I made some more granola yesterday. This time I added 1 cup milled flax seed to my recipe and increased the extract to 2 t. It came out great except next time I will decrease the canola oil by 1/4 of a cup. I didn’t consider the added fat the flax seed brings. In fact, this is what Hodgson Mills says about flax seed:
“Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed may be used as a Fat Substitute in most recipes. Generally, 3 Tbsp. Milled Flax Seed can replace 1 Tbsp. fat or oil. Likewise, 1 Tbsp. Milled Flax Seed plus 3 Tbsp. of water can replace 1 egg. Get your Omega 3 oils as a bonus!”
It’s is amazing how the flax and the apple disappears. You’d never know either was in the recipe.
I also made a low sugar version that is great! I was surprised that the maple flavor was very subtle. I used 3T of brown sugar for flavor but another 1/4 cup of the syrup could be used instead.
Low Sugar Maple Granola
1/2 cup canola oil (I plan to decrease it to 1/4 c next time)
1/4 cup melted butter (I used butter spread made with canola oil)
3 T brown sugar (or use 1/4 c more syrup)
2 t vanilla
3/4 c sugar free maple syrup
1/2 c Splenda
4 small grated apples
6-12 oz almonds
1 cup milled flax seed
18 oz container of rolled oats
Mix all the ingredients except the oats together. Stir in oats until coated. Spread onto dehydrator racks. Dry at 145 degrees until crunchy (at least 12 hours). Break into pieces and store in an airtight container. Crumble for cereal.

Andy slept through the night for the first time in ages last night!!! I hit my limit with him crying for me in the wee hours and me climbing into the guest bed with him. He is super sensitive to me being with him and if I get up to use the restroom or wake up earlier than him and try to escape- that’s it. He’s up too.
So he fell asleep yesterday afternoon on my shoulder and woke up when I transferred him to his crib. I did my normal CIO routine and he finally went to sleep 2 1/2 hours later. Last night was the same story but only 1 3/4 hours. He finally went to sleep at 1:45 am. And he slept through til 10:15!!!
And Brendan did not. *Forehead smack*
Apparently Brendan finally caught the fever that the rest of us have had this past 10 days.
*****
Andy is such a little Linus right now. He has a favorite blankie- a small blue fleece one with airplanes on it- that he loves to carry everywhere. It obviously bring him comfort and he rubs his face with it to go to sleep.
Tidbits to share…
9/13- Andy jabs my eye and says “eye” Ask him where anything is though and he’ll grab both his ears. So cute!!!
10/1 Andy says light (“iiigh”). He loves to touch them too. LOL
10/2 Read HOP “Fat Cat, Fat Rat” successfully (but really shaky at it)
10/3 Bren will eat red grapes if you give them to him first
10/5 Bren: “Daddy can fix anything. You can fix a big car, you can fix a toy, you can fix an animal, and you can fix a dragon. You can fix whatever you want.” 😀
10/6
Bren: Then a big animal got on your neck. It was an owl. And it was scaring you.
Me: Well I’ll just get a big fork and boink, boink, boink and it’ll run away.
Bren: Naaahhhhh. You just make “funder” (aka thunder… aka fart)
Me: LOL… and the stink will make it fly away?
Bren: Yeahhhhhh.
Me: ROFL helplessly.
Later Darrell told me that Brendan was telling him about animals and birds in his room and he told Bren not to worry, if any animals came into his room, he’d make thunder and they’d all run away. 😉

Tape to pumpkin and use a thumbtack to punch holes through the paper to guide you on where to cut. Have fun! 😀
click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Andy has had a fever all day yesterday and today. Yesterday it hovered around 101, today around 103. 103 seemed too high to me and after he had a rather spectacular vomiting session I decided I had better take him to the dr while there was still time before the weekend.
No strep throat or ear infection or anything obvious. Just some virus going around. Nothing the dr could do for him. He continues to have high fever about 1 1/4 hours before his next Motrin dose is due so he seem pretty sick and feels dang hot then. For a few hours after his dose he seems almost normal. If he still is having the fever on Monday I am to bring him back. And least his vomiting was a 1 time deal (knock on wood).
He weighs 22 lbs 7 oz. And the doctor did mention several times that he hasn’t seen us in awhile (Andy hasn’t been to him since his 6 month well visit @ 7 months old).
I can’t help it!!!! But I did schedule his “12 month” visit for the 18th. He’ll be a day shy of 14 months then.

