7 Quick Takes: October 16, 2009 (Vol. 18)

~ 1 ~

Molly is having a birthday party this weekend (though she turned five a couple of weeks ago).  It will be her very first party with friends, instead of just family.  She is so excited, and it sounds like a lot of her friends are too (from what I have heard from some of the Moms).

It is a tea party/dress up party.  As part of the party favors, I went to Goodwill and bought all kinds of different tea cups for $.49 each.  That way, each girl can pick a special cup to use during the party, and then she can take it home as a way to remember the party.

Wish us luck!

~ 2 ~

I almost wanted to bang my head on a table tonight.  I'm sorry -- it may not be right, but it's really hard to have to listen to someone who always has to have the last word, always needs to one up people on whatever story they are telling, and always has to be right.  This is not a person that I really know well at all, but it definitely made my evening seem considerably longer than it was.

What are some of your biggest pet peeves?

~ 3 ~

Anyone else a fan of the show Big Bang Theory?  Eric and I have found ourselves looking forward to Monday night each week.

Oh, and Eric, if you're reading this, I have just one word for you...

Bazinga!

~ 4 ~

We have now officially given up on the violin.  With Jack having motor delays, it just seemed like violin wasn't the way to go.  He was having such a difficult time with it.  But, what a trooper -- he was going to just keep sticking with it.  However, seeing how it was going, I realized that I needed to step in.  I gently worked on moving his interest toward the piano (you know, what with our refinished "free" piano now).

He started piano lessons last week, and he seems to be enjoying it.  And, with Noah just about a month ahead of him in lessons already playing many recognizable songs, I suspect Jack will be very pleased with his instrument change.

The only draw back?  They can't practice instruments at the same time anymore.  Oh well -- it does save me a total of 60 - 70 minutes of driving per week, so I guess I'll deal with them having to take turns practicing.

~ 5 ~

I've been trying to think of some handmade gift ideas (either for me or for Eric to make) for my boys (ages 8 & 10), and am coming up blank.  Any great ideas for something handmade for Christmas that might appeal to this video game loving age?  I would love any ideas!

~ 6 ~

My boys (especially Noah) have just been loving all of the books with Winter Promise's American Story I.

In one day this week, I had both a child that begged, "Can we please read more about John Paul Jones?" and then another that started crying because he was so worried about the main character in the book Sign of the Beaver (so we have to read far beyond bed time to finish the book).  As far as I'm concerned, that's the sign of some engaging education.

~ 7 ~

Where did Fall go and why is it so darn cold? 

 

This post is linked to Weekly Wrap Up and 7 Quick Takes Friday.

Photos by:  :: Wendy :: (tea cups), TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ (violin), cutiepie company (gift)

Easy, Beautiful, and Tasty "Ice" Ring for The Punch Bowl

One of my favorite recipes for an easy punch for parties is super simple. Just one can of pineapple juice (the size you would buy in the juice aisle) to one two liter bottle of either raspberry or strawberry soda. (I just buy the generic store brand.)

Because I typically don't have a lot of refrigerator room when we are having a party, I can't keep all of the juice and soda for the punch in there. So, this could mean for the need to throw ice in the punch bowl. Of course, not only is that not so pretty, but then the ice melts and waters down the punch.

Before one party, however, I had a brainstorm. I filled a pretty bundt pan half way with equal parts of the pineapple juice and soda that I was going to use for the punch. Then, I also put in sliced strawberries (and sometimes orange slices). Then, just pop this into the freezer (preferrably over night, or at least until frozen solid).

I love that not only is this pretty, but when it melts, it doesn't water down the punch. (Plus, some lucky party guests end up with some fruit slices in their punch -- one of my favorite parts!)

Do you have a favorite punch recipe?

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday, Tasty Tuesday, & Kitchen Tip Tuesday.

Easy Cupcake Decorating: Spin Art Cupcakes

We recently went all out for the boys' birthdays and had their birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. This is, of course, not keeping in with our trying to be a bit more frugal. But, we decided that since they rarely have a birthday party (especially one with friends), and since we were able to have them both be "the birthday boy" (they allow this for only about $5 extra), we thought it would be a special treat.

Speaking of treats though, knowing that we were spending so much on the actual party, I couldn't imagine spending another $20 (or more) for either a cake from the store or multiple Chuck E. Cheese cakes to feed all 12 kids that were at the party.

