Fun Days in the Summer

Farmers Lindon and Jayme working hard

We had the best day today at the Johnson County History Museum. If you have never had the chance to go..you should make an effort to go! It is free and the kids had a blast. Unfortunately my phone is a real POS so the pictures turned out pretty crappy, but you can get the basics I think.

got milk?

Carly Jo churning some butter

Pumping water for the chickens

                   

Also, for the first time EVER I let the girls play in the sprinkler at Crown Center after a great day at Halmark and Kalediscope!  The fountains weren't bad.. and clorinated.. the girls seemed to have a great time and despite the dripping kiddos in my car on the way home...we might do it again sometime!!

                                              Nothing to do with the museum or Crown Center but here are some really cute picture of Harry giving Tabo a bath..

Never underestimate the power of ... the JOJO

Taylor needed help putting up the tent for her sleep over that is coming up, it is a big tent and really a two person job. It is 92 degrees, feels like 103 so...well let's just say I wasn't up for helping her. I told her to ask Carly Jo..and she did.

And it worked.. 

She wears your patience at times,  but the kid has got some smarts, no denying.

 Kudos to Taylor for giving her a shot.

And Kudos to Carly Jo for ALWAYS being ready and willing to help anyone, for anything!

Last day of school and Memorial Day Weekend

Mrs. Scarlett and girls

So Cute.. Carly Jo and Mrs Palmer

Some of Mckenna's class

Do you see an extra one in there?

 It's Phoebe !

Tangled is so captivating

Pickering Picnic

what are you guys up to?

Fun Day!

Cousin Ben is such a cutie

Hey there Jeff!

She is a Princess!

Gluten-Free Corn Muffins

I was scared to try this, I am not the baker in the family, but it was really easy and the kids love it. The test for an easy baking recipe is.. Can Christi do it? (sad but true) Cooking is a different story... but I digress ..
This is a sweet cornbread and has a great texture.
 I will do it again, but I will add more honey.

 

Of course.. they didn't seem to mind...

1 cup  yellow cornmeal

1 cup white rice flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons oil

4 tablespoons local organic honey

2  eggs

1 cup water 

Mix together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and add applesauce, oil honey, add dry ingredients mix well add water a little at a time until desired consistency. (I didn't use a full cup)


Put paper muffin cups in a muffin tin (or use a very-well greased muffin pan without paper wrappers). 
Bake on 350  for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.

Beware of the Bobble Head

It is the week before finals..I am working hard to keep my C- in algebra.. go me..right? But I had to take a moment. This is something I am going to want to document. So I am taking a break from homework to blog..

Today was a weird day.. we woke up super early but the kids kind of.. putzed around the house so we were a little rushed by the time 7:30 came around. McKenna wanted to eat school lunch, and Carly Jo said she wanted to too.. Yogurt and fruit tray for her. So I complied, and didn't pack lunches...fast forward...

I spent the morning in Jayme's Kindergarten class volunteering, on a side note.. Jayme has a WONDERFUL Kindergarten teacher. I want to take a moment to explain.. there is a certain kid in the class that seems to have some challenges, I am not sure what they are and I wouldn't even try to guess  but this child was having a particularly hard time today and wasn't being cooperative and was actually being quite disruptive. Mrs Scarlett was so patient and so kind, if she was frustrated, upset or at her wits end..I would never have known it.  She was very impressive. Kudos to you Mrs. Scarlett...don't know how you do it.

Okay anyway...Cinco de Mayo..nachos for lunch. I went next door to Carly Jo's classroom and told her she could eat  the nachos...tortilla chips, corn... right? After I said it ... I doubted myself, maybe it was a corn mix, what if it had barley or some sort of wheat blend...but too late...she was really excited - regular food. Carly Jo has been on a gluten free diet for close to a month now and the results have been undeniable, she can focus, she sits and follows directions, she can get her work done and her demeanor is.. dare I say calm..er..ish... for Carly Jo anyway. It is staggering and almost unbelievable, but it is true.

