Here bunny, bunny, bunny...

I would like to start today's blog by saying that my Sister-in-Law is NOT going to be happy with me for the picture. =}

We have come up with a game plan to make home life a bit more structured for the Boblings, mainly Drake. He is having trouble at school when assigned with specific tasks so it's time for more responsibilities and chores at home. He is MAD about television so we are using that as his goal/reward. If they finish their daily chores, then they earn time to watch a show before bedtime. Every day that they accomplish this, they get a sticker on the calendar. I am not a big fan of allowance but Bob wants to work with them on being responsible with money. So their allowance will be paid out depending on the number of days with stars. Robby is STOKED!! He is motivated by money. Drake could care less about the money, he just wants to play Kinect or watch Avatar.

I have everything crossed in hopes that we might be able to get a leg up on this hurdle. So tickle Budha's belly, cross your fingers, find me a rainbow, catch a lady bug, pick me a clover and rub the rabbits foot for us. Here we go!.

Mama Bear

It is very hard to be a parent! There are plenty of books, videos, seminars, classes, advisers, etc but if your children don't fit into any of the numerous categories, then you are forced to reinvent the wheel. I am completely in love with my children. I have 3 of the most talented, brilliant, compassionate and amazingly unique boys. They challenge me, fulfill me, make me proud, push me over the edge of sanity, make me laugh until I cry and make me cry until I laugh. They provide no end of entertaining stories to tell and they will always keep me on my toes. Bottom line, no matter WHAT they do or say, I will always be their Mom and I will always move mountains for them because I love them.

Mama Bear was NOT happy yesterday. Our job is to raise them to be productive members of society. Lay the groundwork so they are able to go on in life to make good decisions, excel in their endevours, become spouses, parents and to have the confidence to attempt what we are attempting now. To feel like you have completely failed your child at the tender age of 4 is not a good feeling. Suffice it to say that all is on the mend and we have a plan evolving to put everything on the right track.

I realized yesterday that I truly have no idea how Drake's mind works, what makes him tick. He is sensitive like me, enjoys making people laugh, and wears his emotions right out there for everyone to see. I honestly thought that he was my mini-me (other than the mischeiviousness, that he gets from Bob...). That is not the case. He is VERY much like Bob and I don't get Bob. lol! I love him dearly but I don't get him and I have been scratching my head for 12 years now. Now I see that Drake is Bob's mini-me yet so completely unique that even Bob is scratching his head. I have a social introvert. What? Seriously. A social introvert.

So now we are calling in the big guns. lol! Someone with a PhD to observe him and see if they can give us any guidance on what Drake truly needs to flourish. Bob and I are very fortunate to have such wonderful people who care about our family and are here to help us through. It is time for us to be 2 steps ahead of Drake instead of him lapping us. =]

This picture is from Mother's Day last year when I spent the afternoon swinging in the hammock with Robby & Drake, before I knew that I had one more son out there to love whole heartedly. I look at this picture and it is cathartic for me. This is why I am a Mom. This is why everything we do and endure is worth every moment.

The most dangerous place to be is between a parent and their child.

Adding to the "stash"

I finally received all the packages and orders I have been not so patiently waiting for. Yesterday I was able to go shopping for fabric completely alone; it was HEAVEN! I went armed with my new patterns and coupons. *sigh*

I was a little concerned when I approached the cutting counter and couldn't see over the top of my cart but I had just spent the last hour choosing my fabric so there was NO way I was going to chicken out now. Thankfully the lady that helped me wasn't intimidated by my stack of bolts.

For those of you reading this that do not quilt (or who finance my "habit") lets just say that I got a GREAT deal and can't wait to start quilting. =] Cheers!


*whispers*
For those of you that don't fall into the previous categories... O!M!G! 36 different fabrics, total of 17 yards combined and only $65. I am getting a little rush just reliving it to blog about it. LOL! Mostly reds and greens for this watermelon quilt pattern.

Mold Cakes...BRILLIANT!

Would the real Spring kindly come forward? I am really enjoying the little bursts of sun but they aren't long enough. I was doing dishes this morning and saw how beautiful it was outdoors. I was tempted to start weeding and beginning the work I let slide last fall until the clouds rolled in. Okay...new plan! Wash the bird feeder and boil up some food for the hummers.

HACK! GAG! WHEEZE! SNEEZE! MUST...KEEP...HEAD..FROM...EXPLODING!!!!

Apparently bird feeders left out all winter, even if they were in use, are prime for mold cakes. Mold, my Kryptonite! It was a 12"x9"x1" solid cake of mold and seed in a closed basket. Jabbing, poking, banging, shaking. Ugh, my hands were green! Poor birdies. =[

I managed to get all the pieces apart and into the dishwasher so they will be all clean and ready for my fine feathered friends.

