i forgot to tell you

I forgot to tell you about the homemade twix bar experiement.....

The date mixture that you put inside is YUM, but it should be made in a food processor, not a blender.  I tried to make it in my blender and there wasn't enough to get blended properly.  This resulted in a tragic accident and me needing to buy a new tamper for the blender.  I am still thankful that nothing more than the tamper was damaged.  I was stupid!  

I didn't measure my PB and added too much to the rice crispy mix so they weren't as crispy as I think they should have been.

They were sweeter than I liked (dates are VERY sweet--that's why they call them nature's candy), but the girls really liked them.  We even had a friend over (age 8) and she loved them. I find that my kids usually like the concoctions I create for them, but other kiddos often don't.  I tend to create very NOT SWEET treats.  (We don't need the sugar and you definitely can get used to less sugar and enjoy the other flavors in treats.)

Will I make them again, um, yea, probably.  They took more time than I wanted, so I might try a different treat....  I may remove this post, modify it a bit, and post it on "another blog" not the family blog with all the pictures, but a recipe blog for healthy, vegan recipes.

Which shirt?

Where I get my hair done, we change into smocks and hang up our shirts in the bathroom.  One of these shirts is not like the other (mine).  Heh.  I thought it was a fun picture.  

No School Today

Crazy weather, but that's not what's keeping us out of school today.  It's a teacher learning day.  I'm thrilled that I'm working less right now.  Because I am working less, I got to stay home with the girls this morning.  We had one play date at our house (Three-a) and one play date away (oNe), and another one this afternoon (for twoK).  I baked some healthy stuff, too. Later today, I hope I can get the time to make homemade twix bars.  Don't they look YUM????

P.S.  twoK's folliculits is getting better!  Whew!  No oral antibiotics have been taken thus far.

Folliculitis is going to push me over the edge...

Or horseback riding...
or the special dance classes we're doing this weekend
or the two birthday parties this weekend
or the Halloween thing we went to Friday night
or gymnastics
or violin, trumpet, or piano lessons
or girl scouts
or regular dance class
or ice skating lessons

Seriously, we're too busy right now.  Three-a just gave up gymnastics and I say, WHEW!  When oNe gave it up, I was sad, now I'm just relieved--one less thing to do.  twoK is still taking.

On the twoK note, twoK has folliculitis on her little bum.  I'm sure she'd be embarrassed to have me writing this on the web, but hey, I'm not posting pictures.  I'm cleaning the little lesions 3x a day and putting antibiotic ointment on them.  The doctor wanted me to do oral antibiotics, but I think we can beat it with just topical.  I'm not a big fan of oral antibiotics.

We're also soaking in epsom salt and putting hydrogen peroxide on them to clean them.  Good times.  I've gotten faster at treating them in the last 24 hours.  We'll hope that she's better within a week.

I danced 3 hours today.  I'm pretty wiped out!  This post is a reflection of my exhaustion!

On the germ theory note, did I record that oNe had a cold along with me?  It's such a weird cold.  I was wiped out for more than a week.  I think I've finally kicked it--it lasted about 10 days...

Sisters...

(Cue the song...Sisters)

Over the weekend, we had a moment where both MWH and I were slapping our heads and saying "REALLY? You guys are asking me to deal with this inanity (and insanity!)?"

We were leaving a festival and Three-a had stayed outside to play.  twoK had come in and had gotten a balloon from the clean-up process.  Three-a was upset that she didn't get a balloon.  twoK offered her hers.  So sweet.  twoK gets a point there, but Three-a was too tired and NOTHING would console her.

Moving on...

twoK LOST points because she would't go through the haunted house at the festival that oNe had worked on.  oNe was so MAD at twoK.  The only thing that would console oNe was to have twoK scoop the cat litter boxes for oNe's week.  I think scooping the litter box is a valid punishment for someone who broke a promise.  twoK had PROMISED oNe she'd go through the haunted house and she didn't.

I want the girls to know that they can count on their sister(s).  For the most part, the girls are good sisters, but like all sisters there are MOMENTS or even days and weeks of difficulty.


(Hey look, a blog post JUST about the girls.  Whoa.)

Eh...

(Started the post at the end of September)

It seems I'm only kind of back.  That's okay.  I'm doing this for me and for the girls' to read in the future; if other folks want to read along, great.  If not, you probably don't even miss me when I'm gone.  It's all good.  I keep "the other blog" up and post pictures on nearly a daily basis over there.  This is the "private" more inner thoughts blog.  (And it's not that inner-thought-y any more.)  It's a place to keep all the stuff that I don't want to put on the other blog though.

The girls are almost in a rhythm at school and I'm almost in one with my class.  I keep debating on whether I'll teach again (if they want me) next year.  I don't know.  The chair of the department changed and s/he may not want me.  I'm about to get really busy at work (within the next few weeks I'm guessing) and then I may not have time.

(10/13)

Okay, I am really, really bad at blogging over here.

Important update:  I didn't have a cold on our anniversary.  I've had a cold many times on our anniversary.  I do have a cold now (got sick on Friday, but started Zicam on Thursday so it's not too bad).  I hope I'm better by Monday.  (This is another important feature of the blog... record of illness.)  (Three-a had a cold 9/29) and maybe two already this fall (she's still coughing or coughing again, I'm to sure which).)

What else?  The girls had conferences at school this week.  oNe is doing really well.  She's turned into an overachiever but she worries and stresses too much.  My goal is to help her learn balance.  And since I'm so good at balance (hahahaha) it should be really easy for me to teach her.  (Again, hahahahahaha.)

twoK is super smart, a super good reader, but not super motivated.  I guess I should say, she's not consistently motivated.  Some days, she's on and other days, she's in a terrible funk. (Seriously.)  I am trying to figure out what motivates her.  Right now, she's super motivated by her Halloween Costume.

I mean, who wouldn't be!

I told her if she doesn't stay super motivated and out of her funk, it is going back to the store.  We'll see.  I hate "bribing her" but I keep hoping that if she is acting happy, at some point, she'll just be happy... The whole "fake it 'til you make it" approach.  I think, being happy is better than being sad, but as I said, I'm still trying to figure out how to internally motivate her.  I'm spending more time in her classroom this year, and I think that's going to be good for her.  

Three-a is super smart, a SUPER memorizer, but a sight-reader, not a phonics reader.  Her current teacher's "thing" is to teach phonics and make sure her 2nd graders have a good grasp of them.  I feel a little sad that Three-a isn't going to be in the top reader group, but I know that teaching her the basics will give her a better grasp on reading.  (Or will it?)  I have mixed feelings.  I think is she weren't such a darn good memorizer, and so good at understanding concepts, the phonics might help her, but she's GOOD.  I'm not arguing with her teacher on this one, though.  I don't think it will hurt, and it might help.  We'll re-visit this at the end of the year.  (If I remember and if I'm still blogging.)

I plan to spend time in Three-a's class helping with technology.  Woo!  My favorite!

Work, for me... I'm teaching and the new project at work hasn't started yet.  11/1 is the new, "soonest" date that we have.  I'm guessing we'll be going by 12/1.  It's all good.  I really enjoy teaching and it makes me excited to do the work that we'll do.  This year, it's worked out well to get to teach first semester without much working.... I don't know what I'll do next year, but I'm not going to worry just yet.

I'm guessing, when puberty starts, I might start blogging here again.  We'll see.  For now... who knows...  (Leave me a comment if you still read occasionally... I think most of you have a link to "the other blog.")