So .. fast forward a little more.. I actually didn't think about the corn chips again until we were getting the kids ready for the Kindergarten performance and everyone was crazy, par for the course anytime we have somewhere to go. In the car Carly Jo was having a hard time keeping her hands off Jayme, but nothing caught my attention. It was in the school cafeteria that I had the aha moment. The kids were running around and when I called Carly Jo to get her settled down, I couldn't get her to look at me. I got down to her level to have a quiet conversation and then it happened..her head cocked, her eyes avoided mine and she became a bobble head with a crazy grin on her face. She was not paying attention she was in a zone.  I saw some parents giving me "the look" and that is when it hit me, I hadn't seen this in a month....this was the OLD Carly Jo. By the way.. if you are one of those people that give.. "LOOKS" Get over yourself .. seriously. But I digress...
Carly Jo did great at the concert, sang and danced with the rest. She sat quietly while the other classes sang, but I could tell a couple times that she was struggling to stay focused......

There is not a doubt in my mind that Carly Jo has a sensitivity to gluten, that is the ONLY thing we have changed. It is AMAZING to me, tonight it was obvious..my mom noticed a difference, Jim noticed a difference, I wonder if anyone else did. The proof is in the head bobbing.. that is her tell.

This kid, I am telling you she is a JEWEL. I could kiss her all day...and she is going to teach me so much. First lesson is a reiteration... NO MORE ASSUMING... Sorry about that one JoJo

Title-less

I have been really swamped and I missed video tuesday.. so much for a tradition.. huh..?
Okay but still I have many favorites and tonight is a kindergarten concert so I will showcase my two stars...

    Proof that Jayme actually used to sing..and LIKE IT!

And you know this is my favorite of all time......

It is hard to believe they are almost 7 now....sniff sniff

Mommy Guilt

I can't wait till summer, I miss cuddling with my kids in the mornings.

 I miss hanging out with them all day with nothing to do except clean the house and make dinner for when Dad comes home.

 I miss the carefree days of summer and I cannot wait till they are here.. 28 more days.

This semester has been so terrible I feel like I have missed so much...

With everything that has been going on this year I am ready for a break. I hope my kids know I love them, and that they are my priority.

I hope they know that without them..NONE of this is worth anything.

I hope they know I love their faces... and their stinky feet!

Mommy guilt .. sucks.

Phantom Of The Opera

To brighten your week I am starting a new tradition... Video Tuesdays...Some will be old..some will be new.. this is an oldie but FOR SURE a goodie....The date stamp on my Flip said 3/10/09

ENJOY!

Ignore the laundry, God knows I do!!

Shoes

I will admit I have an unholy union with shoes.. I love them.. I have a least 4 pairs in my closet that I have only worn once.. or never worn...this is not about MY shoes..this is about the shoes I hate...

MY CHILDREN'S shoes....

They never can find them.. WHY OH WHY can you never find your shoes? They never fit.. even if I just bought them.. they grow so fast... and Jayme is pretty picky so if it tugs, pokes, rubs, shines, scuffs, freys or as you will read..WRINKLES...she is over the edge and has no desire to wear them. (sometimes flat out refuses) Even though they wear the same size, Carly Jo would NEVER be allowed to wear Jayme's shoes or visa versa...DON'T even THINK it..

This being said, I went out on Friday and bought new shoes for each of my children.. flip flops and cute little tennis shoes. Because I am SICK to death of.. "where are my shoes?" "These hurt" blah blah blah you get my point. FRIDAY....

Fast forward to today... MONDAY. Wake up at 6:45...sing the morning song...time to get up and get dressed...Carly Jo can't find her shoes...and she can find ONE flip flop. Jayme is irritated because the tongue on her shoe is wrinkled and she wants to wear her flip flops.. (can't it is PE day)(AND RAINING). repeat.. her shoe is WRINKLED... WRINKLED???? Annabelle can't get her shoes on, she is trying to force them on the wrong feet. McKenna is dressed and being an angel..muuuuahhh love you Kenna.

We searched for Carly Jo's shoes until 7:55...we are supposed to leave the house at 7:45. In the process I have dumped out every toy box, I have looked behind every couch, under every bed, looked in every closet. I even sent Carly jo outside to see if she left them out...(it's raining remember?) insert parenting award. I was turning into a BANCHEE....

