It's Time To Make the Coffee!

Mommy scored a job at Starbucks this week! This job is perfect for me, and the family. The hours are early morning, so I'll be here when the children walk home from school.
Perks:

• Free drinks during my shift...and free drinks for the man when I leave
• One free pound of coffee each week...that saves us $7 a week right there
• 30% off purchased items...so family and friends, expect Starbucks related items for Christmas
• I get to make some srsly delicious lattes!

The best part about this new endeavor is that I'll be home for the kids, no daycare needed, and I can attend all of the important school functions and baseball games.

Give me a month to perfect my skills and then come see me please! Wish me luck friends!

Daddy's Duties

There is nothing sweeter than a grown man jumping up in the middle of the night because his daughter has just fallen out of bed. Extra sweet because I'm not the one that had to do it. He tucked her back in, kissed her, and said good night and she went right back to sleep. Now if only he'd do the 3am barf calls...usually I get a tap on the shoulder and, "Jamie....Toby just barfed."

Let's all give a cold-blooded welcome to...

...Professor Snake

 Professor Snake is a python regius, more commonly known as a ball python. Our new male family member currently lays a good two and a half feet long, but he should grow another foot over time. We acquired him through our dear friend, Angie. This is one of the most docile, slow, and curious reptiles I have ever had the pleasure of allowing to slither up my arm.

The idea to own a snake was Alex's. He said, "But Mom....you wuv weptiles!" My response wasn't overly excited, and to be honest, I had no intention of making this acquisition so soon. First, we did our homework.

• Ball Pythons are native to Africa, and prefer grasslands, savannas, and wooded areas
• They are egg layers, compared to their sister snake, the boa, who gives birth to live young
• When stressed or frightened, the ball python will curl itself into a ball...hence the name
• This is the most commonly traded snake among reptile owners. Because of the demand, the supply comes most often from captive bred parents, and has resulted in less interest in importing specimens from the African wild. This is a good thing. Captive bred adults are docile, tame, and rarely bite.
• Small mammals such as mice and rats are the prey of choice, although in the African wild they favor gerbils. (I still love my gerbils)
• Ball pythons are a non-venomous species of snake. This is not to say he is incapable of biting; however, his tiny, needle-like teeth are primarily meant for hanging on to prey, and not injuring it. Professor Snake does not have fangs...I know, I watched him yawn.
• Males grow between three and half and four feet in length, while their female counterparts can expand to six feet in length. We adopted a male.

The myth that pythons are dangerous to families with small children is typically born from misinformation. Sadly, larger python species (Burmese, African Rock) who were kept in poorly contained enclosures and not properly respected have been involved in senseless tragedies. It should be noted very carefully though that the most recent incident in St. Petersburg, Fl involved an eight foot six inch Burmese python that was kept in a large tank with no lid. He was placed in a holey bag, and a quilt was laid over the top of his home. Key factors here are the size of the snake, the species, and the neglect of respect for its housing needs. We do not, and never will, own a child-killing snake.

I would like to suggest some reading for anyone with lingering doubts about our decision to allow a captive bred ball python a place in our home:
UCGS Herpetology FAQ's
Green Iguana Society - Better Pets for Kids
3 Reasons Ball Pythons Make Great Pet Snakes
So Your Kid Wants a Pet Ball Python
And lastly, this is the article regarding the St. Petersburg, Fl Burmese python incident. It is not for the faint of heart, and truly a tragedy all around. I only place it here so that family and friends who see this story as a comparable example to our new pet can make note of the facts for themselves.
Officials Capture 9 foot Burmese Python
The media has brought well deserved attention to the growing problem of reptiles being released into the "wild" once they become too large for their adoptive family. Professor Snake is already in a size sufficient terrarium (locked and secured as required by Florida law), and shouldn't need additional extra feedings or larger housing. However; please rest assured that in the instance he requires re-homing, we will not be granting him freedom in the Florida Everglades. It should be noted here that the problem is mostly attributed to the Burmese and African Rock species and not the ball python. Stopping a Burmese Python Invasion

Professor Snake loves to feel the warmth of the boys' bodies. He rests gently around our shoulders, or winds his way delicately up and down our arms. We can safely touch his head and tail (although it isn't exactly enjoyable for the snake, so we choose to avoid those sensitive spots), and are able to handle him frequently. His posture remains relaxed at all times.
We fed PS for the first time yesterday, and I'm pleased to report that it was a success! Pythons have the potential to be picky eaters, but we have a hungry fella in our possession. Savory medium sized rats are his food of choice...he isn't fond of human fingers, and hands.
Thanks for taking the time to read through the articles and learn about our particular specimen of ball python. We are very optimistic about the enjoyment and education he will bring to our budding ophiophiles...aka snake lovers.

- Jamie

My heartbeats.

No matter what age, the boys and the girl love to hear the stories of the moment they were born. They are all completely at ease with that part of our life cycle. I'm assuming it's because there are so many of them, that they each have a memory of a sibling being born. Except Brooklyn of course, but she has experienced close friends having babies.

This is the first time Alex has really been intrigued by the details of his "marching day", as he calls his March birthday.

He asked, "What was the first thing I did when I came out? Did I relax? Did you put a diaper on me? Did I get a bath?"

I said, "No, you laid on my chest and looked at me while I looked at you." I proceeded to explain the process of breastfeeding a newborn baby and the special ingredients that are passed from mommy to baby to prevent them from getting sick. I told him how he loved to be swaddled by his father and then held tightly next to my heart.

