Looks Good in Polka Dots

The girls came back from their Father’s on the 26th in the afternoon. K2 vomited all over her Father’s truck on the drive.  Fun times.  We have had this ick in our house for almost two weeks now.  I am getting tired of it!!!! 

 Later in the evening, K3 threw up as well.  I am left wondering if this is the same illness she started on the 15th or another one.  Vomity sickness twice in one month… not so much fun.

 My belly started feeling not so hot as well.  By the 27th, I was running a fever and unable to stay awake for more than 30 minutes at a time.  My entire body hurt, it felt as if every little hair follicle on my body went straight to a nerve ending causing excruciating pain everytime I moved.

And now hubby is saying he isn’t feeling so hot.

Did I mention I turn the big 3-0 tomorrow?  Maybe that’s why I feel like crap.

I am debating how to handle the vast amount of gifts the kiddos received from family members that do not fall in line with what we allow in our house. 

The Bratz and TMNT Board Games, that one is easy… they are going back K1 and K2 can pick out something else.  What about all the clothes from the devil, WAL-MART?  One of the shirts K3 received from her Grandmother is pretty darn cute and it is ORGANIC (supposedly produced using all organic cotton, I have to wonder if it’s also Fair Trade Certified Cotton… not likely.)… but it’s still from Wal-Mart. (I have shopped at Wal-Mart, in the past it was a frequent for me because it was CHEAP and I was a broke, single Mom… so I can’t really complain.  It’s more recent that I have made the movement to avoid mass consumerism and focus much more on local sustainability).

So the big question is, do I keep these items (each of the girls received about 10 pieces of clothing that fall into the not so socially responsible grouping)… Afterall, they are gifts and WE didn’t put our money into purchasing them.  Surprisingly, the same individual that purchased all these items also sent home a box of ALL NATURAL, FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED chocolates.  That must have been accidental.

I am thinking we will keep the gifts, for a myriad of reasons.  (With the exception of those toys that are not allowed, such as BRATZ.)  I am wondering if there is some way we can gently coach family and friends to know what kinds of items we do allow?  Definitely not clothing with Spider-Man on it, but I thought they already knew that.

We are walking a very fine line between allowing the kids enough (so as to not make them feel different from their peers) while keeping out some of the mass consumerism and focusing on being socially conscious and globally responsible.    Santa comes to our house (I know, I know).  Our kids received a Wii for Christmas (I can hear you sighing).  We allow SOME popular items.  The Wii is beneficial to our whole family… we play it as a group, everyone is up jumping around the living room.   Our feeling is that having this item in our home has enough positive impact that it outweighs the negative.  As for Santa, well, he is SANTA.  Nuff said.  The kids do not wear clothing with Disney or Super-Heros (or other commecial items).  We do shop locally as often as possible.  All the food in our house is Natural and Organic, the personal and home cleaing products we use are GREEN.  Our focus is on family and things that will help our family be closer.  For instance, our girls do have Barbies.  We keep the house and all the Barbie stuff in one spot… so the girls have to PLAY TOGETHER.  We also buy things like Moon Sand… why?  Because it is something we can all sit around the table and do together. 

We are definitely not overboard hippies.  I shave my legs, I drive a Prius, I drink Fair Trade Ceritified Coffee, I cook more than we go out, I recycle EVERYTHING, I wear Nikes and carry Coach, I spend quality time with my family, I try to find a happy medium that allows us to be responsible, green and cool.  (You won’t find me hugging trees, but I will definitely reuse, reduce and recycle.)

Maybe we aren’t doing as much as we could be.  We are trying to raise well-adjusted, happy, successful children.  We do not measure success monetarily, rather allowing each person their own identity and definition.  We give them a religious basis, a cultural experience and a supportive family environment.  And we pray that is enough.

Mum and Daddy wrote a letter to Santa requesting a visit to our house on the night of the 23rd instead of the 24th.  The kids would be with their other parent on the 25th and we didn’t want to miss out. :)  The kiddos all thought this was a GREAT idea.

