As you may recall I want to give one of my readers an awesome yogurt maker! You can learn how to win this by reading this post. I think when I posted that a month ago I was at 57,000 views. Now that I am at 60,000 I want to teach you how to make this awesome yogurt!
Bring 6 1/2 cups of whole or 2% milk to a boil
Cool over an ice bath
Strain when completely cooled
Add one container of plain yogurt to the cooled milk
Stir until completely combined
You can either use a small store bought container OR one jar of
homemade yogurt from a previous batch of yogurt.
I usually alternate every other batch (the homemade yogurt works well
as a starter for 1-2 additional batches).
Fill jars to the rim with prepared milk.
Place yogurt maker lid over the jars of milk (the jar lids are OFF)
Turn on and set timer for approximately 9 hours.
Wake up to perfect yogurt the next morning!
Add some frozen fruit and homemade granola.
I also buy Bear Naked Triple Berry granola which is all natural, nut free (for Erik), and low sugar.
Count down the hours until you get to eat breakfast again!
This yogurt tastes SO much better than store bought yogurt.
It is also much cheaper! Even if I buy a container of plain yogurt to use as the starter the
entire batch which results in approximately 7 cups of organic yogurt costs $3-4 which would be $8 here on the east coast if I went with the store bought version.
Be mindful of the "ticker." I am hoping to be able to send this
Victor took the kids to target last week to get a couple of things. Erik must have thought something was hard to find because he told Victor, "Dad, that is just impossible!" Lainey, fresh off of VBS week, immediately responded, "Erik, nothing is impossible with Jesus!"
When we were at my parents last week my Dad and I had Erik and Lainey out on the dock fishing. I was about to leave for the evening so Dad was left with 2 against 1 and they weren't wearing life jackets. Before leaving I reminded the kids that they needed to be very careful and asked Erik what he would do if he happened to fall in the pond. Before he could respond Lainey, with wide eyes said, " Get eaten by a BIG fish!"
Erik:
Today while in the car Erik was talking about going to kindergarten. I remind him that he wasn't going to be in kindergarten until next year because he wouldn't turn 5 until after school starts this year. He said, " I know mom, but after I turn 5 I get to go to kindergarten." I explained that while he would be 5 when he starts kindergarten it won't be until he is almost 6, a year from now, because you have to turn 5 by the end of August to go to kindergarten this year.
Thinking about it for a minute, Erik responded, " Well, mom I know what we can do! We can just change my birthday to August!" Poor little guy is going to be a tad disappointed when he doesn't get to join the big kids on the bus this year.
(I am fine/happy he has an extra year although it will be interesting to see what happens from an academic stand point. He is really good at math and can add/subtract quite proficiently already (up to 10) - a year ahead of kindergarten.)
We spent last week at in WI visiting my parents. Kevin and Colin were there too which was fun. Here are some photos from our trip (sorry Mom, I didn't get any photos of you - if you have some please send them to me so I can add them!).
Our evening flight was delayed for 2.5 hours making it a late night flight.
Another delay at the car rental place meant we didn't get to my parents until
1:00 AM. Thankfully the kids did wonderfully!
Met up with my friend Katie.
In the photo above.... my kids + Katie's kids (she has one more on the way)!
Very busy and fun group of kids.
If we see her again at Christmas (not sure we will make that trip) the kids ages will be 7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0.
Tractor rides, fishing, trip to the farm, playground, and mom's class
made for some tired kids.
Captivating story hour I think.
Trip to the airport with uncle Kevin.
I won't let him fly with the kids yet but he did drive the plane over to be fueled
with the kids aboard. 500-600 more flight hours Kevin.
Piano with Uncle Colin, practicing the "Cow" song
Victor and I went out for 2 nights also, thanks for watching the kids Mom and Dad.
One night we met up with Pat and Jim for dinner and watched a show Hannah is part of (Cailin ran spot light). The next night we met Nicki and Adam for dinner (Colin joined us) and then headed to
West Bend for a night of poker with the Kruepke's and Seamans.
We had a good week, and for the first time since Carson was born
he slept fairly well while on the road. So thankful for no midnight drives!
My grandma turned 86 last week!
I love my spunky grandma and thought her birthday deserved a post.