He said, "Mom, does your heart sound like this?" He kicked his feet in a rhythm against the couch.

And then Alex started to cry very soft, quiet tears. I asked him why he was crying, and he said, "I don't know. I guess I remember being a baby and being happy to hear your heart."

What a sweet kid. He can by my favorite today.

It's Alive!!!

Filling five ravenous children's bellies is a challenge. They have needs, favorites and requests, and being a stay at home mom I have the time to oblige. Yogurt makes the top 5 "I want" list. I used to buy the 10/$5 yogurt deal only to be completely yogurt free within 2 days. That is until one glorious day when Google search led me to a crock pot website with a homemade yogurt recipe....

The recipe:

Crock Pot Yogurt

• 8 cups (or a half gallon) of milk. I use 2%, whole will work fine, but I wouldn't go with skim
• 1/2 cup store bought yogurt with the living stuff...once you make your own, you can use a 1/2 cup of that as a starter for the next batch. 
• a crock pot
• heavy towel

I have done this both over night, and during the day. The results are the same either way. First, fill your crock pot with the milk and turn on high for 2 hours and 30 minutes. 

Next, unplug the crock pot and turn it off to let the milk cool for 3 hours. Once the time is up, your warm milk will be the perfect temperature to host the live cultures in your yogurt. 

Add the 1/2 cup of store bought or your previous homemade yogurt to the crock pot milk and stir thoroughly. I have used flavored yogurt, but I really didn't notice a difference in the final product. It's better to mix fruit in per serving once it's done. 

Wrap your heavy towel around the crock pot for insulation purposes and leave it alone for 8 hours or overnight. Yesterday, I started my yogurt around noon and left it completely overnight wrapped in it's towel until morning. It turned out delicious.

In the morning...this is what I found:

 And this is how I served it:

 Homemade yogurt with granola and honey

 Yogurt tips and tricks: stir fresh fruit or jelly or honey or syrup into each serving, freeze in ice cube trays to make a quick popsicle, use frozen cubes in the blender with fruit to make a smoothie, try it as a recipe substitution, strain it overnight through cheesecloth to make Greek style yogurt, add powdered milk for extra vitamin  D, add unflavored gelatin (2T) to the batch to make it a little thicker.

Dr. Mom tip: Our pediatrician recommends feeding Activia yogurt to the family when a housemate is barfing. We have since evolved to giving the frozen ice cube tray homemade yogurt as a popsicle to the barfer, and the healthy people eat a serving in the morning and again at night. The theory is that the live cultures nestled in the yogurt attack the viral culprits in the intestines. The result is a speedier recovery for the barfer, and no barfs at all for the healthy ones. I will swear by this suggestion until the day I die. Coming from a mom who has cleaned up more barf than I care to discuss, keep this tip in the back of your head next time you hear that horrible middle of the night call, "Mooooooooom....I barfed."

The best part about this project is telling your kids they are eating live organisms. I've never had it so quiet around my dinner table, with each child wondering suspiciously to themselves just what mommy was feeding them. Then one will look at the other and wonder how ridiculous they would sound if they told him he just felt the organisms move. It's great.

Tonight's menu: Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli, Garlic Oregano Bread, and Strawberry Turnovers

My previous attempts at homemade ravioli were disastrous. Imagine rock hard pasta coming apart at the seams, filling seeping out and water flooding in. Every fork pierce was like a mini levee breaking. Bummer dude...

Today I had the time and most importantly the desire to have a ravioli retry. They turned out AMAZING. I got 5 stars from Jake, two thumbs up from Toby, a mumbled "mmmmaaahk uuuu" from Alex, and a sloppy spaghetti kiss from the girl child.

The Recipes:

Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons oil

Filling Ingredients

• Half a box of frozen spinach; thawed and squeezed out
• Half a can of artichoke hearts
• about a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• about a quarter cup of Parmesan cheese
• Saute 2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• spoonful of sour cream
• spoonful of mayonaise
• (I froze the remaining halves of spinach and artichokes, but you could also double your dough and filling to freeze leftover raviolis...freeze them uncooked.)

Directions

To make the pasta dough: In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and salt. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to mix. Drizzle in 1 tablespoons of the oil and continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Use mixer to continue to knead the dough for 10 minutes, stopping occasionally to gather the dough into a ball with your hands. Brush the surface with the remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap; let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

After 30 minutes, separate the dough in half, reserving the remaining half in plastic wrap until use. Ideally, a pasta machine would be great here, but I greased up my elbows it did it the old fashioned way. You really need to roll these out as thinly as possible. 1/8inch is your target thickness, but do the best you can. Strive to see your hand through the dough, and it should be fine.

I used a 3 inch round cookie cutter to make the ravioli shape. Place the cutter on the dough and drop approximately 1 heaping T of filling into the center; however, DO NOT PRESS DOWN YET. Rather just move the cookie cutter over and continue to use it as a guide.

I was able to get about 18 raviolis off of one roll out. Roll out the second dough and prepare to lay it over the top. First, use fingertips dipped in water or an egg wash to moisten the dough around the filling to help seal (key reason I didn't have water logged raviolis). Lay the top dough over the bottom and press around the filling to remove air bubbles, seal tightly about a half inch out from the filling. Use your cookie cutter to finally cut out the raviolis. Pick them up and lovingly seal the edges once again, taking time to make sure the air bubbles are out and thin out the dough surrounding the filling. Re-roll any leftover scraps to make a full 24 raviolis.

