This One's For My Sister.

My little sister and I have always been close. She will even still, occasionally pick up the phone when I call. What can I say...you know someone loves you when they dodge your phone calls! It shows they really know you!
I was drawing a blank when trying to come up with an F Bomb Friday post to link up with my cyber sister MiMi, so I stole one from my real life sister. I thought it would be safe to say she wouldn't care. If she does, well, she can just continue to dodge my phone calls.


My sister's name is Brooks. Not Brooke. Not Brooklyn. BROOKS. As in Garth, or ...& Dunn. If I thought I had it rough in the past with my name, she had it that much worse. It's a family name, and when it is actually spelled correctly (if ever) it is mostly attributed to a man. Mail usually comes to a MR. Brooks _____. If people knew she was female, they automatically deamed her a "Brooke". It used to drive her crazy, and me by extension.


One summer, we went to Minnesota to go fishing with our grandparents. While there, we met a couple of girls, and became BFF's. Or, at least wrote letters to each other for about a week after we got home.


When we were introducing ourselves to these girls (who shall remain nameless, because I can't remember their names) they kept screwing up my sister's name. Each time we'd cringe, but I just made sure to enunciate her name every time I said it.


Finally, she had had enough. Very politely, she corrected one of the girls. "My name is NOT Brooke. It's Brooks." To which the girl replied. "Oh. I know. But I don't like that name, so I decided to call you Brooke instead."


What the?!?! Who died and made you the patron saint of name changes?!

We spent the rest of the time trying desperately to come up with alternate names to call them, to no avail.  What can I say?  I was 12, and hadn't quite reached my witty potential...

Now it's your turn to go link up.  Actually, since I'm really late in posting, you probably already have.  If not...go do it!  You're such a slacker!

Don'tcha Know...

I am finally over my two day long horrible headache.  Not quite a migraine, but bad enough that I didn't want to do anything.  This is my explanation for why I was MIA the last two days, and why it might take me a while to get caught up with my besties.  Looking at the screen made me ill.  I still love you all though!  Give me a day or two, and I'll be all caught up on the goings on.   

Since I was not feeling up to par the last two days, I watched movies all afternoon.  I kinda like days like that, if only I could have one without feeling less than human, it would be complete bliss!  One of the movies I watched yesterday, is my copy of what I have decided will be June's Quince Quote selection.  When popping it in the DVD player, I realized something.  I am completely idiotic about certain things.  For example...two-sided DVDs.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  The discs that have "fullscreen" on one side and "widescreen" on the other...
Well, when you are putting the disc in, which side is which?  Do you put it in so that the side labeled what you want to watch is up, or down?  I have no idea.  These discs drive me crazy.  The Sandlot DVD I have is like that too, and it's obviously too complex for the mind of a simpleton.  I wonder if they do it to confuse people like me, so we will throw the disc at the wall, scratch it up, and have to buy another one. 
Nice one, disc-maker people.  Nice one. 

-Boo is in the process of potty-training.  She came in yesterday morning saying something about being sad.  It took my headache plagued brain a while to process what she was saying.  Apparently, Roon's most recent tactic to get Boo to use the potty, is to tell her that when she pees in her pull-up (which is actually a Pamper's easy up), she makes Dora sad.  Yes, her pull ups have Dora the Explorer on them.  I'm not sure whether it will help her train, or if it will just traumatize her.  Early test results show it doesn't make a bit of difference, though!

-After watching the season finale of Lost, Roon tried to explain to me what exactly just happened.  My main question that he wasn't able to answer was...if none of them knew, then how could they build the church together?  And, how could there be a church, in a place where there is no "here"?  He couldn't answer me.  Well, he could, but the answers made no sense.  Again, probably a concept that's too complex for me. 

-Monday night was the premier of "The Bachelorette".  To hear my thoughts on that, click

Planned Parenthood.

I originally typed up this post in hopes of it being a "Stick your foot in your mouth Monday" post, but since I am super busy today, I'll go ahead and post it anyway.  Of course I have plenty of these moments, because my mouth has no off button.  

Some people are planners, and some people aren't when it comes to family growth.  Roon and I never really planned how many children to have, or when to have them, but it just so happened to work out that by each child's first birthday, we were pregnant with another one.  All of these were planned, except Boo.   The positive side, is that we ended up with a child in each season of the year.  (Sissy-winter, Bubble-summer, Bug-spring, Boo-fall)
In many instances, the choice is made for very specific reasons.  If you're a teacher, you may opt to have your babies all around the same time, because then you can take your maternity leave, and then have the entire summer to bond with your baby.  I have a friend whose family lives on a farm.  She actually opts to be VERY pregnant in the heat of summer, because it's more convenient for their schedule to have a baby in the fall. 


My Mother In Law was no such person.  She did have Roon and his brothers all around the same time of year, but it was not necessarily her choice. 


One day, I attended a play group held at a splash park.  A lot of new women had moved into the area, so I was using this opportunity to get to know some of them. 
One sweet girl sat down next to me, and the subject came up of how several of her children had celebrated birthdays in the past couple of weeks, with the rest to follow in the next couple of weeks.  Seeing as how it was July or August, I gaped at how she could stand to have so many kids in the hottest part of the summer.  I, after all, had one in the summer, and vowed to never do it again.  She said it wasn't that bad, leading me to believe that it was something that she had maybe chosen to do.  For some women, convenience wins over comfort, any day. 
I told her about my mother in law, and how she had 3 kids, all of whom were born between the very tail end of June, and the end of July.  I said "my mother in law jokes that the reason she had them when she did, was because she only ovulated once a year." and then I laughed, because it was always kind of a family joke. 
She then said "yup, that's my problem." 
Assuming that everyone is pathologically sarcastic like I am, I giggled at her joke. 
An uncomfortable silence followed.  She then looks at me in all seriousness and disgust, and says "No really, it is."  After which, she stood promptly and walked away. 
OOPS!!!
Granted, I meant no harm in what I said.  I didn't even mean to make it sound like a bad thing to have all your kids in the same month.  I was only trying to make lighthearted conversation, but inadvertantly made her feel like she had to share some very personal information with me.  No matter how you spin it, I looked like a jerk.  A big, fertile, insensitive, jerk.

