R.I.P Electra-Lou

Well, it's over. The vet and I agreed that we were just prolonging the inevitable and that she was probably in a fair amount of discomfort in her mouth (major decay set in when we switched her to wet food.) She gave her a shot in the hip that relaxed her. I held her and Mae pet her the entire time. Then she took her back and gave her some gas, and gave her a final shot to stop her heart. She's wrapped in a towel, in a cooler, til the boys get home. Then we'll decide whether to bury her in the backyard or cremate (!). I'm sad. But happy that she is at peace. We've been together for 15 years. At Cari's house all those years ago, while nannying for my nephew, we took in the stray pregnant kitty with the burned foot pads. I applied oil to her pads with a paintbrush and she slept with me every night. After birthing her 5 kittens, we left her there (with my SIL) while we set up the house back in Chicago. 2 months later, Electra and all 5 kittens came to live with us. I found the kittens homes (expect for Orestes, who we couldn't part with) and we became, as Paul's license plate still attests, "The Frisky Four." 2 moves, 3 kids, a dog, and 15+ years later, it's time to say goodbye. We love you, Electra (aka 'the nice kitty'). We will always remember you. Especially how you can be so sweet to the kids and so mean to Ole! Even Ole will miss you. Rest in peace, sweet kitty.

the weekend

The boys are on their camping adventure with the chavurah. At least, I think they are. Paul called last night around 8 saying he couldn't find the campsite. But there isn't much cell phone reception up there, so if he did find it, he couldn't call me to tell me. Here's hoping! I got lots of "everything in its place" done last night and plan to tackle the boys room today (Mae keeps her room so clean that if she has excess stuff, I sure don't notice!) After the boys' room I'll attack the kitchen, which while it is cluttered, it sure is TONS better than just a few weeks ago.
And I'm waiting for the vet to show up. Poor Electra. She still won't eat. Although she is really mad at me because I won't let her out (because the vet is coming!!), so she still has some spunk. Erin moves today and Mae and I are on lunch duty. Looking forward to a good day.

late night posting

Between my nap this afternoon and Obama's speech, it is no wonder I can't sleep tonight! I've re-watched Hillary, Bill and Biden's speeches (oh, how I love CNN in my lack 'o TV world right now! Olympics, conventions, I've got it all!) As so many of us do, I hope fervently that Obama wins this election! What excitement and hope is in the air... the possibility of CHANGE! Yes, we can!!! It is (sadly) amazing to hear a presidential candidate promising healthcare reform, recalling troops from Iraq, easing up on taxes and improving schools. It's almost as if those types of reforms were taboo, impossible to acquire. But they are the pillars of his campaign. Oh, how I HOPE America is smart enough to elect him. Lord, what will happen if we don't?

And, since I can't sleep, my thoughts turn to the weekend ahead, in which I plan to do some major decluttering in the house. I ran across the Feng Shui concept, which I might try to implement this weekend. Interestingly enough, many of the colors are in the "right" directions already (we have a yellow, north-facing kitchen, for example, with brown and white predominant. Go us.) Our north-facing bedroom is painted pale peach, a viable skin color, but I'm going to work on the arrangement a bit, perhaps finding a headboard for our bed, and balancing it out with 2 nightstands. This is fun. While we hope to move to Boulder in 2010, it will be nice to have some cash in the bank if we decide to stay. Pergo, finished basement and new (Energy Star) appliances would all add to the warm and comfy feel I aim for.

Well, it's after midnight. Guess I'll try and get a few Zzz's. Oh, and sadly, Electra has taken another turn for the worse. She's lost any weight she gained back and has stopped eating again. She'll drink milk and shower water, but nothing else. We gave her 1cc of the fluids tonight, in hopes of just making her feel better. We'll see the vet this weekend. This might be the end. She's old and obviously not able to keep herself "feeling good" without help. If the vet thinks she's in any pain at all, we'll probably put her to sleep. I love this cat. It will be a very male household without her in it. I'll update soon.

