Angel of Darkness - WTF!

I totally feel like I am behind in getting ready for Halloween this year.  Butterball has settled on being a "pumpkin head" (or just a pumpkin, because pumpkins do not have bodies) this year - I have tried numerous times to persuade him to choose something else... I was only finding pumpkin costumes worn by girls!  I tried to push suggest being a cowboy, rock star, football player, fireman, monster, Twist from the Fresh Beat Band... but he held strong and demanded a pumpkin head costume.  So yesterday I finally ordered him a "puffy pumpkin" costume... and I was happy that in the 3rd image of the costume showed a boy wearing it... would have preferred it had been the 1st picture, but at least they showed it on a boy. 

Princess has requested an Angel costume... which I recently figured out has been her choice because she is scheming to have me purchase white high heel shoes to wear with the costume...not real high heels but those white (or ivory) dress shoes sold at Payless around Easter time with a 1 inch block heel... I do not but them at Easter, and I am not planning to buy them for Halloween either.  I asked her this morning which was more important to her - a fancy Angel dress or the white shoes, because I was not going to be buying both.  She thought about it for a while and (thankfully) choose the dress.  I am having a difficult time finding an Angel costume that:

1. is not hideous
2. is not slutty - seriously Halloween has become too provocative!
3. does not cost more than $25... I am fairly certain my mother did not spend much money (if any) on my costumes growing up!

I did find one Angel costume that met all of my requirements, but it is actually a "Christmas costume" (meant for Christmas pagents I guess) and is currently on "pre-order" whatever that means.  I am keeping my eye on that one while searching for something else that will fit the bill.

Oh, did I mention that I overheard Princess tell Butterball that she is going to be an Angel for Halloween, but that she really wants to be an Angel of Darkness... *sigh* but Mommy won't let me *sigh*.  She is 5 (almost 6) years old, the fact that she even knows the term Angel of Darkness is weird and somewhat disturbing... damn you Wizard of Waverly Place!

Remember how I told you Princess was so excited at the thought of bringing her lunch to school she could hardly stand it?... well the excitement has waned a bit.   Do not get me wrong she loves the lunches I have slaved over and poured my heart and soul into, but apparently the meatball sub and slice of pizza lunches offered by the school have caught her eye.  The school just changed the process for ordering lunch - instead of a daily order you now review a 2 week menu on Monday and make your selections and send in the order and the money by Thursday... sounds easy enough. Princess and I reviewed menu Wednesday night and she only found one item she thought she would want - a cheese burger - which is being served on the Thursday of the 2nd week.  I filled out the form and sent in the money.  You can only imagine how thrilled I was when Princess announced Friday night that she REALLY REALLY wanted to order the pizza next week.  I asked her why she failed to mention that she wanted pizza when we went over the 2 WEEK menu the other night!  Of course she had no response and I knew she wouldn't, but it had to be asked... now I will be spending some time this week figuring out how to get in a one off lunch order... what else is new.


In other news - Sunday was another prep day - I made mini-meatloaves and taco meat for 2 dinners this week, and I got my Betty Crocker on and made a loaf of banana bread... I had a number of over-ripe bananas (1 went into the bread, the others went into the garbage). I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but every time I make banana bread the bottom is over done (not quite burnt, but close). No one seems to really love banana bread in my house (except for me) - the kids love bananas - but not so much the bread. 

