Big News

I alluded to something in yesterday's post regarding new things unfolding. Well, having never been one who could wait for a finished product I'm going to let you in on the secret.

Remember me mentioning I've been receiving lots of messages, emails, and comments regarding canning and home preserving? My dear, sweet, hubby has been talking to me and has finally convinced me to launch a web site doing just that. He also wants me to begin teaching classes and selling wares, but, baby steps. Baby steps.

The site will give tips, how tos, recipes, as well as my own experiences, failures or successes. I do not claim to be an expert. But, I will gladly share what I do know with those who are interested in learning the noble and satisfying art of food preservation. I will also gladly accept any advice from those willing to help me expand my knowledge.

So, please visit my site at canningconfessions.com. I would greatly appreciate your support. And, comments are always welcome! Let me hear from each and everyone of you.

P.S.

I just launched the site last night. It's in the infant stage and will be undergoing drastic....errr well, it's just going to be growing. So, check back daily to see what's new. You'll be able to follow on Facebook as well. Thanks :)

Pineapple Paradise

Thank the heavens! The natives were not nearly as restless today as they were yesterday. And, since I was not constantly having to play referee I was afforded ample time in the kitchen to make eight quarter pints of pineapple jam that actually set! There was some cause for concern at first. You see, after the great "peach butter scorching"incident of '10 I'm always weary of leaving my product on the flames too long. But, after giving it a good sample this evening I can assure you that is indeed "set".

I also made six half pints of strawberry-pineapple conserves with walnuts and golden raisins. I wanted to add a strawberry liquore to it, but that would have required the great hassle of loading up children and making a run to the store. It's still a decadent dessert topper even without the liquore. I can hardly wait to smother a pound cake or cheesecake in it!

There was also four half pints of pineapple and Chinese five spice marinade that will be perfect on pork. And, since I had more pineapple than I had empty jars on hand I made up a batch of a tropical freezer jam that included strawberries, mandarin oranges, banana, and of course, pineapple.

I'm too pooped to give up recipes at the moment, but check back. There are new things happening that hopefully will be unfolding soon.

On The Road....Again

Has it really been four months since my last post? Wow. That's bad, even for me. But, I've got good reasons.....wait for it....You see, we moved. Again.

I know. I know. It's ridiculous the amount of moving we've done in the past two years. When we were dating Hubby informed me that he was somewhat nomadic. I suppose I should have paid more attention.

So, where are we now, you ask? Texas. That's right. We've landed smack dab in the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Dallas. Well, Frisco to be more exact. Oh, and get this. My neighbor across my alley is named J.R. Sadly, his last name is not Ewing.

Hubby finally found an "out" from the restaurant world and jumped on it like a duck on a june bug. He's now working for a software company. We see more of him now than I think we have collectively over the past few years. And, he really likes his job.

Firstborn just turned four a few weeks back. And Secondborn will turn two exactly a month from today. They've both had the normal transition issues, but seem to really enjoy it here.

I'm taking longer to adjust, but that's quite normal. Change has never been a great friend of mine, but that's something I'm working at, well, changing.

It helps to have something to keep my mind off my homesickness. And, it just so happens that it's that time of year again when I can focus on my canning and preserving. Last week I canned 10 cans of chicken stock, seven half pints of strawberry-lemon marmalade, five half pints of freezer strawberry-banana jam, and six half pints of strawberry jam. I've also cooked and froze nearly 10 cups of shredded chicken.

I spent a good portion of this morning cleaning, coring, and chopping pineapples to be used in pineapple jam, pineapple-strawberry conserves, and pineapple and Chinese five spice jam/marinade. The natives were fairly restless this morning and not nearly obliging as they were last week when their behavior allowed me so much uninterrupted time for my obsession.

I've had several requests and more than a few emails/Facebook messages to detail what I'm doing and include recipes. So, it seems this blog will be taking an interesting turn over the course of this summer. I hope you don't mind. In fact, I rather hope you like it. And, if you do like it, pass it on!

Should Be Sleeping

I should be sleeping, but I'm not. Instead, I'm sitting in the kids' bedroom holding Firstborn's hand as he sleeps. This is the most memorable part of my day.

If you look back almost exactly a year ago on this blog you'll notice that what I'm about to say and what I've already said are quite parallel. Basically, it's the same story, we moved, life happens, and everybody gets sicks.

But, this time it feels like everybody is staying sick. Oh, one might recover from whatever ailment it is plaguing them, but rest assured by next week it's mutated into something completely different and is being passed around like the latest comic book. Within the past three weeks both Firstborn and Secondborn have had strep throat. This was followed by a serious bout with RSV for the latter.