Now to shower off the mold spores, OD on caffeine and have Bob give me my allergy shot; all in the hopes of remaining vertical the rest of the day.

Spring Cleaning

I started my Spring cleaning today with my goal to have the house finished by Friday. Out came the cotton duvet and sheets, packed away the fleece and flannel. Got our master bedroom all cleaned, dusted, vacuumed and "dewebbed" as well as the master bathroom. Tomorrow I will tackle the boys rooms. Kitchen on Wednesday and the downstairs on Thursday. My reward for this evil allergy activity? A trip to JoAnn's with my quilt patterns that finally arrived and 25% the entire purchase coupon. Big smiles all around!

Rested, Relaxed and Ready for the Week.

Spent the weekend very busy and yet I feel very relaxed and refreshed. Friday the Boblings and I headed down the Renton to play at Aunt Louie's house. Well, the boys played and Sis foiled my hair. Usually the boys do not accompany me when I go to have her foil my hair because we typically follow it up with a campfire. They were quite surprised to see me in my foil hat. Robby walked it and asked Aunt Louie, "What are you doing to my Mom?" Drake really didn't care except that we were too busy to keep supplying him with food. Too funny.

After my salon appointment, I took the boys to soak in Sis' hot tub in the mist. They thought that was the BEST! "Mom, we have GOT to get us one of THESE!" I think we stayed out there for over an hour before I had to be the meanie and scoot them out. We ended up spending the night so I was graced with TWO cups of life changing coffee courtesy of Sis Saturday morning. *drool*

When I got home Saturday night, the boys were with Grandma Trish and Grandpa Herb for a sleepover and Bob was at the game store. Just me and the cats so I brewed a yummy cup of coffee (not as good as Sis' obviously) and cooked up an omelet for my dinner. Since I didn't have men folk around I took the opportunity to put in a "chick flick" and snuggle under a blanket. I watched Atonement which I have had for nearly a year but had never seen. It was nice to be able to have time to watch something that I actually wanted to see. As Michelle so kindly pointed out to me last week, I watch too many animated movies. lol

Bob and I were both able to sleep in this morning which was WONDERFUL! We finished our weekend with Cirque du Soleil Quidam. It was enjoyable but not one of my favorites, I think that to date Kooza is my favorite.

That brings us to Sunday night, the first day of Spring. I received all but 1 of my packages, the sun was out all weekend and my wee ones are finally home again. If the man-cub were here with us, then this evening would be perfect.

Sláinte!

To your health!

Truth be told I've only a drop of Irish but 'tis all you need on St. Patrick's day! By far one of my favorite times of the year.

I love to stroll shops around St. Patrick's day. Bookstores, music, quilts and crafts. The Book of Irish Weirdness is one of my favorite books as well as Irish Fairy and Folk Tales. Loreena McKennitt singing stories of Greensleeves and The English ladye and the knight. Makes me want to dig my bare feet into moss and breath deep.

I was teased growing up that I wouldn't be the only one wearing a skirt at my wedding but as it turns out, I was. I didn't marry Irish but I have my love and he has given me my greatest blessings; Ryan, Robby and Drake.

So enjoy your day and embrace your Irish. Sláinte!

May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!

Fricka, Fracka!

No packages. No retail therapy gratification. No happy uppers for me. = [

I needed an upper today too, something to get giddy about. Just one of those days that some would ask for a do over but I am asking for it to just end. Drake is having problems in school. Robby's temper is returning. The boys are squabbling again.

New plan. No chores tonight for me. I plan on vegging out on Facebook, reading a book, maybe even snuggling a bobling or two. I see warm pj's, fluffy socks and a cup of coffee in my future. I may even go crazy and have TWO just because I can! (and they are decaf...lol)

Tomorrow is a new day and I am sure that it will be spectacular! It has to be, it is St. Patrick's Day!! Bob is working from home and off of work at 2pm. I am thinking some quilting will be on the agenda. Possibly a trip to JoAnn's for fabric IF THE FRACKIN' MAILMAN BRINGS MY PACKAGE.

Heck, Bob may even forget to wear green. = ] Life is good...

ERIN GO BRAGH!!

Grrrr.............!

Last week I did a little retail therapy; it's good for the soul you know.

I took Drake shopping with me to a brick and mortar store, then I did a little surfing later that night. It was very cathartic!

I ordered yummy coffee. I ordered quilt patterns, tools and gadgets. I even ordered my pillow pet for this summers vacation!

So...I have been anxiously yet patiently awaiting my parcels and packages. Yesterday we got a delivery! It was Legos for the boys. [frown] Today we got 3 packages!! WHOO HOO!!! Wait, for Bob?! [growl] Where are my treasures? I needs the coffee! I needs the quilting supplies and patterns! I needs the Dragon pillow pet! I needs them... [whimper...pout]

I hope for the letter carriers sake I receive at least one tomorrow because I will be hidden and ready to pounce. I would hate to embarrass either of us...

