Eye Surgery for the twins

Our twins have esotropia, which means their eyes cross even with the correct prescription glasses on. The specialist we see has spoken with us about surgery to correct the crossing, and we have agreed it's time to go ahead with it. We meet the surgeon next week. I am of course a bit nervous at the thought of my little boys getting surgery, especially on their eyes, but I have great confidence in our doctors and trust their ability. It has been hard to watch our three year olds switch from the left eye to the right eye back to the left eye, trying to focus on something continuously. I can't watch them while they watch movies, it makes my eyes hurt for them! I can't wait until they see like everyone else does :)

Comic Book Fans

Yes, Big Kid is a comic book fan. Nahnah has a friend who a few Christmases ago sent Big Kid a shoe box full of comics, and he has been hooked ever since. Every year on free comic book day we go to a few area comic book stores, and every year they give away free posters - we always grab them! It's fun to put them in a frame and decorate Big Kid's playroom with them, I think he has around ten to fifteen posters now. Some are huge, some are 8x10 - they are just really fun and make his playroom look so "boyish". The green was not my idea by the way, that was our compromise on him wanting camo walls and me saying not a chance. Looking at it now I may have been better off going with camo, the green is really wearing on me!! We have two rooms this color, I'm thinking of replacing it with a nice light aqua color... someday ;)

Stormy Sky

I love summer storms down south... when they aren't killing our trees! Our 'hood lost at least fifteen trees last storm, and it lasted three minutes tops. Amazing how mother nature has been reminding us southerners ALL SUMMER how strong she is! I couldn't believe this sky, it was rolling like a bunch of rolling pins all lined up. Just stunning. This was the view standing on my front step!

What to call this recipe...

A few nights ago we made the most amazing meal, partly using a Publix Aprons recipe and partly going with what we thought would taste good. The result was so awesome it still wowed us as leftover lunch! I don't really know what to call it yet though, any suggestions?

*as always, if you are making this as a gluten free recipe check your ingredients to ensure gluten free status! I have brands I am very loyal to, but I still check every time I buy a new container to ensure nothing has changed on the ingredient list.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
1 Tbs italian seasoning
1 Tbs parsley
1/2 C water
dash salt and pepper
1/2 pkg cream cheese
1 can diced tomatoes (I always use the italian diced to add more flavor)
squash, or any other veggie you think would be good! (our squash had already been grilled but still worked nicely)

We sprinkled kosher salt and a bit of pepper onto the meat and cooked it in a little olive oil in a skillet. We cooked it completely, and kept it in there until it got a little brown. We added the water, seasoning and parsley and simmered it covered for five minutes. We removed the chicken and threw in the remaining ingredients and simmered it just until the cheese had completely melted and it was a nice creamy pink sauce. We poured the tomato sauce over white steamed rice, then put the cut up chicken on top. It was DIVINE!!!

Freecycle is just amazing!!

I posted a wanted message on freecycle for pre-k items, to see if anyone had something that might work in a preschool room I am setting up for the boys. A very nice woman gave us boxes and boxes of books, wooden train tracks, movies and a few games. I was floored, it was around 6 or 7 boxes!! I cleaned it all and filed away the books and movies we wanted, and cleaned all the wooden train tracks and the few Thomas trains. I decided I only wanted to keep the trains and tracks if I could find a train table for free, since we already have geotrax and we love them. So I posted a wanted message on freecycle for a train table, and got a response within minutes! I was shocked! This morning I picked up an imaginarium multicolored train table that after cleaning and a quick $5 fix is in new condition. We have given tons and tons of toys, furniture, all sorts of items on freecycle, and I'm of the opinion that what goes around comes around!!! YAY!

Our preschool room is coming along very nicely, the boys are only three but are asking for "school papers" like Big Kid does. They colored in the letter C Thursday and Friday drew C's on paper by themselves! I guess they really are ready!! I used to teach pre-k with a good friend, and have all our lesson plans, projects, clifford readers, all sorts of awesome stuff. Now I have the room to go with it!! WOOHOO!

