Boys

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Jennifer

Last week Alex invited a few boys over for his birthday. The first part of the party involved me driving them to Legoland. It’s a 30 minute drive and I only managed to remember a few of the precious jewels they said.

From the mouths of 3rd grade boys, enjoy:

“Last week we got to speak to the astronauts on the space station. I wanted to ask – Uranus – Does it have a crack?”

farting sounds – lots of giggles

“Dude, remember when we were camping and the door just closed on itself? It was bloody Mary.”

farting sounds – lots of giggles

“Don’t you know anything guys, it was really her Uncle Henry. Bloody Mary was taking the week off.”

farting sounds – lots of giggles

“Guys…inside voices guys.”

farting sounds – still, more giggles

“My third grade teacher got married. She changed her name to Mrs. Fleming.” “Why did she change her name?” “Dude, she’s not a pop star, she has to change her name.” “Lots of paperwork is involved when you want to change your name.”

“Remember when we were little”

That Sure Is

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Jennifer

Last night I went to the store to get some groceries. I chose the line with the 16 year old male cashier as opposed to the 60 year old woman. I figured less chatty, quicker, and will get the job done faster.

Among my items were 5 large containers of frosting. I am making a birthday cake for Alex and want to make sure I have enough frosting for it. My husband can attest to the fact that There’s nothing worse than running out of frosting 15 minutes before the party starts – not that I have ever been inadequately prepared for a party. Just saying, it could happen.

So as the teen grabs the frosting and scans it he says, “That sure is a lot of frosting.”

“Yes, it’s for my son’s birthday cake.”

That got me to thinking.

I wonder what he would have said if I had 5 boxes of tampons? “That sure is a lot of tampons.”

I was almost tempted to run back and grab the tampons just to find out.

Maybe I’ll wait until Alex’s 16th birthday.

I’ll send him to the store for the frosting and the tampons at the same time.

I bet that will make for a lasting birthday memory.

My O’My, How Time Flies

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Jennifer

2 months

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years

7 years

8 years

9 years

We love you Alex – Happy 9th Birthday!

Master Calendar/Schedule

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Jennifer

Since we have 5 people in our family we naturally have 673 things going on at any one time. While I have my personal calendar and Derek has his own, somehow we would still each miss recording events. This miscommunication often lead to frustration by both of us so I decided the solution was a master schedule.

We determined the master schedule needed to be in the kitchen so everyone could glance at it or add to it when needed. We placed it above the chalkboard and next to a magnet board we brought from our old house. The magnet board is a great place for the dry erase markers since they have magnets on the back of them.

We used a 38 x 26 frame we had sitting around. Besides the cost of the dry erase markers this was going to be a completely free project. That is…until we broke the glass. Off to the home improvement store Derek went to buy new glass and we were back in business.

I printed off some days of the week labels while Derek stuck two large pieces of paper together. After I glued the days of the week at the top of the blank pages. Derek divided it into appropriate sections. Each day is roughly 5 inches x 4 3/4 inches big.

Here’s an example of a light day: 6:00 soccer for Andrew & 6:00 lacrosse for Alex.It also reminded me of what I needed to bring to Caroline’s school for a teacher luncheon.

A busy, yet typical Saturday

My favorite part is that it’s easy to wipe on and wipe off with a cloth.

Anyone else have a Karate Kid moment there? Wipe on, wipe off, Daniel-san!

Do you have any fun organizing tips? I’d love to hear them.

I’m sharing my schedule here:

Elton John’s Sidekick?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Jennifer

When American Idol decides to have a kid show, we are ready.

Singing ability? Questionable. Fashion sense? Absolutely.

The look below is completed by nothing but his “Incredibles” underwear

Thanks for the glasses Auntie D!

My Giggle Tribesmen

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Jennifer

Even though I’m having a tough time right now, I know I am extremely lucky to have the family I do. I cherish everyone of them and the times we have. I’m also extremely fortunate to have kids who make me laugh.

During my day of teetering on Sunday I sat and watched some tv while Caroline was napping. The boys were in their room jumping around and making tons of noise. After about 15 minutes of what I can only assume was them jumping off their beds I decided to go up and tell them to stop.

I opened their door and started laughing immediately. Both boys were wearing shorts but no shirts. They had giant medals around their necks and were holding humongous chess trophies in their arms. I just laughed which caused them to giggle and giggle.

Alex said, “What? We’re Zulus and we’re hunting.”

Of course you are.

I’m so glad for those giggles.

Homemade King Cake

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Jennifer

We love King Cake around here.

Every time we have king cake the boys mention to each other, “Mom got king cake at school every week when she was little.” I try to tell them it only occurred during Mardi Gras season but I can’t deter their thoughts of what a pitiful school experience they are having compared to me.

My mom sent us a Randazzo’s king cake for Derek’s birthday. It was devoured in 3 days. The only reason it wasn’t gone faster was because I wouldn’t let them have it for breakfast. Alex “got the baby” in the Randazzo king cake so he knew it was his turn to provide the next cake.

