Anniversary/Memorial Day BBQ

I am so far behind on my blog, so I will be adding lots of new posts all at once. The first is a note about the fantastic 12th Anniversary/Memorial Day barbecue we had with friends and neighbors. The weather was unseasonably cool, but that's fine with me. Colby made ribs and pulled pork, and I made a cappuccino pie. What would a celebration be without lots of unhealthy food?

Reese enjoyed her very first s'more today.


Evelyn enjoyed her thousandth s'more today.


Jumyatt and Brody rode their bikes all over.


The kids loved running through the bubbles flying out of the bubble machine which was perched on the deck above them.



Happy Anniversary, babe. We have a great life!

Swimmin' at Ja's House

We are blessed to have fantastic neighbors across the street, Ja and Deland. Ja's grand kids (see the aforementioned post about Taver)are living with them temporarily, which means my kids have built in playmates close by. My girls call them "Grandma Ja and Papa Deland."

The kids all went out and beat the heat his morning in Ja's backyard. Ja's granddaughter Lilac has a very rare genetic disease that will probably take her life before she's a teenager. She was never supposed to walk or talk or eat or play. Good thing doctors don't know much. . .

Soren and Taver played together, of course.

Brody, Jumyatt, and Taver get along really well.

Caeden and Evelyn will probably get married someday (but only if he grows up to be a doctor, auto mechanic, or barber). Caeden bought Evie a stuffed bear and a bracelet at a garage sale today.

I will gladly send them all over there a lot this summer. It will be a great opportunity to take a break.

Hanging Out With Alex

My little brother recently got his first car, so I thought it might be nice for him to drive in and hang out with me and the kids. I love having someone else to talk to, especially if that someone can wipe his/her own butt.

We had a nice lunch at The Place Cafe. The kids made Alex take them for a bike ride in the aforementioned bike trailer. During nap time, Alex and I watched t.v. and chit chatted.

Alex watched Soren and Reese while I picked the kids up from school. Upon my return, Soren was just finishing up taking a duke. Of course, I arrived home just in time to wipe.

Preschool Update II

With the weather warming up the kids have been spending hours and hours outside. Our preschool time has taken quite a hit, but sacrifices must be made. You can only do so much in one day.

This week we worked on a lot of crafty things. The kids used Popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners to make "magic wands." They also made glitter butterflies. Note to self: no more glitter. They love to cut, cut, cut. Evie and Gavin both cut out hearts, and Evie made a little heart garden.





Of course, if all else fails, we can practice writing while wearing no pants.

Bike Rides

Last year for Father's Day, Colby got a bike trailer. He is now the king of the bike ride. Evelyn can ride her own bike this year, so there is an extra seat in the trailer. The daycare kids and neighbor kids are happy to fill it. Lucky for me I don't own a bike, so I'm not giving bike rides all day long.

The Summer Ahead

I remember when my life consisted of tests and studying and raising a baby. At the time it all seemed so complicated, going to college and nurturing a newly formed family. Coming up on 12 years and 3 more kids later, those times seem so simple and manageable. It's hard to believe that once upon a time I worried about finals while trying to convince Dade to watch just one more episode of Barney.

School is out next week, and all I can think about is having my 4 kids and the 2 daycare kids here all day for 3 months. Seriously, I am not looking forward to summer. Two kids in baseball, two kids in dance, one kid in summer school activities, one mom who still wants to work out, two 2-year-olds that need to be potty trained, and two boys who want to do nothing more than play Wii all summer. Can I please have 1999 back?

Many of my friends are packing up there families for vacation, but, alas, the Vescapades family is homebound. Vacation with 4 kids doesn't sound much like vacation at all. The thought of spending hundreds of dollars on 4 kids in a hotel room eating fast food for days is frightening. We tried it last year at Great Wolf Lodge, and I had a headache the whole time. And camping? Yes, if there is a cabin and plumbing and air conditioning and some way to keep us from getting tons of mosquito bites (Evie and I are allergic) and sun burn. Car trips are out of the question, unless one is in the mood to listen to Soren cry and Evie whine and the boys fight. All this happens just taking them to school in the morning. The school is like a mile away.

Anyone want to buy me a one way ticket to insanity? No? It's fine. I think I've already got one.

Soren's Best Friend

Little kids and their friends are funny. Soren and Evelyn are almost exactly the same age as my daycare kids, but I wouldn't exactly consider them best friends. They act a lot more like siblings that just can't seem to figure out how to get along. They compete with each other for everything.

I think part of being best friends is being able to be together when you want and separate when you want. My kids and the daycare kids don't have that choice: they have to be together whether they like it or not.

Our neighbors have four grand kids that are similar in age to our kids. Our kids are astonishingly larger and taller than these children. If you ask Soren who her best friend is, she would probably say Taver. Taver is 3 1/2 years old yet smaller than Soren. They love to play kitchen and watch movies. Taver told his grandma that he's going to marry Soren. (Side note: only if he's a doctor because that's who Soren will marry.) I'm happy that she has someone to pal around with.




Of course, we all know who her real best friend is. . .

Garden Update II

Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. Little monsters need to go outside and play. But, hey, at least the garden looks good.

