Joseph, Gabriella, Julianna, James, and Elora

Joseph, Gabriella, Julianna, James, and Elora

Monday, February 27, 2012

Into the Wardrobe

Friday was quite a day for our family. For the kids, it was the first real play they had ever gotten to attend. For us, it was the first time we got our kids to sit through an entire play - and boy were we shocked!

Encore! Theater is a local amateur Christian drama troupe composed mainly of high school and college students, and they offer several plays a year, their current show being The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Lydia has been in several of their productions, as Lady Brachknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, and as Corrie Ten Boom in The Hiding Place. It was Mom's idea to take the kids, as Lydia and Sophie were both working on the stage crew for the show, and although I wanted to take them, I was hesitant at first. I am lucky if I can get all 4 kids to sit still during Bible time every day. And by "still" I mean "not running around screaming and bouncing off the walls and throwing their Bibles at each other!" Bible is still a daily struggle logistically - they act like "what is this strange thing you are trying to make us do?" when I think they should have learned by now that this is something we do EVERY DAY! There are good days and...well, days when there is more "Biblical discipline" than "Biblical instruction" if you know what I mean! So I was a bit skeptical about taking them to a long play where they had to sit still and be quiet, but Mom persuaded me that with a good enough adult/child ratio, we'd be fine. So I agreed.

In anticipation of the play, I started reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to Joseph so he would know what was going on when we got to the play. Since I didn't think to start this soon enough, we only got through about the first 8 chapters - but that was ALL in one sitting! He kept begging to read more, and I was happy to oblige until my voice finally gave out. (Yes, I do the voices. Including British accents for the 4 Pevensie children. Former drama teacher - what else did you except?)

Well, we got to the night of the play, and my dear sisters had saved us seats right up near the front, so the kids could see and hear everything. And the show started, and I was blown away - not by the show, but by how well my children behaved through it. Still as if they'd been turned to stone by the White Witch's wand. Quiet as the mice that gnawed the ropes off Aslan's dead body. (Am I exaggerating for dramatic effect? Of course. But they WERE awfully good.)

Joseph had a few questions, however. He was super interested in everything that was going on, but having read the book, he found the quality of the show a bit lacking. The actors had chosen not to do full animal costumes, but to wear clothes in the proper colors (golden brown for the Lion, black for the wolf, grey for the beavers, etc), with bits of fur sewn on and some animal face makeup. So when Aslan appeared, Joseph piped out, "Who is that man?"
"That's Aslan," we told him.
"No," he insisted. "Aslan's a Lion. Where's the REAL lion?"


Well, that drew a chuckle from everyone around us, but things went on pretty smoothly for a while until the White Witch began her tirade. Threatening Aslan with death and Narnia with destruction, she paced up and down in her long white gown, her fur robe swirling behind her, waving her magic wand, cutting quite an impressive figure. Suddenly a loud childish voice burst from the front row:
"Why is she so ANGRY?"

That poor girl should have won an Oscar. She managed to keep her face straight and finish her speech amid the laughter that rocked the audience. I suppose if you put on children's plays, you have to be prepared for...children. And their comments.

All in all, though, the play was a huge success. My children had a great time and proved that they can behave properly when the occasion requires. I will never again let them get away with shenanigans when they are supposed to be sitting still because now I KNOW. I know they CAN behave.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

It's the little things

Today, I've been taking things a little slow, not because I should (I shouldn't) but just because I can. It was kind of an interrupted night, sleep wise, so I'm taking a more relaxed approach to life. There are definitely advantages to not having to get up and go off to work or take my kids to school!

 I realized from reading my last several posts that one could gain the impression that all I do is complain. Or that my life is terrible. And neither of those things are true. So I want to talk about all the little things that make my life wonderful.

In no particular order:

- every night, without fail, when I go in to check on the kids, Gabriella has deserted her bed and snuggled up with James in his. They are kind of like a pair of puppies - sleeping all piled together in a heap. Last night they were side by side with their noses touching. So cute!

- delicious lemon bars that I made. And ate. With coffee. ;-)

- reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe out loud to Joseph for the first time. The Narnia books were my absolute favorite childhood books and are still one of my all-time lifelong favorites, so getting to read them to Joseph is very special! He is loving them - I finally had to take a coffee break to let my voice recover because it was so hoarse after 5 straight chapters! We probably won't finish before we go watch the play tomorrow but at least he will understand what's going on.

- finally getting outside and working on the yard in the fresh air and sunshine yesterday! The weather was almost summer-like! Amazing how good that feels. Theoretically I'm going to have a garden this year.

