Homemade McDonald's

Audrey always begs to go to McDonald's. Tonight we decided to make our own happy meals, complete with a toy. I would have put them in little boxes too but we decided to do this at 2:00 p.m. Jeremy was gone for a meeting or something, so we couldn't make homemade fries, which would have been tons better than the frozen fries I purchased. Cheeseburger for Auds, Nuggets for Allie, and apple slices for both. I couldn't find gluten free buns today so Audrey used bread--which if you're familiar with GF bread, doesn't work as well. Ava was content with her peas and she had a french fry or two. I had little Strawberry Shortcake rings left over from Audrey's party so the older girls got one of those. And we spiced it up a bit and used Dora plates. Overall, a fun activity. I want the girls to understand how delicious (and healthy) food can be when made yourself at home.

Sarah

The Lorax Trees

The girls really like The Lorax movie. Today, Allie was drawing on her Dora doodler pad while I was getting ready and she drew the trees from the Lorax movie. Audrey then had to draw the same thing and I was told to take pictures and send them to Daddy. 

Sarah

Winter 2013

So far 2013 has consisted of:

Trips to the Dr. 

Fevers

chapped noses and lips

ear infections

vomiting, fever, runny nose. repeat. 

coughing. lots of lots of coughing.

a dishwasher full of medicine droppers and dispensers. 

one day it felt like I was running a hospital. I had four sick at a time, all on different meds at different times. All I did that day was make rounds. well, and clean up puke. 

I'm hoping it gets better soon, or that spring comes early. 

Really early.

Sarah

Chocolate Mousse

This is hands down the best (not healthiest) last minute dessert if the person you're serving it to likes chocolate. I was given this recipe when working with the Pampered Chef years ago and I've tweaked it slightly. We made this tonight for Grandma S.'s birthday celebration. Jeremy used his smoker for the chicken and we had several appetizers and sides. Then we watched pictures from their Hawaii trip. The girls are still not healthy so the supper was a little thrown together.

The recipe for Chocolate Mousse
1 small box instant chocolate pudding (whichever variety floats your boat.)
3/4 c milk
1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

whisk together and refrigerate. whisk together again before it's served, unless you've already garnished it. I like to add shaved chocolate.

Sarah

sickness and puking. be gone.

audrey puked. so i had to cancel my class at the gym.....again this week. that's twice I've needed to go workout at night. I hate working out at night.

then ava had a diarrhea blow out all over her car seat and quilt.

allie then puked 30 minutes later.

avas now asleep--which is where allie was 30 minutes before her first gymnastics class today, when I snuck in a shower. I should have known when she went to sleep at 10:30 in the morning that she didn't feel right. luckily, I made the decision not to go to gymnastics. i'm waiting for ava to wake up any minute and vomit all over. let's hope not, because she's on an antibiotic for her left ear....again. poor baby.

perhaps this is natures way of  providing birth control. if it is, it's working.

jeremy came home yesterday and spent the entire night on the couch or in bed.

oh hoping and praying it skips me this time.

poor kids.

our poor washing machine.


let's not forget about the three rounds of stomach flu we had before christmas this year, and that audrey started us off last week with her first round of vomiting, 18 times throughout the night. I stayed up most all of the night with her that friday night, because jeremy thought he was getting it too. So, I sat beside her as she slept on and off on her make-shift bed on the bathroom floor, and I searched for how I'm going to preserve their memories because there are so many options and I do nothing, besides this blog right now. And, no. I did not take a picture of her on her make shift bed laying on the bathroom floor all night long.  It was one of those sicknesses that requires a puke bucket wherever you go. She didn't get any on me until the next day when my parents came to visit. Jeremy, not versed in the puking department gave her almond milk because she asked for it. less than 20 minutes later it came back up--almost exactly how it went in. And that time, she got my head.She was standing above me, probably in the middle of "Mom, I'm gonna puke" when she covered her mouth but it didn't help. Gross, right? I was granted a shower and then life got better. But for the record, I called Jeremy up from the basement project he was working on to prove my point. I had told him  that she was not yet ready for milk, of any sort.

I normally don't buy the lysol wipes. I stick to my norwex or seventh generation wipes, but when it comes to nasty stuff that just won't go away, sometimes it gets both. bleh.

happy thoughts. happy thoughts. Like maybe how I'm going to preserve their school days, or their accomplishments, artwork, memorabilia, our vacations. The times in our life when someone isn't coughing every 30 seconds or puking every 30. Yep, looking forward to that day.







Sarah

Playing Ava's song

Ava has a special song that Grandmother wrote her for, just like the other girls do. Today, when Grandmother and Grandpa came to visit, they played and sang it together.

Sarah

Ava's car

Ava got this Minnie Mouse car for Christmas and she loves playing on it. She can push herself but she LOVES it when her big sister pushes her. Seeing Ava on her car made Allie want to get out her old car, which is actually a train, and ride it around. 

Sarah

boots!

Allie was having a particularly ornery day today. She just kept getting in trouble and tormenting her sisters. Ava had only been asleep for about 30 minutes when Allie decided she was bored, so she woke Ava up. Oh, that child. So by the time we picked up Audrey from school, it had been a rough day and she wasn't calming down, so I sent her outside, by herself for just a few minutes to run off some steam. Ava watched her every move from the window. It had gotten so warm that most of the snow had melted, or was melting so Allie decided she needed boots to break up the snow that was left. She marched around breaking up snow, with not a care. This little burning steam exercise worked.

A few minutes later when she came in, Ava became obsessed with Allie's wet Hello Kitty boots. This entertained her for a good little while. She tried to put them on mostly. She's so curious right now, and I love watching her explore. And she's real adamant that whatever her older sisters are eating/doing or wherever they are going, that she eat/do/go there too.

Tonight I was reading Audrey and Allie books on the couch as they ate their snack. Ava was playing blocks with Daddy a few feet away. She'd come over, scream until someone gave her a few bites of cereal, then turn and waddle back to her blocks. A few minutes later, she'd come back over. This went on for five books, until it was time to go to bed. One of Ava's favorite activities right now is going up the stairs by herself. And one of the only times a day she's allowed up the stairs (with a parent close by) is at bedtime.

Audrey had a bad ankle day at school--which isn't good since she's been back in school for um, 2 days. I found her sitting on the floor, scared to move when I picked her up. Needless to say, Jeremy carried her a good portion of the night. And when he wasn't, she was limping in a big way. Hopefully, she can walk on it tomorrow.

Sarah

Audrey's new class

Audrey started preschool today after Christmas break, and began a new class, with a new outfit.
Being the oldest has it's advantages.

oops! forgot the belt. a very important part of this outfit.

 much better. Can you tell by the look on her face we were having a little mother daughter moment over the belt? And as sure as I'm no longer 21 I knew I'd find that belt in her little tote when I picked her up today.  And I was right. 

Sarah

making banana bread with my girls

Our house smelled heavenly today. 

the girls and I made banana bread. 

we used an old recipe out of a book I got in the 5th grade. 

It's the best. ever. 

and it's the only recipe I ever really used in that book. 

yes, it's gluten free.

although it's not for those who don't do oil or sugar or eggs. 

it has plenty of all of that. 

however, I will soon make this grain free banana bread. 

but for today it was scrumptious regular gluten free banana bread made 

from an assortment of flours, even more than usual since I combined

two different gluten free flour mixes. 

I love teaching the girls how to bake!

And I love warm banana bread on a cold winter day.

I did not use nuts. I actually used all baking powder as I was out of baking soda. And obviously, I didn't use Gold Medal flour. 

Sarah