the kids to Cam's speech center at the University of Redlands. They held their own small carnival for their students and siblings. It was nice, not crowded, and done in the afternoon.

After dinner we took the kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. This was probably my highlight seeing both of them so excited running up to each house. Here they are in their costumes.

weekend

2011-10-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a picnic with Chris' brothers' family and his parents (who were visiting them). I've said before that while we love where we live, I am jealous of the plethora of great parks out in OC. This was one of them. :)

Rousing game of football.

Since we've been having a few acting up issues at school (being silly, not sitting on his bottom, laughing during carpet time, etc.) with Cam, we decided to reward him if he went one straight week without "getting on red." He did and was very excited to find his reward to be a trip to Pharaoh's with mom today. Kendall is still a little young for the bounce houses (they are enormous), so she and dad braved Costco, which Chris said was a mistake as it proved to be the busiest day he has ever been. :)

Thought this was cute as we drove to Pharaoh's (he learned about Noah today at church):

Me: Why did God send the flood?
Cam: The people were very bad so God sent rain to died them to heaven.
Me: Why did God send the rainbow?
Cam: Noah listened and obeyed'ed what God commanded'ed. God sent a rainbow for his promise and if you sat on your bottom you got a stamp...and I sat on my bottom!! (I love how he flowed right into the stamp thing in the same sentence)

if you like butterscotch...

2011-10-28T19:29:00.001-07:00

We are getting together with Chris' family today for a picnic and I'm bringing some cookies. My favorite dessert combo is peanut butter and chocolate, but a very close second is butterscotch and chocolate. These Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies are very chewy and yummy. They are sweet (I think that is the complaint of some regarding butterscotch), but I just cut them into small bars so it wouldn't be overwhelming for people. Personally I think they are perfect and don't get overwhelmed in the least. :)

2011-10-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

*I took the kids to the mall play area yesterday after school. I wonder if that alone is why Cam slept in until 7 this morning, or 7:01 to be exact...Cam always tells us the exact minute he wakes up each morning :) Both he and Kendall played very hard! Afterward we met my parents and Chris at Pat and Oscar's for a belated b-day celebration for Chris. After dinner we had our cake picnic outside by the ducks. At one point Cam sat his plate down on the bench and a duck went after it big time. I really think that was the highlight of Cam's day. He died laughing and wouldn't stop.

*Cam will start a new speech class through the school district next week. It will be twice a week for 90 minutes. I hope Kendall doesn't get tired of parks, because we'll be making our rounds to any and all I can find since we need to stay in the area to pick him up afterward for school.

*My mom, who is a VERY healthy eater, also didn't like my veggie burgers I posted about a few days ago. Sigh. Oh well, I think I'll start buying some just for myself, since my homemade attempt was such a botch.

*Cam is VERY into the states right now. He has three U.S. puzzles that he sometimes does up to 6 times a day. I'm sad to admit that he knows far more than I as to the location of each one. He is working on the capitals now...which I'm also very bad at naming.

*Dinner tonight: Spaghetti

*I've started sneaking flax seed into Kendall's oatmeal each morning. I also do half cream of wheat for the extra iron. I'm so glad she likes this combo. I feel like this is her only really good solid meal of the day. She barely eats at the other meals. I try to make her snacks healthy, but I know she is snacking too much...lending to not much appetite at meals.

*I don't like cold weather.

my pinterests

2011-10-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

So if I were to have a Pinterest account, these would be among my to-do's:

Pumpkin Crunch Cake- I LOVE desserts with different textures, so the crunchies on the outside of this caught my attention.

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies: These are SUPER healthy and I'd love to sell the kids on them as an after dinner dessert.

This is a super yummy looking oatmeal bowl. Oatmeal is sooo healthy and not one of Chris' favorite breakfasts. I normally put a little brown sugar and raisins on his, which is a tad blah. I think he would be open to eating it more often if I could find a good recipe or yummy combo of toppings.

saturday tidbits

2011-10-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

*Our library had a pumpkin party this morning. I thought the kids would enjoy putting their costumes on early for breakfast out with dad. They did. :)

*They had a wonderful time making crafts, listening to a Halloween story, and playing games. Despite it being Halloween themed, they were the only ones in costume. They didn't seem to mind. :)

*Later I took Cam to a birthday party for a girl in his class. He was in bounce house HEAVEN. It was at Pump It Up, which we had never been to. At one point, all the the kids were ushered into a dark room, with loud techno music, black lights, and laser lights flashing all around. It was sensory overload, if you ask me, so I marvaled at how much my little guy on the Autism spectrum adored it. Ahh...happy mama.

*Hodgepodge dinner tonight for us. My meal? Homemade corn dog. Chris' mom buys them at her school carnival and freezes them for me. They are amazing. I heat them in the microwave and then put them into the George Foreman (to make them crispy). Yum.

*The World Series is on. Usually I'll email or occupy myself with something else while Chris watches sports. Tonight I felt like a movie, but it was slim pickings at Red Box. A little embarrassed to admit that I came home with Blue Crush 2. What was I thinking? We'll see... :)

well...i tried

2011-10-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a few days ago that I had an AMAZING veggie burger at the Cheesecake Factory. I was determined to find a recipe and attempt them myself. My disclaimer up front is that I rarely, if ever serve things to Chris that I know he probably won't like. Tonight was the exception, but I was secretly hoping he would enjoy them (however knew that was unlikely). My gut was correct and he didn't like them at all. He forced down half of his burger, while Kendall refused and Cam gave up mid-way.

But I thought they were WONDERFUL and had such a unique and good flavor!!! So, if you like veggie burgers, health food, earthy/wholesome flavored things, these are definitely worth a try. They are quite a bit of work, but I'm just freezing the remaining patties so I can snack on them myself in the coming weeks. :) Here is the recipe (the pic above is from there as well).

I even tried to sweeten the deal by including barbeque sauce, sharp cheddar, a slice of bacon, and a white bun!! But his look says it all...huh? :)

disney afternoon...and loooong evening

2011-10-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful afternoon at Disneyland yesterday with my parents. Despite the crowds, we were able to get on a few rides and go to their favorite play area.

Chris and his brother's all time favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber. Despite many people dressed in costume last night, he was still pleasantly surprised to see his favorite duo. We had to snap a picture. :)

You can see Kendall's arm gently trying to pull Cam out into the dancing. She wouldn't go if he didn't, but he was a little too shy.

After Disneyland, we always debate which freeway to take. We HATE the 91, yet it's the fastest. Well, we made the wrong choice last night. After a few minutes on the road, we came to a standstill...for an hour and a half. There was an officer related shooting which took place, causing two freeways to be halted. It was rather surreal to be playing with the kids...ON THE FREEWAY. Everyone had turned off their engines, lights, and were walking around on their iphones trying to figure out what was going on. Finally they had the cars U-turn and drive backward to an exit. I really can't believe how amazing our kids were. For what the situation was, it couldn't have gone more smoothly for our little ones.

busy weekend

2011-10-17T13:15:00.001-07:00

Normally our weekends are pretty uneventful and always begin with Chris and I asking each other, "What should we do?" Without kids this would be an easy question to answer...relax!

Friday I took the kids to meet my mom at the pumpkin patch. They spent the most time in the bounce house, but they did like other things, like climbing around the train, which wasn't running due to very few people there. :)

Saturday morning while Chris was off to his free birthday golf, I picked up my mom and we headed to the Halloween party at Victoria Gardens. They did a really cute job and the kids walked away with two mini pumpkins, some small toys, and a $5 gift card (each!) to a candy store. :)

Yesterday we actually celebrated Chris' birthday by getting to spend the entire afternoon just the two of us. My parents took the kids after church and we headed home to an empty house. We later drove out to the desert, saw a movie, shopped (granted it was at Walmart, but boy was it nice taking my time walking around!), and having dinner at Cheesecake Factory. :)

Conversation after I ordered a veggie burger (much to Chris' dismay):

Me: Wow! Chris, look at the size of this pattie!! It's huge!
Chris: Well, so is a tire but that doesn't mean you should eat it!!

The veggie pattie ended up being a 10+++. It was AWESOME!!!

2011-10-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

*Costco for dinner tonight. Can't beat $4.96 (Chris gets a slice of pizza, the kids and I split one, and one soda)!!

*We had our weekly music class at the library yesterday. I'm so bummed it's only 5 weeks. Here is a cute 10 seconds. Kendall is off to the right.

