I usually only record when we're having heat waves. I fail to discuss the beautiful weather. We actually have a LOT of beautiful weather where I live. This area has my favorite kind of weather. Some people say they like "having seasons," and that our area doesn't have distinct enough seasons. I grew up with seasons and they seem a little over rated to me. I don't like really cold weather or really hot weather. To me, we have enough difference in the weather, throughout the year, to make me feel like we have seasons.
Right now, it's high 70s in the day and low 60s at night. I love this weather. Some people might find it a little cool, for a summer, but to me, with all my numbness that is exacerbated in the heat, it's heavenly! It's forecast to be in the 70s all week this week!
It's funny... I was writing this post when my friend (PS) called and asked what we're doing for the fourth. (It's now many hours later and I'm still writing.) If it were really warm, we'd go to their house and swim, but it's going to be cool, so we won't swim at their house. We decided to hang out here and have our favorite steak. Now, this week, before Friday, I need to power-wash the decks and paint a table.
(I have one I want to use outside, but it needs to be painted. MWH and I just started sanding and priming--go us! We figure it will take primer on both sides, then paint on both sides and then at least a second coat on the top. We'll see if it needs more.)
In addition to the wonderful weather, it was a lovely day because I got to hang with MWH (alone) today. Our summer schedule with N3nny includes having her come on 3 Sundays to hang with the girls. MWH and I will get some Sunday date afternoons. Woo-hoo!
This afternoon was low-key. MWH and I just went to lunch and then went to buy workout shoes. It's nice to be able to hang and talk with him without 3 little girls vying for our attention. We both ate SO MUCH food for lunch. I had these lovely prawns with Honey Roasted Walnuts. MMMM...Except, I'm still so full (at midnight and we ate around 1 pm).
There was something else... I was all set to write about it and then I forgot what I was going to say... How embarrassing.
[whistling]
Has any one seen Wall*E? Maybe next weekend we'll take the girls.
Ah, I remember, I was going to write about my back. It's definitely feeling better. Not all the way better, maybe 85%, but much better. I still don't like sitting very much, but I feel pretty darn good moving around. I'd say yesterday it was about 70%. (I'd say at 50% I can't do anything except lay in bed and moan.)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
hearts abound
My little observant K (4) found this in her shake* tonight. I swirled a little chocolate syrup on top of her shake and as she drank her shake, the heart formed. (I didn't swirl it in a heart, it just formed as she drank.) Awww. And she noticed it. Sweet K!
The heart stayed until the very end.
I make this post for my friend
Nino.
*The shake is another way to get vegetables in K. About a year ago I started blending peas in K's fruit shakes. This year, N3nny started adding broccoli sometimes and K didn't complain. This shake is this stuff (Superfood), a little bit of peanut butter, soymilk, yogurt, ice and a teeny bit of chocolate sauce dribbled on top. I feel good when K drinks her shakes! She loves them.
The heart stayed until the very end.
I make this post for my friend
Nino.
*The shake is another way to get vegetables in K. About a year ago I started blending peas in K's fruit shakes. This year, N3nny started adding broccoli sometimes and K didn't complain. This shake is this stuff (Superfood), a little bit of peanut butter, soymilk, yogurt, ice and a teeny bit of chocolate sauce dribbled on top. I feel good when K drinks her shakes! She loves them.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
blogiquette?
What is the etiquette around this issue...
I read the blog of a Mom who lives in my area. I don't know where she lives exactly, but from what she writes it seems like she lives 10-15 miles away. I never expected to run into her unless I was near the area I imagined to be her stomping grounds.
However, the other day, I was leaving my coffee shop, the one I go to EVERY DAY, and she was walking up to the door. She was kind of far away at first and I thought, hey, that looks like B_______. I then noted she had two little boys with her and check B_______ has two little boys. She looked a lot like her picture. When I saw her, I was alone, on my way to work, so I didn't have any of the little girls with me. B_______ might have thought I was a crazy-type if I'd said something to her and didn't look like another Mommy-blogger-type.
I have commented on her blog a couple of times, but as far as I can tell, she hasn't read my blog, and she definitely hasn't commented. (I usually stop by the blogs of everyone who comments and comment on their blog if they comment on mine... that seems like appropriate blogiquette, eh?)
Of course, she doesn't know that I live near her as I don't discuss my location, in specifics, on my blog. So, if I ever see her again*, do I say anything?
Choices:
Do I say, "Hey, are you B_______? I read your blog."
Do I just look all friendly and wave?
Do I do nothing?
Should I leave her a comment and let her know we're in the same area?
A little more information for you as you help me with this....At the moment, I'm actually not looking for more friends. It sounds bad to say, but I have enough friends. I don't have time for more. I like to do things well and having more friends would mean I would take away time from the ones I have, or from my family. (Is that awful of me to say that I don't currently want more friends????)
*Who knows what the chances are that I will see her again. We live in a large metropolitan area with lots of coffee shops! (She likes coffee too.)
I read the blog of a Mom who lives in my area. I don't know where she lives exactly, but from what she writes it seems like she lives 10-15 miles away. I never expected to run into her unless I was near the area I imagined to be her stomping grounds.
However, the other day, I was leaving my coffee shop, the one I go to EVERY DAY, and she was walking up to the door. She was kind of far away at first and I thought, hey, that looks like B_______. I then noted she had two little boys with her and check B_______ has two little boys. She looked a lot like her picture. When I saw her, I was alone, on my way to work, so I didn't have any of the little girls with me. B_______ might have thought I was a crazy-type if I'd said something to her and didn't look like another Mommy-blogger-type.
I have commented on her blog a couple of times, but as far as I can tell, she hasn't read my blog, and she definitely hasn't commented. (I usually stop by the blogs of everyone who comments and comment on their blog if they comment on mine... that seems like appropriate blogiquette, eh?)
Of course, she doesn't know that I live near her as I don't discuss my location, in specifics, on my blog. So, if I ever see her again*, do I say anything?
Choices:
Do I say, "Hey, are you B_______? I read your blog."
Do I just look all friendly and wave?
Do I do nothing?
Should I leave her a comment and let her know we're in the same area?
A little more information for you as you help me with this....At the moment, I'm actually not looking for more friends. It sounds bad to say, but I have enough friends. I don't have time for more. I like to do things well and having more friends would mean I would take away time from the ones I have, or from my family. (Is that awful of me to say that I don't currently want more friends????)
*Who knows what the chances are that I will see her again. We live in a large metropolitan area with lots of coffee shops! (She likes coffee too.)
If I don't sit...
