Thanks to Google for the photo.  Our cats won’t pose like these. 
I don’t think these presents will stand a chance up against these two. 

Never before at Christmas time have I ever had the gifts wrapped before midnight on Christmas morning.   Often hubby and I  were both bleary-eyed when our three boys woke up to open presents.  Where is the coffee? 
This afternoon my youngest went out with one of his brothers and I had over six hours to my self.
 
I thought I could clean the tub and take a hot bath without expecting someone to come bursting to ask if I had seen this or that.  And then, I heard an angel chorus….I could get all the Christmas presents wrapped!  I could even use the big table and not have to hide in our bedroom.  I wouldn’t have to lean over the bed, wrapping on top of the comforter; having to be careful not to cut fabric when I cut the wrapping paper. 

After about 3 hours, Pete and Sam called to say they were on their way home…”Did I need anything?”  “Yes,” I shouted, “I need you to stay gone two more hours!”  Sam wanted to know if I was wrapping stuff for him…he wants a razor skooter…the kind that sparks.  “No,” I said, “I don’t think there’s anything here for you yet.” 
Five hours later, I had everything wrapped…including the skooter….buried behind the tree.  Stocking stuffers are in five separate bags, ready to go when my family is down for the night.  I have a  new bottle of cough syrup to go in my stocking.  The kitty treats and toys are in their own gift bags.  

When hubby got home from work and the boys returned from the movies we had bowls of Superbowl Soup (shameless plug for past post) and corn bread.  I still haven’t asked what movie they saw, (maybe I don’t want to know) while enjoyed two more hours of wrapping in peace. 

This evening I walked past the tree.  There hiding underneath was AJ, with her face buried in her gift bag. 
Even she can’t wait for Christmas.

Hey-
I was just “carded” at Target for buying cough syrup! 
It just doesn’t get any better than this!

How many people clean out their medicine cabinet/storage/cardboard box of medicines regularly? 
I do.  Twice a year, usually at the fall and spring time changes.  Keep those snide anti “Martha Stewart” comments to yourselves.  This really is important. 

How many times have you been “sick as a dog” only to find that the flu/cold medicine or worse yet, that the Pepto Bismol has separated into two murky looking halves in one bottle?  Ever wonder why the prescription medication you took did not work and you find yourself sicker than when you took it?  Check your expiration dates.

It is a lovely, late summer day here behind the Orange Curtain.  Our heat wave seems to be ending, finally.  My youngest son and I are comtemplating a trip to the movies to see “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”  As he passed by me this morning, I reached over to rub his still, soft back with my hand. 
Hot.  Mom-Radar on Red Alert. 
I headed for our medicine cabinet – the linen closet in the bedroom hallway.  Armed with the digital thermometer and the Motrin, I returned to Sam.  His temperature is 102.2; he gets a dose of Motrin.

I consider Motrin to be the big guns…what I use first, when the fever is over 100 degrees.  When Sam was little and when my first three sons were under 8, I could tell you within a degree what their temperature was by feeling their upper back (between the shoulder blades) with my hand.  I don’t know if that is a marketable talent or not.  It may fall under “Mother of the Year” headings.  I remember the years when the boys would spike a high fever and I would be on watch 24/7, giving them what I affectionately called the Motrin/Tylenol cocktail.  (You can’t order that in your local pub.) 

I spent the next 30 minutes on the phone with the pediatrician’s office and Urgent Care.  They advised that if his temperature did not drop two degrees within 30-45 minutes I should bring him in immediately.  Otherwise, he should be seen in the office on Monday.  Urgent Care told me their office was filled with kids with flu like symptoms and I think I am asking for more trouble if I take him there.

While I waited to take his temperature again, my mother called.  This event, her phone call, can often have many options…ranging from pleasant to downright exhausting.  You never know who you are going to get, and she wasn’t born in June.  (My apologies to my Gemini readers.) 
I know that when I tell my mother that Sam has a fever, she will be calling ever 45 minutes to an hour.  You would think that he was my first born and only a few months old.  While we are talking she tells me about a recall of Tylenol, she heard about on the news  She has a great disdain for computers, but advises me to check to find out what product was recalled. 

I click on Google and enter the key word Tylenol.  Up pops the first item regarding a product recall.  It’s not dated three years ago.  Crud. 
I run down the list of products and here’s the Tylenol suspension liquid.  (Sam hates to swallow pills.)  I find my reading glasses and dial the number for the company.  The lot numbers of the products recalled are not listed on the site.  Could there be too many to list?  Could they want to know how many offending bottles of the product are out there? 