*Saturday is Chris' birthday. He gets a free round of golf at a really nice golf course, so I'm taking the kids to Victoria Gardens. They have a Halloween party and the kids are excited to wear their costumes. :)

*Researching dental insurance. I think having it will actually make us go the recommended every six months. As of now, I don't even want to say how long it's been for Chris and I. Paying cash is quite a deterrent. :(

*I like having our hot weather back.

*We LOVE, LOVE these chicken sausages from Costco. They are incredibly flavorful and only 110 calories per sausage. SOOO yummy.

TV

2011-10-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

So the new fall season has kicked off. I like recording a few shows that seem interesting and seeing if they live up to the previews. It takes a lot for me to make a show a regular. I don't like un-realistic plots and cheesy humor. I find most sitcoms to be pretty dumb and not very funny (the only two real exceptions are The Office and Modern Family). I also have a VERY low tolerance for dirty humor. For some reason, I'd rather there be a whole scene I don't want to watch (that I can easily skip through) than crude jokes throughout the whole episode.

Here are a few good ones I like:

Downsized-- a reality show following a family who fell into rough times with the economy and how they are coping.

I Used To Be Fat-- I think this show is so interesting and neat to see the transformations in the teens.

Sister Wives-- While I COMPLETELY disagree with their polygomist lifestyle, I like how they raise their kids in a very moral, traditional manner (I know, kind of weird to use the word "traditional" in describing them) and I enjoy the relationship dynamics between the parents and kids.

Anyway, those are a few shows I like to watch. :)

weekend

2011-10-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Highlights from our trip up north:

*Getting to see our good friend perform in "Forever Plaid" on Friday night.

*Watching the parade on Saturday. Both kids really enjoyed it. Here is Cam eagerly awaiting it's start.

*Relaxing. Chris' mom always buys me lots of magazines when I go up because she knows how much I love them. She keeps lots of made for TV movies on her Tivo for me and stocks up on plenty of chocolate, like these, which I think are one of the best brands of dark chocolate.

*Going to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. This was the highlight for both the kids and I (and probably grandma too). We met some good friends there and the kids had a blast. The patch has trails, a treehouse, a train, and a little castle/house for the kids to climb around. Cam was in HEAVEN, as was Kendall.

*Having Chris get to golf with his dad. One of Chris' favorite things is to golf with his family. I always try to figure out our schedule and make it work so that there is time for this. He doesn't get to see his family near as much as I do, so I think it's SUPER important to always make times like this a priority. He and his dad had a great time.

*GREAT food, including German Choc cake, homemade donuts at the parade, french toast breakfast, and the list goes on. :)

2011-10-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

*Heading to my in-laws tomorrow. Kids couldn't be more excited. Kendall is the MOST excited about seeing the "scary eyes"...a.k.a. the lights on my MIL's printer in her office. Go figure. :)

*Yesterday's rain? I'm good. Let's stay dry for another month and then I could do another day. :) What to do before school...what to do...?

*Ordered a pirate costume off Ebay for Cam. He is very excited.:)

*I heard somewhere that Starbucks now has a Salted Caramel Frappuchino. All of our road trips start with a Frappuchino for me. That combined with the $5 Starbucks card I recently won at a baby shower makes me think I'll give this one a go tomorrow.

*I had a fleeting thought of possibly (key word "possibly") starting to jog in the mornings before the kids get up. However Kendall has started giving us some 5:30 mornings...so out went that idea.

*Thank you, Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch , for providing my kids with much joy EVERY time we pass your big pumpkins on the freeway advertising your location. :)

the last few days

2011-10-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday we watched the son of some friends of ours for the morning. You would have thought our kids had never seen another child before they were so excited.

We started out with breakfast at Panera Bread.

Afterward we headed to the Home Depot. They were having their once a month craft for kids project as well as a Family Safety Fair.

Notice Cam is enjoying watching his dad work, rather than actually working. :)

Helicopter complete! He's actually standing outside the bounce house, which was a much bigger draw for all three kids than the craft. :)

Sunday was church and a trip to the desert, including play time at the mall and dinner at Costco. Cam didn't have school today and while I would have loved to take advantage and go to Disneyland, getting Cam's tooth pulled needed to be the priority. He did awesome. I was actually a little weak watching and was glad for it to be over. He winced only a few times at the pulling but has yet to complain about any pain. We got home and he was treated to some soft pudding and a viewing of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. :)

chick peas and whoopie pies

2011-09-30T16:41:00.001-07:00

I saw these roasted chick peas in a magazine and wanted to try them. I think they are the tastiest little things and sooo healthy (I just did olive oil and garlic salt)! I think they'll be great on salads and just to snack on. I'm still trying to sell the kids on them, calling them "magic beans". :) Chris? Well, when he tried one he surprised me by saying that they weren't that bad. "So would you eat them if I put a bowl in front of you?" "Um, no". Darn.

Whoopie Pies seem to be the "in" thing right now. A friend tried some pumpkin ones with maple filling that sounded really good. My grocery store was out of pumpkin, so I made chocolate whoopie pies with cream cheese filling. While they were VERY good, I think I need to try ones with a marshmallow filling base. A cream cheese frosting is a little too runny. But they are very easy and make a pretty presentation, so I will definitely try more flavors. :)

more randoms

2011-09-28T20:15:00.001-07:00

*Operation laxative with Kendall has been a great success. She poops regularly and isn't in nearly as much pain as before. :)

*We've been having some issues with Cam at school. He does a couple things (making spitting noises, getting in kids' faces and sticking out his tongue) which HE thinks are silly, but which the other kids do not. I've really had to crack down and have even started time outs at home whenever he makes a spitting noise. I'm working with his teacher and have also started a chart system. He gets to put a sticker on each day in which he doesn't land on red (naughty color). We've talked A LOT about it and I think it's sinking in. He was very excited to put his first sticker on today :)

*Bubble Guppies while mom gets dinner on the table:

No, Chris isn't an avid Bubble Guppies fan. However Cam asked if he could sit next to him. Cam NEVER asks to snuggle, so Chris wanted to take advantage. :)

*Some might think I'm dumb (Jen, maybe?), but I put my wedding gown up on Ebay today. It has sat in my closet for the past 9+ years. In this day and age, girls want their own dresses, not their mom's, so I don't think Kendall would ever be in need of it. While I adored it, I'm not a real sentimental keeper of things that I don't need. So if you know of anyone, feel free to take a look...

*I enjoyed Hart of Dixie, however it was a tad cheesy. I love made for TV movies, despite the cheese factor. However I'm not sure if I can handle an entire season of a show. :)

*Cam has to have his front tooth (it's an extra one) pulled on Monday. They'll need to use laughing gas. I'm nervous not only about the procedure, but about how the laughing gas will affect him. :(

*I think Pinterest is cool, I just can't get into it. I don't really enjoy browsing clothing websites, house decor websites, etc. if I can't purchase anything. Same with real shopping. I don't enjoy going shopping if I can't buy anything. I'm not a browser if there is no purpose. :)

2011-09-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

*Yesterday was kind of a long day for both Chris and I with the kids. We were SOOO looking forward to a kidless dinner of Gourmet Pizza. I stopped at Staters on my way to get groceries AND to get the coupon that comes on the back of the receipt. For some reason they stopped printing them. Ugh. It's just too expensive for us without a coupon, so no pizza for us. :(

*We are starting a mom and kids music class at the library this week. I'm excited. :)

*Last week when we arrived for our appointment at the DMV, Cam loudly announced as we walked in, "I hate this place!" We got quite a few laughs from those around us as it was clearly their sentiments exactly!

*Sometimes I wish I were a coupon-er. I just get so overwhelmed with it all and don't know where to begin. Seems like the ad coupons are never things that we need. I know there are more places to get coupons besides the ads, I just don't know where to even start.

*I found the CUTEST jacket at Costco tonight, which I promptly plopped into the shopping cart and texted my mom that I just purchased a Christmas present for myself on her behalf. :)

*Wore jeans for the first time in a long time yesterday. Not a big fan. I'm just not ready to give up the heat.

*I helped in Cam's class today. I left COMPLETELY worn out and I was only there an hour. I don't know how she (or any teacher for that matter) does it...especially with kids as needy as kinders!

my life...through someone else's words

2011-09-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't cried over issues with Cameron in a long time. This ended over the weekend as I stumbled onto a blog of a fellow mother of a child on the spectrum. It was almost surreal to read her struggles and feelings that she so eloquently put into words. Sometimes I felt like I could have written them.

