Someday I'll look back at this and laugh.

This summer during the break between summer school and regular school, Peanut had a hard time. He expressed this hard time by smearing poop over every surface in his bedroom everyday for 21 days straight. It was not fun. As a result, we took the carpet out of the boys room. This meant we needed some other sort of flooring in there. Filbert has had this idea for quite a while now to take the laminate flooring from the living room and put it into the boys' room and then get new flooring for the living room. We also thought that, if we were going to it, we should rip out the carpet in our bedroom and continue the flooring into there. Filbert thought it would be a good idea to knock down my closet since it is poorly designed and has some functional obsolescence. (there's my effort at pretension for today.) Walnut and Peanut had the whole week of Thanksgiving of off school, so I packed the two of them plus Cashew up to my parents (the Grandnut C's) on Sunday, giving Filbert three and a half uninterrupted days to work on this grand project. His dad and mom (they prefer not to think of themselves as nuts) were enlisted to help.

Remember that three and a half uninterrupted days? It turns out, not so much. I was under the impression that since Filbert had this huge project to do, he was taking Monday through Wednesday off to work on it, until he came to join us in Iowa for Thanksgiving. I should have known better. He took Monday off and really only had half of Monday because since I was in Iowa with the kids, he had to go to the boys' parent teacher conferences that afternoon and go bowling that evening. (Bowling is sacred, don't even suggest that he take a night off.) I discovered through phone conversations the misunderstanding regarding the work schedule and then lived in fear for the rest of the trip. (Bonus: Cashew potty-trained while we were there. Yay. (Peanut is still not trained, but he no longer plays Picasso with his poop, either. Yay.)) We still managed to have a lovely Thanksgiving and Filbert returned home early to continue work on the closet.

I arrived home to see my lovely new floors and my missing closet. I still don't have a closet. I haven't been able to put the house back together after moving the furniture out of three different rooms. Chaos reigns (remember in Get Smart the evil agency was called Kaos?). And that chaos led us into the Christmas season and prevented any sign of Christmas from appearing in our house. We did get the small tree put up, but the cats keep knocking it over and chewed through one of the light strings. (Oh, by the way, this summer we got 2 kittens. They are named Lavender and Fairbanks. The kids love them.) So anyway, I was feeling kinda bummed about the lack of Christmas cheer in the house, but I have resolved to do better next year and also, Filbert is not allowed to start any new projects until all the projects he has started are completed. Oh, that's right, I forgot, part of the reason we chose the timing of Thanksgiving to do this project was because Filbert thought the bunk beds that he is building would be finished by then. Unfortunately, the work of getting three rooms ready for new flooring delayed the completion of the bunk beds. They're still not done, either. (Filbert is not a loser. I told him I would say that, because he was concerned that people might think he was a loser. He's not a loser, though.)

So anyway, we muddled toward Christmas and tried to look forward time with family and friends instead of focusing on the chaos. We've also had to deal with the escalation of Peanut's PWS related food-seeking behaviors and our fridge has a shiny new padlock on it. Peanut has been getting up early in the morning before anyone wakes and has delighted in finding many ways to strike fear into our hearts. He's really too smart for his own good.

On the 23rd, Filbert and I and his sister, Lisa, and her husband took their grandparents out for a special Christmas breakfast. While there, we got a hugely unexpected (and generous!!!) wad of cash from the Greats to spend on Christmas. Later that day, Lisa and I thought it would be a fabulous idea to go shopping with the money to get stuff for the kids that they could open in front of the Greats on Christmas. (Really, we just wanted to get away from the kids, between us we have a 7 year old, a 6 year old, a 5 year old, a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a 2 year old, and one of us is pregnant, and I'll give you a hint, it's not me.) I asked the kids what they wanted and got various answers, but Peanut was quite emphatic about wanting a "blue guy". I didn't know what this was. I got him a light saber, instead.