Gluten Free Restaurants - Reality or Myth?

I got all excited after seeing an ad for Yeah! Burger in Atlanta, because the ad said "gluten free restaurant". And then I went to their website, which isn't a website at all... it's an electronic business card, with their address and phone number on it. I downloaded one of the location's menus and it's not a gluten free restaurant. They have gluten free options, which means to me that it's not an option at all. As I have learned even PF Chang's can have an errant crumb find it's way into my food, making me sick for hours. Let me just say it's a special sort of sick, that only gluten causes. I know when it happens what it is. I guess I should stop getting excited, thinking someday there will be a dedicated gluten free anything... there just aren't enough of us to make it a lucrative business I guess :(

"Redneck Thai"

Yep, that is what we have lovingly named my lunch today! Redneck Thai! I can't remember who said it first or why we went there... but a few years ago I found the boxes of Thai Kitchen Thai Peanut were gluten free, and they come with seasoning and rice noodles. I hate spicy foods, and this one happened to have no spice so I started eating them for lunch once in awhile. Well one day we decided to add meat to it, and for some strange reason we threw in sauteed hot dogs. The result was so darn good we made it again the next day, and from then on had "redneck thai" on a regular basis!! It's really good, and while I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing I eat it isn't killing me. It satiates that need to have "fast food at home" everyone has once in awhile!!! And of course the peanutty sweet flavor with the salty dogs is just heaven to me some days. Yes, I'm weird ;)

Drawing on the Walls

A few months ago I saw a really neat vinyl wall decal of a tree, and someone had put it in an entryway and put jacket hangers on the branches, so it looked like their jackets and such were hanging off the tree! I was really drawn to it, so I started poking around online to see what they were about. Well, for starters the decals are at least $100 and with everything else pulling on our purse strings that is not in the budget. Way not in the budget. I decided I am going to paint some trees up front, next to our door, and put up some hooks myself!

I drew all over the corner where two walls meet last night, and drew three or four trees. I made them look sort of like a birch tree, with lots of little branches. Just drawn with pencil they look like halloween trees to me, but I'm hoping that once I get the chocolate brown paint out and get them finished they'll look a little warmer to me! I also have decided I'm going to ask for some vinyl leaves for Christmas, to make the tree a little more fun! I can put the leaves up in the spring, have them falling off in the fall, and stick nasty little sets of eyes on it for halloween ;) I love halloween so I know I'll do something spooky to the tree!

After I had finished drawing out the trees I sat back and just stared at them, wondering if I am going to regret painting trees inside my house or if I am going to love my new "art". I do that a lot, I have painted every room in our house new colors over the last three years and I especially was nervous about painting our dining room "apple polish red". Once it was finished it became my favorite room in the house, so I'm hoping I'll fall in love with the trees as well!! HA! I know, women are crazy aren't we?

Speaking of, I'm going to end today's post with a quote someone sent me in an email, which I just love!

Women are Angels. When someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly... on a broomstick. We're flexible like that.

Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce from scratch!!

Ok guys, this is my "go to" recipe when I want to feed a lot of people, or impress someone with my cooking!!! This is from scratch, and is completely gluten free as long as you use the proper ingredients :) *hint* I use La Choy soy sauce, it's gluten free and isn't horribly salty! Please let me know how you like the recipe!

Teriyaki Sauce

*as always, if you are making this as a gluten free recipe check your ingredients to ensure gluten free status! I have brands I am very loyal to, but I still check every time I buy a new container to ensure nothing has changed on the ingredient list.

1 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 C water
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce (I use La Choy)
*double for larger dishes

Mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is dissolved.

Combine cornstarch and water mixture with remaining ingredients in bowl. Pour into a small saucepan or with cooked meat and/or veggies in a skillet or wok. Simmer just until sauce thickens. 


*If using as a sauce to pour over meat or on kabobs use the sauce after it has thickened. 

*Very tasty on beef, shrimp, chicken, stir fry veggies, and stir fry pineapple chunks!

