Jacob's 5th Birthday Video

I had a lot of fun making this video, I hope everyone enjoys it.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Milestones

I have a longer post coming soon about Jacob's fifth birthday, with a video and everything. In the meantime, this is just a quick update on two milestones going on around here. First of all today was Bella's first full day in big girl underwear at school. She has had several days where she has gone potty every time, all day, so I was instructed to please bring four outfits and four panties everyday, it typically takes the school about two weeks to have the little ones potty trained. Honestly it is a miracle! I imagine we'll be pull ups for outings and diapers at night for a while longer, but the end is in sight! Jacob's big news is this - today while I was flossing his teeth before school I noticed that one of his bottom teeth gave a wiggle! I thought for certain I would have another year or more before he lost any baby teeth but I googled and five is in the normal range! Holy Moly!

Shaun's Dad's Migas Recipe

My Dad came last weekend. We went to the Farmer's Market down in Houston on Saturday morning, then we took long naps and got up Saturday evening and went swimming. Sunday morning Dad made breakfast for me. This is his method for migas, the ingredients are standard, it is the technique that is unique and makes these a really special.

In a small skillet warm oil/butter.

Add two corn tortillas, torn into small pieces

Warm the tortillas through

Add 2 tablespoons diced green chilis

Add 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese

Don't stir, you want layers.

Crack two eggs and place carefully on top of the pile

Cover with a lid, lower the heat and wait

When eggs cooks to your liking (whites cooked, yolks runny for me)

pull the whole thing out with a spatula and place on a warm plate, add salt/pepper

Note - this method takes longer than normally cooking an egg, because you are steaming the egg. You need to use fresh corn tortillas and either green chilis or salsa because you need the moisture to steam the eggs.

Deliciousness. This solves the whole issue of how I like migas but they are always made with scrambled eggs, this lets you have that awesome yolky fried egg goodness and migas at the same time. The tortillas on bottom get crispy, the ones on top are just softened - it is very very good. Try it!

Lincoln Logs Update

I still haven't decided exactly what to do about the messed up Lincoln Logs. It just happened that earlier this week I scanned through Kingwood Yard Sales.com and found a big set of Lincoln Logs for just $3! I went to pick them up and the Mom selling them was so nice, she was proud that out of 153 pieces she still had 147 after 4 kids! A HUGE accomplishment I think! And they are in perfect, clean condition. When someone is so nice and you find such a great deal and basically God just steps in and makes everything right, then it is hard to hold on to a bad attitude. I may let the guy off the hook, maybe. But then I don't want him to scam anyone again, so I have to keep thinking about it a little more. I also did some research and found out that one part of the junk set I got isn't so junky after all, they are what is called American Logs, and are older and more collectible that Lincoln Logs. Of course they aren't compatible with Lincoln Logs so I may just list them on ebay, but I at least feel better knowing I got something of some value, even if it wasn't what I thought I was getting. Eh. So I know I have gone on and on to friends and family way past the point of anyone's interest about Lincoln Logs. It is like getting married or having a baby, other people can only take so much! My co-worker looked at me and said "You do realize they just sell them at Target right?" - not everyone understands the thrill of the hunt or my inordinate refusal to pay full price for anything if I don't have to do so.

Chia – Day One

I have begun taking a dietary supplement called Chia seeds. Yes, it is the seeds that are used to grow Chia Pets, that ubiquitous White Elephant favorite. My brother began taking Chia to provide him with additional energy for running and he then shared them with my father who brought me some to try when he visited this weekend. Chia seeds aid in digestion and provide high levels of Omega. They also help with weight loss and help maintain a high energy level. They were a huge part of the diets of the Mayans and Aztecs. You can learn all about Chia seeds here: I have decided to try it daily for ten days and see if I notice any effects. Today is really the second day because I had some on Saturday but I’ll call it Day One anyway for the sake of blogging. Today I soaked 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds in 9 tablespoons of water and let it sit for ten minutes. This swelled up to make about a quarter cup of gel. I stirred this gel into my bowl of oatmeal. The taste was fine, a little nutty, but for the most part all I tasted was oatmeal. I wasn’t crazy about the consistency of it – the gel is kind of slimy and then the seeds are kind of – um – seedy. The seeds are very small, smaller than a grape seed, so you don’t really chew them. I’m going to experiment with how I take them and also when I take them to see what works for me. This morning I weighed 120.1 pounds. My goals are modest I think: I want to get down to 110 pounds and also to not feel crazy tired by 3 PM every afternoon. Often I am tired and crabby at the end of the workday and then I feel like my husband and kids get the worst of me, so maybe this will help. I’ll be writing future blogs to let everyone know how this little adventure works out!