Great Motherhood Quote
“If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other,
the whole world would kick the beam.”
~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)
Thank You for Ordinary Days- Part 2
I was just driving my son to preschool again, but this time through the thunderstorm which is covering the DC area this morning and I said to him,
“The rain is really coming down!”
and he immediately replied,
“This car needed a car wash and now we got it!”
Man, it’s good to be 5…
Thank you for Ordinary Days
My Mom Uniform
Do you wear a uniform? I do.
My uniform right now is jeans or khakis and long-sleeve t-shirts. When the weather really starts warming up, my uniform is shorts and short-sleeve t-shirts.
And I’m cool with this… But I’m wondering, ‘Is this a mom thing?’
‘Or is it just me?’
Continue reading this at DC Metro Moms…
How to Bake and Store- Soft, Gooey Cookies Every Time
My son and I made cookies last week. We bake a lot. He loves the measuring, pouring, etc. etc… He doesn’t seem to like the clean-up, but that’s a post for another day- we’re working on that.
So, how do you make your cookies soft? You take them out of the oven a couple of minutes early-
You’re done. Yep, that’s it. I learned this from my mother-in-law who bakes a lot. Yes, mystery solved.
But that’s not THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART of this post…
How do you KEEP cookies soft and tasting great? Well, I’m here to share the wisdom and the bloglove…
I learned how from THE COMMENTS I received from a DC Metro Moms post I did way back in December of 2007 on gooey cookies…
In whatever container you store your cookies in- put a piece of bread in the bottom. I never knew this before and I’ve been doing it since and it TOTALLY works. The bread becomes stale and hard and the cookies stay soft!!!!!
So sometimes it takes me awhile, like over a year, but it occurred to me while taking a cookie out of the tupperware container and it still being moist and soft a couple of days ago, that I should share this great tip! And it’s so fantastic that I learned this amazing tip from comments to a post!
So thank you to another Nicole in California, KenandBelly over in the UK, and Andrea’s Recipes right here in the DC area for great comments! I know this took over a year, but I just want to say thank you again for your helpful hints!
Goodbye to subpar cookies- Let the baking begin!
Kermit The Frog is The Culprit
Yes, I’m talking about the lovable Muppet.
I was watching an NCAA tournament game the other night and the cameras panned over to an older gentleman in the stands, a former basketball player, named Kermit… I stopped paying attention to the commentators at that point and my mind wandered (as it does quite frequently)…
‘… Kermit, you never hear that name anymore, except for the Frog. Actually, I’ve never met anyone named Kermit. It probably was never a REALLY popular name, but I bet Kermit the Frog killed it.’
So I looked it up- and I was right.
Kermit, of Irish and Gaelic origin, hit the height of it’s popularity in 1909. And held steady,
until 1955- when Kermit The Frog was created.
Since 1955, and as Kermit The Frog’s popularity grew, naming a son Kermit has consistently dropped in popularity. And since 1980 it does not even show up in the top 1,000 baby names.
I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much my whole life, and it’s pretty diverse, but I’ve never met a Kermit.
Kermit The Frog, we love you… but you inadvertently screwed any parents who wanted to name their son after their ‘Old Irish Grandfather, Kermit’ or ‘That Cool Uncle Kermit from the Old Country’.
Warning: Michael Jackson May Scare Your Child
The other night my Big Guy and Little Guy were playing, just after dinner. I was straightening up, as I always seem to be doing (aren’t we all)…
And I flipped on TMZ. Yes, I admit it. A few minutes of celebrity gossip never hurt anybody…
Some footage of Michael Jackson was on the TV with some discussion of his ‘comeback’ tour or concert or whatever it is, I don’t really care and got back to picking up the living room.
My husband and son came running through, stopped to talk to me and my son looked at the screen- while hearing them say, ‘Michael Jackson’.
“Mommy…”
“Yes?”
“Michael Jackson looks like a girl… and a skeleton.”
That’s a direct quote. I quickly fumbled for the remote and changed the channel to the Light Classical Music Channel (which is on right now, by the way). My Little Guy quickly moved on and went to the playroom with my Big Guy, but wow?!
My son is 5 and saw Michael Jackson on TV for about 5 seconds and was a little freaked out by his appearance…
Note to Self: Don’t indulge in TMZ for even a few minutes when your child is in the house, he may see something he shouldn’t… like Michael Jackson.
Healthy Eating… According to my ‘Ideal’ Doctor
I am on strictly no-carbs this week to lose a few pounds that have snuck up on me. No-carb eating can be rough, I know this from experience, but it takes off pounds like nothing else I’ve found. So- an egg for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a protein and veggie for dinner (tonight we’re having chicken and tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella). To drink: tea and water. It leaves one wanting a little more, but pounds drop off. I lost 15 pounds 2 years ago, and I’ve kept it off. So I know, when a few, and I mean 3, pounds sneak up on me- this works.
With that said, here is what my ideal doctor would say to me about healthy eating:
*ME: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
Dr: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
ME: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
Dr: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!!
ME: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
Dr: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies your ratio is two to one, etc.
ME: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
Dr: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING! …Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
Dr: Are you crazy? HELLO, Cocoa beans! Another vegetable! It’s the best feel-good food around!
I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
AND…
For those of you who watch what you eat , here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
*this has been adapted from one of those mass-forwarded emails that I seem to discover on Monday mornings
How to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity
Ah, emails. I usually delete, delete, delete those forwarded mass emails from people. But occasionally I read them. Here are a few scenarios (courtesy of a mass forwarded email) to help you maintain a ‘Healthy Level of Insanity':
* At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars.
See If They Slow Down.
* Specify That Your Drive-thru Order Is ‘To Go’.
And my favorite: When The Money Comes Out of The ATM, Scream ‘I Won! I Won!’
I wish I had the guts to actually do that… I wonder what kind of looks you’d get…
The Sisterhood Award
On Friday night, while already asleep in my nice pajamas (see below), I received the Sisterhood Award!
The Sisterhood Award represents Attitude and Gratitude.
I received this from A Frugal Friend.
I love her blog for freebies and coupons and all things to save money-
that aren’t on my radar!! Go check out her site!
I thank her also for giving me the excuse to spend an hour cleaning up my sidebars…
I’ve updated them a little, scroll down on the right for acknowledgments I’ve gotten.
So with a little attitude and gratitude,
I’m spreading the love; Here are 5 ladies that I love reading-
Tech Savvy Mama– for all her WONDERFUL ideas for parenting
A Parent In Silver Spring– for her great information and sunny attitude
The Big Piece of Cake– for making me laugh and definitely having attitude
Smiling Mama– for her delightful take on life
Fabulous Miss S.– for her terrific takes on being a mom
There you have it!
As with any award- some rules:
1. Post the award button on your site- if you would like
2. Link me, if you would like
3. Pass it on, when you have time, if you would like
EVERYONE have a great week!!
You Know You’re a Mom When…
You know you’re a Mom when: it’s Friday and you are excited to get your nice pajamas on as early as possible- definitely 7:00pm, and have a relaxing night at home…
Guess what I’m doing tonight ?!
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I Was In The 2012 Show !
Check Out …
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Nicole’s Book
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