The Sansom Family

Halloween was a big hit in the Sansom home.  On Saturday we had a trunk or treat at church that prepared Max for last night's festivities.  Max ran around the church parking lot repeating "Trick or Treat" in an increasingly louder voice until he received his candy.  That was good preparation for our outing last night.  Since we don't live in a trick or treating friendly environment, we went to a cute neighborhood a few minutes away.  It was perfect for the Max and Joe because there were tons of little kids out and about and the streets were well lit.  We only went up and down half a block because a 2 year old just doesn't need that much candy.  I think Joe had a really good time, too.  he only got 4 pieces of candy but that was all he needed.  He held on to one piece with each hand and would not let go for anything.  By the end of the night, his Kit Kat was dust and the Snickers was all melty.  I didn't really mind since I didn't want either boy eating a feasting on candy anyway. 

Our costumes this year were pretty cool this year, if I do say so myself. The boys were Mario and Luigi and I made their costumes again this year.  Technically I only made their hats but I have been putting their costume together for a few months now.  I tried to do Mario and Luigi last year but it was impossible to find plain red and green shirts.  I happened to see a red shirt and a green shirt at Target in late August and I immediately bought them.  The overalls were less difficult to find but I did have to search through several racks of clothes at a consignment sale in order to find Max's size.  Carl was Captain America and I dressed up as Belle(blue dress Belle, not gold ball gown Belle).  I also made my costume and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.  The pattern said easy but that dress was not as easy as I thought it would be to make.  I finished it about 45 minutes before our church party.  Anyway, here are the pictures.  That is, after all, the best part of blogs.


Everyone we saw last night (and even people from across the street) would say "Hey look!  It's Mario and Luigi.  You guys look awesome."  Those comments just made my heart sing.

That's what I had to keep telling Max at the mall play area today. Apparently, his pants were too long and he didn't like it. I tried rolling his pants up but that didn't fly too well so Max took matters into his own hands and just took his pants off. I eventually convinced him that he needed to keep his pants on in public but it was a tough sell. As soon as he walked in our front door, he pulled his pants off and scampered away before I could stop him. I'll have to keep this incident in mind before putting those pants on Max again.

I am trying to win a personal shopping consultation and a $200 gift card from a cute boutique but I need your help to do it! All you have to do is go the Chocolate Peacock Boutique's Facebook page and like the comment I left under the post that says "our Monday must have is an amazing giveaway." The person's comment who has the most "likes" by Friday, October 14th wins so please like my comment if you can. Many thanks in advance.

Potty training has been suspended due to the following conversation:

Me:  Max, do you need to go potty?

Max:  Yes.

Me:  Great!  Let's go sit on the potty.

Max:  No.  Diaper.

Me:  You're not wearing a diaper.  You're wearing underwear.  Let's try going on the potty.

Max:  Okay, mommy.

Max then sits on the potty and then does not go.

Max:  All done. 

Me:  Max you didn't go potty in the potty.

Max:  I want diaper.

Max then ran and got a diaper and laid down for me to put it on. He wouldn't go to the bathroom unless he was wearing a diaper.  We decided to hold off on potty training for a little bit longer.  Round One goes to Max.

is now fixed.  It will lead you to Bombshell Bling and fabulous jewelry. Please click on it and shop away.  That is all.

...but I am trying not to feel guilty about it.  It's true though, I have a hard time (a) taking pictures and (b) remembering to post on this blog of mine.  Let's just say that a lot has gone on since I last posted.  I may or may not try to catch up later but today I will just start with what is going on right now...Potty Training!  I am pretty nervous about the whole thing but I think Max is going to do just fine.

Carl only has 5 weeks of school left!  I can't believe we only have 5 more weeks of student life left, until he starts his PhD.  I am not sure when he will choose to do that but we already decided he will be a part time student.

I am in charge of soliciting donation for Max's preschool's fundraiser.  I am just working on baked goods for our bake sale but I am remembering now why I left fundraising.  I hate rejection and bakers are a little snooty about their baked deliciousness.  I just hope that a few more people will be willing to donate--it is for the kids, after all.

Joseph is still an exceptionally happy and content baby.  He is also exceptionally tall and thin.  I just found that out yesterday at his 15 month check up(85 percentile for height, 35 percentile for weight).  Joe is such a blessing in my life; he can make he smile when no one and nothing else can.

