A Stay at Home Working Mom's Tale

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2012-03-09T08:56:00.001-05:00

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Morning Miracle

2012-02-19T09:16:00.005-05:00

Well, the day is finally here......

After 5 and a half long years of little boys jumping on me at 6am every single morning. Crying for breakfast or a cartoon I slept until 8:30. Now I know 8:30 might not seem like SLEEPING IN to many of you but to parents of small children it's a dream.

We have been through many stages of waking up with my children. The infant stage where they cried every 2 hours or 20 minutes depending on which kid we are talking about. The baby stage where they woke up at 6am or every 20 minutes depending on which kid we are talking about. The toddler stage where they woke up at 6am or 3 times a night again depending on which kid.... The little boy stage which we have been in now for about a year where they started the morning at 6am yelling from their beds "Mom can we get up?" which moved to running into our room and yelling "Mom it's morning time get up!" and earlier this week morphed into yelling at each other at the top of the stairs as they fought over what to watch on TV. This was all before the TV was even turned on.

Today we somehow entered a new stage a stage I have yet to name as I am afraid to jinx myself for tomorrow. My little guys got up at 6 just like every morning came in my room and yelled "Mom it's morning time get up!" just like every other morning. But this time when I said "Just go downstairs and watch cartoons!" They went!!!!! Yep that is right they went downstairs all by themselves turned on the TV and entertained themselves for 2 and a half hours. They even let the dog out! They forgot to let the poor thing in and at 8:30 her barking woke me up but hey she is a husky mix so a little snow isn't that big of a deal right?

Overalls

2012-02-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

I was getting my little guys dressed for church this morning. I pulled out overalls for them both to wear and matching long sleeve shirts. I couldn’t wait to see them both dressed knowing it was going to be a super cute photo moment. My little 3 year old Goon got dressed like a champ he helped buckle his overalls all by himself and felt pretty cool about it. A few minutes later when Noodle got done standing at the naughty wall he came upstairs to his room and looked at the clothes I had laid out for him. I could tell by the look on his little 5 year old face he was not thrilled with his outfit. I helped him dress, telling him how cute he was going to be as I buckled him up. Visions of adorable poses danced in my head as I stood back to see my little man in overhauls for the first time in 2 years. On the verge of happy tears I said “OK let’s go downstairs and show daddy!”

My little Noodle looked at me and said “Do I have to go to school today mom?”

“No honey we are going to church.” I said.

He then looks at me and very kindly explains “I can’t wear these Mom all the kids at church will laugh at me!!” I tried my best to beg and plead as all my dreams quickly ran out the window. I think he could see how crushed I was because he looked at me with a small smile on his face and patted my arm and said “Mom listen, I promise on a day when we aren’t going anywhere I will wear these pants for you. OK?”

Yep at 5 he knows how to work it! But don’t worry I will totally trick him into wearing them soon so I can get those pictures. I am the mom after all I will win!!!

Gym Buddy

2012-01-19T08:47:00.001-05:00

So I lost my gym buddy and this has seriously derailed my exercise routine.

My friend Mandy joined the gym with me a year and a half ago, at that time I was the #1 cheerleader. I got us motivated and kept us that way for the entire workout. But the days that I was low energy or wanted to bail Mandy kept me on track. I can honestly say that without her I would have never completed the IronGirl last summer. We trained together we supported each other and we completed the race together.

Recently Mandy switched gyms. She wanted a place that had a pool and was closer to her house. While I totally get that, I am using her defection as a major excuse for my poor attendance at my kick butt classes.

I have little spurts of energy like last week where I somehow made it to the gym 3 times. Unfortunately, it is now Thursday and I have not made it at all this week. I am signed up for the IronGirl in August so I actually HAVE to get my butt to the gym or I will never beat my time from last year. I am not sure what is wrong with me but I have this terrible habit of getting totally obsessed with something and donating 150% of my energy to it and then completely losing interest. A perfect example of that is the Game of Thrones books. I read the first 3 books back to back completely devoted. I made my husband read them so that I could talk to him about them, I made us watch the entire first season. Then I got 100 pages into book 4 and turned off. My husband has bow completed the book and is dying to talk to me about it and I have no interest in finishing the book. I am not sure what happened but I just got tired of reading about missing limbs and treachery. Crazy, cause after months of calling my BFF and rehashing the previous nights pages I don't even care what happened to the Starks of Winterfell.

So here I sit blogging instead of wrapping my kids in their coats and boots and shoving them in the car and going to the gym. I have every excuse in the book: it's too cold, my kids don't cooperate, I don't have a workout buddy, I have too much to do, it's too cold. Oh did I mention it's too cold??

It's still January and my goal was to get to the gym 3 days a week and I am totally not achieving that goal. I really need Bob Harper to come over and whip my ass into shape. Honestly I am totally feeling like the Biggest Loser and not the good kind! So today I might not make it to the gym but I am going to try really hard to get rid of the excuses and find some love for myself. I need to find my inner energy to carry me through this dry spell and stop blaming everyone and everything else for my lack of motivation. Maybe I should just curl up on the couch and finish that book!

A Raucous at Walmart

2012-01-08T08:28:00.000-05:00

The other day I made a quick trip to my local Walmart store. My husband works from home so if I am doing a quick errand and he doesn't have a conference call I can usually go without the kids. Luckily this was one of those times. So I zipped into the store grabbed a cart and set off for the Dairy aisle. Without kids slowing me down I easily maneuvered around all the slow pokes and Sunday drivers. I had 4 things on my list and within 5 minutes I already had 3 of them and I was headed to aisle 9 to grab pizza sauce and then check out. As I rounded the corner past the meat department I heard the sound of loud angry voices. I noticed that everyone was stopped in their tracks and staring down the aisle.

Can of Contadina

I slowed my pace as I approached my destination. As I peered down aisle 9 I located the noise! There were 7 maybe 9 angry adults with 4 or 5 carts clogging the aisle. They were yelling and screaming and pushing each other into the shelves. My first thought was "Crap I really need to get down that aisle." My second thought was "I better get out of here before someone pulls a gun or throws a can of Contadina!"

I decided to make a B-line for the produce department so if a gun was pulled I could hide behind the potato cart. I clearly was not alone in this thought process as about 10 other woman were headed that way. Of course there were still several on lookers with their small children gawking at the brawlers. Heading toward the potato safety zone I passed about 10 Walmart employees armed with walkie talkies running toward aisle 9. I must note that the brawlers were all very large adult men and woman and the employees were all small woman and girls. I had my doubts on any real resolution to the fight or my ability to get my pizza sauce and go home.

Somehow the 17 year old employees were able to make the crazies disburse, at which point I dashed in and grabbed the final item on my list. As I made my way to the check out you could hear little pockets of fighting breaking out all over the store. It seemed to me that as the brawlers disbursed through the store they would randomly run into each other and start fighting all over again. The young employees with their Walkie talkies for protection stood all around the store with their fingers on the triggers. Ready at moments notice to call each other and say "They are fighting in aisle 5 now run away run away!" The girl at the check out said "Yeah we has fights here all the time, it ain't no thang!"

As I left the building 4 police cars pulled up blocking the entrance of the store. The cops rushed in to save the day. I am sure the lovely ladies in blue and beige were thrilled to know they could finally release the buttons on their walkie talkies. They were now able to return to their registers where they can continue to not smile for the rest of the day.

I drove home through my middle class residential neighborhood which is less than 5 minutes from Walmart and wondered why fights break out all the time here. Why 2 minutes down the road at Target the employees are cheerful and clean and the shoppers are smiling and happy. What is the difference is it really as simple as trashy people go to Walmart? I mean the prices are about the same the merchandise is about the same. How can 2 stores in the same 4 block radius attract completely different employees and clientele? I can't answer that question but I can say that I am grateful that my kids were not with me and I can guarantee you that I will not be shopping at Walmart any time soon.

