I’m exhausted and about to go to sleep before 9pm, but I just wanted to share what we’ve been up to!

Yesterday was The Littlest Apple’s surgery for his g-tube.  Here he is in his hospital-issued jammies pre-surgery.

The surgery took about an hour, and everything went well.  He did freak out coming out of the anesthesia in the recovery room before we were called back to be with him, enough so that they put him back under for a little longer.  He had trouble coming out of the second round too, but luckily he fell back asleep and slept it off for the most part.

We watched LOTS of Curious George yesterday, and visited with my parents and in-laws.

The Littlest Apple was walking down the hall (still connected to an IV pole) the same evening as the surgery.

I stayed at the hospital last night and The Picky Apple went home.  We had a long night last night (I did, especially), with a middle of the night accident requiring a full bedding change, some tears about standing to go potty (because it was still hurting him to stand up, and he’s just normally stubborn about going), missing his daddy, and the usual nurse visits every 2-3 hours.  Also, the common area with a TV, refrigerators, microwave and ice machine is right outside our door!  Have I mentioned that I’m a light sleeper?

Our morning began bright and early around 6am (as usual for The Littlest Apple!) with no fewer than 5 doctor visits from various surgical residents and surgeons.

The Littlest Apple had a great day today, acting at times completely back to “normal.”  And by “normal” I mean pushing buttons he shouldn’t be, climbing on things, watching large construction cranes out the window.  His recovery has been truly amazing.  I was expecting him to be in more pain, but he’s doing great-hardly used any pain meds at all today!  We had visits from my parents and The Picky Apple’s parents again today which was a great distraction for The Littlest Apple.

Here he is using his Buzz Lightyear laser…he had great fun pointing it at all the nurses when they came in.  And the nurses were all good sports about it.

After being NPO since Sunday night, he finally got to have some water and clear liquids this morning.  They tested his new g-tube with some clear Pedialyte, and he ate a few popsicles today.  He’s been asking for “hot cocoa” since about 6am (no idea why that in particular!), but unfortunately for him he wasn’t given the “ok” to eat anything but clear liquids just yet.

Since he didn’t take a nap this afternoon, he crashed early this evening, around 6:30.  I am a little worried he’s going to decide to start his day at 4:30 in the morning as a result!  We’re using the g-tube with his regular formula (Compleat Pediatric) overnight tonight to see how he handles that.

I’m hoping that everything will go smoothly tonight and that we’ll be on our way home tomorrow afternoon!  It is already SO wonderful to be able to kiss The Littlest Apple’s cheeks again, and based on how quickly he’s bouncing back, I’d say we made the right decision going forward with this surgery.

My apologies to those of you waiting for responses from me!  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get caught up on all the comments and emails once we get home.  For now, I’d better sleep while I can!

The Picky Apple is now accepting sponsors!  This is something I’ve been considering for quite a few months, and with the growth my blog has experienced in the last couple months, I figured the timing couldn’t be better.  I’m looking for like-minded small (or large) businesses and organizations that share my passion for children’s arts and crafts, cooking and baking from scratch, crafting, home decorating, simplifying and organizing, and becoming the best mother I can be.  The Picky Apple is growing and evolving into something more wonderful than I ever imagined, and I’d love to have your business join me on this journey.

Here’s what you will receive as a sponsor of The Picky Apple:

• a sponsor welcome post
• 125×125 button with a link to your website
• a monthly feature on The Picky Apple
• mentions on The Picky Apple’s Facebook Fan Page
• and more!

For more information (including my blog statistics and pricing details), please email me at cara@thepickyapple.com.  Thank you!

This is my favorite craft to date.  And yes, I think I said that about the last wreath I made.  But I had SO MUCH fun working on this wreath (well, except for the spray adhesive on my hand…more on that momentarily).  This was tedious and time consuming, but what a labor of love!  I enjoyed every single second of this project.

