Stop by, stay awhile, have a pint or two...
Days are overbooked
Trying to keep a schedule
Where do we go next?
Who goes to football?
What?! Tonight’s your Open House?
Of course there’s no milk
A missing jersey
Did someone feed the poor dog?
The phone is ringing
No work on Monday
Some quiet time to reprieve
The laundry can wait!
Yes, you heard it first here – being a mother to boys is full of excitement and surprises. Just when I think I have seen it all.….
1. The other morning I found this:
2. When the 10 y/o was questioned about his strategic placement of said cup, he responded, ” Well at least it will hide the smell“. Anyone want a gently used 10 y/o? Anyone??
3. On the short person front – Monkey boy is LOVING Kindergarten. Well, I take that back. I think he likes Kindergarten. He LOVES riding the bus. When I ask him what he did at school today, he always responds, “I rode the bus!”
4. While he might be loving Kindergarten, I think his teacher thinks I am wacko. Monkey was insistent that his phone number was 867-5309 and became very upset when his brother, and teacher, pointed out otherwise.
5. I also realize that I am to blame for the above meltdown because, well, I have the habit of replacing names and/or words in song. Ima Bee by the Back Eyed Peas in my head will always be SarahB. Well, I changed the name ‘Jenny’ in the above song to Monkeys real name. I also have a HUGE obsession with 80′s music. Obviously it is a bad combination all around.
6. On a happier note I am going to once again try and tackle a photo 365. It will be my third attempt. Yes, I am aware that is a huge failure rate. Yes, I realize my intent on doing 2 separate 365 is crack induced. But I purchased Flickr Pro so it will get done. No, really. It will.
7. And since we are on the topics of failure…. I have been haunted by this blog about a McDonald’s hamburger for days. Thanks Sarah! Definitely another reason why going vegan is the way to go.
8. Good news! I have a winner for my BlogHer/ Lilith Fair giveaway. Drum roll please…… Malia! Random.org picked comment #2 a the winner. Congrats!!
9. ZacPoor has released a new album and I am loving it! Mmmmm, ZacPoor. Whoops! Did I say that out loud? Here, take a listen.
10. Looking for a great bargain?? Savvy Source is always on the look out for the best deals around in your city. Plus they have a great website for parents of pre-schoolers. They offer great deals for fun, family friendly activities, sometimes it is even 50% off the typical price! It is definitely worth registering for so you can get up to the minute deals in you town.
While I was making breakfast this morning I kept hearing these big “HI YAs!” followed by loud thumps. When I peaked around the corner I saw Bear punching and kicking the back of the sofa. When I casually asked him what pray tell he was doing, he gave me that ‘duh Mom‘ look and said “I’m a ninja Mommy!” Duh. Of course you are!
1. School officially started this week. Bear was not as excited as Monkey to go to school but he has quickly warmed up to his new teacher. He came home yesterday and told me he thought she was ‘really cool‘. Score one for Mrs H. I even put him on the right bus this year!
2. And since we are on the topic of school – my youngest started Kindergarten this week and it has left me very weepy. It’s actually quite ironic since all summer I was SO ready for him to go back to school. But now that the day is here, I am just a mess. Pass the Kleenex please!
3. Kleenex, did somebody say Kleenex?? I will now take this moment to toot my own horn (toot toot) I was the grand prize winner of Kleenex’s Hands-On Learning Giveaway hosted over at Blissfully Domestic. Yep, I was talking about the joys of making a Rube Goldberg. Ever make one?? Thanks Kleenex!!
4. Speaking of giveaways – I am hosting a $100 Visa giftcard giveaway, courtesy of BlogHer over at my review site. Be sure you head on over and enter. $100 could buy some kick butt shoes…. just saying.
5. Football!!! Oh you heard me right, football is in full swing in this Lassie’s house. Bear had the game of a lifetime last Saturday and I was left without a voice. It was amazing!
6. I am totally diggin’ on the new release of the band Elsinore. Definitely worth a listen if you are in the mood for a great Indy rock band. Definitely worth listening too if you just want to hear some great new music.