Syma S107 Remote Control Helicopter

Big Kid has been given a few of the $50+ R/C helicopters from Target, Toys R Us and such, and all have broken within fifteen minutes of coming out of the box. The bodies are styrofoam, the blades fall off or pop in half the first time it touches a wall... they are awful and really disappointing to a boy who is trying to have fun with it!

Well, I am posting about this specific one because I am just floored. I spent $20 on this during an amazon sale, and wow is it awesome!!! Big Kid has been playing with it every chance he gets for days now, and has mastered flying it and is in love. The replacement parts are cheap and easy to install according to the website and instructions, not that we need any! THIS THING ROCKS! Plastic and metal body construction, the blades have even been attacked midflight by our cat and are in new condition... the kitty did chew the rear prop but I straightened it out and it's perfect again. I am so impressed I just had to tell someone!

If you are looking for a fun toy for your son/husband, you should check this out! The amazon reviews are excellent, and now I know why!!! WOOHOO!

Birds in the attic

Yes, I had BLACKBIRDS nesting in my attic. I hate birds, let me first say that. They are diseased rats with wings if you ask me! Of course, I only feel that way about the ones INSIDE my house. A few days ago Big Kid and I were riveted when a woodpecker was on a tree out back, his little red head was so visible and he was loud!! We love to watch the birds out back after a fresh summer rain, the little red bellied ones (robins?) are so fun to watch hop around!

Last year we had birds nesting in our soffets, and paid the exterminator to come remove the nest and seal the soffet. This year the darn thing ate through the foam spray and made a hole under our shingles! Three babies later my cats are sitting on my face every morning at 4am yelling at me because they want the birds. Fun, right?

The exterminator came yesterday and went up in the attic with me, and the momma bird proceeded to dive bomb me right back down the attic stairs. Thanks. Today the exterminator came back with a partner and removed the babies, nest, and sealed the holes again. This time we added this barbed wire looking stuff that will supposedly prevent the bird from re-entry. I'll let you know how that goes next spring when it attempts to come back.

I can't WAIT to sleep tonight!!!!

Yummy gluten free snack at home

I realized a few years ago that I just love plain old white rice. I know, I'm weird. I recently started taking leftover white rice and throwing it in the microwave with a slice of american cheese on it, and was amazed at how good the creamy rice that comes out is! I bought some velveeta cheese slices and tried it melted on some rice, and omg am I in love. It's the perfect lunch for me on those days when Big Kid needs a cooked lunch (two grilled cheese sandwiches not asked for at the same time!), and when the twins need EVERYTHING I try to eat. I make plenty of cheesy rice and they eat it with me, and we're all happy!

I wonder what else will turn out amazing with some velveeta melted on it... hmmmmm

Three year olds and video games

So I admit, I let my three year old twins try out playing Donkey Kong on the wii with me... and created a monster. They moved over from "Big Monkey" to Mario Kart, and it got worse. I only allow them to play a few times a week, for at the most an hour at a time. Is that awful?

Thing One is now gravitating to anything electronic in the room! If Daddy has his iPhone out, Thing One wants to watch him. If Big Kid is playing his DSi Thing One wants to watch him. It's getting bad. Every morning he wakes up now and wants to play "Big Monkey" or "the racing game". We tried reserving it to use as a reward for going #2 in the pot, and Thing Two just watches Thing One play, he still won't sit on the pot. Thing One can poo on demand to play the wii! I have decided to slow it down to one day a week, and play as a family - even if it's just us three. Half an hour and it's off. It's just scary how into it my THREE YEAR OLDS are, and it's easy to see why parents just turn games on and use it as a babysitter - I don't hear a peep from the kids while they are playing video games.

I really wish I had never opened this door, because it's a really really hard one to close. It just doesn't feel right in my core to allow my three year olds to get so involved in video games!!!

The laugh I really needed

http://www.waveatthebus.blogspot.com/

I haven't laughed this hard in awhile!! EXCELLENT!!!