Oh peer pressure.
It rears it's ugly head in first grade now apparently.
In the form of games where you and your friends are pretending to be a vampires or werewolves, a game which apparently involves pretending to bite victims and at least once leads to real biting and feeling REAL bad about it. Even if you weren't ever caught by the teacher, and no one was physically hurt by what you did.
Good to know that while #2 may not always make the right choices in the moment, she does hear what we say about what is ok and what is not and has true remorse for actions that she knows are not OK. Even better still that she feels safe enough to confess her less than stellar choices to her parents.
Maybe we are doing something right after all.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Because I try to be accomodating...
Since Ali asked here is the recipe for the Double Chocolate Cookies I referred to in my post a few days ago.
Double Chocolate Cookies
Recipe courtesy of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook
1 1/4 C. Butter, softenend
2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 TB pure vanilla extract
2 C. Flour
1 1/4 C. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 C. Ghirardelli Classic White Chips
Preheat oven to 300
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Fold in the white chips.
Drop the mixture onto baking sheets in 1-inch balls, 3 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes, let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. HA!
The cooling directions above are only useful if the cookies ACTUALLY MAKE IT IN TO THE OVEN. The dough is so damn tasty that it is hard to wait for them to bake.
Now we used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips, because here at Chez Us we firmly believe there is no such thing as too much chocolate.
I recommend a big ol' glass of milk to wash those babies down.
Enjoy!
Double Chocolate Cookies
Recipe courtesy of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook
1 1/4 C. Butter, softenend
2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 TB pure vanilla extract
2 C. Flour
1 1/4 C. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 C. Ghirardelli Classic White Chips
Preheat oven to 300
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Fold in the white chips.
Drop the mixture onto baking sheets in 1-inch balls, 3 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes, let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. HA!
The cooling directions above are only useful if the cookies ACTUALLY MAKE IT IN TO THE OVEN. The dough is so damn tasty that it is hard to wait for them to bake.
Now we used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips, because here at Chez Us we firmly believe there is no such thing as too much chocolate.
I recommend a big ol' glass of milk to wash those babies down.
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
This may be TMI/Please send good and patient thoughts my way
Stats:
#1 and friend sleep time: Between 10-11 PM
#1 typical sleep time: 9:00
#1 and friend wake up time: 5:40 AM! FRICK!
#2 typical wake up time: 7:00
#2 and friend sleep time: As yet undetermined, but likely it was late.
#2 and friend wake up time: As yet undetermined, but again likely it was early.
Mother Stats
One raging case of PMS and Cramps.
Forecast for today:
Mostly Grumpy with a 50/50 chance of Heavy Meltdowns.
I bet BH stays at that Heroclix Tournament a Loooong Time today.
#1 and friend sleep time: Between 10-11 PM
#1 typical sleep time: 9:00
#1 and friend wake up time: 5:40 AM! FRICK!
#2 typical wake up time: 7:00
#2 and friend sleep time: As yet undetermined, but likely it was late.
#2 and friend wake up time: As yet undetermined, but again likely it was early.
Mother Stats
One raging case of PMS and Cramps.
Forecast for today:
Mostly Grumpy with a 50/50 chance of Heavy Meltdowns.
I bet BH stays at that Heroclix Tournament a Loooong Time today.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Portion Control
Uff!
Tonight we are the hosts of a sleepover for #1 and her best friend. So I thawed out some DELICIOUS double chocolate chip cookie dough that I made a couple of weeks ago and baked a pan of cookies for a bed time snack.
These cookies are very rich as I am sure you can imagine. One should and really does suffice. But you see when it comes to things in the sugary food group I can not seem to stop at one. I must have three cookies with a milk chaser. Then of course my stomach is uncomfortably full, and I berate myself because I knew that this would happen. Apparently I don't learn from previous mistakes in this area. I probably need rehab or something.
#2 is experiencing a milestone today...her first time to sleep over at a friend's house. We have been planning this for at least two weeks and endured the daily countdown (I would talk about #2's method of counting down days to anticipated events that somehow manages to shave 2-3 days off the actual number, but it is complicated and I am not sure I understand it. Perhaps she can guest blog for me and discuss.) We have also endured the back and forth between being very excited to the very apprehensive. #2 has some anxious leanings. I don't know WHERE she gets that from!
Hmmm...other news. #1 was selected to participate in the spelling bee today at school. She made it through the first round and then was downed by the word federal. Left out that 2nd e. Bummer. They ran it like a real spelling bee too. Up in front of a crowd with microphones. A little nerve wracking for #1 who is not fond of anything that resembles a performance in front of a crowd. She said that she only did it for the "fun of spelling." Can't argue with that.
