Dropping Like Flies

We are still being "hit" with the bug...another one of my kids, a sibling, a parent, and possibly another parent. Just hoping that I don't get it; then everyone will have to take another day off!

Three Letter Words

I've decided that, in addition to some four letter words (see October 8 post), there are some three letter words that I don't care for either. For example:
The Flu
We have been hit pretty hard with it, and it's not December (or even winter) yet! Two of my little girls missed an entire week at my house because of the flu. They were sick for three days; mom and dad decided to keep them home the other two days so the rest of us could avoid being exposed right before Thanksgiving. Very thoughtful of them, but some of us got the flu anyway. Tyler got sick Thanksgiving night (mild version); Jaime got it yesterday (heavy duty version). One of my kids had flu symptoms last Wednesday night; by Saturday afternoon, she was in the hospital. This is our third year together as a "child care family". The past two years, we had the flu bug twice. So, if history repeats itself, we have only one more bout to go. Yea!!!!!!

Throwdown! with Farm Girl

I am guilty of sometimes often watching the Food Network Channel. One of my favorite shows is Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Bobby Flay is an American chef, restauratuer, cookbook author, and tv personality. On his show, he challenges another chef, whose specialty is a particular dish, to a cook-off. Sometimes Bobby wins; sometimes he loses. I'll be completely honest...my idea of cooking has become pulling a pan out of the cupboard to reheat whatever my refrigerated "doggy bag" has left over from the previous night's takeout dinner. So here goes..all you great and wonderful cooks out there...next June, I'm going to challenge one of you to a throwdown. Finding an impartial judge may be a little tricky, but I know we can find someone. The prize for the winner? TBD : )

www.foodnetwork.com

Dinner or Supper?

Dinner n. The chief meal of the day.
Supper n. An evening meal; a light evening meal when dinner is served at midday.

Whatever you want to call it, I'm sure we'll eat it in Iowa next June. Since many lunches may be "on the go", I'm going to suggest that we gather at the Wolff or Weller residences for the evening meal. It might be fun to plan specific menus, i.e. pasta night, Mexican night, cookout night, pizza night, German night, etc. We have so many excellent cooks that it'd be a shame not to put them to work! I don't claim to be an "excellent" chef, but I'll be glad to cook, too.

Black Friday Night

After avoiding the stores all day, curiosity won out, and I headed for Walmart at 10 PM tonight. No long lines...still lots to buy. The store was surprisingly clean (last year, I went to Younkers on Black Friday Night and, because there was merchandise strewn everywhere, I could hardly walk through the store). The only problem I had at Wally World was dodging the night stockers and their overloaded carts. Lots of customers, too. (I'm always a little surprised by the number of families, small kids in tow, out shopping late at night.) The customers and store clerks all seemed to still be in good moods. In fact, I rounded a corner in the automotive section (I was searching for power steering fluid) and bumped into a couple of teenage girls, both holding large containers of antifreeze, rocking out to Just The Way You Are (which was blasting from a car stereo). Fun at Walmart on a Friday night! That's Waterloo. My Black Friday/holiday purchases? 2 containers of Snow Melt (gonna need it sooner or later), windshield washer fluid, Bounce, mouthwash, a Diaper Genie refill, gum, candles, and a Christmas gift for Ty. And, the power steering fluid.

Were any of you brave enough/ crazy enough to venture out today?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that all of you had a great day! Adam and I want to say thanks to Darold, Diane, and Jenn for the delicious meal...turkey and all the trimmings...and for the scrumptious desserts (pumpkin pie and chocolate cake with raspberries)....making you hungry again, aren't I? Aaron, Jaime, and Tyler spent the day with Aaron's family. Jaime said that Tyler spent some time looking around Papa and Nana's house, searching for their cat, Maci (she was hiding). When it was time to go home, Tyler said to everyone, "Goodbye, friends"...something he often hears at the end of the day at my house. Derek said he got up at 4:00 this morning (3:00 Iowa time) to start preparing food for their feast. He and his roommate, Jared (a Wartburg grad Derek met at Ft. Bragg), invited several other Iowa friends, who now live in NC, as well as a few of the soldiers. Sounds like they served several "made from scratch" dishes, including pies! I told him that we expect some great cooking while we are visiting him during Christmas break!

What Are You Thankful For?

All six of my "two and unders" were here today. I'm thankful for A FOUR DAY WEEKEND!

And the Answer Is...