I don’t normally decorate for Halloween.  I’ve got my Fall decorations-my pumpkins and apples and leaves-but I’m just not into Halloween.  Unlike most of our neighbors, who go ALL OUT for Halloween (with realistic things hanging in the trees, inflatables, tombstones, and a haunted house for the trick-or-treaters), I don’t like all the scary, creepy, ghoulish decorating, and I don’t really like dressing up either.  But when I saw the Happy Halloween Wreath that Jen from Tatertots and Jello (my craft-making hero!) made, I decided that maybe there was a way to decorate for Halloween in a happy, cute, fun way after all!  I owe Jen a million thanks for her amazing wreath idea and great photo tutorial.  I never would have thought of this on my own!  So this is my spin on a Happy Halloween Wreath.

I started by wrapping a 12″ foam wreath in wide ribbon (I used black), pinning it at first, and gluing it down as I went.  Do you really need to see what this step looks like?  Okay, here you go…

Now, let the ribbon cutting begin!  You’re going to need lots and LOTS and LOTS of ribbon.  I ran out of ribbon twice and had to go back for more.  HOW much should you buy?  Well, it depends.  (I know…so helpful!).  It depends on how thick you bunch the ribbons together, and it depends on whether or not you plan to completely cover the inside and outside of the wreath (instead of just the front).  I completely covered the outside of my wreath, so I needed a small truckload of ribbon.  I used at least 138 feet of ribbon.  Then I lost track.  Here are my ribbon tips:

• stick to a fairly tight color scheme.  mine was black, orange, purple lime green, and white
• use varying widths of ribbon.  I wish I had used more wide ribbon.
• Select 10-15 different ribbons.  I used 12, partly because when I ran out the first time, I could no longer locate the ribbons I picked the first time.  I had to mix in new patterns (and yes, my non-flexible self had to do some deep breathing when I first realized this).  But I LOVE the interest my 12 different ribbons add.
• avoid sheer ribbon unless you enjoy getting hot glue all over your fingers.  Lesson learned.

Here is my ribbon “line-up,” minus one. This was definitely a handy piece of paper to have when I had to run back to buy more ribbon.  I was clearly drawn to polka dots.  Guess what?  Polka dots make me happy.  So does that harlequin pattern.

Cut the ribbon into 4.5 inch strips.  I measured one every few minutes to use as a guide strip, but for the most part, I eyeballed it.  Mine probably range from 4 -6 inches.  But that’s okay.  We’ll call that “adding visual interest” instead of being sloppy, ok?

Now it’s time to create loops with the ribbon, leaving a little room (approx 1/4″) at the bottom, beneath the “seam.”  You can either sew these, as Jen from Tatertots and Jello did, or if you don’t have a sewing machine, you can hot glue them like I did.  I worked with 3 to 4 strips of ribbon at a time…that’s how fast I could glue then fold them down before the hot glue dried.  I just threw all of my loops in a big box as I went.

Think you’ve got enough?  You probably don’t.  Make MORE!

Time to start gluing your ribbon loops to the wreath form.  I worked on the front/top of the wreath first.  You need to separate the part of the ribbon below the “seam” you created.  That’s what you’ll be gluing down.  See what I mean in this not-so-great-photo below?

Just keep adding more loops to your wreath, placing them at random angles.  Shove them together as close as you can so your wreath will look nice and full.

Once you have the top of the wreath filled in, it’s time to work on the sides!  I was struggling with my method for the sides until The Picky Apple stepped in with his genius suggestion to layer the ribbons on the side, so the top of the loops are all still facing the front of the wreath (instead of poking off to the sides…).  Either way could work, but this is what I did.  See how they are all facing up toward the top of the wreath?

Yay!  What a beautiful ribbon wreath!  You could totally stop here.  (And I’ll admit that if I hadn’t already purchased my letters, I might have.)