I decided to make cinnamon rolls the night of the 23rd, put them in the fridge and have them ready to bake for Christmas breakfast… or not.

The recipe I used only called for starches, no other flours.  I found this a bit odd as I have been baking for a long time and while new to GF baking I know that starches need another flour stabilizer.  I looked at the recipe many times trying to decide if this was going to work. 

The glob I ended up with was a MESS.  It was so sticky that it couldn’t be rolled out even with the use of plastic wrap.  I followed the recipe exactly, so I can’t blame attempted subsitutions for the disaster.   Finally, I decided to put the whole mess in the fridge overnight and see if it would be easier to roll out in the morning. 

And on we went to get ready for Santa.  Snickerdoodles on a plate, stockings hung, oats on the porch for the Reindeer… off to bed with visions of sugarplums in our heads (okay, what modern day kid dreams of sugarplums, more likely dreams of video games and expensive new toys dance in their heads).

The kiddos had instructions to come wake us up before they hit the presents in the morning.  So about 6:30 AM the crew were at our door chanting, “get up, get up, get up!”.

The amount of gifts under our tree was DISGUSTING.  We made a vow to not go crazy this year, but when you take gifts for seven (plus one dog and one cat) and add the gifts from Nana and Papa… well, it was overwhelming.

After the crew was done ripping the packages open, I padded into the kitchen and gave another go at the cinnamon rolls.  After chilling in the fridge overnight, it was a bit easier to roll the dough out (mind you, I say a bit easier).  I ended up one pan of rolls instead of the original two because so much of the dough was lost in the disaster.   Hubby decided to run to the market and get some danishes to go with the rolls.  I baked the completed rolls for the stated 20 minutes.  They looked done, but they were sticky, doughy inside.  Luckily, K3 thought they were pretty good (she is the GF one) and was okay eating the non-doughy ones.  I thought they tasted terrible as did everyone else.  So I am now on a mission to find a good cinnamon roll recipe.  I will not give up until I find one.

Other than the not so fabulous cinnamon rolls, our Christmas was quite fabulous.  Everyone was happy with their gifts and spent a good part of the morning PLAYING NICELY TOGETHER.

Oh and did I mention that Mommy received the most fabulous gift?  More on that later.

Hubby has a nearly 3 week long business trip to Asia coming up in a couple of weeks.  I might lose my mind.  In fact, its very likely that I will lose my mind. 

 Let’s ponder for a moment. 

Hubby flies to San Francisco, then to Taipei where he hangs out for about a week, then boards another plane to Jakarta where he will spend another week or so.  And if he is SUPER lucky, he will proceed to Hong Kong.   Over the weekend he plans to escape to the white beaches of Bali.  I am so jealous.

That said… I will be home BY MYSELF with FIVE kids, a dog and a crazy little kitty.  Lets remind ourselves that I leave for work at 4 am and Hubby gets the crew off to school and daycare in the morning.  Just how am I going to manage that?

We’ve done these trips before… a couple times a year to be exact and THEY KILL ME EVERYTIME.  This is the first time I have worked this schedule and had out of home childcare to deal with.  The last time he wandered off leaving me a single Mom for weeks I had the Mother-in-law coming over to help with the kids and watch the youngest ones while I worked. 

Now I have to juggle getting critter to daycare… that doesn’t open until 6 am, getting everyone else on the bus at 7:30am and still working my 5am-2pm schedule.  Hmmmm.

I really need to get this working from home gig going ASAP.

Do I seriously have to deal with this question already?  You are only seven!!!  What is with kids these days (Yikes, now I sound like my Grandparents). 

While driving home from school the other day, K2 spouts THE QUESTION.  I responded with, “of course Santa is real”.  And I felt like a fiend for LIEING to my child.  Then I launched into a discourse (which will hopefully prepare them for the big revelation in a few years) regarding how Santa is the MAGIC of Christmas and we chose to believe in him.  She let me know that her friends were saying he isn’t real.  I said, “Well, to us he is and WE BELIEVE.”

Can this conversation be over now before she starts questioning the Tooth Fairy????   I am SOOOOOOOOOOO not ready for this!