Well, I should probably go through the long and arduous process of getting two 10 year olds settled down to sleep. Although I must say that I doubt that it will seem as long and arduous as my afternoon is likely to be tomorrow when I have to deal with the post sleep over hangover ALL BY MYSELF WHILE SOME PEOPLE GO AND PLAY HEROCLIX AT A LOCATION THAT IS NOT THE HOUSE WHERE OVER TIRED AND GRUMPY CHILDREN RULE THE EARTH.
Not that I am bothered by it or anything.
Tonight we are the hosts of a sleepover for #1 and her best friend. So I thawed out some DELICIOUS double chocolate chip cookie dough that I made a couple of weeks ago and baked a pan of cookies for a bed time snack.
These cookies are very rich as I am sure you can imagine. One should and really does suffice. But you see when it comes to things in the sugary food group I can not seem to stop at one. I must have three cookies with a milk chaser. Then of course my stomach is uncomfortably full, and I berate myself because I knew that this would happen. Apparently I don't learn from previous mistakes in this area. I probably need rehab or something.
#2 is experiencing a milestone today...her first time to sleep over at a friend's house. We have been planning this for at least two weeks and endured the daily countdown (I would talk about #2's method of counting down days to anticipated events that somehow manages to shave 2-3 days off the actual number, but it is complicated and I am not sure I understand it. Perhaps she can guest blog for me and discuss.) We have also endured the back and forth between being very excited to the very apprehensive. #2 has some anxious leanings. I don't know WHERE she gets that from!
Hmmm...other news. #1 was selected to participate in the spelling bee today at school. She made it through the first round and then was downed by the word federal. Left out that 2nd e. Bummer. They ran it like a real spelling bee too. Up in front of a crowd with microphones. A little nerve wracking for #1 who is not fond of anything that resembles a performance in front of a crowd. She said that she only did it for the "fun of spelling." Can't argue with that.
Well, I should probably go through the long and arduous process of getting two 10 year olds settled down to sleep. Although I must say that I doubt that it will seem as long and arduous as my afternoon is likely to be tomorrow when I have to deal with the post sleep over hangover ALL BY MYSELF WHILE SOME PEOPLE GO AND PLAY HEROCLIX AT A LOCATION THAT IS NOT THE HOUSE WHERE OVER TIRED AND GRUMPY CHILDREN RULE THE EARTH.
Not that I am bothered by it or anything.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I can't believe I missed it!
Today was National Pie Day!
I consumed no pie! I didn't know! No one told me!
This is an outrage.
I will definitely be making up for this lapse tomorrow.
MMMMmmmmm.....pie.
I consumed no pie! I didn't know! No one told me!
This is an outrage.
I will definitely be making up for this lapse tomorrow.
MMMMmmmmm.....pie.
Now available in Arabic, Hebrew and Persian!
Apparently those are the three new languages that can be found on blogger now.
As I speak none of them, you won't find me using them here. I am glad to know they are available should I suddenly become fluent.
Unfortunately for me the only language I speak fluently is English. Sort of.
If I could choose another language to speak fluently it would have to be Spanish.
Man.... in my field I could just about name my salary if I could speak Spanish.
But I don't, so other people must name my salary for me which is really too bad because who better than I knows what me am worth?
Speaking of my field I have been at my current job for just shy of TWO WHOLE YEARS.
That is almost a record. I believe my record at a job to date is two and a half years.
I am pretty content with what I am doing right now, and not really looking to change. This is a very new experience for me. It might surprise you to hear that I have had some difficulty achieving job satisfaction. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I spent a hell of a lot of time doing things that were not what I spent two point five years of blood, sweat, tears, and a shitload of money at graduate school to become.
This particular job happens to be just what I envisioned when I was in graduate school. It only took me 8 years post graduate school to get there. That 8 year journey is a long story to be sure.
Maybe I will tell it tomorrow.
So...the way I figure it, if you look at my time at this job in terms of what I have called Missy Job Time (MJT) I have actually been working there what would be the equivalent of 10 years of regular non job jumping person time. (NJJPT).
I think that means I am entitled to all the perks of someone who has been employed at agency for 10 years don't you? The vacation accrual increase and back pay for raises that I would have been entitled to will suffice. OR I would settle for being paid at my current rate, if they will allow me to work 30 hours a week instead of 40. I am reasonable and flexible.
What I will get definitely once I reach the 2 year mark? I will accrue more vacation time (three and half weeks a year) AND....AND....a plant.
I have never gotten a plant from my job before. Yet another new experience!
Longevity Rocks!
As I speak none of them, you won't find me using them here. I am glad to know they are available should I suddenly become fluent.
