Friday, April 30, 2010

Five Hours of Fun...


Today was a beautiful spring day. So we spent five hours outside playing.

FIVE.

Five hours of chasing down boys when they didn't listen. Five hours of giving high fives to them when they did listen. Five hours of pushing Amelia on the swing, of helping everyone go up and down the slide, of running around the driveway chasing ride-on toys and runaway balls, and five hours of playing tag, tackle and tickle.

We even ate lunch outside at the kids' picnic table. Although it was less of a lunch and more of a free-for-all. Alex ate the grapes off everyone's plates. Amelia gave away her cheese. Isaac hoarded the bread and butter and Sam devoured most of the chicken. I found a lot of carrots on the ground, so apparently veggies are for the squirrels.

Then Amelia taught her brothers how to do this:


Alex can climb all the way to the top of the slide by himself. I don't need that kind of help.

Somehow even with all that activity, the kids didn't have one of their best bedtimes. Their mommy, on the other hand, could have fallen asleep standing up in the middle of the L.A. freeway. But after a rough hour everyone was snoring deeply.

So now, if you'll excuse me, five hours of outside fun (and it was fun!) have caught up with me and I must fall exhausted into my bed so we can do it all again tomorrow.

Provided I can pry the top off the ibuprofen.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Feeling Like The Lunch Lady?


Today while Amelia was in preschool I took the boys to the local library for the baby story time. We met a mom of twin boys who are just a couple weeks younger than the boys.

As we were chatting she asked what kinds of things the boys like to eat these days. Then she sighed and said, "I just feel like I serve them the same things all the time."

I laughed and assured her that every mom feels like that.

I often feel like the school lunch ladies I grew up with. They served the same dozen or so meals over and over. Monday? Tater tot hot dish. Wednesday? Hamburgers. Friday? Must be pizza day! I'll bet the lunch ladies got bored with the predictability of it, too.

So let's shake it up a bit. Swap some ideas. Your "same old things" might be new to me! What do you feed your kids? (Suzy, I'm hoping you'll post your rice pudding recipe!)

As for us, right now at almost 19 months, my boys like avocado, peas, sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, blueberries (they LOVE blueberries!), chicken, scrambled eggs with cheese and broccoli, rice, and noodles of any kind including spinach ravioli -- especially with red sauce. They are crazy about bananas, eating 14 in 48 hours recently. The boys also like hot dogs (I buy nitrate-free turkey dogs), hummus and asparagus, too.

My theory is that the more different foods I feed my kids now, the more likely they are to enjoy a wide variety of foods as they get older. It has worked pretty well with Amelia, who loves red peppers and eats guacamole and asparagus without protest.

Plus the sooner everyone eats the same thing, the better off I will be, since I'm the one cooking! Amelia almost always eats what Jeff and I eat, and I've been starting to try the boys out on some dishes. The other night I made jambalaya and pulled some out for the kids before I added all the heat to it. I was thrilled when everyone ate it! 

So, how about you? What do your kids eat? What are some of your favorite meals and snacks? Do tell. We're all ears!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wordful Wednesday: Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there lived a fairy princess named Amelia.


She had three loyal subjects.

A cowboy named Alex:


An angel named Sam:


And a very put-upon "lady-in-waiting" named Isaac:


They all lived happily together...

at least until the loyal subjects got old enough to protest!

Amelia (3), Alex, Sam and Isaac (8 mos.) ~ June 2009

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:


Or you can go Way Back When at Twinsanity.

 
© Trippin' Mama 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Time to Stop and Think


Today I happened to glance at the obituaries and one caught my eye. It was for a 34-year-old woman who died after a 21-month battle with breast cancer. Her children are 4 1/2 and 20 months.

It stopped me in my tracks.

I know young people die all the time, but her kids are about the same ages as my kids. And all I could think about was what her 4 1/2 year old would remember about Mom, and if her 20 month old would remember her at all.

If you died today, what would your kids remember about you?


Would they remember you yelling? Demanding? Hurrying them along constantly?

Or would they remember you talking to them? Teaching them? Letting them go at their own pace when possible?

It is so easy to get impatient with our kids. It takes less time to yell than it does to get down on their level and explain and redirect. It's easier to stem the flow of questions than to answer "why" a million times, even looking up answers you don't know. It's hard not to think about the thousands of other things we could, and maybe even should, be doing instead of joining our kids in living in the moment.

