Real Life Still Life, Vol. 5

Come three o'clock this afternoon, I noticed this on the floor in the kitchen. Eva was sitting at the table, and upon picking it up, I asked, "who left this pull-up here on the floor?" 

Pushing the blond hair back from her eyes and looking up at me with a sweet little smile she replied, "me." 

The two phrases I say the most as a mother have to be: 

1.) Keep your hands to yourself.

2.) The floor is not a garbage can.

Sometimes I feel like I have a verbal glitch that gets stuck on problematic behaviors, causing the same phrases to tumble out time and time again. There's probably also a good dash of "I love you" and "tell them sorry" in my repertoire, along with a peppering of "don't fart on your brother," too, just for good measure. 

What do you find yourself repeating ad nauseum?

Foto Friday: February 6-12

February 6

I have a traumatic dental history, which includes getting my front tooth knocked out and glued back on a couple times before a disaster of a crown experience, and it's still not the same to this day. I wore a retainer and/or braces, complete with colored rubber bands on the brackets and big, ugly jaw-correcting rubber bands, for most of my elementary and middle school careers. I never actually wore the jaw-correcting bands, however, because: A. They were painful, and B. They looked awkward, and I didn't need any more help in that area. And yet, every month when I went back to the dentist, he would say that I was "making great progress."

Sucker. I thought I was so clever.

I still remember the elation I felt when it was finally time to have them removed in eighth grade. My straight{er} teeth felt so clean and smooth I remember thinking they were slimy. The dorky, metal smile was gone, and I didn't even care that half a decade in braces had left my teeth slightly stained. But then I began to have issues with TMJ, a jaw condition, followed by years of cavities between teeth due to a lax flossing routine and a love of Dr. Pepper.

Bad combo.

So this may put things into perspective when I say that we had a wonderful experience at the Hudec Dental in my neighborhood. I scheduled myself and three kids for cleanings, thinking we'd knock it out in an afternoon and be done with it. We were there literally ALL AFTERNOON, and they were beyond friendly and gracious. My children were surprisingly well-behaved and allowed to roam about and visit each other in different rooms.

The assistant took Eva to pick out a prize when she was crying and beside herself as I was getting an x-ray. They all ended up with crayons, coloring books, parachute guys, modeling clay and chalk. Each of them also received goodie bags complete with toothpaste, toothbrushes, and floss. Everyone was incredibly kind, and they even went above and beyond and painted the girl's nails after the cleanings because they had been so brave.

Knelt down and painted their nails. At the dentist.

I don't think I need to say anything more.

February 7

February 8

Some days are just rainbows and sunshine.

February 9

February 10

February 11

February 12

The kids got Valentine treats today at school, and a little boy bought Ruby a candy bar and a flower. She said he got them for her because he likes her, and everyone in class was laughing, although she recounted the story with only a mildly-embarrassed smirk. She promptly told the boy that she did not like him, and she gave his flower away. Poor guy. But she kept the chocolate. 

An Ode to Snow Days {and a Recipe for Snowflake Cake!}

We've had a handful of snow days so far this winter, and I look forward to each and every one.

As long as there aren't too many back-to-back, that is. A girl has her limits, you know, and it would only be a matter of time before my sanity boards a flight to warmer climates. I wish I could go with it, but alas, I'm stuck here in a polar vortex with four crazy lovely children.

But snow days do bring with them a sort of magic. It blows in across the threshold in the wee hours of the morning, along with the frigid air desperately seeking refuge from the winter wonderland outside as daddy trudges out the door on his way to work. A gratitude and relief takes up residence inside our cozy walls as we anticipate a day of nothing and everything all at the same time.

Snow, as unwelcome as it can be after Christmas, makes room. Shifts priorities. It moves responsibility to the side and sets childlike freedom in it's place. It takes away routine and instead brings fun and excitement. It pushes work to the bottom of the list and chooses to showcase rest and quality time together first.

I know that every day can't be a snow day, but I do look forward to them with as much anticipation as my children. And I'll continue to cherish any that blow our way. So without further ado...

Ode to Snow Days

By Jacqui Roberts

Oh, eagerly envisaged days of no school…

Temperatures plummet, flurries swirl in globe-like

The freezing cold holds promise of lingering leisure.

Anticipated by student, sage and parents alike

We wish and hope and pray for an ensuing snow day.

With a penny under the pillow of each little tyke,

Pajamas on backwards, ice cubes down the toilet, 

Elation is well-earned upon receiving the call.

Cue the deleted alarms, warm covers and cuddles

To sleep in past eight and make a big brunch,

Which really becomes lunch, as time is muddled.

But there are no complaints, no room for that,

Only giggles and shrieks from sibling huddles.

Building forts, watching movies, sipping cocoa

Mom, enjoying the mess, leaves cleaning for later

Most of the day, that is, until the children must go

Outside to play in the soft, sparkling white

That fell all night under a cover of deep indigo.

