Molly-isms

Yesterday at our worship gathering I picked up Molly when she arrived and said, "are you my princess?"
She quickly responded, "I'm the queen of the world."

I found out that she later told one of her friends mom, that she (Molly) and her friend Mia were the princess and that the mom is the witch.  Stinkin' Dora dressed up as a witch in her Halloween special.


As Molly grows, she continues to figure out how to say things correctly.  Being the third of our children, we correct her less than we did the others, wanting to savor the baby talk.  She still calls chocolate 'shlockate.'

Weigh In #2

After 2 more weeks, only 1 more pound.

Today's weight 219.

Had to change up my morning routine a bit.  New routine may be building more muscle...  What to do, what to do.  I want the number to decrease more quickly, but am wanting to build a better me along the way now too.

2 weeks of vacation coming up.  Can I stay the course.  I'm sure gonna try.

My Kids' Favorite Pancakes

Yes, I make them from scratch.  I used to think that I didn't have the time, but really it doesn't take any more time than the just-add-water mix.

Here's the recipe.

In a large mixing bowl, add:
1/2 cup      100% Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup      all Natural White Flour
1/2 cup      quick Oats
4 tsp          baking powder
2 T            sugar  (We actually use Splenda, any dry sweetener will do.)
1 dash       salt
                 Mix these dry ingredients together.

In a large measuring cup, add
1 1/2 cup  milk
2               eggs
1 T           vanilla
2 T           cooking oil
                 Stir this until the eggs are broken up and mixed in a bit.

Pour liquid ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix.

We scoop 1/3 cup of batter onto a hot griddle (325-350 degrees) to make medium sized cakes.  flip the pancakes when the center of the cake bubble and bubbles break.  Cook the second side for about 1-2 minute.


BETTER THAN SYRUP
Now, on special occasions, and to make this a truly delightful experience we make a homemade topping that I learned on my first visit to Rhonda's Colorado family.  I forget what they call it, but I call it "Syrup of the gods."  Not really.  It's delicious and I don't have a name.  And since it is not fat free, or low in calories, you would need to immortal to enjoy it on a regular basis.  It's so fantastic though, that you really should have it on special occasions.

Add 1 cup of brown sugar to 1 cup of heavy whipping cream.
In a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
After the mixture bubbles, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and stir for about 2 minutes until the sugar granules mostly disappear.

Use this sauce warm instead of syrup...  And you really don't need any butter!

Enjoy!

My Weigh In - Week 4

OK, not for your benefit but for mine, I'm going to record my weekly weigh in here on my blog, as well as a weekly journal of my health-preservation activities.

For the past 4 weeks, I have been working out daily.  And if you know me, you know I hate working out.  So, this is a genuine accomplishment.  I have been to the gym every day, 6 days/week, missing only one of those days in the span of the 4-week period.

When I have friends there, I play racquetball for about an hour.  When no comrades are present, I spend an hour doing cardio on the machines and about 20 minutes with light, free weights, performing multiple reps. I have been minding my diet, but not counting calories with any measurable accuracy.  This week, with friends in town, I did consume several spoons full of ice cream (with hot fudge... duh).  Otherwise not indulging in treats outside of a couple of grande toffee-nut mochas over the 4-weeks.  And when I had those mochas, they replaced my regular, high fiber breakfast cereal.  My goal is a generally low calorie, low fat, high fiber diet.  I have not measured those things systematically because I am hoping to accomplish a new lifestyle that I can live by long term.  If I measure them, I'm afraid I will think of it more as a diet and go back to my old ways when I reach my optimum weight/size.

Today's weigh in:
220 lbs.  A loss of 5 lbs. in 4 weeks.
(I wish I had lost 10...)

Bachelor Father Weekend

Rhonda is going to SoCal to help host a baby shower for our sister-in-law, Stephanie this weekend.  Stephanie is expecting her first child after living in fear of labor and delivery for a decade or so.  Pretty exciting stuff.  It is a baby girl and they have chosen the name Holland in honor of Stephanie's Dutch heritage.

All that to say, that I am a bachelor father for the next couple of days.  Rhonda in her infinite grace has made the trip as short as possible and will return in time for our epic worship gathering on Sunday.  But guess what has transpired since Rhonda's plans were put in place.

A friend of my family passed away this week after a full and good life at the age of 80.  The memorial service will be held this Friday while I am Molly's primary care-giver and during the time that both Merritt and Mason will get out of school on the last day of school.  Then on Saturday morning, we have closing day ceremonies for both of the boys' baseball teams, followed in the afternoon by a little BBQ for 22 people at our house - to host our super cool missionaries from Uganda... And oh yeah, I'm baking dessert on Saturday for 30 people at Merritt's baseball team party to be held on Sunday afternoon.

Now, I am not one of those guys who looks to avoid time with the kids alone, or who won't allow mom to leave town without the young one, or who can't get anything done while I have a kid or kids in tow.  But I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed in preparation for this weekend.  So, I have assembled for myself a Bachelor Father Survival Kit.

Bachelor Father Survival Kit Contents:
1. an extensive supply of starburst for a burst of sugar energy whenever needed;
2. a voice recorder prerecorded with the message, "I'm not mom and I don't have to do things her way."
3. either a GPS homing devise with transponders for each child OR 15 inch neon yellow cone hats glued to their heads so that they cannot get lost an the large crowds of closing day ceremonies;
4. a bag full of marbles for all of my marbles that I will undoubtably lose during the weekend;
5. McDonalds gift cards for each child, so that they can be dropped off at playland when I need some alone time and I won't have to feel guilty for not getting them some food first.

Well, I figure that will get me through Friday...  Maybe you have some suggestions for my Saturday.