Free Range on Fairview

We are getting ready to add a third boy to our brood and life is already full of wrestling, weapons, sports, super heros and dirt. My boys just seem to gravitate towards all things rough and tumble. Bruises and battle cries are commonplace. "All boy" is a term I've heard thrown around and definitely think that describes them (although Lincoln's curly hair had had several people call him "her" but that's not where I'm going with this). I love that my boys are active, creative and protective of each other. As we finish up final preparations for the arrival of Warner I have started pulling out the bigger baby items. A swing, bassinet and car seat are now taking up space in our home again. My oldest son has been through this before and at 7 understands that the baby stuff is for the baby. The issue that keeps coming up is how to keep my baby now (wait he's a toddler or pre-preschooler ) out of the things that aren't really his any more. He loves

Lately I have not been very good with defrosting food efficiently. On Monday I made the honey sauces chicken in the crock pot like I planned. Only I didn't put in fully defrosted chicken, it was all sort of still clumped together but I've cooked chicken in the crock pot before and it's always cooked pretty fast. Except I forgot to account for that when I timed the recipe so about 5:15 rolled around when my boys thought they were starving and I come to find that the chicken is still a little raw in parts. That just won't work. So I ended up making homemade lunchables for dinner for them and eating the chicken later when Shane got home. It turned out really good and we ate it again the next day for our real dinner but it was disappointing to not be as easy as I had planned.  I think the boys would rather have these any day.  Then today came... Yesterday we rearranged the chest freezer because it was becoming a black hole and I couldn't find things I was looking fo

Yesterday was one of those days. Lincoln was really grumpy yesterday, whining, scowling and taking an extra nap. Maybe he's growing, not feeling great or becoming a terrible two year old... I don't know. He's also started throwing things when he is mad. I know I have to stop that one before it gets out of hand, yikes. Needless to say I was already dealing with my raising agitation levels when later that evening I ended up giving Dylan a hair cut and it did not turn out like he planned. I gave him the usual cut with the fancy new hair cutting system that my dad gave me as a Christmas present but apparently after the fact he actually wanted a swoopy to the side hair cut like some of the older kids on the Disney channel have. He actually cried about hair. I thought since I only have boys at home now I would avoid that situation but I guess not. Next time I will have to youtube some videos on how to actually achieve that look. Then as he was showering off Lincoln had a melt do

1. Getting Free Stuff  This is what a weeks worth of free stuff I get in the mail looks like. Yup I got all of that just by signing up for it online. Dog treats, a whole package of samples from P&G including many coupons, a box of apple cider k-cups, diaper and wipes sample, Better Homes and Gardens and Babytalk Magazines, a free pair of undies from Victoria's Secret (although there is not one nearby so I mailed the coupon to Danielle) and a bunch of high value coupons from Pampers. I contacted them because there was not a coupon booklet in the package of diapers I bought like promised and they sent me more than I probably would have received otherwise. I also got some free things from Target and Safeway just by matching coupons with in-store deals. 2. Brothers teaching each other things. Dylan was putting batteries into the controller for his new awesome remote controlled helicopter and Lincoln loved being there to help with the whole process. The boys also loved hanging

Too cute. Lincoln and I visited Dylan for lunch today (getting out of the house give Lincoln a little change of pace and surprising Dylan is one of my favorite things to do) since we live like a mile away it is fairly easy to pull off at the last minute. While we were enjoying our lunch - or trying to get through it with a wiggly toddler - I heard Dylan tell his friend "Did you know my brother is in pre-school?" I though it was so cute. He saw what I had out on the table this morning in preparation for the day and I guess it really stuck with him. Our first activity today was sorting little dinosaurs into an egg carton. Then we put pretzels into the slots for snack because this kid eats all the time. We also had the tv on for less than an hour so far today. Making progress slowly but surely.  I don't know what I did yesterday but my back is killing me again today so I'm really going to take it easy with the heating pad while he is napping and enjoy the quiet house. 