If I don't sit, my back only hurts a little. I can walk. I can't lift little girls, but I would like to stop picking them up all of the time. If I try to sit on the floor my back hurts within seconds. In the car, I can sit for 5 or so minutes with no pain, and then it starts to hurt.
MWH keeps shaking his head at me when I ask him if he thinks I should go to dance class or not on Monday. My back won't actually hurt in class... It most likely will hurt afterwards. I should call a new doctor I've heard good things about and take a back class called "Healthy Backs." That's my plan for helping it thus far.... Oh, and lots of icing it and lots of gentle stretching.
MWH keeps shaking his head at me when I ask him if he thinks I should go to dance class or not on Monday. My back won't actually hurt in class... It most likely will hurt afterwards. I should call a new doctor I've heard good things about and take a back class called "Healthy Backs." That's my plan for helping it thus far.... Oh, and lots of icing it and lots of gentle stretching.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Good, but yowch
It's been a good day hanging with the little girls. I've not had just a Mommy and all the little girls day for a long time. It's nice. Most of this summer we'll be doing this on Fridays. Yippeee!!!!
The day:
T (2.9) and K (4) had gymnastics. Then we went to the park and played. Next, we had lunch at home and gathered up all the library books and videos and took them back and got new ones. When we got to the library, the little girls were bummed because the fountains aren't on at the library. I don't know if they'll be coming on this year or not. They didn't come on until late last summer, but they were on by June 30th last year (I blogged about them)! There's a web site with a web cam on the fountains, but they aren't on so the web cam is kind of lame. I don't know who I should email to find out more about the fountain status.
Anyway, we had fun today. After the library we went to get coffee. The little girls were good today! The only thing I have to complain about is my back. It is really painful. I think it's contributing to my grumpiness. Sigh. It hasn't hurt this bad in a long time. I'm trying to not lift T very much. I am going to go ice it now.
The day:
T (2.9) and K (4) had gymnastics. Then we went to the park and played. Next, we had lunch at home and gathered up all the library books and videos and took them back and got new ones. When we got to the library, the little girls were bummed because the fountains aren't on at the library. I don't know if they'll be coming on this year or not. They didn't come on until late last summer, but they were on by June 30th last year (I blogged about them)! There's a web site with a web cam on the fountains, but they aren't on so the web cam is kind of lame. I don't know who I should email to find out more about the fountain status.
Anyway, we had fun today. After the library we went to get coffee. The little girls were good today! The only thing I have to complain about is my back. It is really painful. I think it's contributing to my grumpiness. Sigh. It hasn't hurt this bad in a long time. I'm trying to not lift T very much. I am going to go ice it now.
Yowch!
On our trip we slept on beds that hurt my back. Then I started taking my dance class again. Then I ran on the treadmill.
Alll I can say is ouch!
Sent via my BlackBerry
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Good things
In an effort to lift the glum mood around here (I AM REALLY GRUMPY), I am not going to blog about the bad things. I'm going to focus on positive things!
1. Our neighbors.
We have one set of neighbors that are just great. They live right next door to us and have two kids very close in age to our 3 little girls. We just played outside for a little while. Good clean fun (errrrr... as clean as it could be since they were digging in the dirt) on a summer night. It's so nice to have friends who live close so you can spontaneously meet for a play date!
I still haven't met very many of our other neighbors, but I've met a couple more. I met one neighbor when we thought N's kitty got lost outside. The neighbor was very concerned about our cat and she walked around with me looking for N's cat for a while. The next day, she came over and checked to see what happened with our kitty. ( I was delighted that we had our kitty and she got to meet him.) She was very nice, but she doesn't have kids and I think she might have been a bit overwhelmed by our 3 little girls!
I just met another neighbor and he seems nice--he's an older gentleman and he and his wife have just re-landscaped their yard. It looks beautiful. I've seen his wife but not spoken to her. If I see her outside when I'm driving by, I'll stop and introduce myself to her. He was nice enough, but I doubt we'll hang.
2. N's tutor.
We opted to have a fairly low-key this summer and not send N (6.45) off to full-day camp for weeks. Most of my friends are doing that with their almost first-graders.
I have no idea how much full-day camp costs where I live, but I'm guessing I'm spending less on N's summer activities than what I would if I sent her to full-day camp. We have a nanny because K and T aren't old enough for such activities. It seems silly to send N away all day while N3nny is around with the other girls. N3nny is great and I love the girls having a chance to play with each other for extended periods of time.
[Sidenote: This might be our last summer with a nanny.... (OH MY my heart went into PALPITATIONS just typing that....we'll see.) ]
Anyway, N is doing a three 1/2 day camps for one week each (Art camp, acting camp and gymnastics camp) and we're having a tutor (a good friend of mine who teaches) come spend an hour a week with her. I figured it would be worth it to do so. Today was our first session and I am SO excited! My friend did an amazing job with N and N loved it! Yippee! My friend spotted a difficulty N has and will work with her on it.
N is reading at almost a second grade level, and my friend instantly realized how good N is at sight-reading (memorized words) but how poor N is at sounding words out. N's always had difficulty doing sounding out words. She has really good phonological awareness (knows rhymes and all the sounds the letters make) and she knows basic phonics (what sound each individual letter makes) but she has a really hard time putting the sounds each letter makes together when she is sounding out words.
My friend, N's tutor, is going to work on improving N's ability to sound out words by using nonsense words. While N reads well, and has an amazing memory (and has memorized LOTS of BIG words), the ability to sound out novel words is a very important component of early reading. Improving this skill will be very useful for N.
My friend will also be working on math skills with N too. I really want N (and all the girls) to always be at the head of the class in school. I don't think there is any harm in letting them overlearn material. N likes to teach others and my hope is that she'll be able to help in "Big Buddies*" or peer-tutoring at her school as she gets older.
*I'll explain later.
1. Our neighbors.
We have one set of neighbors that are just great. They live right next door to us and have two kids very close in age to our 3 little girls. We just played outside for a little while. Good clean fun (errrrr... as clean as it could be since they were digging in the dirt) on a summer night. It's so nice to have friends who live close so you can spontaneously meet for a play date!
I still haven't met very many of our other neighbors, but I've met a couple more. I met one neighbor when we thought N's kitty got lost outside. The neighbor was very concerned about our cat and she walked around with me looking for N's cat for a while. The next day, she came over and checked to see what happened with our kitty. ( I was delighted that we had our kitty and she got to meet him.) She was very nice, but she doesn't have kids and I think she might have been a bit overwhelmed by our 3 little girls!
