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I recently took an informal survey and discovered that 75% of the first grade boys are crushing A LOT.   I thought it was just Patrick but apparently there are several boys that are... girl crazy.  Really?  really. 

Patrick has his eye on two girls.  One will be his wife and the other his girlfriend.  Do you know the worst part for a mom?  The idea that these girls might reject him and break his heart. 

Here is our my Valentine's Day project, courtesy of Blonde Designs.   I didn't get the Fry Boxes finished... maybe next year. 

The Girls Lips and A Heart

The Boys Get A Mustache and A "From"

Have a great Valentine's Day!  We'll be celebrating with the traditional Heart Pizza! 

Untitled

Working Title: The ellipsis
Welcome to my identity crisis.... dramatic much?


This week I sent an email to 70 colleagues.  I wrote to let them know that I was not returning to my job as Executive Director of the organization I founded five years ago.  I wrote to let them know that after decades of pouring my heart and soul into the youth of California, it is time for me to focus on the kids that God holds me accountable for. 

Done. Defeated.  Happy. Sad. Relieved.  Torn. I will be honest, when I am alone with my thoughts, sometimes it feels like a loss.

I used to rule the world.....

But more often, it feels like this....  BLINK





The email was the culmination of 20 months of struggling and praying and pouting and discussing and finally giving in.  God opened my eyes to my opportunity, my personal mission.  The opportunity to be the best wife and mother possible.  To have the chance to change the world for the better. 

I know that there are a lot of excellent mothers out there who work full-time.  In fact, I would argue that I was a pretty excellent mother.  But our lifestyle is different for a lot of reasons that I won't go into.  Frankly, I wanted something different.  This is me, the me that I never suspected I would be.... ever.  I don't know you, you have to figure out you.

and today.... today I am the happiest I have been in years.

In all honesty, my identity is shaken.  What clothes should I buy?  Who are my friends? What do I do with my time? If I'm not rushed and crazed mom, what kind of mom am I?  So much of my life revolved around work.  Now what?

I'm not really sure.   We are still trying to figure it all out.  The best thing about this transition is the amount of time Kevin and I get to spend together.  We have lots of face-time to communicate and figure out what all of this means. 

This much is certain.  This is a great job.  This is a full-time job.  And I love it.

We may not have forever, but we have now.  Now makes a lasting impact on little lives.  Now always shapes tomorrow (even when we aren't paying attention or worse rushing through it).  Now is our hope.

So long....

Hello!

Happiness is....

Happiness is a fat 3 month old.  Even though we are battling yet another cold, this one invited his good friend dry cough.  lovely.

Happiness is also homemade ricotta! I haven't purchased ricotta in months.  Frankly, it is expensive and gross.  But I love cheese, especially fresh cheese.  When I realized how easy it is to make ricotta, the cheese heavens parted.  There are lots of recipes out there.  I used one from Hide the Cheese.  Now it is your turn.....

 First things first.  Get a nice big stock pot and scrub it with cold water.  This will prevent the milk from scorching.  Scorching is bad, I have proof positive of that.... observe.

Next, gather the gang.  Half a gallon of whole milk (I have also used low fat combined with half and half), salt and vinegar.  You can substitute lemon juice for vinegar.  I use white vinegar because I need a lemon tree.

Now plan on babysitting some milk.   You want to bring the milk and a 1 tsp. of salt to a simmer.  Don't boil it, get it going to about 180 degrees.  It will be nice and frothy.

 

 Now for the science experiment, add 3 TBS of vinegar to the mixture.  It will start separating....

 Simmer it for a couple of minutes and at that point you might realize that you forgot to get your strainer, bowl and cheesecloth out.  Quick! Grab a bowl and a strainer.  The cheesecloth makes it easier and cleaner but you don't have to have it.

 And then you get this little pile of love.

 I recommend spooning some into your mouth while the cheese is still warm. 

 If you are making a pasta dish, cook the pasta right in the leftover liquid (is this whey?).  Yum. 

 At this point, the baby starts to fuss and Super Dad comes through to close.  By the time you are done feeding her, this delish is in the oven. 

Super cheese!!! 

This boy house is infected with girl

Lauren got her first princess movie for Christmas: Beauty and the Beast.  The boys have watched it at least 3 times (in the last week since it has been opened) and requested to watch it 15 times.  It is one of my favorite Disney movies, I've seen it no less than 100 times and used to listen to the soundtrack on a daily basis.  When we aren't watching the movie, the boys are making requests for songs. 

