Demolition Men

We moved into this house about 7 years ago. 

In the winter.

Little did we know that the backyard was not covered in luscious, green grass come spring and summer.  Oh no, it was covered in lovely weeds. 

Anthony tried his hardest to keep the ‘lawn’ mowed and looking nice.  Well, as nice as trimmed weeds can look.  I mean, there’s only so much you can do. 

The plan was to put grass in ‘next summer’.  That was the plan….. every summer!

Um, yeah.  Next summer never came.  We just kept trying to keep it looking… reasonable.  But it wasn’t.  It just became a giant potty pad for the dog.  Landmines… everywhere.  Until now. 

I’M SO EXCITED!! 

One day, very soon, my kids will have a real yard to play in.  They might actually prefer the backyard to the front. 

A couple weeks ago we rented a tractor.  Is it a tractor?  A contraption of some sort anyway. 

Good thing I wasn’t in charge of it.  I don’t even know what it is.  All I know is that 1) Anthony gutted the entire yard, 2) the boys thought they were in some sort of heaven with that thing here, and 3) we have been waiting for an opportunity to get rid of that stupid shed for YEARS.  We never used it, it was full of the previous owner’s garbage, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a dead cat or two in there.  Plus the roof may as well have not been there at all.  The hole in it was about the size of a giant beach ball.  A highly effective piece of tin that shed was.

Doesn’t my Afony look hot from behind?  {Mom, don’t read this!} He looks good from the front, too but seriously…

This is how the kids watched much of the action.

Even Moe got excited about his new play area.  {Have I ever introduced you to Moe?  I think not.}  Blogland, this is Moe. 

He’s our doofus.  But we love him.  Except when he gets into the garbage and chews up diapers.  Or when he darts out the front door because the kids left him an opportunity to do so.  Luckily, his bad hips have slowed him down enough in the past several months that K is able to catch up with him so he doesn’t end up running the neighborhood.  Or at the pound.

This is the boys… in Seventh Heaven!  They were devastated when we had to take it back the next day.  Every day since, C has asks when we’re going to buy our own.

I can’t tell you how excited we all are at the thought of an actual yard.  One that we can play in and entertain in.  What will we do with ourselves?  Guess I better add ‘Doody Duty’ to the chore list, eh? ;)

Deck railing coming this summer, too.  Now if only we could afford a new fence between us and the back door neighbor.  He hates us!  (Actually, he hates Moe.)  UGH!

Twist Bun {no bobby pins!}

There are so many wonderful websites out there for doing little girls’ hair.  And I love every hairdo I see.  But I am definitely not a hair mom. 

I think my fingers lack the dexterity needed to accomplish all the twisting, turning, braiding, etc… needed for all those fancy hairdos.  Not to mention, it takes me about a year and half just to complete one of those dos.  Um, yeah, just not my thing.  (I do everything slow… just ask my mom.)

But hey, I’ve got the side ponytail, regular ponytail, flip ponytail, pigtails, and the small french braid across the top (headband style) leading into a ponytail down PAT! 

Yep, I can do a mean ponytail!  ;)

I can also do a twist braid and the occasional bun.  But most of the time, as I’ve mentioned before, you wouldn’t even know that we own a brush.

Seriously.

My kids look like ragamuffins quite often.  K’s hair isn’t too bad.  It’s pretty straight so it lays pretty when it’s brushed.  A and H, however (and I should include myself), have some wicked frizzy waves going on.  It doesn’t look too bad on the girls the day of their shower.  The day after is another story.  They can brush it a hundred times and within 20 minutes it looks like they haven’t touched it.  As for me, if I leave my hair alone straight out of a shower I end up looking like a guy…. with long hair.  It’s scary.  Let’s move on.

So, on a whim a couple weeks ago we did this bun in A’s hair for dance. 

She has joined K in Jazz class playing “Annie” in their ‘Let’s Go to The Movies’ dance.  I originally just did a simple twist braid but she didn’t like that it whipped her in the face when she did turns so I put it into the bun.  The moms at dance were asking how I did her cute bun.  They couldn’t believe I didn’t have a single bobby pin in it. 

Since that day, both A and H have asked for this hairdo several times.  They think it’s so pretty.  And I am asked just about every time we do it how it was done. 

Let me just tell you… it couldn’t be simpler!  You’ll probably laugh at my ‘attempt’ at doing hair and posting it as a blog entry. 

But here goes nothin’.

