Back from Buffalo

We are officially back from our long, full, wonderful trip to Buffalo. It was awesome to see friends and family and get a little taste of home. Thank you Mom & Dad for letting us descend on your homes and create mess and noise and general chaos. Thank you friends for hosting us and feeding us and bringing people together so that we could do more visiting and less running to and fro. It was awesome.

I only hope Bo can stay longer next time. We missed each other like mad and MJ said yesterday on our journey back to Nebraska that he didn't remember daddy. I assured him that he would recognize him in the airport as soon as he saw him...and he did, of course. I have a renewed appreciation for those women who are separated from their husbands who travel for work or the military or whatever takes them away. For boys especially, I think it's important to have regular wrestling time with dad...someone who can take them down a few pegs and remind them that they are little. MJ got a little too big for his britches a few times and I was really missing Bo's size and authority in the situation. I just think there's something about a dad that boys have to have.

OK, it's back to real life. I've got to get the bags unpacked and laundry started and assess the bare fridge situation. It was nice to have a break from my normal "duties," but I'm ready for the routine again.

Allthebody & The lost tooth

Shrek has coined yet another new expression. His version of the word "everybody," which shows that he understands the meaning of what he is saying, although not gramatically correct, is "allthebody." He usually uses the word in extreme expressions of emotions, for example, "I love allthebody." Or, lately, "I hate allthebody." Drama. Sometimes he says both phrases within minutes of each other. Such is the short lived mood swing of a toddler!

Shrek also understands the concept of a birthday and is really looking forward to his coming up. He often holds up 2 fingers and says, "I dis numbah." Then he carefully figures out how to put up another finger and says, "I gonna dis numbah." MJ thinks the Shrek needs to learn the actual names of the numbers so I encouraged him to teach him. We'll see how that goes.

In other kid news, MJ lost his first tooth tonight. He was wrestling with Bo and it just popped out. A complete shock! No weeks of wiggling or tying on strings and slamming doors. Just surprise! And despite MJ's recent development of the fear of blood, he was not traumatized, but seemed proud of his "grown up" status. Plus we told him to hold onto it so he can put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy. We put it in a special ring box and he asked for more clarification as to exactly where the tooth should go under the pillow. "Do I put it inside the pillow case?" he wanted to know. I told him to just make sure the tooth fairy can reach it easily.

This begs an important question. How much does the tooth fairy leave for a tooth these days? When I was a kid, she left a quarter. A quarter today just doesn't have the same buying power. So I'm wondering if the tooth fairy adjusts for inflation. I guess we'll find out tonight. But I'd be curious to hear what the tooth fairy leaves for your kids, if they've lost teeth recently (wink, wink).

Serves Me Right!

Today was the potluck and I excitedly (and guiltily) brought my "dish" to pass. We had to go to church early for small group so I figured I could just throw it in the oven an hour before and be good to go. Well, the oven was already "on" when I got there so I just put it in and went to service. After church, I went back to grab it from the oven and it was stone cold. The oven wasn't actually "on" but was waiting for someone to type in more info on the control panel (gotta love technology--I can't even figure out how to run an oven!). SO, as far as I can tell, God, in his infinite mercy, prevented the poor potluck attendees from experiencing the Chicken Broccoli Ziti that I should have thrown away a month ago when I made it!

I now see the error of my ways and will never again attempt such a devious plan to unload gross cooking errors on unsuspecting victims. I actually can't believe I thought it was a good idea in the first place! (Neither can Bo.) For those of you who were praying for my warped conscience to be brought back into line, thank you.

Potluck!

OK, those of you who have been tracking with me will appreciate my excitement when I tell you that we are going to a Potluck on Sunday. A very LARGE potluck where we will be able to anonymously drop off our dishes in the church kitchen. I still have 2 9x13 pans of chicken broccoli ziti in disposable pans in my freezer just waiting for such a prime opportunity!!