So, knowing that I had all I needed to make cupcakes at home (I did have to buy more cupcake liners), I asked the boys what they thought of that. Not only did they agree, but they were thrilled! (Jack said, "I love that frosting you make, Mom.")

But, there's a problem. I can't decorate cakes and cupcakes. I'm such a flunkie in that department. So, I went with an easy but fun decoration -- spin art (or tie dye) cupcakes. Here's what I did:

(Oh, quick note: Don't pay too close of attention to the cupcakes. I didn't take all of the pictures, so this is a combination of two different cupcakes.)

First, obviously, I frosted the cupcakes. I'll have to share my favorite vanilla frosting recipe soon!

Second, I took out all the gel icing tubes that I had from when we made a cake with the Olympic rings last summer.

Each time, I drew three rings on the cupcake, and then one dot of gel icing in the middle. This doesn't have to be perfect. (Especially when, like me, you're making 18 - 24 cupcakes.)

Now, grab a toothpick. Start at the center dot, and then drag the toothpick from the middle to the outside in a straight line.

Continue around the cupcake as often as you like. I think I typically did it around nine times. But, I didn't count, I just did it every so often.

This is what you'll end up with:

There is some color mixing in the middle because I only lightly wiped off the toothpick every so often. I kind of liked the mixed color. For a cleaner design, wipe off the toothpick often.

Also, as an alternate to the colored option, if you are having a Halloween party or maybe studying spiders, you could do all the circles in black, and then maybe even top the cupcake with a plastic spider ring.

Here is my finished product (or at least one pan of them):

Everyone enjoyed their cupcakes, and we even got many compliments on the simple designs. So, not only was I thrilled to save a little money on what was already an expensive party, but, as a side benefit, we didn't have to try to cut a cake while at the party. We just gave each kiddo one of the cupcakes, and didn't have to bother with the mess that sometimes happens during cake cutting.

This post is linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tackle It Tuesday, and Frugal Friday.

7 Quick Takes - July 31st (Volume 10)

~ 1 ~

I'm not sure why I'm nervous, but this week, we talked to a piano teacher about signing up Noah and maybe even Molly for piano lessons this school year.

I don't know if I'm nervous because it will be an extra expense that we probably don't need to do, or if I'm just nervous that it will be hard for them to learn.

We also are setting up Jack with violin lessons. Not surprisingly, that makes me a little nervous too. Oddly, it doesn't make me quite as nervous. So, maybe it's not about money, since we'll have to rent a violin on top of lessons. (You know, unless anyone wants to send me a kid sized violin.)

Wish us luck!

~ 2 ~

I have a little confession to make.

I have absolutely no idea when we are going to start school. I have been busy organizing for a while now, but I still don't know when to start. My goal is to start at least by the time all the kids around here in public school start.

~ 3 ~

My sinuses have been bothering me lately. Because of this, I have been using the neti pot more often. As a matter of fact, I'm seriously thinking about it right at this moment.

And, for the record, that's not a picture of me using the neti pot. Because, really, as good as I feel afterwards, I have never smiled while I'm actually doing it. In fact, I don't even smile thinking about it.

But, it is amazing. And, I always feel better afterwards.

~ 4 ~

As we get ready for school, I have already begun to think of some changes. What's wrong with me?

Specifically -- I wonder if we should switch from Horizons to Math U See. I have thought about that before, because the boys are very visual kids. I just don't know about that though.

Also, I have the preschool Handwriting Without Tears book for Molly, but I'm seriously considering having her use the D'Nealian style of writing (which was kind of how I was writing before I even heard about it). But, I'm having a hard time finding anything D'Nealian for preschool age. Any leads?

~ 5 ~

We had an interesting thing to deal with a couple of times this past week -- hives.

Oddly, at 1:30 am on two different nights, Jack came to find me. One night, he had hives all over his hands and feet. The next night, it was all over. On a third night, he did come out for something else at around 10 pm, and had one big hive on his neck. And, then just as suddenly as they came on, he hasn't had anymore.

Very, very odd. It also made me feel very itchy for him.

I also felt bad for him because on the night that his body was covered with it, I took at least 20 pictures of him. He apparently thought I was going to show them to everyone, but I promised that I was just taking them in case I had to show them to the doctor. (Or, apparently if all the blog readers had to see his hive-covered knees.)