PLEASE START WITH WET HAIR.  AND THE NEWER THE PONYTAIL HOLDER, THE BETTER. 

First you want to gather all the hair into a regular ponytail.  Then you divide it into two sections, twist them both in the same direction, then twist both pieces together the opposite way.  This creates the twist braid (but you probably already knew that).  Finish it off with a ponytail holder.  Note:  The finished product will look better if you use a much smaller ponytail holder on the end.  I just didn’t have one.

Now take the twist braid and wrap it around the original ponytail, starting at the top and twisting around.  Tuck the end in as well as you can.  Then add another large ponytail holder around the entire bun.  Twist it once and wrap around a second time.  This will secure the bun into place. 

And there you have it!  Fast, easy, and pretty without much fuss at all.  That’s my kind of hairdo! 

Here is H’s twist bun adorned for St. Patrick’s Day.

 

 

Birthday Boys!! 5 & 3

My two oldest boys are lucky enough to share a birthday month with their daddy, whom they absolutely adore!  We thought maybe that’s how boys came for us… have a baby in March and it will be a boy!  Obviously that’s not the case.  Baby B was born in November (see part 1 and part 2)  So that’s not it.  It’s one of a few things.  Either they like sharing a birth month with a parent (I’m in November with Baby B), girls are born in odd years and boys are born in even years, or the fact that all the girls were born in temporary conditions (housing-wise… each in a different apartment) and the boys were all born while we’ve lived in this home.  {Yes, we think too much.}

Or maybe it’s the way Heavenly Father planned it ;)

Whatever the case may be, C and B get to share the month with daddy.  We always celebrate them all together because it’s easier that way, not to mention less expensive.  This year C insisted on having his own Monster Truck party.  He didn’t want to share with B.  Sharing with dad was fine, but not with B. 

In the end, however, we finally talked him into sharing and they agreed on a Dump Truck party.  Why a Dump Truck party?  I have no idea.  Why is the sky blue?

We decided to hit the zoo beforehand.  My sister gave us an annual pass for Christmas and the weather was perfect!  Besides, we hadn’t yet seen the not-so-new exhibit, Rocky Shores.  It was pretty awesome!

We all had a great time.  Everything went perfectly and no one got lost! 

Ok, ok.  It went something like this {I’m such a terrible liar!} … First we hit up the Radio Disney crew.  That was fun.

A couple of birthday boys chose to opt out of the fun and play it cool on the sidelines.

After that we headed over to the Primate Building.  Then on to the elephants.  K was so excited to get over there because she had brought her sketch pad.  She wanted to draw Zuri, the baby elephant, though I suppose you might call her a toddler by now.  She sat and sketched, I sat and nursed on a separate bench across the exhibit, everyone else wandered on a bit further and I followed once the baby was done.  I had supposed everyone, including K, had moved on.  We had quite the crowd with us. 

Soon after the rhinos our large group split into two.  Half of them had stopped for something to eat without the rest of us realizing it so we thought they had moved on.  I had seen my other two girls with my mom so I knew they were fine.  They were with their cousins and having fun, I was sure.  Anthony and I still had all three boys and my sister was with us.  I kept trying to call my mom and my cousins just to be sure but no one was answering. 

So, long story short, we finally met up at the new exhibit and realized that we had assumed K was with the other group and they had assumed she was with us.  It had been at least 45 minutes since we had seen the elephants. 

Anthony, my dad, and my sister all went to look for her and there she was… still at the elephants… and extremely frustrated.  Not scared, just frustrated.  And rightfully so!  But by golly!!  She did exactly what we’ve always told her to do, STAY IN ONE PLACE! 

And for what it’s worth, she did get to see the trainers feed the elephants and make them do tricks. 

MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD GOES TO…… um, let’s talk about that later.

First let’s look at a few pictures.

NOW we can talk about that award.  No points for me at the zoo but let’s look at the party itself.

The girls and I are taking cake decorating lessons from a fabulous lady in our ward so we took it upon ourselves to make the boys some perfectly boyish, dump truckish dirt cups!

Uum, Brooke, what in the world does that have to do with cake decorating lessons? 

Absolutely nothing except that I was so sick of eating cake at that point that I had to do something different!  And yes, we put candles in the dirt cups.  They totally went with the dump truck!!

Can I have that award yet?  Am I disqualified for not having actual cake? 

The boys were sooo excited when they were finally able to take their new dump truck outside to play in the dirt hill after the party.  (More about why we have a dirt hill soon.)

