Cereals of Days Past

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 Sugar Pops are now called... Corn Pops! Still the same sticky, sweet, yummy, yellow cereal in the shape of a large corn kernel! 

Froot Loops w/Sam the Toucan can still be found in the cereal aisle! Colors are different from what I had back in the day.

AlphaBits were a must while my kids were growing. A fun way to learn how to spell! I do not know if this product is still made or not.

 Trix was like eating Kix only more colorful & sweeter! They changed the colors in the 90s & messed w/the flavors so I stopped eating it. My kids liked them though! They have swirl colors now. And yes, Sorry Rabbit, Trix are STILL just for kids!

Special K. Its not a tasty cereal as far a cereals back then went, but anything was better than oatmeal!

"Dig-Em" the frog mascot of Sugar Smacks was one of the 1st frogs, maybe the only frog, I liked!

Ahhh! Shredded Wheat biscuits! How I loved thee! 2 biscuits, some milk & heaven! I like it even w/o a sweetener! I didn't mind that it got soggy too fast! It wasn't oatmeal! Until recently, I would buy the spoon sized variety that has the frosting on one side. Now, even that has too many carbs! 

Smurf Berry Crunch is another cereal I would buy for my youngest sister for her breakfasts. I also have a faint memory of B's younger brother, enjoying this cereal. He is only a few months younger than my sister, so its possible! I may be mistaken, but I don't think so.

Waffle-Os! I remember there was a blueberry flavor in addition to the maple one.

Cap'n Crunch! Oh, he was awesome! CrunchBerries were my favorite variety of Cap'n Crunch! There was also Fruity, Peanut Butter, Marshmallow & I think there was a chocolate one too.


Pac-Man cereal was the 1st cereal I remember that was made out of the popularity of the video game. My youngest sister had a passion for the cereals that came out w/popular toys like Strawberry Shortcake & Rainbow Brite.

Apple Jacks now has a green colored ring along w/the original orange color. This ruined the cereal, in my opinion. I still remember the jingle... 

"A is for Apple, J is for Jack, cinnamon toasty Apple Jacks, you need a good breakfast that's a fact, start it out with Apple Jacks!! Apple Jacks, Apple Jacks, vitamins & minerals that's where its at, apple tasty, crunchy too, Kelloggs Apple Jacks!

Super Sugar Crisp w/its mascot, Sugar Bear! 

In the advertisement above, one can see how healthy it was for your kids. With extra vitamins, he chopped down that tree in no time! When my kids were eating this cereal, it had changed its name to Super Golden Crisp.

"Ya can't get enough of Super Golden Crisp!"

Ok, I never had "Hokie Toasties" but T & M & Carlotta live near enough to VT & I thought they'd get a kick out of seeing this cereal from long ago!

Best Tasting Breakfast I Ever Had

On the rare, childhood morning, when I wasn't being force fed lumpy, thick, glue-like, unsweetened & sometimes cold OATMEAL, 

(Oatmeal, BTW, is THE most disgusting food ever, in my opinion)   

this cereal called, Quisp, was a welcome sight!!

If it had been allowed, I could've eaten the entire box of Quisp by myself.

It's a discontinued cereal now... too sugary for todays politically correct parents.

I wouldn't be able to eat Quisp now, with all the sugar restrictions on my diet, but I like remembering how much I enjoyed this crispy breakfast cereal! I was happy then!

Several years ago, I was able to find a box or 2  for my kids to try, but they never had the same connection I have with Quisp. Heck, they probably don't even remember trying it! 

They have their own favorite breakfast cereal memories, I'm sure. 

I pray they are not unhappy memories! 

I believe I never made them eat a food they didn't like! 

They had to TRY OUT new foods, but never forced to eat it!

Quisp had a "twin" cereal called Quake, but I have no recollection of liking that one!

It, too, is a discontinued cereal.  

Just Had Another Memory Flashback

Lately on FB, my friends have posted photos of things they remember from waay back when but are no longer around. Many people in my children's generation may never have even SEEN some of the stuff!

Things like a rotary dial telephone or a phone booth, Captain Kangaroo, a skate key, a hi-beam button on the floor of a car, gym uniforms or a Zayre's store.

Then, while trolling for diabetic friendly dessert recipes, 

I found one for Krazy Kake (also known to some as Wacky Cake) & I was immediately transported back to elementary school when school prepared lunches were a NEW thing. 

Before my family qualified for free lunches (15 kids eating lunch daily means LOTS of money, even back then!!) we brought a bag lunch to school. 

Usually, this lunch consisted of a peanut butter sandwich, sometimes w/jelly, a piece of fruit & a nickel for a 8 oz carton of milk.