Now don't look at me like that. It's not like it's going to kill anyone. My family ate the other 2 pans and it wasn't that bad (with hot sauce anyway). Maybe I'll make something else in addition, just to off set the effects of the infamous CBZ. Either way-it's now or never! I just can't let this chance slip away. Think of me what you must. I am my mother's daughter and I cannot let perfectly good (well, by "good" I mean edible) Chicken Broccoli Ziti go to waste!

Only 4 months!

The lonliness of making a major move has set in. I hesitate to even be that vulnerable for fear that some of you will read it and feel sorry for me. This is not a cry for help or an attempt to get anyone to do anything. I'm just venting OK!?

Anyway, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that we are going to be visiting Buffalo in a few weeks (notice how I carefully wrote "visiting Buffalo" not "going home"--I slip up from time to time and refer to our trip as "going home" and I remind myself that Nebraska is my new home. But I know that when I am with you, I will feel at home!). When I think about rushing around to squeeze in visits with everyone I want to see, I feel giddy with excitement. It makes me realize how much I miss my friends and family and it reminds me that I used to be connected and loved by people who knew me and loved me anyway!

Even though I know I will eventually get connected here, I am anxious for it to happen. I just have to remind myself that it has only been 4 months! Can you believe that? It has only been 4 months since we left Buffalo. In some ways it feels like forever. I get news from friends or family and I already feel so out of the loop. My house here feels very "lived in." My junk drawers show no signs of newness. Our pantry is finally stocked (after having to buy everything from baking powder to vinegar---ooh, we could do some cool science experiments with those ingredients!). I've even met a couple people who are newer to town than I am. I've been practicing saying "we" and "our" when referring to our church here. All adjustments to a new life.

In some ways, I am claiming to belong to a place where I don't yet fit and letting go of what used to be comfortable. I'm sure this first visit will be the one that feels most like a homecoming. As we sink deeper into life here in Nebraska, visiting will feel more like visiting and less like going "home." But for now, I'm looking forward to feeling at home...if only for a week or so.

I Need Privacy!

Yesterday at the Library I heard the funniest thing out of Shrek's mouth. (As a review for those who haven't been following my blog, Shrek is my younger son's alias. I know there has been some confusion about this and I don't want anyone to worry that I've suddenly started hanging out with Ogres.) Anyway, our library has bathrooms with those tiny little toilets right off the children's section....brilliant planning, by the way--I just love our local library. Skrek loves these pottys so we usually go while we're there. Well, yesterday Shrek walked into the bathroom, closed the door and when he realized I was right behind him, he opened the door back up and said emphatically, "Mommy, I need privacy!"

"Ok, Ok, " I said. And then I had a little laugh.

"Why," you ask? (After all, that is an entirely appropriate thing to say while closing the bathroom door.)

I had to laugh BECAUSE Shrek is just about the least "private" kid on the planet. He's the one who moons the camera every time we pull it out to take pictures. He's the one who prefers to be naked on any occassion. He's the one who says, "I have to go poopy...come with me mommy!" I have never witnessed Shrek closing the bathroom door in our home and whenever I turn on the water to take a shower, he runs in pulling his clothes off saying, "I want to take a shallah too!"

And now he wants privacy!

OK. Whatever. You've got it Shrek. I don't want to smell your stinky poo anyway.

The Battle of Backtalk

OK moms, I need you to weigh in on this one. We have a serious backtalk issue going on in our house and I finally have decided to go to battle on this one. Sometimes I use the common phrase, "Pick your battles" to avoid any battles with my kids. I have recently reached a point where I know that some things are worth fighting for.

The way my kids speak to me and Bo (and each other for that matter) has gotten completely out of hand. This week I am dedicating my energy to adopting a zero tolerance for rude, disrespectful speech. MJ is well aware that the war is on and he has come out with guns blazing. Yesterday I witnessed the most embarrassing and horrendous outburst on record...in public. Only one other time has MJ completely lost it in a public place like that. But I wonder if it's because mostly I indulge him in order to avoid a scene. Ugh. It's hard to turn this ship around!