This is a secret tip from me to you: let your raviolis dry out. Leave them on the counter for an hour or two making them seem stale and displeasing; however, you will be rewarded with firm, moist, non-water filled raviolis. I promise!

Boil a pot of water and slide raviolis in about 5 at a time, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until they've been allowed to float for a bit. Drain onto a plate and then simmer in sauce.

We served with homemade garlic bread, and strawberry cream cheese turnovers.

PS. I make the best garlic bread in the world...I learned it from the man. He's a fabulous cook. To mimic his skillz like I did...take 1 stick of butter and allow to soften all afternoon. Mince 4-5 garlic cloves and sprinkle with kosher salt. The salt removes the moisture from the garlic, allowing you to scrape the flat side of your knife over the top of the minced garlic and create a paste. Patience is key here...keep going until you have no chunky garlic pieces left. Mix this paste in with the butter and add some oregano, basil if you have it. I use dried, but fresh works wonderfully as well. Cut your loaf of french bread in half length wise and spread half of the butter mixture onto each side. Bake it closed up for 15 minutes, open it up, add cheese if you like and bake another 10 minutes...keeping a close eye on it.

It's a very budget friendly meal as well. I had sour cream, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese on hand, but nothing else. It cost me $12 to buy everything I needed to make dinner, side, and my dessert.

Think of me while you're stuffing your face!

Jamie

The Oil Cleansing Method

Thanks to my friend, Kim, for the link that lead me to trying this skin cleanser.

I'm big on natural and homemade products...for cleaning, eating, washing, you name it and I can pronounce it, I'll try it. Not only does it benefit our bodies, but also my bank account. You can't beat the $2 laundry soap that lasts for weeks, or the readily available dusting polish that costs pennies to whip up.

My homemade soaps are oil based, and you really can't beat the feeling of your skin after a natural olive and palm oil lather. I have high hopes for the liquid version for my face.

I don't wear much makeup, except for mascara and occasionally some eye shadow, and my skin is generally very healthy. However, I live in the most beautiful sunshine state, and it has the potential to reek havoc on a lady's most displayed organ. I also have two children who will likely suffer from problem skin, and one with frequent styes in his eyes. My goal is to test this on me for a week, and then introduce my boys to the cleanser as well.

Some excepts from an OCM website:

"These products [over the counter cleansers] strip the oil out of our skin, leaving our largest organ trying to repair itself by replacing the oil stripped away. This leaves us in a cycle of being tight and dry followed by the inevitable oil slick. Each time we strip the oil away, our skin over-compensates for the lack of moisture by creating more oil."

"Getting right down to basics, when cleansing and moisturizing your skin, it is imperative that you keep in mind that oil dissolves oil. Your skin naturally lubricates itself with oil, and as we are creatures of adaptation, one can believe that if this weren't the appropriate built-in care for ourselves, our bodies would have adapted to suit the need."


(Taken from http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com)

The Oil Cleansing Method

First and foremost, this is typically done in the evening, prior to bed. There should be no need for deep cleansing in the morning if you're waking up with skin cleansed the night before. In the morning, a quick wipe with a warm washcloth should suffice. We don't want to overcleanse our skin as this will serve only to irritate and cause more oil production. The objective of using this method is to deep clean while balancing our skins oil production at the same time.

• You'll need a soft washcloth, your oil blend, and hot, running water.
• Pour a generous puddle of oil into the palm of your hand. Roughly, the size of a quarter, but more is acceptable. Rub your hands together to warm the oil and smooth over your face.
• Begin massaging the oil into your face. This will remove makeup, dirt, and other impurities, so there is no need to use a makeup remover or wash your face prior to the massage. I've found that this removes even my stubborn waterproof mascara and concealer.
• Using slow, firm motions across the skin, massage the oil deeply into your pores. Take your time and focus on your problem areas. You want the oil to work into your pores so that blackheads and the like can be dissolved and steamed away.
• As you're massaging, let your mind drift off to something calming and breathe deeply. Take this time to relax and release some of the stress that your body is harboring. Sit down, breathe deeply, and take your time. Give the oil enough time to work on dissolving the impurities in your pores and give yourself enough time to unwind. Picture what your face would look like if it were completely clear and free from blemishes. Focus on that image and know that it is attainable. Trust that it is attainable. Accept that it is attainable. You can have clear skin, free of blemishes and you will have clear skin, free of blemishes. Focus on perfect skin and breathe deeply.
• Once you're satisfied that your pores are saturated and you're feeling calm, pick up your washcloth and soak it in clean, steamy water. We want the water to be warm enough to open your pores and remove the oil. Cool water will not open your pores, nor will it remove the oil efficiently. We're not scalding our skin, we're steaming to coax our pores to release the oil carrying the impurities. We're essentially steaming our skin as an esthetician would, but without the luxury of a steam machine.
• Hold the washcloth to cover your face. Allow it to stay until it cools. You will feel your pores releasing the impurities. Wipe the oil gently away and rinse the washcloth well in hot, running water. Hold the washcloth to your face again, allowing it to cool. Wipe gently, rinse well, and repeat two or three more times. Avoid any temptation to scrub, as you'll find it's completely unnecessary and your skin will be soft, smooth, and free of flakes without the additional manual exfoliation and irritation that will result. Impurities, dead skin cells, and bacteria will be gently swept away.
• Have no fear of the oil, as the steamy washcloth will remove it. The Castor Oil, though it is an oil, will help with the removal of the other oils, as well. It is our main cleansing oil and is easily removed with warm water.
  