At first, she was on breathing treatments every four hours round the clock along with some talk of a stay in the hospital. I slept on the floor of their room for several days to be able to give the round the clock treatments. But I'm relieved to report that she's doing much better and we've been able to let up on the breathing treatments somewhat.

Because of the sickness we've all been at home much more than we'd like. A severe case of the Island Happy has set in and we're all a bit wound tight. Fortunately, Firstborn has been able to rejoin his preschool class twice a week. Yet, I fear that's not enough.

He's held my complete attention for for such a great length of time that he's taken issue with the lack I've been able to give him of late. You see, Secondborn wishes me to die an early death. I can think of no other way to sum it up. I've spoke of how she is the daytime to his night. I've described how completely opposite of one another they are. And, yet, they are so much like their gendered parent, it's unbelievable.

Not only does the boy look identical to his father's baby and childhood pictures, but the girl to mine. And, it isn't just limited to looks. Their personalities seem to mirror those of each respected, as well.

Firstborn is reserved, bashful, if you will. Once you engage him, and often it takes a great deal of coaxing, he has the time of his short lived life. Secondborn knows no fear. To say she is spirited and independent is somewhat the understatement. They truly are the equivalent of each of us in a most frightening and unusual way.

All that being said, I'm having to give Secondborn a great deal more attention than I ever did Firstborn at this age. In fact, it's almost impossible to take my eyes off her for fear of finding her running up and down the length of the formal dining room table......again. Or, climbing the floor to ceiling blinds as she did in our old house.....before she could walk.

Firstborn has had a difficult transition with this move. He's had a difficult time with the lack of attention I'm able to give him at this point. And, quite frankly, I'm having a difficult time with him.

He's not being a bad child. He's being a three and a half year old who's having trouble adjusting to many new things in his ever changing environment. It's me that seems to behaving as a bad child. I'm ashamed of how much alone time I've been craving. I'm ashamed of how overwhelmed I've become by his constant need for attention, my approval, my...my...my love.

And, it's when I finally have a moment of clarity when Secondborn isn't trying to scale the washing machine by way of whatever's at hand, that I realize how much his happiness depends upon my loving approval.

He's had it all along. For so long. And, then when I get bogged down with the reality of sick children, sick family, moving, settling in, but not really settling in because we're only here temporarily, insomnia like I've never experienced before, and a child who is hell bent on scaling Mt. Everest by age thirteen, I get lost. I get lost in the roar of the immediate and I can't hear the pleas of my dearest, darling, boy, "Mommy, watch me! Watch me!"

What shakes me to my core is looking back to one of the most beautiful faces I'll ever know with utmost attention and a little hand rubbing my arm saying, "It gonna be okay, Mommy. You're my best friend and I love you de whole day wong, ebry day."

How did I get this far from centered? I don't know. How do I get centered again? And, by that I mean, how do I get back to enjoying absolutely every waking and, not just the sleeping moments of my children?

I miss having fun with my children. I mean, really enjoying each moment with them. I know as I type these words there will be at least twelve mothers out there saying to themselves, "Enjoy these days, because they go by much too fast."

I know these days are limited and precious. And, I can see brighter days ahead. I know they are there. How can there not be brighter days ahead with a best friend like Firstborn? But, tell me, how can I be so blind to them right now?

The Natives Are Restless

There is a great battle that will likely never be mentioned in any history book you pick up. But, a great battle it is. The natives in this battle wage a warfare that is calculating and decisive. Their spirits are brave. Their willingness to face the enemy day after day is overwhelming.

For the record, I'm the enemy. Each and every afternoon I face the battle of nap time. Firstborn is hit or miss with there being any actual sleep during his nap time. But, I still demand he lay quietly and rest. His quiet time is just as much for me as it is him.

Secondborn is in the process of transitioning down to one nap a day now. She always sleeps for several hours. The trouble I'm having with her is trying to push her nap time back so she won't be so cranky and tired late in the afternoon.

But, the battle lies in the fact that they share a room. I wanted them to share a room for a few years so they would be close. It seems I got what I wanted. When they go to bed at night there are the expected bed time stallings, but they usually quieten down fairly quickly now. But, for some reason they just can't seem to nap together.

The past week of battling has left me weary and ragged. However, I changed my plan of attack this afternoon. I moved Firstborn to the den couch. Within fifteen minutes he had waved the truce flag and passed out cold.

Secondborn waged a much more impressive and impassioned warfare. Yet, half an hour later upon realizing her resources were much depleted she too waved that white flag of surrender.

The restless natives were finally soothed into submission and I won victorious! At least until tomorrow's battle.