My Little Wrestlers

2012-01-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

So my kids have been sick for a week and a half at least. Coughing, runny nose and lots of whining. So couple that with normal holiday stress and I am pulling my hair out. So even though I was dog tired yesterday morning from ringing in the New Year I got us all dressed and dragged myself to church. My kids needed the outing and I needed to feed my spirit. After church there was a lull in the coughing so I decided to do some grocery shopping. My local store WEGMANS has a great play place for the kids. You can leave them for up to 90 minutes in a fantastic well supervised environment while peacefully shopping or sitting in the cafe drinking a cup of coffee. My kids love this place and it is always a treat for me to know they are having fun and I get a few grown up minutes to myself. So I got to the store made everyone go to the bathroom then trotted my little guys to the play place. Only one other kid was there but I knew the boys would enjoy the toys and the care providers. I blew kisses and waved goodbye and headed for the coffee counter. I roamed the store with no real purpose just sipping my coffee and enjoying myself when all of a sudden over the loud speaker I hear myself being paged to the play room! My first thought is that someone has to go poop. As I walk up to the door expecting one or more children holding themselves and dancing around I am met with an apologetic faced teen. “I am so sorry but your boys were fighting and the Goon is bleeding “. Um WHAT!!!! I looked into the room and sure enough there sat my little monsters. The Goon was bleeding from a scratch on his cheek and sobbing hysterical and Noodle was pouting angrily with his little fists clenched. Great I am not That Mom with Those Kids.
I put on my best “Mom Voice” and tried to reprimand him with all of the correct phrases I learned on Dr. Phil and Oprah. All I wanted to do was yell at them but I kept my coo.l Then of course had to make them walk around the store with me while I got the actual groceries I needed since I had squandered all my time drinking coffee. So for the next 20 minutes I walked around the store while both kids cried. The Goon cried because his face hurt and he wanted me to buy him something. Noodle cried because he felt it was really his brothers fault and he should not lose privileges when he got home. It seems that the boys were playing video games and Goon didn’t like something so he slapped his big brother and then Noodle scratched him back. Lovely.

I can not even begin to tell you how many times we have had the “your brother is your best friend” conversation. Or the “we don’t hit when we are mad” conversation. Most days I feel more like a referee than a mother. I try to let them work out their little squabbles and disagreements and step in when they are yelling or start hitting each other. I sometimes wonder if having them so close together, which was by choice, was a really bad idea. I am told all the time that they are boys and boys will be boys. But I really hate that saying. I don’t see why just because they are boys I should allow them to literally wrestle out all of their issues. I hate grown up men who think they have to fight or be physical so am I just raising my kids to be a couple of Tools? I feel like I am talking to a wall I don’t fight with my husband we never yell at each other. We certainly don’t hit each other or throw things. So where do they get it from. Most of the cartoons they watch are the same ones I watched as a kid. So here I sit saying another New Years prayer that my boys will grow up to be great men. To love each other to be good partners and productive members of society. That they will come to dinner at my house once a week and mow my lawn. I pray they will be safe and healthy that they will grow up strong and happy. I also pray that they will not grow up to be WWF Wrestlers even though I am sure that is a lucrative career.

Cookies Cookies Everywhere!!!

2011-12-15T13:38:00.003-05:00

"'Tis The Season" can apply to many different things. But today at my house 'Tis The Season for Cookies, Cookies and More Cookies!!!! A few weeks ago I baked 5 different kinds of cookies and loaded up my freezer. I was pretty proud of myself that I had all of my holiday baking done and I could sit back and relax! So last night I was scheduled to go to a cookie exchange. Now if you have never been to a cookie exchange it's fairly simple. Usually you bake a certain amount- say 4 dozen- of one kind of cookie. You go to someones house and meet up with a few friend you each swap out your cookies and you go home with four dozen different kinds of cookies. It's a pretty good deal. So last night I headed over to my girlfriends house with four dozen gingerbread men ready to swap out!

I was completely unprepared for this cookie exchange. There were over 20 people there I honestly have never seen so many cookies!!! We each put out our cookies on a platter and loaded up the table. Once everyone got there we grabbed our Tupperware containers and formed a line. We went around the table taking 1 cookie off of each plate until the cookies were gone. I arrived home with a huge box full of cookies. As I placed the box on the kitchen table I looked over at the counter that already had 3 containers of cookies on it and almost cried. Here I am 4 weeks into a diet that is finally working. I am down 10lbs!! My weight is lower now than it has been in 5 years and I am starring at my Kryptonite!!!!

COOKIES!!!!!!!!

I took a breath and realized that in just 3 days I am due for a cheat day!!! I can resist the sugary goodness for 3 days- I know I can. But how do I avoid my house full of men eating all the cookies I have my eyes on? I took out a container from the cupboard and meticulously filled it with all of my favorites! I then scribbled out a note and stuck it to the top of the bowl! MOM'S CHEAT DAY COOKIES HANDS OFF!! I can't wait until Saturday when I can dig in!!! Plus i am going to the movies in the afternoon. It's going to be the perfect cheat day: cookies and a bucket of popcorn. Man- life just doesn't get much better than this!

Listening is Genetic!

2011-12-11T18:55:00.001-05:00

So everyone knows the stereotypical wife complaining that her husband doesn't listen! I get it, selective hearing and all that. Well I certainly could confirm a little stereotypical husband behavior over at my house. But my goal today is not to husband bash or even complain. Mostly it's to make a simple observation. See I live with 5 boys/men, just me and a house full of stinky socks, action figures and video games. So in my "Expert" opinion I think that males are actually born missing part of the Listening Gene!

I know my little guys, Goon & Noodle, are only 3 & 5 and I also get that according to my BFF they are still "Babies". Even so I still have expectations that when I say PUT ON YOUR SHOES they will put on their shoes. I expect that when I say STOP they will stop doing what they are doing. Maybe it is foolish of me to hope that somehow when I ask them simple questions like HOW WAS SCHOOL that my little angels will actually answer me. Instead I say it 3 (sometimes 5) times and it's as if I were alone in the room.

I find that after several tries I have to actually squat down and look them right in the face and say it directly to their eyes. If I didn't know better I would think I should have their hearing checked. I am not sure how at the tender ages of 3 and 5 they have already learned to tune me out. Aren't little boys suppose to love their mommies and do everything I say? I am pretty sure that is what I read in What to Expect When You're Expecting! Somehow I really thought I was going to be able to raise these amazing men who would grow up to do chores happily, to listen to their wives, play ball with their kids, go to church on Sunday and visit their mother twice a week. If I can't even get them to put on their shoes and stand still how the heck am I going to get them to put up my Christmas Lights when I am 80? I am so screwed!!!

Christmas Dilemma

2011-12-05T17:47:00.001-05:00

So here we are a few weeks before Christmas and I am basically all done with my Christmas Shopping. This has never happened to me before. I actually started looking through everything to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I am not only done shopping but my house is decorated and all my cookies are baked and in the freezer ready to be frosted and handed out. So honestly the next few weeks should be smooth sailing right? Um you would think. Unfortunately, my 3 year old little Goon wants An American Girl Doll for Christmas. Not just any American Girl he wants one that looks just like him but with long hair. He even has told me we can go online right now and choose it!

