Fun with Toothpicks

I'm a detail freak. I brought to a friend of mine who just had a baby these brownies. ( BTW- Wouldn't they be cute for a baby shower or birthday party?) I just can't bring a plate of brownies to someone, I always love to add tiny details. This was so easy and cute (and so cheap).

How to: I have paper punches that are both flowers of different sizes. I just printed a bunch of "Welcome Baby Kaitlin" groupings along the edges of some card stock (on Publisher) and punched them out then the middle is a smaller flower. I used the craft "Zots" on a tooth pick and put a flower on each side. I was going to use buttons for the center but I liked the green flower look more for this occasion.

I did them with stars for a "Shoot for the Stars" night we had also but made them the toppers on cupcakes. I just punched out double the amount of stars (for a front and a back) and put them together with the sticky dots and a star on each side. It is an easy little detail that makes a big difference.

Current top 5 mom observed bug-a-boo's of the week

1. As other mothers have observed in their own homes, every friend that comes over to play comes over because, in truth, they are actually on the brink of starvation and desperate to be fed. A starving little birdie. I don't consider this my job, as much as I love my neighbors. When a kid comes over to play I expect them to do it, not inspect the contents of my cupboards and refrigerator. I don't mind a snack, but occasionally it becomes a feast, too often. Yep, it is happening at this very moment at my house... yet again. They have just been given the "your done" warning.

2. Kids under 5 years old believe they MUST wait to the very last possible second to relieve their bladders. Nuff said. I just liked this picture, it's very strange, much like this behavior is.

3. No child is ever aware of how awful their bedroom messes have become until they are asked to clean it up. In my household, this occasionally renders the child ill and curled up in fetal position crying about how it wasn't their fault or use the excuse of how they can't do it because it's too messy. Hmmm... nope, can't find any sympathy there, although those are priceless.

4. Teenagers have brains used for occasional use only. They have emotions that make no sense, in abundance. They are moody, messy, chatty, giggly, and craving independence. Going somewhere with your parents is torture, especially if you can't bring a friend along. On the rare occasions that I have actually been able to have my kids to myself, I have observed that somewhere under the facade they are actually a lot of fun, and secretly like their parents, and find their folks irreplaceable when they are in "need" of something (especially clothes).

5. Finally...Hangers do not serve a purpose. My kids do not use them. They do not believe that there is any use in putting in effort to have respectably kept clothes. They don't even notice them I think, and possibly have no idea why they see clothes in their closet floating in mid air. Once, I made my daughter show me that she was capable of putting something on a hanger. She did it! I then gave her a pile to hang up off the floor and came back later to find the remaining items shoved on a shelf. I have just as bad of luck with hooks on the wall. The solution is to just shut the door and take away the cell phone or the ipod till it gets done.

What I was taught again this week for the millionth time... Parents must be parents not friends and actually PARENT, your kids have enough friends.

My favorite word

Sadie is 3, she is blessed with some words only mama can understand.

My favorite word she says is BLOKEN (aka broken). The R's have yet to be mastered. Adowable!

Some other favorites are...
*You mean me, you go away me!
*Dats my favewit!
*I want dis one...
*Pease mama...
*I pay pet sop (littlest pet shop)...
*I gah go pahyee (potty)...
*Cah-win (Corynn)
*Chi Chi (Christian)
*Cwoh-wee (Chloe)
*Si-woh (Shilo)

I'll almost be sad when the child can carry on conversations that I understand each and every word of. For now it cracks us up.

Would I..

This is the song that the children sing at church that I love the most over any other song. It makes me cry to hear them sing it because I want so much to have them truly understand and feel these words in their hearts so it can comfort them and help direct them. It's an ugly world at times and sometimes growing up in it is hard. I may be old, but I remember. I sing it to my kids at bedtime in hopes that they will always remember it's message, as soon as they are able to understand it. (It helps me know that I need to get my act together).

If the Savior stood beside me
Would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments
and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more reverently
If I could see the Savior standing nigh
Watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me
Would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind
If He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I live more righteously?
If I could see the Savior standing nigh
Watching over me?

He is always near me
Though I do not see Him there
And because He loves me dearly
I am in His watchful care.
So I'll be the kind of person
that I know I'd like to be
If I could see the Savior standing nigh
Watching over me.

Looking Back

As I was sending my daughter out the door to school today I had a thought. It was a small thought. Remember, I have warned you that I seem to be full of these lately... good ol' motherhood/parenthood does this to us. It makes us weird. We become reflective. We rant. We brag. We compare physical things to emotional or spiritual things. We bring deep symbolism to everyday experiences. Just weird mind warping parenthood mixed with occasional paranoia.

Or maybe it's just me.

I'm unusual?

First know that I make that second grade girl cross the street right in front of our house to head to the bus stop. The bus stops way down the street, around the bend. She has to cross to get to where the kids wait, where I cannot see her cross. I make her cross where I can watch the event and know she is safe. I stand at our front door and wave to her and wait to see if she looks back. I never close the door until I know she isn't going to look back.

