let them eat cake

I've made some good cakes.


And some not so good ones too.


I've just used plans I found on the internet. Fun cakes. Theme cakes. Made for great kids cakes. For a long time, I've wanted to learn how to do traditional cake decorating too. This month I finally seized the opportunity. I took a cake decorating class at Michael's with my sister-in-law Angie. Angie has lots more natural ability than me. Our instructor oohed and aahed over her work while encouraging me to keep trying! The key thing I did learn though is that with proper tools and practice, I can do it too.

Not to mention that my cakes look pretty good too as long as they're not sitting next to Angie's!

seeking spring

My children don't seem to understand that it is still winter. Frozen, cold, in-the-middle-of-February winter. They are out jumping on the trampoline all the time. They like to take blankets out there and play who knows what kind of game.


One afternoon, Sawyer even took a three hour nap out there under all the blankets.


Slade runs around all the time without shoes.


And all of them seldom wear coats. We are all anxiously awaiting the warmer weather in the coming months. However, my children apparently have learned how to create their own spring in the middle of winter.

12 on 12 | february

[click to enlarge]

--We recently started this reward system for getting the morning routine done on time. If the kids get dressed, make bed, eat breakfast, and complete chores and practicing by 10:00, they get one point. They earn donuts with 10 points.
--These are the Valentines we made for our homeschool group party today. I got the idea here on Inchmark Journal. I was delighted by how creative the kids got with these. Unfortunately I was in a hurry this morning and only grabbed this boring one to shoot but there were all kinds of cards in our box with rainbow hair, mustaches, hypnotic eyes, and so on. Super easy and cute.
--Emma is the only one who would participate in the relays at the Valentine party. Slade played Hot Potato at the beginning but the rest of time the boys sat on the side.
--The kids brought their Valentine boxes home and promptly proceeded to eat through them all, discarding trash all over the floor.
--Sawyer is obsessed with wearing dresses. He begs me to let him wear his princess dress. Today he went into Emma's closet and found this skirt. Should I worry?
--There was a lot of technology-as-babysitter going on today at our house. What can I say? It was just one of those days.
--This book along with a few others arrived in the mail today. I've heard great things about it. It is the book choice for book group this month. I'm excited to read it.
--I got my hair dyed and cut today. Finally. It has only been six months or so. Yikes. It looked pretty scary. The color is rather dark but hopefully will fade slightly. I really liked this new stylist.
--Nathan is finally walking on his foot. Not with his full weight but at least he is actually putting it on the floor. At least he is when he isn't playing video games.
--Dinner tonight included one homemade pizza and leftover Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. Good stuff. The kids made sure all the cups and bowls matched tonight when they set the table.
--Emma asked if she could take some pictures and took my camera outside. She took all kinds of random shots but came in so excited about this one of the trees with the sunset. A budding photographer?
--We let everyone stay up way too late watching the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. I love the Olympics!

tiny evil toothpicks

While I was at my first cake decorating class last Tuesday, Dave was home with the kids. Nathan was running and managed to run right into a toothpick. Half of it broke off. The other half was jammed completely into his foot. Well, actually there was the tiniest bit poking out still. Dave got tweezers and tried to pull it out. When it didn't budge, he decided he better take him to the doctor instead. He hustled the kids into the car in their pajamas, minus coats or shoes, and sped down the hill to the urgent care clinic. They gave Nathan a shot for the pain and were going to attempt to pull the toothpick out when it instead lodged deeper inside his foot. Now there was absolutely nothing still sticking out. So they sent him to the ER.

This is when I received a phone call from Dave, telling me to meet him at the ER. I was about twenty minutes away. When I got there, I came in to find all the other kids in the waiting room, jumping on couches. Dave was in the triage room with Nathan who at this point was totally calm probably as a result of the shot. I gathered up the kids and took them home. Dave returned about an hour later. They weren't able to do anything because they weren't sure where the toothpick was. They told us to follow-up with a doctor in three days. He had a rough night that night because he couldn't lie down. His foot would start hurting unless he kept it hanging down. Poor Dave had a rough night too.

note the lovely pink toenails courtesy of big sister

I called the doctor the next morning to set up an appointment. Since the doctor would be out of the office on Friday, they suggested we come in that same day (Wednesday). Dave took him in on his lunch hour. Nathan was totally wiped out after being up all night and fell asleep. The doctor recommended that we wait until Monday. He wanted the wound to fester a bit so that he could tell where the toothpick was lodged. The other alternative was to put him under general anesthesia and try to find it. We opted to wait.

He wouldn't even move for the first few days. Dave or I had to carry him everywhere. Finally by Saturday, I had had enough of that and told him to start crawling or hopping or scooting on his bottom because I couldn't carry him all the time. He didn't like that idea so much but eventually resorted to crawling around.

On Monday, we called the doctor and set up an appointment for the next morning. At his office, they gave him two majorly painful shots, sliced open his foot and retrieved the toothpick. Nathan had an inch long piece of toothpick up inside his foot for a week. Ouch.


He got stitches and is all bandaged up now. He is still crawling and hopping around. He has a little walking boot that he can use but he doesn't like how it feels. The stitches come out in ten days.

So beware of those tiny toothpicks. They seem quite harmless but can sure wreak havoc on your foot.

one day at a time

I've been meaning to blog. Really. I blinked and suddenly almost two weeks have gone by. How does that happen!? I'm resorting to posting a random sampling of what we've been up to around here.

I'm on a diet. A six week challenge if you will. No dairy. No sugar. No wheat. Lots and lots of vegetables, chicken, fish, and oats. In addition to oats, I've added quinoa to my nutritional repertoire. I like it. I do NOT like fish on the other hand. I have faltered and succumbed to temptation more than once but for the most part have stuck to it and I'm losing weight.


We put up rain gutter bookshelves in the basement hallway.


I'm taking a cake decorating class. It makes me feel totally uncoordinated.

Nathan has a toothpick shoved up inside his foot. Full story to follow soon.


Slade received his orange belt and has been begging to quit. I finally let him. I decided I just couldn't fight him about it twice a week. Am I a bad parent? Of course the karate people seem to think so.


I was not at Slade's belt graduation because I went on a date with my sister. We went to see Colin and Amy perform their pre-tour showcase. My date was exceptionally great. Love her. The show? Not so much. Except for Colin and Amy, of course.


Emma is trying to teach Anne how to walk. She will walk short distances on her own but definitely prefers crawling.