All falls on my shoulders....

I have this nasty little habit, and I know I'm not alone here, of procrastinating when I have a lot to get done. It's overwhelming and I get more & more stressed thinking about it. I know somewhere within the marbles rattling in my head that I would feel better if I just tackle it and start ticking things off my list. There are times that I do tackle large lists with gusto. But not today. Today I was just off. I am here getting ready for our trip. FG had a crappy business day yesterday which made me stressed out and uneasy. I have been assigned appetizers and desserts for our group meals plus a breakfast item. For, like, SEVEN families with teenage kids! Ok, yeah, so that gets me off the hook for all portions of our nighty dinners and one breakfast of the weekend. But see, I have this little reputation for making fabulous desserts. JUST NOT WHILE CAMPING! So I made a double batch of cookies and have S'mores fixings. It's my vacation too, dammit, and I don't want to be making something complicated while everyone else relaxes. Then I made these cheesy hash brown things that I think I shall rename White Trash Hash Browns (no offense to anyone reading who may possibly be WT ;) ) They just have so much Velveeta in them that completely disqualifies them from being healthy or gourmet! Then I wanted to make a dip for my raw veggies but I didn't want to make boring ranch dip and besides, I didn't have enough sour cream. I DID have an abundance of cream cheese though. So I dumped some canned roasted red peppers, a brick of cream cheese, a cup of sour cream and a packet or ranch dip mix into the food processor. I think it will be excellent and in the very least, it seems impressive.
That left me with a mountain of dishes. I procrastinated on those as long as possible.
I remembered to put fresh batteries in all the flashlights.
I remembered to get 3 pairs of binoculors.
I packed clothes for the kids and myself yesterday (thankfully!)
I also baked a batch of delicious muffins and had the forethought to freeze 1/2 of them for our trip.
I did some laundry.
I cleaned spots on the carpet from where my doggie got sick in the middle of the night.
I had my friend's two year old here all day.
AF is visiting. grrr. Great timing for a whole weekend on the lake in a bathing suit! I've been reading Madre Adoptiva's post on the subject and am way way off from her recommendations. Does making a frozen pizza for DS, a quesadilla for DD, yogurt tubes for each and a frozen dinner for me count? Reading that I thought I should not have put so much on my shoulders but if I want to have a good weekend and relax then, I need to take care of these things now. And watching my friend's DD, well, she's way worse off than me at the moment and I helped her out in a big pinch. I allowed her to know her child was safe and cared for and being played with and loved so she could run her business. At the moment my friend has the equivalent of 3 full time jobs. Her MIL died just over a week ago and she's not only running her own retail store, managing her family with two small children, she's helping her FIL settle in and make sense of his own household. Playing baby dolls and Little People with her DD and my DD for a few hours and putting her down for a nap is really the least I can do to ease her burden now.

I have several recipes and posts to make on here. I have pictures too! I have a whole tutorial on how to make pancakes with step by step pictures (a friend told me to do it). So that will all have to wait while I bust my butt to go enjoy my long weekend and relax. Next week it's back to school life for us all. More regimented, more work, less play. Now I'd better get off my butt and get my wrinkled daughter out of the tub! Just please tell me I'm not the only procrastinator! If I am, give me some advice to overcome it!

Menu Plan Monday!

It's back to school week here so dinners are basic and easy. I've asked DS for input on this week's menu as well. I love to hear what he's come up with. Also throwing a wrench into this week is the fact I may have my friend's 2 year old a few days and we take off Friday for Labor Day Weekend. Basic and simple is what it's all about this week!

• Sunday - Take our provided by SMA



• Monday - Tacos, salad, rice.



• Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Salads, fresh bread (kids won't eat salad, they'll get grilled chicken and veggies)



• Wednesday - Cheeseburgers, pasta salad, grilled veggies



• Thursday - Stir-fry shrimp over pasta



• Friday - Lake - Spaghetti (leftover sauce from last week in the freezer that will travel well and thaw by the time we get settled into the cabin)



• Saturday - Lake - Steak, Salad & whatever else - big group who all eat meals together.



• Sunday - Lake - Ribs and same as above

Next week will be back to school for both kiddos and I hope to share some recipes and try out some new dishes. Sorry this week is rather boring. The last Hurrah! of the summer!