I just met another neighbor and he seems nice--he's an older gentleman and he and his wife have just re-landscaped their yard. It looks beautiful. I've seen his wife but not spoken to her. If I see her outside when I'm driving by, I'll stop and introduce myself to her. He was nice enough, but I doubt we'll hang.
2. N's tutor.
We opted to have a fairly low-key this summer and not send N (6.45) off to full-day camp for weeks. Most of my friends are doing that with their almost first-graders.
I have no idea how much full-day camp costs where I live, but I'm guessing I'm spending less on N's summer activities than what I would if I sent her to full-day camp. We have a nanny because K and T aren't old enough for such activities. It seems silly to send N away all day while N3nny is around with the other girls. N3nny is great and I love the girls having a chance to play with each other for extended periods of time.
[Sidenote: This might be our last summer with a nanny.... (OH MY my heart went into PALPITATIONS just typing that....we'll see.) ]
Anyway, N is doing a three 1/2 day camps for one week each (Art camp, acting camp and gymnastics camp) and we're having a tutor (a good friend of mine who teaches) come spend an hour a week with her. I figured it would be worth it to do so. Today was our first session and I am SO excited! My friend did an amazing job with N and N loved it! Yippee! My friend spotted a difficulty N has and will work with her on it.
N is reading at almost a second grade level, and my friend instantly realized how good N is at sight-reading (memorized words) but how poor N is at sounding words out. N's always had difficulty doing sounding out words. She has really good phonological awareness (knows rhymes and all the sounds the letters make) and she knows basic phonics (what sound each individual letter makes) but she has a really hard time putting the sounds each letter makes together when she is sounding out words.
My friend, N's tutor, is going to work on improving N's ability to sound out words by using nonsense words. While N reads well, and has an amazing memory (and has memorized LOTS of BIG words), the ability to sound out novel words is a very important component of early reading. Improving this skill will be very useful for N.
My friend will also be working on math skills with N too. I really want N (and all the girls) to always be at the head of the class in school. I don't think there is any harm in letting them overlearn material. N likes to teach others and my hope is that she'll be able to help in "Big Buddies*" or peer-tutoring at her school as she gets older.
*I'll explain later.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Stats
Breastfeeding Stats from the CDC (the relevant ones are pasted below in case the page goes away.)
How many infants born in the United States are breastfed?
The CDC National Immunization Survey is a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population, among infants born in 2004:
73.8% were ever breastfed
41.5% were still breastfeeding at 6 months of age
20.9% were breastfeeding at 1 year of age
30.5% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
11.3% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age
For additional breastfeeding statistics, see Data and Statistics.
Of the girls in this house:
100% were breastfed.
100% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
66.3% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age
(N's pediatrician recommended we start rice cereal at 5 months. I was excited to see N growing up so I did. N loved food. She moved on to other food really quickly. While I don't think food so young hurt her, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to try if she had been a second-born. The second time around, with K, we tried rice cereal around 5 or 6 months and she didn't like it. T didn't like food at first either. Both K and T didn't eat much other than nursing until they were 8 or 9 months old.)
100% were still breastfeeding at 1 year of age
(N pretty much weaned herself at 15 months. I could have probably kept going, but she wasn't interested.)
66.3% were still breastfeeding at 2 years of age
I'm guessing 66.3% were weaned at 3 years of age.
(K was and T will be if she doesn't wean before then.)
How many infants born in the United States are breastfed?
The CDC National Immunization Survey is a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population, among infants born in 2004:
73.8% were ever breastfed
41.5% were still breastfeeding at 6 months of age
20.9% were breastfeeding at 1 year of age
30.5% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
11.3% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age
For additional breastfeeding statistics, see Data and Statistics.
Of the girls in this house:
100% were breastfed.
100% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
66.3% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age
(N's pediatrician recommended we start rice cereal at 5 months. I was excited to see N growing up so I did. N loved food. She moved on to other food really quickly. While I don't think food so young hurt her, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to try if she had been a second-born. The second time around, with K, we tried rice cereal around 5 or 6 months and she didn't like it. T didn't like food at first either. Both K and T didn't eat much other than nursing until they were 8 or 9 months old.)
100% were still breastfeeding at 1 year of age
(N pretty much weaned herself at 15 months. I could have probably kept going, but she wasn't interested.)
66.3% were still breastfeeding at 2 years of age
I'm guessing 66.3% were weaned at 3 years of age.
(K was and T will be if she doesn't wean before then.)
my aching leg!
It's really NOT my leg... It's my back. Read about what's happening here. It's definitely not as bad as it was back in 2006, but it does hurt! It's so funny (funny as in ODD, not funny as in haha) to know your leg is hurting because of your back. I definitely need to stop carrying T around.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Three....
What does a Mom of 3 look like? I asked this question here.
I just saw a friend who has 3 kids. I think she looks like my colleague (see post linked above) was expecting me to look. She looked tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. Her first two kids are exactly the same age as my kids. Her last child is one year younger than T. She (the mom) is one year older than me. She was running around chasing her youngest. I felt sorry for her. I don't think I looked quite that stressed last year, but I might have. I do know it definitely gets easier as the little ones close in on age three.
I saw a friend with three boys who are 4 years older than my girls (very close spacing too) and she told me how much easier it is now. Her oldest is almost 10 and her youngest is almost 6.
I just saw a friend who has 3 kids. I think she looks like my colleague (see post linked above) was expecting me to look. She looked tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. Her first two kids are exactly the same age as my kids. Her last child is one year younger than T. She (the mom) is one year older than me. She was running around chasing her youngest. I felt sorry for her. I don't think I looked quite that stressed last year, but I might have. I do know it definitely gets easier as the little ones close in on age three.
I saw a friend with three boys who are 4 years older than my girls (very close spacing too) and she told me how much easier it is now. Her oldest is almost 10 and her youngest is almost 6.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
lack of
I'm lacking motivation. I have 2 things I should be working on at work, but no desire. I'm hoping I can find some motivation this week. I'll work a few hours tomorrow. I'm going to MAKE myself. .... Or I could start organizing the loft.
It's bad when I am thinking organizing is more interesting than work.
It's bad when I am thinking organizing is more interesting than work.
Gum
T (2.8) really likes to chew gum--more so than her sisters. K (4) chews a piece for approximately 30 seconds and is done. N (6.5) likes it more than K does, and will chew a piece for 5-10 minutes but T begs for it and chews it a LONG time! (I really liked to chew gum when I was little, like T.)
N doesn't yet know how to blow bubbles. I think I learned when I was pretty young, like 4 or 5, but I can't remember. How old are kids when they learn to blow bubbles?