~ 6 ~

We had our Chuck E. Cheese birthday party! And, while it was a bit pricey, it was worth every penny to not have to have everyone over, clean the house, buy a pinata and fill it (because every home party has to have a pinata for us, apparently), and then entertain a bunch of kids.

Instead, I was busy with the party, but not stressed. The kids also all had a great time.

Definitely worth it!

~ 7 ~

This week, I got to start using my newest edition of the Catholic Woman's Daily Planner.

Such a pretty planner. Love it!

Picture credits: neti pot by * debris * / planner by Family Centered Press / Violin & Piano by Section_Eight

From Sick in Bed to 20 Guests for Dinner in About 48 Hours

About 48 hours ago, I was getting ready to go to the urgent care doctor on the 4th of July. I had been sick in bed for two days straight, with a fever that peaked just under 102 degrees.

That illness also included a pounding, unending headache. I also had horribly stiff muscles (especially my neck and shoulders) that then included me touching my chin to my chest about a thousand times as I said in my head, "Please don't let it me meningitis." (As a little side note -- apparently you can't touch your chin to your chest if you have meningitis.) Then there were the night sweats, inability to properly sleep, etc.

And, here we are, 48 hours later. I'm getting ready for having 20 people over for dinner tonight. Well, actually just 15 extra people, and then the five of us that would be here anyway, of course.

That's a big leap in just 48 hours, I think. Especially when you consider that I didn't know that 48 hours ago that I would be having everyone over. But, that's okay. It's family, and some that we rarely see, so it is a good thing.

If you were planning a meal for 20 with a couple of days notice, what would be on your menu? Would the menu be different at different times of year?

In all fairness, we originally planned to have at least a portion of those people over, but when I got sick, plans were off. Then, when I could do it, even more people could come.

We thought about some things that we already had in the house, to minimize what we had to buy, and we opted to grill out burgers (we already had some here at home), hot dogs (already had some of these too!), and tofu hot dogs. We'll also have corn on the cob, sauteed zucchini (from our garden), chips, and fresh fruit.

And, as an extra blessing, Eric already cleaned/totally disinfected the house this weekend after having two of the kids and I sick.

So, do share -- what would have been on your menu? Or, what's a go to quick meal you can throw together if you had even less time to prepare?

photo by linkerjpatrick

Quick and Easy Party Recipe: Cucumber Sandwiches

I went to a small get together this evening with a church group that I belong to that was having a farewell for one of our priests who is being transferred. I had a problem though -- I needed to bring along food, but wouldn't have much time to put it together (at all!).

Thanks to cucumber sandwiches, I had a beautiful platter of food to take along with me with just about 15 minutes (or less) worth of effort. As a matter of fact, when everyone saw that I brought cucumber sandwiches, they all acted like I had brought something quite fancy along. (I didn't admit to slapping them together as I was almost literally running out the door.)

For a quick, but lovely, addition to summer get together, this was my simple "recipe" for cucumber sandwiches:

Ingredients

One loaf of Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread
One (or one and a half) tubs of Philadelphia Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese
One large cucumber

Directions

1. Peel and slice cucumber.

2. Apply a layer of cream cheese to all slices of bread. (Having cream cheese on each slice of bread helps to avoid the bread getting soggy from the cucumber.)

3. Put cucumbers on one slice of bread (for each sandwich). I usually do four slices per sandwich. You'll then put on piece of bread on top that has only cream cheese on it. (So, each sandwich has four cucumber slices, for example.)

4. Slice the sandwiches in triangles, because that's a rule with cucumber sandwiches, right?

5. Display on a pretty plate, and be prepared to have your friends ask if they need to hold up a pinkie finger while they eat your sandwiches.

What are some of your quick and easy things to put together if you have to dash out the door at the last minute?

This post is linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Talk about Tuesday, and Works for Me Wednesday (themed edition: Best Summer Recipes)

photo by Alex Mahan

My Big Fat Catholic First Communion Party

We had such a busy week (last week) and weekend! Even though Jack made his First Communion last Sunday (April 26th), we had a party in his honor this past Sunday.

Of course, this meant that last week was just one giant tackle!

I finally got the house clean (though I did hire someone who is in between jobs to come in for a couple of hours to help me along on that).

Then, we spent part of the weekend planting flowers, mowing the lawn, and installing swings on our swingset.

