Life

It looks like I will still be watching Hannah. Things didn't go too well at her new daycare place. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think it's probablly for the best. Now I won't have to stress about loosing that extra income. Apparently, the new daycare place had too many kids. and not enough supervision. Hannah threw a fit every time she had to go. Claire is very excited to have her back. We'll see how it goes.

I thought I would write a little about the miscellaneous stuff that's happened over the past few weeks.

Jake:

Jake has been having bad headaches for the past 4-5 months. They were happening at last 3 times a week. I took him to the doctor. His doctor did some tests, and those came out ok.(blood,vision,hearing,urine) So, he sent Jake to a neurologist. The neurologist asked us a bunch of questions and figured he was probablly having migraines. She prescribed him some medicine and gave me a diary to keep track of the headaches. She gave me a list of foods that can trigger migraines. She also scheduled a CT scan to make sure there wasn't something else causing the headaches.

A couple of weeks ago, Jake had the CT scan. It showed an abnormal vein on the right side of his brain. Apparently a lot of people have abnormal veins, they just never know about them, unless they get a CT scan for some non-related reason. Jake's CT scan was a pretty awful experience. We ended up having to wait 2 hours in the waiting room. (One of the machines wasn't working) For the last 20 min of the wait, Jake had to sit with an I.V. needle sticking out of his arm. He looked horrible, he told me he thought he was going to faint. They finally called us in. The actual scan went fine, Jake thought it was cool. After seeing the results of the CT scan, the neurologists scheduled Jake for an MRI to get a better picture of the vein.

The MRI was yesterday. I was really worried about it. I said a lot of prayers that we wouldn't have to wait long, and that Jake wouldn't freak out during the test. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait at all. Jake wasn't too happy that he was going to get another I.V. The MRI took about 35 minutes. Jake had to stay perfectlly still this whole time. He did awesome. I would have totally freaked. He did start to twitch about 15 minutes in, but then he fell asleep. I was so relieved.

Jake has a check up with the neurologist on Monday. I'm hoping she'll have the results of the MRI by then.

Other Stuff:

-I am no longer doing daycare. The mom decided to have them go to a daycare/preschool place instead. I have had mixed feelings about this. Happy to have a break, it was a bit stressful. Scared for the loss of money. (It has really helped us out with our new mortgage) And worried that Hannah would do ok at the new place.

-School has started back up. Yeah! It's been so quiet around here with just me and Claire. Elise and Jake seem to be adapting well to their new school.

-Ben and I have tickets to see 3 different concert in the next 2 months. We are going to see: Rilo Kiley, Say Hi to Your Mom, and Morrissey. Can't wait.

There were a ton of great shots. I am not posting all of them here. Eventually, they will all be posted on our family photo site.

Enjoy.

We got back Saturday night from our week long vacation. We had a lot of fun, but man we were tired when it was all over. I thought for sure the kids would spontaneously combust. Here's a run down of what we did:

Saturday 8/11:
-Drove to Nicole's
-Went to my Aunt Sandy's house for reunion.
-Visited with family. Spent most of the day in or around the pool. Ben and Elise got some jet skiing in.
-Kids played on an inflatable moon bounce and a huge slip and slide.
-Late night karaoke. Ben sang-Like a Virgin-(very amusing) Claire and some other little girls sang-Twinkle Little Star. I believe there may have been some Britney Spears and Back Street Boys as well.
-I played a little air hockey. Totally beat my dad.
-Went back to Nicole's and went to bed, didn't sleep too well.

Sunday:
-Did more of the same. Photographer came and took a big family picture. We were all in our matching reunion shirts. The shirts were yellow, not the best color for a red head.
-I had a great time catching up with cousins that I hadn't seen in a while. It was great to see them and to see their kids.

Monday:
-Went to Assateague with Nicole &Co., my cousin Chris and his family, my cousin Tina and her daughter, my Aunt Jundy and Unlce David, and my mom. It was a great day at the beach, even though we were all completely exhausted.

Tuesday:
-Left that morning to come home.
-Got home. Crashed.

Wednesday:
-Got ready for camping trip.

Thursday:
-Left for Camping trip around noonish. Got some bad traffic heading down to VA beach.
-Arrived at campsite and set up our tent. (We camped at First Landing; which is actually on the bay, not the ocean)) Waited for Debbie's family to arrive.
-When Debbie's family go there we cooked hot dogs over the fire.
-Despite it being dark, we were all itching to get a little beach time in.
-Decided to head back to camp when we saw lighting.
-Went to bed. Had a pretty bad storm throughout the night. Nobody slept very much. Luckily our tent didn't have any bad leaking. The Rodericks and Ben's parents weren't so lucky.

