Healthy eating

Okay, seriously. What is the deal with frozen vegetables now days? I went to buy some green beans. Yes, I know a good homemaker would have a garden of her own to pick them from, but whatever. I was saved to live in the year 2008 for good reason. Anyway, went to buy green beans. There were vegetables in butter sauce, cheese sauce, garlic and herb sauce, with potatoes, etc. But no plain old green beans. What the heck!?!
When did we get so lazy that we can't put a dollop of butter on our own corn? Why do we need to "fatten up" broccoli with cheese sauce? (Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fattening up, but come on...) And THEN, we can't even open a bag any more and put it in a sauce pan with a bit of water! We pop that whole bag in the microwave and it steams in there, just like a bag of micro popcorn. Incredible. (Side note: I kind of like these steam in bags, but they are a bit hard to serve from when you don't want to dirty a serving bowl -- I have issues...)

So then, they are trying to market the butter sloshed vegetables to children by putting this on the package.


Okay, maybe it's just me, but my kids are only fooled once before they figure out that there is no Sponge person in that bag, but only the same old broccoli or green beans. Plus, I'm thinking it's pretty rare that they even see the package.

Yes, I've seen this all before, and yes, I know it is handy and convenient and all that, but it was just time I had to talk out the ridiculousness of it all. It has come to this....

By the way, the corn in the butter sauce was very tasty, and supposedly only 100 calories per serving. Whatever.

So now I'm thinking that back in the late 1800's when these things called "tin cans" were invented, was there psycho chicks like me ranting (with a pen and paper by candlelight maybe) about how lazy people are that they can't til the ground themselves to grow their own green beans.....

That's all I have to say about that.

Let's discuss

I finished reading this book a week or so ago, but keep thinking about it. So this isn't necessarily a book review, because I don't know that I would really recommend it (it was decent chick lit, but nothing spectacular -- and I'm going to give away the plot (not that you couldn't figure it out by reading the jacket). Here's the book:

The Mommy Fund. The premise is that this one New England mom does volunteer work that is sponsored by a very wealthy man. After a particularly great job, the mom gets a 'bonus' check from this man for a million dollars. She worries that it is a mistake, calls the man, talks to his wife who says that it wasn't a mistake, she deserved it, yada, yada, yada.

So, the mom, Kate, goes to random bank and opens an account under her name and her best friend, Dani. (Dani is a single working mom of one, and Kate has a husband and two young sons.) So, she sets up this account for her and her best friend and they decide that they need a break from the rigors of life and decide to take a first class trip to New York for a long weekend. They go away for four days and live the life of the very rich for those days. Anyway, so they have a great time and get into situations, good and bad, that they wouldn't have had they not been loaded with money. They return home with completely new designer wardrobes and oodles of new expensive things.

Here's my discussion point: All this time, she never tells her husband about the money. AND she opens a joint bank account for her and her best friend. What's that all about? I could maybe understand a little bit if the husband were a controlling jerk, but he was only described as the nicest and most supportive of husbands. So it boggles my mind as to why she wouldn't have mentioned a million dollars to her husband right away.

Now, I am the first to admit that Geoff and I are not the best communicators in the world of couples, in fact, much of his information probably comes from this blog instead of my mouth, but I feel very confident in saying that he would have been the first person I would have called when I got a check for a million. (And then he wouldn't have answered his phone, so I would have called Kelly).

So, I adore my best friends, and would totally foot the bill for a long and luxurious weekend away from mommy-hood, but I wouldn't have kept it from my husband.

Would you keep something like this from your spouse?

Would you have opened a joint account for you and your bff?

Where would you go for a long weekend if you got a cool million?

What would you do with the rest of the money?

Sunday Funnies

In our Children's singing time at Church, they sang a song called "Do As I'm Doing", and the children were asked to imitate something that their mother does. They all start singing and I look over at Eric. He's standing there pretending to smack himself in the face. Then I look at Logan. He is standing there with one hand on his hip and the other pointing and shaking as if he were giving a hell fire damnation lecture. Nice.

If I do ever smack them, I'm not dumb enough to hit their face where people can see the marks!

(When it was the girls class, they imitated cooking and driving. Good girls.)

What up.

We've been cruising along. I've actually been up to my neck in Cub Scout papers. I agreed, for the second year in a row, to be the District Day Camp Registrar. I actually like it. I can be at camp with my kids but not have to be in charge of group of rowdy, stinky, sweaty boys. It's a win-win. About a month before camp, though, it is equivalent to tax season for an accountant, I think. I am proud to announce that I am up to date with 250+ Cub Scout/Sibling forms as well as 175+ Adult Volunteer forms. Organization is my strong point. (A girl can brag about the ONE talent she has!)

