An Anniversary Treat

April 28th was my 6th Anniversary with my SuperHero! And, on a funny note, I also happened to find out that April 28th is National Super Hero Day! I knew there was a reason that day was perfect =)

We've been following the Anniversary Gift guideline's since the beginning (you know, 1st is paper, 2nd is cotton, etc. Here's a website with a list), and this year was no exception. We ended up combining our 1st and 2nd anniversaries (long story), so he got the piece of paper with his order confirmation to his brand new set of ABU's (military fatigues, for the non-military out there). We found out a month before our 3rd anniversary that he would be deploying, so I bought him a Leather bound (gift was Leather) journal to take with him. He was gone for our 4th, so I sent him a box of fruit leather and other yummy treats (it was the Fruit anniversary!). I can't remember what we did for last year's anniversary! HA!

However, this year was MY favorite...Sugar!!!! I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do. My SuperHero's favorite dessert is Cannoli's, so you can bet that's what I was going to do. Now, I have 2 kids in the house (and myself of course), so I had to make it a family friendly dessert--I don't care for ricotta filling. Also, I had no idea how to make the shells, nor did I have any tools to do any of the instructions that I was finding on the internet. Thankfully, the grocery store that I go to sells Cannoli shells! I picked them up, whipped up my favorite cream cheese icing recipe, and piped it into the shells. For a fun and festive touch (and because he loves them!), I added some sprinkles to the ends! PERFECTION! Wait...no, I still had a problem. How on EARTH was I going to display them?! They didn't look right just sitting on a plate, and there was no way I was going to leave them in the box the shell's came in! This was one of the times (and there have been many!) that I was cursing not having all of the wonderful glass jars and containers I want! So, I went on the hunt for a covered cake plate. I *wanted* something white, and vintage looking...but I *ended up* with a glass regular looking one. Oh well, I was still happy to have it....and the Cannoli's looked great on it! Needless to say, they were a hit =)

And for my gift, I got an Ice Cream Maker!! Something I've been wanting for a while. Nothing beats homemade ice cream! YUM! Can't wait to bust that bad boy out!

Recent musings

I've been remiss in my postings...usually because I feel as if I have nothing to say! However, not posting for a LONG while has allowed some things to pile up in my brain. So, here's what I've been up to, and my thoughts on a few things.


At the beginning of this month, Ri had his spirit week at school. As a kid, that is the BEST week of school EVER! What kid didn't like dressing up all crazy like for a week, along with everyone else?! For one whole week you were just like everyone else...there were no "cliques", no "cool kids", no "nerds". Everyone was the same! It was awesome! However, I've decided that, as a parent, this is the most EXHAUSTING week. One can't imagine the amount of thought that has to go into the outfits for each day--and there are 5 of them to do!! Monday: Spirit Day. Complete with relay races, and the entire team divided into 2 specific teams matching the school colors. My son was on the white team (don't even get me started on the genius of putting my kid in white for an entire day!). Thankfully, LMP mom decided that she was going to make the 1st grade their "team" shirts (just another way for her to show off---she was even hoping to win "best outfit" for her iron on transfer t-shirts! HA!), so I didn't have to make him a shirt to wear. [Oh, and a funny side story---as I'm sitting on the sidelines, watching the relay races, Ri runs up to me on his way to the next race. He proceeds to try and burrow into my lap and starts to cry! I'm trying to figure out what is going on, and as I reach down to scoop him up, my hand touches something slimy on the bottom, back side of his shirt. He slipped and fell on a blueberry, and had it all down the back of his shirt. Poor little guy was embarrassed, and had a couple kids laugh at him]. Ok, Tuesday: Western Day. Now, I'd like everyone to pause and think....how many of you actually have cowboy/cowgirl clothing in your children's wardrobe??? I didn't think so! Sure, a flannel shirt here, maybe a spare handkerchief there...but anything beyond that? No. So, I went ahead and made up a couple of felt vests for the kiddies. Ri's had a Sheriff's badge, and H's had fringe. Seemed to do the trick for the day! (And, it wasn't overly difficult--felt is very forgiving for a novice seamstress!). Wednesday: Wear a Cross/Dress Up Day. Psh, that one was easy! However, Ri did manage to come home with grass and dirt stains all over the knees of his khaki dress pants. *Sigh*. Thursday: Mis-Match Day. One would think that this would be an easy thing to do. For H, it was no problem! A pink skirt over a pair of jeans, a green and white striped t-shirt,  mismatched socks, and her sparkly red dress shoes. For Ri, it was pretty difficult! That boy has nothing but blue, black, green, grey, and white in his wardrobe! So we rolled up one pant leg, wore mis-matched soccer socks, and put his shirt on backwards. It did the trick (Note to self for next year: buy a purple or yellow or even orange shirt, just for this occasion!). And Friday was the easiest day of them all: Pajama Day! If I hadn't decided to put the kiddie's in clean jammies, we could have slept in for an extra half hour...cleanness won out! (Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I made some treats for the kids to match a couple of the themes--I chose Western Day (I made Cowboy cookies), and Pajama Day (I made my donuts, mentioned previously). I will post about the cookies later).


