Crappiness and Minnie Mouse

Day three of feeling like crap!  Oh, please, please, please let me get better -- soon!! 

I just got an text message from my SIL, KW, reminding me that preschool class pictures are ... tomorrow!  I could have played it off like I remembered because it is, after all, text messaging.  But I gave myself up, told her I completely forgot and I would make sure that she was bathed tonight.  (Of course she will be bathed tonight, she has gymnastics - duh!)  I am a crappy mom. 

But my mom just made me laugh.  I called her to remind her that SweeTart's preschool pictures were tomorrow (Tuesday is a regular school day for SweeTart.)  She remembered (dammit. she is showing me up was my first thought) but she only remembered because the preschool posted it on their Facebook page.  Gotta love Facebook.  It gets better.  She asked me what I wanted SweeTart to wear for her pictures ... hmmmmmm ... maybe Minnie Mouse (meaning one of the new Minnie Mouse outfits that we got a great deal on @ Walmart a few weeks ago).  Mom's reponse "for class pictures???"  I think the woman is totally off her rocker because we just got at least three great outfits with Minnie on them.  Then I realize she thinks I want her dressed as Minnie Mouse.  Oh my.  That costume was from when Twink was not even six months old.  That will so not fit SweeTart's body at 2 1/2. 

Short Week - woot woot!

Even though I have a terrible head cold, I am looking foward to a 2 day work week and a 3 day escape with Hubs!!  Woot..woot!!!  We are heading to the Sunshine State sans kidlets and will be attending the Disney Food & Wine Festival at Epcot after visiting with friends.  It couldn't have worked out better, the kidlets won't be missing practices while were gone and our flight comes in on Saturday morning early enough that we'll be home in time to take DinoBoy to his game on Saturday in the early afternoon.  A LOUD shout out to my Mom who is taking charge of the kidlets, dogs and Yoda while we're gone.  I'm pretty sure, although SweeTart will be in school for 1/2 day Wednesday and Thursday that all will run smoothly.  

Am I packed?  For any other trip, I'd probably be packed x2 by now.  Yesterday morning I woke with a head cold *eeewww*.  Last night while Hubs was at the Alice in Chains concert, I thought my head might blow off of my shoulders from all of the sinus pressure.  Funny this:  the older kidlets must have seen how terrible I felt and *got along* while watching the boob tube and camping out on the couch while SweeTart and I were in bed watching Scooby Doo upstairs.  It was a tremendous relief to not have to worry about them scratching each others eyes out while SweeTart and I rested. 

Tomorrow is a busy night with the girls having dueling gymnastics practice and DinoBoy having an away game.  Since we had pizza tonight and McDonald's last night I might actually have to figure out a good meal to feed them all before they leave for their activities.  I guess my packing will be last minute, on Tuesday night ... and that being said, we know that I will forget something important.  But - it's Florida, not a 3rd world country right??  I should be able to get anything I forget there ..... should. 

Have a fabulous week!!  I'll give Mickey a kiss from you!

Visit the Roaring 20’s with Julie Lessman in the Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway!

It's a Giveaway Extravaganza! Kindle Giveaway, Facebook Party and Book Bomb - OH MY!

Visit the Roaring 20’s with Julie Lessman in the Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway! Julie’s latest series has just ‘shimmied’ it’s way onto the scene with book 1 in The Winds of Change series, A Hope Undaunted! 

Find out more about the book, Julie here.

Enter The Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway!

One Grand Prize winner will receive a KINDLE preloaded with Julie Lessman's latest title. The Prize Pack (valued at over $150.00) includes:

* A brand new KINDLE, with Wi-Fi

* A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form and be sure to tell your friends about the contest.

Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on October 7th.

Not only is Julie hosting the fabulous KINDLE giveaway, but also a FACEBOOK  PARTY and a BOOK BOMB!!!
Are you ready for PRIZES GALORE??? Then come to the Facebook Party!

How does a gift certificate and a signed book given away EVERY 10 minutes during an hour-long Facebook party sound? (Yeah, we think it sounds pretty great too!) On October 7th at 5pm PST (6:00 MST, 7:00 CST, & 8:00 EST) Julie is inviting you to attend the A Hope Undaunted Facebook Party! She'll announce the winner of the KINDLE and in addition to the prizes every 10 minutes, she'll also be giving away great prize baskets filled with even more Romance and Technology (Netflix, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Champagne body Lotion, Pearls, & more!)!

