Fashion Donts?

September is the peak month for my marathon training, so it seems like I'm always waiting to run, or have just finished a run.  As a result, all I ever really wear is running clothes, and the other day I decided to make an effort to wear something a regular person would wear, since I had a day off from running to rest my tired legs.  The minute I walked in to wake up the twins, Cort sat up in bed all alert.

"Mom, are those....boots?!"

"Yes, Cort, they're boots."

"Mom, I want to wear boots!"

"Mom, I want to wear boots, too!" - this from Reid.

"Okay, you guys, let's just get dressed for school," I said.

"Mom?  Are your pants....yellow?" asks Cort.

"Yes, Cort, they're yellow."

Reid wanders over and reaches out to hesitantly touch my yellow leggings, "Mom, what's this?"

"Leggings, Reid, they're leggings.  Let's get dressed you guys!"

"Mom.  Yellow pants are silly!"  - from Cort.

"Yeah, Mom, he has a point.  Yellow pants are kind of silly." - this, from my husband, who is walking by on his way to Pierce's room.

Sheesh you guys!  I make an effort for once but I guess they prefer me as I am - sweaty running clothes and all.

Maybe the yellow leggings really were a bad fashion call?  What do you think?

Mom, I Found Some Cactuses! Rural Thursday

Last weekend our neighbors were out of town, so I stopped by to check on their sweet lamb and make sure he had plenty of water and the fence was still on.  Pierce came along with me.

 While I was busy checking Jacob the Lamb's water, Pierce yelled, "Mom, I found some cactuses!"  I came over to investigate. 

 After explaining the plural of cactus, I told Pierce about how my grandparents had a chesnut tree in their front yard when I was little.  I showed him how to find the chesnut inside all the prickliness.

 We took a few back home, so that Pierce and his brothers could try them.  I told them about the tradition of roasting chesnuts during the holidays.  These had a few worms, so we had to work around that.  But Pierce really enjoyed getting to try his first chesnut.

It's Rural Thursday!  Time for you to link up your tales of the rural life with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself.  Please copy the code beneath the button and paste it into your blog post.  Then come back and link up your url in the linky.  Don't forget to visit and comment on the blogs of at least 5 other participants today! 

The Case of the Missing Hermit

You may remember that when we were at the beach we let Pierce use part of his spending money to purchase a small hermit crab with a yellow angry bird painted on her back.  Even though it has been well over a month, Pierce continues to take excellent care of the crab, whom he named Misty.  He takes her out daily, gives her special treats, and mists her with a special spray that she enjoys.  He tells her how much he loves her, and it's been quite endearing to watch.

In fact, we've only run into one small problem with Misty.  One Sunday morning we got up and Pierce wandered over to the table and said, "Hey Mom.  I forgot to put Misty up last night.  She was right here on the table!".  Uh oh.  Our hermit crab was on a great escapade!

Hermit crabs don't move very quickly, but ours is quite small, the size of a giant grape.  We all started looking around the house for her.  Couches were searched under, corners were peeked in, every little space a hermit crab could be holed up was examined.  We looked, and looked, and looked.

Finally, Misty was located in the corner by the stairs, on the other side of the room, under a bag of running gear that Paul had left out.  She didn't come to any harm during her tumble off the table, or wanderings about the house, which is good since we have two cats.  Hopefully, Pierce will be more attentive in the future to making sure that Misty is always in her cage before bedtime! 

I'm Back in the Saddle Again

For the past three years, I can count the number of times I've been able to ride my horses on one hand.  It's just been difficult with the twins so small.  When I had Paul around to watch the boys for a few minutes, I always chose running to fill that time.  But I've missed riding.  With Pierce returning to school, and the twins a little more reliable (as in, they can listen and follow the rules, when they choose to), it occured to me that I could ride the horses with the twins in the arena.  All I needed was a containment area.

So I built a corral in the arena - not for my horses - but for my twins!  It came complete with fun up and down ramps - just perfect for driving your trucks up and down while mom is riding her horse.