Staying connected - SAHM Tip

A big shocker to me when I became a SAHM was my lack of freedom. Sure, I was excited to be home with my new baby but then I realized something. "Hmm, I'd really like to go get these bushes on my forehead tamed down. Wait, the salon has a "No children" policy? WHAT?! How am I going to go do THAT now?" uh, yeah. FG could come and go as he pleased, I was continually stuck with an appendage! He took a bottle fine though I was nursing him. So it really wasn't a big deal for me to be away from him but I couldn't just leave him home alone while I went for my eyebrow wax either. We didn't have sitters yet and all the grandparents worked. So I was stuck and I wasn't happy about this new lack of freedom.
FG and I had both been employed professionals with busy schedules. Being into gadgets we both had Palm Pilots as well. Just because I now stayed home and FG was self employed didn't mean we gave them up. I now just scheduled doctors appointments and various kid-related activities in mine, he still used his for his work schedule. And he also synced it on the home computer.
AH HA! Lightbulb moment! I had access to his schedule at all times. I could schedule my own things and then when he synced his Palm each evening, whatever I put on his schedule would show up for him. I remember being giddy when I first scheduled "watch the baby" on an empty afternoon in his schedule and promptly booking an eyebrow wax!

It has worked for us for years now. When I plan meals, I look at his schedule to see if he has any evening meetings or anything planned that will keep him from his normal schedule of being home for dinner. If I need to book something I check his schedule while I'm on the phone with my hairdresser (friend, etc.) and immediately type it into his schedule. Of course, since he's male, I also let him know that I've done such a thing because he would surely miss it being there otherwise. But then he can't say he "forgot" when it comes to the day of said appointment for me. It takes some discipline and give and take on both of our parts. I do credit this system with saving us from many fights and keeping us both sane partners in this parenting thing.

If you are having a similar issue with scheduling, then I suggest you figure out a system that works a little better. Whether it's old fashioned hand written calendars or an electronic organizer (my personal choice because it's so EASY!), communication is key to a good balance.

What's wrong with being Mom?

This question has plagued me lately and a post has been rolling around in my brain the past few days. Now it's just itching to get out and I hope I can get it out in way that isn't all jumbled like my thoughts.

So what is really wrong with being Mom? In my humble opinion, Nothing! However it took me a long time to reach that conculsion. It took me a long time to realize I don't have to be perfect or do it all. I have to do exactly what I tell my kids, just try the hardest I can and do the best I can. That's all I ask of them so why wasn't it enough of me? I realized, it is. I don't take well to complaining and not doing anything to change it. I don't take well to doing something half-assed. Nope, I prefer a full-assed approach even if it falls shorter than other's.

I read things where women don't like to be referred to as "Mommy bloggers" or "part of the Mommy pack." I get it for some but for me, I embrace it. Maybe I've just found my spot. Though some times I don't feel 100% comfortable in it. I don't know anyone who is 100% comfortable with what they do all the time. I've chosen this way for my life and I'm damn lucky to be able to be here. I could still be stuck in a demanding career that kept me away from my family, made me stressed and brought me very little monetary compensation. All so I could say I am "something" and not "just a mom". No thanks. I was bored and somewhat lost the first few years of this gig. DS was so little and I felt odd having a life centered around him. I didn't read the newspaper, couldn't watch the news because it stressed me out, didn't have many interesting conversations and felt I had nothing concrete to contribute. After I had my DD, my attitude changed. I don't know why or how but suddenly I felt empowered in my role as The Mom. I embraced it.

I continue to embrace and I try to look at each day as a day that I will never get back. I volunteer at my children's schools, I make playdates, I plan parties, I teach life lessons and skills and I try to make their lives fun. I'm definitely not a perfect mom. I'm FAR from it. I say things to them I shouldn't. I yell, get angry, get annoyed and definitely need my time apart from them. But it comes down to my thoughts of "what will they look back on when they are older?" "What will they reflect on when they are the parents?" Summer especially. We go go go. Summer is 90% all about the kids. I try to sprinkle in activities among lazy, go with the flow days. Bedtimes and meal times are less strict. Treats are more abundant. Every time I hear "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" I think, "someday they won't need me to help tie their shoes", "someday I won't be able to carry them up the stairs and tuck them into bed" "someday I won't have to nag them to brush their teeth, make their bed, get dressed, go potty...."

With all of that and my own self-confidence, I wrap my arms around this motherhood gig and proudly wear my badge that says, "Hello, my name is MOM".

Menu Plan Monday!

I've been pretty good about planning my menu every week and doing OK with following it. Last week I had to toss a bunch of food and I don't like doing that. So I'm determined to be better and plan better and eat what I buy fresh. I had this week planned out and thanks to my socially inept brother-in-law, I now have way too many leftovers from yesterday and that changed my entire week. Also, our friends brought over a lettuce salad instead of the pasta salad I had planned on them bringing. So I didn't even bring out the salad I made. Thankfully I never tossed the crunchies, lettuce and dressing so it's all good to eat this week. mmmm.