People have often asked me, "What is it that is so different about Cam?" Usually this is from people who haven't spent a ton of time with him because he often seems identical to their own kids, especially lately with the strides he has made in playing with others. I've tried several times to put into words how our interactions with him are so different from those they experience with their own children. Then I read this post. I can't begin to say how refreshing it was for me to read her put EXACTLY into words what I've tried to describe to others. Granted, Cam does not obsess about just one thing like this child, but his topics are very narrow and he talks about them often. So if you are interested in glimpsing into my life, or the life of someone you know who has a child on the spectrum, feel free to read this.

The crying part was not from the post I just mentioned. Another post I read from her outlined EXACTLY my fears for my son. Exactly. I rarely let my mind go to what she talks about because there is no point. Why worry about the future? We will take each day and each encounter as it comes.

While I felt understood in a way I can't explain, I will say that one thing I have that I didn't get from the writer (although I could be wrong), was the perspective of a mom who might have immense heartbreaks, but who also has a God who can give her a new perspective and strength to get through the times of worry and sorrow. That is a comfort I will rely on more and more as the years go on...for which I'm incredibly thankful.

p.s. I feel I must give this disclaimer that while conversation with Cam is very unique, he still comes up with the most adorable, funny, amazing things. I treasure all of them. :) And while I would trade anything for the struggles he has ahead of him, I simply can't imagine my little guy as "normal"...because that would take away all the wonderful, endearing things about him...which I adore.

tax dollars at work and more baking

2011-09-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

I know everyone complains about taxes, and we are no exception. However I will say that it sure is nice when you actually see and benefit from those tax dollars. It makes you feel a tiny, tiny bit better about it all. :)

#1 When our pediatrician first told us that she saw some red flags with Cameron (back at his 15 month check up), she immediately referred us to Inland Regional Center, which is a county program. For the next 2 years, we received services (speech, OT, home teacher) for absolutely free. Parents of kids on the spectrum (or any disability) can spend tens of thousands of dollars on treatment. It was nice to be on the receiving end of treatments, without the price tag.

#2 I still am in awe that Cam's school is free. His amazing teacher is free. His wonderful experience he gets EVERY single day is free. Love it.

#3 I'm just going to brag for a minute and say that our little town has one of the best library departments for kids I think there is. The whole 2nd story is devoted to kids programs and we adore our playtime/story time every Tuesday morning. I love that it is such a fun activity for us, and it's totally free. This morning they had family day and we again had a great time. :)

Cam won a brand new book in a game we played. It's a book about time/clocks, which he LOOOOVED!

Kendall loved the Playdoh station. Here she is in awe at one of the little toys that squeezed the stuff out like spaghetti. :)

Chris is heading to OC tonight to meet with a client, followed by watching the UFC fight with friends. I wanted to send him with some treats, which gave me good reason to try these little gems: Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Wow. I thought they might be a little dry since the Oreos aren't that gooey. But they are wonderfully delicious!! I used 1/2 an Oreo per cookie because they would be gigantic otherwise.

The professional version:

My version:

allowance and awana

2011-09-22T09:04:00.001-07:00

Cam got some money for his birthday from his great grandmother. He had such a fun time spending it at Toys R Us. I think one of the highlights was looking at all the prices and trying to find items that were under his limit. :) It made me think about giving him money of his own on a consistent basis. So here are questions: What age is good to start allowance? What is a good amount for a 5 year old? What should we require? Thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Here are some pics from last night's Awana. It was parents night so I stayed the whole time. Unfortunately they were short staffed so the night was a little disorganized. Cam and I sat at a table waiting to be called for him to recite is verse for over 30 minutes. The great part was how amazing he was. For a kid who has a difficult time with attention, he was sooooo good! It was worth the kind of long, chaotic night just to see that.

Disclaimer: This video probably is only interesting to family since it's just the kids talking to the camera in the morning. I realized I want to get more videos to capture their little voices (especially Kendall's right now, which is just too adorable).

2011-09-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

*One thing that made you smile today: Watching both kids dance their hearts out at our library playtime this morning.

*One thing that didn't make you smile: Kendall has started asking for things in this way, "I would like a cracker RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" (however secretly it's a little funny to hear her say it so emphatically)

*Last thing you ate: Green grapes (love that they are on sale at Staters for 89 cents a pound).

*One thing you are looking forward to this week: Tmoms!! (MOPS group)

*One thing you are not looking forward to this week: Braving the DMV tomorrow with both kids because I lost my license. Grr...

*Dinner tomorrow: White Chicken Enchiladas (these are among our top five, sans the jalapenos and cayenne)

*Favorite season: Summer. I'm not quite ready for fall so I'm happy the heat is continuing.

*Current favorite TV show: I'm looking forward to trying Hart of Dixie. I've always liked the actress (Rachel Bilson) and I tend to also like shows set in small, rural towns. :)

*Unlimited funds + shopping spree = The store Anthropologie. I adore everything there. I've never purchased anything because I would always be thinking, "I just bought pants for $80 and I could have bought about 4 things from Target with that..."

*You wish: Chris could get better sleep. He has trouble sleeping far too often. I wish I could help him somehow, but sleep is one of those things that can't be made easier by someone else. :(

oreos and peanut butter and brownies

2011-09-19T10:11:00.001-07:00

Cameron informed me the other day that we hadn't baked in a long time. I realized we hadn't so I decided to try a recipe I recently saw called, Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes

I tweaked them a little, like only putting one Oreo, covering it with peanut butter, then putting a few chocolate chips on top before pouring the brownie batter. They were very yummy and so fun to look at when you cut them open.

A before baking pose:

He was quite into counting out three chocolate chips for each one:

The finished product:

branching out

2011-09-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

When it comes to eating out, Chris and I are not the branching out type. We typically stick to the restaurants we know we like. I HATE walking out of a dinner feeling yucky because we wasted $30-$40 on food that wasn't that great.

Tonight we decided to give it another try, but it only solidified why we just need to stick to what we know. With that said, we actually had a really nice evening together. We went to downtown Palm Springs and enjoyed walking around. The restaurant we chose was very cool looking and I loved eating out on the patio (I love people watching). We had nice, uninterrupted conversation, which we all know is a rarity with small kids.

However we both gave our meals a 6...and that is pretty low, even for us. I chose a "Tuna with Artichoke, Provolone and Garlic Aioli Panini". Sounds good, right? It tasted like tuna and bread with no other flavor. Oh well. I guess I need to look at the fact that everything else about the night was great. And Cheesecake Factory...we'll see you soon. :)

2011-09-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

*To help my little girl along with her pooping woes, I made some tasty muffins using Fiber 1 Cereal. Cam likes them too and they are great to cut open and put a little peanut butter in the center for his lunches. I was also able to sneak some veggies in and I swear you can't taste them!

Buttermilk Raisin Bran Muffins

2 cups Fiber 1 Cereal (crushed to a powder)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbls Wheat Germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup pureed cauliflower
1/3 cup pureed garbanzo beans

Mix all ingredients and pour into prepared muffin tin. Bake at 350 for approx 12-15 minutes. Makes 12 good size muffins.

*I LOVE country music. I love how simple the themes of the songs are and it just always lightens my mood. I've noticed that, despite it being mild compared to a lot of other genres, there are still things about many of the songs that I don't want my kids to listen to. So if we aren't listening to their CD's, we now listen to music from our local Christan station. I'm not the biggest fan of the music, but a few songs have already grown on me and I like the fact that it is not only safe for the kids to listen to, but it is GOOD for all of us. :)

*Chris and I have officially decided that the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland is a waste. Yes, it's cute...but totally not worth the wait. While he and Kendall waited in that line yesterday, Cam and I went on three rides!

*We went to a park playdate this morning with my moms' group from church. Cam LOVED it and a friend of mine even commented on how social he was being. :)

*One of my favorite parts of the day is getting Kendall up from her nap. She lets me cuddle for a few minutes and I just soak it up. :)

*Want to settle a debate between my sister and I? When you write a post for your blog, do you say...

"I blogged today"
OR
"I posted today"

hey cameron...

2011-09-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

...guess where we are going after school today!!

still not used to it

2011-09-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

While there are some advantages to Cam's 11:30-3 school schedule (like me getting some down time since Kendall naps then), I still can't say I'm a fan. I would rather have his school in the morning. It's hard to go on outings in the morning because they many times are cut short. I like afternoon outings because they are open ended and I never have to worry about when we get home.