As a result, Keith has been conceptualizing a Beauty and the Beast-Star Wars cross-over.  "I wish we had Beauty and the Beast/Star Wars movie."

 +

 Princess Leia as Belle

Luke as Gaston

 

Chewbacca and Han Solo as the Beast

 

 But Keith isn't the first one to have this idea......

How I deal with my issues.

I have issues.  Moving into a new house put a spotlight on my issues.  It was much easier to hide my issues in a bigger house.  I had a whole walk-in closet full of issues! My issue... I don't know that I would call it hoarding but it is definitely Hoarding's cousin. Kevin refers to it as my "need to fill every empty space"....

For example, I have issues with cleaning.  I'm not very good at it, so to compensate I purchase cleaning supplies. Lots of cleaning supplies.  I never realized how many cleaning supplies until they all came to live in one place.  Seriously, 13 bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles.

Soldiers poised to fight dirt.

I also tend to buy random presents that I lose track of and never actually use.  Boxes and boxes full of presents. 
I purchase beauty products by the pallet. 
And my clothes.....  Bins full of clothes from size 10 on up (or down).  And I need to get out more because I have lots that qualify for NWT (new with tags). 
Moving forced me to take a lot of stuff to consignment, sell things at a garage sale and attempt to organize what was leftover.
And then I came face to face with spool after spool of ribbon.  It all gives birth to the cut ribbon that I use to wrap candles, plates, and whatnot.  It was a mess. 

 

See.  That's just a little bit of the mess.  Who can figure out what was even available.

 

 So I took some of these that I had hanging around (I also tend to buy random craft supplies).  And started wrapping.  And the mess turned into.....

THIS!  Happiness in a basket. 

Now, I'm contemplating this lovely for the teachers and my mommy friends.  Check it out at Then she made  Do you think I can do it?

Give me one more week

I'm adjusting.  I'm finishing up an online class (teaching it that is). I'm chasing after boys. I'm folding laundry. I'm figuring this thing out.

Look how big Lolo (she's racking up nicknames like nobody's business) is getting!  I'll be back soon!

Edited to say: I know I have been out of it.  I haven't clicked through to Be Different Act Normal in months.  Just saw the cutest Valentine project and actually contemplated taking it on!  whoa.

Creative Writing

I have been known to craft a story or two when asked to put pen to paper.  In Elementary School my tales mostly involved Ricky Schroeder, Punk Rockers and my besties.  In High School, I didn't write as much but one tale stands out for me.  We were doing some kind of (lame) state writing test.  There was some lame prompt about disappointing your parents.  So I did what I usually did, I made up a story.  It was an elaborate tale about crashing my father's beloved sports car, "his fifth child."  ALL LIES. 

I received a perfect score on the essay and thought nothing of it.  That is until my teacher decided to use it as an example for all of her English classes thus exposing my penchant for lying and uncontrollable addiction to run-on sentences to 33% of the Freshman class.  And that brings us to present day....  Mini-me.

Patrick and Mama Lou- December 2010

Several weeks ago I was reading one of Patrick's writing assignments.  The prompt was: I like the cold weather because.....   He wrote about hot chocolate and blankets and then went on and on about watching TV in his room.  How great it is that he can cuddle under the blankets and watch his very own TV.  Um, liar?  yes.  I asked him about it and may or may not have encouraged the creativity (even at the expense of my own embarrassment).  He continues to make up bits and pieces and sometimes complete stories for his schoolwork.  The week before Thanksgiving he wrote that one of his chores was raking leaves.  Yeah right. 

Now he has expanded to his own freestanding tales, featuring those around him.  So I present to you the untitled, unpublished, unedited edited (I left the run-on sentences for dramatic effect), unfinished first draft by Patrick.

A long time ago there was a village in the middle of the village there was a castle in the castle there was sum doors.  In one door two knights were standing beside two chairs in the chairs sitting was a keen and queen the king's name was King Keith the queen's name was Queen Lauren the two knights name was Knight Jack the other knight's name was Knight Patrick the next door had a princess and prince the prince's name was Prince Kevin and princess's name was Princess Lindsay the hunt dog's name was....

More to come, I'm sure.