The Boy and the Bees

My kids really enjoy playing in the sun. This is especially true for my son, Oliver. He absolutely loves going outside. He loves playing in the dirt, in the sand, and running around chasing after his sisters. It's to the point where we have to make sure we lock the doors so that he won't try to sneak outside.

The little guy managed to do just that one morning before anyone else was up, played around out there for a little while, stripped off a poop-filled diaper in the carport and then ran his naked, brown-streaked butt inside to let everyone know he needed to get cleaned up. Mind you this was at 6 in the morning during the summer. Needless to say that anymore we're pretty careful with making sure he can't get out when we're not looking.

But for the most part he's pretty safe outside. We live in the country and we have a fully fenced property, so we usually let him run around out there when we're awake and can pay attention.

Such was the case the other day when my wife sent him outside to play while I was at work. Normally this isn't much of an issue. But that day, it was.

I got the call while I was on lunch. It was my wife, sounding a bit more panicked than usual.

"Oliver's been stung. I need someone to bring me some Benadryl."

Now, I'm thinking maybe he somehow accidentally stepped on a bee or something, getting one, maybe two stings for his trouble. But no, that wasn't it. Not at all. I come to find out he got stung by a combination of hornets, yellow jackets and honey bees. All at once. Many, many times.

Needless to say I rushed on home with that Benedryl to make sure everything was alright. I'm pretty sure I didn't break any traffic laws doing it.

I got home, rushed in the door and found my wife in the living room with a now relatively calm Oliver. Well, calm for a two-year old that had just been stung by a large number of bees and hornets. He was stripped down and covered in stuff to take care of the itch and pain, and the Benedryl was for any allergic reactions.

Apparently he had been playing out in the back yard, and had come across some of the stinger-welding insects that were getting a drink in a bird bath. He really wasn't trying to mess with them (he's usually pretty timid around bugs anyway), but because he disturbed them they went on full on attack mode.

He started screaming.

My wife heard him and ran out to see what was the matter.

She wasn't the only one, either. At this point in the story, I want to make a shout out to the neighbors two houses over that booked it across two lawns and cleared the three-foot fence to make come and help. Thanks guys!

Anyway, they stripped him down, got the bees and things off him, brought him inside, and pulled the bee stingers out with tweezers.Thankfully, aside from the trauma and the actual stings, he wound up being okay. He didn't have any allergic reactions or anything, which is great considering he had been stung around twenty times from what we could tell, four of which we can confirm actually were honey bees. The rest were all from hornets and yellowjackets (which don't leave behind their stingers.)

With the boy calmed down, Brie was able to walk outside and find a source for the yellowjackets (there was a nest in the ground near the bird bath) but that didn't explain all of the insects that attacked him.

It was then my Dad found the location of the nest of bald-faced hornets in one of the apple trees. That one... well, let's just say that one was bigger than my head.

So we called an exterminator. The guy came by the Monday morning after. He went around looking at all of the different nests and sprayed, but when he got to the hornet nest... he was stumped.

Yes, the huge hornet stumped the exterminator. (It was eventually sprayed as well.)

Now, why am I telling you this story? Well, it's to provide a little bit of vital backstory to this next conversation:

"Butt-Faced Hornets"

My oldest daughter, Ava, had been saying something about there being a lot of bees outside (she meant yellowjackets and hornets.) My wife was trying to tell her that they weren't bees.

"Those are from the huge nest out in the tree. Those are the bald-faced hornets." She said.

Oliver, who was still not over his ordeal with the swarm of various stinger-insects, looks us confused. He thinks for a moment or two, before looking at us with a grin and repeating what he thought he heard.

"Butt-faced hornets?"

Yep. That's my boy.

Where There's Smoke There's Burnt Cookies

Names left unchanged for heckling purposes. Also, it smelled awful.
March 27th, 2018

The Neufeld Nonsense: I Feed My Kids, I Promise

"My nose is out of boogers because I eated them all."

- Ava, Age 2 (9/17/2011)

Playtime Got Dark

The Neufeld Nonsense: The Pot

Text conversation with my wife. Pretty much like all the other conversations with my wife, but with pictures.
August 1st, 2017

A Note on March 15th, 2019

I Relate to This

Jordan's Sesame Slaw

Lebanon, Oregon is not really known for having a huge variety of restaurants, especially when it comes to things other than hamburgers and pizza. The selection has gotten better over the last few years as the town has grown, which is great since people have become more and more adventurous with their eating habits.

But in getting those options, we've had a few restaurants that have come and gone, leaving their former patrons without a similar option. This is definitely the case for me, when we got our first teriyaki and sushi restaurant. The food there was great. I was a regular there, so much so that the owner would occasionally bring out things for me to try that weren't even on the menu. Great guy, really good food.

Then the owner passed away, the restaurant closed, and life for everyone else went on. Unfortunately for us that meant we were left without the company of an awesome human being. We were also without his awesome food.

Why do I bring this sad story up? Because about a year ago I was trying to recreate a recipe for his amazing Asian-style side slaw that he made. I tried a couple of different things, but the results were ultimately failures. However, those failures resulted in me trying to perfect my own recipe for coleslaw, which I am now asked to make for family get-togethers on a regular basis.