Next was our mischief filled St. Patrick's Day week! We have a Leprechaun who visits the kids, and plays tricks on them. He turned the toilet water green, and left hand and foot prints in the sink, he stole my ironing board (really, I was NOT complaining!), he switched the kids' toys, and he stole their shoes! That T.L Clover is a sneaky one! Even managed to break out of the shoe trap Ri made for him. However, I have to send him a HUGE thank you! He got Riley to clean his room! All he had to do was write him a letter threatening him! Haha! Those Leprechauns =)


OH--and I'll save this for another post all of its own because it deserves it--I read the entire Hunger Games trilogy! Can you talk about LOVE?!?! I'm still reeling from them. It's been so long since I've been in book love, but this is it! Book love and then some! AH! More to come, I promise!


Now, to round out my very own March Madness...I finished up a couple I-Spy bags for the Little's! I figured they would be perfect for the road trips that we have coming up. Ri loves to do puzzles like that, and could look at "seek and find's" for hours! So, hopefully this will keep him entertained for a short amount of time! H, well I'm not so sure how she'll take to it. If I had to take a guess, she'll probably scream and get angry because she won't be able to get the buttons and toys out of there! Eh, it's worth a try! I found the tutorial here. And here's the link to my Pinboard for all of the fun things I plan to make for the Little's roadtrip games!


March is almost over, which will be bringing me into a crazy first week of April! Ri's got his Easter Party and a school play on Wednesday (which there hasn't been a peep from LMP about any party plans!), he's got the day off on Thursday (how am I supposed to get any Easter Bunny shopping done?!), then Friday is Ri's birthday (he'll be 7!), and to celebrate we'll be heading to Washington D.C. until Saturday. He's not the only one super excited about the trip! I was thrilled to be seeing some Cherry Blossoms, but due to our early spring, they've already passed their blooming stage (insert sad face here). Then there's Easter on Sunday (with our annual trip on the Easter Bunny Express), and Passover Dinner on Monday at my mother-in-law's house. Busy, busy, busy! All I can say is: bring it on (along with a bottle of wine!)!!

Socially Awkward?

A funny thing happened to me at the craft store today...well, funny to me, anyway.


