'Ohana Walkenhorst

JBILY Day Part 2

2012-02-15T21:38:00.001-07:00

Last night, Jake and I spent our evening playing Cribbage. I won :) But now, Jake will peg any points I forget to count, which will be a lot :(

In the past, I've put together binders of the boys artwork & mementos throughout the year. Since 2009, the only thing I managed to get done are the Valentines they receive from classmates and friends. The pages look fantastic! I would scan them for you but the dopey machine always put a line in whatever I scan.

I did do something more than just heart attack the boys walls.
I actually implemented 2 ideas from Pinterest:

30 Days of Family Dinner Questions for 5 months

During dinner, we used to have a "Let's Talk" Bucket full of topics to discuss. It was a lot of fun. Once we ran out, Liam asked me to make more. It's was bumped to the bottom of the "to do" list, a lot. He got tired of waiting, and began asking "_____, what's your highlight for today?" Such a caring, thoughtful little boy! So the bucket is refilled, and I'll also use the questions in the next item.

Traveling Notebooks -

Reminds me of the notebooks I passed around with my BFF's, Tiff and Lynz. I still have one with Belle on the cover.

I haven't finished decorating the books, but I gave it to Kai this afternoon when he wanted to talk with me but I was too busy ~~helping/yelling~~ interacting with Coby to give him my attention. I handed him the book and asked him to write what he wanted to tell me. He was thrilled.

After our "chatter time" together, I sat down and read his entry. It was really great to have that extra insight into his day and feel a little closer to him, his bright and energetic spirit. As I wrote back, I was able to say things that I forget to say when we are together. You know, all the good stuff that he does or that I feel about him. I get all caught up in the the schedule or getting things done that I don't always take the time to stop and focus, on these beautiful, special, and wonderful boys that I have been given, or to enjoy the blessing of being their mom.

I hope that they will feel like they are getting to know me better as we write back and forth, and that I will be able to make the transition from writing to saying my feelings.

I finished off my note to Kai with this question: If you could have picked your own name, what would it be?

What name would you pick for yourself?

Happy JBILY Day

2012-02-14T20:16:00.001-07:00

Liam thinks today is Just Because I Love You Day,

like on Team Umizoomi. Too cute!

The boys woke up to hearts on the walls.

Kai's bunk wall with his 3D Tron Poster from Grammy.
Kai was not impressed with his hearts.

Liam's Bunk. He loved his hearts!

DJ's wall, shh he's sleeping

Coby's Romy Bear standing guard while he's at school.

C: "Why we weren't have pink German Pancakes?"

M: Uh, no eggs. Sorry.

Heart Stamped Sandwiches for lunch.
Cookie cutter swished in food coloring, then stamp.

C: How'd you make the hearts on my sandwich?

They tasted like cinnamon".

M: Mommy Magic.

C: There's no such thing as magic.

I volunteered to do a game for Coby's party. I used a BINGO generator. It suggested HEART for Valentine's, but Coby's grade has been studying Ancient Greece, so I thought it would be fun to do CUPID instead. I asked the kids to tell me what they knew about Cupid. They were so excited to share their knowledge with me.

Interesting thing: As I called out the numbers, each group would repeat it using the same inflection I used.

Here's what we got for each other

For Jake, walnut 3 track cribbage board to replace the
too short, plastic board he was using.

For me, a massage and roses!!

Dinner was a joint effort:

Ring of Fire Chicken, by Alton Brown

It's Shake n Bake, and I hep'd.

Last night, I made a bunch of cute things to give out, but today was super busy, so only the folks who stopped by our house received them. Sorry, everyone else. We love you!

Kale

2012-02-11T21:01:00.002-07:00

L: What's in this soup Mommy?
M: Onion, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, and the kale you picked out at Walmart.
L: I wanted kale, chicken, and rice.

M: Oh.

He ate only the kale then DJ enjoyed what was left of the soup.

Halloween Costumes

2011-10-31T13:59:00.003-06:00

Ok, I'm pretty pleased with myself. These turned out great. I didn't use a store bought pattern but cut out the fabric following the outline of items of clothing we already had like: Pajama pants, church vest, & cloak.

I repurposed items or used materials from my fabric & notions stash. A large portion gifted by Brekke, a few months back. Kai's costume would not have been possible without that contribution to my hobby. Thank you, again!

I bought the shirts but I'm not even going to count them towards the cost of the costumes since they are every day wear items. My only real purchase: twill tape for the strap of Kai's "money bag".

FYI: To dress up at the boys' school, first they write a book report. Then they can dress up as any character from the book list. Many discussions later characters were finally decided.

Kai read the Hobbit and decided to be Bilbo Baggins.

The front of the vest is made from a pair of Jake's worn out khaki pants.

Look at these Hobbity Feet. They went over Kai's shoes.

socks, food coloring, sharpie, fabric glue and furry fleece trimmings.

Coby read The Mouse and the Motorcyle. He wanted to be a mouse but I did not want to try to make a mouse costume and did not have the materials. Then he wanted to be a Jedi, which cannot be found in Classical literature. I suggested a samurai, sorta like a Japanese Jedi. Right? Fortunately, there was a book about a samurai on the list and I had copious amounts of fabric from a failed Daler Mendhi (the 3rd to appear) costume for Jake a few years ago.

Coby loves his Tabi, split toe socks.

The boys are so excited with their costumes.

Kai's only complaint: having to wear short pants. Too cold.

Liam is Batman. I love super hero jammies for Halloween costumes.

DJ will be dressed as Beorn in bear form.

Neumont in the News

2011-10-26T10:10:00.000-06:00

Faculty Bio

Here are a couple of articles about Neumont University,

where Jake works as an Instructor and Faculty Lead.

Innovative Colleges for Ambitious Techies

Walkenhorst Cinemas

2011-07-22T17:38:00.001-06:00

We had a bunch of neighbor kids over to watch a movie before, then I had this idea to do something more in line with going to the movies, getting popcorn and candy. It wasn't until this week that I finally made that idea a reality.

Select your movie. We went to the library to rent some movies for the week. Getting movies there is a dicey proposition, you're not sure how scratched up the movie is going to be until you get home. Hey, it's free.

Make your own tickets stubs. I looked at a bunch of movie tickets to get an idea of the layout I wanted. Using tables in my word processing program, I got what I was looking for.

Have a concession stand. At ours to purchase a bag popcorn or snack you have to use Movie Moolah. Each moolah is worth one snack.

In an envelope, we place a ticket stub and 3 Movie Moolah. Each boy takes an envelope to a friend in the neighborhood inviting him/her to join us at the movies.

To get ready we close all the blinds, cue up the DVD, set out all the snack options, pop the popcorn and put them in these bags I bought at Partyland years ago for a birthday party.

At the appointed hour, the audience arrives. I take his/her ticket, then let them past the gate. At the concession stand (kitchen), they pay me a moolah for a bag of popcorn, then each one carefully decides what snacks will accompany the popcorn. "Will it be chocolate raisins, or maybe the Preztel M&Ms? Hmmm, Oozy gummy bugs are yummy. Which one should I get?" They know to spend their remaining moolah wisely, and that they are welcome to return to the stand during to movie to purchase more.

Our first viewing had some technical difficulties, pausing and skipping, but the boys loved it. Here's a look at our audience.

This has been so much fun! I'm glad I was finally able to put an idea into action. Looking forward to the next time!

Silly boys

2011-07-21T22:52:00.001-06:00

During family devotional~
M: Boys, do you know what the word precepts means?
C: Someone who sips a lot?

While we were having family prayer, Kai released some gas~
C: And please bless K. that he will not fart during the prayer.

Koala Fliers

2011-07-17T11:00:00.000-06:00

While getting DJ out of the car -
J to D: Aren't you the cutest baby in the car?
M: Nice qualifiers.
C: What are koala fliers?

I'm sure Coby was thinking of this little guy from the Wild Kratts

His name is Koala Balloon. The Kratt Brothers rescued him

as he floated down from the sky carried by black balloons.

Liam, what does a rooster say?

2011-07-13T12:01:00.000-06:00

So hot. . .

2011-07-12T11:40:00.002-06:00

The trouble with tribbles

2011-07-09T12:27:00.027-06:00

During the intermission of Bye Bye Birdie, we found a wall of photos of Miss R---- City.