Lately, she hasn't looked back. Today, she didn't look back.

I believe she is now leaving this house with confidence and courage. She is heading out into the world to make her day begin with self assurance, which to this sensitive girl is a big deal. She struggles a little more than some. In her younger years she needed to look back and hear me shout something like "have a great day sweetheart" or "your gonna have so much fun today" and wave goodbye. Pep talk. No longer needed these days. She's o.k. with a hug at the door.

It kind of makes me sad, yet proud at the same time. She must head out to build her own attitudes and gain her very own experiences as we all do as we grow. (Isn't that why we're here on earth)? I'd like to have more control over what influences her but I need to have confidence in reverse that whatever she comes across will be dealt with and judged according to the remarkable good sense mom and dad have drilled into her noggin. Sounds like somethings our Father in Heaven gave us called agency and discernment, huh? I'm just glad at the end of the day I get to hear about all the exciting details.

Guts...

Gut instinct.
I've learned to trust it.
I've learned that other people don't like my gut
and would rather not trust it...
This would include my mother,
Mostly a problem for my husband.
(He doesn't usually agree with my gut instincts).
Did I mention we both always seem to think we are right?
Guess who usually IS correct in the long run... let's just say, not him.

So what is my gut telling me lately?
My gut says things are gonna get better.
Stay calm.
Things are gonna pick up soon.
I just need to be patient and careful.

The economic crisis that the world finds itself in may go on and on for a while. My gut may have to endure some great bouts of indigestion from that situation, but as far as me and my family go, I sense good things. We have definitely learned great lessons, made stupid decisions, and feel the sting from our own foot kicking our backside into tomorrow.

On the bright side, we have also been able to do things that in retrospect we stand in awe at. Years of blessings.
How thankful I am for the answers to prayers.
The Lords hand is in our lives everyday,
each of us, directing us (if we will pay attention).

Feeling unbelievably blessed today.
Thankful that my gut is influenced
by something much bigger,
much wiser than my own sensibility.

Spaghetti Lasagna

Thank you to our cub scout troop. The blue and gold banquet produced a new favorite recipe for my family... Spaghetti Lasagna. The best part is that it is way easier than regular lasagna to make.

I bought a big box of Spaghetti noodles at the grocery store a couple years ago at a case lot sale and stuck them away and forgot all about them. Now that they have resurfaced I was looking for new and creative ways to use them up besides the basic spaghetti with sauce that I always make. This is a good way to change things up a bit. Send me your ideas!

This is the "low fat" recipe but I don't know how many calories or what the nutritional facts are:
1 cup cream cheese (buy the low fat kind, needs to be soft)
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup mozzarella
Mix these ingredients together until blended.

Boil a 16- 24 oz package of spaghetti noodles until softened, drain, and mix with cream sauce.

Brown ground beef, at least one pound.
Add a large jar (3 lb) of spaghetti sauce (I used Prego, flavored with meat) and heat through.

Dump the spaghetti noodles (covered w/cream sauce) into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Pour spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Set out about 5 minutes before cutting into squares with spatula. Enjoy!

Breakfast of Champions

This is just to let everyone know that this morning I had these for breakfast.


Well, I actually only ate 3 of them. It's a wonderful way to start the day. Today is just an "I really don't care" day. My justification? They are cereal based after all. I just can't always be good and drink spinach smoothies every morning or Fiber one bars.

BTW- if your brave enough, try one:


SPINACH SMOOTHIE:
IN a blender put a handful of baby spinach, some FROZEN peaches or other frozen fruit (if it's frozen you don't need ice), 1/2 c. of yogurt (any flavor), and some honey. Add some water (or juice) to help it liquefy. Blend it up and drink it up. It sounds awful but it is so good that my kids fight over them.

Sometimes I just need to be stupid and I don't do stupid half way.
I even washed it down with this...


So basically... It's one of those days and I'm ok with it.

To be fair

Having 2 wonderful parents is a blessing. Having 2 wonderful parents 2,000 miles away is another story- still great just a lot of obstacles between them and I. I know it is a challenge for them as well as for me to be that far away. They have let me know how unhappy they are with this arrangement over and over (and over) again.

I just want to not leave them out of the picture today. They mean the world to me. They taught me to have strength. Big love and respects to my mom and dad. Love you so much! They are welcome to be offended by me not adding anything humorous about them today. I saved that privilege for the in-laws this time (below entry). They just need to know that far away or not. I think of them everyday and miss them.

This scale must be broken...

Sometimes when life tips the scale in favor of the problems you carry, you just have to laugh. Laughter is a lot more fun than crying and it really doesn't wear you out nearly as much either. I love to laugh, I love having fun. What I really don't like is making fun of people so I hope this little entry into the blog universe isn't taken in the wrong way. Laughing is my way to cope.

