Play-doh 101

I started making my own play-doh awhile back when my mother-in-law gave me a recipe. At first I was a little skeptical because it seemed so easy to just buy the play-doh. However, once Mya started eating it, I decided knowing what ingredients were in play-doh would be nice:) Now we're hooked. This play-doh is like the old school kind...you'll know what I'm talking about when you smell it. It lasts FOREVER which is a bonus. (as long as you keep it in a zip lock of some sort) It's something that Mya can actually participate in making because it doesn't contain any eggs, so that is another bonus here. We've started giving it away as gifts to Max and Mya's little friends too! Here's a step by step in case you're interested in giving it a whirl.

You're going to eventually put this on the stove, so I usually do the whole thing in a pan that can go right on the stove. You could mix it up in something else and then transfer, but I hate doing dishes.

(I'm giving you the recipe already doubled)
Step 1: Mix the following together:
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1/2 c salt
2 tsp oil
4 tsp cream of tartar
food coloring






Step 2: Put on the stove at medium to medium high heat. Once the play-doh starts to get lumpy, you'll need to stir constantly.



Step 3: Take the play-doh off the stove when you have one big lump of play-doh and all the liquid is gone.



Step 4: As soon as I take it off the stove, I take it out of the pan to prevent it from over cooking. I just set it on the counter or table and let it cool. Then...I immediately go soak the pan in hot water and soap so it's easy to wash.



Step 5: As soon as the play-doh is cool enough to touch, you can start to knead it until it becomes smooth and gets the air bubbles out.



Step 6: Before you put it in zip-lock baggies, you want to make sure it's completely cooled or else it will leave condensation on the baggie and you'll get mold. I usually just let the kids play with it for awhile which takes care of that problem!

Enjoy!

The streak continues...

I grew up going to Twins baseball games. Usually once a summer we'd go up to the cities for a game. Between those games growing up and the games I went to the year I lived in the cities after college, I had never seen the Twins lose in person. Saturday Chris and I went to a game with my sister and some friends and the streak was in jeopardy. You wouldn't have thought so going into the 9th inning with a 6-2 lead, but the twins managed to give up 5 runs in the 9th! We ended up winning on a sacrifice fly in the 12th inning...5.5 hours after the start of the game! The game was super exciting. Would have been super exciting to anyone there, but for us...(6th row behind the Brewers Dugout)it was unbelievable. The twins have a new outdoor stadium this year and they filled it Saturday with the biggest crowd of the season so the place was rockin':)

Awesome view of the city from the stadium

check out the ball just as Mauer is about to hit.

The team after Mauer scored the winning run.



Friday night we had an adult evening out at my sister's house. She had a little party on her deck with some family, friends, food and entertainment. Tara is truly the hostess with the mostess....the party was a ton of fun!

22 months and counting....

The countdown to 2 is on! Mya is 22 months today and is definitely showing signs of being right smack dab in the middle of the terrible 2's. If you are a friend of mine on facebook, you saw last week that she was crib jumping. At home she was able to get down with ease...her body never once leaving the crib until her feet touched the ground. Both Chris and I were able to witness it in person and on the video monitor. However..one long plummet from the crib at Grandma and Grandpa Huinker's house and she's scared shitless (pardon my language). I'm not glad it happened (because she could have been seriously hurt of course) but since it did happen, now she won't jump out! For a couple days after the plummet, she would say owie when she got in her crib. I'd just respond with ...yep, you'll get a bad owie if you get out of your crib and that seemed to work! We were really struggling with what to do if she continued to get out. I didn't think she was ready for a toddler bed, but I also didn't want to spend $70 on a crib tent only to have it for a couple months. We'll see...tomorrow she may start getting out again, but for now she's caged up!

If either of my kids end up getting tattoos, it will be Mya for sure. She's so into writing on her skin. If you give her a writing utensil, it first goes on her skin and then on paper. The other day I had my hands full and walked by a green marker on the gorund. I distinctly remember telling myself not to forget to go back and pick that up before Mya got her chubby little hands on it. I forgot. Here's the consequence I had to deal with.



It's a really good thing that Mya was born with a sibling already in the family, otherwise the adjustment would be terrible. She is at her best when she's getting one-on-one attention from mom and/or dad. She just loves attention from us and is even better at playing by herself if Max isn't around. She'll be playing quietly while I get other things done and as soon as she hears the pitter patter footsteps of Max upstairs, she immediately goes into whiny mode and needs me to pick her up or hangs onto my leg. She doesn't want Max to get my attention and she knows that he's going to get it if he's just waking up in the morning or from a nap.



