My boy loves . . .Green Beans?

Dinner last night must go down in HISTORY! for our household. Let me start this with a preface - my Hubby HATES most vegetables. Sure, he'll eat corn, and potatoes, celery or carrots (but only raw), but give him a plate of peas and he'd rather starve. It's not like I'm trying to give him Brussels sprouts, we're talking plain old peas, green beans, maybe steamed broccoli here. He won't have it. I've finally convinced him that he needs to be better, so if I serve it, he'll eat two green beans, three peas, or a floret. But he'll hate, no loathe it the whole way down. More than once I've pureed a can of green beans and hid it in taco soup, just to know he gets some vitamins in him!

I worry that Buddy is headed in the same direction. Veggies are not his forte. I know most kids go through this, and it just takes time, but if my son knows his daddy doesn't have to eat up, he won't either.

To help combat this, I've been very grateful for Hubby's schedule. He is usually gone 3 or 4 nights a week for dinner - which means his example is gone too. On the nights he's home, we do salads, corn, or potatoes, and he eats them up. When Hubby is gone, I serve peas, green beans, broccoli, and I eat them up. Girly-Lou-Who loves them all. Buddy, not so much.

Miricles can occur.

Last night, Hubby was flying, I served tacos and green beans. Buddy doesn't like tacos, doesn't like green beans. I knew I was in for a trial, but that was the menu. But Buddy looked excited for dinner. He watched Girly-Lou-Who dish up, his own enthusiasm a mirror of hers. We said a blessing, and they started to eat. In shock, I watched him pick up his fork and stab a green bean - without prompting! First! He popped it in his mouth and said "ook, Mom, I eat it!"

As I picked my jaw up off the floor, he went on "now youa say not eat!"

Ahhh, the game. He wanted to play a game.

Months ago, Besty over at Momformation, wrote a post about how she gets her kids to eat anything by telling them they can't do it. She hams it up, and the reverse psychology works every time. At the time, I remember trying it with absolutely no success. My kids were too young. Sunday night, as they picked over their meal, some psychology popped out of my mouth, and they devoured their meal. Now I understood what my son wanted - to play the game.

I played along, pouncing on every bite, groaning in despair when it went into their tummies, as they giggled so hard they could hardly chew. I got my daughter to actually use a fork. My son ate a taco. And between the three of us, we actually ate an entire can of green beans.

Miracles can happen. Even over beans.

Emergency stuff

I've been thinking a lot recently about food storage/72 hour kits/ etc. I've talked with several other people about this, and all of us are feeling the same thing: the time is far PAST when we should have done this! Honestly, I get a pit in my stomach whenever I think about how really REALLY messed up we'd be in a true emergency. So this year is my storage year. Along with the 8 bajillon other things I'm working on, I'm really truly going to start this stuff! Seriously - when Hubby gets home with the car this weekend, I'm off to the store, armed with my calorie appropriate 72 kit list (find it at http://www.mormonshare.com/node/7030 ), and a list of a few other essentials, I'm getting this going.

Of course, I've also found a couple of prepackaged drool worthy kits that I'd rather do . . . (insert "If I had a Million Dollars" clip here . . .) Maybe I can just win one! Check out http://blog.totallyready.com/
That's one I'd love to get! I'm excited to find this blog - I'm totally checking out her tips as the year rolls around!


(ok, so this one wasn't funny, or cute, or anything, but I needed to post the link to be entered, so there you go!)

The tender hands of a child

This post is going to be a bit harder to write. I usually try to be funny - but something is telling me I have to write this. I came home for Christmas - me, Girlie-Lou-Who, and Buddy. We've been here since the middle of December. Hubby was able to come for a bit, but had to go back and work (dang money. It would have been so much nicer if we could have just not worked for a full month, but unfortunately life requires money, and bosses get kind of angry if you don't show up for that long.) We would have headed home by now, but instead we stuck around to help my parents get ready to head of on their second mission. Anywho. The kids are getting a bit restless. They're missing their own beds and their own routines. A couple of nights ago, Buddy woke up around 10:00 with a bad dream. Worried that he'd wake up Girlie-Lou-Who, I ran downstairs to help him. It often takes a long time to calm him when he wakes with nightmares. This time was much shorter. I picked him up and almost instantly melted into my shoulder. I rocked my baby back and forth, back and forth, and rubbed his back. He tenderly reached over and began patting my back as well.

As my baby tried to comfort his mommy back, I was overcome a sense of love coming from him. I knew that I had to blog about this -I'm not sure why, but I knew this story needed to be told. I composed a beautiful entry in my mind - absolutely perfect in every way, but it of course didn't stick with me when I woke up the next morning. Why is it as children, we can show love and tenderness with out thinking of receiving anything in return. Why do I have such a hard time showing tenderness to those I truly love. What am I afraid of? I know my days are numbered as this way to big boy gets bigger and bigger. Way too soon, he won't want to melt into my arms when he's hurt, or sad, or just cuddly. For all I know, he might be the last baby I get to take home. I know I want more, I know I should have more, but maybe that's not in my cards. So why do I have such a hard time just enjoying my kids?