I know this is such a SMALL complaint and I wouldn't trade having him in this school for anything! So I just need to keep plugging away at the things we have discovered for our 6:30am-11:30am time slot. :)

*"Nature Walks": The name came from the first time we went and we collected leaves and rocks. Now these just consist of riding bikes/pushing baby strollers around our neighborhood. We do this most every day and it eats about 30 minutes. :)

*Library Playtime: I wish this was twice a week. It eats about an hour.

*McDonald's: We do this about once a week because there is one close to Cam's school. Eats about 45 minutes.

*"Jake and the Neverland Pirates": Going to be honest and tell you that these 23 minutes (if you have Tivo, you know that's how long the kids shows last) of my morning is something I look forward to. I get to sit down, email, and relax.

*Playtime in Bed: Kendall likes to play in her bed (I think it's because she gets to have her pacifier in bed). Cam and I will hang out in her room and it's a good time to read together without her coming over and pounding on the book while we read. :)

*Walmart: Always a good time to be had at Walmart :)

*Parks: We'll frequent these more now that the weather is better.

That's about it!

book

2011-09-10T08:58:00.001-07:00

This morning I brought out a book I had not read in a long time. My mom bought it for me a long time ago and I realized that the things in it are probably a lot more relevant with the kids at the ages they are. I forgot how awesome it is! It's called Creative Correction and is by Lisa Whelchel (that girl from Facts of Life).

First off, she is SOO practical and has whole sections with idea after idea of things to try. Here are a few examples I thought were so creative:

*Offer your child one ingredient to their favorite cookie recipe every time they ___________ (i.e. take their plate to the kitchen after a meal, put p.j.'s on by themselves, etc.). At the end of the week, they'll earn all the ingredients and you celebrate by making and enjoying the cookies.

*Save the plastic Easter Eggs. Fill each egg with candy or a coupon for extra TV time, cookie after dinner, etc. Every time a child makes a choice that "defeats Satan" as Jesus did when He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, they get to choose an egg.

*When your child wakes from a nightmare, after praying for them and giving hugs, tell them to turn their pillows over and lay their heads down on the "good dream" side.

I also like how many of her ideas are accompanied by what to say to weave scripture into your explanation/discipline. If you click on the link for the book, you'll find you can get used a one for less than $5 on Amazon. Well worth it. :)

p.s. Wanted to include this pic from this morning. We went to the Stagecoach Days parade in a nearby town. The kids sat nicely for over an hour and loved it all. Wow! We sure do love our parades!

lab work and disneyland

2011-09-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I took Kendall to get her blood drawn. The GI we took her to wants to do a few tests just to make sure her constipation is not due to anything else. I was dreading it because I have horrible memories of doing the same thing with Cam back when he was a baby. While she screamed a lot (I tried hard to cover her eyes so she couldn't see it happening), it was done rather quickly and she snapped out of it pretty well when the nurse brought her a sucker. :)

She was so cute afterward because she would not stop holding the bandage they had placed on her arm. She held it all the way back to my mom's (she had come with me for moral support). :)

So what did Cam do while we were out (because goodness knows her screaming would not have gone over well with him!)? He and daddy went to Disneyland. I get little text updates and it appears as if the combination of the heat and kids back at school has made for a no-lines day. Perfect!

2011-09-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

*We have really grown to love Pat and Oscars. It's a perfect restaurant for families with its fast service and casual and noise friendly atmosphere. We also like that it's located right by a duck pond, making our dinner out more of a longer outing. The biggest reason we like it is the price. We've fine tuned our order so that Chris and I splitting a meal and the kids splitting a kids' meal (both meals are HUGE!) is pretty perfect. And we are out of there for right under $15!

*I love this pic :)

*I posted a long time ago about scavenger hunts. I take pictures of Cam's little toys, download them, then he has look at the computer and go find each one. Today we initiated Kendall into the hunt and Cam loved ushering her around. I make it even more fun by hiding a chocolate chip with various characters. :)

*Cam has developed a yucky habit of picking his nose, then sliding that finger right into his mouth. 9 out of 10 times there isn't even anything retrieved from said nose, but he just automatically puts that finger in his mouth. Yuck. I read online about the strategy of giving him a small bowl of M&M's at the beginning of the day. Every time I catch him doing it, I take one away (right in front of him). I want to find a non-melty candy, however, since I want to be able to take the jar with me when we go out.

*Everyday Cam reports to me who was naughty in his class. Discipline involves unhappy/firm sounding teachers, which is ALWAYS taken notice of by Cam. Today the first thing he told me was that he was put down to the red (naughty) square because he was being silly with a classmate and not doing his work. While I talked to him about my disappointment, secretly I was thinking, "Awesome! He was interacting!!" :)

*Here you go Susan and mom, here is my pirate cake: :)

*I love chocolate, cinnamon, and a few other Goldfish flavors. I hate the regular cheddar kind. They taste like wannabe Cheez-Its.

birthday weekend

2011-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Cam's birthday week is officially over. We got back from my in-laws' yesterday. Saturday we went up to Hume Lake's Country Fair. There were game booths, bounce houses, and the lake. Sunday was party day. Chris' mom NEVER disappoints food-wise when we have a get together. We requested a make your own pizza bar. I can't believe how much work this took. Not only did she make homemade crust, but we then chose from over 25 toppings! She had several kinds of gourmet cheeses, veggies, tons of meats, nuts, etc. It was amazing, to say the least. :)

The night before I made the pirate cake I mentioned last week. It turned out pretty cute and while time consuming, was very easy.

My sweet boy.

Some good friends and their kids came over for the afternoon, so after we ate we let the kids enjoy the slip n' slide and kid pool.

This last picture was actually taken that morning before church. I couldn't resist because she just looked so stinking cute in the new dress from grandma. :)

I hope fond memories of the weekend will help distract Kendall today as she is in the midst of "operation laxative". Here's our conversation on our way to Walmart this morning:

Kendall: I don't want to go to Walmart!
Me: But we need to get some groceries.
Kendall: And medicine?
Cameron: Yes! Medicine so your poops will come out!
Kendall: I don't want my poops to come out because it's yucky!!

Little did she know how miserable it would be. We have had lots of tears (me AND her) the past couple hours.
Suppository + laxative = unhappy Kendall. I sure hope this works...

2011-08-31T19:45:00.001-07:00

*One of our neighbors helped us out with fixing our car brakes. He likes to be paid with homemade goodies. I made these, except substituted chocolate chips for the white chocolate chips. Wow! I would give them a 9 rather than a 10 only because they are a tad sticky to hold/eat. Pretty darn tasty, though.

If my picture didn't convince you, here is Picky Palate's:

*Afternoon work break for Chris turned into a marathon game of Kids Monopoly, a game we gave Cam for his birthday. Cam liked it so much we all played it again after Kendall went down. Cam cleaned house both times. :)

*Took Kendall to a Gastroenterologist for her constipation issues. While nothing is seriously wrong, there are a few issues which makes me really glad we saw a specialist.

*I'm not convinced Fresh and Easy is cheaper than Staters, however it sure is a lot more entertaining for the kids to help me check out with their self-check.

5 years ago...

2011-08-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

My little guy turns five today. I can't believe how much he has changed my life in the last five years. I never knew I could love such a little person SOOO hugely much. We had a rough first couple years, in not knowing exactly what his needs were and what things were difficult for him. We have come so incredibly far and he has grown to be one of the most kind, empathetic, fun, sweet little guys. He is wonderful, truly wonderful.

Last night we slipped into his room and hung a few birthday signs I had made as well as filled his floor with balloons. He was quite excited when he woke. :)

After some cinnamon rolls Cam opened his presents. Here he is reading a book. Chris surprised him (and me!) with the sweetest book he wrote. I think I enjoyed it more than Cam! :)

I left Kendall at home and took Cam to school along with some goodie bags and cupcakes for his friends. He liked helping me hand out the bags as well as devouring his cupcake. I think he felt pretty special. Happy Birthday Cam!!!!

plan B

2011-08-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today I was really excited because my mom had passed along some information about a carnival up at Lake Gregory. I packed us a picnic lunch and we headed up right after church. We arrived at 10:00 only to find out it didn't start until 1:00. I was really frustrated with myself and felt bad that the kids had already been in the car a while and now we had to head back down.

Luckily both took the news relatively well (thanks in part to a frozen lemonade from Mcdonald's!). We knew we needed to do something fun so we ended up going to Ontario Mills to walk around and escape the heat.