BUT WAIT … there’s more (and no, this is not an infomercial … it’s WAY better!).  If you participate in the Book Bomb on October 7th you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com. All you need to do to participate is buy a copy of A Hope Undaunted on October 7th and send your receipt (just transaction number from store, store name & date) to mailto:amy@litfusegroup.com?subject=I%20bought%20a%20copy%20of%20A%20Hope%20Undaunted%21! Each book purchased equals one entry, buy 10 books get 10 entries!

All this fun begins with Revell’s blog tour SEPTEMBER 19-25, when 122 blogger/reviewers will post reviews about A Hope Undaunted, followed by the Book Bomb and Facebook Party!

So mark your calendars with these important dates:

September 19-25: A Hope Undaunted will be making an appearance on blogs across the country (and beyond!) in Revell's blog tour!

September 20th: The Technology and Romance KINDLE Giveaway launches (contest runs 9/20 - 10/6)

October 7th: Book Bomb Day (where everyone is encouraged to buy the book online at the same time!) and Facebook Party - meet and chat with Julie, win some great prizes & find out who won the KINDLE!

Want to help us spread the word about all this fun and be entered to win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate?

Share Julie's Giveaway Extravaganza on Facebook, Twitter or your blog and we'll enter your name into our random drawing to win 50 smackers to Amazon.com!

Once you've tweeted, posted on Facebok or added the button to your blog/website - simple email Amy and let her know you helped spread the word. Easy.

Here is a sample post for both Twitter/Facebook:

Tweet This: @JulieLessman is giving away a KINDLE and tons more during her giveaway extravaganza! Details here: http://ow.ly/2Czbn Pls RT

Share on Facebook: Julie Lessman is celebrating her new release, A Hope Undaunted by giving away a KINDLE, having a Book Bomb and a Facebook Party! Prizes Galore - don't miss the fun! http://ow.ly/2Czbn

Or add this button to your blog or website! Simply copy and paste the code in the box into the HTML screen of your blog or website. Then email Amy and let her know you did!

<a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143920688983543&index=1"><img alt="A Hope Undaunted Facebook Party" width="125" src="http://www.litfusegroup.com/images/stories/party_bomb_facebook_button.3.gif" height="125" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143920688983543&index=1">A Hope Undaunted Facebook Party</a>

Kind of makes you say .... aaaaahhhhhhh .....

Wow - on my dashboard this morning is the Pool of the Day by Beechwood Landscape Architecture and Construction.  Kind of makes me want this in my back yard ... How about you??  

Win A Kindle from Cheryl Ricker!

Cheryl Ricker is hosting this great contest over at her website during the blog tour for A Friend in the Storm, Zondervan’s latest innovative gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry that leads to lasting hope!Since this book covers matters of the heart, Cheryl wants to hear from YOUR heart! In the midst of any type of loss, grief or crisis, A Friend in the Storm takes you on a healing journey where you experience Christ’s love in a fresh, memorable way. Now she invites you to submit an original poem, story or snippet about a time when someone was a friend in your storm… and she's giving you the opportunity to win a KINDLE to do it!


Head on over to her Contest Page on her website to find out how to enter!

On October 3rd, she will randomly select one winner to receive a brand-new KINDLE! She's also choosing 5 more names at random to receive a signed copy of A Friend in the Storm! The winners will be announced at her Facebook Party on October 4th. The party will take place on Cheryl's Facebook "A Friend in the Storm" Page - go here for all the details.

The Facebook Party will be a blast!  Not only will she be announcing the

Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway winners, but she'll also be chatting with party goers, hosting fun trivia contests, and giving away even more prizes every 10 minutes – including signed copies of A Friend in the Storm, and gift certificates to Amazon.com and Starbucks.com!

Oh, and check this out - Cheryl is also giving away a $50 Amazon gift certificate! Simply help her spread the word about the contest; Facebook Party. Interested? It’s easy to enter! Here’s how:

Share this on FACEBOOK: Want to help someone who’s hurting? “A Friend in the Storm,” Zondervan’s latest gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry, is helping thousands find lasting Hope! Go here http://ow.ly/2BYiN to enter to win a KINDLE!

