Disqualified

True story... this evening Randy said, "Did you see the underwear I left for you in the downstairs bathtub?"

Me, "Um, no. Are they yours?"

Randy, "No. They are Kyla's. I had to wash them out last night."

(I was with my girlfriends at the outlet mall last night.)

He continues, "We were having a toot contest last night and Kyla was disqualified."

I began laughing hysterically.

Elisan chimed in wanting to know what we were talking about, and Randy said, "Remember last night how we were having the toot contest and Kyla messed her underwear?"

Elisan said, "Oh yeah, mommy! Kyla won the toot contest!"

So, Randy thought she deemed to be disqualified, but Elisan deemed her the winner!

What do you think?

Friday Fodder

Disclaimer: The materials and information you find on
"FRIDAY FODDER" do not always represent
the expressed opinion of the author.

A new blogger among us!

I'm excited to report that my friend DeAnna joined us in the new millennium and has begun her journey into blog-world!


She'll probably be mad at me for making this big announcement, so y'all make her feel warm and fuzzy for me, okay?

Oblivious to the Obvious

I must live in a fantasy world. See... my fantasy is that everyone would see the obvious, but truthfully, everyone in my family is oblivious.

A few examples:

When we lived in Denmark and did not have gobs and gobs of space, we placed our laundry basket beside the bed. It was the most convenient place for us, since going to bed usually means shedding your daytime clothes, no? But for some reason, Randy shed his clothes and left them laying on the floor... near the basket. Yes, that's right... near. the. basket. Which meant I'd have to go behind him and put them in the basket? Why is that? Pure laziness? I recall sending him a picture of the clothes laying next to the basket asking "What is wrong with this picture?" He got the hint. But, really, should I have even had to GIVE a hint?

Elisan was getting a clean dish out of the dishwasher and proceeded to shut the door. But, when it would not close, she whined, "Mommy, help me... the dishwasher door will not close!" I looked at the problem, then looked at her and said, "Well, Elisan what do you think is the problem?" She looked at the dishwasher and said, "I didn't push this (meaning the rack) back." "Ah, yes... that would be a problem. Next time, push the rack back in and the door will close." Why? Why is that?

I wash and fold the girls' clothes and place them on the bottom two steps of the stairs. That way, when they go up stairs, they will (miraculously) see their clothes and take them upstairs. But, no. If I do not TELL them to bring their clothes up the stairs (AND put them away) they will not do it on their own? Why? Why is that?

Elisan will not flush the toilet, unless she poo'd. I have to tell her time and time again to flush the toilet and she will only flush if I tell her to. And trust me, she is not forgetting to flush... she is simply electing NOT to flush. (I promise that child has flush issues, but that is another post... or heck, I may have already posted about it before, because seriously, she has some profound issues.) But, really... Why? Why is that?

Randy will only put items away (such as condiments, chips, etc.) that he uses. Really! Why is that?

Don't even ask me how many time I've been stranded on the toilet bowl without a roll.

Either I live with the most lazy family on the planet, or they are used to me doing everything for them. Most likely it is the latter... but, I can't rule out the former, either.

Packing

I'm in a dither. I need to pack, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. I mean, I am not a last-minute-kind-of-gal... but, the thought of even beginning the early stages of packing is sending me into a dither.

Since I have to pack a suitcase about 2 times a year, I'm not very good at it. I tend to over pack, even when I'm trying to under pack. And, since I've never been on a cruise and really don't know what to pack... you get the idea.

I'm in packing denial.

What to do?

In one month and 5 days (according to the countdown on the sidebar) both girls will be in school.

August 25th will mark the very first time in over seven years that I will be without one or both kids by my side for any length of time. Oh, sure, they've spent the night with the grandparents, and believe it of not, Randy and I have had the occasional babysitter. But, both girls will be gone, in school, from 8:30 until 3:30 EVERY DAY! Kyla in PreK and Elisan in 2nd grade.

I'd be lying if I said that I was excited about it. Of course, I'm looking forward to the initial excitement of it all... the first few weeks of pure mom bliss! But, after that? I fear I will enter into a state of withdrawal.

