Word Watch 2010

Man, he just keeps coming up with new stuff! Sammy said, over the weekend:

Up
Mom
Nice (nye...nye...)
Apple (ah-puh)

He also does "Where's your tummy?" and points to his belly.

He's awesome! He does new stuff every day! You should come over and see us and watch him do his tricks.

(On a less positive note, he turned around and slid out of the stroller yesterday, all while having a tantrum over the fact that Anne had a snack and he did not. If I had taken one more step I would've run him over. I guess he needs the harness EVERY time.)

One more (again)! And a milestone (almost)

Scatter-brained Mom alert. Ridiculous.

Sammy, for whatever reason, likes the song "The Wheels on the Bus". It makes him happy. When I get to the part "the horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep..." I always poke him in the tummy on each "beep" and he laughs.

Now, when I start the song, Sammy points to his tummy and keeps poking it until we get to the "beeps"



Daddy, Oma, Nana, and I all witnessed today that Sammy is starting to stand on his own! He let go of his support several times tonight and stood independently in the middle of the floor. I estimate he'll be walking by Thanksgiving (that's a nice, generous estimate, don't you think?)

One more!

Sammy looks at my ever-present coffee cup and says "Ot! Ot!", since I always tell him it is hot. Smart little guy--and such a looker, too :)

Sam Roman: 13 months

Little Sam is 13 months old today. So big! Here are some fun things he is doing right now:

He says "Uh-oh" with extreme consistency and frequency.

He often says "Dah" for dog when he sees one.

If you say "cow", he will reply "Mmmmoo"

Occasionally he will point to his nose and say "Nuh, nuh"

Last night I could've sworn he said "Sam!" and "Nah-nee" (Annie)

He waves and says "Hi" and also waves good-bye. Sometimes he says "Eye, dah" for "Hi, Dad"

He is enamored with Opa these days, and he will grunt "Oh! Oh!" for Opa.

He still eats a lot, but will sometimes throw his food on the floor. Or he throws his cup and announces "Uh-oh!"

He was bouncing and kicking his legs like crazy when we went to the JV football game last week. He was pretty pumped to be there and watch the tackles.

He crawls with super speed and pulls himself up on everything. He also "hovers", meaning he'll let go of whatever he's holding, stand on his own, then slowly lower himself to the floor and crawl. One of these days he's going to take off and walk across the room.

He's starting to climb up stairs, which is too bad. Now Oma must be extra vigilant (not me, since we have no stairs accessible to our kids)

He did the most fascinating thing yesterday. We arrived at daycare, and Annie sat down to take off her shoes. Once she did, Sammy crawled over to her shoe, picked it up, then crawled back across the floor to put the shoe away in the proper place. Then he did it again with the other shoe! I also caught him putting his toys away in the box last night, and putting all the little farm animals in the same container. I just like to imagine what goes on in his little head:

Oh dear, that shoe is not being put away!
Well, I can help with that...
(Crawl, crawl, scoop, crawl, crawl)
There. Now aren't you all proud of me?

Menu Plan

Since I mentioned the menu plan, I'll tell you what's for dinner at the Westphall house this week. We are cleaning out the freezer, which was already cleaned-out of meat. So vegetarian we go!

Monday: Chili-sauce chicken legs, mashed potatoes, peas
Tuesday: Mexican pizzas (black beans, enchilada sauce, and cheese on a corn tortilla)
Wednesday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Thursday: ?? My memory is failing me..there's a plan, I just can't remember it
Friday: Mexican rice
Saturday: Lunch: Mac and cheese Dinner: Pancakes

The Saturday plan is always pancakes. If we have leftovers, we eat those instead, since Sam really doesn't care for breakfast for dinner. I know...I don't understand it, either.

A few cooking tips for/from the working woman

As school is back in session, so begins the drudgery of preparing dinner each night. It isn't such a big deal in the summer, since I have all day at home to do the prep work. We do have a menu plan each week, which we follow pretty closely. In an attempt to make things easier and cheaper, I have adopted a few habits. I cook a whole chicken in the crock pot, and I cook my own beans.

These are not things I have done once or twice. I have done them enough now to feel they are part of my cooking routine.

