Just Something I Can Sing!

Yoga class tonight consisted mainly of a history lecture, which was interesting, but left me needing something to energize me for the drive home. As is always the case, I couldn't find a song I liked on the radio. "I just want something I can sing!" I say to myself as I merge onto the freeway. Then, I change the station, and behold! The Fugees, Killing Me Softly is just starting. Jackpot!! The Universe was listening. This is my karaoke song of choice, so I sang my heart out in my car, where no one can hear me. Just the energy I needed.

I am deathly afraid of karaoke. Always have been. However, our old poker group used to play the Playstation version after our game was over, and usually after some beverages. To my surprise, I'm not that bad! (In other words, I usually won... or came close to winning.) Yet, it still scares me so I sing in my car. And with my kids who have no choice but to listen... until Gavin says, "Mummy, stop singing please." Although, in his defense, when I sing with them it is usually Desperado with the words changed to fit whatever I'm doing. I can see how that wouldn't go over so well.

Little Gavin, why don't you pee in the potty?
You've been out playing trucks, for so long now...

You get the idea.

Forward to the weekend

Craig is on his way to visit his brother Cam in Ottawa! So, I'm on my own... until Grandma Karen comes to town this afternoon. Craig left around 4am this morning for the airport and, luckily, the boys slept without a peep until 6:30am. Sometimes they will wake up with any commotion. I'm glad they didn't.

I have my yoga class this weekend again, though, so we needed some help since I'll be gone most of the weekend during the day. Gavin and Graeme are starting to play together, but we can't trust them that much yet!

I started to freak out a little last night as I hadn't done my homework for yoga yet, and I have to turn it in Friday! It's not much, but if I get behind in the first week, that's not a good sign! I'm not used to being back in school mode.

The Emerging Personality

We are seeing a very cute, and opinionated, personality emerging from our little Graeme. It is fun to see how different he is from Gavin. Gavin was THE most mellow baby in the world as far as temperament. (That, of course, is no longer the case as he's quite the perfectionist. Curse of first children, I think.) Graeme, who is also laid back and easy going most of the time, certainly lets you know when he's not happy. Lately, he's started growling like a lion. Example? Graeme loves to go into Gavin's room and grab some letters from one of the ABC puzzles. His favorite letters are the "I" and "Q". (Maybe it is a sign that he'll have a high one?? Hee, hee.) But, they are super choking hazard size, and he's started to rub off the color on the tail of the "Q". So, I told him they go in Gavin's room and put them away last night. He growled at me like you wouldn't believe! Total fuss, crying -- the works! Then I turned around, he grabbed them again (same letters) and toddled out of Gavin's room happy as a lark.

Whatever. Not worth the fight.

He also thinks that he's learning his letters, and numbers for that matter. Whenever we watch cartoons that ask kids to pick out letters, as many do, he stands at the base of the TV and screams, "Eeeee" or "Ooooo" or any kind of letter sound. Like he knows the answer. It's pretty funny. Also, whenever we're counting with Gavin, or going upstairs and counting stairs, Graeme always gets to the end and says, "Ten!" or something that sounds like ten. Pretty funny.

Gavin, on the other hand, is great with letters and numbers for real... but is obsessed with boogies. The other night we told him he couldn't pick boogies at the dinner table and he says, "Can I go pick my boogies in the corner?"

Traffic yoga

My yoga training started today, and I'm sure I'll write more about it as it continues (and I actually am starting another blog for yoga/coaching stuff). What I want to say today, though, is how funny it is to be grumbling and cursing at the slow drivers while driving to a yoga training where you're hopefully teaching people how to be calm and centered. And then I wonder, if I become a yoga instructor, do I have to stop swearing?

Round and round!

I seriously underestimated the value of the pump track Craig built in the backyard. Gavin will ride around and around; he's getting pretty good! It is so sweet to see him having so much fun on his bike. Thankfully it has been pretty nice here the last couple days! The cutest part? Every time he finishes a round he says: "That's amazing! You won three Piston Cups!"