Among them is this picture.

Jake says to me: Looks like two tribbles died on her shoulders.

So the trouble with tribbles is that they might just ruin a perfectly lovely dress.

Solomon Grundy

2011-05-05T09:15:00.000-06:00

This morning during breakfast, Coby treated us to the following nursery rhyme:

Solomon Grundy,

Born on a Monday,

Christened on Tuesday,

Married on Wednesday,

Took ill on Thursday,

Grew worse on Friday,

Died on Saturday,

Buried on Sunday.

This is the end

Of Solomon Grundy

or is it?

Enchihuahua!

2011-04-19T13:27:00.000-06:00

L: We have ticos for dinner?

M: Yummy, taquitos!

After dinner . . .

L: I ate three quitos & Mommy, you ate enchihuahua"

An image like this popped into my head

After the laughter died down,

M: Right, Liam. I had an en-CHI-LA-DA

(Topped with mango salsa & cheese, Yum!)

National Geographic Place of Death

2011-04-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

On our way to church, Coby said "I want to go to the National Geographic Place of death: He . . . "

Jake filled in the statement with Helsinki.

I spelled "H-e-v-e-a-n. I mean H-e-a-v-e-n."

Kai exasperated with us tell us "No, he means H E double hockey sticks"

Oh! Where's that?? ; )

How do you describe your chicken?

2011-04-15T23:59:00.000-06:00

While watching America's Test Kitchen chef, Julia Collins-Davison, prepare chicken for soft tacos-

Liam proclaimed "Those chickens are gorgeous!"

She has a tendency to describe every thing as "gorgeous", in fact, her next statement was about the glaze being gorgeous. See the video, she'll say it at 3:32.

So almost every time we have chicken, he'll say it's gorgeous.

THAT sand

2011-03-31T11:55:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of my phone

As we're walking down the stairs,

L: Mommy, you need to clean THAT sand.

M: What sand?

L: THAT sand. pointing to the living room

I found this lovely mound of sand. Liam helped me stage a reenactment.

Bubba, my car

2011-03-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of the month, we had the

rebuilt on our little Hyundai.

Then his serpentine belt

needed to be replaced.

Then this happened

Jake is fine :) Thank Goodness!

But poor Bubba has bit the dust.

For the last 11 years, he has served our family well.

He brought each of our baby boys home from the hospital.

He's been a trusty commuter car for Jake.

He's been my "getaway" vehicle for

Girl's Night Out/Project Night.

I never thought I'd say goodbye this way.

Thanks Teri and Rex for getting me such

a fantastic graduation present.

We're gonna miss him.

I won!!

2011-02-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Peeps! I won a giveaway! See here.

I squealed when I read the news.

Liam asked me "What's wrong with you?"

See this fantastic mini-quilt

It's all mine!!

This is the highlight of my day. No, the week.

I'm feeling inspired to make this

Valentine Quilt Giveaway!

2011-02-01T12:21:00.003-07:00

Check out Linzsews.

I love her seeing her completed quilts and hope to win this one.

Arm workout

2011-01-26T20:22:00.002-07:00

For a fantastic arm workout you'll need:

1. A broken serpentine belt.

2. No power steering

3. A Suburban

Now, drive!

You'll break into a sweat.

Your arms will feel the burn.

Bonus: your legs will get a workout trying to gain leverage.

Happy Exercising!

Earnings

2011-01-25T08:13:00.002-07:00

Over the years, we've had different chore charts like this one

and our current one.

With those chores came money. At first, 10 cents per chore completed. Each boy earned a different amount, but I didn't have a good system to keep track of it all plus tithing.

Out of laziness, we went to if there was an acceptable level of chore completion they got a set sum for the month, $10. Super easy to deduct tithing and retrieve the cash. We got them wallets to carry their money in, which were forgotten whenever we went to the store. Then they'd want a loan, but didn't have money to pay up. So I repo'd their stuff.

photo: tvrage.com

Also their willingness to work went down substantially. We had to re-evaluate our system. What was our goal? To give the boys money to spend or to teach the boys: the value of work, how to be a contributing member of a family/community, and the basics of money.

The allowance is gone. The boys still have chores. If they want to earn money they have the opportunity to do extra chores:

folding wash clothes, microfiber towels, bibs, etc. . .
getting the mail
sweeping or vacuuming the floors
unloading the dishes
making deliveries around the neighborhood.
etc. . .

But I was back to the same problem of keeping track of it all. I used a pretend check register from the dollar store, until I realized that it was a pretend check book and most of the pages were checks, and it didn't have space for tithing.

I was thrilled to find this check register at the Idea Room, so I didn't have to do any more work then just printing it off. I asked Kai how he wanted to decorate it: all the seasons with a bunch of different colors. I'm pretty pleased with the final results, and Kai likes it to.

Right now, he is repaying some accrued debt. He's not too happy about it, but he has been steadily working on paying it down.

Now, we need to make Coby's.

Blog of Mormon II

2011-01-23T15:19:00.001-07:00

Dude!! You CAN have the scriptures show up in your blog reader. Check it out here: http://ldssd.org/.
Thanks for letting me know!

Blog of Mormon

2011-01-22T12:33:00.002-07:00

Mentally, I was going over my to do list while getting lunch ready and thought:
I haven't read my scriptures yet. I should do that during lunch, but I was gonna check Google Reader & Facebook like usual. Hmmm? Wouldn't it be great if the Book of Mormon were a blog? I would totally read it! Ooh, or a Facebook update? Nephi just arrived in the Promised Land. Boy, the journey over was rough!

Bib Bondage

2011-01-21T09:32:00.002-07:00

One of the reasons I love my body bibs:

little handsies don't get in the way.

Winter Gear

2011-01-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

Kai asked me to help him dig through the lost and found for all of his winter gear before it gets sent to DI tomorrow. Here's what we found:

Two scarves
One knitted cap
One faux fur trimmed coat
One Red Jacket

What we didn't find

lunch box
any gloves, several pairs have gone to school

Kai told me after we dug through 3 bins that he is looking forward to spring so he doesn't have so many things to remember to bring home. Me too!

If you hear, Liam saying

2011-01-19T12:51:00.012-07:00

. . . "I want those damn pants!"

He means: I want those denim pants!"

. . . "I'm a doofus"

He means: "William Joseph"

. . . "Habidos"

He's trying to say: Octopus

Caramel Apple Bars

2011-01-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

I asked each boy to choose a dessert recipe for us to do together. Kai choose Southern Caramel Apple Bars. We worked on it together after dinner but it wasn't finished until after the boys went to bed. So we had it for breakfast.

The boys' responses:

Yummmmm! I can't believe how tantalizing this is?

Huh?! This is SO good.

It's so tarty.

That inspired me to come up with this joke:

What did the apple pastry say when he got to school late?

Sorry, I'm tarty!

Knees

2011-01-17T13:12:00.010-07:00

DJ has 'em and he's gonna use 'em...

He's started crawling.

He alternates between

rollin' about . . . his first mode of transportation
army crawling
rocking back and forth then flopping forward
an occasional on the knees crawling

Pirate Island Performance

2011-01-11T21:13:00.020-07:00

Kai performed with his Polynesian Dance group at Pirate Island.
No, the kids did not wear pirate costumes while performing.
Although that would have been hilarious.

Kai lost his lavalava during one of the dances in which he was the only boy, but he stayed on stage and kept dancing with a big smile on his face.

Coby and Liam playing in a fake Mangrove tree

while waiting for Kai to perform.

Coby is saying "Arrgh!"

Technical Difficulties

2011-01-11T14:10:00.001-07:00

I haven't figured out how to scan things on my new printer/scanner/copy machine (that we got because we thought our old combo was broken but really it just had a small toy stuck in it.)
My laptop is processing slower than snot, so Jake is going to do his computer mumbo jumbo and make it all better.
I'm having a hard time getting the video from the other day working properly. Sorry.

Homemaking

2011-01-10T12:14:00.003-07:00

My family has given me the title "Wasatch Molly Mormon". I'm not quite sure how being a Wasatch Molly is different from the typical Molly. But . . . here's my badge, I wear it with pride!