Phoenix checks out the twins.  I rescued Phoenix from an abusive situation when he was just 3 years old.  I was a sophomore in college in Texas.  I spent a lot of time teaching him to trust again.  Day after day of patient rehabilitation.  Now he's an old man by horse standards, but he's still my baby.  I don't know if he still remembers the horrors of his youth, but he knows his forever home is a safe haven. 

Phoenix and I watched the twins for a few minutes, and decided that they would stay out of trouble so we could ride. See that funny black looking thing in the middle?  That's part of Paul's homemade frisbee golf course, which goes all over our land.  I've never been able to play it though - I'm always watching the kids!  Go figure.  Well, hey, at least I'm riding now!  I'd rather ride than play frisbee golf any day!

Cort and Reid had such a great time in the arena, complete with their toy horses.  They didn't want to come in when we were done, even though it was lunchtime.  And yes, they are wearing pajamas.  Shhhh, don't tell anyone, okay?

Happy day!  I expect to have a lot more frequent riding adventures in the coming months! 

Early Bird Catches the Worm Bento on Muffin Tin Monday

Last week I taught Pierce about the meaning of the saying "the early bird catches the worm".  And then he found it represented in his lunch box.

Pierce had some cheese crackers in a spider muffin cup, an apple banana crusher (my parents brought these back for the boys from a recent trip to Trader Joes - the boys love them!), an open faced cheese bird sandwich, a gummy worm, and some roasted seaweed.  Yes, my boys (and I) enjoy the roasted seaweed as a snack.  Shocking!

For more fun lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

Chocolate Cherry Scones Recipe with Nectresse

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Do you know I got in trouble last week?  It's true.  Pierce was very upset that I hadn't made scones for his breakfast one morning!  The boy is obsessed.  I've been trying out different variations of scones for him, and so far he seems to love them all.
Since I don't like him to start off the day with a lot of sugar, I decided to create a recipe using NECTRESSE™Sweetener.  Have you heard of it?  Nectresse is the only 100% natural sweetener that's made from fruit - it comes from the monk fruit plant.  I thought I would get extra creative and try to come up with a recipe for chocolate scones using this sweetener - I've never made chocolate scones before but in theory they sound tasty.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix
1/4 cup cocoa
1 5 oz. package cherry craisins
1/3 cup milk
10 packets Nectresse Sweetener (about 2 tbsp.)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425*.  In large bowl mix baking mix, cocoa, craisins, milk, Nectresse, butter, and sugar.  Mix well until all ingredients are moistened and a soft dough forms.  Knead dough 8-10 times.  Roll dough out into a 9 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 8 wedges and place on baking sheet.  Bake 12-13 minutes.  Serve warm with butter.

I made these in the evening, so they'd be ready the next morning, but my boys were insistent on diving right in.  They loved these scones!  It's an easy breakfast for them to grab and go, and I love that it isn't all sugary.
You can try a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener - check it out for yourself!  Also, if you'd like to learn more, Lisa Ling is the spokesperson - she has a family history of diabetes and tries to be careful about her sugar intake.  Check out her video testimonial here -

 

Willie and Baxter Find a Home - Rural Thursday

I need to start off with a confession.  Remember that sweet little cat we tried to adopt last spring as a barn kitty?  Well, after her 3 week transition, we let her loose outside, and she ran away.  We never saw her again.  I felt really badly about this.  So after some time, we decided to try adopting from Barn Cat Buddies again, only this time we wanted to look for friendly cats, who could be enjoyed by the whole family and might become attached to us.  I emailed Diane from Barn Cat Buddies to let her know we were interested in trying again, so she could be on the lookout for some cats that might fit well with us.  Last week she took me to visit some, and the boys and I found two that we loved. 

