fruit marzipan bars

Happy Holidays, my friends!

I don't know about you, but there are three days left until Christmas and I have so much to do still... but not before I made a tray of these marzipan bars. Do you guys have one food that you look forward to each holiday season? For me, this is it:

Linda's Fruit Marzipan Bars
Oven: 350

Crust Mixture
1 1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. raspberry (or any berry!) preserves

Crumb Topping
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
5 tbsp. butter, softened
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. almond extract

Glaze
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp almond extract

1. Combine crust ingredients. Mix until crumbly
Spread into greased and floured 8x11 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
While still hot, spoon preserves onto crust, then wait 10 or so minutes until cool to spread completely over the top of the crust.

2. In a bowl, mix crumb topping ingredients. Sprinkle over the preserves.

3. Return to oven for 20-25 minutes, until edges brown.

4. Mix glaze and spread over cooled bars.

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays & time spent with the ones you love!

epilepsy awareness month

Hello, hello! 

Sorry for the long absence- I've got a baby on the move! When I'm not trailing her to make sure she's not putting something she's found on the ground into her mouth (which is a lot) I'm just trying to crank through the day-to-day stuff around here. I'm anxious to get back to some semi-regular posting- I miss it! But until I can, it'll probably be spotty at best.

I didn't want to let November pass by without mentioning that it's National Epilepsy Awareness Month. While Oliver's neurological condition, Hemimegalencephaly, is extremely rare (only 1 in 1 million are born with it), Epilepsy (which he has as a result of the HME) is much more common: 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed at some point in their lives.

I don't want to bore you with the tedious details of Ollie's medical history, though I have them all written down: from his HME diagnosis at 26 months old to starting seizure meds at 2 1/2 years old, to his first tonic-clonic seizure at 4 years old when we had to call the first ambulance. Every illness, every seizure, every dose change, every midnight call to the neurologist... it's all charted and cataloged in my little notebooks.

But I do want to talk about what it's like to be a parent to a child with epilepsy:
It's scary. Sometimes terrifying. I keep him home from school quite a bit, if I suspect he's getting sick- I don't want to risk him  having a seizure at school or on the playground. I have guilt over that- I feel like I'm keeping him from learning and playing.
I dread going to parties or play dates or museums in the winter, for fear of him catching some bug.
I have full-on panic attacks being away from him at night, so I've only been away from him about 5 (separate, never two in a row) nights. Ever.

Without taking anything away from what Ollie goes through, I'd say that having a child with epilepsy is a family affair: When he needs to be hospitalized, Peyton sometimes gets shuttled from house to house without so much as a goodbye from us. Dylan has spent the night in the PICU with Ollie. I have incredible anxiety associated with Ollie getting sick or having a seizure away from the house. Jon has a lot of pressure at work because he is the one who provides our health insurance, which we desperately need because of all of the doctors and tests an ER visits. 

And then there's Ollie:
Naturally, when he is sick or feeling seizures come on, he is miserable. It takes him a while (a week or two) to get back to his normal self.
But beyond that, he is very much like a normal 6 year old boy. He loves sports! Especially football. But golf and baseball and soccer are up there too. He loves monster trucks and trains and NASCAR. He is learning to read and starting to understand math concepts. While he is a bit behind his peers in school (and this could be because of either the HME or regressions from seizures) he's not that far, and he makes us so proud with his progress! He loves his family (he's a giant love bug), and dogs, and playing with his friends. He loves life! What I'm saying is, he doesn't often let epilepsy hold him back.

I try not to worry too far into the future. We take it pretty much day by day, month by month around here. But, as a mother, it's hard not to worry. It's hard not to think about what it will be like as he gets older. I try to stay positive and focus on advances in the areas of seizure control and management. Ollie is truly special- you can ask anyone who's met him!- and I know his future is so bright.

I don't spend a lot of time wondering "why?" because, to be honest, it doesn't make things better. It doesn't change things. But there is a small part of that "why" that, I don't know, if you turn it around, maybe it could come to good. Ollie has a special place in this world, I'm sure of it. His determination, humor, and general attitude about life inspires our family. Maybe it inspires others too. I don't know.

Last year, the Epilepsy Foundation started a #DareTo campaign, to bring awareness to understanding epilepsy and to "help people living with seizures live to their fullest potential" My hope for my Ollie is that he will #DareTo dream big, because I will do anything I can to help those dreams come true.
And I know a whole bunch of other people who are in too.

** During the month of November, you can wear purple for Epilepsy Awareness- Tag your pics on Instagram:  #IWearPurple & #EpilepsyAwarenessMonth **

Or, if you're the type of person who likes to fill in a few of those "charitable donation"boxes on your tax return, you can always make a donation-however big or small-  at epilepsy.com

You can read more about Ollie's underlying condition, Hememegalencephaly, here.

