Vita-Mix 5200

I got one! My dearest sweetest FIL forced me to buy one for my anniversary and Christmas. In the last 24 hours I have made countless fruit and veggie smoothies, blackberry ice cream, and even salmon salad for sandwiches. I hate chopping veggies, so this is a real time saver. Yes!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Another Use for Zucchini Part 2

Blend six inches of zucchini (seeds, skin, and all) with a third of a can of orange juice concentrate. You can also add an old mango (old mangoes are hard to come by at my house, but I did find one in the back of my fridge yesterday) and a few tablespoons of flaxseed oil. Add water to make the blending process smoother. Add ice cubes if you like it cold. My kids devoured two whole blender canisters full of this basic smoothie! And the little bit I had left I poured onto a leather sheet in my dehydrator. This morning Child #5 enjoyed orange-zucchini leather for breakfast. We have eaten more zucchini in the last two days than we have in the last two years!

Another Use for Zucchini

My neighbor has been bring zucchini to me for two weeks now because his wife is in the hospital and he doesn't know what to do with the runaway squash. I've baked ten loaves of bread so far and dehydrated several more of the torpedo-sized zucchini to toss into soup this winter. I've eaten shredded zucchini in omelets. I've handed out zucchini sliced into thin circles as "cookies". And today I learned of a new way to use these pests up... and this story is a story within a story...

There I was, wandering through Costco with three kids aged six and under hanging off the cart and a four month old baby in my sling. If shopping-with-kids-in-tow were an Olympic sport, I'd get a gold medal. Lunchtime had come and gone while we were in Walmart and we were starving and getting a little crazy. I decided that instead of eating nasty hot dogs at the food court, we would feast on free samples for lunch. So we took our time going up and down the aisles, sampling Monster here and organic carrot juice there. We stopped for some freshly baked brownies that were still very hot. I warned my children to let them cool, but alas, Evie did not, and spit her brownie on the floor after burning her mouth. I scolded her for not listening and making a mess, picked up the brownie, reclaimed the uneaten portion, and stashed both in my cart.

The next aisle had a fantastic display of fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds! The man demonstrating the Vita-Mix instantly grabbed my attention. "You there, you're a mother! With the Vita-Mix 5200, you can make your own baby food for a fraction of the cost! And it will be all natural food! Do you have picky eaters? With this special technology, your children will never know they are eating vegetables! This smoothie right here has cabbage and carrots in it!" I'm thinking, "Wow, I wonder if my husband will eat more veggies this way???" And then I was hooked. I stood there, sampling different smoothies, sorbets, and blends of all kinds! I handed samples down to my children, which they greedily consumed and wanted more of. Of course I could see how much fruit and honey he was adding, and one can make cardboard taste delicious that way. But I wasn't going to blow his cover. Anyway, we were a demonstrators dream. I started asking questions. "What is the difference between your Vita-Mix and a regular blender? Can you blend whole flax seeds? Do the ice cubes stay chunky or do they blend smooth?" Between my questions and his answers, we were gathering quite a crowd. And then he pulled out a zucchini.

I nearly died. Not because he was going to show me how to sneak more zucchini into my family. Oh no. I nearly died because I looked down and realized one of my children had disappeared!!!! "Where's Evie?" I asked my boys. They looked around as if they had just woken from hypnosis. She wasn't visible anywhere. I started to panic. People who had been watching the Vita-Mix also started to worry. Pretty soon people were running up and down aisles looking for a two year old girl wearing a flowered shirt and pink shorts. Even Vita-Mix Man left his station and searched (I think he felt a little responsible). A Costco employee found her in the way back, near the toilet paper. She wasn't scared or crying (like her mother was). She just looked annoyed. And like any good mother who had just located her missing child, I scooped her up, baby and all, and put her in the cart for safe keeping. "Okay, tell me about this zucchini," I tell Vita-Mix Man.

After a wheat grass shot, I found out how expensive the special blender was. I called Mark to see if I could buy it anyway. He told me to come home after he exclaimed, "You're still there?" So I went home and made my family a blended drink of zucchini, pineapple juice, shredded coconut, and a banana. And ice cubes. In my old blender. And it was good.

After this special treat, I confessed to Mark that I had lost our child while shopping (which is one of his biggest fears). I had spent the morning telling Ian about honesty and always telling the truth to his parents, even if someone tells him not to tell us. I thought about telling my boys not to tell Daddy their sister got lost, but my guilty conscience got the better of me. What kind of parent would I be if I told them not to tell on me? A hypocrite, that's what! So I told and thankfully, Mark is busy getting ready for another trip into the mountains, another night teaching Taekwondo, and another Mason meeting, so he didn't have time to get too mad. Whew!

