Clemsongirl tagged me a really, really long time ago and I have yet to fulfill my duties. I am prone to overwhelmedness (shut up- you know that's a word...)
Five Random Things About Me
1) I survived the grueling experience of applying to the Peace Corp after college. After 14 months of waiting for an assignment or whatever they call it, I decided that I really DID need to find myself, but that I was pretty sure I wasn't in Africa. So, I took a job as a waitress and went back to graduate school. Not sure if I found myself there either, but I did find a husband. The Scientist was one of my teachers. Or is that more than you wanted to know?
2) The Scientist and I dated 5 months before getting engaged. I was pregnant five months after we got married.
3) In my pre-household-executive-life I was a middle school science teacher. And actually liked it. I apparently thrive in a room engulfed in a cloud of hormones, but would die a slow agonizing death in a room full of preschoolers every day (other than the fishies of course).
4) My sister and I talk at least once a day. Usually more. Much more. I'm usually the one calling. She is a lawyer turned chef and she is the sounding and review board for most things coming from my kitchen.
5) Sweets will rot in my house before they get eaten. The fishies love baked goods and all things sweet. The Scientist and I are indifferent. But, we will fight over the last anything salty/greasy. There is a smothered okra we get at a local store and it is worth fighting over. I don't know what they do to it, but I know it involves butter- and lots of it.
Consider yourself tagged.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Will Work For Shoes
WTF. The Scientist does not work for a car dealership and is not in the high-end restaurant business. Nor do we own a gift shop or a country club. The Scientist is not a cosmetic surgeon. So why, why, why are WE feeling the pinch of the economy?! I know, I know. It now takes as much to fill up the Mommymobile as I'm pretty sure my parents paid for my room and board for a semester at Clemson. The organic milk I used to buy (yes, I do buy into all that crap because we can't have One Fish "starting" when she's 8, now can we?) is now almost $4/half gallon. Do not even talk to me about cheese. Who are these cows that produce a product that warrants such a price and shouldn't the organic be cheaper since the farmers are saving all that money not having to buy pesticides and hormones and what not?!
That economic stimulus package that is coming out (please, God) next month? Contrary to what ol' W hopes (and I'm not by any means one to pile on ol' W or slam our executive office- I'm just telling it like it is here) we will not be taking a lavish vacation with our money. We will not buy appliances or electronics. We will not put a down payment on a car. We.Will.Pay.Off.The.Credit.Card. Because these last few months we've had to break our rule and use it and I'm not completely sure the minimum payment will be in our budget much longer. We may go ahead and prepay preschool. Or throw some money at our student loans so that we pay them off sometime before the fishies go to college themselves. But, we will not be becoming proud owners of a new swimming pool or game room or investing in stocks. Just so everyone knows.
Unfortunately, the first thing to go at times like these is...me. No more cute spring shoe shopping trips. No more visits to even the discount store for a few pairs of cute capris or some cutie spring polos. Even though my favorite clothing item in the world is flip flops (just about any pair), I will not be restocking the supply for this season. I will need all the extra money (and then some) to keep my toes in shape for LAST season's flip flops. Because the only thing that looks worse than old flip flops is old flip flops with k-mart feet in them, right?
That economic stimulus package that is coming out (please, God) next month? Contrary to what ol' W hopes (and I'm not by any means one to pile on ol' W or slam our executive office- I'm just telling it like it is here) we will not be taking a lavish vacation with our money. We will not buy appliances or electronics. We will not put a down payment on a car. We.Will.Pay.Off.The.Credit.Card. Because these last few months we've had to break our rule and use it and I'm not completely sure the minimum payment will be in our budget much longer. We may go ahead and prepay preschool. Or throw some money at our student loans so that we pay them off sometime before the fishies go to college themselves. But, we will not be becoming proud owners of a new swimming pool or game room or investing in stocks. Just so everyone knows.
Unfortunately, the first thing to go at times like these is...me. No more cute spring shoe shopping trips. No more visits to even the discount store for a few pairs of cute capris or some cutie spring polos. Even though my favorite clothing item in the world is flip flops (just about any pair), I will not be restocking the supply for this season. I will need all the extra money (and then some) to keep my toes in shape for LAST season's flip flops. Because the only thing that looks worse than old flip flops is old flip flops with k-mart feet in them, right?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
If someone's gonna get sick, it sure as hell better not be Mommy
Ain't it the truth. But, readers, I am down for the count.