Did I mention how busy of a Mommy I am?  Mixed into my “regular” life (the one that entails a fulltime job and raising five kids), I do things like spending a full day at the children’s hospital with TeenGirl so she can have her treatments.  When I am not doing normal things or managing TeenGirls medical world, I am on the phone and/or email with various insurance/medical/ state agencies trying to work things out regarding my Mother who happens to have a terminal illness.  Oh, yeah, I am busy.

That said, I still have to find time to feed my crew which includes my five year old who is intolerant of Wheat, Gluten, Milk and Whey.  I would LOVE to spend hours baking all kinds of fun and delightful foods.  That said, I rarely have the time to exude my baking/cooking creativity.

K3 needed cookies for the school Christmas party.   I wanted to make fabulous sugar cookies to send.  I also had to make her frostings and package up all kinds of toppings.   I cheated.  Here is what I did…

Purchased 1 Gluten Free/Dairy Free Cake Mix

Mixed said mix with 1/2 Soy Yogurt, 1/4 c. canola oil and 1 egg. 

Dropped by spoonfuls onto wax paper lined baking stone.

Baked at 350 degrees for about 12 mins, let sit on pan for a couple more and then moved to cooling racks.

I then sprinkled half of them w/ powder sugar and left the others plain for decorating.

For frosting- (keep in mind I don’t really measure exactly!)

about 2 Tbs. soy margarine

about 2 Tbs. vanilla soy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend until smooth and creamy

Add powder sugar slowly, until desired consistency is obtained.

And guess what… the batter was fabulous… everyone was amazed that this was GF.  And the cookies are yummy.

I cheat in other ways as well… like making our regular dinners and substituting the pasta with rice pasta for K3 and keeping GF corndogs and taquitos in the freezer for those times we are in need of a quick food.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Jaime Sommers (The Bionic Woman)…  It appears there was also a porn star with the same name, what does that say?  Strong and SEXY… yeah that’s about right.  Good job Mom, I’m sorry for all the times I harrassed you about giving me a unisex name. (And I do thank you for not naming me Zebra, yes I remember that conversation from when I was 13.)

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Why, just last night

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I usually love my handwriting… if I am not in a mad-scrawl mode.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww. Gross.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Five… three girls… one boy and TeenGirl.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Absolutely.  I rock.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Ummmm… only at the most oppurtune moment (the shock factor is under-rated).

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Indeed I do.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
NO WAY.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Tough one… Rice Chex, Corn Flakes and Oatmeal.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I don’t generally wear “tie” shoes. I’m too lazy

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes.  I am emotionally and mentally strong— sometimes too much.  My physical strength wouldn’t win awards (nor would I want it too!) but I am no fainting lilly.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Umpqua Peanut Butter Chocolate

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Smile then eyes

15. RED OR PINK?

Pink

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU?
I can come across as snobbish but I’m not (REALLY!, okay yes I am but not in a bad way.  Wait, is there a good way to be snobbish?)

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My ladybug, Xandria Jo… two years on earth, eternity in Heaven.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Well now, that doesn’t really apply here does it?

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Chocolate Brown Slacks and Metallic Gold Ballet Flats.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Ate?  How about coffee with hazelnut creamer.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The CuppyCake Song on my iPod.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Platinum

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Baking.  Candles that smell like baking.  Flavored Coffee.  My Vanilla Bean Noel Body Lotion.  (See a trend here?)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Our babysitter, Tabby.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Sure do.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Cheerleading and Ice Dancing

27. HAIR COLOR?
 Dark blonde/light brown w/ a dash of shimmery red.

28. EYE COLOR?
Blue w/ gold rings around the pupil

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Pizza, Pasta, Asparagus (but only the way I make it)

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Duh.  Happy Endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED
Office Space … but I fell asleep about half way through and my husband sent it back to Netflix before I got to finish, so does that count?

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Winter White Cashmere Wrap Sweater (So that’s more than the color… shoot me.)

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Ummmm… SPRING.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Combination

36.. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Just about anything chocolate.

