A quiet dinner

We moms dream of those meals that are cooked by others and that we get to eat whilst they are still warm, hot even. This is the stuff dreams are made of!

The other day, I took The DIVA, The Big Man, and The Little Man out to dinner at Boston's. Dad was working late shift, so we decided we'd hit Petsmart so The DIVA could pick out some new fish for her tank and then grab some food. First, we thought we'd go to Old Chicago, but when we drove into their parking lot, it was totally packed and cars were parking out on the adjacent street. I didn't care to wait with a starving, exhausted 3-year-old and a cranky 9-year-old, for 45 minutes, just so that we could get a discount (we know the manager there, he hooks us up!). So, after driving around a bit, then parking to figure out where we were going without wasting anymore gas, The Big Man decided he wanted to go to Boston's. The DIVA and I didn't care. The Little Man was passed out from all the driving and the lack of nap earlier. Joy.

We head over to Boston's, and I haul The Little Man from his carseat, still sleeping. We get a large booth and this is what I get...


My sleeping son was totally passed out- nothing was going to stir him from his slumber. I did get a bit of a nod when I asked him if he wanted chocolate milk while I was putting him down. I didn't even get his coat off. I just let him be until his food got there about 20 minutes later. It was a wise choice, indeed!

Now The Big Man had a rough day at school. We've been dealing with the bullying brats at his school, and a bunch of useless staff members who are far more concerned with their contract hours than they are about my child's safety, but I digress. He's at the point where the slightest thing tips him off, and the rest of the night is hopeless for me to deal with him at times. We're trying to work with him (obviously), but it's hard for a 9yo to separate those feelings from school, and the lack of caring that goes on there, with what's happening in the here and now. I really feel for him because he can't even enjoy a good meal right now. He really can't, no matter how I try to cheer him up, once he starts thinking about what's gone on during his day. It's so sad, it breaks my heart. This was his "smile" for the evening...


That night, The Big Man and The DIVA (who declined a photo op this evening, as apparently Mr DeMille hadn't notified her of any closeups) had worked out a plan where she would order a 10" pepperoni pizza, he would order chicken strips and fries, and they'd split the two meals between the two of them. Neither of them could decide between the two meals which they wanted, so they compromised. The best part about this was that I played no part in this whatsoever! They planned it between themselves, divided the food equally, and never squaballed at all during any of it. Had I not have been sitting there the entire time, I would have sworn I came back from the restroom and sat down at a different table, with different kids. I'm very proud of them, that they're able to get along better these days. I've always known they've had it in them, and they certainly have their days, but overall, they do well right now. This is another moms' dream: your children getting along with one another, without having to be begged or bribed. However, when the do, you always wonder if they are up to something.

And so we come to my real dream for the evening- hot food that someone else cooked for me! I got my pizza, which I ordered 3 times the size I actually needed, so I could take home leftovers. Hey, so I'm cheap! I did end up with lunch and dinner for the next 4 meals, TYVM! ;) I got the put-together version of a Zorba the Greek, which Boston's no longer offers on their menu. They took it off about 2 years ago or so, but I still know what what was on it and ask for it when I'm there. They never remember, so I just end up ordering a make-your-own with the toppings that were on it. It costs me more, but I only like that kind.

It's sad when you're totally excited about and yearn for simple stuff like hot food, and you consider pizza with toppings YOU want, a special treat.

Well, no, it's not exactly sad. It just means that means you are a mom.

You live and you learn sometimes

Tonight, The Big Man comes to me, whilst I'm "indisposed," and shares with me that he needs to complete a 3-paragraph paper by tomorrow. It was after 8 PM already, which is his bedtime (sorta). As I sit on my throne, I'm also joined by The Little Man, Sweet Pea, and Dad, who all need something. Imagine my enthusiasm to complete all these tasks....all at the same time I handle the initial one I set out to do. So I read the paper The Big Man's teacher has given the kids on their assignment, explain it to him, and send him to get a magazine for an article (I had one for myself to read in there, but that never happened). I sent Dad to put The Little Man to bed. I sent the cat out to entertain herself elsewhere. I couldn't reach the door to lock it.