Here's a thought that I really feel that I should share with you, my dear readers.  This weekend I watched conference(with varying degrees of success) with Carl and the kids.  I received several bits of personal revelation, some of them were happy things and some were not.  As I have been thinking about the things the Spirit whispered to me, I had an epiphany.  Sometimes the Spirit tells us things that are hard to take and that we just plain don't want to hear and that's ok(not the epiphany).  I came to realize that receiving the news and having time to prepare for whatever is coming is a huge blessing(that's the epiphany).  Perhaps earlier in my life I would have gotten angry or upset or bitter at the news of adverse times headed my way, but this time I chose to see the love behind the message.  Heavenly Father is letting me know that things may be hard but He is giving me this extra time to prepare for it and learn how to rely on Him even more than I currently do.  Personal revelation is a great blessing and I am so grateful that we have it.

And now, to end on a lighter note:


The boys love climbing all over Carl like he is a jungle gym.  And that suits me just fine.  If they are climbing on him, it means they aren't climbing on me(come on, you know you super-moms out there need a break, too).

The lawn mower is Joe's new favorite thing at the Children's Museum.  He tries to take it everywhere, but he couldn't quite manage the stairs.

Joe also likes the playground at the mall.  He was just chilling out at the top of the slide waving hi to me.  So stinking cute.

                                                        Like Max, Joe is a happy child...

                                            unless you don't give him his food fast enough.

Max has been in school for a whole month now and he just started to absolutely love it last Friday.  He goes in without crying and the teachers tell me he plays like a champ all day.  He is growing up!  As expected, being around the other kids has really helped Max talk more.  A lot more.  Right now his favorite thing to say is "No, thanks" as in
Me:  Max please stop playing in the blinds.
Max:  No, thanks.

or

Me:  Max, it's time for bed.  Which pajamas would you like to wear?
Max:  No thanks.  I play with trains.

It's pretty funny.  Max's increased vocabulary has had an unintended bonus:  Joe is starting to say words.  He does signs for "more," "all done," and "milk" but now he says "night night," "bye-bye," and "max" in addition to mama and dada.  My boys are so much fun!  I never knew how much I would love being a mom to two active boys.  I always thought my kids would be calm and a little more cerebral, like me.  Apparently Heaven Father felt differently because my kids are just like Carl.  They spend all day chasing each other around the house, crawling up and down the stairs, and talking to one another in their own language.  And then they do something so precious, like randomly running up to me and giving me hugs and kisses, that my heart absolutely melts.  When I take a step back from the minutiae of cleaning floors and changing diapers, I realize that I am so blessed.  I am able to stay home with my kiddos and watch them learn and grow.  I couldn't ask for anything better.

I absolutely need a few things right now and I need your help to find them.  Here they are:

1.  A fantastic book that does not have a sequel.  I just want to read a book that has an ending that doesn't require me to purchase another book (or ten) to satisfy my need to know what happens to the protagonist.

2.  Some new music.  I am trying to branch out but my tree is having a hard time growing.

3.  A shirt that (a) has sleeves, (b) is not sheer, and (c) is not a t-shirt.  I am tired of wearing at least 2 shirts to make one appropriate top.  There has to be a clothing company that makes clothing that is fresh and not covered in ridiculous amounts of embellishments.  Don't misunderstand, I love a little something on my shirt to keep it interesting but I do not want to look like I have been bedazzled.

If you have any ideas, leave a comment or e-mail me.  Thanks.  You are all gems.

Last night we had the elders over for dinner.  All I have to say is Wowdy!!  It was truly a dinner like no other.  It all started off okay but it went downhill pretty fast.  Since we have the elders over for dinner at least every other week, I am starting to run out of meal ideas so last night we went for simple-hamburgers, brats, chips, and carrots.  We also had an amazing pavlova for dessert.  I should say that we forgot to pick up cheese for the burgers so Carl ran out to grab some and that one thing, my friends, set off a hilarious chain of events.  It went something like this:

Carl runs out to the store to grab cheese.  While he is out I make start making the whipped cream for the pavlova but something strange happens to the cream and instead of whipped cream I end up with something that looks like butter(except some of the liquid separated).  I called Carl who had to go back to the store for more cream.  This meant that he didn't get the charcoal for the grill going as early as he wanted.  Normally this wouldn't be a problem but we were using some cheap charcoal so the fire kept going out.  The elders got to our house early but the burgers were no where close to being done.  To pass the time we decided to start with the spiritual thought.  Bad idea.

