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!