Olive Garden Minestrone

We're all packed and ready to go. Unfortunately, we're not supposed to leave for another 2 hours. This is how Isaac and I always get ready, and then we pace the house, bored and restless, until we finally get to go.

So in the meantime, here's the much-requested and fantastic recipe for Olive Garden Minestrone. It tastes just like the restaurant's, and it's ridiculously healthy for you. I've made it 3 times in the month and half since I found the recipe (in a book called Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur).

Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 small diced onion, 1/2 c zucchini, 1/2 c green beans, 1/4 c celery, 4 cloves garlic, 4 c vegetable or chicken broth, 2 15-oz cans kidney beans, 2 15-oz cans white beans, 14-oz can diced tomatoes, 1/2 c shredded or sliced carrots, 2 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp thyme, 2 bay leaves, 3 c water, 4 c fresh spinach, 1 c small seashell pasa

Directions: Saute onion, zucchini, green beans, celery, and garlic in olive oil 5 min until onions turn translucent. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots, spices, and hot water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 min. Add spinach leaves and pasta and simmer 20 more minutes. Serve with lots of parmesan cheese!

So Proud

We had one of those days that makes a mama proud today - one of those days that makes you realize yet again that what you're teaching is actually sinking in and that you're being watched all the time and that you have a humongous impact on your child's life. One of those days that scares the bejeebers out of you and makes you hope and pray that your life is worthy of being imitated!

Ellie and I spent the afternoon preparing the meals we'll bring with us on vacation. We took it VERY slowly (like I do when I'm trying to be a really good mother!) and I gave her lots of responsibility, which she handled very well. She took charge of several things and did them completely on her own, like straining the olives out of the jar and cutting them up (with a dull orange pumpkin-carving knife) and scraping them into the bowl from the cutting board with the knife exactly the way I do it. It was amazing to watch what little things she's picked up just by watching.


I needed a break after a while, and Ellie suggested that we have some iced tea. She ran outside to pick and wash the mint while I made it (hers was diluted). Then I sat down to read the paper, and Ellie sat next to me and cut "coupons" out of the ads. She said, "I'm working for my family." Then she looked at me and said, "See, Mama? I'm just like you!"

Next she wanted to pack for Breezy, and I told her we couldn't do that until we folded and put away the laundry. She sorted it into piles for me (Mommy's, Daddy's, Ellie's, and "Everybody") and even folded the washcloths without being asked.

Days like this thrill me and scare me. As parents, we have to be so conscientious about our everyday actions, because our children notice them. And perhaps scarier, they pick up the values behind our actions at the same time. Do I help someone to look good, or to serve them? Am I serving with reverence and joy, or out of duty? Am I patient and loving all the time, or just some of it? (Unfortunately, I know the answer to that one.) My daughter notices.

Long Time No Post

I feel like I've been either too busy or too exhausted lately to post, so here's a quick update: hot weather is hard when you're pregnant. It took me a couple days of feeling yucky and exhausted to realize that the heat was wiping me out. Now that I know, I can do a better job of staying hydrated and proteined and air-conditioned, and I'm feeling better! Oh, yeah, and as long as I'm complaining, my back hurts and I wake up every 1-2 hours and go to the bathroom at least 5 times a night.

I'm done cleaning the kitchen, have completed quite a few very needed organizing projects (the bathroom closet, Ellie's toys and clothes, and my clothes), and now I'm tackling cleaning the bathroom top to bottom. I can handle scrubbing down about one wall at a time, and then I get too light-headed and tired to continue, so this might take a while! (However, my two bleached and cleaned walls look really good, so that's motivating!)

We've done quite a few special summer events lately, like two parades, a beach day, and the Family Olympics at our church, so Ellie has had too many late nights and more treats/candy than I prefer. It's fun and special, but I worry about setting a bad precedent that will be hard to change. And it won't change soon: tomorrow we're going on vacation! My parents got us a time-share next to theirs up at Breezy Point in Brainerd for next week, so that will be a huge treat. Isaac will come up with us Friday through Monday, and then he'll come back and work so Ellie and I can keep living the good life!