After the mall we headed over to the Bass Pro Shop and then came home. While it wasn't what we had in mind (and I was still disappointed to have missed the carnival), we still had a nice day. However I must say that both Chris and I were pooped by the time we got back. We all watched "Up", played upstairs, and then put the kids down early because we were beyond ready for some mommy and daddy down time. :)

Enjoying our "picnic" lunch in the food court. :)

2011-08-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

*I just watched the fist episode of Pioneer Woman on Food Network. She was cute but there was a little awkwardness to the show. I'm sure it will get better. :)

*I got my hair highlighted today. For some reason she spent an extra long time rinsing my hair. I swear I would pay the same amount for her to wash my hair for two hours. I almost fell asleep it felt so good. :)

*Yesterday afternoon the four of us went to the mall. Afterward we had dinner at Pat and Oscar's. I signed up for their family rewards card and they gave us $10 off our visit! So the four of us ate for $5.86!

*We went to visit our friend Jeremy and Ana and their family this afternoon. She made quite possibly the tastiest pizza I've ever had. She spread fig jam over the crust, then added prosciutto and blue cheese. It had more flavor than you could imagine. Sooo good!

*We have run our air the past three nights in a row.

*We will be heading up to my in-laws this next weekend. While we are there, we'll celebrate Cam's 5th birthday. Since he is very into Jake and the Neverland Pirates, I will attempt to make this adorable cake I found. Luckily there is a video showing exactly how to make it. Fingers crossed it turns out!

*I kind of feel like I should give up soda, but I can't quite muster up the motivation yet. I drink about a can and a half a day. It's kind of a weird mental thing I have that drinking 2 cans is too much...so I usually dump part of the second can.

*Kendall enjoys playing in our little pool in the backyard. She LOVES playing in the pool when I let her strip down to nothing while doing it. :)

2011-08-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

*Costco for dinner and grocery shopping last night. On the list:
Frozen Veggies
Bananas
Apples
Wheat Thins
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches
Bread

*We celebrated my mom's birthday a couple nights ago. Here she is in her fabulous hat. She bought this a few weeks ago when she and my dad went to the Ventura Fair. Such a fun hat to have for Halloween...and birthday pictures!

*I've been struggling a little lately with getting frustrated with some things Cameron does that are just HIM. I'm pretty good about not showing him my frustration, because that is so not fair to him, but I still feel it and I feel guilty.

*Printed out a coupon online today for Chuck E Cheese. $20 for 100 tokens. This will get me about 7 visits. Not bad!

*Last year Cam was anxious every day during drop off at Pre-K...all the way until the very last day. So far he has only been anxious the first day of his new school. Drop off is a breeze. :) That tells me how much he truly loves it.

*Making Pioneer Woman's Caramelized Onion & Prosciutto Pizza tonight. I've had it a couple times made by other people and it is SO tasty. Sidenote: I'm anxious to see her new TV show on Foodnetwork. :)

weekend of cheap outings

2011-08-21T07:54:00.001-07:00

Outing #1: Yesterday Kendall was sick so figured it best to try and keep her separate from Cam (not sure the logic of that thought since they live in the same house anyway). Anyway, after his swim lesson I took him to Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom in Redlands. I could have taken him to the moon and he wouldn't have been as happy. I couldn't believe how much fun this kid had. What was even better was the price. For $9.99, he got two hours of unlimited bounce houses, mini golf, and bumper boats. It was nice for me to just sit and relax and watch him have fun. I'm bummed it's a little too old for Kendall so I can't do it with both (otherwise I might look into season passes). Outing total? $10 (+ $3.50 for a Starbucks for me...hehe)

Outing #2: This morning I wanted to go to the 99 cent store to get a few things. I told both kids they could pick out one item. They loved roaming around choosing their toy. Total for outing? $2

Outing #3 This afternoon we took a walk, making a detour at Staters to let them pick out a cookie to split from the bakery. Total for outing? 50 cents

2011-08-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

*GREAT second day of school. On the way he said, "Mom, I'm so excited for my very first second day of kindergarten!" :) It's quite hectic during drop off/pick up so I haven't gotten to talk to the teacher. However today as she released Cam to me she said, "He is doing awesome!" Wow. That made my weekend. So looks like we are all happy...except Kendall. Poor thing cried most of the drive home this morning saying, "I want Broby! I want Broby!!" It was kind of sweet. :)

*One of my favorite recipes Chris' mom has passed along to me is Beerocks. It's a basic bread dough that you use to make mini pockets filled with ground beef and seasonings. The reason I love them are 1. You can experiment with the filling (just think of your favorite pizza toppings or sandwich contents and fill!) 2. They are great to freeze and so easy to pop out, microwave, and eat! Tonight I filled them with chicken (in a sauce) and cashews.

*Tomorrow night is movie in the park here. They are showing Toy Story 3. Seeing as the movie starts an hour past Cam's bedtime, I sure hope he can make it most of the way through.

*I swear anytime I here the song, Knee Deep, by the ZacBrown Band, I just smile and it puts me in a good mood. Crank it up if you want to listen...it's so fun :)

*I didn't mention this a while back (because I was so angry at myself), but a few weeks ago I accidentally backed into my brother-in-law's car. Talk about going through, "If only I had..." Everything was worked out and his car was fixed, but I still felt terrible. Then about a week later when my dad, Cam, and I were going hiking (my dad was driving his car), someone in a parking lot backed out right into us. It all worked out but I'm officially DONE with fender benders! :)

first day

2011-08-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our first day was quite a success. While he had kind of a hard time at points during the drop off, overall he did much better than I had expected. :) The parents were able to hang out for about half an hour, see them eat lunch and listen as the teacher read them a story. And while he teared up a few times (as did I), he didn't cling too much to me and was SO brave. We are terribly proud.

When I picked him up, I could tell he had a great day. When I asked him if he had been scared at all he answered, "Absolutely not!" Chris and I attended the back to school night this evening. I left a little overwhelmed at all the things parents are encouraged to do, but I also left so thrilled at the wonderful school Cam now belongs to!

irvine park

2011-08-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun last day before school. We met Ana and her kids at Irvine Park for the morning. The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time riding the train, feeding the ducks, and going to their little zoo.

Kendall loved riding the horse...for the first 1/4 of the ride. The horse briefly paused and decided to poop. I said, "The horsie is pooping! Let's wait until he's done!" For some very odd reason, she didn't like the fact that he was pooping and starting crying...a lot. We had to end the ride early and it upset Cam enough to where he didn't want to go himself. Maybe next time... :)

I'll let you know tomorrow how Cam's first day went. I'm really, really dreading it. My main fear is that they won't let me stay with him for the first 15-20 minutes. Since it is recess/lunch for the first 1/2 hour of the day, I know he'll be very anxious since it will be more chaotic than if they kids were all in the class. I REALLY don't want to just drop him off with "Bye!" I really, really don't want that.

cheese

2011-08-16T09:47:00.001-07:00

My new favorite snack for all four of us was discovered at Costco. Many times the kids will eat the samples of something, which then gets me excited and, "Wow! Let's buy this since they obviously will eat it at home!!!". However I'm often disappointed when the magic of Costco wears off and they want nothing to do with it at home. These little gems were different and it's nice to have another healthy snack option. :)

2011-08-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

*A really dumb pet peeve of mine has to do with drinks in movies. Have you ever noticed that whenever someone is carrying coffee or soda, they never carry it like there is REALLY liquid in it? They are always waving it around and you can totally tell it's empty. They need to do a better job of pretending they are actually drinking something. Notice next time. :)

*Chris' brother spent the night last night. Made BBQ chicken pizza with bacon, onions, and cashews.

*Cam loves Peter Pan right now and likes to be called Peter Pan. I am Wendy, Chris is Captain Hook, and Kendall is Tinker Bell.

*Agenda today: Moreno Valley Mall for the play area, Costco. I'd like to look for a small backpack. Now that the kids are older, I don't need a huge bag to cart around things. But I love backpacks, rather than bags, so that I can have my hands free.

*Went to the 100th celebration of our city library on Saturday. They had crafts and games for the kids. It was such a nice and FREE activity for the morning.

*My mom and I are going to see The Help this week. Should be interesting to see how similar it is to the book.

*I tried to see about having Cam meet his teacher before the first day of school. They are moving locations so they said it wasn't possible with all the chaos going on. While I understand, I'm really disappointed as I think it would really help Cam for his first day.