With my latest goals in mind, I feel like I'm entrenching myself even further into the domestic realm of this stereotype. Maybe I need an additional title: Susie Homemaker or Domestic Debbie ok. I made that one up. I prefer Domestic Diva, anyway. But I don't know anyone named Diva and we're going with a name theme here.

What are those goals? To make:

homemade laundry detergent.
bread from scratch on a weekly basis
homemade granola bars
a new cleaning system for me

I can check off the laundry detergent. I made some dry detergent (#4) this weekend. Woo hoo!

The plan was for the liquid stuff. But I had wash that needed to get done. I just couldn't wait 24 hours to let the stuff gel. Oh, no. It had to be done ASAP, so it could sit in my bedroom to wait forlornly for my attention.

I've done 3 loads with the new detergent. I filled the washer with a little bit of hot water, then gathered my clothes to give the detergent time to dissolve. Then I filled the rest of the way with cold water.

My clothes look and smell clean. Or rather they don't smell dirty. I'm still gonna do the recipe for the liquid detergent so I can add essential oils and boost the 'fresh from the wash' smell.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I'm back home now, have been since Tuesday afternoon when I drove in town just in time to pick Coby up from school. 4 hours of sleep the night before + 6 hours driving = a long day! I only made it with the help of that 5 hour energy shot.

White Board Writings

2011-01-09T18:59:00.012-07:00

Here's what's written on my white board.
This is the kind of quality stuff you get when I try to post daily. ;)

Q: What does a rabbi secure his Sabbath day foot wear with?
A: Shul Laces.
My honey is pretty funny!

Wouldn't it be funny if I had a laser on my butt, so I can go Tsssst. ~Coby This kid cracks me up.

Popcorn in a big steel bowl recipe-
6 T. oil
1 C. popcorn kernels
3/4 t. salt

Pizza test recipe-
1 tsp yeast
1/2 c warm water
~1 c flour-bread
pinch bread

Kai .25+.10 Money he has earned doing extra chores

What's written on your white board?

Kai remembers

2011-01-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today, on our way home from dropping Coby off at a birthday party, Kai was telling me about things he remembers:

I went into your room and took some money then hid it in a secret compartment in my hat. I did have a hat with a secret compartment right?
I hid a can of Coke on the porch and you didn't notice.
I used to play with a blue gun, a red gun and an orange gun. (Jake's nerf guns )
I used to jump off the couch shouting "Portugal".

With the sad state of my memory, I'm impressed that he can remember so much from when he was 3. Here's a photo collage.

Tantrum

2011-01-07T16:22:00.031-07:00

Most of our day was filled with this:

in a multitude of variations on the theme of "I want".

Mom update: A stroke was finally diagnosed. Her speech is improving from one word responses to short questions. She'll be moved to the rehab unit to improve her mobility and speech.

Ever

2011-01-06T17:05:00.001-07:00

Today felt like a record breaking day for me:

2.5+ hours - Longest grocery shopping trip EVER

$480 - Most $ spent in one trip at Walmart EVER

117 - Highest number of items in one trip EVER

Now, I have the biggest headache ever.

ok, that one was figuratively speaking. ; )

Mom update

2011-01-05T14:00:00.115-07:00

My mom is a feisty lady. Before I got to the hospital,

she cheeked her pills, then spit them into a napkin, so her pills are crushed into pudding for her to eat.
she tried to get out of bed, probably to go home, so they restrained her with a lap belt.
she pulled off her sat monitor from her finger, so they put it on her toe.
she hissed at everyone doing anything to her.
she took the compression cuffs off her legs.

When I was with her she was quiet as a lamb, no fighting with the nurses, but still tugged on all the medical gadgets. Seems like her antics wore her out. Well, at least until we all left when visiting hours were over. She tried pulling out her IV, so the nurse put a restraining cuff around her arm.

Medical stuff-
When my mom was admitted to the hospital, she was put on an insulin drip. Her blood sugar level was sky high (720). It dropped enough that the nurse removed her from the drip and gave her shots.

As I visited with her on Monday, the first thing I noticed: the right side of her face was droopy. Pretty clear she had a stroke.

World turned upside down

2011-01-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

My mom collapsed and was unresponsive.
An ambulance took her to the hospital.
She's stable. I'm heading out to Vegas.

Solids

2011-01-02T17:51:00.002-07:00

DJ is now eating solids.

His first cereal: oatmeal.

So happy to have a full tummy!

January

2011-01-01T17:15:00.021-07:00

National Blog Posting Month aka NaBloPoMo
Cleaning Month with Clean Mama.

Ok, I need to get back on to the blogging horse. So I'm gonna finish up old posts on the family bog and start writing new posts for the community blog.

I'm so glad Brigitte suggested doing Cleaning Month. My garage and bedroom are disaster areas. That's where everything gets shoved when I don't have time to take care of it.

Quoting the boys

2010-12-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

Standing on the window sill watching the garbage truck-
L: Thank you garbage truck for taking the trash!

Eating snacks-
C: Kai, I can see your uvula!

Sitting on the couch-
L: Snuggle, just da me!

Long Day

2010-12-19T23:51:00.001-07:00

3 hours of church (time well spent)
Within minutes of getting home the yelling and back talking commenced.
Within the first hour home all four boys were crying ALL AT ONCE!
Another hour dealing with tears, fighting, and the aftermath of a gingersnap baking session, while Jake delivered goodies to the families on his route. Yum!

Alton Brown's Gingersnaps

Lunch preparations, finally got started around 2:00, but nothing would be out of the oven until 3:05

Ham Florentine Wreath by Pampered Chef

photo courtesy of Jolenes.blogspot.com

My back went out and I couldn't bend over. D'oh!
Jake and the boys went to tithing settlement. (3:00)
I parked myself on the couch to feed DJ. I had no intention of moving from that spot until I absolutely had to. It hurt way too much to sit down or stand up. . . oh, and the boys ate a doughy lunch, whoops! (3:30)
Home teachers came by. Liam brought down his favorite stuffed animals to share. (3:45)
Jake and I finally eat. (4:10)
Visiting Teachers came by. Liam talked and head bobbled while DJ babbled. (4:15)
Liam finally went down for a nap. Only 4 1/2 hours late. (4:45)
I started cutting out some letters to appliqué on a quilt, even though it's likely that I'll not finish the quilt on time. Stupid back! But at least I don't have a cracked rib like my friend.
The afternoon improved as we watched A Christmas Story, and enjoyed some of those fantastic gingersnap cookies. The boys liked them with white frosting on top. I have to agree, but only a very thin layer.
We also watched Jeopardy. The boys did really well on two categories: Colorful Foods & Comic Book Villains. We grow foodies and nerds/geeks in this here house.

from the Washington Post

DJ did not want to go down for the evening, despite all the eye rubbing and yawning he was doing. He just wanted snarf down some food then veg in front of the TV. What a potato!

So glad this day is over, now if I could only go to sleep.

Maybe DJ will let me sleep in tomorrow. If only!

"Rainbow"

2010-12-08T23:31:00.011-07:00

Liam's new favorite blankie:

Rainbow

Folding

2010-12-07T17:55:00.002-07:00

Here is a video you have to see if folding fitted sheets compactly escapes you:

Ooh, check out this one for quick folding shirts. It's like magic. ;)

Leprechauns

2010-12-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

While busily building a leprechaun trap Coby asks:

C: Are leprechauns skinny or fat?

J: They're fat because they have so much gold

that they eat lots of rich foods.

C: Oh Daddy you're kidding!

J; I don't know, I've never seen a skinny one.

C: Well, you've never seen any leprechauns.

Wait, shouldn't he be building a trap for one of these?

The Cheese Touch

2010-12-04T12:22:00.001-07:00

Since reading and watching

Kai and Coby have been passing the cheese touch between themselves. In the last transfer to Coby it morphed into what I like to call "Cheesy Fingers". It gives him the ability to become the unseen 2nd grader called Brett, who takes cheese from the sandwiches of unsuspecting victims.

Obsession

2010-12-03T09:26:00.012-07:00

The boys are absolutely obsessed with watching TV.

Even the 6 month old. An attempt to multi-task by writing a quick blog post while feeding DJ was met with resistance. He wanted his bottle and the TV too. He struggled and fussed until he positioned himself in just the right angle so he could watch Umizoomi and eat. However this new position made it impossible to write. I abandoned all hope of writing, and read instead. Multi-tasking prevailed!! Woo hoo!