I've been asked my friends and family what I will do with my new found freedom. And truthfully, I don't know.

Randy and I had a long talk and he is not concerned about me getting a job, but he is not against it, if I found something that was flexible in hours or part-time. The girls are still my number one priority, even if they are in school all day. I still need to be there to bring them to school, volunteer there when I'm needed, pick them up once school is over and get homework done at home. Add on soccer and ballet in the Fall and it makes for a very busy day.

I've thought about stepping up my volunteering at church and I may look into that again once my routine is in place. I've thought about taking a few classes now that I have a more time. I've been pondering a career that would require me doing a lot of studying/coursework so I may look into that more. I suspect I'll have the cleanest house in the neighborhood. Oh, and I'm sure I'll have the biggest biceps too, since I'll still be going to the gym everyday. Not to mention the gourmet meals I'll be preparing each night.

So, who knows... Maybe I'll be busy after all... Maybe this year will be a good year to 'find' myself again. However, I will admit I loved identifying myself as a full-time mom. Now, I'll be a stay at home mom, with no one to stay home with.

Haphazard Food

I made this recipe last week. It was really yummy and really easy! I added bok choy and snow peas to my recipe. The original recipe does not call for it. Oh, and it needed a dash of salt at the end... but that was for my taste. You may like it without salt.


MOO GOO GAI PAN

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• Marinade:
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
• a few drops sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Vegetables:
• 1 cup fresh button mushrooms (I used fresh shiitake)
  
• 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
• 1/2 cup canned water chestnuts
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 stalks of bok choy (julienne cut) (Erica's addition)
  
• 1/2 cup of fresh snow peas - (Erica's addition)

• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup chicken stock*
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Other:
• 3 tablespoons oil for stir frying, or as needed

Preparation:

Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips. Add the marinade in the order given, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and cut into thin slices. Rinse the canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to remove any "tinny" taste and drain thoroughly. Slice and chop the ginger, and peel and mince the garlic clove.

Prepare sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat wok and then add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color and is nearly cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for several seconds, then add bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Stir-fry briefly. Give the sauce a quick restir, then make a well in the middle of the wok and add sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened.

Return chicken to wok. Mix together and serve hot. Salt and Pepper to taste.

*You can also use chicken broth. Just bring it to a boil, add a bit of rice wine for flavor, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Another variation is to boil the mushrooms in the chicken broth before stir-frying.

Nutritional Breakdown based on 4 servings,
Calories 216, 9 g Carbohydrates, 17 g Protein, 12 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 8 g Monounsaturated Fat, 3 g Polyunsaturated Fat, 39 mg Cholesterol, 1 g Dietary Fibre, 676 mg Sodium, 297 mg Potassium.

Cupcake Update

As promised, here is a quick peek of our cupcake fun we had today.

The girls had fun taking turns with the hand mixer. Since I'm a box cake mix kind of girl, making the cake was easy as 1, 2 & 3. I didn't have 3 eggs, only 2 but I'm here to report, the cake still tasted great with only 2 eggs. In fact, it wasn't crumbly. I think I may like it better that way.

I made 24 full size and 12 mini cupcakes. The girls each had one large cupcake to decorate and 6 mini cup cakes. Between licking the icing from the knife and back into the bowl... I made sure to separate their cupcakes, so as not to pass cooties to one another, or better yet, us.

We're going to get-together tonight with some fellow folks from church and the girls wanted to bring over a dessert for their friends. So, I was in charge of decorating those cupcakes.

After reading about a large icing tip on Heather, over at Pursuing More than Purls, I decided to ask the lady at the grocery store bakery where I could buy a large icing tip. She directed me to a really neat cake store in the next town. I found a large star tip there and I was excited to try it out. So, I did.

The final product - and the best looking cupcake of the entire lot! I've never decorated cupcakes like this before and it was super easy. The only thing is, this technique uses A LOT of icing. Lots and lots! But, oh so yummy!

Friday Fodder

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I never talk about celebrities. I just don't. I find that whole "scene" to be lame.

