Radio Silence

Things have been so kooky in the last 6 months.  Good kooky...rather great kooky.
I have teamed up with my dear friend, Amy, on PhoenixBites as a staff writer.  The experience has been nothing short of amazing.  I have met some really incredible people and the food...let's be serious.  i like to cook and my pants size shows that I really like to eat.  The food that I have been blessed to partake in over the last few months has been nothing short of incredible.  The tops on the random and interesting meter would have to be the Beef Heart and Sweet Breads that I had at the amazing Prado restaurant inside the Intercontinental Montelucia Resort.
We have gone to some pretty impressive culinary festivals as well as new menu roll outs for local restaurants.  It's been amazing and I am so thankful to my friend for allowing me the opportunity to ride her coat tails on this phenomenal adventurer.  Though we do not know what the future holds, we relish the joy and excitement every day!
The boys are awesome.  Cole is becoming such a silly little person.  He loves to dance - be it one of our infamous weekend morning dance parties or any commercial with a jingle.  If he hears music - he dances.  At first it was just a rocking motion, then he started incorporating some swaying and now, well, now its a whole body rock out.  He throws his hands in the air and has just started going in circles (not my favorite thing...Nervous Nellie). Complete adorableness.
Aiden was having a rough time at school for awhile.  We tried so many different methods to figure out what the issues were and to see what we needed to do to get the kinks out.  We tried to eliminate dairy from his diet and that seemed to work - though I honestly think that he just had a really, really good day and in his mind it was all because we had switched over to Soy milk.  But, hey, whatever works right??
He's on Spring Break now and has been going to Cole's care giver during the day.  He seems to be faring well there, albeit he complains that its "kinda boring", its only for the rest of this week.
He had his super birthday fest last weekend - an ice skating party.  This was mostly nerve-racking for me in that it was the first Kindergarten birthday party of the year at school.  We made his invitations by hand together and then gave one to everyone in the class.  I was nervous that no one would come, mostly due to the fact that it was ice skating and being in the middle of the desert its not really a popular activity!  We actually had a pretty great turn out.  Relief!  Aiden had a great time, as I think his friends did...and can I just say, I have never seen so much star wars loot!! I tried my hand at a Darth Vader cake...it was not pretty. I sort of blew all my expectations of ever having a great cake after the masterpiece that was the Coyotes cake last year.  but, hey, Darth tasted great so I have that going for me!!
Nothing else terribly excited...except of course for the BodyBugg that I just purchased and that will be arriving tomorrow thanks to the boys (and girls) in Brown!  I am super excited to give it a go - I think that it will really be an eye opener and a great tool for me to finally be successful at getting all this junk off my trunk!
I will keep you posted on my results!!
Hoping that everyone is having a great start to the week! Me = So far, so good!!

Crazy Cooking Day!!

Last weekend I spent 8 hours cooking.  Yes, 8 hours.  We still have a ridiculous amount of food to go through, so I suppose it was a smart move.
With me working now, meal times have been interesting to say the least.  I decided to make a whole ton of food to make it easier on all of us come mealtime.  So far it was a huge success.

Here what happened:


Meatloaf

Jambalaya

Apple Pie Pork Chops

Apple Pecan Toffee Bars

Brown Bag Burritos

Freezer Mashed Potatoes

Baked Chicken Ziti and Spaghetti with Meat Balls

I modified the Ziti by using Fusilli and cheddar cheese

It looks like I lost some pictures, but I did do the meatballs and the sauce as well.  I used jarred sauce for the Zit/Fusilli but spent some time making the sauce for the meatballs.

Camarones con Arroz

I had intended to make some English Muffins and a Broccoli, Chicken and Cheese Casserole, but time got away from me and by the time I stopped I was too beat to even look at any more food!!

This is how I started:

And this is how I ended:

Fuzzy pictures are taken by my tiny friend and sous chef!!

Like I said, we still have ALOT of food to get through, but all in all it has proved to be a delicious idea!
I must also add that this is the first time that I have added not only onions but bell peppers to almost all of the dishes...and I haven't minded yet!!

I am feeling fancy...

I have a really amazing friend, Amy McCollum, who has a great website.  She runs Phoenix Bites and does it very well.  She has a plethora of information about Phoenix restaurants and foodie events.  She even interviewed Chef Beau MacMillian, so she's obviously a big deal!  Head over to check out her great site and if you feel so inclined my review of my new favorite sushi restaurant!

Hope you are all having a great day...and eat something delicious!!

Letter to Them

I wish I liked you, really I do.

I wish I could disregard the things you said, the things you did...but I cannot.

Your words and deeds were ugly.  Unforgivable.  Despicable.

You would like me to see a sincerity and kindness in you...I can only see the opposite.

How is it possible for someone who made a choice to be a parent to throw that choice back in the child's face?  I have a father who is not my father.  I have a man who is not my father but is my father.  They both made choices.  One out of fear and selfishness and the other out of love and honor.  Neither has ever thrown those choices in my face - nor have I to them.  The one who is not my father but is my father would never dream of telling me anything like what your husband told my husband...not ever.  He does not tell all those he meets about his Christian mentality or duties.  He does not tell me how to parent my children.  He does not tell me that I or my husband are tragic fools.  He does not suggest that we seek counseling or God.  He does not threaten to have either of us investigated.  And he never would.  He is a man, a decent and loving man - who looks for ways to support and encourage not put down and destroy.

