Do You Want To See Me Make A Fool of Myself?

It's really at least a 50/50 shot that I'll say or do something I regret, but I'm ok with that. WeaselMomma from World of Weasels has graciously asked me fill in for her co-host on Suburban Wow tomorrow (Friday) at 11am CST.

And I graciously accepted. After waffling for a couple days. And realizing that not one, but BOTH wee ones are off school tomorrow. And will be hanging out with me. And after WeaselMomma offered up one of her daughters to assist in corralling any wee one that attempts to escape.

So not only do you have a chance to view me, but it's a good chance that at least one of the wee ones will insist on making it on camera, too. (How do I know this? "Mom! Mom! Take a video of me eating a cookie!" Yeah, I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to make it on screen.

And we'll be on location, which offers up even more potential entertainment. So tune us in at 12pm EST / 11am CST and see what happens. If you can't make that broadcast, it will be streaming on repeat after the show.

Let me know what you think - and yes, it's interactive, so if you can make it, you get to participate in the chat, too!

Go ahead - click here and join in the fun of Suburban Wow!

Why Miss Crabby McCrabbypants Needed A Nap Today

Two giveaways going on right now:
Hot Locks dolls here

and

Probiotics here.

***

All I can say right now is "Thank GOODNESS Little Miss is long since in bed and asleep." I'm actually about ready to head there myself after today. It's definitely not been the most fun day.

So while Little Miss thinks she doesn't need to nap, I beg to differ. I'll have to read her my...

Top Ten Reasons Why Little Miss Needs To Nap:

10) My husband put her to bed over an hour past her bedtime last night. I know this because I was at a meeting and came home an hour after she should have been in bed and heard her playing in the bathtub. On the plus side, she eventually had nice, clean hair.

9) Little Miss refused to get dressed this morning. She walked around with her pjs half on and half off and refused every potential outfit in her closet. Whee.

8) She then refused to drink her milk with her calcium vitamin in it at breakfast (and for my non-dairy little girl, that is not an option). She didn't have a good reason other than just not feeling like it. And with me driving carpool today, we couldn't dawdle.

7) As we were trying to get out the door to pick up the carpool on time, Little Miss threw a hissy fit when I told her it was going to be too warm to wear her winter coat on top of her fleece sweatshirt. And by hissy fit, I mean full-on, laying on the floor, burying her head in her hands, screaming fit. I removed her coat while she was still lying there and carried her to the car.

6) Before naptime, Little Miss insisted she didn't have to go potty. We always have to go potty before naptime or there are problems with falling asleep. I picked her up and placed her on the potty (which isn't uncommon; she likes to play a game where she hides in her bed and I go find her). She threw herself indignantly on the floor, just missing the edge of the bathtub. After sitting dry as a desert on the potty for five minutes, I let her go to bed. She was up six times to go potty during naptime.

5) By the end of naptime, she looked like she was wearing eyeliner. Little Miss has always been easy to read when she gets tired. She gets circles under her eyes as soon as she starts to get the slightest bit tired. The more tired she is, the deeper and darker those circles go. They were epic.

4) After Mister Man got home from school, we needed to head to the grocery store. I gave him the option of biking (we're a mile or so away) or driving since he's still a little freaky about riding his bike. He chose to drive, and Little Miss started screaming and hid behind the armchair in the family room, kicking at the curtains with her foot.

3) When I asked Little Miss to put on her shoes, she refused. Repeatedly. When I explained that meant no bike riding for her after we got back from the store, she ignored me. I picked her up and carried her to the car. You would have thought I was ripping out her fingernails with rusty tweezers the way she was carrying on. The girl has a future on the stage.

2) When we got to the store - sans shoes for her - I carried her inside and placed her in the cart, she refused to sit properly in the cart. She made faces at me and turned sideways. There was some more screaming (not going to the grocery store was unfortunately not an option). After being asked if she wanted a timeout in the grocery store, she decided that it was ok to sit as instructed.

And the number one reason Little Miss needed to nap today?

She couldn't finish her dinner, she was so tired. She went up to bed before her normal bedtime and was sound asleep before Mister Man made it upstairs to start getting ready for bed - and they have the same bedtime.

And me? I think I need a nap about now. Or maybe just an early bedtime myself!

Tasty Tuesday

Do you have or know a little girl? There's a brand new line of dolls out there, and I'm giving one away with my Hot Locks giveaway!

