fruit fly infestation

Go ahead and say "HELLO" to our little friend...Mrs. Drosophila.

At chez Rakow, lately, I'm taken back to my high school days of AP Biology. We had a great time with our little drosophila (the scientific name for the fruit fly) pals - doing genetic crosses to see what color eyes or what "pattern" they'd have on their abdomen. It was actually a very neat project... Our little flies were contained in these little vials that were similar to tall, clear pill bottles. They had their food and a "reproducing medium" within these vials. When we'd need to count, sex, or check the colors or patterns, we'd insert a little "q-tip" sort of instrument soaked with what was called "Fly Nap." (Yes, this is why I know the fly above is a female...the male would have a striped abdomen! My AP Bio teacher would be proud... :))

I'd like to have some Fly Nap right about now. About 4 weeks ago, we made a trip to Kroger, a local grocery store found about 15 miles away from our house. We went to Kroger instead of our local Food Lion because I wanted some decent produce. I love to feed Katherine good, fresh fruit, preferably organic, and I'm always on a mission for the best fruit around. While at Kroger, I was sort of disappointed with their selection but picked up a few peaches. They weren't quite ripe yet, so when we brought them home, I sat them out on the counter top for a day or two of ripening. Thus, our problem began... Apparently, one of the peaches was a little breeding ground for some fruit flies, but I didn't know it. I think some flesh at the stem of the peach was infected while at Kroger, and I brought home a whole extended family of fruit flies. They are STILL driving us nuts. We are loudly clapping our hands together at random times while in the kitchen or while eating meals ourselves. They love to hover and annoy us at the most inconvenient times. I have even started setting them up for mass killings by leaving fruit peels out on a paper plate. Within a short time, the little buggers come to my little trapping ground...but we're only able to kill a few here and there when we try that method.
Now, they must be very evolved...because we can slap our hands together and open them...only to find a stunned fly that escapes our grip within a second or two. I swear, they must have bodies of steel...

We actually celebrate when we kill a little fly...seriously...it's that bad. Yesterday, while I know this may be too much information, but I found two mating on the pear peel I left out and was HAPPY because I got a two for one deal!!! And, of course, forget about those offspring who were being created in that moment of fly passion! :)

I think we're making a dent in their population. I've bagged up our bananas...and the other fruit are in the "green bags" that you'll see advertised on TV (they really work). While we still see about 3 or 4 roaming around in our airspace, I think we may be near the end of our fruit fly infestation. Lesson...on your next trip to the store, don't pick up fruit if you see lots of fruit flies. And, if you happen to be in the neighborhood and hear a "SLAP" and someone cheering from the kitchen, you'll know why! We're on a fruit fly mission...beware! :)

I really blew it...

I think I've met my first true parenting challenge... My little girl, is, without a doubt, one of the most stubborn eaters...

From the first spoonful of cereal back in the Spring, I prayed that she wouldn't be so difficult, but I will admit that, deep down, I knew food was going to be a challenge. I was hoping that her refusals were because the whole eating thing was so new for her...but nearly 5 months later, we're still fighting...

Rewind to the cereal tastings... I actually stopped feeding her cereal for about 4 -6 weeks because the experience was so negative... I feared that she would have negative associations with food...and I don't want to do that to her. When I reintroduced cereal, it was a little better, but it wasn't an easy time...

Yes, she "Mmmmmmmmmmmmms" and smiles when she eats...and she has her favorite foods... She loves yogurt, cheese, ANY fruit, and this week, pudding. She also likes macaroni and cheese, which I didn't want to feed her...I heard it's pretty much the worst thing you can give your child. But, she loves it...and to be honest, we love it, too...
She will hardly touch any vegetables - except sweet potatoes. She especially loves sweet potatoes with apples. Every once in a while, she'll eat a little bit of waffle...and crackers... But, generally, she will not eat anything else...