But let’s add some pizazz!  Jen from Tatertots and Jello added a glittery “31” to hers, and I opted to add “BOO” to mine.  I have not yet mastered the art of applying glitter to things.  For my first coat, I used Mod Podge (which I pronounce and read as Modge Podge).  Once that dried, I wanted MORE glitter, so I added a coat of spray adhesive and more glitter.  Spray adhesive is wonderful, and did the trick.  But don’t get it on your hands….it doesn’t come off easily.  And if you’re playing with glitter too, then you’ll wind up like this…

(Those are my hands, not The Littlest Apple’s.  Remember how I said I had small hands?)  Now, how to get those letters stuck on the wreath?  Jen from Tatertots and Jello used some large wooden beads.  I bought some, but mine weren’t quite big enough.  Since I was getting antsy to just be finished, I got creative and shopped the house for a solution.

I covered some of The Littlest Apple’s blocks in ribbon, like this…

Then I hot glued the blocks to the wreath, then glued the glittery letters to the blocks.  I was going for an off-centered look, but that “O” on the right looks like he’s saying “Help!  I’m falling off the wreath!”  He’s not.  He’s glued on very securely.  Just a little crooked.

I LOVE my new wreath!  I’m already thinking about making another ribbon wreath for Christmas or Easter (or both!).  The possibilities and color combos for this type of wreath are ENDLESS!

I’m sharing this post with…

Last week I made The Littlest Apple some extra-special after-school snacks for his first week of preschool.  The Littlest Apple LOVES construction trucks, so when I saw this dump truck snack on Little Nummies, I knew it would make his day.

Here’s my version….

It’s certainly not as good as the one at Little Nummies (my bread was a strange size, my cheese ripped), but The Littlest Apple thought it was the neatest snack ever!

To make the Dump Track Snack, I used:

• 1 sliced of bread
• 1 slice of cheese
• a square of fruit rollup
• 1/2 of a grape
• 2 cookies
• dried blueberries (or fruit snacks, or chocolate chips…something small to fill up the dump truck!)

Full disclosure: Although The Littlest Apple thought this looked really neat, he only ate the cookie wheels and the dried blueberries.  But you know how picky my kid is!

After seeing the dump truck snack, The Littlest Apple said, “Can you make a cement mixer?!”

Well, The Littlest Apple and all other truck lovers are in luck!  Check out these other great truck snacks (and tons of other great snack ideas) at Little Nummies:

• Construction Cones
• Chugga Choo Choo
• Cement Truck

There has been so much blog buzz in the last year or so about The Hunger Games, a Young Adult series.  As usual, I’m slow to get on board with what’s hip and trendy.  I resisted reading Twilight (also labeled “Young Adult”) until last November!

I received The Hunger Games for my birthday, and once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down.  And as soon I as I finished The Hunger Games, I ran out to purchase the second and third books in the trilogy (Catching Fire and Mockingjay).  Luckily for me, Mockingjay was just released a few weeks ago, so I didn’t have to wait at all to read the conclusion of the series.  (Don’t you hate it when you have to wait to find out what happens to the characters?  I do!)

So what is The Hunger Games about, exactly?  The story takes place in Panem, a country developed in place of the long-since-collapsed United States of America.  Panem consists of 12 Districts and The Capitol, and The Capitol keeps a firm grip on each of the Districts, preventing communication between the Districts for fear of rebellion.  The Capitol also requires that each District offer up 2 of its young adults (one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18) to participate in The Hunger Games.  In The Hunger Games, the participants (called the Tributes) essentially fight to the death, trying to outwit and outlast (and outright kill) each other in an environment created and controlled by the Gamekeepers of the Capitol.  Only one Tribute will survive.  As required television programming throughout the Capitol and all 12 Districts, this is part entertainment for the high-society folks of the Capitol (exempt from sending their own Tributes) and part reminder to the Districts of just how the powerful the Capitol is.

Katniss Everdeen is a District 12 teen struggling to keep her younger sister Prim and her mother fed after the death of her father in a mining accident.  Katniss hunts frequently (against the District 12 rules) with her best friend Gale.  When Katniss’s younger sister Prim is selected as the female Tribute for District 12, Katniss volunteers immediately to take her place.  Katniss and her fellow District 12 Tribute, Peeta (a baker’s son) learn the “rules” of the game (such as they are) and strategize with their stylists and handlers (including a former Hunger Games Champion, Haysmitch).  In addition to knowing basic survival and hunting skills, it is crucial for the Tributes to make connections with rich sponsors and endear themselves with the public of the Capitol.  What will Katniss be up against once she enters the Hunger Games arena?  How will she handle being forced to kill or be killed by Peeta, the boy who once gave her food when she was starving?