The rest of the weekend was spent getting the food ready for our party, although my Mom did a ton of the work where that was concerned!

Our First Communion party menu:

• Baked Ham Sandwiches
• Meatballs
• Spiral Sandwiches
• BBQ Pork (and Buns)
• Chicken Nuggets (I went through an entire huge bag from Sam's of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets!)
• Sesame Noodles
• Deviled Eggs
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Potato Salad
• Crab Dip
• Macaroni Salad
• Pasta Salad
• Fresh Veggies
• Fresh Fruit
• Spinach Artichoke Cheese Spread and Crackers
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Shoe Cake (this is a chocolate chip bread)
• Phyllo Shells Filled with a Cream Cheese/Dream Whip/Powdered Sugar Mix
• 1/2 Sheet Cake
• Cheese Cake Bites
• Punch
• Lemonade

We loved having so many family members, friends, and members of our church family at our home! But, we were extra thankful for beautiful weather that meant that all of the kids spent the entire time outside! (Whew!)

This was quite a tackle this week. I think next week my tackle is going to have to be something like picking a Lego up off the floor or brushing my hair in the morning.

This post is linked to Tackle It Tuesday.

Around the Web: A Week of Links

Here are some items I have enjoyed throughout this past week from around the web:

• Crafty Crow always finds some of the coolest projects around the web. This week, I loved checking out a Rock Neighborhood and Homemade Circus Animal Cookies! It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Meredith from Like Merchant Ships explains how to cut 100 brownies from one pan. Crazy, huh? But, very cool!

At The Happy Housewife, you can learn some great tips for spending less money on get togethers and big parties.

Hello, Muffin Tins! Although I have seen many people using these baking sheets lately for serving up a variety of snacks and meals for their kids, I loved the recent feature on Sycamore Stirrings that served up a whole lot of pictures of these muffin tin creations.

If you want to learn how to be disorganized and unproductive (or perhaps how NOT to be), be sure to check out Simple Mom.

Homeschooling Moms (and Moms just looking for a fun home project with their kids) will find great information that Kris wrote at The Homeschool Classroom about Flat Traveling projects. I know that after reading this, it had to go right onto our "to do" list!

Last, but not least, Toblerone (of Simple Mom) wrote at Blissfully Domestic about Blog Sidebars. It left me with a lot to think about, just as I suspect it does for a lot of bloggers.

Photo by A.H.1987

13 Things We Had at Our "Party" Last Night (TT #19)

13 Things We Had at Our "Party" Last Night Okay, so, it wasn't really a party, per se, but as far as I'm concerned, when I spend about eight hours preparing for a meal and have 15 people in my house, it's a party.

At our faux party, we had: my family, my parents, my oldest sister and five of her six kids (hubby and their oldest son didn't make the trip from New Jersey for a week long visit), and my brother, his wife, and their daughter.

It was certainly an extensive meal preparation (we had never made kabobs before!), and I don't think I've chopped that many vegetables at one time in my life, but it was worth it once everyone was over having a good time. (And, it didn't hurt that I got lots of compliments on the food either!)

1. Macaroni Salad

2. Broccoli Salad

3. Crash Hot Potatoes

4. Vegetable Kabobs with Italian Marinade (Vegan Friendly)

5. Kabobs with Stew Meat and Vegetables (also with Italian Marinade) -- veggies/fruit on the kabobs (both) consisted of: zucchini, yellow squash, green bell peppers, orange bell peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple

6. Corn on the Cob

7. Artisan Bread (I made it from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book)

8. Hot Dogs (mostly just for the kids)

9. Cheetohs (again...mostly for the kids) & Doritos (the new spicy sweet chili ones -- yum!)

10. Lemon Pie

11. Rice Krispie Treats

12. Fresh Cantaloupe and Watermelon (cubed together)

13. Chocolate Cake with Strawberries & Cool Whip -- made by my sister for the birthday of one of my nephews

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Getting Ready for Craft Night (Tackle It Tuesday #10)

My tackle from last week was a big one (redoing our laundry room), so this week, I went with something quite a bit easier.

I'm having the girls from our social club all over to my house soon, and so I had to get my craft stuff ready for the party.

We are making quote plates like the one pictured. (The party hostess gets to pick the activity or craft, so all they know is to bring some of their favorite quotes with them.) So, I went to Goodwill and found a whole bunch of cool plates with a variety of color schemes and designs. (This is so everyone can pick what will go in their house best.)

