Split pea soup my children will eat

I meant to post this after Christmas.  Then after Easter.  Now, Aldi has Easter hams on clearance for $5 off and it's 40 degrees outside. Soup time!

Split Pea Soup

1 16 oz. package of green split peas, rinsed and drained
8 cups water
1 meaty ham bone
1 small onion, chopped
2/3 c. chopped carrots
2/3 c. chopped celery
1 raw potato, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except salt in a large pot with a lid.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer; cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until peas are soft, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaves and ham bone.  Using a stick blender, puree soup to disguise all of the vegetables and their weird textures until smooth.  Cut meat off of ham bone and dice.  Add ham back to soup.  Taste for salt and add salt if needed.  Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, using Daiya cheese for the dairy-free sandwiches.
Edit:  I'm guessing this is about 12-15 servings?  It's enough to serve our family of 6 for two dinners, plus my parents for one meal.

Anatomy of a midlife crisis

• Stop continuously gestating and nursing for the first time since 2005.
• Get some uninterrupted sleep.
• Read books and blogs on decluttering and selling items to earn money.
• Clean childrens' rooms, packing up clothing for children #3 and #4.
• Realize that hall closet is full of 10 years of hand-me-downs.
• Decide to tackle hall closet.
• Attempt to make rational decisions about outgrown baby and toddler clothes.
• Cry while sorting clothing.
• Drive around with baby clothes in the van for a week.
• Recall every single time a mother with older children tells you how much she misses this time.
• Be terrified that this actually IS the best time in life and it's all downhill from here.
• Realize that before long you will be blue-haired widow in front pew at church. [Husband: "Wait--I'm dead in this scenario?  That is depressing."]
• Have breakdown at bible study.
• Have friends bring you a CDP the next day that includes a framed photo of your children with a beautiful quote.
• Cry, causing wisea** friends to say, "Yeah, we just wanted to make you cry again,"  to make you laugh.
• Walk around fully aware of EVERY MOMENT like old ladies in the grocery store always tell you to be for about a week.  
• Cry over every thing--even not cute things--your children do.
• Realize that people CANNOT LIVE like this without going insane.  
• Want to be back in fuzzy haze of day-to-day routine and survival.
• Hate raw feeling of every emotion being exposed and being hyper-aware that children are growing up and away from you.
• Listen to mother's wise words about how, even if you could, keeping children in their current states isn't fair to them and doesn't let them develop into their full selves.
• Let mother point out good relationship people can have with adult children *cough*you are calling your mother for help right now at the age of thirty-seven*cough*.
• Ride out the feelings for another week.
• Have husband ask you if you want more children.
• Answer that what you really want is to go back in time to when your kids were babies and relive things without being so tired and hormonal.  Husband: "...Wow."
• Work on building even better relationships with these kiddos right here! instead of being sad about the babies being gone.
• Panic about what you are going to be when you grow up.
• Decide that can wait for another day.
• Go to funeral of beloved relative.
• Have beloved great-aunt talk to you about how it's hard to be one of the ones left behind.
• Have minor panic attack.
• Realize you are not in control of what happens and can only do the best you can.
• Resolve to exercise more.

Feeding Eden Giveaway

Have you heard about Feeding Eden?  It's a new memoir about how a child's food allergies affect the lives of a family.  I'm in the process of reading it, but it's slow going for me--not because it isn't compelling but because it makes me start to tense up and hyperventilate.  Which means this book is an excellent portrayal of what it means to be a food allergy family.  Here is the author, Susan Weissman, talking about the book on YouTube.

I think it's a good read for everyone.  Food allergy parents will relate to it, of course, but more importantly,  I think it is a great chance for others to get into the head of a food allergy parent.

"We parents can't make magic.  We can't transform our children.  But we can heal with our touches, our words, and our love.  We can show them how to take their medicine.  When we do this, our children can save themselves."--Susan Weissman, Feeding Eden


The publisher has agreed to send one copy of Feeding Eden to one commenter from my blog.  Leave a comment by midnight on Sunday, March 11, saying why you'd like to read this book.  I'll announce a winner on Monday, March 12.

Prize Redraw:  Janeen!  You won!  Send me your info!

Can of worms, not opening a

When school was about to begin in the fall, a homeschooling friend of mine looked wistfully at the group of friends that includes her youngest daughter and my eldest.  She remarked on starting her twentieth year of homeschooling and how the idea of sending her daughter to school with such a good group of friends seemed like a nice idea.  I said that sometimes homeschooling seemed appealing.  Then we both laughed at ourselves for thinking the grass is greener and went our own ways.

