I Demand A Do-Over

Things I'd rather not do on my birthday (and yes, it's today):
Clean the bathroom and put in a load of laundry.

Things I'd REALLY rather NOT do on my birthday:
Clean the bathroom, including scrubbing the bathtub, because the Boy has a serious case of explosive diarrhea, requiring me to also put in a load of laundry with his clothes and the bath mat. Luckily, we still have some pull-ups or I'd really be miserable.

At least I have some chocolate that the Man brought me back from London.

Oh, and something else that totally is not cool? The shop lost my birthday present. They can't find it anywhere. Since it was rather pricey, it was the only thing I was getting. So no presents.

Let's pretend that it's really my birthday next week and try this again, shall we?

Let's Get This Party Started!

It's that time of year again...my Birthday Week! And I'm a little surprised to say that it has kinda snuck up on me. Last year, I had all sorts of plans and ways to celebrate but this year...not so much.

Let's see...today we had our traditional family celebration. Since I had to make dinner, I made one of my favorite dishes and made sure there were plenty of leftovers (which, I just realized, is exactly what I made last year!). Aunt Denise brought over a cake (because I'm weird and refuse to bake my own birthday cake). Then she and the kids banished me to the upstairs until they were done decorating it.


Pretty cute, eh? You should have seen their faces after they were done...not because they were glowing with pride at their creation but because they were covered with various colors of frosting and sprinkles. One should always sample one's own work to ensure quality, right? And I did get a picture of the little monkeys but am saving it for Foto Friday (or whatever day I get it posted).

So here are my plans for my birthday week:
Monday: We're having a family over for FHE. Keep in mind: this is *not* a birthday party! I refuse to plan my own party (goes with the cake concept) so these nice people are coming over for a spiritually uplifting evening. And we're gonna play Rock Band.
Tuesday: I will have a couple hours to myself while the kids are in school so I am planning on taking some of my birthday cash and seeing if anything sparkly catches my eye. Also? We're having Costa Vida for dinner that night. Because I said so.
Wednesday: Going to dinner with friends without the kids. Wooohooo!
Thursday: Yet another parent-attended field trip. But I'll make up for missing out on my two hours of freedom by once again getting Costa Vida for dinner. I wonder if they'd be interesting in advertising on my blog?

I'm going to bust out the Halloween decoration this week, too. And that's it...no other plans. Some of my wishes are slightly hampered by the fact that the Man is leaving me. Yes, he did just get back from a trip on Friday night. He leaves again on Tuesday. I made him take me out on a date on Saturday but he was still fighting jet lag so we had to call it an early evening. And the restaurant we went to wasn't as great as I had expected. We didn't get dessert. You know it's not a good time when I don't ask for dessert after my birthday dinner! Oh well...we'll try another place when he gets back.

And I've manage to break another cardinal rule of the Birthday Week: I am sick. I think it's allergies but whatever it is, it's wrecking havoc on my sinuses and since I can't take any medication...it's not very fun.

What else should I do for my Birthday Week? What's something you want to do during your Birthday Week?

Product Review: Sipahh Milk Flavoring Straws

You know that rule that says you should never go grocery shopping when you're hungry? Yeah. I have a habit of forgetting about that one...And even though I allow myself a little extra in the food budget for those impulse buys, I will totally blow my budget out of the water if I am the least bit hungry - especially since I'm pregnant.

So a few weeks ago, I was at the store, deciding on juice for the kids when I happened to glance across the aisle at the hot chocolate mixes and such. I saw these:


Sipahh Milk Flavoring Straws. Hrmmmm...interesting. In my never-ending search to find something fun for after-school snacks, I thought these would be fun. They were $3.50 for a package of 10, which was a little pricey but hey, I was already holding the box of chocolate straws (there's also strawberry, cookies and cream, and banana) and I was hungry. So into the cart they went. When I ran out of cookies for snack, I broke out these babies.

Basically, it's a plastic straw that has the flavoring sealed inside. Pop it into your milk and take a drink. Milk is pulled through the flavoring and by the time it hits your taste buds, holy yumminess, Batman! But the ultimate test was what the kids would say when they tried it. Their reaction?


