"We comin' THRU yo town, Move yo arm UP and down, alright yeah make that Choo Choo sound like this, say Woo-Woo!..

All Aboard the A&M Railroad!
We took a little trip back in time and took a mid day train ride on Saturday. I was slightly disappointed when our train took us to Springdale, Ar and not to the North Pole or Hogwarts, like I had hoped.

Our particular passenger car was built in 1927 and was fully restored. I loved all the little details in the windows and doorways and if I were a better photographer, I would have tried to capture some of the beauty of the train on film.


Instead I took pics of these little beauties.
It was a nice treat that Corbin stayed awake long enough to enjoy the ride with us. Aaron propped him on the seat next to him and he looked so funny sitting there like a big kid.
Tickets were punched and we enjoyed a little entertainment on the way.
I was easily entertained staring at the infantullet two rows back.

fake.

also fake.

The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed our afternoon together on the train.

Carnie Fair Play

I thought I would be a fun mom and put my kids on the little kiddie cars that cruise casually around in a circle, giving them the perfect opportunity to practice their "parade wave".

What I really did was stick them on a freak carnie ride-on-acid that would leave them traumatized and clinging for their lives as they flew past. I didn't realize how fast it would be. Aside from having sea legs when the ride stopped, the kids were fine. Q was hesitant to get aboard anything but the carousel after that.
I give you 17 seconds of Carnie goodness:

I'd also like to point out that the Carnie only put two little white girls on the kiddie Tbird, but sardined 9 little amigos on the kiddie beater minivan. What the heck?

Yeah, I know my girls are the only kids in hats. Whatever, I can't stand the thought of my child getting fried again, so instead they look a little special. I should have worked the system and gotten them to the front of the lines. And at least they aren't sporting fanny packs.

Naturally, Aaron was drawn to the fishing exhibit.
Conducting the model trains.

All aboard the kiddie train! It got a little hectic when all the kids were scrambling for seats, and Quin got lost in the shuffle. I was calling to her over the metal fence, and Reese was motioning for her to come sit by her, but it was too noisy and Q couldn't hear anyone. Finally, the nasty Carnie (toothless guy in gray shirt on the left) put his cigarette between his lips, and said, "up yer go!" as he hoisted Quincy onto a seat and buckled her in. Quincy freaked out and started screaming, "Don't touch me! I not LIKE you! Hey! NO! Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH MEEEEEE!"
The Carnie was disturbed.
Not as disturbed as I was to find his grimy hand prints left on the underarm of her shirt.
Gross.
Have you ever been this happy to have drool on your shirt?
Reese on the Carousel.

What the world really needs. Less Toothless Carnies (yep. That's a different guy than before. Really)
and more funnel cakes the size of my head. Oh the elation I felt when Aaron returned from a concession stand with that funnel cake in one hand, and sleeping Quincy in the other. THAT is true love.

In the end....what goes up must come down.

make up your mind, people!

I told Aaron today that I took our blog public again. He's convinced that being public means there must be 100 sex predators out there stalking our babies. I can empathize with his paranoia (ahem...Clovis) The blog is private again....sorry. I know it's a pain.

The invite list is too long (it's only allowing 75 readers for some reason, and the rest are getting bounced back). If you're still reading, let me know, so I can remove those who aren't reading anymore from the list and re-invite one of the others. Sorry for the inconvenience....private blogs are crap.

...and I have the stomach flu.

"Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me..."

I can't get my video to upload. I promise to post one of the "mystery tool" as soon as possible.

Today:
I passed a pop-up produce stand on the highway and saw peaches so I decided to stop. The guy was busy sorting out the bruised peaches in the 5-7 lb buckets and putting fresh peaches in their place.

Me: How much is a box of peaches?
guy: the 20-30lb boxes are $20...a great deal.
Me: OooH! that IS a great deal. Do you have any seconds to sell?
guy: Seconds?
Me: you know, the bruised ones. Usually growers will sell them at a discounted rate.
Guy:(looks at his box of unsatisfactory peaches, then looks at my minivan) Um...do you like, have a lot of kids in there, mam?
Me: What? well I have three...No wait. what? I can afford to buy the good ones, but I'm making jam, it doesn't matter if they're a little soft. Will you sell me those right there?
Guy: uh. here. you can just have them. I'll carry them to your van for you. Sorry about your kids.