Do you ever daydream about doing something different with how you educate your children?  Why or why not?

I hope it goes without saying that this is a chance to tell your nosy Internet friend (Me!) about what you do/think about doing, not comment on others' choices.  I'll go first.  I really admire another friend of mine who looks at each of her seven children on a yearly basis and decides what is best for them: public school, cyberschool, homeschool.  They've been in and out of the school district and are flourishing academically and socially.  I like how she views education from a consumer's point of view, although I'm sure what she does is easier said than done.*  Your turn!

*Edit: Uh, I guess I just commented on someone else's choice.  Whoops.

Toddler, diplomas

So.  There is an 18-month old in our house today.  This does not fill me with as much sadness as I would expect, probably partly because this is one of my favorite ages and he is just so much fun right now.  Such a cheerful, helpful little guy.

I continue to try to beat back the clutter in our house and either use things or get rid of them.  I want to hang my diplomas (BA and MA, not high school) up somewhere in the house.  Even when I was still working full time, I had a cubicle, not an office.  I've never hung up my diplomas, and I'm tired of them living under my bed.  My mom used to have hers up in the kitchen; my neighbor's diplomas are in her playroom.  I'm thinking over my dresser in the bedroom.  Where is/are your diplomas?

P.S. I totally stayed up late and finished Catching Fire last night.  So worth it.

True Confession

I read The Hunger Games yesterday.  The entire thing.  Holy crap.  It is so good.  Why didn't you tell me?  I know. You did.  You did.  I just didn't listen.  I'm sorry.

Thank goodness I bought the trilogy when it was on sale for the Kindle for like 5 bucks.  In, um, September.  (I don't know why it took me so long to start reading them.  I was wrong.  I see that now.) Now I can start Catching Fire today.  Ooh--if you have Amazon Prime, you can read all three books on your Kindle for free by checking them out of the Kindle library!

I'll have to have something ready to read when I'm done.  Any ideas?  I mean, besides The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook.  Which I do kind of want.  Is that wrong?

Also, what should I be watching now that Downton Abbey is over?

P.S.  Yes, I do have an old-school Kindle.  Talk about a surprise gift I never thought I wanted.  I was wrong.  I see that now.

Abraham Lincoln, Kindergarten style

"I’m glad I wasn’t Abraham Lincoln."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Because if I was, an actor would’ve got behind me and shot me."

CDP from SuperJules

I have a heart full of love and a fridge full of antibiotics. Ah, February. But as I was gently reminded yesterday, it is high time I wrote about my Crappy Day Present from the one, the only, SuperJules.

Let's go back to, um, mid-December, shall we?  To a time when I was losing my mind and a CDP arrived in the mail for ME.  ME ME ME.  The only unwrapped item was a container of Jules's dairy-free Candied Maple Walnuts.  I saw those and burst into tears. (Told you I was emotional.)  What a thoughtful gift. Especially as it was the time of year when every day brought more food-type goodies that Katherine couldn't eat.  You need to make these, by the way.  They are so GOOD.

 Yes, the image is sideways.  It's taken me this long to post--let's not get hung up on details.

Look at all the gifties!  In my dimly-lit dining room!

I decided that since the walnuts were for everyone, I could open one more gift the same day.  Pretty pretty salad utensils!  No more will I serve salad with rusty barbecue tongs!

Then I did kind of a twelve days of Christmas for ME thing where I opened one gift a day to get me through December.  It worked, too.  Hence, the same red tablecloth in every photo.

 

Pretty pretty wallet!  And for Christmas, my mom gave me a little contact case holder that matches the wallet but is pink!  So coordinated!

Wallet interior!

Pretty green clothespins!  I still haven't opened them!  I want to use them for a kids' artwork display area.

SQUEE!  BENTO CUTTERS!  When you pack lunches for your allergic child every day, this excites you!  I have wanted these for so long!

Cool flippy bag that now lives in my purse!  Doubles as ball for bored toddler!

I swear Jules wrote about these bags somewhere on her blog, but I cannot find the link.

Beautiful scarf in my favorite shade of dark pink!  This photo is horrific--trust me, it's pretty.

Socks without holes!

An upside down photo!  Focus!  It's a COUPON HOLDER!  This also lives in my purse!  I LOOVE it.  I LURVE it.  It makes me happy every day.

More socks!  Back off, preteen daughter!  These are Mommy's!

So, you can see just a glimpse how thoughtful and wonderful Jules is and why I love her from afar.  Thank you, Julia.