I actually still feel bad for the little elder giving the thought.  While he is giving the thought, Joe starts choking.  Bad.  Carl starts digging banana out of his mouth--the kid never his food before he swallows--and it comes out in copious quantities.  The elder tries to keep talking.  Joe starts choking again.  We continue to dig food out until a HUGE piece of chip comes flying out of Joe's mouth.  By this time, Carl, Joe, and I are covered in banana, chip, spit, tears, and mucus.  Awesome.  I strip Joe, who is now screaming at the top of his lungs, and try to comfort him.  No dice.  The elder tries to continue his thought.  Joe cries louder.  I give up and leave the room.  Joe calms down and we make it back into the dining room in time for burgers.

Since Joe almost choked to death, he really had no appetite for the rest of the night and since Joe wasn't eating, Max decided he wasn't hungry either.  Carl and I let Max and Joe play while the rest of us ate dinner.  That was my second huge mistake of the night.  You see, Joe recently began climbing on everything and he is lightening fast.  One second the kid was on the floor and before I could do anything, he climbed on top of the tot table and promptly fell off the side.  More screaming ensued.  The elders just watched the scene in fascination.  And literally five minutes later Max fell off of the tot table.  Max started crying and when he cries he takes it to a whole new level.  By this point, the elders have just stopped talking.  Carl and I are trying to keep the conversation going but we can't really do a whole lot in that department because we are trying to keep the kids from climbing on the furniture.  We try to eat dinner but the burgers are pink because the grill wasn't hot enough to cook them properly.  So we have to figure out how to cook the burgers quickly so that the elders can actually eat dinner before they need to leave.

Max finally decides he wants to sit down on his bench and get a drink of water.  As he is climbing onto his bench, he manages to simultaneously knock over his bench and the pitcher of water.  Water goes everywhere...all over the floor, the food, Max, and mainly me.  Besides Max's cries, there is dead silence.  Then Carl and I just start laughing because it's either laughter or tears at that point.  Then the elders starts laughing and instead the worst and most chaotic evening they've ever had at our house, the whole situation becomes hilarious.  The elders tell us that we will figure prominently in their journal entries for that night.  And I just keep on laughing.  I am just so glad that I have a couple of weeks to recover before the elders come over for another crazy dinner with the Sansom's.

Each day I surprised to see just how much Max learns and grows each day.  He has a fun personality and a million different facial expressions, all of which make me laugh.  Part of the reason why Max makes so many faces is that he has yet to really start talking.  He talks, he just uses his own language.  I talked to the doctor about Max's speech delay and we decided to set up a speech evaluation and a hearing test.  The doctor also recommended enrolling Max in a child development center.  Even though Max is two and half and most kids don't start mother's day out/preschool until they are three, I felt impressed to start checking out preschools, daycares, and early childhood centers earlier in the year.  I did a lot of research, made many phone calls, and visited different places.  Prior to Max's check-up, I had already found a wonderful place for Max.  Carl and I really prayed about it and we even redid our budget to make sure we could afford this center and it all fell into place.  We decided to enroll Max for two full days a week.

Max went for a few hours last week just to get used to everything.  The first day he went was awful.  He cried the whole time he was there and did not have fun.  The second day he went he cried for half and hour and then intermittently throughout the rest of the day.  Today was his first full day and it went rather well.  He only cried for 2 minutes when I dropped him off.  After that, he played like a camp and he even took a nap during nap time.  He was definitely glad to see me when I picked him up but it seemed like he enjoyed himself while he was there.  I won't lie, I struggled with enrolling Max in daycare since I stay home and he is a little young for it but I know it's the right thing.  I have already seen an improvement in Max's speech and I know he is learning other valuable lessons, like how to share and how to make friends. 

