Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I like this.

My friend posted this article on her blog and I really liked it. Especially if you home school, you may just find this encouraging. Even if you don't, it's a great article. It's from the NY Times and is about education in the USA. In my opinion, if this stuff is happening at home (whether you formally home school or just teach your kids this stuff aside from school) then you are a great educator for your kids. Enjoy.

I'll be back soon, I promise. Jack has been up to some antics and I need to share.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The time is here.

So, soccer season has started. Today registration for the league that my sister-in-law and I run opened up. We've got a great start so far and are looking forward to warm sunshine and green grass.

But that's not here yet.

So for now, it's soccer. Soccer work. Like accounting, team-building, emailing etc. Which means that my afternoons of leisure here at home have come to an end. Which means I won't be blogging very much at all. Blogging is an off-season activity. Soccer is usually a May to September gig. But not for those who work behind the scenes. For us it's a January to October sorta gig.

That's what's been happening here. I'll still check my fave blogs to read but I just wanted to let you know that I won't be around for a bit.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Tis the season...

This weekend we were planning on having friends over both Friday night and Saturday night for dinner. I was very excited to plan a menu with some of the new recipes I've been making of late.

Friday night we were having French Onion Soup, then a mixed greens salad with toasted pecans, goat cheese and a homemade sweet onion dressing. We were also having Flank Steak with Red Wine Garlic sauce and baby potatoes glazed with butter and herbs. For dessert, it was Perfect Butter and Lemon Poundcake with homemade lemon icecream with fresh raspberry drizzle. YUM!

Saturday night was Julia Child's own Beef Bourguinon with garlic mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, homemade rosemary buns and French Silk Pie for dessert. Double YUM!

But not now. Nope. Notice that I said 'was excited'. My. Kids. Are. Puking.

So plans change. Sadly, a lot of the work is done. Pecans are toasted. French Onion Soup is started. Sweet onion dressing is made. Raspberry drizzle -- ready to go. Steak ~ marinating as I type. French silk pie shell -- complete. I'm disappointed.

Tonight my daughter and I went out for girls night. We were just walking into the restaurant of her choice when my cell phone rang. (dang those things.) "MOM! Jack just puked all over the couch and Dad's not home yet." Thankfully, Daddy was just around the corner and was home in 30 seconds. My wonderful tough and rugged man did not call me home but told us to enjoy our evening. What a keeper.
We came home about 8 pm and not 20 minutes after I got in the door, sons #1 and #2 start heaving over the toilet. Nasty. And I had made them spaghetti for dinner. Double nasty. May be even triple nasty.

So....no guests this weekend. No fancy meals. Just crackers, gingerale and Lysol.

I guess it's flu season -- at least it is here.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Let it flow...

Sorry I haven't blogged for a bit. We were away last weekend with my whole side of the family at this great indoor waterpark in Michigan. It was very nice, quite new, and a whole lot of fun for all of us. It had two big waterslides, a tiny pool for little guys, several mini waterslides, and a lazy river.

My fave was the lazy river. I just floated along on a tube with my 8 month old son sitting in my lap. It was wonderful. Until my four other children would sneak up on me and attack. Thankfully they never dumped me out of my tube -- baby boy was insurance that that was not going to happen. There are 18 of us on my side of the family ~ so picture 18 of use trying to go down the "lazy" (read: wild crazy laughter, splashing and screeching) river together -- holding on to one another's tubes without letting go. The poor lifeguards were NOT nearly as thrilled as we were by our fun.

After eating out for several meals, I did not feel so good. I'm not complaining 'cause I did it to myself. Who can resist the homemade buns and sweet butter at the Lone Star Saloon restaurant? And who, pray-tell, can resist the warm garlic bread sticks and salad at Olive Garden? It's just not possible. So while I may have burned a host of calories splashing, swimming and playing at Splash Universe, I probably gained every single one of them back (plus more!) with the meals we devoured. Swimming makes ya hungry!!

Now that we're back home and into the regular swing of things, my eight month old sweetie has decided to cut another tooth. This child could NOT possibly drool any more than he already is. My sweet husband wanted to buy him a neoprene pair of jammies! It pours out his mouth. It got so bad tonight, we made him look like a little cowboy by tying a Bounty papertowel around his neck like a little necker-chief. Cute, durable and quite absorbent.

That's life here....hope yours is a bit more...dry.