Welcome addition

CyberBears, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the Four Bear Family:

Isn't she purty?

After months of searching Craig's List and every other nook and cranny, I have procured a new-to-me bicycle to replace my sad, pitiful, eight hundred pound excuse of a bike.  (Any question as to what my goal is should now confidently be answered!)

She's a beauty, and a very welcome addition to the family.  But since we'll be spending a significant amount of time together, I feel she needs a name.  Papa Bear is partial to "Mama Bear Needs To Get A Job To Fund This Hobby" but I'm leaning towards "Little Grizzly."  I thought it would be fun, however, to let you guys help.  So...

In the comments section, offer your suggestions.  All are welcome (PG, please).  Multiple entries per person are allowed.  On Friday, I'll have a poll of all the choices and we'll have a good old vote to choose her name. Winner gets...bragging rights (hey, I just bought a "new" bike folks).

On that note, I thought I'd update you on my "progress."  I'm 25 weeks into an over 52 week process.  There have been lots of ups and downs.  Times when I've been able to see the finish line in my head and know I can do this, and times when I've wanted to just lie down and give up.  I'm learning things about myself and challenging myself in ways I never thought possible.  I'm learning more about the awesome teamwork in my marriage, basic mechanics (it's an Allen wrench, not an Axel wrench), prioritizing (I have a blog?), fatigue, and flexibility (both physical and mental) than I ever thought possible.

I still grapple (almost daily) with feelings of fear as it relates to this process.  But, that was the point of this exercise, and I'm trying to embrace it.  Some days are better than others.

To date, I'm glad I decided to do this.  And I KNOW I couldn't do it without the support I've received from each of you.

Keep it coming.

Running with Endurance

When I told y'all I love the Olympics - I wasn't kidding.  I am now suffering the effects of Acute Olympics Withrdawl (AOW).  The shakes are gone, but the night sweats still persist peaking at about 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

Sigh.

I can't think of a better way to recover from the Olympics than to relive them by writing about one of my favorite Olympic moments.  I'm weaning myself slowly, Cyberbears.  In the meantime, you can click here to read what I have to say.

Only five hundred and thirty eight more days (give or take) until the next Olympics.

Not that I'm keeping track or anything....

Spelling it out

A rousing game of Scrabble with Papa Bear got me to thinking about words.  Today on Facebook, I'm expounding on words and what they can do.  Click here to read more.

(Oh.  And if anyone is interested, I WON.)

When the cubs are away, the bears will....

EAT.  Okay, and play too.  And workout out.  Oh, and watch some Olympics. And play Scrabble. And Rummikub.  Oooh, yeah!  And nap too.  And, and, read books that don't rhyme.

But did I mention the eating?

If you can't tell already, Papa Bear and I are on vacation.  Glorious, glorious, cub free vacation.  Not that I don't love my cubs and all, but, WOO HOO!  No whining!  No crying!  No fighting!  And, most importantly:

NO COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FOOD I COOK.

I may have mentioned this once or three hundred and forty two times, but the cubs complaining about the dinner I cook?  DRIVES. ME. CRAZY.

Because, I love to cook.  I love to try new recipes.  I'm not crafty at all, but making food?  It's my art.  Those of you who scrapbook (I would rather stick needles in my eyes than scrapbook) - food - food is my scrapbooking.  And think I've mentioned (perhaps, just maybe) that I love to eat.

So cooking for picky kiddos (and subsequently eating said food) has become an exercise in boring.  I know, there are many of you who say, "have them try new foods! Make them eat the food they refuse for breakfast the next day! don't give up!"  Uh huh.  Sure.  That all sounds great and wonderful in your perfect little world.  But, um, I prefer not to go absolutely OUT OF MY MIND every night at dinner thankyouverymuch.

So, alas, one of my singular goals for vacation was to cook and eat "grown up food" without anyone complaining.

Sigh.  It's the little things, right?

I thought I'd share the recipes and review with my loyalest CyberBears.  Because I love you that much.

I'll have another post with more recipes.  But for now, enjoy! (Please excuse my pictures.  I took totally lazy phone pictures.  Because, while I love food, I'm clearly no food blogger.)