Whole chickens are cheap. They are 98 cents per pound at my grocery store, which is about as cheap as meat is going to get. This chicken tutorial is what got me started. Cook the bird, shred the meat, and freeze it. Then you've got chicken on hand to throw into dinner at a moment's notice. I also make chicken stock and freeze it, which is awesome, since I'm not paying $3 for a box of chicken stock at the store! It is also fat-free and low-sodium, since I control what goes into it (and I skim the icky fat off the top....so gross...)

Dry beans are also awesome. We have incorporated black beans into many of our meals, since they are yummy. The Crockpot365 blog got me started with bean cooking. This is especially frugal, since 1 pound of black beans is 98 cents, and cooks to equal 3 cans of beans (which sell for $1.19 each). I scoop the cooked beans into quart-size plastic bags and toss 'em in the freezer.

Lentils are cheap and, I am discovering, a superfood. One-quarter cup of dry lentils (probably half a cup cooked) has 10 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber! Holy cow! Lentils are easily cooked on the stove and can also be frozen in plastic bags. I like to use them in tandem with hamburger--if I make taco meat or spaghetti with meat sauce, I'll use half meat and half lentils. A one-pound bag of lentils cooks-up to 6 cups.

Having things ready to go in the freezer makes dinner preparation much smoother. Here is probably our favorite go-to recipe, which lasts for a couple of days in the fridge:

Mexican Rice
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups black beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup lentils OR 1 cup chicken OR half-pound ground beef
16 oz jar of salsa
taco seasoning, to taste

Mix everything over medium heat in large skillet. Serve as burrito filling or over tortilla chips with shredded cheese and sour cream.

**If you make this with lentils, a 1-cup serving has 12 grams of fiber, half of what you need in one day without tasting at all like a vegetable**


So there is my kitchen-related domestic advice (not that you asked for it). It does help answer the question of how I make dinner almost every night after working almost all day. Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead!

The most embarassing conversation ever preserved for posterity

A little dialogue between Anne and me:

Anne: Mom, I need to go poop.
Me: Okay, let's go upstairs.
A: Are you gonna listen to me poop?
M: Uh, sure.

(In the bathroom)
A: Are you gonna listen to me poop?
M: Yes. I'm listening.
A: Okay...here it comes! (pause) Did you hear it?
M: Yes, I heard it.
A: There's more!
M: Great.

Please, dear child, spare me from the graphic play-by-play of your toilet habits! Perhaps we need to introduce the concept of "privacy". Or at least the idea of using the bathroom ALONE.

A note about paint

I mentioned below that I painted both our bathroom and our kitchen this summer. I must say my piece about the paint.

The bathroom was painted with free samples from Glidden. Twice they have had free paint giveaways, and both times I took advantage and got the "Tropical Surf" color. The first time I got a quart, the second time I received 2 tester bottles, about the size of a jar of rubber cement. I primed the bathroom walls, then painted. I only had enough for one coat, and it definitely needs another one. That will have to wait, since Glidden paint comes from Home Depot, which is at least 40 miles from my house.

The kitchen paint was Dutch Boy brand from Menards. It was leftover from when we painted our dining room, and I had just enough left to do 2 coats in the kitchen.

What I knew before, and what has been reinforced after these projects, is that you MUST buy Sherwin-Williams paint! Go to the S-W store, get the good stuff, and you will be pleased. Their paint has a nice texture, isn't gloppy or drippy, and (in my experience) always covers in 1 coat. When our bedrooms were painted we got the good paint, and it paid off. We did the outside of our house with their exterior paint, as well.

So if you are planning a paint project anytime soon, I encourage you to spend a few bucks more (shocking!) and invest in the good paint. It will save you much time and trouble.

Thus ends my Paint Manifesto.

Wrapping Up Summer

Here are a few of the leftover pictures from the end of our summer. Since it is freezing outside and I've broken out my cardigans, it must be time to say goodbye to summer and hello to autumn.

My Anne-Pan, cute as ever.
After the birthday soiree, Sambo's real birthday was kind of anti-climactic. He did wear his "1st Birthday" shirt to church to show off.

Our memory of Summer 2010? It was so hot! Check out Sammy's sweat halo.