Friday:
-Weather was better. Things were able to dry out. Spent most of the day at the beach. Debbie and Melinda made some yummy chicken stew and peach cobbler in a dutch oven.(Which took a lot longer to cook then everyone thought it would, but tasted pretty darn good) We slept a lot better this night.

Saturday:
-Woke up to really nice weather. Packed up most of our stuff and went to the beach for a couple of hours before we had to head home.
-It ended up taking us about 5 hours to get home. (usually a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive) There was a big accident. It SUCKED.

Camping Synopsis:
Other then wet tents and horrible traffic, it was a great camping experience. The placed where we camped is awesome. There was hardly anyone on the beach, the camp site was a short walk from the beach and bathroom. There were trees all around to give our campsite a little privacy. It really is a nice park. Much more relaxing then going to busy VA beach or Ocean city. I liked that we were on the bay were the water was calmer. We all talked about going again next year and staying for a whole week.

I can't believe how fast the summer is going by. We have been super busy. Last week, Jake had cub scout camp. He seemed to really like it. I think it was good for him to get away from all the girls in our house. On Saturday, Elise had a birthday party. Today is her birthday, she's 10! She's very excited about being 2 digits. I can't believe she's that old. It makes me feel older.

For Elise's party we did a rock n' roll theme. The invitations were back stage passes that we made. We told everyone to come in a rockin' outfit. There were a total of 8 girls. When all the girls got here, we had them pair off and do each others hair and make up. I had bought some rockin' props for them too. (like: boas, beads, silver bangles, inflatable guitars, plastic tamborines) We teased up some of the girls hair to look like eighties rockers. They looked awesome! After hair and makeup, we let the girls pick music. Ben had built a little stage, and had set up a mic and spotlights. The girls had so much fun doing karaoke and acting like rock stars! Ben chased the girls around with his camera like he was the paparazzi. It was so much fun. We did the usual cake and presents, then we ended with a guitar shaped pinata.

As soon as Ben gets the pics on the computer, I'll post them.

--Continuing with our crazy summer.. This weekend we head to MD for my family reunion. We'll be there from Saturday through Monday. I haven't seen some of my cousins for almost 10 years! It should be a blast. Then we'll be heading to VA beach to do some camping with Ben's family. And pretty soon after that, school starts! This summer has been a whirlwind of activity. I am looking forward to the new school year. Hopefully, it will be a bit more peaceful around here once school starts.

Last Friday we did our second cooking class. We made Sweet Lemon Cupcakes. It did go a little smoother. The kids get a little impatient when waiting their turn to help. I think I need to do a little more planning next time to see if I can keep them from loosing interest. Anyway...the cupcakes turned out pretty good. They were nice and moist. The kids liked them without the icing. I think the icing was too tart for them. (The icing was a mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice) I liked the icing. I gave the extras to my Laurel class (a class of 16-17 year old girls I teach at church). They really liked them.




Ingredients:

2 lemons, washed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons poppy seeds
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at
room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
2 cups confectioners sugar
Yellow and green decorating sugar

Directions

Zest the lemons
Before you start, be sure an adult is nearby to help.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Line two 12-well muffin pans with paper liners.

Holding the lemons over a cutting board, rub them over the small holes of a box grater. Use short strokes and turn the lemon as you work. Rub off only the colored part of the peel (the zest). Measure out 2 teaspoons zest. Reserve the lemons.

Start the batter
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Stir with a whisk until evenly blended. Add the 2 teaspoons lemon zest to the flour mixture and whisk well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is soft and fluffy. Turn off the mixer, sprinkle in the granulated sugar and continue beating until pale.

Finish the batter
One at a time, crack the eggs into a small bowl and check for shells. Add the eggs to the batter, one at a time, beating well after adding each one.

Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Turn off the mixer and add the milk. Beat on low speed until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add the rest of the flour mixture. Beat just until blended.

Fill the cups
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. Then, using two large spoons, one to scoop out the batter and the other to push it off the spoon, fill each muffin cup half full. Do not fill the muffin cups any higher than that. Wash the bowls and spoons.

Bake the cupcakes
Put the pans in the oven and bake until the edges of the cupcakes are pale golden brown and a thin skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean (ask an adult to help!), 20 to 25 minutes.

