Hair

I never had any concerns about having a multi racial family. My mom is white, my dad is Mexican. I was an army brat and was used to seeing mixed families all my life. That is one of the many blessings of being raised in the military, I never experienced racism. So when I married my sweetheart, it didn't even occur to me that it would be an issue for some people. My biggest concern was how was I going to do my children's hair. Now that may sound funny, but it was a real concern.

That is what this post is about. Hair. Lots and lots and lots of hair. My boys are easy. Short. Once a month I shave my sweetheart bald and take a 1/4 blade to my boy. The girls are a totally different story. I start Friday night on them to have them all done by 1o AM on Saturday for schul. That doesn't count me.

I am grateful that God gave the most amazingly patient child as my first girl. She would sit as a toddler and watch Little Mermaid and let me learn on her head how to braid and care for super curly hair. Of all of them, hers is the hardest to care for. She has A LOT of many colored, textured, and different degrees of curly hair. It took a while and a few lessons from friends and my mom-n-law but I got it. I was definitely ready when the next girl showed up. She had my hair! Easy peasy. Then the third girl came along and that was a whole new learning curve. She had my texture, but her daddy's curl. Super tight. But I figured it out. Then came girl 4. That too has been a different experience. She has my texture and big spiral curls. Easy to care for, if she wasn't a tender head and a big baby about it. I can set the brush on her head, and she will say ow. All of them have lots of thick hair. Praise God for a sweetheart who can pull hair from a drain with minimal grossing out.

All this to tell a funny story. This morning my oldest comes down with her hair in a cone after a particularly itchy night. The third looks at her and says "You look like a dinosaur used your head like a binky!" It did too.

Getting Closer

Okay, fully into Bar Mitzvah mode over here. Frying hamburger and scanning pictures. Last night we finalized the invite list. We have added everyone who was with us during the time we had him. It made me sob a couple of times. Thinking about the boys and the trauma of their birth, of the friends who stood around us and protected us from the world, of how some of those friendships have faded and others have blossomed, has made me a bit emotional. Not to mention the fact that my baby boy is very obviously growing up right in front of my eyes.

Now I'm taking a break from fighting with my supposedly picture friendly printer. It is being rebellious and not doing what I want it to do. Thanks to dear, dear Carly from http://www.carlyhenniganphotography.com/ we have some absolutely wonderful pictures to choose from to put into the invites that really should have gone out last week. Not panicking here though!

My son said to me last night as we were looking at the pictures we already have in the digital frame, "boy am I handsome!" Made me smile. He had a mini break down one night about not wanting to grow up because then he wouldn't love all the things he loves to do now. It was sorta sad and sorta sweet. His dad explained to him that he would always love those things and as a man would be able to do it bigger and better. Didn't know if he got it until he explained to his big sister. She promptly responded "Duh, how old are the guys who make props and costumes and movies?" His eyes opened wide "Oh yeah!" Disaster averted.

His portion is ready, we know what we want the day to look like and to feel like for him. Details coming together. It is going to be an awesome day.

a Simple Thanks

I've been teaching the little kids beginning swimming at the YMCA homeschool program now for two years. If I volunteer, it guarantees that my kids get the classes they want. I'm in the pool for half an hour and basically teach kids to put their face in the water and how to kick. Easy peasy. But there are some days I just don't want to get my hair wet, good hair days are so rare. And some days, well I'm just honest, I really don't want to shave. I've gotten beyond not wanting to be seen in a swimsuit. But there are days, I just don't want to deal with that one whiney kid. Today, it was all made worth while. I had two separate mom's come up to me today and thank me for working with their kids. In two years, I got two thank you's. It made my day. It made me think though, how many people don't I thank. I try to be courteous to anyone who serves me, I thank people for taking their time to help me out even if it is their job. So for all my friends and family who keep me above water, thank you. To all the people who do the jobs that nobody notices, thank you. I will make more of an effort to show you how much I appreciate what you do.

