Egg-a-Nog

AAAHHHHH. Breathing now.

Has everyone settled down from what I hope was a beautiful and blessed holiday season?

We had a big Christmas surprise in our house. A new little addition to our family.

May I present... Egg Nog.

Have you ever heard of a cat that will sit in a two-year-old's lap without being held down against their will?

And just look how she sleeps, on or next to their unpredictable, spastic little feet and hands...

I thought Biscuit might want to change her shelter-given name, but turns out "Egg Nog" grows on you. Red says it with a french accent. Egg-a-nog. Cute.

We love her.

We also celebrated the christening of our little Goddaughter. She is even cuter than Egg Nog. Here she is with her parents and brother.

The SuperNoots family... (that's us)

And now TDH and I are gearing up to celebrate the New Year. I hope with all my heart that you and yours have a blessed and meaningful 2009. I love y'all!

The Wise Man? / Healthy Breakfast Sandwich

Yesterday, the boys discovered that scissors were not just for paper.

This happened just in time for the Christmas play at church today.

The irony? Biscuit was a Wise Man.

Stinkers like my boys need an extra healthy breakfast so they can think of other creative ways to play besides cutting their own hair.

Ellie Krieger gave me the idea for a no brainer healthy breakfast sandwich, and the SuperNoots kids love it. Most grocery stores have whole grain English muffins, and this along with egg whites, Canadian bacon, and tomato makes for a filling, healthy start to the day.

I Told You So / Angel Food Cake with Fruit Topping

I'm trying to think of a way to describe my present mood... mischievous? sassy? sultry temptress? Uh, no, not that last one.

How about trouble-maker, or flat-out-STINKER? Probably. Why am I telling you this?

Because it explains why I laughed so hard when I stumbled across this picture.

Imagine a four-year-old, dead set on this dinosaur-sweat-box costume for Halloween. Now imagine his mother, sweetly trying to talk him out of it, explaining it will be too hot and uncomfortable. And last, imagine a bull-headed little boy telling his mother she is wrong.



Does this picture not say it all? When I see this picture, I think I told you so.

And for some reason, I have been laughing about this picture all day, and wanted to share my I told you so joy with you. Poor Biscuit.

So, when you have a mom as mean as me, you'll need a dessert to soothe the pain. It doesn't have to be terribly unhealthy, though, and here's an example...


Angel Food Cake with Fruit Topping

Cut up Angel Food cake into bite-sized pieces. In a small sauce pan, bring fresh berries and a splash of water to a simmer, and add just enough sugar to sweeten. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Pour fruit syrup over cake, and enjoy.

Sweet Little Pack Rat

I am many things, but a pack rat, I am not.

Not only am I not a pack rat, but the very idea of having a too-small shirt in the closet, an under-played toy in the vicinity, or superfluous papers cluttering my counters is enough to make me crazy.

My little Biscuit, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He wants to display every Lego creation, play-doh masterpiece, and scribble/artwork... pretty much anything he creates he deems worthy of archival.

So, while this is a cute little quirk, our home simply cannot hold the mass production, nor can I handle the clutter.

And, this morning, we had the talk. The balance of production and display. The joy of tearing down and rebuilding. The impossibility of buying new Legos, etc. The inevitability of running out of space.

The thought of breaking down his trains, airplanes, and long-neck dinosaurs were too much, so we made a deal. We're going to start taking pictures of his favorites, and printing them out to keep in a special box. He seemed very satisfied with this, and even more excited to be the one to take the picture.

So, if you have a sweet little pack rat like me, give this idea a try and let me know how it works!

Also, I am having a big sale on SuperNoots this week, so get your order in now to guarantee holiday delivery :) http://www.supernoots.com/. Also, please forward the link on to anyone you know struggling to help their kids make healthy food choices. Thank you so very much!!!

For other Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Villainous Time-Sucker / G2 drink option

Ok, ok, I know, where have I been...

Over the past few weeks, I've fallen prey to one of the deadliest, most villainous time-suckers of our generation...

facebook.

I listened helplessly as my husband, children, and house suffered intense bouts of neglect, all as I typed away, wondering what Jennifer has been up to all these years, and who all is on Ashley's friend list, and what part of my day is exciting enough to include in an update?

Tragic, folks. After several weeks, however, it is finally wearing off a touch, and now I keep the computer out of the kitchen. And yes, I am aware that this whole thing is completely ridiculous!!

I wanted to share with you a favorite lunch tip of mine, a product I find to be one of the best drink options out there to include in your kids' lunch.

This little gem has a low sugar count, something missing from most juice options. I did my own little comparison of other products I've purchased...

Honest Kids Organic juice pouch, 10 g. sugar per 200 milliliter

Apple & Eve 100%juice No Sugar Added juice box, 21 g. sugar per 200 milliliter

and G2? 6 g. sugar per 200 milliliter *

And it tastes great, according to the SuperNoots kids. *The small G2 containers are a total of 355 milliliters, which is a lot, more than what my kids will down in one meal. SO, I pack their lunches using half a bottle, stretching my dollar a little by reusing water bottles to pack the other half the next day.

If you pack the entire bottle, the sugar total is 10 g., but still just as good as the best juice pouch out there.

A Lesson in Humility

Blondie was so cute yesterday. She lined up all her dolls and stuffed animals along the hallway, and proceeded to talk to them as if they were her children. I was in a nearby room, listening to it all...

What would you like to do today?

We'll need to get dressed so we can go bye-bye.

Would you like to play puzzles?

And then something happened. Her sweet dialogue took an ugly turn.

No! No! No!

You're going to sit right there in time out!

You're not doing what I say.

I was sure little Blondie was only repeating things she heard from mean teachers, mean grandparents, and of course, TDH, but with this next phrase, there was no denying where she was getting it...

That's it! I've had it!

I coined this one. It's my go-to line when the straw breaks the camel's back, as it often does.

It was a humbling experience to say the least, and I apologize to the innocent stuffed pigs, frogs, and shirtless dolls who suffered the most.