Sausage Pockets - I saw this recipe on "The Chew" and thought it was cool.  It's terribly easy with even easier clean-up.  I wanted something easy for our first day because we would be coming off of 2 long days of driving and I didn't want to do anything difficult (especially because I would be doing some prep-work for the week's breakfasts, lunches and dessert that day as well).  This was really yummy.  Papa Bear and I each added our own tastes, which was nice.  I LOVED how the brats turned out.  Charred a little (like I like) but super juicy.  This would be GREAT for a party.  Set up all the ingredients and let everyone select their items, wrap 'em up, grill, then throw away the pockets when done.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins - While I wanted to cook and enjoy yummy food, I'm also practical.  I didn't want to spend the WHOLE vacation cooking.  So the day we arrived, I made a large part of the breakfasts and lunches (and the whole dessert) for the week.  That way, I got the benefit of yummy food each day, but not the work!  I've been making these muffins for a few years.  They never fail and are DEE-LISH!  They turned out a little moist this time for some reason (thus, they don't look as yummy in the picture).  I'm assuming it's because of the altitude and moisture where we are.  Still taste great, though.  Just whip up some eggs (and the not pictured bowl of fruits-my-cubs-won't-touch) and, voila, breakfast.  (Oh, and I know that's a lot of breakfast.  I'm still doing two-a-day workouts while on vacation, so I need the fuel.)

Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches - Yum.  This was the other dish I made the day we arrived.  It serves ten, so I made a batch and put in the fridge.  When it's lunch, all I have to do is toast some bread and then add my sides (the blueberries counteract the potato chips, so it was a totally healthy lunch!).  I loved this.  Thinking I might start making a batch of this on the weekends at home so I have some ready-made lunches.  Papa Bear thought the red peppers overpowered the chicken salad and chose not to put them on going forward.  The recipe called for focaccia bread, which I'm sure would make it even better.  I couldn't find it at the local store, so I made do with honey whole wheat bread.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze - Okay.  This recipe just proves to me that Bobby Flay is pure awesome.  Yum.  So very delicious, and so very easy.  I just wish there had been more (I halved the recipe).  Papa Bear and I both wolfed it down!  Will definitely make this again.  Mmm, mmm, good.  Served with easy sides of spinach and couscous.

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta - This dish had a lot of steps.  And I was tired.  Thus, it's possible I might have set off the smoke alarm.  So, while I liked the dish, I would likely plan it a little differently (make the sauce earlier in the day).  Nonetheless, it was super yummy!  I grilled up a chicken breast and added it to Papa Bear's plate as he needed some additional protein fuel.  I ate it without the chicken.  The sauce had a nice kick and the goat cheese...yum.  I'm not afraid to admit that I went back for seconds.  Served with my Mama Bear's famous salad on the side.

Good thing we're working out a lot on this vacation too(even though most recipes are from Cooking Light), right?

Mmmmmmm.... stay tuned for a few more meals and....dessert.  Glorious, glorious dessert.

Olympic Moments

I was unable to post this last Thursday due to technology issues while traveling.  Am posting now for your pleasure.  On Facebook, I discussed the moments in life I find truly Olympic.  Click here to read more.

Lightning in a bottle

When's the last time you chased a lightning bug? (aka, firefly) (aaka, Lampyridae, you are welcome,  Big Sister Bear)  Today on Facebook, I'm thinking about a great summer pastime.  Click here to read more.

Summer

Need

I say

S'more?

C'mon.  I couldn't resist!

DNA

A conversation overheard during our drive:

Brother Bear:  Mama Bear, I need to know where the "drive around us" button is located.

Mama Bear:  The "drive around us" button?  What do you mean?

Brother Bear:  You know, the button you push so that it makes the lights blink and other cars know to driver around us?

Mama Bear:  Oh!  Yes!  You mean the "hazard lights."  The button is right here (pointing to hazard light button on Swagger Wagon).  Why do you need to know where that button is?

Brother Bear:  Well, in case something happens to you while you are driving and I have to jump in the front seat and take over driving, I'll know what button to push so that the other cars will know to go around us while I get the car safely stopped.

...

CyberBears, there are times in life when you see a trait in your cub and you are proud and comforted to know that they share your DNA.  Other times...not so much.

To do...

