Very Important Question

So, when you take a bath or shower, how many towels do you use?

Seriously, I really want to know!

Yesterday, I was working on one of my clients, and he was telling me that he just didn't understand why women make things harder for themselves. I told him that I quite agreed, but asked him what he was talking about specifically. (Now understand that he has 5 daughters, so he is utterly and completely surrounded by women.) He told me that when he and his family first started heading up to his boat for the weekend that the girls and the women would take forever in the morning "getting ready". He couldn't understand why they were curling or straightening their hair, putting on makeup, and wearing cute outfits and heels. They are on a BOAT, for pete's sake! And as soon as the boat gets moving, there is no more cute hair...and as soon as you slather on your sunscreen, there is little makeup left....and he just didn't even know what to think about the HEELS!

SO...one evening they had company on the boat, and he asked the simple question. How many towels do you use when you take a bath or shower? All of the men answered, "One!"

All of the women answered two to three. Now me, being kind of a simple girl, had to ask...what on earth are they using three towels for? He proceeded to tell me that he asked the very same question...and that is seems they need one towel to wrap around their head, another to dry off and wrap around their body, and yet another to drape over their shoulders. OKAAAYYY???!!!

So then he asks...what do you do with the three towels when you are finished with them? I answered, "Well, I only use one, and then I hang it on the towel rack to dry."

"Do you use it the next day?"

"Of course!"

And you see, this is where it becomes a little over the top...because what he informed me of is that every girl/woman on that boat replied that she throws her towels in the hamper. And when he suggested that they use a towel more than once...they (supposedly) gasped in horror! "Gross!" "DAAAADDDD! Yuck!"

So the basis of his rationale on this whole "women make things difficult for themsleves" thing culminates right here....

His wife is doing at least one load of towels every SINGLE DAY, in addition to the ridiculous amount of laundry she already has. And because his girls are into quite a few sports and extracurriculars, they take anywhere from one to three showers each day...and use 3 towels each time. He doesn't understand why they can't make things just a little easier and cut down on some laundry in the process. But hey, who is he to say?

I listened to this story, and really, truly could not think of one person I knew who might use three new towels for every bath/shower. He told me to take a survey and I would be suprised at the results....

SOOOO...How many towels do YOU use? And do you use them more than once???

I just HAVE to know....

A Bit of This, A Bit of That...

We were so excited that we had nothing we "had" to do this past weekend. But of course, you know how that goes, right? Those are the weekends that end up being busier than all the rest! I found out on Thursday that I had free tickets to the Picnic With The Pops concert featuring Wynonna. Of course, we didn't want to miss that! But alas, there were no sitters to be found, so we decided to tempt fate and take the kids. Sheri came along for an additional set of hands, and off we went. Kendall thought it was the greatest...a huge lawn filled with people to talk to and who would watch her dance! Unfortunately, she became a bit less agreeable once the concert started and we wanted her to sit with us on the blanket. Noah REFUSED to sleep. He would sit on Barry's lap, or let Sheri or I carry him around with his head on our shoulder, but to no avail. Sleep eluded him. So, we decided to pack it up...and our timing couldn't have been better. As we were loading the car, she came out for her encore...and we heard it as we pulled out of the parking lot.

On Sunday, we went to see Mary Poppins at the Ohio Theater. It was a lot of fun, and Kendall had never been there before, so it was doubly cool. Plus, we met Sheri's nieces and nephews there, so she could not have been more pleased! Noah went to visit Aunt Nancy for a couple of hours, as we were not about to tempt fate again! But, of course by the time we got home, our weekend was about gone. Barry took to mowing the lawn, and I bathed the kids and got them to bed. Bed was calling me as well!

Today we were up and out of the house bright and early, as it was the last day of Kinderzoo. Noah and I dropped Kendall off and headed to Lowes for some supplies, and then we headed to the body shop for estimates for my van. UGH. $3,063.00. It could be worse, I suppose...but still. I was none too happy about that! Then we picked up the kids pictures at Penneys...be looking for yours in the mail! And that's about it folks! Tonight the plan is to finish the mowing, get the shingles on the chicken coop, and who knows what else? Only time will tell....and I'LL tell YOU tomorrow!

OUCH!