(File under navel gazing at its best!)
N doesn't yet know how to blow bubbles. I think I learned when I was pretty young, like 4 or 5, but I can't remember. How old are kids when they learn to blow bubbles?
(File under navel gazing at its best!)
Saturday, June 21, 2008
dunno
Tired.
It was hot this weekend. Errr, it was hot yesterday (Friday) and today. It is supposed to be cool tomorrow. It feels like it will be cool. Where we live, you can feel it instantly when a heat wave is over. This past heat wave is our 3rd heat wave of the summer. They are (fortunately) usually just a couple of days. The days are awful, but two days isn't that bad*.
To counteract the heat, we went swimming with friends today a their pool. (Thanks PS** and LH!) It turned into a get-together with former supervisor too.*** Good times.
N (6.45) is swimming now! It's so cool to see. She has been working really hard when we've been going to the Y. She took swimming lessons last summer for 2 weeks and then worked on her own at the Y. She's always loved the water, so it was just a matter of time, but it is a milestone! She can swim! She can float on her back! She did really great! My first baby is a little girl and not a baby! K (4) did more splashing around in the pool than I've ever seen, and looked like she enjoyed it a lot. T (2.8) continues to amaze me with all that she does in the water.
More soon about the trip. Too tired now.
*Except that I woke up with a HORRIBLE headache because of the heat. Tylenol made it tolerable, but boy was it painful until the tylenol kicked in! I am always so thankful for modern pain relievers and fever reducers! Can you imagine living without them?
**T (2.8) loved swimming with you PS. I hope it was okay. If she's ever bugging you, let me know!
*** It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months with everyone. We'll keep our fingers crossed for lots of reasons.
It was hot this weekend. Errr, it was hot yesterday (Friday) and today. It is supposed to be cool tomorrow. It feels like it will be cool. Where we live, you can feel it instantly when a heat wave is over. This past heat wave is our 3rd heat wave of the summer. They are (fortunately) usually just a couple of days. The days are awful, but two days isn't that bad*.
To counteract the heat, we went swimming with friends today a their pool. (Thanks PS** and LH!) It turned into a get-together with former supervisor too.*** Good times.
N (6.45) is swimming now! It's so cool to see. She has been working really hard when we've been going to the Y. She took swimming lessons last summer for 2 weeks and then worked on her own at the Y. She's always loved the water, so it was just a matter of time, but it is a milestone! She can swim! She can float on her back! She did really great! My first baby is a little girl and not a baby! K (4) did more splashing around in the pool than I've ever seen, and looked like she enjoyed it a lot. T (2.8) continues to amaze me with all that she does in the water.
More soon about the trip. Too tired now.
*Except that I woke up with a HORRIBLE headache because of the heat. Tylenol made it tolerable, but boy was it painful until the tylenol kicked in! I am always so thankful for modern pain relievers and fever reducers! Can you imagine living without them?
**T (2.8) loved swimming with you PS. I hope it was okay. If she's ever bugging you, let me know!
*** It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months with everyone. We'll keep our fingers crossed for lots of reasons.
Friday, June 20, 2008
too many
There are too many posts brewing in my head right now. The following may be more disorganized than usual, or I might just do lots of little posts. We'll see what happens here.
First, the trip was pretty good. Last year, I considered our trip a success because I got to read a novel. According to that criteria, this trip was also successful! I read California Demon. I doubt any of the books in this series will win a Pulitzer, but they are fun books especially for someone who likes to pretend to fight vampires when kick-boxing.
Here's the first book in the series. My friend KJ sent me this book. She knows me! Thanks KJ! (She sent it years ago. I owe her a great present.... She's much better at the present thing than me. She just sent me this book and I can't wait to read it. I have about 10 books in the queue ahead of it. Sigh!) (I also have about 33 windows in my web browser open with lots of good stuff to read too. I saw a stat once that 3,000 new books* were published EVERY DAY! No wonder I am overwhelmed! There is no way I can keep up with it all!)
[Sidebar]
Hey... As I was searching this blog for the link to the fighting vampires post, I found this post. If you didn't click, in that post, I declared my workouts to be all about toning (a little over a year ago). I also said I'd try to do 3 hard workouts a week. I also said I weighed 1X5.5.
Here's an update on all that.
1. I have not really managed to do 3 hard workouts each week yet. I am stuck at getting lucky to get 2 good ones in during a week. I still want to do 3 good ones a week and have just made that a priority (again).
2. Today at lunch, I just declared to MWH (again, apparently) I was all about toning. I told him (today) I didn't care if I lost any more weight or not, I just wanted to be more toned. I am more toned than I was last summer I am quite sure of that. (I hope in one year I will say the same thing!)
3. I now weigh 1(X-1)5. Woo-hoo! I lost 10 pounds in less than one year and with NO DIETING. Lots of stress (and I lose weight weight when I'm stressed), but no dieting. (See here for more about NOT DIETING.)
This coming year I want less stress, more workouts, and MORE TONING.
[End Sidebar]
Oh yea.... The trip...
N (6.45) called MWH part robot. I can't remember the context, but it was funny! (You may or may not remember this.) She/they/little girls pick up on EVERYTHING! Note to MWH and me, be careful to make sure we don't say anything we don't want them to repeat in front of people!
More on the trip....
I think I need to process a little more and then post about it. It was fun. It was good. It was great to see everyone. Trips make me wish we lived closer to our families. I love where we live and I don't want to move, but I do miss having family near. I didn't really miss it when I was younger, but now, as I get older, I do. I wouldn't want to leave my wonderful friends here where I live either. I really wouldn't want to live in the place where MWH's family or my family lives. I know I'm not alone in my feelings here.... Share your thoughts about your families and if you live close / far and if you like it. I'll share more about this topic soon.
*This article says about 2800 books are published a day around the world. You can get to 2800 if you do the math of "one book published approximately every 30 seconds" that equals: 24 hours a day * 60 minutes=1440 * 2 (since one every 1/2 minute) = 2880.
I did the math right, right?
First, the trip was pretty good. Last year, I considered our trip a success because I got to read a novel. According to that criteria, this trip was also successful! I read California Demon. I doubt any of the books in this series will win a Pulitzer, but they are fun books especially for someone who likes to pretend to fight vampires when kick-boxing.
Here's the first book in the series. My friend KJ sent me this book. She knows me! Thanks KJ! (She sent it years ago. I owe her a great present.... She's much better at the present thing than me. She just sent me this book and I can't wait to read it. I have about 10 books in the queue ahead of it. Sigh!) (I also have about 33 windows in my web browser open with lots of good stuff to read too. I saw a stat once that 3,000 new books* were published EVERY DAY! No wonder I am overwhelmed! There is no way I can keep up with it all!)