If you've ever wanted to try them, here's your chance with the probiotics giveaway here.

Odds are really good... quick, go enter and I promise to wait for you.

***

I had to think really hard about what to post this week. We were on spring break last week, which meant the wee ones and I were running around most of last week. I did a lot of fresh, quick cooking, and many things we made, I've already posted.

Then I had my brilliant idea (ok, so brilliant might be stretching it just a bit). This is one of the super easy dishes that sounds much harder than it is. And it looks fancy, so people think you put a lot of work into it - the perfect kind of recipe!

Oh, wait. Is there a holiday weekend coming up that typically involves a lot of cooking of foods where you want people to think you've been slaving over a hot stove? Why yes, I do believe there is. Perfect again.

Spinach Souffle

Ingredients:
1/2 c fresh grated Parmeasan cheese
2 10oz boxes chopped spinach, thawed
3 T butter
3 T flour
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1 c cream
1/2 c spinach juice (reserved from when draining the frozen spinach)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t nutmeg, fresh grated
1 1/2 c mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
4 eggs

Directions:
Grease a medium to large baking bowl (a la my ceramic souffle dish). Use the fresh grated cheese to line the greased bowl like you'd flour a cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook and drain the spinach, saving the juice. Melt the butter into a saucepan, and saute the onions in the butter. Add the flour, and stir while cooking for 2-3 minutes.

Add the spinach and onion mixture to a large bowl and gently stir.

In a separate bowl, beat the four eggs.

Add the cream, spinach juice, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cheeses, and eggs to the large bowl and fold to combine.

Place the mixture into a baking dish. Place the baking dish into a pan of water. Cook for 40 minutes, checking carefully after 30 minutes.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed with Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

More Holiday Creep

Do you have or know a little girl? There's a brand new line of dolls out there, and I'm giving one away with my Hot Locks giveaway!

There is also an almost brand new giveaway for probiotics here.

Odds are really good... quick, go enter and I promise to wait for you.

***

It's GingerBunnybread time, again! Yes, after the fun we had making gingerbread houses this winter, we decided to decorate houses again.

With Easter coming up, we found a neat one at Aldi (our Aldi still had some this weekend left if you want to go for this fun treat, too). Mister Man spotted it when we went grocery shopping last week, and we both agreed that it had to come home with us.

So what do you think? This was our house.

Wellll... at least this was how the house was supposed to look. On the box.

It went together fairly quickly, with no major issues. Once the construction was complete, the wee ones were ready to decorate. And notice the balls on top of the roof. Go back and look at the picture above again. Yep, my special little boy made sure we had them in the exact correct color order. It was a big deal.

They did a lot of decorating, and they were completely in charge of deciding what would go where and how to divide the candy amongst themselves. Well, once I kicked my husband out of the kitchen after he kept pointing to the picture and insisting they try to follow that exactly. They actually did a pretty good job of sharing.

Mister Man kept asking me to make it look exactly like the house on the box with the piping. However, without moving the premade icing to professional bags with professional tips, there was no way that the icing was going to come out looking that way. He was awfully impressed that I made the heart on the door just like in the picture, even though I explained that there was no way I could then outline said heart.

Their house looked somewhat like the box when they decided they were finished. They were very proud of themselves.

However, as time started to pass, I was reminded of the lesson we learned when making our gingerbread houses at Christmastime. Do the decorating first, then build because the premade icing slides. Ehhhh, now the window in the front of hte house just looks like a door - or so Mister Man says.

Do you like how the bunnies are playing soccer with their multiple multi-colored balls? Yep, these bunnies play soccer.

When they woke up from their naps, they decided they wanted to do some more decorating, so back to work they went.

At this point, Mister Man decided he could do the icing on his own, so I let him have at it. He actually did a pretty good job, too.

This time, they wanted to be sure they were in the picture, as proof of the good job they did making their house.

And really, I think they did a pretty decent job with it, don't you? At the very least, we had a very pleasant afternoon that we spent together figuring things out and working together.

And what's a house without landscape lighting anymore? This is an upscale bunny house!

The Little Stinker!

Do you have or know a little girl? There's a brand new line of dolls out there, and I'm giving one away with my Hot Locks giveaway!

There is also a brand new giveaway for probiotics here.

***

This afternoon, Little Miss called out to me from the other room, with a huge smile on her face.

Mommy! I love you.

That was it. Just that simple statement that she periodically throws out there to me. It makes me smile every time, and I responded as I frequently do.

