Burn, Freezer Burn!

So, I had a financial epiphany a few weeks back. I am torn between my love for cooking and the money I spend to prepare each meal. I mean seriously, 3 to 4 trips to the grocery store a week at 40-50 bucks a pop to prepare ONE meal!?

I hang my head in shame.

Wait for it.

I started cooking in bulk. And please don't take that word lightly. Instead of a pound of meatballs, I am making 8. You get me now? I was on a streak. I took my 3 days off and cooked and didn't have to make dinner for over 3 weeks!

So, I had 4 days off this week.

Monday, I did my meal planning, made my grocery lists for Sam's and H.E.B. and Walmart and shopped away- with the three boys in tow *loving* the company. *ehemm*. Needless to say, that wore me out. I came home and watched The Real Housewives of whatever city marathon because I needed to numb my aching brain.

Tuesday, the cooking began. Also realized that I darn well need to invest in another crockpot. I have a huge one, and it wasn't doing the job (as quickly as I wanted it to) between my oven and stove.

Wednesday, I continued cooking because of Tuesday's crockpot issue. Also, I started budgeting for another crockpot. pause. It is 5 o'clock. I am not drinking, but would appreciate a cocktail when I realize that I have 9 dinners about to be done and cooled to be packaged and frozen and there Is.No.Room.In.My.Freezer.

I'm not going to lie. I called Sara Lee (didn't know that was the company that packaged and sold State Fair Brand corn dogs) to see if the corn dogs needed to be frozen, or if I could keep them in the refrigerator. I had already taken them out of the box to save space and was looking for more options. F.Y.I. they need to be frozen. Booooooo.

I did what I could. I rearranged like it was nobody's business and left the kids with my babysitters, who I like to call Nintendo DS and Wii. I am not ashamed of this. At all.

Because, tonight I will be enjoying night one (4 freezing) of pulled pork tenderloin gourmet sandwiches. I throw the gourmet in there to sound fancy, and in hopes that one day my kids will, on aside, mention that they had "pulled pork tenderloin gourmet sandwiches" for dinner and raise some eyebrows. I am sick and twisted.

With a freezer fully stocked ;)

Parent Fail: #2367...eh, who's counting?

So Sebi lost a tooth. And because I don't want to completely throw myself under the bus, and I *apparently* have no problem doing that to Sebastian, I will preface with this.





I was at work. Sebastian was on duty to instruct Sebi to place the tooth in a zip bag.....AND THEN RETURN WHEN HE WAS ASLEEP TO DO THE FAIRY DUTY. I will now give you a minute to put two and two together to come to the assumption that that did not happen.





The proof?





Next morning I get woken up by Sebi calling, "dada! the tooth fairy didn't come!" Here is where I joined in the goof.

I was off for the next three days and in my half-awake slumber, I assured Sebi that the tooth fairy probably got caught up or lost on our street that has a bend, and to be thankful for the little boy that the tooth fairy did visit. He seemed o.k., and I made pancakes- all the while planning to go and buy glitter and get change and make up for this darn directionally challenged fairy.

oops. no fairy the next night. Then he spent the night at his cousin's house and I had the parent fail idea of the year. "I'll plant the money under his pillow when he gets back, and make like the tooth fairy came when he wasn't here!" Great plan. whew.



I'm looking for change. Purse. Other purse. kitchen drawers. van. washing machine *shut up, you've done it too*. I have come up with 2 quarters and a whole lot of pennies and 3 ChuckECheese tokens. I'm sold. zip bagged it and placed it in his room. Sebi goes to bed that night and comes running telling me about how the tooth fairy "must have came when I was at cousin Lincoln's house!" yes, yes sweet boy. now go to sleep.

The next morning I explained to him how the tooth fairy was crazy and I was going to call her boss. She didn't show up on the right day or even when he was home. Crazy tooth fairy.

And a Happy New Year...