On the 24th, we opened presents with the family and Peanut again expressed his wish for a "blue guy" and we finally figured out that he wanted a Perry the Platypus toy. Since Filbert had to go out and exchange the two seated bicycle VCR we had gotten for his parents, he told Peanut that if he could find one, he would get him a "blue guy." We also didn't have any tape to finish wrapping presents. It turns out everyone closes at 8:00 PM on Christmas Eve and the only thing Filbert was able to get from our list of last minute stuff was some tape from Walgreens that cost about a thousand dollars. I finished wrapping everything up, put it on the card table in the middle of the family room, hung some stockings and went to bed.

At 6:30 this morning, Walnut came into our bedroom and said Peanut's up and I think he's opening presents. We rushed to the family room and every stinking, last present was unwrapped. When asked why he did this, Peanut just replied, I can't find the blue guy, where's the blue guy?

I'm gonna do this.

Cashew has been asking for a red "sprinkle" dress ever since Filbert took the kids to see Toy Story 3. I got some clearance fabric a couple of months ago, but just haven't gotten around to getting started on this. Now I will.

Poops

String Bean sat on the potty yesterday and tried to "push out the poopies" and was thrilled when some came out. Yes, I know this is a discussion only a mother of a toddler could love. Please note the name of this blog.

Upon finishing her business in the potty, she decided to call her family and friends and share her success. As always, Pop was the first on the list. Luckily, Nana was with him. Next it was Ama and Grandpa. Auntie Carolyn soon followed. Then Rob and Connie. After that, she wanted to call Lucy, so we did. After she hung up with Lucy's voice mail, she wanted to call Snoopy and Charlie Brown. (Which leads me to believe that the Lucy we called wasn't THE Lucy she was intending, but oh, well.) She finished the night of calling by calling Cashew, who is 2 1/2. Cashew simply said, "Hi, String Bean!" the entire conversation long.

Other than the call to Cashew, all other calls went like this:

String Bean (SB): Hi!
Mom or Dad (M/D): Tell them what you did.
SB: Poopies!
M/D: Where did you do the poopies?
SB: Potty!
M/D: What did you get for doing poopies on the potty?
SB: Chock (translation: chocolate)
M/D: Tell them your name.
SB now spells her name instead of saying her name.
M/D: Do you want to count?
SB: One, Two, Free, Four, Five, Six, Eye!
M/D: Say "Bye-bye!"
SB: Bye-bye! (long pause) Insert name of who you are calling.
Abruptly hang up.

Silence

I was basking in it yesterday. Big mistake. (Will I never learn?) Silence is a very bad thing with two preschoolers in the house. Silence means they don't want you to know what is happening. Yesterday's silence was 2 roll's of lifesavers being eaten in the space of about 5 minutes. Peanut claims he only ate 2. All Cashew would say was "My want more yifesavers IN MY MOUF!"

Thankgiving Eve

'Tis the eve of Thanksgiving, so I suppose I should think of some things for which to be thankful. (like how I made sure not to end that sentence in a preposition? )

I'm thankful that I don't have to cook the turkey.
I'm thankful for my dear sweet Filbert.
I'm thankful for my delightful Walnut.
I'm thankful for my precious Peanut.
I'm thankful for my boundless Cashew.
I'm thankful for godly parents who love me.
I suppose I'm thankful for 3 older brothers. ;)
I'm thankful for loving in-laws who are not the stuff of nightmares.
I'm thankful for my dishwasher (even though Filbert does most of the dishes.)
I'm thankful that Filbert does most of the dishes.
I'm thankful for my house.
I'm thankful for my bed. (I really love my bed.)
I'm thankful that even though times are tight, my children have never gone hungry. (I mean actually hungry, not whiny privileged American hungry which just means I want a cookie.)

PSA from Cashew

Cashew would like everyone to know that sucking on a baby wipe is a *bad* idea. And if one should happen to suck on a baby wipe, they definitely should not stick their entire hand into their mouth to try to wipe off the taste. It will make you puke.