So for the past few weeks I have been trying desperately to interest him into anything else, not just because it's a doll but because it's $100!! I told him it was very expensive and so he said "Don't worry I will talk to Santa." Yikes. I have tried to talk up Legos and Dinosaurs- pretty much anything under $30. Yesterday was the moment of truth as we headed to see Santa. He asked for The American Girl Doll again and I told him I thought it might be too hard for Santa to make since it cost a lot of money. He just gave me a little smile and marched to the car. The whole ride the boys talked about how excited they were to see Santa. Noddle couldn't believe he would be at the Mall. (He clearly forgot about last year when we stopped about 10 times before the big day) We head in and track down the Jolly Old Soul and we stood in the line behind lots of boys and girls anxiously awaiting their turn. I have raised my kids to expect only one gift from Santa every year so when the kids in front of us hopped up and rolled out their lists my kids were confused. I quietly whispered to my kids, "You can only ask for one thing so make sure it's a good one."

Finally it was our turn. The Goon charged right over "Hey Santa thanks for sending us the Elf on the Shelf!" He wiggled his little tushy up on the Big Guy's lap and smiled brightly! My Noddle walked over slowly and hesitantly climbed up next to his brother. Santa tried to get him to talk but he just kept looking at me with his usual look of terror. Santa kept grabbing his chin and saying "Look at Santa, look at Santa!" I was about to rip that hand off but that's another story. So we get down to the moment we have all been waiting for, Santa utters the magic words "What would you like for Christmas?" My little Goon shouts loud and clear "An American Girl Doll Please!" and that old cooter in a red suit smiled nicely and said "Oh I have lots of those I think I can get you one of those as long as you are good!" WHAT!!!!! CRAP! Then my poor little Noodle quietly said "A Ben Ten Gun please Santa." They smiled for the camera and ran over to give me a hug. The Goon's face was beaming from ear to ear "See Mommy! I told you Santa would bring me An American Girl Doll!" Thanks Santa.

So here I sit all of my shopping done everything wrapped and ready. Everything except that last gift from Old Saint Nick. I will tell you there is no way in hell I am buying that $100 doll. But do I make my little 3 year old boy happy and buy him a doll for Christmas or do I go with the original plan and get a tricked out Lego Set? Man being a Mom is really hard sometimes.

Muppets Make me Happy

2011-11-30T14:18:00.001-05:00

So over the Holiday weekend we loaded up the cars and headed to the Mall for The Muppets. My father-in-law, brother-in-law, husband, 13 year old stepson, 5 year old, 3 year old and me! We had been talking about this movie for weeks. We watched all my old Muppet Movies, bought the kids Muppet P.J.s really got in the spirit. Watched the trailer over and over again!!! We were ready.

We get to the theater and we get settled and the movie starts. Now I am a sucker for a feel good nostalgia movie so it's pretty much a given I am gonna like this one. The truth is I didn't like it I loved it!!! My kids faded about 1/2 way through and I wanted to duck tape them to the their seats until the credits rolled. But for me this movie brought me right back to my childhood. I felt like I was sitting on the floor in the living room in my P.J.s fresh from the tubby looking up at the TV. If only my brother could have been sitting next to me in the theater that would have been perfect!

This movie had everything I wanted it to. All my favorite characters, singing, silliness, throw backs and The Rainbow Connection. I proudly admit that when the banjo started playing I sat in that theater with tears streaming down my face softly singing along with Kermit.

I wish I had gone to the movie without my kids, that might sound terrible but I wanted to just absorb every moment. I wanted to be able to cry, laugh and sing along I didn't want to answer questions or help open a Caprisun. I totally get that they want to introduce these guys to a new audience but I think this movie was for me, for my generation. It was everything wonderful about TV from when I was a kid. I am so grateful that they made this movie I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Kermie.

Pumpkin Pie mmm mmm Good!

2011-11-11T18:30:00.001-05:00

So after 3 side dish alterations I have moved on to Dessert! When you think about Thanksgiving the first dessert most people think of is the Pumpkin Pie. Now made the traditional way it is still usually the lowest calories option at our dinner. A few months ago we took a cruise with my husbands brothers and one of my brother in laws Joey & Jerry mentioned that last year they altered a Pumpkin Pie and brought it to Jerry's family dinner. So naturally they were my first call as I started my Turkey Day experiments. The response I got back was um well there really isn't a recipe we just made a few substitutions. So I took their substitutions and worked up a recipe. I hope you like it.


All the fixins!

You will need the following:
1 Can 100% Pure Pumpkin (29 oz)
3/4 Cup Agave Sweetener
1 Container Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (17.6 oz)
4 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves
Nutmeg (to sprinkle on top)
2 Pie Crust (I cheated and bought one)


Ready for the oven.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and either make 2 pie crusts or open a package and pres them into 2 shells. (I know Mom and Sunny are cringing that I used a Pillsbury crust.) In mixing bowl beat 4 Eggs, add Agave Sweetener, Salt, Cinnamon, Ginger & Cloves. Mix together. Add Pumpkin & Yogurt mix together. Scrape the sides and bottom and mix thoroughly. Split filling into 2 pie crusts and sprinkle a little nutmeg on the top. Put into a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Pie Crust Shield

I have this really handy dandy pie crust cover upper from Pampered Chef. It is the bomb! It protects the crust from burning if you don't have one then put a little foil around the edges of the pie or your crust will be black! Place on cooling rack for 2 hours before scarfing it down!

Ready to eat

I will tell you this pie was actually a little sweet for me. My first try I used a cup of the Agave so I cut it down to 3/4 cup. It also is not as firm as a traditional Pumpkin so my knife never came out 100% clean. I think it tastes great though and it got 2 thumbs up from my stepson and my husband so that is pretty good. It's certainly a nice little twist on the traditional pie. It certainly is loaded with protein!! Thanks Jerry & Joey for the idea I think I will be using this recipe for Thanksgiving as well as the Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes. What could be next? I really need to brain storm.

Mashed Potatoes with a Twist!

2011-11-07T18:46:00.000-05:00


Cauliflower Yum

Now I was never a huge potato fan, not that I don't like them but they were never a huge priority. I actually don't think I knew how to cook potatoes when I met my husband. My husband and father in law on the other hand were raised on potatoes. Every meal has to have a potato unless you are eating pasta. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, fried potatoes, french fries, tater tots, roasted potatoes, and I am sure I am missing more. Not only do they love their potatoes but they are very very particular about how they are made. I rarely "do the potatoes", usually one of them will mash them and mix them or bake them so they are perfect. I have tried to change the potatoes by suggesting we leave on the skins CRAZY!!! How about a sweet potato NUTS!!! So knowing that I am trying to change up Thanksgiving Dinner by altering our staples with a few healthier options my guys are terrified that I will touch their prized Idahos. Well guess what I did!!!

Cauliflower, Potatoes, Salt Pepper, Butter

Now I would love to say I substituted mashed potatoes with Cauliflower mash but there is no way my husband would go for that. I will tell you my father in law would not even try the Mashed Potato/Cauliflower. So here is what I did in case you wanna try it. I steamed Cauliflower in one pan and Potatoes in another when they were both tender I just mixed them up and blended them like I would regular mashed potatoes. The Cauliflower is much thinner, waterier so I did not need to add milk. They really turned out yummy and my husband ate a HUGE portion like he usually does pored gravy over it and said he would be happy to eat this instead of straight potatoes!!! Hue win for me here. I thought for sure he would say it was OK but that he would rather have the regular. So far I have 3 regular Holiday items tweak just enough to save us some calories. Hmmm what to do tomorrow?


Finished product!!!

