The Truth About Mommy

I know I told you I'd post today about the other award I have received and while it's still technically Tuesday (with 17 minutes to spare) I feel bad for my tardiness. I wish I had a good excuse, but really it was just Hubby's night off. I forgot about it (since he just switched job positions and he used to get Friday Saturday off, but now has rotating nights off), but once he reminded me we snuggled up and watched movies all night. We watched 17 Again (I have to give that little Efron kid some credit-I thought the movie was adorable!) and Sunshine Cleaning (a really good dark comedy) and it was so much fun!

Still, I'm sorry I was late. Now, onto the award.........

Recently I have received the Honest Scrap award from Jenny at Our Nifty Notebook and The Crazy Baby Mama. I've received this award before, but I am honored and happy to get it again. It's always nice to know that someone is thinking of me-I always have a little Sally Fields moment when that happens. Also, I'd really like another shot at this award. Last time I had a lot of fun telling you quirky facts about myself (like the fact that I am afraid of birds and like cleaning doorknobs) but after I posted I felt like maybe I should have taken a more serious note with it. There is a lot about me that I haven't talked about, and maybe some of you are curious. Or maybe none of you are curious, but if it's going to be something that the kids read when they're older (and I hope it is) then I'll want them to know some serious things about me in addition to enjoying stories of their own hyjinx. So thanks Jenny and Mama for giving me a second chance!

The rules of the Honest Scrap Award go like this: List at least 10 honest things about yourself. Then, choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design and link to them, leaving a comment to inform them they have been awarded. Here we go.........

1. I've lived on my own since I was 16 years old. I didn't do anything wrong, and my parents didn't do anything wrong-it was just a parting of ways between three people who never could fully understand each other. It was very hard at first, but in retrospect I think it was one of the greatest turning points for the better in my entire life. I certainly wouldn't be the woman I am today if I had not worked as hard as I did, and lived through as much as I did. As an adult I get along great with my parents, and though we still don't really "get" each other on a philosophical level we talk all the time and enjoy monthly family barbecues together at their house.

2. I was born with a SVT (superventricular tachycardia). Basically it means that my heart has extra electrical impulses and beats really really fast sometimes (my resting pulse is about 110bpm but has been monitored as high as 160bpm while sleeping and has gotten as high as 210bpm during an attack). It's not deadly or anything, but it does have the unfortunate side affect of giving me panic attacks (among other things). I can't really treat the panic attacks because I'd have to treat the heart thing first, which I can't take the meds for because of the side effects....and I'm not about to get possibly deadly heart surgery for a non-lethal heart problem....so yeah, truth number 2-I have panic attacks. Luckily these days I'm only having 3 or 4 tachy episodes a year.

3. I have wanted to be a mom all my life but as a kid I felt obligated to pick some kind of dream career. I was in all the honors classes, I was in the "talented and gifted" program, and people were always telling me I was going to be something great someday. I felt like people were telling me that I was too smart to be "just" a mom. That people would think I was lazy or unmotivated, or that I would somehow be setting all of woman-kind back if I didn't become a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer. Now days I don't care-even if all of that were true (which I don't think is the case) it wouldn't matter to me a bit. I love being home with my husband and my children and I know in my heart that I am doing the greatest thing I could ever wish to do.

4. I often wonder if I'm a good mother. I can't ever quite convince myself that I'm not overlooking some way that I could be a better mom-but I do my best every day to be everything the kidlets could ever want or need in a Mommy....I might not exactly know what I'm doing, but I know I love the dickens out of those babies.

5. Being at home with the kidlets is my calling. Cleaning the house is not. I am a terrible, terrible housekeeper. I don't like cleaning, and I really don't see the point in keeping a museum like house when I could be playing with the kids instead. So what if there are books and toys everywhere and hand prints on everything? So what if my house is dusty or the kids colored on the couch? Kids live here. They are happy here-and I'm happy here too. If it were not for my undying love for my neat freak Hubby I might never wash another window or vacuum under the furniture again.

6. I love cooking and baking because it reminds me of my Nana. When I was small, my Nana was the Mommy my biological mother never was. She sang songs and played games and read stories and let my sister and I do her hair and make up. She drove backwards through the Tasty Freeze drive through so my sister and I could order at the window. Most of all, she cooked and baked. She made the heartiest most delicious southern meals that any person ever made. The smell would fill up the house and hug you before you even took a bite. Nana used to let us cook with her-we'd stand on chairs and stir things and pour measuring cups, but our most important job was tasting. Well, that and licking the bowl after desserts. I love those memories, and every time I'm in the kitchen I think of her. I still miss her to this day, and I think I always will-but when I see my own little ones helping in the kitchen (including Baby Bug, who has my Nana's name) I know that I am passing all I have of her on to her great grandbabies and it is just the greatest feeling.

7. Despite being admittedly anti-social, I do have one close friend that is not a family member. I met her in high school, and she is way cooler than I am. I have so much fun hanging out with her that I think it temporarily qualifies me as a social butterfly, even though what we really have is a close friendship...because no matter how social I act, deep down, I have an issue with having 'casual' relationships. They don't feel sincere to me. The problem of course is that you can have a thousand casual relationships, but being a truly dedicated friend takes a lot of time and energy-well spent, of course. So I guess my social problem is endless dedication and loyalty to a small group of people while being hesitant to form casual friendly bonds-forget butterflies, I'm the golden retriever of socialization.