Some fun things about C:

• Almost always tells me when he needs to go potty, even if he has to go out of his way to find me.  (Just GO, for crying out loud.)
• Says “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am” if you ask him to do something… except he says, “Yes, Man!” for ma’am. 
• Has a very specific routine for just about everything.
• Tells people he loves, “I like you” and has more recently been saying, “I like you and I love you, too.”
• Laughs hysterically at potty humor (must be a boy thing).
• Really likes the Ripley’s Believe It or Not book that we have.  “It has a disgusting lady, huh mom.”  (A lady with piercings all over her face)
• Adores his baby brother and protects him from the tyrant that is B. 
• Loves when K will play with him.
• Loves to help in the kitchen when I let him.
• My favorite recent quote:  Don’t worry (to Baby B), I’m gonna be a daddy soon and you will be a C.
• Another favorite quote:  I’m gonna go live with Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) because they didn’t get a kid yet.  They need a kid.

Some fun things about B:

• Still drops the F-bomb when trying to say ‘Look’.
• Thinks he’s hilarious (sometimes he really is) and will run away laughing hysterically when he’s done something he knows is naughty.
• Bites the corners of pillows and blankets.  It’s his trademark. 
• Loves to play pretend and be different people.  His favorite people to be are Dad, Papu (pah-poo… my dad), and Pops (Anthony’s dad). 
• When pretending to be Papu he is always carrying a ‘Pepsi’ (usually water).  (Seriously, my dad ALWAYS has a Pepsi!)
• Favorite recent quote:  Mom, what time is it?  (As if the time really means anything to a 3-year old)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

There’s a war going on in my house.  And it’s all because Anthony’s taste buds are dying? dead? deranged? insane? disturbed?

I don’t know, all I know is they’re just not right!  Pumpkin is one of the best flavors in the world when paired with sugar… and chocolate chips (unless it’s pie, because… EW!).  But seriously, it causes me much anguish that he doesn’t love pumpkin the way I do. 

Maybe I should have screened him better before entering into this lifelong commitment… I kid, of course ;)

Every time I make a pumpkin dish (besides pie because he already likes the pie) I force it down his throat and I just know that this will be it!!  This will be the time that he says, “WOW!  That is great!  I love it, give me more.” 

No such luck.  He always politely eats (if you can call his unacceptance as ‘polite’… psh!) and then says something like, “I just don’t love that flavor combo.”

Who is this man? 

Ugh! 

Anyway, I found a recipe that I LOVE!  (Original recipe found HERE) I modified it slightly because the original recipe made a gigantic batch and I like my pumpkin treats to be full of spicy flavor.  And I lowered the temp of the oven as well.

These are TO DIE FOR, moist and delicious!  I promise you’ll love them (unless you’re my husband, then you’re just a weirdy! ;))

Mix together the following:

• 1 c. softened butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar

Add:

• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine:

• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 - 3/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix…

Add:

• 15 oz. pumpkin puree

Once all is combined well, stir in:

• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Bake at 325* for about 20-25 minutes.  This made 24 muffins. 

{Don’t forget to enter to win a 1-year subscription to BYOU magazine.  Click here}

BYOU Magazine Review & Subscription Giveaway

I was given the opportunity to review a magazine aimed at young girls… tweens, and share my thoughts.  It was a no brainer for me to accept this opportunity when they told me it was a magazine focused on trying to empower young girls and build their confidence in just being themselves.



Young girls seem to have worldly views thrown at them from every direction and it’s so hard in those critical tween years to decipher good from bad.  It’s hard to know when you’re giving in to peer pressure and when you’re standing on your own to feet.  All of it seems to run together. 

I remember those years and wanting so badly to fit in, have more friends, be popular…  I don’t that I could have told you who I was.  Most of my rough times came during the early teen years but I think if I had been confident enough in myself before the teens hit, I could have fared much better. 

Anthony and I try really hard to help our impressionable daughters understand that everyone is different.  Everyone is gifted and carries different talents.  Sometimes those talents are hard to recognize in ourselves.  I think we’ve done an ok job, thus far, at helping our kids recognize their own abilities where they excel but sometimes having an outside source is extremely helpful. 

Enter, BYOU! 



It’s a cute little magazine with some really great stories.  I asked each of the girls what parts they really liked after reading it.  A really liked the Q and A sections.  K liked stories (especially the one with Olivia Holt).  We don’t actually know who she is because I don’t allow much TV.  Sorry to all you Disney lovers… I’m not a huge fan.  However, her story was fun to read.  She was bullied a bit through school but persevered. 