Today's lunch:

Class Parent

I had a big decision to make last week... a notice was sent home from Princesses school regarding "Class Parents". The noticed asked whether or not you wanted to be considered for the role of Class Parent... here is peek at my inner dialogue:

Super Mom: Of course you want to be class parent! It will be so much fun, Princess will be so happy, maybe you will get to do some crafty kind of stuff, you can become friends with the teacher and get to find things out first... oh you really want this!
Realistic Mom: Are you NUTS - how will you handle being class parent and working full time... she is in kindergarten, you have 6 more years to do this! Wait until next year!
Super Mom: But if I don't say I want to be class parent this year they might put me on the list of parents who they will never allow to be class parent!
Realistic Mom:  There is no such list - you are being ridiculous...
Super Mom:  I know that list exists! If I don't say I want to be class parent they will think I don't care about my daughter and her class.
Realistic Mom:  Who is they? Why would anyone think that?
Super Mom:  The person/people who decides who gets to be the class parent! And people do think like that!
Realistic Mom:  You should not care what other people think and besides you have a lot on your plate right now.
Super Mom:  I know... you are right, but what if no one wants to be class parent! I do not want the class NOT have a class parent.
Realistic Mom: That is not going to happen...
Super Mom:  Oh I know... because I signed the form and said I would be happy to be class parent. Realistic Mom: Of course you did - for your sake I hope you do not get picked.
Super Mom: Oh same here... Hey, I wonder what will be my first task as class parent will be?

Princess's lunch today: Ham sandwich (cut into flowers), a hard boiled egg (white only), cherry tomatoes, mandarin oranges and cookies. She also requested a sun capri (otherwise know as a capri sun).





Preparing for the week

As I told you yesterday I am somewhat obsessed with coming up with ideas for my daughters lunch... and in order to subside some of the stress (I have created for myself) I created a spreadsheet. Some people like to go for a walk to relieve stress, others may lay down with cucumber slices over their eyes... I like to create lists and spreadsheets. They are comforting to me... each item sitting nice and pretty in its own cell and separated by columns... just waiting and ready to be checked off or crossed out. Can't you just feel the stress leaving your brain while thinking about it! (OK I know this may only be the case for some people, but you should try it!)


Saturday morning I created the following table of meals and snacks for the upcoming week:

 

From this table I created my shopping list - I like to organize my list according to the lay out of my supermarket and the different sections within the store...

 

• Produce
• Deli/Prepared Goods
• Meat/Seafood
• Frozen
• Dairy
• Grocery
• Non-Food Items

  

I believe this a fairly common practice for creating grocery lists... I started doing it after I read it in Ina Garten's Back Basics cookbook - I think Ina likes lists too!

We (meaning the whole family - which yes you are correct is totally insane) went food shopping Saturday afternoon. Then Saturday night ADG and I went out to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law - it was a lovely dinner at a greek restaurant followed by a block-party fundraiser where I met my new best friend... the margarita fountain! Rita (that is what I call her) is an electric light-up fountain of margaritas - don't worry I have already put it on my Christmas list! As you can only imagine this new friendship resulted in a slow start for me Sunday morning.

Once my dose of 2 Aleve and a large cup of coffee kicked in I began preparing the beef brisket to go in the slow cooker for 6 hours and then made a double batch of turkey meatballs. Lastly I prepped the chicken breast by cleaning and pounding them a little bit. Last night's dinner was on the table in less than 10 minutes! One day down... 5 more to go! 

 

My evenings this week are pretty booked up - Princess had her 1st gymnastic class on Monday night, Butterball has his gym class tonight(Tuesday), my first PTO meeting is Wednesday and dinner with my girlfriends (don't worry Rita is not attending) Thursday... Friday I planning on going to bed at 6:59pm!

 

 Here are pictures of the lunches I made for yesterday and today:

 



Monday

Tuesday

Kindergarten

So Princess is now officially a Kindergartner!  I am officially a wreck... my head is spinning with all the changes and additional events happening in our lives.  All of these changes are good, and I know things will calm down in a couple of weeks/months (at least I hope they will).  I am struggling with the idea of the kids being in 2 different schools (Butterball at daycare and Princess at the elementary school at the end of my street) - this translates to 2 drop offs and 2 pickups... that's a lot of in and out of the car, buckling and unbuckling of seatbelts, parking, wandering around trying to figure out where to go, etc.  I know I will get the hang of things, but no one likes being the "new girl" in an otherwise known process. 

