What My Kids Learn From Making Bread

During the summer (when these pics were taken) we spent part of Mondays making bread in an effort to eat healthier and save money.
I wish I could say I kept up with that tradition, but alas, I've returned to buying bread from the store. (We still make these muffins though.) Without any good way to store the loaves they were getting moldy too fast and I've yet to figure out a way to slice the bread so I can use it for sandwiches. It probably has something to do with the recipe I use, but I don't have a bread board either so I can't use a recipe that requires kneading. Does anyone have a good sandwich friendly no-knead recipe?

It was fun while it lasted and I think the kids got a lot out of it.

They practiced taking turns.
They worked on motor skills when they dumped the ingredients.
They learned that you have to work for what you want.
They practiced their math skills.
They learned to be patient.
























They learned that things you make yourselves always taste better.



If you are new to my blog this post also talks about why we made our own bread and the cookbook that has inspired me.

1.5

That's all that separates my 2 year old from my 4 year old.
One and a half pounds.

Sam (with shoes on): 38 pounds.
Julia (without shoes on): 36.5 pounds.

No wonder my arms feel like jelly after carrying them at the same time!

That's affirmative

Julia's latest word isn't really a word at all, but the slang word I apparently use quite a bit.
This morning on the way home from dropping Sam off at school...
"Julia, would you like to watch Winnie the Pooh when we get home?"
"YEP!"

Winnie the Pooh it is then.

International Babywearing Week

Steph over at Adventures in Babywearing has been sharing sweet and heartfelt posts about her life as the mother of 4. I found her blog when I was a new babywearer two years ago. I didn't wear Sam, but I'm making up for lost time with Julia. I put her in my Kangaroo Korner sling the day she got home from the hospital.

(This photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fair)






(I started this slide show a year ago with photos from my other computer and never got around to finishing it.)

Now at two, she asks to get in the sling. She takes naps in there when we're out in about. MckMama can vouch for me on this one as I arrived to visit her after Stellan's birth with Julia zonked out in the sling. Without a doubt my sling is the most important piece of baby gear I've ever had. I love the feeling of having my baby so close. She loves feeling safe and secure. From 8 pounds, 14 ounces to 36.5 pounds this has been the perfect sling for me. I'm all for trying new things though and would love to win one of the slings being given away at Adventures in Babywearing. If you are a babywearer (or want to become one) check out her contest.

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes

Here's the rest of the snowman we made this morning.
You can see a close up of the head in
the post below (minus the pine needle hair).



Bearing no hard feelings after his night in the basement,
Houston stayed warm on my shoulders while the kids went sledding.


Both kids, but Julia especially, liked adding snow the snowmen.


Over and over again Julia would get down bend down and pick up snow to add.




Once we pulled out the sleds Sam was done with snowmen. He tried all variations of going down the hill. Feet first, on his belly, and my favorite as a kid - on his knees.





It wasn't really that cold out (I didn't have socks on inside my boots and my toes were plenty warm), but hot chocolate seemed appropriate with snow piling up all around us. I didn't get an argument out of the kids. :) We had a snack and watched Jack Frost (after the part where the dad dies). While it might have been nice to sleep in this morning it was also nice to have the house cleaned, two snowmen built, the sidewalk shoveled, a movie watched, a toy sold on Craigslist, and a meeting with a client all accomplished before lunch.

We were all smiles when we woke up to snow

Bonus Buy

I didn't think we'd make it to one apple orchard this year let alone two, but that's what happened. (We have our own apple tree now that produces more than enough apples for our family.) The afternoon with MckMama and her sister, Hilary, was rather impromptu, but not as much as Monday when the kids and I stopped at an orchard that was on our way home from a Craigslist purchase. It's November after all and I wasn't even sure they'd be open.

Not only were they open, we got to take a long, bumpy wagon ride in the warm November air. It was 70 degrees and our sweaters proved to be overkill. As we bumped along the trail I told the kids about their first visits to the orchard (in my belly). Julia pointed out the apples high up in the tree, Sam wanted to know how fast the tractor was going, and I pulled the kids in close for at least 10 snuggles before the tractor stopped.



The kids picked three apples and within 2 minutes we were back on the wagon.
Back at the main building we sampled a couple different varieties of apples before going up to the counter to pay for our apples. I wasn't sure the lady was going to be pleased that we only picked three apples because I think they sell them by the bag. My jaw dropped when she said, "Hmm...just three? How does a dollar sound?"

