Colton for President

   I truly look forward to getting on my computer and blogging away each day. However when most of my day is spent arguing with a five year old, finding the time to devote to my blog is not always easy. Which is probably why after years of attempting to offer highlights of my hectic life, I am only now during the coldest winter ever finding the time! Not much else to do in -18 degrees and snowstorms! So back to Colton, the smartest five year old in world. That's right, no one knows as much as this little man.  He will correct you, tell you how it REALLY is and point out your parenting flaws. Take this morning for example. I woke up in excruciating back pain. I can not tell you what I did but taking the slightest breath hurt, so I hobbled upstairs and woke him up. From the get go I was forced to argue (which took all my strength and prescription strength Ibuprofen to do) about everything!


Smell That OLD SPICE

Me: "Colton please get in the shower, quickly, we need to hurry." Colton: "I already did last night."
Me: "No you didn't and you have school today, Dad is already in just go jump in with him."

This peaked his interest (any chance to spend a few more minutes with Daddy) so he went and "got in the shower", or so I thought. Twenty minutes later as I am feeding the baby and cringing in pain...
Me: "Colton why are you sitting naked behind the couch, why is your hair not wet?"
Colton: "I didn't want to get in with Dad. I'm quicker by myself."

In my head I am swearing up a storm. Finally, he got in and lathered his little body up with the man soap because he refuses to use the kid kind. So eventually I got my squeaky clean, old spice smelling, little guy out, thinking ok rough morning but we are past this!
Me: "Colton you can pick out any shirt hanging in your closet and wear your jeans with it, I'm going to pack your lunch."
Colton: "I don't want to wear jeans, they are not warm."
Me: "Really Colton? They aren't warm? Nice try, put the jeans on and you can pick any shirt hanging in the closet you want."

Finally, he came back down in a pair of Gabby's sweatpants and a hand me down t-shirt from a triathlon that I assure you we did not participate in! Oh and don't forget he accessorized, a Toledo Walleye hat turned backwards and Batman snowboots.
Me: "Colton that is not what we discussed, you look like a hoodrat."
Colton: "No I look cool."
Me: "Goooooooooooooo change!"


Vice President: Pete the Cat

So I continued to pack his lunch. A healthy lunch for those of you keeping tabs, trying to fulfill my New Years resolution and since his school has a microwave I take advantage of sending him a hot meal! So I put organic noodles and sauce in a container, a slice of wheat bread with butter, fruit, juice and a treat! All of Colton's favs but Colton knowing everything looked at the meal and said...
Colton: "I hate spaghetti, it takes too long to cook."
Me: "Its already cooked, they just need to warm it up and you love SPAGHETTI!"
Mind you whenever we eat out this is what he orders, the only thing if its on the menu and he requests it for dinner once a week!!!
Me: "Please just get your coat on we have to go. Your lunch is packed already."                                
Colton: "I want a pb&j rollup."

Me: "How about if you have that for breakfast?"                  
Colton: "Ok."
Me: "So you will eat the spaghetti for lunch, right?"
Colton: "Oh yeah I love it, its my favorite."
Me: In my head I am thinking WTH? Is this kid for real? A twenty minute argument over how he hated spaghetti only to end up saying he loved it??? What am I doing wrong as a parent!!!

So while everyone critiques the president and all he does/doesn't do wrong, I say just elect Colton. I mean he can debate the pants off any politician and he sure is demanding. He seems to always get his way and he's a pretty sharp dresser!

                                 COLTON DUNN FOR PRESIDENT 2016

This One's For the Teachers

   I'm a little late to the party today, but this morning was, in the words of my eight year old "Cray Cray"! Actually the craziness started when I heard the news last night that school was closed AGAIN or as a friend stated on FB, day #7,000 and I about lost it. Do not mistake this for whining about being stuck at home with my kids either. I am a stay at home Mom so I am used to that, however, I am also used to being able to get out of the house with them at least a few times a week for activities. Whether its helping at school, cheer practice, church or a playdate. With this winter we have barely left the house.


Another Snow Day!

My one big venture out two weeks ago was to Columbus for a shopping trip. Sure it was cold and there was a little snow on the ground, but by God I was not for all the rubies in the world going to miss out on that! So my Mom and I piled the kids in the van and took it slow. Slow may not be the word for it, it was more like a white knuckled, migraine inducing, saunter along US 23! I literally started smelling something and wondered what the foul odor was when I realized it was me sweating! I had full blown BO leaking out of the sides of my blouse. A new blouse by the way that was a lovely, teal silk with little gold buttons, the exact thing one would wear to rid them of the winter blues. I mean I was looking pretty snazzy all dressed up for my shopping spree until I lifted a pit at a rest stop and saw the sweat stains. Good lord, I hadn't sweat that much since I "attempted" to run track once in High School.


