Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Today Denver decided to take one of the biggest wooden blocks we have--which is about two feet long--and throw it at Hunter's head. So. . . Denver got his first time out. Taking pictures of your kids while they're being punished probably isn't reccommended by professional parents but. . . he looked so darn cute, sitting there on the stairs in "time out." 
Today our Home Teacher made another one of his surprise visits. Last time he came the house was in shambles, the kids were eating lunch and had soup spilled all down their fronts, and I hadn't had a shower for two days. It wasn't a pretty sight. Today--the house, the kids and myself were in better shape, although I've been having one of those weeks when no matter how much junk food I eat, I just can't drown out the negative forces within. So, we were sitting on the couch playing Gamecube eating beef jerky and ice cream and goldfish. Not one of my shining moments as a mother--video games and junk food. Way to encourage healthy lifestyles in my children. But anyway, he showed up and I felt so embarassed that I wasn't sitting at the table doing a craft with the kids or baking bread or quilting or something productive and mormonish. And he just laughed and said, "Are you kidding? I wish my mom had done that with me!" That made me feel so good. You know, I feel so bad all the time because I just don't do the crafty, creative things that I see so many other moms doing with their kids. I just play with them and shout at them and snug them and put them in time out and feel like I've done something really great if I get out the playdough or crayons once a month. It just made me feel good, that even at my worst, somebody thought I was doing something worthwhile.
And Chris, this is for you. You know when someone asks you if everyone is healthy and you know if you say "yes" you are jinxing yourself and someone in your family is destined to come down with some terrible sickness? Well, today Chris asked if anyone had thrown up yet and I hesitated, just knowing that if I said "no" somebody would surely throw up. Well, I put Noah and Denver in the bath after dinner (which by the way, was provided by our home teacher--he brought us Boston Market!!!). They were playing around, having a great time. And then, Denver choked on some water. And he's coughing and barking the way you do when you inhale too much water at the pool. And Noah's freaking out because he's sure Denver's gonna barf. And I'm telling Noah to calm down that he's just choking on some water and he's not gonna barf. And Noah's screaming louder and Denver's coughing harder and then. . .BARF! Poor Noah just about passed out. It was only a little upchuck--but that was the end of it for Noah and probably will be for a very long time. It's becoming a daily ritual--throwing up. Someone's gotta do it or I just don't feel complete anymore. Until tomorrow. . . .
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Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Last night on our way home from the train station, Hunter threw up. Mark searched desperately for something for Hunter to throw up in while I drove (okay, sped) through the neighborhood, yelling at Noah to not throw up and stick his nose out the window so he wouldn't smell it. Why is it that the one week I don't blog, nobody gets sick? And then, when I'm ready to hit the keyboard again. . . BARF!!! Anyway, as I pulled Hunter from the slimey mess he asked, "Did you ever have a little boy throwing up in a car before?" And I can't say that I have. I do remember when Nate barfed on the way home from the zoo and it smelled and looked like popcorn. I think it was Nate--could have been Joe or Mel. No wait--Hunter's done this before, but luckily, that time I had some tupperware handy and caught it all! Hurray for Mom! Anyway, the fun continues at our house. I even ate throw up yesterday. It was just one of those kinds of days. And the amazing thing is, I held it down. I should be on Survivor--I mean, if you can hold down someone else's vomit, what can't you stomach?
The weather is looking gray and blah for the next 5 days. So, I'm feeling kinda gray and blah. I need to live somewhere a little bit sunnier. I think I have seasonal depression. I need my fresh air and sunshine. I need to be able to go to parks and have picnics and swimming pool parties and popsicles and beaches and lightning bugs and hammocks. This rainy, cold, stay indoors stuff doesn't work for me. I can only make so many batches of cookies and couch creations before I just want to scream--"get me outta here!" Oh Spring--where are you?
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Monday, March 22, 2004
And the cherry on top was a migraine headace Sunday night! I haven't had a migraine since I was thirteen years old. Anyway, everyone is getting better, slowly. Whatever we got was one nasty cold and I won't miss it one bit.