In the past, this fixation had been so overwhelming that it interrupted the boys sleep. They woke up in the middle of the night to watch TV or play the Wii. Playing from 1-7, then continuing with their day made for very two cranky boys.

We installed an alarm, that we set before going to bed, which went off any time someone went down the stairs. We are awesome!! Finally, they were able to get rest, and a modicum of peace was restored.

You know? The family I met at Thanksgiving Dinner may have the right idea of just abandoning the electronic babysitter altogether. There'd be a mutiny if I tried.

Neglect

2010-12-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

You know you've neglected to clean the porcelain throne, when your two year old will not deign to pee in it's filth.

L: It's yucky, Mommy! Clean it! Peez.
M: OK.
I clean it up
L: Tank you, Mommy! Now, I can pee.

Another thing I've neglected the blog. Sorry! Who knew raising four boys was so time consuming?

Album Fundraiser

2010-11-29T22:45:00.001-07:00

My friend, Lisa Frost, has written an album. WOO HOO! Inspirational, faith-based, neo-soul-jazz-gospel fusion with the objective to spread positivity and the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through music. Her music is unique, uplifting, empowering. It was not written to speak to only those of her faith,... but to those of all faiths and those seeking faith.

She needs to raise money to make this happen. Her friend is hosting a Scentsy Fundraiser! Scentsy has some beautiful holiday warmers and delicious holiday scented candle bars that would make wonderful Christmas gifts, as well as all of their fabulous year-round products.

Now thru Friday, December 10, all commission made from this Scentsy fundraiser will go toward production/recording of Lisa's music! Go to csteggell.scentsy.us to place an order under "Lisa Frost Fundraiser".

I love the scents that I have. I just need a fancy warmer. This is just the opportunity I've been looking for to buy one for myself. Please help my friend if you can. I can't wait til her album is out. It's going to be fantastic!!

A sidenote:

I asked Kai "If you have to choose between a Scentsy Buddy or a new Wii Game, what would you pick?" Immediately, he said "Lenny the Lamb with Vanilla Creme" Liam wants Mollie the Monkey. Coby is going for the Wii game. But if forced to choose he'd get the Lion

King Coby

2010-11-11T16:50:00.003-07:00

Pharaoh of the Gateway Village

His cobra spits fire so he can too!

Look at his uvula and his fangs

In school, this week he is learning about Egypt.

White Collared Criminal

2010-11-05T13:45:00.000-06:00

Got a call from the school

Kai gave this check to the lunch lady

Lunch Lady: Why did you write it for $500?

K: Because that's what it looks like.

Originally, it was made out to the PTA for $5.

Crafty little devil, isn't he?

Thursday's Halloween Jokes

2010-10-28T07:55:00.016-06:00

What vegetable does a pumpkin turn into when an elephant steps on it?

A Squash

How do you fix a broken Jack-o-lantern?

With a pumpkin patch!

Wednesday's Halloween Jokes

2010-10-27T07:50:00.001-06:00

Spare Ribs

When something tickles it's funny bone

Tuesday's Halloween Jokes

2010-10-26T13:50:00.001-06:00

A sourpuss

When you are a mouse

Monday's Halloween Jokes

2010-10-25T12:37:00.003-06:00

I like to put little notes in the boys lunches to let them know I'm thinking about them. This week, I gave them Halloween jokes decorated with Halloween foam stickers. They love to tell jokes! Kai's teacher has said that he should be a comedian when he grows up.

Hide and Go Shriek

Boo Boos

Cleaning II - Chores for the Boys

2010-09-29T12:19:00.002-06:00

This post is in response to a question on http://thestoryofamom.blogspot.com. Do you remember this post on cleaning?

After 7 months, the system is still working. I am in shock! It was a bit rocky at first, but after 2 months we got into the groove of things. Now, it's just part of our daily routine. Of course, there are still occasionally complaints about being worked too hard (before they've even started or when I have them actually remove the dirt instead of just wiping over it), but it is a vast improvement to our previous method. I tweaked the system it a little.

Doorknobs and lights switches & plugs were being cleaned super fast. I combined them and added the floors. Kai is thrilled to be able to use the vacuum. Coby would love to but it's just a little to unwieldy for him to use. When it's his turn he sweeps or picks up bits from the carpet.

I color coded the chore slips so monthly, weekly, and bathroom chores were evenly distributed.

The boys wanted to do the "faster" chores all the time, so some things were put off until the last week of the month. I came up with a schedule. Monthly - MWF, Weekly - TTh and bathrooms on Saturdays.

Our most recent chart, which I keep posted in a sheet protector in a central location.

Due to Kai's baptism and birthday party, we didn't hold our weekly family counsel so the boys were unable to choose their chores for the month. Until a new chart was printed up, I just asked them to put away the dishes from the dishwasher, take out the trash, or spot cleaning around the house. During this time, they began notice what things needed to be done around the house and asked to do it. The cleaning we've been doing together laid a foundation for them to do it on their own, which was the whole point. Woo hoo!

Did I mention that if the boys finish their monthly chores before the end of the month, they don't have to clean on Tuesdays or Thursdays? An incentive to pick up the pace when they're cleaning.

Liam loves to grab a "fiburr tawool" to pitch in and help.

Silly Boys Week of 9/13/10

2010-09-20T15:12:00.004-06:00

C: Mommy, on my spelling test there is a note. It says "Coby was eating paper. I do not think that is funny."
M: I lean around my computer to look at him.
C: Mommy, I'm sorry I ate my spelling test.

Hair

2010-09-20T13:59:00.001-06:00

I hate my hair right now. I'm experiencing post partum shedding, and I lack any style.

See even Liam thinks I look funny

Before the bangs, every time I pulled it back into a pony tail I looked old. With it loose I looked fine, but it was always in the way or just too hot. My hope was that adding bangs would reverse the clock. And it did . . . to high school. Ugh. I don't know what to do with it!!

My previous hair lady would know what to do. She could fix it. She is fantastic. She knew exactly what looked best on me. I was never disappointed with a style she chose for me because

It looked great.
It was easy to duplicate.
It was low maintenance, if I wanted to wash and go I could.

Since we moved five years ago, I haven't been able to find someone like her. Maybe if I win this giveaway from Sweet Basil, I can finally have a great style again. And just maybe find my hair lady replacement who I can trust just as much as Carrian trusts her stylist, Morgan.

Throwing rocks

2010-09-13T21:07:00.006-06:00

is a dangerous past time.

Coby asked me: Am I gonna die?

Here it is all cleaned up:

Poor Coby!

Silly Boys - Week of 9/6/10

2010-09-12T21:54:00.009-06:00

To be honest, I was too busy to keep track of the silliness that abounded.

Silly Boys Week of 8/29/10

2010-09-05T13:52:00.006-06:00

C: S almost pushed me into the river. I could have cracked my head & died or lost all of my technology.

Silly Boys

2010-08-28T17:11:00.057-06:00

M: Look Kai, the dentist sent you a Happy Birthday email!
K: Oh, I'll go brush my teeth.

Getting our post doctor visit Great Harvest fix-

C: Mmm, this is so good! What's the secret ingredient for your pumpkin chocolate chip bread?

Employee: I can't tell you it's a secret.

C: It must be the pumpkin!

K: If I had a bread store I would name it Bread Grows or The Bread Brothers

C: Cuz I would own it too and we're brothers.

K: Do you know what my favorite part about going to the doctor was?
J: Getting a sucker?
K: Uh, my second favorite thing?
M: What?
K: Getting to pee in the cup and putting it in the mini door

Family Prayer-
C: We thank you that Mommy could have DJ, so we can have some cuteness in the house.

I mentioned to Jake that I needed to pump and he burst out into song-
You're gonna get your, get your pump; hook it up to your lady lumps. Your lumps, your lumps, your lovely lady lumps.

K: Liam, what's your favorite color
L: Blue!
C: He'll just say the last thing you said. Green!
K: What's your favorite color?
L: Green!

Reason for taking my phone-
K: I wanted to know what it felt like to have a phone in my pocket.

Uh, we don't have a cat. Probably never will.