To cool off, we "swam" on the deck a few times. Then we made a waterslide, and Anne was thrilled. Sambo hates to swim, so he watched.

In addition to the kitchen project, I also painted our bathroom. Bathrooms are awful to paint because you have a lot of cutting-in to do, and tricky areas like painting behind the toilet. But I endured and our bathroom looks much better. It was plain white before and had no life at all. Now "Tropical Surf" coats the walls and helps my white fixtures stand out a bit.

I must also point out that this is the only bathroom in our whole house. Just one. So don't come over and clog our toilet, because we don't have a spare. And no, the potty chair does not count.

Kitchen!

We recently embarked on a grand kitchen re-do. Now, it must be said that Kitchen 1.0, which was in place when we bought the house, was awful. The cabinets were stained with so much "honey oak" stain they were practically orange. The counters were yellow, and the floor was a piece of brown flowered carpet. So, right away, we put in Kitchen 2.0, which involved painting the cabinets (thanks, Mom!), replacing the counters and sink, and replacing the carpet with vinyl tiles. And that got us through for the past 3 years. It was good, but we are now working on Kitchen 3.0, which will involve some rearranging and structural changes to the house (eventually). So here we go!

Our kitchen is a skinny little galley, so there are only 2 "before" pictures. Here is the West Wall, which contained the sink and dishwasher:

Here is the East Wall, which held the fridge, stove, and the tiniest, most useless piece of counter, where I prepped all our meals!

Sam and I did all of this work ourselves. He knocked out the cabinets and unhooked the dishwasher and sink. I pulled up all the floor tiles (and the floor tiles I found underneath, so we were down to the original wood, which is sadly covered in 50-year-old black adhesive). We both assembled the new cabinets. He installed them. I painted. He cut and installed the counters. We laid the new floor ourselves. I stained the baseboards. He tried to re-plumb the sink (we may need to call a professional...). As you can see, it was a serious team effort, especially with 2 kids in our midst! Thanks go to Nana and Will and Adrienne for volunteering their babysitting services while we did the big parts of the project.


West Wall after: We moved the fridge, relocated the dishwasher.

East wall after. No more fridge blocking the view to the door, and look at that huge expanse of counter to work on!
Might not seem like great shakes to those of you with kitchens big enough for an island, but it is a great improvement for us!

You might say "Uh, Corrie, you don't have any upper cabinets..." I know. Here on the East Wall we will eventually have a half-wall, opening the kitchen up so we can see into the living room. But that project, Kitchen 3.1, is quite involved and labor-intensive. No point in hanging cabinets on a wall you are going to knock down, and we've found that we have more than enough storage, now that we have a better arrangement of cabinets and drawers.


Here's the budget breakdown:

Vinyl floor (stock, Menards): $90

Cabinets (assemble-yourself, Craigslist): $150

Cabinet hardware: $40

Counter (stock laminate, Menards): $110

Faucet: $35 (on clearance from $80)

Paint: free (leftover from dining room project)

Baseboards (unfinished pine) and can of stain: $15

Supplies (jigsaw blades, screws, etc.): $20

Total: $460 (!)

Add to that a future visit from the plumber...still a pretty cheap home improvement!

Serious Moment: Reflections on 9/11

It seems to me that people have forgotten the charged emotions, fear, and confusion that occurred on September 11, 2001. It is easier, sometimes, to put difficult and painful thoughts in the back of your mind; to think about it as "something that happened" but not let it affect our daily lives. On the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, I think we owe it to every victim to take a moment and remember. To imagine what that day was like for them. To think about what our country needs to do to make sure it never happens again. That our children never have to live through this.

So imagine:

You are on an airplane. Suddenly men with knives are charging the cockpit and there is mass chaos. You have nowhere to go and nothing to fight with. After a few moments, you realize that this is the end. Your mind races. Can you call home? Does your phone work? If I leave a note, would it survive? Does my family know I love them? How long do I have to wait before it is all over?

You are sitting at your desk. Suddenly the whole room shakes, and a heat wave passes over you. You have no idea what just happened. No one does. News comes slowly--you are told to stay where you are, then later you are told to leave. Exits are crammed. You make your way down a staircase, as you feel everything getting hotter. People start to turn back. More news comes. You were above the impact. There's no way down. No one is coming to help you. What do you do? The building may collapse. If it stands, it could be days before anyone can reach you. People are getting hysterical--some decide to jump. Do you follow?