Bar Mitzvah

My son's Bar Mitzvah is in a little more than a month. I'm weeping. As we prepare for the big day, it is becoming very apparent to me that he is really becoming a man. His story began in a toilet. He was born at 24 weeks gestation. For the uninitiated, the average gestation is 40 weeks. He was tiny. I was in the hospital and unbeknownst to anyone, even the doctors who thought they had everything under control, I was in labor. I thought I need to poo and instead, had a baby. So you see, he really was born in a toilet. I'll share more of that story as the real day approaches. I've been gathering pictures for a slide show and it has brought back many memories. I didn't think he would ever grow. He has always been so tiny. In my mind he is still that little red baby in the warming bed. I've been weeping as I look at all the changes he has made. He is getting tall and goofy, running into walls and corners. His voice cracks and he has a definite teenage smell about him. He has a definite sense of right and wrong, modest and immodest, good and bad. He has preferences and expressions of speech that are all his own, not a reflection of a choice I made for him. We picked out his invitations together and he chose the wording and verse. I am so proud of the young man he is becoming. He really is ready for this change in status in the community and in the eyes of his family and God.

My Gentleman's Farm

This city girl has a fantasy of having a gentleman's farm out in the boonies with chickens, cows, a horse or two and lots of room for a real garden. I dream of a piece of property with a little of everything, woods, creek, lake, mountain view, flat land for gardens, serene pastures full of wild flowers. I would love a big wrap around porch with rocking chairs and lemonade and my children singing in five part harmony on the steps as I shuck peas while the dog sits by my feet.

Today we went to a friends house who has a small little farm. There are a few goats, mostly chickens and lots and lots of work. And mud. I absolutely love to go to her home and see all the things they have done to their little homestead (not really that little). They are the perfect hosts, offering a yummy meal or snack and tea, and taking us around the property and showing my city kids the wonders of nature. She gives me "compost" from the chickens to boost my two little beds which was one of the reasons we went up to visit.

Here in my home state, there has been oodles and oodles of rain, more than usual I think. I've been waiting for a clear day to go up, but there are no such thing happening any time soon. So up we went to the mountains and boy did those kids have fun. They were trooping through the rain and mud that went clear to their ankles. One even lost a shoe in the sucking mud. Their pant legs were muddy to their knees. Guess who forgot to remind people to bring extra clothes. So they rode home in underwear with the jackets that were left in the car on their laps. Most of them napped on the hour ride home.

I on the other hand visited inside the nice warm house with my dear friend. She told me of all the things she wanted to do to her property and all that they already have done and have to do on a regular basis. My eyeball started to twitch. Then she talked about how the goats udder burst because it was too full and she wouldn't let anyone milk her. Shingles started itching. Then we went out in the rain to get the "compost" and I experienced the sucking mud. Hhhmmmm. Then we came home to our little house with the paved roads and grass and sidewalks.

And the neighbors with POUNDING nasty music playing. Yelling neighbors who are cursing and smoking on the porch.

I guess I need a farm, with lots of money, and a farm hand or two or three. And a landscaper. And a gardener. And a maid. And a helicopter. Yeah, that's what I want.

woo hoo!!!!

It worked!!! I found the right dough for our wheat free matzah. My kido's are cheering and saying that we need more. I think the exact words were "that is awesome!" The wheat full recipe was as good as I remembered too. Now to find some fiber to KEEP us all happy ^.^

Here is the place I found the recipe at and pictures of the gluten free and the wheat full...you can hardly tell the difference.

http://www.glutenfreehomemaker.com/ (I did substitute 2 C of Almond Blend and then cooked for 7 min at 500 degrees on a greased cookie sheet like I do my regular matzah)

Gluten free

Gluten full ^.^

Matzah!

So here we are in the middle of Passover, and I'm not missing my leaven! Since we have so many allergies around here, we just don't have a lot of bread around the house. (So where did all those crumbs come from?) I do have a favorite Matza recipe that I found at http://kosherdosher.com/Josphus_Homemade_Matzah.html. It is full of yummy goodness. Still don't have a gluten free version that we love, but we are working on that. I did find a gf pastry recipe today while blog hopping and it may do the job, I'll let you know. I don't like using recipes that require me buying all kinds of flours and mixing them. I use a flour from Gluten Free Mama that is easy to use and tastes good. It comes in Almond blend and Coconut blend. I use the cookbook that I bought from glutenfreemama.com for most of our bread type products. I sometimes substitute it in regular recipes and add a little xanthum gum. That works most of the time. It always taste gluten free though so I do have to make gluten full for a particular man who really likes his gluten. It is the least I can do for the lactose intolerant guy. So I'm going to take this pastry dough recipe I found and add up all the different flours and sub with my Almond Blend and see what happens. Maybe we can get some good GF matza brittle out of it, that would make my kids sooooo happy.