Fatigue: My constant companion

This post was written one night in the middle of the night, (about 1:00 am) when Nathan was sound asleep and my brain was moving at hyperspeed. We have a growing collection of sleeping photos. I decided to post them tonight because at dinner we added Diana to the collection, (ABOVE). She is refusing naps, (which is OK, because if she naps, she won't sleep until 11:00pm), however, the dinner hour is sometimes too for her to sit that still. Her head bobs up and down, but tonight Nathan eased her down to the tray. She was awake enough to put her food up onto the table before she started bobbing.

This is Caitlin, on the floor outsider her bedroom door in PR.



There are more, but some are from our predigital era, so you will not be seeing the entire collection. You will notice, I am not in any of them. They are just some funny places and ways that Hunts have been found catching Z's. The following picture is Bryn--right in the middle of the laundry basket where she put herself, I might add. We snapped that photo in the middle of the night, concerned that the light from the flash would wake her. It didn't.



Caitlin again, this time fell asleep watching TV.


And my personal favorite below, which you must click on to fully appreciate--This is Nathan and Caitlin, and that's a hardwood floor under him:



A little dirty laundry never kept me awake, but dirty dishes will.

Either we don't go to bed early enough, or we just run until we crash. I'm not sure which, but I am looking forward to some good sleep tonight!

Mother's Day Love

A few years ago, I saw this delicious looking dessert in the magazine "Everyday Food." Nathan has made it every year since. Yesterday he heard me talking to a friend who asked if we had any Mother's day traditions. Thank goodness she asked--because it reminded him and he delivered.

Isn't tradition delicious?

It is "Strawberry Tart" and I think it was the May or June 2006 issue.

The fabric below it is Bryn's first apron. A friend of mine from Park Ridge was selling them a few years back. I bought them for Andrew and Bryn, and since then asked her for the pattern to make more.

A delicious way to end a wonderful Mother's day.

Click here
for a good story about the effect of a mother's love. We heard it from a teenage boy today in church. I want to be the kind of mom described in the story.

This is the bread that Beth baked

I bake bread a lot. Often enough that my son says my favorite hobby is "baking." Often enough that much of the bread we eat comes from our own kitchen. Often enough that when I put these loaves into the oven, I knew something was wrong. I don't make this mistake often enough, however, that I could identify it when the loaves went into the oven.

The mystery was solved when Bryn took the first bite. "Mom, you forgot the salt!"

When she said it, I immediately remembered having seen that problem before. I've forgotten to add salt, oil, yeast, and sugar. All during distinct baking sessions, not all at once. Today it was salt. It looks like I'll be baking again soon. We've eaten saltlesss bread before, shaking on the salt at the table. But I don't know that I will do that this time. So disappointing! The loaf is extra sticky and the yeast goes like crazy--because salt slows it down. Hence the bubbly appearance on the top of the loaf on the right. If you don't believe there's a difference, scroll down to see the bread that Nate baked.

It reminds me of this scripture: "Verily, verily, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor, wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall thenceforth be good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men." 3 Nephi 12:13

That's about all this bread is good for--to be trodden under the foot of men.

Thank goodness I get to try again.

Salt free bread anyone?
Going once . . . Going twice . . . gone . . . .

Heard at the Hunts: Happy Mother's Day!

Our home is Cub Scout Central two evenings a month. One time in April, the boys brought collections to display and admire. They brought some unique and interesting collections--from rocks and coins to cars, license plates, Pokemon cards and antique toys.

Not wanting to be completely left out, when they all were finished, I added:
"I collect children. And their names are Andrew, Bryn, Caitlin, and Diana."

Happy mother's day to all my mothers and grandmothers! And thanks to my kids and husband for making me a mother.

Selective posting & Rewards

I began to realize about two months ago, that the accounting class would not be enough hours to renew my license, so I signed up for another class. I have been much more quiet about this one--that's my selective posting. I only write the details I want to share.

Yesterday, I finished the other class! It was a one credit class on how to get student cooperation. It was interesting, easy, and quick to finish. It made me think a lot about my parenting skills, things I am good at, and things I am not.