The trip home proved to be quite interesting.  One of the cats, who we renamed Willie, completely freaked out in the carrier on the drive home.  He actually tore apart the carrier and busted out.  The boys were all "MOM!!!  Mom, he's getting out!!!"  I had to pull over and reassemble the carrier, and I moved Willie to the front seat so I could hold the carrier together, as it was now busted on one side.  Well he pushed and clawed and yowled.  Fur was flying out of the carrier, and claws were flying around too.  He was panting rapidly and then all the sudden he rolled onto his back, put all four feet up in the air, and closed his eyes.  I was all, "OMG, he's having a heart attack!"  I pulled over again, but then he jumped up and started clawing to get out again.  He tricked me!  I have never seen a cat act like this before!  We went through this routine one more time before getting home forty-five days minutes later.  My front seat was covered in claw sheddings and fur, and poor Willie had bloodied up several of his claws thoroughly.

Thankfully, Willie was just fine once he was out of the carrier and happily installed in the master bathroom.  And Baxter did just fine the whole way - he seems very laid back and has even been sleeping with me at night.  This is Pierce with Baxter.  He seems to love all three boys already, and relishes the attention they give him.

And this is the crazy Willie, who is also very affectionate with the boys, and extra playful - he loves when the boys toss his ball and enjoys giving chase.  Word is that he is a very efficient mouser, so after his transition I'll be eagerly awaiting my first gift of death on my doormat.  Better Willie catch the mice before they climb into my minivan, right?

We're already attached to these two cats and they already seem to be a great fit for our family.  I'm so excited that we found such sweet kitties!  If you're in the Roanoke region and are looking for a cat, definitely check out Barn Cat Buddies - they are a great resource for rehoming cats and kittens in this area. 

It's Rural Thursday, so time to link up with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself with your blog posts relating to the rural life!  Just grab the code below the button and paste it into your post.  Then come back and add your url to the linky.  Please be sure to visit and comment on the blogs of at least 5 other participants!  Looking forward to reading your posts today! 

Sir Pierce, Medieval Knight

Sir Pierce has a busy job.  Kindergartner by day, Knight by night.  Sometimes, it seems that the moment he gets home from school, there is a damsel in distress.  Every good rescuer needs a few medieval knight costumes in the closet, and Sir Pierce is no exception.

 With no time to waste, Pierce is storming the castle!  Neither dragon nor moat nor flaming cannons can stop him!

This is supposed to be Pierce's mean face.  Please don't tell him his mean face is kind of cute and dashing.  It might hurt his feelings. 

We were sent this most excellent Armor for Knights costume to review for Wholesale Halloween Costumes.  It came in a splendid garment bag, for easy storage throughout the year.  As Pierce put this on, he kept saying, "WOW, This is so cool!"

Pierce declared the costume very comfortable.  You can see by the pictures that it is easy for even the most active of little boys to wear around - it will not slow your child down!  That makes it a great costume for parties or school.  Also, it's the type of costume you could put layers on underneath for trick or treating, if it's extremely cold outside.  We ordered a size small, and it fits quite well.  Pierce is so excited to wear this for Halloween 2012!  Readers, do you have costumes planned already for Halloween? 

Disclaimer:  We were sent this medieval knight costume by Wholesale Halloween Costumes for review purposes.  The opinions stated above are my own.  The costume does not come with a sword - it may be purchased seperately. 

Are You His Mother?

It was the second day of preschool for the twins, and as we walked in the door we came upon a toddler, trying to run out.   I stopped him, looking around for a mother.  As an influx of people came through the doors, I kept hoping someone would claim the little guy, who had started to cry, "I WANT MY MOM!"  But everyone else just shook their head no when I asked and kept moving.  It occured to me that perhaps he had already been dropped off and had somehow escaped the classroom and was trying to run after his mom.  I knew I couldn't let him out the doors, where he could run into traffic or truly become lost.

I tried to hold his hand, hoping to lead him up to the classrooms so we could figure out where he was supposed to be.  But he began crying in earnest, intent on his desire to get out of the building, and flinging his body into the door.  The other parents walked on by, probably assuming that he was my child and just didn't want to go to school on the second day.  I'm always wary about intervening with someone else's child, but I didn't know what to do, as no parent had showed up to claim him.

Warily, I watched him throwing himself over and over at the door, like a wild horse intent upon escape.  I wasn't sure if I picked him up if he would kick or bite me, he was so deep into his tantrum at this point, but gingerly I put my hands beneath his arms and picked him up, soothing, "Come on, let's go find where you belong. I'm going to help you," and just like that, he wrapped his warm pudgy hands tightly around my neck and put his head on my shoulder, silent and trusting. 