A fellow mom from Ri's school was raving to me about this WONDERFUL yarn I just HAD to pick up. It's called Starbella, and it's so popular that it sells out pretty much the second it's put on the shelf. The scarves that are being made from this wonder yarn are being sold at craft fairs, and on ebay (I know, I checked) for anywhere from $20 to $40!
After hearing her rave review, I figured I had to check this stuff out for myself. She had shown me the scarf she was making (which was beautiful...I wouldn't pay $40 for one, but it was beautiful all the same), and it did look pretty fun. Figured my Little H and I could have some fun "Mommy and Me" scarves for Valentine's Day.
So, after dropping Ri off at school, and before running Little H off to her Gymnastic's class, I decided to stop by our local AC Moore (which is supposedly the only place locally that sells it) and see if, by chance, they had any.
Walking into the store I kind of giggled to myself, thinking: "Wouldn't it be funny if....I had to fight off all these ladies with my knitting needles (totally Ninja style) just to get the yarn". I got back to the Yarn Crafts section, and (much to my relief) found it pretty dead back there! Must not have been a stock up day! I must have walked up and down the 3 yarn aisles 4 times each before I found what was left of the Starbella yarn. 3 measly little balls of this pretty colored yarn....with no wrappers! Really??? People are so into this yarn that they don't want to buy all the colors, but they DO want to steal the wrappers so they have the free pattern (that you can DOWNLOAD from the website!! I know, I looked!)??? Sheesh...come on people! (Crafters...you don't want to mess with them!)
So, I picked up one of the balls of yarn, and proceeded to seek out a store "associate" to let them know that I needed the number so I could actually buy this! I found 3 people huddled in the back by the framing center, doing much of nothing, and waited patiently for one of them to notice me (i.e. for one of them to notice my screaming daughter!). Once my presence was acknowledged, I barely got the words, "Is it possible to get the number for this up to the register so I can buy it" out of my mouth, when the male rolls his eyes and says, "Another one for the Starbella yarn?".
Now, I don't know if I was just caught off-guard by being questioned about my yarn choices, or if it's because I've spent almost 7 years immersed in being a mommy/wife/homebody, but I suddenly started stammering over my words, and trying to reassure them that, really, I'm not a crazy yarn lady who's jumping on the band wagon. That curiosity had finally gotten the best of me. As these associates continued to go on about the "crazy" yarn people, telling their tales of Black Friday proportions (and almost Oscar worthy performances), one lady quietly called the front with the numbers I would need...and I tried to sneak off quietly (with a yelling 2 year old, of course).
If I thought that I had escaped the lion's den, boy was I wrong. The cashier sure had a lot to say on the Starbella subject. "I can't believe the hype over this stuff", "I saw that people were selling the scarves for over $40", "It's not like it's magic", "What do you think you're going to do with it", "Oh, another one who wants to make a scarf?" (While I, again, stammered to explain that I wanted to make a cute little scarf for the little girl who was, by this point, just staring at this woman. Probably thinking, "You're the crazy one!")
I'm just glad that I escaped that AC Moore with my life....maybe not with my dignity intact, and perhaps with a Social complex...and very possibly questioning any kind of social "skills" I thought I might have....but at least I was alive! AND, I had a ball of that coveted Starbella yarn!


After I arrived home HOURS later (it was a loooooong day), I busted that bad boy out. Yep, I can see why people are quite possibly fighting ninja style with their knitting needles to get a ball of it. It's cute...it's fun...it's something different. But....it's still not worth paying $40 for a finished scarf! I suggest you just teach yourself how to knit...it's cheaper! (And, as I only learned how to knit in November...this is an EASY yarn to learn on!)

Heading in to All things Cutesy (and something new!)

Phew....what a month! January always seems to be the never-ending month. Nothing exciting ever happens in January...there aren't any awesome Holiday's. No significant time spent out of school for Ri. It's cold, it's dark, it's usually just a pretty miserable month. And, other than a couple little happenings in our world, this January was no different than any other one!
Some of the memorable mentions from January:

• I got my NEW camera!!! My wonderful Super-Hero got me my T3i as a delayed Christmas gift, and I'm in camera-love! It's a beauty, with so many fun functions...and accessories! I let my Super-Hero spoil me by getting the grip I've been drooling over! I've had so much fun playing with it! Yep, it's definitely camera-love!

• My Super-Hero and I got to spend a wonderful evening out with some friends at The Melting Pot. We took full advantage of the Restaurant Week special again this year, and had some great food! I won't tell you how much chocolate fondue I may, or may not have, devoured!! Soo yummy!

•  We had Ri's very first Pinewood Derby race with the Scouts. He was thrilled, and excited, and pretty much everything a 6 year old boy could be when it comes to cars, races, and building! However, it quickly became a lesson in losing gracefully. My poor Ri! =( It was heart-breaking for us to see him come in last place in all 6 races that he did, so I can only imagine how hard it was for him. He held it together, though...through all the races, through getting his "atta-boy" patch, and all the way until he could come out and get a hug from Mommy and Daddy. That's when my little boy lost it. I will admit that I almost lost it, too. We quickly told him how very proud of him we were, and that even though he didn't win, the fact that he had fun is all that matters (yeah, right!....we couldn't really say that we wanted to pound all the other cars into the dirt, and challenge the fact that our son should have won because he doesn't have an older brother who's done this before!). We then promptly rewarded him with a sugar rich, calorie laden sprinkle donut--and you can bet that I would have given him a million of them if it would have made him smile again! (I'm sure I'm being judged by all the health nut conscious parents out there)