So, after getting the plates, I had to peel off all the price stickers (which they mostly put right smack dab on the front of the plate!) using both Holy Cow first, and then had to use Goo Gone to fully remove it. This doesn't sound like much work, but considering that I did it with over 20 plates (so everyone can make a couple), it did take a bit of time.

Then, all the plates went through the dishwasher, and now they're ready for all my friends to go to town with using some Sharpie markers!

WooHoo!

Too bad I still have yet to totally plan the menu for the party. Oh well...I hate to rush into things.

WFMW: Using Your Actions to Teach Kids about Priorities

I know that I have been writing about Noah's First Communion all week so far, but all of this made me think of something that works for me that I wanted to share. It is something that all parents can use, not just those who celebrate First Communion as well.

In our home, we don't tend to have very big birthday parties. Actually, sometimes we don't have birthday parties at all. We just have a dinner where the birthday kid gets to pick what we have -- maybe even food from out -- and just enjoy the time together and quietly celebrate their birthday. We are low key about a lot of things like this.

Now, this past weekend, when Noah made his First Communion, we cleaned like crazy for probably about one whole day, and the kids saw that. I then made food for a decent portion of two different days. We sent out invitations to tons of family and friends, and told the kids about many of the people that were invited. We all stayed dressed up throughout the party. We decorated with balloons outside and even had Noah pick out flowers that he liked from the floral department to make our dessert table extra pretty. (Yes, we had enough food that we had regular food on the counter, and then our kitchen table was a dessert table.)

Okay -- so what does all this mean? What's the point?

Through our actions of going all out for this party, it became abundantly clear to all of our kids (even three year old Molly) that First Communion was a very important event to our whole family. This was an event that made us basically drop everything else we were doing for two or three days. This was an event that we spent weeks planning.

I am not suggesting that if someone does something low-key then it means that an event is not important to them. By all means, birthdays are something we hold dear. But, our actions in making such a big deal about it told our kids (and all of our family and friends) that this was something that we were so excited about that we couldn't help but celebrate. And, this was all not lost on Noah (age 8), who at the end of the evening as I tucked him into bed, got tears in his eyes when we talked about all the people who had come and how they had come because they were so excited for him.

This idea can easily be translated into all sorts of situations in our daily lives, and is such a great tool for teaching kids what really matters in life.


For lots of great ideas and tips, be sure to visit Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer!

Our First Communion Party Menu (aka Way Too Much Food)

Seriously...there is a reason that I picked Martha as my confirmation name. I just tend to go overboard when planning food for parties and get togethers.


And, so, with that warning, here is what we had:

• Baked Ham Sandwiches


• Deli Spiral Sandwiches (from Sam's Club)


• Meatballs (in the crockpot)


• BBQ Sandwiches


• Go Go Asiago Dip (Tastefully Simple)


• Bacon Bacon Dip (Tastefully Simple)


• Garlic and Herb cheese spread


• Banana Bread


• Crab Dip (super yummy -- my Mom brought that!)


• Deviled Eggs (My Mom made those too!)


• Pasta Salad


• Fresh Fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, and strawberries)


• 1/2 sheet Cake (From Kroger)


• Lemon Pie (yummy and quick to make!)


• Cream Puffs (from Sam's Club)


• Chocolate Trifle (hey...when a gal owns a trifle bowl, she has to use it)
  
• Punch
  

Not only was it all so tasty, but now we have dinner for Monday night too! (And lunch too, as well as lunch for some of the people in Eric's office too!)

WFMW Backwards: Favorite Party Foods & Sewing Machine Tips?

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and so there is always a theme at Works for Me Wednesday. The theme this month is again a "backwards" edition. So, instead of giving a tip, we ask for advice.

I just couldn't narrow down my question -- and so I had to pick two that I have been thinking of.

1. What are your favorite party foods? This can be desserts, salads, dips...whatever! Just something you love to have at a party. You can post a recipe (or link to one) or just post the general idea. For instance, I would say Spinach Dip in King Hawaiian Bread, since I always have that at a party. So...I can't wait to hear your great suggestions!

2. I would love some recommendations on a new sewing machine! Or, if you don't have a specific recommendation -- what are some features that I should definitely look for (or avoid) in a new sewing machine?