The same sky, now a bright blue, offers opportunity

For endless tumbling, unlike falling dominos.

We treasure the impromptu gift, time to be together

A poignant blend of laughing, fighting and affection.

************

To continue the wintery spirit, I have a new recipe for you! It reminds me of a fresh dusting of powder on a chilly snow day, but words do it no justice...

You guys, this cake. I just can't even.

If you're a fan of coconut cake, YOU WILL LOVE THIS. Period. End of story. Even if you don't think you love coconut cake, you still need to try it, because you will now.

I started with iambaker's homemade yellow cake mix and made a few adjustments and some complimentary frosting. Her recipe is the best homemade cake I have ever had--infinitely better then the store-bought kind, and with ingredients you already have in your pantry. 

This is the perfect cake recipe for a snow day, but you certainly don't have to wait for the next one before you make it. Enjoy!

Snowflake Cake

{makes one 9x13 cake}

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Place all ingredients into a stand mixer (or a large bowl to mix by hand) and mix a few minutes until only small lumps remain. Pour into greased baking dish and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until the cake is fully cooked in the middle. Let cool.

And I have to say something else. I know that the ingredients call for regular, processed flour and refined white sugar (insert horrified emoji + thumbs down), but listen: IT'S CAKE. If there's one thing I've learned about whole-grain, non-refined foods on this whole food journey, it's that they don't translate well into cake form. They just don't. Believe me, I've tried.

Cake, by very definition, isn't supposed to be good for you, people, so just suck it up and use the flour and sugar. Because bad cake is worse then no cake at all. If you don't eat the whole thing yourself, you'll be just fine, okay? And if that's challenging for you, I have a solution: have a whole mess of kids and they'll eat most of it before you even get the chance. It works for me. 

Snowflake Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

plus

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut {sprinkle on top}

Cream butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the vanilla, powdered sugar and coconut, mixing periodically until fully combined. Frost cooled cake with an offset spatula, covering evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup coconut on top. Nature's sprinkles are the best kind!

My kids loved this cake so much it only lasted 24 hours at our house…

Hope yours do, too! 

Winter Cranberry Mandarin Jam

There's no need for cranberries to disappear after Thanksgiving, and if you're anything like me, you have a few bags sitting in the freezer that you bought at bargain prices around the holidays. If you don't find something to do with those delicious berries, however, they might just sit there until next Thanksgiving rolls around. 

Psssst… By the way, if they do, they'll still be perfectly edible. Trust me. 

So what's a girl to do with her now random bag of cranberries? Pair it with some juicy, sweet mandarin oranges, which are currently in season, and you've got yourself a tangy, delicious winter jam. Biscuits just got an upgrade, y'all.

Winter Cranberry Mandarin Jam

1 bag fresh cranberries

3 Mandarin oranges, peeled and separated 

1 cup water

3/4-1 cup sugar {or sugar substitute}

1/4 cup chia seeds

Place the ingredients {except chia seeds} into a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low until berries start to burst, about 10 minutes. Mash and continue cooking another 10 minutes until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup chia seeds. As the jam cools, the chia seeds will soak up the remaining water and thicken it further. Place in an airtight container once cooled and store in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!

Foto Friday: January 30-February 5

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

For the Winter Cranberry Mandarin Jam recipe, click here.

February 3

February 4

February 5

Foto Friday {Except on Monday}: January 24-29

January 24

Clayton went to a bowling party today--it was a lot of fun!

January 25

January 26

I found a fish at the pet store that matches the rest of our house, so naturally, I brought him home with us. I named him Turk--not only is it an extremely masculine sounding name, but it makes a subtle reference to the turquoise color from which he's made. But Eva has been wanting to say "hi" to "the turkey" all day. So we have a turquoise fish, who lives on our mantle, that is named The Turkey. Life is incredibly confusing sometimes.

And also, Toby came running into the kitchen today with his plant, screaming, "Mom!!! My plant is DEAD!!!" It did indeed look like it had seen better days, slumped over in it's current state and parched with thirst. The poor guy thoughtfully picked out this little flower on Friday (3 days ago) to give to his preschool teacher when he sees her tomorrow. All I had to do was keep it alive until then. Apparently you're supposed to water these things every once in a while. It's hard to find good help in a mom with a black thumb.

I am happy to report, however, that a few generous waterings later, the little flower was back to it's perky self. Disaster averted.

January 27

I decided that the first step in successfully mopping the floors was to actually own a mop, so I got one at the store today.

We are now proud owners of a squirty mop/duster combo thing, so I have high hopes for the floors actually getting mopped more then once a year (or two? but who's counting…). What I was not prepared for, however, was the excitement about said mop. You would've thought it was Christmas morning--they were lining up to take turns with the mop, sweeping the floor clean so they could use the mop in that area, and arguing about who was going to mop next and for how long.

Whaaat?????

If I would've known THAT, I may have just boughten one a long time ago…

January 28

And the mopping continues…

January 29