So, now that the never-ending month is FINALLY over, I'm very much so looking forward to February! All things pink, red, hearts, candy, and cutesy-ness (yes, that is now a word)! I've never been much a Valentine's Day person (psh---that's a "holiday" for mushy, gushy, love people, who have bags of money laying around to spend on expensive diamonds, and perishable flowers, and very small portions of food for too many dollar signs!), until Ri was about 3 years old. Something inside me warmed up (much like one would think of the Grinch's heart at Christmas time), and said that I need to make this day special for my family. So, each February the 14th (or, the weekend before depending on school schedules!), my table is set with heart plates, candy, cupcakes, and special bags full of goodies for my Super-Hero and my littles! I think there was even a heart shaped out of candy on our living room floor last year.

Oh, and on a non-cutesy note...we're heading straight into the uncharted waters of Potty Training for Girls! Wow...if I thought my son was difficult to potty train, then I was WAY off base! And people say that Girls, AND your 2nd are MUCH easier to potty train! HA! They apparently didn't have MY daughter! This should be an interesting ride, that's for sure! I'm sure there will be many scatter-brained adventures to share on that front! 

Time to leave the blogging world and return to the world of a messy kitchen, and what looked like a 2 year old toosh streaking through my living room!

Wow...a little behind the 8 ball

Ok, I see that it has been a very long while since I've written! I'm going with the typical "I'm a busy mom of 2 crazy kids" excuse...as well as the fact that 3 big holidays snuck in while I wasn't looking!


So, to catch up...Halloween party with LMP: She was hardly in the room, leaving me to handle everything! And I was completely unprepared for that. Had she said that she would be leaving the room every 5 minutes to check on the other class that she's room mom for, then I would have known that I would have to handle everything. Instead she thought it was perfectly normal to leave me with the task of running HER game, and MY craft, and the KIDS' food all at the same time! Yay for me!
 Other than the crazy party, Halloween was a lot of fun! My son (who was Captain America--a very popular costume this year apparently) had a blast with his cousins, and my daughter (who was the cutest scarecrow you could imagine!) was actually old enough to enjoy it! She walked with me up to people's doors, said what sounded like her version of "Trick-or-Treat", took a piece of candy (yep, only 1!), and said "Thank you" as she was walking away. It was enough to bring tears to my eye! This is such a fun age!!




Thanksgiving isn't a huge celebration for me, because I'm not much of an eater, my kids are super picky, and my husband is always working. But, we do dinner at my mother-in-law's house anyway. Whenever there are 7 adults, and 6 children in a house the size of my first floor (which isn't very big) you can bet that there's chaos! Especially when 3 of those 6 are boys between the ages of 7 and 5, and they're all about running and yelling! Just throw my (now) 2 year old into the mix, as well as 2 "tweens" in the mix and it's noise, drama, and a bunch of moms yelling at them to settle down! It is nice to be with the family, though! We also had a small family celebration for Little H's 2nd birthday! I can't believe she's 2 already...the time flies by, and I'm reminded about that every time I look at her or Ri!




Then, before I could turn around it was Christmas time. Wow! December was full of insomnia, stress, and no time! I had the brilliant idea of making a Christmas Activity Countdown Calendar, filled with wonderful activities to do everyday until the big 2-5! It was a hit with the kids, but with all the other things that were going on, it found me scrambling to find time to do it all in! Then this year we were visited by Sgt. Sleigh! Apparently he's our Elf that Santa sent to us to keep an eye on the kids to make sure they were being good! He was a fun little guy, and he caused quite a bit of mischief in our house! From movie dates with LaLaLoopsy dolls, to drawing on our pictures with marker (dry erase, thankfully!), and even snowing our bathroom mirror--there was no lack of fun for him to have!

The week leading up to Christmas was full of holiday fun! The Christmas party (which LMP decided she wanted each child to make a graham cracker gingerbread house instead of anything else) was pretty crazy! LMP was in and out of the room a lot again, but this time I was prepared for it! And since we only had a short amount of time for the activities, it wasn't all that bad. Then there was the Advent service that Ri sang at, and played the part of a Wise Man! Then there was baking, and crafting, and wrapping, and shopping...I'm exhausted just remembering it all!
But, come Christmas morning....it was ALL worth it! The smiles, the laughter, the excitement...there is nothing I enjoy more than seeing the kids' eyes light up! That vision is something I will remember forever!