[Sidebar]
Hey... As I was searching this blog for the link to the fighting vampires post, I found this post. If you didn't click, in that post, I declared my workouts to be all about toning (a little over a year ago). I also said I'd try to do 3 hard workouts a week. I also said I weighed 1X5.5.
Here's an update on all that.
1. I have not really managed to do 3 hard workouts each week yet. I am stuck at getting lucky to get 2 good ones in during a week. I still want to do 3 good ones a week and have just made that a priority (again).
2. Today at lunch, I just declared to MWH (again, apparently) I was all about toning. I told him (today) I didn't care if I lost any more weight or not, I just wanted to be more toned. I am more toned than I was last summer I am quite sure of that. (I hope in one year I will say the same thing!)
3. I now weigh 1(X-1)5. Woo-hoo! I lost 10 pounds in less than one year and with NO DIETING. Lots of stress (and I lose weight weight when I'm stressed), but no dieting. (See here for more about NOT DIETING.)
This coming year I want less stress, more workouts, and MORE TONING.
[End Sidebar]
Oh yea.... The trip...
N (6.45) called MWH part robot. I can't remember the context, but it was funny! (You may or may not remember this.) She/they/little girls pick up on EVERYTHING! Note to MWH and me, be careful to make sure we don't say anything we don't want them to repeat in front of people!
More on the trip....
I think I need to process a little more and then post about it. It was fun. It was good. It was great to see everyone. Trips make me wish we lived closer to our families. I love where we live and I don't want to move, but I do miss having family near. I didn't really miss it when I was younger, but now, as I get older, I do. I wouldn't want to leave my wonderful friends here where I live either. I really wouldn't want to live in the place where MWH's family or my family lives. I know I'm not alone in my feelings here.... Share your thoughts about your families and if you live close / far and if you like it. I'll share more about this topic soon.
*This article says about 2800 books are published a day around the world. You can get to 2800 if you do the math of "one book published approximately every 30 seconds" that equals: 24 hours a day * 60 minutes=1440 * 2 (since one every 1/2 minute) = 2880.
I did the math right, right?
too late
I should have hung up a "gone fishin'" sign, eh? I forgot. Forgive me? I'll be back soon with lots of posts. In the meantime, if you want, tell me how you are, or tell me any topics you'd like me to address. Thanks!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Significant
This is the first trip we have taken with kids (2002 is when kids started) when we didn't bring a stroller.
Also noteworthy is that everyone walked on and off the plane (even up the stairs) by themselves.
Sent via my BlackBerry
New phrase
I've come up with a new phrase. The little girl exhaustion is palpable.
I'll describe it more later.
Sent via my BlackBerry
sisters
Recently, K (4) and T (2.8) fell asleep in a bed together. It was the bed for MWH and I while we were visiting relatives. K and T didn't want to sleep in the same room as the other cousins, so we stuck them in our bed to fall asleep. When MWH and I were heading to bed, they were fast asleep and we moved them to a nice soft blanket on the floor. We moved their pillows and blankets to a pile of blankets on the floor and made them as comfy as possible.
In the middle of the night, T crawled back up in bed and slept in the middle between MWH and me. Since she wasn't too squirmy, I let her stay. K remained on the floor. When K woke up and saw that she was on the floor, she assessed the situation and asked, "T, did you knock me out of bed?"
Her tone was hilarious! I busted up, even though it was really, really early.
More soon!
In the middle of the night, T crawled back up in bed and slept in the middle between MWH and me. Since she wasn't too squirmy, I let her stay. K remained on the floor. When K woke up and saw that she was on the floor, she assessed the situation and asked, "T, did you knock me out of bed?"
Her tone was hilarious! I busted up, even though it was really, really early.
More soon!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
So Happy It's Thurday
It must be Thursday because I cried at work. Last Thursday, I cried. This Thursday I cried. I didn't mean to either time, but I am frustrated. As long as one outcome doesn't occur, I honestly don't care what the outcome is. It also is frustrating to me because I feel I worked hard to help make the "success" we've had thus far. I wasn't the only person or even the main person, but I was significant and there is an idea I am VERY much interested in pursuing, but no one asks me anything. It's mostly okay, as long as one outcome doesn't occur. I kind of have preferences of "the ideal" but at this point, as long as one thing I don't want doesn't occur, I don't care.
On a completely different note, actually a reason to be happy on this Thursday, K's preschool found a place for her! Remember this? I had decided to ignore it and it did resolve itself. (By ignoring, I mean ignore for a while. I was so overwhelmed by life that I decided I would JUST WAIT and see what happened and if nothing had happened by September/October then I would determine a solution.)
Woo-hoo! It's good to procrastinate and let things go sometimes. They (preschool) found a slot in the 5-day afternoon class. We took it. We are still on the waiting list for 3-day afternoon, but Yippeeeee! 5-day is SIGNIFICANTLY better than zero days!
On a completely different note, actually a reason to be happy on this Thursday, K's preschool found a place for her! Remember this? I had decided to ignore it and it did resolve itself. (By ignoring, I mean ignore for a while. I was so overwhelmed by life that I decided I would JUST WAIT and see what happened and if nothing had happened by September/October then I would determine a solution.)
Woo-hoo! It's good to procrastinate and let things go sometimes. They (preschool) found a slot in the 5-day afternoon class. We took it. We are still on the waiting list for 3-day afternoon, but Yippeeeee! 5-day is SIGNIFICANTLY better than zero days!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
One more thing about the tardy policy
Two of our tardy slips have been when we've been 2 hours and 55 minutes EARLY to kindergarten. On those #*&*^!@ early morning days, we sometimes are late. I hardly think it should count against us. I did NOT agree to 8:30 am.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
tardy
N (6.4) was worried when we told her she'd be driving on our trip. She said, "But I might bump into another car and...... Get a tardy."
(We live in fear of tardy slips in kindergarten. If you are tardy 10 times, they can kick you out of school. I am usually close to being on time, but usually 2-5 minutes on the late side of thing. I hardly think 2-5 minutes deserves a tardy. For the record, we have only used 4 of tardy slips this year, and there are only 2 more days of school so we are good! We survived a year without 10 tardy slips.)
N is "being responsible for her little sisters tonight" and helping a lot. I love it when she's in a mood to be helpful.