H is still a little young to fully enjoy the magazine.  She was still able to enjoy bits of it here and there.



There are fun little sections on how to run a business, quizzes to take (those were always my favorite part of any magazine growing up), and even a ‘Dear Abby’-ish section.  Questions are answered by two different people so the kids get two different perspectives. 

Now, if I’m being honest (which I am!) I would have to say that the price is a little hefty for my liking.  There are 6 issues per year.  You can check out their website, here for pricing and more info.  But I will say that I enjoy the magazine for what it is intended for… Being YOU!  I think it sends a great message in a way that young girls can really relate to.

Here’s the fun part!!  They are allowing me to give away a 1-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to a reader.  There are plenty of ways to enter.  Good LUCK!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chicken Fajitas

The other day I realized that I hadn’t made chicken fajitas for way too long.  They are seriously amazing and my whole family LOVES them!  It’s now on our regular rotation for dinner… again.  (Forgive the picture.  I didn’t stage it.  Just took a pic last minute :))

 

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/3 c. lemon juice (or juice of 1 fresh lemon)
• 1 large onion, diced
• salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. chili powder (or more if you prefer, we keep it right at 2)
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• tortillas

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, onion, salt, chili powder, oregano, and thyme in a large frying pan.  Cook over medium heat until onion is tender but still has a bit of a crunch.  Add garlic.  Add chicken and cover to cook for about 10-15 minutes. 

Add peppers and toss until they are still crisp but tender.  You don’t want them to be mushy.

Serve on warmed tortillas with your choice of garnishments:  cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa

Recipe source:  The Diet Rebel’s Cookbook

New Beginnings

Why does the title look misspelled?  Beginnings… hmm, I guess that’s right.  Spell check knows all.  ;)

K was invited to New Beginnings at church.

NEW BEGINNINGS!!  Do you know what this means?  I’m OLD!  It also means that K will be 12 this year and entering Young Women’s. 

So weird.  (I swear I was just entering Young Women’s a year or two ago. :/)

Anthony and I were invited (as were all the other parents).  It was so fun to see K be presented with a crown and beads.  The theme was ‘royalty’.  We are all royalty in God’s eyes.  We are his princesses.  There were a couple of talks given and they were powerful.  Integrity and Virtue…. what are they and how do we apply them to our lives and our character. 

The program was short and simple. 

K with the other two girls being welcomed this year.  One of them is her best friend, on the right.

And this is the other best friend.  They can’t wait to join her in YW. 

You can’t tell from the picture since they are sitting down but they are both significantly taller than K.  She’s not short, just average.  They just happen to be super tall!

I’m pretty sure I look amazing in this one.  Do you love the bunched up skin on my neck/cheek?  Me too.

We were supposed to do a silly one first then we BOTH would kiss her on the cheek in the next one.  Anthony totally ruined it!  The punk!  :)  K is absolutely embarrassed about this picture.  Don’t tell her I used it… she’ll be mortified.  **Enter evil laugh**

We’re both so stinkin’ proud of the beautiful young woman that K is becoming.  She is talented beyond measure and knows how to make anyone feel loved and needed.  She’s a shining example of how to be a real friend. 

Keep it up, K!  We sure love you!!

According to Instagram

Last summer I discovered a little thing called Instagram.  You’ve probably heard of it.  If not, you most likely live under a rock.  My user name is none other than babblinbrooke22.  What else, right?  ;)

Here’s a little glimpse into what life has been like… according to Instagram. 

Expert Parenting 101

It was decided when K was born that all of our kids would be perfect.  And they are.

For example:  Our kids would never, oh I don’t know, color on themselves or on the walls.  And they would certainly never talk back, have runny noses, crusty eye boogers, or unkempt hair.  Spitting is rude (see here and here) and would never be tolerated.  They would potty train themselves at 18 months and always make it to a toilet when they need to yack.  (Because yacking happens.  Ya can’t have it ALL.)

And now we’re back to reality. 

Those things are great in theory but let me just tell you, that’s not how it works.  Big surprise, I know.  You’re shocked.  I was too when realization hit and guess what… runny noses run rampant in this house, my poor baby with the clogged tear duct has crusty eye boogers constantly, there are days that you wouldn’t even know that we own a brush, and on top of that my little B is potty training… not at 18 months… he’ll be 3 in less than two weeks.  We’ve been at it for a couple of days and he’s doing great but I still keep finding puddles on my floors.  Thank goodness for hardwood!! 

