The Dog Blog

Well, we did it again.  

For a while now, Jason and I have been talking about getting another dog.  Bullet is great- he's just not a "kid" dog.  Randy is quick to remind everyone that he's the "laziest couch potato," which is pretty much true.  Bullet follows me around and could care less about kids or games kids want to play.  Our kids love dogs.  Jason and I thought we could buy into the dream of a dog that would love them back.  

But our talk remained just that- talk.  Until last week.

One of Jason's co-workers found the "perfect little dog" at the park.  Since she already owns 3 dogs, her husband said the park dog could stay a week, then it was going to a shelter.  After posting signs in the neighborhood, shelter and vets offices, the owner never came forth.  Jason and I thought we could solve two problems at once- a home for this dog and a dog for our kids. 

So, a cute little black dog came over for a visit.  Now, he looks like he's going to stay.  After marking our couch, the wall upstairs and a chair, he focused right on our kids.  If they kneel down and call him, he runs right to them.  He sits on their laps and lets them cuddle him.  In fact, petting this dog was the only thing that calmed Randy down enough to do his homework yesterday.  He hasn't had accidents since his first 10 minutes here and hasn't chewed anything.  He's been a good little dog and I'm glad he's here.

Of course, we had to agree on a name for him.  Randy nominated "Lucky" and everyone agreed.  Well, everyone but Lucy.  (Anyone surprised?)  She wanted to name him "Jellybean."  Even though the family vetoed that idea, she insisted that's his name.  He comes to her when she calls Jellybean.  So we told her that could be his middle name.  

Welcome to the family, Lucky Jellybean Welker.  

Seven years- Finally finished!

This morning, our family finally finished reading "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ".  And, yes, it took us seven years to read the whole thing.  To put that in perspective- Randy was a toddler and Tyler was just starting Kindergarten when we began.  

What took so long?  A couple of reasons.  One of the copies we were reading from had the chapters divided into smaller sections.  Since our kids were so young when we started, a section of 5- 12 verses seemed about the right size for their attention span (and my patience).  I think we always intended to read longer chunks, but that never happened.  

And to be honest, we weren't the most consistent readers.  There were a lot of stops and starts.  We struggled to find the best time and place to do our reading.  In the end, it's the end that counts.  My hope is that we are establishing a habit of scripture reading and a love of God's word.  

Next up?  We haven't decided yet.  I'd love to start the New Testament, or at the very least the four Gospels.  Or maybe we'll start The Book of Mormon over again.  Whatever we decide, the Welker's are committed and converted to family scripture study.  We challenge our friends and family to join with us.

3rd Grade- Great!

Last year, I programmed all of the phone numbers from my kids' schools and teachers with a horribly obnoxious ring-tone.  It sounds like someone is trying to break into a bank vault.  I jump every time I hear it.  Partly because it's loud, but mostly because I'm about to find out which kid threw up, forgot his/her homework or hit a teacher with a chair (all phone calls I've actually received.) 

Today, the "alarm" went off while I was in a Presidency meeting.  I'd already ignored two calls (I was popular today), but I jumped up and left the room, mumbling something about my kids. When I answered the phone, Randy cheerfully said, "Hi, Mom!"  His teacher had allowed him to call when he got an "A+" on his math test.  He was so excited to share his accomplishment.  I lavished tons of praise on him and he cheerfully said good-bye.  

I was grateful for this call for a couple of reasons.  First, Randy loves to report "good news".  I am so thankful his teachers encourage him to share his successes with me throughout the day.  Secondly, he is doing remarkably well this year.  Mrs. Hendrickson- one of his teachers from last year- would warn me not to jinx him, because his behavior would head down-hill as soon as we mentioned how good he's been.  But, I think I've learned a lot about Randy's needs in the past years.  My commitment to consistency and rewards are set in stone.  I feel that his teachers are attentive to his needs and are receptive to the lessons his previous teachers and I have learned in the past.  

I am constantly amazed at the wonderful staff that we've found at Diane Winborn Elementary.  As in years past, his teachers this year have been phenomenal.  Randy is the kind of kid that might need a little more attention and work.  But hopefully, his teachers will be won over by everything that guy has to offer.  

