Wordless Wednesday:: A New Addition to the "Snow Day" Dance!

I opened my freezer this morning to find this:

Apparently, wearing pajama's inside out and backward, stashing a spoon under the pillow and doing an actual dance is not enough to make sure the weatherman/woman's predicted snowfall guarantees a snow day. Adding an orange in a hat and placing it in the freezer, well, that is the clencher....

As, we are enjoying our first snow day of the season!

What crazy things do your kids do to "make a snow day happen"? Share in the comments below.

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Learning Lessons From 2010

This post is part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. I chose the prompt: "What happened in 2010 that you'd rather not repeat?"



I swear that each morning when I hear the shuffling foot steps coming down the stairs that I will be greeting  my own Jolly Green Giant. I don't know what is in our water, but according to the pencil marks that adorn our basement door, displaying height marks etched for the past 10 years, we should maybe switch to milk. Something to stop this madness!  

I learned the hard way that the side effects of said sudden growth spurts should be monitored with a close eye...because in 2010 I failed in that department. Not once, but TWICE! I sure hope that I don't repeat this in 2011, and I am sure that my son feels the same way.

And here is why:

Lesson One: The Band Concert

My Husband had been traveling quite a bit and I had started a new job. Time was tight when it came to after-school activities and trying to be two places at once. Well, not at once, but pretty darn close to it. Trying to get the household accustomed to the new schedule, I tried my best to arrange our time and places and honestly what I came up with worked well....on paper at least. On this particular day, our son had a band concert and our daughter a track meet. To make sure that my master timing plan would go off without a hitch, I asked our son to lay out his clothes the night before so that I could just grab-n-go that morning on my way to work. So, our late afternoon/evening would run as such:
- Pick up our son a little early from school (which lets out later than our daughter's)
-Meet dad (who just arrived from the airport) at the track meet.
-Cheer on sis
-After meet, dad and sis run to Panera to pick up dinner and meet us back in school cafeteria.
-Between the track and cafeteria, son to do his best superhero and change in the back of the car.
-Have dinner in cafeteria
-Because of being in school already, son is early for pre-prep concert rehearsal.
-Dad, sis and I get seats in the auditorium, affording prime waving and picture taking spots in audience.

Smooth like clockwork....until there was a glitch in the system.

As our son was getting ready in the car, he said:

S: "Mom. You grabbed the wrong clothes!"
M: "What do you mean I grabbed the wrong clothes? I grabbed what was on your bed."
S: "Well, then you grabbed the wrong shirt!"
M: "There was only one set of clothes on the bed."

With that, I looked in the back seat to a kid a shirt size, maybe two, too small. The sleeves barely making it to mid-forearm length!

M: "What the heck?! That is the same shirt you wore to the Christmas concert only a few months ago!"
S: "Can we please go get a new one?"
M: "No. We don't have time. You will have to roll up your sleeves."
S: "I don't want to wear it like that! It will look stupid!"
M: "You CAN'T wear it like that! You are going to have to roll them."

Not only were the sleeves too short, but the shirt was just able to stay buttoned. If he held his breath he would be just fine. How is that going to be possible? He has to play a wind instrument!

It felt like our own twisted version of A Christmas Story...don't breathe or else you will shoot someone's eye out (with popping buttons!)! Should I warn the first row?

Bad Mother of the Year!

Lesson Two: Sneakers

After said band concert, you would think that I would take inventory of any other piece of clothing that may have gotten too small. Nope. Never even crossed my mind.

Fast forward to the last week of school.

S: "Mom. I need new sneakers."
M: "OK. Since it's the last week of school, can we wait til Friday and we can go then?"
S: "Sure. No problem. Thanks Mom."

Friday rolls around and when I got home from work, off to the mall we went to look for new shoes.

We looked through every style that donned the shelves. Finally, my son found a pair he liked and tried them on.

S: "Ahhhhh. Oh, man, these feel GREAT. Soooooo much better. I can move my toes again."
M: "Oh, good. Wait. What do you mean 'you can move your toes again?' What size are they?"

He hands me the box and on his now happy feet are size 11. I grab the tattered shoe that is lying on its side and see on the back of the tongue that is is a size 9. NINE????!!!! His toes must have been folded in half!

M: "Oh my goodness! WHY didn't you tell me BEFORE that these were so small?! How long have they been like this?"
S: Shrugs shoulders. "I dunno."

Another nomination for Bad Mother of the Year! Please don't let these mommy faux-pas repeat themselves again this year! I think I have learned my lesson!

My son can only hope.

Blog of Christmas Present: Top Five Tips & Cookie Recipe

Part two of my Blogging Christmas Carol begins with being elbow deep in flour, sugar sprinkles and frosting as I have begun my holiday baking!

I spoke to my MIL early Saturday morning and she shared the best line I think I have heard coming from my FIL...she said he asked her "When are you going to make the house smell like Christmas?!" He is speaking of the lovely anise aroma that accompanies making Italian Pizzelle cookies. My husband surely follows in his father's footsteps...when the first steam of the waffle cookie escaped from the pizzelle iron, my husband exclaimed "It's Christmas! I smell Pizzelles!"

I only make these cookies twice a year: Christmas and Easter. But I do have to admit, they are delicious!

**Update***1/1/11

If you notice the recipe is missing....you are right. Hubby claimed that giving this recipe was like sharing a sauce recipe....something you just don't do! So, I promised to take it down today.

My Christmas "Present" is a lot different from my Christmas Past....For one, I am working full time. This has changed how I prepare for the holidays this year.

Here are five of my top holiday tips that have helped me through the seasons and will hopefully help make your holiday a little easier:

1. Make a list and check it twice:  of what baked goods you plan to make. When your list is complete, make another list with all the ingredients, paying attention to the amount of flour, sugar, confectioners sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla (the most common ingredients) that are used in each recipe. Make this your shopping list for the store-you will be sure to have all the ingredients you need, saving time and money. This has helped me through many- a - baking season without having to run to the neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar!

2. Click and Ship: Shop online for friends and family that are in far away zip codes. I have missed the holiday's on more than one occasion by not shipping gifts on time! I have learned that with a click of the mouse, I can purchase the same item I would pick out in a store and then have it shipped directly to my loved one, AND have it arrive on time! NO more finding the right sized box, dragging the kids to the post office and standing in line for ages. Why I did not do this years ago, I will never know.

