Baby Girl Turns 5

Today, my youngest moppet turns 5 years-old! I really can't believe it! It seems like only yesterday that she was born-yet, at the same time, that she has been in our family always! (Isn't it funny how that works?)

Five seems so much older than four, and I am really having a hard time accepting it! Not only for Baby Girl, but for our entire family. As much as I have resisted it, our family has turned a page. I feel a little like Grover in "The Monster at the End of This Book."  I, too, have tried rope, nails, and bricklaying as means of preventing the pages from being turned!  

By virtue of being the youngest of a large family, Baby Girl has been a "baby" for longer than any of her siblings. When First Born was 5, he was practically driving the car and doing our taxes, Oldest Daughter was putting laundry away when she was 4 and Middle Daughter was making pancakes at age 3. The next two changed their own diapers, mixed their own formula and read themselves bedtime stories. But not Baby Girl. I have learned that children don't go to college with diapers and pacifiers (well, usually) and that there is no need to rush things-it goes too fast as it is! I have also confirmed a long held belief that being the youngest rules!

Lately, when I look at the landscape of our family, I hardly recognize it! I grudgingly acknowledge that we are no longer a family with children that are "free with the price of admission". As we celebrate Baby Girl's 5th birthday, (and she no longer lets me buckle her in to the infant seat on the top of the carts at Target) I am starting to accept, even look forward to, the next page in our book!

                                     

The Secret of the Universe or How I Accidentally Made the Most Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Many of the fabulous things in my life happen by complete accident. I will paint a wall and when I realize it's a bad color, I'll paint over it and paint over it again until it turns out that the layers of colors have created an accidentally beautiful effect! Hurray, happy happenstance! I'd say my gift is knowing what doesn't work, and in undoing, or covering my mistakes, something fabulous sometimes occurs. So I can't really take credit for these things (although I often do).

This is exactly what happened the other evening when we decided to make chocolate chip cookies at 8:30. Steadfast Husband was out of town, and we were all in our pajamas, preparing to bid our day adieu. That's when it hit. I was totally jonesing for a sweet treat. I could hear the siren call of the recently purchased 5 pound (thank you, Costco) bag of chocolate chips in the pantry. I summoned my sweet 14-year-old (the chef/baker of the bunch) and oh, so sweetly asked if she thought chocolate chip cookies sounded good. She wholeheartedly assented, and generously offered to make them! Okay, I may be a little foggy on this point. It is very possible that I suggested that she make them, (please, because she is the best baker in the whole wide world) as I pulled mixing bowls, measuring cups, and the mixer out onto the counter. Either way, she started pouring, cracking, mixing, and sampling. The recipe doesn't even mention eggs until near the end, and with the impromptu nature of our cookie making, we didn't set the ingredients before we started. Oops! We were out of eggs-and frankly, no amount of cookie desire was getting me out of my pajamas and into the grocery store!

We were too far in to abort operation sweet treat, so for the 42nd time this week, I said thank you to Al Gore (he invented the Internet, right?!) and hopped online to search "egg substitute baking". Actually, I initially googled "egg substitute", but quickly saw the need to narrow the search parameters. We were out of applesauce, the most commonly suggested substitute. Then, I stumbled onto the suggestion of a mixture of baking powder, oil and water. I must admit, I doubted that the cookies would taste the same and I was right! They tasted even better! They were the best chocolate chip cookies we have ever had. They were a little crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Scrumptious!!!!

I baked another batch when Steadfast Husband returned from his trip. He couldn't believe how delicious they were either! Really! So here is the recipe for these amazing treats! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies without eggs

2 1/4 Cups flour
      1 teaspoon baking soda
      1 teaspoon salt
      1 Cup (2 sticks) butter
  3/4  Cup sugar
  3/4  Cup brown sugar (packed)
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
eggs substitution-mix together 4 Tablespoons water, 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, 4 teaspoons baking   
                          powder-mix well. This is amount is the equivalent of 2 eggs.
     2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside
Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla extract. Slowing add egg substitute mixture. Beat well.
Add flour mixture. Mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips.
drop tablespoon-size dollops onto baking sheet

Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes (until golden)
Enjoy!

The yummiest french onion soup!