Her birthday was last week and it took me 3 days to get ahold of her!
Why? Because she was out and about, swimming, playing cards, visiting with friends and relatives!
I sure hope that I am too busy to answer the phone when I am 86!
Even busier is my great Aunt Elizabeth. She is a few months shy of 90 and has stage IV cancer (since 2005) but nothing stops her! She still travels frequently (from CO to Kansas visiting my Grandma this week), golfs, plays cards, etc. Quite amazing!
I posted them both because one was better of Grandma and the other better of Elizabeth!
So grandma and aunt Elizabeth I hope you are having a fun week. I know you had lots of plans this week! Enjoy!
Poor little Carson is still having ear trouble. He has been super fussy the past couple of days so this morning I checked his ears. They still were not normal so I took him back in. His pediatrician this they are both still full of fluid and while one is somewhat red she feels it's mainly fluid. So, we are starting daily Claritin to clear the fluid rather than another round of antibiotics. I am hopeful he will be able to clear it on his own quickly. If not, I am going to ask for a hearing test and ENT referral (tube consult) sooner than we previously planned as fluid in his ears is certainly not going to help his speech delay. Poor little guy!
Our family got a much needed day of rest today. We have been so crazy busy and I haven't been sleeping very well (annoying!) so the last few days I have been about ready to fall over.
Just so you get an idea of our week I thought I would tell you the highlights....
Sunday: Victor out of town until 9:00 PM, I went to the gym, taught Sunday school for Erik's class, and went to a cookout for our small group
Monday: VBS started, went to the library and target, dance class, soccer practice, and the gym
Tuesday: early morning run to help get rid of the grumpy grumps, VBS, make dinner, swimming with kids
Wednesday: Early morning doctors appointments for Lainey and Carson, VBS, unexpected dental appointment (up that night with a dumb toothache, which is better and caused by nothing obvious), play date with a friend while big kids were at VBS
Thursday: VBS, play date with neighbors, make dinner and muffins, weight lifting class
We went to an outdoor concert, beautiful!
Friday: VBS, spinning class (22 miles on the bike), make dinner for the kids, date night with Victor
Saturday: early morning spin class (another 23 miles- finished a "challenge" I was participating in), take Erik to DC for the day for a friends birthday party and some shopping, get home around 7:30 PM, put Carson to bed, let Erik and Lainey stay up for to light sparklers, watch my first episode of 24 (totally awesome!!!), Victor goes to bed while I stay up to watch more 24 (more addicting than a good book)
Sunday: drag my body out of bed sloooooowly (Victor let me sleep in which was nice but I was still tired due to my 24 watching), go to church, early lunch, naps for all of us, watch more 24 and lay around some more. Ahh!
We have 2 more weeks of busy activities this summer plus a week where Victor will be out of town (always makes life a little more chaotic). I am looking forward to the 3 weeks or so where we have nothing scheduled! I love the busyness but we have been constantly on the go for about 4 weeks now and I am tired (and think the kids must be too)!
Sleepy guy on the way home from DC
It's been a fun summer but I am so thankful we all got a much needed day of rest today!
It's been a tough month for the little guy. He started with an ear infection which was followed up with a crummy cold, 3 new teeth, high fevers and residual ear infection, allergic reaction to Amoxicillin/Augmentin, and vomiting. Poor thing! My super happy baby lost his smile for about 10 days. Thankfully he seems to be feeling better now. He does have residual, non-infected fluid in his right ear still but it doesn't seem to be bothering him.
This was his first ear infection and first set of antibiotics ever. Not too shabby!
Development:
Carson is still lagging behind in the speech department. He does say mama and dada fairly appropriately. He signs please and milk (his own version of the sign which is tapping me on the chest). He says a few other things consistently but the annunciation isn't very clear. This includes.... Erik, up/down, "ididit." He waves "goodbye." His comprehension and social interactions are great so I am not too worried about anything major going on.
Our pediatrician said if he doesn't improve by 18 months then we need to have his hearing testing and she will give us a speech referral. If I had to guess I think he will end up needing speech but we will see!
Carson is still the happiest, sweetest baby. He is very social and friendly. He is the best hugger I've ever met and is constantly hugging one of us. He is very comfortable being away from me at church or the gym. He does cry right at drop off but is done within 30 seconds or so.
Carson still loves balls, playing chase, and being outside. He also loves music and magnets therefore he spends quite a bit of time playing with our ABC fridge magnets. He always claps along to the radio in the car which I find so cute! He is a happy, active kid!
If Carson gets upset about something (leaving the playground!) he usually just stands his ground and cries (refusing to walk and trying to slither out of my arms when I pick him up) or he tries to make his case by walking backwards away from me! :) Haha!
Carson does seem to be quite physically adept.... runs everywhere, climbs everything, walks backwards, can stand on one foot, kicks a ball, can stack towers of 5-6 blocks, throws balls overhand, etc.
Eating:
Carson is a pretty picky eater. He ate almost nothing for 7-10 days when he was sick but is back to normal now. He prefers meat, rice, and beans. He likes bananas, watermelon, and cantaloupe (sometimes) but refuses most other fruits. He will put peas and carrots in his mouth but doesn't always eat them. All other veggies are rejected. He will not eat any dairy products or anything with a mushy consistency (even ice cream gets rejected after a bite or two). He likes toast with peanut butter and jelly. Refuses all noodles and sauces.
Truthfully, it doesn't bother me much although I wonder if the picky eating and the poor speech are related "mouth" issues. He does eat when he is hungry and 95% of what is offered to him is healthy so what he is eating is pretty good for him.
He is still nursing. He was down to about 2x a day but then I took away his bottles and he got sick so now he is back up to 4-5x a day. Haha! Little stinker. I am not bothered by it at this point.
He drinks rice milk when forced too (probably 4-5 ounces a day when I am home, more if I am not with him).
What were we up to this month??
Visited Mt. Vernon, spend two days in Baltimore, lots of running kids to and from camp, swimming, tried to beat the heat (10 days of 100 degree weather this month)
Stats:
Height: 33 inches (88%)
Weight: 22.5 pounds (20%)
Carson seems so much taller than most of the kids his age! It does seem that Carson resembles my family the most so far. We'll see if that continues!
Victor was out of town Friday through Sunday for his reserve duty. He does this every month and it's not a big deal but I admittedly struggle the following week. The kids are pretty easy to take care of on my own now (compared to a year ago) but something about missing the weekend always seems to make me edgy the following week.
Yesterday, started out great! We have another fun-filled week planned. Both kids are going to VBS this week! I thought Lainey might have a hard time at "church camp" but she LOVES it. Haha! I should have known!
Sweet kids all ready for camp!
Carson didn't want to be left out!
The kids have had a wonderful time at VBS the past 2 days!
I am so thankful!
Lainey's most excited about "Mommy, I get to be in Erik's class!"
Erik said being in the same class with her was fun too, which is good because she's about
to join his Sunday school class so they will be together for the whole year.
After VBS yesterday we went to a library program, then home for naps (the little ones, Erik seems to
have completely given up naps now), and then off to dance and soccer.
Isn't she so cute!
Lainey took dance classes this spring and enjoyed them.
The studio we were at though was very disorganized and I am
not sure that the teaching methods were that great.
So, this summer she is taking a 4 week class at a different studio.
It seems as though it is going to be much better.
She had fun at that class too.
Erik, who I failed to take a photo of, is playing soccer on Monday evenings.
It's 2 hours (although they usually send the little guys home after an hour or so) of open soccer "practice" with minimal coaching (although I thought the coaching was great last night).
It's free which is really nice and is supposed to prepare the kids for the fall season.
Dance is Monday afternoons.
Soccer is Monday evenings.
60 minutes between events with a 30 minute drive to get from one place to the other.
A little chaotic.
(Although, this is likely the start of activity chaos for the next 18 years.)
Victor picked the kids up from dance class and drove them up to the soccer field.
I had packed a lunch so they ate on the way.
I went to the gym for a quick work out and then joined them at soccer.
Victor took Lainey and Carson home at 7:00 and I stayed with Erik.
This is when the grumpy grump set in.
Erik and I got home at 8:00 PM.
I was sincerely hoping to come home to a quiet house with at least one, if not both kids asleep.
Instead, I got home to wild, overtired kids and a grumpy husband.
Being a little fried from the weekend and busy day I just joined in the chaos,
grumping at Victor about how grumpy it made me to come home to complete chaos.
That of course made him even grumpier and delayed the kids bedtimes even further.
The kids actually all went to bed well just late.
I went to bed still feeling grumpy (and too late) and was up by 6:20.
Still grumpy. Unfortunately Victor and Erik also woke up grumpy.
So the chaos ensued. Ugh!
Victor of course left for work but the grumpiness continued.
Erik was completely defiant and whiney.
Driving me crazy.
I actually swatted at him and told him to shut up.
Probably my worst parenting moment EVER.
Poor kid.
I of course apologized and felt terrible.
I decided, since napping wasn't an option, that maybe
I need to get a run in before taking them to VBS.
5 miles and a lot of sweat later I was in a much better mood
and by the time I dropped them off at VBS we had kind of started
the day over.
I actually was able to take an hour long nap this afternoon too which was wonderful.
So we've had a good day and moved past the grumpy grumps.
I think I might need to put up a "pray for Ann" post when Victor is gone for the weekend though!
My kids are funny! These stories are all from this afternoon.
Erik:
He was talking to Victor and I at lunch today about how he wants to have 17 kids. "No, actually 17 boys and 4 girls." Yikes! He said he was going to marry Lainey. Their first girl would be named Mirelle (our babysitter's name) and the second Lainey. He didn't know after that.
I tried to convince him that he could not marry his sister and suggested a few other eligible bachelorettes instead but he did not seem to interested in any of those choices. Ha ha!
-----------------
At dinner Erik told us to be quiet. When we asked why he said, "Because I am trying to hear Jesus talking to me!"
Lainey:
We bought Lainey a new bible this week. She only had the baby version so while in civilization over the 4th of July we stopped at Barnes and Noble. We when got home I realized that the bible came with a DVD. I let them watch the DVD before bath time tonight. When I told Lainey she needed to pause the movie she got upset and said, "But Mom, I really want to see Jesus first!" Haha!
She likes the part of the movie with baby Jesus (I am sure mainly because it involves a baby) but her "whine" sounds so impressively faith-filled that it made me laugh. She still had to turn off the video though!
Lainey is fun, spirited, silly, sweet, competitive, and emotional! Lainey likes attention from us but does not like to be the center of attention in a group. Lainey likes to make us laugh and goofs around a lot. She is kind and sweet most of the time. She loves both of her brothers a lot! She is motivated by competition and likes to be fastest, first, etc. Ha! She can be a bit dramatic and defiant. This is much more pronounced if she is overtired. Lainey is a delight and seems to enjoy life much more than she did as a toddler (she was quite grump from the age of 9-20 months which I think was secondary to her chronic ear infections).
School:
Lainey hasn't spent any time in preschool yet. (She went to a "Mom's morning out" program 3 mornings a MONTH from September through January. I pulled her out when I started making trips to visit Daron (3x) this spring in an attempt to avoid bringing any extra germs into our house.)
Lainey likes to learn though. She loves to be read to now and favors Dr. Suess and other rhyming books. She recognizes all her of capital letters and most of the lower case letters. She counts to 13 and recognizes most of the numbers 1-10. Lainey wants me to teach her how to write her letters so I am going to try to work with her on that some. She can write L, D, O currently and is quite proud. I work with Erik 2-3x a week on "school" activities and she does not want to be left out!
She is registered for 2 mornings a week preschool starting this fall.
Eating:
Lainey is a good eater. She really likes meat (chicken) and fruit. She still drinks almond milk. I wonder if she could tolerate cow's milk now but she won't touch it! Ha!
Sleeping:
Sleeps from 8:30-6:00 most days and takes a 2 hour nap. She is up at the crack of dawn every day. I bought her a darkening shade and the light still wakes her up. She always beats the boys up for the day!
Health:
No concerns for her which I am very thankful for!