These books are amazing!  There is lots of drama, but also romance and yes, even humor (which is hard to believe, given the subject matter).  And while the subject matter sounds violent (and is), it is not distractingly so.  As Young Adult Novels, these are indeed appropriate books for (in my estimate) ages 14 or 15 and up.  (Obviously each parent will have their own opinion about this).  These books (particularly the third in the series) make a strong political statement, but again, without being distracting about it.  There is a strong plotline throughout the series, and I found the conclusion at the end of the trilogy to be extremely satisfying.  The third book is the weakest of the trilogy, but it does an excellent job of winding up the story.  I’m opting not to discuss the second and third books in the series in much detail because I don’t want to give away any of the plot!!

Have YOU read The Hunger Games?  What did you think?

The Littlest Apple is home sick today, laying on the couch sleeping and watching TV, and I don’t feel like writing a “serious” post today.  I’ve been thinking that my ABOUT page needs a little tweaking, so let’s make this fun!  Here are 100 Things About Me…

1. I hate ketchup.
2. And mayonnaise.
3. And mustard.
4. I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket.  (knock on wood)
5. When I was in college, I got hit by a drunk driver.  Nobody got hurt, but it was a great story.  We were at a stoplight waiting to turn out of the Taco Bell parking lot, and the drunk driver turned in to the parking lot , and drove right into the driver’s side of my car (The Picky Apple was driving).  The drunk driver’s truck sort of bounced off of the car, then he drove into a small tree, then he hit a parked car, THEN he drove his truck into a big field behind Taco Bell in an attempt to flee the scene.  (I have the accident report with a little illustration of all of this, right down to the broken little tree, which is highly entertaining).  A few minutes later the drunk driver staggered back over to us, and The Picky Apple yelled at him to stay put.  The police showed up shortly thereafter, and handcuffed the drunk driver (with his hands behind his back) and put him in the back of their car.  While the police were talking to everyone at the scene, the drunk driver wiggled his body through the handcuffs, so that his handcuffs were in front of him.  The police noticed, yanked him out of the car, and re-handcuffed him.  Also, the truck belonged to Drunk Driver’s Friend, who showed up on the scene drunk and angry about the accident.  It was later determined that Drunk Driver’s Friend’s auto insurance was fake. My car was declared totaled as a result of damage from the accident.
6. If I keep writing long stories for each of these 100 Things this could take a while.  I tend to ramble sometimes.
7. I’m still driving the car (a 1997 Camry) my parents gave me to replace the other car (that they also gave me) that got totaled.  It’s really nice only having one car payment.
8. I have really generous parents and in-laws.
9. I’m not sure what I want to do when it is time to go back to work (when TLA starts kindergarten in 2 or 3 years).  Back to being an attorney?  Freelance writing?  Teaching mommy and me art classes?  Something else?
10. I’ve always loved art, but I’m rediscovering how much I love it, doing art projects with The Littlest Apple and our Art Playgroup.  Seriously considering making a career out of it…
11. I don’t wear my glasses as often as I should.  Okay, I should be wearing them all the time (especially at night!), but my prescription is fairly low, so sometimes I don’t.
12. I’m very territorial.  I really don’t like for people to go in my bedroom….even when it is clean.
13. I also get antsy whenever The Picky Apple (or anyone) uses my computer.
14. We live close enough to Galveston to make day trips, but I don’t consider Galveston a “real” beach.  I think it is dirty and the water is yucky.  I realize that makes me sound like a complete beach snob, but I just don’t see the attraction.
15. I grew up going to the beach at Destin every summer.  More recently we visited Kauai (and have a trip scheduled again next year) and Gulf Shores.  Now THOSE are real beaches.