To recap and to offer a complete Death And Dying Report, I spent my Friday night in the ER with The Scientist. He had a raging fever that I tried to cure with a lukewarm bath. This, according to the ER doc, did more for killing him that the actual fever. Apparently this is an addendum in medical textbooks now. And I bet you didn't know either, huh? But anyway, when you put a feverish person in lukewarm water, they shiver which just generates more body heat. My friend Jennifer suggested putting an ice pack on his groin in order to bring the fever down. I opted for the bath instead, so I told him to count his lucky stars and be grateful for the bath. Regardless of its ill effects. Gotta be better than an ice pack to the groin, right? He had a virus and he seemed better two days later.
On to me. I actually went to the doctor yesterday. This indicates that I did indeed feel as though I was dying. I hadn't been to any doc other than an OB in 6 years. SIX. Not even the year I had the flu on Thanksgiving day and had a fever of 102 but cooked dinner anyway, popped a few Tylenol and then went off to our traditional post-T'giving-dinner-movie. Suck it up, is my usual policy about illness. But, I did believe I was dying. So, off I went.
An hour later I had a playdate for my son as the doc lives very close to us and has a son Two Fish's age (told you I lived in a small town). I also had prescription for Penicillin and a positive rapid strep test. Somehow, if The Scientist gets sick, things might slow down and get a little complicated for a bit. If I get sick...the ship sinks.
But, this is a good example of how we handle illness differently. He felt he was getting sick, so, he went to bed and rested and took the appropriate drugs until he healed. I felt I was getting sick, so I spent the day washing and putting away every available dirty piece of clothing in the house, mopping all the floors, straightening the house, and planning meals for the next week. Things have to be managable if I'm going to be out of commission for awhile, right?
The Scientist has Two Fish and Red Fish right now and is off to tackle the carpool line. He gets BIG points for staying home since I've been sick. Of course, each of these days, he's somehow had some sort of lingering ailment that has threatened to overshadow the fact that I am begging for a throatectomy and have glands the size of golf balls bulging from the sides of my neck, but I try not to dwell on details. He gets the credit where it is due. And it is due, regardless. I'm supposed to be sleeping while he's gone. No tattle tales, please.
To recap and to offer a complete Death And Dying Report, I spent my Friday night in the ER with The Scientist. He had a raging fever that I tried to cure with a lukewarm bath. This, according to the ER doc, did more for killing him that the actual fever. Apparently this is an addendum in medical textbooks now. And I bet you didn't know either, huh? But anyway, when you put a feverish person in lukewarm water, they shiver which just generates more body heat. My friend Jennifer suggested putting an ice pack on his groin in order to bring the fever down. I opted for the bath instead, so I told him to count his lucky stars and be grateful for the bath. Regardless of its ill effects. Gotta be better than an ice pack to the groin, right? He had a virus and he seemed better two days later.
On to me. I actually went to the doctor yesterday. This indicates that I did indeed feel as though I was dying. I hadn't been to any doc other than an OB in 6 years. SIX. Not even the year I had the flu on Thanksgiving day and had a fever of 102 but cooked dinner anyway, popped a few Tylenol and then went off to our traditional post-T'giving-dinner-movie. Suck it up, is my usual policy about illness. But, I did believe I was dying. So, off I went.
An hour later I had a playdate for my son as the doc lives very close to us and has a son Two Fish's age (told you I lived in a small town). I also had prescription for Penicillin and a positive rapid strep test. Somehow, if The Scientist gets sick, things might slow down and get a little complicated for a bit. If I get sick...the ship sinks.
But, this is a good example of how we handle illness differently. He felt he was getting sick, so, he went to bed and rested and took the appropriate drugs until he healed. I felt I was getting sick, so I spent the day washing and putting away every available dirty piece of clothing in the house, mopping all the floors, straightening the house, and planning meals for the next week. Things have to be managable if I'm going to be out of commission for awhile, right?
The Scientist has Two Fish and Red Fish right now and is off to tackle the carpool line. He gets BIG points for staying home since I've been sick. Of course, each of these days, he's somehow had some sort of lingering ailment that has threatened to overshadow the fact that I am begging for a throatectomy and have glands the size of golf balls bulging from the sides of my neck, but I try not to dwell on details. He gets the credit where it is due. And it is due, regardless. I'm supposed to be sleeping while he's gone. No tattle tales, please.
Don't act like you're not jealous...
Don't hate me because I got invited to MomProm 2. Doesn't the invite just speak for itself? I am sooooooo there...
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
For the Record
Do not spend the $$ on the pricey ingredients for the Shrimp and Crab gumbo recipe contained in a previously mentioned cookbook. I guess I'm not used to a gumbo that seems to have tomato soup as it's base. Ewwww. It is edible, but it's safe to say that I will not have to put pen to recipe card to save that one. Perhaps I'll just tell the scientist that we're having shrimp and crab tomato soup. As disgusting as that sounds, it will save him from being excited to hear that we're having gumbo.