Recently I stumbled upon this photo of one the twins and it was quite startling. I mean, something is truly going on with these girls that just is sad. I'm sure they are under some major pressure that I cannot (and thankfully, will never have to) relate to, but still...

I just hope that one day, they look back at themselves when they (at least) looked HAPPY and HEALTHY and want to go back there. I really do, because I have always liked them.

A Mediocre Dabbler

If someone were to ask you "Of the things that you enjoy doing the most, which of those things have you mastered?" what would you answer?

I'd have to answer "None." And that makes me kind of sad.

Oh, sure, I can do A LOT of things that I enjoy doing. In fact, I will at least try something before I decide I don't like it... does that make sense? But the fact is, I've tried sooo many things, thought that I liked it, go out and buy the stuff to do it, then realize that I wasn't very good at it, then put it aside.

Here are a few examples:

Sewing: I just had to have a sewing machine. I thought being able to sew stuff was going to make my life easier. I saved up some money and bought one. It's not super fancy, but it's more machine that I ever needed. I made three valances, did some mending (oh, and made a few Wee Bunnies) and that's it.

Cake Decorating: It began honestly enough for me, trying to save money and making the cakes myself. I was halfway decent at it. I even wanted to take a cake decorating class but that never materialized... so, I stopped. In fact, I haven't decorated a cake or even a cupcake in years! (But, I promised the girls we'd make cupcakes tomorrow, so I'll let you know how that goes.)

Scrapbooking: My friend Angie was a Creative Memories Consultant and as new baby gifts, gave me the most beautiful scrapbooks you can imagine! Of the two, I have completed one scrapbook -- Elisan's first year. Poor Kyla... her book is only 1/3 complete. I keep telling myself that I need to finish it before she realizes her book is incomplete. I figure I have another year or two before that happens. But once I discovered the joys of digital scrapbooking, I never looked back to paper scrapbooking.

Oh, did I mention Digital Scrapbooking? Ah, yes...

Digital Scrapbooking: When I got started into digi scrap, I started off with a super easy software called "Scrapbook Factory Deluxe." It is basically drag and drop. It is so easy to use and I was hooked. But, it was limited. After about six months, I decided I needed to step it up a notch and I purchased "Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0." It was a few notches too high for me and I still to this day cannot use it for more than very minor things like add a drop shadow to a photo, etc. I need to take a class, but that means spending more money! (So, I'm still using "Scrapbook Factory Deluxe" for all of my digital graphics stuff!)

Stamping and Card Making: I did not want to get into stamping... at all! But, my friend Kristi is a Stampin' Up Consultant and she invited me to a card making class. It was fun and they made it all look so easy! (Isn't that always the case?) So, I bought a set of stamps and ink pads. I remember being excited to get my new stuff, but once I got started, I realized that none of my cards looked great. They only looked o.k. I realized to have the 'great' looking cards, I'd need to buy more supplies... but I just couldn't bring myself to buy any more stuff, especially since I didn't even want to get started into stamping anyway!

Jewelry Making: My friend Cyndi got me started in jewelry making. No, she wasn't selling it, she was just making stuff for herself and for her friends. She showed me how to do it and it was easy enough. So, I bought the tools and materials needed to do it. But, did you know, that beads are expensive? Whoa! It didn't seem cost effective to make any ONE item. It was more cost effective to buy in bulk and make several. Well, that was the end of it for me.... Oh, sure, I made several cheap necklaces and bracelets and Elisan loves the stuff I made for her... but that's about it.

There are other things I'd enjoy doing more of, but the cost factor is keeping me in check. For example, photography. I'd love to have a super expensive camera with a huge lens to take awesome pictures with... but knowing me, I'd never use it to it's fullest capabilities. Maybe it's a good thing I "know" myself well enough to avoid the super expensive hobbies!

I'm torn as to whether or not knowing how to do many things badly is better than not knowing how do to anything at all. Realistically, I'd like to get the sewing machine out again and learn how to sew from a pattern. I'd like to eventually learn Photoshop Elements. With both girls in school in the Fall, perhaps I will buy a book and learn. Maybe I'll even take a cake decorating class.