R.I.P. Sparky

My cat died Saturday night. Well, actually, we had him put to sleep. He was 13 years old and recently diagnosed with diabetes. He was suffering and didn't have much time left. The kids were all in bed, but we thought Walnut would like to have a chance to say good-bye. I woke him up and he groggily petted Sparky and sadly bid him "Farewell." I took him back to bed and held him while he cried and I cried a little bit, too.

Peanut was sick and staying home from church with Filbert. Walnut said he wanted to stay home with daddy to "see what the house will be like without Sparky." So while Cashew and I went off to church, Filbert took the boys to Lowe's and they picked out a birch tree under which to bury Sparky. Walnut helped Filbert dig the hole. Peanut watched. Finally, Walnut asked if the hole was big enough. Filbert told him that it was deep enough, but it needed to be wider, to which Walnut replied "Can't we just crunch him up into a ball?"

This is Nuts

Well, String Bean's allergy is nuts that is. We found out last night that she's likely allergic to pecans.

During our live Fantasy Football draft, String Bean got a hold of a brownie that a friend brought over. I was eating one, too, when I discovered there was a nut in it.

--interruption to story to give some background--
Back in May we were on vacation and String Bean ate something with a (non-Peanut) nut in it, choked and puked a quarter size puke into my hand. We figured it was choking and didn't think much of it.

She loves peanut butter granola bars.
--back to scheduled programming--

I leaned over to Mr. Bean and said, "There are nuts in this we should watch to make sure she does not choke." About a minute later, sure enough, she started making the choking face. We watched and waited. She sat on my lap and proceeded to puke. A LOT. Everything that was in her stomach.

Once the puking stopped, the crying began. Her hands were full of it (as well as my pants and socks) and she began to rub her face. We threw her in the bathtub and when we got her out everywhere the puke had been was red and blotchy. Pretty quickly we could tell they were hives.

Luckily, she did not start coughing and going into full anaphylactic shock. It stopped at the hives. We went to the allergist this morning. Besides stating the obvious that String Bean was fully recovered from the incident, he suggested we come back in a month to do testing for nuts. Because we had given her Benadryl, they couldn't do the testing for a week and the doctor is going on vacation.

Expect an update on how serious the allergy is in about a month.

It is a little ironic that String Bean is allergic to nuts since her BFF is Cashew.







P.S. Mr. Bean asked me if I was going to blog about String Bean's nuts to which I gave him a confused look and then started laughing. It was at that moment he realized how odd his question was.

Happy Father's Day!

We hope you are enjoying Father's Day and celebrating not only your own dad, but the father of your children, too. Amy and I couldn't be married to better daddies. Do you have a great photo of your child/children with dad? Send us a link to it so we can appreciate your man, too!

Happy Father's Day!

Mr. Bean and String Bean looking over the edge of the ferry.

Photo by Mandie

Filbert entertains Walnut, Peanut, and Cashew.
Photo by Hazel

Hazel's Hobby Corner

I promised some pictures of my latest creations, so here we go!

First of all, we have my garden, 3 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants.

Here's a tomato plant:

Tomatoes
Photo by Hazel

Here's another tomato (actually it might be the same tomato, just a different angle):

More tomatoes
Photo by Hazel

And here are the peppers along with Walnut's super scary blue widow spider whose name is Bluey.

Walnut's scary spider invades the pepper plants.
Photo by Hazel

Now for some sewing projects. I made pillowcases for Walnut and Peanut.

Walnut and Peanut's pillows.
Photo by Hazel

And the back view:

Walnut and Peanut's pillows-a view of the back.
Photo by Hazel

Here is Miss Cashew modeling her new skirt.

Cashew models a skirt by taking a turn on the runway.
Photo by Hazel

I am publishing this one just because it is super cute.

Cashew is cuteness in a nutshell. (pun intended)
Photo by Hazel

Now, for the pièce de résistance (check out my fancy French!) I had the house to myself on Wednesday so I took the entire afternoon to work on making a blouse from this tutorial. Three straight hours I spent working on this and at the end of three straight hours, I present to you all....