I will admit, she's come a long way...and about 70% of the time, we have pretty good meal times... But, the other 30% of the time - they're fierce battles. I go back and forth with my feelings.... Everyone, especially my mom, promises me that she won't starve...and she'll eat when she's hungry. But, I just feel like, in general, she doesn't eat enough... Why?? She fell into the 10th percentile for weight at her last doctor's appointment and that doesn't help... She's a petite and tiny little thing (not my genes!) but doesn't look unhealthy. She's thriving...and active...and happy.
But, the words from the doctor's nurse keep replaying... "Hmmm, let's weigh her again....Yeah, she'll probably need to come in for another weight check next month..." (Translation to a first time mom "Your child is disappearing in front of our eyes...are you feeding her at ALL? She should be plump and round...")
And the feeding schedule, of course, a guideline, that they gave us, made me feel like we were starving her. Basically, the schedule had 3 meals plus two snack times... When we were at the doctor 2 months ago, she was BARELY eating 2 meals a day...and of course, she wasn't having any snacks...(Translation: People like you go to jail for not feeding their kids...) And, the doctor wasn't as concerned about K's weight as the nurse lead me to believe...but he did tell me that he wanted her to nurse no less than 4 times a day. When I left, I felt like I had been stamped with "FEEDING FAILURE" on my forehead...

Oh, and forget the week after when I tried to meet those guidelines... All she was doing was eating and sleeping...I was trying so hard to get those 3 meals and 2 snacks in...on top of nursing 4 times... She had like 10 minutes to play between naps and eating... So sad...and she was so unhappy...and so was I.....

So, last night...our feeding challenge came to a head... I was tired...I had a day filled with kids, whining, and poop...and we had a late night the night before b/c we attended a teaching friend's mother's funeral (and she managed to cry almost the entire way home)...and I have been at home almost every night this week with K, by myself, as Ryan helps a friend out and comes in around 9:30 PM .....
I know that I lost my cool...
For dinner, I made her:
cooked apples
ziti with a little pasta sauce
buttered noodles

and offered her:
pudding
yogurt
sweet potatoes with apples
mandarin oranges
and pears.

She refused almost everything...and wouldn't even try the new foods. She blocks the spoon or my hands...oftentimes swinging her arms to knock the food all over the place. She tosses the food over her shoulder onto the floor (the dogs love this!)... And, she managed to use her arms as windshield wipers on her high chair tray flinging food all over the place... And, I had mopped a day before...on my hands and knees...

I raised my voice and loudly placed the bowl of food on the table, slammed my palms down, and said, "THAT'S IT!" She looked at me...her face changed...and she cried...
She cried so badly that her arms were shaking in fear. She was scared...and it broke my heart.

I am so disappointed in myself
...and so incredibly sorry for making her so upset...

I have never seen her like that...and I pray I will never do that to her ever again...

I suck...
I really felt like a failure...and the guilt...
it's overwhelming...

I look at her little sweet face and listen to her laugh...and her smile...it melts my heart...
How could I do that to her??????????????? How could I lose my patience with her????

So, I've spent a lot of time thinking and praying...and taking deep breaths at mealtimes when she refuses her food...
and I work really hard not to lose my patience...
I smile a lot while I offer her food and talk to her in a sweet voice.

It's going to take awhile to reverse my thoughtless loss of reality yesterday...
I remind myself that she will not starve...
Who cares if she's not eating 3 meals AND snacks

She's crawling like a fiend...she's active...she laughs...she's observant...she's thriving... She can't be doing that bad......I can't be doing that bad of a job at keeping her energized and fed...even if I am a feeding failure...

Tiny Dancer

Little K has been dancing for a few months now... Whenever she hears music play, regardless of what she's doing, she stops and begins her irresistable moves... We have arm flapping...bouncing...clapping...and genuine glee as she moves to the beat...

Ry started telling her, hours after her birth, that she could kick or throw the football for any team...and he dreams of tossing the ol' pigskin with her... While I am almost positive she'll have a mean spiral for a little girl, I think we may have a little dancer on our hands! :)

And, even though we see her dance all the time, we never get tired of seeing her dance... :) She's our Tiny Dancer... :)

Spaghetti Dinner

My baby girl is growing to be a real charmer at the dinner table... We have our good days of "mmmms" and happy mealtimes...but we also have our days of flailing arms that knock food all over the place and general unhappiness. We had spaghetti the other night, and while she's not eating table food completely just yet, I always try to give her some of what we're eating to try. She loved spaghetti, but she couldn't quite figure out how to eat the noodles. She didn't have a lot of sauce, either, but you can see she's done a nice job of getting a little messy. I especially love the plastered down hair look... :)





Loving her spaghetti! :) Notice the noodle on her nose (she put it there in her efforts to get some in her mouth).