(We live in fear of tardy slips in kindergarten. If you are tardy 10 times, they can kick you out of school. I am usually close to being on time, but usually 2-5 minutes on the late side of thing. I hardly think 2-5 minutes deserves a tardy. For the record, we have only used 4 of tardy slips this year, and there are only 2 more days of school so we are good! We survived a year without 10 tardy slips.)
N is "being responsible for her little sisters tonight" and helping a lot. I love it when she's in a mood to be helpful.
Along the way
Every day, the little girls say and do lots of funny things. I record some of them, but I miss a lot. I am going to try to remember to turn the video camera on while they play for 10 minutes, or so, once a week so I can capture spontaneous cuteness!
Right now, N (6.4) is washing T's (2.8) hair. The cuteness.
T had a great conversation (with herself) while sitting on the potty today. T is the queen of stalling before naps. She used the potty as an excuse to stay up an extra 22 minutes today.
N is now telling K (4) and T about baths long ago. She is telling them about how baths used to be with water from a river with dirt in it so people didn't get very clean.
Kindergarten ends on Thursday. N will be a first-grader. Wow. Maybe I'll do a post about how this makes me want to cry (and I'm not really a cry-er) or maybe not. I liked some things about kindergarten a lot and didn't like some things. I am now a lot better prepared for the next 2 kindergartners I have... (Or at least I think I am--which actually might be more dangerous!)
Right now, N (6.4) is washing T's (2.8) hair. The cuteness.
T had a great conversation (with herself) while sitting on the potty today. T is the queen of stalling before naps. She used the potty as an excuse to stay up an extra 22 minutes today.
N is now telling K (4) and T about baths long ago. She is telling them about how baths used to be with water from a river with dirt in it so people didn't get very clean.
Kindergarten ends on Thursday. N will be a first-grader. Wow. Maybe I'll do a post about how this makes me want to cry (and I'm not really a cry-er) or maybe not. I liked some things about kindergarten a lot and didn't like some things. I am now a lot better prepared for the next 2 kindergartners I have... (Or at least I think I am--which actually might be more dangerous!)
Monday, June 09, 2008
a crowning achievement
This weekend, after nearly 12 years of trying, I achieved nose milk with MWH.
Okay, it wasn't actually out of his nose, and it wasn't milk, but it was good!
Scene:
K (4) and N (6.4) were eating outside on the balcony. MWH was supervising them. I was cooking dinner. T (2.8) was sleeping.
Me: (Entering the balcony carrying a bowl of food) You know how they have corn salsa? I just invented salsa corn. (Corn with a little salsa mixed into it.)
(MWH reaches for the bowl and takes a bite.)
Me: But I haven't tasted it yet.
MWH starts laughing so hard he starts convulsing. He continues to lean over the balcony laughing and drooling for quite a while. I was afraid he might choke on the corn, but I was laughing hard too. I was ready to do the Heimlich if need be.
He said the timing on my delivery was excellent.
I didn't get milk out of the nose, but I did manage salsa drool. What do you think? Does it count? I do plan to keep going in my quest until milk actually comes out of the nose.
Okay, it wasn't actually out of his nose, and it wasn't milk, but it was good!
Scene:
K (4) and N (6.4) were eating outside on the balcony. MWH was supervising them. I was cooking dinner. T (2.8) was sleeping.
Me: (Entering the balcony carrying a bowl of food) You know how they have corn salsa? I just invented salsa corn. (Corn with a little salsa mixed into it.)
(MWH reaches for the bowl and takes a bite.)
Me: But I haven't tasted it yet.
MWH starts laughing so hard he starts convulsing. He continues to lean over the balcony laughing and drooling for quite a while. I was afraid he might choke on the corn, but I was laughing hard too. I was ready to do the Heimlich if need be.
He said the timing on my delivery was excellent.
I didn't get milk out of the nose, but I did manage salsa drool. What do you think? Does it count? I do plan to keep going in my quest until milk actually comes out of the nose.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Marvelous
The other night, K (4) found a marble outside. She exclaimed to MWH, "It's marbelous!"
Hahahahahaha!
He was so proud that his eyes swelled with tears.
Hahahahahaha!
He was so proud that his eyes swelled with tears.
Yup
Work stuff is definitely not bloggable right now!
When it's all over, I'll tell you all about it.
Question: Will you keep blogging or will you get sucked in to all of the drama at work?
Answer: I have no clue. Today is not so bad. My closest colleague is back from her trip and talking to her on the phone was wonderful. Tomorrow closest colleague and former supervisor and I will get together and discuss.
Question: Why did this craziness occur so suddenly?
Answer: Ummmm.... Apparently, I was getting too close to relaxing and getting a schedule/routine.
Alternative Answer: We knew we'd find out some stuff in June/July about this project, but we were pretty sure that we weren't going to get anything encouraging. Because we were sure we weren't going to get it, the universe decided to toy with our emotions and dangle a new possibility in front of us to get us hopeful again.
Question: So how do you feel about it all?
Answer: As long as I can work with closest colleague and former supervisor, I will be happy. I don't want to work with a couple of people and that is the most important goal I have right now. It sounds terrible to say it that way, but if I worked with a certain person, I would be made to feel incompetent and I would end up leaving the project, I'm sure. I don't want that. It's probably my own shortcoming, but I know my limits.
Question: What's for dinner?
Answer: I have NO idea! Any thoughts? I do have a couple of healthy dinner ideas / recipes to share with you later, but not now.
When it's all over, I'll tell you all about it.
Question: Will you keep blogging or will you get sucked in to all of the drama at work?
Answer: I have no clue. Today is not so bad. My closest colleague is back from her trip and talking to her on the phone was wonderful. Tomorrow closest colleague and former supervisor and I will get together and discuss.
Question: Why did this craziness occur so suddenly?
Answer: Ummmm.... Apparently, I was getting too close to relaxing and getting a schedule/routine.
Alternative Answer: We knew we'd find out some stuff in June/July about this project, but we were pretty sure that we weren't going to get anything encouraging. Because we were sure we weren't going to get it, the universe decided to toy with our emotions and dangle a new possibility in front of us to get us hopeful again.
Question: So how do you feel about it all?
Answer: As long as I can work with closest colleague and former supervisor, I will be happy. I don't want to work with a couple of people and that is the most important goal I have right now. It sounds terrible to say it that way, but if I worked with a certain person, I would be made to feel incompetent and I would end up leaving the project, I'm sure. I don't want that. It's probably my own shortcoming, but I know my limits.
Question: What's for dinner?
Answer: I have NO idea! Any thoughts? I do have a couple of healthy dinner ideas / recipes to share with you later, but not now.