The beginnings of a shirt sewing project. This is one of the shoulder straps.
Photo by Hazel

School's out for Summer!

Today, it's been a week since school got out for Walnut and Peanut. We don't have any big plans, yet. Walnut is going to be in a Pepsi and Hot Dog bowling league and Peanut needs to get some speech therapy. All three of them need to have swimming lessons, but I'm not sure if that will happen. Lots of outside time is definitely on the agenda.

My plan is to do lots of sewing and jewelry making. I'm really enjoying my sewing machine. I've made pillow cases for the boys and just finished a skirt for Cashew. When Mandie gets back, I'll have her post some pictures of some of the stuff I've made. (I'm html impaired) I have material to make some shorts for the boys and on Wednesday, my blessed mother-in-law is taking my kids for the entire day and I'm going to attempt to follow this tutorial and make a blouse for my self.

I'm growing some plants, too. I have 3 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants growing in my back yard. I'm pretty excited about them, but I'm getting annoyed at those pesky weeds that keep popping up.

So that's the update on the Nuts. Stay tuned for news of a possible jewelry giveaway. I've made some bracelets that need a home.

Hazel's Craft Corner

I may have mentioned that I'm not really crafty, but I'm trying to change that. I started making jewelry last year and it's a lot of fun. I thought I would show you some of the more recent stuff I've made.

Since I'm having so much fun with the jewelry making, I decided to branch out in crafting. For my birthday, which is still a week and a half away, I got a sewing machine. Today, I finally had a chance to put it through its paces and try to recall from the depths of my memory anything that I learned in my high school Home Ec. classes. When that failed, I made a bag. I didn't use a pattern, because I didn't have one and since I don't usually use recipes when I cook, I figured I could wing sewing, too. I mean, Filbert almost always eats the stuff I cook, even when the kids and I can't choke it down. I've completely lost the thread of this post, now. Oh, hey, I made a bad pun. I'm talking about sewing and lost the thread. When you have to explain a joke, it kind of loses it's effectiveness. So anyway, I made a bag and here, in all of it's glory, it is.

And here it is again, filled with stuff.

Next I'm going to make a pillowcase dress for Cashew and I bought some fabric remnants to make into pants for her, also. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Growing Up!

Now that Cashew has turned 2, she no longer is in the church nursery with String Bean. When I went to pick up String Bean this morning, she was fast asleep in one of the nursery worker's arms. The worker said, "She was the only one over here this morning and I guess it got boring!" There are a few other kids who should be in the nursery with String Bean, but they were absent this morning. Come mid-June, they will have all graduated to the 2s class and String Bean and her friend Jenna will be all alone until they get to graduate in November.

Our little babies are growing up. Before we know it, we'll be shelling out all our life savings to send them off to college. Stanford, Yale or Harvard of course.

Happy Birthday, Cashew!

As soon as I knew I was pregnant with each of my kids, I knew something about them. With Walnut, I knew as soon as I saw the pink lines, that he would weigh over nine pounds. I don't know how I knew it, but I was without a doubt that this baby I was carrying would be huge and he was, 9 lbs, 4 oz. With Peanut, I knew he would be born early. Mind you, I was thinking 2 or 3 weeks, not 7. Filbert's parents planned a long vacation, for the entire month before his due date. Their plan was to be back 3 days before my due date, and I assured them that they were going to miss the birth. As it turns out, they missed their whole trip, as Peanut arrived before they even left, and they couldn't bear to leave with him in the NICU.

Five and a half months after Peanut's birth, I knew I wanted another child someday, but not quite yet, and I didn't know what Filbert wanted. So it was with great trepidation that I took a pregnancy test. I cried when I got a positive and showed it to Filbert. He got that funny look on his face that a man gets when he knows he is "da man" and then I was relieved and started to be a little bit happy. I knew that this was the daughter I had always longed for and even more, I knew that she was going to be fine.

