Crockpot Cooking

I love my crockpot. In fact, I have 3 of them of various sizes. (And I could really use another.) It's rare that a week goes by without me using the crockpot at least once. I have learned that you can cook almost anything in the crockpot. My newest discovery... crockpot mashed potatoes.

I had some little red potatoes that needed to be used up, so I decided to just drop them in the crockpot and see what happened. I kind of thought they would be like when you roast them in the oven - cooked, but still a little firm. They probably would have been that way if I'd taken them out a little earlier. But it turns out that if you leave them in for a while, then just stir - they turn into perfect mashed potatoes!

I LOVE real mashed potatoes, but it's usually too much trouble to cook and mash them to the right consistency. But this method is so easy. I truly just stirred it around with a big spoon and they broke up with no effort. So good, and it made plenty. In fact, I'm having the leftovers for lunch today (which is what inspired me to post about them).

If you want to give it a try, use olive oil, butter or cooking spray to coat the inside of your crockpot (otherwise the potatoes stick to the sides and are very hard to scrub off). Add potatoes and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Add a splash of milk or butter if you like your potatoes creamy, stir them up and serve!

For Gayle

This is a totally random post... I needed to share a video with a colleague and we couldn't manage to get it to work through any of the usual methods!

Quick Funny from the kids

Our family is supposed to sing a song in church in a few weeks. I was asking the kids what song we should sing. I was thinking of a Primary song or a hymn, but obviously I wasn't that specific when I asked the kids for their input. Haley and Preston conferred for a moment then decided that we should sing "Moves Like Jagger".

I think it's going to be a big hit in Sacrament Meeting.

Quick Update

Busy, busy, BUSY month. Not a lot of time to post. And I guess the kids haven't said anything especially funny in the last little while. But I thought I'd post just a quick update - hopefully I will get back to regular blogging soon!

Preston likes kindergarten, but complains that there is too much coloring. He had homework this week. They gave it to them on Monday and the kids were supposed to do a little each night then turn it in on Friday. He was so excited to have homework that he insisted on doing it all Monday night. LOL We'll see how long that attitude lasts. He really likes his new daycare. He goes to the school-based aftercare with Haley now. He has been wanting to go to PAWS with Haley for the last couple of years. I'm not sure if it's because he wants to spend more time with Haley or because going to PAWS seems like something you do when you're a big kid, but he really wanted to go. So we let him move there at the beginning of the year. They have computers and games and other kids to play with - and I have to drag him out the door at the end of the night.

Haley is liking her class, too. The teacher seems to be doing a good job of working with her so it's not just like repeating the same class as last year (since she was in a 1/2 combo class last year as well). The teacher sent home a note a couple of days ago to let me know that since Haley had mastered all the 2nd grade spelling lists last year, this year she will be moving on to the 3rd grade lists. And at last check, I believe she was in the 5th grade reading levels. She's a smart little thing!

With Preston at the new daycare and our sitter's son in school this year (they did homeschool last year), Brekken is the oldest child in the house for a good part of the day. He is LOVING being the big kid. He tells me that he gets to pick the shows to watch and he can choose the toys to play with. He quite enjoys not having to do what the bigger boys tell him! He is about 3/4 potty trained. He does really well for Michelle, not quite as well for us still. But he's definitely improving.

Rylen is growing fast. Hard to believe he'll be 10 months next week. It makes me a little sad. :( My last baby should have been a baby longer! He's very vocal these days and has a few "words" that he uses consistently. He is on the move all the time! Diaper changing time has become an enormous wrestling match. Rylen is also pulling up on everything right now - he mostly does it without a lot of falling down or head-bumping. Last night he took a little chair and pushed it clear across the room while walking behind it! He just may be walking before his birthday. I would actually be glad of it, because it's not like he's not able to go all over the place already - he's a very quick crawler. And I want him up off the ground. That boy puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. Rocks, cat fur, weeds tracked in from outside. Hopefully once he's not crawling he won't be so focused on picking things off the floor.