So moms. Help me out. How do you deal with backtalk? What works for you? Particularly, what do you do when you're out in public? Thanks!

Touting the Benefits of "Work Dates"

I don't know if this idea will catch on...maybe it's a matter of marketing. I probably need to give it a sexier name. Maybe that will be my next contest. Anyway, here's the concept: Stay-at-home moms need each other for lots of reasons. We need adult conversations, we need to get out of the house, we need our kids to have friends and a chance to play with each other. Thus the birth of "play dates." Moms get together with their kids to play, talk and generally have social interaction. It's fabulous. It's as much for the moms as it is for the kids. Well, here's the problem I see. Maintaining a household is a ton of work. Work that is constantly being undone and can be really, really hard to even get done because of the constant interruptions from the kids. After awhile it becomes easier to load up and head out to play dates, ignoring the housework that is forever piling up. Then at some point, we have to lock ourselves in the house and "catch up" or we will be living in total chaos and our marriages will suffer.

Here's my solution: It's a throw back to the amish "bee." A good-old-fashioned "work date." Invite someone over to tackle that project that feels overwhelming (folding 52 piles of clean laundry, cleaning the refrigerator, sorting the piles of papers on the table, organizing the office...whatever it is). It's so much more fun to work on this stuff with someone else AND you can enjoy just as much conversation while scrubbing than sipping coffee. Plus, the added benefit is that while one mom handles the constant interruptions from the children, the other mom keeps the project going. It's fabulous! This is guilt-free girlfriend time. For those women who have no problem in the cleaning area, maybe you could invite someone to help you make up some home cooked freezer meals or do yardwork...whatever!

It makes so much sense, I'm not quite sure why the idea is slow to catch on. Every time I mention it, moms are like, "That's a great idea!" I think it has something to do with our pride and embarrassment that our homes aren't perfect or that we don't have it all together. The first time I asked someone for help, it was a really humbling experience. But I thought of a person who was really organized and said, "My office is unbearable and Bo is about to leave me (yes, I'm a bit melodramatic!). Please help!" She seemed delighted to do it and we had a great time. The awesome thing too was that she kept the project going long after I would have quit for the day (or week or month or year). And she didn't judge me or make me feel like a worthless failure as a wife and mom for letting my piles of paper overwhelm me. (Thanks Traci!)

Does anyone else do this? If so, tell me about it. Share your ideas! If you've never done it and decide to try it, let me know that too.

Happy working!

Why you are the way you are--Book Review

Ok the title of the book is, The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman. The subtitle (I don't think that's the word--help me out here) is "Why you are the way you are." The Birth Order Book just doesn't grab you the same way, but when you look for it, that's the title.

Read this book. Really. We all know about birth order theory on some level (first born children are different than middles, last borns, etc.). This book not only explains some of the traits that we pick up as a result of our birth order (and the traits of our siblings and the birth order of our parents), but how relationships can click or collide based on birth order combinations. For example, there's a whole chapter on marriage and which combinations typically have fewer bumps than others. As it turns out Bo, the first born, and I (a functional baby) are a pretty smooth combination. Here I thought we had a great marriage because we are so awesome! In reality, it's because Bo is responsible for both of us! Anyway, interesting stuff.

Mom, dad, read the chapter about first born perfectionism. This chapter gave me lots of insight as to why I drive you both crazy!! Mom, I was having flash backs to our "sewing altercation" where you insisted I tear out the inseam that no one was going to see and I completely lost it. We should have read this book years ago. Dad, I know what you're going to say, "I'm not a first born." But you're the first born male so read it and check it out. Read the part about being a discouraged perfectionist. That could be you. It's definitely me. (At least in my perception...I'm open to other ideas.)