16. I’m not a hugger and kiss-on-the-cheek-for-a-greeting person.  I’m sure my family members and friends who ARE have noticed this about me.
17. On the other hand, I can’t get enough hugs and kisses from The Littlest Apple and I shower him with hugs and kisses all the time.
18. When I was in law school, I did lots of shopping on my yet-to-be-earned-big-shot-attorney salary.  The big-shot-attorney-salary never really happened.  We’re still paying for that (and for law school, too!).
19. I can’t drink coffee without flavored creamer and Splenda.
20. I wish I had a sewing machine.
21. I complain too much.
22. I used to think homeschooling was crazy, but now I am secretly intrigued by it.
23. I love cinnamon-y and bakery scented candles.  I hate most flowery smelling candles.
24. I think my husband owns more shoes than me. (See comments below for more discussion on this.)  I hate it when The Picky Apple is right and I am wrong.  It seems like he is ALWAYS right.  So when he IS wrong, I really rub it in, even though I know I shouldn’t.
25. I am a one-purse kind of gal.  Changing purses to go with my outfit is not for me.  The few times I’ve tried that I wound up forgetting something.  The purse I am currently using is about 5 years old and in excellent condition (which is good because it cost a small fortune).  I love it and have no plans to buy a new one any time soon.
26. My favorite color is PINK.
27. I’ve only had 4 pedicures in my whole life.  One for my wedding, and the other three when someone else was paying for it.
28. I’m really ticklish, especially on my feet. (hence the infrequent pedicures)
29. One of my biggest pet peeves is not being heard and having to repeat myself.
30. I have REALLY dry skin.  And hair.
31. My hair is SUPER THICK.  Last time I got my hair done, the stylist said my hair was the thickest he’d seen in his 25 years as a stylist.  I’ve been instructed by numerous stylists that when I call to schedule an appointment, I should tell the appointment scheduler that the stylist will need an additional 30 minutes to work with me.  My last appointment for highlights, a cut and blowout took 3 hours.
32. I only wash my hair 2 times a week.  MAYBE 3.  It just takes way too long to blow it dry, and since it is on the dry-side, it doesn’t get super oily until the 3rd day or so.
33. As a result of 31 and 32, I frequently wear my hair in a ponytail.
34. My go to “uniform” is a skirt, t shirt and dangly earrings.
35. I have small hands and feet.
36. The only kind of fruit pie I like is apple pie (and pumpkin, but that’s not really a fruit).
37. I hate it when people misspell words.  I take pride in my ability to spell almost anything.  (Of course now you’ll find something I misspelled and rub it in…)
38. My birthday is July 31.  So is Harry Potter’s, which is pretty neat. Except that he’s not a real person.
39. I majored in English and Government.  My husband majored in Computer Science and Math.
40. The Picky Apple and I have been together since I was 18 and he was 19.
41. I HATE scary movies.
42. I worked at Randall’s (grocery store) as a checker when I was in high school.  After about a year, I was promoted to Customer Service Manager, meaning I was in charge of all of the checkers and sackers.  As a result, it drives me batty when the checkers and sackers ignore me and talk to each other instead of saying “How are you today?” and “Have a nice day!”
43. It also drives me crazy when people think they are “above” being nice to checkers, sackers, waiters, servers, etc.  Just WHO do you think you are, exactly?
44. I was Financial Vice President of my sorority my sophomore year of college.
45. I was President of my sorority my junior year of college.
46. It was lonely at the top.  Being in charge of dues and then in charge of..well…everything didn’t make me the person people wanted to hang out with.
47. But then again, I probably spent too much time with The Picky Apple in college and not enough time with my girlfriends.
48. I’m working on being a better friend, making more of an effort to do stuff with them regularly.
49. I’m an introvert. (An ISFJ, if I remember correctly)
50. After being around a big group of people (and by big, I mean 5 or more people), I usually need some alone time to decompress.
