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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Poor old mommy... has to read her intensely good book in bed all day long.... poor, poor OLD mommy....

Ok. I admit it. I spent the greater part of yesterday in bed with a heating pad, and reading the ENTIRE book of "Catching Fire".

Do I feel guilty?

Nope.

And my cute, adorable, growing-up-too-quickly son was up WAY past his bedtime last night because he was writing me a get well card. I typed it below, and no words have been changed. (Yes, he sounds more like a Jane Austen character than most 9 year olds normally do...) :

"Dear Mommy

I am dearly sorry that you are feeling sick. And I so very much wish that I could do something to help you. I hope you feel happy tomorrow and aren't unhappy because I love you very much, and to help you would mean so much to me. Now I now you're disappointed that I'm up at 9:45 pm but I just thought that it would help you feel better so much sooner and it's ok to stay up REALLY late if you are helping your poor old sick mommy that you love so much.

P.S. Please leave a response on my bed in the morning.

Love,
(the kid)"

Now, how could a mommy not feel better after that??? (However, I DO take exception to the reference that I am OLD, but I know he was joking!!!!)

Today, more heating pad and "Mockingjay"... but I'll get some laundry done in there as well. Gotta feel somewhat productive, right?

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Bruschetta with crusty bread

Hee hee... this was supposed to be on my recipe blog. Oh well, I'll leave it here and put it there, too. Enjoy!


Bruschetta (Broo-sketta not brooshetta) is my new favorite lunch!!! Yummy sweet and tart tomatoes and calamata olives with fresh mozzerella cheese and fresh basil- what's not to love? We eat this almost every day around our house once our tomatoes come in. Once you try it, you'll crave it, too! Trust me!

Bruschetta with Crusty Bread by Erin Taylor

3 med. ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp. chopped basil (fresh is absolutely necessary!)
5-7 pitted Calamata olives, chopped
1/2 C. fresh mozzerella cheese (the soft kind packed in liquid), cubed in 1/2 inch cubes (for a Greek twist, substitute Feta cheese here.)
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
"drizzle" olive oil (probably about 1 Tbsp. but I never measure!)
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all above ingredients and let "marinate" in refridgerator while you complete the next step.

Crusty Bread

6 slices (1" thick) crusty italian bread or french bread
1/2 C. olive oil, or Canola oil with a little olive oil added
Medium frying pan.

Heat oil on Med. High heat. Place a few slices of bread and fry for about 30 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Remove promptly and place on paper towel. Lightly salt bread if desired.

Spoon bruschetta on bread slices and top with a little grated parmesan cheese. De-Licious!!!!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Inevitable "Back to School" blog post...

Ah Ha! You thought this was going to be a typical "Back To School" blog post plastered with pictures of the new-clothes clad, squeeky-new-shoes clad, fresh backpack toting, happily waving 9 year old on his first day of fourth grade, huh!

Oh Contraire Monseur... See, I am a bad mother and forgot to take pictures! See? Fooled ya!

However, I will tell you what we did to celebrate this grand occasion.

Yesterday, we spend 4 hours going to 4 different shoe stores to try and find the kid some shoes that either a) fit, or b) look halfway decent, but preferaby a) and b). Famous Footwear- nada. I mean, they sell Sketchers at ridiculous prices, but you know? I think Sketchers are the crappiest shoes ever! Seriously! They fall apart if you look at them. I made the mistake of getting them the last two years and have regretted it both times. This year I was determined NOT to get sketchers!

I thought, let's go the cheap route and do Payless. I mean, he'll most likely outgrow them before too long, and you expect Payless shoes to fall apart, anyway, right? So, you "pay less", and aren't dissappointed. Except, they didn't have ANYTHING in his size! Well, ok, they had lots of girly shoes in a 5 (Yes, a size 5! We totally skipped 4 alltogether!)and one pair of total nerd shoes, but come on- I love my kid. I don't want him to be the laughing stock in school, right? So, nix the nerd shoes and move on to shoe store #3.

Shopko- ok, I know Shopko also sells Payless shoes, but they also sell like Nikes and things like that. Anything in size 5? You guessed it, not a thing!!!