I walked around the corner (the twins following nicely, alarmed by the little guy's tantrum) and found the twins' teacher, who quickly was able to locate the mother, who had come in a different entrance.  Turns out the little guy had run off from her, and she had her hands full trying to bring in her infant twins in a stroller, and her 4 year old.  She looked exhausted and frustrated, and my heart went out to her.

This whole experience reminded not to forget a basic universal motherhood truth.  Sometimes, when things are totally out of your hands and you feel like screaming and throwing yourself against the wall, all you really need is a hug from someone who cares. 

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Creepy Crawly Breakfast on Muffin Tin Monday

Do you know what September is?  It's the month of creepy crawlies.  Trying to get into my car (yes, the mice are back) and into my house (wolf spiders...shudder!) and into my compost bin (very large brown larvae - is this bad?).  And let us not forget, the most dreaded of all, those stinkin' stinkbugs!  All these creepy crawlies were on my mind when I made breakfast for the boys the other day. 

This was Cort's plate.  He had honeydew melon (which I bought on the side of the road from a produce stand), turkey sausage, and house shaped french toast on homemade bread with syrup.  He liked it and ate every bite, in spite of the creepy crawlies.  I, on the other hand, just can't stop thinking about The World's Largest Wolf Spider that is residing in the bush just outside our front door.  His web is taking over the region, and the only thing saving him right now is my deep hope that he likes to eat stinkbugs....

For more Muffin Tin Monday ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom. 

Clif Kid ZFruit Ropes Giveaway!

I've been eating products made by Clif for years now.  Originally I started eating them because of my running - I enjoyed the Clif Shot Gels on my long runs.  Then I found Luna bars, and I really loved the chocolate peppermint stick and the lemon zest bars.  Next thing I knew, they came out with Clif Kid products, and I was excited to try them with Pierce (the twins weren't born yet).  I love that their snacks are portable, nutritious, and organic.  And on top of that, they taste amazing! 

Clif Kid sent us some ZFruit Ropes for the boys to try.  They've had them before, but have never had a chance to try every flavor.  They were excited to pick from the assortment.

 Each fruit rope contains one serving of real fruit, and is gluten free.  The boys gravitated toward the red colored fruit ropes first. 

Pierce said, "YUM! It tastes like strawberries!"
Reid said, "It's pink and I like it and stuff!"
Cort said, "I ate it all gone!  And I liked it!"

There you have it.  100% approval of the Clif ZFruit ropes in our house!  Want to win some for your own family?  Clif Kid has been generous enough to offer to send an assortment of 12 ZFruit to one lucky winner!  Click on "Read More" below my signature to enter!

Disclaimer:  I was provided with an assortment of Clif ZFruit for review purposes.  I was not compensated in any other way, and the opinions stated above are my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beet Haters Beware - Roasted Beets, Quinoa, and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe - Rural Thursday

I love beets.  We eat them quite frequently.  And inevitably, each time I have them on my blog on a Muffin Tin Monday, I get comment after comment from all you beet haters out there.  Whew, people really hate beets.  In fact, I feel a little sorry for the poor beet.  It's a wonderful veggie, one I'm quite fond of!  Of course, I don't discriminate - I pretty much love them all.

This summer, I've been making a very easy beet salad that is a hit with the entire family.  First, chop your beets and place them on a cookie sheet.  You'll want to chop about 4 medium/large beets.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.  Roast at 400* for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook a cup of quinoa.  Your yield should be 2 cups cooked.  When the beets are done, toss them with the quinoa.  Crumble 3 ounces of goat cheese in and toss gently.  Serve either warm or cold.  Delicious! 

Today is Rural Thursday, so by now you know what that means.  It's time to link up with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself.  We want to read your farm stories and see the signs of fall in your neck of the woods. Just grab the code beneath the button and paste it into your blog post.  Then come back to link up your post.  Please make sure to visit and comment on the blogs of at least 5 other participants.  It's your participation that makes Rural Thursdays so fun! 