You are the fireman. The police officer. The first responder. This is the worst situation you have ever seen. Everything in your gut tells you to turn back, but you press on. Through the crowds, through the dust, up the staircases, trying to help. Then the building starts to rumble. You know there's no time to turn back and get out. Somehow you are brave enough to let others go before you, to try to save themselves.

You are the witness. Standing on the street or watching at home. You cannot believe what you are seeing. First they call it an accident. Then it happens again. And again. And one more, in a field. It is no accident. Are there more? Where are they? Who are they? Why? You wait, but answers do not come. You watch and wait. You think of everyone you know and where they might be. Will they be safe? You try to call a few, but the phone signals are so jammed no one can make contact. You are in a nation up-ended, thrown into confusion and worry.

You are the wife, the mother, the child left behind. He is going overseas, and you are left at home. You know "freedom isn't free" and believe in the cause, but the only thing you truly care about is whether or not he is going to come home alive. Will he call? Will he have what he needs? Where is he when the emails stop coming? How long until we hear that he's safe? Is he?



We don't need to imagine, since we all experienced that day. We did not lose our lives, but we lost a part of our national identity, our sense of security. It was not taken by a country, even, but by a group of radicals who have no regard for human life. They used airplanes as weapons, disregarding the lives of the passengers. They continue today to use humans as weapons--suicide bombers who kill themselves and others in the name of Allah.

This is how you know they are wrong. How you know they are evil. That they push and push their ideas on the world without a second thought about killing someone to prove their point.

No true Christian has ever killed innocent humans to further God's kingdom. No activist group or political action committee would blow up children in the street to get their way. Because in America, we are civilized. We respect human life. The monsters who attacked our homeland know nothing of that. They are evil. They have damaged our country. They must be held accountable.

So do not forget. Do not forget what they have done and what others have sacrificed. That is what you can do to honor their sacrifice.

Old News: Birthday Party Edition

Sambo's birthday party was August 8th--2 weeks before his real birthday, and the day before his surgery. In case this cool weather has made you forget, it was SO HOT that day! And SO HUMID! We were melting in the backyard. August 8th was also the last day of River City Days, which meant church downtown, Uncle Will's band playing a show, and a parade in the afternoon. It was ALSO the day of our country club's Championship Tournament, which meant Opa and Sam were gone all day at the golf course. In the midst of it all, we prepped and pulled off a birthday party for 15 people. Here were the highlights:

Sambo is called, for many reasons, "Brown Bear". So I went a-Googlin' one night and found a plan for brown bear cupcakes. They were not too labor intensive and turned out pretty cute. I'm all about cupcakes at parties--no cake to cut and serve; just grab and eat. Thanks, Oma, for helping me collect a pile of brown M&Ms!
My birthday boy! I saved that hat from Annie's first birthday so it could be the traditional "first birthday hat" I was proud of him for leaving it on.

Enjoying his chocolate cake. He did not dive right in to his cake. He took his time and mostly made a mess. I don't know how much made it into his mouth. I'll also mention that when we lit his birthday candle and set down the plate, he tried to grab the candle. Just put his tiny fist right on the flame. He wasn't hurt, and it stands out in my memory as a classic "boy vs. girl" thing. Annie would never have done something like that.

Yeah, Anne was there, too. She was eating up all the extra attention from her aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Opening presents. He wasn't too interested. He does, however, love that book in the photo.

All in all it was a very nice party. It is always nice to have an excuse to get the family together and visit. Next year, though, let's hope for cooler weather!

Old News: Sammy's Surgery

I am WAY behind on blogging all of our August activities, but here's one catch-up post.

Little Sambo had eye surgery on the 9th of August. His left eye had a plugged tear duct that would not clear, so Dr. K had to go in and clear it out. I learned quite a bit about the eye and tears, specifically, during this process. Did you know that your lacrimal (tear) glands are located above your eyebrows? Tears are produced there, wash down over your eyes, and your tear ducts drain them away down into your nose/throat area. So, essentially, Sambo had a plugged drain that needed to be snaked.