What are you? I'm taking an informal survey of my friends. I think I have a lot of first born friends actually. I'm drawn to their sense of responsibility and purpose and they must be drawn to my CRAZINESS :) Let me know what you are.

Almost a jerk

Yesterday afternoon I was outside with the boys in the front yard when our neighbor's great-grandson (same age as Shrek) came running out to play with us. His mom is pretty young (early 20's) and single. She came over to keep an eye on him and to return the sweatshirt he had borrowed the other day when I realized that the air was cool and our boys, despite their declarations that they were not cold, were indeed cold. So this mom (I'll call her Lucy so that I can stop referring to her as my neighbor's granddaughter), Lucy, and I started chatting. It was sort of a strained conversation since we don't know each other well and don't seem to have much in common. She asked, "So do you guys go out on the weekends?" At first I didn't really know what she was talking about so I started talking about spending family time on weekends and catching up on things around the house and going to watch Bo play softball. I could tell that's not what she was talking about so I grasped for clarification, "Out? You mean...?" She clarified, "You know, out to like the bars and stuff?"

Oh, out to like the bars and stuff. Hmm. Let me think. Well, uh, nope. I started to ramble about being too old for that and not having a babysitter and really wanting to say that it's not really our scene and that going out drinking is a waste of money and time....and then I realized that she was just being nice and in fact, wanted to invite us to go out with her on Saturday night. Ugh! That's when I realized that I was almost a complete JERK! I was about to start some kind of lecture about growing up and being responsible or something when all she was doing was inviting me into her world. And then I was glad that I hadn't postulated the benefits of spending weekends in church! That would surely have negated any invitations...perhaps ever.

So now we have the opportunity to get to know Lucy on her turf, Red Necks happens to be the name of it--yes, welcome to Nebraska! What's your vote? Saturday night at Red Necks? Yes or no?

By Request--Chicken Broccoli Ziti (Non-scorched version)

1 cup margarine
1 cup flour
8 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 pounds broccoli, steamed
2 pounds cheddar cheese, grated
2 boxes ziti (or whatever shaped pasta you'd like) cooked al dente

Make white sauce: melt margarine in a large heavy pan. Add flour stirring constantly. When mixture reaches the boiling point, add milk mixing constantly with a wire whisk. ***This is very important to avoid scorching your white sauce. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try to multitask here. Just stand there and stir. *** Heat until almost boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Place cooked chicken, broccoli and pasta into four 8x8 inch baking pans. Pour white sauce over all. Sprinkle each pan with grated cheese. Cover pans with foil, label and freeze.

To serve:
Thaw. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (or when bubbly).

And he's back!

After all that stressing out, Bo's schedule is changing again. His company offered him the chance to work back in Papillion 3 days a week and downtown 2 days a week. (The other option was to stay at the other clinic but only work 4 days a week.) We decided that it would be better to have him close while we can. Of course I have to laugh at myself because I've been so worked up about all the what ifs. Then the moment I surrender and say, "No more worrying about this," everything changes again.

All this has pointed to the fact that I am so wrapped up in my circumstances. Will I ever get over that?!?

Funny kid thoughts...

Shrek was singing a song the other day that I thought was quite brilliant, for a 2-year-old. He sang, "Nobody burped. Yesbody burped. Nobody burped. Yesbody burped." Aside from the fact that he has an obession with bodily functions, I thought it was pretty interesting that he had decided that the opposite of "nobody" is "yesbody." Makes sense to me! I got a good giggle out of it. I hope you do too!

MJ cracks me up too! He woke up not feeling great this morning. Both boys have been struggling with a cough for the last few days, but I guess the symptoms are increasing. I took MJ's temperature this morning to rule out a fever. It was about 98.7 degrees. When I told him it was only barely above normal, he got wide eyed, pretended to lick something and whispered, "Goose feather!" Yesterday, while we were out for a walk, he found a goose feather and licked it. I told him not to do that, which of course was met with a, "Why?" So I explained that geese might have germs and diseases that we don't want to expose our bodies to. Little did I know it would cause great concern that he may indeed have contracted some kind of goose disease. Just when you think your kids aren't listening to you!