Also changing my plans was a friend's mother died. So I'll be making them a baked ziti and some sweets as well. It freezes well if they aren't able to eat it immediately. That means I will make spaghetti for my family when I make the sauce for the ziti. Cook once, eat twice - even if it isn't us eating twice.

Go over to Laura's site for more menu ideas! With over 200 links to other people's blogs/menus, you are bound to find something!

• Friday - Costco Pizza (because it was 102 million degrees and there was no way I wanted to cook ANYTHING)
• Saturday - Out to dinner with FG
• Sunday - Grilled tri-tip roast, baked beans, salad, fresh bread, chocolate lava cakes w/ fresh raspberry sauce and vanilla whipped cream.
• Monday - grilled pork chop sandwiches, leftover baked beans, tossed green salad
• Tuesday - Spaghetti, bread, salad.
• Wednesday - steak fajitas with leftover tri tip, rice
• Thursday - something simple with the kids, FG working

Things that will have to wait: green beans, broccoli salad, salmon burgers, cous cous, tacos.

Also, as much as I don't want Fall to arrive, I am happy that our temps will be dropping below 1000 this week. We'll even have a couple of days in the upper 80's and it's going to feel like heaven!!

Update: Blueberry Bars

I made the blueberry bars again this morning. Only this time I used Splenda. Turned out great! My DD's playgroup was descending upon my parents pool and my dad was the only one there. He is so funny, he gets excited when everyone comes over. I know that he can get bored during the day at home all alone. And he loves kids so he was happy to have his pool filled with little kids this morning. The kids were happy to have the big giant pool to swim in. And wouldn't you know it, I brought my camera and didn't take ONE single picture. It was 101 degrees today and I was in the pool almost the whole time too. Too hot to stand outside of the water!
The pan of blueberry bars is gone. I did leave a few for my parents. I heard my dad say, "hmmm, where can I hide these so your mom won't eat them?" My DD inhaled them as well. She kept getting out of the pool for "just one more of 'dese Mom." Fine with me, eat away! They have FRUIT in them! But I felt that I should report that they turned out very well with Splenda. In fact I couldn't really tell any difference from these and the ones I made with real sugar. Except, again, they won't send my dad's sugar sky high and I won't feel like a guilty daughter for indulging the terrible sweet tooth of a diabetic!

This one's for my mom and Karly

Steak−n−Shake Chili
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can onion soup
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cocoa
2 cans kidney beans
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup cola (Coke, Pepsi, or generic)
Brown ground beef and salt in oil. Put soup in blender, blend
for 1 minute. Add all to crock pot. Drain beef and beans before
adding to pot. Let simmer on low for 6 hours or on high for 2 hours.


I don't "do" chili. There's something about chili powder that turns my stomach. But I know that Karly loves Steak 'n' Shake Chili and so does my mom. My mom doesn't know my blog though so she got the email. :)

Bust a gut....

I love these things!

Menu Plan Monday!

Head over to Laura's place at Organizing Junkie for many more menu plans!

Again, mine doesn't start on Monday. But it's still a menu plan!

• Friday - Grilled pork loin chops, grilled eggplant*, noodles.
• Saturday - Brats & saurkraut, french fries, tossed salad.
• Sunday - Steak, cabbage (oriental) salad*, cheesy potatoes*, avocado salsa.
• Monday - grilled chicken fajitas, rice, tossed salad.
• Tuesday - Hot dogs, noodles with butter and parmesean cheese, green beans.
• Wednesday - Salmon burgers*, tossed salad, french fries.
• Thursday - breakfast for dinner, FG working.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Oriental Salad
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 package cabbage -- shredded

1 bunch green onion -- chopped

1 package ramen noodles

2 ounces slivered almonds -- toasted

1 chicken flavor packet from ramen noodles

1/4 cup vinegar -- 2 oz

3/4 cup oil -- 6 oz.

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup granulated sugar
Combine cabbage, green oinions, noodles and almonds in salad bowl.
Mix chicken flavor packet, vinegar, oil, soy sauce and sugar in shaker or bottle with tight fitting lid.The mixture can be boiled first if desired.
Pour dressing over salad mixture when ready to serve and toss.

*For the grilled eggplant, I sliced it, rubbed it with olive oil and sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on it. Then we grilled it and when it was just about done on both sides, we sprinkled it with fresh grated parmesean cheese and let that melt into the slices.