As some of you may know, my husband and I carry the responsibility of raising four kids as well as being the local "go to" gang for my elderly in-laws. They actually live about 3 houses down from us, and yes, we did buy our home for that very reason. It is a long series of tragedies that brought us to Utah from my comfortable home in Michigan, but the struggles of my 90 yr old in-laws are the number one reason this is where we currently reside. I never thought I would be in the position of raising kids and caring for elderly parents at the same time. I thought my kids would always stay young and uncomplex and parents would always stay energetic and amazing. Reality check...

Ready? Here are some of the episodes I must laugh at of late, with love and affection of course...

1. We have caller ID. The phone calls from down the street are AVOIDABLE, although we feel bad not picking up when we're busy and just can't. Everyone knows that who ever the lucky answerer is will be on that phone a looooonnng time. We do not have an answering machine message that is long enough for my mom in law.
2. "Who is the president?" If I had a quarter for every time my father in law has asked me or my kids this question in the last 3 months or so I'd be rolling in money. It is not possible to Boyd that the "wrong" man actually won. Our answer to this question is always followed by a warning for the sake of our children "It is Barack Obama, Boyd, and you do not need to comment any further in front of the kids." Yes, we know he didn't vote for the guy but this is getting soooooo silly.
3. Sunday dinner. As you get old, you get tired easily. Cooking and cleaning isn't done like it used to be. To ensure that my inlaws get at least one wholesome meal during the week they join us on sundays for dinner. So we usually eat at 1:30 pm (our big meal of the day) and they stay until about 6 pm (ouch). I guess a good meal and a nap on the couch is my gift to them. Although, when your asleep, little do you know what fun we have with you...

I have the greatest love for this couple. They are amazing people who have been through more in their lifetimes than I can ever know. I love them enough to leave my family and moved across the country, truly believing in my heart that it was the right thing to do. It's what families do. We've been here doing this almost 6 years and the scale in getting a little lopsided. This scale, I'm hoping is just broken and things are really better than they appear. I hope we all laugh in the face of adversity!

Gods Hands on Earth

Some of the most inspiring things are simple. I hear them from kids. I see them in nature. I discover them in the quiet moments when I am all alone. I am surprised by them through friends and often total strangers. All simple acts, simple words, simple messages...

I love it when I get emails asking me to pray for people. That's like someone saying, "Cinda, you're religious, right? I need you and there is nothing else left but prayer." Never ever do I mind that request. I get those more than I ever expected from people of all walks of life and it's a simple thing that when I act upon it teaches me so much... the unspeakable value of faith, love, and truly selfless prayers.

I love it when I see someone run to an accident or emergency to help. A complete stranger. That is proof to me of the inherent goodness of mankind. I witnessed that via the t.v. on 9/11 and again a few months ago when I saw a roll over accident with my car full of children and felt helpless to run out and help.

I love it when I am alone in the middle of the desert running and exhausted and I suddenly come across the most beautiful desert flower. They always stop me in my tracks in awe. (I know, I'm such a midwestern girl fascinated by discovering the west). I am convinced that Heavenly Father put that there specifically for me. He knew I needed that boost, that encouragement. Why else would that be there randomly? To me, it is a hug from on high, a gift. I can continue re- energized.

I am taught by my kids when they are doing something just generally really bad and I want to explode. Without saying a word I fall to my knee's (to get right in their face) and most often before I can speak (yell) at them I am swallowed up in their tiny arms. A hug that says more than words.

What simple acts have touched you? I like to think about these things on days when I feel like all I do doesn't matter. The cooking, the cleaning, the worrying, all sometimes seems to go unnoticed and unappreciated. Today, I am pooped. However, I am reminded that the important things are the little things, the ways I use myself as Gods hands on earth.

When the ship has sailed...

Not to be depressing but I do so love imagery, especially when it has a message. Fables, object lessons, all of it plays to my visual learning and embeds itself in my heart. On Sunday I heard a story that I thought was so beautiful that I didn't want to forget it. I know some of you are going to say this is a tad depressing, but to me it is comforting and promising. Blogs are a great place for stories like this one (this is the general idea in my own words).

Imagine yourself leaving on an airplane or boarding a ship, saying goodbye to loved ones that you may not see for an unknown length of time. It's tough to say goodbye, emotional, and heartbreaking. You continue on your trip with sadness, knowing you must go. You must have faith that they will be alright without you. The airplane door closes, the ship leaves the harbor. You are watched as the ship sails into the sunset and gets smaller and smaller in the distance.

Those waiting for your arrival see a speck in the distance on the water, excitement grows as the ship gets larger and closer. Imagine getting off that same airplane or ship. The smiles and the joy of loved ones you are reunited with on the other side of the trip overwhelm your heart, welcoming you with open arms and tears of joy. It had been so long since you had said goodbye to them and seen their faces. Joy and happiness are restored.

As such is our departure from this life to the next. Heartbreak from one separation is followed by joy when loved ones reunite. Tears are followed by welcoming arms. Journeys are complete. One by one others will come back, all with their own itineraries. Some are taken too soon, some have wonderfully long adventures, all departures are on the Lords time. Complete is the knowledge in my heart that our separations are only temporary and our love is forever.