And why did Evie wander off? That is the one million dollar question. Apparently, she wanted her brownie back and decided she was going to go back to where she got it and get another one.

Three for three... what is it with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

For the last two nights in a row we have watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and for two nights in a row Child #5 has fallen asleep during the movie. The movie is the version with Johnny Depp and it is much better than the version that came out when us old folks were kids. The old version doesn't follow the book too closely and has too many long, drawn out songs that just don't hold a kid's attention. This version is much closer to the book's plot and the characters have been modernized. The Oompa-Loompas, for example, are wearing vinyl suits instead of deer skins. And Willy Wonka is a scary, dark, Michael Jackson type character instead of a quirky old man that is clever like a squirrel. I told my kids that if anyone looking like Willy Wonka ever offered them a candy factory that they should run away screaming. But the younger kids, being innocent, didn't see the creepiness of Willy Wonka. They called me girlie!

Child #5 on the arm of the couch on the first night...

...And on the second night. Dogs make the greatest beds. This dog however, has developed a bad habit of wanting to sleep with us all the time. It all started at Twin Firs. We now have to block the kids' room door shut at night to keep her from crawling into the bunk beds. Last night at midnight I heard her whining in the hallway like she needed to go outside...but she was just trying to get in the bedroom! Oh, she was in trouble! This is why she is called My Pathetic Doberman. She is supposed to be watching the house at night and alerting us to car thieves and meth heads! Not looking for the softest warmest bed in the house!








Last night we also had our first official Pack meeting for the Cub Scouts. I will be the Assistant Den Leader this year for Child #3's den. I get to wear a uniform too! I will post a picture when I get all of our patches attached. Child #3 has earned his Immediate Recognition Emblem and is almost done with his Bobcat Badge.

Here he is with his two favorite things...his sister and Buttercup.

An Oldie, but Goodie

Every other August or so, my good friend from college surprises me with a visit from Japan. She usually calls me when she reaches our town, so really, we are surprised to get a visit. Last night I received such a call. So this morning (after a panicked cleaning), at the request of Child #3, we looked through old digital photographs for pictures of my friend. We found some, but we also found a lot of old funny pictures that have great stories attached to them. Back then I didn't have blog, so I guess I will be going back in time to share some of the most hilarious moments...

The Night Child #3 Crashed, Literally

It was a dark and stormy night. I had taken Child #4 with me to a La Leche League meeting, which back then was my only source of socializing. Child #3 was left in the care of his loving father. Now, Child #3 was a very difficult child to get to sleep at night. We used to have to go through a long bedtime routine that involved movies, nursing, rocking, story reading, and binky sucking. And more stories and rocking. But this particular night was worse than normal. DH just couldn't get him to go to sleep. Child #3 ran in circles around the house, around and around, and all DH could hope for was that he would finally wear himself out. Child #3, on his victory lap, ran through the living room, around the corner by the dining room table, and back into the kitchen where DH heard a loud crash...and silence. He got up, walked into the kitchen, and saw what it pictured:

Child #3 crashed on the floor, sound asleep, after crashing into the cupboards.

First Day of School

That's it! I'm sick of the insanity! Today is the First Day of School! Of course I don't have any of my curriculum lined up and ready to go. I'm still labeling file folders and locating books. But since we are currently reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, we are starting the school year with a unit study on chocolate! We learned about the cacao tree (science) in South America (Geography). We learned the word chocolate comes from ancient Aztecs and Mayans (history). The cacao bean used to be used as currency (math)! Chocolate bars are produced by four major companies in the US (current events). We are going to buy one from each company and taste the difference between the milk chocolates. We are also going to compare dark, milk, and white chocolate (five senses). We are going to make some chocolate pudding from scratch if they eat their dinner tonight (home economics). I'm hoping a local gourmet chocolate store will grant us a tour of their store (our community). I bet Grandad will share the benefits of consuming dark chocolate for those with circulatory issues (health). And of course we have the three birthdays at the end of summer, so we will wrap it all up with some chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream (and a belly ache I'm sure). Ahh, the tasty side of being a homeschooler...