Mosquito Bite Advice?

Your advice on splinters was great - they did work themselves out eventually.

So now does anyone have any good advice on how to make mosquito bites stop itching? I tried using Benadryl After Bite, but they still swell up really big on Ellie and bother her.

Last year we made "Betty the Bug Bite Helper" out of a pink washcloth, fabric paint, and ice, and that helped quite a bit. That treated the psychological aspect of the bite, but now I'm looking for something that will help Ellie stop itching and go to sleep!

Master Bargainer

My parents took Ellie to a playground last night. After they played, Dad pushed her on the swings and warned her, "It's time to leave in 10 more swings. You count."

So Ellie counted: "One, two three, four, five, six, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven..."

Dad said, "Hey! That's not how you count!"

Ellie: "But I'm the one counting and you have to wait until I count 10 swings."

Needless to say, my dad's a pretty savvy guy and didn't let her get away with it, but he thought it was a pretty good attempt!

Brussel Sprout

As we got in our van, Ellie noticed a rust spot and asked what it was. I explained that it was a "rust spot." About 20 minutes later, she asked, "Mama, have you ever tried washing the brussel sprout off our car?"

First Parade of the Season

Ellie and I hit Brooklyn Park's Tater Daze Parade tonight. I have a soft spot for it since I worked for Brooklyn Park for so many years and had to walk in the parade twice.

I was feeling kind of judgmental about other people's kids during the parade. They mobbed the floats and the people passing out candy, and piled on top of each other to snag stuff, and threw things at each other, and stood out in the street so that we couldn't see. The mom next to me shouted at her kids who ran out in the street at least 20 times, but there was never a consequence, so they always did it again.

Then after the parade, God revealed my judgmentalism to me and I feel very convicted. We were waiting in line at the Biffy. A man was in line too, who was kind of disheveled and had bad teeth and unkempt hair. I smiled perfunctorily at him, but didn't engage him in any conversation and wrote him off in my mind as someone I didn't even want to be seen with. Then a nice woman came up to him and said, "Are you a vet?" The man said yes, and she graciously thanked him for all he'd done. It was so simple; I could have done that. But instead I was thinking judgmental, nasty thoughts. I wonder what else I miss because I'm looking at people through my own faulty eyes instead of God's.

Katie, Our Provider

My friend Katie has been providing our family with a ton of needed (and simply wanted) items lately, so I thought I'd brag about her! We got to know her in a Bible Study about 7 years ago or so, and she is one of the most honest, open people I know. She's one of those people that you always feel comfortable around, because she has such a welcoming, accepting spirit. And she's a lot of fun - pool parties and Back to the 50's wouldn't be the same without her!

Anyway, Katie did the Pampered Chef party for me last week. (She's also very good at that!) Beforehand, she found out that I didn't have very many summer maternity clothes, so not only did she bring over her old maternity clothes, she got a bunch that a friend was selling at a garage sell and brought those over for me to look at too! Then while we were getting ready for the party, she heard my dryer sob story and offered us their old dryer! Isaac picked it up two days ago, and it dries a load in 1/3 of the time our old one did. AND of course, I got a ton of fantastic Pampered Chef products from her that I should be receiving any day now!

I'm very thankful God provided Katie to provide for us! And, of course, I'm thankful for her friendship over the years. Katie is always faithful to call and ask me to do things, and never gives up on me even when I have to say no a bunch of times in a row. I love that about her! And one of these days, neither of us will be pregnant or have a tiny baby and we'll be able to play racquetball together again!

Pregnant Marathoner in the News

The Star Tribune reported this morning on Sue Olsen, a woman who ran Grandma's Marathon 13 years ago two weeks before she gave birth. I am blown away by the idea of running 26.2 miles when almost nine months pregnant (and she was 38 then!). They gave her two finishers' medals for that. Even better, the DAY BEFORE her son was born, she ran more than 60 MILES in a 24 hour race. Can you imagine?