Let's hope my uncontrollable mouth isn't genetic!

And The Winner Is...

It was a really close contest this month.  There were only two participants, but they both did such a good job of either knowing or Googling the information required.  Great job ladies!  And, thanks for playing!  Before I announce the winner, I will go over the answers with you. 

What better way to kick off the summer, than with this movie:

Character who spoke the quote:  Michael "Squints" Palledorous (yes, I counted it if you just said "Squints")

Actor who played the character:  Chauncey Leopardi

Line delivered immediately before/after:  "What's wrong with him? - What's he doing?"  (Not quite sure who said it, there was a bunch of chaos with them all in the pool, but this was said AFTER the quote) 

"She knows exactly what she's doing" (Again, I'm not quite sure who said it, but I THINK it's Squints.  This was said BEFORE the quote).

Other memorable quotes:  "You're killin' me Smalls!"  Said by Ham, no fewer than 4 times throughout the movie.  This is the line I say most often in my day to day life. 

"If I had a dog, as ugly as you...I'd shave his butt, and make him walk backwards" said by Ham. 

"He's an L-7 wienie!"  said by Squints.

"FOR-E-VER" (repeated over and over, in slow motion)...said by Squints.  (We also use this one quite regularly.) 

Alright, enough of that... 

When all was said and done, the list looked like this: 

According to Random.org, the winner is...

Which means that MIMI is the winner!!!  Congrats girl!  Email me your address, or Facebook it to me...whatever suits your fancy, and I'll get your amazing prize package shipped early next week. 

Next Quince Quote is going to be posted on June 15th, but in addition, I have a new giveaway/contest starting up June 1st, and extending to the end of June.  You're gonna wanna play...trust me!

Love Letters, They Are Not.

It's Thursday, so I'm linking up with Shortmama for her "Dear Someone" letters.  After you read mine, head on over and and join in the fun!


Dear Boo,

Which is it?  Potty training yes, or potty training no.  I gotta say, it's the indecisiveness that is driving me crazy.  I'm not in a huge hurry to have you out of diapers, but I would have to say that the sooner the better.  Furthermore...why do you only go potty for Daddy?  I'm home with you all day, and nothing.  You're at the store with Daddy, and you go.  Do you not know that public bathrooms are gross? 

Signed,
You're one size away from wearing adult diapers...
Mommy


Dear New Dentist,

I heart you.  You did a great job, and I am really diggin' the evening and weekend hours.  I must admit that I was a little weary when I had a problem with your receptionist while scheduling my first appointment, but it all turned out for the best. 

Signed,
One happy new customer...
Sami


Dear Roon,

I don't heart the new dentist like I heart you, so I hope you don't  feel weird when the two of you go out Home Teaching.  Oh, and while I've got your attention...thanks for working so hard.  Your awesomeness amazes me, as does your willingness to work overtime.  That will really come in handy when we travel this summer to see your relatives.  Furthermore, thanks for doing the majority of your overtime from home.  As much as I love your children, I am definitely ready to "clock out" by 5:00.  Having you here, allows me to do that. 

Love,
Since you got a raise, do I get one too?
Sami


Dear Quince Quote Giveaway,

I'm afraid I may have "jumped the shark" when I started you up.  I mean, I thought it was a great idea, but the fact that so few people ENTER says otherwise.  I sure hope I don't have to delay your existence in the future due to lack of interest. 

Signed,
I guess people don't love movie quotes as much as I do.
Sami


Dear Sissy,

I'm pretty sure you're not sick today, but I couldn't run the risk of you getting sent home early.  I believed you that your stomach hurt, right up to when you asked for a snack one hour after school started.  Now, I'm just wondering what exactly you were trying to avoid at school.  If I weren't sure the school nurse would take your temperature right after gym again, I so would have sent you to school.  Just so you know, you had better throw up, or staying home will not be on the agenda for tomorrow. 

Love,
I'm pretty sure they made sugar pills for people like you...
Mommy

More of Me to Love!

This week has been bad, ya'll.  After my last muffin top post, I got on the scale just to see how much I had progressed.  The week before, I had done really well.  Not perfect, but really well.  My clothes even seemed to fit better, and my "muffin top" seemed to bulge out a little less.  When I got on the scale, I was UP 8 pounds from the time before.  Granted, some of that was probably water weight, but still...8 pounds is a LOT!!!  I had already been kind of on a downward spiral into a "funk" as I like to call it, so this did not help matters any.  As a result, Roon and I threw caution to the wind, and didn't worry much this week about our "diet".  To my surprise, I got on the scale this morning, and I had lost 3 pounds.  Go figure...

I'm back in the saddle now, and the topic of discussion is snacking. 

I'm not a big snacker.  I mean, I have a hard time snacking during the day.  Usually, if I feel hungry, I ignore it because I'm too lazy to go find myself something, especially if it is during quiet time.  Mainly, I think I don't snack because I feel guilty eating during times when my kids are awake, unless I also get them a snack.  I don't want to get them used to snacking all day long, so I just don't do it.  Otherwise I would be a "closet snacker" where my kids find me hidden in the pantry with Cheeto crumbs on my face, and an Oreo grin.  Oh, I just had a flashback to "Midnight Madness"!  Do you remember that movie? 