The Cheesecake Factory Columbus, OH

 Since that horrific drive, (in the end totally worth it since I got to eat at The Cheesecake Factory and have a piece of Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake) I have barely left the house.
   
   On days that I have managed to run an errand or two, it's so cold that when my body hits the frigid air I gasp and cough and contemplate calling the doctor to get an inhaler because I am convinced I am having asthma attacks. Probablyyyyyy NOT! Its just sooooooo cold that the air hits you like a freight train and knocks the wind out of you!!!

   Which brings me back to being snowed in yet again with the kids. It is frustrating a bit, enjoyable yes but very frustrating! Of course everyone is duking it out on Facebook and venting to their friends on the phone, "I love being home with the kids, its so nice why are people complaining?" or "I'm a teacher and I have been able to spend each day relaxing with the kiddos, bring on the snow days!" versus "These kids are driving me nuts, I can not wait till they go back to school." I get both opinions and fully feel for each side of the battle, but in the meantime while we wait to discover when we will return to a normal routine, my kids need socialization! I mean lets be serious, school isn't just about scholastics, its about learning how to socialize, making friends and exerting themselves through play at recess, gym and in other aspects of the classroom. I took my kids and a friend to the Dollar General today just to have something to do (keep in mind that there is not a whole lot close to our house and driving into the city is not an option) we bought balloons to make stress relievers, hair detangler, snacks and hangers so I can organize my closet. So $28.00 later plus a trip to McDonalds for lunch and they were still bouncing off the walls. I actually had to look at the cashier and apologize saying "can you tell we are going stir crazy, no school again" adding a cheesy smile and a thumbs up!

I'm not worried about going to school in summer, what's important is that the kids have enough time to soak up as much knowledge as they can. Heck... this Mom is an advocate for school all year round for so many reasons that I will leave it to another blog on another day. But I have to say I am a little excited to wake up to an alarm at 6:45 and spend twenty minutes yelling at the kids to get out of bed, argue with them on what they are wearing and have sticky morning hands from digging into the jelly jar while packing lunches! I promise I will not complain about having to get up and move their slow, little butts along anymore. Mother nature has slammed us with an important lesson this winter, appreciate your teachers!



 Gabby's Wonderful Teacher!

Family Drama (sigh)

   Well yesterday although my intent was to blog away, I was sidetracked with family issues. I never in 8 years of having FB have ever posted about personal family problems, but I snapped! You can judge me all you want but I know and you know that we have all been there. If you can name a family in America that is perfect I will give you $100 right now. I guarantee you can not. They may have the appearance of perfection, but you never know what's going on behind closed doors.



No perfection here, just LOVE!

   Take the Kennedy's for example. A wealthy, good looking, political family with a golden future knocking at their door. I am certain that in the 50's other families looked at them and were envious of all they had. A multitude of children, beautiful home, probably a vacation home, etc. but if only they knew what was happening behind closed doors. Infidelity for one and a father who taught his sons that it was the norm no less. All the while the wives knew what was happening and allowed it to go on. Not the happiest of family situations, especially with Irish tempers brewing. You can take a popular family today, The Kardashians. Talk about having it all and still having nothing, they are a prime example! I would rather be poor and happy then as rich as they are and deal with the mess that is their lives (all on national television no less).

VACATION

 

 

   Then there is my family, Dewey, myself and the kids. Yes we have a lovely home in a nice subdivision, new cars, a time share and can do what we want when we want. However, we sacrifice time with Dewey for that. He travels a lot for his job and I stay home while the kids are young. This is a family decision we made together and it works but isn't always easy. Sometimes I feel isolated and think I might as well be a single parent and sometimes Dewey just wants to be home. Not too mention starting life at 22 with a baby and no house wasn't easy. We worked hard together to build our life but we sure as hell had struggles. If you lived in our old neighborhood, you probably heard a struggle or two ;) I also consider myself to be a good Mom, not a perfect one. I love my kids more then anything in the whole world but I lose it like we all do and I'm not proud of it but I have once or twice went into psychotic Mom mode. So although I may post on FB about a fun family vacation and hashtag it #familyfun #lovemyfamily #vacation, you will still see the real side of me when I post about my kids driving me nuts #ineedadrink #thesekidsarekillingme!

   I know my Mom has dealt with the same complications in life. I admire her for never letting us go to bed angry, supporting us through all of the good and bad and being the referee through our family complications. Every family has a matriarch, from Ethel Kennedy to my Mom, its a tough job. So no matter who you are or who your matriarch, patriarch, husband, children, etc. are and ALL the differences you share, remember we have all been there at some point.
  