(chocolate milk came around when I was in high school)

However, on very rare occasions, we would be surprised with a piece of unfrosted chocolate cake we called Krazy Kake! I knew there was vinegar in the cake, but I could never taste it! I loved seeing the tiny white flour lumps throughout.

Yummy memory!

What is Krazy Kake?

Back when America was fighting in the World Wars, eggs & other staples were in short supply or rationed. Homemakers experimented w/ingredients they were able to get so they could continue making familiar foods, like chocolate cake.

My paternal grandmother had a Krazy Kake recipe. 

She would make one & give it to us when she visited.

 Eventually, she stopped visiting & her special treats stopped coming. 

(BTW, she also made yummy, delicious molasses cookies! They were awesome! I wish I had THAT recipe, But I couldn't eat them due to my diet. Bummer because they were sooo good!) 

KRAZY KAKE (or Wacky Cake)  makes 12 servings

What you need:

• 3 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
• 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix together all the DRY ingredients in an UNGREASED 9 x13 cake pan. 
• Level the dry ingredient with the fork
• Make 3 "wells" in different parts of the dry ingredients
• Vinegar goes in one of the wells, oil in another & vanilla in the last well
• Add water & quickly, mix well. DON'T BEAT IT. (There will be flour lumps. It's supposed to have lumps)
• Bake @ 350 for 30-35 minutes.
• Cool & enjoy! No frosting needed!

Vet Visit 2012

Today was the cats yearly visit to the vet. Gracie continues to toss her cookies whenever she rides in the car! Zee meows, pitifully, the whole trip.

We had an exam room with a window! Both cats were on the sill, looking for a way out of there! Gracie growled & hissed the whole time. Zee sat next to me. She was fine as long as I was between her & the door. DOGS were on the other side of the door!

So what were the results?

Both had their distemper shots. Gracie got her 3 yr rabies booster while Zee is due for hers next year.

Both got raves from the vet on the excellent condition of their teeth, gums & ears. 

Zee got some extra praise for her soft, shiny coat.

Gracie GAINED 1/2 a pound! 

Argh! 

I've cut her food way down all year, but she still managed to gain weight!

Zee LOST 1/2 a pound!

Huh?

I guess Gracie has been eating from Zee's bowl!

So now, I must feed them in separate dishes ( I already do), in separate rooms & allow them to only eat for about 10 minutes in the morning before putting the food away & out of sight! Then, repeat at night.

No more free feeding all day!

They can have no more than 1/2 cup Hills Science Diet "light" food each, per day.

They can still have their daily treats, but I must cut the amount even further.

I'll be getting head butted by the cats as they beg for more feedings, but the vet assures me they will get used to this type of feeding pretty quickly so the head butts shouldn't last.

Summer Shirts

The front & back views of the summer shirts we made today. 

We also made flour filled balloons & a lentil filled one too, to toss around. If you decide to make this project, be sure to use HELIUM QUALITY balloons, not anything else or it will split open, 

getting the beans or flour...

 EVERYWHERE!

We made sun catchers with a Make-It Bake-It kit & practiced using scissors. 

Quiet time was a Chipmunk movie from the early 1990's. 

These girls are making my old stuff new again!

Lastly, we colored in our coloring books. It was a good day. 

The oldest has a few behavior helpers from her ODD session which we DID NOT NEED to use today! She was wonderful! 

The 3 yr old however... 

Can you say ANNOYING? That's what she was today, annoying! 

Not bad or naughty, just annoyingly annoying.

And the bebe... he pooped 3 times today! Ugh!

Wizard?

Carlotta got to play w/her dress-up stuff today. When we visited w/her waaay back in November 2011, we got her a bunch of dress-up stuff. I know her GG mailed her some dress-up stuff too & would absolutely LOVE to see a video or a photo of Carlotta in that outfit just as much as I loved seeing her dressed as a wizard! I also had a few messages from Purrpl Pincess & a virtual hug which I have put up as my phone screen saver!

Lookee What I Can Do!

Bebe Jorge held his own bottle for the 1st time today! 

He's not scowling but rather a little annoyed by the very bright flash going off at the moment this photo was taken!

He was mesmerized by his hands today & that he was the one controlling them.

At times, he looked like someone high on drugs who thinks their hand is an alien! 

He discovered he enjoys chewing on his hands. His teeth must be going through some growth under his gums &  chewing on his fingers helps relieve the discomfort.

In related news... I have had to change only 1 poopy diaper in 3 months! 

Until the BUMBO began to be used!

Now, every time I put him in that seat, he poops!

What is it about sitting up that makes a baby's bowels go into overdrive?

He is a fun baby though. His laugh is contagious. 

A deep belly laugh with his twinkling, dark brown eyes!

Cool Summer-y Vegetarian Salad/Meal

It's been a while since my last recipe. I hope no one was waiting! It's been too hot to experiment w/recipes & on the cooler days, I've been painting walls & trim in the house. 