The customer service representative determined that the almost empty bottle of Tylenol I am holding is one that was recalled.  The other bottle, that I keep in my brief case, (should I get an emergency call from Sam’s school that he is sick and has a fever) is one of the unaffected products judging by the code.  The rep gets the necessary information to send me a coupon for a free bottle.  She also tells me that a doctor on staff with Johnson & Johnson will call me within 24 hours.  That’s very nice I tell her, but really not necessary. 
Ps – We love your baby shampoo. 

Another bit of information that she gave me was the following website with instructions for what to do with those bottles of pills and cough syrups, etc that have expired. 

Sam’s fever has dropped 2 degrees and he thinks this video looks like fun.  We’re going to go and clean out the medicine cabinet now.  He can’t wait to crush the expired pills.  I’ve got an industrial size bottle of Tylenol PM…it’s large enough to medicate a small city… It expired last December. 

http://www.smarxtdisposal.net/

If you click on the link, you can watch a video, or just read the following directions. 

A few small steps can make an important difference in safeguarding lives and protecting the environment.
Follow your medication prescriber’s instructions and use all medications as instructed. If you do not use all of your prescribed or over-the-counter medication, you can take a few small steps to make a huge impact in safeguarding lives and protecting the environment by disposing of unused medicines properly:

1. DO NOT FLUSH unused medications and DO NOT POUR them down a sink or drain. *
   • Pour medication into a ziploc plastic bag.  If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), crush it and add water to dissolve it.
   • Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds (or any material that mixes with the medication and makes it less appealing for pets and children to eat) to the plastic bag.
   • Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash. 
   • Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them away.
2. Be Proactive and Dispose of Unused Medication In Household Trash. When discarding unused medications, ensure you protect children and pets from potentially negative effects:
3. Check for Approved State and Local Collection Programs. Another option is to check for approved state and local collection alternatives such as community based household hazardous waste collection programs. In certain states, you may be able to take your unused medications to your community pharmacy or other location for disposal.
4. Consult your pharmacist with any questions.

Since we planned a road trip for late July, we knew that we had to purchase & pack the sunscreen. 
It was very hot and we managed to get tanned through the windshield. 
Next time – Think tinted windows.  
I had forgotten that Yosemite gets that hot in July and August.  We camped there for two weeks, one June. 
It was hot but the mosquito’s were worse…think sunscreen and bug spray….

While we live in a state that deeply appreciates it’s tourists, Hubby’s and my least favorite things are sunscreen, no deoderant and amusement parks.  We purposely boycott the “unhappiest place on earth” during the summer months just for those reasons….you’d have to add the admission price in as well…no, don’t even get me started on that. 

Sunscreen has never been my favorite beauty product.  I don’t like the smell, the way it makes my skin feel, the occasional allergic reaction to the chemicals, did I mention the smell?  Oh, now don’t preach…my skin no where near resembles shoe leather. 
Quite the opposite.; because I simply stay out of the sun.  And don’t start in about the unseen damage that the sun can do to our skin….I’ve had the sun damage test done and there really isn’t any. 
Really annoyed the doctor, I did.  (Where did the Yoda accent come from?) 
Anyway.  Let me tell you about some suncreens my family recommends. 
Our favorite sunscreen this trip was:  

Hawaiian Tropic Baby Faces & Tender Places Sunblock -

It has the 50 SPF  reccommended  by The Skin Cancer Foundation, and comes in a spray/ stream bottle. 
There were several things that we liked about this product. 
One, the scent.  It was has a soft baby scent.  It doesn’t blaringly yell and wave…”I’m wearing sunscreen!”   
(For you manly men, don’t worry, the baby soft scent does not last very long.  Hubby wears it and he’s got line backer shoulders.)
Two, was the spray/stream bottle.  You can spray/squirt it exactly where you want it.  It doesn’t pour out more than you want like some products.  The most important reason was the recommendation by the Skin Cancer Foundation. 

 Coppertone Water Babies 45SPF - 

We liked this one as well, but the drawback is the lotion/liquid.  It pours out too quickly, and it reminded me too much of the sunscreens of the 70’s and 80’s.  You know, that sunscreen smell.  This is one would be great for Mother’s beach or the  pool where you need  frequent re-applications.  I liked that it was the #1 brand recommended by pediatricians.  Even as cynical as I am, I would like to think that pediatricians are not getting a kickback from Coppertone. 

 Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 70 with Helioplex recommended by the Am. Cancer Society -

This is a very good sunscreen; the one that I used the most.  When applied to the skin it does not leave a greasy feel.  It is good for the delicate areas of the face and does not clog pores.  Every one’s  nose got a dose of this in the desert. 

 Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Sunblock gel SPF 45 with Helioplex recc by the American Cancer Society -

Another product that we liked by Neutrogena.  This one is really good for a second or third application throughout the day.  I used this several times on my upper arms that were getting too much sun through the windows.  The gel cools warm skin when it is applied.  It’s pleasant and refreshing and it doesn’t feel like you have on sunscreen. 

Banana Boat Sport Performance Broad Spectrum AvoTriplex SPF 50 Recc by the Skin Cancer Foundation -

The boys really liked this brand.  There was no strong sunscreen smell and it was readily absorbed, not leaving their skin oily. 
They use it whenever they are going biking or have a sporting event during the day.  Hubby slathered this all over his white knees and his farmer tanned arms several times a day.

But, the most important thing to remember is to apply your sunscreen.  Don’t count on a hat to keep you covered. 

Years ago we traveled like we were hippies from the 60’s….a VW vanagon….wherever the road took us….wherever the wind blew…with no hotel reservations.  We weren’t total rebels…we got maps from AAA. 
Then. 
We had kids.  
It’s hard to be “free as a bird” with one in diapers, one barely potty trained and one who loved to flush toilets. 
But, we were thrilled to have had our “wings clipped.” 

We’re not in our 20’s anymore; as Sam would be quick to tell you.  We’re old.
It’s not that fun to sleep in the car anymore….we did that recently when we arrived at a camp site too late in the evening to set up our tent. 
We groaned, creaked and cracked for hours the next morning.  Where’s the Motrin? 
We like our comforts…bed…pillows…hot coffee.  We have a 12 yr old, who is very fond of electricity and sleeping in a bed…usually ours. Regardless of our now deep seated desire for creature comforts, I wasn’t worried about not having hotel reservations for our upcoming trip adventure. 

With just one son at home, we decided it was time once again to undertake that time honored tradition of a family vacation by car. 
This time it wasn’t a “V- DUB” it was a rented KIA.  We had casually mapped out our route.  The Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Mono Lake & Yosemite National Park.  I wasn’t worried about making reservations. 

“Who goes to the Grand Canyon in July?” I asked.
“It’s not like we’re going to Zion National Park on Mother’s Day….”  (Now there’s a story I must share sometime.) 
“There are plenty of hotels around Yosemite!  It’s not like we’re going to be camping there. 
They keep saying on the news that everyone is having a ‘Staycation’ this year.  It’ll be fine…..” 

Yes, I have your family booked for our last available room Mrs. Stuart. 

As we were packing the car, Sam repeatedly asked me, “Where are we staying our first night, mom?”  Lying through my teeth I said, “Outside the Grand Canyon.”  Sam really wasn’t satisfied with that answer, he wanted the hotel name and confirmation number.  But he was so excited that he barely slept the night before and we left at 4 AM the following morning.  Outside Corona CA, after pancakes and Dramamine, Sam was out.

We left CA and entered AZ.  Sam slept through gas stops, potty stops and a drive-thru visit to DQ. 
At a scenic overlook when I got out of the car, I remembered one of our favorite sayings from the road…”But it’s a DRY heat…” 
I found two lovely Navajo women there, selling turquoise jewelery.  Decades ago at a similar stop, I bought a necklace with a three inch chunk of the stone.  I didn’t find anything nearly as large this time. 

All the way to Williams, Arizona, the Great Spirit in the Sky treated us to one His magnificent lightening storms. 
In fact, we were followed all 6 days by fantastic displays of God’s pyrotechnics.  Seems there was a storm just circling around AZ, UT, NV and Northern CA. 

After we had been driving for sometime through AZ, I thought I’d better find us a room for the night.   The Arizona AAA Tour Book was a great resource.  The first hotel I called wanted $250.00 for the night.  Hubby wanted to know if that room came with someone to scrub your back in the shower and then tuck you in for the night.  I told the girl at the reservations desk that I would call her back. 

As I continued to peruse through the hotel listings, there was a particularly loud clap of thunder.  With the possibility of sleeping in the car becoming a reality, I quickly called one of my next choices….The Red Feather Lodge, just about 2 miles outside the south entrance to the park.  I had to practically stand on my head in the KIA (not an easy task to be sure) to get cell reception.  I finally reached reservations for the hotel by holding my head just so, while we barrelled along at 70 MPH. 
“When would you be visiting us?” the girl asked.  “Tonight,” I said. 
She put me on hold so that I would not hear her laughing.  After what seemed like an eternity she came back on the line and requested my credit card number.  It seems the Stuart family had gotten THE last room at the Red Feather Lodge.  www.redfeatherlodge.com

Sam was jarred awake by a deep rumble of thunder.  He was so excited by the light show and preceded to refresh our education regarding weather, storms, lightening and thunder.  There were fantastic jagged bolts of lightening every 5-10 seconds in the clouds in front of us.  I tried in vain to photograph one of them;  I finally quit and just enjoyed the show.