Fun Freebies

• Did you see that you can donate Febreze items to the troops just by clicking a button?  Swistle and SuperJules, I thought of you.
• There is a website with free printable vintage paper dolls that are, uh, out of print.  You know what they have?  The Ginghams!  I had these paper dolls!  Sarah was my favorite, of course.  I can't wait to print them for the girls.
• We've had really good luck with audio books for long drives (one of the kids can't watch anything or play games or read because of motion sickness).  We even listen to audio books at dinner sometimes.  I try to get free ones from Audible whenever they're available, but they aren't always kid friendly.  Recently I found Homeschool Radio Shows, a site that has all of these cool radio programs of books like Little Women and The Long Winter.  Awesome.
• This build-your-own cupcake printable was part of Helen's Valentine.   (All the kids play with it.)
• Have you found Made by Joel?  He seems to be everywhere right now.  We used his Dressy Cats as party favors for Helen's Hello Kitty birthday, and I am in love with his travel size paper city Paris set.  
• Aaand, that's all I've got to keep you busy on this rainy day.  Enjoy.

February 13

• Who has two thumbs and signed up to make Valentine treats for the preschool party tomorrow?  This mom!  I was going to provide strawberries, since they're healthy and vaguely heart-shaped, but that involves dragging three kids to the store in the snow and also spending money.  Hmm.  What's in the cupboard?  Red velvet cake mix, white icing, and heart sprinkles.  We have a winner!  Mini cupcakes it is.  Enjoy your sugar overload, children.
• Our kids are getting card games and a board book for the baby.  I printed out these free Star Wars Valentines for them, too.  "Our love will Endor."  Hee.  SO CUTE.
• 
• I really like Catherine Newman's heart thumbprint cookies.  Maybe I'll make them tomorrow if I have the energy/time/will to live after visiting the orthodontist's office.
• Back to forcing the Kindergartener to sign all of his Valentines.  In a loving way, of course.

Performance Review

Interviewer Number One: So, what are you going to do today?
Employee: Why do you ask?
Interviewer Number One: I just wonder what you do here all day while I'm at school doing work.
Interviewer Number Two: Yeah, I wonder that, too.
Employee: What do you think I do?
Interviewer Number One: I don't know... play with Interviewer Number Four and Interviewer Number Three when she's not at preschool, be on your computer.... and that's it.
Interviewer Number Two: And cook.
Interviewer Number One: Anything else?
Employee: Laundry, cleaning, dishes, shopping, bills, chauffeuring, paperwork, diaper changing....
Interviewer Number Two: That muffin for my snack today tasted horrible.
Interviewer Number Four: [Screeches and throws sippy cup on floor.]
Interviewer Number Three: I want it to be my birthday again.
Interviewer Number One: That shopping you mentioned, are you going today?
Employee: Yes.
Interviewer Number One: Will you buy me gum?
Employee: IF I WAS THE WOMAN I WAS FIVE YEARS AGO, I'D TAKE A NERF GUN TO THIS PLACE!
Interviewer Number One: OK, I think we've heard all we need to hear.  Thank you for your time.

Sick six

I'm so sorry about yesterday, buddy.  Is there anything more depressing than your entire family being struck down by a stomach virus on your sixth birthday?  I think not.  At least you had enough strength to open your presents.

But today at school you get to share Ninjabread Men with your classmates.















And tonight we will make up for yesterday's birthday dinner of oatmeal and dry toast with your favorite dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese (Daiya cheese for your big sister.)

Wishing you a wonderful, healthy year of being six, Eli.  I love you.

1234

We're counting to four today:

Someone in our house is four.  Someone who yesterday was planning what gifts she wanted to give everyone else on her birthday.  Someone who chose barbecue ham sandwiches on Daddy's homemade rolls for her birthday dinner.

Ham Barbecue

3 pounds dairy-free ham, preferably chipped chopped ham

1 cup ketchup, preferably Heinz 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. yellow mustard

1 T. vinegar

1/4 t. grated nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together in a greased baking dish with a lid.  Bake at 275 degrees, covered, for 45 minutes.  Serve on hamburger buns.

Happy Birthday, Helen.

Ammaria

I know we have lots to catch up on, but, oh, you guys.  I'm just so sad.  Seven-year old Ammaria died of an allergic reaction at her school on Monday.  They didn't give her Benadryl.  They didn't administer an EpiPen.  Instead of calling 911, they called her parents to come pick her up.  She died of cardiac arrest.

Everyone in the allergy community has been writing about it.  Libby made me laugh and sob in the same instant when she said her 2012 resolution is "no more dead children."  I wish a new year's resolution could make it so.

Praying for Ammaria's family.