This year, her son will start the race with her. Isn't that cool?

What Sport is the NBA?

Ellie: "I like watching golf and basketball on TV, but not the NBA finals."

Good thing they're over! (Like she watched any of them anyway.)

Funny Faces

Ellie came out of her bedroom yesterday with a really strange look on her face. I asked what was going on, and she said, "I'm pretending to be a mommy and my child is disobedient, and this is how I look." (I wonder if I tilt my head when I give her "the look.")

So since that was pretty cute, I got out the camera and asked for more faces. Here's sad:

Angry:

Happy:

Silly:

An acting career might not be in our future, but fun was had by all.

Neat Quiet Time Realization

During my quiet time this morning, I was praying when God showed me something neat. He pointed out my sparkling kitchen and then all the rest of the house that I'm not as proud of. Then He likened it to my heart. I have a beautiful, sparkling clean room in my heart for God, but I also have some doors in the back that I like to keep closed because they're covered with cobwebs.

I thought this was a pretty powerful analogy and I committed to cleaning out the areas of my heart along with my house! I don't want to have any areas of my life/heart that are yucky and hidden from view. I want God to feel at home and welcomed and comfortable in all areas of my heart.

Splinter Trauma

Ellie played outside all Father's Day at Oma and Opa's. When we came home, I bathed her and checked her for ticks and found several small splinters in her calf (no ticks, though!). I distracted her while Isaac tried to get them out, with no success. We finally decided to leave them in for a while and hope they work themselves out.

Ellie suggested that we pray for them, so Isaac prayed first, and then Ellie joined in: "Dear God, please take my splinters out Yourself so that Mommy and Daddy don't take them out."

This morning, my friend Heather came over to drop off Isabelle. Ellie met her at the door yelling, "I have WOOD growing in my leg!" Heather thought she said "worms," and was very relieved to find out it was just splinters.

Any hints for getting splinters out when you can't see either end of the splinter? We've already tried soaking in a bath.

Kitchen Update

My kitchen is CLEAN! I have scrubbed every inch of the walls, appliances, sink, cupboards, pantry, drawers, etc. I have organized everything in it. Even more importantly, I have KEPT it spotless since I first started on the oven two weeks ago or so (with one night's regression while cooking too many things at once). I've even done the dishes myself somewhat frequently before they build up. I'm really proud of myself, and I feel really good about my kitchen. I think I've done the best I can with the space and what I have to work with.

Now on to another room!

I got a book from the library called Simplify Your Space: Create Order and Reduce Stress by Marcia Ramsland. That's what inspired me to do the kitchen. I didn't let myself read any farther than the first chapter (the kitchen chapter) because I didn't want to read it and forget about it. So next it tells me to tackle the living room. This should be a lot easier - at least until I get to the bathroom, basement, and toys!

Vacuuming

I took out our little (read: ineffective but light) vacuum to tidy up before my Pampered Chef party on Thursday (so fun - thanks for coming, friends!). Ellie looked at it in shock. "Mama, I didn't know you kept your vacuum there! Why don't you keep it with Daddy's vacuum?"

Can you tell who usually does the vacuuming in our house?

Random thought: "Vacuuming" looks really weird when typed.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

While rubbing my stomach, Ellie asked me, "Where exactly is Ami in your uterus? Is she on the east side?"

In the Pool!

Ellie enjoys swimming with me, and does really well in organized classes, so I thought that swim class this summer would be no big deal. (Why do I always think I know things?) So I signed her up for Waders (in the water with no parent) almost every day for 2 weeks, knowing that since she tends to be a little slow to warm up, going consistently and frequently would be good for her.

We got into a great class - two kids, and two teachers.

