Sheri

Dentophobia

I have something to admit.

I have an irrational fear of the dentist and have never taken my kids to see one.

Lame, I know.
I am trying to get over it.

For many years we didn’t have dental insurance and I could justify not going because of that. But now, for the better health of my kids, I need to take them and should be an adult about it so I can also be a good example.

So, today was Saedi and Gavin’s first trip to the dentist (Solvei and Nels are next week).

I took the kids to a pediatric dentist with very good reviews and they loved it. Saedi got her nails painted and Gavin got to play with an iPod touch while their teeth were cleaned.

Even without professional oversight, I am proud to say that their dental health is perfect. No Cavities! Saedi and Gavin got a golden dollar from the dentist for being cavity free.

As I learned from an old neighbor, what’s the best way to celebrate cavity free? Donuts!

Good motivation to try the local “House of Donuts”, right? It was delicious.

Categories: firsts, Gavin, Saedi, Sheri | Leave a comment

Officially a Washing-tardian

I got my new driver’s license today….finally. It’s quite the process to get a driver’s license in another state, especially when you accidentally let your previous out-of-state license expire before trying to get a new one.

After five attempts over about a month at trying to get into the office, prove I am me, that I really do live here, and pass the written exam I was told it would be another 2-3 weeks before I could take the driving test! Today was my appointment. When I got there I didn’t even get to take it at the appointed time because the third brake light (the one that most cars don’t even have) wasn’t working. I would have to fix the light and go on standby to hopefully (no guarantees) take the test today or make another appointment!?!

For just a moment, let’s step away from my anxiety and imagine you are watching this predicament happen to someone in front of you. Would you, seeing this happen to a complete stranger that does not have a valid driver’s license due to reasons unknown, speak up and volunteer your own car for this person to drive to take their driver’s test? Would anyone you know do that? I would have to say that I most likely would not……but I would feel bad about that after today.

While the examiner was explaining about the stand by list, before I even had a chance to worry about what I was going to do next, some woman came over and asked if I could take the test in her car after her friend came back from taking his test. I didn’t know what to say! Sure, I guess. I went and got put on the stand-by list right away and this very kind woman hung around at the DMV with her friend for an HOUR after his test so that I could use her car!

That is why, thanks to the kindness of strangers with a Buick Regal, I am now an official Washing-tardian with a valid drivers license.

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It’s March 17th, so we must be Irish today

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I got a wild hair. I should have just ignored it, but I didn’t……I’m glad I didn’t.
It all started when I found some very cute St. Patrick’s Day hair things for $1 each at Big Lots. As the holiday got closer I started thinking what clothes the kids could wear that were green. Looking through the laundry I would find something that could work, that was sort of green, or that had a bit of green on it. None of them really had anything that was what I thought to be green enough for St Patrick’s Day. I would have to get something I guess.
There is another blog that I read occasionally, and the girl who writes it always does the cutest crafty things. Recently she’s made a few different shirts for her girls and I started thinking that I could probably do something like that. Then somehow, buying shirts and decorating them, turned into also making skirts for the girls (maybe some sort of layered tutu type skirt made with green tulle?? what I found was better – sheer with glitter shamrocks). I was feeling really crafty now. Unfortunately, by the time I’d decided to really do this, I only had 2 days to get it done and a few other errands to run in that time.
It probably should have been a sign that this might be too big an undertaking when I had to go to three different stores to buy all the things I needed to make what I wanted. I kept with the idea though. Which is why I spent all of nap time, part of the evening, all of the after-bedtime-me-time and until the wee hours of the night on the 16th making fun outfits. My sewing machine is covered in green glitter (as is most of my house now I’m sure) and I am really tired but they turned out really well and I am glad I did it.
Don’t they look just cute? Nels has learned “cheese” from Gavin and Saedi. Every time I got the camera out today, which was often, Nels said “cheese.”
After Saedi came home from school I got a few great ones of them all together; this one’s the best.
Having taken pictures of all the kids I decided I wouldn’t mind one of me too. I was showing Saedi how to use the camera (hold it like this, look through here, push the button half way to focus and hold it, then press harder to take the picture) and we ended up with this one.
This is the one she took.
I wanted to do something fun for dinner as well, without being too ambitious. I wanted to make something the kids would like and eat quickly, that wouldn’t be too involved to cook, and that I could color green. The kids don’t really like eggs so Green Eggs & Ham were out. I decided that pancakes would work fabulously and, since Nate was out of town, no one would mind if I made breakfast for dinner. So here are my first ever green pancakes.
I even made one for each of us with chocolate chips for dessert!
Sláinte!
Categories: family pics, Gavin, Nels, Saedi, Sheri, Solvei, St Patrick's Day | 1 Comment

Cursed by matzo balls

A few days ago I made Matzo Ball Soup for dinner. It was a new recipe idea and I didn’t know if it would be very good because some of the individual ingredients didn’t smell very good going in. As it turned out it was VERY good; absolutely delicious actually, a great comfort food. It was so good in fact that Nate made the casual comment that this is the soup he would want made for him if he were sick, and I couldn’t have agreed more. It made quite a lot so I saved the leftovers for lunch. Little did I know that having those leftovers in the fridge would be my doom.

