Dinosaur Doo-Doo

I taught preschool for many years. At some point during my "Dinosaurs" unit, I made chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies with the little ones, and called it Dinosaur Doo-Doo. The stuck, and we've been calling it that for the past 10 years.

Today it was warm enough that I didn't want to heat up the oven and make the kitchen warmer than it already was. Great day to make Doo-Doo. Imagine how much fun the four preschoolers had (three of them boys) eating Doo-Doo for snack. Let's not go there. That's just too gross to joke about.

Dinosaur Doo-Doo (aka: Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies)
1 c. butter
1 c. milk
4 c. sugar
Boil for 3 minutes or so in large pot. Add:
1 tsp. vanilla
6 c. oats
1 jar (18oz) peanut butter
6 Tbs. cocoa
Stir and dish out on wax paper.


HAVE FUN! (Goes great with Chocolate-Banana Smoothies!)

Fun and FREE (or almost) Summer Activities

Today someone was asking for some fun and free, or low-cost, activity ideas for summer.
I thought I'd share a few here. While I was thinking of a few ideas, I also thought I should do them more!
I like activities that require very little supervision and preferably outdoors. This helps Mom to catch her breath, switch the laundry or mop a floor. 

Make a comment and add your ideas!
P.S.- Any child who uses the "B" word (as in Bored), obviously needs help finding something to do. Usually a time or two of washing windows or dusting ceiling fans will help get their imagination back in order!


*Outdoor scavenger hunt- Make a list (yellow flower, catch a lizard, worm, butterfly, heart-shaped leaf, etc). Give them a time limit (30-45 mins or so). Whichever team gets the most things crossed off gets the first choice of the outdoor snack (popsicles or homemade snow cones).
*Sprinklers under the trampoline
*One day a week= Park Day
*Each child gets a small space to plant and care for a flower/vegie garden (very small - like 2' sq). Plant, water, sow.
*Nature Hike - collect favorite bark, moss, pinecones, rocks, etc. Make "fairy" houses (for boys name it something manly!)
*Reading time outside under the trees, complete with smoothies
*Marbles!
*Start a bug collection. Children can make bug houses!
*Sidewalk murals with chalk. Make homemade chalk from plaster paris and food coloring, using old soap or ice cube molds.
*Creative flavor ice cream contest -  http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/homemade-ice-cream-in-a-bag-684806/
 *Roller hockey in the garage - move out the cars
*Roast marshmallow in a fire or bbq pit. Make smores. (Mom can make the fire, then sit back and read a book while the kids to the roasting).
*Take out the Halloween costume box and let them have at it. They'll be busy for a couple hours.
*Girls have a manicure/pedicure party. Don't like nailpolish? Let them use poster paint and small brush for easy removal.

*Empty refrigerator box. Enough said. 

 

Children Losing a Parent

Last week my "original" six children lost their father. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease two years ago. The children are ages 14-25, none have been married and none have children. There will be many milestones in their lives when they will miss their dad and wish that he could be there; for the first marriage, the first grandchild or a high school graduation. The children, especially my oldest daughter who is 21, have taken care of their ailing father and made all the preparation for the memorial service. They did a wonderful job.

Seeing the "original" kids go through the loss and grief of losing a parent, also has me thinking about the children my husband and I adopted. They, too, had to go through the grief and loss of losing their birth parents, although because of different circumstances. Like the older children, I'm sure there are times in their lives that they think of  their birth parents and wish that they had made different choices. It's pretty heavy stuff.

I am very proud of all my children, and how they have handled the losses in their young lives.

What's One More? It's all about the numbers (and perspective).

All of us with large families have heard it "You already have 9 (or 12, or 15), what's one more?"

For the last couple days I've only had five children at home. Next week we'll jump back up to 11 kids at home. That's a lot of difference. I just keep saying, "Wow, it's so quiet." And that's counting that my challenging special needs child is home.Quiet? with five children home? How is that possible?

The average household keeps pretty busy with five kids. That's not a small family. I remember when I had five children, back in 1994. I had lots to do. So it's all about perspective. What's one more? It depends on the child.

Eleven is a lot different than five. I'm amazed at the difference in how the house stays clean. I'm glad for the opportunity to "catch up" on laundry. I haven't had much need to taxi the kids to their activities. Wow, I think I'll redo my kitchen cabinets in the next few days. Or paint a room. Or clean the garage! Oh my! could I really paint my toenails?

For the next few hours I'll enjoy the five (oops, now it's six) kids at home. This afternoon, and over the next five days, the numbers will start to rise, as the kids start returning home from their different trips.

I'm looking forward to having the eleven children home. I just have way too much time on my hands!

Where Have All The Flowers Grown?

I see the beautiful flowers blooming across the road. Not in my yard, where I scatter the wildflower seeds every year. Nope. The wind chooses to blow them across the way. We are enjoying them.

 

Link and Jay are in search of bugs and lizards. 

Sariah 

Home Grown Breakfast

Hens = Eggs = Breakfast
It doesn't get much better, or fresher than that! I occasionally miss raising our own beef and pork. Really completes the breakfast.Yummy!

Providing Service to Your Community

Today I attended a luncheon on the opportunities to be involved in service. I hadn't planned to attend. I was actually at my church to meet with our organist. She will be moving in a few months. I don't play the organ, I play the piano. Now I have been asked to learn how to play the organ so the congregation will have a replacement after she moves. Anywhoooo.... I decided to stay for the luncheon. The smell of food was calling me. And heck, I was there anyway - without children!

The keynote speaker was the town mayor. He is a wonderful person. I know him personally, as we attend the same church. I sat next to another mom, who has eight children. Between the two of us, we have a total of 17 children in our home. My friend asked the speaker, "What can we do to provide service to our community when I have eight children at home?" As she asked this, I was thinking the same question. I was thinking that I'm not involved with any community service groups. Where could I find the time? Should I feel guilty?

Our wise mayor answered "Community service starts in your own homes, with your own family." He went on to give the idea that when you have a good handle on your home, you can move on to the next step - being involved in your HOA, school committees, town committees, etc.
As I sat listening to the discussion, I realized that I was reassured that I'm doing the best kind of service; service to my family. I even got a little choked up.

I have the best mother anyone could ever ask for. She left this world last summer. I've never thought about it until this evening, but I never remember her being involved in PTA, she wasn't on the town council, she wasn't on a board of directors, she wasn't on any committees (except the church women's organization). But she was there every day. I remember calling her at the last minute and telling her I signed up to bring brownies to school, and forgot to tell her. She was there. I remember going to a Centennial celebration, and having a beautifully fancy, old-fashioned dress that she had sewn specially for the occasion. She was there. I remember her waiting up until 2am for my high school friends and I to get out of the midnight movie - and she would have nachos and ice cream ready to snack on. Boy was she there! And I was child #6, and she continued to do the same for my younger two sisters. That's service.


What a good reminder I had today;
All women, whatever their situations, can perform service in their homes. We can prayerfully and quietly ask the Lord where I am really needed and then serve quietly.

Monday I will not be picking up an application to be on our town water committee, or the next PTA president (been there, done that!). But I will be teaching preschoolers about colors and letters. I will be washing clothes and floors. I will be attending a foster child's staff meeting.

For now, in this stage of my life, Motherhood is my greatest service.