My Morning Ride

I feel like Superman.

Yes, on days I ride my bike I wake up before the crack of dawn and dash around the house putting on my tight little biker shorts and hoping I didn't forget a comb to smooth out my helmet hair when I finally arrive. Then I dash under the garage door, careful not to trigger the sensor, but as fast as I can in stiff biking shoes.

Then I'm off.

Riding into the dark on my white stallion, we fly past a few early morning joggers and hope that the just awoken driver is aware of the bright lights flashing in front and behind me. The first descent brings enough speed to need the fastest gear as I build for the first big hill. Just as I feel the sweat start to soaken my hands, I try shifting to a fighting gear, but as usual, shift the wrong way. "Crap!", I say and scramble to adjust and get my sorry butt up the hill.

Then I'm off again.

The descent is short, but oh so appreciated as I zoom around, quickly approaching the terrifying beast. Then, just before the last hill, What? A red stop light! NOOOOOOO! I need speed to tackle that monster! I'll unclip, no wait! I see yellow! I can do it! I peddle harder, then shift, relief, and pain. Shift, relief, pain. Shift, relief, pain. I stomp on the monster as I climb up his back, each time pushing my legs to grind as deeply as possible. Then I stand, one final assault at the peak of the battle.

I've conquered the magnificent creature.

I slow to a stop, unclip, and race down the steps to the already waiting train. I race to the door and wave to the waiting chauffer. People notice my breath and look away, surely wondering why someone would dress like a freak to fight for the day. I rack the bike and lean to the wall. Panting and feeling my legs tight as rocks. The people, they glance again at my battle gear as I smile and they look again to their books. I soak the looks in, for again, I conquered their creature.

And still they stare.

We escape at the booth and to hide from their stare. I stable the stallion and shower up fast. I change to my daily clothes and enter the routine. I walk to the floor and say hi to all who unknowingly just awoke. I sit at my desk and nobody knows.

Read more...

Natalie, something is missing from your mouth!

Any tricks to helping the tooth fairy remember the pick up and delivery?

Read more...

Taste Test

So AJ, which was the winner? Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or the pear?

Read more...

Natalie's Big Day

Natalie turned 8 in February so she decided to be baptized and become a member of our church. It was a very special day for the entire family, especially because Grandma and Grandpa Heath were able to attend as well as Grandma Jean.

Read more...

Who has been playing with the camera?

We downloaded the pictures to the camera today. Lets see if we can guess who has been playing with it.

Upside down on the couch. Could someone have been standing on their head with a camera?

Lights must have been out. 23 perfectly black pictures.

I think we have a clue....


More feet?

Getting warmer...
Gotcha!

He used 143 pictures. Good thing we don't have to pay for film anymore.

BRENDAN!!!!

Read more...

Fire!!!!

So on Sunday Ezra had the brilliant idea to make cinnamon rolls. He has made them before, but this time things turned out a bit differently. As the rolls expanded, butter dripped onto the tinfoil in the bottom of the oven and started smoking. We opened all the windows and the kids were swinging towels around trying to get the smoke out.

Then before we knew it, flames were in the oven and making even more smoke. Luckily we pulled out the nearby fire extinguisher and put the fire out.

The worst part: The lost cinnamon rolls.

The funniest part: From the moment Ezra said fire, it took Brendan exactly .05 seconds to be out the front door and to the designated emergency meeting tree.

What we learned: We have 7 smoke detectors in our house and everyone of them works very well. Also, Summer can sleep through all 7 without waking up.

Fact #1: The smell of smoke can last in your house for at least two days (and counting).

Fact #2: Cleaning out the oven is worse than cleaning up any kid fluids.

The Best Part: An unforgettable lesson (including visual aids) in fire safety.

The Next Sunday Cooking Challenge: Rice Krispie Treats

Read more...

"Mom, my toast didn't taste very good today."

This past Sunday after church, we were having toast for lunch. It was the "healthy" precursor to our Sunday Sundaes (our weekly bribe for good church behavior). Ezra served everyone toast with what he called his new "secret sauce". He later showed us that he had added a little sprinkle of nutmeg to go with the cinnamon and sugar we normally use. We all thought it was a nice twist to our standard toast.

Today I told Brendan to make his own breakfast while I showered. At our house, "making breakfast" generally means pouring yourself a bowl of cereal and milk. Brendan took advantage of my absence today and decided to do a little cooking on his own.

So as I was finishing drying my hair, Brendan came into my bedroom. Here is our conversation:

Brendan: "Mom, my toast didn't taste very good today."
Lisa: "Toast? You made toast?"
Brendan: "Yes, but it didn't taste very good." (makes a yucky face)
Lisa: "Umm, okay (trying to be patient while thinking of the mess in the kitchen). Did it get burned?"
Brendan: "No."
Lisa: "Well, why didn't it taste very good?"
Brendan: "Well, I tried to use Daddy's secret sauce. But I didn't know which one it was. (remember, he's still learning to read) So I had to use them all."
Lisa: "All of what?"
Brendan: "All of the little things."
Lisa: "You mean all of the little spices?"
Brendan: "Yes, spices."