This weekend the kids said and did a bunch of cute things. Just thought I'd share a few. For those of you that know Noah at all, he loves corn. Absolutely loves the stuff. When he was little, he called it "porn." One oday when we were at the grocery store, he saw a display of canned corn on sale. He immediately started shouting, "Porn! Porn! I want porn!" Since then he's learned to call it corn, thank goodness. Saturday night he went grocery shopping with me and I picked up some frozen corn-on-the- cob to go with our chicken and dumplings. When Noah saw it he got all excited and asked if we were gonna eat that "corn on the hunk!" He loved every bite.
You might not find this next story very funny, but I couldn't stop laughing when this happened. I'm so mean. Noah was in bed with us Friday night, watching TV. Eventually he started dosing off and as he fell asleep, his body jerked--you know, when you get that falling feeling just as you fall asleep. Anyway, when his body jerked, his hand flew up and hit him in the face. He woke up and looked at me (like I had just punched him in the eye) and said, "Ow!" He was so confused. I guess I would be too if I had just fallen asleep and gotten punched in the eye by my mother.
Sunday morning I was working on Mark's computer trying to mark all the pictures he's got that I want. Denver was sitting next to me, watching all the pictures and trying to push the buttons. I got sidetracked for a minute, just long enough for Denver to hit the power button and shut everything down. In frustration I looked at Denver and said, "DENVER. . . ." He then looked up at me, with the most guilty look on his face and said, "Mommy. . . .what?" Ohhhhhh, he's so darn cute.
Friday afternoon, Hunter and I were playing out in the snow when a lady pulled up and asked if she could take some pictures of us building our snowman. She was with "The Citizen" and the "Connecticut Post." I said sure and continued working on my fort that I was building next to the snowman I had already built. Hunter was working on cutting targets into the snowman, so he would have something to aim for when he started throwing snowballs. Well, Hunter cut a little too deep which caused the snowman to come toppling down onto my head. Ugh! The lady wanted to keep taking pictures so I did my best to try and save the poor snowman. And, Hunter continued to chop into the snowman. I asked Hunter what he was doing and he said, "Cutting away parts." And I said, "What parts need cut away?" And he said, "The part I just cut did." He's such a smartie pants.
Hope that made you smile as much as it did me.
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Saturday, March 20, 2004
Last night, on my way to pick Mark up from the train, I had this major urge to go dancing. I really, really wanted to go swing dancing and have someone (Mark) twirl me around and around to loud country music. I also wanted Chinese food. Well, I got the Chinese food but I didn't get the dancing. Instead, I tucked Hunter in bed with another chapter of "Charlie's Monument." Then, the real fun began. Denver's pretty sick. Honestly, I won't be surprised if we end up in the hospital again next weekend. It's just one of those colds I can see going really wrong. He has an ear infection but he just seems more miserable than that. Anyway, as a result of him not feeling so good, he gets upset very easily. And when he gets upset, he cries uncontrollably and because he's so mucousy, he usually ends up, you guessed it. . .throwing up. Now, Noah is a little sensitive to barfing and spent all day yesterday warning me that "Denver is gonna throw up" eveytime Denver seemed the least bit upset. Well, Noah's worst nightmares were realized last night. I was in high demand and both boys wanted me to hold them. It was sort of like Mark was invisible and I was the only adult available for giving attention. I was holding Noah and that made Denver very upset. He began crying uncontrollably and was trying to climb up onto my lap. Just as I lifted him up. . .BARF! This time it wasn't just a little gag. It was the full on mother load! To make a long story short, Mark and I ended up falling asleep on the couch, Noah on my lap. The sink was overflowing with dishes, the floor covered in chinese food Denver threw everywhere. I don't think there was a single room that was really safe to walk in. I coughed all night and Hunter was up with an earache. You know, yesterday at the doctor's office I asked them to check Noah's ear because I "didn't want to come back on Saturday." But I didn't ask him to check Hunter's ears. Why? Why is this happening to me? I had to shovel another 4 inches of very heavy snow yesterday and we aren't gonna reach 50 degrees this next week. Hunter wanted to watch t.v. yesterday instead of playing with me in the snow. Everyone's sick and I think I'm going a little bit crazy.
