I'm HUNGRY!!!!

Just bear with me for a second....I'm so hungry....but my mouth/teeth hurt too much to eat anything substantial. You can only eat so many smoothies, bowls of pudding and soup....I'm so ready for something substantial....something that I can crunch and chew....crum, I'd be happy with a piece of toast, but even that is a pain, literally. Last night I was taking graham crackers in little pieces and sucking on them until soft....just because I wanted something like a cracker....it was sorta gross.

Why did post about the lettuce wraps? I can't bite into one, so I decide to torture myself?! I guess I can just do the rice version...

If any of you have a good idea for something soft, yet substantial and filling I could try, throw it at me. In comment form, you Smart Alecs!

Unless you really want to come over, make something, and throw it at me...I'll try to catch it and not complain about the mess! ;)

Try this...it's NUMMY!

This was taken from my mom's ward cookbook(the best cookbooks around), so the credit goes to Kathy Hill(one of my favorite people) for this recipe...I made rice to go with it as well, and the kids liked the chicken and stuff mixed in rice and noodles instead of in the lettuce...this is not a copy of PF Changs wraps, but is so yummy and fresh, who cares?! :)

Lettuce Wraps

Boneless chicken breasts (I got a Costco rotisserie chicken and just shredded one of the breasts)
Shredded carrots
cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, remove seeds, then cut into half moon shapes
Saimin udon noodles or Somen noodles (oriental spaghetti product--not an egg noodle)
Hoisin sauce thinned with a little water for easier pouring
sesame seeds, I used toasted
Butter lettuce, cleaned and crisp (I used Iceberg)
chopped peanuts

Heat grill. Cook Saimin noodles per package instructions. Place chicken in large ziplock with olive oil to lightly coat. Place chicken on grill and sprinkle lightly with lemon pepper. Grill on med. til done. Slice chicken thinly, set aside. (Or cheat and shred your rotisserie chicken!) While chicken is cooking, slice veggies and prepare sauce. Layer a lettuce leaf, chicken, cucumber carrots, noodles, sauce peanuts and sesame seeds. These are eaten with your hands, kinda messy! But so nummy...

Wouldn't it be SO FUN...

to ride this wave down the Colorado?!



If you don't want to bother watching the video, scientists are "flooding" the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon for the next 60 hours. They will be studying the deposition of sand, to create bigger and better sand bars for plants and wildlife, also studying the aftereffects of the flooding on fish, hoping the almost extinct chub will get some needed help in trying to survive by creating better areas for breeding and incubation...did you know that since the building of Glen Canyon dam that FOUR species of fish became extinct?! I know...I'm sounding like an environmentalist tree-hugger with that...but I find it somewhat interesting....was this dam a good thing, or not?

It would be fun to run this river right about now....some rapids would become non-existent, while some would become out of this world....I'm betting they aren't allowing too many recreational river permits this week though...dumb bureaucrats! Or as my brother would say....the National Park Circus...

It will be interesting to see what they find out, and if scheduled flooding of the Grand Canyon will be found beneficial.

If any of you even get the chance to explore this canyon on a raft, DO IT! I spent an incredible week experiencing this and it was beyond words. I can't wait until my little kids are teens and we can go together.

ow. ow... OW!

Well....another thing check off of the orthodontia "to do" list. I got my bottom brackets on today. So now I need to head to the store to stock up on soft foods...pudding, jello, assorted soups, and, of course, ice cream....that's what you do when something is sore right? Put ICE (cream) on it?!

Ouch. No pictures though.....it isn't that interesting!

oh. my. hellie.

In the past two weeks, my sweet little princess Ellie-belle has become little miss hell-on-wheels. I used to be able to watch her toddle on down the hall and know that she was just going to her room, or Jared's room to play nicely and entertain herself. Now I chase her when she heads down the hall because I know she's just heading for trouble!

In the past week and a half, she has:

• emptied her diaper wipes all over the room.
• used everyones toothbrushes, including Nicole's strep throat infested one.
• pulled out a roll of dental floss.
• eaten toothpaste...numerous times.
• stolen the water spray bottle (for doing hair) and sprayed Nicole's bed, and all her toys...I think she was cleaning them.
  
• colored on the cabinets with red and pink colored pencils.
• tried on all my shoes and taken them to various places through the house.
• broken Ron's reading glasses by trying to see exactly how far the ear pieces will stretch.
• climbed on the dining room table...numerous times.
• gotten into the pantry a bazillion times, despite the "childproof" door knob thingy for various snacks.
  
• pulled the DVD's out of the player in our bedroom.
• painted herself with my makeup...I need to buy more concealer now.
• attempted to apply mascara on herself. See photo below.
  
• gotten into my perfume. Thankfully she couldn't figure out how to open it.
• gotten Ron's hair trimming scissors from the drawer and CUT HER OWN HAIR! Luckily it wasn't too short and it blends into her bangs.
• RAN away WITH above SCISSORS when I was trying to get them from her.

Obviously, she's been busy. And I'm tired....and thinking of getting her a cage. Isn't two fantastic?!

MARCH!

Wow. It's already March. I'm trying to figure out if it's coming in like a lion or lamb today. It's really warm right now (53 degrees?!) but a bit windy and there's a rainstorm that'll turn into snow by tonight coming in. So I guess that I'll call it a lion day...of course, we'll have to wait 30 more days to really see what happens! I was going to go wash the car....but I'm thinking, why bother, it's going to rain? It needs to be vacuumed so badly though, and I hate using my home vacuum to do it...cause I don't much care what I suck up into the carwash ones....rocks, loose change, plastic bags, cereal and chip crumbs...you name it! But I don't like to abuse my home vacuum in such a way.

