Still Undecided

So, I'm still undecided who I'm going to vote for. I like things and views from both candidates. I've been watching the debates and reading as much as I can. I've found two good website to help with this. I thought I'd pass them along in case there are others that still aren't sure who they want to vote for.

My favorite is www.factcheck.org. I initially heard about this website on 'Larry King Live'. This is managed by an unbiased company that simply analyze all the commercials, ads, debates, etc and tell you what is really true. They've already got stuff about the VP debate and what each candidate said that was false.

The other is found at http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139. There are different viewpoints listed from each candidate, however, you don't know who said what. You select which ones reflect your thinking the best. Then, after you're done, the candidate that you agree with the most is revealed. Very interesting!

Everything I DIDN'T Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Last month I started helping Adam's kindergarten class every Wednesday afternoon. I help out with the writing center. Not only am I teaching the kids stuff but they are teaching me stuff. It's amazing how much I can pick up just by talking with and watching a student. I can learn about their home life, values, attitudes, etc. I have thought more than once, "please don't say that or act that way around Adam". Here are a few things that I didn't want to learn in Kindergarten during yesterday afternoon.
1. O.....M......G---you know the acronym, right? One little girl started repeating that over and over, and then another boy started saying it. I said, "Let's say 'oh, my gosh', instead." Another girl at the table, who happens to be Mennonite, said "that's a bad word, isn't it?" Then, the girl that had started it all, said, "that's Jesus' name, right?" So, instead of getting into a deep conversation of really who God is, I said, "yes. Let's just say oh my gosh instead." And the kids started doing it. If one of them slipped up the others would correct them. I wasn't sure how much I should say but I felt like if I said something short and to the point, the kids might respond. And they did.
2. Adam and I were talking about what it means to be cool. I said a cool person is someone that is nice to everyone. He looked at me, like 'yeah, right' and said, "No, it's not. A cool person is someone that has cool clothes." Oh, really!? So, I'm sure you can guess the rest of the conversation. "No, you don't have to have cool clothes to be cool." "Yes, you do. I'm cool and I have cool clothes." "Who told you this?" "Everybody knows it." ARRRGH--do they have to pick up on this twisted thinking as early as kindergarten? Can't they just maintain their pure thinking for a little bit longer?
3. The class has been having a 'color of the day'. They've had to flip thru magazines and cut out the color and glue it to a sheet of paper. Some of the kids get real giggly if they see any part of the human body or people hugging. Some of their comments are a bit inappropriate, especially for 5 year olds. I can definitely tell who has older siblings. This is another one of those things that I think, "Please don't let Adam hear these comments. Please don't pick up on these behaviors."
Part of me realizes that I can't shelter Adam from everything but part of me wants to have a say in what he hears and learns. For the most part, all of the students are very sweet and like to give me hugs. Just please don't teach my son bad stuff.

Hello? Anyone there?

I'm still here. We've just been super busy working on a kitchen, doing preschool, life with kids, etc. My folks are coming for a visit this weekend and a friend is getting married, so perhaps, next week I'll have a bit more time to post something.

Help---I'm Drowning in Zucchini

For all you gardeners out there that have way too much zucchini, which would be anyone that planted it, I've got an answer to help you. We'll call it our 'secret' apple pie--it's really made with zucchini. It will fool your kids, your husband, anyone. They'll have no idea they're eating zucchini. Here's the recipe:

Zucchini Apple Pie

1-2 large zucchini--enough for 4-6 cups, depending how full you like your pie
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Pinch of nutmeg
3 Tbsp. of flour
Butter

Peel and seed your zucchini. Cut it into quarters, lengthwise. Then thinly slice it like you would an apple. Toss with lemon juice and salt. Lightly cook it in a frying pan until it is tender-crisp.
In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, cream of tartar, nutmeg and flour. Mix zucchini slices in. It will be a bit runny. Fill your pie crust. Dot with butter. Cook at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until light brown on top. Eat and enjoy. Don't tell anyone it's zucchini until after they've eaten a slice.

Busy in the Kitchen

I've been busy in the kitchen this weekend. I bought some GREAT Colorado peaches and made jam with them. Dee-lish!! Then I made a bunch of salsa. We've been getting lots of tomatoes and jalapenos from our garden. The salsa tastes so fresh! Yum! I made a couple of batches and stuck them in the freezer.

We've now moved onto Phase 2 of our kitchen re-do. We bought new appliances on Saturday--new dishwasher, cooktop and wall oven. We should get them later this week. Our current cooktop and wall oven are the originals ones--40+ years old. I can't wait to get rid of them. I'll post pictures once they get installed.

A couple of other exciting things to note: I'm going to be helping in Adam's kindergarten class every Wednesday afternoon. Adam is super excited about this and it should be fun.
Yesterday, we saw some friends (the Aceves family) from Emporia (we lived there before here) in church. It was a lot of fun to catch up with them. They may possibly be moving here so they were checking out the area. They had forgotten we lived here and were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.

Random Misc.

Here is some random stuff from this week. Adam had an appt. with his OCD doctor. It went really well. He talked a lot. He still washes his hands a lot, but he says he wants to start working on that. So, we're going to see how he does this month before we go for another appt.

The boys have said some silly things. Adam and I were talking about the lyrics of a song. I said one thing; he said another. He said, "Mom, that is TOTALLY not it." Later on, he then said, "Relax!, Mom". He's definitely learning stuff in school. Then I told Matthew that he was cute. He gave me a look and said, "Don't say that. Say cool or awesome."

Did anyone else watch the new TV show, 'Fringe'? It's done by the same people as 'Lost'. That's why I checked it out. It was pretty intense--lots of twists and turns and, of course, questions to be answered later. Seems like it will be a good show.

I've been teaching Matt's Joy School this week. I'm used to having little kids at our house, but usually they just play with toys. Now, I'm having to keep them occupied with structured activities. It can be a bit hard keeping their attention on something. Oh, well--we'll get used to it. The kids really enjoy 'their school'.

We had playgroup yesterday. When we're all there, there are 10 moms and 15 kids. The children play really well together, and us moms have lots of fun laughing. It's a great bunch!

New Kitchen--partially

So, I'm finally getting an update in. We've been super busy renovating our kitchen. We've redone our cabinets (painted them). We just have to put the new handles on. Here are some 'before and after' photos. Our next projects will be new appliances and granite countertops. Before

Before


After


After

There's been a lot going on these past couple of weeks. I always think, "next week won't be as busy" but that never happens.

Adam is doing well in school. His favorite activities are computer time and recess. He bought lunch for the first time on Friday. He was very excited. Of the 22 kids in his class, he is the ONLY ONE that brings his lunch. Am I the only one that finds that amazing? Is it not the norm anymore to bring your lunch to school?

Matthew has started Joy School (it's like homeschool preschool). There are three of us doing it, and we rotate each week where we have it and who teaches. He's really enjoying it. It's at our house this week.

My aunt and uncle stayed with us this weekend. It was fun to have them here since we don't get many visitors. They were on their way home to Utah after spending time with grandkids in Texas.

So, that's what's been going on. We'll see if the next couple of weeks will be less busy--probably not.