On to Kohls. Now I really like Kohls shoe department. They've never dissappointed me in the past. However, I've never been on the hunt for size 5 boy shoes the day before school starts. It's a totally different ball game! I was about to give up entirely when I spotted a number 5 on a box in the corner. I went over and opened it up. Dare I hope it is a pair of cool looking boy's shoes? Yes! Yes! Yes! He tried them on, they fit, he exclaimed at their awesomeness! Then, I just happened to look behind the row of boy's shoes to the girl's row, and lo and behold--- there is another pair of boys shoes... size 5!!!! And they looked cool and he loved them and they fit!!!! And they were half price!!!!

We celebrated yesterday evening with going to dinner at the kid's favorite noodle place with daddy. We found great enjoyment in the awesome new hi-tech drink dispenser there. Grape Sprite? Peach Sprite? The kid was in heaven!

We took a small little detour after dinner to the pet store. Both the hubby and the kid love birds, and I know they've really wanted to get our pet parakeet "Rupert" a friend for a long time. It just so happens that "Rupert's" soul mate was there in the parakeet cage last night, so we HAD to get her. We named her "Lolly" because she looks like those yummy creamy swirly lollipops you get at Halloween. I wanted to name her Voldemort, or "She who must not be named" but they both nixed that idea. Darn it!

Anyway, it was a great evening! This morning I woke up early and made crepes and sausage for the lucky boy(s) and then we all walked to school.

No, I didn't get a hug goodbye. It was the first year this has happened. I knew it was coming, and thought it would probably be this year, but it was painful nevertheless. I did get a wave and a "Love you" though, so there was at least that.

So? What to do with my day now that I'm alone again? Well, after this dreadfully long post I think I need a soak in a tub and maybe some chocolate and a chick flick!!!! And if you stuck with me through this whole post- you should probably do the same!!!!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Dangerous food thoughts... I'm on the edge

So, on the news lately has been a lot of stuff about salmonella poisoning in eggs across the country. So, why do I have this overwhelming craving for eggs suddenly? Shouldn't it turn me off of eggs? Actually, I'm not even a fan of eggs, usually. But now that they are "dangerous", that's all I want to eat! Maybe I just like living on the edge!

Of course, brownie commercials make me want brownies, and they are sooo not dangerous. Unless you use dangerous eggs... hmmmmmm......

Next thing you know I'll be fixing me some of that blowfish sashimi that is supposed to be deadly if prepared the wrong way.... and I'll throw in a side of eggs!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I am my worst critic...

Yes. I grade my own blog posts. No, not like "A" or "B", but I do go back and re-read them for grammar mistakes.

And, yes, there are a lot of grammar mistakes, and punctuation fauxpas, and all sorts of things that would make my english teachers roll over in their early graves. (Yes, early graves, which I'm sure I had a part in sending them to!)

The problem, however, is not in finding the mistakes, or even making them. The problem is that I'm too lazy to go back and fix them.

Ah well... it's my blog and I will do what I want to!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Webinar...whatever that is!

The other day I thought I'd be like a "normal" person. You know, "normal", as in: person who engages in things pertaining to things outside the home, having nothing whatsoever to do with laundry, dishes, cooking, etc. Normal, as in, "Hi, I have a life where I am not known as mommy...". Ya, normal.

I signed up to participate in a webinar. I know, sounds kind of daunting, right? WEBINAR...

I had to ask my husband what it was, actually. "Do I have to talk? How do I talk to the computer, anyway? Can the other participants see me? (I hadn't done my hair that day... you know, cause I don't have a normal life..." He eased my fears. No, you don't have to talk, no one can see you, no one even has to know you are listening, you can watch it naked if you want (not that I wanted to, but, cool to know!).

I sat down at the appointed time in front of the computer with my plate of dinner and the bedroom door closed. I strongly stipulated to the offspring- absolutely NO interrupting mommy while she is in her meeting!

So, apparently going to a meeting in my bedroom, by myself, on the computer, isn't as respectable as daddy actually going to work. Somehow the offspring just can't fathom I might be doing something that might possibly be more interesting to me than what video game he is playing or what is for dessert. (At which question I replied, "Nothing, okay? Mommy is in a MEETING!" his response: No you're not. You're just playing on the computer." Uh huh... so that's how it is, huh?)

