49 Days: SAHM

This morning, Sarah and I took the kids to see Racing Stripes at the AMC Theater’s FREE Summer Movie Camp. Of course, the usual entourage of Day Cares was there as well. It is nice to get a weekly reminder of how important my job as a Stay-at-home Mom is and how fortunate my children are to be spared the life of a Day Care Kid. The fearless (and downright scary) leader of one day care was almost more annoying than I could take. Every time a child talked too loudly or misbehaved, the whole movie theater could hear her SssssssssssssT! SsssssssssssssT! She was like a snake, poised to strike at any moment. Those poor kids!

Last night’s Rachel Ray feast consisted of Cheddar Mac and Broccoli. Not necessarily a gourmet sounding meal, but I thought the kids would enjoy it. This recipe was nothing like it’s better know Kraft counterpart. Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is sinfully yummy! Of course, Sam continues her Rachel Ray hunger strike and opted for a bowl of Easy Mac instead. I have given up fighter her on the subject in order to make the evening less of a battle zone and more of an enjoyable sit down meal for the family. Tonight’s menu consists of Spiced Lamb Chops on Savory Peppers with Mint Couscous. In the past, I haven’t cared too much for the taste of lamb. However, Helmut loves it, so I continue to keep trying it (hoping someday I won’t feel like I am choking down Mary’s Little Lamb).

50 Days: Alone Time

Summer is moving along without too many peaks and valleys to speak of. We have been doing a lot of swimming, watching T.V., and “trying to get along.”

I am still churning out the Rachel Ray meals almost every night. The meals are designed to feed four people, which ends up just right for my little family. No leftovers, which is a Catch 22. No one really likes to eat leftovers in my house, but that means I have to cook every night. So far, I have been so excited to try each new recipe that I haven’t minded the cooking on such a regular basis. The most popular dish so far is the Ginger Soy Chicken, and it’s close cousin, Ginger Soy Thai Pork with Basil. Each night the boys have come into the kitchen saying it smelled like China when Ayi (our Chinese helper) was cooking.

I did leave Sam with Helmut today and took Josh to the Mall to buy new church chinos. I like taking my kids out solo to do something special. I rarely get time alone with the boys and really enjoy the time to talk and get to know them a little better. Josh is a sweet and helpful young man. He loves clothes and was thrilled with the afternoon. I can remember a time when I was young that my parents started a date your child night. Once a month they would give one of us kids a turn to pick the restaurant and go out with Mom and Dad all by ourselves. I can only remember actually doing this once, but the memory of dinner at that Chinese Restaurant (which isn’t even there anymore) has never left me. I would like to start this same tradition with my kids as well. Maybe I can keep it up for more than one round (or maybe not).

55 Days: Nesting

In an effort to be a better wife and better mother, I am on a new cooking kick. I am armed with a new cookbook: Rachel Ray 365 No Repeats. Her 30-minute meal mantra seemed like something I could get on board with. My first solo attempt was dinner tonight. I made Basil Pesto Pasta nests. After cooking the noodles, you toss in the sauce and then plate the pasta as two small nests. I am sure with time, I will get better at making the nests, but the pasta was excellent.

I also cleaned the refrigerator inside and out today. My husband is going to be so thrilled to come home to a home cooked meal and a clean frig. I even threw away all the leftovers, which is a job he usually does out of desperation for more frig space.

Of course, since I have gone to so much trouble, his flight out of Amarillo is delayed and he won’t be home until late.

Got to go…Roger’s much anticipated return has finally arrived! Go Astros!

56 Days: Passing Grades and Shedding Skin

Whooooohoooo! Helmut finally got word via email from the Professional Engineer Association that he passed his test. He has been stressed out about it since he took the test on April 15th. The test was given in scantron format, so I am not sure why it takes 2+ months to correct them. I know it is graded on a curve, so either Helmut did better than he thought, or everyone else was even more unprepared than he was. He signed up for a review course at the University of Houston but his work schedule combined with a lame instructor left him feeling unsure. In the end he passed. It is a pass/fail test and he never has to take it again. As long as he pays his dues and takes one ethics class (which he is currently teaching once a month at Bechtel) a year, he keeps his “Licensed Professional Engineer” status.