But I know how I would rather be remembered.

It's not about throwing discipline out the window or not hurrying my kids along when necessary. It's about going the extra mile to be the mom I really want to be. The mom I want my kids to remember, whether I die tomorrow or live to be 100.

So today I focused on laughing with my boys. There were still lots of time outs for climbing, but there were books and giggles at lunch instead of Mom cleaning while the boys ate. There was plenty of time outside and lots of trips down the slide -- long after I was worn out.


Then tonight I took Amelia to the park after the boys were bathed and in their pajamas. We played and laughed and lived in the moment. It was reenergizing.

And we'll be doing a lot more living in the moment and connecting with our kids.

Because no matter how many years we get on this earth, life is still too short.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Monday, April 26, 2010

Musical Beds


Whew! We were cruising along and about 10:30 p.m. all heck broke loose! Isaac woke up needing a clean diaper, then Sam started in and then Amelia woke up with a painful ear. Yikes.

So we played musical beds. Sam moved to exile, Daddy laid down with Amelia, I put Isaac in the playpen in our room and headed for the couch.

Alex is sleeping peacefully in the nursery earning the college fund. (We always tell the kids there's only one college fund and whoever sleeps the best gets it!)

Oh, and there goes Sam again. I wonder what has gotten into everyone around here!

Signing out for the night...

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Who Needs Toys Redux


Those jumbo boxes of diapers sure come in handy on rainy days!

Alex, Isaac and Sam: Ride 'em cowboys!

Sam, Isaac and Alex played with these cardboard boxes for about two hours the other day.

Of course, I spent the entire time telling them to sit down and not stand on the boxes, but it was worth it. They had a blast.


Look! Something new to stand on!


Sometimes it's the simplest things in life that bring us the most joy, isn't it?

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Two More First Haircuts *Sniff, sniff*


Sam and Alex had their first haircuts yesterday. They both did great.

Surprisingly, Sam, who cried all the way through Isaac's last haircut, never made a peep. Alex was far more upset about the experience, but even he cooperated and did pretty well.

Sam surprised us all by taking his haircut in stride.


Alex tries to get away.

I am happy to report that Sam still has some curls and PLENTY of red hair. (I just couldn't bear to get it cut too short!)

Sam checks out his new 'do.

Alex had the biggest transformation, even though he had less hair to cut. Once the stylist cleaned the hair over the ears and got rid of the start of the mullet he had, he really looked like a big boy.

Hey! What did you guys do to my hair?

Isaac hung out and watched his brothers take their turns. He's had three haircuts already, so this is old hat to him.

Amelia was very interested in helping and asked more than once if she could cut the brothers' hair. We strongly discouraged that idea, but now I have something new to worry about!

Amelia "helps" her brothers get their hair cut.

Another rite of passage for my babies has come and gone. They are growing up so fast!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010

Wheels Are Wheels, Mom!


The other day one of Amelia's friends from the neighborhood came to play. She brought her Barbie Jeep, which Amelia loves to drive around our yard.

It wasn't long, though, before the boys ousted the girls and took over. They didn't drive it, of course, but they had a great time sitting in it and pretending to drive. Pink and purple wheels are still wheels, after all!

Alex, Isaac and Sam are stylin' in the Barbie Jeep!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Sam Fights Sleep


My Sam is the sweetest boy. He also has the kind of temper that gives redheads a bad rap. Seriously, he has a scream that can make dogs howl three counties over.

Looking so innocent and sweet!

Ever since his last bout of illness, Sam has decided that he does not want to go to sleep. Not at naptime. Not at nighttime.

When we put him down, he pops back up and SCREAMS. And he's not afraid to demonstrate his stamina, either.

We'll tell Sam that it is bedtime and he will look right at us and grin while he shakes his head and says "No," very sweetly. Check him out:


It's really pretty funny, but it would be funnier if it weren't so frustrating.

On the plus side, we have other children in the house who need to sleep, so Jeff and I have been trying to ease Sam back into a better bedtime by rocking him for a few minutes before putting him down.

That is a joy.

We've never spent much time rocking the boys before bedtime. With three, we just can't. Sure, everyone gets a chance now and then, but it's the exception, not the rule as it was with Amelia.

