A Mom Thing

A brain bowler and bubble blower go to school...

Sounds like the beginning of a great joke. Or wicked word problem, right?

It was recently Catholic Schools Week at the kids' school.  There were all sorts of celebrations and appreciations.  All week long.  I'm convinced it's all in part to keep us parents on our proverbial toes and the refrigerator calendars absolutely chock-full-of-notes and reminders.

Anyway...drumroll please!

Daughter was selected to participate in the "Brain Bowl" and Middle Guy was selected to participate in the "Bubblegum Blowing" contest. (Pretty funny profiling, eh?).   Neither won, but both did their mama proud!

Family Projects, Anyone?

 

Happy Chinese New Year!  Don't you love those family projects!?

The challenge of Lenten Promises

My kids "do" Lent.  They have for the past couple of years (with varying degrees of success).

So the conversations have started about "what to give up" for Lent.  (It starts officially today and goes til Easter. Yes, 40(ish) days ...

Daughter is (by far) the best at Lent.  She usually gives up junk food. And it's A-MAZING. She REALLY gives it up.  Furreal. 

So ... drumroll.  Little Guy is giving up complaining at dinner and bedtime (his first choice was giving up church!!?).  Middle Guy is giving up the wheel of want (HIS first choice was giving up his favorite pair of pants??!). 

I'm torn...do I give up chocolate, diet coke, vodka or wine?  Hmmm. So many vices...

Do you beat your meat?

Ok - now get your mind OUTA' the gutter!  I'm talking CULINARY here.

Do you beat / pound your meat?  I have heard it makes the meat more tender. We've started it with chicken a lot lately.  I love how tender it makes the chicken.  I like that the top gets a little crusty (Little Guy actually thought it was bacon). I love how it stretches one half a chicken breast to feed three people?

Our basic recipe is salt, pepper, thyme, celery salt and a little dusting of something (H used flour, I used polenta). Then sear it up in a grill pan on the stovetop. YUM.  The other night I did one half a chicken breast then diced it into some penne a la vodka.  A crowd-pleaser.

Soldier Boy?

Sometimes, somedays...I just feel...so...white.

That's really the only way to put it. I try to be a "cosmopolitan city mom" ... but sometimes ... sometimes ... well, I'm just not.

Middle Guy was very excited this past Summer to learn Hip Hop music at camp.  His FAVE was a song called "soldier boy."  It had some creative, weird shuffle-like dance attached to it. 

He still talks about it.

Fast-forward to December. Santa brought Middle and Little Guy iPod Shuffles for Christmas.  Mom and Dad supplemented with an iTunes card.  FINALLY (what month is it ... February??) I got around to loading the card onto the iTunes. I KNEW Middle Guy REALLY wanted "soldier boy" so I searched for it on iTunes.  Hmm.  Couldn't find it.  Something by Elvis? Ummm.  Nooo  -- don't think so?

I asked Middle Guy after school that day to look up his "soldier boy" song on YouTube and let me know the name of the "artist." 

A few minutes later, he comes out of the room and spells, "Mom, it's SOULJA BOY not SOLDIER BOY!!"

Um. Uh. Yeah. Of course. I knew that.

Hot Chocolate!

 

 

At the reco of a bloggy friend we went to HOT CHOCOLATE for our (11th) anniversary dinner last night.

Side note:  Little Guy was TORMENTED by the fact that we were going to a restaurant called "hot chocolate" without him... and the marshmallow in the proverbial mug was that we were going with HIS godparents.  Hot cocoa, his godparents...not him.  Brutal sip of reality for Little Guy.

IT WAS AWESOME.  Known for their desserts, the menu looked great for apps and entrees, too.  One of those menus you just want to lick while reading it.

We CHOWED.  It was so good. I wanted to ask for "yoga pants with my double decaf espresso" but I wasn't sure the waitress would "get it."

SO SO FUN. We will definitely be back (but order less). And we might even bring the kids for afternoon cocoa sometime. Maybe.

Completing the trifecta of winter sports...

 

 

We went sledding today.  First skating.  Then skiing. Today, sledding.

Let's just say we are leaning into the evil curve of Winter.  The groundhog said six more weeks...we're going for it. 

Ski Trip Pics

So. The Big Family Ski Trip. 

Apparently, many of you were QUITE AMUSED by my "top ten things" list.  Well, here are some photos ... unfortunately I didn't get any of folks on skis (or boards) ... but it's gooder than nothing, right?

 

 

 

Starry, Starry Night?

The other night in Taos, I saw stars like I have NEVER seen before.  H rushed us all outside as if there was a lunar eclipse or something incredible.  We even roused the kids barefoot and pajama'd.

Incredible it was. At least for these city dwellers.The sky was literally littered with spots of light. As if someONE had just sown the bright seeds into the black sky.  The dippers were larger than life.  The smallest stars looked like the "bright ones" from home. It all made you feel so small. So curious.  So wondrous of the bigger plan to life.

Every once in awhile I think it's good to "feel small" ... to appreciate your "smallness" and embrace the incredible-ness of life on Earth.  

Here's to that.

Top Ten Things I've Learned...

I feel like writing. But too distracted.  Not done taking photos yet so don't want to down/upload yet. 

So - compromise -- here's a quick start of some top 10 things I've learned on our family ski trip this week:

1. Kids learn how to ski (or board) fast. Really fast.  Faster than us old-folks. They are fear-less (and a lot closer to the ground).
   

2. I hate being out of control. I need to learn to fall safely. (Metaphor intended).

3. I love the physical activity vacations. Instead of just being tired, you feel WORTHY of being tired.

4. Husbands should not teach wives to ski. Ever. (Longer story. Other time.)

5. Learning something new takes humility. And a total loss of ego.

6. Retail therapy helps everything (yes.  new coat, hat and leggings. yes, needed it that badly).

7. A nice vodka/soda or glass of wine helps, too.

8. Advil is my friend.

9. Sometimes after you've looked (felt) like an a**hole idiot for 3 days, it helps to at least LOOK cute on the slopes.

10. When/if you get the "dreaded call" from the kids ski school that one of your kids has had an "off slope wipeout,, and is ok but done for the day" don't freak out.  Just get there fast, give some love, chili dogs and promise a new hat.