There was another benefit, too.  I was able to have a whole day with just Joseph.  We hung out and played and did things that are fun for him.  Usually he is in the stroller or in my arms while we watch Max having all the fun.  Starting daycare has been a huge transition for all of us but I know it will benefit all of us.  I am also grateful for prayer and the priesthood.  I did a lot of praying and soul-searching about this decision and I feel good.  I know it's right.  I can't imagine making a big decision without divine guidance.  I think there would be a lot of second guessing going on when rough patches hit.  Even if Max has a few rough days, I will know that this is the right thing for him. 

After Max's first day at school(that's what we call it), we told him he was going back to play some more and he sat on the ground and started to cry.  That just about broke my heart.  Then I started thinking about my school days and my dad gave me a blessing before the start of every school year.  Since this is the start of Max's school year, I asked Carl to give him a blessing.  Carl gave Max a sweet blessing and I know it helped him.  I am just so grateful that Carl is a worthy priesthood holder and that we know about the gospel.  While the gospel doesn't make hard things go away, it does make them easier to go through.

I have been one crafty mama lately.  I have been giving the old sewing machine quite the workout and I love it.  My current project involves lots and lots of ribbons and trim.  You see, I love dresses and skirts but I have found that hemlines are creeping higher and higher.  Enter Vintage Hem.  While I think their products are fantastic, my budget didn't agree.  So I did what any reasonable person would do.  I zoomed in on their pictures, figured out what was going on, and made my own slips.  To my great surprise, the whole process was easy and cost about $10.  I happened to have some leftover fabric and elastic laying about so I bought some tulle and went to town.  My version is a little bit different than the one on the website but I think it works even better.  I made mine with a few more layers so it wasn't as sheer.  I wore my tulle slip on Sunday and it was a hit.  I currently have 2 more slips under construction and they will most likely be equally awesome.

The great thing is that these slips add new life to old skirts.  Since the waist is rather stretchy, the slip can be pulled down lower on the hips so the decorative edge will show beneath a longer skirt.  I forgot to take a picture of my masterpiece but as soon as I finish the other two, I will show off all three.  If there is any interest, I would be happy to post a little how-to guide.  Let me know in the comments.

We are coming off a tough week in the Sansom home when what should happen?  Baked goods mysteriously appear on our doorstep?  Nope.  Carl gets a rockin' job at Union Pacific?  Try again.  Joseph gets a raging case of pink eye?  Yep.

Can a sister get a break?  Apparently not.

Well, I think things can only go up from here.  Keep the prayers a comin' please.

A few weeks ago my sister called to let me know that her family would be in St. Louis for about three weeks.  Since we hadn't seen each other for about a year, I decided to take the boys to visit for a week.  After consulting our calendar, we decided on July 5th to July 12th.  As the 5th approached, I grew more and more excited for our trip home.  On the Fourth of July, Carl and I decided to have a day of fun-filled family activities. We got out of the house early and went to the botanical gardens to let Max look at the trains.  Everything was going swimmingly until I got a phone call from my brother that changed everything.

Brock called me around 11:00 am and let me know that my sister, Terri, and her grand-daughter, Bella, were in a serious car accident.  Both of them were in critical condition but we didn't have much information beyond that.  As the day wore on, I received periodic updates from Brock and Jen and the prognosis went from bad to worse.  As I packed for our trip home, I felt a certain heaviness.  I knew that this trip would not be the relaxing vacation I had planned.  Along with swimsuits, sunscreen, and play clothes, I packed a few outfits appropriate for a funeral.

The boys and I landed in St. Louis around 2:00 pm.  I ran home and dropped the boys off with Jordan and a sitter and went straight to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.  Nothing could have prepared my for what I saw.  Bella, who was 18 months old, was in the PICU with severe head trauma.  My mom had told me that Bella was on a ventilator and was in a coma but like I said, nothing could have prepared me for actually seeing Bella's little body in that hospital bed.  I think what I saw was every mother's worst nightmare.  Bella looked almost perfect, except for the obvious trauma to her head.  I just cried for a while and then almost passed out.  My niece(and Bella's mom), Sharese, was a mess.  She is quite young and was having a tough time handling the whole situation.  My mom and I stayed with Bella the whole day.  I can't even describe the mix of emotions that I felt.  Like I said, it was the worst thing I have ever been through.  I can't even imagine what Sharese and Brian must have been feeling.