First day: Grandpa's funeral - we missed class
Second day: Lots of tears and sobbing, usually while sitting at least four feet from the water. The teacher was great getting her into conversation, and was doing really well until he asked where she was the day before, which caused her to run to me crying again. (Crying came up frequently.) She's really not sure about having two male teachers.
Third day: Still lots of tears, but sitting close to the edge of the water. One toe went in briefly, causing more sobbing.
Today: I handed her over to the teacher's arms (in the water) sobbing after lots of talking gently and trying to encourage. (Note: I wasn't sobbing - that was Ellie.) She had simply made up her mind she wasn't going in, and wasn't even trying. After horrendous screaming for about 5 minutes while he gently floated her up and down the pool, she calmed down. We even had a few smiles. I rewarded these with phone calls to Daddy and Grandpa and ice cream at McDonalds.

Let's see how next week goes. I'll hand her over crying again if I have to, but I'd really prefer her to go in by herself. Why do I think we're going to need another round of these same swimming lessons this summer?

Clothes Quiz

If your dryer broke and your husband was out of town until the next day, would you rather

A) hang up your regular underwear in the backyard for all your neighbors to see your taste and your underwear's condition?

OR

B) hang up your maternity underwear in the backyard for all your neighbors to see its plainness, size, and ugliness?

I'm going for B (not that I have much choice) in the hopes that the neighbors will think it's Isaac's and not mine. Any other answers?

"I Want to Go to the Park!"

We have had an admittedly busy day which followed many other overly busy days. I told Ellie that after I did some work, I would take her to the park. She has been getting whinier and more bossy as I have worked. I should have recognized the escalating and either cut it off or given her some more attention. Still...

She went in our candy drawer and took some out. I asked her to put it back. She didn't. I asked her again. She refused. I took the candy away, put it in the drawer, and carried her into her room. She wound up and hit me on the arm. I said, "I do not take children who behave like this to the park." Then I shut the door and left.

She has been standing inside her bedroom at the door crying, "I want to go to the park!" for five minutes straight. Over and over again. I lost track at 24 times several minutes ago because I decided to type the story instead.

Another lovely family moment at the VanLoon household.

Bedtime Conversation

Ellie: "Where is Grandpa VanLoon buried?"
Me: "At the cemetery. Remember when we went there?"
Ellie: "I want him in our backyard."
Me: "Why?"
Ellie: "So I can see him."

How Ellie Is Handling Death

Isaac's grandpa's death is the first that Ellie has experienced (actually, it's the first close death that Isaac has experienced as well). We've been pretty open with her and explained as much as we could. It's been really interesting to see her process it, and I'm sure it will continue for quite a while.

When we first got the call that Grandpa was in the hospital, Isaac dashed off to see him and I stayed home with Ellie. Even though we had been told he had a brain hemorrhage, I didn't make the connection that he would die that morning. I thought he would just be sick and in the hospital for a while. Flustered, I erred on the side of too much information and told Ellie that he had gone to the hospital with a brain hemorrhage, which meant that there "was some bleeding inside his head." Well, that wasn't my smartest move. Ellie got the mental picture that he was bleeding with blood all over, and it was very difficult to convince her that you couldn't see any blood on him.

Other than that, her questions have mostly been pretty predictable with a few surprises. "Where is heaven?" (With God.) "Where did the ambulance park?" (In Grandma and Grandpa's driveway.) "Where do the ambulance drivers live?" (Um, I don't know.) "Will we see Grandpa again?" (When we get to heaven.)

We left Ellie with my parents during the visitation, but we brought her to the funeral and all the stuff today. Isaac and I didn't know if Ellie would want to go look at Grandpa's body, but she did, so we went up to say goodbye to him. She told us she was "very sad."

At the grave, the casket was closed of course. We stood around and said goodbye for a while, and took flowers from an arrangement on the casket. Then as everyone was leaving, Ellie said, "I want to see Grandpa." That made Isaac and me tear up, and we had to explain again that his body was in the casket and we couldn't see him any more. I don't know how people who don't know the hope we have in God explain this stuff and get through it. It must be so hopeless and lost for them.

