This Darn New Technology

Please excuse all the extra STUFF on the counter and focus on the bottle of Pepsi. I was putting groceries away and making dinner and helping my girl unpack from her trip. See the old school glass bottle.  My girl went on a church retreat this past weekend ALL. BY. HERSELF, meaning without her brothers.  I think this is the first time they have been away from each other for that long.  Not that they don't have their own friends and do different things, but they do often run in the same social circles.  The three went away to camp for a week a couple of summers ago, so being away from home is not new, but I feel better when they are away AND together.  Safety in numbers.

When you have triplets, you have to find a balance between fairness and sharing and equality and fostering their independence.  Like all siblings, you have to share mom and dad, but multiples also have to share birthdays and toys and clothes and classrooms and friends. Youth group and retreats are shared usually, but the boys opted to stay home since they didn't want to miss b-ball.  Hoops is their life.  But in sharing many of these things, as a mom, finds me security because I know they look out for one another too.

During their school years so far, we have done many combos - all in the same class, separate classes, and homeschooling.  They have risen to each occasion and done well in all scenarios.  For my say in it, I do like having them together.  Even if they don't interact, they have one another's back.  Last year, my girl faced some verbal bullying by two older girls. Two girls with potty mouths.  The majority was on the afternoon school bus.  She tried to ignore them and did for a long time, but they got a little bolder and her brothers took matters into their own hands and eventually they backed off.  I found out about this later.  There have been other events where they stood up for one another.  Even in preschool and kindergarten when they were very little, teachers told me they each did their own thing, had their own friends, yet watched out for one another.  They knew where the other was.  They would look around and search out their sib, then go back to whatever they were up too. 

Back to the Pepsi.  My girl picked this little treat up on her way home when they made a pit stop.  It's from Mexico.  All in Spanish, and I was told, high in sugar.  The kids were absolutely fascinated with this glass bottle.  She graciously offered to share with her brothers. They were thrilled. 

I sat back and watched my poor deprived modern children attempt to get the bottle open.

First they tried to twist it.  Uh, no - didn't twist. Hmmmm

I told them they needed a bottle opener.  Mike told them they needed a CHURCHKEY.  Huh.

I fished around the recesses of the miscellaneous drawer and handed them a bottle opener.

Then I sat back and watched.  It was pretty funny.



They even worked together, but to no avail.  After Mike and I stopped laughing, I popped the cap.

Next week I'm getting them a rotary phone.

Mozelle

Please keep us in your prayers.  Mike's mother passed away this week.  It's been a tough week.  Sadly, my children lost their last grandparent.  She was 87.

Mike had no brothers or sisters, so he had no siblings to share the stresses (or the joys).

We are okay, but it's always tough to lose someone you love.  I know I lost my sweet mother in 1996 and my dear father in 2005. I understand.

We'll stick together and get through it.  Mozelle was a wonderful lady, a Believer, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives.

♥ Make Spaghetti Soup ♥

Someone asked on Facebook earlier this week, what's for dinner.  I posted Spaghetti soup and steamed broccoli and a few asked for the recipe.  But you know me, before I give it, I have to give a little background and a story to go with. 

When I was a little girl, there were many weekends I would go to my Granny's for the weekend, from age six to about twelve, at least once or twice a month.  My dad was an only, so my brother and I were cherished and spoiled only grandchildren.  It makes me sad my children, at least the younger three, have missed out on the grandparent - grandchild connection - but I digress.

My dad would often take me to my Granny's work on Friday evening and I would go home with her and my Granddaddy from there.  My grandmother worked in an office building (10 stories) on Louisiana St in downtown Houston and she was an elevator operator, back in the day when there was a handle you moved to "drive" it up or down, and stop on the right spot to line up to the floor.  When I was little, she would let me "drive" the elevator and it was fun to stop it between floors and open up the doors. It was a good job but it had it's ups and downs - ha ha.  For several years, my grandfather worked in the same building as a maintenance man - isn't that cute.

(borrowed photo)

First stop after work was a shopping center near their apartment where Granny had a standing appointment each Friday to get her hair done.  Side note, my Granny nearly always drove because she thought my Granddaddy drove too slow.  Granny DIDN'T drive slow. She navigated the Houston freeways just fine, thankyouverymuch and get out of her way please.