Moving on...

When I get my kids a snack, I tend to not like any of the options I usually give them, so I end up not having a snack at all. 

Once the kids are in bed...I graze.  Roon and I will pop some popcorn, pull out some left over candy, and that's usually the time we will indulge on a delightfully large caffeinated beverage.  DEFINITELY not a good idea. I tell myself it's my "unwinding time", and that I earned it, when in reality, I have just undone all my healthy efforts throughout the day. 

I have made an effort to do better, by buying some Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches for when I need something sweet, and some Quaker mini rice cakes for when I need something with a crunch. 

I wish I could say that I'm cutting out my soda, but I still can't do it.  Nor can I switch to diet.  I know they say that "Diet Dr. Pepper tastes more like regular Dr. Pepper"...but it just isn't so!  I have cut WAY back in the amount of soda I drink, so I'd call it progress. 

I like fresh fruit, and usually have that on hand, but it's never "prepared", so it's always so much work to put in just to have a snack.  I think my game plan this next week is going to be to prepare my fruits (strawberries, canteloupe, pineapple, etc.) so that it is a quick snack to grab.  Maybe if I snack on healthy stuff during the day, my grazing at night will be less likely or severe.  Or, I will reach for the fruit as opposed to a less healthy option when I need something. 

If you haven't joined in yet, DO IT NOW!!!  It's a great support system.  I know that I can use all the help and advice I can get. 

 

DVR-Stating

It is no secret that Roon and I love TV.  You may recall that it is not at all uncommon for us to have our DVR get backed up to the point of full, before getting caught up. 

After the kids were in bed last night, Roon and I settled in to watch our shows, when we were struck by a devastating realization.  That is, that next year, our DVR will be much easier to manage.  It was almost humorous, as we looked through our "schedule" to see what all we would be losing...

24
Lost
How I Met Your Mother
CSI
Grey's Anatomy
The Office
Law and Order SVU
The Bachelorette
Law and Order
CSI Miami
Scrubs
Monk
Numb3rs
Oprah Winfrey
Rules of Engagement
Psych
Til Death
The Bill Engvall Show
Criminal Minds
The Big Bang Theory
Mythbusters
SNL
The Mole
Kath and Kim
The Bachelor
In the Motherhood
Here Come the Newlyweds
Dating in the Dark
Community
Private Practice
The Middle
Modern Family
Undercover Boss

This is our list of scheduled shows.  The ones highlighted, have either been canceled for some time, or will be ending with the conclusion of the current season.  It's not a dramatic change, but it's enough to make us go awww...

Topping our list of favorites is 24.  I love me some Jack Bauer.  Roon gets a special thrill when he hears the intro, with the stopwatch, and the words "viewer discression is advised".  I, on the other hand, get a special thrill out of seeing a hot patriotic guy doing his duty with his ripped body for this country.  Oh how I'll miss it!  I would say I'm going to miss "Lost" as well, but to be honest...I just can't wait to have it all finally make sense.  I hope it's not a crushing disappointment!  
I'm especially sad to see Law and Order go.  Mainly because I've never really known a time WITHOUT Law and Order.    It was like some of the seasonings in my spice cupboard.  Not sure how long they've been around, (you know it's been a while)...yet there's something comforting about knowing they're there when you need them. 

Is it sad that my DVR has been getting a better spring cleaning than the rest of my house?  Wait, don't answer that...

For those of you keeping score, you may also notice that Dr. Oz was MIA from my list.  Yeah.  I had to give him the boot.  Just didn't have time.  I was 40 episodes behind at one point.  Live long and prosper, Dr. Oz...

DON'T FORGET!!! There's still time to enter my Quince Quote giveaway this month!  Click HERE to enter...

QUINCE DE MAYO!!!

If you thought the only thing to celebrate during the month of May, was Cinco de Mayo, you would be wrong.  There's also Quince de Mayo!  Okay, if you are keeping score, there would also be Mother's day.  And, if you are me, there is also a plethera of family birthdays, anniversaries, not to mention my best friend Lady's birthday too.  But, most importantly, it is time for my next Quince Quote! 

I will pause while you all do the dance of joy...

Done?  Good. 

Before I give you the next quote, allow me a moment to entice you to enter this time.  I promise...you will not regret it!  Need proof?  Myya was ecstatic with her prize, and Heather couldn't have been happier with hers either.  Still not convinced it's a contest worth entering?  Well...I don't know what else to say.  They have pills for that kind of crazy!

Alright, I've put this off long enough...
Without further ado, here is this month's Quince Quote:

"I've been coming here every summer of my adult life, and every summer there she is oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling... smiling. I can't take this no more!"

Now, here are your chances for winning:

1. Blog about my giveaway.  This will now earn you 2 entries!  You don't even have to guess the quote right!  I just need to get some more people interested, or I'll end up cycling through each and every one of my regular readers, several times over.  
2. NEW!!!  Follow my blog!  Now, I'm not one of those people who wants a ton of followers.  I mean, they're nice, but I really want people to follow me who would love to get to know me, and become bloggy friends.  Therefore, I am adding a stipulation to this one.  IF you are not one of my regular commenters, and you begin following me to get an entry, you now have to read at least one other post of mine, and comment on it.  This will prove that you actually give 2 figs, before I spend my time and money making you a CUSTOM prize package.  Got it?  Good.  
3. CORRECTLY guess the movie the aforementioned quote came from.  If you're right, you have an entry.  This is what GOOGLE was made for, people!
4.  Name the character who delivered the quote. 
5. Name the actor/actress who played the character who delivered the quote.  Again, this is what Google was made for, people!
6. Name the line delivered either directly before or after the quote. 
7. Name another memorable quote from the same movie.  If you make me laugh, I'll throw in a BONUS entry!  This is unlimited, so now's the time to prove you know your stuff! 