Maybe one day, I'll be able to say I've mastered something, but for now... I'm just a dabbler. A mediocre dabbler.

Makeover Fun!

Last year, I stumbled upon DAILY MAKEOVER. It is a website where you upload your photo, then make yourself over. You can customize your hair, hair color, makeup, add accessories, etc. It's fun and it's free!

Set up takes about 20 mins, because you have to upload your picture and then set specifics up for your face, hairline, ears, etc. You don't want skewed lipstick and hair, right?

So, anyway, I was messing around with it today and I have come to the realization that I look better as a brunette! Who knew? So, here I am. (These photos were taken of my computer screen with my camera.)

Anyone else dare post pictures of yourself in makeover mode?

Free Stuff and More

Friends, thank you for the support and words of encouragement on my pool dilemma. It helps to know that I am not a complete kook when it comes to stuff like that.

So, I rounded up some really great coupons and I wanted to offer them to you, my internet pals.

Coach, in it's effort to contribute to a healthy economy, has offered me a $50.00 coupon off of a total purchase of $150.00 or more. Must be used in a full price Coach store (or department store) between July 19-27th. (This is a generic coupon and it doesn't have my name on the coupon.) I would use it myself, but considering there is a Coach outlet store a mere 7 minutes away from my house, I think I'll stick to buying the outlet stuff.

The other coupon, is for Justice, Just for Girls! There are two coupon cards for 20% off your entire purchase. Entire purchase? That's a great deal, especially with school coming up. Elisan isn't quite ready for Justice yet. She's a wee-bit too small for their stuff.

I finished up a digital freebie paper pack last night and it is called "Cherry on Top" featuring cupcakes! Yum! You can download it from my TBG Invitations and Announcements Website. But, here's a sneak peek!

Please leave a comment if you would like for me to mail either one (or, heck... all three!) of these coupons to you. Have a great Wednesday!

Pool Police

It is HOT in Texas! So much so, that the only way to be outside, is poolside. So, that's where we've been. Everyday. At the pool.

We're fortunate to have a neighborhood pool. It is managed by the Home Owner's Association, to whom we pay mucho dinero each quarter, for the privilege to not only use the pool, but live in our neighborhood. Yes, that's right. HOA dues are not optional. They are mandatory.

Paying HOA dues means you have access to the pool. With an electronic key that is also managed by the HOA. The kicker is, that you have be current on your dues to maintain access to the pool.

Herein lies the problem. Not everyone keeps their dues paid up. And, in effect, I have become the Pool Police.

I've had several instances when people have come up to the gate standing there asking me to release the gate from the inside. I ask them where their key is. They say they either forgot it, it won't work (i.e. their access has been revoked) or whatever excuse they can come up with to get inside the gate.

I am not a mean person. I am, however a rule follower. I refuse to open the gate for anyone who doesn't have a key. I don't care if someone else does it. But, I won't.

See, the deal is this. We have to PAY to maintain our privilege. If you choose NOT to pay, then, in effect, you are choosing NOT to swim. Why should I cater to your disregard?

The second thing... for some reason our pool attracts people who don't live in our neighborhood. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because other residents willingly allow people to enter the pool area without a key... (See? It is a vicious cycle!) The other day, I was sitting there with the girls and we were the only people there. A family of 6 kids and one adult came to the gate and asked me to let them in. "Where's your key?" I said. "We just moved here and we didn't get one," they say. I reply, "You should have received your key when you moved in. I'm sorry you don't have a key, but I can't let you in."

They left. Screeching out of the parking lot, blaring on the horn and cussin' me out as they drove away. (Something tells me that they didn't actually live here. Yes?)

So, the burning question is... am I just too extreme in my rule following? Or should I relax and allow a few people here and there to cool off in the pool and spend a little time outdoors? What do you think?