Not sure if he ever understood, but whatever, I have 1/2 a box of peaches to make jam or syrup with today! Some aren't great, but most are in good shape! I bought a $5 basket from him also, just because I have "so many kids" and all.

These are a few of my Favorite Things...

Awesome thing #1) Little Somethings.
as in, "I got you a little something"...
I Looooooove presents. LOVE them. (really, who doesn't?) It doesn't matter what it is, or if it is new or recycled, I just love the idea of an unexpected gift.

I received a couple of excellent gifts this week. Each of them brought me such simple joy that I realized I should be better about sharing simple gifts with others. I'd like to work on being more thoughtful.
1) A package from my mom with a star shaped pastry cutter in it (can't wait to make something really good with it. Yum! Thanks!)
2) a WI Cheese shirt from my friend, Jocelyn...I love hand me downs and I love cheese. Thanks! You'd better call me when you decide to part with those Brighton boots. The thrift store you found them in was SO lucky to be their home.

3) A Package from my sister, HolleeAnn STUFFED with preschool goodness. Puzzles, games, bags for my students to decorate, hair pretties for R & Q, and SO much more. Really, really, great stuff. Thank you, Sis! You are such a fun auntie!
4) freaking cute overalls for Corbin. When Reese heard that Missie was coming over today, the first thing she said was, "is that the dollhouse lady? I need to tell her, thank you!" and she did. Thanks, Missie! And thanks for letting me borow your pump, too!
5) a garlic press from Katie. I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet and I think we had a few peels in our tenderloin dip sunday night, but I'm workin' on it. Fresh garlic is the best. Thanks for making my life easier with a press!
6)watermelon from Darcie's rockin' garden since all of mine were eaten by the raccoons or armadillo or something. Delicious! I can't pick out watermelons from the store, they are always crap, and then I am mad that I wasted 6 bucks. Thanks for the treat!

Awesome thing #2) Berries
They are a zillion times better this year than they have ever been before. In the last week, we've even picked a couple handfulls of raspberries from our garden. Here's to hoping they come back next year. I've been going through 2 pounds of blueberries a week since I started running. I crave them day and night. Picking them from my own yard next year would certainly lower the grocery bill.

Awesome thing #3) Quarters
Reese will do just about anything do earn money. On Saturday, she and Q were begging for chores, so I put them to work in the bathrooms. They did an excellent job, and I took them to a garage sale after and they bought some books with their hard earned cash. Now that Reese has seen the reward side of a job well done, she is constantly asking for more jobs. I think I might start a weekly allowance system to keep her interested in her regular chores.

Awesome thing #4) The Walmart Associate's Store.
I didn't use to be a fan, but I guess I've been in the right place at the right time enough lately to finally appreciate how great it is. It's like DI but with new stuff. Anything that has ever been returned to Walmart is sold there for half off. If a case of Progresso soup has a dent in the side, it goes to the Associate's store and I buy it for 30 cents a can. If a vendor leaves a box of samples behind after a sales meeting...they are sold at the Associates Store. And it's not just items that are sold at Walmart, either... Walmart has strict policy to accept zero "gifts or gratuities" of value higer than like, 5 cents. Everything else goes to the Associate's store.

They have anything and everything there and you never know what you're going to get. (TV's, Furniture, Toys, Tanning Beds, Easter Eggs, Dishes, Chafing Dishes, Socks, Christmas Trees, Manure, Light Bulbs, Baby Food,...really. EVERYthing) I walk out without spending a dime more often than not, but this week I scored a few items that I am particularly thrilled about. Jars to house rice, beans, granola, brown sugar, etc (see granola post) for $5, Halloween decorations for 50 cents each, a Speedo Swimsuit for Reese for next year for $5, and (drum roll please...) my favorite find this week:
Any guesses on what it is?
I'll give you a hint...you shake it.
Stay tuned for the answer in tomorrow's post and a video of the item in use.
I know you can hardly wait.

Because It Is Wednesday...

