Learning to Read

My dear friend Jennifer recently shared with me about a program she did with all of her kids to teach them to read. I'll have to discuss with her why she just now decided to share this nugget of wisdom with me. I have had 2 other kids who needed help learning to read, you know ;-), but for now, I headed to the library and checked out her book. It turns out it's the same program I used when I tutored at Ferry Pass and when I taught at Montclair. Caden and I have been doing a few lessons a night and if I forget, he'll come and get me to "do our lessons." He loves it and is doing really well. He has a few site words and is getting faster and faster at phonics. Pretty soon, he'll be doing all of the decoding in his head. His kindergarten teacher is going to love me because he's going to be reading on his own by the end of the summer or maybe she'll hate me because he'll be way ahead and need to be challenged.

Here are a couple of short video clips Dan shot the other night of his "lesson."

Daily Burn

So in honor of all my friends who like to "keep it real," I thought I'd do that today.  I used to be so skinny and most people would say I still am, but life has driven me to chocolate one too many times over the last few years.  I've gained a little bit of weight, not a lot, but enough that my shorts don't fit.  And I don't care how big or small you are, when your shorts don't fit, they don't fit and it's time to do something about it.  This is a new experience for me and I don't like it at all.  I discovered this really cool app on my Iphone called Daily Burn and I'm using it to track what I'm eating.  I was appalled when I really started looking at labels.  For the last week or so, I've entered everything that's gone into my mouth into my Iphone.  I'm nerdy and having accountability, even if it's to a program, is all I need.  So far, I've last 6 pounds, with 6 more to go to get to my goal.  The best part is we aren't dieting.  We are eating really well with lots of fresh fruits and veggies and by eating well all the time, I can afford to have a treat every now and then like the Cocoa Cola Cake the 5 of us split at Cracker Barrel last night.

Tonight's dinner - Chicken Shish Kabobs with onion, mushrooms, bell peppers and pineapples

I've also started exercising again.  I've been walking and doing strength training at the YMCA.  It feels good to be doing something for ME!

You Can't Find Them All

Dan dragged me out of bed at 9 this morning to go geocaching with him and the kids.  While I was unhappy being told I needed to get up, I was thrilled I got to stay in bed till 9.  Yea Dan!  Apparently while I was sleeping away the morning, Dan was researching local geocaches because he had our day all planned out when I came downstairs.  We started with a cache next to the Y.  It was pretty easy to find.

Dan and Caden heading to the spot - isn't that the sweetest thing?

We did really well at this cache and even found another tracker.  We'll register where we found it and then hide it in another cache on the way to or in Florida.

Next, we stopped by the Home Depot to hunt in their parking lot.  We were right on the spot, but we must have been blind because we never could find it.  It was hidden well in a hedge of junipers and who wants to go sticking their hands in there.

After that, we went to one of our favorite places, Ladybug Woods (aka the Estuary Center).  They have several hidden here and Dan has even emailed to get permission to hide our own.  He's very excited about it.  He has plans to hide a two part cache and has everything ordered.  We'll even have our own tracker so we can see where it goes.  Alas, the first cache at the estuary center was impossible to find.  We were clueless, and we needed this cache to get the clue and coordinates for the second part of the cache (which was the more fun, hiking part).  We searched for 20 minutes and came up empty handed.

The second cache we wanted to find at the estuary center wasn't too far away and we found it without much difficulty.  You have to look hard for some of these.  This one was well hidden under a log.  Jaelyn pushed so many leaves around it when we put it back that it will be impossible to see without moving things around.

You build up quite an appetite out in the woods so we headed home for lunch.  The kids were begging to go again so we headed to one of our favorite creeks, Jerusalem Mills to try and find another one.  We walked the white blaze trail like we've done a zillion times, but we always turn around at the covered bridge.  Today, we had to keep going and I'm so glad we did.  It was a little treacherous at times with steep inclines and roots everywhere.  We walked along the creek and the views were beautiful.  The cache was hidden somewhere between this huge formation of rocks and the water, but we never found it.  Another family came looking while we were there, but they had no more luck then we did.  We'll have to try again another day.  The kids were tired at the end, but they walked about 3 miles today so I don't blame.  I was tired too!

So in the end, we were 2 for 5 today, but it's not really about how many you find, it's about having fun as a family! We had loads of fun today and we are making memories that I hope my kids will cherish one day!