Have you ever done something so stupid you just can't believe you did it? It just swims around in your stomach and just makes you sick that you could do something so DUMB?

Well, here is my big dumb OOOPS for the year. I don't even want to go into how it happened...let's just say I played chicken with a big yellow cement post and the post won.

I KNOW it could be worse.

I KNOW it's just a car.

I KNOW that's what insurance is for.

I KNOW that the most important thing is that I'm ok.

But I am still mad at myself...and wishing I could rewind yesterday and have a do-over.

As if the yucky weather weren't enough....

UGH.

KinderZoo!

Kendall has been taking a class at the zoo on Mondays this June. It is called Kinderzoo, and she LOVES it. And just as importantly, I LOVE it. Noah and I drop her off at 9:00 am, and then we walk the zoo for 3 hours, until we have to pick her up at 12:00. It has been really nice to spend some time one on one time with Noah, and also to get some exercise! My legs are thanking me! And Noah has been really fun. He loves the aquarium, of course...and the flamingoes! When it's time for a snack, we head over to the river and sit by the water...it has just been really nice!

Every Monday, the KinderZoo teachers have a different theme. The first week it was Animals That Swim, last week it was Animals of the Outback, and then this Monday it was Animals of the Wetlands. They go for a walk around the zoo, looking at the various animals, make a craft, have a snack, and then have an animal visitor. Here are some pics of the crafts we have seen so far....

A Standing Flamingo...





A Bird-Eating Spider Bracelet.....




Her own set of Moose antlers....


Who knows what she'll make this Monday!

Don't you wish you could go to KinderZoo too?

Puppet Crazy!

Last night before bedtime, Kendall sat Barry and I down for a puppet show. She had worked hard on all her puppets and was ready to show us her stuff!

This particular show was about a Mama Spider and a Baby Spider. The Baby Spider loved to pick flowers for his Mama. They also went on a trip to a wetland and saw a bear eating some fish. On their way home from the wetlands, they met an alien and took a trip to outerspace. It was quite entertaining! Sometimes I wonder where she gets her great imagination...her ideas are so detailed. I don't remember ever being like that!

And check out all those puppets! The kid LOVES her crafts...and puppets has been at the forefront here lately. She has puppets that she uses to let us know she is sad and mad and happy...(yeah, like we need a puppet face to figure THAT out....) the girl is puppet CRAZY! But you know what? She entertains herself...and then entertains all of us...what could be better?

Maybe the next time you see her you will be lucky enough to be in audience of her latest creation!

Father's Day Weekend

Did you all have a fun Father's Day weekend?

Did all you fathers out there enjoy your day?

We had a cookout with the whole damn family...and it was really fun and relaxing. We ate lots of good food, made homemade strawberry ice cream with the last of our homegrown strawberries (YUM!), and sat out by the pond fishing, talking, and taking the kids for canoe rides. It really was quite a nice day! And the weather certainly cooperated with us...hot, but not too hot..and just enough breeze to keep it relaxing.

Kendall and her cousin Kayla fished and fished until they had had their pictures taken with just about every fish in the pond. Kendall is proud of every single fish she catches, even if it is only as big as her finger! Kayla reeled in a 10 inch bluegill this year, and boy were we impressed! She caught a pretty good sized bass too. Noah wanted to touch the fish, so we let him...and then he was pretty much over it. He was too busy playing in his Cozy Coupe to care too much about the fishing.

I must admit that I am really happy that I have the in-laws that I do. I feel very blessed to be welcomed into such a nice family, and to feel that I can be myself around them. I know that Barry feels the same way about my family too. And just as importantly, maybe even more so...the fact that they all get along with each other so well. It has never been a problem or been uncomfortable to have them all at our house at the same time...they talk and joke, and are generally comfortable around each other. And so this is what I realized this weekend...

This is what a FAMILY is. And it is a GOOD FAMILY. This is what I want for my kids. Lots of loving family and friends around, good role models, diverse interests and personalities, very little drama or emotional turmoil....THAT is what has become very important to me as I have become older and (somewhat) wiser.

SO... Happy Father's Day (a day late) to all you Dads out there....the world would be a sad, sad place without you!

Hangin' At The Playground...