...I'm not going to write up an actual post.
Enjoy the cuteness that is this little baby guy:
I'm reeeeeallly loving the lil' angry robot pac-man jammies. Why do they have to be getting too small already?! I need them to fit him for another month and a half so he can wear them when Mattie and I have our victory celebration when we beat Super Mario Brothers. (Matt, you don't happen to have Donky Kong Country for your SNES do you? If so, it. is. ON. I'll bring the chips.)
I know I post pictures of Cheeto twice as often as pictures of the girls, but he is changing so much every single day. Plus, I'm sick of reading everyone's blogs about how 100 people came to visit them this summer. Arkansas is bomb. People should come visit us. I'm hoping that a few extra pictures of those tiny, chubby, snuggly, arms might entice a guest or two. I love playing hostess, and Hotel Willy has been vacant for far too long.

Grape.

This morning I bought a 1/2 bushel of Concord Grapes. I had no idea how good grapes could smell! My kitchen smells absolutely delicious right now. Concord grapes have a very dark skin that removes easily from a gummy flesh with large pit-like seeds inside. They have excellent flavor, but the texture and seeds make them a less enjoyable snack eaten alone. It's like chewing grape jelly with a grainy seed in it.
$10 for a heaping 1/2 bushel.
Wash.
Pull off any unripe green or tough grapes from the vine and discard. Place grapes in a steam juicer. (has a water reservoir in the bottom). Steam on high for 45 minutes-1 1/2 hr (depends on temp of stove), turning the grapes over with some tongs halfway through. Don't stir too much....you will get more juice, but it will be grainy with hard pulp.
Squeeze clamp and collect juice in a HOT, sanitized jar straight from the dishwasher.

Wipe rims clean.
Place a simmered canning lid and sanitized ring on top.
8 Quarts of homemade grape juice concentrate. Dilute with 1-2 jars of cold water and add as much sugar as you desire. It is so good, I don't know if I can go back to store bought. AND so cheap! $10 for 8 pitchers of preservative and additive free 100% juice. yum.

Tomorrow...my first attempt at grape jelly.

Deceptively Light

(How cute is that jar? It even has a rubber seal in the lid. Thank you, WM Associates Store!)

Don't be deceived by the word, "Granola". This isn't exactly healthy-but it is SO DANG GOOD. By itself, on yogurt, with cool whip and berries, in trail mix...you name it. it is just YUMMY!

Ingredients:
2/3 c water
3 c brown sugar
2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional...I used both)
9 c rolled oats
3 c rice krispies
2 tsp salt
1 c slivered almonds or sunflower seeds (I used the seeds, SO SO YUMMY!)

*any dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, or other desired ingredients you wish to add

Directions:
1. Boil water and brown sugar for 2 minutes in a sauce pan stirring constantly.

2. Add vegetable oil and vanilla extract (and almond extract)

3. In a mixing bowl, mix together oats, rice krispies, salt, and sunflower seeds.

4. Add liquid and mix together

5. pour onto large cookie sheet (I suggest a jelly roll pan, or something with edges, to avoid granola spills in your oven-it is messy!)

6.Bake 1 hour at 250* turning twice with a spatula

7. after baking and cooling, add any dried fruit or candy/chocolate chips you desire

-we left ours plain because it makes SO MUCH granola, and we used it for different things. We took part and put it in a trail mix with other yummy stuff, and the rest was left plain in a jar on the counter top for a week...it stayed fresh and delicious! it reminds me of those Nature Valley Granola Bars, but not quite as hard/crunchy and even better tasting!

Enjoy!

2 Years Later in Anytown USA

Ok, well the pictures are lousy because it was getting dark and oh, right, I am a terrible photographer, but one of the reasons I blog is to journal what we do with our time, so I'll post them anyway.
On Friday night, we recycled a date night from 2 years ago, picked up pizza to go, and ventured back to Pickin' on the Square. I don't know why we haven't just made this a yearly summer tradition.

It is rad.
I live in a cool place.
Every Friday night from March until the first frost, local musicians show up to jam. Little groups form on every corner and pocket in between, and play a little bit of everything. It is mostly folk, country, and bluegrass. People bring lawn chairs and just float from group to group to enjoy a sampling of each.