*The cheesy potatoes are a mixture of shredded cheddar cheese, velveeta, butter and half and half melted and poured over shredded hash browns. So not good for us but once in awhile it's a good treat. I made them in the microwave instead of baking them for a hour in the oven. It was too hot to have the oven on forever for baked beans or for these potatoes. I also needed something quick as we had spent all day on our boat and I was having our usual Sunday dinner guests over with literally 1 1/2 hours to get everyone in the house showered and get dinner ready. See dessert recipes in my previous post. We had those for dessert last night as well.

I still haven't made the salmon burgers so we'll attempt this experiment if I'm up to it this week. That day may change when we get there! We've got a busy week this week as we have two weeks left before school starts. I'm trying to make them wonderfully fun weeks with lots of activities, water play and get togethers with friends. Enjoy!

Baking Day!

Saturday I told FG, "I'm so happy today!" I was finally able to get back into the kitchen and bake. I was seriously bummed the day before when I didn't have a cookie in the house (except these interesting Strawberry Milkshake Oreos - eh). I had to use up the rhubarb from my mom's yard and I really wanted some cookies in the house! I had been leafing through this giant cookie cookbook that I got as a gift a couple of years ago. I don't know that I had ever looked through it before! But in it I found a few yummy recipes I am anxious to try. I debated on Friday evening which one of the final two to choose. I let myself decide when I woke up on Saturday morning.

I made buttermilk pancakes, with blueberries for me, for the fam for breakfast. YUM!

Then I got down to business and made these two beauties!

First: Mom's Rhubarb Streusel Cake

adapted from 1,001 Delicious Desserts for People With Diabetes

(I made this for my dad and took him 1/2 the cake)

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, 1" pieces

1/4 cup raisins

STREUSEL TOPPING

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tbls quick cooking oats

2 tbls flour

2 tbls cold margarine, cut into small pieces ( I used butter)

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until crumbly.

Beat margarine and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Mix in combined dry ingredients and spices, alternating with buttermilk and ending with dry ingredients. Mix in rhubarb and raisins.

Sprinkle with streusel topping.

Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13" pan. Sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes and drizzle with glaze of powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and milk until thinned, glaze consistency.

If you like spice cake, you'll love this. The rhubarb is very subtle and not too tangy. It gives you a nice little surprise when you bite into a tender piece of it in the middle of the cake. The cake is also very moist!

Next I made these yummy cookies. I have a feeling they will be requested often by friends and family! FG told me they were too big but I like the size actually.

Buffalo cookies

adapted from The Great American Cookie Cookbook

1 cup butter flavor crisco, melted (ok I JUST saw that part. I didn't melt anything and I used 1/2 cup regular shortening and 1/2 cup real butter)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbls milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup corn flakes crushed to about 1/2 cup

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup flake coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets (I used my silpat mats, of course!)

Combine shortening/butter, sugars, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat until well blended. Add eggs, beat at med. speed until well blended.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add gradually to shortening mixture at low speed. Stir in oats, corn flakes, chips, nuts and coconut. (I mixed these in a bowl before adding to the wet mixture. Actually DD did that part as she wanted to help and that was a good job).

Fill ice cream scoop that holds 1/4 cup with dough or use 1/4 measuring cup and level with a knife. Drop 3" apart onto baking sheets.

Bake at 350 for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges but still soft in the center. Do not overbake. Cool 3 minutes on sheet before removing to counter top (or foil sheets on counter) to completely cook.

These are very yummy, cripsy on the outside but still chewy in the center. 6 people have tried them so far and every one of them bites into them and says "Oh my!". Definitely a keeper!

I'm an old fashioned laundry girl

I always have been old fashioned when it comes to laundry. I don't usually like my dryer much. I use it for things like towels and clothes that won't shrink. I like to use it to get the wrinkles out of a table cloth. But when it comes to drying clothes, anything that has a bit of cotton in it gets hung out to dry (except socks & underwear!). FG thought I was nuts when we lived in an apartment and I would haul our wet laundry to my parents house to hang it to dry. Then when we moved into our first house with an actual backyard, my dad built me some nice sturdy posts and secured 4 lines to it. Again, FG thought I was crazy when I made him dig up those posts and move them to our new home. I was not going to be without a clothesline! Apparently now I am totally hip. In the winter, I use a drying rack but I get as much mileage out of my outside lines as possible. I practically weep in the fall when it gets too cool to hang anything out. Then I'm stuck back inside with my drying rack. I guess we are also lucky that where we live is dry and warm in the summer. With so little humidity, a warm day and slight breeze and my clothes are dry in 1/2 hour. So laundry goes quickly in the summer too. Clothes are easier to fold, easier to iron things that need pressing etc.

