Update on Saying Yes

So a couple of weeks ago I posted about how I wanted to say Yes to my kids more often. I thought I'd let you know how that is going...

It seems like every time my kids ask for something, my first reaction is to say No. Though I usually phrase it a little more nicely and say "Not right now." But really, it means no. I'm just hoping they'll forget about it.

But now I'm trying hard to not let that be my automatic response. It's really pretty hard - it seems like they always ask for something just when I'm trying to fix dinner or do the laundry or change a diaper. So then of course my instinct is to say no, because I'm too busy to do it right now.

But I'm trying to be better about it. I'm listening closer to what they ask for and actually thinking about before I respond. I'm not just automatically responding with "not right now." But I still have a hard time just saying Yes right off the bat. Like I said, they always seem to ask to do a craft or play with puzzles or otherwise do something that requires my participation right when I don't have a hand to spare. So instead, my response tends to be "In a minute." I'm putting them off, but I do try to actually follow through after I finish what I'm doing.

So I'm not to the point of saying Yes yet, but I'm making progress. "In a minute" beats "not right now." I'll keep working on it!

Pass the Cheesecake!

Did you know that today (July 30) is National Cheesecake Day? And July is also National Ice Cream Month. I suggest we all pick up a Cheesequake Blizzard tonight to celebrate. ;)

A Visit to Berry Patch Farms

On Saturday the kids helped me clean the playroom and earned a reward - a trip to Berry Patch Farms. This is a farmer's market near Brighton that also lets you go out and pick some of your own produce.

We started by saying hello to the farm animals that wander around:


The roosters were crowing, even though it was mid-afternoon. Haley kept telling them it wasn't morning anymore, so they should stop! Preston and Brekken were trying to imitate the sounds.

The pig is named Bacon Bits, which made me laugh. Haley preferred to call the pig Fatty Fatty Pig Pig.

Next we wandered through the store and the kids picked out vegetables that they wanted to take home and eat. I found some yellow squash for myself - you know how I love yellow squash!

Then it was time for the real fun. We got to ride in a wagon towed by a tractor that took us out to the raspberry fields. This was the highlight of Preston's day, since he loves tractors. Brekken seemed to enjoy it, too.

Haley and Preston had a great time finding the raspberries and picking them. They were extremely proud of themselves for picking SO MANY!! (It amounted to less than a pint, but hey, they thought it was a lot.)

Preston very much enjoyed eating the raspberries later at home. Haley refused to try a single one. :rolleyes:

If they help clean up this Saturday, I've promised we can go back - they're opening the strawberry fields for picking. Haley loves strawberries, so she's very motivated to earn another trip to the farm!

Another Trip Down Memory Lane

I was lucky enough to have my great grandmother still alive and living close enough for regular visits when I was a kid. I loved going to Grandma Great's house. I remember looking at all the little knick-knacks displayed around the house, laying on the chaise longe in the little back room, playing in the back yard and checking out all the flowers in her gardens. But my favorite thing at Grandma Great's house was the rocking chair.

It was just an upholstered armchair on a spring so it would rock back and forth, but I loved sitting in it. I remember fighting with my brother over who got to sit in the chair - which was more than big enough for two, but we didn't want to share. When I got my turn, I would happily sit in that chair for ages just enjoying it. As long as I didn't turn my back on the basement door.

I was always scared of that basement. There was no good reason - it wasn't a dark and scary cellar. It was a nicely finished basement with spare bedrooms, carpeting, the whole deal. But I was always scared of it. My beloved chair sat right next to the basement door, so I always oriented myself so as to have a view of the door. Just to be safe.

It wasn't until years later that I figured out why I'd always been afraid of the basement. I went to a family funeral and my cousin Terry was speaking. And he talked about how Grandma Great always told all the kids that there were ghosts in her basement! It was her method of keeping kids from going down there and getting into things that were off limits. No wonder I'd always been afraid, Grandma Great told me it was haunted! It obviously worked on me - I NEVER went into that basement without Grandma Great!

Interesting side note (at least, interesting to me!), my cousin Terry said he was always getting into trouble for sneaking down into the basement. Apparently this was because he had always mis-heard Grandma Great. He thought there were GOATS in the basement and he desperately wanted to see them! =)

Wandering Down Memory Lane

I was chatting with someone at the bus stop last night and we got talking about all the one-way streets that can be such a pain in downtown Denver. It reminded me of a story my grandpa told me once and I decided to share with you!