I think they like it. I can't be sure because they wouldn't stop sipping long enough to give me a response. I snuck a sip when one of the kids was distracted by something shiny (and possibly shaped like Thomas the Tank Engine). It's not too bad! Taste like flavored chocolate milk. I'm a purist and prefer the chocolate syrup but in a pinch, this would do. Besides, the kids are hooked.

The straws are individually packaged, which is a good idea. Makes it easier to take with you. Could be a lifesaver in those unfortunately moments when the restaurant is - gasp! - out of chocolate milk and only has plain. It does add about a teaspoon of sugar to each glass of milk. Not a terribly large amount but might be something to pay attention to if your child goes all whack-a-doodle on sugar. I still think the price is a little high so the Sipahh straws won't be a regular feature on my shopping list but I will give the other flavors a shot...except for the banana one.

Foto Friday #11

I am posting this on an *actual* Friday. Woot!

The Boy's preschool had their first field trip. To the fire station. I think my son's head about exploded on many occasions...it was that cool. There was an obstacle course ending in a slide, craft projects, a movie and the grand finale: a tour of the fire station with real firemen!


But can I rant for a minute? Oh wait, this is my blog...I can do whatever I want! Hehehehe...The one thing that irritates me about his preschool is that it seems to be mandatory for one parent to attend all field trips. Sure, it's a little inconvenient but what bothers me most is that they can make the parents be there, but they can't make them pay any attention to their kids. Mostly, this is an issue when the father is the accompanying adult. And I'm not bagging on men in general, just on a few that happened to be there. There was one kid who didn't listen and was rather active and pushy and line-cutting-y and just all around a nuisance. And where was Dad? Standing several yards away, hands in pockets, looking like he'd rather be getting a vasectomy than be there. And me, being the bossy caring person that I am, I took it upon myself to pull the kid out of line (repeatedly) when he was cutting back in after already having his turn. Hey, if the dad wanted to discuss this with me, I would have been more than happy to let him do his job but alas, he wasn't paying attention and probably expected someone else to watch his kid anyway.

Deep breath...

Moving on!

Want to meet da Boo's very best friend?

What? You were expecting another child? Or at least a human, right? This is Danny. He is a very nice horse and just loves to give little kids rides. Both the kids have gotten to ride him several times and love him. Da Boo even made him a get-well card after an incident involving a poorly-constructed fence and the neighbor's ill-mannered dog (don't worry...Danny won that fight). I haven't broken the news to the kids yet but Danny's owners are moving. I better be armed with ice cream when I tell her...

So along with other beloved items returning to our home, the Co-ed is back!


Yippeee! Free babysitting! Um, I mean...we once again may enjoy her pleasant company on most Sundays. And now you, too, can relive your college experiences through the Co-ed. She's started a blog! Go check it out.

Eating Penguins

I thought about saving this tasty little tidbit for Foto Friday but since I completely spaced the last one...I'd better get this one out there before it disappears into my archives.

After school, I try to have a fun snack for the kids. Now, before you start thinking what a good mom I am, it's usually some new kind of cookie. Monday it was a straw filled with chocolate milk mix, making the milk you drink turn chocolate in the straw (might have to do a product review on that one...). So imagine my utter surprise when da Boo asked for something that involved vegetables!

With the Man gone on business, we've been having a lot of movie nights (where I let the kids eat dinner on trays while watching a movie). For some odd reason, they love watching VeggieTales Christmas movies, especially "The Toy That Saved Christmas." At the end of the movie, they have lots of bonus features that the kids like to play with. Da Boo discovered they have recipes, too. But not just any recipes: one for the penguins from the movie! The recipe was simple enough (and too cute) so we gave it a try after school yesterday.


What you need:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
chives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 large carrot
1 can small olives
1 can jumbo olives
toothpicks
pastry bag

Mix the cream cheese, chives and seasonings together (or you can do what I did and just buy flavored cream cheese). Stuff mixture into pastry bag.

Peel and slice carrot. Taking a small knife, cut a wedge out of each slice. Then cut the jumbo olives down one side.