Her favorite things these days include popsicles, talking, juice, playing in the car, swinging, talking, her babies, shoes, purses, gum, helping,and oh...did I mention talking? If this gives you any indication of what life is like...Max asked me the other day if Mya could stop talking PLEASE! I had to laugh, but then agree with him. I have a pretty good idea what she wants, but others have more difficulty. It could be that words sound similar. Pine cone/popsicle, water/Chloe/Love you, rock/truck/walk/duck, juice/shoes, tractor/cracker/sticker all come out exactly the same! The words she uses the most these days are "self" and "Mya". They both mean the same thing---I CAN DO IT MYSELF THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Everything from emptying the little potty chair, to getting in and out of her carseat, to taking off/putting on her diaper, getting dressed, getting Max dressed...ahhh, this list could go on forever.



All in all...a pretty typical almost two year old with a little added twist of Mya:) Wouldn't trade her for the world.

Play group

Thank goodness for playdates! We have a good group of people here in Dubuque who are always willing to get together to let the little ones run off some energy and the big ones enjoy some coffee and adult conversation. Lately Max has been interested in some new games with his friends and neighbors. They are the ones that bring back so many memories of my childhood playing these games with the gang on Mound Street. Duck, Duck, Gray Duck/Goose (depending on where you grew up) Ring around the Rosie, Tag, Hide-and-go-seek, and Red-Light, Green-Light are the popular ones these days. Mya sort of participates, but she doesn't really understand. Here are a few pictures of a recent day when ring around the rosie was the big hit. Hide-and-go-seek is one we play at home ALL THE TIME. Max always wants to hide from Chris when he comes home from work. The problem is...Max is horrible at hiding. He can't stay still for one second without telling the "seeker" where he is hiding. He actually has some pretty good spots to hide, but won't stay quiet! Mya usually gives away my hiding spots because she finds it necessary to follow me around the house 100% of the time! I try to use the game to teach her to count to 10. She's getting closer, but we're still a ways off. Here's a video of her yesterday trying to count while being very distracted by a balloon:)

Mother's Day 2010

Happy late Mother's day to all of you Mom/Mommy/Mama's out there! I feel very blessed to have such wonderful role models in my life. I read someone else's Mother's day blog tonight and she titled it "To whom much is given, much is expected". I couldn't agree more. I am so proud to be the one chosen to be the mom to my two little rugrats. I sometimes complain about how much they "need" me, but the truth is, I hope everyone in the world feels a fraction of the amount of love as I do from my kids on a daily basis.

I had a great day yesterday, but was way too tired to blog about it last night! We spent the weekend up in Decorah. On Friday I watched my niece Gracie. It went WAY better than I thought it would, but that could be because Grace is pretty much a straight out of the textbook kind of baby. Then on Saturday Chris came up and we did a trip to the fish hatchery and even got some tennis in despite the frigid temperatures! Here's our 1st semi-successful photo of the 4 cousins together. We have some work to do, but at least no one is crying!



Max, as usual, got pretty excited about the idea of a holiday. When I told him on Saturday that Mother's Day was the next day, he asked what we did on Mother's Day. I told him it was a day to celebrate all the mommies of the world. His next response..."When is there going to be a day to celebrate Maxwell's?" Pretty clever I'd say. My mom helped Max with a little gift for me on Sunday morning. He woke me up to some fresh cut lilacs and a Hershey candy bar wrapped in the latest ad from the Sunday paper. He was so excited about it and wanted me to open the candy bar immediately (at 7:15 am) I obliged, but thankfully he turned his back just as I was going to eat it and I put it down. Even I can't eat chocolate that early in the morning! He must have been asking my mom some questions about Mother's Day because then a few minutes later he told me that Daddy gets to have a Mother's day in just a couple of weeks! Chris was thrilled to hear this news:)

We went to brunch and had a great time. Going to the country club in Decorah is a little like going to a class reunion. I got to see some of my old friends who now have kids of their own that I'd never met and I also saw some teachers who can't believe they're old enough to be saying Happy Mother's Day to a former student!

Chris topped the day off by volunteering to drive Mya home in the van! Max rode with me and fell asleep while Mya rode the whole way home without sleeping a wink! The only bad part of the weekend was coming home to a freezing cold (61 degree) house! We got through the night with some space heaters and after a service call this afternoon, we found out that there were 4 dead birds in our furnace pipe! Getting a few whiffs of that smell was enough to tell me that the $70 I was about to pay the guy would be the best $70 I'd ever spent.

Anyway...that wasn't intended to be so long! Here are a few pictures from the weekend.