Mom Dating

I had a mom date yesterday.  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the phrase was coined by my dear friend Jenn.  A mom date, also sometimes referred to as a play date, is a time when kids and moms can get together to play and visit.  The kids play happily on the playground and the moms get to sit and talk and see if they click or not.  Mom dating can be very positive, but it can also put you in relationships you'd rather not be in :p, sort of like real dating.  Our dates yesterday were with Leslie and her 5 year old son, Wyatt.  Leslie's daughter is in the girls' brownie troop.  At Brownie Bingo, Leslie and I started talking and realized our husbands work together at the 20th.  At Kindergarten Registration, we ran into her again and learned she had a 5 year old son.  Nature took it's course and we decided to get the boys together to play.  In the meantime, Dan and Dave, Leslie's husband, went to Las Vegas together and finally realized the connection we've both been telling them about.  Dan has become "that EOD guy" much to Leslie's chagrin.  Anyway, we met at Chick-fil-a yesterday and had a great lunch.  The boys had fun playing, although who knows if they really played "together" in the play area.  Leslie and I had a great time talking.  We have a lot in common and I'd say I have a new friend.  Dave told Dan he sees backyard grilling in our future.  Fun...it's been a while since we had another family we could hang out with as a whole.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

I've been eating so good this week and I don't know why I would want to ruin it with temptation, but I had zucchini that needed to be cooked so I went hunting for a recipe today.  I found one for Blueberry Zucchini Bread that had really good reviews.  I altered it a little to make it healthier (Kendra, you are rubbing off on me).  I substituted half of the oil with applesauce, cut out a cup of sugar (which Dan says I need to add back) and used half white flour and half wheat flour.  With all of the changes, I think the bread is pretty good.  Caden even ate it and liked it.  He wasn't too thrilled to be eating something with green things in it, but even after I told him it was zucchini, he finished his piece.  Next time, I'll use a finer grater for the zucchini.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.

2.In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.

3.Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

***Mine only needed about 35 minutes of baking time in my mini-loaf pans so keep an eye on it if you make it.

What's Up With Dan

When Dan and I got married, he told me he'd clean the bathrooms, but that he was not washing dishes.  He's held true to that statement; although I could probably count on one hand the number of times he's cleaned the bathrooms.  He has always been good about emptying the dishwasher for me though.  He doesn't count that as "doing dishes."  Well, I don't know what's the matter with him?  Last night, I needed to clean up after dinner and get the kids in the bathtub.  I asked him for help and he always picks baths.  Last night, he picked the dishes.   Not only did he wash the dishes, but he had to wash them by hand because the dishwasher was running.  I was so impressed with how nicely he stacked the plates. I don't even do that.

Dan has always been cool, calm and collect.  He never gets too excited or too mad or too sad.  He's the most even keeled guy I know which is great because I'm far from even keeled :p.  Well, he came home from work a few weeks ago really bent out of shape.  He was so angry at what was going on.  He was ranting and raving about calling his branch manager and trying to get orders.  He didn't care where we went as long as we went soon.  It shocked me!  My only response was to tell him to think about it for a few days and if he felt the same way, to go for it and I'd support his decision (as long as he didn't get us sent to Alaska).  Within a few days, he calmed down and things settled at work.  I asked him how he felt about things yesterday and his response was "I'm over my hissy fit.  Everything's fine."  HIS HISSY FIT!  His words, not mine.  My cool, never get his feathers ruffled husband had a hissy fit.  I love it.  Think I'm rubbing off on him finally???  Now if only my bed making skills could rub off on him next!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I went on a field trip with Jaelyn's 2nd grade class to Camden Yards today.  It was awesome and I don't like baseball.  Our tour guide was fabulous and filled the day full of interesting facts.  Did you know new baseballs are rubbed with a certain type of mud from a secret place along the Delaware River?  I googled it encase you don't believe me.  They prepare 7 dozen balls for each game?  That's 84 baseballs that have to get rubbed down with mud.  Too funny.  I think my favorite part was learning about how they care for the grass.  Grass patterns make me happy...what can I say?  It's just like vacuum marks!  Ahhhh! 

Jaelyn got a kick out of seeing the ground's keepers with little buckets picking up little teeny tiny bits of stuff off the grass.  That crew works hard.  We got to go in a luxury box that runs around $100,000 a year, the kids sat in the dugout and we learned all about the famous Orioles players and their records. 

We had a blast.  I loved getting to see Jaelyn in action...interacting with her friends.  We took the tour, had lunch and got some shopping in.  Camden Yards rips people off.  They charge $1 to smoosh a penny.  I've never paid over $.50 for any of the pennies in my smooshed penny jar.  I'd hate to see what they charge for a hot dog!