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Thursday, March 18, 2004
God
Before He sent His children to earth
Gave each of them
A very carefully selected package of problems.
These,
He promised, smiling,
Are yours alone. No one
Else may have the blessings
These problems will bring you.
And only you
Have the special talents and abilities
That will be needed
To make these problems
Your servants.
Now go down to your birth
And to your forgetfulness. Know that
I love you beyond measure.
These problems that I give you
Are a symbol of that love.
The monument you make of your life
With the help of your problems
Will be a symbol of your love for me
Your father.
Okay, okay. Tonight Hunter and I started reading "Charlie's Monument." The last time I read that book was on a trip to Arizona with Mark, long before we had children. It totally made me cry then, it's killing me now. Reading it with Hunter is torture all the way. Just about every other sentence I'm choking back tears. Hunter, Hunter, Hunter. . . .
So, that's where the poem came from and while I totally love it, after a week like this one, I just have to chuckle when I read the part about turning my problems into servants. I'm not exactly sure how to do that. Let's see--today I got thrown up on three times. Denver had poopies overflowing his diaper and then, after I thought he was all clean and started kissing his head, I realized that he still had poop in his hair. Ewwwww! Two of the three boys have fevers. All of them have coughs and are up several times during the night. I'm also sick and can't sleep. Mark got home early but had to go to Kindergarten orientation as soon as he got home--so he really got home late. And, he has to be to work early tomorrow. Sunday was choir so I was on duty all day Sunday too, so I'm sort of burned out. Overtime and sick kids and being sick myself just drains me. I didn't get my night off with Chris because it snowed and we didn't go to playgroup because the kids are contagious. I've already shoveled twice this week and will probably have to do it again tomorrow because they are expecting 4 more inches overnight. It's snowing and it's supposed to be Spring! The house is messy and I can't keep up. Arrrrgggghhhh!
So now then, how do I make that heap o' trouble serve me? I feel more like the servant at this point. And what kind of monument am I building anyway? Right now it probably looks a lot like a giant poopie diaper. Maybe one arm and a twisted body would have been too easy for me. Maybe Heavenly Father knew I would struggle most with the ho-hum of every day life and thus benefit most from being a stay-at-home mother of 3 small children. Just think of all the things I'm learning and will have to offer the world when my boys are all grown. That giant poopie diaper monument is looking better already.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Just ran a bunch of errands today. Went to the bank to order checks, ran to Kohl's to make a return, then went across the street to the grocery store for milk. I have to buy like 5 gallons of milk a week to keep my boys' bones growning strong. Aye-carumba! Then, we hit the post office to mail some packages and pick up some stamps. We had to exchange a toy at ToysRUs for Hunter, and then picked up McDonald's on our way home. The boys ate lunch while I cleaned up the kitchen and cleaned out our freezers. We had to run up to Trumbull to Hunter's eye appointment and then went back to ToysRUs because the toy we exchanged didn't work either. Oh brother! Picked Mark up at the train and got the kids in bed. It's snowing, or it was snowing, a bunch. We'll have to shovel tomorrow. The kids are all sick. Tonight Denver came down with a fever and was acting pretty miserable. Noah's next. I'm not far behind. Ah well. Such is life.