(I set up a temporary office in "Uncle Clay's room" (the guest room))

It is quite comical sometimes to see the things people come up with or questions that they ask. There is a health form that each camper/volunteer has to fill out to have on hand at the camp-site. There is a section to list any allergies. Last year, my favorite form was a child that was listed as having allergies to grass, pollen, ants, trees, dirt, and on and on -- oh, and heat! Seriously, the kid should have been in a bubble. Why are you sending this poor child to camp in the middle of the summer in TEXAS!?! This year, my favorite form stated as an allergy, and I quote: "Texas air". Are you kidding me??? Sure it could be a joke, but I know this particular couple personally and frankly, they have no sense of humor. They're not funny at all, and they don't even get jokes. So again; Texas, summer, heat, bugs.... Whatever.

Other happenings around here include, but are not limited to:

Adorable Baby's first swim;











Go Texan day at school;

Earning Logan's Bear badge (so now I can cover up the gluey mess from my badge magic debacle -- yippee!);

(Quite the picture of the mom, isn't it!)

Adorable Mobile Baby is into EVERYTHING, so this is how I can do Laundry nowadays;

There's other stuff going on, but I can't think of it now. Must. Go. To. Bed... (Did I mention that Adorable growing baby is waking up 2:30 every morning for drinks and socializing? We've been hangin' until about 4:30 so that I can get about an hours nap before the alarm goes off. If I didn't adore him so much......

Good night.

It was bound to happen

So today I am at a party with my four year old and the dad of the birthday boy says to the group of us near by: "You all haven't met Chrystal (can't remember her name exactly), she's my second wife. Our families do everything together. You could call us Mormons". Chuckles, as I raise my hand, as in protest, "Hold on!" I say, "I'm a Mormon." A hush falls over the crowd as everyone turns into deer in the headlights. I said: "I'm wearing pants, I cut and color my hair, I have one husband and he has one wife. Those people have nothing to do with the Mormon faith." The dad is now muttering things about oh, well just call us West Texans then.... I didn't know.... blabber, blabber, blabber.

I totally wasn't mad and said all that in a very light manner, but it just had to be said. And I totally got the crowds undivided attention for my announcement. But come on! You have to be a complete imbecile to think the people with the pastel dresses and hair high to be close to Jesus are Mormons. Hopefully there are four or five less ignorant people in the world.

The dad apologized a couple more times before we left. I loved it, to be honest. It really is good when you can put someone in their place like that. It just had to be done.

I loved it even more because this is the same dad who, upon learning that I have five children shouted, "Good lord, woman! Why didn't your husband stop you?!" I said; "He was pretty involved in the process of having the five children."