Today is Monday, our friends turn to host so we bring the side dish or dessert. I'm continuing to try to eat healthier, so we're not bringing a dessert! Also, it's blazing hot & humid today! 

I'm not turning on the oven!

This salad is hearty enough to be used as a meal, but in our case, it'll be a side dish!

I just assembled the salad & had a small "taste test" serving for my lunch. 

This is a "I'll make it again" recipe!

I love it! Yummy!

Corn & Black Bean Salad  

(Makes 6, approx. 1 cup each, servings when used as a side. Serves 3-4 as a meal)

What you need:

• 6 ears of fresh corn, cooked, cooled & sliced off cob (using frozen corn, cook 1 bag according to directions & let cool)
• 2- 15 oz cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 each green, red & yellow pepper, roughly chopped (I also used 1/2 an orange pepper)
• 1 sliced green onion (these are sold in bunches, you could use a little bit of a purple onion, diced tiny, instead)
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 3 minced garlic cloves (use fresh garlic, if possible. Tastes better in my opinion)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• juice of 2 limes (slightly more than 1/4 cup, if using bottled lime juice)
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

What to do:

• Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Serve or cover & put in fridge until ready to serve!

Wise Words by Those Wiser Than I. or Me. or ??

Or maybe words from older people? Funnier people? 

A Silver Lining to Humidity & Heat!

These are the tomatoes the girls & I planted from seed, in little cups, as a craft activity back in early April. I transplanted them around Memorial Day into the raised bed B got for my birthday/Mother's Day gift. They have grown to almost 6' tall!

There are 3 tomato cages, which the plants have outgrown! I'm trying to hold the fruit laden branches up with string. It looked like I was growing my own jungle so I pruned off many of the branches which had NO fruit on them. That has helped the plants put more focus on growing the fruit!

Here are 2 of many "Heirloom" tomato clusters growing so well. They should taste wonderful in my Caprese salad!

I have a cherry tomato bush too.  These are the biggest cherry tomatoes I've seen! Wish they'd turn red so I can eat them!

ZZZZZ

By my entry's title, you may believe this will be about Zee, my 3 yr old cat. Nope.

It is about sleeping or more correct... not sleeping.

We have A/C during this tremendous heat & humidity, thank goodness, but with the constant hum of the cooling machines & fans, a good, deep, restful sleep has been hard to achieve.

So, I tried the new NyQuil product made just for sleeping called, ZzzQuil. Cute little purple gel tabs, easy to swallow & I was asleep in no time last night.
Unfortunately, I woke up several times throughout the night with a splitting headache & this morning, I feel even worse than had I not taken the medicine. I guess the pills didn't put me in a deep enough sleep to drown out the humming. Or maybe I need a new pillow.

I'll take this headache over being hot & sweaty any day though. At least I can get SOME sleep!

O.D.D.

Yes, my blog title says... ODD!

I learned of this disorder today. I had never heard of before! 

Wait for it!

I remember  when C was diagnosed w/SPD, or Severe Phonological Disorder. A few years of speech therapy & an IEP @ school until the end of 1st grade was all it took to rid her of the disorder.

I know of OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I think I have a touch of this disorder when it comes to mowing the lawn or snow removal & I have no plans to remedy my OCD!

Wait for it! 

I'll tell you of O.D.D. in a moment!

Autism, Aspergers, Manic, Bipolar, Sensory, Schiztophrenia, Depression & Turrettes are disorders or syndromes I'm familiar with... though, in no way do I claim to be an expert!

Is ESP a syndrome? No, wait... I'm joking with you!

O.D.D.

It is an odd syndrome. 

 O.D.D. stands for

Oppositional Defiance Disorder. 

When one is extremely stubborn, defiant when confronted with consequences of their actions or downright "bratty" for seemingly no particular reason whatsoever at least once a day or more... 

one could have O.D.D.

What can be done to change O.D.D behavior or teach skills to change it for themselves?

I'm about to discover for myself as I, as a care taker of this family's children, will need to participate in So's therapy "homework" assignments.

I've been around during one of her "moody" days & it's no fun for me or her! 

I'll do almost anything to make my job easier!

Stay tuned... as I learn things, I'll post them if I feel it's necessary...

as to keep you all informed of this O.D.D. 

The Freshest Tasting Slushie Drink .... EVER!

Today, I got together w/my 2 oldest & dearest BFFs for an afternoon of catching up & enjoying each others company.  It was good to see JS. I always see SI, but good to see her too.

We each brought something to munch on. I made my 2 flavors of Deviled Eggs (traditional & a bacon style) while SI made her famous "Scotchies" (had to bring some home for B!). My oldest BFF made several carb friendly snacks with me in mind. Thank you, JS, for the yummy caprese bites, homemade dill pickles & for introducing me to your homemade sugar free LIME SLUSHIE!