7. This week the boys and I watched the original Clash Of The Titans. It is one of my favorite movies of all time and I am sure, a cult classic. Monkey has now become obsessed with the Kraken while Bear can’t wait to compare it to the recently released version. Could they be anymore different?
8. I am super proud of my crafting abilities this past week. Nothing like a few sweets to butter up the new teacher!
9. Did I mention the super cool giveaway I am hosting? Did I mention it was about Lilith Fair? What?! You still haven’t entered?? Well, get going already!
10. I am also impatiently patiently waiting for my copy of The Screwtape Letters to arrive. Have you read it? What were your thoughts? Be sure to join in the discussion over at Blissfully Domestic if you have!
This Lassie was quite the little crafter the past few days. While I would love to take all the credit for these uber fabulous ideas – I cannot. While I would love to say I even discovered the “it’s so easy to make your hate yourself for not making it” teacher gifts – I cannot. It was all my friend Danielle. But what I can say is I made BOTH of these crafts in one afternoon. One!
Super Easy Back To School Teacher Gift
As I said, my friend Danielle posted that she made these super cute and easy back-to-school teacher gifts for her kiddos teachers. What teacher doesn’t want a little love (and candy) the first day back to school? I sure would! So I decided to share the wealth and make these for the boys’ teachers. One quick visit to Michael’s and I was ready to go. You can get all the directions and variations of this project at The Gift Closet.
Wipe Off Weekly Menu Board
I have been pondering something like this for a LONG time. I need to have a weekly meal plan. Without it my week nights quickly turn to random chaos in my kitchen. So, since the school year has begun and I am back at work, I decided it was time to take some action! Plus, now I don’t have to answer the daily question of “What’s for dinner?!?“
This was another super easy craft once I got all the supplies. Now I will say that I opted for a bit nicer frame then the Dollar Store one suggested in this post, but it is hanging in my kitchen and I wanted it to look nice. My frame was $9.99 (on sale) from Michael’s and I used scrapbooking letter stickers (also from Michael’s). Total cost for this project was $15. I really like the fact that I can change the background paper as often as I want. Oh yeah, that is a total added bonus! Now I just need someone to come up with the meals. Anyone???
Quenching Lashes
Patiently Waiting
Bicicleta
Eye Candy
Contagious Smiles
Be sure to check out everyone else’s fabulous photo finds this week at Lotus’ Weekly Winners.
Yep, it’s Thursday again. Time for another lovely installment of Thursday Ten, courtesy of Sarah from This Mom’s Wired.
1. Today I had to go back to work after having the summer off. I am not happy. Did I mention my summer to-do list is no where near completion. Guess I technically have one more week till Labor Day so I had better get a move on!
2. Because I had to go back to work today I also had to set my alarm clock for the first time all summer. Obviously my technical skills took a little vacation because somehow I accidentally set my clock an hour ahead while trying to set the alarm. Did I mention it woke Hubby up too? Yeah, he wasn’t so happy.
3. This past weekend the brood headed downtown to the Chicago Air Show. While the boys and I enjoyed watched the show, poor Hubby spent two hours trying to find parking. Again, Hubby was not too happy.
4. Speaking of Hubby, he only got the outlining of his tattoo done last Thursday. Can you believe it took over 2 1/2 hours to get that much done? He goes back in a few weeks to get all the color added. It looks super cool and I am a bit partial to him keeping it just black. It has been super itchy the past few days so…. yep you guessed it, Hubby has not been too happy.
5. On the happy front, I did get to see my uber fantastic friend Sarah – In Real Life this weekend. And of course, she was cuter then ever! We didn’t get to spend nearly enough time together so I am in the process of trying to convince her to move here. I think I have her sold. Now I just have to convince her Hubby!
6. On another happy front, Hubby and I have officially been in our new house one year. Does that make it still new? Does it count that there are still boxes that have not been unpacked??
7. I have cast The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to the side and have begun reading a new book. My friend Rachel recommended The Power of a Positive Mom. I am hoping it will help me tackle all the bickering my boys do with a bit more grace. Heck, I would take handling day to day life with a bit less yelling.