Needless to say, there were MANY interruptions. Perhaps that is how it is in WEBINAR world- mommies all trying their best to appear to be "normal" while trying to extract themselves momentarily from their everyday insanity. I bet there was at least one other mommy watching who had a kid clawing for her attention, or who slurped the mustard off her shirt because it was mostly clean, and she wasn't about to leave to wash it off because she was having "normal" time, by dangit!

All in all, my quest for a "normal" moment ended up being... well, normal. Normal for me, that is. Which, let's face it, is never really boring. The plus for the night- my son got tired of me telling him there wasn't going to be dessert because mommy was in a meeting, so he attempted to make zucchini brownies "mostly" by himself (the occasional interruption to ask how much 11/2 cups is. "Honey, that is 1 and 1/2 cups not 11- half cups. I was actually quite glad he asked about that one!")

Will I be attending another webinar if the opportunity arrises again, of course. Well, I'll attempt it. I can't say things won't go any better, but I'll try. Will I have more realistic expectations the next time? Absolutely. After all, my life is my life, normal or not.

However, my son did tell me today, of all the crazy people in the world, I am -3% crazy, so apparently, in his mind, I have a surplus of sanity! (I wonder what it was BEFORE the webinar? Hmmmm....)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

7 days and counting...

7 days until school starts up again. (4th grade! Eeeeek!)

7 days until I have to wake up at 7:00 am instead of 8:30.

7 days until I have to prod, poke, pull, threaten, gnash my teeth- to get the kid off to school on time.

7 days until the lilting strains of "I hate school.... my teacher is soooo mean" go wafting through my home once more. (Although, the teacher he has this year looks like a fun one, so we'll see.)

7 days until I am without my little buddy for 6.5 hours a day. :(

7 days until I get to focus a little more on "me" time.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Some much-needed words of wisdom

Yesterday was a really great day in church.

We studied the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.

Someone asked the question: Who wrote these, and why do we need to really pay attention to them in our day, or do we?

It is not exactly known who wrote them, but I think it is believed that Solomon may have written at least some of them, if not all.

However, as I was reading them, it became clear to me that they are truly wise words of counsel. Words that I think much of today's society has decided to ignore, or decided that they simply don't pertain to us today.

How wrong can we be if we think they do not pertain to us today? No, they do not expound revelation about the last days, but they contain important truths we should live by every day of our lives!

As it says in Proverbs, they are written for us:
"...To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:"

I am glad I had that little "wake up" call yesterday. There are so many small things I can be doing daily to be kinder, wiser, more in-tune with the Spirit. I think I need to read Proverbs again!

Read the whole book of Proverbs Here!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Summer Update...

Went to Bear Lake last weekend....

got cooked.

The kid and the dad had a blast on the waverunners, though... fun weekend.

This week: 1 big luncheon for 32 missionaries down (I did all the shopping, cooking, etc. Luckily, I had some help from the lovely ladies in the R.S. presidency to help set up and clean up!)

Saturday: church activity combined with Relief Society, Elders Quorum, and High Priests. I'm in charge of all the food, you guessed it!

Tonight: soaking in a hot bathtub with my new yummy bath oil from Avon, hoping to pre-emptively avoid a total meltdown before said activity on Saturday.

I don't need Dr. Pepper.... I don't need Dr. Pepper..... I don't need Dr. Pepper....

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Golden Child

The last few days I have actually gotten my act together and made up "To Do" lists for myself and my son. It has been soooo great- he can just go to his list, see what is next, do it, check it off, and move on! No, "What are you supposed to be doing right now?" or "Mom, what do you want me to do now?" He knows exactly what I want him to do!

Last night, I put up his list before going to bed. This morning, I wake up to a strange noise on the other side of my bedroom door. I open it up to find my kid with a rag and cleaner doing his 2nd job already! He had woken up early and read for a half hour, and had moved on to washing the doors and walls!

Yes, I know it was so he could play the new video game sooner that I rented him from Blockbuster yesterday, but hey- whatever works!!!

I love my kid!