“We just figured out Blues Clues, we just figured out Blues Clues… because WE ARE REALLY SMART!”

The above outburst is testament that I’ve been watching WAY too much children’s programming AND that I’m seriously over the moon about the fact that I’ve finally tweaked all the code on this site to render correctly in IE (5.5 thru 8) and newer versions of Chrome, Safari, Navigator, and also Firefox! (Thank you IE Tester and BrowserShots!) Not only that, this biotch validates correctly too! Anyone who’s logged as many man hours as I have, wrestling the beast that is cross-browser functionality/valid html, can totally appreciate the blood, sweat, and (mostly) tears that I’ve just been through. Am I crazy? Hell yes. Am I happy? More like relieved! I can finally go to sleep for the first time in 3 days. (You think I’m kidding).

Also, today – I got to be a human. As in take a shower, put on something not resembling sleepwear, slap some makeup on my weary face, step foot outside of the house and have some adult contact. The boys and I went over to Mary’s to play with Rocco and the other kids she takes care of. We all REALLY needed to get out of the house. Talk about CABIN FEVER. I gots it! Mary and I got caught up over yummy homemade iced coffees, while the kids expended some energy.

It’s not like I never get out. In fact, this week I was lucky enough to have lunch with one of my girls (Hi Jan!) and also go to the eye doctor. So even though those two events equaled maybe 4 hours total (including drive time), it was nice just to be able to drive in silence with only MY OWN thoughts. Because oh my god, the noise in this house! Sometimes I want to stuff a pillow over my head and suffocate myself. I’m seriously amazed that Philip can sleep through it all. What noise you ask? Let’s see…

• The banging of wooden blocks on the coffee table.
• The banging of diecast cars/trains on the coffee table.
• The banging of pretty much anything on the coffee table.
• Toddlers shouting at the top of their lungs just because.
• Toddlers having nuclear meltdowns because of [insert reason here], to include: kicking, crying, and throwing themselves on the floor.
• Some freakin’ electronic toy that Quentin keeps pressing the same button on over and over and over and over.
• Myself yelling at Gavin to STOP PUSHING THE BUTTONS ON DADDY’S XBOX! for the 10,000th time.
• The TV turned up really loud because the dishwasher or washing machine is on for the 2nd or 3rd time that day.
• Elmo, Dora, Blue, the Yo Gabba Gabba gang, or the Backyardigans singing some totally annoying song that will inevitably get stuck in my head all day long.

If you’re thinking, “why doesn’t she just get out of the house more often?”, you obviously have no kids, or rather no kids under 3-years-old. I gave up on taking them both into public on my own. My kids are a handful (i.e., high maintenance). I’m not even sure Gandhi has that much patience. Thankfully, we have a few things planned this weekend that should get us all out together: birthday party for 5-year-old tomorrow, dinner at Mary’s on Sunday (to include some alcohol of some sort because dammit we deserve it), and possibly an outing with the kids on Monday. Did I mention the birthday party tomorrow will be the first time EVER that Quentin & Gavin have been to a children’s birthday party (other than their own)? A temperamental 2-year-old, a busybody 1-year-old, a water slide, strangers, and 110° weather? Yeah. We’re totally gluttons for punishment!

• Tagged with: SAHM

Just so you know, my Mom has a culinary gene that she SO did not pass on to me. Sucks for me since I’m now pretty much forced to learn to cook (hello, living on one income means sayonara to dining out & costly convenience foods). So I asked my Mom to walk me through putting together one of her much celebrated crockpot roasts. I’ve made two so far and both times hubby snarfed it, so I know I did something right! First time I used beef and the second time a pork tenderloin. Both came out SO delicious, the meat just fell apart! We were able to make some slammin’ pot roast sandwiches with the leftovers too. Yay for me! But oh no, is there hope for me yet? Crap! No more pulling the “Sorry, I can’t cook, let’s take our guests out to dinner” card!

INGREDIENTS:

• Beef or pork roast
• Bag of baby carrots
• 1 stalk of Celery
• 5 sm. white or red potatoes
• 1/2 of a lrg. white/yellow onion
• Mrs. Dash
• Tarragon
• 1/2 a packet of onion soup mix
• 1 c. of water
• Jar of minced garlic
• 1 stick of butter
• Feta cheese
• Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse your meat well.
2. Place a slow cooker liner in the crockpot, place piece of meat on bottom.
3. Cover the top/sides of the meat with a thin layer of minced garlic.
4. Add a generous amount of tarragon and Mrs. Dash.
5. Wash & cut up all the veggies (cut celery into 3″ long pieces, quarter potatoes, cut onion into half rings).
6. Layer veggies on the sides & top of meat, filling up the crockpot.
7. Add more tarragon, Mrs. Dash and salt & pepper.
8. Cut one stick of butter into pads and layer on top.
9. Dissolve the onion soup mix in 1 c. water (stir well) and pour evenly into crockpot.
10. Crumble feta cheese (as desired) on the very top.
11. Cook 8-9 hours on low.

MENU IDEA:
- Savory Crockpot Roast
- Favorite green salad
- Fresh rolls

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• Tagged with: Crockpot Meals, Recipes

We (the boys and I) have been in Tucson for the past 3 days. I’m currently speaking through the veil of several glasses of (much earned) Pinot Noir and I’m discovering the beauty of Pandora Radio via my Mom’s laptop. Enter in “Depeche Mode” and you’ll be in 80’s alternative heaven for life! We’re talking Joy Division kind of happy.

It has been an action filled week and I do believe my Mom may second guess herself the next time she says “you and the boys should come down and stay with us for a few days”. My kids have been monsters and that’s putting it nicely. Turns out they don’t do so well away from home. Oh well, practice makes perfect I say! They gotta get used to staying with Grandma/Grandpa so Daddy and I can have some much needed (but seldom received) adult time (/end day dream).

I was lucky enough to have my hair done today. Hello! I am now a hipster! Good-bye Mom hairdo! It’s short and dark! A few random blonde highlights in the very front. It will be a trip to wash in the shower tomorrow. Tonight was super cool. My aunt Elvia came over to watch “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. Boy do I relate to that movie! I think ANYONE with an addictive personality can relate to that movie. The kids both went down without much of a fight. Who could ask for more? (Me! More wine please!).

My Mom took Quentin to two quick stores today, she came back somewhat frazzled (and I quote one of her phrases, “He is SO not a joy to take shopping”). Then I went for my haircut and what did I encounter when I returned almost four hours later? A totally brain dead Grandma. Both Grandparents could hardlly wait for me to get back. They complained of temper tantrums, constantly cleaning up messes, blowout diapers, toddlers with feisty dispostions. Me? Yeah, welcome to my world bitches! (Ok, I totally would never say that. But I was thinkin’ it!). Share in the pain. Love it. Feel it. This is what what we all signed up for! You are grandparents. We are parents. Feel the burn.

• Tagged with: Mom is a 3-letter word