Operation Try New Foods: Pummelo

My boys love to eat. LOVE it! They eat from the 4 basic food groups. Chicken Nuggets, Mac-N-Cheese, Pizza, and Junk. Well, maybe not that bad but still! They turn their little noses up at anything they aren't familiar with and it drives me crazy. At the same time, I know where they get it. I like food but I am very picky. I have gotten better lately but still have a ways to go. Charles is awful about trying anything new. He just refuses. That is why we are starting this new thing at our house. We are going to try new stuff. I am not sure how often we will be doing it but I thought it would be fun for everyone.

Our first round of trying new things was a pummelo. (or at least that is how it was spelled on the sticker)

Check out this for some more info on this fruit.

First, this thing is the size of Rogan's head. It was huge! Looked like a really big grapefruit. Not sure what to look for I followed the directions on the sticker. Big, heavy and yellow.

I cut this thing open and the inside was a whiteish pinky color. Kinda odd. It had a really thick rind and a thick skin between the segments. It took a lot longer than I thought to actually get it cut apart and and ready to eat. It tasted ok. Was sort of like a grapefruit but sweeter. Not as sweet as an orange though. I liked it and Parker LOVED it! He was singing some song about "Oh Pummelo". Charles thought it was really sour which I just don't get but I am glad he tried it. Braxton didn't really like it but he ate it and Rogan said it was too spicy so maybe too acidic?

Overall it was good but took way too long to get ready to eat. I like things to be a little simpler than that. And it was $2.99! There was plenty for everyone but I would rather buy a 3 lb. bag of tangerines for that price!

So, there it is. Not sure what we will get into next but I will let you know how it goes!

Thankful.

Lately I have sorta been in a slump. I feel like I am just fed up with the "everyday". The cleaning, the cooking, the laundry... And sadly this has shown up with my children as well. I haven't spent as much time with them as I normally do, we haven't done as many things together at home, and it just seems like I get frustrated every time they need me. I want nothing more than to change this! So it starts today. Vacation is upon us and while we have started that by time outs and sentence writing, I know that I am also partially to blame. So, here it is, just a post to remind me, and show a few of you, just how amazingly blessed I am.

For all of this:


I get this:


And for these:


I get this:


And I know people think I am crazy for spending so much time at the ball park but who can resist a kid who looks this good in a uniform?


I could watch him all day!


Or this guy in pads?!


And friends like these:


And while there is a LOT of this:


...this...


and way too much of this:


I know that no matter what we are a family. They are brothers despite it all and I know the bond will just get stronger with time.


They are my boys!


And just when I got comfortable with life, God gave me this:


And they really are worth it!

Thanks for listening! :)

Dear Daniel,

Do you remember school lunches? They were awful. You always had some amazing looking sandwich. I think your grandmother kept more types of meat and bread stocked than any grocery store. I loved the days she would make mine too! You could tell she absolutely adored you. I miss her and her sweet little German accent. I hope your grandparents are doing well.
Remember the Lundy boy that you punched at CHURCH?! HA! I have never seen old people go so crazy. In remember Marty. Poor guy tried so hard to get us teenagers to listen. His son goes to the same school as mine now so I still see them around here and there. I go to church dinners still. I loved those dinners. And all the singing. You, me, Jenna, David, Ryan. It was fun and I am so thankful for those years.
Just wanted to let you know. I can't believe it is coming up on 3 years. You are still loved and still incredibly missed.

Remember this one?

"Troubles will soon be o’er, happy forever more, When we meet on that shore, free from all care.
Rising up in the sky, telling this world goodbye,
Homeward we then will fly, glory to share.


Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon,
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound.
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the sky,
Going where no one dies, Heavenward bound!"

See you soon.
RIP Daniel McCall

All my love,

Tarah

U-G-L-Y You ain't got no alibi.

Oh my poor, neglected blog....

Anyway....

I was hanging out with Park the other day, like most days, and he kept messing with my feet. Ugh. Things went something like this:

Me: PARKER! Stop messing with mommas ugly toes!
Parker: You stop messing with my ugy toes!
Me: Parker there is not an ugly thing on that little body of yours.
Parker: Uh huh, I got some ugy toes.

Now this was all cute and funny but it's times like these when my heart breaks a little.

Reason #1. I am his mom. I think he is perfect. Every bump or scrape. All of his fingers and toes, eyes and ears, mouth and nose. His personality, his sense of humor. Everything. I do not want my awful self esteem to rub off on him and I want him to see the amazing(ness) of him!

Reason #2. For me this was one of those moments I forget way too quickly!!! God so clearly saying that I am perfect. Well, I may not be perfect, I make mistakes, but in His eyes I am His perfect creation. All the things I complain about, old scars, freckles, a ginormous birth mark. Those are there because God himself put them there. Who am I really to say that my feet are ugly? Why can't I see the amazing(ness) in me?

