May I Have Your Attention Please

HE WALKS.

Sometimes.  When he is in the mood.

The socks on his hands are for stability, no joke.

Yay, Crew! Even if you wouldn't wear your shoes.

Service Playdate

These princesses are my slave labor little helpers, always volunteering to help with anything diaper-related.

Sisters

I do believe that I have been blessed with the three most amazing sisters a girl could ever desire. I could say that for many reasons, but for the purpose of this post, I'll stay focused...

My sisters have embraced Teeny Tears with love and enthusiasm. My sister Heather organized her family and her neighbors for a sewing fest to crank out diapers for the cause. My sister Courtney donated her digital design services to give our diaper blog a brand new look and functionality! (Isn't it beautiful?)

My sister Lyndsey really wanted to participate too, so she traced and cut out about a bazillion beautiful little diapers for Teeny Tears all by her determined little self! She then borrowed a sewing machine, but after stitching her finger to a diaper, I was able to convince her to mail the unsewn pieces to me. 'Cause I'm super grateful that way. Having the diapers already cut saved me so much time!

I was able to finish sewing them all up this weekend. The final count: 76 itty bitty diapers!

40 "big" ones...

and 36 tiny ones...

The wonderful volunteers at Utah Share were very generous to provide picture and video tutorials for Teeny Tears diapers when we first launched--was it really only 2 months ago?? As our Thank You to them, this batch of diapers will be donated to their organization. They will distribute the diapers in their bereavement packages to grieving families in Davis County.  A few of the diapers are being reserved for the photogs of NILMDTS of Salt Lake.

Thank you, Lyndsey, for your magnificent contribution! Your calloused scissor-hand will bless the lives of 38 families.  Thank you to all of my wonderful sisters for embracing our project with more enthusiasm than I had any reason to expect or hope.

Unforeseen Consequences

Tanner: Daddy, can you get me some more ketchup please?

Daddy: No, you still have plenty on your plate. Use up what you already have.

Tanner releases an earth-shattering toot.

Tanner: That was for you, Dad! That's your consequence!

He is so gross/funny.

Justy

Using Your Noggin

I have posted about our Professor Noggin games in the past, but I wanted to give another shout out for these wonderful games. Our collection has blossomed in the last year and all three of our children love them (though Crew's participation is honorary: he holds Tanner's winnings). We've played one every night this week while we wait for Daddy to come home.  Whenever I get a question wrong, Tanner is horrified:  "But I thought you knew everything!"  Uh oh, my secret is out.

They have dozens of games to choose from. There are science titles, nature titles, geography titles, history titles, and more!

They are so great.  (And available for purchase through Amazon.com or to borrow from me!)

Why I Love Kinley Today

Kinley:  Choir practice started again this morning and I missed it.

Mommy:  Oh, Kiks, I'm sorry.  I forgot all about it.

Kinley:  It's ok; don't blame yourself.  I forgot too.  We'll both do better next week.

Poor Tanner

I walked into the livingroom to find Tanner crying quietly on the couch.

Mom: What's wrong, Tanner?

Tanner: Kinley's laughing at me and it's not funny!

Mom: Why is she laughing at you?

Tanner (with escalating drama): Because I have issues!


***Cue inappropriate wheezing guffaw from Mom.

Blessed Perspective

Just when I am having my own pity party about the miseries of cold weather and cabin fever, the bereavement coordinator for three Salt Lake County hospitals just called out of the blue to request a batch of diapers, reminding me to quit focusing so much on the insignificant annoyances that get me down!

Excuse me, Crew is napping and I have work to do... I have several requests in the pipeline and a stack of unsewn diapers that need attention!

Winter

Would you believe that January is the statistically the most depressing month of the year?

I would.

Do people make resolutions this time of year to give their minds something to agonize over besides cold weather, germs, cabin fever, and (in my case) tax season?

I am trying very hard to stay cheerful. Sometimes my efforts pay off. Sometimes they don't.

Crew's Words

Today I decided to write down all the words that we could think of that Crew says spontaneously. These do not include all of the words that he will repeat with prompting or those that he signs.  He understands far more than he can express with words, but he has now embraced verbalization with gusto!

I absolutely cannot believe that we have surpassed 45 already!  Will he be soliloquying 6 months from now???

Mommy -- Mommy
Daddy -- Dadden
Kinley -- Kiki
Tanner -- Nanner
Hot
No - No no no no!
Yes -- ess
Milk -- buck
Shhh -- sssssss
Bus
Clock -- kok
Hat
Butt
Peek-a-boo -- pee boo
Stuck -- tuck
iPad -- bupp
Buzz - Buzz
Up
Coat
Apple
Hippo
Movie -- bee
Help -- hep
Please -- peaz
Thank You -- kay koo
Eat -- ett
Down -- da
Done -- da
More -- mo
Bath -- bass
School -- cool
Bye-bye
Night-night
Go
Shoes
Book
Baby
Head -- het
Pig
Donkey -- da key
Panda -- pa da
Duck
Cat
Goat
Bird -- but
Frog -- bock
Fish -- blub blub blub
Horse -- hoss
Car
Cars 2
Sock
Caillou  (that was a surprise)
Oops
Uh-oh

Political Debates

Tanner:  Who is Mint Brownie and why does he want to be president of the United States?

It took me back a few years...

It's always about food with this kid.

Turkey Salsa Scoops

This idea came from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.  They are delicious, filling, and my kids love them too!

Ingredients:
4 ounces of cooked, lean ground turkey: 170 calories
1/2 cup fresh salsa OR mango peach salsa: 20 calories
12 Tostito's scoops: 129 calories

Total Calories: 319

Directions
Cook the turkey in a skillet, like you would brown ground beef. Mix together the turkey and salsa in a bowl. Use a spoon to shovel them into scoops... and eat. It doesn't get much easier than that!