Hooray for Thursdays

Today was nice and restful. I took Ted to school, went for a run, then came home to shower and prepare for our big adventure of the day: Social Security. We didn't have to wait TOO long. My SS card is on its way; Mae's name change needs one document (oy) but I can get that done in the next few weeks. Then I had a delicious nap. Ahhh.... After picking up Ted and the CSA share, I set about getting the bounty in order. 10 cups of shredded zucchini are in the freezer and potato casseroles and pesto are on my list to prepare tomorrow. The boys are heading to Wyoming to camp with the chavurah tomorrow. Mae and I will hold down the fort, help Henry and family move, and go to Amber's wedding (our babysitter extraordinaire). And cook. And declutter. It's so easy to pitch things when the boys aren't trailing behind me wailing that THIS ONE is their favorite toy. Should be a cleansing, restful weekend. And LOTS of green smoothies. I may be back to cooked foods, but those green smoothies are too amazing to stop gulping down. YUM.

yawn

Well, today was busy! As usual, I got up at 6:30. I'm finding this is a great time for me to get up and get things going before the "morning rush," as it were. This morning I prepped our crock pot dinner, Potato Beet Curry. It smelled heavenly when I got home at 5:30pm. What a wonderful invention. Teaching today went well. I taught my 2 classes and then had 4 students back-to-back. This was nice for my schedule but a little tiring. I left for rehearsal tonight at 6, expecting delays on I-25 (because Bill Clinton spoke tonight at Invesco Field and tomorrow is Barack and I'm so glad I'm not going anywhere NEAR Denver!!). But there were no delays at all, so I got there early. Rehearsal tonight was tough. My voice was tired out from teaching, so I need to concentrate on supporting my voice while I speak. Oy. Got home to the sitter (Paul has soccer on Wednesday nights) who surprised me with tales of my well-behaved children (who are these people?)

Sam apparently had a little spat with Jason today, so when I take the kids Friday morning I'll have to get the scoop from his teachers. Mae had another wonderful day ("I did more artwork, Mama, and I can use FIZZOWS now 'cause I so big!" (scissors). Ted looks tired and I think he's getting a cold, but he soldiers on. Elizabeth is very pleased with him and how helpful he is with the kindergarteners. His reading is getting much better too. Apparently, they are supposed to be reading at an "H" level at the end of 1st grade. He finished K at the "D" level and today we were reading an "E" book and he was doing just fine. Apparently at DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read), he reads by himself. (Last year, someone read to him or he and his other K friends would "look at" books together.) How grown up! He lost his 4th tooth yesterday at lunch and probably swallowed it. The Tooth Fairy was understanding. She didn't, however, leave him the $5 he asked her for. I told him perhaps our Tooth Fairy was saving money for a new Fairy Castle. Geesh. I think he's about ready to take over lawn mowing. Heh.

First day of school, for 3 of us

Sam and Mae went back to preschool today, and I started my teaching job at Front Range Community College. Mae was rearing to go this morning. She was so excited to be a Butterfly. Her teachers said she did just fine, no problems. Sam also had a good day. He was a bit hyper after school (which results in him being mean to Mae and me) but he chilled out after a while. I brought Ariel,a new Caterpillar who also had a fantastic day, home to Wendy and the girls were SO excited to sit next to each other.

My first day went well too. I met with my 2 classes and got my class lists for private lessons. I'll call them tomorrow to set up times. Besides the fast that the bookstore didn't order enough books, everything seems fine. The campus is so nice. The "faculty support center" is amazing. They'll type things up for you, xerox things for you, give you grading books, dry erase markers, pens, stickies, whatever you need! Crazy! All in all, a good 1st day. I am BEAT. I need to figure out easy go-to meals for Mondays and Wednesdays.

Farewell, Mom!

Mom is off. Her train was delayed by about an hour which gave us an extra hour to chat (and eat dinner). It was a lovely, if brief, visit. Come back soon, Mom!

found the ancestors!