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Monday, March 15, 2004
Today my little Noah is three. It blows my mind how fast he's grown. It doesn't help that his little life has been blurred a little by the addition of Denver and the chaos that came with him. But, there's nothing I'd change--I love them all so terribly much. We've asked Noah for months now what he wanted to do for his birthday and the answer always came back the same--go to the "round and round door hotel." The hotel he is referring to is the Trumbull Marriott which he fell in love with over a year ago when Mom and Dad stayed there for Melanie's wedding. The hotel has a revolving door which Noah thinks is absolutely fascinating, although he's terrified to go through it alone. Anyway, we decided if that's what he really wants, then why not? So, we reserved a room and invited everyone to join us there for pizza and a swim. We met at the hotel around 6:00pm and served up green jello jigglers (Noah's favorite color is green), tossed salad, pizza and soda. The kids were so excited to get to the pool we hardly had time to eat before they were out the door and headed for the pool. We swam for about an hour and a half and had the entire pool to ourselves the entire time (what luck!). Afterwards, we returned to the room for cake and presents. I made a green jello cake for Noah and everyone brought him such nice gifts. Nate and Devanie got him a water gun little-kid style (it was so awesome I went and bought 3 more) and a gardening set, complete with watering can and bucket. All of those toys were a hit at the pool. The Rodriguez family got Noah a pair of walkie talkies which got carried around EVERYWHERE the following day and even picked up several surrounding conversations, which Hunter thought was totally cool. The Canas family handed Noah some money. We took Noah to ToysRUs the following day so he could spend it and all he wanted, out of all those toys, was a green tube of mini M&M's and a little keychain flashlight from MonstersInc. (a favorite movie of Noah's.) But, he went home completely happy. We got Noah a slinky and a bubble gun and a couple of games.
After everyone left, the boys watched "The Cat in the Hat" on t.v. and finally zonked around 11:30pm. I'm not sure of the time, I was exhausted and fell asleep around 10:30 or so. I think everyone had a lot of fun and I'm so glad everyone came to celebrate Noah. Thanks to all of you.
Today, I made Noah some Banana pancakes and stuck a few candles in them and sang "happy birthday." Of course, Hunter and Denver got a candle in their pancakes too. Nothing major. I made them all let me cut their hair and now they are all taking naps. Hunter has a terrible cold and was practically begging me to tuck him in for naptime. A rare occassion in my house, to have all three boys asleep at once. Gotta love that. Tonight for FHE we're reading an article from the "Friend" and playing "Don't Eat Pete" and having fresh peaches and cream for dessert. Again, nothing major--around here it has to be simple. I'll post pictures of the party tonight after everyone has gone to bed. So check out imagestation in the next couple of days. TTFN!
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Saturday, March 13, 2004
Hunter's doctor appointment was ummmm. . .bad. Real bad. I'm never going back. Ever. I hate it! I think I'm gonna change doctors. I knew it wasn't going to be fun when we drove up and found the waiting room all filled up. I was surprised because we didn't end up in the waiting room very long, but the office was buzzing and everyone was hopping. They took us back to a nurses' station and weighed and measured him, took his blood pressure (which Hunter HATES, but they actually managed to sneak it out of him), made him pee in a cup, and tried to do a hearing test but he was "uncooperative." Whatever! Then, we ended up waiting there (ha! They tricked us!) because there weren't any rooms open. The problem with that is trying to keep 3 little kids out of everything that a nurses' station has to offer them. It's not like the waiting room where they have "Shrek" playing on a t.v. and a bunch of toys to play with. We got a room eventually and again, didn't have to wait too long. The doctor came in and between the 3 boys crying and screaming (both angrily and playfully) I could barely hear him. Why didn't I get a babysitter? I never learn. Anyway, he got called out halfway through, so we ended up waiting some more. When he came back, he basically failed me on my "Motherhood Report Card." I hate doctor's appointments involving my kids, especially Hunter. Mark tells me that it's not a report card, but if it isn't, then what is it? They never tell me I'm doing anything good--just "needs improvement" on EVERYTHING! Hunter's in the 90th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height. He got taller, but he also gained weight. So, the doctor was worried about his weight. "Does he eat good? I mean, does he eat a pretty healthy diet? Does he drink milk?" I just wanted to look at him and say, "Nope. I just feed him candy and soda 3 meals a day." Then, of course, of all days, his blood sugar was high and he was "spilling sugar." So the doctor says , "So, how are his blood sugars? He's spilling sugar right now. There aren't any ketones, but. . ." What am I supposed to say to that? "Oh yeah, he's ALWAYS spilling sugar. Is that bad?" Like I'm not killing myself trying to keep this little boy alive. If that wasn't enough, he asked me about Hunter's eyes. I told him that I took him to an optometrist to have a dilated eye exam because diabetes clinic reccommended it and he got glasses then. So the doctor tells me that I really should have taken him to an opthamologist, because they are "doctors" and are better at dilated eye exams than optometrists, especially with him having diabetes and all. And I said, "Is an opthamologist going to do something different during a dilated eye exam than an optometrist would?" And he said, "No, but they are trained better on what to look for with retinopathy and blah, blah, blah." What. . .ever! So, here's my report card so far:
Child's height and weight within reccommended limits: F
Child's blood sugar within normal ranges: F
Child receives proper medical attention from proper medical staff: F
Child brushes own teeth instead of parent doing it for him: F
Child cooperates with medical staff and follows directions: F
Parent uses his/her brain and hires babysitter for other children: F
Child's immunizations up-to-date: A+
Okay, so if that were the end of it, I think I'd be all right, but you know. It's not. Never is. The doctor left, leaving me anything but encouraged and sent in the nurse to administer his last MMR immunization. Next, Hunter had to have his blood drawn because they have to test his tegretol levels and make sure he has enough in him to prevent seizures but not too much, because that would make him sleepy and dizzy. So, we have to wait, again. Long story short--it takes 3 of us to hold Hunter down (one of the nurses is on the table, sitting on his legs) and another to draw his blood (which took 2 tries). Meanwhile, Noah and Denver are screaming and crying and climbing on my legs, trying to get me to hold them. When it was all done, the nurse brought each of the kids a drink of water and then said if she had any alcohol handy, she'd give it to me. At that point, rubbing alcohol probably would have done the trick. Two hours later we were finished. We hit the pharmacy next door to pick up a "treat" for being "so brave" and then went home for lunch.
Mother hangs onto her sanity and patience, despite 3 crying children, for 2 hours straight--A+
Despite being totally exhausted from the doctor's office, Mother pulls off a fun birthday party for other child--A+
Mother gives her all 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no coffee breaks, lunch breaks, vacations, sick days, raises in pay, or bonuses--A+
Mother takes time out of every day to snug child and play with him/her--A+
Mother loves child more than anything else--A+
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Thursday, March 11, 2004
Hunter had an insulin reaction last night and a bad one at that. It was the first reaction that left me in tears before it was finished. He just grabs onto me so tight and screams so hard and there's nothing I can do for him. The first thing he said when it was finished was, "Sorry I'm so sweaty, Daddy." And then, when he realized I was still crying (and he was still holding onto me pretty tight) he said, "Didn't you know I'm hugging you tight, Mommy?" Oh Hunter. My heart breaks for you. Only five years old and you've been through so much. It isn't fair. If only I could take your place.
Turns out something is wrong with the meter we've been using. Mark checked his blood sugar in the middle of the episode and it said he was 259 and then 158. I knew that couldn't be right. I was almost positive it wasn't his epilepsy because he called for me and he was screaming--two things he doesn't do when he's having a seizure. So, I told Mark to "get another meter" and as always, he went running. A juice box, a glucose gel tube and three meters later we had two moe readings--80 and 100. So, obviously, something was wrong with the meter we had been using. This is the second time a Freestyle meter has given us a false reading and led to insulin reactions in Hunter. Yale really pushes the use of Freestyle's meters but I just don't feel confident using them anymore. We had just checked him before we went to bed and even reduced his insulin for the night. It shouldn't have happened.
Anyway, despite the rough night, I got up early and exercised. We had playgroup, went to Wal-mart, ate lunch with a friend, went back to Wal-mart to get some batteries for the glucometer which I forgot the first time around and headed home. Both the big boys fell asleep on the way home so I had some very rare alone time with Denver, which I spent pushing him in the swing and throwing around some balls. Then dinner. I got a pounding headache soon after and fell asleep on the couch as soon as we got home from the train station and I got Denver tucked in bed. Don't remember much after that except the boys taking turns climbing on me, waking me up and Mark telling them to get off and asking why I wouldn't go up to bed. I don't know. Why didn't I? Because I know you are all dying to know what I did today and would be devastated if I didn't do my daily blog. Really. . .I was hoping ER was on tonight. But it's not--just Princess Diana and Michael Jackson. Blah! Noah's birthday party tomorrow and Hunter's 5-year well child exam. They have to draw blood--it's not gonna be a pretty sight. Last time it took the receptionist to hold Denver, another receptionist to entertain Noah, two nurses and myself to hold Hunter and the Lab tech to get the blood. Oh well. He's worth it. They all are--each and every one.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished for one more day with you.