Now that Princess is in public school we are responsible for providing her lunch... don't misunderstand me we have always been responsible for providing her lunch - I paid the daycare to feed her!  And that process worked out beautifully!  The public school offers lunch and I could buy that too... but Princess is so excited to bring her lunch to school (transaltion - I make the lunch) she can't barely contain herself!  So in true fashion of being me I have become obsessed with her lunch (and snacks).  I wanted the lunches to be balanced, nutritional meals that were also eco-friendly... I like to make things difficult for myself (you might have noticed that about me).

I ordered a bento box set from Laptop Lunches, then spent an entire weekend trying to find a lunch bag that it would fit in (and yes you are correct I should have just purchased the lunch bag from the site as well... but I didn't so just keep your eye rolling to yourself).  I also purchased a thermos (Princess refers to this as a "Heater") so we could send pasta and/or soup for lunch, a water bottle, and yesterday I picked up a separate small insulated bag for her snacks. 

I spent hours searching for lunch menu ideas that would work with the bento box situation, and there are a surprising number sites with photos and ideas for inspiration.  I was starting to feel more confident I could make this work.  To really give myself another level of comfort I created a full listing of Princess's lunches and snacks, as well as our dinners for the week in a lovely comforting spreadsheet... aaahhh who doesn't love a nice neat spreasheet!  I get a warm feeling just thinking about it!

I will share my spreadsheet with you tomorrow, along with what I did to get a head start for the week!  For now I will leave you with a photo of her 1st day of school lunch:

Ham Sandwhich, hard boiled egg, strawberries & bananas, and oreos

I am back....

and I am tan!  Yes I have spray tanned my lovely self and I can honestly say this could become addicting!  Let me clarify - I did not actually spray the tanning stuff on my own body... I had a lovely gal from Beach Bum Tanning do the application.  And yes it is somewhat awkward to stand in front a slim, toned, overly tanned 20 something year old and have her spray you down with tanning solution... all the while trying not to think about what is going through her mind.  I definitely think I provided some potential birth control thoughts... because I (and  many other women who) have had 2 c-sections (and rarely get the appropriate amount of exercise) can instill a fear of a flabby, stretch marked stomach into all those who lays eyes upon it!  Look away - just LOOK AWAY I tell you!

I am off to Philadelphia this weekend for a wedding (hence the need for the spray tan) - thank you to my in-laws (once again) for being our saviors and watching Butterball and Princess! 



taken with the Hipstamatic App on my iPhone



I am seriously considering...

When I find a specific brand of a product - be it food, cleaning supply, beauty item, etc. - that I like I stay true to that brand.  I am loyal.  I am supportive.  I become a champion of that brand and will sing its praises whenever I can catch someones ear... you can often find me in the supermarket telling other shoppers why I think a particular product is superior.  Some people appear to be genuinely interested in my product "review" others just nod and back away slowly. 

There are 2 products that I may have to start (ok I already started) stockpiling...



 Victoria's Low Sodium Marinara Sauce and GE Reveal 60 watt light bulbs - 2 items I wish to not live without........ EVER!

Victoria's Marinara is (in my opinion... which is always correct and is should be shared by many) one of the best jarred marinara sauces found on the shelves of a supermarket.  It is delicious, all natural (only has 7 ingredients and I can pronounce all them!) and not too expensive.  When I can find the coveted Family Size jar - I (really it is ADG) will purchase 3 or 4 at a time.  But now I have sampled the Low Sodium variety and it is even more delicious than the original marinara. There are other brands on the shelves that are delicious and all natural, but most of them are priced too high for me.  You may be thinking gosh if you are that passionate about marinara sauce and all natural...blah, blah, blah... why not make your own.  Well, I will tell you I do make my own marinara on occasion and I have contemplated making/canning a years worth of homemade sauce... but let's face it that takes a lot of effort and if you know me (or read other entries from this blog) I am not one to put too much effort into tasks such as this.  I am fairly certain if I were to go ahead with making/canning my own homemade marinara sauce I would be out a lot money and have nothing to show for it (or feed my family with)... I would have to purchase the jars, the lids thingies, a special pot, special tongs, not to mention store all the sauce once it is in the jars and all the canning equipment.  And since I am not the best at following directions... I would probably end up with 40 or 50 jars of contaminated and/or poisonous marinara sauce.  And that is not a good use of storage space in my mind.  So for now I will continue to maintain my usual 2 to 3 jar supply of Victoria's Marinara sauce in my pantry and keep my eyes peeled the Family Size jars - get taste at and even better savings!