Likes:
Babies! (real and dolls)
Helping me cook
Riding her bike
Gymnastics
Dance class
Playing with friends and her brothers
Swimming
Dislikes:
Being hot or cold
Walking "long" distances
Questionaire:
(Answers by Lainey at age 3)
Favorite color -- pink Best friend -- I don't know Favorite outdoor activity -- I don't know Want to be when big -- I don't know Favoritefood-- I don't know Favorite book -- I don't know What do you do with mommy that is fun -- No answer Favorite animals -- Pig
As you are probably aware it's been 100 degrees for the past 10 days and my kids have been sick with colds and ear infections that entire time too. I think I've been more stir crazy the past two weeks than I get during the dead of "winter." (Winter is used loosely as the winter's here are nothing compared to WI.)
Victor had taken the 5th off in addition to the 4th so we decided on the eve of the 3rd to spend two days in Baltimore. The kids, not so much the parents, love staying in hotels so they were so excited!!
Here are some photos from our (sleepless) trip...
We are members of the Baltimore Children's Museum (thanks Grandma Sandy)
so we spent 4-5 hours there yesterday afternoon. It's a really great place, all 3 kids enjoy it.
Playing Drums
Washing Windows
We ate dinner at P.F. Changs.
I wasn't super impressed but Carson was.
He had chicken and rice and ate a full meal for the first time in a week.
Our kids only eat at restaurants about 4-5 times a year so
eating out is always an exciting event for them!
(I do let them go out for ice cream and eat the grilled chicken and fruit option at
Chic fil a about once a month but neither of those count as restaurants in my book.)
Sleeping, or lack there of.
We used the remainder of our Marriott points so our room was free.
(Victor had a stockpile of points from the days of constant travel when he worked at GE.)
Since the room was free, it wasn't a suite.
So our "sleep" schedule looked like this....
8:00 Bedtime routine starts but doesn't go well. Carson had started to freak out about then and screamed bloody murder when we put him in the pack and play (and didn't calm down after 10 minutes in there by himself). So Victor took him out on a night time walk while I managed the other two.
9:30 They all eventually go to sleep.
11:15 I finally start to fall asleep.
11:30 Carson starts crying but calms down quickly and lets Victor put him in the pack n play.
2:15 -- Erik, my bed mate, is awake and poking and kicking at me.
I make him go to the bathroom and get him settled back into bed.
2:45 -- Carson starts crying. Erik and I are still awake, now Victor and Lainey are as well.
2:50 -- Carson is in hysterics so Victor takes him out on another stroll. I pray for his safety! The other two are awake still so I get them settled back down.
4:00ish -- Victor returns with a sleeping Carson. I had fallen asleep by then as had the other two.
6:00 -- Carson is up crying and awake for the "day."
7:00 -- All 5 of us are up for the day.
8:00 -- Carson pukes up large volumes at breakfast. I had all 3 kids in the hotel "eatery" by myself as Victor had gone back up to take a shower. Thankfully, I managed to catch all of it in two large cups we had at the table. Poor folks around us! (I think he may have gotten sick because he was so overtired and he's still congested but I'm not sure. Hopefully, no one else starts puking tomorrow.)
Yep, fun times! Thankfully, Victor and I managed to stay calm and cool despite the fact that we were tired and at times frustrated. I won't be booking tickets to Mexico anytime soon though unless the kids stay behind.
After breakfast, I took Erik and Carson on an hour long walk while Victor and Lainey packed up the hotel room (my phone charger got left behind so if my phone is off during the next week or so that's likely why -- I do have a car charger to use until we replace it or it's mailed back to us).
We then explored the National Aquarium. I failed to take any photos of the Aquarium but it's also a neat place. They have a fun dolphin show and lots of sharks which I think were everyone's favorites.
By 1130 AM Lainey was in hysterics (so overtired) so Victor took her out while the boys and I finished exploring the Aquarium. We then got a quick lunch and were on the road by 1:00 PM.
By the time we exited the parking ramp the kids were all sound asleep. Ha!
They all slept close to 2 hours on the way home which made for a nice quiet trip home.
We did have a great time. It was nice to get away as a family and spent time doing things together for 2 days. Anyone who thinks it is possible to really go on vacation with 3 kids 4 and under must not be a parent! Ha!
So that's how we spent our 4th! I hope you had fun too!
(I took Erik and Lainey to a really nice fireworks display on Saturday.
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