Whole Wheat Apple Stuffing MMMMMMM

2011-11-05T18:08:00.000-04:00

So here we ago again with another attempt at a healthier recipe for a Holiday staple. If your family is anything like mine than you can't have a turkey without stuffing. My usual stuffing consists of a think sourdough bread, lots of butter, turkey stock and some veggies. Today I am trying to make the same thing with a few substitutes. Now my family wont eat mushrooms, nuts, cranberries or anything else "Crazy" that you might like so please feel free to throw any of those into this recipe. I also have a few vegetarians at my table this year so this is 100% vegetarian. Of course you can chop up the giblets or throw some sausage in there if you like that is always yummy too.

You will need:

1 Loaf Whole Wheat Bread (I got some fresh baked from the bakery but anything will do)

2 Yellow Onions Chopped

3 Celery Stalks Chopped

1 Large Apple Chopped

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2/3 Cup Apple Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Tyme

Fresh Rosemary

Fresh Sage

Chopped apple, onion & celery


Rosemary, Sage & Tyme

First chop everything up!!! Dice your bread and chop your celery, onions & apple. Add 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a nonstick pan and add in your celery, onions and apple. Add your fresh herbs Tyme, Rosemary, Sage and Salt & Pepper.

Yummy!

Cook your veggies until softened then mix with your diced bread. Mix well and scrap into a baking dish that you have sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Then pour 2/3 cup apple juice over the top cover and bake for 30 to 40 minutes on 350 degrees. Uncover about 1/2 way through if you like the top a bit crispy which I do! This stuffing has a light sweet flavor from the apples and the fresh herbs really tie it in with the turkey!! I am sure you could use a granny smith for a tart crunch!!!

Sweet Potato Casserole

2011-11-04T17:03:00.001-04:00

So if you are anything like me you love Thanksgiving Dinner. I look forward to it every year. I usually have 15 to 20 people for dinner and I spend at least 3 days preparing all the food which takes less than an hour to eat. In my day to day food preparation I do my best to prepare healthy and nutritious food for my family. But on Holidays I somehow become Paula Deen when it comes to butter. So this year I have decided to try my best to change up some recipes so that come Thanksgiving I will not be consuming a weeks worth of calories in an hour. My first attempt at revamping Turkey Day is the Sweet Potato Casserole. I will admit this is one of my most favorite things on the table and though I do NOT EVER use marshmallows I usually use at least a stick of butter, a cup or more of brown sugar, a bag of pecans and some heavy cream. Don't get me wrong it is DIVINE!!!!! But, today I am trying a little something different. So if you care to try it too here is the recipe.


Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients:
2 Large Sweet Potatoes or Yams
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans

Steamed Sweet Potatoes


Topping

First you want to peel and dice up your Sweet Potatoes and steam them until they are soft. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl mix your Brown Sugar and Pecans this will be your topping.

Ready to Mix!

Baking Dish

Once your potatoes are soft mix in Egg, Honey, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice and Salt. Mix with a hand blender until smooth and creamy!! Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread your mixture evenly! Now it's time to add your toppings!!! Sprinkle evenly across the top and put it in a 350 degree oven uncovered for 45 minutes.

All Done and super Yummy!

I have got to admit this is way way simpler than what I usually do. I usually bake the sweet potatoes the day before then scrape them into a bowl. Mix in a bag of nuts, butter, brown sugar and cream then spread it into a baking dish and add more brown sugar and nuts on top and then bake in the oven. Although it is amazing it is a cardiac arrest in a dish. Right now my house smells amazing the cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through makes it smell like the Holidays and although I was a little bit skeptical that I would be happy with a substitute I am happy to say that this tastes absolutely amazing!!!!! I will absolutely be making this recipe come Thanksgiving! Alright so I have one healthier option on the table hmm what can I come with tomorrow?

Twilight Breaking Dawn Hype

2011-11-03T09:08:00.001-04:00

So I admit it I am a fan of the Twilight Saga, this announcement usually get a very strong reaction. It endears me to my niece and a few friends of mine and causes my husband and stepson to shake their head and laugh. No matter where you stand on the series love or hate you can't miss the hype unless you live under a rock. Now I admit I might spend a little too much time checking out the fan sites. I blame it on "finding info and clips for my niece" but lets be honest I look for me. In case you didn't know the final chapter in the series Breaking Dawn Part 1 opens on November 18th. I admit I bought our tickets about 3 weeks ago and plan to take my niece to Twilight Tuesdays starting next week. What is Twilight Tuesday you ask, well leading up to the movies premier they are showing the other 3 films at the theater every Tuesday night. Yep so next week we will go see New Moon, the following week Eclipse and then the opening of BD Part 1. We happened to catch the first movie on cable over the weekend so I figured we could skip that one since it was pretty terrible anyway.

Now I love seeing movie trailers don't get me wrong I look forward to them. Somehow Summit Entertainment thinks that just because there is a huge crazy fan base for this franchise they have to give away the entire movie before it opens. Now I get it most people who are going to see the movie have read the book so they know what is going to happen. It's no big surprise..they get married, have sex, she gets pregnant and the fetus is gonna kill her, big happy ending. I do appreciate the teaser pictures that came out a few months ago that absolutely got me excited to see the movie but here I am 2 weeks away from the film and it seems like every single day a new trailer comes out. Today they even posted a 10 minute video of behind the scenes action.

If they give me all of that now whats going to be on the DVD extras??? Tonight a New New clip will be aired on MTV. My husband and best friend said "don't look at it" "no one is making you watch them". While this si true I just can't help myself. It's like a disease. I know I am what is wrong with this world I can't stop reading People.com and PopSugar.com . I get up in the morning I get my coffee and I log on to my Twitter account and I look to see if Robsessed has any new info for me. (Don't judge)

So here I sit annoyed that I have seen most of the movie already in little clips and pictures yet I can't get enough of it. Damn those bitches know how to market to the Twilight Moms!

Homemade Play Doh!! What??

2011-10-31T17:10:00.000-04:00

So my little Noodle started kindergarten this year and on our first night of parent orientation we were each handed a recipe for Play Doh. We were then asked to sign up for a month that we would send in a batch of homemade Play Doh. Now I gotta be honest the idea of making this is cute and all but come on a can of it is less than a $1. Of course the night I signed up I was in a fog of glowing motherhood so I am actually surprised I didn't jot my name down for more than one month. So here we are the last day of October and my Play Doh month is November. I of course waited until this afternoon to pull out the recipe and work up a batch. Well... my first attempt was a complete disaster. The Play Doh was a goopy gross mess with big globs of flour and the color was all stripy and bad. My Noodle looked at it and said "Hmm well Mom that is not what the stuff at school looks like, but nice try." Great I can't be the one Mom who screws this up. So I headed to the store to buy all the ingredients again, I searched the web for different recipes and tips and attempt number 2 was a huge success. I thought I would share my experience with you in case you felt the need to brew up a batch for your kids.

First we start with our ingredients, here is where I might have gone wrong the first time.

2 cups White Flour (My first attempt was wheat since it was what I had on hand and it was BAD real BAD!)
1 Cup Fine Sea Salt
2 Cups Hot Water
1 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
Food Coloring or Kool Aid Packs


Cooled Play Doh

Now my first attempt I boiled the water in the pan and then threw in all the dry ingredients Bad Idea!! I recommend blending all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then heat water in a pan or tea pot. Now I put all dry ingredients in a pot over low heat and added the hot water and vegetable oil slowly. Stir until well blended and dough like, remove from heat to cool.

Cool Blue!


Almost there!!!

Once the Doh is cooled enough to handle kneed the doh a bit until it feels like Play Doh. Now it's time to make it look pretty!!! I used Kool Aid packs since they have great color and they make the doh smell great! I also decided to make 3 different colors. So Split doh into how ever many colors you want to make. Take your first ball and flatten out on the counter empty 1 packed of Kool Aid into the center. Start to kneed the doh until the color is mixed through. When done right this was actually super easy and fun. Noodle is super excited to take this to school tomorrow and I don't feel like a failure so it's a win win!!!!!!