And I miss rocking sleepy little ones. It's a peaceful way to bring a busy day to a close.

I'll be grateful when Sam gets back in the groove of lying down with his brothers and going to sleep without shattering eardrums. But in the meantime I'm enjoying this rare chance to hold him in my arms and hum a few lullabies to help him drift off to dreamland. 

Mama's Losin' It

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wordful Wednesday: There Goes My Good Name


Now that the weather is nice we're almost always playing outside when Daddy comes home. So when we go out after nap the boys know Daddy will be there soon. Every time a car goes by they all yell, "Daddy!"

I spend a lot of time saying, "No, that's not Daddy," because apparently we can't yet distinguish the differences between vehicles.

Alex, Isaac and Sam take a break on the driveway.
 
This led to an awkward situation the other day when our regular mailman was gone. We had a substitute, and he sat in his truck right across the street from our driveway for about 20 minutes, probably sorting mail since he was unfamiliar with the route.

My boys spent the ENTIRE 20 minutes pointing at the mail truck and yelling, "Daddy!"

Quiet boys. You'll ruin Mommy's reputation.

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:


© Trippin' Mama 2010

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Toss A New Flavor: Fruit and Broccoli Slaw


Now that the weather is warming up, I find myself pulling out all kinds of recipes I haven't made in a while. Move over soups and stews, it's time for salads and steaks!

This five-ingredient salad is fast, delicious and just different enough to stand out at your next barbecue. I love to make it with Marzetti's Ginger Mango Vinaigrette, but no one around here carries it anymore. So sad! I've even been tempted to order it online, because it's that good.

If you can't find the ginger mango dressing, you might try a citrus balsamic vinaigrette instead. I've used a peach balsamic that's delish. If you try this with a bottled dressing you like, let me know, won't you?

Be sure to use a good eating apple, not something too tart. I like Galas, Fujis, or even Braeburns. Steer clear of Red Delicious (tastes like sawdust, not apples!) and Granny Smith (too tart). And if you don't want to chop and toast your own nuts, you can find them prepared and packaged with the salad toppings. Just open the bag and you're ready to roll. See? This easy recipe just got even easier.

Here's the recipe:

Fruit and Broccoli Slaw
1 16-ounce package broccoli slaw
2 cups seedless red and/or green grapes, halved
2 medium apples (i.e. Gala, Fuji, Braeburn), cored and chopped
2/3 cup bottled citrus salad dressing (Marzetti's Ginger Mango)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

In a large bowl combine broccoli slaw, grapes and apples. Between 15 minutes and an hour before you'd like to serve the salad, pour dressing over broccoli slaw mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill. Before serving sprinkle with nuts and toss again.

Enjoy!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Monday, April 19, 2010

"Hoarders" Here I Come

First let me say that I truly, truly appreciate all of the people who think of us when they have kids' clothes and toys that they are ready to pass along.

However, thanks to others' spring cleaning and generosity, my living room is ready to be featured on an episode of Hoarders. Seriously. My odds of getting crushed to death or losing small child in the clothes in my house have tripled in the past week.

I would show you pictures, but I'm too embarrassed. Or I can't find my camera. Your choice. This blog is a democracy after all.

(OK, it's not. A benevolent dictatorship, perhaps. Though if you all want to vote for something or prod me to do a particular post, feel free. I might just be feeling benevolent. *grin*)

Anyway, in between episodes of sick children I have been sorting through clothes and trying to organize them. I have given up on sorting by season AND size and just gone straight to size. When my guys outgrow what fits now I'll dig out the next size up and go from there. It's the fastest way to get a handle on this pile.

I could put the next size up in our closets, but after I recently sold clothes at the multiples sale, I used all of our extra closet space to hold all of the clothes I'll be selling in the fall and next spring. It all has to be on hangers, so I'm trying to save myself some time and effort down the road.

So, I've stored everything in my new favorite item: the Space Bag! Well, bags, in my case. But they take up way less room than storage totes and fit under beds, under the futon in the basement, on high closet shelves. Why they even make a nifty coffee table! (Kidding about that last one, but I've been tempted.)

I can stack several bags in the space one storage tote would take up. Plus, I can open them, empty them, fill them up with different sizes and use them over and over. Definitely worth the money.