Lesson learned on the gumbo. My delicious recipe that takes foooooreeeeeeveeer to make is completely worth it. Many things can be hurried in life but not gumbo.
Lesson learned on the gumbo. My delicious recipe that takes foooooreeeeeeveeer to make is completely worth it. Many things can be hurried in life but not gumbo.
Dumpster Diving
I've been reminding The Scientist daily that I have been kicking ass at cooking and cleaning. I'm sure he's not commenting on his own because he just hasn't noticed how awesome I've been lately at taming the house and feeding the masses, right? Right? So, tonight I'm trying three new recipes. Seems a little extreme and risky even to me, so I'll walk you through my thought process here.
My personal theme for this year is REDUCE. I tackled the older fishies' room yesterday (aka- threw all the crap away that they are too non-OCD to toss on their own- isn't a little touch of obsessive compulsion good for the soul?). I'm not even done yet. It all has to be done while they are at school so they don't see that I am throwing away their collection of tiny, cheap, plastic reptiles that they forgot even existed, never played with anyway and have been in the outer pocket of one of the backpacks since 2004. Or the several decks of cards that put together may not equal 52. Or even 25 for that matter. That they don't know how to play any games with anyway. Or the small army men who have lost legs and heads and aren't played with (but heaven forbid they go to the great dumpster in the sky). I made them watch the Oprah last week with the woman who's house was packed with stuff and there was mold, etc. under all of it. Anyone see it? I told them to consider it a cautionary tale. The Scientist says I'm heartless. I say I'm practical.
I was getting to me here... I have waaaaay too many cookbooks. I have gotten rid of dozens and am down to my "favorite" say, 15. So, a few months ago I decided to pick a cookbook and work my way through it, trying any recipe that seemed remotely appealling and something my family would enjoy. If I find a winning recipe, I write it down, put it in the recipe box and keep going. When I'm done, I get rid of the cookbook. What a great idea is that, huh?! I'm currently working on Southern Living 1998. Tonight we're having: Shrimp-Crab Gumbo (I'm skeptical since I consider myself to make a mean gumbo, but this one seemed much faster to make so I'm willing to keep an open mind), carrot-raisin salad with orange-nutmeg dressing (hate, hate, hate carrot raisin salad, but again, keeping an open mind since the dressing sounded good) and some sort of pea salad.
Not the most cohesive combination of dishes tonight, but it's three knocked off the list. I just know that my family is going to be sooooo grateful for the work I'm doing today. The new recipes, the laundry, the shopping, the mopping, the straightening, the picking up and dropping off. They are going to be singing my praises all evening long. They'll be filling out the Mother/Wife of the Year applications first thing in the morning. Unless, of course, they look in the trashcans...
My personal theme for this year is REDUCE. I tackled the older fishies' room yesterday (aka- threw all the crap away that they are too non-OCD to toss on their own- isn't a little touch of obsessive compulsion good for the soul?). I'm not even done yet. It all has to be done while they are at school so they don't see that I am throwing away their collection of tiny, cheap, plastic reptiles that they forgot even existed, never played with anyway and have been in the outer pocket of one of the backpacks since 2004. Or the several decks of cards that put together may not equal 52. Or even 25 for that matter. That they don't know how to play any games with anyway. Or the small army men who have lost legs and heads and aren't played with (but heaven forbid they go to the great dumpster in the sky). I made them watch the Oprah last week with the woman who's house was packed with stuff and there was mold, etc. under all of it. Anyone see it? I told them to consider it a cautionary tale. The Scientist says I'm heartless. I say I'm practical.
I was getting to me here... I have waaaaay too many cookbooks. I have gotten rid of dozens and am down to my "favorite" say, 15. So, a few months ago I decided to pick a cookbook and work my way through it, trying any recipe that seemed remotely appealling and something my family would enjoy. If I find a winning recipe, I write it down, put it in the recipe box and keep going. When I'm done, I get rid of the cookbook. What a great idea is that, huh?! I'm currently working on Southern Living 1998. Tonight we're having: Shrimp-Crab Gumbo (I'm skeptical since I consider myself to make a mean gumbo, but this one seemed much faster to make so I'm willing to keep an open mind), carrot-raisin salad with orange-nutmeg dressing (hate, hate, hate carrot raisin salad, but again, keeping an open mind since the dressing sounded good) and some sort of pea salad.
Not the most cohesive combination of dishes tonight, but it's three knocked off the list. I just know that my family is going to be sooooo grateful for the work I'm doing today. The new recipes, the laundry, the shopping, the mopping, the straightening, the picking up and dropping off. They are going to be singing my praises all evening long. They'll be filling out the Mother/Wife of the Year applications first thing in the morning. Unless, of course, they look in the trashcans...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)