The kids listening to the tour guide.  Jaelyn is wearing a white shirt with a blue backpack on her back.  I'm always amazed by how tiny she is compared ot her peers.

Saying Good-bye

Caden's class picnic was Monday.  For the last 3 years, I've had a child in Christ Our King.  I love the program and the teachers and it makes me tear up just thinking that I'm done with the school.  My kids are growing up and moving on.  The rain held off and the sun even popped out here and there so we could have a lovely picnic.  The food was awesome and the kids had a ball playing on the play area.  I got to have a nice lunch visiting with all the moms I've become friends with.  On some days these moms are my only social interaction.  I'm going to miss them too.  Miss Barb and Miss Patty had a little ceremony and gave each child a certificate and a book.  Hugging everyone good-bye and leaving was hard.  I wasn't the only person trying to hold back tears.

Maie, Naomi, Nicholas, Ethan, Caden K, Nathan, Joshua, Caden, Miss Barb, Miss Patty, Colin, Jackson, Madison, Alex, Jaimison, Allyson, Maggie, Kristiana and Caroline

Krissy, Nathan's mom, has become one of my good friends.  I helped her make quilts for the teachers last year.  I had no part in this one, but just had to post a picture.  There's nothing better than making someone cry with such a sentimental gift!

Sunday Afternoon

We had so much fun on Saturday that we headed back out on Sunday to find more caches.  The first area we went was a small trail off of a little back road that had 3 caches on it.  We found the first one pretty easily off the main trail. 

It's interesting to see what people put in the caches.  Some is totally junk...other things are neat.  In this one, we found a teddy bear stamp missing a foot (junk), 10% off our next liquor purchase at a liquor store (I guess that "might" be a good one if you drank???), a braided dog pull and some odds and ends toys.  We took two toys and left an Olympic Pin and silly bandz.

The second cache along the trail was in the middle of a bamboo grove.  This was a really neat area.  It was like we stepped out of Abingdon and into China.  It felt like we were in our own secluded world and panda bears would be joining us at any  minute.

The kids had fun climbing and bounching on the fallen bamboo.

It was really wet in this area and the bamboo had grown up onto the trail.  Dan went a little further while I stayed with the kids, but he couldn't find the cache or a way for us to get through without getting wet.

The honey suckle is blooming everywhere.  It smells so good walking through the woods.  I'm not sure why, but honey suckle always reminds me of my Grandma Mac.  I'll have to ask my Grandpa or Dad what the connection is.  I've taught the kids how to pull the flower off to get to the nectar and now as soon as they smell it, they go hunting and pull handfuls of flowers off.  I keep telling them it reminds me of her.  They may not have gotten to meet her, but I want them to "know her."

After we gave up on those caches, we found a new cache right by our house.  We weren't the FTF (first to find - learning the geocaching lingo).  We were the second people there.  This was a hard one as both of our GPS decided to mess up so we had to use the clue and find it the hard way :p.  While we were looking we found a new friend.  He provided a good 10 minutes of fun as the kids took turns catching him.  Poor guy must have been scared to death, but he didn't pee on anyone.

An Afternoon of Geocaching

Now that springier weather is here (finally - 80s last week) we've decided it's time to get out again and enjoy the parks around us.  We've also wanted to try Geocaching.  Dan, my Dad and Caden found one in the woods by our library one day while they were visiting.

Today, we tried to find 4 different caches.  Our first try was "Take me out to the ballfield."  It didn't take very long to spot it.  The cache was hidden pretty well in a hollowed out log with logs on top of it.  It's hard to see, but Caden is holding a crystal light container that's been covered in camo tape.  Allie and Caden pulled out "treasures" and left "treasures" for the next people to find.

While we were hunting in the woods, we discovered something other than the geocache hiding under some sticks.

Our second Geocache wasn't nearly as successful as our first.  We started out on the wrong side of a creek with no way to cross other than wading through it so we had to walk out and drive around to another road where we could walk in on the correct side.  We met up with other geocachers and were unable to find it.  Looking at the comments about the cache, we think it's gone.

Our third and fourth caches were pretty easy to find.  The girls and I found the fourth one by ourselves since the boys had already found it.  We even found a traveling coin (I'm sure it has a real name).  You can log in to a geocaching website, put in the code and see everywhere it's been.  We'll leave it at a site some where on our vacation.

Overall, we had a lot of fun today.  We love hiking so it gave us a purpose to be out in the woods.