Now I sit here, closing in on the end of 2011, and I can't wait! I love the end of the year! I don't see it as a time to party (Lord knows with 2 kids, and husband who is out picking drunks up off the streets, the last thing I get to do is party!), but as a time to reflect on all that happened during the previous year, and all of the wonderful possibilities on the horizon for the new year! It's such an exciting time! I know, that for me, the new year holds the promise of a personal challenge! I NEVER make resolutions, because I always break them. Sure, I stick with it for a couple of days, sometimes even weeks...but then I lose my motivation, and by February, the resolutions are out the window. But this year is different. I'm not setting a resolution, I'm setting a goal. I'm going to get back into shape, and I'm going to run a 5K...hopefully 2! It's something that has been on my bucket list for a while now, and I'm finally ready to stop dreaming about it...and just do it! I know it's going to take A LOT of will-power...but I'm sure I'm finally ready for it. I've done this once before in my life (well, in another life really....about 9 years ago, when I joined the military), and I can definitely do it again! So, here's to running shoes, sweatpants, headbands, C25K, and a whole lot of determination!!


From our wonderful little family to yours....Have a WONDERFUL end to 2011, and an even better BEGINNING to 2012!

Room Mom's...coming soon to a classroom near you

THAT would be a reality TV show that I could really get into! All the pettiness of "Dance Mom's" with the annoyances of "Real Housewives..."!


Unfortunately, however, this isn't a new TV series. It's my life!! I'm 1/2 of the room parent team in my son's First Grade classroom. Now, why we need 2 room parents for a class of 9 students is beyond me! But, that's how it worked out. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning...it adds to the entertainment value!


This all began last year, when my son started Kindergarten. Ok, well, I actually think it started when my son began Pre-K at his school. This mom, lets just call her Little Miss Perfect (or LMP for lazy typing purposes), happened to be 1/2 the room mom team for my son's Pre-K class (if you haven't guessed, her son...just 1 of her now 4 children...is in the same class as mine). She did a great job, and since I was the "new mom", I didn't expect to be involved the first year.
Well, Kindergarten orientation came around. I was talking to the teacher, and asked if she had chosen anyone to be the room mom yet. She said that she hadn't chosen anyone, so I said that I would be more than happy to HELP whoever she chooses. It wasn't my intention to actually become the room mom, I just wanted to be a part of the team. Well, to my shock, the teacher asked me to be the room mom! The ONLY room mom! There were 16 kids!! Of course I started to freak out a bit...but that's another story!
Anyhow, I went to LMP to let her know that I was asked, because I was looking for some help and some ideas (one of her other children is older, and had already been through this teachers class). Well, she turns around and says to me, "Oh, well, I guess that's ok then. I'm room parent for my daughter's classroom, so I guess I'll just focus on that". Uhhh...ok, then. Needless to say, she wasn't a lot of help throughout that year, and every time she made something for a party she had to try and outdo me! For the Easter party she told me that I didn't need to buy things for Goody-bags, because she had bought extra and made them up already! And she was always the last to let me know what she was bringing, or to donate money for a gift!


