7 Quick Takes: March 26, 2010 (Vol. 35)

~ 1 ~

At the end of last week, I declared to Eric one night at dinner, "I need a PDA." Then, in my defense, I did follow that up with, "Hang on -- did I see need?  I meant I want one."

I went looking around on Amazon that night and saw that one of the things that came up again and again as something that other customers bought instead of one of the PDAs was an iPod Touch.  Hey!  I have an iPod Touch! 

That's when I sat down and realized that all of the things that I really wanted from a PDA were also things that my iPod Touch can already do.  I did buy one extra app, but $4.99 is definitely a lot cheaper than a PDA. 

I was so proud of myself!

~ 2 ~

I have yet to find anything to watch regularly from 11:30 pm - 12:30 am on TV. 

I still miss you, Conan.

~ 3 ~

I've been having a strong desire lately to unfriend some people on Facebook.  It's not that they have annoyed me or even that I know specifically who it would be (I have some ideas though).  But, when I have people that I only kind of knew in passing on an online message board or people that I went to school with but never remember talking to, it just seems silly.  But, then I don't want to make waves and take the chance at hurting anyone's feelings.

Then again, if I feel like I barely know them and would likely never comment on their statuses, they probably wouldn't notice if we weren't "friends" anymore.  (And, chances are, if you're reading this and feel that we actually are friends, I'm probably not thinking about unfriending you.  So, don't worry.)

Thoughts on this?

~ 4 ~

Holy Cow!  This week's episode of The Big Bang Theory was hilarious!

"A neutron walks into a bar and says, 'How much for a drink?' The bartender says, 'For you - no charge.'"

I laughed at this episode until I almost cried.

(I was extra thrilled then to find a Flash Gordon shirt for Noah at Once Upon a Child this week.  If you watch the show, you will understand my excitement.)

~ 5 ~

In anticipation for moving my blog to self-hosted WordPress, I am going to start selling ads for Many Little Blessings more actively.  They will be higher on the page than they are now (much higher), and I am starting the pricing off pretty darn low.  (Really low, especially considering that I tend to get my best traffic at this time of year.)

If you have a small business, this is a great opportunity to get a great rate on advertising.  Please contact me if you want more information about advertising here (or on any of my blogs, such as Catholic Mothers Online or The Homeschool Classroom).

~ 6 ~

Last weekend found us at my new favorite furniture store.  I mentioned it in #5 of my quick takes two weeks ago.  (It was the furniture store that gives a huge discount for paying with cash.  Love it!)

I'm now not allowed in there for a while. 

No, I didn't cause a scene or anything crazy like that.  It just seems that what with buying a desk for Molly and an awesome bunk bed last time, and then buying a love seat and a head board at our last trip, Eric thinks it's best for us not to go there for a while. 

On the up side though, the kids now have a great love seat for the play room (which used to be the school room), and we saved $45 off the price by using cash!  Love it!

~ 7 ~

I had realized that today (the 26th) was going to be my Grandma's birthday a few weeks ago, but then forgot about it until my Mom mentioned it on the phone.  I don't know why the whole thing still seems pretty surreal.  What I seem to have the biggest mental block on is that I just can't imagine that someone else lives in her apartment now.  That seems like such a funny sticking point, doesn't it?

Happy Birthday, Grandma.  We miss you.







This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes and Weekly Wrap Up.


lemonade stand photo by shaletann

My Guess As to How Seamus Colored Our Cool Whip Without Opening It

Last week, Seamus the Leprechaun came to pay us a visit for St. Patrick's Day.  I have had a few people who wanted me to theorize how in the world Seamus did his little trick with our Cool Whip.  So, here's where I take my guess.

Well, first, in case you didn't read about it, we got our totally sealed package of Cool Whip out of the refrigerator after being told by Seamus in a note that he left us a trick in our Cool Whip.  (Seamus is lucky we had Cool Whip, as I never buy it.)  We cut open the seal and opened it to find regular Cool Whip.  Just in case a trick was hiding, we got a spoon and stirred it around to see if anything was hidden inside.  Imagine our surprise when our Cool Whip started turning green!  How crazy!

So, while I totally think that Seamus is just a prankster, I do have a guess on how he might have been so tricky, just in case you ever wanted to see if you could reproduce what he did for another holiday or April Fools Day.  (For the record, I don't like April Fools Day pranks, but this would be pretty harmless, so I'm all for it.)

My guess on this step by step process:

1.  We already had the Cool Whip in our refrigerator.  If we hadn't, I'm sure Seamus would have had to have allowed it to thaw first.

2. I bet he might have turned over the sealed Cool Whip container and used a steak knife to cut a long slit along the bottom.

3. From there, I imagine he would have taken a gel food coloring and stuck the tip of the green right inside the slit on the bottom of the Cool Whip.  I suspect he just went a little crazy putting a bunch in.

4. He would have had to have fit the opening back together, and wiped off any mess that got out (being careful to throw away paper towel that got food coloring on it).

5. Then, maybe he used packing tape to seal it all up on the bottom very well.  He probably would have known that my kids wouldn't have inspected the packaging.  But, if kids were apt to do that, I wonder if he might have put some white paper over the opening before sealing it up.

6. Just because Seamus cares about the chance of leaks in our refrigerator, I bet he would have finished up by casually setting the container on a plate in our refrigerator.  He may be a prankster, but I bet he would be nice enough to not want to take the chance of getting food coloring on my shelf.  (For the record, he wouldn't have needed the plate, but better safe than sorry.)

This is all just my guesses, of course.  Maybe you have a better guess than I do, or you might want to try a different guess for just certain steps. 

Have fun!

7 Quick Takes: March 19, 2010 (Vol. 34)

~ 1 ~

I decided on Sunday that I was going to go to reconciliation (confession) on Wednesday evening.  I then spent a ton of time during those days dreading going to confession.  I dreaded it more than I have since the first time I went (on Palm Sunday in 2007).

When I went though, it was wonderful.  It was probably one of my best times in the confessional ever.  It was exactly what I needed.  The advice was wonderful and just what I needed to hear.  Now I'm just praying hard for the strength to do the things that I need to do.

~ 2 ~

Daylight savings time has been kicking my hiney this week.  I have been staying up too late and have had a really difficult time getting out of bed in the morning.  I've begun to think that I might never readjust to the time. 

When you throw in my natural sleep issues (delayed sleep phase syndrome, which I have self-diagnosed due to my extensive medical training -- years of things like ER and Grey's Anatomy), it has been a little, well, tiring this week.s

~ 3 ~

Holy Moly!  I got to try the new Almond Joy Pieces candy the other day and I couldn't stop eating them.  Thankfully, they belonged to my Mom, so I couldn't really eat them all.  Otherwise, I think I would have eaten them all. 

If you like Almond Joy candy bars and don't want to eat a ton of the Almond Joy Pieces, just don't try them, okay?  Trust me on that one.

~ 4 ~

It's been a long time since I talked about our weight loss journey.  We aren't making fast progress, but since January 1st, I have lost around 11 pounds and Eric has lost around 15 pounds. 

We both could have lost a lot more, but we haven't made a crazy amount of changes in our eating (though we have made quite a few, and are taking the time to count calories and watch fat content) and we have sometimes forgotten about exercising.  So, all that considered, I feel like it's going really well.

Then again, if I could kick it into higher gear, that would probably be a really great thing.

~ 5 ~

Speaking of kicking things into high gear, I am proud to say that on Tuesday, I managed to have whole grains at every meal!  Who knows if that will ever happen again, but I can hope.

For breakfast, I had a 100% whole wheat English muffin with a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter.  For lunch, I had a sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread while we were busy driving around to some appointments.  For dinner, we had homemade pizza.  I made the crust with -- yeah, you guessed it -- whole wheat flour. 

~ 6 ~

As a follow up to our visit from Seamus the Leprechaun, I must share that I told our priest friend that my kids were sure that Seamus had come to give me "payback" (as they said" for having toilet papered his (our priest friend's) office. 

Imagine my kids' delight when we got a message back from the priest.  He let the kids know that, indeed, he had met Seamus at his new parish (after he was transferred from ours) which is named...wait for it...St. Patrick's (yep -- it's true!), and knew that Seamus loved pulling pranks.  So, he had given Seamus the names of some families to "visit."

The kids went insane after this message.  They were laughing and carrying on.  They were also pleased to finally understand one thing that had bothered them all day -- Why had this been our first visit from a leprechaun.  Now they knew it was because Seamus had never been told to visit us.

While the kids plotted their own payback, I thanked God for all of the wonderful priests that we know. 

~ 7 ~

While discussing leprechauns this week, Molly at one point was excitedly talking about when the "Decepticon" had come and pulled pranks in our house.

"Leprechaun," she had to be reminded.  Although I had to wonder what kinds of pranks a Transformer might decide to pull on St. Patrick's Day.











 This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes Friday and Weekly Wrap Up.

photos by:  confessional - elmada / sleeping doll - :: Hello Mizu ::

Seamus the Leprechaun Visited Our House This Morning

We have never been visited by a leprechaun before, but the kids had been talking a lot about the pranks that leprechauns can pull in the last few days, so apparently Seamus the Leprechaun decided it was time for a visit.

The kids excitedly woke me up this morning to find all of the shenanigans that Seamus had left for us.

Was Seamus the Leprechaun trying on everyone's Crocs? And what a place to leave them! The kids thought maybe he was leaving a clue about where chocolate gold coins were, because there was one inside the piano and if you followed the shoes (like an arrow), you could find two more coins.

(Who knows if Seamus even realized he left such great clues!)

The kids in the mess that Seamus left for us.

(Jack declared, "I know! Seamus is probably getting payback on you for toilet papering (our old priest's name)'s office." Touche, Seamus.)

(Oh yeah -- that's right.  I have toilet papered a priest's office not once, but twice even!  I like to live on the edge like that.)

 
The kids searching out all of the chocolate gold coins that Seamus left for us.

Wow! Seamus has really bad handwriting. As I told Eric on the phone when we told him about the big trouble at home, it looks to me like Seamus must be left handed. He was probably sorry that he decided to write such a long note too.

Crazy Seamus!

(We were afraid of what he might have done to the Cool Whip.)

We were all tickled that Seamus had some of the kids Webkinz sit down with the book An Alphabet of Catholic Saints. They were, of course, reading about St. Patrick.

The kids got the Cool Whip out of the fridge, and it was still sealed, just like when I bought it at the store.

Add a caption

Was Seamus the Leprechaun trying on everyone's Crocs? And what a place to leave them! The kids thought maybe he was leaving a clue about where chocolate gold coins were, because there was one inside the piano and if you followed the shoes (like an arrow), you could find two more coins. (Who knows if Seamus even realized he left such great clues!)

 Cut off the seal. All seems fine. We think Seamus is playing a trick by saying he played a trick.

Noah opened the container. I forgot to take a picture, but it was white. We were then certain that Seamus has just tricked us into opening the Cool Whip.

But, just to be sure, we got out a spoon and went digging around for something.

Darn Seamus! When we went digging around into the Cool Whip, it started turning green!

The living room mess, from a different angle.

One of the 15 gold chocolate coins spread out around the house.

Another piece of chocolate hidden.

Good thing we were out of Holy Water, Seamus, or nobody would have wanted to eat that one. (This was the last coin that was found.)

Hard to see on their bunk bed steps, but here are the 15 gold chocolate coins.

Thanks for the fun, Seamus!

 







This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.

Is The World Changing or Are We Raising Nerds?

My boys were pacing the house as they were busy pretending.  This is a favorite past time of theirs.  They walk around and come up with elaborate scenarios.

On one recent walkabout the house, I overheard Jack coming up with an idea.   

Noah then said, "Can we do some beta testing on that?"

Beta testing?  

Where do these kids get this stuff?  Either the world is changing or we're raising nerds.  Then again, it could be a little bit of both.

Mollyism: "I'm Not Turtle..."

I just love the age that Molly is right now (she's five) -- she's just at that point where she is getting so much more grown up, but still says things that make me giggle all the time.

Today, she and the boys were playing a game when they were all animals.  Molly walked through the living room and declared to them, "I'm not turtle."

Okay, I thought, she had narrowed down to simply not being a turtle.  But, no, I was wrong, because she continued.

"I'm not turtle.  I sleep during the day, and I'm awake at night."

In her defense though, I do have to admit that though nobody corrected her, she did later say nocturnal instead.  But, I kind of think that I liked "not turtle" best.









photo by TarikB

Yet Another Mollyism

Last week I shared about Molly's unique way of saying a lot or a little, so I had to share one of the most recent gems around the house.

Molly was explaining to her brothers how she had gotten out of bed very quietly to sneak into our bed during the night.  We heard her telling the boys in a soft voice, while acting out her sneaking, "I climbed out of my bed, and then I very snuckily went to Mom and Dad's room."

Snuckily.

What was the last thing that you snuckily did?

Molly's Unique Units of Measure

One of my favorite things about kids are the words they come up with or the funny ways they say things.  Every time they come up with something new, I always think, "I'm always going to remember just the way they said that."  But, of course, I usually don't.  (The one exception to this rule is that Noah always used to say "your" instead of "you."  So, he would say, "How are your doing?"  Loved that!)

So, let this be my public record of Molly's way of measuring either a lot or a little of something...

A sminch -- this, as you might imagine, denotes a very small amount.  This can be either a sminch of food, or even asking if she can just sit on the counter for a sminch.

A smock -- this means a lot.  I understood the general idea of where "a sminch" came from, but I have no idea how "a smock" became synonymous with "a lot."  That makes it a little more fun, in my opinion.

So, how much did you do this weekend?  A smock or a sminch?








photo by Darrren Hester

7 Quick Takes: December 11, 2009 (Volume 24)

~ 1 ~

I have recently read about a lot of people doing more relaxed schooling during December (or some portion of December).  I thought this sounded like a great idea, and so we started doing just that this week.  Of course, with having had a busy week, it was an easy decision.

While we have continued with math lessons and practicing piano each day (and social studies read alouds for the week), our days this week having also been filled with activities like: games, Legos, problem solving at the grocery store, going to Mass, a science lesson of watching someone's heart on an echocardiogram (thanks for taking one for the team, Jack), some video/TV watching (MythBusters one afternoon, and The Nativity Story one night after a Reconciliation Service), lots of free reading time, crafts, and whatever else pops into our head that has educational merit that is something we don't normally do.  Can I just tell you how fun it has been?

Next week, we are looking forward to doing some baking as part of school, as well as Christmas "party" school day with one of our favorite homeschooling families.

~ 2 ~

Happy Birthday today to one of the best men I know -- my Dad.  We love you like crazy!

~ 3 ~

 Why is it that my kids all name jobs that they want to do when they grow up that have nothing to do with going to college?  It's not that I'm a snob about it, but darn it -- I want those kids to all go to college.  When I was their age, I was saying that I wanted to be a teacher.

What do my kids want to be?

1. A Walmart employee (or maybe a hotel owner -- so there may be some hope for college there!)

2. A Build-a-Bear Workshop employee

3. A hair stylist, ballerina, tap dancer who works at Noah's hotel (see number one)

Good thing you aren't allowed to pick your profession when you're five years old, huh?

~ 4 ~

I love kids books that crack me up.  This week, we read Falling For Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, and that's exactly what happened.  Everyone in the house laughed about it.  It is such a cute story, works on rhyming, and is just down right hilarious.  (It would seem that Rapunzel just can't hear what Prince Charming is saying while she is high in her tower.)

If you haven't read it, be sure to either pick it up or check it out from the library.  Too cute!

"Rapunzel, do you have any rope?"

Rapunzel dropped a cantaloupe. 

~ 5 ~

 Just love the new Dockers "Wear the Pants" campaign that they started.  If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out.

~ 6 ~

 The baby shower that I threw for my sister-in-law last weekend went really well!  It was nice to have so many people over, and she and her husband got a lot of great things.

And, as a side bonus -- we got our house so clean!  Thanks to everyone in the house (and my Mom too!) for helping to clean the house and get food ready.

~ 7 ~

I've been working on knitting (with my loom) a blanket for Christmas.  Christmas is now two weeks away, and while it is the correct width, it is only about nine inches long right now.  I'm either going to have to get to work or I'm going to end up wrapping it still attached to the loom with an IOU with it.

Wish me luck! 

This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes Friday at Conversion Diary.

Photos by: yarn shop - missteee / manipulatives -  jimmiehomeschoolmom

Don't Do Yoga in the Bathtub (and Other Things You Thought You'd Never Say)

Sometimes, in parenthood, you say words together in a sentence that you would never have dreamed that you would put together.  You know those kinds of sentences, don't you?

Just yesterday, after hearing a splash and running for the bathroom, I had to say to Jack, "Don't do yoga in the bathtub."


Do you have any gems to share like this?


 






photo by  Voxphoto

That's One Sneaky Doctor We Have

Molly had her five year check up on Wednesday.  During the course of the appointment, our doctor asked Molly what she was learning.  She, of course, looked at me like a deer in headlights.  That's what kids are contractually obligated to do in those kinds of situations, right?

I suggested to Molly that she tell our doctor what exciting thing she just did for the first time on Sunday of this week.  She was very pleased to let him know that she had received a bike for her birthday and was having fun riding it.

Our doctor asked her about her bike, so Molly described it in all of its Barbie-wonderfulness.  (Seriously -- it even has a little plastic bike on the handle bars where a Barbie can ride.)  Then, as if it was a perfectly normal next thing to say, without missing a beat, our doctor said, "What color is your bike helmet -- is it pink too or a different color."

She told him all about how it was also a pink Barbie helmet, and that it had come with knee pads and elbow pads too.

Then, I couldn't help myself, I laughed and had to say, "You were trying to make sure we had a helmet for her, weren't you?"

He laughed too.  He claimed that he was just asking a simple question, but I knew better.  That's one sneaky doctor we have.  But, you can't fault a guy for just wanting to make sure that your kids are safe.

This Fact Didn't Escape Me

My Mom and I were talking a few days ago, and I must have mentioned something about blogs.  She said, "Speaking of blogs, I noticed I haven't been getting updates on your blog lately."

With a smirk, I answered, "Yeah, I noticed that too."

7 Quick Takes Friday: October 2, 2009 (Vol. 17)

~ 1 ~

We're studying early American history this year with the boys using Winter Promise's American Story I.  While we were reading on of our books (I believe it was The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689), there were some hints toward the idea of the Revolutionary War.

Jack said, "I hope the Americans win."

And, being the wonderful bad Mom that I am, I couldn't help but burst into laughter.  Of course, I didn't feel so bad, because I saw that little flicker in his eye that suggested that he really knew the answer and was saying it to be funny.

But, then he continued, "What?"

"Jack -- who do you think won the Revolutionary War?"

"I don't know."

"Are we British or are we American?"

"Ummmm...American?" in that way of asking a question that kids do sometimes when they really do know the answer.

"Okay, so who do you think won?"

"The Americans?"

"Well, there ya go," I said with a smirk.

~ 2 ~

During the same time of reading during our schooling, we were reading a few pages from Children's Encyclopedia of American History.  There was a little snippet about Benjamin Franklin on one page that we read.  (Don't worry -- we're reading more than just a snippet about him in other books.)

In telling about him, one of the things is said was that he had "made key discoveries about electricity..." (the emphasis on the word key is mine, not the book's).

Eric heard us from the other room and he and I laughed so hard!  The kids needed to be clued in to why that sentence was horribly funny.  I told Eric, "Whoever wrote that was probably laughing his butt off about it."

~ 3 ~

On the good deal alert front, I just noticed that the Wii has dropped by $50, taking it down to $200, plus Amazon has a $25 gift card if you buy the Wii through them.  We love our Wii!

The other good deal that I just heard about is that at Motivated Moms, they have the 2009 Planner marked down to just $2.  They are normally $8 for a whole year, but with having just released the 2010 edition, they marked down the previously marked down 2009 edition to $2.  This is a great way to be able to inexpensively try it out to see if you like it enough to buy it for the new year!

~ 4 ~

Isn't it funny how you can make friends with someone so deeply in a seemingly short amount of time?  I first met my friend Amanda only about a year and a half ago.  It was a bit longer ago than that, but that's the first time we really talked at all.  (Ironically, we actually went to high school together, though I didn't know her, and I was in a class with her husband.)

And, now, I feel like all the time when I am talking I say things like, "Well, do you know what my friend Amanda does?" or "My friend Amanda said...".  People probably get tired of hearing about "my friend Amanda."

I have thought many times about how God has blessed my life by bringing Amanda and her family into it.  I especially thought of it last night.  I had been having a hard time, and probably wasn't the best of friends of the phone when we had a problem come up that Amanda and I had to deal with for our homeschool group.  I later text messaged her to say that it had been a hard day for our family (because of news about a close family member who is having a very difficult time right now), and that I was sorry for being "a sucky friend and a whiner." She texted me that she adored me.

And, even better, when I saw her later in the evening, without saying a word, she just came up and hugged me.  It was a long, firm hug.  And, I couldn't help but have to fight back tears.

I suppose it's a sign of a true friend when no words are needed, isn't it?

~ 5 ~

It seems appropriate for number five to say that Molly has been counting down the "sleeps" until her fifth birthday.  It's pretty darn soon!

How do they get so old so fast?

~ 6 ~

Speaking of little girls, we were excited to find out that my sister-in-law (Eric's sister), who is pregnant, is expecting a baby girl!

In a very odd twist, they (Eric's sister and her husband) had sent Molly a gift card for her birthday and she went out on Tuesday and bought a doll that she named Elizabeth.  Well, imagine our surprise to get a call (and email) confirming that their baby is a girl, and they will be naming her (yeah, say it with me) -- Elizabeth.  Funny, huh?

~ 7 ~

 It's been a week of some real ups and downs.  When I was feeling particularly down, I saw that Amanda (from Encouragement Along the Way, not the Amanda from #4) posted on Facebook the following as her status, and it was really exactly what I needed:


His mercies are new each morning!

 




This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes Friday.

photo credits: flag by Angie @ Many Little Blessings, except: keys by Bohman, sisterhood by  patries71, pink booties by debcll