The Spiderboys- Mimi bought them these costumes just for fun!


The Great Chase (their current favorite thing is to chase each other)

Andy’s new robeez

Bren posing sexily with a chain

This is the best banana pudding I have ever eaten. Totally rich. It is basically this recipe:

but modified for a healthier dessert. Makes 12 servings, each 200 calories. Or 8 servings at 300 calories. You know, depending on the time of the month. 😉
Banana Pudding
1 can fat free condensed milk
1/2 c cold water
1 4 serving box SF FF instant vanilla pudding
1 container FF Cool Whip
36 sugar free vanilla wafers
3 medium bananas, sliced and dipped in lemon juice
In a bowl combine condensed milk and water. Add pudding mix and beat well. Chill 5 minutes. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon 1 cup mixture into 2 1/2 qt glass serving bowl. Top with 1/3 of wafers, bananas, and pudding. Repeat layers twice, ending with pudding. Cover and chill.

All that I can remember anyway. 😉
Andy can walk across a room now (starting Sept 28th- 13m1w)
I had a 13 day AF
My husband has $75 on his casino card because I accidently stuck his card in the machine, not mine. Figures I’d win.
I had a hornet sting me smack on the nose.
I had a huge spider crawl up my leg while shampooing my hair.
Andy was sick. MIL was sick. DH is now sick. Like really sick. I just know I’m next.
Andy now says book (“boo-uh”), Papa, ball, banana (“bah”), & puppies (“puh”).
He also refuses more bottles than not now. But he eats very well.
Andy has 2 more teeth (upper molars?) for a total of 10.
Brendan likes to play golf.
He calls Anthony “Uncle Anthony” now.
Speaking of Anthony- he has a girlfriend right now who has a 2 year old daughter. I hope he keeps her (sight unseen lol) because her age is perfect to be a playmate cousin with my kids and my MIL needs a grandaughter. Kinda takes me off the hook, lol.
He also sings this song from Avatar just like Uncle Iroh. It is uncanny.
Brendan travels very, very, very well. He is so good in the car. Andy, well…. not so much. At all.
Our car is flashing us odd combinations of brake warning lights- but only once in awhile.
I scored a Hooked on Phonics complete reading curriculum set for K, 1st & 2nd grades for a total of $30. Just K and 1st at Wal-Mart right now is $87!! Even better- I love it! We have been reviewing letters and sounds (I never really taught lowercase) so far but I hope this helps Bren to learn how to string the letter sounds together into words.
Brendan is 4 1/2 now. I swear that saying about how kids are at their worst behavior “on the halves” is SO TRUE. The kid does not listen.
But he sure can make me laugh!
Bren’s recipe (Spet 21):
“Level 1- Put breads.
Level 2- Put breads on hot dog.”
(He asked for a “hot dog sandwich” and I was taking too long getting around to making it so he was telling me how.)
Bren’s conversation with Mimi:
Mimi: These dogs are hungry all the time.
Bren: I’m a dog. I’m hungry all the time!” LOL!
He ain’t kidding either. He is always wanting something to eat.
According to Mimi’s measurements he is 3 ft 7 7/8ths inches (43 7/8 inches). I’ll have to compare that to his 4 year height. Before we left he was 46 1/2 pounds. I don’t want to know now. [update: he was 42 5/8 inches 6 months ago. He HAS grown!]
He also out of the blue started asking for cocoa. He must’ve got this from a cartoon since we call it hot chocolate. His first cup was heated chocolate milk with cool whip in a mug and he wants it all the time now. “I love cocoa!”
I have a million things to do. 10 days away is just too long. It is weird being home.

The watermelon and red grapes took nearly 24 hours to completely dry!
Watermelon- Unusual flavor but they were fun. They had a cooked taste but the texture was very similar to fruit leather.
Grapes- Great! Much better and juicier than store bought.
Applesauces- Cool! The fruit punch and cinnamon flavors turned out the best, probably because they were sweetened.
Strawberries- They totally rocked! Fabulous!
Grape Tomato halves- They also rocked! We ate them as a salad topping and we’ll be making more of them very soon!
The granola is 3/4 gone. LOL.