Off to the races.

Can you imagine that this is a face that woke up with tears?

That's right. I woke her up and told her today was going to be the first day of school and before her eyes were open there were big crocodile tears rolling down her cheeks. That's ok. Every woman knows that when you are just dreading facing the day, a really cool hair do can make you smile. She just loved it because she thought her hair looked like a flower and that it matched her dress. Ya. That's it. All part of my master plan.

And carrying a book bag that is bigger than her.

Checked on her at lunchtime and she was still a happy camper. And that smile wasn't just from that candy she is eating, she said she had a great first day.

Our big 5th grader, who is now in middle school, went to school all by himself on the first day. This picture isn't his first day because he actually goes to school with Tom since they have to leave before I am ready.

So many changes in his life. They change classes through out the day. They change clothes for gym. They have lockers! Prince was practicing his locker combination all weekend. He came up to me and asked me for a piece of gum. I answered, "yes" but then he continues, "Oh, I know. You want me to do my locker combination for your first!". "Umm. Ok, sure."

The adventures don't stop there. We also started soccer this week. Because they don't have practice at the same time, I took prince to his practice while princess ate dinner with Tom. Then we switched and prince and I are home for dinner while Tom and her majesty take to the field.

Ah, yes. Back to the old routine, wake up, run crazy, hit the bed.

Date Menu

Tom and I are not only trying to raise kids to be happy, healthy, smart, etc. We want them to understand what a loving home environment is. You don't just live together, you work to keep each other happy.

So we have the things that we do with the kids: the soccer, the boy scouts, the girl scouts, the basketball, etc. It keep the kids active, surrounds them with friends they might not meet in school and immerses them in their community. It also keeps us cheering for them, bonded to them, supporting them and getting out of the house together.

And Tom and I do the same for each other with our "date nights". Nevermind that the kids think this is completely ridiculous. Why does Tom have to take mom to a restaurant? Because he is, "hoping mom will kiss him," he explains. Our precious 9 yr old prince thinks it is just silly for a boy to WANT a girl to kiss him, but our little angel finds that sweet and does everything that she can to help support Tom's mission. Including encouraging me to hug and kiss him when it isn't date night.

This weekend, after the school bags were packed, the princess had a freshly painted ceiling and to celebrate Tom being home for a whole week, we planned a date night. I am in the bathroom getting ready when there is a knock at the door and two voices call out in unison, "SPECIAL DELIVERY". I open the door and they present my "date menu" and tear off down the hall. Rena calls back over her shoulder, "it's from TOM."

Tom not only gave me a list of restaurants to choose from, but did the research for the movies in our area. He went through all of the trouble to tape the two sheets together so it folded like a book. I'm impressed.

We went to Fresh Slices for dinner and saw "The Ugly Truth". What a great date!

Contractor Extraordinaire

And so begins the series of repairs from the latest misfortunes with the plumbing. This weekend, we started her majesty's room. This leak is from the water heater.

I am sure that we could have hired a painter and it would have taken him like an hour, but instead I thought, it is the ceiling in the smallest room in the house. I will just go ahead and paint the whole thing. And what a great opportunity to choose a slightly warmer color! Brilliant, right? One gallon of paint, 3 different roller brushes, a foam brush and 24 hours later, my masterpiece is complete.

Say wha?

One of the best parts of being a mother is watching your children grow. That doesn't mean that you always understand them.

Encouraging the princess

Yesterday at daycare, one of the teachers french braided our little angel's hair. She LOVED it and wanted it to be done just like that again. Well I haven't braided hair in like... 10 years. This is the best I could do, but I still have a happy customer.

What it means to be understood.

Our vet has a little offer where owners bring their dogs in every Tuesday and have their nails trimmed. I have finally gotten into a habit of taking both Maya, the 3 year old Chihuahua who HATES the vet, and Callie, the 8 month old Westie who LOVES the vet. Needless to say I am sure that I provide the day's entertainment for the staff with Callie trying to drag me around the store to chase her little cat friend and Maya who spends the whole time shivering with fear trying to climb into my shirt to hide.

Tom was out of town but saw on the calendar that I was taking them. This is our text thread.

Tom: "Hey hun, how did the dog's trip to the vet go?"

Me: "Like always. It ended with me threatening to kill them in the parking lot."

Tom: "Well at least there were no surprises..."

Tom knows... this is how we roll.

Kitchen woes

I hate grocery shopping. It's boring, usually crowded and I feel like I just buy the same things every week. Granted I have a lot of factors working against me: my kids are pretty picky eaters, my gift is not the culinary arts and we have no time to experiment with a bunch of new recipes. AND let's not forget that Tom hates cleaning up the kitchen after I have attempted to "cook". But I hate eating the same foods over and over again. I don't like creating meals. I just want to mix them. Take the pre-made bread, cut holes in the tops, pour in the soup and hola! You know, meals like that. Say, that is a good one. (Note to self, Weds. is soup bowl night.)

So I have attempted to find some joy in this weekly ritual. I have really gotten into the coupon shopping and challenge myself to beat my savings every week. I scour the weekly ads, clip coupons, print coupons, add discounts to my Kroger Plus Card from Cellfire, Shortcuts.com and CouponMom. That was entertaining for a couple of weeks. But it takes A LOT of effort. I probably spend two hours a week matching offers with sales and stores to create my weekly menu.

Wouldn't it be the BEST sales idea ever if in the weekly grocery adds, on those little side flaps they took all of their sale items and featured dinner recipes for each night of the week? Hot damn. I would be all over it. I would just start calling the store and having it delivered. Yes... I'll take your week of specials, no Monday and two Fridays, please? (note Kroger CEO's, this blog is dated. I WILL notice if you rip off this idea).

So this week I have created my own "sales specials" meals. Sorry in advance for the mess, hun.

My first attempt: poached chicken in an avocado sauce, sweet potato and carrot pancakes and a salad. See it sounds good on paper, but didn't really work out. 1. The chicken is suppose to be served cold. I am not so much of a fan of cold meat. 2. The pancakes turned out more like hash browns. I really need a grater. 3. NEVER, EVER serve my kids anything with a green sauce. You are just wasting your time. I forgot that little rule, but don't worry, I wrote it down this time.

My associate chefs were also feeling creative and broke out the easy bake over for some homemade pretzels.

This is a glimpse of the masterpiece before they went into the oven. They looked better coming out, but didn't taste very good. That wasn't the important part though. Rolling the dough was the best!! Or maybe it was painting them with the brown sauce. Either way it definitely wasn't the waiting for 10 minutes for every single pretzel to cook.