I'm allergic and too cheap to get a hypo-allergenic one.

But this sure would be a cute kitty.

TMI alert
Reason for not using the toilet for his poo -
K: Because I didn't want to.
At least it was stashed in TP bundles. On Saturday, he will be cleaning all the bathrooms in the house.

Grosgrain: SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-08-26T22:10:00.001-06:00

Grosgrain: SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This machine looks awesome.

I hope to use my friend's so I can decorate Kai and Coby's shields and swords.

Silly Boys

2010-08-22T10:51:00.082-06:00

Coby fell asleep in the middle of a tantrum

C: DJ smells like Marshmallows! I wonder why?

M: Dunno

C: Maybe he was sprayed with Marshmallow spray. Yum!

During morning devotional,

M: What does it mean when Heavenly Father gives us daily guidance?

C: He guides us.

K: Like GPS,

C: to places we've never been.

M: Do you know what it mean whens I say "Heavenly Father will pour out his spirit more abundantly upon us?"

C: You know when you bundle up DJ? Well, it's like that. He bundles us up so we are comfortable and cozy. Uh, like a force field.

I guess Liam thought George needed a bath

At breakfast,
J: It's hot. He turns the fan on
C: Oh, no! I hate the bluffeting sound!
M: Someone's seen the Dyson fan commercial.

Coby insists that DJ has a tooth coming in. During a number of family prayers, Coby has asked "Please bless that DJ will get all of his teeth"

DJ update:

DJ rolled onto his side, and watched me as I crossed the room.

He is my first binky baby, but he has since discovered the joy of gnawing on his fist when he is hungry.
He pushes at the bottle when he is done eating, and it seems like he is batting at the toys dangling above him.

He started scooting around too. I left him in this position

and found him like this

then like this

Team Umizoomi

2010-08-18T10:16:00.001-06:00

In a land not so far away, Umi City.

You can count on us to save the day.

When someone has a problem in Umi City,

we fix it with our mighty math powers.

Thanks Team Umizoomi. I knew I could count on you. . .

to entertain Liam while I shower and to teach him his numbers & shapes.

His favorite shape: Oval!!

Silly Boys

2010-08-15T13:34:00.035-06:00

Liam stuffed his shirt with magnetic letters, & walked around cradling his alphabelly.

Coby made a few alterations to the comics this week.

The boys are fascinated with Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Jake read the first book to them and we recently watched the movie.
C: Moma, you know the part where Grover is holding up Medusa's head and says "Guys, I cannot pee with her watching!"
K: We made a song about it!!
Both boys: I always feel like Medusa's watching me. And I CAN NOT pee!
They bust out in a fit of giggles. Giggles, I tell you.

Kai made his own lunch: a ketchup mustard thin sandwich, strawberry banana yogurt and a cheese stick

The boys went over to the Clement house to play. They climbed all over the tree in the back yard. At one point Kai climbs up with a weapon and says "Now, I can shoot anyone who surrenders."

DJ started cooing this week.

Yard Sale

2010-08-12T10:41:00.000-06:00

Hey friends, family, neighbors, and anyone else living within a relatively close proximity to our pleasant little grove of a town... we're having a community yard sale! Not only will there be the regular garage sale stuff... but also quite a few crafty things from our awesome neighbors.

Kai is going to have a lemonade stand. Coby wants to sell something as well. Dunno what yet. We're selling a breadmaker, a Cubical cube storage unit, other miscellaneous items and maybe some bibs.

Silhouette Digital Cutting Tool

2010-08-07T09:13:00.000-06:00

There's a giveaway on the Idea Room for a Silhouette. Looks like a cool product. It has no cartridges. Get designs from the online store.

This is one way to add embellishments to my card making.

Family Names Friday II

2010-08-06T08:20:00.007-06:00

Since we have another member of the family, I need to make an addition to this post.

6. Daniel Jackson 'Imiloanahoku Walkenhorst

Daniel = Hebrew: God is Judge
Jackson = English: Son of Jack (Diminutive Form Of John: God Is Gracious)

'Imi.loa.na.hoku = Hawaiian: seek far the stars or Star Explorer
the dot represents the break between each word for the literal translation of the name.

'Imiloa also has a figurative meaning of one with great knowledge or avaricious knowledge.

Silly Boys

2010-07-31T09:48:00.071-06:00

Coby swears Liam took this picture

except these are Liam's toes.

At a birthday party, Coby was offered a hot dog -
C: Can I have that without the bun?
a reasonable request, he is allergic to them
A mom: Do you have $5? ;)
C: Oh, yeah! I left it in the car.
Sweetie, this isn't Disneyland.

The birthday party was dog themed. As part of the activities the kids went to dog obedience training, a fun obstacle course. The trainer would ask the dogs to a variety of activities, calling the "dogs" to attention. Coby asked if he could be a kitty instead, then the boys requested that they be called the Pikachu Brothers. They like to follow the beat of their own drum.

Kai's Pizza Diagram

Mmm. . . pumpkin seeds.

Liam dipped his french fries in ketchup, bit off the end, set the rest of the fry aside, then got a new one to dip. No double dipping for this little boy.

Buzz-Buzz Busy Bees has a sound chip in it of . . . buzzing bees.

While flipping through the book Liam recognized the duck, dog and cow. As the bees buzzed on the cow page, he Mooooozzzz'd along with it.

While doing his homework, Coby came across the problem 6+6 -

C: I know the answer is either 11 or 12 because sometimes when I play monopoly and one has a 6 and another has a 6 it adds up to either 11 or 12.

M: Coby, it can only be one.

C: Oh! Well then it's 12.

Out of the blue-
K: Hopes of getting money are on the horizon
K: $5 for watermelon, what a rip off. . . for a cat.

Liam found this

and immediately applied it to his chest.

Lint Pickin'

2010-07-29T22:01:00.004-06:00

We're actually potting training but picking lint is what Liam spends most of his time doing.

I couldn't actually show him picking lint, now could I?

Potty training was a disaster with Kai, due to my impatience and temper. We started when he was 2+, he had shown interest, but he didn't finish until just before kindergarten started. With Coby we decided to wait until he was older, which worked. This time around I've been less frustrated.

Generally, my problems with potty training have been: 1) remembering to take the boy to the potty, 2) sitting there waiting for him to do something. It seems to take FORever.

Liam was showing all the signs of readiness, but I had no intention of potty training right now, since it's recommended not to do so during a transition period, like a new baby in the home. However, Liam was asking to go potty at least once a day.

I decided to take him to the potty when I went, to get him accustomed to the idea and serve as a reminder to myself that he needed to go. He sat on his. I sat on mine. He has graduated from his little potty to the toilet, and he asks to go throughout the day.

To avoid getting angry because I felt like I was spending an eternity waiting for something to happen, I finally got smart and set a timer. When it goes off, Liam says "Times Up!" and hops down to wash his hands. It works most of the time. Not an everyday or several times a day battle. Phew!

So with my issues resolved, we move forward at a snail's pace. :)

Napping

2010-07-27T22:54:00.000-06:00

I do so wish I could take the advice: Take a nap when your baby is napping.

I say how?? Here are my difficulties in taking a nap:

Napping generally gives me a headache.
Coordinating nap times. Liam goes down at 1:00. DJ isn't on a fixed schedule. So he may sleep sometime between 12:30-2:30.
Household chores don't get done by itself.
Two other children - who it seems cannot be trusted
I feel rested, I stay up late, so I feel tired the next day. Vicious Cycle.

I really haven't had an opportunity to take a nap during the week, until today. Liam went down for a nap on time, DJ was fed and on his way to La-La Land, mid day pumping was complete, the dishes were done, the laundry was sorted, and the boys didn't need anything.Woo hoo! I can take a nap.

I told the boys that I was going to take a nap from 2-3.They did a fantastic job of being quiet and waiting patiently for 3:00.

At 3:01, they burst into my room "Mommy, can I have a snack?" Instant headache. "Sure!" Then I just laid in bed. Liam was still asleep and I foolishly hoped that I could sleep a little longer. Nope, they fought over the snacks. Coby stole Kai's treats. The front door became a revolving door. In and out. So I got up and was a grouchy bear. What I was trying to avoid.

When Jake got home he discovered globs of Salt Water Taffy on the curb and the side of the Suburban. Grr!