My Kindergartener

I know I keep saying I have no idea how it's possible that Caden is as big as he is, but I'm going to say it again. How in the world can Caden be old enough to go to Kindergarten?!?!?  Yesterday was bitter sweet for me.  It was his very last day of preschool.  He's a big kid now.  All my kids are growing up...waaaaa!  I have loved, loved, loved his preschool and I'm sad to say good-bye.  At least we still have his end of the year picnic to look forward to next week.  We celebrated with his friend Nathan at McDonald's yesterday after school.  Nathan doesn't understand why he and Caden won't go to school together next year.  He told his mom they should just move so they can be in our school district.  Funny!  I'm trying to convince Caden to play on Nathan's soccer team next fall so they'll still see each other.  He's not so sure because "Nathan runs too fast."  We'll see.

We already bought Caden his backpack and lunch box for next year.  He's very into "How to Train a Dragon."  Those production companies sure do know how to market movies to kids!  Now all we need is his Star Wars nap mat and he'll be all set.

The Art Show

Instead of sending artwork home throughout the year, our art teacher saves it and the school hosts an "art show" at the end of the year.  The artwork gets hung and placed all over the school for parents to see.  We went last night and hunted for the girls' artwork.  It's a huge school with lots of students. 1 master piece per students equals hundreds of projects to look at.  With the help of the art teacher, we finally found Jaelyn and Allie's pottery pieces displayed in the showcases.

I Don't Believe It

I started cleaning my house yesterday morning after I dropped Caden off at school.  Dust doesn't normally bother me which might be shocking for anyone who knows my OCD perfectionist personality.  Well, it WAS bothering even me which means it was thick.  I started upstairs dusting and vacuuming with my vacuum.  I filled the canister to over-flowing.  My house was yucky.  I also sanitized the bathrooms (bye bye Jaelyn's tummy virus I hope), changed the sheets on the beds, and did laundry.  When the girls got home from school, I told them I had spent all day cleaning and I wanted the house to stay clean until bedtime.  That's no small task.  I'm proud to say that 24 hours from the time I started cleaning, the house is still clean.  The kids even picked up the craft table from their early morning (6 a.m.) art session.  It's so nice to just sit and enjoy my clean house.  It's amazing how being in a neat, clean environment can calm and energize me at the same time.

I also worked in the yard yesterday.  Our grass was so tall.  I cut and weed-eated everything.  It looks so nice.  My iris are almost done blooming, but now my salvia is blooming and my lantana is starting to grow.  It'll be full of yellow soon. 

My Mom's Doing Good

Health wise, my mom hasn't had an easy time the last few years with her cancer, thyroid, and epstain barr.  She's not into sharing her medical stuff in details so I won't or I'll get in trouble, but she's finally well and feeling good.  She's back to what I'd consider normal...and actually better than normal in some areas.  Normally visits include me doing a lot of cooking and cleaning while she plays with the kids in the mornings and takes naps in the afternoons.  It wasn't like that this time.  I know she's feeling good because I hardly washed any dishes and I had all of my laundry folded for me.  I was spoiled for a change and it was nice.  I'm so thankful you are feeling so good again, Mom.

All Alone This Week

Well, I guess that's not exactly accurate.  I have three crazy kids to keep me company.  Unfortunately one of those kids has had the "squirties" since Saturday morning (sorry, I know, way TMI) so in addition to being entertaining, I also need to be sanitizing.  We went to the pediatrician today to confirm my diagnosis of "stomach virus."  Dan left Sunday morning before we woke up to fly to Las Vegas.  He'll be at a super top secret nuclear testing facility until Friday.  (I guess it's not super top secret if he told me about it and when I googled it, I found out exactly how far it is from Vegas).  Anyway, my parents left this morning after spending 2 1/2 fun filled weeks with us.  As the only adult, I feel slightly out numbered.  Come on Friday!  I'm thinking we might have McDonald's for dinner with a 6 o'clock bedtime.  Think that's too early?  The kids have been up at 5:40 the last 2 mornings.  That's REALLY early.

On this week's agenda:  Caden's last ever day of Preschool on Wednesday :(, T-Ball on Thursday morning, a Girl Scout Tea on Thursday night, gymnastics on Friday night and Dan's return home sometime on Friday...hmmm I guess I should have asked for his itinerary.

The Day of the Strawberries

Yesterday we only cleaned the strawberries we needed to make a strawberry pie.  This afternoon, we decided it was time to tackle the rest of strawberries. First we cleaned them and then we came up with a game plan.

Strawberry Bread was our first adventure. I printed a recipe off of Allrecipes and I'll use it again. It seems like a lot of oil, but the oil made it super moist. It's not the best thing in the world to eat all the time when you look at the amount of oil and sugar, but every now and then it'll be a real treat.