God, please help me to see what you see in me! And also, help me to see it in others!

That's all. :)

Girl Meets Grill

I read a few stories about a friends experience with grilling today and while hers was much more entertaining I still thought I would share mine.

Grill, 1: Tarah, 0

I am not a culinary whiz. I can cook, I really like cooking. I make some pretty decent stuff here and there. We just recently got a grill and I was excited to try out this new method of cooking. I read a little about grilling online a little and I have seen it done so I figured I could handle something simple.

I asked the mother in law to come over and help out and eat my amazing creations. I knew dinner would be great that night. I could picture it in my head from the prepping to the grilling to the eating. Chicken, corn and potatoes. Got it.

I start by getting everything ready inside. I have my platter ready, the chicken has been marinated, veggies have been wrapped in foil, we are ready to go. I hook up the tank (I at least had the sense to know that charcoal would be far beyond my outdoor cooking capabilities), turn on the grill and get ready to cook. I wait until the grill is slightly hotter than the surface of the sun and put the potatoes on first. They have to cook the longest. After a while I go and turn them and add the corn and chicken. So far, so good.

I come inside, timing the chicken, to get some more utensils. The raw chicken, cooked chicken, do not contaminate lectures are running through my brain. I go out side to check on the food and WOW! That chicken is crisp. By crisp I mean REALLY crisp. and black. I still have this under control. I turn down the crematorium hoping to avoid "crisping" the other side of the chicken. I run inside for...who knows what and go back out to check on my food and WOW! That chicken is on fire! Seriously on fire!

At this point, between getting food on the grill and then back off of the grill, I have used about 5 pans or platters or plates and just about every utensil that was clean. Here I am holding a pair of tongs as long as my arm trying to get a flaming chicken breast off of a grill that is putting off so much heat I can almost hear my skin start to sizzle. I grab the chicken with these tongs and wave it around in the air desperately trying to extinguish the flame. That doesn't work. I can only imagine what my MIL was thinking if she were to look out the window and see me blowing out that piece of chicken like a birthday candle.

Dinner was slightly edible. I cut up the pieces that didn't disintegrate and that was that. Since then I have yet to try again. Fortunately Charles has taken over as grill master in our house. He has spent time researching and finding recipes. I guess it makes him feel accomplished. I have never seen him turn on the stove, I don't think he even knows how, but he has been amazing on the grill. He has been disappointed on the weekends that he hasn't been able to try something new. I know it's just a grill but being able to hang out at the house with the kids and the moms the past few weekends makes you realize how important family is. I wouldn't trade days like that for anything!

Mind Your Own Business!

OK. Let me start by saying I TRY to be a nice person. Really. Some of you are already laughing. I am not naturally a nice person. If you knew me in high school or even just a few years ago you may have seen this side of me. I genuinely try very hard to be nice to people, all people. But, people make it very hard. It's like they taunt me.

Example 1:
I'm sitting in church with a friend who is holding my new baby. I ran out of the house that morning completely forgetting her blanket and it's slightly chilly in church. Not a big deal though, she is being held all snug and isn't bothered at all by the frigid temperatures. As church is dismissed a lovely family stops to see the baby and ask all the usual questions. Then, obviously being far superior parents and seeing my lack of competence in caring for a newborn, they ask why she doesn't have a blanket.

"Well, ma'am, I was in a hurry getting here this morning and forgot to grab it on the way out the door."

She then proceeds to tell me that I should have brought her one and that the sanctuary was much to cold for her. Maybe I should go to the nursery and see if they had one I could use. See her feet? They are just purple she is so cold.

I stopped responding at that point. I probably shouldn't even admit what I was thinking at that point.

Example 2:
Standing in a group, again discussing the new baby, comments were made about how much hair she has. My comment was just that I really hope it stays and doesn't fall out. Ms. Optimism decides to chime in and says... Don't worry it will fall out, then you will just have to wait for it to grow back in.

I am pretty sure I wasn't asking for opinions but thanks for making me hear yours.

Example 3:
I am at the beach. Yes, I take my 6 week old to the beach. She was only 3 weeks old the first time she went. Anyway, here we are, baby is 6 weeks old at the beach. I bring her chair and an umbrella. She stays in the shade and someone is always with her and there is a good breeze so she really isn't getting too hot. Toward the end of our time at the beach she starts to get a little fussy so I pick her up and carry her down to the water with me to help round up the boys.

And here she comes. The all knowing woman. They really do have that "look". You can see them coming and you just know they are going to tell you how to take care of your child. They are everywhere! Church, Wal-Mart, grocery stores, and even the beach. Now don't get me wrong, I am all open for advice, suggestions, help, or even criticism. It's really how you approach the subject that aggravates me more than anything. Our conversations goes just a little like this:

Lady: Is she yours?
Me: Yes ma'am. Her and those three little boys.
Lady: How old is she?
Me: Almost 7 weeks. (I was trying to make her sound older because I knew it was coming...)
Lady: Oh. What's on her face? It's a rash, don't you think it is being caused by the heat?
Me: No ma'am, it's baby acne and it is caused by hormones. She had it before we came out here and it should clear up in the next few weeks.
Lady: Well, how old are you?