On Monday, Kendall had a class at the zoo all morning, so Noah and I walked around the zoo for an hour or so and then headed over to the playground before it got too busy with the bigger kids. Now, Noah and I don't really get too much time for just the two of us, so I decided to take advantange. We packed some yummy snacks and my camera...and he had ALL of my attention.

The kid was having a blast. For about half an hour, we were the only people on the playground, and let me tell you, he thought he was the cat's pajamas! I didn't get too many good pictures, though...since he was too busy doing "his thing" to look at me. But here are a few that I did get, so I hope you enjoy them!

KISSALICIOUS!

Seriously...do you see why I HAD to take this picture? As if baby feet aren't cute enough, then they have to go and make shoes like these. It CRACKS ME UP!

Noah's pudgy little feet are irresistable to me. I am always rubbing them, kissing them, giving them zerberts...they are too darn cute! They are right up there with his little ears, pinchable little bum, and big round cheeks....

Heck, every part of Noah is just KISSALICIOUS!

I am addicted to my little boy...and he feels the same about me. Everyone in the room ceases to exist the minute I walk in. Some days it's a total boost...and just what I need. And some days I can't even get two steps in the door without him hanging on my legs so I can't move. But no matter what, I cannot resist. The boy is one fantastic cuddlin' machine. He can give a bear hug like nobody's business...and on evenings like tonight (when I get home after he is already in bed), that is what I miss...and can't wait for...

My first hug of the morning.

Struggling

I feel the need to post tonight, yet I am struggling with finding something to say! We had a nice weekend...we were invited to our neighbors' house for a cookout on Friday night, and then on Saturday, I had to take Kendall to get her hair cut and we ran about 35 errands (ok, I may be exaggerating just a bit there...but it WAS a lot!), and then we went out to lunch at First Watch. It was a nice day out for just us girls. Of course once we got home, there was much to be done! Barry is trying to get our chicken coop finished so we can move our chicks in! They have already hatched and are currently living at the neighbors' house, but Kendall is dying for them to live in our coop!

THEN...I was giving Noah a bath on Saturday night and I kept hearing this beeping noise. Barry and I at first thought it was coming from the movie that Kendall was watching...but alas, NO.

IT WAS OUR WATER PUMP! SHIT! WE HAD NO WATER!

So, being a Saturday night, nothing was open, and being that the next day was Sunday, that was even worse! Thank God my uncle Rick was home. So Barry had to jump in the car and drive 1.5 hrs to go get parts and a crash course on how to rewire and replace the blasted thing. Then 1.5 hrs home...he got home at 11:30 pm, and I was already in bed. So much for Saturday evening!

That fiasco spilled into Sunday, of course, since Barry had to get moving first thing in the morning and get it fixed...since we all thought it might be nice to have our morning trips to the bathroom actually end with toilets that were able to be flushed! Also, because we were taking the kids to get their pictures taken at 2:00, and believe me, they needed bathed! As it was, he finished up right before my panic started to set in. We all got showers and headed to Tuttle Crossing to do the photo shoot...

Noah did NOT feel like cooperating. There was no sitting. There was no smiling. There was not even any looking at the lady who was taking the pictures. Somehow she managed to get a few shots, but they are not so hot. Kendall did fine...she loves having her picture taken. Of course, that ends up being a 3 hour ordeal by the time you take the pictures, wait for them to be downloaded, and pick them all out....UGH. We were hungry! SO.....

Off to Whole Foods! Ah, my temple! I can spend hours AND a fortune in there. Kendall loves to go just so she can partake of the many samples...and don't get me wrong, the rest of us did too! YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY! We decided to eat there for dinner, and it was delectable! Kendall had some stone-fired pizza, and Barry and I split a meal of salmon, marinated green beans and homestyle mashed potatoes...mmmmmm. If you haven't been to Whole Foods yet, I highly recommend it! WITHOUT A DOUBT!

The rest of the evening was just spent finishing up a few things. I picked up the house and cleaned up the kitchen...and Barry did some mowing down the lane and (finally...yippee!) put the rest of the crown moulding up around the top of the last two cabinets and put on the last set of handles. And that, folks, is what made my weekend complete! Sad, but true. I've been wanting that to be finished for quite a while, and NOW IT IS. HURRAY!

Well, if you've made it this far, I commend you.

I can admit that this is probably my least interesting post ever...but I felt like I had to say SOMETHING! Can't have you wondering what the heck happened to me now, can I?