As always, thanks for your support, kind comments, & for loving our Bugaloo.

happy baby feeding month!

Hello Friends! Sorry for the lack of posts- this summer has been non-stop, and while it's been loads of fun.. I'm kind of looking forward to school starting up in a couple of weeks, if I'm being completely honest. When I tell you I've had always one but usually three children by my side 24 hours a day for the past 7 weeks, even in the bathroom (and even when I attempt to take a shower)- I'm not lying. I'm pretty sure they are all mentally connected, because as soon as I get one settled, someone else desperately needs something, and on and on it goes until suddenly I look at the clock and it's 4:30 pm and I'm still trying to get some breakfast for myself. True story. Anyway, I've got so many pictures to share but I still need to upload them and obviously, I haven't had the time.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to make mention of the fact that it's National Breastfeeding Month because I've noticed that the topic can be a bit touchy. Personally, I think this should be re-named National Baby Feeding Month. I've known some moms who desperately wanted to breastfeed their babies, and for one reason or another- adoption, allergies, pain, and any of the other various feeding issues- could not. I have also witnessed mothers who chose to bottle-feed their babies get (passive-aggressively) shamed by breastfeeding mothers. My opinion is that there is no wrong way to feed your baby. However you do it is right for you, and right for your babe.

My journey happens to have been along the breastfeeding path. (I actually tried to supplement with formula for Dylan because of her gaining issues but she wouldn't go for it) So far, I have spent 44 months of my life breastfeeding my babies. Oliver weaned himself at 15 months, Peyton needed a little coaxing to wean at 23 months, and Dylan is at 6 months and counting.

My breastfeeding story is one that has included weeks (maybe even months?) of pain; several illnesses where I was not able to take medicine (including a kidney stone with no pain meds- and believe it when they say it's worse than childbirth); eliminating just about every food but water and bananas from my diet because of Peyton's food allergies (but hot damn I looked great ;) feeling that people were judging/angry about my feeding in public; and a total lack of child-free time- Dylan is a purist who will only take it straight from the source (no pumped milk for this little lady!) so it goes without saying that we're never too far from one another. This of course has led to my lack of "me" time, as I mentioned earlier.

Also, this is typically what breastfeeding a third child is like: on the go, in a hot car, in between bringing the older kids somewhere. Poor D!

But the very sweetest moments have trumped all of that; tiny ear imprints on my arm, the ability to comfort them after a fall or small injury, lots and lots of cuddles and one-on-one time.

This season of my life is really so short: Once it's over with Dylan- my last baby- it will be over for me forever. I'm positive I'll go through a period of great mourning- this has been such a wonderfully special time in my life, and I'm sure I will miss it so.

Happy Baby Feeding Month! 

Be proud of the awesome mom that you are!

surviving summer

Back in the spring, I had some serious panic attacks wondering just how I was going to make it work with the three kids home this summer. How would I work around the baby's naps? How would I let the kids be outside (their preferred place to be!) while the baby was still too young to wear sunscreen? How could I handle taking bringing three kids out and about?

Today I realized with great surprise that we have somehow survived a full month! Busy we have been! Somehow- even with all of those valid worries I had, we've made it work. 

Of course, some days are better than others. Some days I feel like a rock star. And others... well, others are the kind of days you take the kids to swimming lessons along with every other family in town and yours are the only kids that are not paying attention, throwing rocks, disrupting the group, etc, etc. (We paid for 14 days of lessons but that whole experience was so mortifying that we only went to 3 of them)

Another mom I know had this wonderful suggestion of planning out the summer by days: Mondays are "Craft Day", Tuesdays are "Water Day", etc... And while I love that idea, it didn't exactly work for us this year because of the kids' opposing schedules with camp & summer school (though it may work in August...) What I finally ended up doing was making a master list of activities organized by category...

CRAFTS/COOKING

✓build & paint a birdhouse

✓air-dry clay

make cards for loved ones

✓art/painting

✓baking

make popsicles or ice cream

✓*book club*

NATURE/DISCOVERY

✓gardening

✓nature/bug hunt

tiny trotters at the farm

robb's farm

dinosaur state park

✓nature's art

ecotarium 

MUSEUMS/ZOOS

✓science center

✓ aquarium

✓roger williams zoo

southwick zoo

PARKS/WATER

✓sprinkler

wash the car

splash pad

salmon river

✓the lake 

✓beach in ri

✓papa & gaga's pool

HOME

lemonade stand

fly a kite

obstacle course in yard

camping

✓picnic

waterballoons on trampoline

paint the chicken coop

friends over for MYO pizza

friends over for ice cream social

...and kind of just playing it all by ear. 