Yesterday, I turned around to see that K had intentionally poured her entire cup of milk on the floor! I gave her my What are you doing? look; the one that I've gifted to her a million times. She instantly recognized the look; shot me her Duh, what does it look like I'm doing? look and stated, "It's a duck pond!". Well, of course...I should've thought of that! We do have a toy duck somewhere in the house...I think we have a toy duck...maybe I should have the kids bring back some of the cute ducks that Diane and Jenn have given them...especially now that we have a duck pond!!!!!

A Riddle

What do you get when you take one little girl holding a cup full of milk and one adult who turns her back for ten seconds????
Answer tomorrow night!!!!!!!

My Favorite Pizza Places (not in any particular order)

Preface: As I was making my favorite pizza places' list, it occurred to me that most of these are favorites, not because of the pizza itself, but because of the people I was with and the memories that were made.


1) Ida Grove, Iowa We often stopped at the Pizza Hut there on our way home from a trip to Anthon. The kids had a lot of fun feeding the ducks. Lucille, do you remember going to the Pizza Hut with us?

2)Sioux City, Iowa The Pizza Peddler in the Sioux City Stockyards' KD Station was also a big hit with A, J, and D. Wilbur, the coyote, rode a tricycle around a track, delivering pizzas and talking with the customers.

3) Waterloo, Iowa Shakeys...another Weller favorite. We ate there a lot...I remember going for the Super Supper and the Bunch-a-Lunch. Neal especially liked the all you can eat buffet with pizza, broasted chicken, pasta, breadsticks, etc. My favorites? The Mojos (broasted potatoes) and the cinnamon rolls!!!

4) Chicago, Illinois If you like deep dish, then you'd love Chicago's Deep dish... nobody can beat it! They have a deep dish walking tour that I've never taken, but it sounds like fun. (If anyone ever wants to meet in Chicago, I'm there!)

5) Heidelberg, Germany The Pizza Hut on the Hauptstraffse (Main Street) was one of my first "alone in a sit-down restaurant" eating experiences. Maybe it was the fact that I was in Germany, but it was one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten!

6)Orlando, Florida...Omaha, Nebraska...Cedar Falls, Iowa Showbiz/Chuck E. Cheese...Pizza's not that great, but kids love it!!

7) Italy...Cinque Terre and Venice We were eating pizza in ITALY...need I say more?!? Actually, I will say more. In Monterosso, I ordered a pizza topped with french fries. Different, but good! In Riomaggiore, I became a big fan of the margherita (the pizza, not the drink!).

8) NEW YORK, NEW YORK...WORLD'S BEST PIZZA!!!!!! What makes it the best pizza? New York City's water, of course! In 2009, when Derek and I were in NYC, we went on the Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour. We heard a lot of "stories", learned about the history of Brooklyn, and ate pizza at two amazing places! Definitely a tour I would take again.

Pizza

Pizza is one of my many favorite foods...and I have many! I hope that one of our meals next June will include pizza. Lucky for us, there are several great local "pizza places" in the WaWa area. One, the OP (Other Place), is located in Waverly, Waterloo, and Cedar Falls. It's been around for about 35 years. All of their pizzas are delicious. The vegetarian, taco, and chicken alfredo pizzas are my personal favorites. In addition to pizza, the OP has sandwiches, soups, salads, and pasta. One of the soups that I really like is their Chili Gumbo, a chili invented by college students, loaded with lots of veggies and mozzarella cheese. June isn't usually a "chili" month here in Iowa, but you never know about our weather! Another great pizza place is "Doughy Joeys" which has locations in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. They specialize in Chicago style and New York style pizzas and have many other items on their menus. We ate at their new CF location recently and were impressed with the restaurant, the staff, and, of course, the food. Might be a fun place to go if we decide to go "out" some night. Are there any pizza lovers reading this? If so, what kind do you like???

www.doughyjoeys.com
www.theotherplace.com

Making a Splash

Last night, Jaime and Aaron attended the DRUMLine performance on campus, so Tyler spent the night at my house. It had been a few weeks since I'd given him a bath, so I didn't know that he'd added splashing to his bathtime routine. I was amazed at the amount of splashing he did. I don't know who had more fun or who got wetter...him or me!!

