What We're Laughing About Today

photo credit: MeeMom

So this evening, right before family prayer. Staccato informed us of a little altercation that took place today during recess.

Staccato: Do you know what Tambourine did to me today? (Tambourine is one of Staccato's second grade class mates).

All of us (in unison): What?!

Staccato (all matter of fact): He kicked me.

MeeMom (slowly and suspiciously): He kicked you?  Why?

Staccato (drawing in a deep breath): Well . . . I saw him hugging a girl. So I went up and said, "Dude, why did you do that?"

We all broke out in hysterics because that is just the kind of question you get from Staccato.  He doesn't beat around the bush.

Mezzo (being the BIG brother that he is): I bet he kicked you because he was embarrassed that you caught him hugging on a girl.

Staccato (scrunching up his face): Not only that, she was a first grader!

We Are Family

photo credit: MeeMom

MeeMom: This month of September we join with families across the globe in celebrating OUR FAMILY! Okay, not our family specifically, but our families in general.

Bass: I am a twin. Being a twin is very fun and cool. It gets very annoying when everyone says, "You look just like your brother?" or "Does anyone ever call you Treble?" Of course I smile and answer "Yah" to both questions. Other than that, it is cool to have a twin to play with and fight with.

Fermata: The other day when we were at Costco I saw many people start counting with their fingers how many kids we had in our family - - - and we were short THREE, and I could tell that they were still surprised. It happens all the time when we go places.

Mezzo: I am the oldest in the family of nine kids. I sometimes love to be the eldest. Sometimes I get annoyed. Once time my aunt and uncle and my five cousins came to watch all of us so my parents could go out on a date. We decided to walk to a park that wasn't too far away. As people drove past they started to count, thinking my aunt and uncle had 14 kids! I told them that's how people look at us all the time.

B Sharp: I Love my FAMILY. mY dad and MOM Are The BEST.

Allegro: I'm a good girl because i love my family and my mom and dad and my grandparents. Signed, Allegro.

Staccato: All I know is I couldn't get away doing what I do if I were in another family. My ability to tease was one of the talents given me in heaven. MEEMOM! Why are you writing things like that? Now my teachers from school will read it.

Coda: Ahh, all I can say is that being the youngest in this family means I am the c.e.n.t.e.r. of attention. And I love it!

Middle C: My family is the BEST like when we go to awesome places. But sometimes, because I am in the CENTER, I get picked on. Mezzo won't let me into his room and Staccato will just do things to me that make me so angry. But, I always LOVE my family. About what Fermata said, almost every time we go somewhere someone will ask MeeMom or DooDad "Are those all your kids?" MeeMom says one day she's going to make us wear our Scout uniforms for no reason just to pretend we are a Scout troop instead of a bunch of brothers.

Treble: Our family is special. We love to go places together like swimming, to the park, to Costco, and to the grocery store (to see if we can put stuff in the cart that MeeMom won't know about until the checkout). Sometimes my siblings get really annoying and don't stop, but I forgive them. Our family is the best!

MeeMom: While I may be wrong, as I am on many occasions (but shhh, don't tell the kiddos), I have come to believe that somewhere in a Great Meeting in Heaven, we were given the opportunity to choose our family. I know that might be a stretch to even consider, but I believe that if we have full agency here, we probably had full agency up there. Which means I don't think the Lord sent us to our families kickin' and a screamin' (although I've had a few delivered like that). It's been enough to make me think that our relationship before we came to earth was important enough that we decided we would take on earth-life together, as a family!

DooDad: Family, Ah....a six letter word...like....wowzer or insane or sleepy. These are just a few words that describe our family. You know, they really are the cream of the crop. With all the chaos that exists within the walls of this home (and outside as well), I would not trade my wild tribe for anything. I would have to say, MeeMom and I did pretty darn well.

Monday's Menu Item

photo credit: MeeMom

BUTTERSCOTCH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Yield: Enough cookies for a Family of Eleven

3 sticks butter, softened and almost melting
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until well blended.