- Joseph asking to read the Bible again, after we finish Bible time. He said "Please can we read the Bible again because I love reading the Bible! It's God's book to us." Is there anything better a mama can hear? I think not!

- my Elora walking around jabbering and basically being Elorable. It's impossible to look at her smile and not smile back. Im-possible. I defy you to try it.

- my dear husband being extremely supportive during a very stressful week, and coming home early yesterday to spend time with me

These are just of few of the many blessings I have in my life. I am so thankful for every day I get to spend at home with my family, especially for lazy days like today. While so many little annoying things often drive me crazy, it's also the wonderful little things that fill my life with joy!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Too tired for bed

Have you ever been too tired to go to bed? Yes, I know that on the surface it doesn't make sense, but if you're a mom, you probably understand what I'm talking about. "Go to bed" is not just a matter of walking into your room, lying down in the bed, and going to sleep. There's a routine. There are SO many things you have to do before you can actually lie down in the bed and go to sleep.

Here are all the things I have to do before I can actually GO to bed:

1. Stand up
2. Oh wait. Stand up without waking up the baby. (Usually, fail. So, put baby back to sleep, and repeat step 1.)
3. Tiptoe into room without stepping on/tripping over dinosaurs, legos, dolls, plastic teacups, trains, train tracks...(you get the picture) and waking up other child.
4. Let down side of crib. With one hand. Without waking baby.
5. Lay baby down in her crib - you guessed it, without waking her. Fail. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
6. Tiptoe out of room and go back to living room. Turn off tv, lights, and other random electronic devices that have been left on.
7. Put away food that's still sitting out. Hide junk food that Daddy and I were eating so kids don't find it the next morning. Lock cupboard door.
8. Lay out clothes for my husband. Someplace obvious because we all know he's legally blind when it comes to finding stuff.
9. Go to bathroom. Brush teeth, wash face, remove eye makeup (wait, I put on makeup EVERY DAY? Ha! Nope. It's probably still there from yesterday. Or last weekend. Oh huh, only half of those dark circles are actually sleep deprivation. Who knew?)
10. Enjoy the fact that this is the ONLY time of day you actually get to be alone in the bathroom. Possibly read a few pages of my book. Get too absorbed and finish the whole thing. DANG it! Now it's 3 am. sigh.
11. Tiptoe into the kids' rooms and check on them again. Probably trip over aforementioned toys. Wonder how they can possibly look so young and angelic while they're sleeping. Cry a little over the fact that they will be grown up way too soon.
12. Get a glass of water. Drink some and realize you have to go to the bathroom again.
13. Fall into bed and stare at the clock, realizing you have to be up way too soon and wondering why you stayed up way too late, AGAIN.
14. Lie in bed and try to fall asleep, try to stop thinking about all the things you didn't do that day, try not to worry about all the things that will happen tomorrow that you can't control.
15. Be incredibly thankful for your life. At some point realize that you actually were asleep but now the baby's awake and you have to go get her. Stumble into the other room. Avoiding toys is second nature at this point.
16. Drift back off to sleep cuddling warm chubby baby.

See why going to bed is so much work? If I could skip straight from step 1 to step 16, I would go to bed way sooner. Instead I will just sit on the couch and waste time on the computer...typing on my blog....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Goodnight, everyone.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

For Women Only

{As the title indicates...if there are any men who actually read my blog, go ahead and skip this post.Or go ahead and read it just so you can have a tiny inkling of how frustrating it is to be woman.}

So my rant for the day:

We are totally wasting all of our brains, technology, and resources on things that don't really matter. And ignoring the single most important advancement that would make the lives of half the world's population better. I mean, we can put a man on the moon, but we can't manufacture a bra that doesn't make you want to rip it off the second you get home?? Seriously?

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to waste their time with this doctor or lawyer or President of the United States nonsense. Let them invest all their brains, energy, and resources in finally inventing a bra that actually works AND is comfortable. Not just claims to be "comfortable." But actually IS! (Can you imagine what that would be like? It would seriously be heaven on earth...)