I don't have answers to these questions. But I believe that finding answers is an important goal in my life. In Matt. 18:3, Christ says we are to become as little children. I'm coming to realize that this is a big part of my character that I need to relearn from my children. I've heard things like this before, but this time it really has sunk in. Recently I read the idea of having a word for the year - one word that captures your goals for the year. I don't have a word for this idea that I'm trying to evolve into, except, maybe peace. That doesn't go quite far enough - there's more hear than just peace. I don't know, I'm rambling again. anyone else have a word to convey my thoughts? But that's one of my big goals for the year.

Traditions . . .

Traditions. TRADITIONS! (are you singing with me yet?)

This year was the first time in 6 years that I've been with my parents on Christmas Eve. Since I've been married, we've just done our own thing, and then gone over Christmas Day to spend time with the family. But now that we're a couple of thousand miles away, when we come for Christmas, we spend the whole thing together.

Now, you have to understand, my family has a TON of Christmas traditions. As in like every thing is a tradition. From the special Christmas plates, to the story Mom always tells (that she can't ever really remember so she kind of just makes up, but still cries in all the same places), to the special Christmas Eve treat, it's like every moment is full of memories.

One of my favorite parts is when we turn off all the lights except for the tree. We snuggle up together on the couches, clutching our hot chocolate and toast, and sing Christmas carols. We all get to pick one at a time, and take turns until we can't think of any more. As I listened to the three part harmony we blended together, I realized there was no where else on earth I'd rather be.

So here's to family. Here' s to peace. Here's to the love that filled our place Wednesday night. I hope your night was as memorable as mine. (and since my sister is about the only one that reads this, I guess it was!)

My favorite cookies

This year, we are traveling a couple thousand miles for Christmas. I love still having a private just my nuclear family Christmas, so we are celebrating early, and then again with the extended. Today was our Christmas eve, which we did complete with cookies for Santa. I thought I'd post my FAVORITE sugar cookie recipe, along with the only home made frosting I actually enjoy.

The cookies are more labor intensive than other recipes, but they taste like those awesome bakery ones. I love it!

Alton Brown's Sugar cookies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
  

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Wilton Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp Vanilla (they say Wilton Clear Vanilla Extract)

4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Yield: 3 cups

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Refrigerate leftover icing in airtight container up to 2 weeks; rewhip before using.

I'm an idiot . . .part 2

I probably haven't mentioned it before, but I love to read. As in "I could live without chocolate and oxygen easier than without good books" love to read. I always have a book or three that I'm reading. It's been difficult since moving to Texas to find good books. Too often just as I get into one, smut fills the pages and I have to stop. It's very frustrating.

I found a free e book today (check out http://www.marcialynnmcclure.com/kissingcousins.cfm, sign up for the free newsletter to download.) It's a romance, and a very cheesy romance at that, but it is clean. (ok, so there is a TON of WAY TOO MUCH KISSING, but it never steps over the line from kissing to anything else, and there is no language or anything in it either. It was a fun worthwhile read today for me). It's been rather cold out, and with the homey Christmas tree lights glowing, it was perfect weather for curling up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.

Recently I've been re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series. It's been a breath of fresh air. While I love a good Sci-fi, or fantasy, or mystery, there is something so refreshing to go back into time to when life was so simple. So easy, so carefree. I long to really mend clothes, churn my own butter, and memorize poems as a pastime.

So, to set the scene. It's a glorious crisp, bright day outside. The sun is shining merrily through the almost bare tree tops. The Christmas tree is lit up, casting a rosy glow around the room. Christmas carols are playing faintly in the apartment upstairs, adding just enough musical background to make it a truly homey sight. In my hands I hold Anne of the Island, and am down to the last 10 pages - where Anne finally realizes how much she loves Gilbert as he lays almost dying, and they have their beautiful talk and proposal and finally kiss. All is well in my little world as I read . . . .

Um, no. That would be the part where I'm and idiot. You see, I have a 4 year old and a toddler. While sometimes they play well together, often they don't, especially if they see mommy going for a book. They were playing so nicely together that I thought I could just finish up. Instead it took me 45 minutes to read those last 10 pages. In the mean time, I broke up 3 fights, made dinner, changed diapers, cleaned up spills, did 2 time outs, and got extremely frustrated that I couldn't just enjoy my book! But then again, what was I thinking, trying to read the most romantic, sweetest part of the whole book while my kiddos were awake. Really, you'd think I'd have learned by now to just wait until bedtimes.

I eventually finished the story, but it was NOT the same as when I read it as a 12 year old. It could have been close if I could have really gotten into it, but no one could having that many interruptions! Sigh. I'll just have to try again with the next book . . .

Give a ways #3

Today's offering from Momformation is a really fun set of board games. Go check it out (actually, don't because then I'll have a better chance of winning!)

http://blogs.parentcenter.babycenter.com/momformation/2008/12/05/toy-basket-giveaway-from-mattel%E2%80%A6its-family-time/#comment-218780