How about a real entry?

We’re making oatmeal raisin cookies again.  I found a recipe I really liked, but it didn’t cook right the first time, so we’re trying them again with some variations.  They’re turning out good.  I think next time I won’t add a 3rd scoop of flax, I’ll only add 2 scoops.  I think they weren’t as moist as the first time.  Of course, they sat around for a bit, which may have allowed the oats to absorb some of the moisture.  The first batch was too moist, this was moist enough, but I would have liked them to be just a BIT moister, so next time, 2 scoops instead of 3.  The flax adds Omega 3s, which are good for you.  We originally bought it at Costco, but recently found flax in the bulk section at Winco.  I LOVE the bulk section at Winco, it truly rocks.  I’ve found oatmeal, grouts, flax, pecan pieces (which are much cheaper than whole pecans, and most of our recipes call for pieces anyway!  It saves us work AND money.  Yay for both.)  There are spices, and candy, and dried fruits, and just all sorts of things in the bulk section at Winco… it’s so cool.  I love shopping there.  I’d gotten to love shopping at Wal mart, because I knew where everything was, and I’m now at about the same point with Winco.  I just need to find some asian foods, but have decided that I may have to go to more of a specialty store, like Raley’s or the Nugget, for that.  We tried an asian market the other day, but no on the EBT card, so that’s out.  O-U-T, out.  We bought some organic fresh basil, and Becca was getting on our case about spending the money, and I pointed out that we shop frugally so we can buy that kind of stuff.  We are in no danger of running out of food stamp money, that’s for sure.  I’m half tempted to buy some GOOD steaks with some of the overage, but I guess we’ve been using it to eat "out" so… whatever, you know?  I’m just trying to get creative… and it’s SO nice to eat well, and eat healthy.  We are eating MUCH healtier these days.  The groats, by the way, are YUMMY.  They’re good raw.  I gave some to Sydni and asked her to guess what they were, and she guessed right away.  But then when she would give them to the other kids, she wouldn’t shut up about what they were and allow for them to guess themselves, though Shabree didn’t hear her, so she was able to guess.  It was fun.  I think Sydni just did that whole I’m going to tell you because I know more than you do thing.  She loves having knowledge that no one else does.

We’ve been feeding Alex a bit, she’s not taking to it quite as well as Shabree, and honestly, I don’t remember with Sammi, but I think Sammi had a slightly easier time of it as well.  She’s pushing the food OUT with her tongue, and using her fingers to create sucking and swallowing, so I’m not sure that’s a good thing.  She MAY just be a bit young yet.  I feel as though I am making more milk, but I don’t get much of a chance to see if I am, because I’m not pumping much, but what I am making seems to satisfy her, she is almost grown out of her 3-6 month clothes, and I feel like I’m forcing, well maybe not forcing, but the formula doesn’t quite feel necessary, because she just doesn’t seem all THAT hungry after feeding.  She’s not crying, when she does cry, I put her to the breast, and more often than not, she’s falling asleep, she was just tired, not really hungry.  But she’ll eat anytime, lol.  I would like to get more pumping sessions in though.  But I think she’s emptying the breast better, which is creating more demand.  I sure do hope so.

Hm… I had to quit Firefox so my typing would quit lagging… much better now.  I hate writing then waiting for it to catch up with me and see where the typing errors are, go back and fix them.  It’s so annoying.  I type pretty fast, so it can really bog me down.  Especially my thought process, because I tend to think fast as well.  And I like my typing to keep up wiht me.  You know?

We had to ground Sydni again.  She went to the park, and was manhandling some second grader.  The kids adoptive dad (their uncle) came over with the two older girls, who were also at the park, and said Syd had kneed this girl in the abdomen.  Syd denied it… but said she had "accidentally" kicked her.  Now, how do you ACCIDENTALLY kick anyone?  She didn’t apologize to the girl or help her up or anything… so then she and her sisters were talking about Sydni, in a group mind you, so Sydni went over to them, and this second grader was on the swing, Syd physically stopped her swing, and put her hands on this other girls hands, and told her to quit talking about her.  Kristin was there as well, whispering something in her ear.  Now… this girl was the smallest one there, probably 7 years old.  I told Sydni she was picking on this girl, and when we asked her why she didn’t do this to the other two, her answer was because they would have kicked her butt. 