Haphazard Theories (i.e. ramblin' stuff)

Okay, so I realize buying a whole fresh chicken is cheaper and better. No 'bad' chicken parts removed to produce 'cut-up' chicken. Oh, sure, we've all heard the scary and quite disturbing tales about the poultry packing business... But, I must say, that cutting up a whole (raw) chicken is disgusting! Truly nasty. And let me say for the record, if you don't have a sharp enough knife, you end up mauling it. It's just that simple. I think I'll stick to the 'cut-up' versions instead and take my chances and pay a little more. My theory is time vs. money. In this case, money supersedes the time it takes to cut up a chicken, not to mention the nast factor. I'm just sayin'...

Also, note to self... if you are on the cusp of having a migraine, the best place to be, other than your home, that is... is a grocery store. Today, while picking up a few things, I immediately felt a migraine coming on. I mean as soon as I walked through the door. (One of my "triggers" is climate changes - from HOT heat outside, to COLD A/C inside, not to mention bright sunshine... oh, wow... I'm just asking for a migraine and apparently, I did... so, there ya have it. It's a wonder I don't walk around in a perpetual state of migraine in this Texas heat and bright sun.) So, anyway, as soon as I realized it, I finished up my shopping and made a bee-line to the pharmacy, chunked a box of ibuprofen in my basket and headed to the checkout. While standing in the line, I grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and popped (an obscene number of) ibuprofen. Meanwhile, the girls will hollerin', "Mom, you haven't paid for it yet!" At least they have learned something all of these years. Now, I'm in an ibuprofen fog, but no headache. I must say, if you are a migraine sufferer and you haven't tried the wonders of ibuprofen, then you are doing yourself a disservice. If I take the meds in the "aura" stage, I will not get a headache. (Of course, I take about 5 ibuprofen... which I'm sure that cannot be good for you? No?)

Thanks for the cruise attire advice. I do have 'adult' clothing, believe it of not, but having trekked out to various stores over the weekend looking for a bathing suit, I'll have to stick to my modest neighborhood pool appropriate bathing suit. Yep, that stinks. Oh well... but I do have several (dare I say s-e-x-y) dresses that I'm bringing that will be fun to wear. One is a halter dress which I love! It's an awesome Ann Taylor dress and I can't wait to wear it. But, I'll have to go bra-less. Yes, you heard right. The 'girls' will be loose, but the dress is form-fitting enough that it won't be too obvious, I hope.

Finally, if any of you blogspot people know where I can get a (free and) neat (and easy) blogger template, please let me know. I want to dress up my blogs! Thanks!

So, that's it for now. I'm hungry and I need to eat.

Cruisin'

Our cruise is in TWO WEEKS! Can you believe it? Time is flying by!

I'll admit, I'm finally getting excited about our cruise. When you book a vacation the first week of April, it seems like F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get here, so I haven't really thought much about it. I've liked that I haven't had to obsess over travel books, internet websites, etc. to plan everything out.

But, now, that I'm two weeks out, I'm ready for some fun!

Now, I just need to buy another bathing suit, because my real-life friend Kristi told me you pretty much live in your bathing suit and cover up during the day while on board the ship. Oh joy! Bathing suit shopping again! I.CAN'T.WAIT!

So, internet pals... any key advice, words of wisdom/caution/expertise y'all wish to impart to me about cruises? Clothes to pack? Stuff to bring? Stuff to buy?

Friday Fodder

For more church sign humor, click here! And who said Christians don't have a sense of humor?

Oh my, they grow up fast!

Photo taken - 9/14/2005

Photo Taken today - 7/10/2008

Digi Scrap Freebie - Don't Miss the Hibiscus!

Digi scrap freebie
"Don't Miss the Hisbicus"
Paper Pack can be downloaded here!

Five bright and bold summer colors! Each color has 3 hibiscus prints and one stripe.
There's also a bonus plaid and multi-color stripe on the download page!
22 pages total!

Enjoy!

Left to my devices

Ever since Randy began his new job, he's been going to bed at 8:00 p.m. That is because he leaves the house at 4:45 a.m.

I like going to bed early, but 8:00 is just a tad too early, wouldn't you agree? So, while everyone is in bed and the house is quiet, I'm left to my own devices.