Sometimes I am baffled when someone calls me with a parenting question but it happens.  There are a few moms that call me when they have questions.  And for a split second I feel like SuperMom.  In that split second the only things that run through my mind are all of the happy, non-yelling, brushed hair, made it to the toilet, messes cleaned up moments.  The RARE ones.   

Someone is asking for MY advice on… whatever it may be.  It’s usually one of a few things. 

• How and when I start the ‘cry it out’ method.
• How to get kids to sleep in their own beds, not ours.
• What kind of binky is best.
• How to get babies off the binky.
• Potty training advice.
• What kind of diapers are the best.

So, let’s talk…… I do NOT claim to be an expert by any means.  I honestly don’t know what it is about my parenting that makes others feel like I might know something about any of the topics listed above.  I am only an expert in my home.  Ha!  Let’s face it.  Even that’s not true much of the time.

Cry it out – I am a HUGE believer in this method.  I know some moms can’t stand to hear their baby cry and run to them at the first sign of a whimper.  That is so not me.  My baby is still small (is 16 1/2 pounds considered ‘small’ at 3 months old?)… maybe I should say young.  He’s still young and I still try to cater to his every whimper.  I say try because it’s not easy with five other kids in the house.  Lucky for him there is usually a sister around to help out if I can’t be right there. 

But there will come a point, probably a few months down the road, that I will consider it ‘the right time’.  It’s different for every baby but when I feel he is becoming too dependent on me to rock him to sleep and I can’t lay him down without him waking right back up because I’m not holding him… it’s TIME!  There are even times right now that I let him fuss if I know that he is super tired and just wants me to pace with him.  Sometimes I just can’t.  I’ve got a hundred other things that need to be done.  However, I do love that when he wants to fall asleep he will turn towards me and smash his nose against my arm.  It’s his favorite position. 

Kids in their own beds! – Call me crazy but I can’t stand to have kids in the bed with me.  Before I even had kids I knew I would not ever have them in my bed.  Anthony is ever so grateful for my persistence on this.  Really, he is.  Everyone sleeps much better this way.  I can’t really say that I have a method for keeping them out.  If they come to my room in the night complaining of a bad dream or just being scared, I hug them and pray with them.  Then we march right back to their bed.  They know that our room is OURS.  They don’t even ask.  I don’t even know if they realize that there are kids that actually sleep with their parents. 

There is one exception.  If a child has a fever or illness that we would like to keep our eye on through the night, they can sleep with us. 

MISERABLE NIGHT for all of us!  I don’t do well with knees in the back or feet in my face.  I’m usually pushed right to the edge of our king size bed.  UGH!

Best Binky – Some moms will swear that a certain kind is the only kind of binky that their baby will take.  From my experience, my babies take whatever binky I give them to start with.  They get used to that one and no other kind is acceptable.  So, I always give them the ones that I think are the cutest.  I think the hospital binkies are ugly so I never use those.  But that’s actually a lie… I can’t say ‘never’ because I did with this baby.  And that’s the one he would take… until he decided that he didn’t want a binky at all. 

Getting Rid of the Binky – THROW IT AWAY!!  That’s right, at 6 months I throw them away.  The sucking reflex only lasts 4 months and by 6 months babies are able to entertain themselves with toys and such.  Sucking is now a habit, not a need.  Sure, we have a couple of rough nights but then it’s done.  Ta da!!  Easy peasy.  No Binky Fairy and no fighting a toddler over it.  The only exception to this was with A.  We were in the middle of a move across the country at that time and I didn’t want to traumatize her by taking away the comfort of the binky so we waited… an extra month.  ;)

My boys are even easier.  None of them would ever take a binky so I never had to worry about it all.  The girls LOVED them!

Potty-Training – The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to wait until they are ready.  B is going to be 3 very soon and he’s just starting the process.  We tried way too early with K and she fought it the whole way.  Put her back in diapers and waited.  The second time around went much better! 

Use REAL underwear!  We never use pull-ups because they feel like a diaper.  They catch urine like a diaper.  They look like a diaper.  The kid doesn’t care if they pee because… it’s a diaper!!  With underwear they feel it running down their leg and realize Oh, I need to go potty!  Yes, there will be accidents.  Lots of them but I promise it’s the best way to go.