One more day, one more time
One more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still for one more day with you.
First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl
I'd unplug the telephone, keep the tv off
I'd hold you every second
Say a million I love you's
That's what I'd do, with one more day with you.
Today, the country station I listen to was raising funds for Saint Jude's Medical Center, which does a lot of research in cancer. Throughout the day, they played different stories about families and their children's battles with cancer. They played a bunch of great songs in the background and made it really sad and emotional, so they could get lots of money. Anyway, on our way to get Mark, they told a story about a little boy who died of cancer on his sixth birthday and like all the other stories, it was really heart-wrenching. But, the thing that really got me was the song they played in the background, "One More Day" by Diamond Rio.
I spent all day today cleaning the toy room--sorting toys, rebuilding the shelves, and trying to make some sense of the chaos that happens when you have too many toys and not enough space. As a result, I ended up ignoring three very special little people for most of the day. We didn't play much. They had cream of wheat for lunch. And only Denver and Noah managed to sneak a snug out of me.
Well. . .thanks to 92.5 and Saint Jude's, I got a real good reminder today about what really matters most. We never know when we'll be required to say goodbye to someone we love. Every day I need to make sure the ones I love the most know I love them the most, before anything else (and that includes messy toyrooms and dishes and laundry and toilets.) And maybe that way, I won't be left wishing for "one more day" to do the things I never took the time to do with the people I love more than any scrub brush or vacuum cleaner. I love you all!
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Tuesday, March 09, 2004
"True greatness. . .always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time." -Howard W. Hunter
There is something about reading Kathy's blog that makes me wish I was single. And there's something about reading Chris's blog that makes me wish I was more interesting, "more smarter." And there's something about reading Mom's blog that makes me wish I was wiser. And there's something about reading Denise's and Devanie's blog that makes me wish I was a better mom. And there's something about Aaron's blog that makes me wish I was in school again. There's something about Melanie's blog (could it be those cute pictures) that makes me wish my kids were little again. But, I wish they were bigger too. I'm sitting here in the bathroom, for the third time today, waiting for Noah to poop so I can wipe his bottom. About 30% of my life is spent dealing with poop and tinkle. Another 45% is spent on housework. I'm afraid I'll never be caught up on laundry. And didn't I just do the dishes and mop the floor? The toilets, well with so many boys in the house, you can imagine. The house is never completely clean. There is always something that needs done. What does that leave? 25%. That's pretty much spent on the kids, playing gamecube, reading books, building blocks, playing "hi-ho cherry-o," breaking up fights, etc. And of course there is meal preparation. And Hunter's diabetes. And Mark--husbands need attention too. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for me. I guess today I'm feeling a little ho-hum with the "ordinary and mundane tasks" that are supposed to make me "great." When it comes time to blog, all I have to write about is housework and childcare and vomit. That makes for one pretty boring blog. And all of the rest of you have so many interesting things that you are doing. I told Mark the other day that I'm not sure this blogging thing is such a great idea for me. It's one thing to be a boring person and not know it. It's a whole different story when you are a boring person and you know it. I think all of you are so neat. I read all your blogs and I just feel sad that I don't have more interesting things to say. I hope someday to be as neat as the rest of you. Until then, the laundry needs switched, the dishes need done, Noah needs some attention and Denver just woke up from his nap.