*Dinner tonight: Hamburgers

*Isn't it interesting how cooking show hosts are always so careful about washing their hands with raw meat and being concerned with germs, yet they always use their bare hands to pinch some salt and put it in the recipe??

hiking

2011-08-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I've had people ask me what my hobby is. I always answer that I really don't have one. Yes, I love baking...but I'm not sure that is a hobby because I never do it without a purpose (meaning I have someone in mind to give it to). I've come to realize that if I had more time (mainly without kids), I think I could easily take up hiking. I love it. I love how it's outdoors, how physical it is and how peaceful/quiet it is in the mountains. This week I hiked twice with Cam. The first was with my dad in the Running Springs area. Cam enjoyed it, but I've realized that he actually likes climbing rocks (big ones) a little more. Here are we are at the top of a big one.

Today I took him to Mt. Baldy. I had read about it and knew that anything involving riding a chair lift would be right up his alley! He loved the chair lift and loved being up on the mountain. I had to adjust my expectations slightly as we really didn't do THAT much hiking. I realized that ski runs are pretty steep and Cam isn't into hiking enough to get worn out doing it. So climbing on tree stumps and throwing rocks of the cliff played as much of a part in our hike as the actual hiking did.

Cam: "Look! I'm the Statue of Liberty in California!"

And what did Kendall do both of these days? The first day she hung out with my mom, and today she and Chris spent the afternoon in Palm Springs, playing at the mall and browsing a couple golf stores. :)

recently baked and cooked...

2011-08-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

It seems like most peoples' favorite combo is chocolate and peanut butter. When I saw these cookies I KNEW I had to try them. They really didn't disappoint but I will say that if you make them, it's SUPER important to not overmix when you add the peanut butter. The unique part of the cookie is that you get bites of peanut butter as you are eating it. I think I overmixed mine a tad and not all of them had the good swirl effect she talks about.

The next ones just looked too fun not to try. Seems like the best of both worlds with cookie dough and brownies. My only complaint was that the cookie dough layer might be a tad too thick for my liking, rather than the same as the brownie. They are very rich!

Here are mine. You can see you can't really even see the peanut butter swirl in my cookie. If you don't get that, it just tastes kind of like a chocolate cookie with a little peanut taste.

Lastly I had bought the container of Hidden Valley Ranch a while back (I can't believe how much cheaper it is than the packets) and wanted to use it somehow. I went onto the Hidden Valley website and found Ranch Beef and Noodle Skillet. It was pretty good, however the leftovers were even better. I spread the mixture on a homemade tortilla (thick) and sprinkled cheese on top to make a pizza. Because of our love for pasta on pizza (thanks to Gourmet Pizza), I figured it would be tasty. It sure was. It's nice to know that I can use pasta dish leftovers as pizza again like this.

parenting

2011-08-09T07:13:00.001-07:00

One of the things Dr. Laura talks a lot about is the importance of the polarity between a husband and a wife when it comes to raising children. One of the differences she highlights is the fact that women tend to be so much more emotional when it comes to their kids experiencing fear/discomfort. We want to shield them from anything negative, even if we know deep down that the experience is for the best. Men can see the bigger picture...that some discomfort is necessary. It's easier for them to not let emotion cloud the situation.

On Saturday Cam had his first group swim lesson with a new teacher. I'm so glad I was wearing sunglasses because I was tearing up the majority of the time. While she was nice, she wasn't super warm and I could tell she got frustrated a few times with him. She was challenging him more than his other teachers, which I think was good because he needs to make more progress. However my poor little guy was scared most of the time. When he would flounder in the water, stare at me with tears in his eyes, or I would hear his little voice, say, "Ok, I'll try...", I about lost it. I had this inward battle of, "Am I being too protective? Is this good for him? Do I need to accept that not every teacher is going to be warm and gushy?" It was such a hard place for me.

So we've decided Chris will be the one to take him from now on. He'll be stronger, but he'll also be able to decipher whether or not the teacher really is being too hard on Cam, or if I was just too emotional about the whole thing. Secretly I'm hoping Chris will not like what is happening and we can discontinue swim...but I know that is my emotional side talking, not my objective side. :)

mt. rubidoux

2011-08-07T19:24:00.001-07:00

almost school time!

2011-08-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Cam has one more full week until school starts. This summer has flown. I've loved having him home from school and in some ways, I'm bummed because a lot of our summer was hampered by speech classes and swim lessons. While he loved both, it made it difficult sometimes in planning outings.

Yesterday we started out at Panera Bread for a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel for Cam and a Cinnamon Crunch Scone for Kendall. I swear I could eat that scone every day for the rest of my life. Sooo good. Too bad it has as many calories as a Burger King Whopper!! :)

Anyway, we had an awesome time at Victoria Gardens, hanging out at the playground, playing in the fountain, and going on the train. I have so loved my two little playmates this summer. They engage each other so well now and we just have so much fun wherever we go. Sorry if this is a little too gush-gush, but I've just felt really overwhelmed lately with how much I love my two little ones. :)

Legos vs. Lego

2011-08-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

*A while back I decided I needed to give up my French Vanilla coffee drink. I was not only having too much per day, but it was replacing my breakfast because that is what sounded good to me. I can't imagine the chemicals that actually made up the powder were very good in the quantities I was having. Anyway, I've started actually having a REAL breakfast, which consists of the best oatmeal ever, in my opinion. :) I make it with 1/2 soy milk and 1/2 water, then I add wheat germ (for some nuttiness), cinnamon, and a little brown sugar. So good!!!

*I know every mom says this, but I really wish I could freeze this age with Kendall. Sometimes I just sit and watch her because everything she does is just soooo adorable. My favorite right now is how shy and coy she gets when it's her turn to pray for dinner. I wish I knew what the little whispers were that come from her mouth. :)

*Do you say, "Let's play with Legos", or "Let's play with Lego"?? My brother-in-law claims "Lego" is correct and that everyone adds an "s" when there shouldn't be one. :) Anyway, my mom saved the Legos from when I was a kid and I'm so glad she did. Cam has really been into them lately. He's not quite to the building stage, but he loves to pretend play with the little men and instruct me on what buildings to construct so he can have a "Lego city" for them.

I actually loved building the little city and was quite proud of my restaurant, gas station, and hospital. :)

*Text conversation between Jen and I today:

Me: I have a great idea! When you download the pics you will take today on your computer, email us the girls trip pics!! (because I had asked for them several days earlier)
Jen: I know! I have a great idea! Get a Facebook account and you could have seen them already on Monday! I'll email them soon :)
Me: Ahhh...scratch my dirty neck. :)

I really am not "holding out" on Facebook because I somehow think it's cool to do so. I just don't want to add another computer activity to my life. Who knows..maybe someday... :)

*Today at the library story time, the woman asked everyone, "What are some fun things you did this summer?" Cam belted out, "We went to the beach!!" This may not seem like a big deal, but it's actually really big and is one of his IEP goals. In school, he would always answer a question when asked directly TO him, but never when asked to the general class. So...WOOHOO Cam!!

*Today Chris is taking Cam to his last day of swimming, then to Barnes and Noble to look at books about sharks. It's Shark Week on Discovery and we had Cam watch a show last night. He really liked it. Granted, sometimes he was more interested in the exact mileage to the Indian ocean (where the footage was from) and how long it would take to get there, but I think he also enjoyed watching the sharks. :)

karate

2011-08-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today I stopped by a local music store to check out how much lessons would be for Cam. We want to get him involved in some sort of activity, but have decided against music. I know there has got to be gobs of things for young kids to enjoy out there (that don't cost a fortune). Dr. Laura always talked about how great karate/martial arts was for kids, especially when it came to building good self esteem. I'm thinking of looking into this, but would love other ideas that your kids, or kids you know have done. :)

fun to look at...but...

2011-08-01T19:04:00.001-07:00

I love browsing through other peoples' cookbooks. The other week I was feeding the cat of some friends of ours while they were away. They let us hang out and play with their toys while we were there, so I took advantage of the kids being occupied and cracked open her cookbooks.

I found this recipe that looked really fun. I only copied the tortilla idea and then filled it with scrambled eggs and cheese. It was relatively easy and made a cute presentation. However it REALLY wasn't the most practical to eat, especially for kids. Here is Cam's attempt:

Here is Kendall's satisfied face amidst cheers and claps from all three of us because she took a bite of the eggs. :)

So while it was kind of fun to try something new and creative, I think I'll stick to food that is a little more kid-friendly when it comes to actually eating it. :)

2011-07-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

*Got back yesterday from 2 nights away with some girlfriends from college. Had the BEST possible time. I'll post more when I get some pics.