The clematis is blooming happily on the kennel fence. It doesn't get as much sun now that Colby built the fort, but it doesn't seem to mind.

The spinach is starting to look like, well, actual spinach.

The radish tops are HUGE and the kohlrabi are looking great. It was about this time last year that the rabbits got them. Hopefully the dogs continue to do their guard duties and protect the garden.

But if the dogs fail I guess there's always Tiger.

New Kicks

$100 for a pair of shoes. Wow. I never spend that much on any item of clothing, but I hear good things about the Sketchers Shape-Ups. I spend a good part of the day on my feet, walking up and down stairs, and standing in front of the kitchen counters. Supposedly these shoes improve your posture and help rid your legs of cellulite. All I know so far is that they look pretty cool and make me three inches taller.

My Foray into Sorbet

My ever-growing list of things I can make from scratch makes me very proud. I checked out a book from the library that teaches how to make homemade crackers, pickles, lemon curd, cheese, bacon, and lard. Homemade bacon and lard will not happen, of that I am sure. I am, however, excited to create fresh sorbet thanks to my friend Keri lending me her ice cream machine. My first batch was finished this morning. It's bittersweet chocolate, and it is definitely not kid-friendly. It is deliciously bitter and chocolaty and not the sweet chocolate most kids prefer.

I found a whole bunch of new ice cream and sorbet recipes online and am ready to make some yummy treats for the kids. If anyone has any favorite ice cream recipes, please pass them on to me!!

Sloppy Joes

In my continuing effort to improve the quality of the food in my home, I purchased a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious. The author hides veggie and fruit puree in everyday foods in order to bump up nutritional value and maybe sneak in a few veggies that kids might not normally want to eat (squash, sweet potatoes beets). Preparing all the different purees is a little messy and reminds me of making baby food. However, so far I am quite pleased with the recipes we've sampled. A few of the recipes needed to be changed a little, but that's why I try to make the dish as close to the recipe as possible the first time: to see what changes I need to make. I tweaked the Sloppy Joes recipe a little bit, and I think you'll like it!

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 c. diced red onion
1/2 c. diced celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground turkey or sirloin (I used ground chicken, and it was yummy)
1/2 c. sweet potato puree
1/2 c. butternut squash or red pepper puree
1/2 c. beef broth of your choice (I used more than 1/2 cup I'm sure)
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce (I know I used more)
1 tsp. chili powder or to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Hot dog or hamburger buns, whole wheat (I used the mini hamburger buns)

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the celery and onion and cook until they start to soften. Add the garlic to the skillet for only the last minute or so or it will burn.

Add the meat, breaking breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink.

Add the veggie purees, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer until nice and thick.

Spoon mixture over buns and serve.

Seriously, Sarah??

Sarah Palin was recently on the Bill O'reilly show asking why Americans are so afraid to go back to their Christian roots. She said, "Go back to what our founders and our founding documents meant -- they're quite clear -- that we would create law based on the God of the Bible and the ten commandments."

Too bad the Constitution doesn't mention God. The founders created a secular nation. The Declaration of Independence does make mention of the Creator, but if I'm not mistaken The DoI isn't the law of the land. Not only is the Constitution clearly secular, but I think Ms. Palin needs to take another look at the laws laid out in the Bible. Has she even read Deuteronomy or any of the Old Testament? Sorry, lady, but the Christian god is full of wrath and vengeance and would kill or maim people (even those that were his closest followers) at the drop of a hat.

I know that I shouldn't need to say any of this. This is all common sense. I challenge anyone who feels the same way as Ms. Palin to do what one of my favorite authors A.J. Jacobs did: just try to follow the Old Testament to the letter. I challenge Ms. Palin to try it. I also hope that she wants to part with all the money she's making now because the Bible is pretty clear on the rich and their entry to heaven. They can't get in.

And with all the extramarital sex and other damning behaviors the founders so enjoyed, I doubt they would agree with Ms. Palin. I'm sure they are rolling in their graves at even the thought of this woman having influence in America.

The Food Life

I find that a lot of my posts are about food. Not surprising, really. I think a lot of people who are obsessed with food are either underweight or overweight. I am successfully losing some of the weight that not only hurts my body but also hurts my mind. When Kate Moss said, "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny" (or something like that) she was right. Anyone who has ever lost weight knows how it feels when you eat something rich, fatty, and tasty: you feel good while you're eating but awful afterwards. You tell yourself that you won't eat like that again. You promise yourself an extra workout. You take what should be a satisfying, delicious, filling thing like eating a bowl of ice cream (not even the huge bowls I used to eat) and turn it into a guilt trip. Why?

I love the fact that I'm losing weight. I've lost a lot of weight, really, but I don't see it when I look in the mirror. I still see the fat and the cellulite. Heck, I don't even overeat very often anymore, but I feel guilty all the time, even right this minute knowing that I ate a big bowl of pasta with sausage on it. I feel bad because I ate sausage. What the hell is wrong with me??

I know I have some issues to work through. I KNOW I have been working hard and making great changes in my eating habits. So, why don't I feel GOOD yet? I need to find the piece that's missing.

