Chaos

It was our churches 125th Anniversary this weekend. Of course we celebrate everything with food. I tried. I really, really, tried. I made hot dog buns and brought our own hot dogs to the BBQ. I brought our own juice. I brought our own chips.

Potluck today. I brought potato salad, egg salad sandwiches and our own juice. I bought our own ice cream for dessert.

I really, really, really tried.

If I could show you a picture of my kitchen table at the moment you'd see pure chaos. Chaos that after 2 months of doing this food thing, I am fully convinced is caused by food.

Chaos caused by the handfulls of ketchup chips (surely that brilliant red is natural colouring) that Jack had yesterday before I realized he was eating them. Chaos caused by the 3 or 4 glasses of orange pop and cream soda that Libby had before I got there. Chaos caused by the cupcakes I gave in and let them have after the BBQ yesterday when I realized I forgot dessert and felt guilty.

So for the next 24 hours or so we will live with chaos. Chaos that convinces us that this program IS working, because we see the results of infractions. Chaos that makes me thankful that I found Feingold because chaos doesn't reign here anymore, it just visits.

By Your Side

by Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you lifeI want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

Perhaps

Sporadic - occuring occasionally, singly, or in irregular or random instances.

That about sums it up!

Consistent - Unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.

Well it's a goal!

Putting a house back together is a lot of work. I haven't decided if it's better or worse than just moving. At least when I move it's a totally clean slate. Right now when I unpack a box, the things in it used to have a home. Sometimes that home has been moved, often it's now just gone. In a new house it's a bit of fun to find a new home for an object. In a house where it had a previous home, I am currently lacking the imagination to find it a new home.

The upside is that a lot of things that I once thought I might need, don't seem so important and have gone on to greener pastures (the local second hand store)

I had grand goals to be finished and completely re-organized by now, but life! It keeps happening! The kids keep wanting to eat, they need a bath, they actually like it when Mommy interacts with them a little during the day. And so, it's been a slow process. Much, much slower than I'd like.

14 minutes of fame

Well! I'm feeling a little chuffed today. Dan Pearce of Single Dad Laughing fame shared the story of Jack and the butterfly charm. I've always wondered when my 15 minutes of fame would arrive and it figures that it's Jack that made it happen! I'm really only counting this as 14 minutes as it's only internet fame, but it's fame non the less. http://http://www.danoah.com/2011/03/your-kid-traumatized.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAdventuresOfDanAndNoah+%28Single+Dad+Laughing%29

Avocado chocolate pudding that your kids will actually eat

Disclaimer: Maybe your kids have more refined palates than my kids and will eat the regular avocado chocolate pudding recipe. In that case this post is not for you!


If you're looking to sneak a healthy food into something as tasty as chocolate pudding and you don't have food allergies, look no further!

First blend 3 large mashed avocados, 4tbsps of cocoa and 2tbsps of honey until well mixed. This will take a while if you don't have a vitamix. I wish I had a vitamix.

Let your kids taste it. If they say "OH YUM!!!" and not "I think I'm gonna PUKE!" then you're good to stop here! Lass #1 declared this was delicious, The lad was the less gracious child, he did later apologize in case he hurt my feelings. I forgave him, undid the duct tape and let him off the wall.

Step Two, the step you thought you wouldn't have to do because your children have eaten the avocado pudding before at a friends and loved it. Oh wait, no that was me. Sorry.

Measure a cup and a half of milk into a pot. Put it on the stove over low heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge. DO NOT USE LOW FAT MILK. 2% OR MORE PLEASE!

Don't let it boil or burn, though.

Meanwhile, stir together
3 tablespoons cornstarch,
4 tablespoons sugar,
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of cocoa

Stir half a cup of cold milk into these dry ingredients, and mix well.
Stir this mixture into the scalded milk -- use a whisk if you've got one.

Keep stirring and raise the heat to medium. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat and let it thicken up a little then mix the two "puddings" together.

There you go! I figure it's still a lot less sugar than other chocolate pudding recipes, and avocados are really good for you!

I blog, sure I do!

My 1 post a month is completely overwhelming! How will readers ever keep up? Oh... I don't think I have any :) This is probably a perfect pace!
To be fair, I have been through some pretty hefty upheaval in the past month or so. Two days after my first post here we found a leak in our basement. Not a very big deal, except that we found mold to go with the leak. The big lad and the middle lad having the lungs we do, meant that we hightailed it outta there!
Fast forward a month and a half. I've been living at my Mom's with the kids while the big lad lives with a church couple. Things are looking up though, perhaps we will be back in our house soon!
In the meantime, the change of routine and more "out and aboutness" has been fantastic for the kids and I. It has also made me see some behaviours in lass #1 and the middle lad that I'm not overly thrilled with. Is it ADHD/ADD? I don't know. I go through checklists and it sure sounds like it but we have no official diagnosis. That costs a lot and isn't something I think we'll pursue for now.
What we are going to try is the Feingold program. It doesn't look super easy but it is do-able and if it makes a difference I'm totally for it! I've ordered the package and it should be here soon. While we wait I might start a food diary and see if I can find trigger foods on my own.

Alright, let's do this. I've had this blog set up for a kajillion years now and I've never done anything with it. I should, I have a lot to say! I've started a few other blogs but they are all out there, dusty and sadly neglected taking up tiny corners of the web. I often start strong and then fizzle out like a seriously disappointing dollar store firecracker.
Having recently been inspired by a few amazing blogs I follow, I'm resolving to embark on this and stick with it!
I don't have anything specific to talk about (I'm the first one to admit I change the subject more than some people change their underwear) but if there's one thing I do well, it's talk!
Hang on, it's gonna be a wild ride! (ok, honestly? Probably not all that wild, but I've been stuck inside all week with a house full of sick kids, humour me)