3. Mix in eggs and vanillla.

4. Gradually add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, beating until well blended.

5. Stir in oats and chips

6. Make into racquentball-sized balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake 8- 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet an dplace on wire rack.

8. Watch them disappear!

Have You Seen Me?

photo credit: Bass

MeeMom: Oh the joys of having pets. Currently we have a dog and two box turtles . . . er, one box turtle. On Friday evening one of our sons decided he would go the extra mile and let the turtles roam the back yard. . . Which was a very thoughtful thing for this son to do. However, instead of taking them out and watching them ever so closely, he placed them carefully in the grass and then turned around and walked right back in the house. It wasn't until Saturday morning when DooDad happened to peek inside the turtle's box that he noticed ZERO turtles in their home. It was easy to find Fiona (not her real name, just in case a crazy out there is searching for box turtles) because she likes to cozy up in her shell and rest. She was pretty much right where Staccato had left her. But our crazy, could-beat-a-hare turtle, Guy (name is also changed to protect the innocent), was no where to be found. this happened before. But he had only been missing for 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes have now stretched into days.

Middle C: When we went to look for our turtles Saturday morning, we went to our neighbor's house. We couldn't find him. We prayed to find our turtle but it has been now three days and we still can't find him. I hope that this is not the answer to our prayers. I feel so bad for him. I hope we find him soon.

B Sharp: WHEN WE Went To looK FOR OUR TURTLE WE LOOKed Everywhere

Allegro: We went to look for our turtle but we couldn't find him. Signed, Allegro

MeeMom: Just FYI, B Sharp and Allegro are becoming very independant and are quite determined to type their thought on their very own. The above (and I am sure everything else that is to come from here on out) was typed with their very own sticky fingers. Literally.

Treble: I really miss the turtle! (Why MeeMom named him "Guy" is beyond me. To protect the lost innocent?) He has been missing for the past many days now. He loves to crawl around. I bet he could cross 1 yard in 30 minutes. How far do you think he could be? I really hope to find him. Tomorrow I'm going to ride my bike around the neighborhood to ask neibors if they have seen him. I am also going to make fliers for everyone. I hope I find him, that little explorer!

MeeMom: So the kiddos were talking about putting up "LOST TURTLE" posters around the neighborhood to go with the "LOST DOG" posters that appear every now and again. They were mostly concerned about which picture of Guy they would use.

DooDad: I finally had to say "Kiddos, the reason why people put pics of their dog is because there are at least a hundred different types out there. How many "LOST TURTLE" posters have you seen in your lifetime?"

Bass: Ha ha. We are so glad for DooDad because we didn't even think of that.

Middle C: Thanks DooDad.  But I agree with with Treble, Guy is a little explorer. I bet he could cross the road in about 20 seconds. I think he is on the other side of the street. I don't know but the Lord does.

Treble: I don't think he is on the other side of the street. How would he get in someone's front yard whe he starts in their backyard?

Fermata: This is very sad for me. I don't like saying goodbye to pets. I still remember when our horned toad died and we buried him. I remember when the stray cat that MeeMom would not let us feed or let into the house kept hanging around and she decided it was time to take that cat to the animal shelter. I made me so sad. And now our turtle Guy (My heavens MeeMom, what kind of turtle name is "Guy"??), who we have had as a pet for almost three years minus a few months, a few weeks, a few days and a lot of hours, is gone. I am so very sad.

Mezzo: We lost our box turtles on Saturday. I wasn't surprised when the turtle, now named "Guy" by MeeMom so some crazy out there doesn't track us down, came up missing. Dad found Fiona by some cinder blocks. So boys and girls, the moral of the story is you should always be obedient to the rules.

Bass: I miss our little Guy. (Guy?) I think he has gone the way of our neighborhood, I mean the way of the earth. And I like rotissere chicken.

Staccato: No one said that it was me who took the turtles outside. But it was me. And I am so sorry about it.

DooDad: Nice to know you Fireman . . . WHAT?? I'm not supposed to use his real name?!?

