I Blame Frank Barone

The other day Jeff and I were in the kitchen when Sam picked up a basket of toys and dumped them out all over the floor. 

"HOLY CWAP!" he said. Then, "HOLY CWAP!" again. Followed by, "Hey! I found my Batman!"

We ducked into the bathroom to laugh and laugh and laugh. Great parenting skills, I know.

It's possible Sam may have heard me say that some time, perhaps even recently when he and Isaac covered themselves in diaper cream.

But I choose to blame Frank Barone from "Everybody Loves Raymond," even though Sam has never seen the show.

Because Sam's intonation was absolutely perfect.

© Trippin' Mama 2012

From My Kitchen: Chocolate Popcorn Chews

If you like popcorn, chocolate, and Rice Krispie treats, you'll love these fast and easy bars. I made these as a treat that accommodates Sam's new wheat-free, soy-free, dairy-free diet, and they were pretty popular.

This is a modified version of a recipe on the Orville Redenbacher Web site. The original recipe called for white chocolate, dried cranberries and chopped almonds, which sounds fantastic. But I have kiddos, so we went with just chocolate chips. (The Enjoy Life brand is dairy free and soy free.)

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Popcorn Chews

1 bag (2.9 ounces) (11 cups popped) Natural Microwave Popcorn
1 cup chocolate chips
1 package (10.5 ounce) Miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup margarine or butter (I used Earth Balance Soy-free, Dairy-free Buttery Spread. Coconut oil would probably work, too.)

 

Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Prepare popcorn according to package directions. Remove all unpopped kernels. Combine popped corn and chocolate chips in large bowl sprayed with cooking spray.

Place marshmallows and butter or butter substitute in 8-cup glass measure. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes or until smooth when stirred. Immediately stir into popcorn mixture; toss until evenly coated. Spoon into prepared pan. Spray hands with cooking spray; press mixture evenly into pan. Allow to cool. Cut into 24 bars.
These were a nice change from Rice Krispie treats, and way easier to make than popcorn balls. We all enjoyed them, and I ate way more than I should have. I'm always up for a salty/sweet treat!

Enjoy!

© Trippin' Mama 2012

True Love

When Jeff left the house this morning all of the children were either crying, whining or throwing a fit. I'm sure he was glad to leave.

Over lunch he called to see how things were going.

Not well.

At 3:30, just as I gave up and decided I had to unleash the noise and chaos by waking the boys from nap, I heard the garage door open.

Jeff had come home early just because he knew it had been a tough day and he thought I needed a break.
 
You can keep your big diamonds and your bouquets of roses, my friends. They can't hold a candle to the kind of love that walks in the door almost two hours early to join you in the trenches.

THAT is true love.

And that's why, bad days like today aside, this really is my happily ever after.

© Trippin' Mama 2012

A Diaper Cream Disaster

We have a cabinet in our family room that is full of games and puzzles for the kids.

Today Sam and Isaac reminded me that in the very, very back hidden behind everything else there is a basket of things left over from their baby days including diaper cream, Vaseline and calamine lotion.

Exactly how did they remind me, you ask?

Like this:

Sam and Isaac are a little too proud of their mess.

I totally blew this one. I'm usually tough as nails, but this one made me laugh. I tried not to. God knows I tried!

The boys caught me and immediately said, "It's funny, Mom!"

I told them they looked funny, but what they did was not funny.

They didn't buy it. All they remembered is that I laughed. I ask you: How could I not?

We were 10 minutes away from loading up to go to gymnastics, and cleaning a half inch of diaper cream off anything is no piece of cake.

Since there was no way around taking these two clowns smelling of diaper cream and with pasty hair, we stopped for a little interview. You'll hear Amelia in the background suggesting a bath and a babysitter. She is so helpful!



It was vaguely reminiscent of the baby powder explosion that marked Thanksgiving of 2009. But that was a LOT easier to clean up.

© Trippin' Mama 2012

A LOUD School Project

The boys and I are still doing school projects on Amelia's school days. We've done all kinds of things: made fish bowls and pattern turkeys, had shape hunts, exercised our alphabet and crafted helicopters and kittens. One of our most recent projects was a big hit: jellyfish.

