A New Year Resolution

Stumbled across a new blog today, lifeasmom.com.  Just when I was wondering how I would start this new year fresh and with a mission, there it was before me: the eat from the pantry challenge.  

Now my friends and I have had this conversation before.  Pantries overflowing with food, but nothing to eat!  Every shelf in my pantry is packed with food.  Yet I still go to the grocery store almost on a daily basis.  It disgusts even me.  And please, do not get my husband started on our grocery bill!  

So the challenge involved eating strictly from whatever is in your pantry, fridge & freezer for the month of January.  There are 3 simple rules:

• Reduce your monthly grocery bill (Hubs will love this one!)
• Take stock (empty out everything, throw out what you absolutely won't use and make a list of what you have)
• Use what you have

I'm just paraphrasing, be sure to visit the link above to get all the details.

All of this sounds good.  I am looking forward to spending less, I have no idea what is hiding in our basement freezer so this will force me to itemize, and there has been a box of orzo in my pantry all summer I've been dying to do something with.  Maybe I'll finally use it.

I'm not sure how this will end, except for my children whining that there's nothing to eat  thanking me for broadening their palates.  (At the very least I'll clean out my pantry & freezer ;)

Besides, what else could I use as my resolution? Lose weight? Be more organized? Be a kinder person?  Doesn't everybody do that?

And what about you?  Join me in my misery.  Any other challenges you'd like to throw my way?

2010, Bring. It. On.

TechnoMom

The Hills Are Alive...

A Christmastime favorite of mine... The Sound of Music.
Watching it right now.  A couple of my boys are in the room with me, they groaned when it came on.  And now they're pretending to be busy with their ipods.  But secretly I think they are enjoying this classic ;)

And my dog?  He is all about that whistle Captain vonTrapp is using.  Ahhh.  Christmas memories.
(And it doesn't hurt that the Captain is a hotty:)

So Long, Farewell,
TechnoMom

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I went to bed last night with anticipation and sorrow.

My ten year old, soon to be eleven year old, was so excited (as were my older boys waiting for some of the gifts they knew they were getting)!  My little one still believes, even though he questions it all of the time.  He tracked where Santa was on the internet after we got home from mass and the local light show.  By 10:30pm everyone was tucked in - Santa was is Canada and heading our way.  As I put him to bed and realized how perfect life was at that moment, it dawned on me that next year will be different.  He won't believe.  But I have hope - I see in my older boys that they were just as excited this year as they have been in years passed. 

It's just another milestone, but I'm savoring this year!

Have a Merry Christmas!

NeuroticMom

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Winter storm alert!  Local weather-people are predicting 6-12 inches in our general area (SE Pennsylvania).  Bring.  It.  On.  I was planning on spending my weekend baking, wrapping and driving to numerous sporting events.  If we do get all that snow I'll have a lot more time for the baking and the wrapping.  I'm imagining a blanket of white, whilst I'm in my cozy kitchen, wearing an oh so cute apron, listening to Christmas music, merrily rolling out sugar cookie dough.

I really hope they're right this time,
TechnoMom

Chill - You'll Get It All Done!

Feeling good.  Christmas is almost here and all of the shopping is done, except my parents, but they're easy.  My kids are set and will be very excited!  I'm now so relaxed that I took an hour while my children were doing homework and did a puzzleball.  It was great to sit in the middle of the day and do nothing that required anything but counting.  If someone had a question - it wasn't "one second honey, let me finish what I'm doing."  Cute gift idea.

NeuroticMom

Panicking Yet?

First things first, I had to google how to spell 'panicking.'  I had it right (you better believe it), but isn't  it just one of those crazy words that just looks more wrong the longer you stare at it?

Moving on.

Why would you be panicking? Well...

Only 10 Shopping Days Left! 

(including today.  Which you should, because for every soul out there today, getting it done, there will be someone out there on Christmas Eve trying to get through the mall or thoughtfully shopping at the local CVS for that one last thing).

As for me?  Mostly done.  Waiting for the big brown truck to deliver the last of them.  Also, my husband's uncles have been adding themselves to the guest list.  Which means another run to Macy's for another sweater.  Oh, and teenage son has decided he needs more jeans and some "cool" polos (as opposed to the 'dork' polos that I buy).  Which means a stop in the most evil store of all... Hollister Co.  Seriously, I'll be popping some motrine in the parking lot before I head in there.

How about you?

Shopping used to make me happy,
TechnoMom

Throw Your Arms Around the World

Happy Monday Morning!  Here's the video to one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs.  Gotta love all that 1984 hair ;)  Also, gotta love a song that means as much today as it did over two decades ago.  Feed the world.