Dessert Entitlement

Photo credit: Bass

MeeMom: When DooDad and I were first married I already had my own compilation of favorite recipes - all desserts!!  While I have since added much, much more variety to my recipe collection, I have successfully passed on a love of desserts to my children. All of whom have sadly grown-up thinking that a dessert comes with every meal!

B Sharp: My favorite dessert is cookies and ice cream. I like ice cream for breakfast, but MeeMom won't let me have it unless my brothers make a fruit smoothie on Saturday morning. Then she says it's okay.

Coda: Puh-lease don't talk about dessert.  I still have to work my way up to rice cereal!

Treble: Okay, so I love dessert! But I don't think that every night we should have one, but I think that every once and a while we should have one - at least four or five times a week. Some nights I really. feel like one, but I don't constently ask for one. GO DESSERT, I say!!!

Middle C: I am one of the guilty parties who ALWAYS asks MeeMom "What's for dessert?" Most of time she makes us desserts. But when we get irritated that she didn't, DooDad tells us we should be grateful because GrandMeeMom only made desserts once in a while. And DooDad said when her cookies came out of the oven, if they weren't eaten hot, they were used for hockey pucks 10 minutes later.

Staccato: I got mad today because I could see frozen cookie dough in the freezer from the cookies MeeMom made yesterday but she wouldn't bake them for me. She said we were going to have dinner in a half an hour. A half an hour is such a long time. I think I was going to starve.

Bass: Dessert is the best ever! I prefer dessert over pretty much anything. We should get a dessert every once in awhile, not everyday. Tonight, I feel like dessert. My favorite dessert is cornflake chewys. Fermata is a cornflake chewy and a really big piece of snow pudding.

Fermata: We should not eat dessert any day of the year because it is bad for our bones! HEY, Bass typed that! I think we should eat stuff like cheesecake so we can get our dairy for the day. We also need to eat banana cream pie so we can get our potassium. Chicken pot pie should be considered dessert so we can get our protein and veggies.

Mezzo: I like dessert. It is the best at our house. Our mother is the best chef in the world. I think that we should have dessert some of the days of the week (at least the ones that end in -day).

Allegro: My favorite part of dessert, other than eating it, is helping MeeMom bake. I like that. Signed, Allegro.

DooDad: Dessert? I'm more of a main-course kinda guy. Succulent steak or tender, slow-cooked ribs is my kinda dessert.

MeeMom: Gulp.  Pretty sure we are now on the USDA/Michelle Obama radar as an unhealthy, dessert-loving family. . . Just you wait until we blog about c.h.o.c.o.l.a.t.e.

Monday's Menu Item

photo credit: MeeMom

Here is the Argentine Dinner we made last week. Mmm, it is always a treat to eat what DooDad loves. This meal takes a lot of time to prepare but it is so worth it. I didn't use a recipe for the Milanesa Nepolitana, so I will give you the basics of what we did. (Nepolitana means it is layered with sauce and cheese. You could eat it without it if you would like).

The Gnocchi's are best served with your favorite sauce - red or white - and then sprinked with Parmesean or Mozzarella cheese!

MILANESA NEPOLITANA
Chicken Breast and a beef roast (we asked the butcher to slice it as thin as he could)

1 column Soda Crackers
1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoon Basil
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1 - 3 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper

Bowl #1: Crush soda crackers until fine. Add all other ingredients.

Bowl #2: Beat 3 eggs with 1/8-1/4 cup milk.

Tenderize beef. You could fillet your chicken breasts and pound them a little if you like. We just filleted them.

Dip meat in egg mixture, then in dry mixture.

Fry in 355 degree oil until golden to medium brown or until meat is done in the middle. (Will take longer for chicken if your beef is thinly sliced).

Spread a thin layer of your choice of marinara sauce and sprinkle with Mozzerella.


GNOCCHI'S - Potato "Dumplings"
2 pounds baking potatoes, washed but not peeled
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour

1. Steam potatoes until tender. While still hot, peel potatoes, place them in bowl and mash.

2. Beat in egg and salt. Slowly mix in flour.

You want the dough to be soft and firm, but not sticky.