Since then, I've caught up on mindless TiVo recorded television shows and movies. This is because I'm relegated to record the shows I want to watch, i.e. chick flicks. I still have a couple more recorded that I want to watch one of these days (or should I say, nights). A few nights ago, I stayed up and finished a book I was reading. I forgot what it was like to read with out being interrupted. You can actually finish a chapter! It was amazing!

I've created the free digital paper packs, because you know... fiddling at the computer is something that is quiet and I can squeeze out my creative juices that way. Last night, I worked on some upcoming new baby photo announcements for a gal having twins in August.

I also broke out the jewelry making supplies, because it is also a quiet task that requires attention (with little to no interruptions) and I made these two pieces. The blue and green necklace was inspired by this necklace.

I've also taken on doing website updates for the church's children and youth ministries, so again, doing computer work at night is quiet and relaxing.

And finally, I've been doing on-line research on weightlifting and strength training. Did you know that if you use Google Reader as your online feeder reader, you will get "Recommenedation List" based on your Google searches? So, for example, I am currently getting recommendations for fitness blogs. Pretty cool, eh? Those Google people got it going on!

So, that's what I've been up to in the late hours of the night. I've been getting into the bed at 11:00, so it is still not late by a night owl's standard, but by that time, I'm truly exhausted and I've been alone for the better part of 3 hours. That's plenty of "me" time.

WARNING: Rant Ahead

So, I'm at the gym this morning and I'm in the free weight area lifting weights. There are several of us in there in front of mirrored wall, dumbbell racks and benches. All's well until about 20 minutes into my workout, two ladies come in and plop their stuff on not one, but TWO benches and proceed to stand there and chit-chat while holding 5 pound dumbbells.

They mostly talked (loudly) and every once in a while one of them would do some bicep curls for good measure.

So, not only were they taking up valuable real-estate in front of the mirrored wall and dumbbells, they were hogging two of the five benches that we all use to lift weights on.

I thought about asking them to move their stuff several times but chickened out. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who didn't have enough "balls" to tell them to move on since no one else bothered to ask them to move the chit-chat elsewhere.

Why is that?

Sheesh... I need to get a backbone or something!

I'm starving my child

Kyla Mae and I having been going head-to-toe in battle the last few weeks. And as usual around my house, it begins innocent enough, only to escalate into full scale war.

You probably can't tell much from the pictures, but Kyla Mae is tall and skinny. She is a little bitty thing, whom I can still tote around on my hip with no problem at all. (She will be five in a couple of months.)

She's always been a better eater than Elisan, but has always never really eaten a lot of food, until recently. In fact, it is safe to say, that if Kyla had it her way, she'd graze all day. In all likelihood, she will be one of those high metabolism people that can never put on weight and who need to eat 6 times a day. (Yeah, you know the ones... the ultra skinny people who complain about it?! Yes, I know Angie... it's a real challenge! Haha!)

Anyway... So, she'll eat breakfast/lunch/dinner... whatever and then 30 minutes later she is "starving" and wants more food. I've seen the girl eat. There is no possible way she starving. But, it happens now, every time.

I'm conflicted as to what to do. Usually by the time she wants more food, there isn't any left to give to her. Dinner is done, the dishes are done and the kitchen is clean. So, what do I offer her? A yummy Special K Cereal bar, of which we keep stock-piled in our pantry? Or yummy flavored yogurt? Or yummy goldfish? See where I'm going with this? I'm not sure if she is truly hungry, of if she wants junk-type food. When I offer her something less than appealing - like fruit, she is not "starving" anymore. But, when I offer her a favorite snack item, she'll sit there and eat as much of it as I give her.

But, I don't want to starve my child. If she is hungry, I want to feed her, right? I mean, who likes to be hungry. Not me, for sure.

Which brings us to Saturday's debacle. It was 30 minutes after breakfast. She wanted more food. I guess the bowl of cereal wasn't enough. She wanted a Special K Bar, but I told her that she could have either a Nutri-grain cereal bar or 1/2 of a bagel w/cream cheese. She said she wanted nothing. A few minutes later, she changed her mind and said she wanted a bagel. I fixed it up for her and she sat down at the table, licked the contents off the top and then got down from the table. (Heck, had I known she wanted a spoonful of cream cheese, I would have offered it to her.)