Having been hit hard last night with the flu, I am grateful that I was able to have Matzo Ball Soup for lunch today.

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You can hear me coming

I have really creaky knees. I’m not sure at what age it started but they’ve been that way for a while. I even have a story of my creaky knees from when we lived here, in Washington, before.

I worked at a company in Tacoma that was in a two story building; the bottom floor was a “store” and warehouse and the top floor was corporate offices (where I worked). We usually went up or down stairs at the employee entrance in the middle of the building. Occasionally I would have to go down to the “store” area to sort things going in the mail to other locations, and when returning to the top floor I would take the stairs leading the front corporate offices. At the top of this staircase was the corporate receptionist. She told me one day that she could tell when I was climbing up the stairs because she could hear me (my knees) coming.

Today while walking up the stairs with Gavin to put him down for a nap, he heard my creaky knees and asked, “Will I have creaky knees like you when I get big?”

Categories: Gavin, growing up, Sheri, work | Leave a comment

My "party"

Last night, right before I made dinner, it suddenly dawned on Saedi that it was my birthday and we didn’t have a cake.

I actually planned it that way. I had decided I wanted a homemade carrot cake for my birthday, and that I wanted the kids to make it for me. Knowing that my birthday was on a school day and that I wouldn’t want to undertake any huge tasks in the limited time between school dismissal and bedtime (because it wouldn’t be fair to Saedi if we did anything while she was at school), I had also decided that we would make the cake on Saturday.

I explained it to the kids in terms that they would understand, “Sometimes when your birthday is during the week we have the ‘party’ on the weekend so everyone can be there [since daddy was at work late].” So today was my “party” according to the kids.

We spent the morning as usual, and after Solvei and Nels went down for a nap, Saedi and Gavin made my birthday cake. I did help a little with the making, and I frosted it, but they did a very good job. I think making it also made it okay to eat it. Being CARROT cake and all, Gavin told me before we made it that he didn’t want any, but afterward he had changed his mind.

This is what I ended up with for my “party”

Didn’t the kids make a yummy looking cake?
And this is what it looks like when 30 candles tries to burn it down. =P
We didn’t even get them all lit – don’t worry, I blew them all out before it did any damage. And it was still delicious.
Categories: birthdays, Gavin, Saedi, Sheri | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

Saedi and Gavin love to make birthday cards, it’s the part they get most excited about for anyone’s birthday. They have each been to birthday parties this last month that the other was not invited to, but they both made cards for both occasions.

On school days Saedi and Gavin usually get themselves dressed in the mornings and then wait for me to do hair and make breakfast. This morning I didn’t want to get out of bed so I was a little late, but when I came out of my room they had both made me birthday cards – Gavin was dressed but Saedi was still in her pajamas. The thought was very sweet, but now we were really late. Saedi barely had time to eat anything before we had to leave for the bus. Also, I usually take the babies to the bus in their pajamas and get them dressed when we get back. Today Solvei’s diaper leaked and Nels was stinky so they had to be dressed before we left and we were really, REALLY late. We did make it just in time though, so at least I didn’t have to drive Saedi to school.

Even with a not too good start, the day was pretty good. Gavin invited the boys from around the corner over to play in the morning and we just hung out at home. After Saedi got home from school I got a delivery of flowers and another “card” made for me.

Knowing that Nate had to work today, possibly late, I arranged for a babysitter for after the kids went to bed. So Nate and I could have a dinner for just us. I made the kids their dinner, which they finished just as Nate came home, and we hung out a bit more, then read some Harry Potter and put everyone to bed.
Nate and I took the recommendation of a neighbor (glad we did) and went to the Iron Chef Japanese Steakhouse for dinner. It was really good.

So, I am now 30.

Being born on a zero year makes it easier to conceptualized decades. I actually remember thinking when I was in elementary school that it would be so weird when it got to be 2010, not so much that I would be thirty but that it was SOOOO FAR in the future and with a number like 2010 it sounded important. But it’s not weird, it is a good future and I am not ashamed or afraid to be thirty.

Categories: birthdays, Gavin, Nate, Saedi, Sheri | Leave a comment

Anniversary

Eleven years and loving it. I don’t know how it ended up, because when it comes down to it we really didn’t know each other very well, but somehow we are completely compatible. I love my husband more now than ever and it just gets better with time.

Nate had to work today (it was friday). I’m also used to not really getting to celebrate today because the military has other plans, but I’m okay with that. When he got home and changed out of uniform I had Saedi take our picture. She did pretty good.

We went out to dinner as a family. It was kind of late so the babies got tired and impatient, and Gavin is still going through another “I don’t want to eat, so I’m going to whine, complain, and play with my food so maybe you won’t make me eat” phase. In other words, same as usual. Nothing too special about it, but I didn’t have to do the dishes so it was still nice. I love my family; I love my husband; I am blissful.

Categories: anniversary, Nate, Sheri | Leave a comment

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