When we first moved to Colorado, my mom was delighted, for her great grandfather's family moved here from Illinois. She grew up hearing many wonderful stories about him and wanted to find his gravestone. And we did! Lots of pics on moeltini. Mom is visiting us briefly and we've kept her busy with the kids' activities. Today we went out to the cemetery (our 2nd attempt at finding the right one) and found what she was looking for right away. Sadly, Ted got stung by a bee (and we were so confident that he'd gotten through his first summer ever without being stung!) and Mae was due for a nap, but all in all, a successful adventure. Hooray!

a picture is worth a thousand words

This about sums up the day. Ted had school, then a hike with his class. Last night the boys had a birthday party and didn't get much sleep at all. Mae didn't nap today. We were on our way home from Chautauqua when they all passed out, one by one.
Ted had a great first week. Kindergarten was "hard." 1st grade, so far, is "fun." Love it.
Sam and Mae had "Meet and Greet" today at preschool. Neither wanted to leave, which is good. They are going to have such great years. I'm excited for them.
I start my new job on Monday too! I'll be teaching 2 voice classes and as many private students as I want. Mondays will be "Daddy's office day," Wednesday they'll stay for Yoga Enrichment, and Friday I don't teach. It should work well. Monday is a big day!

Sam climbed his first tree today. He is SO proud.

1st Grade

Monday was Ted's first day of 1st grade. It was quite uneventful, but wonderful to be back. We met up with Kai and the two boys chatted on the way. Peter was already there and the 3 boys instantly went to the Lego bin and started playing. This morning they were in the gym for morning movement. Kai and Ted stared at the sign for a minute, read "We're in the Gym" and took off. I followed on my way to the office and peeked in, cracking up at the 3 boys (again) rocking out to "Roots and Shoots," a favorite song. He did tell me after school the first day, "Mom, 1st grade is HARD." "Why?" I asked. "Because we did work, like, ALL DAY." I tried not to laugh and agreed that 1st grade is a big deal. Personally, I don't think the 1st graders do much more than the K's, but we'll see. Very cute. More pics on moeltini.

different boys

My boys are so very different. Ted is an athlete, always testing his strength, endurance and everything else he encounters. He loves to build with Legos and K'Nex, to draw monsters, dragons and Pokemon. Then there is Sam. Sam biked a LOT today, with enthusiasm and without complaining. He stopped at every single electricity box to examine it (did it say "No Touching" or "No Digging"?) He spent hours today exploring the little pond on Ole's walk. Shoes off, pants rolled up, stick in hand, he poked, threw, squished, and waded. His birthday is coming up and I can't think of a thing to get him. He doesn't gravitate towards toys, but rather to experiences. Both boys play imaginatively, one with toys and one without. It's so interesting. Ted is fearless; Sam is cautious. Ted is reckless; Sam is careful. Both love to swim, love to bike, love to read, love to wrestle. They are lucky to have each other. Because while they are so similar in their interests, they express themselves so differently. Love you, kiddos!

Raw Gazpacho

Tonight's dinner was a raw tomato gazpacho. The heirloom tomatoes were from Red Wagon Farm, the cucumbers & garlic from our CSA. The Brazil nuts were the surprise ingredient ...mmm. I love the Vitamix. Everything from the nut milk to the soups are smoooooooth. Love it. I've had 2 green smoothies today too, although I'm calling them 'virgin smoothies' because they are much lighter on the greens than usual. Today's were (homemade) raw almond milk, a banana, 1/2 cup blueberries and a few gigantic leafs of kale. This went down much easier than the packed-with-greens smoothies of days past that left me too full!

Ted Day

Wow, Ted and I spent a LOT of time together today! We started off with his testing at TKD. He moved from Camo Belt Decided to Green Belt Recommended. He did GREAT. Focused, attentive, respectful...it was great. He received a silver star for his Black Belt Behavior during Testing...he got one last testing too! He was so proud. Here's a video (Ted is on the far right):



and there are tons of pics on moeltini too. We watched the K4K and Adults test too, and then grabbed a quick lunch before heading to Zach's birthday party. Much swimming ensued, so he has got to be tired. He didn't want any cake (again) and instead played with the Legoes that were in the room. He and all the other boys! So funny. We went to dinner at Red Robin to celebrate and it ended up being a date, since Sam and Mae couldn't stop fighting. That always pushes Paul off the edge and they ended up going home instead. Ted and I had a great time chatting. Tomorrow is his last day of summer vacation! Crazy!! (And cold. And rainy. What is UP with this Fall weather?!)