Ask an adult to help you remove the pans from the oven and put them on wire cooling racks. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then lift out the cupcakes, put them directly on the racks and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Make the icing
Holding each zested lemon on its side on the cutting board, cut the lemons in half with a sharp knife. Twist each lemon half over the cone of a citrus juicer. Pick out and throw away any seeds. Measure out 3 tablespoons juice and put in a small bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar and a little of the lemon juice. Add some more lemon juice but only enough to make the icing thick. It should slowly fall off the whisk.

Ice and decorate
Spoon some icing on top of each cupcake and use the back of the spoon in a circular motion to help spread it to the edges of the cupcake liner. Let the icing stand for a minute until it smooths out to make a flat surface.

Right away, sprinkle the iced cupcakes with the colored sugar. Do not wait too long after pouring the icing or it will harden and the sugar wont stick. Makes 24 cupcakes.

I thought since today was my sister Nicole's birthday, I'd post a picture from waaaay back in the day. I look like quite the goober. Nicole always was the more stlyin' sister.

Happy Birthday Nicole!

This past Friday was our first cooking class. We made Double Chocolate Cookies. I think it went pretty well. It probablly would have been better if I hadn't been in a grumpy mood. I was a tad bit impatient. We went over the basics, such as:

*Washing hands/work area before you cook.
*Reading over the recipe first.
*Gathering what equipment and ingredients you need before you start.
*Measuring dry ingredients.
*Basic knife skills.
*Cleaning up as you cook.
*Stove/Oven safety.

I'm hoping by the end of the summer our classes will flow more smoothly. I think as the kids learn more, they will be able to really enjoy cooking, and maybe I'll be more willing to let them help in the kitchen. It was awesome to see how proud the kids were of their cookies

Note on the recipe:
The cookies turned out ok. I thought they were a bit too chewy, and too bitter sweet. I think I'll try and take pictures next time. Our next recipe will be lemon cupcakes. (Elise's Choice)

The first week of summer break was a bit hectic. I have this week off from doing day care, so I've been trying to enjoy the slightly quieter atmosphere of my home. I feel like I should try and accomplish something, but I'm just too darn lazy. I love doing nothing. I could sit on my butt all day and watch HGTV.

Anyway...This will only last for so long. Ben will eventually get fed up with the squalor and lack of food. I so don't want to go grocery shopping. If only the kids could do everything for themselves. I'd never have to leave my house. It doesn't help that it is super hot and humid out.

We are thinking of going camping the 4th of July weekend. Down at VA beach. I guess I'll have to do laundry by then. Sometimes it stinks to be an adult.

And now for something completely different; These make me happy. I think I must purchase them.

I saw this, and thought how Jake (my 8 year old son) would love it. I thought it was funny that it was listed under their "Camp" section.

It's summer time again. I usually look forward to the kids getting out of school. This year I will have 2 extra kids at home, Hannah and her sister Abby. I am a bit nervous that I'll go crazy this summer. Kids running rampant. Every 5 minutes someone saying they are bored, or so and so did this. I decided I needed a plan to help the summer months go by more smoothly. I have come up with a sort-of schedule. These are some things I wanted them to do daily and weekly.

Daily:
(in no particular order)

Reading Time
Craft/Art time
Outdoor time (if weather permits)
Snack Time
Game time
Lunch Time
Learning Time (Work books or some kind of intellectual stimulation)


Weekly:

Library Visit (once a week)
Park Visit (once a week)
Cooking Class (once a week)
Pool Time ?


I am really excited about the cooking class. I've been discussing it with my sister Nicole. I mentioned the idea to her, and we both got really excited about it. When I went to NY, I bought a cook book from William Sonoma. It's called Sweet Treats, and it is geared toward kids. They also have a bunch of other kid cook books that look awesome. After buying the book, I came up with the idea to use it for a cooking class. The book has some basic skill lessons for kids at the beginning. I would teach the kids basic cooking skills using one recipe a week from the book. I would start with a lesson, read over the recipe, then start cooking. Every kid would get a different assignment (prep, measuring, stirring, etc...).

I want to get each kid their own apron, and oven mit(older kids only), and maybe a small cutting board. This website has some great cooking tools/accessories for kids. Nicole and I decided to pick Friday as our cooking class day (giving us the whole week to shop and plan). We would both decide on a recipe and then report to each other about the class. (We figured if we had someone to report to, it my keep us motivated to actually do the class) I'll try and post on my blog about how the classes go. My first class will be 6/29.