Girl Trapped!

Every other Wednesday we get to babysit my nephew Owen. The girls love him and based upon the picture below I think the feeling is mutual. Hooray for cousins!

ABC's All About Me

I've seen several things like this but I thought this one was fun.

Attached or single? Attached
Best friend? Devon
Cake or pie? Cake
Day of Choice? Sunday
Essential items? Water bottle, cell phone, burts bees chapstick, fingernail clippers
Favorite color? Pink
Green thumb? Definitely not!
Haircolor? Brown and, sadly, some gray
Indulgence? Bunny Tracks Ice Cream by Blue Bunny
Job: hate it or love it? I love all my jobs: mom, speech therapist, owner of Saucy Creations
Kids? Grace, 7 and Jenna, 4
Life isn't complete without? The Gospel, my family, music
Marriage date? July 8, 1997
Number of brothers and sisters? 2 brothers, 1 sister
Oranges or apples? Oranges, but only straight from the tree, not the store
Physical activity? Yoga
Quote? I have a sign above my pantry that used to hang in my parents' house that says "Thou Shalt Not Whine."
Reason to smile? My kids
Season of choice? Spring--it's beautiful here!
Time of day? Bedtime
Unknown fact about me? I can't think of one--I'm pretty open.
Vegetable? Broccoli
Worst habit? Picking at my cuticles
Xray or ultrasound? Hopefully ultrasound soon!
Your favorite food? Mexican
Zodiac sign? Libra

Whistle While You Work

Devon is in Las Vegas this weekend so the girls and I are on our own until Sunday night. Last night Grace asked what we would be doing today. I told her that I had a lot of cleaning and laundry to do so I wasn't sure what else we would be able to accomplish. The girls then told me that what they really wanted to do was learn how to mop the floor like Cinderella. Who was I to argue?! If I'd known they had this secret wish I would have granted it long ago!!

My New Speech Assistants

I just had to share this fun story. Have you noticed how your kids pick up on everything, even the stuff you don't want them to hear? I think my kids may become speech pathologists whether they want to or not just because they're surrounded by it all the time. Actually I don't think that the outcome of this story was necessarily intentional but it's pretty great.

Apparently, Grace and her friend JJ (my friend and business partner Amy's son so they see each other all the time and are like siblings) have helped a little boy at their school. There is a boy in JJ's class who has selective mutism. He did not say a word for the entire first semester of school. Grace and JJ invited him to play "Doggies" with them, which apparently means that one person is the owner and the other kids are the dogs. JJ would give a command and Grace and this little boy were expected to respond. After a little while the little boy began to speak. The kids report that at first they would have to give him pretend doggie bones as a reward but that he no longer needs a reward. The game has also changed to something called "Parking Lot" which requires more talking and he has done just fine there too. It has even extended into the classroom where he has also begun speaking more.

What the kids don't know is that they have provided for this little boy what no speech therapist could have done for him. And their technique was great--JJ gave the request and Grace provided the peer model--it was perfect and they didn't even know it! Way to go little ones!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I thought it might be fun to post one of my favorite recipes. I just made this cake for only the second time and I had forgotten how easy and tasty it was. I got it from my friend Tiffany and thought I should share it with all of you. Thanks Tiff!

1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1 c. sour creamm
1/4 c. poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients except sour cream and poppy seeds. Then add sour cream and seeds and mix a bit more. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and coat generously with granulated sugar. Bake @325 for 55 min. Let sit for a few minutes then turn onto a platter.

Glaze: mix 1 c. powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make desired drizzling consistency.

Enjoy!

Yoga

I decided that I'm really boring because I can't ever think of anything to blog about. So I guess I will tell you about my favorite part of today which was my yoga class. I found a really great website where you can download yoga classes and they're actually really good ones and cheap too. I hate to admit that I haven't done any exercise in a couple of weeks and it felt really good. I'm thinking I will start back up with teaching on Saturday mornings at the church. Anyone interested?

It's Official

Devon is finally a member of the State Bar of Arizona! Yesterday his co-workers brought him a huge balloon and a cake to celebrate. The girls love the balloon because if you tap it it plays "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang. I have now heard that song more times than I needed to in an entire lifetime. Maybe the balloon will secretly disappear while they are at school. I thought about putting the song on my blog so you could share in my misery but I think I will spare you.