37. FAVORITE READ?

Gone with the Wind

38. WHAT IS YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE?

The Sound of Music

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Rich Dad Poor Dad… (Just because I am a Mom doesn’t mean I don’t want to know about teaching my children financial responsibility).

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Microban antimicrobial product protection

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?
The TV wasn’t at our house last night.

 42. FAVORITE SOUND?
Baby’s breathing… you know the sound when they are all snuggly on your chest sleeping and you can hear their tiny little baby breaths?

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Neither

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Cross Country (for now).

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Creative messes, Mothering, Getting things done.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Oregon

It’s a struggle everyday to balance raising well adjusted kids, who are loved by their peers and the adults in their lives.  Part of creating these individuals is instilling the sense of global responsibility in them. 

We give our children too much.  Without a doubt.  However, we try to balance that with good deeds, family responsibilities, learning how to be earth friendly, etc…

I came across these Valentines (http://store.gxonlinestore.org/valentineskit.html) that I wanted to get for the kiddos classes this coming February.  To me it is a cute way to remind folks that many of our chocolates (and other products) are produced in a not so humane manner.  This is a time when the kids can have a brief lesson in human kindness and correct treatment as well as learning how to look for products that respect human rights.  My husband, who in some ways is more “hippy” than myself doesn’t agree with having the kids use these Valentines.  He sees it as a way of “forcing our beliefs on others”.  In his mind, it is no different than those who come a knocking on our door to hand out phamplets, or that practice commonly called Track or Treating.  I don’t think its the same at all.  We aren’t trying to convert peeps to another religion, simply wanting to provide our Valentine treats that are Fair Trade Certified and let people know about the methodoligy.

I do not see this as pushy, its certaintly not door-knocking.  Most people probably won’t even read the Valentines.  It is about knowing that we are not contributing to child and/or slave labor in chocolate production in what is an over-commercialized holiday.  (FYI, Hubby and I DO NOT celebrate V-Day.)

Perhaps the middle ground on this one is to hand out the Free-Trade Certified Chocolates with “normal” cards.  Granted, the education factor is lost, but to Hubby that is a “political agenda”. 

Who said I wasn’t a reasonable woman?  We can compromise.  Let’s hope that as the kids get older they make choices that reflect what we are trying to teach.

And that is… Be Normal (whatever that is!), watch TV, Shop at your favorite stores, Make smart choices, Be aware of the impact your actions/purchases have on others, Help others who are less fortunate, Share your knowledge but don’t push or act like you have all the answers, Listen more than you speak, Be proactive, Think about what you are allowing yourself to be exposed to, Take care of you in order to take care of others, Be kind to people and animals, Be Responsible, Live your life as if your are writing your Eulogy.

And so much more…. I’m sure.  (Like quit asking for that Barbie house that is bigger than the one you already have, because so many kiddos wish they had one like yours and you are DARN lucky!)

“I want to be bad everyday so I can burn my coal” K1 on wanting coal in his Christmas Stocking.

As part of my (never ending and under appreciated) campaign to remain socially conscious and (at least a little bit) counter-cultered, we have only one television in our house.  There are days when I think that this may not be such a grand idea.

We have only one television, because while I do not want to make my children feel different from their peers, I also want to remain in control of what they are exposed to on TV.   With only one TV it limits the amount of XBox, Videos and/or cartoons that can be watched.

I am one of those “crazy” Mommies.  My kids only watch Sprout, and occassional Playhouse Disney mixed in with shows from Animal Planet, etc… I am VERY restrictive on the movies they watch as well and feel that my 7 year old daughter is much too young for Hannah Montana and other things of that ilk.  That said, we also avoid certain toys…. like those naughty Bratz dolls.

My husband LOVES Football.  I cannot express just how much he loves this sport.  I can stomach some Football.  We have season tickets to his Alum… the Oregon Ducks (even though my Alma Mater is OSU).  Both of our vehicles sport a license plate with the green and yellow O on them.  (I kindly pointed out that their are two people in this marriage and we both did not go to Oregon.)