Friday, June 06, 2008
New profile
After nearly 3 years of minimal changes to my profile, I am changing it a little. In case any one in the future cares, it used to say this
(The minimal changes, in the past, were to the ages.)
(Maybe no one else thinks the changes I just made were that significant, to my identity, but they kind of were to me.)
After having trouble with getting pregnant with number 1, I'm now a Mom to 3. I'm very very happy even though I'm overwhelmed almost all the time. Cast of Characters... Me, MWH (my wonderful husband), N (5.5 years), K (3 years), T (almost 2 years). Enjoy the insanity!
(The minimal changes, in the past, were to the ages.)
(Maybe no one else thinks the changes I just made were that significant, to my identity, but they kind of were to me.)
Watermelon
You know how if you're singing with a group and you don't know the words to a song, you're supposed to fake it and just sing "watermelon watermelon watermelon" and no one will notice you don't know the words.........
What does that have to do with anything... I don't know. I'm tired and stressed about work. I may post about it or I may wait until we know a little more. I've written one, but can't decide if we're in "unbloggable" territory or not.
What I wanted to post about watermelons is how N (6.4) just asked me why we can't eat the black watermelon seeds. She knows it's okay to eat the white (immature) seeds. I looked at her and said, "I don't know. Good question, let's look it up on the web and see if we can learn."
When I was little, adults told kids if they swallowed seeds a watermelon would grow in their stomach. I didn't tell N this because I didn't want to freak her out by telling her something so disturbing that would probably worry* her. As a kid, I doubted that a watermelon would grow in your stomach if you swallowed a seed, but I did worry about it a little.
You'll be happy to know that I just googled and found out it is safe to eat watermelon seeds. I told her this. They are thought to have some nutritional benefits (maybe if you chew them) or they might just pass through your system. They won't grow in your stomach.
http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-101043.html
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=113119
There you go! (Maybe I can go work for Snopes.)
*She already worries too much!
What does that have to do with anything... I don't know. I'm tired and stressed about work. I may post about it or I may wait until we know a little more. I've written one, but can't decide if we're in "unbloggable" territory or not.
What I wanted to post about watermelons is how N (6.4) just asked me why we can't eat the black watermelon seeds. She knows it's okay to eat the white (immature) seeds. I looked at her and said, "I don't know. Good question, let's look it up on the web and see if we can learn."
When I was little, adults told kids if they swallowed seeds a watermelon would grow in their stomach. I didn't tell N this because I didn't want to freak her out by telling her something so disturbing that would probably worry* her. As a kid, I doubted that a watermelon would grow in your stomach if you swallowed a seed, but I did worry about it a little.
You'll be happy to know that I just googled and found out it is safe to eat watermelon seeds. I told her this. They are thought to have some nutritional benefits (maybe if you chew them) or they might just pass through your system. They won't grow in your stomach.
http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-101043.html
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=113119
There you go! (Maybe I can go work for Snopes.)
*She already worries too much!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Later...
I will write about what's next for work even later.
Remember this and this? We just got news that the project (insane deadline project!) might have a shot at getting funded. Because of this possibility, everything went topsy-turvy! While this is delightful news, it's unexpected. I can't go into details yet, but it is causing some consternation and re-thinking for several people.
Crazy! I think it's great news and wonderful, but we haven't gotten the project "for sure" and there are many issues to be resolved. I hope we can work them out because it is a project that needs to happen (I think). I think it's important and will help people think about things around the issue (subject of the project) in a new way.
More soon!
Remember this and this? We just got news that the project (insane deadline project!) might have a shot at getting funded. Because of this possibility, everything went topsy-turvy! While this is delightful news, it's unexpected. I can't go into details yet, but it is causing some consternation and re-thinking for several people.
Crazy! I think it's great news and wonderful, but we haven't gotten the project "for sure" and there are many issues to be resolved. I hope we can work them out because it is a project that needs to happen (I think). I think it's important and will help people think about things around the issue (subject of the project) in a new way.
More soon!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
What's next?
I'm a little tired today, but it's good! I was up reading Harry Potter until 2:30 am, and I have no brain. It was nice to read and finish the book. It had been on my list of things to do for a long time!
From my weekend posts, you can probably tell I did a fair amount of cleaning. I'm good at cleaning. I am not good at organizing. Fortunately, N3nny is great at organizing. N3nny will be working with us until January, and then she'll be moving on to do other things in her life. I am so sad, but thrilled for her. While she is still here, I need to have her help me get organized! Getting organized is a priority for this summer.
Here's some of my list:
Backyard:
-Get an outside table (actually, we decided to re-paint a table we already have and I need to get on that)
-Kids' play area (need something! When I am feeling optimistic, I feel we'll be able to start the kids' play area this summer and make it how we really want it. When I'm not feeling optimistic, I feel like I should just get a little tikes play house for this summer and at least give them something to do.)
-Get the backyard "remodel' started (we have to add some retaining walls and figure out a LOT, but we need the surveyor to finish so we can get going!)
Inside:
-Get shelves built in bedroom for a little "office alcove"
-Organize MWH's and my closet
-Organize kids closet/get new dresser
-Go through the BILLIONS of boxes upstairs in our loft and put in bookshelves
-Get a new tv for the living room (kind of a low priority)
-Figure out if we want more shelves built in the living room (when the guy who builds the shelves in the bedroom comes out, we'll discuss options with him).
Give away:
-A lot of clothes that T's outgrown
-Crib (almost! next Friday)
-Cradle (almost)
-Pack and Play (DM, you still want it?)
-Maybe give away some of the strollers we have (We have one double, 3 umbrellas, one jogger...)
Long term:
New furniture for our bedroom (I think the alcove needs to get done first)
Some more bedroom furniture for the guest room
I'll discuss what's next for work later. (Note, the list here may change as things evolve.)
From my weekend posts, you can probably tell I did a fair amount of cleaning. I'm good at cleaning. I am not good at organizing. Fortunately, N3nny is great at organizing. N3nny will be working with us until January, and then she'll be moving on to do other things in her life. I am so sad, but thrilled for her. While she is still here, I need to have her help me get organized! Getting organized is a priority for this summer.
Here's some of my list:
Backyard:
-Get an outside table (actually, we decided to re-paint a table we already have and I need to get on that)
-Kids' play area (need something! When I am feeling optimistic, I feel we'll be able to start the kids' play area this summer and make it how we really want it. When I'm not feeling optimistic, I feel like I should just get a little tikes play house for this summer and at least give them something to do.)