Side note: Auntie Tara...I hope you enjoyed the pictures of Max in the leisure suit you bought him. After the fight we had to endure Sunday morning to get him to wear it...you can pretty much guarantee it will not be worn again:(

For Uncle Jeff

Cinco de mayo!

Most people don't know that back in 1912 Hellman's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York City.

Mexicans were crazy about the stuff.

The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were disconsolate("desperados") at the loss. So much so that they declared a national day of mourning which they still observe today.

It is known, of course, as ...sinko de Mayo.

Ha, ha....just kidding. Happy Cinco de mayo everyone! This "voluntarily observed holiday" is my favorite 2nd tier holiday. It was also my 2nd favorite day of the school year when I was teaching. (can you guess my favorite day of the school year??) It's a fun excuse to eat good food, drink good drinks and wear a sombrero!

95% of people think that it's Mexican Independence Day, but it actually just marks the date when the Mexicans won an unlikely battle at Puebla against the French army on May 5, 1862. Mexican Independence Day is September 16th. Now that you got your history lesson for the day....go have a margarita!

Birthday wishes

Happy 86th Birthday Grandpa Bill! I'm sure today will be no different than any other day for him...walk a couple miles with a 125 lb dog (at least), breakfast at Denny's, cut the grass, work on some woodworking project, drink a pot of coffee, pick great-grandkids up at daycare, and read the newspaper and 3 magazines cover to cover! I'm pretty sure all of those things are what makes him the youngest 86 year old I've ever known. Here's to many more Bill. Wish we could see you more often!

Big Talker

When you have two kids, it's really hard not to compare them. I try not to, but sometimes it's impossible. Looking back, I think Max was a lot farther ahead of Mya in the speaking category at this age. Recently, I discovered a possible reason why. One day a neighbor down the street came by with her kids and asked if Max could go play at her house. Chris and I were doing yard work, so it was a perfect opportunity to get some things done without the Number 1 helper! After some yard work, I needed to make a Target run so I decided to take Mya with me so Chris could finish up. There are many times I go run errands with 1 kid, but I never choose Mya. She's not very fun to shop with these days.

So, as I'm driving along with Mya in the back by herself, she starts talking up a storm! She's pointing out everything we see. The ones I remember right off hand were tractor, truck, car, cow, moo, horse, slide, park, puppy, balloons. Typically, she doesn't say a thing when we're driving around. (unless of course it's on a long trip and then it's not words, but screams) Max completely dominates conversation. Since this trip, I've made more of an effort to direct questions and conversations to Mya in the car and at home and she has exploded with words. It could be a coincidence or maybe not?!?

Here are a couple pictures taken recently of little Mya. When people ask me if she's going to be a girly-girl or a tomboy, I have to respond with both! One minute she's digging in the mud with the boys, wrestling and playing trains. The next minute she's putting her babies to bed with her purse on her shoulder while showing off her painted toes! She doesn't go many places without her baby and a purse these days. Here's proof.

Total Recall

I've been asked by several people for an account of my procedure. I also know that I am a guinea pig of sorts even though lasik has been around for quite awhile now. I can think of a few people who were like me and said, "I'll wait until you do it..." when I told them I was finally serious.

I'll try to make this brief...

#1) Picking a doctor was not easy. I had several people refer me to different places. I've been waiting to do this for 10 years so deciding to finally take the plunge was no small feat. I did a lot of research in addition to asking around. The Minneapolis newspaper advertised a guy with soap opera looks at the bargain price of $500/eye. Sounded too much like a chop shop to me although I'm sure he does great work. There's probably some drama to go along with it as well. There were doctors near and far and prices that fluctuated greatly. Ultimately, I decided on Wolfe Clinic which had multiple locations in Iowa, but the closest was 1hr15min away. Price was about the same as the local place I was refered to but still not what I would consider a small amount. They were refered to us by a good family friend that worked there once which made it feel a bit more personal, plus they had a great website, so to me that meant they probably could slice a good eye too. I think that planning ahead to help take cost out of the equation a little bit made it easier to go through with because it was 100% based on how it felt and not as much about how much it cost.

#2) The consult really sold me. I went over to Waterloo for the consult and they tested, tested and tested some more. I couldn't believe all the tests they put my eyes through! It made me feel like they were really doing their homework to make sure they could give me the best recommendation and that they would tell me if they didn't think I would be a good candidate. 3 hours for tests might seem like a nuisance, but to me it was everything that I needed. I scheduled the procedure that day for the following Monday.

