The Aftermath

The results are in and it looks like all the children averaged about 2 1/2 lbs of candy each.  That is except for Clara who either did not climb out of the stroller for every stop, or already ate half her candy on the road.  The idea of letting the children consume all that candy makes me very uneasy.  But it was still fun to be out visiting with neighbors and also fun to sort, organize and calculate the loot.  After our math fun and a few favorite pieces the rest will be donated.

Some may think I'm a mean mom for taking away my kids candy.  But that picture of Clara above explains my reasoning - my children have a very low tolerance for sugar.  If I wish to keep my children content and cooperative, which is essential in the home school setting,  I must limit the consumption of sugary processed foods.

The above chart shows some interesting trends.  The older the children get the more aggressive they are in aquiring the candy but the less likely they are to eat it.  But we will continue the study over the next 10 years because we may find the girls don't follow this trend and will never out grow their sweet tooth.

 

Paul is wishing we had charts from our own Trick-or-Treating because he has several thoughts and theories about the economics and evolution of the holiday.  Maybe its time for him to start his own blog because his thoughts are more entertaining than mine.

Happy Halloween 2008

One of my favorite traditions growing up was our elementary school Halloween parade.  Since the kids are not in school we went to the zoo and had our own parade.  The weather was perfect and we practically had the whole zoo to ourselves.  

James was Indiana Jones (with the pieces found garage saling) but there was no need for new costumes for the other kids, there were enough hand me down costumes to go around.  William was Superman and had a great idea to keep his jammies on underneath so he could save time like Superman and be quickly changed for bed later tonight, Peter was Spiderman but has already changed his costume 3 times today, Maryanna was a chicken because she says she doesn't like princesses and just wants to be funny, Clara was the elephant, and Henry was a skeleton (I painted the bones on for Peter when he was a baby - I used an anatomy book).  I had thought to wear James' spider shirt from last year but after Cathy's party I discovered having extra arms while needing to care for the all the kids actually gets in the way.

But I decided it is now time to start investing and working on adult costumes.  I was inspired by what Marie' created this year for her sister- in law.  There are just too many projects to do and too little time.  

 

 

Wordfull Wednesday: Elections

I am quite bothered by the contention that is up roared each election season. For some reason this year it seems worse than ever. There are signs drawing lines between neighbors, cars with bumper stickers that in themselves could induce road rage, and commercials that have caused my now 9 year old to ask "Mom, why do the Presidential candidates have to say such negative comments about each other"? The tension is so great it feels as if we are at war amongst ourselves.

I wish those up for election displayed more of the characteristics of a true leader instead of just representing their respective party. I wish I had better insight and knowledge about our government and constitution so that I could be more credible as an influence for good when my children, friends, family and neighbors inquire of my politic beliefs. I wish that as Americans we all had greater understanding of the vision our founding fathers had for this nation.

Without much room for discussion or explanation here is how I feel about the issues.  Few of our nation's biggest problems can be solved by politics or government.  Rather many can only be solved by strengthening the basic building block of society: our families.  Sadly, it seems like the idea of strengthening families hardly enters into the political discourse anymore, despite overwhelming evidence that many of today's most pressing issues (education, crime, etc) are a result of the disintegration of the family, and an abandonment of the principle of personal responsibility.  Our country should protect our right to freely choose our own path in life, but somewhere along the way, some have erroneously interpreted that to mean freedom from the consequences of our choices as well.

I also believe "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great" (Alexis de Tocqueville). I may not be able to change our nation as I wish but I can certainly teach my children to be "good" and in turn hope that they, their children, and their children's children will become a portion of what makes this nation "great".

I also believe it is our duty to study and ponder the issues and vote. On a lighter note here is my recollection of voting in 2004.

It was cold and rainy that morning in Charlotte, NC. Paul was still working as an investment banker for Wachovia which means we barely saw him and he barely saw the light of day. If he voted it was most likely by absentee ballot. I on the other hand had all day to vote.

Having only three children at the time I thought it would be no problem to bring them along to the polls -it would be educational! The kids were just barely 5, almost 3 and 10 months at the time and can't say if they could today recall that "educational experience". I on the other hand remember it well.

Like I said it was cold and rainy. Our designated voting spot was in the basement of a Methodist church on Randolph Rd. The line to enter the building wrapped around the parking lot but I told my kids a little rain wouldn't hurt us as long as we had coats and hats on. I slowly pushed the stroller along the line as the boys jumped in puddles near by. Finally we reach the doors only to discover crowded stairs! The other voters were quite kind and passed my stroller down to the end where it would be waiting. It was just harder to contain the young children there on the stairs then in the rain.

But finally we reached the open room where we still stood in line. That is everyone except for our almost 3 yr old William who wandered to the light switch. Just as I dashed out to grab him he hit it. Remember this was in a basement. Everyone gasped and shouted out, even those under the curtains in the process of their votes. Then he hit it again and again as if to turn the room in to a disco. I grabbed him and apologized to the entire room then was allowed to cut right to the front where the voters, exhibiting their southern charm, only chuckled at this curious little boy.

