Quick Takes (vol. 2)

One:Cabbage Soup. 
Several days ago, I posted a status on Facebook talking about Cabbage Soup. The majority of people agreed that cabbage soup sounded undesirable. And if I weren't pregnant, I'd probably agree. However, for some reason that remains unknown to me, cabbage soup sounded really good.

I began googling recipes and came upon this one: Carrot, Potato, and Cabbage Soup. Tonight, since Brian was going out with a friend, I made the soup and some corn bread. He hung around for a small bowl, but we both know he will have to eat second dinner with his friend, so I didn't expect him to eat very much. However, both he and Emily said they liked it. Savannah wouldn't eat it and Sophie avoided the carrots and cabbage and just ate the potatoes.




If I ever do it again, I will add some chunks of beef to it and a little more cabbage then the recipe. I also did not add the oil this time because I have an aversion to oily things and I don't see how it would add to the soup at all.

Two:Glass-topped Tables
My mother has two coffee tables that have glass on top of the wood. I have always loved them, particularly at Christmas time when she puts Christmas cards underneath the glass.

A few years ago, when we lived in our apartment in the hood, I remember having a conversation with her about thinking about having a glass table top made for our dining room table. The table is made of a soft wood that nicks and dents very easily and with small children, it was accumulating more than its fair share of scratches faster than I felt it should. A glass table top would protect it.

However, after living with glass on the top of every single table in my house for over a year, I have a definite opinion. I will never choose to have a glass topped table. First, the majority of them have somehow been broken and second, they are such a pain to keep clean! Every time my children spill something on the dining room table, which is at least once a day, the liquid somehow ends up under the glass and puddles there. You have to clean the top of the glass, then slide the glass away and clean the table underneath, dry it, and then replace the glass, hoping you didn't miss any spots.
 
Three: Busy Baby
It was a sad day when Sophie learned how to climb. Nothing is safe. 


The other day, Sophie had exhausted my patience with the step-stools, so I stacked them on top of each other and placed them on top of the table. Next thing I knew, she had appropriated a box that Emily had transformed into a house for Fluffy, turned it upside down, and had used it to climb up to the table again. I took the box away. A few minutes later, she went to the plastic bin that I keep on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf with some of her toys and books. I was curious, because she hardly ever plays with those things, instead, she prefers Emily and Savannah's toys. With no regard to the toys, she dumped them out and walked off with the plastic bin. 


Yep. She turned it upside down and used it to climb back up to the table. 
What will I do with this one?


Four: Dreams.
I always have strange dreams when I'm pregnant. I try not to read much into them.

However, I had one last week that you should hear about. :)

I slowly awoke to find myself in a hospital bed, the door was open to a cafeteria type room and two nurses were making a bed opposite of me. They finished and left. I thought, "I should have asked if there were any magazines I could read." I felt lonely and wondered where my mother and Brian were. Another nurse came into the room, "I thought I would check on you before I left for the day, is there anything you need?" "Yes," I said, "I'd really like to see my baby." "I don't think you can yet, but I will check." "Please," I asked, "I haven't seen it yet and I don't even know if it is a boy or a girl." I could see her eyes relent.

A little later and I was holding a beautiful baby in my arms, it had a head of blonde, curly hair and was smiling at me. At that moment, Brian came in and sat on the bed next to me. "Look," I said, "Its a girl, see? They put earrings in her ears. I guess, since we know what she is, we will have to pick a name for her."
 
Five: Teaching Savannah to Read
We are on week 7 of our school year. I've been using the Sing, Spell, Read and Write program with Savannah, just as I did with Emily. I knew from the outset that Savannah would be different to teach than Emily was, I just didn't know how different.

We began reading words that have the short a sound in the middle. Words like pan, man, cat, wag, bag, and Dad. Savannah does well with the beginning sound, but she wants to end every.single.word with "t". So our conversation goes something like this:
Me: "Ma says..."
Savannah: "ma. Mat! Mat hat. Those rhyme!"
Me: "Yes, m-a-t says Mat, but this word has an "n" on the end. What does "n" say?"
Savannah: "I don't know!"
Me: "Okay, remember "N" says "nnnn" like noodle."
Savannah: "Nnnn noodle."
Me: "Yes, so m-a says ma with the ending sound "n". And you put those together and they make the word?"
Savannah: "Ma, mat!

Yes, about the fifth word its gets a little frustrating. I just try to remember that before long she will be reading like her big sister, almost 7 years old and losing her first tooth and I will wonder where, oh where my little Savannah-baby went. So for the most part I just enjoy listening to how her little mind works and move on to another subject when we both can't take any more.
 
Six:Snoring.
I love my husband's snoring. Really! I do!

A couple of years ago, Brian traveled 4 days out of most weeks. There were so many nights I would lie alone in our bed and wish he was there to talk to and snuggle with, and eventually, listen to him snore as I went to sleep. Most nights as soon as I stop talking to him and we say good night, he is asleep. I have no idea how he falls asleep so quickly. But then I lie there and listen to him sleep and as I go to sleep, I am grateful he is home with us every night.

Seven: Confession.
Tonight, after dinner, the kids were getting loud and crazy and this is what I heard coming out of my mouth: "I don't care what you want to do, I said, "Go play the wii!""

Motherhood at its finest, I tell you.