Finally, trying to get the kids  in the car.. Carly jo is standing in the den with no shoes on.. I said.." are you SERIOUS? WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES? DIDN'T YOU WEAR THEM TO GRANDMAS LAST NIGHT?" ... blank stare..."no I wore kenna's flip flops" (insert peanut gallery) "No you didn't Carly Jo, I wore my flip flops"....

Suddenly.. with a flick of the head a light bulb went off in Carly Jo's head...she jumped up and ran into the other room...
Comes out with her tennis shoes.

"WHERE.... WERE.... THEY?"

behind the tub....she wanted to make sure no one else touched them.....

BEHIND THE TUB.....of course, makes total sense and probably the only place in the house I didn't' look...

She is going to be the death of me.

(Now I have to go clean up the toy box mess I made this morning....)

Another step on our gluten free journey

Gluten Free Pancake

2 cups stoneground yellow cornflour

1/2 cup rice flour

3 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

almost 2 cups buttermilk 

(start with 1 1/2 and added more to your liking)

1 cup water 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg


Can thin out to your desired thinness

(we like ours thicker)

 In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, rice flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the buttermilk, water, oil and egg with a fork until blended. Add to the cornmeal mixture and mix until lumps are eliminated. 

Butter your griddle and fry those puppies up!

This morning Jim found a way to keep our Saturday Morning tradition alive, despite the inability of Carly Jo to eat gluten. They had a hint of corn, but not like corn bread and the consistency was close to a real pancake but a slightly grainy, but not offensive. 
If you are going to eat them without syrup, you should add more sugar; once we added the grade a dark amber syrup, the sweetness was just right. I have put the recipe in here in case anyone wanted to try it.  

I love that my JP is on this train with me, next he wants to try chocolate chip cookies! YUM!

On a side note, both JP and I have seen noticeable signs that removing the gluten from Carly Jo's diet is working. She does her work, she can stay focused (more so than usual) and her hyperactivity has toned down. I am waiting until summer to get her into a psychologist and get her tested for learning challenges...but I am happy that we have taken the daunting (and expensive) task of removing the gluten first. It gives me peace in my heart to know I am doing what I need to for Carly Jo. Whatever else comes, I can be satisfied knowing that I am TCB on my end. 

Some people aren't made to live in Kansas

She is one of those people.  

Allergies are awful

This is what she will look like for the next two weeks.

Poor JoJo! 

After a year of shots and filling her up with every allergy drug known to man, she still looks sad and miserable.  Guess I will visit her and her family in Arizona when she is grown up. 

or somewhere else that doesn't grow trees, or weeds, or molds....

Battle Scars

Some kids get hurt all the time, like..Carly Jo.  Carly Jo just pops up with an "I'm OKAY" and keeps  playing. Some kids are more cautious, like Jayme.  When Jayme gets hurt, it is really a sad and pathetic deal. She is so sad...so HURT physically and has taken a big hit to her pride.  It is hard to tell which hurts worse. So you can imagine...the first big bike tumble and it was a major catastrophe.. And because I love her so much..it is a hard time for momma too!

She is refusing to go outside

She is refusing to go to school

She doesn't want anyone to see her..and she wanted to make sure I wasn't going to post these pictures on facebook..(what??)

                      hmm.. my reputation precedes me.

She didn't say anything about my blog though.. (Well...SHE DIDN'T)

It took 2 chapters of Junie B Jones, a WHOLE brownie, lots of kisses and about 45 minutes to convince Jayme that what she has are some pretty awesome battle scars.

I told her that back in the days of warriors and villages,  the warriors were judged on the greatness of their wounds and that they served to prove how brave they were. I told her that no one was going to think she was ugly..they were going to think that she was pretty darn brave.  I also told her Daddy had magic, and he could make it better quicker..

The things I can come up with....


 Well it worked and she is back in the saddle..swingset not bike just yet..but I will take it.

As for the reputation of taking my private world and putting it out there for the world to see...guilty. But she will someday appreciate it...RIGHT!? ;)