Little Man of Few Words

Lunchtime conversation with Ty today:
Ty: (holding up a piece of meat) What's this?
Me: Fish
Ty: Gobble, gobble?
Me: No (moving my mouth like a fish)
Ty: Oh (moving his mouth like a fish)

Totin' Tots

Little kids typically tote around a favorite blanket or teddy bear. Although today was a typical day at my house, my twos (and Ty, my almost two) are rarely typical. Here's what was toted today...from room to room and up and down the stairs:
K... a monkey, a cat, a cheetah, Piglet, a doll, and two pink blankets= 7 items
Ty...three cows, a pig, a sheep, and his blue B (blanket)= 6 items

PS...And I should mention that K and Ty carried all of these things at the same time!!!!!
Talk about an armful! : )

Monkey Business

Ok, I'll admit it. I sometimes lick my finger when I'm trying to turn the page of a book. I've done it as long as I can remember and haven't really given it much thought. So, today, I thought it incredibly cute when I saw Tyler do this very thing as he was turning a page in a monkey book. However, when I googled this habit, I discovered that most people don't find this habit cute at all. In fact, most find it utterly disgusting! So, my sincere apologies to anyone who's read a book after me. (Sorry Diane...you probably won't want to lend me books after reading this.) Some of the comments re this habit were shocking. One person had the nerve to suggest that it's mostly old people who do this. Tyler and I beg to differ!!!
Other monkey business: Today we made a craft to accompany the "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" poem. After attaching our monkeys to their beds, K, who already knew it by heart, immediately began reciting the poem. She added her own little twist at the end. She tucked her little monkey back into his paper bed, looked up, and said, "I hope he learned his lesson".
Diane, thanks for the pumpkin bread, chili, and "snow" bells. You are so thoughtful!!! : )

Marvelous Monday

A really good day here...just had Ty and K. Was so nice to have just the two of them. We had a lot of fun playing, reading, singing, etc. It makes me look forward to the "distant" future when I'll have fewer kids and can do more with them. One of Adam's favorite sayings is less is more...so true in this case!
We are gearing up for the holidays...talk of baby Jesus, Christmas trees, Santa, snowmen, etc. At lunch today, I gave K one of those "What are you doing?" looks and, without me saying a word, she stated, "I'm just decorating". And so she was. Her slice of turkey (from the middle of her sandwich) was draped like a blanket of snow over her sippy cup! Ho ho ho!!!

Subs

I'm still on the lunch subject tonight. There are several really good places to buy subs in the WaWa area. (not the underwater type. I've never even been in one...have you?) Sub City can be found in both Wa and Wa (also in Cedar Falls). It's local, has been around for several years, and has great sandwiches. You can order any of the sandwiches as a "sub in a tub" (a salad). My favorite Sub City is in Waverly. It's in the old train depot, right along the bike trail. We also have Subways in both places and a Jimmy Johns in Waterloo. Subs may be a quick and easy lunch for all of us one day next June.
PS...It's Sunday night and I'm distressed because another nonproductive weekend has flown by. I always feel so guilty when I don't get as much accomplished as I'd planned. : (

Lunch (Luncheon)

n. A meal eaten at midday.

I decided to read a little history about lunch and discovered that in most countries, lunch is a light meal eaten anywhere between noon and 4 PM. It is also sometimes referred to as dinner. What did mom and dad call our meals when we were growing up? Obviously, I remember breakfast, but did we eat lunch or dinner? Wasn't our evening meal always called "supper"?
I assume that lunch may be "on your own" for everyone who's out and about next June. This is known as "out for lunch"...not to be confused with "out to lunch"! If anyone is interested in a great place to eat lunch, Diane and I both highly recommend Barn Happy in Cedar Falls. The food is amazing, and the shop/barn is filled with Iowa products. I know that some of you have eaten there with us on previous visits to WaWa. Check out their website which includes their lunch menu and lists some of the Iowa products they sell:

www.barnhappy.net

PS...Diane was the first person today to chat with me about the weather here in WaWa land. Then, I had a weather conversation with strangers at the grocery store, followed up by a phone call from Jaime later today which included, you guessed it, talk about the weather. Three times today...can you top that?

The Weather

Have you ever noticed how much people talk about the weather? I hadn't really ever thought about this until Adam mentioned it. Since then, I've noticed that it's virtually impossible to have a conversation (or to overhear one) that doesn't include a mention of the current weather, the forecast, or a weather catastrophe somewhere. Tonight, at the bank, I overheard a customer (four cars over) and the bank teller conversing about the weather. Even little kids are fascinated. It's been raining here most of the day, so D decided to sing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" all day. So glad she was feeling well enough to sing (only one mention of not feeling well).
As for me, I can't wait for the first snow day. There's just something so exciting about waking up to find out that, surprise, you have the day off!