8. Okay, this is not deep or meaningful but I just said socialization, which reminds me of sociopath, which reminds me that I cannot stand Elijah Wood. That's the truth. He gives me the creeps and always has. It's something about his eyes that makes me think that he is just one hair this side of homicidal maniac...and this has been true forever. We're talking since the Radio Flyer/Searching for Bobby Fisher days, I've never been able to see him as friendly and adorable....just creepy and a kind of terrifying. I guess the meaningful thing you can take out of that is that I often make weird word associations in my brain that make me switch topics and thought processes quickly. Moving on.....

9. Doing something creative is essential to my mental and emotional well being. It doesn't matter what it is, or if I'm good at it, I just need to do something that is just creation for creation's sake. I knit and crochet and quilt and bake and paint and sketch and sing and play pretend with the kids-anything that gets my brain going in a more creative way. If I don't, I start to feel sluggish and, I don't know, gross. I think that's a lot of the reason why I blog.

10. I believe with all my heart that my husband is a direct answer to prayer. From the time I began to pray with my own words, I prayed every night with my whole being that I would meet him. My best friend, the person who would love me for who I was for the rest of my life. I prayed hard that I would meet him as soon as I could (I was a very lonely child) and I prayed and prayed and prayed that I would know him as soon as I saw him. I didn't want to be alone, but I didn't want to be with the wrong person either. Every night I prayed, and I waited every day to meet him. Then one day, in the last place I would have ever expected, I saw Hubby...and my prayers were answered exactly as I had asked them to be. I was only 16, so though it felt like an eternity I really hadn't had to wait long, and I knew the instant I saw him before we ever spoke a single word that he was The One. I felt loved and safe and right from that moment on, and we only get stronger every day. Funny thing, about two years into our relationship I told Hubby about my prayers and he just sat there and looked at me for a long time. Then he finally told me-he had prayed, all his life, for me.

There you have it-some serious Truth about me, the good the bad and the, well, you know....

Since I've already given this award away before, and it is now 2am, I'm going to give it to four people instead of 7-those people are:

Susie of Up The Hill Backwards
Kathi of My Story. My Family. My Life.
Jen of The Spoiled Housewife
Jesse of Muthering Heights

Early Morning Poetry Slam

Baby Bug
My sweet middle child
You wake at the crack of dawn
Mommy's brain is mush.

I would love to play
Trust me you are so much fun
When my eyes are open.

If you could please wait
until the sun has joined us
That would be awesome.


WORD.

Awww, You Shouldn't Have

I have a confession-I have gotten awards, and I am waaaaay behind on them. Sorry Jenny and Crazy Baby Mama, I promise I will get to the award you have so graciously given me tomorrow!

Today I am graciously accepting the "Over The Top" award, given to me by Beth from Laugh Until You Cry. I got such a sweet email from Beth-she really seems like a great lady, and I'm so grateful that she chose me to accept this award!

The rules for accepting this award are to copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. Answers can only be one word! Pass the award to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them they have been awarded.

1. Where is your cell phone? Non-existent

2.Your hair? "Tousled"

3. Your mother? Um...

4. Your father? Hilarious

5. Your favorite food? Quiche

6. Your dream last night? Cats

7. Your favorite drink? Diet Pepsi

8. Your dream/goal? Love

9. What room are you in? Bedroom

10. Your hobby? Napping

11. Your fear? Birds

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something you aren't? Famous

15. Muffins? BananaNut

16. Wish list item? Laptop!!!

17. Where did you grow up? Smalltown,USA

18. Last thing you did? Sleep

19. What are you wearing? Sweater-dress

20. Your TV? Old

21. Your pets? Imaginary

22. Your friends? Bloggers

23. Your life? Lovely

24. Your mood? Fantastic!

25. Missing someone? Occasionally

26. Vehicle? Crappy

27. Something you're not wearing? Socks

28. Your favorite store? Best Buy

29. Your favorite color? Burgundy

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today

31. Last time you cried? Awhile

32. Your best friend? Hubby

33. One place that I go over and over? Groceries

34. One person who emails me regularly? YOU!

35. Favorite place to eat? WithFamily

PHEW! That was hard. Brevity is not my strong suit...hence the blog! Still, it was a lot of fun trying to come up with answers. Thanks again Beth!

The bloggers that I would like to give this award to are:

The Crazy Baby Mama
Samantha from Apple Juice and Milk
Kirsty from Momedy
Amber from aefilkins
Robynn from Robynn's Ravings
K from Interstitial Life

I can't wait to read your answers ladies!

Mommies Playing Nice

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times-I'm not by nature a social person. I think Hubby said it best when he said "everything you know about social skills you learned from your blog".

Ain't that the truth.

Recently though I have come to a place where I realize I need to be friendly. If it were just Hubby and I, I would hole up in my house with the computer and a good book and never leave-but the kidlets need friends....and at this point in their lives if they're going to make friends that means that Mommy has to play nice with the other Mommies.

I've made some huge strides. I talked to a woman at Blockbuster. It wasn't even the counter lady-it was just Random Video Store Patron #1, who had a child in tow that looked just about Baby Bug's age. I approached her. I even asked her if she knew of any good play groups (she didn't).

While this may seem like nothing to you this is huge for me. Maybe my parents went a little overboard on the child safety instructions or something, because for whatever reason I really really dislike talking to strangers on a personal level. Don't get me wrong-the cashier at Safeway and I chat like old chums about the whether, her work schedule, and what foods the kids like; the lady at the bank knows me by name and I know her due date. I'm friendly, but I'm not friends with any of them....and the truth is, I don't particularly want to be. Nothing against them, they're all very nice and good conversationalists, I just think my social drive is broken.