My darling Cashew, I wish you that happiest of birthdays and many more to come. You overwhelm me with your life-force and I hope you always will. I pray the Lord will guide me in the way to mold you into the woman you are meant to be, for you are a force to be reckoned with. You are so much more than fine, but words fail me.

Baseball

My child and Amy's children will never be able to connect over a game of baseball. Since we live in Chicagoland, we have 2 major league baseball teams: the Cubs and the White Sox.

Mr. Bean is a Cubs fan. Filbert is a Sox fan. String Bean is already saying, "Go Cubs!" and I know Walnut roots wholeheartedly for the White Sox (it is just a matter of time for Peanut and Cashew if they haven't started being fans already). Amy and I count our lucky stars that the rivalry between the teams hasn't affected the friendship of Mr. Bean and Filbert, yet.

Right now the Bean family is out-numbered by the Nut family. At least we can agree on football. The Bears are the team to root for! Go Bears!

If Danger is Afoot...

...you can be sure that Cashew thought of it, Walnut figured out how it could be accomplished and Peanut volunteered to go first. They're very cute, but they do make me tired sometimes.

Nuts and More Nuts and Some to Giveaway!

In case you were wondering, my nut name is Hazel. I cannot not take credit for the idea of naming my kids after nuts, it was my co-blogger, Mandie, that came up with it. She and Mr. Bean have always called Peanut, Peanut and Walnut is a play on our last name and Cashew is, well, just another nut. I decided to follow the trend and give my husband and I nut names, too. I picked Filbert because I think it's funny and Hazel just because I like it. Plus, they are kind of the same thing, just like a happily married couple should be! So when we were given some nuts to giveaway, it seemed only appropriate that I be the reviewer.


Since one of the primary concerns with Prader-Willi Syndrome is obesity, I am always looking for healthy snacks, and I think I've found one in Snacktrition. As most people know nuts are full of fat, but that's not actually a reason to avoid them. Nope, quite the opposite, in fact, because the fat in nuts is the good kind. Almonds and Cashews have only 17% and 6% (respectively) of the "bad" fat, and have about 20% protein, making them much more filling than an equal amount of chips or cookies. They are also rich in minerals, something most of us are sorely lacking. One thing that makes most commercial nuts unhealthy is the oil that nuts are usually roasted in. However, Snacktrition offers 4 different variety of nuts that are oven roasted with no oils. Even better though, is that they bake on fiber and calcium along with yummy sea salt, so besides the good fat, you're getting other nutrients that your body needs. Now, the big question is, how do they taste? Well, they taste like nuts. Ha! (Sorry, I had to do it.) Actually, they are quite tasty and your hands don't get greasy when you eat them.
Snacktrition offers Sea Salt Cashews with Fiber, Salt and Pepper Cashews with Fiber, Smoked Almonds with Calcium, and Sea Salt Almonds with Calcium. Their fifth offering is a Fruit and Nut Mix which combines the Sea Salt Cashews and Almonds with dried blueberries and cranberries and yogurt chips. This one was an especial favorite at our house, I didn't really want to share it, but we had a family emergency and I needed to take the kids to visit a relative in the hospital and Filbert missed dinner because he was too upset to eat and once we knew the crisis had passed, everyone just started inhaling the stuff. Filbert would stop chewing every once in a while to comment on how awesome the stuff was. He has even commented that he would buy both the salt and pepper cashews and the fruit mix again, and he is a notorious cheapskate. Peanut and Cashew seemed to like all the nuts equally, although, sometimes Cashew just sucked the salt off of the almonds. I took my sample pack to my family's Thanksgiving gathering and the reviews were all positive, but there was no clear favorite, although the men seemed to favor the salt and pepper cashews. So all in all, Snacktrition is good stuff and gets the Nut family seal of approval (or Hazel looks down and pats her tummy.)

Now that I've got your mouths watering, who wants some free nuts? I thought so! Sign up for our giveaway! 5 lucky winners will be receiving a sample package of Snacktrition products to enjoy, just sign up below. Remember just one entry per household.

