A Mom's Life

A real whodunit.

2012-01-28T10:00:00.003-05:00

I swept, vacuumed and mopped the kitchen floor on Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday afternoon, I swept the floor again and look at the amount of dirt, dust, grime, and crumbs in the dust pan. I have to sweep the kitchen floor daily or it looks like the floor of a barn. Although, I believe there are a few horses and cows out there that might take exception to that as they would claim they don't

PSA - "We're basically bathed in feces as a society."

2012-01-27T08:00:00.005-05:00

Lately, in fast food restaurants, I have been disgusted at the drink fountain. Why, you ask? What is the cause of your disgust, you ask? Well, let me tell you. Have you ever noticed that whenever you go for a plastic lid to cover your drink, you accidentally pick up 5 or 6 because they always stick together? Seriously, can you honestly think of a time when they did not stick together?

Well, I am older than she is!

2012-01-26T13:55:00.001-05:00

Sarah: Mommy, you look just like Mrs. Jennwa Me: A lot of people say that. Sarah: Well, you look just like her except you have way more wrinkles than she does. ahem In my defense, I am 4 years older than her. That counts for a few of the wrinkles, right? I mean she's still in her 30's for Pete's sake!

You've seen one pile, you've seen them all!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

Still on Monday's quick-cleaning high, yesterday I decided to tackle my dresser. Once again, 20 minutes was all it took to get rid of all of the old clothes and to refold everything. I tossed just as much as I kept. It is amazing how I like to hold on to old things just because I might want to wear it again. After looking at the toss pile, I realized most of the items hadn't been worn in 2 or

20 minutes? That's it?

2012-01-24T10:16:00.001-05:00

Yesterday after running a couple of miles, getting groceries, and doing 3 load of laundry, I tackled something that really needed to be done. I cleaned out my husband's armoire. Every time I put away a pair of his socks or a pair of his boxers I would think to myself, I really should straighten out these drawers. And every time I folded up a sweatshirt or a sweater, I would think to myself,

Pioneer Woman's Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries - A Review

2012-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

I recently made a recipe from the Pioneer Woman and wanted to give an honest review from a cook that has a lot to learn but still wants to make good food. Sometimes I even want to make fancy food so that's what prompted me to try Pioneer Woman's Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries. I'm sure Ree would say that these aren't fancy but around this house, any vegetable that didn't come

She dribbles. She shoots. Luckily, she misses.

2012-01-23T08:39:00.000-05:00

The little girl dribbled the ball. She took a shot. It bounced off the rim. Sarah was right underneath the basket and grabbed the rebound. Sarah took a shot. It bounced off the rim. Thank goodness it didn't go in because Sarah was playing defense. Oh, sweet Sarah. After weeks of telling her she needed to be more aggressive and go after the ball, she finally did it. In her excitement, she

7 Quick Takes

2012-01-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Is it Friday again? Already? Let's see what drivel I have to share with you guys today. 1. My husband has been out of town all week so I tend to let some things slide. Every evening after I kiss the kids good night and head downstairs, I can hear them playing in their rooms. This isn't a big deal. Typically Sarah will draw or write notes and Peter will read after I have tucked them in.

He's not a genie in a bottle.

2012-01-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

The kids did not want to go to school on Tuesday. They had enjoyed their long weekend and wanted it to continue so at bedtime on Monday night, they were putting cotton balls between their toes, putting spoons underneath their pillows and putting ice cubes in the toilet, all in an effort to get it to snow so that school would be cancelled. Now before you think my kids are totally crazy I should

If I ever invite you to dinner, just say no! There's no telling what you will find in my kitchen!

2012-01-18T08:53:00.000-05:00

What happens when you open a reusable sandwich Snack Packer, place a piece of bread in it, close it, place it in a drawer, forget to use the bread in it the next day as planned, and open it approximately 5 weeks later? What happens after you discover that the slice of bread is now covered, covered I tell you, in tiny black mold spores (and two fingerprints where you accidentally touched it

Discovery Place - Mummies of the World

2012-01-17T08:54:00.000-05:00

On Monday we had to head to Charlotte to pick Grampa up from the airport. Since the kids were home from school and Dan was home from work, we decided to make an afternoon of it! We drove through our old neighborhood to see how much it has changed in the last 6 years and we drove past our old house. We drove through the town down lived in before we got married and were shocked at all the

And it's not over yet!

2012-01-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

New England Patriots win! (Sorry Tim Tebow. I think you are a sweetheart but I had to pull for the Pats!) Pepper Jack Pimento Cheese Toasts shared with my husband. Basketball (Sarah actually touched tried to shoot a couple of times and passed the ball a couple of times. Her confidence is growing with each game.) Jenga, Old Maid, Connect Four and Candy Land. (When will that girl tire of

If I'm no help, then why do they keep asking me?