This time, we left the girls home with a sitter and brought baby guy along. The cicadas are so loud right now that it was difficult to hear some of the groups over the screechy buzzing (the sound of a cicada can't be described with words, you just have to experience it for yourself. But they are like alarm-clock-going-of-in-the-dead-of-night-loud.
We know now that the younger crowd shows up a little later. At first we were kickin' it with a bunch of blue hairs (not that we really mind, they oohed and aahed over the baby every 5 seconds). By the time the sun went down there was an even mix of old and young people there.

These guys did a lot of Simon and Garfunkel and John Denver. During a couple of songs, a guy in the back would pull out his harmonica and chime in. I love that it's a total free for all. Even if your voice is crap, if you know the song and "got the spirit"...you join in. There were several young kids there by the end of the night with banjos and guitars. What surprised me most about them was their song selection. Gospel. And not because they look like they're from one of those bizzaro families where the girls wear pioneer dresses and they get up to milk cows before bible study and then marry their cousin kind of families...but because they actually enjoy the simplicity of the traditional tunes.
Yeah. That kid is whistling. He danced a lot, too...and it reminded me of the scene from Forrest Gump when Forrest discovers Elvis.

And for your viewing pleasure...some video goodness. I probably SHOULDN'T post this because pickin' on the square is really so much cooler than the video depicts. I took this early in the night before the groups that we enjoyed most showed up, but these guys were pretty funny. They did "On the wings of a snow white dove" and "Polly Wolly Doodle" and a couple of other songs that they insisted everyone within earshot sing along to. I pulled out the camera to tape everyone joining in on "You Are My Sunshine".

The camerawork is bad.
My singing is worse.
Lucky for you it is only 12 seconds long.
But it's worth posting to prove that I live in the coolest place in America. This kind of stuff just isn't goin' down in the parks where I grew up...and there certainly isn't a 80 yr old man playing the spoons on his lap either.

That's the original Walton Five and Dime (first walmart ever) and civil war statue/fountain in the background.
Oh yeah, see the guy on the far left with the acoustic guitar? He rode his bike with his kids to the square because he only lives a few blocks away. He brought his guitar and his 2 boys, ages 7 and 4, with him on the bike.
How sweet is THAT ride?!

Exhibit A

Just in case you are still wondering why I am often running late to, well... everything.
Always when I am on my way out the door.
Always when I have a cute outfit on.
Question.
Which is worse: changing baby poopies every 4 hours, or changing one blowout every 2-3 days?
I submit the blowout. It's like Mt. St. Helens. You might get some volcanic gas emissions, but you just really never know when that bad boy is gonna blow. And I can't stand to be one of those freaks that hunkers down or evacuates prematurely. Who stays home simply because their baby might explode? Not me. But I have learned from past experience to always pack a spare outfit.

You know how you get orange crap all over when you eat a handfull of Cheeto's? We offer the same effect if you happen to be holding our Cheeto during a "crap on the lap" episode.

Three Months Old!

Look at that naughty face.
The next post will reveal his naughty deeds.
The Cheeto turned 3 months old yesterday.
What's that you say? It's gone by too quickly? What do you mean three months? Just yesterday he was a tiny sleepy newborn. How can this be?
I agree. He is growing WAY too fast. By next week he'll be out riding his bike in the yard with the others. I keep thinking of ways I might be able to squeeze him into the laminater and keep him this way forever, but the older he gets, the more I love him...and I didn't think it was possible to love him more than I already do.

Baby Guy lights up our house. He is so smiley and recently found his giggle...which is raspy like Quincy's. He takes great naps, and is content to be held and snuggled or just kick it on the floor. I'll admit that the other day I changed his diaper on his bedroom floor, then did Q's right after. Quincy's smelled so bad, I carried it out to the outdoor trash immediately, then became distracted by something or other, and after awhile was like, "oh wait! Where's Corbin?!" I went down the hall to find him sucking his thumb peacefully on the floor in the middle of the room. He'd just fallen asleep there. He is so mellow and so sweet and I could go on and on.
The cradle cap and sunburn are both finally starting to clear up. Such a sweet little guy. It took all of my will power but I managed not to peel his face. I did have to resort to Head n' Shoulders treatments on the cradle cap. Nothing else seemed to be working, and I grew tired of people saying "oh he's so cute, what's wrong with his head?" I prefer "oh he's so beautiful, he looks just like you" thank you very much. I usually get the "he looks JUST like Aaron" variation. Which I don't mind. It's true, and Aaron is pretty cute, too if you ask me.

