THE ADVENTURES OF THE JAC ATTACK!

A Blog about a clever boy and a mom determined to out-smart him.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This is How I Roll

Yesterday Jess was nice enough to watch JAC while I went on a long run. We went to one of my favorite running spots, a four mile trail that loops around a lake. It's perfect for long runs because it's scenic, shady and the dirt trail is easy on your knees. I did just a little over 12 miles but I couldn't have done it without the company of my IPOD.

I know most people enjoy running to music but I'm not really a music person. I can't remember a tune and I have a terrible sense of rhythm. In fact, when I went to basic training I had to go to special marching lessons because I just couldn't get the hang of staying with the beat. Instead of music I listen to pod casts of my favorite radio shows. Typically I like two shows that can be heard on National Public Radio (NPR): This American Life, and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. Last night on my run I got a special treat. This American Life did a whole episode explaining how the financial crisis happened and why. It was entertaining and so simple that a running mom with no finance background could understand it. In a way it felt liking giving a sigh of relief. I hate not understanding things and my lack of understanding about all of the bail outs was really bothering me.

So, if you have a spare hour follow this link and download the podcast. Its free and hopefully it will help you feel a little smarter. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1318

On a final note, A special thanks to my mom who got me hooked on NPR when I was still in the cradle. She is constantly on a quest to get smarter.

Ballon Fiesta











This weekend marks the kick off of the 2009 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and every inch of me wishes I were there. I know you might think that hot air balloons are for dorks but viewing over 600 in one location is a remarkable experience. During this time of year the Albuquerque sky is dotted with hot air balloons, the aspens on the mountains are changing color, the air is cool and the whole town smells like roasting green chili. I love it and I can't believe I'm missing it again. Here's a bunch of pictures. As a child I always loved the special shaped balloons. As an adult I love to go at night for the balloon glows and a spam burger.










www.jesseandtoniconnelly.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A Tutu Post


Last week the nicest surprise came in the mail. My Mamanan (that's what I call my grandmother) found an awesome cookbook while travelling through Ohio and sent it my way. I spent the rest of the week drooling over the food photography and planning out menus. I love cookbooks. Jess teases me because I usually bring a stack along on road trips. I wouldn't exactly call myself a "foodie" because I'm not inspired enough to stop at a specialty store for strange ingredients but I do love to cook and eat and I love cook books.


Here's a picture of my favorite cookbook. It once belonged to my Tutu before she passed and has her handwriting in the margins. Tutu is what we called my great grandmother. It is Hawaiian for grandmother. She wasn't Hawaiian but she did love the islands and spent a good bit of time there. This cookbook is a gathering of tried and true recipes from the ladies of Abilene, TX. Its from a time where people didn't count calories and Oleo existed. Food was simple and good. My Tutu survived the Great Depression and loosing her husband in World War II and she was tough. I also remember my Tutu being very fair, very honest, very dedicated to learning and full of adventure. One of my best memories of Tutu is driving around town in my beat up 1970 VW Bug shopping for a party for her friends. Tutu weighed less than 100 pounds and that car didn't have shocks.


In honor of my Tutu and a time in history when people were tough and honest I'm posting my favorite cake recipe from this book. You'll notice a shortage of instructions. The whole book is like that. It was written by women who knew how to cook and they didn't really need the instructions. I hope you enjoy this cake too.


Bohemian Coffee Cake

1C Vegetable Oil

1 C Brown Sugar

1 Cup White Sugar

1 Cup Butter Milk

1 Cup Coconut

1 Cup Pecans

2 Eggs

2 1/2 C Flour

1 t Salt

1 t Baking Soda

1 t Cinnamon

1 t Nutmeg

1 t Vanilla


Mix all ingredients together. Pour in greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min - 1hr.


Icing

1 Pkg Cream Cheese

1lb Powdered Sugar

1/2 Stick Butter

1t Almond Extract

1t Vanilla

1 C Pecans

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Feeling Short

In the military we have this thing we say when you know you're about to leave your duty station and you really don't want to put any effort in your current job. We say, "You're feeling short." Last night I got a great phone call. Jess is coming home three days early. That means he'll be here tomorrow and while I was initially thrilled I am now just "feeling short." I had a Mormon friend tell me they have a similar saying for when you are about to leave the mission field. You say you're "feeling trunky." It means your trunks are packed.