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Saturday, March 06, 2004
We spent most of today at home doing not a whole lot of anything. I scrubbed the grout in the kitchen and practiced some songs for Primary. Mark played gamecube and GIJoe with Hunter and practiced his numbers for Stake Choir. It was a nice slow day. Yesterday, Hunter and Noah watched Mr. Rogers who went duckpin bowling with Mr. Mcfeely. For those of you who don't know what duckpin bowling is, it's a mini version of bowling, sort of like putt-putt golf is to real golf. The balls fit in the palm of your hand and the pins are about half the size of regular pins. Anyway, the boys were so intrigued, we decided to let them give it a go. Hunter and Noah both love regular bowling but this is a game they can do all by themselves. Even Denver joined in and started grabbing his own bowling ball and chucking it down the lane. Nate and Devanie and girls joined in and I think all of the kids really had a great time. It was a little bit crazier for us grown-ups, trying to keep 5 kids 5 years old and under within two lanes, especially when there were a lot of buttons to push to reset the lanes and a lot of balls to throw around. Aterwards we ate dinner at Friendly's. Just as crazy but it tasted better. Now it's time for bed. We have an early day tomorrow, in order to make it in time for Jorgito's blessing.
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Friday, March 05, 2004
Okay. . . first things first, all you women looking for something delicious (easy and fast) to make for dinner. Try this! Mark threw some pork chops in a marinade Wednesday night when I was sick and then stuck them in the fridge for later. I'm not big on meat, besides chicken and ground beef. Mark knows if he wants it, he's gotta cook it. Well, he cooked it up tonight and Oh My Goodness! Delicious! And sooooo simple! And fast! Plus, I bet you have all the ingredients in your kitchen already, except maybe for the pork chops.
Honey-Orange Pork Chops
1/4 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Trim fat from chops. (Mark rolled them in salt and pepper.) For marinade, in a shallow baking dish combine everything else, except the cornstarch. Add meat, turning to coat. Cover, mainate in the refigerator for 6-24 hours (we did 48, because I was too sick to eat on Thursday night), turning once.
Remove meat from marinade, reserving marinade. Place meat on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4-5 inches from the heat for 12-14 minutes or till no pink remains, turning once.
Transfer marinade to a saucepan. Stir in cornstarch. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Pass with chops.
The meat was so moist and tender. It really was simple and so delicious. And I don't even like pork chops. You could even make the marinade and freeze the chops in the marinade. Then, when you want it, you could just throw the bag in the fridge and let it marinate while it thaws and have it ready to cook when you get home from a busy day at the spa! Fantastic!
Today was another day spent cleaning and scrubbing. The house has really suffered since the kids have been so sick, as well as myself. Stomach flu makes for a lot of laundry and a lot of mess. Today I decided enough was enough--it was time to tidy up the house once and for all. So, I did. Almost. Melanie stopped by to drop me off a little surprise--a sample of the new birth control patch from Dr. Servetas. I realized this week that when you are vomiting and nauseated, swallowing a pill isn't the easiest thing to do. And, contrary to popular opinion, Shana doesn't want another baby right away. So, I thought, "Hey! Birth control patch!" And Melanie thought, "Hey! I see Dr. Servetas on Friday. I'll get us some!" And she did! So, she stopped by and I got a little distracted from my cleaning. You know, cute little baby and all. She wasn't going to stay but I convinced her to stay long enough for me to make a hand cast of her holding Jorgito's hand. Then, she smelled the bran muffins and decided to stay for lunch. And then, we got her to stay and play gamecube with us. And then, I had to hold the baby one more time. She ended up staying almost 4 hours and we loved every minute of it. Noah especially loved holding the baby but he does NOT want another one at our house because "we have Denver!"
Anyway, I managed to clean some bathrooms, fold some laundry, wash some laundry, vacuum some cobwebs and wash some dishes despite the happy distraction. Tonight we had to pick up some cheesy domino's dots to satisfy a craving I've had since I was sick and while we were waiting, we had to see if Dairy Queen was open and because it was, I had to get a blizzard. Then, because KBToys was having a 3 hour 20% off sale, we had to stop by and spend some of Mark's "Night on the Town" award money. So we got a few gamecube games and Mark got a couple of GIJoe's.