I'm hoping that the fact that I own the Space Bags offsets the potential to be viewed as a hoarder. It does, right? Right?

If you don't hear from me for a couple of days, send help. Just tell them to look under the piles of clothes in my living room.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Look, Mom!

Amelia had a bottle of water in the van today when we were running errands. Suddenly she says, "Mom, can I put water in my mouth and then spit it out like a sprinkler?"

What?!

"No, not in the van, but thank you for asking first. You can do it when we get home."

When I asked Amelia where she got that idea she responded, "Out of my head."

OK, girl, that does worry me a little. Who knows what you'll think up next!

As soon as we got home Amelia was out of the van "sprinkling" the driveway. Check it out:


This was followed by a lengthy discussion about how she was a "jumpy" sprinkler, and not one of those that "goes and goes."

Over-analyze much?

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Life's A Circus

Today I've got a guest post up over at Seven Clown Circus. Be sure to stop by Angie's to read all about which earrings go perfectly with holey sweatpants. Feel free to join the debate about whether or not we can wear Spanx with a swimsuit.

If you're stopping by from Seven Clown Circus, welcome. Sorry I didn't have time to dust. Or pick the kids' breakfast off the floor. Around here you just have to accept us as we are!

Some of my favorite posts are listed on the left side of the page. If you've only got a minute I suggest you check out Was That Gucci? and How Do You Steer This Thing? The Gucci post involves haute couture and vomit. The second is a video of me on the day I delivered my boys -- all 16 1/2 pounds of them -- at 36 weeks and 3 days. It's guaranteed to make you feel skinny!

Thanks for stopping by,

Christy

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Friday, April 16, 2010

Hi. My Name Is Mom.

Today Jeff and I took Alex and Isaac to the doctor's office.

Yes, the plague continues. Two weeks and counting. Feel free to debate which is the lesser of two evils: one sick child at a time stretching into eternity and Mommy slowly going off the deep end, or everyone sick at once so the house becomes a pit of wailing misery and Mommy flipping out fast. I have yet to decide which method of torture I prefer.

I walked up to the window with Isaac in my arms, and the receptionist said, "Name?"

I paused for a couple beats. Not because I didn't remember my name, though there have been those days, but because they always know who I am in the doctor's office. And this wasn't a new receptionist.

I told her my name and she did a double take. "Oh, I didn't recognize you without the triplets!"

The triplets! Of course! This season's hottest fashion accessory. All the rage on the runways in Paris. (Now that's a gig for one of those modeling reality shows that I'd really like to see!)

True, I usually show up there with a can't-miss-it stroller full of children, so I understand her confusion.


But it was a little reality check, too. Because that's what it comes down to, doesn't it? I have become "The Triplet Mom."

I used to have a name all my own. Most days I can even recall it.

One of the great secrets of motherhood is that you'd better make sure you love your kids' names, because their names will become your name, too. First I became "Mom." And before my first child could even talk I became "Amelia's Mom." And now I'm "The Triplet Mom."

I'll wear those titles proudly for now. I just hope that when my kids are grown I can still remember my real name.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The World's Blackest Banana

The other day I took Jeff's car to run a couple of errands. On the floor of the passenger side, I found this:


That is a banana. A very, very black banana.

Seriously, have you ever seen a banana so black in your entire life?
In addition to being uniformly as black as pitch, it was somewhat melted on one side. Ewww!

Jeff's explanation for this was that he grabbed the banana that morning, but left it in the car all day. It was warm here, about 80 degrees, which meant the car was probably more than 100 degrees. So apparently what we have here is a perfectly cooked banana.

All we need is a little rum and ice cream and we could have Bananas Foster!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

One Foot in Front of the Other

When I was growing up, all of us kids knew better than to say we were so sick we couldn't get out of bed. If we complained about not feeling well, Mom or Dad would always say, "Just get up and get ready. You'll probably feel better."

They were right about 95 percent of the time. Even if I didn't feel great after getting ready for the day, I usually felt good enough to head out the door.

Turns out that was a good lesson for life in general, and motherhood in particular.

I learned to get up and get over it: headaches, colds, hangovers (only once or twice, Mom, I swear), sore throats and more. I won't take a fever or vomiting out into the world, but I learned to overcome pretty much anything else.

That lesson made me a reliable employee, and it helps me cope with motherhood, where sick time is in short supply!

