You Said it Dude.

Take a breath and read this:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/01/29/notes012910.DTL

Makes you think eh?

Hello, Goodbye

Well, May came and went without so much as a hello or goodbye and now June is following suit. Things have been busy for us, and since I can't remember the details, and since that would take forever, here are the highlights since the last post:

May began with a two-week long excursion to Salt Lake. I was assigned to be with my teenage brothers while my parents took a trip to Africa. Our mornings were spent like this:

At first, we had a great time; shopping, visiting friends, and the like. Then there was the inevitable sickness. Stuffy nose and the usual. Just when that was letting up, the basement flooded. No big deal, get some fans right? I wish. The drain guys said it was a "soft clog" and that we should call disaster clean-up. When that guy came, the conversation went like this:

Me-"Yeah we sucked up as much as we could and put fan on it since it was Saturday, and I called my parents in Africa and they said to have you come give them an estimate."

Him- "Ok well what you've got here is level 3 damage. So what we're going to need to do is rip out all the carpet, cut out the baseboard and drywall 3 feet up, take out the vanity and linoleum in the bathroom and lift up the HVAC system to have it cleaned."

Me-"Uhhh... ok how many levels are there?"

Him- "Yeah, 3. This is raw sewage, I wouldn't let your kids be down here."

Me- "Holy Sh*%"

So they came and did all that and the company was great and although it was a huge mess, it's all put together now and I was a hero for being there to handle it.

I thought raw sewage in the basement would be the last speed bump of the trip. Wrong. We were scheduled to go to the zoo with some friends and family and on the way, I noticed B scratching his arms. Upon closer inspection I saw a bazillion hives all over, hot and forming sores from the scratching. YIKES! After the zoo, some benedryl, and cortisone cream, I took him to instacare. Bloodwork and steroids, unknown cause for the hives. Beauty.

In the end we had a great time and miss SLC and our peeps there like crazy. Quinn and Russ, I love you like a fat kid loves cake. Thanks for testing my vegan cooking skills.

There was a brief period of normalcy at home, then B's 4th birthday.

Whah? B is 4? Yes, it's true.

Birthdays always make me think of that Bright Eyes song. Happy birthday darling, we love you very very very very very much, do you know that one? I played it for B and we danced and sang and it was music magic.

I made an amazing cake and then destroyed it with blue jello. I salvaged it but it still looked like something crazy out of a Dr. Seuss book. Thanks to everyone who made it, I still have balloons on my ceiling.

A few days later we went to Island Park for the Memorial Day weekend. Fun had by all, especially in the tub.

Into June we have been mostly home. We spent some time in Weston on the farm, had some fun, did some training with my main runnin' woman Annette.

Last weekend I ran the Ragnar Relay, but that was so monumental it deserves it's own post.

Sunday Funday.

Sunday afternoons for our family usually involve miscellaneous clothing, baking, and the can't-go-anywhere-keep-the-sabbath-day-holy kind of fun.

I made bran muffins: I know what you're thinking, and yes, bran muffins are usually reserved for old people who are trying to stay regular by eating nasty, tasteless, fiber-filled muffins. However, these muffins are sooo good and are sweet and cake-like, but have enough fiber to be on the healthy side (provided you don't drown them in honey-butter, oops.)

The batter stays good for 6 weeks so I keep a big container of it in the fridge and make fresh ones as we eat them.

Hot baked muffins made from scratch when you wake up? Come on.

You wanna the recipe? OK! Here you go:

5 C Flour

1 t. Salt

4 C Fiber One (You know, the long skinny things that look like cat food. It come out to be one of the two packages that comes in the box)

2 C Bran Flakes

2 C Chopped Dates (I know dates are kinda gross but I promise you won't even know they're in there)

2 C Sugar

1 C Butter or Oil

4 Eggs

1 Quart Buttermilk

2 C Boiling Water

5 t. Baking Soda

Combine all the ingredients except the boiling water and soda. Boil the water and add the soda to it all at once (I like to let B do this, it's kinda like a chemistry experiment and it gets him quite excited) Add soda/water to the rest of the ingredients and stir it all up. It makes a lot so use a big bowl. You can make the muffins right away but I think it's best to let the batter sit over night and let the fiber one and bran flakes get a little soggy. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until they look done. YUM.

I think my MIL said one muffin is 2 points for weight watchers, so not bad.

Don't eat more than 4 a day or you'll be kinda sad.

Enjoy!

So Let it Be Written!

Can it just be said that you are not a monster if you feed your kids macaroni and cheese once in a while? Where is it written that a kid is going to be obese and die of cancer if he/she eats powdered cheese and noodles?

Geez.

Sometimes I read things that mothers write and I just want to tell them to get off it. Am I the only one here?

That being said.....

Today we enjoyed some delicious Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and I must say it was delightful, for both the boys and myself. I fix it once in a while and we all love it.

So there.

