Every year around New Year's, my family gets together for a slightly unorthodox tradition.
Dinner.
But not just any dinner. As my daughter would say, it's like one big snack.
Chips. (Tortilla and Potato). Dips. (Bacon and Onion (the favorite), clam, nacho, fiesta, pico de gallo (which can hardly be demoted to a dip)). Cheese. (Havarti, Colby, marinated Mozzeralla) Meat. (Pepperoni, Salami, Hickory Farms summer sausage (mmmmm)). Crackers. Cheese ball. And for my dad, pickled herring, Cajun salmon, Cajun green olives, marinated Portabellas, cocktail onions (but no cocktails). No kippers or pickled pigs feet this year.
This is the best dinner ever. And one I look forward to all year.
As my sister says, we make our resolutions on January 2.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Monday Review: ReliOn Temple Touch Thermometer
I hate taking my children's temperature. When my first baby was born, they sent me home from the hospital with a digital rectal/underarm thermometer. This particular thermometer takes about 3 minutes to come up with a reading. That doesn't sound like that long, but when you are using it on a squirming, generally sick baby it is almost an eternity. And, despite the fact that the rectal temp is so much more accurate, I infinitely prefer the underarm method (for obvious reasons). But, by the time my daughter hit toddlerhood, there was no possible way of holding her down for 3 minutes until the temp popped up. So, I went out and bought an ear thermometer. Which was worth every penny.
But, this particular thermometer no longer accurately reads my children's temperature. Which is why I was ecstatic when the ReliOn Temple Touch Thermometer arrived in the mail. Going into flu season the thermometer is always out. And this one is awesome.
It takes about 5 seconds to read the temperature, and there is no shoving it in any uncomfortable places. You simply place it on your child's temple, and voile! Fever suspicions are confirmed. But, please read the instructions first. I hated the thing for about a day until I did! I'm sold. Best thermometer ever. Okay. Maybe not the best. But the best that has ever graced my children's fevers, but definitely the easiest!
*I received a complimentary thermometer for this review.
It takes about 5 seconds to read the temperature, and there is no shoving it in any uncomfortable places. You simply place it on your child's temple, and voile! Fever suspicions are confirmed. But, please read the instructions first. I hated the thing for about a day until I did! I'm sold. Best thermometer ever. Okay. Maybe not the best. But the best that has ever graced my children's fevers, but definitely the easiest!
*I received a complimentary thermometer for this review.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Winners!
I have two this week:
The winner of the etched glass from Momma T's Crafts is Miss Judy Blume.
And the winner of the 100 postcards from Uprinting is Heather!
So, congrats ladies!
More giveaways will return in January. Until then, I am enjoying the week at my own home after a horrid drive home. My kids don't go back to school until next Monday. And, as I hardly saw them while we were at their Grandma's house, I intend to make them most of it!
See you next year!
The winner of the etched glass from Momma T's Crafts is Miss Judy Blume.
And the winner of the 100 postcards from Uprinting is Heather!
So, congrats ladies!
More giveaways will return in January. Until then, I am enjoying the week at my own home after a horrid drive home. My kids don't go back to school until next Monday. And, as I hardly saw them while we were at their Grandma's house, I intend to make them most of it!
See you next year!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
What was that?
This may be the proudest day of my life as a mother.
My two year old son said his first swear word Sunday. And he didn't go for one of the biblical ones. Oh, no. He dropped the bomb.
At Church.
During Sacrament.
Okay. So, I'm almost positive that the words he said and the words I heard were not the same. But when he stood up on the bench in the middle of the nearly silent chapel, looked me in the face and said: "uck ooo," I may have hung my head in shame and prayed that no one but me picked up on the similarity
Sadly, it was not to be. They heard. They giggled. And my confidence as a mother soared as it never has before.
My two year old son said his first swear word Sunday. And he didn't go for one of the biblical ones. Oh, no. He dropped the bomb.
At Church.