Occasionally, Alex would remind me it was his turn to buy the next king cake . Our neighborhood grocery store was the only place which came to mind for buying a king cake but frankly, they looked quite unappealing to me.

While browsing the magazine section one day in Lowe’s, I started flipping through a Sandra Lee magazine. Behind all of the Valentine treats she was featuring was a small section on Mardi Gras recipes. Gumbo, etouffee, and king cake were listed as well as dirty rice.

While reading I whispered, “Homemade king cake.” Alex was at my side in a second. “Oh, can we try? Can we make that tonight?” Seeing as it was already 4:45 I appeased him by buying the magazine and promising to make the dessert soon.

A few days later, after gathering the supplies, I decided the time was right to make the king cake. We were once again stuck in the house all day due to ice. I was desperate for an activity (and frankly, something sweet) so I told the boys we were celebrating Friday night dessert early because of the weather.

Here’s a picture of our ingredients: 3 cans of cinnamon rolls with icing (we didn’t use the extra one shown here), a plastic baby, and sprinkles. Our sprinkles are not the traditional gold, purple, and green since we used what was in the pantry.

1) First we buttered the baking sheet.

2) We unrolled the 3 cans and separated each cinnamon roll.

3) We then formed an oval shape with the rolls. Sandra Lee suggests using 5 cans of cinnamon rolls but I thought that would be a tad gluttonous for us.

4) We baked the cinnamon rolls / king cake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

5) We waited 15 minutes for it to cool (Next time we’ll try 5-10 minutes) , covered it with the cinnamon roll icing, and then covered with sprinkles.

The finished product!

Considering they each ate the king cake 3 times in 24 hours I’d say it was a big hit. (By the way, Andrew got the baby this time).

What!

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Jennifer

We rarely eat fast food for dinner but I decided the other night was the exception. The boys had 3 activities we needed to be at, all around dinnertime. We drove through McDonald’s on the way to our 2nd and 3rd activities of the night. I decided Caroline and Andrew would eat once we arrived at Alex’s practice but he needed to eat in the car on the way.

Here was my order at the drive through:

I’d like a #13, a 20 piece chicken nugget (yes, all 3 kids polished this off with no leftovers), 3 milks, and 3 small fries.

After receiving the food, I placed Alex’s food on a tray and handed it back to him.

Andrew immediately wanted to know, “When do Caroline and I get to eat?’

When we get to the lacrosse field I will give you your food.

“What’s my food?”

I got you some chicken nuggets, a small fry, and a milk.

“What!”

What do you mean what. I got you the food you asked for.

“What do you mean I got a small fry?”

I got you a small fry, Alex a small fry, and Caroline a small fry.

“What! That’s all I get for dinner?”

What are you talking about? You have this meal every time we come to McDonald’s. There will be more than enough food for you.

“Why do I only get one small french fry with my meal?”

Ohhhh. No, you get a small bag of fries. With many fries inside the bag.

“Good because I need more than just one fry. I thought you were only giving me one fry. I’m hungrier than that.”

A Message for Al Gore

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Jennifer

Dear Mr. Vice President,

I know the environment is important to you. I know this is your passion and such an important cause. I know you try and educate people on ways to keep our planet healthy. But now, Mr. President, I feel I must educate you.

As a mom, I do care about the environment. I do know we should all be working to improve our water systems, stop deforestation, and address the climate crisis. I do want wants best for my children and their future children.

But not today. Not tomorrow. Probably not next year.

You see, Mr. President. I never get a spare minute to myself in the bathroom. I always have a visitor. I’ve had a visitor for the last 8 years. Mind you the visitors have changed but still I am not alone. I’m sure the secret service accompanies you many places but I’m willing to bet you do get a little privacy in this one area.

In the past, currently, and in the future there is only one thing which will occupy my visitors. The toilet paper roll. My visitors enter the bathroom with great surprise and enthusiasm each time they notice the roll. From there, not even your top military commander could stop the destruction. It is only a matter of nanoseconds before mass amounts of toilet paper are lying upon the floor. For years, rolls upon rolls of paper, have been wasted in this manner.

Yes I do I contemplate all the trees that have gone into the making of this precious resource. Yes I do know all of the energy that is consumed in the process of making this toilet paper. And yet, I simply toss it.

Let’s face it Mr. President, I toss it and move on. I simply must. Somewhere in my house the water is running, the lights are on, and my visitors are using every scrap piece of paper to color on. In time I will jump on your environmental mission -probably around the time I go to the bathroom all by myself.

Regards,

Jennifer

Valentine Love

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Jennifer

I love my kids and husband more than I can express to you. They are the ones who make me get up in the morning (horizontal children in your bed tend to do that) and the ones who put smiles on my face. I have the deepest love for our children and the man who is my partner.I love that you go to bed with dolls but insist on playing Legos too.