This is NOT a picture of Child #3 looking cacao up in the dictionary. He is hiding from my bottle of language cleaner (AKA apple cider vinegar). He vowed to stay behind the book until tomorrow or until I forgot that he had said a naughty word. But he forgot he was hiding before I did. And of course his brother, who has had his mouth cleaned out many times this week, made sure I stuck to my rules.

His foot is feeling better. We don't see any sign of infection and he finally started limping around the house instead of hopping on one foot.

We finally put our 30 year old tent up in the backyard so the kids could play they were camping since we aren't going this year. My Pathetic Doberman thought a big scary orange monster opened its mouth and gobbled the kids in one bite! So she tried to pull them out, one by one, much to their delight.

When Life Starts To Stink...

...Take a bath!!!


Doesn't she look like a little sweetie pie? My first baby got a special bathtub for little infants that would sit on my bathroom counter. I laid out special wash clothes and soaps and cups for rinsing off soapy water. My current baby gets an all purpose tub in the kitchen sink, right next to the compost container and the dirty dishes that didn't fit into the dishwasher the night before. I sprayed the soap off with the dish sprayer. She loved it!








Speaking of my first baby... He stepped on a rake in the garden today! He punctured his foot pretty deeply. We almost ran panicked out the front door to the ER, but calmed down and just called our pediatric advise nurse instead. After he calmed down, he told me the scariest part was pulling the rake out of his foot! ACK! He got to hang out on the couch watching Pinky and the Brain and Sponge Bob all day with his foot elevated. He flat out refuses to walk or hop anywhere.



The rest of our day has been pretty miserable with all this heat. I miss the cool rains. Here is Child #5 enjoying are now leak free pool...
















...and Child #4 enjoying a popsicle in the shade of our grandpa Japanese maple.

Some Things Are Just Too Cute!

Forum Junkie

I like reading forums every morning after I read my email. One board that I am a member of is mostly made up of left-wing environmentalists. You know, the people I went to college with! Today I started a new thread entitled, "Educate me, why is bleach so bad?" just because I wanted to know what everyone thought! At my house, I try to buy unbleached coffee filters but I also use bleach to clean around the toilet (I have two little boys). This is a response I received:

"I don't know how accurate this is but years ago I went to a Greenpeace presentation & we were told that the bleach is absorbed by our body in our fat cells. Once there the only way it leaves our body is when we get pregnant & then it is passed on to the baby. Men can't get rid of it at all."

That sounds pretty stoopid to me!

Things Kids Say...

DH is gone surveying fish in the mountains this week, so after the kids go to bed I get to watch whatever I want. Child #3, procrastinating, said, "Mom, are you going to watch The Office or a chicken flip tonight?" He meant Chick Flick!

When Child #3 started to divide himself and his brother into "good guys" and "bad guys" and tried to put me on his team, I said that I was on my own team with only girls. "Well Mom, some girls are good, some girls are bad. That's what they say." Who says?

Twin Firs Photos

The deer at Twin Firs are not afraid of people. This picture is of a doe nursing two fawns at once; you just can't see the other fawn. The doe is trying to wean the fawns. She lets them nurse for a few seconds and bounds away. I know how she feels!








Here are the boys up on the carport roof. DH and Child #2 spent the weekend chipping off the tar and replacing the roofing paper. They have a set of matching blisters, only they are on opposite hands (DH is left-handed). The boys had a blast crawling up the ladder and "helping" their dad and sister.







Surfs Up! Check out that balance!













Child #4 was throwing a temper tantrum about which paddle board he had to use. He started his "I'm stupid!" nonsense, so his unsympathetic sister snapped this photo as he was charging her.


All photos courtesy of Child #2!

Girls Only

I'm having fun with my girls. Its like having living baby dolls! Child #5 is starting to want to play with her baby sister, so now I really have to watch them together.










This morning I dressed them up in pretty clothes and took them to church! Aren't they pretty?













I love this purple dress. I can't believe my baby is wearing size 6 months at only 3 months of age! All my other babies were the right size at the right time!
















This is something cool that Child #5 made. She picked up my wool scraps from my latest knitting project and formed them on the arm of my chair. She told me it was a bug. In fact, as I am typing this, she is looking over my shoulder and saying, "That is my bug. Look at my bug!"