If Football is on and Hubby is home… our one TV will have Football on.  On the weekends, this love of Football also carries over into Nascar, Baseball and occassionally Hockey.  (And he told me way back when that he ONLY follows the Ducks and Steelers.)  Granted, he majored in Sports Medicine, worked with college football teams and has a career with a sports company. (That’s no excuse!)

It is making me long for a second TV.  I am considering putting a small one in our room which will only be used for those times when I cannot stand another minute of Football… or when the kids are going bonkers and I want to put in a movie.  

Like yesterday, for instance.  The kids did a craft project (making “golf” visors)… did their typical running around and playing like crazies… colored… we were reaching a breaking point.  What do you do to occupy four children at home when the weather is too crummy to go outside?  A movie might have bought an hour of peace in our house.  We settled on getting pillows and blankets, snuggling up on Mum and Daddies bedroom floor and listen to stories on CD.  This worked for 30 minutes or so.  I wanted to make sugar cookies, but I just recently emptied my kitchen cabinest and threw out the insulated baking sheets… I am not sure how GF will work on Pampered Chef baking stones (plus… does the stone absorb and therefore pose a contamination risk?)  So, we had to put this off.  We will make the cookies by Tuesday afternoon as I have to send some for K3 to decorate at her Kindergarten Christmas Party on Wednesday.   Anyway, it was one of those days when a second TV would have been useful. 

We keep putting off this purchase, because 1) we don’t believe in having a TV in our bedroom 2) we aren’t about to put a TV in the kiddos rooms 3) we don’t have a “family room” to put one in.

I keep thinking if I could just hold out… we plan to add 2 bedrooms, a bath and a large family room to the house… however that may very well be a couple years off yet! In the meantime, Mommy might lose her mind.

Spring cannot come soon enough!  The kids don’t know it yet, but they are getting a giant, blow up water slide for Christmas. I can’t wait for warm weather so we can set it up outside.  It is large enough that even Mum and Dad can use it.  WooHoo!  We have a lot of yard work (excavation, mind you… not the easy stuff) to make our property more “kid friendly”.  By June, we should have quite the outdoor playland… which is good because these kids need to be out of doors!  

We really struggle with “fun” things to do with the crew… even if we find free or inexpensive outings for the crew, we have to drive the truck which isn’t economical or earth friendly.  That would be one downfall to our country living.  We do sometimes load everyone up for the 15 minute drive to the nearest Max stop (light rail transit system) and do the whole park and ride thing.    Having a large family brings a lot more expense to outings, so we do things like join the zoo which gives us unlimited admission for a year, however we get a ton of rain in Oregon (and the zoo is still a 30-40 minute drive) so that’s not always an option.  The kids love to load the bikes up and head for the track… that also gets tougher in the winter as 1) it gets dark early 2) its wet all the time.  

 We do love the Home Depot/ Lowe’s building workshops on Saturday mornings…. but that is only an hour twice a month. (Yes, I do realize this is just another marketing ploy to expose our children to the stores so that as they become older they will chose to shop there, and of course, they will encourage Mum and Dad to go there as well… because it’s so much fun!)  We chose to overlook the negative aspects of these workshops, because there is so much positive to be gained.  The kids learn to work cooperatively, follow directions, relate to their siblings and parents, it forces us to spend an hour or more completely devoted to a project with the kids, it gives them a sense of pride at their completed project, and sometimes, it even provides us with a free gift for a loved one.  What Grandparent wouldn’t love to receive the cool firetruck or breakfast tray made by their Grandchild?

I wish our little town’s library had more realistic hours.  Granted… it is about the size of my living room, but the kids LOVE books.  Too bad they are only open a couple hours here and there… We could always load up and go to the FG library about 10 miles away.  Maybe I should check that one out and see if it’s any better.

We really need to find some creative ways to get the crew out of the house during the winter months.  Ways that doesn’t involve a large expense or a large amount of driving. 

If we don’t get these kids out of the house soon I am going to lose my mind… or *gasp* break down and buy another television.  (We all know that’s not a good solution!)