While she was being coiffed and curled, always wanting threatening to get my stick straight pixie cut hair permed, which thankfully my mother vetoed, my Granddaddy and I would walk a couple of stores down to the drug store and sit at the counter and share a grilled cheese or apple pie or ice cream.  Fond memories.  While my grandparents were young grandparents, she was 48 when I was born and he was 51, my Granddaddy who had a heart of gold, was someone who was always OLD.  He never acted young that even my father could remember, and he was only 19 when my father was born.  That was just him.  It may be because his father died when he was a toddler and from an early age, he had to go to work to help support his mother and baby brother and he never really had time for fun.  Sitting at the counter with him is one of the few memories I have of doing anyting with him.  He died when I was a senior in high school. He was 69.

We often stopped by the grocery store on the way home since Friday was payday for them as well.  I'm sure she made other things, but most requested and fixed was hamburgers and spaghetti soup.  Her burgers were nice and greasy, buns lightly steamed in the same skillet after the burgers were done, with a lid, fire turned off, giving them a little crunch on the bottom - with pickles and mustard.  And a cold Coke in a small glass bottle.  The spaghetti soup was a side dish.  In later years, it became a main dish for my family.

While I always thought it was something special, I later discovered it was really an economical way to stretch the leftover hamburger meat.  Speaking of hamburger meat - in New England a lot of people called it "hamburg", as in "add a pound of hamburg to your recipe".  I still find that odd and can't call it just "hamburg".  Is that just a New England thing or is calling it "hamburger meat" a Texas thing.  My grandparents were not wealthy in the least and so had to be frugal, just like we are today.

After dinner, we would make brownies or a cake, something I never got to do at home. And we would watch country music shows which back then was hillbilly music, and the Dean Martin show.  She loved Dino like I loved Elvis. Such good times and sweet memories.

But to the recipe - here goes!

Pretend you also see a pound or so of HAMBURGER (not hamburg) in addition to these simply ingredients, and forget you see the oranges.  They aren't part of the recipe, DUH, but I did make homemade Orange Soda too.  I also did part regular spaghetti and part whole wheat.

You are going to use about half of a large onion and a large bell pepper.  Chop them up. I chop them quite small because one of my dear offspring has issues with anything green, unless it happens to be a Granny Smith apple or broccoli or a cucumber or lettuce with ranch.  I probably did a little more than half and I threw some of the onions in with the HAMBURGER (not hamburg).

After I browned the meat, I drained as much grease out as I could and used a slotted spoon to take it out of the pan.  In addition to changing our eating habit SLOWLY, I am also trying to use less paper towels, plastic, etc - and be greener and not have as much trash.

While the meat is cooking, bring the water to a boil, about half a large pot, and add the peppers and onions and also a tablespoon of Crisco.  Now - Crisco is not something I use very often.  In fact, this small can which I store in my fridge, will last years.  And quite possibly it would be fine without, but she made it that way so I am convinced  need to make it that way too.  Back in the day Crisco was used quite often to grease a cake pan or a skillet since we didn't have Pam or other cooking sprays.

Add some salt and pepper and let cook until onion and pepper is soft, you can add a bit more water if it cooks down too much.

Add 24 or so ounces of tomato sauce and add the hamburger meat.

After that simmers for maybe 15 - 20 minutes, you add the spaghetti - not a whole box - maybe half to 2 thirds depending on how thick you want it.  Let that cook for another 10-15 minutes until the pasta is done.  I break the pasta in half.

This is another one of those dishes that is better the next day too. Make sure you season it well with salt and pepper.  My son likes to put grated parmesan on it. It's very filling, very easy - and very economical.  Good with grilled cheese sandwiches too.

*See the cookie jar to the right of the stove.  It was my Granny's and in her kitchen for as long as I can remember.  It's amazing it is actually unbroken and has survived my house and our many moves and many children.

And that my friends, is that.  Very very simple.  It's one of those dishes that warms my heart.

Homemade things & A.D.D. & Eliminating the Bad, help!

