Allie's a real stinker when it comes to certain things. By certain things I mean anything she does not want to do. Allie has decided that she does not want to ever take medicine. "Never, ever ever!" as my daughter would say. I knew I was going to be in for a battle when she had to take some antibiotics for an infection in her finger.
She was supposed to take her medicine twice a day for seven days totaling fourteen doses. The first dose she took. The second dose I had to mix into vanilla ice cream topped with strawberries. The third dose I was not home for and she would not take it. The next dose I mixed the medicine in with chocolate syrup and mixed the syrup into ice cream. She reluctantly ate bites of the mixture under the threat of not being able to spend time with her Lola, and even then it took over an hour and a half.
I then had a blast of inspiration. This post was supposed to highlight how creative I am at getting my daughter to take her medicine. I was so proud of myself when I thought to make her medicine into frosting and put them on cookies (with sprinkles!). What child wouldn't like to eat cookies (with sprinkles!)?
Here are the ingredients....
Here is the final product....
Allie ate a total of one micro-bite. All the time and effort and she wasn't buying it. So much for documenting my great success! No little pat on the back for me.
I had to take her back to the doctors and we wound up applying a topical ointment. Of course that had to be applied while she was sleeping because she has decided that no one can apply ointment on her either. "Never, ever ever"!
Argh.
Yes, I know I still have not posted about Bob's birthday last week, but I still need to download the photos from my camera. That seems like a lot of effort right now. I'm lazy.... sue me.
I've been in a bit of a dinner rut. No matter what I make, it does not please everyone. With certain meals this is to be expected but with others, I am completely surprised. Some evenings I have served as many as five different dinners (who knew they were so adverse to chicken noodle soup?). The replacement meals (or second dinners) are simple enough; a sandwich, leftovers from the night before, a yogurt. Still, it irks me to spend my whole dinner time running for the fridge and having the kids eat in shifts.
For example, last night I made cheese enchiladas (they turned out really yummy, I also made some homemade refried black beans....mmmmm). Some enchiladas I covered with tomatoes, some with a green chili sauce, and I purposely left a whole pan without any sauce at all on top. I thought this could be a meal we could all enjoy without the interruption of having to get up and scramble in the fridge to throw some leftovers together for the dissenters. The ingredients are tortillas and cheese for heavens sake, what is there not to like?
Well, Tom decided that he did not like baked "tacos" and refused to eat them. We normally have a policy of serving the "second dinner" after the people who have eaten the originally prepared meal have finished. Tom, however, was whining during the whole dinner about being hungry so Bob relented. Tom's dinner consisted of an unheated flour tortilla with salsa and cheese. Sam saw Tom's meal and then wanted some of what Tom was eating. However, when Sam saw that there was no meat to go in the tortilla, he became upset. He then went to his room in despair. In the meantime, Matt (my pickiest eater) decided he did not like the enchiladas and asked for another dinner. Ugh.
I repeat. I made tortillas and cheese and baked them. It really does not get more simple that that. All of my children in the past have enjoyed eating tortillas and cheese on several occasions, why can't they now? Frustrating.
Ok, so on to plan "B". I have decided that tonight I will "anticipate my customer's needs". We are having breakfast for dinner consisting of french toast (made with homemade bread) and sausage. We are also eating spaghetti with yummy homemade sauce. Truth be told I think tonight's dinner dissenter will be Bobby....he does not like french toast but is a big fan of spaghetti. Either way, I'm figuring I'll have my bases covered.
I, however, can't help but conjure up images of the movie Elf where Will Farrell serves himself a heaping bowl of spaghetti and then proceeds to douse it in maple syrup and various candies. I wonder if one of my kids will try it.
It's amazing what you will do for some dinnertime peace...
Birthday wrap-up tomorrow.... I promise.
Ok.... I'm going to cheat. Instead of blogging about Bob's birthday, I frittered my spare time today on Facebook. Naughty me. I was tagged and had to reply.
The truth is that anyone who is reading this is probably also my friend on Facebook, but just in case, I'm posting my productivity from this afternoon; it's all I have to show for it...
ps- If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. I expect to see your list by the end of the week....=)
pps- Birthday marathon wrap-up soon to come......