Do you know what, Peanut?

You love me, too, Mommy! comes the delighted shout from the other room. She loves playing this game, and who can blame her?

You know it! I'll always love you no matter what, forever and ever.

She went happily back to her play, and my husband at this point poked his head up, indignant that he hadn't been included in the declarations of love.

Well, what about me, Little Miss? he inquired.

Yeah.

That was her only - and somewhat enthusiastic - response, as she'd already gone back to playing. I giggled. Or possibly belly laughed.

Getting Old(ER) Isn't All Bad

Do you have or know a little girl? There's a brand new line of dolls out there, and I'm giving one away with my Hot Locks giveaway!

***

First off, I'd like to remind everyone that I'm not actually OLD. I'm only 34 (yes, I had to do the math), and the wee ones haven't learned ages and counting well enough to determine that I'm ancient yet. We'll forget what I thought about 34 when I was 17 and imagined what it would be like to feel like such an old lady when I was twice as old as I was then.

However, I will admit that there are certain benefits to the very slow and slight bit of aging that I've done so far. We don't think about them too often, but every once in awhile, we need to remind ourselves and celebrate what we've accomplished.

My Top Ten Things I Like About Being A (VERY) Little Older:

10) I don't have to study for tests anymore. While I know this isn't the case for everyone, I'm finished with school. I don't have any more pop quizzes, any more studying textbooks and taking notes and praying that I'm studying the right thing. No more staying up all night panicking that I'm not retaining the information and that the test the next day is going to be a disaster. As much as I enjoyed school, I'm really glad that I'm done with the exams and tests.

9) Acne is a thing of the past. That isn't to say that I don't have a bit of a breakout every now and again, but they're becoming more and more infrequent. And even when they occur, they're nothing like the daily horrors that I experienced as a teen - that of course I blew way out of proportion. There's no agonizing or freaking out even when they do occur, since I know they'll be gone soon.

8) I care less and less what the general public thinks of me. And I don't mean this in a negative way where I do things selfishly and in a who-cares-about-the-rest-of-the-world way. I mean that I'm more comfortable in my skin. I'm not embarrassed to have forgotten something and have to go back for it. I'm ok if I make a mistake or do something silly. I can make a fool of myself doing something I enjoy and not care because it brings me joy. And learning to do that is probably one of the things I'm most proud about doing.

7) My schedule is (more) my own. While I can't control everything, I choose what I will and won't be involved in more so than when I was younger. I choose my priorities, for the most part. And I can negotiate with others, when necessary, to help carry my load. For example, a friend of mine with a broken foot called me today asking if I could help get her somewhere. I was able to have my husband take the wee ones to a prior commitment and help her out. And those are the things that make me happy.

6) I don't need more friends. Do you remember high school (and beyond, sometimes) when there was the big worry about who was popular and who wasn't, who your friends were and how to get more or different friends. Now? I like my friends. I welcome new friends, but I'm perfectly fine with who my friends are. I'm content with them, and that's a really great feeling.

5) I can deal with confrontation better. I've never liked confrontation. I don't like it now, either, but I can deal with it. It doesn't give me the anxiety that it used to. I can see it for the constructive values that it has and not take it personally when it's directed at me. I don't dread those phone calls that I should make requesting change or telling someone or something that they didn't do a good enough job for what I need. Oh, and I can tell my mom things aren't ok when they aren't rather than swallowing it and resenting her. I can do it - in a respectful manner - and it works out. That adds so much more peace to my life.

4) I see the beauty more. When younger, I followed what I was taught - that there are certain standards of beauty in people and nature. I was afraid of many things that didn't conform to that standard, and I avoided many of them. Not the proudest moments in my life, I'll admit. And now? Now I see the beauty in the unique and the different. I can admire it for what it adds to life and enjoy it. I've experienced and seen things and met and become friends with people I wouldn't have otherwise, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

3) I'm learning to say no. My mom raised me to be a perfectionist and to be almost a martyr, taking on anything and everything that people asked in the effort to please other people. While I enjoy doing things now for the sake of doing them, I don't always have to say yes. I said no to being on the board of a local charity that was being formed because I didn't have the time. I said no to a choir practice when I needed a break. I said no to working on the gala at my new school because I'm burned out from those kinds of fund raising. And you know what? It feels good to pick and choose what I want to do rather than trying to do it all.