ADG read (in the newspaper - I think... I don't pay very close attention) the other day that "they" are considering outlawing regular light bulbs!  I am not exactly sure who "they" are but I am not happy with them.  I am not a fan of the newer energy saving, corkscrew like bulbs... they are ugly looking and give off the most hideous light!  It is a gross blue light that makes everything look sad and dreary... if you ask me... which I know you did not, but you are reading this sooo you kinda did.  Do not try and fool me with the whole "now they cover the corkscrew thing and it looks just like the old bulbs"... not true! They do not look the same AND they still give off the bluish sad clown light... yuck!
I like the GE Reveal 60 watt light bulbs - they give off a soft clean white light.  People and things look nice in this light.  I am seriously considering buying (many) cases of these particular bulbs to have for my home should "they" actually outlaw them... which I guess means that "they" will no longer sell them at the store... and not be searching peoples homes and arresting them for using non-energy efficient light bulbs.

So if you see me at the Stop n Shop with a cart full of Victoria's Marinara sauce in Family Size jars and GE Reveal 60 watt light bulbs, giving other shoppers my personal reviews of my favorite products just wave and walk on by like I am totally normal... because I am... right?

I am sure other parents have made the same mistake... right?

So the other day I was working on planning some family day trips for this summer and I happened to be on the Sesame Place website.  That was when I noticed something strange... I was sure this Sesame Street character:



was named Margarita. 

Apparently her name is Rosita - Rosita is an upbeat, playful Muppet whose full name, Rosita la Monstrua de las Cuevas, means “the monster of the caves.” Her name may sound scary, but there's nothing dark or frightening about this bright character; she is named that because she is a fruit bat. Rosita loves to play with her friends and help them learn more about Spanish, her native language. She comes from Mexico, and is the first regular bilingual Muppet on the show. Rosita often combines English and Spanish when she speaks, and shows her affection by touching and hugging the person she’s talking to.

I can not be the only parent who thought her name was Margarita... not only do the two names rhyme, but both are from Mexico!  And let's face it Sesame Place would be 10 times more fun if they had Margaritas available instead of (or at least in addition to) Rosita.





Early wake up call!?!?... not exactly!

I mentioned in earlier posts that I had not kept up my hope of waking up early in order to get myself ready before the kids wake up... well today was slightly different.  Butterball awoke at approximately 5:40 am - I know this because I opened one eye to check the clock as I heard him calling for ADG... yeah it is pretty awesome that he ALWAYS call out "DADDY" when he wakes up in the morning, he actually gets pissed when I walk in the room to get him.  So I have basically decided ADG should always be the one to go in (others do not share this opinion)... I prefer to not piss off anyone first thing in the morning (because I am thoughtful that way).  Back to this morning... so it was 5:40am (which is 5 minutes before my alarm* goes off) and after a few minutes ADG rolled out of bed and went to Butterball, a diaper was changed and they both came back into the bedroom and got into bed.  Butterball requested a bah-bah** and to watch Barney.  It was 6 o'clock at that point and I turned on the TV - Butterball drank his milk while ADG snored and I tried to sleep for a few more minutes.  Then I was rudely awakened by an excruciating headbutt to the nose... yeah that's right a 2 year olds rock of a skull slammed into my nose!  I let out a yelp (sort of) and jumped out of bed - which resulted in Butterball bursting into tears!  I never appreciate when a small child crys when they are the one who inflected the pain... yeah I know I startled him with my scream yelp, but really I was the one who should have been crying!  Not the best way to start the day, but thankfully there was very little blood and no swelling... Happy Friday to me!