So the moral of this blog? Wealth, beauty, the appearance of perfection is never really all of the story. We are human beings. We have emotions. God gave some of us stronger emotions then others. No two people in a family think the same, feel the same or deal with problems in the same way, ALL OF THE TIME. Look for the good and get passed the bad because life is too short! I can safely keep my $100 right?

A recent trip to The Cheesecake Factory with Nana

Sunday Morning Madness and The Art Of Reading the Paper

Funny Stuff!

   Most Sunday mornings are a mess in our house. One kid has to be at Catechism by 8:45 am the other at 10:15 and mass starts at 10:30. In the meantime I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to shower, get the kids ready, pack the "quiet" bag, remember the envelope for offering, etc. Organized people that are reading this will think, why not get it all together the night before? I do sometimes but more often then not we are busy all day Saturday and Saturday nights are the one night a week where we can just hang out as a family and chillax. So usually I am on the couch with the kids, hubby and a bowl of popcorn! Pulling myself away to lay outfits out  is out of the question! Then the alarm goes off and the chaos hits. If we get a bite of toast and a bowl of cereal in each kids mouth before we leave its amazing, yet alone the adults getting fed. Several times Dewey has attempted taking an actual mug of coffee and drinking it en route to church.... FAIL! Why is this an epic fail you may ask... running late, slamming the breaks, whipping the car around corners and into a parking lot is possibly the worst situation ever for an open cup of coffee. Don't get me started on how I have perfected the art of applying makeup in the car. I will do an entire separate blog entry on Mom Makeup On The Go! Bottom line, Sunday mornings are hectic!

The kids discovering the Comics!

   Obviously we have gotten away from relaxing on weekends in general and Sundays (though being a day of rest) are no exception. Parents with small children going to church everywhere can I get an AMEN!!! However, if you are living pretty much anywhere other then the West coast or Florida you  are probably like me and have been snowed in! Church was even canceled today which was definitely a disappointment for my soul but a relief for my sanity LOL! With my Sunday being free I did something that I haven't done in years, read the newspaper! Ok... I read parts of the newspaper not the whole thing!!! When I was little I couldn't wait to get up and read the Comics (or the funnies as we called them). Honestly, I don't even think my kids knew what they were? Between there DS's, iPads, Disney Channel, Netflix what child needs to read the paper for entertainment? But as I read For Better of For Worse and The Family Circus while enjoying (that's right enjoying not scarfing down) a hot cup of coffee, I really felt like this was a lost activity in most homes. Personally my information comes from Yahoo News, I barelyyyyyyy watch the actual news and I never read the paper. Boy have I been missing out! Reading the actual paper to get informed was relaxing and catching up on those classic comics was FUN! There is something about your fingertips brushing against the newspaper and its inky smell that is so calming. So next time you have a Sunday morning free whether its during your vacation to the beach or because you went to church on Saturday night, grab a paper and a hot cup of Joe for an old fashioned (yes newspapers are a bit old fashioned with this digital age) moment of Sunday relaxation!

The Dirty Thirty

   Well I just got out of the shower #winning and yes I know its 1:00 pm, but hey its Saturday, cut me some slack! So as I was drying off in front of the mirror (Who's idea was it to put mirrors in bathrooms where you stand naked everyday? Oh that's right, the same person who thought it was smart to keep a scale in there!) and as I stood there a thought occurred to me, "I'm getting old(er)"! Now calm down baby boomer generation, I know what you are going to say so I will stop you. Thirty is not old. I mean if Beyoncé and JT are mid thirties and can still shake it like they do then I agree, thirty is the new 20, but apparently God missed the memo because this lady is aging! Yes, yes, the signs are minor but they are there. So I will keep dying my hair, taking vitamins and continue my quest to be healthier but in the meantime here are the seven signs that you are about to hit thirty, are thirty or hit the dirty thirty longgggggggg ago!

1. You do not get carded anymore. At one point this was annoying but now you secretly keep your fingers crossed behind your back, hoping that the bartender cards you!
2. There are moles appearing in places on your body that you never had before. Score an extra point for aging if they are hangy moles (thank you to my mother who passed down only one thing from her gene pool... not the tiny feet or hand... not the petite stature... nooooo freakin' hangy moles!)
3. They are playing songs from your childhood on the oldies station. Just stay cool and turn on the top 40 station when you are stopped at a red light... people will never know your real age!
4. You are making more frequent visits to the hair dresser or the store for hair dye (and the color has to sit wayyyyyy longer). HELLOOOOOO greys!!!
5. There are "smile" lines on your face.
6. Shoveling the sidewalk causes you to call off work the next day and lay on the heating pad for relief because 5 minutes of that and you are down for the count.
7. When you are filling out an online form and click on the age tab, you have to scroll down so far to find your year of birth that you get dizzy. BONUS... the minimum age for the form is 18 and the year of birth (located  right at the top) for those young whipper snappers is 1996!