Apparently, Grandma and Grandpa drove to Denver for a business meeting that Grandpa needed to attend. The plan was for Grandpa to go to his meeting while Grandma and the kids (not sure what ages they were at that point) entertained themselves for the day and then picked Grandpa up that evening.


The meeting was in downtown Denver. If you haven't been here, I'll tell you that downtown is a mess of one-way streets. Sometimes you have to circle around your destination a time or two before you can figure out how to get to it coming from the allowed direction. It can be very confusing if you're not used to it.


Apparently, Grandpa found it pretty confusing. He circled the block where his meeting was being held many times as he tried to figure out how to negotiate the one-way streets in such a way as to go down the street to reach the building he was aiming for. After several attempts, he finally came to the street he needed and turned the corner. Only to see the oncoming traffic on the one-way road headed right for them.


Thinking quickly, Grandpa whipped the car out of the path of traffic and into a loading area. He then proclaimed, "I can walk from here. Pick me up tonight." And he left. Grandma had to figure out how to get the car out of the loading area and headed the right direction!


When he told me the story - what, 40 years or so after it happened? - Grandpa was still laughing and thought it was funny. Grandma was still mad. =)

Popcorn Popping

I LOVE popcorn. It is my favorite snack. I remember coming home from school and making popcorn for my after-school snack. And now I always have popcorn in the house so it's available for a quick snack. (Or sometimes dinner... once in a while, if the kids have already eaten and Aaron and I are just looking for something quick, I have popcorn for dinner and Aaron's on his own to find something he wants to eat!)

I'm a little bit of a snob about the popcorn, though. I hate microwave popcorn with its weird chemical butter flavoring. So I always pop popcorn in the hot air popper. I learned a neat trick to make the popcorn pop up better!

Before making popcorn on the stove or in an air popper, soak the kernels in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and dry the kernels, then pop as normal. The additional moisture helps the popcorn pop up quicker and fluffier with fewer “old maids.”

So that's what's working for me this week. Check out the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival at We Are That Family to see what's working for others!

Weekend Update

The Five of Us had a busy weekend... after so many weekends where we don't have anything going on, this weekend I kept getting double-booked!

On Friday night, we took the kids to a party at the library. They have been participating in a summer reading program at the library and it wrapped up last week. The library threw a nice party with games and food and a puppet show. The puppet show was a big hit with Haley and Preston. We had a good time up to the point that Preston - totally out of nowhere - suddenly threw up all over himself. We tried to clean up around us as best as possible (I really hope that no one tried to go sit on that patch of grass later on!), stripped Preston out of the nasty clothes and headed home. But we had fun up to that point! I'm sad that I missed out on Girls' Night, but had a good time with my family.

Saturday was a big cleaning day at home. I managed to get the dining room, living room, and kitchen cleaned up. I even convinced the kids that it's a fun new game to scrub the hardwood floors with a sponge! =) Then bathtime for everyone so we were ready to head out when Aaron got home from work. There's a theater group here that is only for 10- to 18-year-olds and they were putting on a production of "Bye, Bye Birdie." We really enjoyed the musical... maybe some of the singing and acting wasn't the finest, but it was a lot of fun to see the kids in the play having so much fun! We knew a couple of the kids and directors (the reason we were going in the first place) so that made it even more fun. Haley is still talking about the show and singing some of the songs. Brekken really enjoyed it also - he bounced and danced to the songs and loved clapping whenever the audience applauded. So I missed seeing the new Harry Potter movie, but enjoyed the musical very much. (By the way, if you live in my neighborhood, check out Prairie Playhouse and take in an upcoming show.)

Sunday was church, of course, and then a BBQ and goodbye party for our good friend Mary Alice. I've known Mary Alice since shortly after I moved to Colorado (10+ years now). There was a good group of us that hung out together every weekend back when we were all single. And as we met our husbands and got married, Mary Alice organized all of our bachelorette parties (we owe her a HUGE blowout when she gets married!). We have had so many good times together. We are so sad that she is moving away, but glad that she has an exciting new job and will be close to her family in Indianapolis. The BBQ was a great time and I'm so glad we got a chance for one more party with Mary Alice before we had to say goodbye.