Blech!

I almost always peek in on my kids at night before I go to bed.  Every once in a while (usually when I'm totally and completely exhausted) I don't.  I am so glad last night wasn't one of those nights.  When I opened the door, I immediately smelled the sour, stomach-turning stench of puke.  Not sure if it was real, or just my hyper-sensitive nose, I started looking around.  Both kids were sound asleep, but when I put my hand into Joshua's crib, I felt chunks on his sheet.  He had thrown up all over one side of his mattress (and himself), and was now curled up asleep on the clean side.  I went and got Matthew up to help me.  We woke Joshua up, I got him cleaned up and redressed while Matthew pulled off the sheets and dirty blankets and took them to the bathroom to finish the clean up in there.  I remade the bed, and put him back down, hoping he'd go right back to sleep.  He did.  Brielle slept through the whole ordeal.

This morning he woke up just like normal, running around and jabbering away.  I had pretty much forgotten about the mess last night, figuring it had just been something he'd eaten that his tummy didn't like.  Oh how naive' of me.  We had Sweet Potato Muffins that we made yesterday and milk for breakfast.  They got down from the table and started playing.  About 10 minutes later, Joshua came up to me and was kind of whining.  I could smell a stinky diaper, so I was just about to pick him up and take him to the changing table.  All of a sudden, BLECH!, all over the living room floor.  He was trembling and repeating that performance for what felt like an eternity.  He whimpered at the end of it, and just said, "Mama..."  I peeled his jammies off of him and we headed for the bedroom.  There we cleaned up the puke on him, as well as the massive diarrhea diaper situation.  My poor baby.  At least he was clean, he smelled better, and he wasn't sitting in poop anymore.

I am horrible with puke.  The mere thought of it makes my stomach turn.  Brielle threw up in the kitchen a couple months ago, and I managed to get that cleaned up on my own with a mop.  Five minutes later when she spewed all over her bed?  I managed to clean her up, and I left the bed for Matthew when he got a break from work.  (In my defense, I was about 11 weeks pregnant and still horribly sick to my stomach.)  So anyway, I did what any normal mom does... I knocked on the door to my handsome husband's office!  (Ok, any normal mom with a helpful work-at-home husband.)  He didn't answer and I could hear him on the phone.  My mind raced through the list of other possible people who could help me.  Joshua... nope.  Brielle... she could, but I can't ask her to do that.  The dog... NO WAY!  Talk about making me want to barf.  Well, guess who that left, me.  I took a deep breath, picked up Joshua and headed back to the living room to see the damage.  He saw the mess and gave me an encouraging, "Mama, uh oh!  Yucky!"  Yeah, thanks little man.

I settled him on the couch and Brielle got out her doctor kit to make him feel better.  :)  She's such a sweetheart.

I rounded up my tools of choice.  A dustpan and a spatula.  Ok, what exactly am I going to do with these?  I'm not totally sure, they just looked useful.  I managed to use the spatula to scrape the 'excess' into the dustpan, while trying to stifle my own sensitive gag reflex.  Now what?  The vacuum.  I got the vacuum and sucked up whatever little pieces remained.  Then I broke out the carpet cleaner and scrubbed until the sweet potato-y orange color was gone.  I stood up and breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

I fought the puke, and I won!  I did it!  All on my own!

Half an hour later I caught him on a stool in the kitchen, just grabbing onto a leftover piece of muffin on the counter.  I imagined myself in one of those slow-motion clips as I lunged for him as he put it to his mouth.  Noooooooo!  He managed to get a small bite before I got it away from him.  Matthew came out of his office a few minutes later and ran to the gas station next door for some 7-Up and saltines.  While we are not apartment dwellers and we prefer living out of town, today it came in handy to be right next door to civilization.  I gave Joshua 4 crackers and some sips of the soda (which he thought was interesting and new, but didn't seem sure he liked it exactly).

With a little bit in his tummy, he then went back to bed.  He went right to sleep and woke up about three hours later.  We snuggled and rocked for quite a while, which I really enjoyed.  He's usually so squirmy, but today he just rested quietly... until he heard Brielle say "crackers".  Then he wiggled down and beelined for the table.  She (of course) needed peanut butter for her crackers, and he was looking so pitifully at her spreading the gooey sticky goodness on HER crackers, that I gave in and put just a tiny bit on his too.  It's been two hours since then, and so far so good.  Not quite sure what I'll give him for dinner yet... he's probably getting tired of saltines.

You know, both of my kids have been pretty spitty as babies... you'd think I'd be used to it by now.  See this:

That used to happen quite frequently.  However, there is a HUGE difference between baby spit up and toddler throw up.  HUGE!  But at least now I know that I am capable of dealing with it... if I have to.  I won't lie and say I won't at least listen at the office door next time it happens... ;)  You know, just in case Matthew is looking for a little excitement.

More Baking and a Flashback

I am seriously craving something sweet!  Grrr...  I confess I cheated and ate a few chocolate chips.  (At least I had SOME restraint and I really did only eat a few.)  I had some mashed sweet potato in my fridge leftover from making Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos, and I wanted to use it up.  So I turned to the allrecipes.com ingredient search.  I love that feature.  :)  I found a recipe, we tweaked it a bit as usual, and made some pretty good muffins.

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato (or approx 1 c. mashed)

2 c whole wheat flour (I use my fresh ground hard white wheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp (rounded) ginger

1/4 tsp (rounded) cloves

1/4 c coconut oil (I used expeller pressed, so it wouldn't taste coconut-y)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 - 1 c honey

1/3 c vanilla yogurt (you could use milk instead)

Directions:

Bake sweet potato, if you're starting with a whole spud.  I wrap mine in tinfoil, place on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350* until it feels 'squishy' when I squeeze it with my oven-mitted hand.  (Technical I know, I can't help it!)  Let it cool for a bit, then peel the foil off.  The skin will be a little puckered.  Pinch a bit of the skin and pull it off.  The skin should easily peel right off that potato.  I'm also a snob, in that I hate the fibrous, stringy part.  So I put my peeled potato into a bowl, and beat it with my electric beaters.  Every 20 seconds or so, I slowly lift the beaters out of the bowl (allowing as much excess to whip off into the bowl) and turn it off.  I then use my fingers to clean the beaters, throwing all the stringy stuff away.  Keep doing that until you're satisfied with the amount of 'yucky stuff' you've gotten rid of.  :)

If your oven isn't already set to 350*, set it now.  Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir in wet ingredients, just until blended.  

She is my little professional egg crack-er.

Aaah... these pictures remind me a bit of THIS picture...

Seems so long ago, and she's definitely much more helpful now.  She went straight into the sink for a bath after that photo.  She had flour everywhere.  Oh to go back in time for a day.  :)

Anyway, back to the recipe... 
Spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined with paper liners.  If you don't feel like using a spoon, we found out that fingers work pretty well too.  ;)  This recipe should make about 18 regular sized muffins.

Bake for 12-18 minutes, until top springs back when touched.  Let cool in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.  They do need to cool a minute before you peel them, or they'll stick pretty well to the liner.  Trust me... I just know...  ;)  As I was transferring the second batch to the cooling rack, Brielle saw that it was almost full.  Ever the thoughtful little girl, she tells me, "Mom, I can just eat another muffin so you can fit all those on there!"  Ain't she sweet?  And yes, I did give in and give her a second muffin.

These would be great with a crunchy topping I'm sure.  Either sprinkled with Sugar in the Raw, or with a Crisp topping (you know, the oats-brown sugar-cinnamon-nutmeg-flour-butter combo that's so good?!).  Yummy!  I liked that they are a spicy, sweet, healthy treat.  However, we still like our Thanksgiving Pumpkin Muffins better.  Next time we might try adding raisins to them.  Anyway, I'm going to go have another (ahem) a muffin...

Mommy-Daughter Date and More

Last night after dinner, I decided to borrow Matthew's library card and take Brielle on a little Mommy-Daughter date at the library.  We were looking for a chapter book to read aloud, and she decided on Charlotte's Web.  She browsed through the books and found a basket full to 'buy' and bring home.  I don't know how many times I corrected her to say 'borrow', but it didn't seem to matter.  Oh well.

By the time we left, I was having horrible heartburn.  Not fun.  I was desperate to find something to cool the burning sensation in my chest, so I asked Brielle if she was up for some ice cream.  (Matthew had decided we'd start our sugar fast on TUESDAY instead of Monday, so I wasn't technically breaking any rules.)  She, of course, said "NO WAY!" and gave me a disgusted look.  Yeah right.  She yelled "Yay!" and asked how long till we got to the ice cream place.  We stopped at a place called Spinners and went in.  It's one of those frozen yogurt bars where you fix your own dish and then pay by the ounce, which was exactly what I wanted.  However, after the nice guy tells me how everything works, he informs me that their credit card machine is down.  I have no cash and not even a check in my purse... so we leave, promising to come back another day.  We end up at Baskin Robbins, where Brielle is thrilled to see that they have birthday cake ice cream.  I'm pretty sure whoever came up with that was thinking "How much artificial coloring and flavoring can we cram into a scoop of ice cream?".  I hesitated, but decided it wasn't likely going to kill her.  :)

 

I had a scoop of Gold Medal Ribbon.  It was DELICIOUS!  I very rarely get it, and it's my favorite flavor... I enjoyed every. last. bite.  I am sure that I could have eaten 2 giant scoops, but I anticipated that, so instead we both had gotten kid size cones.  It was enough to satisfy me, but not leave me with a tummy ache.  Perfect!  We stopped across the street at Natural Grocers for some more milk, yogurt, kefir, and bananas.  By then it was 8:15pm so we headed home.  We read a chapter of Charlotte's Web and Brielle was asleep within 10 minutes of being in bed.

I switched some laundry, Matt loaded the dishwasher, and we headed to bed.  There were other chores to be done, but I was exhausted and Matthew was ready for bed too.  So....  This is what I woke up to this morning:

I wanted to just crawl back into bed and pretend like I hadn't seen it... but chose to just get'r'done instead.  So I popped the leftover Creeping Crust Fruit Pie into the oven to reheat, and tackled the living room with the kids.  15 minutes later, this was what we had.

Much better... and breakfast was hot!  :)  Joshua has been doing very well with a big boy cup at meal times.  It seems to help him eat a bit more too, because I only give him a little at a time which seems to satisfy him without filling him up.

Big boy!

He thinks he's quite a little stud too.  After breakfast, I unloaded the dishwasher quick and then got the playdough out.  Joshua had never done playdough before, but since he's not quite putting everything in his mouth as much now, I thought I'd give it a try.

Total Concentration

Busy making treats for her babies.

 It was a huge hit.  It even kept Joshua entertained for almost half an hour!  Of course he just had to try a piece or two, but thankfully he didn't seem to care for it.  It was so fun watching him experience something new.

Getting ready to sneak a taste

We'll definitely have to get that out more often.  We picked up, and I vacuumed, and now they are playing trucks together on the floor.  Brielle's trying to get him to follow her little story line.  He just wants to say "vroom vroom" and bang them together.  :)  It will be interesting to see how this new baby fits in!

Creeping Crust Fruit Pie

I've had a request to share the recipe for my Creeping Crust Fruit Pie.  So here goes.  We love this breakfast around here.  It's kind of like a healthy coffee cake type thing.  I love that it mixes up in about 5 minutes, makes minimal dishes, cooks quickly, and tastes like I slaved over it.  My kids always always have seconds, even picky Mr. Joshua.

Creeping Crust Fruit Pie

Ingredients:

4 T butter

3/4 - 1 cup honey (sucanat, sugar, or brown sugar would all work too)

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour (I use my freshly ground hard white wheat)

Wheat germ and/or ground flax seeds (optional)

1 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder

3/4 c whole milk (other milk would work fine too, I'm sure)

3c fruit of choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Place soft or melted butter into a mixing bowl.  Add honey, flour, baking powder, and milk.  (Replace some of the flour with wheat germ and/or flaxseed if desired.)  *I usually end up adding a little extra milk.  You want the batter to be able to be spread into the pan, not super-duper thick.  I just add a bit extra until it 'looks' right.  haha.  Hope that helps!*

Pour mixture into a 8x8 (or the next size bigger, not a 9x13... an 8x10? For a 9x13 I'd do a double batch) pan and spread evenly.  (You can grease the pan if you want, but I don't usually have any problem with sticking.)  Top with fruit.  Frozen works great!  Peaches and raspberries are one of our favorite!  You can also use fresh fruit. 

Going into the oven

Bake for 30 minutes, or until middle feels fairly set when touched.  If your house is anything like mine, you're oven will probably look like this for a while...

Making sure it doesn't escape from the oven.

Let cool for a minute or two so it doesn't just crumble when you try to serve it.  

Done!

  
*This is a recipe I modified from one posted by www.musingsofahousewife.com* 

Monday, Monday

So yeah, after being up so late last night I woke up to the kids chattering in their room at 7:15, feeling very groggy and tired.  I managed to scrape myself out of bed and get them up.  A few minutes later, I hear Brielle yelling for me from their bedroom... this is what greets me.

He saw me, looked around, and said, "Mama, uh oh!"  Sure is a good thing he's  cute.  It wouldn't have been quite so bad, but I had JUST refilled the wipes container yesterday... and he pulled every. single. wipe. out of the box.  Wait, not only did he pull them out of the box, he literally shredded half of them.  So we picked them up and stuffed them back into the box (well, all the ones that weren't in tiny pieces that is) and put them back up on the dresser. 

I went back to the kitchen to finish making breakfast.  It takes a lot of focus to bake when you have a unisom hangover apparently, because next thing I know, I look up and see this...

Yep.  He had quite a bit dumped out, and he was quite proud of himself.  I wiped him off, wiped the kitchen floor, vacuumed the rest of the powder up, and tried to figure out what it was I had been doing.  Besides going shopping for a shelf to put baby wipes and powder on.  And Desitin... that should probably go up there too. 

Right, breakfast.  That's what I was doing.  And my husband sometimes wonders why there are a million half finished projects around the house.  :)  Here's what I put into the oven...

Creeping Crust Fruit Pie

Yum!  The kids were so excited, as they are every time I make this for breakfast.  Can you tell?

Is it done YET?

They hung out there for several minutes, until I convinced Brielle that it would NOT get done any faster if she sat there watching it.  :) 

While that cooked and the kids destroyed the living room played, I examined the fridge for anything containing sugar that would need to be tossed.  This is what I found.

In the baggie at the top is the remnant of Brielle's trial birthday cake.  The bowl contains the rest of the frosting from said cake, and the plate?  That was a piece of Italian cheesecake that a friend brought over for Bible study yesterday.  Why my husband puts things into the fridge uncovered, with a fork, is a mystery to me.  Maybe he thinks it will be quicker when he gets those middle-of-the-night cheesecake cravings.  Who knows.  :)  Anyway, all that went into the garbage... Brielle even helped.

Timer goes off and both kids come racing back to the kitchen.  They hang out, staring at the oven window, while I let it cook for a few more minutes.

Looks yummy!  The kids devoured it, which was good because we had 20 minutes to be out of the house so I could get to the chiropractor.   After that, we drove to the library, parked, and just as we were getting ready to get out, I realized that I don't have a library card!  Not only that, but I don't have a piece of mail or a spare copy of my lease hanging out in my purse with which to get one.  Ugh.  So I break it to Brielle that we won't, in fact, be going to the library.  She was super bummed, and I felt like an idiot.  Please tell me I can blame it on pregnancy brain!  So we settled for coming home, having lunch, and taking naps.  Aaah... naps!  Speaking of which, I suppose I should get in a quick one before Joshua wakes up. 

Still up...

It's after 10pm and I'm still awake.  Why?  If only I could answer that.  Matthew is in bed sound asleep.  I was in bed too, ready to go to sleep.  Then my legs started twitching... and the heartburn started... and I had to go to the bathroom (for the 3rd time in 20 minutes).  I got up and took a unisom, and now here I sit, waiting for it to lull me to sleep.  I also had a few bites of the trial birthday cake I made for Brielle.  We are starting a sugar fast again tomorrow, so the rest will go into the garbage, and I just NEEDED another bite.  Or two.  Ok ok, ten. 

Going on a sugar fast is always tough.  My body craves sugar.  Sugar is good.  It makes tea and cocoa and all sorts of things so yummy.  However, when I catch myself putting 2 T (yes, tablespoons) into a cup of tea it is definitely time for another sugar fast.  I'll probably be cranky for the next day or two, but after that I'll feel great.  I know that.  Naturally sweet foods, like apples, will start to taste like dessert.  Not quite the same as enjoying a piece of cake, but you get the idea.  Matthew calls sugar 'Poor Man's Crack' and he's right.  It's addictive.  He is giving up something just as challenging though.  After going through a container of coffee (supposedly containing 120 servings) in 3 weeks, he decided to quit drinking it.  He doesn't like depending on it and how it makes him feel to get through his morning or feel productive.  He hates that lately if he doesn't have some he gets a headache.  So if he's giving that up, I can surely give up sugar for a couple weeks.  We'll end the fast on Brielle's birthday.  There is a bottle of sparkling grape juice in the cupboard that she is going crazy waiting to open... and there's no way she's going to forfeit having her cake.  :)   

Anyway, this has turned out quite long and I'm finally starting to feel like my eyelids are getting heavy.  Time for bed.  Sleep well!

Welcome!

A good friend inspired me to start a blog as a more personal way to stay connected to family that's far away.  I can post photos on facebook, but it's hard to tell the story that goes with them at times.  So here we are!  I've never 'blogged' before, so we'll see how this turns out.  No promises!  You likely won't find yourself addicted, sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the next post.  (If you do, we need to talk!)  :)  I am hoping, though, that it can be a light-hearted place to show what we're doing and make you feel a bit more connected. 

So grab a hot cup of cocoa (because coffee is just icky), pull up a chair, and be prepared to laugh with... and sometimes AT me as I go through this crazy life with my family. 

Thanks for tagging along!