Okay, Talk to Me...

As I'm sure you are aware, a lot of Mommy bloggers are parents of young children. I think in a way, it is easier to write about your life when your children are younger. Those of us who are parents of older children walk a very fine line as we try to share our lives without invading our children's privacy. What that means, however, is that we have very little in the way of exchanging parenting information and advice. I think that stinks. So, without breaching any confidences and without embarrassing anyone, I am going to share with you a few of my parenting dilemmas in hopes that a) I'll discover I am really NOT alone in this and b) someone will have an amazing pearl of wisdom that will magically solve my problem(s).

Here is my dilemma today. How do we raise our children to fit in with their peers even as we want them to reject the "I have this cool gadget thing so I'm better than you" mentality that seems so pervasive. We know things shouldn't trump character, but the kids are blinded by the shiny things. The current gagdet setting the Middle School set on fire? An iPod Touch. Yep. In addition to cell phones from which you need to text incessantly, apparently cool factor is measured by possession of an iPod Touch--to the tune of $200-$300. Valiant doesn't want a cell phone for texting, but, man, is he lusting after an iPod Touch. He really, really wants one. There is just one little thing. He doesn't really want it for the applications (of which he knows very little). He really wants it because it is a cool little gadget that confers a certain status on the possessor's of said gadget. Never mind that he's the only kid in the neighborhood with a job and his would come out of his own money, while all the other children have parents who buy this stuff for their kids. Intellectually, my boy totally understands that these kids are riding on Mommy and Daddy's coattails and shouldn't be bragging, but the truth doesn't change anything. Kids want to appear "cool" in the eyes of other kids.

You and I both know that next year there will be the next "cool" thing and having an iPod touch will be a snooze, but the male teenage heart aches. The truth? My heart aches for him, even as I see how stupid it all is.

So tell me, bloggy world, what is a mother to do? Do I let him spend $200+ of his hard-earned money on this, knowing full well he'll wish he hadn't in two months? Do I stick to my guns and say, "you're going to want to drive in 2 years and you'll want a car". I know lots of you have older kids...I can't be the only one out there.

Making Your Home Sing Monday - Evening Edition

I knew a few days ago that I was going to join the Making Your Home Sing party this week, but staying true to my goals meant I couldn't get to the blog until just now. (Vowing to take care of business before hitting the computer is going make all this blogging stuff tough unless I get my act together!)


As you all probably know, we are homeschoolers. I love being a homeschooler, but I've floundered in a few areas. Organization has taken care of most of them, but my greatest struggle has been to keep the kids physically active all through winter. They don't do sports and the urge for all of us is to hibernate during the cold winter months of December, January, and February. Unfortunately, that has translated to a bit of springtime pudge that is not good for anybody.

Go, Buttercup, Go!
(Buttercup and a boy whose
name I can't remember in
Pee Wee Track & Field -
City of Covina, CA April 2005)

I vowed this year was going to be different. Today marks the beginning of our 5th week of school (yes, already) and we've settled into a good pattern with our academics and our chores and the weather is cooling off, meaning the kids are not playing outside until all hours of the evening. The time was right, so when I was writing up their assignments this weekend, I added a new subject. Yep, you guessed it...PE. Good old Physical Education. I informed the children that they needed to do 45 minutes of legitimate physical activity M-F. Oh, yeah, I informed them that school was completed until PE was done. If school isn't done, you don't get to play on the computer, you don't get to watch a movie, and you certainly don't get to head over to a friend's house to do the same. Both kids are on board, so now it is up to me to stick to my guns.

So, this week Making Your Home Sing at our house means you'll be hearing...wait for it...wait for it..."Let's Get Physical!" by Olivia Newton-John. (Oh, come on, you knew I'd have to pick that song for this subject--the video is a hoot!)

To see what everyone else is doing, head over to Momstheword and jump in on the party...the more the merrier.

Don't Quit...

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high;
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit --
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.

~Unknown

Hey, Superman...

This is my birthday month, as you know, and I thought I'd give you a few hints for things I might like. Don't get me wrong. You take wonderful care of me and the kids all year long and I am truly blessed in every way. But, my birthday is coming up and you always say that you don't know what to get me and after 21 years together, I've decided to not just give you hints but actually give you real suggestions. So, if you feel like you want to buy me a present, I don't want you to flounder around looking for ideas. (Conveniently, Christmas is also right around the corner, so you can carry this list over, okay?)