Using the pastry bag, fill the inside of the jumbo olives, making sure to overflow the cut area. Take the carrot wedge you cut previously and poke it into a small olive (it helped to make a small slice in the olive first).

Place carrot slice flat (feet). Stack stuffed jumbo olive on top (body). Poke toothpick through olive's filling and into the carrot to hold in place. Slide small olive on top (head).


Enjoy! Repeatedly remind children not to eat toothpick...

FHE: Don't Eat Pete!

I realized I haven't done a Family Home Evening post in quite some time! It's not that we haven't been having them; we have. They've mostly been repeats or fairly informal, nothing that would make for an interesting post if you aren't as obsessed with my kids as I am. So I've decided to share one of our favorite activities: Don't Eat Pete!

Before moving to Utah, I'd never heard of the game. Here, everyone knows how to play. And really, it's pretty simple. First, you start with a game board:

Obviously, I made mine. A sheet of white paper and my daughter's markers. The big thing is that each face is different. If you'd like a little more detail or different expressions, by all means, do your own! I probably should laminate it one of these days, as little fingers tend to smudge and leave prints. I've had to remake the board a few times.

Next, you need a small treat. Typically, we use M&Ms or chocolate chips. You could use anything that your kids like (obviously, mine like chocolate...): Skittles, Smarties, grapes, another variety of M&Ms, Reese's, olives, kumquats...whatever. You don't want it too messy or your board gets ruined, so no chili beans.

Now, you pick who goes first. This is usually the hard part in our family. I try to make it a reward. "The Boy sat still all through FHE, so he can go first," "Da Boo made her bed without me asking her to so she goes first," "Daddy came home before dinner today, so he gets the first turn," or "Mommy went all afternoon without crying, so I go first!" Whoever goes first, leaves the room. When they're gone, the remaining family members pick which face will be "Pete."

Set up the game by placing a small treat on each face, remembering which one is Pete. Yell as loud as you can for the other person to come back in the room. Make sure you yell several times, just in case they didn't hear, even though they are already sitting back down.

Now, the game begins! The Chosen Person chooses a face. While reaching for the candy on that face, glance nervously around at the family, looking for any indication that you are indeed, going to eat Pete. If no one says anything, the Chosen Person gets to eat that candy and then repeat the process by selecting another face. If, in fact, the Chosen Person is reaching for the pre-determined Pete, then the rest of the family must scream "DON'T EAT PETE!" as loud as humanly possible, causing he/she to drop "Pete" and clutch at their ears in agony. All involved collapse into giggles until normal hearing resumes.

Another person is then Chosen and the game resets.

A couple tips:

• You don't eat Pete. Just like the name says and everything. Clever, eh?
• If the Chosen does select Pete first, we usually let them have that one so they don't feel cheated and start crying, run from the room and loudly declare that they hate Pete.
• You'll notice that my board has only nine potential Petes. The first board I made had 12. The Boy had the uncanny ability to work his way through the board without touching Pete until the very end. Makes for a long round, especially when you haven't had your turn yet and there's only one package of M&Ms.
• I've seen/heard of the game played with turkeys, elves, hearts, etc., to fit the season.
• WARNING: Your kids - especially the younger ones - will love this game. They will ask to play it frequently, not just on Monday nights. In fact, you might want to hide the game board rather well and pretend it doesn't exist or you'll get requests to play at the strangest times: during breakfast, when they are supposed to be napping, while they (or you) are on the potty.

Enjoy! And if you have any Pete-related stories you'd like to share, please feel free to do so...as long as I get to go first the next time we play...

Well, look at that...

Take the Quiz here!

Just happens to be one of my favorites! Although I think I have to disagree with the "tremendously attractive" bit. And I hope no one hates me after this but I prefer the Mr. Darcy in the new version with Kiera Knightly.

*Ducking to avoid all the keyboards being hurled...*

Get Mugged

Because my in-laws love me, they sent me a recipe for making a single-serving chocolate cake in 5 minutes. Now, this is my kind of heaven! After reading through the recipe, I was a little skeptical but decided to give it a whirl last night. Sure beats whipping up an entire cake mix when I was only in the mood for a small piece.

The results? Not bad! It's actually rather tasty! I let the Man have a bite and then greedily hoarded the rest shared with the baby.