Dentist Visit!

Sam and Mae went to the dentist today. No cavities for either of them, Mae's gums look amazing, and Sam's teeth seem to be spreading out, so perhaps no palate expander after all. It was a great visit. Mae was so brave! They spent the afternoon playing fairly nicely. I napped and (un)cooked. Tomorrow is Ted's last day of summer vacation. We were supposed to go to Elitches but it's supposed to rain, so waiting on the change of plan. I think he is excited to go back to school, mostly to see his friends. We haven't managed many playdates this summer (which is silly) so he hasn't seen them since before our Iowa trip. 1st grade! Wow.

much fun!

Berry picking was fun. We didn't pick anywhere NEAR the amount I was hoping for, but it was fun and the kids (especially Ted) probably ate more than they picked anyway. We made up for it by stocking up at the little produce shop. This will have to become an annual tradition, although I need to discover the best time to go. They told us the raspberries were plentiful and the strawberries picked over; we found the opposite. Still, lots of fun.

My green smoothie adventures continue. Tonight's smoothie is made up of Swiss Chard, 2 kiwis and half an apple. A little thick, but very tasty. And filling! I am D'ing a batch of "Toll Free Cookies" which have macadamia nuts as their base. I think I added to much stevia, so next time I might leave it out entirely. The flavor is really similar to TollHouse...crazy!

Green Smoothies...bring 'em on!

My (reconditioned, not brand new!) Vitamix arrived yesterday. I think I used it 6 times today, since it blends like a blender and processes like a food processor. I had a green smoothie with dinner (zucchini noodles with raw tomato sauce) and it took a few sips to get into it, but it was good. It was a bunch of Swiss chard, plus a banana, some water and a teeny bit of Stevia. Not bad. I'll try adding more fruits tomorrow, perhaps an apple would brighten it up. I entered a Green Smoothie Challenge so I plan to drink one green smoothie a day til the 15th (Green Smoothie Day, apparently, according to the Green Smoothie Queen). We are going berry picking tomorrow and I hope to cart home a TON of berries to freeze, which will hopefully get the kids to drink these too.
Randi, my mother's helper, was here today. While she entertained the kids, I did up a batch of Kale Chips and some Sunflower Burgers in the dehydrator. Tomorrow I'm going to try some raw "chocolate chip" cookies and see how they are. I also made up some raw fudge in the Vitamix (wowsa! rich and delicious!) plus a peanut butter banana chocolate shake for Ted (using the raw almond milk I made first thing after cleaning the Vitamix for its first use. YUM.) I think I'm on to something. I think I really like this. It sure is an easy way to get the greens in. This will be only the 2nd week of the CSA that I will have gone through the produce without freezing any. Although freezing greens for the smoothies would probably be just fine. (no blanching though...even easier!)

And in non-food news, Mae had her 3 year well check today. She weighs 31 pounds (50%) and is 38 inches tall (75%). I thought she was really tall so she must have very short friends! She only had one shot (Hep A) and was so brave. We went to DQ afterwards (and I didn't even WANT any...crazy!) She is doing great, thriving, healthy and smart. We are going to do a speech evaluation with Child Find. While she got her L's in at 2, she still can't manage any S blends (squirrel, sneaky, school etc.). I'm sure it's age appropriate, but it can't hurt to check. I'm so glad she's doing so well. I'm not sure if it's my demeanor that's changed or hers, but we've had a very nice few days. Perhaps this will be the Terrific Threes?

summer cleaning?

