Apologies

Well I've been a pretty fail blogger lately, haven't I? Sorry about that. Not just on here, but on all of my blogs. I feel like I owe a bit of an explanation. So here are my reasons for being a terrible, inconsistant blogger as of late:

1. It's summer. Winter on Nantucket means boredom, spare time out the wazoo, and lots of blogging. It's dark, it's cold, it's windy, and the only place to go is Stop & Shop. But summer is the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I can take the kids outside, we can go to the playground and the beach and go out on our "boat". The kids can run around outside while I read a book or study or play with them. We're not cooped up and desperate for things to occupy ourselves. It's quite nice really. But alas, it does mean less time for blogging.

2. I'm a nerd. Most of you knew that already, but in case you somehow missed that memo, now you know. I've been playing a computer game called Aion, and it's been fun. Jesse partitioned my computer just so I could play this game, so I have to show my thanks by using said game. (right?) He actaully spent quite a lot of time trying to get my computer set up for it, so I really can't not play it. (For other nerds, Aion is like World of Warcraft, but you get wings and you can FLY! Plus, it's a lot prettier and the animals are cuter. Oh, and you get a PANDA as a pet and he/she carries a backpack of stuff for you. Awesome. I'm still a fan of WoW, but Aion is my current game)

3. My keyboard died. Yeah. I got up one morning and all it would type was "4" repeatedly. And then it decided to dim my screen, even though I wasn't telling it to. So if I clicked a text box, it would just say "44444444444" and dim my screen. Not good. Jesse ordered me a new one of a different kind off of Amazon, so I'm using that now. It's a workout for my fingers though. My old keyboard was a nice little Apple wireless keyboard and I hardly had to lift my fingers. This new one is a Logitech "normal" keyboard, with those mountainous keys. My fingers are exhausted.

4. I just haven't been in the mood. With all this real life fun going on, I just haven't felt much like blogging. So please excuse my absence. I promise to be back at the keyboard when it gets colder out. ;-)

How are The Goob and The Bean, you ask? Wonderful of course.

The Goob: Has decided that it's super great to sweat all night long. Even though it's summer and he has no AC in his room (or even a fan), he insists on wearing winter pajamas and wrapping up in 5-6 blankets every night. I've tried to get him to wear his summer jammies, t-shirts and shorts, but it's been in vain. Fleece jammies and blankets or bust!

He's made a breakthrough at the beach- he actually sometimes touches the water!! If we go out on the boat and land in one of the coves we like, he will go in up to his thighs, sometimes deeper. There's little to no waves there, so he feels better. At "our" beach here by the house, he will sometimes get wet. The waves are much, much more intense at our beach and the undertow is strong, so I am 100% okay with him being cautious.

The Goob is also a very picky eater these days. Vegetables of any kind are evil. He won't touch them. In fact, if they come near him, he shuts his eyes and shakes his head until they go away. I sneak veggies into his other food, but it's not the same thing. A phase, I suppose. After all, he is a 3 year old boy.

He's still a chocoholic and tickle-fight-aholic. Don't think that will ever change. ;-)

The Bean: Trouble. He gets into everything. He thinks that my two lazy-susan's in the kitchen must be open at all times, and he loves to pull all the tupperware out of one of them and leave it on the kitchen floor. Fun. Thanks to a strategic placing of a baby gate, his toilet fun has been (mostly) curtailed, so that's a plus.

The Bean is the opposite of The Goob in many ways. One of them being how he approches water. While The Goob is only now beginning to warm up to the water, The Bean embraces it fully. Meaning, he dives right in. We went out on the boat yesterday and beached the boat so the kids could swim. Goobie of course splashed and played in thigh-high water. Beanie dove face first into the water. Three times. He was trying to pick up sea grass from the bottom, but that didn't always work out so well. Did he cry? Not a tear. He just came up and sputtered, blinked a few times, and went about his business. The Goob would have had a massive meltdown and sat in the boat the rest of the outing. It's fun to have two very different personalities. :)

Let's see, what else? Both boys love sitting in the cars and pretending to drive. Bean usually throws a fit when I have to take him back out. Bean recently cut a molar. That was a fun time for everyone, haha.

Goobie is still resisting potty training. And with so much life change coming up, he's not likely to do it anytime soon. I suppose he'll just be one of those late-learners. As I told my sister, I'm quite certain he won't be 20 years old and still in diapers... it'll come. We've tried all the methods that the books and DVDs say to try, with no results. He simply isn't ready. To be honest, I do hope he's ready soon. Pull-ups and diapers and such aren't getting any cheaper. I think he's ready in most areas, but I think he doesn't want to let go of this last piece of baby-hood. The Bean's still in diapers, and Goobie likes to do things like his little brother. Maybe they'll train together?

Well, real life is calling, so I must bid you adieu.

Scones

These are delicious!! I especially recommend nibbling one of these scones with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. (even better, nibble one with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate in the morning before your kids are up!)

Spot-On Chocolate Chip Scones

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips instead!)

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Sugar Topping:

2 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp sugar

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2) In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between fingers, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in chocolate chips. Add buttermilk and vanilla, stirring just until moistened. 3) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, 5 or 6 times, to gather into a large ball. Do not overwork the ball or the result will be tough scones. Divide the ball in half and gently pat each into 8 inch flat rounds. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar, 4) Using a sharp knife, cut each circle into 6 even triangles and place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.

Bake 16-18 minutes until tops are golden.

Morning?

Why do kids insist on getting up so early in the morning? Did I do that as a child?? Ugh!