Corbin recently figured out how to grab things and loves to hold burp cloths and grab the little jungle animals that hang from his floor gym. More than anything he loves to grab at his sister's faces, which tickles them to no end.

We made the mistake of going a few weeks without giving him a bottle and he decided he is no fan of the formula. I went running after enrichment the other night and when I got home he was sleeping in the swing. Aaron said he refused the formula and would suck the bottle, then spit the contents out. Hahaha. For once I'm not the only one that smells like baby spit up! Corbin just wanted the real deal in that bottle...which he took just fine once there was pumped milk in it. I'm hoping that over the next few weeks, he'll be willing to take a breastmilk/formula combo and eventually just take whatever we offer him. We have a trip to Dallas coming up in October and it would be much easier to take a can of formula to leave with a sitter than take the pump with us. We are really looking forward to the wedding, visiting with family, and the U2 concert! I plan on posting a zillion cute (and by "cute" I mean "not covered in orange poo") pictures of the kiddies in hopes that the grandparents will not be able to stand being away from the cuteness and meet us in Dallas for some kid snugglage. AND perhaps stay through the weekend while we live it up with Bono Monday night. Muse is opening. Reese will probably beg to go with me if she has any idea where we are going. Looks like we'll be sneaking out after bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime...Corbin has been sleeping through the night for weeks! He goes to bed between 8 and 9 pm and wakes up around 5am, eats and goes back to sleep until 7:30, sometimes 8:30! Now if only I could get all the others to sleep in that late. Aaron set his alarm to go off at 4am 3 days last week. Yuck. (this also answers the question many people have asked me lately, "why don't you get up early and run before Aaron leaves for work?" 4am people! I mean, he didn't LEAVE until 5am, but NO! Mean Meg has total control until at least 6:30...sometimes 8. I don't do mornings. Thank goodness Corbin doesn't either.

Crazy.

Carl and Barb have already dropped the price of their house $10K. I so want to just buy it and redecorate it for me. $119,000!
$40 a square foot.
Move to Ar.
Only if you are cool.

"and I've been doin' just fine, Gotta Gotta be down, because I want it all..."

It is a definite sign that I am doing too many things at once when Aaron starts calling me, "Monica". Last night I hit a wall (figuratively) and realized I just couldn't do it all.

My mom suggested that I write down everything I've accomplished in the last month, and I would be surprised at my list. My immediate thought was, "Ok...I need to add 'write down everything I did this month' to tomorrow's To Do List"...then I realized how backwards that is and that I need to reprogram my priorities.

So, once we got the kids off to bed, I played "pick 2" with my list and chose to put away the laundry and wipe down the kitchen counters (and load the last few dishes...ok so I cheated and actually picked 3) then I left EVERYthing else that didn't get done and just went to bed.

Today I woke up ready to get going again. We were ON TIME to swimming lessons (thank you, thank you.) I killed my to do list, and still had energy to spare. Some days, it just isn't worth it.
My kids will NOT remember that there were dishes in the sink that one Thursday afternoon.
My kids WILL remember that I read good books to them, taught them to appreciate a good chocolate cookie, invited Marge in to visit for an hour just because she is lonely and wanted to come over, gave them kisses before naps, and made a mean cell phone microphone every time I sang "Honey Honey" in the car on the way home from a play date.

What things do you "let go" when you are on over load?

"Ain't no motive for this crime, JENNY was a friend of mine..."

A little GLEE for Jenny.
(you. are. welcome.)

Janelle, Anna, and Sarah, I thought you might enjoy the flashback as well.
And to all of the readers who were not around in spring of 2000, um...that would be me in the shells.
The theme was Disney.

Because it is Wednesday.

Because it is Wednesday, the younger daughter bit the older daughter on the arm.

Because it is Wednesday, the older daughter cried dramatically and caused a huge scene that ended in, "Wait, why do I have to be in time out? You're only doing this to me because you are a mean mommy!"

