Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Daniel laughing a lot while we played.
. . . Joy giving me (and my tummy) lots of hugs and kisses.
. . . hearing Daniel use his new favorite word ("la-la" - light), a bunch while we walked in from the car this evening.
. . . drinking homemade banana-orange juice (with a little vanilla yogurt mixed in) with dinner. We really should make two batches next time.
And another thing . . .
. . . Phillip took charge of the kids today while I ran a bunch of errands and got a lot done around the house. It was great to get so much accomplished, but also stressful as I realized that completing some tasks just opened the door to others. I bought thank you notes I now need to write, sheets I need to wash, picture frames I need to hang, and a storage container I need to return because it's too small. And my desk is still a mess, cluttered with half-finished projects and recipes I intend to try. Sigh - in life there's no such thing as "done."
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
BBQ and La-La
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Pink Grandma watching the kids this morning as a late birthday present so Phillip and I could go to lunch together. I've wanted to try M Grill, a Brazilian BBQ place in Koreatown (I know--weird) for months now, and it lived up to expectations. Some of the meats and salad bar items were just OK, but most were delicious. And of course, my dining companion was delightful. It was fun to try guarana and some random tentacled creature from the buffet together (the latter was kind of bland and chewy, but hey, at least we tried it).
. . . Daniel starting to use a few more words, like "la-la" for lights.
. . . happening upon a dinner recipe that tasted good AND used up some random ingredients that have been sitting in our fridge. Score.
. . . Pink Grandma watching the kids this morning as a late birthday present so Phillip and I could go to lunch together. I've wanted to try M Grill, a Brazilian BBQ place in Koreatown (I know--weird) for months now, and it lived up to expectations. Some of the meats and salad bar items were just OK, but most were delicious. And of course, my dining companion was delightful. It was fun to try guarana and some random tentacled creature from the buffet together (the latter was kind of bland and chewy, but hey, at least we tried it).
. . . Daniel starting to use a few more words, like "la-la" for lights.
. . . happening upon a dinner recipe that tasted good AND used up some random ingredients that have been sitting in our fridge. Score.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sweet Words and a Helping Hand
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . a friend asking if Joy would like to come to the playground with her and her kids this afternoon. Joy replied, "If you're going somewhere, and you ask if I want to come, the answer will always be yes."
. . . Joy reading books to her little brother.
. . . Daniel saying "wah-wah" for water when I waited for him to request the drink by name. That in itself was a big step for him, but it then got better. He grinned, pointed to to his sister, and said, "Die-die" (his word for Joy). He has said her name a few times when we prompted him to, but that's the first time I can recall him saying a name out of the blue and of his own accord.
. . . Phillip keeping me company while I washed dishes, and agreeing to clean the last dozen when I just got too worn out.
. . . a friend asking if Joy would like to come to the playground with her and her kids this afternoon. Joy replied, "If you're going somewhere, and you ask if I want to come, the answer will always be yes."
. . . Joy reading books to her little brother.
. . . Daniel saying "wah-wah" for water when I waited for him to request the drink by name. That in itself was a big step for him, but it then got better. He grinned, pointed to to his sister, and said, "Die-die" (his word for Joy). He has said her name a few times when we prompted him to, but that's the first time I can recall him saying a name out of the blue and of his own accord.
. . . Phillip keeping me company while I washed dishes, and agreeing to clean the last dozen when I just got too worn out.
Swimming, A Shower, and the Super Committee
Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . Joy replaying the same three minutes of Toy Story 2 over and over and over while I prepared dinner. If I hear Slinky say "My back end's going to Beirut!" one more time . . .
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . swimming with the kids at my parents' home. We had a great time playing in the water together.
. . . attending the baby shower my friend Pearl threw for me. It was fun to just relax and talk with the other women for a while.
And another thing . . .
. . . for the past few weeks, the debt ceiling debate has dominated the news and been a nearly constant subject of discussion on the local public radio station. Everyone was deeply concerned about our "dysfunctional" Congress and the Greece-like economic calamity that would surely ensue if they didn't reach some compromise by August 2. That was yesterday, and my day was so hectic that it didn't even occur to me to check the news to see whether our country had careened over the economic precipice.
This morning when I got in the car, I eagerly turned on the news to hear what had happened (I assumed Congress had reached some last minute compromise). I didn't hear a word about debt ceiling, tax hikes, spending cuts, or anything related thereto. I heard about Hosni Mubarak's trial, a local police beating, and a recall on ground turkey, but nothing about how the debt crisis that gripped our nation for week was actually resolved. I had to go to Google News and scroll down the US News page a bit before I finally learned about the super committee and such. Sheesh.
. . . Joy replaying the same three minutes of Toy Story 2 over and over and over while I prepared dinner. If I hear Slinky say "My back end's going to Beirut!" one more time . . .
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . swimming with the kids at my parents' home. We had a great time playing in the water together.
. . . attending the baby shower my friend Pearl threw for me. It was fun to just relax and talk with the other women for a while.
And another thing . . .
. . . for the past few weeks, the debt ceiling debate has dominated the news and been a nearly constant subject of discussion on the local public radio station. Everyone was deeply concerned about our "dysfunctional" Congress and the Greece-like economic calamity that would surely ensue if they didn't reach some compromise by August 2. That was yesterday, and my day was so hectic that it didn't even occur to me to check the news to see whether our country had careened over the economic precipice.