• If your skin feels tight, take a tiny drop of your oil blend, rub it between your clean, damp palms and pat it onto your damp skin. Gently massage any oil residue into your skin so there is no film of oil left sitting on the surface. Your skin should now glow!

The Recipe:
This is the latest concoction that has made it's way into my bathroom
- 2 T castor oil (found it at Publix for $2.50 for a 6 ounce bottle)
- 8 T olive oil (the less virginal the better)
- 1/4 t tea tree oil for it's natural anti-bacterial qualities. (increase this amount if your skin is prone to break outs...decrease or eliminate if you have exceptionally dry skin)
- 1/2 t jojoba oil (no problem, if you don't have this. I use it in my soap making for the moisturizing qualities, and to keep me minimally wrinkly)

Make sure you massage it into your lips and eyelids as well.

Wishing you glowing, smooth skin friends!

Tough Love

Me: "Brooklyn told me she thinks you're mean."

Luke: "That's good. As long as they all think I'm mean equally. That means I'm being consistent."

Yah, can't argue with that logic.

This one gets an A+ recommended times two for you from me

Link: Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps

By:

The Deliciousness of Karma

Occasionally, something memorable happens during my day that makes me pause and appreciate the goodness in other people. These things always seem to follow on the heels of doing some kind deed, so for that very reason I believe strongly in karma.

Last Thursday the sickening sight of dirty drain water rising back into the basin of our kitchen sink really brightened my day. No amount of plunging, Liquid Plumber (which apparently is a big no-no), time, hot water, a 20 foot snake, general man power, and of course my super human arm strength could provide me with an empty sink. As a bonus, the filthy water eventually began draining into the dishwasher which would then over spill onto the kitchen floor.

The man did all he could, but we were in need of a plumber.

Mr. Eli and Mr. Andre (I'm giving these guys their actual names because there was no other negative feature to distinguish them by) arrived at their designated appointment time. Not only were these two gentlemen professional, but they were actually kind and sympathetic. Mr. Eli noticed my vibrant paint palette, which I dutifully gave credit to my mother in law for, and Mr. Andre also had his own 4 boys and a girl to relate to.

Both guys covered their shoes with disposable booties and politely introduced themselves before going straight to my sad sink.

The job was scheduled as a $79.99 any drain, clear your clog special. Although, while I was folding laundry I began to hear words like "roots" and "grease" and "jet" and "roof" and "bust up the tile", and I knew deep in my soul that my hopes for a $79.99 fix were sneaking out the window.

Mr. Eli broke the news to me gently, but confidently. They needed to get Santa-y and hop up on the roof to snake the roof vents. Bummer dude...this job was priced at $152, but the good news was my cost never built up, it just invested itself. The money I would have paid for the standard drain unclog went towards the cost of the new attempt. I like investments, I hate expensive.

Less than an hour turned into a few hours, and before we knew it the guys were waiting on another Mr. Plumber to come provide a second opinion and a cost estimate. Mr. Eli didn't seem to be feeling well, and Mr. Andre insisted they never take lunch breaks anyways. If it were my man out there working through lunch, he'd be a grumpy fool, so I fed them. A ham, pepperoni, salami, lettuce, and swiss sandwich seemed to be a very welcomed lunch on the job for the two devoted plumbers. I also threw in a warm bottle of water from the garage, but Mr. Andre said it didn't matter...lunch was great!

Fast forward through the hour we all spent waiting for Mr. Plumber to arrive. He came as promised, and we know now this man as Mr. Brad (also worthy of a proper title). Mr. Brad tells me he's from a family of 8 sisters, and he just adopted his 16 year old half brother, so he's on the up and up when it comes to big families. I should say so!

I'm going to touch briefly on the camera work, the black "pudding" as he called it, the near tears eyes, and the man leaving for work, and from there we'll move on to verdict part of the story. Mr. Brad says there is no way around it, the clog is grease buildup mixed with cast iron scale and general debris which created a hard "pudding". No water was going through it, and even when the snake poked through, the "pudding" immediately closed around the puncture wound as soon as the snake was pulled back. We risked possible corrosion behind the clog because this has likely been building up for quite awhile...as in years, which I hear as "not my fault". We have two options: dig up the kitchen tile and replace the piping, or hydro jet our pipes and restore them to their day 1 operating status. Option number 2 was cheaper and more practical, but still pricey...$1600.

Hmm...I can live without a kitchen sink for awhile, right?

Mr. Andre and Mr. Eli become bystanders at this point, so it was all up to me and Mr. Brad. I don't have $1600, and in light of the fact that I just bought a brand new van, plane tickets to Kansas, plane tickets to California, plane tickets to Tampa, and a security system...I'm close to broke. Mr. Brad says he'll do it for $998 (remember the investment policy).

This is around the time the man leaves for work, and the near tear eyes come out. It was starting to look hopeless and my days were going to be filled with washing dishes in my shower (yah, I did this). It was also going on 4 hours that the guys have been in my home. Mr. Brad tells me he understands budgeting for a large family, so to tell him honestly, without fear of insulting him, what I could afford to pay him monthly.

