Futurama

I was sitting in my chair, checking out my favorite sites on the laptop.
C was playing next to me.
Suddenly, she handed me a little boy doll, some clothes and then asked/pronounced "Mama, can you help me? I cannot get this boy's pants back on!"
I paused. And, I swear, the very next thought that went through my mind was "Please Lord, do NOT let this be a foreshadow of the years to come!"

Family

We had a nephew's wedding last weekend. It was nice to see everyone and we did get a photo of everyone who was there except one sister and her daughter and family. Here's our good looking bunch:

Stuffed Zucchini

In an attempt to use up some of the yummy garden produce, I made Stuffed Zucchini. Hubster (from a website called Annie's Eats) and I loved it, the kids ate some but did not request any more. I think they just need more exposure to it!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

1 zucchini, about 12 inches long (or 2 6-inch)
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
1 lb. turkey sausage or ground turkey
2 tbsp. dry white wine (I used sherry cooking wine)
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about ¼-inch thick. Reserve about half of the insides.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides to the skillet and saute another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the sausage or ground turkey and cook until lightly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cooked onion and mushroom mixture. Add the wine to the pan along with the tomatoes, basil and rosemary. Cook for 1 more minute. Drain of any excess fat, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Once the turkey mixture has cooled a bit, mix in the Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini shells with the mixture. Fill a baking dish with ¼-inch of water. Place the filled zucchini shells in the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the zucchini from the pan and serve immediately.

From Annie's Eats

One of Those Days

I should have known what this day would be like when by 7:30 am, we had already had tears, timeouts, scoldings, and a temper tantrum (no, none of the behavior was mine!).
But, at 8:00, off to VBS we went. It went well, kids seemed happy. Had a talk with S about how he treats C. Had a talk with C about how she deals with S. Thought progress was made.
Oh, silly, silly me.
Fast forward to this afternoon. I lost count of the timeouts. TV privleges and computer privileges were suspended, pillows were thrown at the dog, pencils were tossed across the room, workbook pages were ripped. And, all of it by S. I couldn't believe it! If someone had offered to take him away, I think I would have packed his bags myself.
Then, after a session of 'calming down' in his room, S hands me the following note:

"Dear 'I hate you' ("which, by the way, Mama, is you if you don't know," S told me).
Never hug or kiss me again!
Your hateful son,
S
I promptly asked him to get me a pencil. Why, you ask? Well, simply so I could date it and put it in his keepsake box. While not pleased with the hateful words, I simply had to preserve this. Can't wait until I can bring this one out when he has his own kids!

p.s. Did I mention how much I'm looking forward to early bedtimes tonight???!

Ears Lookin' at You

It's been a while since I visited my beloved YMCA. So, today was the day.
After many weeks of minimal exercise (due to my lovely plantar fascitis, yeee-ouch!) I decided today was it. I was going to the Y and exercising. Hubster was bringing the kids after he was finished mowing lawn, so here was my chance.
I got there, changed my clothes and headed out to work out. Now, I wasn't foolish enough to try and rock the treadmill with my awesome (or, well, really, totally non-existent) running talent. So, I stepped on the stair stepper. Plugged in my headphones and pushed the tv button. I started moving (& groovin', at least in my mind) on the machine but much to my dismay, my tv wasn't working. Well frankly, the tv is about the only thing that makes that instrument of torture, I mean, machine, bearable. So I wasn't about to continue on without something to watch so off I stepped.
Unfortunately, I forgot one little thing. I was still plugged in to the console. Let me just say that it is not comfortable having the earplugs ricochet out of your ears as you walk away. And, surprisingly, they can whip around pretty darn fast after pinging out of the ear canal.  Sorta like a mini, white bungee cord.
I nonchalantly backed up, reached over and unplugged. I tried to pass it off like this was all in my master plan but I don't think my exercise neighbors were buying it. Their snickering was the first tipoff. The weak ass barely contained laughter was the second.
Once again, I am the new Y story.
Lovely.

Summer's in Full Swing

Only 2 weeks into summer and it's been a whirlwind. We've been strawberry picking, bike riding, bowling, numerous library trips, tennis lessons, fencing, prepping for VBS, we're halfway through Camp Invention this week and preparing for camping next week. Oh, and we're trying to get the van fixed from my stupid-a** rear ending accident late last week. But, that's a story for another day.
I got awoken this morning with a tap on my shoulder at 5 am. 
"Mama?" C asked
"Hnmmgph?" was my incoherent reply.
"I just threw up"
There's just nothing that gets the blood pumping and me outta bed faster than those 4 words. I mean, you'd think I had the energy of a 20 yr old the way I bounded after her.
"Where?" I asked.
"In the potty" C said, "but my tummy still hurts".
Off we went to clean up and comfort. Needless to say, she's home from Camp Invention today. She's doing quite well but since there was an upset tummy involved, she's resting up.
Whether she wants to or not.
But what I realized this morning, as I was snuggling with the puker (although not too close and with my Lysol and hand sanitizer close by), is that in our hustle and bustle of the summer, it's so easy to lose track of what's happening at the moment. I am constantly planning ahead and checking the calendar and making sure everything will, hopefully, run smoothly, that I sometimes forget to appreciate what's right in front of me.  And, frankly, sometimes it's just much easier to keep looking forward and not down at the mess that's right in front of me.
But, in reality, that mess is my mess. It's there because we made forts in the living room, crafts in the kitchen and played in the sandbox. It's there because we made jam and chocolate chip cookies and snack mix. It's papers from Camp Invention and the library reading program. It's evidence of our lives being lived.
So, my goal for the rest of the summer? Well, the planning will continue, I can't change THAT much. But I'll also take some time to really look at what's happening and appreciating my life right at this moment. Because, frankly, it's pretty darned good. Even with the upchuck.

Chopped Chicken Salad

There's nothing better than a hot summer day and a yummy cool salad for lunch.
Here's what I made yesterday, it was quite tasty. (This is a Hungry Girl recipe found while I browsing the net).
If you make the whole thing, it's a big salad (I'm still enjoying it for breakfast today after having it for lunch & dinner last night).  I highly recommend this dish!

Chopped Chicken Salad
1 package broccoli slaw
12 oz cooked and diced chicken breast
1 cup water chestnuts, drained and cut into strips
1 can mandarin oranges, drained & rinsed
1 cup scallions, chopped
3/4 cup Newman's Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesamee Ginger Dressing

Toss together & refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
5 servings/salad

Weight Watcher Points for Salad: 15
WW Points for serving: 3