Every once in a while, we have a something yummy for dinner that the majority of the family likes, even rarer is when we have something most everyone LOVES! My homemade french onion soup is one such dish! Not long ago, we were at a fabulous restaurant for dinner and I noticed French Onion soup on the menu. I suggested to my first born that he order a bowl. He said, "I don't want it, it won't be as good as yours!" He is absolutely horrible at sucking up, so I know he meant it. It is a chilly, rainy, fall day, so I decided to make it today and share my recipe. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients
4-5 large sweet onions
4 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup white wine-not sweet (can use red in a pinch)
8 cups beef broth
1t salt
1t pepper
french baguette (sliced)
grated Parmesan cheese
sliced Swiss cheese

slice onions, cook in butter until soft, slightly brown (about 35-40 minutes) stir occasionally
add flour, cook 3-4 minutes, stir often
add wine. cook until most liquid is gone (about 8 minutes) stir often
add broth, salt and pepper, simmer for at least 30 minutes

lightly toast baguette (in toaster)
ladle soup into oven-safe bowls (individual servings)
place toast on top of soup
put 1 T Parmesan cheese over bread
place a slice (or 2) of Swiss cheese on top of bread

set bowls on cookie sheet,  place in oven, bake at 450 degrees until cheese is melted and golden about 8 minutes.
Bowls will be very hot, so please be careful!!!!
Enjoy!

smart aleck comment or true wisdom?

Last night at dinner everyone was talking at once (typical) and I was trying to get everyone's attention. Baby girl said "Shush guys, only mama can be talking right now." (Love her!) Of course, everyone continued chattering away, (baby girl doesn't hold a lot of clout when it comes to bossing the group). I exclaimed, "Ugh, why is no one listening to me?!" Without missing a beat, firstborn piped up, "That's what parenting is, talking when no one is listening!" I honestly about wet my pants! It's funny because it's true! I'm thinking about having t-shirts made!

Tales of a Fourth Grade Everything

There are times in my (motherhood) life, that things just, well, are. I don't mean "it is what it is" are, I mean the state of being that exists when there are no extreme highs, no devastating lows. With six children, a myriad of pets, and a steadfast husband (that, let's be honest, is only steadfast most of the time) that doesn't occur very often. But at this moment, this very second in time, I am experiencing that phenomenon! It is really a cause for celebration. It is also Sunday night and most of the moppets are working their way to sleepy town! (Thank you, school night). But I'll take it when I can get it!

In the absence of extinguishing fires, comforting sad hearts, shoring-up fragile constitutions, I have the opportunity to do a bit of homework that was assigned to me by my son's fourth grade teacher. I am supposed to write him a letter that will be read in front of the class. The letter is supposed to tell him how I feel about him and include funny stories about his childhood (so far). I would guess telling about him wearing his sisters "twirly dress" until he was three is not a story he would want me to share. Fourth graders can be so judgemental! So I decided the teacher's idea of funny stories and my idea of funny stories are probably quite different and in an effort to not embarrass my son, I have chosen to go with endearing as a theme for his letter. I must make it clear, I completely believe in embarrassing my children, but only when the time is right, and when I can be there to enjoy it. He is still a little young for the full force of intentional parental embarrassment, and hasn't behaved in a way that warrants it yet!

So here is my letter to my sweet little boy.

Dear sweet fourth grader,
       You are an amazing person. You are sunshine and joy and you spread your light wherever you go. You embrace your life so completely. It is awesome to watch the exuberance you have for everything you do. You grab the opportunities life presents you! I still laugh when I think about you getting to sit up front at your very first Broadway show when we were in New York last spring. When the gentleman ask  if any of us wanted to use his extra ticket for a seat closer to the stage, you didn't hesitate to accept his kind offer. In my recollection, you said "I do," vaulted over the seats in front of us and were half-way down the aisle before I even registered what the man had said!  Opportunity knocks, and you swing the door wide open and say "what have you got for me today?" I love that about you!
      The first time you got on a two wheel bike, you just took off. No training wheels, no crashes, not even a wobble. Your dad was so tickled by this feat, that the next morning, he began his business meeting by telling everyone about your super bike riding skills!
      It is a joy to watch you perform on stage. It is clearly a place you feel comfortable and confident. You have such an amazing natural talent for theatre.
      You are a thoughtful brother to your siblings and make everything we do as a family much more fun. You are hysterically funny, and make us laugh a lot!
       You have creative ideas and creative solutions to problems. It is through your eyes that I see things for the first time again. What a gift that is to me! You are very smart and  have a wonderful stick-to-it-iveness, you work at something until you get it right. That is an example to all of us. You find joy and follow your passions. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have you for my son! We are blessed to have you as a part of our family!

We love you like crazy,
your adoring family

Baby girl's first day of school!

Baby girl started school this week. We thought school started Tuesday (I swear they said "see you Tuesday" as we left "meet the teacher" day), but it turns out, it started Monday. We were still sitting on the sofa in our pajamas, watching the Today Show, recovering from the exhaustion of getting the rest of the moppets out the door, when the phone rang. It was the preschool director wondering if baby girl was sick! Oops! Grabbing clothes from the floor that "smelled clean" and promising she could wear her first day of school outfit on her first full day of school, I rushed her over to her school. We were only an hour and 20 minutes late! Missing almost half of the school day didn't seem to take away from the fabulous-ness of her day. When she got home, she said that it was her "BEST FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVER!" (She actually screamed, "BESTFIRSTDAYOFSCHOOL, EVER"  three times before I finally was able to discern what came before the "ever".)