Are you kidding me? That's all the money I had in my wallet (besides my bank card). More than the weather turned out to be perfect that day.

Not Me Monday - 6th edition

It's (not) that time again. It never sneaks up on me. I'm always near the top of the Mr. Linky list of participants in MckMama's Not Me Monday Carnival. Oh wait. I AM near the top this week. Multi-tasking** pays off once again!

Here are some more things I didn't do:

* I did not forget to send my own mother a birthday card and instead use this post to wish her a happy birthday and happy anniversary. (She and Paul were married one year ago yesterday.)
Sorry Mom! Hope you guys had a great day!

* I did not ask my husband to read a 378 page book about parenting and marriage as his Christmas present to me this year.

* I didn't take it one step further and ask him to discuss each chapter with me when he finished it.

* I did not go on vacation (without the kids) even though my daughter hadn't ever gone without nursing at least 2x a day for her whole life.

* I didn't take a breast pump along on our camping trip so I could still nurse my 2 year old when we got home because I wasn't ready to give up breastfeeding.

* It did not snow here almost all day on Sunday with winds gusting often to 40+ miles per hour.

* I did not still do an outdoor photo shoot Sunday afternoon.

* We did not eat half a loaf of pumpkin bread Sunday night that we were suppose to save for Julia's school today.

* I did not ignore all the reviews that said to go ahead and make 3 loaves at one time because the recipe is really that good. Which leads to....

** I am not speed baking another loaf as I type this despite the fact that kitchen timer says it won't be done in time to get to school at 10:15.

* We don't have a mouse problem in our house.

* I didn't find out about this problem in the middle of a meeting with our bosses when Brian admitted that Sharon had seen two mice while we were on vacation. (The topic of problems with the house had come up and they were giving us a heads up that when the temps drop the mice move in.)

* I am not considering letting a stray cat into our home in hopes that it will catch all the mice.

* I did not purposely keep my grocery cart behind me in the check out line on Saturday in order to keep some space between me and the lady behind me who was crowding my personal space. I did not have to stand my ground as she pushed my cart into my leg. I did not take my sweet time putting my groceries in the cart just to annoy her.

* Brian and I didn't laugh our heads off when we heard Julia call out "Help Me Down!" from her room.

* I did not use my elbows to protect my the kid's coloring book so Julia couldn't scribble on my page. Nope not me. How stupid would that be? It's just a coloring book. Who cares if there's black scribbles all over the perfect Piglet I just colored.

* I don't take Sam's Little People and create silly scenarios while we play just to see what kind of reaction I'll get out of him. Big Bird did not drive the police car to the scene of a car accident and haul away the car that caused the accident. The sheep did not order an ice cream cone at the ice cream shop. The pig didn't drive the mail truck through the drive thru.

The ABC's of a Field Trip

A is for animals
Sam and his classmates spent Tuesday morning getting up close and personal with the animals on the farm.

B is for Brrrrrrr
It was a chilly morning, but I didn't hear one complaint from the kids. They were too busy having fun.

C is for Cow
We watched how a cow gets milked, saw where the milk gets stored, felt the wet noses of young calves...

D is for Devin
It was Devin's grandparent's farm that we visited

E is for Egg
The kids searched for eggs in the chicken coop. After a few minutes Julia started freaking out. Then it dawned on me that she had just remembered that she'd been bitten by a chicken at the zoo this past summer.

F is for Farm Equipment.
The look on the kid's faces when they watched Devin's dad drive the combine was priceless.


G is for Group.
What a great group of kids Sam has in his class. It was fun to watch him interact with his classmates and for Julia to feel part of the group. For the most part she fits right in, except for when she stands behind the tallest girl in the class. :)


H is for Hay Ride.
We took a spin around the property.



I is for Interesting.
The kids were mesmerized by all they saw and experienced at the farm.


J is for Jealous.
Sam got to ride the school bus to the farm even though we could see the house from the road the farm is on. Julia was so upset that she didn't get to ride the bus too. I told her in two years it would be her turn. It didn't go over very well. Gee, I wonder why?


K is for Kitty
There were kitties everywhere. Both my kids loved to pet them.

L is for Ladder.
Sam couldn't wait to get up the ladder to sit in the combine. I couldn't wait for him to get down. The little stinker wouldn't stop touching the levers and buttons. Have you ever seen how BIG combines are? Not good.


M is for Milk.
After seeing where milk comes from it made a fitting drink to wash down their snack.