On days like today when I feel lousy, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I narrow my focus to the mission critical items and take them one at a time. And I pray for naptime to come and for Daddy to come home.

True, we might have gone a little longer between diaper changes. The food on the floor might have gotten kicked under the chairs a few times instead of being swept up. (OK, OK, so sometimes I do that even when I don't feel lousy.) And the boys may have gone down early for their nap so Mommy could rest, but we got through the day.

Oh, and can I just say thank heavens for Sesame Street and Elmo? As annoying as that little red Muppet might be, he and his friends kept my boys quiet and entertained for almost an hour today. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jim Henson. You should be sainted.

Here's to a better tomorrow.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Spring or Summer?

The calendar says it is spring, but here's a surefire sign that summer is already here.


Skinned knees!

Throw in some sandals, the smell of sunscreen, and a little sand all over my kitchen floor and who can argue with that? Bring on summertime!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Monday, April 12, 2010

Lonely

I knew it was coming: The day when Amelia realized that her brothers had each other and she was alone.

Just yesterday I looked out at her playing on the swing in the backyard by herself and said to Jeff, "I know this is crazy, but I wish Amelia had been a twin."


Then today, we had a play date planned and Amelia's friend got sick so they had to cancel. We walked down the street to a neighbor's house to see if they wanted to play, but no one was around.

As we walked home, a very disappointed Amelia asked, "Mom, who am I going to play with?" She gestured at her brothers in the stroller and said, "They all have a friend, but I don't have anyone."

My heart broke for her.

I told her that her brothers were her friends, too, and we could all play together, but even as I said it I knew it just wasn't the same.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant with the triplets I hoped that I would have a girl. I wanted Amelia to have a sister, and I thought it would help offset the feeling of being odd one out.

Clearly, that didn't happen, and that's OK. I know that Amelia and her brothers will love each other fiercely and be good playmates as they get a little older. But I also appreciate her need to have someone her age and gender to play with.

Fortunately we live in a neighborhood with several little girls Amelia's age, so playmates aren't usually hard to find. And getting her together with friends will be easier as everyone gets a little older. But it doesn't change the fact that day in and day out, Amelia will never have a built-in buddy like the boys have.

But she'll always have three adoring brothers, and that's pretty good, too.




 
© Trippin' Mama 2010

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Monkeys Visit the Zoo

Today we took Amelia, Sam, Isaac and Alex to the zoo. It was a perfect day for it, a little cool in the morning, but nice and warm by noon. We all had a great time. The boys were troopers about hanging out in the stroller for almost three hours until we turned them loose on the playground after lunch. They wore themselves (and us!) out pretty quickly.  

Our first stop of the day was the monkey exhibit. It sounded a lot like our house at feeding time supper time. The monkeys were whooping loudly and swinging all over the place. Here's what happened when our monkeys saw the REAL monkeys.


Everyone loved the dolphin show and the baby goats. Then there was the rhino exhibit. Usually the rhinos just lay there looking like boulders, but since it was cool and early in the day they were moving around.

"Mom, they are soooo big!"

While Amelia and Daddy took a closer look at the rhinos, I read the information posted. I was particularly interested in this:


Sixteen months of pregnancy, 140 pounds of baby (just one, though!). Sounds pretty brutal, but then there's the trade off: "Time with mother - 3-4 years."

There are days when that might just be a deal I'd be willing to make.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Saturday, April 10, 2010

It's All About the Hair

This morning Isaac woke up with a pretty serious case of bedhead.


Amelia decided that she should fix it. She ran off to the bathroom and came back with a comb. Isaac sat pretty patiently for her, though his hair was not nearly as cooperative.

As Amelia was fixing Isaac's hair, Sam came over and sat down. He kept repeating, "Next, next." So, after she finished the hopeless battle with Isaac's cowlicks she combed Sam's curly locks.

Of course Alex couldn't miss out on the fun, so he sat down for his turn, too, though he was more interested in taking the comb from her than having his hair combed.


Seems Amelia isn't the only one who likes to play beauty parlor!
© Trippin' Mama 2010

Friday, April 9, 2010

Caught!

This morning I heard Sam screaming in the playroom.


I went to investigate and found Isaac holding two fistfuls of Sam's hair...which were no longer attached to Sam's head.