Indirectly, Ellie has made lots of comments about death. For example, she drew a picture of a little boy and told us that "he's sad because all of his cousins and aunts and uncles have died." Another time she was drawing, she chose dark colors "because Grandpa VanLoon died." While we were driving home from the funeral, she asked if the pictures of people on freeway signs were of dead people. I expect a lot more of random questions like this as she processes this.

Thoughts on Isaac's Grandpa

We had a visitation for Isaac's grandpa yesterday afternoon and evening, and the funeral/burial/more family gatherings today. So many people were there who had been touched by Grandpa sometime during his life, even many former students and colleagues of his (he was a math teacher who retired many years ago). Knowing the kind of man Grandpa was, it didn't surprise me that he had touched so many people, but it did make me hope to live that kind of life as well.

Isaac reflected that while he considered himself blessed to have gotten to be with Grandpa and the family as he died on Wednesday, it was emotional to be the son watching his father watch his own father die. He said it was hard not to project one generation ahead.

I felt the same way watching Grandma say goodbye yesterday and today. It was hard not to project to if I'm ever in that same position, saying goodbye to my husband of many, many years. It makes me want to cuddle up close to Isaac and just be held for a very long time and not let go. It also makes me not want to think about it very much, since it would be such a difficult time.

Isaac and I both privately projected ahead to if we were in that position of him dying and me surviving, and neither of us thought much about the other way (me dying and him surviving). While I don't want to think about that either, I suppose it would selfishly be easier on me if I was the one who went first instead of having to adjust to life without Isaac.

It was special to hear Isaac's dad and one of his aunts speak of Grandpa. They highlighted his faithfulness - to God, his wife, his family, his work, his church, and his friends - and his friendship to everyone he met. I listened to my father-in-law speak of these things he learned from his dad, and I could see all those things in his life (and in Isaac's) as well.

I think of how lucky I am to have married into such a family, with such honorable and faithful men, and such a wonderful heritage. How lucky am I to have gotten to know Grandpa for these past eight and a half years. How lucky am I to have reaped the benefits of his life and his legacy. I hope Isaac and I can live up to the example he set.

Thank Goodness for Girls!

Ellie's birthday party was today, and due to the weather, we moved it inside (we had planned a jumping party at the park). So we had a painting party inside instead, and I was so happy that for the first time ever, we had invited all little girls the same age. It made throwing the party so much easier! They painted until exactly when we had planned, then opened presents, ate cake and ice cream, and played dress-up until their parents arrived to pick them up. Very simple and very fun.

Isaac's Grandpa

Isaac's grandpa (his dad's dad) died pretty suddenly this morning. Isaac was able to spend the morning at the hospital with him and the family, and said that everyone close by was able to get there in time. Even though the family is all Christian, it is still hard for them, and we'd appreciate prayers, especially for Isaac's grandma and his dad.

Weekend Recap

I noticed I haven't posted for a few days - that's because we've packed a lot into the time! Here's a recap:

• Friday night: Pampered Chef party at my friend Jen's (it was so much fun that I'm having one too - come to a dessert party at my house on Thursday, June 12!)


• Saturday: Painting a church member's house with our adult Sunday School group - I came home too tired to do anything but lie on the floor!


• Sunday: Ali and Abe's wedding - the 15-pc swing band, along with the freedom/exuberance of Ellie and the Gallop kids, made for a really fun time! (Of course, it didn't hurt that Ali looked beautiful and so many of our friends were there too!)


• Monday: Ellie played at Isabelle's house while I scrubbed the kitchen for a few more hours, then we played by the Mississippi River for a while and picked up my parents from the airport


• Tuesday: Ellie's 4th birthday! We all woke up early and played Little House paper dolls, then squeezed in a cool and muddy family hike and picnic at Schaar's Bluff before coming home to cook/bake Ellie's birthday dinner and enjoy some time with my parents