Say what? This professional plumbing company is really and truly trying to make this work for me and not just pack up and move on to the next paying customer. I threw out a very meek number compared to the nearly thousand dollar bill, and Mr. Brad left to his truck to speak to the owner.

I'll wrap it up for you...Mr. Brad, Mr. Andre and Mr. Eli all vouched for our "responsible people" appearances, and promised to be liable if we skipped out of the country without paying our bill. They took my meek monthly payment and a promise to pay in full upon next income tax, and said no problem, let's do it. No interest, no contract, no paperwork. Just a promise from me to deliver payment on the 19th of each month...oh and those sandwiches.

The "F" That Became an "A": and a little about Jake

Coming off of a very low report card last 9 weeks, we were pleasantly surprised at the results of some positive changes Jake made during this 9 weeks.

Our philosophy on report cards revolves around improvement. We don't anticipate straight A's from each child, but we do keep certain expectations.  
#1) No missing assignments! We very strongly believe that if you put forth effort and complete/turn in all of your school work, you will not receive anything less than a C. Fittingly, Jake's lowest grades were the result of several missing assignments, homework that was forgotten in class, or conveniently pushed down to the bottom of the backpack. As a 6th grade student, Jake is responsible for completing his own work and asking for help when he needs it.  
#2) Good behavior! While Jake is probably the sweetest and most caring student you could ask for, he makes up for it with his lack of focus. The teacher is lecturing on circumference and diameter, and Jake is reading under his desk.  
#3) We reward for improvement and give consequences for not meeting our expectations! First to go are video games and computer time, and the most serious offenses result in time alone brushing up on some required reading. When the kids bring up a grade or maintain it, we are quick to praise and offer a special reward. It doesn't matter the letter grade, we focus on effort.

If you know me personally, you know my thoughts on ADD/ADHD medications and school age boys. I'm not open for argument on the topic (discussion sure!), but I would like to share Jake's story.

We ALWAYS hear the same opening line to Jake's conferences, "Jake is such a sweet and loving boy. Such a pleasure to have in class; however..." And then they go on to describe him as spacey and unavailable. We went down every possible avenue for his benefit, while still trying to keep in mind that he was just a growing boy after all (growing boys would much rather be outside playing!), and steering him far away from ADD/ADHD pills.

Jake was referred by his second grade teacher for occupational therapy and a psychological evaluation. We met together, and ultimately decided to avoid medication (at my insistence) and try various behavior modification techniques. Jake was given less work at times, or his work was divided up, and he was consistently given visual cues from the teacher and by his parents to pay attention or redirect himself.

Despite our efforts both at home and at school, little improvement was seen with the exception of the end of his 4th grade year. A lot of the success depended on the adult guidance he was getting. In 4th grade, Jake had a set of teachers that were clone worthy. They devoted hours of extra time to helping Jake grow, and as a result, he made honor roll! He had also lost his xbox privileges for the previous 9 weeks due to continuous missing assignments, which I think was a real eye opener for him. It was the first time we had given a harsh consequence for school related issues.

We anticipated 5th grade would be better after his miraculous 4th grade year; however, it was all back to the "same old Jake". Once he entered into 6th grade, we were advised by some friends that it was selfish to deny Jake possible medical intervention because of personal feelings on ADD/ADHD over medication. Coming from any other family member or acquaintance I likely would have been insulted, but from the mouths of these particular friends, I felt ashamed that I had allowed myself to become so closed minded. Was I truly acting in Jake's best interest or just in a way that let me avoid feeling like a failure as a parent? Jake's dad had been asking about possibly going through another ADHD evaluation again, and I stubbornly insisted that he was still just a growing boy who could care less about school.

Shortly after this Jake received the lowest of the low report cards...an F, a D, and two C's.

That "F" really hit me much harder than I saw it hit him. It was time to veer away from my narrow path, and explore some medical options. We first went through Jake's pediatrician who evaluated him physically and looked through all the records I had kept from his previous 2nd grade observations.

Jake also suffers from tics. He has gone through various cycles since he was just 2. We started with throat clearing, moved onto nose sniffing, wrist twisting, and now it's facial flexing and neck tilting. This has never been a major problem until Jake's 5th grade year when another student slammed Jake's head into a tree because he "wouldn't stop moving his face". Due to his tics and my epilepsy, Jake was referred to a pediatric neurologist who read his beautiful brain waves and did a formal ADHD evaluation with myself, Luke and two teachers.

The results were sad and somewhat surprising. I chose two trusted teachers, and they both answered nearly identically to what Luke and I had done. The handful of doctors we saw diagnosed Jake with Tourette's Syndrome, ADHD, and OCD.

That was the bottom point, and from there you can only go up! Jake was started on a moderate dose of a common ADHD medication and an additional pill to help relax his tics.

I cannot stress enough how valuable the support from my husband and Jake's father were at this time. We avoided telling family and friends for awhile because we wanted to have results to back up our choice before we heard the very criticism that I myself would once have given.

Just 9 weeks later, the results were astounding! Jake's teachers all report a noticeable change in his ability to retain information, his motivation, his focus, and most importantly...his confidence. He went from feeling like a failing student, to knowing he was capable of far more than that. He trusted his body to react to the medicine he was taking, and went with the flow from there on. After the first week, Jake said to me, "Mom, I feel like I can hear whole sentences now instead of being interrupted by my brain."