*This morning before breakfast:
Cam: Dear Jesus, thank you for being in our hearts and for loving us. Amen.
Me: Cameron, I sure love you.
Cam: And God and Jesus? They are good mans.

*Changed my mind. I want Ashley to choose Ben, not J.P.

*Chris' favorite store bought cookies are Mother's Taffy. I like to tease him because when he was a kid, he would have a specific number of seconds he would always dunk them in milk. Now he claims he is such an expert, he just KNOWS when they need to be brought back out. :)

*Cam ended up ADORING Vacation Bible School and was very sad that he wouldn't be returning this next week. Kendall also loved taking him in the mornings as we would hang out a while so she could listen to the opening music. I think we've decided to have him attend Awana in the fall at the same church.

*Starting to read "The Glass Castle" and really enjoying it. It was on my book club list a while back, but I never read it due to it not being in our library (and I was too lazy to go hunting around town for it).

*Hoping to make some sort of egg dish for dinner this week (frittata, quiche, etc.) The last time Cam visited my in-laws, my mother-in-law somehow managed to get Cam to like scrambled eggs. I was SO excited and I'm hoping Kendall will follow in his steps.

granola bars

2011-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that finding snacks for car rides, outings, etc. has been hard because I don't want to always resort to processed crackers. While I still have a hefty stash of pretzels in my bag, I found a GREAT recipe for homemade granola bars. They won't get all melty in the hot car and they aren't crumbly. I made them by the recipe this first time, to up the chances that the kids would like them. Next time I'll not only lessen the amount of sugar (they are pretty sweet), but I'll try and start sneaking in the veggies. :)

Ingredients

* 2 cups rolled oats
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup wheat germ
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 whole wheat flour
* 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup honey
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup olive oil (I use half applesauce)
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

time outs

2011-07-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

So here is my struggle. Most of the literature I have read has said that the best action to take with temper tantrums is to ignore them. While we have yet to enter the temper tantrum stage (crossing fingers it never happens!!), I find myself confused on the use of time outs related to fussiness/mild crying.

I tend to view most of Kendall's turdy behavior through the lens of also having a child who can't handle her being upset. I often wonder if there are things I would do differently, had I not a child like Cam with those sensitivities. So here is the question: Do you use time outs for fussiness and being whiny? When I asked Kendall to come into the house today and she didn't want to, she did come in, but crying the whole way. So should I use a time out for her attitude while obeying? My first instinct was to use it because I wanted to end the fussing for Cam's sake. But if Cam weren't there, I would have most likely ignored her and waited to interact until she had calmed down.

Here lies the problem. It's hard for me to be objective about what I would and wouldn't discipline for with Cam in the equation. And I want to do what is best/most effective for Kendall, even if it is hard for Cam. I don't want her getting away with more. Does that make sense?

2011-07-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

*I feel like the back of coffee canisters always have bad directions for making coffee. Since I don't drink the stuff, I have no idea how it is supposed to taste. Each time I've followed the instructions, it's been way too strong. This past weekend I know my father-in-law was just being gracious in telling me it was fine, but even I thought it looked VERY dark.

*Last night we went to Gourmet Pizza with my parents and some of Chris' family who were visiting. Not only do we adore the pizza, but we like that it is a unique place that we can bring visitors. Most people don't have access to pizzas made with cream cheese, pesto, pasta, and cashews! :)

*On Thursday I'm going away for 2 nights with 4 of my friends from college. I'm very excited!

*Chris is making dinner tonight: Fajitas. Combine that with a new episode of Damages and we have a perfect evening. :)

*Tomorrow Cam starts a VBS at a church up the street. We felt it would be good for him to be around kids (in a daily atmosphere...rather than random kids at the park, mall, etc.). He's already hesitant and wants me to stay the whole time. I told him I would stay for a while the first day, but then he needed to be a big boy and stay the rest. We'll see! :)

*Movie afternoon today. Daddy went to get ice cream for the kids.

*I made enchiladas the other night and REALLY didn't want to heat up the kitchen for an hour. So I layered pieces of tortilla with the chicken/sauce in the crockpot. It came out great and I didn't have to turn on the oven!

*Did some baking this weekend. Yesterday I watched my niece for a few hours and the kids and I made a cookie pizza. Quite yummy and much easier than making individual cookies.

Today Cam and I made Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies (I LOVE pickypalate! She has such unique dessert recipes) except I substituted peanut butter cookie dough. Wow. Wow. Wow.

p.s. In case you are wondering what I do with all these treats...I'm freezing them for our girls' trip. :) There is no way I would have this much bad for you stuff hanging around waiting to be devoured. :)

beach day

2011-07-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to the beach. We had SOO much fun. They absolutely loved it. Kendall got into the water part of it towards the end, whereas Cam was content to just sit on the sidelines and giggle as the waves came crashing in on all the kids (the waves were quite big today).

The only bummer about the day was that it was far too short. There was a glitch in our parking situation and I wasn't able to reload the parking meter. At that point, parking was a zoo so I didn't want to search all around. I promised Cam we would go to the "carnival" (Balboa) next time. He was a champ with the news that the carnival wouldn't happen. I feel like lately he has been so much better when plans change. He used to have a much harder time with this (even with something small like changing from going to the library after the store to before).

I love this picture because Cam was so intent on comforting Kendall with, "It's ok, the waves won't get you!". Ironically HE was the one that didn't like to have the waves come up close...Kendall loved it! :)

oh, to have a one story

2011-07-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

Lately Kendall has been pushing the limits, discipline-wise. Really the main problem is fussiness during dinner time. I often wonder if we would even care as much, were it not for how much it affects Cam. Anyway, last night she didn't want to eat anything on her plate, so she felt it should be fine to leave the table. Nope.

Ideally I would like to buy a small chair or rug and place one upstairs and one down. Then I could just plop her down on whatever one was closest. This just isn't possible with our family dynamic. Because it is so upsetting to Cam when she really gets to crying, I simply cannot put her in the same room as him. It's not fair. And I'm not going to ask him to run to his room and turn on his noise every time she is disciplined. So her time outs will now be upstairs, in her pack n' play, which we will set up in the guest room. The problem? Man do my legs get tired of running up and down, up and down (like during dinner when no sooner had we brought her down than she started up again)!

I guess if I'm trying to look on the bright side, my legs will get a nice work out. But man do I wish we had a one story!!! :)

cause for celebration and family dinner review

2011-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today has been a good day...make that a GREAT day. I recently started researching a charter school nearby that we had heard AMAZING things about. It is one of those schools that has a lottery for enrollment. A gal I talked to waited 3 years to get her kids in there! Long story short, because they are starting a brand new "transitional kinder" class (for young 5 year olds), our little guy is officially a student of the school.

It all happened so fast and I'm VERY excited. I won't go into all the details of why we think it will be so good for Cam, but let's just say there is no other school I could think of that would be better suited for him. :)

Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On a different note, I've really been enjoying cooking for our family. I realized that cooking for just Chris and I caused us to eat the same things a lot. We didn't care about having tacos twice a week. Since I'm thinking kidwise in my meal planning now, I'm branching out more and more simply to up their exposure to different foods. I get more out of browsing blogs, cookbooks, etc. because I know I'll actually try many of the things I find.

I will say that I could never create a 5 day meal plan because we just have too many leftovers to warrant cooking something new each night...and I HATE to waste food. :) So tonight is a leftover night:

Chris: BBQ shredded pork pizza (on my homemade tortillas, which are GREAT for pizza)
Kelly: Meatloaf I posted yesterday
Cam: Mac and Cheese and meatloaf
Kendall: Mac and cheese and meatloaf

I'll serve each with veggies. I usually stick to the "Normandy" bag at Costco of frozen veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, squash). This is an area I could use a little inspiration in. :)

two recipe tries

2011-07-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

One of the food blogs I follow is actually written by a gal I attended Biola with. I love that she not only puts the cost per serving, but she also puts the nutritional information for each recipe. This makes it so easy for me in calculating Chris' portions.

When I saw this recipe for Turkey Meatballs with Golden Raisins (I actually made it into a meatloaf to save my time at the stove), I knew I had to try it. The flavors were so unique and it really didn't disappoint. The raisins added a sweet flavor that both Chris and I really liked. I could not, for the life of me, get the dipping sauce right, but it was tasty just by itself.