There you go!  Please leave a comment on THIS POST for each of the 7 things.  I'm no mathmetician, and I'm easily confused.  Don't let the prize go to someone else because I spotted something shiny, please! 
You have until Thursday, May 20, 2010 at midnight central time, and I will announce the winner on the 21st.  It could be you!  Or you.  Or you...who knows?!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR PLAYING!

F-Bomb Friday...3 Fold

Since I'm a slacker, and didn't post yesterday, I must start out this post by saying:  HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY MIMI!!!  I just love that girl!  Obviously-since I link up with her every week.  Plus, I stalk her constantly, not only through the blogosphere, but also through Facebook.  There's just nowhere she can hide!  Hope your birthday was great!  You don't look a day over 21!

So, this F-Bomb Friday post is a 3 part special.  No, I'm not going to split them up into different posts, but they may seem a little scattered, if I don't group them by individual "episodes".  For those of you who know me in real life, you already know "episode 1" because I blogged about it back in October, on the family blog.  I also must preface this by saying that I have learned one thing in my life that I know for sure.  Never trust someone who goes out of their way to say they hate drama.  Especially if they mention it out of the blue.  They are usually the biggest drama queens around!  Here it goes...

EPISODE 1:
It all started when I went to a PTO meeting at the end of last school year.  I decided that I wanted to play an active role in my children's school, but I knew I couldn't devote too much time, since I had 2 little ones at home.  Luckily, there was an "assistant" position open.  I jumped at the chance.  Throughout the summer and the beginning of the school year, I did everything I was asked.  Most of the things I was asked to do by "bosswoman"   had nothing to do with my particular PTO job, but I was okay with that.  I was clear with her that I could only be at the school a set number of hours a week.  She SAID she was fine with that.  I thought we were friends.  As the demands she put on me got more and more great, I started refusing.  Not so much refusing to help as forcing her to choose which of several things she wanted help with.  She got more and more pushy.  With every phone call and email, she laid the guilt on thicker.  "You signed up to help, and you need to help".  Having enough guilt on me already as a mother, I started dodging her phone calls.  I let her know when I would be at the school, and told her I would be happy to meet her during those times.  The last straw was when she called me one Sunday evening to yell at me for being useless.  She basically said that it was all or nothing.  I could either be her "assistant" or I could hit the road. 
I graciously packed my bags.  So much for that "friend" idea...

Episode 2:
A month or so after "the phone call" I received a notification from Facebook.  Bosswoman wanted to be my friend.  Needless to say, I was shocked!  I thought after the way we left things, being friends with me would be the furthest thing from her mind.  I didn't know what to do.  So, I posed the question to my Facebook friends...
I wrote a status that said something along the lines of "someone friended me who I thought hated me.  What would you do?"  I received several bits of advice, and was going to let it sit a day or two to see how I felt about it.  Only, I got an email.  From bosswoman.  It was about two pages long.  It started out with a statement that basically said "I'm assuming all the commotion on Facebook has been about me." 
WHAT THE CRAP?!
How did she even know about that?!  We're not friends!  Oh, but my settings were set up so that people in my "network" could see my status.  She could see my status.  DANGIT!!! 
To make a long story short, I emailed her back and forth a little, explaining that it was in fact, her I was talking about.  But, I explained, that it was not meant to be ugly.  I just had a different view of our friendship, obviously.  After several more emails of her spewing her drama all over me, I blocked her email address, and went merrily on my way.  For the past few months, I had seen no trace of bosswoman at the school, so I thought she had moved. 

Episode 3:

A week ago, I was approached by a friend who needed help with the book fair.  She explained that it had recently been dumped on her.  Since the Book Fair was one of bosswoman's jobs, I concluded that this meant my suspicion was correct, and that she must have moved away.  I volunteered enthusiastically, secure in my mind that it wouldn't mean a very tense interaction with the bosswoman. 

Wednesday, I arrived at the school, walked into the book fair, and my heart sank.  There. Was. Bosswoman.  Crap on a cracker!!!  Now what do I do?! 

Well...what every person who detests confrontation would do, of course!  I smiled politely and pretended that nothing had happened! 
Luckily, she and I are apparently both pros at making the best of an uncomfortable situation.  Although, she mentioned Facebook, and people she is friends with on Facebook, she never brought up the incident.  We made pleasant conversation, and got along alright. 
 I guess the moral of the story...is check your settings.  You could avoid a lot of embarrassment in the long run, if you know exactly who can see you... Or, maybe it should be as Thumper says "if you can't say something nice...don't say nothin' at all!"  To each his own, really. 

So, I know this is already incredibly long...I so sorry!  But now it's your turn to go link up with MiMi, and wish her a happy belated birthday.  Hey, I just realized next year, her birthday will be Friday the 13th...ooo-spooky! 

 I also want to remind everyone that tomorrow...8 am (while I'm in the dentist chair), my next Quince Quote is scheduled to post.  I need players!  Come one, come all!  There are even more chances to win this time.  I know you really want to!

Like Saddlebags!

Hey all!  This will most definitely be an abbreviated post, because I am very tired.  Today was my volunteer day at the school, but more on that later.  As in, Friday-linking up with MiMi later. 