In other good news…Argos shed his skin yesterday. This is the first time he has done it since we got him. It is a very interesting and disturbing process. It started a few days back with his eyes clouding over and changing color and the skin around his head bubbling up. Once he got it started, it only seemed to take him about five minutes to slither up and out of his skin. Little Helmut is so relieved, because according to him, a shedding snake is a healthy snake. He has been very stressed over the last couple of weeks (a few tears have been shed) that he isn’t taking proper care of his snake. Argos has gotten some rocks trapped in his mouth a few times and Helmut insists that this can cause an infection very easily. I am bound and determined never to take that snake to the vet. It kills me to take my dog to the vet and spend money on him. My parents never took an animal to the vet my whole life (or the groomer for that matter…but that is a subject for another day) and I don’t like to vary from the way I was raised (especially when it involved wasting money on pets). I am getting a little carried away, but the snake shed…healthy snake.

57 Days Until School Starts

We are practically covered up with water down here in Houston. Our house is fine and not in any danger of flooding, but the rain just keeps on coming. We are supposed to get another ten inches today. The kids are about to go stir crazy. I keep reminding them of their summer jobs (entertain themselves and learn to get along), but it isn’t really sinking in.

Father’s Day came and went. Helmut had the worst allergy attack he has had in years and was suffering the whole day. I made Munster Chicken and Spinach Salad and everyone (Carl, Judy, Jonah, Josie, Jennifer, Sofie and Bobby) came over for dinner. The boys fought the whole day, which made me so angry I could hardly see straight. They are too old not to be able to get along for two days out of the year. Sam woke up that morning and asked if she could go to Big Mama’s house and swim. When I told her it was Sunday, she fell apart and didn’t really regain her composure until she fell asleep in bed that night. She wailed all morning long about how she hated church and didn’t want to go. She was livid that she had to go up in Sacrament Meeting and sing the Father’s Day song. She refused to go to Primary when she realized her regular teacher was out of town. It was a bad day all around.

Helmut and Josh have started a new money making venture. They are collecting cans to take to the recycling center (where they pay the hefty sum of 68 cents a pound). Between their Mom and Dad and Judy and Carl, they are doing pretty well. They decided it would be a good idea to hit the street on trash day and pillage all the recycling bins for cans. They walked up and down the street Monday morning in the pouring rain, but there was not one bin to be found. I drove them around the neighborhood later that morning, but still NO ONE had a recycling bin out. It doesn’t look like America had caught on the whole recycling craze.

Dallas

I just got back from visiting my parents in Dallas last week. We had a great time and the kids didn’t fight too much. We went to the library, had snow cones, went to Braum’s, went swimming, watched baseball and basketball, watched classic videos and So You Think You Can Dance and went to the Bolin Wildlife Exhibit. I got my mom hooked up with a DVR from Direct TV and AT&T DSL. We took the kids to see Over the Hedge and Cars. The boys helped Grandpa in the garden, rode the riding lawn mower (no grass was actually cut in the process), and helped repair a cut to the Direct TV wiring.

Dad was nice enough to take the kids fishing on two different nights (despite the near 100 degree temperatures)! The first night of fishing went okay. Helmut and Sam both caught around five fish. Dad helped Sam get her line in and then walked off to help someone else. When I looked back at her, she was walking backwards dragging a fish out of the water. She was so excited that she got one all by herself. Josh was not having a lot of luck. It took him a long time to get one, but once he did, they just kept coming. He must have caught five or six by the end of the night. Dad and Helmut took the kids again on Friday night while Mom and I did our scrapbooking thing at the church. From what I hear, they caught a fish every time they put their line in. Helmut even caught a big mouth bass that was rumored to be the size of two-dollar bills and then some (I guess that was the only measuring device on hand).

On Saturday night we went out to eat at the Spring Creek BBQ and to the rodeo. The kids loved the rodeo. I can’t believe that the boys are too old for the calf scramble. Sam forged ahead on her own, flip-flops and all. She was really sad that she didn’t get to participate in the Mutton Bustin’ (where they put a helmet and chest pad on anyone over the age of 4 and under 55 pounds…put them on the back of a sheep and see who can hold on the longest before falling off). We didn’t think it would go well since she only had flip-flops and a skirt on. We promised her next time she could do it, if she was properly dressed.

Mom and Dad showed us a great time. Now we are back home, and of course, the kids are bored. Josh has Cub Scout camp every night from 2:30 until 8:30. Other than that we are just hanging out, doing a little swimming and trying to stay out of one another’s hair. I informed my kids that their summer job was to learn how to get along with their siblings…we will see how that goes.