3. Focus Santa, Focus: Have the kids make a focused Santa List. We all had that gift that we were searching for under the tree, so when the kids were old enough to make a list for Santa, my husband and I asked them for the top 3 things they would look for under the tree. The 3 things that they really, really wanted. Of course their list was filled with more than 3 things, but by separating the top three, made it easy for us to shop because we could handle their wish-list and not go overboard. This also kept it very simple for us because the other items could be shared with family members for gift ideas.


4. Save a tree and some money.  Don't wrap the gifts from Santa. My husband and I never wrapped with exception of only a few things: ( ie: clothes). I can honestly say that I have used the same wrapping paper for a good two or three years.

5. Have Christmas in July!  Have cards printed and addressed early. Are my greetings mailed yet? No. I hope to make it to the post office today. I tell myself every year, I am going to make a spreadsheet of next year's card list, get that special photo, have it printed and ready in July. Does it ever happen? Not a chance! I need to take my own advice.

So how is Christmas Present shaking out? The baking has started, the gifts are shipped, I still have wrapping paper and the cards are ready to go. Now the only thing still needed is to light a fire under Santa's butt to get out and shop!

Next up is Blog of Christmas Future: Some big announcements are headed your way!

Do you have some easy holiday tips? Share with us in the comments below!

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Single Parents Are Superheroes

Supermom, redefined.

It has been one of those days.

The kids were slow to get out the door-my daughter even screamed;
 "Can't you dddrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiivvvveee me to school??!!?"

My mouth wasn't even open long enough for the answer to come out; I, myself, only had 20 minutes to get ready for work and I still needed to take a shower!

"Never miinndd" she sang in a sing-song voice. "All is right with the world, I found a headband!"

The teen world was brought back into balance, because now it will be a good hair day.

I have been running our house solo for the past week and I am now running on fumes. I am exhausted. I am crabby. My house is a complete disaster. Even the pleas from the kids asking "Is tonight a food night?" have not enticed any culinary skills what-so-ever. Cereal is food, right? Nothing wrong with breakfast for dinner.

My husband used to travel A LOT when the kids were little. Weeks-out-of-the-country kind of travel. I was a stay at home mom back then, which made it easier to deal with. Not easier, really, different. Easier, I guess because there was more of a structure to our day; eat, put the kids in the car seats and go to the library, park or playgroup; nap, eat, play, eat, play, bath, read, bed. I could make it through the week knowing that I could could cook, clean, do crafts, coffee with friends all around this schedule. Now with both of us working, and the kids having their own schedules, it's hard for two of us to keep up with the social calendar, let alone only one of us.

So, it has been frustrating to talk to my lovely husband on the phone this week. When he asks "How are you doing?" and I answer "I'm so tired...." I get an immediate " I know, me too." Why is this frustrating you ask?
Because, he has been in VEGAS all week.

I know.

I played my violin too.

See, in his case I do understand...I used to be a conference event planner, so I know how hard it is to be "on" 18 hours a day, meeting after meeting and to walk through an exhibit floor. It is tiring. BUT....he also has great places to unwind, grab a fabulous meal, or just kick back in his room. His. quiet. room.
I just want him to acknowledge that I am tired too. He just doesn't get it.

Which then made me think:

How do single parents do it? I mean, really? How do you manage ALL of it? 24/7?

To me, YOU are superheroes.

Hands down, money on the table.

How do you handle the kids' crazy schedule? Let me know in the comments below. Share on Twitter and Facebook too. Thanks.

November Series: Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday! Time for another Thankful Thursday guest post!

Today's guest post is by Marie of 1000 Reasons I'm a Crap Mom, who shares her cheeky wit about being a single mom and raising her precious little bit of joy. She tries to weed through all the millions of do's and don'ts of "tips for moms" that clutter the inbox and often wonders, between mom's feedback, the conflicting advice bombarded at her, and her own insecurities, if the blog should be called 2000 reasons. Or 5000!

I am Thankful For A Book About Kangaroos

Thanksgiving approaches, and Americans around the world are thinking about what they are thankful for this year. I am neither American nor living in the US (yet!) but I am thankful for the opportunity to be a guest on Kelly’s blog and I am also very, very thankful for a book about kangaroos.

Kangaroos?

Kangaroos!

My son C has relatives in Australia, and they recently sent a large parcel full of presents for his first birthday. Everything was lovely: the cute t-shirts with smiling crocodiles on VW buses, the koala backpack that is just too cute for words, the beautiful story books for reading at bedtime.

I had no way of imagining that “Mummy’s little bush babies” would make such a difference in our lives.

C is the best and bravest baby who ever was, but he is prone to night terrors. I do not wish those upon anyone, not even the guy who invented high heels. The night terrors are terrors indeed: in the middle of the night, for no reason I can discern, C suddenly starts screeching as if his limbs were being torn off. He is inconsolable, and anything I do to try to comfort him only makes things worse: if I hold him he cries harder, if I back off he cries harder, if I try to move him to a safe position he cries harder, if he as much as touches the headboard with his head he cries harder. He slaps me off if I try to hug or pat him, violently rejects any offer of a bottle, and generally seems to suffer a LOT until suddenly a switch goes off and he crashes back into sleep.

During this whole ordeal (which has taken as long as an hour sometimes) C’s eyes are either shut or open but vacant. And by the end of it, my eyes are usually full of tears.

It is brutal. Brutal.

(And now everything will make sense!)

About a week ago C got such a bad case of the terrors that I ended up conceding defeat and accepting our amazing babysitter Adi’s help after an hour of battle. His screams had become so loud he actually woke her up. At 4 am.

She was as much at sea as I was: singing didn’t help, cuddling was not going to happen, and the bottle was slapped off as if it were cyanide. I must admit I am such a sewer rat  that I was secretly somewhat pleased about Adi’s lack of success. The love triangle between mom, baby and sitter is a complicated one.

At her wit’s end, Adi started randomly showing things to C, hoping to distract him: “Look, sweetheart! Your ball!” More wailing. “Here’s your truck, do you want your truck?” Louder wailing. “What about your empty bottle! You love your empty bottle!” The bottle flew across the room. “Oh look! Your kangaroo book!”

The crying stopped.