I won't go into all the details but I will say that Bella passed away at about 9:30 pm.  I think being with her at that time was the hardest part.  I watched as the doctors performed the test to determine whether brain death occurred and of course, it had.  Bella's body from the neck down was perfect so Sharese and Brian, Bella's father, made the difficult decision to donate Bella's organs.  She has already saved 3 lives and we think she saved a few more that we don't yet know about. 

The next few days were a blur of activity.  Lots of tears were shed and arrangements were made for the funeral.  Bella's viewing was on Sunday and her funeral was on Monday morning.  My amazing husband drove to St. Louis on Saturday night so he could help me with the boys and support Sharese and her family.  I don't think I could have made it without his support.  He drove home Monday after the funeral and the boys and I flew home Tuesday evening.

I have never been more grateful for the gospel.  Whenever I looked at Bella, whether it was in the hospital bed later in her casket, I could see my kids.  My knowledge of the Plan of Salvation helped me get through this awful time.  I know that families can be together.  I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and that Bella had a special purpose on earth and is doing a special work beyond the veil.  Sharese didn't have that same knowledge and the not knowing was dragging her down.  She had little hope and without hope, it seemed that it was hard for her to keep going.  Fortunately, there were opportunities to share bits of the gospel with her and assure her of Heavenly Father's love.  I think it will take time for all of us to heal but I know we will because of the Atonement and the gospel. 

Terri, my sister, is still in the ICU.  She is expected to survive.  She also sustained massive injuries but the doctors were able to stabilize her.  She will probably be in the hospital for about 2 months.  Right now our main concern is pneumonia.  She does have it and the doctors are concerned that the infection could lead to greater complications. 

Please say a prayer for Sharese and Terri, in particular, and my whole family, in general.  I am still exhausted, both emotionally and physically, so I can't even imagine how Sharese and Terri must be feeling.  I can't adequately describe how I am feeling except to say that I feel sick.  And I feel heavy.  I believe in the power of prayer so I am sure that your prayers will help all of us and lift our spirits.

Even though the 28th was Joe's actual birthday, we had his birthday bash on Saturday.  We decided to go with a Mexican fiesta theme since Joe's nickname since birth has been Joe-Joe Burrito.  We called him burrito because he spent a lot of his time swaddled and Carl thought he looked like a burrito.  The nickname stuck.  Anyway, many of our friends were able to come celebrate with us and we had a smashing time.

Today is Joseph's first birthday.  I can hardly believe that he has been here for a whole year already.  This past year seems like one big blur but Joseph's presence in our family has surely been a blessing.  His laid back personality and cheerful disposition makes him a pleasure to be around.  Joseph smiles easily and laughs often and, in general, lights up the room.  Joe is also a snuggle bug, which I love, and very inquisitive.  In fact, he gives Max a run for his money in the curiosity department.  Another thing we love about Joe is that he is a very content person.  Whether he is playing by himself or the center of attention, Joe is happy right where he is.  I suppose there are a million more things I could say about our little Joe but I think I can sum everything up by saying that we are very grateful that Joseph is a part of our family.  I can't imagine our lives without him.

So last Thursday my throat started feeling a little sore but it wasn't enough to concern me so I went on with life as usual.  Friday my throat hurt little more but Carl was going to be gone all day so I soldiered on.  By Friday night I couldn't swallow without pain and my tonsils were so swollen that I couldn't breathe properly when I laid down.  Falling asleep and staying that way proved extremely difficult.  By Saturday morning my throat hurt so badly that I avoided swallowing and eating.  But Carl was at school all day so I plowed through.  The kids and I went to grocery shopping, to a birthday party and ran various other errands.  By the end of the day I felt like a truck had run over me, my throat burned and I couldn't look down because my swollen glands made that too painful.  Not being able to look down made it hard to see what the kids were doing at various points throughout the day.

And then Sunday came.  Carl had meetings before church I had to teach Sunday school so I couldn't stay home but I thought I might collapse from pain and exhaustion.  Fortunately Carl gave me a blessing and I made it through the day.  I even managed to make an awesome Father's Day lunch and dinner. 

I called the doctor early Monday and got right in to see her.  She took one look in my throat and told me I had strep throat.  Strep throat, at my age?  She took a throat swab and the result was positive for Strep.  Boy howdy, strep throat at my age is awful.  Thankfully I was able to get antibiotics started soon after my appointment and I felt better the next day. 

