The extra hour couldn't come at a better time...

Wow - it's been too long since I've posted. We haven't been up to much.  I've been working when Marc's not, Marc's been working when I'm not, and I've been watching all the boys.  Every day is busy.  But mostly, this past week and half have been marked by AJ and me having this cough/cold bug.  It's not terrible during the day, mostly just annoying.  But it's made sleeping at night very difficult. I'm up coughing most of the night and Marc is up with AJ, who is coughing most of the night. 

We're one big sleep deprived family...except for Andrew... we finally had to teach him to read his digital clock and told him when he is allowed to get out of bed in the morning.  He kept getting up earlier and earlier and going downstairs and watching TV until one morning we caught him up at 5:30 in the morning, ready to get up for the day.

Andrew has had quite a week at school.  He had a substitute teacher on Wednesday and therefore got to watch a movie during school. Thursday was a Pajama/Popcorn party that was originally canceled when his school was closed last week. Then today was his harvest party.  I made two dozen puffin munkins with chocolate chips for his class.

However, Marc got a call at home from the school mid morning. They said Andrew was breaking out in hives.  Andrew had to come home from his party.  But Marc said within an hour he was fine and the hives were gone.  So he's fine and his teacher was sweet enough to pack everything he would have got or done in his backpack to bring home with him.

Marc was treated tonight to a Pistons game with his buddy. I made a couple pans of enchiladas for our small group this weekend, we ate an easy dollar menu dinner, and now the boys are in bed. I am catching up on a few shows and finally posting, and hopefully heading to bed soon. Nothing exciting, but we're still here.

Just in Time... I guess

Look what I got in the mail today... for free!

And just in the nick of time, apparently.  Andrew's school closed most of this week (Wed-Fri) due to so many flu-related absences.   He's healthy so far, but 'cmon... sounds like it's a'coming.

And tonight... after I took a very healthy AJ to AWANA, he came home with almost a 103 temp.   Yikes. (sorry fellow AWANA parents... I had no idea, I swear.) The kid that goes to the flu-infected school is just fine. The kid that stays home all day has the 103 temp. Go figure.

Of course, true to form, Marc is out of town when a kid is sick.  Anyway, I gave him some Tylenol and sent his chilly little sad self to bed.

When we got home from AWANA, there was a little package waiting on the doorstep for me.  This package was from Boiron full of homeopathy products for children including Quick Dissolving Pellets for flu-like symptoms, pellets for cold relief, and Chestal honey cough syrup.

Now, I haven't tried these products yet, but it looks like I may real soon.  Click to learn more about Boiron's Children's Products.  And wish us luck.  I guess tomorrow I disinfect all the light switches, door knobs, banisters, etc... again.

Quotes:

Andrew was watching football with Marc on Saturday when he stated, “All of those football players just got into a wreck!”

~~~~~~
I had asked Marc a question (I don't remember what it was now... nothing to terribly important.)

Marc answering me: Beats me.

Andrew to Marc: What's that mean?

Marc: What's what mean?

Andrew: Beat's Me.

Marc: I don't know.

Andrew: Then why'd you say it?

Pie Update

So, I've been thinking about the pie.  And the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I may have screwed up more than I thought.  As I was making the pie crust, I was also pulling together a double batch of Kool-aid Playdough to  take to our small group tonight. 

A double batch of the playdough takes 1 cup of salt.  And now that I think about it the playdough didn't turn out right either.  Hmmmm...... me thinks instead of merely adding 6T to the dough, I might have possibly added 1 cup.  I don't know.  And at this point, it doesn't really matter.  Sigh.

Oh and to add insult to injury, I was hand washing my apple peeler-corer-slicer tonight... and cut my thumb.  Darn you, Pie!

Apple Pie Fail

I've had this huge hankering for homemade apple pie lately.  This is about the time every year when my mom and I get together and kick out a couple homemade pies using her recipe.  And let me tell you, these are the best apple pies!! 

Well, I'm not going to see mom until next month and my hankerin' for apple pie just could not wait. So, while grocery shopping today, I went ahead and picked up a 3# bag of granny smith apples.  Then before church tonight, while making dinner, I also whipped up a quick pie disc for the fridge.

We got home from church and it was time for the boys to go to bed.  But instead I decided to let them stay up and make apple pie with me.  As I'm rolling out the dough, a thought crosses my mind... "I've never done this before".  It dawns on me that in all the years I've been "making" pie with mom... I've merely assisted as needed or possibly just sat across from her and chatted while she did all the work.

So, I get the dough rolled out and I realize that my pie pan is HUGE!  Like feed a small village HUGE.  In fact, it takes all but two of the apples from bag I just bought to fill it.  By the way, the boys LOVE cranking the apple peeler-corer-slicer contraption.  I add the topping, move the pie to the oven, and send the kids to bed.

Making a pie wasn't all that hard and it only consisted of one phone call home to mom.  Now comes the waiting.  Why, oh, why do pies take so long to bake?  And why, oh, why is my extra-super-sized pie taking so long to bake?

Finally....finally it was out of the oven, cooled to a decent temperature, and ready to test.  Hubby made it to the kitchen first. He's not a pie eater, and was merely getting a drink. However, he broke a little corner off the pie crust and popped it in his mouth.  Oh, I wish you could have seen the horrible face me made and then immediately tried to hide.

I asked him several times what was wrong, but got no answer.  So, broke a piece off and tried it.  Oh. My. Goodness.  It was like eating a salt lick.  Seriously.  We had to spit it out and go directly for a drink... and then another drink.   Then we got another drink. 

I checked the original recipe, then checked the scratch paper that I wrote my own measurements on.  See, since my pie pan was SO big, I wanted the recipe times 1.5.  Somewhere in my conversion, I took the original 1/4 teaspoon measurement for salt, multiplied it by 1.5 and came up with 6 tablespoons....y'know, the spoon with the capital T. And that stands for trouble.

We just had to laugh, but I was dissapointed.  I though maybe I could at least eat the top half of the apples and the topping, almost like a crisp, but the salt seemed to have permeated the whole lot.  It's bad.  And it's sad. And mommy has to tell two little boys that the pie they made didn't turn out and they will have to eat Froot Loops instead of apple pie for breakfast like I promised them.

Oh well... I guess we all have our failed cooking or baking stories, right?  I would would love to say that this is my only one, but that is SO not true. I would also LOVE to hear about your food flops.  Write me a comment and share.... make me feel better.

Book Report: The Time Traveler's Wife

A few hours ago, I finished, "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger".  This was a really great book.  One that kept you thinking even when you weren't reading it. One that I want to read again, now that I know how it ends.  One where seemingly minor meaningless notions turn into major points pages later. 

I won't immediately start it again as it is due back to the library and there are several holds waiting on it (it took the library months to get it to me), however, I would like to get my hands back on it now that I know the things I know.

Heads Up... this is not a G rated book by any means.  It is, however, well written & intriguing.  And once again, without giving any conscious thought it about it, it is labeled as yet another Sci-Fi book.  This cracks me up by the way, since I totally have a stereo-typical idea about what sci-fi is (aliens, men in aluminum foil space suits, pointy ears, etc...).

This is none of that.  It's a love story... but not the mushy-make-me-want-to-puke-Edward-Bella-type love story.  Put it on your hold list today (& maybe you'll get to read it yet this year).

Fall Party - Full Post

If you use a blog reader, you got the condensed version the first time. Here is the full post: http://bit.ly/YBojz

The Annual Fall Party

We had our big Halloweekend in Ohio this past weekend.  I love this weekend.  It consists of treasure hunts complete with pirate-wear (eye patch, fake gold earrings, bandanas, painted-on mustaches, etc...), pumpkin carving, the flying squirral, trick-or-treating, & a bon-fire with hotdogs & chili.  And of course hanging out with cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents, etc...  It was a full, fantastic day!

My Super Heroes and their pumpkins.

The gang in their trick-or-treat costumes.

The gang all ready for a treasure hunt.

Video of AJ doing the Flying Squirral.


Video of Andrew doing the Flying Squirral.

Slideshow of more of the weekend.

Our Artists

"Mom" by Andrew

"Dad" by Andrew

"Rocket" by AJ

It's ColorFall at the Gardens!!

AJ

AJ is loving AWANA.  He is doing amazing with his Bible verse.  He's a little sponge, that one.  And he's been singing a Cubbies song all around the house. I'm not sure how it goes... but it ends with "Happy, so very Happy".  I know that because I hear it over and over and over.

He is also doing amazing with potty training.  By accident, he went to bed in undies the other night and stayed dry all night and now has been doing it every since.  We've been diaper free for about 4 days now.

I also have to "make" AJ homework so that he can work on some when Andrew works on his.  He's getting so big!

Andrew

Thursday was Goofy Glasses Day school. 

This, my friends, is why kindergarten is SO FREAKIN' AWESOME!  Goofy Glasses Day!  Could it get any better?  Seriously.

It's like they know how to hook these five year olds into loving school, or something.

Also, now that Marc is unemployed, he's been hitting the courts nearly everyday (he's lost over 50lbs....which I think warrants it's very own post, but he would never go for that... so I'm hiding it in the middle of this post).  The gym he goes to had a 6-week basketball camp for 5-9 year olds that started yesterday. 

For several days they've asked Marc if he was going to bring Andrew to the camp.  But the price of the camp was too much for us right now.  However, yesterday, they gym owners asked Marc if would be willing to work the camp in exchange for Andrew being able to attend for free.

So yesterday, Marc came home, got Andrew ready and they turned around and headed back to camp.  This camp was more "intense" than the basketball class Andrew took through our parks & recs the last couple years.  Marc was excited for a coaching opportunity and Andrew was thrilled to go to big kid basketball camp.

Finally....(and no one feel obligated at all...please!) Andrew's school is selling Entertainment Books.  I normally wouldn't even ask... but some people really like these and might be looking for one. If so, let me know.