Final Product!

A Girl and her Underwear.......

2011-10-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

About twice a year I get annoyed with my dresser drawers and dump everything on the floor. Then I wipe out the drawers, sort and fold all the clothes and bag up whats leftover for the Goodwill. I am known for throwing things out! When I am in a cleaning mood I am like a tornado, my husband has been known to say "Don't sell the kids on Craigslist while I am at work!" My family knows to hide their favorite things when they see the cupboards and closets being emptied. As I organized my underwear drawer I realize that as a woman, wife, and mother I have quite an assortment of undergarments. If my husband is a normal male which I think he is then going by his underwear drawer I am either a crazy hoarder or all women like variety!

I remember being in elementary school and getting a package of Day of the Week underwear! That was the bomb. I remember making sure I had each day ready the night before and how cool I thought I was. I also remember what a dork I felt like when I got the days mixed up. Little girl underwear has cute pictures and cartoon characters. I remember having underoos and thinking I was the coolest kid ever.

When I was a young woman they came out with Thong Underwear. This was a Big Big deal they wrote a song about it women were wearing clothes that showed their thongs men were salivating everywhere. The purpose of the thong is to have on a pair of underwear without showing a panty line. This was a great invention, a little uncomfortable sometimes but great nonetheless.

I believe I bagged my husband in a thong! Of course any woman who has children knows that once you get pregnant the thong goes out the window. Unless I am alone here..but once that belly started growing so did every other part of my body and the stylish pregnancy undies somehow found their way into my skivvy drawer! Now I have to admit these panties were the most comfortable things I have ever worn. I will also say I think my husband cheered the day they went into the garbage. Not just because they were ugly but because it meant we had filled our bedrooms with babies.

Unfortunately, after the pregnancy panties came the Mom panties. These are the roomy cotton Hanes Her Way undies. I tried to go back to the thongs but I just couldn't do it. They just got pushed farther and farther back into the abyss. It took a long time for me to give up on the comfy cotton panty, between you and me I still have some I wear to the gym. Mostly for my husbands sake I invested in some "Classy" mom undies. They are still full coverage but they look a lot better!

So now here I sit with a drawer full of rarely used Thongs, overused Cotton Gym panties and some shiny new Calvin Kleins. Each one a necessity in my world, each with it's own place and function. There is only one time that I ask the question What do I wear? That would be when I get dressed up in "real" clothes to go out for the night with my husband. This is when I am torn, do I break out the Thong do I slip into some comfy Calvin Kleins or do I suffer through the Spanxs? Since the beginning of time women have been sucking it in and pushing it up. No matter what you call it, girdle, corset, body shaper, or spanxs they are all the same thing. I own 4 of these items they also sit in the back of my drawer. They are the tools of most women who want to suck it in for a night on the town. Smooth all the rough edges and make you feel fabulous even though you can't breath or eat and it's hard to sit down.

Somehow I can weed through all the other clothes and I know right away what to keep, toss or donate but when it comes to the undergarments I just stuff them all back in the drawer and give up. So here I sit my underwear drawer bursting at the seems and all I want to do is go underwear shopping!

Karate is my Ballet

2011-10-21T08:56:00.000-04:00

5 years ago I was swollen and waddling around the house anxiously awaiting the birth of my first child. I always wanted kids. As a preteen I had a journal with a list of names I planned to give my DAUGHTERS. I never had any boy names because I didn't plan on having any boys. My husband on the other hand was already the father to a 6 year old boy and had 3 younger brothers he fully expected another boy. So when I found myself laying on the table ready for my first sonogram I fully expected to prove my husband wrong. Somehow all my years of planning flew right out the window, before I was even comfortable on the table the technician found a penis.

Now I am not going to lie it took me a while to accept the fact that I was going to be the mother of a boy. Don't get me wrong I am madly in love with my sons but they were just not what I had planned. If you know me at all you know I always have a plan! Not only were the boys not in my plan but they were not in my mother's plan either! About 5 days after I found out I was pregnant my mother told me, with tears in her eyes, how she wanted to pay for my daughters dance lessons and her recital costumes. I remember we sat in her backyard and she laid out my child's impending dance future before the fetus was even formed. I wouldn't be surprised if she went out and bought ballet shoes.

So here I sit a few weeks shy of my sons fifth birthday he is a smart, happy, crazy little man. He started kindergarten this year and has started to read. He is growing up before my eyes so fast I can hardly catch hold of the memories before they pass. When I pick him up for a hug his feet hit below my knees he is all knees and elbows with a smile like a Jack-o-lantern. Where did the time go?

A few months ago when my step-son decided to go back to Karate my little Noodle came along to get him signed up. When we walked into the Dojo they were starting a class with kids his age. "Can I try Mommy?" His first attempt at Karate was more than comical his little legs and arms flailing all over the place. He didn't do anything without looking back at me to see if I was watching. Before the class was even over we had signed him up for 2 classes a week and left with his uniform. He was on cloud nine. I have taken him to every class and I have watched him go from squirmy and silly to focused and still. Somehow the instructors get him to pay attention and follow directions. He learned the Kata and practiced at home, the day he got his first TIP on the end of his belt he was glowing.

Last weekend we had our first tournament. Now I have been to more dance recitals than I can count; my own, my BFF's and my goddaughters. Dance recitals are beautiful, funny and sometimes very very long. I have never been to a Karate Tournament. The day before the tournament I made my husband go out and rent The Karate Kid, I popped popcorn and we all had to sit and watch it. I figured it would get him all pumped up! The next morning we got up and got ready and my little Noodle was terrified. Somehow watching the movie had backfired. The boy didn't want to go and just held on to my leg. Of course my years of theater experience kicked in and the loving mom went right out the window. All I could hear in my head was The Show Must Go On! I dressed that kid in his uniform and marched him crying to the car "You made a commitment everyone is waiting for you, you will go to the tournament!" The five of us packed into the car and he cried the whole way "I'm not going!!!" WHAAAAAA! I looked at my husband and we started laughing GOOD TIMES!!!

By the time we had him signed in and secured a front row seat he was warming up to the idea of competing. I of course had 2 cameras, it might not be frilly costumes with magical lighting but I'd be damned if I was going to miss a moment. They called his group and he tentatively walked to the circle. He handed in his score card and sat with his group waiting for his name to be called. They called his name and he walked in front of the judges all by himself. He did everything just like we practiced he spoke loud and clear and he did his Kata perfectly. As I sat there filming every moment tears filled my eyes. He was so little out there in the center of the big gym, he was focused and proud of himself and he wasn't scared at all. I couldn't have been prouder if he was doing pique turns.

He won a HUGE trophy for his Kata that he could barely carry. He was glowing!!! We still had to do No Touch Sparring which I will admit is my favorite part. The kids just stand across from each other and do their "moves". It is actually pretty hysterical! He got to spar twice he lost the first round but won the second. He had such a great time all he talked about as we went home was next time next time next time. He loves going to Karate every week and being a good example for the other kids. I will admit that if you told me 10 years ago I would be in a smelly gym watching boys pretend to kick each other in a circle I would have never believed you. Somehow my little Karate Kid has not only found his own way but shown me I can feed my inner dance mom as well. The only bad part is Karate tournaments are held at 9am instead of Dance recitals which are held at 8PM. Making it really hard to go to Friendly's afterwards, I'm just saying.