Thanks a ton!!!!

Be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday this week and see if you can offer up tips and information to other bloggers!

WFMW: Motivation to Clean

Be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer for links to all kinds of tips and ideas!

Here is my fast and easy motivation to clean the whole house. It's relatively simple to start, but then does involve a lot of work.

So...here it is...

THROW A PARTY!

It doesn't have to be big, but should include people for whom you would want to do serious cleaning for.

I have been bad lately, and haven't been keeping up with cleaning like I should since school started. But, I know that in the next day or so, I will be doing some SERIOUS house cleaning. I don't have time to clean, nor do I really have the inclination to do it. But, darn it -- when my guests come over on Friday, my house *WILL* be clean, whether I like it or not.

So, don't let your messy house keep guests away. Instead, let your messy house invite people in, just so you know you will go into a mad cleaning frenzy before everyone arrives.

Family is in town!

I'll be away for a few days while I have some family in town staying with us.

Oh...and just a reminder, if you want to order from my {name of company from whom I received a cease and desist email} party (that's why my sister is in town -- she is the consultant), just leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you the link to shop online. Don't worry -- I will then not publish your comment so -- don't worry your email address won't actually go into my comments section.

Have a great weekend!

Welcome to the Party

If you are visiting via the Ultimate Blog Party and it's your first time here on my blog -- Welcome! If you are a regular visitor, well -- then Welcome to you too! :)

We have lots of snacks at our party -- Molly and I have managed to snack on several things as we have sat here at the computer. (Molly is only two, so you can blame me for her yucky snacking this morning.) Between the two of us (and you are welcome to snack along), we have had: jelly beans, one of those awesome Russell Stover Coconut Nests (you know -- with the jelly beans in the middle), some Goldfish crackers, and a few tortilla chips. It has not been pretty. But, this is a party, right? And, darn it, parties aren't pretty. ;) And, as I type, Molly says, "I makea lunch." Molly also had a mixed drink, since it is a party, afterall. (1/2 white grape juice and 1/2 water -- she's a party animal.) I had a Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. The one food you are not likely to find at our party today is meat. It's Friday...It's Lent...and we're about one month away from being Catholic. So, no meat. If you have a hankering for a thick cheeseburger (doesn't that sound good?), you will have to go elsewhere for it today. But, if you want to stick around for tomato soup later, then you're in luck.

If you would like to become a regular reader of my blog (or even just comment today), that would be great! :) Let me tell you a little about our family to help you know if you would like to pop back by again. I'm a 30 year old mostly stay at home Mom who also happens to own two of her own businesses. I have been married to Eric for almost 11 years, and we have three beautiful children.

Our oldest two (both boys) have special needs -- Noah is seven and a half, and has Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning Autism) and he's a doll. When I meet people at his school and they find out I'm his Mom, they usually tell me how much they love him. (Though, I will admit, at a meeting a few weeks ago, I did find out that a few substitute aides have complained about him not wanting to work. Hmmm...) Noah's future aspirations include either working at Walmart so he can "sell games" or being a race car driver (though that would scare him to death).

Jack is five and a half, and currently receives school services under the category of an "emotional disability." What does that mean? Well -- Jack is sweet, but can be a bit high strung. He easily gets anxious and can fly into a rage at a moment's notice. But, as trying as he can be -- people sure do love him. He can be pretty darn sweet. Jack's future aspiration is for the tooth fairy to "accidently" change him into a girl. (He said it, not me.)

And then there's Molly -- the two year old Queen of our household. She is determined, persistant, can count to 10 in English and Spanish, can spell "milk," and she has big brown eyes. She climbs on anything, and has now taken to saying, "I never (insert whatever she wants to do)" (example, "I never get play puzzle!"). Her future aspirations are unclear, but I suspect they involve world domination and someone feeding her jelly beans at her request.

My blog generally just features our life around the house and in our world -- including, but not limited to -- how we dance around the house like we're in an iPod commercial, my monthly menu plans, our continuing conversion (as a whole family) to the Roman Catholic Church, interesting reflections by the kids (did you know that bad men took huge canons and shot the United States right in half to start the Civil War?), and other random musings that strike me.

Welcome again, and I hope to see you around again soon!

The Agony of Defeat

I had already planned to come write about last night's game when I got a reply to yesterday's posting asking if Noah switched sides when the Colts won. So, I thought, "Well -- why not get on blogger and do it now?"