My throat still hurts but I can swallow and sleep soundly so I feel like a brand new woman.  Being sick is always awful but it is even more awful when one is a mom because there is no down time.  Even thought I was so sick I just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep for at least 12 hours, I couldn't.  But my sick face experience reminded my how grateful I am for the priesthood and for blessings.  Seriously, if it wasn't for the blessing Carl gave me, I don't know how I would have made it.  I am also grateful for modern medicine and antibiotics that can cure our illnesses.  Hopefully I have paid my sick dues for a while because I loathe being sick.

We went to the botanical garden today.  I have mixed feelings.  It is only 10 years old so it isn't as established as the gardent in STL so it wasn't as spectacular as I had hoped.  I will say that the overall feeling of the garden is charming.  I really did have a few zen moments as we walked around today.  Zen moments are not as easy to come by these days so I savored the moments of peace I felt.  I really do miss the Missouri Botanical Gardens but I know we will visit Lauritizen Gardens again because of this:

The other day we were all in the car going for a drive, seeing the sights about Omaha.  Carl and I were just chatting about everything and nothing when we heard Max talking to Joe.  I turned about to see what they were doing and Max and Joseph were holding hands, well, fingertips is a more accurate description.  Both boys were reaching towards each other with all their might and they just managed to touch fingers for a second and then they would laugh and laugh and try to hold fingers again.  I watched them for a few seconds more and then said to Carl "Oh, they do love each other." 

People often ask if we intended to have the kids so close together and when I say yes they usually ask what our reasoning was.  I can only say that it was the right thing for us, even though it can be challenging.  Seeing that sweet little moment makes everything worth it. 

A whole lot of things have been going on lately so my life feels like one big blur.  Carl's graduation ceremony was this past weekend and it was fantastic.  Our families were able to come to Omaha and celebrate with us so that made the whole weekend even more special.  Even though Carl doesn't technically graduate until August, the graduation ceremony gave me a little boost and reminded me that all the sacrifices we have made are worth it.  Since I was running around like a maniac, I forgot to take any pictures but everyone else remembered for me.  I am in the process of collecting pictures and I will post them as soon as I can. 

In just a few short months, the student phase of our marriage will finally be over!  Carl will be able to find a job with regular hours, the kids will see their dad on the weekends, and I will be able to resume my Saturday morning naps.  Really, it's the small things in life that make each day wonderful and exciting.  About two months after we married and I realized how tight funds were and would be for quite some time, I made a decision to enjoy every single phase we passed through as a family.  Some phases were quite difficult to enjoy but I managed to find something that brought me joy or at least helped me grow as a person.  That one choice to look for the good in every day has truly made the past 4 years fly by.  I can look back and see how much I have grown and how Carl and I have changed as a couple.  I am so glad that I made the choice to enjoy the lean years because I will always be able to look back at this time and remember the struggle and smile because the struggle and sacrifice will make every good thing that comes to us even sweeter and more meaningful.  Also, I think all the experience will help me to get through the hard things that I know we will encounter throughout our lives.  As the poor student era comes to a close in our family's life, I am so greatful for every twist and turn along the way.

Admit it, you were singing that Meatloaf song in your head.  It's okay, we all were.  But seriously, I will do anything to avoid folding laundry.  I detest it.  I don't know why but the laundry is the bane of my existence.  I will find any possible excuse to avoid folding the laundry.  Organize the hall closet-you bet.  Wash dishes-Yup.  Delete 1600 old e-mails(literally) from my inbox- you know it.  Yes, I really did delete all those e-mails and then organize the remaining important e-mails into folders just to avoid folding the mammoth pile of laundry awaiting me in the basement.  And now I am blogging about the burning hatred I have for laundry in order to put off the deed for 5 more minutes.  Alas, I am out of excuses and now I must fold laundry.  Drat!