I'm feeling very short and trunky. I spent my free moments today madly cleaning and making Jess' favorite soup. I would like for him to remain delightfully unaware of what a complete slop I am when he's not around. In between cleaning and cooking I've been wrestling. Tonight JAC took great joy in trying to tackle my head while attempting to grab my glasses. This is partially cute but also annoying and I'm getting a deep rooted feeling that its time for his daddy to be home.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Waxing Sentimental - Another Mushy Husband Post

Jess has been gone for almost a month but we have less than a week to go. When he first left I was mad - good riddance! I don't care if it is military duty. I'm still stuck at home with the kid. It took a few days but I got over it and now I'm anxiously awaiting his return. I feel myself growing more sentimental about the whole thing and I remember some new reason why I like him every day. Today I remembered that he opens the car door. He doesn't do it occasionally. He does it every single time, even on the days I'm being hard to live with. In my book that's a big deal.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Happy Fall!




Fall is officially here and I thought I would commemorate the event by sharing one of my favorite cookie recipes. Here is my Mom's recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. The are moist and delicious. They're perfect for sending to the troops overseas because they ship really well. I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.Cream the sugar, shortening, pumpkin and vanilla together. Mix until light and well combined.
3.Mix the flour, baking soda and ground cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4.Drop by teaspoons onto an un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool on a rack.

Once Upon a Time

We were a two salary family and I bought a really expensive couch. I'm actually embarrassed to admit how much I paid. I love this couch and designed it from the ground up picking out fabrics, feathers and wood types. I built the whole room around the couch. I bought a rug and a chair to match. That was a long time ago.

Today JAC woke up from his nap and he wasn't happy. I was holding him and walking him around the house. I sat on the couch with my legs crossed and put him in my lap looking up at me. The craziest thing happened. JAC just lay there instead of trying to crawl away or climb up me and take my glasses. JAC never does that. I enjoyed the moment so much. I practiced making sounds and words with him. It was peaceful but I had my suspicions that things were not quite right. I avoided reality and lived in the moment. I was nice to have a calm kid who wanted to hang out with me. I should have just faced reality. JAC was stinky - really stinky. I went to change his diaper and discovered there was poo everywhere. It was all over JAC and all over my lap. I wrestled JAC down and changed his diaper. I discarded our clothes in the wash and carried him back to the living room. That's when I discovered it. There was a gigantic blob of poo on my beloved couch. It must have exploded from his diaper. Gross. Disgusting. I madly cleaned it up and dumped half a bottle of disinfectant on my couch. JAC was thrilled and tried to play in a puddle of disinfectant. The couch survived but I think I'll flip the cushions.

Once upon a time I was cool and had money for frivolous things. Now I just wrangle a wild child and clean up crazy messes.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Updates on Various Things

Here's a quick update on a few random things. Jess is still away but it has been a great opportunity for one thing - sleep. While Jess was away and I had the house to myself for a few days and I started some hard core sleep training. When JAC woke up in the middle of the night I checked to make sure there was nothing terribly wrong and then headed to the basement where the sound was muffled. I was tired enough that I went off to sleep. After two days of this JAC started sleeping like a professional. Sleep is awesome.

On Monday JAC had his nine month check up. He got a clean bill of health and a couple of extra shots. He was 28.5 inches tall and almost 21 pounds. That puts him at about average. He might be an average size but he still has a big crazy personality. This week in protest of nap time he tried to pull his pictures off of the wall.

Monday I had Biology class. I love Mondays. I get to drop the kid off at the babysitter and expand my mind. Jess always laughs at me because when I get home from school at almost 10 at night I'm so excited that I can't sleep. I just really enjoy learning how things work.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Salute to Yoga Pants

Once I went to yoga. I went with my friend who was a yoga black belt and she basically kicked my butt. Since I'm a runner I had always thought that yoga was for sissies. It turned out that I was wrong. I was also very sore for a week and I never went back.

There is one thing I love about yoga. I love the clothes. They're comfy and trendy with a little hippy flare. That is just my style and I live in my yoga pants most of the time. I feel like the invention of yoga pants borders on revolutionary. Before yoga pants all there was was sweat pants or pajama pants and both made you look like a bum if you wore them in public. Yoga pants are sleeker and trendy. When I was pregnant there were even days when I contemplated wearing them to the office but I thought I might be crossing a line. So, today I solute Yoga pants!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Book Review Friday

I feel that one of my biggest weaknesses is my deep desire for the world to be fair. I like to think that if you work hard you get the success you deserve but the truth is we have all benefited from help we really didn't deserve. My desire for fairness often does not leave room for empathy. Lately I have been trying to work to understand disadvantaged people groups in America rather than jumping to judgements about welfare, or other hand outs. In the last couple of months I have read two books that have increased my understanding of these topics and helped grow my empathy for people in need.