Homework and Haircuts

I just finished my first yoga assignment for my teacher training program. It's the first draft, of course, but the training starts Friday and I'm trying to get prepared! I'll be a little curious to see the response, because I've become so used to writing on the blog. Now that's what my homework will sound like... not sure if that's a good thing. We'll see.

I got some good snuggles today from the boys. Very sweet. I'm realizing that Graeme will need a haircut soon, and that kind of signifies him becoming more of an official toddler rather than baby. Not sure I'm ready for that yet. He goes to the doctor tomorrow for his 15 month appointment, so hopefully all goes well. He's had the sniffles the last couple days, so we'll check to make sure his ears are alright. It seems like every time he gets a cold an ear infection tags along.

Brother!

A couple of the moms were waiting outside the door of preschool today for a few minutes before it was time to get the kids. We were chatting and Graeme was running around picking up rocks, of course. Then Gavin comes to the door and gives a big smile. But the cute part was that Graeme puts his hands and face on the glass door and says: "Bro dor". Brother. Too cute. The other moms thought it was cute too. So, it's not just me.

Chicken and bean, beans

Is it bad to be upset with myself that I only scored 5 of 11 on an internet quiz? I really need to study more. (Subject was housewares designed by fashion designers. Very important stuff.)

Today we had the last of the frozen green beans from our garden. They lasted for quite a while, and we do have some pickles left, but it gave me license to start looking at seeds for this Spring. I have a wishlist starting. The big question is how much can I start early indoors? I was surprised that the stuff I started indoors last year actually lasted, but as inexperience would have it, I didn't start them soon enough for them to produce much. I will be more organized this year. I hope.

Anyway, it was cute at dinner because Graeme LOVES green beans! He says, "Bean, beans." Then I say, "Can you say please?" And he goes, "Peees!" with a big smile. Melt my heart. And for vegetables! That I grew!

And I made chicken that, in my opinion, is THE Best! Craig is running upstairs to get the cookbook so I can post the recipe. Well, and getting a little more wine to go with American Idol. And, we might as well lay it all out there, I'm eating chocolate too. A very indulgent evening and you're getting it all first hand as it happens. Like CNN.

Ok, the recipe for the chicken comes from this cookbook (thank you, Helen): Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker, Recipes for Entertaining by Hensperger & Kaufmann. I've made a lot of them just for us, though, not for parties. (Who has parties once you have children? Aside from birthday parties... and the ribs I made then were from this cookbook too.)

Now, really. Totally easy, slow cooker. Virtually no work, except that you have to get a bit cozy with a whole, raw chicken, which I've gotten over.

Spicy Turmeric Chicken
Best in oval slow cooker.

Turmeric Marinade:
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. paprika (I've used smoked paprika too and it's still good)
1 Tbs. ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. red chile powder or cayenne (do red chile, not too spicy for kids, cayenne would be)
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2-3 cloves garlic, mashed
6 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

One whole chicken, 4-5 pounder.

Coat the crock with nonstick spray.
Combine all ingredients for marinade. Rub over and inside a washed/dried chicken (any nasty bits cut off). Plunk into slow cooker with no liquid or anything. 4-5 hours on HIGH or 7-9 hours on LOW. (I did once on high and once on low. High better.)

That's it. Turmeric does stain, so keep that in mind for dishes (use glass/stainless) and wash hands right after or wear gloves. I just washed my hands and it didn't stain. Does stain plastic cutting boards though and light crocks.

SO yummy. Even Graeme ate it and he's picky with meat. Yum, yum, yum. Then there's usually leftovers for tacos or something. Mmmmmm.

"Guess what..."

Quick note about our weekend at grandma's. Saturday morning I hear Gavin's door open, so I sneak out to get him. (Meanwhile, Graeme is sleeping in my bed, so I can't just leave him.) I look into Gavin's room. Not there. And, what have we all learned about Gavin when he's missing? (Answer: He's usually got food.) So, true to form, as I whisper "Gavin where are you?"... I hear this coming from the kitchen down stairs: "Guess what I'm eating?" -- pause for effect -- "I'm eating cookies!"

So, 5:30am, Gavin has gone straight out of his room, down to the kitchen, opened the cupboard and grabbed a tin of cookies. He says he ate two before I put the tin away.

Little monkey.

