An Evening at the Inksters

Here's a sample of a typical evening in our household. Hope you enjoy a glimpse into our family life!

My Big Boy

The children and I had some excitement this morning. We volunteered at preschool drop-in gym at the YMCA, as we usually do on Wednesday mornings. Whenever I volunteer my boys play in the gym with me and Baby Girl spends a couple of hours in the babysitting room. This was the arrangement we had today.

At the end of our shift we put the play equipment away and cleaned the gym. I took my boys into the foyer and started putting on their coats and boots. Suddenly, we were startled by a sharp, clanging alarm bell. Red lights began to flash. My boys looked at me with round, frightened eyes.

The building fell into a flurry of activity. Every person needed to leave as quickly as possible. I rushed to pull on the boys' boots and coats, and attempted to herd my frightened children out the door.

"Mommy, Mommy!" my three-year-old cried, "We can't leave!!! We forgot to get our baby girl!"

I was worried about my little girl. She was not with me, and my first instinct was to run to the babysitting room and gather her into my arms. However, I also knew that the YMCA staff are well-trained and would take good care of my precious girl.

"The babysitting ladies are taking the babies to a safe place," I told my big boy, "Don't worry. Our Baby Girl is safe."

"NO! Mommy! We have to save her!" My young man burst into sobs. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

My heart melted. My boy loves his baby sister very much. Though he was frightened by the loud alarm bells and pandemonium, his greatest concern was for his sister. He would have charged straight through the building and into the babysitting room to rescue her if he could have.

In the end, it was all a false alarm. We found our Baby Girl in the caring arms of a staff member as we re-entered the building. Baby was smiling, cooing, and enjoying a great adventure. My boys calmed down, and my son smothered his sister in a million kisses.

I was proud of my little boy this morning. He showed that he is a caring, protective big brother. Clearly, he loves his baby sister a great deal. He may be only three years old, but my son is already learning what it means to be a man.

Classic Christmas Cookies

I feel so behind this Christmas season. I've made my list (and checked it twice), but now I need to get to work!

Yesterday I made yummy cookies with my boys. Christmas baking is hardly a chore, in my opinion. I love filling my freezer with tasty sweets, and giving them away as gifts or serving them to guests. Baking is one of my favourite parts of the holidays.

We made two recipes yesterday. I always enjoy making classic, comforting recipes. Both of these turned out perfectly. I found them in FamilyFun's Cookies for Christmas.

Molasses Cookies

14 tbsp. butter
2 C. sugar, divided
1/3 C. molasses
2 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the sugar along with the molasses. Cool for 15 minutes, or until tepid.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Beat the egg into the butter mixture in the saucepan, then gradually add the flour mixture and stir until well combined (the dough will be soft).

Pour the remaining sugar into a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar. Place the balls on the foil-covered baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have flattened. Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Sealed with a Kiss

1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
1/2 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. sugar, plus extra for rolling
1/2 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1, 9 oz. package chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the peanut butter, butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together. Combine with peanut butter mixture.

Shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll them in the extra white sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from the oven, and press a chocolate kiss into the centre of each cookie. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 40 to 50 cookies.

True contentment is ...

• Waking up early and sharing a bowl of cheerios with my boys
• Laughing at my two-year-old's knock-knock jokes
• Making Christmas cookies with my excited preschooler
• Nursing my sleepy baby
• Listening to worship music and dancing around the living room with my kids
• Snuggling my cranky toddler on the couch
• Reading Eye Spy books over and over again with my boys
• Making my baby girl giggle
• Explaining the legend of St. Nicholas to my children
• Helping my preschooler build intricate Lego spaceships

I enjoyed doing all these things with my children this morning. I am so grateful to have a beautiful home, loving husband, and three healthy children. I am a very blessed woman, indeed.

A Decisive Young Man

We were running late for church (again). I rushed around the kitchen, wiping sticky hands and scraping soggy cereal into the garbage. Our family needed to leave the house within five minutes. My three-year-old son busily played Lego in the living room. He was still wearing his pajamas.

"Quick buddy!" I said, "Take off your jammies and go pee. You need to get your clothes on."

My preschooler looked at me with a stern expression. "No, Mommy," he said decisively, "I do not plan to pee today."

Hmmm. He did not plan to pee? Funny how my son's plan changed when I threatened to take his Lego away unless he used the bathroom ...