Post this on TWITTER: A Friend in the Storm by @cherylricker heals hearts in tough times. Enter 2 win a KINDLE http://ow.ly/2BYiN here! #litfuse (You must use hashtag #litfuse to be entered.)

Share this as many times as you like – just email amy@litfusegroup.com by October 4th and let her know how many times you tweeted/shared on Facebook, twittered or blogged about the contest. Each ‘sharing’ represents one entry into the contest.

Another way to ‘share’ the contest is to add this button to your blog or website.  Adding the button is worth ten entries into the contest!

Simply copy and paste the code in the text box below into the html screen of your blog/website, then send Amy an email letting her know that you added it along with your URL and she’ll toss your extra entries into the pot.

<a href="http://www.cherylricker.com/contests/"><img alt="Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway" width="125" src="http://www.litfusegroup.com/images/stories/CherylRFBparty3_3.gif" height="125" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.cherylricker.com/contests/">Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway</a>

Real Mom Moments

While perusing through the list of blogs I subscribe to, I saw a "Real Moms" post at For the Love of Naps.  I loved it. 

Before we get to my Real Mom moment of the day yesterday, I do need to brag that Twink can now do a standing back handspring!!!  Yip, yip, yipee!!  I am so proud of her - I could almost burst.  She's been working very hard at each practice and even the owner/coach of the gym came over to tell me how much more focused Twink has become and asked what we've been feeding her.  Last night she went to practice (at 4:30) before eating dinner.  So, now we know the trick is not "what" we've been feeding her but what we haven't been feeding her.  I am pretty sure her meal before her Saturday practice was cereal at home then a soft pretzel after the pet store, before dropping her off at practice at 11:00.  So, again, what we haven't been feeding her. 

Yesterday we had a lot going on with practices right after school.  Both girls had gymnastics.  One at 4:30, one at 5:30.  DinoBoy's practice, thankfully, was moved to just a batting practice on Thursday.  My Mom took Twink to practice as soon as I got home, leaving me time to unwind a little and get SweeTart ready for practice, as well as help DinoBoy with his homework.  (Editor's Note:  9 year old boys do not like their mom checking their daily planner, looking over their homework nor helping them with their homework - just in case you were wondering.)  So, the note kind of tells you how I made out with helping DinoBoy with his homework.  As I sat down to check my email, he asked me a question and I answered "yes" without thinking about it -- then as the question sank in "can I have Pop-Tarts for dinner?" I was like "no!" but he was already consuming them. He and I talked about it for a minute and he posed the question:  "If they are good enough to eat for breakfast, why aren't they good enough for dinner?"  Touche. 

If that wasn't a real mom moment at it's best, I don't know what can be considered "real mom" at all. 

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well, we did have our date night and it was a nice one!  We went up the street to the local restaurant/bar, affectionately known in town as LC.  I had tilapia, Hubs had spagetti and meatballs.  His platter definitely did not measure up to his favorite pasta place, another local place, Red Lion Inn, where he always gets the "meatball" platter so that he gets his favorite pasta and doesn't have to pay extra for additional meatballs with his meal.   I'm torn.  LC was a lot of fun and the tilapia was to die for.  Red Lion has killer asparagus ravioli on their specials menu - not often enough- and I'd give an arm and a leg for them to put it on to their regular menu.  I think that would have us back there more than once every three or four months.  But - not my decision to make.  (But if anyone is listening .....)   It was a nice night out though.  (PS - the fried calamari at LC - delicious!!)

Saturday was a head-spinning day, as it has been and seems will be until fall ball is over.  We ran to PetSmart to get Yoda fresh crickets before dropping Twink off at gymnastics practice, stopping by Beechwood to see Hubs for a few minutes since we were running ahead of schedule.  After dropping Twink, we went home, DinoBoy had practice at the same time Twink had to be picked up ... Hubs did make it home in time for me to leave to get Twink ... but I got stuck in traffic!  Really - it's not like we live in a very populated area but it took me four changes of the traffic light to be able to make a left on to one of the major roads by our house.  What was all the commotion, you ask?  Well, we also happen to live near a great vineyard and winery, Valenzano Winery, who was hosting their annual Winefest.  It was all good.   I was only a few minutes late to pick Twink up and found out she was able to ring the gong(!) because she did her round-off back handspring on the wedge.  But Coach also told me that she did a round-off back handspring on the floor with only a one hand spot as well.  Things are looking up - I'm so proud!!