I know it's not good, but...

Just a note about parenting and movies. I know that kids aren't supposed to watch TV or movies under the age of two, or have any screen time really. We were pretty good with Gavin initially, but since Graeme's come along -- and now that it is winter -- things have changed a bit. We've now seen the same three movies over and over again with smatterings of Curious George, Bob the Builder, and Super Why! But I have some evidence that shows why parents will always end up letting their children watch movies at least some of the time.


There they are sitting side by side - no pushing, poking, stealing of toys - for almost 40 minutes! (Unheard of in this household.) So, while I don't usually like to let my kids watch movies all the time, it can be just a little bit of heaven.

Dinner at Our House

Back to reality today, we had a pretty slow day because it was POURING the whole day. There was a little window in the afternoon where I dressed Gavin up in rain gear and sent him outside to play in the mud. Thank God boys love mud. (Though it's too bad that Graeme still puts everything in his mouth. He can't be trusted.)

Fast forward to dinner. At the table, Gavin starts bouncing around at his chair as he normally does. Craig says, "Gavin, I'm more impressed when you execute on the consumption of food." All kids nearing the age of 3 would, naturally, understand that sentence. I laughed, but Gavin did start eating. Eventually, anyway.

After a few bits of food, Gavin grabs the pickled pepper on his plate. Sweet peppers, mind you. We're not evil parents. He likes them. But, he grabs one and says, "Fire in the hole!" and takes a huge bite. I die of laughter (and promptly write it down so I don't forget the moment). SO FUNNY! Perfect context. Craig didn't teach him.... Who says kids don't learn anything from watching movies?

San Diego, We Miss You!

We had a fabulous weekend in San Diego! Of course, there wasn't time to do everything and see everyone, but I tried my best to show my guests the best of San Diego. After waking up at 4am to catch our flight (thank you, Craig, for the ride to the airport!), we landed in SD and had breakfast with my parents. Then we stole my parents' car and set off on our own. (And, thank you Mom and Dad for letting us have your car and your condo!) First, we took a harbor cruise to enjoy the sunshine (haven't done that since 8th grade) and explored the waterfront downtown. Friday was shopping day... Saturday was beach day and going out downtown. So much fun. Then, alas, we had to leave on Sunday. And, wishful thinking, we all wore flip flops to the airport.


Driving by my old house made me want to cry a little bit. Lots of memories. And my friends thought I was crazy for moving up north (my parents probably do too). When asked about the move, I said one of the reasons I liked the Seattle area was getting to experience seasons. You don't really get that in SoCal. But, having been in San Diego all of ten minutes, my friends both said, "Screw the seasons. We're moving here!"

Sunset at my parent's place.

Busy, busy.

A couple friends and I are heading to San Diego on Thursday for a girls' weekend. It was making me nervous for some reason. Since neither of my friends have been there before, I was worrying a little about showing them around. Things have changed since I've lived there! I've been in Seattle almost 10 years! That is crazy. But, after a little thought and planning, now I'm totally excited. I have a good plan I think of things to do that will be representative.

I also thought, for some reason, that I had an extra week between New Year's and when we were going! Not that it makes much of a difference, but I've got a lot to do this week!

We also have a couple friends coming down to go to the Seahawks game today. I can't remember the last time I've gone to a football game. Apparently the Seahawks totally suck wind this year, as do the team that they are playing. So, maybe it'll be a good game! Just fun to get out anyway. Initially, the idea was that Craig would go to the game, but now that we have a babysitter that the kids like... the day sounded a lot more fun if I went too!

January will be a busy month, but a good way to start the New Year!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! This morning as I watch the Rose Parade, I find myself eagerly anticipating the fun family times ahead this year, and wondering if Nancy O'Dell has hair extensions. Important information, certainly.

We've written out some goals for 2010 and I think Craig and I are both looking forward to this year. Last year was great, don't get me wrong, and babies are certainly fun. There is something to be said, however, for more well-sleeping children who can speak, walk, and drink out of cups. We're hoping that the boys start playing together this year. And that we can all sit at the table for dinner. That we have only one child in diapers.

So, here's to enjoying the new year, meeting goals, and giving back where we can!