The Big Man comes back with a magazine, and I flip through to find an article quickly, so I can help him get going so he can get it over with and get to bed as fast as possible. He has no paper to write on. I send him to get some from my printer. He then finds that he's totally unable to read. I find him something shorter in the newspaper. Then he can't figure out how to make 25 sentences summarize into 12, in his own words. Life is rough here, people! I'm wondering how he manages to get dressed by himself at this point, since he seems to be unable to accomplish anything, so I continue to humor him, just for a laugh myself. He's so sad and pitiful, as he sits in his chair, totally lost and not knowing what to do at all. Woe! Sigh!

I then decided to be selfish and take a shower, so I left him to his work. When I got out of the shower, he was in bed with the light off. Great! He's all done and going to sleep, I thought. Dad went in to check on him and ask about his assignment, and what does he find? The Big Man didn't do it- he just decided he'd go to school without it tomorrow. Um, no, not so much. Dad made him get up out of bed and get it done. Dad and I then watched a show on TV, and about 40 minutes later, the whimpering and crabbiness had stopped. Here's why...



Yep, he fell asleep at the wheel. And yes, the page was still blank. If only I could be a fly on the wall to hear the elaborate story he comes up with to tell his teacher in the morning. I should send him a link to my blog, so he knows the real story. A picture's worth a thousand words, after all. ;)

What's on your plate?

Ok, I can't stand it. I have to show this to the world!

Here is the morning snack of a certain 2-year-old I know (and love dearly). No, it's not my own child's plate either. The Little Man would be totally uninterested in this nightmare. I snapped this picture about 10 days ago, after I stopped laughing hysterically. I know, "it's what he likes," but come on! LMAO!


Yes, you are looking at a lovely course of marshmallows and lime finger Jello. The marshmallows appear to have been, um, 'tasted' a bit, then returned to the plate, and there they sit and await someone's hunger to get the best of them again. Perhaps that is what the spoon is for.

Sooooooo, I'll ask again, what's on YOUR plate? ;)

OMG! I missed my own anniversary!

I just realized that I've had my blog for a year, as of August 25th! In my defense, I was up in Minnesota, in the land of broken cell and Internet services, on the 25th, otherwise I probably would have made a post on that day. My next-year's resolution is to write more here, now that I'm working online full-time now. I have also sent ALL my kids to school, part-time, at least, so I have more me-time to ramble on about my family on my blog! ;)

I had my wedding anniversary in August too, on the 2nd, and THAT I did remember. My husband even remembered it! I made the silly assumption that he might plan something special for us to do, now that we've been hitched for 11 years, but I was mistaken. We ended up going to Applebee's for dinner, with the kids, and that was only because no one had been to the store for groceries and there wasn't anything in the house for dinner! The kids enjoyed their chicken tenders and fries, as usual. We are awesome. ;) Anniversaries for us (like everything else) are usually planned by yours truly. We often go away for the night to a hotel, but at the very least, we will head out to enjoy a nice adult dinner, some uninterrupted conversation, and just relax a bit. I will just have to look ahead to next year, and perhaps save a bit of money for something nicer than usual.

At least something nicer than Applebee's. Yikes!

Our New Hobby

We just returned this week from a very nice vacation in northern Minnesota. The DIVA stayed behind with my sister though, as she had some teenage end-of-summer party that absolutely could not be missed. Dad, The Big Man, The Little Man, and I, as well as Dad's parents, spent 7 glorious days in cabins right on a lake where the water was so clear, you could see down for nearly 8 feet in most areas. We were actually this close...

The cabins were quite primative, as well as stuck in the 1970's. Our boys had never lived at this level before, and it was kinda funny to me. They've camped in a tent for a few nights, but nothing like this.

Notice the fabulous florals and great greens. We did have a lovely kitchen though, which was stocked with the finest snack foods (whatever we hauled from home + picked up at the Super Wal-Mart in town...30 minutes away).

Of course, we didn't totally "rough it" on our trip. The Little Man decided that Scooby, Garfield, and Spongebob needed to join us on our vacation as well.

Imagine his father's horror when he got there and found that there were only 2 plugs in the whole cabin, and they were only 2-prongs, when he required 3-prong access. All was solved when we got an adaptor from the main lodge. Whew! Technological crisis averted!