Tomorrow's challenge: See how far you are into your Saturday before you talk to someone about the weather.

Hospital or Hollywood?

Much better day...my little angels were back. Still as dramatic as ever, though.
D, one of my sweet little "twos" has been pitifully complaining for the past couple of days... "I don't feel good. I need to go to the doctor." It's a little hard to take her seriously when she says that and then sighs, throws her head back, and plants the back of her hand in the middle of her forehead, as if she's about to faint. (And when she's spent the previous hour running around the house, laughing, screeching, and being crazy). Is it possible to diagnose hypochondria at such an early age?
Either that, or this kid needs to be signed up as a child star. I think I deserve the first autograph! : )

Angels & Demons

I believe in the former...I've witnessed the latter.
And how was your day???!!!

PS...But, I haven't seen the movie. Sorry, Ron.

It's a Girl's Prerogative

Sometimes the conversations at my house are a little difficult to comprehend. Take my conversation with K this afternoon...

Me: K, it's time to change your pull-up.
K: And then can I change my mind?

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, so I repeated my statement:

Me: K, it's time to change your pull-up.
K: Then can I change my mind?

I decided to go along with it, mainly because I wanted to see what she was thinking. So I said, OK, K, then you can change your mind.

After the pull-up change, K went out into the living room, put all six of our blue kids' chairs in a row, and placed her stuffed animals on them. So that's what changing your mind means to a two-year-old. Wow, I am really out of touch!!! : )

Time Changes and Times Change

Time Changes We were just a little "off" today...shorter than usual naps, a little grumpier than usual. I blame it on the time change. Or...maybe it's that we all seem to be coming down with colds. We had barely started our day when I realized that I was going to have a difficult time keeping up with all the sneezes, runny noses, etc. The sweater I wore today really came in handy. It had two big pockets... I filled the left pocket with clean tissues, and the right pocket... You get the picture. Sometimes I have to get creative!
Times Change There's been a lot of media talk lately about the current lack of manners and social etiquette. It seems like this lack is becoming the norm. Manners and social skills are a big deal with me...we practice them all day long. So now I'm starting to wonder: Are good manners no longer considered necessary? Am I wasting my time? Any thoughts out there???

Have a great night!!!! : )

Morg's

It's probably safe to assume that we'll want to eat breakfast "in" next June. However, if it is any one's heart's desire to go out for breakfast, then Morg's in downtown Waterloo is the place to go. Morg's, established in 1960, is a family-run diner that has an interesting staff as well as amazing food. Janie Brown, a waitress there for almost 30 years, unlocks the door for the regulars at 4:30 AM. If she oversleeps, they head for her house to check on her and vice versa. When Derek worked at the gas station, he said that she often stopped there to buy gas. A couple of times she gave him a gift card for Morg's, and she remembered him when he stopped for breakfast. For awhile, we went often enough that she knew exactly what we would order...just like the regulars. At Morg's, everything is made from scratch and the portions are huge (pancakes the size of a plate...my favorite...the pecan pancake.) No matter who I'm with, we always split a meal...I'd like to meet the person who can polish off an entire breakfast by him/her self!

Happy 14th Birthday, Maryann!

Breakfast

n. The first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning.

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, is often skipped by people who are in a hurry to get to work or school, who oversleep, who are on a diet, and/or who just aren't hungry when they wake up. My breakfasts, like every other meal I eat, get inhaled as I am always rushing to get ready before the kids arrive. When I was in Europe, breakfast was my favorite meal of the day. Could have been the great food (fresh breads, croissants, cheeses, etc), the terrific company (Adam and Derek), or could have been the scenery (looking out at the Alps or the Mediterranean Sea definitely has a positive effect on the appetite). If you come to Iowa next June, we also promise great food and wonderful scenery. I know that the hotels in Waverly include breakfast and, of course, if you stay with the Waverly Wolffs or the Waterloo Wellers, you'll enjoy delicious breakfasts as well. (I'm planning to beg Bev to bring some of her amazing kuchen!!!)

PS...Did you know that breakfast dates back to the late Stone Age era when stones were used to grind grains into porridge? And, that in ancient times, beer was the "breakfast juice" of choice?!?

Happy Birthday, Karel!!

