Isaac: "Mom, you know what buttersticks are? They are in the shape of a circle. But they are all twisted, in the shape of a circle. They are round. And they are sharp like thorns, but not on one end they are not sharp. You can even touch them and they are not sharp on one end. Do you know where you can find them? Probably in a field. " {pause}
"Did you know when I was two I used to be kinda big. But not very big, I don't think I was too big. I used to climb a tree. Want to know where it was? It was right.....there {pointing out the window as we drive by someone's random yard.}"
This is a typical conversation with my 3 year-old. Full of buttersticks....
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Judgement by Bisquick
I like to think I have a pretty tough skin. It really takes quite a bit to rile me up usually...unless you're Isaac, in which case my fuse is relatively short--but that's a different story. But last night, I let someone get under my skin, and it's not a position I like. Because I find that instead of getting angry, I was hurt and a little humiliated. Why is it that other moms find the need to judge instead of support? I was judged, the gavel was slammed...all at what was supposed to be a supportive and open environment...a La Leche League meeting of all places.
Now, before I start, let me say that I LOVE La Leche League. It is an amazing support group with lots of great breastfeeding advice. It is a great place to go to get solid, reliable breastfeeding information and to make a few great friends, too. I have had nothing but really positive experiences there...until last night.
The meeting's topic was innocent enough: nutrition and weaning. Since none of the moms in attendance last night were in the weaning stage, we focused on nutrition and foods/ideas for feeding toddlers and families in general. We split into groups to brainstorm ideas. Our group was thinking of easy snacks for toddlers and then a list of snacks that "take some work." I start by offering the suggestion of goldfish. My kids eat them by the gallon, and I know a lot of moms whose diaper bag isn't complete without a baggie full of the cheesy little dudes. I was met with a horrified stare from one of the other moms in my group. (Let me mention there were only three of us, and our other member was one of the LLL leaders.) My next suggestion...diced fruit. I throw in there that if you want to buy the fruit cups you can usually get them in fruit juice instead of syrup...another disgusted stare. I'm kind of confused at this point. I didn't know it was criminal to feed your kids fruit that wasn't organic and freshly chopped. Okay. We're going kinda crunchy at this meeting. I can do crunchy. Better not suggest Quaker granola bars...think, Rachel, think. Then I remember raisins and fruit leather...two things my kids really like sometimes. Um, didn't you know those are terrible for little teeth? Wow. My face is starting to get hot, and I'm beginning to feel like a bad mom. Like I'm somehow harming my kids by what I feed them. Better not mention their weekly dose of chicken nuggets and french fries...so instead, I chuckle sheepishly and jokingly say, "We really don't eat all that well at our house. Ha ha ha {nervous giggle}."
At this point, I pretty much stopped contributing to the conversation and listened to this mom talk about homemade teething biscuits sweetened with applesauce, homemade granola, and a whole host of Auntie Anne's organic whatevers. I also did catch her say she couldn't get her two year old to eat much...hmmm, wonder why...
Anyway, near the end of our brainstorming session, our leader mentions something about make-ahed quiche and I remember this great quiche recipe I have that's super easy and my kids love! So I pipe up with this idea, "it's really easy to make, you just use ground beef, a little cheese, eggs and bisquick! My kids love it!" This woman about fell off her chair. I look at her and say, "what, is bisquick bad?" She responds with an indignant little chortle, "yeah, it's bad. I GUESS YOU GUYS DO EAT REALLY BADLY, HUH?" As if I am putting rat poison in their cereal (artificially sweetened, of course). I turned my chair the opposite direction and tried to hide the embarrassment on my face.
I have to say, this was the first time I have ever felt like I was being judged for my parenting style. I know that there are a million points to disagree with on every parenting front...but at the end of the day, my kids are happy, healthy, smart and very loved. But, by God, I will feed them bisquick and they will like it. And, if anyone is interested in my quickie quiche recipe, I'll be happy to post it. But realize you are taking your own and your children's lives into your own hands. I wash my hands of it. May God bless us Bisquick users, every one.
Now, before I start, let me say that I LOVE La Leche League. It is an amazing support group with lots of great breastfeeding advice. It is a great place to go to get solid, reliable breastfeeding information and to make a few great friends, too. I have had nothing but really positive experiences there...until last night.