The only thing that cut through the beautiful sounds of silence (besides the barking dogs) were the shrieks of delight from my boys, when they were playing outside or enjoying their newest hobby: fishing. We spent quite a bit of time on the boat over a week's time. I, personally, LOVE to fish. I have since I was a small child, when my grandpa Andy used to take us kids out on his boat and teach us all about how to bait our hooks and where to catch the biggest fish. I miss him dearly, but I know he's proud that I'm passing on his favorite pasttime to his great-grandchildren. Grandpa Andy had two great loves in his life: my grandma, and fishing. :)

The boys both had poles ready when we got there, courtesy of their Grandpa B. He was official Captain of our vessel, taking us all around the lake to different spots to cast. (I swear, I've never been on a boat that NEVER dropped anchor, even in good fishing spots, but I digress...) The Big Man was quick to catch on to casting, athough he hooked himself and other objects (and people) whilst in the learning stages. He also was rather vocal the whole week, which I think was a bit detrimental to our fishing in general. Lots of fishing to be had, but not so much catching, as the yelling was scaring them all away. Shush, boy! LOL He was so proud when he caught his first fish, a lovely rock bass- not good eating, so he went back in.

The Little Man had a great Pirates of the Carribean fishing pole, but in a bit of a struggle for control of it with The Big Man, it was lost in the drink. I jumped up as quickly as I could, and before I could reach down to grab it, the pole was gone. The Little Man watched sadly as it sunk into the dark depths. We were all on the boat that time, and a bit disgusted of course, because The Little Man was upset about his loss and we couldn't do anything about it to appease him in the middle of the lake. Dad and I headed in to town the next day to find a suitable replacement, which proved to be quite the task. We got one that we thought was perfect- a Spongebob pole that floated if dropped into the water! Yeah, right. POS. We got it back to the lake- a 30 min drive each way, mind you- only to discover that after 3 casts, the thing locked up completely and was useless. This would not do at all. Back to town we go, return the pole, head back to try and find another one. We checked another pole just like it to see if it was just the other reel that was bad, but alas, it was the design. Dad tried to 'catch' me with it, to test it out, along with some other ones, and we picked one out for him. This one was super-cool too though- it's Cars and came in a little transparent backpack, with sunglasses and a tacklebox! Each of the kids' poles had a casting plug, so unlike the hook he'd been working with (or injuring people with) before, we decided to put that on until he'd gotten the hang of casting and reeling it in. Here he is, throwing his Cars tire around.

And here he is catching his first fish! Unfortunately, this guy was a rock bass too, so he went back in too.

I won this year with the biggest fish- a bass weighing in at 1 lb 11 oz. Just missed the 2 lb mark- crap! Beat the hubby by more than half a pound though, so I'm satisfied. ;) I get to gloat for the next year until we go back to the quiet nothingness.

Eating, sleeping, fishing. I can't wait!

Bristol Palin- Moral Majority Martyr

Ok, so this is the talk of the town right now. It's been on my lips too, I'll admit. Having been a teen mother myself, I feel for her. She will have a long road ahead, although her baby shower will be very nice! ;) I also feel badly that her mother's using her, um, "situation" for political gain. I see no good in including the personal lives of two teenagers and their unborn child in the mega-media forum that is the 2008 Presidential Election. Sarah Palin is an awful mother. I'm sorry, she is.

If I were Sarah Palin, I'd send my child and her soon-to-be husband on an extended vacation with all the cash I have. I'd send them away from the prying eyes of the media, all the flashbulbs and reporters' mikes, and give them some privacy. In the off chance that McCain should win the house, that baby's photos will sell right up there with the likes of Brangelina. Perhaps France might be a good locale for the birth? Besides, they'll need the alone time before the baby comes too. After all, the nanny won't want to stay overnight all the time, and Grandma will be too busy galavanting all over, doing important political work.

The idea that bringing the "extended" family together in public while trying to right a 'wrong', if you will, is A BAD IDEA. Bristol is still a child, Sarah's child, and she should be doing all she can to protect her. The world is cruel, but perhaps all these years in politics - as a woman - haven't taught her that. To make the announcement of the teen pregnancy to clear the air for the party nod is one thing, but to parade Bristol around, to try and make amends with the moral majority by showing Bristol choosing to give life rather than abort, is WRONG. I would NEVER do this to my children. I love them all far too much. I'd sacrifice my career, my whole life, before I put them into the spotlight like that.