Hubs decided not to go to a party which was being thrown by childhood friends after DinoBoy's practice.  Instead we had a quiet dinner (if dinner is ever quiet at our house), took the kidlets for ice cream then stopped by Uncle R & Aunt D's for a little bit.  They gave us tickets to the Winefest for the next day!  Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Sunday started out uneventful, followed by church.  SweeTart did her first day in Bible School.  She loved it and was asked to come back again next Sunday.  We are thrilled.  Generally, Bible School in our church starts when the kidlets are 3 - SweeTart is only two but she was a contributing factor to our not attending church in the summer.  She could sit through the first two songs, maybe collection but then we lost her when it was time for the Pastor's sermon.  She just wanted to go play with the toys in the nursery.  So ... long story short, she's in Sunday School!  Yippee.  We took a short break after Church for a soft pretzel stop for the kidlets and a short diaper change break at home then we headed over to the Winefest!  It was our first time there .... so much fun.  Tons for the kids to do, crafts and games and even pony rides.  We received Valenzano Winery etched wine glasses when we went in and were able to sample various wines through out the time we were there.  Many food vendors were there too so you could have either packed your lunch and had a picnic or bought your lunch there - you know, to counter the effects of all the wine being sampled.  :-)

DinoBoy had a game last evening.  I was pleasantly suprised that his team won!  I think he and Hubs were surprised as well!  Not sure if there will be practice for the boys tonight but I know I need to skaddale out of here asap after work because the girls both have gymnastics tonight.  One at 4:30, the other at 5:30.  Luckily, they both finish up at almost the same time. 

Have a wonderful week!

Date Night

Not only am I the luckiest gal around being able to sneak away with my Hubs for 3 nights at the end of the month to the Happiest Place on the Planet, we by default, get a date night tonight!!  Just a dinner at the corner eatery but it is nice and delicious too. 

We had plans with two other couples to go out to celebrate Mr.H's 45th birthday.  Wow - that is cause for celebration, right?  Especially since he is the first from our little circle to reach it.  (Thank goodness I have 7 years left before that historic celebration.)  But, as luck would have it, plans changed.  The H's have had a wrench thrown into their lives, twofold.  It is horrible to say but I can't decide which one makes me sadder:  the fact that their 11 year old yellow lab, Rosco, only has days (if that) left in him because cancer is taking its toll on his poor body OR that Mrs. H's poppy has been put on hospice.  Horrible, right, for not putting the human first?  But that is me.  Sorry if you're offended.  I feel terrible for both of them but I can only imagine that the Mrs. is like a train wreck right now. 

I know how she is feeling:  we lost our first dog to cancer about 4 years ago and it sucked!!!  We lost another last April and I'm tearing up just thinking about the holes that they both left in our hearts.  Hubs lost his father suddenly in 1996.  It was devastating.  I lost my first grandparent, my Mom's Dad - who I would like to say I was pretty close to 2 weeks before DinoBoy was born.  It was terrible.  Lost my Dad in 2005.  Lost my Dad's mom in 2007 and his brother 2 months later in December 2007.  So - I guess my coping mechanism for loss of family members is getting better?  My dealing with loss of animals, however, is not. 

We had a close call with Yoda last weekend - he's got a calcium deficiency.  I think we've got it covered now but what a scary situation to be in.  He may never fully recover use in his left, front leg but he gets around just fine.  We'll see how it goes with him.  DinoBoy is taking better care of him each day - although he wants the freedom to be able to care for him all on his own.  I just don't think he is old enough to do this yet.

No Girls Allowed!!

No Girls Allowed - Devotions for Boys by Jayce O'Neal.


I have to start off with the fact that I just purchased Devotions books for all three of my children ages 2, 8 and 9. I wish I would have picked this one over the one I did get for my 9 year old son.

Although not presented in the format (daily) of the devotionals we do have, this presents itself in lessons rather than dates. While still having a daily (dated) devotion from the other books, I can easily pick one out of this book as the need arises. For example, if my son is not wanting to do the chores that we ask him to and is giving us a hard time (unusual for a 9 year old, right?) I can scan the table of contents to see what type of devotion would relate to our situation. One that comes to my mind is "David and the Cheese" on page 10. This devotion outlines how David had to help his father with chores and had he not completed his chores, he might not have had the chance to defeat Goliath.