Here she is, all smiles, after eating some spaghetti :)


She's thinkin' about eating some more... it's a real chore to try to get those noodles in her mouth, but she wants to do it herself...

Starting to get a little tired at the end... :) I love these pictures :)

So cute... :) love those eyes...

And we've worked for weeks on the "all finished" arm motion. She's now throwing her hands up in the air to let us know when she's had enough! :)

"I Gotta Feeling"

I needed to see this today... :)

I keep hearing all about this amazing dance on talk radio...so I had to search it out for myself. And ya know the saddest part? I recorded the kickoff block party for Oprah's 24th season to watch...and I thought I watched it! I don't even remember Oprah's reaction or seeing the people dance... Obviously it was playing on the TV but I wasn't paying attention... :)

In listening to Oprah's reaction on talk radio (On the Gayle King radio show yesterday morning), she admitted that she didn't know ANYTHING about the 20,000+ fans learning this dance...and as you watch, you can tell she was truly surprised. :) The dancers/audience did rehearse, but Oprah said she was doing interviews BEHIND the stage, so while she heard the music, she didn't know what was going on visually. :) She said, on the radio, that she's RARELY surprised by anything, but her staff really got her this time. And, you'll notice Oprah holding a T-mobile camera because her staff member asked her to take the camera out to record the audience. Oprah admitted that she's technologically challenged - she needs help finding CNN on her channel line-up! :) So, she had no idea how to use the camera...but she looks like she did a pretty good job recording it (or faking it!). :)

Enjoy... :) It's neat to watch nearly a mile of people all move in time... :) I just wish the camera angle would have showed the entire dance... :)

You'll have to go to the link (below) to see the video - Harpo claimed the rights to it... :)


http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090908-tows-flash-mob-dance

a little bit of heaven...Crunchy Topped Baked French Toast

I will be the first to admit that I "blogstalk." Other friends' blogs link to their friends' blogs that link to their friends' blogs...and before you know it, you're reading about someone else's life that you don't even know... I enjoy reading about other moms and their experiences with children...what to look forward to with K, confirming feelings or emotions that I have...it's just neat. I think it's weird, but I will admit that you feel "connected" to these people that you don't even know... Of course, these "blog friends" don't know me, but I still feel glad to participate in their lives. I'm also thankful that they blog more than I do... :)
Anyway, now that I'm at home and not earning that "big" paycheck, I'm trying to be more of a Suzie Homemaker by getting dinner together each night...it saves money and I have time to think about making a decent meal. Some blogs that I read outline great menus for a budgeting family...and some blogs post about a great recipe they've tried...thus today's topic. :)

I made something called Crunchy Topped Baked French Toast...it was so daggone good... :) I admit that I was a little excited about making my own syrup with it...never did that before (sorry Mrs. Butterworth!). I wish I would have noted the blog when I wrote down the recipe (actually, I copy/pasted the recipe into an email to myself so I don't lose the recipe between finding it and making it! :))...so I can't give credit to the lady who wrote about this... We had this for dinner...with some smokey links (for ry) and some turkey bacon (me)... :) I encourage you to try it... :)

First, you Need:
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 slices of Texas toast
2 cups crushed (not too fine) cornflakes

*Mix these ingredients together. Dip each piece of bread into egg mix and then coat both sides with cornflakes. Put these on a greased cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

WHILE that's baking you need these items for your syrup...
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1 Tblsp. cinnamon (I think it was a little too cinnamon-y, and I like cinnamon... I won't put this much in the next time...)

Bring the above ingredients to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring. Remove from heat and add...
5 oz. Evaporated Milk (which equals 5/8 cups - yes, I did the math :))
1 Tblsp. butter

*Stir until butter is melted. By now your french toast should be baked and you can drizzle this yummy cinnamon syrup over it. (Don't put too much syrup on it, either...it is too sweet for it - made that mistake myself! :))...