Like eating tofu and exercising, if it's important enough I just keep practicing no matter how unpleasant-and I know that it's important for the kids to have friends-so I took them to the park yesterday in the late afternoon when I knew other kids (and moms) would be there. I met a mom who was a preschool teacher, and a mom who thought I was upset because her kid was rolling acorns down the slide (when I was really just making sure Monkey wasn't throwing acorns up the slide when people were coming down). I shared personal tidbits with these women-like my name....and the fact that we homeschool....What? That's a lot for me.

Besides my natural disinclination to making friends there is one more concrete issue that I am having with moms. I'm a lot younger than everyone else. The youngest mom I have met in my neighborhood is more than ten years older than I am. Most of these moms (like all three mentioned in this post) are old enough to be my mother. It seems no one is having kids young these days except me....and the older moms don't seem to want to be friends. I don't know why, but ever since I've been trying to talk to them I've been getting iced out by the majority of them.

Hey I might be socially disinclined, but when someone is trying to talk to me even I'll be nice back .

I am getting so frustrated. I don't even want to do this anyway and then they have to go and make it harder for me-like it wasn't nails on a chalkboard already.

I have the perfect solution-I want to join a Daddy play group. Guys are awesome, they don't even really talk to eachother that much...they just get together and let the kids wear each other out. That's my kind of play group! But Hubby says that I'm not "equipped" for a Daddy Group so I have to suffer it out with the Moms.

Unless you have some other suggestions? Maybe you have some advice on how to break through the ice on these Mommies? Or maybe you just have some insight on why they hate me so much? Knowing is half the battle, right?

Ooooooooooooor I can just convince the kids to be best friends with each other-then the only other parent I'll have to deal with is Hubby, and I get along with him fantastically!

Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday-I Love Ladybugs!

I'm jumping right back in after my case of the yucks to bring you something entirely different. Let's talk about something yummy. More than yummy-so delicious it is practically a miracle.

I started feeling a little better a couple of days ago, so I decided to walk around one morning and do my errands. Fortunately, being as out of shape relaxed as I am, my morning walk turned into an afternoon walk in the 80 degree heat.

Now you know me-I would not normally use the word "fortunately" in relation to exercise of any kind, especially if said exercise was taking place in sweltering weather....but this time the tiny little oasis I found was so FABULOUS that it made up for every single fiery hot footstep. What is that fabulous?

Chocolate, of course!

I stepped in out of the sun and into a tiny piece of heaven called Ladybug Chocolates. This little shop is divine for several reasons, the first of which I noticed was the fact that it was very well cooled (which of course it has to be to preserve the delicious delicious chocolate in it's most wonderful non-melty form, but I appreciated it as if it was cooled just for me). Once I regained myself and looked around I decided that there was a lot more to appreciate than the fabulous temperature. This little hole in the wall is adorably themed around Ladybugs. Everything in the shop is black white and red, from the floors and decorations to the adorable little cafe style tables. As I walked up to the counters to peak inside I noticed that even the chocolates have little ladybugs on them!

I just had to try some of these chocolates. I had a Chocolate Covered Oreo (complete with edible ladybug on top), a Chocolate Coconut Drop, and a White Chocolate Truffle. What? No, I haven't forgotten or given up on my 30 Day Throwdown goals-these chocolates are locally made with fresh ingredients and are preservative free! Plus I had the small truffle...and I had walked a long way so I already burned the calories for it....and my blood sugar was low...and besides, I was just tasting them for you. It was all business, and scientific, and stuff.....

Okay, so it might not have been any of those things, but I can tell you for certain every single one of those was FABULOUSLY DELICIOUS-and I should know. I have tasted a lot of chocolate in my day. They were perfectly sweet-not so sweet that you have to choke them down, but they didn't have the bitter aftertaste that expensive chocolates tend to have either-the flavors were all perfectly blended (no need to fear the mystery chocolate spit-take), and have I mentioned how adorable they are? The white chocolate truffles had little miniature ladybugs painted right on them!

I think the most impressive part of all is that all of the chocolates are hand made with love. Ladybug Chocolates is a family owned and operated business, and the owners Shery and John (who also own Ladybug Chocolates Cake Decorating & Candy Making Supplies, found right next door) are right there to answer your questions and help you decide between all of the delicious options!

I cannot recommend Ladybug Chocolates enough-their family friendly shop is a treat we will definitely be indulging in with kidlets in tow. For those of you who don't live in the vicinity, you can order their delicious chocolates through their online store for special occasions-Christmas is coming up!-or for no other reason than just to sample the best chocolate I've ever had!

This little shop is worthy of both my repeat business and my Fab Friday recommendation, so go check them out and treat yourself and someone you love, if you can manage to part with a few!



[all pictures taken directly from the Ladybug Chocolates website]

Linky Love

More good news/bad news. Good (FANTASTIC!) news is that we had a blood test done and I am not pregnant as I had feared. More proof God will never give you more than you can handle! Bad news is, I am still feeling just miserably ill. I'm going to go back into the doc on Friday to see what's up, and I'm going to try to get to feeling better in the mean time, but this mystery yuck is hard to shake!

I don't want to leave you guys hanging, so I thought I'd share some of the cool posts I've seen in the past couple of days...

You can go visit my friend Robynn at her 30 Day Throwdown blog. The Throwdown being, of course, a challenge to get healthy...this month we're doing away with junk food (easy enough for me, since my stomach turns at the thought of any food at all at the moment!).

Also you can stop by my gal pal Jesse's place, Muthering Heights, to enter to win a 18 x 24" poster!

Lesley, who you might remember from Fab Find Friday, wrote about her online romance with her soldier Hubby....a cute read!