Talk about getting caught red-handed.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Lessons from Easter

The other day as we were coming home from preschool, Amelia and I had this conversation.

Amelia: "One of my little friends (that's code for her imaginary friends) gotted dead, Mom."

Me: "She died? What happened?"

Amelia: "I don't know. She just died-ed."

Long pause

Amelia: "But it's OK. She's going to come alive again on Easter Sunday just like Jesus."

Wow. I guess she was paying attention as we tried to teach her about the real meaning of Easter.

Yes, the Easter bunny visited our house and filled our Easter baskets with treats. We colored Easter eggs and ate too much chocolate. (Well, only the grownup and Amelia. Wait until we have to color eggs with four little helpers next year!)


But we also talked about how Jesus died for our sins and then came back to life.

These Resurrection Eggs from Family Life were a big help in teaching Amelia about Easter.


Each egg holds a symbol that tells part of the Easter story, from the cup Jesus shared with His disciples to the crown of thorns the soldiers placed on His head.


Each page of the book tells you which egg to open and then explains the item inside.


Amelia loved opening the eggs as we read the story. She asked lots of hard questions, and we sometimes we struggled to answer them. But she clearly understood a lot, too.

I bought my Resurrection Eggs after Easter last year. They were on clearance at a local superstore, so now is the time to look for them.

I know that next year Amelia will look forward to getting out the Resurrection Eggs almost as much as she looks forward to coloring Easter eggs and sharing her candy with her mama. Perhaps by then we will have found a way to explain that everyone who "dies-es" doesn't come back to life on Easter Sunday.

Note: I'm just a happy customer here. No one provided me with any incentives to write this post. 

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A Taste of Spring: Penne with Asparagus, Spinach and Bacon

It's spring and that means asparagus. Yum! For Easter we had roasted asparagus. It's one of my favorite ways to prepare those delicious little spears.

Roasting asparagus is easy. Just arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt and a touch of garlic. Stick it in a 450 degree oven and roast for seven minutes. If the spears are a little thick it might take a minute or two longer, but don't overcook it! It should be tender but still crisp.

Another of my favorite ways to serve up asparagus is in this pasta dish. The recipe originally came from Cooking Light, and I love that it's fast and easy to prepare. You can have it on the table even faster if you saute your onion in a little olive oil and stir in crumbled pre-cooked bacon or bacon pieces at the end. (No Bacos allowed!)

Penne with Asparagus, Spinach and Bacon
8 oz. uncooked penne
2 bacon slices
1/2 C. chopped sweet onion
2 1/2 C. sliced asparagus (about 1 lb.)
1 1/2 C. chicken broth
4 C. baby spinach leaves
1/2 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Cook pasta. Drain and keep warm. Cook bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Add onion to bacon drippings. Saute 1 minute. Add asparagus and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 C. cheese and pepper to pan. Toss well. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Pestilence, Round II

Seems the only one to succumb to Sam's sore throat (so far, anyway) is...me.

So forgive me for not blogging, but instead taking three ibuprofen and slipping off to bed where I will pray fervently that Sam sleeps all night so his mama can, too. No need for us to commiserate in the wee hours, buddy. There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

It occurs to me that losing my voice now in the midst of the great climbing act the boys are perfecting could be pretty tricky. Guess I'll add one more prayer to my list tonight.

Peace out.

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Monday, April 5, 2010

Update on the Pestilence and Boils

Sam's fever reared its ugly head at 2:30 this morning, so I took him to the doctor today. He has a nasty throat infection. Fortunately it's not strep, but unfortunately that means it's viral and all we can do is give him Tylenol, push the fluids and hold him, hold him, hold him.

The doc said the infection should run its course in three to five days, and we're already on day three. Sam did seem much more himself this evening. Hopefully morning brings a much happier child, preferably one who slept all night!



I also told the doc about Amelia's boil, so he prescribed an antibiotic for her to help clear that up. Even though I cleaned it out again this morning (one of the grossest things I've ever done, by the way) it still looked pretty nasty tonight. We'll give the antibiotic a couple days to work and then see where we are.

I haven't seen any locusts around my house lately, but I bought a little Raid just in case. No sense taking chances!
© Trippin' Mama 2010

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Nothing Says Happy Easter Like A Sick Kid

It was a true family holiday here. We had family in from out of town, so of course one of the kids got sick. Thankfully it was only one.