It's yummy... :) K even had a few very tiny pieces of it...and if her "mmmmmms" won't convince you, I don't know what will... :)

And, I used some of the syrup this morning on my waffles...(we have a lot of syrup left) :) mmmmm :) so good... :)


With this being said, I want to do a better job at blogging... :) I'm going to try... :)

:)

Is it wrong...?

...to say that, on this first day of school in Madison, that I don't miss teaching?? Are there a few kids that I miss and students who I will miss having the opportunity to teach? Yes... Do I miss my friends at school at the opportunity to socialize daily? More than ever... Do I miss the stress of getting a room to look like a classroom? Not at all... Do I miss the stress of carrying home a bookbag full of work and playing with my wonderful daughter all evening and carrying it back out to the car the next morning, never even unzipping the bag, day after day? No way... Do I miss the stress of teaching but not making my "goals" for the day? No...
I will say, however, that I will miss the moments of learning in the kids' faces...and them knowing that I really love them... Now, I have a precious student here who is loved beyond words and is learning new things by the minute...and the look on her face is so worth this decision to stay home... :)

I'm a blessed mother... :) My heart is full... :)

I love surprises....

I think it's neat how people grasp onto things that remind them of times in the past. I am that way...I guess you'd call it nostalgic, huh?
Anyway, I have many incredible and wonderful memories of my grandparents, and I'm truly blessed to be 32 years old and to have my grandmother in my life still... As a pre-teen and teenager, I spent several weeks during the summer in Illinois with my grandparents... During those summers, this incredible flower would bloom next to my grandparents' house. They are a breathtaking transparent pink...and I swear they glow...

Whenever I'd ask my grandma about them, she'd refer to them as surprise lilies... They have that name because one never knows when they'll bloom. So, sometime in July, they usually appear in one day. There isn't any foliage...a long green stalk just emerges from the ground with little cocoon-like pods waiting to bloom.

Of course, when we moved into "our own" house, in my nostalgia, I had to get some of these surprise lilies... After searching for awhile, I finally found the bulbs...and let me tell you, they're pricey little buggers ($20 for ONE bulb!). So, I bit the bullet and ordered 2 for me and two for my mom (who is also nostalgic :))... We planted them...probably 4 years ago. For 2 years, nothing appeared...and I'll admit, I was sad. I so wanted to have these flowers next to MY house, too...

Last year, the surprise lilies surprised me in early July. They bloomed again this year... :)

For some reason, these surprise lilies just give me warm fuzzies... And yes, they really do take your breath away... :)

God's Beauty vs. Nature's fury...

We've found a beautiful creation in our cherry tree in our front yard. Ryan actually discovered the masterpiece...or maybe it was Beezer... I'm sure if dogs could talk, Beezer would claim this...
Ry took the dogs out late last week...and Beezer, being a boy doggie, likes to lift his leg on anything. On this particular afternoon, he chose the drooping branch of this cherry tree. When he was finished and his leg was heading back toward the ground, I guess it hit the branch in such a way as to disturb our guests. Several stinging creatures went at him...but he wasn't stung, thank goodness. After my super hero husband came in for me, put away his cape, and checked Beezer for any stings, I took a look at it. I wasn't sure what type of nest it was, but after some investigating, it appears to be a hornet's nest. It's actually quite beautiful...it's amazing to see that these little insects can build such a structure... It reminds me of those tops that we played with that had the "push down" rod that made it spin...


I stood outside watching the little fellows (err, maybe "little its" since some of them are drones?) for awhile... They fly right into or out of their perfectly shaped circular entrance/exit... They go to search out whatever they like...and return back. They didn't bother me...I wasn't that close... I was amazed at how they created this nest but also wove in part of the leaves...incredible...







I guess hornets aren't the best architects, however, because on Sunday night, we came home to find the lower part of the nest on the ground. Only about a quarter of the nest remained... We were a little excited because we thought we'd been relieved of having to spray the nest and risk being stung. But, alas, upon my further examination with a flashlight, the little buggers were still in the nest!!! I could see ALL of them working there...WOW... I didn't stay around long, however...but figured that, by morning, they'd be smart and leave...