A Big Ol' Bowl of Berries

It's my favorite time of year! Strawberry time! This is the first year that our strawberry plants have beared fuit. And boy, are they bearing fruit! Kendall and I have been having fun picking about every other day, and this is the big bowl of heaven that we picked yesterday. Somehow we managed to get out there between all of the rainshowers...and we couldn't believe how many we found! We LOVE these juicy red berries...and ours are so much sweeter than those at the grocery. Better for you too....no pesticides, of course!

In celebration of our strawberry plants, I'm sharing a yummy recipe today. Hope you all find some sweet, juicy strawberries of your own...or stop on over and we'll share some of ours!

STRAWBERRY CREAM PUFFS

1 c water
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
4 eggs

(Filling)
2 pts. fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 c. sugar, divided
2 c. whipping cream
confectioners sugar
Additional sliced strawberries
Fresh mint (opt)

In a large saucepan, bring water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat: let stand for 5 mins. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Drop by 12 rounded teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400* for 30-35 mins., or until golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in each puff to allow steam to escape; cool. Split puffs and set tops aside; remove soft dough from inside with fork. cool puffs.

For filling, combine berries and 1/4 c sugar; chill for 30 mins. Beat cream and remaining sugar until stiff. Fold in berries. Fill cream puffs and replace tops. Dust with confectioners sugar; garnish with addtional strawberry slices and mint. Serve immediately.

YUM, YUM, YUM! Enjoy!

Adrenal Fatigue....UGH!

So how many of you have heard of adrenal fatigue? It's basically when your body has to run on adrenaline because you are so overtaxed. After a while, you develop a negative feedback loop that causes your body to continue draining your adrenals in a constant cycle. This causes insomnia, restlessness, feeling exhausted even after rest, etc. Eastern Medicine calls it Yin Deficiency....and this is what I am suffering from. That would explain the extreme tiredness, the achy legs and low back, the headaches, loss of appetite. Who knew it was all related to the same thing?

Now I do. And I am on the road to recovery.

I am taking a chinese herb complex called Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, and according to the accupuncturist, this will help me to start feeling better. To strengthen my kidneys and restore balance to my yin/yang! I can't wait to feel THAT happen! If you are interested in learning more about accupuncture, visit Brian's site at www.seikiclinic.com . It is all very interesting!

It all sounds good to me....especially the prospect of not having to say "I'M TIRED" anymore!

Nothin' cuter....

There's nothing cuter than a baby's little butt!

Especially when that baby is Noah!

I have to let Noah run around naked for a few minutes after every bath just so I can smile at his! So the other night, I snapped a picture to share...


Don't you just want to grab him and tickle him?? He has an obsession with the bathtub in our bathroom. He loves to turn on the water. Sometimes he just stands there and turns the water on and off, and other times he turns it on and then goes to play with something else...but don't think that means you can turn the water off! Oh no...he wants to HEAR it. If you turn it off, he stops whatever it is he's doing and comes back over to the tub to turn it back on. He definitely keeps us busy, that's for sure! Quite the stinker...but such a cutie!

On the Kendall front...

Kendall has become a dancing queen. She dances around the house all day long. If there is music to be heard, she is dancing. If she is singing a song, she is dancing. If there's a tv show where people are dancing, she's dancing. I believe this started with that show "So You Think You Can Dance?"...and grew from there. She loves "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance?". She has decide she needs to become a STAR. Judging from her moves, I think she may need a "little" work....

You decide for yourself...

Is anybody out there?

After a brief hiatus, I am back. It's been a couple of days since my last post...I don't know if it was because I didn't have time, or I didn't really have anything to say! Hmmmm...that's a change!

I still don't have anything really exciting to report. But I HAVE been wondering....

Is anybody out there?

I'm just wondering who is reading the Kuck Family Report. I know you are out there, reading, maybe laughing a little at some of the stories...but the only one who ever comments is AMY WOOD. (Just another reason I love her, by the way!) So, if you are reading this, please leave me a comment....just to humor me, if you will. I'm not asking for a comment every day, or even every week....I just want to know you are there, my faithful readers! And of course, I hope you are enjoying my (sometimes) daily tidbits.

Looking forward to hearing from you.....