This most recent report card was all A's, B's and one C which was a 77.8% in his most difficult subject. The science grade that was once an F, has become an A. His test scores went from below 60%'s to 100%'s. My heart is full of pride, love, and appreciation for how hard Jake has worked to turn himself around. We all recognize that his medication is not a cure all, but rather an aid to help jump start his brain, so he can push himself to his full potential.

Please take a minute to congratulate Jake and encourage him to bring up that C to make honor roll for his last 9 weeks.

Big, Giant Brains!

This morning marks the beginning of FCAT week for Jake and Toby. Five days of testing until noon, but it comes complete with a week of no homework. Lucky boys...we'll make up for it with chores. No worries mates!


As a bonus, McDonalds very generously offers the FCAT takers a free egg McMuffin, apple dippers, and oj/milk on the first day of testing (today!). We were up bright and early to take advantage of the offer.

Good luck today boys! Time to show those adults what big, giant brains you have!

Whiskey Tango Moths

My personal greatest joy from raising children hasn't come from their unconditional love, their adoring looks of admiration, the generous compliments from patient strangers, or the piles of handcrafted notes and gifts. No, the moments I hold nearest and dearest to my heart are when some phrase uttered from their innocent mouth stops me in my tracks and has me seriously thinking how complex those little minds are. Now onto the story...


My three lucky boys were given the disgusting task of clearing and wiping out the pantry shelves to eradicate our problem pest...the common kitchen moth. It hasn't been a pretty last couple of hours. We're finding leftover cereal bags that have now become cheap moth hotels, and opened boxes of pasta that baby moths (aka worms) are happily munching on as fuel for their growing bodies. Probably the most disturbing are the hundreds of moth nests lined up in the crevices of the shelves just waiting to hatch open and start their worthless life cycle all over again.

Alex says, "I bet thewe's a lot of moths getting mawwied in thewe."

How sweet is the simple logic of a newly six year old? A little background information: just before the gerbils had their babies, we pronounced the mom and dad husband and wife once we found Tibby, the dad, happily riding piggy back on his fiance, Megan. What a beautiful wedding!

I have to be realistic here; I don't expect my children to follow in footsteps that I myself did not lay. Jake was an out of wedlock baby, and he is well aware that his father and I were married when he was nearly a year old. Therefore, I feel like a hypocritical mother teaching them that babies are the product of matrimony. My lesson of choice is that babies should be made with love and preparation. There is nothing more wonderful than being ready to parent a child, and most people just aren't until they've found a suitable mate and settled into a comfortable life first.


Regardless, Alex has deduced that the moths must have somehow performed an abundance of wedding ceremonies deep in the nooks and crannies of our pantry in order to be setting up shop and creating families at every corner.

I COL'd (chuckled out loud since it wasn't quite enough to be a LOL) when I overheard this conversation...

Toby says, "I bet they didn't get married and that's why there are so many of them."

Jake says, "If they were ready to be parents then there would only be a few moths because they'd have been responsible and had a normal number of babies. But because they weren't married yet, the men moths had babies with ALL of the girl moths instead of just his wife."

Toby says, "Irresponsible moths. Now we're losing money on all our food because we have to feed all these babies."

Jake says, "I wonder how long it would have been until the babies found boyfriends and girlfriends and had a bunch of their own babies? Then we'd really have been losing money."

Then he shouts, "MOM! How long does it take for a moth worm to become an adult?"

And now for my moment...Toby says, "I wonder if Wal-Mart has moths."

Damn, I love my kids.

Go Lightning Go!

What a night for our freshly 6 year old! Alex very innocently asked to go to a hockey game without his brothers and sister for his birthday. So we agreed, and last night was the big game. I think it's safe to say he's found a yearly birthday tradition.

Family that sent money for his birthday...Alex took his funds to the gift shop and bought himself a hat, a pin, and a game hockey puck. Thanks everyone for being so thoughtful!






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It's an honor roll kind of day!

Way to go Alex! "R" club, honor roll, and perfect attendance. He's my only kid to get an "E" in math.



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I saved 57%!

It was worth the extra time spent clipping coupons to get everything for $37.



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Respect, Responsibility, and Right Choices!

Today, Toby had his school award ceremony. I could not be any more proud of his very first "R" club award. This is given to kids that demonstrate the ability to be respectful, responsible, and make right choices. I see him capable of these virtues everyday, but to be recognized for them at school is an honor. Way to go Toaster!



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Cross, loop around, push through, and pull!

Motivation: a powerful tool for getting a six year old to do undesired tasks.

Last night, he begged me, "Momma (yah, his brothers make fun of him for calling me momma.), please, please can I have some new shoes? Please! These are the only ones I have ever wanted!"

Momma says, "Sorry my man, but you aren't of the shoe tying human variety yet."

Alex says, "I'll learn, I pwomise!" (No spelling error. The boy has a speech issue too cute for words sometimes.)

Thus, a bargain was formed and sealed with a high five. The white and blue tie shoes belonged to Momma until he was a shoe tie-er.

We sat together at the desk, one shoe each, and worked step by step on our project last night. After a mere hour of quiet tears of frustration and gritted teeth, there was success!

"Mom! I did it!"

Yes! My youngest son is ready to join the league of shoe tying boys.

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Play Ball Kids!