Now, today is Tuesday, and in less than 48 hours after the apparent destruction, they've rebuilt the entire nest. It's not as big as it was, but they've sealed up the whole lower half with a dome and have a new exit/entrance pointing directly at the ground beneath... I'm thinking it will be hard to spray in there...unless we're lying on the ground, which I don't think we plan on doing.


In my research, I've read that the nest is usually vacated in the winter months... So, knowing how we tackle projects around here...we'll wait until they move to Florida in November... :)

Dogs and Gas

There have been a few interesting (and now humorous) events of the last few weeks... :)
As you know, we have been doing some traveling... Our first leg - the PA/NY leg - was in mid June. We came back to VA for a few days before the second leg - to Illinois - and in those few days, we had some interesting dealings with a dog and some gas...
:)
First, Hooch, as we called him, because he looked a little like the dog in the cute Tom Hanks film... :) Ry was out walking the dogs when a "large cat" approached him...only to find out that it was a dog. The dog was friendly...and well behaved (put our dogs to shame :))... He appeared to be well-cared for...he was clean and used to people. We petted him for a little bit in hopes that Animal Control could come to get him, but it was too late (1 AM)...and we'd have to wait until morning. So, Hooch spent the night on our deck... We fed him, gave him some water, and gave him some comfie rugs to sleep on...and he was good. :) He never barked or ANYTHING... When we got the things all set out for him, he ate, drank, and then laid down on the rugs we put out for him. So cute... :) Animal control came in the morning to take him, but the officer said he thought that he was probably a fighting dog...or he'd been in some fights. He noticed some scarring on his face/muzzle and legs. :( How incredibly sad........ The theory may have also explained why he was on the skinny side, too... We hope that the predicted history for Hooch wasn't true... The officer loaded Hooch up and took him back to the shelter. He thought his owner had called and reported a dog missing that matched his description...we hope so! Gosh, I wish we could have a dog haven here at the house...we'd have no room at the inn. :)

And some gas...............
On Father's Day, when baby K went down for her nap in the afternoon, I went out and trimmed some of our bushes. We could hardly make our way up the sidewalk to our front door due to an overgrown bush...and there was a honeysuckle along the side of the house that was out of control, too. I LOVE to garden, but since I was pregnant all last summer and just don't have the time to garden THIS year, all of our areas have sort of gone to pot. ANYWAY, I was determined to do a little trimming before Ry mowed...
So, I plugged in my trusty Black and Decker electric trimmers and managed to pretty much butcher the bush in the front near the sidewalk enough so we can walk without being attacked... :) Since I had time, I decided to also tackle the honeysuckle. Well...while I knew the propane gas tank and lines running to the house were near the honeysuckle, I was careful... BUT, the honeysuckle vines managed to wrap themselves around another one of the lines that I DIDN'T see (camouflaged)...and well, the clippers stopped and all I heard was "psssssssssssssssssssssss." The gas was pouring out...Ry was in the back yard walking the dogs...so we immediately got away from the house... I ran in to get the baby and the phone. We called 911 and had a visit from the local fire department... They were able to get the tank shut off (Ry tried but the smell was too much for him even after a few minutes)...and there was a large nest in the top of the tank where the shut off was... The fire fighters (who looked like they were about 12 years old but very sweet!) evacuated us and the neighbors (the other set of neighbors was camping) to another friend's yard...turned off the gas and then walked in the house to check it for any overabundance of gas...it was clear... So, our gas company had to come out to repair the line...what a joy... *sigh* Happy Father's Day.......................
Thankfully we were A-OK...and while I was very embarrassed, it could have been much worse... :)
Lessons learned...
~Black & Decker makes one heck of a set of hedge clippers - if you are in the market... :)
~Don't go too wild with your clippers when you have a few bushes to tame.... :)
~Don't call me to trim your hedges or bushes :)
~Donate to your local fire department because they're really important to us all... :)
~Always love a stray pet... :)

More stories to come later........... :)