Remember Samantha, from Apple Juice & Milk? She has a fabulous recipe for potato, ham, and cheese soup that is just delicious! [Even if you pick the ham out like I did!]

Last, but not least, I certainly hope you get a chance to stop by Helene's place-she's being featured on SITS today!

I promise I am not abandoning you, and that I will return back and better than ever...well at least back...very soon. For now though I'm just going to go eat some tums and lay on my couch.

Music To Your Ears

I'm still sick. The bad news/good news is that I'm not going to attempt to write a coherent blog post while I'm all barf-tastic. Sooooooooooooooo, today-please to enjoy my favorite Weird Al Songs (yes, I do in fact have a standing list of favorite Weird Al songs...I'm just that nerdy):

Smells Like Nirvana [Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana]
I love the 90s. Heck, I love Nirvana...but not even I can figure out all the words to Teen Spirit!


Gump [Parody of "Lump" by Presidents of the United States]
The original song by the Presidents was fun, so this could only be more fun!


Another One Rides The Bus [Parody of "Another One Bites the Bus Dust" by Queen...see, I told you I couldn't write coherently.]
My very favorite of the really old Weird Al!




Ebay [Parody of "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys]
So true. So hilarious!




Honorable Mentions:
All About The Pentiums
White and Nerdy
Six Words Long

Please Hold While Your Party Is Reached....

I know I'm supposed to be doing Fab Friday today, but I'm not. Problem is I'm not feeling so Fab. I visited the doctor yesterday and I'm going again today, and I'm spending the rest of my day being very ill....and frantically worrying about the possible cause of my illness.

Good times.

So, sorry for the break in my regular posting schedule...I promise I'll be back soon. Until then, please to enjoy:

Mom Lays Down The Law

Whereas I, Mommy, have only one nerve left
Whereas you three are already working it
Whereas I am concerned for both the safety and sanity of all members of this household running on the fumes of 3 nightly hours of sleep, I introduce this piece of legislation for your perusal (not to be confused with approval)

This act may be cited as "The Mommy Sanity Initiative"....





Chapter 1: Individual Provisions

Section I
Notice to Monkey:
Any toy that remains in a direct traffic area is in violation of statute 1156-B [Subtitled "Things That Are Both Obnoxious and Potentially Hazardous"]. Any toys found in violation from this date forward will be confiscated, as allowed by Law (that's me), and returned to you only after copious amounts of paperwork involving form 457-81C which must be done, signed, and returned in triplicate. In short, if you want to see that toy before you leave home I might suggest you keep it in the "safe zones" as have been previously outlined to you approximately 10,000 times.

Section II
Notice to Baby Bug
Thank you for your interest in the pre-toddler fit experimentation program (or P-FEP). Unfortunately, due to a sleep shortage resulting in paper thin nerves, this program has been cut until further notice. Please feel free to take advantage of the other educational opportunities we have available in the House of M-including Sharing 101, which I feel would help you create a well rounded transcript.

Section III
Notice to The Bean
It has come to my attention that you appear to have a damaged internal clock. I am consulting a myriad of child manuals in an attempt to find a repair method or at the very least a substitute. One that will not wake up between 1 am and 4am every day for no apparent reason. Until such time when a fix or a substitute may be found I encourage you to wait quietly and patiently....if you happen to get bored and fall asleep while waiting so be it.

Section IV
Special Provisions for Hubby
You rock. Carry on.
[Though, if you're looking for opportunities to grow from your current rocking status to one of a supreme awesomeness, NOT knocking me up would certainly be worth something.]

Chapter 2: General Provisions
Be it henceforth enacted that, when it comes to housework, if I don't wanna-I'm not gonna.
This law would also repeal several laws including "Finders Keepers" and "Losers Weepers" which are oft a source of internal household conflict....especially the weeping part.
Lastly I would like a 15 minute break every 2.5 hours and a 1 hour meal period.
In absence of that, I wish to pee alone and shower at least once a day.


This bill is effective immediately.

[Legislation not valid in the continental United States, also non-applicable in Alaska, Hawaii, nor any states or territories included in this plane of reality. Valid only in the realm of imagination. No refunds, no exchanges, no take backs. Dream legislation redeemable cash value=.000000000000000000000000000001 cent(s).]

Wordless Wednesday: LoL

It's old. It's cliche. It's adorable, and I love it. It's LOL Cats.

A Little Bit of "Help"! {Help! I'm A Newlywed...Book Review and Giveaway}

Hubby and I have been married about 2 1/2 years, so while we've obviously been together longer than that (Monkey is 5, after all) we are still new-ish-ly wed people. And there is no one I can recommend more to a new or newishly married person than my friend Wifey.

Wifey (aka Lorraine Sanabria Robertson) runs a wonderful site called Ask Wifey (you may or may not remember that she and her blog were featured in last week's Fab Find Friday). There she gives advice to wives about all of the hard-to-navigate hijynx of marriage, from dealing with first year fighting to coming to compromises on finances and everything in between. Her site is insightful, and supportive, and positive. I found her blog waaaaaaaaay back in the day during Blog Party 2008, a more than a year but less than two years after Hubby and I tied the knot, and I immediately loved her style-so when she said that she had written a book for newly married women, and was giving a copy away before it was even published, I was all over it.

Unlike every other contest I've ever entered, I actually won (!) and got myself signed copy of "Help! I'm A Newlywed....What Do I Do Now?". I read it in a single night. Even though living together was a little old hat for us (we had lived together for going on 4 years at that point) I found myself nodding and smiling over every page, and I still found some great insights laced in there for "Level Two" newlyweds.

