Perks to having boys...

In these last days of hemming and hawwing over whether baby is a boy or girl, I just found something that reassures me that if we have another boy - there are bright sides. I read this this afternoon in a baby magazine...

"Girls' clothes get more space in the store, and its universally acknmowledged that baby and toddler girls are more fun to dress. This is deeply unfair to mothers of boys. But theyll get their revenge in three years, when moms of girls have to deal with hootchie-mama clothing for preschoolers."

This is so true. I cannot count the times I have seen simply GHASTLY outfits that would be inappropriate even for grown women, and they are worse still for little girls. I'm also not into the glitzy "diva" shirts for little girls - or shirts for 3 year olds with sayings about boys, etc. So, this is my post for the day reminding myself that another boy would be just fine. In the meantime, I'll keep trying my darndest to keep my boys away from the preschool divas of the world.

T minus 3 days...

until we (theoretically) find out what the gender of baby surprise is!! There are, as you know, the two main options, boy or girl - and then there's that pesky third possibility - the baby-is-shy-and-modest-and-the-tech-doesn't-get-a-good-look one. Seeing as how both boys unabashedly complied at their respective ultrasounds, we have high hopes. I will say I have had one dream about the baby being a girl, and about 50,000 about it being a boy... so not sure what that means, but check back for the official results Thursday evening!!

Creamy white heaven on a plate.

Okay, today I had TWO creamy white foodstuffs that set my eyes a rolling back in my head.

#1 - Fage Greek Yogurt... I had tasted the full fat one once before, and it was quite good, but tried the 2% today, and actually the slightly less rich taste made it far more palatable and exquisite. I streamed in some honey and stirred... SO delicious!! So good for you, live cultures, lots of protein. I'm hooked.

#2 - Trader Joe's Panna Cotta with Peach and Blueberry Compote... If you have a Trader Joe's near you, RUN don't walk, and go buy some of this stuff. It's in the frozen section, and it's only $2.79 for a package of TWO!! Creamy bliss with the most flavorful and bright blueberries and peaches to top. It's a STEAL at even twice this price.

And we're back.

Hello all. Thanks for staying tuned and keeping the faith that we'd return despite an 11 day hiatus. It's been a busy week and a half... preparations for Zip and Justin's wedding, visiting with Tara who I had only seen one other time in nearly 4 years, and then some relaxing and recovering from being sick. All in all, it's been a great time the last couple of weeks and I can't even believe that it's nearly 2008.

Before I forget, congrats to my cousin Rael who just had her babies Amelia and Titus- I'm SO excited for her and they are adorable!!

In other news, it's probably going to be about another 2 weeks before we're able to find out the gender of our baby. Nick is still strongly pulling for a girl, and I'm on the fence. Names are still under debate - and as far as I'm concerned, no need debating them further until we know what we're dealing with.

Riley is sick again, which works out well since he's off school for the next week... I forgot what it's like having 2 kids home full time!!

That's it for now, I'll be able to get back into the posting groove now that things have calmed down. Talk soon!

He writes, he really writes!!

So today when I opened Riley's backpack, I was on the receiving end of a really proud mom moment. Tucked in amongst his papers was something he did today with the teacher - I almost couldn't believe it! I'm guessing that the new release of Alvin and the Chipmunks might have something to do with this - it must be on his mind! It even has Riley's signature perfectionism - the second A was apparently incomplete at first write, but you can see where he extended the left leg to try and even it out. (Click on the photo to enlarge and see what I mean if you can't tell) And those thick, bold dots - he means business! It's as if he's saying - "Alvin and the Chipmunks. 'Nuff said."

At any rate, I just had to share. Can you sense my glowing smile from where you are??

Quiz of the day...

Okay, here's today's question: What do sauerkraut and yogurt have in common?