During Sacrament.
Okay. So, I'm almost positive that the words he said and the words I heard were not the same. But when he stood up on the bench in the middle of the nearly silent chapel, looked me in the face and said: "uck ooo," I may have hung my head in shame and prayed that no one but me picked up on the similarity
Sadly, it was not to be. They heard. They giggled. And my confidence as a mother soared as it never has before.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday Giveaway: Uprinting Postcards
Do you like getting cards in the mail? Because I really do. I like email too, but there is just something about getting a card in the mail that is different. Maybe it's the effort involved. Email doesn't take much. Mail takes an envelope, a stamp and a mailbox.
Today's giveaway is a chance to make 100 people feel special. You can enter to win 100 personalized postcards. Although, if you really don't want to use them as postcards you don't have to. You can turn them into thank you cards, (how cute would it be to have a picture of your wedding or your baby on one side and a note on the other!), announcements, invitations or note cards. Then send them out, making 100 people feel important by getting something personalized in the mailbox!
All the cards are 4x6 glossy print, with full color on BOTH sides. The cards are printed on 14 pt. cardstock. If you want these postcards so badly that you are interested in purchasing them, head on over to Uprinting to order some.
If, however, you really just want to win them, leave a comment with your email address and tell me what you would do with these postcards if you won!
The winner will be notified Monday, Dec. 28. Without an email address, you are not eligible to win. Good Luck!
*I will also receive postcards from Uprinting.
Today's giveaway is a chance to make 100 people feel special. You can enter to win 100 personalized postcards. Although, if you really don't want to use them as postcards you don't have to. You can turn them into thank you cards, (how cute would it be to have a picture of your wedding or your baby on one side and a note on the other!), announcements, invitations or note cards. Then send them out, making 100 people feel important by getting something personalized in the mailbox!
All the cards are 4x6 glossy print, with full color on BOTH sides. The cards are printed on 14 pt. cardstock. If you want these postcards so badly that you are interested in purchasing them, head on over to Uprinting to order some.
If, however, you really just want to win them, leave a comment with your email address and tell me what you would do with these postcards if you won!
The winner will be notified Monday, Dec. 28. Without an email address, you are not eligible to win. Good Luck!
*I will also receive postcards from Uprinting.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Drive
So, we drove to CA on Saturday. From St. George, so not so bad as all the way. But, by the time we got to Barstow my kids were stir crazy and ready to run. There is a McDonald's there that we all appreciate. (Clarification: the kids appreciate the playplace. The adults appreciate the respite from whining.)
We arrived and piled out of the car. I was in line and taking orders when my husband informed me that the playplace was CLOSED. Devastation on all sides. (I apparently can be a little dramatic sometimes.) I racked my brains. Is there another one somewhere? Burger King! Burger King has one.
So, we pile back in the car. Everyone but the baby understands. The baby, who hates the car even more than I do, starts freaking out when we buckle him in. We make to Burger King. The scene replays. The playplace is CLOSED AGAIN. At this point, I am close to tears. (I don't do well in the car. And I was hungry. Not the greatest combination.)
I think that an answer to an unasked prayer was offered at that point. A woman overheard our weeping and wailing and suggested that we try Carl's Jr. We decided that it was worth a try. But this time, I ran in before we unloaded any one. And, in the fashion of true Christmas miracles, it was OPEN! Despite the fact that the food was gross, the kids had a spectacular time and were even bordering on happy for the last 2 hours of the trip. The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways.
We arrived and piled out of the car. I was in line and taking orders when my husband informed me that the playplace was CLOSED. Devastation on all sides. (I apparently can be a little dramatic sometimes.) I racked my brains. Is there another one somewhere? Burger King! Burger King has one.
So, we pile back in the car. Everyone but the baby understands. The baby, who hates the car even more than I do, starts freaking out when we buckle him in. We make to Burger King. The scene replays. The playplace is CLOSED AGAIN. At this point, I am close to tears. (I don't do well in the car. And I was hungry. Not the greatest combination.)
I think that an answer to an unasked prayer was offered at that point. A woman overheard our weeping and wailing and suggested that we try Carl's Jr. We decided that it was worth a try. But this time, I ran in before we unloaded any one. And, in the fashion of true Christmas miracles, it was OPEN! Despite the fact that the food was gross, the kids had a spectacular time and were even bordering on happy for the last 2 hours of the trip. The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thankful Thursday
Yesterday we were reading the Book of Mormon before school. We are in 1st Nephi, when Laman and Lemuel have tied Nephi up on the ship. After the horrible storm and the brothers relent, Nephi prays and praises God. My gilrs didn't know what praise meant, and when I explained to them that Nephi prayed and thanked God because he had blessed them, they were shocked.
"Why would he thank God?" asked Eden, my oldest. I was kind of taken aback. I had never really thought about it before. He was on a ship, in the middle of a terrifying storm, surrouned by people who hated him. What did he have to be thankful for?
"Well," I began, grasping for straws, "he probably was thankful that his brothers had finally untied him. And even thought the ship almost sank, it didn't. So he was thankful for that. And, his brothers could have killed him, but instead they tied him up. So he was probably thankful for that."
"Oh. Okay." And that was that.
It made me think. If Nephi can praise God in the middle of a storm, on a ship, surrounded by family who hated him, I can too.
If he can find the good in all that, it shouldn't be so hard for me.
We have a car functioning well enough to make the trip to California.
We are all healthy enough to travel in the car for 10 hours.
We have family who lives at the halfway point so we don't have to do it all in the same day. (Thanks again guys!)
Thanks, Nephi.
"Why would he thank God?" asked Eden, my oldest. I was kind of taken aback. I had never really thought about it before. He was on a ship, in the middle of a terrifying storm, surrouned by people who hated him. What did he have to be thankful for?
"Well," I began, grasping for straws, "he probably was thankful that his brothers had finally untied him. And even thought the ship almost sank, it didn't. So he was thankful for that. And, his brothers could have killed him, but instead they tied him up. So he was probably thankful for that."
"Oh. Okay." And that was that.
It made me think. If Nephi can praise God in the middle of a storm, on a ship, surrounded by family who hated him, I can too.
If he can find the good in all that, it shouldn't be so hard for me.
We have a car functioning well enough to make the trip to California.
We are all healthy enough to travel in the car for 10 hours.
We have family who lives at the halfway point so we don't have to do it all in the same day. (Thanks again guys!)
Thanks, Nephi.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Today.
It's been one of those days.
Crying for no reason. A rebellious 5 year old. A screaming baby. (Who may have been shocked by plugging in a sucked on cord, not sure.) A slightly overzealous 6 year old who recruited her friends to help her "clean her room." A two year old who thinks that if he contradicts me enough, he will get his way. A sick husband.
And I still need to pack.
Crying for no reason. A rebellious 5 year old. A screaming baby. (Who may have been shocked by plugging in a sucked on cord, not sure.) A slightly overzealous 6 year old who recruited her friends to help her "clean her room." A two year old who thinks that if he contradicts me enough, he will get his way. A sick husband.
And I still need to pack.
A little random, a little early
Who says you can't do a random post on Wednesday? Anyone?
I feel like I have so much to tell you but nothing to say. Every night as I'm lying in bed, somewhere in between sleeping and waking, I come up with brilliant post ideas. But when I wake up in the morning, it's completely gone. Although, I'm not completely confident that they would be so brilliant under the light of day. The one time that I actually sat up and wrote down what I was thinking, when I read it in the morning I realized it was a horrible idea.
I am currently in the throes of trip preparation. I hate this part. I must clarify. I love my husband's family and I love spending time with them. But that drive. Being shut up in the car for that long. Being shut up in the car for that long with all of my children strapped down. Eating fast food and junk. It's inevitable. It will be miserable. I will be miserable. Therefore, my husband and children will be miserable. It is not something I look forward to.
Being warm, though, that I am looking forward to.
I feel like I have so much to tell you but nothing to say. Every night as I'm lying in bed, somewhere in between sleeping and waking, I come up with brilliant post ideas. But when I wake up in the morning, it's completely gone. Although, I'm not completely confident that they would be so brilliant under the light of day. The one time that I actually sat up and wrote down what I was thinking, when I read it in the morning I realized it was a horrible idea.
I am currently in the throes of trip preparation. I hate this part. I must clarify. I love my husband's family and I love spending time with them. But that drive. Being shut up in the car for that long. Being shut up in the car for that long with all of my children strapped down. Eating fast food and junk. It's inevitable. It will be miserable. I will be miserable. Therefore, my husband and children will be miserable. It is not something I look forward to.
Being warm, though, that I am looking forward to.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday Giveaway: Momma T's Crafts-Updated!
These little totes are perfect for little boys. Especially little boys with conscientious dads. My husband isn't thrilled when my son carries one of his sister's purse's around, but he wants a bag too! This is the perfect little solution. He can carry his plastic animals around, his trucks, his phone (toy of course), right along with his sisters and his dad doesn't mind one bit!
This tote arrived just in time for our arduous journey this week. Ten hours in the car with four children. I'm praying that this little bag full of goodies makes that drive seem a little less eternal.
Momma T has generously offered to giveaway a piece from her etched glass collection. Which is gorgeous, by the way.
To Enter:
1. Leave a comment with your email address.
2. For one extra entry, browse Momma T's Crafts and tell me your favorite.
3. For two extra entries, blog about this giveaway then leave me the link in your comment.
4. For one extra entry, favorite Momma T's shop on Etsy.
5. For 10 extra entries, make a purchase from Momma T's shop.
Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If I do not have a way to contact you, you are not eligible to win. Contest will close December 27 at Midnight. Good Luck!
*I received a complimentary tote bag for this review.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Random Friday
So, I'm kind of back to blogging. Between getting the final touches done on Christmas presents and getting ready for the drive to CA and Christmas and family parties, I might get to read between 5 and 10 blogs a day. Which is more than it was before. But still, I kind of miss you guys. I didn't really expect this when I started blogging. But, you know what? It's totally worth it!
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Does any ones else feel the need to bake constantly just because it is Christmas time? I have made 4 batches of cookies in 5 days. Many of them have been given away. Except that I can't stop. I really want to make another batch. Oh, this is bad. . .
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A little part of me wishes that there weren't Christmas parties. Have you ever noticed that there are so many Christmas parties that it makes December stressful? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? Or is it just me?
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Do you ever notice someone commenting on all the same blogs that you comment on? And then think, "I should really go check out her blog, I bet I would like it." And then think "But I already read so many blogs. Do I really have time for one more?" What do you do?
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I fall all the time. It's kind of ridiculous. I have fallen down the stairs twice this week. I caught myself both times. but I still hurt my leg. I don't really know how. But it hurts. Seriously though, I'm not a 3 year old. I should not be falling down so much.
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Does any ones else feel the need to bake constantly just because it is Christmas time? I have made 4 batches of cookies in 5 days. Many of them have been given away. Except that I can't stop. I really want to make another batch. Oh, this is bad. . .
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A little part of me wishes that there weren't Christmas parties. Have you ever noticed that there are so many Christmas parties that it makes December stressful? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? Or is it just me?
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Do you ever notice someone commenting on all the same blogs that you comment on? And then think, "I should really go check out her blog, I bet I would like it." And then think "But I already read so many blogs. Do I really have time for one more?" What do you do?
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I fall all the time. It's kind of ridiculous. I have fallen down the stairs twice this week. I caught myself both times. but I still hurt my leg. I don't really know how. But it hurts. Seriously though, I'm not a 3 year old. I should not be falling down so much.
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