The Cardiff Giant

2011-10-20T15:27:00.002-04:00

Today the boys and I took a step back in time. To a place before TV's, computers, cell phones and the internet. We went to see an old fashioned side show, we saw the GIANT. A friend of mine Ty Marshal is a local artist and he has recreated The Cardiff Giant! Now if you are like me and have never heard of The Cardiff Giant here is a little synopsis from Ty's page.

On October 16th, 1869 - a 10 foot tall "petrified man" was uncovered by workers digging a well, behind the barn of William C. Newell in Cardiff, N.Y.. Newell set up a tent over the giant, and charged people .25 cents to see the "Goliath".

The Syracuse Journal reported the story, and two days later Newell increased the price to .50 cents! People came by the wagonload. The discovery stirred debate across the area and the nation: was this an example of the giants written about in the bible? or was it an ancient statue left over from some unknown civilization?

About 10 days after the initial discovery, the giant was sold for $23,000 to a five man syndicate from Syracuse, N.Y., led by a banker and horse trader named David Hannum. The syndicate moved the giant to Syracuse, and placed it on display, raising the price of admission to one dollar.

Seeing such great crowds in Syracuse, the famous showman, P.T. Barnum, offered $50,000 for the giant - but the Syracuse syndicate turned his offer down. Rather than up his price, P.T. Barnum hired a crew of workers to carve his own giant - which he put on display in New York City, claiming the Syracuse giant to be a fake!

As newspaper around the country covered Barnum's version of the story, David Hannum was quoted as saying: "There's a sucker born every minute" (in reference to people paying to see Barnum's fake giant). This statement has since been misattributed to P.T. Barnum. Following the newspaper battle, David Hannum sued P.T. Barnum for calling his giant a fake. But in February 1870, both giants were revealed as fakes in court, and the judge ruled that Hannum could not sue Barnum for calling a fake giant a fake. And thus was revealed one of the greatest hoaxes in United States history!

When I heard about Ty's project I really didn't understand what he was doing. I donated a little money to his Kickstart fundraiser because he is a friend of mine and I do my best to support the arts. I got the email telling about the big opening day event last weekend and with everything going on in my life completely forgot to go. On Monday I was downtown for a doctor's appointment and I had the Goon with me as I was driving out of downtown I passed by Lipe Park and remembered Ty's exhibit. I quickly turned onto the grassy parking area and said to the Goon "Wanna see a Giant?" to which he quickly responded "YES!!"

We walked across the grass to a big tent with balloons and a big painted sign THE CARDIFF GIANT. The entire exhibit was put together so well I was really impressed. There were hay bails and antique shelves full of oddities to look at. There were wonderful poster boards made up with the history of the original Cardiff Hoax. Then we paid our .25 cents and walked behind the shelves and stood on a platform and there was the recently dug up Giant. My little Goon was so excited, he couldn't believe it! How did it get here? Who dug it up? How did he die? How did Ty find him? my little 3 year old was full of questions and as we started to leave he decided he needed to go again so we each put in another .25 cents and took another look.

For the rest of the week the Goon talked about the Giant, he told my husband all about it. He asked me if we could please go again since his big brother didn't get to see it. So this morning the 3 of us loaded up with our rain boots and sweatshirts and headed to see the Giant. The entire way the Goon was giving his brother the low down. As we pulled in I could feel Goon's excitement and Noddle's apprehension. As we walked up Ty was there with a big smile and a top hat. After yesterday's rains the place was flooded and a bit muddy but we had our boots on and boys love the mud and the puddles!!!

Today the price has gone up just like the original hoax so today we each paid .50 cents to see the amazing discovery. We walked past the shelves of oddities behind the tall shelves and there he was. Waiting for us in still half buried was the Cardiff Giant I could tell my little Noddle didn't know what to think he wanted to ask so many questions but he was shy in front of Ty. I knew as soon as we got in the car they would be chattering all the way home. Their little faces just lit up to see something so new. They both couldn't wait to go to school and tell all of their friends.

As we pulled away and the boys were telling each other how cool it was I watch Ty standing under the big tent with the balloons and the hand painted sign. I thought about the young man I met almost 20 years ago and how amazing it is that he has been able to create this wonderful exhibit. In today's busy world it's nice to enjoy a few moments of yesterday. It is open through the 26th of this month and I encourage you to check it out.

The Lion King...again

2011-10-19T12:54:00.005-04:00

So 9 years ago when I met my husband and 4 year old stepson to be he was in love with The Lion King! He watched the movie over and over again. My brother in law took him to see The Broadway show and we listened to the CD until it wore out and we had to buy a new one. Our first Thanksgiving together the three of us drove to Tennessee to see my father. My father recorded him singing the entire soundtrack and made him a CD of himself to listen to. A CD we cherish and plan to use as blackmail when he brings home his first girlfriend.

I would be surprised if anyone reading this didn't know the story of The Lion King. At the heart it is a coming of age story as little Simba discovers how to be a king. He loses his Father and runs away meeting a few unlikely friends along the way. The movie teaches about family love, friendship love, responsibility and of course the circle of life!

So here I am 9 years after suffering through a 4 year old's ability to sing The Morning Report 100 times a day and my husband finally got the Goon to watch it. After several attempts all ending in "Yeah I don't like that Dad" he has finally caught the bug!!! I am having flashbacks as I type this and he is watching his new favorite movie for the second time this week. His favorite part is "When they eat the worms." Cause that's the coolest part!! Now my husband who works from home is singing in the basement "I'm gonna be a mighty king so enemies beware!" After months of being tortured with Tangled I will spend the rest of the year suffering through a daily dose of Hakuna Matata.

So I would like to say thank you to Disney for making these wonderful movies that teach such great lessons. But mostly for giving us music that our children will sing over and over and over driving us farther and father over the edge.

School = $$$$$

2011-10-14T08:42:00.001-04:00

So here we are in the middle of October and the excitement of school starting has worn off and the reality of how much this costs me has sunk in. My step-son is in 8th grade so the constant barrage of papers coming home is not a surprise to me. Although with 1 kid in middle school, 1 kid in kindergarten and 1 kid in preschool I am slowly moving in to the poor house.

Yesterday I stood at the counter and wrote 3 checks and stuffed 2 envelopes with cash. After the kids left for school I got an email notification that the middle schooler was out of lunch money and could I please refill his bank. So after balancing my checkbook I refilled the bank to the tune of $25. Ugh didn't I just put $50 in there 6 weeks ago? I remember eating lunch for a dollar and I always had cash or I brought something from home what the heck are they feeding these kids?

Then when the kid gets home from school it's school picture time!!! After the pictures are chosen and the year book is ordered we are down another $50 easy! When the kindergartener gets off the school bus his folder has more papers in it for me. In between the worksheets and colored pages are the requests from the PTA for baked goods to sell at the Harvest Party. Forms for me to fill out asking when I can come and volunteer at the school since they had to lay off all the teacher aids. When I pick up the preschooler I am handed a paper asking for me to bring in a store bought treat for his Halloween party. Also, if I want him to participate in the party I have to bring him in costume and stay for the party and then take him out of his costume and bring it home.

Now I want my kids to enjoy everything the school has to offer. I want them to be able to go to the Harvest Party and play all the games (.50 each). I want them to enjoy their school parties ($5), have their class pictures taken ($50 each kid). I want them to feel cool and enjoy lunch from school ($2-$4 a day). I want to give support to the teachers who are working so hard to fill my kids minds with important stuff. I just don't know why it all has to cost so much.