On Being "Choked"

We just joined a small group at our new church, although it feels weird to call it "our" church as we're so new and not feeling at home quite yet. Anyway, we were studying the passage of scripture about the sower and the seed and how the various kinds of soil make a huge difference as to how well a plant grows (Matthew 13). I found myself realizing that I have been choking lately. Without even being aware of it, I have allowed the "cares of the world and the pursuit of wealth" choke out the joy of living moment by moment in the presence of God.

Example: Some of you know that Bo was transferred to an office 17 miles from where we are renting a house. We have a one year lease, but I seem to think that I need to worry about whether or not we are going to move at the end of this year. I fret about whether or not we can afford to buy a house. I fret about where we may move. I worry about whether or not we can pay back the debt we incurred while Bo was in school. I question getting involved in groups in our part of town since we may not stay long. I stress about where MJ would go to school if we move. Choking....choking....choking. Not thriving...thriving...thriving. While I am wrapped up in calculating every inch of my future, I am making my mind and heart weary.

Pray for me that I will jump into some good soil...weed free soil...a place where I can see the light and experience joy in the process.

Check This Out!

My friend Grace just shared this with me. It's about a 5 minute video on YouTube. Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480L

Stranger Birthday Party

MJ turned 5 a few weeks ago and I was feeling a bit sad for him. He had drawn pictures to send to his friends in Buffalo and asked me to write invitations to his birthday party. Broke my heart really. Well, I've joined a bible study with a bunch of other moms with young kids and they offered to have a birthday party for MJ. I was just expecting that we'd get together and play and eat cake, but they all had their kids bring presents for him and everything. It was awesome! I mean, how great is it that he could have a friend birthday party without actually having friends? God is super good to us!

Ridiculously Nice...another thing I love about about the Mid-West

Is there such a thing as ridiculously nice? I'll let you decide. A few days ago I was walking to the post office, pulling the boys in the wagon. We were about to cross the main road and I'm standing there waiting for the light to change with my letters in hand. A car was waiting at the light with us and the lady rolls down her window and yells out, "Are you taking those to the post office? I can drop them off for you. I'm on my way there." I was stunned. I couldn't take her up on it because the letters did not have stamps and I didn't think she was offering to buy stamps for me. (Now that would be ridiculously nice.) When we saw her at the post office she said, "Oh, I just thought I'd save you the trip across the highway." Now isn't that nice?

While we were in the post office we witnessed another act of kindness. A woman had carried in several boxes of packages to mail and she asked the postal worker where to put them (she had left them in the hallway). He told her that she needed to bring them in to the counter. So she began to retreive them and another man jumped out of line and helped her carry them all in. Again, I'm surrounded by nice, nice people here. I'm thankful for that.

Kids' Alias

I've been giving some thought to giving my kids an alias for my blog. I'm not generally paranoid about privacy and all that, but they are my kids and I don't want to be foolish with all the weirdos you hear about doing weirdo things on the internet. I do want to share about them since they are really the source of the richest of content, and I don't want to keep referring to them as, my 5 year old boy or my 2 year old boy, etc. SO I asked them what they would like their aliases to be. My 5 year old boy chose Michael Jackson. Since that might be confusing to those who haven't read this post, I will refer to him as MJ. (In case someone thinks that the real Michael Jackson has somehow become part of our family.) My 2 year old boy chose the alias "Shrek" on suggestion from MJ. Since Shrek is not all that different from his real name (not to give it away), I think it fits. So from here on out, my kids are MJ & Shrek. If you have any problems with it, take it up with them!

And the winner is...