I also enjoy how this book of devotions comes with thinking games for the boys to do: word searches, cryptic messages, and crossword puzzles are presented at the end of each "chapter" or devotion. Along with these puzzles, there are "things to do" which relate directly to the devotion, things to remember which relate to other passages in the Bible which also directly relate to the lesson in the devotion and "bits of wisdom" which are quotes from other famous (and not so famous) people which give meaning to the lesson as well.

This devotion book is well rounded and touches on subjects that boys relate to - Star Wars, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Super Heroes and Legos and pulls boys into the lessons that way. Hence, the "no girls allowed". I don't think that my 8 year old daughter would relate to some of these references as closely as my son would.

All in all - I enjoy this book of devotions. We will definitely be using it in our house and to give it as gifts to the special boys in our lives is not out of the question.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements in Advertising".

Another Busy One ....

Tonight will be another busy night, but no where near as busy as last night.  Tonight only consists of back to school night at the older kids' school.  There used to be a time when I could do this solo - but with them being in 3/4 grades, it is proving to be harder now.  There is actually an itinerary for the evening ... I'm sure there always has been, I just have never paid close attention to it.  I knew that I had two sessions during the evening, after the Principal's address to meet with two teachers.  Now they have it broken down so that in the first session you meet with the 3/4 grade homeroom teacher and during the second session you meet with the 3/4 grade math teacher that your child has been assigned.  What??  That just means that Hubs and I will be tag-teaming it tonight.  I'll cover Twink's classes and he'll cover DinoBoy's classes.  Cool. 

Last night was just plain hysterical for me.  Twink had practice:  4:30-6:30.  SweeTart had her class: 5:30-6:15 and DinoBoy had practice 6:15-8:30.  I have to preface the story with:  I drive my mom's truck to work so that she can have our van to cart the kidlets around.  Generally I work from 8-4, or 7:30-3:30 if I can make it by 7:30 - lately it hasn't been happening.  To make it work yesterday, I worked through lunch, left work at 3:45 - left the truck running in the driveway when I got home - Mom took Twink to practice because it "could" be on her way home, I helped DinoBoy with his homework and got SweeTart ready for her gymnastics class.  We left the house at 5:05, dropped DinoBoy off to Hubs at his office, took SweeTart to practice.  (Oh yeah, I had a pizza delivered to the house a 3:30 so everyone could eat as soon as they stepped foot off of the bus.) Whew.  It just sounds exhausting but I think that it went rather well.  My dinner consisted of eating the kids pizza crusts while helping with homework and dressing for gymnastics. I don't think Hubs even ate - they didn't get home until after 8:30.  

The girls got their showers/baths as soon as we got home from practice, around 7:15 so they were done in plenty of time for DinoBoy to hop in when they got home.  Everyone was in bed by 9:30 - which I guess is good.  I'd rather it be a little earlier, but you can't have it all, right? 

I think we are all off tomorrow!  Yippee!!

Cool, Rainy Morning

Although SweeTart did wind up in bed with us last night, we were able to sleep in a little bit (no thanks to the dogs!) because the sun is hidden behind the rain clouds today.  While it is not supposed to rain all day today, we are not supposed to see much sun and I can almost hear our plants, grass and tress outside sighing one collective sigh of relief.  It has been way too long since we've seen any measurable rain here.  Many of the trees have already gone into their "preseveration" mode and started dropping their leaves like crazy.  The beginning of September is too early for that where we live. 

Yesterday was just a whirlwind of activity in our house.  Hubs had to work in the morning, Twink had practice from 11-1, we ran to Kohl's to get a new hair dryer (ours crapped out in the morning), dropped DinoBoy at the house at 12:45 so Hubs could take him to his 1 o'clock practice then ran back to get Twink from her practice. The only nap SweeTart had was between when we left Kohl's and when I woke her up to go in to get Twink.  Poor baby.  Tired toddler = cranky and mean toddler in our house.  But we did okay.  After all was said and done, Hubs surprised us all by taking us out to On The Border for dinner (SweeTart did grab another power nap on the way there) and then to ice cream after dinner.  Awesome!! 