I haven't even gotten into the cost for Concert Clothes; black pants, white shirts and dress shoes. Clothes they grow out of every 3 to 6 months. Then there is the $5 to $10 the middle schooler needs for every away swim meet and track meet. The cost for 2 kids in Karate 2 days a week ($179 each kid 4 times a year) and then this weekend we are going to our first Karate Tournament of the year ($55). These kids are costing me a fortune.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I felt they appreciated it. I know, I know big joke right. It's the same old song every parent of a teenager sings. So here I sit working so hard to save a dime here and get a deal there and then all that extra I saved gets siphoned off to the kids. All of a sudden Home Schooling doesn't look so bad...Oh WAIT that would mean the kids would never leave! Scratch that, bring me my checkbook!

Cruisin!

2011-10-12T13:20:00.000-04:00

So after 6 1/2 years of marital bliss my husband and I finally went on a vacation "alone". Yep "alone" in this case means a cruise to Mexico with my Father in law, 4 brother in laws, 1 sister in law, and 1 family friend! After months of emails back and forth with several different ship and date options we finally decided on the Carnival Destiny. My brother in law Joey had been on a few Carnival ships and had a great time, I had been on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. My husband had never cruised and he was over the moon excited!!!!

Planning for a vacation for a man is not really that hard..throw some clothes in a suitcase print your boarding passes and head out the door. Planning a vacation for a woman who is a mother and who runs a business is exhausting. It took 2 weeks of preparation for this vacation. The amount of lists made from the day we purchased tickets to the day we actually left filled 2 notebooks at least. Any mother out there who has left her kids for 5 days knows what I mean. The look on my mother's face when I gave her the kids itinerary which was broken down into 3 different colors showing 3 different schools, 2 different karate classes, 2 different bedtimes, doctor appointments plus dog instructions was priceless. By the time I left for the airport I was pooped!

I wont even get into the stress of the airport and the connecting flights!! But I will say that by the time we met my brother in law from Cleavland at the airport in Florida my husband was in full vacation mode. We made it to the ship and the rest of our group who live in Florida. Only half of the booze we tried to smuggle on the boat actually made it to our cabins, my brother in law Matt was pretty excited that his sneaky internet discoveries actually paid off! It took less than 30 minutes on the ship for me to get tipsy! I am a real cheap date. My only big mistake was taking a Boot Camp Class at the gym my first morning of the cruise. It was a great class and somehow I ended up hurting myself so badly I could hardly walk the entire trip. Yep maybe I did 100 too many lounges.

If you want a review of the actual ship I am sorry to say it wont be a great one. I felt the food was bland and not that exciting! I am not complaining that much since I didn't gain any weight which for me is a HUGE bonus. There was also this really smelly area on the ship near one of the restaurants and honestly it kind of killed my appetite. Although my buddy Beau seemed to be fine with it since he managed to walk through it every time he hit up the Frozen Yogurt machine (every meal including breakfast!) The rooms were fine and the staff was GREAT but the rest of the ship needed a major overhaul!!! The entertainment on the ship was hit or miss! The bands scattered everywhere were great and people were dancing everywhere you turn. My father in law and my husband really enjoyed the casino and if they had just stopped going there the day before we disembarked the ship we would have come out much farther ahead! The main stage shows were pretty corny and the ensemble just lip sinked everything which was disappointing. But the costumes were great and the dancers fantastic. This might come off a little snobby but I felt the clientele of this ship compared to my previous experiences was not as classy! But they were all having a great time so who am I to talk.

After a day and a half at sea we docked in Cozumel Mexico. After much deliberation about excisions we ended up taking a cab to Carlos'n Charlie's this was a great choice. The beach was beautiful the water was clear and the staff was wonderful! We were the first ones there and we got a great table on the beach. Again within 10 minutes I was tipsy! The guys all went snorkeling and my father in law and I sat on the beach. Actually I think Papa was babysitting me as I had already downed a HUGE Margarita in a glass shaped like a palm tree but it really just looked like a penis. After the first drink my brother in law Joey and I had several laughs over its phallic nature, yep I was drunk on the beach in Mexico. I was finally on vacation.

The 5 days went by too fast! The great thing about the cruise is that everyone was able to find something to do that they enjoyed. Drinking, eating, gambling, music, movies, games, sun, exercise and more than enough people watching to go around. I highly recommend a family cruise, maybe not the Destiny. For the price and the fun it's a great deal!!!! Although I did really miss my little monsters at home. Of course right now the Goon is screaming in my ear "PUT ON TOM AND JERRY MOMMY!" and all I can think of is how blue the water was in Mexico and how quiet it was sitting on the deck of the ship reading my book. Oh well maybe in another 6 1/2 years I can go on vacation again.

School has Started!

2011-09-08T15:02:00.000-04:00

This is a big week for us my step-son starts 8th grade his last year of middle school. Noodle started Kindergarten and Goon started Nursery school on his 3rd birthday. After 2 years of disappointing first days Christian came home yesterday feeling positive about school. The only thing negative I heard was how silly it was to have 2 study halls in 1 day and that his bus stop a half a block away was a "stupid place for a bus stop". So all in all the middle schooler is doing well. The road to Kindergarten has been a long and stressful one. After several months of questioning whether to send or not to send we finally decided to send the boy to school. We bought school supplies, new clothes and backpack. Went to the school met the teacher and played with all of his classmates. Then 2 days ago he started getting nervous, he was scared of the bus he didn't want to ride it alone. He was scared of the hallways he didn't want to get lost. I reassured him my husband reassured him his big brother told him how great it was going to be. The night before his first day of school we laid out his clothes (I cried) we talked about how great it was going to be. I went over how to get to his classroom and asked him his teachers name for the 100th time. He told me he was a little nervous as I tucked him into bed and I told him he was going to do great! He said "Mom I am excited to see my class again!" I said honey I am so proud of you!" and he put his little hand on my check and looked me in the eye and said "I am so proud of you Mom!" (I cried).

The Noddle goes to afternoon Kindergarten so we had until noon to get the boy ready. We watched my step-son get on the bus and we all waved at him. (which he hated) Then we had to take The Goon to his nursery school orientation. We walked in and the child took off. He could care less if we were there or not he was playing! I was happy to see that this boy I did not have to worry about. After orientation we headed home to get the Noddle ready for school. His 2 grandmother's came over and took turns reading his stories about school and talking about how great it was going to be. My little man and I went upstairs to get dressed, brush teeth and comb hair. He picked out a "cool" shirt and jeans and we headed back downstairs to the crowd in the living room. He loaded on his backpack full of school supplies that weight about the same as he did and we headed to the garage to wait. Just before we left the safety of the living room he burst into tears. "PLEASE DON"T MAKE ME GO TO SCHOOL!" Luckily the school bus was 15 minutes late since that is about how long it took us to calm him down. When the bus pulled up I grabbed his backpack and took his hand with his daddy on the other side we went to the bus. My little man took his backpack turned and said "By Mom Love you!" and off he went on the big school bus without me. (I cried but not that much).

Today I dropped off my now 3 year old to his first day of Nursery School. He was so excited to go he cheered when I said "Let's get ready". We walked into school and he ran into his class with out a backwards glance. His teacher handed me a piece of paper and as I walked to my car Noodle asked "What does it say Mom". I started to read it: THE FIRST DAY We gave you a little wink and smile As you entered our room today. For we know how hard it is to leave And know your child must stay. You've been with them so long now And have been a loving guide. But now, alas, the time has come To leave them at our side. Just know that you drive away, Tears down your cheeks may flow. We'll love them as we would our own And help them learn and grow. For as a parent we too know How quickly the years do pass. And years ago, it was our turn To take our child to class. So please put your mind at ease And cry those tears no more. For we will love them and take them in When you leave them at our door. YEP I SOBBED ALL THE WAY HOME!!!!

Looking for something to do with Peaches?

