Happy Holidays

Well, that was fun right?  I just love Christmas, and I think this might have been the last year all three kids would be into Santa.  Owen told us before Christmas that Santa must be real because we would never spend that much money on presents.  I think next year he will be a bit more sceptical. 

We had a great time baking and cooking, decorating the house.  The kids did a good job buying gifts for each other.  Maddie and Owen seemed to really get the idea of picking something the other would actually want.    It has been fun watching them get along a bit better as they have more in common with her starting to read. 

The only bump this year was Ellie, she started being afraid of the dark beginning of October and hasn't slept well since then.  It's like having a newborn again, and I don't do sleep deprivation well.  We are working on retraining her again, booooo.  I am crushed by exhaustion, but I think we are finally making progress.

What was your favorite moment this season?? 

Mine is this:

They both used a pastry bag, and had so much fun putting these together.  Sadly, Santa loved them so much he took them back to the North Pole with him (the trains, not the kids). 

Updates in bullet fashion

• I talked with Owen's teacher, apparently 3rd grade is for serious with the writing.  They want main ideas and supporting sentences.  Whatever.  Also, he has timed math tests, 50 problems in a minute which seems a bit much to me.  His teacher is also not fond of them but, that is what their grade level does.  ( Karma knocks...I have my algebra 1 kids do timed tests, but they have 50 problems in a minute and a half.)  He is being tested again for GATE this month, he tested in April but missed the cut-off, and the teacher wants to test him again.  Personally, I don't care, but Owen has his heart set on it.  So I am crossing my fingers for him, because the weeping will kill me.  He sent me an email (he can email us and grandparents) one night, this was his email

Mom  I keep having nightmares that I am blind.  and I can't hear. then I die :(

           It is the saddest most hilarious email ever.  I know I shouldn't laugh but the frowny face is what really kills me.

• Kindergarten is killing Maddie.  Ok, just the lack of naps, everyday she comes home a  frazzled mess.  I don't think it is just the sleep, she still sucks her thumb but only with her kitties when she is laying down.  I think she is also missing a little quiet time by herself.  She is one of the few five year olds who frequently tell people she need a little alone time.  She has had her ups and downs since I wrote this.  Honestly, the comments were all helpful, but Swistle's comment about validating and compromising were smack my head helpful.  I don't care for it when Bud tells me my problems are no big deal, why would Maddie?  Note to self:  my children are people.  I should put that on a sticky note.  She is starting to be able to pull herself out of the nosedive of despair, and if all else fails we send her to her room and she falls asleep.  One night she fell asleep at 5:45 and didn't wake up until 7:00, she was magical that day.
• Ellie went for a trifecta this October, her daycare closed for 2 days for a wedding, she got strep and while on antibiotics, she got a viral thing (hand, foot and mouth?).  She moved into her big girl bed:

Owl quilt!

We started off with the mattress and box spring but she fell out a few times so now she just has a mattress.  She just loves the bed, she will lay in bed on the weekend for 30 minutes just enjoying her bed.  She calls it her "good girl bed", so I guess the crib made her feel like a bad girl.

Faith Shaken

Well, found out I don't have to testify tomorrow.  I don't really understand all of it, but I guess the pharmacy agreed with the charges.  The pharmacy board decided it was a store issue and not a pharmacist issue, so they dropped the complaint against her.  I reminded them that the pharmacy manager looked at the pills with her eyeballs, and said they were the right medication.  That seems like the definition of the pharmacists fault.  So nothing happens to the pharmacist, the pharmacy has to pay a $1000 fine and they have to participate in trainings.

I feel a bit deflated.  I am having a tough time for some reason.  Not that I wanted any one's head on a platter, but something a bit more severe would have been nice.  I guess I did what I could right?

Anxiety

Owen is not transitioning well to 3rd grade.  We are not super fond of his teacher, she is very much about punishing people.  He is shy and anxious, his teacher last year really seemed able to bring out the best in him.  He is flaky and flighty, and I don't know how to get him more focused.  I sent his teacher an email to get suggestions from her, but haven't heard anything back yet.  I spent half an hour crafting my email, trying to convey that we are concerned, we aren't blaming her, but also she maybe need to focus on him a bit. 

He has been having dreams about us dying, so I know that school is making him upset.  He has an ipod touch, and he is allowed to email us and his grandparents, last week he sent me an email from bed saying he keeps having a nightmare about being blind, and he can't hear... and then he dies.  So clearly, mother of the year over here.

I am on a committee at his school and my job is to organize the volunteers to sell tickets.  I have to coordinate with a mom, who seems determined to not understand what I mean.  I explained the days I need volunteers, and gave her a sign up sheet with all the days and times.  She made a new sheet with only one day.  Then when I asked her about it she said her class would only do one day and I would have to find someone else to do the others.  Unfortunately she informed of this a week before I need people.  I hate having to talk to people I don't know, then to have them ignore me and have to keep addressing them on it is really stressful.

Also, remember my pharmacy issue?  I have to testify to the governing board on Wednesday.  Gahhhhh

Who Knew??

Pickles could be so easy...

I went with Catherine Newman's pickle recipe.   She has never failed me yet and I figured it was worth a try.  Best pickles ever.  Sadly we only got 6 cucumbers, I am hoping for more tomorrow, because I have more dill.

Todays Challenge....

This is our basket from this week.  I was very excited about the asparagus and red peppers, Maddie begs for both when we are at the store, but it can be pricey so I just buy them on sale.  That is a full dozen tomatoes at the right, and toward the back are some plums, but I am not sure what variety they are yet.  ( they are pluots!)

I am going to try and do pickles with the 6 pickling cucumbers.  I have never made pickles, so I am excited.  Trouble is my dad is in town and then we are leaving for  a few days so I don't know how the pickling will work??  Hmm  looks like I need to do some research.  

Eggplant Update

Let's say you are laying in bed in the morning and you hear your two year old talking.  Then you hear a weird, unidentifiable sound, and you and your spouse discuss what is this strange sound??  Hmm well, she isn't crying so leave her be.  NO. NO you get up immediately and see what the demon seed is doing:

No idea where she found a pencil but she really gave the wall and bookcase a work out.  She will not contain her muse to a piece of paper.  She has colored on everything in this house, we hide  writing utensils like most people hide matches.

So the eggplant.  I have mentioned my Meta Givens cookbook before, I found a recipe for  Eggplant En Casserole and had all the ingredients so what the heck.  I made some changes because I strongly believe onions are bigger now that they were in 1947.

Eggplant  (peeled and diced mine was about 4 cups)

2 tomatoes  sliced (peeled, but I didn't because how do you do that?)

1C cheese  ( I used cheddar jack also I don't measure cheese I just throw handfuls)

Butter

Breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute the eggplant and onion is butter until semi cooked about 5 minutes.  Then layer eggplant/onion then tomato then cheese then repeat.  On the top sprinkle more cheese and some breadcrumbs.  Put a few dabs of butter on top.  Cook at 375 for about half and hour.

Bud and I both loved this, the tomatoes added a nice bit of freshness.  Owen nearly vomited just looking at it, and Ellie liked the first bite but refused anymore.  Maddie at three helpings, of course she thinks edamame is a huge treat so she is not your typical kid.  Definitely something I will make again.  Owen use to eat tons of vegetables but has been more picky since hanging out with more kids, I think since he use to love veggies as a little kid he will eventually get back to them as he gets older.  I hope.

I can't wait to see what this Saturday brings.