I did manage to get my first meal for my OAMC swap with my friend completed.  I didn't follow the directions completely though - the store did not have 8x8 deep dish pans so I got 9 3/4x 9 3/4.  I was only able to make 2.5 of the four dishes promised in the recipe.  Oh well.  It was so easy that I got those done in less than an hour.  I might run to the store to get the meat to make more for the freezer today.  Easy Peasy.  If you haven't already, head over to Once A Month Mom.  I made the Mexican "un"Stuffed Shells yesterday and my 2nd menu item for today is the Pear Apple Pork Roast.  I have 4 roasts in my fridge just calling my name.  I also want to make a peach cobbler in the crock pot.  I saw that recipe on a blog the other day and now I can't seem to locate it.  Grrrrr.  I don't want the peaches to go bad while I am searching.  Maybe I'll throw them in the freezer too.  LOL

Last night, before bed, I also finished the UR Book by Stephen King.  It was okay.  It was written specifically for Kindle about a "freaky" Pink Kindle (which we know doesn't exist.)  The Pink Kindle had access to an alternate plane of reality.  Not exactly what I was looking for when I downloaded it but not a total waste of time either. 

Have a to run to the petstore.  Have a Bearded Dragon who is exhibiting symtpoms of calcium deficiency.  Any suggestions? 

How cool is this?

I just ordered this for my Twinkletoes.  We have a "girls weekend" planned.  4 adults, 2 kidlets (9 and 8) and teen girl.  One house at the beach for Friday and Saturday nights in November.  Lots of scrapbooking which we have not had the time to do lately and I'm looking forward to lots of bonding time with Twink as well as loads of laughs with friends. 

I thought that scrapbooking together would be a way for Twink and I to spend time together and learn about each other.  I've been trying lately to figure out a way to cut through her middle child drama and am hoping that the Devotions book I got her will help a little too.   Last night I asked her to read one Devotion that I chose.  I will ask her about it today, when I get home from work, since she was still sleeping when I left.  I also got Devotional books for DinoBoy and SweeTart too - can't leave them out.  I had DinoBoy read today's Devotion last night before he went to bed and I think some of the words spoke to him ... or at least he kind of understood what it was about.  Kind of makes my heart happy to understand that. 

I am doing my best to keep my cool and not lose patience but it didn't work too well last night.  I snapped at hubs because the kids weren't listening ... it was almost 10 before they were all in bed.  I know it is going to take a while to get into the swing of things this fall.  I need to remember to breathe and not let things get under my skin.  Even though I think that I can control the situation, sometimes it is better to sit back and maybe let Hubs control it (ice cream after Twink's shower at 9:30?) ... I have to hand it to him - he didn't snap back at me last night, he made sure the kidlets were tucked in after their ice cream and ... maybe because of his understanding of them ... it went smoother than without my screaming to get in bed?  Who knows.  Bottom line is:  I remembered, albeit a little to late, to keep my cool and go with the flow.  (Thanks honey.)

And - SweeTart stayed in her crib all night - no waking up in the middle of the night and coming in to our room.  Is it too much to hope for to have a repeat performance out of her tonight? 

Life is Good.

Breathe deeply. Light a candle. Stop. Be still. Look a little beyond the horizon. Pray. Cry. Look up! Sing. Sing louder. Bless a stranger, silently. Laugh at yourself. Read a poem. Write a poem. Write a prayer. Step ON the cracks. Dance alone. Dance together. Dance. Be as a child. Practice Courage. Pray your gratitude. Give Blessings.

One of the women at my school district had this posted as her Facebook status the other night.  I thought it was beautiful.   I haven't taken any time to see where it came from but just keep reading it over and over and over.   The phrases that get to me most are:  "breathe deeply - stop- be still - look a little beyond the horizon - dance together - be as a child - practice courage - pray your gratitude."  The other phrases strike me as well but not as strongly as the ones I have listed. 

It seems that day after day after day, I forget these things.  I don't breathe and think before I speak sharply.  I don't take the time to stop to see what the kidlets are wanting me to see.  I don't look beyond the horizon to what will be as I muddle through what is (wrong with my day) now.  I can't remember the last time my husband and I danced.  Be as a child:  play with the children - whatever they want - they're only going to be this age once and I know I will kick myself for not doing things to help them to remember childhood.  I want to be with them not give them things.  Practice courage - I can do it, I can be healthy & lose weight and be happy with myself and be there for my children in 20 years.  Pray - I forget - how easy and simple it is to pray - for all the good that is in my life, and how thankful I am for everything and everyone in my life.  I can say with certainty that LIFE IS GOOD. 

another first day of school ...