If you know me, you know I love all things girlie-like make up, shoes, purses, etc.  Since moving to Omaha and not being able to find my usual brand of make up, I tried Mary Kay since my friend sold it.  It turns out that I loved the products.  In fact, I loved it so much I decided to sell it (you might have noticed the new link to my Mary Kay website).  It was a big decision but after thoughtful consideration, I decided to take the leap.  I am excited and a little nervous to give this business venture a whirl but I think it will take me out of my comfort zone and help me stretch a little.  Sometimes personal growth opportunities come in unexpected ways; in my case, it came along with a tube of lip gloss.

It is 41 degrees outside.  41.  And it's the end of April.  This nonsense has got to stop because I have some very cute kids that need to play outside before they destroy my house.  And, I have 2 new short sleeve tops that I am dying to wear.

So I said okay.  She puts my hair in pigtails and got out the biggest pair of hair scissors I have ever seen.  Then she lopped of the left pigtail.  I won't lie, I had to close my eyes when she did it.  A shorter 'do wasn't scary to me, I was simply remembering all the work and the many years it took to get my hair to be that long.  After she cut off the left side I decided to watch her cut off the right side because there was really no going back at that point.

She evened out my hair and added a little style and I went on my merry way.  I came home and Carl's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw me.  He had never seen my hair so short and it took him a little bit to process the change.  I was still in short hair shock so I didn't notice that my hair was uneven until the next day when I tried to style it.  So I went back to the salon and to a different stylist who fixed my hair. 

I am still getting used to my short hair but I must say that I growing more fond of my new  look every day.  Even more important though, is that I am really glad that I was able to donate my hair.  I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I think about it.  Someone else actually needed that 9 inches of hair way more than I did.  I am so blessed(great husband, beautiful and healthy boys, a bright future) that donating my hair to someone who is going through some hard times is really not a huge sacrifice.  Plus, as a dear friend told me, I definitely got serious karma points.

And now, the new look:

My long hair(it was a lot longer than it looks in this picture):


The first disastrous cut will not be shown.

The final look:

Sometimes things in my house unceremoniously find their way into the trashcan. Sometimes I go on a decluttering spree and sometimes my kids go on a little spree of their own.  Since Max has started helping me out around the house a little more (he loves sweeping), I have noticed an alarming decrease in the number of baby spoons and sippy cups in our house.  We went from about 7 spoons to 2 and from 4 sippy cups to 1 cup.  I thought I was just going crazy but then I took out the garbage and found a couple spoons hidden behind the trash can.  Apparently Max missed the trashcan during on of his purges and so a couple of lucky spoons avoided going to the dump.  Even though we had to buy more spoons and cups the next time we were at the store, I at least felt better because at least I knew where all of our spoons and cups ended up.

There are so many things out there that have been designed to make a mom's life easier but most of them just don't work.  Here are a few of the things that, in my estimation, are indispensable.

The Baby Banana Brush:


This little gem made teething a breeze.  We gave it to Joe as soon as he could hold it and we didn't even notice when three teeth came in at once.  It soothed his gums and prevented a lot of crying.

Sophie the Giraffe:

She's entertaining, non-toxic, durable, and doesn't make a lot of noise.  She's pretty close to the perfect toy.

Twist n Sparkle:

I actually bought this for Carl's birthday but I ended up loving it.  It is technically a soda maker but we use it to "sparkle" fruit juice and the like.  Twist n Sparkle + Crystal Light = Bliss

KidCo food mill:

This little beauty makes feeding Joe a breeze and it saves us money because we don't need to buy baby food.

Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder:

I can give this to Joe and buy myself a few more minutes to get dinner ready, go to the bathroom, read a few pages of my favorite book...

Little Pea

This Max's favorite book.  He will just sit and look through it for a while. Quiet time is priceless and very rare in my home so Little Pea is worth its weight in gold.

K-Toos

K-Toos are a gluten-free version of Oreos.  Yum.

The last month and a half has been very busy and very fun. Hopefully I will be able to get a few pictures posted soon. 

