Happy Birthday Michon!

We hope you have a fantastic day and Birthday weekend!

Cupid...where are you?!

Valentine's Day...crazy holiday of racing around...as I like to call it. I know, I know...it's about love! Maybe it's just that we have had a crazy two weeks and believe me, it's not been "fun crazy". Everyone in the family has been sick with a nasty virus...it's been going on for two weeks now...the kids were out of daycare for 5 days! EEK! Of course, Superstar Mom that I am...did not get it! What's even more amazing is that my kids coughed right in my face no less then 100 times and I STILL didn't get it! Believe me, I am grateful...but this is why sick sympathy is not my strong point as my very good friends know. When boys of all ages (and I do mean, all ages) are sick...they are pitiful and they whine. It's just a fact of life and I am learning to accept it. It doesn't help my lack of sympathy though! Anyway...so, we are trying to get back to normal this week and here comes Valentine's Day...it just snuck up on me! I realized on Wednesday that I needed to make cupcakes, address cards for the kids classmates and get something for Jon! Needless to say, I had to cut out Jon's gift and tell him to go ahead to Home Depot to buy something and I just wouldn't say anything when the money came ouf of the account. He said, "That's fine, because I didn't get you anything either." So, that's our attitude this Valentine's day...there's always next year. All that matters is that the kids had fun anyway and they did!

Cauliflower is just plain stinky!

Ok...it's been so long since I have blogged anything for a variety of reasons (which you will eventually hear about)...but I've lost all my momentum about why my house smells like cauliflower...especially, since all the other odors in my house have taken back over and choked the cauliflower down. I know it is, however, still stirring in the far corners of my house only to rear it's ugly head when we have a party or the type of people over that make me actually care about the smell of my house! Anyway, so, I'll try to get back on task with this particular subject. A friend told me about the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld...it's basically a cookbook to teach you how to trick your kids into eating vegetables...it's really not a "trick"...you pretty much just puree the veggies and match them to the color food you are making...for instance, you would put in a half cup of pureed cauliflower into say...mac and cheese...they are none the wiser. The big catch here is that there is ALOT of prep work that needs to be done...unless of course, you are the person that happens to have fresh veggies of all types in your refrigerator at all times. Which is not us....when I go out on limb and decide we need to cook vegetables...they are usually found underneath a half eaten plate of chicken nuggets...and let's just say...they've been there a WHILE and usually unopened. I mean, my kids don't like vegetables because we don't really eat a lot of cooked vegetables...salad, all day long...but mushed up carrots...not for me. Could be those long hours I spent after dinner sitting alone at the kitchen table after everyone but my father had gone to bed...just staring at my now cold, wilted greenbean...defiant as ever, refusing to eat a single nibble. I pretty much would wear my Dad down and he would send me off to bed only to do it all over again the next night. Try as they might, my pallat was never "properly trained" when it comes to vegetables.
This would be the reason I must "trick" my kids into eating vegetables...not to mention it's added work, because I am certainly not eating anything with pureed cauliflower in it, so now I have to make two meals. Anyway...so, I get all the stuff I need and start "mad scientist" like pureeing the veggies until all hours of the night. It was kinda fun! However, once I was done...my house wreaked...because you also have to either steam or roast the vegetables before pureeing. (Quick tip if you buy this book...get a steamer, don't rely on yourself and a saucepan to get the job done). Needless to say, I burnt the cauliflower...which leads to the real reason that kids don't eat vegetables...they are just plain stinky!

Cheers to the Circus!

I'm sure you are all on pins and needles waiting to hear about our circus adventures!

Let's just let some of the pictures speak for themselves...

Preshow...a little stressful, but we did not let it faze us!

At the sight of the first elephant, he came right out of it! It was fantastic!

We really did have so much fun...both Jake and Luke were fantastic. We had perfect seats...we were far enough away from the clowns and close enough to see what was going on. It really could not have been better...I am so glad we did it!

Very short commentary on the unbelievably high cost of the food (yet another clue that I am getting older). Jon went out to get some drinks...I texted him quickly and asked him to get some cotton candy...after a few minutes the only response I got was "NO!" I was a little irritated, but figured I would see what he came back with...let's just say when he got back he had the look of complete astonishment on his face..."They wanted $12 for cotton candy!" It was shocking to say the least, now, I probably would have gone ahead and purchased as it's the circus and it's once a year...but since he was there, obviously, I couldn't...(sorry Jon, it's just the truth)...regardless, $12.00 for air, sugar and a cardboard stick...ridiculous!

Enough of that...we will definitely be going back no matter what the cost and we can't wait for Henry to see it all...he was missed! Thanks to Mer for watching the littler booger. Definitely getting floor tickets next year along with the Stickels!

Stay tuned for "Why my entire house smells like cauliflower!...yuck!"