Why do they feel the need to steal food? Coby is paying to have the car washed this weekend.

Looks like napping in my comfy bed is out of the question. We'll see if I can get any sleep, napping on the couch. Maybe my physical presence will deter thievery and fighting. Hah! A pipe dream.

Silly Boys

2010-07-24T14:08:00.006-06:00

After a discussion about double dipping -

C: Kai's triple dibble dipping

K: Do you know why I think my mouth is a lawn mower? Because I hold the world record for eating an apple for a minute!

After putting away his cheetah costume-

C: I'm a cheetah whose fur has been ripped off of him. It's now detachable!

At dinner, Liam sang to himself "I love beef and chicken"

Two bugs on a bug

2010-07-18T21:37:00.002-06:00

Silly Boys

2010-07-18T21:00:00.003-06:00

K: Everyone frowns, even when they are snorkeling.

After taking a bite of a Sweet Breakfast Wrap -
K: Cow nuts! This is good
M: Try a different exclamation!
K: Chiming chungas!
M: Excellent!

Liam shared Jeepy the dog with DJ. I love this seriously silly face DJ is making.

Out of the blue -
C: Moma, Getting no one up in a panel house is very rare.
C: How do they get ice dry not wet?

While pouring a bowl of Cheerios, Kai sang this to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star -

Cheerios, Cheerios, I love you

You have honey, that is true

You lower cholesterol, and make me feel good

He said another line, but I can't remember it

Cheerios, Cheerios, I love you

I love eating you with different things.

At Singing Time, Kai chose If your Happy and You know it. He requested that we clap our hand and quack like a duck. He does the best duck imitation.

Getting ready to eat dinner -

C: It's a two headed Pizza.

More exclamations:

K: Great Gizzards!

K: Mimicks!

Kai loves to ride a bike, any bike even if he is too big.

Christmas in July

2010-07-17T19:51:00.004-06:00

My Mom, Teri and Lauren came up to visit with us for the weekend. They brought Christmas with them. The boys were thrilled.

Eggsicles?

2010-07-11T21:59:00.007-06:00

Recently, we've been having trouble controlling the temperature of our fridge, which lead to a batch of frozen eggs. It's difficult to make a delicious birthday quiche when the eggs are soild.

Fortunately, we have great neighbors who are willing to share. So we were able to complete our quiche. Yum!

Silly Sweetie

2010-07-10T13:32:00.003-06:00

Michelle mentioned the gas cans in her last post. I decided that this story needed to be told sooner rather than later.

When I was in college, I was running a little late for a final. I was almost out of gas, but I only lived a mile and a half from campus. I though, "Surely I have enough to get to my final without stopping to buy gas." Surely I was wrong! I was a block from campus when my engine started sputtering. I pulled into an apartment parking lot just as it died completely. I didn't have a resident permit, but my final started in 15 minutes and I had just enough time to run there. When I got into the building where my final was, I called Michelle at work, explaining the situation and asking her to meet me at my car with some gas when my final ended. I also told her the location of an auto parts store where she could get a gas can. On the map below, I lived at point a, was going to point c, and ran out of gas at point b.

View Larger Map

I took my final and went back to the parking lot. My car hadn't been towed, so I just needed to hang out and wait for Michelle. A few minutes later she arrived, with two 5 gallon gas cans. I pointed out that one of those cans would be a half of a tank, so two might be overkill. She explained, "The display at the store said 2 for $5, so I thought I had better get both." I explained that 2 for $5 was the same as $2.50 apiece. That thought had never occurred to her! To this day, whenever she buys waaay too much of something, we call it a "gas can" moment.

Silly Family

2010-07-10T08:24:00.002-06:00

We try to avoid the usual exclamations - OMH/G, Fetch!, Crap, Holy ____ etc. . . The boys have come up with some interesting alternatives:

Cheese and Crackers
Snickerdee
Chicken and stars

At nap time, Liam doesn't want to take a nap, but he changes out of his clothes into his jammies.

The boys opened the door for me -
C: Ladies first.
K: I know why ladies go first.
M: Why?
K: Because they do all the work. They pump milk, do the laundry, wash dishes, and make dinner. So they need a break. Dads just go to work.
Jake is feeling real appreciated.

At Singing Time, Coby asked if we could sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider fancy. It turns out that fancy means a British accent. Everyone willingly obliged and the "song" became a dramatic recitation. Wish that I had a video.

Kai was asked what animal he wanted to say Good Day, he said "Minnie Mouse" I was briefly at a lost at how to do that, then we decided to just "Squeak, squeak".

In a kid's meal, the boys got a CD of Totally 80's karaoke music. Woo hoo! Kai went all Napoleon Dynamite to Somebody's Watching Me. It was awesome.

This week I had a couple of silly moments -
Jake asked me to buy a clothesline to tie down the cover of his smoker. To remind me he wrote it on the shopping list, he made a notation next to it.

Now that I look at I can clearly see that it says 20 ft, but I thought it said soft, so when I saw a bundle of clothesline at the store I grabbed it and didn't give it a second thought. Jake asked me if the store didn't have a shorter clothesline. Apparently, I bought 100 ft. Whoops! Which reminds me of my moment with the Gas Cans, but that's another story.

I give you the following conversation as a lead up to my frame of mind for the junior high moment I had.
Walking home with a friend's little boy, he struck up a conversation with me -
A: My mommy doesn't have a penis.
M: That's right. She's a girl.
A: I have a penis.
M: That's right. You're a boy.
There's a pause like he is considering something
A: You're a girl. You don't have a penis.
M: You're right.
A: My brother, T, is a boy. He has a penis.
A little later at my house, Kai and T were discussing the solar system. T mentioned Uranus. I busted up laughing. Real mature, Michelle. Either pronunciation (urine us, your anus) would have done me in.

Maybe I just need more sleep.

My Birthday

2010-07-05T23:02:00.008-06:00

was relaxing and delicious.

Slept in to the glorious hour of 8:30.
Watched Fireworks on TiVo.
Hung out doing a whole lot of nothing.
German pancakes for breakfast.
Celebrated PT Barnum's birthday by eating circus foods for lunch: hot dogs then popcorn (Crunch n Munch from individual popcorn bags).
BBQ ribs + collard greens + baked beans = a finger licking delicious dinner.

A fabulous day!

Silly Boys

2010-07-03T17:11:00.139-06:00

After playing Crazy Eights together, Kai started playing a new game
M: What are you playing, Kai?
K: Soltier.
M: Oh, Solitaire.
K: Yeah, Soltier!
He lays a card on one of four piles - hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades
K: Do you know what it's good for? Sorting the cards by shape and color.
It kept him occupied for 15 minutes. At some point, I should show him how to play Solitaire.

After taking a shower -
K: I know a secret to taking a quick bath
J: What?
K: I scrub my hair with the loofa then I scrub my body for the first wash, then I do it all over again with soap.
M: Oh, so you have a a pre wash and a wash cycle.
K: Yup!

During lunch, a new business venture was created and shot down-
K: Coby, have you tried dipping your potato chip on the apple sauce?
C: No . . . Mmm, Yum! We should make these and sell them.
K: Coby, people will think it's disgusting. We're the only ones who will like it and buy it.
Mommy. would you eat apple sauce on a potato chip?
M: No.
K: See, Coby.

Not to be dissuaded from his idea.
C: Moma, do we have any jars?
M: How are you going to use them?
C: I'll dip the chips then put them in the jars.
M: Let's do an experiment. We'll take this potato chip, dip it, then leave it in a bowl. We'll see what happens to it. K?
We never got to do our experiment. Chaos ensued as Liam dumped a cup of fizzy water on Coby's lunch.

Where's the flood?

Coming in from the playground -
C: Moma, there's a tornado outside. Well, a gust of wind. I love it!
K: I wish the weather channel was working on the Wii, so I would know what the weather is outside.

Kai is invited to play at Ryan's house after lunch. In a rush to go, the boys make their own lunch -
C: Moma, I ate a piece of bread with jam on it and that's it, because that's all my tummy wanted.
K: Mommy, you know the round part of the end of the bread?I toasted it, but a part of it broke off so I put jelly on it and put the halves together.

