The Chef is taking some time off

I took a few days off from cooking.  OK.  It was closer to a week.  We did have some leftovers to eat. Apparently, left overs are not as welcome in our house as a home cooked meal.

Alex was home over the weekend.  We did a family meal together (meaning I had to cook).  Everyone had their favorites that they wanted for the meal.  And, all of those items were made by me.

By the time we sat down for the meal, I was exhausted.  The kids ate (way too much food) and needed a post meal lay down.  I had Alex take some food with him when he went back to school.

We have quite a few leftovers and I'm hoping this means I get a couple more days off from cooking.

Lately, Bella has been forgetting stuff.  I usually get a text (or three) about what she has forgotten and when she needs it by.  It started with her lunch and, then moved to her laptop.  Yea, how do you forget those two items?

We aren't that far from the school (about 1 1/2 blocks).  I normally do not drop items off, but, I do have a soft spot for a forgotten lunch.  And, well, there was testing on the day she forgot the laptop.

We are very close to the finish line  end of year.  Let's hope her memory holds up.

My Weird Dog

Pippen recently had to make an appearance at the Vet.  We are on the three year plan for shots and visits.  It's not really easy bringing him to the Vet.  He isn't very dog friendly so I have to let the staff know that before our visit.  Unfortunately, they translate that into him being this vicious dog so they are really careful walking around him.  I then have to do damage control and tell them he likes people and that it's OK to pet him.  And that he just isn't crazy about dogs.

Of course, to make a liar out of me, Pippen was all calm and cool during our visit.  He saw another dog and just looked the other way.  He even wanted to stay there longer at the Vet.

The highlight was how it took me five minutes to get him on the scale.  Yea.  It's on the floor and the dog just has to step up onto it.  Except, my dog refused.  I ended up having to lift him onto it.  Seems a normal thing to do, except he weighs 88 pounds.  Once on the scale, he didn't want to get off.

I have a three year rest before Pippen's next Vet visit.  During this time I will be lifting weights to make sure I don't throw my back out when I have to lift him onto the scale.

Cracker Snatcher

While Bella was on the basketball team, she made sure she brought extra snacks with her to school.  These snacks could be eaten after her basketball game or practice.  I would bring snacks with me to the games in small containers for her to munch on after her game as well.

One day, I asked her about the small containers.  You see, we have millions  a lot  many small containers that we both use for lunches and snacks (better than using a sandwich bag) and the number of containers was pretty low.  Bella told me that she didn't have any in her back pack or her room.

The next day, after basketball practice, Bella was searching through her lunch box and back pack for the goldfish crackers she packed.  She knew they were in her lunch box.  She put them in there because she had to clean off her lunch table before being allowed to leave the cafeteria.  She purposely saved the goldfish for an after practice snack.  Once she realized someone must have taken them, she was furious.  I told her to talk to someone at school to let them know this is going on.

It has been a couple of months now, and I finally sent an email to the school regarding this situation.  It's not a life threatening problem, it's more of an annoying problem.  I'm not a huge fan of having to go out and purchase more snack containers.  It's wasting my time, energy and, well, my money.

And, who is this child who is going through people's lunches, scrounging for food?  I hope they don't have an allergy!  Maybe we can set something up so they can get some food in the cafeteria?  I would be willing to help out and I'm sure other parents would help, too.

It's funny how a child can go to a teacher with a problem and never hear anything back from said teacher.  Once a parent is involved, things start happening.

The teacher called me to tell me that they looked at surveillance videos and could not find anything.  Apparently, this happened to Bella again last week, so they were trying to watch the video for some clues.  Unfortunately, one of the hallways does not have cameras and that might have been where Bella was putting her lunch bag.  They gave Bella a pass to put her bag in her locker.  If she hears of anything happening, she is to let them know right away so they can pull the video.

It's funny how worried you are when you drop your kid off at college.  You worry something might happen.  You hope they get to and from their classes OK.  If they go out (which you know they will) that they are kept safe.  But, somehow, since they are away and not at home, you don't spend all of your time worrying about them.  I mean, the worry is still there, but, it's at the back of your mind.

And then, they come home for the weekend (after being away for a few months).

And they decide to go see a movie.  The midnight show, of course.  I mean, why go any earlier?  Everyone is off school and work at the same time, right?  "Oh, you want me to go with you?  Sure.  I have nothing going on.  I can get just a couple of hours sleep and look wide awake at work tomorrow."