But it wasn't easy to fit my three kids under the curtain. They were swinging and swishing it all around me. I had to be quick but could barely think through my selections. We got out of there quickly, with one kind voter who carried the stroller all the way up the stairs for me.

In the car I discovered James (age 5) was covered in stickers and I then asked him what he thought of the process. He said he was sure a certain candidate would win. When I asked him why he said because he put in 10 votes for that individual in the kids vote box. I suppose it was time for some more teaching. The poor little guy was so disappointed when I told him #1 your votes don't count until you are 18 and #2 you only get one vote. He has since been counting down the years until he could officially vote.

I remember watching the votes being tallied at 5:30 am the following morning at on the gym on the elliptical machine.

I suppose this year I will not attempt to bring six kids to the polls. I also hope that watching the results will get me back on the elliptical machine.

On another side note I would like to add a bit of history about the home we are living in. It was built in 1962 and for years was not only the center of many boy scout activities but also the neighborhood voting location. Old neighbors have told me how they use to line up on our very stairs before casting their votes. Perhaps my interest and excitement in this years elections is emanating from the history in the walls that surround me. We have remodeled quite a bit but above is an image from the original mailbox which we kept in its place- a patriotic one.

Toddlers in the Kitchen

Well I didn't really load these pictures in the right order but here's how the story goes:

I was on the phone chatting with my Mom and spoon feeding Henry a bit of baby mush. Maryanna joined us at the table and I was so surprised at what she was eating I quickly got off the phone and asked her about it. She said she made it. She also poured herself a glass of water. At first I was upset that she got into the food without permission and was actually preparing myself to clean up a huge mess all over the counters. Upon inspection however, all I found was another plate of food complete with a fork. She said she made it for Daddy. I was impressed and thought it actually looked kind of good. But we saved it for Daddy.

Unfortunately it did not last long enough for Daddy to enjoy. With my back turned again (this time for a diaper change) Clara had joined in on the salad action. She stuffed the prepared salad into her crocs, and began consuming it right out of those dirty little shoes. .

Cupcakes and birthdays

Last week we celebrated two birthdays in our home.  To make it especially fun we experimented with a few cupcake recipes that I got from a recent Enrichment Meeting.  

Here it is, a recipe that Paul calls "guilt inducing", William said was too sweet, James couldn't even finish one, but Peter, Maryanna, and Clara said was "yummy".  For me, I just don't really like sweets like I do fried salty food but I did enjoy a few small bites.  One warning though - have a glass of milk nearby because they are densely rich.  We also pushed down a marshmallow in a few of them as a sweet surprise for the kids but that only got mixed reviews.  

The Best Chocolate Cupcakes (originally from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes)- makes 1 dozen

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients.  Beat together sugar, oil, egg and vanilla.  Whisk in buttermilk and flour, beating until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Scoop into paper cups and bake at 350 for 22-27 min. or until tops of cupcakes spring back lightly when touched.  Let cool for 10 minutes and frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook)

1 cup butter, softened

1 TBS plus 1 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Blend until spreading consistency

A few more tips:

- remember neighbors tend to be overly generous when lending out needed ingredients - always remeasure.  We ran out of flour (I still have 100+ lbs. of bread flour - I was just short on all purpose) on our first batch but ending up adding too much because we made this mistake.  But thanks again Joy for the flour and Liz for the powdered sugar!

-don't forget the vanilla - it really does soften the flavor.  It was omitted from our first batch because of distraction.  Our 2 yr old birthday girl was caught running in the street during that step of the process.

-if the kids are to lick the bowls  - have them wear a full body smock or just strip them down and give it to them in the tub because that buttery chocolate frosting is messy and hard to get out of clothing.  That may apply also for the official cupcake eating time.   

   

Garage Sale Addiction

I like garage sales and it is hard for me to pass a roadside poster advertising one.  In the past however, I had a tendency of bringing home more than I needed - as if I didn't have enough stuff to use, care for, and store.  But I have finally developed a great garage sale strategy.  At the beginning of the garage sale season (usually around April), I make a list of all my family's needs and wants.  I share this list with my sisters who I know also share the garage sale addiction and then each Saturday morning,  armed with our cell phones and a small stash of cash in our pockets, we head out on our hunts.

I had to add to my garage sale list after my recent closet clean out and assessment.  Here's what I added:  a hooded sweatshirt and a few skirts for church.  Yesterday was the lucky morning where I found just that.   Amongst my many stops included a yard sale run by a very pregnant woman who was in the mood to unload a bunch of her "skinny/regular" clothes.  Lucky for me, these clothes were not only my current size but she also had a toddler boy and was unloading piles of his clothes as well.  That is where I found 4 church skirts, this great hoodie and clothes and shoes for Henry to grow into (because you all know boys clothes barely make it through a 4th pass down).  I spent $28 at that one stop (which is a lot in the garage sale world) but it was worth it.