They rush off to Ryan's house, but Ryan and his family haven't finished lunch so Kai and Coby return to the playground to anxiously await 12:30
C: Moma, I'm hungry.
M: You had "lunch", a piece of bread with jam on it. That's it all your tummy wanted, remember?
C: But Kai didn't cook it right.

On the way to a family reunion, for about 10 minutes Kai was singing the praises of some interesting non-existent features of the Iphone-
J: Have you ever used an I-Phone?
K: The zoo has some baby elephants.
Whoa, Kai! Way to strip the gears of that conversation.

Silly Boys

2010-06-27T20:26:00.019-06:00

Practicing the haka,
M: Move your arms like a train
C: Oh, like a train running down our enemies

The hot new look for summer are stripes & leaves.

Reading to Liam,
C: See the traysure, Liam
M: Coby, say with me "treasure"
C (with an impish grin & head bob): Traysure, traysure, traysure!!

Soft plushie slippers are the only way to travel!

At dinner,
C: Bananas with mustard actually tastes good.

During the prayer for lunch,

K: And please bless Mommy that she will have a good milk supply for DJ.

L: Eat! Nummy!

The last couple of weeks, Liam has been calling me Mooomy instead of Mommy. Appropriate, since I feel like a milk machine at the moment.

Fudge & Picnic Day

2010-06-18T21:44:00.007-06:00

June 16th -Fudge Day

Kai making fudge Brownies while Liam looks at the "chaw quit"

June 18th - Picnic Day

Udder Cover Giveaway

2010-06-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine has a food blog called Sweet Basil. Her dishes always look so delicious, so visually appealing. I wish I could get photos of our dishes to look that fantastic. Anywhoo, right now she is having an Udder Cover Giveway. Check it out.

Funny Faces

2010-06-16T16:02:00.010-06:00

Whatcha looking at?

Why so serious?

Bless you!

Popsicles

2010-06-15T16:00:00.000-06:00

A refreshing treat for a hot summer day

DJ & Daddy

2010-06-13T21:56:00.000-06:00

Aww!

A Week with Grammy

2010-06-13T09:41:00.004-06:00

Sunday -Grammy brought the boys to the hospital to visit their newest little brother.

They were very excited to hold DJ, and explore the hospital room.

Monday - The boys started their swimming lessons this week.

The boys wanted to try out their newfound skills in our pool, so off they went for an afternoon of swimming.

Tuesday - The Dinosaur Museum

Wednesday - They headed out to the library for the summer reading program. They made a splash playing pirate games. After lunch, they bounced their hearts out at Kangaroo Zoo.

Thursday - A quick visit with Grandpa Child & Gramma Lou, then loads of fun at the Discovery Gateway Museum. Liam had blast in the cork pit. They all loved the helicopter.

I burned dinner, so Grammy brought Carl's Jr.

Friday - Last day of swim lessons with Grammy. After each lesson, the boys played at the park next door. Here are some shots Coby took:

In the afternoon, Trafalga was graced with their presence, but alas no pictures.

I burned the same dinner again so Grammy took us to Los Hermanos. Mmmm. I love Apple Beer!

Saturday - Coby's birthday party. Then for dinner we headed to Provo to eat at Brick Oven. Yum! I definitely got my apple beer fix here because it comes with free refills!! We sat across friends of Jake's side of the family, and played catch up. Oh, & there was a balloon artist that made Kai a twisty hat and Coby a super cool light saber with an on/off button. The blade had two balloons, one inside the other. It was impressive.

Thanks Grammy for an awesome week.

Thanks Mom for the chance to rest, and sparkling clean bathrooms.
I'm so blessed to have such a great MIL.

Coby's 6th Birthday Party

2010-06-12T20:17:00.046-06:00

I'm really pleased with how the invitations turned out. Super cute!!

Coloring LEGO pictures, guessing how many LEGOS are in a bucket and LEGO bingo.

Little LEGO builders

Everyone assembled their own LEGO car. That was highlight of the party.

Isn't this cake great? Raven Haymond from Dollhouse Cakes made it. Coby requested that it have Oreo flavored filling. Coby loved it, and Jake says that it is the best chocolate cake he's ever had.

Devouring of the cake

Oooh, presents!

Everyone had a blast!

Now, on to the Thank You cards!

Silly Boys

2010-06-12T19:11:00.004-06:00

K: Wanna see my blood hill?
M: Huh?
K: See? as he points to his scabbed over elbow.
M: Oh, a scab.

Wanting to visit his cousins, Carter and Elana, instead of Grandpa Child
K: Grammy, family is more important than fun.

While visiting his great grandpa, Grandpa Child, and his wife, Emma Lou:
C: Gramma Lou, you are pretty old.
Leaning in to hear him better Gramma Lou asks: What did you say?
Grammy answers: You are pretty.
Gramma Lou then fusses over Coby and his sweetness. Nice save Grammy!

At breakfast,
C: There is always coffee in the nebula.
Apparently this is from some TV show, but it seemed like a random statement to me.

While changing DJ's diaper,
L: Mustard!!

At Coby's party, one of the guests was talking about farting.
J: We don't talk about things like that.
C: That's right! Be polite or we'll eliminate you.

Silly Boys

2010-06-06T12:51:00.000-06:00

Eating German Pancakes with an Apple Cinnamon Topping:
K: Are these apples golden and delicious?
M: They're Granny Smith apples.
J: Who is Granny Smith, anyway?
K:Well, she was a grandma and a black smith.

Some moms reported that Coby ate a roll out of the trash! Eeeww!!

After rattling off a list of words I did not think were appropriate to be said in our home, I discovered that the boys have their own boy parts lingo that I was unaware of: wiener dogs, nuggets, and mini wheats.

Discussing David Archuleta's new book:
J: How can a 20 year old have a book of memoirs? . . . Do you think he had a ghost writer?
M: Probably.
C: Maybe it was a Knight Rider.
Jake & I resisted that urge to hum the Knight Rider theme music.

Due Date. . .

2010-06-05T11:17:00.008-06:00

Today was our community BBQ. The boys spent most of their time on the bounce houses. It was great seeing everyone come together.

What's that you say? You thought this was about my due date. It is.

I went to a ward breakfast the morning Liam was born, so I had to go to the BBQ. Maybe I'd go into labor soon after. Well, I did.

Welcome Daniel Jackson 'Imiloanahoku Walkenhorst

He joined our family at 9:27 p.m. on June 5th.

Weighing in at 7 lbs 6 oz and measuring 19 inches long, he is an angel.

Frozen Yogurt Day

2010-06-04T21:05:00.028-06:00

Woo hoo! It's finally time to freeze the yogurt we've been working on for the last few days.

Coby added corn syrup, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to yogurt cheese.

Once it was mixed, we put it in the churn for 20 minutes, then put it in the freezer.

Then comes the enjoyment!!

Yummy Lemon Froyo!!!

Egg Day

2010-06-03T21:05:00.049-06:00

We started the day eating hard boiled eggs, did our routine, then headed over to the clubhouse for Music Time. Liam spent his time watching his favorite neighbors, the Sumans, as they were swimming. Kai and Coby enjoyed singing some new songs and learning about guitars and violins.

Our activity: making egg critters.

Production

Post production

Bunny, Fish, Bunny

Check out this science project: Spun Eggs

Yogurt update:

It spent the day in the fridge. When Jake got home, he placed the yogurt in a strainer with cheese cloth to drain the whey and create yogurt cheese.

Rocky Road Day

2010-06-02T18:05:00.043-06:00

While I went to my doctor's appointment, the boys spent the morning with Wendy Glass. After doing their workbooks, they had a great time reading and drawing. Kai was so pleased with his artwork, he brought it home and put it up on his wall.

It looked so cute, I put the poster Liam and Addie drew to together up in his room. He likes to point to all the safari animals. Thanks, Wendy!!!

Our activity for the day was to make rocky road pudding. We toasted sliced almonds. The boys took turn making chocolate pudding, then they mixed together the pudding with almonds and marshmallows. We put them in the freezer to enjoy later for dessert.

We also began our preparations for Frozen Yogurt Day on Friday. The boys watched Jake boil a 1/2 gallon of milk, while he explained that heating the milk untangles the proteins making it easier for the good bugs to eat the milk and munch it up into yogurt. "Yogurt has good bugs??"