The Twins Return to Preschool

Last week the twins had their first day of preschool.  They will be attending Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week, from 9-12.  They were so excited to start back in the 3s classroom this year.

Last year they cried during drop off for the first month or so, but this year there were no tears.  They were so excited after the end of their first day, and jabbered about all the fun they had the whole drive home.  Last year they couldn't converse so much.  It's amazing how much they grow from year to year. 

They have a really cool new classroom.  It has all these small rooms off the main room, and each cubby room has a theme to it.  There's a transportation room, a room with kitchen supplies, a reading room, etc.  I know they're going to have so much fun this year.  And I'll enjoy having free time again to get my runs in, especially now that it's too dark in the early mornings! 

Still Sheepish after all these years...

When Reid was six months old, I did a post called A Boy and His Sheep.  I have to say, that Reid is still just as cute as ever with his stuffed sheep.

As for Cort, he has his blankie.  Pierce is a little more fickle with his security items.  When he was 2 1/2, it was a small green squeaky frog.  Then when he was 3 1/2, a stuffed Baby Jaguar.  At 4 1/2, he switched to a small stuffed Mario.  You never know what it'll be next. 

How about you or your kids, reader?  Any special stuffed animals around?

Angry Birds Bento Lunch

Is it a bad sign if there's an angry bird in your lunch?  I suspect that you're okay, if you only have one angry bird, but if you had 3 or 4 it would definitely mean trouble.

How did I make it?  I made homemade bread in the bread machine and added plenty of red food coloring.  Then I used food scissors to cut out the shape.  The eyes are string cheese, the beak is American cheese, and the black details are cut from a sheet of seaweed.  In addition, Pierce had a homemade oatmeal chocolate chip pumpkin cookies, grapes, and pretzels. 

For more fun lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom. 

Spookley the Square Pumpkin

Fall is almost here, and I wanted to celebrate by doing a giveaway for one of our most beloved books! 

I've blogged before about how much we love Spookley.  Last year we made a Spookley the Square Pumpkin craft using an old tissue box.  It's been a while since I've done a giveaway of my own (last December!) so I'm giving away one brand new hardback copy of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, which comes with a fun cd of songs and the story.  In addition, I'm giving away a new plush Spookley the Square pumpkin friend.  You have to admit - he's a pretty cute little guy!  Perfect for your children or grandchildren to welcome in Fall and Halloween! 

So I'm keeping this simple.  To enter, you must be a follower on Google Friend Connect. Just leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about fall.  For a second entry, leave a second comment telling me you 'Like' Two Bears Farm on Facebook.  I'll pick a winner using Random.org in one week.  I'll ship wherever, so international followers, feel free to enter too!  Good luck!  Giveaway ends 9/14/12 at noon.  Winner must respond within 48 hours to be eligible.

Apple Season - Rural Thursday

It's apple season.  Thankfully, both of our trees have apples this year, which is a big improvement over last year.  It used to be that we'd do assembly line apple pies each fall.  But to tell the truth, I think we over did it a couple of years ago.  We made so many we never ate them all, and I'm not really so big on apple pie anymore.

This year, I think I'm going to do a lot of applesauce.  The thick, chunky type.  The boys love applesauce, and it'll store well.  We have an apple/peeler/corer deal, but our little green apples are small, black spotted, and wonky-shaped, so sometimes it seems more fruitful to use a sharp paring knife.

I don't know why, but whenever I'm peeling apples, I always feel connected to the women who farmed this land before me.  I wonder who planted the three apple trees (there used to be three, anyhow, until Paul overzealously trimmed one), and if they waited patiently to see if they would bear fruit.  I imagine apple pies trimmed out and baked, cooling on the old (now gone) wooden farmhouse windows in the fall.  Would the women who farmed this land before be pleased to see me here today, delicately peeling away the skin from the apples of the trees they planted, storing up food for my family come winter?  I imagine that - even if I'm not related by blood - they would be happy to see the apples continually appreciated after all these years.