Adi and I held our breath.

C stretched a tentative hand towards the book, turned a page, and smiled. He turned another page, looked up from the book, and smiled at us through the tears and the snot and the drool. My boy was back!

(The hostages were free! The bomb had been defused! The plane had landed safely! The world was safe! This must be what Bruce Willis feels like all the time.)

This midnight rescue would be enough to make me have that kangaroo book gold-plated and encrusted with diamonds, but there is more: ever since that night, if C’s terrors get intractable I show him the book and read it to him. And it helps him calm down every time.

Last year, I was grateful for my perfect baby boy, the beauteous C, who is to this day the best and bravest baby who ever was.

This year, I am infinitely thankful for a kangaroo book.

Now I just need help deciding – should I have the book dipped in white or yellow gold?

First Day of School

Lunches are packed.
Backpacks are at the door.
Pencils are sharp.
What are you waiting for?

Time to see your friends, old and new
Tales of summer happenings are waiting
Sharing routines, schedules and books,
It is now time for creating!

Testing your math, grammar and science
will seem trying at first
but with a little time
in all subjects you will become well versed.

The clock always rings at dawn
Being up early is always a fuss
It's the First Day of School
Now hurry up or you'll miss your bus!

Teens Interrupt Regularly Scheduled Programming....

I am completely throwing caution to the wind (and spell check) to throw this post up. Why? Because I just need to vent a little about life with a teenager...

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of my daughter. She was 3 at the time and it was taken as the first snow of the season started to cover the grass. We went outside and tried to make snowballs and a snowman but ended up only able to make snow angels.

I realize she would not stay the cute toddler forever.

But :

Why did arguing over friends we don't know-who now can drive- have to come so soon?

Why did "You just don't GET IT!" have to make it's way into daily vocabulary?

Why does our explaination of "no" have to always have an expanation attached other than "because I said so!"

I love going down memory lane; but I am reminded that time passes quickly and no longer am I making angels in the snow, but trying my best to help a young adult learn from the experiences that have paved the path for this adult.

But why does that process have to be so painful, for both of us?

Maybe I just don't get it.

Wordless Wednesday :: I Still Got It!

The Adventures of "Wally World"

I did not set out for a "Three Hour Tour" of my local "Wally World"...I was going for what I thought would be a quick hour shop to replenish the essentials in the fridge, to purchase my daughters favorite cake mix for her Birthday and to make sure I picked up a card. It was a Wednesday evening so this will be a snap-or so I thought! I should have suspected something when the parking gods allowed me the very first space in the lot, right in front of the door; "Sa-weet!" I thought as I whistled  pulling in. I checked not once, but twice to make sure I was not occupying a handicapped spot. Nope.

I tried finding a cart that did not fight to be pushed down aisles. I went through two. I pushed the squeaky wheel thing to the first row of the pharmacy where I saw another cart sitting solo...I could trade mine for that....I pulled out and this one was worse. So I bucked and went sideways as the left wheel spun around like Linda Blair's head. Ugh. Why must I always get the defective cart??

Then the weird started to happen.

I cu-chunk, cu-chunk-ed my way to the protein bar section and was met with Ned Flanders (The Simpsons) in the flesh. He was perfectly pressed; glasses and hair...(the only thing missing was the mustache) and two kids who he was sending down the aisle to retrieve whatever they needed. Our timing was not the best as we would run into each other at the end of each corner. Great googily-moogily. Then we ran into a traffic jam in the shampoo. He said " Oh, you don't need to move your cart out of the way ma'am." and as I reached for shampoo and conditioner I hear close over my shoulder " Ohhh, Passion Fruit? Uh, no, Cherry Blossom & Ginger, mmmmm" Eww. Hey, creepy Flanders...respect the personal bubble space!

I high-tailed it to school supply and picked up notebooks and loose-leaf paper. They will be gone by next week. Not much goin' on here except kids with pained looks on their faces while mom's filled their cart with giddy smiles.."You'll need these and these and these...oh, and we can't forget these!"

Making my way to the card section, I was stopped by a beautiful woman, completely wrapped from head to toe, asking if I knew where they kept the sunscreen. Ah, okaaaay.....I think over....this way....where I ran into an elderly lady who was searching for something for her toe, which of course she had to show me...and proceeded to pull her foot out of her shoe, (faster than my kids could strip out of a diaper-which let me tell you, was lightning fast!) remove her sock to show off her nasty, nasty, nasty toe nails...ah, okaaaayyy...I pointed over my shoulder in the direction of the pharmacy with the nicest smile I could muster and from there I kept walking. "Linda Blair" wheel and I needed to get to the freezer section, I mean cereal section, I mean...anywhere but here.

I made it through the entire store, keeping my last stop to the produce section-everything stays less squished when you can put on top of the cart. I happily bagged everything...until I came to plum tomatoes. Ever wonder why the tomatoes are so smushy and bruised in the store? Well, let me tell you why! Because...Tom Tomato Stacker doesn't place them into their bin, he chucks them...by the handful. And I am not talking a gingerly toss here...I think he was miffed because he got overlooked as a pitcher at some point in his life. He stood between my grape tomatoes and avocados...but I need plums to make my guacamole! Tommy Boy kept staring, more like glaring, at me until I finally asked, "May I sneak in here just to grab a few of those?" He replied "Yeah. Whatever." Okaaay....

Off to the check out I go...not too bad....an hour and 30 minutes....and a line that is short! Yes!
Of course, you know I didn't sail through the line...that would have been too easy. I was two carts and 4 kids away from completing my purchase and going home.

The woman at the check out had 3 kids. Two around 8 and 6 and a baby around one who loved to hit the keypad near the register. I don't know if he hit something on the pad or what, but it created line-gridlock for the rest of us. (Let me just say that it was like a Saturday in this store, crazy busy and not enough registers open. So I stayed put. I would get there eventually.) A supervisor was needed to fix something with a key, so that's who we were waiting for.  I couldn't get upset...I mean, mom is just trying to get through the day like the rest of us and get home.