I ended the day by going to Sewing Night. It was nice to not have a new project to work on, but it's sad that I have to take my sewing machine elsewhere to get my projects completed. I just need a schedule sewing night every week. Anywhoo . . . I finished two projects from my "almost finished pile": several kids aprons & rice bags for my neck. I also pinned a burpy and got the bling I needed to finish my two hair clips.

I can't decide what project to do when it's my turn to host:

sacrament snakes - a long tube full of rice/beans, which keeps things from rolling down the gap of the benches at church.
kid/adult apron
hooded towel - I've never made one. I want one for the baby. I need to finish my current projects. I would only do one if its the project du jour for sewing night.

39 weeks. . .

2010-06-02T13:54:00.000-06:00

slight progress: 1 1/2 cm dilated, 40% effaced.

He is head down.

Anything else to report?

Nope. Just waiting for his due date, June 5th, to get here.

Dinosaur Day

2010-06-01T13:47:00.000-06:00

I greeted each boy as they came down for breakfast with a "Happy Dinosaur Day! Roar!"

Both boys went back upstairs to change their shirts to celebrate the day. Coby donned his Dino-mite shirt, while Kai made do with his Junior Yosemite Park Ranger Shirt. He said "It was the closest I could get to dinosaurs. Because they hike close to volcanoes and dinosaurs may have been killed by a volcano. Campers may find dinosaur bones while hiking."

I wanna tell you that I went all out with dino pancakes for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, but I didn't.

As we read How do Dinosaurs . . . Pocket Library: Clean Their Rooms, Play with Their Friends, Learn Their Colors, and Count to Ten, I named the dino on each page, and the boys would dash to the dino bin to dig for the correct dino. The competition was fierce, especially if they recognized the dinosaur.

Then we did some worksheets:

Coby: My dinosaur is tough. It's a lava eater.

Kai: My dinosaur is a velociraptor.

I like them because it's a meat eater. The End!

They told me it was the best dinosaur day! Woo hoo! Day one went well.

Summer Plans

2010-05-31T17:18:00.000-06:00

I had the boys signed up for a variety of things: swim lessons, the library program, gymnastics, soccer and halau. Also there were plans to go to Thanksgiving Point several times, and a playdate group. A friend said I had a crazy summer planned. I didn't think so.

A few days later, Jake and I reassessed our summer budget, and determined that we just didn't have enough for everything and it would be best if we spent as little as possible. Once we had made the decision, I felt like a previously unnoticed burden was lifted. I cleared my calendar of everything, but the free library program, the playdate group, and the swimming lessons I already paid for. It was at that point, that I realized my friend was right. I was CRAZY for planning so much.

Here's the simplified plan:

June

Swimming lessons - two weeks

Library program

Arches Camping Trip

July

Library Program

Playdate Group

August

Playdate Group

The daily plan -
Morning
Spelling words - 15 minutes
Workbooks - 15 minutes
Dance Practice - 15 minutes
Cleaning time - 15 minutes

Throughout the day
One on one time - 1 hour
I spend an hour with each boy doing what they want to do: playing card or video games (if they haven't used their Screen time yet), reading, coloring, sewing, etc. . .

Activity time - 1 hour

Each day has a theme. I used homeschooling.about.com and the State Summer Reading Program to come up with my daily themes or activities.

Swimming Time - Afternoon
Free Play Time - it's pretty flexible.
Reading time - 30 minutes in the evening.

Silly Boys

2010-05-30T17:54:00.001-06:00

Liam's mess of the week: a lovely concoction of a brand new container of Lemi-shine & with a cup Jet Dry. I caught him when he was about to add Cascade to the mix. It was a sticky mess.

Eating dinner:
M: Kai, I know we are eating green stuff, but will you please not eat your food like a cow or a horse?
C: Yeah! Or a camel.

After Primary, Kai told Jake a joke:
K: What did the whale sing before he ate Jonah
J: What?
K: Swallow the prophet.

While something loads on the Wii, there a little blue dot that goes around in a circle. Today, as Kai watched it he practiced his ami, hip revolutions. These were the best ami I've ever seen him do. If I knew that I could use the Wii to practice some of his hula techniques, I would have used it sooner.

Next week, summer vacation begins. With the boys home all day, I'm sure I will have more of their antics to post about, but I'm not so sure of how much time I'll actually have to do it. So bear with me.

Card Requests

2010-05-29T22:24:00.012-06:00

This week I've had 3 requests for cards.

A friend said she'd pay me for a Thank You Card. What? Someone is willing to pay for my cards. Really? Anywhoo. . . her neighbor cut up a tree branch that fell in their yard during the snow storm on Monday.

I thought the leaf was a nice touch

She also asked for a graduation card for a student at Orem High. I used the school colors.

The left one I made first, but I wasn't satisfied with it. I made the one on the right, after I made a graduation card for Lauren. Our High School colors are Black and Gold. Go Chargers!

Jake asked for a Thank You card for his Mom. I looked to one of Wendy's cards for inspiration before I started.

Here's what I came up with:

I thought with all the card crafting, I'd have a stockpile of cards. Surprisingly, not true. I've been using my cards as quickly as I've been making them. So, with the left over paper I made a few extras.

Grocery Shopping

2010-05-28T15:11:00.002-06:00

Some of you want to know what I know about couponing & price matching, which is pathetically little. I would recommend talking to Tia White, Anne Lee, Rachel Child, any number of other people who are more successful at it than I am.

Here's what I do each week:

1) 2 Sunday newspapers - pull the coupon inserts out

You're supposed to have a paper per person in your household, but I've been testing the waters to make sure that spending some money is going to save me money. It has. I need to change my subscription though, so I can get the Red Plum inserts from the Provo Herald.

I started out cutting coupons of all the things I thought I would buy. But I got lazy and stopped clipping, then I discovered a new way: mark Sunday's date on the front of each insert and set it aside (in a nice hanging folder with folders for each set of inserts Smart Source, Red Plum, and Proctor & Gamble for each month, I haven't gotten to that point yet.), pull them out and cut them when you need them.

2) A meal plan

I know a number of people who plan their meals based on the deals they've scored that week. Woo hoo, added savings! I've tried this method, but I'm having a hard time moving on from what has worked for me the last 5 years: planning then shopping. I'll continue to give the new method a try.

Although, having any meal plan in place definitely helps to decrease your food costs, because you know exactly what you need for each recipe for the week.

3) The shopping draft - ingredients for each meal and items you need.

Whenever we run out of anything, we write it on this laminated sheet.

4) Websites

grocerysmarts.com - I use this site to find out what items to stock up on.
Select your state, your store, then a list pops up of all the sale items. I look for the 4&5 star items, by clicking start, stock up scale, then shrink. I jot down anything that catches my eye to add to my shopping list. Also they have a link to available printable on-line coupons.

savvyshopperdeals.com (SSD)- I use this site to find the lowest price on the items I need that week.
I go to the shopping wizard, enter each item from my shopping draft, and find the lowest price. The wizard tells me the store, the price and the coupon available. Print the list:

Sunflower Market - For deals on produce

I stop at Sunflower whenever I'm in Orem (1-2 times a week for halau), I love their produce. If I see anything on sale, I'll add it to my shopping draft.

5) Shopping List

I add the stock up & on sale items then using the SSD list I printed off, I add the sale price, store name, and coupon price next to each item on my shopping list.

Why? To price match at Wal-mart.

I know that by going to certain stores you can get catalinas, register rewards, or use in ad coupon to further decrease your costs. I'm still figuring out catalinas and register rewards. It seems like more of a hassle than a benefit. For in ad-coupons, I'll go to the store if the deal is fantastic enough, but my shopping time with as few children as possible is limited, so I'm sticking to the one-stop-shop. Besides, I often find that Wal-mart is cheaper anyway.

As I shop, if the price at another store is cheaper I circle that item on my list and place the item in my price matching corner of the cart. When I get to the register, I unload the items I'm going to price match last in a group. This way I'm done unloading, waiting for the cashier to scan everything, and I'm ready with my list to give the lower prices.

If the price you are matching is more than 50% be sure to bring the actual ad. Each cashier should have the ads available at their register, but that is not always the case, and many will ask to see the ad.

Any questions? What do you do to save money on your food budget?