Strawberry Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups white sugar
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup chopped walnuts

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2.Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Beat together the eggs and oil and pour them into the well. Stir just enough to moisten the ingredients. Fold in the strawberries and nuts. Pour mixture into prepared pans; fill containers no more than half full.

3.Bake in a preheated oven about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 20 to 30 minutes before removing from pans. Move to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Our next adventure was Strawberry Jam and it truly was an adventure with a slight learning curve. Neither my Mom nor I have ever canned anything. We had a few stops and starts, but it all worked out. We made 11 jars of jam and I can't wait for it to set up to have toast with home-made jam for breakfast.

Mom and I mashing strawberries to mix in with 7 cups of sugar! Oh my!

Stirring the bubbling hot jam mixture.

Pouring Jam into jars - if you attempt this, get a friend to help so that one can pour and one can clean the jars and put the lids on.

Our finished jars of jam - I am super proud of myself (btw - I used the recipe inside the packet of pectin.)

Our left over strawberries after making the jam

There are only so many sweet things we can eat with strawberries so I went back to allrecipes late this afternoon looking for something new. I found several recipes for Spinach Strawberry Salads. I ended up using grilled chicken, spinach, chopped bacon, sliced strawberries, croutons and a Raspberry Pecan Dressing.

It was finger plate licking good!

I think we've had our fill of strawberries.  I froze a huge bag for smoothies and we have just enough left to top cereal for the next few days.  Next time we go to the strawberry patch, we are taking smaller buckets!

The Big Distraction

So you are probably wondering why I haven't been blogging. My parents are here visiting, but I can't blame them. I must blame technology. It started with me and my Dad couldn't stand it so he had to have one. Next, Dan got one. Finally my mom felt left out and wanted in on the fun so she got one too....want to know what I'm talking about??? Iphones! The family that plays together, stays together.

Strawberry Picking

I've always wanted to take the kids strawberry picking, but I never know when they are in season. Dan says we've taken them once before, but I have no memory (and more importantly no pictures) of it so I don't believe him. We made memories today though and I have the pictures to prove it.

We went to Brad's Produce and picked about 10 pounds of strawberries. I am planning on making strawberry bread, strawberry jam and freezing some for smoothies. Anyone have any other recipes or favorite jam and bread recipes??? Feel free to share!

It warmed up today into the 80s (the first warm day in a week and a half). It was perfect to be out in the "fields" picking :p.

Jaelyn and Caden filled up their buckets pretty quickly with help, but Allie was Miss Independent. I think she ate more than she put in her bucket. Towards the end, she let us help and we filled her bucket to the brim too.

Eden Mill - Preschool Field Trip

Caden's preschool year is winding down. It makes me a little sad. Today was his last field trip and he has 2 actual days of school plus 1 picnic and that's it. No more preschoolers for me...only big kids.

We went to Eden Mill. It's my first time on this field trip although we've hiked there one time as a family. It was a wonderful field trip. The nature center is filled with taxidermied animals that you CAN touch. Our guide brought out a snake and turtles for the kids to see and touch.

The kids put on boots and waded into the marsh to use a net to scoop up "stuff." We caught tadpoles (baby and big), snails, and bugs. I even volunteered to don my own pair of cool boots and help out.

This is Naomi and Caden. Recently, Caden was debating whether he should marry Alyssa, Maggie or Naomi. He finally decided he should marry Naomi because they like to tickle each other and laugh. I told him laughter is an important ingredient in a good marriage.

The Aquarium

We went to the Baltimore Aquarium on Mother's Day. We thought we were in for a fun filled day and it was for the most part, but we had a little mishap right at the beginning. Our poor Cade-man fell on the very first escalator and scraped his leg all up. I ran to the gift shop for a first aid kit while Dan held him. I knew it hurt really badly because Caden didn't cry or whimper or make a peep. The kid in the gift shop gave me 5 huge band-aids and it took every one to cover up the scratches. Dan and I took turns carrying Caden through the 1st half of the Aquarium.

It wasn't as busy as the last time we went so we had plenty of time and space to see all of our favorite things.

I have no idea what kind of fish these are, but I think they are beautiful in the tank with this black sea urchin.


We are in love with this kissy cow fish. He's our favorite fish, by far.
I was amazed to look up in the Rain Forest canopy and see this sloth. He was just chillin' in the trees without a care in the world.
If I had posted this blog on Monday when I meant to, you would know the name of this jelly, but I didn't. Sorry, but isn't that a cool picture?Baba, Caden and Jaelyn checking out the turtles and crocodiles.