2) My memory bank is getting more and more full of wonderful moments. I love looking back at something in my life and smiling. I remember the last minute trip I took to Germany to visit a friend of mine shortly after college, and while I mentally shake my head at myself, I remember the fun of exploring a small town in Germany where I was the only person who spoke English (and I don't know German) and accidentally discovering a really cool taxidermy museum. I think about the clubs I formed as a kid - the Moss Garden Kids Club and the Junkyard Kid Gang to name two - and giggle about our activities and dues and notes we took. I look back to the days the wee ones were born, to the first time I drove a car, to the ski trip in college, to my disaster making flan the first time, and they all give me warm fuzzies inside. Every year and every day brings me more memories to treasure. And I'm now wise enough to hold them close to my heart.

1) I know what I don't know. When I was younger, I thought I knew it all. I suspect that many of us fall into the same camp. I was full of myself, but I was also secretly hiding that I didn't know it all for fear that someone might think less of me for not knowing something. Now? I know what I don't know, and I am perfectly ok with asking for help when I need it. Having a real sense of what I do and don't know means that I actually make fewer mistakes because I make fewer wrong assumptions. It's removed so much stress from my life.

So what do you like about the ever so slow and subtle aging process? What positive changes have you discovered?

Yet Another Idea I Missed Out On

Do you have or know a little girl? There's a brand new line of dolls out there, and I'm giving one away with my Hot Locks giveaway!

***

We're on spring break up by me. And the wee ones are finally at an age where the other parents are arranging massive playdates at local hangouts to get together. There were two scheduled for today.

Today, when I have a six hour doctor's appointment for Mister Man to finish up his developmental testing. Both started at 10am, which was one hour into our appointment. I left a message with one person that I'd give her a call as we left just in case they were still there.

Just before 3:30, I gave her a call. It was really hard to hear her with all the background noise, but I did catch the - Yes, we're really still here! And so we decided to go.

It was at an indoor playground that I'd seen open a few months ago and been curious about. I had first heard about an indoor playground from a friend of mine who had a friend investigating the concept. I somewhat pooh-pooh'ed it. Then I saw this one being built next to a store I frequent. It didn't look like much, but it promised healthy food and wi-fi for parents.

Then I went to ask them for a donation for our fundraiser, and I saw what they had. One wall was a two story jungle gym, with all sorts of different equipment to interest any child, including a separate area for babies. Parents could see their children from any spot in the playground, and there were plenty of tables and couches. I was intrigued.

I was even more intrigued when I heard that my friends were still there over five hours into their playdate. I asked Mister Man, and he was game, so we headed to join them.

When we walked in the door, Mister Man very excitedly told me where he was going to be sure that I saw him. He waited for me, but quite politely asked the worker where his coat and shoes went to ensure they were properly taken care of. (Really, is this my socially adept son? Cool!)

And then he went to play. I was hoping to stick around for close to two hours to get my money's worth. I wasn't sure if he'd last more than an hour before I started having to beg him to try it just a little longer.

And that's so not how it went. He went and played. He was all over the playground. He came back sweaty and looking for water. He went off to play again. He played with first graders from his school. He made new friends. He had three girls chasing him around.

Granted, he did come to me a few times with issues - once after running into the corner of a table with his hip (ouch!) and a couple times with small run-ins with other children. But he kept going back. He didn't let the little things ruin his day as he frequently does. It was simply too much fun.

And he was negotiating playing a Star Wars game of some sort when I told him it was truly time to leave. At almost 7pm, three plus hours after we arrived. He could have stayed longer, but he very politely put on his coat and shoes and waited near the exit. (Seriously, who took my child, and what did they do with him?)

The whole ride home, all he could do was talk about the really cool playground and how he wanted to go back again. And how he wanted to take Little Miss with him to show her. And the games he played.

Me? I rather enjoyed talking to my mom friends. One had brought her laptop and was enjoying the wi-fi. Having stayed over lunch, they all checked out the menu and agreed that the food was pretty decent. There were breakfast sandwiches for under $3. Quesadillas, pu-pu platters (kid friendly), real macaroni and cheese, and more. And knowing how allergic so many children are, it's absolutely a nut free zone. Did I mention the free refills on the drinks?

It was well worth the $10 admission for me. And I'm really kicking myself. We live in Chicago. Our weather is ... unpredictable. We long for healthy things to do with our children. Why on earth didn't I come up with this idea first?

Or at least I could have invented the Ped Egg. Or something!