Put a Sock In It

Some things I've done today: laundry, dishes, walked the dog, trimmed the tree (some more), grocery shopped and... folded my lone sock basket.  The basket that sits in the corner of my closet, growing every day.  Judging me, mocking me.  Daring me to try and make a match.  So after a  few months of the kids complaining of a lack of socks to wear I broke down and started to sort.

And you know how many pairs I was able to come up with?  How many socks found their sole mate?


47 Pairs of Socks.
47.
That means there were over 94 solo socks waiting to be matched up.  AND there are still quite a few loners sitting in the bottom of the basket.
I don't know what's worse, hanging onto so many single socks hoping to match them up, or the fact that I waited so long to do it that I was able to come up with 47 pairs.

Procrastination will get you nowhere.

But it will get you alot of matched socks.
TechnoMom

Mom's Monday Morning Kickoff!

It's Monday morning... time to post something to get you going this week.  And what did I find?
What did I spend hours online last night watching and laughing at???


JibJab.com  Go there.  Create an e-card or video.  (Yearly membership only $12!)
Send it to your friends and family.  It will make their week.  And yours :)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

The Eye of the Tiger

 The new issue of Golf Digest has been hiding in the many layers of our inbox.  Pulled this out and, low and behold, the cover:

10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger.

Oh Tiger.  The secret service is not going to let you give any tips to the President.

(And no, morons, that is not a real picture.  It was photoshopped by the editors at GolfDigest l-o-n-g before the whole Tiger fiasco.)

Also?  In light of recent transgressions, my husband isn't allowed to leave for the golf course without me yelling, Where ya goin' tiger? I find it amusing.  Every time.  He does not.

What else will Tiger have to deal with (besides his wife's wrath and the media fall out)?

He will definitely have a harder time getting into the White House than the Salahi's, but as a bonus they have added Tiger to their Christmas card list.  They are eternally grateful to him for making their little news story go away.

An Imperfect Girl in an Imperfect World,

TechnoMom

Soooo Disappointed!!!!!!

I sat down with my family last night to watch our favorite show, "Survivor".  It's one of the few times throughout the week that we all sit in the familyroom, spread out on the couch and relax.  At 8:00pm we are watching the opening and listening to the song (we all love it).  LaLaLaLaLaaaaaaaaaaaa.  Peaceful, joyful bliss.  The first group of commercials comes on and we are watching a Walmart Christmas montage - blips of different children hugging a parent on Christmas morning, next -blips of parents picking Christmas presents out for their children.  The air is being sucked out of the room - I know it's coming and I'm anxiously waiting for it.  My 10 year old sits up like a panicked baby chick, looking frantically around at everyone on the couch, his eyes darting from one person to another. "I guess Santa's not real," he states waiting for our reaction.  Big brothers for once in their lives have nothing to say - their always looking for a dig but know if they say a word they have my wrath to deal with and it's so not worth it.  "You just have to believe" I repeated several times because he kept saying "He's not real, right?".

Are you freaking kidding me.  A company like Walmart is going to put this commercial on at 8:02pm.  I worked in advertising eons ago.  What the hell are you doing?  You're target audience may be a little older, you may not think "Survivor's" a family show - I don't give a shit - you don't put something on with even the remote possibility that a younger child may be watching on a regular television station that questions Santa's existence.

I was hoping for one more year.  One more year of him having the innocence of somewhat believing.  I never told the other boys.  My response was and still is, "You have to believe".  I'm so disappointed in Walmart.  Does my youngest truly, truly believe - NO - but he doesn't have to have reminders thrown in his face.

What do you think?
NeuroticMom

Good Deeds

This past weekend my family cooked breakfast at a Ronald McDonald House in our area.  I prepared my children (some of the families we would be cooking for have children that are very sick and possibly dying).  We prepared a menu - bacon, pancakes, cinnamon buns, bagels, muffins, cereal, juice, and strawberries and dip.  Everyone complained that they had to get up early, but we did so anyway. 

What a morning.  They had a ball.  They wore aprons and did a fantastic job.  They had so much fun - we are planning another trip to the House in January.  My youngest son methodically set the buffet table, my middle son whipped up great cinnamon buns and did a terrific job finding what we needed to cook and my oldest made the best pancakes!

We've started a new tradition.  The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend is a must and a few other times throughout the year.  We know now that bacon goes quickly, fresh fruit gets devoured and french toast will be fun to make next time. 

I climbed into bed Sunday night and felt like a stellar mom.

Thankful,

NeuroticMom

Venting!

I know the world is waiting to see what happens with Tiger, but I have to say - I'm tired of it all!  I was decorating my banister this morning, had on my Christmas radio station and heard the "supposed" voice mail he left for one of the "maybe" mistresses (sp?) three times in twenty minutes.  Who cares - especially on a Christmas radio station.  Let the guy fix his problems (and if it's true, he's got big problems) without the world knowing.  His wife and children deserve better than this, don't you think?

NeuroticMom