Oh fine, I'll just tell you. They were both on my plate for dinner! Well, not actually on the same plate - more I ate a plate of sauerkraut chased by a mug of strawberry yogurt. Mmm mmm good! It dawned on me halfway through that it's basically a variation of the cliche pregnant "pickles and icecream" craving. But maybe there's something to it. Sure went down well! Too bad I ate the whole can of sauerkraut, because otherwise I would've had more tomorrow. I'll let you all go vomit now.

Winter is HERE!

Yes, I'm aware of the winter solstice being 9 days from now and so it's not TECHNICALLY winter yet. But tell that to the snow clouds that will be dropping possibly close to a foot here today.

Nana was off from work today with a snow day and so came down for a brief visit in the morning - bearing gifts too! (mmm, egg sammies and coffee). She also sat with the boys and did paper snowflakes, and soon after she left we decided they'd be hung in Riley's room, with the exception of one that is traveling the house with Elliot. Here's the boys this morning showing off their flakes! Riley doesn't even really look like himself, his eyes are all still puffy from being sick. But heck, a moment like this - I don't care what they look like, they're together.... PHOTO OP!

It's a...... baby!

So we had an ultrasound tonight. And no, couldn't tell what we're having. Other than a baby. Baby was way active, no, active isn't the right word, better description would be a hyper freak - hyper freak - s/he's really freaky.... So, didn't exactly make for the best viewing of those all-important gender determining regions. But hopefully when we go for our big ultrasound, probably sometime in January, baby will be feeling more chill and will throw us a bone.

In the meantime, I went in for the ultrasound because I've been having a couple days of some pain and contractions. The doctors wanted to make sure that the contractions weren't doing anything to progress me towards labor, so wanted to rule that out with the ultrasound. And I'll tell you, although we didn't get to find out the gender (and didn't expect to tonight), I did get to see both hands really clearly, with all 10 fingers, we were actually able to count them. So exciting. Never gets old.

Nick scanned in the photos that we got, so I'll post one tomorrow. (one just looks like baby is an extra in the X-Files) EDITED TO ADD: The ghost of e-mails past seems to have gotten a hold of the e-mail wherein Nick attached the photos, so I will get them again and post them ASAP.

Thanks to all for your care and concern... it feels good to be loved. I will post more soon!

Things I will NOT do to wake up in the morning...

So I just came across this article, featuring several avant-garde alarm clocks designed to make it particularly challenging to stay in bed in the morning. They're shown on a site that is targeted towards fitness fiends, and these alarm clocks are supposed to make sure that you don't hit snooze and delay your morning workout. Personally, I don't see myself as a good candidate to try any of these. I find "Clocky" particularly offensive. So check them out for yourself - would ever try any of these?

Fit Gifts: Funky alarm clocks that don't let you sleep in
Posted: Dec 6th 2007 9:15AM by Bethany SandersFiled under: Fitness, Healthy Products
Waking up before dawn for that early morning workout is hard in the wintertime. It's so cold outside, and so nice and cozy in your bed, isn't it? Maybe you should just hit the snooze and sleep for 10 more minutes, right? What could 10 minutes hurt? Your workout, that's what.If morning is the only time of day you have to exercise, then you've got to get up and do it. The snooze button is dangerous; before you know it, those 10 minutes have turned into 30 and you've just slept your workout away. If you or someone in your life is a perpetual snooze abuser, check out these stylish alarm clocks designed to wake you up and keep you there:
When the Puzzle Alarm Clock goes off, it shoots four puzzle pieces into the air. So what, you say? The alarm won't shut off until you put the puzzle back together.
For the angry sleeper in your life, here's the Muji rubber alarm clock. Encased in a rubber shell, it'll do you no good to throw it against the wall.
Put the Sleeptracker Pro on your wrist and it'll monitor your sleep cycles. When you enter the "almost-awake" zone, it will gently rouse you.
Clocky is my personal favorite. Once it goes off, it rolls of your nightstand and looks for a place to hide.
Don't work bankers hours or want to sleep in a little on the weekend? The Neverlate Executive has an alarm for every day of the week, as well as a customizable snooze.