Doesn't this boy look like a little macaroni and cheese does a body good? I thought so.

On another note, I've been hearing a lot of this for the past week: "MOOOMMM! Wipe my nose please please wipe-a-nose please MOM!!!!!!" Followed by a shrill shriek because snot is running down his face and burning his little raw, red, Hitler-style, nose-wipe mustache.

Tissues litter my house. Snot is everywhere.

Exhibit A:

Know what that is? My couch cushion with snot wiped on it. Gross.

Please don't be jealous of how glamorous my job is.

Oatmeal Lovers

Apparently I'm breeding oatmeal lovers.

This morning Clark enjoyed his breakfast oatmeal with raspberries and honey, in his own bowl, with his own spoon. He made a bit of a mess getting the spoon from bowl to mouth, and then drank all the last bits of oatmeal.

I've been subjecting my family to all kinds of food madness lately. Tofu parmigiana, lentil soup with turkey sausage... you know, I like to experiment. The best part? Travis turns his nose up when he finds out what's in it, then they all scarf it down like they haven't eaten in days.

Hurrah!

Cuppy-Cakes

Today I woke up with Wednesday slums. Drama had a hard night, and dragging myself out of bed this morning was torturous in nature.

Going on a run? Yeah right.

I did manage to go on a nice run/walk just to get myself and the boys out of the house before the rain came.

Then home.

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

I know!

Cupcakes!

What is better than rich, chocolate cupcakes made from scratch with butter-cream frosting? Not many things.

However, I had no cocoa and I wasn't about to go to the store.

So.

Cake mix and frosting from a tub?

YAAAAYYYY!

I won't post a picture of myself stuffing cupcakes in my mouth but you can imagine...

The goal now is to not eat ALL of them before Travis gets home.

Boop. Bip.Weekend!

It was a happenin' weekend for the Fonnesbeck family.

To start out with, Travis got a new job! (wooooo! the crowd goes wild)

Friday Trav and the boys headed to his family's farm to do some work. I had signed up for a sewing class with my Mom on Saturday morning so I stayed home.

Alone on a Friday night, I did what any married mother of two would do.

I went to Barnes & Noble and looked at gossip magazines and interesting books and all the little fun things in the store.

I lounged in their cushy chairs and absorbed the pure, unadulterated silence.

I didn't have to say, "Don't touch!" "SHHH!" or hiss "Brenner where are you?!" in the bookstore. Nope, just me, books, and silence. Joy!

Then I headed to Bajio, since Travis never wants to go there, and ordered the shrimp tacos. Yum. If you haven't tried them, do yourself a favor, and don't even think about ordering just one. To top things off, while I was there I was hit-on and asked for my number, which is always a confidence boost for a girl. I politely told him I was married and made him feel like a total idiot- also refreshing.

Saturday I spent the whole day with my Mom doing fun mother-daughter things. We went to the sewing class, which proved to be very informational. We ate out twice, went to a movie, bought some things, and got some amazing ice cream. To say we had a great time is an understatement.

After 9:00 church, we all took a 2 hour nap. Joy! That never happens.

Then we came up with the brilliant idea to longboard down the hills of Lincoln road. Of course I'm a ninny and wanted to see Travis do it first. He geared up and we headed out. Here are the results:

Brenner was practically having a seizure from excitement and I was practically having a seizure from worry. I kept telling him "Ok please don't break your arms, you start your new job tomorrow. Tuck and roll. Tuck and roll!"

He actually kinda crashed at the bottom, but no harm done besides some grass stains. Again, joy.

Afterwards we went home and cut Drama's hair way too short and now he looks like he should be going to basic training.

Somewhere in the mix, I dropped my third child, also known as my unicorn, white-lightning, or, my iphone. (booo! jeers from the crowd)

The glass shattered, but because of sheer awesomeness and commitment to it's fabulous owner, it is still intact and it still works. We've ordered a replacement for the glass that should be here soon, which brings me to the next event:

Our mailbox got stolen.

Whah?

Yes.

Travis woke up early to go to work and sent me a text that said "Our mailbox is gone."

I had to see it for myself. I should take a picture but I'm too lazy, so I'll describe. We had a plain, black, metal mailbox on a black metal stand. The mailbox was/is anchored in a cedar container full of sand and rocks. So basically... not that cool or special, just your standard boring mailbox. apparently very enticing to ruffians and the like. So the stand is the kind that has two pieces; the bottom piece is anchored to the ground/bucket, and the top piece holds the actual mailbox. So this is what happened: Someone came in the night, lifted the mailbox off the stand, and took off with it. All the other mailboxes on the street were untouched. I feel slightly harassed, but if I knew the hooligans that did it I wouldn't turn them in to the police or anything. My choice for their redemption would be to replace the mailbox and then mow my lawn all summer. Simple.

Oh and on my child-less Friday night I created a tablecloth genius masterpiece, but that's a post for another day.

I hope your weekend was as fabulous and eventful as mine.