He Runs

by | Aug 17, 2011 | All About Denver, Cross Country

(All these pictures were taken last year. His first meet is not for a week)

Last year out of the blue, he decided he wanted to take part in a sport.  The one that seemed best suited, the one that he wanted was Cross Country.  This year he’s still in it.

It’s great to see him as part of a team.
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To see him run with determination.
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To find his place.
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Knowing that each step, each strong breath builds his lung strength. Each meet builds friendships.
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He’s growing up. Finding his place.

Even though sometimes he frustrates me. He’s a teenager.

He’s a good kid.  And he’s growing up too fast.

A lunch my kids will eat…(kid-friendly sushi)

by | Aug 11, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Molly, Random

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(L – top to bottom. Cheese cutouts, Peanut Butter w/ banana strips.  R – top to bottom. Peanut butter w/ orange marmalade folds, PB & grape jelly rolls, Nutella rolls.
Even my teen will make his own version of this for himself.  Riley, the pickiest eater of them all, cleans her plate when I make this kid-friendly sushi.  Since it was requested on twitter…I thought I’d post how I make them. And it’s super simple…and to be honest I got the idea from Pinterest and ran with it.

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First, the supplies. Bread (1 slice makes 4 mini-rolls), a rolling pin, whatever fillings/toppings you want.

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Cut off the crust (I keep mine to feed the birds) and roll the bread flat, or cut into strips.

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Get your toppings on your bread. For fun I used a mini cookie cutter to cut the banana for some of the strips, and for others I just cut it in half and length-wise. I used my leftovers for a bowl of cereal 😉

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Roll them. I rolled some in spirals.  I’ve read that you should roll these tight, but w/ the jelly I actually roll loose otherwise all of the jelly is squished out.  For the orange marmalade I rolled in both sides and then folded to the middle (securing with a small strip of peanut butter between the two edges).

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Last but not least for a little extra fun I used some little cutters I had lying around to cut out shapes in cheese (I nibbled on the scraps).

Usually I make less sushi and include some small strips of carrots for a well rounded meal.  My kids totally scarf these down faster than you can blink.

Some other ideas I have yet to try, but plan to…

  • Butter & cucumbers rolled
  • Jam w/ sweetened whipped cream cheese strips or folds
  • Herbed whipped cream cheese with cucumbers strips
  • Carrot peel & herbed whipped cream cheese rolls
  • Nutella and Strawberry strips or rolls
  • Whipped cream cheese (sweetened) w/ blueberries
These do not take me a ton of time (Well, this one did but I was taking pics and making more than I usually do)…and the kids love them. They are SO worth a shot!!  Try them!!

Tired

by | Aug 9, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Kennedy, All About Me, Crap, Cystic Fibrosis, Special Needs

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Tomorrow we have an appointment for CF Clinic.

I don’t want to go.

I don’t want to hear what she has decided for my kids this time.

After the ‘new’ and ‘definitive’ test.

After the genetics counselor.

After so much hell.

I’m tired.

Of doctors.

Of tests.

Of changing diagnoses.

After the last appointment (w/ genetics) I declared I was done. I never wanted to take any of them to a doctor again.

But I will.

I will find that strength again.

I will listen again.

And make sense of their decision.

And put trust in her because she is their doctor.

But I will still be tired.

 

Those Horrible Days…

by | Jul 22, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Me, The Teenager

[flickr id=”5888954984″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Once upon a time it was us against the world.

There were no secrets.

Lots of snuggles.

Lots of talks.

He told me everything.

Now he’s 13.

When I had to tell him about the neighbors passing, I expected something…words…hugs…tears…

Instead he asked to go for a bike ride.

He didn’t want to deal with it when I was there.  He didn’t want to talk about it. He tensed when I tried to hug him. He tried to force back every tear that threatened to fall.

Selfishly I went outside and threw a class-action temper tantrum a kindergartner would be proud of.

I wasn’t mad at him.

I was mad at me.

Where had I gone wrong?  Did I not have enough patience? Have I been too focused on the girls that I lost touch with him once they were old enough to survive w/o constant attention?  Do I just suck as a mother?

I miss the little boy that truly believed he could tell me anything.

I miss the feeling that he and I have a connection that no one could take away.

The teenage years have just begun.

I already hate them.

I don’t blame him. I don’t blame me (usually).

I still hate them.

I don’t know how I will survive these teenage years.

Silence

by | Jul 5, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, Random

[flickr id=”5502918424″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”] Brandon left on Sunday.

Boy Scout camp for a full week.

Riley & Angel left this afternoon.

Gone to their grandparents for 2 days.

Archie leaves in the morning.

Off to work. Then to Family Night at Scout camp. Then work the next day.

The house is empty, save for me.

I sit in silence.

I will most likely be cleaning – something I always do when left alone.

During the in-between I will sit and soak up the silence.

Stuck between content and disturbed.

Normally chaos and noise fill this house.

The silence is disconcerting.

But rare enough that I will take some time to enjoy it.

I have a stack of books to read. Trying to meet my 50 books read in 2011 goal (15 read, several partially read).

I have 6 rooms that all need cleaning – one that needs a splash of paint on the trim.

I will complete what I can.

And enjoy some time off.