Book Review:

Divine
Karen Kingsbury

I always enjoy escaping into the pages of a Karen Kingsbury novel. Lucky for me, she is a prolific author. Karen Kingsbury's novels often challenge me to re-examine my faith in God. Her stories encourage me to look into my heart, to test my convictions. I find Kingsbury's books to be gripping and well-written. Divine is no exception.

I like Karen Kingsbury's novels because her characters are real. I think that many Christian authors fall into the trap of idealizing their characters --- they write about perfect Christians who have no faults. Kingsbury creates flawed characters. She writes about real people, with real struggles. She allows her characters to fall (sometimes with tragic consequences). Her characters doubt, sin, and get hurt.

The main character in Divine is Mary Madison, a woman who is used and abused. Her life is marred by horrors no woman should be forced to endure. Mary's story is based on the Biblical account of Mary Magdalene. Though Mary's life is filled with pain and sorrow, her story does not end in tragedy. Instead, Mary is redeemed by the mighty hand of the Savior. Jesus transforms Mary's life through through his divine power and unconditional love.

Divine is a difficult book to read. The account of Mary's childhood is especially hard. However, Divine is ultimately a book hope. Through Jesus saving grace, Mary overcomes her horrible past. Her sins are washed away by the blood of Christ and she becomes a new creation. Mary learns to love and to trust. She overcomes her troubled past in order to bring glory to an awesome God.

Housebound

The kids and I have spent a lot of time cooped up inside the house this week. I think we are all going a bit stir-crazy. By supper time this evening I was ready to do anything to get out of the house, so our entire family went with Daddy on an errand to the bank.

Our three-year-old kept up a steady stream of conversation as we drove in our van. When we pulled into the bank's parking lot he made the following comment:

"You know, I am starting to feel a bit housebound. I think I need to get out of the house ... and move into a tent."

It's well below zero and several inches of snow cover the ground, but I suppose those are minor considerations!

Christmas Cookie Countdown

I love baking Christmas cookies. A couple weeks ago the boys and I surfed the Calgary Public Library website and we placed holds on all the cookbooks with yummy-looking cookies on their covers. One of the best books I found is titled FamilyFun's Cookies for Christmas. Between its pages I discovered a great kids' craft idea --- an advent calender made of cookies!

Over the past couple of days my boys and I made our own Christmas cookie calendar. We rolled dough, cut out stars, baked, and liberally decorated our cookies with colourful candies. I wrapped the star cookies in plastic and tied them with ribbons. We've displayed the cookies in tidy rows on a bulletin board.

My boys are very excited by the prospect of eating one cookie every day until Christmas. (I am slightly less excited about the potential sugar crashes, but it's the Christmas season so I'm willing to bend ;-).

As we decorated our cookies yesterday, I had the following conversation with my nearly-four-year-old son:

"Our advent calendar will help us count down the days until Jesus' birthday," I explained, "We will eat one cookie every day. When all the cookies are gone we know it is time for Christmas to come!"

My son's face fell and his bottom lip began to quiver. I was momentarily confused by his reaction. "But Mommy," he cried, "It won't be time for Christmas ... It will be time to make more cookies!"




Here is a copy of the recipe I used to make our advent cookie calendar. This dough is wonderful to work with. Enjoy!

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

3 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C. sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, stir in the egg, then the corn syrup and vanilla extract. One third at a time, add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Pat the dough into two disks, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll. If the dough is too firm, soften at room temperature for about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer the shapes to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between the cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown lightly around the edges.

Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month and for up to 3 days at room temperature before you frost them. Makes 12 to 50 cookies, depending on their size.

Hungry Man

"Would you like some more orange juice?" I asked my preschooler this morning.

"Sure!" he said.

"You've gotta wash down all those eggs you ate," I commented.

"Yup," he replied.

My son smiled, "I've got to wash them right down ... into my leg!"

(My son is tall, thin and hungry all the time. We often tease him about his "hollow leg".)

The Continuing Saga ...

Our kiddies are all still sick. :-(

I took my two-year-old to the walk-in clinic last night. The doctor looked in my little guy's ears and winced. He had a bad infection in each one. The banana medicine seems to be working today, though. He has been more lively and happy. Hopefully. my little sunshine will be back to normal tomorrow.

My preschooler started out happy in the morning, but he got progressively grumpier as the day progressed. He needed a nap! He had a wicked cough this evening.

Baby Girl is doing pretty well. She still has a runny nose and cough, but she's perky and cute. She was very smiley and snuggly today.

The kids and I usually volunteer at preschool drop-in gym at the YMCA on Wednesdays. We skipped out today. We missed last week as well, and I am starting to feel a bit out of the loop. I sure hope everyone is healthy by this time next week!

At least tomorrow the cold snap will end. The temperature might even go above zero. It would love to take the kids outside.

Update On the Sickies

Our family has been battling a pesky virus for eight days now. I am feeling much better after my painful bout of mouth sores. Unfortunately, all three of our kids are still sick with wicked colds.

Our preschooler is the healthiest of the bunch. He has a runny nose and "barky" cough, but is basically fine. He's been running through the house and building spaceships all day. Nothing unusual there!

Baby Girl has been sick for a whole week already. She also has a runny nose and stubborn cough. She has not been running a fever, and is sleeping and eating normally. She continues to be smiley and happy through it all.

Our two-year-old seems to have a weaker immune system than his siblings. He always seems to get the worst of the germs in our family. He's got a horrible cold, his face is pale, he's coughing, and he's had a fever the past couple of days. He is not sleeping well at night. Last night he threw up in his bed twice, poor guy. Our little toddler is usually a bright and sunny boy, and he's trying so hard to have a good attitude. He will be singing and dancing one minute, and then start crying and need "suggles" the next.

I've been reluctant to take our two-year-old to the doctor. I don't like to give my kids unnecessary antibiotics. However, I think my little guy might be fighting a secondary infection because he's developed a fever and is uncharacteristically listless. I think it's time to have him checked out.

All in all, this has been a difficult week. We've been housebound by germs and frigid weather. Ben and I are getting sleep deprived. I'm ready for some sunshine in my life, Lord!

Winter Getaway

It is -30C outside tonight. Tahiti sounds nice right about now...

Curious?

I had a revelation, of sorts, this afternoon. It happened as I sat on my son's bed, reading Curious George and the Puppies aloud to my two-year-old.

I realized that George has no tail.

Curious George is always described as a "very curious little monkey". If George is sans tail, he cannot be a monkey. Technically, he must be classified as an ape. Curious George is probably a young chimpanzee.

A profound thought for a frosty Sunday night ...

Why We Don't Own a TV

I am glad our family doesn't have a TV. We have two computers and a WiFi network instead. Our kids watch their fair share of DVDs, but we have never owned a television.

Today I realized one big bonus of not owning a TV: Our kids do not watch commercials. We stay out of the malls at this time of year, and our children are quite sheltered from Christmas consumer panic. They don't have a clue about which toys are "cool". I don't think they realize that Christmas could involve getting lots of expensive presents.

My's son's innocence was reinforced today when someone asked what he would like to receive for Christmas.

"I'd like this game," he said, "You know what it is? It's called trekkers."

"Trekkers? I don't think I've heard of that game."

"Oh, " my three-year-old explained, "It's a game you play with black circles and red circles, and they jump over each other."

"You mean checkers?"

"Yeah! That's what I want for Christmas."

Ben and I had decided to start a tradition at Christmas this year. We want to buy one new board game as a group gift for our family each year. For this Christmas I bought a nice set of dominoes. I love classic games that have stood the test of time.

If my little boy would like a set of checkers too, I think I might have to make another trip to the store. :-)

DVD Review:

Over the Hedge

Looking for an entertaining, family-focused show? Need a good belly laugh? Into lovable, fuzzy, cute and cuddly critters? You might enjoy Over the Hedge as much as I did.

I'll admit, I've become a bit jaded towards Dreamworks' films. Shrek was hilarious, but the humour was too rude for my impressionable little guys. I thought Shark Tale was too adult, and some scenes in Madagascar were too intense.

I believe Over the Hedge strikes the perfect balance between kid-friendly fun and clever humour aimed at adults. The casting is terrific. I especially liked Vern the turtle and Hammy the manic squirrel.

Over the Hedge's story centres around the meaning of family. Courageous critters repeatedly put themselves in danger to rescue other family members. The movie also explores themes of forgiveness, teamwork, leadership and contentment.

I actually viewed this DVD twice in one day, I liked it so much. I watched the movie with my kids in the afternoon, and again in the evening with Ben. I love the way Over the Hedge lampoons our consumeristic suburban lifestyle. R.J. the Racoon's "food" sequence is particularly hilarious.