Syl at Live, Smile, Run just concluded a 30 Day Shred Challenge which I missed (okay, I didn't even know about it until I started reading about people suffering through it and thought, "Hey, that sounds fun!"), but...she's starting another one November 15 - December 15 to help us all get through the holiday eating season in a positive manner. Doesn't that sound super fun? The only problem? I don't have Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, so I can't participate. (See how easy this is? Real Suggestion #1: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shread DVD)


As you got to enjoy last week, I'm finally branching out when it comes to making bread and am bravely trying recipes that don't include steps like "add ingredients to your breadmaker in the ordered suggested by the manufacturer" and "then just use the dough setting on your breadmaker". I know you'd really like me to make Baguettes, Sour Dough, and other terrific stuff and the bloggers who tend to do these things all swear by The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart. Oh, I'll still need the blogger's for their tips and experience, but apparently, making bread will be much easier for me if I have this kitchen staple. (Real Suggestions #2: The Bread Baker's Apprentice)

Speaking of food, you know that I've been slowly moving our family to a healthier way of eating over the past few years. (Remember the split I forced between you and your Betty "Mrs. Butterworths"? What about making you dump Jif for real peanut butter?) Anyway, I check this book, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, out at the library and it is just too meaty to process in the month they give you. (I know 30 days is a lot for one book, but still, there is a lot to digest). I'd love to learn more about grains and fats and grass-fed cows, etc., even if I don't plan to adhere to all of it. I promise I'll still make you fattening baked goods. I just want to continue to learn more and more about the food we eat. (Real Suggestion #3: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon)

Oh, yeah, and just in case you wondered who I am and what happened your wife: I thought I could be a grown-up and suck it up, but now that I've gone a full winter without my seat heater, I must admit the truth. I am a baby, a big giant baby who truly and sincerely misses her seat heater. (And it really isn't helping that Buttercup slips into the passenger seat and grins at me as she says, "Oh, Mommy, I love MY seat heater. Don't you wish you had one, too?" So, if you wanted to, you could get me a seat heater for my car. I know it wouldn't be integrated like my other one, but it also wouldn't cost $1300 like the dealer wanted you to give him to get me a new seat. Look at this one. It is genuine faux leather! Pretty cool, isn't it? (Real Suggestion #4: A Seat Heater for my car.)



For all you young brides out there who think that none of the things I have asked for are romantic, I have to respectfully disagree. There is nothing more romantic than getting a gift you truly want, you'll truly use, and understanding that your husband got it for you. A marriage is not made by grand gestures, but instead, it is made up of all the little things you do for each other each and every day. That, my dears, is truly a romantic life. (Did I mention that Superman and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this December? That was the voice of experience sharing that bit of advice!)

Friday Photo Flashback

Well, I didn't forget, but I really wasn't prepared for it, so I'm place catch-up. It is Friday Photo Flashback time. Alicia asks us to head back to our pre-digital camera days and find photos to share.

In honor of Fall and because I'm feeling nostalgic, I'm going to go back into the not-too-distant past...our first months in the Pacific Northwest. We took the kids pumpkin picking (and didn't swelter in 100+ heat...it was actually fun!). Charming didn't want to go with us...he was already becoming "too old" for "kid stuff". Still these pictures show me just how much time has already gone by, even though it has only been four years. (Seriously: Buttercup still had her baby teeth when we moved here!)
Buttercup always picked "cute" pumpkins. Doesn't she have that, "Please, Mommy, can we keep it?" look on her face in this one?


Have I mentioned that I love where I live? Truly, I feel so blessed to have landed here.

And the season comes to an end...

It is Fertilizer Friday and Tootsie's moving us inside, but I'm not quite ready to let go of my garden this year. I've loved my garden and my garden has taught me so much. So, next week I'll head inside, but for now, I'm braving the elements and staying outside. In some parts of the world, spring is in full effect or winter never really comes, so don't forget to head over to Tootsie's to see what is going on in other gardens.



It always seems to me that fall is the time when I finally have my flowers doing what they're supposed to do, that I'm finally into the rhythm of caring for everything, and that it took me too long to figure it out and it will all go away just as I've got it down. The fact that we have had only one frost warning and it is October 2 is absolutely amazing to me...I haven't had a crunchy lawn yet and Valiant is still making money mowing lawns. It is raining today and will rain tomorrow and the next day. Summer is finally bidding us a final farewell. So, before the frost comes, let me show you a few things:

My petunias on the post (can you see the raindrops on the petals?). Superman helped me fill in this hollow post so I could plant flowers. Unfortunately, we've struggled to keep the flowers most because there is not much soil, the water drains away and the bricks get HOT in summer. As you can see, however, I finally figured it out this summer and the kids didn't mind running out to "give the post a little more water" on super hot days. I'll be sad to see this one die out as the season progresses.
Then there are my hydrangeas. Look at this emerging flower. Isn't it gorgeous, with all the different colors showing? It makes me sad to think this one won't have a chance to become a full and glorious bloom.


Then there is this hydrangea. I think it has nutritional issues. What is with the red on the bloom? It is supposed to be just like the other ones and yet, it is not. It is shorter (it is less than half the size of its sisters) and had fewer blooms this year. I'll definitely be reading up to see if I can't help it along next year.





Yes, the weather is changing, but our birds still get to spend their days on the front porch. (Once I left them out all night long...on a night that dropped to FIVE DEGREES! As you can see, they lived. Scared the pants off of me, however, and now everyone takes responsibility for getting those birds in at night.)