But little "Dino-Bite" man, (that's what the T-Rex on his shirt was saying) in front of me was having a hard time. He kept telling his mom that he had to go potty...and mom would tell him he would have to wait. Little did she know that she could have gone home and back again and still been waiting. My poor little 3 year old friend. He was being so patient and so good as he sat there in the top of the cart. Then he started making faces at me. First a smile. I smiled. Then a frown. I frowned. Then a scowl. I scowled.  We did this for about 30 minutes. I started to remember how small my kids were and how I loved feeling the touch of their little hands when they would hold my face as they whispered something very important, or just wanted to stare into my eyes. I got snapped out of that Happy Place as a woman pushed me out of the way to grab six Pringles cans on the shelf next to me. Really? You need 6 of them?

I bid ado to Dino-Bite as he wheeled away making room for my stuff. Check out girl was working like molasses and I could not unload my stuff until the belt moved forward. When I checked to see why it hadn't moved I was appalled that I saw her PUTTING MY FOOD BAGS ON THE FLOOR!!!! What the heck??? I moved my cart forward and grabbed the bags off the floor and put them in my cart; then handed her all the items that were still in my cart to ring out. Why on earth would you put food ON THE FLOOR I wanted to yell. But the fact that I handed her things to ring out made her eyes roll and I swear she moved slowwwweeerrrrr.

I finally made it to my car, which remember was in the front spot. My only saving grace. Then I heard that shrill scream that only little kids can do. You know the one...it's as if you are torturing the poor thing. This fiasco was happening not directly in front of my car but on the opposite side of the next parking row. This mom also got the front spot. I wonder if she felt the same joy I felt when finding it. In any event, I hear bloody screams coming from the back of her car and see only half the mom. I knew this scenario all too well- the cries were from a way overtired toddler that was hungry, hot and just spent an eternity in Wally World. (I'm with ya kid). When my kids were that age, I broke into many a sweat trying to fit a squirming, screaming, recently possessd kid into a car seat. It's not easy. I finished packing up my car and as I closed my hatch "Mom" and I made eye contact. I was laughing and I gave her two thumbs up. The gesture made her laugh and she doubled over with a big smile and let her body language exude a huge "WHEW!"

I tell myself every time that I am never coming back here, but how can I not? Who knew one could experience the mundane and the bizarre all in one place? Next time, I'm passing on the premo parking spot, making sure I put pea soup in my shopping cart to take care of any spinning wheels and focus on the humor that the adventure brings.

Learning the Ropes

This weekend my husband and I planned a family outing to the Adirondack Mountains for a little climbing-only not by way of our normal hiking trails, but rather in the trees! That’s right; we went ‘Extreme’, Adirondack style and enjoyed a day full of thrills at the ADK Extreme Adventures, located in Bolton Landing, NY.

ADK Extreme is a place nestled in the woods just off exit 24 on the Northway providing those who travel here a chance to get a “monkey” –eyed view of the forest by completing a set of obstacles tethered high in the trees by cables. They offer five different “rope” courses, each becoming progressively higher off the ground and more difficult to maneuver. It is a great place to test your will, strength and determination all in a safe and structured environment with guides constantly at the ready to either talk you through your fear, or if need be, help you back to the ground.

Reservations are strongly recommended and after showing up for our scheduled 9:00am start time, I soon began to see why. This place was hopping! It also was a major plus that their website offered two coupons; one could be used first thing in the morning and one at a twilight session. We chose the morning session saving $10.00 per person - a BIG savings. The catch with this coupon deal-it is only good for the 8:30 or 9:00am time slot. We are early risers, so that was not an issue.

Soon after we received  harnesses our group moved over to the first course so the guides could “teach us the ropes” so to speak. We learned how to safely clip ourselves to the safety cable, how to move from each obstacle to the platform surrounding the trees, learned how to set up and use our zip-line contraption and heard their strict warning policy. If you are caught not clipped correctly, you receive a warning. If caught again, they take you out of the trees and you are done for the day. If you go beyond your comfort level and need to be “rescued”, meaning helped back to the ground, well then you are done for the day as well. After this briefing, we were sent to what I thought was the practice course to try out our new skills. You are set off to the practice course but what they don’t tell you is that this is the beginning of course one.

Did I mention that I can be paralyzed in my tracks due to my fear of heights? Can you see the terror in my eyes??

I learned quickly to focus on what was ahead of me and not to look down trying to follow that saying people say "Whatever you do, don't look down!" My son was the first to go through and he made it look easy. Then my daughter went and again, walked through the first course like a pro. Then came my turn; it took a little bit to find my footing on the moving log that was a first in a series of 8 that I needed to traverse. With my core engaged 150% trying to keep my balance, coupled with being so far off the ground (ok, I admit, I cheated and looked down) I was sweating buckets! I made it to the next platform and my husband would come up behind me and say “you are doing awesome, honey!” He could see the fear on my face.

I made it through course one.

Course two was a little more challenging. I found that my fear was turning more to focus and I began to feel a little more confident with wooden slat “bridges” that would move side to side with each step. The moving obstacles were challenging, but I felt comfortable doing them. That was until I came to what they called the “Tarzan Swing”, which was a rope that you had to swing across into a big net. For some reason, this is where my knees started to shake and I looked at my husband and said “I don’t know if I can do this.” He replied “Yes. You can.” I took a deep breath and leapt to what I was sure would be my doom. I grabbed the net and channeled my inner “Jack Black” the pirate and scaled it with ease.

I took another deep breath, this one drawn and exhaled with relief. The prize for my bravery? To clip in and ride a super long zip-line to the last obstacle of course two. This was the best (and my favorite) part of the course.

I felt a little apprehension to begin course three. At first I said no, that I was done, but after seeing my family ready to clip into another zip-line, I threw caution to the wind and yelled “wait up! I changed my mind. I’m going to do it.” With “Yay, Mom” still drifting in the air, I clipped into the zip-line and off I went. This course was higher and was full of moving logs, bridges and obstacles that sent me way out of my comfort zone. The last set of moving logs pulled something in my side and with each movement of trying to keep my balance it would send a message loud and clear “Hey! This hurts you know!” Thank goodness I was at the end and only a set of log poles to the finish.

When my feet were safely planted on the ground, I said “okay, now I’m done!” My husband and kids made their way to course four and up they went. I was so proud of them! They worked through the course with relative ease, however when finished, my daughter then said “okay, now I’m done!”