So, the Super Bowl was bitter sweet in our household. Noah was thrilled for the quick Bears touchdown. He brought out his thingee he made at school to cheer with. He was then even more excited to receive a phone call from Aunt Kristin congratulating him and cheering on the Bears. (Later, at another Bears touchdown, he got a call from Grandma.)

When the game was nearing the end (maybe part way through the third quarter), Noah asked if he could switch teams. I told him he would have to do the secret Colts handshake, and then he could switch. We did a quick handshake that I made up, and I was happy that he would likely not be sad at the end of the game.

Well -- apparently his switch was not really heartfelt. As we cheered the game ending, Noah just about burst into tears. Poor sweetheart! I reminded him that he switched to the Colts, but he admitted that he really wanted the Bears to win. He continued to be quite sad for the rest of the time leading up to bed time. I was glad to allow Jack & Noah to sleep together, because of the two hour delay for school today. Noah needed someone to snuggle.

Noah was not, unfortunately, moved by me telling him that it is hard to get to the Super Bowl. So, really, both of the teams were winners because they were there. I even said, "Maybe the Bears will go again next year." He sighed and said, "Or maybe not..." with an air of defeat.

This morning, as we got ready for school, I did warn him that people would probably be talking about the Super Bowl today. He said, "I don't want to hear about it." Poor guy! I did cheer him up by reminding him that we had a really nice Super Bowl Celebration with snacks and lots of family time. He admitted that he did think that was pretty nice.

So, it was a bittersweet game ending. Although, I will admit, maybe it will make me a less than stellar Mom, but I'm still glad the Colts won. I'll just have my fingers crossed that Noah will come around for next year.

Too late to have "the talk" with Noah

I knew there would come a time to have "the talk" with my kids. Of course, there is not just one "the talk." Every one of them will, at some time, have to sit down to hear "the talk" from us on things like drinking, drugs, smoking, sex, and of course, Molly will have to get an exciting discussion on menstration. WooHoo! LOL

I couldn't have ever imagined that I was already too late for one important talk until Noah came home from school on day this week.

He excitedly told me, "I have something in my backpack to show you, Mom!"

"Oh, what is it, Noah?" I asked with matched excitement. He then pulled out an oval-ish shaped decorated paper that was attached to a popsicle stick. "Oh, that's cool," I told him, "What is it?"

"You see, Mom, there is going to be a big football game called the SuperBowl. And, there are two teams playing -- one is the Bears and one is the Colts. I'm going to root for the Bears. Who are you going to root for, Mom?"

WHAT? The Bears?!? How did I not know that this first "talk" I needed to have with him was about football teams?

Jack jumped in to the exchange, "I'm going to root for the Bears too!"

I had to intervene. "Well, I'll be rooting for the Colts."

Noah thought about this for a moment and replied, "Maybe Dad will be rooting for the Bears."

"Oh no, he won't," I quickly informed him, with a twinkle in my eye.

We then went on to have a discussion that the Colts are our team because they are from Indianapolis. This made the kids want to know where the Bears were from. Perhaps it would have been better if they were from some place they had never heard of before. Maybe I should have said, "Oh, they're from Anaheim. You know, the Anaheim Bears."

But, instead, when they found out it was Chicago, they gasped and both shouted together, "THAT'S WHERE AUNT RENEE LIVES!" Apparently this was to be another plus for the Bears.

In the end, Jack (ever the momma's boy) has decided that he actually wants the Colts to win. I suppose it has helped that just about every relative that they have asked "Who are you rooting for?" has answered with "The Colts!".

Still, Noah has persisted, and is still going to be rooting for the Bears in just a couple of hours. And, admittedly, this has been fun. We decided to have our own "SuperBowl Celebration" (as Noah is calling it) with snacks and decorations (complete with a large mylar Bears balloon and a large mylar Colts balloon). This has made for a special weekend for us that probably wouldn't have happened if Noah had come home declaring that he was for the Colts. Instead, we are having a good time getting ready for this celebration and have had a great time asking all kinds of relatives, "Who are you rooting for?", even if Noah has been a little dismayed to hear so many Colts answers. Although, if you want to know what true love is, it was that after Noah came home with a 100% on his spelling test, his eternal buddy, Papa, declared that he would be rooting for the Bears, just for Noah. That's some kind of love.