I've recently started another old fashioned laundry practice. Super-retro if you may. I am falling in love with Mrs. Stewart. It is working wonders on our whites! I soaked a gauzy white shirt in it last week. I've had it for awhile and those horrible yellow stains were showing up on the under-arm areas. So I thought what the heck, I can't ruin it because it's getting to be un-wearable anyway. I mixed up some cold water and a couple of drops of the bluing in a basin and soaked it for awhile. It is sparkly white and new looking! I'm going to soak another white blouse that is getting bad too. I'm just so pleased with it. My ONE mishap has been my own damn fault. I have a baby blue shirt that goes perfectly with these pants I have. Well somehow I got a white spot right under the boob. Not sure how I did that but I did and it made that shirt un-wearable too. I'd only worn it once! grrr. Damn cheap Target shirts. So again, I thought I can't ruin it anymore than it is and tried to soak it in the bluing solution. When I didn't see any real results I dripped some bluing onto the spot but under the water. Oops. Too much. Now I have to follow the directions of soaking in an amonia solution to get the excess bluing out. Or I may just chuck the damn cheap Target shirt and find another one. Either way, it's doing wonders for our dingy whites. Even better than Oxyclean does! And better for the environment than bleach too.

I've been baking AND took a bunch of pics. Stay tuned for some yummy recipes as soon as I get time to re-type them and upload photos. Right now the dishes and the kids are calling my name.

Dammit, FG's at it again!

He made me change dinner plans tonight. While I planned on making a nice homemade dinner, he went and told me to make a 6 pm reservation for dinner. It's pasta night at his golf club. The kids luuuuuuuv pasta night. Damn him. He's being awfully demanding lately isn't he? I fear what is next. Force me to book a tropical vacation?!

They fight, but they do love each other

This past weekend my parents took my kids to my mom's work picnic. She works for a huge hospital here so the picnic is huge. I went last year with them, this year I opted to stay home and do laundry (and have a nice nooner with FG, snicker). When my parents brought the kids home and stayed for dinner, they shared with me that they were waiting in line for a game and overheard DS yelling at some kids behind them. Apparently, the kids in line behind them, BIG KIDS like middle school age kids!, were saying things that weren't all that nice. DS thought the kids were talking about his sister. So he turns around and asks them if they are talking about his sister and if they are saying those things about his sister that is NOT OK and he is going to call the cops on them for being so mean. My mom said the older kids jaws fell open looking at this tiny little guy (he's 7, he could pass for 5) yelling at them. Turns out they were not talking about his sister but my heart swells to think that he would stand up to some unknown big kids like that if they were.

So maybe all of our "you only have one sister in this whole entire world, you'd better appreciate her!" and "you know, you're the big brother, it's your job to help keep your sister safe" has sunk in. I'm sure my mom left out the part where he turned around and called his sister a dork and pinched her arm. I have no idea but it's a likely scenario for those two. I guess no one but him can pick on her.

Awwww, Really??

FG asked me last night why I hadn't ordered anything from the Container Store. He really wants this one little holder for his Kool-aid packets. He drinks Kool-aid all the time. He will go through a pitcher of it in a sitting. He doesn't put as much sugar as the directions require either. And at $.10 a packet, a little sugar and water from our tap, it's pretty darn cheap! Way better for him than soda too. But along with the 100 packets I try to keep on hand, he saves them. He saves 1 packet of each flavor. We are quite proud of our Purplesaurus Rex packet. :) I never thought about how flavors and packet designs come and go until I look at the little container in the pantry. The biggest problem is that I like to store the container in easy reach because after all FG is a guy and put anything behind something else and it immediately disappears and then there's a big plea of "WHERE is it???? I can't find it!" Because it's in the front of the pantry, in his easy reach, it's also really easy to knock over and send those little organized suckers flying. Then I have to figure out FG's anal ways and try to put them all back. Uh, yeah.

While we were on our recent trip we stayed at a hotel near a Container Store. We don't have one anywhere near us. It was POURING buckets of rain yet, we hauled the tired kids out of the rental car, through the downpour and into nirvana for people like us. I think we literally drooled all over some things. Since we were restricted by luggage, didn't want to pay the insane sales tax in N. IL AND pay to have our stuff shipped I resigned to the fact we would just be window shopping and I would order later. Trying to be thrify, I haven't placed an order yet. But now, I have been asked to and I shall follow my wifely duties and obey my husband.