By the end of Kindergarten, I had told my husband that there was no way I was going to volunteer to be room mom again. It was just too much trying to deal with all of the parents (the lazy ones, the dramatic ones, and the ones who wouldn't do a single thing no matter how much you asked!), and while I loved the kids, it just wasn't worth it. However, I said that if I was asked, I certainly wouldn't turn it down (that would just be rude!). And, it was beginning to sound like I was going to be asked to be room mom. One of the parents, who happens to be a teacher at the school, highly recommended me to the First Grade teacher...the Kindergarten teacher raved about me...and I became known around the school for my treats and the effort I put in.
Enter LMP! School hadn't even been out for 2 days when I got a message from her telling me that the First Grade Teacher had asked HER to be room mom for next year, but, since she would be having a baby in September (yep, this would be child #4!), would I mind working WITH her as a team?? Disappointment hit, I thought for sure I was going to be asked again. But, I sucked it up and said that I would love to help out in any way that I could. I got over it, and left it there.
Well, Teacher Meet and Greet day came, and there we all were in the classroom. Me, my Husband, my Son and young Daughter, the Teacher, and LMP and her brood. I had just seen the cutest recipe for back to school treats (LOVE LOVE LOVE Family Fun Magazine!!!), and asked LMP if she had any plans for making a treat for them, because I would love to do it. She said that she hadn't thought of anything yet, so I took that as "Sure, go ahead an plan on that!". As she's walking out of the room, Mrs. Teacher turns to her an says: "Oh, Mrs. LMP, I was going to ask if you would like to be room mom for the year". Wait, what?!?!  Did I just hear that right?! You're just NOW asking her to be room mom?! To which LMP responded, "Oh, I was already Planning on it! I even asked Debbie if she'd like to help me". Again, what?! I was told by her that she was ALREADY asked to be room mom! My Piss Buttons were hit...and I then realized that this was going to be a competition!
If I thought THAT was bad...then I was in for a shock the next day! I got a message from her telling me that she had just bought all the fixings for that fun recipe that I wanted to make for the kids for the 1st day of school. Oh HELL no! This just went from competition...to WAR!


Now, here we are...rapidly approaching Halloween. You know what that means, right? Halloween Party time. I LOVE the Halloween Party! I love seeing the kids in their costumes, I love the fun treats you can make, and I love putting together the goody bags for them!! It's just a lot of FUN! I had my recipes picked out for what I wanted to make, I had my fun treat ideas ready for their goody bags...and then I talked to LMP.
SHE doesn't want to do goody bags for the kids ("It's all a bunch of stuff that the kids don't play with. And most if it is so small anyway, and since you have a young child, you know how it is with putting little things in their mouths, blah blah blah"). Instead, SHE will make each child their very own Oreo dipped Caramel Apple to take home. Really???
Oh, and as far as what I can do to "help"..."You can take care of the craft. After all, that's the HARD part". Really? Really???? A craft for 9 children aged 6 and 7 is NOT the hard part! It consists of foam and stickers, because that's all there's time for.

Will the Caramel Apples be a hit? Will I go ahead an make my goodies for the kids anyway? Will my craft consume all the time she needs for the kids to play the game she comes up with? Stay tuned for the After Halloween update...oh, and don't forget to tune in for the Christmas Party drama (which, by the way, is HER favorite party!)! I can hardly wait. (There REALLY needs to be a sarcasm font!).

A suitable substitute...for now!

Today's baking adventures didn't go EXACTLY as I had planned. Then again, in this house, things rarely do!

Yesterday I was laid out all afternoon with an awful headache. Guess that's what happens when you have to take 2 grumpy kids grocery shopping with you because you had NO time to do it on Thursday or Friday! Ok, so I can't completely blame them for the pain...they're too cute to hold a grudge against! I'll have to find another excuse for that at another time. Whatever the reason, it kept me from my baking. SOO, I had to play catch up today. On my list? Gum-drops and Donuts! YUM!

I pour over the recipes and decided that I'd start with the Gum-drops. They're the quickest, yet take the longest as far as set time. Now, this is where my absent-mindedness comes in to play. I combine my cold water and my unflavored gelatin. I'm getting excited now...come on!! They're HOMEMADE gum-drops!! I can have them whenever I WANT! So, I start to get my water boiling, and go to grab my box of sugar. Only to find...I have NO sugar! None! Ok, well, I had some...about 1 and maybe 3/4 cup. But, I needed 4! I was so mad!! I had cuss words flying out of my mouth, and I was ready to throw my spatula across the kitchen. I had no sugar, and I had just ruined 6 packets of unflavored gelatin! 

Guess Gum-drops just weren't in my cards today. So, as I'm cleaning up that mess I decided I NEEDED donuts. I had just bought a donut pan (what a genius idea Wilton!), had a great recipe (thank you internet!), and was in the mood for some sugar (I would say guilt-free, but I know that I'll be hitting the gym hard this week). Thank God this recipe turned out wonderfully!! No sugar needed!

And, according to my son...I make the "BEST donuts EVER"...after Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts of course! Oh well, I'll take it!

Double Glazed Funfetti Donut recipe found here. 

Now, time to put together tomorrow's gym punishment. 4 donuts is WAY too much!