I go through various spurts of well intentioned attempts to make my family opt for healthier options.  My reasons are varied.  My oldest son, now 25 (who I am not supposed to mention on my blog) struggled with some learning difficulties and was diagnosed with ADD around kindergarten age.  From the time we adopted him at 18 months, until we FINALLY got him graduated from high school at age 20, every day was a struggle.  We had more than our share of doctors and therapists and technicians and IEP's and tutors and conferences and possible and assorted diagnosis, and the list goes on.  He never had the H (hyperactivity) factor, but his main issue was focus, or rather inability to maintain focus.  Unless it happened to be something he had an interest in and then it was an issue of "attractability" where he had difficulty transitioning to the next thing. I think one of his last diagnosis was "PDD not otherwise specified". Naming the difficulty didn't matter.  It was the struggles that mattered.  And how to cope. What and why was not as important as what next.  We believe a lot was hereditary  and poor prenatal care (drug use)and we had little birth history, not that that mattered. As you can imagine, this did not bode well with traditional schoolwork or home life in general.  We learned lots of strategies along with medications, which helped to compensate to ease some of the difficulties.  It was always a struggle.  ALWAYS. It still is.  The deficits are still there.  The school system failed him immensely.  Yes he graduated and yes he met the goals they set, but whenever he had difficulties the goals were lowered rather than more assistance.  Mike and I knew too little about Special Services and needed placements to advocate as we should have early on.  By the time he was in middle school and high school, we had an educational advocate for him and he was given a full time aide and yes, it was better, but those early years took it's toll.  The triplets were born when he was in 6th grade.  You can imagine how the 5th grade (pregnancy) and 6th and 7th grade (preemies, infants) took a toll on our ability to focus as fully on his issues as we would have liked to. 

I say all that to say this - there were times I saw that certain foods and additives and coloring impacted his behaviors and abilities immensely.  For example Fruit Loops sent him bouncing off the walls. This was long before it was trendy or even common knowledge about the pitfalls of all the artificial sugars and colors and such.  From about age 3 to age 7, we severely limited refined sugars and artificial colors.  It made a huge difference.  Once children get school age, it gets more difficult to monitor.  Throw in a second child (we adopted Matthew, who was a very sickly and clingy baby) and some very difficult family situations like caring for my mother who had cancer and eventually passed away and my father's accident which resulted in a hip broken in nine places and a couple of years of wheelchair, walkers, therapies, etc - life.  During this time, I was also working full time.  It was a difficult few years.  We made it through but much of those years are a blur. When he was 12, the triplets were born. 

Watching and monitoring foods is a very consuming job. It's tough to tell three crying hungry babies to wait while I make some bread from scratch so it is natural without high fructose corn syrup.  When an infant is in and out of the hospital with seizures and then bronchiolitis from RSV, and another has pneumonia,  it's not "sorry I can't be there because I have to make sure the ketchup and fries are not laden with refined sugars.".  Life was hard. 

I am not making excuses, but I was tapped out. My plate was beyond full.  I got lazy and we went back to a lot of the easier old ways of not always making the healthiest choices. I could cite excuses of unemployment, underemployment, teen stresses, infertility issues, sick babies, loss, depression, etc, but the why's of how I got there are immaterial now.

All that is background.  Where we are now is important.  My two older boys are grown - adults - who have to make their own decisions and choices. I can guide and support and advise, but they are in charge of themselves.  The younger ones and Mike and I are the focus right now.

Back to my original point of making better choices.  It's a process and a relearning of good habits.  My biggest vice is Diet Coke.  Mike too.  I feel like I am totally addicted to it. I am addicted to it. I can take coffee or tea or leave it, no big deal.  But I love DC!  I am vowing, promising, swearing, I plan to totally be rid of soft drinks this year, this 2012.  I have been buying the 8 pack of smaller bottles of DC, and having one each day.  Eventually I will wean off of it.  I am drinking more water.  I like water - plain and I like water with lemon.  I don't know why I don't drink it more.  Lazy I guess because it's much easier to grab a coke.  I am keeping a pitcher of tea in the fridge for Mike and the boys.  And trying to lessen the sweetness of it, using agave sweetener.  Which they are not happy about. Oh well. My girl likes water. She and the boys like milk too. But I buy 1%. 

New substitute - and the kids actually like it.  Add fresh orange juice to seltzer water and sweeten = homemade orange soda.  It's really good. And fizzy.

We are taking vitamins - multi vitamins.  Also I take fish oil and D and B12, in addition to my thyroid meds for Hashimoto's.  I need to add calcium.  I've been taking melatonin at night and I have been sleeping better. The kids and Mike do just the multi.  Any other ideas or thoughts, shoulds or shouldn'ts.

And I am trying some new things out in addition to more fruits and veggies and leaner meats,  Homemade yogurt made in the crock pot.  I hate to mention it because I don't want to sound like one of those "all natural" nature goddess moms, but it turned out pretty good - and economical.  I have oatmeal for breakfast, with banana and some nuts and Silk soy milk.  I am definitely a work in progress.  I think my goals are overall to eat better as a family, combined with weight loss (for me, hopefully), eliminate HFCS and the dyes and artificial stuff. 

I am open to suggestions and advice.