Never use a training potty or potty seat.  In my experience, using a pint sized potty only creates fear of ‘big potties’ when the little potty is unavailable.  If you’re at a store or in someone else’s home the child won’t go because they are scared.  Trust me, it’s not good.  And those automatic flushers… well, that’s another story.

At first you may have to set a timer for every 15-20 minutes and have the child sit on the potty each time it goes off.  This will get them used to the process and eventually they will recognize the feeling of needing to go… after a few accidents of course

Be prepared for regression at some point.  It happens to every child I’ve ever heard of.  You think you’re all done potty training.  The child is going potty like a champ without a single accident.  Has been for weeks.  Then… all of the sudden… out of nowhere they start peeing their pants again.  All. the. time!!  And you feel like you’re starting over. 

It’s beyond frustrating.

Best Diaper – This is another one kind of like the binkies.  There is no ‘BEST’.  It’s a matter of preference and everyone has their own opinion.  From experience, I would have to say that there are certain diapers better for boys and others that are better for girls.  There are some that are absolutely all-around awful and some that are great!  Inevitably, with every baby I’ve had someone always gives me a package of Pampers Swaddlers.  I know many people that love them.  I don’t.  They always feel wet on the outside after my baby pees and makes their clothes damp.  EW! 

With my girls I loved Pampers Cruisers (once they were big enough for those… I think they start at size 3) but they don’t work as well for my boys.  I really like LUVS for both genders.  And actually the Western Family brand of diapers is pretty good. 

And that, my friends, is a rundown of my parenting techniques during the early years.  It works for me.  I don’t claim to have all the answers but those are the most common questions I am asked. 

What advice would you give to other parents?

 

President Adams’ Alligator–Book Review

Do you know how many animals have lived in the White House? 

When I was asked to review the book President Adams’ Alligator, I had no clue.  Think about it.  Other than the occasional dog and/or cat from our more recent presidents there isn’t much to talk about in the way of White House pets.

 

Little did I know that the White House used be much more exciting than it is these days.  What a boring bunch of presidents we’ve had in recent elections!!  No alligators, grizzly bears, porcupines, parrots, goats… NOTHIN!  Just dogs and cats. 

Seriously, I am in love with this book!!  The authors themselves… they have a great way of making it fun to read about topics that might seem boring to kids.  Heck, even I’ve learned a thing or two from their books.  (See here and here). 

This one is probably my favorite.  The kids all had a great time searching for President Adams’ alligator on each page.  An alligator… IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!  How cool is that?  They also loved hearing about all the animals and the stories to go along with them.  Some of those animals were pretty adventurous!  And the names of some of those animals were quite… interesting.  That was Anthony’s favorite part.  I like that my kids can name some of the presidents that they didn’t know before because they can now associate a pet to go along with them. 

I highly recommend this book.  And yes, it was sent to me for free in exchange for an HONEST review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  LOVE IT!! 

 

Nightmare on Dental Street

The bets are brewin’ at the dentist’s office, I know it.  There’s a pot with my name on it!  The pot that all the hygienists, office personnel, and even the dentist herself is throwing money into…

I’ll bet you anything she will be back!

Unfortunately, they’re RIGHT! 

Let’s rewind a bit.  A few weeks ago my very back molar on the bottom left started to hurt when I chewed on it.  Not like a toothache kind of pain.  It was a sharp pain whenever I would bite down. 

Trusty ol’ Google to the rescue…

Fracture! 

No way!!  I don’t chew ice (ok, maybe when I’m pregnant but that doesn’t count)… I just eat.  FOOD!  Food can’t do that, can it? 

More research revealed that bruxism is often to blame.  Darn bruxism!!  Why do you plague me? 

Then it was on to study the tooth itself.  I turned on the flashlight on my phone and began investigating.  Sure enough, I could see the break.

And the next day… it still hadn’t healed.  What!?  I can hope… that it might heal… overnight.  A good night’s sleep can do wonders for one’s body.  It just doesn’t seem to heal teeth. 

STUPID BRUXISM!  Did I say that already?

I called the dentist, got in within a couple of days and really hoped that they would let me in on some groundbreaking new way of fixing broken teeth.  Put it in a cast for six weeks?  I could live with that!  Teeth are bones… bones heal, right?

Um, no.  Teeth are dumb.  They didn’t get the memo.

And all the dentist did was confirm my fears.  ROOT CANAL!  I’ve never had a root canal before.  Scary!!  Plus I had SIX cavities!!  SIX!!  I went years… 12 years or more without a single one and now I have SIX???  Ugh! 

