No Grumps in the Kitchen

Today around five pm I was trying to pry clinging crying kids off my legs, rumbling and bumbling about making dinner, about to turn into the Mama-I-don't-like-very-much and instead (yay! Thank you brain for still working just a little even through sleep deprivation and teething baby care.) *bing* I realized I could change the situation. I stood the (protesting) three year old on a chair and told him he would be cooking dinner with me, "and you can crack the egg!!" Sidestepping the still sniveling grump crawling around on the floor, I put a bowl and Ricotta out, handed whining boy a spoon, and told him to put all the cheese into the bowl- he quieted down as now he had A Job To Do. I swooped up the grumpaluffagus and calmed him with the magic of Mama snuggles and cheerios. Since his older brother was no longer howling, he was willing to sit peacefully for a while in his chair at the counter. Whew, quiet, a chance to calm my own self down- and feel happy making dinner with my boys. I love it when I am actually able to put on the brakes and make a complete turn around. This turned into a lovely evening. Oh, dinner by the way was a lasagna-ish casserole, always a nice sort of dish because it makes for left-overs and an easy lunch the next day.

No-sew Baby Leg Warmers

I'm feeling clever about my real quick leg warmers for Leland. They're just the sleeves cut off of a sweater I was going to get rid of. Instead the sweater is now a (kind of ratty) tank top, and Leland has warm leggies when he's in the Ergo.
 

Celebrating Spring Activities

My hard drive is shot, so computer is catch as catch can for now!

We're happily celebrating the arrival of SPRING.  I'm just doing a little activity each day with James.  Well, Leland is here too, but not participating in quite the same way.

For the week:

• Monday- Leave out fuzz and yarn bits for the birds to pick up and make cozy nests.
  
• Tuesday- Make Angel Food Cake and save the shell from all those eggs (12 egg whites!) to make these really neat candles
  
• Wednesday- Use a few of the cleaned out shells for flower vases.
• Thursday- Dye eggs, Celebrate the equinox with a big dinner and family.
• Friday- Egg hunt
• Saturday- Dinner at a friends house
• Sunday- Renaissance Festival

Makin' Menus

Most Mondays James visits his Grandma for a couple hours in the evenings, giving Michael and I a chance to do some planning (funny how with two kids, if we just have the baby with us it feels almost like kid-free time). Anyhow, I always forget to plan something easy so I don't have to focus on dinner, but this week I already have the soup and the cooked ham in the fridge, so dinner tonight should work well.

• Monday- Pumpkin soup, Ham Slices, Cut up veggies
• Tuesday- Quiche, Salad
• Wednesday- Roast Chicken, Salad, Potatoes
• Thursday- Chicken Eggplant Tomato Stuff, Rice
• Friday- Chicken Soup
• Saturday- Pork chops, apples, green beans, Rice
• Sunday- BBQ Chicken Pizza, cut up veggies

• Breakfasts- Banana Muffins, Oatmeal, Cereal, Egg veggie scramble, Dutch Baby on Sunday
• Lunches- Left-overs, Tuna Salad sandwiches, Salad with Chicken on top
• Snacks- Celery w/peanut butter, Yogurt with jam, fruit
  

Other Tasks- Make Yogurt (Organic milk is on sale this week) Bake muffins, Friday make a lasagna to parcel out and send to work with M.

Cough gasp sputter wheeze

That's my immune system trying to get rid of evil clinging germies. I think we're all finally close to being healthy again. We all got some form of the flu and passed it around and kept each other up at night coughing. So all I've been up to is trying to keep thing running on very little sleep and a sore throat. But I think that's all really going away now. Good thing too because when I have days and days of no energy my temper gets real short and the kids get real crabby and bored with their cranky-pants-pulled-up to-her-armpits mama; it doesn't make for a good cycle. So off to bed with me.

My sister in law came over today with my niece and we baked Valentines Cookies together. I'm so happy to find a roll out cookie recipe I like, because I have a mob of cookie cutters (a herd?) and yet can't stand sugar cookies. Really when I'm making cookies I want them to be chocolate chip, but those won't work so well with the cutters. Anyhow, the following recipe is pretty tasty and as an added bonus there are no eggs in it- perhaps a good thing when the 16 month old is eating her share raw.

(From My Big Back Yard Magazine)

Heart-y Cookies- preheat oven to 350F

• 1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda (I live at high altitude and used a tiny smidge less than this)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1/3 Cup Milk

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, Butter and Milk and mix well. Form dough into a ball and refrigerate for an hour (or we made it into two disks and froze it for about 15 minutes). Roll out dough 'til it's about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your cookies and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool before decorating.



James and his cousin Elizabeth taking a little break from eating the cookie toppings.


Leland after he (Doh! Gahhk! Yeuhhhk! Bleck!) tried a Strawberry.



Butterfly, Cat, Dog, Caterpillar or Bug, Fish?, and Heart

Heart and Arrow Valentines

I'm pleased with these- they may get to the recipients a bit late, but they're darn cute. I wrote instructions for making them, just click on the picture below.

Valentines