I am loving the candy cane that is smushed *really* hard and deep into my carpet. The chocolate stains on the fancy tablecloth I bought: oh, pish-posh(*confession: it was only twelve bucks*). I am looking around the house and finding cups of 7-up, christmas wrapping shards, and who knows what else. AND. I. LOVE. IT.

thanks Christmas 2010. It was a really great ride :) I DARE you to make 2011 better.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming...

So, Sebi got hurt at YMCA afterschool care. Again. Only this time, it ended up with me rushing him to Austin Regional Clinic, them shuttling us off to Dell Children's ER, and them sending us to an opthamologist tomorrow.

My wallet is three pounds lighter, thank you.

I would also like to mention that I lost some of my precious locks of hair in Dell Children's ER after making a choice decision to give my 4 year olds gum. After the Dr. Pepper got old. Sebastian did ask me if I wanted to keep the chopped off hair, and I nearly slapped him. Nearly.

It was a hard night. But, you know what? I have a really good friend that I got to call and whine to. And let her laugh about my new bald spot. But, it just made me think about how sometimes you just have to let it all go.

Will I be giving my kids Dr. Pepper and let them chew gum ever again before they are 30? No. But, it sure did make for a great memory.

Sebi is o.k., thank the Lord ,and hopefully the doc tomorrow will repeat said phrase. I'm tired and beat and emotionally drained, but that is all just a phone call away from being o.k.

*shout out to Erin from Cohort 10 that gave my hopped up twins colors and spiderman coloring books*

For Better Or Worse... and the tooth fairy is missing

Sebi gave me a ring today. It's a blue, plastic rubberband that means more than diamonds to me.

That is big, people.Not like I ever had any huge rocks to toss around, but you get me.

My Sebi is the sweetest boy in the whole world. The WHOLE world. He keeps growing and growing and as much as I want it to STOP -I look forward to the next day of seeing him become this little guy that I have raised. He makes good choices. not all the time. He takes care of his little brothers. not all the time. He truly, truly, truly has a happy heart. And I am soooo grateful for that. Just the other day he had a meltdown and I asked him to use his words to tell me what was going on. After swallowing tears and choking back sobs, he finally said, "I was grumpy!" And I all but lost it myself.

"I know, sweet boy. Sometimes mommy is grumpy too." maybe more often than not lately:(

He has his first loose tooth and I just want that thing to stay in there for as long as it can. I'm not ready for him to shed any more baby- even if it is just a baby tooth. I want to go back to taking him on strolls every day. Walking to the grocery store. Singing him, "my little buttercup" over. and over. and over again. And never once getting tired of it.

But those times are gone. Which brings me back to the blog. This is all I have to hang on to now, because him being born just seemed like now. And then now passed. And now it's now. This is sounding like Spaceballs...

I don't want that tooth to come out. And I don't mean you any harm, tooth fairy. But could you moonlight as something else for just a few more years?

*ring pic to come after I get the rascals to bed*

It's Trauma Day One

This is the last week of my residency program. Praise God. Trauma lab today and tomorrow, and then so long classroom!

Then they just throw us out to the real world, all "now go and take care of people!" I kid. We get another 4 weeks with our preceptors before they do that....

Let Me Preface This Post...

That is always a good start. I know. That is why I am here, people. To entice your enquiring minds. If you don't live for it, trust me, I do.

So, back to post title. Let's remember that for a good part of Oso's life he was convinced that his name was "there he is". Every time he would run into the doggy-door in our old rick-rack, shack that we thought was "the big time" (hee-hee in remembrance), I would shout, "There he is!" So it got to the point where the only way to get him to come to you was to shout, "there he is!" and he would come a runnin.

maybe I like animals because I'm smarter than they are...

So, now in his new-found home of glory two moves later, he has his own backyard. Which he likes to run out in and bark. at flies. or moving grass. or the wind threatening to blow. But, Oso has a really big soft spot for Grandma. So, now I just pop my head out the backdoor, yell "Oso! Grandma is here!" and he comes a runnin.

and I shut the doggydoor.

Am I cruel? Absolutely not. I only play with the mind's of fools...