She did tell me how to make it, but after 2 hours of catching up w/each other, her recipe has slipped my mind! I'm going to get it later on though & it will be posted! I remember it had fresh squeezed limes, mottled mint leaves, ice, Splenda & a bit of seltzer, blended in a blender. I just need to double check on the amounts of each item that she used. Recipe will be posted at a later time.

But... OH! It was good! Not too sweet so the kids wouldn't like it. Just perfect for my tastes though. Dare I say, even BETTER than my beloved Slurpee? Maybe!  

The New Bunch

It was brought to my attention the other day that I do not post photos or cute stories about my newest family of kids. It's been almost a year!

I'm with them only about 17-20 hrs a week so there's not as much time for silly, cute or irritating things to happen like the 1st family. 

BUT... Oh, they do happen!

Today, the middle child (3 yr old girl) was a spider monkey, literally!

Whenever my lap was empty (when Bebe Jorge was in his crib) she would climb onto it for snuggles & tickles. 

She just wanted me to remember that she was around too!

The oldest (5 yr old girl) was in one of her moods. UGH! 

I won't get into details, but those who know her, understand just what I mean!

These 2 photos are of the craft we made today. Empty toilet paper rolls, cardboard egg cartons, pipe cleaners, pom-poms & paint as well as a bit of glue was all it took to create a bouquet of flowers.

Below is a photo of Bebe Jorge (my blog name for him). He is now 3 months old & a very easy baby to care for! He eats, burps, plays & sleeps well! 

Hardly cries at all! He laughs a deep belly laugh & smiles often! 

KNOCK ON WOOD that this behavior continues as he grows!

The final photo is of Bebe Jorges older sisters (ages 5 & 3). Sof & An are chillin' on the couch after coming in from playing on their climbing tree outdoors. 

A DVD of My Little Pony was about to start, hence their smiles!

Enjoy todays photos!

Stronger?

I did it! For the 1st time in 4 summers, I was able to start the lawnmower!

It was a good thing too.

With B's schedule & mine... as well as the weather forecast it was beginning to look as though the grass wouldn't get cut shorter this week. Waiting 2 weeks between mowings makes for a really, long tough day when one can finally begin to mow!

I guess that I'm getting stronger now that I'm carrying around a little less body fat. 

Yes, it's still coming off, but at such a slow pace! 

B looks much better now too. His latest weight loss @ his doctors visit impressed the doctor. He's begun walking around the block on the nights where the weather lets one breathe! Sometimes he carries a loaded backpack to increase his strength.

I have a new helmet & a "fat lady" bike seat (which I need B to install for me) so now, I too, can go around the block, unless the humidity is too oppressive.

My goal is to lose another 15 lbs by my next doctor appointment in September.

In the meantime, I hope I can continue to start the mower by myself & cut the grass on my schedule! 

HHH

H is for HOT!

H is for HAZY!

H is for HUMID!

H is for HEY, I've HAD enough!

H is for HELP! Throw some water on me!

H is for H??? can't be as HOT as this!

H is for HA! Stupid post! But I'm too HOT to go outside!

H is for HALLELUJAH! A cold front will be here by morning!

H is for HAPPY for cooler, drier weather.

Home Alone

The day (TODAY!) I've been both dreading & looking forward to for the last 3 months has come & gone w/o a hitch!

Today was the 1st day I watched the 2 girls & their 3 month old baby brother, all together... 

w/o any other adult assistance!

Mom returned to her job as an RN @ a nearby hospital & Dad was back @ his job as an insurance agent, so it was just me!

The baby was wide awake for about 90 minutes, had a quick 3 oz, then slept for almost 4 hours. He drank 6 oz then had another 2 oz an hour later. 

Changed his diaper twice, with no poopy ones, thank goodness! 

He fell asleep on my shoulder while we were outside but kept waking up when I tried to put him in his crib! I think he liked the body heat I was putting out there vs the crib's cold sheet!

The girls played with Duplo blocks (the new Disney princess set) & Littlest Pet Shoppe. They ate most of their lunch. There was little to no whining all day! They got themselves dressed, teeth brushed & their beds made... w/o a fuss! 

We did some crafts using jumbo craft sticks & paper! Door hangers & flowers glued together & dried quickly in this heat!

After lunch, the wading pool & lawn sprinkler were a lot of fun! I took out my stroller & bug netting for the baby. But he's so big now, he doesn't fit in the "infant mode" I had it set at! I have to adjust the straps for him for the next time we're outside!

Granddad & Gramma showed up as a surprise around 1:30ish! Girls were super happy! I got an early start on July 4th, a day off! And it's America's birthday! Happy Birthday, America!