With Shane going back to work today I changed up our menu plan a little (ok, a lot) from what I posted at the beginning of the month, but schedules changed, I got tired and came up with some leftover and easier meal nights and so here is what I plan on making this week. Also have I mentioned I am obsessed with food? Yes it's true but I will post on that another time. With Shane gone for dinners again, me becoming increasingly bigger (33 1/2 weeks in!), and trying to come up with a new engaging schedule for Lincoln I am going to try to utilize my new crock pot more and work on meal prep work while Lincoln is sleeping. The pre-meal-time-melt-down-I-want-munchies-and-Mom part of the day definitely makes me feel defeated so I am going to try to be more intentional with that. I had wanted to try to get all the prep work done on Sunday afternoon but it was too nice and sunny so we went for a walk as a family, met some new adorable neighbors (why couldn't they live next to us?) and

I was reading the April 2012 Issue of Babytalk and they listed three effective uses for baking soda related to baby that I had never heard of before. I'm all for finding cheap alternatives to chemicals so here they are. - Sprinkle a few spoonfuls into baby's bath water to help relieve diaper rash . - Mix baking soda and baby oil into a paste and gently rub into baby's scalp to wash away cradle caps' flaky skin (Lincoln had this bad and because I didn't fully handle it when he was little am still dealing with some residual flaky skin, plus he has so much hair you kind of don't really see it all the time. Our doctor said we could use dandruff shampoo but Lincoln is not good at keeping his head up when I wash his crazy hair so I've been afraid to use it because I didn't want it to go in his eyes. Maybe I'll see how this idea works!) - Combine 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of warm water to clean toys , then rinse and dry. Three new idea

They are not always thinking about the finished product when you let a toddler finger paint. But we had fun creating about 5 masterpieces the other day. I threw Lincoln in the high chair with two colors of finger paint on his tray. Once we figured out how to keep the paper stuck to the try things went a lot better. (Just put a little paint between the paper and the tray. Paint rinses right off the plastic!) After he really got into it he was very specific about using the colors and not so much eating them any more. My latest brainchild: I am working on coming up with some pre-preschool ideas with Lincoln because he is being such a handful lately that I know I have to change up the way I am doing things. We are going to start more of an actual schedule or routine to try to get used to before the baby comes and to try to keep him interested or un-bored and out of trouble. Somethings gotta give. He will not be memorizing Latin but I'm talking about giving him more structure vs the fr

I've never made manicotti before and really it looked pretty great when I was done. We didn't actually eat it yet because I really wanted two of them in the freezer but overall it was fairly easy to make and fairly inexpensive once I got over the cost of the noodles themselves. $3.50 when I am used to paying a dollar or less for normal noodles, whew! But I figure if you split the cost of the noodles between the two meals they make then it costs quite a bit less. Also since I've never worked with the manicotti noodles before I thought I could just spoon the mix in and it wouldn't be very messy but I was wrong. Some of the openings were barely over a centimeter so I had to really stuff the stuff in there with my fingers and it took a little longer than I planned but still pretty easy. This is again from that book I rented on my kindle, Fix. Freeze. Feast. I cut the recipe in half since I only wanted to make two meals instead of four. Trying to find the best arrangeme

Fortunately what can go right, did go right. Monday morning Shane had his court appointment for the ticket he received during the on the job accident.  After hearing case after case where the judge didn't move an inch, Shane's case came up. After hearing about the incident and from our lawyer he decided that Shane "Did Not Commit" said infraction of being negligent and he should not have been written the ticket. Score one for team Sadler. That night we drove over to the Westside (what we Ellensburg people call anywhere over the other side of Snoqualmie Pass) and early (very.early.) the next morning Shane flew down to Reno and within two hours of landing had his panel meeting. The big meeting between his union representative and the big wigs at UPS. I don't know if getting the ticket dropped helped much but they only met for a few minutes (according to the story I heard) and basically said "Don't let it happen again, You start back on Monday." S

Lincoln one day new Man oh man it's not enough that I've got baby on the brain lately, I know many... many mom's who just had or are expecting a baby soon. It is such an exciting season of life being surrounded by so many little bundles of joy and I love being able to support all of the friends and family who are becoming moms too. I was reading this blog post about blessing a new mom and I thought it was great. I'm not hinting around here so don't worry for all those wondering :) I really thought the idea of a Birth Day cake was a fun idea and maybe I will try to work that in my planning in the next few weeks. I know the boys love celebrating things and I love having cake in the house (especially my favorite chocolate with cream cheese frosting!) so I think it would be a big hit. Off to find a zero candle at Target this week. 