It's Rural Thursday!  Time to link up with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself with your stories of the rural life.  Is Fall starting to show itself in your neck of the woods?  We want to hear all about it.  Just grab the code below the button and paste it into your blog.  Then come back and add your website to the linky.  Please remember to comment on the posts of at least 5 other participants.  Can't wait to see what you write today!

Last Day at the Beach

It seems that even when you have a full week of vacation, it passes so quickly.  Before we knew it, we were on the last day of our trip.  Can you believe it took me well over a month to publish all of my posts from Chincoteague?  We sure had a great time.  On our last day, we decided to start the morning with a run and the beach.

We did a 3.2 mile loop on Assateague called the Wildlife Loop.  It was pretty hot, even though we started before 8 am.  There wasn't a ton of shade, and I kind of wished we had done the Woodland Trail instead (I had run it a couple of days prior, and it had more shade).

 Still, it was pretty scenery for a run, and I enjoyed it.  I took it slow as my legs were tired from a run two nights prior.

 I don't know what these huge flowers are, but they were in bloom all over the marshland.  They came in both white and pink.  Gorgeous, aren't they?

 Paul pushed the twins in the double bob stroller while Pierce rode along on his bicycle.  Afterwards, we headed to the beach to rinse off and hit the waves.

 The boys were actually willing to give me lots of smiles for pictures on this particular morning, so I took advantage.

Paul liked getting out in the waves with his body board.  We've had this thing since we were just married and lived an hour from Galveston, in Houston.  We used to take the dogs to Galveston on weekends, and bought the body board then.  The waves there weren't much, but the waves on Assateague were perfect for it.

Look who FINALLY warmed up to the water:

And look who didn't.  Well, maybe next time Reid will feel more comfortable.  And he did have a great time playing in the sand.

As for this kid - he just couldn't get enough.  I'm not sure I've ever seen Pierce so joyful as he was playing in the waves, and driving his truck on the sand.  Seeing his enthusiasm made every moment at the beach so memorable.  I could've watched him rolling in the waves all day. 

What a vacation!  I hope that next time we don't have to wait 5 years before we get to enjoy a week away as a family.

Running Recap August 2012

I had a good month of running this August.  I ran one race, a 10K, which went alright.  I felt well during the race, but it was much slower than I'd hoped for.  It's a hilly race, and I hadn't done any track work in a few weeks, but I still should've run faster than I did.  I think mentally and physically my body is making that transition to more endurance running and away from the speed.  I still placed first in my age group though, and got a very nice plaque.

In other fun running news, my friend Lisa came to visit for a weekend, and she has taken up running.  She brought her chihuahua, Pudge, who came along for a 5 mile run.  As you might imagine, the twins were THRILLED to share their stroller with her.  We got some amused looks that day.

I decided to go ahead and register for a marathon in October.  So in August I focused on "base camp".  Which means consistent mileage each week, plus a 12 mile run on Sundays.  This resulted in a total mileage for the month of 125.

September will be my push for the top - each weekend I'll be increasing my long run by 2 miles until I reach a final long run of 20 miles.  After that, I'll be tapering for the race.  It's going to be a VERY hilly marathon, so I'll be doing a lot of my training on the Blue Ridge parkway, so I can adapt to hills, hills, hills.  I'm looking forward to cooler temps for my long runs!

Do you have any fall goals, readers?

Flat Stanley Bento on Muffin Tin Monday

Well, I'm back to packing lunches here.  Usually they aren't elaborate, but on this particular day I decided to pack a fun lunch for Pierce.  He likes the Flat Stanley books, so I decided to attempt to recreate Flat Stanley.  How do you think I did?  You can see what Flat Stanley looks like in the top corner picture on the book.

I was out of fresh fruit, because it was right before grocery store day, so I tossed in an applesauce packet, some carrots, and a bear biscuit to go with the Flat Stanley sandwich.  Flat Stanley was created from provolone and American cheeses on homemade whole wheat bread, raisins (eyes) and a piece of fruit roll up (mouth).

For more fun lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom.  Happy Labor Day!