The Goob woke me up at 4:10 AM this morning. And then The Bean woke up shortly after. What is up with this?? They've been getting up earlier since the sun rises earlier in the summer, but the sun was not up at 4 in the morning. I've been keeping them both up later at night to try to get them to sleep later in the morning, but no dice.

Any ideas? Tips, tricks?

Boys Driving Their Jeep Powerwheels

Crafty Kids- Shrinky Dinks!!

If you've never made a shrinky dink before, you are missing out. I made shrinky dinks all throughout my childhood, and I love them. The other day Jesse and I were bored, and I suggested we make shrinky dinks. He looked at me oddly and said, "Shrinky... what??" Alas! He had no idea what a shrinky dink was!! This had to be remedied.

So today I went out and bought sandpaper. (I also bought him sushi for dinner, which was ultra handy because the plastic lids from takeout containers are ideal for shrinky dinks) He used the lid from The Bean's birthday cake, and I used the lid from the sushi.

You'll Need:
Scissors
Colored pencils
Flat #6 plastic, usually found on takeout lids from delis and restaurants (#6 works the best, #1 also works, but it's thinner and shrinks less. #5... well, don't use that one)
Foil
Sandpaper (we used 80 grit and it worked perfectly. It needs to be relatively rough)
Access to an oven
Tongs

(click the images for a larger view)

Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. and set your oven rack to the lowest position.
- Wash your plastic pieces, especially if they were used for food.
- Cut out shapes with the scissors (remember, if you cut a hole for string, the hole will shrink too!!)
- Sand the plastic pieces on one side, making sure to get all of it rough. The colored pencils won't stick if there aren't a lot of grooves.
- Color the pieces on the rough side however you'd like. You can trace shapes and characters from coloring books if you don't want to freehand.
- Make a tray out of foil to set your plastic pieces on
- Put your shrinky dink on the foil tray and put it in the oven
- Watch it! It will shrink quickly. Don't worry when it starts to curl, it will curl a LOT but then it will flatten out all by itself.
- Once it's flat (or close to flat) remove the tray from the oven with the tongs. You then have about 10 seconds to shape or flatten it before it sets completely.
- Let it cool, and enjoy. :)

I used this sticker to trace my shrinky dink. (I used #6 plastic, see how much it shrunk!)

My monkey and two of Jesse's guitar picks.

#5 plastic... yeah. Not the best.

Another one of Jesse's guitar picks. He let it bake a little bit extra so that it turned white. 

Note- This is an activity that requires adult participation. Ovens and scissors.. oh my!

Happy Birthday, Bean!

That's right! Today is The Bean's big number 1! So far he's eaten strawberries and toast for breakfast, played and giggled with his brother, and is now taking a nap. After naps we plan to go to the store and buy a cake, then take it to Daddy's work for a little birthday party. I'm going to bake a cake for our "at home" party tomorrow. :)

It's so amazing to me that it's already been a year. It's gone by so very fast. Hard to believe this time last year I was at the hospital, a pitocin drip in my arm and moaning in pain, waiting for my baby boy to make his appearance.

Is it just me, or is all that pain a fond memory now? Maybe I'm crazy, but I kind of love all the excitement of going to the hospital and having a baby. It's excruciatingly painful (I haven't forgotten that!!) but there's so much joy, so much wonder... I can't help but feel nostalgic. I remember that as soon as he was born I couldn't stop exclaiming, "There's my boy!! That's my boy!! There's my boy!!" Over and over. It was just amazing.

It's so strange, being pregnant. Knowing there's this little, precious life inside of you. You feel connected to that life, you're already providing for it, loving and caring. But you don't even know what that little baby looks like. It's so wonderful to finally meet that little bundle of sweetness. To see him for the first time, to confirm that that bulge in your abdomen is really and truly a life. An entire person, with fingers and toes and arms and legs and a beating heart. It's surreal. Astounding. Suddenly you understand why pregnancy was so exhausting- you were making a person!!! It's real. He's real.

I had this "He's real!" epiphany with both of my boys. But neither time was I afraid. I was in awe. Life is so big, so wonderful, and I'm now a part of the creation of life. That's.... huge.

I have no idea what's in store for my boys. Maybe The Bean will be a zoologist, an accountant, a taxi driver, a writer, an architect or a plumber. Maybe he'll be none of those things. It doesn't matter to me. What does matter to me is that he's loving, compassionate, and respectful. He's only a year old, but the possibilities for his life are vast. And isn't that just great? Who knows how many people's life he'll change, what he'll accomplish.

As this first year of his life concludes, I'm looking back at all of the milestones he's hit and I'm just filled with happiness. He's experienced so much in such a short time. But he has so much more to experience!! I'm sad that this past year went by so fast, but I'm looking forward to what's to come. He's my Bean, and I'm so happy to get to watch him grow.

Different Drums

Different Drums and Different Drummers, by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates.

If I do not want what you want, please try not to tell me that my want is wrong.

Or if I believe other than you, at least pause before you correct my view.

Or if my emotion is less than yours, or more, given the same circumstances, try not to ask me to feel more strongly or weakly.

Or yet if I act, or fail to act, in the manner of your design for action, let me be.

I do not, for the moment at least, ask you to understand me. That will come only when you are willing to give up changing me into a copy of you.

I may be your spouse, your parent, your offspring, your friend, or your colleague. If you will allow me any of my own wants, or emotions, or beliefs, or actions, then you open yourself, so that some day these ways of mine might not seem so wrong, and might finally appear to you as right- for me. Not that you embrace my ways as right for you, but that you are no longer irritated or disappointed with me for my seeming waywardness. And in understanding me you might come to prize my differences from you, and, far from seeking to change me, preserve and even nurture those differences.