Thanks, Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Babcock, Mrs. Byrd, Mrs. Hendrickson, Mrs. Sosa, Ms. Ricks and the countless other teachers, aides, therapists and bus drivers that help Randy on a daily basis! We owe so much to all of you!  

Funny Things My Kids Say

I was trying to motivate my kids in getting their Saturday chores done quickly.  I told them the Bug Man (our exterminator) was coming and that everything needed to be put away before he got here.  I don't know what this sounded like to Lucy, but her eyes got very wide and she started cleaning  like never before.  I thought about what I said, her active imagination and the bad dreams she's been having lately.  I quickly explained that the "Bug Man" was just a man whose job was to make sure there were no bugs or spiders or ants in our house or yard.  (A professional exterminator is almost a necessity when living in Texas.)  "I like the Bug Man to come to our house.  In fact, he goes to our church and is a friend of ours.  His name is Bro. . . " I pause, trying to remember his name.  Lucy thought she could fill in the blank.  "Tentacles?"

Too Many Cooks . . .

There has been one single thing that has saved my sanity over these six days of schoollessness (yes, it's a word.  I just made it up.)  That would be play-dates.  When we have friends over to play, my kids actually play instead of whining to me.  On Monday, it was the Donaldson kids for dinner and playtime.  Tonight we hosted the Fullmer boys.  Kyler and Lucy are best buddies, as are Ty and Austin.  Tyson came over to play with Randy, but as soon as I started cooking dinner- pancakes- Tyson wanted to come help.  (I don't think Randy even noticed Tyson's absence.)  Once Tyson started working, Lucy and Kyler wanted to help, as well.  It was awesome.  

Tyson was a fountain of culinary wisdom.  Apparently, three stirs to the right, then three stirs to the left make amazing pancakes.  And he was right.  Since I had assistants  in the

 kitchen with me, I couldn't sneak in any veggies (see previous post), but Tyson got pretty excited when I added a cup of wheat flour.  (He thought it was cinnamon.)    We swapped pancake ideas- Tyson adding chocolate chips to them as they cooked and I shared our warm cinnamon applesauce tradition.  Since we had so much going on in the kitchen at one time, I forgot to add the baking powder.  That quickly became our apparent as the first batch came off of the pan.  Tyson still wanted to sample them, declaring they were "so-so".  He chewed for a minute, then said, "No, these are great!"  What a sweetheart!

It was wonderful to have them over tonight.  We have some more friends and activities lined up for the rest of the week.  But I got to be honest- I'm really looking forward to school resuming on Monday.

Adventures in the Kitchen

I think every mother frets about the food their children eat.  Randy is our worst eater, who shuns any type of vegetable or meat- except pepperoni and bacon, of course.  Lucy has just started her picky-eater stage and is trying to make up for lost time.  Emily and Ty make some healthy choices, but it is impossible to put dinner on the table that everyone likes.  I am trying out two books in an effort to get some kind of nutrition into my children's bodies.

1.  Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld   My sister recommended this to me.  Seinfeld (yes, wife of Jerry) purees vegetables, then adds them to foods she knows her family will eat.  We've tried spinach on pizza, sweet potatoes in pancakes, waffles and muffins and brownies with spinach and carrots in it.  Randy chows on the pizza and breakfast items.  In fact, no one bats an eye at the muffins or pancakes and I actually think they taste better.  The pizza was good, except I over-cooked them and didn't disguise the spinach well enough.  Tyler saw it and balked, claiming it tasted "bitter".  I also added sweet potatoes to oatmeal, but everyone could taste that.  I think oatmeal is healthy enough and will leave that alone.  The brownies?  Gross.  I don't even like it.  I'm not crazy about the recipes in her book, but love the ideas and what I've learned from it.  I plan on trying a couple more and will report back.