51. I want to paint our kitchen cabinets white.
52. My garden is looking very neglected right now.
53. I hate answering the door during the day.
54. I take naps frequently.  I’d like to blame it on the fact that The Littlest Apple gets up between 5:30 and 6 (or sometimes 4:45 like last Friday), but I think I’d probably take naps anyway.
55. We used to have an orange cat named Cheeto.
56. We had to give him away (to The Picky Apple’s parents, who then gave him to another lady) after The Littlest Apple was born because he was allergic.
57. I volunteered at the SPCA before The Littlest Apple was born, and used to always think that people who gave up their animals when they had kids were cruel.
58. Becoming a mom has made me less judgmental and given me so much for sympathy for other moms.
59. Just purchased a hot glue gun.  I’m addicted to hot glue gun projects already!
60. Also addicted to ribbon now.  I told The Picky Apple I wanted to go buy all the beautiful ribbon I could find, and then just look at it.  He thought that I was crazy.
61. The Picky Apple has always thought I was a little bit crazy, but he married me anyway.
62. And now we have a crazy son.
63. I’m ready to repaint my dining room from red to something more neutral.  That should be fun.
64. Christmas is my favorite holiday.
65. I don’t really like Halloween.
66. I’ve always dreamed of hosting Thanksgiving, but for now I’ve got Easter Brunch to call my own.
67. I love brunch foods.
68. I’m left handed.
69. I can’t dance.
70. I blush easily, which makes me embarrassed, which makes me blush more.
71. Sometimes I miss living in Austin.
72. Sometimes I miss living in Houston (we’re way out the ‘burbs).
73. I have very sensitive hearing.  I HATE fireworks (unless viewed on TV or from inside) and thunder.
74. I have a sensitive nose.  I can’t handle morning breath.  (The Picky Apple’s OR The Littlest Apple’s…OR mine)
75. I need to stop making excuses and just get in shape already.  I worked out 3 times last week…a good start.
76. There are currently 1591 books on my Amazon Wish List (which I created way back in 2005).
77. I still don’t really understand the rules of football (or tennis) despite having it explained to me countless times.
78. I like to eat my waffles with butter, peanut butter, and syrup.
79. I suffer from chronic sinus infections.  The one I’m fighting now has been hanging around for two and a half months.
80. I hate tea.  Hot tea, iced tea, black tea, green tea, sweet tea, sun tea….hate it all.
81. I’m a people pleaser.
82. And a worrier.
83. And maybe a hypochondriac.
84. My Prom date (my boyfriend at the time) broke up with me the week before Prom, leaving me without a date.  I wound up going with his friend who didn’t have enough money to go (or a date).  We had a great time!
85. I don’t watch the news on TV and I hardly ever read about it online.
86. I occasionally read the newspaper, but we’re getting ready to cancel our subscription.
87. I have trouble asking for help.
88. My favorite shows on TV right now are Modern Family, Parenthood, Glee, The Office (though I’m kind of getting bored with The Office).
89. The Picky Apple, The Littlest Apple and I all have blue eyes.
90. My favorite magazines are Coastal Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and Everyday Food.
91. I am way overdue for going to the dentist.
92. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled (there were only 3 of them), I had a dry socket.  SO PAINFUL.
93. But not as bad as my ruptured ectopic.  That was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.
94. I’m a big wimp and complain about the least little pains.  But I think I can safely say that bleeding internally was indeed painful.
95. I just started going to church with a friend, and I’m loving it!  What a great way to start the week!
96. I could watch My Cousin Vinnie over and over and over.  I love that movie!
97. My side of the closet almost always has clothes all over the floor.
98. I want (need?) to work on my cookie and cake decorating skills.
99. I don’t drink red wine.  Only white.  And my preference is actually for Rieslings, Muscats, and any sweet sparkling wines.  I realize that this is frowned upon by “real” wine drinkers, but I don’t care.
100. I am the opposite of spontaneous.