*My alarm starts to go off at 5:45am, but then I hit the snooze button 3 or 4 times before I actually get out of bed.  I tried setting a second alarm - my cellphone - to go off 20 minutes after the first alarm.  I even put the phone on my dresser which would force me to get out of bed to turn it off... you would think well you are out of bed just head into the bathroom at this point - YOU ARE ALREADY OUT OF BED FOR GOD SAKE!  Yeah... that did not work after the 1st day... honestly I blame day light savings time and the weather.  It is so dark in the morning I swear (everyday) that the clock must be wrong, I actually ponder whether I may have accidentally changed the time on the clock when I turned on the alarm the night before...  I seriously think about that every morning!  It actually happened twice in my life - yes 2 times and I continue to think about it everyday (Monday through Friday... weird how I do not think about it on the weekends... huh?).

** Yes I admit my 2 year old son stills drinks milk from a bottle - one before bed and one first thing in the morning... I know you are "suppose to" discontinue the bottle soon after they turn 1 but I just could not.  I am actually feeling pretty proud of myself for not giving him any bottles during the day (even though he still asks).  We thought we were the last parents to stop sending a bottle to daycare for naptime but now we think one of the kids in his daycare class still drinks formula!  I can't wrap my head around a 2 year old still drinking formula- it is SO expensive!  I stopped buying formula the second Butterball turned 1 - I think I may have even run out a few days shy of his first birthday and did not buy anymore.  So we are still working on the whole bottle thing - it is comforting for everyone involved... it soothes Butterball and I hate to say it, but it gives me a few minutes of quiet as well.  I am sure we will be weaned off the bottle soon, but for now I am good with just the 2 a day... don't judge me (out loud anyway)... I generally keep my judgements to myself... unless you count this blog where I tell it all... whatever!

Still on track...

So the eating healthy is still working out for me... the early rising is dead and buried!  So I have a product review of sorts... Lean Cuisine Pot Stickers!

I have been pleasantly surprised with the Lean Cuisine Market Creations line and my absolute favorite is the Chicken Pot Stickers.

This meal is delicious and it really is a meal!  I mean you do not even need a salad to make you feel full - you get 5 or 6 pot stickers and lots of yummy veggies in a delicious "sweet chili ginger soy sauce".  It nukes up in 5 minutes in the microwave!  If you are a weight watchers member this meal has 7 point (that is the pp+ points value).  Sometimes I get a little fancy and steal borrow a real plate from my companies cafeteria and if it happens to be sushi day I grab some chopsticks and go to town (a fancy town) on this for lunch!

Today I tried the Asian Style Pot Stickers from the Simple Favorites collection:

This one was not nearly as good as the other one - the pot stickers themselves tasted the same, but that was the only good thing I could say about this.  The portion was small, the rice was so-so and the sauce was just OK.  The 2 main negatives on this item (I can't call it a meal - I was still hungry after eating it) was 1. it took 8 minutes in the microwave!  Seriously 8 minutes - that is forever in my book!  and 2. it has the same points plus value (7) as the other meal!  It was half the size for crying out loud!

When attempting to eat on the healthy side my main objective is to get the most out of every meal - I need delicious-ness (not sure if that is an actual word - but you know exactly what I mean) and a strong return on my health initiative investment.

Other things I am enjoying lately -
Wholly Guacamole 100 Calorie snack packs - portion control and absolute delicious-ness (there is that word again) all in one!

Laughing Cow Cheese wedges - I like all the flavors but this on is great in a turkey quesadillas!

Kellogg's Fiber Plus bars - not sure if they will have similar results to the FiberOne bar issue I wrote about earlier but these are equally delicious... especially this flavor:



It basically says - screw you Girl Scouts and your Samoas (or for the more politically correct - Carmel deLites) cookies!  This has all the same flavors and fiber too! 