When we reached Williams, Arizona, Sam spotted a Pizza Hut.  The Hut in Arizona is nothing like CA.  They had a salad bar, you could pick individual orders of pasta, and the kids working there were very sweet.  Sorry, if I’m stepping on toes.  After our meal we headed for our hotel.  The hotel was very nice and the staff accommodating.  We got our luggage in the room and then headed for into the park for Sam &  Hubby’s first glimpse of the Grand Canyon…live and in person. 
It seemed like it was the first time I had seen it too.  The ten minutes when I was a tween with Teddy and Grandma, was a long time ago. 
(See Clustr Maps:  Connect the Dots!  Part I)

Home…finally…from WA
Then a Road trip…CA-AZ-UT-NV-CA
3 national parks, one state park and a cave in 6 days
Clustr Maps part II
Geography lessons
Stay tuned

Coming Soon:   Forks – The Great Adventure

Thankfully I have had lots of energy this summer to keep up with the kids.  
I  have answered many questions, some of which took me by surprise. 

I have learned that when my brother’s children ask a question they want an answer……whether or not I am the person who should answer their question.  Somehow I was able to put off my own children’s questions…not these two. 
We have had many interesting conversations this month. 

We have talked about the word homo.
I’ve explained it means the same as gay & that some old grandmas born in the late 1800’s may have actually had Gay as a first or middle name; back then it only meant happy.  I explained that homo can also be in reference to dairy products, homogenized…with the full fat content. 
When I accidentally mentioned ”heterosexual”…that added a whole new set of questions. 

I have explained that you cannot get AIDS from licking a tree…”Who on earth told you that?” I asked.   
We need to include them in our little back yard evening discussions.  Besides, why would you want to lick a tree anyway?   Isn’t this carrying “tree hugging” a bit far?  I mean I know that my brother is raising you in the Pacific Northwest, but seriously. 

I have explained multiple times, that sex has different meanings.  Whether you are filing out an application or if you are married and you would like to have a baby. 
(Although, I think it is illegal to ask a person’s sex on job applications these days.) 
We have talked about what sex means…to a degree. 
Don’t be shocked, but I have not told them that sex is for fun….for extracurricular activities. 
We’ve just gone with the basic procreating option…because that’s All. They. Wanted. To. Know.  Right now.

I have not had to explain about why a 4 hour erection is a bad thing.  I am very fast with the remote. 
My husband thinks a man deserves a medal for such an accomplishment.  Hubby may just get the priviledge of explaining those commercials; and he recently learned the “fancy term” for that 4 hour badge of honor from watching an episode of True Blood Season One.  Who says you can’t learn stuff from watching cable? 

I just hope we’re set on definitions for now.

At our second viewing of Harry Potter 6 (as we are calling it) I explained again, why Hermione was crying while sitting on the staircase with Harry after seeing Ron snogging with Lavender Brown. 
I’ve explained “Snogging” …I hope there’s not more to it than I think. 
Sure hope it only means kissing….someone in Britain get back to me on that if you would please.

Anyway, my niece needed more clarification.  (I felt like I was explaining the latest episode of a soap opera.)
I said,  ”Hermione is crying, because she has realized that she loves Ron but here he is with another girl.  Hermione is the girl that Ron should be kissing.  Ron, is totally clueless about Hermione’s feelings.  Meanwhile, Harry has realized that he has very strong feelings for Ginny, but is afraid to do anything about it.  Harry doesn’t know what Ron would do to him (Harry) if he saw Ginny and Harry kissing. 

My niece looked at me and said, “I think Ron needs to join us for our evening conversations.”

What is my brother going to say when he gets home to find that his 8 year old son is growing like a weed and is eating meat all of a sudden? 
He has turned into a carnivore overnight.

Nephew has been big on salads since he was 2.  He was the only toddler I’ve ever seen who would eat a tossed salads for dinner.  Make sure there was ranch dressing and croutons and he was happy. Don’t worry, he got enough protein; we would sneak in chicken and nephew would even eat a homemade taco salad from time to time. When I was visiting and we would eat out, my brother would order his own salad with blue cheese dressing just to keep his son out of his salad. 

My brother and SIL left me with a well stocked pantry…no matter, I knew how to get to Winco.  (I think that’s how it’s spelled.)
Great market BTW.  I love their ready to grind coffee beans.  I always go home with several pounds of it in my luggage. 