I came downstairs to find his toast preparing station:
Here I have lined up the spices so they can be clearly seen. He remembered from Sunday what the nutmeg container looked like and found all of the similar-looking canisters in my spice rack:
And here is the tasty toast. That is a quarter-inch-thick layer of spices on the second slice!
And yes, that is also a snickerdoodle on his breakfast plate. I guess he found that in the freezer while getting out the bread. I'm not sure why he didn't finish that.

I think tomorrow I will stay in the kitchen while Brendan makes his breakfast.

Read more...

Update

Wii won.

Read more...

Tae Kwon Do

When soccer finished we immediately started looking for another activity for Brendan because everyone seems so much happier when he has something to keep him busy. Luckily, his school had a Tae Kwon Do class for a few weeks that seemed to channel some of his energy.

At the end, they put on a show and had an official "Board Breaking" ceremony. If you are not a grandma or grandpa, you may not be interested...but we thought his little performance was quite cute. Especially as he tries to keep up with the other kids.



Let's just say he is quite pleased with his performance...

Oh, and we signed him up!

Read more...

A Driveway with a View

Who says Oregon winters are dreary and gray?

Read more...

"Santa is all I can think about!"

Today Brendan said to me, "Mom, when it's Christmas like this, Santa is just all I can think about."

He left, and then after an usually quiet fifteen minutes, he came back and said, "Mom, I'm sorry to tell you that as I was counting the Christmas presents, my biggest present ripped open. All I could see was some black, so I don't really know what it is. I repaired it with some orange paper."

Now didn't he do a nice repair job?

Other Christmas comments by Brendan:

"Santa doesn't really go down each chimney. He just flies over each chimney and drops the presents down. He has to hurry because there are so many houses."

"Santa has a pocket with every garage door opener in the world in it. That's how he really gets in."

"Santa doesn't get to sleep. He just has to keep delivering presents to all the houses."

"Santa is already delivering presents. It takes him so so long because there are so many houses. So he has to start now."

Read more...

Way Behind

I hope our blog readers (both of you) aren't feeling neglected at our lack of posts. This blog is not the only thing that we are behind on. Although we did get our Christmas tree, half of our Halloween decorations are still up. And this will probably be the first year of our marriage that we won't be sending out Christmas cards. Apologies to all. We promise to make them extra-glittery next year.

But we just might get a couple of new blog posts up soon. We certainly have plenty to blog about. Just don't hold your breath waiting for the new posts!

Read more...

A Typical Saturday Morning At Our House

Read more...

"The Worst Mom"? "Dumb"? Ouch!!

On the way home from grocery shopping on Saturday, Natalie casually mentioned that the kids in her class think that I am "the worst mom" because I don't make very good lunches since I don't put many treats in her lunch box.

Well, I believe that fruit snacks are equivalent to gummy bears, that goldfish crackers are essentially cardboard, and I actually follow our pediatrician's and dentist's advice to cut out most juice, especially the juice box-type drinks. So if that makes me "the worst mom" then I guess I am, in fact, the worst mom. But, ouch, that hurts my feelings! I don't want to be the worst mom. I don't want the kids at school to think Natalie has a witch for a mother. This is not a fun feeling.

I then asked Natalie how many kids' moms write notes to them on their napkins that are packed with their lunch? She could only think of one other child in her class. So I felt happy that at least she knows she's loved when she gets her napkin note from mom every day at lunch.

Now this morning as I was packing her lunch, she mentioned that the kids in school think that I am "D-U-M-B" (yes, she spelled it out for me) because of the things that I write on her napkins. Ouch again! I do write rather silly things on her napkins, like "Boom Shaka-Laka" or "10 days til Halloween" or "Thanks for making your bed so nicely this morning". I can picture the kids sitting down at their lunch table and someone saying, "So, Natalie, what did your mom write today?" in a mocking voice and everyone laughing. Again, not a fun feeling.

I expected peer pressure to come someday on clothes, music, going to sleepovers, etc., but SACK LUNCHES? I must confess, that every once in a while, I DO buy fruit snacks, goldfish crackers, and red-colored sugar water mislabeled as "juice", mainly because I recognize that a sandwich and fruits and veggies can get boring day after day. But I guess an occasional treat is not enough for my daughter to escape ridicule.

Should I just ignore the pressure and take satisfaction in knowing that she is eating healthy? Or should lunches from our house become a pre-packaged party of sugar and cardboard?

Signed,
Lisa (aka "the Worst mom")

Read more...

Lightning Brendan

Brendan played on the Purple Dragons soccer team. The kid is fast if you just can keep him moving in the right direction.

Read more...