Now, I know this blog is going on a bit, but since it's taking the place of my journal, I have some words of wisdom to share. Mostly, it's just something I thought about today and something I need to remember a little more often. And, this is a good way to do it. Today, I spent most of my time cleaning. And, at the end of the day I felt sad because poor Noah and Denver were obviously starved for some attention. And I was grumpy and I knew that was the last thing Mark wanted to come home to. That made me think of a story Melody Hoggan shared with me about a year or so ago. She saw an interview with Joan Collins (I think!) on t.v. and they asked her about her marriage and why she thought it fell apart. Joan said something like this, "You know, while we were married, I killed myself trying to keep the house clean and cook good meals and look good. And do you know what he did? He left me for a woman who didn't know how to clean. Instead, he hired her a maid. And she didn't know how to cook. So they hired a chef. He just got bored with me and the clean house." The lesson she learned (and the lesson that I learned in my marriage classes but forgot) is that, we fall in love with people because of how they make us feel, not for how we look or what we can or cannot do. Anyone can hire a maid or a cook or even a babysitter for that matter. But no one can hire a friend, especially a best friend. Clean houses are nice. Good meals are nice too. Looking good is even better. BUT, being a good friend, a loving mother and an interesting person is priceless and irreplacible and the best thing of all. I need to do better about that myself. Mark and I talk a lot about clean toilets and poopie diapers and I'm not the greatest mother when there's housework to be done. Maybe I'll read a book this week , build a lego mansion with the kids and forget about the toilets.
Okay, so wanna learn something new, quick, just so you have something interesting to talk about over your delicious pork dinner? Some nursery school children in Somerset, England found a three-headed frog, complete with three croaking heads and six working legs! Fascinating! You can read more about it at www.drudgereport.com. TTFN!
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Thursday, March 04, 2004
 Not a whole lot to report today. Had to cancel on playgroup and girls' night out because I've been feeling sick to my stomach all day. Ran to the grocery store, played with the kids and finally got the kitchen cleaned up. Now three more rooms have fallen apart. Guess I spent too long on the kitchen. Had Pasta Roni for dinner. That's about it. Good-bye! Love you! Buh-bye!
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Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Okay, so I've fallen behind in the last couple of days. Sorry. We're still sick. Just when I think we're better. . .wrong! Monday afternoon, Noah decided to get stomach flu. He threw up all night until he zonked for the night. Denver, who was far too curious about what was coming out of Noah's mouth, got a little too close to the barf bucket and he also started throwing up all over. I was the lucky recipient of the barf that day and was covered from head to foot in puke. Poor Hunter, who "hates people who throw up" kept running out of the room and I kept calling him back to bring the bucket or bring the wipes. Tuesday, I thought for sure we were in the clear. We picked Mark up at the train around 7:20p.m. Mark carried Denver in because I was carrying a sound asleep Noah. Just as we reached the back door, Denver threw up again--this time Mark was on the receiving end and was covered in the french toast Denver had just eaten for dinner.  How much longer can this go on? Well, this morning around 4:00a.m. I started having dreams that all these people were offering me food and I was turning it down because I felt sick to my stomach. When I finally woke up, around 5:00a.m. I really did feel sick to my stomach and by 9:00a.m. I was totally miserable with some kind of stomach/flu thing. Mark, wonderful husband that he is, hurried home from work and saved the day for all of us. He played with Noah, picked Hunter up from preschool, took the boys to McDonald's, played with them outside and even took them to the beach! (Check out pictures on imagestation) All while I laid in bed feeling like an 18-wheeler ran me over. I'm feeling almost all better and knock on wood, no one has thrown up today. Hopefully we've seen the last of it but then again, Mark and Hunter have yet to be sick. We shall see.  Other than that, we've had absolutely gorgeous weather this week and have spent several hours playing outside, enjoying the fresh air. I tried getting the boys to go for a walk/bike ride the other day, which ended up with me shouting and being extremely frustrated and the boys being traumatized for life. Noah may never ride a tricycle again. Both boys just sat on their bikes and whined and whined about how they couldn't push the pedals and their legs hurt and the pathetic thing was--we hadn't even gone 1/2 a block. So much for exercise--I wasn't very happy or nice about it. They ended up sitting on the swings while I ran from kid to kid, trying to keep all three swings going at once. At least one of us got a work out--probably the one who needs it the most anyway. And, my big project for the winter has been some serious declutterring. I actually got through a good part of the basement and we can now walk around down there without risking our lives. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to continue and spend some more time outside with the boys. Adios!
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