Wow!  Coming up with 100 things was a bit harder than I thought! I’m sure I’ve probably already shared more than enough, but…

Is there anything else you want to know about me?

Although I’ve tried many recipes like this in the past, this is a new (to me) spin on a Tex-Mex casserole.  This makes tons (I halved the recipe) and the leftovers keep well.  I’m guessing it would even freeze well too, making it a perfect dish to give to a new mommy or a new neighbor.  Serve with Mexican Rice and Corn and Goat Cheese Salad with Cilantro Honey Lime Dressing for a satisfying meal!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

adapted from Family Circle, May 2009

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (use rotisserie or leftover Perfect Roast Chicken)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons of Homemade Taco Seasoning (recipe coming soon)
• 2 cups salsa verde
• 9 corn tortillas
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) refried beans, warmed
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix chicken, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water and salsa verde in a skillet.  Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Coat 13x9x2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Cover bottom of pan with 3 corn tortillas, overlapping.  Pour half of the chicken mixture on the tortillas.  Cover with 3 more tortillas.  Spread with warmed beans and the sour cream.

Sprinkle half the cheese over the beans and sour cream, and cover with the remaining 3 tortillas.  Top with remaining chicken mixture, followed by remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 28 minutes, until bubbly.

I just can’t get enough of all of the great apple themed crafts I’ve seen on other blogs lately that fit in perfectly with our Apple Sensory Bin and our Apple Pie Scented Playdough.  I LOVED this idea from Teach Preschool, so I set up the supplies to create some apple trees of our own at a playdate a few weeks ago.  Here’s MY version to show the kids what we were doing.

First you tear strips of brown construction paper and glue them down to form the tree trunks and branches.  Then you use an empty toilet paper roll or paper towel roll to stamp on the “apples.”  So cute, right?!

But this was one of those days when the boys were so busy playing that they weren’t much interested in art.  And when they finally DID sit down to paint and create, they were not interested in ripping and gluing the brown paper (that surprised me, since my guy LOVES to rip and glue!).  They only wanted to stamp the circles.  And you know what?  That was okay too.  We’ve never stamped like this before so it was still a new experience.  A new method of painting.  And then my spirited child started throwing his paint covered paper towel roll on the ground just for fun, eliciting giggles from our well behaved friend and effectively ending art time.

I haven’t hosted Art Playgroup in about a month, and I miss it dearly.  I fully intend to resume our Art Playgroup once we get into the routine of school and after The Littlest Apple recovers from his upcoming surgery.  I’m planning to sit down next week to brainstorm some “original” arts and crafts ideas….I LOVE all of the inspiration blogs provide, but I’d love to have some unique projects I can call my own!  (I’ve got some big dreams in that area…maybe I’ll share them soon!)

Speaking of APPLES, have you seen my cute new button over there in the sidebar?  I’ve had several requests for a button, and here it is!  Thanks so much to all of my readers for your continued support!

This is the first post in a series of upcoming posts about Life With a Spirited Child.  In this series, I plan to cover:

• the characteristics of a spirited child
• rethinking the labels we place on our children
• when spirited kids grow up
• spirited children and medical issues
  
• how your own temperament affects your interactions with your spirited child
  
• extrovert or introvert?  (hint:  a spirited child can be EITHER)
• tips on dealing with each of your spirited child’s characteristics
• trouble spots and the importance of planning ahead (bedtime, mealtime, getting dressed)
  

It was another flour-all-over-the-downstairs-when-I-turn-my-back-for-one-minute kind of morning.  After the flour incident (you’d think we both would have learned our lesson LAST time that happened!) there was the running away and hiding Mommy’s hairbrush while Mommy is yelling “STOP!  HALT!  FREEZE!  BRING IT BACK RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW!” (Do those words have any effect at your house?  They don’t seem to work here.)  Putting a plastic bottle cap in his mouth and breathing in deeply.  Jumping on Daddy’s head to wake him up (poor, poor Picky Apple…I can’t imagine being woken up like that) and ripping the sheets off Daddy’s toes to hammer on them with a wooden hammer.  The need for constant physical contact in the form of bumping, climbing, hitting, head butting (once again, while I was applying eyeliner).  The nonstop talking talking talking.  The screaming-as-though-being-tortured and limp noodle act making it impossible for me to brush his teeth.  And there was also the spitting water all over the coffee table just to see what happens.  And that was all before 8:30am.