2.  Eat This, Not That! for Kids! by David Zinczenko  This is a great book to sit down with your kids and discuss good food choices.  They pages are very colorful and fun to read with a kid tucked under your arm.  My favorite part is about foods to choose or avoid when out to eat at a restaurant or fast food.  Very interesting!  I use this book so that I'm not such a bad guy about what we should and shouldn't eat.  We've started following the rule they suggest:  Ask permission to eat a snack, unless its a fruit or vegetable- or an hour before dinner!  (Now if only we could get some produce in stock at the stores . . . )

So, what do you do to feed your kids?

How to Survive Post-Hurricane (or When Does School Start Again?)

Life has almost returned back to normal for the Welker's only two days after Hurricane Ike visited the neighborhood.  We have electricity and cell phone service again.  School won't resume until next Monday.  So, how do I entertain four children until I can kick them out of the house again?

Some observations I've made today.  

1.  You can't take your kids to the park (muddy and filled with tree-limbs and other debris) or the movies (closed and nothing good on anyway), but I could get a massage or pedicure at the mall (both open!)  Hmmm.

2.  Wal-mart is open again!  Only you can't buy anything cold- juice, meat, dairy, etc.  They did have milk and beer available though.  No produce of any kind, but the candy aisle is fully stocked.  Still plenty of sardines and spinach available.  Hmmm.

3.  Eventually, even the computer, Nintendo DS, Wii and TV become boring.   Hmmm.

4.  We are abundantly blessed.  We drive by people cleaning out yards, mending fences, throwing out carpet and furniture.  And I'm complaining of bored kids and lack of groceries.  Hmmm. 

How to Survive a Hurricane

1.  Pray.

2.  Fill your gas tank up with gas the very first time "Hurricane" is mentioned on the news.  (This means you need to visit the gas station daily from April to November.)

3.  Fill your bathtubs with water.  It can be used to flush toilets (eeew!) or after boiling, to drink (EEEEW!)

4.  Keep your pantry stocked with food.  Because the day before it hits, you'll only be able to find sardines and canned spinach in the store.

5.  Fill your freezer up with ice in case the power goes out.  Eat all ice-cream, yogurt, cheese, milk, meat and leftovers the night before the storm hits.  This is a risky proposition because the hurricane might miss you.  But which is more important- a few extra pounds or getting your money's worth of food eaten?  C'mon.

6.  Prepare an interior room with no windows for evacuation during hurricane.

7.  Prepare different interior room since first choice was the bathroom (gross).

8.  Prepare 3rd choice since Jason's closet is too small.

9.  Prepare 4th choice because underneath the stairs has too much junk to move.

10.  Tell everyone "We're-camping-in-Mom's-closet-deal-with-it!"

11.  Make a list of all the things you wished you had thought to buy and didn't- a generator, C-sized batteries, tarps, wood for windows, candy, etc.

12.  Pray some more.

I like Ike. OK, no, not really.

Family, friends, co-workers, everyone warned us that when we moved to Houston, Texas, we would fall prey to horrible hurricanes.   What are the chances, I thought.  At least we have plenty of warning with a hurricane, with weeks of "EYE ON THE TROPICS!" updates on the news.  After seven years of near misses and one evacuation, I thought I was ready for whatever Mother Nature could throw at us.  Here's what I learned from Hurricane Ike.

1.  I am extremely blessed.  Our "damage" was tiny, insignificant- a crooked chimney, a loose nail in the roof, a leaning fence, lost foliage on our spindly little tree.   Our cul-de-sac looked about the same.  But two blocks away!  Fences gone, tree limbs in the street, blue tarps protecting holes in roofs.  And then to see the devastation on the coast.  Blessed, blessed, blessed.

2.  I have an amazing family.  I could almost feel everyone's prayers and concerns.  The worry in Dad's voice made me worry, and I already knew we were fine.  Jason's parents were ready to cut short their vacation to drive a generator out to us.  Thanks so much for your calls, posts, messages and prayers.

3.  I am spoiled.  And so are my husband and kids.  We couldn't endure one day without electricity.  It was stressful thinking about the food in our refrigerator and freezer rotting and spoiling.  My kids were bored and hot by noon.  And I was short-tempered and sticky.  I told Jason that we will never survive Armageddon.