In her book Wifey talks about how to survive the post-wedding withdrawls, and how to get over the "and they lived happily ever after" part and get down to business making ever after as happy as possible. She gives advice about sharing space, managing money and in laws, and how to deal with a Hubby addicted to sports.

The book is also peppered with quotes from wives of different levels of experiences-from newlyweds to real veterans-who all give their advice and talk about their experiences with their husbands. It's great to read so many perspectives and to see them all neatly woven together with Wifey's own words of wisdom and encouragement.

I just love this book....and you will love it too. You can go to Amazon and buy one, but I figured since I was lucky enough to win a signed copy I'd pass that luck along and give one of YOU your very own signed copy of Wifey's book [Don't worry, you'll get your own-I'm not parting with mine!]. Enter to win it for yourself, or for any blushing bride (or bride to be) that you love.

As with all of my contests, all you have to do is leave a comment to be entered to win. If you want to increase your odds, I have lots of ways for you to do that.

• Follow Wifey at Ask Wifey
• Follow me on my blog
• Follow me on my twitter
• Tweet about this contest (1 entry per Tweet, 1 Tweet per day, please leave a link)
• Fan me on Facebook
• Add my button to your sidebar/blogroll (please leave a link)
• Blog about this contest, with a link to this post and a link to Ask Wifey [+5 entries!!!]

This contest will end at 12am on September 30th~Good luck to everyone!!

Tell All Tuesday: Throw Down (Some Apple Pie)

I'm still participating in the 30 Day Throwdown that my friend Robynn is hosting, and so far it's working well. I haven't noticed a significant weight loss, or change in appearance, but I DO have a lot more energy. Well, for me.....which basically means that even after a night when I only got one hour of sleep I was still able to pee without falling asleep on the toilet. [Ta-da!]

I love being vegetarian again. I'm having fun revisiting all of my old foods and recipes (Ni Hao, vegetable dumplings!), and I enjoy feeling healthier even if it doesn't have super dramatic outward effects.

Still, I have to tell you, I LOVE dessert. Love it love it love it. I want to be as loyal as possible to my ideal of nixing all junk and eating super healthy, but I can't go without a sweet every now and again.

Time to look into some sweet but healthy options. Fruit, sure. Jello, sure. But what about warm bakery items? I found this recipe from Eating Well (photo taken from that same site) for Apple Pie-which has all the yummy stuff with only half the fat and I tried it out. Verdict? Delicious. So delicious that I could not get a picture of it before it was swarmed upon and devoured by the ravenous hordes.

Just try to keep this away from your family until you get a slice!

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Ingredient Note)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

• 6 cups thinly sliced peeled McIntosh apples, (about 2 pounds)
• 6 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apples, (about 2 pounds)
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground allspice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten, for brushing

Preparation

1. To prepare crust: Whisk whole-wheat flour, 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and, with your fingers, quickly rub them into the dry ingredients until the pieces are smaller but still visible. Add sour cream and oil; toss with a fork to combine with the dry ingredients. Sprinkle water over the mixture. Toss with a fork until evenly moist. Knead the dough with your hands in the bowl a few times"the mixture will still be a little crumbly. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead a few more times, until the dough just holds together. Divide the dough in half and shape into 5-inch-wide disks. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, make filling: Combine apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and pinch of salt in a large bowl. Reserving 4 cups, transfer the rest of the apple mixture to a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the apples are tender and beginning to break down, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the reserved apples and 2 tablespoons flour; let cool for about 30 minutes.
3. To assemble & bake pie: Position a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator; let stand for 5 minutes to warm slightly. Roll one portion between sheets of parchment or wax paper into a 13-inch circle. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Peel off the remaining paper. Scrape the filling into the crust. Roll the remaining portion of dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper into another 13-inch circle. Peel off the top sheet of paper and invert the dough onto the fruit. Peel off the remaining paper. Trim the crust so it overhangs evenly. Tuck the top crust under the bottom crust, sealing the two together and making a plump edge. Flute the edge with your fingers. Combine 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the crust with egg white and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Cut 6 steam vents in the top crust.
5. Bake the pie on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° and continue baking until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack for about 1 1/2 hours before serving.

How do you stay in shape? What healthy recipes do you enjoy? Tell me all about it!

Congrats!

The 50 piece Wonderworld Block Set winner has been chosen by the 1s and 0s at Random.Org and the winner is

Heidi from A Peak Into Heidi's Life

She entered to win these blocks for her nephew (how sweet is that?!). Congratulations to Heidi, and to Heidi's nephew on having an awesome aunt, and a big thank you to everyone who dropped by and entered. I have some fabulous giveaways coming up-one starts tomorrow, the other on October 1st-so hang around for your next chance to win!

Fall Season TV Premieres (Friend Makin' Monday)

It's time once again to meet some new bloggy friends with my gal pal Amber at aefilkins...that's right, it's Friend Makin' Monday!



This week I am totally stoked because she is asking about a topic near and dear to my heart-

What are your favorite fall shows?

Good thing it says 'favorite' instead of 'what shows do you watch most often' otherwise my list would be full of Ni Hao Ki-Lan and History International specials! [Poor Mommy never gets to hold the remote unless everyone else is asleep!]

