3 Boys, 2 Adults and a Half Hour...

Marathon Mama

Wanna run a marathon? You're kidding right? After three babies there isn't a part of my body that wishes to partake in a run. That and when my thighs rub together my pants catch fire. Too dangerous.

Wanna walk a marathon? Walk... yes. Marathon... isn't that, like 26 miles? In a row? Who will wash the dishes? Who will feed the children? Who will push my wheelchair?

Wanna walk a marathon over the period of a month? Okay.

Penguinsandladybugs over at Monthly Marathon is hosting a monthly marathon. (Like how the title matches the event? :) ) Here's how it works. During the month of August walk (jump, skip, gallop, run- whatever works for you) 26 miles. (Not even a mile a day...) You know you want to sign up.

Buzz on over there and join us marathoners!

I Hate to Admit it, but...

we play with S. I know. You play with your children, too.

No, let me clarify. When S falls asleep from absolute exhaustion we play with him. Use him like a puppet. Really for our own amusement.

A little background information: S gave up naps when he wasn't quite 2. We moved to this house and he moved into his Big Boy Bed and never took another nap time nap. Ah, with two older brothers naps are rather inconvenient anyway. If S really needed a nap I would take the "scenic" route home after picking up A from school. Or I could convince us all to sit on the couch crowded with pillows and blankets to watch some PBS.

Well, the side effect of an occasional nap shortage is that once in a while S falls asleep in unusual places. Mostly the dinner table, but we've also nabbed him folded up on the couch, or just sprawled on the floor.


Sometimes it is all he can manage to get through dinner. He starts to doze between bites. Sadly, we (the two big brothers, Daddy and Mommy) arrange him, make little voices come from his napping head, etc.

Oh, now don't think we are being mean. It is all done in good fun. In fact, S is fully aware that we do this. Hey, he laughs between head lolls.

I thought I needed to blog about this when I found this picture. S had fallen asleep on the couch in a rather uncomfortable looking position, so I moved him to his bed. And then someone added the sunglasses.


At least S is going to have something to talk about when he is on the Therapist's couch. ;)

Sweet Tuesday

On the fourth Tuesday of the month I get a group of ladies together at my house for FUN. We have had a chocoholic night, a pajama party, an ice cream social. We have had a pair of interior decorators come to give us tips. We've learned how to container garden. We have talked about everything from nail polish to birthdays to casseroles. No matter what the theme, the fourth Tuesday is Sweet Tuesday.

One of our favorite things to have is a Guinea Pig Dinner. No, we don't eat guinea pig! Every lady prepares and brings a recipe that she has been wanting to try. The other day we feasted on chicken and dumplin's, cheesy muffins, salads and desserts.

I came across Leah (in Iowa)'s blog, South Breeze Farm. There I found lots of delicious looking recipes to try. I gave three recipes a yummy try for Sweet Tuesday.

On Sweet Tuesday I spend time getting things ready and cleaning before the ladies arrive. (I know you can't imagine why I would have to clean and "spruce up" a bit for the ladies. At least I should get all the cars, trucks and Rescue Heroes from under the couch cushions!) (Not that you think that I totally knock myself out because the best motto I've heard about hospitality is, "I've invited you to bless you, not to impress you." *) I do, however, need to feed my family something quick and easy so that my husband and the boys can get to their "Daddy Date" and that my friends can start arriving.

This Tuesday I tried Creamy Chicken Salad and it was sweet, fruity, and creamy. We ate it for a quick supper and I put it out on the buffet table for the ladies to sample, as well. I loved telling people the unusual combo for the tasty dressing.

The Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball was a quick and easy appetizer. I'll admit that I wasn't patient enough to wait to shape it into a ball. Instead, I mixed in some chopped pecans and sprinkled it with more chopped pecans. I piled it into a bowl and served it with honey graham stix and chocolate animal crackers. The sweet mini chocolate chips and tangy cream cheese were a tasty combo. And you've got to love anything you can slather on a chocolate animal cracker!!

I'm not usually a coffee drinker, but I thought Leah's recipe for Mocha Punch looked special and different. After all, who can turn down a punch that is frothy with almost a gallon of ice cream? (And lucky for me, Food Lion had Edy's ice cream on sale for buy one, get one free.) Everyone came back for a second cup!

Thanks, Leah for making my table a tasty one!

*I modeled my Sweet Tuesday after an idea I read about called, Sweet Monday. That is also where I read the quote about hospitality.