OK, I didn't realize how hard it would be to pick a winner. Some of you took this really seriously and some of you are totally goofy! I love it. I'm going to have to give the prize to Gloria. Her idea was to freeze them up, strap them on your feet and use them as skis. I just love the mental picture that creates for me. It reminds me of a Pinky Dinky Doo episode where she can't find her shoes so she uses meat loaf (or maybe one of her friends used meat loaf--can't really remember, but anyway, it's so gross and silly!). Anyway, Gloria, you win! Email me to claim your prize.

A Couple of Recipes

I am just loving those ideas you've written (or called) in. Keep 'em coming! In the mean time, I had promised Angie some new freezer cooking recipes so I thought I'd post them here for all to enjoy. If cooking is not your thing, I apologize. This just happens to be the topic on my mind this week. I will move on to other things when I've exhausted this one...or when I'm just plain exhausted. The latter will probably come first!

Hamburger Noodle Casserole (Thanks Kris!)
8 oz egg noodles
3 T. margarine
4 oz cheddar cheese--shredded-1 cup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 pound ground beef-browned
1/3 cup onions-chopped fine
1 1/2 cans tomato soup (10.75 oz cans)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-1.5 quart casserole dishes

Cook noodles al dente. Drain, and add margarine. Stir to coat noodles, then cool. Once noodles are cooled, also add the cheddar, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Mix thoroughly. Brown ground beef, with onion, salt, and pepper. Drain meat and cool. Once meat is cool, add soup and mix thoroughly. Layer noodle mixture then meat mixture in each 1.5 quart casserole dish. Cover with saran, foil, label & freeze.

To prepare for serving: Thaw and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.


BBQ Cups (Thanks again Kris!)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup BBQ sauce
4 oz cheddar cheese shredded
2 tubes large or giant refrigerated biscuits
4 quart-size ziploc bags
2 gallon size ziploc bags

Brown meat, onion, garlic and spices until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat. Divide BBQ sauce and meat into 2 1-quart bags. Divide cheese into 2 1-quart bags. Place a bag of meat mixture and a bag of cheese into each gallon bag. Label. Freeze.

To prepare for serving: Thaw. Warm meat mixture until heated through. Press biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of meat mixture into each muffin cup. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking.


OK--This one has absolutely NOTHING to do with ground beef. The main ingredient is imitation crab meat. Maybe you Boston chics can buy giant tubes of imitation crab for 99 cents a pound since you live near the ocean. Actually, imitation crab is probably made from fish farmed in the Mid-West so we may be able to buy it cheaper. We'll have to compare. Anyway, it is a great freezer recipe that was received very well in my house, except for my son who does not like his food to touch, but he's funny like that. I'm sure he would have liked it if he would have tried it. He opted for PBJ instead. BUT, the little one said, "Mommy, dis dinnah yishish." (That means delicious in 2 year old language.)

Crab Shells (Thanks, yet again, Kris!)

6 T margarine, divided 2 and 4 T
6 green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
1/2 pound imitation crab meat, chopped or shredded
1 dash salt to taste
1 dash pepper to taste
12 jumbo pasta shells
4 T flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 oz Parmesan cheese--1/2 cup divided 1/4 and 1/4 cup
2 1.5 quart casserole dishes

Cook pasta shells al dente. Cool. In a small saucepan or skillet melt 2 T of margarine. Add chopped green onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, crabmeat, and salt and pepper to taste. Sire over medium heat until heated through. Fill pasta shells with mixture and arrange shells in round baking dish that has been treated with non-stick spray.

In same skillet melt the remaining 4 T of margarine. Stir in flour. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in milk. Return to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Stir in salt and pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, stirring until the cheese melts. Pour sauce over shells, and top with remaining cheese. Cover with saran, foil, label and freeze.

To prepare for serving: Thaw and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.