Christmas books that make me cry

Helen's preschool teachers gave each student in her class two books.  However, I think Snowmen At Christmas is for the children (Cute snowmen!  Hidden pictures on each page!), and Tonight You Are My Baby is really for the moms.  It's written from Mary's point of view on the night Jesus was born; the refrain is, "Tomorrow you will be King, but tonight you are my baby...."

I cry every time I read it.  "This star will bring the others and I will start to share.  But tonight you are mine to give my tender care."  This is SO how I felt in the hospital after each birth. You are mine for this 48 hours!  MINE MINE MINE.
Then, the author goes in for the kill with an illustration of Mary nuzzling the baby's head saying,  "I smile into your loving eyes and give you one more kiss./This quiet time with you, my son, is what I'm going to miss.  As I sing a peaceful lullaby, you close your eyes to sleep./This night will be the memory that forever I will keep."

Excuse me.  I need a moment.

Yes, it rhymes and is cheesy.  I don't care. This is exactly how I felt with each newborn, and it makes me cry.  In a good way. Right now it is $100 on Amazon.  Wha?  I'm sure the teachers got a good deal on Scholastic.

For Christmas, my parents are giving Helen A Christmas Like Helen's, which a granddaughter wrote about her grandmother's childhood.  "To have a Christmas like Helen's, you'll need to be born on a Vermont hill farm, before cars, or telephones, or electricity, and be the youngest of seven children."
My mom let me read it ahead of time because there is a page that talks about Helen being sick from scarlet fever and almost dying.  "Your parents will give you a locket with their pictures inside, and your father will carry you out to see the candles on the tree, thinking it will be your last Christmas.   But it won't."

The illustrations are so beautiful and the story makes me weepy.

So, if you want to cry along with me, I recommend trying to read these books aloud to children.  Uh, Merry Christmas!

Two more gift ideas

A couple more gift recommendations that have been successful at our house:

All images from Amazon

Bristle blocks: Our preschool has these, and they were Eli's favorite toy.  He and some of the other boys liked them so much that the teachers were unable to move them out of the toy shelf rotation--the boys got too upset.  At our parent teacher conference his first year, his teacher said, "Do you have a set of these at home?"  Me: "Uh, no."  Teacher, who has never recommended we get a specific toy for any of our children before or since: "I REALLY think you should get a set."
So, I looked online and couldn't find a set for less than $30, which... really?  Then, that summer a friend of mine found a set in mint condition at a yard sale--for TWO DOLLARS.  A set complete with a family and a dog.
I see a variety of choices on Amazon for way less than $30, but you might luck out at a yard sale, too.  All of our kids play with these--even the baby can get them to stick together on his own.  I think this will be a toy I always keep for visiting children and grandchildren.

A neighbor gave Helen My Giant Sticker and Activity Book last Christmas, and she still plays with it.  Yes, it's all princesses/fairies/ballerinas/mermaids but!  They look as if they were drawn by a talented child, not by a man locked in a prison cell fantasizing about heaving bosoms.  They are so pleasing and little girlish.  It is FULL of paper dolls and stickers and activities and cut outs and I love it.  I might even buy a back up copy.  The illustrator is Sandie Gardier, and I've seen some of her other books on Amazon, although the prices vary wildly.

Apparently the publisher is Igloo Books in the UK and has lots of Sandie Gardiner works available.

YOO HOO!  Igloo Books!!!  I really, REALLY like your stuff!  Hurry up and export some more to the United States, please!

Milk of human kindness

I had my Christmastime meltdown at our neighborhood Christmas party last weekend, so I can cross that off the list.  Very close friend who has five children: "So, expecting number five?"  Me:  "Ha ha.  NO.  A thousand times NO."

There's just so much stuff.  All. Month. Long.  Chirpy magazine article on relieving holiday stress: "Just say no!"  Oh sure, I'm going to be the pinehole who doesn't send canned goods for the food pantry to each of my three children's schools or not give each teacher a gift or not bring dairy-free cookies to every event or not send in each child's advent offering or not attend my husband's work-related events or not let my children be in the Christmas pageant or not send photos to each far away and/or old relative.  Thanks, Women's Magazine!  You just cleared it all up for me!  Where's the peppermint bark?

Maybe washing all of the curtains and slipcovers with my free water will put me in the Christmas spirit!  Or maybe I should just flood the backyard and make an ice rink.

Christmastime's a comin'

Any bluegrass-loving banjo players in your house? No? You mean you don't know the joy that is listening to "Christmastime's a Comin'" over and over? Sung by your husband? AND his two brothers (when they come to visit) just to annoy you? What a sad, sad time December must be for you.
 