Today, for the Muffin Top journey, we're talking vacations.  Now, when I hear the word "vacation" I think of beautiful sandy beaches, and clear blue water as far as the eye can see.  I also picture some scantily clad hunk of a man teaching me how to snorkel...but then I remember that Roon can't swim. 
I'm thrust back into reality, as plans get underway for our real "vacation" this year.  A 24 hour car ride (one way) to visit the in laws in wonderful-ly frigid Star Valley, Wyoming!  Not quite the way I planned to spend my 10th wedding anniversary, but nothing screams ROMANCE more than sleeping in your in laws basement with your kids right outside the door.  Let's get it on...

Back on subject here...

I am usually the type of person who leaves my diet at home.  But, I now realize that the fat follows you wherever you go...kind of like saddlebags.  If you want to get rid of it, you have to stay consistent.  I think that Roon and I are making great strides in our planning towards meeting our goals. 

1. We plan to pack lots of fruit, veggies, string cheese, water, and sandwich fixings into a cooler.  Rather than stopping for fast food on our journey, we will stop at grocery stores instead, and restock our rations.  The MOST we plan to eat out each day (of 4 days in the car) is one meal a day.  For those meals, I plan to make healthy-er choices.  Maybe NOT going large size...
2. We also plan to make a menu of meals, and bring along recipes.  My in laws are not exactly well known for planning and executing meals, so I knew that if I didn't take matters into my own hands, I would most likely lose my children to a cheese puff coma by the end of the 3rd day.  NOT PRETTY!!! 
3. We also hope to be able to continue (I say continue as if we've actually been doing it.  Please pretend that you believe me) our exercise regimine, by taking walks together.  I know I'll need the one on one time with the hubby, and so I like to think it would be hand in hand, and include lots of conversations about our plans for the future.  In reality, it will most likely include one or more children, and lots of yelling:  "BOO GET OUT OF THE STREET!!!"

So, there you have it.  I told you it would be abbreviated.  That is how we plan to handle our diet while vacationing. 

If you have any ideas you would like to share, click on the button, and go link up.  I think it's better than Weight Watchers...because it's FREE!!!

Mother's Day FAIL

I don't know why I'm surprised.  I really shouldn't be.  Every year, my children fail to give me what I ask for for Mother's Day.  Why should this year have been any different? 

Now, before you all get up in arms, or annoyed that this is going to be a grumpy post about how horrible my children were... keep reading. 

Usually, I simply ask my children for "peace and quiet" or for "my children to not fight all day".  This year, I decided to try a different tactic. 

"This year, for Mother's Day, you know what I want?"  I asked my children 3 days prior.

"Peace and quiet." The older 3 answered in unison.

"Nope.  This year, I want it to be loud.  I want you to fight!  I want you to make messes, and throw tantrums.  That, would make me super happy on Mother's Day."

*Stunned silence*

We did the majority of our celebrating on Saturday.  On our way to Six Flags, we stopped by James Avery to buy my present(s).   The kids were (for the most part) perfect ladies and gentlemen in this fancy "don't touch anything" store.  At Six Flags, the kids were a dream come true!  NO FIGHTING!  NO WHINING!  NO TANTRUMS!  We were having such a good time, that we failed to leave around "normal" dinner time.  I was hesitant to take them out to eat in a sit down establishment, because I felt like I was pressing my luck.  But, ultimately, my desire for some Posados Mexican food won out over reason.  It was nearly 8 by the time we reached the restaurant.  But, again, NO FIGHTING!  NO WHINING!  NO TANTRUMS!  EVERYONE ATE THEIR FOOD!  Absolute bliss!  Even on the hour long drive home, everyone was happy. 

As Roon and I were getting ready for bed that night, Roon told me "THIS is Mother's Day.  No matter what happens tomorrow...just hold onto this.  This, is your Mother's Day."

I agreed.

However...Sunday was more of the same.  The kids were great during church.  I actually got to eat my Mother's Day chocolate BEFORE the children found it.  The kids were angels.  No fighting, whining, or tantrums.  Roon made me a wonderful dinner, and I got lots of hugs and kisses. 

I have never been more pleased to have my children not listen to me!

Mission...Baby Shower.

What seems like an eternity ago, I hinted about a top secret project I was working on.  Can you even remember that far back?  Well, in case you can't, click HERE and read #4 on the list.  Yeah, so much for the plan of posting about it by the end of the month, huh?
Oh well...I suppose sometimes life happens.  Anyway, the top secret project I was referring to, was a surprise baby shower, for my friend Baub.  I have mentioned her before...HERE.  Anyway, obviously, I couldn't mention what my project was, because I have no idea if she reads my blog or not.  I think I sent her the link, but since she's never commented, I have no way to know for sure. 
Wanna know the details?  If not, then stop reading right now, or you'll be bored senseless. 


THE INVITATION:

This was printed out on vellum, and then was attached to the front of next picture with raffia, that was kind of a rusty orange color.  I guess I should mention it's a boy, and his name is going to be Jack.  Kind of a crucial fact to know so the rest of the party makes sense...

Here is the "back" part of the invite.  I had custom designed address labels that were baby boy themed, and the invites had an insert card that explained that if they brought a package of diapers to "pamper" the baby, they would be entered to win a prize.  I obviously blanked out the info like my address and phone number, but the rest should be fairly legible...
Just in case it's not, it says:  "The forecast is here, they're predicting a BOY!  To fill the _____ home with a little more joy.  Let's pamper the mom, before the baby arrives.  But you must keep it quiet, because it's a SURPRISE!"
Then, it gives all the lovely details.  People seemed to like them, at least, they told me they did...