The meeting's topic was innocent enough: nutrition and weaning. Since none of the moms in attendance last night were in the weaning stage, we focused on nutrition and foods/ideas for feeding toddlers and families in general. We split into groups to brainstorm ideas. Our group was thinking of easy snacks for toddlers and then a list of snacks that "take some work." I start by offering the suggestion of goldfish. My kids eat them by the gallon, and I know a lot of moms whose diaper bag isn't complete without a baggie full of the cheesy little dudes. I was met with a horrified stare from one of the other moms in my group. (Let me mention there were only three of us, and our other member was one of the LLL leaders.) My next suggestion...diced fruit. I throw in there that if you want to buy the fruit cups you can usually get them in fruit juice instead of syrup...another disgusted stare. I'm kind of confused at this point. I didn't know it was criminal to feed your kids fruit that wasn't organic and freshly chopped. Okay. We're going kinda crunchy at this meeting. I can do crunchy. Better not suggest Quaker granola bars...think, Rachel, think. Then I remember raisins and fruit leather...two things my kids really like sometimes. Um, didn't you know those are terrible for little teeth? Wow. My face is starting to get hot, and I'm beginning to feel like a bad mom. Like I'm somehow harming my kids by what I feed them. Better not mention their weekly dose of chicken nuggets and french fries...so instead, I chuckle sheepishly and jokingly say, "We really don't eat all that well at our house. Ha ha ha {nervous giggle}."
At this point, I pretty much stopped contributing to the conversation and listened to this mom talk about homemade teething biscuits sweetened with applesauce, homemade granola, and a whole host of Auntie Anne's organic whatevers. I also did catch her say she couldn't get her two year old to eat much...hmmm, wonder why...
Anyway, near the end of our brainstorming session, our leader mentions something about make-ahed quiche and I remember this great quiche recipe I have that's super easy and my kids love! So I pipe up with this idea, "it's really easy to make, you just use ground beef, a little cheese, eggs and bisquick! My kids love it!" This woman about fell off her chair. I look at her and say, "what, is bisquick bad?" She responds with an indignant little chortle, "yeah, it's bad. I GUESS YOU GUYS DO EAT REALLY BADLY, HUH?" As if I am putting rat poison in their cereal (artificially sweetened, of course). I turned my chair the opposite direction and tried to hide the embarrassment on my face.
I have to say, this was the first time I have ever felt like I was being judged for my parenting style. I know that there are a million points to disagree with on every parenting front...but at the end of the day, my kids are happy, healthy, smart and very loved. But, by God, I will feed them bisquick and they will like it. And, if anyone is interested in my quickie quiche recipe, I'll be happy to post it. But realize you are taking your own and your children's lives into your own hands. I wash my hands of it. May God bless us Bisquick users, every one.
Monday, December 8, 2008
All-around update
Well, we finally got an appointment for Rowan to see the orthopedist. We're going on December 17, early in the morning. I'm relieved that they are going to see us so quickly and anxious to get some answers. I also had an evaluation with the physical therapist this past Saturday, and she wants to start therapy with us after Rowan's consultation. She wants to find out what the orthopedist thinks and try to tailor the therapy to coordinate with whatever correction we begin. She seemed to think that the PT will help increase the core strength, which can help keep Rowan's back straight once we get it there...hopefully we'll be able to do just that! I'm definitely ready to head to Dallas and get started on whatever we need to do to help her.
David has really been making progress on the house! Here are some pics of the new improvements!
This is the countertop in the laundry room...complete with tile and stain on the cabinets!
Here's a shot of the kitchen cabinets, all stained and so pretty!
This is the travertine we are going to use on the backsplash in the kitchen...I think it's going to be really beautiful!
And finally, here's the kids' upstairs bathroom shower, complete with tile! Now all we need are the fixtures! I'm starting to get so excited, things are really beginning to look good!
We put up our Christmas tree last night, and it looks really nice, but I gotta say...I'm a total grinch. I don't really love Christmas all that much. Don't get me wrong, it's nice and all, but it's all overblown in my humble opinion. I need Christmas for about a week...but "Christmas" has already been going on since after Halloween! Geez. Call me Scrooge if you want, but why can't we enjoy December in any other colors but red and green? I'm trying not to let my grinchiness rub off on my kiddos...they are still excited by the season and I hope it stays that way. Maybe it's just the pricetag on the season that has me saying bah humbug.