I am hoping that maybe by posting pictures of these items and saying how much I like them that some one from the marketing department of the companies that produce these products will send me a free supply... I know that not that many people read this blog, but a girl can dream!

It has been a while...

I am happy to report that I am 1 for 2 in my quest for better habits - I am have kept up the healthier eating and I am thrilled to have lost 7 pounds at this point!  On the other side of the coin the whole waking up early has waned a bit.  I was really good the first week, the second week was OK, but this past week I am all banged up... from falling of the proverbial wagon.  The only thing keeping me on time in the morning is a new haircut that reduces the amount of drying time.
Princess was up to something - she was uncharacteristically good yesterday morning... no arguing about getting dressed, voluntarily went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, even brought her breakfast dishes to the sink without being asked!  As she was helping her brother on with his coat (actually helping him, not even trying to wrap it around him backwards like a straight jacket), ADG wanted to know if I knew what Princess wanted (as we have never seen this type of behavior unless she has a motive for getting something).  I said I was not sure yet... at the end of the day her motive was revealed... Justin Beiber!  It appears that our 5 year old has a mild case of Beiber fever! When ADG picked the kids up from daycare Princess told him she was so excited to see the Justin Beiber movie on Saturday - she just can't wait! We have tentative plans to see the movie on Saturday afternoon with a couple of her girlfriends (and their moms)... I am not sure if she will enjoy to the movie (she has never seen a movie in the theatre that was not animated), but I am pretty sure I will enjoy it.  I am a curious about Justin Beiber - I do not know that much about him, but ever since a couple of his songs were featured on GLEE I have felt my temperature rising!

Thoughts, confessions, observations...

A Thought...
So it is Thursday and I am happy to be able to say I have stayed true (so far) to my attempt to 1. wake up earlier and 2. eat healthier... 3 days down and the 4th day is off to a promising start.  I have actually been arriving at work on time (or even early) which was not really my initial thought process behind getting up early (no need to tell my boss that little tidbit), it was so that I might be able to shower and get ready without an audience.  Butterball likes to join me in the bathroom whenever I am in there, he also insists on sitting on my lap while I attempt to apply my make-up with one hand, and likes me to turn my hairdryer on him while I am trying to dry and style my own hair... as you can imagine that can add a few extra minutes on to my morning routine. So the waking up early has allowed me to be close to ready when the kids wake up (like just about to get dressed), in addition I have found time to apply lotion after my shower!  Which is nice because dry, rough skin is not exactly the look I was going for.

A Confession...
I enjoy Fiber One bars (that is not the confession) - they are both nutritious and delicious... truly a winning combination.  So the confession is... when I eat a Fiber One bar I (and others) must suffer because they cause me a ridiculous amount of gas!  I guess it is the large amount of fiber in each bar (9 grams - that is 35% of your daily fiber intake)!  I have a bar with me today, and when ADG saw me put it in my lunch bag he just sighed assuming tonight is going to be a rough one.  But I think I have been eating healthier, taking in more fiber on a daily basis, drinking lots more water than usual... I think I might have worked my way up to being able to eat one Fiber One bar without the prior outcome(s).  We will wait an see - I plan to eat it as my late afternoon snack... I don't to kill anyone in my office... I like to save it for my family!

An Observation...

I think all parents become human garbage cans at some point - children always give their parents whatever they don't want or won't finish... and some of us are just stupid and eat it (most likely it fell on the floor or was sneezed on, but that is besides the point)!  That is definitely one of the reason for a few of the extra pounds I have packed on over the years.  Last night after my children had politely excused themselves from the dinner table begged to be allowed to leave the table to go play - I sat at the table looking at there barely touched plates and thought for a minute about eating their left over food.  I had finished my own dinner, but I am not sure what I was feeling... I did not want the food to go waste, I could not really save it.... no it's that I have become a human garbage can!  Well I am happy to say I restrained myself and did not eat it... I can't say the same for my better half, but that is he's fish to fry!