2011-09-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has known me for very long knows that I make Banana Bread almost every week sometimes twice! Banana Bread was one of the first things I every baked and baked well. I remember in my early 20's making it for a bunch of friends on break from a musical rehearsal. I brought in in hot with butter and a knife and the entire loaf was gone in about 10 minutes. From that point on it was a hit! When my first son was born he had terrible allergies, he was allergic to Dairy & Soy. This made it very hard to find breakfast foods. My little Noddle loved my Banana Bread and thus begun my weekly baking. Thankfully he has grown out of his allergies but not his love for my bread.

Two days ago I was gifted a GIANT bag of freshly picked peaches. They are ripe and juicy and the kids and I have been enjoying their deliciousness. I realized yesterday that we could not eat them fast enough and that they were going to turn if I didn't come up with something. Now I have never ever baked anything with a peach so I was kind of at a loss. Not to mention no one in my house except me would eat a cobbler or a pie so that idea was quickly nixed. So after about 30 minutes searching the internet for ideas I came across a recipe for Peach Bread! After reading a bunch of reviews I decided to do a few tweeks of my own and it came out pretty good. So I decided to share!!! Here is what you will need: 3 Eggs 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract 1/2 Cup Apple Sauce 2 Cups Fresh Peaches Mashed (Or Canned and drained) 3 Cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder 1 Teaspoon Salt 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda 3 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon 1/2 Cup Walnuts Chopped (Optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour 2 loaf pans (or use cooking spray for baking!) In large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Blend sugar, applesauce & Vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon; mix.

Peal and pit peaches, smash with fork and drain juice. Add 2 cups smashes peaches and nuts if you choose them. MIX!! Pour batter into the 2 pans.

Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on top before you bake and pop into the oven! Bake for 1 hour and let cool. I was very pleased withe the way these came out. My first attempt was with 2 cups of Brown Sugar and I felt it was a bit sweet so I reduced it the second batch and liked it better. Of course you can switch up some ingredients if you need to. Brown Sugar/White Sugar, Apple Sauce/Vegetable Oil, Fresh Peaches/Canned, White Wheat Flour/Whole Wheat/All Purpose Flour. I do my best to make whatever "healthy" substitutions I can. The bread does not have a strong peach flavor unless you bite into the peaches but it has a nice sweet flavor and it's something different from the Banana!!! Enjoy!!

Today my little girl turns 6!

2011-08-31T07:37:00.006-04:00

6 1/2 years ago when we bought our first house my husband started talking about how a boy should grow up with a dog. That he really wanted my step-son to have a dog so they could grow up together. Now I have never been a huge animal lover, not that I am a hater! I just never had any pets growing up and the idea of dealing with dog hair, accidents or puke was not very appealing to me. But being a new wife I wanted to please my husband so I went out and got our family a dog! My BFF told us about this family she knew that had the most adorable puppies!!!! So my husband and I got in the car and drove to the middle of nowhere and as we pulled into the drive a million dogs came running at the car. I of course did not want to get out of the car at this point! The family brought us past the pack of dogs outside and led us through the house to a back bedroom as week peered into the dark closet I heard the little mewing of what was to be my baby girl. There were 4 little balls of cuteness huddled together but she was the one for me. After several weeks we came back to pick her up. She was a little ball of black and white with mismatched eyes. I held her in my arms all the way home and then snuggled her ON THE COUCH (first rule broken). By the time my step-son came a few days later to meet his dog and name her (PRINCESS LEIA which we have never called her) it was too late she was my dog.

We got P.L. the beginning of October which meant all Fall and Winter you would find us out back in the middle of the night walking the dog. Hmm maybe we should have put a fence in before we got the dog! But by Spring she was using the dog door and the fenced in yard like a champ! After we got through the potty stage we went through the chewing through everything stage. We gated her in the kitchen once and went out for the evening when we got home not only had she eaten the rug in front of the sink but she ate a hole through the wall. This dog drove me nuts.

When I was pregnant with Noodle my little P.L. would snuggle next to me and follow me around wherever I went. After he was born she never left his side. She guarded him like a little nursemaid.

When She was 2 she was very rambunctious!!! I had a 9 month old little boy and a crazy puppy!!! I was rethinking the stay at home mom thing! One beautiful summer afternoon I had gotten Noddle down for a nap and I was enjoying the quiet of the house. P.L. was laying on the recliner and I kept thinking what a good girl she is today. I figured she was just enjoying the sun on her back! Then I heard her gagging in the living room!!! I ran around the corner and she was puking all over my brand new rug! (Noodle had puked all over the old rug only 3 days earlier) I started yelling at her to get outside I tossed her out the back door and started bitching about kids and dogs and ruining everything I have that is nice. I dragged the new rug out to the curb and grumbled all the way back inside. As I walked past the back window I saw her laying motionless in the yard. Crap! I brought her out a bowl of water and she just laid there. She didn't move. Something was wrong.

I searched the yard to see what she had eaten, she ate everything. I found a ripped open container of Gorilla Glue. I said "Crap" or maybe something stronger and went inside to look it up on the internet. I called the Vet as I was searching and the woman who answered the phone said "The Dr is at lunch." I said OK well can you tell me if this is serious? "Sorry the Dr, is at lunch" I love helpful people. So I called poison control as I was looking on the website the woman said "I'm sorry I can't help you with Dogs, call this number 1-800 blah blah blah" I called that number and it was going to be $10 to answer my question. Ugh I hung up the phone and found the number on the Gorilla Glue site for customer service. I called the number and the woman said "Oh this is bad! Rush your dog to the ER she will most likely die, sorry have a nice day. Thank you for using Gorilla Glue."

I then called my husband at work he didn't answer. I left an hysterical message on his VM which he later told me he played for all of his coworkers and they all laughed! Great thanks!!! I called my mom and asked her to come over to stay with the baby while I took P.L. to the Animal Hospital. As I carried her to the car I started crying. I drove to the Animal Hospital and just kept telling her how sorry I was for leaving the Gorilla Glue out. I thought for sure this was the end of the dog. The dog I hadn't really wanted, didn't really like, complained about all the time and hated cleaning up after. The dog who I had grown completely attached to and deeply in love with. I pulled into the hospital and there was my husband. I started crying and told him I was sorry I had killed the dog.

They took her back immediately, after about 2 minutes they pulled us back to an exam room and showed us X-Rays. The Vet explained that the Glue expands and adheres to the stomach lining. That they had to operate immediately or she would die and that she had like a 50/50 chance even if they operate. Now I had literally just quit my job a few weeks before this. I had banked about 2 months of our mortgage in the savings for emergency and quit be home with the baby. I knew we could not afford to fix P.L. The Vet just stared at us with her hand on the consent form holding the pen. My husband said "Could you please tell us how much this would cost?" She looked at us like we had driven a stake into her heart! She left the room and I started balling my eyes out. When she came back with a print out she said it would cost anywhere from $1500 to $3500. My husband asked her to give us a moment. I said We can't afford that we don't even have that much in the savings. He looked at me and said "Honey are you going to tell Christian that you killed his dog?" Well.....she got the operation!

She came through with flying colors and over the years she has eaten her share of poptarts, steak, cookies, crackers and everything else she can get her hands on. The kids are a great source of accidental treats! Somehow no matter how hard the boys try to get her to be their dog she wont leave my side. She sleeps in my room at the foot of my bed on a dog bed. Even though the boys offer her their bed every night. She wont go to sleep at night until I do, she wont come down stairs in the morning until I do. She waits for me outside the bathroom when I shower and she gets anxious when I am out for the evening!! She is my baby girl even though I didn't expect it.

Today she turns 6!!! She is calmer and fatter she still sheds too much and is sometimes annoying but she is the best dog and she is all mine!!!