THE FOOD:

For the party food, we went with a whole "JACK" theme, down to these cupcakes with a blue jack on top. 

And how can you have a "jack" themed refreshment table without hitting the obvious?!  You can't!  If I would have missed this, I would have failed at life. 
Other "jack" themed food included pepperJACK cheese, coJACK cheese, (these had crackers, of course) and "JACKpot of gold queso".  We also had fruit, for a little variety.  The refreshment table and gift table were covered with jacks as well.  I know, I'm amazing.  A JACK of all trades, you could say! 

The punch (obviously forgot to take a picture BEFORE the party.  Can we say, loser?!) caused quite the commotion before the guest of honor arrived.  turns out, when you put blue food coloring directly into a bottle of ginger ale, and stir it with a bamboo skewer, it EXPLODES!  Who knew?!  It was supposed to look like a bath, with duckies floating in it, but after the first explosion, I hesitated to do anything else with it.  So, it was murky bathwater, instead...

While we waited for Lady to go get Baub, (who thought the three of us were going on a girl's night out) the ladies played a rousing game of "spot the pacifier".  We had 12 pacifiers hidden throughout the party zone, and they were to keep track of how many they could find. 
Once Baub arrived, (and she was totally in the dark until she started to spot a few familiar cars on my street) we had refreshments, opened presents, and revealed the answers to the game. 
She got some good stuff, and added quite a few diapers to her stash.  She loved that I had even sent invites to her out of state family members, who mailed packages to my house.  I have officially earned the title "sneaky". 

As the guests were leaving, they each got a party favor...

It was some candy, wrapped in tulle, with a note and a baby spoon attached.  The note, in case you can't read it, said:  "You played a'rollo' in surprising Mom, and helped us to pamper the little one.  With a bit of luck, He'll be here 'spoon', bringing such 'joy' they'll be over the moon!  Thanks so much for coming!"

Obviously, the candy included was a couple Rollos and a fun sized Almond Joy. 

And, that, my friends, is one way to shower...

Wanna hire me to do your next party?  Apparently, it would be a party....AND a show!

My Fair Lady

To say that I hit the jackpot would be an understatement.  Almost 4 years ago, we moved into our house.  On that very day, I met my next door neighbor.  You all know her now, as Lady.  She is my best friend.  She shares my love for Dr. Pepper, and is like me in many more ways than we differ.  For those of you who watch Private Practice...she's my "anyway friend".   In case you don't know what that means, you can play this clip from the show.  I warn you in advance, it is Private Practice, so there is some stuff going on in this clip that may not be appropriate for young viewers...




Lady is one person I know I can call in the middle of the night for ANYTHING.  She listens to me vent, supports me through difficult times, but never lets me wallow.  She will let me get whatever is bothering me off my chest, and then she kindly points out the bright side.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful friend as a next door neighbor. 

Today is her birthday.  I would like to take this opportunity to say "SURPRISE!" and to share a few pictures fo the two of us, over the last few years.  Please excuse the photo quality...I totally stole them off her Facebook page, because she always has a camera, and I never do...

She doesn't hesitate to capture a memory, even if we're not looking our hottest...

She's always there when I feel like acting like a silly teenager.  She doesn't even laugh at me for it.  (The third girl in the picture is our friend, Baub.  I've mentioned her before.)

We help each other stretch our creative muscles...

Like when we made these shirts.

She never lets me do stupid things...alone.

Did I mention we both prefer contacts?

She's loads of fun on a double date.  And then, since we are terrible at making decisions, we can make the husbands pick what we do.  Good thing they get along too!

She loves to play games, can talk some serious trash, but ultimately will be a big ol' baby (just like me) when we lose.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADY!!!  I LOVE YOU!!!

"Insanity is Hereditary...You Get It From Your Children" ~Sam Levenson

I don't usually post on the weekends, but some things are just too important to let them slip by...

This is a picture of me and my mommy.  It was taken 5 years ago, but is probably the most recent picture I have of just the two of us.  I love her.  I've always loved her.  But, I began to appreciate her more once I had my own children.  

I am the second oldest of 5. My parents had 3 girls, and decided to try just "one more time" for a boy. Then they got twin boys. Ask and you shall receive!
I am just like my mother in almost every way.  We look alike, we sound alike, and (Heaven help the world!) we have the same sense of humor.  She's taught me how to be a mom, a friend, and how to serve others.  She's held my hand on my medical roller coaster, and told me everything would be okay, even though I'm sure she was more scared than I was. 


My kids called my mom  "mean Grandma" for a while, because I learned how to raise and creatively discipline my children, from her.  I'm sure they'll thank her one day, when they have children, and often receive compliments on their behavior.  I know I thank her now! 

I love you Mommy!  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I hope all you other wonderful mommies out there are having an absolutely wonderful day!  Personally, I am trying out my "ask for the opposite of what you want" theory.  So, here's hoping there is tons of fighting, crying, tantrums, and messes for me to clean up.  That...is my wish.

And now for your viewing pleasure...my absolute favorite Mother's Day video of all time!  ENJOY!

Let's Put It To A Vote...

I just wanted to take a moment to direct your attention to my right sidebar.  Nice, huh?  What I'm talking about is the poll. 

You may remember in the past, when I have done reports/updates about the Bachelor.  Well, the new season of the Bachelorette is set to start on May 24th, and I just wanted your opinion on whether or not this was something you would be interested in again.  I know that many of you did not watch last season, but still enjoyed my updates, but I don't want to bore you if you really don't care to know about the staged for TV drama. 