They are used to sharing a room with others that come and go at all hours and they feel they can return home at any time they feel works for them.

You love their visits because you get to see them but, on the other hand, you look forward to them going back to school just so you can stop worrying and get a good night's sleep.

Mother's Day Gift......Priceless

After planting my garden on Sunday, I walked in to the house and noticed a few changes.  The shoes by the front door were nice and neat.  

I moved on to the kitchen and noticed that the counters were all cleaned off.  All the clean dishes in the dish drain were put away.  The dishwasher was emptied of the clean dishes and the dirty ones took their place.  I walked in to the family room and you can tell it was vacuumed.  That's where I found two of my children (the ones that usually make the big messes).  They decided to clean up for me and make it look nice.

I was impressed.  I didn't know they could do all of this work these chores and not melt.   I was very, very grateful, thankful and felt the love they were giving to me.

Of course, now that I know they are capable of cleaning, I'm hoping this can happen more than once a year.

Odd National Holidays in May

I just discovered some of the odd National Holidays and had to share some of my favorites for the month of May.  I think we all need to let loose and celebrate these odd days together.

May 14  Dance Like a Chicken Day

I'm dedicating this day to my friend, Patti and her chickens.  I didn't think dancing like chickens was a thing, but, now I know it's true.  I guess the Chicken Dance should have been a hint.  This means that everyone needs to get out there and bust a move.

May 19  National Pizza Party Day

I didn't know there was an actual day set aside to celebrate a  pizza party.  I'm sure my children are behind getting this day approved, since all they want to eat is pizza.  It will have to be homemade pizza (pizza snobs).  So, I guess we are going to have a pizza party today.

May 21  World Baking Day

Grab your apron and get out those bundt pans and get ready to gain 10 pounds.

May 23  Lucky Penny Day

A day set aside for RT and his Lucky Penny.  Hopefully he still has it and can find it.  Maybe we will throw a little party?

Mother's Day

"Some day, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I'll tell them.  I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going, with whom and what time you would get home.  I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your friend was a creep.  I loved you enough to make you return a Milky Way with a bite out of it to a drugstore and confess, 'I stole this."  ....  But most of all, I loved you enough to say no when you hated me for it.  That was the hardest part of all."      Erma Bombeck

How to Rinse Off Your Dirty Dishes

Once again, I have another idea for a "How To" video for the kids to watch after RT's "How to Make Ice" video.   A video on, "How to rinse off your dirty dishes and put them into the dishwasher."

Of course, my kids (the two that are currently at home) tell me that they always rinse their dishes and put them into the dishwasher.  Again, "Somebody" must be breaking into my house and piling up dirty dishes by the kitchen sink.

I'm pumped because Nick said he would watch it.  Of course watching and actually doing are two different things.

Stay tuned.

M & M Cookies

I had to post this recipe.  It's been a favorite around here.  They have been the number one requested cookie and they disappear quickly.  You can make them festive by using holiday M & M's.  I'm hoping to try using a flax egg and will let you know how it works out.

Here's the recipe:

M & M Cookies

ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup M & M's

directions:

Oven 375F

In large bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.
Add flour, baking soda and stir until combined.  Add Chocolate Chips and M & M's.  Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Scoop dough onto baking sheet*.  You can add extra M & M's (optional).
Bake for 12 minuets or until golden brown.  Allow cookies to cool on pan for a few minutes.  Remove to cooling rack and cool completely.



*I use a silicone baking mat.  You can use parchment paper.
** I adjusted the sugar amounts in the recipe.  If you need more sweetness, the recipe calls for 1 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup sugar.
*** You can use regular size Chocolate Chips.  I just prefer the minis in this recipe.


If you try making these cookies, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

My Weird Dog

So, Pippen has decided that our bedroom is also his bedroom.  At night, when we head to bed, he runs up the stairs with us.  He must have an internal clock, because he knows exactly when bedtime starts.

Lately, at night, he has been getting up and walking up to me.  He gives me a look, which I take to mean, "Hey!  It's bed time.  Let's go!"  If I don't respond, he walks around and turns every once in awhile to glare  look at me.  If I ignore him too long, he disappears and puts himself to bed in our bedroom.

If he starts to redecorate our room, then we have a problem.