Thank God for DVR, right? At night I get to cuddle up with my blanket and a snack (which, because of my 30 Day Throwdown goals are usually something on the healthier side like strawberries and low fat whip cream or honey roasted peanuts) and watch whatever I want to watch. Here's what's on the top of my DVR list:

How I Met Your Mother

I love this show. No, that does not do my passion justice-I am OBSESSED with this show. It is lengend....wait for it....and I hope you're not allergic because the last part of this word is-dary. It truly is by far the awesomest display of awesomeness ever. True Story. {And the award for most 'inside joke' TV show references in one paragraph goes to....me? Oh yeah! Fake-Award-Five.}

Bones

I have been watching this show since day one and I. Am. In. Love. With. It. Possibly because I also love David Boreanaz....in a platonic, I'm totally married kind of way. I've followed him around since the Buffy days and I think that his role as Sealy Booth is the best role he's ever been in.

House

You knew it was coming. Who doesn't like House? Hugh is awesome (if unintelligible off screen) and the train wreck/evil genius that is House MD couldn't be more compelling. This year it premieres the same night and time as How I Met Your Mother....again Thank God for DVRs, am I right?

Psych

Okay, so this has already started, but I love it love it love it so it goes on my list. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, please do! The quick back and forth banter is awesome, and there are so many pop culture references in it you could nearly drown.

So, what do you like to watch? Let me know! And, if you get a chance, stop by Amber's place and join in on Friend Makin' Monday!

How Many Kids Does It Take To Make A Mommy Nuts?

I know that there are a lot of people who don't believe in limiting the number of kids that they have and if it works for them that's fabulous. Still, I have to say, we have three kids and I feel SOOOOO done. I love the kidlets, and I love being Mommy, but I only sleep 3 hours a night as it is-and I don't even want to know what another kid would do to my sanity. Any more kids and I can just picture them swarming around my body while I'm passed out from exhaustion and running around in anarchy ala Lord of the Flies. No set meals, filthy house, and everyone fighting for attention....

This is not a good scenario for anyone.

I like to know my limits and I feel confident my limit is three. There is just one eensy weensy problem with that-Hubby has not had his vasectomy yet. We were going to have it done in July after The Bean was born when he got his vacation, but his work unexpectedly refused to pay out the paternity leave they promised him so we had to cash out his vacation to make up for our losses. Hubby works a very physical job and would have to be out at least 5 days after the procedure before he could return, but we can't afford to take unpaid time off to do it-so that means we have to wait until next July.

There's also another kink in our plan to have no more than three children-I cannot take hormonal birth control. It just destroys my body. When I first started birth control I took the pill. It was okay, except for one thing-we kinda sorta got pregnant while on it. Yeeeeeeeeah.

After Monkey was born, I went on depo....and promptly gained nearly 100lbs in less than a month. I had periods that lasted 6 months and then no period for three. I had constant nausea, and my hormones were entirely out of whack resulting in all sorts of other funness. So I went off of depo (and ruled out any kind of progesterone) and went back on the pill-then I started having chest pains. Since I was born with a heart condition, they immediately yanked me off of it and also ixnay'd both the ring and the patch. After Baby Bug was born I tried to go on the IUD, but it gave me migraines and proved-uh-uncomfortable to both hubby and I in-er-"private" situations. Hubby and I are both absolutely unwilling to abstain long enough to try natural family planning, so all that's left is ingenuity and rubbers.

No offense to our mental dexterity or our good friends at Trojan, but this does not an effective pregnancy prevention method make. Case in Point: The Bean-who, if you remember, is only 14 months and 28 days (64 weeks) younger than Baby Bug.

Needless to say I am scared poo-less. If only Hubby were less attractive, then I wouldn't want to have sex with him all the time and this problem would just solve itself. Unfortunately (?!) my husband is a smokin' hottie and knows all the places to kiss me to make me turn into jello.

Why do you care? Maybe you don't. But I am breastfeeding, so right now I'm missing periods and this makes me FREAK OUT. No positive pregnancy tests [Thank GOD], but I am crackhead-paranoid right now. I've never prayed for a period so hard in my whole life. [And before you say 'you can't get pregnant while breastfeeding', I nursed Baby Bug too...]

I am worried that the kidlets won't get enough attention, I'm worried about my sleep and sanity, I'm worried that we'll go broke, I'm worried that Hubby and I will never get to spend any time together (although spending time together is the whole cause of this mess in the first place), but mostly I'm worried about how I will react. I feel so very, very, VERY done having kids-what happens if I get pregnant now? I don't even want to think about how emotionally devastating it's going to be for me, not to mention I would't want to accidentally give the kid the idea that I had no desire to have more children (which is definitely the case, but kids shouldn't know that).

*SIGH*

All of this craziness better be from a lack of sleep and an impending period or I have no idea what I'm going to do.

Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday: Wifey of Ask Wifey!

Hi everyone-it's Friday, and it's time once again for me to feature on of YOU, my fabulous readers, for my Fabulous Find Friday. This week's featured follower, selected by Random.Org is

Wifey of Ask Wifey

I met Wifey online a while ago-I'd say at least two years ago-when I won a copy of her book (that's right, she's a published author) Help! I’m a Newlywed… What Do I Do Now? Wife-Saving Advice Every New Bride Must Know to Survive the First Year of Marriage. She is such a sweet and caring lady....maybe that's why she's been on TV so much!

On her blog Ask Wifey she gives advice about marriage, and blogs about her own life with her husband and two children. I'm very glad that I've met Wifey-now it's your turn to get to know this fabulous lady.
[This week, as a little change of pace, the answers are in bold instead of the questions.]

So, tell us about yourself (Family/friends/pets? Career/hobbies? Fun facts? Hidden talents? Medical oddities?)...