If they can do this, your child will be a gazillionaire. I promise.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Just for you, Mrs. H

So because a certain follower who shall remain anonymous (but you know who you are! ;-) commented that my last post neglected to include the angel food cake recipe, I'm including it in this post. I wish I could say it's a special secret family recipe that has been handed down for generations but...honestly, it's just a basic recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Funny story, by the way - when Robert and I got married, we registered for all the things we could think of, whether we thought we'd actually use them or not, just on the off chance that we might get them. It was our one chance at a wedding registry, since neither of us are planning on getting married again. (He would NEVER find another woman who would put up with his work hours. And his laundry. And his kids. But other than that he's perfect. ;-) Anyway...we had several bridal showers and got a LOT of wedding presents, but only after we were married did we realize that we had neglected to register for any cookbooks. At all. Fortunately, some friends of ours who were already married, possibly realizing that we'd overlooked this important kitchen component, bought us one - the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. And for many years, this was the only one we used for all our cooking. Until I discovered allrecipes.com and Pioneer Woman's blog. But we were really grateful for that one cookbook! So we have kind of made it our tradition to always buy the bride and groom a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for every wedding we attend. Just in case they don't get any other cookbooks either!

Anyway, now that's I've bored you will all that history, here's the recipe for the angel food cake. You might want to check out these tips on how to make one first, especially if you've never attempted it before. I don't think it's terribly hard, just a bit tedious/time consuming, as is actually IS important to follow the steps exactly. Otherwise you may end up with a lovely angel food brick.

Note - because of all the sifting and beating, as well as turning the pan when you pour the batter in, this cake is a great 2-person project. I'm sure you could do it alone, but it will definitely be harder and more time consuming. So it makes a fun romantic date - you know, bake a cake together and then eat it!

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 large)
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup sifted cake flour or all purpose flour (I use the latter)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
1. In a very large mixing bowl allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 min. Meanwhile, sift powdered sugar and flour together 3 times; set aside.

2. Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add granulated sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight.)

3.  Sift about one-fourth of the flour mixture over beaten egg whites; fold in gently. Repeat, folding in remaining flour by fourths. Pour into an ungreased 10 in tube pan or angel food cake pan. Gently cut through batter to remove any large air pockets.

4. Bake on the lowest rack in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake (leave in pan); cool thoroughly. Loosen sides of cake from pan; remove cake.

Once cool, top with strawberries and whipped cream and eat the entire thing share it with your husband. Then put the rest into a filing cabinet to hide it from your kids.

Here's the picture again in case you've forgotten how much you want to make one:

May the Force be with you!

Monday, February 13, 2012

My deepest, darkest secret...

Everybody has secrets. Mine are just of a more petty nature than most people's.

For instance: did you know that I have secret hiding places all over the house? And that these hiding places contain...no, not skeletons. Something even more shocking. Gluten.


Yep, that's right. Robert and I are closet gluten eaters. (Literally. As in, we have to hide it in the closet. And eat it there. So the kids don't find out.) See, we tried the whole gluten free thing. We put a good face on it in front of the kids, and we still eat gluten free in all our meals as a family. But Robert and I were dreaming about gluten o'nights, our mouths watering in our sleep. After being "on the sauce" (as Robert jokingly refers to it when James gets hopped up on gluten) our whole lives, we just can't give up "real" bread entirely. So, after the kids go to bed at night, we bring out our secret stash.

The trouble is, the kids are getting better at finding our hiding places. Once they've discovered one and we've suffered through a couple unhappy days of hyperactivity and runny diapers, I have to come up with a better hiding place. (Or we could buy a safe, and put it all in there. Along with the apples because the kids eat about 6 of those per day. But I have a feeling the kids would take up safe-cracking just to get at it.)


So yesterday, I had a bunch of egg whites I needed to use up before they spoiled, and the best thing to make with egg whites is a home made angel food cake. It's (pardon my terrible pun) heavenly.

I learned how to make it when Joseph was about 6 months old, because babies aren't supposed to have egg whites until they are at least a year old, since that is the part of the egg that most people are allergic to. Baby Joseph would eat 3-4 egg yolks at a time, so we kept accumulating the whites, and I discovered that once I had saved up a jar of them, I could make an angel food cake. It was our tradition for the first three kids but then the whole gluten free-thing threw a wrench in the plans, so I haven't made any for quite a while.

Anyway...I had a jar saved from Elora's egg yolks, and I had to use them, and I just didn't have the guts to try a gluten free angel food cake and possibly waste all those eggs. So I made it the regular way, and it turned out {heavenly} but then I had a dilemma on my hands. Where to hide this glorious confectionery danger so the kids wouldn't get into it? I had tried closets, the laundry room, locked cabinets, inside pots and pans...all had eventually been discovered. Then it hit me...the perfect place...the place they would never look.


Yes, that is an empty filing cabinet drawer. Feel free to applaud my genius. It takes a special kind to be a mama.