Sam threw up once on Saturday and once on Sunday. Saturday that seemed to really make him feel a whole lot better, and the rest of the day was pretty good until he started to run a fever at bedtime. He had a rough night. He finally managed to get a couple hours of sleep snuggled in our bed, but he clearly just didn't feel well.

Today Sam's fever spiked to 103.3, but I was able to bring it down with a bath and some Tylenol. His fever broke about bedtime, but then he wanted to eat and play, so bedtime was a lo-o-ong time in coming.

Add a boil (poor Amelia) to our disease and it was a regular party around here! Throw in a little pestilence and we would have been celebrating in Biblical style.

Actually, it was a pretty good day since Sam didn't care who held him, as long as someone held him. And we had plenty of arms available. Thanks to good planning we ate Easter dinner while the boys were down for a nap, so we were able to eat the food while it was hot and stay at the table until we were finished. That's a real luxury for us. 

I have pictures of our Easter to share, but right now I have to catch some shut eye to make up for last night. Hopefully Sam will sleep well now that the fever seems to have ended.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, too, sans the plagues.
© Trippin' Mama 2010

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Kissy, Kissy

As we prepare to celebrate Easter, how about another episode of "Brotherly Love"?



I hope Easter brings you much joy!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Friday, April 2, 2010

Springtime in the Garden

There is no better way to celebrate spring than to plant the garden. Aunt Judy and Amelia took on the task together on this beautiful day.

The photos really speak for themselves, so for a change I will let them. Enjoy!


© Trippin' Mama 2010

Thursday, April 1, 2010

One of the Best Jokes

Note: Some names (*) have been changed to protect the innocent. Others have not, since there were some not-so-innocent people involved, too!


The year was 199x. (Take a guess if you really want to.) I was finishing my final semester of college with a rigorous 12 credit hours, two of which were required phys ed classes and three of which were a freshman-level requirement that I had just never gotten around to taking.
I was engaged to Jeff, and we were planning a June wedding.

Since I was coasting through the semester and had some extra expenses coming up with the wedding, I took a job in one of the offices on campus. One beautiful spring day a delivery guy walked into the office with flowers. It was a random day, so I never expected them to be for me, but they were!

All the office ladies gathered around to admire the flowers. They were oohing and aahing and commenting on how sweet it was for my fiancé to send flowers.

Then I opened the card.

It read: "There's still time. Love, John*"

What? John? The card is supposed to say Jeff!

I practically shouted, "These are from the wrong guy!"

With that everyone gathered around my desk magically disappeared into their own offices and cubicles.

John was a casual acquaintance who had made it clear many a time that he'd like to be more than that, even though I was in a serious relationship. Most memorably, we had a very awkward conversation where he actually used the phrase, "I think it's time we elevate our relationship to a new plane."

Relationship? New plane? We were barely even friends. And unless you're talking about boarding that plane and heading out, I just don't even know how to respond to that.

But John was one of those somewhat socially awkward people and I always felt a little sorry for him. I was always politely friendly because, really, who wants to be the mean girl? I think deep down even the mean girls don't really want to be mean. And we had mutual friends, so it was easier to just be friendly.

Nonetheless, he didn't read signals well. Or, apparently, understand English since I had told him in no uncertain terms that I was only interested in being friends. And then I got engaged to someone else, which I thought was about as clear as I could get.

Anyway, as soon as I was done with work I ran for the nearest phone. I called my friend Margaret. (She's one of the not-so-innocents in this story. Love you, Mags!) In a panicked voice I told her what happened. She gave nothing away as she listened and "Ohmigoshed!"

I got off the phone and headed for class. On my way, I ran into my friend Chris (also not innocent). I grabbed him, and still panicking about how horribly awkward this was going to be, I told him the same story.

As it turns out, Chris is not a good liar. He said the right things, but he had a funny look on his face. I didn't put it together while we were talking, but after I walked away I realized it must have been a joke.

And it was a good one! Put me in tailspin for a good hour until Chris gave it away.

Turns out Margaret was the mastermind. Which wasn't really a surprise.

It was one of the best jokes anyone has ever pulled on me.

Hope you had a happy April Fool's Day!

© Trippin' Mama 2010