I finally ordered our Christmas card. Just when Graham's stitches came out, he fell and bruised his right cheek. Then the next day he hit his head again and got a huge goose egg opposite his scar. So I gave up on a current photo and pulled out one of all of us from the summer. That everyone I'm friends with on FB has already seen. Also, I think this might lose me points because we're all summery, but I did choose a summery card design to match the photo.... Which is weird and not at all like me because I am a snow person, not a palm tree person, but hopefully it looks all right.

Melissa and Doug need to pay me rent

I've been working on a post about toys that have stood the test of time in our home because I LOVE reading posts about toys people recommend.  (HINT. HINT.)  I have purchased so many great items on Swistle's recommendations alone.  Then I saw that today is a one day 50% off sale on Melissa and Doug items on Amazon.  Although, as Mir says, you have to be vigilant with the prices.  We lurve Melissa and Doug toys.  Yes, even though they are made in China.  This is not sponsored or compensated FTLOG, although it should be based on the number of their toys littering my floors.  The links are through my Amazon thingy but by all means bypass it. 

The current favorite is the Slice and Bake Cookie set.  The three-year old plays with this all. the. time.   And the other kids do, too.  And possibly the grownups.

A close second is the Birthday Cake set.  Or, some odd candle/cake/cookie combination of the two.  We celebrate a lot of events with them these days.  The server comes to take your order on a pad of paper with a crayon, and your choices are cookies, cake, or drink.  Currently your choices are Christmas cookies, Christmas cake, or Christmas drink, but they're pretty much the same as the regular ones.  For some reason, the baby doesn't put the round pieces in his mouth.  Go figure.

We also have the cutting foods box, and I see that they now slice the carrot lengthwise instead of into little choking-hazard rounds that my babies DO like to put in their mouths and walk around with, as it is in our set.  Which is why our carrot lives on a shelf.  But it is a fun toy, and the sound of the knife 'cutting' through the Velcro is very cool.

I was about to list all of the Melissa and Doug items we have that aren't 50% off, aaand  then I realized just how many things that is.  Stamp sets!  Magnetic dress up dolls!  Paint your own train!  Pull frog! An easel!  Man, we have a lot of toys.

So let's just keep it to food: we also have the food groups set (Don't worry, my kids assure me the cheese is dairy free) and the fill and spill picnic basket.  Because even though three-month old Graham didn't need or want any Christmas gifts last year, there had to be something under the tree for him.  The grape soda bottle is his favorite part; he still carries it around chewing on it.  He also actually does like to take everything out of the basket and put it back in.  The other kids use the Velcro sandwich parts a lot in their 'cooking.'

Under the Christmas tree this year, Helen will find the grill set. I'm sure the skewers are going to have to be put away immediately, but I couldn't resist.  She will also find this sticker book because I needed a quick, cheap replacement for a game I planned to give her that her uncle gave the kids instead.

I have debated forever about the cupcake set.  So cute!  But...the icing markers!  So messy!  But Swistle recommended it!  Helen will get it for her birthday.  Because I am a sucker.

I wanted to put photos in, too, but you should go look before the sale items are gone, and I need to get out of my PJs and go pick up a preschooler at her Happy Birthday, Jesus party.

Pet peeve, recipe

I am left handed.  I carry bags and babies on my right arm so my left hand is free to grab runaway children open doors.  But!  Businesses and doctors offices and post offices like to play tricks on unsuspecting lefties and unlock ONLY the right-hand door of a set of double doors.  Why?  WHHHYYY?  This necessitates shifting the baby/diaper bag/purse combo to my left arm, all the while keeping track of the children orbiting around me.  The children who aren't quite strong enough to open big doors yet because I like to run errands when at least ONE child is in school, preferably two.  Every once in awhile I'll be prepared for this, as at church yesterday, where I reached for the right-hand door, and... it was locked.  Just unlock both doors, people, as a Christmas present to me.  I promise I will stay out of the way of the people exiting in the other direction.


We had corn pudding last night.  This is the easiest corn pudding ever, from our local library cookbook.  (Another business that unlocks only one door. *cough*)

Corn Pudding, adapted from library cookbook, and Leftover Corn Pudding Cakes

2 cans creamed corn (Creamed corn is dairy free.)
1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix (They sell Jiffy at Aldi now!)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Fleischmann's unsalted margarine, melted (Only the unsalted is dairy free.  Go figure.)

I melt the margarine first in a 2-quart casserole dish, then mix in the rest of the ingredients to avoid dirtying a bowl.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Now, here's my mother's brilliant invention.  The next morning, shape the leftover pudding into little cakes and pan fry them in margarine.  Serve them with warm maple syrup for breakfast.  Mmmmm.