I'm a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, author, writer, social media enthusiast, chocolate connoisseur, NFL and NBA fanatic, tennis player and music lover. I could live off of Italian food if my metabolism moved as fast as my mouth; and I love a good beer and glass of red wine - not at the same time ... on most days. I'm a former music industry executive who traded in myc orner office to raise my own little superstars - Miles, 8, and Milan, 6. Husband and I have been married for 10 years and our life-changing wedding was featured on TLC's popular television show "A Wedding Story." I was also recently featured in The Travel Channel's Great Cruises series on the show "Why Not the Mediterranean?" No, I'm not a reality TV star. I think you have to make money to be considered one of those.

And of course everyone wants to know where we can find your writing...

You can find my writing at my blog, AskWifey.com. I also have another blog that I co-founded, TheBlogRollers.com. And, if that's not enough you can read my book, "Help! I'm a Newlywed ... What Do I Do Now? Wife-Saving Advice Every New Bride Must Know to Survive the First year of Marriage," available on my site and at Amazon.com.

Curious minds want to know-who and/or what inspires you to blog?

Many things inspire me to blog. I love to write. Blogging is a wonderful outlet to share your writing and interact with other bloggers. My book inspired me to start Ask Wifey. I love having the opportunity to help other people that might have questions about marriage or motherhood who don't want to ask their mother, sister or girlfriends. Sometimes you need an unbiased opinion; and I love that my readers also leave their comments so multiple points of views are shared.

Please share with us your favorite posts so far!

Ooh, too many to pick favorites, but here's a variety of what you might find at AskWifey.com:

Don't Call Me Corny - http://askwifey.blogspot.com/2009/05/dont-call-me-corny.html
Wives' Words - http://askwifey.blogspot.com/2009/04/wives-words-hanging-with-mrs-cooper.html

Mother's Day Dilemma - http://askwifey.blogspot.com/2009/04/mothers-day-dilemma-mad-mom-or-angry.html

Pants and Panties - http://askwifey.blogspot.com/2009/08/pants-and-panties.html

What writers (and/or bloggers) do you read regularly?

Again, too many too choose favorites, I've got so many in my reader, so here are the last three I just read:

My Life ... A Work in Progress - http://www.christiecrowder.com/

The World According to Me - http://sixbelinskis.blogspot.com/2009/09/theres-always-bus.html

My Inner Dialogue - http://www.myinnerdialogue.com/

What are your future plans for your writing/blog?

My future plans for AskWifey.com is to continue to write, entertain and help as many people as I can. Outside of AskWifey.com I freelance for traditional magazines - gasp! I do plan on continuing to do that as well as expand my online writing.

And now, for something completely different.......

If I could go back in time and give myself one piece of advice it would be....

To believe in myself at an early age. As you get older, *ahem*, you really do get wiser and more confident. I wish I knew what I know now when I was in my twenties. I would've been unstoppable.

What is your culinary guilty pleasure?

Culinary sounds so "proper." Give me a bag of Oreos and it's on! Chips and salsa are a favorite, and did someone say chocolate?

If I had a nickel for every time I said "right," (with all types of inflections - Ri-ight. Riiiiiight. RIGHT!) I would be a bazillionaire.

What is your favorite book ?

I love reading self-help books. I'm a motivational "you can do it" junkie! I just read Victoria Osteen's "Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy & Whole." Loved it.

Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview Wifey-I'm so glad we've gotten to know each other as bloggy friends!

Alright now, my other bloggy friends, you know how it works....please go visit the lovely Wifey and find out more about what makes her so FABULOUS!

[Remember, if you want a chance to be my featured follower on Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday all you have to do is be a follower! If you choose to subscribe in a reader or bookmark my page, you'll have to make sure to leave a comment so that I can include you in the drawing.]

A Parent's Art Review

I don't know how to feel about this particular piece. I call it "Cityscape with car, sun, and cloud"; the medium is "bedroom door":

Monkey's Newest Piece's Ratings:

+500 Creativity and Skill
(-20, since technically this is vandalism)

Wordless/Wordful Wednesdays:Mama Bear

As I know I've mentioned before, I am generally an anti-social person. For some strange and wonderful reason, this doesn't seem to affect my blogging but when it comes to real life friends I am very choosy.

Don't get me wrong, I am polite, but that's where my interaction with most people outside of my immediate circle of loved ones ends-unless you hurt someone I care about. Woe to the person who does something to hurt the ones I love.

This applies equally to anyone who might do something I consider wrong towards those I love-be they in laws that treat my Hubby like crap, or boyfriends who commit some dastardly deed, or another kid making fun of my kidlets, seeing one of them hurt makes me go all Mama Bear. I find myself with mixed feelings-part of me wants to pin the offender in a tree and (metaphorically) rip their heads off, and part of me wants to take my little bear in need of love and nurse them back to health.

Usually I choose the latter, and I spend my time baking cookies for my loved one and giving them lots of encouragement, but the whole time, on the inside, I feel like this:
So crappy relatives, *&%$! exes, neighborhood bullies, stupid bosses, IRS agents, or any one else who might be thinking of slighting my loved ones:

You've Been Warned.

Tell All Tuesday:Throw Down!

I have to tell you what I'm doing. It's fabulous, and you'll want to do it too. Okay, maybe not, but it's still fabulous! My friend Robynn is doing a healthy eating challenge blog called 30 Day Throw Down. The challenge is to toss out fast food, avoid highly processed food, and do your best to eat as healthy as possible.

I love this idea. It's so simple-no bells or whistles or eating only ice cubes, just avoid food crap and eat healthy. There's not even exercise involved (at least not this month) which works so well for me since I loathe exercise and hate doing it (even if I have time, which I totally don't). Still, even with out exercise, I think just tossing the crap will get me down the last 8lbs....what do you think?