So, tell me what you think.  I will leave the poll up there until the 23rd, and majority rules!

Missing Bombs and Nostalgia

On Fridays, I usually link up with my pal MiMi for her meme, but today I fail at life!  I couldn't think of anything to write about.  Okay, that's not entirely true.  The only thing I COULD think of was really lame, and didn't seem to warrant a link up.  Wanna know what it was?


I burnt dinner last night.  Like, REALLY burnt dinner.  It was a crock pot recipe, that we had never tried before.  The recipe called for it to be cooked on LOW for 6 1/2 hours.  Well, my crock pot is kind of retarded.  You have the option to cook things on HIGH for either 4 or 6 hours, or on LOW for 8 or 10 hours.  Naturally, I selected the 8 hours on low setting, and went about my day.  Well, I'm not used to having to check things in the crock pot before it's about time for Roon to get home.  At 2:00, dinner was smelling pretty good.  By 4, however, it was smelling much less appealing.  I went over to look in on it, and to add the other ingredients, and noticed that what used to be meat, was now very similar in appearance to charcoal briquettes.  Not wanting to admit defeat, I called Roon and told him that dinner "might" not be good anymore.  I just couldn't bring myself to tell him that I had ruined $10 worth of meat.  When he got home, I told him to check it.  He looked in the crock pot, and you know what he said? 
"You making a burnt offering?"
Needless to say, we took advantage of the fact that it was "spirit night" at Chick fil A...
See...told you it was lame.


Here's some more random stuff from around here...


I've been busy writing up and queueing a lot of blog entries lately.  I know that with the end of school, I'm going to be super busy, so I've been trying to be a good little girl scout, and prepare.  I also came up with a BRILLIANT idea (if I do say so myself...) for a game to play with ya'll the entire month of June, so I've beeen pre-writing a few posts for that too.  If I don't visit you early in the day (like I normally do), or respond to your comments in a timely manner, please forgive me.  It doesn't mean I love you any less...


I have been lost in a fit of nostalgia for a month now.  Why?  Because I stumbled across this:

in the store, right around Easter time.  Not only that, but I learned that this:

was available to rent from Netflix.  I challenge anyone to watch this:

and not be automatically transported back to the early 90s!  Of course, that isn't the first season's intro.  If you want to see that one, click HERE.  They didn't have an option to embed it. 
Roon never watched the show growing up, so he laughs every time I start "do do dooing" along with the theme song.  He doesn't think it's nearly as awesome as I do.  Of course, when I watch it, I'm a 9 year old girl again, and when he watches it, he's just a  31 year old man, watching Doogie Howser.  Why is that not awesome?!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Dear Someone...

Dear Roon,

I always knew you were a super hero, but I always thought your powers were more geared towards nerdy computer things.  Now know that calling you "not mechanically inclined" is no longer accurate.  Way to go, changing the radiator by yourself, and saving us $100!  You rock my world, baby! 
See, I can write you a letter without being snarky...
By the way, you forgot to take out the kitchen garbage this morning.  (Okay, I ALMOST wrote you a letter without being snarky...)

Love,
I shouldn't have laughed at you, and made fun of your mechanic skills...
Sami


Dear Cooking Magazine,

What the crap is a "celery rib"?  I've heard of celery stalks, and I've even heard of celery hearts, but ribs?  I took a guess, but it sure looks like there's a disproportionate amount of celery in the crock pot now.  Yes, I could have Googled it, but if I have to Google terms in your magazine, I don't think it should be categorized as a "Simple and Delicious" recipe.  I'm just sayin'...

Signed,
Who do you think I am, Julia Child?!
Sami


Dear Kids in my Sunday School Class,

I'm really glad that you like me, and all, but I think it was a little harsh of you to tell your teacher, that alternates with me, that you don't like her anymore.  Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered, but that doesn't exactly sound like something you should be saying in church.  Got it?  Next time, just smile and nod, and know that I will be teaching the next week okay? 

Signed,
Really?  My lessons are "interesting"?!
Sister Carter


Dear Texas Heat,

So, we meet again...  Why not?  It's May, after all, so flirting with 100 degree temperatures is about right.  But, if you could do me a favor, and let up long enough for us to enjoy a day OUTSIDE on Saturday, I promise, I will tolerate you the rest of the summer. 

Reluctantly,
Who am I kidding?  You can't read!
Stir-crazy Texas Mama

Alright everyone!  I know you've got to have one or two letters rolling around in your brains that you wish you could send too...  SO DO IT!!!  Pay a visit to our wonderful hostess SHORTMAMA, write up, and link up.  It's as easy as pie...Marie Calendar's style!

The Proof Is In The Pictures

It's Wednesday, and since I'm still not a foxy mama, you know that means I am linking up with ShortMama for her muffin top extravaganza!  Okay, so it's not really called that, but if you want to learn more, you can click the now familiar button up at the top of my post.  It's FUN!!!

The challenge this week is to let our pictures do the talking.  After all, I can claim to be eating granola and barley, and in fact have my pantry stuffed with Oreos, and my freezer stocked with Ben and Jerry's.  There's just no way for you to know for sure...until now. 

You may have noticed that I don't often post pictures.  Why is this?  Well, because I suck at photography.  I mean, BAD.  I usually let Roon handle the camera, because even our sad little auto Nikon intimidates me.  I can't even imagine having a fancy camera!  So, yeah, please excuse the picture quality, because that is why I pay people to take shots of my family annually.  I even took the pics myself.  You. Are. Welcome.