Since our FHE was rather informal last night, I am calling this the treat. And since Jesus said love everyone, I am sharing the recipe with you.

Chocolate Mug Cake
1/4 cup cake flour (I used self-rising)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
A small splash of vanilla extraction
1 mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil; mix well.
Add the chocolate chips and vanilla; mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on High. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! It kinda looks like a souffle rising. I put a small plate under my mug, just in case, but it didn't spill over.
Allow to cool a little. Tip out onto a plate, if desired, or just dig right in.

Sorry, I should have taken a picture but this is chocolate cake and this is me we are talking 'bout here. Let me know if you try this!

Roll Over, I'm Squooshed!

Remember that song? "Five little kids, sleeping in the bed and the little one said 'Roll over, I'm squooshed/smashed/squashed/suffocating on your B.O.!' So they all rolled over and one fell off. Four little kids, sleeping in the bed..."

We are currently sleeping with four in our bed. It's a queen-sized so you'd think there'd be room but...not so much. Before our current situation, I would joke with the Man that really we only need a twin bed because he manages to sleep on my side, anyway. Now I am thinking we might just need separate rooms to solve the problem.

Maybe you don't know this, but I am pregnant. What you also might not know is that I am a...curvaceous woman. There's a whole lot of me to love. Just ask the Wii Fit. It's gets plenty angry at me for gaining weight. It's rather opinionated for being a machine. But I digress...

So there's me, the Man and the Baby all trying to share the same bed. Normally, not an issue. We've done this twice before. With da Boo, anytime the Man got near my belly, she'd kick him so that opened up more space. And the Boy, well, he never stopped kicking so again, space not an issue. This baby is more reserved. If she thinks you are paying attention to her, she immediately stops moving. The Man doesn't get thumped in the gut so he scoots over to my side.

Things are already a little crowded. Then comes George. George has been with us since before I had the Boy and frankly, I cannot imagine life without him. The Man resents George's presence and is always trying to pull him out of our bed but I insist. I must have George or I can't sleep. The Man simply doesn't understand our complex feelings.


This is George. He's a body pillow (and no, I am not a huge fan of Coca-Cola, although I do enjoy some of their products. This happened to be the only pattern available when I finally broke down and got one). He's what makes my sciatic nerve feel all better when I try to sleep during pregnancy (numb legs are not comfortable, neither is crippling lower back pain). So my poor, reproducing body can rest properly, George must be positioned between me and The Man.

Therefore, we are getting a little crowded.

Foto (after) Friday #10

Maybe I ought to find a better name for this feature...seeing as how I keep posting on days other than Friday. Any suggestions?

Anyway, quite the eventful week, my friends!


Da Boo started dance class. Its her first time taking a formal class, although she loves to try to copy the moves on "Hairspray." I think I might let her watch "High School Musical" for the songs and dancing (and for Zac Efron, but that's more for me).


Homework time! Da Boo is finishing an assignment she didn't get done at school, writing the letter "F". The Boy's teacher sends home one sheet of homework after each class. Since this is the young preschool, he's just been tracing lines and letters. He was missing the concept of "tracing" and was just drawing whatever he felt like. I explained that it was like playing connect-the-dots. After he turned in the first assignment, his teacher gave it back to him with a sucker taped to it. You would have thought she'd given him his weight in candy, as excited as he was.

And here's a tip for you fellow distracted mothers of young children out there: when backing out of your garage, it is better to just stop the van so you can instruct your child on the proper use of a seat belt instead of keeping the vehicle moving.

Yep. Broke the mirror. Or as the Boy likes to say: "Mommy broke the van's ear." Luckily, I just really messed up the mirror part and didn't tear the whole thing off the van, otherwise, the Man might not be speaking to me. It's about $100 repair, instead of a $500 repair. My reasoning was hey, this is the first real damage I've done to my van. I think making it three years in a vehicle without anything major happening is reason for celebration! Right? Right??!

I better go make him a cheesecake or something...

What have you done to your car lately?
Any good homework tips?