 

Harry Potter Weekend

 

   ATTENTION ALL MUGGLES... In case you are living in cave and do not have cable (creepy chills running down my body at the thought of no cable), IT'S A HARRY POTTER WEEKEND over on ABC Family! I <3 when they have these weekends on their channel. Now being the giant HP fan that I am, I of course have the boxed collectors set of DVD's. But its a lot of work to put each one in the DVD player when watching in a row. That means I have to put the popcorn down, get up, open the case ughhhhhhhhhh the thought is stressing me out! So when they are on ABC Family, I just DVR and voila they are easily accessible with the flick of the remote. This is also especially exciting with the news of Universal opening Diagon Alley and The Hogwarts Express summer 2014. So in honor of all this HP madness here is a fun little video(an oldie but a goody) from a very goofy Mommy... ME!!! Rated PG-13 for some oooooh laaaaaah laaaaaaahness ;)

Cabbage Soup

   If you are a FB friend of mine you may have seen my post about making Cabbage Soup for dinner. At the grocery store cabbage was on sale, so I picked up a couple and immediately thought "thrifty dinners". Since we are making strides at eating healthier and limiting our processed foods I thought I would make it into a soup. Loaded with vegetables, low calories and yummy, who wouldn't be grateful to have a big pot of this on their stove. So as I am in the kitchen working hard my husband comes in and says "Cabbage soup? What are we Charlie's family from Willy Wonka?". Hey just because we aren't scraping our pockets these days doesn't mean we can't save a buck (especially after going to American Girl place last weekend)! Since when did cabbage get such a bad wrap anyways?
  
   So as I ladled it into bowls for the kids, I hear whining from them too. What the Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy, this Mama was irritated. The entire dinner they picked through the soup and fussed. Mind you they are not picky eaters and love all different kinds of vegetables. Lesson learned, do not make cabbage ever again, or make in small quantities for the adults orrrrrrrrrrrr let me rephrase that... make a personal sized serving for me because (not thinking ahead of time) the repercussions of feeding cabbage to my husband was rough! All kidding aside it was very good, here is the finished product and recipe!

 

Cabbage Soup

 

1 carton organic vegetable stock

1 large can diced tomatoes with juice

4 cups of water

4 stalks of celery chopped

1 small sweet onion chopped

4 large carrots peeled and chopped

1 head of cabbage coarsely chopped

6 tbls. of organic unsalted butter

4 tbls. sugar

sea salt and pepper to taste

 

Put all liquids into a stock pot on medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery and carrots in 2 tbls. of butter then transfer to the pot. Next, sauté the cabbage in the rest of the butter and transfer to the pot. add the can of tomatoes, sugar and salt and pepper. The longer you keep it simmering the better the flavor, ENJOY!!!

I've Always Wanted to Blog

   I have always wanted to blog, I mean it is the hip, cool thing to do in this day and age. The problem has been, what to blog about? I have some mediocre talents, I can bake pretty well (although my real niche in the kitchen is making any desert out of cool whip and not having to turn the oven on - yes I'm a little lazy, I will get to that later), I consider myself a descent decorator, I recently have vowed to limit processed foods in our home and go Organic and of course I am a locally known "rapper". These would all make good blog topics right? Honestly, NO, who wants to read that crap on a daily basis. So in my quest to feed my family better I have been really combing through family and food blogs over the last few weeks. What have I noticed you may ask, they are all lovely and perfect!

   I mean really do these woman look that good when they are crafting their organic brownies in the kitchen with their kids? Let me tell you I definitely do not. Not only that but as I'm looking at these recipes I have another tab pulled up with the same recipe title only I add "easy" in front of it! While I'm at it can I add "no mess", which brings me back to the lazy part. I am not JUNE CLEAVER!!! You know that commercial for Swiffer where the three generations of women are comparing their cleaning styles and the youngest says "I have perfected the art of foot cleaning", THAT'S ME!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.......................

   Finally, my blog idea was born. Let's talk about what's really going on during the day of this stay at home (I use that term cautiously because we are rarely at home) mom's life. I love the idea of sharing the topics I talk to my girlfriends about on the phone, showing you my non food styled meals, how I really look during the day and the not so perfect things my children do! So here we go, this is THE TRUTH BEHIND SUBURBAN MOTHERHOOD!!!