Let me just say, I was very upset with her. The problem is three-fold. First... everyone was done with breakfast. The breakfast mess was cleaned up and the rest of us were getting on with our Saturday. Second thing was that she completely and totally wasted a whole bagel slice. I mean, who wants to eat something that someone has licked clean? So, it wasn't even salvageable. The third thing was that she wasn't hungry at all. I'm pretty sure she was seeing if I'd give her food... which I did.

The short of it is... I was mad, she was punished and I think we've all learned a valuable lesson. So much so, that she scolded Elisan at the dinner table last night for not eating her pizza crust saying, "We don't waste food!"

Fireworks Fun!

Digi Scrap Freebie - Flower Patch

To download "Flower Patch" freebie, click here!

Five Flower Patch Papers, Five Solid Papers w/Border and 1 Bonus Print!

Game Show Junkie

It all began so innocently.

Winter 7 p.m.: We're all just wiped out from a long day of work, school and after school activities, that the most appealing thing to do is watch a little television before the girls' 7:30 bedtime. Randy scans the television guide and the only family friendly show on is "Deal or No Deal".

Randy turns the show on and we all begin to watch. Innocent, right?

7:30 p.m. rolls around and by this time, Elisan is so ensconced with the whole premise and asks us if we will tape the remainder of the show, so she can watch the rest of it tomorrow night.

Sure, why not. It's harmless right?

Fast forward a month of two - 7 p.m.: Drew Carey's Million Dollar "The Price is Right" is on. Again, we're just too tired to combat it and besides, Randy has already played at least one game of Candy Land and G0-Fish... he could use a break too. So, we turn on "The Price is Right." The girls love it! And why not? I remember loving it too and watching it every weekday at 10:00 a.m. during my summer break.

Summer 6:30 p.m. - Enter "Wheel of Fortune." We tend to eat earlier in the day in the Summer, so oftentimes, we'll be finished by with dinner by 6:00 p.m., have some quality 'jump on daddy' time, play a few card games and then by 6:30 - the day of work, swimming and fun has caught up with everyone. So what happens? We turn on "Wheel of Fortune" for the girls. I mean, it's like they're learning how to spell, right? It's educational... And who can resist Pat and Vanna? I mean, really...

Okay, so, now we're watching (and Tivo'ing) "Deal or No Deal," "The Price is Right" and "Wheel of Fortune." Are ya keeping up?

Enter "American Gladiators"... Oh, yeah, baby. AMERICAN GLADIATORS You heard me right. I recall the conversation so vividly. Randy says, "Oh, Elisan. American Gladiators is coming on! You will love this show!" I'm thinking... what?! American Gladiators? Not my little girl. Boy, was I wrong. They both love it. Yes, it's rated "V" for violent, but really, it's like professional wrestling kind of violence. Semi-fake stunts. But, I'll admit, I even like this show and we all tend to root for the gladiators. Forget the underdog trying to score some cash. And, my rationalization is this... I have two girls. It's not like they're going to start challenging the neighborhood boys to a "joust" or a game of "hit and run". The worst thing that could happen is they might have a Barbi vs. Polly Pocket fight upstairs in the game room.

And now, finally... we've added one more show to our game-show repertoire (and hopefully the last!) It is ABC's brand-new show "Wipe-Out". This game show is much like "American Gladiators," in that the contestant has to complete ridiculous obstacles to compete in the final round of an impossible obstacle course to win cash. The only difference is that they are competing against a group of people for the best time to whittle down the final four. It's ridiculous television at it's best. And, you can't beat John Henderson's (a.k.a. Skunk Boy from Talk Soup) commentary on the contestants - much of which goes waaaay over the heads of my little girls' thought processes, thank goodness.

Now, if we can just keep her away from "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" we'll be alright.

EDITED TO ADD: I totally forgot about "Are you smarter than a 5th grader!" It's one of our favs. And, it's educational... isn't it?