Spring Rain

That just about sums it up...

Didn't get a lot of sleep last night because it was raining so hard. It is nice to hear a storm but that was really loud! At 4am I heard a HORRIBLE yowl outside so I took a count of our cats. Sure enough one was unaccounted for, Melf. I found him on the back deck on top of the grill, pressed against the kitchen window trying to stay dry and failing miserably. He was drenched and eager to get inside to show me his gratitude. This resulted in me having to get dry clothes on to go back to bed.

When I got the boys in the kitchen for breakfast, all 4 cats were at the back door wanting to go outside. I opened the slider and one by one they turned tail and headed back to reclaim their warm and dry spots indoors. Can't say that I blame them, I would if I could.

Murder She Baked

I have been reading these mystery books since last summer. Actually, I stumbled across them at my sister-in-laws when I found myself with nothing to read. I read the first one and I was hooked.

The stories are entertaining, however, the "whodunit" isn't the reason I became hooked. I can usually figure out in the beginning who the villian is but there is light humor in there that provides some good chuckles. The real gold mine in these books is that they are filled with recipes. Ooey, gooey, yummy recipes that you do not even want to think about when you are dieting. This last book I read, I had to literally flip past the recipes so I wouldn't be tempted. The first book I read I couldn't put down. I was too excited about the recipes and looked forward to reaching the next chapter to see what recipe came next. It was so bad that I started whipping up a batch of Cocolatta's at 11pm to surprise Bob with them the next day.

If you are a baker, then you will enjoy these books. It gives you a time out to read and you get wonderful recipes to try. I have been checking them out from the library and making sure to enter all the recipes into Mastercook before I return the books. Enjoy!

http://murdershebaked.com/

Cocolattas

Ingredient -- Preparation Method
1 cup butter -- melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar -- firmly packed
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp coconut extract -- *see Note
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup egg beaters® 99% egg substitute -- room temp
2 cups coconut flakes -- finely chopped, use only 1 cup after chopped
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour -- don't sift-pack it down in your measuring cup
IT IS IMPORTANT TO PACK THE FLOUR!
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*F, rack in the middle position.

Melt butter and mix in the granulated and brown sugar. Add the baking soda, coconut extract, and the salt. Add the eggs and stir.

Chop the coconut flakes in a food processor. Measure the coconut AFTER it is chopped. Pack it down when you measure it, add it to your bowl and stir thoroughly.

Add half the flour and all of the chocolate chips. Stir well to incorporate. Finish by mixing in the rest of the flour.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes on the counter, uncovered. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard sized sheet. If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it slightly and try again. Bake at 350*F for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool for 3 minutes, then remove cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Note:
"I use almond extract instead of coconut and it is wonderful!"
Source:
"Cherry Cheesecake Murder - Joanne Fluke"
Yield:
"6 dozen"

Preschool Riots

Had to pick Drake up from Montessori early today in order to have time to get Robby and make his dentist appointment. As I am sitting in the hall waiting for him to finish I hear chanting begin in the classroom. I then realize that the chanting isn't anything the teachers are leading. It sounded more like picketing or a prison riot. The slogan alternated between "WE WANT CIRCLE TIME!" and "WE WANT SNACKS!". Needless to say I found this humorous until I realized that Thing 2 was leading the charge. O...M...G...! He was so impassioned in his riot that he couldn't hear me calling his name (loudly, I might add) from a mere 3 feet away.

THANKFULLY it was an early pick up and other than the teachers, there were no witnesses to proclaim "Jeez! Who brought THAT kid?"

Retail Therapy

Today's forecast... grab your floaties! I have mixed emotions about the weather right now. On the one hand I am ecstatic that it is no longer freezing (literally), on the other I am tired of needing a snorkel to pick up the boys from school. I need Spring to SPRING already.

I was torn between hibernating in the house with a cup of coffee or braving the monsoon for a little retail therapy. Decisions, decisions... In the end I chose retail therapy so I bundled up Man-Drake and we headed out. I made sure to hit every department just to prolong strolling without windows. When we were finally finished everyone got something new and I learned that I am no longer able to Easter shop with Drake. = (

We left the store only to discover that the rain was gone, the sun was out and it turned into a beautiful afternoon. Hoping it will hold until we collect Robby from school.

Oral Puzzles

We had our first Orthodontist appointment for Robby this morning and it went great. As you can see in the photo he has a lot going on and no room at the inn. Right now he looks a little like a shark with 2 rows of teeth on the bottom and his dentist didn't want to extract any more teeth until the Orthodontist prepared a treatment plan for him. So far there really isn't much to be done other than extracting 2 more teeth to make room for the perm teeth to move forward. So...back to the dentist we go on Thursday to have 2 bottom teeth extracted.