Because it is Wednesday, the only reason the younger daughter bit the older daughter is because the older daughter TOLD her to do it, in hopes of getting the younger daughter in trouble.

Because it is Wednesday, this happened in the checkout aisle at Walmart.

Because it is Wednesday, the older daughter stopped throwing a fit to point and ask (loudly), "hey, what are those purple spots on that old lady's arms?"

But because it is Wednesday, the mother was not quick enough to respond with, "I guess that's what happens when you teach your little sister to bite you."

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Will there be enough room?

all by herself.
I love that she thought to bend the ends of the "E's".

I asked her if she wanted to try and spell Quincy's name next. Her response, "Well, I think there's only enough room for my name on this table."

I was inspired by her creativity and am printing letter cards (and laminating them, of course) for my preschool kids to use as templates to form letters and shapes on.

It's in the bag.

Quincy stinks.
I change her diapers.
I bathe her.
I brush her teeth.
But about a week ago...she developed a funk.
I thought maybe it was coming from her ears, so this morning I packed up the crew and visited the pediatrician. She couldn't see any signs of infection in her ears, nose, or throat, but noticed one of Q's nostrils looked irritated. (because she always has her finger in it)

Doc busted out a tiny spoon on a long handle, and stuck it up Q's nose. Surprisingly, Quincy just sat there perfectly. At one point she said, "is you fixing my nose?"

The stinky culprit:

a pink pom-pom.

It's been there at least 7 days, probably more.

Runner #162

The 10K is in 3 weeks.
It is going to kick my butt.
I have learned a few things about myself:

1) I will complete a New Years Resolution if it kills me. Come December 31st, I will totally be Monica saying, "in your face, last-year-me!"
2) My legs will never be tan. Even with a terrible sunburn they are still just a pink shade of white.
3) Adding distance is easy for me. Another mile? No problem.
4) Increasing speed is not easy for me. Is that guy walking faster than I am running?
5) Wearing pink shorts makes my legs look less pink and more white. I wonder if white shorts will make them look tan...or maybe they'll blend in so well that I'll just look naked. That could go either way.
Tonight was the rescheduled Twilight 5K at a local high school. The air smelled like fried chicken fat and raw sewage, as the school is adjacent to a Tyson plant. I wanted to vomit.

I run 5K a couple times a week, so this should be no problem, right? Wrong! Running with friends does not involve others passing you and leading you to believe the illusion that you are running slower than you actually are. I need to join a geriatric running group so I can actually pass someone!
I started off faster than usual. I'd expected this to happen due to the adrenaline rush of a gun firing off and feeling like you need to just run like heck or you will be run over by the people behind you. This race was full of pretty competitive runners. I'm glad it was not my first 5K, or I would probably never do another one!

The GOOD news...my time.
11 months ago, I ran my first 5K. My goal was to complete it, and RUN the entire thing without walking. Mission accomplished! 11 months ago I had a 5K time of 41:06.

11 months and one 12 week old baby later....tonights 5K time of...
(drum roll please)...
...
...
...
32:40

8 1/2 minutes shaved off last years time.
This Baby Mama is sayin', "Ooo OOOOoooooo!"

I still think I can improve my time. But I'm pretty pleased with tonight's time, considering that I only started running 6 weeks ago at a 19 minute mile. Yes really, 19 minutes for one freaking mile. AND I thought I was going to die after. How is it that a woman can sweat out 13 hours of labor and child birthing, and not have the endurance to run a decent mile? Beats me. I'd like to thank the little people for that...meaning the little girls in brown and green that stuffed me with girl scout cookies for 9 months of pregnancy. It was totally worth it at the time...I mean how awesome are those caramely-gooey-coconutty samoa cookies? Too delicious to not partake. But now, I'm running 12-15 miles a week and I'm still 10 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight. I bounced right back after kids 1 and 2. It must be a 3rd baby thing....or a nacho's thing. Either way, I think it might be time to just embrace the new number on the scale and move on with life, because...

A consecutive 10 1/2 minute mile 12 weeks postpartum is something one should celebrate.

So I am...with some Girl Scout Cookies, of course.