Saturdays at the baseball park with my friends and family make me happy. Especially when I can come home and throw these dirty, grimy kids in the pool.

















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Cleaning Au Natural

Thanks to a friend's suggestion, I googled a recipe for homemade powdered laundry detergent, and put it to the test on our dirtiest baseball pants, stinkiest socks, stained shirts, grease saturated work shirts, and my own delicate items. Here's the breakdown:

The Recipe:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Super Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda. I find the Borax and SWS near the usual laundry supplies, but typically on the bottom shelf)
1 bar Zote or Fels Naptha soap (These two were both found on the top shelves near the fabric softeners. They are great for pre-treating stains, so the theory is that with this included, I won't need to shout out those baseball stains! I hear rumor that Ivory or Dove can be used as well.)

The Directions:
Grate the bar of Zote or Fels Naptha and allow to dry out over night for easier crumbling. Once dry, measure in the remaining ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or your finger tips, which seemed to work just fine for me. I used Zote for this load, but I currently have 2 bars of Fels Naptha in my possession for the next batch.

I used 2 Tablespoons of my mixture per average size load. I operate my washing machine with only cold water to save on electrical expenses, and I've always had an okay turnout. For this sample load, I pretreated nothing and threw in an assortment of our everyday washing items.

The Results:
I'm both pleased and unimpressed. It worked, and I would say well; however, it didn't take out the baseball stains as well as the recipe had promised. With that small drawback, it was a great money saver for us because we do an unreasonable amount of laundry, and the clothes still came out clean. The smell is a little lemony from the Borax, which both Luke and I like. I washed the baseball pants with the shout sprayed on them, and they came out great the next time around. I have two sensitive skin men in the house, so another test was to see how they reacted over the week. No spots or itchies!

I spent $2.50 on a 4 pound box of Borax, $2.00 on a 3.5 pound box of SWS, and $0.99 on the bar of soap ($1.97 for a double bar of Zote). Considering I only use 2 Tablespoons of the mix, it seems safe to say this is budget friendly. 

Ultimately, if the cost of powdered detergents makes you groan and you can spare about 10 minute to make your own, it's worth it.



Next, I read an article about how the aroma and fumes from traditional household cleaning chemicals can put us in a bad mood more often than not. With that in mind, I found a quick recipe for a dusting/furniture polish.

The Recipe
 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon of oil (I used jojoba just because it never goes rancid, and I have a bottle leftover from soap making. Olive oil would be a great second choice.)

The Directions  
Mix and store in a closed jar, such as an old spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise container.

The Results
Wow - what a fabulous cleaner! The apple cider vinegar, while stinky at first, left no aroma behind whatsoever. What it did do was dig deep down into the wood pores and pull up all the dirt left from grimy hands and fingers. The oil was just enough to leave a shine behind, but no greasy residue to speak of. Today is day 2 after using the homemade polish, and my wooden tables are still dust free and clean. I'm anticipating using this weekly, so if we can go a week without dusty shelves, it's a winner in my book.

#6 pizza just for the boy!

This lucky 6 year old picked homemade pizza for his birthday dinner.



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Happy Birthday Alex James!

That kid Toby is in so much trouble, but it hasn't come to fruition for him yet.

Rewind to one hour ago:

I had high hopes that my newly 6 year old would make it safely to school with his pan of 21 homemade banana cupcakes. Although shouting out the door to Toby, "Walk slow so he doesn't drop his cupcakes!", left me with an ominous feeling in my gut.

My ESP must have been up and kicking because not 5 minutes later my phone buzzes with a text from Toby, "Alex is standing here with a pile of cupcakes on the ground."

I shoved my feet in my thongs and stormed out the door, still jammified mind you.

I keep expecting to come across a sugary slaughter, but at every approaching section of sidewalk there is nothing. No sad, birthday boy sobbing over the pathetic pile of banana and cream cheese goodness; no older brother who was in too much of a hurry to get to breakfast to slowly walk and ensure the safety of my baked goods. Every other neighborhood kid was there, just not mine, and none had seen the boys. Kids love a mom in pajamas FYI.

So I call the school secretaries since Toby has dutifully turned his cell phone off .

They discover Alex and his 21 homemade banana cupcakes safely in his kindergarten class. Just to rub it in, they add that he's beaming from ear to ear, and "Wow! Those cupcakes look delicious!" Thank you, I know.

I've been duped!!!! My own 9 year old played a ridiculously inconvenient joke on me. He succeeded in making his mother walk, no stomp, all the way to school, ready to school him good on the consequences of disobeying my "walk slow" orders.

I debated about returning the favor with an impromptu Pajama Mom classroom visit to take the cell phone from him in a ceremonial display. Instead I decided to keep it simple and let him mop all of my floors as if cupcakes had been smooshed into their crevices.

Lesson learned: don't mess with mom before 7:30am and coffee.

Anyways, happy birthday to my sweet Alex James!



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I love me some coupons!

Not the greatest savings, but pretty close to 50%! I bought quite a few non sale items that we needed. The great thing about the couponing is the savings on kids' snacks and lunches. if you've fed 4 growing boys before, you get my drift.


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Dinner tonight

Rich and Simple French Onion Soup

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups sliced onions
• 4 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices French bread
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 2 slices Swiss cheese, diced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Melt butter with olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
2. Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven broiler.
4. Ladle soup into oven safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

 

Picture success!