8. The boys had their first rounds of football scrimmages this past weekend. This weekend we have three games and a pep rally between the two of them. Man I love football!
9. Only two more weeks till Ohio States opening game against Marshall! (16 days actually but who is counting) Go Buckeyes!!
10. Since yesterday was my official last day of summer, Monkey Boy and I spent the day tooling around together. Bear was at his cousin’s all day, so we had some great Mommy and son time. Could you honestly resist this smile? Yeah, me neither.
“The assignment, if you choose to particiapte, is to create a fully functioning Rube Goldberg. Oh and by the way, and you don’t get a choice to participate.”
One of my all time favorite class projects was building a Rube Goldberg for my high school Physics class. My partner and I slaved hours and hours on our project to get it to work just right. Thankfully my partner could wield a hammer and drill like nobodies business while I sat back, being the math nerd that I am, and calculted all the formulas. Through a variety of simple machines and chain reactions our ultimate outcome was to strategically fling an Alka Seltzer into a glass of water. We titled it, “The Cure For the Common Hangover“. We were high school seniors, what did you expect? I am sure our parents were proud. Maybe.
I remember loving the hand-on aspect of trying to find the perfect combination of simple machines to complete the task. Our Rube Goldberg had to have at least 10-15 steps and be constructed from scratch with regular household items. I really enjoyed this ‘out of the box’ approach to what could been, a very boring lesson. It challenged my mind, my creativity and my problem solving skills. It also incorporated team work, which, with a building project, can be quite the challenge.
Our Rube Goldberg was one of the few to work on the first try. It also scored popularity points for it’s functionality. What soon to be college Freshmen wouldn’t want one of those? I tried searching for a picture of our finished machine but came up empty handed. Oh the days before digital photos! In these days of technology though I wonder if my children will have a chance to experience this type of project. I hope they do. If not, I may just have to call up their Physics teacher some day!
This post is my entry for the Kleenex Hands-On Learning campaign being hosted on Blissfully Domestic.
Sometimes it’s funny how fate throws a curve ball every once in a while. Just when you least expect it – WHAM! You get pegged in the side of the head with a big ole ball. So when Mother Nature flooded my car I admit, I looked at the negative instead of the possibilities. As you know, the insurance company decided my car was damaged beyond repair and junked it. After days and countless hours of scouring websites and carfax, Hubby found me a new car.
When he showed me a picture I couldn’t believe it. We had talked about owning one from time to time. There was always a catch; the kids are too small, we can’t put a car seat back there, it just isn’t a reasonable choice. It was even #28 on my Bucket List. But all I ever really wanted to do was drive one. I never fathomed I would own one. Until now.
Meet Eleanor. She is gorgeous and I. Love. Her. Yes, I love her more then I ever thought a person could (or should) love their car. Did I mention she rumbles when I start her up? Yeah, she does, and it makes me smile every time. From now on it is nothing but blue skies for this lassie!
Bonus points if you know why she is named Eleanor
Let me introduce you to a jicama
Last week while I was at the grocery store I decided to try something new, so I bought a jicama. What is a jicama you ask? Some call it a Mexican potato. Others call it a Mexican Turnip. Me? I just like to say it and say it often – jicama (yick-a-ma). I have liked saying it so much that I have been making up crazy sayings with it all week. “Dude… You are such a jicama!” or “Can you believe that jicama??” The possibilities are endless!
Most people eat it raw either sliced or on top of salads. Instead of eating it raw I decided to serve it as a warm side dish. Curious how I served up? Want to impress others with your mad jicama cooking skills? Check out this super easy and super yummy recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 clove garlic
1/4 pound jicama (peeled and thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons red pepper, chopped ( I added more because I really like red peppers)
DIRECTIONS
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Mix together garlic, peeled jicama and red peppers. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Once skillet is hot, add the jicama mixture and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon paprika, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Saute the entire mixture for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Serve as a warm side dish or eat it as a main dish. Either way it is delicious!
Oh, and for the record: I did not see Hubby sneak back in to the kitchen and eat the rest out of the skillet leaving me none for lunch the next day. Nope. It didn’t happen.