I was extremely intimidated to be told that my 6 year old needed to see an orthodontist but I found out a few things they may help someone else if they find themselves in a similar situation. Most orthodontists do not charge for evaluations or follow ups unless they actually do work on the mouth. We will be going back every 6 months to keep track of Robby's progress so it is nice to know that it won't cost us a thing until he needs a spacer or braces. I was also surprised to learn that children should be seen by an orthodontist by the time they are 7.

Robby had the 4 center bottom teeth extracted last summer so he isn't too thrilled about having these 2 "wiggled" out but she called in a prescription to help him through it. Between that, the shake he will get after the appointment and a visit from the Tooth Fairy I think it will result in a great day for him.

For Bob and I, we get to keep our money for a few more years.

Pillow Pets

I am not a big fan of stuffed animals with the boys having respiratory problems, so the pillow pet craze has been lost on me. However, when they were sick, I caved. I just wanted them to feel comforted and snug; they were so miserable. So we added 2 new "family" members. Drake chose a bumble bee and named him "Bumbee". Robby chose a lady bug that remains unnamed. lol

This last weekend we went to Seaside to see Ryan and we let the boys take their blankets and their pillow pets. They were able to fold their pj's up in the pets and take them to Ryan's for their date night with Grandma Marie and Summer.

After Bob and I picked them up and got back to the hotel, we put them both to bed and then crashed as well. Only we crashed into a worthless sleeping arrangement. The bed wasn't horrible but the pillow was only 2" high, the sheets were thread bare and the covers were very light and didn't provide much warmth. Needless to say I was up many times that night trying to mess with the heater so we weren't freezing or boiling. Once I figured that out I still had to contend with Bob claiming the top side of the mattress for his side and that darn pillow. Then I remembered, there were TWO extra pillows in bed with the boys. I successfully snagged the lady bug and I have to say, she was pretty darn comfy.

Later the next day on the way home Bob took over driving so that I could nap. Again, not the best set up for good rest until I spotted "Bumbee" in the back set. Drake was kind enough to share is BFF so Mommy ZONKED!

Upon waking, I declared to Bob that all 5 of us will have our own pillow pets for the vacation to California this summer. He pointed out that we only needed 4 since not all 5 of us would be sleeping at the same time. VETO! Not sharing lovey's with any of my men folk; boys are gross.

I have my eye on the dragon...

Olfactory Jogs

We went to Seaside, OR this weekend to see our oldest son, Ryan. Saturday night the Boblings stayed with Summer and Grandma Marie while Bob and I went out with Ryan and Rhonda to meet his friends and other family. I met a gentleman (my newest long lost son...lol) that was smoking a cigar and while I know that many of you are groaning right now, I was very pleased to be standing down wind of him.

We were in the middle of a conversation when all of a sudden I caught the smell of his cigar and I was immediately transported back to being a kid. Summer mornings in Simi Valley, CA, visiting my Aunt, Uncle and cousins. They all were late sleepers except for my Uncle and, to his great annoyance, myself. = ] To say that he is a man of ritual would be an understatement so having a garrulous 5-year old niece to entertain was very inconvenient.

As I said, he would get up much earlier than the rest of his family, go to the front door to grab his weekend paper, pour himself a large glass of orange juice then take himself out to the poolside patio to begin his day. Can you see him? Cigar lit, paper open? Soft, warm breeze? Quiet? ... Now picture him turning the page of his newspaper only to discover a mite sitting across from him, staring; just staring.

Uncle: "Where is your Mom?"
Mite: "Sleeping"
Uncle: "Is anyone else up?"
Mite: "No."
Uncle: "Are you just going to sit there?"
Mite: (shrugs shoulders)

Uncle goes back to his paper in the hopes that Mite will disappear as quietly as she appeared. Mite doesn't move, just waits.

Uncle: "Do you want some orange juice?"
Mite: "No"
Uncle: (Sigh)

Uncle goes back to his paper but is no longer reading, he now using it as a shield between himself and Mite.

Uncle: "Do you want to swim with me?"
Mite: "Sure"

This is when we would get in the pool and swim. I would like to say that I did laps with my Uncle but he was much too fast and the pool was much too small. Plus, he was using our swim time as a way to distract me so following him would probably have driven him over the edge. After about 10 minutes he would get out of the pool and grab me a towel, wrap me up in it and then send me off in the house to go get dried off. Of course this would lead to my parents waking up, no 5 year old is going to go in from the pool and quietly change. I JUST WENT SWIMMING!!! So Uncle's problem would be inside for quite sometime and the rest of the house would wake up and start to bustle thus buying him more solitude.

I supposed we had our own ritual although "Mite" didn't remain the silent stalker very often. More times than not I would prattle until his eyes crossed which meant that we just swam much sooner. = ]

All this from the mere whiff of a cigar. It really did put an impish smile on my face.