Here I come!!!!

One for my oragami obsessed son

http://pem.org/origami/

I found it while browsing blogs. I think I saw it on Blissfully Domestic. Gotta love how one thing leads to another!

This site will no doubt be requested into DS's favorites. Immediately. And I will have the guilt of destroying many trees for the sake of his obsession. I DO recycle every scrap of paper (generally in the folded form already because God Forbid we have any paper NOT folded into something in this house) so that should redeem me a teeny bit, shouldn't it?

Beyond picky to food snobs

Hee hee hee. That would be my kids sometimes. They stayed at their grandma's for the very first time this weekend. FG's mom has babysat for us but never kept them overnight. When I called on Saturday morning to find out how it went, DS informed me that he ate French Toast for breakfast and "paper thin, soggy bacon." oops! I told him beforehand that he was to eat what was offered to him and if he didn't want something to make sure he said "No thank you" and not "I don't want that!". I just hope he didn't hurt MIL's feelings. She also told me she wanted to make cookies with them. I had to find a very polite way to tell her that they aren't really into cookies. DD is. She will eat them. DS loves my snickerdoodles but won't eat many other cookies (I have no idea why. Textures maybe????). With my past experiences with MIL and cookies, I have found that she buys the "break & bake" kind and bakes them 5 minutes longer than recommended. No wonder FG likes his cookies like little hockey pucks. That's what he grew up eating! Thankfully over the past 16 years I have brought him over to the brighter side of cookies, even if he still does like them crunchy and not soft. At least he now likes them homemade and not burnt. Needless to say, I discouraged the cookie making for her own good. I feared the kids would be awfully brutal.

Now onto this week's menu. I'm starting with Saturday because, well because I already started with Saturday! It felt like Sunday anyway. And I wanted to be sure to share the dry rub on the meat and the Blueberry Crumb Bars.

• Saturday - Tri-tip roast w/ dry rub*, Grandma's Baked Beans, tossed salad, sweet corn on the cob (farmers market corn, YUM), Blueberry Crumb Bars from smitten kitchen. Excellent but I will cut back the lemon zest next time I make them.


• Sunday - BBQ pork ribs, cous cous, more corn on the cob, more tossed salad, Avocado salsa


• Monday - Creamy chicken enchiladas, rice, grilled veggies


• Tuesday - Grilled cheeseburgers, pasta salad, steamed veggies


• Wednesday - Shrimp scampi over pasta w/ veggies


• Thursday - Make your own pizza night w/ the kids


• Friday - out?


• Saturday - Brats, saurkraut, french fries, tossed salad.

* The dry rub I just tossed some things together and it was excellent. I have no measurements but mixed up enough to coat both sides of the meat and let it sit for a few hours before we grilled it. I used: kosher salt, fresh pepper, granulated garlic, white sugar, paprika, a dash of cayanne, thyme, basil, dried lemon peel, toasted minced onion.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Avocado Salsa
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

2 medium avocado

2 medium roma tomato

1/4 red onion

2 tablespoons cilantro -- chopped

1 lime

2 cloves garlic

salt

tortilla chips
Peel and seed avocado, cut into chunks.Chop tomato into similar size chunks.Finely chop red onion.Chop fresh cilantro.Juice the lime.Press garlic through garlic press.Add salt to taste.
Mix all ingredients in med. size bowl and let rest for 1/2 hour.
Serve with tortilla chips.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

2 pounds boned and skinned chicken breast halves -- cooked & chopped

2 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup -- do not dilute

1 medium onion -- chopped

2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 pounds shredded jack cheese

12 large flour tortilla
Boil chicken for 20 minutes in water (bring to a rolling boil then simmer - add a bit of salt & pepper to the water) or grill chicken. Cool & chop into small pieces. Combine soup, onion, sour cream in large bowl. Reserve 1/3 of the mixture in a separate bowl. Stir chopped chicken into soup mixture. Spoon 2 heaping spoonfuls of chicken/soup mixture into tortillas. Top mixture with shredded cheese. Tuck ends in and roll sides up. Place seam side down into oblong baking dish. Repeat until all mixture is gone. Spread reserved soup mixture on top of rolled tortillas. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

(I will only make 1/2 the batch because it's enough for our family for dinner. I generally make these to use up leftover chicken or make extra chicken when we grill or bake it with the intent to make these. They can also be made up to 1 day ahead, brought out of the fridge to warm up a bit then baked as directed. Good time saver for those crazy days!)