It's a Gray and Gloomy Day - and I LOVE It!

The skies are gray. It's damp and drizzly. There's a little chill in the air. It's wonderful!!

I am so done with summer. It's been so miserably hot this summer that it's just such a relief to have some nice cool days. I always have the blinds closed in my office because the sun beams in so brightly, but for the last two days I've opened up the blinds so I can see the clouds and rain. It's just so nice to have some different weather for a change!

I wouldn't want it to be gray and gloomy every day, but then again, I don't want it bright and sunny every day, either. I like variety in my weather! When I first moved to southern California, it was in the midst of a VERY cold winter in Utah. So when I got to California I would get up each morning, throw open the curtains and say - "Blue skies and sunshine again! Great!" But then it was the same thing every single day. No variety. After 6 months or so, I would get up in the morning, listlessly look out the curtains and say - "Blue skies and sunshine. Again. Great."

That's how I've been feeling about this summer. It's just seemed to go on and on with almost every day the same - bright, hot, not as many afternoon thunderstorms as usual. I am ready for a change in weather! Bring on Fall!

Ode to Groupon

Oh, Groupon! You have such great deals and specials galore.

You offer a chance to try things I'll adore.

A membership here;

A night out there.

A chance to have specialists straighten my hair.



How I wish that I could buy every one;

That trip to Bermuda sure looks like fun.



I made meals at Supper Solutions,

Joined the Butterfly Pavilion for only a small contribution.

Planned a day of fun at Up Up Jump;

And now comes the deal that makes my heart thump…



Oh Groupon, my Groupon, you know what I need.

You know that my house is where dust bunnies breed.

You gave me the chance to have someone come in

And clean it all for me! Holy cow! What a win!



Now I can’t wait until they come clean my house.

We’ll all be so happy – especially my spouse.

I’m sure it won’t last (not with four kids around);

But for a brief, shining moment there’ll be no dirt to be found.



Scrubbed and shiny, clean and bright,

I think my house will be quite a sight.

So hooray for Groupon and your incredible deals;

That sound you just heard? It’s just my happy squeals!


(BTW - if you haven't checked out Groupon yet, you should! http://www.groupon.com/r/uu18973654)

I Don't CIO

All of my babies have been great sleepers. By the time they were 2 or 3 months old, they would sleep through the night. Until Rylen. He is 9 months old and still getting up 2-3 times each night! He wants to nurse, but I really think it's more for comfort than because he's really hungry. He nurses for just a few minutes and then goes back to sleep. So he's not up for long, but by the time I wake up, make Aaron get the baby out of the crib (because if I'm awake, why shouldn't he wake up too?), nurse Rylen, try to make Aaron put the baby back but realize that he is already asleep again, get up and put Rylen in his crib, try to make him take a pacifier when he wakes up as I lay him down, make him mad by trying to give him a pacifier, give up and take him back to nurse some more, and repeat above until he finally stays asleep, it's a decent chunk of time gone from my already short night's sleep. Especially if we do all of this another time or two.

I complained a bit about this on Facebook a week or so ago. (Because that's what Facebook is for - sharing a happy status and venting when needed!) And I got lots of advice from people who've dealt with this sort of thing. Which I totally appreciate, because I'm certainly open to new things to try. The one I'm not open to, though, is CIO.

CIO - if you don't know the acronym - is Cry It Out. Which (as I understand it, which could be totally off base) means that sometimes you have to let baby cry himself back to sleep, because if you go in every time he cries, you're reinforcing him and encouraging him to keep waking up at night so you'll go pick him up. I know there are various methods, and some involve staying in the room, some staying out, and that sort of thing. I get the concept, and I see why people do it. I have no issues at all with anyone who uses CIO. I just can't do it. I can't! I've tried and I don't have the willpower. I cannot stand to hear the baby cry and not do something about it. Not when I know I can stop it by just going over there and picking him up.

So I may be accidentally training Rylen to wake me up instead of sleeping through the night, but I just don't CIO.