I gotta run... you know all the extra water I have drinking... that has its own effects!

Monday Minute

Questions
(1) Do you use shaving cream when you shave?
(2) Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very bad at.
(3) What's your favorite song?
(4) If somebody asked you to sum yourself up in three words, what would they be?
(5) Out of the following three, which do you hate most: pineapples, cantaloupe, or strawberries?

Answers

(1) I do not use shaving cream when I shave - I use the Schick Intuition Plus - it has the shaving gel surrounding the razor!  I like because I am lazy and do not like to take the time to lather up before I start to shave my legs.  In a pinch (if my schick razor is on its last legs and the gel is almost gone) I will use hair conditioner.

(2) I am not good at lots of things... but I am only suppose to list 2...

a. I am bad at maintaining a schedule/plan if depends solely on me - let me explain.  I am greater talker, planner, motivator of others... but when it comes to me I am basically your classic slacker.  I have grand plans of starting things like diets, exercise programs, crafts, fabulously thoughtful gifts that take a long time to create/prepare... yet they are either short lived or dead before they actually get started.   

b. Parallel Parking - I am absolutely terrible at parallel parking!  I can only do it in a small car on the left side of the street - meaning I have to be on a one way street where you can park on both sides of the street.  I will drive around and around and even forgo the errand if I can not find head on parking.

(3) This is hard because I have lots of favorite songs (probably as many as the number of things I am bad at) - today I will say my favorite song is Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen.

(4) Three words - funny, loving, resourceful

(5) I actually like all three, but cantaloupe is my least favorite.

So in honor of question number 2(a) I have decided to try to start 2 new habits today... 1. I would like to wake up earlier and be ready before the kids wake up and 2. eat healthier.  So far both I have accomplished both today - well I did not get up as early as I had planned to, but it was considerably early than usual (I'll take it) and I brought my own breakfast, lunch and snacks with me to work today.  We will see how long I can make this last.

So very odd!

We are in the midst of yet another snow storm here in the North East... and like I have requested many times before (as we have had numerous snow storms this winter already (enough already mother f*#king nature)) I told Princess to put on her socks as I placed her snow boots in front of her... I guess she was either really excited about wearing the snow boots or (most likely) just not paying attention because she only put on one sock!  This was not discovered until she arrived at school and went to put on her regular shoes.  Seriously, who forgets to put on the OTHER sock?... Probably the same girl that told be she would rather wear her underpants backward than take the time to remove her jeans in order to turn them around.

Eagles

My husband (ADG) is a die-hard NY Giants fan - season ticket holder, has numerous pieces of apparel with the Giants logo and/or in Giants colors, etc.  So naturally he loathes does not care for the Philadelphia Eagles (among other teams).  You can only imagine how devastated he was to here Princess declare that she likes the Eagles, because they wear green and white "outfits".  He has tried to persuade her to change her mind but she will have none of it.
Yesterday on the ride home from school Princess asked me "who do we vote for?"  I was thinking politics (of course... when else do you vote)... she followed up with "is it the Steelers or the Jets?"... I responded that Daddy was rooting - not voting - for the Steelers on Sunday, because he does not like the Jets.  She told me again that she likes the Eagles... then she told me why she really has to like the Eagles:

"I like the Eagles because I like birds and if I did not like the Eagles that would mean I don't like birds, and I really like birds."

ADG did not agree with her theory but has decided to let it go... until September.

Kid say the darndest things...

Monday, January 17th - Martin Luther King Day - On the ride home from school I ask Princess what she learned that day - she said they talked about Dr. King and then she asked me "Did he get shooted? because that's what's my teacher said - he got shooted!"  I thought about explaining what happened, and about how some people are bad and do bad things... then I decided to go with "If that is what your teacher said then it must be true."  Then she changed the subject... thankfully!