**Are you kidding me?! You aren't my mom! What if I am 16?! Who does that? Who asks someone how old they are like that? RUDE!**

Me: Ma'am I'm 28.
Lady: Oh. Well, you need to take that baby to the shade. She doesn't need to be in the sun because her skin will burn.

And this is where I stop responding.

I'm sorry but I really just don't understand why perfect strangers feel it's ok to walk up to you and tell you how to take care of your child. I feel I handled these situations really well. A couple of years ago I would have said everything running through my mind at the time. I still say a lot of the things on my mind and if I have offended anyone I apologize. Well, sorta, if it needed to be said and you got offended then I kinda don't feel bad but that just goes back to the 'I'm really not a nice person' statement.

Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This

It started so well. As well as I could have hoped for considering I had to get all the kids up and dressed, dropped off at school and then be back to Braxton's school by 8:15 for a presentation. Charles had to help out some and Ryleigh could have used another feeding but all in all I was rather impressed with myself. We arrived at the school and made it to our seats and through the whole presentation with no melt downs. We strolled around afterward and dropped off paperwork as well as visited some classes. I had such confidence with my 2 small children that I made the assumption the other 2 errands would be a breeze and we would be eating lunch at home in no time.

HA!

Stop 1: The DMV. While I never expected this to be easy, I did plan on going during a slow time and brought along things to occupy Parker while we waited. I just needed to renew my license which has been expired for about 3 months. Little did I know I would need every form of legal documentation I have ever owned. Ok, I can still do this. We will just swing over to the mother in laws house and get my marriage license, no big deal. So here I sit in her driveway when I realized I don't have a key. But Charles says a key on his works so I try them...all...nothing. I climb the privacy fence and get the same luck on the back doors.

Home I go. I search and search for my key to her house but cannot seem to find it. I do find her spare set of keys that she keeps over here so I head back. We try the front, scale the fence again, and try the back. No luck. She says I may be able to get in a window to the garage where her dogs stay so after prying the screen off the window and being nearly attacked by a wasp whose home I had just relocated I manage to get in. Now if only life were that simple. The door going from the garage to the house is locked and all 5 of my keys are useless.

Trip 3. I go home AGAIN. I dig and dig and dig and finally find a key that isn't MY key but it's all that is left. Make it BACK to her house try again and we are FINALLY in! At this point I have Parker, Ryleigh (who is hungry again) and Rogan. I get all my paperwork together and off we go. We get there around 11:30 which isn't too bad but having seen it earlier I knew there would be a wait.

I was so proud of the boys! They actually sat and played for a few minutes. I fed Ryleigh half of her lunch and then it was our turn. I managed to answer a million questions, do an eye exam and take a picture with the boys hanging on my legs. Then we realized I had left one of my proofs of address in the car. Great. While rounding them all up Parker jumped on a bulletin board on wheels right over my foot. So now my limping and bleeding self is hauling us all out to the car for a water bill. Really?! You have my old license, my birth certificate, social security card, marriage license, and car registration. Do you really need a water bill?

That done we get to move to the computers and take a road signs test. 2 year olds and touch screens should never be put in the same area. There were a lot of "NO"s and "DONT TOUCH THAT" and other threats involved but I managed to pass. We go back to gather up all our paperwork and Paker decided he was done and sprinted out the front door and into the parking lot. I yell for poor Rogan to stay inside by his sister and some nice lady helps me chase down Parker. Now I must head all the way to the other side of the room thoroughly embarrassed and wanting to choke my child, within the limits of the law of course.

We head to the 2nd waiting room to pay and get the license. Boys are good, Ryleigh is screaming. As I am paying the man Parker AGAIN decides to sprint out the door and into the other parking lot. Now here I am, wallet all over this mans counter, and I am running after him while holding a 3 week old. I then pin him to the counter with my leg until I can get a firm grip on him to leave.

Good times.

So much for my plans to go home and eat. I am really trying to save money. But today we ended up at Taco Bell (so healthy) and I bought them cheesy roll-ups and a sprite. They ate, well, more like shredded their food in the back of the car while I fed Ryleigh. While she was eating she also felt the need to fill her pants. I mean fill. This was our first blow out. Of course it happened in a Gymboree outfit, in the car, in a Taco Bell parking lot.

But, we are home now. Kids are playing in the sprinkler, Ryleigh is napping, and I am having a couple minutes of nothing before all my evening chores start again. Not all days are like this. If they were I really would have stopped at 1. Everyday is an adventure though! Let's hope tomorrow's adventure is a little less adventurous!