Every time I make it all I get are complements on how good it is. It's not only delicious on it's own, it's also pretty versatile, as I've family members eat it plain, put it on hotdogs, or even use it as a component to put on "street" tacos. Even I like to eat it, and I don't even like coleslaw.

Now it's time to share this recipe with the world. Below is the list of ingredients you'll need to start. Of course, I'm using American measurements, but it should be simple enough to convert to metric if need be. Anyway, here you go:

Jordan's Sesame Slaw

Prep Time: ~15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Notes: For best results, I recommend making this several hours before you intend on eating it. It has to sit up in the fridge for a few hours in order for the dressing to work it's magic and break down some of the cabbage. Four hours should be long enough, but you can start it the night before if desired.

Ingredients: 

• One (1) small cabbage (shredded) OR one (1) bag pre-shredded cabbage (about 16oz) (NOTE: can use mixed cabbage for more color if desired.)
• Two (2) medium sized carrots, shredded
• Two (2) tablespoons red onion, diced (if desired, may be left out if you don't like onions)
• Two-thirds (2/3) cup mayonnaise
• One-fourth (1/4) cup granulated sugar
• One (1) tablespoon white vinegar
• One (1) tablespoon sesame oil
• One-fourth (1/4) teaspoon salt
• One-half (1/2) teaspoon poppy seeds
• Three (3) teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Step One: We're starting with the veggies. Mix cabbage, carrots and onion in a large bowl. Be sure you have some way of sealing the top of the bowl, either with a lid or saran wrap. Also, this will be the bowl you'll be serving it in (unless you just like dirtying multiple dishes) so make it a good one.

Step Two: Now, the dressing. Place mayo, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, poppy and sesame seeds in a separate bowl. Stir until mixed well.

Step Three: Mix the dressing mixture into the cabbage/carrot/onion bowl. Mix as best you can until the dressing has coated most of the vegetables. It doesn't have to be perfect coverage; just until you don't see any clumps of dressing. If it still looks dry, don't worry, the dressing will help break things down in the next step.

Step Four: Cover bowl, stick in fridge, let marinate for about 4 hours. Stir before serving.

Done!

Now you can enjoy your sesame slaw!

You Should Probably Move Sometime

Ezri's FIRST STRIKE

A couple of years ago I pulled out my old Wii and let the kids play around with it. Of course, the first thing we did was play Wii Sports, and the game that everyone wanted to play was bowling.

So here we are, playing bowling on the Wii, and I decide to start filming with my phone. I just so happened to catch her getting a strike for the very first time.

It might not be real bowling, but that doesn't mean I'm not proud.

Only Parents Will Understand

The best part about this is, until I get in there they had absolutely no interest in talking to me.

The Neufeld Nonsense: Sleepwalking Skills

The Neufeld Nonsense: Muffins?

"Someone needs to stop using muffins for nefarious purposes."

- Brie, March 4th, 2019

The Things We Do For Our Children #1

I just spent the last ten minutes digging through the garbage because one daughter lost the horn of her sister's tiny toy narwhal (not pictured) instead of taking my shower.

Now I'm running late getting my oldest daughter to school.

Fun!

Did Anyone Else Try This Abomination?

This little horror crossed my path in November of 2017. Haven't seen it since.

Late Night Cravings VS Winter Road Conditions

Obligatory Second Post

Yes, I could have found a better picture of all of us, but then you wouldn't be getting the real us. Oh, and yes, Oliver wouldn't look at the camera.

So here's the deal: I have a big family. I say big in comparison to most families in this modern world who have maybe one or two kids. I mean, it's not the Duggar's big, but four children is nearly two and a half times than the national average among American households. I have three girls and a boy, making the males in our household outnumbered 2 to 1.

Fair odds, I think, but you didn't come here for random statistics about our family. You came here for... for, uh... I don't know... what did you come here for?

Regardless, you're getting a part of our story. My wife Brie and I have been married for 10 years now. I don't know why she puts up with an oversized child like me, but she does, and I love her for it.

Then comes our children. The (current) roster for our fab four is as follows:

AvaJoy (9)
Ezriella (5)
Oliver (3)
Lenora (1)

They're sometimes whiny, usually messy, and crazy all the time. They certainly make life interesting, and in exchange I make the effort to keep them alive.

You may see more posts about this lovely little family on here on occasion.

Obligatory First Post

Obligatory first picture of me.

My name is Jordan Neufeld, and this is my blog. Welcome.

While many blogs usually find a particular niche to write for, I've tried that and found it too constraining. So, this one is going to be a little bit of everything. Some might call it random, but that's me.

You might see things about me, or my family. You might see things that involve my hobbies or interests: LEGO, video games, pop culture, things like that. You might read short stories or see photos and memes. I might even give my dumb opinions on current events or various subjects. I might even give you my recipe for coleslaw.

No, really.

But if you're curious about the name of the blog... well, perhaps one day I'll get to that, too. For now though, enjoy. Perhaps there will be something here to interest you.