A New Sheriff In Town

I just swatted my son. He rubbed his hiney, scowled, and finally did what I've been asking, begging, pleading, demanding of him. I don't even remember what it was now. But it's been that way between the two of us all day long. I don't mean the swatting, or spanking as some call it, although the incident I'm referring to was a definite swat as opposed to spanking. I mean he and I've been dancing this same dance over and over and over..... Well, you get the point. Anyway, that got me to thinking.

I've always tried to reserve swatting for attention grabbing situations. Say, one of the babes was just having a melt down and all other attempts to get through to the distraught babe had failed, then a swift swat to the hiney would be in order. You know what I mean, a swat of just enough magnitude to get through to them in order to employ other means of distraction or discipline.

Before I go any further, because I can only imagine the kind of email I'm going to receive regarding this topic, I don't judge on how you want to raise your child. He/she is your child and it's your place to decide how best to do that. Not mine. Again, I don't judge. It didn't take me very long into parenthood to realize all those preconceived, parental guidance handbook, warm and fuzzy prenatal intentions aren't always practical. I've learned that it takes a wide and wild mix of creative efforts in order to get the point across and the babe back in line.

Most often I stick to time outs by way of counting. It's kind of a 1-2-3 strikes and you're out sort of deal. It's great for "stop behaviors". When practiced consistently it's great for stopping whatever it is you want stopped. I'm learning that for "start behaviors" it's less effective. I find myself resorting to exhortion more than not when I want Firstborn to "start" something. I really dislike this and am open to suggestions if you've got any.

Oh, and when I say most often I stick to time outs, I mean before we moved. With all the chaos of back and forth trips to Alabama before our move, packing, parenting, and the move itself I became lax. I became inconsistent. I became ineffective.

To make matters worse Hubbs is working even crazier hours than his prior job. He's finally back in town from training, but we only see him a few minutes each day. No joke, just a few minutes. Firstborn is having an extremely difficult time with this. Every fourth sentence out of his mouth is, "I miss Daddy".

You've got a mommy with a splitting headache at the end of a long, long day and you mix in a three year old boy displaying all behaviors from acting out for attention, the chaos of a move, and inconsistent discipline and my friends, you've got yourself a recipe for disaster.

Okay, maybe not a disaster, but it certainly wasn't my best moment. And I could see it in his eyes. Everything about that look said, "Who are you and what have you done with my Mommy."

Arguably, I could have given him a similar look.

He and I've become lost in all, well, frankly, all of "this". It's time I got back on track. And that's my aim. Know this kid. Tomorrow, I'm bringing my "A game". I'm buckling down and bringing a new sheriff to town. There'll be counting and time outs the likes of which he's never seen. Firstborn won't know what hit him. And, this time it won't be me.

Wait. What's tomorrow? That's right! Hubby's off tomorrow! Heck, they're all his while I'm off to the market and the rest of my mommy errands. Guess tomorrow's your lucky day, cowboy!

Letters To Santa

We've moved to a small town where the local newspaper still reserves a section during the holidays to print letters to Santa Claus. I took it upon myself to write on behalf of my children and thought I would share it with you.

The letter from Firstborn is as follows:

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good boy with only a few minor infractions. If you receive any letters stating otherwise please disregard them. It seems that no matter how hard one tries to be good there will always be someone to dispute your claims.

The following is a short list of suggestions of what I would like for Christmas. Of course, I'm always open to suggestions and surprises.

a little boy friendly digital camera

firetruck

Take and Play Thomas of Misty Island

a rather large giraffe

a puppy dog Pillow Pet just like my cousin's

games

books, lots and lots of books, please

three new flashlights

a fast racing car with horns on it

Santa, please don't forget about my little sister, Secondborn. Ordinarily I wouldn't care if she got presents or not, but if you don't bring her anything then she's just gonna want to play with my things.

With as much love, goodness, and honesty a three year old boy's heart can bear,

Firstborn

And the letter from Secondborn:

Dear Santa Claus,

Forgive me for what I'm about to say. I've not always been what you might call a good little girl.

Sometimes I've been a naughty little girl.

However, I maintain that I was only doing what comes naturally to a highly spirited and independent girl.

If you're willing to overlook my scaling the living room blinds, continually emptying my dresser drawers of all contents, a bit of indoor gardening, and other minor incidents, please give my Christmas list some consideration. Please keep in mind that my frank honesty should warrant at least a few presents under the tree.

a camera

stuffed llama

dollie

a chair just my size

Weeble Wobbles

lots and lots of books

And, Santa, I'm convinced my older brother is to blame for much of my behavior. Just ask the elves who've been assigned to keep an eye on us. They'll tell you the real story.

Hugs and sticky kisses,

Secondborn