(this was taken from her blog as her meatball pictures looked quite a bit more enticing than my hunk o' meatloaf picture)

This next recipe both my friend Ana and I knew we had to make when we saw it. When her family came to visit this past Sunday, we made a batch. My hesitancy beforehand was that using a cake mix for a brownie type base would result in a little graininess. We both thought it did. But I think you couldn't go wrong if you were to swap it with a brownie base. They are VERY rich, so be warned. :)

boys hike

2011-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

While we weren't together today, we all had a fun day. Kendall and I went to a friend's birthday. She loved the little kid pools, the cheese puffs, and cake. :)

Cameron and Chris went on a "boys hike" (Cam quickly attached to that name). I found a hike in Riverside that ended up being more of a paved trail up a mountain. They started out at Wendy's for lunch, where he ate and enjoyed his first frosty. The hike was longer than both had anticipated and Cam was VERY ready for bed tonight, but both really enjoyed their time. :)

Cam requested Chris send this text picture because he wanted me to see the berries he found. So sweet. :)

p.s. That recipe I posted about yesterday was pretty darn amazing. If you are in the mood for a SUPER unhealthy mac and cheese, look no further. :)

2011-07-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

*Cam started swim lessons this past Monday. He LOVES them! My mom takes Kendall during the lessons, so it's nice for me to be able to just sit and watch him the whole time.

*This morning Cam had a dentist appointment. He did awesome. I sat there in amazement that a child on the spectrum was so good about letting people in and out of his mouth for almost 45 min. The outcome? The top tooth coming in is actually extra and will need to be pulled to make room for his "real" two front teeth. I never realized one could grow an extra tooth!

*Here is Kendall and I making gooey bars to bring to the dentist. She gives discounts to kids who are paying cash (since we don't have dental insurance). We are very thankful as all this work would cost quite a bit. Chris was like, "You are bringing sweets to a dentist???" But in all honesty, I'm not going to bring her a basket full of vegetables! I think dentists eat the occasional cookie too!

*Bachelorette Thoughts:

Ames: VERY nice guy, but almost too nice. He's not edgy/outgoing enough for her
J.P.: Still my favorite
Bentley: Do you think he'll actually have the guts to show up for the "Guys Tell All"???

*Making this for Chris' splurge meal tomorrow night. I can't imagine how it could NOT taste good.

music

2011-07-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Back before we had kids, whenever Chris and I went on a road trip, we would always make a CD for the journey with our current favorite songs. Last week Chris made me one for the car rides with the kids with all of their favorites. I had to laugh at the wide variety which were included.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean Theme song (instrumental only)
2. Raise Your Flag- K'naan
3. You've Got A Friend In Me- Toy Story
4. Tigger- Winnie the Pooh
5. Cheeseburger in Paradise- Jimmy Buffet
6. Volcano- Jimmy Buffet
7. Spoonful of Sugar- Mary Poppins

This is mainly for my family who reads my blog, but this video is so cute of Cam singing one of these songs...

pizza pie

2011-07-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

I didn't end up starting "family dinners" until last week. While we haven't done them every night (Kendall was sick, Chris was at a meeting, etc.), I have to say that they have gone much better than I had anticipated. Cam is pretty easy as he will eat what we tell him to with minimal, "Can you tell me a less number of bites I have to eat?". Kendall's main hurdle is keeping her in her high chair until we are done. Here are a couple stumbling blocks I wouldn't mind advice on:

Cam: When he doesn't like something, he takes FOREVER to eat it. Should I set him a time limit so he goes to bed with only a couple bites if he takes too long?

Kendall: She literally will not eat one bite of some things she doesn't like, making her dinner consumption about a zero. I've tried forcing her to take a bite and that ends horribly. My plan is to just keep serving her the foods and eventually she'll get to the point where we can use the, "If you take a bite of this, you can have this"...unless anyone has different advice for a barely two year old.

Tonight we had a delicious meal I found in one of my old cookbooks. I made it back when Chris and I had only been married a few months. I had Chris write his review which was, "Excellent! I give it a 10!". I health-ified it a bit this time, but we still both gave it an 8.5. :) I like it because I prepare dinner in stages throughout the day, so I made the filling this morning and then returned it to the stove to heat up quickly before baking.

Pizza Pie

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 can Pillsbury pizza dough
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until beef is cooked. Stir in tomato paste, oregano, 1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Keep warm while preparing crust. Unroll pizza crust and cut 1/3 off to throw away (you could use the whole thing, but this way it's fewer carbs). Press crust into a 9-inch, greased pie plate. Press filling into crust and top with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

weekend getaway

2011-07-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Last week Chris and I were looking ahead to a weekend we needed to fill. He had just heard from his aunt that her condo was available (she not only allows us to use it, but loves for us to), so off we went! What a fun, fun weekend.

Saturday we headed out and made a stop in L.A. to walk around 3rd St. and the Santa Monica Pier. It was so nice to just have a change of scenery, be around tons of people, and experience the pier for the first time.

This carousel on the pier cracked me up. I'm used to Disneyland, where they check and double check everyone is safely secured before starting the ride. I was still buckling Cam in when this one lurched to a start. And boy did it go fast! Both kids LOVED it.

We picked the wrong route to the condo after the pier so it took a very long time. Both kids were complete champs in the car, which we were very grateful for.

This morning Chris took the kids to breakfast so I could relax for a while. He then picked me up and we headed to a great park. We had such a fun time together playing with the kids.

During Kendall's nap, I took Cam down to the beach and walked along the pier. The weather was such a nice break from back home.
(sorry it's a little grainy...took it with my phone)

After Kendall's nap, we went to the Thousand Oaks Mall and let the kids play. On our way home, we stopped at Gourmet Pizza Shoppe for dinner. I love that restaurant not only for their food, but for the atmosphere. We were both pretty tired from the trip and in one of those "I really don't care what the kids do" kind of moods, so it was nice that I didn't need to be bothered by the fact that Kendall insisted on taking off her shoes and walking around the restaurant. :)

Very fun weekend and a nice change from our norm weekend stuff!

Oh, WOW

2011-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I made these. Yes, they were absolutely, positively AMAZING. Yes, that is peanut butter and a graham cracker covered in yummy chocolate. Yes, they taste like Reese's times 10. No, they are not for the wimpy "Oh! That's too rich!" people out there (my husband being one of them...he could only handle one bite). They are such a fun and unique treat and despite pickypalate's claim that they are rather difficult, I didn't find them to be at all.

Here is my version. Instead of drizzling chocolate over the top, I sprinkled crumbled graham crackers. I find this WAY easier and you can cover mistakes by just crumbling more crumbs. :)

ikea

2011-07-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

It has been so muggy and yucky lately. To entertain ourselves indoors, we went to the mall play area and Costco yesterday. Today we made the trek (it was a little bit of a drive) to Ikea. I've always wanted to take the kids as I thought they would enjoy walking around such a huge store with so much to look at.

They both really liked it and it wasn't crowded at all, which was great. I stumbled upon the kids area (where you can drop your kids off while you shop). I decided to give it a try with Cam and he loved it. I left him there for about 30 minutes while Kendall and I walked around and hunted for some plates, which I couldn't find. I really wanted some divided plates (but bigger than the toddler kind) that have lids. Whenever the kids are done with their meals, I use plastic wrap to cover their plates in case they are hungry later. I waste so much plastic wrap this way. Anyway, if anyone knows where I can find these, let me know!

Here we are taking a break at the snack shop. As I was looking for something to choose for them, Cam picked up a croissant and ran it over to me to ask if it was what I was looking for. So...by default, a croissant was what we all shared.:) Overall it was a very fun few hours and a great time eater for our day.

the 4th

2011-07-05T09:36:00.001-07:00

We had a BLAST this year on the 4th. This is the third year in a row that our block has had a big BBQ/party. We had a bounce house, 3 small swimming pools, two sets of corn hole, and lots of good food. We have such great neighbors and enjoyed hanging out and talking all afternoon.

Here was Chris getting a game of corn hole together. Last year our neighbors loved it so much that they built a set of their own boards so we could have two games going.

Our friends Breanna and Jason brought their kids over for the afternoon. Cam and Aidan enjoyed playing with each other. Here they are taking a break from outside with a little starfall.com.

This little one had a BLAST the whole afternoon pool hopping, bouncing, and running around. :)