• Sleep in (well, relatively "in" since I have young cubs).  CHECK.
• Drink a cup of coffee while overlooking the river.  CHECK.
• Play in the river, "ride the rapids," and find interesting rocks with the cubs.  CHECK.
• Enjoy a leisurely lunch with my Mama and Papa Bear.  CHECK.
• Cuddle up in the porch swing with the intent to read, knowing full well I'm going to be lulled into the loveliness I call a "Porch Swing Coma" instead.  CHECK.
• Sit in the rocking chair on the porch listening to the sound of my cubs collecting sticks for the fire pit (they are very helpful when they know s'mores are the end result).  CHECK.
• Forget to brush my hair.  CHECK.

Ahhh, summer vacation.  Thank you for taking my summer to do list full of empty busyness and making it chock full of important nothingness.

Holding my breath!

We love our swim teacher.  She is part swim teacher, part magician.  I don't know how she does it, but she does.  Today was Sugar Bear's last day of classes, so she got to "show off" for Mama Bear.  I took video (because, I'm THAT kinda Mama Bear).

Before you watch this, let me remind you that Sugar Bear is 3.75 years old.  Let me also remind you that Brother Bear practically levitated over the water, barely getting wet (and CERTAINLY not getting his FACE wet) until he was...oh...5 or so.  (So you know where my brain is while watching her)



Am I the only one that tried to take a breath for her while they were watching this?

I'm not trying to point out any stellar swimming or anything.  It's probably not that impressive.  There are certainly cubs younger who can swim way better.  But you gotta remember what my expectations were going in...  So, are you the least bit surprised when I tell you that it took EVERY BIT OF RESTRAINT I had not to drop my phone and jump in that pool fully clothed to rescue her?

Sigh.  I lost a solid year off of my life today.  Rest assured, this cub does NOT keep me young.

Every one's a winner!

My super bloggin' cousin bear (and, most loyalest Cyber Bear) recently had a post about the new model for elementary school field days.  She asked her readers to give their thoughts on the subject.  In retrospect, I opined too much....I might have possibly scooted my soap box over to her blog comments for a good, hearty rant. (My apologies cousin bear!)

If I had seen this first, I would have just posted it instead.  Because this video below needs no words.  The triumph here says everything I ever wanted to say about elementary school field days (warning - kleenex alert):


He may never come across a finish line first, He may never stand on a winner's podium. But in my mind, he's a winner.

Generosity

Have you experienced generosity?  Our church has been discussion generosity over the last month.  I'm sharing my thoughts about when I've experienced generosity today on Facebook.  Click here to read more.

I sure hope you have a place like we do to both give and receive.

Those Little Lights of Mine

Ahhh, parenting.  It's so simple, isn't it?  (Please note use of sarcasm font)  Today on Facebook, I'm talking about lessons I'm learning as I parent my little lights.  Click here to read more.

Words With Sugar Bear

Brother Bear has alway been our elocutionist.  As a wee little cub he rarely - if ever - mispronounced words (Ok.  There was the SUPER DUPER mispronunciation of "construction" for two very long years...but other than that...).  If he didn't know how to pronounce something, he either chose another word or learned how to pronounce it correctly.

Sugar Bear, on the other hand, never ceases to amaze us with her unique use of words.  She's not afraid to barrel into a word she wants to use.  Mispronounced or not.  Gotta love that cub's hair-on-fire tenacity.

Some of them are so cute they make me giggle out loud.  I'm afraid I'm going to forget them, so I'm writing them down now for posterity.  And, hopefully, it will give you a giggle or two as well.

• breastiss - the first meal of the day especially when taken in the morning.  ("Mama Bear, what's for breastiss?")
• pampakes - a flat cake made of thin batter and cooked (as on a griddle) on both sides.  ("When I wake up in the morning, I want pampakes for breastiss!")
• ihlarious - marked by or causing hilarity: extremely funny.  ("Brother Bear, you are ihlarious!")
• banano - a personal music device.  ("I want to listen to music on Brother Bear's banano")
• hippomapotomus - a very large herbivorous 4-toed chiefly aquatic artiodactyl mammal of sub-Saharan Africa with an extremely large head and mouth, bare and very thick grayish skin, and short legs. ("Why don't they have hippomapotomus at the zoo?")
• callapiller - the elongated wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth.  ("I want to read The Very Hungry Callapiller!)
• yogrit - a fermented slightly acid often flavored semisolid food made of milk and milk solids to which cultures of 2 bacteria have been added.  ("I want some yogrit for dessert!")

Just a few that I can remember at the moment.  Enjoy....