The boys decided that yes, they were going to attempt course number five, the hardest and most difficult. We wished them good luck and decided that we were going to go hit the cooler for a much needed drink and some lunch. We waited for about 45 minutes to an hour and finally heard  “Hi Guys!” We looked up and saw that my husband and son were getting ready to race on the last zip-line.

We met them in the lodge to return their harnesses. My son gave me a hug and said “I had to be rescued!” The boy who shows no fear got a big dose of it and repelled to safety after the first obstacle. My husband said that he did not know how he managed to get through the course and that we were wise to stop when we did. That was good to hear that my "Spidey Senses" were working for me to keep me on the ground and stop while I was ahead.

If you are looking for something fun and different to do with the family, I would highly recommend ADK Extreme Adventure. We all agreed that this was a blast and it was great to share encouragement and high five’s for a job well done.

We will definitely make a trip back.

Check it out!

ADK Extreme Adventure

** Plan on a full day. We started at 9:00am and pulled out of the parking lot around 2:00pm; a little under an hour for each course. Pack a lunch and sit in the great little picnic area, or on the spacious deck off the lodge. There is a small snack bar inside that sells the typical fare along with cameras if you forget yours.**

Jamie Oliver Earns an Apple For "Food Revolution"

You know the saying...

"An Apple a day..."

Well the "Food Doctor", Jamie Oliver has written a new prescription for Americans and the food we eat, especially our kids and school lunches. And what is that? Eat real food!

I am such a fan of Jamie's Food Revolution that I decided to add his button and link to the petition he has created. I don't just add things on this blog unless I really find weight to it..especially a link or button. The fact that I added both, means that I  agree with Jamie's vision of creating better diets and in this case better school lunches.

A few years ago, when our kids were in elementary school I had a wake up call to the school lunch program. I admit, I did not make lunch every day. At the beginning of each month, I would sit down with the kids and we would go over the menu and pick which days they would like to buy. I protested to a lot of the choices...fried cheese sticks, big soft pretzels...these items are not lunch-these are what some would consider snacks or appetizers! In any event, a certain dollar amount ($2.00 per lunch) would be put into their account to cover the few days they did want to buy. It never failed that mid-month, I would get a letter from the school saying their account was short. One month, the letter said that the account was a negative $5.00! They only started with $8.00!

So in I marched to the lunch lady, letter in hand ready to say that the accounting was wrong. What she showed and said to me stopped me in my tracks. She had a print out of all the food items the kids purchased that month and it wasn't all a balanced lunch. Much of what I saw was what the school called a la carte. Kids had the choice to get whatever was set out for them...ice cream, Twix bars...cookies, etc. If you give a kid a choice of buying an apple or a Twix bar, which do you think they are going to pick? It was explained to me that I did have the option to block these items on their account so that they could only buy the lunch that was provided. BUT....if I locked these items, that would also prohibit them from getting milk.

That's right. Milk would be blocked because the school considered it an a la carte item. I asked, "but isn't that included in a lunch purchase?" The answer was no. "Are you kidding me?" She wasn't.

As I left the lunch room, the first wave of students were going through the line. The lunch workers were not just handing out the tray of lunch, they were asking what the kids wanted ON the tray..."do you want corn?" No. "Do you want salad?" No. "Do you want a fruit cup?" No. When I went to school, you ate what was put on the tray. We didn't have a choice. As I got older, ice cream was offered (Push-ups or the Nutty Buddy ice cream cone) but that was it-and I didn't get it every single day.

Since that meeting, I packed a lunch for the kids every day. There may have been one or two occasions where oversleeping had me reaching in to the wallet, but for the most part they have been brown-bagging it. A big plus I find for our family is that we do eat fairly healthy. Do we have sugary cereals? Sure. Maybe a bag of chips once in a while? Yes. But, we also have a bowl of fruit-(which I am often asked by the kids' friends -"Is that real fruit or fake?") on the kitchen table always available and a salad every night along with fresh vegetables with dinner.

To Jamie, I offer an A+ and an apple for teaching our kids how to make better choices and why it is so important for them to do so!

You can watch Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" on ABC, Friday's at 9pm EST. Check your local listings. I think you will be surprised and learn something too.

Happy Easter!

It has been quite a week. I forgot how exhausting going back to work can be. I am not saying SAHM's have it easy or are any less exhausted, but it is a different type of tired for a working mom- I have been on both sides of the fence, so I feel ok to say that.

This week had me channeling the Dunkin' Donuts guy...remember him? Barely shuffling his feet while saying "Time to make the donuts"...I have been up at the crack of dawn, still doing my "mom stuff" and trying to get myself out the door. Work is now eating up 8 hours of time I would normally use to run errands, doctor appointments and house duties- all the things mom's (and dad's) seem to juggle. It will get done, but now it is a matter of prioritizing for a tighter time frame.

I've been looking forward to this weekend and spending some quality time with the family. It was awesome that the weather cooperated and has been absolutely beautiful!

Yesterday, my husband and I went for a bike ride at our Battlefield loop and he crushed me. I worked so hard to keep up with him, which is a good thing even though I am whining about it. At one point, a guy on a motorcycle was riding along side and with his fingers gestured to us with a two and then a five, then a thumbs up. I didn't think we were riding that fast, but when I looked down, he was right. When we got to the steepest hill on the course, we came across a guy pulling a child carrier  and my husband asked if he was ok. I felt horrible, I did not stop- I kept going. I thought "there is no way I can stop and get going again on this hill" so, up I climbed. I kept looking back to see if my husband joined me- I felt bad that he was nowhere in sight, but at the same time, I reveled in the fact that I "beat" him up this hill for the first time (and last I'm sure). Of course I know it's not fair that he stopped and helped the guy pop the chain back on (which my husband shared with me later) but I am taking that "win" any way I can get it!! Besides, I knew my husband would catch up and he did before I made it through the roundabout and back to the crest of the hill.