EXACTLY.  Sydni was being a bully, but of course she didn’t want to acknowledge that she was picking on kids smaller than her.  She would have gotten grounded for only a week, but she had attitude up the wazoo, so got grounded for 2 weeks.  It makes me sad/mad that Sydni is turning into this… is there a word for it?  Oh, but wait… when Kristin’s not there, Syd, according to these girls, is very sweet.  I don’t think, and I haven’t been feeling, that I like Kristin’s new influence on Sydni.  AT ALL.

I had to ground Shabree too.  I had warned her…and warned her… and warned her, and I finally got sick of it.  She’s always saying "It’s not mine" when you tell her to put something away.  I’m tired of the un-cooperative attitude, so I grounded her for awhile because of it.  That and the yelling she does when she’s not happy… she got sent to bed early tonight by Jerry for that, and she thinks she can beg her way out of these situations.  Grrr.  We must toughen up on her.  It’s so hard… she’s so cute, and good natured, but she’s just so NOT helpful, and has a quick temper.  Sydni shares that temper.  It’s getting ridiculous around here for tempers.

I’m thirsty, think I will go get some water.  I’m trying to think what else has happened that I haven’t really written down.  Sammi is currently on my lap getting into my stuff.  She’s talking, but not much.  She’s a pretty good communicator, but she just doesn’t have that many words.  I know she hears us, because she’ll respond to questions and her name and when you yell at her from downstairs and she’s upstairs, she’ll come, but she just isn’t very clear and doesn’t have all that many words… far fewer, I fear, than she should have.  I don’t know if we can intervene now, or if we need to wait a bit.  I just asked her for a kiss, and got one, so I KNOW she understands much more than she can say, or communicate.  And it isn’t like she doesn’t like to talk, you just can’t understand her.

Becca asked me for my markers earlier tonight, this after she left a box of paper laying on the floor to dump all over… and this box of paper HAD been up on the shelf.  So, mar

kers?  HELL NO.  I didn’t put it like that, but those markers cost 20 dollars, and I don’t want the tips crushed, or left in her room, or returned to me via Sammi (which is what happened when she borrowed my glue stick!) because Sammi would do even more damage to them…  Becca needs to mature.  Some days…  oh well.  The thing is, she wants to stand there and argue with me about why she should get to use them.  She called me a meanie.  Maybe I AM a meanie, but I get so tired of MY things getting ruined by her.  And I can’t rush out and replace them tomorrow with a new set, I have to be careful with the things I have.  She STILL doesn’t see that.  She still seems to have the attitude that everything is so easily replaceable.  The money’s just going to be there.  I don’t want to get too negative about it, because I’ve been VERY negative, and the Universe gives you what you believe you’re going to get, however, the way things are, the markers won’t be replaced any time soon if they get messed up or destroyed.  I am out those markers.  And I kind of want to keep them nice.

Oh, I exercised for 30 minutes this morning, and walked to and from the library yesterday, not to mention shopping at Winco and Wal mart, then the day before, I did the treadmill for 40 minutes.  I’m TRYING, I’m trying.  I’m up to 210 pounds, which is not good… though it’s not 225, so I’m stopping the gain before it gets bad.  I think the highest I ever was, was probably 240, but that’s been years ago now.  I usually hovered around 225.  The lowest I’ve been in years is 195.  My goal being 150.  So ouch on that front.  I really should combine the exercise with eating better.  I might, but I’m not sure I’m quite ready.  I just have to keep a food diary, and that gets time consuming and hard.  And I start to obsess with food when I’m on a diet.  So I’ve got to do it so I don’t obsess, and I don’t spend too much time on the whole process.  It’s just… not a good place.

I’m going to wrap up.  I need to focus my energy elsewhere I think.