One of those odd days

Today seems like one of those odd days. The kids haven't asked for TV or video games or the computer all day so far (it's 1 pm, DD usually asks the minute she gets up). I do treasure these days though where they play with their toys, use their creative minds and just act like kids on a summer day. DD spent quite a bit of time outside blowing bubbles and playing on the swingset. DS has been consumed with turning a cardboard box into a car. He kept asking for help, I kept refusing but offereing suggestions. I wanted him to follow through on his own vision. He's thrilled with it even though I know with my help it could have been even better. That wasn't the point.
I finally sat down and made a to do list of little crap that needed to be done. I made some phone calls that I have been putting off for quite awhile. Ordered flowers for our friends who took care of our home and animals while we were out of town, scheduled DD's 4 year check up - got her in the day before she starts preschool EEK! They won't let her start without updated shot records! You know, all that little annoying crap that just needs to get done.
The weather outside is odd today too. It's very cloudy and if we lived anywhere else, I would think it is going to rain. It just doesn't rain much in the desert.
Boring day stuff huh? But I feel a strange sense of accomplishment. These little things that have been nagging me and I put off. When I finally complete them, I feel like I really did something. Even if they are little and silly they build up and become overwhelming. I don't know WHY I let myself put them off when I know that I feel better having them just done and out of the way.
I'm trying to think of something fun to do with the kids in the afternoon. I NEED to clean but I want today to be a good one for them. I want today to be one of those good lazy summer days where we aren't rushing to get somewhere to have fun. But then again, I'm not in the mood for a mess. Dilemas dilemas.
I'm trying to kill time waiting for a friend to have a break to call me. I want to find out if she broke up with her boyfriend or not last night. Her text message was vague and I'm bummed I didn't see it last night at 9 when she sent it. She wanted me to call then. Dang. I didn't see it until this morning and she's working. Why oh why aren't there better guys out there? I know too many single women and not enough single decent men.
Enough of my rambling. I'm sure you are bored to tears with my blabbering about nothing. But hey, those are some of the days of a SAHM!

UPDATE: Scratch any plans for anything out of the ordinary or special today. The day has gone seriously downhill. For some reason my sweet little creative kids decided to turn into little hellions. Ok, I exaggerate. Most things were accidents but still I feel like all I've done is put out fire after fire.
Examples: They somehow knocked a picture off the wall in DS's room and the glass shattered into 10,000 tiny pieces all over his room. I spent a good deal of time vacuuming to make sure I got all of it up.
DD spilled her milk all over herself, the counter, the chair, the floor. Yes, I know the saying but 1) milk is $$$ these days and to spill an entire full cup is money into a paper towel. 2) she was screwing around when she did it so it wasn't 100% an accident.
They have also left out every tiny toy they have touched today and when asked to put them away after they had moved onto other tiny toys, they ignored me. When I finally got DD to start picking up some things, she accidentally dropped a pile of them right on my toes and it hurt like hell.
Those are just a few examples, there have been a series of several other incidents. So I have to say, I would much rather clean the bathrooms than attempt any projects or unusual activities with them this afternoon!

Baking

I've been baking in the mornings lately while it's still very cool in the kitchen. The kids have gotten up (I'm blessed with late sleepers) to find me in the kitchen, apron on, mixing up something and heating up the oven. Do I have any pictures? Nope. Why? Because FG has commandered the camera for his golf tournament this weekend. I DID take a picture of the applesauce blueberry bread and he saw it and asked me why I was taking pictures of bread. See, he sort of knows about my blog but he thinks all I do is share recipes. So I went with that and told him it was for my blog that I was going to share the recipe and people like pictures of the recipes. It worked and he walked away.
So here is that recipe, no picture. It's really moist and beautiful and yummy!!!!!

* Exported from MasterCook *
Applesauce Blueberry Bread

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1/2 cup margarine or butter -- softened

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg

1/2 cup applesauce -- to 1 cup (I used 1 cup)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 - 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 1 cup fresh)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.Grease and flour 9 x 5" loaf pan.
In large bowl, beat margarine, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.Stir in apple sauce (1/2 - 1 cup).Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stirring just until moistened.
Fold in blueberries.Spread into prepared pan.Bake for 55 - 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.Remove pan to wire rack to cool 10 minutes.Remove from pan and cool completely.
Source: "Pampered Chef"

NOTES : Variations: substitute 1 cup raisins for the blueberries or substitute 1 cup chopped nuts for blueberries.
Also, this bread browns up quickly on the top & sides before being done in the middle. I covered mine with foil for the last 15 min. to keep it from getting too dark.