Here is my fridge.  Pretty standard.  What's in it?  Well...proof that it needs to be cleaned out, that's what's in it! 

On the top shelf, you can see some eggs, peach preserves (for a new recipe we tried), my yogurt, some deli meat, and some guacamole, which has obviously been exposed to the air. 

In our deli drawer, there is some more deli meat, some various cheeses, pepperoni, canadian bacon, etc. 

On the middle shelf, you will notice a costco sized bag of string cheese.  Takes us about a month to get through it, it's a quick and easy snack for anyone.  You'll also see a pound of lean ground beef (left over from the 2 pound package I used to cook dinner on Monday), the kids' yogurt, celery, some breakfast sausages (this is one thing the kids like to have for breakfast.  Eggs and sausages.) There are also more eggs, and a Rubbermaid container, I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what's in it.  This is the case with most, if not all of our Rubbermaid containers.  They are really just science experiments, from the second we put them in the fridge.  Did I mention we are horrible at eating leftovers?

On the bottom shelf, is our milk, water, jam for the kids' PB&J's, mayonaisse (I know, but I only use a tablespoon, and it's not very often, but I can't stand a dry sandwich), and some leftover queso from a mexican dinner night we had. 

In the bottom drawers we have at least 3 bags of salad, half a dozen tomatoes, a cucumber or two, and some strawberries. 

In the door of the fridge, you will find first that the door is broken.  Nice, huh?  I think it's a family omen of mine to have packing tape holding my door shelves together.  Did I mention a new fridge is on the list?  Anyway, food wise, you will see lots of salad dressings and condiments.  There is some whipped cream in there from Christmas, and there is some maple syrup, but everything else is fairly inocuous.  Most, if not all of the salad dressings are low fat, or fat free, and while I do use butter, it is only for cooking and baking.  We have a tub of margarine (somewhere) for the instances where we need spreadable butter product. 

This freezer is pretty sad.  Most of the food we actually eat (meat, etc.) is out in our deep freeze.  In this one, you will notice some extra butter and margarine, some frozen vegetables, frozen juice concentrates, freezer burnt ice cream and some leftover cookie dough from the school fundraiser.  There are a few frozen dinners (Smart Ones) for me, when I need a fast lunch, and there's also chicken nuggets for a quick meal when we don't have time to really cook for the kids.  If you dig deeper, you can probably find some Rhode's bread dough, and my Scentsy bars.  I heard that if you keep them in the freezer, they last longer, though that could just be an urban legend.  By the way...who doesn't have a fridge farm?  I think it's a staple for every American family!

Watch yourself...we are now journeying into---the Twilight Zone.  Oh, I mean, my pantry.

Here are the top two shelves.  Top shelf is chips (pretzel sticks and Lays Sour Cream and Onion for the kids, Sun Chips for me) some Oreos (which I'm sure were left from a pie I made to take someone who had just had a baby), fruit snacks (in the Rubbermaid bowl), then cereal and juice boxes.  By the way, I do NOT call Capri Suns "juice bags" because I think it sounds dirty.  They are juice boxes to me, so there ya go.  You can't see from the picture that I have some Total Raisin Bran up there for me.  The sugary cereal is all for the kids. 

On the second shelf, you will find a lot of pastas, pop tarts (for the kids), oatmeal, crackers, and about 4 years worth of hot cocoa mixes.  Not very good at throwing things away...

On the top shelf of this picture (the third shelf, in real life) you will find a lot of cooking/baking stuff.  Rice, cornstarch, ice cream salt, baking soda...etc.  There is also some leftover s'more stuff from last summer, leftover Cracker Jacks and crackers from the baby shower I threw, Nesquik, Country time lemonade, rice, peanut butter, and the really yummy Special K bars I got from Mamarazzi during the Spring swap. 

On the next shelf, there is flour, sugar, Bisquick, flavored bread crumbs for cooking, canned mushrooms, brown sugar, canned tuna, an onion, and various tomatoe products.  You may even be able to find a jiffy pizza crust mix or two in there too...

The last shelf has some canned vegetables and soup (for cooking with, and eating by themselves), extra syrup and salad dressing, canned fruit, and some olive oils, balsamic vinegar, white vinegar, etc. 

In this last picture, you can see that I also have Ramen noodles (which my kids love, and call "brown noodles").  On my pantry floor, I have extra juice boxes, and an extra jug of juice, as well as my spare bottled water.  I also have some grapefruits that Boo apparently relocated there, and yet more Cracker Jacks, from the baby shower. 

Why is my pantry such a disorganized mess?  Well, because Boo likes to "cook" in there while I make dinner.  It keeps her occupied, so I don't have to fight with her, but it doesn't do much for any organizational system I set up.  Maybe someday, I'll be able to organize it...

I'm almost done, I promise!  Here is our "bread box".  Although, it is always overflowing.  This is because our kids love sandwiches and french toast (MAJOR bread users), then you have my "flat out" flatbread wraps, and tortillas.  Next to the toaster we also have some bagels, and some whole grain English Muffins, but I didn't want to post more pictures than I had to...

FINALLY, we have our fruit.  This bowl is usually overflowing with apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, etc. but since payday is Friday, our supplies are pretty well depleted.  We do have a pineapple though!  Mmmm pineapple!

So, there you go!  I know it's not as great as it could be, but one of my goals is to actually purge my pantry and fridge, and then it should have even less junk food than it does now.  I'm out of chocolate (heaven help us all!) right now, or I would show you my stash of that, as well. 

If you feel like joining in, DO!  Don't let the fact that you are a few weeks behind deter you.  Just start where you are, and let us help you.  The more, the merrier!