What's it called when you get the 'spring cleaning' bug in the summer? I returned home from my rehearsal in Denver to find the upstairs in complete chaos. Paul and the boys (probably mostly Paul) had gone through the boys' room, clearing out lots of Kindergarten work, old toys and other throw-aways. He had also gone through our closet and had a pile for me to go through (mostly Ted's winter wardrobe for a year from now, found a big box for that. Oh, how we love Blake hand-me-downs!!). We have reclaimed our closet! The upstairs feels so uncluttered and peaceful. If I could JUST do that with my kitchen, I'd be a much calmer person.

I took Ted to the TKD picnic at the lake today. We swam out to the FAR dock (I'd guess it's at least 100 meters) and back and forth between 2 close docks. Ted was the only kiddo to swim out and we had a great time chatting while we swam together. It was fun spending time with him. The weather got sketchy after that so we came home, and continued clearing out the junk.

Sunflower seeds are a-soaking for a repeat batch of Nori Snacks. These are SO GOOD. Yum yum yum. I'm going to dehydrate them tomorrow along with another batch of Kale Chips (also good but not worthy of capital letters. Good though!)

Tomorrow we plan to swim at our neighborhood pool, nap, and then go to TKD. Ahhh....

Oh, and Mom, I updated moeltini for you!

Boulder Kids Tri

Well, today was fun! We got up at 5am and were at the Rez by 5:45, with gigantic balloon and bagels in tow. Sam was in the 1st Wave (ages 3-4) and got seriously confused about the "swim" portion. I walked him into the water, then walked down the shore to try and get a picture (I had the camera; Paul had the video). After all the kids (except Sam) had exited the water, I walked back to try and find him. I did, and held his hand while we walked (not quickly, mind you) through the water. He enjoyed the bike portion, getting faster as he went. The run portion was more of a meander. He was grumpy and hot at the end, but he finished. He was QUITE pleased with his medal and Sharkies.

Ted was, as usual, 100% into it. He didn't need any help at all with the transitions. Next year I'm just going to plant myself somewhere in the middle of each portion and try and get good pics. Paul had the video (with a complaining Mae on his back) and got some fun footage of Ted. He's in the orange bike shirt for the bike and run portions. Paul chose the music, by the way.

phew!!

2 crises averted today. First, we lost our camera charger and batter in Iowa (hence the lack 'o pics. Poor Mae. Yet another thing to add to her "will need counseling" list.) Today I went to Mike's Camera where they blithely handed me a new charger and battery without batting an eye. *huge sigh of relief* A new camera is not in our budget. The second crisis was Sam's flat tire (tube really.) I went to UBikes yesterday and bought a new tube, but it STILL wouldn't hold air. Luckily, Wendy made me buy a patch kit (like, 2 years ago) and I actually remembered where it was. The patch is holding so far.
Now, if these two excited triathletes would just go to sleep, we'll all be ready for our 5am wake up call tomorrow morning. Yawn.

Mae is 3

Mae turned 3 yesterday. Wow! Her party was really fun. We had a great cool afternoon (it started sprinkling just as people were leaving). The bounce house was a blast and the pinata was broken by the 4th child (glad I lined them up by age!) The cake was a bit melty but yummy in all its sugary un-refrigerated glory. Mae actually had a fabulous time at her party, but the few pics we got (we lost our camera battery and the camcorder takes really poor pictures) aren't very good. The video is really sad. She was getting so mad because the candle kept blowing out and everyone was laughing. But she perked right up when it lit and she blew it out. I don't want to post the video because it looks like she was miserable the whole time which she wasn't. A highlight was a bird's nest in one of the climbing structures. The mother bird(s?) wasn't happy that people were near her nest and would dive-bomb anyone who stayed too long, but peeking at those teeny little baby birds was worth it. Happy 3rd Birthday, Mae-Mae!! (The pic is with her friend Theo. They hang out at TKD together and he is really sweet to her. What a handsome boy!!) We had an Eco-Cycle Zero-Waste Event Kit, so all the plates, bowls and silverware were corn based. The (local establishment, guy from temple) bagels with cream cheese and farmstand apricots were scrumptious. Everything went into the compost and I dropped it off today at CHaRM. I love it! We'll do the same for Sam.