Unfortunately for me the only language I speak fluently is English. Sort of.
If I could choose another language to speak fluently it would have to be Spanish.
Man.... in my field I could just about name my salary if I could speak Spanish.
But I don't, so other people must name my salary for me which is really too bad because who better than I knows what me am worth?
Speaking of my field I have been at my current job for just shy of TWO WHOLE YEARS.
That is almost a record. I believe my record at a job to date is two and a half years.
I am pretty content with what I am doing right now, and not really looking to change. This is a very new experience for me. It might surprise you to hear that I have had some difficulty achieving job satisfaction. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I spent a hell of a lot of time doing things that were not what I spent two point five years of blood, sweat, tears, and a shitload of money at graduate school to become.
This particular job happens to be just what I envisioned when I was in graduate school. It only took me 8 years post graduate school to get there. That 8 year journey is a long story to be sure.
Maybe I will tell it tomorrow.
So...the way I figure it, if you look at my time at this job in terms of what I have called Missy Job Time (MJT) I have actually been working there what would be the equivalent of 10 years of regular non job jumping person time. (NJJPT).
I think that means I am entitled to all the perks of someone who has been employed at agency for 10 years don't you? The vacation accrual increase and back pay for raises that I would have been entitled to will suffice. OR I would settle for being paid at my current rate, if they will allow me to work 30 hours a week instead of 40. I am reasonable and flexible.
What I will get definitely once I reach the 2 year mark? I will accrue more vacation time (three and half weeks a year) AND....AND....a plant.
I have never gotten a plant from my job before. Yet another new experience!
Longevity Rocks!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hmmm I should write something
Thanks to those who commented on my last sad poor pitiful me post. It was appreciated.
I have come to the conclusion that we have far too many animals in this house.
Love the new kitty. Love her. She is cute and it is a good thing she is cute or she may have been dropped out of the third story window recently. Or thrown against the wall in the middle of the night when she decides that my face is a good plaything. Now that she is well we are seeing what a little ball of fire she is. No object is safe from play. Finally she is snoozing or it would take me 5 days to write this post for all of the stopping to get the cat off the keyboard. Because she must conquer the evil cursor. It must be stopped!
The dog could squash the kitty with one paw and has attempted to do just that. Apparently she is not amused by Mittens attempts to subdue her tail and ears. (She is a bassett hound if I haven't mentioned that before, and tiny kitty can NOT resist trying to get those long floppy ears.) So unless we want to play security guard, the kitten and the dog can not be out together at the same time without constant supervision. Can you guess how much fun that is? Since Kansas has recently adopted an artic climate we can not leave the dog out for long so it becomes a game of figuring out which animal deserves freedom.
Senior citizen kitty has hissed, growled, and slapped tiny kitty on numerous occasions and tiny kitty does not give a shit. She just stands there and goes for the tail again and again. Not sure if it is bravery or stupidity but she is not the least intimidated by Kalypso. And she can be one mean cat. She subdues and corners our dog that outweighs her by 36 pounds. She is a badass our senior lady.
Went to see Juno over the weekend. I give it high marks and strongly suggest you go see it if you can find the opportunity. Fun music too.
Hmm I think that is it. I am going to go lie down in my now complete Tempur-pedic bed. We got the base FINALLY on Friday. It is AMAZING. It adjusts at the head and foot. My personal favorite setting is zero gravity. So comfy. It has a massage feature. It is nice. However...our bedroom is on the second floor and we have wood floors. The mechanism that makes the whole bed massage is huge and it kind of sounds like a freight train. We put a rug and carpet pad under the bed and it has helped but it is still loud. BH can not stay awake in the bed any longer. He falls asleep within minutes of lying down. I think he has napped no less than twice a day since we got the base in. It is that comfy. So my official recommendation is get a tempur pedic mattress if you have the means. Totally worth the bend-over required to pay for it.
I have come to the conclusion that we have far too many animals in this house.
Love the new kitty. Love her. She is cute and it is a good thing she is cute or she may have been dropped out of the third story window recently. Or thrown against the wall in the middle of the night when she decides that my face is a good plaything. Now that she is well we are seeing what a little ball of fire she is. No object is safe from play. Finally she is snoozing or it would take me 5 days to write this post for all of the stopping to get the cat off the keyboard. Because she must conquer the evil cursor. It must be stopped!
The dog could squash the kitty with one paw and has attempted to do just that. Apparently she is not amused by Mittens attempts to subdue her tail and ears. (She is a bassett hound if I haven't mentioned that before, and tiny kitty can NOT resist trying to get those long floppy ears.) So unless we want to play security guard, the kitten and the dog can not be out together at the same time without constant supervision. Can you guess how much fun that is? Since Kansas has recently adopted an artic climate we can not leave the dog out for long so it becomes a game of figuring out which animal deserves freedom.