The "snaking" involved inserting a small probe into the upper left tear duct opening and running it down along the side of his nose to remove the blockage. That probe was removed and a second one was inserted with a tiny balloon (think angioplasty) which was then inflated to dialate the duct and prevent it from becoming blocked again.

He was a real trooper through everything. Since he was going to be put under general anesthesia, he had to fast for 12 hours before surgery. I was afraid we'd have a hysterical baby on our hands, but he held up quite well. We got him to the hospital, went through all the forms and consents, then did the pre-op routine. Sammy got his own little hospital gown and pants, plus an ID bracelet on his ankle. As is standard procedure, the doctor initialed the surgery site, which is why the pictures below show my baby with permanent marker on his face.

When it was time to start, I had the "honor" of going back to the OR with Sammy while they put him under. I got to wear the special gown, bonnet, and footies and carry him back to the room. It was pretty awful to lay him down on that HUGE operating table and hold him down while he struggled against the anesthesia mask. Only one parent is allowed to go back, and Sam had told me "You're going." (And really, my thought was "Darn right I am!")

Sambo went to sleep, the nurse walked me out, and then we waited. It was one of the longest hours of my life. Sam and I are both big worriers when it comes to our kids, and we were both subconsciously thinking "Something could be going wrong RIGHT NOW and we wouldn't know." There was much relief when Dr. K. came back and said Sambo had made it though with flying colors. There was even more relief when we heard Sammy crying his way down the hall back to our recovery room.

It took him a long time to wake up fully out of his drug-funk. He got pretty hysterical for a while there, but once he got home, had a nap, and ate lunch, he was back to his old self. And his eye is perfectly clear!

So that is the tale of Sammy's surgery. Extremely minor in the grand scheme of medicine, but pretty significant to our little family. Here's the boy enjoying his post-surgery snack (still in his jammies)

Need a laugh? Take 3 minutes for this.

I'm sorry, what was that?

The LA Times today published a set of "teacher rankings" based on student test scores. While that is controversial enough, I was shocked by the comments from a parent on the ABC News video I just watched. Her statement? "If my child is getting an 'F' and I know he is capable of doing 'A' work, that reflects poorly on the teacher."

Jigga WHAT?!?! That reflects poorly on your KID and on YOU as his parent! Let's think: Your lazy-bones kid won't do his homework, study, or participate in class, so he fails. That's 100% on the teacher to remedy? How 'bout you do some parenting? How 'bout your kid grows up a bit and gets his act together?

No wonder teachers resign every year and tenured teachers just "phone it in" every day...it is too much to have to parent these kids while trying to provide a rigorous education. Every minute a teacher spends tracking down late homework, calling home about lunch money, and looking for lost gym shoes is one minute he or she could be spending actually teaching something. So do your job as a parent and teach your kid responsibility and accountability. It would go a long way towards helping everyone learn more.

Baby's First "Haircut"

"Haircut" gets the quotes because it was a pretty minor trim, and it is kind of a hack-job.

Sambo's wispy locks were getting a little too wispy, so we impulsively decided to get him a trim this evening. He did not sit still, he fussed, and as a result, he still has some straggly hairs around his ears.

I'm feeling the Mom Guilt because Anne's first haircut was at a real salon with a professional stylist (and she was 19 months old, not 12). Poor second baby gets a Walmart haircut, no camera, no momentos of the event. Sorry, little guy. Plus I was having a hard time with the idea of a haircut--I didn't want him to lose his "baby" look. I'm not ready for a toddler boy!

In the end, he looks pretty much the same: adorable as ever.

Six Adorable Statements

Anne was full of cuteness this morning. She's so pleasant when she wakes up--Sammy is more like Mommy, full of whining and writhing :)

1. As she was getting dressed she said, "Oh, it is cold in my house!"

2. Looking out the window she asked "Mama, where is the sun?"

3. Asking for a snack "Mom, put that peanut butter on my finger"

4. After tasting the PB "Mmmm...crunchy...a little nut" I responded with "Yeah, not like that creamy stuff your dad eats."

5. Walking to the car, half crying "There's rain on my hair!"

6. Last night she pulled a sesame seed of her hamburger bun and said "Mom, look at this tiny nut!" (She's big on nuts, apparently)