The Man

My annual sump pump check-up was scheduled for this morning. Since we rarely have visitors that the kids don't know, I talked to them about someone coming to the house. In the past, when the kids were younger, they were always a little shy whenever the doorbell rang and a stranger entered. Not so this time. They followed him around like little ducklings following the mama duck to the pond. We all went in the basement with him; K, D, E, and Ty stood in the storage room and watched him work. Whenever they had a question about what he was doing...What's that? (a garden hose), Where'd the man go? (to the truck to get his tools), they'd ask me. Otherwise, he had a captive audience. I told him to let me know if they were in the way, but he said that he has a two-year-old at home; he did seem pretty amused by their attention. I started to think about how helpful it would be to have an assistant like The Man. He could keep the kids entertained while I cooked lunch, changed diapers, read a book, took a nap... My want ad would look something like this:
Wanted: A man to work as The Man. Must love kids (negotiable). Must look exactly like George Clooney (non-negotiable).

Birthday Wishes

Today is D's dad's birthday. This afternoon, while she was playing with one of our toy telephones, I suggested that she "call" her dad to wish him a happy birthday.

D: Hi Dad. I at school. E's here. Sheryl is, too. Bye.

Me: D, it was nice of you to call your dad, but you forgot to say happy birthday!

D: (lifting the handset again) Hi Dad. Happy birthday dear dad. Bye.

D's dad planned to pick the girls up today, so we practiced her birthday greeting (several times). The plan was for her to say, "Happy birthday, Dad" as soon as he came in the door. However, when he picked her up to give her a hug, they bumped heads, she cried, and the opportunity was gone. Hopefully, sometime this evening, she remembered our plan. : )

There May Come A Day

There may come a day when I don't post anything. No, it won't be that I don't have anything to say (rarely do I have nothing to say)...it'll be because my computer finally gave up. I've been told by a Mac Tech that this particular model has a problem that can't be repaired and that will eventually cause the computer to quit working. : ( I have absolutely no idea when that might happen (could be next year; could be tomorrow), so I wanted to give you a heads up. If and when that does happen, I'll go to Plan B (as soon as I figure out what Plan B is!!!) TTYL

Class Clowns

I am convinced that Tyler is destined to be a class clown. He is free spirited and very silly 99% of the time. Today, during lunch, he was in one of those silly moods and proceeded to entertain everyone at the table, even checking to make sure they were all watching him. At first, the thought of him becoming a class clown conjured up all kinds of visions of things to come...calls from his principal, bad grades, etc. I've jokingly offered to A and J that I'd be glad to either 1) field the calls from school 2) go to school with him and/or 3) home school.
Tonight, I've done a little research on class clowns. Evidently, they're not necessarily as bad as the name implies. For instance, most class clowns are extremely bright. Did you know that Albert Einstein was a class clown? Yes, you read that right, Albert Einstein! Also, Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams was a class clown. (One of my favorite movies is Patch Adams starring Robin Williams. If you've never seen it, I recommend it...It's definitely a feel good movie.)
I hesitated to write this post so soon after the sad news about Aunt Myrtie, but then I started to remember the laughter and joking around that always occurred whenever the Blacks or Grants got together. I'm pretty sure that we have a few, if not many, class clowns in our family tree. And, of course, the name Mervin and the words "class clown" are practically synonymous. So I think that Ty comes by it naturally, which is, I guess, a good thing. (Remind all of us that the first time that A and J get a call from Ty's principal. Ha ha!)
PS...Robin Williams was also a class clown. No surprise there!

Playing With The Food

I encourage my kids to play with their food. "Play food", that is. We have tea parties, pizza parties, picnics, birthday parties, even tailgate parties. The kids feed the dolls, the stuffed animals, each other, and me. We have a fruit stand in the basement; they buy fruit, sell fruit, and put money in the cash register. Ty loves "working" in the fruit stand...he greets every customer with a grin and a "Hi!". The toy food and dishes are definitely our favorite toys; they get played with all day long. Real food? We like that, too. Today's favorites...green beans and cottage cheese.
Speaking of real food...Diane, thanks for your post today. Alas, so many good choices...so little time!!!

Food Food Food

Farm Girl is letting me use the Blog Site to mention food options for June. The money pot/grocery list/cooking meals sounds good! Other options in my neck of the woods are: McD, B King, 4-5 pizza places, 3 chinese, 2 mexican, 2 bar eateries, 1 italian, 1 breakfast/lunch, 2 more $ evening type places and of course the Wolf Den is open 24/7, will not quite! Come with recipes!!!!! Owly Lady