I am a stay-at-home mom

5:45 - 6:15am Shower and get looking presentable for day
6:15 - 7:00 Make lunches, make breakfast
7:00 scriptures, family prayer
7:15 take first group of people to school
7:25 feed baby breakfast
7:40 send second wave of people to school
7:40 - 8:30 dress Samy in cowgirl gear for Western day at school, respond to last nights emails about Twilight Camp for Cub Scouts (that will be another post -- or several...)
8:30 take last wave of people to school
9:00 get Route 44 diet coke from Sonic with 99 cent sticker! (Necessity)
9:30 - 11:30 home. Give baby bottle that he can feed himself (yippee!) baby naps, mom piddles, does "admin" stuff.
11:30 - 12:30 pm Go to far away Wal-Mart because one by home is too gross. Hate Wal-Mart, swear (again) to never go there again. Buy baby formula, two pairs of shorts for boy who begs for this certain brand and will probably be ungrateful for them. Buy material to make adorable summer dresses/swim cover-ups for girls.
12:30 - 1:10 Shoe breaks while walking to car after Wal-Mart shop. (Still hate Wal-Mart) Refuse to go back to Wal-Mart for new shoes. See Kohls across the parking lot. Hate Kohls, but not as bad as Wal-Mart. Buy new sandals at Kohls.
1:10 - 1:30 go to Babies R Us because they are sure to have a baby gate that is wide enough to fill the opening I need blocked. Found one. Hope it works. Buy bottle and juice for very cranky, tired and getting sick baby. (Of coarse I didn't have a bottle in the diaper bag -- it's the fifth kid, I'm lucky I had the diaper bag!)
1:30 - 2:00 pick up first of people from school.
2:30 - 3:00 put away all purchases, give baby another bottle that he feeds himself.
3:00 pick up friends daughter from school to keep until the dad gets home (the mom is out of town).
3:30 pick up second group of my people from school
3:30 - 4:30 down time!!! Put baby down to try to take another nap -- doesn't really take. Coughing too much. Check email and Google reader, post comments, etc.
4:30 Get cranky baby out of bed. Pick up last group of my people from bus stop so that we can get ready and to Baseball practice.
5:15 go to baseball practice
5:30 park at ball field, let boys out to run to practice. Make all other children stay in car so I can move to a better, less crowded parking space. Car is completely DEAD.
5:30 - 6:20 Feed baby dinner in his stroller. Search and finally find someone with jumper cables. Cables don't start car. Call Roadside assistance. Try cables one more time for the heck of it. Car starts. Call Roadside assistance back to cancel service. Sit in running car until practice is over and friends dad picks her up (that part was pre-arranged).
6:45 pick up pizza for dinner -- send in boy with check so as to not shut off car. Love having older children.
6:45 - 7:00 drive home with white knuckles as dash board lights fade and dim and CD player stops working. Say continuous, silent prayer. Pull into driveway. Turn off car. Decide to start car again just to see. Car is completely DEAD. Say a prayer of thanks for getting us home.
7:00 - 8:00 shower and bathe all children, set up pizza and movie on blanket in play room. Feed baby final bottle. Baby is too tired and coughing too much to drink bottle. Put baby in bed. Go to get humidifier. Remember that I threw away the gross filter and meant to buy a new one. Leave kids to watch and eat while I run to corner drug store to get new filter. Love having older kids again. Remember car is dead in driveway. Go get neighbors car and get filter. Love awesome neighbors.
8:00 - 9:00 set up humidifier, clean up pizza party, put kids to bed. Rock coughing baby back to sleep. Clean up kitchen, put away left-overs.
9:00 - 10:45 Sit down at computer and do this. Eat snack sized milky way bar and drink diet coke that was purchased during corner drug store run.
11:00pm go to bed knowing that baby will wake up coughing at any time.

This day is not completely typical, but not too far off. "Stay-at-home mom" is a ridiculous term. I'm just saying.

Adventures in Flying (or getting to the flight)

Geoff usually works in town or from home on Fridays. Today, however, he had to go to the East Coast for a meeting. (Really ridiculous actually, that he is traveling for something like 9 hours today, all for a 1 1/2 hour meeting. Whatever.) He should have gone straight from the West Coast to the East, but said he wanted to come home Thursday night because he didn't have enough clothes -- underclothes to be exact.... for one more day -- the trip came up during the week. Anyway, so he had to leave our house at about 5:15 am to get on a 6:40 flight -- he cuts it close. The airport is about 40 minutes from our house when traffic is good, which it would be at 5:30 in the morning. So, at 5:45 am my alarm went off for me to start my day and I notice that he is still in bed. "Didn't you have an early flight?" "I still do", he says as he turns into the Tasmanian Devil.

So I ask what I can do to help as he is throwing clothes on like in the movies (there is a Seinfeld episode about this -- there's a Seinfeld episode for every situation...). I say I will go out and warm the car up so the windows defog. So, I go outside and it's like 70 degrees. No need to warm the car. I guess for a second, I thought we lived somewhere where the weather fit the season. Silly me!

So, he gets out the door and peels out of the driveway and down the street. Meanwhile, I say a prayer that I will not become a widow this morning. Seriously, I started thinking about the movie "Premonition" with Sandra Bullock. I thought about making arrangements, calling the financial planner -- I mean getting one -- and all that stuff. My mind went crazy. Then at 6:33, the phone rang. I figured it was either Geoff or the Police. Thankfully, it was Geoff calling from the plane.

Okay, but think about it: He got out of bed at 5:45 and was on the plane at 6:33! I don't even want to think about all the traffic laws that were broken. That is a serious traveler. He said he was trying to stop sweating. His old college track experience came in handy, I'm sure.
I told him that I didn't care if he was late coming home, so don't rush it if the meeting goes late. I called to talk to him this afternoon, but he was driving and couldn't talk. Apparently it is illegal to talk on a cell phone in Connecticut. At least he is obeying the laws of the land again!

The best, most ironic part of all is that there was no time this morning for a shower and clean undies. Bwahhhahahaha!