The first book is called Random Family. It follows two women in the Bronx projects. It discusses the men they fall for, the children they have and the opportunities or lack there of in the projects. It was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.

The second book is call Gang Leader for a Day. It was written by a sociologist who followed a gang leader in the Chicago projects. (You might recognize his work from Freakanomics - another book I'd highly recommend.) This book is not quite as well written as the first but is an easy quick read and describes how gangs work in the inner cities. It helps answer questions like, "What benefit does a community get for allowing a gang to operate?" I also enjoyed the books perspectives on how people create networks to survive.

Here's the amazon links to both these books. I hope you enjoy them too.
http://www.amazon.com/Random-Family-Drugs-Trouble-Coming/dp/0743254430/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253282815&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Gang-Leader-Day-Sociologist-Streets/dp/014311493X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253282966&sr=1-1

Thursday, September 17, 2009



Fire Trucks

We live less than a block from a fire station. Most of the time it's kind of fun. The firemen wave as they fly past our house and on their way back they flash their lights for JAC while we play in our yard. I'm looking forward to when JAC is old enough to walk down to the station and get a little tour.

Occasionally living near a fire station is down right frustrating. Today JAC is suffering from a cold and I had finally gotten him to go down for a nap. A few minutes later the fire truck came racing by sirens blaring and now my kid is awake and unhappy. Ugg...Bring on the rain.

How was Your Day?

Jess is usually pretty good about asking me how my day went when he gets home from work. Unfortunately, by the time he poses the question I'm usually so exhausted that my answers is short and grouchy. I have decided to create a day rating system. Jess can use this guide to determine how the day went and all I have to do is state a letter.

A
1. Did not get puked, peed or pooed on.
2. Successfully got a shower and did my hair.
3. The kid took a nap without and hour of protest.
4. I left the house.
5. I had a good run.
6. I talked to an adult human being about non-kid related stuff

B
1. Only had to change my clothes once
2. Went on a run when the sun was shining.
3. Read an article in my Newsweek.
4. Endured only one hour of random unreasonable crying


C
1. Why did I even bother to get dressed this morning. I am a total mess.
2. Had to pay bills or buy groceries
3. Haven't seen or heard from another human being
4. Have consumed over a pot of coffee in an attempt to stay awake
5. Kid refused to take a nap
6. It rained and I couldn't go running
7. Kid almost choked on a piece of dog food he found while I wasn't looking.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Stuck


Lately JAC has been exploring everything and if I turn my back for a moment he will inevitable be some place unexpected. He keeps getting himself stuck. These precarious situations include getting himself stuck behind the couch, under the chairs, under his jumping toy and my personal favorite, behind the toilet. I think a good mom would run to rescue her baby. I typically make a mad dash for the camera. Here's a picture that won't get me hauled away by child protective services.


Thai Salad

Here's a recipe that I love. It is so good that Jess will take the leftovers to work and eat just that for lunch. I hope you enjoy it too! Happy Fall.

Thai Salad
1 head cabbage, shredded (can use pkg. of pre-chopped)
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4 jalapenos, deseeded and diced
4 T chopped cilantro
4 T chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 & ½ c. peanuts (dry roasted)—put in right before serving
Dressing:
2 parts cider vinegar (2/3 c)
1 part oil (light salad oil) (1/3 c)
4 T sugar
¼ t. salt
1 & ½ t. curry powder
Combine all salad ingredients except peanuts. Mix dressing until sugar is dissolved; pour over salad. Add peanuts right before serving and toss.

Friday, September 11, 2009

A Note for My Army Buddies


My husband is in the Army National Guard and he'll be gone for the next three weeks defending our country. Actually he is going to be in Pittsburgh defending the G20 Summit from protesters. He got his orders last week and we scoured them trying to get the concept of the mission. There seemed to be one key component of the plan missing. It did not state where the troops would be living while in Pittsburgh. This kind of thing is usually written in military orders. Jess made some phone calls and found out they would be sleeping in tents in Pittsburgh for three weeks. He didn't even sleep in a tent when he went to Iraq.