I am sad that I can't like you.  Its not longer a choice that I have - you, your words and more importantly your actions have made that choice for me and you.  You have finally destroyed any chance of that.

I am not sad.

I am not sick.

I cry no tears for you - but certainly have shed tears for my husband and what you have done to him.

Disappointment abounds.

So much for your "unbreakable family bond".

I come from a long line of crazy - but those who are afflicted own their sickness and their actions, past and present.  I feel for those in the world that are sick and have no idea.

I feel for you.

I protect myself from potential reoccurances of crazy and vow to protect my children as well.  Your brand of crazy will never touch my children.


Not ever.

I am back...kinda

I know - I have super sucked at the blogging bit lately.  Not that you asked, but, what with my little Aido starting Kindergarten a month ago, starting to ease Cole into the care of another, the crazy drama of people who would like me to call them family and me desperately searching for a job I have been a wee bit overwhelmed with underwhelming results.

Aiden is doing fabulously in school.  He loves it and I haven't heard a complaint from him yet.  I thought that the novelty would have worn off awhile ago and that by now I would have heard at least one muttering of, "but, I don't want to go to school!"  Not one, can you stand it??  Color me impressed.  The highlight of everyday on our walk back home from school is what he had for lunch.  It is apparently a huge deal that he gets at least three things to choose from each day.  We high five on the days that he picks something healthy and delicious from the salad bar.

Cole is a big hit with his part time caretaker.  He will start to go on a more consistent basis once I get one of those job things, but for now he is going twice a week in order to get him adjusted to someone new and so that our spot is saved.  The caretaker adores him and he seems to be all in one piece once I retrieve him, so that has to be something.

As for the drama with the "people", it went from stagnant to horrific and where there used to be a small place in my mind and heart where I thought forgiveness may one day be a possibility, they succeeded in completely ruining that in one short email.  Words are weapons people - be very sure of yourself before setting out to go to war.

The job business - well that has been interesting.  I have had 2 interviews so far - one that I thought went amazing and ended up going nowhere - another today that I have no clue how it went but should know very soon.  As much as I have enjoyed all the time I have had with my babies, I think it is time - on so many levels - to get back amongst the grown folk.

Until next time...think happy and lucrative thoughts!

Menu Plan for this week

Never, ever on time, I know!


Monday - Daddy grilled some burgers, super tasty but no pics
Tuesday - Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Wednesday - Peachy Keen Chicken
Thursday - Chicken Paella
Friday - Asian Noodles
Saturday - Chicken Parm
Sunday - Home made pizza

Should be an interesting week...last week with all my babies at home.  Aiden starts Kindergarten on Monday and baby Cole will be starting daycare part time.  Husband has made sure that I will not be bored however.  I have staining the wood for our new dining room table and prepping for painting the house!!  Can't wait...really.  Except for the stress that Kindergarten and leaving my baby with new people for the first time ever in his whole little life...everything will be great!!

Like a ton of bricks!

So today while waiting for my nurse to come, yes I am that cool, I got a phone call from the baby's doctor.  It's time for his 9 month old check up.  Seriously???  What has happened to my tiny baby?  9 months already?  Sounds like a bad joke to me.
So we start to make an appointment and she says, looks like he will be 9 months on the 26th - do you want to come in that day?
Sure, why not...then I remember, we have something that day.  I said it like it was no big deal, my oldest starts Kindergarten that day so we would have to do it in the afternoon.
Then it hit me...Aiden is starting Kindergarten.
What?!
When did all of this happen?  First you rudely remind me that my baby is not so much a baby anymore then you have the audacity to make me face the fact that Aiden is a little person that will be sitting in a classroom.  Reading books without me.  Learning things that I did not teach him.
Break my heart on a Friday morning.  That's a really sucky way to start a weekend.
Then I start thinking more about that little person sitting at a desk.  What will those around him think of him?  What will the teachers think of US?  All the good will be there...but all our mistakes will be sitting in a classroom ready for someones judgment.  Do I not get enough of that from family members, from myself...that we need to add teachers to the mix now?
I know I am sounding paranoid, but it's just that I have come to the point where I have to hope and pray that all that I have done, all that I have tried to teach him about the world and people, right and wrong, respect for others, how to be a friend...I have to hope that I did all of this the right way.  That I haven't messed him up, led him astray or broken him.
My mind wanders and I wonder are the other kids going to like him.  Will his teachers appreciate his little personality in the same way that we, his parents and our friends, do?  What will I do if he comes home and he's sad because someone was mean to him, or made fun of him?  At some point this is inevitable, right?  He'll be out in the world with other people.  People I didn't raise.  He'll be out of the safety of this home and all the love in it.
I am coming to the realization that time happens whether we like it or not.  I am here to say I do not like it and I am not ready for this.  Not at all.
On the plus side...I do have a back-up kid, so maybe I can fix my wrongs with him as they are pointed out to me by the other!  (Kidding...kinda)

Hug your babies tonight, even if they aren't babies, because before you know it they will be all grown up.

2005

2010