Yikes, we almost missed the first day of school!

I must explain the reason I was searching for clothes that smelled clean. Baby girl changes her clothes about 14 times a day. She has it in her mind that every "event" calls for a different outfit, and when you're four, almost everything you do is an "event"! She works hard to find the perfect ensemble for each occurrence (meaning, lots of the rejected items get dropped on the floor along-side the previously worn outfits). As she has not yet perfected folding and cannot reach the rod to hang her clothes back in the closet (although pulling the sleeve of a shirt until the hanger breaks or otherwise releases its grasp, doesn't seem to be a problem for her), most days end with a pile of clothes on her floor.

I am completely thrilled that she loves school. She has a blast, plus it's some much needed time away from mama! My darling husband calls baby girl my "mini me". As endearing as it sounds, in real life it means that she is attached to my side. All. The. Time. If I sit down, she races for my lap. When I make my lunch, she abandons hers and decides "we can share" mine. If I dare to go to the bathroom, she follows me, "so you won't have to be alone, Mama." We often share an afternoon coffee (my other children had tea parties-baby girl has Starbucks parties). More nights than not, she wanders in to our bed (where she promptly falls asleep with one leg draped over my middle-just in case I get the notion to get out of bed without her). She also tells me "Mama, I love you so much," about a hundred times a day and reaches to hold my hand "just because" almost as often. I absolutely adore her! She is my last baby, and I know that her desire to spend every moment of the day and night with me is fleeting (at least I hope it is-I don't want to think of her 16-year-old self climbing into my bed every night). But honestly, I truly don't need visitors in the bathroom (formerly known as alone time).

This was the first full day of school! Don't you love the gloves? She refused to take them off for the pictures (I guess she thought it was formal) then immediately doffed them in the car on the way to school-where I'm sure they still are!

So, thank you, sweet little preschool! Thank you for a safe, joyful, enriching environment, thank you for a happy baby girl and most of all, thank you for making it possible for me to go to the bathroom all by myself!

The End of Summer Vacation!

Congratulations team Vinyl! Their team pulled off a victory in the upcycling challenge! Thank you to everyone who voted, and to everyone who checked out the fabulousness, but didn't vote! Sorry team 5finger, your monkey was darling! (You may want to check on him though, I think I saw a stuffed teardrop on his cheek! Stuffed monkeys are quite sensitive!)

The moppets went back to school this week. I have such mixed emotions about their return to school, or rather their mass exodus from the cottage. There is so much excitement attached to the new school year, new clothes, new supplies, new teachers, new friends, and (for two of my children) new schools. My own internal calendar is synced with the school calendar. None of that New Year's resolution business for me, my yearly fresh start is triggered by the diesel fumes of the old yellow school bus!

With their return to school, comes the thrill of almost having my house to myself (my loving husband is working from home right now and my darling youngest child doesn't start preschool until next week!), but my appetite has certainly been whetted! Glimpses of the Today Show, almost getting to hear the snarky comments Matt Lauer makes under his breath, sitting down-it doesn't get much better than that!

On the other hand, I kind of miss my moppets! I know, I know, it's CRAZY! But, I truly enjoy my children (most of the time), and they make me laugh. I also haven't quite prepared myself for the onslaught of meetings, back-to-school nights, homework, bed time and schedules! And the forms! Good golly, I have writer's cramp from filling out all of the stinkin' school forms! I'm fed up with the forms!

     Dear Scrupulous School Officials,
            Whilst filling out one of the 118 school forms I've had to complete over the past four
     days, it has come to my attention that you neither realize, nor care, that all of my children have
     the same address, phone number, emergency contact information, persons authorized to pick them
     up from school, etc. I realize it boggles the mind, kind sirs and madams, but our children even have
     the same exact siblings today that I painstakingly listed on yesterday's forms (with their
     corresponding schools indicated in parentheses behind their names as requested). As you may or
     may not realize, if there was a change in siblings between yesterday and today, I would likely be
     filling out annoying hospital forms rather ridiculous, unbelievably redundant school forms.
          While I appreciate your complete lack of awareness of the aforementioned information, I would
     like you to know that I do not enjoy writing our home address three times on the same form, nor do
     I understand it. Might I suggest looking into a way to streamline the collection of this information
     and even store it for future use?
           Finally, I humbly propose a completely off-the-wall idea for your consideration. If you really
     need twenty-two copies of the same information, I've heard of a machine that makes copies of
     papers. It's hard to believe, but from what I understand, you can hardly tell the difference between
     the original page and the copies. (I know, it sounded like hocus pocus to me too, but it might be
     worth looking into.)  The only problem I can foresee is that you would have to decide on a
     standardized format for your forms rather than the twenty-two different versions you currently use.
           There, there, loving school officials, I understand, change makes us all a little nervous, but
     really, enough's enough!
       