David has really been making progress on the house! Here are some pics of the new improvements!
This is the countertop in the laundry room...complete with tile and stain on the cabinets!
Here's a shot of the kitchen cabinets, all stained and so pretty!
This is the travertine we are going to use on the backsplash in the kitchen...I think it's going to be really beautiful!
And finally, here's the kids' upstairs bathroom shower, complete with tile! Now all we need are the fixtures! I'm starting to get so excited, things are really beginning to look good!
We put up our Christmas tree last night, and it looks really nice, but I gotta say...I'm a total grinch. I don't really love Christmas all that much. Don't get me wrong, it's nice and all, but it's all overblown in my humble opinion. I need Christmas for about a week...but "Christmas" has already been going on since after Halloween! Geez. Call me Scrooge if you want, but why can't we enjoy December in any other colors but red and green? I'm trying not to let my grinchiness rub off on my kiddos...they are still excited by the season and I hope it stays that way. Maybe it's just the pricetag on the season that has me saying bah humbug.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thankful for Blueberries
Before I begin waxing poetic, I wanted to give an update on Rowan: we are being referred to the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Dallas. I don't have our referral date yet, but as soon as I know when our appointment is going to be, I'll be sure to write about it. Thanks to everyone who sent us prayers and well-wishes. It's going to be a long road ahead of us. Anyway, back to the blog at hand:
Thanksgiving. It's a wonderful day. A day full of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, rolls, and, of course, pie. Applie Pie. Pumpkin Pie. Pecan Pie. You name it, if it comes in a flaky and golden pie crust, I'd probably eat it.
But there's so much more than food to be thankful for. Friends and family...yadda yadda yadda. Of course I'm thankful for my friends and family. What schmuck wouldn't be thankful for their loved ones? So upon pondering the thankfulness of the season, I wondered what I'm really thankful for..beyond the obvious. And suddenly, as I sit here enjoying a tasty blueberry milkshake that I just whipped together, it dawned on me. I am thankful for blueberries.
That's right. I said blueberries. Behold their wonder. They are tiny. They are deliciously sweet. They are the most wonderful shade of purpley-blue. They can be made into pie (meeting a required criteria). They can be made into any number of tasty pastries, such as muffins or tarts. They are a superfood, and are one of the ten best things you can eat to boost your brain...lord knows I need that. Really, the only drawback I can think of is that they turn baby poop funny colors and they stain if you dribble while eating them. This primarily affects Adam in our family...but it's a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.
I wouldn't necessarily consider blueberries my favorite food, or even my favorite fruit for that matter. So it stands to reason that if I'm so thankful for blueberries, then just think of all the other things, things big and small, that I have to be thankful for. Which brings me back to pie....
Thanksgiving. It's a wonderful day. A day full of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, rolls, and, of course, pie. Applie Pie. Pumpkin Pie. Pecan Pie. You name it, if it comes in a flaky and golden pie crust, I'd probably eat it.
But there's so much more than food to be thankful for. Friends and family...yadda yadda yadda. Of course I'm thankful for my friends and family. What schmuck wouldn't be thankful for their loved ones? So upon pondering the thankfulness of the season, I wondered what I'm really thankful for..beyond the obvious. And suddenly, as I sit here enjoying a tasty blueberry milkshake that I just whipped together, it dawned on me. I am thankful for blueberries.
That's right. I said blueberries. Behold their wonder. They are tiny. They are deliciously sweet. They are the most wonderful shade of purpley-blue. They can be made into pie (meeting a required criteria). They can be made into any number of tasty pastries, such as muffins or tarts. They are a superfood, and are one of the ten best things you can eat to boost your brain...lord knows I need that. Really, the only drawback I can think of is that they turn baby poop funny colors and they stain if you dribble while eating them. This primarily affects Adam in our family...but it's a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.
I wouldn't necessarily consider blueberries my favorite food, or even my favorite fruit for that matter. So it stands to reason that if I'm so thankful for blueberries, then just think of all the other things, things big and small, that I have to be thankful for. Which brings me back to pie....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)