Because why

Anytime I ask Baby D, "Why did you do this," his answer is always to shrug his shoulders and say, "Because why."

"We're having a nice dinner!"

So, I busted my ass for 10 days, cooking 3 meals a day for roughly 9 people. Don't let me fool you, I really liked doing it! I love to feed people; especially when they like it.

However, my kids basically complained the entire time and didn't eat a thing. Baby D and Baby R ran screaming from the dinner table, and even yelled "Yuck!" and "Gross!" quite a few times. Nice, huh?

However, since our guests left we've eaten takeout 3 times in a row. And at each meal, my darling Baby D says, "We're having a nice dinner!" Dinners of takeout pizza, Taco Bell, and Chinese food.

The hubby even told me tonight, "You make great food. It just isn't stuff I like."

Unrefined palettes, folks.

Holiday menus

Good morning!

I've been laboring over this crazy menu for the past 3 days. We are having guests for the holidays and it is always so hard to meet everyone's wants/needs/likes for food - especially during the holidays.

But, I think I've done it. Yay!

I used a variety of food blogs, cookbooks, and old-standbys. See menus below...and if you have any new ones to share, please do! I love new recipes!

Sunday, Dec. 19^th

D – French onion soup

Monday, Dec. 20^th

B – Eggs, turkey bacon

L – potato leek soup, cheese, crackers

D – Chicken parmesan, steamed broccoli, lime yogurt cake w/blackberry sauce

Tuesday, Dec. 21^st

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – cheese quesadillas, refried beans, sour cream, salsa

D – Ground lamb burgers, yogurt, baked chipotle sweet potato fries

Wednesday, Dec. 22^nd

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – corned beef and baby swiss sandwiches, chips, carrot sticks

D – vegetable lasagna, roasted mushrooms, salad, garlic bread

Thursday, Dec. 23^rd

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L - leftovers

D – Roasted thyme and lemon chicken, salad, homemade croutons, jello mold

Friday, Dec. 24^th

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – cilantro chicken salad (hollowed out tomatoes), crackers, chips

D – ham, creamy cauliflower, vanilla roasted pears

Saturday, Dec. 25^th

B – Crème brulee French toast

L – tuna sandwiches, chips, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks/slices

D – croque monsieurs, pumpkin pie dip, apples

Sunday, Dec. 26^th

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – brazilian black beans with rice

D – roasted stuffed acorn squash, everyday chocolate cake

Monday, Dec. 27^th

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L - leftovers

D – Greek meatballs, tzatziki (sauce)

Tuesday, Dec. 28^th

B – eggs, bacon

L - leftovers

D – Filipino adobo chicken, rice,

The time of year for birthdays

Okay, I haven't posted in the longest time. I have so much to talk about...recent family losses, new job, selling our house, etc.

But, I'm really not emotionally prepared to talk about any of those things :)

Instead, I'll talk about what I'm going to get the boys for their birthdays.

Baby R turns 4 on November 13th. I bought him a leather jacket from Target - he wanted a "brown jacket." He's such a little fashionista! I am also buying him "Shark in the Dark." They listen to this at school and he recites it at home (scary voice and all!). Unfortunately, the audio CD isn't available anymore through amazon. Darn it!

Baby D turns 2 on October 29th and I'm torn between books and toys for him. He really loves books so that seems like the better plan!  I'm going to keep searching for him.

My other item - for me and others! - is that I need to buy empty bottles with screw tops or corks. I'm making limoncello and orangecello in the basement. And I need to bottle it, with a simple syrup, and give them away as gifts this Christmas. I'm so excited about these!

There is one missing

Lately, I'm constantly looking around for my 4th baby. I get everyone to the dinner table (including Baby A) and I look around like, "Okay, where's the other one?"

It is so odd. And I get this feeling ALL THE TIME now. Which is making things difficult for me since I've basically decided that we will stop with 3 babies.

Please note that this is a very recent decision; made mostly after trying to heal from Baby A's birth. It was apparently more than I could take :)

But, seriously...I keep thinking there is someone missing. When we are loading up the car, I look for the 4th child. When I am putting the kids to sleep at night, I look for this 4th baby.

I don't know if I really want a 4th baby and this is my subconscious kicking in. Or, if I just have so many kids now that my mind is playing tricks on me :)

Either way, it is the oddest sensation/feeling to look at my 3 babies and say, "Wait, where did the other one go?"

I want to get in trouble

Okay, so I've always been the good girl. I was always home by curfew (really I only went out a handful of times), I never smoked cigarettes...I was kinda dweeby!

But, now I'm almost 32...and I wanna do something bad. I want to get in trouble!!!

I want to jump into my shopping cart at the supermarket and sail down the aisles. I want to stand up and sing a dirty song in the middle of a meeting. I want to sneak candy into a movie theatre...just because they say I can't. I want to cut the tags off my mattress. I want to eat raw cookie dough; lots of it!

I want to have a drink before 5pm. I want to eat dessert before dinner, and sometimes I want to tell the kids, "Forget those veggies. Let's have banana splits!"

I want to walk around in 4-inch heels and refer to them as my "hooker shoes." I want to ALWAYS cut the crusts from my PB&Js...and be proud of it!

I want to put a huge layer of butter on my toast in the mornings, and grin while I eat it because I know how bad it is for me.

I want to give crude comebacks to evil people. "Suck it!"

What is going on??? I've never been like this before.

Maybe I'm just happy. :)

Poptarts and Paris

This weekend, Baby R had some great one-liners for us; particularly me.

After one of his naps this weekend, he came in to sit beside of me on my bed. He snuggled up to my side and rested for a few moments. Then, we had the following conversation:

Baby R: "Do you have your hair in a ponytail?"

Me: "Um, yeah."

Baby R: "Put it down now! You know I don't like your hair in ponytails, Mommy!"

Me: "Okay, crazy boy."

After a few more moments...

Me: "Is this better?"

Baby R: "Yeah, but now let me smell your hair."

After sniffing my hair, he looks at me suspiciously...

Me: "Well, what does my hair smell like?"

Baby R: "Your hair smells like poptarts."

And then he gives me the cheesiest grin ever!

The 2nd situation came when we were watching Ratatouille for the 8,000th time. I looked at Baby R and said, "When you get bigger will you take Mommy to Paris, France?"

Baby R: "No way!"

Me: "Why not?"

Baby R: "Because I don't want to go."

After a few moments of serious thinking on his part...

Baby R: "Daddy and I will drop you off at Paris and then come back and pick you up."