Seems this ride was not enough of a challenge for him, so he talked me into going out for a "quick loop" when we got home. We explored a new road which we both said would be good for hill repeats and when we crested the final hill we were welcomed with a lovely view of the river. What goes up, must go down, so the ride back to the main road was a nice, much needed break, which 5 minutes later, I was so thankful for. We climbed a little and then, I saw it. I have been so proud that I have not climbed any hill yet this season in my "Granny" gear. That was until I climbed this one. It could not be helped. My legs were baked and there was no other way to get up this snotty thing. So I said hello to granny and told myself, "relax and just ride the hill". Just before reaching the top, I though my legs were going to fall off, so I got out of my saddle just to get more momentum to turn the legs over. My husband, having absolutely no sympathy for me, passed me and threw the hammer down. Fricka-Fracka...I clicked my gears and took off trying to catch him. For being so tired, I surprised myself when I looked down and was clocking in at 30mph! In my MIDDLE RING! I haven't been able to use my big gear for over a year and have not tuned up the bike yet to have it fixed. I can't wait until I do!

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping with my daughter. A fun, yet hellish adventure all wrapped in one. I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say, I said "no" A LOT and she tsssked and rolled her eyes A LOT. Good times.

Today we enjoyed waking up to the birds singing, wishing eachother a Happy Easter and finding colored eggs strategically placed around the house. Apparently, the Easter Bunny is lame in hiding these as both kids proclaimed "they are in plain sight! They are supposed to be hidden."  Sorry kids, when the EB is fumbling around at 4am, all places look pretty hidden. It could be the low light, or maybe the eyesight is going because not enough carrots are being consumed. What the EB wants to know is when do you stop looking for these? Because sleep is looking soooooo much better the older this rabbit gets.

Now that we have enjoyed our day with lasagna, chocolate and jelly beans, it is time to share some stories and enjoy eachother's company. Maybe take a walk or play a good board game.

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend!

Can You Spare a Lunch to Feed a Hungry Giant?

Last Friday, my son came home from school and dove head first into the kitchen cabinet looking for something to eat. No hello, no Hi Mom. Nothing. As he dug through the cupboard, he exclaimed:

"We have NOTHING to eat in this house!"

I never really thought that the phrase "They are eating me out of house and home!" had much merit to it...that is until the sweet little boy who lives under our roof started to go through the teenage growth spurt. My husband and I both seem to have that look of shock every single morning as "The Boy" meanders down the stairs. He seems to grow by leaps and bounds with every night's rest. He is head and shoulders above his OLDER sister now, which drives her absolutely mad...but that is a story for another day.

As we settled on making some microwave popcorn, he said to me, "Mom, you have to give me more in my lunch. Today was pizza day, which meant no spare food to give away to me!"

What the heck does that mean? I can barely close his lunch bag as it is with all the stuff in there and he's looking for more?

Apparently, the guys at lunch check out who has what and will do a lunch-swap, trade, barter, etc. I guess on pizza days, all bets are off and you have to fend for yourself. Dine on the feast that is packed for you because there are no extras to be had.

The way our grocery budget keeps growing and growing, I think I may be feeding the next replacement giant at the top of Jack's Beanstalk. Only this giant won't fall to his doom, he is just looking for some spare food or pizza to get him through to the next meal.

Sugarbush Mountain A Great Family Getaway

I know I asked the question Am I Ready for the Ski World? last week. And I believe the answer is yes, yes I am. I am a total natural...can't you tell by the way I am shredding this??

Ha,ha,ha. Yeah, right. This is totally someone ELSE shredding it in a promotional poster provided by Sugarbush!! If this were me, you would actually be able to hear my screams through this image.

The post I wrote that morning at Sugarbush was rushed; one, because my dear husband was chomping at the bit to get on the slopes and two, because I was about to leave for my very first ski lesson. Now that I have survived : A: with all my bones intact, B: riding a quad-lift to what I felt would surely be my doom and C: a huge deli sandwich, (not necessarily in that order) I believe I will be back for more.

We started our planning of this trip just after the holidays. A fella that my husband works with owns a condo slope-side in this picturesque place and was kind enough to rent it out for us to use. We shared the weekend with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and three nephews. We grew excited with each passing week looking forward to spending much needed  family-fun time.

We finally made it to travel week and that is when the nerves arrived. The snow that we normally receive each year has been pretty non-existent, of course, that is, until the day before we were to leave for our trip. The kids were treated to a snowday after 12+ inches fell and to help my packing and preparation (yes, I say this with a sarcastic tongue) the power decided to go out....ALL DAY. Needless to say, the kids were in their glory building snow caves and sledding and I packed our stuff while adding layers to keep warm. Thankfully, the power was restored around 6pm and I could dry all their snow gear and shed a few layers as the house returned to its cozy temp.

Thankfully, Mother Nature kept her humor in check and allowed us to drive through only rain for most of the trip. When we reached Killington, she just could not help herself and let loose with the snow and slush making the pass over the mountain pretty dicey.

We finally made it to our destination. The mountain and the view was real and it was spectacular (yes, a little Seinfeld in here for ya).

After getting settled we decided to go exploring for a bite to eat while waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. We came upon a place called "Mutha Stuffers" (a term I would certainly rephrase on the mountain the next day) which was a rustic deli that created the most delicious sub sandwiches I think I have ever had. They were huge. I could only make my way through half and was completely stuffed. How my kids managed to eat the whole thing and not throw up is beyond me. As I checked out the back room (where we ended up sitting) I noticed that the Olympic spirit was alive and well with this photo on the wall:

The games were into their final week and I was actually grateful for a bit of a reprieve, if only to catch up on a few winks of much needed sleep. After seeing this poster I was itching to get back to the condo to check out the latest results. However, that quickly passed as I turned to the other wall and saw this screen print:

Bob Marley let me in on a little secret. Skiing would be fun and not the disaster I had envisioned. I let out a long, heavy sigh, and knew in that moment that for this trip my mantra would be "Don't worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright". My nerves were fading.

The rest of the family made it and after a great hearty meal and a few hours of games and chatting we all hit the sack to wake early for the slopes.

So the next morning we woke to the sun shining and lots of eager beavers to get going. After a quick breakfast and blog post, my daughter and I arrived for our 2-hour lesson, my nephew his snowboarding lesson, my sister-in-law for her snowshoeing tour, and the rest of the boys at the chair lift to ski the time away.