Senior citizen kitty has hissed, growled, and slapped tiny kitty on numerous occasions and tiny kitty does not give a shit. She just stands there and goes for the tail again and again. Not sure if it is bravery or stupidity but she is not the least intimidated by Kalypso. And she can be one mean cat. She subdues and corners our dog that outweighs her by 36 pounds. She is a badass our senior lady.
Went to see Juno over the weekend. I give it high marks and strongly suggest you go see it if you can find the opportunity. Fun music too.
Hmm I think that is it. I am going to go lie down in my now complete Tempur-pedic bed. We got the base FINALLY on Friday. It is AMAZING. It adjusts at the head and foot. My personal favorite setting is zero gravity. So comfy. It has a massage feature. It is nice. However...our bedroom is on the second floor and we have wood floors. The mechanism that makes the whole bed massage is huge and it kind of sounds like a freight train. We put a rug and carpet pad under the bed and it has helped but it is still loud. BH can not stay awake in the bed any longer. He falls asleep within minutes of lying down. I think he has napped no less than twice a day since we got the base in. It is that comfy. So my official recommendation is get a tempur pedic mattress if you have the means. Totally worth the bend-over required to pay for it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Validation
I once again seem to have hit a posting slump.
My creative juices such as they are have really slowed to a barely perceptible trickle. I have felt the drought coming on for some time now, and I think I have just about reached a critical stage. Cracks in the earth are visible. Vegetation has shriveled up.
I think the reasons are pretty clear when I really take the time to do some self analysis. Not much is happening for me outside of working and taking care of my family. My social life is pretty much at a standstill, and I haven't engaged in a creatively stimulating activity in......I truly cannot recall the last time.
The fault lies completely with me. Working full time at a job that is somewhat demanding, and everything that comes with taking care of two school age children, seems to take an awful lot out of me at the end of the day, and I just don't seem to have the wherewithall to do much else but numbly peruse the internet, read a non-thought provoking book, or mindlessly flip through TV channels once the children are in bed and taken care of for the day. I have some good intentions, but my follow through sucks. Then it becomes a matter of it having been so long since I have initiated a social and/or creative activity that it seems too daunting...as if I have forgotten how and can't figure out where to begin.
Anyway enough of that morose crap. Since the well is dry I am totally stealing from a fellow blogger Woman With a Hatchet and giving you a link that she had up on her blog today that (rather appropriately in relation to this post) gauges how tired you are.
My outcome. Not too surprising. I need to, "Wake Up Sleepyhead."
So therefore according to this little test, which surely is an acurate measure and totally believable I am officially tired.
Good night!
My creative juices such as they are have really slowed to a barely perceptible trickle. I have felt the drought coming on for some time now, and I think I have just about reached a critical stage. Cracks in the earth are visible. Vegetation has shriveled up.
I think the reasons are pretty clear when I really take the time to do some self analysis. Not much is happening for me outside of working and taking care of my family. My social life is pretty much at a standstill, and I haven't engaged in a creatively stimulating activity in......I truly cannot recall the last time.
The fault lies completely with me. Working full time at a job that is somewhat demanding, and everything that comes with taking care of two school age children, seems to take an awful lot out of me at the end of the day, and I just don't seem to have the wherewithall to do much else but numbly peruse the internet, read a non-thought provoking book, or mindlessly flip through TV channels once the children are in bed and taken care of for the day. I have some good intentions, but my follow through sucks. Then it becomes a matter of it having been so long since I have initiated a social and/or creative activity that it seems too daunting...as if I have forgotten how and can't figure out where to begin.
Anyway enough of that morose crap. Since the well is dry I am totally stealing from a fellow blogger Woman With a Hatchet and giving you a link that she had up on her blog today that (rather appropriately in relation to this post) gauges how tired you are.
My outcome. Not too surprising. I need to, "Wake Up Sleepyhead."
So therefore according to this little test, which surely is an acurate measure and totally believable I am officially tired.
Good night!
Monday, January 07, 2008
13 years and counting....
BH and I have o-ficially been hitched for 13 years as of today.
Wow. That seems like a big number when I see it in writing.
Now we are in the adolescence of our marriage.
So that means naughtiness and rebellion..right?
The good kind of naughtiness and rebellion of course!
Wow. That seems like a big number when I see it in writing.
Now we are in the adolescence of our marriage.
So that means naughtiness and rebellion..right?
The good kind of naughtiness and rebellion of course!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)