It was all about rewards and punishments. After thinking about them long and hard, I decide to buy some Smarties to eliminate one of my greatest daily struggles: getting Diana buckled into her car seat. It worked like magic on the way home from the store today. What do you think? I decided it was worth the price of a Smartie to not have to fight her every time--we have enough battles throughout the day over what she can and cannot do. I hope her price won't go up over time. It would be great if she would value what I do: getting in the car quickly to move on to the next thing. FOR NOW, she doesn't, so a little sugar is helping. We'll see how I feel about it as time passes. What do you think?

All that is left to re-certify is to get my transcript when my grades are posted, send it and some other forms in, pay $90, and wait for them to send me a new teaching certificate. I will be so happy for that--an active certificate for three years.

Now, my celebrating! In the middle of accounting, I bought a serger. I was looking for Craigslist for about a month to find just what I wanted.
Used
Within my price range
A good brand
After searching for a short period of time, I found that many sellers of sergers bought them or received them as gifts and never used them. So I added that to my list:
Used, but not really used.

It didn't take long to find one--and it has been sitting in my room ever since. It was my prize for finishing recertification (see, I am rewarding myself here, maybe rewards do work). It is part of my goal this year to sew something I actually would wear. On June 13th, I will be in Austin for a class on how to use it.

After that, I might disappear into my sewing space and never return! As you can see in the photo, I probably won't be gone very long before someone finds me.

Fire Ants

While I was posting about the Father's and Sons' campout on Saturday, Diana met her match with the fire ants in our backyard. When I heard her scream, I knew it was ants. It was not the kind of cry you hear when a sibling is pestering. It was peril. Andrew knew it was peril, as well, because he ran to the front yard to get Nathan, who was mowing the lawn. By the time I arrived on the scene, only 2 ants were on her foot. I don't think she brushed any of them away either, but I am having a hard time believing two ants did this much damage. Thank goodness there weren't more.

You might have heard of the biting ant in the South, called "Fire ants." They are alive and well in my own backyard. The aisles of all the hardware stores are full of ant poison right now, and this is why. Nathan was told that cornmeal can eliminate them in a less toxic way. Our landlord had left some ant-poison in the shed, which Nathan used, and the hill where Diana was standing when bit is completely gone. We will try cornmeal on the other known hills in the yard.

MORE DETAILS IF YOU WANT THEM: On day one of ant bites, they look red and the area surrounding the "bite" begins to swell. Day two, the bite looks like a raised white head. Day three, what you see here, the white head has become a blister, that can easily break and soak a sock. The sock has been the best way to prevent direct scratching. And if you really want detail, click on the photo to enlarge.

Nathan read online about them and found out that they don't bite--it is a sting. The ant grabs on and rotates in a circle, stinging repeatedly. And you get a sore foot that itches like crazy.

This is Diana's foot today, and actually some of the swelling has gone down and we feel it is headed in the right direction. These sores take a LONG time to heal, but the swelling will be gone in another day or two. She is the only one in our family to have a major encounter with the ants, (this is her second), but most of us have been bit at least once.

I remember a TV movie where people-sized ants were taking over the world--some crazy show--why was I watching that? These little guys are the real thing.

And now, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, a few ant jokes:

What medicine would you give an ill ant?
Antibiotics!

What is smaller than an ant's dinner?
An ant's mouth!

What do you call an ant who skips school?
A truant!

MORAL: Take care of the ants in your backyard before they take care of you. Having the way to take care of them isn't enough, you have to use it.

Tradition: Father's and Sons

Last night was the Annual "Father's and Sons" campout for all the men at church. Andrew has attended since he was still in diapers, about 20 months old. A couple of years it was cancelled in Chicago, so he was very excited to get to go with Nathan this year. Didn't have a great photo op at the campsite, so here they are with the tent in our backyard.

More details if you want them: They cooked their own hot dogs and marshmallows and played "Capture the Flag." At the fireside they sang "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and "Ye Elders of Israel," and read the First Vision from someone's I-phone. Andrew said, "It was a meeting about the Priesthood." Another boy from our scout troop went with them, and they ate breakfast burritos this morning. No one used their jackets or sweatshirts.



Girl's Night In: While they boys were away, here's how the girls did play. After a quick trip to Walgreen's for supplies, we painted lots of little nails pink. The girls watched Barbie: Princess and the Pauper while I worked on an upcoming sewing project.