I promise I brush my teeth!

The torture began….

1st visit – Confirm my fears

2nd visit – Root canal performed.  Not as bad as I anticipated during the process but the aftermath was a nightmare.  I have a hard time numbing on the bottom usually because the anatomy of my jaw is different according to every dentist.  And my tooth had a hard to reach root.  Anatomy… who needs ya?  And the hygienist left the temporary filling too high, so…

3rd visit – same day as the second visit.  Had them drill it down a TON so I could actually close my mouth.  That tooth and the one above it were the only ones that would touch.  OUCH!!  That tooth was SO sensitive.

4th visit – prepare the tooth for a crown

5th visit – molds for crown

6th visit – right side cavities filled by endodontist who listened when I told him the fillings felt wrong.  Filed them down accordingly.  (Fillings don’t match my teeth… good thing they’re all on molars.  Isn’t that the whole point of white fillings?)

7th visit – Crown placed… WAY too high and after drilling it down to fit so I could close my mouth again, she had drilled all the way down to my real tooth.  Appointment set to try remove that crown and start over.

8th visit – left side cavities filled by the dentist this time who doesn’t believe me that they feel too high because her ‘special blue paper thing’ says it’s fine.  Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize that you ARE my mouth and you KNOW how it should feel.  IT’S TOO HIGH!!  FIX IT!   **Sigh**  (Once again they don’t match.)  Also, first crown removed and new molds taken.

9th visit – back the same day as the 8th visit to make her file the fillings down more.  She wanted me to wait until the numbing wore off to ‘make sure’.  Pretty sure I know they don’t feel right when only that side of my teeth will clench together.  I didn’t wait for the numbing to wear off, either.  I got home from the previous visit and called right away to get in.  Still too high but better… she DOESN’T LISTEN!!  Can I get the endodontist back?

10th visit – Got my second crown placed.  It’s a much better fit than the first but still a little high in the back… which is why I’ll be going back…. for an 11th visit. 

Can’t……… wait……….. woohoo.  **Said in an Eeyore-ish kind of way** 

And when I come through that door, they’ll put on their cheesy smiles while rolling their eyes behind my back.  It’s written all over their faces and I don’t care!!  You’re getting paid good money and I want it done right!! 

That’s all I have to say about that…… I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.  NIGHTMARE I tell you!  STUPID BRUXISM!!

On to happier dental news. 

This little snow princess just lost the second of her two front teeth. 

And if you can believe it, the Tooth Fairy forgot to come 5 NIGHTS IN A ROW!  We figured it was all the snow storms we were getting :).  When she finally did show up guess what she did… she left H a dollar that was already hers!!  (How was I supposed to know the dollar with the small blue ink smudge from the dryer was the one she had in her back pocket?)  WHOOPS! 

And these two handsome devils just completed their first SUCCESSFUL dental visit (different dentist, thank goodness)!  C has been a few times before this but this was the first time they were able to actually clean his teeth and get some x-rays.  He was so nervous about certain parts of it that he would literally shake.  Being the mean mom that I am I laughed.  B was nervous at first but he got over it pretty quickly.  No cavities for either of them!

 

Any dental nightmares you’ve had to deal with?

Peanut Butter Bars

This is how awesome I am at decorating and getting things up on my walls….

Christmas 2011 we got a Family Home Evening board from my aunt.  We’ve always wanted one, finally get one, and it sat.  It sat until just last month.  For over a year it sat and collected dust. 

Our intentions were good.  We loved the gift and planned to hang it right away.  The problem is, Anthony and I are 90%-ers.  It’s a sad story, really.  Every project we start gets done 90%.  The last 10% of the project gets left out completely.  And after all, actually owning the FHE board and planning to hang it up is 90% of the battle, right? 

But we did it!!  Be proud!  Sure, it’s a year late BUT it’s hanging up and getting used.  The kids love knowing who’s in charge of each part of FHE and I love not feeling like I have to plan the whole thing.  Being a 90%-er is hard work! 

Last week it was H’s turn to make the treat.  That’s the job that all the kids want each week because I don’t let anyone help except that one person.  Normally they have to take turns pouring ingredients in. 

Taking turns… ICK!  Nobody likes to do that.  At least not around these here parts.

But I digress.

H chose a recipe that we had never tried before from one of my cookbooks.  I’ve had peanut butter bars before but these were super yummy!  Better than any I’ve ever tried before.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  It makes a HUGE batch… a large cookie sheet full.  Anthony couldn’t keep his hands off of them!