2012-01-14T07:32:00.000-05:00

Sarah: "Mom, what should we do? We're bored." Me: "Well, you could paint a picture, write a story, play Sing It on the Wii, play Just Dance on the Wii, watch TV, draw with the colored pencils, swing on the swing set, shoot baskets, color with chalk on the driveway, play dress up or play Hide and Seek." Sarah: "Let's go Cheyanne. Clearly Mom is no help."

7 Quick Takes

2012-01-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

It's Friday again so that means it's time for 7 Quick Takes. 1. Peter has had 4 tests this week. 4 tests! A religion test (memorizing and spelling correctly the Luminous Mysteries), a science test (memorizing all the bones, he gets extra points for spelling them correctly) a math test, and a 20 word spelling test. Whew! It's been a busy week with homework and studying but he has handled it

Because it's more than a silly old computer game.

2012-01-12T09:39:00.001-05:00

He loves computer games. And when he finds one he loves he plays it all the time. And when he is not playing it, he wants to tell me about it. All about it. About how it works, about what he can do in the game, about the tutorials he's found on YouTube that explain how to play the game better. About all the minutia of a game that I don't understand and don't really even want to understand.

Works for Me Wednesday - Put a Pin It Button at the end of your Blogger posts.

2012-01-11T10:41:00.001-05:00

Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to put a Pinterest Pin It button on your pinnable Blogger blog posts. Please note, there are other tutorials out there that show you how to put a Pin It button on every post automatically. That tutorial is nice if you have a lot of pinnable material and don't want to go through these steps each time. However, the tutorials I have seen don't let you

Anyone notice a theme?

2012-01-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

These are a couple of pictures I took during Sarah's ballgame last Saturday. She's in second grade so she can totally do this on her own. I think she just likes to be waited on!

What we mothers must suffer for our children.

2012-01-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

We have been enjoying Cuties since before Christmas. Cuties are, as their website puts it, Mandarin oranges that are super sweet, easy-to-peel, seedless, and kid sized. Last week I ran out of Cuties and swung by the grocery store to pick up another bag. But they were out! No biggie, I thought. I'll just grab a bag of tangerines. The next day, I sent one to school with each of them as

Beth's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

2012-01-09T19:46:00.002-05:00

If you've been to Carrabba's then you've probably had their sausauge and lentil soup. And if you've had their sausage and lentil soup then you probably love it. And if you love it then you probably want some more of it! I took a recipe that I found online at Food.com and made a few changes based on what I had in the pantry. We love it! Beth's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup 2

I really should consider saying "yes" more often.

2012-01-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

My best friend, Jennifer, invited us over on Friday night after dinner to roast marshmallows around a bonfire. Well, actually Jennifer's girls invited us over on Friday night after dinner to roast marshmallows around a bonfire. They invited us on Friday afternoon while they were over at our house playing. I told them they needed to call their mom first to make sure it was okay. I just love

7 Quick Takes Friday - Running Down a Dream

2012-01-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

After a two week running hiatus I am back on track. Get it? Back on track? I crack myself up sometimes! Anyway, I thought I would do my 7 Quick Takes about running since it is the new year and it seems that everyone loves to talk about exercise in January. 1. We don't normally exchange gifts but my husband surprised me with one of these for Christmas: It's a GPS watch! I run laps

Good job kid!

2012-01-05T09:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday after school, guitar, lessons, and allergy shots, Peter came right in and did all of his homework. Immediately. With no prompting from me. And with minimal complaining. He usually starts his homework right after school and it is my goal for him to finish it every afternoon before he plays. However, he has a lot of homework every day so I typically let him take a break before he

Lexington and Concord - Where it all began!

2012-01-04T06:30:00.001-05:00

While we were in Boston last week, we also visited Lexington and Concord. There is a new visitor's center in Lexington with some good exhibits according to Uncle Bob but it was closed. So we proceeded to Concord and the North Bridge. The North Bridge was the site of the first battle in the Revolutionary War. Grampa and Sarah outside of Buttrick Mansion which is the Visitor's Center at the

Jellies? Nope. The newest style from Crocs.

2012-01-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

This new style from Crocs look shockingly similar to a pair of red jellies I had in 1986. Next thing you know, perms and banana clips will be all the rage.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

2012-01-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

We took the kids to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston last week. Back in the early 90's, I was a huge fan of Claude Monet. I even had a framed print of The Artist's Garden at Giverny that hung over my bed for a long time. What can I say? I went through a lavender phase. I was very excited to discover that the MFA had several of Monet's works in their collect. While the didn't have the