-Get the backyard "remodel' started (we have to add some retaining walls and figure out a LOT, but we need the surveyor to finish so we can get going!)
Inside:
-Get shelves built in bedroom for a little "office alcove"
-Organize MWH's and my closet
-Organize kids closet/get new dresser
-Go through the BILLIONS of boxes upstairs in our loft and put in bookshelves
-Get a new tv for the living room (kind of a low priority)
-Figure out if we want more shelves built in the living room (when the guy who builds the shelves in the bedroom comes out, we'll discuss options with him).
Give away:
-A lot of clothes that T's outgrown
-Crib (almost! next Friday)
-Cradle (almost)
-Pack and Play (DM, you still want it?)
-Maybe give away some of the strollers we have (We have one double, 3 umbrellas, one jogger...)
Long term:
New furniture for our bedroom (I think the alcove needs to get done first)
Some more bedroom furniture for the guest room
I'll discuss what's next for work later. (Note, the list here may change as things evolve.)
Short List
2. Read Harry Potter Book 7
Woo-hoo on #2! Finally! #2 should explain this short post too. No spoilers here, I lived in fear of spoilers this last year! I'll just say, it was good, what I expected, and I was only surprised by a few things.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Green Cleaning Genius!
Guess who!
Me, that's who. I have to share!!!!
We have a water and ice dispenser on our refrigerator. We have hard water. The water dispenser is black. We had a lot of caked on mineral deposits on the tray of the water dispenser.
MWH felt they were on there forever. He's often in charge of cleaning the kitchen. I didn't want to step on his toes. However, today, I was cleaning before some folks came over to see the house (they hadn't seen our house before) and I wanted to work on the mineral deposits.
At first, I was using the sponge and ELBOW grease. I made a little progress. The deposits were less thick. I came up with the saying, "Rome didn't fall in a day." (To go along with the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." I guess, "Rome wasn't cleaned in a day," would work too.) I figured more elbow grease would eventually remove the mineral deposits.
After our guests came and left, I went back to scrubbing. And then, I used my noggin. I wanted a mild acid to clean the calcification off. I remembered WHITE VINEGAR! I filled the tray full of white vinegar, let it set for about half-hour, and then wiped it clean. It was THAT EASY. The dispenser looks new!
White vinegar is my new BFF. I am a cleaning genius. Go forth and make your houses clean with a very GREEN cleaner. This is my tip of the day, heck, tip of the YEAR. (If you have cleaning tips that work, please share--the greener, the better!)
Me, that's who. I have to share!!!!
We have a water and ice dispenser on our refrigerator. We have hard water. The water dispenser is black. We had a lot of caked on mineral deposits on the tray of the water dispenser.
MWH felt they were on there forever. He's often in charge of cleaning the kitchen. I didn't want to step on his toes. However, today, I was cleaning before some folks came over to see the house (they hadn't seen our house before) and I wanted to work on the mineral deposits.
At first, I was using the sponge and ELBOW grease. I made a little progress. The deposits were less thick. I came up with the saying, "Rome didn't fall in a day." (To go along with the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." I guess, "Rome wasn't cleaned in a day," would work too.) I figured more elbow grease would eventually remove the mineral deposits.
After our guests came and left, I went back to scrubbing. And then, I used my noggin. I wanted a mild acid to clean the calcification off. I remembered WHITE VINEGAR! I filled the tray full of white vinegar, let it set for about half-hour, and then wiped it clean. It was THAT EASY. The dispenser looks new!
White vinegar is my new BFF. I am a cleaning genius. Go forth and make your houses clean with a very GREEN cleaner. This is my tip of the day, heck, tip of the YEAR. (If you have cleaning tips that work, please share--the greener, the better!)
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Mmmmm....
I've figured out how to make delicious fruit crisps without the hassle of cutting up lots of fruit. The secret is to use frozen! Here's the latest recipe.
Frozen peaches (you decide the pan size and the amount of peaches to use). For this recipe, I've been using about a bag and 1/2 of frozen peaches or ~24 ounces. I used a pan about 8 x 12 inches.
Let the frozen peaches thaw a bit. You can microwave them a couple of minutes to speed things up or just let them sit on the counter. Pour a little oil in the pan you'll use to cook the crisp and spread it on the fruit and the bottom of the pan. (I think I used a tablespoon or so. I don't know. I didn't measure. Just enough to lightly glaze the fruit and the pan.)
I mixed it all up well. The first time I made this recipe, I also put about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and mixed it up on the fruit with the oil. I thought it was a little too sweet, but MWH liked it a lot. Tonight I only used about 1/4 cup of sugar and he encouraged me to use more again. (My sweetie has a sweet tooth!)
The topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
Mix it up and spread it over the fruit. (Make sure you have small-ish pieces--NOT thick ones!)
Bake at 350 until the juice is all bubbly. About 20 minutes or so.
Tonight I mixed in blueberries with the peaches. I loved this! Last time I did cherries. They were good, but I think the blueberries and peaches were better!
Serve with ice cream (if you eat ice cream). The recipe is vegan. I want to try putting in sliced almonds into the topping, but I like it so much the way it is that I'm scared to try it, but I'm sure it'd be yummy!
I expect I'll be making this a great deal this summer. It is sooooo easy!
Frozen peaches (you decide the pan size and the amount of peaches to use). For this recipe, I've been using about a bag and 1/2 of frozen peaches or ~24 ounces. I used a pan about 8 x 12 inches.
Let the frozen peaches thaw a bit. You can microwave them a couple of minutes to speed things up or just let them sit on the counter. Pour a little oil in the pan you'll use to cook the crisp and spread it on the fruit and the bottom of the pan. (I think I used a tablespoon or so. I don't know. I didn't measure. Just enough to lightly glaze the fruit and the pan.)
I mixed it all up well. The first time I made this recipe, I also put about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and mixed it up on the fruit with the oil. I thought it was a little too sweet, but MWH liked it a lot. Tonight I only used about 1/4 cup of sugar and he encouraged me to use more again. (My sweetie has a sweet tooth!)
The topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
Mix it up and spread it over the fruit. (Make sure you have small-ish pieces--NOT thick ones!)
Bake at 350 until the juice is all bubbly. About 20 minutes or so.
Tonight I mixed in blueberries with the peaches. I loved this! Last time I did cherries. They were good, but I think the blueberries and peaches were better!
Serve with ice cream (if you eat ice cream). The recipe is vegan. I want to try putting in sliced almonds into the topping, but I like it so much the way it is that I'm scared to try it, but I'm sure it'd be yummy!
I expect I'll be making this a great deal this summer. It is sooooo easy!
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