Our lesson was full of true first timers- 5 in all, who by the end of the day would be kindered spirits. We each learned how to side-step up the hill, how to "make a pizza wedge" and to trust that when you wanted to go left, put pressure on right and vise-versa. We learned how to ride a "magic carpet"; a rubber conveyor belt that would bring you up the hill, and how to maneuver on and off a chair lift. Confidence grew with each run and by the end of the lesson, my daughter and I felt pretty good about swishing down the slope.  My husband asked if we wanted to go a little higher on the hill we were on. My daughter and I were a little hesitant, but after hearing that it would be exactly the same, just a longer trip, we said sure. Getting on the quad lift chair was a little scary; it was much faster than the one we were used to on the bottom half of the beginner slope and the ride was faster too. We got to the top and and started down. My daughter and I both realized that this was a huge mistake. The pitch of the hill was much steeper and the hills were covered in packed icy snow. We made it down the first hill and I could feel my body totally tense up, hunch forward and I felt as though I was making "pizza wedges" as if my life depended on it. My daughter ended up falling backwards and was afraid to get back up. We were both completely terrified. Through gritted teeth I seethed at my husband "We were not ready for this. This is too much for today." His reply "You look good in those ski pants", which of course did not go over as well as he thought it would. I glared at him and was thinking: get me off this Mutha Stuffer hill! (of course, my favorite sandwhich shop name was rephrased). I decided that this was not fun AT ALL and took my boots out of the skis. My daughter did the same and we walked down the hill. We made it to the half-way point and the scenery became familiar again with the bottom part of the slope we spent our afternoon on in front of us. I put my skis back on and said to my daughter "We can do it from here- we've skied this part all day."

That was the end of day one. I skied right to the bottom and waited. My husband came up to me and said "Sorry, I really thought it would have been the same all the way up. You did awesome." Now that I was safely on flat terrain, I gave him a kiss and said "That was way too much for today." with a genuine smile.

The next day we decided to return to the beginner hill and my sister-in-law joined us. To ski for the entire day on this part of the mountain would only cost us $15.00 for the lift ticket! That's cheaper than a movie! So, with fresh lift ticket attached we had another day full of fun.

My daughter found a side trail that brought us all the way down to the chair lift and we did this run quite a bit. On day two, she was ready to go back to the place we were the day before and try it again. Me? I was not taking any chances and was very happy just staying put.

We ended our trip with a night out on the farm. Literally. We visited Lareau Farm, home of the famous organic American Flatbread Pizza. Here, cooks create their own masterpieces on organic dough with amazing concoctions of mushrooms, cheese, sausage, onion, etc. and bake it to perfection in their special brick oven. It was fabulous.

The car ride home was full of discussion of when our next trip would be. We discovered something that the whole family can do together, regardless of skill level. I can't wait to go back and try again.

Bob was right. "Every little thing...was alright".

Oh, Mama Mia!

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I have two teenagers. I think you know where I'm going....

Laundry Fairy Has Returned as Gremlin!

I once wrote about a laundry fairy that was to help me out during the holidays in my post Yes Virginia, There is a Laundry Fairy...NOT!

Yeah, well, they came back from vacation alright and they came back as a Gremlin!

I have been (very) under the weather this past week and have not done much more than sit under a blanket, have coughing fits every hour and drink tea. Wednesday, I had noticed that the laundry was really starting to pile up so I trudged down to start the process of making our clothes spring flower fresh.

The washing machine accepted the load of darks and began it's cycle of wishy-washy. One cough-induced fit later, I was back to the machine to move the now wet clothes into the dryer. I closed the door and pushed the start button. "Bzzzzz". Hmm. That doesn't sound good. I pushed again. "BZZZZ" "BZZZZ" . Was that a snicker I just heard? You have to be kidding me. I swear, every time my husband is out of town, something in this house stops functioning.

Tee-hee-hee.  I could picture the little heathen messing with the innards of this machine and laughing everytime I pressed the button.

I sent a text to my husband and informed him of the new addition to his "honey-do" list. He wrote back after consulting with the guys in the meeting stating "Sounds like a belt. Easy fix. Hope you feel better."

Tee-hee-hee. Keep laughing. I don't care now. I'm going back under my blanket.

Want to make a teenage daughter flip out? Tell her the dryer is broken.

Teenager: "Well, how am I going to get clean clothes then?"
Mom :      "Dad will look at it when he gets home."
Teenager:  "That's, like, in two days!"
Mom:        "Yes, I know."
Teenager:  "Can't you just get a new one, like, tomorrow?"
Mom:       " No. I'm sure your floor will be able to produce an outfit or two."
Teenager:  "Ugh...maaaaaaahhhhhhmmmmmm!"
Mom:       "You can still wash your clothes-you will just have to hang them to dry."
Teenager: "Ugh...maaahhhhhmmmm!"

Tee-hee-hee. You are wearing out your welcome now.

My husband came home a day early due to weather screwing up all the flights making him miss the second leg of his trip and scheduled meeting. I was snug under my blanket when he arrived and after making me a cup of tea (yes, he is THE best) he went down to fix the machine.

There was a lot of Tee-hee-hee-ing, a lot of snass-a frass-ing, a lot of frick-a frack-ing and not-sure-what-that-noise-was-ing. Two hours later, my husband emerged, scratched and full of lint. He sat at the computer and mumbling under his breath turned it on. "Well?" I asked. "Well, we are now in the market for a new dryer." he answered. "I don't get it. The motor is fine and the belt is fine. It starts to work and then then it just stops."

Now I know what my weekend will consist of.

Getting rid of this Gremlin!

Ice Princess

Today, I was officially dissed. My daughter is at the age where it is so very uncool to even be seen with her mother that I believe she was ready to hyperventilate when I announced that I would hang around while she and her friends organized a skating night out. "Mom, you CANNOT stay...can't you drop me off and go to Borders or something?" Ahhh, boys must be going, a detail she conveniently left out for Mom & Dad.

Well, after whispering how awful her mother is and that she CAN'T BELIEVE I actually took out my laptop and started working (yes, honey, I could hear you), my coolness factor rose 5-fold. Well, 5 Ugg boots high....I am now the official boot watcher so they don't get lifted- I think I must look trustworthy, because someone not in this group left her boots within my eyesight as well. In an instant I was the most popular mom (never mind the only mom) at the table because I could watch their stuff and they could relax and enjoy fun on the ice- uhm...flirting with the boys. See honey? Mom IS cool!

The skating rink is a popular destination this evening; it always seems to be during the holiday break. I never realized how popular it was with the local teenage demographic until now. I used to come here during the afternoon session when the kids were younger and it only housed tiny tots making their way around the ice sheet holding on for dear life to an upside down bucket.