Today all 3 kids had Sunflower Farm Camp. Ted and Sam were in the same group and Mae was with her friends Jake and Henry. Everyone said they had a good time. I love this camp. 2 more days of it ahead!

Cat update. Electra gave us a scare. Starting Saturday, she wouldn't come out from under the bed and when she did, she was all shaky. We saw the vet Tuesday who said she was severely dehydrated, so now we administer 100ml of subcutaneous (under the skin) fluids twice a day. The vet thinks her kidneys are failing, typical for older cats. Since we started that, she has been so much better. She even went after Ole today, so that's a good sign! (Poor Ole.) Tonight she came down from her spot under the bed to sit on my lap. What a sweet cat. Orestes, still a peeling, skinless disaster, is now on special prescription allergy food plus his 2 creams twice a day. Hope this works for him. He is 14 and his mom is 16. It must be torture for Orestes to smell Electra's kitten food (wet) while he has only tasteless kibble. Ah, the geriatric years.

Going raw

I just wanted to let people (Mom, mostly!) know that one of the reasons the blog has been slow is that I've become very invested in the raw foods thing. What started out on Tuesday as a whim is turning into a full-fledged lifestyle change! I'm not saying that I'll never eat cooked foods again. I know myself better than that. But these foods taste DELICIOUS. And, in the heat of summer, take less than 5 minutes to prepare and don't require the oven or stovetop (obviously). A few ingredients in the food processor and it's ready! It's so much simpler to eat this way than I had envisioned. I am lusting for a VitaMix but at their prices, I'll hold off until my blender dies (it's 10 years old, like all my appliances that refuse to die!) I decided to chronicle the foods, and the journey, over at my Vegan blog, which had been dormant for a while. Most of you probably aren't that interested in the foods, so I didn't want to bore you on the main blog. But I will say that this is worth looking into, for anyone. It's not hard. It's delicious. It's super fast to prepare. And it's good for you!

Besides increased energy, I notice that I am much calmer, especially with the kids. Their sometimes unruly behavior simply doesn't seem to ruffle my feathers as much. I speak to them calmly and quietly, and lo and behold, sooner or later they acquiesce (wow, had to spell check that word!). I've been getting a lot less sleep, going to bed around 11 and waking before the alarm at 7. For me, that is about 2 hours less than "normal." But I still feel fine, in fact, I feel great. And I'm able to stay up later to get things done, without worrying about being a zombie the next day. I go to bed when I'm really tired and fall right to sleep. Good stuff! I ran 5.5 miles yesterday morning and it felt great. Hot, but great. Rock on!

TGIF!

Today was the last day of RMDC. Ted's hair was sprayed green (there was a color war - green vs white and green won! woo hoo!), his face smeared with homemade green facepaint (shortening + cornstarch) and his Green Team shirt from Horizons made the outfit. They showed a slide show at the end and it was really sweet. I love this camp. Next year both Sam and Ted are going.

My solar oven arrived yesterday! I ordered that back in April so I could cook throughout the hot summer. Oh well. We'll be baking cookies and breads in the oven as soon as we assemble it.

Mae's birthday party is Tuesday. I plan to stop by Red Wagon Farms on the way home from TKD on Monday to pick up peaches, plums, melons, and any other yummy fruit they have. We'll have bowls of fruit alongside homemade zucchini muffins and zucchini cookies. Wendy is doing her famous Pikachu! cake. The bounce house is ordered. The Zero-Waste Kit is in the garage. We're ready! Oh, we need to do the pinata. Probably that will be a last ditch attempt on Monday night, but it'll get done. She wants Hello Kitty. Pretty cool that Paul can do that!

We had a quiet Friday at home. We were planning to bike to Wahoo's but Ted said he was too tired, so we just ordered pizza (no, I didn't eat any! Still going strong on the raw). Tomorrow is Zoe's pool party (one of Mae's Chinese sisters) and Sunday is a big soccer day/event/party with activities. Should be a fun weekend. It's supposed to break 102. Denver has officially broken the record for the days above 90, on Thursday. And now, the temps are continuing to climb. Oy!