Another recipe I know you're all just dying for...

Well, the quiche recipe was met with a profound silence when it came to feedback. Save, of course, for Marty's declaration that "real men don't eat quiche." I say, real men eat ANYTHING.

And thankfully I've been blessed with a husband who truly does eat anything. He was a die-hard meat and potatoes man before marrying me, a total vegetarian at the time. Since then I've added poultry and fish back to my repertoire, but I'm going on 11 years with no beef or pork. I think Nick missed the meat at first, but then one day told me that as long as I give him a dinner that tastes good and fills him up, that's all that matters. And tasty and filling this lentil stew is! It's a great cold weather meal, stretches for days, and is very easy on the wallet. Not to mention low in fat, and nice and high in fiber and protein. Serve with a nice tossed green salad and maybe a little garlic bread if you want. Cauldron of gunk you say? Good eats, I say.

Brannon's Lentil Stew w/ Rice
serves....a LOT - 12-14 maybe?

4 carrots - peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery - chopped
1 large onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
2- 16 oz. bags dried lentils, rinsed
1 C brown rice
80 oz. chicken broth (2 1/2 cartons)(organic when possible)
32 oz. water
7 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
pinch cumin
vegetable oil

Sautee diced onion in vegetable oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, until just starting to get translucent. Add in carrots and celery, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook just until you can smell it start cooking (about 30 seconds). Add the rinsed lentils and rice, stir to incorporate all ingredients together - let cook for 1 minute. Add in chicken broth, water, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and cumin. Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for roughly 45 minutes to an hour, or until lentils are tender. This will be a thick stew, so if you want it thinner, add chicken broth accordingly and season to taste. Enjoy!

Gender identity crisis...

No, not me silly. The baby. I thought I wanted a girl. I think I've changed my mind. I was just looking through various baby paraphernalia online, clothing, bedding, etc. And I realized that I really don't like most of the stuff for girls. Sure, there's a huge selection for girls - 3/4 of the baby department is for girls and 1/4 is for boys. And when you finally find something you like for a boy that's nice and classic and plain, you flip it over only to find a ginormous decal featuring Scooby Doo, or Bob the Builder. Let me post just a few of my finds that have convinced me that I am no longer thinking pink. Bleck, hearts and butterflies. Heck, I'm scared to death of butterflies in real life!!

Now don't get me wrong, if we end up with a girl, it will still be nice and fun. I've just realized that she'll probably wear overalls and flannel shirts (refer to baby photos of Brannon from ages 2-4). For the first time in this pregnancy, I'm actually rooting blue. Me and my three sons. Hmmm, I think there might be a tv show in there somewhere.

Anyway, don't hold it against me when I change my mind on this sometime next week. But as of 12:08pm EST on December 7th... go big blue!

Too cold for me!

Well, thankfully things will start warming up a teeny bit here soon. So far December is an average of 12 degrees colder this year than it was last year, and we're well under the typical December average temps. I just hate the cold weather SO much - I'm already dreaming of crocuses and chirping birds, and even mowing the lawn. In the meantime, hopefully winter will bring some fun for the family, snowmen, sledding, cocoa and candy canes. I'll try to get some photos of those as they happen, but in the meantime this is all I've got. Before I know it, I'll have to get working on a winter 2007 graphic for the left side there. Waaaaaaaah.

Let them eat cake!!

So, after talking to Tara this morning who had just made a moist and delicious chocolate cake... I decided I needed to make one as well. I enlisted some munchkin assistance, and the finished product is in the oven right now. Here's a few photos of how things went down. And yes, I should've tidied my counter before pulling out the camera. What can I say, it really was a spontaneous idea, this cake.

It's beginning to look a lot like winter...

Hello there. For those of you who live in this general vicinity, you're probably already well aware that last night brought what could be called the first snow of the season. The kids were quick to notice this morning, this is them watching out the front window as the flakes fell.