Continuing with my food obsession, I must share with you what the children ate for lunch. Corn dog nuggets (Michael Pollan would not be proud), 4 cans of pears, blueberries and raspberries. And a whole bag of freeze-dried cherries. I guess they were hungry. At least I can feel good about recycling all the trash created during lunch. . .

Maggie's Story II

Well, Maggie is not getting her transplant in Ohio. Despite enlisted the help of her Senator. Maggie's quest for new lungs has been derailed by Medicaid. Ohio simply refuses to do the transplant if it is to be paid for by Nebraska Medicaid for two reasons: NE Medicaid will not pay enough for the surgery and takes too long to pay the claims for the surgery.

I wonder if Maggie would be facing these problems if she had private insurance or if private insurance is actually the culprit. Why would Ohio accept (just an example) $450,000 from Nebraska Medicaid to do a lung transplant when it can get $700,000 from someone who is privately insured?

Maggie's life is now valued at $700,000. That's what she needs to pay for the transplant in Ohio. She doesn't have time to wait for a neighboring state (that accepts NE Medicaid but but has a 22+ month waiting list) to give her a transplant.

How much do you think your life is worth? Think about it.

Windy Days are Here to Stay

In typical Nebraska fashion, the weather is dramatic. We can't just have a breeze; we have to have an all-out, trash cans blowing everywhere wind. The kids have made the best of the windy days, but even they don't like to be out in a dusty, eye-drying wind.

The kids and I played for awhile outside this morning. I knew the wind was going to be a monster today, so I wanted them to get a little time outside before it really started blowing.

Gavin and Evelyn made rock piles and tried to find all the rocks that could write on the concrete.

Soren played in the sand in her princess dress.


Of course, the dog had to make sure all was well in the sandbox. You can see Reese's hair blowing sideways in the photo. Sandboxes and wind don't mix well. Poor Reese took a huge sand clod to the face courtesy of Soren and a trip flying off the teeter totter courtesy of a little too much exuberance rocking back and forth.

Isn't Makeup Supposed to Make You Look Better??

Soren got into Evie's makeup, and the result was less than beautiful. It was more like domestic assault injuries meet Lady Gaga.


Soren thought she looked fabulous.

First Trip to the Zoo 2010

Sunday was the perfect day for our first 2010 trip to the zoo. Lucky for us the Meyer family was in town, so we had to go to the zoo instead of do yardwork and housework.

There are a lot of changes coming to the Lincoln Zoo this summer, so lots of stuff was still under construction. That didn't mean we couldn't have a great time.


Soren showed the monkeys how to hang.


The kids played in the eagle's nest. Of course Brody refused photos.


We fed the goats and llamas. Evie and Lily liked it the best.


Dade and Brody got along for a whole 13 seconds.



And I crawled on Colby so Brody could take a picture. Don't we look cozy?

Maggie's Story

When I was 15 years old I worked at Karmelkorn/Orange Julius at the Sunset Plaza mall in Norfolk, Nebraska. One of my co-workers was a girl named Maggie Stoffel. Maggie was fun and crazy and interesting. She was two years older than me, and she sold me one of her old dresses for me to wear to homecoming.

Fast forward to 2009. I haven't seen hide or hair of Maggie in years, but thanks to Facebook we have reconnected. Maggie had some rough times between graduating from high school and 2009. She is a single mom to three kids. She is going to Wayne State College and majoring in Political Science. Maggie's lungs are shutting down. Maggie, a mom of three in her early thirties with no money, needs a lung transplant. Maggie had cancer and a bone marrow transplant when she was a child which has caused her lungs to shut down.

Now, it's 2010. Nebraska doesn't do lung transplants often, so the waiting list is longer than her life expectancy. Minnesota rejected her. St. Louis's waiting list is too long. Finally, a hospital in Ohio has accepted her to be on their transplant list. YES! She gets excited and looks forward to playing in the yard with her kids, to going to her daughter's track meets, to leaving her oxygen tank behind. Then, the bad news comes: Nebraska Medicaid will not pay for her to have the transplant in Ohio. WHAT? With her new lungs so close, Maggie doesn't know what to do. She is angry at a health care system that denies her a future with her children. She is angry that Paris Hilton would have lungs by now.

Please help me help Maggie. She is appealing Nebraska Medicaid's decision to deny her coverage for the transplant. She needs $700,000 to pay for a transplant. She needs everyone out there to write to Senator Mike Flood and ask him to start standing up for the needy Nebraskans in his district and not just for Nebraska's fetuses.

Even if you aren't in Mike Flood's district, send him an e-mail. Tell him that the health "care" system is denying a woman a chance at life. Maggie can be saved. She isn't a lost cause. She isn't terminal. . . if she gets new lungs. Nebraska Medicaid needs to pay for Maggie's transplant. Here is the information to contact Sen. Flood about Maggie Stoffel Wilson and Nebraska's decision to let her die: Sen. Mike Flood District 19 Room 2103 P.O. Box 94604 State Capitol Lincoln, NE 68509 Phone: (402) 471-2929 email: mflood@leg.ne.gov