Update on my week:

Jared is better.

I was right about Nicole with the strep diagnosis, so she's on abx and on the mend.

Spelling Bee happened. My mom came and I went for about 30 minutes to get it set up and running, then came home. I guess they had a couple little blips with letting kids restart spelling of words, and a misheard word, but it's over and we have a winner. For the second year in a row though, we had a parent come gripe to the judges about how it was run, and heard from another about the parents in the back saying we weren't doing the bee correctly...whatever! If they can do it so much better, they can be my guest! I think I'll start out next year with a disclaimer that if you come to the judges after to complain about how it was run, that you are automatically signing up to be in charge of it next time. That'll shut 'em up. Not to mention: it's a spelling bee, people! Lighten UP!

Ron flew to Arizona early this morning. poop. We all wanted to try and stow away with him, just so we could go soak in some real warmth and sun. He's not having any fun though....he'll be in a hotel listening to focus groups for about 10 hours, and then they'll be picking the results apart, then back on a plane home...he only saw the sun this morning as he went to the hotel.

Well, time to get some Saturday chores and errands done. Hooray! Loads of fun for all.

An extra 24 whole hours!!!!

February 29th..Leap year!!! What a day! Beautiful, sunny, blue sky, snow melting....I even discovered the daffodils starting to pop up out of the ground.....SPRING is coming!

And the best....what I've been hoping for for a couple years...a whole extra day in my year! Where shall I begin.....mop the floors, get laundry done, organize a room...I have all these extra hours at my disposal.

Maybe I'll just sit and play with my kids....after we get back from taking Nicole to the doctor...I'm pretty sure she has strep again. Good thing we are getting those tonsils out.

Funny for today...well, sorta funny. I was out in the car this morning waiting for Riley to join me so I could take her to school. She took forever to come out, and when she did, she said, "Mom, I think Joey(the dog) isn't breathing...he didn't move when I pet him as I was leaving." I told her he was fine, because I was pretty sure I saw him move this morning as I went out to the car. (He is a pretty lazy dog, and spends many mornings just sleeping away in his kennel, so I wasn't concerned.) But then I asked her, "What did you want me to do if he was dead, go in and give him CPR?!" Of course she answered yes....I had to explain to her that there was no way on EARTH I would do mouth to mouth or CPR on a dog....even if I liked him. She was mad, tears were flowing....I told her I'd go right home and check on him. Which I did and OF COURSE he's fine...just lazy. I would never be so lucky....we'll end up having the amazing immortal dog that will never die. So I texted Riley and told her all was well in the world and the dog lives so she could focus on school.

Murphy's law....

What happens when you are in charge of something, that is sort of a big deal, and it is in the middle of the day, requiring someone else to take care of your children?

Said children get sick, of course. Fevers, puking, head ache, etc....

And then their mommy has a nervous breakdown.

Well, not really, because I have to keep it together enough to figure out the plan of action...which included calling all the main PC people...none of which can take over for me. So the plan right now is that my poor mother is still coming over to babysit the kids, and I'm telling them they can't sit all over her, or touch her,and telling her to be a hand-washing freak. Then we pray she doesn't get sick.

It's a spelling bee for crying out loud. Whoever can spell the most words right wins...I don't know why they need me anyway.

I want to go back to bed.

There...I'm done now. :)

I can spell cat, C-A-T.....

Anyone remember that song......but I can't spell hippopotamus!


This post is to celebrate the fact that as of tomorrow afternoon, I will be officially done with my duties as Academic Committee Chair, because the spelling bee is tomorrow! Hooray!

I'm ready to be done. I have more than my required hours, and I'm ready to not have something else to worry about completing.

What is unbelievable is that as I was back and forth into the resource room at school this morning, the parent council president asked me if I was going to be back as the chair next year...and I said "YES"?! Oh well. At least I have all the events under my belt now, and as an added benefit, I have all the paperwork, flyers, charts, etc. saved on my computer, so all I have to do next year is change dates, a few names, and hit print. I figure this is the easiest and guaranteed way to get my hours in.

Just wish me luck that the bee goes well....I hate the actual events and having to be in charge....will it go well, will my helpers show up, will it run too short...or worse, too long? ugh.

I just hope Jared has a better day. He pulled the "I don't feel good" card again when I dropped him off for preschool...but something about the look in his eye, and the fact that we could get him interested in something for a minute, but then the whining would start again made me take him home with me instead of making him stay...of course, since I was out of milk and bananas, I went to Costco before actually going home. Poor kid made it until the drive home before he lost his breakfast. I'm glad I paid attention to "that feeling" and didn't make him stay at school. But even more I hope it ends quickly...it isn't over yet though. I'm just so thankful for Noggin, PBS Sprout, Boomerang, and a little Cartoon Network...it is so great to have kid shows available 24 hours a day to help the sickie hours pass a little quicker for him.

Blast from the past...

First, onehm posted some.....then crazymama added....so I decided to play as well! Here are some of my favorite clips from childhood:

Who didn't love the Twiddle bugs?!


Remember this?


Then we have...


and last...


I lied...here's the last....for OneHM to show her night owl when he's up at 3:22 AM again!