Sam and my niece wanted steak the first night, so we grilled on the barbecue.  Nephew ate half my steak.  I looked at him and thought “who are you and what did you do with my nephew?” 
Since they left on their trip we’ve had so much beef, I don’t know what I’m going to tell my brother. 
Sam had been suffering from withdrawals from not having In & Out double doubles, so I’ve been making them.  If we haven’t had steak, we’ve had burgers or ribs.  I did manage to talk them into a chicken dish I’ve made for years; and they liked it so well I’ve made it twice for them. 
Besides the growing food budget, nephew has been growing too.  I swear he’s 2 inches taller.

This is the chicken dish I’ve made twice now.  The recipe is from Weight Watchers Quick Start Plus Cookbook

We first had it when we were visiting relatives in Northern CA.  It was so good that copied down the recipe with an aunt while the rest of the family went outside to watch the deer make their evening visit to the vegetable garden. 

Orange Chicken -

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons reduced-calorie margarine…seriously, I use 3 tablespoons butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup thawed frozen concentrated orange juice (no sugar added)
2 chicken broth bouillon cubes (No MSG)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (green onions)
1 cup canned mandarin orange sections (no sugar), heated

In a 10 inch skillet heat butter until hot.  Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  
In the same  skillet cook mushrooms over high heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated; sprinkle mushrooms with flour and stir quickly to combine .  Gradually stir in water;  add orange juice and bouillon cubes and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add chicken and let simmer for about 3 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.  Serve chicken over rice sprinkled with scallions and topped with orange sections.
Cook’s notes: 
Besides using butter, I like to prepare this with more sauce;  I usually double the sauce recipe, because it is so good over left over rice the next day.  If you are feeding more than 4 people then you just need to plan accordingly.  When I visit my family, I generally cook meals for them in advance and freeze the dishes.  When they have late meetings and lots of homework, my SIL only needs to pop one into the oven.  She has this dish frozen in individual servings for a crazy night in the fall. 

Early this morning, I thought that I would go out and pick berries for breakfast for me and the kids.  My SIL has blackberry bushes around two sides of the property.  A few summers back the berries were abundant.  Last year, the harvest was very late; we were already back in CA by the time they were ripe. 

An hour and a few thorn scratches later, ( I had gloves) I had no berries. 
It’s still too early I guess, but you can’t blame not enough sunny days, it hasn’t rained here in like a month. 
The blue berry bush was decimated last year by one of the dogs.  He literally – Ate. The. Bush. 
So, it’s off to the front of the house where the strawberries are planted. 

No go.  Seems that Mr. & Mrs. Mallard have made a temporary residence in the middle of the strawberry patch.  Judging by the muddy footprints across the flagstones, the raccoons beat me to all the juicy red diamonds anyway.   

Back in the house the children were still asleep.  Lucky for me my SIL had a bag of mixed berries in the deep freeze. 
Try this recipe with berries from the freezer, fresh from the market/ produce stand…or if you’re lucky enough…from your own yard. 

 Berry Clafouti

3 eggs
1 and a  1/4 cups milk or half and half
2/3 cup flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 and a 1/2 cup berries

Beat eggs until foamy.  Add everything else except the berries.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into a buttered 9 inch quiche dish. 
Top batter with the berries.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until knife comes out clean. 
Let stand 15 minutes.  It has a custard consistency, and what’s more the kids eat it.

What is it they say? 
Art imitates Life? 
Or Sunday comics imitate laundry day? 

While my brother and his wife are on their cruise, I am doing laundry for 3 rambunctious “tweens- semi-tween.” 
(My nephew acts close enough to a tween, to be included.)

This should really be no big deal. 
I did the laundry of 4 boys for many years; but I don’t remember missing this many socks at my house. 
I remember taking little terry cloth sleepers and warm receiving blankets out of the dryer; pairs of jeans that were smaller than my arm. 
Everything had a Carter’s, Osh Kosh, or Health-Tex label.  Maybe I’ve been sniffing the bottle of Downy too much today, I am feeling a bit weepy for the old days. 

Now I am washing things with sparkles and so much pink that I feel like there has been an estrogen explosion.  This must be what it’s like to have a daughter.  I have been informed that “this is only to be washed in cold water and that never goes in the dryer!”  I have been able to redeem my faux pas by painting her toe nails a VERY hot pink…what else.

At the moment there are 5 socks on the dryer…missing their mates. 
If these wayward socks have found their way into your dryer, let me know…we’ll arrange a swap. 

TBC