Summer is over and Fall is nipping at her heels, but still my front yard makes me smile and think, "Hmmm...I'll do even better next year!"

Autumn = Pumpkins and Pumpkins= Terrific Baked Goods

You know it and I know it. Autumn = pumpkins. The second we feel that first nip in the air, I'm ready to bake pumpkin-filled goodies. Last week I made these Harvest Pumpkin Brownies and this week I had the other half of the can of pumpkin to use. (Those big cans from Costco make me bake more stuff...I can't let the pumpkin go to waste!) Well, Jamie at My Baking Addiction came through for me with this awesome recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.


These cookies are seriously good. (They are so good that I sent some to Superman's work even though it wasn't meeting day. Wasn't that kind of me?) There was nothing I didn't like about this recipe. They were fantastic. In fact, if you make the Harvest Pumpkin Brownies from last week, I urge you to use the Cream Cheese Frosting from this recipe. (I had some of the frosting from the brownie recipe left, too...you can see the difference in the pictures...the little cookies with sprinkles are with the first recipe (which, I think, was just "not quite right") and the cookies with luscious looking frosting are with the second recipe.) It is a much better cream cheese frosting recipe.

So, what are you waiting for? The air to get even colder? Go ahead an try these. Not only will you love the way they taste, you'll love the way they make your house smell!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
from My Baking Addiction
Yield: 24 Cookies (Um, only if they're HUGE)

Ingredients
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup unsalted butter; softened
2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (solid; not pie mix)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (I split mine: 2 cups all-purpose/2 cups whole-wheat)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (Optional: I've been adding this to some of my baked goods)

Directions
1. Cream shortening, butter, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well.

2. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

3. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. (In order to get only 24 cookies from this recipe, Jamie used a 1/4 cup scooper. As for me, I tried it both ways. I liked the smaller cookies used my medium scooper from Pampered Chef for those.) Bake 13-15 minutes (the smaller cookies take less time...look at them at 10 minutes) at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (extract will also work)
2 tablespoons milk

Method
Mix the cream cheese with the butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl. Heat in a microwave for 15 seconds. Drizzle spoonfuls over the cooled cookies and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

These cookies were awesome. Please remember the flax seed is my own addition and it isn't necessary. I've been adding some ground flax seed to my baked goods to get a bit more fiber into our diet. Obviously, you don't have to do the same. As I wrote above, I liked the smaller version of the cookies, so if you make smaller cookies, you'll get a lot more than 24 cookies out of this recipe. Also, the frosting doesn't harden, so you can't stack the cookies to store them.

Happy baking!

Really Good Bread in Just One Hour?

La Fuji Mama promised bread in one hour. She called it Simple One Hour Homemade Bread. Uh huh, yeah, right. Honestly, I didn't believe it when I read it. Then I thought, "Well, it is probably super complicated because simple means different things to different levels of cooks and I won't be able to do it myself." I was wrong! This bread was so good and so easy...the kids actually raved about the bread at dinner last night. (These are kids who've been having home made bread for three years now.) As for easy, it really was easy. I mean really, really easy. Even better, there is a video demo of the entire process. It just doesn't get better than that. (And yes, I did watch the video...I like knowing what things are supposed to look like each step of the way!)

So, for those of you who say you don't cook or you hate cooking (and you know who you are!), this recipe is for you. Really! She even uses a paddle in her mixer instead of a dough hook (I used my dough hook because I wanted to try it out). This is seriously not complicated and the results speak for themselves. (My kids saw me typing this and asked me if this would be the kind of bread I made all the time, they liked it that much.)


So, be brave, give it a try. You'll be proud of yourself.

Simple One Hour Homemade Bread
from La Fuji Mama
Makes 2 loaves

5 1/4 cups white bread flour
2 - 4 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. (rounded) saf-instant yeast (I used Red Star Active Dry Yeast - it was what I had)
1 1/2 Tbsp. oil
2 cups hot water

1. Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Mix for 1 minute and then check the consistency of the dough. The dough should be very sticky. If it is too dry, add more water.

2. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add any more flour after the dough has finished mixing.)

3. Spray kneading surface with cooking spray and turn dough out onto surface. Knead dough briefly until it has a smooth even consistency (this will only take several turns of the dough to accomplish).

4. Divide dough into 2 pieces (or more if you wish to have smaller loaves) and shape loaves into desired shapes and place on greased baking sheets. Cover with a large dish towel and let rise for 25 minutes.

5. While loaves are rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When loaves are ready to go into the oven, use a sharp knife (you can lightly spray your knife with cooking spray to prevent dragging) to make several slashes in the top. Make each cut about 1/4-inch deep at a 30 degree angle. (In the video, La Fuji Mama spritzes with water...next time I'm going to try that for a crustier crust.) Bake loaves for 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

There you have it...once you read the instructions and watch the video, you'll think to yourself, "I can do this!" and you will! Talk about a feeling of accomplishment - woo hoo!