Tuesday was the first day of school for the kidlets.  We already discussed that right?  This is how it went (it was 1/2 day): 

i can't figure out how to rotate this in blogger!

dinoboy - has at least three or four friends in his class. loves his teacher.  he was estatic that she left at 10 a.m. to go pick up her sick kidlet.  that must have been the highlight of his day.  oh yeah, that plus no work during the day which equaled no homework on the first day of school.  he was a happy, happy camper. 

twinkletoes - has two friends in her class.  i know one and i don't know the other but a lot of the other parents know her.  she knows a lot of the boys in her class (give me strength) and the three girls are the only girls sitting at a table full of boys.  homework:  tell your parents about your first day of school and cover this book.

sweetart - 1st day of the 2 year old room.  again.  she must be feeling like groundhog day except for the fact that two of her bestest two year old friends and her former 2 y.o. teacher went to the three year old room.  the morning started off with sweetart getting p.o.'ed from the getgo because she grabbed her lunchbox and tried to board the big bus with her older siblings....i'm not sure who gave her the "no can do" but it made her angry to say the least.   she even got a list of "things" she needs for preschool...i am trying to figure out why these items (pictures of her, family, a pair of slippers?!?) weren't noted on her "welcome back to school" letter we got from her teachers.  oh well - just a little bit more scrambling for me.  lol

me - our accounting system crashed yesterday and is just now (lunchtime) coming back online.  i remembered to pack my breakfast and lunch today but so far have forgotten my vitamins.  i should probably do that now while it is in my head.  sorry for the lack of caps - too lazy to do it today. 

hubs - i guess his day was okay yesterday.  he was able to get home to see the kids off to school and be there when they got home.  super lucky dude.  i might have to take the first day of school off next year since dinoboy will (be needing a new alias) be starting middle school.  we'll see.  he was nice enough to not give me a hard time when i took twink out at 7:00 to try to find her headphones for her computer class.  didn't find any so he caught the ball when i threw it into his cart and said "skullcandy please" - we should have just said okay when he suggested it in the first place.  (and of course she told me on the car ride to town that she didn't have computers again til monday ...grrrrr)  love you hubs!

tonight: will consist of homework, if they get any today; baths; completion of the first day of school packet.   trying to decide if we should have the roast beef and potatoes, chicken or enchiladas for dinner.  all precooked, of course, thanks to my obsession with once a month (week) cooking this week.  i had our menu all planned out ... where the freak did that little slip of paper i wrote it on go?  i should have blogged it - then i would have it.  duh.

hubs has his final fantasty football draft tonight.  good luck sweetie!  hope you rock the league this year and win all the $$$$!  lol  -  have fun!!

recipe help needed.

Can anyone help me figure out how to make this recipe to place in freezer for once a month cooking? 

Spinach & Chicken PieRecipe

Source: my buddy - Gino (from his restaurant in Toronto)
Brief Description: Mediterranean classic made rich in one meal Servings : 8 servings
Prep time : 30 mins.
Cook time : 18 -20 mins.
Total time : 50 mins (roughly) Ingredients:



2 Tbs. butter

1 lg. onion,chopped

2 1/4lbs. ground chicken

3 pkgs.(10 oz .ea.)frozen chopped spinach,thawed and squeezed dry

1/2tsp salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 1/2cups crumbled feta cheese

4 eggs,lightly beaten

1 Tbs. chopped, fresh oregano

8 sheets phyllo dough,thawed,halved crosswise

Directions:

Heat oven to 375.

Coat 13x9" baking pan with spray. Melt butter in large skillet over high heat. Add onion and reduce heat to med.;cook 5 mins. Add chicken and cook 8 mins,until no longer pink. Add spinach,salt,pepper,nutmeg and red pepper flakes;cook 5 mins. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in cheeses,eggs and oregano.

Place 1/2 sheet of phyllo in bottom of pan. Coat with spray. Repeat with 7 more half sheets,coating each.Spread spinach mixture over the top. Repeat with remaining 8 half sheets. Cut top layer into 8 equal pieces.

Bake at 375 for 45 mins.,until top is brown. Recut to serve.

Fallin' Down ....