This film does earn its PG rating, with several scenes of intense (cartoonish) action and a few strong words such as "stupid". It is not suitable for very young children, but my three-year-old loved the show.

With so few good children's movies available, Over the Hedge is a DVD I may consider buying for our own home library.

Last Legs

I thought I might have to plan a funeral this afternoon.

No, no. Not for me! (I'm feeling much better, by the way.) The funeral would be for my computer.

Alas, my trusty little notebook appears to be nearing the end of its life. Ben, geeky hero, has backed up and reinstalled its operating system countless times. He's opened it up, removed faulty RAM, unclogged goobers from the fan, and installed a new OS called Ubuntu.

But the video card on the machine is flaky and one of the hinges is broken. Worst of all, today I received a distressing hard disk error when I tried to boot up.

My little friend is showing it's age. It's almost ready to be put out to pasture is that great, big, grassy technological wasteland known as ... my furnace room. It's a good thing we all aren't forced into retirement at the ripe old age of four. (I know I don't like to spend extended periods of time keeping company with my furnace. I'd rather be working on interesting stuff --- like my blog.)

Which brings me to my next dilemma: I will require a new computer soon. I have my eye on a few models, but I think I might splurge. I'd love to get my hands on an iFruit.

Ben's notebook needs a delicious girlfriend ...

Techno Kid

He is his father's son ...

I'd like to know when my three-year-old learned to drag and drop using the track pad on my notebook. Are all the children of this generation born with innate technical knowledge?

For the past couple of days I have allowed my son to play games on the CBC Kids site. He especially loves "The Art Machine". He probably spent thirty minutes painting rainbow turkeys today. My child is developing computer skills.

.........

Our two-year-old, however, is not so ready to explore the wonders of computer technology.

I left him alone with my notebook for three minutes this afternoon while I changed Baby Girl's diaper. He quietly played downstairs for a short time and then wandered up to find me.

"Mommy, Mommy. I got a button," he called out.

My sweet boy found me in the bedroom. He reached out his chubby, little hand and dropped a small piece of black plastic into my outstretched palm.

It was the letter G.

From my keyboard.

Good thing I've gained a little technical savvy along the way. Long ago I learned to communicate in the language of love --- geek-speak. I choose to own my family's geekiness. (Hey, it's in the genes.)

Woe is Me

I've had a tough go of it the past few days. My body has a weird flu bug or something. I've had a fever for the past three nights and the crazy part is, my mouth is full of sores.

I went to see the doctor this morning. He couldn't pinpoint anything, but at least he doesn't think I'm contagious. He prescribed some medicine for my mouth. Hopefully the sores will start to heal soon.

I've been communicating a lot through gestures today, as it hurts too much to talk or smile. My poor tummy is growling away because it's hard to eat. (Moan, moan, complain, complain.)

It took me a looong time to eat my sandwich for lunch, so I've put on a big pot of soup for supper.

I don't think I'll be up for eating a piano any time soon ;-).

Babies, Babies

Yesterday I hostessed a baby shower for my friend. I must be in the "baby" stage of life --- most of my friends are either pregnant or have young babies. Three cute little babies attended yesterday's party.

Growing up, I was never very interested in babies. I was not much of a "girly" girl. I liked dolls, but my sister and I mostly played Barbies. I did some babysitting as a teenager, but I didn't babysit any small babies. I could count on one hand the number of times I'd held a baby before my own first son was born.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I love babies. I love being pregnant, giving birth, breastfeeding, snuggling and loving little babies. Of course, I think my own babies are the cutest in the world. I'm happy to cuddle any baby, though.

When my children are older and I am able to work again, I think I'd like to do something with mothers and babies. I'd be interested in teaching childbirth education classes or becoming a lactation consultant. I'm very interested in midwifery, but I know myself too well. I couldn't keep the hours required of a midwife!

My own baby girl is growing by leaps and bounds. She turned five months old last week, and she weighs 16 1/2 lbs. now. I wish I could keep her small forever. This stage of babyhood is my favourite of all. Babies are wonderful. Lord willing, our family will be blessed with at least one or two more.

Craft

I wish Craft magazine had existed when I was in art school. It makes creative crafting hip, cool and modern. These are not your grandma's knitting projects!

Check out the Craftzine blog here.