Flip Flop Finder (and a Quick Dessert)

Today started with so many plans. Bake a dessert for the Mission (Free Clinic) volunteers. Movies after lunch. Quick trip to the grocery store. Food pick up and delivery to the Mission. Pack for an overnight conference. When I made my mental list I thought I'd have lots of afternoon time. Ahahahaha. Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids! My day was set at such a feverish pace I thought I would melt by the time I sat down to eat my deli pizza dinner.
I know my catchy title has you wondering how some flip flops fit into all this, so I'll just tell ya. After delivering the dinner (and dessert) to the volunteers at the mission downtown I decided the boys and I should make a second stop at Wally World to purchase something quick for dinner. S was asleep when we got there, so I unstrapped him and carried his almost-4 year old body into the store.

When I got inside the store A pointed out that S wasn't wearing shoes. Of course he is wearing shoes. I've seen the one lost shoe on the side of the road and I am not the mom who loses one shoe, or two, for that matter! I'm sure he has his shoes on!
Now, S's favorite pair of summer shoes are these camo flip flops that I bought at Target. I personally never wear flops (hate stuff between my toes), but I think these little flops are the cutest things around. Plus, the speed at which S can "shoe up" without straps, velcor, or laces is awesome.

I just figured that he must have taken off the shoes before falling asleep and those flops are in the van.

To make a long story boring, the flops weren't in the van. S was as calm as could be while I looked all around the van. I even tracked down the "cart boy" collecting carts to see if he had seen a pair of cute kid camo flops. He hadn't. So, I drove around the parking lot, slowly, looking for a presumably run-over pair of flops.
And there they were. Some kind "sole" (hahaha-- couldn't resist) had picked them up and placed them side by side behind a car, just waiting to be reunited with their feet/owner. (I'm pretty sure they didn't fall off his feet side by side.)

When I thought the shoes gone forever I realized how much I like those little camo flops. How much they just remind me of S. His youthfulness. How proud he is when he can "shoe up" by himself. How fast he can run with some stubborn piece of cheap plastic stuffed between his toes. How "cool" he is wearing flip flops like the big boys. How his stubby, fat toes get all dirty. How there is now a permanent dirt line where the flip flop straps go.
Anyway. All I wanted to say was thanks to the flip flop finder!

And totally unrelated to S's camo flip flops...
I've included the recipe for the dessert I took for the Free Clinic Volunteers.

Cookie Sheet Slice

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (21 ounce) pie filling (I used blueberry, but cherry is fabulous, too)

Cream the butter and the sugar. Beat in the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Spread 2/3 of the batter on a greased cookie sheet (10x15) (I use a Pampered Chef Bar pan.) Spread the can of pie filling over the batter. Drop the remaining batter in little "drops" over the pie filling. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
Cool. (You can drizzle a powdered sugar icing over the cooled dessert.)
(In case you aren't familiar with "slices"... These are the size and thickness of a bar cookie, but the texture and flavor is of cake.)
Yummy!

Florida Trip: Part Four: All the Other Stuff!

Okay...

I've been dragging out the pictures from my Florida trip for way too long! It is really time to wrap it up. So... here are the last few highlights.

• Trips to Susan's to play in the pool with her 4 kiddos.
• Family Day Fun at the church I "grew up in".


• A fishing trip for the kids with Grandpa and Uncle Jim
  
• Dinners at my brother's mother-in-law's house


• Donuts for breakfast!
• Trips to Target, WalMart, Publix and The Ragshop
• Driving to Rosslow's to pick out my Vera Bradley purse. (Mesa Red, Villager)
• Time spent with my dad.


• S'mores and fireworks

WFMW: Swim Bag

One of the many blessings of the congregation my dh serves is a sweet lady named Jean. She and her husband have a wonderful pool and they have invited us over to swim many times. (She's also not terribly opposed to us inviting ourselves over!) The boys and I love to hop in the car and buzz on over to Jean's pool.

Our Swim Bag makes getting ready to go swimming easier. I have an over sized mesh (think 1970's lawn chair fabric) bag that is stocked with towels, swimsuits, suntan lotion, water wings, a few water toys, etc. Whenever we return from swimming I restock the Swim Bag so that is always "at the ready." I never have to waste time looking for swimsuits or straining my brain trying to remember where I put the sunscreen.

Our Swim Bag works for us. What works for you? For more great Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

D and A's feet at Miss Jean's pool!