If you need more recipes, let me know. My new freezer cookin' friend, Kris, gave me a ton. Plus I have a few favorites that I fall back on. I'm sure many of you have been subjected to my chicken broccoli ziti. Speaking of which, I had a major freezer cooking mishap with that one. While making the white sauce for this recipe, I accidentally scorched it. The bad news is that I didn't realize I had done it until I poured it over 4 whole 9x13" pans of chicken broccoli & ziti! I know it seems crazy that I didn't know, but I'm adjusting back to an electric stove (after having gas since college--that doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean!) and I thought that maybe something had dripped onto one of the burners and was making that awful smell. But NO, it was my white sauce that was now all over the chicken broccoli ziti! So now I have 3 pans of food that have a distinct smoky flavor and I'm too cheap to throw them away (we ate one for dinner that night--Bo said you can't taste the burn when you put hot sauce all over it). Maybe my next contest will be ideas on how not to waste 3 9x13" pans of chicken broccoli ziti. I was thinking that if we were invited to some large pot luck dinner where no one would have to know what we brought, I could quickly slip it onto the table and run away! That's just wrong, I know, but this is my blog and if I want to share my deepest, most evil thoughts, well, that's my prerogative. Feel free to comment.

Kick-off Contest--Why I love the Mid-West!

After hearing over and over, "You should write about your move," I'm finally doing it. I'm new to this whole blog thing so be patient with me please. I never was the most technology savvy chic and now that the most frequented website in our household is pbskids.org, it's even worse. So if you see that I'm missing some important feature of all those really hip blogs out there, or you have any advice for me, feel free to pass it along. I am grateful.

OK, with the preliminaries out of the way, I'll bet you're dying to know WHY I love the mid-west. Well, there are many reasons, but today the #1 reason is that this is the first place I've ever purchased ground beef for $.99/pound. (OK, I mean since adulthood...maybe in like 1989 it was that cheap, but I can't remember ever buying beef for less than a buck--not even at Budweys, fine home of ghetto meat!--I say that affectionately, by the way. I do miss Budweys....) The only catch is that you had to buy it in a Giant 10 pound tube (limit 2). Yes, I did buy the limit. I simply could not help myself. The good news is that while giant tubes of meat are very weaponlike, 10 pounds is too heavy for my boys to actually use as weapons (although they did try). My freezer is now well stocked with meat loaf, meat balls, enchillada pie, hamburger noodle casserole and chili. Phew!

BUT it was suggested to me that a fun way to officially kick-off my blog would be to have a contest to see who can come up with the most (or most creative) uses for a 10 pound tube of $10 meat. Depending on how inspired you are, I may just run out and buy me another tube. I think it would be great fun to send you your own personal 10 pound tube of $10 meat if you win, but that would be gross SO instead I will use this opportunity to shamelessly promote my ecommerce website, www.booksfromsarah.com and offer a FREE card pack called 50 Science things to make and do for the winner of this Kick-Off Contest. In case you didn't know, I sell the most wonderful children's books on the market and for those of you who do not like to stretch your imagination and make up creative uses for meat tubes, we have great activity books and card packs to give you ideas. As of yet, we do not have a card pack called 50 things to make and do with a giant tube of ground beef, BUT we do have a pack of recipe cards called 30 Healthy Things to Make and Eat, which includes several recipes containing ground beef. You do not need a 10 pound tube to make any of them, however, so please don't be scared. I will announce the winner at the end of the week.

In the mean time, I am going to take great delight in mid-western living and enjoy my well-stocked freezer. If you can get over the fact that your meal may have come from a tube, join us for dinner sometime!

The First One Is the Hardest--Get It Over With!

I created this blog a few weeks ago, but ever since I've been too scared to start writing. I mean, what if no one wants to read it?...or worse, they do want to read it and I write something stupid? So, I'm conquering my fear right now and just getting the first one out of the way. I just need to prove to myself that it's not hard to do it....I don't have to be profound...I don't have to be funny...I can just put it out there and that's enough. No pressure. Just getting it over with...