The other item I made is peach dumplings. There's no real recipe for them as my grandma taught me how to make them and her mother taught her how to make them. It's fairly typical though, I'm sure. Biscut dough rolled out flat, 1/2 a peach in the center topped with a pat of butter, sugar and cinnamon. Fold it all up, place in a deep pan. After they are all in the pan, add a ton more sugar and cinnamon around them, add a pat of butter to the top of each, pour boiling water over it all and bake until they are bubbly and gooey. Even my great-grandmother's recipe just says, "put it in a hot oven" so I guess on the temp. My dad LOVES these. So I made two batches. One for me, one for him. However, my dad is diabetic and has no control when it comes to his giant sweet tooth. I am a sneaky daughter though and made his batch entirely with Splenda. Ha! I didn't tell him until he'd eaten one and claimed they were excellent. hee hee. THEN I told him. I think he was bummed at me but damn, now he can eat them and not send his sugar to the moon.

Stupid questions

I am going absolutely bonkers with the stupid questions from my kids. Oh. My. God. I wish they would just STOP asking so many f'ing stupid questions! DS is the one who's truly the most annoying. Suddenly, he's forgotten all manners he used to have and is becoming terrible at interrupting. And then when it's an idiotic question I feel the steam rising and my blood boiling. Example, I was on the phone earlier and he interrupted me to ask if he can go the neighbor kids house TOMORROW. Um, dumbass, AGAIN, they are not home on weekdays! We just went over that 1/2 hour ago! That part I attribute to him being male. We all know they have an inablitity to remember things that were just discussed recently. But all summer long we've gone over the fact they go to a daycamp during the week because their parents both work.
He also asks me at least 10 times a day if he can get the Chocolate Honeycomb cereal out of the pantry in the garage. He knows the rules.... we only have a certain amount of boxes open at a time (and they get 1/2 no-sugar cereal mixed with the sugar stuff, it's our compromise). So he knows that it's not happening yet but he asks continually. There are plenty of other completely idiotic questions from him. Completely unanswerable, stupid, stupid, stupid questions!

DD is travelling the same path. Now I give her more credit because she's barely 4 but really, how many times a day can you ask me when we are going to blow the bubbles from the big bottle? It's hot outside, I don't want to sit out there in the blazing sun and blow freaking bubbles from the big bottle! She's asking some doozeys too. I think I've blocked out the really idiotic ones from both of them. I just know that I just went to the butcher and bought some really nice steaks that were really expensive for 3 steaks and now I'm thinking I'm in such a crappy mood I don't want to eat them and be all pissed off at the world while I do.

I'm thinking I could use a nice 1/2 hour nap. Though I'm sure neither of them will leave me alone for 5 freaking minutes to just "be" and try to get out of my annoyed mood!

Home

TWO Weeks! Damn.

Two weeks worth of

• laundry
• dust on every surface in my house
• grocery shopping to catch up
• crap to put away
• dog crap to pick up (Yeah, FG owes me for that one!)
• spider webs on the swingset to remove
• weeds in the flower beds, yard, rocks
• fattening meals to work off
• friends to catch up with that I missed
• blogs to read!!!

We had a good time. My kids are amazing travellers. They did so well and I'm very proud of them. They enjoyed all the family and it was an overwhelming amount! I have a large family on both my mom and my dad's side and most of them live in the are we visted. So it was a big juggling act to make sure we didn't piss anyone off. I'm terribly bummed I didn't get to even CALL Karly until a couple of days before I had to leave. Karly, I hope you got my message! Most of the time my cell wasn't even working because of the horrid dead zone that my aunt lives in. THAT annoyed me a lot. My DD is now a big 4 year old and boy did she enjoy her shopping trip to Chicago! We took her over there for a couple of days and both kids just loved it. DS loves big cities anyway and DD got to go shopping at the American Girl Place. We didn't do all the fancy stuff but she was pretty content to just wander and look at all the dolls. She picked out an outfit and we got her a t-shirt. DS had some problems with his SID/SPD and did a lot of coping that I'm sure my family found very odd. I just let him go, there wasn't much I could do for him. I didn't even bring up the subject to most of my family to attempt to explain it. I just shrugged it off to them as he wasn't used to all the people and activity and being away from home. That IS what it boiled down to but I knew they would look at him differently if I gave it a label.

So now I'm home and trying to catch up on the list above. I haven't even LOOKED at any blogs. I know that I could and will sit there for hours catching up and right now this family needs some clean underwear!