For more of my favorite healthier recipes, click here.

When Third Graders Play Beauty School

Her Hips Don't Lie

I took Shakira Kinley out for an evening of Zumba with the YW! She absolutely loved it. She must have some Latin genetics somewhere in her family tree, but if it came from my side, it skipped a generation.

*Disclaimer: I promise I did not wimp out of my workout to take either of these cute pictures; I was standing behind her getting my own miserable shake on.  (That's my thigh in the top picture!)

Playdough Snakes

Can Playdough snakes be poisonous, I wonder?

Crew and His PT

Crew really enjoys PT and OT at the clinic. I mean, really, who doesn't like walking on squishy pads?

They have a staircase made with beautifully shallow steps, perfect for a tiny guy.  (Love that tongue!)

Up, up, up!

And down!  Use that flexion!

Crew knows that Mommy loves taking pictures of him doing this pose.

Even sliding down the slide in this pose!

Work those hips!

Crew used to be afraid of the swing, but now it's his favorite workout!

Crew continues to build his balance and his strength all the time.  We thought for sure that he would be walking by Christmas, but he is getting a little closer to that milestone all the time.  He can stand himself up in the middle of the room (a rather unexpected and advanced accomplishment) and has taken as many as 10 steps at a time, though usually it is more in the neighborhood of 4-6. He is coming right along!  Slow and steady wins the race!

Crew. Weighs. 21. Pounds.

Quinoa Mexican Haystack

This is my new healthy addiction. My sister Heather gave me this recipe; she makes this yummy dish with millet but I am more familiar with quinoa and they are both delicious!

Ingredients:
Quinoa*
Chicken bouillon
Sour cream
Guacamole or avocados
Diced tomatoes
Corn

Make quinoa with bouillon according to package directions (or see below). Top with everything else. Get creative and add anything you like! I added salmon last week and it was awesome!

*First of all, quinoa is so good for you. Secondly, some brands of quinoa recommend rinsing the dry grains before cooking and some do not. I am always sorry when I do not rinse. It tastes different, like dirt. Rinse those grains in a fine mesh strainer!

When making quinoa, I like to use a 1-2-3 method. Just the right texture, just the right flavor! Boil the quinoa covered. I boil a lot longer than the recommended 15 minutes, until fluffy and soft. I don't like my quinoa crunchy, but that's just me.
1 cup dry quinoa
2 tsp chicken bouillon
3 cups water

1-2-3!

For more of my favorite healthier recipes, visit Shrink Me With A Smile.

New Year

7 days into the New Year already.  The week after Christmas was spent as an experiment in lethargy and sloth.  The children played with their new Christmas things while I laid around in my pajamas and read books and cleared off my DVR.  I swear I started growing moss on my north side.  Oh, but the relaxation felt blissful.

This week I have spent to a lot of time on the computer catching up on things I have been meaning to do.  I have also been far too distracted by Facebook and Googlereader.  Then there is all the speculation to be done regarding the new ward boundary realignments coming up on Sunday...

There are a few accomplishments that I am proud of, however:

1.  I have turned Kinley into a full blown devotee of Pride and Prejudice.  We watched the Keira Knightly version together and she has already watched it again with her brothers.  Soon we shall have another girls' night and watch the Colin Firth movie to complete her conversion.  I finished rereading the paperback on New Year's Eve.  It was a lovely way to end the year.

2.  Crew and I have struck a delicate balance with our food intake.  I have eaten healthy all week and he has eaten what he needs to eat.  I hesitate to say this too loudly so I am writing this in my whisper voice: I do believe that Crew is plumping before our very eyes.  We went back to pureed and soft foods and we removed the coconut oil from his life.  The combination seems to agree with him very much.

3.  I walked 11 miles on the treadmill this week.

4.  I did Zumba this week with the Young Women.  And lived to tell the tale.

5.  I conquered the hard water stains on my shower door. I tried distilled vinegar, lemon juice, extra-strength vinegar, lemi-shine with water, dryer sheets, CLR, Lime Away, Kaboom, Scrubbing Bubbles, and Bar Keepers Friend. Nothing worked as I hoped.  HOWEVER... I discovered QUITE by bizarre and providential accident that if I used Scrubbing Bubbles with a bristly dish scrubbing brush (after letting it sit for 3-5 minutes) and rinsed and dried, THEN liberally doused with extra-strength vinegar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, THEN used powdered Bar Keeper's Friend with elbow grease, a damp rough sponge, and a rinse.... voila. FINALLY. Those "permanent" faint little scaley etching marks are gone. I have no idea why that combination worked when they did not work independently. I wiped everything down with a little Windex for good measure and my shower doors look absolutely brand spanking new.

Our renters moved out of state unexpectedly and we are scrambling to find new tenants at very inconvenient time of the year for the college town, one week into the semester.  Tax Season is already upon us.  Justin has been working late almost every night this week.  The big kids are off track for one more week.  Then they go back to school and Crew is off track.

So, that's what we've been up to!

Say My Name, Say My Name

I have waited three long years to be able to say this:

Crew calls me "Mom".

Actually, he calls me "MOM!" but it's a very exciting milestone at any volume.

Irreconcilable Differences

Crew and my New Year's weight resolutions are diametrically opposed.

Most unfortunate.  And very tricky.

Brand New Year 2012

I am trying to keep my resolutions realistic, so as to avoid falling into a dizzying tailspin of self-recrimination.

I went three miles on the treadmill this morning.  Check.