Kids still wobble on loose rental skates as they file into the cold rink. I can feel the draft from here and my feet are getting cold.

Hmmm....I wonder if any of these boots next to me are my size.....

Snoop Dog-house Christmas

As I was shopping for my 2 year old nephew, I came across this item in a catalog. I couldn't believe my eyes! In a matter of seconds, I was remembering one of my favorite gifts found under the Christmas tree.

I don't remember why I wanted a Snoopy snowcone maker, but I know it was way better than the Easy Bake Oven. The EBO was time consuming and the end result was barely two bites of a teeny tiny cake! Snoopy hooked me up with a few cranks of crushing ice cubes and some syrup and I could make as many as I wanted.

I never really was one to snoop for Christmas presents. I always waited for early Christmas morning to do that. I would sneak down before anyone else was awake and check under the tree to see if Santa was indeed there. Under the tree I would find wrapped boxes with my name and my brother's name. Sometimes, Santa would leave some toys unwrapped, ready to play. I can remember one year, my brother got this really cool ship with a helicopter that you controlled with levers. By moving the right and left, up or down, you could make the copter take off, fly in a circle (it was attached with a wire), hover or go backwards. I zipped it around the ship once or twice, landed it, clapped my hands together under my chin, and with a big smile tip-toed back to bed, happy to know that my brother and I once again landed on the "Nice" list.

This Christmas, I believe our son is afraid that he is in the doghouse. Two days ago, I would have agreed with him. He had been asking for a few weeks to have a friend sleep over, so we finally caved and said sure. His buddy is a good kid and we enjoy having him over. My husband and I were watching a movie and when it was over,  I cleaned up while my husband was getting ready to go to bed. He went upstairs and caught them red-handed searching for presents. Well, I believe our son was snooping while his friend was the look-out. Our son said "Well, I saw this big green box under your bed with my name on it and I wanted to see what it was." Now mind you, our bedroom door was closed and the box was well under our bed, far from sight unless you were to get on your hands and knees and pull it out to see the name on the small tag! My husband got nose to nose with our son and said "I think it is now time that you go to bed!"

The next morning, my husband and I had a good chuckle over coffee as he told me of the covert operation gone awry.  When the boys emerged for breakfast, I let them squirm a little bit. I asked what time they went to bed (12:00 was the answer).  They ate and went to play video games. When our friend came to pick up his son, he asked, "So, were you guys good last night?" Both chimed at the same time "oh, yeah! We were great! We even went to bed early, and got a good night sleep and ate a good breakfast!" After his friend said thank you and goodbye, my son had the look of "whew!" mom doesn't know....

"Ah, Pal" I said, "I want to ask you a question". GULP.

I don't know about you, but it seems for us, it's getting harder to keep the surprise for Christmas morning! I guess Santa will let our son out of the doghouse (as he was a good kid all year) and I hope he finds magic under the tree with a gift that will be remembered as a favorite!

The 3 C's of a Snowday

When the weatherman has a winter storm forecasted to hit your area, every school-age kid secretly wishes for the same thing: A Snowday!

Today's youth has their own version of making that happen. They sleep with spoons (I don't get that one either), wear their pajamas inside out & backwards and may even sleep in the opposite direction in bed. When I was younger, the best we could do was cross our fingers and just hope for the best. We would wake up and hang on every word the RADIO announcer would say. Yes, they would read each and every school delay and closure. If your school name started at the beginning of the alphabet, you were in luck because you learned before most that you could sleep just a little bit longer. Disc jockeys in modern times rejoice that school closings are now announced via the local news channels. Most parents stare bleary-eyed at the TV trying to see the small print at the bottom of the screen wondering if school will be delayed or closed. If delayed, we moan and if closed we smile, remembering that special feeling of getting a "pass" for the day from Mother Nature.

I prepared for today just in case. I have all my baking supplies, craft supplies and as I mentioned yesterday, my holiday cards.

When the kids awake from there cozy slumber, I anticipate hearing giggles and a few "Woo-Hoo's" before requests for pancakes and hot chocolate are made. After playing in the snow, we'll trim our tree and dive into our 3 C's for the day-

• 
  
  Cookies
  
  
  
• 
  
  Crafts
  
  
  
• 
  
  Cards
  
  
  

Thanks Mother Nature for giving us a magical day!

Last Voting Day In Blogging Contest

That's right folks. It has finally come. Today is the last day to cast your vote for me in the Microsoft Office Winter Games Blogging Contest!

I arrived home yesterday totally exhausted from what seemed to be an eternity- lasting road trip from Pittsburgh, PA. The actual driving wasn't bad; there was really no traffic, but the silence was making it seem longer than usual.

Gone are the days of passing the time playing "car games" with the kids; they are old enough now that those time-wasters have been replaced by the DVD player and i-pods with headphone wires snaking out of their ears. They come up for talk about every hour; sometimes it's "Can we stop soon?" or "How much longer?" (yes, this question is STILL asked!) and "Can you please change the radio station?" but most of the time it is talk of our visit and what was fun about it. This trip was different because we were all spent and they stayed "plugged-in".  Both my husband and I were so tired that our brains could barely form complete sentences, so our answers to eachother were a lot of "mm-hmm's". I drove for about 4 hours before I asked for the switch and I was barely strapped into the passenger side seat before I was off to a crick-necked slumber.  About an hour later, it was my husband's request for the car sleep-coma that put me back in the driver's seat. The last 3 hours weren't too bad after my nap, a cup of coffee and the radio.

We pulled into the driveway and my eye quickly caught a glimpse of a package that was in the door. We all got excited wondering who it was for. I mean who doesn't get excited? These days, the joy of receiving a letter in the mail from a friend is lost on emails. Now UPS & FedEx have that honor.  So, we get to the door and see that the package is for me. Woo-hoo!

I opened it quickly to find a letter (which I had already received by email, by the way) and a present! I love presents! It was a black T-shirt that read "Blogathlete" on the front and "Blogging from the Games for the Gold!!".

I am "blogging for the Gold!" Today is my last shot at making it to the finals and your votes are helping me reach my goal!

Even through tired eyes, I can see that Gold would look great on a black t-shirt, yes?

YES!

Thank you for your votes and fingers are now crossed!