     PS: Could you kindly return to me the 118 forms I filled out last year? I would like to recycle them.
     Thank you

I apologize for the rant, I am suffering from an acute case of form rage! I am off to find a cure-I think it is in the kitchen, and rhymes with boffee! Coffee? Toffee? Either way, I'm feeling better already!

Vote now for your favorite upcycled item!

Please forgive the tardiness of this post. It was supposed to go up on Friday, but I have been sidelined by an ugly sinus onset migraine! The blanket over my head and my hands over my ears prohibited my blogging! Now, I only have a shadow of a sinus headache, so all is good-ish! (Note to mother nature-could you just make it RAIN ALREADY?!?) So the voting for these fabulous creations has been extended until September 7. Voting is easy peasy lemon squeezey, just click the dot beside your favorite item above this post!

I was so tickled by the outcome of the moppets creative re-purposing! (And I must admit to joining in the fun-surprising huh?)

The first team-team vinyl- came up with a clutch purse and snack bowl made from old record albums!

The second team-team 5fingers- made a sock monkey out of winter gloves!

 I must admit, these are two very quick projects-we didn't have time this week for some of the more elaborate projects that they wanted to execute-but they are still quite fab (and needed limited adult supervision/intervention-yippee!)

Remember to vote for your favorite project!
I'll post the winner later in the week!

Heaven in a Bowl! Delicious Mango Sorbet

This is not a typical post for me, but I feel it is my duty to share this little piece of heaven with you! One day last week, I thought, "mango sorbet sure sounds tasty." Really, I did. And the thing about me is when I decide I have a hankering for something, there is no talking me down. My daughter had some yummy Häagen-Dazs Mango Sorbet a few days before and while I managed to resist the urge to knock her down and snatch it from her hand, it planted a seed of desire that had to be satiated.

I am trying to lose weight, so marching my potato to the store for Häagen-Dazs was out, but I decided I could make a healthier version that would satisfy both me and my thighs! Score! It turned out to be amazing and the recipe can be made sugar-free or sugar-full! My moppets kept trying to poach it from me (and really, I am just not very nice at sharing my food), so I knew it wasn't just my desperation that made me think it was tasty, those little angels of mine know the risk of taking Mama's food! And they chose to take that risk! Then my friend stopped by yesterday and I invited her to taste it-actually, I made a bowl for her, thrust it into her hand, and said "here, eat this, you will love it." And she did! So here is the recipe!

Erin's Mango Sorbet
3 1/2 C frozen mango chunks
1/3 C simple syrup (made with Splenda  and water-1 cup each-boil until Splenda is dissolved)
2 T fresh lime juice

chop frozen mango in food processor
dump mango into mixing bowl, add simple syrup and lime juice-mix well
put mixture back into food processor
puree until it looks like soft orange sherbet
store in a covered container (after you've done lots of tasting of course!) place in freezer, stir every hour (it's ready to eat after a couple of hours)
If it gets too hard in the freezer, you can put it all back in the food processor to soften.

Enjoy the deliciousness!

Sammons Family Summer Games challenge #6 announced!

The winner of the Sammons Family Summer challenge #5 "JUST DANCE" was the Boogie Nights!  They beat the Saturday Night Fevers by a score of 112 to 93! The Boogie Nights team consisted of the middle son and middle daughter-take that Marcia Brady! All the moppets noted that this was the easiest and least stressful challenge yet! Hmmm....I can't decide how to take that. It was certainly the least stressful for me because it was entirely objective, but are the other challenges stressing my children out? That hardly seems possible!

Yes, this is at FAO Schwartz, but it's the only picture I have of the winners together, dancing.

There are two more challenges to finish out the Sammons Family Summer Games. Hopefully we will get them finished before everyone starts school again (the Tuesday after Labor Day). The final challenge is another completely objective event (i.e.-stress free), but the next challenge is not! The beauty is, I am not going to be the judge of the next challenge either! (Insert maniacal laugh here!) The winning team will be determined by on-line voting, and because it will mostly be word of mouth, part of their challenge is to cull the most votes for their team!


The challenge is to make a usable item from upcycled material! The parameters are simple.
      *The materials must be items that were used previously for another purpose (books, magazines, broom handles, fence posts), they may not, for example, use the sofa to make a sofa (so put the upholstery knife down kids).
      *The end result needs to be a usable item-envelopes from book illustrations is a do, ransom note pieced together from letters cut out of magazines is a don't!

I will post the completed objects on Friday with voting instructions and the moppets will have a chance to drum up votes over the weekend! We will announce the winner after voting closes at the end of the day Monday. Recycling, art, public relations, marketing, working under stressful situations created by your Mother-what more could you ask for!?!