Twenty-Five Random Things About MeRules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)1. I've had a lot of different jobs ranging from working as a music director at a commercial radio station, owning my own recording studio, bank teller, touring with a musical production company to glamorous locations such as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to my current occupation as a realtor.2. I like my dog a lot. When we first got her, I thought I would go crazy and wanted to give her away. I really like her now though and she's a part of our family.3. I once gave up chocolate for a year just to see if I could.4. When I was a teenager, I used to say (and always believed) that I would not get married until I was at least 35. I got married at age 21.5. When I was a teenager, I used to say (and always believed) that under no circumstances, would I ever live in Wyoming. My first job out of college was in Jackson, Wyoming.6. When I was a teenager, I used to say (and always believed) that I would not have any kids. I have five kids.7. I was a dumb teenager, but that taught me to never say never about any life possibility. =)8. I used to be super-competitive as a child about anything. I've learned to harness and constructively direct my competitive spirit (I think I have) but sometimes it comes out when I'm playing backgammon or some other random game with Bobby.9. After 13 years of marriage, my husband Bobby, is still my best friend. I'm crazy in love with him. I can still stay up all night talking with him about anything.... it kills me in the morning though!10. I feel really lucky I was blessed with the kids I have. They are mellow, easy going, and get along (for the most part!).11. When I was pregnant with Allie and found out I was having a girl, I was terrified I was going to mess her up. Now I'm so glad I get to experience raising a girl. I still hope I don't mess her up though....12. I've been a realtor for almost seven years now and have owned my own brokerage for two years.13. When I was kid and I didn't respect someone, I would talk back. I was kicked out of my 10th grade biology class for the rest of the year for talking back to my teacher (in reality, there were only three weeks left of class).14. I try to make dreary chores more fun. I call my sister when I unload the dishwasher, I turn snow shoveling into a "winter challenge", I call my friend Kristina to see if she wants to come to Aldi's with me when it's time to grocery shop.15. I'm really good at repetitive tasks. When we owned a recording studio, I was in charge of the duplication portion of our business mostly because I could assemble and shrink wrap the CDs or tapes faster than anyone.16. I'm the youngest of four kids. I have a sister in Boston, MA, another sister in Tulsa, OK, my brother lives in Medford, OR and my parents live in Phoenix, AZ. It makes me sad we are spread out all over and I wish they were closer.17. I sometimes get jealous that Bobby has his parents and two sisters living in our town, and his other sister lives just north of Buffalo.18. We built a house that has an in-law suite to accommodate Bob's parents and I really like living with my in-laws. I'm grateful that they are so wonderfully nice to me.19. I have never consumed a drop of alcohol, but don't care if anyone drinks around me.20. I was a skater chick in high school and shaved my head my senior year... I think I realized it would be my last chance to do something crazy with my hair before I would have to "grow up".21. I think I could be a competitive eater, really. I have an unusual "talent" of being able to eat large amounts of food if I so choose.22. I'm 35 and my two grandmothers are alive... I think that's pretty cool.23. I have thick skin and can happily accept constructive criticism. As a result though, I can unintentionally say things that might not be offensive to me but probably offend others. I'm thankful for my friends who can call me out on it and wish others would grow a pair and let me know if I have wronged them.23 1/2. I think "grow a pair" is a funny phrase and like to use it whenever possible.24. My first memory is me standing in the crib, taunting my brother (we shared a room at the time). I would tell him to "hide the bananas or the monkeys will eat them". I would keep saying it until my brother would retreat into the hallway with his pillow and blanket in frustration to get some peace and quiet. I must have thought it was funny because I did it quite often.25. I never thought my life would turn out the way it did, but I'm really grateful and would not change a thing. While nothing is perfect, life is good.
Allie fell asleep on the couch the other day yet again. Unless she falls asleep in a goofy position, it is usually not photo worthy. However, on this particular day, Kiko decided this was her opportunity for a snuggle. I've never seen the dog so happy to snuggle in... cute....
ps- It's Bobby's birthday today! Happy birthday babe! I can't believe I'm married to such an old man! I'm thrilled at the opportunity to celebrate your special day with you and hope we get to celebrate many, many more together.
I'll post all the birthday details this weekend... well almost all the details... ;)
Considering my politically mixed family, I tend to shy away from making any political posts, but c'mon! Yesterday was huge. For those who don't want to read anymore gushing about the inauguration yesterday, feel free to skip to the bottom where the sledding pictures are posted.
Nothing I can write can adequately describe my feelings as I watched the inauguration. For the first time in a while, I'm really proud to be an American. I'm sure some people will interpret that statement as ungrateful for my life situation so I guess some clarification is necessary. I am always thankful for being born and living in this country and for the freedoms that it affords, but was ashamed with the decisions the past leaders have made and angry that their choices reflected so poorly on me and others as Americans.
It's nice to look at the leader of my country and feel pride at his vision and with how he carries himself. I know I won't agree with everything he says or does, but it looks promising and I'm allowing myself to feel good about it for a day or so. For the first time in who knows long I feel really patriotic. Corny, but true. I'm sure my natural, cynical self will start to seep back soon enough so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Ok, I'll step off my little soapbox now and will move on to my pictures from the weekend. On our day off on Monday, we went sledding. What better way to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. than by sledding? Honestly, I feel a little guilty that we didn't do something more meaningful. I'll have to do something next year to commemorate the day more appropriately.
It was a great time and the weather was kind enough to warm up to a balmy 20 degrees. I just snapped a few pictures before they started sledding so there are no action shots, but Sam was tossed head over heels by a runaway sledder. He was OK... a little shaken up, but OK. After the dust settled he wanted to know if we had video recorded the incident for America's Funniest Home Videos. Here's Sam and Pete taking their first run....
After Allie's first run she said it was too fast and didn't want to sled anymore. This is her only picture on the sled....
After Tommy's first run he said he was too cold and didn't want to sled anymore.....
So there were really two groups; the car group and the slope group. Bob and I took turns watching the groups. Here's a final picture of Matt on his snowboard...
The three "bigs" had a lot of fun on the slope and we stayed for a couple of hours. We topped off the evening by picking up some pizza on the way home. Maybe next year we'll prepare Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite meal after an evening of sledding.... I bet Martin would approve.
Here is the final product....
Allie ate a total of one micro-bite. All the time and effort and she wasn't buying it. So much for documenting my great success! No little pat on the back for me. 