I think the key has been doing something- even something small- every day. (This site has some great simple ideas for activities, like "go to a store and pick out diapers and canned goods. bring them to your local food pantry" and "go on a bug hunt. how many bugs can you find in your yard?") Because of Dylan, we have to be a bit flexible, so if it's forecasted to be a 90-degree day our plans for something outdoors might have to be switched with an indoor activity, but so far Ollie and Peyton haven't seemed to mind!

Something that the kids are really enjoying is our Book Club. A few times a week we read a book and do a coordinating project afterward. (I have a board on Pinterest dedicated to home school projects if you're interested.)

So that's how we're surviving summer! 

How are you all making it work? Any fun suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

In any case, I hope you are all having lots of summer fun! 

dylan {{5 months}}

So, time and I are officially fighting. While I love the silly, happy personality that is developing in my little Roo, it is all just moving a little too quickly for my taste! I've already found myself getting teary at pictures from a few months ago- yikes!

Dylan's Milestones, Month 5:

Dylan has had a really big month! Started solids (rice cereal) // Rolled from back to front (and quickly became an expert) // Has great belly laughs when she gets tickled or if she's watching someone who she thinks is funny // First time to the lake (Didn't love how bright it was but tolerated it) // First time to the ocean- dipped her toes in the sand and the water // First 4th of July // And First time destroying the flowers from our monthly photo! Haha, I knew it would happen eventually!

We didn't have a check-up this month, but I got on the scale with her and I'm thinking she's around 13 pounds. I still nurse her about 10-12 times a day, plus one sit-down for rice cereal every day.

She's getting great rolls on her legs and her cheeks are delightfully chunky. She had a follow-up with the cardiologist and, while her VSD has not gotten any smaller, the doctor is still pleased with her progress and general development. 

Firsts:

First time at the beach (at the Lake in our town)

First 4th of July

First time to the ocean (and first tow dip!)

First time to the movie theatre (and she made it approximately three-quarters of the way through the previews before I decided it wasn't a good idea)

First time in the doorway jumper and LOVED IT.

Some of my favorite photos from this month:

Lately & Links

Happy Summer All! 

Sorry I've been slacking on the updates- Summer at home with two busy kids plus a baby is kinda like being in really fun, chaotic... quicksand. Not getting much done beyond the basic feed-clothe-change diapers-etc. As we speak, I sent the kids outside in the rain with Jon and I have a baby sleeping in my left arm as I slowwwwly type with my right. But such is life with littles!

Anyway, I've some links & some pictures!

I don't know all that much about essential oils, but I do know that this is awesome for mosquito bites (among other things). It literally takes the itch and swelling away and completely worth the price.

Which brings me to my second link: my friend Kayla at Raising a Little River, who recently became a distributer of Young Living Essential oils. She's running a free online class on July 6 if you're interested in learning more- I'll be there for sure!

Even though they have a laughably dumb name, I'll still take a She-Shed. All of 'em.

My mom got us this cooling towel to have on hand for Ollie this summer. We've already used it a bunch of times (90 degree soccer practice, etc, etc...) And I'm all, where have you been all my life over it.

Father's Day was awesome. Especially breakfast.

J took Ollie to his first Red Sox game. It was later declared the first annual :)

Oh, and Papa was there too, so adding perfection to perfection.

At the game.

Waiting for a pop fly.

No pop fly's. Just flagging down a beer vendor. 

My Girls 

Best friends.

Flair.

Dylan had a few more firsts...

Ollie gave Dylan her first scoop of cereal! He was very proud.

Pey gave ger the rest of the bowl. Also very proud, as you can see.

First time at the beach (the lake in our town) We brought enough stuff that we probably could have camped out there all summer. Anyway, a success!

Shade-bathing beauty.

Peyton has become obsessed with face painting...

I bought a $15 face painting kit and it has rocked Pey's world. My college roommate, Jules, who happens to be an artist, surprised us with a visit and Pey now wants to be an artist just like her. Can you guess Pey's medium of choice?

Okay, okay, I'll tell you: It's paint on skin.

Another day, another canvas,

Price?
C'mon. Priceless.
We're talking genius here.

My sister is also kind of a face painting genius.

Another work by my sister.

This kid.

Grey tree frog that Pey found at her friend's house and love-smothered.

Better than rice cereal.

Pretty much broke the internet the day I grammed this one.

My favorite picture of her to date. Also, Petite Soul is restocking these bandits on Monday and I feel like I need to get every size up. 

Garden glove.

He told me he's the bestest golfer in the world and I agree.

If I can, I'd love to post some of the projects & other ways the big kids and I have been keeping busy this summer... but I make no promises as on any given day I can't recall when my last shower was. And with that bit of info...

Smell ya later!