N is for Neighbors.
It was nice to finally meet some of our neighbors. (The farm is right across the lake from us.)



O is for Oyster Shells.
We learned that the chickens eat oyster shells with their food to make the shells of the eggs stronger.


P is for Pumpkin.
Each child got to get off the hay wagon and pick their own pumpkin from the field.


Q is for sQueeze.
At least one egg didn't survive all the handling by preschoolers.


R is for Running.
Sam ran to get the furthest pumpkin.








S is for Sunny.
It may have been cold, but the sky was blue and the sun warmed us as much as possible.


T is for Tractor.
My kids never get tired of sitting on farm equipment.





U is for Upset.
At first Julia was excited to be on the pony, but then...not so much.


V is for View.
It was refreshing to see our lake from a different view.

W is for Wild.
How else can I describe Julia's hair that day?














X is for eXact.
Having grown up on a horse farm I really wanted my children's first horseback riding experience to be more than the walk-in-a-circle carnival pony ride. Today they got a taste exactly as I imagined they would - a gentle ride on a pony that wasn't tied to the spoke of a giant wheel.


Y is for Yawn.
After all that fresh air and excitement, both kids slept soundly at naptime.


Z is for Zellman.
What a nice family to let a group of preschoolers come out to the farm on their 54th wedding anniversary and Mr. Zellman's 75th birthday.

Guess How Much I Love You?

Sam especially enjoys it when I read him this book at bedtime. Lately as I leave the room one of us will tell the other that we love each other to the moon and back - just like in the book.
Yesterday as if he knew my heart was already starting to miss him and we haven't even left yet, he says to me after I say I love him to the moon and back, "I love you to the angels."

I don't think I'll look at the moon the same ever again.



Tonight when I tucked him in and once again explained that Mommy and Daddy won't be here in the morning when he wakes up and that while we're gone he can look up at the moon and know that we're doing the same thing and thinking of him.
"But Mama, the moon is going to be over MY house!" I should have seen that one coming!

Then I tell him how excited we are going to be when we get home on Sunday that I'm going to give him lots and lots of squeezes.
"But Mama, that's going to turn me into a pea!"
giggles....
"Oh Sammy, you are so silly."
"Why am I silly Mama?"
"Because you are so sweet."
"Well that's going to make me a sweet potato."

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Julia, during our bedtime snuggle offered her own unsolicited, "Yuv you, Mommy."

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I feel at peace about leaving tomorrow morning, but I will miss my babies like crazy. I'm a little nervous about the weather forecast of lows in the 20's but the daytime highs will be in the upper 40's so we should be fine.
The car is packed. The canoe is strapped down.
The alarm is set for 3 a.m.
Grandma and Grandpa are sleeping in our bed.
Brian is getting some rest on the couch.

I am going to get some sleep myself before the 6 hour car ride, the 3 portages mixed in with the 1 1/2 hour paddle, and the fun of setting up camp.

I can only imagine what my Not Me Monday post will entail after 4 days in the wilderness!

Brilliant

Since I only have an early elements version of Photoshop and I don't really know how to use it, you can be sure that God gets ALL the credit for the brilliant colors you see in the leaves. Wait. That didn't come out right. He gets all the credit regardless. What was I thinking?

I remember now. I was thinking it would be a shame to sit indoors after Sam's birthday dinner yesterday when the trees in our park are dripping with color. So outside we went.

Like father, like son.

I think they're both brilliant.

The birthday boy
Mmmmm.... yummy evening light....

My camera is still limping along....I'm going to milk it for all it's worth until my warranty mess gets resolved.

Check out my pup. Smart huh? He's on a leash like the park rules require. This isn't a new trick for him. He's been taking himself for walks for 10 years. Brilliant!

4 the love of Sam

Sam's baby and toddler years aren't nearly as documented as Julia's because I didn't start blogging until he was 2. I didn't even have a digital camera until he was six months old. The horror!

In honor of Sammy's 4th birthday I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite pictures that I used in his birthday slide show. Enjoy!

2 months old


My 10 year high school reunion. Sam was 10 months old then.

I'm standing next to my best friend from high school, Rhonda, and her newborn daughter Jenna. Rhonda is expecting her third girl next week.

The very first digital picture I took of Sam (at 6 months old)


On Sam's second birthday Sharon and I took him to Camp Snoopy to go on some rides.

For a bit of perspective - Julia now fits in these jeans (without the cuffs rolled). The shoes are almost two small for her already.

3 years old

From day one Sam has had the deepest, darkest, most beautiful blue eyes. Love 'em!


Happy birthday baby boy!

Sweet Tarts

We experienced a couple of firsts in our house today. The kids have been watching waaaay to many movies as I get back on my feet so today I pulled out my old Candy Land game and we spent some quality time* moving our game pieces all over the board. All three of us got to take the rainbow shortcut but then I was sent back to the gingerbread man. Sam got a kick out of the game (he didn't even mind that I won) and would have played much longer if I didn't have to bow out and finish my chores before we go grocery shopping. Julia thought it was fun to shout out the names of the colors (and knock over our pieces). We don't have the complete game because after almost 30 years and three kids, it's seen better days, but I can see us instigating a game night in the near future. With Christmas around the corner, I'd love to here your suggestions for other games that young children might enjoy. I remember thinking Hi-Ho Cherrio was pretty fun as a little kid. To this day I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE games. Cranium is my favorite. What's yours?

And the other first? Grapefruit. The kids actually FOUGHT over who'd get the next bite. Didn't see that one coming! Too bad they are $1.50 EACH.


* Usually I take pictures of just about everything, but I resisted today and thouroghly enjoyed the uninterupted time with my kids. Granted I had to leave them to play by themselves after 20 minutes, but we have two days of birthday celebrations upon us and I have preparations to make.

Tomato. Tomaaato

I have a veggie hater


and a veggie lover.

Last night's dinner is the perfect example: Julia kept eating all the tomatoes off of her taco and would demand more. I think she ate 1/3 of a big tomato by the time it was all said in done. Sam, on the other hand was pitching a fit because he knew one tiny sliver of tomato was hidden in his taco.

The only obvious difference in their personalities right now is that Sam is very shy around people he doesn't know and Julia will say hi to anyone. She even went up to a stranger at the zoo once and asked the woman to pick her up so she could see the animals better. Yikes!

In all honesty the kids are more alike than they are different.

They both:
love animals
love to be read to
can sit for a half hour at a time and look at books in their rooms
love to run and be silly with Daddy
want Mommy to be the last to tuck them in at night
love the same toys (usually at the exact same moment)
are sound sleepers
love to draw


What I'm most thankful for is that they love each other.

Golden

In what seems like the blink of an eye Julia is turning two today.
I was reading through the book of letter I've written to her since the day she was born and reliving the past two years while the kids played quietly at my feet. As much as I blog about our lives I still feel like I've done an inadequate job of putting my feelings into words. Maybe that's why I take so many pictures??? She's growing up so fast and if she had her way she'd be included in everything her brother does. She's working really hard at potty training, hums the tunes to a few songs, sings the words to a bunch of songs (my favorite is the Cares Chorus) can count to 14 all by herself (she skips six though), wants to be "eight" when she grows up, is agreeable yet has her moments that make me dread the teenage years, eats her veggies because she likes them, not because I bribe her, naps 1-3 hours every day, sleeps at least 10 hours a night, still nurses three times a day and shows no interest in weening, is a pacificer addict, gives the best hugs, says hi to strangers, still talks about the boy she didn't like at the McDonald's playland, comes running to me when she gets scared by a loud noise, prefers that I put her in bed, will sit and snuggle at bedtime or anytime for as long as I'd like, loves watching Baby Einstein movies, and will do pretty much anything I ask when it comes to posing for pictures.

Birthdays are all about the cake at our house. Julia decided she wanted a heart shaped cake so that's what she made.


When Daddy got home we let her open the presents from us. I've had my heart set on getting her this jewelry box basically since the day she was born.


She was enamored with the ballerina and the music that played when the lid was open.


It was my idea to have Daddy give her a necklace, but he picked out which one. I think he did a marvelous job. She wore it until it was time to take it off before bedtime. It now tucked safely in her jewelry box.


I took Sam to the dollar store to pick out a gift for Julia yesterday. I could NOT talk him out of getting her a toy airplane. Funny thing is, that's the gift she showed the most excitement over until Sam "borrowed" it and played with it the rest of the night.

For dinner Brian and I whipped up some spaghetti and garlic bread to share with Brian's family who came over to help us celebrate.




Buying a gift for a two year old girl is no easy task, but Grandma and Sharon hit the jackpot with an aquadoodle and magnadoodle. She drew for an hour straight when Sam (and Grandpa) weren't "helping".


Happy Golden Birthday Julia!