The neat thing about this is that we will be doing this exact project on our first day of art when school starts. Art is just a part of their genetic makeup I guess. But not from my

Freezer Love

DH and Children #2 through #4 have left for another work weekend at Twin Firs. Normally I kick back and relax, watch some chick flicks, eat some junk food, and knit all weekend. But this weekend I am filling my freezer with meals that I can heat up on hectic days. Hello, that's like every day! Today I totaled: eight meals worth of salmon, 2 full size lasagnas, 3 meals of honey-glazed chicken thighs, 6 meals of mozzarella stuffed meatballs in sauce, and 6 meals of Spanish rice. Tomorrow, after I do the dishes from today, I will assemble four Cheesy Chiladas Bakes and six meals worth of sweet and sour meatballs. And then go blueberry picking with one of my bestest friends. My back is killing me from hauling my big fat baby through Costco and around the kitchen today! But knowing that I won't have to cook dinner for 35 nights (not counting leftovers!) makes me sooooo happy!

I'm Too Hot

I hate summer. My hallway is 81 degrees right now and my kitchen is much hotter. Of course boiling whole chickens because they are on sale (my activity for the day) doesn't help the heat issue. We wanted to buy a new pool today, but the stores were all sold out. I also wanted to go blueberry picking today, but it was too hot.

I did go blueberry picking yesterday, and I picked 11 pounds of berries, but they are already all gone. I can't believe we ate 11 pounds of blueberries in one day. I went with only Children #4-6 (gosh that seems like a big number). Children #4 and #5 behaved themselves nicely; they didn't eat any berries. But they kept asking me, "Can I put this berry in my bucket? And this one? Can I put this one in too?" until I snapped, "If the berry is blue, put it in the bucket!!!"


Yesterday afternoon, I was the designated Taekwondo watcher and DH was the stay-at-home kid watcher. DH received an important call while on duty and when he came back inside, Child #5 was missing. He searched throughout the back of the house and found her like this:

Strange how my kids have a habit of going off and falling asleep... Maybe I should make them take naps again?

Child #3 is now old enough to work the camera. His favorite subject is the Baby. I have over 20 versions of this:
But isn't that just sweet? My, what big eyes you have...

Arg! There Be Pirates!

Before we headed out for the weekend, we had the opportunity to have a dock side tour of the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain. DH introduced the ships to the boys as the pirate ship from the movie Pirate of the Caribbean. Child #4 exclaimed, "I'm going to fight the pirates, kill them, and take their treasure!" with a wild gleam in his eye. His little sister piped in with her squeaky little voice, "And I'm goin' to take their money!"

Here we are on the Lady Washington!
 

Here is Child #4 hugging a treasure chest he found below. He found snacks belonging to the people who work aboard the ship inside the treasure chest.






















And here he is pretending to steal the Hawaiian Chieftain. Arg!

Another Twin Firs Weekend

Enjoy the photo/story highlights from our weekend at Twin Firs. I have to be brief because DH is working from home today and needs the computer...

We ran the well dry watering the orchard. Here is DH inspecting the new well pump. Thankfully we were able to return the malfunctioning pump back to the store.








We visited my parents for a few hours. We had a lovely lunch; DH told me his sandwich was the best sandwich he had had in a long time. Child #4 gorged on fruit, crackers, sandwich, and cookies, and puked it all up when we got home. But this is Child #5 playing down at our pond in her great-grandfather's old golf hat. Isn't she cute?









The kids went paddle boarding on the pond, where Child #2 went above and beyond the call of duty. She let her little sister ride on her back with Child #4 riding on the front of the board. That is a lot of close contact with the bottoms of little siblings! This was Child #5's first trip around the pond on the paddle board and she really enjoyed it.





Child #3 is now so confident on the pond he will swim out to the center (with a life jacket of course) and retrieve the paddle boards so his older sister doesn't have to do it.








Our favorite moment was when Child #4 thought he was racing his older sister on the paddle boards. She wasn't racing him, but she beat him to shore. He immediately started howling, "I lost! Wah!" At first we tried to hide our amusement at this ridiculous behavior. He got off the board and cried, "I'm not a poor sport, I'm a bad sport!" We started giggling. "Wah! I'm a stupid sport! I'm a bad, stupid sport! I'm stupid! Wah!" By this time DH and I were laughing so hard it was obvious we were laughing at him, which just egged him on. He finally ran with all the drama he could muster to the house where I could hear him yelling, "I'm dumb! I'm a bad guy!" over and over. After a hug and a promise of a bubble bath, he calmed right down and gave me one of his big blue-eyed smiles that melts my heart. That stinker.

Here is the terrible twosome, sound asleep at the end of a long day of playing and fighting. They are so sweet when they're sleeping. My Pathetic Doberman smelled like the pond and was evicted from our room, so she curled up with these two on the bed for the weekend.