Nobody Doesn't Like Cake

For awhile I've been reading a new blog. I haven't listed it yet because well, I'm trying to protect myself. See, the blog is called Cake Wrecks and they post hilarious accounts of cakes gone horribly, horribly wrong. And I am so incredibly paranoid that one of my cakes is going to end up as the daily post. But this site is really too good to keep secret so please, go have a look!

And I found this bit by comedian Jim Gaffigan posted on Cake Wrecks. It's about the best comedy routine I've seen about my obsession. Enjoy!

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

So far, I've really enjoyed being pregnant (except on my grumpy days). It's amazing to feel the baby move, to watch her grow in the ultrasound photos. Random people smile at me as I waddle past them. Teenagers hold the door open! Everyone - even complete strangers - offer congratulations. But what I love the most? The excuses.

If I don't feel like moving, I don't. Wouldn't want to put a strain on my body; its working hard already. If I don't want to walk fast, I don't. Same reason! I canceled a dentist appointment because not only do I not like them but because my gag reflex goes into overdrive during pregnancy and really, it would suck to puke on the hygienist. She doesn't get paid enough for that. Automatically, the sports sign-up sheets go right past me, then I don't feel guilty about not joining the volleyball team (and I'm horrible at team sports anyway). People don't call and ask me to watch their kids. No one looks twice when I scarf down two (or three) slices of cheesecake. Gaining weight is actually celebrated. Impulse buys suddenly are deemed "cravings." I am therefore legally and morally obligated to purchase two packages of Nutty Bars because I need them.

Tonight was another golden opportunity. I hadn't eaten dinner because I was late getting back from an outing with the Activity Day girls. But there was a Relief Society meeting and hey! They always have snacks. Off I went, tummy rumbling. When I sat down...I noticed immediately that there was no food in sight. I couldn't smell any aromas wafting in from the kitchen. I quietly asked the lady in charge "Are there any refreshments?" There would be samples after the salsa making class. I couldn't wait that long! My poor baby was starving! I whispered my plight to my buddy and she suggested I go get Wendy's. I'd be back before the main lesson ended and the classes split. And after all, I am pregnant. Anyone would understand. So a junior bacon cheeseburger later, I was contently listening to the rest of the meeting.

Ahhhh...pregnancy is bliss.

Oh Happy Day!

Guess what???

What was lost is now found!

We found the Mee Mee! The Boy helped me pick out the proper song to celebrate. It was here, at our house all along...buried in the back of da Boo's closet, which is also a favorite hiding spot for the kids. I cleaned out the bottom of her closet on a whim and looky be! He's hardly put it down since. Hooray!!

Tell me something happy that happened to you recently!

Smörgåsbord

Alternate Titles: "Whine, Whine, Whine and then Some Whining about the Baby" or "Prozac should come in liquid form so it works faster."

Oh, where to begin...

My neighbor made me a delicious cake as a thank you. I ate most of it myself (not all at once, I promise) and now that it's gone...it's all I can think about! She said she's give me the recipe and I'm about to go knock on her door, pen and paper in hand, so I can make it.

The Wii Fit's Balance Board should not be white. I think none of the developers have small children and therefore, do not know how dirty little feet can get. I know who was on the board last by the size of the smudges.

For some reason, I am incredibly grumpy today. The Man is trying his best to get me out of my funk but I'm just not feeling any cheerier, even though yesterday I went with him to pick out my birthday present (which is completely awesome and deserves it's own post). In fact, I'm wearing my maternity shirt with the grumpy bunny on it that says "You sure you want to start with the pregnant lady?" It should help me avoid the random confrontation, don't you think?

And speaking of maternity clothes, why are maternity pants so uncomfortable? It's bad enough that my body doesn't feel like my own so is it too much to ask that my pants at least feel normal? I even bought a pair of the new "Secret Belly" jeans from Motherhood Maternity and while those feel the best, they keep sliding down and I have to keep hiking them back up! It's not that they are too big because when they are pulled up all the way, they fit great. But then they slide back down and I start looking like a teenage boy who wants everyone to know that I'm wearing Calvin Klein boxers.