I've taken it one step further, and decided that in addition to tossing the junk food and eating more naturally I will also be returning to vegetarianism. Yes, I was a veggie for six years and I loved it. It was probably just the 16 year old old, pre-three-babies thing but my body was totally rockin' back then...I'd like to see it go back to that. Plus I always felt so much lighter and more energetic. I started eating meat at the end of my pregnancy with Monkey and I just kept on going.

Now, I return to you oh lovely land of tofu and greens. Don't make that face-being a veggie can be awesome if you know the right recipes. Some recipes don't even include tofu....like the one I cooked tonight.

Vegetarian Gyros
Spinach
Hummas
Tzatziki Sauce
Tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Pita Bread

Spread hummas on bread. Spread Tzatziki on top of that. Layer spinach and feta, top with tomatoes, roll like a burrito. Voila! Yummy veggie eatings:

I've just passed the week mark and already I am feeling a little more energetic. I totally cleaned my house today without thinking "Please no, God why" first. I totally give credit to the vegetables (and to me for eating them). Also, it may have been my imagination, but I think my dress may be a little looser....

Stay tuned for regular Tell All Tuesday updates about my adventures in the 30 Day Throwdown-as bribery I promise to include a super yummy reciepe for your enjoyment! If you would like to participate (and, hello, why would you not-did I mention the $100 Amazon gift card?) stop by the 30 Day Throw Down and put your hat in the ring!

Mondays Our Way:Unschooling Gets Press?

Behold-Fox News brings you a very short moment of reflection about unschooling.



Some thoughts I had:

What do PUBLIC SCHOOL high school drop outs have to do with unschoolers? Isn't that more of a symptom of a public school problem?

If a kid wants to be an astronaut, he'll also want to learn calculus in order to achieve his goal-just as any toddler who wants to walk will first crawl to achieve their ultimate goal.

A lot of unschooled children need to be structured learning? Hmmmm....words for thought LOL.

What do you think about this interview? What, if any, are your questions about unschooling that I might be able to answer for you?

Friend Makin' Monday

I have just discovered something lovely! I love discovering lovelies-it's so.....nice. My new discovery today is Friend Makin' Monday. Amber at aefilkins is running this fun get to know you carnival-and you know how much I love making new bloggy friends, so of course I just had to participate!

This week's topic is 'What are some of your favorite things about fall?'

I love the weather here-it's cool enough that all the bees go away, but warm enough that you don't have to put on a parka. We still get warm rain in the fall, and always have some lovely sun showers (common and beloved in the Pacific Northwest). The trees are just the right color and the whole city just feels and smells clean.

(Picture by MadieRose)

I do love putting on sweaters though-that's another one of my favorite things about fall! Nice, big, soft, comfy sweaters to snuggle into...and snuggle up to the family in.

(Picture by A.J. Wilhelm)

For some unknown reason, fall is pie season in my heart...and I love making pies. Something about a nice warm pecan pie with some vanilla ice cream on top just does it for me, and the timing is never better than on a nice crisp fall night.

(Picture from Jeanniescookies.com)

I know it might be terrible, but there is one last very important reason I love fall-because the sun comes up later....which means the kids get up later....which means I might have a prayer of sleeping for more than three hours.

I. LOVE. Fall!!

Quoteable Sunday:Love and Marriage

Love and marriage may come with a horse and carriage, but they also provide some hilarious joke fodder. Enjoy!

A married man should forget his mistakes; no use two people remembering the same thing.
Duane Dewel

Getting married is the boldest and most idealistic thing that most of us will ever do.
Maggie Gallagher

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half-shut afterwards.
Benjamin Franklin

Don't marry for money. You can borrow it cheaper.
Scotts Proverb

I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.
Rodney Dangerfield

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.
Rita Rudner

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.
Henry Youngman

For marriage to be a success, every woman and every man should have her and his own bathroom. The end.
Katherine Zeta-Jones

Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other who never forgets them.
Ogden Nash

My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates

[For more Quatable Sundays, hop over to A Daily Dose of Toni]

Mama Needs A New Laptop (In Search Of a Fab Find Friday Cont.)

Remember when I told you about the eminent demise of Frankenputer? I reviewed laptops online, hoping to narrow down the search, and it came down to the MacBook Pro, the Dell Studio 15, and the Toshiba Satellite A500. It was a close race-until I went to Best Buy.

When I saw the MacBook Pro it was clear-this is, hands down, the drool worthy laptop of my bloggy dreams. I am telling you, it was probably embarassing how much I oogled that computer-but I am shameless, because this computer is perfect! The graphics are awesome, the touch pad is super responsive, it's super thin and ready to go anywhere.....

Oh MacBook, why do you have to be $2000?


I don't know about you, but I don't have $2000 just sitting around. Who am I kidding-we just paid rent....I don't have $20 just sitting around. All of our money is very carefully balanced and compartmentalized, but we use nearly every penny of it. So what's a broke MacBook lovin' gal to do?

I guess this will be a three part series:

Post One: Review Laptops

Post Two: Love MacBook!

Post Three: How I (someday) Manage to Buy A MacBook Without Selling a Kidney

If you have $2000 to spare or an already carefully saved computer budget and you're in the market for laptops I (a) am jealous and (b) highly recommend that you take a look at a MacBook. For anyone else like me, I'll let you know when I figure out how to get a MacBook and keep my organs.

Wordless Wednesday: Blogging With a Sense of Humor

So funny, and so true!