3. Turn mixture on floured surface and knead.

4. Put a pot of salted water to boil.

5. To form gnocchi's: Break off small pieces of dough and roll to make short ropes. With a knife cut

them into 1" pieces. Press gently each piece with the tines of a fork. (This is not really necessary, it just makes it look nice).

6. If just one person is cooking, you may want to form all your gnocchi's before boiling them. If this is the case, place gnocchi's on floured napkins so it can absorb the moisture from the potatoes.

7. Drop the gnocchi - several at once - into the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes of until they rise up to the surface. (No, they won't turn brown as one of our children asked how we would know it was done).

8. Remove cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon and drain well.

9. Set gnocchi's on a clean, dry dish towel for a few moments and then place on a platter.

10. Cover to keep warm while cooking remaining dumplings.

Obedience

photo credit: Bass

For the past two weeks we have been working on memorizing and living the Christlike attribute, Obedience, found in Preach My Gospel (PMG). We've "likened" it unto our family and this is how we recite it in our home:

"As a member of my family, I am expected to keep the commandments willingly, to obey family rules and to follow the counsel of my parents. Obedience is the first law of heaven. It is an act of faith. I may sometimes be required to do things I do not completely understand. As I obey, I increase in faith, knowledge, wisdom, testimony, protection and freedom. I will strive to be obedient to the Lord, the living prophet and my parents."

Here's is what each of us are learning and/or doing about obedience:

Middle C: I memorized the first paragrah and the half of the second of obedience in PMG. I learned that you should be obedient to the Lord and to your parents. Obedience it is the first law of heaven and it is an act of faith. And it is kind of hard to be obedient to my parents but then after a while I am obedient to them.

Allegro: I'm learning about being nice to my brothers and sister and obeying my mom and dad. Signed, Allegro

Bass: I'm going to write about "As I obey I increase in testimony." To me that means that I should go to church, read the scriptures, pray etc. When I do that I can increase in testimony and that will make me the missionary I want to be. For me it is a little hard to be obedient to my mom and dad. There are sometimes when I don't want to do things when my mom and dad ask me to, but I will try my hardest to be obedient.

B Sharp: I am obedient to my mom and dad. I like to be obedient except when I don't want to be obedient. by B Sharp

Treble: I'm going to write about "As I obey, I increase in knowledge." I know that when I obey my knowledge can grow. Now that I am in school, I know that when I obey my parents my knowledge can grow stronger. I know that when your obedient to everyone, your knowledge and grow and you can be smarter than a 5th grader.

Staccato: It was me who chose obedience for our family to memorize!! It was so I could remember to be obedient. It is hard for me to be obedient. I like to tease and make faces so one time, I had to write "Obedience is the first law of heaven. It is an act of faith." SEVEN WHOLE TIMES times because I wouldn't stop bugging Allegro.

Fermata: I'm going to write aboout "As I obey I increase in faith." You can't do anything without faith. With the Lord or with faith nothing is impossible. We need to be obedient to our parents because it is one of the commandments.

Mezzo: In our family we have a family motto thing about obedience. We recite what MeeMom wrote at the beginning of the post. It's not very fun to recite this but it helps us to be obedient to our parents. It's hard for me to be obedient to my parents. This weekend I had to write up a contract about using my IPod. It's okay, I guess. I'd really just would like to use the computer and my IPod for as long as I want - like when all my downloads are finished, and other stuff, but my parents think I'm on the computer too long.

MeeMom: Oh, how I remember being 14 and thinking that obedience was such a hard, difficult principle of the gospel. I remember thinking that my parents were the meanest parents in the whole entire world for having family rules. Now I'm a MeeMom and I am realizing how crucial good, firm family rules are in helping each of learn and live obedience. I appreciate Mezzo's honesty because we all want to think that the sky is the limit when it comes to our choices.  I am learning that disobedience only takes us down a road of captivity while obedience increases our ability to be free. That is SO not what the adversary would have us believe.

DooDad: If there is one thing I have learned about obedience over the years it would be this; obedience is not about doing or not doing something because I am "supposed" to, it is about doing or not doing something because I know God is wiser than I.