Other recent finds that I haven't blogged included 2 University library chairs, one for Brigham Young University where I graduated and one from University of Michigan where Paul graduated.  It was so strange to see them sitting right next to each other in an empty basement of a Salt Lake house.  It was as if they were just waiting for me - they were only $25 a piece so I had to get them (even though they weren't really on my list).  Now I will be on the hunt for a Wharton chair or University of Pennsylvania chair - I will put it on my list.

The one great regret I have though is not saving more of the treasures and finds for Christmas.  I realize the kids get just as much joy out of used toys as they would new ones.  Paul calls them "fully depreciated".  But the idea of a "recycled" Christmas didn't come to me in time - perhaps with the help of my sisters on the hunt I can still pull it off.  The season is winding down though and I may have to rely on Craig's list, ebay, and esty to fill in the gaps.     

   

So go garage saling if you can before this holiday season.   It is fun, economical, good for the environment, and just makes sense (or cents).  

A House Still for Sale

Interest in our home has slowed down quite a bit for the month of October.  I became very comfortable in leaving out and spreading sewing projects around the dinning room, allowing the the beds go unmade, letting the laundry pile up, experimenting with very messy baking, and adopting Suz's pet rat Cookie Dough. Suz is moving to Mexico City in a few weeks and convinced me to take the rat by saying:   "well if you don't want her I'll just list her on Craig's List and she may end up as snake food".  

As it turns out we are very happy to have Cookie Dough in our home and have found her to be quite smart and very personable.  William says she is like a live stuffed animal and carries her around the house on his shoulder.  The younger kids aren't gentle enough to hold her but squeal with delight every time we let her out (or escapes) from her cage.  James has decided Cookie Dough's life and thoughts should be blogged.  It is especially entertaining to watch her during family night and we have discovered if we sing loud enough she can't resist to stay in her cage and climbs out to join in our gathering.

So it has brought more joy than trouble to add this little pet to our family - well, that was my thought until yesterday.  The morning started out early, baking bagels at 5:30 am then getting the kids up and bagels delivered before 8:00 am.  To add to the activity it was Clara's birthday and I had also offered to watch a friend's child for the day.  As an early morning birthday celebration I made fruit smoothies and topped with paper umbrellas.  Next we began experimenting with cupcake recipes and dirtied at least half a dozen mixing bowls in the process.  It was fun!  I'm lucky my mom joined us for a birthday lunch because that was when I got the call.  After three weeks of no showings it was arranged for a couple to come through the house later that afternoon.  

My mom got right to the dishes.  I decided it would be best to put the girls right down for a nap and lock the door so they couldn't get into any trouble while we cleaned.  I huddled the boys around me as if to give them some sort of a game plan.  James said "you mean its like the beginning of the 4th quarter and we are down 3 touchdowns" - I answered "exactly"! and then gave them their clean up assignments.  At that point my sister showed up with a balloon bouquet for Clara and it was decided that I would be best helped by her taking the kids to her house.  As I got the girls out of their room I discovered Maryanna had once again detached her closet door.  But there was no time to worry about that - I still had beds to make, bathrooms to clean, and practically every surface in the house to dust.  

I also had another friend over doing some sewing with me.  She was quick to help and with a cloth and window spray was able to erase the many finger (and mouth) prints that so endearingly decorate every window in my house.  To be even more helpful she willingly took little Henry to her home so I could have full focus on cleaning.  I went at it and was sweating and satisfied with the work I had completed.  All that was left to do was load a few baskets of dirty laundry and the rat into my car.  I grabbed the rat's cage only to discover this clever little creature had escaped!  I was too distracted when I moved her that I forgot to put something heavy on top to prevent her from getting out.  

The Realtor would be arriving within 10 minutes - I was instantly in tears.  All my time and energy in cleaning the house would be wasted with a rat on the loose - a great way to scare away buyers.  She could have been anywhere.  The garage door was open to the outside, the door to the laundry room was open to the rest of the house and her cage was halfway between both of them.  I then began thinking of what I would tell Suz, how to explain it to William, and then having to delete "The Adventures of Cookie Dough" blog.  I called Paul but could barely speak through my tears.  He suggested calling Suz for suggestions.  I had a sincere prayer in my heart and just as I was dropping to my knees - right there in my garage, Cookie Dough had peered out between the pile of moving boxes and our 50 gallon water storage drum.  I reached out to grab her but she retreated under the gorilla shelf that stored our Christmas decorations and all my dying supplies.  I had to be quick but gentle.  I said another prayer.  I know this prayer was answered because Cookie Dough immediately walked right out to me and crawled into my hand.  

Perhaps my tears and panic were not so much about the rat on the loose but instead reflected my stress in trying to sell the house.  But this experience with the rat comforted me in knowing that my prayers are heard and answered.  With this knowledge I know if I do my part all things will work together for good and our house will eventually sell.  It may not be as quick as we had hoped but we will be cheerful and enjoy our time left here in UT while at the same time try to develop better house keeping habits.