I’ve got a spirited child.

Some days I handle it better than others.

Today was not one of those days.

Since his dramatic entrance into the world (a story I still haven’t shared here), The Littlest Apple has been marching to the beat of a different (faster, louder) drum.  An entire drum line, perhaps.  According to The Picky Apple it’s more like Animal from The Muppets.

That’s fairly accurate, I’d say.

Once I realized that The Littlest Apple had his own tune, I felt alone (and I still do occasionally).  Being The Littlest Apple’s mother was SO different from the motherhood experience I envisioned.  None of my friends kids acted like this.  What was wrong with my kid?  What was wrong with me?  The answer: nothing.  He’s just a spirited child. (And it turns out that I’m spirited too!  More on that later!)

What does it mean to be a spirited child, anyway?

Well, the main word that defines the spirited child is MORE.  Children that are MORE intense, persistent, sensitive, energetic and perceptive.  As Mary Sheedy Kurcinka says in her book Raising Your Spirited Child (my most favorite go to resource for parents of spirited children!), “Spirited kids are the Super Ball in a room full of rubber balls.  Other kids bounce three feet off the ground.  Every bounce for a spirited child hits the ceiling.”

It’s not always that easy to “define” a spirited child, since each of them is unique.  In my next post I’ll go in to more detail about the specific characteristics of a spirited child.

Anyone that has spent 5-10 minutes (sometimes less) with The Littlest Apple could easily label him as “spirited.”  He’s got energy and enthusiasm and demands attention is such a way that is hard to ignore. (Many kids are spirited in a more introverted way…through their perceptiveness and sensitivities.  Those are less obvious to the casual observer.)

Over the weekend, I took The Littlest Apple on a long walk in a stroller to a nearby park.  It was a pleasant morning, and there were many people out walking and jogging.  The Littlest Apple greeted each and every one of them.  But he didn’t just say “hi” or give a little wave.  No way.  That’s not his style.  You see, he was pretending to be a monkey.  So he made LOUD monkey noises (or was it barking like a dog?  There has been a lot of that lately, too.  Either way, it was an animal!) and leaned out of the stroller toward the person and waved enthusiastically with both hands.  Over and over and over.  He must have done it about 20 times.  Some people were charmed and said hi back.  And quite a few didn’t know how to react to my NG-tube-wearing monkey boy and moved on as quickly as possible.

Life with a spirited child is never dull!

Being a parent of a spirited child can be awesome or awful, depending on the day.  There are some really high highs when your spirited child amazes you with his memory, ability to understand other people’s emotions, creative imagination,  attention to detail, and his deep and long lasting affection.  But there will also be some dreadful lows when your child is screaming for 45 minutes because you cut his watermelon into bite size pieces instead of giving him a wedge.  Or when you have to tell him for the 500th time to get down from the table.  Or clean flour up off the floor (AGAIN) because you turned your back for one minute.

Is any of this sounding familiar?  I sincerely hope that you’ll stick around to read this series, whether you’ve got a spirited child, were a spirited child yourself, or just want to read more funny anecdotes about MY spirited child.  Stay tuned for my post next week on the characteristics of spirited children!

Do you have a spirited child?  Were YOU a spirited child?

I don’t cook with Italian sausage very often.  Maybe once or twice a year.  The Picky Apple and I both find the spices of Italian sausage, particularly the fennel/anise taste, a bit much.  But every once in a while, I feel like giving Italian sausage another chance.  I actually liked it in this dish.  Maybe it was the particular type of sausage I purchased, but I think it had more to do with the combination of flavors here.  This is a sauce-less pasta dish that can also be served cold (though I think my preference is to eat this warm).

Bowtie Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Kale

inspired by Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale, stalks trimmed and torn into bite size pieces
• 12 ounces mini bow tie pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the kale and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute.  Strain the kale, reserving all the cooking liquid.  Set the kale aside.  Cook the pasta in the same pot of boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the kale and toss to coat.  Add the pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and pepper into the pasta mixture.  Transfer to pasta bowls and serve.