Precocious. Huh?

When E.R. was a toddler Grandma B. called him "precocious". I tried to smile and agree thinking she'd just criticized my child. And for what? I didn't know. He wasn't doing anything particularly obnoxious at the time.

Later, I looked the word up in the dictionary. "Precocious" means "bright"--something, apparently, I am not. Despite his mother's less than stellar aptitudes, E.R. has lived up to Grandma B.'s assessment.

He loves school. Last week he woke up vomiting. I told him he would need to stay home from school. He broke down into sobs. He was sure he'd miss a fun project if he stayed home, he said.

He loves to write notes to family and friends. Most of these letters consist of some sort of paper creation. I have snipets of paper all over my house as he cuts and pastes his latest projects. Lately, he's taken to making Ben 10 watches--remarkable copies, really. We've each, generously, received many prototypes. I went to bed the other night thinking there was something strange about my pajama sleeve only to discover I hadn't removed his latest model. Shhh...Santa found a real Ben 10 watch on Amazon.

He's also extremely loving and a great big brother. He left a lot of friends behind when we moved. Friends he misses very much. He doesn't seem to mind letting A.M. fill in the gaps, even though she's only two.

I get too impatient too often with him. I'm writing this to remind myself how great I've got it when I feel myself losing my cool. I really love this kid!

Dad's Back

R. is home again. Thank goodness! His business trips in the past have never really bothered me. This one did. It was long, and I feel a little uncomfortable not knowing very many people yet. My imagination sometimes runs wild, and it doesn't help that it starts getting dark at 4:30. Thanks to all of you who talked to me and kept my mind occupied on more pleasant things.

Don't worry, all that foolishness quickly melted away with one of these delightful Japanese treats! E.R., A.M. and I were so excited R. did not disappoint and had one for each of us in his luggage. (Even though you can buy them at Wal-mart in the Asian section. They just aren't the same!)

I Love My "Grill"

Today the electrician came to upgrade our electrical box. For a good portion of the day we were without power. Without Dora the Explorer to occupy A.M. while I checked on all your blogs, she and I spent the day entertaining each other. By mid afternoon we'd blown through play dough, dollies and Hi-Ho Cheerio; so we sang silly songs while snuggled under blankets because, man, it got cold!

The thing I love about this 2-year-old is her creative vocabulary. She says things with such confidence; and when corrected, she looks at me as if I'm the one saying everything wrong. Some of my favorite A.M. words:

"laugha-bet" = alphabet
"toad-a-wee" = totally

"Mom, this is toad-a wee, toad-a-wee, toad-a-wee yummy!" That's when I know I hit the mark with dinner--3 "toad-a-wees"

"squish-squeeze treats" = rice krispy treats
"grill" = girl
"clickly" = quickly

And my personal favorite:

"sh#@!" = ship

Lately, this word is used quite frequently because she is toad-a-wee, toad-a-wee into Buzz Lightyear (as shown in the picture) and is constantly wandering around the house looking for his sh#@!

I had fun today A.M.!

Hot Chocolate in Shades

We woke up to our first real snowfall of the season. The photo was taken standing on our back deck. I told you we live in the woods. There's actually a layer of leaves under that snow that I should have raked this weekend. Oh well.

I think A.M. is already missing the warm, summer weather because this is how she ate her breakfast this morning.

A Holiday Worth Celebrating

Did you know there is something to be celebrated every single day of the year? Today is "Loosen Up, Lighten Up" day. Seriously!

I'm earnestly trying to celebrate because lightening up is something I normally struggle to do. I'm not going to be getting after E.R. for talking to me in his uncommonly loud voice when I'm standing right beside him. A.M. pees in her panties--so what! (Actually, we're accident free today! Yeah!) It's not even bothering me that R. ripped the walls off the family room, is leaving for Japan tomorrow morning, and going to be gone for a week. See, I'm loose.

What a great holiday. So far I'm having a fabulous day. Honestly! Plus, I'm thrilled to learn my birthday falls on "A Room of Your Own" day. What luck! I can't wait to tell R.!

To find holidays you'd like to celebrate look HERE. In fact, mark your FHE calendars--I've just learned Monday the 24th is "Celebrate Your Unique Talent" day. Now, that's a day not to be missed either!

Ziploc Omelets

Who doesn't love an omelet? Not me!

There are actually two things I don't love about omelets. First, my well-intentioned omelets never turn out the way I plan. They always have a great beginning and give every impression of ending up perfect. Then comes the flip where things go terribly wrong and I end up with fancy scrambled eggs. Still good, but not an omelet in every sense of the word. Secondly, made-to-order omelets must be cooked in shifts.

With these two grievances in mind, I received an email forward from R.s sister showing a fun and easy way to make omelets. Perhaps you've received this email. Well, tried it. Liked it. Have repeated it since. Thought I'd share:In a quart-size freezer Ziploc bag, combine 2 eggs (no more than 2 per bag) with favorite omelet ingredients. Shake 'em, squish 'em and mix 'em well. Get all the air out; then seal. Use multiple bags to make custom omelets for each family member just the way they like 'em!

(I could lie and say this picture was taken at breakfast and that's why my kids are in their pajamas. But in reality it was dinnertime. A.M. is still potty training--jammies are easier to pull down. E.R. stayed home sick from school. You know, on second thought, perhaps I should not have had him helping with dinner after all. Whoops.)Place bags in a large pot of rolling, boiling water. Our 4 bags cooked just fine in a medium-size soup pot. Let boil 15 minutes. (As the bags heat up, they get a bit floppy. Don't let them touch the sides of the pan or burner directly.)Open the bags and roll the omelets onto plates. No fuss, no mess--not bad! The kids can help too. Plus, one of us isn't still hungrily waiting for their omelet to cook.

Score One for the Team!

A.M.'s Potty Training Tally (day one):
Panties = 3
Potty = 5!!!

A decisive victory by any mother's standard.

A.M.'s been pretty accepting of the whole "big girl" potty idea as long as I don't slip up and call her panties (pronounced "pan-TEES" with a strong emphasis on the "TEE") anything but that. Underwear, pants, etc. will not due!

The best part of potty training--I didn't get out of my pajamas until 4pm. (Why bother when I'm planning on dealing with pee all day long.)

The worst part of potty training--everything else!