Alex shows off his jellyfish.

It's half a paper plate and the boys glued on tissue paper "tentacles." I drew a little face on each with a 'J' for a nose. (Aren't I just the Martha Stewart of the preschool set?) We talked about jellyfish as we made them. They have seen jellyfish at the zoo, so they knew a little bit about them.

The boys loved this project. After they were done making their jellyfish they raced around the house with them "stinging" each other and me. I made lunch with three boys all stinging me in the legs.

I've had to repair the tentacles twice since we made these a week ago.

Only three boys could take a project involving a paper plate and tissue paper and make it so LOUD!

© Trippin' Mama 2012

"I Don't Like You" and some Allergy-free Food Successes

We are two weeks in to putting Sam on a wheat-free, soy-free, dairy-free diet. We've managed a few successes, but it's still tough.

On Friday Sam looked at me just before lunch and said, "I don't like you anymore. All the food you make me eat is yucky."

Ouch.

Adjusting? Not so much.

Despite that, we have had a few successes, though some have been pretty hard won.

Sam rejected almond milk, rice milk and hemp milk, including the vanilla and chocolate varieties. I know part of the problem is that we are still drinking whole milk, and the substitutes drink like skim milk.

Finally, after some research I bought the So Delicious brand of coconut milk in vanilla. And Sam drank it and told me he liked it. I held my breath for a couple days though, because he drank almond milk for a couple days, too. Five days later he's still drinking it and he's quit asking for water in his thermos instead of milk. Win!

Then there are the noodles, staple of childhood diets everywhere. We tried a couple packaged brands and they brought tears around my table. Then my friend Bethany brought me a sample of her homemade wheat-free, dairy-free, soy-free noodles. The kids all liked them, so I bought the pasta attachments for my KitchenAid mixer and we made pasta.

Can you see all the flour on my shirt in this photo? The kids' clothes and mine were practically white by the time we were done.

Everyone got in on the fun.

I was thrilled when ALL of the kids ate our homemade noodles. It almost brought me to happy tears when I watched them eat two and three and four (Isaac!) helpings.

Sam and Isaac stuff their faces with their handiwork. (And we do know how to use forks!)

Then I realized just how many noodles they can eat in a week.

We made our first batch last Sunday. We ate the last of those on Tuesday. On Wednesday I made a double batch, which takes EIGHT eggs. Jeff and I spent two hours after the kids were in bed rolling and cutting them. I have enough noodles left for one more meal. Yikes!

If you see me around these parts a little less frequently then usual in the next few weeks, it's a pretty safe bet that I'm making noodles!

© Trippin' Mama 2012

Remembering a Generous Spirit

Earlier this week my cousin Mary passed away from an aneurysm. She just turned 52 in December, and leaves behind two sons, the youngest of whom is an eight grader.

It is sad, tragic even, but I can tell you this: The world is a better place because Mary was in it. She was a kind, generous, loving person who made a difference, and I know she will be missed by many.

My family and Mary's family lived in the same small town, so we all knew each other growing up, though Mary was quite a bit older than me. I remember lots of things about her, but one story stands out for me.

When I was six years old, I got the flu and wound up in the hospital. Mary, who was 17 or 18, came to visit me. I remember her sitting on the bed playing Go Fish with me. I realize now that she had a lot of other things she could be doing besides entertaining her six-year-old cousin. But that's just who Mary was. She had a generous spirit, and she genuinely cared about people.

I come from a large family and an even larger extended family. This is the first relative I've lost since my grandma passed away in 1999. We are blessed with longevity, and when your parents and aunts and uncles are living well into their eighties, it's easy to forget that life can be short.

I've been reading Mary's Facebook page, and there are many regrets there: phone calls not made, concerts not attended, words unsaid.

Make that call. Throw caution to the wind and go to that concert. Say what is on your heart. Because you never know if today will be your last.

Rest in peace, Mary, and I know you'll be watching over us.

© Trippin' Mama 2012