I've decided I've completely lost all mental capacity. Seriously, I might as well be a vegetable. The other day I could not remember where I was born. I was putting together a quilt block and kept lining up the fabric facing the wrong way. Then I'd double-check it, catch my error, only to realign it the other wrong way. I forget appointments. I forget if I've already brushed my teeth. I forget my kids' names (but what mom doesn't do that on occasion?). This baby had better be smart because she sure is making me dumb.

And she still doesn't have a name. Maybe my requirements are too strict. I like old fashioned names, names that aren't incredibly popular right now and her name can't end in an "ee" sound. I've taken to asking random young mothers the names of their baby girls. I think I might be starting to freak out some people but hey, it's Wal-Mart and everyone there is their own kind of scary.

Foto Friday #9

I know, I know...it's not Friday anymore. But Friday was a very rough day...I could list all the reasons but I won't. (Actually, I did but then read back through them and decided I was just whining so trust me...bad day). And a very distracting day but we'll get to that.

You may be sick of seeing about how much fun we have while playing Rock Band but well, my blog! Hehehehe!


What we like to do to trick encourage the kids is have one parent play an instrument while letting the kids play, too. Only we have it on one-player mode. They don't know that they aren't really playing and they have a great time. You'll notice that the Boy is actually wearing his eye patch while playing the drums. We still have to keep that up for another week and then we'll see if there's been progress. Da Boo is the backup dancer apparently. And see her sparkly earrings? Crazy Grampa gave her clip on earrings while he was visiting. She rarely takes them off.


Here's the Man playing with the house band. And there were pictures of me playing with the kids but oh, shucks! I had red-eye and I can't remember how to fix that in Photoshop. So sorry. But not really.

So here's what's been distracting: Wii Fit. My brother found them in stock and immediately called me to see if I still wanted one. YES!! It arrived on Thursday but I kept it wrapped because I had a LOT to do and knew I would get distracted (because it's so pretty...). The Man opened it last night. It's fun! As I type, the kids are taking turns playing the balance games as a reward for good behavior. And if you are having a bad day (like I was), just watch your beloved husband attempt to play the hula hoop game. You will nearly bust a vein laughing!

Remember last week's memorial? Well, I'm still not over the loss. In fact, I've dreamt twice that we found Mee Mee. I was so excited about it that when I woke up, I went and checked those locations...just in case. No Mee Mee. *sigh*

Adventures in Uncharted Territory

Alas, I am an empty-nester...for four hours a week...until the baby comes. And it's great! The Boy started Preschool yesterday. Once again, I defied all pregnancy-hormone logic and didn't cry. No weeping, wailing or gnashing of teeth. Although maybe I hugged him three times too many before saying goodbye...


He insisted on having "spikey hair" for the first day. And he calls hair gel "jello" so how can I resist when he asks?

No first day jitters here! He got right to work on their first project.

I quietly left the room, waiting ever so briefly for him to come running after me. He didn't. Then I giggled all the way home, turned the tv on, and grabbed a Nutty Bar (or two), ready to catch up on some shows that didn't star a bi-lingual girl with a monkey or a clue-hiding dog. I was well into my second episode of Doctor Who , drooling over David Tennant, when the phone rang. It was the Boy's teacher. Uh oh. The Boy had an accident. Great. So I hurried out the door with a change of clothes (and shoes).

When I arrived, the Boy was with his teacher and the preschool director...in the men's restroom. Hrmmm...haven't been in one of those intentionally since I was in grade school. Apparently, all this restroom had was a handicap stall and a urinal. Not quite comfortable with the urinal, the Boy headed to the stall only to hesitate because the potty was so high. He didn't make it. And now the director was cleaning up the "spill" while I stripped the Boy down. For the next twenty minutes, I was constantly looking at the door, hoping that no grown men would need to make a pit stop. How awkward that would be!

While getting him into clean underwear, I looked into his teary eyes and he softly whispered "Can I go home with you?" Oh, the torment! How I wanted to carry him home and snuggle up together with more Nutty Bars...but he really needed to stay with his class. He let a couple of tears fall and I almost wavered. Luckily, the director said that it was snack time in his class and surely he wouldn't want to miss that. He was still quiet but let me guide him back to his class. Again, I left him there, perhaps a trifle more emotional than the first time - for both of us.