BARS:

• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 c. quick oats

Preheat oven to 325*.  In large mixing bowl cream first 4 ingredients.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl and add to wet mixture.  Mix well and press into the bottom of a large cookie sheet.  Bake at 325* for 10 minutes then raise temperature to 375* and bake for another 10-15 minutes. 

FROSTING:

• 3 T. cocoa
• 1/2 c. butter
• 3 – 3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 6 T. milk

Melt butter with coca in a saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Add sugar, vanilla and milk.  Stir with whisk until smooth.  Poor over COOLED bars and spread.  Refrigerate to harden frosting. 

Recipe Source:  Worldwide Ward Cookbook:  Mom’s Best Recipes

 

Sephora

There’s an old saying that goes something like this…

Use it up, wear it out.

Make it do or do without.

I am pretty much the poster child for this saying.  Maybe not so much because that’s how I would choose to have things go.  It’s more so the fact that I have to live that way.  If you don’t have money, you can’t afford new things, right?  Well, that’s us. 

My wardrobe consists mostly of things that other people have bought for me or passed down to me.  I can’t really tell you what my style is because I don’t think I really have one.  It’s been years since I’ve been able to shop for myself.  My sister took me out for my birthday last year and bought me a few new outfits.  That was fun.  But seriously, I had no clue what to buy! 

Make up is another that I just do the best I can with what I have.  I hardly ever buy make up.  All that I have (or had) was at least 3 years old.  Some of it was much, much older.  Even the mascara… Scary, I know!  My make-up bag was pretty scary.

But Anthony surprised me with a gift card to Sephora for Christmas and proudly announced that it also came with a makeover!! 

I figured he was trying to tell me something though he swears that wasn’t the intent.  Hmm…

Leading up to Christmas, my sister kept telling me that she wanted to come with me… referring to Anthony’s gift.  For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.  Anthony had called her to find out the best place to get make-up.  He knows me well enough that a gift card to Target (for make-up) would end up being spent on other things… necessities!  Probably diapers or toilet paper. ;)  True story.

So New Year’s Day my sister, my mom, K, and I (and the baby) went to Sephora.

It was slightly overwhelming.  If you know me at all, you know that I don’t do well with choices.  Just give me two… maybe three things to choose from, MAX!  Beyond that I get anxiety.  Who am I kidding?  Sometimes just the two choices gives me hives!

But a cute girl that worked there approached us and helped us out.  My sister stayed right with me the whole time despite my telling her there was no need.  I wasn’t a princess.  But she assured me that I was that day.  And I found some fun things to buy after my makeover.

 

I couldn’t believe how much things were!  My mom and sister asked if I would ever go back to buy my make up.  I told them probably not.  However, I have changed my tune!  Kortney will be happy to hear it. 

After checking prices at the supermarket and Target I realize that these things are not THAT much more but the quality is far superior to anything I’ve ever used. 

Here’s a rundown of the things I bought and why I really like them. 

• Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm – I love that I can apply with just my fingers.  No applicator needed!  And it’s a sheer coverage which I also love.  I can’t stand the feeling of heavy makeup.
• Sephora Primal Instincts Eyeshadow Palette – The gal that made me over talked me into a much darker shade than I’ve ever used.  It’s been fun to experiment with all the darker shades.  Sometimes my concoctions work and sometimes… they are an epic fail!  But it’s fun.
• Sephora Microsmooth Blush Duo (Tea Rose Tickle) – It’s a really pretty color!  I know a lot of people really like bronzer but I’ve never really used it.  I’m a blush kind of person.
• Sephora Full Action Mascara – Mascara is a tricky thing.  It’s all about the applicator if you ask me.  I HATE curved applicators and I hate the ones with bristles that are either too close or too spread out.  This one is PERFECT!  And the mascara itself goes on smooth.  LOVE IT!  

**NO part of this post was sponsored in any way although I think I should get a free something or other from Sephora for all the nice things I said.  :)

I spent pretty much my whole gift card (all but $1.70) on this one trip to Sephora but it was totally worth it!  All the old makeup was thrown out immediately upon arriving home with the new stuff.  Out with the old, in with the new.

 

My next purchase will be an eye primer that the cute girl gave us a sample of.  A little bit goes a long way and I love that it keeps the eye shadow where it’s supposed to be and makes it last forever! 

Happy makeup-ing!