#3) Word of advice - DON'T GOOGLE "Video of lasik eye surgery" the night before your surgery. I thought it would be good to see what I was getting into. Wrong. First of all, there's all kinds of different ways to get lasik done. One of which involves a blade cutting the flap of your cornea open. Video of this is not pleasant and even though it's not what I was going to have (mine was 100% laser), it still made me more nervous than I was prior to watching the video. I'm convinced that what you don't see can't hurt you.

#4) The actual procedure was quick. Real quick. First part - they put some drops in to numb the eyes. Then they gave me some Valium which at the time I didn't think did anything at all, but afterwards it's obvious they are pretty sweet because I remember thinking that I was Mr. Joe Cool through the procedure and having no worries at all. Ya- that could not have been me sin-drugs. First step was going to a "clean room" where they have a "laser" (think Dr. Evil from Austin Powers when I type that) set to cut the flap over your cornea. Actually, it's not really cutting in my case. This "laser" puts bubbles at an exact depth under your cornea, and they form a flap. First, the doctor put an apparatus in my eye to hold the lid open. Didn't bother me at all and I couldn't feel a thing. Then for the worst part of the whole deal - they put this cup type thing actually on my eyeball to keep the cornea centered. They literally push it until it pops in place on your eye. It didn't hurt at all, but it felt a little weird. And immediately afterwards, everything when black. He rolled me under the "laser" and about 30 seconds later, I'm out from under it, he removes the cup deal and I close that eye. You know what it's like when you stare at the sun with your eyes closed? That's what it was like for me, except I saw red which made me think my eye was bleeding profusly. Then it turned green and before I could think about it any more, he had me open the other eye and we repeated everything again. Total time was about 3 minutes. Once both were done, I opened my eyes on command and things were blurry. They prepped me to expect that, and it wasn't as bad as they had made it out to be. I was able to stand up and walk to the room next door where another "laser" was housed. I layed down and again had an apparatus hold one of my eyelids open. Feeling nothing, I could see the doctor moving the eye around, washing it off, and what I assume to be him folding the cornea flap over. The I hear "Hoden, right eye, 7 seconds". I was told to stare at the green light, which immediately went a little hazy and after what must have been 7seconds, the light is clear again and they close that eye. Repeat with the other one. This part was absolutely painless, easy and over in half the time it took to "laser" the flap. Once done, they said to open my eyes. I said "are you sure?" thinking that no way should I be able to see after all that. I was able to squint them open and see just fine. They taped some clear plastic protective shields over me and sent me on my way. Bottom line - the procedure was absolutely painless and much quicker than I could have hoped for.

#5) After 30 minutes in the car, I started to feel a little irritation in the eyes like when you get a little dust in there. Nothing crazy, but up until that point I had felt nothing. Once home, I easily slept for a few hours while Beth took the kids to a park (my wife is great). When I woke up, my eyelids felt a little sticky and there was still some irritation as well as some sensitivity to bright light. Nothing that made me want to rub my eyes like crazy or anything like that. By 6pm and 6 hours after the procedure, I felt 100% normal other than the fact I still had these plastic shields over my eyes. Post-op wasn't as bad as I thought it would be either.

#6) My vision wasn't as remarkably better as I thought it would be that day. It wasn't until after I got to the doctor the next morning and took the plastic things off that I really realized that things were a lot better. In retrospect, I should have taken off those shields as soon as I woke up. Instead, I drove to the doctor with them on like a baffon because they told me too. They are just there to keep you from rubbing your eyes at night. Anyway, lesson learned was to not judge your vision improvement until that first eye exam. Apparently I have super-human vision at 20-15. Like Superman. If you want x-ray vision you can get it for a price. They don't advertise that fact.

#7) I went to work the next day after my check up and everything has been great since. There is a little redness on the outsides of my eyes where I assume the cup things suctioned themselves to my eyeballs, but it is not a lot worse than what they look like after a late night out.

I've been extremely happy with the results so far. One of the main benefits I wanted all along was to see the ball better in all the sports I attempt to play. Spotting a fly ball before it is 10 feet from me, watching the spin on a tennis ball, being able to see where the golf ball lands...these are all things I compensated for before since I didn't wear glasses or contacts. I hit a bucket of golf balls at the range on my way home from work today, and truth be told it didn't look a whole lot different. I could see the ball, but I can't remember what it was like before. We'll see how everything else pans out when it comes to sports. All I know is I still have 4 years eligibility... Coach Huinker?!?!? But then tonight, I was outside and looking at the moon rise and seeing all the detail in it - that was something I haven't been able to experience without glasses for as long as it has captured my imagination. I know it was worth every penny. At least for me anyway.