In the pantheon of healthy meals, taco salad falls short of health food glory.  Most taco salads are calorie bombs loaded up with fatty meat, tons of sour cream, cheese, and all manner of other fatty foods, and a piece of lettuce.  Don't misunderstand, I love meat and cheesey goodness a lot but usually not in the quantity found in the average ensalata de taco.  Enter the Gluten Free Goddess.  I found an amazing recipe for a healthy, deliscious, and vegetarain taco salad on her website.  Carl and I had it for dinner tonight and it got two thumbs up.  When I find a recipe this good and this easy, I feel morally obligated to share.  So here it is:

1 cup of quinoa cooked in 2 cups of water
Salad ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Juice from 2 juicy limes
Sea salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 half small red or purple onion, diced fine
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced fine
1 cup roasted corn kernels (I used frozen, roasted on a cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes, then cooled)
1 large head of crisp romaine lettuce, washed, dried, sliced crosswise
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced


Drizzle the cooked quinoa with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Squeeze on fresh lime juice and toss again. Season with sea salt, to taste.

Add in the fresh chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced yellow pepper, and roasted corn kernels. Stir lightly to distribute. Taste test for seasoning adjustments.
Line four salad bowls or plates with the fresh romaine. Spoon the quinoa salad on the center of the lettuce. Add the diced avocado to each plate. Tuck in a few tortilla chips around the edges.
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I did make a few adjustments to suit our tastes. Carl hates cilantro so I left it out.  I prefer spinach to Romaine so I used baby spinach and tore it up.  I also put in tomatoes because I like them.  You could add in black beans if you wanted but it's not necessary since quinoa is a complete protien.  I also put out sour cream as a topping.  It was amazing!  Quinoa taco salad will definitely become part of our regular dinner lineup.

Now, a word as to why we eat vegetarian dishes even though we are not vegetarians.  Carl and I love meat. In fact, I could probably eat a steak every single day but we don't because I don't think a steak a day qualifies as eating meat sparingly.  Beyond that, eating free range meat gets pricey so we try to include a few vegetarian meals a week to keep costs down. 

I realize it sounds like I have become a tree hugger or some nonsense because I prefer free range meat and vegetarian fare.  Well, maybe I have become a little bit of a granola girl but I have a reason.  We drove home for Thanksgiving and while we were on our way, I saw a semi transporting chickens at a rest stop.  The conditions of the chickens in the truck were deplorable.  I felt really badly for the chickens.  I began to think that if the chickens and cows were living in such poor conditions and were eating such a poor diet, their meat couldn't possibly be something that I would willingly ingest.  Having seen the poor chickens, I could not in good conscience eat a chicken from a chicken farm.  So we now buy free range chicken and beef from reputable companies.  I believe that animals were put here for me to eat but I like to know that the animal I am eating had a happy life up until the end.  Also, studies show that the meat from grass fed, free range cows is actually lower in fat and calories than the meat from farm raised, corn fed beef. 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Certain even ts in one's life require celebration, or at least a post commemorating the occasion.  Over the weekend, we have had three such events transpire.

Event #1:

Since I started learning about cake decorating, my end goal has been to make a beautiful wedding cake.  I have taken a few classes and made a few birthday cakes but this past Friday I made my first wedding cake for my friend, Deb.  I was thrilled that she asked me and even more thrilled when I delivered the cake.  It turned out to be a lot more work than I had anticipated but I enjoyed the experience.  In addition to making the wedding cake, I also made kitchen caked to feed all the guests.  I made 6 quarts of frosting and I used all of it.  I definitely need a break from buttercream.  The cake was, however, lovely.

 I think I am most proud of the bow on top that I made out of fondant and hand painted to match the ribbon on the cake.  It took forever but the end result was worth it.

This was the hardest part:
Yep, I decorated the top tier of the cake with Max sitting on my lap.  I am just making guides for the dots right now but I did pipe all the dots with him on my lap.  Surprisingly enough, he sat pretty still throughout the process.

Event #2:
Max made the transition to his big boy bed.  Carl and I hoped that Max would stay in his crib for a few months longer but he has recently started sticking his leg through the slats on the crib and getting it stuck.  He only fell out of his bed once last night and he never got out of bed during the night.  I am a little nervous about nap time today but hopefully it will go well.  I just can't believe how quickly my little boy is growing up.  Everything seems to be moving at warp speed these days and I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the sweet moments that I have with both of my precious boys.

Event #3:
Joseph decided to crawl on his hands and knees.  He has been doing the army crawl for a while but he just figured out how to get around on all fours. He is fast and once he gets an object in his sight, he is determined to get it.  Joe brings a lot of joy to our home with his easy-going personality.  He is truly the best brother for Max.