Giveaway ends Monday, December 8 at noon (central time zone)!

Couture Cashew

One thing you should know about Miss Cashew is that she is a total fashionista. I know, she's only 18 months old, but seriously, the girl knows style. I first noticed this at Mandie's baby shower, when Cashew was about 5 months old. Cashew sat on my lap and as the presents went around the circle, I would hold the clothes up to Cashew and she got mad when I wouldn't let her keep them. Over the months, as she has grown more expressive, Filbert and I have noticed certain indicators of when Cashew is especially pleased with her appearance. There is the garment hugging, the happy clap, the low chuckle, but the pinnacle of all of these is the "look down and pat the belly", reserved for only the choicest of outfits.

So, when I received a dress from a new children's clothing line, I was most anxious to see Cashew's reaction. Éléphant is the name of the line, and it was designed by fashion photographer Leslie Hassler in an effort to find fun and funky clothes for her own son.
This is the dress.

I think it is absolutely adorable and would totally wear it if it came in grown-up sizes. The quality is great, it's made of a super soft, silky rayon with a touch of spandex. The colors stayed through the wash and didn't leach on to any of the other clothes in the load. It doesn't go in the dryer, though, so I'll have to remember to fetch it out of the load when I'm switching it. The sizing does run a bit small, the size 2 fits Cashew really well, and she is a petite 18 month old. At $48, it is a bit of a splurge, but it did earn the coveted "look down and pat the belly" from the ever discerning Miss Cashew!

Good for Chuckles

I asked my friend, Bryan, about his favorite websites. One of his favorites is Engrish.com. If you have ever visited a foreign country (especially those located in Asia), you'll appreciate the random humor that comes out of non-fluent English speakers writing things in English.

Here is one of my favorites:

Yikes! I'd hate to be the owner of that ice-rink! Isn't it funny what is lost in translation?

Here's another one that String Bean, Cashew, and Peanut would completely appreciate:


*Warning: there are some Engrish sayings on this site that cross the line (although most unintentionally). Please use discretion when sharing this website with your children, or you may have some explaining to do!

Items of Clothing for String Bean and Cashew

I was browsing the online stores this evening and found several items that fall into the category of "oh, too cute" that String Bean and Cashew would rock on the runway. I don't think either of our models need these clothes (nevermind the expense), but they are sure fun to look at.

The descriptions on these items of clothing are taken directly from the online stores:

Your grandmother's coat, reproduced for your little glamour girl. Super soft faux-fur is so fun for her to wear over everything from sweet dresses to funky jeans and tees.

Found at Old Navy for $36.50.




Skip to the chocolate shop in sweetly giftable looks full of playful polka dots. Rich and seasonal colors will look so cute on your little girl with our bodysuit, jumper and head-to-toe matching accessories.

Found at Gymboree for $95.00 for the entire collection.






Fun lined rainboots that you don't have to save for a rainy day. Great for playing outside or helping out in the garden.

Found at Belly Dance Baby for $29.00





Shabby Baby "Aviary"

Brown and pink floral and bird print little girl's dress. It is a long sleeve empire waist dress with a pleated skirt and a square neckline. Snap button closure at the back of the neck.

Found at Kitsel for $52.00






Soft pink hat with picot edge trim and pink and white knitted flower.

This reminds me of a flapper's hat from the 20s!

Found at Etsy for $23.00

(If you have yet to discover the joy of Etsy, I encourage you to try it out by visiting my friend Whitney's shop!)




Because AV club, jazz band, and hanging with the exchange students was way cooler than anyone ever knew. Rock this cool design on a baby tee or one-piece. Knock the baby shower circle out of their cake-and-ice-cream coma with this crowd-pleasing gift.

Found at Baby Wit for $21.00.



I could probably surf the web and post more items to add to Cashew and String Bean's fashion extravaganza, but I'll leave it at these choice items. Chuckle with me at the thought!