Category: family life

Genius

We have a puzzle that’s fairly difficult to do, but it’s colorful, and Skye likes to play with it on occasion. On this occasion, she asked me to help her, so we put it all together, and then she gave me half of the pieces and asked me to put those in, and she would do the rest. Surprisingly, she did it, and when she asked me to only put in one piece, I told her that she could do it all by herself.

Here is the result:

Just had to share…sooo good!

 

If you know me, you know I LOVE tomato soup. Well, I just made a batch and it was so freakin’ good I had to document! (not my pic either, but that’s what it basically looked like)  Best part, only about 55 calories!  Unfortunately, I didn’t write down exact amounts, but hopefully this will help me remember…

 

I used a box of Pomi tomatoes.

 

We used these while in Slovakia and I don’t know why but they just taste so much better than regular canned tomatoes (use it in all my spag/tomato sauces now), but I’m sure canned would work too. The box will make 3 servings of soup (2 ladle scoops per serving).

 

Saute 1-2 tablespoons  of chopped garlic in just a bit of the tomatoes until the garlic is soft

Add box of tomatoes (get them in the organic section)

Add (half box) water until desired consistency.

Then generously season to taste with sea salt, ground pepper, dried thyme, little nutmeg, minced dried onion, garlic powder and about 1-2 large handfuls of large, fresh, basil leaves chopped up.

I also added 6 tablespoons of milk for just a touch of creamy without the guilt

Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Eat with guilt-free grissini bread sticks and voila, YUMMY!

Ian’s birth story

Yeah, second children truly get ripped off! Not as many pictures or videos as the first. I can say though that at least I have been keeping up with his monthly, Dear Ian, letters. Getting them compiled is another story (Skye’s is almost done though, ha, three years later).  Since the next couple of weeks will be busy, I am going to post his birth story (since I never posted is last year) now even though his birthday isn’t until next week.  (BTW love Google documents! I wrote his story right after he was born there, but never post here).  I guess I’m feeling a little emotional about Ian getting older, as we say goodbye to baby-ness, probably forever. It’s a little heart-wrenching leaving your childbearing years, but I am so thrilled for the years to come.

Without further delay…

Ian Birth Story


I was 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant when I started having irregular contractions on Sunday, April 11. They felt more like cramps than contractions since I only had back contractions with Skye. Still, they were pretty constant, painful and irritating. I went up to Dads in Park City for dinner around 4 and Benjam stayed at home to game with his friends for his birthday… Continue reading “Ian’s birth story”

When I need a good laugh

I saw this online and the more I see it, the more I can’t stop laughing at it. This is not Ian, nor did Skye do this. The kid is clueless and you can just envision the toddler playfully putting them on his head. Poor kid :(

“My older daughter has a band aid obsession, and she put a bunch on his head. And I have yet to figure out a way to get them off without ripping out his hair. I removed 2 so far and he cried to no end. I felt bad for him. :(  ”

So there is some baby out there with a bunch of band aids on his head for no particular reason, but his older sister, and Mom can’t find a humane way to get them out, so he just continues to be Band Aid Head. Love it!

School days

We went to Skye’s preschool orientation yesterday. She will be going 4 hours a week at the U preschool program, which I think will be perfect for her. I am really excited about the program. I really like their philosophies, experienced teachers, high accreditation and saturation of academics through their affiliation with the U. It’s a Co-op, which I also find very interesting and am pleased that we will have a chance to be apart of the classroom setting and see her progress as well as school environment up close (not to mention the discount).  During the orientation, Skye’s teacher was explaining to us while we do our co-op days that we are the ones that will need to have control: the teacher got out a bottle of Elmer’s glue, and just like a toddler would do, she turned it over and dumped out the entire bottle. She explained that this is the kids’ art and that we are not to interfere with it. She also did this with a whole bottle of glitter!  I just loved it!  It really showed their commitment to harboring their creativity, at the expense of cheap art supplies. I know it will be difficult for Skye in the beginning but I am really counting on their experience to help her get through it. I have been scouting preschools for a while now, even while we were still in Europe, but when I saw this place, it just clicked. Every parent has that “thing” that they don’t want to compromise on, be it food choices or discipline or whatever, and education is that “thing” for me. So I am happy that I found a place that feels right to me and for her (and our budget).

That said, I can’t believe we are entering the “school years” and have kids of that age. I know Skye is still very young as far as schooling goes, but knowing that from here on out for the next 20 years, it will be nonstop. I feel like part of me should be sad about this, and I guess a small part is, but on the other hand, I can’t wait for her to start having new challenges and experiences that we simply can’t provide for her at home. I’ve always imagined the hustle and bustle of the school age as part of my fantasies when we going through all of the infertility stuff; that it somehow paints that Rockefeller portrait of the family.

Anyways, she starts on August 21st. What will she wear!?!!

Skye’s thoughts

Skye had a lot she wanted to tell people today, so here it is.

nnvvcnvnvnvm,vmvv,mnvmvbn bnmgbmmmmmmcvv mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmv vv mmmmmmmmmm mcx,cc,.admashjsdcv,mv,mvmnvvmvnvv nmnvb gvgggggggggggggg8uu8herdwi,fjshfjd fj8djcbydjvchjs cklpbisbewkjhhcn vcnvcbvjfjdhjfdknm dnadiadu mn .,hjj.jj/.jj j,uryt8457,l wwww05e  dfc fdhujf34ruh

(Ed. Note- It may not seem like a lot, but after translation, it expands to about 2 or 3 books worth of information.)