Before Jess' unit goes to Pittsburgh they are first taking their annual Army Physical Fitness Test. The test consists of push ups, sit ups, and a two mile run. Believe it or not they Army is very concerned with safety and they make the troops wear a bright reflective belt for the duration of the fitness training. It is supposed to prevent them from being hit by a car or attacked by a bear but primarily just makes them look like goof balls. In honor of this great tradition I found an old reflective belt with our Army stuff and gave it to JAC this morning. He has been crawling around dragging it behind him. He'll stop, inspect it and chew on it. He's pretty sure it is the best toy on earth and I'm hoping this is not going to turn him into a goof ball in the future.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Shopping

Last week I paid an enormous amount of bills. Who would have guessed it would take 9 months to make a baby and a year to pay him off? Ever since writing those checks I have desperately wanted to waste an equal amount of money on clothes. I believe this is sparked by several things. First, all of my new catalogs have come in with great fall clothes. I order a bunch of catalogs so I can dream shop but then never purchase anything. I am sure some day they will catch on and quit sending me catalogs.

Secondly, I feel un-cute and I am sure that new clothes will solve this problem. I have a list of absolute essentials that I'm sure I need including a great pair of flats, a ruffle shirt and one of those cute scarves that I see everywhere.

Finally, Jess is going to be away for three weeks and I want to engage in the best kind of therapy to make myself feel better. Jess is my buddy and I get bored when he's not around. When I get bored I get into trouble. Everyone who knows me knows this. I love trouble so in the meantime I am going to try to practice self restraint and avoid all stores.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The Most Awesome Day

My mom surprised us and came for a visit this weekend. It was great to see my mom but the best part of the surprise was that she kept JAC for us so Jess and I could have a night away. Jess and I were so excited. We made a quick plan for our weekend away. First we drove south to Lake Moomaw with our kayaks. This lake is really a great secret. The lake is huge, surrounded by trees and absolutely beautiful. I haven't gotten to kayak since JAC was born so being on the water was a really treat. We kayaked for about five hours and then headed to the hotel to clean up and have a kid free dinner. I think I had almost forgotten how to make dinner conversation without trying to wrangle a kid with one hand and eat with the other.

The next day we drove to The Natural Bridge. We thought it would be a great place to hike but it was mostly a tourist trap complete with a wax museum and "Foam Henge." The actual Natural Bridge was spectacular and we were glad we had seen it but we still wanted to hike. We drove north to Shenandoah National Park. As we drove through the park I was getting cranky because I wasn't ready to go home. Then a black bear ran across the road. I was so excited that I just kept shouting, "bear, bear!" I have always wanted to see a bear and I immediately got over being cranky. We finished off the day by hiking 6 miles and then heading home to relieve my mom. It was great spending time with my husband and great getting a whole night of sleep but I missed my kid. I was happy to see him when we got home.

Friday, September 4, 2009

I'm a Quirky Girl

Yesterday I was in a big rush to get out the door to go running. I was all dressed but I was missing two important things - my socks. All of my running socks were in the dryer. I thought the dryer was finished but instead the whole load of clothes was still damp. I pondered this problem. I've always counted myself very resourceful person so I was sure I could come up with a solution rather than having to delay my run. Then something came to me. I fished out a matching set, trucked upstairs and threw them in the microwave. I just knew this would be a fast way to dry my socks and I would be out the door within minutes for my run. I set the timer for two minutes and took off to chase my son who was once again attempting to eat the dog food. When I heard the buzzer I went to grab my warm dry socks. Unfortunately there seems to have been a minor glitch in my plan. My socks were dry but they were also covered with little hard singed places. I guess I learned the hard way and I'll just wait for the dryer next time.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Call Me a Bat

This morning I woke up and discovered one of my glasses earpieces had fallen off. I am talking about the whole piece. My glasses look like a small animal missing a leg. This is not good. Everyone close to me knows I'm near blind. Without my glasses I can only make out colors and fuzzy spots. I'm currently wearing the broken set perched crookedly across my nose and on ear. I'm trying to find my spares but in the meantime I've had several near misses. My glasses have fallen in the dog bowl and on the floor multiple times this morning. They have narrowly missed the toilet and worst of all dirty diaper. I have got to find my spares.

The End of Baby Food

JAC hates baby food. He decided this a few days ago and expresses his dislike by spitting it everywhere. You basically need construction goggles when you feed him. Instead, JAC wants food he can chomp down on. This has left me scrambling to find things for him to eat that are both easy to swallow and chewable. This morning his breakfast was scrambled eggs, crackers and cooked diced pears. I'm hoping for some inspiration before lunch comes along. If you have any good ideas I'd love to hear them.