Alright, I got it!!! Prepare yourself for my photo caption ramblings, world!




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Testing out blogging from my iphone

I love my iPhone! It has opened up some awesome opportunities to me, one is being able to blog from my anywhere! Shamefully, I will admit I used to make fun of the blogging community. Now I'm excited to be a part of it!

This is my first test post from my precious phone. Picture included...hopefully.

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The Silver Linings of My Nightmare

(This is a copy of my note I posted on my facebook page, but I wanted it for reading here as well.)

Tuesday night, I made a debatable decision to allow my 11 and 9 year old sons to stay home by themselves while the others and I traveled 20 minutes away to dinner. Our neighborhood is historically safe. Our home is well-kept with locks on every door and window. A 6 foot privacy fence surrounds the perimeter of the yard, and bolts shut at the 2 gates. The choice I made was preceded by a thorough check of the main locks, including the one on the back door that was damaged a few months prior and no longer latched securely. After a failed try for possible success with the broken lock, I came to the conclusion that the bolted wooden gates enclosing the yard would be enough to replace the faulty door for the next 2 hours while I was away. The boys were given their instructions, a cell phone, a kiss, a hug, and an I love you. The segment of my brain I call the "mom mode" momentarily noted the importance of always saying "I love you" before we leave, no matter the conditions, since you just never know, right? At ease though, because I know they will be enjoying 2 free hours of xbox time, we drive away.

1 hour into our dinner, Toby's number appears on my caller ID, and I was greeted by an alarmingly calm voice telling me that he heard the unlocked sliding glass door open and shortly after slam shut. Blatant panic came next, mingled with an attempt at reasoning with myself over how serious this situation was. It is entirely possible that this is an imagined mess born from the nerves of a 9 year old that heard a noise. His next discovery was the "men standing by the white chair" outside the back door with two "tiny, long flashlights that were pointed inside the door". In addition to that, Jake tells me he can hear quiet voices outside his open window in the front yard near our main door.

My first thought was to call a friend who I knew was closer than I to the house, and my children. She was there within moments, and able to tell me the once bolted wooden gate was now wide open and inviting to strangers. There was nothing to reason with any longer. My situation had taken on nightmare qualities.

This was one of those thoughts I had pushed aside when I walked myself through the "what if" consequences of leaving the older boys home alone. Terrible things most certainly can happen anytime; however, there is that point in motherhood where you allow your children gradual freedoms, and you realize you have to work around those bad thoughts because you feel confident you've taken the proper steps to ensure their well-being.

Long story short, whoever briefly entered my home left just as quickly, and without any criminal damage. There was no forced entry, theft, or violence thankfully. Just a robbery gone wrong because my 2 sons were there. My friend was able to remove the boys from the house without any problems, and take them away to safety. The police were waiting for me, and on my arrival had already made a sweep of the house to ensure it was indeed absent of anyone that didn't belong.

It appeared the worst had ended because my most valuable possessions were back safe with me. Really though it is truly only the beginning. The security of my home was violated, and is now null and void. Even mending the broken lock provides little peace. Ultimately, we are not a family of dwellers, we are a family of get over it and move on-ers. At whatever financial cost, Luke and I decided to turn the physical guarding of our residence over to a trusted company. I have the stickers and signs decorating my property for proof of purchase.

Whether or not an 11 year old boy is old enough to babysit his 9 year old brother for 2 hours on a Tuesday night is a personal decision to be based on the maturity level and confidence of the child, as well as the state laws in your area. By writing this note, I take responsibility that I am opening that argument to someone who wishes to have it, although it will not be had by me with you.

These are my silver linings...
#1: I can change nothing from then, but everything from now.
#2: Using the check in feature facebook provides is a great way to alert a stalker that you are away from home.
#3: Sharing the excitement about purchasing a gigantic 55 inch TV maybe wasn't such a smart idea.

It doesn't often happen, it probably won't happen, but bad things can happen to the little people we are responsible for. We were fortunate to have avoided anything more than a haunting story to tell. I tagged my mother friends, and shared this publicly in hope it will encourage you to check your locks.

I've been hired!

Twice now...by my dear sweet brother, Jeffery. He has enlisted my mediocre web design skills to get his JET Novelties business up and running.

Have you checked out our family site? Webb-Becker Jeff's work site is Toyota Jeff, which I also left my mark at.

If I write it, I know you'll come

Writing makes me happy, and lets me indulge in my natural need to share my thoughts with no one in particular. I have a horrible habit of finding random outlets to plug my tidbits into; however, it never fails that I slack on it.

Let's start with an update...our lives are full! Full of happiness, sadness, new adventures, challenges, crimes and punishments.

Baseball season is mid swing, which means that my spare time belongs to my boys. Jake is having "his" season so far. He's at the top of his age group, so his hits are naturally going to be bigger, and his plays are realistically going to be more involved. It's been a joy to watch him develop into a productive member of a great team! Toby is right there with his brother on the minor A A's. For being one of three 9 year old's on the team, he's doing fabulously. You couldn't ask for a cheerier child to spend your Saturday afternoons with. Alex is destined for baseball greatness....I just know it. This little lefty never wants to leave the field, and smacks that ball nearly into outer space when he's up to bat.

I'm trying hard to get back into my couponing. CVS sent me a letter and said they missed me, and Publix keeps asking why I'm paying full price for my groceries when I could be saving at least 75%. Good question Publix.

Wish me luck!