Yesterday we welcomed the first Sunday of Spring Break by playing at the playground at Dylan's elementary school. We ran around, went down the slide, tried out the swings and enjoyed a pretty nice day outside, sweatshirts only. Then about two or three hours later we had this crazy snow storm. Luckily that only lasted about an hour or so and now we are back to sun (except freezing temperatures) so I am getting excited about seeing the signs of Spring. This week also marks where the next few years will take us. Today is Shane's hearing to see if his ticket for the accident while he was working will get dropped. Tomorrow he is flying to Reno to go to panel with UPS and find out if he will get his job back. This has been two months in the making so we are praying and keeping our fingers crossed that we haven't been waiting for nothing. At least by the end of the week we will know what our next step in the plan of action will be. I will be hanging out with the boys, scoring some

Well like I said yesterday, I'm pretty much done making freezer meals like a crazed lunatic. I don't know if I punched myself out of gusto, room in the freezer or the nesting instinct is taking a back seat to still fighting this cold, but I definitely feel like now I am "ready" to say I'm prepared. It is not the sleep-deprived, body-morphing, zombie like state of having a newborn that I am slightly fearful of; I've done that a few times now and got through it pretty well. It is the thought of trying to manage the household with three small children, one of which seems to not get through a waking hour these days without finding some kind of trouble to get into. Baby proofing is on high alert! Sharpies have been moved again, doors remain locked, and toilet brushes have been hidden. Taking care of a toddler while meeting the needs of a newborn is what has me perplexed. I guess I will just have to figure that out too. Anyway back to the whole freezer cooking thi

Today marks my last official planned freezer cooking day for now in preparation for the new baby. I might end up making something next month, but really the freezers are getting quite full and until we eat down some things, it's quite a tight squeeze at the moment. Chicken divan, if you've never had it, oh you are missing out! This was probably the most requested birthday dinner in our house growing up and it is one of my ultimate comfort foods. It has vegetables, kids like it, and it really isn't that expensive to make either. It takes a little time because of the different layers so doubling it is a great time saver anyway (or if you have a smallish family just put half in one pan and half in a different pan for another meal. And finally the long awaited: Chicken Divan 2 packages/heads broccoli frozen or fresh (I like to use the florets when I can find them) 2 cups sliced/shredded/chopped cooked chicken (cook any way you like, baked is probably juiciest) 2 cups conde

My oldest son just turned 7 and since we are watching every cent going out I tried to be as creative as possible when coming up with the birthday of a life time (until next year).  Do: Make Them Feel Important Without Spending Money Waffles with chocolate syrup for breakfast are ok on a special day like this! (I love using a pizza cutter to slice waffles and pancakes for the little guys, especially Lincoln who is still learning to feed himself with a fork) Measuring on the wall of fame, we only write on it once a year now to make it exciting. Dylan grew about 3.25 inches in one year! This momma gets tired quicker than ever being 30+ weeks pregnant and chasing after a rowdy toddler so I didn't do the fanciest cakes (remember the volcano cake from birthday 4 or the mint chocolate chip cupcakes from last year) but I did find some cute stickers that have been in the house for years, put a matching one on both sides of a flat tooth pick and voila, cupcakes to compete with the best

Ok it's not mine, that's just the name of it. The is probably one of my family's favorite meals (definitely Danielle's and she's my pickiest eater) and it's really "super-cheap" as the recipe book Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross call it. I've used beef, turkey and elk and all have come out good, I think it's primarily due to the topping baked on it. This freezes really well so sometimes I will double and freeze one, or at least double the veggie mixture while I have the food processor out. Sometimes when I am running low on breadcrumbs and don't want to make my own I swap the amount of oat meal and crumbs and it still turns out great and probably cheaper too. Yum. My S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D Meat Loaf 2 large eggs 1/2 cup tomato juice or V8 (I've substituted carrot juice before but if I don't have either I double the ketchup and add a little water) 1/4 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon s

Here is one of our new favorites. I love Thai food and when I worked outside the home I would stop at a Thai place around the corner from my office a few times a month to get their Yellow Curry Chicken, 3 star usually (medium spicy level). I've looked online for recipes to recreate it at home but most have pretty exotic ingredients that I don't buy on a regular basis, meaning I probably wouldn't actually make it. Then the other day I realized I could rent books on my kindle from our local library and the first one that came up was a freezer cooking recipe book called Fix, Freeze, Feast: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family. I made one batch for dinner last night and two for the freezer for when baby comes. Although it wasn't completely in the same ball park as authentic Thai curry it was delicious, everyone in the family liked it, and it wasn't too out there or spicy and I had everything in my pantry to make it. Win-win. Curry Chicken 6 lbs. Chick

I just can't get enough of this little chubster. We were just hanging out the other day on the couch and he let me get a few pictures of him... luckily I caught a few arm rolls before they disappear forever. Dylan is all skin and bones now but I remember when he was a little rolly polly like this too. See that middle picture there? That's the little chin chub that always comes out when my boys are gearing up for a growth spurt. Dylan has grown over 3" in the last year but I'm sure Lincoln will catch up to him sooner than I would like.