This morning when I got in the car, I eagerly turned on the news to hear what had happened (I assumed Congress had reached some last minute compromise). I didn't hear a word about debt ceiling, tax hikes, spending cuts, or anything related thereto. I heard about Hosni Mubarak's trial, a local police beating, and a recall on ground turkey, but nothing about how the debt crisis that gripped our nation for week was actually resolved. I had to go to Google News and scroll down the US News page a bit before I finally learned about the super committee and such. Sheesh.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Half Enchilada
Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . waking up with a leg cramp. It was a mild one, but it kept threatening to turn into a Very Very Bad Cramp if I didn't position my leg just right.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . looking at some intricate, newly-spun little spiderwebs shimmering in the sun out front this morning.
. . . having a friend and her kids over to visit. We tried making homemade cheese, but the milk never curdled (I think we stirred it too much). Oh well--at least we had fun talking while the kids played.
. . . reviewing some of the Prophet's recent talks, and finding that the second one I looked at was precisely what I needed today.
. . . Joy asking to try a chicken enchilada for the first time, and liking it so much that she asked for us to put a whole one on her plate. She only ate part of what we gave her, but I'm still happy to see her branch out and try "grown-up" food, especially when she discovers that she enjoys it.
. . . waking up with a leg cramp. It was a mild one, but it kept threatening to turn into a Very Very Bad Cramp if I didn't position my leg just right.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . looking at some intricate, newly-spun little spiderwebs shimmering in the sun out front this morning.
. . . having a friend and her kids over to visit. We tried making homemade cheese, but the milk never curdled (I think we stirred it too much). Oh well--at least we had fun talking while the kids played.
. . . reviewing some of the Prophet's recent talks, and finding that the second one I looked at was precisely what I needed today.
. . . Joy asking to try a chicken enchilada for the first time, and liking it so much that she asked for us to put a whole one on her plate. She only ate part of what we gave her, but I'm still happy to see her branch out and try "grown-up" food, especially when she discovers that she enjoys it.
Burgers and Breakers
Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . tripping our circuit breaker a half dozen times while I was making dinner. The electric grill and toaster had never overloaded the breaker before, and I couldn't fathom why tonight was any different until Phillip realized we had the air conditioner on in the kids' room.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Daniel sitting through family home evening with us (he usually wanders around doing his own thing instead). He even came over by the piano with us when we sang.
And another thing . . .
. . . I made hamburgers tonight, and Phillip always likes to have chips with them. I'm not a huge fan of chips, and I don't think they're very good for you (though that argument has certainly never stopped me from eating fudge or cheesecake), but I love my husband so I make sure we have chips on hand whenever I make burgers. To his credit, he's good about not getting them out of the pantry until the kids have eaten their fill of burgers and sides, because once the chips appear the kids won't touch anything else.
Today I decided to use that fact to my advantage. In addition to the burgers, I served up strawberries and corn on the cob--healthy things everyone likes. I figured we'd all fill up on good food and no one would be interested in the chips. I obviously underestimated my family, because after everyone ran out of steam eating the healthy food, Phillip still retrieved the Doritos from the pantry and the kids' faces lit up like neon signs. I sighed and began clearing the dishes.
. . . tripping our circuit breaker a half dozen times while I was making dinner. The electric grill and toaster had never overloaded the breaker before, and I couldn't fathom why tonight was any different until Phillip realized we had the air conditioner on in the kids' room.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Daniel sitting through family home evening with us (he usually wanders around doing his own thing instead). He even came over by the piano with us when we sang.
And another thing . . .
. . . I made hamburgers tonight, and Phillip always likes to have chips with them. I'm not a huge fan of chips, and I don't think they're very good for you (though that argument has certainly never stopped me from eating fudge or cheesecake), but I love my husband so I make sure we have chips on hand whenever I make burgers. To his credit, he's good about not getting them out of the pantry until the kids have eaten their fill of burgers and sides, because once the chips appear the kids won't touch anything else.
Today I decided to use that fact to my advantage. In addition to the burgers, I served up strawberries and corn on the cob--healthy things everyone likes. I figured we'd all fill up on good food and no one would be interested in the chips. I obviously underestimated my family, because after everyone ran out of steam eating the healthy food, Phillip still retrieved the Doritos from the pantry and the kids' faces lit up like neon signs. I sighed and began clearing the dishes.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Gentle Alarm
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Joy waking me up to ask a question a few minutes before my alarm went off this morning. I'd rather wake up to my daughter's whisper and her imperfect rendition of "Praise to the Man" on our piano than to the annoying beep of an alarm.
. . . Joy kissing my tummy to show Baby Sister that she loves her.
. . . Daniel getting excited when I offered him a piece of homemade bread. It's always heartwarming when someone enjoys something you made.
. . . sitting next to Phillip in a Sunday School lesson about the temple, and thinking about how important it is to both of us. I'm grateful to be married to a man who values sacred things.
. . . Joy waking me up to ask a question a few minutes before my alarm went off this morning. I'd rather wake up to my daughter's whisper and her imperfect rendition of "Praise to the Man" on our piano than to the annoying beep of an alarm.
. . . Joy kissing my tummy to show Baby Sister that she loves her.
. . . Daniel getting excited when I offered him a piece of homemade bread. It's always heartwarming when someone enjoys something you made.
. . . sitting next to Phillip in a Sunday School lesson about the temple, and thinking about how important it is to both of us. I'm grateful to be married to a man who values sacred things.
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