I haven't kept up with my blog.  Actually, all my food in Cafe World was rotten today too.  Which means that I've been neglecting my FB games as well as my blog.  Truth be told I'd much rather neglect my mindless Facebook games and spill my guts on my blog.  So .... I'll leave the games open but hope that I can overcome the temptation to play them. 

School starts ... Tuesday!  The kidlets are ... not so excited.  I mean, I guess they are, but they're sad at the same time for summer to be over.  Just another cycle of life they're getting used to.  DinoBoy is getting ready to go into the 4th grade.  This will be his last year in the elementary school.  Hello?  How in the heck did that happen?  We don't know a whole lot about his teacher - other than she is coming down from our middle school to teach this year and she is expecting .... expecting her 2nd baby in January ... expecting to leave her students mid year.  I love my teacher friends.  I hate that this is the 2nd time in my kid's school career that he is having his teacher leave mid-year.  He seems unpreturbed.  I am freaking out. 

One of the boys DinoBoy has known since kindergarten will be in his class for the first time this year = no peanuts in the room.  I am pretty much screwed.  We got the notice on Friday that he will be in a peanut free room.  Every day last year that this kid didn't buy lunch (he only buys when there are chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks or pizza) he had a peanut butter sandwich.  I was okay with that becuase he was getting plenty of protein.  Now what will we do?  Have I blogged before about my picky eater??  Literally, I have told him a few times this summer that I will not be cooking him a separate dinner and he will need to prepare his own - he has made himself either waffles, nachos and cheese or had a bowl of cereal (sans milk.)  Any and all suggestions for a lunch for him are appreciated.  He has sensory issues (with eating things) and if it doesn't "feel right" or "smell" to his liking, he won't even taste it. He'd rather starve. 

Twinketoes is entering the third grade.  She has a teacher who I've been told is very strict with the students.  Amen!!  At this point in her life, I think this is exactly what she needs.  She is a bright and energetic girl who needs that energy focused and channelled.  I am not doing it well.  She is oh so jealous of her brother and sister althogh we try to give them all equal attention, it is much easier to give more attention to the toddler who needs more at this point in her life.  The drama the Twink gives us daily challenges every fiber of strength.  For example, yesterday morning she had a total melt down becuase I told her to use a washcloth to wash her face instead of using a disposable make up remover pad which I've let her use before.  I tried to explain that we can use them on vacation but at home we'd rather be "green" (she is all about helping the environment) but she went into full blown melt down - the kind that SweeTart has - not the kind an 8 year old has.  But, she did have the week off from gymnastics so I will give her that - I didn't give her many constructive ways to outlet her energy. 

Anyhoo - school shopping has been completed.  We got a few great deals at Walmart for the kids - clothes and supplies.  Although we can not find a pocket folder with holes in it for DinoBoy's supply list.  Why??? 

SweeTart will be in the two year old room at her preschool again this year.  Our preschool rocks.  The ladies that run the school and her teachers are awesome.  I do have to say that she went all summer, two 1/2 days a week to keep some kind of schedule in her life. LOL.  She is definitely a smart one.  Although I'm sure everyone thinks that about their kidlets. 

Labor Day weekend is in full swing at our house.  Yesterday we had not one but two picnics to go to.  The Hubs got to see one of his friends who went to Utah years back to ski and never came back.  I think he said the last time he saw him was when they were out west skiing in '94.   It was a great time and we exited with Hubs playing a game of horseshoes with his friends.  I think that is the first time he's played in years although we have an overgrown pit in our backyard.  Fun!  Our second party was at our friends' house just up the road from our home.  It was fun.  We haven't seen some of the friends that were there all summer.  It's amazing how quickly the kidlets grow when we haven't seen them in a few weeks.   Fun fun!!!

Today, I'm taking the kidlets to get crickets.  Yes, more crickets.   This little guy eats more crickets that I ever could have imagined.  DinoBoy is learning many lessons about responsibility taking care of Yoda - he doesn't always appreciate them though.  Hubs is going to another fanatsy football draft at noon and the kids and I will be fending for ourselves for lunch.  I was thinking maybe Chick Fil A for lunch but then remembered it is Sunday - closed - woops.  Need to come up with a Plan B. 

Tomorrow will be filled with lots of jittery nerves, packing school bags and hopefully some fun.  Hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend!