Help!

Dear faithful and wise bloggy readers,

HELP!

I bought a humongous pork tenderloin that was on super sale yesterday and I have no clue what to do with it. We've already cut it into thirds and Matt slathered italian dressing on 1/3 and roasted it for supper last night. It was delicious but with this much pork, we'll need some variety to keep our tastebuds interested.

A good pal of mine suggested slow-cooking it in the crockpot, shredding it for bbq pork sandwiches, and breading and frying it in slices.

Any other ideas for me?

Thanks in advance for your culinary assistance!

Matt's almost successful attempt at bartering

Matt and I are currently uninsured. Again. It's a long story but let me just say that being a full-time graduate student family for four years has found us neglected in the crevices of our nation's insurance system many times.

I know, I know. It's a very risky business to be uninsured in America and we shouldn't take our chances. But Matt and I console ourselves that at least we're adults and can exercise preventative healthy practices to keep ourselves out of the doctor's office. And we make certain the kids are always covered somehow.

Anyways, Matt has horrific sinuses and is constantly struggling with allergies to boot. A few weeks back he acquired a mild version of H1N1 and as with every type of illness, it developed into a sinus infection. Matt often tries to muscle through a sinus infection or he'll ask his folks to get some antibiotics for him from Mexico. (Yes, we have resorted to foreign prescriptions several times. You wouldn't believe how much cheaper things are in Mexico. Wish I could go there for a tummy tuck. )

After two weeks of trying to get by, Matt couldn't take it any longer. We decided to pay out of pocket for him to visit the doctor. Matt's doc is a single guy who's very laidback and seems to be understanding about our financial situation. So, Matt thought he'd try bartering with the doc for some free medicine.

I've read a few articles on bartering and trading in the 21st century and I whole-heartedly dig the idea! Of course, bartering/trading will only work for service professions but I think the idea is fantastic. We've practiced trading on a small scale with some mommy friends by doing a babysitting swap group and it's worked out perfectly!

Well, Matt went in prepared to offer the doctor a personalized bound hard cover journal. (My husband is a man of unique hobbies. He built a book press in our basement and can publish and bind small books and journals.) I was skeptical the doc would take Matt up on his offer but proud of Matt for thinking so creatively and being willing to try!

Long story longer, the doc said YES to Matt's offer! He loved the journal and promptly left the examining room to get Matt some free antibiotics.

However, as the title of this post alludes, the transaction wasn't successful. The antibiotics the doc offered to Matt contained penicillin. Of which Matt is highly allergic. Bummer.

Now Matt is obliged to make the doctor a journal despite the fact that he didn't get any free meds out of the deal. Oh well. A handmade journal will certainly make for a good patient-doc relationship! I'm excited that the deal almost worked. Gives me hope and confidence that we can try bartering again in the future.

Have any of you ever tried the bartering method?

Not-Quite-Free Museum Day

Yesterday we partook of the Smithsonian-sponsored free museum day! We loaded up the troops and headed to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The Museum was small but terrific! Lots of animals, dinosaur bones, and even hands-on discovery center for the kids.

Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print of the coupon and we ended up paying for one admission. It was Chloe's though so we only had to shell out $6. Not bad for our entire family to visit the museum! A perfect activity on a rainy cold September Saturday.

Chloe and Clive both enjoyed the museum albeit in starkly different ways. Clive was Mr. Pointer Man running quickly from one animal to the next pointing (and leaving smudgy fingerprints) and naming the creatures behind the glass displays. Chloe liked the dinosaur bones and really thrived in the kids' discovery center. She immediately picked up a magnifying glass and pretended to be a scientist. Then she did several puzzles and activities without much parental assistance. She's growing up!

The only bummer about the experience was that I didn't get to learn much. Matt and I took turns supervising the tornado which is Clive but even then I didn't get to read many placards or displays. Such is the life of a parent! Maybe Matt and I will have to go back for a date night. :)

Enjoy the few pictures I snapped below. (In case you're wondering, the photo of Chloe with her fingers on top of her head is her impersonation of the triceratops darkly pictured in the background.)

How was your weekend?

Don't forget about free museum day tomorrow!

Get into a museum free tomorrow only! Check out the details here.

The Smithsonian Institute sponsors this free admit day every fall in museums all over the country. Being the lover-of-all-things-free, I've always wanted to participate in the event but never have.

This year we are ambitiously planning to visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History tomorrow with our free admissions. Should be fun! Presuming Clive is restrained in a stroller that is. I can just imagine him wandering right up to the dinosaur bones and trying to knock them down. :)

Hope you too can take advantage of this great event!

Happy Birthday, dearest!

Today is my sweetie's birthday. Matt hit the mid-point between 30-40 this year by turning big 35. I pointed that out to him this morning over his birthday breakfast (baked oatmeal and homemade cinnamon rolls) and he wasn't too excited. He was more excited that he's half way to 70 . He's an old man at heart. :)

Unfortunately, today is Matt's super long teaching day so we aren't able to celebrate much with him. We had a smashing birthday breakfast with presents and cards this morning. And tomorrow we'll make a special dinner complete with his all time fave dessert -- dutch apple pie.

And, (don't tell him anyone!) I'm surprising him with a date night this Friday. Woo-hoo! That will be a terrific gift for both of us.

I'm so thankful for Matt. He's such a hard worker a committed hubby and daddy. I couldn't ask for a better partner in this crazy parenting adventure!

Happy birthday, querido esposon!

Our new answering service

Chloe has become our new in-house phone secretary! She L.O.V.E.S. answering the phone and when it rings she jumps up and runs to answer it first. It's pretty stinking adorable. And she does a fabulous job answering and chatting away with the surprised caller. :)

I'm thrilled that Chloe is fetching our phone calls. We only have 2 phones and both are located downstairs. I'm usually tied up or too far from the phone to answer before the machine picks up anyways. And Matt? Matt admittedly avoids the phone at all costs. He completely ignores the phone when it's ringing and only picks up if it's his folks on the line.

The best and most comical benefit of Chloe's phone answering habit is when she gets a telemarketer on the line. Last night she answered with her super-cute "Hello, this is Chloe" and a confused look came over her face. She kept saying, "Hello? Hellooooo?" as the telemarketer blazed through his schpiel at full speed. We realized what was happening and Matt advised Chloe to hang up. Again, the confused look crossed her face. Chloe was obviously conflicted about hanging up the phone on a live talking person. She sweetly ended the one-sided conversation with an apologetic, "I'm sorry, I have to hang up now."

I'm hoping this helpful phone-answering habit of hers is long-term! Besides being a serious help to me during the day Chloe's cute phone reception is an automatic smile generator. :)

Do your kids dig talking on the phone and/or answering it?

Way to go, Packers!

Woo-hoo! Football season is finally here!

Since we don't have cable we were PUMPED to see both the Vikings/Browns game and the Packers/Bears game which aired on local and national stations this past Sunday.

Besides rooting for our dear Green Bay Packers, we're also cheering on Brett Favre of the . . . (I have a hard time even typing this wretched team's name) Minnesota Vikings. After watching Favre for 10+ years as a Packer it was the strangest thing to see him instead hopping around in a purple jersey.

But if there's one thing about that's constant about the NFL it's change. Madden's retired now and Favre is a Viking. Sigh.

The Pack did us proud by pulling off their first win of the season! Of course it was a bit nerve-wracking at the end. Why must the Packers always secure the win in the last minutes of the 4th quarter?!?

We celebrated the victory with a green and yellow angel food cake (Chloe's favorite part of the football game I think).

What teams and players are you cheering on this season?

Chloe's idea of contentment

Last week Chloe and I did the book "When I was Young in the Mountains" for her five in a row curriculum. Excellent book. I highly recommend it. Lovely illustrations and great story-telling techniques create an easy platform for introducing new concepts to the preschooler's mind.

The narrator of the story is a little girl growing up in the mountains of West Virginia. She's completely content with her life and surroundings though she doesn't have ANY modern conveniences. (Chloe simply could not comprehend that the little girl in the story didn't get to watch any movies. That was way more devastating to her than the lack of indoor plumbing.)

So, as one of our lessons I defined the word content and we talked about how we should be happy for what we have. We read a Bible verse exhorting contentment and promoting generosity. Then Chloe parroted the definition back to me and drew several pictures of things she's happy she has. Her drawings included (in case you can't decipher them from the photo above) bubble gum, papa teddy, crayons, our house, and her bike.

She was getting it! Or so I thought. :) Just as my teacher-mama pride started to swell I asked Chloe to tell me what it means to be content. Here was her reply . . .

"Content is be happy with what I have but what I really need to be happy is a yo-yo."

Back to the drawing board! :)

Remembering and not remembering 9.11

Truthfully, I completely forgot that yesterday was 9.11. I was so wrapped up in hanging with the kids and getting through the day that it didn't dawn on me until the evening. The announcer of the highschool football game across the street asked for a moment of silence from the crowd. And then my memories of that eerie day came flooding back.

I got a bit teary-eyed as the marching band belted out the star-spangled banner. The lines, "that our flag was still there" and "oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave" were especially meaningful to me as I reflected on the atrocities of 9.11.

And then today at a local airplane heritage fair just the sight of an army helicopter made me well up again as I pictured our fellow country-men battling overseas in response to the terror of 9.11.

Despite its warranted criticisms, I am very thankful I live in the USA. There's no place like it!

Enjoy one of my favorite versions of the national anthem via the video below.
(What can I say -- I love the tight harmonies of the Dixie Chicks!)

Sleeping arrangements

Now that Chloe has reached the ripe old age of 4 she's consistently not napping. Sigh. This is one milestone I'm NOT excited about.

Even though she doesn't nap much lately we still enforce an afternoon quiet time. And after an hour of quiet time she's free to play.

By 7:00 p.m. Chloe is obviously ready for bed. Unfortunately, with all our new schooling routines I don't always get her in bed promptly at 7. As this photo so accurately depicts she was exhausted beyond belief tonight. Or maybe she was trying to keep the light out of her eyes?

Whatever the odd 4-year-old-logic involved, this photo of Chloe sacked out was too cute not to share. Makes me sleepy just looking at her! :)

What weird crazy ways have your kiddos fallen asleep?

A family style labor day

What a fun family day we had today! A splendid way to spend labor day, to be sure.

We began the day with blueberry pancakes, a quick trip to the grocery store, and then we all piled into the car to the annual Taste of Hudson festival. Ironically, we didn't taste Hudson. :) While the local restaurant tents are temptingly tasty, they're way too expensive for our tight budgets. Instead I packed a picnic and we ate our lunch on the grass while watching little girls dance Irish jigs on the children's music stage.

This particular festival has LOTS of fun free kid activities. Which is why I make a point of attending it each year. Both Little Tykes and Step 2 have factories in Northeast Ohio so they set up huge playareas with their latest toys. Clive was addicted to this sand table while Chloe enjoyed the mini-treehouse. Chloe and I did several little crafts and picked up some cheap freebies. INCLUDING two free pirate dress-up outfits. Arrgh! Besides that, there were inflatables. And face-painting and balloons. Chloe was in kiddie heaven!

After naps all around we headed out again for dinner. Chick Fil-A, aka the-most-generous-restaurant-of-all-time, was handing out free chicken sandwiches to anyone wearing sports team apparel. What better reason for donning our Green Bay Packer duds?

All in all, a very fun day. How'd you celebrate the long weekend?

A long week

It's been a vvvvvvvvvvery long week. This week Matt went back to school and he's got a grueling schedule. Which means he's away much more and I'm out-numbered at home. :)

Me, Chloe and Clive launched this week with some new routines and activities. I began "Hooked on Phonics" which Chloe calls her "Mommy School". I started some simple character training from the website ABC Jesus Loves Me and am slowly introducing Clive to letters. Additionally, I'm doing Five in a Row with Chloe. It's been super simple to incorporated Five in a Row. It's a literature-based curriculum and so I just read one story to Chloe five days in a row. At the end of each reading, we do a craft/activity which focuses on a different aspect of the story. (I promise to do a separate post on Five in a Row in the near future. There are so many neat aspects of the curriculum I'm dying to share!)

It's all gone very well and Chloe is thriving! At first I thought I had planned too much for her -- she's only just 4 and I don't want her life to be super structured yet. I still want imaginative and spontaneous play to be a huge part of her day. But she is seriously loving our new learning activities and I can tell she's flourishing through the new challenges.

My biggest hurdle this week has been preparing dinners without having Matt's extra hands around to help. I'm working on that aspect. Trying to cook some ahead of time and do more freezer meals.

It's been a fun but tiring week. I'm sure glad it's nearly over and that we've got an extra long weekend ahead! What are your plans for the holiday weekend?

A day of mourning

Today Matt goes back to school. WAH!!!!!!!!!

We've had SUCH a lovely summer together as a family that I am seriously mourning today. I'm super thankful that Matt is a college prof; having the summers off is too good to be true!

Besides being a personal blessing and help to me around the house, Matt has engaged and invested in our kids. He has a strong and unique bond with each of them.

I've had to do some focused thinking and planning to make our transition as easy as possible. Honestly, I think I might have the hardest time transitioning. I'm so used to having Matt around to watch the kids while I prepare supper, or take a nap, or need to run to the grocery store.

So, today officially begins our fall semester. Sigh. Goodbye summer. We miss you already, Matt!

A surprisingly pleasant portrait experience

I'm exuberantly happy to report that yesterday we finally had a pleasant photo shoot experience!

Impulsively I called Sears yesterday morning and made an early afternoon appointment. I threw some things in my massive purse/diaper bag, loaded the kids in the car, and we were off!

Despite a 20 minute wait (which felt like an ETERNITY with Clive running around) the kids did a super job. The photographer was amazing! She was happy, personable, funny, and engaging. She managed to get some terrific smiles out of Chloe by getting her to say "Boogers". A word Chloe had not known previously. :) And now Clive is saying "boogers" constantly and smiling. I say that's a small price to pay for some stellar photos!

In fact, I had a terrible time deciding on one pose. I stuck to my guns though and didn't yield to the photographer's sales pitch to order more. And because of my coupon, I came away with 24 prints for $8 plus a free 10 x 13 portrait.

Looking at the poses below, which do you think I chose?

1: sitting on a rock

2: leaning on rock





















3: lying in a field of flowers
















4: standing in the flower field (looks real, doesn't it?)





















5: balloon head





















6: looking up





















7: squishing the 4





















8: steps

Summer Joy

"In summer, the song sings itself." [William Carlos Williams]



Hope you're busy enjoying the last bursts of summer!

August update

Hello, all! We've had an incredibly busy month and it's not slowing down! Hence, my recent blogging break during the month of August.

We're still coming down from the emotional high of Chloe's 4th birthday and the recent visit from my mom and gramma. See a zillion pictures of her genteel tea party birthday here.

Matt and I also celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. Since my mom and gramma were in town we got to go out on a date. Woo-hoo! We crammed a movie, dinner, and putt-putt golf into our date night. And if you're wondering, Matt creamed me at golf. He's so cute when he plays putt-putt. He acts just like a pga pro lining up his putts and reading the greens. I prefer to use the whack-the-ball-without-thinking method. :) Which explains why I lost miserably.

Matt got me a super fabulous anniversary gift -- a car radio that works! Yay! We've been 3 years without a radio in the car. And let me tell you that music in the car seriously helps the kids when traveling. We're all enjoying the gift even though Clive was a bit confused at first (he kept looking around to see where it was coming from).

We're gearing up for the fall semester and getting excited (and a little scared) about the new schedule ahead.

How was your August?

FOUR

My sweet baby girl is no longer a baby! (Though in a very real sense she will ALWAYS be a baby in my eyes.)

I am in a slight sense of shock to think that my Chloe is breaching the 4 year milestone today. Obviously I admit that time marches at a constant rate but it doesn't seem so from my mommy perspective.

Watching this child grow from a screaming needy newborn into a functioning reasoning little person has been a true privilege and joy. I treasure my dear Chloe and I fully enjoy spending time with her, observing her personality blossom, and watching her develop.

I'm also super proud of my girl. She's helpful and obedient (most of the time). She can read simple words and she is an expert at imagination play. Chloe draws and sings and makes up her own poems. She's also very sweet with her little brother (again, most of the time) especially now that they're roomies. Clive waits up for her and then they "talk" until one of two things happen 1) they crash on their own or 2) Matt has to go up and give them an ultimatum. (I'm not a good bed-time ultimatum-giver so it's become Matt's job. I walk in the room and can NOT keep from smiling and giggling with them!)

Chloe is in an interesting stage right now because she's articulating her own thoughts and ideas more and more. Just tonight she said, "Tomorrow when I turn 4, will I be a mommy?" And then immediately after that she told me something unintelligible about God's rules for life. And then she started doing demi-plies while giggling. The workings of a 4 year old mind certainly are curious.

Happy 4th birthday, my snuggle bunny. I love you dearly and I am thrilled with how God has grown you thus far!

Summer treats

One of our favorite summer treats is watermelon ice. I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy popsicles plus I hate the fact that they're just sugar and water.

SO, our summer alternative is watermelon ice. It's super easy to whip up and a great way to use up every last bit of a monster watermelon. Our small family usually can only eat 1/2 a ripe watermelon in a few days. Instead of throwing away the 1/2 that gets overripe and mushy, I chop it into chunks and throw it in the freezer on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. After the chunks have frozen (1-2 days), I transfer them to a gallon sized freezer bag.

As you can see, Clive heartily enjoys watermelon ice. :)

Check out the recipe below and make your own batch for instant summer refreshment!

What special summer time treats do you make to beat the heat?

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Fruit Ices

1/2 cup each, sugar and water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
Fruit of your choice (see options below)

1. If you're not using bagged frozen fruit, freeze chopped fresh fruit on a plastic cutting board or a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, then boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool; stir in lemon juice. Place frozen fruit in food processor and puree while slowly adding sugar syrup.
3. Transfer to container or ice-pop molds and freeze or eat soft.

Fruit:
5 cups strawberries (or 20 oz. frozen bag)
3 cups sliced peaches (or 10 oz. frozen bag)
2 cups blueberries (or 16 oz. frozen bag) plus 1 banana
4 cups diced watermelon
1 cored fresh pineapple
4 cups seedless green grapes
4 cups diced cantaloupe
4 cups diced honeydew

A smile for your Friday

What a ham my little boy is! He'll stop anything to say "Cheese" and give me a big grin.

In this instance Clive was "fixing" my bike. Please ignore the unidentified substance around his mouth. I'm fairly certain that's not dirt. :)

A very happy Friday to you all!

Scavengers, we

Ever since my mom shared the thrill of thrifting and clearance shopping with me as a girl, I've had the insatiable desire to seek out cheap items and to reconfigure old items for new purposes. There is a beauty and an inherent problem-solving nature in repurposing. Like a calculus problem with complicated variables and imposed limits.

During these warm summer months, I've found that I'm not just a cheap-skate. I'm also a scavenger. And my extended family is just as vulture-like as I am!

Since my in-laws and tia have been here visiting we've scored a table, an attachable child bike seat, and a plastic toy lawn mower all for free! Someone's trash has become our treasure. :) Our best find was a few years back when we scored a little tykes desk for free. And then this summer we sold it for $7. Score!

Of course, it's awesome to get stuff gratis but there are a few drawbacks to our scavenging tendencies.

For one, it's hard for me to say no to "free". My mom-in-law and tia have the repurposing vision and see a use for EVERY piece of junk lying on the roadside. I'm a bit more discriminating and I have a difficult time turning them down. They grew up in poverty in Mexico so I feel like a spoiled gringa when I say no to their finds.

Alas, there is the problem of space. We have a small old home and storage space is extremely limited. I really dislike clutter but I find it super hard to pass up good/free deals so we keep accumulating. Argh!

Do you scavenge? If so, what was your best snag?