P.S. I realize one could get the impression from reading my blog that the only thing I ever do it bake cakes. (or cookies, or brownies...) However, that is not the case! (Although I probably do bake more often than is good for me...) It's just that baked goods are one of my few domestic accomplishments, so I blog about them more often than, say, my stamp collection (nonexistant) or my hand-embroidered throw pillows (ha!). There was this post about a baby headband. Or this one about Halloween costumes. But be honest - the cakes really do look the best, right? ;-)

Friday, February 10, 2012

Figure of speech

As a mother of 4 children, I have finally figured out where so many of the idioms and figures of speech common in the English language have come from: children. Let me give you some examples:

1. pushing my buttons
Definition: to provoke or annoy in a way calculated specifically toward a certain person's dislikes
Origin: this phrase came into common usage right around the time personal computers became widely available. It stems from toddlers pounding on the keyboard while their mother was attempting to type an email, thus literally annoying her by "pushing her buttons."

2. "driving me crazy"
Meaning: to provoke or annoy to the point of unbalancing the victim's mental faculties
Origin: this phrase originated from small children who would drive their toy cars over every surface of the entire house, including but not limited to their mother's hair, thus getting the tiny wheels stuck in the strands and resulting in large amounts of pain, yelling, and confiscating of toy cars (see "out of my hair").

3. "by the seat of your pants"
Meaning: to narrowly escape something through luck or instinct rather than planning
Origin: this expression comes from children finding ways to avoid well deserved punishment. When the mother would attempt to correct their behavior with a spanking, the pain would be lessened, sometimes even averted entirely, by the thick diapers and pants the child wore. Needless to say this only encouraged a delay in the process of potty-training and the wearing of multiple layers of clothes, also contributing to the phrase "thick skin."

4."running around with my hair on fire" - self explanatory

5."going like a house afire" - ditto

6. "the grass is always greener on the other side"
This is less of an idiom and more of a statement of fact. With children digging holes in the lawn and tearing up handfuls of grass each time they play in the backyard, the grass quite literally is "always greener" on the other side of the fence, in the yard of one's childless neighbors. (Note: there is some debate among etymologists as to whether this grass issue may also be connected to the expression "green eyed monster" but the historical data is not clear enough to reach a conclusion at this time.)

7. "out of my hair"
Meaning: to avoid or finally gain a respite from someone who is annoying or irritating
Origin: Children are notorious for wanting to play with/in their mothers' long hair, tangling everything from hairbrushes to fingers to small vehicles in it (see "driving me crazy"). Needless to say, the relief a mother may feel when her children are "out of her hair" - even temporarily, as on a visit's to Grandma's house - is palpable. It gives her poor scalp a rest.

8. "clear as mud"
Meaning: something unfathomable or inexplicable; an explanation that is murky or makes absolutely no sense
Origin: This idiom comes quite literally from the inexplicable relationship children have with the thing itself: mud. As in, a mother asks her children "WHY are you covered in mud AGAIN?!" and their attempts at explanation leave her more confused, frustrated, and angry than ever (see "driving me crazy," "pushing my buttons," and "by the seat of your pants" for further clarification.)

9. "On the fence"
Meaning: to waver between two positions or locations, unable to decide which one to choose
Origin: In the days of yore before television was invented, children whose antics threatened their mother's sanity (see "driving me crazy" and "pushing my buttons") would be kicked outside to play in the backyard to get them "out of my hair"; however, according to the principle of "the grass is always greener on the other side," they would compare their own pitted and dying grass to that of next door and, quite understandably, attempt to climb the fence in order to reach the "greener grass" in the neighbor's yard. However, because they were only 2 and 3 years old, and neither their sense nor their stature corresponded to their goals, they would soon become stuck with one leg on either side of the 12 foot fence. Yelling at the top of their lungs, their mother would come running to find them "on the fence," unable to move in either direction. She would take them down, alternately hugging and scolding them, and bring them indoors where they would again begin the cycle of "driving me crazy" and "pushing my buttons."

10. "Get out of hand"
Meaning: the situation gets to the point where it is out of control or completely chaotic
Origin: The origin for this idiom is fairly simple, although it might more correctly be phrased "get out of arms." The moment the baby is "out of your hands" or arms - i.e. starting to crawl or walk - he and everything he does is now out of the mother's control. Generally causing the mother to lose HER control (see "driving me crazy," "pushing my buttons," "out of my hair," and "the grass is always greener on the other side"). The only solution for this is to keep the children within your arms and hold them tightly with your hands at all times. See "hugging."